Football

Reports of Kyler Murray being a bad teammate and a poor leader are flat-out false ... so says his Cardinals teammate Christian Kirk, who tells TMZ Sports he loves the quarterback.

Kirk had nothing but nice things to say about the Arizona star outside of JLT Performance GYM in Los Angeles this week ... explaining he has no issues whatsoever with the signal-caller.

"He's a great friend of mine and he's always treated me well and teammates around him well," said Kirk, who's played with Murray in Arizona since 2019. "Every time he steps on the field, he wants to win."

Of course, recent reports have contradicted Kirk ... particularly after Murray scrubbed his social media of Arizona Cardinals-related pics.

Multiple outlets reported the Cards' org. is unhappy with the QB -- hoping to see more maturity, better play and more leadership from the 24-year-old before they give him a monster contract extension.

Kirk, though, made it clear he hasn't seen any of those issues with the QB, saying, "I believe he deserves everything that he's earned and that he has coming."

There's a chance, however, that Kirk won't be able to play with Kyler anymore going forward ... Christian is set for free agency later this month, and rumors are swirling that he could become a Buffalo Bill after he vacationed with star QB Josh Allen last month.

Is Johnny Football BACK?!?!?!

He very well could be ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned former Heisman winner Johnny Manziel is currently in talks with Fan Controlled Football to make a return to the gridiron!!

29-year-old Manziel was one of the most notable players in the FCF's inaugural season ... suiting up under center for the Zappers for three games.

Our sources feel confident Manziel will be back in season two ... at least for a few games.

But, here's where it gets interesting -- we're told Johnny would NOT be returning to the Zaps for the upcoming season ... as he's dying to play for Druski's new team.

In fact, Johnny went to Instagram early Friday morning to express his interest in joining the comedian's squad ... saying, "Only coming out of retirement for @Druski2Funny and Shoulda Been Athletics."

We broke the story -- Druski was announced as the newest owner of the defending champion Wild Aces earlier this week ... name-dropping Manziel as one of the main reasons he decided to get involved in the league.

It would be a full-circle moment for Druski ... and considering how passionate he is about the team, he's gotta be stoked about the possibility of having Manziel on board.

Antonio Brown might want to reconsider the dark black mask he's been wearing around lately ... because it might have just cost him some paint on his pricey Ferrari.

The NFL star was leaving Craig's in Los Angeles on Thursday night ... when he decided to drive away in his fancy sports car in a mask that could not have been easy to see through.

Turns out, the choice of headwear was a pretty poor decision ... because you can see in video of his exit, after he flipped off photogs, he struggled to steer the Ferrari, and ended up driving it straight into a curb.

Footage shows the bottom of Brown's car nicked the cement -- and it was so apparent, one bystander actually yelled at the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer to stop going forward.

"Your car!" a woman can be heard screaming. "Sweetheart!"

Brown eventually got the Ferrari going the right way -- but check out the clip, it's clear he was having trouble moving the ride around while in his mask.

As for a potential bill for the ride's bumper -- it certainly won't be cheap if it is indeed damaged -- the Ferrari 488 he was cruising around in can cost over $330,000!!!

Evan McPherson went from watching Snoop Dogg to going straight into the dog house ... 'cause one of his Bengals coaches said he's still sour the star kicker stayed on the field at the Super Bowl to watch the halftime show.

Nearly a month after McPherson was spotted on the sidelines grooving to Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Mary J. Blige and others instead of hearing locker room speeches -- Cincinnati special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said he's still not happy about it all.

"That's a sore subject," Simmons told The Athletic this week. "That's a real sore subject."

Simmons didn't elaborate further (at least on the record) ... but it's clear he's pissed McPherson didn't head in with his teammates during the Super Bowl break.

Of course, Simmons probably should have seen it coming ... because, after all, McPherson told TMZ Sports just days earlier his plan was to stay out for the show.

It appears the NFL just declared the pandemic over ... 'cause the league and the players association have put an end to all of their COVID-19 protocols, including testing, mask-wearing, and contact tracing.

