Super Bowl

The TMZ photog crew just got WAY more athletic ... 'cause a bunch of NFL stars just signed on to be TMZ cameramen during Super Bowl week in NYC!!!

It's true ... New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, punter Steve Weatherford and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh will be hittin' the streets starting tomorrow!

They're gonna be out lookin' for the biggest stars in the city -- cameras in hand -- and whatever they shoot will be posted on the website and featured on our TV shows.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones is being sued for allegedly SABATOGING a Super Bowl afterparty in New Orleans last year by running late ... problem is, he was all tied up because he was PLAYING IN THE SUPER BOWL!!!

Jones is being sued by After Party Entertainment, which claims JJ agreed to attend a party at the House of Blues in New Orleans on the night of the SB from 11pm to 1am.

In the suit, APE says it paid Jones handsomely -- PLUS sprung for flights, hotel rooms and gifts for Jones and 20 of his closest friends.

But APE says Jones had the nerve to arrive to the party an hour and 15 minutes LATE that night ... and arrived with 40 people in tow, instead of 20. He also demanded that his entire party get in for free.

Plus, APE also says Jones only hung out with his friends that night instead of mingling ... and never promoted the party on Instagram or Twitter, as he promised.

Here's the problem ... Jones was playing in the frickin' Super Bowl earlier that evening -- a Super Bowl that was DELAYED 34 minutes because of a freak power outage. The game didn't end 'til 10:45 pm.

Plus, Jones was also probably tied up by the media ... who were hammering the guy about his record-setting 108-yard touchdown run which played a crucial role in the Ravens victory.

Still, APE is demanding $192k in damages -- plus attorney's fees.

The Seattle Seahawks have one HUGE advantage over the Broncos in the Super Bowl ... their cheerleaders' asses are wayyy bigger -- this according to bona fide booty-expert Sir Mix-A-Lot.

The "Baby Got Back" singer tells TMZ Sports ... there is no competition between the teams when it comes to butt-size, saying simply "Seattle cheerleaders got the best asses."

Mix -- who's from Seattle -- is a diehard Seahawks fan ... but his views on the cheerleaders aren't totally biased ... 'cause the rapper admits the "Denver cheerleaders have the best t**ties."

Not everyone's stoked about the opera singer who's booked to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl ... especially rapper French Montana who tells TMZ Sports, "F**k that sh*t."

People have been divided about the decision to have renowned soprano Renee Flemming belt out the anthem before the big game on Feb 2 ... and Montana says he understands it's important to try something different.

But at the end of the day, French says he's entitled to own opinion ... and his opinion is that opera music SUCKS.

NBA star Kenyon Martin has picked a longshot to win the Super Bowl ... a reaaaaal longshot.

Martin was leaving a shoe store in Harlem last night when we asked for his pick to win the big game -- his answer? THE COWBOYS!!!

Obviously, there's a bit of a problem with that pick ... since, you know, they're not exactly playing.

Lionel Richie says his performance at the 1984 Olympics was awesome ... but these days Sochi is no match for the Super Bowl

Richie was strutting out of LAX Friday night when he told us his '84 closing ceremony number was huge at the time ... but now the Super Bowl has more eyes than the world games.

His logic is pretty compelling. Check it out.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is now officially Dr. Buzzkill ... 'cause the CNN correspondent tells TMZ Sports, a "beer coat" will NOT keep you warm at frigid Super Bowl XLVIII -- and could actually mess you up badly.

For most fans ... booze goes hand-in-hand with the big game -- but with it going down outdoors, at Met Life Stadium this year ... we asked the good doc if it's still a good idea to swill alcohol in what's expected to be freezing February temps.

The news ain't good ... 'cause the Gup says even though getting wasted might make you feel warm ... it actually makes your body lose more heat.

Yeah, we know ... goes against everything you've ever heard or done, but watch the clip for the scientific explanation. It's interesting, and a great reason to watch from your couch.

Eminem got an offer he COULD refuse -- an offer to sing at the NFL Owners Party during Super Bowl week that did not meet his price -- $2 MILLION!

Sources connected to the party tell TMZ ... reps from the event were looking for a headline act for the party that followed the dinner, which will be attended by 1,500 lucky folks. When Eminem's agents laid out the financial terms, we're told the owners group passed.

We're also told the owners were interested in Kanye ... but his fee was too high as well. As one source put it, "It was $1 million, plus plus plus a lot of other perks."

There will be a slew of singers performing at various events in NYC during Super Bowl week. We're told DJs are the big thing ... and the big ones are going for between $750K and $1 million.

