Football

Rams star Bobby Wagner gave security guards a hell of an assist during "Monday Night Football" ... knocking the snot out of a fan who had invaded the field with a smoke bomb in the middle of the game.

The wild scene happened just before halftime of L.A.'s loss to the Niners in Northern California ... when a protester hopped over Levi's Stadium railing and began running wild on the turf.

The man -- holding a smoke bomb that filled the air with pink fumes -- managed to evade stadium staffers for several moments ... until he made his way over to the Rams' sideline.

That's where Wagner buried his shoulder straight into the dude's chest -- leveling him to the grass. Security guards were then able to pile on the guy ... and he was removed without further incident.

The Manning brothers -- Peyton and Eli -- found the whole situation pretty funny while they were in the middle of broadcasting the action ... but Wagner said afterward he had legit concerns that the fan had nefarious intentions.

"We don't know what they're carrying in their pockets," the 32-year-old told media members.

"That's just keeping it safe," he added. "You don't know what that fan got or what they're doing."

Animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere took credit for the scene after the game ... explaining the man, and another protester who had been taken down before reaching the pitch, had hit the field in order to raise awareness for a trial involving the alleged theft of pigs from a factory farm.

The org. said the protesters were cited by police and ultimately released from custody. It added that the man who was tackled by Wagner suffered a burn on his arm.

Famed neuropathologist Bennet Omalu -- the inspiration for the Will Smith "Concussion" movie -- tells TMZ Sports ... Tua Tagovailoa should never play another down in the NFL again after suffering a scary head injury last week.

"If you love your life," Omalu said in a message to the Miami star, "if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away. Go find something else to do."

Tagovailoa was injured in the second quarter of the Dolphins' loss to the Bengals last Thursday ... and Omalu, who discovered CTE, said from everything he saw on the game's broadcast, he believes the quarterback "suffered severe, long-term permanent brain damage" during the play.

Now, Omalu is pleading with the 24-year-old football player to hang up his cleats forever to avoid sustaining any further damage.

"Tua, my brother. I love you," Omalu said. "I love you as much as I love my son. Stop playing. Stop. Hang your helmet and gallantly walk away."

Tua was rushed to the hospital immediately following the hit, but he was discharged just hours later and flew back to Florida with the team on Thursday night.

On Friday, Tagovailoa told his fans he was "feeling much better" ... and was determined to get back out on the field as soon as possible.

Omalu clearly believes that would be a mistake.

"He should stop," the doctor said. "Sometimes money is not more valuable than human life. $20 billion is not worth more than your brain."

Former NFL running back LeGarrette Blount was involved in a fight at a youth football game on Saturday ... throwing punches in a wild skirmish -- and now, TMZ Sports has learned cops are investigating it all.

The altercation happened following the conclusion of a 12-year-old-and-under game in Gilbert, Arizona.

Blount was coaching the GCYFC Gators against the Elite -- when in the postgame handshake line ... he appeared to take exception to something someone had said to him.

Drone video shows Blount became upset -- and motioned animatedly toward coaches on the opposing team for several moments. Eventually, he grew so irate that he took off in a dead sprint in an attempt to confront someone on the other sideline.

Blount was ultimately restrained -- but footage shot from the field level shows dozens of parents then jumped in between the sidelines and began arguing.

The verbal altercation grew more and more heated -- and that's when Blount ran in and was seen on video throwing two punches at a man in a white T-shirt.

He was pulled away from the area, but others in the crowd continued to argue and squabble. Finally, after several minutes, people dispersed.

Cops tell us they were called to the scene shortly after 7 PM "in relation to multiple reports of adults fighting during a youth football game."

We're told, though, the fight had concluded by the time officers arrived. No injuries were reported.

Police say they are investigating the incident and have described Blount as "an involved party."

Of course, this is not the first time Blount has thrown a right hand on a football field -- he famously clocked Boise State defensive lineman Byron Hout following a 2009 game when he was a member of the Univ. of Oregon football team. He was suspended from the Ducks over it all, but was reinstated later on.

Blount went on to have a solid career in the NFL -- winning three Super Bowl titles while rushing for 56 touchdowns in 132 games.

