Football

With the first pick in the 2021 Fantasy Football Draft, Austin Ekeler selects ... AUSTIN EKELER!!!! -- 'cause the Chargers star tells TMZ Sports he's betting on himself to lead his team to victory this year.

26-year-old Ekeler has been a fantasy weapon for years as a dual-threat running back ... but unfortunately, went down with a tough hamstring injury during week 4 of the 2020 season.

While AE was able to return to the action, he says he was never back at 100% for the rest of the year ... leaving folks wondering what to do when the new fantasy season ramps up in 2021.

But, rest assured all you fantasy nuts -- Ekeler says he's feeling great and ready to dominate this season ... and is SO confident in what he'll be able to do, he's taking himself right at the top of his draft!!

"I would definitely be skeptical, too, absolutely," Ekeler tells us. "I'm picking myself #1 overall because I'm betting on myself. Feeling great, feeling explosive. Ready for these preseason games to be over with so we can get on the dang field."

Austin even makes a pitch to those who may be timid about drafting him ... saying he's just as dominant as he's always been and will have plenty of opportunities to rack up the points for his fantasy owners!!

Ekeler knows what he's talking about -- he's become a huge fantasy nut over the past few years ... and he's even hosting a weekly show with Yahoo Sports on the topic called "Ekeler's Edge."

But, if you needed any more incentive to get AE for your team, the dude is giving back to his supporters with an awesome giveaway ... by gifting an autographed jersey each week of the season to one lucky FF player who wins their matchup with Ekeler in the lineup.

Rutgers football player Peyton Powell says he's transferring ... claiming it's all 'cause the university has made it mandatory for students to get the COVID vaccine.

The school announced back in March if students wanted to attend classes and play football for the university, they'd have to get the shots.

"We are committed to health and safety for all members of our community," Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway said when announcing the decision.

"Adding COVID-19 vaccination to our student immunization requirements will help provide a safer and more robust college experience for our students."

Powell says after considering the school's choice ... he's now decided to leave the university in search of one that will not make the vaccine mandatory.

"The University of Rutgers has made the COVID vaccine mandatory to attend school and play football," Powell said Tuesday on his social media page.

"Therefore I have no other choice but to enter my name into the transfer portal."

The move will mark the second time in Powell's college football career that he's transferred ... the 6-foot-2, 185-pound DB was at Baylor during his freshman season in 2019 before switching to the Scarlet Knights.

Before that, Powell was a touted 4-star recruit from Permian High School in Texas.

FYI -- Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said earlier this month that 90% of the football team had been vaccinated.

The team is slated to begin its season on Sept. 2.

Team USA star Sydney McLaughlin is rockin' more than just an Olympic gold medal around her neck ... she's also wearing an engagement ring on her hand after her boyfriend proposed -- and she said "YES!!!"

The 22-year-old sprinter revealed the awesome news on Wednesday -- penning a beautiful love note to her future hubby, ex-NFL receiver Andre Levrone.

"I fall in love with you more and more each day off of the strength of your faith," McLaughlin said on Instagram.

"Andre, you are the most God-fearing, passionate, honest, loving, hard working, protective, and genuine man I’ve ever met."

Unsure how long the two have been dating but the couple went IG official when Levrone shared a photo of them together in December 2020.

"The calling God has on our lives goes far beyond our love for one another. This union will impact lives for His kingdom, and that’s what excites me most."

"You're the perfect man to lead me, and I cannot wait to follow."

Of course, McLaughlin just got back from the Tokyo Olympics, winning the gold and setting a record time of 51.46 seconds in the women's 400 meters hurdle.

Her fiancé is also an athlete -- the 26-year-old WR entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2018 ... and played for the Ravens, Jaguars and Panthers before retiring in September 2020. He's currently a project engineer.

Scary news from Vinny Curry ... the New York Jets defensive end announced he's out for the 2021 season after he had to get his spleen removed due to a rare blood disorder.

The 33-year-old revealed the diagnosis on his social media page Wednesday ... the day after the Jets put him on the reserve/non-football injury list.

"In July, the Jets doctors diagnosed me with a rare blood disorder," said Curry, who signed a 1-year, $1.3 million contract with NY in the offseason.

"The diagnoses required the removal of my spleen and projected me to return to the field in the middle of September."

But, Curry says his comeback date changed ... after he developed blood clots during his recovery.

Vinny says he's now currently on blood thinners which will prevent him from having "physical contact for the next three to six months."

