TMZ Sports - Page 50

Senator Marco Rubio strongly believes Colin Kaepernick has the talent to be on an NFL roster -- telling TMZ Sports it's not CK's skill that's preventing him from playing in the league.

The Republican politician is a HUGE football fan -- and with the Jacksonville Jaguars losing their starting QB, Nick Foles, to a shoulder injury, some people think the Jags should kick the tires on Kaepernick.

Rubio is one of those people ... telling us straight-up, "Certainly there aren't 64 better QBs playing in the NFL right now."

Marco notes that NFL personnel decisions are based on more than just talent and ability -- but makes it clear he thinks Colin's current unemployment status is about more than what he can do on the field.

"I'm not an NFL owner but I can tell you I don't think there are 64 better quarterbacks ... that's obviously not football that's keeping him away."

Rubio says the shot callers on NFL teams "think he brings many other things with him that they don't want around" ... an obvious reference to the media firestorm over Colin's kneeling protest.

We asked Marco if he would consider Colin if he ran the Jags ... and this is what he told us.

"If I were an owner, and he was the best guy, I'd bring him in despite the other stuff. But, there's a lot that goes into that."

We all know how President Donald Trump feels about Kaepernick ... he's called for the NFL to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the national anthem.

BIG PAPI'S BACK!!!!!!

David Ortiz is making his first appearance at Fenway Park since he was nearly killed in the Dominican Republic last June ... and Sox officials say he's going to throw out the first pitch!!!

Ortiz almost lost his life after a gunman fired a bullet into his lower back outside of a DR club on June 9 ... but after several surgeries -- Ortiz says he's been feeling MUCH better.

So much so, the guy decided to hit up the Red Sox game Monday night to give his former squad a little bit of a boost heading into a rivalry game with the Yankees -- and fans are fired up!!!

Unclear if Papi will take the mound for the first pitch or just throw the heat from the infield grass ... but either way, it'll be a welcome sight for EVERYBODY in the baseball world!!!

By the way, the Yankees have paid their own tribute to the Sox legend recently ... superstars Edwin Encarnacion and Gary Sanchez went to visit him before they started the series last week.

Props for the cool move!!!

Chill, New York Jets fans ... your team doesn't suck/the season ain't over -- despite the crushing Week 1 loss to the Bills.

TMZ Sports talked to Gang Green legend Nick Mangold after the Jets blew a 16-point, 2nd-half lead at home ... and the former All-Pro who played 11 seasons for the team says he's hurtin' after the L ... but there's a lot of football to be played.

"That stung. Being up 16 to nothing with, I think, like 2 minutes left to go in the 3rd quarter, and to see it crumble away with the missed kicks, not really finding a rhythm on offense, not capitalizing on those 4 turnovers, that hurts. And, so it's gonna be a long road 'til Monday when we can play again."

"Hopefully, the guys are gonna get back in the building, they're gonna put their head down, they're gonna get to work, and that's all you can ask for."

But, how 'bout franchise QB Sam Darnold -- who threw for 175 yards and a touchdown -- but wasn't exactly moving the ball up and down the field???

"I think Sam was doing as well as he could. The offensive line, having not played in the preseason together, and still working out some of the kinks and everything, you kinda expect some hiccups here and there."

"You gotta give credit to the Bills defense too. They were flying around making plays. I think with another week of practice, another week of being together, hopefully we'll shore things up as we get ready for the Browns."

Bottom line ... nobody panic.

"We'll keep grinding. It's still a long season. 15 more games to go. If they win all 15, you'll forget about this one completely."

We also talked CBD with Nick (he's working with a company called MotiveCBD -- who specialize in products for athletes) and Mangold tells us what Cannabidiol has done for his body after 11 seasons of pro football.

Jerry Rice's daughter says Julian Edelman was a great prom date and a lovely boyfriend ... but she tells TMZ Sports her ultra-famous father wasn't so hot on the guy ...

"My dad wasn't always the nicest to him," Jaqui Rice says ... "But, I mean, I guess that's understandable because he's my dad, you know?"

33-year-old Julian grew up in the same Northern California neighborhood as Jerry in the 1990s ... and, turns out, he and the G.O.A.T.'s daughter had a thing for each other.

Jaqui joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airing weeknights on FS1) to explain it all ... and says, "This goes a while back. I've known Julian since we were kids."

"He played Pop Warner football, I was a Pop Warner cheerleader."

Jaqui says she and Julian dated -- and didn't just go to prom together -- but went to several other school dances ... despite not going to the same high school!!

As for how Jerry felt about the young Edelman ... Jaqui says the two didn't always have the most friendly relationship, telling the guys, "I think [Julian] was a little intimidated by my dad growing up."

