Gladys Knight says she not only disagrees with Colin Kaepernick using the national anthem as a protest, but she also says she's been in the game a lot longer than him when it comes to the fight for social justice.

Gladys doubled down on her decision to sing the anthem at the upcoming Super Bowl, saying, "I have been in the forefront of this battle longer than most of those voicing their opinions to win the right to sing our country's Anthem on a stage as large as the Super Bowl LIII."

She goes on ... "It is unfortunate that our National Anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the National Anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone."

That said, Gladys does not doubt Colin's intentions ... "I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting two things, and they are police violence and injustice," the 74-year-old legend said in a statement.

Of course, Knight is referencing Colin's decision to take a knee during the 'Star-Spangled Banner' during NFL games. Kap had said the demonstration is intended to put a spotlight on police violence against minorities. 

Knight might agree with his message but clearly disagrees with his methods. 

"I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3 to give the Anthem back its voice, to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life."

"No matter who chooses to deflect with this narrative and continue to mix these two in the same message, it is not so and cannot be made so by anyone speaking it. I pray that this National Anthem will bring us all together in a way never before witnessed and we can move forward and untangle these truths which mean so much to all of us."

Kaepernick -- along with his girlfriend, close friends and celebrities -- have been critical of musicians who have agreed to perform at the Super Bowl. Rap star Common has even called for Travis Scott to pull out of the halftime show. 

As for Colin's thoughts on Gladys -- so far, he has not issued a comment. 

Today in rich people doing rich things ... Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder just bought a massive, $100 MILLION superyacht ... and it's got a freakin' IMAX THEATER!!!!

Fresh off news of Jerry Jones' $250 million, 357-foot superyacht purchase ... Snyder has officially entered the boat wars with his 305-foot yacht called "Lady S."

Jones' yacht has 2 helipads and a gym ... so Snyder had to one-up the Cowboys owner with a floating IMAX theater, which is reportedly the first EVER created ... and it reportedly cost $3 mil to install.

Snyder's new floating toy also has a helipad (just one) ... as well as 8K HD TVs and four VIP suites, according to The Guardian.

Snyder also owns a smaller, but still really dope yacht as well ... so, the more the merrier?

How will Jerry respond in this NFC East rivalry, water edition?? We're sure he'll come up with something.

Dana White isn't just a Patriots superfan -- he's friends with Tom Brady -- and tells TMZ Sports he loves that TB12 is "shoving it up all the haters' asses one more time."

A bunch of football experts predicted Brady's demise this season -- saying his skills are falling off and his reign of dominance was finally over. 

But, after slaughtering the L.A. Chargers in the playoffs last week, Brady and the Pats are playing in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs on Sunday ... and White says he LOVES IT! 

"Everybody was talking sh*t this year," White said.

"Everybody was talking, 'Oh, he should retire. Oh, the Patriots suck, they can't win a game.' We're heading into another AFC Championship and if we win I think that's 8 straight AFC Championships. And, it's a record and he's going to another Super Bowl."

"So, shut up!! He's shoving it up all the haters' asses one more time and I love it."

Fun fact, Tom Brady became one of the celebrity minority co-owners of the UFC when WME/IMG bought the MMA organization back in 2016 ... so, he and Dana are technically colleagues!

As for if Dana will be at Arrowhead Stadium for the game on Sunday -- White says there's no way in hell. It's too damn cold! 

Future didn't need a diss track to unleash his true feelings about Ciara and Russell Wilson -- he just came right out and said she's controlling ... and he's weak.

The rapper was interviewed by his friend Big Bank Black Thursday night for Beats 1 radio and took some shots at his ex ... starting off by claiming she introduced their son, Future Jr., to Wilson before he gave it his blessing.

Future then blasted the Seahawks QB by declaring Ciara controls him, saying ... "He do exactly what she tell him to do."

Future seems to especially have a problem with Wilson allowing Ciara to talk trash about him on social media. Future says, "He not being a man in that position ... he not tellin' her, 'Chill out with that on the Internet. Don't even talk to him. I'm your husband! You better not even bring Future's name up.'"

It sounds a tad hypocritical, but Future says if he was in Wilson's position, he'd have more control over his girl ... and wouldn't let her publicly slam an ex.

We broke the story ... Ciara wants a mediator in her ongoing custody battle with Future to help hash our their son's travel schedule. She claims Future hasn't been the best dad -- allegedly breaking scheduled visits fairly often -- and tends to hand their kid off instead of spending much time with him.

