Football

The NFL has just approved the sale of the Washington Commanders ... meaning Dan Snyder's polarizing run as a league owner is now officially over.

Roger Goodell said all of The Shield's teams unanimously rubber-stamped the deal on Thursday afternoon ... making Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, as well his partners, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer, D.C.'s new honchos.

"Congratulations to Josh Harris and his impressive group of partners," Goodell said in announcing the move. "Josh will be a great addition to the NFL. He has a remarkable record in business, sports, and in his communities."

"The diverse group that Josh has put together is outstanding for its business acumen and strong Washington ties and we welcome them to the NFL as well."

Harris and his team initially struck a deal with Snyder to buy the Commanders for $6.05 billion back in April ... making it the most expensive franchise purchase in sports history.

The move will inspire plenty of jubilation for Commanders fans ... as Snyder's 24-year tenure was mired in losses on the field -- and plenty of controversy off of it.

You'll recall, Snyder's team was fined $10 million back in July 2021 ... after the NFL had investigated claims that several high-ranking figures within the franchise sexually harassed and verbally abused female employees regularly.

On Thursday, the NFL also said Snyder will be forced to pay $60 million ... after independent investigator Mary Jo White found he had been inappropriate with one of Washington's former cheerleaders during a work-related dinner.

White also said Thursday that Snyder's team "appears to have improperly shielded" millions of dollars in revenue from the rest of the NFL -- things Goodell called unacceptable.

"The conduct substantiated in Ms. White's findings has no place in the NFL," Goodell said.

Snyder officially finishes his time as an NFL owner with a 164-220-2 record. The team only won two playoff games under his leadership.

Patrick Mahomes may not be scared of 300-pound defensive linemen ... but he showed on Thursday that when it comes to bees, he's absolutely terrified!!!

The Chiefs quarterback was getting in a little break with his teammates and coaches while out at Kansas City's workout ... when, suddenly, a bee invaded their meeting -- and the quarterback lost it.

Normally cool, calm and collected ... Mahomes panicked -- and then ran around in a circle, doing anything he could to get away from the winged creature.

Check out the video ... Mahomes wasn't the only one scared -- backup QB Shane Buechele and the Chiefs' staffers weren't pleased either.

The 2-time NFL MVP managed to get away, though ... and afterward, he was able to have a laugh about it all.

"I don't mess with bees 🤣🤣," he tweeted.

Of course, this is far from the first time a star athlete has had to deal with a bee recently ... Jimmy Butler just went through a similar ordeal during his press conference after winning Game 7 against Boston in May.

Jordan Addison is fast on the field and apparently off of it too ... 'cause TMZ Sports has confirmed the new Vikings star was cited by cops on Thursday morning after they say he was going nearly 100 MPH over the speed limit.

According to the Minnesota State Patrol ... the first-round pick was spotted doing 140 MPH in a 55 MPH zone while traveling in his Lamborghini Urus on Interstate 94 near Minneapolis at around 3:07 AM.

Cops say after they pulled over the 21-year-old ... they issued him a citation for speed and reckless driving. They added officers faced no resistance from the former USC star during the stop.

"This remains an open investigation," MSP officials said.

The Vikings, meanwhile, said Thursday afternoon, "We are aware of last night's traffic incident involving Jordan Addison and are gathering additional information."

Deion Sanders is going under the knife again -- Colorado's head coach is slated to have surgery on his leg and foot on Thursday ... but he says he'll be good to go for the Buffs' season opener in September.

The NFL legend shared the news in an Instagram video on Wednesday ... saying he'll miss Pac-12 media day on Friday as a result of the procedures.

The medical professional in the clip says Sanders will have work done on his left toes to get them straightened out ... in hopes they no longer give him pain when he wears shoes. Remember, Prime had to have two toes amputated on that same foot after complications from a surgery he underwent in September 2021.

Prime also mentions the hospital visit will also focus on blood clots in his leg ... after having the same procedure done on his other leg last month.

But the job won't be done just yet -- Sanders said he will also have to address a foot dislocation at a later date.

Sanders -- who's making his debut as Colorado's HC this season -- is in good spirits despite all the health issues ... and vows to be ready for Buffalo's season opener at TCU.

"I promise you when we go to TCU, I'm running out in front of our team, I promise you that."

Antonio Brown is horny as hell and he doesn't care who knows -- the controversial ex-NFL star just expressed his desire to have sex with Lena The Plug ... publicly asking her husband, Adam22, for permission.

