NFL

Myles Garrett has done a complete 180 in 2020 -- the Cleveland Browns superstar has been nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year ... just one year after his helmet-swinging attack.

The league released its list of 32 finalists for each team on Thursday ... with the 24-year-old getting the nod for the Orange and Brown.

Of course, Garrett has been actively involved in the community since entering the NFL in 2017 -- from working alongside the Chris Long Foundation to bring clean water to East African communities to helping a man who lost his eye at a Cleveland protest in May.

Garrett has vowed to put his infamous 2019 incident with Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph behind him ... calling his 6-game ban a "small bump in the road" back in July.

Now, the defensive end can join names like J.J. Watt, Calais Campbell, Eli Manning and Drew Brees ... who have received the honor for excellence off the field.

Other nominees for 2020 include names like Russell Wilson, Travis Kelce, Devin McCourty and Andrew Whitworth.

Love social justice ... and dessert??

Ben & Jerry's announced a new flavor to honor Colin Kaepernick called "Change the Whirled" ... with a portion of the proceed's going to the QB's Know Your Rights Camp.

First, the flavor ... a non-dairy caramel base with graham cracker and chocolate cookie swirls.

B&J says the treat is made with sunflower butter "and is 100% certified vegan, just like Kaepernick himself."

The dessert will hit store shelves in 2021.

So, why the honor? The ice cream legends explained it this way ...

"We are so inspired by Colin Kaepernick’s bold activism for racial justice that we did what we do best: We whipped up a euphoric flavor to honor his work."

They added, "We’re proud to be working with a dedicated activist like Colin Kaepernick, whose work helped spark the international conversation around racial justice."

Ben & Jerry's has a long history of producing flavors with political messaging.

They famously released "Pecan Resist" -- which they say "had a powerful message about resisting the Trump administration’s regressive and discriminatory policies."

NFL linebacker Vontaze Burfict was arrested for allegedly attacking a security guard at a Vegas casino over the weekend, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 30-year-old former Cincinnati Bengals star -- who later played for the Raiders -- was taken into custody for misdemeanor battery ... but nobody knew why, until now.

A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. tells us ... Burfict was arrested Saturday for battering a security officer at The Cosmopolitan resort, casino and hotel.

But, the backstory is wild ...

Multiple sources tell us Burfict and at least 1 other person were looking for a restaurant at the Cosmo called "Secret Pizza." ... which is intentionally hard to find!

It's like a speakeasy for pizza -- a hidden eatery located at an unmarked location on the Cosmo property. We know what you're thinking ... how's the food? It's got 4 stars on Yelp!

Though Barstool's Dave Portnoy once did a Pizza Review from there -- he wasn't as impressed.

We're told Burfict and his crew were having a tough time locating the place -- and at some point, they felt like security was following them.

At one point, there was an incident between Vontaze and the security guards -- with the guards claiming Burfict got physical.

Security detained Burfict until police arrived -- that's when he was formally arrested.

We reached out to Burfict's camp to get his side of the story -- we'll let you know when we hear back.

Tim Tebow would NOT be the best ex-NFL star in MLB if Russell Wilson changed sports ... so says the Seahawks QB himself, who explained Wednesday he thinks he's a better baseball player than Tim!!

"I always feel like baseball was actually my best sport," Russ said.

The 32-year-old Seattle star made the bold claim on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast this week ... saying he could have been a LEGIT MLBer if he had focused on that instead of football.

"Baseball was actually my love," Russ said. "I played that since I was young. That was probably the sport -- was probably one of my best sports."

So, when it comes down to Wilson vs. Tebow on the diamond ... Russ said he hasn't actually seen Tim play with the Mets -- but he's just that confident in his abilities.

"I'ma go with me," Russ said. "I'ma go with me. I can turn a mean double-play, Tim."

FYI -- Russ was a legit baseball STAR back in high school ... he was a projected top-10 round pick in the 2007 MLB draft who fell to the 41st round because he had told teams he was going to forego a baseball career for college.

Russ -- a middle infielder -- kept playing at N.C. State ... and actually got drafted AGAIN in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB draft.

Russ dabbled in the sport, playing in some minor league games for various MLB teams' affiliates ... but, obviously, football took precedent.

Wilson has done some celeb MLB appearances since ... remember, he famously got in a spring training game for the Yankees back in 2018 -- but he struck out in his lone plate appearance.

