NFL

The football genes run in the Gore family ... because Frank Gore's son just got his first major NCAA scholarship offer to Kentucky -- and the high school star tells us he's already better than his dad!

Okay, he's joking around ... but Frank Gore Jr. is legit on the field -- a star running back at Killian High School in Miami where he's already making a name for himself as a junior.

"I can return the ball, I can catch the ball, I can run the ball," Gore Jr. tells TMZ Sports.

As for the comparison with his father -- a 5-time Pro Bowler who's been in the NFL since 2005 -- FG2 has his sights set on being the best football player in his family.

"He's one dimensional -- he can run the ball. I'm shifty, I'm faster than him. But he's stronger, that's it. I'm more explosive."

In fact ... Frank Jr. says it's his pops who's helping him the most when it comes to football and his recruiting process!!

"He talks to me about my name, he knows that people are going to try to come at me differently," Gore Jr. says.

"He just tells me keep your head straight up on, and God has a plan."

As for where Gore Jr. will eventually end up -- everyone assumes it'll be the University of Miami like Sr. ... but the younger Gore tells us that's not entirely set in stone.

Chad Ochocinco wants to be an MLS goalie ... and Alexi Lalas says he already has one major keeper skill mastered ... he's crazy!!

We spoke with Lalas about Ochocinco's 2-year plan to try out for David Beckham's new expansion team in Miami ... and surprisingly, he's not completely shutting down the idea -- he actually thinks 85 could be ready SOONER than 2020.

"The only thing I know about goalkeepers is that they're crazy," Lalas says. "So he'll fit right in!"

"He doesn't need 2 years, he's crazy now! I love him!"

As for Ochocinco seeking the career change at 40 years old ... Lalas seems shocked, but it's clear he's not putting it past the guy to actually follow through with it.

NFL legend Willie McGinest is confused by the whole Raiders-Khalil Mack drama ... and is seemingly placing most of the blame for the superstar's departure on Jon Gruden's shoulders.

"If you're a coach coming into a new situation and this is a player that you covet and you really want on your team, there's no egos in this," the ex-Patriot tells TMZ Sports.

"I think you call the player and express your feelings and what you expect and what you need."

Remember ... Mack's whole issue with the Raiders stems from the fact that he and Jon NEVER spoke after Gruden got the head gig.

Willie -- a former stud pass rusher himself -- is perplexed by Gruden and the Raiders' role in the situation ... especially after the new Chicago Bear BEASTED in his first game Sunday.

"I understand there's two sides to the business," McGinest says.

"But, Khalil Mack, in my opinion, is a generational player that can control and impact the game."

For Gruden's part ... he tells ESPN the trade had to go down because, "Obviously, Khalil Mack didn't want to play here."

In one corner ... Von Miller, NFL superstar.

In the other corner, Travell "Black Magic" Mazion ... a 13-0 boxer who's a rising star in the sport.

The fight? Von claims he staked Mazion with a $30,000 investment and in exchange, he was supposed to get 20% of all "Black Magic" fight earning.

The problem? Von claims he forked over his initial check in Feb. 2017 -- and hasn't received a dime.

Mazion had a fight in April 2017 -- after Von ponied up his dough -- and expected his cut right away. But, Black Magic went M.I.A. and stopped responding to Von's demands for his cash.

In his suit, filed in L.A. County Superior Court, Miller says he wants Mazion to cough up pay stubs so he knows how much cash he's owed.

Ex-NFL DB Nick Collins -- Aaron Rodgers' AND Brett Favre's former teammate in Green Bay -- says with one more ring ... Rodgers will be the best Packer QB to ever live.

"If he wins the Super Bowl this year, you would have to say he's the greatest," the three-time Pro Bowl safety tells TMZ Sports.

It's high praise ... considering both Bart Starr and Favre are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- but that's how high Nick is on Aaron -- especially after his comeback win over the Bears on Sunday.

"To come back out there and just dominate the second half ... on one leg?!" Collins says. "Come on now, you have to put that up there."

By the way, Collins was drafted in the same class as Rodgers -- and has already been inducted into the Packers' Hall of Fame.

