TMZ Sports - Page 50

A.J. Green is moving on ... the star wide receiver announced on Monday he's retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons in the league with the Bengals and Cardinals.

"I’ve never been a man of many words, so I’ll keep this short," Green wrote on Instagram, adding ... "Thank you. Thank you to all who have supported, encouraged, and inspired me throughout my career."

34-year-old Green continued ... "Special thank you to the University of Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals for the opportunity to pursue my dreams. I’ve stayed true to the game and it owes me nothing. Be blessed.. Love y’all! The next chapter begin."

Green was selected by the Bengals in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft ... where he spent the first nine seasons of his career playing in Cincinnati.

A 7x Pro Bowler, Green was one of the best wide receivers to ever put on a Bengals uniform, accumulating 649 receptions, 9,470 yards, and 65 touchdowns during his tenure.

Green finished his Bengals career second all-time in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, behind only Chad Johnson, who also played 11 seasons with Cinci (2001-2011).

In 2021, Green signed with the Arizona Cardinals -- joining forces with wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk -- where he spent the final two years of his career.

Green's former quarterback, Kyler Murray, praised the wideout after his announcement ... writing, "One of the best to ever do it. Appreciate ya bro."

Tom Brady not only won't be working the Super Bowl for FOX on February 12, but he won't be behind a mic next season, either ... the G.O.A.T. said Monday he's not beginning his broadcasting career until 2024.

The former Buccaneers signal-caller revealed his plan is to take all of 2023 off during a chat with Colin Cowherd on "The Herd" -- saying he won't begin calling games for FOX until the fall of '24.

Brady said he's looking to use the downtime to get good at the gig before officially stepping into the booth full-time.

"One thing about my career, whether that was when I was drafted by the Patriots or signed in free agency with the Bucs, I wanted to be fully committed," Brady explained. "I never wanted to let people down -- I think my biggest motivator was that."

"So, even in the future I want to be great at what I do and that always takes some time and strategizing and learning and growing and evolving."

Brady said in addition to leaning on others in the broadcasting world -- he's also going to be spending '23 "catching up on other parts of my life that need some time and energy."

The future Hall of Famer initially inked a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox in May 2022 ... with the expectation that he'd begin calling games once his football career wrapped.

Clearly, though, Brady is looking for a break from everything for the next 18 or so months ... and he said Monday FOX officials were cool with it all.

In the meantime, former NFL star Greg Olsen will continue to be FOX's lead color commentator. He's slated to call the Eagles vs. Chiefs game on Sunday with play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt.

NY Jets star Quinnen Williams and his wife just announced they're expecting a baby (!!), and they channeled Kim Kardashian and Kanye West when making the big announcement, posting a video reminiscent of the former couple's infamous music video "Bound 2"!

The All-Pro DT and his wife Maranda broke the news Monday on Instagram they're expecting a baby girl on Monday.

The Williams' have Ye's song playing in the background while the two are holding hands and kissing in a canyon.

Look familiar? Of course, it does!!

In the "Bound 2" music video, Kanye is all over then-fiancée Kim Kardashian while riding a motorbike in front of landscapes ... including canyons.

"May God grant us a healthy baby," Maranda said in the caption, "and always protect our princess. 💓"

Williams met Maranda at the University of Alabama where he became a CFP Champion in 2017, a unanimous All-American, and First-Team All-SEC.

Two years after the defensive tackle went 3rd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, the two got married.

"I’m so happy that I found my true love, my partner in crime, my heart and soul, MY WHY," Williams said, "She is a blessing from above."

Lil Baby's bond with James Harden can't be broken ... and it's because they both have amazing eagle eyes when it comes to the girls on the scene.

We caught Baby leaving Nightingale in West Hollywood on Sunday night, fresh off of his contribution to the Grammys 50th anniversary hip hop tribute ... and he tells us he and The Beard are both "snipers" -- in other words, they can spot a fine woman a mile away!!!

Baby and James have been baller-blockin' for years together ... never letting silly things like the NBA schedule block their stunting.

Back in December, James totally ignored a 29-point loss to his old Nets team to celebrate Baby's friend's birthday in Houston, with Travis Scott in tow ... and who can forget Baby's 2020 bash where James dropped $300K on the "Yes Indeed" rapper ... in addition to mounds of honey buns, his favorite snack.

Brace yourself, Trent Dilfer just dropped the hot take of the year, actually saying he's not impressed with Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers feats in the modern NFL because it's "super easy".

50-year-old Dilfer made the comments about Brady and Rodgers during ESPN's Bullies of Baltimore 30 for 30 documentary on the Ravens, explaining why what TB 12 and AR do ain't all that impressive given how football is played these days.