M.I.A. is refusing to pay the NFL a dime for flashing her middle finger during the Super Bowl last year ... because she thinks a group of crotch-flashing cheerleaders were way more offensive.

The singer posted a video today, claiming the girls -- who shared the stage with M.I.A. and Madonna -- were all under 16 with their "hips thrusted in the air, legs wide open, in this very sexually provocative position."

Watch the video ... M.I.A. kinda comes off like a tool, saying she was just being "punk rock" -- while the girls were really outta line.

If you missed it ... the NFL has been in a secret legal battle with the 38-year-old singer over the bird flip ... with the league demanding she pay $1.5 million for breach of contract.

Doesn't sound like M.I.A. plans to bow -- she referred to the whole mess as a "powerful corporation d**k shaking."

Enough is enough ... Russian President and alleged Super Bowl ring snatcher Vladimir Putin needs to get that ring back on U.S. soil ASAP ... so says Senator John McCain.

Our photog caught up with Sen. McCain in Georgetown Sunday and broke down President Obama's chances of resolving the greatest threat to US-Russian relations since that thing in Cuba.

McCain -- a true American war hero (just sayin') -- says he's outraged and makes it clear ... the SB bling Putin took from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft ... belongs back in the U.S. of A.

FYI --- Putin denies stealing the ring in 2005, his people say it was a gift. Riiiight.

So, can Prez O -- who's heading to Russia this week -- get it back? Check out JMC's take.

There's confidence. There's overconfidence. Then there's Jerry Jones ... who made it clear, the Dallas Cowboys are WINNING the Super Bowl this year. Period.

The Cowboys owner was leaving Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills last night when he told us how it's gonna be in 2013 ... SB or bust.

The Cowboys haven't looked too shabby in their first two pre-season games -- with Dez Bryant looking especially beastly.

But do they have what it takes to go all the way this year? Or will Tony Romo find yet another way to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory?

Terrell Suggs is no punk bitch ... and tells TMZ if Vladimir Putin ever tried to jack his Super Bowl ring (a la Robert Kraft) ... he'd MAN UP and get it back.

The Baltimore Ravens badass was leaving Boa in Hollywood this weekend ... when we asked how he would react if he was in Kraft's shoes when the Russian prez reportedly strong-armed the New England Patriots owner out of his ring during a 2005 encounter.

(FYI -- Putin's people swear Kraft offered the ring as a gift. Suuuuure.)

"I would get it right back," Suggs said ... "He would give me MINE back for sure."

When we insinuated that Putin was "kind of a scary guy," Suggs shot back -- "That's OK. I know a lot of scary guys."

San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick may not have a Super Bowl ring, but he still managed to get one perk ... courtside seats at the Clippers game on Sunday.

The 25-year-old brought along a few of his burly pals to watch the Clippers destroy the Detroit Pistons, 129 -97.

TMZ has obtained a photo of San Francisco 49ers player Chris Culliver during his visit to The Trevor Project yesterday -- where he underwent sensitivity training after making homophobic comments before the Super Bowl.

Culliver vowed to educate himself about the challenges faced by the LGBT community after he said he would never welcome a gay football player in his team locker room.

A rep for The Trevor Project tells TMZ Culliver visited the L.A. center on Sunday and Monday ... explaining, "He learned about LGBT, gender identity and how that affects a young person."

The rep adds, "Chris is learning about LGBTQ youth [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning] suicide prevention, and his role as a gatekeeper in helping to reduce risk and prevent suicide."

After his training, Chris told staff he had a "great experience" with the group and "learned a lot."

We're told the people Chris worked with also had "positive feedback" about the NFL player.

Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis KILLED IT in the Super Bowl this year and now we totally (maybe) know why -- just days before the game ... his baby mama DROPPED her lawsuit against him.

As TMZ previously reported, Ray and baby mama Sharnika Kelly have been knee-deep in a NASTY child support battle for over TWO YEARS because Sharnika wanted more money ... and Ray refused.

According to Florida court records, Sharnika voluntarily dismissed the suit on February 1 ... two days before the NFL star suited up for one of the biggest games in his career.

It's unclear if the couple came to an agreement outside of court or if Sharnika simply dropped the case.

Know why it doesn't suck to be the quarterback who lost the Super Bowl? Because hot girls will drink alcohol out of your belly button no matter what.

The photos just surfaced ... showing 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick partying on board a cruise ship in Mexico last year ... letting girls do body shots off his six pack ... and they're so awesome, we couldn't resist posting them.

More impressive ... the pics were shot BEFORE Colin replaced starting QB Alex Smith.