NFL

NFL star Maurkice Pouncey was one of Aaron Hernandez's closest friends -- and tells TMZ Sports the Netflix documentary about the troubled NFL star is "all bulls**t."

The documentary -- "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" -- has made headlines for several claims about Aaron ... from gay sexual relationships to prison fights to alleged gun violence.

Both Maurkice and his NFL star brother Mike Pouncey were super close with Aaron for years -- and even visited him in prison -- and it's clear they don't believe ANY of the claims from the documentary.

When asked specifically about the gay claims, Maurkice echoed the comments from Aaron's fiancee ... who said they NEVER knew about that side of Aaron but would have loved him the same if it was true.

"What I know there ain't no truth to it," Pouncey says ... "We know nothing about that."

There's more in the clip ... including Pouncey's feelings about Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.

Remember, it was Pouncey who first attacked Garrett after Myles swung a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph during a game back in November.

Pouncey was suspended for 2 games and fined for going after Garrett -- while Myles was suspended indefinitely.

Jay-Z is once again explaining why his partnership with the NFL is actually for the same cause Colin Kaepernick fights for ... it's just the approach that's different.

Jigga sat down with the NYT this weekend ahead of Super Bowl LIV and re-defended his collaboration with the league, which many saw as a betrayal of Kap and everything he stood for. Jay also took a lot of heat at first, but he seems okay with it for the bigger picture.

He tells the paper, "As long as real people are being hurt and marginalized and losing family members, then yes, I can take a couple rounds of negative press," going on to insist he is still fighting for people of color -- only now, from a position of strength and influence.

Case in point ... Sunday's broadcast will apparently include a PSA-type video -- one in a series, per NYT -- that aims to tell the stories of black men and boys killed by cops.

It'll probably be similar to the PSA Malcolm Jenkins and Roc Nation teamed up to produce, which was called "Everyone's Child." Unclear if this new vid is part of the same "Responsibility Program," but chances are it falls under the same umbrella.

Getting back to Kaepernick though, Jay kinda sticks to his guns in this new interview as far as addressing the guy's situation ... acknowledging he was done dirty by the league, but also strongly suggesting it's time to move forward and start looking for new solutions.

Jay says, "No one is saying he hasn’t been done wrong. He was done wrong. I would understand if it was three months ago. But it was three years ago and someone needs to say, ‘What do we do now -- because people are still dying?'"

Pitbull did not disappoint at Shaq's Fun House in Miami Friday night, getting the crowd fired up and then delivering a rousing tribute to Kobe.

Mr. Worldwide sang "Give Me Everything," and then launched into his commentary, saying Kobe's memory will endure. He then went into a diatribe over the cauldron of hate known as social media.

Diddy followed suit, performing "I'll Be Missing You" as images of Kobe filled the venue. He also performed "Mo Money Mo Problems" with his son, Justin.

Shaq, of course, delivered a moving, personal tribute to Kobe. As the crowd chanted Kobe's name -- led by Shaq -- the video chronicled the incredible partnership between the 2 basketball greats who together were an unbeatable duo. BTW, Shaq also showed off his DJ skills, which are considerable.

DaBaby jumped on stage next to Shaq -- who looks massive by comparison -- and performed "Bop." He was in some hot water last month -- he was arrested and charged with battery for allegedly attacking and robbing a club promoter. That case is pending.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez didn't let her brother's defamation lawsuit spoil their Super Bowl weekend, because they partied their faces off in Miami.

The couple busted a couple of moves on the dance floor at Dave Grutman's LIV nightclub, showing a significant amount of PDA.

Jeff could certainly afford bottle service ... as we reported, he scored $13 billion in just one day this week after Amazon posted way better than expected earnings over Xmas.

Marshmello, Martin Garrix, Michael Bay, Marc Anthony, Scooter Braun, Nikita Dragun and will.i.am were among the other celebs who were clearly feeling the night.

TMZ broke the story ... Jeff's being sued by Lauren's brother, Michael, who claims the richest man in the world defamed him by accusing him of leaking graphic photos and selling them to the Enquirer. Despite federal investigators saying there was evidence Michael did the deed.

