Football

Johnny Manziel is opening up on his serious mental health battles following his NFL career ... revealing he purchased a gun and intended to use it on himself.

The former Heisman Trophy winner addressed his suicidal thoughts in Netflix's "Untold: Johnny Football" documentary, which drops next week ... saying he had his demise all mapped out -- he would blow all his money, and then take his own life.

"I think I was just running from problems," Manziel said. "It was probably a $5 million bender. Direct self-sabotage, trying to burn this thing down."

Manziel's issues on and off the field were well-documented at the time ... and he said he burned so many bridges that he felt "the ride was over."

"I had planned to do everything that I wanted to do at that point in my life. Spend as much money as I possibly could and then my plan was to take my life. Months prior, I went and bought a gun I knew I was going to use. I wanted to get as bad as humanly possible to where it made sense and it made it seem like an excuse and an out for me."

It's unclear if Manziel actually attempted suicide ... but he said "the gun just clicked on me."

Johnny appears to be doing much better now ... and he's even opening his own bar near his old college campus at Texas A&M this fall.

Aaron Rodgers doesn't just have a new football home, he's got a new crib, too ... the Jets superstar quarterback dropped nearly $10 million on a brand new, gorgeous New Jersey estate!

The $9.5 million, 8-bedroom, 10-bathroom pad is located in Montclair, NJ, according to Daily Mail, which broke the story ... and was just recently built in 2022.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. house, which sits on about 2 acres of property, is located about 10 miles from Met Life Stadium where the Jets play on Sundays.

Records indicate the home, which was originally listed for $11 million, sold at the end of June.

The "stunning and immaculate" estate is described as an "ultra-private architectural masterpiece" ... and comes complete with a gourmet kitchen, media room, wine cellar, and 3-car garage.

The home also has an incredible view of the New York City skyline.

The Jets, who traded for the 4x NFL MVP in April, started training camp a couple of weeks ago and will begin their season in early September.

Many experts have anointed Gang Green as Super Bowl contenders this season.

Tom Brady is racking up teams like Super Bowl rings -- the retired NFL superstar has become part owner of yet another sports organization ... this time, it's the Birmingham City Football Club.

The G.O.A.T. announced the business move in a hype video on Thursday ... saying "he's officially coming on board" the English Football League Championship squad.

"And maybe you're asking what do you know about English football, Tom?" Brady said in the clip. "Well, let's just say I've got a lot to learn. But I do know a few things about winning, and I think they may translate pretty well."

Brady -- who joins the club's current owners, Knighthead Capital Management LLC -- will also serve as chairman of the advisory board.

"I know success starts with the work put in when the world isn't watching," Brady added. "I know a team is nothing without the city that shows up and stands behind it."

"Most importantly, I know I like being the underdog. The road's been long for Birmingham, but these fans have never stopped believing."

The Blues will hope Brady's winning will rub off on them ... 'cause the team finished 17th in England's second-tier league last season.

Birmingham City also addressed the move in a statement ... saying Brady will work directly with the team's sports science department to share his knowledge on "health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs."

"I'll see you at St Andrew's soon," TB12 added. "It's time to get to work."

Brady has clearly found a new hobby in sports ownership after retiring in February -- his collection now includes Birmingham City, the Las Vegas Raiders, the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, a Major League Pickleball team, and, most recently, an E1 World Championship electric boat racing franchise.

Newly released police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows a cop was furious with Marquise Brown during his arrest last year ... ordering the NFL star out of his car before asking, "The hell you going that fast for?!"

Brown was initially pulled over by the Arizona Department of Public Safety on Aug. 3, 2022 ... after authorities say they clocked him going 126 MPH in a 65 MPH zone -- and you can see in body cam footage, the arresting officer was not pleased at all over the situation.

The video shows after the cop got the Arizona Cardinals wideout to stop on a highway in the Phoenix area, he raced to the football player's door ... and screamed, "Get out of the car right now!"

When he slapped the cuffs on Brown for criminal speed ... he demanded to know what the big hurry was.

"Sorry," Brown responded, "I was on my way to football practice, sir."

The cop, still not happy with the football player, then told the 25-year-old, "You know better than going that fast."

"Yes, sir," Brown responded. "I'm new here, sir."

The wide receiver, who had just been traded to the Cards from the Ravens a few months prior to the traffic stop, added, "I didn't realize I was going that fast."

The officer then put him into the back his squad car -- where Brown informed a Cardinals staffer that he was being arrested.