"I guess God had different plans for me," Russ said of his sports career. "Now I get to spin the rock and throw deep go balls to our guy DK Metcalf."

"He farted by my face. And, walked away."

That's NY Giants running back Wayne Gallman with a seriously stank allegation against Eli Manning ... claiming the QB hit him with one of the most aggressive crop-dusts of all time.

The 26-year-old RB blew the lid of Manning's putrid secret during a Q&A with NY Post columnist Steve Serby ... when he was asked to recall his favorite Eli memory during their time together in NY.

That's when Gallman dropped this [butt] nugget ...

"I wouldn’t say it was my favorite, but this is my most memorable -- we’re in the locker room before a game, he was doing his stretching while I was sitting in my chair listening to music, and he walked by and he farted by my face. And walked away."

IT WAS A HIT AND RUN!!

Serby asked, "You didn't get him back?"

To which Gallman replied, "There was no way I could get him back after that. Had to do something real nasty."

Serby again pressed ... "But, you didn’t do anything?"

Gallman -- "I didn’t get a chance to (chuckle)."

FYI, schoolyard rules state if Gallman would have yelled "doorknob" before Eli yelled "safety" ... everyone would have been allowed to punch Eli without consequence until he touched a doorknob. Everyone knows this.

Manning retired after the 2019 NFL season and has spent his time relaxing and hanging with his family.

Pro Bowl QB, one of the NFL's best broadcasters ... and now, an insane impressionist?!

Yup, Tony Romo really can do it all ... 'cause the former Dallas Cowboys superstar showed off his imitations of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre this week -- and they were all AWESOME!!!

TR joined Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ... when the comedian asked Romo to show the world his impersonations of some of the NFL's most notable quarterbacks.

Tony was initially pretty bashful about it all ... but when he got going -- it was hilarious!!

Romo started with Brady, and it drew a HUGE laugh from Kimmel and the audience. The 40-year-old then went on to Manning and Favre, and they were equally as good!!!

"You could be in Vegas in the offseason doing this stuff!" Kimmel told Romo after the bit. "Think about it, Tony!"

"Well, I could be," Romo fired back. "And then my wife would say, 'Then go ahead and stay there!'"

There won't be a revenge game OR a comeback season for Dez Bryant ... the Ravens WR just quit the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign after testing positive for COVID-19 minutes before kickoff against the Cowboys.

The 32-year-old vet documented the bizarre chain of events on Twitter minutes ago ... saying he was warming up for Tuesday night's game when he was pulled off the field for a coronavirus test -- and it came back positive.

"Tell me why they pull me from warming up so I can go get tested... my s**t come back positive," Dez tweeted. "I tested positive for Covid WTF."

"The crazy thing is i have the same damn routine.... this s**t do not make sense to me."

It's already been a tough road back to the gridiron for the former All-Pro receiver -- he suffered an Achilles injury in his first practice with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 ... and was hoping to make an impact in Baltimore.

So far, he's had 3 game appearances and 4 receptions for 28 yards for the Ravens.

And, that may be all he'll rack up for the season ... 'cause Dez just tweeted he's done.

Larry Csonka celebrated the Steelers' loss like a BOSS on Monday ... breaking out a stogie and booze after Washington helped ensure the 1972 Dolphins would remain the NFL's only undefeated team for at least one more season.

"Tonight, I'm a Washington fan!" the legendary Miami running back said as he puffed his cigar.

Of course, Csonka and other Fins players from the '72 team that recorded the NFL's only perfect season have made it an annual tradition to throw a little party every time the league's last unbeaten loses.

Usually, it's a petty tweet or somebody poppin' bubbly ... but Csonka really went the extra mile this year!!!

The 73-year-old -- who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 -- stood in front of his TV while Washington wrapped up the win and he sipped his booze and gave out a cackle.

"Whohoooooo!!!!" Csonka wrote as WFT was sealing the 23-17 victory over Pitt. "Burn that clock out!"

So far, no other public celebrations from Csonka's old teammates yet ... but we're pretty sure it won't be too much longer until we hear from Mercury Morris.

Carson Wentz's time as the starter in Philly should be over -- at least for now -- so says Asante Samuel, who tells TMZ Sports the Eagles should play Jalen Hurts!

"If it was my decision," the former Philly defensive back said, "I think I'd go with the rookie."

