Football

Legendary high school football coach Herman Boone -- portrayed by Denzel Washington in the movie "Remember the Titans" -- has died at age 84, his school announced Wednesday.

Boone was the head coach at T.C. Williams High School in Virginia where he led a group of integrated players to a 13-0 record and a state championship in 1971 ... as well as national championship runner-up honors.

"It is with great sadness that we share the sad news of the passing of former Head Football Coach Herman Boone who lead the Titans to the State Championship in 1971," the school said on Wednesday.

The accomplishment was turned into a Disney flick in 2000 and starred Washington as the Titans head coach.

Washington received a Black Reel Award for Best Actor in 2001 for the role ... as well as Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.

Boone's team gained national attention in 1971 ... when President Nixon dubbed the Titans "the team saved the city of Alexandria."

Boone continued to coach the Titans until he was let go in 1979.

Odell Beckham says he's absolutely FED UP with rumors he wants teams to "come get me" ... telling reporters he fully intends to suit up for the Cleveland Browns in 2020.

There have been many reports this disastrous Browns season about superstars like OBJ and Jarvis Landry begging opposing teams to save them from their misery.

Odell faced the media on Wednesday ... calling BS on all the reports and saying his opportunity in Cleveland is too special to give up on after one season.

"I'm not going anywhere," OBJ said. "I'll be here. We're gonna figure this thing out."

"I heard that Jarvis wanted to go to the Cardinals and all these people It's just easy to talk about. It's a cop-out, I feel like."

"It's just done. It's time to just put it to bed. I'm gonna be here. There's nothing more to talk about," Odell said ... "I didn't buy a house here to sell it."

Odell did joke about leaving the NFL for the CFL -- but CHILL HE'S KIDDING (right?).

As for the latest rumor about Odell secretly lobbying to play for the Steelers ... Odell said that would NEVER happen either.

Johnny Manziel -- '12 Heisman Trophy winner and former 1st-round NFL Draft pick -- is simply not good enough to play in the XFL ... so says XFL Commish Oliver Luck.

When the XFL's 2020 Draft went down earlier this year, a lot of people were surprised that Manziel's name wasn't called.

After all, the 27-year-old flashed some signs of that legendary talent during his brief run in the Canadian Football League in 2018 ... and some people thought the XFL would be a no-brainer for him.

But, Johnny didn't enter the XFL's 2020 Draft pool -- shocking some people -- and there didn't appear to be any real interest in getting the ex-Texas A&M star on a roster.

So, when the Tampa Bay Times asked Commissioner Luck about Manziel and fellow 1st-round NFL draft pick Trent Richardson not playing in the XFL this season, the Commish didn't pull his punches.

"I would argue that the players we have are better than those guys, to be honest with you," Luck said.

"Johnny has his own history, and we have coaches from the CFL who have seen him close up."

In other words ... Luck ain't convinced he can play anymore.

As for Richardson ... "I watched Trent when he was with the Colts, and I watched him when he was with the AAF. He was in the draft pool. Coaches and scouts looked at him and didn’t think he was going to help their team."

"I think the guys we have on our teams are the best 560 that aren’t playing in the National Football League."

So, what's next for Johnny Manziel? He seems to be out of pro football options. But, when we saw him in NYC for the Heisman Trophy ceremony this weekend, we asked if he was interested in a career in broadcasting.

Manziel was the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft -- but washed out of the NFL after just 2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

See, Tom Brady DOESN'T have everything after all ...

The NFL announced the greatest quarterback of all time was NOT selected to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday ... the first time the 42-year-old hasn't made the all-star roster since 2008!

For context ... the last time Tom missed the Pro Bowl cut, Flo Rida's "Low" was #1 on the Billboard charts and "The Dark Knight" was the biggest thing at the box office!!!

The AFC QBs going instead? Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

Of course, it ain't like Brady's play deserved recognition this season ... his numbers are down in nearly every category -- and he has just an 86.5 quarterback rating.

In fact, some believe the Pats might be one and done in the playoffs this year because of how bad their offense is ... with the team in danger of losing the AFC East crown for the first time since 2008 as well!

But, the Pro Bowl rosters weren't completely void of 11-3 Patriots ... cornerback Stephon Gilmore, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and special teamer Matthew Slater all made it.

