Football

Terrell Owens wants the "ring culture" crowd to take a seat ... telling TMZ Sports championships shouldn't account for everything when it comes to respecting an athlete's greatness.

We caught up with Owens on the heels of 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony announcing his retirement last week ... and the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver told us although the Syracuse legend never won an NBA ring, he's still an all-time great.

Of course, T.O. and Melo have something in common -- both were among the best in their respective sports during their playing days ... but were never able to reach the pinnacle before walking away for good.

With that being said ... we asked T.O. about the folks trying to discredit ringless résumés ... and he feels it should have zero impact when it comes to legacy.

"Not everybody gets to win a championship," Owens said at LAX. "That's not the defining thing. Obviously, as an athlete, you want to compete. You obviously want to win a championship, but sometimes that's not in everybody's cards."

T.O. defended Melo ... saying his body of work in the pros playing most notably for the Nuggets and Knicks "speaks for itself" and warrants respect.

FYI -- former NY Giants running back Tiki Barber was one of the biggest talking heads to compare Melo to T.O. given how their careers played out ... saying, "Obviously one of the all-time greats. You're not even questioning his skill. You don’t question T.O.'s skill. But, you do start to question the winning. Did he ultimately win?"

Owens didn't take the comment as a diss ... and went on to say despite not winning championships, they'll both have some bling that holds a lot of weight when it's all said and done.

Former UCLA defensive coordinator Bill McGovern -- who coached linebackers in the NFL for nearly a decade prior to his time in Westwood -- died on Tuesday following a battle with cancer, his family announced.

He was 60 years old.

In a statement, UCLA officials said the longtime football coach -- who transitioned from Bruins' defensive coordinator to director of football administration earlier this year while fighting cancer -- passed away at his California home with his loved ones by his side.

"Early this morning we said goodbye to our beloved father and husband Bill after his long and difficult battle with cancer came to an end and today," the McGovern family said in revealing the sad news, "we would like to thank the entire UCLA community for all of the love and support you gave to Bill and our entire family during this very difficult struggle."

McGovern was hired by UCLA head coach Chip Kelly in 2022 ... after piling up an impressive résumé in the NFL.

From 2013 to 2019, he worked for the Eagles and Giants. In 2021, he had a role on the Chicago Bears' staff.

In his coaching career, McGovern also had stops at UMass, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Nebraska and more. He's currently on the ballot to potentially be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

"Blessings keep pouring" in for supermodel Chanel Iman ... just weeks after announcing she's pregnant with Davon Godchaux's baby, the NFL player proposed with a massive diamond ring.

And, she said yes!!

The New England Patriots defensive tackle got down on one knee while the couple was enjoying baecation in Italy ... and the special moment was captured on camera.

"First of all, I can’t even lie I was nervous ahh hell😂," the 28-year-old said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "I never thought I would be getting down on one knee but LOVE will make you do some amazing things in life!"

"Chanel I love you so much and I wouldn’t have rather spend this moment with no one else by my side!"

Godchaux added, "From the moment we met I knew it was something about you and how much you value having a FAMILY that was really important to me! We are in this together and will always be, I love you from the bottom of my heart! My love, My fiancé, My everything!!❤️❤️🇮🇹💍"

Iman, 32, was in complete shock when Godchaux asked for her hand in marriage ... and she said she can't wait for the next chapter with her "soulmate, protector and best friend."

"Baby moon in Capri turned into the perfect engagement 🎉 I love you so much @chauxdown ❤️," Iman said in her own IG post of the proposal.

"You promised me the world and so far you have given me that and so much more!"

The Victoria's Secret model started dating Godchaux -- who signed a 2-year extension with the Patriots last year -- shortly after New York Giants WR Sterling Shepard filed for divorce in 2021.

Sterling and Chanel have two daughters together. In May, Iman and Godchaux announced they were expecting a baby.

There appears to be a new woman in Josh Allen's life ... the NFL star grabbed dinner with Hailee Steinfeld over the weekend -- and they sure looked like a couple at the restaurant.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback and the actress hit Sushi By Bou in New York City ... and in a photo they posed for at the dinner table, you can see they were awfully cuddly.

In the pic, Allen's arm is draped over Steinfeld's shoulder ... and his hand is firmly entangled in the "Starving" singer's too.

Neither has confirmed a romantic relationship publicly -- but it's not the first time the two have been seen out together ... just last week, they were spotted walking on NYC streets as well.

27-year-old Allen had been in a long-term relationship with Brittany Williams ... though the two appeared to split right around the time the Bills' season came to an end in the winter.

As for Steinfeld, the 26-year-old previously dated Niall Horan ... but they split in 2018.

Now under center for the Las Vegas Raiders ... Tom Brady?!?

