Los Angeles Rams

Shocking news in the NFL world ... Aaron Donald -- arguably the best defensive player of his generation -- is retiring.

The Los Angeles superstar just announced his decision on social media ... revealing that after 10 seasons with the Rams, he's hanging up his cleats.

In his announcement post, the 32-year-old thanked L.A.'s org. and its fans ... before explaining he's now hoping that without football in his life, he'll be able to spend plenty more time with his wife and kids.

"Throughout my career," Donald said, "I have given my everything to football both mentally and physically -- 365 days a year was dedicated to becoming the best possible player I could be."

"I respected this game like no other and I'm blessed to be able to conclude my NFL career with the same franchise that drafted me."

Donald was picked by the Rams in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and he immediately became one of the team's best players. In his first year, he started 12 games and won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

He went on to make the Pro Bowl in every season he played in ... and was named an All-Pro eight total times. He also won Defensive Player of the Year honors three times.

Most didn't expect him to retire this offseason -- as he was still playing at an extremely high level. However, rumors of him possibly turning in his helmet have swirled since 2022, when it was revealed that he had previously only envisioned playing eight seasons.

The only question that remains surrounding his career is not if he'll get a gold jacket in five years -- but whether or not he'll be remembered as the greatest defensive tackle ever.

Puka Nacua put his hoops skills on full display at the NBA's All-Star festivities last month ... and he tells TMZ Sports if he ever needed basketball to pay his bills, he could probably get it done professionally overseas!!

The Rams wideout put on the show on Feb. 16 at the All-Star Celebrity Game in Indianapolis ... scoring 16 points while throwing down two highly impressive dunks. It was so eye-opening, many wondered if the football player could actually transition just fine into the sport if he wanted to.

So, when we got him out at LAX this month ... we asked the question -- and he didn't say no!!!

While he was sure he could never get it done in the NBA, the 22-year-old didn't rule out other pro leagues across the pond ... telling us, "Maybe in another country!"

Nacua, however, doesn't seem interested at all in pursuing another career anytime soon -- telling us straight up, "I'm a lot better at football, that's for sure."

Of course, there's really no reason whatsoever to even explore at this point. The former BYU standout just had one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns.

Rick Harrison y su equipo de "Pawn Stars" están buscando sacar provecho del Super Bowl que viene a la ciudad, su tienda está pregonando algunos anillos de campeonato de los últimos Super Bowls.

La buena gente de Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, que aparece en el reality show, le dice a TMZ que están vendiendo un anillo del Super Bowl de los Giants de Nueva York 2007 por $77.500.

Los Giants vencieron a Tom Brady y los New England Patriots en el Super Bowl XLII, arruinando la temporada invicta de los Patriots. Este anillo era propiedad de un empleado del equipo y está hecho por Tiffany & Co.

La casa de empeños Gold & Silver también tiene en su poder un anillo de los Rams de Los Ángeles de 2021, y va por unos mucho más asequibles de 20.000 dólares. Los Rams vencieron a los Bengalíes de Cincinnati en LVI gracias a un touchdown de Matthew Stafford a Cooper Kupp en los minutos finales.

El anillo de campeonato de los Rams es también el de un miembro del equipo y nos dicen que está a la venta por menos que el anillo de los Giants, porque hay muchos más fans de NYG que de los Rams, y los anillos de los Giants históricamente se venden a precios más altos que los anillos de los Rams.

Rick le dice a TMZ que reciben una gran cantidad de consultas acerca de sus anillos de campeonatos deportivos, pero el interés en los anillos del Super Bowl es siempre mayor cuando se avecina el Gran Juego.

Con el Super Bowl LVIII en Las Vegas, Rick espera que los fans de los Giants y los Rams ganen mucho dinero apostando este fin de semana. Él dice: "Supongo que podríamos encontrarlos en nuestra puerta una vez que se despierten de celebrar la noche del domingo en busca de poseer un anillo de su equipo favorito".

Gold & Silver Pawn también está vendiendo anillos del Campeonato de la AFC, anteriormente propiedad de jugadores de la NFL, incluyendo uno de los Patriots de 2011 por $32.500, y otro de los Broncos de Denver de 1989 por $40.000.

Vale la pena señalar que los anillos de los jugadores son un poco diferentes que los anillos del personal, y los anillos de los jugadores son más valiosos, y por lo tanto, vienen con etiquetas de precios más altos.

Rick Harrison and his "Pawn Stars" crew are looking to capitalize on the Super Bowl coming to town -- their shop's hawking some championship rings from recent Super Bowls.

