NFL

Aaron Rodgers went from the darkness to some neon lights -- hitting up a trendy Colorado bar just days after emerging from his isolation retreat.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback bolted for the venue in Vail less than a week after spending a few days and nights in complete darkness in a room in Oregon. In video of the GB QB, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the time away from sunlight and human touch didn't do any harm.

Rodgers dressed well for the night out with a group of friends at Chasing Rabbits' The Rabbit Hole ... playing Skee-Ball, Pop-A-Shot and even Twister.

Witnesses tell us Rodgers arrived around 9 PM with roughly 15 people in his crew ... including some very beautiful women. They drank champagne throughout the evening -- and we're told Rodgers seemed to be carefree, sharing laughs with his pals.

Eventually, the NFL superstar and co. headed off to a private room for dinner.

George Toma -- the NFL's longtime groundskeeper who goes by the nickname, "The Sodfather" -- is pissed off at the league over its terrible Super Bowl LVII field conditions ... saying he "can't take it anymore."

Toma, who spent 18 months preparing the rye grass that was used during the Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup on Feb. 12, unloaded in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday ... claiming the sod was overwatered four days before the big game at State Farm Stadium.

Of course, there were numerous instances of players slipping all over the field during SB LVII ... with many questioning how the league could mess up on its biggest stage. The NFL refuted any problems the day after the game, though ... saying the grass was tested and met the required standards.

Toma is pointing fingers right at the NFL's field director, Ed Mangan, for the grass being slick the day of the game ... claiming, "he waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that's it. Never sees sunlight again. He can't do that."

But H20 apparently wasn't the only mess-up -- Toma also claims Mangan made the mistake of not sanding the field enough.

"He sanded it two weeks too late," Toma told the outlet. "He had only one sanding. He should have had two or three sandings, but he didn't do s***. And that was it."

"And not only that, he didn't take care of it. He wouldn't listen to anybody."

After 80 years in the biz, Toma announced his plans to retire prior to SB LVII ... citing headaches caused by the league's handling of field issues in the past as well.

"Me and the league are finished. They can't tell me what to do anymore. We're done."

Former NFL running back Zac Stacy took a new mug shot on Monday ... before he was officially put behind bars for six months for attacking his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

Stacy posed for the photo at the Orange County Jail in Florida after he was remanded into custody following a judge's ruling at a sentencing hearing on Monday.

In the new picture, obtained by TMZ Sports, Stacy, wearing a striped shirt with a black collar, looked stoic -- and perhaps even a bit emotional.

Stacy was ordered to serve the jail time -- as well as one year of probation -- after he cut deals with prosecutors earlier this month following allegations he was violent with Kristin Evans, the mother of his child, on multiple occasions in '21.

Despite the attacks, though, Evans said Tuesday in a social media post she had hoped Stacy would not serve any jail time.

"Please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac," she said, "rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma."

The Tennessee Titans appear to be giving Taylor Lewan the ex treatment after releasing him last week -- the 9-year vet says the team savagely dropped off his football equipment on his front porch.

Lewan posted a pic of the scene to Twitter on Monday ... showing 3 garbage bags on his doorstep.

"Shout out to the @Titans dropping my stuff off today. They even let me keep the shoulder pads," Lewan, who spent his entire NFL career with Tennessee, said in the tweet.

In the pic, you can see what appears to be an assortment of red and white cleats in a clear plastic bag ... and a pair of football pads as well.

The 31-year-old was selected by the Titans in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft ... but after Lewan failed a physical last week, the team decided to move on from the 3-time Pro Bowler.

Lewan was a force on the field ... but he tore his ACL in 2020 after playing in five games, and tore his ACL again this season in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.

Unclear if Lewan will retire following his release  ... but Taylor has been keeping the Internet buzzin' after pretending he was in a romantic relationship with Jeffree Star.

Star appeared on Taylor's podcast ... and revealed that the photos of him and his "mystery boo" was the NFL star tackle -- but the two said it was strictly business and nothing more.

Hold your tomatoes -- Tom Brady is NOT pursuing a full-blown second career in stand-up comedy, but the recently retired NFL superstar might still be making people chuckle at his expense in the future, TMZ Sports has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... recent reports of TB12 wanting to venture into the funny business are bogus. The 7-time Super Bowl champion is, however, in talks with Netflix to be the center of a roast special ... with a working title, "The Greatest Roast of All Time."

It's a bummer for anyone who wanted to see more of Brady dancing and singing like he did in his "Saturday Night Live" monologue in 2005 ... but for now, his focus is on being with his family before joining Fox Sports in 2024.

