Super Bowl

Two exhilarating championship games won't change Dave Chappelle's NFL stance ... because he's tuned out the league -- and the reason is Colin Kaepernick.

Chappelle's been off the NFL since the whole Kap drama began, but when we got him leaving Delilah in West Hollywood, we decided to ask if the lure of another Tom Brady Super Bowl appearance could get him back.

Nope. Dave looked at our camera guy and said, "I don't even follow football. Can Colin Kaepernick kneel yet? Let me know."

Of course, the Super Bowl is going down Feb. 3 and the halftime show has become a huge point of controversy among celebs ... particularly Common, who has said he wishes Travis Scott wouldn't perform in the halftime show over the way the league has treated CK.

Other stars, including Gladys Knight, see it differently -- in fact, Gladys will be singing the national anthem at the game because she feels it's an opportunity to bring the country together.

10:50 AM PT -- Acreage's founder and CEO, Kevin P. Murphy, tells TMZ ... the Super Bowl spot was going to be a PSA, not an ad for his company. He says the message was going to be a positive one, emphasizing the benefits of cannabis with testimonials about how it has saved lives ... including the child suffering constant seizures and a man addicted to opiates.

Murphy says his company was set to spend more than $5 mil on the PSA ... but to no avail.

7:40 AM PT -- Sources connected to the network tell TMZ, CBS does not accept any cannabis-related advertising. The sources add they are not aware of any broadcasters who will air such ads.

It's the Super Bowl ... not the Smoke-a-Bowl -- that's the message CBS gave to a marijuana company that wanted to run a pro-weed ad during the big game.

The company behind the ad is Acreage Holdings -- which has a license to grow and distribute marijuana in several states.

In fact, former Speaker of the House John Boehner is on the board -- and has been promoting the company heavily for months. Boehner is a huge proponent of medical marijuana.

Acreage claims it submitted a proposal to CBS to air a commercial during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 -- but they were rejected after seeing a rough outline of the spot, according to Bloomberg.com.

We've learned Acreage already produced the ad and among the message points -- there's a story about a woman who lived in Oklahoma whose son suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.

The woman had to move to Colorado with her son because she couldn't get medical marijuana in OKC due to the laws at the time, despite the fact doctors recommended weed to help him out.

The message is that not allowing medical marijuana is not just bad politics, but it's cruel to people who need it since there's medical proof that it alleviates pain and suffering.

FYI, medical pot is now legal in more than 30 states -- but it's still outlawed federally ... which may have factored into CBS's decision to put the kibosh on the ad.

Acreage president George Allen told Bloomberg the ad was meant to "create an advocacy campaign for constituents who are being lost in the dialogue."

Allen says the company was serious about spending the money on a Super Bowl ad because "It’s hard to compete with the amount of attention something gets when it airs during the Super Bowl."

Chick-fil-A is punting on the opportunity to score LOTS of potential cash by refusing to open up one very important location for Super Bowl Sunday.

Sources connected to the fast-food chain tell us the Chick-fil-A stand inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- where Super Bowl LIII will be played in a couple weeks -- will, in fact, remain closed on Feb. 3 ... just like every other Sunday before it.

We're told that although the MBS location won't be open, Chick-fil-A is still one of the corporate sponsors for the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee ... and our sources say CfA is happy to be there in spirit and through its donation to JFK Park.

Much to the chagrin of foodies everywhere, Chick-fil-A notoriously closes up shop on Sundays to give employees a much-needed day off to be with family or go to church.

That's why folks were thrown for a loop back in 2017 when a location sprung up inside MBS, where the Falcons play on Sundays. The operator has said there's tons of other events happening at MBS throughout the year -- enough so, apparently, to make it worth their while.

Just to give you a sense of how much of a cash cow Chick-fil-A is ignoring for this upcoming game -- it could be in the ballpark of half a mil, more or less. Probably more, though.

This guy says they've sold as many as 5,000 sandwiches in one night. Considering Super Bowl stadiums have hit 100,000-plus attendees in recent years ... that's a potential $409,000 Chick-fil-A is losing out on if everyone bought just one of their basic sandwiches.

Nick Cannon says he's got beef with Travis Scott performing at SB LIII 'cause the dude hasn't proven he truly cares about black culture ... and Kylie Jenner is one big example.

The 'Wild 'N Out' host was chopping it up with Raquel Harper for a new episode of BET's "Raq Rants," where he explained why he's troubled that Travis was booked to play the Super Bowl halftime show. On the other hand, Outkast's Big Boi getting the gig doesn't bother Nick a bit.

