Super Bowl

The Navy isn't gonna be happy with this.

Stephen A. Smith had a BOLD take this week, but it wasn't about whether Dak Prescott is elite ... it was his reaction to Rihanna performing the Super Bowl halftime show -- simply saying, "she ain't Beyoncé."

The ESPN personality made the comment during his appearance on "The Sherri Show" Wednesday ... claiming it's no shade to RiRi, but will most certainly come across that way with the singer's diehard fanbase.

"Rihanna's music is fantastic," SAS said during the interview. "She's great. She's a sister. I love her dearly, I listen to her music, I'm gonna support her 'til the cows come home."

"I'm just telling you, for me, there's Beyoncé and there's everybody else. Just like there's Michael Jackson and there's everybody else."

Smith says he isn't NOT excited to see Rihanna do her thing ... but makes it clear there's only room for one at the top.

"Ladies and gentlemen, [Rihanna is] a lot of things. She's spectacular actually and congratulations on new mamahood. There's one thing she's not -- she ain't Beyoncé."

SAS says he mentioned Beyoncé because the icon did the SB XLVII show in 2013 without the likes of Coldplay and Bruno Mars ... although she did have support from her former Destiny's Child groupmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Here's the thing, though -- Rihanna could certainly do her gig alone as well ... as her show has been completely under wraps since it was announced.

Smith goes on to explain his stance ... comparing the situation to the show's host.

"I like television," he added. "I like a lot of talent out there. There's some spectacular females in television, I just want to say that. Everybody ain't Sherri. That's not throwing shading on them. That's appreciating their greatness but understanding, there's levels!"

Bottom line, both Rihanna and Beyoncé are incredibly successful and talented ... so there's really no need to pit them against each other. But, Stephen A. is entitled to his opinion.

The whole interview airs Wednesday ... check your local listings.

Russell Wilson and the Broncos have put O.T. Genasis in a really crappy mood ... the rapper who loves the Denver franchise tells TMZ Sports he's down bad after the team's abysmal 5-12 season.

"This s*** is awful right now," the "CoCo" crooner admitted out at LAX this week.

Thankfully for the Broncos, though, O.T. is still keepin' the faith -- at least, somewhat -- telling us he's got hopes that after giving head coach Nathaniel Hackett the boot towards the end of the season, they can turn things around.

Then again, he ain't exactly optimistic about Wilson ... saying he's got big-time regrets about the five-year, $242 MILLION contract the Broncos gave the star QB after trading for him this past offseason.

"We gave him too much money," O.T. said ... before adding, "We should have test-drove the car before we bought it!"

O.T., though, knows a thing or two about sticking by Denver in bad times. The big Broncos fan -- who's often seen rockin' Denver attire -- lived through some disappointing losses before finally seeing them win the Super Bowl in 2016.

"Hopefully, it's just coaching," he said. "Hopefully, we come up with a better scheme, bro."

Former NFL wide receiver Charles Johnson -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the 2001 season -- died by suicide in July ... a report released Monday by the North Carolina state medical examiner's office revealed.

In the ME documents, obtained by USA Today, officials said Johnson passed away after appearing to overdose on drugs. He was just 50 years old.

Johnson was initially found dead on July 17 inside a hotel room in Raleigh ... one day after his wife had reported him missing. A cause of death had remained a mystery -- until the ME's report was released this week.

Officials said in the docs, according to USA Today, that Johnson had oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine in his system at the time of his death ... despite having no active prescriptions.

The outlet had previously reported the former NFL wideout had claimed to have suffered disabilities from his time in the league.

Johnson played for the Steelers, Eagles, Patriots and Bills in his nine years in the NFL ... after being picked in the first round of the 1994 draft.

Following his death, the North Carolina high school he had been working at said in a statement he would "be missed by so many, especially your Husky Family."

Ben Affleck may be headed to a Super Bowl commercial near you -- because he's teamed up with the one company that's the apple of his eye ... or the pastry of his java, rather.

The actor was seen filming something with Dunkin' Donuts Tuesday morning in his native Boston ... where BA was dressed in an employee's uniform and hamming it up for cameras out of the drive-thru window as he interacted with a fake customer.

All signs point to this being a major ad ... and the speculation is that it might show up on game day, although there's no confirmation of that just yet. We wouldn't be surprised though.

Of course, this is a big deal because Ben is essentially an ambassador for the coffee chain -- time and again, he's seen in and around L.A. with a bunch of Dunkin' products ... so, frankly, it was just a matter of time before a collab came around. It's a match made in heaven.

