Football

Apparently, seven Super Bowl rings and 89,214 passing yards ain't enough to earn the label of "Best of All-Time" from Joe Montana ... 'cause the 49ers legend says Dan Marino, NOT Tom Brady, gets that title from him.

The Hall of Famer made the bold statement during a recent interview with Men's Health, explaining if Marino were playing in today's era of football -- he very well could have done what Brady did ... and maybe better.

"Put Marino into today’s game where he gets free release ... and his receivers, holy cow, weren't very big," Montana said.

"Now these guys are 6'4, 6'5. I think [Marino] is probably one of the most unsung heroes of the game. People don't talk enough about him or realize the numbers that he put up during the times that he put them up."

Montana also gushed about Marino's tangibles while naming him the B.O.A.T. ... adding, "He had a quick release. I had to step into a lot of things to get enough [force] on the ball."

"He had the perfect torque of his upper body and strength to deliver the ball quickly at a fast release with accuracy."

Now, don't get it twisted ... Montana did note there is a delineation between Greatest of All-Time and Best of All-Time -- though it sure did seem he still believes he holds that crown over Brady as well.

As for who could capture it going forward ... Montana dubbed Patrick Mahomes as the man with the most potential there.

Tom Brady channeled his inner Irina Shayk while chilling on his yacht this week ... ditching his shirt and showing off his shredded bod just days after his apparent new lady went topless on vacation with Bradley Cooper.

TB12 has been hanging in Miami as the model spends time with her ex on a luxurious Italian trip ... and he seemed to be totally relaxed as he soaked up the sun.

Brady -- who will have an open fall schedule for the first time in his adult life -- still looks ready to suit up right now ... as he put his athletic figure on display during the outing on his $6 million "Tw12ve Angels" boat.

The 46-year-old has been seeing Shayk since his divorce from Gisele Bündchen ... but her getaway with Cooper is reportedly N.B.D. to the 7-time Super Bowl champion, as their romance is still in the early stages.

Brady has also been in the news as fans speculate whether he could come out of retirement in time for the 2023 season, which kicks off next week ... but, judging by these pics, he seems entirely content with being off the field.

The future Hall of Famer spent his summer going on vacations with his kids ... but if he's ready to settle down again, he's got an open invite to find love on "The Bachelor," 'cause Jesse Palmer recently told TMZ Sports the QB would be a "legendary" lead on the dating show if he wants to Shayk it off.

Aaron Rodgers was so pissed that a Giants player pushed him a few moments after a play had ended over the weekend ... he eviscerated the dude with some epic shade.

The moment was brought to light on Tuesday night thanks to "Hard Knocks" cameras ... which were rolling when Rodgers got into a tiff with Jihad Ward in the first quarter of Saturday's Jets vs. G-Men clash at MetLife Stadium.

As Rodgers released a pass with Ward chasing him ... he backpedaled in an effort to get away from the defensive end -- but Ward kept coming.

Ward eventually got into Rodgers' grill and gave him a nudge, which infuriated Aaron so much ... he clowned him right on the field as the hot mics were rolling.

"I don't even know who you are, bro!" Rodgers yelled at Ward, a seven-year NFL veteran who's played for six different teams. "I never heard of you!"

After throwing a touchdown a few moments later, he hit him with the same chirp again.

Rodgers apparently knew the diss cut deep ... 'cause when he went back to the sideline, he bragged to teammates about it.

"I gave him a line that's un-come-back-with-able," he said with a smile. "I said, 'I don't even know who you are.'"

"Then he said, 'I don't know who you are.' I said, 'Bulls***.'"

Rodgers ended up with the last laugh on the scoreboard -- 'cause the Jets won the preseason ender, 32-24.

Kim Zolciak is, at least publicly, acting like there's hope she and Kroy Biermann can resolve things, and he'll pull his divorce docs again, but he's not seeing it that way at all ... TMZ has learned.

We heard from Kim -- who was still wearing her wedding ring -- Monday at LAX, and she gave off very optimistic vibes when asked if Kroy might have a change of heart about his second divorce filing.

Well, we asked Kroy's legal team if he had any plans on pulling the divorce ... and they didn't mince words. Kroy's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, tells us, "No, at this time, he is still moving forward with the divorce action."

