Football

Tom Brady not only won't be working the Super Bowl for FOX on February 12, but he won't be behind a mic next season, either ... the G.O.A.T. said Monday he's not beginning his broadcasting career until 2024.

The former Buccaneers signal-caller revealed his plan is to take all of 2023 off during a chat with Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" -- saying he won't begin calling games for FOX until the fall of '24.

Brady said he's looking to use the downtime to get good at the gig before officially stepping into the booth full-time.

"One thing about my career, whether that was when I was drafted by the Patriots or signed in free agency with the Bucs, I wanted to be fully committed," Brady explained. "I never wanted to let people down -- I think my biggest motivator was that."

"So, even in the future I want to be great at what I do and that always takes some time and strategizing and learning and growing and evolving."

Brady said in addition to leaning on others in the broadcasting world -- he's also going to be spending '23 "catching up on other parts of my life that need some time and energy."

The future Hall of Famer initially inked a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox in May 2022 ... with the expectation that he'd begin calling games once his football career wrapped.

Clearly, though, Brady is looking for a break from everything for the next 18 or so months ... and he said Monday FOX officials were cool with it all.

In the meantime, former NFL star Greg Olsen will continue to be FOX's lead color commentator. He's slated to call the Eagles vs. Chiefs game on Sunday with play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt.

NY Jets star Quinnen Williams and his wife just announced they're expecting a baby (!!), and they channeled Kim Kardashian and Kanye West when making the big announcement, posting a video reminiscent of the former couple's infamous music video "Bound 2"!

The All-Pro DT and his wife Maranda broke the news Monday on Instagram they're expecting a baby girl on Monday.

The Williams' have Ye's song playing in the background while the two are holding hands and kissing in a canyon.

Look familiar? Of course, it does!!

In the "Bound 2" music video, Kanye is all over then-fiancée Kim Kardashian while riding a motorbike in front of landscapes ... including canyons.

"May God grant us a healthy baby," Maranda said in the caption, "and always protect our princess. 💓"

Williams met Maranda at the University of Alabama where he became a CFP Champion in 2017, a unanimous All-American, and First-Team All-SEC.

Two years after the defensive tackle went 3rd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, the two got married.

"I’m so happy that I found my true love, my partner in crime, my heart and soul, MY WHY," Williams said, "She is a blessing from above."

Tom Brady clearly ain't letting himself go in retirement ... the former quarterback just shared a selfie in nothing but his undies -- and he looks GOOOOOOOD!!!!

TB12 posted the pic early Monday morning on his Twitter page ... paying off a bet he made with his clothing company way back in June.

At the time, he said he'd recreate models wearing his Brady brand underwear if the tweet got 40,000 likes. When the co. reminded him of it all Monday, he paid it off in a big way ... and we're all grateful for it.

Tom showed off some biceps, some pecs, and a set of abs -- all while his hand was conveniently placed to cover up his junk.

He mentioned Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski while revealing the pic -- asking the two, who have posed often in their undies for various brands in their lifetimes, if he was doing it right.

Of course, Tom's bod shouldn't exactly surprise anybody -- while he's a retired man now, it's only been a couple weeks since he left football.

Joe Mixon allegedly threatened to a shoot woman in a "road rage" incident just one day before the Bengals' playoff game against the Bills ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Cincinnati Police Dept. documents, cops say the alleged incident happened at 12:49 PM on Jan. 21 -- less than 24 hours before Cincinnati played the Bills in the Divisional Round in Buffalo.

According to the docs, a 43-year-old woman told cops that an "unknown suspect" -- later believed to be Mixon -- "brandished a firearm and threatened to shoot her."

She added, per the report, that it was all "a result of a 'road rage' incident."

A warrant for Mixon's arrest was eventually filed last week for one count of misdemeanor aggravated menacing. In court documents, authorities said Mixon told the alleged victim at the time, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me."

The case, however, was dismissed on Friday after prosecutors said they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case." Officials said there was still a chance it could all be refiled in the future.

Beware, NFL defenders ... yet another Manning appears to be headed toward a pro sideline in a few years -- this time, it's Peyton Manning's kid, who showed off an incredible arm at this weekend's Pro Bowl!!

Marshall Manning grabbed the pigskin for a few warmup and cool-down drills while at the NFL's All-Star event in Las Vegas ... and it ain't hard to see the apple's falling about as close to the tree as possible.

