Football

For the first time in team history, the Miami Dolphins will wear a special patch to honor an individual person -- the late, great Don Shula.

Coach Shula passed away back in May at 90 years old -- and the team has decided to honor his memory during the 2020 NFL season.

All players will wear a special patch on their uniforms with Shula's last name and the number 347 -- which represents his record number of wins as an NFL coach.

The team says, "This will be the first time in the Dolphins' 54 seasons that a patch will be worn to honor an individual."

The team will debut the patch at their season opener on Sept. 13 against the New England Patriots.

Shula is a bona fide NFL legend -- he broke George Haas' all-time wins record in 1993 before finally retiring in 1995.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

"Don Shula's lasting impact on the Miami Dolphins, NFL and South Florida community is immeasurable," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said.

First Deion Sanders ... then Charles Barkley?

Maybe!

Barstool Sports prez Dave Portnoy says Sir Chuck is the next big star he's hoping to sign, after inking Prime Time earlier this week.

"Charles Barely is like the best to ever do it," Portnoy told us in NYC ... "He's a guy, who one of the few, he just slings it on TNT and does a great job."

"That's a guy that comes up on top of my list that I would wanna get."

As we previously reported, Deion Sanders ended his 14-year run at NFL Network to join Dave's gang -- he'll be doing podcasts and video projects.

Portnoy says the move is sending a strong message to the rest of the sports media world.

"I think what it says to the rest to the world is ya know, you really can't f**k with us! We're on our way up!"

"I mean to put it bluntly. We can compete with anybody for talent and we're kind of a force to be reckoned with."

We also asked if bringing on Deion could help Barstool repair the relationship with NFL commish Roger Goodell.

And, to put it mildly, don't hold your breath.

A bunch of autographed Joe Haden Steelers jerseys were shipped to Adam 'Pacman' Jones' house on Wednesday ... and the ex-NFLer reacted by lighting the whole batch ON FIRE.

Yeah, this is wild.

The 36-year-old documented the whole thing in a bizarre Instagram video on Wednesday ... saying, "I'ma show you how gangsta I am, whoever sent these punk ass Haden Pittsburgh jerseys, all these bitches about to get fired up."

For the record, we don't know if there's a beef between Pacman and Joe Haden ... but it sure seems like Pacman isn't a fan.

Joe Haden just posted a response video -- informing Pacman he had nothing to do with the jersey shipment!

Haden says he’s always had respect for Pacman and seems to be just as confused as the rest of us!

It's unclear who sent the jerseys, but Joe Haden's wife, Sarah, made it clear her husband had nothing to do with it.

"Real Classy," Sarah commented to Pacman ... "You obviously don’t know his character. He would NEVER send this."

Regardless, Pacman proved he was a man of his word ... pouring gasoline on the Haden threads and setting the batch on fire -- one by one.

"I don't know who had the nerve to do some s**t like this, but they all finna get burnt," Jones said in the video.

"F**k you too, Joe Haden and whatever you stand for, bitch as n***a."

Disturbing scene in Maryland over the weekend ... some scumbags vandalized a high school football field with racist language -- and now, cops say they're on the hunt for the culprits.

The graffiti was sprayed near the 50-yard line at Calvert High School's football stadium in Prince Frederick, MD. ... with the several racist messages including, "F**k n*****s."

Community leaders said in a Facebook post a 15-year-old Black student discovered the vandalism early Sunday morning ... and believe it "may possibly be a response to a picture" of the school's football coach supporting the H.S.'s new Black principal.

Cops say they believe the vandalism was done sometime Saturday night ... with school officials adding other parts of the campus were also broken into and tagged as part of the same incident.

After the graffiti was cleared up, the school spelled out a different message on the field -- "No Hate Here."

"We are sad and angry that these racist messages occurred on school grounds," superintendent Dr. Daniel D. Curry said in a statement. "This racist language hurts the school system and the Calvert County community."

"Calvert County Public Schools promotes an anti-racist environment and denounces hate and discrimination."

Both cops and school officials say they have no leads on suspects at this time ... with a school spokesperson telling TMZ Sports there are no cameras that overlook the football field.

Legendary Indianapolis Colts coach Howard Mudd -- the man responsible for getting O-linemen to block for Peyton Manning for YEARS -- died Wednesday, team owner Jim Irsay announced.

He was 78 years old.

According to Mudd's family members ... the famous NFL coach was involved in a serious accident on July 29 -- and succumbed to injuries Wednesday.

"Right after the accident he fought so hard against all odds to communicate to us that he loves us and that he knows we love him," Mudd's family said in a statement.

"[On Tuesday], it became clear that he was ready and that we needed to surround him with love and fight for his right to comfort and peace."

"This morning he was surrounded in the room by his sons [Darren and Adam] who held his arms and prayed over him as he passed away."

Mudd is known as one of the league's greatest offensive line coaches ever ... he famously produced O-lines year after year in Indy that protected Manning during the Hall of Fame QB's prime.

Mudd ultimately coached for nearly 5 DECADES in the league ... and was a damn good O-lineman himself during his playing days in the 1960s.

