Super Bowl

NFL great Asante Samuel says Darrelle Revis' critique of Richard Sherman is straight-up stupid ... 'cause the only thing that matters is winning, and the 49ers are headed to the Super Bowl.

The backstory ... 34-year-old Revis -- a 7x Pro Bowler who last played in 2017 -- took a shot at Sherman during the NFC Championship game ... blasting him after he was beaten by Packers star Davante Adams.

After the game, 31-year-old Sherman caught wind of Revis' message and fired back.

So, who's right, who's wrong? We asked another former great defensive back -- 4x Pro Bowler and 2x Super Bowl champ -- Asante Samuel.

"It's really a crazy stupid debate in my opinion. It's like, you're saying you want him to stick the best man on the team, for what? For his own selfish purpose? What are you saying?" ... Samuel tells TMZ Sports.

"They won the game. The game plan is to go out there and win. They shut 'em down. He balled out."

Asante says corners who travel all over the field, following the other team's top receiver means nothing ... 'cause what matters is production -- a.k.a. interceptions.

"Too many can't do what me and Richard Sherman doing. You understand what I'm saying? I got 50 picks in 10 years. Richard Sherman, if he wouldn't have torn his Achilles, he'd probably be right there knocking on the door."

Samuel continued ... and might've thrown a little shade Revis' way.

"If you ain't productive, that's the end of the discussion. You ain't the top if you ain't productive. They can hype you up and say whatever they want, but 20 picks, 30 picks in a career is very average."

FYI, Darrelle finished his career with 29 interceptions.

The Game went home HAPPY AF Sunday night for 2 reasons --- his beloved 49ers punched their ticket to the Super Bowl ... and he won $10,000 off of a bet!!!

TMZ Sports caught up with The Game after the Niners beat the Green Bay Packers 37 to 20 in the NFC Championship ... and the dude was clearly pumped for his team.

Of course, Game is a die-hard fan (he even has a Niners tat) ... but he was extra stoked to boast about his smart move by putting money on the line via a "hood bet."

For those unaware of what a "hood bet" is, Game describes it as "a bet with a motherf***a from the hood that you know gon' pay the money when you done."

"You can trust him cause he from the hood and if they don't pay., they gotta deal with the street code."

Game even showed us his winnings ... and explains he's gonna put up even more money for the Super Bowl

Swae Lee is making his pitch to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LV next year ... by showing off his falsetto.

We got one half of the hip-hop duo, Rae Sremmurd, at Beauty and Essex Sunday night and asked him about Demi Lovato singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" at next month's Super Bowl in Miami.

Swae says Demi's gonna slay it in her first live performance since suffering an overdose back in 2018. Then he puts the NFL and Roger Goodell on the clock, telling them he wants the gig come next year!!!

He's definitely got the pipes to kick things off for the biggest sporting event of the year -- ya gotta hear him sing a few bars from Francis Scott Key's banger. No autotune needed!

Seems Swae's been thinking more about the Anthem than the actual game, but we finally coax a Super Bowl pick outta him.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

That's all that was coming from Patrick Mahomes' girlfriend, Brittany Matthews, on Sunday ... 'cause the NFL superstar's lady doubled down on her new ritual of completely losing her mind in support of the Chiefs.

Kansas City held off the Tennessee Titans to lock up the AFC Championship ... and Mahomes had his biggest fan cheering him on from the VIP suites.

The yelling was well underway before kickoff ... and somehow Brittany was able to maintain her loud levels throughout the game.

Of course, Matthews is known for being outgoing at Chiefs games ... and sometimes gets on the receiving end of heckling from other fans (like at the Patriots game).

"WE'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWLLLLLL" Matthews yelled, alongside Patrick's little bro, Jackson.

Demi Lovato will sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIV in February -- one of her first live performances since suffering an overdose back in 2018.

Lovato has serious experience singing the Anthem at major sporting events -- she had the honors at the big Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight back in 2017.

But, her life hit some speed bumps since then and she was hospitalized in July 2018 after nearly dying from an overdose likely caused by Oxy laced with Fentanyl.

Before that Lovato had admitted falling off the wagon after nearly 6 years of sobriety.

Now, Lovato appears healthy and sober and ready to make a public comeback -- and it doesn't get much bigger than the Super Bowl!!!

FYI, if you're one of those degenerate gamblers who likes to bet on the over/under for length of the National Anthem performance ... here's some advice -- Demi's rendition at the Conor vs. Floyd fight went almost 2 minutes and 15 seconds ... so, don't bet on short!

Even Tom Brady ain't above busting Julian Edelman's balls when it comes to his allegedly drunken car smashing arrest ...

