NFL

Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy is still so pissed off about the blown non-penalty in the NFC Championship game ... he just went on the floor of the Senate to call out the NFL.

"The State of Louisiana is outraged because of what happened in the Superdome last Sunday," Cassidy said during his 5-minute presentation.

"To the folks back home, it is something which continues to disturb them."

Cassidy, of course, is referring to blatant pass interference -- and helmet-to-helmet contact -- that went uncalled in the final 2 minutes of the game ... allowing the L.A. Rams a chance to come back and beat the Saints.

Cassidy described the play as, "The most blatant and consequential blown call in NFL history."

In fact, Cassidy says it's not just Saints fans who are pissed -- superstars like LeBron James, JJ Watt and Dez Bryant tweeted about the "travesty."

Cassidy suggested that the refs may have had a secret pro-Rams agenda and he's calling for the NFL to launch a full investigation.

Cool moment at the Pro Bowl -- two NFL stars who battled cancer and WON bonded in Orlando this week ... which makes this pic of Jim Kelly and James Conner inspiring as hell.

Obviously, Conner made the Pro Bowl after balling out with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year -- and Kelly is there as an assistant for the AFC squad.

Conner's story is pretty amazing -- he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2015 after a stellar junior year at Pitt. He underwent months of chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free in 2016.

58-year-old Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his jaw in 2013 and has undergone several major surgeries since ... including a major reconstructive procedure in 2018.

So, when they spotted each other on the sidelines of the Pro Bowl practice in Orlando on Thursday, they had an instant connection.

"These two know the game of football," Jim's wife, Jill Kelly, wrote ... "And they know cancer. Superstars and survivors...NEVER GIVE UP!"

Could Super Bowl Sunday be the last time Rob Gronkowski hits the football field??

His brother, ex-NFL player Chris Gronkowski, says maybe ... 'cause the older Gronk tells TMZ Sports neither he nor the Patriots superstar is sure of Rob's NFL future beyond Feb. 3.

"I couldn't tell you, and I don't even think at this point that he knows what he's going to do after the season."

Gronk's no stranger to retirement rumors ... he's dealt with a TON of serious injuries in his 9-year career -- and even reportedly threatened to walk if he was traded before this season.

But, the dude is only 29 years old ... and is still a beast -- which Chris says people are starting to take note of again now that fantasy football seasons are over.

"If you actually watched him play throughout the year, he was crushing people all year!"

Sooo ... could there be only four more quarters of that in his legendary career???

Weezy F Baby and the F is for future first-rounder ... 'cause Lil Wayne just signed Deandre Baker -- a projected top-10 NFL Draft pick -- to his Young Money APAA Sports Agency!!!

The legendary rapper made the announcement himself on Twitter, writing, "Welkome to the family @DreBaker1_ !! Lets Work!"

Of course ... the signing is a huge one for Weezy -- Baker was a superstar at Georgia and mock draft experts already have him penned into the top half of April's first round.

In fact, Baker was so good with the Bulldogs ... the dude won the Jim Thorpe Award for the best DB in the country!!

"Deandre is a silent Assassin on that field!! I can’t wait until he shows the world why he’s the #1 corner in this draft!,” COO of Young Money Entertainment Cortez Bryant said.

Lil Wayne's killin' it ahead of spring's NFL Draft ... 'cause other top prospects like Alabama's Quinnen Williams and Georgia's Mecole Hardman Jr. have already signed deals with the company.

Killer Mike says Americans know better by now -- weed doesn't cause the same harm as booze, cigarettes or even sugar ... so it's time to get progressive with the drug.

The Atlanta rapper and activist was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us his take on the medical marijuana ad being blocked from airing during the Super Bowl. Mike says it's not fair to blame CBS or the NFL for this, because the U.S. as a whole has been too slow to accept the benefits of cannabis ... and it's shameful.

His solution -- citizens need to make sure promoting a progressive agenda on marijuana is top of mind when they go vote in the next elections ... so people like those in the rejected Acreage Holding PSA can get the help they need.

There's more -- if ya don't know, Killer Mike has a new show on Netflix called 'Trigger Warning,' where he gets creative dealing with some of America's biggest issues and controversies.

Case in point -- he thinks the notorious Crips and Bloods should capitalize on their brand to market their own sodas and have some friendly competition in the process. He points out that the mafia and biker gangs do it and cash in ... so it's only fair.

Call him Grow Montana ... because the NFL Hall of Famer is investing HEAVILY in the weed business.

62-year-old Joe Montana is one of the major investors of a company called Caliva -- a major legal marijuana operation out of San Jose, CA.

The company not only grows weed -- it also sells everything from joints to vape pens and even marijuana beverages.

Montana started a venture fund back in 2015 -- and when Caliva was seeking investors for a $75 million round of funding, Montana's company joined in.