We reached out to Blount's rep ... so far, no word back.

Gisele Bündchen is still riding solo in South Beach -- the supermodel was spotted at a Miami gym by herself Monday morning ... days after she and Tom Brady reportedly decided to remain separated during Hurricane Ian.

Gisele and Brady were forced to evacuate Tampa Bay as the tropical storm arrived last week ... but not even Ian could bring the two back together amid their alleged rift, according to Page Six.

While Brady returned to Tampa for the Buccaneers' home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Gisele elected to stay south and pass on watching her husband in person ... which shouldn't come as a surprise, considering she's been MIA at all Bucs games this season.

TMZ Sports obtained pics of Gisele at the gym earlier Monday ... showing the model rocking black leggings and a sports bra as she appears to have a serious conversation on her iPhone.

Gisele wasn't wearing her wedding ring for the workout -- but that's not a clue about her marriage status ... she rarely wore the thing even before their rough patch.

As for Brady, things haven't been going great for him on the field either -- the Bucs lost, 41-31 in the Week 4 matchup ... falling to 2-2 on the season.

Brian Robinson's road to recovery after a horrifying shooting incident is nearly complete -- Commanders head coach Ron Rivera just announced the running back has been medically cleared ... and could make his NFL debut this weekend.

Rivera said Robinson -- who was shot twice in August during an attempted carjacking in D.C. -- will officially jump into Washington practice on Wednesday ... and if all goes well, there's a "very good chance" he plays against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Rivera said the team will be cautious with the 23-year-old rookie ... but docs have told him there's no need to place restrictions on the back's workload -- at least not initially.

"We'll see how he handles it," Rivera said. "We've got to see how he reacts to contact 'cause we will have a padded practice on Wednesday. He'll get to bump around a little bit -- and we'll see how he handles that and then we'll go from there."

The Commanders picked Robinson in the third round of this year's NFL draft. He had impressed in the preseason, appearing to earn the team's starting tailback role coming out of training camp.

However, he was shot in the glute and the lower leg on Aug. 28 -- and has been fighting to get healthy and back to the field since.

But, Rivera told media members Robinson has passed every test so far, and he's "optimistic" Robinson will be available Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa won't be under center when the Dolphins take on the Jets this Sunday, the team just announced, after the 24-year-old QB sustained a brutal hit to the head on Thursday Night Football.

Mike McDaniel, the Fins' first-year head coach, told media Monday Tua was still in concussion protocol and was out for the week 5 clash with the division rival Jets.

Of course, Tagovailoa was on the receiving end of two brutal hits within a five-day period.

The first came during Sunday's week 3 game against the Bills, when Tua was slammed to the ground, appearing to hit his head. He attempted to stand up, but wobbled, falling to the ground. Many experts say it was a clear-cut sign of a concussion ... but team officials insisted it was actually a back injury.

Then, just days later during "Thursday Night Football," a nationally televised game against the Bengals, Tua again took a huge hit to the head. The former 5th overall pick lay on the ground, hands "postured," unconscious. Medical staff rushed out, removed Tua's facemask, put him on a stretcher, and took him to the hospital.

Tagovailoa was released later that night ... and flew back to Miami with his teammates on the team plane.

We spoke to traumatic brain injury expert, Chris Nowinski, last week after the second injury ... and the former football player and WWE Superstar told us Tua shouldn't play again this season, and should consider never playing for the Dolphins again after the handling of the injuries.

It's not just Nowinski who believes the situation was handled inappropriately ... in fact, the NFL-NFLPA are conducting a joint investigation aimed at looking at what went down behind the scenes with Tua's injuries.

Coach McDaniel was asked about the inquiry ... and he says the organization will be an open book.

Niners wideout Ray-Ray McCloud will channel Bow Wow's Calvin Cambridge for "Monday Night Football" -- TMZ Sports has learned he's copped a pair of custom "Like Mike" cleats for the big contest against the Rams!!

The 25-year-old receiver hit up Joe Castro to get the movie-themed spikes done ... and we're told after the Cali artist spent about 10 hours making them, they're now set to arrive just in time for kickoff.