"Rest in peace, Howard Mudd," Irsay said Wednesday. "Howard was a GREAT player during a shortened career and then became one of the game's all-time greatest offensive line coaches."

"He contributed to many different teams over 47 years in our league---but he will always be a Colt. #LoveYouHoward."

Dak Prescott spoke out Wednesday on the tragic passing of his older brother, Jace ... and the Dallas Cowboys QB said emotionally, "it's tough, obviously."

"He meant a lot to my family, meant a lot to me," the 27-year-old told reporters in his first news conference since Jace's passing. "He's part of the reason I am a quarterback."

"When I was a little kid, he's the reason that I first started throwing the football."

Jace -- one of Dak's two older brothers -- died suddenly at the age of 31 this past April. The family has not publicly revealed the cause of death.

Dak was clearly torn up over the loss. In fact, it took the QB nearly four months to open up about it all publicly ... telling reporters Wednesday he's now making it his life's mission to carry on his brother's legacy.

"It's been a tough year," Dak said. "It's been a tough year for me personally. It's been a tough year for my family. It's been a tough year for this country and this world, obviously. So, it's all been tough."

Dak says he leaned on his Cowboys teammates and his other family members to get him through it all ... adding, "I have a great family to count on, to lean on. Great supporters here, great teammates. Great coaches."

As we previously reported ... Dak and Jace were extremely close -- the two famously filmed a Campbell's Chunky Soup commercial together in 2019, where the QB praised Jace and his other brother for being a great support system.

Sean Payton was hit with all the hard questions during a conference call with reporters on Wednesday ... and like a true pro, he had the answers to EVERYTHING -- even a pesky stain!!!

"Let me ask you a question," the reporter began -- not knowing everyone in the call could hear him -- "I spilled mustard on my suit..."

And, before the reporter was able to finish his thought -- or realize he wasn't muted -- the New Orleans Saints coach came through with some sound advice!!

"Generally with mustard, I'd use warm water," Payton said.

"I wanna use warm water, I don't wanna wipe it, I want to blot it and I want to treat it twice."

Of course, the embarrassed reporter quickly apologized for the hilarious blunder -- apologizing for having his mic on -- but Payton continued helping with his problem.

"You can't put it in the dryer on hot or it's going to be stained. If none of those things are working, seek outside help."

Patrick Mahomes says he's personally spoken with NFL commish Roger Goodell about the Black Lives Matter movement ... adding he's "excited" about taking the next steps.

The Kansas City Chiefs QB appeared on FS1's "Undisputed" on Wednesday where he was asked if he feels the BLM movement's impact on the NFL.

"I feel like it's been positive," Mahomes said.

"I've got to talk to Goodell, I've talked to other guys around the league and obviously now it's about action."

He added, "It's about going out there and making the right steps that we can ... and make the community a better place."

Mahomes -- who teamed up with other NFL to deliver a powerful statement to the league back in June -- says they're already getting the ball rolling with voter registration initiatives.

"We did a voter registration with the team and the Chiefs and we're trying to get everybody registered to vote," Mahomes said.

Jerry Jones says the Cowboys might be backing off his "toe the line" national anthem kneeling policy ... with the Dallas owner telling media members Wednesday he's considering a new rule.

The 77-year-old, who has famously threatened to cut players if they kneel during the pregame song, now says he's going to have an open dialogue with his team over the policy.

Jerry told reporters he's currently trying to find a way that pleases both protesters and staunch flag supporters when it comes to the team's newest anthem kneeling rule.

"Somewhere in between there," Jones said, "as we get together with our team, as we discuss with the team, somewhere in between there is how we're going to handle it."

Jerry says he's been in contact with several powerful people over how the Cowboys should move forward with the policy ... saying both past and current U.S. presidents have shared their feelings with him on the matter.

"I have talked to literally double handfuls of very, very engaged people," Jones said. "I have had input from ex-presidents, I've had input from presidents."

"I've had input from a cross-section of our players, former players and I will continue to have input. This is a very serious matter."

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross III has left training camp to take care of his son ... after his 3-year-old and the child's mother both tested positive for coronavirus.

Ross did not attend practice on Tuesday as he flew back to Los Angeles to help care for his family, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The timing isn't exactly ideal for the 24-year-old speedster --he's been hoping to have a breakout season with Cincy after 3 injury-plagued years in the league.

Ross was selected with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 Draft after flashing some insane speed. He's shown real potential on the field but injuries have been a problem.

He will now be placed on the Bengals' Reserve/COVID-19 list ... and a return date has not been set.

Ross frequently posts on social media his son, Juju -- and raves about how much he loves being a father.

Absolutely laugh out loud scene on Tuesday's episode of "Hard Knocks" ... Rams coach Sean McVay blasted his players for crappin' in the team's porta-potties -- telling them straight up, "Have a little bit more social awareness!"

Here's the deal ... the Rams set up portable Johns on their Los Angeles practice fields for training camp so guys could take piss breaks during workouts.

But McVay, in a team meeting recorded by HBO's cameras, says dudes were violating rules by poopin' in the toilets ... and coach wasn't happy with that AT ALL!!!

The rant was hilarious ... "Don't be the guy that takes a sh*t in the porta-potties!" McVay said.

