Football

The Patriots are one week into the Cam Newton era and Dave Portnoy is ready to schedule the Super Bowl parade ... with the Barstool Sports founder telling TMZ Sports their new QB is a straight-up MONSTER!!!

Oh, and Tom Brady?? Portnoy says that dude's looking like an "antique!!!"

We caught up with El Pres out in NYC shortly after New England's 21-11 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday ... and he said Cam's performance was great from start to finish -- beginning with his can't-miss pregame outfit.

"He looked like the sexiest banana I've ever seen walking into the stadium," Portnoy says. "And, the second I saw that, it was over."

Pres says Newton was unstoppable on the field ... and while some may discredit the dub because it was against a team that went 5-11 last year, he points out TB12 even lost to the 'Fins last year.

"The Dolphins always give us trouble. Cam made 'em look like a high school team."

Speaking of Brady, Portnoy says he'll always support the man that won his team 6 Super Bowls ... but admits he's not the same guy from the past 20 years.

"I'll root for him. Brady's given me so much. But, I mean, he looks like the 'Antique Bowl' out there."

BTW -- Brady and the Bucs lost their season opener to the Saints, 34-23 ... and TB12 threw 2 INTs in the process.

Pres says he hopes TB12 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can get things in order by the time playoffs come around ... 'cause he wants the Pats to see him in the Super Bowl.

Stern warning from NFL officials to its teams Monday ... the league is demanding coaches wear their masks properly -- or they could face punishment!!

Due to the coronavirus pandemic ... the NFL has ordered all essential personnel on the sidelines to wear masks AT ALL TIMES.

The problem? Cameras caught several prominent coaches Sunday -- including Rams head man Sean McVay and Raiders leader Jon Gruden -- wearing the face coverings improperly around their necks.

In a league memo from Troy Vincent, obtained by multiple media outlets, the league exec said that's straight-up just unacceptable.

"The face covering must be worn as designed so that it securely fits across the wearer's nose and mouth to prevent the transmission of the virus," Vincent said.

"Failure to adhere to this requirement will result in accountability measures being imposed against offending individuals and/or clubs."

In addition to McVay and Gruden, cameras also caught Lions head coach Matt Patricia and Saints head coach Sean Payton improperly wearing their masks.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, meanwhile, did not wear one for the pregame national anthem Sunday night ... but added it during his team's game against the Rams.

Sen. Marco Rubio will NOT follow in the footsteps of Donald Trump's son and boycott the NFL over anthem demonstrations ... telling TMZ Sports players have every right to protest.

"Look, I think players are Americans," Rubio said. "They have free speech rights to say whatever they want."

The Dallas Cowboys -- who have famously NEVER had a player kneel for the anthem -- now have players considering taking a knee for the pregame song during their season-opener on Sunday ... and that really angered Eric Trump this week.

In a tweet, Eric wrote, "football is officially dead" now that America's Team might be participating in the protests.

But, when we got Rubio at Reagan Airport in D.C. this week ... he told us the demonstrations -- which included the Houston Texans not even showing up for the anthem on Thursday -- won't impact his viewing experiences.

"They're Americans," Rubio said of NFL players. "People have a right to express their views whether you agree with them halfway, all the way or none of the way."

"It's the left, frankly, who has been trying to silence people whose views they don't agree with and I hope the right doesn't fall into that."

Forget the Music City Miracle, the Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa High School football team just scored the wildest, greatest touchdown EVER.

It went down Friday night when the team was playing rival Wetumpka High. Hillcrest was down 30-28 with 2.9 seconds left in the game on their own 41-yard line. So, it's do or die.

Quarterback Ethan Crawford passes the ball to the running back in the flat, and that's when the craziness starts. Watch as various players get the ball via a total of 9 --  COUNT THEM NINE -- laterals.

At times the ball is fumbled and picked up. At times the runner is tackled, but not before throwing the ball in the air with the hope a teammate will catch it.

The 2.9-second play lasted 59 seconds. In almost poetic fashion, QB Crawford is the last person with the ball and runs untouched 46 yards for the game-winning TD.

Two pit bulls allegedly belonging to NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas attacked a woman and her pet dog this week causing major injuries ... and now officials have launched an investigation.

Jennifer Savage told WSB-TV in Atlanta she was hanging out on her front lawn with her own dog Thursday when out of nowhere, 2 pits went after her pooch.

