NFL

The "no sex before a game" theory for athletes is TOTAL BS ... so says former NFL superstar Ottis Anderson -- who tells TMZ Sports, he wasn't exactly celibate back when he won Super Bowl MVP.

The St. Louis Cardinals all-time leading rusher was being herded around NYC today ... when we asked him if abstaining from sex before games actually gives you a noticeable testosterone boost.

Ottis -- who also played for the NY Giants -- tells us he thinks it's a complete myth that dumb people are buying into ... and encouraged athletes to bang away.

Super Bowl tickets are hard to come by ... even for the players ... which is why two Denver Broncos stars sprung to RENT OUT A NEARBY HOOTERS where their families can watch the game together.

Robert Ayers (defensive end) and Mike Adams (safety) both threw some cash in to take over the wing joint in Hackensack, NJ ... close to where the players grew up.

"I figured they have good food and, you know ... " a smiling Ayers told NJ.com. "It’s just a great sports bar and a nice place for our families to go enjoy the game."

Marshawn Lynch has been taking heat for BARELY saying a word at the Super Bowl media events in NY this week ... but years before he clammed up, the guy gave one of the GREATEST football soundbites of all time.

It all went down after Marshawn's Oakland Tech High School beat up on Skyline High back in '04 ... that's when Lynch -- who had just scored a MONSTER rushing TD for the win -- erupted on camera after the game.

There was raw emotion ... there was pure happiness ... there was a promise to treat his linemen to a fancy dinner at Sizzler.

Keyshawn Johnson says Justin Bieber acted like a weasel after allegedly roaring through his Calabasas neighborhood and then scampering into the house ... but Keyshawn took matters into his own hands ... prying Justin's garage door open and then slamming a bodyguard against a wall.

Keyshawn recounted the story recently to a packed classroom at USC -- Keyshawn's alma mater.

TMZ broke the story ... Keyshawn chased Bieber's Ferrari down last May ... IN HIS PRIUS ... to lecture him about the dangers of speeding in a residential area.

But Keyshawn's version of the story is WAY more insane -- you have to hear it for yourself.

Football and boner pills have been very VERY good to Jimmy Johnson ... 'cause the NFL icon says he just bought his own PRIVATE JET!!!!

The "NFL on FOX" star -- who's also a spokesman for Extenze -- just posted a photo online saying, "made new purchase ... no more TSA check ins for me!"

So far, no word on the exact model of the plane -- or how much he paid for it -- but it's a jet ... so, congrats Jimmy ... you're a frickin' BALLER.

A bunch of Denver Broncos players decided to blow off some pre-Super Bowl steam Monday night with a huge sushi dinner in NYC -- with champagne and models ... but no Peyton Manning, TMZ Sports has learned.

We know ... linebacker Brandon Marshall, defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, linebacker Wesley Woodyard and roughly 15 of their teammates hit up Tokya sushi lounge around 8pm.

We spoke to Tokya owner Roee Nahmani who tells us ... the guys were hesitant to scarf down the sushi at first, out of fear of a possible bubble gut situation ... but quickly got over it and proceeded to eat more than 100 ROLLS.

We're told the guys did booze a little bit -- drinking some Don Julio 1942 tequila, Moet Rose champagne, Ciroq vodka and Hennessey ... and toasted to the Super Bowl with every round.

Don't worry, Nahmani says things never got out of control and the guys couldn't have been nicer.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews is thiiiiis close to having Justin Bieber as a neighbor ... 'cause he bought land in Bieb's Calabasas community -- but the singer could be OUT by the time Clay's home gets built.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Matthews recently dropped $2.6 million on a plot of undeveloped land in The Oaks ... a gated community littered with huge stars like Bieber, Travis Barker, Keyshawn Johnson, Nikki Sixx and (coming soon) Kourtney Kardashian.

Matthews -- who signed a $66 million contract extension last year -- is planning to build his dream home on the property ... but we're told construction has not started yet.

And with Justin Bieber telling people he's planning to leave The Oaks, it's very possible Calabasas could be Bieber-free by the time Clay is ready to move in.

And get this ... Clay scored a huge deal on the property -- it was originally on the market for $4.4 mil. We're not sure if the drastic price cut is due to the fact it's located near Bieber's home, but it's very possible Bieb was a factor.

Jonathan Martin says he HABITUALLY targeted with "vulgar" verbal attacks during his stint with the Miami Dolphins ... and finally left the team because he just couldn't take the constant harassment.

NBC has just released a teaser of Tony Dungy's big interview with the NFL player -- in which Martin never mentions Richie Incognito by name, but certainly implies he was bullied without mercy.

"I’m a grown man. I’ve been in locker rooms. There’s vulgar language used in locker rooms, and it doesn’t bother me – it’s the persistence of it."

He continued, "I wish I had more tools to solve my situation. But I felt trapped – like I didn’t have a way to make it right. It came down to a point where I felt it was best just to remove myself from the situation."

For his part, Incognito has adamantly denied bullying Martin.

As we previously reported, the two exchanged graphic taunts in text messages back and forth to each other during their time on the team together.