Caliva CEO Dennis O'Malley issued a statement saying the company plans on opening retail stores in major cities in 2019.

He added, "What we’re trying to do is be the #1 brand in California ... We believe this is where global brands are made."

This is the medical marijuana ad CBS rejected for the Super Bowl, and it's incredibly moving and emotional.

The ad, produced by Acreage Holdings, a marijuana and cannabis investment firm, was willing to pay $5 million for the spot, but CBS turned it down ... because, we're told, they don't allow any marijuana ads on the air.

The ad profiles 3 people -- a boy who had hundreds of seizures a day that were not abated by traditional medicine, a man addicted to opioids, and a veteran who was in severe pain after his leg was amputated. All say medical marijuana made life livable.

T.I. believes Travis Scott's decision to do the Super Bowl halftime show is selfish ... and he hopes the rapper makes up for it by being selfLESS down the road.

Scott's taken all sorts of heat for his decision to perform at Super Bowl 53 from people like Common and Nick Cannon who have been critical of the NFL for the way it's treated Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, Cannon told Raquel Harper on BET's "Raq Rants" that Scott's move clearly shows he doesn't care for black culture.

So, how does T.I. feel about it? See if you can read between the lines ...

"I think every man have an opportunity ... he can make a decision for himself, or he could be selfless. And, nobody can tell someone when to be selfless."

"That's every man's right to choose that moment for themselves. So, if this ain't something that he wanted to be selfless about, hopefully in the future we'll see other moments where he will. You dig?"

We dig.

Not everyone is upset with Scott -- rap legend Nelly told us just a few days ago the outrage over the halftime show is stupid -- and said he'd "probably do it" if asked.

Marshawn Lynch has finally responded to Donald Trump's scathing attack on the NFL players who didn't stand for the anthem (he was one of 'em) -- and it doesn't get more Marshawn than this ...

"That mothaf*cker say a lot of sh*t."

The Oakland Raiders superstar appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" where he went off about POTUS -- essentially saying he doesn't know a DAMN THING about the real Marshawn Lynch.

"You call me unpatriotic but if you come to my neighborhood where I'm from you'll see me take the shirt off my back and give it to someone in less need. I mean, what would you call that?!"

Marshawn famously sat during the anthem during the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons -- even after Donald Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who didn't stand.

Maher and Lynch also spoke about the work Marshawn does in the community -- he's become a legend in Oakland for helping low-income communities and fighting gentrification.

In fact, Lynch has his own way of defining gentrification -- "It's basically when ... it's a lot of white people come over to the hood and kick everybody out that's there."

Lynch says he's been a witness to it "since I was a small jitterbug."

Trina Braxton's not conflicted at all -- she supports the rights of the LGBT community ... AND she supports the rights of folks who want to gobble down some Chick-fil-A.

We got the "Braxton Family Values" star outside Publik Draft House in Atlanta Wednesday night and first asked her about the fast food chain being closed during the Super Bowl ... despite having a primo location inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

She says Chick-fil-A fans like herself know the restaurant's always closed on Sundays -- no exceptions -- so just deal with it. It's their prerogative.

Trina also tells us it's her prerogative to eat at Chick-fil-A -- despite its history of supporting anti-gay groups -- because she personally supports LGBT rights. Eating a delicious chicken sandwich isn't going to change that ... for Trina, anyway.

10:07 AM PT -- Cook says he had a pair of Louboutin shoes, an additional pair of shoes AND some dress pants stolen -- ESPN's Dianna Russini reports.

7:36 AM PT -- A rep for the TSA tells TMZ Sports ... they've already launched an investigation into Cook's allegations and are hoping to get some answers ASAP.

We're told officials have reached out to Cook and are hoping to speak with him soon to get more information about the alleged crime.

Oakland Raiders TE Jared Cook claims TSA employees STOLE several valuable items out of his luggage at the airport on the way to the Pro Bowl ... and he's calling 'em out on video.

"The great folks at TSA went through my bag and stole my shoes and some of my clothes," Cook told Vegas Sports Daily at the Pro Bowl practice in Orlando.

Cook says the items were worth a "pretty good amount of money."

You can see in the clip Cook is pretty upset -- and he's blaming the alleged crime on the government shutdown.

"I guess when you're forced to find work or find money to come in from somewhere for your family, you take it out on the people that you serve."

He added, "When you don't feed your dogs, they go licking on your bones -- so that's what they're doing."

We reached out to the TSA for comment and we're told they're looking into Cook's allegations. However, TSA responded to Cook on Twitter saying, "This deeply concerns us. We take these allegations very seriously."

31-year-old Cook had a monster season in 2018 -- one of the few bright spots for the Raiders -- putting up 68 catches for 896 yards and 6 TDs.

Cook has made more than $37 million in his NFL career -- and is expected to sign a pretty big contract before the 2019 season.

So, even though it SUCKS to have your stuff get jacked (allegedly) ... at least he can afford to buy new gear.

