Super Bowl

Todd Gurley and Sony Michel listen up ... Terrell Davis is giving some Super Bowl running back advice that you better take if you wanna have success in the big game.

"Try not to make this game any different than the ones you played," T.D. tells TMZ Sports.

Sound simple?? Sure ... but the ex-Broncos star says he's seen way too many guys over the years turn the game into too big of a deal -- and then ruin it.

"A lot of times, what happens is players assume, 'It's a Super Bowl, so I gotta do something different. I gotta prepare more, I gotta do something that I'm not used to doing.'"

"And, that's when they get in trouble."

FYI, Davis is an ex-Georgia superstar like Michel and Gurley ... AND the guy's won 2 rings -- so seems the Pats and Rams RBs would be wise to take note.

BTW ... we also asked Terrell about Tom Brady -- and ya gotta hear why the Hall of Famer is SO astonished by what the Pats QB is doing at 41 years old.

Kelly Rowland has a ton of respect for Gladys Knight -- but tells TMZ Sports she would NOT have made the same choice to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Of course, Rowland is playing Gladys Knight in the BET series, "American Soul." She's previously talked about what an "honor" it is to play the 74-year-old singing legend.

So, with Knight at the center of the NFL controversy -- we asked the former Destiny's Child singer what she would have done if the NFL asked her to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the big game.

Rowland tells us ... she would have turned them down -- though, she doesn't go into detail.

As we previously reported, there's been a backlash from stars like Nick Cannon and Common who have told us they wish stars like Travis Scott would pull out of the Super Bowl over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Despite the criticism, Knight has doubled down on her decision to perform -- saying she hopes to use the Super Bowl platform to unite the country.

Rowland has worked with the NFL multiple times in the past -- in fact, she performed with Beyonce at the Super Bowl back in 2013.

What do Tom Brady and Atlanta strip clubs have in common???

THEY'RE BOTH THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!

At least, according to Asante Samuel ... who tells TMZ Sports that Brady's still the G.O.A.T. -- and the booty clubs in ATL are too!

We got the ex-Pats DB just a couple days after Brady earned his 9th trip to the Super Bowl ... and Asante couldn't help but gloat about the correct Brady prediction he made to us last month.

"He's still the G.O.A.T. He's the best ever to do it. You can't compare him to nobody ... When it's time to make the play to win the game or the situational plays, he's the G.O.A.T.!"

Then, Asante -- who played 2 seasons for the Falcons -- broke down the strip club scene that fans will be faced with at SB 53 ... and tells us that, like Brady, they're the best too!!!

"The strip club is the main attraction, man. You go in there and see all the booty you want!"

Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy is still so pissed off about the blown non-penalty in the NFC Championship game ... he just went on the floor of the Senate to call out the NFL.

"The State of Louisiana is outraged because of what happened in the Superdome last Sunday," Cassidy said during his 5-minute presentation.

"To the folks back home, it is something which continues to disturb them."

Cassidy, of course, is referring to blatant pass interference -- and helmet-to-helmet contact -- that went uncalled in the final 2 minutes of the game ... allowing the L.A. Rams a chance to come back and beat the Saints.

Cassidy described the play as, "The most blatant and consequential blown call in NFL history."

In fact, Cassidy says it's not just Saints fans who are pissed -- superstars like LeBron James, JJ Watt and Dez Bryant tweeted about the "travesty."

Cassidy suggested that the refs may have had a secret pro-Rams agenda and he's calling for the NFL to launch a full investigation.

Could Super Bowl Sunday be the last time Rob Gronkowski hits the football field??

His brother, ex-NFL player Chris Gronkowski, says maybe ... 'cause the older Gronk tells TMZ Sports neither he nor the Patriots superstar is sure of Rob's NFL future beyond Feb. 3.

"I couldn't tell you, and I don't even think at this point that he knows what he's going to do after the season."

Gronk's no stranger to retirement rumors ... he's dealt with a TON of serious injuries in his 9-year career -- and even reportedly threatened to walk if he was traded before this season.

But, the dude is only 29 years old ... and is still a beast -- which Chris says people are starting to take note of again now that fantasy football seasons are over.

