Super Bowl

Antonio Gates LOVES the Khalil Mack trade for his old Chargers squad ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the move could win the Chargers the Super Bowl next season.

We spoke with Gates out at LAX this week -- just a few days after L.A. acquired Mack from the Chicago Bears -- and he said the transaction is huge for his former team.

Gates said with Mack and Joey Bosa, the team now has the "best pass-rushing ends in the game."

Gates added that the other moves the Chargers made so far this offseason have him fired up for the Bolts in 2022.

"You add in Derwin [James], you add in J.C. Jackson now," Gates said, "I'm excited to see what they're going to do, bro."

Gates also spoke with us about Tom Brady coming back for yet another season -- and the future Hall of Famer didn't seem surprised to learn the QB was unretiring.

In fact, he said he wouldn't be shocked if TB12 went FIVE more years!!!

Andrew Whitworth knew he was retiring the moment the confetti fell on Super Bowl LVI -- 'cause the Rams star told his kids he was hanging up his helmet while celebrating the championship on the SoFi Stadium field.

The heartfelt moment was captured by NFL Films on Feb. 13 ... but wasn't released until the 40-year-old left tackle announced his retirement on Tuesday.

In the clip, you can see Whitworth sitting on the turf with his four kids, surrounded by confetti.

"Hey, listen to me," Whitworth says, "That is daddy's last football game."

"That's it. No more. I'm gonna be home with you guys, okay?"

The kids reaction was adorable ... they're clearly very excited daddy's gonna be home.

Whitworth spent 16 seasons in the league. The former second-round pick in 2006 out of LSU played 11 years with the Bengals ... and his last 5 in Los Angeles.

Andrew had a hell of a career ... he made four Pro Bowls, two First-Team All-Pro, won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2021), the 2022 Super Bowl champ and oh, he also made over $107 million.

Now, Whitworth has time to spend with his wife, Melissa, and kids, Sarah, Drew, Michael and Katherine.

"Promise, I'm gonna be a better dad, I'm gonna be around more. I'm gonna coach the crap outta you boys."

"We're gonna have some fun. I love yall!"

Evan McPherson went from watching Snoop Dogg to going straight into the dog house ... 'cause one of his Bengals coaches said he's still sour the star kicker stayed on the field at the Super Bowl to watch the halftime show.

Nearly a month after McPherson was spotted on the sidelines grooving to Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Mary J. Blige and others instead of hearing locker room speeches -- Cincinnati special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said he's still not happy about it all.

"That's a sore subject," Simmons told The Athletic this week. "That's a real sore subject."

Simmons didn't elaborate further (at least on the record) ... but it's clear he's pissed McPherson didn't head in with his teammates during the Super Bowl break.

Of course, Simmons probably should have seen it coming ... because, after all, McPherson told TMZ Sports just days earlier his plan was to stay out for the show.

New championship bling, new baby, new knee ligament ... and now, new hair?!?!

Odell Beckham Jr. just underwent yet another huge change in his life ... shaving off his famous mohawk on Tuesday.

The L.A. Rams star put his fresh 'do on display in a video on his Instagram ... revealing his purple curls are no more.

"New toppp," OBJ said in a caption on the clip.

The new look comes just over two weeks after he won the Super Bowl, just over one week after his model girlfriend, Lauren Wood, gave birth to their baby, and just days after he had surgery to repair the ligament he tore during February's Big Game.

Beckham said on IG after all the changes and before the haircut that he was excited for all the new chapters in his life.

Joe Burrow is spending his offseason the right way ... by playing golf with Kendall Jenner's boyfriend, Devin Booker, and his old Ohio State teammates after losing Super Bowl LVI.

Burrow hit the links with D Book in Scottsdale, Arizona recently .... where Joey B's teammate, Sam Hubbard, and 49ers star defensive end, Nick Bosa joined in on the fun.

Hubbard, a defensive end for the Bengals, took to social media to share a few images of the trip as they enjoyed some nice weather out on the course ... followed by a group dinner after.

