Super Bowl

Jerry Rice is flexin' HARD in Atlanta -- rocking all 3 of his Super Bowl rings ... plus his Hall of Fame ring!!!

The 56-year-old NFL legend flossed his hardware on the plane to ATL -- just another classic Rice humblebrag.

Of course, Rice and the 49ers won Super Bowl 23, 24 and 29 ... with Jerry being named MVP of 23 with some insane receiving stats -- 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD.

Super Bowl week is funny when it comes to former NFL stars -- who often bust out their accolades to show off to other players and fans.

Jerry has been on a self-PR push lately -- remember, over the summer he went onstage with Charles Barkley at a charity event in Lake Tahoe and told the crowd, "I'm the f*cking best football player of all time."

He might be right.

Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and is widely regarded as the best WR ever.

Doesn't seem Tom Brady's got too many nerves heading into his NINTH Super Bowl ... 'cause the G.O.A.T. was nothing but smiles at Patriots practice Wednesday!!!

New England hit the field at Georgia Tech for the first time since landing in Atlanta earlier this week ... and Tom was as cool as ever during the workout.

In fact ... the 41-year-old seemed downright giddy -- laughing and smiling throughout the practice.

Begs the question ... what is he so thrilled about just a few days before yet another pivotal game in his 19-year career??

Perhaps it's that Rob Gronkowski was healthy and on the field practicing ... or maybe he's just that confident about a victory over the Rams????

Roger Goodell was just asked -- twice -- why he thinks Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL roster ... and he pointed the finger at NFL teams who don't believe the QB can help them win games.

In other words, Goodell says it's about football -- not politics.

Goodell was addressing the media live from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta -- in a crowd packed with reporters from all over the world and even a few NFL owners (ATL's Arthur Blank and NE's Robert Kraft).

When the subject of Kaepernick came up ... it was clear Roger had his answers ready -- hammering the same main talking point ... that roster decisions are made by individual teams looking to win games.

"Our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they wanna have on their roster," Goodell said.

"They make that individually. They make that in the best interests of their team."

He added, "They all want to win ... and they're all gonna do whatever they can to win."

When a second reporter pushed Goodell on the issue he reiterated his points.

"I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that's what they'll do."

"They want to win and they make those decisions individually in the best interests of their club."

Goodell is clearly pushing the individuality of decision-making, because Colin is suing the NFL for collusion -- claiming NFL owners and key officials conspired to keep him out of the league because of his kneeling demonstration during the national anthem.

The thing that makes the least amount of sense ... is that guys like Nathan Peterman and other sub-par quarterbacks are getting multiple workouts and opportunities with NFL clubs while Colin is not.

Besides taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl back in 2013 -- Kaepernick has thrown for 72 TDs and only 30 INTs in his pro career.

How'd Sean Payton handle losing a chance at the Super Bowl on the worst missed call in NFL history???

"I sat and probably didn't come out of my room. I ate Jeni's ice cream and watched Netflix for three straight days."

Yeah ... not so well.

The New Orleans Saints coach met with media members for the first time since his team got robbed against the Rams in the NFC title game ... and he revealed it hurt.

A lot.

"What is it now, a week and a half? It feels like it's been longer than that."

The game caused MAJOR strife in Louisiana ... with everyone from athletes to actors to even U.S. senators ripping the league for missing the 4th-quarter pass interference call.

To his credit ... Payton stood and fielded questions about the heartbreaking loss for nearly 20 minutes Wednesday -- and vowed his team would get over it.

But ... did Payton take a veiled shot at Roger Goodell during the presser??? Some say yes ... 'cause his undershirt DOES look a whole lot like Barstools Sports' infamous clown tee ...

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says the team was seriously committed to helping Josh Gordon beat his addiction issues ... but they realized real quick, the problems were way too serious.

Robert and his son, Jonathan (who's the president of the Patriots) spoke about the troubled WR on "Boston Sports Tonight" ... calling Gordon a "real good guy" with incredible potential.

The Patriots signed Gordon in Sept. knowing full well his history with substance abuse -- but figured they could give him a support system to overcome his demons.

27-year-old Gordon crushed it for the Pats until Dec. -- when he was suspended by the league after reportedly falling off the wagon, and failing another drug test.

"Unfortunately, people like that need mentoring at a young age," Robert said.