It ain't like the Pats care much about the honors though ... the Pro Bowl is played a week before the Super Bowl, and, let's all be honest, TB12 and the guys will probably be game planning that week anyway.

As for the rest of the rosters ... the Baltimore Ravens led the AFC with 12 selections -- while Drew Brees and the Saints earned 7 spots on the NFC's team.

The woman who allegedly stabbed NFL wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is finally being released from jail ... almost 3 weeks after she was locked up.

24-year-old Shalaya Briston appeared in an Allegheny County courtroom via video conference Tuesday for a bond hearing in her attempted homicide case.

Briston -- who is still locked up -- is facing serious prison time for allegedly stabbing Pryor in their Pittsburgh area apartment on Nov. 30 ... before taking him to the hospital.

During the hearing, the judge agreed to release Briston on house arrest -- she'll stay with her mother and won't be allowed to leave the home for anything other than court. She'll be required to wear an ankle monitor.

Joe Burrow's emotional tribute to his hometown during his Heisman acceptance speech has kick-started a national campaign to help out ... with over $115k raised for the local food pantry.

The LSU superstar brought awareness to the financial challenges surrounding Athens County, OH while tearing up on Saturday ... saying, “Coming from southeast Ohio it’s a very impoverished area and the poverty rate is almost two times the national average."

"There’s so many people there that don’t have a lot and I’m up here for all those kids in Athens and Athens County that go home to not a lot of food on the table, hungry after school. You guys can be up here too."

One Athens man was so moved by Burrow's message, he started a fundraiser to help put food on the tables for people in Athens.

"Let's answer Joey's call to action by supporting a local nonprofit that serves food to more than 5,000 households in Athens County each year," Will Drabold said in the post.

Of course, Burrow is beloved in his hometown ... and was an absolute beast for the Athens Bulldogs before becoming the best college player in the country.

The campaign started on Sunday ... and it's already raised a whopping $116,000 for the Athens County Food Pantry.

Props to all involved.

Also -- if you haven't watched all of Burrow's acceptance speech, the whole thing is amazing. Check it out.

Welcome to the league, rooks!

The Seattle Seahawks' defensive back core held its annual rookie dinner Monday night ... and a pair of first-year NFLers were hung with a $17,500 check!!!

The booze-and-steak-filled night all went down at Daniel's Broiler in Bellevue, Wash. ... and according to some of the vets, it was the most expensive rookie dinner in a while.

The receipt is absolutely nuts ... the guys bought a TON of expensive food and alcohol, piling up $11,000 worth of Louis XIII alone.

There was also Wagyu steaks, lobsters, calamari and all the fixin's ... and in total, the bill came out to $17,579.10!!!

As for the guys who whipped out the credit cards for the check ... Ugo Amadi and Marquise Blair were saddled with that task -- but neither seemed to be too pissed (at least judging by the videos we've seen).

Of course, perhaps they should've been ... neither is signed to that big of a contract -- Amadi is on a 4-year, $3,165,196 deal, while Blair inked a 4-year, $6,236,648 one.

But, hey, at least the vets seemed to appreciate the gesture ... with second-year corner Tre Flowers saying, "I been waiting on this day for a year lol."

The rookie dinner is nothing new in the NFL -- it's been going on for decades ... with Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson previously telling TMZ Sports he had to pony up some major dough when he was a rookie in 2001.

"The late Junior Seau and the veterans hazed me by taking me to dinner and spending $18,000 of my money!" LT said.

DUBBBB CLUBBBB!!!!!

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton turned his team's locker room into a nightclub after beating the hell out of the Colts on Monday night ... and the guys LOVED IT!!!

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (per usual) and linebacker Craig Robertson were front and center on the dance the floor ... cutting a rug like they just won the Super Bowl.

Other squad mates eventually joined in on the party too ... with guys going crazy to flashing lights and loud music!!!

Seriously, it was pretty awesome.

Of course, the Saints had a lot of reasons to celebrate ... they destroyed Indianapolis, 34-7 -- while Drew Brees passed Peyton Manning on the all-time touchdown passes list.

The Saints still have some work to do to lock up a high postseason seed ... they need a few things to break their way in order to get a first-round bye.

An Army cadet and a Navy midshipmen flashed a hand gesture symbolizing white power during a Live TV shot at the Army vs. Navy football game this weekend ... and now officials from both camps are investigating.