The 11-year-old looked awesome throwing to former NFL star (and Peyton's old teammate!) Marcus Pollard, even directing the guy mid-route to try to get him open against Ray Lewis.

Marshall was also seen hitting Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson with some pinpoint passes. He got a touchdown throw in a flag football game warmup as well.

Of course, the young Manning being a future baller should surprise exactly no one -- quarterbacking runs seriously deep in the bloodline. Peyton and his little bro Eli dominated the league for years, as did their dad, Archie Manning. Big brother Cooper Manning's son, Arch Manning, meanwhile, is the top-ranked recruit in the country and is expected to be a star at the Univ. of Texas for the next few years.

Pete Davidson is a captain at the Pro Bowl Games in Vegas this weekend -- which is sort of a weird sight ... but not nearly as bizarre as the ink Amon-Ra St. Brown was rocking.

The Lions WR was front and center Sunday for the off-weekend just before the Super Bowl next week, and during an interview with Robert Griffin III ... he showed off what appeared a relatively fresh tattoo he had plastered on his arm ... a tat of Pete's face, no less.

There's some writing underneath the drawing of PD's mug too ... it says, "Pete #1" -- as in Pete's #1 fan. Unclear if it's real or not, but Pete was brought over to take a closer look.

He was clearly impressed and moved by the gesture -- apparently, Amon-Ra is a big fan -- but he also said what most everyone else was thinking ... hopefully, that thing comes off!

As for why Pete's there at all ... he's just one of a handful of celebs on the field to help spice things up. Snoop Dogg and other stars are there too, and everyone's just goofing around and hamming it up for the camera -- notable during Pete's Best Catch judging.

Naturally, there were jokes made about his dating resume, which includes a lot of high-profile women he's been with over the years. Good sport that he is, Pete leaned in.

At one point, RGIII even made a little crack about Pete's "game" off the field ... and the dude was appreciative of the compliment -- noting, he's just there to have a good time.

Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis -- who last played with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 -- was arrested for DUI in Florida, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol tells us ... officers responded to a crash involving two vehicles on State Road 821 in Florida on Saturday, Feb. 4 around 7:51 am.

Once officers arrived on the scene, they noticed a black 4-door Tesla with heavy front end damage and a bronze pickup Toyota truck with heavy rear end damage.

According to police docs, Davis, who was identified as the driver of the Tesla, failed to maintain control of his vehicle ... and collided with the pickup truck.

The force from the collision caused the pickup truck to hit a nearby pedestrian ... who sustained multiple injuries and was transported to the hospital.

Law enforcement authorities say they observed Davis -- who played ten seasons in the NFL with the Colts, Dolphins, and Bills -- laying down sleeping on the right shoulder of the road.

When police were interviewing Davis, they say they noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and he needed to lean on the barrier to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

Police say they asked Davis if he had been drinking ... he replied, "Yes, I had two drinks. Two mixed drinks."

Officers say they asked Davis if they could administer a standard field sobriety test ... but the ex-NFL CB refused, saying, "No."

Now batting for the Atlanta Braves ... Travis Kelce?!?

A former MLB scout tells TMZ Sports that very well could have been a possibility this year and beyond -- if only Kelce had opted to play baseball instead of football after high school.

Reggie Sanders -- who scouted for the Braves in the Ohio area as Kelce was starring at Cleveland Heights H.S. in the early 2000s -- tells us that in his several trips to see the teenager who grew up to be a Kansas City Chiefs star ... he was blown away by what he saw.

Sanders remembered the future tight end as a good hitter with blazing speed ... and noted the young Kelce, who graduated H.S. in 2008, was towering, too.

"He seemed like a big leaguer on a field of high school players," said Sanders, who worked for the Braves from 2002 to 2007. "He looks almost the same size today as he was in high school."

Sanders said after watching Kelce play, he was "certain" the guy would have ended up in the big leagues if he had stuck with it ... telling us, "I remember writing his report and I comped him to Josh Hamilton."

Of course, Kelce never stayed with baseball -- he opted to follow in his big brother's footsteps and play football at Cincinnati. The rest, as you know, is history ... and he'll be playing for his second Super Bowl championship next week.

Deion Branch got a little taste of what being a college head coach would feel like when he was thrust into the interim role at Louisville in December ... and now, he tells TMZ Sports he could see himself handling the role full-time one day.