Good news for everybody? Julian has seemed to have grown on Jerry -- the two attended the Kentucky Derby together back in 2017, and Jerry posted a cool pic with the Patriots star.

As for Jaqui and Julian, their romantic relationship didn't make it much further than high school ...  but she says she still considers Edelman a good friend!

By the way, Jaqui is helping her pops launch a new energy drink called G.O.A.T. FUEL ... and ya gotta hear why she says the stuff is going to change the energy drink game.

Lynn Swann is OUT at USC ... the ex-NFL superstar just resigned his post, according to school officials.

67-year-old Swann took the job back in April 2016 -- replacing longtime AD Pat Haden.

No word as to why Swann is resigning.

USC President Carol Folt sent an email saying, "Lynn has been a leader on and off the field at USC for nearly five decades, and he will forever be a valued member of the Trojan family."

"Lynn has led our Athletics Department to five national championships in five different women’s and men’s sports during his tenure," Folt added. "Our student-athletes’ cumulative GPA for the past two years and our graduation rate of 86% last year were all-time highs for USC Athletics."

"We appreciate Lynn’s leadership of the department over these past three years and will continue to be grateful for his historic contributions to USC."

Swann has been under fire in his role as AD basically since he took the job. Most notably, he was heavily criticized for the infamous admissions scandal at USC where students were deceitfully using the Athletic Dept. to get into the school.

Remember, it was Lori Loughlin's daughter, Olivia Jade, who falsely claimed to be a rower to gain admission to the school as a member of the USC crew team.

Swann was never formally accused of wrongdoing -- but the whole thing was a bad look for his athletic dept.

USC says Dave Roberts, currently serving as special adviser to the President, will take over as interim AD. He's also the Vice-Chair for the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. He's reportedly been at USC since 2010.

Swann was a star WR at USC back in the '70s. He's a College Football Hall of Famer and won a championship with USC back in 1972.

He went on to be a superstar in the NFL, winning 4 Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"On behalf of the entire NBA and half of the rappers on the Billboard charts, I want to thank you for giving your daughters their daddy issues!"

That's NBA superstar Blake Griffin giving it to Caitlyn Jenner at the Comedy Central "Roast of Alec Baldwin" -- proving absolutely nothing is off limits ... and it's all hilarious!

Blake and Caitlyn were on the dais for the show (which airs Sept. 15) -- and it's customary for roasters to go after each other in addition to burning the guest of honor.

What's interesting about this situation ... Blake famously dated Caitlyn's daughter, Kendall Jenner, beginning back in 2017 -- so it's not like the NBA star was going after a stranger.

Comedy Central only released a snippet of Blake's set -- but so far, so good.

Here's another joke ...

"Caitlyn completed her gender reassignment in 2017 ... finally confirming that no one in that family wants a white d*ck."

Jerry Rice says Antonio Brown deserves an Academy Award for the performance he put on in Oakland ... 'cause the superstar played EVERYONE like a fiddle to ultimately land with the Patriots.

The G.O.A.T. weighed in on the disastrous few weeks surrounding AB's time with the Raiders on 95.7 The Game on Monday ... saying Brown got exactly what he wanted all along, and channeled his inner Denzel Washington to make it happen.

"He was a Denzel Washington and he won the Oscar," Rice said. "He won an Oscar, guys. Imma be honest with you. Because He had all of us sold. Then all of a sudden, you started to get all of this drama, what was happening with the Raiders."

It seems Rice is insinuating that Brown had a master plan from the beginning to sabotage things in Oakland to force the team to cut him so he could sign with Bill Belichick's Pats.

"He was a Denzel all the way and he pulled it off. He really did."

Jerry admits AB personally played him too ... saying he took AB at his word when he said he wanted to be a San Francisco 49er earlier this year.

New footage of that insane brawl involving Philadelphia 76ers player Mike Scott and a bunch of Eagles fans shows the 6'8" baller throwing wild HAYMAKERS ... and the video is crystal clear.

31-year-old Scott -- a Virginia native and big-time Redskins fan -- got into an all-out brawl with Eagles fans Sunday before the game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly.

It's still unclear exactly why the brawl broke out in the first place -- though there are rumblings it had to do with a coffin some Eagles fans had brought to the tailgate.

There's been speculation Scott thought the coffin was there to mock late Redskins star Sean Taylor, though that has NOT been confirmed.

The new footage is wild -- showing Scott throwing a ferocious overhand right at an Eagles fan ... followed by a 2nd haymaker that sends the guy flying to the ground.

A flock of Eagles fans give chase and close in on Scott while another man desperately tries to hold Scott back.