The Bengals, of course, are still trying to recover from their disappointing 23-20 loss to the Rams in the Super Bowl ... and what better way to do that than having some quality tee time!!

Of course, Sam, Nick, and Joey Franchise all went to Ohio State -- though Burrow would finish his career with the LSU Tigers, where he led them to a national title after defeating Clemson in the 2019 season.

But, it was those OSU and Ohio roots that forged the basis of the foundation for Sam's relationship with Joe ... and it's spilled over into their professional careers.

While the Bengals season is over, the Suns and Booker are still playing ... and with the best record in the NBA, Phoenix looks poised to make a serious run at an NBA championship.

A Los Angeles woman says she was unable to see her Rams hoist the Lombardi Trophy after spending nearly $9,000 on tickets to the Super Bowl ... claiming she suffered "life-altering injuries" during the big game -- and now she's suing SoFi Stadium.

Rams fan Lita Abella made the allegations in a lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- claiming she missed the rest of the game due to an incident in the third quarter.

In the docs, Abella claims she was sitting in her seat when she "suddenly, and without warning," felt a forcible blow to the back of her head.

Abella says the impact was so strong, it forced her out of her assigned seat and sent her flying into the back of another seat rows ahead.

In the suit, the woman alleges that a man lost his balance and fell after "high fiving" another man ... causing him to fall into where Abella had been sitting, which resulted in her face and head colliding with another seat.

The woman says she suffered gnarly injuries -- including a concussion, orbital fracture, fractured nose, and fractured shoulder -- and ended up missing the trophy ceremony because she was in the hospital.

Abella is accusing SoFi Stadium of negligence and premises liability -- saying the stadium was ultimately responsible for what she describes as the "dangerous and defectively planned" seating which led to her injuries.

She's suing for unspecified damages.

Matthew Stafford says he feels awful about the way he reacted to a photog falling off the stage at the Rams' Super Bowl rally ... revealing he personally reached out to her to apologize.

As we previously reported, Kelly Smiley fractured her spine after attempting to take a pic of Matthew and his wife last week ... and the QB was captured on video quickly turning around and walking away.

Stafford was criticized for how he handled the situation ... with some people saying he should have stepped in to help out.

Matthew and his wife discussed the incident from their perspective on Kelly's "The Morning After" podcast this week ... and she says the QB DID show concern.

"Matthew looked at me and said 'check her please,' and turned around," Kelly said .... adding he personally texted the photog afterwards.

"That obviously happened really quickly and suddenly and unexpectedly and I wish I had a better reaction in the moment," Matthew added. "I didn’t. I apologized to her for that. But I’m glad that all in all she’s doing all right."

BTW -- the Staffords and Rams will be paying for Smiley's broken camera equipment and medical bills.

There's more -- Matthew and Kelly also talk about just how awful their hungover Disneyland trip was ... and the convo will make you wanna drink a ton of water.

"Disney is a beautiful, amazing place when you are sober," Kelly said. "When you are hungover and when you are still a little tipsy, not so much. If you didn’t have kids, maybe it would be a little more fun."

WARNING -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT THE NEXT SUPER BOWL, OR YOU WILL GET IN BIG TROUBLE.

The guy who sprinted onto the field in the middle of Super Bowl LVI is revealing to TMZ Sports how he was able to bypass security and execute his plan ... giving a step-by-step breakdown of his stunt -- and why he did it.

20-year-old Joseph Duran says the whole idea was meant to promote his party company ... but unfortunately, his flag got caught in the wind and it was never fully exposed.

Duran says he initially got access to the stadium by working a VIP experience earlier in the day ... and ended up paying a random guy $50 for his employee lanyard to get closer to a striking point.

After surveying his options several times, Duran finally decided to jump from the second level of seating all the way down to the field ... making a mad dash and juking out security before getting tackled to the ground.

Duran says he was cuffed (rather tightly) and taken to a holding cell, but thanks to some alleged overcrowding, he was told to leave the stadium immediately.

