TMZ Sports - Page 50

Forget diamond Super Bowl rings ... Sean McVay's smokin' hot GF is opting for crystals for Sunday's big game -- 'cause she just got a custom jacket made with 4,000 of 'em in it!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Veronika Khomyn hit up Leah Miller at Bella Artistry to have a one-of-a-kind piece made to cheer on her BF during the Rams-Pats game ... and the fit came out GREAT.

We're told, the satin bomber jacket was hand-cut and hand-sewn ... and had 4,000 Swarovski crystals hand-placed into it.

The jacket also features a "Mob Squad" patch and a whole bunch of Rams logos ... and, in total, took about 14 HOURS to complete.

We're told similar jackets run for around $1,000 ... and Khomyn completed the outfit by adding a custom Rams hat that featured 600 crystals hand-set into it!!!

Veronika won't be the only WAG stuntin' at the Super Bowl ... tons of BOTH Rams and Patriots wives hit up Leah to get their own one-of-a-kind gear made for the game.

So, you be the judge ... who's winning the Rams-Pats swag battle in the box suites this weekend???

Greg Louganis says if President Trump had any spine he would denounce Jussie Smollett's MAGA attackers ... but adds, for obvious reasons, he ain't expecting it.

We got the Olympic diving legend at LAX Wednesday and got his take on the battle cry Jussie says his attackers used -- "MAGA country!" The remark immediately politicized the heinous attack on Jussie and, earlier this week, Rev. Al Sharpton told us POTUS needs to speak out against the hate-fueled attack on the "Empire" star.

Rob Gronkowski's smokin' hot GF says modeling agencies pressured her to drop serious weight in order to get gigs ... but the NFL superstar urged her to not give in to their demands.

Camille Kostek said Gronk made her realize she shouldn't have to conform to the crazy, unrealistic standards in traditional modeling ... and it turned out to be some of the best advice she's ever gotten.

"He had seen me get rejected by a lot of agencies," Kostek said on Mark Dohner's "Livin' Large" podcast ... explaining how she was sometimes told to lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks or to shed inches off her thighs in order to be considered for jobs.

"I was like, I just don't want to do that. [Gronk] was like, 'Do you even want a body like that?' And I was like, 'No.' And he was like, 'Yeah, I don't even want you to be like that.'"

Turns out, it was great advice -- the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition tapped Kostek to be a rookie model in 2018, and her career has exploded ever since.

And now, those same agencies that wanted her to starve herself are probably begging for a callback. How's that for karma?!

There's a bunch more in the interview ... Camille also talks about her time as a Patriots cheerleader ... and how she linked up with Christian Yelich for the California Strong campaign for the CA wildfires and Borderline Bar shooting.

Jerry Rice is flexin' HARD in Atlanta -- rocking all 3 of his Super Bowl rings ... plus his Hall of Fame ring!!!

The 56-year-old NFL legend flossed his hardware on the plane to ATL -- just another classic Rice humblebrag.

Of course, Rice and the 49ers won Super Bowl 23, 24 and 29 ... with Jerry being named MVP of 23 with some insane receiving stats -- 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD.

Super Bowl week is funny when it comes to former NFL stars -- who often bust out their accolades to show off to other players and fans.

Jerry has been on a self-PR push lately -- remember, over the summer he went onstage with Charles Barkley at a charity event in Lake Tahoe and told the crowd, "I'm the f*cking best football player of all time."

He might be right.

Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and is widely regarded as the best WR ever.

Ex-NFL star Brandon Browner wants his conviction overturned in his attempted murder case -- and he's playing the CTE card at the advice of his new attorney, famed O.J. Simpson prosecutor, Chris Darden.

Remember ... back in December, Browner pled no contest to attempted murder for brutalizing his ex-girlfriend in front of her two children. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Browner has since fired his old lawyer and brought on Darden -- who claims the NFL star got screwed because the old attorney didn't realize Browner wasn't mentally fit to cop a plea.

In court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Browner claims he's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and PTSD and wasn't on his proper meds during his original hearing.

