Football

A SUPER RARE Colin Kaepernick football card just sold for over $20k at auction ... and at least $5 grand is being donated to the quarterback's charity!

As we previously reported ... the 2011 Topps Platinum Rookie Patch Autograph Red Refractor card featured a patch from Kap's rookie season jersey and his autograph.

The 1-of-1 card was put up on the block at Goldin Auctions ... and ended up selling for $20,400!!

Pretty awesome ... considering the card was originally part of a regular pack of cards. The anonymous seller picked up the card for less than $1,800 on eBay, before consigning it to GA.

Instead of keeping all the cash, the seller decided to donate a chunk of his profits to the Know Your Rights Camp -- Colin's charity.

BTW, the Kap memorabilia doesn't stop with the card -- the consignor is now selling a pair of game-worn, autographed Kaepernick gloves ... and you guessed it, KYRC is gonna get another check!

"I would almost give my left arm to be a part of this staff."

Jacksonville Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith REALLLLLY wants to work with Deion Sanders at Jackson St. ... telling TMZ Sports he's all in on his alma mater's latest football head coaching hire.

"Please, please let me be a part of this historic event that's going on right now," the former Pro Bowl wide receiver said of his message for Deion. "I want to be a part of it and I'm sure I'm not the only one."

Prime was just officially hired by JSU this week ... and Jimmy tells us Deion's passionate speech at the announcement rally Monday fired him up.

So much so ... Jimmy -- who played at JSU before being drafted in 1992 -- says he's gunning to get a face-to-face meeting with Sanders ASAP.

"In the past, I didn't have any interest [in coaching] but after today and seeing that press conference introducing Deion Sanders as the head coach, I would almost give my left arm to be a part of this staff," Smith said.

"I'm thinking about getting in the car and driving over to Jackson today just to hunt for Deion Sanders and take him by the coattails and say, 'Look, I'm going to be here. This is my alma mater.'"

Smith also clapped back at critics of the hire ... saying Deion is more than capable of leading JSU to plenty of wins despite never being a college head coach before.

"He has done it!" Smith says. "This is the best defensive back in NFL history!"

Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs is paying homage to both his old and new homes on his feet for Monday Night Football ... by repping Oakland and Sin City on his cleats!!

The 22-year-old running back showed off the incredible work on Instagram earlier Monday ... which features several images in honor of LV and The Town.

Most notable is the phrase, "Thank You, Oakland" on the inside of his right cleat ... with a silhouette of Oakland Coliseum.

JJ also shows love for the late Al Davis with his image and signature phrase, "Just Win, Baby" ... as well as the torch that sits inside Allegiant Stadium in honor of the legendary owner.

The design -- put together by artist Luke Dangler -- also has the iconic Vegas "Welcome" sign ... and other notable buildings from the LV skyline.

Of course, with the Raiders being in Vegas, JJ had to add some playing cards -- 2 Jacks, a 2 and an 8 -- to symbolize his initials and jersey number.

We'll see if any of the Vegas tributes give Jacob some extra luck on MNF.

BYU star QB Zach Wilson says he's NOT concerned about the potential long-lasting effects of COVID ... telling reporters Monday he's siding with Kirk Cousins' "If I die, I die" approach to the virus.

Wilson revealed he was diagnosed with COVID back in July after a "little gambling night" with some of his Cougar teammates.

Zach says his symptoms were "nothing crazy" ... claiming he was just tired, fatigued and felt like he had a cold.

But, when he was asked if he was concerned about lingering effects of the virus down the road ... Wilson channeled Cousins -- and said point-blank no.

"Personally, for me," Wilson said, "I'm kind of like, what Kirk Cousins said a little bit. I know he got harped on for it. But, you know, I would rather play football than ever worry about any of that kind of stuff."

You'll recall ... Cousins said on a podcast this summer that he was not afraid of the virus, adding he'd much rather go about his daily life normally than worry about the illness.

"I'm going to let nature do its course," the Vikings QB famously said. "And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I’m going to be OK."