"I look up, not even paying attention, and I see two pit bulls charging at me, showing their teeth and growing at me," Savage said.

The woman says she tumbled down a hill trying to protect her dog from the pit bulls -- but couldn't stop the animals from taking "huge chunks" out of her dog.

Savage says she suffered bite wounds to her arms and legs -- and needed stitches.

Her dog, Berkley, was so badly injured he needed emergency surgery.

"They shaved his entire body and there's punctures and tubes all in him," she told WSB-TV.

The news outlet says a police report identifies Thomas as the owner of the 2 pit bulls.

We're out to law enforcement but haven't heard back.

Savage told WSB-TV she's obviously very upset and wants to pursue charges against Thomas over the incident.

We reached out to DT's rep for comment but haven't heard back.

Thomas was a star WR for the Denver Broncos, Patriots, Texans and NY Jets -- but he's currently a free agent.

Rudy Giuliani is FURIOUS at the Houston Texans for staying in their locker room for the national anthem before Thursday's game ... saying, "Maybe they should stay in the locker room forever."

"Maybe that's where they belong."

The former NYC mayor was at the 9/11 Memorial on the 19th anniversary of 9/11 when we asked him about the drama before the NFL season opener ... and Rudy didn't hold back.

"I think [the Houston Texans] should kiss the ground of the stadium that they're in America. Where the hell would they make that kinda money?!"

Rudy claims roughly "a third" of the players are from another country -- and should "thank God they're in America. Nobody else in this world has an immigration problem but America so people should stop doing hateful things about America."

Rudy says if players want to go down on a knee, "they should kiss the ground and say 'Thank you God that we're in the United States of America' because there's no place else we'd make this kinda money for playing a game."

Guiliani also said the players should have more humility -- because they're not the "real heroes" in this country.

"The real heroes aren't them. The real heroes are the men and women who ran into that building to save people."

Rudy also went after the Black Lives Matter movement -- saying it "hates police."

"They hate police and they call for the killing for the kinds of people who ran into this building and save them."

He concluded with the age-old "love it or leave it" battle cry.

"If [the Houston Texans] can't put their hand on their heart when the flag goes by, maybe you should live somewhere else."

Marshawn Lynch could be the next Joe Rogan -- because he's now a commentator for a full contact Karate Combat league!

Yep, Beast Mode will team up with MMA legend Bas Rutten for season 2 of "Karate Combat," where real martial artists from around the world compete in real, violent fights.

Remember, UFC star Luke Rockhold attended a Karate Combat event back in 2018 and watched some dude get knocked the hell out!!

Lynch is fired up about the gig ... saying, "This fighting sh*t is for real -- none of that cage or boring rolling around on the ground, just that get down with the get down, ya’ know what I mean?"

"I’ll be kickin’ it with Bas watching guys get knocked out, doing all types of crazy moves in wild ass Indiana Jones type settings. It’s hella dope."

He's right about the setting ... the fight location looks like something out of a movie or video game.

The Karate Combat league (which airs at Karate.com) kicks off on Sept. 27 and runs 12 weeks. We're told Marshawn will only be announcing for the first 3 eps.

Bas Rutten is stoked for his new partner -- saying, "I've always enjoyed watching Marshawn just bulldoze people on the field.

"He’s a natural to analyze and react to all the amazing action we’ll see -- and he’s really, really funny."

The Minnesota Vikings will pay tribute to George Floyd's family prior to their season opener on Sunday ... announcing plans to host them for a powerful moment before the game.

Vikings players have been outspoken following Floyd's death in Minneapolis back in May ... with stars like Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks demanding justice.

The team laid out its plan to bring more awareness to social justice on Friday ... revealing Floyd's family will be in attendance for a tribute following the rendition of the Black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice And Sing."

On top of the league-wide gestures -- helmet decals, end zone messages and pre-game t-shirts -- the Vikings will host music group "Sounds of Blackness" to perform the national anthem ... as well as honor community leaders who have fought for equality.

"It's really disrespectful and it's disgusting just to see that and hear that go on."

Former Super Bowl champ James Jones was so shocked to hear booing during the Chiefs-Texans' pregame "moment of unity" ... he went OFF on the fans after the game.

"If you're going to boo, don't even come to the game," Jones said on NFL Network's post-game show. "Don't boo and then act like that, and then cheer us to score touchdowns when the game comes."

