NFL

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do."

That's Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin responding to the NFL's lack of diversity in its head coaching ranks ... and yeah, dude clearly ain't too happy about it.

Remember, the NFL's annual league meetings were last week ... and the teams put most of their head coaches proudly on display -- but there was one problem ... the black representation was tiny.

Of course, Tomlin missed the photo ... but so did 5 other white coaches -- which only highlighted an issue Mike says the league needs to address sooner rather than later.

"It was a disappointing hiring cycle for someone who watches it like I do," Tomlin told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ... "knowing some of the deserving men I do who I thought should have gotten an opportunity and didn’t."

"But we’ll continue to work and fight for equality and opportunity.”

The NFL fired 8 head coaches this past season -- including FIVE African Americans -- but only hired one black coach (Miami's Brian Flores) when replacing them.

That leaves the league currently with just THREE total black coaches ... and that's something that has Tomlin searching for answers.

"We’ll continue to fight for [equality within opportunity], not only in terms of head coaching searches, but maybe other areas of the profession as well."

JuJu Smith-Schuster says there's "no bad blood" between him and Antonio Brown ... telling TMZ Sports, "That's my guy."

Of course, as of just a few days ago that didn't seem to be the case ... 'cause the two seemed to be taking some passive aggressive shots at each other all over social media.

It all started just hours after the Steelers traded Brown to the Raiders ... when JuJu posted a pic of him catching a TD (with Brown watching in the background), writing, "I'm ready."

Then ... after a very public spat between A.B. and Ben Roethlisberger -- JuJu weighed in with his own take on Big Ben's leadership, completely disagreeing with Brown's opinion.

"I was so blessed to enter the league and play with a Hall of Fame QB as a 20-year old," JuJu wrote ... "Ben has taught me so much, he’s a true Leader and I can’t wait to rock with my guy this season."

Didn't take long for Brown to respond ... 'cause he took to his own social media page to fire back.

"Do not listen to any NFL player who haven’t got paid yet! They will do and say anything to make sure they going to get paid even if it’s compromising integrity or anything ! sad but true."

That sound like beef to you??

Demaryius Thomas is lucky to be alive today -- let alone healthy and ready to play in the NFL -- 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained pics of his car crash ... and the scene is gnarly.

Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone in Denver at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

One witness tells us the car flipped several times before coming to a stop right-side-up ... dozens of yards from where it took off from.

Thomas and his two passengers somehow escaped from the crash okay -- which seems like a miracle when you see the damage that was done.

The pics show a mangled car ... the back is completely smashed in while the engine is in pieces, falling out of the front.

Thomas was hit with a felony charge of vehicular assault for the incident, but he reached a deal with prosecutors this week to avoid jail time.

The former Broncos star pled guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in injury in exchange for having the felony charge dropped.

DT's punishment? One year probation and 50 hours of community service, plus fines and restitution.

Think Jordan Poyer's enjoying his offseason???

Here's the Buffalo Bills safety's wife, Rachel Bush, to eliminate any possible doubt ... turning a yacht into her personal twerk stage ... and we're definitely here for it.

Fresh off a hot trip to Brazil, the Poyer fam has been keeping the heat going in Miami -- riding jet skis, hitting the water and, of course, having private booty dances on expensive boats.

If you aren't familiar with the Poyers, Rachel and Jordan have been together for years. They tied the knot back in February 2018 and have a 2-year-old daughter, Aliyah.

Rachel recently celebrated her 21st birthday by throwin' on some lingerie and doing a photo shoot with a big ass cake (it would behoove you to check those out to refresh your memory).

Definitely seems like the waters have been calmer for the Poyers lately -- there was a lot of drama with other attractive girls last year -- but it sure looks like smooth sailing now.

Le'Veon Bell innocently went to Twitter to ask his followers what he thought of his new song on Sunday ... and Keenan Allen did exactly that with a BRUTALLY honest response.