"But, when it becomes addiction, addiction is something that is way beyond our ... we gave him tremendous support on a daily basis, and he was worthy. But, I think we as a society have to try to help these young people not to get addicted in the first place."

"And, that's the sad part of this. He's a good guy -- a really good guy. It makes us sad."

Jonathan echoed his father's sentiments ... saying Gordon clicked with his teammates, had a great work ethic and could have been a key contributor in the playoffs -- if he could have stayed clean.

"This wasn't a troublemaker in the locker room," Jonathan said ... "Unfortunately, he had some personal demons."

"As a person and as a teammate, he was beloved in the locker room. And, I'm sure if you ask guys this week, they would tell you they wish he was here with us. He was not a guy that was disruptive or a problem."

Both Jonathan and Robert believe Gordon's issues run very deep -- and his story is a wake-up call about how to prevent addiction in the first place.

"He didn't grow up with any support system," Jonathan added ... "He saw other people doing it, and it gets back to the original way we grew up."

"And, that doesn't mean people don't get addicted from all walks of life -- but you get exposed to it in a whole different way when you come from where Josh Gordon came from. He is a very good kid."

Adrien Broner says he'd LOVE to fight Manny Pacquiao again ... but isn't sure it'll happen because after he thinks he may have injured Pac-Man so badly during their fight, Manny might be DONE FOREVER.

Also, Broner shows us stacks and stacks of money ... like a lot of money ... guy claims to be very, very, economically stable.

Our broke asses got Broner -- with his buddy "The Youngest Legend" -- at LAX on his way to Atlanta, where AB told our destitute camera guy he was headed to ATL for Super Bowl festivities ... then he flashed the cash.

When we asked what the money was for, Broner said at least part of the haul -- $100k -- was to bet on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, which seems like a pretty good idea.

But, when we asked him about a possible rematch with Pacquiao to attempt to avenge his loss from earlier this month -- AB suggested he might've finished Pac-Man off for good.

"Well, they say I detached his retina, so I don't know if he gonna box again. I hope so though."

There were early reports that Pacquiao did, in fact, suffer a detached retina during the bout -- but his camp has since refuted those claims ... saying the injury was nothing more than a scratched cornea.

If true, a detached retina is a possible career ender for a boxer. A scratched cornea, not so much.

Maroon 5 will NOT be taking questions from the media about their Super Bowl halftime show -- the NFL just announced the pre-show press conference is officially OFF.

The halftime show press conference has been a tradition for YEARS -- Justin Timberlake held one last year, Gaga before that ... Prince famously busted out his guitar and rocked out at his back in 2007.

So, why scrap the presser? The NFL says Maroon 5 and the other artists like Travis Scott want to "let their show do the talking" -- but it seems pretty obvious it's all about Kaepernick.

There's been a strong push from big stars like Common and Nick Cannon for the halftime show performers to pull out over the way the league has treated Kap.

Other stars like Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kelly Rowland have said they wouldn't work with the NFL in the wake of Kaepernick's allegations he's been blackballed for taking a knee during the national anthem.

SportsBusiness Journal's Daniel Kaplan says the presser had been on the official schedule of events -- and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport essentially confirmed by saying the presser was "canceled."

The NFL issued a statement saying ... "Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event."

"As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday."

Instead of hosting a press conference, the NFL says the artists and the league will participate in a "social and digital media rollout" to promote the show.

8:33 AM PT -- New information about the Barstool Sports incident at the Super Bowl Opening Day event in Atlanta -- cops say PFT Commenter was NOT arrested -- but he was issued a criminal trespass warning.

A spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... both PFT and Barstool president Dave Portnoy were "in possession of fake Super Bowl LIII media credentials."

"The individuals ... were issued criminal trespass warnings by APD officers at the request of State Farm Arena security staff."

"Neither man was arrested or cited. Both had the fake credentials taken away and were advised they would be arrested for criminal trespass if they attempted to enter either State Farm Arena, Georgia World Congress Center, Centennial Olympic Park, or Mercedes Benz Stadium property again."

We spoke with Portnoy who tells us the trespass warning means he's not allowed to attend the Super Bowl, even though he has a ticket.

Portnoy also delivered a message to NFL Commish Roger Goodell.

PFT Commenter -- the cohost of the "Pardon My Take" podcast on Barstool Sports -- says he was arrested at the NFL's Super Bowl Opening Night event in Atlanta on Monday night.

