TMZ Sports - Page 50

If you watch the NFL on Sundays ... but you're pissed off about Travis Scott doing the Super Bowl halftime show, you're a hypocrite, period.

... so says rap legend Nelly.

"I don't see the big deal on people upset about who's performing at halftime," the St. Louis legend told us at LAX.

"Because what people have to understand ... if you're really against the NFL, the halftime show is not what you should be concerned about."

"If you're watching the NFL ... if you're supporting your team ... that's how [the owners] get paid. They don't get paid through the halftime show."

We asked if Colin Kaepernick had a point in his criticism of Travis Scott ... Nelly kept it real.

"I wouldn't say that he has a point in the sense of ... I mean he has his own reasons but again ... if you watch the NFL every Sunday, you support your team, that's how they make their money."

"If you're trying to make a stand against the NFL, you should probably not watch it on Sunday or you should not go to the games ... the halftime show is irrelevant."

When asked if he would consider doing the SB Halftime show if he was asked, Nelly responded -- "Probably."

Neymar got a steak dinner Wednesday night he'll never forget ... 'cause Salt Bae fed gobs of meat to him -- straight off his knife!!!

It all went down in Qatar ... where Neymar and fellow Paris Saint-Germain superstars Mbappe, Buffon and others got a world-class meal from the Turkish chef/Internet sensation.

Neymar and the guys -- who were in Qatar training and sharing memories with fans for their Qatar Tour 2019 -- ate like kings ... and even got to participate in the cooking process!!!

Salt Bae chopped the meat in his signature fashion ... and then let the football stars dust it off with the classic salt-pour-over-bent-arm move.

The best part of it all?? Salt Bae wouldn't let Neymar use his own fork ... instead -- he fed him the meat straight off his knife!!!

Neymar seemed to love it ... 'cause dude went back for Salt Bae's hand-fed meat multiple times!!!

The fun and games ended Thursday ... PSG headed back to France to get set for their game Saturday.

Seems there's only one celebration appropriate if any of 'em scores a goal then ...

Gladys Knight says she's IN for the Super Bowl -- she's decided to perform the National Anthem before the big game ... and it's all for reasons bigger than football.

"I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," the 74-year-old said.

"The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year."

Knight's statement sounds similar to Travis Scott -- who agreed to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show after the league agreed to donate $500k to Van Jones' social justice organization.

There has been backlash from some high-profile people -- including Common -- who says the NFL doesn't care about black people and he wishes artists would boycott the league.

Common and others (including Jay-Z) have said they're extremely upset with the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick and they want no part of the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, other stars like Nelly have said it's pointless to boycott NFL pre-game and halftime entertainment if you're just gonna watch the game anyway.

Think Kyler Murray is too damn short to be a successful QB in the NFL?

YOU'RE WRONG ... so says fellow short guy Doug Flutie, who's telling TMZ Sports he's living proof that the vertically challenged can THRIVE in the pros!

Flutie is 5'10" -- which is a good height among normies but short by NFL quarterback standards.

Murray is also 5'10" -- and the knock on the Heisman Trophy winner is that he just doesn't have the height to make the tough throws over those gigantic NFL linemen.

Enter Flutie, who's really going to bat for Murray ... explaining, "The biggest problem with a lot of short quarterbacks is they don't have the arm strength. [Murray] does. He can make all the throws."

Flutie also says the implementation of spread offenses throughout the NFL will help Murray find passing lanes ... and says it shouldn't be hard for him to replicate the success he had at Oklahoma.

"He can throw from all kinds of angles. We see that with [Patrick] Mahomes and you'll have the same thing with Kyler Murray."

The new batch of celebs who'll be living in the 'Big Brother' house for another season of drama are filling with one thing in common -- starting salaries ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the contacts for all 12 stars in season 2 of "Celebrity Big Brother" tell us each of them will rake in $100k ... just for entering the house. The winner can walk away with an additional $250k.

In other words, Anthony Scaramucci isn't more important than Dina Lohan this year ... at least not from the jump, money-wise.