The symbol is a version of the A-okay hand gesture -- which, over the years, has been co-opted by white supremacists, according to the Anti-Defamation League and other groups.

Fast forward to Saturday ... when ESPN's Rece Davis was doing a live shot in front of uniformed Army cadets and Navy midshipmen, when TWO men appeared to intentionally throw up the hand sign -- one from each side.

Now, both Army and Navy say they're investigating.

On the Army side, West Point spokesperson Lt. Col. Chris Ophardt told the Wall Street Journal, "We’re looking into it."

On the Navy side, US Naval Academy spokesperson Cmdr. Alana Garas said, "We are aware and will be looking into it."

The Black Hole turned on Derek Carr in a HURRY Sunday, 'cause after the Raiders lost to the Jags -- the QB was booed off the field ... all while fans hurled trash into the endzone!

The wild scene all went down in the final Raiders game ever at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum ... where fans were clearly pissed that the team blew a 16-3 lead to Jacksonville.

As Carr was leaving the grass ... fans rained down boos on the 28-year-old -- and once he made his way into the locker room -- things turned chaotic.

Video from the scene captured fans throwing trash and food all over the place ... and one reporter claims she even saw a woman gushing blood from her forehead.

A man was also taken off the field by stadium security ... and the whole thing was an awful look for the Raiders in their last game in the Bay Area before their move to Las Vegas.

Of course, hours before the disappointing 20-16 L ... things were much happier -- 'cause Marshawn Lynch handed out shots of tequila to the crowd!!

Pics of the ex-Oakland star running back in the parking lot were pretty epic ... Lynch was giving out shot glasses like water!!

Here's Tom Brady being a G.O.A.T. teammate ... claiming the newly released Spygate II video didn't help the New England Patriots at all!!

... Sure, Tom. Sure.

As we previously reported, the Pats are in hot water once again after one of their scouts was caught filming the Cincinnati Bengals' sideline just days before their game last week.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer released a portion of the footage ... and it sure as hell looks like the Pats were spying.

But, in an interview on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" ... Brady backed his team by claiming the video didn't help the Patriots one bit!!

"I don't think any player gave it one second of thought," TB12 said. "It's not something that registered."

Brady added, "You just move on, man. There's a lot of distractions out there."

Of course, as much as Brady downplays it ... the vid really is a rough look for New England -- which had previously been heavily punished for spying on opponents back in 2007.

In the new footage, you can hear a Bengals staffer giving the Patriots scout the business over filming their sideline ... saying, "C'mon, guys! I don't see the advanced scout in this footage!"

Here it is ... a KEY piece of the video at the center of the Patriots SpyGate II scandal -- and it's reallllllly bad for the Pats.

The footage, obtained by "NFL on FOX" reporter Jay Glazer, shows the moments the Patriots video crew is confronted by Cincinnati Bengals' security last weekend over concerns the crew was illegally shooting video of their sidelines.

During the exchange, you can hear Bengals security express major concerns over the video -- since it REALLY looks like the videographer was SPYING!!

Remember, the Patriots say the video team was tasked to shoot a behind-the-scenes segment on an advanced scout for a show on the Pats website called "Do Your Job."

But, as the Bengals security official points out to the video crew, there's a large chunk of the video where you don't see the scout ... only the Bengals sidelines.

Here's an exchange from the video ...

Bengals Security: "And, this is a piece your filming on your advanced scout?

Pat's video crew: "Yeah."

Bengals Security: "Yeah? C'mon guys! I don't see the advanced scout in this footage!"

Patriots video crew: "No, that's not. We were trying to get some field perspective. That's my bad."

The Patriots crew offered to delete the video but the Bengals security told him, "The damage is done my friend!"

The Bengals immediately referred the matter to NFL security and the league has launched an investigation.

The Patriots have admitted the video team broke league rules -- but they insist the video team was NOT tasked to spy, claiming the whole thing was an accident.

For his part, Glazer says there WILL be a punishment -- but it's unclear what it will be at this point.

Bill Belichick has denied involvement -- claiming the video team does not report to him.

During the "NFL On FOX" pregame show on Sunday, both Michael Strahan and Curt Menefee expressed how BAD of a look it is on the team.

Especially since the Patriots were caught in a video cheating scandal back in 2007 and were punished heavily for it.

