TMZ Sports - Page 50

Zack Martin ain't going to love this ...

Jerry Jones told Aaron Donald, after a steak dinner in Miami on Thursday, he was devastated when the Rams drafted the DT just 3 picks before the Cowboys took Martin in 2014!!!

"First of all, you broke my heart," Jerry told the L.A. superstar at Prime 112 steakhouse in Miami ... "They took him before we could take him!"

Of course, the draft ended up alright for Dallas ... Martin has made SIX Pro Bowls since Jerry drafted him, after losing out on Donald -- but it's pretty clear JJ wanted AD badly!!

"I'm going to tell you something right here," Jerry said, as he took Donald's hand. "You raise your hand to this guy. Now, this is the definition of a War Daddy. This is, 'Be a War Daddy!' right here!"

Jerry's son, Stephen Jones, clearly felt the same way ... 'cause when he grabbed AD at the restaurant, he told his dad, Donald is "the best player in the NFL!"

Don't worry, Rams fans ... Aaron ain't going to bolt for Dallas anytime soon -- he just signed a $135 MILLION contract that's locked him in to Los Angeles for the next half decade!!!

By the way, we also asked Jerry if he'd put Jimmy Johnson in the team's Ring of Honor now that his ex-Cowboys head coach is going into the Hall of Fame ... and all Jerry would tell us is, "Aren't we proud of him in the Hall of Fame?"

PETA has its own Super Bowl spot, featuring animated animals taking a knee to protest injustice, but the Colin Kaepernick vibes were too strong to get network approval ... at least that's what PETA thinks.

The animal rights org tells TMZ ... it wanted to make a commercial calling for an end to speciesism -- to "challenge people to expand their concept of injustice to include humans' injustice against other species."

Translation: hey, homo sapiens, quit killing other species.

PETA says the ad agency it hired nailed it with a Kaepernick-inspired theme that features a hummed version of the Star Spangled Banner over images of animals taking a knee. It says the spot was pitched last month to FOX ... which is airing Super Bowl LIV.

PETA says things seemed promising -- a FOX commercial clearance rep replied on December 30 saying the network received the spot and was reviewing it. Again on January 3, PETA says it was told the ad was still being discussed internally, and FOX would have an answer ASAP.

However, despite multiple follow-ups ... PETA says it hasn't heard a peep since then. As for why? PETA claims its ad agency told them the NFL was pressuring FOX to reject the spot.

PETA also claims multiple requests to run the ad in local FOX markets -- either before or after the Super Bowl -- have also gone unanswered.

We've reached out to FOX, no word back so far ... and no comment from the NFL. However, a source close to the league says it's ultimately up to the network carrying the game, not the NFL, to approve or reject all ads.

Cam Newton took Greg Olsen to dinner hours after the Carolina Panthers TE parted ways with the team ... and Cam got SUPER EMOTIONAL about his friend on the way out.

"Hey, you TMZ??? Listen here .... "

That's how the QB started his tribute to Olsen outside Prime 112 in Miami ... comparing him to the GREATEST tight ends of all time, while fighting back the urge to cry!!!

There was booze. There was high praise. There was also Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo!!!

"I respect Patrick Mahomes and I respect Travis Kelce," Cam said ... "I respect Dak Prescott and I respect Jason Witten. I respect Carson Wentz and [Zach Ertz]. I respect everything. But, me and this dude right here, man?"

"I don't want to start any controversy. I just want to be respectful to him and his career and what he's done. [Rob Gronkowski], I tip my hat off to him, but you cannot mention no great tight ends without mentioning Greg Olsen."

"The first tight end ever to have BACK to BACK to BACK 3,000 yards."

*Note -- Cam meant to say Olsen is the first to have 3 seasons with 1,000 receiving yards.

"Hey, I could cry right now man," Newton added.

As for Olsen, he got mushy too ... praising Cam for being a great teammate over the years.

Greg also bragged about how much red wine they drank inside!

"We had more glasses of Prisoner [red wine] than anybody in the history of Prime 112!" Olsen said, as the dudes left the restaurant.

That's when Olsen goes in for hugs ... and it's a pretty amazing scene.