Richard Sherman was feeling the love -- AND THE HATE -- in New York last night when he was confronted by a Broncos fan who started talking all sorts of trash ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Sherman was leaving the Nets game in Brooklyn along with some of his Seahawks teammates when a Denver fan started heckling at close range.

"Sherman, let's go Broncos, Sherman ... Demaryius is gonna OWN YOU this week!"

That's when some of Sherman's supporters got his back -- screaming back at the Denver fan.

You can hear one Sherman fan yell out, "Number one corner in the game. Number one f**king corner baby!!! Talk it -- we love it in New York!"

Sherman stayed composed during the incident -- and made it back to the team bus without engaging the haters.

With the Super Bowl just days away, Seattle Seahawks superstar Richard Sherman took a break from hardcore preparation ... to unwind at a Brooklyn Nets game with some of his teammates.

Sherman -- along with linebacker Bobby Wagner -- got the complete VIP treatment at the Barclay Center Monday night to watch the Nets take on the Toronto Raptors.

The Hawks didn't just get to hang out in a pimped out VIP suite, they also got to kick it courtside for a while ... where they had seats right near Michael Strahan.

We're told the people at the stadium went all out for their guest stars -- treating the guys to all the Skittles they could eat and a special guest visit with the Brooklynettes dancers.

In the end, the Nets couldn't quite switch into Beast Mode ... and lost to the Raptors 104-103.

Don't count out Greg Schiano ... so says one of his most famous former players who tells TMZ Sports he's a GREAT COACH ... no matter what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers say.

We spoke to Eric LeGrand -- the former Rutgers University football star who suffered serious spinal damage back in 2010, back when Schiano was the head coach for the Scarlet Knights.

LeGrand -- who's still tight with the recently fired Bucs coach -- says Schiano's not the kind of guy who gives up ... telling us, "After taking a year off, he'll get back into football. That's what he does."

Eric continued, "He's a great coach and he's gonna be great on somebody's program."

Who needs Marshawn Lynch ... when there's MeowShawn Lynch?!!?!

The top kittens in the country are gearing up to face off ... and nuzzle each other ... at this year's Kitten Bowl -- and TMZ Sports has the pics of the athletes.

Ex-NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski tells TMZ Sports ... there are a handful of dirty plays from his NFL career he wishes he could take back -- like the time he SNAPPED A DUDE'S FINGER!!!

Bill -- one of the most ferocious defensive players of all time -- is out in NYC for the Super Bowl ... and says he still feels bad about the time he was in a pile with running back Dave Meggett, grabbed the guy's finger and "cracked it like a chicken bone."

"I heard it and felt it ... and then heard the scream at the bottom of the pile."

Still, Bill admits, "There are probably 5 plays I'd love to take back ... but I can't."

Ex-NFL stud Jarvis Green -- a 2x Super Bowl champ -- narrowly escaped being scammed into buying bogus shares of an NBA franchise ... and now the FBI is on the hunt for the con man behind the alleged scheme, TMZ Sports has learned.

The former New England Patriots defensive end -- who spent 8 seasons in the league -- tells us ... he was contacted by a person who claimed to affiliated with the Miami Heat and was offering to sell equity in the team so Green would be a partial owner.

Green said the guy sounded legit at first ... explaining, "He was telling me about LeBron James, courtside seats ... can you imagine high-fiving LeBron?"

The guy wanted more than $250k from Green -- but when the ex-NFL star started considering the offer, he became suspicious.

"It sounded amazing, but I kept thinking, 'Why Jarvis Green? Why not Tom Brady?' Something was off ... but I was excited."

Green says ... when the con man started pushing for bank account information, he contacted the Miami Heat to investigate. The Heat quickly called BS on the scheme and contacted the FBI.

We're told the feds got in touch with Green -- and opened up an investigation.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell us ... they believe the suspect could be the same person who allegedly scammed Warren Moon out of $200k in a similar scheme.

When contacted for comment, a rep for the FBI would only confirm there is an active investigation -- but would not comment on any specifics.

There's a little Aaron Rodgers syndrome going around in the NFL ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the mayors of S.F. and N.O. have still not paid off their bets after their teams LOST to the Seahawks in the playoffs.

Here's the deal ... the mayor of Seattle made "fun bets" with the guys in charge of San Francisco and New Orleans when the Seahawks faced the 49ers and the Saints in the playoffs, respectively.

Mitch Landrieu -- the Mayor of N.O. -- agreed to fork over a King Cake from Sucre (a famous bakery) and said he would tap celeb chef Greg Reggio to host a crawfish boil.

Edwin M. Lee -- the Mayor of S.F. -- agreed to send local ice cream and dessert treats that represent the city if the 9ers lost. He also agreed to help fundraise $10k for a Seattle food bank.

Of course, the Seahawks WON both games ... but our political sources tell us the Mayor of Seattle has not seen the spoils of the victory from either city.

One source tells us, "Admittedly, raising $10k could take some time ... but baking a King Cake doesn't take 3 weeks."

Tom Brady recently announced he would not be watching the Super Bowl ... now, it's pretty obvious why.

The New England Patriots QB ran away to the Bahamas this week with his supermodel wife to take his mind off the fact his team won't be competing for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer recently told a media outlet ... "Truthfully, I could care less about watching the game. That's pretty much how I feel."

Yeah, we get it.