The New England Patriots QB cracked a little joke at the WR's expense on social media Tuesday ... flashing a bottle of his TB12 Electrolytes with the caption, "[Edelman] it sounds like you need some of this."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Brady's favorite target (and last year's Super Bowl MVP) was arrested for vandalism Saturday night in Beverly Hills after cops say he jumped on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz.

Our law enforcement sources tell us it appeared as if Edelman had been drinking before the incident. He was partying with ex-Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce and former New England Patriots teammate Danny Amendola earlier in the night. The group had been hanging out at Cantina Frida while the Ravens were losing to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional playoff game.

No one expected the Titans to wreck Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ... that is, no one except Chris Johnson ... and he tells TMZ Sports his old team is about to pull off ANOTHER huge upset!!

Mike Vrabel's squad came away with the 28-12 dub over Baltimore in the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday (they were 10 point underdogs) ... one week after taking down Tom Brady and the Patriots.

CJ2K says the Titans ain't done yet, 'cause he tells us Tennessee is about to take down Patrick Mahomes and co. in the AFC Championship game and punch some tickets to Miami.

"Man, listen, the Ravens had a explosive offense as well," CJ tells us. "We went in there and we did what we had to do. We held them to 12 points. so, we gon' do the same thing this week."

CJ -- who was so pumped about the win, he made t-shirts -- jokes that he's getting so good with his predictions, he deserves a TV deal!!

"I've been right on the head. I've been predicting it every week."

Jennifer Lopez performing at the SB Halftime show will be HUGE for the Latino community -- but to make it truly momentous, others should join ... so says John Leguizamo.

We got the veteran actor Sunday at LAX, where he was touching down ahead of the Critics' Choice Awards later tonight. The guy's one of the nominees for his work on "When They See Us," and he was definitely in a chatty mood. Today's topic ... Super Bowl LIV.

Our camera guy asked if J Lo performing -- alongside Shakira and, possibly, Pitbull too -- is a good thing for Hispanics at large. John certainly seems to think so ... telling us every Latinx person watching will probably be at home doing a little dance in celebration.

He took it one step further though, offering up a bunch of other big Hispanic names who could show face during the performance and really amp things up. Among them ... Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Maluma, Cardi B and even Mariah Carey -- who comes from Afro-Latina descent. JL notes even if she doesn't usually identify as such, he's claiming her regardless.

Jennifer Lopez has friends in high places ... and her star power was on display while shooting a Super Bowl commercial.

J Lo put in some serious work Thursday at the Hard Rock Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, where she was on set with her fiance Alex Rodriguez, mega-producer DJ Khaled, rockstar Steven Van Zandt and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

TMZ's obtained behind-the-scenes pics and vids showing Jennifer rocking a tight white outfit from head-to-toe, and flanked by a huge filming crew. A-Rod's wardrobe included a blue sport coat, while DJ Khaled was, of course, wearing an eye-catching, bright yellow tracksuit -- and cracking up everyone on set.

99.6 MILLION people watched the 2018 "League of Legends" championships ... just a few million shy of the 2018 Super Bowl numbers.

And, Rick Fox says it's only a matter of time before "LoL" eclipses the NFL.

Fox is an Esports pioneer who famously founded Team Echo Fox -- which competes in everything from "Fortnite" to "CS:GO" and even "Mortal Kombat."

Fox says he's been watching the sport explode ... so he wasn't shocked when fellow gaming titan FaZe Banks told TMZ Sports recently there will be an Esports event that will pull in a bigger audience than the Super Bowl.

"As much as we love football in North America, it's not international to the level of gaming," Fox says.

"'League of Legends' is a huge global event. It's already got numbers right below the Super Bowl so it's coming ... it grows every year."

"Everything is so online now, technology has unlocked the ability for those people in foreign countries, or regardless of where you are in the world, to connect."

Fox also says the sport is finally growing massive stars with global appeal -- like Faker, who Fox considers the Michael Jordan of gaming.

FYI, Faker is a 23-year-old "LoL" legend from South Korea who's already racked up more than $1.2 MILLION in prize money.

In fact, Fox says he recently had a chance to play with Faker to raise money for the Bahamas Relief Foundation ... so shout out to Faker for that!

You're looking at the two scumbags who allegedly jacked a Super Bowl XLVI ring from a retired NY Giants linebacker's L.A. home ... and now the player is begging for its return.

The footage belongs to Spencer Paysinger, who was a rookie back in 2011 when the Giants miraculously beat the New England Patriots in one of the best title games ever.

Paysinger says he left a window open to air out his home on March 17 -- when two guys broke into the house and started rummaging through his stuff.