It's likely a devastating blow to Kim, and unless Kroy's holding back information from his lawyer ... the estranged couple is definitely not on the same page about their future.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions back in May, but eventually worked things out and decided against the split in July.

However, s*** hit the fan for the couple this month, prompting Kroy to file for divorce once again.

If Tom Brady ever wants to add another ring to his collection, he's a perfect candidate for "The Bachelor" ... so says the dating show's host, Jesse Palmer, who tells TMZ Sports the G.O.A.T. would be a "legendary" lead.

The former NFL quarterback and Season 5 star of the ABC series believes there are actually a couple signal-callers who could go from throwing the pigskin to handing out roses -- Brady, Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud.

In fact, Palmer says the handsome Chargers standout would be a "producer's dream" ... 'cause they could pay for all the dates and trips throughout the season with help of his $262 million contract!!

"You actually could not script a better setup," Palmer says. "That would be incredible for ratings, and also amazing for our budget."

Herbert has kept his dating life pretty private ... and despite a few rumors, he hasn't gone public with anyone during his NFL career.

Same goes for Stroud ... so Palmer thinks the No. 2 overall pick to the Houston Texans could also thrive in finding love as he kicks off his NFL career.

Brady has gotten back in the dating game after his divorce from Gisele Bündchen was finalized last October ... and was recently spotted enjoying his time with model Irina Shayk.

But Palmer says the 7-time Super Bowl champion gets his stamp of approval to be on the show ... as long as Irina gives the go-ahead as well.

"There is the Irina Shayk issue," Palmer adds. "But if she's willing to kind of just chill out for a couple months of filming, I think we're solid."

Palmer says the show could film at any of Brady's houses ... which would also be a huge positive.

"Again, very budget-friendly. Tom Brady would be good."

We also talked to Jesse about College Colors Day coming up on Friday ... and he breaks down how fans and alums can show school pride ahead of the new season, and score a chance to win tickets to the national championship game in the process.

Jalen Ramsey might be down after suffering a serious knee injury this offseason, but his faith clearly hasn't waned ... 'cause the Dolphins star just got a huge, new torso tattoo to honor his belief in his religion.

Andres Ortega and his Onder Ink team -- Abrianna, Allan, Sarahi and Gerardo -- flew down to Miami this week to put the tats on the cornerback ... while he continues to recover from meniscus surgery.

The new ink features several religious components -- including a bible with a sword, fruit, and a lamb.

There's also a lion, a warrior and a toy soldier -- items Ortega says Ramsey wanted to represent his role as a protector.

In total, the artwork took about eight hours to complete ... and Ortega tells TMZ Sports the football player ended up super happy with the finished product.

In fact, Ortega says Ramsey's looking for him to come back soon to tattoo a couple other things on the final bit of open space on his stomach.

Nebraska football player Arik Gilbert was arrested early Tuesday morning after cops say he forced his way into a liquor store and burglarized the place for over $1,600 worth of merchandise, before being caught red-handed ... and the entire crime appears to have been captured on video.

21-year-old Gilbert, a former 5-star recruit who previously played for LSU and Georgia, was arrested outside SJ’s Liquor & Vape in Lincoln, NE around 2 AM this morning ... before being booked into the county jail on a burglary charge.

Gilbert was allegedly carrying various vape materials, lighters, and other stolen merch totaling $1,672, according to law enforcement.

TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of the alleged stolen items … showing an array of vapes and other materials.

Surveillance video captured the crime ... and a man said to be the 6'5", 275 lb. football star was seen throwing a chunk of cement through a door to gain access to the building. Once inside, he kicked a second door down, gaining access to SJ's shop.

The shirtless man, who covered his face, was then seen rummaging through the shop for several minutes.

While inside, police received a call for a possible break-in, and they rushed to the scene.

To his surprise, at least 8 police officers were waiting outside when he began exiting the shop. Gilbert threw down his bags, and jumped back with his hands up, startled, before being arrested without incident.

We spoke to the people at SJ's who tell us they've reopened the shop and are operating business as usual.

Better call him Jimmy 9 Gs now!!!

Jimmy Garoppolo took flight in a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon recently to prep for his first season as a Raider ... and his run in the jet was so intense -- he got up to speeds of 1,500 MPH!!

