Super Bowl

Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Brett Favre says the Eagles' woes since winning the Super Bowl in 2018 can be explained pretty simply -- they screwed up the Carson Wentz vs. Nick Foles decision.

You'll recall ... back in the '17 season, Wentz had Philly rollin' -- he led the Birds to an 11-2 start -- but he had to sit the bench the rest of the way due to an ACL injury.

Foles went on to lead the team to a title over Tom Brady's Patriots in Wentz' stead ... but the Eagles decided to turn back to Carson when he was healthy the following season nonetheless.

And, when it came time to either pay Foles to keep him around or let him walk after the 2018 season ... Philly chose to punt -- and now, Favre says that was a decision that doomed the franchise.

"I actually thought that they should have kept Nick Foles rather than Carson Wentz just based off of production and where they got to," Favre said on ESPN's "First Take" on Tuesday.

"You know, they won a Super Bowl with Foles. And, that was a little bit surprising."

Foles hasn't done much of anything since he left the Eagles for Jacksonville ... he had an injury-plagued season with the Jags in 2019 and now he's sputtering with the Bears this year.

But, Wentz hasn't been much better ... the Eagles were 9-7 in 2019 and are just 3-4-1 this year -- AND Wentz leads the league in interceptions this season with 12.

Favre says injuries to the QB's weapons have played some role in Wentz's struggles ... but he explained Carson should be just flat-out better regardless.

Forget the "Drake Curse," Nick Jonas says athletes should be lining up for the "Jonas Blessing" -- a PROVEN theory that the JoBros can help win championships!!!

Patrick Mahomes. Cody Bellinger. Lewis Hamilton.

They all attended Jonas Brothers concerts just MONTHS before they dominated their respective sports.

Coincidence? NICK THINKS NOT!!

"To fully understand this conspiracy, we have to back things up to Sept. 22nd, 2019," Nick says ... "That is the day of the Jonas Brothers show in Kansas City Missouri. You know who was at that show? Patrick Mahomes. Cut to a few months later, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 54."

That checks out.

"Next up, Dec 10, Arizona. Who was there you might ask? Oh, Cody Bellinger. Cut to October 27th, the Dodgers win the World Series."

Also, accurate.

"Lewis Hamilton attended the Jonas Brothers concert in Paris on Feb. 22nd. Just last week, he won his 92nd Grand Prix, the most of all time."

SOUNDS SCIENTIFIC TO US!

"The key to success is to come to a Jonas Brother show," Nick explains ... "Basically the reverse of the Drake Curse. Let's call it the Jonas Blessing."

Nick says talent and work ethic are fine and all ... but if you REALLY wanna win, it's about Jonas bangers like "Year 3000" and "Sucker."

"Congrats to all you Jonas-loving athletes who were smart enough to come to a show. You deserve those championships!"

Just one month after the K.C. Chiefs players received their Super Bowl rings ... one of them is already up for auction, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ring was made for Mike Weber -- who was on the K.C. practice squad during the 2019 season when Patrick Mahomes led the team to a win over the 49ers in SB LIV.

The players received their rings in a special ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 1.

But now, the 23-year-old's ring has made its way over to Goldin Auctions, where it's up for grabs and the starting bid was $35,000. The current bid is already at $55,000 with 17 days to go!

Goldin tells us the ring is attracting a ton of interest and could easily hit the 6-figure mark.

As for the piece itself, it's a 10 karat gold ring featuring the Chiefs logo made with 60 diamonds ... and 2 Lombardi Trophies made with marquee-cut diamonds.

It includes 16 rubies to signify 10 AFC West division titles and 6 playoff appearances under head coach Andy Reid.

The perimeter of the ring top has 122 diamonds which represents 100 NFL seasons and the 22 playoff appearances in Chiefs’ franchise history.

Weber's name is on the side of the ring next to his jersey number, 45 -- and his signature is etched on the inside band.

Goldin says the ring comes with a custom Josten's ring box and a letter of authenticity from Mike Weber.

Weber was a Dallas Cowboys 7th-round draft pick in 2019 ... and spent most of the season on the practice squad there -- but joined the Chiefs' practice squad in January after the Cowboys' year ended.