The 31-year-old -- who retired in 2017 -- says the crooks took all sorts of valuables including purses, computers and one REALLY important piece of jewelry ... the Super Bowl ring.

"I took it out recently for an elementary school Career Day and was lazy on returning to its secure location," Paysinger says.

The good news ... Paysinger had a Nest security camera in the home that captured the alleged thieves. You can see them going through the home with a flashlight while wearing gloves to hide fingerprints.

The bad news ... Paysinger says he had accidentally stopped paying to insure the ring just one month before the burglary because he changed credit cards and didn't update his autopay.

Now, Paysinger says he's desperate to get back his ring -- and promises if anyone comes forward with the item, he won't go to police.

"My Super Bowl ring should serve as a cherished family heirloom not an unfortunate event."

"If you’re reading this or if anyone knows the two young men in the video, please be assured there are no consequences tied to this post. This isn’t bait, there are no cops involved and nothing will happen to you by giving back my ring; keep the other s**t."

Forget the football hangover ... the XFL has announced it's official kickoff date -- Feb. 8 -- just 6 days after the NFL wraps up the 2019 season.

The Super Bowl goes down on Feb. 2 ... and the following weekend, the XFL will debut with a prime-time game on ABC featuring ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones.

Cardale -- a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- is the face of the D.C. Defenders, which takes on the Seattle Dragons, coached by Jim Zorn.

The Defenders also feature WR Max McCaffrey -- brother of Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey.

The Dragons roster features former NY Jets tight end Jace Amaro, a 2nd-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Later that day, a 2nd XFL game will air on FOX featuring the Houston Roughnecks vs. the L.A. Wildcats.

L.A.'s roster features ex-Baylor star Shawn Oakman, who is reviving his pro football career after being found NOT GUILTY in a sexual assault case.

During his college career, Oakman was at one point projected to be a high 1st-round NFL Draft pick ... until the criminal allegations derailed his career.

As for Houston, their QB is ex-Michigan State star Connor Cook, a 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Ex-Auburn star WR Sammie Coates, a 3rd-round NFL Draft pick, is also on the Roughnecks.

This will be the first XFL season since version 1.0 in 2001 ... and Vince McMahon insists he's doing everything in his power to make it work this time around.

Rihanna is opening up on her decision to turn down the NFL's invitation to perform at the Super Bowl last year ... saying she "couldn't dare do that" to Colin Kaepernick.

It was widely reported RiRi rejected an offer to perform on Feb. 3 2019 for the SB 53 halftime show -- the biggest entertainment event in the world -- because she believed the controversial NFL QB was being blackballed.

In her cover story with Vogue, the singer confirmed she was taking a stand against the league.

"I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people," Rihanna says ... "I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler."

"There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

Jennifer Lopez might be considered a star because of her TV career, but she's not a big enough name in music to land the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Miami ... at least according to Uncle Luke.

The former 2 Live Crew frontman is standing by his criticism of Jay-Z and the NFL for choosing J Lo and Shakira as headliners for SB54 ... because he feels Pitbull and Flo Rida are at a higher level.

Uncle Luke tells us there's a very short list of performers -- and most of them are no longer alive -- who warrant top-billing for a Super Bowl no matter where it's being played ... and Lopez isn't on it.

So, he's doubling down on his stance that the upcoming Miami SB should feature famous artists who are actually from the city ... and the current duo doesn't qualify.

Jay-Z's work with the NFL is already falling short on his promise of diversity, making him look like nothing more than a pawn and the "token black guy" ... so says Uncle Luke.

The former 2 Live Crew frontman was quite outspoken with us when we asked him to elaborate on his op-ed in the Miami New Times ... in which he said Jay and the NFL were slapping Miami's talent pool in the face by booking J Lo and Shakira as headliners for the Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show.

He says the fact that Jay -- who, along with Roc Nation, is now heading up the entertainment side of things in the NFL -- didn't hire a local performer of color is a betrayal.

Watch ... Luke even goes so far as to say that Jay's essentially acting as a straw man for the league thus far, and gives him an F rating when it comes to mixing up the acts.

Bruce Springsteen seems stoked to see Jennifer Lopez and Shakira at the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show -- but, interestingly, he's not yearning for some good ol' rock 'n' roll.

We got the Boss Sunday in NYC, where we asked what he thought of the pop duo being announced as the headliners for Super Bowl LIV in February ... and he told us he thought they'd put on a fabulous show come halftime. He's a big fan of theirs, apparently.

Then, our photog asked an interesting question -- in light of Bruce's epic Halftime Show back in 2009, does he think Roger Goodell and co. are pivoting way too hard toward pop music ... and snubbing classic rock acts in the process for the big stage?