Football

"If you're a Green Bay Packer, a lot doors open up for you. If you win a championship, all doors open up, but when you're in the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up for you."

That's newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer, LeRoy Butler ... who tells TMZ Sports the opportunities have been rolling in since his enshrinement in Canton.

"My assistant is getting a lot of phone calls," the 54-year-old former Packers star says, adding ... "Some of them are just to feel you out, but some of them are stuff that I always wanted to work on."

And, there's one very special project in the works.

"I'm doing a documentary that my daughters are writing about my life story."

Still, as great as the money and business opportunities are, it's not the most important part for LeRoy.

"I was very excited for my family, man. My kids. I love my kids more than myself, and they really enjoyed it."

We also talked to Butler about a comment fellow HOF'er Deion Sanders made -- where Primetime said too many players were inducted into the Hall ("the Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more") -- an assertion which the former Packers DB disagrees.

"See that's confusing me. I'm assuming he knows there's only 362 guys in there. And maybe 170 living. But see, when you make it first ballot, it's not that big of a deal," LeRoy said, alluding to the fact that Sanders was an absolute lock to be inducted.

Butler says it's different "when you have to wait 16 years."

The Hall of Fame was the last unchecked box in what was a historic career for LeRoy. The Super Bowl 31 champ was a 4x first-team All-Pro who was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade squad.

Fresh off his contributions on The Game’s latest album, Hit-Boy has just taken on a new digital gig ... curating the musical sounds of the upcoming "Madden NFL 23."

The platinum-selling Grammy-winning producer announced the move Tuesday, expressing the passion gridiron Sundays gives him when creating music.

Hit-Boy produced a jaw-dropping 33 beats for in-game play, while selecting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, Erica Banks, Cordae and his "King’s Disease" collaborator Nas for the soundtrack.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop the third installment of “King’s Disease” is being worked on as we speak, arguably making Hit-Boy the hardest working producer of 2022.

This year alone, Hit worked on Beyoncé's No. 1 “Renaissance” album, dropped his own “Corsa” single with Dom Kennedy, and gave The Game a template to diss Eminem for 10 minutes straight.

Everything wasn't always peaches and cream between Najee Harris and Nick Saban at Alabama ... the former Tide star just revealed he and his former coach used to fight each other all the time during his four years at the school.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star broke it all down on "The Pivot" podcast Tuesday ... saying Saban belittled him often -- and he would push back every time he felt the head coach went too far.

"I'm not the type of dude to sit back and just let somebody talk to me in a way and expect me not to say something," Harris said during the interview with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor.

"I can take coaching, but, like, it's just a certain type of line when you cross, like all right, bro, I'm a man, you ain't gon' f***ing talk to me like that."

"Don't think you're more than just a coach to me. Don't try to belittle. I felt like I was belittled."

Najee -- who played for Saban from 2017 through 2020 -- said things between the two got so bad, he ended up leaving the school for a few weeks during his last year on campus.

"Last incident happened and I left school," Najee said. "I left school for like two weeks -- people didn't know that. I left school for like two weeks and then Saban sat me in his office."

Harris says they were able to clear the air for good during that 1-on-1 sesh, and "ever since that day, we was rock solid."

Aaron Rodgers is going all-in on his Nicolas Cage obsession -- the superstar quarterback now has a bust of the actor's head in his locker ... and he showed it off to reporters on Tuesday.

38-year-old Rodgers was all smiles as he brought the Cage head down from the top shelf of his changing space to give a closer look ... chatting it up as folks in the crowd got their jokes off.

Some said the bust doesn't really resemble Cage ... but we gotta admit -- it looks pretty spot-on. Another joked there was a camera inside it ... and uh, yeah. Let's hope not??

The 4-time MVP's been really leaning into his inner Nicky C recently -- as we previously reported, he even showed up to Packers training camp fully dressed as the Cameron Poe character from "Con Air."

It's clear Rodgers is having a lot more fun at the start of this season -- something he says was a result of his use of the psychedelic ayahuasca two years ago.

Manti Te'o -- the college football superstar who fell for one of the most famous catfishing scams to date -- is opening up on his decision to go public with his side of the hoax ... saying attending a Jay-Z concert helped him come forward.

Remember, the former Notre Dame linebacker reportedly lost his grandma and girlfriend within hours of each other in 2012 ... except the entire romance was based on a lie.

As it turns out, Te'o didn't know his GF -- Lennay Kekua, a student at Stanford -- didn't actually exist ... despite previously stating he had met her in person (Te'o adamantly denies being involved in the hoax).

Manti -- who was eventually drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft -- is now speaking about the whole thing ... and says he was first inspired to go public with his story after attending a Jay-Z concert as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2017.

