Football

Zac Stacy's ex-girlfriend says the former NFL player is a changed man after he attacked her on two separate occasions in 2021 ... claiming therapy has helped him turn his life around.

Kristin Evans -- the mother of Stacy's child -- addressed the ex-running back's 6-month jail sentence in an Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying she was against putting him behind bars as a result of his abuse because it would not provide him the resources he would need to get better.

In the video, Evans claimed Stacy made the decision to seek cognitive behavioral therapy ... which resulted in a "significant adjustment in his behavior and communication."

FYI -- CBT is a psychological treatment that helps those battling mental illness, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety and more.

"And over the last six months, he's consistently shown an improvement, as well as our son enjoying spending time with him."

Evans added she also opposed jail time ... as it could have an impact on their kid's mental health.

"So please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac, rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma," she continued.

Ultimately, Evans believes the head trauma Stacy suffered during his football career played a role in his previous actions ... and she wants to give him another chance to prove he can change.

Evans' video has sparked numerous responses in the comment section ... with many calling for her to rethink her forgiveness for the sake of her family.

A young Virginia Cavaliers fan made an amazing gesture for D'Sean Perry's family ... by gifting them a game-worn glove he received from the late football player.

D'Sean's dad, Sean, shared the keepsake from 13-year-old Cole Pratt on Twitter ... which features the glove, a touching, hand-written letter and pictures of his interaction with their son.

In the note, Cole explains he attended the UVA vs. Georgia Tech game ... and D'Sean waved him over to give him his gloves.

"That made me feel really special," Cole said in the letter. "He was so nice to me. These gloves were the best birthday present that I could have ever asked for."

"So I wanted to give you one of his gloves. I really want you to have it. I have his other one so we can remember him forever."

Perry was one of three Virginia football players who were shot and killed in a terrifying incident back in November ... a tragedy that shook the entire sports world.

As we previously reported, Perry, Devin Chandler, and Lavel Davis Jr. were posthumously awarded degrees in December.

The Chiefs' Super Bowl party is STILL raging on ... this time Travis Kelce and his K.C. teammates hit up a Vegas hot spot to commemorate their big victory -- and at one point during the festivities, the star tight end hosed down clubgoers with six liters of bubbly!!

Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others traveled to Sin City on Friday to keep celebrating their win over the Eagles -- and as you can see in pics and vids, they got after it.

At XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, the football players were welcomed by a VIP experience -- which included an LED drumline, a six-tiered football-themed cake, and Chiefs-colored confetti.

They eventually took the stage and partied yet again with The Chainsmokers ... before Kelce was handed a massive bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut -- that he proceeded to spray all over everyone on the dance floor.

Mahomes, meanwhile, was spotted with his own expensive booze too -- walking around the club with a bottle of Don Julio 1942.

TMZ Sports has learned the party went on for hours -- before it ultimately came to an end at around 3:30 AM.

Of course, the Chiefs are no doubt used to late-night boozy celebrations at this point -- they've been going hard ever since beating Philadelphia in SB LVII on Feb. 12.

Darrelle Revis breezed into the Hall of Fame on the 1st ballot, but who's the greatest CB to ever walk on a football field??? TMZ Sports talked to the Jets legend, and while he didn't flat-out say it was Deion Sanders, he used a fascinating analogy to answer the question using two NBA legends.

"As Kobe is to Jordan, 'Revis Island' is to 'Primetime.'"

As great as Revis was, he openly admits he borrowed a lot from guys like Deion.

"I grew up watching Jordan. I grew up watching Kobe. Jordan would always say in interviews, ya know their relationship was pretty cool, so Jordan would always say 'Kobe always stealing my moves!' I think that's the same [with me and Deion]. I tried to mimic the greats as much as I could," Darrelle told us.

Of course, Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler, and 4x All-Pro was the best cornerback of his generation during his 11-season career. Darrelle won a Super Bowl alongside Tom Brady and the Patriots at Super Bowl 49.

DR racked up 29 interceptions ... but more than the picks, he shut down half of the field.

Alongside Sanders and Revis, there are other players n the conversation for the greatest CB ever. Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Darrell Green and Champ Bailey are considered legendary players. There are also old-school guys deserving of recognition... players like Mel Blount, "Night Train" Lane, Willie Brown, and Mike Haynes.

Revis makes it clear ... he borrowed from anyone who was talented and could help up his game, and they helped him get to where he is now.

"If it wasn't for a lot of his influence and a lot of other guys that are great influence, how could I be here? So I think they were the stepping stone to help me become a better player and play the game we all love."