"I gotta keep it band bro. This ain’t it" (while adding a garbage can emoji).

DAMN!

The NY Jets star didn't take the public criticism lightly ... telling Allen to hit him up directly if that's how he really felt.

"if youu honestly felt that way, youu could’ve just txted me and said that," Bell responded, "but it seems even ppl with check marks wanna troll to seek attention for mentions now a days..."

"enjoy this buzz fuzz, it’s still all positive vibes."

Now, remember ... it's April Fools Day. So, is this all just a prank to get people all worked up?? The LA Chargers star's follow-up suggests otherwise.

"I was not trolling on my momma bro. I don’t troll. Like I said I speak facts. You shouldn’t have asked if you ain’t want the truth. All love over here bro"

So ... is Bell's song actually good or bad? We're just gonna post the video below and let you decide.

Big news from Tom Brady ... the G.O.A.T. has finally joined the Twittersphere!!!

Oh yeah, and he's retiring from the NFL ... using his first tweet to declare "I'm retiring. In my spare time, I'll be tweeting #LFG."

WOW ... the 6-time Super Bowl champ just ended his incredible career with a tweet. No emotional press conference. No goodbye party. Nothing. Not even a Crying Brady meme for crying out loud.

(You looked at the calendar this morning, right?)

HA HA HA ... GET IT?!?!?!? APRIL FOOLS, EVERYONE!!! Oh man, Tom, you sure did fool all of us.

Anyway ... what ISN'T a joke is that Brady is now on Twitter, and that is actually something to be excited about, if avocado recipes and workout plans are your things.

Johnny Manziel's had a rough few weeks -- he's single and he's injured -- so the star QB hit up an L.A. hot spot for some dance club therapy.

TMZ Sports got video of Manziel, solo, walking into Nightingale Plaza -- a West Hollywood club -- a little after 1 AM early Monday morning.

It's unclear what he did inside ... or how long he stayed at the spot.

Things haven't exactly been goin' Manziel's way lately ... Bre Tiesi wiped Johnny from her Instagram page and publicly accused him of breaking their wedding vows -- a year after they were married.

To make things worse ... Saturday afternoon -- in only his 2nd game QBing for the AAF's Memphis Express -- Manziel sustained a head injury while tackling former NY Giants player Will Hill ... after he picked off a Johnny pass.

Manziel laid injured on the field ... and had to be helped off. He didn't return to the game.

The team hasn't said if Manziel's head injury will force him to miss any time (they have a game this Saturday in San Antonio) ... but the fact that he went to a nightclub probably indicates the injury ain't too serious.

That would be some good news ... 'cause sources close to Johnny tell us he's immersed himself in his football career following his breakup -- with the end goal being a return to the NFL.

Fun fact, the jacket Johnny's rockin' -- the Lovers baseball jacket by AMIRI -- retails at around $2,500 and has an image of a crumbling heart on the back.

Coincidence? Probably not.

Think Robert Griffin III is fine with the Ravens being Lamar Jackson's team?? Think again, so says RGIII himself ... who tells TMZ Sports, "By no means am I content with where I'm at."

Of course, the former Heisman Trophy winner signed on to be a backup QB in Baltimore last season ... and he just re-signed to presumably do the same thing this season.

But, RGIII tells us he's got MUCH bigger plans than just holding a clipboard for Lamar in 2019 ... he says he's straight-up coming for LJ's starting job!!!

"Anybody that signs in the league is never content being a backup, so this is just part of the rebuilding process for me," Griffin tells us.

"It started last year, I moved from QB3 to QB2 ... but by no means am I content with where I'm at. I still want to keep going."

RGIII only played in 3 games for the Ravens last season ... completing just 2 passes for 21 yards -- but he clearly showed the team enough, 'cause they were fine with shippin' Joe Flacco off to Denver this offseason.

So, could RGIII really take over Lamar this year??? Stay tuned ...

