Football

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME ... Kornacki?!

That's what football fans got on Sunday night -- when MSNBC's lord of the big board took his talents to the NFL!

Kornacki -- who became a viral sensation in November for his election updates -- was called on to break down the NFL playoff picture on NBC's "Football Night in America" ... and stayed true to form.

Fast talking, lots of numbers, some hypothesizing ... and, of course, the trademark khaki pants!

Among the highlights, Kornacki pointed out the NY Giants' playoff chances jumped from 30% to 45% with a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday ... and he expects that number to grow further.

Over in the AFC, Kornacki was impressed with the Cleveland Browns -- pointing out they have a 97% shot at making the post-season.

"it's not quite 100% ... but they are 97% away to the first one (playoff appearance) in 18 years," he said with a smile.

"That's the dumbest call ever. There's no other way of putting it."

Rex Ryan just went OFF on NY Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for his role in the team's epic 31-28 loss to the Raiders on Sunday ... saying the guy's last-play-of-the-game defense was straight-up "stupid."

"Dumbest call I've ever seen," Ryan said on ESPN's 'Get Up' on Monday morning ... "It's just stupid. It's just absolutely stupid."

If you missed it ... the Jets were FINALLY about to get a win this season -- all they had to do was play defense for 13 more seconds in their game against Vegas to seal up victory #1.

But, Williams inexplicably decided to all-out blitz Derek Carr instead of just playing conservatively ... and it all led to a miracle, game-winning 46-yard touchdown.

The defense Williams called was peculiar -- it left no safety help for the team's cornerbacks -- and several notable names in the NFL, including Tony Dungy, wondered why in the world THAT was the defense Williams chose.

"Just protect the sideline and the end zone and the game is over," Dungy said.

In fact, Carr himself was dumbfounded over it all ... telling reporters after the game, "I couldn't believe they all-out blitzed us."

Ryan couldn't either ... and the former NY Jets head coach didn't hold back when breaking down Williams' call.

"Not only was it the stupidest call ever, they don't even know how to run the dang Cover 0 blitz," Ryan said. "And you wonder why they give up 400 yards a game. You wonder why this team hasn't won a game."

"And the thing I feel bad about is for every one of those kids that have been a laughing stock of the league. The Jets have been a laughing stock of this league. And for you to put those kids in that situation, to take the moment away from them -- a win -- after all their hard work, that's just ridiculous."

For their part, the Jets' players weren't exactly pleased with Williams either ... team captain Marcus Maye told media members afterward, "I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation."

Hope Trevor Lawrence is really worth all of this ...

Tom Brady dominates on land, air ... and now by sea -- 'cause the QB just bought a multi-million dollar boat and we've got the pics!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Bucs star ordered up a custom 40-plus-foot, state-of-the-art watercraft to enjoy during his time in Florida.

The boat was delivered on Thursday at his local marina in St. Petersburg -- and Tom was as excited as a kid on Christmas!

You can see how happy he looks in the photo -- smiling from ear to ear as the ship was handed over.

It's a beautiful blue boat named "Viva a Vida" -- which happens to be the name of Gisele's environmental conservation initiative.

The Brazilian supermodel recently announced a program to help plant over 200,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest -- something she's been very passionate about for a while.

As for the price of Tom's boat, we're told it usually costs around a couple million dollars -- but no word on exactly how much Tom paid.

He can definitely afford it though -- Tom is in the middle of a 2-year, $50 million deal with the Bucs and he's made more than $200 million in his NFL contracts alone.

And, that's not even including the Ugg money!

NFL player Su'a Cravens is addressing the rumors on social media -- saying when it comes to Montana Yao, "There was no cheating."

There are rumblings Su'a's 2019 fight with Yao's estranged husband Malik Beasley was over cheating allegations ... the insinuation that Malik went after Su'a for getting involved with his then-girlfriend.

But, Su'a tells TMZ Sports straight up that's just not the case at all.

"There was no cheating," Su'a says ... "Montana and I hung out years prior to her and Malik even starting to date."

