Football

The L.A. Rams don't have any picks until the 3rd round of the 2022 Draft, so they spent their extra time making an over-the-top, insanely-produced movie trailer leading up to this week's event ... and it's completely bonkers.

The Super Bowl champs dropped the nearly 3-minute clip for the fake movie, "On The Clock," on Tuesday ... with some huge names in Hollywood taking on the roles of the Rams' most important figures -- Dennis Quaid as owner Stan Kroenke, Josh Holloway as GM Les Snead, Tyrese Gibson as Raheem Morris and Scott Eastwood as Sean McVay.

Rams superstars Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey even joined in on the fun and showed off their acting chops ... playing dramatized versions of themselves.

The action is something like "Ocean's 11" meets "The Italian Job" ... and basically, the Rams wanted to come up with a fun way to say, "hey, we're going to come away with the best draft class, despite giving up all our best picks."

The team's description of the project goes as follows -- "Hot on the heels of their thrilling Super Bowl LVI victory, the Los Angeles Rams are determined to do the near-impossible: make lightning strike twice."

"On one of football's biggest nights – the NFL Draft – Los Angeles Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke assembles his team to infiltrate the high-profile affair in Sin City and do what they – and no one else – does best: steal the draft."

Antonio Brown just dropped his newest album, but he's already thinking about the next one -- the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout just revealed he only wants athletes featured on his follow-up project.

Brown -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady in 2021 -- joined "TMZ Live" to discuss the success of his album "Paradigm" ... as well as what he's envisioning moving forward.

"The next album got to be with all athletes," Brown told Harvey and Charles. "We want to give every athlete a chance to be creative -- NBA, baseball, football players."

"We just want to give premier athletes the opportunity to express themselves, be themselves. I know a lot of players that do it on their own that may not put it out," Brown added.

AB's current album has features from some huge names in hip hop ... and the project has been doing well, with help from his friend, Kanye West.

Brown told TMZ Sports despite Ye not being featured on the album, Kanye had a significant hand in its production, with West overseeing everything and paying for a lot of studio time.

Of course, artists such as Fivio Foreign, DaBaby, Young Thug, and Keyshia Cole are all featured on the project ... but AB is eyeing names like Melvin Ingram, Shaquille O'Neal, Miles Bridges and Darren Waller next time.

Finally, AB admitted Shaq's success as an athlete and rapper helped motivate his side hustle ... and opened up about potentially working with him in the past.

"Absolutely, Shaq was the only athlete that made a successful album that actually went platinum," Brown said. "And he still was a great player."

"He changed the fact of athletes being one-dimensional."

Niners fans are going to HATE this -- Deebo Samuel shut down the idea of staying in San Francisco while partying in the club this weekend ... making it very clear he wants to be traded.

The funny moment happened as Deebo was enjoying his night out ... with bottle girls bringing out a sign that read, "Deebo is staying #49ers."

The camera quickly pans to Deebo, who wanted to let everyone know that ain't the case ... making the "it's over" hand gesture with a big smile on his face.

Unclear whether Deebo was serious or just joking around ... but the image certainly triggered 49ers fans as the dynamic receiver's future with the team remains up in the air.

Last week, Samuel told the media he had asked the 49ers to trade him. However, Samuel reportedly didn't give a reason for requesting the trade.

Deebo is fresh off a breakout year -- the former second-round draft pick played in 16 of 17 games this past season, where he had 77 receptions, 1,405 receiving yards, and 6 receiving TDs.

Samuel was also a dual-threat ... seeing action in the Niners backfield, where he rushed for 365 yards on 59 attempts and found the endzone 8 times as a running back.

Forget Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp autographs ... here's one of the coolest pieces of Super Bowl LVI memorabilia you can own -- a ball signed by the Big Game's halftime show performers!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... a pigskin that Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak all signed following their epic show at the event in L.A. has just hit the block at Heritage Auctions.

And, according to experts, it could be a bargain for a potential buyer ... as it's expected to fetch just around $1,500!!

The ball is pretty sweet ... five of the artists that performed just before the Rams won the Lombardi Trophy back in February all put their signatures on it in bold, black ink.

The leather also features the Super Bowl LVI logo and other Wilson markings ... and comes with letters of authenticity.

Bidding is set to close on the auction in mid-May ... leaving plenty of time to scrounge up the cash for the piece of history.

Even though Kanye West did not appear on Antonio Brown's new album ... the NFL star tells TMZ Sports the rapper still had a HUGE role in its production -- and he's super grateful for it.

AB says Ye oversaw a lot of the behind-the-scenes things that go into making his new "Paradigm" project ... explaining to us out in L.A. this week that "he oversaw the whole infrastructure."

