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Detroit Lions fans are bidding farewell to Matthew Stafford by opening their wallets ... thanking the QB for his contributions to the city with donations to a charity in his honor.

32-year-old Stafford and the Lions reportedly agreed to part ways this weekend ... officially ending his career in Detroit after 12 years.

But, instead of taking their #9 jerseys to an open flame after the news broke, some fans decided to honor the signal-caller with $9 dollar donations to a cause that hits home for the Staffords -- the Acoustic Neuroma Association.

Of course, Stafford has repped the Acoustic Neuroma Association during the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" campaign as a tribute to his wife, Kelly ... who in 2019 was diagnosed with a serious brain tumor.

The donations have reportedly been piling in since Saturday ... with more than $11,000 being raised in Matthew's name, according to reporter Chris Burke.

Stafford has been one of the most successful players in team history -- he is the franchise leader in passing touchdowns (282) and yards (45,109) -- but was also active in helping the community over the years.

A bat Lou Gehrig used more than 80 years ago is hitting the auction block ... and the insane piece of history can be all yours -- if you've got a fortune laying around!!

Officials at SCP Auctions tell TMZ Sports ... the bat is seriously one of a kind -- they believe Gehrig used it during his final days as a New York Yankee, possibly even in the 1938 World Series.

According to the SCP reps, authenticators believe Gehrig ordered the bat in Sept. 1938 and possibly used it into the 1939 season -- just before his ALS diagnosis and subsequent retirement.

We’re told the bat was graded a perfect 10 by PSA/DNA.

Reps for the bat say Gehrig gifted the piece to former Yankees teammate and coach Earle Combs, who kept it as one of his prized possessions for YEARS.

Just recently, though, Combs' family decided to put it up for auction -- and now, SCP tells us it could sell for as much as $1 MILLION.

Of course, Gehrig is one of the greatest baseball players that have ever lived -- so the potential price tag ain't too surprising.

Gehrig -- who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939 under a special circumstance due to his illness -- was a two-time MVP, 7-time All-Star, and had a career batting average of .340.

Kodak Black was in a giving mood when he promised to donate a million bucks toward charity if Donald Trump freed him from prison ... but it looks like he might be going back on his word.

The rapper's account tweeted back on November 27, "If The President Them Free Me, I'm Gonna Spend 1 million on Charity within The First Year I'm Out. That's on Everything."

As you know ... the Prez did commute Kodak's sentence last week, along with 142 other people he either pardoned or freed from prison, but now Kodak's tweet has been deleted.

We broke the story ... just because Trump commuted the rapper's sentence for a federal crime, does not mean he's protected against prosecution for state crimes, which is exactly what he's facing in South Carolina.

Kodak's accused of forcing himself on an 18-year-old woman in a hotel room after a Feb. 2016 concert -- allegedly raping her and biting her -- and prosecutors in the state have vowed to "aggressively" go after him in their pending case.

Maybe Kodak's waiting to see how that all pans out before he starts giving away the mil -- but, even if that's the case, why delete the tweet? Regardless, social media's already set a reminder for him ... with several users and bloggers questioning his intent.

It's hard to put a price on paradise but Matthew Perry's done just that ... after selling his beachfront Malibu pad.

The "Friends" star has unloaded his 4-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house for a cool $13.1 million ... and about a decade after he bought the property in an off-market sale for $12 million. It's easy to see how Matthew made tons of friends with this crib ... it's a beaut.

The 5,500-square-foot contemporary house -- sitting on one of the most coveted streets, Malibu Road -- offering picturesque views of the blue Pacific and immediate access to it. But there's tons to keep you entertained in this loft-style house.

There's also an outdoor spa and a state of the art movie theater that seats up to 10 guests in deep-cushioned sofas. You can enjoy some of the best sunsets from practically every room thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows ... and a sick wrap-around deck.

Long before he was known to the world as toothless, butt-whipped Stu in "The Hangover" ... Ed Helms drove this Honda motorcycle to auditions, and he's finally parting ways with it.

The actor/comedian is selling his 1976 Honda CB750F motorcycle ... and while the price is pretty modest at a mere $4,800, the bike does have tons of sentimental value. The new owner should know ... it's the bike he used to drive to his auditions when he lived in NYC.

