Football

Winning Super Bowls and Olympic medals works wonders for your clout ... 'cause Tom Brady and Simone Biles are on Time's list of most influential people once again.

Of course, the esteemed list highlights the biggest activists, innovators, athletes and artists each year ... and in 2021, several sports stars were honored with the recognition.

Joining TB12 and Biles are Team USA gold medalist Suni Lee, tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, USA track legend Allyson Felix and L.A. Angels pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani.

Biles also graces one of the 7 different covers for the magazine ... which features a touching writeup from Serena Williams on the gymnast's highly publicized mental health battle at the 2020 Tokyo games.

"What she embodies truly reflects the endless potential of Black women." Williams says. "I wish I had her to look up to when I was younger and trying to realize my dreams."

"By living her truth so loudly and by championing mental health, she is setting new standards of beauty, strength and resilience, breaking down today’s image-obsessed stereotypes and encouraging others to do the same."

"Simone is a shining example of what success looks like when you let go of what the world thinks and gather your strength from yourself ... from your soul."

Julian Lewis ain't even in high school yet ... but the Univ. of Florida already knows it wants him on its football team, extending a scholarship offer to the 8th-grade QB on Wednesday.

The middle schooler -- who's not set to graduate from high school until 2026 (!!!) -- announced the move on his social media page ... and later told 247 Sports that Gators head coach Dan Mullen personally extended the full-ride.

"He told me he watched my film and he likes it a lot and he wants to start recruiting me now," said Lewis, who added, "[The offer] is unreal."

Of course, schools recruiting kids who have yet to play a down of varsity football has happened in the past -- but it's extremely rare they get a committable offer THIS early.

Lewis, though, has become known as a bit of a prodigy in the college football recruiting world -- lighting up events both in his hometown of Carrollton, GA and nationally.

He's already 5-foot-11, 175 pounds ... and his tape shows he's got a big arm despite his age.

And, seems other big programs will follow in Florida's footsteps soon ... 'cause the kid's already being courted by schools like LSU, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia.

The Washington Football Team is welcoming the LGBTQ community to Thursday Night Football this week ... with the org. announcing its monumental "Pride Night Out."

It's a first for the WFT ... which partnered up with Team DC -- an organization that promotes LGBTQ involvement in sports -- to put on the event for their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants at FedEx Field.

The team is hosting a dope pre-game party with an all-you-can-eat buffet and beer ... plus a "guaranteed limited edition Washington Football Team Pride giveaway."

There will also be reserved tickets -- prices starting at $28 -- specifically for the Pride Night attendees, so they can enjoy the game together in the lower level, upper level and club level.

The bash will have performances by The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and the LGBTQ marching band, the DC’s Different Drummers, at the game, too.

WFT's Vice President of Guest Experience Joey Colby-Begovich says the team is taking a different direction than they have in the past when it comes to their audience.

"We want to be intentional in celebrating our communities beyond the traditional football fans and that includes people of color and marginalized communities," Colby-Begoich said to the Washington Blade.

"Football is for everyone!"

The event comes on the heels of Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib making history as the first openly gay player to take the field in a regular-season game.

One of Aaron Rodgers' former favorite targets in Green Bay, Jermichael Finley, just went off on the quarterback ... saying he believes the Packers star has lost his "hunger" to play.

The ex-Green Bay tight end -- who caught passes from Rodgers from 2008 through 2013 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments Tuesday, explaining he thinks Rodgers has simply lost his fire.

"Bro, it's the National Football League," Finley told Max Kellerman on the "Keyshawn JWill & Max" show. "Each offseason you've got to work like it's your last season."

"And, I just don't see a work ethic in Aaron Rodgers that I have in previous years."

Rodgers had one of his worst games as a pro on Sunday, throwing for just 133 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 38-3 loss to the Saints.

And, after an offseason where Rodgers stayed away from Green Bay and instead traveled the globe with his fiancee Shailene Woodley and hosted "Jeopardy!", it's clear Finley believes Rodgers' priorities have shifted from being great on the gridiron to other parts of his life.