Collins compared Rodgers' performance to Michael Jordan's flu game ... saying other than Rodgers' lone Super Bowl win, it was the best night of the quarterback's career.

Wiz Khalifa seems to have the solution for the Pittsburgh Steelers' early season woes ... PAY LE'VEON BELL!!

We got the rapper -- who's a huge Pittsburgh sports fan (remember "Black and Yellow"!?) -- leaving Penthouse when we asked him what's up with the Steelers TYING the sorry Browns??

That's when Wiz told us he ain't worried about that game ... but his squad DOES need to give Le'Veon what he deserves so he can get back on the field.

"We gotta pay him that cash, man," Wiz tells TMZ Sports. "We need to pay the man!"

Wanna know how to help fix the San Francisco 49ers' passing attack??

Go get Dez Bryant ... at least, that's what Jerry Rice says.

ICYMI ... Jimmy Garoppolo got wrecked by the Vikings on Sunday -- chucking 3 picks and completing less than 50 percent of his passes in a 24-16 loss.

Jerry noted the WRs could have done better -- saying they've "got to get separation in the Red Zone ... I call it winning at the line of scrimmage."

That's when somebody asked the greatest wideout of all-time if the ex-Cowboys superstar could be the solution ... and it seems Jerry's on board.

"I think he can help us with experience and knowledge about the game," Rice said.

FYI ... Dez revealed two teams on Sunday he'd love to play for -- the Patriots and the Redskins.

Nobody was happier to see Aaron Rodgers' insane comeback Sunday night than Danica Patrick ... 'cause she showered her man with praise after the win -- calling him the greatest of all time!!

The ex-NASCAR driver had a luxury box seat to Rodgers' rollercoaster ride against the Bears ... with cameras showing her nervous during Aaron's injury and shock during his comeback.

When the game was over -- and the injured QB had led his team from down 20-0 to a 24-23 win on one healthy leg -- she took to social media.

The pic was of a Lambeau Field T.V. -- complete with a goat emoji and the words, "Unreal baby."

FYI ... this ain't the first time Danica's celebrated her man's Packers greatness -- remember the custom bottle of champagne she popped after he inked his mega deal?!

Seems like Aaron's not the only one angling for a ring this season ...

By the way ... Randall Cobb -- the dude who caught the game-winning, 75-yard touchdown from Rodgers -- had quite the postgame celebration too ... giving his newborn baby the game ball!!

The baby boy -- Caspian Cyrus Cobb -- is barely a month old ... but little man's already got a piece of Packer history for the rest of his life.

Governor, Senator, Congressman, Mayor ... Peyton Manning could be any of these things in Tennessee, this according to a representative from the state who says PM would win any office by a landslide.

We spoke with John Duncan, a 15-term incumbent representative from Tenn's 2nd district, and asked him how Manning would fare if he ever jumped into politics.

"If Peyton Manning ran for any office in Tennessee, he could win by a landslide."

BTW -- Duncan is serious, and it's not out of the question. There were big-time rumors last year that Peyton was thinking about running for a Senate seat, but Duncan isn't sure it'll happen.

"I think he's made so much money off his football career and his advertising and so forth that it'd be a step down for him to be elected to some office."

12:45 PM PT -- Colin Kaepernick has expressed support for Stills and Wilson, tweeting "My Brothers @kstills and @ithinkisee12 continue to show their unwavering strength by fighting for the oppressed! They have not backed down, even when attacked and intimidated. Their courage will move the world forward! 'Love is at the root of our resistance!'"

Not a ton of players took a knee in protest during the NFL's fist week of regular season games ... but the first to do so were from The Miami Dolphins.

Miami wide receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson quietly took a knee during the anthem of Sunday's contest against the Tennessee Titans. Their teammate, Robert Quinn raised a fist during the song.

You'll remember ... prior to the season, NFL owners approved a rule that required players to either stand or wait in the locker room while the anthem was played. The rule was put on hold after significant backlash from the players.

Both Still and Wilson also took a knee during the preseason and stated they'd continue to do so during the regular season.