Our production sources also tell us the houseguests had been sequestered in separate hotel rooms for 4 days prior to entering the house Wednesday. We're told CBS brass didn't want anyone in the cast knowing who else was set to appear until the premiere.

Other celebs set to appear on 'CBB' include Natalie Eva Marie, Ryan Lochte, Joey Lawrence, Kato Kaelin, Lolo Jones, Tom Green, Kandi Burruss, Tamar Braxton, Jonathan Bennett and Ricky Williams.

Side note ... the American version of 'CBB' doesn't pay nearly as much as its U.K. counterpart. Just look at what Speidi made, not to mention Ray J. Big difference.

Two more huge names are helping out with the Super Bowl 53 halftime show -- Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri -- this according to mega-producer Jazze Pha.

Pha is a producing legend who's from ATL and is one of the most plugged-in people in town -- and when we saw him at LAX, he told us he had just come back from halftime show rehearsals.

The big bombshell here ... Pha strongly suggests Lil Jon and J.D. are now a part of the show -- but he wasn't specific about what their roles will be.

"I think Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri and everybody gonna make it hot," Pha says ... "They gonna make it live. Maybe I let the cat outta the bag, I don't know!"

The issue ... there are huge stars calling for African-Americans to boycott the show -- including Common, who says the NFL doesn't support black people.

In fact, Common said he wishes Travis Scott would pull out from the show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Now, with two gigantic hip-hop legends seemingly signing on -- ya gotta wonder what the reaction will be.

Either way, Jazze says he was super impressed with what he saw at rehearsals and expects the show to blow people's minds!

We'll see!

Khabib Nurmagomedov has a message for Conor McGregor -- Want a rematch? Get in line.

The UFC superstar touched down in Australia with his crew on Wednesday where he was swarmed by local media and fans.

Khabib was super cool with everyone -- taking selfies and talking with people -- but the headline here is the trash-talk directed at McGregor.

One of the reporters asked if Conor should get the rematch -- to which Khabib smirked and said, "Rematch for what?!"

The reporter brought up all the talking Conor did before their fight at UFC 229 back in October -- Khabib again shot back with an insult.

"Before last fight he talked too. But, when we go inside the cage, he don't do nothing."

Of course, Khabib mauled Conor before McGregor tapped out in the 4th round.

Despite Khabib's position, UFC boss Dana White told TMZ Sports he IS working on the rematch and it should go down in 2019 ... if everything goes according to plan.

Baker Mayfield's clearly moving on from a drunken arrest he called "the biggest mistake of my life" ... 'cause he joked about the whole incident on a Fortnite stream earlier this week.

The Browns superstar took to Twitch to show off his gaming skills ... and while he was running with his avatar, he said, "Hopefully I’m running faster than I was in Arkansas right now!"

Of course, Baker was arrested back in Arkansas in February 2017 ... where he was infamously blasted by a cop who caught him immediately after he tried to run from being questioned.

Baker apologized shortly after the incident, saying, "I made the biggest mistake of my life by putting myself in this situation."

"The shame, guilt, and embarrassment I have felt over the past few days and continue to feel is something I would never wish upon anybody."

Clearly, Bake's ready to joke about the whole thing now ... broadcasting his Twitch stream to thousands of followers.

Common says he loves Travis Scott -- but really wishes the guy would PULL OUT of the Super Bowl halftime show over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

"I ain't with supporting the NFL," Common told us ... "They don't really support black people."

"Kaepernick said he's standing up for people who are being shot down, black and brown. The NFL basically blackballed him. They've shown how they feel about us for real."

Common says he respects the NFL players -- his beef is squarely with the owners.

As for Travis Scott, Common says ... "He's a dope dude, but I really don't want to support none of that stuff."

"Travis is doing what he's gotta do ... I feel like man, I wish he wouldn't [do the halftime show] to be honest."

Common says he has great respect for artists like Rihanna who have reportedly turned down the NFL in a show of support to Colin.

