Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rob Gronkowski channeled his inner-Oprah to surprise 4 healthcare heroes -- YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL, YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL ... EVERYBODY'S GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs superstar dropped in on 4 local healthcare heroes (via video chat) to deliver the good news ... that they've been hand selected by the team to attend the big game at Raymond James Stadium in person on Sunday.

The heroes include Mandy Mueske, Belinda Spahn, Woody Nixon, nurses who have been caring for COVID patients.

Heather Stegmeier is an infection control manager at AdventHealth -- who "educates and assists team members in obtaining and properly using personal protective equipment (PPE)."

And yeah, they're all STOKED about going to the game!!

"The first time the home team is the actual home team and I'm going to be there. I can't believe that," Woody Nixon said.

Mandy is pumped too -- especially since she's never been to a Bucs game before!

"I'm so excited! I watch games every Sunday. Go Bucs!"

The NFL says all 4 heroes will have completed their COVID vaccinations before being allowed into the stadium to watch Tom Brady and the Bucs take on Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs.

Shaquille O'Neal thinks the Patriots did Tom Brady dirty at the end of his run in New England -- and he LOVES that TB12 stuck it to his old squad by taking his new team to the Super Bowl!

Shaq, who's hosting "The Shaq Bowl" next weekend, was raving about the 43-year-old QB's incredible career when he brought up Tom's exit from NE ... and he didn't exactly mince his words.

"The way he came in ... this is his 10th Super Bowl and [to] play with a franchise and then the franchise kinda [says], 'Oh, you're old, bye!' and he said 'Okay, you don't wanna take care of me, after all, I did for this city? Watch this!'

"[Then he] goes to another a city, promises them a Super Bowl and delivers??? Wooo!!!"

Tom's not the only Bucs star who left his team in messy fashion -- Shaq says he personally counseled Leonard Fournette after the Jacksonville Jaguars waived the running back in August.

"They did him kinda dirty in Jacksonville," Shaq says ... "I had a conversation with him. I told him to keep his head up. So, when he was going to Tampa I said, 'Hey, man, this is your chance to let everybody know they were wrong about you.'"

"He's been playing fabulous."

The Bucs have their work cut out for them -- with young superstar Patrick Mahomes leading the K.C. Chiefs ... and Shaq can't wait for the matchup!

"This is what I like to see in championship games -- the old versus the new. Is it gonna be the old guy to continue to dominate? Or will the young guy finally come in to say, 'Hey, I know you're Tom Brady but this is my time to shine?!'"

"I used to watch these type of karate movies growing up because at some point, the student must kill the master to become the master."

In the meantime, Shaq's keeping busy -- running his own Super Bowl pre-game show called, "The Shaq Bowl" ... featuring stars like Tim Tebow, Ezekiel Elliott, Diplo, The Miz, Anthony Anderson, Nelly, Offset and more competing in various crazy events at a custom-built Shaq Bowl stadium in Tampa on Feb. 7.

Tom Brady is getting a pat on the back from one of the Buccaneers' greatest ever ... with Derrick Brooks praising the hell out of the QB for helping Tampa Bay on its Super Bowl run!

TMZ Sports spoke with the legendary Bucs linebacker this week ... and the guy told us straight-up he's been in awe of what Brady's been able to do for TB this season.

"You're talking about a man that's going to his 10th Super Bowl but still treating it as his first in terms of the words he's used, the preparation that he's using going into it and leading this team," Brooks said.

"It's something that I, honestly, you learn to appreciate as a fan of the game and even as someone who's played the game at a high level, I still say that I can appreciate that."

Derrick says Tom's ability to stay calm and poised when the Bucs struggled at times this year really helped elevate the squad ... telling us, "Tom's presence and his experience has definitely meant a difference."

Don't get it twisted, though ... Derrick says for as good as Tom's been this season -- he's still jacked that EVERYONE on the team played their role well enough to advance this far in the postseason.

By the way, Derrick has been a key piece in preparing Tampa Bay for its role as Super Bowl host city this year ... and he tells us it's been a hell of an experience trying to plan the event in the middle of a pandemic.