As for why Su'a and Malik threw down in that apartment lobby in Colorado back in 2019 -- all Su'a would say is Malik "brought that up onto himself. He got beat up for no reason."

Su'a claims he was later contacted by law enforcement and was asked if he wanted to press charges against Malik, since it appeared from the video that Malik was the aggressor ... but "I chose not to."

As we previously reported, Malik and Montana later got married. They have a child together.

But, recent photos of Malik and Larsa Pippen holding hands in public during an outing in Miami have caused some issues with their relationship.

Did you know ... ex-49ers Pro Bowl center Jeremy Newberry became a cherry farmer after retiring in 2009?

It's true!

Did you also know ... he's SELLING his cherry farm for $5 MIL because he's sick of the strict COVID protocols in California and has decided to move to another state?!

That's also true!!

Here's the deal ... Newberry has listed his 40-acre cherry farm property located in the Bay Area, which also features an amazing house with a gym and game room!

There's also the backyard which has a basketball court, miniature golf and an amazing pool with fire pits!

The place is incredible -- and Jeremy has run his Newberry Cherry business out of it since 2019, selling his delicious cherries on the property and hosting events!

So, why move? We spoke with Newberry who told us he feels the COVID protocols in California are WAYYY over the top and it's depriving his kids of a normal childhood.

"We're going to move somewhere where our kids can actually go to school, go participate in sports. Somewhere in the country that's open. I kinda feel like these kids are getting deprived from their childhood because everything's locked down."

Newberry added, "What is the future of this state? Are they gonna go back to school next year? Are they gonna go back sometime later this year? We're going on almost a full year now where these kids haven't been in school, haven't been allowed to do any extracurricular activity, any football, any dancing, anything. It's time to give them a childhood that they deserve."

So, where are they looking to move? Idaho -- where Newberry feels the COVID protocols are more relaxed and a better fit for his family.

Still, Newberry hopes his cherry farm finds a new owner who will appreciate it the way he did.

"The cool thing about that property if someone were to buy it, and farm it, it will pay for itself. You can make enough farming where you can live there for free and probably put something in the bank."

"So, that was a tough decision to let it go is because it makes me good money and it's not a lot of work to take care of."

The property --  listed by Deneen Vornhagen of Delta Ranches and Homes Inc -- is on the market for $4.98 million!

Colin Kaepernick's jersey from his NFL debut with the 49ers just sold for a whopping $128k ... the highest price an NFL jersey has EVER fetched at auction.

The jersey is from Kap's rookie debut on October 2, 2011 -- when he came in for Alex Smith for one snap against the Philadelphia Eagles ... which is why the jersey is so clean!

Kap handed the ball off to Frank Gore -- and then went back to the bench. The 49ers won the game 24 to 23.

Of course, Kap's career took off the following season -- he started 7 games and then became the full-time starter in 2013. The rest is history.

Kaepernick signed the jersey from his rookie debut -- inscribing it with the message "2011 game worn rookie jersey" -- and then gifted it to family friend and reporter, Aaron Prince, who put it up for auction in 2019.

The item made its way to Julian's Auctions in 2020 -- where it sold at a high profile event for $128,000 to a buyer whose identity has not yet been revealed.

Julian's claims it's the highest price ANYONE has ever paid for a game-used NFL jersey, EVER.

As we've previously reported, Kap memorabilia has been HOT in with collectors over the past few years ... a combination of interest in Kap as an athlete AND as a social justice icon.

There were more cool items at the auction -- including the NBA jersey given to Michael Jordan on the day he signed with the Bulls in 1984 ... that went for $320,000.

And, a high school basketball jersey worn by Barack Obama in 1979 at Punahou School in Hawaii sold for $192k!

By the way, Obama's jersey number -- 23!

Not even the toughest dudes in the NFL can escape the wrath of COVID-19 ... with Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett admitting the virus "kicked my butt."

The 24-year-old defensive end spoke out about his experience with the coronavirus with reporters on Friday ... saying he was hoping to be asymptomatic -- but that wasn't the case.

Garrett -- who missed the last 2 games after testing positive -- says he dealt with a fever, aches and lost his sense of smell.

