Football

On the eve of the biggest event in sports entertainment -- WrestleMania 38 -- Browns tight end David Njoku is in Texas to support his younger brother, Evidence, at his WWE tryouts.

TMZ Sports is told David made the trip to Frisco, TX ... for his little brother who was showcasing some of his athletic pedigree in front of WWE officials. We're told he took part in a 3-day talent tryout WWE is hosting in conjunction with Mania.

We're also told Evidence Njoku was one of 50 college athletes who took part in the event ... and David attended the workouts for moral support.

Njoku, who's played five seasons in the NFL, also got a chance to step inside the square circle -- and, the best part, he got to chat it up with WWE exec Triple H.

In the video, HHH is telling David some of the ins and outs of being a professional wrestler ... and how it's up to the talent to protect one another inside the ring.

The pass-catching tight end was joined by newly signed WWE superstar, Gable Steveson, an NCAA & Olympic champion, Bellator MMA star Valerie Loureda, and upcoming prospect, AJ Ferrari.

Of course, Gable is one of the most promising young wrestlers in the company ... with many in the biz predicting the Olympic gold medalist will go on to superstardom one day.

As for David Njoku ... even though it was his bro trying out, ya have to wonder if the NFL star has any interest in professional wrestling after he hangs up the pads.

Things got a bit handsy between Johnny Manziel and his new lady on Thursday -- the duo raged at the clubs in Miami ... and the quarterback couldn't help himself but cop a feel.

The Fan Controlled Football star was spotted having a blast with Kenzie Werner ... just two days removed from their sunny football toss on the beach.

As we previously reported, JM and KW have been spending a lot of time together all over the country recently ... and their Miami trip has been filled with expensive food, boozing and some R&R.

While Manziel's return to the football field is on the horizon, he was in party mode in South Beach -- dancing on the tables and putting Werner on his shoulders as the music blares in the background.

The two have picked things up on social media as well -- Johnny confirmed their romance in the comment section on IG ... replying to a Werner bikini pic with, "BM ❤️"

Johnny also shared Werner in a post on Thursday ... saying, "So much for a sneaky link 🤷🏻‍♂️"

Bobby Wagner is on the move, but he's staying close -- the future Hall of Fame linebacker is signing with the Los Angeles Rams after he was released by the Seahawks ... inking a 5-year, $50 million deal to stay in the NFC West.

The deal is massive ... and could end up being worth up to $65 MILLION, according to Adam Schefter.

Wagner was a mainstay in the middle of Seattle's defense ... and was one of the premier faces of the "Legion of Boom" as they went to three NFC Championship games and back-to-back Super Bowls.

Bobby finished his career in Seattle playing in 151 regular season games ... where he accumulated 1383 total tackles, 11 interceptions, and 23.5 sacks.

Last season, Wagner started all 16 games for the 'Hawks and had 170 tackles (93 solo, 77 combined), which was good for second on his team behind teammate Jordyn Brooks.

Bobby was a member of the Seahawks team in 2014 that defeated the Denver Broncos, 43-8, in Super Bowl 48 ... winning the franchise's only championship.

The 31-year-old eight-time Pro Bowler was released to free up cap space for the 'Hawks, who are rebuilding, but he's landed on his feet -- finding a new home with L.A.

It's been 12 years since Terrell Owens played in the NFL, but the Hall of Famer is ready to hit the gridiron once again -- this time, with Fan Controlled Football!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed with sources -- 48-year-old T.O. will suit up for the league this season ... joining former Heisman Johnny Manziel, who is returning for his second season.

As we previously reported, Owens has remained confident he could continue to play in the NFL ... telling us in 2021 he was actively pursuing a comeback.

Now, our sources say the legendary receiver will, in fact, be playing this year.

We broke the story -- comedian and social media superstar Druski told us earlier this month he was hoping to get T.O. and fellow ex-NFL superstar Mike Vick to join the league ... and so far, he's 1-for-2.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with T.O.'s participation ... and whether NFL teams will be watching to see if he's still got it.

Games start later this spring ... so, as T.O. would say, getcha popcorn ready.

We reached out to FCF for a comment, but they're not talking.