"He paid for a lot of studio time," Brown said. "Ye had a lot to do with a lot of this production."

Brown went on to personally thank Ye and Donda Sports and "everybody that's been a part of this project."

As for a collab between the two, who became best of friends following AB's messy breakup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown said it still might be coming down the road even though a track featuring the rappers didn't make it to this album.

"We still got a lot of things in the works," Brown said.

Brown -- who's album officially dropped on Wednesday -- tells us that while he's knee-deep in music at the moment ... a football future is still on his mind.

Urban Meyer and Ryan Shazier are among the many coaches, players and friends paying their respects to Dwayne Haskins on Friday ... with those close to the late quarterback attending his memorial service in Pittsburgh.

Haskins' wife, Kalabrya, previously announced the Allegheny Center Alliance Church will be holding a "celebration of Dwayne's life" on Friday for family, friends, coaches and teammates.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Meyer -- who coached Haskins on the Buckeyes from 2016 to 2018 -- and current head football coach, Ryan Day, all made their way to Pennsylvania for the service.

Shazier -- a former Steeler and Buckeye -- was also spotted at Haskins' memorial walking into the church ... as well as defensive tackle Cam Heyward.

Steelers owner, Art Rooney II, and offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, also arrived to pay respects.

Friday's ceremony is one of several that will be held for the Steelers QB -- on Saturday, Haskins' family will have a memorial at the Christ Church in his native New Jersey ... and on Sunday, there will be a service at his former high school in Potomac, Maryland.

As we previously reported, the Steelers QB was tragically killed after being struck by a dump truck on a highway in Fort Lauderdale Florida on April 9.

The crash report indicates the 24-year-old was hit by two cars and succumbed to his injuries on the scene.

RIP

Cam Newton is finally opening up about his controversial comments about women ... insisting he's not sexist.

Nearly two weeks after Newton was captured on camera saying he believed a real woman is someone who, among other things, knows how to cook and "when to be quiet" ... he attempted to clarify the comments in a new video on his YouTube page.

Cam admitted that he should have expounded on the remarks so they were more inclusive and less abrasive ... explaining what he was trying to say was "you can't expect so much from a person and give so little."

"I should have said on top of what I also said and mentioned that not only should a woman know when to be quiet, a man also should know when to be quiet," he said.

Cam continued, "Whether it's being whatever you need to be as a human being -- man or female -- you should be that. And, I think not going into depth like I should have, cost me."

In the video, Newton repeated over and over again that he did not believe men are superior to women. He also insisted he's a great father and a good member of his community.

"I never wanted to demonize or to shrink the woman's power in America," Newton said.

As we reported, Cam was ripped for his initial comments -- athletes, journalists and fans all over called them incredibly offensive. In fact, Travis Kelce's girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, said Cam was a straight-up "bozo" for the remarks.

Antonio Brown is a real-deal rapper, according to Keyshia Cole -- who tells TMZ Sports the NFL star is so good on the mic ... he could win a Grammy!

Of course, the award-winning R&B singer knows firsthand about Brown's potential ... after all, she worked with the former Buccaneers receiver on his new "Paradigm" album that dropped earlier this week.

She also performed her song with Brown on stage at Gunna's new weed strain launch in downtown L.A. on Wednesday ... and after their show, when we asked her if AB's got what it takes to make it big in the music industry, she said yes.

"I think so," the "I Changed My Mind" songbird said.

"I think he's really talented, for sure. I love the body of work that he created. I think he's gonna be great. I do. I wouldn't have collaborated if I didn't think he'd be great."

Now, is he gifted enough to win a Grammy? The 40-year-old also said she believes so.

"Of course!" Cole said. "Whatever you do, you put your mind to it, you can do whatever you choose to do in life."

FYI -- several athletes have been nominated for a Grammy before, including Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson and Oscar De La Hoya.

Even though Cole believes AB can have a promising music career, she doesn't think the free agent should give up on the NFL.

The NFL has lost a member of its family -- Raiders legend Daryle Lamonica died Thursday morning, officials confirmed to TMZ Sports.

He was 80 years old.

"The Raider Nation will forever miss his easy-going nature and warm smile," the Raiders said in a statement after his passing. "Our deepest condolences are with his wife Mary, son Brandon, the rest of the Lamonica family, teammates, and friends."

The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner's Office tells us the former quarterback passed away at his Fresno home ... and the death "is considered to be one of natural causes."

Lamonica played 12 seasons in the NFL, spending four seasons with the Buffalo Bills and then eight with the Raiders, where he became a legend.

After starting in only 4 games for Buffalo, Lamonica, aka "The Mad Bomber," started 84 games for Oakland ... and went a whopping 62-16-6.