Vince Young just lost a crapload of his most prized football possessions in a storage unit auction ... and now, his loss can be your gain, 'cause the new owner tells us she's sellin' it all!!

Young apparently didn't pay the fees for his storage space in Houston, Texas ... and it's a bummer for the dude, 'cause some of his COOLEST memorabilia was in there.

We're told items in the storage unit included Young's Maxwell Award, his MVP trophy from the 2006 Rose Bowl and a whole bunch of other one-of-a-kind items.

We're told the ball from his first-ever NFL touchdown pass was also in there ... and even helmets he used throughout his career -- including the '06 Rose Bowl game -- were in there.

According to the lucky unit winner ... she only paid a few thousand dollars for the semi-blind auction back in November -- and was pretty surprised at the haul that she got for the cash.

Currently, she's only listed Young's Maxwell Award, his Rose Bowl MVP trophy and his Manning Award for sale ... with the asking price of $50,000 for each on eBay.

Kiara Mia is a porn legend ... not just for her work on-screen but for pulling Jimmy Garoppolo, one of the biggest stars in pro sports -- and now she's revealing her secrets!

Remember, it was Mia -- a 2-time AVN Award "Best M.I.L.F." nominee -- who famously went out on a date with Jimmy G back in July 2018 ... right after he signed his massive $137 mil contract with the 49ers.

And, now that Jimmy is CRUSHING it, Mia wants everyone to know she was the secret to his success!!

"I declared that they were going to make it to the Super Bowl," Kiara tells us at LAX ... "He's phenomenal, he's talented, he's a born star!"

What's funny is when we spoke with Kiara right after the date, she predicted greatness back then too ... saying, "Everything I touch turns to gold!"

Of course, the Niners ended up going 4-14 last season ... but NOW, they're 11-2 and sitting pretty at the top of the NFC East ... so maybe Kiara was right all along!!

Terrell Owens says put the blame SQUARELY on Jerry Jones for the Cowboys' struggles ... telling TMZ Sports the owner is the problem in Dallas!!

"Anytime there's any type of dysfunction, turmoil, it starts from the top down," TO says. "It starts with him."

Of course, Owens has hated pretty much everything about the Cowboys since Jerry cut him after the 2008 season ... but when we got the Hall of Famer out at LAX this week, he made it clear he truly believes Jones is the issue in Big D.

So much so, Owens says it might be time Jerry steps away and hires a real general manager to take over!!

As for the head coach ... Owens is still advocating for Jason Garrett's firing -- hilariously telling us, "He should have been Edward Scissorhands'ed!"

Dallas has a (very small) chance to prove TO wrong these next few weeks ... if it's able to beat both Philly and Washington, it gets a home playoff game in January.

Antonio Brown was greeted with at least three police squad cars this AM -- all because his baby mama didn't think it'd be a good idea to pick up their kid's clothes by herself.

The unemployed wide receiver posted a crazy video Saturday morning that showed him filming police officers surrounding his Hollywood, FL property -- which eventually ended with him ordering his friend to drop off a bunch of kid's clothes with one of the cops on the scene.

According to law enforcement sources, we're told this was at the request of one of AB's baby mamas -- who put in a request with Hollywood PD to have them there for a "civil standby" as she picked up some clothes from him, which belonged to a child they share.

Our sources say they weren't responding to anything wrong or illegal AB had done ... cops were simply there to make sure the exchange went down peacefully and without incident. We're told no crime was committed, and no arrests were made on either end.

Based on AB's Instagram story from a few hours earlier ... it appears this might have something to do with his baby mama, Chelsie Kyriss ... with whom he has 3 kids.

He threw up what appear to be text messages between her and another person, which AB seemed to believe are about him, as he captioned his own screen grabs of the text exchange with ... "These hoes been liening," as well as, "These hoes be discussing your funds too."

There's a pic of Chelsie in the texts too BTW -- and just earlier this week, he tweeted something else that seemed to be a shot at her, with him writing ... "No more white woman 2020." For her part, Chelsie reportedly responded by saying he was characterizing the texts ... and said she had photos of him that'd "end your entire life!" She says he's playing victim.

Anyway, whatever the hell was going on at his crib ... he definitely let the cops know he was sick of them coming by -- saying they couldn't force their way in on a G.O.A.T.

Side note, AB might be fighting off a cold or something ... his voice sounds super hoarse.