Ciara didn't just make these claims on social media either ... it's all in legal docs.

You don't know football if you think Kirk Cousins ain't worth his $84 MILLION deal ... so says his teammate Laquon Treadwell who tells TMZ Sports the QB is "a baller."

Of course, Cousins had a pretty rough first season in Minnesota after inking a mega-contract ... losing a must-win game to the Bears that kept the Vikes outta the playoffs.

But, 23-year-old Treadwell -- the Vikes' 1st-round pick in the 2016 Draft -- says just because the first season didn't go according to plan doesn't mean the QB wasn't worth the money Minnesota paid him.

"That's a lie, man," Treadwell told us when we got him out at LAX this week ... "He a baller."

Cousins did throw for 4,298 yards and 30 TDs ... and Treadwell had his best season yet with the new QB -- and he tells us better years are coming.

"It's the first year. We was a little rusty, but we're going to bounce back. You know? We was learning each other. Chemistry."

We also asked Laquon about the upcoming NFC and AFC Championship Games -- and while he wouldn't mind seeing a Brees vs. Brady Super Bowl ... it sure sounds like he wants a Rams-Chiefs big game!!!

Great news for Devon Still and his family -- the ex-NFL player's daughter, Leah, is IN THE CLEAR after doctors feared her recent medical scans showed signs of cancer. 

BOOM!!! 

You know her story ... Leah has bravely battled and "beat up cancer" ever since she was diagnosed with stage-4 neuroblastoma in June of 2014. She's been cancer-free for 4 years. 

But recently, doctors found something suspicious during one of her checkups -- and ran several tests to see if her cancer had returned. 

Devon had asked for prayers for Leah and the family -- and this week, they got the good news ... IT'S NOT CANCER!! 

Still documented the whole process on his YouTube channel. It's a raw experience, especially when he asks Leah if she's willing to fight cancer again, to which she responds:

"Yeah, I will. It's just that I don't want to lose my life."

Leah was a champ throughout the entire MIBG scan procedure -- which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is "used for localization of known or suspected neuroectodermally derived tumors."

The Stills got the best news this week ... and Devon let Leah adorably share the awesome update.

"Guess what, guys? We got good news. Uh huh! The scans were clear. Mhm! Thank you, everybody, for praying for me."

Leah stays undefeated!!

Richard Sherman tells TMZ Sports if Antonio Brown is REALLY wanting to join the Niners ... he doesn't think it'd be a mistake, saying his time in S.F. has been great so far.

A.B.'s on his way out of Pittsburgh after causing tons of drama this past season ... and Jerry Rice says the All-Pro wideout wants to play next for the 49ers, "really bad."

So, when we saw Sherm hitting up Catch in L.A. on Thursday night, we had to ask if he'd welcome the WR with open arms. 

"Good luck to him," the defensive back told us -- and when asked if he had advice to Brown added, "Go wherever makes you happy."

Of course, Sherman signed with the 49ers last March after a legendary career with the Seattle Seahawks -- and, despite the 4-12 record, Sherman says he's enjoying his experience in San Fran. 

Besides being a superstar on the field, Sherman is also advocating for lifetime health insurance coverage for NFL players ... so, we asked how that fight is going too. 

By the way, Sherman was super cool with us (as always) before leaving in a waiting SUV. 

Boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has been charged with felony assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face back in June -- but he claims he's not guilty ... TMZ Sports has learned. 

Here's what we know ... the Russian fighter was arrested in Big Bear, CA on June 9 after a woman told police the former light heavyweight champion socked her in the face, causing serious injuries. 

Sources connected to the case tell us ... the woman is claiming Kovalev had hit on her at a party earlier in the evening but rejected his advances. She claims Sergey and a friend followed her back to her cabin and that's where the alleged attack occurred. 

We're told the woman claims she suffered major injuries including a severely broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck. 

FYI, Kovalev earned his nickname "Krusher" for his devastating punching power. 28 of his 32 wins have come by way of knockout. 

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... they began searching for Kovalev immediately and arrested him a short time later. 

He was charged with assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury -- which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison. 

Kovalev appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea. 

What's interesting ... Kovalev fought Eleider Álvarez in August -- just 2 months after the arrest -- and lost in a shocking upset. 

Kovalev is due back in court in March. He also has a rematch with Alvarez lined up for Feb. 2. 

We've reached out to Kovalev for comment -- so far, no word back. 