As for Greg's future now that Carolina has officially parted ways with him ... he told us he ain't retiring, but isn't sure which team he'll end up on next.

"We'll see what's up."

Here's Jason Momoa like you've never seen him before ... plucking his eyebrows and reading a young adult romance novel while soaking in a bubble bath.

If that sounds like the makings of a Super Bowl commercial, then someone on Madison Ave nailed it. Aquaman got downright comfy for his Rocket Mortgage spot. He's been teasing it all week ... posting snippets, but Friday morning he gave us the full Monty.

Chill. We meant that metaphorically.

You can see Jason brushing his hair, practicing his baritone movie trailer voice, and talking to his dog in a baby voice -- all while wearing, for some reason, TWO bathrobes or just bubbles.

The 60-second ad will reportedly air during the first half of the game. The theme is something about feeling comfortable in your own home, but do you really give a crap?

It's Momoa in a tub. End of story.

Jason will get plenty of celeb competition on Super Sunday. Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and David Ortiz are all costarring in one car company's commercial.

That one's Boston themed, but again ... who cares??

Jake Paul was VIOLENT on Thursday -- mauling AnEsonGib in their big boxing match in Miami ... followed by an intense face-off with KSI.

23-year-old Jake only needed 2 minutes and 18 seconds to destroy his 23-year-old opponent at Island Gardens in Miami, in a fight that was streamed on DAZN.

After the fight, KSI -- who recently defeated Jake's older bro, Logan Paul -- entered the ring and the two men got right in each other's faces.

The two cussed each other out and talked a LOT of trash -- with Jake telling KSI, "You had to beat my bro by a bad call."

Remember, when Logan and KSI fought back in November, KSI won by decision after the judges took two points away from Logan for a controversial punch while KSI was down.

"Let's make it happen," Jake told KSI ... and KSI seemed to be pretty receptive!

Jake has fighting experience -- he beat up KSI's younger bro, Deji, back in 2018 in an amateur bout in England.

KSI and Logan Paul had fought on the same card -- but later agreed to a sanctioned rematch in the United States that counted as a pro fight ... making KSI 1-0 as a pro.

Thursday night's fight was also sanctioned as a pro bout and promoted by boxing honcho Eddie Hearn.

Here's Conor McGregor having the time of his life at the happiest place on Earth ... and now we know he's a huge fan of Donald Duck!!!

The Irish superstar hit up Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim Thursday with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their two kids, Conor Jr. and Croia.

Conor was all smiles under his Donald Duck hat, and Dee also got in the Disney spirit with some classic Minnie Mouse ears. The happy family was mostly hanging out at Pixar Pier, and folks tell us they stopped Buzz Lightyear for a photo op.

Seems Conor is still riding high following last week's UFC 246 victory ... and he's doing what most athletes do after winning the big one ... checking out the Mouse House.

It's pretty cool ... the park uses Conor's Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey in its Irish coffee ... but no word if he treated himself.

Tom Brady made people lose their damn minds on Thursday ... by posting a possibly ominous message for New England Patriots fans.

The foreboding photo shows a shadowy figure (we're assuming it's TB12, but who knows at this point) walking in the tunnel at a stadium. It's dramatic as hell.

But the big mystery -- is Brady walking IN to the tunnel, or is he walking OUT to the field??

Depending on the direction, it could be bad news for the Pats -- there have been rumors Brady is ready to move on to another franchise ... and this may be a way for him to soften the blow for New England.

Remember, we spoke with Pats owner Robert Kraft last week ... and he said "the plan" was to bring Brady back next season.

TB12 is a free agent ... but that doesn't necessarily mean he's going anywhere. The dude very well could be messing with all of us for fun.

So we gotta ask ...

Josie Canseco is soaking up all Miami has to offer during Super Bowl week ... and that means plenty of sunshine and epic yacht parties!!!

Check out these pics of the smoking hot model showing off her flawless figure in a pink bikini Thursday aboard South Beach mogul David Grutman's floating paradise.

Even on vacay she busted out a runway-worthy hair flip. Models. Always working.

TMZ broke the story ... Josie's dating Logan Paul after moving on from Brody Jenner, and the new couple is already crossing some major relationship milestones.