"While I am incredibly disappointed that I will not be able to play with my teammates this year, I am thankful that the doctors identified my condition in time," Curry said.

Curry added that doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

"I can promise them all that I will be back stronger and more determined than ever!" Curry said.

NFL star Michael Thomas says his offseason training program was severely disrupted by some nightmare landlords in L.A. ... and now, he's suing, looking for more than $1 MILLION in damages.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the New Orleans Saints wide receiver says he agreed to rent a mansion in the Bel-Air area from Feb. 4 to April 5.

The place was awesome -- it had six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and an incredible gym, media room and pool.

Thomas claims the deal with the owner was simple ... he says he agreed to pay $60,000 a month in rent, as well as a $60,000 deposit.

Thomas says the owner promised to leave the NFL player alone too ... allowing him to train for the 2021 season without any interruptions.

Thomas claims he paid $120k for the two-month rental term, and also paid the $60k security deposit in full just before moving in.

But, Thomas says after he moved in, there was nothing but drama with the place.

The 28-year-old says there were issues with the pad's pool, garage doors and kitchen appliances. Thomas also says reps from the place "repeatedly" showed up to the home unannounced, interrupting Thomas' workouts.

To make matters worse, Thomas says the mansion's owner refused to give back any portion of his $60k security deposit after he moved out in April.

Thomas is now suing for breach of lease and more, and is asking for more than $1,000,000 in damages.

It's all VERY interesting ... considering the drama currently going down with Thomas and his Saints team.

Reportedly, New Orleans wanted Thomas to have surgery on his injured ankle following the 2020 season ... right around the time the receiver began renting the Bel-Air mansion.

But, Michael opted to try to heal the injury on his own ... and allegedly didn't communicate much -- if at all -- with the Saints during that process.

NFL legend Herschel Walker is following in his buddy Donald Trump's footsteps and starting his own political career ... by running for U.S. Senate in the state of Georgia.

Walker officially filed paperwork for the seat -- currently held by Democratic U.S Sen. Raphael Warnock -- with the Federal Elections Commission on Tuesday ... and is surely expected to get public support from #45.

Of course, Trump and Walker have been tight for decades ... dating back to when the running back played for the USFL's New Jersey Generals, which the businessman owned at the time.

Walker later appeared on Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' show in 2009 ... and was "fired" in the 8th episode.

Trump even added Walker to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2018 ... where he still serves as council chairman.

Trump said back in March that it would be "fantastic" if Walker ran ... saying, he would be "unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL."

"He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!"

Walker made an emotional speech at his Republican National Convention last August, saying POTUS was not a racist.

"It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald. The worst one is racist," Walker said at the convention.

"I take it as a personal insult that people would think I've had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People who think that don't know what they're talking about."

Mitch Trubisky is making it clear -- he did NOT send a tweet about kissing boobs back in 2011 ... explaining it was his friend who posted it to his account as a prank!

The Buffalo Bills QB finally publicly explained the origins of the infamous social media post this week ... saying it all started while he and some pals were on the road for a basketball tourney a decade ago.

"So, you're in the hotel with your buddies, and you're just messing around on each other's phones or whatnot," Mitch told Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast.

"And then, eight years later, I found out that somebody tweeted out that."

Mitch didn't reveal the friend's name ... though he did say the guy is now part of the Chicago White Sox's organization.

You'll recall, the tweet was met with some backlash after it resurfaced during Trubisky's draft night in 2017 ... but the 27-year-old says it's hardly had any effect on his life or career since.

"I actually gained a lot of fans from that," Trubisky joked. "So, it was, like, positive in a way."

Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley -- who's passionately outspoken against getting the COVID-19 vaccine -- will spend the next 5 days in quarantine ... this, after coming in close contact with a trainer who tested positive for the virus.

Beasley and fellow WR Gabriel Davis -- who have both been opposed to getting the jab -- tested negative for the virus on Monday ... but due to the NFL's protocols, they're now forced to spend nearly a week away from the team.

Worth noting -- the trainer who tested positive was fully vaccinated, according to Adam Schefter.

Of course, vaccinated players who are deemed close contacts are not required to quarantine ... and are only tested once every two weeks, as opposed to unvaccinated players being tested daily.

It shouldn't come as a surprise Beasley isn't vaccinated -- he's gone on countless rants on the topic, even saying, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley's teammate, Dion Dawkins, meanwhile, is taking COVID-19 and the vaccination seriously ... after being hospitalized with the virus for four days.