The NFL and NFLPA sent a joint memorandum to all 32 organizations announcing the decision ... citing "encouraging trends regarding the prevalence of COVID-19."

The league and PA say they will no longer conduct mandatory tests, regardless of whether a player is vaccinated or not.

They've also done away with the high-tech tracker -- called a Kinexon device -- that players were required to wear at all times, which was used to alert officials of any close contacts with infected individuals.

There's more. Teams can now take down all the signage instructing players to socially distance, wear masks, etc.

That's because masks ... they're no longer required, either.

Now, it's worth noting that state and local laws supersede the NFL's rules ... so, if you live in a city or state that still requires the masks, the new guidelines don't necessarily apply.

When it came to the virus, the NFL was very strict. There were several high-profile clashes between the league and a few top players including Aaron Rodgers, Cole Beasley, and Antonio Brown.

Rodgers was fined for allegedly misleading team and league officials on his vax status. Beasley was hit with $100K+ in fines for multiple COVID-19 protocol violations. Brown was suspended 3 games for providing a fake vaccination card.

Former Ohio State star Shane Olivea -- who played for the San Diego Chargers after his time in Columbus -- died on Wednesday, his good friend and ex-Buckeye teammate Bobby Carpenter announced.

He was just 40 years old.

Carpenter did not reveal a cause of the death ... but said the former offensive lineman passed away at night.

"I'll never forget the kindness he showed to a young freshman who was clueless and didn't know anything about anything," Carpenter said in a statement on Twitter. "#RIPShane #Thankyou."

Olivea played for the Buckeyes from 2000 to 2003, and won a national championship with the team in 2002. He went on to get picked by the Chargers in the seventh round of the '04 draft, and started 57 games for the Bolts from 2004 to 2007.

Sadly, an addiction to pain killers ended up derailing his career following the '07 season. Olivea had said to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 that his addiction during his playing days was so bad, doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive.

Olivea went to rehab and eventually got better, and he later said he had aspirations of coaching football and mentoring kids.

"Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea," ex-NFL O-lineman Roman Oben said on Twitter after learning of the news. "Praying for his family today."

Whaddaya do when you win the Super Bowl??

You get all your friends together on a yacht and head to Cabo, of course!!

L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay did just that this week -- boarding a $15k-a-night boat and having the time of his life ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

36-year-old McVay, his fiancée, Veronika Khomyn, and their closest friends made the trip down to Mexico and partied it up on a 75-foot Sunseeker called Sea La Vie.

McVay quickly ditched his shirt for the occasion ... showing off his impressive build as he soaked in the rays before riding around on a jet ski.

Sean has a lot to celebrate -- he is fresh off leading the Rams to a Super Bowl win over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals ... becoming the youngest head coach to win it all.

On top of that, pretty much every major network wants him to leave his coaching gig to start a career in the broadcast booth ... reportedly being offered insane checks in the process.

From the pit to ... one of the biggest stages in music?!

Antonio Brown announced that is his next move ... revealing Tuesday night he's set to perform at this year's Rolling Loud festival.

The NFL star broke the news on his social media page ... posting Rolling Loud's flyer, which shows he'll be rapping on the festival's first day in Miami just before Kanye West takes the stage.

Brown will rap as "AB" ... and it's a big deal, considering his name is up there on the flyer with top musicians like Kendrick Lamar and Lil Baby.

The 3-day weekend festival starts on July 22 at Hard Rock Stadium .. and, given his newfound friendship with Ye, it's no surprise Brown's performance will come minutes before the "Donda" artist.

Remember, AB and Ye have been best buds since his infamous exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this year -- with the two dining out, partying and even hittin' the studio constantly.

Brown did say he was collaborating with Ye on a song ... so seems there's a good chance the two will perform together at the festival.

Even if they don't, though ... Brown still has his two hit singles -- "Whole Lotta Money" and "Pit Not The Palace" -- to rile up the crowd with.

