NFL

NFL legend Herschel Walker is following in his buddy Donald Trump's footsteps and starting his own political career ... by running for U.S. Senate in the state of Georgia.

Walker officially filed paperwork for the seat -- currently held by Democratic U.S Sen. Raphael Warnock -- with the Federal Elections Commission on Tuesday ... and is surely expected to get public support from #45.

Of course, Trump and Walker have been tight for decades ... dating back to when the running back played for the USFL's New Jersey Generals, which the businessman owned at the time.

Walker later appeared on Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' show in 2009 ... and was "fired" in the 8th episode.

Trump even added Walker to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2018 ... where he still serves as council chairman.

Trump said back in March that it would be "fantastic" if Walker ran ... saying, he would be "unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL."

"He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!"

Walker made an emotional speech at his Republican National Convention last August, saying POTUS was not a racist.

"It hurt my soul to hear the terrible names that people called Donald. The worst one is racist," Walker said at the convention.

"I take it as a personal insult that people would think I've had a 37-year friendship with a racist. People who think that don't know what they're talking about."

Mitch Trubisky is making it clear -- he did NOT send a tweet about kissing boobs back in 2011 ... explaining it was his friend who posted it to his account as a prank!

The Buffalo Bills QB finally publicly explained the origins of the infamous social media post this week ... saying it all started while he and some pals were on the road for a basketball tourney a decade ago.

"So, you're in the hotel with your buddies, and you're just messing around on each other's phones or whatnot," Mitch told Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast.

"And then, eight years later, I found out that somebody tweeted out that."

Mitch didn't reveal the friend's name ... though he did say the guy is now part of the Chicago White Sox's organization.

You'll recall, the tweet was met with some backlash after it resurfaced during Trubisky's draft night in 2017 ... but the 27-year-old says it's hardly had any effect on his life or career since.

"I actually gained a lot of fans from that," Trubisky joked. "So, it was, like, positive in a way."

"Our hearts are broken. Judy has been everything to our family."

That's Tom Coughlin -- 2x Super Bowl-winning head coach -- revealing the tremendous pain his family felt since his wife of 53 years, Judy Coughlin, was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in 2020.

The 74-year-old coach announced the devastating news on Monday, authoring a guest essay for the NY Times, detailing his year-long struggle as primary caregiver for his wife.

FYI, the Mayo Clinic defines PSP as an "uncommon brain disorder that causes serious problems with walking, balance and eye movements, and later with swallowing. The disorder results from deterioration of cells in areas of your brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other important functions."

Coughlin -- who twice beat Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl as Giants HC -- says it took doctors years to diagnose the disease that was "slowly taking [Judy] away from us."

Since IDing the disorder, Tom says life has been incredibly difficult for his family.

"For the past four years, we've helplessly watched her go from a gracious woman with a gift of conversation, hugging all the people she met and making them feel they were the most important person in the room, to losing all ability to speak and move," Coughlin wrote.

TC says Judy -- who used to be an active, outgoing person -- now spends most days watching television at home.

"She used to enjoy planning family get-togethers, going for morning walks and caring for her rosebushes; however, those activities are just distant memories. Her days are now filled with lying in bed, watching the Hallmark Channel, sitting in a wheelchair in the sun and receiving round-the-clock care."

"And what's worse, she is trapped inside a body that will not allow her to be the person she was."

Coughlin -- who parted ways with the Jacksonville Jaguars (EVP, Football Operations) in 2019 -- says he's become his wife's main caretaker ... and the switch in roles has been a difficult transition.

"Judy's decline has been nothing but gut-wrenching and has placed me in the club with tens of millions of other Americans who serve as primary caregiver for a loved one. Admittedly, transitioning from being with an NFL franchise to full-time caregiver wasn't easy."

Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley -- who's passionately outspoken against getting the COVID-19 vaccine -- will spend the next 5 days in quarantine ... this, after coming in close contact with a trainer who tested positive for the virus.

Beasley and fellow WR Gabriel Davis -- who have both been opposed to getting the jab -- tested negative for the virus on Monday ... but due to the NFL's protocols, they're now forced to spend nearly a week away from the team.

Worth noting -- the trainer who tested positive was fully vaccinated, according to Adam Schefter.

Of course, vaccinated players who are deemed close contacts are not required to quarantine ... and are only tested once every two weeks, as opposed to unvaccinated players being tested daily.

It shouldn't come as a surprise Beasley isn't vaccinated -- he's gone on countless rants on the topic, even saying, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley's teammate, Dion Dawkins, meanwhile, is taking COVID-19 and the vaccination seriously ... after being hospitalized with the virus for four days.