"If you actually watched him play throughout the year, he was crushing people all year!"

Sooo ... could there be only four more quarters of that in his legendary career???

Killer Mike says Americans know better by now -- weed doesn't cause the same harm as booze, cigarettes or even sugar ... so it's time to get progressive with the drug.

The Atlanta rapper and activist was on "TMZ Live" Thursday and gave us his take on the medical marijuana ad being blocked from airing during the Super Bowl. Mike says it's not fair to blame CBS or the NFL for this, because the U.S. as a whole has been too slow to accept the benefits of cannabis ... and it's shameful.

His solution -- citizens need to make sure promoting a progressive agenda on marijuana is top of mind when they go vote in the next elections ... so people like those in the rejected Acreage Holding PSA can get the help they need.

There's more -- if ya don't know, Killer Mike has a new show on Netflix called 'Trigger Warning,' where he gets creative dealing with some of America's biggest issues and controversies.

Case in point -- he thinks the notorious Crips and Bloods should capitalize on their brand to market their own sodas and have some friendly competition in the process. He points out that the mafia and biker gangs do it and cash in ... so it's only fair.

This is the medical marijuana ad CBS rejected for the Super Bowl, and it's incredibly moving and emotional.

The ad, produced by Acreage Holdings, a marijuana and cannabis investment firm, was willing to pay $5 million for the spot, but CBS turned it down ... because, we're told, they don't allow any marijuana ads on the air.

The ad profiles 3 people -- a boy who had hundreds of seizures a day that were not abated by traditional medicine, a man addicted to opioids, and a veteran who was in severe pain after his leg was amputated. All say medical marijuana made life livable.

T.I. believes Travis Scott's decision to do the Super Bowl halftime show is selfish ... and he hopes the rapper makes up for it by being selfLESS down the road.

Scott's taken all sorts of heat for his decision to perform at Super Bowl 53 from people like Common and Nick Cannon who have been critical of the NFL for the way it's treated Colin Kaepernick.

In fact, Cannon told Raquel Harper on BET's "Raq Rants" that Scott's move clearly shows he doesn't care for black culture.

So, how does T.I. feel about it? See if you can read between the lines ...

"I think every man have an opportunity ... he can make a decision for himself, or he could be selfless. And, nobody can tell someone when to be selfless."

"That's every man's right to choose that moment for themselves. So, if this ain't something that he wanted to be selfless about, hopefully in the future we'll see other moments where he will. You dig?"

We dig.

Not everyone is upset with Scott -- rap legend Nelly told us just a few days ago the outrage over the halftime show is stupid -- and said he'd "probably do it" if asked.

Trina Braxton's not conflicted at all -- she supports the rights of the LGBT community ... AND she supports the rights of folks who want to gobble down some Chick-fil-A.

We got the "Braxton Family Values" star outside Publik Draft House in Atlanta Wednesday night and first asked her about the fast food chain being closed during the Super Bowl ... despite having a primo location inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

She says Chick-fil-A fans like herself know the restaurant's always closed on Sundays -- no exceptions -- so just deal with it. It's their prerogative.

Trina also tells us it's her prerogative to eat at Chick-fil-A -- despite its history of supporting anti-gay groups -- because she personally supports LGBT rights. Eating a delicious chicken sandwich isn't going to change that ... for Trina, anyway.

Jermaine Dupri says super producer Jazze Pha is WRONG -- he never signed on to participate in the Super Bowl halftime show ... but it has nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick.

Pha is a producing legend in ATL and he's super plugged in -- so, when he told us Dupri was involved in the show, it sounded legit.

But, Dupri says Pha's just wrong -- and when we started questioning Jermaine he told us point blank, "You think I'm saying no because it's a secret? No means no."

Dupri says he's not boycotting the NFL over Kaepernick -- he says the NFL simply never called when they were putting the show together and he REFUSES to be considered an afterthought.

"It should have been a decision that they made at the beginning. I'm not something that you call later on in life."

So, Dupri is out -- but Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi from Outkast and Gladys Knight are all in to perform on Feb. 3.

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.