Football

Ohio State legend Cardale Jones gave an emotional speech at a Dwayne Haskins memorial Tuesday night ... praising the former Buckeye and lamenting his tragic death.

Jones said the sweet words to a crowd that had gathered outside of Ohio Stadium ... remembering the 24-year-old as someone who was selfless and always willing to give the shirt off his back.

"I feel like we're all here to grieve together and to pay our respects and somewhat celebrate Dwayne's life," Jones said, just four days after Haskins sadly passed away in a vehicle accident in Florida.

"It just sucks that his life was cut so short but I guess he was just too good for all of us that the Lord had to call him home early."

Jones -- who played at OSU from 2013 to 2015 -- was friends with Haskins ... and during his speech, he said Dwayne always "kept faith and lived out his dreams" when he was alive.

"He's up there looking down on us and telling us to wipe our tears," Jones said. "He will be missed."

Buckeyes running back Master Teague III was also in attendance at the vigil ... where he led a prayer to Haskins' family.

Other current and former Buckeyes that had gathered at the memorial site included Kyle McCord, Kamryn Babb, Xavier Johnson and Sevyn Banks. OSU athletic director, Gene Smith, was also present.

As we previously reported, Haskins was tragically killed on Saturday after being hit by a dump truck on a highway in Fort Lauderdale.

Travis Kelce's girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, just went off on Cam Newton over the comments he made about women this week ... blasting the guy for his "foolish" and "tired" remarks.

Just two days after Cam said he believed a real woman should "cater to a man's needs" and know how to cook and "when to be quiet" ... Kayla shaded the hell out of the former NFL star.

She ripped him for appearing to define a woman's worth by her abilities in the kitchen and her willingness to "allow a man to lead" -- eviscerating him in a video on her Instagram page.

"This man said that you need to be able to cook and know when to be quiet," Kayla said. "Because that's what his momma did. Like, boy! Go date your momma then!"

The Chiefs star's GF explained her beef with Cam further in a series of tweets on her Twitter account ... calling Cam a straight-up "bozo" for his comments.

"Pretty sure the average woman is capable of making edible food," Kayla said. "How do you think she’s survived thus far?"

"It's really not a matter of can she cook -- it's more like does she want to cook for your hungry hippo ass."

Kayla -- who's been dating Kelce since 2017 -- then poked fun at Cam for currently being without an NFL team ... saying, "He has nothing but time to 'be quiet' and get that ass in the kitchen."

Joey B Baby and the "B" stands for baseball??

NFL superstar Joe Burrow isn't just great at throwing the pigskin -- the Bengals QB took the mound to throw the first pitch at the Reds' Opening Day game ... and it was a strike right down the middle!!

The AFC champ was a VIP guest at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Tuesday ... meeting and hanging out with Joey Votto and others before the Reds' matchup against the Cleveland Guardians.

But, it was #9 who displayed his skills first ... as he took the mound to throw the ceremonial toss, with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor lined up behind the plate as his catcher.

Joey looked calm as ever as he prepared for the throw ... and naturally, it was a perfect strike.

The crowd, of course, cheered for their QB ... after all, the dude's got the whole city in the palm of his hand after taking the Bengals to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the league.

A man in Florida claims he saw Dwayne Haskins walking in the middle of a highway right before the NFL player's death ... and says he was so concerned at the sight, he called 911 in an attempt to get help.

Chris Stanley told NBC 6 South Florida this week that after he dropped his daughter off at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, he was traveling on I-595 when cars -- including a "tractor-trailer" type vehicle -- started to veer into his lane from the right.

Stanley says he then noticed a man he believes to be Haskins start walking into the road with his arms partially raised ... and immediately became worried that a car would crash into him.

The outlet says the witness called 911 for assistance at 6:31 AM ... shortly before the crash was reported to authorities.

Stanley says he did not spot a vehicle on the side of the highway ... nor did he see anything else that could explain what the person he thinks was Haskins was doing.

"That's why it's just very disturbing," he says. "I just didn't understand the situation."

As we previously reported, Haskins died after being struck by a dump truck Saturday morning around 6:37 AM near Fort Lauderdale. He was just 24 years old.

The sports world has mourned the loss in the days following the tragedy ... with names like Joe Burrow, T.J. Watt, Mike Tomlin and more sharing their grief.

The Detroit Lions might have only won three games in 2021, but Jared Goff is certainly dominating the offseason ... by taking his smoking hot girlfriend to the beach for a make-out session!!

Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Christen Harper shared snaps of the couple's romantic trip to the beach in SoCal over the weekend ... showing them lounging in the sand and sharing a smooch.

27-year-old Goff and Harper, 28, ate well during their visit, too ... chowing down on Locale90 pizza and enjoying a cheese board while sipping on some wine and watching the sunset.

Of course, the duo is one of the hottest couples in sports ... and have been going strong since taking their romance public in March 2019.

Harper was recently named one of S.I.'s rookies for the 2022 issue after crushing the worldwide Swim Search ... calling the accomplishment a dream come true.

Cam Newton believes women should cater to a man's needs ... saying his ideal partner should know how to cook and when to be quiet -- and, yeah, he's now he's facing serious backlash.

The NFL quarterback made the controversial comments on Barstool Sports' "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast this week ... when he opened up about being raised in a household by his mother, father, and grandmother.

Newton says his experiences at home helped him understand the difference between a "woman" and a "bad bitch" -- explaining he believes the latter is not something women should strive for.

"A woman for me is handling your own, but knowing how to cater to a man's needs," Cam said on the pod. "I think a lot of times, when you get that aesthetic of like, 'I'm a boss bitch, I'm a this, I'm a that,' -- no, baby. But you can't cook."

"You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead."

Cam insisted on the show that he was not trying to "beat up my queens" with his statements ... but he called for "men to start being men, bro."

"That sucka s*** should not be rewarded."

As you could imagine, Cam's comments did not go over well on social media ... with many calling the words sexist and misogynistic.

Of course, it's not the first time he's been called out for remarks about women ... back in 2017, Cam was criticized for laughing at a female reporter's question during a press conference and saying, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes."

Cam later apologized for his words, but not before he lost a major sponsorship with Oikos yogurt.

Ohio State star quarterback CJ Stroud paid tribute to Dwayne Haskins on the practice field on Monday ... penning a touching message to the late NFLer on his jersey.

OSU shared photos of the tribute during the Buckeyes' training sesh -- two days after Haskins was hit by a dump truck on a highway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Buckeyes QB -- who's entering his third season with the program -- inked "LLDH7" (Long Live Dwayne Haskins) and "RIH SIMBA" on his practice jersey ... showing respect for the former 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

"Your legacy will live on big bro 💯" Stroud said via Twitter.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke about Haskins after practice with the media ... saying it was a "very difficult weekend for all of us."

"Had a meeting with the team today," he told reporters. "We talked about a lot of things and there's a group of guys who played with Dwayne and they're hurting."

Day says they plan on having several tributes for Haskins ... starting with this weekend's spring game.

"Certainly gonna do something Saturday to recognize him in some sort of tribute which I think is very appropriate, especially with Buckeye nation all being together."

Haskins played QB at OSU from 2016 to 2018. During his Buckeye career, he had 5,396 passing yards and 54 passing touchdowns.

Tragedy has struck the Dallas Cowboys organization again ... longtime assistant coach Gary Brown died on Sunday -- just days after one of the team's legends, Rayfield Wright, passed away.

Brown -- who coached Dallas' running backs from 2013 through 2019 -- had reportedly been in hospice care recently after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was just 52 years old.

"Everyone who knew him, loved him," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "He meant so much to the players he coached and the coaches he coached with. His love for family, football and life was evident each day."

"He continued to fight, and he never gave up. My family and the Dallas Cowboys family are heartbroken, and our love and support are with his wife, Kim, his daughters, Malena and Dorianna, and his son, Tre."

Brown had a lengthy career as a player in the NFL before jumping into coaching, rushing for over 1,000 yards in 1993 and 1998.

He ultimately went into coaching after retiring following the 1999 season ... eventually landing with the Cleveland Browns in 2009 and then later the Cowboys in 2013.

Brown helped coach Demarco Murray, Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott, among others, to huge years ... before he left the team after the 2019 season following Jason Garrett's departure.

"This has been a tough week losing Rayfield, Dwayne [Haskins] and Gary B," Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith said early Monday morning. "May the piece of God cover their families and may his grace cover us. Rest in Peace my friends."

Henry Ruggs' former Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, says he was shocked by the ex-Raiders star's arrest ... calling Ruggs both a "good person" and a "good dude."