It's not Deion Sanders, Tyreek Hill or Bo Jackson ... no, the fastest NFL player ever is Chris Johnson -- so says CJ2K himself.

The legendary Tennessee Titans running back made the claim to TMZ Sports ... saying if he lined up for a race against every fast NFL legend ever -- and everyone was still in their prime -- he would've dusted them all.

"No question," Johnson says.

The statement is a bold one -- after all, Sanders alone is rumored to have once run a 4.1 40-yard dash -- but Chris says he believes in his speed THAT much.

"You look at my tape, I've never been caught," Johnson says. "I made people pull hamstrings!"

Johnson's obviously not lying ... the guy ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL Combine -- and his speed was consistently on display throughout his 10-year NFL career.

As for if CJ2K could still get it done on the track ... he told us that just ain't happenin' now -- admitting Hill would beat him in a sprint today.

Carson Wentz is stepping in to help Haiti following a deadly earthquake that killed over 2,100 people ... by donating $250,000 to help those affected by the tragedy.

The Indianapolis Colts QB announced the amazing gesture via video message Sunday, saying his wife, Madison, his AO1 Foundation and Haiti's Mission Of Hope are teaming up to help the victims of the August 14 earthquake.

"Currently there's great need for medical supplies, medications, food, clean water and shelter," Wentz said.

"To meet this need, my wife and I, as well as the AO1 Foundation, are proud to announce that we'll once again be partnering with Mission of Hope by donating 250,000 towards the relief efforts in Haiti."

The 7.2 earthquake reportedly killed over 2,100 people and left thousands injured -- this is 11 years after another devastating earthquake that killed between 220,000 to 300,000 people.

"Our family has been impacted tremendously by the country of Haiti and its people," Wentz said on Twitter.

"Please consider joining us prayerfully and financially as Haiti continues to rebuild and restore hope in their country. God bless!"

Wentz has been deeply involved with Haiti since 2017 ... the 28-year-old helped build their sports complex and even had teammates go out there with him for charitable work.

It should be Justin Fields -- NOT Andy Dalton -- under center for the Bears in Week 1 ... so says Willie Gault, who tells TMZ Sports there's no point in delaying the rookie's debut.

Despite taking Fields with the #11 pick in the spring's NFL draft ... Chicago has seemed set on starting Dalton.

But, after two strong performances in Fields' first two preseason games with the team ... Gault is now calling for the former Ohio State star to just start right away.

"The coach is going to make that decision, but for me, let's go!" the former Bears wideout told us at a charity softball game in Los Angeles on Sunday.

"Why not?! Off the bat, absolutely."

Fields has dazzled at times during his limited preseason snaps so far ... piling up 222 passing yards on 23 completions while adding 79 rushing yards on just nine carries.

The dude has even showed some legit toughness ... taking a massive shot in Chicago's game against the Bills on Saturday and getting right back up afterward.

All of it has Gault clamoring for the Bears to make him QB1 ... saying, "Only way to learn is you got to do it!"

The hits at the Steelers and Lions game didn't just happen on the field, fans got in on the action too ... with a nasty brawl spurred from a woman slapping a man in the face.

The now-viral video shows the man and woman in some sort of argument, and you hear the woman yell something like, "shut up and get the f*** out!" The woman apparently made contact when yelling, because the man tells her "don't touch me" and swipes her hand away.

That's when you see the woman deliver the slap ... and all hell breaks loose.

Fists fly, and a man who was sitting next to the woman, and seemingly someone who she knows, jumps to her defense. The man who was slapped connects with both the man and woman ... and one punch seemingly knocks the guy out.

Luckily, other fans at the game stepped in before things got worse. It's currently unclear what started the whole thing and if any arrests have been made.

The fight marks the second crazy brawl between fans in as many weeks ... a video from L.A. last week showed an all-out frenzy during the Rams game.

As for the game in Pittsburgh, it was only preseason ... but the Steelers beat the Lions 26-20.

Terrell Owens says Tyreek Hill is pretty fast ... but he ain't fast enough to beat Usain Bolt in a race -- telling TMZ Sports the idea of a battle on the track between the two is straight-up "comical!"

There's been talks about a possible race between the Chiefs star and the Olympic legend for months -- with Bolt most recently saying on "The Dan Patrick Show" he's fine upping the stakes for the run.