Logan's also in MIA for his brother Jake Paul's fight tonight against AnEsonGib -- so Josie will be sporting a fresh tan ringside. We're assuming she'll be there rooting for Jake.

Most importantly, we hope the NFL is paying attention to these pics. Read our lips: NO MORE COLD WEATHER SUPER BOWL HOST CITIES.

Miami rules.

NASCAR driver John Andretti -- member of one of the biggest families in racing -- died on Thursday after a 3-year battle with cancer, his team announced.

The 56-year-old had a long career on the track -- spanning from 17 years in NASCAR to Champ Car to IndyCar and more.

Andretti was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer back in 2017 ... and used his platform to help others with his disease and spread awareness on getting proper screening.

Andretti Autosport released a statement on his passing ... saying, "John was a loving husband and father, a devoted son and a trusted cousin."

"He was a philanthropist, an advocate for the sport, a dedicated teammate, a driven competitor and most importantly a dear friend."

Andretti was the son of Aldo Andretti, nephew of Mario and first cousin to Michael and Jeff ... and was the first cousin-once-removed to Marco Andretti.

The statement continued ... "We will forever carry with us John's genuine spirit of helping others first and himself second. Our prayers today are with Nancy, Jarett, Olivia, and Amelia, with our entire family, and with fans worldwide."

Barstool Sports honcho Dave Portnoy feels like a million bucks (way more, actually) ... which explains why he's dishing free advice on prop bets for Super Bowl LIV.

Portnoy joined "TMZ Live" Thursday from Miami -- site of Sunday's Super Bowl -- and dude had a million reasons to smile -- more like 450 million reasons, actually, after selling a 36% stake of his media company worth $163 million in stock and cash. The sale bumped the valuation of Barstool's digital media brand to a whopping $450 million.

El Presidente -- as he's referred to by Stoolies -- tells us how he's gloating in South Beach, and ya can't blame him. He also gave us quick advice on this year's prop bets ... such as, the over/under on how long Demi Lovato's national anthem song will last and whether J Lo or Shakira -- co-headliners of the halftime show -- will have a wardrobe malfunction.

TBH, Portnoy's answers make a ton of sense.

As for whether he'll be at the big game, that's unclear -- seems Dave is still on the NFL's bad side after he used a fake mustache to sneak by NFL security at last year's Super Bowl.

Kobe Bryant Blvd?

It's certainly possible ... we're told L.A. City officials are having discussions on how to honor the late Lakers superstar and naming a street after Kobe is definitely up for consideration.

Look, no official decisions have been made -- it's still early in the process -- but we're told L.A. City Council members have already started the conversation.

One source tells us something that keeps getting brought up is some sort of tribute in the L.A. Live area -- right across from Staples Center, where Kobe balled out for nearly 20 years.

We're told there should be more clarity about the plans early next week -- but it's definitely top of mind.

The Lakers will return to Staples Center on Friday to take on the Portland Trail Blazers ... the first game at Kobe's home court since his death on Sunday.

We're told the turn out is expected to be massive ... and that the Lakers are planning several tributes to the Mamba, his daughter, Gianna, and the other 7 people who died in Sunday's helicopter crash.

In the meantime, tributes are popping up all over the L.A. area ... even at Santa Anita Race Track where the statue of legendary racehorse Seabiscuit was draped in a Kobe banner.

The FAA says it will DROP THE HAMMER on drone fliers at Super Bowl LIV in Miami this weekend ... threatening $30,000 fines if people are caught flying the toys near the Big Game!

Drone-flying has become a super popular hobby in America ... especially in Miami where there's a whole hell of a lot of stuff to record from the sky.

But, the FAA is deeming Hard Rock Stadium as a NO-FLY ZONE for this weekend's 49ers-Chiefs matchup ... and if people are caught flying anyway, the punishment is pretty severe.

The FAA says fines could not only reach $30K ... but criminal prosecution is on the table as well.

Yeah, better put those drones in the closet for the weekend.

As for the official rules of flying near the game if ya wanna push it ... the FAA says no drones will be allowed without permission within a roughly 34-mile region around the stadium.