"I wrestle with feeling it would be easier to not exist. Many survivors share these feelings, and some of Watson's fans have expressed that they would like for us to be raped, imprisoned, or killed."

That was written by one of the women who has accused Deshaun Watson of sexual misconduct during a massage session, writing a piece for The Daily Beast about the alleged abuse she endured after the star QB (who has adamantly denied any wrongdoing) was not charged with any crimes.

The accuser, Lauren Baxley (she has decided to reveal her name), recalls waiting for the Texas Grand Jury's decision ... and when the word came down the men and women of the jury didn't believe there was enough evidence to criminally charge Deshaun, it triggered a barrage of hate.

"More than that, the choice to not indict Watson on our testimonies -- that were deemed 'highly credible' by prosecutors and the detectives who worked our criminal cases -- opened a floodgate of abuse, slander, and libel toward us on the internet," Baxley wrote.

She continued ... "The worst of the women-haters came out, declaring the no-bills proof that we were 'prostitutes' all along."

FYI, "no bill" means no charges.

And, Lauren says she's offended by the assertion she did anything wrong.

"As someone who has faithfully strived to maintain the highest level of professionalism, and as someone who -- in my entire career -- has never experienced the type of behavior that Watson displayed, comments like that are not only infuriating and untrue, they are wholly shifting the blame from a serial predator onto unwitting and unwilling women."

Baxter doesn't go into detail about her accusations against Watson, but does say it's the first time she experienced such an allegedly traumatic incident at work.

"I have worked with dozens of professional athletes over my decade-plus career as a massage therapist, and no session before Watson ever turned sexual in nature. I have worked with dozens of television and film actors through comic conventions, and no man has ever exposed himself to me, nor assaulted me in any way prior to Watson."

Baxter also goes in on the Cleveland Browns for not only trading for the Pro Bowler, but then rewarding him with a $230 million deal.

"Additionally, a failure to charge or convict a crime does not equate to innocence. Watson, his fans, and the Cleveland Browns pretending it does is not only ignorant, it is evil."

She also took a shot at LeBron James -- pointing out what she believes is hypocritical behavior -- after the NBA superstar tweeted, celebrating Watson's huge new contract.

"I would include a certain NBA player along with the other disappointing excuses of men who in one breath may bring awareness to the struggles of marginalized Black women, and in the next praise the elevation of a man who abused dozens of them."

Baxter addressed other famous people who may feel tempted to stick up for Watson, pleading with them to ... just don't.

"I would never expect a public figure to side with Watson's victims. However, I do ask that anyone with a responsibility to uphold basic morality simply shut their mouths and log off Twitter when they are tempted to show him support."

Barring something unforeseen, Watson will not be charged criminally. However, he still has to deal with the 20+ women who are suing him.

Antonio Brown badly wants to play in the NFL again, but the former Tampa Bay Bucs star wide receiver says he'll only have surgery to repair his busted ankle if an NFL team commits to signing him.

AB joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1), and dished on everything from a possible reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa, to the status of his injured ankle, and what message he'd send to NFL Front Offices.

33-year-old Brown -- the President of Kanye West's Donda Sports -- sees himself playing in the league, but tells us the idea of reuniting with his once good friend, TB12, and the Bucs org. is almost certainly NOT going to happen.

"I don't think that's a possibility," Brown said. "How things were handled. How I was handled in regards to the injury. [They] just weren't able to use me for my value. My true value."

"But I was grateful for the opportunity and the position that I was in and I made the most out of it."

It's worth noting, we spoke to AB before Bruce Arians stepped down as Bucs head coach.

Antonio is still adamant he never "quit on the job." You'll recall Brown infamously left the field during the Bucs game against the New York Jets ... leading many to believe the star WR was done playing professional football.

"For them [Tampa Bay Bucs] to try to manipulate the narrative or act like I walked away from my job is far from the truth."

Of course, AB says the beef with Arians all goes back to the coach trying to force the All-Pro receiver to play on a badly injured ankle. So, we asked Antonio, who previously said he was getting the ankle operated on, whether he had yet gone under the knife.