If you needed a reminder of how excited the people of Tampa are to be back in the Super Bowl after almost 20 years, take a look at how they rang in the week before kickoff.

A pirate ship in downtown was lit up Friday night with fireworks and a light show on the City's riverfront in Julian B. Lane Park -- where folks gathered for the "Super Bowl Experience" ... a makeshift amusement park with games and attractions fans can enjoy ahead of SB LV.

The ship's decked out with all the NFL team flags, but Tampa Bay and Kansas City -- who are facing off on the gridiron -- were the ones that stuck out most. The vessel will stay illuminated nightly, so people can come back and watch if they missed it the first time around.

Oh, and did we mention the Lombardi Trophy sits aboard too -- yeah that's there ... so pretty neat for football aficionados in general.

Unfortunately, tickets for this thing sold out on NFL's OnePass app -- but apparently, there's another park nearby where you can still get a taste of the fun ... they say there's gonna be DJs, food vendors and other not-as-cool-but-still-kinda-cool things at Curtis Hixon Park.

As we reported ... the Bucs haven't been in the Super Bowl since 2002. Now, almost a full two decades later, they're back -- all thanks to Tom Brady, who came over from the Pats.

Can you imagine if TB12 became TB7?!?!?

Tom Brady was VERY close to making that huge change -- with the QB considering swapping his number after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So why #7?? 'Cause Brady's going after that 7th ring, baby!!!

Bucs GM Jason Licht made the major revelation in an interview on the Peter King Podcast this week ... saying Brady was totally fine with letting star receiver Chris Godwin keep #12 'cause he had a new number in mind.

Licht breaks down the convo after the move to TB was a done deal ... and it's the most Brady story ever.

"After we had talked and we knew that this was gonna happen, I said, 'Hey, there's one other thing. It's a small thing but maybe a big thing," Licht says."

"We have a #12 on our team and he's pretty good, Chris Godwin. What are you thinking about that?'

Brady's response?? ... "'Oh, he's a great player, I'm not going to take his number. Know what number I'm thinking of? I'm thinking of taking maybe #7. Is that available?'"

"I said, 'Yeah, I think it is, why #7?' He goes, 'Going after that 7th Super Bowl.'"

It's crazy to hear Brady was prepared to ditch #12 so easily ... after all, the dude has an entire TB12 brand tied to his beloved digits.

Of course, Godwin ended up switching to #14 to let Brady take #12 ... and TB12 is one win away from that 7th ring.

The Scooter is faster than The Cheetah!?

Buccaneers wideout Scott "Scooter" Miller certainly thinks so ... 'cause he just revealed he believes he'd DUST Tyreek Hill in a 1-on-1 sprint!!!

"I'm taking me every day of the week," the 23-year-old Tom Brady target said on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday. "I'll take me over anybody."

Of course, there's a hell of a lot of people who would disagree ... Tyreek is considered the fastest player in the NFL -- and Scott is considered, well, not that.

But, Miller does have some wheels ... you'll recall, the dude ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day at Bowling Green back in 2019 -- and he did look awfully quick on that huge TD against the Packers last week!

"Tyreek is unbelievable, super quick, unbelievable talent," Miller said. "But, if we're talking about a race, I've got all of the confidence in myself going up against anybody."

A race between the two almost certainly will never go down ... remember, Hill told TMZ Sports just a few weeks ago he "retired" from racing people.

But, Hill will play Miller next Sunday for the Super Bowl title when the Chiefs meet the Bucs again.

The G.O.A.T. of football has silenced critics who said he couldn't do it without Bill Belichick ... because Tom Brady's heading to another Super Bowl, now with a whole new team.

The star QB led his new squad, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to Super Bowl LV Sunday with a hard-fought win over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game ... the first time they've been to the big show since 2002, and only the second time ever in their franchise history.

The Bucs ended up squeaking out a victory at 31-26, despite Brady throwing several interceptions in the second half ... giving Rodgers and co. multiple opportunities to gain the lead. That didn't happen though, and Tom was able to string together enough touchdown passes early on to give him and his teammates a big enough cushion to fend off AR.