"I went in there and I about threw up," he added ... "That's to take a piss! Don't take a sh*t in the porta-potties! All right!"

For their part, Rams players could not stop laughing about the whole situation ... cameras caught superstar Aaron Donald nearly in tears over it all!!

Big career move for Deion Sanders -- who just announced he's leaving his gig at the NFL Network for a role at Barstool Sports.

Prime Time spent 14 years as an on-air analyst with the NFL Network -- but there were rumblings of a contract dispute and he bailed.

But, the 53-year-old ain't riding off into the sunset ... on the contrary, he's joining Barstool Sports where he'll bolster the company's NFL coverage with his own podcast and weekly appearances on "Pardon My Take" to break down NFL games.

"I'm happy! I'm excited," Sanders said on "PMT" ... while revealing the name of his podcast will be "21st and Prime."

What's interesting ... Barstool has been at WAR with NFL commish Roger Goodell for years and ya gotta wonder how Rog feels about one of the sport's biggest stars EVER landing with the enemy.

As we previously reported, Barstool honcho Dave Portnoy recently won a charity auction to watch an NFL game with Goodell, but the league refunded his winning bid, labeling Portnoy as persona non grata.

L.A. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn revealed he was diagnosed with COVID earlier this year -- and only got tested after hearing about a golfer with similar symptoms.

51-year-old Lynn spelled it out on the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- and though he didn't specifically say WHEN he tested positive.

"I can't promise you you're not going to get infected," Lynn told his players during a video chat meeting ... "I got infected."

He continued, "What I want to do is limit your exposure, but then when that whistle blows, let's go kick somebody's ass and play some football."

Later in the show, Lynn was asked about his symptoms -- and how he realized he had coronavirus.

"I’m coughing a little bit, then my body started aching a little bit. I couldn’t get comfortable in my bed," Lynn said.

Lynn then explained that he was watching a golf match and saw that a golfer had pulled out after experiencing similar symptoms -- and laster tested positive for COVID.

"I said, 'sh*t. My body kinda felt like that.'"

"If I hadn't been watching the golfing game and saw that golfer complain about backaches and soreness ... I never even would have gotten tested And I would have had this and never even known it. And probably got people infected."

Lynn says he was more worried about being branded an "outcast" than batting the virus itself.

"All the sudden, I'm the problem. I'm used to fixing the problem, now I'm the problem."

Lynn was eventually cleared to return to work -- where his players are staff are tested for COVID every day.

With the Pac 12 and the Big Ten shut down for 2020 -- sources tell TMZ Sports there are serious discussions about having 2 football seasons in 2021, 3 months apart.

The proposed plan, according to our sources would be a season that runs from February to April -- followed by 3 months off.

The 2nd season would kick off in August and run through the rest of the year ... on the normal college football schedule.

All of this is predicated on the notion that it will be safe to play again by the spring. In other words, there needs to be a real plan on the handle to handle the COVID threat. A cure would be nice.

With PAC 12 programs shut down until at least January, coaching staff can NOW start to focus on recruiting top players for the Fall 2021 season ... and coaches aren't wasting time.

There are other issues facing major college programs regarding how to handle players currently on campus -- keep them around or send them home?

One source tells us ... it will be up to players if they want to stay on campus or return to their homes. With most classes available online and no team practices allowed until January, some players will see no reason to stay.

But, with scholarship athletes still getting lodging and food plans covered by the schools, some are expected to stick around.

Another issue ... several programs are expecting some of their top players to opt out and prepare for the NFL Draft instead of waiting out the college football season.

As one source put it, "It's a smart move for some players with so much money at stake."

Big blow to college football ... the BIG 10 has reportedly voted to CANCEL the 2020 season.

The Detroit Free Press is citing multiple sources who confirm BIG 10 presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season.

Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue were among the programs that voted to cancel.

Meanwhile, the only 2 votes for playing came from Nebraska and Iowa, according to the Dan Patrick Show.

The conference will reportedly go public with the announcement on Tuesday.

As we previously reported, the leaders of college football's Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss their options.

But, as ESPN reports, the takeaway from the meeting was that a college football season in 2020 was unlikely pending some sort of miracle.

Ever had a cotton swab shoved up your nose!? IT SUCKS!

Just ask L.A. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward -- who had some major pre-swab jitters before his COVID test at the Chargers facility ... and the footage is great!

NFL players are getting tested everyday during the first 2 weeks of training camp -- which opened on July 28.

And, judging by this footage of Hayward captured by HBO's "Hard Knocks" ... there's just no getting used to it!

Both the L..A Chargers and the L.A. Rams are featured on the docuseries this season -- a big change for the show which has traditionally only chronicled one team's journey into the regular season.

The COVID pandemic will play a major role in the show based on clips released by HBO.

One scene shows how Chargers coaches are no longer having players gather together to "break it down" after a practice session.

Instead, players are instructed to chant, "1, 2, 3 ... Chargers!" while socially distancing from each other during drills.

Weird ... considering football is a collision sport that requires players to smother each other and they'll presumably work on tackling and/or close-quarter drills at some point during practices.

But hey, appreciate the effort.