Hue Jackson was so furious after getting the axe from Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam after a Week 8 loss to the Steelers, he cussed at his boss and threw him out of his office.

This is all according to an explosive new ESPN report which says ... if you couldn't tell ... things were a MESS behind the scenes in Cleveland this year.

Haslam reportedly went to Jackson's office to deliver the news after the team had chalked up another loss -- sending their record to 2-5-1 on the season.

When Haslam told Jackson that the team had "quit" on him and the Browns were firing the head coach, Jackson reportedly said, "Get the f*ck out of my office."

So, why such anger in a moment EVERYONE saw coming?

According to the report, Jackson's position is that Haslam had given him a vote of confidence behind the scenes -- telling him the team would be firing offensive coordinator Todd Haley, not Jackson.

When Haslam decided to move on from Hue on October 29 ... Jackson didn't see it coming (despite an overall 3-36-1 record with the organization) and lost his cool.

The article also paints Haslam as a guy who's in over his head -- who was adamant on selecting Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft over Teddy Bridgewater because "something about Bridgewater's handshake rubbed Haslam the wrong way."

Of course, Manziel flamed out of the league while Bridgewater ended up being a pretty solid QB (despite injuries).

Haslam also reportedly nicknamed ex-VP of football operations Sashi Brown, who is black, "Obama" because of his Harvard degree ... which made people in the Browns organization uncomfortable and came off as racial stereotyping.

Brown, however, did not find the nickname disrespectful.

L.A. Mayor and likely Presidential candidate Eric Garcetti is promising a party for the ages if the L.A. Rams win the Super Bowl.

We got Garcetti, who was on his way to Washington D.C. where he's the keynote speaker at the United States Conference of Mayors, and he was pumped up about the Rams as any fan in the City of Angels.

Garcetti, who was a key player in the negotiations that ended the L.A. teachers strike, is likely going to throw his hat in the 2020 ring, and soon.

Terrell Davis tells TMZ Sports if CBD was around when he was playing for the Denver Broncos ... his Hall of Fame career would have lasted a lot longer than it did.

TD famously broke into the league as an immediate superstar in 1995 ... rushing for more than 6,000 yards in his first 4 seasons.

But, a knee injury ultimately sapped him of his prime years ... forcing him to play in just 17 games in his final three seasons and retire at just 29 years old.

Now ... Davis tells us if CBD was around back then -- he's confident his career would have been saved.

"I believe so, because any time you can help your body heal -- you can take out the swelling, the inflammation and you can do it in a way that's natural -- I feel like absolutely it would have assisted in that."

Davis says he knows this because he's a regular user of the drug ... and, in fact, he is coming out with his own CBD product called Defy that is set to launch this spring.

Ezekiel Elliott was involved in an altercation with a HUGE celebrity DJ in Vegas early Monday morning -- with the DJ going off about the incident on video after the fact ... and it's intense.

But, sources connected to Zeke tell us ... the Cowboys star is adamant he wasn't the one in the wrong.

Here's what we know for sure ... Zeke and Dak Prescott were partying at Drai's After Hours at The Cromwell Hotel and Casino where DJ Franzen was hanging out.

DJ Franzen is a huge force in hip-hop -- he's tight with guys like Jay-Z, T.I. and Big Sean ... and Drake even gave him TWO shout-outs in TWO different songs ("The Motto" and "Elevate").

Sources connected to Franzen tell us ... he walked over to say hi and that's when Elliott and some of his crew got aggressive and things started to pop off.

One Franzen source tells us ... Dak walked over to the DJ and attempted to smooth things over -- but it was already too late ... Franzen felt disrespected and decided to go off on social media.

"Can you believe Ezekiel Elliott tried to pick a fight with me?!" Franzen said in an IG video first spotted by SportsGossip.com ... "Man, F*CK THE COWBOYS!!!"

"Get the f*ck up out of Vegas man," he added ... "You are never allowed in my section again, you little bitch."

He finished with this message -- "If y'all know Ezekiel Elliott, you tell em DJ Franzen said 'F*ck you ... you little bitch ass motherf*cker.'"

Our Zeke sources tell a different story ... claiming Franzen came over in an aggressive manner and was talking trash about the Cowboys.

One source put it this way, "He was trying to provoke Zeke."

Antonio Brown ... we mustache you a question -- what's up with the dental drapes, man??

The NFL superstar posted a selfie with his son, Auto, on Wednesday ... showing off a bright, new multi-colored dread look ... complete with a bleach blonde caterpillar above his upper lip.

Of course, A.B.'s no stranger to head-turning looks ... remember, he had the Nino Brown/Lego head 'do a few years ago ... and his fashion style is among the most unique in the league.

For a guy who dressed up as a hippo and sang "My Prerogative" in front of a bunch of people, we shouldn't be surprised.