Despite facing a serious fine for the stunt, Duran says it was worth every penny ... as he believes the whole thing has brought new eyes to his brand.

Van Jefferson's Super Bowl baby finally has a name ... and fittingly, it's "Champ."

After days of deliberating, the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" this week that he and his wife, Samaria, just settled on the name.

"Champ Curtis Jefferson," Van said. "That's the name we got."

Of course, it's an extremely fitting name, considering the baby was born just minutes after Jefferson and the Rams were crowned World Champions -- but it certainly took a while for Van and his wife to land on the name.

Jefferson had told us at the Super Bowl parade last week that the couple was actually considering "Wynn" or "Miles" ... but he explained he just ultimately couldn't pass on "Champ."

"We just looked it up and 'Champ' is like a warrior," Van said, "and my wife is a warrior."

Van ain't lying ... you'll recall, Samaria was actually stretchered out of SoFi Stadium during the Rams' win over the Bengals on Sunday so she could have the child.

Van said he had to watch the birth of the baby boy on FaceTime because of horrific traffic after the game -- but he said he was so grateful for his wife and her efforts on the big day, he bought her a Range Rover.

L.A.'s Super Bowl celebration deserves a big fat penalty flag ... at least according to the infamous "Hollyweed" vandal who says the city screwed up its Hollywood sign overhaul.

As you know, the "Rams House" overlay went viral after the big game -- mostly because it took forever to complete -- and fans were, at best, split on the end result. Well, Zach "Jesushands" Fernandez isn't even that complimentary, and insists the project could've gone way better ... with his help!

Of course, Zach vandalized the Hollywood Sign back in 2017, turning it into "Hollyweed" to celebrate Cali legalizing recreational marijuana -- and from what he could see, the "Rams House" sign fell short of the high bar he'd set.

He told TMZ ... "When I first saw it, I couldn't even make out what it said. That was a really bad first impression, I guess."

His final impression wasn't much better, with Zach calling it "more of a disgrace."

Zach knows what he's talking about when it comes to dressing up the big sign, saying the material and color of the fabric was a poor choice ... as the light was bound to shine right through it.

If the Rams repeat as Super Bowl champs -- as several players suggested during the victory parade -- he has alternative options.

L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti announced the overlay after the Rams took down the Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl LVI. What was supposed to be a one-day project ended up taking 3 ... narrowly making it up for Wednesday's parade.

Not shockingly, Zach says he was never asked to help out -- after all, he was arrested for trespassing after his stunt. Still, he says if the price is right, he'd be down.

Dalvin Cook did his best Nostradamus impression earlier this month ... guaranteeing to TMZ Sports that he will win the Vikings a Super Bowl.

The Minnesota star running back promised to bring home the ring when we spoke with him at a Super Bowl party last weekend ... saying he and Justin Jefferson will get the job done.

"We gon' win us one," he said. "We gon' win us one. Yeah."

As for when ... Cook couldn't pinpoint an exact date -- but reiterated, "We gon' win us one. We working, though!"

It's a bold prediction ... considering the Vikings have only won two playoff games since 2017 and just fired their head coach this offseason. But, watch the clip, Dalvin seems as confident as ever.

If the team does win next season, Cook will be sporting a different number for the celebration -- he tells us he's officially switching digits to #4 in 2022 because it's the number his late father would've wanted him to wear.

As for the #33 chain Dalvin customarily rocks ... he told us that's not going anywhere -- but he will be adding another pendant to it next season.

Warriors forward Draymond Green's L.A. house was ransacked during Super Bowl weekend ... and over $1,000,000 worth of stuff -- watches, jewelry, and other property -- was stolen, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us 31-year-old Green -- who attended Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles -- came home later that night and discovered someone had busted their way into his home.

Our sources tell us the alleged perps entered Green's residence through his window ... and made off with watches, jewelry, and other personal property.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to an athlete in Los Angeles. During Game 7 of the World Series in 2017, Dodgers star Yasiel Puig's home was burglarized.

