Football

Brian Flores is going scorched earth on the NFL and New York Giants ... filing an explosive lawsuit where the former Dolphins head coach alleges the team's hiring practices were rooted in racism, and he claims a text from Bill Belichick proves it.

The 40-year-old coach filed the class action lawsuit through attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Michael J. Willemin, David E. Gottlieb in district court in New York on Tuesday ... and it's shocking.

Flores says he received a text from his former boss and Patriots head coach days before he interviewed with the Giants. During the conversation, Flores says BB congratulated him on landing the new gig.

BF was confused by the comment because he had yet to go in for his scheduled interview, and asked Bill if he had an inside track to their decision.

Belichick eventually admits he misread the information he received ... and tells Flores it was actually a different Brian -- Brian Daboll -- who landed the Giants job.

Flores insists this is proof he was only brought in for an interview to satisfy the Rooney Rule -- which requires teams to interview a minority candidate when a head coaching job opens up.

FYI, Flores and Daboll both worked together under Belichick in New England.

BF claims he was then "forced to sit through a dinner" with new Giants GM Joe Schoen despite "knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll."

And Flores says this wasn't the first time he's been subjected to a "sham interview that was held only in an effort to comply with the Rooney Rule."

The fired coach says he interviewed with then-Broncos general manager John Elway and other Denver execs in 2019 ... however, Brian says "it was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule."

Flores also claims Elway and the other Broncos execs showed up an hour late for the interview and "looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before."

Brian -- who points out there's only 1 Black head coach (Mike Tomlin) and 6 GMs -- is suing on the behalf of all prospective Black coaches and front office employees.

Flores is asking the court to fix the NFL's alleged discriminatory hiring practices, in addition to damages.

There's more ... Flores also accuses Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of offering to pay him $100K per loss -- in an effort to tank the season and get a better draft pick.

Flores says when he refused to play ball, he was labeled as being difficult to work with, and ultimately fired.

"This is reflective of an all too familiar 'angry Black man' stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes," the lawsuit reads.

Flores -- who is currently without a coaching gig -- understands the lawsuit could possibly prevent him from landing a job in the future.

"God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the
need for change is bigger than my personal goals," Flores said in a statement released by his lawyers.

Former NBA star Chris Bosh says he's so pissed off over the lack of Black head coaches in the NFL -- he's straight up done watching it until things change.

The 37-year-old ripped the league on Monday via his newsletter "The Last Chip" ... accusing NFL owners of treating Black coaches differently than white ones.

In his post, Bosh said the firings of Brian Flores in Miami and David Culley in Houston were unjust ... saying he believes if the two men were white, they'd still have jobs right now.

"Watching the way the NFL is treating Black coaches has me pissed off," Bosh said. "Plain and simple. Until they fix this, I cannot keep spending my weekends supporting the league."

Bosh noted there's now just one Black head coach in the league -- Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin -- something he called "appalling."

"I'm happy anytime anyone gets a job," the ex-Miami Heat forward said, "but it sure seems like the white guys are having an easier time becoming head coaches and general managers nowadays, while Black coaches are held to an entirely different standard."

The two-time NBA champ says he will no longer spend his Sundays watching ball -- at least until he and his kids see more coaches on the sideline that look like them.

"I want them to know that the next great strategic mind might belong to a coach who isn’t necessarily white," Bosh said. "Because I know they're out there, future Belichick's and Lombardi's and Madden's who happen to not be white men."

The confusion surrounding Tom Brady's future is finally over ... the quarterback just said he is officially retiring -- though he made one glaring omission in his goodbye note.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB announced on his Instagram page early Tuesday morning that he's done ... saying, "My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes."

Brady then thanked his family, friends, teammates, coaches and Buccaneers execs in the post ... but he notably made no mention whatsoever of the New England Patriots.

There's no note to Bill Belichick or Robert Kraft -- two guys he spent 20 years of his career with before he bolted for Tampa Bay following the 2019 season.

It's unclear if the omission signals some sort of rift between the QB and the org. -- or if he felt he had already said his appropriate goodbyes to them when he left two years ago.

Either way, Brady's announcement officially ends arguably the greatest sports career ever. Tom played in the NFL for 22 seasons and won seven Super Bowls. He also won three MVP awards and was selected to 15 Pro Bowls.

In his career, he logged 84,520 passing yards and 624 passing touchdowns. He's considered the greatest football player of all time.

As for what's next, Brady has his hands all over several business projects -- but he mentioned in his post he has no real idea what he'll do from here.

