TMZ Sports - Page 50

Your friends will be yelling, "Hail to the Chief" if you're rocking the Barack Obamas -- a rare Nike shoe specifically designed for the ex-Prez -- and they'll also know you're rich as hell.

Sotheby's is hosting a one-of-a-kind sale of these Nike Hyperdunks in size 12.5 and designed for 44 back in 2009. Talk about an extremely rare pair of Nikes ... there are only 2 pairs in existence. The others were gifted to Obama.

According to Sotheby's ... these particular shoes -- influenced by the Hyperdunks created for Team USA at the 2008 Olympics -- were not worn by Obama, but they're Nike's only confirmation sample, and in pristine condition.

The price is a modest $25k. If you're inclined to say, "Just do it" ... the sale opens Friday at, yes, 4:44 PM ET.

Is it worth it? Well, the shoe's literally etched in POTUS lore -- official Presidential Seal on the tongue and an embroidered "44" and the insoles include the year "1776."

He told ya he was going to Disney World ... and Rob Gronkowski has already made good on his promise!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs superstar tight end rolled into the Most Magical Place on Earth in Orlando on Monday ... and immediately got into an awesome lightsaber battle!!!

It's all part of Disney's annual Super Bowl celebration -- where they (usually) parade the winners around the theme park just like Tom Brady did in 2002, 2004 and 2019.

There are reports Disney has scrapped the Super Bowl parade this year as part of its COVID protocol -- but Gronk will still get to enjoy the park as a super VIP guest, which is probably super awesome.

Both Gronk and TB12 did the post-game "We're going to Disney World" spot this year after beating the K.C. Chiefs on Sunday ... but Brady is reportedly set to visit the park at a later date.

In the meantime, more theme park snacks for Gronk and his family!!!

Disney World had been shut down for a while due to COVID -- but reopened in July with new safety protocols to keep people safe.

Marty Schottenheimer -- one of the NFL's all-time greatest head coaches -- died on Monday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer's ... his family announced Tuesday.

He was 77 years old.

The coach had fought Alzheimer's since 2014 ... but was moved to a North Carolina hospice facility last month after his family said he was suffering from "complications from his disease."

Schottenheimer's wife, Pat, said at the time, "As a family we are surrounding him with love and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life."

"In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other ... one play at a time."

Pat and the rest of the Schottenheimer family told ESPN's Chris Mortensen Marty passed on Monday ... adding the former coach will have a private family service soon with a public memorial service at a later date.

Schottenheimer was a head man in the NFL for 21 years ... and is 1 of just 8 men to win at least 200 games in the league as a head coach.

He began his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1984 -- and later went on to coach Joe Montana and Marcus Allen in Kansas City starting in 1989.

Schottenheimer went on to spend 10 total years with the Chiefs -- piling up a 101-58-1 regular-season record. He took the team to 7 playoff appearances -- and even brought them to the AFC Championship game in 1993, where they lost to the Buffalo Bills.

Marty continued his coaching career with Washington before moving to the San Diego Chargers. He was named Coach of the Year there in 2004, when the team went 12-4 and won the AFC West.

The debate is officially over ... Jerry Rice is giving up the claim he had to the NFL's "Greatest of All-Time" label, admitting that honor now belongs to Tom Brady!!!

The legendary receiver -- who had been considered the league's G.O.A.T. prior to Brady's epic 7 Super Bowl wins -- relented on an appearance on 95.7 The Game on Monday that Tom's formally passed him on the rankings after the Bucs' title win Sunday.

“When you have seven rings, you’re doing something right," Jerry said, before adding, "He can have that G.O.A.T. status. I never wanted that status anyhow."

Of course, Rice didn't give away the title without taking at least a little jab ... Jerry said Tom's had the ability to pad his resume in a way he never could because of new player safety rules.

"I don’t have seven Super Bowl rings," Rice said, "but I think I played in an era when football was more of a contact sport. You’re seeing a lot of that now -- players are protected."

In case you were wondering, Jerry's old claim to the "G.O.A.T." label was warranted ... he was a 3-time Super Bowl champ, 1-time SB MVP, 13-time Pro Bowler and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Jerry also holds nearly every receiving record ever ... including an all-time receiving yards mark of 22,895 -- which is more than 5,000 (!!!) ahead of second-place Larry Fitzgerald!