Forget the Hall of Fame ... Andy Reid will go down as a top 5 coach EVER with a win in the Super Bowl on Sunday -- so says his former player Tamba Hali.

"Getting this win obviously will make him one of the greatest coaches of all time," Hali says.

Think it's crazy??? The Chiefs legend might not be wrong ... Reid is already 6th all-time in regular-season wins with 210 -- and he's been to SEVEN conference title games as well.

But, the knock on Reid has always been he's never won a Super Bowl ... and if he's able to erase that against the 49ers, Hali says put him on the NFL's coaching Mt. Rushmore ASAP.

"I know the guys that came before him did some great things, but at least top five in all-time coaching," Hali says.

We also spoke with Hali about his ex-teammate Patrick Mahomes ... and the former KC pass rusher LOVES the guy.

In fact, ya gotta hear the amazing story he shared with us about an afternoon that the QB spent with his son.

Seriously, listen to the story and watch this video ... it's all adorable!!!

Antonio Brown is issuing another apology for his behavior ... this time writing an emotional letter to the Hollywood PD for being a massive headache the last few months.

"To everyone who I may have offended or Disrespected at the @hollywoodflpd Of the state of Florida, I would like to sincerely give you all my apology from the top and bottom of my heart," AB wrote.

"And as a human being and an professional athlete I can honestly say that my emotions truly did cloud my better Judgment, When you all were only there to help me."

Brown has had run-in after run-in with the HPD cops ... and he even filmed himself berating officers while they were trying to ease a tense standoff between the former All-Pro and his baby mama a few weeks ago.

In fact, things got so bad, the HPD issued a statement saying they were cutting ALL ties with the guy ... and returned a donation check he had made to the police department's youth flag football league.

"We will not take money from a donor that we cannot have our youth be proud of or represent our organization," the cops said at the time.

Things eventually ended with Brown in HPD custody ... cops were forced to issue an arrest warrant for the 31-year-old after he was accused of attacking a moving truck driver outside of his Florida home last week.

But now, Brown -- who's out of jail and letting his criminal case play out in the courts -- is begging for forgiveness ... writing, "Thanks to you all who sincerely accept my Sincere apology. And we must all know that God is a Forgiving God."

Wanna see why it's DOPE to be an NFL player??? Just check out Las Vegas Raiders star Johnathan Abram leaving a Miami hot spot with not one, not two, not three ....but FOUR very attractive women!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the 23-year-old stud leaving Prime 112 in South Beach on Thursday and he appeared to be in great spirits -- it's not hard to figure out why.

Not only was Abram in good company, but he's also apparently a really generous guy ... 'cause we spoke with his lovely friends after the dinner ... and they say the Raiders safety paid for everyone's meals!!!

But, the group wasn't just munchin' on apps all night ... they told us they were chowing down on steaks and crab cakes!!!

FYI -- Abram is in the middle of a 4-year, $11 million deal ... so yeah, let him splurge a little bit.

We also asked the star safety about the team's move to Sin City ... and the dude sounds pumped!!!

Eventually, Abram parted ways with the ladies, hopped in his Lambo and drove off.

Chandler Jones says chill the hell out -- there's no puzzle to solve in Tom Brady's mysterious photo that had everyone trippin' on Thursday ... "Tom's not going anywhere!!!"

Of course, Chandler spent 4 seasons with the New England Patriots before being traded to the Cardinals in 2016 -- and he's still friendly with a bunch of guys on the team.

So, when we saw him out at the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest in Miami Thursday night, we had to know if Jones had any insight on TB12's career plans!!

"Sounds like he's about to go head out for practice or something. I wouldn't buy too much into it. Tom has some more years left in him for sure. Don't buy into that."

Jones continued ... "I don't see him playing with anyone else. I really don't. Tom's not going anywhere. I'd be surprised. We'll all be surprised but I don't think he's going anywhere."

Another person who's trying to keep Tom in Boston is Pats owner Robert Kraft who told us just last week they "plan to" have Brady back in the fold for the 2020 season.

There have been rumblings the 42-year-old QB is interested in playing for the Tennessee Titans -- since the team is stacked and Tom's close with head coach Mike Vrabel.

So, is Chandler right? Are people making a big deal out of nothing?