Troy Aikman tells TMZ Sports he could imagine a scenario in 2023 where that situation is a very real thing ... saying he wouldn't put it past Brady to suit up for the team he's about to be a part owner of.

"I don't want speak for Tom," the Dallas Cowboys legend told Babcock, but "I wouldn't rule anything out."

Aikman's reasoning is simple ... he says because of the way Brady keeps himself in shape -- and his great relationship with head coach Josh McDaniels -- he could see it all happening.

Plus, Brady owning a piece of the team wouldn't hurt the chances, either.

"I would bet that just nothing is off the table," Aikman said, "as far as what may occur during the season or what Tom's role may be."

Of course, the Raiders already have Jimmy Garoppolo signed to a big contract ... and Aikman said he strongly believes Brady is "done playing."

"But," the Hall of Famer added, "you just never know."

Aikman also spoke with us about Aaron Rodgers' move to New York ... and he said he thinks the change of scenery from Green Bay could really impact the quarterback positively.

He also said he's stoked to be able to broadcast Rodgers' first-ever game as a Jet when NY takes on Buffalo during the NFL's season-opening "Monday Night Football" matchup in September.

Tevin Coleman will have his twins with him wherever he goes now ... the NFL running back just got an amazing, double-sided diamond pendant featuring his two beautiful kids!!

TMZ Sports is told the 30-year-old went to the famous Icebox jewelry spot in Atlanta to get some custom work done ... and his 6-year-old children, Nazaneen and Nezerah, are the clear inspiration behind the piece.

One side of the pendant reads "1125" to represent the birthdate of his twins ... and the reverse shows a portrait of them smiling.

The multiple layers of the pendant are filled with 14k yellow gold and white gold ... and feature more than 12 carats of VS diamonds.

On top of that, the piece has a 9mm, 22-inch Miami Cuban chain that weighs 122 grams!!

We're told this pendant is also a tribute to his daughter's sickle cell anemia, which Tevin was also diagnosed with during his college years in Indiana.

Coleman and his wife, Akilah, have been very open about the battle ... in hopes of bringing awareness to the disease.

In fact, Coleman -- who played on the 49ers in 2022 -- also used #MyCauseMyCleats week to pay homage to Nazaneen and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America group.

Coleman was a third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and has played for the Falcons, Jets, and 49ers.

Ryan McKenna, the Super Bowl selfie kid who snapped a viral photo years ago with Justin Timberlake, has pleaded no contest for allegedly going on a drunken rampage at a restaurant earlier this year ... and he's now on probation as he navigates adulthood.

The 19-year-old pled no contest on two charges -- resisting an officer without violence, and battery. The judge ordered the former selfie star to spend the next 12 months on probation.

Ryan's forbidden from consuming or even possessing alcohol -- he's not even allowed to enter places that primarily sell booze.

He's also been ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluation and submit to random breathalyzer and urine checks. He must also cough up $824 in court costs and fines.

We obtained body cam footage from February's incident ... which shows Ryan acting erratically before getting cuffed and taken to jail.

TMZ broke the story, cops got called to a Naples, Florida CPK on the eve of the Super Bowl after they were told Ryan was drunk and had hit his friend.

Another angle shows authorities slamming him to the ground before finally putting him in cuffs. Cops say he put his hands on an officer who was trying to calm him down.

Aaron Rodgers is a HUGE fan of Taylor Swift ... and TMZ has the video to prove it!!!

Check out this footage we obtained, which shows the New York Jets star QB lapping up Taylor's Saturday concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was the second of three nights the pop star was slated to perform at the venue as part of her sold-out Eras Tour.

In the clip, Rodgers is dancing to Taylor's music with his arms raised and his eyes shut. He's seemingly in a trance and totally captivated by Taylor's song, "Style." Anyone know Rodgers was a Swifty?

Well, he did mention it last week during an interview with host Adam Schein on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio. Rodgers said he was "for sure" going to Taylor's concert because he's a "big fan." He also proclaimed his love for Taylor's "Folklore" album and one of its tracks, “August.”

As you know, Rodgers was traded to the Jets from the Green Bay Packers back in April. Before the announcement, Rodgers was very vocal about wanting to play for the Jets and move to the New York metropolitan area.

Get ready, Sin City ... Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's planning to bro down with Tom Brady way more in Vegas now that the former NFL star is in line to be part-owner of the Raiders!!!

The UFC honcho sounded thrilled at the idea of it all, too ... saying he'll even pick up the checks when the two pal around at dinners!!

Of course, Brady is not quite a Raiders boss just yet ... while he and Mark Davis have agreed to a deal for minority ownership in the NFL franchise, the league still requires at least 24 of its other owners to give their stamp of approval before it's all greenlit.