He had it shipped to L.A. when he moved. Pays to have a bike ... to zoom in and out of traffic on the 101 and 405.

The bike has 13,591 miles and it's in cherry condition. It was stored at Atlantis Motor Garage in L.A. for some time now. We're told he decided to take it out of storage, spruce it up some and sell it.

The Oklahoma elected official who introduced a real-life bill to establish an official hunting season for Bigfoot says he's getting called "stupid" ... who'd a thunk it?!?

OK State Rep. Justin Humphrey, the lawmaker who drafted up the Bigfoot bill, tells TMZ ... he's getting tons of backlash from believers and non-believers alike.

Rep. Humphrey says he's been flooded with calls, emails and Facebook notifications from Bigfoot deniers, calling him an "idiot" and cussing him out. He says folks are telling him they'll NEVER vote for him and they're gonna make sure he loses his next election.

The Bigfoot non-believer beef -- the proposed bill is a big waste of time because sasquatches don't exist and there are more important things for lawmakers to worry about.

Rep. Humphrey tells us Bigfoot believers are annoyed with him too, but they're laying off the verbal attacks and keeping it civil. He says these folks don't want anyone disturbing Bigfoot or the forests where he supposedly lives.

BTW ...the lawmaker says the bill's not calling for Bigfoot's death ... rather, it's asking for someone to catch the creature, and he's hoping for a $25,000 reward for the first trapper.

Oklahoma's infamous for its Bigfoot sightings, particularly in the southeastern and southern parts of the state, which Humphrey reps ... but he tells us he's seen no evidence Bigfoot exists, aside from some mysterious photos.

Rep. Humphrey says the point of his bill is to generate revenue with tourism, hunting licenses and tags, encouraging folks to enjoy the outdoors after spending more time inside due to the pandemic. But, it seems like most folks didn't read between the lines.

Inauguration Day Bernie Sanders freezing his ass off is the hottest thing on the internet ... and now it's also a huge fundraiser in his home state.

Here's the deal ... Sanders' campaign started hawking crewneck sweatshirts Friday with that incredibly meme-able shot of the Senator rocking his mittens for $45 each.

All proceeds are going to Meals on Wheels Vermont ... and within just a few hours they were completely sold out.

Demand was incredibly high from the jump, with the campaign website quickly adding a disclaimer saying it would be 4-8 weeks until the gear was delivered ... due to an overwhelming number of orders.

Inventory was wiped out by Friday evening, and folks late to the party were greeted by a "sold out" message on the site.

It's unclear how many sweatshirts Bernie's campaign sold, but ya gotta imagine at $45 a pop there will be plenty of Meals on Wheels served up at a crucial time for hunger across the country.

Amanda Gorman's poem at President Biden's Inauguration didn't just make her a household name, it put her at the top of Amazon's Best-Sellers list.

Hours after reading her poem, "The Hill We Climb" and becoming the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman couldn't contain her joy as she learned her books -- "The Hill We Climb" and "Change Sings" -- clocked in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on Amazon sales.

What's really impressive about that is the books won't even be out until September 21 ... everyone's just pre-ordering now.

That's a massive accomplishment in such a short time especially when you consider this -- Barack Obama's "A Promised Land" is at No. 4, Kamala Harris' "Superheroes Are Everywhere" is at No. 8 and Michelle Obama's "Becoming" is at No. 12.

The 22-year-old West L.A. native and Harvard grad got a HUGE plug from 44 ... who tweeted, "On a day for the history books, @TheAmandaGorman delivered a poem that more than met the moment. Young people like her are proof that 'there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it; if only we're brave enough to be it.'"

It should be noted ... Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Lin-Manuel Miranda also shared her poem, which scored rave reviews and was trending just seconds after delivering it.

Justin Thomas -- one of the biggest stars in golf -- says he intends to enroll in a "training program" to help him be a better person after he used an anti-gay slur on a course earlier this month.

Thomas was on the 4th green during the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Jan. 9 ... when he missed a 5-foot par putt and muttered, "f*****."