As Brady previously said, he will spend his year off "catching up on other parts of my life that need some time and energy" before honoring his 10-year, $375 million broadcasting deal.

Zac Stacy's ex-girlfriend says the former NFL player is a changed man after he attacked her on two separate occasions in 2021 ... claiming therapy has helped him turn his life around.

Kristin Evans -- the mother of Stacy's child -- addressed the ex-running back's 6-month jail sentence in an Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying she was against putting him behind bars as a result of his abuse because it would not provide him the resources he would need to get better.

In the video, Evans claimed Stacy made the decision to seek cognitive behavioral therapy ... which resulted in a "significant adjustment in his behavior and communication."

FYI -- CBT is a psychological treatment that helps those battling mental illness, drug/alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety and more.

"And over the last six months, he's consistently shown an improvement, as well as our son enjoying spending time with him."

Evans added she also opposed jail time ... as it could have an impact on their kid's mental health.

"So please give me some grace in understanding that I’m not being easy on Zac, rather I am trying to protect our son from anymore trauma," she continued.

Ultimately, Evans believes the head trauma Stacy suffered during his football career played a role in his previous actions ... and she wants to give him another chance to prove he can change.

Evans' video has sparked numerous responses in the comment section ... with many calling for her to rethink her forgiveness for the sake of her family.

The Chiefs' Super Bowl party is STILL raging on ... this time Travis Kelce and his K.C. teammates hit up a Vegas hot spot to commemorate their big victory -- and at one point during the festivities, the star tight end hosed down clubgoers with six liters of bubbly!!

Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others traveled to Sin City on Friday to keep celebrating their win over the Eagles -- and as you can see in pics and vids, they got after it.

At XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, the football players were welcomed by a VIP experience -- which included an LED drumline, a six-tiered football-themed cake, and Chiefs-colored confetti.

They eventually took the stage and partied yet again with The Chainsmokers ... before Kelce was handed a massive bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut -- that he proceeded to spray all over everyone on the dance floor.

Mahomes, meanwhile, was spotted with his own expensive booze too -- walking around the club with a bottle of Don Julio 1942.

TMZ Sports has learned the party went on for hours -- before it ultimately came to an end at around 3:30 AM.

Of course, the Chiefs are no doubt used to late-night boozy celebrations at this point -- they've been going hard ever since beating Philadelphia in SB LVII on Feb. 12.

Darrelle Revis breezed into the Hall of Fame on the 1st ballot, but who's the greatest CB to ever walk on a football field??? TMZ Sports talked to the Jets legend, and while he didn't flat-out say it was Deion Sanders, he used a fascinating analogy to answer the question using two NBA legends.

"As Kobe is to Jordan, 'Revis Island' is to 'Primetime.'"

As great as Revis was, he openly admits he borrowed a lot from guys like Deion.

"I grew up watching Jordan. I grew up watching Kobe. Jordan would always say in interviews, ya know their relationship was pretty cool, so Jordan would always say 'Kobe always stealing my moves!' I think that's the same [with me and Deion]. I tried to mimic the greats as much as I could," Darrelle told us.

Of course, Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler, and 4x All-Pro was the best cornerback of his generation during his 11-season career. Darrelle won a Super Bowl alongside Tom Brady and the Patriots at Super Bowl 49.

DR racked up 29 interceptions ... but more than the picks, he shut down half of the field.

Alongside Sanders and Revis, there are other players n the conversation for the greatest CB ever. Rod Woodson, Charles Woodson, Darrell Green and Champ Bailey are considered legendary players. There are also old-school guys deserving of recognition... players like Mel Blount, "Night Train" Lane, Willie Brown, and Mike Haynes.

Revis makes it clear ... he borrowed from anyone who was talented and could help up his game, and they helped him get to where he is now.

"If it wasn't for a lot of his influence and a lot of other guys that are great influence, how could I be here? So I think they were the stepping stone to help me become a better player and play the game we all love."

Revis joins fellow Jets legend, Joe Klecko as part of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class ... and with Browns all-time Joe Thomas, is the only 1st ballot HOF'er in the group.

As for his speech, Darrelle says he hasn't yet started writing.

"I'm still tryna collect all the thoughts," Revis said, adding ... "I wanna make sure it's very personable."

It ain't Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams or Stefon Diggs -- no, according to Adam Thielen ... the best receiver in the NFL is Justin Jefferson!!