"Cam Jordan with the Saints took a bunch of us teammates to a Jay-Z concert," Te'o said on "CBS Mornings."

"And at that concert, Jay-Z opens up with saying these words -- 'you cannot heal what you don't reveal.' And it may have been just some random words to everybody, but for me, at that time, it hit me like a ton of bricks."

"In order for me to kind of heal from this, I needed to reveal it."

Te'o said he vowed to share his side when the next opportunity came -- and in 2020, documentary director Tony Vainuku approached him.

What resulted was the "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist" project, which just hit Netflix on Tuesday.

Eli Manning and Brady Quinn never duked it out on the football field -- but the two are squaring off in a different arena -- debating the best football movies of all time ... and let's just say their picks ain't exactly shocking!

The two former NFL QB's caught up on the second episode of season 2 of "Eli's Places" (premieres Wednesday on ESPN+) ... and went back and forth about football movies they hold near and dear to their hearts.

Quinn said "Any Given Sunday" (starring Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz) is high on his list, but the 1999 classic "Rudy" (featuring Sean Astin and Ned Beatty) would be "way up there" ... as Brady gestured way above his head.

Of course, "Rudy" was based on the true story of the University of Notre Dame walk-on Rudy Ruettiger, an undersized player who wasn't exactly the best athlete, but had incredible heart and work ethic.

Brady starred at Notre Dame ... albeit long after Ruettiger was on the team.

BQ also rattled off two Adam Sandler movies ... "The Waterboy" and "The Longest Yard."

It's hard to argue with any of Quinn's selections ... Rudy is considered by many one of the best few sports films ever made. His other picks, particularly "The Longest Yard," had a bunch of big stars like Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Nelly, Terry Crews, Michael Irvin, Bill Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, and Sandler.

But Eli, the two-time Super Bowl champ for the NY Giants, pushed back against Quinn's list ... saying the 1994 movie "Little Giants," starring Rick Moranis, was his fave.

Quinn didn't seem too impressed with Eli's pick ... saying Moranis gave a better performance in the iconic film, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

FYI, it's not just Eli with his own show ... there's a diverse group of stars including Vince Carter, Abby Wambach, Ronda Rousey and David Ortiz who have their own "Places" show.

Deion Sanders is feeling "complete" on his 55th birthday ... 'cause the NFL legend hilariously got hooked up with some new fake toes to replace the appendages he had amputated this year!!

The Jackson State football HC got the gag gift from his pal, Sam, on Monday ... and shared the whole gift-giving on his Instagram story.

The Hall of Famer was chilling in the JSU facility when Sam handed over some massive rubber feet ... which featured veins to make 'em look real.

Sanders -- who had two toes cut off earlier this year -- didn't get pissed about the personal jab ... instead, he laughed it off and said, "I like that!!

"Y'all got jokes!! Thank you. I really feel complete now."

But, Sam better watch his back ... Sanders clapped back, "I'mma kick some butt today, starting off with you Sam."

As for the color of the feet -- Sam says Deion had previously joked he wanted two white prosthetic toes ... so he figured he'd do his part.

As we previously reported, Sanders had to get surgery on his left foot due to a longtime injury he suffered during his 14-year NFL career.

He got the procedure done last fall, but suffered complications and had to go under the knife eight more times ... including removing two toes in March.

Sanders has been in good spirits since -- from dancing to working out and celebrating his 55th birthday on Aug. 9.

Byron Allen is callin' dibs on the next available NFL team -- telling TMZ Sports that after losing out on the Broncos this year, he's "highly confident" he'll "get the next one."

We got the TV mogul out in Beverly Hills just days after he officially lost his bid to buy Denver's NFL franchise to Rob Walton, and he told us he ain't sad about it at all.

In fact, Allen was in a playful mood about missing out on the $4.65 billion purchase ... saying, "When you lose to the richest family in the world, it's not a bad day in the office."

Allen says he's now already turned his sights onto the next available team -- explaining he's absolutely undeterred by how the Broncos sale ended up.

"Listen," the 61-year-old said. "Buying an NFL football team is a process and we had the pleasure of being a part of that process. We didn't get this one, but I'm highly confident we'll get the next one."

Allen said owning a team is very important to him -- telling us that becoming the first-ever Black controlling owner in the league is a huge goal of his.

Allen credited Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell for giving him the tools necessary to one day accomplish that feat ... and added that he's in no hurry whatsoever to give up on the dream.

