Football

Matthew Stafford says he feels awful about the way he reacted to a photog falling off the stage at the Rams' Super Bowl rally ... revealing he personally reached out to her to apologize.

As we previously reported, Kelly Smiley fractured her spine after attempting to take a pic of Matthew and his wife last week ... and the QB was captured on video quickly turning around and walking away.

Stafford was criticized for how he handled the situation ... with some people saying he should have stepped in to help out.

Matthew and his wife discussed the incident from their perspective on Kelly's "The Morning After" podcast this week ... and she says the QB DID show concern.

"Matthew looked at me and said 'check her please,' and turned around," Kelly said .... adding he personally texted the photog afterwards.

"That obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly and I wish I had a better reaction in the moment," Matthew added. "I didn’t. I apologized to her for that. But I’m glad that all in all she’s doing all right."

BTW -- the Staffords and Rams will be paying for Smiley's broken camera equipment and medical bills.

There's more -- Matthew and Kelly also talk about just how awful their hungover Disneyland trip was ... and the convo will make you wanna drink a ton of water.

"Disney is a beautiful, amazing place when you are sober," Kelly said. "When you are hungover and when you are still a little tipsy, not so much. If you didn’t have kids, maybe it would be a little more fun."

Jarvis Landry insists he doesn't want to pull an Odell Beckham and get the hell outta Cleveland ... saying he would like to stay with the Browns, despite a cryptic social media post suggesting otherwise.

The 5-time Pro Bowler had the Dawg Pound running wild on Monday after posting a super-dramatic video to his Instagram page ... featuring a snippet of the movie "Passengers," which says -- "You're not where you want to be. You feel like you're supposed to be somewhere else."

Now, Landry is going to Twitter to provide detail on his current situation with the team ... saying he was banged up all last season because he returned from an injury too early.

"Reality behind all this is I came back to play in the best shape of my life, I got hurt week 2 with a high grade MCL Sprain, Partial quad tear and bone bruise," he said minutes ago.

"Then came back way to early and ended up staying hurt the entire season. You never heard me mention anything about it."

Then, Landry dropped this.

"I have put the ball in CLE court by telling them I would like to stay but if not then I’m confident enough in myself to be a better healthy me this year and moving forward to helping do my part in winning a championship elsewhere."

Landry also has a message for anyone questioning his toughness and durability ... saying, "Before this year I missed 0 games. So push y'all narrative, it's noted ✊🏾✊🏾"

Landry has certainly seemed at least a bit pissed off with the Browns in recent months ... and even sparked more concern after he hit the "like" button on a message OBJ tweeted that said "QBs matter for receivers."

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT THE NEXT SUPER BOWL, OR YOU WILL GET IN BIG TROUBLE.

The guy who sprinted onto the field in the middle of Super Bowl LVI is revealing to TMZ Sports how he was able to bypass security and execute his plan ... giving a step-by-step breakdown of his stunt -- and why he did it.

20-year-old Joseph Duran says the whole idea was meant to promote his party company ... but unfortunately, his flag got caught in the wind and it was never fully exposed.

Duran says he initially got access to the stadium by working a VIP experience earlier in the day ... and ended up paying a random guy $50 for his employee lanyard to get closer to a striking point.

After surveying his options several times, Duran finally decided to jump from the second level of seating all the way down to the field ... making a mad dash and juking out security before getting tackled to the ground.

Duran says he was cuffed (rather tightly) and taken to a holding cell, but thanks to some alleged overcrowding, he was told to leave the stadium immediately.

Despite facing a serious fine for the stunt, Duran says it was worth every penny ... as he believes the whole thing has brought new eyes to his brand.

Aaron Rodgers says he still loves Shailene Woodley ... even though the couple has broke off their engagement and ended their romantic relationship.

The Green Bay Packers star penned the mushy message to his ex in a lengthy social media post late Monday night -- saying all kinds of nice things about the actress just days after their breakup.

"Thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life," Rodgers wrote in the note.

"Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you."

Rodgers attached a photo of him and Woodley snuggling on a couch to the message.

Rodgers and Woodley ended things very recently ... with one report saying the quarterback got "cold feet" over their upcoming nuptials. The report added that Woodley felt Rodgers "neglected their relationship."