While the NFL world goes crazy deciding if Eli Manning belongs in Canton, the retired QB ain't stressin' AT ALL ... so says his famous dad.

We spoke to Archie Manning outside of Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami where he had just dined with his sons, Eli and Peyton.

It's obvious Archie believes his son belongs in the Hall of Fame, but we wanted to know if Archie is bothered by people like Deion Sanders who says he just ain't worthy.

"I don't think it bothers him at all," Archie said ... "He's fine. Very content."

"Eli's just finished up a long career ... [he's] looking forward to doing some things with his family."

Eli has a pretty good resume -- 2 Super Bowl rings and 2 Super Bowl MVPs in his 16-year career. He started 210 consecutive games over 13 seasons, the 3rd longest streak in NFL history.

As for the NY Giants, Archie still has mad love for the G-Men ... praising the organization, the new coach and the QB who took Eli's job.

"[Daniel Jones is] a great young man," Archie raved ... while predicting playoffs for NY in the near future.

Zack Martin ain't going to love this ...

Jerry Jones told Aaron Donald, after a steak dinner in Miami on Thursday, he was devastated when the Rams drafted the DT just 3 picks before the Cowboys took Martin in 2014!!!

"First of all, you broke my heart," Jerry told the L.A. superstar at Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami ... "They took him before we could take him!"

Of course, the draft ended up alright for Dallas ... Martin has made SIX Pro Bowls since Jerry drafted him, after losing out on Donald -- but it's pretty clear JJ wanted AD badly!!

"I'm going to tell you something right here," Jerry said, as he took Donald's hand. "You raise your hand to this guy. Now, this is the definition of a War Daddy. This is, 'Be a War Daddy!' right here!"

Jerry's son, Stephen Jones, clearly felt the same way ... 'cause when he grabbed AD at the restaurant, he told his dad, Donald is "the best player in the NFL!"

Don't worry, Rams fans ... Aaron ain't going to bolt for Dallas anytime soon -- he just signed a $135 MILLION contract that's locked him in to Los Angeles for the next half decade!!!

By the way, we also asked Jerry if he'd put Jimmy Johnson in the team's Ring of Honor now that his ex-Cowboys head coach is going into the Hall of Fame ... and all Jerry would tell us is, "Aren't we proud of him in the Hall of Fame?"

PETA has its own Super Bowl spot, featuring animated animals taking a knee to protest injustice, but the Colin Kaepernick vibes were too strong to get network approval ... at least that's what PETA thinks.

The animal rights org tells TMZ ... it wanted to make a commercial calling for an end to speciesism -- to "challenge people to expand their concept of injustice to include humans' injustice against other species."

Translation: hey, homo sapiens, quit killing other species.

PETA says the ad agency it hired nailed it with a Kaepernick-inspired theme that features a hummed version of the Star Spangled Banner over images of animals taking a knee. It says the spot was pitched last month to FOX ... which is airing Super Bowl LIV.

PETA says things seemed promising -- a FOX commercial clearance rep replied on December 30 saying the network received the spot and was reviewing it. Again on January 3, PETA says it was told the ad was still being discussed internally, and FOX would have an answer ASAP.

However, despite multiple follow-ups ... PETA says it hasn't heard a peep since then. As for why? PETA claims its ad agency told them the NFL was pressuring FOX to reject the spot.

PETA also claims multiple requests to run the ad in local FOX markets -- either before or after the Super Bowl -- have also gone unanswered.

We've reached out to FOX, no word back so far ... and no comment from the NFL. However, a source close to the league says it's ultimately up to the network carrying the game, not the NFL, to approve or reject all ads.

Cam Newton took Greg Olsen to dinner hours after the Carolina Panthers TE parted ways with the team ... and Cam got SUPER EMOTIONAL about his friend on the way out.

"Hey, you TMZ??? Listen here .... "

That's how the QB started his tribute to Olsen outside Prime 112 in Miami ... comparing him to the GREATEST tight ends of all time, while fighting back the urge to cry!!!

There was booze. There was high praise. There was also Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo!!!

"I respect Patrick Mahomes and I respect Travis Kelce," Cam said ... "I respect Dak Prescott and I respect Jason Witten. I respect Carson Wentz and [Zach Ertz]. I respect everything. But, me and this dude right here, man?"