"Actually, you can see it right through his helmet," Finley said of his ex-QB. "The eyes and the face tells everything as a personality. And, I just don't see that NFL hunger and just the hunger to go win another championship."

Finley has been critical of Rodgers in the past and has been accused of having an ax to grind against the NFL MVP ... but Jermichael insisted he was not "hating" with his strong takes Tuesday.

"I'm not a hater," Finley said. "I'm looking out, actually. I just want the guys to do their best and play Packer football."

For his part, Rodgers didn't seem too concerned about his Week 1 performance while talking with Pat McAfee on Tuesday ... even joking about a shot he took to his groin during an interception.

Aaron Rodgers says one of the interceptions he threw against the Saints on Sunday was NOT his fault ... explaining the miscue was all entirely due to two New Orleans players hitting him in the groin during the play.

Seriously.

The Green Bay Packers star made the claim on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... saying two defenders careening on his family jewels just before he threw a third-quarter pass caused him to toss the ball to the opposite team.

"I don't like to make a lot of excuses for interceptions," Rodgers said. "There's some s*** ones. There's some ones you wish you had back. And, there's some ones that really aren't your fault."

Rodgers continued, "That one was entirely due to the double nut shot I took."

In video of the play, you can see what Rodgers is talking about ... 'cause just before he released his pass, two defenders' arms do appear to hit him just below the belt.

"Right before I'm throwing it I took a left kind of closeline," Rodgers said, adding, "and somebody on the right with a right kind of cross -- double nut shot."

Rodgers called it "painful" -- "they got their money's worth on that one," the reigning NFL MVP said -- but he joked he's "got to overcome that and throw a better ball in that situation."

Good to see Rodgers can laugh about it all now ... especially considering he and the Pack ultimately got obliterated, 38-3, in the season opener.

Ciara wore something Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Grimes couldn't get their hands on for the Met Gala -- a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Russell Wilson!!

The singer showed up to the big event Monday night channeling her hubby's day job -- decked out in a sparkly green dress resembling Wilson's #3 Seahawks jersey, which was designed by Peter Dundas.

Ciara also held a bedazzled mini football clutch ... just to make sure everyone knew the theme she was going for.

But, to complete the look, Ciara pulled out quite possibly the biggest flex of all-time -- Wilson's Super Bowl XLVIII ring he won in 2014!!!

"My Hubby’s color rush Seahawks jersey transformed into a dress + His Super Bowl XLVIII ring = EVERYTHING!" Ciara posted on Instagram.

So, where was Russ?? The Seattle superstar was busy bro'ing out with Peyton and Eli Manning during their "Monday Night Football" broadcast ... but don't worry, he was sure to shower her with compliments in the comment section.

"My queen. My Everything," Wilson said.

LSU football student staff member Kevione Faulk -- daughter of 3-time Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk -- tragically passed away on Monday, the team announced. She was just 19 years old.

The Tigers released a statement on Faulk's passing ... saying, "We are heartbroken with the passing of Kevione Faulk, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Faulk family and all of those who love Kevione."

A cause of death has not been released at this time.

"She was part of the LSU Family, and we mourn the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate and a colleague. We ask that all Tigers keep the Faulks in their prayers and respect their privacy at this difficult time."

Kevione's father, Kevin, currently serves as the running backs coach in Baton Rouge ... and is the program's all-time leading rusher after a stellar career from 1995-98. He was on staff when LSU won the national championship in 2020.

Kevin also had a lengthy career in the NFL ... playing from 1999-2011 for the New England Patriots, winning 3 Super Bowls with Tom Brady.

Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player ever to play in an NFL game Monday night ... and then he came up big for his squad -- helping the Raiders win with a huge sack in overtime!!

Lining up for the first time in a regular season game since opening up publicly about his sexuality in June ... Nassib was all over the field during Las Vegas' win over the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."

He logged three tackles and was disruptive throughout the evening -- but in the game's overtime period, he made a monster play to help lead the Raiders to a victory.

As the Ravens were attempting to drive down the field for a game-winning score ... Nassib sacked Lamar Jackson, forcing a fumble.

