TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tom Brady was a kick-ass construction worker before he became an NFL god -- so says his old boss who tells TMZ Sports ... "Brady was the hardest worker I ever had."

Brady posted his old college resume online Thursday -- showing off his career experience ... just in case the NFL thing didn't work out (he was a 6th round pick after all).

One of his gigs was at Dudlar & Sons Inc. (custom home building) ... where he spent the summer of 1997 doing manual labor in Michigan.

We spoke with Brady's old boss Frank Dudlar who says he remembers Brady well -- "He had long hair down to his shoulders. He was a real skinny kid."

But Dudlar says despite his small frame, the guy was a monster when it came to putting in work -- "He'd scrape concrete curbs with a push broom and shovel."

"Brady was the hardest worker that I've ever had. I remember my son Gunnar came in one day and said, 'That Brady kid's a worker.'"

Unfortunately for Frank, Tom's football thing took off ... and he left the construction world for good.

The whole "Condoleezza Rice for NFL Commissioner" movement is picking up some serious steam ... and now NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is making the case for why Condi should get the job.

Kirsten was out in D.C. where she made it clear that Condoleezza is a serious contender -- especially with all of the drama surrounding the current commish, Roger Goodell.

When asked if the Senate would be "taking a look" at the NFL scandals ... Gillibrand said she wouldn't be surprised.

Former Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is finally revealing why he quit the team -- saying, "I was not true to my wife after 42 years."

Washington left the team on Sept. 5th -- citing personal issues ... and hadn't elaborated on the nature of his issues until now.

But at a news conference in Dallas Thursday morning, Washington told reporters ... "I made a mistake, and I am embarrassed. I was not true to my wife after 42 years."

He continued, "I broke her trust. I am here today to own that mistake. All I ask is for your forgiveness and understanding."

Story developing ...

Forget protein bars or power shakes or a pasta carb-loading ... Jerry Rice tells TMZ Sports he used to take the field on an EMPTY STOMACH.

Seriously, kinda crazy considering how dominant he was -- but #80 swears he never scarfed down any food before a game.

Rice was just out in NYC -- nicest guy ever btw -- and we chatted about food, TD dances and hecklers.

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer headbutted his wife in the face and broke her nose during a domestic dispute in July ... this according to official court docs.

Investigators say ... Dwyer and his wife were in an argument on July 21st that escalated when he "attempted to kiss her and remove her clothing."

Dwyer's wife allegedly told him to stop -- but when he continued anyway, she bit his lip.

That's when cops say Jonathan headbutted her in the face, fracturing her nasal bone.

Dwyer's wife left the home -- but she says she returned when Jonathan texted her a picture of a knife and said he didn't want to live anymore.

According to the report, "She said he had threatened to kill himself in front of her and their child if she alerted the police to the assault."

The two got into it AGAIN the next day -- and Dwyer allegedly "punched his wife on the left side of her face with his right closed fist. He also began punching the walls."

Dwyer's wife also says the NFL player grabbed a shoe and threw it at their 17-month-old child -- striking him in the stomach.

When Dwyer's wife tried to call police -- the NFL player allegedly grabbed her phone and threw it out off the second story of their home.

Witnesses say they heard Dwyer throw the phone -- and could hear is wife yell, "He f**king hit me."

Witnesses also told cops they saw bruising and swelling on her face.

Dwyer's wife fled the state -- and says she finally called cops in September when she felt safe. Cops obtained her medical records which show the broken nose.

For his part, cops say Dwyer admitted there were two incident with his wife ... and admits she bit him on the lip.

He also admits he punched the wall in the home, threw his wife's phone ...and had texted her a photo of a knife with threats of suicide.

However, he denies any physical assault.

Legalized pot has been very, very good for Peyton Manning ... especially in Colorado ... because the QB says new weed-friendly laws in the Mile High State have been great for his pizza business.

The Denver Broncos superstar -- who owns 21 Papa Johns franchises in the Denver area -- was talking with Sports Illustrated's Peter King when he was asked about voting and laws in CO.

And that's when Peyton dropped this gem -- "There’s some different laws out here in Colorado. Pizza business is pretty good out here, believe it or not, due to some recent law changes."

Doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out he's talking about Colorado's new laws legalizing recreational marijuana ... and clearly, Peyton's learned stoners love pizza.

A former Oakland Raiders cheerleader is BLASTING the ex-Raiderette who sued the NFL team ... calling her a "liar" who never really loved the sport.

TMZ Sports spoke with Nicole Rodrigues -- who cheered on the squad in 2003 and 2004 -- who insists she was always paid well during her time with the team.

"The Raiders, the whole organization, we're a family. That's the main thing ... they took care of us."

Not all of the former Raiderettes feel that way -- as we previously reported, a woman who called herself Lacy T. sued the team earlier this year claiming the team worked them like dogs and paid them less than minimum wage.

But Rodrigues is calling BS ... saying the women behind the suit are just looking for a quick buck -- and didn't appreciate the Raiderette experience

Bottom line for Rodrigues -- "I have zero complaints about how much I was paid."

John Elway's son -- a former Arizona State University quarterback -- has been sentenced to domestic violence counseling after an altercation with his GF back in July ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the 25-year-old was arrested in Denver back in May after getting into an argument with his girlfriend and allegedly dragging her out of his car by her hair.

According to the police report, Elway then pushed her down to the ground as she tried to get up.