Waddle explained his feelings on Ruggs' legal situation to Pacman Jones and Omar Kelly on the the "I Am Athlete" show this week ... saying he never would have thought Ruggs would be in the situation he's currently in.

In fact, Waddle said out of the star 'Bama wideouts who went to school together -- which also included Devonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy -- Ruggs was perhaps the best guy in the meeting rooms.

"Out of all us," Waddle said, "that'd be the person that you least expect something like that to happen to."

Waddle told Jones and Kelly that Ruggs was such a good friend, the two still keep in contact with each other to this day.

As we reported, Ruggs is facing decades behind bars after he was accused of driving drunk and killing Tina Tintor after he crashed his pricey sports car into the back of her Rav4.

Ruggs is currently out on bond while he awaits trial.

Waddle didn't want to comment too much on the situation due to the pending legal case -- but he did say the incident has made him more aware of his surroundings and behavior.

Darren Waller is clearly buying the hype around the Raiders following the team's trade for Davante Adams ... telling TMZ Sports he's looking for Vegas to have a "special year" this season.

We got Waller out at LAX earlier this week -- just about a month after the Raiders landed Adams in a blockbuster trade with the Packers -- and the star TE sure sounded fired up for his team heading into 2022.

Waller said he believed the Raiders are "going to be a really good team" following the Adams acquisition -- and then told fans to expect something "special."

"It feels like it has the makings of a special year," Waller said. "For sure."

We also asked Waller about his quarterback and the criticism that he faces ... and Darren says he's paying no attention to the Derek Carr haters.

In fact, Darren told us he loves playing with the veteran signal-caller -- adding, "He's a great player."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins tragically passed away early Saturday morning ... after being hit by a car. He was just 24 years old.

Law enforcement in Florida released a statement this morning announcing they were investigating a deadly crash in the area where Haskins was tragically hit and killed.

"Florida Highway Patrol is working a fatal vehicle vs pedestrian crash on westbound I-595 at I-95. Westbound lanes of I-595 will remain closed during this investigation."

Haskins was a star at Ohio State ... leading the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl victory in the 2018 season.

Dwayne went on to be the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft to Washington, where he spent two seasons. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

Haskins was in Boca Raton, Florida training with his Pittsburgh teammates -- including Najee Harris, Chase Claypool and Mitchell Trubisky -- this week ... and several players posted video of the workout session.

Haskins proposed to Kalabrya Gondrezick, a former Michigan State basketball player, in 2021 ... and the couple got married several months later.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin released a statement ... saying, "I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins. He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community."

"Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time."

The NFL also released a statement ... saying, "The NFL family mourns the tragic loss of Dwayne Haskins and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones."

Haskins' Buckeye teammate, Joe Burrow, shared his condolences on Twitter ... saying, "Tough to find the words ... you will be missed."

Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt also shared memories of his former teammate ... saying, "The world lost a great person today. When Dwayne first walked into the locker room I could tell he was an upbeat guy. He was always making people smile, never taking life for granted. His impact on me will last a forever."

Ron Rivera, who coached Haskins in Washington, added ... "I am absolutely heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr. Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him."

"This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed. Our entire team is sending our heartfelt condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Haskins family at this time."

Megan Rapinoe clearly believes Dwayne Johnson jacked her fiancée's company's logo for his new XFL brand -- and now, she's demanding the actor changes it before lawyers get involved.

The soccer superstar explained her beef with The Rock on social media on Thursday -- just one day after Dwayne revealed his football org.'s new "X" logo -- saying she thinks his new logo looks a bit too much like Sue Bird's Togethxr's.

And, Rapinoe said if he doesn't change things quickly -- Bird's team will be sending over a cease and desist letter.

"Welp. This is awkward," Rapinoe said. "Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on [lock] boys."

If you're unfamiliar, Bird and other star female athletes started Togethxr -- a company designed to promote equality in the media and highlight the achievement of women in sports -- several years ago, and used a unique "X" as part of their logo.

Rapinoe and Bird clearly believe The Rock's "X" logo too closely resembles Togethxr's -- and they made it apparent, they're not going to let it slide.

"Well," Bird said of The Rock's new design, "doesn’t this look familiar."

No word yet on if The Rock is aware of the two athletes' gripe, or if he has any plans to change the image going forward.

We might as well start giving Tyreek Hill speeding tickets at this point -- the former Chiefs wideout dusted an entire women's flag football team this week ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

Hill -- who recently inked a 4-year, $120 million ($72.2 million is guaranteed) contract with the Dolphins -- is by far one of the fastest players in the NFL ... and has even called out Usain Bolt for a race.

