NFL

Ben Affleck has done a lot of cool things over his 52 years walking the planet ... but says the opportunity to run routes for Tom Brady was one of the greatest days of his life!!

The "Accountant 2" star chopped it up with Jason and Travis Kelce on the latest episode of "New Heights" ... and at one point in the convo, the brothers asked all about his one-on-one training sesh with the GOAT when they were vacationing at the same spot.

"To this day, aside from the birth of my children, that was the greatest day of my life," he said.

Cops have opened an investigation into the golf cart accident that's left John Elway's longtime friend, Jeff Sperbeck, fighting for his life, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office tells us ... it's started to probe the matter -- which occurred on Saturday evening in La Quinta, Calif. -- but right now, everything is "purely informational."

We're told investigators are in the process of gathering info ... and conducting interviews with witnesses. Ultimately, cops say the goal is to determine if a criminal act occurred.

12:08 PM PT -- Jeff Ulbrich just addressed the matter during media availability on Wednesday ... publicly apologizing to Shedeur and the Sanders family -- as well as the entire Falcons organization -- for what transpired.

Ulbrich said his failure to protect confidential information was "inexcusable" ... and same goes for Jax's role in sharing it.

Ulbrich said the family will not appeal the fine ... and they promise to work hard and prove they're above this whole ordeal.

The NFL just punished the Atlanta Falcons and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich for their roles in the Shedeur Sanders draft day prank call ... stating the org. and coach messed up by allowing confidential info to get leaked.

The Falcons were fined $250k and Ulbrich an additional $100k for "failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft."

Sanders was on the receiving end of a bogus phone call on Day 2 of the event ... with a male pretending to be New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis hitting the ex-Colorado quarterback's private line and telling him he'd have to wait a bit longer before getting picked.

4/30 10:47 AM PT -- Jeff Sperbeck passed away at 1:10 AM on Wednesday, officials tell TMZ Sports.

4/29 5:40 PM PT -- We've now confirmed Elway was indeed behind the wheel of the golf cart.

NFL legend John Elway was right in the middle of the golf cart accident that left his longtime friend on life support, and he might have been driving ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement and other sources tell us Elway was on the golf cart Saturday evening in La Quinta, California when Jeff Sperbeck -- John's business partner and former agent -- fell off the back of the moving vehicle, rolled and hit his head on asphalt ... suffering a traumatic injury.

John, Jeff and their wives had been at the Stagecoach music festival earlier in the day in nearby Indio, and were leaving a post-party when the accident happened.

Pack up the tin foil hats and UFO paraphernalia ... NFL agent Leigh Steinberg tells TMZ Sports the conspiracy theory that owners blackballed Shedeur Sanders during last weekend's draft is "nonsense."

The former Univ. of Colorado signal-caller, of course, was largely expected to be a first-round pick ... but tumbled all the way to the fifth round on Saturday -- which had people racing to social media to accuse franchises of colluding with one another to keep Deion's son down.

Steinberg, though, told us this week there's just no way that actually happened.

Shedeur Sanders getting clowned during the NFL Draft is the prank call heard around the world ... but one of the most legendary telephone jokesters says it's a subject they would've never touched!

TMZ Sports spoke with Johnny Brennan -- creator of The Jerky Boys -- about the viral call ... and while he admits he doesn't think it was that big of a deal (and kinda funny), he explains why the JB's steered clear of draft day content.

Brennan says a reason their legendary conversations were so popular is they were never mean-spirited ... and often talked about absurd scenarios.

The cop who busted Justin Blackmon for public intoxication earlier this month put a brief pause on arresting the ex-NFLer to educate him on some Oklahoma State football history ... police video shows.

Check out the body camera footage TMZ Sports obtained ... just after an Oklahoma State University Police Dept. officer stopped the former OSU Cowboy for allegedly roaming the Stillwater campus while drunk on April 19 at around 1:30 AM -- he talked a bit of ball with the one-time Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver.

Blackmon stated he had played for the Pokes in 2011 -- and "went to the league" afterward. The cop then asked, "Did you play under [Mike] Gundy?"

Jordon Hudson is doubling down on how she met Bill Belichick as the internet casts doubt ... reposting the book the legendary coach signed during their first interaction.

Chapter one of the couple's love story has been scrutinized in recent days ... after Hudson refused to let Belichick talk about it during a now-infamous interview with CBS.

The interruption has folks wondering if their rom-com-esque flight run-in was bogus ... and Hudson's seemingly aware, 'cause she reposted an old Instagram of her "Meetiversary" from February, which showcased the textbook, "Deductive Logic" featuring the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach's John Hancock.