Revis joins fellow Jets legend, Joe Klecko as part of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class ... and with Browns all-time Joe Thomas, is the only 1st ballot HOF'er in the group.

As for his speech, Darrelle says he hasn't yet started writing.

"I'm still tryna collect all the thoughts," Revis said, adding ... "I wanna make sure it's very personable."

It ain't Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams or Stefon Diggs -- no, according to Adam Thielen ... the best receiver in the NFL is Justin Jefferson!!

The Minnesota Vikings star showered his teammate with praise to TMZ Sports outside of the Super Bowl earlier this month ... saying Jefferson is, indeed, the top wideout in the game today.

"For sure," Thielen said.

The 32-year-old is a bit biased -- he's played alongside Jefferson the last three seasons and has gotten open numerous times due to coverage rolling the young star's way -- but there won't be too many people arguing against him.

Jefferson tallied 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight TDs in the 2022 season ... more than any other receiver in the league. He also earned All-Pro honors ... and his third straight selection to the NFL's Pro Bowl.

George Kittle is nowhere near done playing football, but when the time comes to hang up the spikes, he tells TMZ Sports he definitely wouldn't mind transitioning to the WWE!!!

The 49ers star didn't mince many words when the topic was brought up out in Arizona earlier this month ... saying he believes he's got the personality to smoothly jump from the NFL to the wrestling world if and when the time comes.

"Sounds fun!" he told us.

Of course, Kittle is a huge WWE fan ... he's been spotted at events like "Monday Night Raw" through the years, despite the taxing demands of being a professional football player.

The All-Pro tight end even put his wrestling skills on display recently at the NFL's Pro Bowl ... exchanging some moves with his teammate, Kyle Juszczyk.

Kittle's transition to the squared-circle would be pretty awesome ... but it would not be the first time we've seen an NFL tight end try his hand in the WWE.

Rob Gronkowski appeared at WrestleMania 33 ... where he helped his friend and former WWE star Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

Gronk had one of the best spots despite not actually competing ... bulldozing through Jinder Mahal and paving the way for Mojo to eliminate Jinder, winning the match.

Darrelle Revis has some advice for Aaron Rodgers if he ends up leaving the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets ... telling the future Hall of Fame QB "come in humble."

TMZ Sports spoke with Revis amid the rumors that Rodgers could be on the move ... and the former NFL cornerback seems receptive to #12 joining his old squad.

The Jets have emerged as a possible destination for Rodgers if he does, in fact, decide to continue his career elsewhere ... but the NFL world is waiting on the QB to figure out what he wants to do.

Revis -- who starred for the Jets from 2007-2012 -- admitted NYC is a tough market, but he says Rodgers would be able to "weather the storm," adding he can be successful right away.

37-year-old Revis said he thinks Rodgers -- who won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2011 -- would be a tremendous addition to the weapons the Jets already have.

"I believe he has weapons at every position," said Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler. "As Jets fans. As Jet lovers. We can see some high-scoring games. We can see some big victories."

"Having a superstar quarterback in Rodgers, he can definitely put points on the board very quickly which would help the defense rest much better and they can be more explosive."

We also spoke to DR about Aaron's "darkness retreat," which he reportedly emerged from on Thursday, and Darrelle joked that Rodgers went to "Revis Island" for some alone time.

Jon Jones' family is filled with Super Bowl champs, but the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports he had zero chance of having a career on the football field -- 'cause he said he "absolutely sucked" at the sport.

Of course, Jones' older brother, Arthur, played 8 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Ravens, Colts, and Commanders ... and his younger bro, Chandler, currently plays defensive end for the Raiders.

With that being said, football is clearly in the Jones DNA ... so when we asked Jon if he could have followed in their footsteps, Bones made no bones about it -- he was ass.

"I absolutely sucked on the football field," Jones told us. "I was no good at all. I didn't play until my senior year [of high school]. I was always on the team, but I never got to play.

Jones -- who holds a 26-1 record in the UFC -- says he just didn't get the Xs and Os, coverages, or play calling behind the game ... and playing Madden didn't help either.

"I sucked at football. I made a hell of a benchwarmer, though," Jones said.

But, don't feel bad for the guy -- Jones ended up becoming one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever ... and he's back in the Octagon on March 4 to face 11-1 Ciryl Gane -- his first fight in over 3 years.