The two had dated for around two years -- with Rodgers announcing their engagement in Feb. 2021.

Rodgers' message Monday night wasn't just aimed at Woodley, he also complimented his Packers teammates and thanked them for the year.

Rodgers ended his note by urging his fans to "spread love and gratitude."

Unclear if the message is a precursor to the quarterback's retirement from football ... but Rodgers has said he's expecting to make a decision about his future very soon.

NFL legend Shannon Sharpe supports Kanye West's Donda Sports bid to buy the Broncos -- where the former great TE starred -- telling TMZ Sports the league must have minorities in ownership positions.

We talked to Shannon as he was leaving SoFi Stadium after the Super Bowl ... and the HOF'er told us he supports Ye -- and other prominent Black men and women -- buying teams.

"I'd be happy, if a minority, Robert Smith, I see Byron Allen is interested," Sharpe said. "I'm all for it."

"That’s the organization that I played 12 years for. I have a lot of respect for the Bowlen family. They did a great job with me and my family."

All the talk comes from a social media message from Antonio Brown, who describes himself as Donda Sports' president, claiming Ye's company wants to buy the Broncos.

Sharpe says if Kanye could find some investors, he'd support him making a play at owning the Broncos ... assuming he could get the necessary 75% approval from other owners.

But, West might not need anyone else. Forbes lists his net worth at $1.8 billion ... but during a recent interview, Kanye claimed to be worth substantially more -- $10 BILLION.

Last year Forbes valued the Broncos at $3.75 billion.

As for Ye and AB ... they've been nearly inseparable since connecting after Brown's unceremonious exit from the Tampa Bay Bucs in January.

Kanye seemed to embrace Brown ... and the two formed a close friendship and business relationship.

Bottom line ... regardless of how the NFL owners may feel about Kanye, AB, or Donda Sports, Shannon tells us money talks.

Van Jefferson's Super Bowl baby finally has a name ... and fittingly, it's "Champ."

After days of deliberating, the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" this week that he and his wife, Samaria, just settled on the name.

"Champ Curtis Jefferson," Van said. "That's the name we got."

Of course, it's an extremely fitting name, considering the baby was born just minutes after Jefferson and the Rams were crowned World Champions -- but it certainly took a while for Van and his wife to land on the name.

Jefferson had told us at the Super Bowl parade last week that the couple was actually considering "Wynn" or "Miles" ... but he explained he just ultimately couldn't pass on "Champ."

"We just looked it up and 'Champ' is like a warrior," Van said, "and my wife is a warrior."

Van ain't lying ... you'll recall, Samaria was actually stretchered out of SoFi Stadium during the Rams' win over the Bengals on Sunday so she could have the child.

Van said he had to watch the birth of the baby boy on FaceTime because of horrific traffic after the game -- but he said he was so grateful for his wife and her efforts on the big day, he bought her a Range Rover.

Antonio Brown just posted an MRI of his injured ankle ... saying it proves his former Buccaneers team tried to "intentionally" hurt him during the infamous game against the Jets earlier this year.

Brown shared the images on his social media page ... recording what appeared to be a doctor breaking down his testing results.

In the footage, a man can be heard explaining to Brown that he had a bone spur and other issues in his ankle -- pointing out the ailments on a laptop screen.

AB seems to think the scan and the expert's words helped prove Bruce Arians and Tampa Bay tried to screw him over during the Bucs vs. Jets game at MetLife Stadium ... writing on the images, "They tried to hurt me intentionally @buccaneers."

"Sent me out there after knowing I was still hurt."

Brown then claimed Tom Brady was in on it all -- saying his former quarterback convinced him to play on the injured leg by promising him targets.

"He didn't throw it," Brown said. "Imagine being hurt having to play through this and being lied too."

"Coach said if I couldn't run on this get the f*** out of here. F*** all you MF."

As we reported, Brown famously threw a temper tantrum on the sideline during the Bucs' win over the Jets in New York -- saying Arians the Bucs tried to force him to play despite his injury.

Brown was eventually was booted off the team over it all ... but he and his attorney have since said they're considering suing the Bucs. Arians and the Bucs have denied any wrongdoing.

The Rock's XFL is making huge moves -- the resurrected football organization is officially partnering with the NFL to help bring positive change to the sport of football ... the league announced Monday.