But, good news ... the drones can be broken out shortly after the game -- the FAA says the temporary flight restriction will be removed at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says losing Kobe Bryant is like losing a family member -- but credits KB and his daughter Gianna with helping her find her "purpose" in life.

Jeanie has known Kobe ever since her father (the late Jerry Buss) signed him as a rookie back in 1996 and they had remained extremely close ever since.

Jeanie took Kobe's death extremely hard and waited several days to collect her thoughts before putting out a statement ... and what she produced is touching, sad and inspirational all at the same time.

"Kobe, I don’t know how to express what you mean to me, my family and the Los Angeles Lakers," Buss wrote ... "My father loved you like a son, which makes us family."

"When you invited me to lunch shortly after my father passed away [in 2013], I was struggling to find motivation and purpose," Buss admits.

"Kobe, you brought Gianna with you to spend some time with me. You explained that you wanted to show her that women can be leaders in the NBA, just like the men."

"At first, it seemed like an action of a devoted father setting an example for his daughter. But in actuality -- and I am positively sure you knew EXACTLY what you were doing -- what you did was give me the inspiration and strength I was searching for. I reflect on that day often and it makes me smile and it makes me strong."

Jeanie continued ... "I call on that memory whenever I feel down and need a bit of courage. For everything you did on the court that filled me with so much joy and love, for all the lives you changed through basketball itself, it was that day with Gigi that reignited my drive and determination."

"Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri - I am so sorry for your loss. We are grateful to have you in our lives and we will always be here for you."

"To the families that also lost loved ones on Sunday, the entire Laker family mourns with you. Laker Nation - we are one family grieving the loss of people we all loved dearly. We will mourn together, cry together but we will also heal together, love together and win TOGETHER. We love you."

Originally Published -- 10:00 AM PT

Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg better put their Super Bowl advertisements to good use, by making them fun and exciting ... so says Congressman Andre Carson.

We got the distinguished gentleman from Indiana on Capitol Hill Thursday, and asked him about the mix of commercials and political ads for Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast.

There's gonna be more political ads than usual -- it's an election year, after all -- and Rep. Carson says candidates are gonna do everything they can to capitalize on the massive TV audience tuning in to the Big Game.

It's pretty crazy ... FOX, which is broadcasting the game, says a 30-second commercial's gonna cost up to $5.6 million ... but Carson says the huge price tag is worth every penny.

Rep. Carson's advice for Super Bowl ads ... make them entertaining and engaging, and don't just talk about personal accomplishments.

Cutting Le'Veon Bell would be a HUGE mistake for the Jets ... so says his teammate Brandon Copeland, who tells TMZ Sports the RB is "the real deal!!!"

"He made a lot from nothing this past year," the NY linebacker says.

Bell has been in an awkward situation with his head coach, Adam Gase, ever since the ex-Steelers star inked a monster $52.5 MILLION deal to sign with NY this past off-season.

Gase was reportedly upset over paying an RB that much cash ... and at a press conference at the end of this season, Adam didn't exactly seem stoked about the idea of bringing Bell back in 2020.

All of it has led to trade rumors and even speculation that Bell could be cut this off-season ... but when we got Copeland out in NYC on Wednesday, he said that shouldn't be on the Jets' table at all.

"Everybody's going to talk," Copeland says. "But you keep one of the best running backs in the game right now. He's a good dude. He's working hard."

NFL star Carlos Dunlap just copped a real-deal, sick Kobe Bryant autograph -- and he's STOKED about it -- but he tells TMZ Sports guys who are pushing fakes need to knock that crap off.

"You're better than that," the Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowler said. "Do better."

Dunlap was leaving Jay Glazer's MVP charity event Wednesday night in Miami when we spotted him with a pretty incredible piece of Mamba memorabilia.

It was a signed, framed photo of a high-flying Kobe with replicas of all of the Laker legend's championship rings ... and Dunlap seemed thrilled with the purchase.

But when we told Carlos experts are warning memorabilia seekers that scumbags are selling fakes to profit off the demand following KB's death ... he got pretty pissed.

"It's super sad," Carlos said. "I don't understand how somebody can stoop to that level."