The podcasting couple recently went viral after Lena filmed an XXX-rated scene with porn star Jason Luv ... the first time she worked with another man since she and Adam22 became a couple seven years ago.

If Lena and Adam decide to go down that road again, AB is volunteering as tribute ... going to Twitter to share his interest in getting in on the action.

"Lemme get next @Adam22," Brown tweeted for all to see.

Adam quickly responded ... but we're not going to include it here, 'cause it's a bit too graphic for us to share.

What we CAN say is Adam didn't flat-out say no ... and that might be because he recently told us Lena's new scene has been a cash cow, with their profits far exceeding their expectations.

It hasn't all been positive, though -- Adam and Jason have recently sparked a feud online ... with the former threatening to "expose" the porn star.

The Cleveland Browns are parting ways with defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey ... just hours after a woman claims he threatened her and flashed a gun.

According to local reports, Winfrey is accused of getting into an altercation with a woman at a downtown Cleveland hotel Tuesday night.

The woman -- who claims to know Winfrey -- said she and a friend saw the former Oklahoma star in the hotel lobby ... and one of them hurled an insult at him when they were ignored.

The two women say Winfrey then got pissed and approached them ... making a threat and showing he had a weapon.

Winfrey reportedly left the scene by the time cops arrived. He has not been arrested or charged.

The alleged incident is currently under investigation, but the Browns wasted no time washing their hands of Winfrey ... cutting him early Wednesday morning.

Winfrey was arrested back in April for assaulting a woman he was seeing at the time ... but the charges were later dismissed after he completed a pretrial diversion program.

Winfrey played in 13 games for the Browns during his rookie season ... earning 22 tackles and 0.5 sacks.

Marshawn Lynch is going from putting defenders in a blender to SELLING them -- the ex-NFL superstar just released his very own kitchen appliance!

TMZ Sports has learned -- Beast Mode has teamed up with Beast Health to release a limited edition blender ... which is being dubbed "the baddest blender on the planet."

The thing is pretty comparable to Lynch's playing style during his career -- it features a 1200-watt motor, making it one of the most powerful blenders on the market to date ... and comes in a forest green colorway.

The partnership may sound random ... but if you recall, Marshawn famously said to "take care of yo' bodies" during one of his most iconic media sessions in his career -- so now, he's making it much easier for folks to do just that.

Marshawn explained his new venture ... saying, "“Can’t be a beast if you’re not getting the right nourishment."

"The Beastmode Blender is hella powerful and makes smoothies with quickness, so no more excuses on not having enough time to eat right, drink right, and get right."

Lynch is also marketing his new item in his own style ... with taglines like "Wake yo' ass up and get to blending," and "Make mine BLENDED blended."

The best NFL coach ever ain't Bill Belichick ... at least, that's according to his former player, Asante Samuel, who said this week the Patriots head man is "absolutely not" the league's GOAT.

Samuel made the claim during a recent interview with ex-NFL player Bryant McFadden.

"Are you crazy?" the ex-New England cornerback said into the microphone when the topic was brought up.

As for why ... Samuel said it has everything to do with how Belichick has performed without Tom Brady.

"Look at his record without Tom," Samuel said. "You've got to win without Tom."

Belichick and Brady were an unreal team together during their 20 years with the Pats ... winning more than 200 total games -- as well as six Super Bowls.

But, after Brady left for Tampa Bay prior to the 2020 season ... Belichick hasn't found too much success, going just 25-25 -- with no playoff wins. Tom, on the other hand, won another ring without Belichick in his first year with the Bucs.

It all, according to Samuel, means Belichick simply cannot be called the best ever.

"One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations," said Samuel, who played under Belichick for five seasons. "It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom."

"Everybody know it. Tom know it, but he ain’t gonna admit it because he wants to be politically correct. That’s why I’m here, and I’m going to tell the truth."

Samuel hasn't shown much of a filter when it comes to his dislike for Bill ... in fact, the Pro Bowl cornerback even advised Lamar Jackson not to play for the guy when there were rumors swirling this offseason that the QB wanted to play for the Patriots.

The Battle of Ohio is getting an offseason showdown this year ... 'cause the Cincinnati Bengals just went after the Cleveland Browns over their white throwback helmets -- claiming they're a blatant rip-off!!

The Browns announced the bold new look on Tuesday ... revealing players will rock non-orange helmets for several games this season -- something the franchise hasn't done in more than 70 years.

While famous Browns supporters like LeBron James praised the clean combo, the Bengals -- who rocked alternate white domes last season -- were far from thrilled ... calling out the team for jacking their swag.

