Football

Two NFL players -- including a 2019 1st round draft pick -- have been accused of armed robbery and arrest warrants have been issued, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement confirms NY Giants cornerback Deandre Baker (the 30th overall pick in 2019) is facing 4 charges of armed robbery and 4 charges of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar is facing 4 counts of armed robbery.

According to police, the two men were partying in Miramar, FL on May 13 ... when things took a disturbing turn.

Cops say Baker and Dunbar were allegedly hanging at a cookout -- playing cards and video games -- when an argument broke out and Baker whipped out a semi-automatic firearm.

Cops say the men began to rob party guests ... with Dunbar assisting in taking watches and other valuables at the direction of Baker.

At one point, cops say Baker directed a 3rd man -- who was wearing a red mask -- to shoot someone who had just walked into the party ... but fortunately, no one was actually shot.

James Harrison says Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin "handed me an envelope" after one of the most vicious hits of his career ... calling it the "G-est thing" Tomlin ever did.

The hit Harrison is referring to went down against the Cleveland Browns in 2010 ... when he led with his helmet and laid out a defenseless Mohamed Massaquoi.

The hit resulted in a $75,000 fine and Massaquoi left the game with a concussion ... and now, Harrison is sharing his side of the infamous incident.

"Listen, on everything I love, on my daddy’s grave, I hit that man with about 50% of what I had and I just hit him because I wanted him to let loose of the ball," Harrison told Barstool Sports' "Going Deep" podcast.

"If I had knew they was gonna fine me $75,000, I would have tried to kill him."

What Harrison said next could be problematic for Tomlin, who is still the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"And, I ain’t gonna lie to you, when that happened, right? the G-est thing Mike Tomlin ever did, he handed me an envelope after that."

"I ain’t gonna say what, but he handed me an envelope after that."

Remember -- the New Orleans Saints got in HUGE trouble with Bountygate from 2009-2011 ... when players were paid bonuses for injuring opponents.

The insinuation is there was money in the envelope -- but Harrison doesn't confirm or deny that.

He also doesn't say if Tomlin had paid him to carry out the hit ... or if Tomlin was offering to pay the coming NFL fine.

One thing is clear ... the comment is raising A LOT of eyebrows.

We've reached out to the NFL for comment ... so far, no word back.

Joe Buck says multiple networks, including Fox, are seriously considering using fake crowd noise during NFL game broadcasts to try and replicate a "normal viewing experience" ... but he wants to make it clear, nothing is set in stone.

Of course, with the COVID-19 pandemic still in full swing, there's a real chance fans will NOT be allowed to attend NFL games in person whenever the 2020 season kicks off.

Buck appeared on ''Andy Cohen Live'' on SiriusXM on Wednesday ... and said the networks are kicking around some ideas to try and replicate the usual NFL watching experience at home.

"I think Fox and these networks have to put crowd noise under us to make it as a normal viewing experience at home," Buck said.

Andy Cohen asked, "You think they'll do that?"

Buck replied, "I do. In fact, I know they'll do it."

"It's pretty much a done deal. I think whoever's going to be at that control is gonna have to be really good at their job and be realistic with how a crowd would react depending on what just happened on the field."

"On top of that, they're looking at ways to put virtual fans in the stands so when you see a wide shot it looks like the stadium is jam-packed when in fact it will be empty."

Buck added on Twitter on Thursday, "It doesn’t have to be over the top."

"But, something has to be there," Buck said ... "Crowd reactions are an enormous piece of the TV puzzle. All reactions by a crowd are valuable and to be used -- as far as I know."

"I use it as much as I can and still keep my job. Big moments -- like the MN Miracle -- are MADE on tv because of the crowd noise."

As for the virtual-fans part of the TV equation ... Buck told Cohen that Fox is trying to work on the logistics of all that, before adding on Twitter, "They are working every day on ANYTHING to make our shows the best on TV."

Sorry, Rams ... Eric Dickerson hates the new uniforms just as much as the new logos -- saying Wednesday the redesigned L.A. helmets look "horrible" and "terrible."

"It looks almost like a Chargers logo," the Rams legend said on AM570's "Lunchtime with Roggin And Rodney." "It looks like two bananas is what it looks like."

ED went in on the shoulder stripes as well as the lines on the pants ... and called the whole new look straight-up "soft."

"This is football," Dickerson said. "This ain't nothing to do with surfing. This ain't nothing to do with waves. This is football. This is a man's sport. And, to me, it just looks soft."

ED added, "It don't look football. It don't look hard."

The Rams unveiled several new uniform options for the 2020 season Wednesday ... showing off new blue, grey (or as they call it, "bone") and yellow kits that they appeared to be proud as hell of.