It's not Deion Sanders, Tyreek Hill or Bo Jackson ... no, the fastest NFL player ever is Chris Johnson -- so says CJ2K himself.

The legendary Tennessee Titans running back made the claim to TMZ Sports ... saying if he lined up for a race against every fast NFL legend ever -- and everyone was still in their prime -- he would've dusted them all.

"No question," Johnson says.

The statement is a bold one -- after all, Sanders alone is rumored to have once run a 4.1 40-yard dash -- but Chris says he believes in his speed THAT much.

"You look at my tape, I've never been caught," Johnson says. "I made people pull hamstrings!"

Johnson's obviously not lying ... the guy ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL Combine -- and his speed was consistently on display throughout his 10-year NFL career.

As for if CJ2K could still get it done on the track ... he told us that just ain't happenin' now -- admitting Hill would beat him in a sprint today.

Carson Wentz is stepping in to help Haiti following a deadly earthquake that killed over 2,100 people ... by donating $250,000 to help those affected by the tragedy.

The Indianapolis Colts QB announced the amazing gesture via video message Sunday, saying his wife, Madison, his AO1 Foundation and Haiti's Mission Of Hope are teaming up to help the victims of the August 14 earthquake.

"Currently there's great need for medical supplies, medications, food, clean water and shelter," Wentz said.

"To meet this need, my wife and I, as well as the AO1 Foundation, are proud to announce that we'll once again be partnering with Mission of Hope by donating 250,000 towards the relief efforts in Haiti."

The 7.2 earthquake reportedly killed over 2,100 people and left thousands injured -- this is 11 years after another devastating earthquake that killed between 220,000 to 300,000 people.

"Our family has been impacted tremendously by the country of Haiti and its people," Wentz said on Twitter.

"Please consider joining us prayerfully and financially as Haiti continues to rebuild and restore hope in their country. God bless!"

Wentz has been deeply involved with Haiti since 2017 ... the 28-year-old helped build their sports complex and even had teammates go out there with him for charitable work.

It should be Justin Fields -- NOT Andy Dalton -- under center for the Bears in Week 1 ... so says Willie Gault, who tells TMZ Sports there's no point in delaying the rookie's debut.

Despite taking Fields with the #11 pick in the spring's NFL draft ... Chicago has seemed set on starting Dalton.

But, after two strong performances in Fields' first two preseason games with the team ... Gault is now calling for the former Ohio State star to just start right away.

"The coach is going to make that decision, but for me, let's go!" the former Bears wideout told us at a charity softball game in Los Angeles on Sunday.

"Why not?! Off the bat, absolutely."

Fields has dazzled at times during his limited preseason snaps so far ... piling up 222 passing yards on 23 completions while adding 79 rushing yards on just nine carries.

The dude has even showed some legit toughness ... taking a massive shot in Chicago's game against the Bills on Saturday and getting right back up afterward.

All of it has Gault clamoring for the Bears to make him QB1 ... saying, "Only way to learn is you got to do it!"

The hits at the Steelers and Lions game didn't just happen on the field, fans got in on the action too ... with a nasty brawl spurred from a woman slapping a man in the face.

The now-viral video shows the man and woman in some sort of argument, and you hear the woman yell something like, "shut up and get the f*** out!" The woman apparently made contact when yelling, because the man tells her "don't touch me" and swipes her hand away.

That's when you see the woman deliver the slap ... and all hell breaks loose.

Fists fly, and a man who was sitting next to the woman, and seemingly someone who she knows, jumps to her defense. The man who was slapped connects with both the man and woman ... and one punch seemingly knocks the guy out.

Luckily, other fans at the game stepped in before things got worse. It's currently unclear what started the whole thing and if any arrests have been made.

The fight marks the second crazy brawl between fans in as many weeks ... a video from L.A. last week showed an all-out frenzy during the Rams game.

As for the game in Pittsburgh, it was only preseason ... but the Steelers beat the Lions 26-20.

Terrell Owens says Tyreek Hill is pretty fast ... but he ain't fast enough to beat Usain Bolt in a race -- telling TMZ Sports the idea of a battle on the track between the two is straight-up "comical!"

There's been talks about a possible race between the Chiefs star and the Olympic legend for months -- with Bolt most recently saying on "The Dan Patrick Show" he's fine upping the stakes for the run.

Patrick suggested Hill put up his Super Bowl ring, while Bolt put up one of his gold medals -- and the track star was fine with the idea!

Hill said he'd be up for it too ... but when we asked Owens who would win, the Hall of Famer laughed.