Here's hoping Dunkin's (potential) SB spot is better than the fictional one Al Pacino did for them in 'Jack and Jill' -- where he was infamously made to sing and dance to a terrible made-up song that morphed a beverage with his name, courtesy of Adam Sandler.

Cardi B and Offset are taking the Super Bowl by storm with some lovey dovey burgers and fries, because they've teamed up with the golden arches for a major ad ... and it's all about love.

Sources tell TMZ the couple shot a commercial for McDonald's right around Christmas time ... which was filmed with a small crew -- even though we're told the scale of the ad is going to be huge, and it's expected to make a splash on game day.

Cardi and Offset shot it solo -- so, no kids in this -- and our sources tell us it's Valentine's Day themed. Unclear what exactly is going to be depicted, but we imagine it'll be lovey-dovey ... which CB and Offset already are on their own.

Obviously, this is going to air on Feb. 12 -- the day of SB LVII -- just a couple days before V-Day.

As for why these two decided to shoot during the Christmas holiday ... we're told everyone felt it'd be the best day to get some work done, seeing how everyone (celebs included) usually take it easy. It also gave them a good window to get some work done without distractions.

This is Cardi's second go-around when it comes to Super Bowl ads -- she famously did one for Pepsi a few years ago ... and now, she's been tapped by another giant corporation.

"Like 'Dumb and Dumber,' baby. You're sayin' there's a chance."

That's Rob Gronkowski channeling Lloyd Christmas ... and NOT shutting down the possibility of playing in the NFL next season, though it sounds like it'll cost a team a pretty penny.

33-year-old Gronk joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where the G.O.A.T. tight end was asked about playing next season.

"Like Dumb and Dumber, baby. You're sayin' there's a chance. You never know. What if someone wanted to throw the whole salary cap at me, baby, or half of the salary cap, then you gotta think about it. Throw me some quarterback money. Then you're talking, so there's always a possibility."

Remember, Rob sat out the 2019 season but returned in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Gronkowski played two more seasons before sitting out this year.

As for whether he ever got an itch this season watching football, Gronk says no, he didn't.

"Ya know I really didn't have the itch. I just had a couple thoughts throughout the 17 weeks of football. It was about week 10, week 11, week 12, right around there where I was thinking about it, but I really never got the itch. It was just a couple of thoughts."

Rob continued ... "I'm not gonna ever go back to football if I'm just thinking about it and don't really have that itch. That trigger was not gonna be pulled to go back and play football this year. It was not there, man."

There's more ... while Rob won't be playing in the Super Bowl, he'll be in Arizona, throwing one of the biggest and best parties of the week -- Gronk Beach!

In addition to Rob, 21 Savage, Diplo, Lil Jon and other celebs and performers will be at Talking Stick Resort on February 11, the day before the Super Bowl.

Of course, Gronk's no stranger to Arizona ... he was an Arizona Wildcat, so he's done his fair share of partying in the state.

"It's the big game weekend's number 1 event. I'm going back to Arizona," Rob said, explaining he needs to hit his AZ party quota.

Here it is -- Odell Beckham Jr.'s repaired knee back in action during a recent pickup basketball game ... and the NFL superstar looks GOOD!!

The 30-year-old free agent hasn't played a down of football since going down with a torn ACL in the Super Bowl last February ... and despite visiting with several potential teams, he remains without a home.

While fans almost certainly won't see him on the field this season, he's improved to the point where he was able to hit the hardwood in Miami on Jan. 6 ... showing off his impressive skills in the process.

OBJ -- wearing an "I Love Oral Sex" shirt for some reason -- backs down his defender and squeezes past him for a finger roll ... and follows up with some solid defense, stealing the ball and hitting his teammate with an alley-oop off the glass on a fast break.

He also displayed some serious range in the sesh ... draining a long three-pointer.

Eric Wood believed the Bills were destined to win the Super Bowl before the season started, but with the endless tragedies the teams endured, including Damar Hamlin's medical emergency, the former Pro Bowler thinks this is the year the Lombardi trophy finally arrives in Orchard Park.

TMZ Sports talked to Wood, who played all 9 seasons in Buffalo (2009-2017), and now serves as the color analyst on the radio (the ex-star was calling the game when #3 went down), and we asked if he believes the team's fate is to win their first ever SB.

"I do and I felt that way before the season," Wood said, adding, "The Bills started this season as the unanimous betting favorite to win the Super Bowl and these injuries have derailed some things. It's games being moved and a lot of adversity that these Bills had to deal with but in my mind, it does feel like destiny."

In May, 10 people were shot and killed in a Buffalo supermarket -- targets of a racially motivated hate crime. Team owner Kim Pegula battled health issues earlier this season. The western New York area has also been hit with multiple snowstorms, including a historic blizzard that killed at least 44 people. Dawson Knox's brother died unexpectedly. Then there's Damar. The area has been through so much.