Lamonica, who received his nickname for his ability to throw the deep ball, retired after being selected to 5 Pro Bowls.

In 1967, Lamonica won Player of the Year honors ... after leading the league in touchdowns (30) and guiding the Raiders to a 13-1 record.

Lamonica won the AFL championship that year, clinching the team's first Super Bowl berth. The team went on to fall short against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II, 33-14.

Lamonica -- drafted by the Bills out of Notre Dame in 1963 -- finished his playing career throwing for 19,154 yards and 164 touchdowns.

Antonio Brown had a REALLY good 4/20 ... the dude smoked a footlong blunt -- and then rapped for a huge crowd in downtown Los Angeles!!!

AB was out in DTLA at Traditional dispensary on Wednesday night for Gunna's new weed strain launch event -- and the free agent wide receiver was having the time of his life.

TMZ Sports got video of the 33-year-old smokin' weed and then hitting the stage to perform songs off his new album, "Paradigm" -- which a packed crowd in attendance loved.

In video from the event, you can see Brown smoked several times (including once from a monster blunt) in between grabbing the mics -- and at one point during one of his songs, he even threw a bunch of money at the crowd.

Later, he asked fans about his football career, saying, "What you guys think I should do? Do you think I should play football? What do you think I should do? If you think I should play football, say, 'Yes!'"

Brown spoke with us later in the evening ... and hinted that he's receiving interest from the Dallas Cowboys to continue his football career.

AB eventually ended the night by rapping his hit, "Pit Not The Palace," with a white mask over his face ... officially putting an exclamation point on a helluva 4/20.

By the way, if you were wondering, the NFL has laxed its policy on weed in the past couple years -- its threshold for positive tests has increased, and it's no longer suspending players who do test positive.

Aaron Rodgers was front and center at the Bucks' playoff game in Milwaukee on Wednesday ... hanging out with his bestie/teammate Randall Cobb and Mallory Edens.

The Bucks took on the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of their first-round matchup at the Fiserv Forum ... and Rodgers -- who owns 1% of the team -- was in the building to check it out.

Rodgers sat right on the court with his trusted target ... as the Bucks heiress sat to their left. The group looked laser-focused on the game, which ended up going in favor of the Bulls in a nail-biter.

Rodgers loves to frequent Bucks games -- and tends to leave the fans with memories. In 2019, Rodgers famously got into a beer-chugging contest with his star left tackle, David Bakhtiari ... and the MVP failed miserably.

Of course, Rodgers sitting courtside is a welcoming sight for Packers fans ... as they previously feared they would lose the star QB following a tough loss to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

It's been pretty rare to see Rodgers out and about without Shailene Woodley ... as the couple has been damn near inseparable since their breakup(?) back in February.

Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Spencer Brown had a wild experience at the airport Tuesday ... saying a pissed-off passenger unhatched his plane's emergency inflatable slide and escaped on it before take-off!

The 24-year-old football player described the chaos in a series of tweets ... explaining a woman was so angry about something on the plane at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, she deployed an emergency slide to get off.

"Sitting on a plane," Brown said, describing the scene. "A lady is pissed. Lady pulls the emergency inflatable slide to escape the plane. Lady is running wild through the tarmac currently."

Brown shared a photo of the mayhem from his window seat -- showing the slide sticking out from the side of the plane.

Someone in Brown's comments was also at the airport at the time of the incident and shared their own pic of the plane -- showing the slide and law enforcement on scene.

"Cops have arrived," Brown continued in his description of the scene. "Flight ruined."

American Airlines confirmed the incident to TMZ Sports ... telling us the flight was taken out of service after the "disruptive customer opened the main boarding door, which deployed the emergency slide, and exited the aircraft onto the ramp."

AA officials added, "The individual was quickly apprehended by local law enforcement and has been placed on American’s internal refuse list pending further investigation."

The flight, according to officials, was scheduled to take off for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. They said the passengers onboard were placed on alternate flights.

Despite the travel mishap, Brown -- a 3rd-round in the 2021 NFL Draft -- had a sense of humor about it ... saying, "Memories made. Noice 👍🏻"

Dwayne Haskins' body was hit by two vehicles in the accident that took his life earlier this month ... a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, reveals.

In the Florida Highway Patrol documents, investigators say after Haskins was struck by a dump truck in the middle of a Broward County highway in the early morning hours of April 9 -- a Subaru Outback also "partially" hit Haskins' body.

Officials released a diagram of the crash -- showing what they believe were the two points in which the vehicles struck the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback (labeled as NM01 in the image).

In the docs, investigators say a witness told them a third vehicle may have been involved as well.