Former NFL star Aqib Talib was just feet from the gunman -- allegedly his older brother, Yaqub Talib -- when a fight at a youth football game turned into a fatal shooting over the weekend, new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

We've chosen not to publish the actual shooting, but the original clip shows the moment five shots were fired at a man at a kid's football game, with several of the shots coming as the man retreated. The man falls to the ground while running away.

In the moments immediately following the shooting, 36-year-old Aqib appears to make a beeline for the shooter -- allegedly his 39-year-old brother -- before both men seemingly turn to leave the field.

The video then ends as everyone scatters.

Although Aqib was in the middle of the incident, he is never seen participating in the violence.

On Monday, Yaqub, turned himself in to authorities in Lancaster, Texas, where he was booked for murder.

Aqib's attorney tells us ... "Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life."

"He would like to convey his condolences to the family of the victim and to everyone who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy."

Former NFL star Aqib Talib's brother, Yaqub Talib, is a wanted man in Texas -- this after cops say he was involved in a fatal shooting at a youth football game this weekend.

The Lancaster Police Department fired off an announcement Sunday saying that they were looking for Yaqub in connection to the death of an adult male Saturday ... who was shot and killed during an argument at the conclusion of a match that parents were angry about.

The man is said to be a coach for one of the teams ... there's a name circulating online, but we'll refrain from ID'ing him at this time until the family and/or cops confirm. In any case, he succumbed to his injuries ... which police say was a direct result of a discharged firearm.

There's video of the alleged shooting which eyewitnesses claim shows a man pull out the gun and fire. We're told people in the crowd identified the man wearing all-black and a bucket hat as possibly being one of the Talib brothers -- but it's hard to make out who this person is, or if they have a weapon at all. What is depicted ... a scuffle/apparent shooting.

Lancaster PD says they've identified the suspect in this case as Yaqub, and note there's an active warrant for his arrest. It's unclear what charge, exactly, they wanna bring him in on ... but some say this looks to be outright murder. We've reached out to LPD for clarification.

A former mugshot of Yaqub was attached to the press release, and Lancaster is asking for any and all help in finding him. BTW, Aqib was also there for this tragic killing.

His attorney tells TMZ ... "Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life. He would like to convey his condolences to the family of the victim and to everyone who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy."

Aqib famously played for the Bucs, the Broncos (with whom he won a Super Bowl ring) and several other teams over the years. He was not named in Lancaster PD's release.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Bud Dupree just pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from his role in a fight at a Walgreens earlier this year, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 29-year-old football player -- according to a court official -- appeared in a Nashville, Tenn. courtroom on Monday and made the plea after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Dupree pled guilty to misdemeanor assault offensive or provocative, the court official tells us.

Dupree was sentenced to unsupervised probation for 6 months, according to the official. He also had to pay $418 in court costs.

The Titans had practice Monday morning ... though it's unclear if the pass rusher -- who signed a 5-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans in 2021 -- made it to the workout.

As we previously reported, Dupree was initially cited back on Jan. 4 after cops say he attacked an employee at a Nashville-area Walgreens on Jan. 2.

Cops say Dupree grabbed the employee during the incident -- and then attempted to take the man's phone, before eventually fleeing the scene prior to police officers' arrival.

Sources close to Dupree allege the employee had heckled the Titans player ... and threatened to spit on the women he was with, inciting the fracas.

We've reached out to the Titans, Dupree's attorney, and prosecutors for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Ex-NFL star Prince Amukamara and the Players Choir are ready to be the newest members of NSYNC -- 'cause the footballer-turned-singer says his guys are ready to collab after the pop star approved their rendition of his song on "America's Got Talent!"

If you missed it, the Players Choir -- a group of 11 former NFL athletes including Amukamara, Isaiah McKenzie, and Bryant McKinnie -- performed Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling!" on 'AGT' earlier this week ... and they killed it!

Timberlake was very impressed, sharing the clip of their gig on his Twitter with praising hand emojis ... and, Amukamara says they were hyped about the nod.

"Anytime you do another artist's song, you want to make sure that you make them proud first and foremost," the former Giants cornerback tells us this week.

"Getting that stamp of approval from Justin was huge!"

Does this open doors for a collab with the award-winning singer? If it does, Amukamara tells us the squad is down for it.

"Of course!" Amukamara said, "No one is gonna decline that!"

"It was just even awesome for him to retweet us and show us some love. If that opportunity comes, we're all gonna be jumping up and down for that."

Until then, PC -- who made their debut in 2008 -- will continue to sing on stage with more to come soon.

"Being on stage was awesome," Amukamara said, "and if we get another opportunity which I'm sure we will and we have been."

"Stuff's coming up so it's awesome."

The Cowboys have a problem at wide receiver ... and it seems Antonio Brown is willing to help out -- telling TMZ Sports this week, "Tell Jerry Jones to call me!"