The 33-year-old wideout has been involved in music even when he was at the top of his football game ... launching his own label in 2020 and releasing several songs, mixtapes and music videos through the years.

There's a new team owner in the Fan Controlled Football league ... and it's none other than comedian and internet superstar Druski!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Drew Desbordes and Altered State Machine are joining NFL star Austin Ekeler and the Bachelorette franchise's Rachel Lindsay as owners of the Wild Aces -- the reigning champs from FCF's inaugural season.

Of course, the FCF is an indoor football league completely controlled by fans ... with teams owned by names like Marshawn Lynch, Quavo and more.

We spoke with Druski about the major business move ... and while he's known for being a funny guy, he makes it clear he's taking his new position seriously.

"With ownership comes a lot of equity," he says. "I'm bringing some special talent to this year's league."

In fact, Druski says he's hearing legends like Terrell Owens and Michael Vick could suit up for the FCF next season ... and he's had talks with league owners about the possibility.

"This is a real possible thing."

Druski says he's met with players on the Wild Aces -- which will be going through a rebrand, BTW -- and their reaction to his appearance was overwhelmingly positive.

But don't get it twisted -- Druski says he's getting involved to WIN ... and will stop at nothing to prevent his team from losing.

"Before I joined the team, they already won the championship last year," he says. "Not to bandwagon, but we all about Ws, we're all about wins, baby."

Step aside, James Harrison ... Nick Chubb has just made his case for biggest beast in an NFL weight room -- squatting 500 pounds for reps with ease!!

Chubb threw up the footage of the insane feat on his social media page Monday -- proving he is still crazy strong.

In the clip, you can see Chubb -- with 495 pounds (plus the two clips!) on his back -- going up and down five times easily.

The weight was so heavy, the barbell actually bent while he was performing the lift -- but Chubb still took it ass-to-grass and back up with no problem whatsoever.

Of course, for as wild as the feat is ... we should be used to it by now, given what Nick's already proven in the gym.

You'll recall, back in 2019, he cleaned 410 pounds without issue -- and has been seen from time to time doing similar lifts since.

Art Briles will no longer serve on Hue Jackson's coaching staff at Grambling State ... this, after the hire was met with a ton of backlash.

The ex-Baylor head coach was set to become offensive coordinator for the Tigers next season ... his first big-time gig since getting canned over his involvement in alleged sexual assault coverups at Baylor from 2012-16.

Jackson defended the Briles hire in a statement Monday ... citing forgiveness, redemption and enlightenment as key factors to making the decision.

But, just hours later, Briles is out of the job again ... with Pete Thamel reporting the coach is no longer joining the staff.

This isn't the first time a team has quickly switched its decision on Briles -- the same thing happened with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017, when he was brought in to serve as assistant offensive head coach.

Briles went on to coach in Italy before taking a gig with Mount Vernon HS in Texas in 2019 ... earning a 20-6 record over 2 seasons.

Start celebrating, Trojans fans -- JuJu Smith-Schuster says USC will definitely win a national championship with Lincoln Riley as head coach ... and it could happen as soon as next season!!

JuJu was super stoked to talk about his college team's new hire during Super Bowl week ... going as far as predicting USC will win its first national title since 2004 now that Riley is at the helm.

"Soon, man," he tells TMZ Sports. "This year and whatever God has planned. I think we just gotta keep pushing. I think it's a great move. We have a great coaching staff, so it helps us out a lot."

JuJu played 3 seasons for USC before being drafted by the Steelers in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL draft ... so of course, he's biased when it comes to the Trojans.

However, many would agree JuJu is right in saying the acquisition of Riley gives USC a serious chance to compete for a CFB championship ... bias or no bias.

The Trojans landed Riley after the ex-Oklahoma play-caller chose to take his talents from Norman to Los Angeles ... making him the 30th head coach in the program's history.

Riley said at the time of the move he was heavily recruited by USC ... and when he met with the university in person, he could tell the school and their football program was a perfect fit for him.