Patrick suggested Hill put up his Super Bowl ring, while Bolt put up one of his gold medals -- and the track star was fine with the idea!

Hill said he'd be up for it too ... but when we asked Owens who would win, the Hall of Famer laughed.

"We raced last year," Owens said of Hill. "He said he would give me like 10 steps and he would beat me in the 100 and I don't even know if he gained a yard on me!"

"So, to think that he can beat Usain Bolt!?! I mean, straight up, there's no way possible. I mean, have you seen this guy run?!?"

Bolt is considered one of the fastest men that's ever lived ... and while Hill is speedy (he ran a 4.2 40-yard dash back in 2016), Owens made it clear he'll NEVER put his money on Hill in this battle.

"He'll have a better chance at trying to possibly race me and maybe beating me by a number of yards but he's not touching Usain Bolt!" Owens said. "That's not even happening!"

Owens, meanwhile, is gunning to set up his own high-profile race ... telling us he's down to put $100K on a sprint with ex-NFL wideout Brandon Marshall!

"He called me out!" Owens said of Marshall. "He wagered 100K to race me in a 60-meter that has yet to be done because he keeps backing out. He's backed out on me twice!"

Want to win your Fantasy Football league this season? Draft Trey Lance ... so says FF expert Mike Wright, who claims the 49ers QB is a "cheat code" for a championship this year.

Wright, a draft expert with "Fantasy Footballers" -- one of the most accurate fantasy advice shows on the planet -- broke it all down for TMZ Sports this week, explaining he believes Lance is in store for a HUGE year.

"I have been all in on especially Trey Lance," Wright says.

As for why, Wright claims as the #3 overall pick in this year's NFL draft ... Lance is in line to start a HUGE number of San Francisco games this season -- even if Jimmy Garoppolo opens the year as QB1 in the Bay Area.

Wright also says Lance's legs and the ability pile up easy points with scrambles and designed QB runs could lead to league-winning numbers for Fantasy Football players once he gets in the Niners' lineup.

"He is one of just a couple quarterbacks in the league that has the potential to be a 1,000-yard rusher," Wright tells us ... adding, "That is the cheat code. That unlocks your quarterback's fantasy scoring."

The New England Patriots logo will be a symbol of much-needed relief for earthquake-ravaged Haiti ... the team's plane is heading to the island with medical supplies and doctors.

The 767 jet was loaded up Saturday morning at Logan International Airport in Boston, and is about to go wheels up ... carrying thousands of items like IV fluid and bags, oxygen masks, surgical supplies, hospital beds, sterilizers and generators. Just as importantly, it's carrying 2 orthopedic surgeons, 3 physicians and a nurse to assist victims in the wake of the 7.2 earthquake and a tropical storm. More than 2,100 have died and millions are injured or without shelter.

Build Health International coordinated the relief items, and team owner Robert Kraft donated the jet to transport the supplies. Additionally, we're told the Kraft family is donating drinking water, surgical masks and PPE that includes N95 masks and face shields.

These missions are becoming just as common for the Patriots as Super Bowl victories. You'll recall, the team jet was used in May to fly COVID vaccines to Central America ... and last year the Kraft family sent it to China to bring back tons of N95 masks to the U.S.

Drew Pearson is concerned for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys ... saying he believes the quarterback not playing in the preseason this year could cost the team BIGTIME.

The Hall of Fame wideout explained his stance to TMZ Sports ... saying he thinks Dak NEEDS preseason games after sitting out most of last season with an ankle injury.

"I think you need to at least go out there and start a series and get the feel of that, have that confidence that you’re ok," Drew says.

Of course, Dallas has announced Dak will NOT play in the preseason ... as they're being overly cautious with a new shoulder injury that cropped up for Prescott a few weeks ago.

Drew says he'd handle things differently with Dak if he were running the team ... telling us he believes preseason games are the key to early success in the regular season.

"You know, back in the day, we played preseason games, OK?" Pearson says. "Back when I started, we played six of them. And, we played each and every one."

Drew says he believes that formula helped him stay healthy and play effectively in nearly every game of his career ... adding, "I missed three games in 11 years."

"Billy Joe Dupree missed none. 'Too Tall' [Ed Jones] played 15, missed none. Randy White, 15, missed none. That's because we were in condition to handle the physical part of the game."

Regular season for the Cowboys kicks off on Sept. 9 ... guess we'll know soon enough if the Cowboys made the right call.