"I was in pain. It wasn't great," Garrett said. "It kicked my butt ... Now I’m back,"

The Defensive Player of the Year hopeful says he expects to be back to 100% in time for the team's crucial matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

"I'm not here to make a cameo appearance or a second-rate arrival. I'm here to do the job that I was doing before. I don't think there will be any drop-off."

Disgusting moment at a high school football game in Texas -- where a top player violently exploded on a referee AFTER he had already been ejected ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

It all went down Thursday night right after Edinburg High defensive end Emmanuel Duron was ejected from the game following a late hit penalty against an opposing player in the 2nd quarter.

After the ref announced Duron was disqualified from the game, Duron -- wearing #88 -- sprints back on the field and blasts the ref with a full-speed blindside tackle, sending the official crashing to the ground.

Multiple Edinburg High coaches and players had raced out to try and stop Duron's attack, but they were too late.

The ref was in obvious pain -- and remained on the ground for several minutes. He was later evaluated in an ambulance, according to The Monitor's Andrew McCulloch, who was reporting at the game.

Several police officers escorted Duron off the field -- but it's unclear if he was formally arrested and booked for a crime.

We're reached out to cops and the school district for information -- we'll let you know when we hear back.

Duron is a junior defensive tackle and all-around top athlete. He's scored a rushing TD as a running back and also kicked a 51-yard field goal earlier this season.

He's also a high school wrestling star, whose coach had said to reporters back in March that he's among the best in the state and a clear favorite to win a state title.

"For whatever reason, God looked down on me and gave me a second shot at this thing. And I made a promise, I'm going to make the most of this opportunity."

Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst is opening up on his battles with drugs, alcohol and depression ... calling his 2016 attempted suicide "the best and worst thing that's ever happened in my life."

Hurst first started to acknowledge his mental health issues in 2013 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system.

The 27-year-old says he relied on drugs and alcohol to cope with panic attacks ... and after being unable to control his pitching due to his hand constantly shaking, ended up pursuing a football career at the University of South Carolina.

"I can't really explain it," Hurst said in a video posted by the Falcons on Thursday. "It's hard to unless you go through it."

"But depression, you feel like nobody's there, despite my family being so close. They're willing to do whatever, but when you're in that head space and you're in that dark spot, you feel alone."

"You feel like nobody's there, nobody cares. So I guess for me, in those years, that's why I turned to drinking."

In January 2016 -- after a night of heavy drinking -- Hurst attempted to take his own life ... and woke up in a hospital the next day.

"It was the best and worst thing that's ever happened in my life," Hurst says. "Because when I made that decision, when I was in that hospital room, kind of reflecting on everything I had done, I made a promise to myself. I was like, I'm not going to do this again."

Hurst immediately gave up drugs and alcohol and became a star for the Gamecocks ... becoming a first-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in 2018.

Now, Hurst is using his platform to help those going through similar situations ... creating the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation to raise mental health for young people.

Here they are ... the Arizona 49ers!!

Okay, technically they're still the S.F. 49ers -- but they officially practiced in their new "home" stadium in Arizona on Thursday for the first time since they were forced out of the Bay Area over COVID rules.

Just a few days ago, the 49ers were told they would no longer be allowed to practice or play games at their home facility in Santa Clara after county officials placed restrictions on activities to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.

So, the Niners and NFL reps worked with the Arizona Cardinals to practice and play for the foreseeable future in Glendale at State Farm Stadium ... and so far, it seems the team is OK with the new set up.

The 49ers got in some drills and workouts Thursday ... just a couple days before they'll take on the Buffalo Bills on "Monday Night Football" at the stadium next week.

The Niners will stay in Arizona the following week for their Dec. 13 game against Washington Football Team ... before hitting the road to play the Cowboys in Dallas on Dec. 20.

The team will be back in Arizona for a "road" game against the Cardinals on Dec. 26 -- so, yeah, get ready to call Glendale home for the Niners for quite some time!

The Niners are a longshot to make the postseason -- they're 5-6 -- so a home playoff game in Glendale is unlikely.