"The modern-day game does not impress me. It's super easy when you don't get hit as a quarterback and when you can't reroute receivers and when you can't hit guys across the middle," Dilfer said.

"I love Tom Brady. I love Aaron Rodgers. I love these guys. It's not impressive. What's impressive is what they did," alluding to old school QB's.

Obviously, Dilfer's comments came as a bit of a head-scratcher for fans. After all, Brady and Rodgers won a combined 8 Super Bowls (Brady 7, Rodgers 1) and 7 MVPs (Brady 3, Rodgers 4).

Despite the nearly unrivaled success, Trent clearly believes Brady and Rodgers have been aided by the rule changes that have benefited offenses ... and he's not along. There are some NFL fans (and even former players) who echo Dilfer's sentiment.

Interestingly enough ... Tom and Trent's careers overlapped. In fact, Brady, in just his second season, won his first Super Bowl (SB 36) just one year after Dilfer won with the Ravens during the 2000 season, behind one of the most dominant defenses ever.

Over the their careers, Brady threw for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns and 212 interceptions (23 seasons), Rodgers 59,055 yards, 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions (15 seasons), and Dilfer 20,518 yards, 113 TDs and 129 picks (in 13 seasons).

Tristan Thompson is opening up for the first time about his mother's unexpected death ... penning her an emotional tribute letter on Instagram, writing his "soul is empty" since her passing.

"Dearest mommy in heaven, It has been one month since you’ve been gone," the former NBA player wrote.

"I’m in disbelief. I'm in the deepest part of sorrow & grief. My soul is empty as I come to terms that my biggest supporter/superhero is gone."

The 31-year-old continued, writing about the sacrifices his mom made for him and his siblings.

"Mommy, all the sacrifices you did for ur sons will never go unnoticed or without appreciation. You were an amazing mommy, role model, best friend & the strongest woman I know."

Thompson also touched on some of the public mistakes he's made as an adult, vowing to show his mom raised a good man.

"Im sorry mommy for the wrong decisions Ive made in my life. Im sorry for the embarrassment &pain. You raised me better than what I was able to show you," Tristan wrote.

"But I have also learned sorry is not enough. Actions speak louder than words. So I wont just say sorry. Stay tuned to the ways I will show the world what an amazing son you raised."

Fans, NBA stars, and celebs flooded Thompson's IG comments with support, including his former teammate LeBron James and Kim Kardashian, who left a heart and dove emoji.

Of course, Kim's sister Khloe -- who shares two kids with Tristan -- and the Kardashian family have been by his side since his mom, Andrea, suffered a heart attack at her home in Toronto on Jan. 5.

Tom Brady clearly ain't letting himself go in retirement ... the former quarterback just shared a selfie in nothing but his undies -- and he looks GOOOOOOOD!!!!

TB12 posted the pic early Monday morning on his Twitter page ... paying off a bet he made with his clothing company way back in June.

At the time, he said he'd recreate models wearing his Brady brand underwear if the tweet got 40,000 likes. When the co. reminded him of it all Monday, he paid it off in a big way ... and we're all grateful for it.

Tom showed off some biceps, some pecs, and a set of abs -- all while his hand was conveniently placed to cover up his junk.

He mentioned Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski while revealing the pic -- asking the two, who have posed often in their undies for various brands in their lifetimes, if he was doing it right.

Of course, Tom's bod shouldn't exactly surprise anybody -- while he's a retired man now, it's only been a couple weeks since he left football.

Joe Mixon allegedly threatened to a shoot woman in a "road rage" incident just one day before the Bengals' playoff game against the Bills ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Cincinnati Police Dept. documents, cops say the alleged incident happened at 12:49 PM on Jan. 21 -- less than 24 hours before Cincinnati played the Bills in the Divisional Round in Buffalo.

According to the docs, a 43-year-old woman told cops that an "unknown suspect" -- later believed to be Mixon -- "brandished a firearm and threatened to shoot her."

She added, per the report, that it was all "a result of a 'road rage' incident."

A warrant for Mixon's arrest was eventually filed last week for one count of misdemeanor aggravated menacing. In court documents, authorities said Mixon told the alleged victim at the time, "You should be popped in the face, I should shoot you, the police can't get me."

The case, however, was dismissed on Friday after prosecutors said they needed "additional investigation before we would move forward with this case." Officials said there was still a chance it could all be refiled in the future.

Beware, NFL defenders ... yet another Manning appears to be headed toward a pro sideline in a few years -- this time, it's Peyton Manning's kid, who showed off an incredible arm at this weekend's Pro Bowl!!