Eventually, things simmer down and everyone went their separate ways. Scott has not been arrested or charged with a crime. Neither were the other men involved.

Illegally recording a phone conversation in California carries a maximum 1-year jail sentence ... which could be a BIG problem for Antonio Brown if Jon Gruden wants to stick it to the WR.

Patriots fans might want to pay attention ...

Obviously, the issue here is the video Antonio posted on social media Friday night (when he was still a Raider) which contained pieces of a phone call between AB and Gruden.

It seems obvious Gruden didn't know he was being recorded at the time of the call -- and if Antonio was in California (a 2-party consent state) when he pressed "record," he committed a misdemeanor crime.

It's all spelled out in California Penal Code 632 -- an invasion of privacy statute that essentially forbids the recording of a conversation without the knowledge/consent of both parties.

If convicted, it carries a maximum 1-year jail sentence, $2,500 in fines and other penalties.

So, if Gruden believes AB was in CA during the call (which is likely considering Brown was staying in a home near Raiders HQ in Northern California), Jon COULD report Brown to authorities with the intention of having Antonio prosecuted.

Of course, even if Brown was convicted, it's VERY unlikely he would get jail time -- but a criminal investigation/conviction would likely force the NFL to take action as well.

The NFL's Personal Conduct Policy not only allows the league to suspend a player for a criminal conviction, but it also allows the Commish to discipline a player who "undermines or puts at risk the integrity of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL personnel."

To our knowledge, the NFL has never dealt with an alleged illegal recording situation before -- so there's no precedent -- but it's clear they DON'T need a conviction to mete out punishment.

Ezekiel Elliott was neither charged nor convicted of a crime when the league hit him with a 6-game suspension following a domestic violence investigation in 2017.

Will Gruden or the Raiders choose this option? Again, unlikely ... but it all depends on how pissed off they are at the WR.

Who's feeling petty?!!?

A Cleveland Browns fan was hospitalized Sunday after suffering a seizure and falling off of a van while tailgating in the stadium parking lot ... and it was captured during a live news broadcast.

40-year-old Andy Shepherd -- a die-hard Browns fan -- was standing on his van taking pictures of the pre-game celebration when he suddenly collapsed and fell off the van, slamming onto the concrete.

It just so happens a reporter from Cleveland 19 News was broadcasting live from the parking lot while covering the game ... and the footage went viral.

What people didn't know ... Shepherd's son says his father is epileptic and takes medication to prevent seizures. The family says the fall was a result of an epileptic episode and they're upset some people are making a joke out of the situation.

Shepherd was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a broken shoulder, broken ribs and a fractured skull. His son also claims he's dealing with a blood clot and needs surgery.

The good news ... Andy's son says his dad is on the mend but he's still in the hospital. He's started a GoFundMe campaign to help with medical costs.

Tennessee Titans defensive back Logan Ryan is PISSED at a Cleveland Browns fan who splashed him -- and his teammates -- with beer after a TD ... and now he's calling on the NFL to punish the guy.

It all went down in the 4th quarter of the Titans blowout victory over the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... right after Tenn. star Malcolm Butler scored on a pick-6.

You can see Butler, Ryan and other Titans jump into the stands to celebrate with a Titans fan -- when a guy in a Browns jersey starts throwing his beer on all of the opposing players.

It looks like Ryan tried to swat the guy's beer away when he saw what was happening -- and early Monday morning, he tweeted about the situation -- tagging the NFL, the NFL Player's Association and the Browns in the hopes that something will be done.

"They can pour beer on us because we’re just athletes right? We’re just entertainment & since they purchased a ticket they can act how they want?"

Remember, just last season the New England Patriots banned a fan for LIFE for throwing a beer at Chiefs star Tyreek Hill after a long touchdown run.

In fact, the Pats say they worked with law enforcement to help get the fan prosecuted.

Robert Griffin III's first TD pass since 2016 on Sunday almost never happened ... the former Heisman Trophy winner just revealed he nearly quit football to switch to track.

RGIII was cut from the Browns after the 2016 season ... and that's when he says he thought about giving up the game, writing on social media on Monday that he "contemplated" the move.

Of course, the 29-year-old was a superstar on the track back in the day ... he set state records in high school as a hurdler -- and even killed it when he ran for one season at Baylor.

His wife, Grete, is also a former college track athlete who competed at Florida State. We've posted video of the two training together over the years.

The track dreams appeared to have died after RG3 won the Heisman Trophy in 2011 and becoming an immediate superstar for the Washington Redskins.

But, Griffin says when his whole career bottomed out after his time in Cleveland, he thought about going back, writing on a list of things he's gone through since his Browns release, "The contemplating of a transition back to track."