Pretty good situation for the 49ers all things considered -- especially with the weather ... it's gonna be 70 and sunny this weekend!

Three-time Pro Bowler, Donald Penn, says he ain't callin' his NFL career quits just yet ... the offensive lineman tells TMZ Sports he's ready to play if a playoff team needs him!!

And, with the Rams recently losing left tackle Andrew Whitworth to a knee injury ... the dude says Sean McVay should hit him up!!!

"Why ain't y'all call me yet, man?!" Penn says. "McVay, come on, baby. You my dog! You know what I mean? Hit me up if you need me!"

Penn last played for the Washington Football Team in 2019 -- starting 15 games and performing well.

But, the 37-year-old didn't get the opportunity to latch on with an NFL team this year ... causing some to believe retirement might be on the horizon.

Penn, though, tells us he's still in game shape and ready to help a team make a run at a Super Bowl.

"I mean, it's crazy," Penn tells us. "Sometimes I watch and I'm like man, I look at some of these young cats out here and I'm like, 'Wow, like what are they doing?' I'm like, 'I can do that easily still in my sleep now.'"

Penn says if the opportunity is right -- like playing for a Super Bowl contender like the L.A. Rams -- he'd be down to sign a contract in a heartbeat.

"I'm still staying in shape, ready to go if somebody needs me," Penn says.

There's more ... we also spoke with Penn about his ex-teammates, Derek Carr and Dwayne Haskins -- and he tells us he's sure the two QBs are going to rebound from up-and-down seasons this year.

Odell Beckham is back in the gym and busting his ass just over a month after his devastating ACL injury ... and he's showing off his battle scars.

The Cleveland Browns superstar has been sidelined for the rest of the season after going down in the 1st quarter of the Oct. 25 game against the Cincinnati Bengals ... calling the situation "really f'n tough."

But, OBJ has vowed to bounce back better than ever -- and he's putting his money where his mouth is ... posting footage Thursday from a recent workout.

28-year-old Odell can be seen going through squats and catching drills ... and it's pretty impressive considering the dude had surgery just 3 weeks ago.

"Lord I swear I think I'm healed," Odell said on Wednesday ... as he walked comfortably out of the training facility.

It's been a tough time for Beckham -- who has had his fair share of injuries throughout his career.

The star receiver spoke out about his struggles in an Instagram post this week ... saying, "Ima be honest.... I been thru hell these last couple years n I just keep it pushin... this shxt ain’t for errbody!"

Ex-college football coach Lou Holtz will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday, the White House announced.

The award is recognized as the "Nation's highest civilian honor," according to the White House ... usually given to someone who has "made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public endeavors."

So, why Lou? Here's what Trump's team is saying ...

"America recognizes Lou Holtz as one of the greatest football coaches of all time for his unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron, but he is also a philanthropist, author and true American patriot."

83-year-old Holtz is most well known for leading Notre Dame to a 12-0 record in 1988 -- when the Fighting Irish were crowned national champions.

His career record as a college football coach is 249-132-7 -- with 22 bowl appearances (he won 12 of them).

Outside of football, Holtz has been a staunch Trump supporter who campaigned for POTUS ... and even spoke at the Republican National Convention.

In fact, it was at the RNC when Holtz attacked Trump's opponent Joe Biden over his position on abortion -- saying the former Vice President is a "Catholic in name only."

During his presidency, Trump has given the M.O.F. to several sports legends -- including Tiger Woods, Jerry West and Roger Staubach.

McKenzie Milton -- the QB who almost lost his leg in a horrific '18 injury -- announced he's leaving UCF in hopes of competing for a starting QB job somewhere else.

23-year-old Milton only has 1 year of eligibility left -- and in the 2 years he's spent recovering, his backup Dillon Gabriel has been BALLING OUT for the Knights.

Milton -- who worked his way back to the UCF scout team (incredible considering most people thought his career was over) -- says Gabriel has clearly earned the starting job and he's leaving to avoid any sort of QB controversy.

It's huge news ... Milton was once regarded as one of the top QBs in the country -- leading the Knights to a perfect 12-0 record in 2017. He finished 8th in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.