Wilson echoed those sentiments with his comments Monday ... despite revealing one of his favorite high school teachers is currently in the ICU battling the virus.

"I know it affects everyone differently," Wilson said. "But for me, and I know a lot of other guys on the team feel the same way, you know, honestly we would rather just play football than ever worry about this."

Ever imagined what it would be like to hear Hue Jackson sing "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion?? Well, today is your lucky day!!

Except we're not talking *that* kinda WAP ... we're talkin' WINGS AND PIZZA!!!

So ... how the hell did we get here?? Browns fan and Big Ten football prophet "Sir Yacht" decided to shell out $60 for a Cameo from coach ... requesting he dedicate some Kidz Bop-esque altered lines from "WAP" to the Dawg Pound.

And, oh boy, did Hue DELIVER.

"Now, from the top, we gotta make it drop ... that's some wings and pizza," Hue rapped.

"Now, get a bucket and a mop ... that's some wings and pizza."

"Macaroni in a pot ... that's some wings and pizza."

Of course, it goes without saying Cardi and Meg were NOT referring to wings and pizza in the OG version ... but ya really think Jackson was gonna rap the real lines??

BTW, We're not gonna knock Hue too much here -- after all, the guy donates his earnings from Cameo to his charity, which fights human trafficking.

PHEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard damn-near LOST his wedding ring gifting a pair of his game-used gloves to fans ... but, thankfully, TMZ Sports has learned he got it back!

Here's the deal ... after the Colts destroyed the Vikings on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium -- Leonard gave away his mitts to some young fans who were in attendance.

The problem? As Leonard was taking off his gloves ... his wedding ring got caught in them -- and then he unknowingly handed it over to the kids!!

A family member of the glove recipients posted about the whole thing on social media Monday ... and when Leonard caught wind of it all -- he wrote back, "I need that."

Ya think!?!?

Happy ending for Darius though ... we're told the fans are good friends with a Colts staffer -- and were able to return the ring no problem.

"I did not leave my hundred acres and a view to come here for no bull junk!"

Deion Sanders just GUARANTEED he'd bring victories to Jackson State after accepting the HBCU's head football coaching job -- and his speech promising the Ws was epic!

Prime Time was introduced as the school's new head man Monday morning at a raucous pep rally on the Mississippi campus ... and it didn't take long for Deion to fire up the crowd.

The NFL legend spoke for about 10 minutes ... and said point-blank JSU is going to win PLENTY of football games under his watch.

"We going to win," Sanders said. "We going to look good while we win. We going to have a good time while we win. And we going to do this professionally."

In fact, the 53-year-old said his program is going to be so good ... he promised it'd lift up every other sport on the campus as well!!!

"I believe this is going to be a marriage made in heaven," Sanders said, "and I cannot wait to get started."

Deion added some Prime Time flare to his speech ... rockin' a custom suit that had JSU patches not only on the outside -- but in the lining of his jacket as well!!

The school, meanwhile, says it's PUMPED to add the Hall of Famer to its football program ... with university officials saying they have championship expectations with Deion at the helm.

"Just when you thought you were ready to spit on the grave of the Dallas Cowboys, that's when we raised our hand up and said, 'We're not dead yet!!!'"

Michael Irvin went INSANE breaking down his former team's epic comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons ... and his impassioned speech is MUST WATCH!!!

Irvin went on NFL Network on Sunday night to talk football just a few hours after the Cowboys came back from down 26-7 to beat ATL, 40-39 ... and the former WR let his emotions fly!

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Irvin gets so fired up over the win -- he straight-up has to tell himself on camera, "Calm down, Michael! Calm down!"

As for the game ... it probably deserved the reaction from Irv -- the Cowboys not only needed to make up a 19-point deficit, but they also needed a miracle onside kick to do it.

Turns out, Dallas did both things ... and Irvin and just about everyone else in the NFL world couldn't believe it!!

In fact, even Charles Barkley had to chime in on the game while was doing his NBA on TNT show ... saying the Falcons choked it all away!!