Weber had re-signed with the Chiefs after the Super Bowl victory ... but was cut in the offseason after K.C. selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the 1st round of the 2020 draft. He's currently trying to get back into the league.

The NFL has officially canceled this season's Pro Bowl game due to COVID -- but the league is "reimagining" ways to celebrate the players.

The game was originally set to take place on Jan. 31 at the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (home of the Raiders) ... but NFL officials ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk.

The league will still allow fans, players and coaches to vote on Pro Bowl rosters -- but they just won't compete in a formal game.

Let's face it, the games aren't really that great anyway.

Instead of a game, the league says it will work with the NFLPA and other partners to "create a variety of engaging activities" for the players.

"This virtual recognition of the season's finest players will provide fans the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of their favorite stars."

As for concerns over the Super Bowl, the league says the big game is still on.

"The NFL and NFLPA's intention is to play a full regular and postseason schedule, culminating at the Super Bowl."

Unclear how the league will address fans, media and the traditional Super Bowl fan experience -- but they've got some time to figure that out.

As for Vegas, the NFL says they won't abandon the city -- announcing the 2022 Pro Bowl will take place at Allegiant Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes wasn't the only one in his household to get a massive ring on Tuesday ... the superstar QB just proposed to his longtime GF, Brittany Matthews, with a diamond that's bigger than her knuckle!!!

Mahomes surprised his lady with a floral arrangement and bright signs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City after getting his Super Bowl ring ... and Brittany's ring might be even more impressive.

Since 24-year-old Mahomes just signed the fattest contract in NFL history -- he signed a $503 MILLION extension -- it shouldn't come as a surprise that he splurged on the jewelry.

Unclear on how much he paid for it, but by the looks of it ... it wasn't cheap.

Of course, the couple has been together since their high school days ... and have been pretty much inseparable ever since.

25-year-old Matthews -- a pro fitness trainer -- has been one of Mahomes' biggest supporters since day one and definitely made sure fans heard her cheers all throughout the Chiefs' Super Bowl run this past season.

Speaking of ... Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates finally got their championship rings for the 2019 season just before the proposal ... and they're pretty spectacular.

The champs held a special social-distanced celebration on the Arrowhead Stadium field on Tuesday ... receiving their rings for their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The rings -- made by Jostens -- feature the Chiefs logo (made of 60 diamonds) and 2 Lombardi trophies (made with marquise-cut diamonds) on the top ... and includes 16 rubies to signify 10 AFC West Division titles and 6 playoff appearances under head coach Andy Reid.

There are also 50 diamonds surrounding the design, which represent the 50 years since the team's first Super Bowl title.

The sides feature the SBLIV logo and player names and numbers -- and even "142.2" to honor Arrowhead's record-setting decibel rating.

The inside of the rings are just as special -- they feature the logos and scores of all KC's games throughout the playoffs ... and each recipient's autograph.

The team captured the moment Mahomes put his ring on for the first time ... and you could see the dude's smile pouring out from behind his mask!!

Look out, NFL -- these guys look like they're ready for another.

Two camps are claiming to be in possession of the REAL jersey worn by Michael Strahan in Super Bowl 42 ... which means someone has a FAKE.

And now, the situation is about to explode -- with both sides claiming they have solid arguments for why their jersey is the real thing.

In one corner, Michael Strahan -- Pro Football Hall of Famer.

In the other, Goldin Auctions -- one of the top sports memorabilia dealers in the country, which prides itself on trading in authentic items.

Strahan claims after his NY Giants beat the New England Patriots on Feb. 3, 2008, he gave his jersey to a friend and instructed that person to take it straight to Strahan's hotel room for safekeeping.

Per a source close to the NY Giants legend, Strahan is adamant the same jersey he passed to his friend ended up in a frame which is now on display at his home.

If you take a close look, we're told those stains on the jersey are champagne and Gatorade stains from the locker room celebration.

But, Goldin Auctions is disputing that claim ... insisting the REAL jersey ended up with a Giants equipment manager that day, who then passed it along to another person ... who brought it to Goldin Auctions.