In 2019, the NFL warned the Rams of the potential for burglaries ... and advised the players to beef up security.

Four stranded Rams players who badly needed a ride to LAX following the Super Bowl parade on Wednesday caught a lift from a generous fan ... and they rewarded the guy for the gesture with nearly $1,000!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... just after the Rams' parade settled down at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, Joe Noteboom, Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott and Jake Gervase somehow found themselves without a ride.

That was quite the problem -- 'cause they had to be at the airport ASAP to catch a plane that was set to take them to Las Vegas to continue their championship celly.

Blest with the ClockedIn Worldwide Team tells us he saw the players trying to flag down fans to give them a lift ... so he pulled up in his BMW -- and the dudes jumped in!!

Blest says the guys were super cool throughout the ride ... even when he had to make a pitstop for gas on the way. Check out the video, they all seemed to be in a great mood!

In all, the ride ended up being about half an hour -- and Blest got them to their terminal with enough time for the guys to catch their flight.

We're told each player handed Blest about $200 apiece for his time ... and thanked him as they took off for Sin City.

A woman fell from the stage at the L.A. Rams' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday ... and the spill was so nasty, she says she suffered a fractured spine and broke her cameras in the fall.

The incident happened toward the end of the celebration in Los Angeles ... when Kelly Smiley tripped while appearing to take a photo of Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly Stafford.

In video, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see Smiley accidentally walked backward off the front of the stage while snapping pics ... and tumbled to the ground some 10 feet below.

Matthew Stafford was seen walking away from it all in the footage ... while Kelly Stafford was spotted walking toward the woman to get help.

Eventually, Smiley was taken to a nearby hospital, where she said testing revealed she suffered a broken back in the tumble.

In a GoFundMe set up to help Smiley pay her medical bills, her friends said she also "severely damaged" her professional photography gear. The GoFundMe has an initial goal of raising $30,000.

Fortunately, Smiley posted on her social media pages that she was "feeling ok" ... but she added that she was staying at the medical facility overnight for further evaluation.

Bengals cornerback Eli Apple is clapping back at all of his haters following his brutal Super Bowl ... vowing to "unleash that demon" and exact revenge next season.

Apple was roasted on social media both during and after Super Bowl LVI ... after he was burnt to a crisp by Cooper Kupp repeatedly in the loss.

In fact, even his NFL peers -- like Chiefs wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman -- trolled him, especially after he allowed Kupp to score the game-winning touchdown.

But, Apple said on his social media page on Wednesday that the hate is only fueling him ... writing, "Yall ReAwoke A Fire In Me That Will Only Make Me Stronger."

"And Im Beyond Excited To Unleash That Demon Again to Exponential Levels On Any Opp That Lines Up Across From Me Next Season 🖤🐅."

Apple hasn't been shy about talking smack this season -- he's given as much as he's taken. His mom, Annie Apple, has done some chirping of her own on her son's behalf, too.

Sean McVay isn't walking away from the NFL just yet -- the L.A. Rams coach's fiancée says he's NOT retiring after winning the Super Bowl.

The rumors have been swirling regarding the 36-year-old football genius' next move after beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday ... with McVay being super non-committal about returning to the sidelines for the 2022 season.

McVay -- who became the Rams' head coach in 2017 -- expressed his interest in starting a family ... and winning a Super Bowl would make it easier to hang up the headset.

But, Veronika Khomyn is here to squash all doubt about a return ... going to Instagram to let everyone know her man WILL be back to defend his title.

"Finally get my man back," Veronika said on Wednesday. "And no. He is NOT retiring!!!"

It may seem like a no-brainer -- after all, Von Miller and Aaron Donald told TMZ Sports yesterday they're ready to run it back as long as the whole squad is back together.

The Rams won't have to rebuild, so they're instantly one of the favorites to win it all.

But, a broadcasting job also sounds like a sweet gig -- a lot less work and a much bigger paycheck -- so retirement was a legit option if McVay was satisfied with his career.