NFL

Johnny Manziel says Twitter has been nothing but a "distraction" for him -- and that's why he deleted his account ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to focus on "bettering himself."

Manziel's account suddenly disappeared from the Twittersphere on Monday after the QB offered up some social media advice to President Donald Trump ... begging the question: What happened?!

We reached out to Johnny who explained, "Twitter has been nothing but a distraction for me. I've said all I can say."

"Now I need to shut the hell up and work on bettering myself and my situation."

As we've previously reported, Manziel says he's sober and working out again with the hopes of getting back to the NFL.

Ricky Williams is opening up about his bizarre run-in with police in Texas earlier this month ... suggesting his "fame" likely helped him stay out of handcuffs.

The ex-NFL star was stopped during a leisurely walk and searched by police on January 11 after cops were called to the area about a "suspicious person" who may have stolen a tape measure from a backyard.

Ricky was NOT arrested -- and during an interview with "The Tomorrow Show" with Keven Undergaro he suggested he got better treatment than the average black guy because of his celebrity.

"I'm a quirky person ... and it's kinda dangerous to be black and quirky unless you're famous. Then you can get away with it."

Williams -- an avid pot smoker -- says he's also glad he didn't have weed on him at the time of the incident.

Williams went on to say the experience made him understand how some interactions between citizens and police go wrong ... because of the anger he felt while he was being detained.

"If people make you feel like a criminal, it can go sour pretty quickly."

The daughter of NY Jets great Mark Gastineau is coming out swinging at the NFL -- saying the league has "major f***ing problems" when it comes to brain injuries like CTE.

Pacman Jones says he's seeking counseling and anger management after telling a Cincinnati police officer to "suck my d**k" and "die" during an arrest earlier this month.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Cincinnati Bengals star went insane after cops were called on him for allegedly getting physical with a security guard at a local hotel.

When cops arrived, the guy went berserk -- screaming obscenities, dropping n-bombs, threatening the officer's job and telling the cop "I hope you die."

Now, Jones has issued a statement through his lawyers saying he is "deeply embarrassed and remorseful for his conduct and language."

"Mr. Jones has the utmost respect for law-enforcement and the difficulties police encounter on a daily basis."

The lawyers add, "Mr. Jones is committed to the process of counseling and anger management, in order to ensure that such situations never occur in the future."

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has been putting his 74-year-old dance moves on display lately ... but can he shake it better than his 75-year-old Super Bowl opponent Robert Kraft??

We took the liberty of cutting the best dance moves from the two BILLIONAIRES and put 'em head-to-head ... in what could be the richest, oldest dance battle EVER!!

Tom Brady says he doesn't understand why everyone's making such a big deal about his friendship with Donald Trump ... essentially telling people GET OVER IT!

After President Trump gave an inauguration speech saying Tom had called him to congratulate him on the election ... Brady was asked about his relationship with POTUS on the 'Kirk and Callahan' show on WEEI.

"I have called him, yes, in the past. Sometimes he calls me, sometimes I call. But again, that’s been someone I’ve known. I always try to keep it in context because for 16 years you know someone before maybe he was in the position that he was in."

He then dropped this line -- "Why does everybody make such a big deal? I don’t understand it."

For his part, Brady says there are "a lot things" he and Trump disagree on -- though he wouldn't get specific. He also wouldn't expand when asked how Gisele feels about his friendship with Trump.

Still, Brady made it clear Trump's his boy ... and he doesn't plan on turning his back on the guy.

Here's 74-year-old cancer survivor Arthur Blank GETTIN' DOWN with his bad self after the Falcons beat up on the Packers.

The Falcons owner let the music take control of his arms ... his hips ... his feet ... everything ... while Jermaine Dupri's "Welcome to Atlanta" blasted from the stadium speakers.

Blank has a history of dancing after big wins -- he cut a rug in the locker room after the team beat the Seahawks last week.

Wonder what he's got in store if they beat the Pats?!