The Minnesota Vikings star showered his teammate with praise to TMZ Sports outside of the Super Bowl earlier this month ... saying Jefferson is, indeed, the top wideout in the game today.

"For sure," Thielen said.

The 32-year-old is a bit biased -- he's played alongside Jefferson the last three seasons and has gotten open numerous times due to coverage rolling the young star's way -- but there won't be too many people arguing against him.

Jefferson tallied 128 catches for 1,809 yards and eight TDs in the 2022 season ... more than any other receiver in the league. He also earned All-Pro honors ... and his third straight selection to the NFL's Pro Bowl.

George Kittle is nowhere near done playing football, but when the time comes to hang up the spikes, he tells TMZ Sports he definitely wouldn't mind transitioning to the WWE!!!

The 49ers star didn't mince many words when the topic was brought up out in Arizona earlier this month ... saying he believes he's got the personality to smoothly jump from the NFL to the wrestling world if and when the time comes.

"Sounds fun!" he told us.

Of course, Kittle is a huge WWE fan ... he's been spotted at events like "Monday Night Raw" through the years, despite the taxing demands of being a professional football player.

The All-Pro tight end even put his wrestling skills on display recently at the NFL's Pro Bowl ... exchanging some moves with his teammate, Kyle Juszczyk.

Kittle's transition to the squared-circle would be pretty awesome ... but it would not be the first time we've seen an NFL tight end try his hand in the WWE.

Rob Gronkowski appeared at WrestleMania 33 ... where he helped his friend and former WWE star Dean "Mojo" Muhtadi win the Andre The Giant Battle Royal.

Gronk had one of the best spots despite not actually competing ... bulldozing through Jinder Mahal and paving the way for Mojo to eliminate Jinder, winning the match.

Darrelle Revis has some advice for Aaron Rodgers if he ends up leaving the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets ... telling the future Hall of Fame QB "come in humble."

TMZ Sports spoke with Revis amid the rumors that Rodgers could be on the move ... and the former NFL cornerback seems receptive to #12 joining his old squad.

The Jets have emerged as a possible destination for Rodgers if he does, in fact, decide to continue his career elsewhere ... but the NFL world is waiting on the QB to figure out what he wants to do.

Revis -- who starred for the Jets from 2007-2012 -- admitted NYC is a tough market, but he says Rodgers would be able to "weather the storm," adding he can be successful right away.

37-year-old Revis said he thinks Rodgers -- who won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2011 -- would be a tremendous addition to the weapons the Jets already have.

"I believe he has weapons at every position," said Revis, a 7x Pro Bowler. "As Jets fans. As Jet lovers. We can see some high-scoring games. We can see some big victories."

"Having a superstar quarterback in Rodgers, he can definitely put points on the board very quickly which would help the defense rest much better and they can be more explosive."

We also spoke to DR about Aaron's "darkness retreat," which he reportedly emerged from on Thursday, and Darrelle joked that Rodgers went to "Revis Island" for some alone time.

Jon Jones' family is filled with Super Bowl champs, but the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports he had zero chance of having a career on the football field -- 'cause he said he "absolutely sucked" at the sport.

Of course, Jones' older brother, Arthur, played 8 seasons as a defensive tackle for the Ravens, Colts, and Commanders ... and his younger bro, Chandler, currently plays defensive end for the Raiders.

With that being said, football is clearly in the Jones DNA ... so when we asked Jon if he could have followed in their footsteps, Bones made no bones about it -- he was ass.

"I absolutely sucked on the football field," Jones told us. "I was no good at all. I didn't play until my senior year [of high school]. I was always on the team, but I never got to play.

Jones -- who holds a 26-1 record in the UFC -- says he just didn't get the Xs and Os, coverages, or play calling behind the game ... and playing Madden didn't help either.

"I sucked at football. I made a hell of a benchwarmer, though," Jones said.

But, don't feel bad for the guy -- Jones ended up becoming one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever ... and he's back in the Octagon on March 4 to face 11-1 Ciryl Gane -- his first fight in over 3 years.

"A lot of people wanted to take a warm-up fight," Jones said. "I'm going right at one of the best talents the UFC has ever seen."

Russell Wilson says he loves Pete Carroll and NEVER wanted him booted out of Seattle ... contradicting a new report claiming the star QB demanded the Seahawks coach be fired.

"I love Pete [Carroll] and he was a father figure to me and [General Manager John Schneider] believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win," Russell wrote on social media.

"l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle."

