NFL

The Packers D could have gold tracks across their asses Sunday, cause Marshawn Lynch is rockin' some SICK $1,000 all gold cleats for the NFC title game ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

The cleats were hand made by shoe-customizing guru Solesbysir and feature 24K gold flake paint with a RIDICULOUS gold chrome plate at the bottom ... final value $1,100 bucks.

We're told Beast Mode had originally planned to rock the kicks on Super Sunday (confidence), but when he saw the finished product, he had to have them for the big game this Sunday.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate says he DID NOT have sexual relations with Russell Wilson's wife ... despite rumors to the contrary ... and he claims the Seahawks QB knows it.

Of course, Wilson and his wife Ashton split up back in April -- and there were rumblings that it all had to do with an alleged affair involving one of Russell's Seattle Seahawks teammates.

Golden -- who played with Seattle at the time --signed with Detroit a short time later ... fueling the rumors.

But now Tate is denying everything in a statement posted on TheCauldron -- writing:

"I did not have an affair with Russell Wilson’s wife, nor did I have anything to do with his divorce."

"That is laughable for anyone who knows us. His ex-wife, Ashton, is still best friends with my girlfriend."

"Russell and I were good friends when I was in Seattle, on and off the field — he knows the rumors about me were unfounded, damaging to my reputation, and an attack on my character."

In fact, Golden's GF posted a pic with Ashton just 4 months ago (pic below).

As for Russell, the details surrounding the split were kept super quiet. Neither he nor Ashton have talked about why they broke up.

The New York/Boston rivalry just took an interesting turn -- with NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch telling us he's rooting for Tom Brady to beat the Colts this weekend ... and eventually hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Tisch was out at Craig's in L.A. last night -- when we asked if it's cool for NFL owners to root for another team after their own squad gets eliminated from the playoffs.

Steve says he's got some pretty good reasons for backing New England -- including the fact he's already beaten the Pats the last two times they faced 'em in the Big Game.

Another huge star is set to perform at the Super Bowl ... Idina Menzel has just announced she's on board ... and says she's honored to be following in the footsteps of legends like Whitney Houston.

The "Let It Go" singer just broke the news on Twitter ... saying:

"It was 1991 and I remember it well: Whitney sings the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Almost as glorious as her voice was her huge radiant smile. I am so humbled and honored to be asked this year."

Last year, the NFL gave the honor to opera singer Renee' Fleming ... who shocked gambler by knocking it out in 2 minutes and 3 seconds -- almost 20 seconds shorter than expected.

The man who became the custodian of O.J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman Trophy lugged it around the streets for years ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've learned the person is in the crosshairs of the LAPD -- because he's the guy who called USC a while back inquiring about how much he could get for the trophy.

SC called the LAPD stat and forked over the guy's cell phone number -- and the LAPD went on the hunt.

We found the guy ... and he tells TMZ Sports he came into possession of the trophy in 1996, two years after it was stolen from Heritage Hall on the SC campus.

The man swears he's not the guy who broke the case and made off with the statue (we confirmed he was in jail at the time of the heist) but he did say he traded for it with a burgundy Honda Accord and $500 cash. And get this ... the guy he got it from had the Heisman buried in his backyard. Kind of a hint something was up.

After 17 years ... the man says he decided to return the Heisman -- for a reward. He took a photo of the trophy (seen above) to prove he's legit.

It may be a little more than coincidence that his change of heart happened right at the same time the LAPD got a search warrant that targeted him.

Bottom line -- cops nabbed the Heisman but they're still on the hunt for culprits.

The next Thomas Edison could totally kick your ass ... 'cause NFL star Bernard Pollard tells TMZ Sports the counter-top organizer he invented last year totally BLEW UP in sales this holiday season.

Pollard, who won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012 invented a bathroom counter-top organizer last year called the "Smart Sink Tray" that he says lets was inspired by the tiny sinks out in Baltimore.

"I first thought it up back in 2012 ... I'm a germaphobe and the counter space in Baltimore was so limited that I wanted something to expand it."

His Howie Mandelness has led to cold hard cash with Pollard telling us this holiday season business was BOOMING for the "Smart Sink Tray" -- with a sales spike of nearly 60%.

"It was really cool to see the orders come in. The east coast went crazy for it."

And Pollard says things are only looking up from here ... 'cause the tray has gotten so popular, it's drawn interest from hotels all over the country and outdoor retailer Camping World.

"We putting it your RV's."

Former NFL star Matt Light -- a 3-time Pro Bowler -- just finished up a charity event with special needs children in which he took them out hunting for deer ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Light is an avid hunter who strongly believes in the positive value of outdoor activities such as hunting, clay shooting and camping.

In this case, Matt and his friend Noah (who he met through The Light Foundation) got themselves a buck out in Alabama.

"All of the lessons I've learned in the outdoors have really proven well for me," Matt says ... "And I want to pass them along to kids like Noah."

Light says he believes the kids learn everything from teamwork to trust and respect on the hunting trips.

Ray Rice went ALL OUT to spoil his wife on her birthday Wednesday -- and Janay Rice was so impressed, she bragged about having the "best husband in the world."

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... the former Baltimore Ravens star organized a day-long celebration for Janay ... with a dinner party, private celebrity chef, fancy cake and a special appearance by a former teammate.

The chef is former "Hell's Kitchen" competitor JR Robinson -- who cooked up lobster, lamb chops, mussels and some special dessert for Janay's family and friends.

Among the friends ... Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith -- whose family has remained extremely tight with the Rice's over the past year.

After the party was over, Janay put a message on social media thanking Ray -- "I literally have the best husband in the world. He went above and beyond to make my birthday special."