But, Tom's got the 7 rings, 3 NFL MVP awards and 14 Pro Bowl honors ... and he still ain't done yet!!

In fact, Jerry said he wouldn't be surprised to see Brady keep going for TWO more years ... explaining, "I think he can do it now in this league because players are so much more protected."

The woman who claims she was brutally beaten by NFL lineman Chad Wheeler is speaking out about the incident -- saying he couldn't care less about her after nearly beating her to death.

The woman, Alleah Taylor, sat down with CBS reporter Jericka Duncan to describe the Jan. 22 incident, which ended with her being hospitalized for serious injuries.

"I had touched my face and I had looked down and there was blood on my hand," Taylor said in the interview (which airs Wednesday) ... "and I remember getting up and running to the bathroom."

"Chad was standing by the bed, by the doorway and he was sipping his smoothie and he was like, 'Wow you're still alive?!'"

Taylor says she's "grateful" the 6'7", 315-pound lineman stopped the attack -- but she says the NFL player acted like it was no big deal.

"I'm grateful he didn't grab me in that moment. I was able to run to the bathroom. He went back to the living room to continue eating."

"I had texted his dad too and told him that Chad was trying to kill me. Chad's dad called him while he was eating and I was in the bathroom. And he answered and he didn't have any worry at all. Chad was like, 'I'm just eating dinner, nothing's going on.' And that terrified me."

Wheeler was later arrested and hit with three criminals charges -- including 1st-degree domestic violence assault -- over the incident. It took 3 cops to subdue him in a wild struggle, documented in the police reports.

Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Bruce Arians says COVID disrupted things so badly during the 2020 season ... his own wife didn't meet his QB until Super Bowl Sunday!

"You know what's amazing? My wife met Tom Brady for the first time on stage when we were handed the Lombardi trophy," Arians said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

"And that's the way our whole team and coaching staff was this year," he added.

Arians says the team usually holds a Family Day on Saturday for players and staff to bring their kids, parents, siblings, etc. to hang out together ... but the pandemic put a stop to that.

"We really really missed that this year," Arians explained.

The good news ... seems Bruce's wife and Tom Brady got along when they finally did get to meet. She even commented to Bruce about TB12's insanely good looks.

"She said he needs to keep the 5 O'clock shadow -- he's too pretty the other way!"

There's more ... Arians also talked about boozing at the after-party, getting hit with the Gatorade bath and why he's giving himself until Wednesday to sober up!

More proof Josh Jacobs is lucky he wasn't critically injured ... 'cause TMZ Sports has obtained photos of the Las Vegas Raiders star's 6-figure Acura NSX -- and it's destroyed.

As we previously reported, the 22-year-old running back was involved in a single-car accident around 4:42 AM near the Vegas airport on January 4.

Jacobs was transported to the hospital with a gnarly gash on his forehead. As nasty as the injury was ... it's now clear it could've been a lot worse.

The photos -- taken at a Sin City tow yard the day of the accident -- show the purple 2019 Acura NSX with HEAVY damage to the front of the vehicle.

The NSX -- license plate "IAM28" (Josh's Raiders #) -- retails for about $160K ... and goes 0-60 in under 3 seconds, and has a top speed of about 190 MPH.

Officials initially suspected Jacobs might've been under the influence of alcohol, but blood alcohol tests indicated his BAC was "below the legal limit and therefore DUI charges are not being filed against him," according to the DA.

Legally, Jacobs didn't escape totally unscathed ... he was hit with 1 misdemeanor charge of "Duty of Driver to Decrease Speed Under Certain Circumstances."

Most importantly, the 2019 1st round draft pick out of Alabama -- who rushed for 1,065 yards and 12 touchdowns last season -- wasn't more seriously injured.

As dope as the supercar is ... it can be replaced.

Our new Vice President is super fit for office ... Kamala Harris is running stairs like she's Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky." All she needs is the music.

Ya gotta see this video of the Veep showing off her stamina over the weekend at the Lincoln Memorial. She did several laps, running up and down the steps and making it look pretty easy.

Harris passed on her usual Converse Chucks and went with some proper running shoes, AND a face mask for this workout ... which she wasn't doing solo, btw.