"I'm fortunate to have cofounded incredible companies like @autograph.io @bradybrand @tb12sports that I am excited to continue to help build and grow," Brady said, "but exactly what my days will look like will be a work-in-progress. As I said earlier, I am going to take it day by day."

"I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving others and trying to enrich other people's lives, just as so many done for me."

Not so fast ... Tom Brady says he has NOT made the decision to retire from the NFL after 22 seasons, despite an ESPN report to the contrary.

"I'm just still going through the process I said I was going through so sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate on how you feel and what you wanna do and when the time is right, I'll be ready to make a decision one way or another just like I said last week," TB12 said on his Let's Go! podcast.

Of course, the sports world was rocked over the weekend when NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the 44-year-old GOAT was stepping away from football.

On the pod, the 7x Super Bowl champion was asked if he had a timeframe for when he'd make a decision.

"I don't know. I'll know when the time's right. Like I've always said, I'm very blessed to play as long as I have. As things have gone on the later parts of my career whether that was five years ago, you know, even this year, there's a lot of interest of when I'm gonna stop playing and I understand that."

"It's not that I don't recognize that, it's just when I know, I'll know and when I don't know, I don't know. I'm not gonna race to some conclusion about that."

Brady was also asked if he was surprised by the ESPN story.

"Haha, it's always a good line. 'I'm responsible for what I say and do and not responsible for what others say or do,' so. Again, one thing I've learned from sports is you can control what you can control and what you can't, you leave to others."

Brady continued ... "We're in such an era of information and people want to be in front of the news often and I totally understand that. I understand that's the environment we're in but I think for me, literally it's day to day with me. I try to do the best I can every day, evaluate things as they come and try to make a great decision for me and my family."

Shortly after the news broke on Saturday, the Bucs revealed Brady hadn't informed them of his intent to hang up his pads. Then, TB12's dad, Tom Brady Sr. told a local reporter his son hadn't made up his mind.

The man whose right foot sent the Bengals to the Super Bowl on Sunday tells TMZ Sports he told his holder just before the game-winning kick over the Chiefs, "Let's just be legendary."

Evan McPherson broke down the conversation with us on Monday ... saying it happened just seconds before he booted the 31-yard field goal to give Cincinnati the 27-24 win in the AFC Championship game.

"Before I took my steps back, I was just like, 'All right, man. Let's just be legendary,'" McPherson said he told holder Kevin Huber. "I said this is where legends are made."

"And so I was like, 'Let's just be legendary. Let's put this ball through and let's go to the Super Bowl.'"

Huber got the hold down clean and McPherson launched the ball through the uprights -- and McPherson tells us the party was on afterward.

The 22-year-old kicker says he and his teammates had a blast on the plane ride back to Cincy ... and then the guys celebrated through the night at local bars.

The NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals and the L.A. Rams are all suing potential Super Bowl ticket and merchandise counterfeiters ahead of the big game ... hoping to stop any such activity in its tracks.

The league and its two teams filed the lawsuit on Monday, TMZ Sports has learned, suing to get a court order authorizing them to seize any counterfeit merch it finds in the leadup to the matchup on Feb. 13.

In the docs, the plaintiffs say counterfeiting is a huge problem at the Super Bowl ... calling it a "multi-billion dollar" business that hurts both the NFL and its consumers.

The league, Rams and Bengals said in the suit they're anticipating "widespread" counterfeiting in Los Angeles the next two weeks ... and want the court order to help protect their brands and their fans from ending up with bootleg tickets and merch.

The league made it clear in the docs, though, that it does not know the names of the counterfeiters at this time ... but they'll amend their complaint to add the names as soon they find any culprits.

It's been an incredible 24 hours for Joe Burrow -- after defeating the Chiefs to advance to the Super Bowl, the Bengals star QB says his childhood idol, Kid Cudi, hit him up to congratulate him on the victory.

"One of my idols growing up, Kid Cudi, reached out to me yesterday," Burrow told reporters after the huge win.

"You’ve got LeBron [James] tweeting at me or whatever you said it was ... That part is surreal. The football part, not so much. That stuff is crazy."

Cudi -- who was celebrating his 38th birthday on Sunday -- tweeted at Burrow saying, "Man this has to be the illest s*** ✌🏽❤️😭 beautiful f***in' game today brother!!"

BTW -- Joe says he listens to "New York City Rage Fest" -- one of Cudi's Songs -- to get himself ready mentally every game day. But, Burrow likes too many of Cudi's songs to pick a favorite.

Of course, Cudi is a native of Ohio (shoutout Shaker Heights) ... so it's not hard to see why he's so fond of the former LSU standout and #1 overall draft pick in 2020.