But, that feels like nothing more than a formality at this point ... which has Dana pumped.

If you weren't already aware, the two have been buds for years -- Brady actually owns a small piece of the UFC -- and White made it clear their friendship is about to get way more fun.

"I think there's more opportunity for us to hang out now that he's around more in Vegas," White said. "I don't know about working!"

As for how he sees things going with the Raiders once Brady's officially got his stake in the game, White told us he has no doubt Vegas will benefit big time.

Antonio Brown's ownership "partners" with the Albany Empire say they've been frozen out by the former NFL star, and they have a message for AB ... buy us out, or we're prepared to go to court!

TMZ Sports talked to Charlotte von Schiller and her husband Steve ... who purchased a 5% stake in the organization last year before Brown came on board. Antonio now owns 95% of the franchise.

Unfortunately for the von Schillers, they say things have been absolutely awful since Antonio took over ... and he has even failed to acknowledge they own even the smallest piece of the Empire.

"If he wants to actually own 100% then he needs to buy us out. Otherwise, he only owns 95%, and that's just the facts," Charlotte told us.

The von Schillers tell us they've repeatedly attempted to have civilized conversations with AB about a buyout of their portion of the franchise, but instead, he's essentially told them to get lost, and at times has allegedly berated them on the phone.

"The disregard and disrespect from AB and his group has been incredulous."

In fact, it's gotten so bad, the von Schillers have consulted with an attorney ... and tell us they're ready to go to court if necessary.

But, they hope it doesn't turn into a legal battle ... and would instead like to reach an agreement amicably.

Brown's tenure in Albany, depending on who you ask, has been an unmitigated disaster, with players and coaches quitting midseason over AB's alleged erratic behavior.

Several former players and a coach previously told us Antonio ordered them locked out of their team hotel rooms after complaining about missing paychecks.

Bud Light and Miller Lite have found themselves at the center of a political debate, something Troy Aikman says will never be the case with his beer company, EIGHT ... the Hall of Famer tells us they'll never get political -- left, right, or center -- they just want to make good beer!

"I think there are a lot of companies out there that want to tell everybody who they are, or what they are about, and they're not focused on the product itself," Aikman told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Troy continued, "We wanted to get the message out there if you're tired of all these points of view by all these big companies and you just want a company that's focused on what it is that they do," then EIGHT is for you.

Of course, Bud Light and Miller Lite have faced boycotts from angry customers over recent ad campaigns.

In fact, Bud Light sales are reportedly down over 20%, and Anheuser-Busch, who makes BL, market cap (total value of companies stock) has taken an $18 BILLION hit, down from over 132B in April, to about 113B today.

Clearly, Americans are split on many issues ... and Aikman believes most consumers just want a company that isn't phony, and most importantly, makes a good product.

"With so many of these companies coming out with bold, oftentimes polarizing positions, and they lack authenticity, and it's really just trying to gain market share. I think people see through that."

The 3x Super Bowl champion continued ... "I think they just want companies that are focused on the brands themselves, they don't want brands that are trying to get political, we're certainly not. We don't want to be a part of any debate outside of someone drinking EIGHT beers while they're having a discussion is really our perspective."

Troy says EIGHT, which he launched last year (he says sales have steadily grown since), is still only available in Texas ... but that will likely change in the future.

Until then ... Aikman says you can count on them to keep churning out beer while avoiding polarizing issues.

"I just think the last thing people want is another point of view."

How much does Travis Kelce hate the NFL's new kickoff rule? Well, in an epic, one-minute rant about it this week, he called it everything from "dumb" to "stupid" to "wack" to "boring!"

The Chiefs star held nothing back on his and his brother, Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast on Thursday -- calling the league's new regulation that will allow teams to fair-catch kickoffs in exchange for receiving the ball at the 25-yard line one of his least favorite rules ever.

"I think this is absolutely stupid," the Kansas City tight end said.

"I don't think this is making the game safer. I think it's making it more boring and taking a lot of excitement out of the game's opening play. This is wack."

Travis' biggest gripe with the rule is it'll essentially incentivize players to never return a kickoff again -- unless it's a horrible kick.

Jason agreed, saying he predicts it'll all feel just "ceremonial" now.

"We're just getting closer and closer to removing special teams," the Philadelphia Eagles star said.

"We're just going to have guys, 'Hey, I'm going to run 80 yards for no reason and then we're going to start the drive!'"

"It just deflates the excitement of like the first kickoff," Travis added.

The guys are not alone in their feelings -- Travis' head coach, Andy Reid, also ripped the rule this week ... worrying it might eventually lead to taking contact out of the game altogether.