Nick -- who supports Colin Kaepernick -- says BB has proven over the course of his career that he's for the culture ... so, Nick's good with him appearing in his native Atlanta to balance Maroon 5. But, according to Nick, Travis hasn't passed that litmus test.

Check out Nick's rationale on why Trav -- in his eyes, anyway -- doesn't seem to be for black people and black causes ... and what he needs to do to get there. Spoiler ... knocking up Kylie definitely didn't help his cause.

Why do so many people HATE the New England Patriots -- the greatest dynasty in the history of pro sports?

That's the question we posed to Rob Gronkowski's smokin' hot girlfriend, Camille Kostek -- and her answer was simple ... JEALOUSY!

"You hate us 'cause you ain't us," the former Pats cheerleader told us at LAX.

Kostek -- who's also a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition model -- just got off the plane from Kansas City where she battled freezing temperatures to support the future Hall of Famer ... and told us how the couple celebrated the big win.

So, how does Gronk feel about going to ANOTHER Super Bowl??

"He's amped, he's so pumped," Kostek said while admitting the constant winning NEVER gets old!

As for the big game, Kostek says she's friends with Rams QB Jared Goff -- but that goes out the window on February 3 ...

"All I gotta say is, good luck! I think it's gonna be a great game ... Patriots coming out with a W."

Harry Connick Jr. is so pissed off over that non-pass interference call at the end of the NFC championship game, he wrote a letter to Roger Goodell saying he's boycotting the Super Bowl.

The Grammy-winning crooner is a HUGE Saints fan (he was born and raised in New Orleans) -- and while he's usually a chill guy, his blood was BOILING when his team got screwed by the refs in the waning minutes of the game.

So, Connick decided to pen a letter to the NFL boss -- telling the Commish he's mad as hell at the officiating and he ain't gonna take it anymore.

"Until changes are made, specifically, booth review of outcome-altering no-calls, you can count me out," Connick Jr. wrote in his letter.

"I'm not watching the AFC championship game and I won't be watching the Super Bowl."

So far, no response from Goodell.

Here's Harry's letter in full ...

"Dear Commissioner Goodell,

Please know that I would've written this letter regardless of which teams were playing in the NFL championship.

I love the game of football so much -- the NFL gives me great joy and has for many years. To not call the pass interference/helmet-to-helmet penalties at the end of the game was one of the most disgraceful no-calls I have ever seen.

The officiating this year has been, for the most part, mediocre, in my opinion. But for a game as important as the NFC championship, it sickens me to know that the people who are assigned to fairly officiate the game seemingly had no regard for not only a dangerous penalty but one that would certainly have changed the outcome of the game.

Until changes are made, specifically, booth review of outcome-altering no-calls, you can count me out. I'm not watching the AFC championship game and I won't be watching the Super Bowl.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

How's the LAPD celebrating that Rams victory over the Saints? THEY'RE TALKING TRASH!!!

Right after that controversial ending in the NFC championship game, the LAPD reached out to their Nawlins counterparts on social media with some epic smack talk over that non-pass interference call that cost the Saints the game.

"Sounds like our friends at [The New Orleans PD] might be dealing with some robbery complaints after the #LARams⁠ ⁠defeated the @Saints," the LAPD said on Twitter.

"We would help investigate but A) it’s outside our jurisdiction, and B) we just don’t see enough evidence of a crime."

Translation -- SUCKS TO BE YOU!!

That's not all ... some people in New Orleans are so pissed off about the referee situation, that a local optometrist is offering free eye exams to all NFL zebras!

"We will GLADLY provide no cost eye exams to all NFL officials prior to next season to prevent the atrocity that occurred tonight," Louisiana Family Eyecare posted on its Facebook page.

"We would hate for someone else to feel our pain."

President Donald Trump only congratulated ONE of the teams that made the Super Bowl on Sunday -- the New England Patriots -- with a special shout-out to his old friend, Tom Brady.

... and it begs the question -- friendsies again?

Of course, Tom and Trump had a friendship that went back years -- Tom even put DT's "Make America Great Again" hat in his locker during the campaign.

But, the two had a big falling out back in 2017 -- Tom didn't go to the White House with the team that year and Trump made no mention of TB12 during his congratulatory remarks.

As we previously reported, Trump felt betrayed by Brady for not standing up for him publicly. In fact, Gisele has publicly stated she and Tom do not support him anymore.

Tom has also disagreed with Trump's criticism of Colin Kaepernick -- saying the comments POTUS has made about NFL kneelers is "just divisive."

But, despite the fallout, Trump typed out Tom's name on Twitter Sunday night -- saying, "Congratulations to Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the entire New England Patriots team on a great game and season. Will be a fantastic Super Bowl!"

