TMZ Sports - Page 50

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick took a big step on Tuesday ... going out to their first big celebrity event as a couple -- and TMZ Sports has the pic.

Aaronica (yeah, we did that) hit up the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am on California's Central Coast -- where Aaron is competing in the golf tourney. FYI, dude's a stud golfer.

The couple went public with their relationship last month after they were spotted at a private dinner date in Arizona with friends.

Gotta admit ... they look damn good together.

Donald Trump was wrong to use Edwin Jackson's death to push his political agenda ... so says one of Jackson's closest friends, who says POTUS needs to focus on the REAL issue -- drunk driving.

We spoke with Minnesota Vikings LB Antwione Williams -- who was Jackson's college roommate at Georgia Southern. The two have been good friends for years.

Williams says it made him "sick" to see Trump using Jackson's death as a rallying cry for his immigration policy ... since the guy who allegedly killed Jackson was living in the U.S. illegally.

Instead, Williams says Trump needs to focus on the drunk driving problem in America -- since the suspect was allegedly nearly three times the legal limit when he struck and killed Jackson.

Williams also tells TMZ Sports about the kind of person Jackson was like off the field ... and shares his favorite memories from when they lived together.

R.I.P.

Great news for Giants fans -- Odell Beckham Jr. was back to his springy self at the NY Giants' "Dirty Dancing" commercial shoot ... just a few months after his horrific ankle injury.

How do we know? TMZ Sports spoke with Giants lineman D.J. Fluker -- one of the background dancers in Odell and Eli Manning's hilarious Super Bowl 52 ad -- and he confirmed OBJ's running and jumping wasn't just camera tricks.

D.J. also told us he's 100% confident Odell's "coming back with a vengeance" in 2018 after seeing him boogie down like his old, bad self.

Meek Mill was blown away when he watched from prison as his beloved Eagles all danced to his song, "Dreams and Nightmares," during the Super Bowl.

Meek believes the song choice was a statement by the team that he was unjustly thrown in prison for a probation violation. He says, "I was encouraged injustice still matters to people," this according to his lawyer, Joe Tacopina.

The rapper says some members of the team have reached out to him and are fighting for his release. His song became an anthem for the team throughout the playoffs as the team celebrated their victories in the locker room.

And, we're told, he got a huge kick when he saw Karl-Anthony Towns wearing a "Free Meek Mill" jersey on TV during the pregame warm-up.

Drake must have very strong legs because no one, and we mean NO ONE, hops bandwagons better than the 6 God ... who's now repping the University of Miami. For a day, anyway.

Drizzy was on campus of Da U shooting a music vid for his smash hit, "God's Plan," and decided to work the crowd into a frenzy by throwing up the "U" symbol.

Here's the thing ... Drake does this all the time, he was just going on and on about the University of Alabama, before that it was Kentucky, and so on and so on.

And don't get us started on the NBA, where he's repped the Raptors, Heat, Warriors, and even partied with the Cavs.

TMZ Sports obtained the 911 call Rob Gronkowski PERSONALLY made to police when he realized his Boston area house was burglarized while he was at the Super Bowl.

During the call, placed Monday evening when Gronk came back from Minnesota, the Patriots tight end said:

"This isn't an emergency ... this is just uh, Rob Gronkowski calling. And while I was gone, my whole house got robbed while on the Super Bowl trip and I just got back."

According to the police report, the crook or crooks broke into the house through a window and raided several rooms.

Fortunately, Rob's bedroom door was locked and the burglar(s) didn't get inside. However, Rob has two roommates -- and both of their rooms were raided.

According to the police report, the burglary occurred on Sunday evening at 8:50 PM ET -- right when Gronk was playing in the Super Bowl.

Cops have not said what items were stolen -- but have assured the public they are on the hunt for the perps.

Malcolm Butler says he did NOT miss curfew during the week of the Super Bowl -- and says all reports that he was punished for off-the-field activities are "false."

The New England Patriots star only saw the field on one play during Sunday's game despite being one of the best players on defense.

There were reports he missed curfew because he was out at a Rick Ross concert. Others said he had been caught with weed.

But Butler says it's all B.S. -- explaining, "During Super Bowl week I never attended any concert, missed curfew, or participated any of the ridiculous activities being reported. They are not only false, but hurtful, to me and my family."

"Although I wish I could have contributed more to help my team win, I have to get ready for the next opportunity. Moving forward I will do what I have always done to work hard, and prepare for next season to be the best I can be on and off the field."

Butler says during Super Bowl week, he visited his family every night.

"Finally, I want to apologize to any offended by my language reported immediately after the game during a very emotional time," Butler said.

Good news for the Philadelphia Eagles ... they're getting FAT ASS league-issued playoff bonus checks for winning the Super Bowl.

Bad news ... it's WAYYY less than what the Houston Astros got for winning the World Series.

Here's the math ... each Eagles player gets $28k for the Divisional round game, $51k for the NFC Championship and $112k for winning the Super Bowl.

Grand bonus total -- $191,000.

Not a bad haul (in addition to whatever playoff bonuses individual players have in their contracts with the team).

So, how does it stack up to playoff bonuses in other sports?

The Houston Astros got $438k per player in league-issued bonus money after their 2017 playoff run.

Obviously, MLB teams have less players on the roster to play -- but let's take a look at the ratings.

The Super Bowl reportedly drew in 103.4 million viewers.

The World Series averaged 18.9 million viewers per game -- but it went SEVEN GAMES!