Wentz has devolved this year into one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks ... he leads the league in interceptions with 15 and has the Eagles underperforming at just 3-8-1.

But, head coach Doug Pederson has been non-committal about sitting the QB in favor of Hurts (their second-round pick) ... and Samuel tells us he thinks that's a mistake.

The ex-Eagles star says a QB swap could inject some life -- and wins -- into a team that still has a very good shot at winning the NFC East crown.

"It's all about the W," Samuel says. "It's all about winning. It's all about production. If we have to bite a big cap loss, give away a lot of money and we think we got to move forward to make our team better, that's what I think you definitely have to do."

Pederson DID make the switch from Wentz to Hurts late in the Eagles' loss to the Packers on Sunday ... and Hurts seemed to be comfortable under center, throwing for 1 TD and 1 INT and rushing for 29 yards.

It remains unclear if Wentz will get the reins back this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints ... but, if it were up to Samuel, he's making it clear the decision would've already been made.

Scary scene in Pittsburgh ... blood POURED out of Alex Smith's shin after he was stepped on by a teammate -- but, thankfully, it was NOT the QB's surgically repaired leg, and he was able to return to the game.

Smith dropped back for a pass late in the 2nd quarter of Washington's game against the Steelers on Monday ... when one of his lineman slashed his shin with a cleat.

The video of the injury was WILD ... blood was coming out of Smith's leg so fast, it soaked through his sock and gushed onto his foot.

Not wanting to miss any game action ... Smith just had team trainers tape up the wound -- AND THEN HE CAME BACK IN!!!

Alex was able to lead his team down the field for a field goal just before the half ... and he's now in the locker room getting treatment.

Of course, the whole scene was pretty terrifying at first ... because it looked like the injury might have occurred on the same leg Smith had previously broken back in 2018.

Fortunately, Smith avoided any kind of repeat scenario ... and he appears poised to try to lead WFT to a comeback win over the Steelers in the second half.

How'd Tyrod Taylor get over an embarrassing 45-0 loss on Sunday??

DATE NIGHT WITH DRAYA MICHELE, BABY!!!

Just hours after the Chargers were pummeled by the Patriots at SoFi Stadium ... Taylor decided to date the pain away by hitting up an Orange County hotspot with his model GF.

The two were all smiles as they strolled into Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach ... and yeah, doesn't seem like L.A.'s backup QB was too hurt about his team's horrendous loss earlier in the day.

Then again ... how could you NOT smile on a night out with Draya?!?!

Michele posted about the evening on her social media page ... sharing a video of the couple's cocktails and writing, "Last night to dine out in LA."

Michele and Taylor have been linked for the past couple months now ... and it seems the two are going strong despite the global pandemic and the Chargers' abysmal season.

Cops in Massachusetts arrested a man who allegedly broke into a mansion owned by Tom Brady and Gisele ... but the superstars haven't lived there for months.

The Brookline Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... 1 suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of breaking and entering at 5:55 AM.

Cops say the suspect set off multiple house alarms -- plus, private security spotted the intruder ... so police raced over.

We're told responding units were given an access code and located the suspect in the basement area. He was arrested without incident.

The suspect, whose name hasn't been released, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday morning.

Tom and Gisele reportedly bought the property back in 2013 -- and built the home from the ground up. It was completed in 2015.

The 12,000-square-foot estate is sick -- 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms with a rec room, gym, wine room, spa AND an outdoor organic herb/vegetable garden.

The couple put the place up on the market in late 2019 for $39.5 million -- but then cut the price to $33.9.

They reportedly took it off the market for a while -- but recently decided to try their luck again privately, off-market ... so, it's currently up for grabs.

Of course, Tom and Gisele have moved to Tampa Bay, Florida -- since TB12 left New England to play for the Bucs.

Baker Mayfield woke up feeling dangerous AND like Dwight Schrute on Sunday ... 'cause after he balled the hell out against the Titans -- he quoted "The Office" character in an epic post-win gloat!!!

The Cleveland Browns QB went off in the team's 41-35 win over Tennesee -- throwing for 334 yards and 4 TDS -- and afterward, he was asked why he's been playing so much better lately.

That's when the 25-year-old channeled Dwight ... and it was pretty freakin' hilarious!!

"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘would an idiot do that?’" Baker said. "And, if they would, then I don’t do that."