The new agreement will help both organizations discover innovative ways to improve the game by testing new physical and mental programs for players in the XFL ... as well as trying new rules and other ways to enhance the gameday experience.

In other words, the XFL will essentially be the NFL's guinea pig to see how the game can get better.

The Rock's partner, Dany Garcia, spoke about the big news ... saying, "We are extremely pleased to collaborate with the NFL in these important areas."

"We are bringing forward an XFL that is progressive and forward-thinking when it comes to innovation, leveraging the newest technology to enhance gameday experience."

She added ... "We have an open field for innovative rules to enhance in-game access. Sharing insights and practices between the XFL and NFL will do a tremendous amount of good for the game of football and support the player ecosystem overall."

It's a drastic change from the XFL's previous business model under Vince McMahon ... which originally sought out to be an NFL competitor before eventually declaring for bankruptcy in 2020.

Patrick Mahomes ... elite QB AND elite party thrower?!?

The NFL superstar proved over the weekend that he can really do it all ... helping put on a party for his daughter's first birthday that was extravagant!!

Mahomes and his fiancée, Brittany Matthews, shared pics and videos from the bash on Sunday -- and you can see, it was incredible.

Baby Sterling Skye got tons of pink and yellow balloons, a bunch of butterfly decorations, and so, so much more.

There was a cotton candy station, a ball pit, cake -- and a grip of other touches that highlighted Sterling's first big day.

Patrick also celebrated the occasion with a mushy post on his Instagram, writing, "My ❤️ turns 1 today! Daddy loves you!"

Brittany added in a post of her own, "My Ster Girl is ONE! I can’t believe it🥺💕 YOU my sweet girl deserve the world!!"

"Your Daddy & I love you more & more everyday, we can not wait to see where this life takes you & all the things you will conquer! #stersworld"

The turnout for the party looked great as friends and family of the Chiefs quarterback shared laughs and smiles throughout the day.

It ain't Tyreek Hill or Micah Parsons ... no, DK Metcalf says he's the fastest man in the NFL -- telling TMZ Sports he'd dust Hill, Parsons and anyone else in the league in a race.

The Seattle Seahawks superstar made the claim while touring Nate Diaz's Represent headquarters in Fullerton, Calif. this month ... saying flat out no one is faster than him.

In fact, Metcalf laughed at the idea that he'd lose a race to Hill -- telling us, "Yeah. I can beat Tyreek Hill in a race."

Most consider Hill to be the fastest (even if he did lose while not trying very hard against Parsons at the Pro Bowl) ... but Metcalf certainly has a right to be confident.

After all, DK did run a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine, just a few breaths slower than Hill's reported 4.29 time.

The big issue -- DK just had surgery to fix a foot issue, so he won't be racing anyone anytime soon.

L.A.'s Super Bowl celebration deserves a big fat penalty flag ... at least according to the infamous "Hollyweed" vandal who says the city screwed up its Hollywood sign overhaul.

As you know, the "Rams House" overlay went viral after the big game -- mostly because it took forever to complete -- and fans were, at best, split on the end result. Well, Zach "Jesushands" Fernandez isn't even that complimentary, and insists the project could've gone way better ... with his help!

Of course, Zach vandalized the Hollywood Sign back in 2017, turning it into "Hollyweed" to celebrate Cali legalizing recreational marijuana -- and from what he could see, the "Rams House" sign fell short of the high bar he'd set.

He told TMZ ... "When I first saw it, I couldn't even make out what it said. That was a really bad first impression, I guess."

His final impression wasn't much better, with Zach calling it "more of a disgrace."

Zach knows what he's talking about when it comes to dressing up the big sign, saying the material and color of the fabric was a poor choice ... as the light was bound to shine right through it.

If the Rams repeat as Super Bowl champs -- as several players suggested during the victory parade -- he has alternative options.

L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti announced the overlay after the Rams took down the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI. What was supposed to be a one-day project ended up taking 3 ... narrowly making it up for Wednesday's parade.

Not shockingly, Zach says he was never asked to help out -- after all, he was arrested for trespassing after his stunt. Still, he says if the price is right, he'd be down.