Thomas immediately apologized after the round ... saying in a post-play interview, "There’s just no excuse. I’m an adult, I’m a grown man. There’s absolutely no reason for me to say anything like that."

Thomas, though, has faced huge backlash despite the mea culpa ... and on Wednesday, he said he intends to enter a training program to help him learn from it all.

"It’s not a word I use,” Thomas said, “but for some reason it was in there and that’s what I’m trying to figure out -- why it was in there."

“And like I said, it’s going to be part of this process and training program, whatever I need to do, not only to prove to myself but to prove to my sponsors and prove to the people who don’t know who I am that that is indeed not the person I am.”

The 27-year-old golfer declined to elaborate on what the program will entail ... saying only, "Obviously people are going to be a part of that process."

"But what I’m doing I’d like to keep internally and just go through the appropriate steps to get where I need to be and want to be, so people understand that’s not the person I am, the character I like to portray."

Thomas has lost sponsors over the incident ... with Ralph Lauren dropping the golfer last week after having a longstanding relationship with him.

Thomas said he was "upset" over losing the clothing company ... saying he wished they had stuck with him while he worked to fix his issues.

"I spoke with them, along with all my sponsors, and although I apologized, just like it was then it’s an opportunity for me to grow and I felt like it was something we could have done together and gone through that process," Thomas said.

"They just felt like they needed to move on so that’s exactly what I’m doing as well."

If you're thinking Joe Biden's Presidency is behind the 8 ball right off the bat thanks to the great divide in our nation ... buck up, there's reason for optimism, according to a guy who knows his stuff.

Dr. Allan Lichtman -- Professor of History at American University -- joined "TMZ Live" to share his take on what Biden's up against ... and spell out exactly what it's going to take for him to have a successful administration.

The prof. offers some great perspective here ... he came armed with loaded historical examples of past Presidents who took over during tumultuous times (does 2000 ring a bell?), but found a way to govern effectively and bring people together.

Dr. Lichtman thinks Biden can do the same if he takes a page out of a legendary POTUS playbook. Hint: It's not JFK or Biden's buddy, Barack.

Bottom line is ... Lichtman thinks both Democrats and Republicans have 2 major problems to solve right away -- the pandemic and the economy -- and everyone can benefit if they work together.

Halsey is the new owner of a zen paradise, after scooping up Liam Payne's oasis in Calabasas.

The "You should be sad" singer certainly has reason to be happy after dropping $10,161,150 for the former 1D singer's 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom crib tucked away in the hills above Malibu.

The 9,659 square-foot home is perfect for entertaining, with a home theater, beautiful backyard and wine cellar. It's also got a giant library for quiet nights at home.

The pool looks like it was plucked right out of a 5-star resort, with a koi pond, waterfalls and tons of surrounding gardens.

There's also a massage/meditation house, recording studio, pool house with a full gym and guest room. And, this is on TOP of an additional private guest house.

Lamar Jackson is giving a huge shoutout to the Bills Mafia ... thanking the fanbase for flooding his charity with more than $360k in donations after suffering a concussion against Buffalo on Saturday.

Aside from smashing tables and other tailgate debauchery, the Bills Mafia is well-known for coming together to financially support causes tied to their players and opponents over the past few years.

After Lamar went down in the 3rd quarter of the Bills' 17-3 win over the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs, fans decided to show support by making donations to the QB's "Blessings in a Backpack" movement, which helps fight childhood hunger.

The former MVP took notice of the move on Monday ... heaping praise on the fans for their awesome gesture.

"Appreciate that #BillsMafia," Jackson said on Twitter. "Means A lot not to only me but those kids as well."

Remember, Bills fans shelled out more than $415k to Andy Dalton's foundation when he led Cincinnati to a Week 17 win over the Ravens in 2017 ... which helped Buffalo secure a playoff spot for the first time in forever.

The Bills Mafia also came together for their own QB when Josh Allen's grandma, Patricia, passed away the day before a game earlier this season ... donating more than $1 MILLION to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in her name.

There was a mad scramble after January 6 to get ambulances to Washington D.C. for the inauguration, and the federal government inked a multi-million dollar deal to make it happen.