If you missed it ... players, coaches and personnel from both the Chiefs and Texans locked arms before their NFL season-opening game Thursday night.

The moment was powerful ... star QBs Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were front and center, arm-in-arm -- and the demonstration was all to show a united effort against racism.

But, stadium microphones picked up A LOT of booing during the moment from the nearly 16,000 fans in attendance and at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City -- and it really pissed Jones off.

"It's bigger than touchdowns," Jones said. "It's bigger than Super Bowls. It's bigger than all of that. I have two young kids and it hurts that somebody out there hates them because of the color of their skin. And, that is what we're trying to end. We're trying to end racism."

Houston star J.J. Watt said after the game the booing bothered him as well ... calling the reaction "unfortunate."

"I don’t fully understand that," Watt said. "There was no flag involved. There was nothing involved with that besides two teams coming together to show unity."

The mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas, said he heard the boos too ... but claimed those were nothing more than a few bad apples in an otherwise great city.

His brother is Patrick Mahomes. His father is a former MLB pitcher. Even his godfather, LaTroy Hawkins, threw in the big leagues as well.

Jackson Mahomes -- Pat's little bro who isn't a pro athlete -- says living in that shadow wasn't easy at all ... and claims it was TikTok that helped him get out from under it.

The younger Mahomes said in a video Thursday, growing up as someone who wasn't in love with a sport like the rest of his family was SUPER hard on him.

"I loved basketball, I played it for so long, but I wasn't in love with it when I had the opportunity to go to college," Jackson said. "So, after that, I was very, like, lonely, upset. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life."

But, Jackson says once he began creating content for TikTok ... everything changed.

"Growing up, in everything I did, it was always like, 'Oh, look, it's Patrick Mahomes' brother,'" Jackson said.

"I'll never forget the first time that I was at a football game or at a store when people came up to me noticing me as Jackson from TikTok and not just Patrick Mahomes' brother."

Jackson is now a verified user on TikTok with nearly 1 MILLION followers ... and he just started up a YouTube channel that already has 18,000 followers as well.

Jackson says he's now created a clothing brand celebrating his new path ... and, he's decided to call it "Unathletic."

The Kansas City Chiefs have painted social justice messages in both end zones at Arrowhead Stadium ... as the team gets ready to kick off the 2020 season.

The phrases -- "End Racism" and "It Takes All Of Us" -- will be displayed throughout end zones across the league this season ... and were revealed prior to the Chief's season opener against the Houston Texans.

It's all part of the NFL's social justice push that came after several players banded together to demand more action from the league.

Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Odell Beckham and more called on the NFL to do more for victims of police brutality and social injustice in a powerful video back in June.

Roger Goodell and the league later admitted they mishandled players' peaceful protests -- including Colin Kaepernick's kneeling demonstration -- in the wake of several high profile incidents of police brutality.

There are reports players form both the Chiefs and Texans will participate in a demonstration or decide to stay in the locker rooms during the national anthem before Thursday's game.

The Miami Dolphins have already made their decision -- saying they will stay inside for both the national anthem and the Black national anthem this season in a powerful video.

"This attempt to unify only creates more divide," the players said. "So we will skip the song and dance, and as a team we'll stay inside."

If Patrick Mahomes retired today, he WOULD get in the Hall of Fame ... so says his former teammate Spencer Ware, who tells TMZ Sports the QB's resume is already that damn good!

"He'll definitely get in there," Ware says.

The debate has been raging ever since the K.C. Chiefs superstar won his first ring last February ... with many saying the SB win over the 49ers punched his ticket to Canton.

Ware is firmly on the side that thinks Mahomes is already worthy ... telling us with an MVP award, a Super Bowl title AND other records -- Mahomes would get his vote.

Now, Ware IS a little biased ... the NFL RB has been Mahomes' teammate the past 3 seasons -- but he insists Pat's Super Bowl victory gave the QB enough to get the HOF nod already.

As for what's in store for Mahomes considering he's NOWHERE NEAR done yet ... Ware says he's envisioning AT LEAST 2 more rings for the Chiefs star in the next few years!

NFL wide receiver Josh Bellamy was arrested Thursday after officials say he misused government loans intended to help struggling businesses survive the COVID pandemic on lavish items like Gucci, Dior and casino trips.

31-year-old Bellamy -- who was cut by the NY Jets just 2 days ago -- is essentially accused of participating in a scheme in which people applied for more than $24 MILLION in PPP loans, intended for business owners to help stay afloat during the pandemic.