Of course, it should come as no surprise Dickerson crapped all over that party ... considering the dude MURDERED their logo unveiling a few weeks ago.

Remember, ED famously said the new Ram looked like a penis!!

Dickerson says he's voiced his concerns to team brass ... but he says there's just nothing they're willing to do about it now.

It's been a year since LeSean McCoy ruined the ending to the insanely anticipated "Avengers: Endgame" movie ... and the NFL star is FINALLY apologizing for the huge mistake.

Of course, Shady infamously tweeted out "RIP my dog TONEY STARK" on April 26, 2019 -- before most people were able to check out the Marvel flick for themselves ... and instantly became Public Enemy No. 1 on social media.

BTW -- for those who haven't seen the flick, Iron Man dies at the end of "Avengers: Endgame." You've had a year to watch it. It's not our problem anymore.

McCoy was asked about the epic spoiler on "Good Morning Football" Wednesday ... and it's safe to say the dude will never live it down.

"That was the worst decision of my life, okay?"

"I didn't know like, the reaction of the people. I didn't know that. If I knew that, I would've never tweeted that. I didn't know that people really got into them cartoons like that." (yes, he called them "cartoons").

Shady says people STILL ask him why on earth he'd ruin the superhero saga while out in public ... but he's learned from his mistakes and will keep all spoilers in his drafts from now on.

"I apologize. It was terrible. It was a bad decision."

One of the most anticipated college football games of 2020 will NOT go down as scheduled ... so says FS1 star Colin Cowherd, who reports USC vs. Alabama in Sept. won't happen.

"Told by two people I trust -- USC v Alabama isn't happening," "The Herd" host said. "Trojans can’t even practice in LA potentially for several months. This is why Bama already talking to other possible opponents."

The game's currently scheduled for Sept. 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas ... but with the Pac-12's home schools' states still imposing some of the most strict stay-at-home orders in the nation ... the game is in serious jeopardy.

In fact, with officials in Los Angeles -- home of both UCLA and USC -- announcing Monday their coronavirus lockdown orders could last all the way until AT LEAST August, things are looking super grim for the season as a whole, let alone the schools' opening matchups.

And, Cowherd says he's already hearing the Bama-SC opener cancellation is coming.

"Not official but understood," Colin reported Tuesday night.

There have already been reports the Tide is looking into replacements for USC ... with the school reportedly in talks with TCU for a new season opener.

But, SC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a statement late Tuesday the Trojans still regularly communicate with the Tide and "have every intention of playing our game against Alabama" despite the pessimism.

Josh Norman says a return to superstar status is coming in 2020 ... telling TMZ Sports he's going to be "All-World" in his first year with the Bills!!!

The former Pro Bowl corner tells us he's speaking it into existence now ... saying a reunion with Sean McDermott is the move he needed to make in order to become one of the game's best again.

"I feel like 'All-World' is coming," Norman says.

Of course, Josh was the NFL's best DB with the Panthers back in 2015 ... but some nagging injuries prevented him from regaining that form in Washington.

But, Norman is now with McDermott again (Sean was Josh's DC during his Carolina days) ... and he's confident that'll put him back on top of the CB pedestal.

As for how the Bills will fare overall as a team in '20 ... Josh is oozing confidence there as well -- telling us even if Tom Brady had stayed in the AFC East, he liked Buffalo's chances regardless.

"Coming in, I know the philosophy of the head coach and the GM already," Norman says. "Mindset-wise, it didn't matter who was at the quarterback position for the opposing team."

There's more ... Norman also had a strong take on his former teammate, Cam Newton, when we asked about the QB still being unsigned ... with Josh telling us it's perplexing.

The ink is still wet on Tua Tagovailoa's rookie contract ... but the Miami Dolphins top pick is already in the process of giving back -- vowing to help the communities that raised him.

The 22-year-old ex-Alabama superstar just signed a 4-year, $30.3 MILLION deal with nearly $20 mil signing bonus ... and shared a snap of the moment he became a millionaire on Tuesday.

Tua -- who was raised in Hawaii, went on to win a championship with Alabama, and got drafted by the Dolphins -- says he's going to do what he can for all 3 areas that left an impact on his journey.

"Blessed beyond belief 🙏🏼," Tua said on IG. "Thank you to the Miami Dolphins for making this dream come true for me and my family."

Of course, Tua's already proven he's a generous guy -- he just gifted his mom a Cadillac Escalade on Mother's Day -- but the QB says he's just getting started.

"It's in my heart to give back to the communities that have raised me. Plans are underway to start charitable outreach efforts in Hawaii, Alabama and Miami."

On top of his NFL money, Tua's raking in endorsement dough from Adidas, Wingstop, Bose and more ... so he's in prime position to make a huge impact.