The Raiders were able to recover the ball ... and just a few snaps later, Derek Carr sealed it with a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Afterward, Nassib was pumped to get the win ... telling reporters, "It was really special."

"I'm really happy that we got the win on the day that kind of made a little bit of history which was really nice to do," Nassib added.

A reporter also informed the 28-year-old that a fan had worn his jersey and was attending an NFL game for the first time in order to support Nassib after his announcement.

And, Carl was stoked over the anecdote -- saying, "That's amazing. That's a great story. I love that."

A Washington Football Team fan unloaded on a fellow fan in the stands during the team's game against the Chargers on Sunday ... dropping haymaker after haymaker on the poor guy.

In footage of the melee, filmed by someone sitting near the violence, you can see a man in a Clinton Portis jersey began scrapping with another guy in a Sean Taylor uni.

Unclear what started the tilt ... but the man in the Portis jersey quickly got the upper hand -- and never let off the gas pedal until other fans finally intervened.

The clip shows the dude threw roughly 13 punches -- with many of them landing flush on the other man's face.

No word if anyone suffered injuries in the fight ... but we're betting at the very least, they're both pretty damn sore today.

As for the action on the field, the WFT ended up losing to L.A., 20-16 ... so, yeah, tough day all around for these guys.

Clay Helton is getting the axe -- the University of Southern California has fired its head coach just 2 games into the season.

The 49-year-old had a 46-24 record with the Trojans ... but a 42-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday appeared to be the last straw for fans, boosters, alums ... and now, school officials.

USC AD Mike Bohn released a statement Monday ... saying, "This afternoon I informed Clay Helton of my decision to make a change in the leadership of our football program."

"Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to your young men. We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best."

USC legend Keyshawn Johnson tweeted his frustrations with Helton on Saturday ... saying, "I’m so pissed, I can no longer FIGHT ON for Him ….. Period  embarrassing."

But, it wasn't all bad for Helton's Trojans -- he led USC to a 2017 Rose Bowl win over Saquon Barkley and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Trojans won the Pac-12 South 3 times in Helton's time with USC.

So, why uproot the program early into the season?? Bohn says he felt interim HC Donte Williams is the best coach for the team this season.

"Donte is an experienced and well-respected coach is renowned for this ability to develop relationships with student-athletes, and I appreciate his willingness to take on this challenge."

Bohn says the decision puts 1-1 USC one step closer to winning a national title ... which is the ultimate goal for the organization for years to come.

"With our storied history, our talented young roster, and the major investments we've made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I'm optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for us."

Several Bears and Rams fans got into a wild brawl Sunday night -- with multiple men throwing and landing massive haymakers -- and the violence was all captured on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The calamity all started at the beginning of L.A.'s game against Chicago ... when one witness tells us a Bears fan got into a verbal argument with several Rams fans for cheering the action on the field.

The witness says things got so aggressive in the seats, security at SoFi Stadium had to step in and request people swap chairs in order to keep the peace.

We're told after the game, though, some of the men ran into each other inside the concourses at the newly built arena -- and it didn't take long for the fists to start flying.

In video of the battle, you can see multiple scraps broke out ... including one where a man in an Akiem Hicks jersey was pummeled by punches and kicks.

In fact, the fights were so violent ... you can see blood actually ended up smeared all over the man's Hicks jersey.

We're told security was eventually able to break things up ... ultimately putting one of the combatants in handcuffs -- though it's unclear if any actual arrests were made.

Scary news from the Denver Broncos ... head coach Vic Fangio says offensive lineman Graham Glasgow was forced to go to a New York hospital following their game Sunday after he experienced heart issues during the contest.

Fangio said Glasgow left MetLife Stadium in an ambulance after the team's 27-13 win over the Giants ... explaining the 29-year-old guard "had an irregular heartbeat going."

"We kept him up there in New York and they examined him totally," Fangio said. "He's still up there. He'll stay the night."

The good news ... Fangio said tests so far have come back "so good" -- and the expectation is Glasgow will return to Denver on Tuesday.

Glasgow -- who signed a 4-year deal worth $44 million with Denver in 2020 -- thanked everyone for checkin' up on him Monday ... writing on his social media page, "I appreciate all the well wishes."