The Bills have never won a Super Bowl. They made 4 straight between 1990 and 1993, but lost all the games.

FWIW, they won 2 AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965.

Eric believes after all the pain and suffering, this is the year the drought finally comes to an end.

Of course, the Bills are 12-3 and considered one of the best 2 or 3 teams in the league.

As for the mindset as the team steps on the gridiron again for the first time since "Monday Night Football," Wood says the message is straightforward.

Shaquille O'Neal was forced to sell his share in the Kings earlier this year, but the Big Fella tells TMZ Sports he's interested in getting back in the owner's box ... but this time, he wants to be "heavily involved!"

O'Neal joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where the Hall of Famer was asked about potential ownership interest in the Phoenix Suns, an organization Shaq previously played for towards the end of his career. While Shaq made it clear there hasn't been movement with the Suns, he does wish to own an NBA team.

"I haven't had any discussions with my partners, so I can't make the statement yet, but we're still looking to be heavily involved in purchasing an NBA team," Shaq told us.

A few months back Shaq again told us he was interested in buying Robert Sarver's Phoenix team, but didn't wish to bid against Jeff Bezos (or "Big Man JB," as Shaq calls him), who was reportedly interested in acquiring the team.

But, now Bezos has his sights set -- along with Jay-Z -- on the Washington Commanders.

Speaking of football ... we asked Shaq if he had any interest in owning an NFL franchise.

"Yeah, but this time around when I purchase a team, I want to be heavily involved. I would like it to be in a place where I'm living at. If it ain't the Dolphins, the Cowboys, or the Raiders, and those teams are way too expensive for me, but my main man JB can write that check!"

Sports franchise ownership isn't new to Shaq. He owned a small piece of the Sacramento Kings, which he sold in January (he had a conflict with another business). O'Neal originally bought into ownership 2013. Vivek Ranadive, an Indian-American business executive, is the majority owner.

We also talked to Shaquille about his epic Super Bowl party, Shaq's Fun House ... considered by many the best party in all of Super Bowl week! O'Neal made the announcement with TMZ Sports ... the 5th year in a row he's thrown the star-studded event.

"We're just gonna have a great time. This is the 5th year. Prior to even doing Shaq's Fun House, I would attend all the Super Bowl parties and it's just a bunch of standing around and talking," Shaq said, and it wasn't all that fun.

Enter Shaq and his partners.

"We wanted to bring the top DJs in, the top performers in, we wanted to bring some circus acts, some carnival rides, some food trucks. Just want to have a great time."

In addition to Shaq DJ'ing, Snoop Dogg and Diplo will also be performing.

If the Niners win the Super Bowl this year, they might need to give Mike Posner a ring -- 'cause the singer-turned-breathing-instructor tells TMZ Sports he gave the team lung lessons before the season ... and it was so effective, it brought some of the SF players to tears.

The "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" artist has been all about the impact of oxygen on the body over the past couple years ... working with famed motivational speaker Wim Hof to become a certified breathing trainer.

Posner got so good at the techniques, the 49ers invited him out to give them a lesson just before they kicked off their year ... and the 34-year-old said it was VERY impactful.

"That was the best session I've done, honestly," Posner told us out at LAX this week. "The guys are in tears at the end. Everyone is opening up. And it just opens up your heart."

Posner said things went so well with the NFC West squad, he felt like the team got on a "natural high."

"It almost feels like you took a drug," Posner said, "but it's just your own breath."

Clearly, the 49ers have been using Posner's techniques this year ... they've been one of the strongest teams in their conference, and look like a legit Super Bowl contender.

As for if Posner will try to repeat things with other sports teams -- he told us yes, explaining he just got done with a session for the Duke men's basketball team.

Christmas came early for a nurse in Minnesota ... 'cause Adam Thielen surprised her at work -- naming her 2022 Vikings Fan of the Year, and gifting her TWO Super Bowl tickets!!

The heartwarming moment was caught on video, showing the 2-time Pro Bowler walking to the health center's courtyard with a custom 22 jersey for Shirley Bowden.

The nurse -- who's worked at the hospital for nearly 20 years -- is a huge fan of the purple and gold team ... and was in complete shock when she saw the wide receiver at her job.

"Oh my God!" she yelled while surrounded by her colleagues.

Thielen gave her the presents ... and told her he hoped he and the Vikes would be the NFC team playing in the Big Game.

"You will be!" Bowden quickly said.