Speaking of the NFL draft ... the seeds for the bromance between Burrow and Cudi were planted when the Bengals selected Joe with their first-round pick.

"Congratulations on being the number 1 draft pick," Cudi said at the time. "That's wild. That's crazy. You on your way. You just gettin started brother."

Joe Cool even said Lakers star LeBron James tweeted about him, calling him a "generational talent" and saying we all knew and saw that he'd be special.

High praises coming from one of the greatest players in NBA history ... and a figure familiar with the sports landscape in Ohio. After all, Joe did just beat Patrick Mahomes when he erased an 18-pt deficit on the road.

A glove that Antonio Brown threw into the stands during his shirtless tirade at the Bucs vs. Jets game earlier this month can now be all yours ... 'cause it's just hit the auction block.

The item is up for sale on Lelands ... and so far, there's already been 12 bids, with the highest currently at $375.

It's unclear how much it's ultimately expected to fetch ... but whatever it gets could end up being a bargain, considering how iconic Brown's meltdown was.

You'll recall, AB was so furious after he claimed Bruce Arians tried to get him to play on a busted-up ankle that he ripped off his pads and his shirt and then jaunted across the field.

At one point during the temper tantrum, AB tossed his gloves into the stands ... and a fan who caught one is now clearly trying to make a buck off it.

The glove is pretty cool, it was used during the game ... and you can see on the wrist, there's actually a Raiders logo that was blacked out. Clearly, Brown had kept the glove in his possession ever since his short stint in Oakland.

49ers' DB Jaquiski Tartt is taking the Rams loss hard, saying he let his team down when he dropped a crucial interception during the NFC Championship game, and deserves all the criticism.

The Niners were up 3 with less than 10 minutes to go in the game ... when Rams QB Matt Stafford threw a pass directly to Tartt, hitting him square in the hands. Unfortunately for San Fran, Jaquiski dropped the should-be pick.

The Rams went on to kick a field goal, tying the game. Next possession, they took the lead for good, and punched a ticket to the Super Bowl.

Needless to say, the pick could've changed the outcome of the game.

And, Tartt knows it, and isn't making any excuses.

"No excuses!! I deserve all the criticism my way!" the 29-year-old said on social media.

"Opportunity I dream of I came up short!!! Let my brothers down!! It Still won't define me as a person/player. Only will get stronger and better."

Reporters asked Tartt about his post-game tweet, and he got emotional saying it should have been a game-changing play.

"I know I can make that play and when the play came up, I ain't make it," Tartt said.

"It hit my hands, I thought I had it and then I just ... I don't know how I dropped it. I didn't drop a ball in practice all week."

Tartt added, "I know that was a big play of the game, a big opportunity for me and for the team and as a player, I just feel like I let my brothers down."

Even though Tartt's placing the blame squarely on his shoulders, his teammates have his back.

49ers safety Jimmy Ward came to JT's defense over the dropped INT, saying no one play was responsible for the team's loss.

"There's a lot of plays out there, and we could have did better including myself," Ward said during a post-game interview.

Tough Sunday night for Kyle Juszczyk and his family -- after losing the NFC Championship game to the Rams, the Niners fullback's wife was trolled at a McDonald's.

Kristin Juszczyk had been trying to get some "comfort food" with some friends following the tough defeat ... when she walked up to the fast-food joint and immediately began getting heckled.

Kristin explained they had to order on foot because their bus wouldn't fit in the drive-thru ... and then she showed video of an employee ribbin' them over her hubby's loss.

Check out the footage, after one of Kristin's friends (wearing a No. 44 Juszczyk jersey) said, "We just want some nuggets, man," the guy started to throw jabs about Jimmy Garoppolo.

"It's OK," the worker said through the intercom. "Jimmy just wanted a ring. He's not going to get it."

"Yeah. He wanted a ring, and he's just not going to get it."

To their credit, Kristin and co. were good sports about it all ... laughing it off and even dishing some smack talk back.

Odell Beckham Jr. celebrated the Rams' win on Sunday in style ... hitting up an L.A. hotspot just hours after he and his team punched their ticket to Super Bowl LVI.

The star receiver arrived at Delilah in West Hollywood shortly after beating the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium ... and he came sportin' his fresh NFC Championship hat.

Odell also rocked a big chain for the occasion ... and then he rubbed elbows with some celebs at the venue.

Travis Scott was there, and so was Tyga, who had actually celebrated with OBJ on the field following the big win earlier in the day.

Even Antonio Brown showed up to the hotspot -- though it's unclear if the NFL stars ever crossed paths while inside.