The statement from the 34-year-old is a direct response to a story published by The Athletic on Friday morning ... which claimed Wilson demanded the two men be fired in February 2022, believing they were holding him back from winning another Super Bowl. The outlet cited league sources.

The report claims Wilson -- who played 10 seasons in Seattle -- had a preferred replacement in mind for Carroll ... Sean Payton, who'd just made the decision to leave the New Orleans Saints after 15 seasons.

If Russ actually did request a trade, team ownership opted to stand behind Pete and John. Team brass met a few days after the alleged request and decided to ship the 9-time Pro Bowler out of Washington via a trade.

Wilson was sent to Denver, where he signed a 5-year, $245 million extension. Russ was bad, and the Broncos had a terrible season, finishing last in the AFC West with a 5-12 record.

In fact, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired before the season ended ... and interestingly, Payton was hired as the new head coach.

Rihanna's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII caused a ton of outrage for folks watching on TV ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, saying her set was too big on sex.

The overall takeaway from the folks who felt compelled to complain about Rihanna to the feds ... the lyrics and choreography were way too sexualized, with some viewers even comparing it to porn.

TMZ obtained the 103 complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency that regulates television -- regarding this month's Super Bowl broadcast ... and almost all of them had to do with RiRi's halftime show.

One viewer in California even compared Rihanna's set to Kim Petras and Sam Smith's performance at the Grammys, writing ... "I don't care what someone worships but children shouldn't be exposed to pornography and as an adult I don't wish to see it ... Where has decency gone? How about respect for others and self?"

In Utah, one viewer bitched ... "This year the halftime show was so indecent I had to turn off the TV because of the pornographic content."

Meanwhile, folks across the country clutched pearls over the "overtly sexual dancing" and song content heavy on sexual content.

Rihanna was pregnant so she didn't dance much ... and most of the ire was directed at the background dancers, who some say made gestures that "were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children."

When RiRi did manage some dance moves, they drew complaints too ... with one viewer in Florida complaining, "She spread her a** cheek at the crack. She rubbed her pants where her labia were three times."

Move over OBJ ... Eli Manning has a new favorite acronym -- MBJ, as in Michael B. Jordan!!!

The New York legend welcomed the movie star to MetLife Stadium in a new episode of "The Eli Manning Show" this week ... and Jordan -- a die hard Big Blue fan -- wanted to live out his childhood dream by becoming a Giant for a day.

The award-winning actor linked up with Manning and former center, Shaun O'Hara at the facility ... and Eli wanted to give Jordan the full NYG experience.

So, Manning had Jordan -- who was in full pads and helmet -- ran a couple of routes right on the field ... and then they took a shot at recreating Odell Beckham Jr's most iconic catch.

Of course, that's when OBJ maneuvered his body to catch Eli's pass with only three fingers, despite the pass interference, against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

MBJ almost pulled it off, with the luxury of having no defense on his back ... but we gotta give him credit for the acrobatic leap -- it was impressive!!!

"That was pretty good," Manning yelled after the catch. "The guy's an actor that's an athlete. MBJ! MBJ! MBJ! Touchdown dance!"

Side note -- MBJ has experience as an athlete in multiple roles ... he acted in the "Friday Night Lights" TV series, as well as his starring role in the "Creed" franchise.

He also played as a young baseball player in, "Hardball" and made an appearance in "Space Jam: A New Legacy" with LeBron James.

Aaron Rodgers is out of the darkness -- the NFL superstar ended his spiritual getaway on Wednesday ... and now, fans will patiently wait for him to announce his football future.

The 39-year-old spent the past few days completely disconnected from the world at Sky Cave Retreats in Oregon ... where he stayed in a 300-square-foot room that had zero natural lighting.

The facility's owner, Scott Berman, told ESPN Rodgers' room was partially underground and included a queen-sized bed, bathroom and a meditation mat.

Rodgers previously said he was going to spend four days and four nights off the grid and out of the light ... in an attempt to clear his head before deciding what to do with his career.

He explained to "The Pat McAfee Show" that the retreat wasn't solely about football ... as he's been wanting to have the experience for some time.

"I've had a number of friends who have done it and had some profound experiences and it's something that's been on my radar for a few years now and I felt like it'd be awesome to do regardless of where I was leaning after this season," Rodgers said earlier this month. "So, it's been on the calendar for months and months and months."

Of course, Rodgers -- who's slated to make nearly $60 million in 2023 -- could return to the Green Bay Packers, request a trade to a new team, or ride off into the sunset with Tom Brady in retirement.