The good folks at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, featured on the reality show, tell TMZ ... they're selling a Super Bowl ring from the 2007 New York Giants for $77,500.

The '07 Giants beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII ... ruining the Patriots' undefeated season. This SB ring was owned by a team staffer, and it's made by Tiffany & Co.

Gold & Silver Pawn shop also has a ring from the 2021 Los Angeles Rams in its possession ... and it's going for a much more affordable $20,000. The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in LVI on the strength of a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp in the final minutes.

The Rams championship ring is also from a team staffer, and we're told it's on sale for less than the Giants ring because there are way more NYG fans than Rams fans ... and Giants SB rings historically sell for higher prices than Rams rings.

Rick tells TMZ ... they get a lot of inquiries about their sports championship rings, but interest in Super Bowl rings is always higher around the Big Game.

With Super Bowl LVIII going down in Vegas, Rick is hoping Giants and Rams fans win big money gambling this weekend. He says, "I'm guessing we might find them at our door once they wake up from celebrating Sunday night looking to own a ring from their favorite team."

Gold & Silver Pawn is also selling AFC Championship rings previously owned by NFL players ... including one from the 2011 Patriots for $32,500, and another from the 1989 Denver Broncos for $40,000.

It's worth noting ... player rings are a little different than staff rings, and player rings are more valuable, and thus, come with higher price tags.

Drew Barrymore puede ser una estrella, pero no es inmune a los horrores de las aplicaciones de citas, incluyendo ser engañada por personas que afirman y pretenden ser alguien más.

En el episodio del viernes de "The Drew Barrymore Show", la actriz dijo que estaba encantada cuando recientemente se emparejó con un hombre que decía ser un jugador de los Rams de Los Ángeles. Ella le dijo que estaba emocionada de decirle que fue al Coliseo para ver su primer partido en Los Ángeles.

Desafortunadamente, todo se desvaneció cuando se percató de que la persona no era un jugador profesional ni mucho menos.

Drew le dijo a su co-presentador -Ross Mathews- que rápidamente se enteró de la cruda realidad. Ella dice que era un músico que pensó que estaba siendo un conquistador al cambiar su identidad.

Drew dice que se sentía estúpida por haber caído en la trampa.

Ross añade que estaba decepcionado, porque cuando ella comenzó a contar la historia se la imaginaba como la nueva Taylor Swift en los juegos, animando a su novio. Por desgracia, no estaba destinado a ser de esa manera.

Drew ha estado públicamente soltera tras su separación de su ex -Will Kopelman- en 2016, así que está viviendo el juego de la soltería.

Drew Barrymore might be an A-lister, but she isn't immune to the horrors of dating apps ... including getting tricked by people claiming/pretending to be someone else.

On Friday's episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show", the actress said she was thrilled when she recently matched with a man claiming to be the QB from the L.A. Rams -- not cause she wanted to flex on landing an athlete, she claims ... but cause she was excited to tell him she went to the Coliseum to see their first L.A. game.

Unfortunately, her fangirling was short-lived ... 'cause she wasn't talking to a Rams player.

Drew told her cohost Ross Mathews when she reached out to this guy with her football ramblings, she quickly learned the cold hard truth -- he was nowhere near to being a celebrated NFL'er. Instead ... she says he was a random musician who thought he was being cute about lying about his identity.

Drew says she felt stupid and dumb over being misled ... not to mean so easily fooled.

Ross adds she should absolutely feel a way about being lied to  -- saying he was disappointed cause when she started telling the story, he envisioned her being the new Taylor Swift at the games, cheering on her man. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Drew's been publicly single following her split from her ex Will Kopelman in 2016 ... but if her efforts crawling her way back into the dating pool are this grim ... there's clearly no hope for other singletons.

Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson is suing an L.A.-area hotel ... after he says the establishment didn't do enough to protect him during a terrifying robbery in its lobby last year.

The 29-year-old claimed in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County last week that the incident happened at the Lexen Hotel in North Hollywood at around midnight on Oct. 20, 2023.

Robinson claims he entered the facility through a side entrance after pulling into the parking garage ... but when he made his way into the lobby, two masked men pulled guns on him and threatened to murder him.

In the suit, Robinson says the men took nearly $150,000 worth of stuff off of his person during the encounter ... including a luxury diamond watch and two diamond chains.

Robinson claims the hotel didn't have security guards outside the hotel or in the lobby -- adding that employees who were working at the front desk at the time didn't call authorities until after the suspects had fled the area.

Robinson's suing the place for negligence and more ... seeking at least $149,500 in damages ... plus punitives.