"We raced last year," Owens said of Hill. "He said he would give me like 10 steps and he would beat me in the 100 and I don't even know if he gained a yard on me!"

"So, to think that he can beat Usain Bolt!?! I mean, straight up, there's no way possible. I mean, have you seen this guy run?!?"

Bolt is considered one of the fastest men that's ever lived ... and while Hill is speedy (he ran a 4.2 40-yard dash back in 2016), Owens made it clear he'll NEVER put his money on Hill in this battle.

"He'll have a better chance at trying to possibly race me and maybe beating me by a number of yards but he's not touching Usain Bolt!" Owens said. "That's not even happening!"

Owens, meanwhile, is gunning to set up his own high-profile race ... telling us he's down to put $100K on a sprint with ex-NFL wideout Brandon Marshall!

"He called me out!" Owens said of Marshall. "He wagered 100K to race me in a 60-meter that has yet to be done because he keeps backing out. He's backed out on me twice!"

Want to win your Fantasy Football league this season? Draft Trey Lance ... so says FF expert Mike Wright, who claims the 49ers QB is a "cheat code" for a championship this year.

Wright, a draft expert with "Fantasy Footballers" -- one of the most accurate fantasy advice shows on the planet -- broke it all down for TMZ Sports this week, explaining he believes Lance is in store for a HUGE year.

"I have been all in on especially Trey Lance," Wright says.

As for why, Wright claims as the #3 overall pick in this year's NFL draft ... Lance is in line to start a HUGE number of San Francisco games this season -- even if Jimmy Garoppolo opens the year as QB1 in the Bay Area.

Wright also says Lance's legs and the ability pile up easy points with scrambles and designed QB runs could lead to league-winning numbers for Fantasy Football players once he gets in the Niners' lineup.

"He is one of just a couple quarterbacks in the league that has the potential to be a 1,000-yard rusher," Wright tells us ... adding, "That is the cheat code. That unlocks your quarterback's fantasy scoring."

The New England Patriots logo will be a symbol of much-needed relief for earthquake-ravaged Haiti ... the team's plane is heading to the island with medical supplies and doctors.

The 767 jet was loaded up Saturday morning at Logan International Airport in Boston, and is about to go wheels up ... carrying thousands of items like IV fluid and bags, oxygen masks, surgical supplies, hospital beds, sterilizers and generators. Just as importantly, it's carrying 2 orthopedic surgeons, 3 physicians and a nurse to assist victims in the wake of the 7.2 earthquake and a tropical storm. More than 2,100 have died and millions are injured or without shelter.

Build Health International coordinated the relief items, and team owner Robert Kraft donated the jet to transport the supplies. Additionally, we're told the Kraft family is donating drinking water, surgical masks and PPE that includes N95 masks and face shields.

These missions are becoming just as common for the Patriots as Super Bowl victories. You'll recall, the team jet was used in May to fly COVID vaccines to Central America ... and last year the Kraft family sent it to China to bring back tons of N95 masks to the U.S.

Drew Pearson is concerned for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys ... saying he believes the quarterback not playing in the preseason this year could cost the team BIGTIME.

The Hall of Fame wideout explained his stance to TMZ Sports ... saying he thinks Dak NEEDS preseason games after sitting out most of last season with an ankle injury.

"I think you need to at least go out there and start a series and get the feel of that, have that confidence that you’re ok," Drew says.

Of course, Dallas has announced Dak will NOT play in the preseason ... as they're being overly cautious with a new shoulder injury that cropped up for Prescott a few weeks ago.

Drew says he'd handle things differently with Dak if he were running the team ... telling us he believes preseason games are the key to early success in the regular season.

"You know, back in the day, we played preseason games, OK?" Pearson says. "Back when I started, we played six of them. And, we played each and every one."

Drew says he believes that formula helped him stay healthy and play effectively in nearly every game of his career ... adding, "I missed three games in 11 years."

"Billy Joe Dupree missed none. 'Too Tall' [Ed Jones] played 15, missed none. Randy White, 15, missed none. That's because we were in condition to handle the physical part of the game."

Regular season for the Cowboys kicks off on Sept. 9 ... guess we'll know soon enough if the Cowboys made the right call.

Arizona Cardinals LB Zaven Collins -- a 1st-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- just cut a deal with prosecutors in his criminal case ... pleading guilty to speeding in order to close it all out.

Collins was arrested in Scottsdale, Ariz. back on June 20 after cops say they caught him going 76 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

Body camera footage from the arrest showed Collins begged officers to let him off ... but he was taken to the station and ultimately charged with speeding and reckless driving.