Griffin ended up sticking with football ... and playing in just his fourth game since '16, he threw a touchdown pass to Mark Andrews in the Ravens' blowout of the Dolphins.

"You see.....there is always more to the story than meets the eye," Griffin says ... "Everyone sees the result but doesn’t know what you had to go through to get there."

"Never count yourself out and always be ready. Thank You @ravens Coach Harbaugh and my great teammates for helping me every step of the way. Let’s keep it rolling."

By the way, RG3's wife gave birth to their 2nd child on Saturday -- 24 hours before Griffin's game. RG3 posted a pic of their brand new baby daughter calling her "amazing!"

DeSean Jackson paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle before he LIT UP the Washington Redskins on Sunday ... and now his special cleats could be yours if the price is right.

As we previously reported, the Philadelphia Eagles star WR went to custom cleat designers and asked for NH-themed kicks for EVERY game in the 2019 season.

Jackson sported the first pair during pre-game warmups in Week 1 -- cleats that featured Nipsey's face and birthday with the words, "Rest In Paradise."

Jackson went on to TORCH the Redskins -- hauling in 8 catches for 154 yards and 2 TDs in the Eagles 32-27 comeback victory.

After the game, DeSean posted about the kicks ...

"Every game this year Im auctioning my @nipseyhussle cleats I wear in Pre game. Proceeds will go to his kids Kross & Emani !! Link will be up this week. Rest in paradise bro !!"

Next week, Jackson will rock another Hussle-themed pair during his "Sunday Night Football" match-up against the Atlanta Falcons to pay tribute to the rapper who was shot and killed in front of his L.A. apparel shop back in March.

The Cleveland Browns sucked ass on Sunday ... but at least Odell Beckham looked stylish during the blowout!

The superstar WR sported a Richard Mille RM 011 Orange Storm Men's Watch on his wrist while his Browns took on the Tennessee Titans.

Guessing Beckham thought the swag would help him ball out ... but the only thing it did was draw criticism as the Browns got smashed by Marcus Mariota's squad at FirstEnergy Stadium in a 43-13 loss in Cleveland.

Beckham played okay -- 7 catches for 71 yards and 0 TDs -- but it'll be interesting to see if he rocks the watch again next week coming off of such a disappointing 1st week.

Oh, and yeah ... he's almost certainly gonna get fined by the NFL for wearing the watch.

Ex-Buffalo Bills stud Roscoe Parrish was shocked to learn he had warrants out for his arrest during a traffic stop last month ... telling cops, "I live a clean life. I played in the NFL!"

The 37-year-old former receiver was busted for a routine traffic violation on Aug. 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... when cops realized he had two serious warrants out for his arrest.

One was for stalking, while the other was for writing a threat to kill ... but you can see on the arrest video, obtained by TMZ Sports, Parrish is floored when cops tell him the news.

"I'm retired," Parrish says. "I live a clean life ... I played in the NFL!"

"No sh*t?!" one officer responds. "Who'd you play for?"

"Buffalo Bills and I went to the University of Miami!"

Cops continue to question him about the warrants throughout the stop ... but Parrish says he has no idea what they stem from, saying, "I'm, like, literally confused!"

Turns out, according to court docs, Parrish's ex-girlfriend alleges the 5-foot-9, 175-pound ex-NFL player wrote several threatening messages to her ... including a note that said, "You b*tches don't listen oh and make sure you tell your ugly a** daughter to watch out im commig for her haha, from your ex."

Parrish's ex-GF also alleges another note read, "Ima kill your stupid a** daughter."

Cops say they tried to serve Parrish with a restraining order, but when they received no answer at his door ... they requested the arrest warrants.

In the traffic stop -- Parrish, who couldn't have been more cooperative with officers -- was asked if he had any sort of dispute with a girl or girlfriend ... and he replied, "No! No!"

Genie Bouchard might've left the U.S. Open in defeat -- but she's definitely winning back home at the beach with none other than Hannah Davis' hunky big brother.

The Canadian tennis star -- who got knocked out of the U.S. Open in the first round a couple weeks ago -- was seen cuddling up with Connor Davis Jr. Sunday in Miami. He's directly related to the model who's now married to Derek Jeter. Worlds are colliding!!!

Not only did Genie and Conn get close on shore, but they were also pretty affectionate as they made their way into the water ... not before showing their hot bods though, of course.

Seems like Conn's a good match for Genie, who's in professional athlete shape. He definitely held his own here on the beach ... dude's pretty ripped as far as we can tell.

Once they were in the ocean, Conn and Genie didn't hide the fact that they're together -- Genie was wrapped around him in at least a couple different positions that can really only scream one thing ... we're dating.