"Cheetah" is living up to his rep ... 'cause he outran the entire Lady Warriors Flag Football team at Hebrew Academy Miami Beach Middle School.

In the wild clip, Hill waits for the entire squad to get as close as possible before he suddenly plants in the ground and makes a cut up the field -- and then it's off to the races.

At the end, Hill even slowed down to give the ladies a chance to catch up to him and pull his flags ... but no dice.

Now in fairness, Hill -- who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash when he participated in the NFL combine -- clearly has the wheels to beat pretty much anyone in a race ... so the Lady Warriors shouldn't hang their heads at all.

Ben Roethlisberger spent most of his career beating the Cincinnati Bengals -- but it turns out, The Tiger King is still a huge fan!!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Joe Exotic has written a letter to Big Ben from prison, asking the Pittsburgh Steelers star for his autograph.

Exotic's lawyer, John M. Phillips, tells us the 59-year-old penned the note just recently.

In his letter, Exotic told the future Hall of Famer that he needed a signature from Ben so he could gift it to his stepson for a birthday present.

"I promised him an autographed jersey by you because he thinks you are the s*** and he holds you on a pretty big pedestal," said Joe, who's been in prison since 2019 after he allegedly tried to hire men to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.

"There is one on eBay, but I don't have the $600 to buy it for his birthday. My fans helped get everything else he wanted. I'm just missing your jersey."

Joe ended his note by pleading for Ben to honor his request -- saying, "Can you help a man out that is fighting for his own freedom? Every kid needs a hero and you are his!"

Devastating news for Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ... his older brother was tragically found dead by police on Tuesday inside of a Virginia home.

He was only 23 years old.

Hampton Police say officers responded to a 9:57 AM call on Tuesday about a deceased person at the 400 block of Lake Tower Drive (one hour east of Richmond, VA).

When authorities arrived on scene, they said they found a dead body inside the residence ... as well as evidence of a fire.

Police announced on Wednesday they ID'ed the victim as Jeremiah's brother, Joshua Emmanuel Owusu-Koramoah. Authorities added they are now investigating the death as a homicide.

22-year-old Jeremiah -- who is currently in Ghana hosting an NFL in Africa football camp -- played football at Bethel High School in Hampton with Joshua.

While Jeremiah ended up going to Notre Dame -- and becoming the Browns' 2nd-round pick in the 2021 draft -- Joshua played three seasons (2016-2018) as a reserve linebacker at William & Mary, where he majored in chemistry.

"Our sympathies are with the Owusu-Koramoah family," the W&M football team said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Joshua's loss will be felt by the many individuals in our athletics program and campus community whose lives he touched with his kindness and caring."

Joshua was a science teacher at Hampton Christian High School, according to his friend Drew Barker, who told the Daily Press he knew something was wrong earlier this week when Joshua stopped responding to his messages.

"It was automatically heartbreaking when he wasn’t answering phone calls, because he was the most punctual, respectful, humble and reliable person I know," Barker said.

"We tried to hold out hope as long as we could. When we found out it was him, it was demoralizing trying to figure out how this happened.”

Police say the homicide investigation is ongoing and "there is no additional information to release at this time."

RIP

Dallas Cowboys legend Rayfield Wright -- one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history -- died on Thursday, his family announced. He was 76 years old.

In a statement, Wright's wife said America's Team's former left tackle passed away after he had been hospitalized following a severe seizure just days ago.

Wright was picked by the Cowboys in the 7th round of the 1967 NFL Draft ... and played 13 seasons for the team before retiring following the 1979 season. He was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

"Rayfield Wright was the epitome of what it takes to be a Hall of Famer," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement following Wright's passing Thursday. "His grit, his agility, his passion, his charisma and his love for football, the community and his family always shined through."

"He remained an important part of the Cowboys family long after his playing days ended, and he will be deeply missed. Our love and support go out to his wife, Di, and the entire Wright family."

Wright earned three All-Pro honors in his career and made six Pro Bowls. He won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys ... and was named a member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2004.

"His gentle nature away from the game belied his commanding presence on the field," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement.

"All fans, especially those of the Cowboys, will remember fondly his dominance on the offensive line in the 1970s and how he took protecting Dallas quarterbacks as his personal mission."