"I don't want to start any controversy. I just want to be respectful to him and his career and what he's done. [Rob Gronkowski], I tip my hat off to him, but you cannot mention no great tight ends without mentioning Greg Olsen."

"The first tight end ever to have BACK to BACK to BACK 3,000 yards."

*Note -- Cam meant to say Olsen is the first to have 3 seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

"Hey, I could cry right now man," Newton added.

As for Olsen, he got mushy too ... praising Cam for being a great teammate over the years.

Greg also bragged about how much red wine they drank inside!

"We had more glasses of Prisoner [red wine] than anybody in the history of Prime 112!" Olsen said, as the dudes left the restaurant.

That's when Olsen goes in for hugs ... and it's a pretty amazing scene.

As for Greg's future now that Carolina has officially parted ways with him ... he told us he ain't retiring, but isn't sure which team he'll end up on next.

"We'll see what's up."

Here's Jason Momoa like you've never seen him before ... plucking his eyebrows and reading a young adult romance novel while soaking in a bubble bath.

If that sounds like the makings of a Super Bowl commercial, then someone on Madison Ave nailed it. Aquaman got downright comfy for his Rocket Mortgage spot. He's been teasing it all week ... posting snippets, but Friday morning he gave us the full Monty.

Chill. We meant that metaphorically.

You can see Jason brushing his hair, practicing his baritone movie trailer voice, and talking to his dog in a baby voice -- all while wearing, for some reason, TWO bathrobes or just bubbles.

The 60-second ad will reportedly air during the first half of the game. The theme is something about feeling comfortable in your own home, but do you really give a crap?

It's Momoa in a tub. End of story.

Jason will get plenty of celeb competition on Super Sunday. Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and David Ortiz are all costarring in one car company's commercial.

That one's Boston themed, but again ... who cares??

Tom Brady made people lose their damn minds on Thursday ... by posting a possibly ominous message for New England Patriots fans.

The foreboding photo shows a shadowy figure (we're assuming it's TB12, but who knows at this point) walking in the tunnel at a stadium. It's dramatic as hell.

But the big mystery -- is Brady walking IN to the tunnel, or is he walking OUT to the field??

Depending on the direction, it could be bad news for the Pats -- there have been rumors Brady is ready to move on to another franchise ... and this may be a way for him to soften the blow for New England.

Remember, we spoke with Pats owner Robert Kraft last week ... and he said "the plan" was to bring Brady back next season.

TB12 is a free agent ... but that doesn't necessarily mean he's going anywhere. The dude very well could be messing with all of us for fun.

So we gotta ask ...

Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg better put their Super Bowl advertisements to good use, by making them fun and exciting ... so says Congressman Andre Carson.

We got the distinguished gentleman from Indiana on Capitol Hill Thursday, and asked him about the mix of commercials and political ads for Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast.

There's gonna be more political ads than usual -- it's an election year, after all -- and Rep. Carson says candidates are gonna do everything they can to capitalize on the massive TV audience tuning in to the Big Game.

It's pretty crazy ... FOX, which is broadcasting the game, says a 30-second commercial's gonna cost up to $5.6 million ... but Carson says the huge price tag is worth every penny.

Rep. Carson's advice for Super Bowl ads ... make them entertaining and engaging, and don't just talk about personal accomplishments.

Cutting Le'Veon Bell would be a HUGE mistake for the Jets ... so says his teammate Brandon Copeland, who tells TMZ Sports the RB is "the real deal!!!"

"He made a lot from nothing this past year," the NY linebacker says.

Bell has been in an awkward situation with his head coach, Adam Gase, ever since the ex-Steelers star inked a monster $52.5 MILLION deal to sign with NY this past off-season.

Gase was reportedly upset over paying an RB that much cash ... and at a press conference at the end of this season, Adam didn't exactly seem stoked about the idea of bringing Bell back in 2020.

All of it has led to trade rumors and even speculation that Bell could be cut this off-season ... but when we got Copeland out in NYC on Wednesday, he said that shouldn't be on the Jets' table at all.

"Everybody's going to talk," Copeland says. "But you keep one of the best running backs in the game right now. He's a good dude. He's working hard."