Brown was eventually hit with a criminal charge over the matter ... though in February, he reached a deal with prosecutors where he agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of excessive speed to close out the case. In March, he was ordered to pay $473 ... but the judge decided to waive the fine and just give him credit for time served.

When initially addressing the arrest with reporters, Brown called it all "very disappointing" ... while vowing to learn from it.

The woman accusing Jackson Mahomes of sexual battery says her life has been a living hell after coming forward with her allegations ... claiming she received death threats, and her restaurant suffered to the point where it's now closed.

Aspen Vaughn -- owner of the Aspens Restaurant in Overland Park -- told the Kansas City Star she feared for her safety following the alleged altercation with the NFL quarterback's brother ... saying, "I'm feeling attacked by people I’ve never met."

Not only does Vaughn believe she's a target ... but she also claims her restaurant was severely impacted as well -- seeing a 75% decrease in business before it ultimately shut down.

Vaughn said there were nonstop issues with air conditioning, gas lines and fire alarms at her establishment ... and she believes it was all related to the February incident.

"Why do victims not come forward? It’s because this is how they get treated," Vaughn told the outlet.

Now, the restaurant is up for lease ... and will remain closed until a new tenant takes over.

Jackson was arrested back in May ... after Vaughn alleged he grabbed her and forcibly kissed her multiple times three months prior. Patrick's brother was also accused of shoving a male member of her wait staff earlier that evening.

He was hit with three felony aggravated sexual battery charges and one misdemeanor battery charge stemming from the alleged encounter.

As for his side, Mahomes' attorney adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

So Johnny Manziel walked into a bar ... 'cause he owns the place!!!

The former Texas A&M football superstar is getting into the hospitality industry ... opening up his very own watering hole in his old stomping grounds of College Station.

The place is called Johnny Manziel's Money Bar ... which is a clear nod to the famous nickname he was given after getting suspended for selling his autograph.

Of course, the business move makes perfect sense -- Johnny hasn't been shy about his love for having a good time ... and recently revealed in his upcoming Netflix project he once went on a $5 million bender.

"I thought I played better the harder I partied," Manziel said in the 'Untold' documentary.

He also previously opened up on his NFL experience ... saying he felt bad for losing the respect of his teammates for his off-field lifestyle during his time in Cleveland.

Manziel -- who had a stint in rehab in 2015 -- is content with how his career played out ... and appears to be in good spirits post-football.

Deshaun Watson's biggest fan was in attendance at Browns training camp on Tuesday ... with the quarterback's girlfriend showing some serious love for her man.

Model, influencer, and musician Jilly Anais rolled through Berea to check out #4 as he prepares for his first full season as the starter for the Orange and Brown ... and she was clearly thrilled to meet up with him after practice, 'cause she jumped in his arms and wrapped her legs around him.

"Year 7 for my quarterback," Jilly captioned her pic with Watson, who had a big smile on his face.

Watson and Anais have been inseparable for a long time -- they recently celebrated their four-year anniversary as a couple last month.

Anais' support for the signal-caller hasn't wavered one bit ... despite his recent controversy surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct from multiple massage therapists.

George Pickens has channeled his inner Odell Beckham Jr. yet again ... this time, making a sick one-handed catch over his teammate during a training camp practice Tuesday.

The grab went down in 1-on-1 drills ... when the Steelers wideout was lined up against the team's second-round draft pick, Joey Porter Jr.

You can see footage shot by a fan in the stands at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, JPJ actually had some good coverage as quarterback Kenny Pickett was looking to deliver the football ... but, check out the clip, that clearly didn't matter to Pickens.

The former Georgia star jumped into the air, stuck out his right hand ... and somehow corralled the ball above Porter Jr.'s head.

When he crashed down to the turf with the pigskin safely secured -- even he had to take a minute to celebrate, taunting Porter Jr. by giving him the rock, before his teammates raced in to show him some love.

Of course, Pickens is no stranger to insane catches ... last season, he had arguably the reception of the year when he hauled in a wild one-hander against the Cleveland Browns.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is making any pizza lover's dream come true -- assembling some of the most famous pie joints for a massive festival ... and he's dubbing it the biggest of its kind.

El Pres -- who's reviewed more than 1,000 pizza places over the years -- spoke with TMZ Sports about his latest venture in the food industry ... the One Bite Pizza Festival, which is slated to go down September 23.