The Barstool star -- real name Eric Sollenberger -- had been having a pretty successful night, firing off questions to everyone from Rob Gronkowski to Todd Gurley ... even Bill Belichick.

But at some point during the evening, event organizers decided they wanted PFT Commenter out -- and they sent security to escort him off the property.

Eventually, PFT says the Atlanta Police Dept. got involved and arrested him for criminal trespassing.

PFT says officials even called in the FBI to question him.

PFT's boss -- Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy was also escorted out of the event. Portnoy says he was not arrested.

Barstool and the NFL have a rocky relationship -- Portnoy and his team have attacked NFL Commish Roger Goodell on several occasions ... and it's clear they're not welcome at official NFL events.

Story developing ...

Jamal Adams better sleep with one eye open ... 'cause Rob Gronkowski is vowing REVENGE on the Jets safety for his brutal attack on the Patriots' mascot!!!

ICYMI ... J.A. was playing around at Pro Bowl practices last week -- when he went after Pat Patriot and tackled the poor guy to the ground.

Turns out ... Adams really hurt the dude -- NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the person in the costume is still "dealing with jaw, neck, and back soreness."

Enter Gronk ... who told reporters at Monday night's Super Bowl media day that he's not just gonna sit around and let a New York Jet do that to his team's biggest supporter.

"We're going to have to figure a way out to get the revenge. That was not nice what he did. I heard the guy got seriously hurt!"

The 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet ... but we know the Pats will play Adams' Jets TWICE next season.

2 Chainz and Adam Scott are partnering up to put cash in your pocket -- or at least to teach you how to get some green, and there's a Super Bowl connection.

The finance management company Expensify recruited 2C and AS -- an odd, but hilarious pairing -- to star in a new music video for the song, "Expensify This." The video/commercial has a cool interactive feature -- if you download their app and take pics of the receipts that show up in the vid ... you'll earn the chance to stack a little dough or win other prizes.

The video itself is like a mock hip-hop video, but the tune's pretty catchy. BTW, the whole point of the app is to more easily manage your finances with just a snap of a photo. We're told the company also plans to run a Super Bowl spot during the second quarter, so they're dropping some coin on the campaign -- just north of $5 mil for a 30-second spot.

Tom Brady's autographed HANDWRITTEN notes from Super Bowl XXXIX just hit the auction block ... and they can be all yours -- if you've got the cash.

... like, $25,000 worth of it.

TMZ Sports has learned the drive chart Brady filled out during the Patriots' 24-21 win over the Eagles in the 2005 big game is up for sale in a Steiner Sports auction.

The chart is DOPE ... it's got all of Brady's notes -- including downs, distances, plays AND Philadelphia's defensive fronts -- from every Pats' offensive snap in the game.

The G.O.A.T. even signed the piece in the top left corner ... and there's speculation blood from a cut he suffered during the game even splattered onto the sheet!!!

Of course, this was the ONLY Super Bowl Brady won that he didn't get the MVP in ... his top wideout, Deion Branch, ended up with the award after the game.

We're told bidding will start at $2,500 ... but the piece is expected to fetch more than $25,000 when the auction ends next month.

Tom Brady says the Super Bowl is a great excuse to bring his entire family together -- so, he's flying 'em all to Atlanta for the big game on Sunday ... mom, dad, wife, kids ... everybody!!

It'll be especially cool to see Brady's mom, Galynn, back at the game after battling breast cancer in 2017.

Tom raved about his family to WEEI's Mut and Callahan on Monday, explaining how the Super Bowl has kind of turned into an annual family reunion (it's his 9th SB) ... and he loves it.

"I'll have a big crew," Brady exclaimed ... "If there's one thing that sports has done for my family it's kept us all seeing each other and a part of each other's lives."

Tom and his mother are super close -- and her cancer fight clearly had a major impact on him on and off the field. Before last year's Super Bowl, Brady told reporters how much it meant for his mother to be at the game.

"To have my mom here [in 2017] -- I had my whole family here -- was very, very special," Brady said.

"Even all my kids here for the first time at the game, and we get a chance to do it a second time. I hope it's a happy ending."

It wasn't -- the Patriots lost to the Eagles in a 41-33 shocker.