If you haven't seen the show ... Baker hit the quote SPOT ON -- Dwight famously said it during a Season 3 episode after having a hilarious exchange with Steve Carell's character.

"That's the dumbest call ever. There's no other way of putting it."

Rex Ryan just went OFF on NY Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for his role in the team's epic 31-28 loss to the Raiders on Sunday ... saying the guy's last-play-of-the-game defense was straight-up "stupid."

"Dumbest call I've ever seen," Ryan said on ESPN's 'Get Up' on Monday morning ... "It's just stupid. It's just absolutely stupid."

If you missed it ... the Jets were FINALLY about to get a win this season -- all they had to do was play defense for 13 more seconds in their game against Vegas to seal up victory #1.

But, Williams inexplicably decided to all-out blitz Derek Carr instead of just playing conservatively ... and it all led to a miracle, game-winning 46-yard touchdown.

The defense Williams called was peculiar -- it left no safety help for the team's cornerbacks -- and several notable names in the NFL, including Tony Dungy, wondered why in the world THAT was the defense Williams chose.

"Just protect the sideline and the end zone and the game is over," Dungy said.

In fact, Carr himself was dumbfounded over it all ... telling reporters after the game, "I couldn't believe they all-out blitzed us."

Ryan couldn't either ... and the former NY Jets head coach didn't hold back when breaking down Williams' call.

"Not only was it the stupidest call ever, they don't even know how to run the dang Cover 0 blitz," Ryan said. "And you wonder why they give up 400 yards a game. You wonder why this team hasn't won a game."

"And the thing I feel bad about is for every one of those kids that have been a laughing stock of the league. The Jets have been a laughing stock of this league. And for you to put those kids in that situation, to take the moment away from them -- a win -- after all their hard work, that's just ridiculous."

For their part, the Jets' players weren't exactly pleased with Williams either ... team captain Marcus Maye told media members afterward, "I just felt like we could've been in a better call in that situation."

Hope Trevor Lawrence is really worth all of this ...

Tom Brady dominates on land, air ... and now by sea -- 'cause the QB just bought a multi-million dollar boat and we've got the pics!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Bucs star ordered up a custom 40-plus-foot, state-of-the-art watercraft to enjoy during his time in Florida.

The boat was delivered on Thursday at his local marina in St. Petersburg -- and Tom was as excited as a kid on Christmas!

You can see how happy he looks in the photo -- smiling from ear to ear as the ship was handed over.

It's a beautiful blue boat named "Viva a Vida" -- which happens to be the name of Gisele's environmental conservation initiative.

The Brazilian supermodel recently announced a program to help plant over 200,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest -- something she's been very passionate about for a while.

As for the price of Tom's boat, we're told it usually costs around a couple million dollars -- but no word on exactly how much Tom paid.

He can definitely afford it though -- Tom is in the middle of a 2-year, $50 million deal with the Bucs and he's made more than $200 million in his NFL contracts alone.

And, that's not even including the Ugg money!

Amazing gesture from Dak Prescott ... the Dallas Cowboys QB gifted his older bro with an incredible diamond moose pendant to remember their late brother -- and TMZ Sports has learned it was all super emotional.

We're told in mid-November, Dak hit up Paul Mazza at Mazza New York to try to get a birthday gift made for Tad Prescott -- Dak's older bro -- in time for his Nov. 25 celebration.

Mazza tells us he and Dak got to talking about possible jewelry pieces for the occasion ... when the 27-year-old NFL star had the idea to commission a diamond moose pendant.

Dak and Tad's other brother, Jace Prescott, was nicknamed "Moose" before he tragically died by suicide last April -- so the QB felt it would be special for Tad.

Knowing the importance of such a gift for the Prescotts ... Mazza says he got to work on crafting a masterpiece ASAP -- and was able to deliver an unbelievable pendant in less than 2 weeks.

Mazza tells us the bling features 65 grams of 14k white gold and 9.5 carats of VVS E through D diamonds that were all hand-set on the antlers in a flower setting.

Mazza says the whole thing was also hand-painted in a jewelry enamel ... and features the words "In Memory of Jace 'Moose' Prescott" on the back.

And, when the Prescotts received the gift ... Mazza tells us Tad was so moved by the creation -- he broke down in tears.

"Dak sent me a personal video thanking me," Mazza said. "He said, 'You made somebody's birthday.'"