And don't forget, before the WS the Astros played a 7-game ALCS with the Yankees. Game 7 reportedly drew 9.9 million viewers.

As for the NFL, the players agreed to the bonus structure in the collective bargaining agreement -- and the bonus goes up every year.

So is anyone gonna complain? Probably not. Enjoy the paycheck that most people don't make in a year!

Rob Gronkowski's New England mansion sits behind a gate -- surrounded by spiked fencing -- with a security system ... but it wasn't enough to deter burglars.

The media has already arrived to Gronk's home to cover the story ... that the Patriots' home was targeted by criminals who raided the place while Rob was in Minnesota for the Super Bowl.

The Foxborough Police Dept. says it's investigating the incident and hopes to bring the crooks to justice.

Helluva week for Carson Wentz -- first, the Super Bowl ... now, he's engaged!

The Eagles QB got down on his knee (don't worry, it's his good knee) and popped the question to girlfriend Maddie Oberg on a candlelit rooftop somewhere.

And guess what ... SHE SAID YES!

Carson posted the celebratory pics on social media and said, "And now Maddie and I both got us a ring 💍😎 can’t wait to marry my best friend!"

"God is doing some amazing things and I can’t thank him enough!"

FYI, these 2 got together sometime in 2017 ... Maddie popped up on Carson's IG after his ACL surgery.

Congrats!!

An ex-U.S. Naval Academy football player claims he was unfairly expelled from school and forced to pay back $180k in tuition after a drunken bender in 2013 in which he allegedly grabbed a women's butt.

The man behind the lawsuit is Brandon Turner -- a WR for the Navy from 2009 to 2013.

In his lawsuit, Turner admits he got drunk during a night out near the Academy in Maryland in April 2013 and eventually wandered back onto the campus.

Turner allegedly encountered a female midshipman and "placed his hand briefly on her buttocks." The woman disengaged and Turner claims he went to bed, though he claims he doesn't remember the incident.

The woman reported him to her superior officers and Turner was ordered to submit to a breathalyzer which came back at .20 -- more than double the legal limit.

Here's where things get hairy for Turner ..

He claims N.C.I.S. investigated and found insufficient evidence for criminal charges -- but there was a disciplinary hearing where he was ordered to complete alcohol and anger management among other things. He was told he would NOT be expelled.

But two days later, Turner says he was contacted by Navy brass and told he WOULD be expelled and ordered to repay $180,728.82 for the cost of his education.

Turner says he's now working as a civilian in Seattle and the Navy is garnishing his wages. He's already been hit to the tune of $13,251.93.

Lions WR Marvin Jones just submitted an early entry for NFL tattoo of the year -- a DOPE neck/back tribal piece with an even doper story.

Turns out, Jones' great grandma was full Cherokee Native American ... so with the help of his Tongan teammate, Haloti Ngata, Marvin says he got hooked with one of the true OGs in the tribal game to pay tribute to his roots.

But there's a twist -- Marvin tells TMZ Sports he made sure to tie in something that reps his football background (can you figure it out?).

The craziest part -- the tattooer FREEHANDED IT ... and still finished the tat in just 2 sessions!!

Insane.

Mike Epps is fully supporting Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins for declining a visit to Trump's White House -- and tells TMZ Sports the REST of the Eagles team should follow suit.

Of course, Chris and Malcolm have laid out their reasons -- essentially saying Trump is on the wrong side of history and they don't want to be connected to him in any way.

Three Kardashian baby daddies are all taking a leap of faith ... that their baby mamas will give them proper custody and/or visitation without the benefit of a custody agreement.

Sources connected to all three men tell TMZ, they never papered their financial and custodial arrangements. We're told Travis Scott and Kylie don't have anything in writing regarding custody or support of their newborn daughter. Same goes for Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian, although that may be a bit premature since she hasn't given birth.

More interesting, perhaps, is that we're told Scott Disick doesn't have a written custody agreement with Kourtney Kardashian. They have 3 kids and from what we hear, the only conflict involves Scott's sobriety.

They have the option at any time of trying to ink a custody arrangement or going to court for one if they can't do it on their own.

NO ONE thought Nick Foles had a serious shot at taking Philly to the Super Bowl -- except for one man ... Ron Jaworski!!!

Seriously ... when Carson Wentz went down, Jaws told TMZ Sports not to worry, Foles was completely capable of keeping Philly's season alive.

In fact, he told us straight-up Foles would play in the Super Bowl.

Well, after Foles WON the Super Bowl on Sunday, it was Jawstradamus' time to revel in his prescientness!!!! And he did. Well deserved.

The best part of the clip ... watching Jaws try to have a conversation in -5 degrees.

Donald Trump says it's "disgraceful" that a former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson was killed by a man who was in the United States illegally ... and is calling for democrats to get tough on the border.

As we previously reported, 26-year-old Jackson was hit by a pickup truck early Sunday morning while he was standing on the shoulder of a highway in Indiana.

Officials believe the man driving the truck is 37-year-old Manuel Orrego-Savala -- a Guatemalan citizen who had been living in the U.S. illegally. Officials believe Orrego-Savala was drunk at the time of the crash and tried to flee the scene.

Once apprehended, officials say Orrego-Savala had been previously deported twice before -- once in 2007 and again in 2009 -- yet somehow made it back and had been living in Indiana.

Now, Trump is weighing in ... saying, "So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson."

"This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!"

"My prayers and best wishes are with the family of Edwin Jackson, a wonderful young man whose life was so senselessly taken. @Colts."