Cardi B is about to join a rarefied group of superstars, including Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Britney Spears ... donning Pepsi's red, white and blue for the company's Super Bowl ad campaign ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Cardi B is officially locked as this year's Pepsi celeb spokesperson. We're told the ad has already been shot and will air during SB 53.

The Pepsi spot is considered the premiere commercial during the big game, which is watched by hundreds of millions and has a long afterlife. 

Cindy Crawford did the honors last year, and her predecessors include Pink, One Direction, Madonna, Mariah Carey and The Spice Girls.

Cardi is also set to put on a show with Bruno Mars in the days leading up to The Super Bowl ... the buzz is that it will be the biggest party of the weekend.   

As we reported ... Cardi was in talks to join Maroon 5 during the halftime show, but negotiations fell apart.

Thing is ... even though she won't be performing on the Super Bowl stage, the Pepsi commercial is a monumental TV moment. 

DeSean Jackson says he has yet to talk with new Bucs coach Bruce Arians ... and tells TMZ Sports he has no idea where he'll play next season.

The Tampa wideout was reportedly disgruntled with his role on Dirk Koetter's team throughout this past season ... and even reportedly requested a trade.

But ... per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport -- Arians wants to keep D-Jax on the team -- and is trying to get in touch with him.

Jackson says that conversation has yet to go down ... and when we asked about his football future at LAX -- Jackson wasn't so sure about a return to Florida in 2019.

"That's what I got an agent for, bro. I don't know, I just go play, bro. That's all I worry about."

Jackson does have one year left on his deal in Tampa ... but the Bucs can cut him this offseason without any salary cap ramifications.

Could that mean DeSean plays somewhere else in 2019??

"We'll see," he tells us.

Stay tuned ...

Cam Newton got his first-EVER tattoo earlier this week on his left hand ... but the Carolina Panthers superstar played it cool leaving the shop -- hiding the new ink in his swaggy jacket!!

TMZ Sports has learned Cam hit up Bang Bang Grand in New York City to get the piece done ... and, per a source, the art is engraved somewhere on his non-throwing hand. You can see the bandage in the post-sesh pic he took with his tattoo artist, Bang Bang.

But, the QB ain't ready to show off the work just yet ... and the tattoo shop tells us, "it's not our place to reveal tattoos." 

Still ... Newton getting ink is a big deal -- remember, ex-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson reportedly forbade the QB from ever getting a tat in order to keep up a wholesome image.

But, Cam shot that all down on social media Thursday ... writing, "Big lies! He never said I could not get a tattoo or grow my hair. I was free to do whatever I wanted to do!"

"I should have said something the first time this came out years ago but I can not let this fly this time!"

It all begs the question ... what DID Cam get for his first-ever tat?!?!

Stay tuned ... 

Lamar Odom made over $114 MILLION during his NBA career -- but a travel agent says the guy refuses to fork over a measly $25,000 for plane tickets ... and now he's suing. 

Omar Rahmani claims he booked all sorts of trips for Odom between March '18 and June '18 -- from Florida to Vegas to New York ... even a flight to Hong Kong. 

But, after racking up a $25,629.47 bill ... the NBA star refused to cut the check to Rahmani, his lawsuit claims. 

Now the guy has filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court accusing Odom of breach of contract and fraud ... and he wants all of the cash plus punitive damages. 

As for Odom, he doesn't seem too bothered by the lawsuit -- he's been training his ass off in New York to get ready for the Dubai International Basketball Championship which goes down in Feb. 

The 39-year-old has been gunning for a pro basketball comeback ever since he recovered from his drug overdose in Nevada back in 2015 when he suffered 12 strokes and 6 heart attacks. 

Odom has said he's got his sights set on playing in Ice Cube's BIG 3 league -- stay tuned. 

MMA fighter Sergio Da Silva has been found GUILTY of robbing a bank in New York back in August 2017 ... and now he's facing up to 7 years behind bars.

The 32-year-old was convicted of 3rd-degree robbery after jurors viewed surveillance footage of the incident ... where Da Silva is seen jumping on the counter and demanding cash.

As we previously reported ... bank workers claimed Da Silva threatened to shoot them as he demanded cash at the Astoria Citibank.

Da Silva was facing 2 felony robbery charges. Since the security footage couldn't prove he had a gun, he was found not guilty of 1st-degree robbery ... which carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence. 

Da Silva's attorney, David Fish, tells TMZ Sports his client is planning to appeal.

Fish also said, "Thanks to the insight of the jury, he walked out of court a free man Thursday and was not convicted of any violent offense."

Da Silva's sentencing is set for February 28.