Ken Goldin, Goldin Auctions Founder and CEO, tells us he's had two well-respected photo match experts -- Mei Grey and Resolution Photo Matching Service -- take a look at his jersey and both agree his jersey is legit.

Goldin also says when you take a close look at the jersey in Strahan's home, he believes there are obvious inconsistencies from high-definition photos of the jersey that were taken directly after the game.

In other words, Goldin believes the photo evidence proves he's got the REAL uniform.

"We are 100% confident the Strahan jersey in the auction is authentic," Goldin says ... "And the photo matching services letters and images speak for themselves."

So, what happens next? We're told Goldin is prepared to defend his claims and will proceed with his auction.

The most recent bid for the Strahan jersey is a cool $39k -- and Goldin believes it can crack $100k.

"We're going to make sure we bring not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5-plus rings to Kansas City!"

K.C. Chiefs star Chris Jones did his best LeBron James impression Monday ... channeling the NBA superstar by guaranteeing multiple future championships for his team -- and it was all bold as hell!

The defensive lineman -- who just signed a MASSIVE 4-year, $85 MILLION extension to stay in K.C. -- was asked on 610 Sports Radio what his message would have been if he had been able to speak to fans at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade in February.

That's when Jones said he would've gone all LeBron on the crowd ... and promised more parades in the future!!

"This is only the beginning," Jones said of what his speech would have entailed. "Be prepared to have another parade, and another parade, and another parade!"

Of course, 5-plus rings is unlikely ... Tom Brady's the only dude in history with that many -- and it took him 20 YEARS to get.

But, if anyone was going to do it in the near future ... it'd be the Chiefs.

They just locked up quarterback Patrick Mahomes for at least the next decade ... and they're returning nearly every other significant player from last season's Super Bowl roster.

In fact, when we spoke with star wideout Tyreek Hill about the squad ... he told us he was FIRED UP over the offense's potential in 2020.

Did you know the Patriots gave Josh Gordon a Super Bowl ring for his small role on the 2018 championship team??

It's true ... and now, the embattled wide receiver's victory bling can be all yours -- if you've got some SERIOUS cash lying around.

Officials at Heritage Auctions say they're putting JG's title drip on the auction block next month ... and they expect it to sell for somewhere in the area of $100,000!!!

Unclear how the ring made its way to the auction house ... but we're told Gordon himself is NOT selling it. Rather, officials tell TMZ Sports it's being sold by a dealer.

But, the ring is insane regardless ... it's the last one of Tom Brady's Patriots tenure -- featuring a gem carat weight of 9.85. The bling also features 10 karat gold, according to auction officials.

Of course, Gordon only played in 11 games for the Pats in the '18 season after they traded the Browns for him ... he ultimately stepped away from New England before its playoff run, saying he needed to focus on his mental health.

Gordon ended the season with 40 receptions for 720 yards and 3 TDs ... famously catching Brady's 500th career touchdown pass.

Gordon returned to the Pats the following year ... but was placed on injured reserve just a few games into the season and was later cut.

Here's Jennifer Lopez giving Shakira a "SHAKE THAT ASS" lesson during a private Super Bowl halftime rehearsal ... and it's amazing!!!

"I do it with my knees," J Lo tells Shakira mid-gyration ... "If you shake your knees, your butt goes.

"My mother taught me that ... when I was four!"

WELL, THANK YOU, MRS. LOPEZ!!!

It's all part of newly released video Jenny from the Block decided to share with the world ... showing all of the hard work the team put in to make that INCREDIBLE halftime show from SB LIV back in February.

The footage is awesome -- and shows just how hands-on Lopez was with ALL of the dancers and performers, including Shakira!

"I can’t believe it’s already been 3 months since the #SuperBowlLIV#Halftime Show," Lopez said.

"So much has happened since then, but I wanted to share a fun peek behind the scenes at our first rehearsal with the dancers and @Shakira."

One of the moves they busted their asses to perfect was the end pose ... from the cake jiggling to the final ferocious head turn to the camera.

"THANK YOU BILL!!"

That's Dick Vitale's message to the New England Patriots -- after his Tampa Bay Bucs locked down Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady!