"I'm super psyched about it," Portnoy said. "I've always wanted to do a pizza festival, but I never gave it a ton of thought, because I didn't think it was possible."

But after brainstorming with his partner, Medium Rare -- the company behind events with guys like Shaquille O'Neal, Travis Kelce, and Rob Gronkowski -- Portnoy put together a roster of restaurants that he deems the best of its kind.

"Anybody who's a pizza fan, if you go look at the list of the pizza places that are involved in this, there has never been a better assembling of pizza places in the world ever."

"We have the top of the top of the top pizza places all participating."

Portnoy's foray into the biz started over an office convo about whether he could eat pizza every day for the rest of his life -- he made reviews of the spots he visited, made an app to help users find his top-rated restaurants, and even created his own frozen pie brand.

Now, Dave is bringing all his favorites in one place for people to chow down on some slices ... all while enjoying tunes from Teddy Swims, Barstool band Pup Punk and DJ IRIE.

The One Bite Fest goes down September 23 in Coney Island ... so fans have plenty of time to make room in their stomachs.

"There hasn't been ever in the world a bigger grouping of the best pizza places. This is it."

Randy Moss worked a shift at his new restaurant over the weekend ... doling out so much chicken and donuts to a massive crowd, it's safe to say he made a whole lot of straight cash, homie!!!

The NFL legend appeared at the grand opening of his new Chick-A-Boom restaurant in Philadelphia ... and he personally made sure his product got into the hands of as many people in the City of Brotherly Love as possible.

The former Minnesota Vikings wideout put on an apron and worked a full shift ... glazing donuts, frying up chicken -- and even signing some autographs for some fans who showed him big love.

Moss actually got into the restaurant biz back during the pandemic ... when he liked the chicken-and-waffle product his business partner, Brittany Tolliferreo, was selling at the time.

Now, after opening the Philly spot with Tolliferreo by his side ... Moss tells TMZ Sports he's got further plans to bring the food to his home state of West Virginia and more.

As for his favorite dish at the place ... he tells us the sweet Thai chili chicken sandwich is his favorite -- and, yes, he plans on making a signature combo meal out of it at some point.

"The 'You've Been Sauced!' combo or something," he said. "We just gotta figure out a name for it!"

Shaquil Barrett is honoring his 2-year-old daughter in a special way after she drowned earlier this year ... starting a foundation in her name to educate parents on water safety.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker made the announcement during a training camp press conference Monday ... saying the organization will help families avoid accidents like the one involving his daughter, Arrayah, who drowned in a pool on April 30.

"We're gonna just help out as much as possible, like swim lessons for other families, install AI cameras for other families," Barrett said to reporters.

In fact, the 30-year-old said he actually installed devices in his own home now ... as well as more gates.

"We had gates up, but we just left it open that night, but we got more gates up," Barrett said.

"We got all precautions in the way to prevent it from happening and that's why Arrayah Hope Inc. is gonna be beneficial for a lot of families."

The 2-time Super Bowl champ added the passing of his daughter still breaks his heart, but the start of training camp is helping him get through it.

"It don't get any easier," Barrett said. "It's just me being busy keeps my mind off it a little bit ... it's just tough. It's just always gonna be tough."

"This would've been her first [camp] that she would've been able to come to and actually remember."

Prior to Bucs camp, Barrett and his wife, Jordanna, also honored Arrayah by getting tribute tattoos from Tattoo Red ... with Shaq getting the photo from her 2nd birthday inked on his forearm.

The daughter of two-time Super Bowl champion Bruce Collie, Devyn Reiley, was tragically killed during an airshow this weekend ... when the plane she was flying crashed into Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin.

According to authorities, Reiley's World War II-era T-6 Texan plummeted into the body of water at around 9 AM on Sunday ... while it was participating in the AirVenture Oshkosh 2023 event.

It's unclear what caused the accident ... though one witness told NBC 26 the aircraft began "spinning" before it splashed down in the lake.

"I thought they were doing a trick at first," the witness added.

One other passenger on the plane, a 20-year-old man, was also killed, authorities said.

The NTSB is investigating the matter.

Collie -- who won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV with Joe Montana in the 1980s -- appeared to address the tragedy on his Facebook page on Sunday evening, writing, "I trust You my King…. ALL THINGS to work together for good…" He posted two photos of Reiley inside a cockpit as well.

Just days prior to the crash, Collie had glowed about Reiley's passion for flying ... saying in a social media post that he was "so proud" of her.