Elway was initially charged with assault and disturbing the peace -- but struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to the D.T.P. and in exchange the assault charge was dismissed.

In the end, Elway was sentenced to 1 year probation -- with "monitored sobriety" -- he was ordered to pay fines, can't own firearms and may not have any contact with the victim.

Germans love David Hasselhoff. They also love Dirk Nowitzki ... so you know they went CRAZY last night when Dirk broke out his guitar and sang a Hoff song ... on live German TV!!!

The Dallas Mavericks star appeared on "My Spass" with host Stefan Raab when they decided to show off their musical talent ... and the first tune was the Hoff classic, "Looking for Freedom."

It's amazing.

Of course, they're German ... so they both knew all the words ... and the crowd claps along to the beat.

Dirk started to roll into the Extreme hit "More Than Words" ... but, unfortunately, he cut it short.

Chris Brown and The Game have been recruited in the fight to rid L.A. of violent gangs ... problem is, they both openly promote the Bloods.

A popular L.A. radio station -- Power 106 -- has organized a celeb basketball game this weekend at USC ... to benefit Homeboy Industries, a non-profit which gets gangbangers out of street gangs by getting them jobs.

Game and Chris are big b-ballers ... they're also famously affiliated with the dangerous street gang. You may recall ... Chris was throwing up gang signs the night of the Suge Knight shooting. As for Game ... his new album is called "Blood Money."

Other celebs will join Game and Brown for Saturday's event, including Nick Cannon, Trey Songz, Tyga, and Jason Derulo.

The guy who's been hailed as a BEST commissioner is throwing his SUPPORT behind the guy who's being trashed as the WORST ... with Adam Silver telling TMZ Sports he believes Roger Goodell is still doing "great" at his job.

We spoke with the NBA Commish in NYC Wednesday -- nearly 5 months after he was praised for his handling of the Donald Sterling situation -- and asked him how he felt about the way Goodell is handling all of the scandals in the NFL.

"He's doing the best he can under difficult circumstances," Silver said ... "He's been a great commissioner so far and he'll work his way through these issues."

Silver says Roger has NOT reached out to him for advice -- and says he doesn't need to .. referring to Goodell as "The Dean" ... and claiming, "I've only learned from Roger."

Florida State QB Jameis Winston thought it would be funny to shout the viral phrase “F*** her right in the p***y” in the middle of campus. Well, his coaches didn't get the joke -- so now the Heisman winner is facing a brutal HALF game suspension!

That’ll teach him ... absolutely nothing.

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer is suspected of assaulting his wife in TWO separate incidents ... and is accused of breaking bones ... cops tell TMZ Sports.

According to police, the 25-year-old allegedly roughed up his wife at their home in Phoenix on July 21st and again on July 22nd.

Shortly after the incidents, cops say, Dwyer's wife left the state with their child.

Cops list 2 victims -- a 27-year-old female (his wife) and their 18-month-old child.

A report was made with cops on September 11, 2014 ... and cops have been investigating ever since.

After investigators found probable cause, they arrested Dwyer on Sept. 17th for domestic violence in Tempe.

Cops say they interviewed Dwyer and he acknowledged the incidents -- but he DENIED any physical assaults.

Dwyer is being booked into the Maricopa County Jail on 1 count of aggravated assault causing a fracture, 1 count of aggravated assault involving a minor, 2 counts of criminal damage, 1 count of preventing the use of a phone in an emergency, and assault.

The Arizona Cardinals tell TMZ Sports Dwyer has been deactivated from the roster.

5:00 PM PDT: Cops now tell TMZ Sports, Dwyer was involved in TWO incidents and is accused of "causing a fracture."

Arizona Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was just arrested for domestic violence over an alleged altercation with his wife.

The 25-year-old NFL player was arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of aggravated assault and preventing someone from calling 911 ... this according to CBS News.

It's unclear when and where the alleged incident took place.

Of course, it's just the latest in a string of domestic violence arrests involving NFL players ... including former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald and NY Jets rookie Quincy Enunwa.

The guys who created the "F**k Her Right in the P***y" craze tell TMZ Sports ... they're PROUD of Jameis Winston for spreading their message to the masses and hope his teammates follow suit.

We spoke with John Cain and his pal Fred -- who first posted videos screaming the phrase on the Internet earlier this year -- and it's clear they're upset Jameis is being punished for the incident.

In fact, when we asked Fred (the guy in the hood) how he felt about FSU ... he couldn't have been more clear -- "F**k THEM right in the p***y."

The guys are now calling for the entire student body at Florida State to rally around Winston with a NEW war cry at this weekend's game ... can you guess what it is??

Dwight Howard says he was NOT behind the wheel when his car blew through a red light in Florida back in April ... telling TMZ Sports the culprit was his BROTHER.

We broke the story ... Howard's license was suspended in FL after officials say he ran a red and never paid the fine. Records also show Howard ran 9 MORE reds in 2012.

But Dwight's rep tells us they can explain the April incident -- his BROTHER was driving the car at the time. Dwight was in Houston playing the Spurs.

In fact, records now show the fine has been paid (after our story went up) and his license has been reinstated. Total cost to Dwight -- $345.

We asked about the other 9 violations ... but Dwight's people told us they're not sure who was driving the car back then. A rep for Dwight tells us he bought the car for his brother to use.