"They outdid themselves today," Barkley said of Atlanta. "That was the biggest choke job, what the Atlanta Falcons did today. I'm not giving the Dallas Cowboys any credit. That was a choke job!"

Tom Brady and Russell Wilson were both devastated to hear their former teammate James White's father died in a car crash Sunday ... with Brady saying he's "so heartbroken."

White's dad, former Miami-Dade Police Captain Tyrone White, was killed in a violent crash at around 1 PM in Cooper City, Fla. -- just hours before White's Patriots were set to play the Seahawks.

Cops say when they responded to the two-car accident, one vehicle was flipped over, while the other was on fire.

Officers say Tyrone was pronounced dead at the scene ... while White's mother, a passenger in Tyrone's car, was transported to the hospital, reportedly in critical condition.

White ended up sitting out the Patriots loss to Seattle after hearing the news ... and before, during and after the game -- NFL stars like Brady and Wilson expressed their condolences to the RB.

"So heartbroken to hear the news of the tragedy of my great friend and forever teammate," said Brady, who played with White for years in New England. "There are few people that come into your life that do EVERYTHING the right way... James is one of them."

"His parents raised an amazing son. And we are all grieving with James as he is going through this difficult time. Love you my friend."

Added Wilson, who played with White at Wisconsin before the two were NFL stars ... "My heart's been heavy all day thinking about him ... James, I'm praying for you, man."

How'd Kansas City Chiefs rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire celebrate his huge NFL debut??

DIAMOND PENDANTS, BABY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Patrick Mahomes' new star teammate just copped some ice after his first-ever monster game in the pros ... and the jewelry is INSANE!!

We're told the running back -- who rushed for 138 yards and a TD in the Chiefs' opening game last week -- hit up Leo Frost to make FIVE pieces ... and the celeb jeweler didn't disappoint.

The bling features the word "Glyde" -- a play on Clyde's "The Glyde" nickname -- as well as his former LSU jersey #22.

We're told each pendant is decked out in 18 carats of VVS diamonds ... plus Clyde's drip includes a bracelet and a Cuban link chain that also have "Glyde" on the locking clasps.

Unclear how much Clyde paid for the pieces ... but we're told the RB is spreading the pendants out to some of his closest family members and friends.

Before these little lads made it big time playing for the NFL, they were just youngsters focusing on growing up!

With football season back in full swing and on a lot of folks' minds, we're sticking to the program and bringing you some old school pics from the players themselves ... although it's up to you to tackle who is in the throwback shot!

Now is your chance to test your player knowledge and see if you can guess which NFL star is in the kid pic ... Just scroll through our gallery and play along!

Atlanta Falcons star Calvin Ridley will be reppin' his new baby daughter everywhere he goes ... courtesy of a brand new diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 25-year-old former Alabama receiver wanted to do something WAY better than a picture in the wallet to show off his daughter, so he hit up Al the Jeweler of Labelle Jewelry in NJ to come up with the special piece.

The final product is a massive charm featuring Cree Michelle's name and birthday -- 06-27-2020 -- sitting on an NFL logo.

We're told the piece is made of more than 70 carats of VS clarity diamonds between the pendant and chain it sits on ... in other words, high-quality stuff!!

Ridley isn't the only one getting treats ... check out the Louis Vuitton blanket his baby girl was laying on when he introduced her on IG!!

Ridley -- who is still on his rookie contract -- has made about $9 million in his 3 years in the league so far ... but expect that number to rise if he continues to ball out!!

Emmitt Smith says if he were still playing today, he'd take a knee for the national anthem ... saying he's been a victim of social injustice despite being an NFL legend.

The Dallas Cowboys all-time leading rusher spelled it all out in a lengthy interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, saying he wishes he'd been more vocal about racial equality when he played in the '90s.

"I have been a victim of it," Emmitt said of social injustice. "It’s not like I am talking because something happened to George Floyd. Something happened to me more than one time, a couple of times it happened right here in Dallas."

Emmitt didn't elaborate on the alleged racist incidents, but continued ... "I’m talking from experience, not something I read in a book and saw on CNN.”