Marshall Manning grabbed the pigskin for a few warmup and cool-down drills while at the NFL's All-Star event in Las Vegas ... and it ain't hard to see the apple's falling about as close to the tree as possible.

The 11-year-old looked awesome throwing to former NFL star (and Peyton's old teammate!) Marcus Pollard, even directing the guy mid-route to try to get him open against Ray Lewis.

Marshall was also seen hitting Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson with some pinpoint passes. He got a touchdown throw in a flag football game warmup as well.

Of course, the young Manning being a future baller should surprise exactly no one -- quarterbacking runs seriously deep in the bloodline. Peyton and his little bro Eli dominated the league for years, as did their dad, Archie Manning. Big brother Cooper Manning's son, Arch Manning, meanwhile, is the top-ranked recruit in the country and is expected to be a star at the Univ. of Texas for the next few years.

It wasn't Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or even LeBron James ... no, the toughest person Gary Payton said he ever had to guard was none other than John Stockton.

The NBA Hall of Famer made the shocking revelation in a chat about hoops with TMZ Sports ... saying the former Utah Jazz point guard was just that damn good.

"I think the hardest person I ever had to guard was John Stockton because of the way he would do 94 feet and go everywhere," he said. "That's my opinion."

'Stock', a 10-time All-Star who played 19 seasons in the NBA, was 6-foot-1, but 'The Glove' told us John's ability to utilize all the space on the court offensively made him a super difficult cover.

And, when Payton said he compared it to the trouble he had with MJ, LeBron and Kobe ... Stockton was just harder to deal with.

As for basketball's G.O.A.T. debate ... Payton weighed in on that too, telling us that while he believes LBJ is the better basketball player, Jordan was the better closer.

"I think LeBron was a better all-around player because he can pass the ball and rebound," Payton said. "I think Michael was a better killer. He'll go after you. He'll take a shot whenever he needed to and make it and do it. He was more of a killer."

Trevor Noah kicked off the 65th annual Grammy Awards with a lot of humor, and a little meet-cute too ... linking up Adele with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson for the very first time.

The comedian -- who was back in the hosting seat again -- ran through a pretty zippy monologue that hopscotched over a lot of big celebs, including Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Beyoncé and Adele ... the last of which he honed in on for an official introduction.

Check it out ... TN says he'd done his homework on tonight's nominees, and read somewhere that Adele had never gotten a face-to-face with the wrestler-turned-actor.

At first, Trevor made it seem like he didn't actually have Dwayne on hand, but then trotted the dude out anyway -- which totally caught Adele by surprise. She got up and gave him a hug/kiss ... and DJ even plopped himself down at her table as the camera panned away.

When it comes to the other jokes ... he said Harry Styles was in the unique position to have panties thrown at him onstage and possibly wear them afterward, and he also jabbed at Taylor Swift by flipping her 'Anti-Hero' song on its head ... while taking a shot at Southwest.

Trevor also made sure to point that Queen Bey is on the verge of history ... she's up for a record number of Grammys, and stands a chance to win the most ever tonight too.

Pete Davidson is a captain at the Pro Bowl Games in Vegas this weekend -- which is sort of a weird sight ... but not nearly as bizarre as the ink Amon-Ra St. Brown was rocking.

The Lions WR was front and center Sunday for the off-weekend just before the Super Bowl next week, and during an interview with Robert Griffin III ... he showed off what appeared a relatively fresh tattoo he had plastered on his arm ... a tat of Pete's face, no less.

There's some writing underneath the drawing of PD's mug too ... it says, "Pete #1" -- as in Pete's #1 fan. Unclear if it's real or not, but Pete was brought over to take a closer look.

He was clearly impressed and moved by the gesture -- apparently, Amon-Ra is a big fan -- but he also said what most everyone else was thinking ... hopefully, that thing comes off!

As for why Pete's there at all ... he's just one of a handful of celebs on the field to help spice things up. Snoop Dogg and other stars are there too, and everyone's just goofing around and hamming it up for the camera -- notable during Pete's Best Catch judging.

Naturally, there were jokes made about his dating resume, which includes a lot of high-profile women he's been with over the years. Good sport that he is, Pete leaned in.

At one point, RGIII even made a little crack about Pete's "game" off the field ... and the dude was appreciative of the compliment -- noting, he's just there to have a good time.

Jack Harlow's acting debut got a first look this weekend in the new trailer for the rebooted "White Men Can't Jump" -- and the consensus on Twitter seems to be ... uh, yeah, no.