Officials say Haskins succumbed to his injuries on the scene and was pronounced dead just minutes after being struck.

Investigators say both drivers came to a stop shortly after hitting the football player. They also noted in the docs neither driver was tested for alcohol nor drugs.

Officials in the documents did not reveal why they believed Haskins was walking along the busy highway before being hit -- a final Traffic Homicide Investigation is still pending.

As we reported, Kalabrya Haskins said in a 911 call that Dwayne had said he was on foot in search of gas after his car had stranded him. She said in the frantic call, "I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he's OK and if anything happened to him."

Antonio Brown didn't shy away from his Bucs blowup on his new rap album ... in fact, the NFL player dropped multiple bars about his famous Tampa Bay exit on several tracks.

AB posted the album -- called "Paradigm" -- on Wednesday morning ... and in two songs, he referenced his Jan. 2 shirtless tirade at MetLife Stadium.

In the songs "Business Boomin" and "Put That S*** On" ... he rapped about the way he quit on his team during the Bucs vs. Jets tilt.

"Sorry, ran up off the field," AB sang in the "Business Boomin" track. "I’m boomin'. Gotta get my money. I'm boomin'."

"Walk out your bitch life like I walked off the field or something," he sang in the "Put That S*** On" track. "AB, why you make the G.O.A.T retire? What's your deal or something."

DaBaby -- who's featured on the "Business Boomin" song -- also brought up the incident ... rapping at one point, "I throw off my shirt like AB, I don't wanna play for your team."

Brown also poked fun at his infamous failed trade to the Buffalo Bills in 2019 ... rapping in "Put That S*** On" ... "Buffalo skin on my coat, she think I play for the Bills or something."

Overall, the album shows the receiver is serious about the craft ... and has some dope features Fivio Foreign, Young Thug, Jacquees and Keyshia Cole, who did a music video with AB for "Don't Leave".

Of course, Kanye West might've been a major influence on this project ... especially since the award-winning rapper/producer has been spotted with AB in the studio numerous of times.

Dwayne Haskins' panicked wife called cops the morning of the QB's death ... saying she was concerned for her husband after he had been stranded on the highway looking for gas before he stopped responding to her, new 911 audio reveals.

In the call, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kalabrya Haskins says she was calling from Pittsburgh, PA. roughly 10 minutes after she had spoken to Dwayne on the phone in the early hours of April 9.

Kalabrya told the dispatch officer that Dwayne had called her from the side of the road near I-95 in Broward County, FL. ... claiming his car had left him stranded, and he was walking to try to find gas.

In the audio, Kalabyra can be heard saying, "He said he was going to call me back after he finished putting the gas in," but she says he never called back.

"I kept calling and kept calling," Kalabyra told the dispatch officer. "He wasn't answering. Eventually, after 10 minutes of calling the phone, eventually it cut off. It's not working now. I had his location. I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he's OK and if anything happened to him."

A short time later ... the officer told Kalabrya, "I don't want you to panic, but I'm going to be honest with you. We do have an incident on the highway -- but I can't confirm if that's your husband or not."

In a separate 911 call, a witness can be heard telling a dispatch officer, "There was a man hit in front of me. I was travelling on the road and I saw a dump truck hit the man."

As we reported, Dwayne was killed after he was struck by a dump truck while walking on the highway in Florida. Cops have not released further details surrounding the incident, saying an investigation is ongoing.

Despite reportedly being a person of interest in a murder investigation, Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph did work out with the team on Monday and is participating in Dallas' offseason program.

Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones confirmed that Joseph was with the team to begin this week ... saying on 105.3 The Fan that Joseph will be in and around Dallas' facility as police continue to investigate a March 18 murder.

"We're waiting to get all of the information," Jones said. "But, in the meantime, he was here yesterday, participating in the offseason program."

Jones added he and the team were "not going to comment further on any of the details at this point."

According to Yahoo Sports, police interviewed Joseph after they believed he was seen on video near where a 20-year-old man died in a shooting on March 18.

Cops say the victim was killed after people in a black SUV shot at him following an altercation in a nearby street.

Joseph's attorney, Barry Sorrels, said last week that Joseph was a passenger in the car in which the gunshots came from ... though he said Joseph did not pull the trigger.

Cops say they arrested 28-year-old Aries Jones and 21-year-old Tivione English over the weekend in connection with the homicide -- but they have yet to confirm or deny if Joseph is in the clear or not.

The Cowboys said in a statement last week that they were aware of Joseph's "possible connection" to the incident ... and said they were cooperating with authorities.

Jones added in his interview Tuesday, "We're obviously getting a lot of details here. But, that's all we're going to say at this point."