FEMA has hired a company called American Medical Response, Inc. to provide emergency services for Wednesday. The value of the contract -- $10 million.

The deal was signed last Friday and runs through next Monday. AMR offers ground and air ambulances as well as EMT-trained personnel.

The inauguration's already off to a scary start ... as we reported, Monday's rehearsal was interrupted by smoke billowing nearby, leading to a lockdown of Capitol Hill.

D.C. is like an armed camp, with more than 20,000 National Guard troops at the ready. Although the feds now say the inauguration should be secure, they're clearly taking no chances. It's unclear how many ambulances are coming to D.C., but for $10 mil it must be a lot.

Kyrie Irving came through with an incredible gesture for George Floyd's family ... with Stephen Jackson revealing the NBA superstar recently bought them a new home.

Jackson -- who personally knew Floyd and referred to him as his "twin" -- vowed to be a father figure for George's 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, after George's death in May 2020.

But, the ex-NBAer says he's not alone in supporting Floyd's family ... joining Etan Thomas' "The Rematch" podcast to praise other huge names who have stepped up in support.

"I'm just continuing to do what I said I was going to do," Jackson said on the podcast. "I said I was going to be my brother's keeper and take care of his daughter and make sure that her next days are her best days."

"A lot of my friends ... Kyrie Irving bought them a house. Lil Wayne's manager bought them a Mercedes-Benz. Barbra Streisand gave them stock in Disney."

As we previously reported, Lil Baby also stepped up to throw a lavish party for Gianna's 7th birthday ... and Jackson says the kind gestures have helped her deal with the tragic loss of her father.

"I think God has definitely blessed her," Stack continued. "Right now, she's doing the best she's ever done. She's happy."

Calvin Kattar says his UFC on ABC main event match with Max Holloway is more than just a fight ... a win represents a better life -- more money, more opportunities.

TMZ Sports talked to the 32-year-old fighter before his Fight Island fight this weekend with the former featherweight champ ... and Kattar says only everything is on the line.

"I ain't got s*** to say to Max! I'm just going out looking to earn my respect and just get me a title shot, ya know? Change my life."

"I'm chasing the life on the other side of a win over Max Holloway. Things get better off wins, you get double the money, you get more opportunities and like I said, I'm just chasing the life off a win over Max Holloway."

Kattar -- the #6 ranked featherweight -- is 22-4 ... and coming off wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige.

Calvin's been super impressive ... but things don't get any easier on Fight Island ... 'cause Holloway is arguably the greatest 145 lb.'er of all-time.

As for blessed, he's looking to claw his way back to the top of the UFC mountain after 2 controversial losses to Alex Volkanovski ... and that's exactly what he tells us he'll do.

"Belt or no belt, I'm gonna always carry myself as a champion. The belt doesn't define me. I got 5 titles at home. The 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, all the way to 13, 20, whatever you wanna call it, I'm gonna get it. It's just in due time," Max tells us.

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley says NBA and NFL athletes deserve preferential treatment with COVID-19 vaccines ... claiming it's only fair considering how much they pay in taxes.

The NBA is currently dealing with a COVID nightmare ... with at least 10 games being postponed due to positive tests or close contacts through less than a month of play.

The "Inside The NBA" analysts were discussing the status of the league following the Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets game Thursday night ... when Chuck gave his eye-opening take.

"We need 300 million shots, give a thousand to some NBA players ... NFL players, hockey players," Barkley said. "As much taxes as these players pay, they deserve some preferential treatment."

Kenny Smith followed up by questioning if that's fair when it could literally be a "life or death" situation for regular folk who don't have the same resources as pro athletes ... but Barkley doubled down.

"We can't go there," Smith clapped back. "I don't think you can go there."

Barkley noted he personally believes 1,000 vaccines to NBA players would not take away from at-risk or elderly people who could benefit more from the vaccine ... and claims his plan would keep the season alive.

Of course, both NBA and NFL commissioners Adam Silver and Roger Goodell have already shot down the idea of giving their players vaccines while essential workers and others wait in line.

The NBA recently modified its health and safety protocols after 16 players tested positive for the virus ... but Chuck clearly thinks more needs to be done to save the season.