Tom Brady just SNAPPED over a report he had beef with Josh McDaniels in New England ... calling the whole thing "nonsense" and pleading with journalists to "be more responsible."

Brady is alleged to have left New England for Tampa, in part, because of a "deteriorating relationship" with McDaniels, this according to longtime NFL reporter Gary Myers.

Myers claimed per an "excellent source" that TB12 was "worn out" from playing under Josh the past decade-plus ... and wanted a change of scenery.

But, Brady went scorched earth on that notion Monday ... writing on social media, "Please stop this nonsense!"

"Please be more responsible with reporting," the QB added. "19 years together and brothers for life."

McDaniels has held some sort of role on the Patriots staff for all but 3 years since 2001 ... and has been Brady's offensive coordinator for most of those seasons.

And, Tom's sure making it known he didn't hate the guy when he finally broke away from the Pats in March.

Johnny Manziel is a LUCKY man -- because he slipped and fell while trying to dive off a cliff ... and fortunately, escaped injury.

The ex-NFL quarterback hit the famous cliffs at Lake Pleasant near Phoenix, Arizona recently and tried to bust out a backflip into the water below.

But, as the 27-year-old tried to launch himself off the rock, he lost his footing ... and barely managed to use his left foot to propel himself far enough away from the cliff, that he avoided disaster.

He's fine ... but man, THAT WAS TOO CLOSE, BRO!!

Manziel joked about the "flawless execution" in a social media post -- but some of his friends had real concern for JM.

"Got spooky for a second," Victor Cruz wrote.

NFL wideout Cayleb Jones wrote, "Johnny chill bro."

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy dropped $250,000 for a private meeting with Roger Goodell ... and tells TMZ Sports he plans to grill the NFL commish like a cheeseburger.

The NFL posted the auction to raise money for COVID-19 relief -- with the winner getting to watch a Monday Night Football game with Goodell in his personal "Man Cave."

Portnoy -- who made a fortune when Barstool was purchased by Penn National Gaming -- decided to drop some of his personal fortune on the opportunity for a face-to-face with Roger.

For those unaware, Portnoy has been very, VERY, critical of Goodell over the years for his handling of Deflategate, the Ray Rice situation and more.

In fact, Portnoy was handcuffed and removed from Super Bowl LIII in 2019 ... days after using bogus credentials to get into a SB media day event.

Portnoy tells TMZ Sports he doesn't know if the NFL has connected the dots and realized that he won the auction -- but says he wouldn't be surprised if they refund his winning bid and gave the prize to the next highest bidder instead.

"I could easily see them canceling this and running."

We reached out to the NFL for comment -- but so far, no word back.

But, you gotta watch the video ... Portnoy makes it clear he will have no mercy for Goodell if the commish goes through with the meeting.

The fans wanted it ... and Nike listened!!

The epic "740" area code shirt Joe Burrow wore during the NFL Draft is hitting the market ... this, after Nike initially said it wouldn't see the light of day, TMZ Sports has learned.

Remember, we reached out to the Swoosh shortly after the draft to get all the info we could about Joe's look when he went #1 overall to the Bengals.

The white long-sleeved shirt featuring the outline of Ohio and his hometown's area code quickly became a fan favorite on draft night ... but unfortunately, Nike said it was a 1-of-1.

But, that's all about to change, because we're told the plan is to release the shirts on May 22 ... which is great news for fans wanting to cop Joe's look.

It's a smart idea, considering a bunch of knockoff websites made bootleg versions to get a quick buck after the draft ... but now, the legit shirts will take over.

"Mike the Tiger is not my favorite part of campus."

Heisman winner Joe Burrow says he's not a big fan of LSU having a live mascot ... saying he's against keeping wild animals in captivity.

The #1 overall pick made the revelation while discussing the super-popular Netflix doc, "Tiger King," on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" on Friday ... saying he probably won't tune in to the series due to the subject matter.

"Actually, I haven't watched it yet," Burrow says. "I'm anti animal in cage. So, I'm not gonna watch it, I don't think."

That's when co-host Big Cat brought up Mike VII -- LSU's beloved mascot that lives on campus -- and Burrow said he was against the idea.

FWIW -- Mike has a huge habitat on campus for students to check out the kitty in between classes ... and there's a vet on-site to make sure all is well.

There's even a live cam for people across the world to check in on Mike ... although the thing seems to be chilling most of the time.

As for "Tiger King," Big Cat and PFT Commenter say it's probably for the best he sits that one out ... and Burrow agrees.

"Very sad, yeah."

The good news?? Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals don't have a live mascot ... they just have a grown-ass dude dressed up as a tiger named "Who Dey" ... so, silver lining!!