No word from Tom yet. We guarantee he'll be asked about it in the lead-up to the Super Bowl.

As for the L.A. Rams -- no love from Prez.

At least, not yet.

Vernon Davis is helping a family cope with the tragic loss of their son by giving them Super Bowl tickets ... telling TMZ Sports he wanted to, "Bring some joy to their spirits."

The story is super sad ... 17-year-old Ryan Howey was a normal football-loving teenager until he was suddenly diagnosed with brain cancer last May.

Howey's illness was gripping ... the poor kid had to go through chemo and radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks just to start treatments -- and even needed more rounds of chemo after that.

Howey was huge Redskins fan -- and when Davis got word of the boy's illness last month ... the tight end hopped in a car and drove two hours to visit the sick boy.

Tragically ... Ryan passed away just days later -- so Vernon pondered ways he could help out the family.

His solution?? Give 3 Super Bowl tickets to Ryan's mom, dad and sister ... and fly them out to Atlanta and put them up in a hotel for the big game.

"I Facetimed them ... I was explaining to them, 'Hey, I think it'd be great if you guys can go to the Super Bowl. I have three tickets for you all and I'm putting you up in a hotel and you guys get to see a good game.'"

Davis said, "Tears of joy" flowed from the family ... adding, "I don't feel like no one was really thinking of them in that manner. It was just on my heart, man."

The game is set to go down Feb. 3 ... props to Davis and the Redskins for the heartfelt move.

Killer Mike insists all the controversy over black artists playing the Super Bowl Halftime Show masks the most important point -- which is huge financial opportunities for the black community.

We got the Run the Jewels rapper in NYC, where he's promoting his new Netflix series, "Trigger Warning." We asked Mike about the heat his pal Big Boi and Travis Scott have been taking for joining Maroon 5 ... instead of protesting the NFL in support of Colin Kaepernick.

Mike's heard about the push for the artists to take a knee during the show, and says more power to 'em if they do it. However, he's not coming down on them if they don't.

As an ATL guy himself, Mike says Super Bowl LIII's biggest impact won't be on the field, or on the halftime show stage -- it'll be in the bank accounts of thousands of people getting work because of the event.

Gladys Knight is adamant she does NOT have a problem with Colin Kaepernick and his protest -- but says she's hoping her national anthem performance at the Super Bowl can unite the country,.

"I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting two things and they are police violence and injustice," the 74-year-old said in a statement.

"It is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the National Anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone."

Of course, Knight is referencing Colin's decision to take a knee during the 'Star-Spangled Banner' during NFL games. Kap had said the demonstration is intended to put a spotlight on police violence against minorities.

Knight continued in her statement ...

"I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice, to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life, from walking back hallways, from marching with our social leaders, from using my voice for good."

"I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country’s Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII."

"No matter who chooses to deflect with this narrative and continue to mix these two in the same message, it is not so and cannot be made so by anyone speaking it."

"I pray that this National Anthem will bring us all together in a way never before witnessed and we can move forward and untangle these truths which mean so much to all of us."

Kaepernick -- along with his girlfriend, close friends and celebrities -- have been critical of musicians who have agreed to perform at the Super Bowl. Rap star Common has even called for Travis Scott to pull out of the halftime show.

Cardi B is about to join a rarefied group of superstars, including Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Britney Spears ... donning Pepsi's red, white and blue for the company's Super Bowl ad campaign ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Cardi B is officially locked as this year's Pepsi celeb spokesperson. We're told the ad has already been shot and will air during SB 53.

The Pepsi spot is considered the premiere commercial during the big game, which is watched by hundreds of millions and has a long afterlife.

Cindy Crawford did the honors last year, and her predecessors include Pink, One Direction, Madonna, Mariah Carey and The Spice Girls.

Cardi is also set to put on a show with Bruno Mars in the days leading up to The Super Bowl ... the buzz is that it will be the biggest party of the weekend.

As we reported ... Cardi was in talks to join Maroon 5 during the halftime show, but negotiations fell apart.

Thing is ... even though she won't be performing on the Super Bowl stage, the Pepsi commercial is a monumental TV moment.

If you watch the NFL on Sundays ... but you're pissed off about Travis Scott doing the Super Bowl halftime show, you're a hypocrite, period.

... so says rap legend Nelly.

"I don't see the big deal on people upset about who's performing at halftime," the St. Louis legend told us at LAX.

"Because what people have to understand ... if you're really against the NFL, the halftime show is not what you should be concerned about."

"If you're watching the NFL ... if you're supporting your team ... that's how [the owners] get paid. They don't get paid through the halftime show."