The Nike Untouchable Speed 3 cleats painted in 49ers' gold and red came out pretty sweet -- with both shoes featuring depictions of Bow Wow from the movie.

"Like Mike" is also written on the cleats as well.

If you haven't seen it ... the 2002 film is a classic -- it features an orphan named Calvin Cambridge (played by Bow Wow) who becomes an NBA superstar after wearing a pair of sneakers he found that once belonged to Michael Jordan.

Several H.S. football players in California were booted from their team after filming a racist prank where they sold their Black teammates at a "slave auction," TMZ Sports has learned ... and now the team has been forced to forfeit the entire year over a lack of eligible players.

Once the district got word of the video, made by members of the River Valley H.S. (CA) FB team, which was apparently meant to be funny, they acted swiftly ... kicking off the offending players for violating the student-athlete code of conduct.

"Re-enacting a slave sale as a prank tells us that we have a great deal of work to do with our students so they can distinguish between intent and impact," Yuba City Unified School District Superintendent Doreen Osumi wrote.

"They may have thought this skit was funny, but it is not; it is unacceptable and requires us to look honestly and deeply at issues of systemic racism."

Osumi said the students will be disciplined, but it's as much about teaching, too ... "education, honest, open discussions and instruction will guide our students to realize that their choices and actions have consequences."

The superintendent said the district is working to make sure the student body can learn from this situation -- adding she sees this as an opportunity for students to be more "aware, thoughtful, and considerate of others."

“When students find humor in something that is so deeply offensive, it tells me that we have an opportunity to help them expand their mindset," Osumi said.

River Valley hadn't exactly gotten off to the best start. They were 0-6, according to Max Preps. Football season in California usually kicks off mid-August, and with the playoffs, can go through mid-December.

Seahawks star DK Metcalf avoided a crappy situation on Sunday ... being carted off the field during the Lions game to make sure he made it to the toilet in time for an emergency bathroom break!!

Metcalf had to go No. 2 right in the middle of Seattle's Sunday contest with Detroit ... and it apparently came on so strong -- he needed a personal escort to the lavatory at Ford Field.

Metcalf hopped on a cart to make the expedited run to the John -- and, fortunately for the wideout, the plan seemed to work out OK for him ... because he returned a few minutes later in good shape.

Metcalf joked about it all on Twitter following the game ... saying, "That clinch walk wouldn't have made it." He added a crying emoji.

Despite the awkward scene, Metcalf ended up having a hell of a day ... racking up seven catches for 149 yards in a big 48-45 Seahawks win.

A man attending the Steelers game on Sunday has tragically died -- after officials say the fan fell from an escalator at the Pittsburgh stadium.

The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety said police and EMS responded to Acrisure Stadium at around 4:45 PM -- moments after the Steelers had lost to the Jets -- after receiving a "fall from height" call.

When they arrived on scene, they said they immediately tended to the man ... before transporting him to a local hospital.

Sadly, officials say he later died there from his injuries. The man's ID has yet to be released.

The Steelers said in a statement Sunday night they were aware of the situation and "are working with local authorities and helping their investigation into the matter."

Dak Prescott's thumb ain't looking so hot these days, but his neck certainly is ... because TMZ Sports has learned he's copped a new, custom diamond chain -- that's worth $100,000!!

We're told the Dallas Cowboys superstar -- who's currently sitting out with a thumb injury -- hit up Jason of Beverly Hills in L.A. before this season began to have some new drip made.

The guys kicked around some ideas for the piece ... but they eventually settled on a "D4K" pendant -- and it's insane.

We've learned the ice has 35 carats of flawless diamonds ... and it's all set onto white gold.

Jason praised the QB after he finished the product, calling Dak "easily one of the most humble athletes we've ever worked with."

Prescott has yet to be spotted on the sideline wearing it -- but perhaps when he finally returns from his injury, it'll make its NFL debut.

Antonio Brown appears to have exposed himself to a woman in Dubai -- this according to video taken during the Spring.

The New York Post obtained footage of Brown that they say was shot in May of this year, when he was the Armani Hotel Dubai ... and getting handsy with a fellow swimmer in the pool. It's a woman, and in the clip -- AB shoves his bare ass in her face twice.