The former NFL receiver had to step in at the 2022 Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17 after then Cardinals HC Scott Satterfield bolted for Cincinnati -- and Branch shined as fill-in head man, leading his alma mater to a 24-7 victory.

Branch -- who had been UL's Director of Player Development last season before taking the interim gig -- called it all a "great experience" ... and one he could see himself doing every day somewhere down the line.

"I loved it," Branch said. "I loved every second of it."

The 43-year-old said seeing some of his former peers -- including Deion Sanders -- succeeding in the coaching world has given him a bit of an itch to score a job going forward too.

Doug Williams tells TMZ Sports he teared up after Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts officially made the Super Bowl ... comparing the moment to when Barack Obama first got elected.

Williams, the first-ever Black starting quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy, said the tears never quite spilled over onto his cheeks -- but he said they were there, and they were filled with happiness nonetheless.

"I had tears of joy in my eye because I had an opportunity to witness this," the former Washington signal-caller said.

"Sit there, and just look at it, and say to myself, 'Man, we got two Black quarterbacks playing in the Super Bowl.'"

Williams said he had similar feelings when Obama beat out John McCain in the 2008 Presidential Election ... and also when Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coached against each other in the Colts vs. Bears Super Bowl XLI.

"Things like that," Williams said, "give me joy. Give me chills."

Williams became the first Black QB to win a Super Bowl in 1988, when Washington beat Denver in SB XXII. Since then, Russell Wilson and Mahomes are the only two who have accomplished the same feat.

Former NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf -- best known for his refusal to stand for the "Star Spangled Banner" before games -- says Colin Kaepernick once told him he never felt freer than after kneeling for the National Anthem.

TMZ Sports spoke to the former #3 overall pick, whom many people compared Colin to in the wake of the protest, about a meeting he had with the NFL star a few years back, after Kap opted not to stand for the anthem as a way to highlight racial injustice, police brutality, and oppression in the U.S.

Abdul-Rauf says he didn't know Colin well, but did spend time with the quarterback a few years back.

"We never talked a lot, but we did meet up in the Bay Area when he was going through what he did," Abdul-Rauf told us.

"We had a mutual friend. We met in like a private office. We spoke for about an hour. We just shared information and if it resonated, we took it."

And, Mahmoud says there was one thing Kaepernick said that stuck with him above everything else.

"The biggest takeaway for me during that whole night was when he said this is the most freedom he's ever felt in his life. I said to him, 'well, it's because of this freedom that allows people like yourself and those who came before us and those who'll come after us to take those risks and do what you did.'"

Mahmoud says he saw similarities between what happened with him and Kaepernick -- and how they were treated after they chose to protest the anthem -- so he reached out to the signal caller to express support.

Despite not playing football in years, Abdul-Rauf believes 35-year-old Kaepernick would still like to play in the NFL.

"I would imagine he still does because when you grow up like we did," Mahmoud said ... "many of us start young. And so we train and that becomes a life for us. It's in our DNA. You just don't turn that off."

Of course, before Kap, there was Mahmoud ... and now the longtime NBA player and 2003's Most Improved Player award winner is releasing a documentary called "STAND".

Abdul-Rauf says the doc will document the story of how he overcame poverty and a nervous system disorder (Tourette syndrome) to make it to the NBA, where he became one of the most polarizing figures in league history.

Marquise Brown pleaded guilty to an excessive speeding charge on Wednesday ... six months after cops accused the NFL star of going 126 MPH in a 65 MPH zone.

The Cardinals receiver showed up to an Arizona courtroom to enter the plea ... and you can see in video of the hearing, obtained by TMZ Sports, he was wearing a black sweatshirt and black pants for the proceedings.

He didn't speak much while in court, though he and his attorney did tell the judge he was changing his initial plea of not guilty and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of excessive speed.

Brown is now facing a fine of up to $500, 30 days in jail, and/or 1 year probation as punishment. He'll learn his fate at a sentencing hearing next month.

The 25-year-old was initially pulled over on Aug. 3, 2022 ... after cops say they caught him going 61 MPH over the speed limit in a 2020 Mercedes on a highway in Maricopa County.

Brown was arrested and booked into jail.

At practice in the days after the incident, Brown apologized for his actions ... calling them "disappointing."