Emmitt once famously took a knee at Texas Stadium in 2000 ... but it was to defend the Cowboys' midfield logo -- which had just been celebrated on by then-49ers star Terrell Owens.

The move cemented Smith as a Dallas icon ... and Emmitt says he wishes he had done the same thing when it came to protests during the anthem.

“Why not?" Smith said when asked if he'd kneel if he were playing today. "If I can defend the star, I definitely can defend the right for everybody to have equal justice."

Smith's son, EJ Smith -- a star H.S. football recruit who's set to play at Stanford whenever the Pac-12 kicks off again -- has already knelt for the anthem during his H.S. career, and Dad seems proud as hell of that.

In fact, Smith is advocating for more players to take knees ... and he's sending a strong message to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to continue to let it happen.

"Jerry needs to cut it out," Smith said of the owner's previous stance that kneeling disrespected the flag. "He needs to cut it out. Don’t distort the message because of the flag. It is bigger than the flag."

Browns fans gonna Browns ... even during a pandemic!

Check out this footage of a brawl in the stands at the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on Thursday night ... where the combatants don't seem to care about COVID-19.

Unclear what started the incident at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... but you can clearly see security working like hell to try and break things up as quickly as possible.

The silver lining ... everyone seemed to be wearing masks! So, at least there's that!

Only 6,000 fans were allowed into the stadium to watch the game due to social distancing policies in place -- and all 6,000 reportedly had to sign a "health promise" saying they would not enter the facility if they were sick.

The "pledge" also says fans will wear masks, social distance, etc. Wonder if it said anything about fighting?!

The good news ... the Browns players seemed to channel that fighting spirit on the field -- defeating the Bengals in a 35 to 30 victory.

Kroy Biermann says he doesn't give a crap what "uneducated" people think about his daughter, Brielle, sitting on his lap in a photo, and his wife's reaction is even harsher.

We got Kroy, Brielle and Kim Zolciak-Biermann Thursday at LAX, and asked them about the recent online backlash to Brielle posting a pic of herself sitting on Kroy's lap while celebrating his birthday.

The disgusting comments were pretty swift, and typical for the Internet, with trolls wondering if Brielle slept with her stepdad. Ya couldn't blame Kroy if he's pissed about it, but watch ... he's surprisingly calm and cool. Kroy told us he knows its just "ignorant" idiots with too much time on their hands.

Brielle, though, was still visibly heated, and told their haters to "get a f**king job." She also wanted everyone to know -- Kroy's an incredible man and father.

Remember, Kroy -- who married Kim back in 2011 -- filed paperwork 2 years later to legally adopt Kim's 2 daughters from a previous relationship.

Colin Kaepernick is still in very high demand -- at least when it comes to his jersey.

Nike offered up a special limited edition CK7 jersey on its website early Thursday morning -- and within seconds, they were sold out!!!

The jersey -- called The Icon 2.0 -- commemorates the 4 year anniversary of Colin's kneeling demonstration in the NFL.

If the jersey looks familiar, it's because LeBron James wore the "triple back" uni on his way to Game 5 of the Lakers' playoff series with the Houston Rockets last week.

The jersey retails for $150 a pop -- but minutes after they flew off of the Nike shelves, they were being offered up on resale sites like StockX and eBay for 3 times the original price!

In fact, one sold on StockX for $400 already -- several more are being offered up in the $400 to $500 range.

It seems like the type of sales blitz that went down for the special Colin Kaepernick Air Force 1 sneaks back in 2019.

Colin posted about the special Nike jersey -- saying, "Four years ago, I took a knee to protest against systemic racism and social injustice. It was that day that the number on my jersey would come to represent something greater than football, something greater than me."

"Since then, the number 7 jersey has become a symbol for advancing the liberation and well-being of Black & Brown communities. Thank you for staying True."

Kaepernick seems to be doing well off the field -- his Nike merch is in high demand and he's been ranked as the top free-agent QB in the Madden 2021 video game.