Robinson played in 16 regular season games for the Rams this year. He also logged snaps in the team's lone playoff game earlier this month against the Lions, recording three catches for 44 yards.

Kelly Stafford believes she has proof to back her claim that Lions fans were hostile toward her family during the Rams' playoff game against the Lions ... sharing a video of folks directing boos her way.

As we previously reported, Matthew Stafford's wife accused the Detroit fanbase of targeting her young children at last weekend's Wild Card matchup ... saying they crossed the line by sending jeers their way.

But Stafford is seemingly walking back a bit on her original claim ... admitting fans were actually going after her, but the kiddos didn't know the difference.

"I didn't know if I should post this video or not because I truly don't wanna dwell on what happened," Kelly captioned a social media clip of her appearance at the game.

"This was our experience on the field. I know you are booing me, but my kids don't know the difference even if I try to explain it to them."

Earlier this week, Kelly stated she understood why Detroit fans would turn on their family despite 12 years with the organization ... saying it's all part of sports, but anything involving her kids is no longer "fair game."

Kelly alluded to Lions supporters not believing her side of the story ... 'cause she also sent a message to those doubting her experience.

"The whole scenario is hard to accept, but not as hard as the questioning of my integrity," she added.

Matthew Stafford apparently wasn't the only one in his family getting booed during the Rams and Lions' Wild Card game on Sunday -- his wife, Kelly, claims fans also targeted their four young kids with jeers as well.

Kelly admitted before the Rams' 24-23 loss she was expecting to hear it from Lions fans ahead of the matchup ... considering her hubby was their beloved quarterback for 12 seasons before he was traded to the Rams, where he won his first Super Bowl.

Now that he's on the other sidelines, Kelly explained she understood why people would turn on #9 in favor of their own team ... but it's clear she wasn't expecting her youngins to get thrown into their antics.

"It's sports," Kelly said on her IG story Monday. "The city wants to win. Everything is fair game ... except the fans who booed my children."

"Other than that, I loved the atmosphere and the booing just gave my husband more fire."

Despite the booing Stafford's daughters -- who range between the ages of 3 and 6 -- Kelly wished the Lions nothing but the best ... and is rooting for them to win it all.

"The more you love, the more you hate. I consider it all love going both ways," Kelly said.

"I hope the Lions bring home a Lombardi to that city because that feeling is like no other."

The brutal hit on Tyler Higbee, which ultimately tore the TE's ACL, was NOT dirty ... according to Kerby Joseph's Lions teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who says if the Rams want to blame anyone, it should be their QB!

The tackle in question came late in the 4th quarter during the Lions-Rams playoff game at Ford Field Sunday evening ... when Joseph, a safety, hit Higbee low as he attempted to catch a ball running across the middle of the field.

The TV broadcast showed Higbee's planted leg bending backward ... and many people have deemed the hit "dirty."

But, Gardner-Johnson feels differently ... placing the blame on Matthew Stafford for putting his TE in that position.

"If anybody on the Rams feels like it was dirty, well tell his quarterback don't put the ball in a place where he can get his player hurt," CJ told reporters after the game.

"You heard [Tom] Brady say it all the time."

In fact, Brady did recently make this point ... after Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. got hurt after a hit from Steelers' Damontae Kazee (he was suspended for the rest of the 2023 season).

"Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen," Brady said.

"QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits."

On Monday, the Rams fears were confirmed ... Higbee tore his ACL on the play.

Johnson -- a third-round draft pick of the Lions in 2022 -- spoke about the hit after the Lions 24-23 win, saying he wasn't trying to hurt Tyler.

"I’m praying for bro and his family I don’t have no intention to hurt no body and or harm their career," Joseph wrote on X.

Dan Campbell had his Lions players ready to run through a brick wall after the franchise's first playoff win in 32 years ... giving a speech right from the heart that got the entire locker room hyped!!

The Lions pulled off the close 24-23 victory in the Wild Card matchup against the L.A. Rams on Sunday ... punching their ticket to the Divisional Round, where they will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.

Campbell -- who's in his third season with Detroit -- addressed his squad shortly after the contest ... and he didn't hold back as he honored general manager Brad Holmes and Jared Goff with game balls.

"Dude, how electric was it out there?" Campbell said. "I'm telling you what, it doesn't get any better. It's everything you dream of and then more, all right? That's outstanding work."

Holmes was also fired up to the max after the game ... letting out a scream in the elevator, which was captured on video.