You think Dickie V's fired up?! OH HELL YEAH!!!

"Brady to Gronkowski! Super Bowl here we come!"

"Mr. Belichick ... THANK YOU! THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart for making us get these two guys to wear Bucs uniforms!"

The legendary sportscaster says Gronk and Brady bring real "hope" to his city -- and says they're taking a talented Bucs roster to the next level!

"Let me tell you this, we weren't a team without talent. That [2019] team could have won I believe 10 games last year ... They lost heartbreakers."

"Missed a chip shot field goal to win the game against the Giants, so many times marching to wrap the game up and there's a pick 6 the other way that psychologically breaks your team down. So getting a guy like Brady and Gronkowski, I think you change that."

HE'S SO FIRED UP, HE JUMPED INTO HIS OWN POOL WITH HIS CLOTHES ON, BABY!!!

Travis Kelce says he CAN'T WAIT to celebrate his Super Bowl victory at the White House -- telling TMZ Sports he WILL join his KC Chiefs teammates when they meet President Trump.

"Oh, yeah! Always, man!" Kelce told us in NYC on Wednesday. "Crazy opportunity!"

Not everyone on the team feels the same way ... Chiefs stud defensive end Frank Clark told the Kansas City Star he's got "mixed emotions" about the White House trip.

"I know historically ... that’s something you do as a Super Bowl champion. But we’ll see, man. It’s a lot of mixed emotions about stuff going on there. We’ll see."

Head coach Andy Reid is a firm "yes" -- telling reporters at the Super Bowl, "I mean, I’ll be there. I'll be there. If they’re inviting us, I’ll be there. It’s quite an honor, I think."

Ditto for Tyreek Hill -- who said, "That would be great to go to the White House. I’ve never been to D.C., so that would be great."

Starting CB Bashaud Breeland just told us a few days ago he's pumped for the celebration as well.

As for Trump, earlier this month he told reported he's excited to host the Chiefs -- "Every one of them wants to be here. And the coach loves us. The coach is great. Andy Reid."

There's been a ton of controversy surrounding the White House visits over the past few years -- with several high profile players -- and even full teams -- boycotting the tradition.

The Golden State Warriors famously blew off Trump after winning the NBA title in 2017 and 2018 -- instead opting to celebrate with President Obama.

MLB stars like Mookie Betts and Nationals closer Sean Doolittle have also turned down White House invites.

We asked Kelce how the rest of his teammates are feeling about the visit ... but he told us he hasn't had the chance to speak with them yet.

"The halftime show last night was beyond inappropriate. Shakira laying on her side gyrating like sex, Lopez on a stripper pole, Lopez bending over to expose her butt crack, both performers grabbing their vaginas, Shakira grinding her butt against some tinfoil wearing man’s penis. This was incredibly offensive. My children were watching."

That was one of 1,312 super pissed-off people who complained to the FCC after Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's scorching hot Super Bowl halftime performance.

TMZ Sports requested the complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency which regulates television -- and it's clear while many praised the performance ... others, not so much.

"Completely inappropriate half time-show with simulated orgies, stripping, and borderline pornography. This is a family event during prime time and should never have happened," ... a viewer from Indiana wrote.

"I do not subscribe to The Playboy Channel, we do not buy porn for $20 a flick, we simply wanted to sit down as a family and watch the Super Bowl. God forbid we expected to watch football and a quick concert but instead had our eyes molested," a family from Tennessee wrote.

The continued ... "JLo’s movie Hustlers was rated R so since when is rated R viewing allowed on network TV at 7/8:00pm?"

A person from Michigan even evoked Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction ... saying JJ's performance was "by far better," despite showing nudity.

Some people were so pissed, they say they're DONE watching football.

"That was a disgusting display allowed of something that our children can't un see!!!"

"Strip clubs have that crap with sluts performing like this! This is soft porn! Fine the NFL or stop the HALFTIME shows! Beyond INAPPROPRIATE!!! Honoring a dog killer now THIS! BOYCOTTING THE NFL!!!"

Despite all the outrage, the performance has almost 136 MILLION views on YouTube ... so someone's watching!!