Check out the Secret Service agents -- most standing and watching the general area, but at least one was running the stairs to keep up with her.

All the VP needs now is "Gonna Fly Now" to really set the scene.

Washington State Cougars star QB Jayden De Laura has been suspended from the football team indefinitely ... this, after the freshman was arrested for DUI over the weekend.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... JDL was pulled over around 2 AM on February 6 ... after a police officer claims he blew a stop sign before heading the wrong way down a 1-way street.

During the stop, cops claim De Laura reeked of alcohol ... so they conducted a field sobriety test, which didn't go so well for Jayden.

The football player was ultimately arrested and transported to a local station where he was booked for DUI.

Once De Laura arrived to the station, officials say he was given the opportunity to take a breathalyzer test, but declined.

The QB received a criminal citation for driving under the influence and 2 traffic infractions -- wrong way on a 1-way and another for 'no driver's license on person.'

Cops noted De Laura was cooperative throughout the incident.

The University of Houston football team has suspended freshmen defensive end Chidozie Nwankwo -- after the highly touted freshman was charged with domestic violence for allegedly choking his girlfriend.

Officials say the 18-year-old -- listed at 5'11", 293 lbs -- is accused of choking his girlfriend in a January 28 incident at an apartment complex located on the UH campus.

Official documents show Nwankwo was formally charged on Feb. 3 with assault/impeding breathing. He has since been released from custody but the UH football team has suspended him in the wake of the allegations.

"We are aware of the serious allegations regarding Chidozie Nwankwo," the school announced.

"He has been suspended from the Houston football program, pending further information. We will have no further comment regarding this specific case."

Nwankwo was a prized recruit for the Cougars coming out of  Foster High School in Richmond -- reportedly receiving offers from major programs including LSU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Arkansas and Boise State.

The worst performance of the Super Bowl goes to the moron who got in the field and tried to make a run for the end zone ... AND BLEW IT ON THE 1 YARD LINE!

The idiot -- wearing a 1-piece, pink thong women's bathing suit -- somehow got around stadium security and made his way onto the field in the 4th quarter as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs desperately tried to mount a comeback against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs.

The CBS broadcast cut away from the field invader seconds into his run -- but fans in the stands caught the whole thing ... including the bitter end.

The fan started off strong -- making a few defender misses with some nifty spin moves ... before running into a wall of security toward the Chiefs endzone.

But, he couldn't complete the run -- instead, he slid, giving himself up ON THE 1.

In all seriousness, this dude is a moron -- and the fact he got close to players, refs, security and others while we're all still in a pandemic is stupid and irresponsible.

Cops ultimately corralled the guy and walked him off the field in handcuffs.

Plus, he was wearing shorts ... so he wasn't even a real streaker.

Basically, bro ... you're the worst. Enjoy the jail cell.

Tim Tebow's still got that Heisman arm!!

The former NFL quarterback threw a missile at Shaquille O'Neal's gut during a star-studded dodgeball game at the basketball legend's Super Bowl pre-game party ... and the video is awesome!!

It was all part of "The Shaq Bowl" ... with big-name guests like Tebow, Ezekiel Elliott, Diplo, The Miz, Anthony Anderson, Nelly, Offset and more participating in a bunch of competitive events like dodgeball, tug of war, sit-up challenge, wing eating contest and more.

Things got pretty intense during the dodgeball portion of the event -- people were laughing, but you can tell there's some serious speed on some of those throws ... and Tebow was mowing down the competition.

But, the best moment was when Tebow had Shaq trapped in the back with no teammates left ... and the former QB-turned-baseball player let it rip with a fastball straight to the stomach!!!

Tebow’s dominance continued during the tug-of-war portion of the night ... when TT and his team DESTROYED Zeke's team so badly that Shaq had to jump in and help. But, the NBA legend couldn't stop Tebow. He was like a man possessed!

Along with the competitions, there were musical performances by Migos, Jack Harlow & DJ Diesel himself ... so yeah, it was lit.

Shaq might be too big for dodgeball ... after all, the 5 D’s of dodgeball -- dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge -- probably weren't created for 7 footers!!

Tyrann Mathieu can come through big time for PETA if he intercepts Tom Brady in the big game ... a fan is dangling a 6-figure carrot for the dog-loving Kansas City Chiefs star.