President Trump took a shot at the NFL and player protests before Sunday's games, saying, "Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison. Viewership declined 13%, the lowest in over a decade. If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse!"

As we reported -- Nike named Colin Kaepernick the face of the "Just Do It" campaign's 30th anniversary -- a move hit with a ton of praise and controversy too.

Ever made a play so dope on the football field you just HAD to have it immortalized in a $100,000 chain?!

No?? Well, Lamar Jackson has ... and he just got the bling done -- and it's possibly the sickest piece in the NFL.

Remember ... L.J. made one of the most memorable runs in college football history -- HURDLING a guy back in his sophomore season at Louisville and scoring a wild touchdown on the play.

It was insane ... and it ultimately helped him win the Heisman Trophy that season.

Soooo ... after Lamar got drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens this spring -- he had enough cash to make sure he'd never forget it.

Jackson hit up Stacks Customs Jewelry in Miami ... and they got to work on the drip.

We're told the chain is 285 grams of gold with a one-of-a-kind squared Cuban link that’s only made by Stacks Customs.

We're also told the pendant is 257 grams of gold with 25 ctw/carats of VVS quality stones.

When all was said and done, it took about three weeks to make ... and, yeah, it cost $100k!!

Just when you thought Odell Beckham Jr.'s 2018 could not get ANY better ... super hot Instagram model Lindsey Pelas has invited OBJ to one of the most wondrous, mystical places in the world ... her DMs.

Little backstory ... Lindsey is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and went to LSU at the same time Odell did ... even though she says they never met while they were on campus (what were you thinking Beckham?!).

We got Pelas in L.A. and asked if she's looking for a reunion with her fellow Tiger now that he has the richest NFL WR contract of all time ($95 million) ... and she said all DMs are OPEN ... but she won't send one first.

"I think ... I should be on the receiving end ... I might catch it."

Odell, we know you're not a QB ... but might be time to throw, bro.

Brandon Marshall vs. Brandon Marshall -- who wins???

According to Brandon Marshall, it's gonna be Brandon Marshall.

Here's the deal ... the two NFL studs with the same name will actually be going up against each other on Sunday when the Broncos take on the Seahawks -- so, we got Brandon Marshall to weigh in.

The Broncos linebacker, that is.

"I'm hoping that they throw the ball to him and I can run down the field and get him one time," Brandon tells us.

Of course, the OTHER Brandon Marshall ain't too shabby -- a 6-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who signed with Seattle during the offseason.

By the way, the two finally met in person for the first time earlier this year ... and they appeared to hit it off!!

Clearly, that doesn't mean Brandon ain't still trying to prove a point Sunday.

So, who's the better Brandon Marshall?

Jimmy Garoppolo's only started five games for the 49ers, but that's all Ron Jaworski's needed to see -- 'cause he's telling TMZ Sports the S.F. QB "absolutely" can be a Hall of Famer!!

"When I see a Garoppolo," Jaws says, "I see a guy that the sky is the limit."

The ex-Eagles QB tells us he loves the way Jimmy plays with his mind, arm and legs ... and says he's basically a cross between TWO Niners legends.

"You've got a Joe Montana, Steve Young kind of guy in San Francisco right now, and that's going to be the pillar of that football team for a good decade," Jaworski says.

FYI ... Jimmy's only thrown 272 passes in his five-year NFL career and only has 12 passing touchdowns.

Sooo ... too early for the lofty praise?? Maybe ... but we know of at least one person who probably agrees with Ron ...

Jameel Cook -- a FB on the '02 Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Bucs -- has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $100K meant for injured NFL players and is facing 10 years in prison.

According to the Harris County D.A.'s Office in Texas -- 39-year-old Cook filed 30 bogus claims between March 2016 and September 2017.

The account Cook allegedly stole from was the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan -- set up to benefit former players.

The D.A. says Cook submitted the claims and was reimbursed money he claimed to have paid out-of-pocket on medical bills.

Officials say the claims were B.S. ... and after an investigation, charged Cook with Securing the Execution of Documents by Deception -- a 3rd degree felony.

He's facing up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.