"I need to get my ankle fixed, but I just want to make sure I got an obligation or a commitment from a team," Brown told us, adding ... "It's a lot for a guy to go do surgery without an idea of where you gonna work, or who you going to work for."

Despite making 7 Pro Bowls, Antonio says he would not be content if he never played another down in the NFL.

"I'm a player first," AB said. "I couldn't even be in this position without being a football player. So I never want to take that for granted. I would love to continue my career. I got a lot of game left in me."

In fact, Brown says he sees other wide receivers (rightfully) being taken care of with huge contracts (see Davante Adams' new $141-million deal) ... and he can't help but wonder why he hasn't signed a big-money deal.

"I still feel like I can put up big numbers, and I see what these guys are getting paid. I just wonder why my value isn't being upheld as the same."

But, don't take that as shade ... 'cause AB says they deserve it.

"I'm happy for those guys. I'm really grateful for those guys who pioneered the game. They take it further, and made their prices go up. So I'm grateful for those guys to get what they deserve," Antonio says.

"My situation is never about anyone else. It's just all about getting what I deserve because I know what I am and what I stand for, and you can't play with me, the numbers are the numbers."

In closing, Brown sent a message to prospective teams who might be on the fence when it comes to signing him.

Jon Gruden lost his job in Vegas -- and now he's officially given up his home there as well ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the former Raiders head coach just officially sold his mansion in the desert for $7 million.

The 58-year-old put the 8,684-square foot palace on the market back in February following his infamous ousting from the Raiders ... and it didn't take long for it to sell.

We're told the sale just closed recently -- and it's clear from the pics of the place, the buyer is going to be happy with the purchase.

The pad features retractable floor-to-ceiling windows along with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a chef's kitchen and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

The property's backyard is decked out too, with an infinity-edge pool, spa, fire pit and BBQ area. It's also got beautiful views of the Nevada mountains.

Heidi from Lifestyle LV tells us the listing also included an empty lot (also owned by Gruden) that's adjacent to the mansion. The final price tag was $7,025,000.

As we previously reported, Gruden -- who began coaching the Raiders for a second go-around back in 2018 -- resigned on Oct. 11, 2021, after it was revealed he sent emails in the past that contained racially insensitive, misogynistic and homophobic language.

Kareem Jackson is honoring his friend Demaryius Thomas in a awesome way -- by getting a portrait tattoo of the former Broncos star.

The Broncos safety and Thomas go way back ... the two NFL players grew up in the same area in Georgia and played for the same team at different times.

So, when Thomas unexpectedly passed away last December, Jackson was devastated ... saying at the time, "I'm still having a hard time accepting this one."

Now, Jackson is keeping Thomas' memory permanently alive with some new ink earlier this week.

The 33-year-old shared the tat on his leg (we think) via Instagram ... a detailed image of Thomas smiling with the words "One Love" above it.

"Your legacy will forever live on through all the lives of those you touched over the years on and off the field," Jackson said after Thomas' death.

"We love you and will miss you brother! Till we meet again Rest easy King!!"

As we previously reported, Thomas was found dead in a shower at his Roswell, GA residence after police responded to 911 calls for a cardiac arrest. Demaryius was only 33-years-old.

Johnny Manziel's training for his comeback in the most Johnny Football way possible ... by hitting the beach with an Instagram model and throwing the pigskin!!

The 29-year-old ex-NFL quarterback touched down in South Beach this week ... just days after he told TMZ Sports he's returning to the gridiron for Fan Controlled Football.

Johnny certainly looks serious about the comeback ... 'cause he brought along a ball as he caught some rays with a bikini-clad Kenzie Werner.

We're told Werner and Manziel aren't strangers -- in fact, they've spent time together in Scottsdale in the past ... and partied it up in Miami over the weekend.

They appeared pretty close on Tuesday ... with Werner straddling Johnny as he held her up with his arms.

Johnny even ditched his shirt to play catch with his new lady ... but don't worry, she made sure he had plenty of sunblock by rubbing it all over his arms.

Manziel told us last week he'd be lacing up the cleats for season 2 of the FCF ... saying he's hoping to work alongside new team owner, comedian Druski.