"A lot of people wanted to take a warm-up fight," Jones said. "I'm going right at one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

Former Univ. of Georgia stars Knowshown Moreno and Tavarres King are firing back at PETA ... telling TMZ Sports the animal rights org. should kick rocks for demanding their live bulldog mascot be removed from its role.

PETA initially took aim at the school after the National Championship Game earlier this year -- requesting the university retire Uga for good ... calling the dog's position as team mascot cruel to the animal.

But, when we talked with Moreno and King about the situation earlier this month, they both said Uga is living better than some students do!

"I feel like those pets live the best lives!" said Moreno, who played at UGA from 2006 to 2008. "Uga live the life!"

"I don't think folks know how good of a life Uga lives," added King, a receiver for the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2012. "Uga lives a good one."

FYI -- Georgia has used a live mascot since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot is Uga X.

Both Moreno and King said they've personally seen the dogs be treated like royalty, telling us the pups get fed regularly -- and even have first-class seats on team planes.

King also said the mascot's dog house has air conditioning!

Russell Wilson says he loves Pete Carroll and NEVER wanted him booted out of Seattle ... contradicting a new report claiming the star QB demanded the Seahawks coach be fired.

"I love Pete [Carroll] and he was a father figure to me and [General Manager John Schneider] believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win," Russell wrote on social media.

"l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle."

The statement from the 34-year-old is a direct response to a story published by The Athletic on Friday morning ... which claimed Wilson demanded the two men be fired in February 2022, believing they were holding him back from winning another Super Bowl. The outlet cited league sources.

The report claims Wilson -- who played 10 seasons in Seattle -- had a preferred replacement in mind for Carroll ... Sean Payton, who'd just made the decision to leave the New Orleans Saints after 15 seasons.

If Russ actually did request a trade, team ownership opted to stand behind Pete and John. Team brass met a few days after the alleged request and decided to ship the 9-time Pro Bowler out of Washington via a trade.

Wilson was sent to Denver, where he signed a 5-year, $245 million extension. Russ was bad, and the Broncos had a terrible season, finishing last in the AFC West with a 5-12 record.

In fact, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired before the season ended ... and interestingly, Payton was hired as the new head coach.

Rihanna's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII caused a ton of outrage for folks watching on TV ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, saying her set was too big on sex.

The overall takeaway from the folks who felt compelled to complain about Rihanna to the feds ... the lyrics and choreography were way too sexualized, with some viewers even comparing it to porn.

TMZ obtained the 103 complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency that regulates television -- regarding this month's Super Bowl broadcast ... and almost all of them had to do with RiRi's halftime show.

One viewer in California even compared Rihanna's set to Kim Petras and Sam Smith's performance at the Grammys, writing ... "I don't care what someone worships but children shouldn't be exposed to pornography and as an adult I don't wish to see it ... Where has decency gone? How about respect for others and self?"

In Utah, one viewer bitched ... "This year the halftime show was so indecent I had to turn off the TV because of the pornographic content."

Meanwhile, folks across the country clutched pearls over the "overtly sexual dancing" and song content heavy on sexual content.

Rihanna was pregnant so she didn't dance much ... and most of the ire was directed at the background dancers, who some say made gestures that "were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children."

When RiRi did manage some dance moves, they drew complaints too ... with one viewer in Florida complaining, "She spread her a** cheek at the crack. She rubbed her pants where her labia were three times."

Jim Harbaugh is already a beloved figure in Michigan ... but the Wolverines' head football coach just earned even more respect in the community after assisting a police officer with clearing the road during Wednesday's ice storm in Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh played good samaritan when he encountered a member of Ann Arbor's police force who was having difficulty moving a large tree that'd fallen in the middle of the road due to the inclement weather. Coach decided to lend the officer a helping hand.

The PD said while their officer was surprised to see it was the head coach/ex-NFL QB and coach who was helping, the officer gave Jim a pair of work gloves and the two of them got to work together!

Ann Arbor police tweeted about the incident Thursday, saying it took Harbaugh and Ofc. Cooper about ten minutes to clear the tree from the roadway, allowing traffic to finally pass through.

"We thank Coach Harbaugh for being a valued member of the Ann Arbor community and helping out Ofc Cooper," the department said.

The police department also shared the officer's body-worn camera footage where you hear Harbaugh introduce himself to the officer after they finished clearing the tree ... and the cop says, "you're a good man."

"Hey, feel free to spread the word on that," Harbaugh joked.

Move over OBJ ... Eli Manning has a new favorite acronym -- MBJ, as in Michael B. Jordan!!!