TMZ Sports, though, has learned ... in exchange for pleading guilty to the speeding charge, prosecutors dropped the reckless driving count.

Court records show as punishment, Collins was hit with over $500 worth of fines and fees.

The case is now listed as closed.

Of course, it's a big load off Collins' shoulders ... the charges loomed over the rookie's head for the entirety of his first-ever training camp with the Cards this month.

Colin Kaepernick hasn't played a single snap in the NFL since January 2017, but he's still a better QB than half the starters in the league ... this, according to the new Madden 22 ratings.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the 33-year-old ex-San Francisco 49ers star-turned-social justice icon is featured in the newest edition of the uber-popular EA Sports franchise ... and comes with an eye-popping 81 overall rating.

To compare, that's a higher rating than Los Angeles Chargers star signal-caller Justin Herbert, who just won Offensive Rookie of the Year with 4,336 passing yards, 31 TDs, 10 INTs and 230 rushing yards.

In Kap's best statistical year -- 2014 -- he threw for 3,369 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs and 639 rushing yards.

Kap's 81 rating is above Herbert (80), Kirk Cousins (79), Trevor Lawrence 78, Ben Roethlisberger (78), Joe Burrow (77) and Jared Goff (77).

While Kap's speed rating is NOT good -- he's at an 83, which is the same as Baker Mayfield-- he's in the top 10 for QB awareness with 87 ... ahead of guys like Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray.

Of course, there's a touchy history between Madden and Kap -- remember, his name was removed from Big Sean's "Big Bank" verse on the game's soundtrack in 2018 ... but EA Sports apologized and chalked it up to a mistake by a member of their team.

Kap was also featured in Madden 21 ... with a better rating than guys like Baker Mayfield and Cam Newton.

Kaepernick -- who first started his national anthem demonstration in August 2016 -- has accused the NFL of blackballing him ... and commissioner Roger Goodell later admitted the league mishandled the player protests.

Terrell Owens says he's "100 percent" sure he can still play in the NFL ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a team to sign him and give him a chance to play ASAP!!!

"There's no doubt, 100 percent, that I can play in the National Football League today," Owens says.

The 47-year-old Hall of Famer tells us he's still in amazing shape -- claiming to have run a 4.4 40-yard dash just days ago -- and says if a team signs him, it won't be disappointed.

"I'm not washed up," Owens tells us ... adding, "Once you know how to ride a bike, you know, you don't forget how to ride that bike."

Of course, T.O. hasn't played a regular-season down in the league since the 2010 season, but he was effective that year ... piling up 983 yards and 9 TDs on 72 catches.

And, Owens says he really hasn't stopped training since ... despite being a free agent for more than a decade.

"I've been on the track, and, honestly, I just ran probably like a week ago," Owens tells us. "I was clocked at like a 4.4. Faster than I probably ever have in probably in a while."

In fact, Owens says he's actually drawn interest from at least one "individual" in the NFL this summer ... who the wideout says told him to stay in shape for the possibility of a signing this year.

"With that conversation that I had, they asked me to keep myself in shape -- anything can happen," Owens tells us. "And, so, that's what I'm doing."

In the meantime, while Owens waits for a possible call, the receiver is launching a new season of his "Getcha Popcorn Ready with T.O. and Hatch" show on Fubo Sports Network.

The FBI is now involved in the Deshaun Watson sexual misconduct case ... so says the NFL star's accusers' attorney, who claims federal agents have launched their own probe into the quarterback.

Tony Buzbee -- who represents the more than 20 female massage therapists who have alleged Watson was inappropriate with them during rub-down sessions -- made the surprising claim this week.

In an interview with League of Justice & Amy Dash, Buzbee says FBI agents have spoken with him and Watson's accusers on multiple occasions over the past few days.

"They contacted me and I've met with them three times now and now they've met with several of the plaintiffs in the case," Buzbee said.

Buzbee explained the agents told them they think they have jurisdiction in the case due to the way Watson allegedly reached out to the women in several states over social media direct messaging -- and the alleged encounters themselves took place in different states.

But, Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, is calling B.S. on it all ... saying in a statement, "I have absolutely no reason to believe that Deshaun is being investigated by the FBI."

He added, "Mr. Buzbee's comments are just part of a long, continuing pattern of just trying to harm Deshaun in the public perception. It is despicable conduct and I hope one day people will hold him accountable when the whole truth comes out."

The FBI, meanwhile, would not confirm nor deny if it was investigating the 25-year-old ... according to the League of Justice & Amy Dash's report.