Johnny hasn't played in the NFL since 2015 ... and pretty much shut the door on a return to the league, saying he just doesn't have what it takes to compete at that level anymore.

As for the personal side of things, Johnny's been pretty private about his dating life since his divorce from Bre Tiesi -- who is now expecting a child with Nick Cannon -- but things seem to be going well with Werner.

Matt Stafford ain't letting Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald leave L.A. without a fight -- the Rams quarterback tells TMZ Sports he's "doing what I can" to keep the stars on his team.

Both dudes could be headed toward the exit door this offseason -- OBJ is a free agent and AD is pondering retirement -- but when we got Stafford out in Beverly Hills this week ... he told us he's recruiting the guys hard to stay for the 2022 season.

In fact, Stafford joked with us that he was out shopping for gifts for them to try to get them to return to L.A.

As for how the recruiting is going, Matt seemed optimistic about getting the two back -- but he did add, "you're going to have to ask those guys" about their future plans.

We also asked Stafford about the return of Tom Brady ... and it's not hard to tell he's surprised the Buccaneers star is still making magic happen at 44 years old.

"It's crazy that he can still do it," Stafford said, "but he's doing it good."

One of the first people on the scene of the Henry Ruggs crash is providing new, horrifying details of the wreck ... saying he thought the NFL star was dead after he saw the football player "dangling" from his car in the moments after the accident.

Tony Rodriguez -- who was driving on Rainbow Road with a friend in Las Vegas just moments after Ruggs slammed his Corvette into Tina Tintor's Rav4 there back in November 2021 -- recounted the terrifying specifics of the night recently to Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez told SI reporter Jeff Pearlman that as he approached the two wrecked vehicles just seconds after the collision -- he stopped at Ruggs' car first ... and noticed the former Las Vegas Raider was halfway ejected from his sports car.

Rodriguez said Ruggs' lower body was still in the ride, but his torso was "dangling" outside of it. He said he was going to tell Ruggs' girlfriend, who was a passenger in the Corvette, to leave him be, but said she had already begun pulling the wide receiver out.

"She grabbed him and pulled him fully out," Rodriguez said. "I have no idea who he is. I don't care about football. Never heard of Henry Ruggs. But, I didn't see no life in his body."

"I thought he was dead."

Rodriguez said he and his friend then quickly turned to Tintor's vehicle -- and tried their hardest to get her and her dog, Max, out of the burning car.

Rodriguez said he got a hammer from his truck and tried to break her free -- and even though others arrived to help, none could get her out.

Officials later determined Tintor died inside the car from thermal injuries. She was just 23 years old.

Ruggs, meanwhile, suffered injuries in the crash, but is expected to make a full recovery. He's since been hit with five charges -- including four felonies -- for his alleged role in the crash.

Jalen Ramsey is finally speaking about his infamous brawl with Golden Tate ... saying he knew their on-field fight was bound to happen after his breakup with the wide receiver's sister.

Ramsey and Tate threw hands after the Rams beat the Giants in October 2020 ... starting a huge pileup between both teams at midfield. The scene was shocking, but Ramsey says he knew the altercation was inevitable.

"We knew what we was gonna do," Ramsey said on The Pivot podcast. "I mean that's his sister, that's what he supposed to do, too. But you mind your business, too."

"He a protective brother and like, yo, this is me though," he added. "This my family now."

Remember, Ramsey ended his long-term relationship with Breanna Tate while she was pregnant with their second daughter in 2019.

Not too long after that, the 27-year-old corner went Instagram official with a Las Vegas Raiders dancer ... which made many believe Ramsey left Breanna for another girl mid-pregnancy.

This infuriated Tate to the point where he went to social media to lash out at Ramsey ... leaving comments like "he know he gonna have to see me" on Jalen's posts.

But, Ramsey says everybody got the situation all wrong ... saying he and Breanna both felt they were better off as friends and broke up on good terms.

"We ain't feel like we needed to announce it to any and everybody," he added.

"Golden had tweeted something about it and that's when it got super public. I ain't like that. I was hot about that."

"That's where I was like, yeah, I don't rock with him, for sure."