Dallas' receiver room took a big hit this month, when free agent acquisition James Washington injured his foot. With Michael Gallup already out while recovering from ACL surgery, the team now has just one truly proven player at the position ready to go for Week 1 -- CeeDee Lamb.

Brown appears to be down to change that in Big D -- saying out in Bev Hills that he wants the Cowboys owner to give him a shout ... presumably to talk about a contract.

Of course, it's unclear how serious Brown is about it all -- he's been extremely focused on his music career this offseason, and has even created a new dance for one of his songs that's since gone viral.

It's also unknown if Jones would want AB -- considering all of the baggage that he seemingly carries and drops off whenever he joins teams.

As for his last squad -- the one that cut him following his wild outburst at MetLife Stadium -- Brown told us he still misses the Bucs and their QB, Tom Brady.

"Tell him I miss the passes," he said of TB12. "I'm still open!"

Danny Dimes will play more like Danny Dollars this season ... so says Victor Cruz, who tells TMZ Sports he's confident Daniel Jones will produce in "the most important year of his life."

The New York Giants quarterback is entering the final year of his rookie contract -- and if he doesn't play well, it could be the last time he gets a shot at being a QB1 in the NFL.

But Cruz told us out in NYC this week he believes Jones will put it all together this year ... saying, "I think he will be [the guy]."

"I think he has all the tools to do so," the former NY superstar receiver added. "And I think the Giants put a good enough team around him to see what they got."

Jones hasn't had the best training camp so far -- he's missed throws in practice, and in the team's first preseason game on Thursday night, he completed just six of 10 passes for 69 yards.

There may be just as many eyes on the crowd as on the ring when Teofimo Lopez steps into the squared circle this weekend, 'cause the former unified champ tells us some of the biggest stars in the world are attending his fight.

"I've been contacting everybody to let everyone know honestly we're gonna have Odell Beckham Jr. at the fight, we're gonna have Akon, Lil Wayne, I've been contacting everyone tryna have everyone come and support," 25-year-old Lopez tells TMZ Sports.

"It's all love and support at the end of the day and that's the type of man I am. I wanna let people know, I wanna show that I am that type of fighter, I am that guy. I'm the man of the hour, the man with the power, the man too sweet to be sour."

Lopez, who beat pound-for-pound king Vasyl Lomachenko in October 2020, snatching his three belts, lost to George Kambosos Jr. in November 2021. It was the first loss of his career.

It'll be the first time Lopez has been back in a ring for a sanctioned fight following the loss ... and his opponent, Pedro Campa, is tough. The 30-year-old fighter has a 34-1-1 record with 23 knockouts.

Despite a tough challenger, Teofimo says he made changes to his team following the L, and he's ready to go.

"We had to cut a lot of people and bring some new people in just so we can what's the different environment that I need. My team now, it feels so more as a team, as a unit, as it should be," Lopez says.

And, Teo feels awesome.

"I'm feeling the greatest right now. What else can I say? Preparation went really well, push myself to the limits, man, to greater heights, and just seeing how much I can really handle. I think that overall it's been amazing."

In addition to the stars that'll be in the building, Oscar De La Hoya will also be in the building. But, this is a business trip for the legendary boxer. His fighter, Ryan Garcia, is a possible opponent for Lopez.

That's why Teofimo says he extended an invite to The Golden Boy.

"I actually invited Oscar De La Hoya a couple weeks before he decided to make that announcement so it's been on his mind," Lopez said, referencing ODLH telling the media he was going to scout TL.

But, Lopez isn't convinced Ryan actually wants to fight.

"If you're gonna call me out, better keep that same energy 'cause after Saturday night, I don't want them to make some excuse. If you're gonna talk about it, be about it. I've seen Ryan Garcia call out so many fighters and yet, has fought one of them. I don't believe anything until it's on contract and it's on paper."

Deshaun Watson is showing regret for his actions as his NFL future remains in limbo ... saying he's "truly sorry to all the women" he impacted.

Watson is facing a massive suspension after being accused of sexual misconduct with more than 20 women ... and before the Cleveland Browns' preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he spoke about the claims made against him.

"Look, I wanna say that I'm truly sorry to all the women that I impacted in this situation," Watson said.

"The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character and I am going to keep pushing forward."

Watson was initially handed a 6-game ban for his alleged misconduct ... but the NFL is trying like hell to extend the punishment.

He is currently playing for the Browns as he awaits the NFL's decision.

"I know I have a lot of work to put in, especially on the field to be able to make sure I'm ready to play whenever that time comes, whenever I can step back on the field." he added.