As for how Ray paid for everything, he reportedly just settled a grievance with the Ravens in which he wanted more than $3.5 million for cutting him over the elevator video.

No word on how much cash Rice ultimately received in the settlement -- but we're guessing it covered the party.

NY Giants co-owner John Mara says there's no doubt Roger Goodell's reputation took a major hit due to his handling of the Ray Rice incident ... but he's fully confident Roger will bounce back.

Mara -- who, along with Steelers owner Art Rooney, oversaw Robert Mueller's investigation into the NFL's handling of the Rice situation -- called into WFAN in NYC and voiced his support for the NFL commish while acknowledging Goodell has a serious PR problem.

"No question he's been damaged by recent events," Mara said ... "He's a pretty strong person and he can get by this and I think he can repair his reputation."

Mara says he still believes Goodell is the right man for the job -- and says his body of work as NFL Commish is "exceptional."

Maurice Clarett doesn't want another superstar Ohio State running back making the same mistakes that he did -- which is why he's begging Ezekiel Elliott to STAY IN SCHOOL.

Of course, Clarett knows what he's talking about -- he's the guy who famously left OSU after 1 season back in 2002 and challenged the NFL's draft policy which requires players to be at least 3 years removed from high school.

Clarett never returned to form -- even when he did finally get on an NFL team ... and now he's trying to pass on the lessons from his experience to the current OSU star running back.

After reading a report urging Ezekiel to skip his junior season and wait for the NFL, Clarett chimed in ... saying, "Ignore all of this Zeke.... I'm speaking from experience."

"You can't beat the machine (NFL). Go to class and focus on getting better as a ball player."

Oregon shmoregon ... That's how NY Giants star Prince Amukamara felt about Monday Night's big game telling TMZ Sports the only competition he cared about was from the thirsty chicks on ABC's "The Bachelor."

Prince was out in NYC Monday night -- not watching the big game -- when we asked who he thought might take it between the Bucks and Ducks.

Here's the thing ... Prince didn't care!! He was more into "The Bachelor" ... and the BRACKET he filled out for the show.

Yes, a "Bachelor Bracket" is a thing ... just like the Final Four where you pick the names of the women who you think will get a rose from Chris Soules and advance every week.

Hopefully, Prince didn't have Alissa, Jordan, Kimberly, Tandra or Tara going the distance.

But here's the rub, the house never got built and Key eventually moved out of town ... but according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Johnson never paid the design company what it claims it was owed for drawing up the blueprints.

Now, a collection agency is on Key's ass -- looking to recover more than $40k in back payments for the mansion that never was.

But Johnson says it's all a baseless money grab -- claiming the blueprints were drawn up by his architect, not the designer ... and he doesn't believe he owes the designer a single cent.

"Be careful who you deal with. Everybody's looking for a buck. You can't get paid for work you didn't do."

J.J. Watt's most badass 7-year-old fan just got hooked up with some serious swag ... including the cleats Watt wore during one of his most dominant games this season.

Anthony Tarantelli made headlines last month when he sent HIS autographed jersey to Watt ... and bragged about being the "most feared" pass rusher in his youth football league.

Watt vowed to return the favor and came through with an awesome package, including ... a jersey, a hat, and a letter from the MVP candidate. Anthony's dad tells TMZ Sports, "He told him to stay confident in himself, and keep working hard."

But the coolest gift was the cleats J.J. wore when he sacked the Jaguars QB 3 times in one game. Watt wrote "3 sacks" on the side ... and Anthony says they still had mud on them.

Anthony's father says, "For J.J. to actually follow through and hook the kid up with the gear ... it was a pretty sweet move."

Deion Sanders says he's still upset about Dez Bryant's controversial non-catch ... saying it was the right call under the current rules -- BUT THE RULE NEEDS TO CHANGE!!!

"[The NFL needs] to evaluate the rules and change the rules in the offseason," Sanders says.

"I don't like it. I don't agree with it."

The best part -- the photog tells Sanders he saw him make a bunch of catches like that back in the day, but the refs never called 'em back.

Deion's response ... classic.

Pack your bags Darren Sharper ... 'cause you've just been ordered to go to New Orleans!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... a district court judge has ordered the L.A. County Sheriff to "surrender the body of Darren Sharper" to the U.S. Marshall so he can be arraigned in Louisiana on drug conspiracy charges.

Sharper has been locked up in L.A. for more than 300 days ... accused of drugging and raping two women he met at a West Hollywood nightclub.

Meanwhile, in N.O., a federal grand jury charged the former NFL star with conspiracy and the illegal distribution of drugs with intent to commit rape.

A federal judge in Louisiana decided Sharper needs to be present in New Orleans for an arraignment and signed off on a writ of habeas corpus ordering the L.A. County Sheriff to hand him over on or before February 23rd.

The judge also ordered Sharper to remain in New Orleans until the conclusion of his federal case.

No word on when Sharper is expected to hit the road ... but he has another court date in L.A. scheduled for January 27th.

The takeover continues for Jay Z and Roc Nation Sports ... with Hova inking embattled Georgia running back and projected 1st round pick Todd Gurley to the agency earlier Monday.

Of course, Gurley was in the running for the Heisman Trophy earlier this year ... before he was suspended for 4 games after being caught selling autographs to memorabilia dealers.

Clearly, Jay still believes in the guy ... or at least in his ability to make huge money at the next level ... 'cause Todd just became the 6th football player to join Roc Nation -- following studs like Dez Bryant and Victor Cruz.

Roc Nation has been making some serious moves in the past couple days, reaching a deal with champion boxer Andre Ward late last week.