Indeed ... Hulu dropped the trailer for the flick Sunday, which is hitting their service exclusively in May. Everyone already knew Jack was attached to the project -- replacing Woody Harrelson's character from the OG -- and now ... the reactions are pouring in online.

While there are certainly some who were left impressed with what they saw -- specifically from Jack -- the honest truth is ... most don't seem all that interested in checking this one out, and they're voicing it in pretty passionate (and sometimes hilarious) terms.

The best way to get an unbiased read on how folks actually feel about it is to hop into the comment sections of film/rap/basketball blog accounts that reposted the trailer. It's there you'll see almost everybody echoing a similar sentiment ... this didn't need to be remade.

Then, there are the tweets specifically aimed at Jack's performance ... or at least what we've seen of it thus far. Those ones are little more harsh, especially since there are other white dudes that bird app users apparently would've liked to have seen more ... like Tristan Jass.

Others are harping on the fact that the studio here seems to have wanted to capitalize on Jack's music fame to boost this a bit -- which some see as gimmicky and unnecessary.

One Twitter user put Jack's performance this way in response to someone who said he doesn't come across as half bad in the role ... writing, "He's not white enough." 😅

The bigger takeaway is that people appear upset at the fact that Hollywood has rebooted yet another cult classic ... even when no one really asked for it. They did it again earlier this year with "House Party," and now there's this. Not to mention all the reboots of years past.

For the uninitiated, reboots are part of movie-making DNA ... so they'll be around no matter what. As for Jack, dude's probably too busy to listen to all the noise ... he's up for 3 Grammys tonight, so he's preoccupied. And besides, the film's done and it's coming out.🤷🏽‍♂️

Kyrie Irving got his wish -- the NBA superstar has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks, according to multiple reports.

News of Irving's intentions to leave Brooklyn were made clear on Friday ...with the 30-year-old telling the Nets to either trade him, or he'd leave in free agency in the offseason.

Now, Uncle Drew will be teaming up with Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, who sit sixth in the Western Conference standings.

In exchange for Irving, the Mavs will send Spencer Dinwiddie back to BK ... as well as Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick and a handful of second-rounders, according to Shams Charania.

The Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns were also reportedly in the running for Irving ... but there was growing concern over sending a haul for the guard, when he could bolt in free agency in August.

Nets fans were clearly upset with Irving's request out of Brooklyn -- and showed their feelings by booing him before the Nets vs. Washington Wizards game on Saturday.

Irving found himself in hot water during his time in Brooklyn ... after he controversially tweeted a link to a movie filled with anti-Semitic beliefs.

The 2016 champ was suspended over his actions, and the NBA and Nets called for Irving to denounce the contents of the film. Nike also announced it was cutting ties with the Irving.

Irving eventually apologized days later.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was involved in a traffic accident that sent a bicyclist to the ER -- but it's not something he could've avoided or is to blame over ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us the movie star was driving in West L.A. Sunday morning, when at some point ... a woman riding a bike on the road suddenly swerved into his lane and made contact with his vehicle -- something confirmed by 3 eyewitnesses.

We're told first responders arrived on the scene and that the woman was transported to a hospital. Arnold, our sources say, was also on the scene speaking with cops.

As for how the police view this, thus far ... law enforcement sources tell us it appears Schwarzenegger is not at fault for this collision. An investigation is ongoing, but we're told a determination has been made that it's something he simply couldn't have avoided.

Our sources tell us the woman suffered minor injuries, and is expected to be okay.

Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis -- who last played with the Buffalo Bills in 2018 -- was arrested for DUI in Florida, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the Florida Highway Patrol tells us ... officers responded to a crash involving two vehicles on State Road 821 in Florida on Saturday, Feb. 4 around 7:51 am.

Once officers arrived on the scene, they noticed a black 4-door Tesla with heavy front end damage and a bronze pickup Toyota truck with heavy rear end damage.

According to police docs, Davis, who was identified as the driver of the Tesla, failed to maintain control of his vehicle ... and collided with the pickup truck.

The force from the collision caused the pickup truck to hit a nearby pedestrian ... who sustained multiple injuries and was transported to the hospital.

Law enforcement authorities say they observed Davis -- who played ten seasons in the NFL with the Colts, Dolphins, and Bills -- laying down sleeping on the right shoulder of the road.

When police were interviewing Davis, they say they noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and he needed to lean on the barrier to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

Police say they asked Davis if he had been drinking ... he replied, "Yes, I had two drinks. Two mixed drinks."

Officers say they asked Davis if they could administer a standard field sobriety test ... but the ex-NFL CB refused, saying, "No."