But, prosecutors say neither Bellamy nor his co-conspirators put the money toward their businesses -- instead, Bellamy blew a fortune on things like custom jewelry, designer clothes and casino trips.

In fact, officials say Bellamy spent $95k on custom jewelry, $5,381 at Gucci and $2,014 at Dior.

They also claim he dropped more than $62k during a recent trip to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Of the requested $24 mil, officials say Bellamy and his co-conspirators received roughly $17.4 million in PPP loans.

The alleged conspiracy is complicated but boils down to this ...

Officials believe Bellamy not only requested PPP loans for his own company based on false records ... but would then recruit others to apply for giant loans -- and when that money was received from the government, Bellamy would take a sizable kickback from the borrower.

By the way, prosecutors say Bellamy does technically own a business -- Drip Entertainment -- but officials say it hasnt been “active” since 2019.

Prosecutors say they have bank records showing Bellamy made large bank withdrawals recently -- taking around $302,800 between May and July 2020.

Officials say Bellamy executed the scheme while he was preparing for the 2020 NFL season.

If convicted, both the bank fraud and wire fraud charges carry lengthy prison sentences ... we're talkin' decades.

Bellamy was an undrafted free agent out of Louisville in 2012 -- and went on to play for the Chiefs, Bears, Jets and others.

Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson just came through in the clutch for each other's cities ... by donating meals to frontline workers in KC and Houston before facing off in the NFL season opener.

The Chiefs and Texans are set to kick-off the 2020 campaign Thursday night ... and the 2 quarterbacks decided to help their opposing team's city by sending some local grub to those battling the pandemic.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP decided to send some grub from Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill -- a Black-owned restaurant in Houston -- to workers at Harris Health System via Postmates.

Watson returned the favor by hooking up workers at the Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City with meals from Niecie's Restaurant, a local Black-owned soul food joint.

Let's not forget -- the last time these guys faced off on the field, the Texans blew a 24-0 lead in the divisional round of the playoffs as the Chiefs went on to win, 51-31 ... eventually winning the Super Bowl.

Hundreds flocked to the state capitol building in Connecticut on Wednesday seriously pissed off over the cancelation of H.S. football ... and the scene was WILD!!

Just days after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced it was unsafe to play football amid the coronavirus pandemic this fall ... nearly 1,000 players, coaches and parents overran the government building to try to get the ruling reversed.

Check out video from the protest ... it's pretty intense -- with everyone screaming "Let us play!" in unison while holding signs, flags and even football helmets.

Some of the players that were interviewed on the scene voiced their displeasure with not being able to play this season ... with one telling WFSB, "I'm really mad about it."

Seems Gov. Ned Lamont is willing to at least listen to arguments for an overturning of the decision ... he said after the protest he's organizing a meeting with local officials to hear both sides.

That summit will take place on Friday, Lamont said ... before he added, "I want to see football being played and I also want to see it being played safely."

New police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows La'el Collins' car accident was more serious than initially believed ... the Cowboys star complained of neck pain while 2 vehicles sat mangled in a street nearby.

The NFL O-lineman was initially described as fine after he was involved in a wreck on Aug. 20 in Little Elm, Texas ... but you can see in the new footage, Collins was definitely aching.

As he and a responding police officer broke down how his 2015 Cadillac Escalade collided with a Volkswagen ... the 6'4", 320-pound Dallas player said his neck wasn't feeling well.

"Should I go to like a hospital or like a, what do you call it? An emergency room?" Collins asked the officer, before adding, "I mean, my neck -- my neck is hurting right here."

Of course, it ain't too difficult to see why Collins was in pain ... the damage on the two vehicles involved in the crash suggests a pretty violent collision took place.

Collins' driver's side quarter panel and front wheel were destroyed -- with one cop describing the rim on video as "broken" with a "complete crack" in it.

The other driver's car, meanwhile, had its whole front bumper ripped off.

According to the accident report, the other driver "failed to yield the right of way" after coming out of a stop sign and turned right into Collins' ride.

As for Collins' neck ... the Cowboys ultimately put him on injured reserve to start this season ... though they claim it's unrelated to the crash -- saying a hip problem he had been previously dealing with was the reason for the move.

Collins -- who will be out at least the first 3 weeks of the season while he's on IR -- is one of the Cowboys' best players and is considered a top-five right tackle in the league.