The animal rights org tells TMZ ... an anonymous fan has offered to donate a whopping $100,000 to PETA if Tyrann makes an interception in the Super Bowl.

We're told the money is earmarked for PETA's fieldwork team, which operates in parts of Virginia and North Carolina and provides free pet services to low-income communities.

$100k would go a long way for dogs in distress in those areas ... PETA's fieldwork team provides free food deliveries, custom-built doghouses and straw bedding, plus flea, tick and fly-strike prevention to those poor pooches struggling through another rough winter.

Tyrann, known as the Honey Badger for much of his football career, is a longtime PETA supporter with a special place in his heart for man's best friend.

In fact, Tyrann's the star of two viral PETA videos ... he once trapped himself in a hot car to demonstrate what happens to dogs locked in the same situation, and also shivered inside a walk-in freezer to illustrate how dogs suffer when they're left outdoors on frigid nights.

PETA tells us they'll be cheering Tyrann on Sunday when his Chiefs take on Brady's Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55 down in Tampa, knowing he'd be stoked to secure the big donation.

Tyrann intercepted TB12 when the two teams met in the regular season ... can he do it again???

Kansas City Chiefs star Tyrann Mathieu claims Tom Brady crossed a line during the Super Bowl ... saying the Buccaneers QB "called me something I won't repeat" in their heated exchange.

Mathieu and Brady butted heads several times during the big game -- most notably after the Bucs scored a late touchdown before the end of the first half -- with many accusing the Chiefs safety of being the instigator.

The 28-year-old went to Twitter to share his side of things following the crushing loss ... saying he's done nothing but admire Brady for years, and it was the 7-time champ who went too far.

"He called me something I won't repeat but yeah I'll let all the media throw me under the bus as if I did something or said something to him," Mathieu said in a since-deleted tweet.

"Go back to my previous games against TB12 I showed him nothing but respect. Look at my interviews about him ... I show grace."

Mathieu also spoke about the altercation after the game ... where he had a much more vague response.

"It's football," he said. "Guys are gonna go back and forth."

TB12 has yet to respond to the accusation ... we'll keep you posted.

SLAYYYYYYYY.

Serena Williams killed the fashion game -- and her opponent -- in her first official match at the Australian Open ... rockin' a 1-legged catsuit in an awesome tribute to track legend Florence Griffith Joyner.

The G.O.A.T. took the court Sunday against Laura Siegemund and just beat the daylights out of the German in 2 straight sets.

After the match, Serena explained her outfit.

"I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Serena said.

"Watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing."

She added, "The Nike team actually thought of this design of inspiration from Flo-Jo. I was like, 'Oh, my god, this is so brilliant.'"

Flo-Jo was one of the greatest sprinters in American history -- speeding to 3 gold medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay.

Griffith Joyner passed away in 1998 after suffering an epileptic seizure in her sleep. She was only 38 -- but her reputation as an elite athlete and fashion icon lives on.

"I think you got the wrong guy!"

That was Byron Leftwich's response to a reporter who confused the Tampa Bay Bucs assistant coach with another guy from the Bucs coaching staff, Todd Bowles.

(Take palm. Place directly on forehead).

See, this is Byron Leftwich on the left -- a former star NFL quarterback who is now the offensive coordinator for the Bucs.

On the right is Todd Bowles -- the defensive coordinator for the Bucs. He was previously the head coach of the New York Jets.

The reporter was clearly confused -- and asked Byron a question about how the Bucs defense managed to shut down Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.

Byron immediately realized what was happening ... and chuckled to himself as he corrected the reporter.

"Shut Pat Mahomes down? I think you got the wrong guy," Leftwich said ... "I didn’t have anything to do with that, that was Todd!!

So, how did the reporter mix these guys up??? Byron seems to have an idea ... and all he could do is laugh it off.

And, to make things worse ... even the person running the news conference messed up Byron's name when introducing him to the media. Byron -- NOT BRYAN -- handled that like a champ too.

Funny, "Saturday Night Live" just did a sketch this weekend about how Bucs coach Bruce Arians looks exactly like Chiefs coach Andy Reid ... but at least those two sorta look alike!!!