Michael Irvin's clearly SUPER relieved to find out he's cancer-free ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys legend was still smiling from ear to ear hours after receiving the great news!!

"I appreciate the prayers!" Irv told TMZ Sports out in D.C. on Sunday night.

As we previously reported, the Hall of Fame receiver announced last week he was "TERRIFIED" he might have throat cancer after losing his voice for several months during the NFL season.

"Saying I am afraid this time is a big big understatement," Irvin wrote on his social media page.

But, Michael announced early Sunday morning he received good news ... there's no cancer in his 53-year-old body!!!

"Thank you God for continuing to answer Prayers and Thank you ALL for Praying," Michael said. "I spoke with Dr St John at UCLA Medical and she has informed me that all test have come back 100!% clean. NO CANCER!!!!!!"

"It is impossible to express my family and my appreciation for the overwhelming out pour of love, support and prayers."

He added, "I was on my threshing floor dealing with the stronghold of fear. You all covered and encourage me."

Irvin's old teammates couldn't have been happier to hear the news -- his quarterback, Troy Aikman, wrote, "Great news Irv!!"

As for his buddy, Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys legend posted a pic of the 2 together, saying, "God is good!!! So thankful for the good news. @michaelirvin88 is cancer free!!"

Here's video of Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers being put in cuffs and getting hauled off to jail for quietly enjoying an evening blunt with his friend in a park.

For real.

TMZ Sports has obtained the body-cam footage of Gathers' August arrest in Frisco, Texas ... and the clip shows the pretty unbelievable circumstances that led to Rico spending a night behind bars.

Gathers and his lady friend are in a public park, sitting on a bench having just enjoyed some weed ... when cops on bicycles cruise up to interrogate them.

They tell the tight end they could smell the marijuana ... and when Rico reveals he has one more fully unused blunt in his possession, the investigation escalates.

One cop pats the two down ... and ultimately decides to slap the cuffs on Gathers -- who says the weed is his -- telling him, "There's like no tolerance for that stuff here, okay?"

You can see the moment where it hits Gathers that he's truly about to be punished for such a minor offense ... 'cause he PLED with the cops to let him off with a warning.

"It's literally too close to game time," Gathers says ... "I play for the Cowboys ... I really don't need this right now."

"I know y'all don't want to see a grown man cry, but like, literally, this is too much. The media -- this is a lesson for me in general."

The cops take him to jail anyway ... and the TE was eventually charged with possession of marijuana -- a Class B misdemeanor.

Gathers had to fight the charge in court throughout the Cowboys' 2018 season ... and eventually struck a deal with prosecutors last week, agreeing to keep his nose clean for 90 days in order to have the charge dropped.

He also had to pay fines and fees.

Gathers -- who nearly lost his job because of the arrest -- finished with 4 starts at TE last season.

Quavo brought out a lot of fire power for his second annual Huncho Day game ... including one Colin Kaepernick, who played QB for the Migos MC.

Kaep was one of many celebs who showed out for Quavo's star-studded flag football exhibition Sunday, which he started last year. CK, of course, drew a huge crowd when he and Eric Reid made their way to the field. Literally ... a flock of people were following them.

And when it was officially game time, Kaep showed he's still got a strong arm. He even threw to Quavo -- who used to play football in high school -- in the course of the game ... and scored.

Other NFL stars who played as well ... Cam Newton, Von Miller, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Josh Norman and others.

This is one of the few times we've seen Colin in action on a football field since he left the NFL after the 2016 season in the wake of his National Anthem controversy. We've seen him in a practice setting a few times since then, and we know he's been staying in shape too.

Remember Chris Johnson's EPIC 4.24 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL Combine???

Yeah, CJ2K tells TMZ Sports he coulda ran it in UNDER 4 seconds!!!

Chris says he came into the annual pre-draft event weighing around 200 pounds ... but says if he had shed 30 or so lbs for the drills -- he would've gotten into the 3s zone on that historic day!!!