Speaking of USC, JuJu says it's time for his old school to allow another former Trojan legend, Reggie Bush, back on campus -- after the star running back was banned for his reported involvement in an NCAA scandal.

"I think it's time to bring back everybody back on campus with all the greats," Smith-Schuster said. "Especially Reggie Bush."

"I mean, he's my quarterback. He's my guy! He stuck by us, I'mma stick by him."

That's Myles Garrett -- one of the biggest stars on the Cleveland Browns -- when asked if he's ready to abandon ship and get rid of Baker Mayfield as the Browns' QB.

The defensive end told TMZ Sports he's not giving up on Baker, and he still believes in what the former Heisman winner can do under center.

Of course, Baker's been under a ton of scrutiny this past season from his critics ... with many speculating that the former No.1 overall draft pick in 2018 might not be the best long-term solution at the quarterback position for the Browns.

Garrett -- who's spent five seasons with the Browns -- has been teammates with Mayfield for four of those years, so the two have established a connection over time.

After a disappointing 2021 campaign, both Baker's play and durability were questioned ... as he seemingly regressed after leading Cleveland to the playoffs a year ago.

Mayfield played in just 14 games for Cleveland last year -- the NFL switched to a 17-game schedule before the season started -- as he dealt with a lingering shoulder injury which sidelined him for 3 contests.

Tom Brady wasn't unemployed for long ... the 7-time Super Bowl-winning QB is jumping headfirst into Hollywood -- producing and acting in an upcoming film called "80 For Brady."

The 44-year-old recently retired after 22 seasons in the NFL, leading many to ponder TB12's next move.

Now we know ... Brady put down the Bucs playbook for a film script.

The future Hall of Famer is teaming up with Hollywood legends Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin, and Sally Field, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The movie, "80 For Brady," made by Paramount and Endeavor, will tell the story of a group of 4 friends who attend the 2017 Super Bowl ... and it ends up being a life-changing trip.

Of course, that's the SB where Brady orchestrated a historic comeback, ultimately beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s special February just got a whole lot more memorable -- the NFL superstar announced his model GF, Lauren Wood, gave birth to their first child last week!!

OBJ said the baby, Zydn, was born on Feb. 17 -- just four days after the L.A. Rams wideout won Super Bowl LVI.

"THE biggest blessing I've ever had in my life arrived here on earth!" Beckham wrote in a lengthy social media post.

"The words, I can't even put together for the overwhelming emotions that ran thru me … a moment I will never forget and cherish forever. Zydn was born n at that moment I knew my life changed for the better."

Beckham, who also praised Wood in the message, attached several adorable pictures of him and Wood cuddling with the baby.

The two -- who have been dating for several years -- announced the pregnancy back in November.

Beckham also announced he underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair the ACL he tore during the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.

OBJ said the road to recovery has already begun -- and then he promised to return in 2022 "better than ever before."

More trouble for ex-NFL running back Zac Stacy ... TMZ Sports has learned he's been hit with five more criminal charges, these stemming from an alleged August attack on his ex.

According to court records, Stacy was hit with three misdemeanor domestic violence battery charges last week, as well as two misdemeanor criminal mischief charges.

In court documents, officials say the charges stem from an Aug. 16, 2021 incident with his ex-girlfriend, Kristin Evans -- the same woman Stacy was seen on video brutalizing in November 2021.

Officials did not specifically spell out the allegations against Stacy in the docs ... but Evans previously claimed in a restraining order application in Florida that the former football player had flown into a violent rage over rent money back in August.

"He physically assaulted me several times because he wanted the money back he gave me for our rent," Evans wrote in the application.

"He punched my legs, slapped me, picked me up by my arms, and threw me into my window, which broke. I had glass in my feet that I removed myself."

Evans provided TMZ Sports photos of the injuries she says she suffered in the alleged attack ... showing large bruises and cuts on her body.

Stacy is due for a hearing on the new charges in Orange County, Fla. court next month.