Rodgers was 10 yards and a 2-point conversion away from tying it late in the 4th quarter, but he and his head coach made a pair of head-scratching decisions that ended up costing them the game. First, on 3rd and goal ... Rodgers broke out of the pocket during a scramble and ended up throwing the ball away, when he had a fairly clear path to the goal line.

Then, on 4th down ... Packers head coach Matt LaFleur opted for a 3-point field goal instead of just going for it and trying to get a touchdown, as it was the last realistic opportunity before the game was sealed. The screw-ups played in favor of Brady ... who held on long enough.

It's his first season with the Bucs ... and already, he's taking them to greatness. This will mark his 10th Super Bowl appearance -- alongside none other than Rob Gronkowski, another Patriots castoff -- and he did it without the assistance of his former head coach and partner in gridiron crime, Belichick.

There's long been a debate over whether Brady's success and greatness was exclusively tied to Belichick's play-calling, or if it was the other way around ... and if TB12 was the one carrying Bill all along. We're sure that's still debatable, but one thing's clear ... Tom doesn't need Bill to get to a Super Bowl, not after this.

More legal drama for Antonio Brown ... the Buccaneers star has been ordered to pay his rape accuser $100,000 after he allegedly violated a confidentiality agreement.

But, AB has already responded to the decision in new legal docs ... calling it all BS and asking for the ruling to be thrown out.

Here's the deal ... Brown was sued by Britney Taylor back in 2019 after she alleged he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, including a violent rape in 2018.

After the lawsuit was filed, court docs showed Brown and Taylor had entered into a confidentiality agreement -- hoping it would help both sides in the process of settlement talks.

But, in new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Taylor alleges Brown violated the agreement multiple times over the past year and half -- and she asked an independent arbitrator to award her some serious cash over it all.

In the docs, an arbitrator found Brown DID violate the agreement one time ... saying when the 32-year-old posted a screenshot of a direct message from a person talking to him about the case in 2019, it breached the agreement.

The arbitrator ordered Brown to pay Taylor $100K for the violation.

But, in the docs, Brown says he should NOT have to pay it ... claiming the arbitrator ignored the law in issuing the award. The docs show he's now asking for the ruling to be vacated.

If Tom Brady is going to beat Aaron Rodgers, he's gonna have to do it without Antonio Brown.

The Tampa Bay Bucs confirmed the superstar WR is OUT for Sunday's NFC Championship game against the Packers in Green Bay.

The 32-year-old has been nursing a knee injury he suffered in the 1st half of last week's playoff game against the New Orleans Saints.

AB barely played in the 2nd half of that game -- and sat out of practice on Thursday. In other words, it was a long shot he was going to play anyway.

Now, Tom will have to rely on his other weapons -- which include Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Scotty Miller, Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones and more.

Yeah, TB12 has a ton of weapons -- but worth noting Brown was Tom's top target in the final 5 games of the regular season.

They played 11 seasons together -- so what's it like for Julian Edelman to watch his former Patriots QB Tom Brady ballin' out for the Tampa Bay Bucs??

"It's obviously, definitely weird."

The MVP of Super Bowl LIII opened up about his current relationship with TB12 on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast ... comparing it to a marriage.

"It’s kind of like a relationship, or a marriage, where you grew apart but you still love each other," Edelman says.

"You still may have a couple kids [read: championships]. We have 3 kids. So there’s still communication of what you guys are going through and how you’re doing but you both got your own lives that you have to keep on going towards and that's kind of how it's like."

Edelman says he still roots for Tom and his other former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski -- "I wanna see those guys do well. It's awesome seeing Gronk and Tommy doing well and playing and making big plays ... it's obviously, definitely weird, but it is what it is."

Edelman was also asked when he thinks 43-year-old Tom will hang up his cleats for good -- and spoiler alert, don't hold your breath.