"I think [I could have run it]. If I would have went to the combine at 165 ..."

So, why didn't the former NFL superstar do it!?!

"I probably would have dropped," Chris tells us ... "Ain't nobody wanting to draft a first-round running back that weighs 165!"

Yeah, good call.

Chris ended up having a stellar career after his ridiculous 40-yard dash time regardless ... becoming one of only seven players EVER to rush for more than 2,000 yards in one season.

In fact, Johnson tells us he's still got it ... the 33-year-old says if he really trained for it, he could still run a 4.2!!!

Jamaal Charles is thrilled Donald Trump won't let Betsy DeVos cut $18 MILLION from Special Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports competing in them when he was younger changed his life.

The Kansas City Chiefs legend was diagnosed with a learning disability at a young age ... and used track and field at Special Olympics events to help him get through tough times.

In fact, the running back -- who's the all-time NFL leader in yards per carry -- says, "Special Olympics is one of the best things that ever happened to me."

Charles says the events helped him deal with bullying and other issues that came with his disability, and tells us he couldn't be happier the organization's government funding remains intact.

"When you go to some of these games right here, these kids will just put a smile on your face. Winning is really nothing to them. It's just really just having fun."

Charles' message to all the Special Olympians out there? "Don't give up. Believe in yourself."

Forget stats ... DeSean Jackson says he's only about one thing in his return to Philly -- THE SUPER BOWL!!!

"We chasin' some jewelry," the wide receiver tells TMZ Sports at LAX ... "We're tryin' to stack it up on the wall, man!"

Of course, D-Jax just left Tampa Bay to make his triumphant return to Philadelphia -- where his NFL career all began -- and he says this time around it's all about rings.

In fact, the dude seems downright excited to have a shot at getting his first-ever SB trophy ... tellin' us, "They got some good things going on, I'm just happy to be an addition to that."

Jackson's fired up about his quarterback too, saying Carson Wentz is "a baller" and he "can't wait to go put that work in with him and get on that right track and do my thing."

As for the Bucs ... Jackson tells us he's got no hard feelings after moving on from them despite having one year left on his deal there -- saying he's already spoken with Jameis Winston about it all.

"Sh*t, the city's a good place, man. It's just unfortunate -- like I was just talking to Jameis -- it didn't work out or whatever."

Rob Gronkowski isn't just saying goodbye to the Patriots -- he also just bid adieu to his incredible Boston condo ... for $2.3 MILLION!

The retired NFL legend only bought the place a few years ago -- but felt it was time to move, and we're told he made about $400,000 in profit after selling the place with Douglas Elliman agent George Sarkis.

It's got everything a Boston superstar could want -- a 2,100 square foot penthouse with a sick rooftop deck and BBQ area ... and it's in walking distance from bars and restaurants in the Seaport District!

Gronk's decor is pretty sweet, too -- the 29-year-old hung a ton of sports memorabilia on the walls that clearly meant a lot to him ... including the NFL jerseys of his brothers Dan, Chris and Glenn.

There's even a painting that shows Rob and his brothers in their football uniforms.

Von Miller will NOT be punished for illegally catching a hammerhead shark on a 2018 fishing expedition ... but not everyone involved got so lucky.

We broke the story ... the NFL star was investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after Von posted footage showing off a 9-and-a-half foot shark he caught off the coast of Miami.

The incident was escalated when PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- publicly vowed to hold Miller and his crew accountable for what they believed was an illegal catch and kill.

For Miller's part, he insisted the shark was thrown back into the water alive.

Now, we've learned the case was transferred from the FFWCC to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -- a federal organization which reports to the Department of Commerce.

A rep for NOAA tells us the investigation is over and "Miller was not charged."

However, the owner and operator of the fishing vessel WERE charged for fishing for sharks without the proper permit AND failure to release a shark in the manner that will ensure maximum probability of survival.

NOAA issued a $2,000 fine as punishment.

Fishing ... it ain't a joke.