The Atlanta Falcons had some major celebrity support on the sidelines during the NFC championship -- Usher, Ludacris, Jeezy, Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, Da Brat and more ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Dirty Bird Nation represented strong -- and the fact the Falcons CRUSHED Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers meant everyone was in a great mood the entire afternoon!

Ray Lewis was also there!

Nothing brings people together like winning!

Pissed off at the Chargers for leaving San Diego ... right after you got that sweet Bolts logo tatted on your arm???

Herschel Walker has a message for people protesting President Trump not one day into office ... GIVE HIM THAT DAY ... AT LEAST ONE!

We got the All-American out Saturday at II Pastaio in Bev Hills, where he says while it's good for protesters to get their grievances off their chests ... pouncing on day 1 is inexcusable.

He's also still got that lead position for the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on his mind ... but it sounds like he's still waiting to talk to the Prez.

Kelly Rowland is nothing but excited for Lady Gaga's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show ... but knows it will be the runner-up compared to the Destiny's Child show.

We got Kelly leaving Serafina in L.A. Saturday night, and we ask her if she's stoked about Lady Gaga doing the Pepsi halftime show at Super Bowl LI.

She definitely is ... but the DC alum clearly thinks Gaga's won't touch the one she did with Beyoncé. A wink and smile says a lot here.

The Braylon Edwards college comeback is in full swing -- and why? Because the ex-NFL star says a degree will unlock the door to get him into business with his BILLIONAIRE friends.

Sounds like a damn fine reason to us!

33-year-old Braylon has re-enrolled at Michigan -- where he was huge football star from 2001 to 2004 -- telling TMZ Sports he NEEDS that degree to crush it in the next phase of his life.

"I moved in a lot of circles with a lot of millionaires a lot of billionaires that have business ideas and concepts and they wanna work with you. They wanna invite you to that circle," Edwards says.

"But that's the one thing they ask you ... 'Do you have that degree?'"

There's more ... Braylon says he's also down to work with the football team while he's back on campus.

How do the Oakland Raiders players feel about the possible (likely) move to Vegas?

They're stoked about the FORTUNE they'll save on state income tax!!

We spoke with Raiders linebacker Malcom Smith (the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII) who says a bunch of players are already talking about financial implications of a move to Nevada.

FYI, California has the highest state income tax ... Nevada has the lowest!

Plus, as Smith points out ... cost of living is WAYYYY cheaper in Vegas than in the Bay Area.

Donald Trump just took the stage at a big inauguration dinner -- called out Pats owner Robert Kraft in the crowd -- and told him not to worry this weekend because Tom Brady's gonna crush the Steelers.

It all went down Thursday night in D.C. -- Trump also said Brady called him to congratulate and told him he "feels good" for the playoff game.

Of course, Trump and Brady are tight and have been for years. Trump also gave props to Bill Belichick.

NY Jets legend Mark Gastineau says he's been diagnosed with dementia, alzheimer's and parkinson's ... and suggests it was caused by football.

The 60-year-old appeared on 'Sports Zone' on WOR radio and revealed his health issues -- while also saying he's working to help young players avoid the same fate.

"I want to get out and I want to help other kids & youths coming into the game," Gastineau said.

"There's techniques out there that if I would have had them, I know that I wouldn't have the results that I have now."

Gastineau says he does NOT regret playing football -- he just wants to help make the game safer moving forward.

"I don't want [my health] to overpower or overshadow the 'Heads Up' program" -- a program that promotes youth safety in football.

Raiders legend Tim Brown says he's pumped for the team to move to Las Vegas ... but admits he's concerned about some of the players getting too caught up in the Sin City lifestyle.

The Hall of Famer joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Thursday night on FS1) and said he voiced his concerns to Raiders management ... but ultimately realized there's temptation in EVERY city.

"When we were in L.A., we found ways to get into trouble, right? And when you're in Oakland, you find ways to get in trouble. So I think [the Raiders] whole thing is, 'Hey, look, if guys are looking for trouble, no matter what city they're in, they're gonna find the trouble.'"

Tim says the situation might require hiring people to "babysit" some of the players but "hopefully this team will be mature enough to handle the situation."