Bowden says she's been a fan of the Vikings fan since she was a little kid ... and goes to every game -- adding, "If you look at my row, I guarantee you I'm standing up."

The Vikings are known for this cool gesture ... just last year, Justin Jefferson surprised a female youth football coach -- who's also a nurse -- at practice.

Rihanna is finally breaking her silence on her hugely anticipated Super Bowl halftime performance ... telling us exactly how she feels leading up to the big day and even offering a tiny hint at who might join her onstage.

RiRi was shopping at Bristol Farms Tuesday in L.A., and of course we had to ask about the big game. At first, Rihanna says she feels "nervous" for the performance, but says she's excited to hit the stage.

We then shifted the convo to who might join her for a song or two. TMZ broke the story, we were told there's a roster of close to 50 names of possibilities ... basically almost anyone she's collabed with in the past.

While Rihanna wasn't offering up any info, we pressed about the possibility of her longtime bf and baby daddy, A$AP Rocky hitting the stage -- RiRi shrugged and finally did say something.

Rihanna's halftime show will mark her big comeback to music, it's been 6 years since she last released an album, when she dropped "Anti" in 2016.

Rihanna and her creative team are hard at work -- planning her Super Bowl Halftime Show and figuring out whether or not she'll be joined by guests -- with a list of nearly 50 possible names to hit the stage with her ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge of the plans tell us everyone Rihanna's collabed with over the years is fair game to possibly appear -- with stars like Kanye West, Paul McCartney, Calvin Harris, Pharrell, Jay-Z, Drake and more on Rihanna's resume.

We're told at this time, there have been no final decisions on who may join Rihanna, but she will absolutely have the final say. Our sources also tell us there's still a chance she does the whole thing solo and without a guest ... though it's likely she'll have at least one person, if shows in the past few years are any indicator.

As we reported, Rihanna and boyfriend A$AP Rocky were spotted hitting a New York City recording studio Monday night, so it's possible they're working on something together -- maybe even for the big game.

TMZ broke the story, Rihanna will be Super Bowl LVII's Halftime headliner. There were previous reports it was Taylor Swift, but we learned Swift isn't willing to take the SB stage until she's finished rerecording the rest of her old albums.

Rihanna's already gearing up for her Super Sunday comeback ... at least that's what fans are hoping as she hits a studio with A$AP Rocky right on the heels of her big NFL news.

Rihanna and her BF were on the move Monday night, heading into a NYC studio session together -- and the timing is just fueling anticipation for her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.

RiRi hasn't spoken out about the big gig yet, and the big question is whether she'll finally drop some new music before she takes the stage at Super Bowl LVII. So, every time she gets near a studio between now and February 12 it's gonna be news.

She's been teasing new music for quite some time now. We know she's been really busy lately with all of her business ventures, and welcoming a baby with A$AP ... but if she's diving into new music, this would be the time.

You'll recall, Rih turned down an offer to headline at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show because of her opposition to the way Colin Kaepernick was treated by the NFL ... but this time she's all in.

Taylor Swift was, in fact, asked to perform at Super Bowl LVII, TMZ has learned, but turned the offer down ... and we know why.

Sources with direct knowledge of the Super Bowl halftime show tell us ... Swift was approached months ago by SB honchos, asking if she'd headline. We're told Taylor was clear ... she didn't want to perform until she finished rerecording all of her first 6 albums.

As you probably know, back in 2019, Scooter Braun was part of a group that acquired the rights to her first 6 albums. Taylor was pissed, saying she was "sad and grossed out." Braun has since sold the master recordings ... and Taylor vowed to rerecord them to, in effect, regain ownership. She's already rerecorded and released "Red" and "Fearless."

We're told Taylor would like to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, but now it's an issue of timing. It's possible she could finish the remaining 4 albums -- "Taylor Swift," "Speak Now," "1989," and "Reputation" -- in the next year. That would open the possibility of a 2024 appearance, but it all depends on finishing the rerecords.

Taylor Swift fans might think their favorite musician is lined up to play the next Super Bowl Halftime show, but it just ain't true ... TMZ has learned.

Social media was on fire Friday after TS fans thought the NFL dropped a few Easter eggs that hinted at Taylor being the big performer. However, we've spoken to sources with direct knowledge who tell us Taylor's NOT going to be performing at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

As for those Easter Eggs, the NFL sent out a press release at midnight announcing Apple Music would take Pepsi's spot as the sponsor of the show. If you're not familiar, Taylor's been making a lot of midnight announcements lately, so fans believed there was a connection.

What's more, Taylor's had a deal in place with Coca-Cola for years, making a Pepsi halftime show impossible ... so with Pepsi out of the picture, fans thought it made sense for Taylor.