The new Las Vegas quarterback hit up Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada for the jaunt through the skies with the Thunderbirds ... and the ultra-experienced pilots wasted no time making sure he was ready to be put through the ringer.

The 31-year-old signal-caller -- whose grandfather is a Marine Corps veteran -- got prepped on how he should breathe while in the back seat of the cockpit ... before he then strapped in with Maj. Taylor "Flash" Wight in the "Viper" for a wild ride.

At first, Wight toured Vegas somewhat slowly with a few tricks ... but then he hit the gas -- and put Jimmy into Mach 2, where 2,000 pounds of pressure were lurched onto the QB's frame.

Somehow, though, Garoppolo held his own.

"Let's go!" he yelled in the jet once they slowed back down. "That's nuts!"

Eventually, the guys made it safely to the ground ... where Garoppolo lauded the experience.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann might be in the middle of yet ANOTHER divorce, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her hand and listening to what she's got to say.

The ex-'RHOA' star and her daughter, Brielle Biermann landed at LAX Monday and were asked all about Kim's pending case -- after Kroy recently re-filed divorce docs.

Check this out, 'cause it's interesting -- when KZ is asked if she and Kroy are truly dunzo -- she makes sure to flash her wedding band, which Brielle explicitly points out as still "on."

Kim says she already knew Kroy was going to file again, but indicates she's not really worried about it ... and that, perhaps, he'll pull the docs.

The photog presses Kim on some underlying issues that seem to be affecting her marriage -- like finances, for instance -- and the matriarch says those sorts of weigh on all matrimonies.

Brielle's also got some financial issues of her own -- TMZ was first to report she's on the wrong end of a lawsuit from a credit card company -- but she says that's been handled.

One last thing that stands out in the chat ... Brielle pitches a potential new Bravo show that she thinks could benefit all the 'Real Housewives' kids -- and if Andy Cohen was receptive to it in a recent meeting Kim says they had ... she could be back on reality TV one day.

Lots to digest with this one -- we'll see how it all shakes out, but Kim sounds optimistic.

Jessie James Decker will have a lot of milk on deck pretty soon as she navigates her fourth pregnancy -- something that's definitely on her mind ... especially after getting implants.

The singer was answering questions from fans on social media, and when one person asked if she was nervous about breastfeeding now that she's cupped up -- which happened 2 years back -- JJD answered honestly ... explaining a bit of buyer's remorse.

While Jessie says she'll be able to feed her forthcoming baby just fine ... she does wish she wouldn't have gotten them so big to begin with if she knew kid no. 4 was in the stars.

She writes, "When I'm pregnant they get massive like quadruple in size 😅😅😅 Def will need a reduction in the future & will downsize. It was fun while it lasted. But phew dey bigz already and I'm over it. Give me some shmediumz😂"

Jessie's been upfront about her personal health and medical decisions -- including the fact that she wanted her hubby, Eric, to get a vasectomy after they had their 3rd child.

An Atlanta-area high school football coach was arrested after punching one of his players in the stomach on the sideline during a game, and the entire ordeal was captured on video.

The disgusting act occurred during the 1st quarter of the Mays H.S. vs. Douglas County H.S. football game at Henderson Stadium in Georgia on Saturday afternoon.

The Peachtree TV broadcast captured the assistant coach in his player's face, number 24, before decking the boy with a right to his gut.

The player -- a junior defensive back according to Max Preps -- backed up after the sucker punch and appeared to hunch over in pain as the coach continued to yell.

Atlanta Public Schools didn't waste any time ... they told us the coach, who is not a teacher, was taken into police custody shortly after the act of violence.

"Video from the live broadcast of the game appears to show the lay coach physically assaulting a player," APS said in a statement.

"The adult will be charged with simple battery and faces administrative charges from the district as well."

"The safety and well-being of all APS students remains a high priority for the district and all APS employees are held to the highest standard of conduct and professionalism."

San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders fans tried to turn each other into minced meat at an In-N-Out Burger during a massive fight that ended with two people stabbed and the suspect on the loose.

The wild brawl erupted inside the fast-food restaurant in Santa Clara, California, Friday night after the Chargers beat the 49ers 23-12 in a pre-season game at Levi's Stadium nearby.