"All I know is that I'm supporting Kaepernick," Common added ... "I just want you to know that."

As we previously reported, Travis Scott reached out to Colin to discuss the Super Bowl halftime show before he officially signed on.

The two men had a cordial conversation but Colin explained why he would NOT give Travis his blessing to perform.

Baron Davis says he wants to see Earl Watson be UCLA's next head coach ... and if that happens -- the ex-NBA superstar says he'll be an assistant on the staff ... FOR FREE!!!

B-Diddy is one of the greatest UCLA Bruins ever ... and tells TMZ Sports the former Suns head coach and ex-UCLA player is the right man to replace Steve Alford in Westwood.

In fact, Baron wants to see Earl coach the team so badly ... he says he'd be down to be on Watson's staff -- and UCLA wouldn't even have to pay him!!

"If Earl Watson was the head coach, I would coach for free. I would do whatever for free."

Of course, lots of ex-UCLA players agree with Baron ... guys like Matt Barnes and Lonzo Ball have already made it clear Earl would be their choice for the job too.

10:30 AM PT -- We've now made sense of what happened between Colin and Travis, and sources connected with both sides agree the two men spoke, but the timeline and substance of the convo are critical.

Sources connected to Travis acknowledge, when TMZ broke the story on December 20 that Travis would perform at the Super Bowl, he had indeed made that decision. The contract, however, had not been signed.

Travis has a track record for charity work and donations -- and wanted to incorporate that into his deal -- and that's when he started thinking of some sort of donation the NFL might make. We're told Travis' people started negotiating a donation amount with the NFL and Travis was "willing to walk" if he didn't get what he wanted.

Before the contract was signed, sources tell us Travis reached out to Colin ... presumably to get him on board but not to ask for permission. We're told Colin was not supportive of Travis performing at the Super Bowl, and the 2 men disagreed. Multiple sources characterize the conversation as "cordial and not hostile."

The NFL contract, we're told, was only signed a few days ago ... AFTER the conversation between Colin and Travis. That contract includes a $500,000 donation to Van Jones' charity, Dream Corps.

One final thing ... a Travis source underscored, although he respects Colin, "Colin doesn't tell Travis what he can and can't do. That's Travis' decision."

Colin Kaepernick and his close circle of friends are strongly DENYING a report rapper Travis Scott "consulted" with the ex-NFL quarterback before agreeing to do the Super Bowl halftime show.

The report claims Travis and Kap spoke over the phone -- and while they didn't exactly see eye to eye, there was a mutual understanding.

The report seemed to imply Kap was okay with Scott performing because the NFL and Scott agreed to donate $500k to a social justice organization.

But now, Kap's crew is calling BS -- and the QB is putting his stamp of approval on the public denials.

Kap's friend, Ebro Darden -- the famous HOT 97 radio host who works closely with Kap's girlfriend, Nessa -- tweeted, "Kap did not approve this bullshit! Get the f*ck outta here."

Kaepernick retweeted Ebro's statement -- and Nessa also weighed in saying, "FACTS @EBRO!!! THEY NEED TO STOP LYING."

In fact, the same day it was announced Big Boi from Outkast would also be performing at the Super Bowl, Nessa posted the urban dictionary definition of the word, "Sell out."

She added, "If you are with them, then you are definitely not with us."

The F in NFL now stands for FASHION ... 'cause Wednesday morning, pro and college football team helmets were the hot accessories in Virgil Abloh's big runway show!

Abloh is one of the HOTTEST names in the industry -- and his Fall/Winter 2019 show at Paris Fashion Week was one of the most anticipated events!

Of course, people are talking about the unique clothing -- but the headwear is also getting some serious buzz.

From the Kansas City Chiefs to the L.A. Chargers to the University of Texas Longhorns ... model after model hit the runway looking ready for a full-speed collision!!! Some even wore dark visors!

Clemson got some love ... so did Iowa. The Colts. Even the Bengals were represented for some reason.