In fact, Ramsey says him and Tate were never cool to begin with -- even when he was dating his sister. So, it should come as no surprise they actually came to blows.

Julian Edelman got in on the jokes after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars ... by using the viral moment to reference Tom Brady's fight with retirement -- and it's pretty good.

Edelman posted the hilarious meme on his Twitter page ... poking fun at the fact his good friend, Brady, was retired for just 40 days before deciding to rejoin the Buccaneers.

You can probably guess by now, but in the meme, Tom Brady's name is edited onto Smith ... and the word "retirement" is on Rock -- in other words, TB12 is slapping retirement in the face.

Brady, who played 22 seasons in the NFL, announced his retirement in early February but did a 180 nearly a month and a half later ... telling the world he was returning to play.

While Jules' joke is far from controversial, Rock's quip about Jada's hair has sparked debate on whether he was in the wrong.

As we reported, Rock claims to have not known about Jada's battle with alopecia ... and Smith has apologized for the slap.

The situation between Smith and Rock is far more complex, but Tom and Julian's relationship appears to be going strong as ever, despite the two no longer being teammates.

Deshaun Watson was grilled by an attorney during a deposition in Texas ... responding to questions about claims he was sexually inappropriate with over 20 female massage therapists.

The 26-year-old Browns quarterback recently sat for the depo in the Lonestar state earlier this month ... and now, several excerpts from the session have been posted by FOX 8 in Cleveland.

To say Deshaun answered the questions may be a bit of a stretch ... the Pro Bowl QB seemingly did a lot of dancing and dodging.

Questions included why he reached out via Instagram for appointments, whether the massage therapists were actually licensed or why he would allegedly drive 30 minutes out of town to meet at a woman's mother's house for a rub down.

Watson says the Houston Texans were not made aware of his numerous appointments ... and when he was asked if he reached out to massage therapists he viewed as attractive, the QB says he cannot answer because he has a girlfriend, but said it wasn't his intentions."

It's worth noting ... depositions regularly go on for hours, but video that was released is just a couple of minutes long. It's entirely possible Deshaun was forthcoming at other times, but those clips weren't released.

This month, two grand juries in Texas both reached the same conclusion ... that Watson should NOT be charged criminally for allegedly being inappropriate with female masseuses.

Deshaun's likely in the clear criminally ... but he is still being sued in civil court by 20+ women.

Russell Wilson's love for Ciara is unliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimited -- the Denver Broncos quarterback was getting hot and heavy with his wife after the Oscars ... and they couldn't help but share the sexy moment on video.

Russ and Ciara hit up the Vanity Fair after-party on Sunday ... and as always, they looked incredible. Russ sported an all-black, double-breasted suit with black shoes ... while Ciara donned a revealing burgundy dress and gold shoes.

Ciara shared some BTS shots of their big night on the town ... with Wilson showing the singer a ton of affection as he kisses her on her cheek.

"An after party with you is My Type a Party," Ciara wrote on her post.

Of course, Wilson and Ciara are no strangers to PDA ... and have been practically bragging about how in love they are -- so Sunday's lovefest shouldn't come as a surprise.

No matter how great they looked, there was no upstaging Will Smith, who slapped Chris Rock just hours earlier in the night ... as he was also at the VF bash literally getting jiggy with it.

The NFL is now requiring all 32 of its teams to hire either a minority or a female coach to their offensive staffs -- mandating that the new assistant work "closely" with teams' current head coaches.

The league announced the rule change on Monday ... explaining it wants the new assistants on the offensive side of the ball because it believes owners and GMs have trended toward hiring new head coaches from offensive backgrounds as opposed to defensive ones.

The belief, according to a statement from the league, is that getting more minorities and women into significant positions on offensive staffs could then lead to more minority and female head coaching hires.

"In recent years, head coaches have predominantly had offensive backgrounds," the league said Monday. "We believe this resolution will assist greatly in continuing to source and identify diverse candidates earlier in their career."

Teams will have to make the hires at the beginning of this season ... though clubs who already have a minority or a female on their offensive staff are already considered to have fulfilled the requirement.

The NFL announced the new coaches' salaries will be paid for by a "league-wide fund."