Patrick Mahomes is breaking his silence on his little brother's arrest ... saying Wednesday, "It's kind of a personal thing that I'm going to keep to myself."

The Kansas City Chiefs star met with media members for the first time since Jackson Mahomes was hit with three aggravated sexual battery charges stemming from an alleged February encounter with a woman ... and it wasn't hard to see the quarterback did not feel comfortable speaking about it all publicly.

He told a reporter twice that he wanted to keep his feelings on the matter private ... saying he's going to do his best going forward to separate his family matters from his football career.

"At the end of the day," the QB told the media member, "I come here to play football and try to take care of my family, at the same time."

"So," he continued, "just kind of keep it to myself and just go out there and play football when I'm in the building."

The 27-year-old was then asked a broader question about how he'd balance it all going forward.

"It's your family," he said, "but you have to come in here and do a job. And that's what I try to do every day."

As we reported, Jackson was arrested on May 3 ... after a restaurant owner alleged he grabbed her and forcibly kissed her multiple times at her Kansas establishment three months ago. The younger Mahomes was also accused of shoving a male member of her wait staff earlier in the evening.

Jackson appeared in court for a hearing on the matter on May 16 ... but he's yet to issue a plea on the charges.

The social media star's attorney, though, did say at the time of the initial allegations back in February that Jackson had done nothing wrong.

"Our investigation has revealed substantial evidence refuting the claims of Jackson's accuser including the statements of several witnesses," Brandan Davies said. "We have reached out to law enforcement to provide the fruit of our investigation so that they may have a complete picture of the matter."

The Seattle Seahawks are moving on from the Russell Wilson era -- the team just gave away the Super Bowl-winning quarterback's number to newly-signed cornerback Artie Burns.

The 'Hawks updated their 90-man roster this week ... and it shows there will be a new player sporting No. 3 for the first time since the 9-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.

There's a chance it might just be a placeholder for Burns if he ends up making the final 53-man roster ... as there are literally only two other numbers (43 and 48) available that aren't already taken or retired by the franchise, and defensive backs can only wear numbers 0-49.

As the Seahawks make offseason adjustments, it's entirely possible Burns -- who returned to Seattle earlier this week -- snags a different set of digits if/when they become available.

Burns -- who wore No. 21 in three games for Seattle last season -- wasn't able to get his old jersey back after rejoining the team ... as it was already given to rookie Devon Witherspoon.

Wilson is obviously one of the greatest players in franchise history ... and it would be a no-brainer to retire his number when he hangs up his spikes, despite the messy breakup that led to his trade out of Seattle.

You knew Aaron Rodgers liked ayahuasca, darkness retreats, and crystals ... but did you know the quarterback got down with gym, tan, laundry, and T-shirt time too?!?

It's true ... the new NY Jets star admitted Tuesday out at organized team activities that he was, indeed, a superfan of "Jersey Shore."

In fact, the 39-year-old called it "one of the greatest shows" ever!!!

Rodgers' talk with reporters about the classic MTV hit all came about because he said he knew next to nothing about New Jersey prior to his trade from Green Bay -- outside of what he had seen Pauly D, Snooki, and The Situation get into on the NJ-based show.

"The only Jersey I kinda knew about besides Teterboro was 'Jersey Shore,'" Rodgers said with a laugh. "I was assured that was not a proper representation of this state."

Then he explained he couldn't have been a bigger consumer of the reality TV hit -- telling media members he had actually chastised his 30-year-old teammate, C.J. Uzomah, earlier in the day for not being aware of JWoww, Ronnie, Sammi Sweetheart, and all the other cast members who made the show legendary.

"I said 'How can you not watch the show?!'" Rodgers said.

Rodgers went on to say he was such a big supporter of it all, he used to go see Pauly D perform DJ sets in Las Vegas back in the day.

Odell Beckham Jr. is off the hook in his assault case ... prosecutors said this week they will NOT hit him with criminal charges after concluding their investigation into the allegations against the NFL star.

The probe initially kicked off back in April -- after a woman alleged Beckham put his hand around her neck during an encounter at Delilah, a popular restaurant in Los Angeles.

The woman, according to law enforcement, claimed the 30-year-old Super Bowl champion went up to her and grabbed her throat with light pressure.

But, prosecutors said on Tuesday surveillance video from the lounge "contradicts the complaining witness' account of events."

"The video does not capture any battery," prosecutors added.

Officials also said there were no other witnesses who could corroborate the alleged victim's story ... explaining that even a friend of the complainant -- who they said was standing next to Beckham and the woman during the alleged incident -- did not see an assault take place.

According to prosecutors, there was simply "insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

As we reported, Beckham was adamant all along that he had done nothing wrong. The restaurant's owner, John Terzian, called the claims bogus as well.