Joe Mixon is in the clear in his aggravated menacing case -- at least, for now -- prosecutors dismissed the charge against the Cincinnati Bengals star on Friday ... though there is still a chance they could re-file it at a later date.

Officials from the Cincinnati City Prosecutor's Office asked a judge to sign off on the case's dismissal early Friday morning ... and just minutes ago in a Cincinnati courtroom, Hamilton County Judge Curt Kissinger did just that.

"I will sign the entry of dismissal," the judge said at the hearing. "And the warrant will be recalled subject to further filing by the City of Cincinnati."

Prosecutors said in the courtroom they were asking for dismissal because they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case."

They noted the alleged victim would like to still go forward with the charge "if we do decide to refile it."

As we reported, an arrest warrant for a misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing was issued for Mixon on Thursday ... after officials alleged he pointed a firearm at a woman on Jan. 21 and told her, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me."

Mixon's rep, Peter Schaffer, said in a statement following the court filing, "It was a rush to judgment."

"I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges -- because of the damage that can be done to the person's reputation -- to do their work," Schaffer added.

The NFL is promoting CPR awareness following the Damar Hamlin incident ... teaming up with the American Heart Association and Red Cross to help train those involved in youth sports to learn the procedure.

The league says it is committed to ensuring all participants at the youth sports level are educated properly and have the necessary equipment to respond to medical emergencies in light of what happened to the Buffalo Bills safety during Monday Night Football last month.

"Being able to deliver care in emergency situations is not just important at sporting events, but in all walks of life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our continued partnerships with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross will ensure even more people have the capability to administer CPR and respond to emergencies."

"The tools and trainings exist to keep young athletes safe -- we embrace our responsibility to ensure that knowledge is in as many hands as possible for the greatest positive impact."

On Tuesday, 24-year-old Hamlin announced a collab with the AHA to create the "3 for Heart" challenge -- a campaign to spread CPR awareness and training.

"As you know, CPR saved my life earlier this year on the field, and CPR could easily save your life or someone you love," Hamlin said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

The league said throughout the month of February -- American Heart Month -- it will host a series of activities ... starting with a fundraiser via NFL Auction on February 9 during Super Bowl Week.

Saquon Barkley can pull off nasty juke moves against linebackers on the football field, but when it comes to dodgeball and Demario Davis ... ehhh, not so much.

The New York Giants star proved he ain't exactly elite at the children's game during the 2023 Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball tournament ... taking a huge shot right to the face!!

Here's what happened ... Barkley and Davis, a New Orleans Saints linebacker, were the only ones left in the NFC offense vs. NFC defense competition on Thursday in Las Vegas -- and had to take each other out in a one-on-one showdown to win it all.

Barkley showed off some impressive defensive moves by bobbing and weaving at first ... but that ended quickly after Davis threw a heater right at the guy's face.

To his credit, Saquon shook it off -- and it actually helped his NFC team win ... because headshots aren't allowed, and Davis was DQ'ed for it.

"Got hit in my face," the 25-year-old said afterward on the Giants' Instagram, "but at the end of the day, we got the win. That's the only thing that matters."

Outside of the painful moment for Barkley, the night went off without a hitch ... featuring a crazy scene involving Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett ... who really showed off his athleticism in the NFC vs. AFC final.

Win or lose, some Eagles fans won't have to stress about waking up early for math class the day after the Super Bowl ... 'cause one school district has already implemented a two-hour delay in honor of the big game.

The Gloucester City School District in South Jersey announced its plans to have a late start on Monday, Feb. 13 .. allowing kids and teachers to either celebrate -- or mourn -- the result of the game a bit longer before hitting the hay.

"It is a rare and special time for families to watch our local professional football team compete in the Super Bowl," school superintendent Sean Gorman said about the decision.

"We feel that it's important to give students and staff the opportunity to enjoy the game with the families and still attend school and work the next day safely and well-rested."

FYI, Gloucester City is located in Camden County in New Jersey ... and is located about 12 minutes from Lincoln Financial Field in Philly, where the Eagles play their home games.

Of course, some people view the Monday after the Super Bowl as a holiday -- kids and adults generally want to call off from work or skip school after all the partying.

Philly fans have a reputation for their passionate postgame antics -- they put that on full display when the Phillies advanced to the World Series ... and more recently, when the Eagles won the NFC Championship game.