"God is so cool to give her a family that is ALL aviation…" Collie wrote. "thank you Reiley’s  for being the family that she was destined for…"

Ray Lewis III -- the son of NFL legend Ray Lewis -- died from a lethal mix of drugs ... according to an autopsy report obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the medical examiner's documents, officials say fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine intoxication was what led to the former football player's son's passing.

They ruled the manner of death as accidental.

According to the toxicology report, Lewis III additionally had alcohol and alprazolam -- the drug found in brands like Xanax -- in his system at the time of his death.

We broke the story ... cops say after responding to a call for a medical emergency at a residence in Florida back on June 14 -- they discovered an unresponsive Lewis III.

They said at the time a friend had been screaming for Narcan (a drug used during overdoses) ... and when they eventually administered it in his right nostril, there was no response. Lewis III was later pronounced deceased.

He was just 28 years old.

Ray Lewis remembered his son fondly at the funeral days later, saying in an emotional speech, "We will see you again."

Deion Sanders' son, Shilo, will head into his first season at Colorado looking as fly as ever ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he just copped a sweet new chain -- that features 28 carats of diamonds!!

Primetime's kid -- who transferred from Jackson State to Boulder after his dad made the same move earlier this year -- got the bling from Saki Diamonds ... and the drip has an awesome story behind it.

Shilo considers himself a force on the field -- and when he makes tackles, he says it leaves his opponents with headaches.

So, naturally, when Saki Diamonds went to make Shilo some custom jewelry -- he ended up icing out a "Headache" pendant for the Buffs cornerback ... and it came out awesome.

In addition to the 28 carats of VVS diamonds, it also comes with a 19-inch style ball and link chain ... and while it's unclear what Shilo paid for it, we're told a similar piece would run a normie over $30,000!!

Shilo joins Colorado after a great two seasons with JSU ... where he recorded five interceptions in addition to being named second-team All-SWAC in 2021. Shilo also played two seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks before his time in Jackson.

By the way, he won't be the only young Sanders iced out heading into CU's season opener next month ... Saki also created a sweet 28-carat diamond chain for Shedeur last year.

Saquon Barkley might've just saved a teenager's relationship with his ex-girlfriend ... all by putting his John Hancock on a poster.

For real.

Here's the deal ... Kareem Reyad went out to New York Giants practice Thursday at Quest Diagnostics Training Center in New Jersey to urge the 26-year-old running back to help him get his girl back after the two had split late last year.

Wearing a No. 26 Barkley jersey, Reyad wrote on a sign, "Saquon my ex will take me back if you sign this" ... and he flashed it throughout the NYG workout.

Turns out, Saquon noticed it ... and following the practice -- he actually helped Reyad out!!

Barkley autographed it ... and then posed for a photo with the guy -- and get this, Reyad told TMZ Sports afterward he thinks it all might work out now!!

The Rutgers University student says ... he and his GF initially broke up in September due to college -- but she's always been a huge Saquon fan, and he has a feeling the two-time Pro Bowler's autograph might be enough to bring them back together.

The 19-year-old said he's going to drop the sign off at her house soon ... with the hopes that it all works out.

"I have nothing but love for this girl," he said.

Joe Thomas has gone from playing in front of the Dawg Pound to getting bitten by them -- the Cleveland Browns legend was viciously attacked by canines in a crazy demonstration at a military base!!

The 2023 Hall of Fame inductee and fellow ex-NFL star Whitney Mercilus hit up the Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio in partnership with USAA ... where they got a full VIP meet and greet with the four-legged military sidekicks that are trained to locate explosives, narcotics, and personnel.

Thomas and Mercilus found out firsthand just how talented these doggos are ... 'cause they threw on some bite suits and agreed to run a 40-yard dash while being chased down by the animals.

Tech. Sergeant Hendrix warned Thomas and Mercilus before the demo ... "They are trained to bite and hold until we tell them to let go."

Despite the head's up, Thomas and Mercilus were ready to go against the dog with the strongest bite out of the bunch ... and let's just say they were doomed from the start.

The video is unreal -- Thomas barely made it a few strides before the dog launched into his back, clinging on for dear life before bringing the former offensive tackle to a complete stop.

"My heart rate was as high as I can remember, probably since I was playing football," Thomas said.

Both Thomas and Mercilus ended up being dragged to the ground by the military dog during the drill ... and thankfully, they made it out alive.