Browner also claims he can't fully concentrate or focus -- and a forensic psychologist believes this could be the result of CTE caused by the numerous hits he sustained during his 11-year NFL career.

Now, Darden and Browner are begging the judge to throw out the conviction and enter a new plea -- presumably, a not guilty plea -- so he won't spend the next 8 years behind bars.

Doesn't seem Tom Brady's got too many nerves heading into his NINTH Super Bowl ... 'cause the G.O.A.T. was nothing but smiles at Patriots practice Wednesday!!!

New England hit the field at Georgia Tech for the first time since landing in Atlanta earlier this week ... and Tom was as cool as ever during the workout.

In fact ... the 41-year-old seemed downright giddy -- laughing and smiling throughout the practice.

Begs the question ... what is he so thrilled about just a few days before yet another pivotal game in his 19-year career??

Perhaps it's that Rob Gronkowski was healthy and on the field practicing ... or maybe he's just that confident about a victory over the Rams????

Roger Goodell was just asked -- twice -- why he thinks Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL roster ... and he pointed the finger at NFL teams who don't believe the QB can help them win games.

In other words, Goodell says it's about football -- not politics.

Goodell was addressing the media live from Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta -- in a crowd packed with reporters from all over the world and even a few NFL owners (ATL's Arthur Blank and NE's Robert Kraft).

When the subject of Kaepernick came up ... it was clear Roger had his answers ready -- hammering the same main talking point ... that roster decisions are made by individual teams looking to win games.

"Our clubs are the ones that make decisions on players that they wanna have on their roster," Goodell said.

"They make that individually. They make that in the best interests of their team."

He added, "They all want to win ... and they're all gonna do whatever they can to win."

When a second reporter pushed Goodell on the issue he reiterated his points.

"I think if a team decides that Colin Kaepernick or any other player can help their team win, that's what they'll do."

"They want to win and they make those decisions individually in the best interests of their club."

Goodell is clearly pushing the individuality of decision-making, because Colin is suing the NFL for collusion -- claiming NFL owners and key officials conspired to keep him out of the league because of his kneeling demonstration during the national anthem.

The thing that makes the least amount of sense ... is that guys like Nathan Peterman and other sub-par quarterbacks are getting multiple workouts and opportunities with NFL clubs while Colin is not.

Besides taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl back in 2013 -- Kaepernick has thrown for 72 TDs and only 30 INTs in his pro career.

How'd Sean Payton handle losing a chance at the Super Bowl on the worst missed call in NFL history???

"I sat and probably didn't come out of my room. I ate Jeni's ice cream and watched Netflix for three straight days."

Yeah ... not so well.

The New Orleans Saints coach met with media members for the first time since his team got robbed against the Rams in the NFC title game ... and he revealed it hurt.

A lot.

"What is it now, a week and a half? It feels like it's been longer than that."

The game caused MAJOR strife in Louisiana ... with everyone from athletes to actors to even U.S. senators ripping the league for missing the 4th-quarter pass interference call.

To his credit ... Payton stood and fielded questions about the heartbreaking loss for nearly 20 minutes Wednesday -- and vowed his team would get over it.

But ... did Payton take a veiled shot at Roger Goodell during the presser??? Some say yes ... 'cause his undershirt DOES look a whole lot like Barstools Sports' infamous clown tee ...

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says the team was seriously committed to helping Josh Gordon beat his addiction issues ... but they realized real quick, the problems were way too serious.

Robert and his son, Jonathan (who's the president of the Patriots) spoke about the troubled WR on "Boston Sports Tonight" ... calling Gordon a "real good guy" with incredible potential.

The Patriots signed Gordon in Sept. knowing full well his history with substance abuse -- but figured they could give him a support system to overcome his demons.

27-year-old Gordon crushed it for the Pats until Dec. -- when he was suspended by the league after reportedly falling off the wagon, and failing another drug test.

"Unfortunately, people like that need mentoring at a young age," Robert said.

"But, when it becomes addiction, addiction is something that is way beyond our ... we gave him tremendous support on a daily basis, and he was worthy. But, I think we as a society have to try to help these young people not to get addicted in the first place."

"And, that's the sad part of this. He's a good guy -- a really good guy. It makes us sad."