Philadelphia Eagles player Eli Ricks certainly appreciated his trip to the White House on Monday ... but it didn't necessarily have anything to do with President Donald Trump and his hospitality -- but more so his daughter, Ivanka.

The 23-year-old cornerback gave a glowing review of his visit to 1600 Penn on social media ... saying he was pleased with one particular sight the nation's capital had to offer.

POTUS' daughter, 43, was present for the Super Bowl champions' ceremony ... wearing a light blue suit for the occasion.

The backlash from a super awkward CBS interview isn't derailing Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson's love -- the two had a sweet date night in New York City on Monday ... though both were mum on the fallout from the sit-down.

Hudson looked elegant in a black and white dress -- while Belichick showed off his dapper side in a suit and tie. The two were leaving a fancy Manhattan hotel to hit a swanky event nearby.

Bill was peppered with a few questions about his now-infamous chat with Tony Dokoupil ... but he declined to answer any of the paps' queries. Jordon, meanwhile, stayed quiet too during the couple's brief walk to their waiting car -- though she did flash a smile to the cameras.

Shedeur Sanders is 10 toes down in Northeast Ohio ... the Cleveland Browns' notable fifth-round selection just arrived at the team's facility after a whirlwind draft weekend.

Sanders posted video to his Instagram on Tuesday ... showing him working his way through the team's building in Berea with a black duffel bag over his shoulder.

It comes 72 hours after the 23-year-old saw one of the most shocking draft slides in recent memory. After many expected he could go as early as the top five, he didn't hear his name called until the final day of the event.

The lawyer representing the woman accusing Shannon Sharpe of rape will not be releasing the video that allegedly depicts the two engaging in sex ... calling it "key evidence" in their case against the former NFL star.

Tony Buzbee tells TMZ Sports ... he and his client -- who filed a lawsuit against Sharpe earlier this month for sexual assault using the pseudonym Jane Doe -- have zero plans right now to put the footage out to the media.

"The only reason you know about the existence of a video recording is that Mr. Sharpe specifically referenced it in his bulls*** statement," Buzbee said. "The contents of the video was shared during the mediation process with Sharpe’s attorneys. Again, Sharpe and his team disclosed that, not us. Sharpe himself was offered on more than one occasion to view it himself. He declined. We've never made any claims or threats about it and won't do so."

Jeff Sperbeck, John Elway's longtime business partner, is in the hospital on life support ... following a horrific golf course accident over the weekend, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Sperbeck was at The Madison Club in La Quinta, CA on Saturday afternoon, riding on the back of a golf cart, when something went terribly wrong ... and Jeff somehow fell off the moving vehicle, landing on the ground, and hitting his head.

Jeff's wife and at least one other person noticed Sperbeck was down and quickly turned around to check on him. It was immediately clear the longtime sports agent was in bad shape, and someone called for help.

Deion Sanders isn't letting his son's NFL draft waiting game ruin his spirits ... telling TMZ Sports the Man Upstairs is just as great as he was before Shedeur fell to the fifth round.

We caught up with the Colorado Buffaloes head coach and Hall of Famer at LAX fresh off Shedeur joining the Cleveland Browns with the No. 144 pick ... and despite all the chatter surrounding how it played out, he hammered home a message of faith.

Deion was in good spirits about it all ... saying, "You know how good God is" when asked if he was pleased with how things turned out.

Shedeur Sanders would still be without an NFL home if it weren't for President Donald Trump's NFL draft temper tantrum -- at least that's what the White House press secretary joked on Monday ... saying, "The facts speak for themselves."

No. 45-47 was FURIOUS after Day 1 of the annual draft ... claiming anyone who passed on the former Colorado quarterback was "STUPID" not to take him, as his Hall of Famer pops did a great job raising him.

When Karoline Leavitt was asked about whether Trump's Truth Social outrage ultimately led to Sanders going No. 144 overall to the Cleveland Browns more than a day later, she said the proof is in the pudding.

Saquon Barkley is addressing the backlash he's received for hangin' with Donald Trump on Sunday ahead of the Eagles' White House visit on Monday, making it clear he respects anyone who holds the office of the President!

The Philadelphia Eagles star running back was spotted with POTUS this weekend, playing golf at his club in Bedminster, chitchatting at lunch, and even flying on Marine One -- the presidential chopper -- with Trump.

47 even joked he wanted to race Barkley, but decided not to. Smart!