The Bengals shared old footage of team owner Mike Brown discussing the two teams' similar jerseys and colors back in the day ... saying former Browns honcho Art Modell believed Cincy "ripped off" Cleveland's look.

In other words, the Bengals think the roles have been reversed.

The Browns clapped back with their own tweet ... pointing out the fact the team rocked white helmets from 1946-51 -- way before the Bengals even existed.

The Arena Football League is just months away from relaunching, and now we know the locations the sixteen AFL organizations will call home -- a mix of preexisting markets and brand-new teams.

-Austin
-Boise
-California (will play in Bakersfield)
-Chicago
-Colorado (will play in Denver)
-Minnesota (will play in St. Paul)
-Louisiana (will play in Lake Charles)
-Ohio (will play in Cincinnati)
-Orlando
-Oregon (will play in Salem)
-Philadelphia
-St. Louis
-Tallahassee
-Tennessee (will play in Nashville)
-Washington (will play in Everett)
-West Texas (will play in Odessa)

“We are extremely proud to share the initial markets that will serve as the foundation of the new era of the Arena Football League,” AFL Commissioner Lee A. Hutton III said.

“Fans in each community will have the opportunity to come together and create new identities, new traditions, and new memories to help catapult our league to thrilling heights. We’ve been working diligently to put the league and the respective member teams in the best position to deliver a competitive and entertaining product on the field and we simply can’t wait to return to the original innovators of indoor football in 2024.”

The AFL was originally founded in 1987 as a four-team league ... the Pittsburgh Gladiators, Denver Dynamite, Washington Commandos, and Chicago Bruisers. The league expanded and was successful for years before shutting down several years back.

In February, the AFL announced they were coming back in 2024 ... with a 10-game season.

The league hasn't yet announced team names or ownership groups. If you remember back, the original AFL had several celeb owners, including Jon Bon Jovi.

Le'Veon Bell says NFL running backs are being treated like a bunch of ants when it comes to contract negotiations ... and unless they team up, they're going to continue to get squashed.

The ex-Pittsburgh Steelers star -- who famously sat out an entire season over his own contract dispute -- went on a Twitter rant to share his thoughts on the league's biggest stars like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs failing to get long-term deals this offseason ... and he used an old Disney movie to explain his take.

Bell says anyone trying to understand what's going on should check out the 1998 flick, "A Bug's Life" ... which is a story of one ant, Flik, inspiring his colony to team up against a bunch of grasshoppers who have been taking advantage of them.

Bell says he's the real-life version of Flik, because he made the bold move to hold out during his career ... and he took all the heat in hopes of improving the market for his position.

"At the time, no one could see my vision or what I was standing for but all I was doing was just preparing to go against the grasshoppers/owners," Bell tweeted on Tuesday. "But as a lone inventive ant/RB, I obviously couldn’t beat the grasshoppers/owners alone .. ‼️"

Now that Barkley and Jacobs are in a similar situation, Bell thinks they could take back control by following his lead.

"In 2017 & 2018 I was the lone ant, I was Flik .. it was literally ONLY ME .. fast forward 6 years later, now you have multiple ants tryin join the fight against the grasshoppers …"

"Once Flik helped the other ants realize that there are more of US (ants) than it is of THEM (grasshoppers/owners) they finally defeated the grasshoppers ... ants are STRONG AS F*** together ‼️ very weak when they are individuals."

Even if more players start to hold out (there are rumors Barkley will), Le'Veon says there's only so much that can be done ... because after all, the running backs will always be ants.

Saquon Barkley will enter the 2023 season without a long-term contract -- the superstar running back and New York Giants were unable to come up with a new deal before Monday's deadline ... and now, the former No. 2 overall pick is weighing in on the stalemate.

Both sides were working until the last minute in hopes of reaching an agreement ... but despite the Giants reportedly upping their offer (there are rumblings they were offering $13 million a year), they were left without a solution.

"It is what it is," Barkley tweeted shortly after the news broke ... which certainly doesn't sound like he's happy with the end result.

The Giants placed the $10 million non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley shortly after signing quarterback Daniel Jones to an extension in March ... but there's a chance he could now sit out the entire upcoming season.

In fact, Barkley has reportedly already decided to sit out training camp ... which would not result in fines, as he has not signed his tender.

It wouldn't be the first time a player of Barkley's caliber has missed a whole season due to failed negotiations -- Le'Veon Bell skipped all of the 2018 season as a result of his own dispute.