FOX KTVU News obtained video of the mayhem ... showing 10 dudes in NFL jerseys going at it tooth and nail.

At one point, three men surround a shirtless guy on the floor, beating him senseless with their fists and stabbing him with a sharp object. A second person was also knifed.

Both victims were rushed to a local hospital, where they were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Santa Clara PD officers responded to the burger joint after receiving a report of a large fight at 11:12 PM Friday.

Cops initially detained several people for questioning, but nobody was charged. Police are still searching for the assailant who stabbed the 2 victims.

Irina Shayk seems to be full of surprises.

The supermodel was apparently hanging out with ex-boyfriend Bradley Cooper on a recent vacation ... this after she was filmed cozying up to Tom Brady.

Shayk posted a series of photos on Instagram ... showing herself scantily clad while posing on a large rocky formation.

Another image captured Cooper laying bare-chested on a kayak in what looks like the same mountainous paradise surrounded by ocean. Shayk is not seen in the picture, although she pinned it to her IG story with the other photos.

Cooper dated Shayk for 4 years before breaking up in 2019. The two share a 6-year-old daughter Lea De Seine. BTW, the kid was with them, so this could be just a co-parenting thing, but still ...

About 2 weeks ago ... Shayk was photographed by paparazzi leaving a London hotel after she shacked up with Brady in a room there for 48 hours, according to the Daily Mail.

Diddy opened up his wallet this weekend to bolster Black entrepreneurs and creatives while in the Atlanta area -- and he did it with a 7-figure amount that's sure to have a huge impact.

The media mogul was in town this weekend, first stopping off at an event called Invest Fest -- hosted by the Earn Your Leisure network, which offers a platform to up-and-coming Black creators and venture capitalists -- where Diddy was front and center fielding questions.

While there, he made a big announcement ... Diddy's launching an investment fund with EYL brass -- founders Rashad Bilal/Troy Millings -- to kick-start financial strategies immediately ... which will undoubtedly help their growing user base and sprawling roster of talent.

Diddy says, "I'm thrilled to join forces with Earn Your Leisure. We're going beyond discussing finances and taking action to demystify the world of investing for our community." He also said any profits from this will go toward his 3 charter schools on the East Coast.

Like we said, the fund is going to pay for educational tools and resources that teach young Black investors how to properly diversify their portfolios, and how to get their businesses off the ground ... so, a great cause. Diddy didn't stop there, though ... he donated another mil.

He also stopped off at the Cricket MEAC-SWAC Challenge Kickoff in the ATL, and followed through on a pledge he made last year ... donating a million bucks to Jackson State University Football, which will be doled out over the years in regular installments.

Kroy Biermann and Kim Zolciak just ain't meant to be -- after filing for and then calling off their divorce  -- Kroy has filed for divorce against Kim once again.

Kroy filed the divorce papers Thursday, obtained by TMZ, stating their marriage is "irretrievably broken." He wants sole legal and sole physical custody of their 4 kids moving forward, and is asking for child support as well as alimony.

What's more ... Kroy's asking for exclusive use of the marital residence, the same home he and Kim have shared through their ups and downs.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions back in May ... and it got nasty fast. Kim accused Kroy of smoking weed -- and being a potential danger to their kids -- and he said she had a serious gambling addiction. It was also discovered the couple owed more than $1 million to the IRS.

The two also had home visits from the police -- hurling accusations at each other while officers were on scene.

Kim and Kroy remained in the same home during their divorce proceedings, but had a change of heart in July when they decided to pull the divorce docs.

Leading up to the decision to pull back their divorce, we'd seen the family attend church together and other family events.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is finding the silver lining after Sam Williams was arrested again over the weekend ... saying the defensive end is showing signs of "improvement," because he wasn't driving nearly as fast as the last time he got in trouble.

Jerry spoke with reporters about Williams' most recent run-in with police on Wednesday ... and he admitted his spin on the situation may sound a bit "hollow," but he's seeing it as a positive.

"He is 34 miles per hour less this year than last year -- 98 to 66," Jones said. "So that’s improvement. We will get it down. We will keep working. We will get it down."

Of course, Jones is referring to Williams getting busted for reckless driving last year ... when the 24-year-old totaled his Corvette after ramming into another vehicle. Cops said Williams was driving close to 100 MPH prior to the accident.