"Looking forward to a quick recovery and getting back out there. It was a great team win, and excited to see where myself and the team go from here. Thanks."

The Broncos are scheduled to play next Sunday in Denver against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stefon Diggs paid a special tribute to the late Michael K. Williams during the Bills' season opener on Sunday ... rockin' some incredible "The Wire" tribute cleats while on the field.

The heat feet were white and black with blue laces ... and they featured painted-on characters from "The Wire," including Williams' iconic Omar Little.

On one of the spikes, the cleat artist -- Mache -- also painted on the words "A Man Must Have A Code" ... which, of course, was a famous line Williams' character used often during the ultra-popular series.

On the other cleat, the words "The Wire" were written on the outer part of the shoe.

As we previously reported, Williams was tragically found dead in his Brooklyn apartment earlier this month after an apparent overdose. He was just 54 years old.

Baltimore Orioles announcer, Kevin Brown, also recently honored MKW ... quoting another iconic line during a home run call last week.

It was the Culpo Bowl between the Carolina Panthers and NY Jets on Sunday ... 'cause Olivia Culpo and her sister, Sophia, got to watch their NFL star boyfriends face off against each other!!!

Of course, OC has been dating Panthers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey for about 2 years ... and her little sis went "IG official" with Jets WR Braxton Berrios back on Valentine's Day.

So, when the Jets and Panthers faced off in Charlotte in Week 1, the Culpo sisters had to split up and root for opposing teams ... and there was plenty of friendly smack talk.

"Kiss my ass," Olivia told Sophia while flashing her butt ... as Sophia responded, "Oh we'll see, sis. WE. WILL. SEE."

Ultimately, the Panthers came away with the 19-14 win ... but both guys balled out.

CMC had 98 yards on the ground and added 89 receiving yards ... and Berrios had 5 receptions for 51 yards.

The foursome definitely enjoyed the offseason ... taking several romantic trips in paradise.

No matter what happens during the 2021 season, one thing's for sure -- Braxton and Christian are both winners off the field.

Raheem Mostert was engulfed by hate messages from fans after the NFL star suffered an injury Sunday ... with the RB's wife saying people said the Niners player "should kill himself."

Devon Mostert spelled it all out in an emotional social media post hours after the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions ... saying she and her hubby received "THOUSANDS" of terrible comments following the game.

In her post, Devon said some of the messages suggested Mostert be cut from the team ... while others made fun of his injury history.

"I know I shouldn't care, but wow. Wow wow wow," Devon said. "The nasty things some of you just carelessly say is gut wrenching. I don't think ya'll get it. Football is my husband's job. It's how my family EATS. To read such HEARTLESS and degrading comments about the person I LOVE hurts."

Devon continued, "And I try so hard to shake them off... I do. But when there's HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS. It's a lot."

Mostert played just a handful of snaps against the Lions, recording two carries for 20 yards before hurting his knee.

The extent of his injury is unknown -- Devon said he'll undergo further testing Monday ... and they're "praying" it's all minor.

"R's gonna be good," Devon added. "He always comes back stronger."

"Thank you to everyone that sent prayers," she continued. "I appreciate you and I see your beautiful heart. Holding my babies extra long tonight."

Raheem was expected to have a huge role for the 49ers this season ... after he rushed for 521 yards and two scores in 8 games for SF last season.

Football fans aren't just trollin' Zach Wilson after his week 1 loss as starting QB for the NY Jets -- they're goin' after his momma, too!

Wilson's mom, Lisa, shared some of the DMs she received on Instagram after her son's 19-14 loss against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

FYI, the rookie QB had 258 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception -- but was sacked 6 TIMES!

One of the messages Lisa got was from a guy named Chase saying, "Your son is a**" -- and she responded, "Praying for your angry hateful heart!"

The "fan" didn't stop there -- he hit her back with, "praying for your son to get better at f**king football!"

Lisa shared another one ... a fan named Austin saying, "real talk tho, y ur son so dog sh** at football."

Her answer, "I'm so sorry you're so angry. I hope you can find happiness!"

"Hate is so toxic!!!"