Of course, Odell had every reason to be out late livin' it up -- after being jettisoned by the Cleveland Browns earlier this season, he rebounded big time to have a huge final few games with the Rams.

In fact, during their win on Sunday, OBJ had 9 catches for 113 yards!!!

The Rams' huge win didn't go off seamlessly on Sunday ... 'cause the Jumbotron operator at their stadium mistook Big Sean and Jhene Aiko for Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. -- and the scene was hilarious.

Just before L.A. beat the San Francisco 49ers to advance to the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium ... someone really screwed up as the camera was panning around to celebs in the crowd.

When it got to Big Sean and Aiko ... the graphics below them read "Sarah Michelle Gellar" and "Freddie Prinze Jr."

Fans noticed the gaffe quickly -- pointing out the blunder all over social media ... and even Michelle Gellar had to poke fun at it all on her Instagram page.

"@bigsean do you get mistaken for me as often as I get mistaken for you?" she said.

"somebody about to get fired," she added.

Of course, Big Sean and Aiko didn't seem bothered by it ... they were spotted livin' it up in their on-field suite throughout the game, and the two appeared to even celebrate the Rams' win afterward.

As for Prinze Jr., he didn't even attend the game -- and he's yet to respond to it all, but we're sure something witty is coming shortly.

Eddie George is backing Shaq ... telling TMZ Sports he likes The Big Diesel's idea of replacing Mike McCarthy with Deion Sanders in Dallas.

The former Cowboys running back spoke with us in L.A. about his old team's head coaching situation ... and he agrees with Shaq's hot take this week, saying he'd be into hiring Deion if he were Jerry Jones.

"I mean if I'm the owner and I look at it, I would say, 'Why not?'" George said. "I'd look at it seriously. Why wouldn't you?"

McCarthy is still under contract in Dallas, and Jones said Friday he will be back coaching the team next season.

But, as George noted in the clip, Mike hasn't found much success in his two seasons in Dallas ... failing to win a playoff game despite having a loaded roster in 2021.

"I mean," George said, "what else hasn't worked so far."

George -- who said Deion has given him advice when it comes to his own head coaching role at Tennessee State -- tells us he thinks the current Jackson State headman would be a "good fit" in the role.

"Prime has done an amazing job so far at Jackson State," George said. "He's a culture changer. He knows what he wants, he's been very successful in all levels. He's a winner."

Deion might have to get in line if he wants the gig, though ... there have been reports that the recently retired Sean Payton could replace McCarthy next season.

Patrick Mahomes’ fiancée, Brittany Matthews, could have a tough decision to make at the AFC Championship -- some Chiefs fans want her to repeat the exact celebration she caught so much flak for last week.

Brittany is at today's game in Kansas City, and while some people try to avoid the splash zone ... some KC fans are all about that life!! In the middle of the fired-up crowd, you can see signs like, “Let’s spray some more champagne!” and “Ready for the champagne shower!”

Some are even adding the #TeamBritt ... making it clear they have NO issue whatsoever with what she did after the Chiefs' OT victory.

Remember, after the clip of Brittany spraying champagne on fans below her luxury box went viral, she got a lot of online backlash. She complained, "Wish I could do what I want without getting attacked every week.”

A few days later, Brittany announced she would be making “Team Brittany” shirts for her fans -- she said the intent was to stand up to what she considers online bullying, and a portion of proceeds are going to an anti-bullying charity.

Peyton Manning KILLED on 'SNL' Saturday with an absolutely hilarious breakdown of the NFL's season playoffs, and how it paled by comparison to "Emily in Paris."

Manning joined Colin Jost at the Weekend Update desk ... presumably to talk in part about the incredible season playoff games last weekend and the reported retirement of Tom Brady.

Well, Peyton had the best of intentions to watch the games, but an hour before he decided to kill some time by watching the first episode of 'E.I.P.' Season 2.

Peyton said at that point it was football, schmootball ... because he was hooked and watched the entire season, missing all the games.

You gotta see how Peyton uses the telestrator to show Emily's playbook. It's super funny.

Peyton also thinks "Emily in Paris" is the secret reason Tom Brady will retire.

Jerry Rice is scoring extra points with these good looks!

Here's the 24-year-old version of the San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver flashing his facial hair in uniform in The City by the Bay during his second professional year with the team back in 1987 (left). Over the 15 years on the team, he took home three Super Bowl wins.

And 35 years later ... the now 59-year-old NFL G.O.A.T. is still looking like a champ -- and still voicing support to his OG team with custom potato chips -- with a photo he shared to his Instagram followers just last week (right).

What a snack!

The question is ...