So ... does this mean people will start walkin' down the street lookin' like Andrew Luck? Probably not.

Sylvester Stallone has murderer's regret -- admitting he feels TERRIBLE for killing off Apollo Creed in "Rocky IV" way back in 1985.

Of course, Stallone didn't just play Rocky Balboa -- he wrote the first 6 installments of the "Rocky" franchise -- including the scene in "Rocky IV" when Ivan Drago beat Creed to death in an exhibition match.

Now, while celebrating Carl Weathers' 71st birthday this week -- Sly expressed remorse for ending Apollo's life when there was so much more 'Rocky' money to be made!

"I have to admit I regret having Apollo passing away so soon," Stallone wrote ... "He was Irreplaceable."

He added, "Besides being a great actor he is the BEST cinema boxer of ALL TIME ! Truly amazing , GRACE , POWER , and UNBELIEVABLY FAST!!!!! Never ever to be duplicated! Thank you my friend, never could have done it without you!!!"

There were rumblings that Weathers was upset he wasn't included in the "Creed" movies -- and back in 2015, he gave TMZ the ol' "no comment" when we brought up the alleged issues.

But now, it seems the two are on good terms -- Weathers ended up attending the "Creed" premiere and has praised the movie publicly.

By the way, Stallone reportedly wanted to work in an Apollo cameo in "Creed 2" -- where Adonis Creed would see visions of his father while being hospitalized after a fight ... but he was ultimately overruled by the director.

UFC champ Henry Cejudo says T.J. Dillashaw is OUT OF HIS MIND if he thinks he's gonna be the first "Champ Champ Champ" ... saying he ain't even gonna make it out of January with two belts.

Of course, Cejudo and Dillashaw are set to do battle on Jan. 19 for Cejudo's UFC flyweight title -- and when we told Henry about T.J.'s plans to win 3 belts in 3 weight classes this year, Henry ripped the guy.

"I think T.J. Dillashaw is dehydrated ... he ain't thinking straight," Cejudo tells TMZ Sports.

"I'm gonna behead that snake."

Cejudo ain't no punk -- he dethroned Demetrious Johnson back in August at UFC 227 ... ending Mighty Mouse's legendary streak of 11 straight UFC title defenses.

In fact, Henry says once he gets through Dillashaw, he wants a rematch with DJ -- which would be complicated since Johnson was just shipped from the UFC to the ONE Championship promotion in the first MMA trade in UFC history.

By the way, we also asked Cejudo for an update on the Olympic gold medal he lost in a fire back in 2017 -- and it sounds like he's on track to get an official replacement soon.

Andy Murray's freein' the nip in retirement ... ditching his shirt to catch some rays with his mom in Australia!!

The British tennis superstar announced his plans to retire due to injuries earlier this month ... and might've just played his last match after losing in the first round of the Australian Open.

Murray started his first full day off with a topless suntan in Melbourne with his mom ... strollin' the Yarra River and enjoying the R&R.

BTW -- Murray has 3 grand slam titles and was once the top player in the world.

The 31-year-old has hinted at a possible return down the road ... so maybe we haven't seen the end of Murray. But, if it is the end, the dude looks like he'll be just fine.

Senator Elizabeth Warren can't hear all the Patriots' haters ... 'cause she's too busy CELEBRATING YET ANOTHER TRIP TO THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!

We got the biggest New England fan on the Hill out at Reagan Airport when she couldn't help but gloat over Tom Brady's EIGHTH straight trip to the conference championship game.

"Hey, the Pats win!! I know, what can I say?? Talent, talent, talent!!!"

As for all the haters -- the ones who say they're tired of seeing the Pats make it this far EVERY year -- Warren says she's too busy loving New England's success to hear them.

"Come on. Nobody's envious. Everybody loves the Patriots. At least that's what I heard!"

As for if the Pats will pull out the win over the Chiefs on Sunday and advance to their third straight Super Bowl ... Warren says book it right now!!!

"We're going all the way!!!"