But then, the injury happened ... Milton took a vicious hit while playing USF in 2018 and suffered catastrophic injuries in his right leg that required emergency surgery to restore blood flow.

Milton was diagnosed with a dislocated right knee as well as ligament, nerve and artery damage -- and his injuries were so bad, doctors considered amputating the lower part of the leg.

After multiple operations and countless hours in rehab and the gym, Milton was cleared to return to the field ... and now, he believes he's healthy and strong enough to play against high-level competition in college and then the NFL.

In an emotional video released by the school, Milton praises UCF for the support they've given him over the years.

"They saved my leg too, man. I wouldn't be able to play football again if it wasn't for UFC ... so, just thank you for everything."

Milton says he approached his head coach Josh Heupel a few weeks ago to explain his decision to leave -- saying, "Coach, I have one shot to go chase a dream ... a lifelong dream to go play in the NFL."

Milton knows he needs to prove to NFL scouts he's back to 100% and the only way to do that is by SHOWING them on game film, which he hopes to accomplish at another university.

UCF has been super supportive of Milton -- with Coach Heupel telling the QB, no matter where he goes next ... "this will always be your home."

Univ. of Michigan AD Warde Manuel is teeing off on Kirk Herbstreit ... calling the ESPN college football analyst a "fool" for suggesting UM could use COVID as an excuse to get out of playing Ohio State next week.

"I think it’s ridiculous," Manuel said Wednesday ... "I have to pause because my words, the anger ... I was infuriated by the insinuation that Michigan would do anything other than play a football game."

"To insinuate that, to say something other than that, is a statement by a fool," Manuel continued.

If you missed it ... earlier this week, Herbstreit was breaking down the college football playoff rankings when he insinuated Michigan could, and possibly should, use COVID-19 as an excuse to duck out of its game with the Buckeyes next week.

Herbie said on the show, "I still think Michigan waves the white flag, potentially avoids playing Ohio State next week, and then they’ll potentially get a game on the 19th."

Herbstreit added there would be incentive for the Wolverines to do that ... explaining the team could screw its rivals out of a spot in the Big Ten championship by bailing out of the matchup.

There was immediate backlash from fans over the comments ... and Herbstreit -- who played quarterback for OSU in his college days -- ultimately apologized over it all.

"It was completely unfair to the University of Michigan, to Jim Harbaugh, to his players and coaches," the 51-year-old said.

Warde, though, was having none of Herbstreit's apology ... 'cause on Wednesday, he blasted the college football analyst despite his mea culpa.

Warde added, "It is something that I can't tell you how embarrassed I am for the Big Ten Conference to have one of their representatives, who played this game, to say that about any team in this conference."

"And to say it about college football and these student-athletes around this country, who are trying to play games during a pandemic, is ridiculous and sad.”

Cris Collinsworth says he's "sick" that a comment he made about female NFL fans on-air Wednesday offended so many ... and now, the long-time announcer is apologizing.

During the Steelers vs. Ravens game, Collinsworth was praising Pittsburgh fans ... when he made a remark about some women he had run into during the lead-up to the game.

"They had really specific questions about the game," Collinsworth said of the women. "And I'm like, 'Wow.' You're just blown away about how strong the fans are here in this town."

The comment was immediately met with backlash ... as many perceived it to be sexist -- with Collinsworth implying he was surprised that females had intricate questions about football.

Collinsworth clearly saw the criticism, because not long after the game ended ... he issued a lengthy apology.

"Today on our broadcast I made reference to a couple of women that I met in Pittsburgh who so impressed me with their football knowledge that I wanted to tell their story on the air," Cris said. "I know the way I phrased it insulted many. I'm so sorry."

"What I intended as a compliment to the fans of Pittsburgh, became an insult. I'm sick about insulting any fan, but especially female fans and journalists."

Cris added, "I know first hand how much harder they have to work than any of us in this industry. I was wrong and I deeply apologize."

The 61-year-old -- who played wide receiver in the NFL in the 1980s -- has been announcing and analyzing NFL games for several networks for decades.