"I don't know what his plan is, but knowing him -- it's all in [when] that little fire turns off in his little chest and I don’t think that things gonna be turning off here soon."

Edelman began his career with Tom Brady when he was selected by the Patriots in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

WWE hasn't had a live audience since March ... but that's about to change, 'cause Stephanie McMahon tells TMZ Sports WWE plans to have fans in attendance at WrestleMania 37!!

McMahon joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where she announced WWE's gunning to have an audience at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at WM on April 10 and 11.

“I’m thrilled and excited because, hopefully, this will be the first opportunity for us to have our fans back in attendance," McMahon says.

"That’s the current plan. Of course, ticket information is not available yet cause we’re still trying to figure out all the machinations.”

McMahon tells us WWE is keeping an eye on the Super Bowl (Feb. 7, also at RJS in Tampa) ... for tips on how to make sure the massive event goes off without a hitch.

"We're going to learn a lot from [the NFL] logistically, etc., and really best practices, what works, what doesn't work. But man, we can't wait to come in and for 2 nights, really rock that pirate ship."

FYI, it's been 316 days (March 9th's Monday Night Raw) since the wrestling organization had live fans in the building.

Still, plans can change ... and McMahon stressed WWE's top priority is the health of everyone involved.

"Working with the local organizing committee, all of the health officials, health and safety is first and foremost, of course," Stephanie says.

"For our fans, for our performers, for the employees, for the staff working the building, there's a lot of different logistics that need to determined, but hopefully, it'll all work out, and this will be the first WWE event where we actually bring the WWE Universe back together in person, and I cannot wait."

As far as the exact number of fans they plan to admit ... Stephanie says WWE has a plan, but isn't ready to reveal the figure at this time.

For comparison's sake, WWE had around 100K fans at WM 33 at AT&T Stadium in 2016 (WWE's going back to Texas for WM 38).

Obviously, the number will be way smaller this April. But, bottom line ... humans will be there!

There's more ... we also talked to Stephanie about Rob Gronkowski AND Tom Brady.

Gronk is the former 24/7 Champ -- and host of last year's Mania -- so we asked McMahon if a cameo from Rob and his G.O.A.T. QB teammate was in the cards.

The Washington Football Team may have come up short against the Buccaneers, but superstar Chase Young still got a "W" ... courtesy of his brand new diamond chain!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2020 #2 overall pick loves his new NFL home so much, he decided to pay tribute with his newest piece of jewelry.

We're told Young hit up Gabriel The Jeweler -- go-to guy for huge names like Odell Beckham, Antonio Brown and more -- for the job ... and the finished product is a one-of-a-kind replica of the WFT's "W" logo in diamond form!!

Gabriel tells us the piece is made of 30 carats of emerald-shaped VVS diamonds ... and another 9 carats of round VVS diamonds.

No word on how much dough the rookie dropped on the piece, but we're told it's valued at $85k.

FWIW -- Young's rookie deal is worth $35 million ... so yeah, the dude can definitely treat himself.

Not a bad way to cap off a stellar first season, rook!!

Tom Brady license plates are about to be a real thing in Florida -- and it's all for a great cause!!!

Florida officials have confirmed ... a license plate featuring Tom's image will go into production in the next few days/weeks as soon as 3,000 people commit to driving with it on their rides.

So, why??

State officials say it's part of an awesome idea by Tom's favorite charity organization, Best Buddies -- a nonprofit that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Best Buddies reps say purchases of the specialty plate will lead to cash for the org ... explaining out of the $35 that it costs drivers to buy the plate ... $25 will go straight to the foundation.

And, because Tom has had such lengthy ties to the cause ... they say it's all the perfect win-win-win for all parties now that he's Tampa Bay's starting QB!

"With his recent move to Florida, we are incredibly excited to team up with long-time Global Ambassador Tom Brady for the new Best Buddies specialty license plate," the founder and CEO of Best Buddies International, Anthony K. Shriver, said.

"Since 2003, Tom has proven himself to be a committed advocate for individuals with disabilities, and we’re grateful that his commitment to our mission-driven initiatives will continue to create friendships, jobs, leadership development training, and inclusive living opportunities for people with special abilities here in the sunshine state."