Jonathan echoed his father's sentiments ... saying Gordon clicked with his teammates, had a great work ethic and could have been a key contributor in the playoffs -- if he could have stayed clean.

"This wasn't a troublemaker in the locker room," Jonathan said ... "Unfortunately, he had some personal demons."

"As a person and as a teammate, he was beloved in the locker room. And, I'm sure if you ask guys this week, they would tell you they wish he was here with us. He was not a guy that was disruptive or a problem."

Both Jonathan and Robert believe Gordon's issues run very deep -- and his story is a wake-up call about how to prevent addiction in the first place.

"He didn't grow up with any support system," Jonathan added ... "He saw other people doing it, and it gets back to the original way we grew up."

"And, that doesn't mean people don't get addicted from all walks of life -- but you get exposed to it in a whole different way when you come from where Josh Gordon came from. He is a very good kid."

Adrien Broner says he'd LOVE to fight Manny Pacquiao again ... but isn't sure it'll happen because after he thinks he may have injured Pac-Man so badly during their fight, Manny might be DONE FOREVER.

Also, Broner shows us stacks and stacks of money ... like a lot of money ... guy claims to be very, very, economically stable.

Our broke asses got Broner -- with his buddy "The Youngest Legend" -- at LAX on his way to Atlanta, where AB told our destitute camera guy he was headed to ATL for Super Bowl festivities ... then he flashed the cash.

When we asked what the money was for, Broner said at least part of the haul -- $100k -- was to bet on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, which seems like a pretty good idea.

But, when we asked him about a possible rematch with Pacquiao to attempt to avenge his loss from earlier this month -- AB suggested he might've finished Pac-Man off for good.

"Well, they say I detached his retina, so I don't know if he gonna box again. I hope so though."

There were early reports that Pacquiao did, in fact, suffer a detached retina during the bout -- but his camp has since refuted those claims ... saying the injury was nothing more than a scratched cornea.

If true, a detached retina is a possible career ender for a boxer. A scratched cornea, not so much.

Anthony Davis is SO important to New Orleans ... one of the state's SENATORS reached out to the Pelicans to see if there was any way he'd stay!!!

For real.

We got Bill Cassidy -- the Louisiana politician who recently gained fame for blasting the NFL on the Senate floor -- and had to ask ... would he make a similar pitch for A.D. to stay??

That's when he revealed he had already reached out to New Orleans' owner ... and learned the sad news -- A.D.'s a goner.

"I spoke to the owner, Gayle Benson -- she says she's willing to meet his price. But, I think Anthony wants something different."

The news is crushing to New Orleans fans everywhere ... especially after the way the Saints bowed outta the playoffs just a few days ago.

Conor McGregor claims he landed the last -- and most brutal shot -- during the UFC 229 brawl back in October ... hitting Khabib's blood relative square in the jaw.

And, he claims 2 photos tell the real story.

After the first ring attacker (in a red shirt) climbed into the Octagon and cracked Conor in the face multiple times from behind -- another man attacked McGregor from the front.

"He attempted to use the big security guard that’s in all the movies as cover," Conor said ... "but I could smell him a mile away and landed flush down the pipe."

McGregor added, "It was not my intention to land the final blow of the night on my opponent’s blood relative. It’s just how it played out."

We got video of the post-fight attack ... it's hard to see if Conor lands as hard of a shot as he claims.

Here's another angle where you can see Conor fire the left.

As we previously reported, both Conor and Khabib were just hit with 6-month suspensions for the melee. Conor was fined $50k. Khabib was fined $500k.

Conor commented about the punishment -- explaining, "I am thankful for the Nevada athletic commissions fair assessment and handling of the brawl incident."

Wanna level up like a real Champ?! Ex-NFL superstar Champ Bailey's ATL mansion -- complete with a private ELEVATOR -- is hitting the auction block ... and it's all going to the highest bidder!!

The All-Pro corner previously listed his 10,400-square-foot pad for $2.99 million back in November ... but no takers. Now, Bailey has decided to put it up without reserve at an auction in February.

So, what all is the lucky winner getting?? How does this sound ...?