He looks to be completely naked in the water, which makes the incident all the more disturbing. Brown is fooling around with the lady, and even lifts her up and dunks her.

Eventually, she swims away -- this while some men off-camera egg him on -- and from a distance ... Brown lifts his penis out of the pool to flash her. The Post cites witnesses, claiming the woman was angry after this ... and even went in to complain about him.

Unclear what, if anything, came from it ... this apparently happened several months ago. At any rate, there's a lot of backlash online right now ... aimed at AB, of course.

Myles Garrett is still too banged up to suit up and play just yet -- the Cleveland Browns superstar has officially been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons ... just days after he flipped his Porsche in a scary accident.

Garrett suffered a shoulder and bicep sprain in Monday's crash ... and while he explained on Friday he is feeling much better, he clearly isn't ready to get back on the field.

Garrett was hit with a citation for failure to control his car after telling cops he was driving around 65 MPH in a 45 zone ... and after numerous recent speeding violations, he told reporters he will focus on being a safer driver moving forward.

The Browns will have to attempt to improve to 3-1 without their defensive captain in Atlanta ... against a Falcons team that has several offensive weapons and has averaged 26.7 points through three games this season.

The crash was serious -- as Garrett's Porsche 911 Turbo S flipped several times before coming to a stop.

Even though Cooper Rush has killed it as the fill-in QB1 for the Cowboys ... Dallas legend Daryl "Moose" Johnston tells TMZ Sports Dak Prescott ain't in danger of being supplanted.

"I'm a believer that you don't lose your job due to an injury -- especially if you were one of the starters, one of the best players at your position in the NFL," Johnston told us this week.

"It's going to be hard for Cooper Rush to create that type of controversy."

Of course, many believe that situation has already arrived -- as Rush has been great the past two weeks while Prescott has been out with a thumb injury.

Rush is 2-0 in his two starts, putting up QB ratings of 95.5 against the Bengals and 98.2 against the Giants -- leading some to think he's already done enough to keep Dak on the shelf even after the Week 1 starter gets healthy.

But Johnston told us he doesn't see that happening at all ... explaining he thinks this is an entirely different situation than the one Dak had back in 2016, when he formally took over for an injured Tony Romo.

The former Cowboys fullback, though, believes Rush -- an impending free agent -- has made some money for himself regardless ... showing he can be one of the premier backup QBs in the league going forward.

New York Jets rookie Breece Hall is commemorating his NFL arrival with a special present for himself ... by getting an amazing diamond chain with a nod to his own nickname!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the 21-year-old former Iowa State star wanted to get himself a "trophy" after going 36th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft ... so he hit up Al The Jeweler -- owner of Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ -- to come up with something special.

The piece features Hall's initials made out of roughly 25 carats of baguette and round cut diamonds ... and ruby claws and marks to honor his "Breece the Beast" moniker.

To top it all off, the pendant sits on an incredible Cuban link chain ... which also features about 35 carats of diamonds.

Al has become the go-to guy for New York Jets players -- as we previously reported, he made a couple awesome diamond sauce bottles for fellow rookie Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner.

No word on how much Hall's shiny new piece cost ... but it looks awesome.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel fought back tears as he discussed Tua Tagovailoa's injury ... saying, "I'm just really, really glad that I can hear normal Tua in his voice."

McDaniel was clearly emotional as he spoke with reporters on Friday ... saying watching one of his players get carted off the field will "never feel normal."

"It's something you never want to be a part of, and when I put myself there, this is what happens. It's not fun."

Coach said Tua's teammates were excited to see him on the plane after the game ... and happy to see that his personality was "normal."

McDaniel says he talked to Tua on Friday morning ... and said the QB was still feeling headache symptoms. The team is now waiting on the results of Tagovailoa's MRI.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also weighed in on Tua's injury ... saying he was shocked the QB was even on the field, to begin with.

"I couldn't believe what I saw last night," Harbaugh told reporters. "I couldn't believe what I saw last Sunday. It's just something that was astonishing to see after coaching for 40 years -- college and the NFL -- well, almost 40 years."

"I've never seen anything like it before. It just was really something that I really just couldn't believe what I was seeing."