Tom Brady dominates on land, air ... and now by sea -- 'cause the QB just bought a multi-million dollar boat and we've got the pics!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Tampa Bay Bucs star ordered up a custom 40-plus-foot, state-of-the-art watercraft to enjoy during his time in Florida.

The boat was delivered on Thursday at his local marina in St. Petersburg -- and Tom was as excited as a kid on Christmas!

You can see how happy he looks in the photo -- smiling from ear to ear as the ship was handed over.

It's a beautiful blue boat named "Viva a Vida" -- which happens to be the name of Gisele's environmental conservation initiative.

The Brazilian supermodel recently announced a program to help plant over 200,000 trees in the Amazon rainforest -- something she's been very passionate about for a while.

As for the price of Tom's boat, we're told it usually costs around a couple million dollars -- but no word on exactly how much Tom paid.

He can definitely afford it though -- Tom is in the middle of a 2-year, $50 million deal with the Bucs and he's made more than $200 million in his NFL contracts alone.

And, that's not even including the Ugg money!

The latest camera-smashing allegations involving Antonio Brown do NOT have the Bucs concerned ... head coach Bruce Arians says he knew of the incident and insists AB's behaved since his signing.

"He's been a model citizen," Arians said.

Don't get it twisted, though ... BA says if that changes -- he'll have no issues sending Brown packing, adding, "If and when he's not [a model citizen], we'll move on."

Brown, just days before his Bucs signing, was accused of throwing a temper tantrum at a guard at the security gate of the fancy Hollywood Oaks private community in the Miami area back on Oct. 15.

In the police report, cops say witnesses told them Brown flipped out when a guard made him come down to let a guest in ... getting so mad, he smashed a security camera.

Cops in the police report also say witnesses told them Brown called the guard a "racist b*tch" and even threw his bicycle at the arm of the guard gate.

AB was NOT arrested over the incident ... cops say in the police report the president of the homeowners association did not want to press charges, allegedly saying she feared Brown "may retaliate against her employees."

The HOA prez has since downplayed the incident, telling the Miami Herald that Brown appeared to simply have "just kind of an emotional reaction."

Arians was asked Wednesday night if he believed the whole thing signals more problems could be on the way soon ... and the coach said he did not feel that way currently.

"I don't really think we're going to have any problems," Arians said. "We haven't had any so far and I really would not anticipate any."

Tom Brady is new to Florida ... so how'd the G.O.A.T. handle his first huge storm?! Here's a hint ... he didn't secure his jet skis, and they floated hundreds of yards away.

Brady met with the media Thursday afternoon ... and he was asked how he dealt with Tropical Storm Eta -- which slammed into Tampa early this morning -- wreaking havoc.

"The hurricane, that was a trip last night for me," Brady said.

"I had a dock and it broke, floated away. I had these jet skis on, I saw those things sitting in the middle of the bay and I was going, 'Wow, that's pretty surreal' and I was kinda laughing. 'Well, you'll get the jet skis back.'"

"A lot of people are dealing with a lot worst than that, but just waking up and seeing kinda what happened to the yard, it got pretty messed up. Be really nervous if a big one hit!"

Of course, Eta caused flooding and lots of property damage ... and was even responsible for 1 death, according to reports.

Tom -- who was raised in California and spent his entire professional career in New England -- says he is NOT looking forward to the next one ... but has learned a valuable lesson on storm preparation.

"It happened pretty quick, I thought you had time to prepare for these things but apparently you don't, They're just kinda on you and then you just gotta deal with it so we pushed the schedule back today."

"Fortunate everyone made it safe and sound. Good lesson learned for someone who's been in the northeast for a long time."

So, did Brady get his jet skis back?

"They got fixed. We dragged 'em back. They were about 300 yards away at someone else's house and I got a bunch of messages from people that were like, 'Hey man, are your jet skis...?' Ya know, they floated down and found their way into someone else's dock. They got lodged, so I was very lucky."