We asked if Colin Kaepernick had a point in his criticism of Travis Scott ... Nelly kept it real.

"I wouldn't say that he has a point in the sense of ... I mean he has his own reasons but again ... if you watch the NFL every Sunday, you support your team, that's how they make their money."

"If you're trying to make a stand against the NFL, you should probably not watch it on Sunday or you should not go to the games ... the halftime show is irrelevant."

When asked if he would consider doing the SB Halftime show if he was asked, Nelly responded -- "Probably."

Two more huge names are helping out with the Super Bowl 53 halftime show -- Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri -- this according to mega-producer Jazze Pha.

Pha is a producing legend who's from ATL and is one of the most plugged-in people in town -- and when we saw him at LAX, he told us he had just come back from halftime show rehearsals.

The big bombshell here ... Pha strongly suggests Lil Jon and J.D. are now a part of the show -- but he wasn't specific about what their roles will be.

"I think Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri and everybody gonna make it hot," Pha says ... "They gonna make it live. Maybe I let the cat outta the bag, I don't know!"

The issue ... there are huge stars calling for African-Americans to boycott the show -- including Common, who says the NFL doesn't support black people.

In fact, Common said he wishes Travis Scott would pull out from the show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Now, with two gigantic hip-hop legends seemingly signing on -- ya gotta wonder what the reaction will be.

Either way, Jazze says he was super impressed with what he saw at rehearsals and expects the show to blow people's minds!

We'll see!

Common says he loves Travis Scott -- but really wishes the guy would PULL OUT of the Super Bowl halftime show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

"I ain't with supporting the NFL," Common told us ... "They don't really support black people."

"Kaepernick said he's standing up for people who are being shot down, black and brown. The NFL basically blackballed him. They've shown how they feel about us for real."

Common says he respects the NFL players -- his beef is squarely with the owners.

As for Travis Scott, Common says ... "He's a dope dude, but I really don't want to support none of that stuff."

"Travis is doing what he's gotta do ... I feel like man, I wish he wouldn't [do the halftime show] to be honest."

Common says he has great respect for artists like Rihanna who have reportedly turned down the NFL in a show of support to Colin.

"All I know is that I'm supporting Kaepernick," Common added ... "I just want you to know that."

As we previously reported, Travis Scott reached out to Colin to discuss the Super Bowl halftime show before he officially signed on.

The two men had a cordial conversation but Colin explained why he would NOT give Travis his blessing to perform.

10:30 AM PT -- We've now made sense of what happened between Colin and Travis, and sources connected with both sides agree the two men spoke, but the timeline and substance of the convo are critical.

Sources connected to Travis acknowledge, when TMZ broke the story on December 20 that Travis would perform at the Super Bowl, he had indeed made that decision. The contract, however, had not been signed.

Travis has a track record for charity work and donations -- and wanted to incorporate that into his deal -- and that's when he started thinking of some sort of donation the NFL might make. We're told Travis' people started negotiating a donation amount with the NFL and Travis was "willing to walk" if he didn't get what he wanted.

Before the contract was signed, sources tell us Travis reached out to Colin ... presumably to get him on board but not to ask for permission. We're told Colin was not supportive of Travis performing at the Super Bowl, and the 2 men disagreed. Multiple sources characterize the conversation as "cordial and not hostile."

The NFL contract, we're told, was only signed a few days ago ... AFTER the conversation between Colin and Travis. That contract includes a $500,000 donation to Van Jones' charity, Dream Corps.

One final thing ... a Travis source underscored, although he respects Colin, "Colin doesn't tell Travis what he can and can't do. That's Travis' decision."

Colin Kaepernick and his close circle of friends are strongly DENYING a report rapper Travis Scott "consulted" with the ex-NFL quarterback before agreeing to do the Super Bowl halftime show.

The report claims Travis and Kap spoke over the phone -- and while they didn't exactly see eye to eye, there was a mutual understanding.

The report seemed to imply Kap was okay with Scott performing because the NFL and Scott agreed to donate $500k to a social justice organization.

But now, Kap's crew is calling BS -- and the QB is putting his stamp of approval on the public denials.

Kap's friend, Ebro Darden -- the famous HOT 97 radio host who works closely with Kap's girlfriend, Nessa -- tweeted, "Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the f*ck outta here."

Kaepernick retweeted Ebro's statement -- and Nessa also weighed in saying, "FACTS @EBRO!!! THEY NEED TO STOP LYING."

In fact, the same day it was announced Big Boi from Outkast would also be performing at the Super Bowl, Nessa posted the urban dictionary definition of the word, "Sell out."

She added, "If you are with them, then you are definitely not with us."