6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 7 fireplaces, chef's kitchen with breakfast bar and walk-in pantry, wine cellar, media room, custom sports bar ... and, oh yeah, a freakin' ELEVATOR!!

The pad is sick ... and we're told the only reason Bailey wants to part ways is because his family is getting too big for the place (he reportedly has six kids!).

The house is hittin' the auction block courtesy of Concierge Auctions through Feb. 28.

Halsey has a message for Magic Johnson -- quit messin' around and figure out a way to sign Anthony Davis already!!!

The superstar singer was one of the MANY famous faces in the crowd as the Lakers took on the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center in L.A. on Tuesday night ... and it was clear she's no fair-weather fan.

The video of Halsey is cool -- not only does she talk basketball, she signs autographs and takes pics with her fans after the game. Great stuff.

As for a potential Davis signing, it's possible -- but it would require the Lakers to give up almost all of their young stars ... Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and others. They might also have to give up some draft picks.

It seems L.A. is where Davis wants to end up -- in fact, he was just fined $50,000 this week for "tampering" because NBA officials believe he broke league rules by demanding a trade.

Oh, and ... A.D. and LeBron have the same agent. Just sayin' ...

Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Meanwhile, check out all the superstars at the game -- the Kardashians were there supporting Kendall's boyfriend, Ben Simmons.

Leo DiCaprio was also on hand ... same with Kevin Hart, Rami Malek, Diplo, Flea and Ashton Kutcher.

7:28 AM PT -- The accuser's attorney tells us his client is suing for $8 million.

The woman who claims she was attacked by boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has now filed a lawsuit against the Russian ... claiming the 35-year-old also brutalized her dog.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Jamie Frontz (who has identified herself publicly) claims she met Sergey at the grand opening of a boxing gym in Big Bear, CA back in June.

Frontz -- a model and actress -- claims Sergey and a friend followed her home from the party and Kovalev aggressively tried to have sex with her.

"At one point, Kovalev pinned Jamie to the couch, leaning over her with his hands on either side of her shoulders, such that she could not move away."

Jamie claims her dog sensed the danger and tried to intervene -- but Kovalev shoved the dog away and then kicked it in the chest.

While tending to her dog, Jamie claims, "Kovalev turned to [her] and punched her with full force directly in the face one time with a closed fist."

In her suit, Jamie claims Sergey fled the scene -- so, she called the cops.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... cops tracked down Kovalev and arrested him. He's been charged with felony assault and faces up to 4 years in prison. Kovalev has pleaded not guilty.

In her suit, Jamie claims she went to the emergency room where she was treated for a broken nose, head injuries and a concussion. She also suffered severe back and neck injuries.

The next morning, Jamie claims she saw Kovalev crawl out of the bushes near her cabin, and he yelled her name -- so, she called 911 and later got a restraining order against him.

Jamie is suing for more than $3 million in damages.

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

Sergey is due back in court in March to face the criminal charge. He's also set to fight Eleider Alvarez this Saturday, in a rematch of an August bout that he shockingly lost.

Maroon 5 will NOT be taking questions from the media about their Super Bowl halftime show -- the NFL just announced the pre-show press conference is officially OFF.

The halftime show press conference has been a tradition for YEARS -- Justin Timberlake held one last year, Gaga before that ... Prince famously busted out his guitar and rocked out at his back in 2007.

So, why scrap the presser? The NFL says Maroon 5 and the other artists like Travis Scott want to "let their show do the talking" -- but it seems pretty obvious it's all about Kaepernick.

There's been a strong push from big stars like Common and Nick Cannon for the halftime show performers to pull out over the way the league has treated Kap.

Other stars like Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kelly Rowland have said they wouldn't work with the NFL in the wake of Kaepernick's allegations he's been blackballed for taking a knee during the national anthem.

SportsBusiness Journal's Daniel Kaplan says the presser had been on the official schedule of events -- and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport essentially confirmed by saying the presser was "canceled."

The NFL issued a statement saying ... "Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event."

"As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday."

Instead of hosting a press conference, the NFL says the artists and the league will participate in a "social and digital media rollout" to promote the show.