Brady has 3 kids -- 2 with his wife Gisele and a son, Jack, from ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

His son with Moynahan lives with Bridget in New York City -- but it seems QB has a pretty solid relationship with the kid, who was featured in Tom's reality show "Tom Vs. Time."

During the WEEI interview on Monday, Tom also explained why he's embracing all the anti-Patriots hate -- and how it fuels them.

The WWE is hitting Maroon 5 with a metaphorical steel chair -- slamming the band's Super Bowl halftime show as trash, in an effort to get fans to watch the WWE's halftime event instead.

Vince McMahon's company unleashed the hit piece Sunday night during the Royal Rumble -- asking fans why the hell they would watch Maroon 5 while they could be watching 6-man tag team match.

WWE even showed a picture of Adam Levine and added booing sound effects to really drive home the point.

It's all to promote WWE's new 'Halftime Heat' show -- featuring wrestlers like Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream and more. It'll air live on WWE Network and various social media platforms as counter-halftime programming.

Yeah, it's a cheap shot at the NFL and Maroon 5 ... but it's funny.

Drew Brees admits he's frustrated and disappointed after the Saints got screwed in the NFC Championship game -- but has a message for New Orleans, "I refuse to let this hold us down."

The future Hall of Fame QB just issued a giant statement to Who Dat Nation saying he's spent the last week "navigating the heartache and disappointment from the game."

Brees notes -- "Some things within our control and some outside our control that caused us to fall short."

"The longer I play I realize that we truly are one heartbeat with our fans. Our success is your success. Our disappointment is your disappointment. We are inspired by one another to accomplish things far greater than what we could ever do on our own."

Brees never mentions a specific play from the game but offers this advice to Saints fans on dealing with the "frustration we feel now."

"Pour that passion and emotion into your families and communities. Inspire others with your focus & determination and positive outlook. This will make us stronger, this will bond us tighter, this will be a source for our success in the future."

"There is no place like New Orleans. There is no community like ours. No fans like the Who Dat Nation. I refuse to let this hold us down. I refuse to let this create any negativity or resentment. I embrace the challenge."

Remember when a bunch of jerks burglarized Rob Gronkowski's home while he was playing in the Super Bowl last season??

His big bro says there's no way in hell that happens again next week ... 'cause Chris Gronkowski tells TMZ Sports the Pats superstar has beefed up his home security system!!!

Actually ... Chris says the reason Rob's Boston-area pad was broken into last year was because some of Gronk's roommates forgot to set the alarm.

But, Chris tells us that mistake won't happen again ... and even if it does -- Gronk's beefed up his security with a brand-new camera system.

"That place will be on lockdown for sure now."

FYI ... the 3 guys who broke into Rob's place last season and stole an Apple Watch, a Rolex, 2 rare coins and multiple firearms -- were all caught and arrested.

Now, Chris is warning the same thing will happen to anybody who tries it again, saying, "They're definitely going to get caught."

We also asked Chris about his Ice Shaker business -- the one A-Rod and Mark Cuban have famously invested in -- and ya gotta hear why he's banking on J. Lo to give the company a huge boost!!

Tom Brady and the Patriots have really convinced themselves they're the underdogs in Super Bowl LIII ... which couldn't have been more obvious than at their send-off rally.

The Pats' QB was center stage Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA for one last hurrah before the team heads out to Atlanta ahead of the big game against the Los Angeles Rams. With Blue Man Group on hand to warm up the crowd ... Brady finished 'em off by starting a battle cry that screams of defying the odds ... "WE'RE STILL HERE!!!"

The only problem ... the Patriots are heavily favored to win, so they're not underdogs at all -- even if they and their die-hard fan base truly believe they are.

In case you missed it, Tom and co. had a nice little mantra going among themselves last weekend when they beat the Chiefs in overtime ... "You're/I'm too old." But, Julian Edelman probably said it best on the sideline ... "YOU'RE TOO F***IN' OLD!!!"

This will be Tom's ninth trip to the Super Bowl with the Pats, and it'll be a chance to win his sixth SB ring. Considering they've been here time and again with young buck teams like the Rams ... something tells us they'll be just fine.

Whatever works for you guys, though.

Meanwhile, in LA ... Rams fans stood outside the still-to-be-completed L.A. Stadium at Hollywood Park, where they did their best to match the Pats' energy. They got spirit ... we'll give them that.