TMZ Sports - Page 36

Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil has a simple message for Super Bowl LX head coaches Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel: don't get cute when the lights are brightest.

Vermeil tells TMZ Sports both guys have earned their spots by trusting their systems and the people around them ... and he says the last thing they should do now is try to outsmart themselves.

"Don't forget how you got there," Vermeil said. "Rely on those who got you there and don't try to be too fancy. Just go play the game you’re capable of playing."

Stefon Diggs looks over the years may be a winner!

Suns out, tongues out 😛 ... Here is a 21-year-old version of the footballer -- playing for the Minnesota Vikings back in 2015 (left).

And, more than a decade later, the New England Patriots wide receiver was snapped during practice, looking fierce and focused!

We already know Cardi B diggs her player, so while we wait for Super Bowl Sunday to kick off, we gotta ask: Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick James Pearce Jr. was arrested on Saturday after the linebacker was involved in an alleged domestic dispute with a WNBA star, before fleeing the scene and crashing his vehicle.

Pearce Jr., 22, is currently in custody in a Miami-area jail on multiple charges, including two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated stalking, and fleeing/eluding police.

Cops were initially dispatched to the original scene after a report of a male and female involved in a dispute.

The woman was reportedly Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson, according to Local 10 News in Florida.

After law enforcement arrived and began investigating, Pearce Jr. fled the scene in his car, according to a spokesperson for the Doral Police Department.

Police gave chase, and the former Tennessee Vols star crashed ... where he was taken into custody.

A video circulating on social media purports to show the arrest, though cops haven't confirmed its authenticity.

The Falcons issued a statement Saturday evening, saying they were investigating the situation.

“We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”

Could Matt Stafford be the first athlete to get a statue outside SoFi Stadium?? TMZ Sports asked the man responsible for the decision!

We saw Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke leaving the Fanatics Luncheon in San Francisco on Friday, and asked him whether his star quarterback has "earned SoFi's first statue?"

"Well, we'll see," the billionaire owner responded. "This guy's something, isn't he?"

Cardi B might have turned a robot on too much ... because it seemingly launched itself at her in San Francisco.

TMZ has obtained video of the star strutting out onto the streets of The City by the Bay Saturday ... walking up to a robot and telling the assembled crowd she planned on giving the bot a lap dance.

Check out the video ... Cardi pulls off a series of dance moves, runs her hands all over the metal and eventually getting in front of it to motion kissing its expressionless face.

"The dog ate my homework" excuse is old news ... try "My Olympic obligations got in the way" instead!

Madeline Schizas -- a figure skater for the Canadian Olympic team -- is trying that line out on her college professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada ... sharing an email she sent asking for an extension.

Check it out ... Schizas writes she thought a assignment for her sociology class was due Sunday, not Friday -- and, she didn't have time to complete it anyway because she was representing Canada at the Olympics.

Shaquille O’Neal and a few of his musician pals kicked off Super Bowl weekend Friday night -- and the party was lit!

TMZ Sports was in the booth for Shaq's Fun House bash at Cow Palace Arena in San Francisco, a party described as part carnival, part circus and part festival.

The legendary big man -- aka DJ Diesel -- was on the decks for his annual event ... which goes down the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday.

J Balvin says a language barrier won’t stop Bad Bunny from dominating the Super Bowl halftime show -- pointing to his own love of hip-hop as proof!

The Latin superstar clearly thinks the language concerns are way overblown ... telling TMZ Sports how his own musical upbringing proves great music doesn’t need translation.

“I learned and grew up listening to hip-hop," he said. "I didn’t know what they were saying. I would just vibe with it.”

We caught up with Balvin outside the Fanatics luncheon on Friday in San Francisco ... when we asked for his reaction to all the chatter surrounding his pal Benito's SBLX headlining gig.

Vegas oddsmakers don't have a clue when it comes to Super Bowl LX ... 'cause the Patriots aren't only on the verge of winning another Lombardi Trophy, according to Mark Wahlberg, but the game ain't even gonna be close!

TMZ Sports ran into the longtime Patriots' superfan in San Francisco outside the Fanatics luncheon on Friday, and we asked him about the game.

"It's gonna be an ass-whooping, Patriots are gonna win big!" Wahlberg told us.

Of course, he's in the minority ... nearly every expert has picked the Seahawks, with some predicting Seattle winning going away.

Terrance Gore -- the former MLB star who played for multiple World Series-winning teams -- has died.

A shared Instagram post between Gore's account and the Gap to Gap Baseball Academy confirmed the news Saturday ... with the academy noting the world "lost a tremendous man last night, but more importantly a family lost a dad, a husband, a brother."

The announcement revealed he died Friday evening. A cause of death has not been shared.

Multiple tributes have been posted since the news broke ... with the Kansas City Royals -- the team for which Gore played a majority of his games at the major league level -- and MLB also sharing their condolences.

Gisele Bündchen just flashed what appears to be her wedding band for the 1st time since marrying Joaquim Valente!

The model showed off the gold band -- worn on her left ring finger -- on a bare-faced bike ride with their 1-year-old son, River, on Friday in Miami, Florida.

She dressed super casually for the outing, throwing on gray leggings and a matching crew neck sweater ... pairing the comfy 'fit with a white baseball cap.

Green Day kicked off Super Bowl weekend with a concert Friday night ... and to no surprise, they brought politics to the stage as they called out ICE and the current administration.

Check out the video -- the punk rock band has the floor at The FanDuel Party Powered by Spotify 2026 in San Francisco and lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong warns ICE agents that when their duties are over, President Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and Vice President J.D. Vance are going to drop them "like a bad f***ing habit." So ... he says they should quit while they're ahead!

At another point, BJA also referenced Jeffrey Epstein -- a week after droves of new docs were released by the Department of Justice. He changed the lyrics in their hit song "Holiday" from "the representative from California has the floor" to "the representative from Epstein Island has the floor."

Anyone lucky enough to score a ticket to Super Bowl LV better not try their luck with sex workers while they're partying and having fun, because you'll probably get arrested!

That's right, fellas ... Josh Singleton, Commander of the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force, tells TMZ ... his team of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers ain't messin' around when it comes to sex workers -- and if you get caught messin' around with them, you're gonna wind up in handcuffs!

Singleton gives everyone fair warning ... "Come have a good time at the Super Bowl. Don't engage in commercial sex because we're out in force and we're enforcing the laws!"

These gridiron gods don’t usually go shirtless -- they’re too busy rockin’ tight game pants -- so take ’em while they’re hot, as you scroll and score some PATRIOTS and SEAHAWKS ...

Oh, and keep your eyes off the ball and onto the players ... Rashid Shaheed, Hunter Henry, and Byron Murphy II are comin' for 'ya!

The Super Bowl coming to town isn't just good for local businesses ... it's good for love, too -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned that Tinder has seen an increase in usage and matches in the Bay Area!!

We spoke with a Tinder spokesperson to get a sense of how their app has been holding up since the sports world descended on Santa Clara ... and some fans don't just have football to look forward to -- there are connections being made!!

According to the numbers, this week's matches are up 30-40% year over year, with swipe activity increasing by about 10% in the region.