The New York legend welcomed the movie star to MetLife Stadium in a new episode of "The Eli Manning Show" this week ... and Jordan -- a die hard Big Blue fan -- wanted to live out his childhood dream by becoming a Giant for a day.

The award-winning actor linked up with Manning and former center, Shaun O'Hara at the facility ... and Eli wanted to give Jordan the full NYG experience.

So, Manning had Jordan -- who was in full pads and helmet -- ran a couple of routes right on the field ... and then they took a shot at recreating Odell Beckham Jr's most iconic catch.

Of course, that's when OBJ maneuvered his body to catch Eli's pass with only three fingers, despite the pass interference, against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

MBJ almost pulled it off, with the luxury of having no defense on his back ... but we gotta give him credit for the acrobatic leap -- it was impressive!!!

"That was pretty good," Manning yelled after the catch. "The guy's an actor that's an athlete. MBJ! MBJ! MBJ! Touchdown dance!"

Side note -- MBJ has experience as an athlete in multiple roles ... he acted in the "Friday Night Lights" TV series, as well as his starring role in the "Creed" franchise.

He also played as a young baseball player in, "Hardball" and made an appearance in "Space Jam: A New Legacy" with LeBron James.

Univ. of Georgia linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who won back-to-back national titles with the program, was arrested and booked on multiple charges Wednesday.

According to Athens-Clarke County booking records, Dumas-Johnson was taken into police custody Thursday night on charges of reckless driving and racing on highways/streets.

The alleged race happened on January 10, when a UGA police officer said he witnessed "two newer model Dodge Charges" next to each other at a red light. When the light turned green, the cars "spun their tires and began racing" at a "high rate of speed." The cop said he turned on his lights and gunned it to 75 MPH, but his car was just too slow. The police officer lost both cars.

However, the police investigated and eventually got a judge to sign off on a warrant for Dumas-Johnson's arrest on February 21.

Police say they attempted to reach Dumas-Johnson by phone, but were unsuccessful. They left him a voicemail informing Jamon there was a warrant for his arrest and directed him to turn himself into the county jail.

Jamon, listed at 6'1", 250 lbs., was booked at 6:34 PM on Thursday and released less than an hour later by UGA Police.

Aaron Rodgers is out of the darkness -- the NFL superstar ended his spiritual getaway on Wednesday ... and now, fans will patiently wait for him to announce his football future.

The 39-year-old spent the past few days completely disconnected from the world at Sky Cave Retreats in Oregon ... where he stayed in a 300-square-foot room that had zero natural lighting.

The facility's owner, Scott Berman, told ESPN Rodgers' room was partially underground and included a queen-sized bed, bathroom and a meditation mat.

Rodgers previously said he was going to spend four days and four nights off the grid and out of the light ... in an attempt to clear his head before deciding what to do with his career.

He explained to "The Pat McAfee Show" that the retreat wasn't solely about football ... as he's been wanting to have the experience for some time.

"I've had a number of friends who have done it and had some profound experiences and it's something that's been on my radar for a few years now and I felt like it'd be awesome to do regardless of where I was leaning after this season," Rodgers said earlier this month. "So, it's been on the calendar for months and months and months."

Of course, Rodgers -- who's slated to make nearly $60 million in 2023 -- could return to the Green Bay Packers, request a trade to a new team, or ride off into the sunset with Tom Brady in retirement.

CeeDee Lamb is heading into the 2023 season with a new look ... TMZ Sports has learned the Cowboys star just got a massive back tattoo featuring an image of Kobe Bryant -- and it's incredible.

The 23-year-old Dallas receiver went to artist Andres Ortega out at Onder Ink in Arizona this week to get the piece done ... seeking work that covered everything on his backside from the top of his traps to the top of his glutes.

We're told Lamb wanted things that symbolized the fight and will it took to make it from childhood to the NFL ... and Ortega's team of four artists immediately went to work.

At some points during the tattoo process, the ink masters worked on his back simultaneously -- and when they all finished up, the final product came out spectacularly.

An iconic photo of Kobe chewing on his jersey now sits on Lamb's right shoulder blade, accompanied by a black mamba with its tongue out. On his left shoulder blade, there's a huge image of a jaguar. Just below that, there's a Spartan warrior -- and to the right of that, there's an I-45 sign that represents the highway that runs through Dallas. There's also a crucifix, a crown and the words "My Story Isn't Over."

Ortega says it all took about eight hours to complete -- and it isn't hard to see Lamb loved it.

In fact, the two-time Pro Bowler even got another tat done at the shop on his leg!!