Ohio State freshman receiver Carnell Tate's mother was tragically killed in a shooting on Sunday. She was just 40 years old.

Law enforcement says the fatal incident happened around 2 AM in the Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago ... where a woman was shot multiple times in an alleged drive-by.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital ... where she, unfortunately, succumbed to her injuries. She was later identified as Ashley Griggs, Tate's mother.

Four others, aged 38 to 42, were also injured in the shooting. Reports say they are in fair condition.

Chicago PD says one of the injured victims claimed the shooter was "traveling in a vehicle at the time of the shooting."

Tate -- a Chicago native -- moved to Florida to play at IMG Academy, where he averaged 20.3 yards during his senior year in 2022. He was 247Sports' 22nd-ranked player in the country.

The 4-star prospect committed to OSU that December ... and is considered one of the best incoming freshman receivers.

Ashley was excited about Tate's upcoming season -- in fact, one of Griggs' last posts was about his No. 17 Buckeyes jersey going up for sale online.

Ex-NFL star Russell Okung just revealed he lost more than 50 pounds after going 40 days without food for a SECOND time ... and the results are nothing short of jaw-dropping.

The former sixth overall pick in the 2010 draft has completely transformed his life in retirement ... embarking on a mental and physical journey through long-term fasting.

Okung -- who weighed more than 300 pounds during his playing days with the Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers and Panthers -- went on his first fast earlier this year, in which he lost more than 100 pounds.

The former offensive lineman is now 192 pounds after completing his second round of fasting over the weekend ... but he makes it clear the challenge is not all about losing weight.

The 34-year-old explained his decision to go through with the process for a second time ... saying, "Ultimately, I was still transitioning out of the NFL, I had a lot of questions about the world."

"My entire worldview was completely shifting. There's still a lot of questions that I have. I don't want to say that they went away, but I do want to acknowledge that I have much more clarity, peace and acceptance that there are things that I cannot change," he added.

"There are things that I can change and I am really [interested] in bringing my entire self to every experience that I encounter. I'm very happy 'cause I feel rooted. I feel grounded. I know why I'm here."

Russell shared a video of his first meal on Sunday ... and he was overcome with emotion as he sipped juice.

D.J. Hernandez -- the older brother of Aaron Hernandez -- has been arrested after missing a court date in his ESPN brick-throwing case ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 37-year-old former Division I football player turned himself into the Bristol Police Department at around 7 AM on Friday ... after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest following his no-show in court earlier this month.

According to police documents, D.J. was placed in handcuffs at the station ... before he was booked on a charge of failure to appear.

At one point during processing and fingerprinting, he took a mug shot ... where he was seen smiling ear-to-ear.

We broke the story, D.J. was originally hit with one misdemeanor charge of breach of peace in the case back in March ... after authorities alleged he threw a brick at ESPN's headquarters.

Officials accused D.J. of writing a note on the object that read, in part, "It's about time you all realeyes the affect media has on all family members."

"Since you're a world wide leader maybe you could lead how media and messages are delivered brick by brick. Clean it up!"

Time apparently doesn't heal all wounds for Future ... 'cause the rapper just seemingly dissed the hell outta Russell Wilson in his latest song.

The Atlanta M.C. dropped the controversial bar in his "Turn Yo Clic Up" collab with Quavo on Friday ... rapping in his verse, "I got it out the field, f*** Russell."

Future hasn't shied away from his thoughts on his ex-fiancée and mother of his child, Ciara, moving on with the NFL quarterback ... going in on the now-married couple multiple times in interviews.

Remember, Future Hendrix bashed Ciara for having Russell around Future Jr. early in their relationship ... telling "The Breakfast Club" in 2015, "You don't bring a man around your son."

"You've known this man for a few months and you're bringing him around your kid? Who does that?"

He later went in on Russell in 2019 ... saying he's not a real man in their relationship.

"He not telling her, 'Chill out with that on the internet. Don't even talk to him. I'm your husband. You better not even bring Future's name up!" he said on Apple Music.

"If that was me, she couldn't even bring his name up. She know that. She couldn't even bring her exes names up."

Russell and Ciara have been married since 2016 ... and they have two kids of their own.

Wilson has since become a father figure for Future Jr. as well ... even spending a lot of time working on their football skills together.

Russell doesn't seem bothered by Future's constant gripes -- this past Father's Day, he said, "Future, Sienna & Win ... I Love You Forever! Glad we get to raise them together Momma! @ciara."