High praise from Doug Flutie ... the ex-Bills QB says he loves Josh Allen so much, he could see the signal-caller one day taking the title of best-ever Buffalo quarterback from Jim Kelly.

Flutie dropped the compliments after dining with Joe Montana in Los Angeles earlier this month ... saying he's just that big of a fan of Allen's.

The 59-year-old, though, said the current Bills QB has a bit of a ways to go to catch the former one.

"I love Josh Allen, love everything he did -- he had a tremendous year," Flutie said ... "I'm not going to say he's going to [overtake Kelly], but the potential to do so is there."

Allen just wrapped up his fourth season as the Bills' starter -- going 39-21 in 60 games with 14,114 passing yards. Kelly, meanwhile, went 101-59 in his 160 career games, throwing for 35,467 yards.

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle tells TMZ Sports that backup quarterback Trey Lance is absolutely ready to start in the NFL next season if given the opportunity.

Relax Niner fans -- he didn't tell us Trey should be starting over Jimmy Garoppolo. In fact, he showed Jimmy props saying, "Love Jimmy G. Fantastic quarterback. Took us to two NFC championships."

But, he did make it seem that even if a change at the QB position were to happen ... it wouldn't affect his game because he's just out there "to catch balls."

"I play tight end and whoever's throwing me the football, I can't wait to catch footballs from them baby," Kittle said.

GK says ultimately head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch will be responsible for doing what's best for the football team.

Former NFL legend Joe Montana, however, doesn't believe Lance is "ready" to start for the 49ers ... and furthermore, disagrees with trading Jimmy G away in favor of keeping Trey.

"I think they should keep Jimmy until they find somebody that helps," Montana said on Radio Row during Super Bowl week. "I don't think Trey is ready to play yet."

Dalvin Cook did his best Nostradamus impression earlier this month ... guaranteeing to TMZ Sports that he will win the Vikings a Super Bowl.

The Minnesota star running back promised to bring home the ring when we spoke with him at a Super Bowl party last weekend ... saying he and Justin Jefferson will get the job done.

"We gon' win us one," he said. "We gon' win us one. Yeah."

As for when ... Cook couldn't pinpoint an exact date -- but reiterated, "We gon' win us one. We working, though!"

It's a bold prediction ... considering the Vikings have only won two playoff games since 2017 and just fired their head coach this offseason. But, watch the clip, Dalvin seems as confident as ever.

If the team does win next season, Cook will be sporting a different number for the celebration -- he tells us he's officially switching digits to #4 in 2022 because it's the number his late father would've wanted him to wear.

As for the #33 chain Dalvin customarily rocks ... he told us that's not going anywhere -- but he will be adding another pendant to it next season.

Brian Flores is suing the NFL, but he'll still be getting paychecks from the org. in 2022 ... 'cause the ex-Miami Dolphins head coach has been hired to join the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff.

As we previously reported, Flores is in the middle of a messy legal battle with the NFL ... claiming its hiring process is rooted in racism -- even using texts from Bill Belichick to make his point.

While the 40-year-old's priority is facing off against the league in court in hopes of bringing change, he'll also be setting his focus on the AFC North ... as Flores will be the senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the Stellers next season.

Mike Tomlin spoke about the hire ... saying, "I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL."

"Brian's resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team."

Flores was 24-25 in his 3 seasons with the Dolphins ... but many were puzzled with his firing in 2021, as it appeared he was finally hitting his stride in Miami.

Former Raiders legend Charles Woodson is on board with the hiring of Josh McDaniels as the team's next coach ... telling TMZ Sports the "second time's a charm."

We spoke with Charles -- who spent 8 seasons with the then-Oakland Raiders -- and the ex-cornerback told us he has no worries about McDaniels his second time around.

"He’s been a head coach," Woodson said. "He’s been through it one time before. So, he’s gained the experience."

"I think he’ll be good the second time around," he added.

Las Vegas hired Josh to be signal-caller after Rich Bisaccia stepped in amid the Jon Gruden scandal ... and a lot of people were hoping RB would get the gig.

But, CW tells us the experience McDaniels gained when he was the Broncos' head coach ... will prove to be valuable during his stint with the Raiders.

As for whether Josh will be able to turn Derek Carr into the G.O.A.T. as he helped do with TB12 ... Woodson says don't count on it.