Emotions were high at Ford Field ... as the Lions faced off against former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played 12 seasons in Motor City before being traded to L.A. in 2021.

Some fans in the crowd were visibly crying after the final whistle ... and understandably so, as the Lions had to deal with some miserable seasons before the turnaround.

In fact, the team's biggest A-list supporters like Eminem, Barry Sanders and Big Sean were present for the showdown ... and they were certainly soaking in the huge moment.

As we previously reported, Slim Shady playfully begged Stafford to let the Lions win ... claiming the former No. 1 overall pick owed him a favor for crushing it during the Super Bowl halftime show when the QB secured his first ring with the Rams in the 2021 season.

Eminem says Rams QB Matt Stafford owes him, and he’s calling in a favor -- let the Lions win on Sunday!

The legendary rapper is a big Detroit Lions fan ... and with the team hosting a home playoff game tonight for the first time in 3 decades (1994), Eminem sent a message to the 35-year-old former #1 overall draft pick ahead of the highly anticipated Super Wild Card matchup.

"Stafford, what'd I say? You owe me this favor, bro. I was there for you when you won it. I was there for you. I was right there. I rapped for you Stafford, bro, I rapped for you. Can you just let us have this one? Just this one!"

When Em says he "rapped for" Matt, he's referring to Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium in 2022 ... where Marshall (along with Dre, Snoop, Mary J., and 50) performed one of the best halftime shows in SB history.

On the field, Stafford's Rams beat the Bengals, 23-20 ... and Em showed love for the former Lions star.

Of course, before he ever played a down as the Rams QB, Stafford broke into the league as a Lions star in 2009 ... when he was drafted with the first overall pick.

Stafford, after 12 seasons in Detroit, was traded for now-current Lions' signal-caller Jared Goff, in 2020.

Goff's played some of the best football of his career since leaving SoCal, and led the Lions to a 12-5 record this season. It's the rare trade that has worked out great for both organizations.

Eminem aside, anticipation of Matt's return to the Motor City has become a bit of a contentious topic ... with some fans calling for a boycott of his Lions jersey at Ford Field, which didn't sit well with Stafford's wife, Kelly.

As for Sunday's game, it's expected to be incredibly close ... so you can't fault Em for trying to get an advantage!

The Lions have never won a Super Bowl (they won 4 championships before the SB era), and haven't won a playoff game since January 1992.

Matthew Stafford better have brought his tough-guy helmet with him to Detroit this weekend ... 'cause Calvin Johnson tells TMZ Sports he's not expecting Lions fans to welcome their former QB with open arms.

Of course, Megatron says there will likely be some cheers and even some people decked out in Stafford's former No. 9 jerseys at Ford Field when the Rams visit for their much-anticipated Wild Card round game Sunday night ... but the Hall of Famer tells us, "I'm sure there will be people booing."

As for how Johnson will feel ... it seems he's feeling conflicted on how to handle it all as well.

"I'm definitely a Matthew fan -- that's my guy," said Johnson, who caught passes from Stafford from 2009 to 2015 with the Lions. "But I want him to come in here and come into the Lion's Den and not go home!"

Some Detroit fans, meanwhile, have already given a bit of a preview into how they'll respond when Stafford runs out onto the field later Sunday ... advocating a ban on wearing old No. 9 uniforms to the game -- something Matthew's wife was not pleased about.

Antics in the crowd aside, Johnson expects his old team will ultimately get the win over Stafford -- though he says the score will be very close.

Cooper Kupp might've been in the middle of a playoff race, but the Rams star wasn't too busy to feed the men and women keeping L.A. safe this past Christmas season ... hooking up a bunch of Sheriff's Deputies with a massive serving of BBQ!

We're told 30-year-old Kupp swung by the Los Angeles Sherrif Department's Lost Hills station just before December 25, and he didn't arrive empty-handed. The standout wide receiver, on his dime, brought trays of food -- meat, sides, they had it all -- for the appreciative deputies.

The reason? Cooper wanted to thank the LASD for all they do.

Just dropping off the food would've been plenty, but to make the trip even better, Kupp hung out and took photos and signed autographs for anyone interested.

“Thank you Cooper Kupp for stopping by the station to bring dinner for the troops and taking the time to hang out for a bit. Your generosity was beyond appreciated. #weloveourcommunities” the LASD said.

Safe to say everyone had an awesome time.

It's not the first time Kupp’s helped his community ... he’s a charitable dude. CK has a history of giving back, even providing around 8,400 meals for food banks back in 2020!

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, is clapping back at a Lions fan who's trying to stop people from wearing her hubby's jersey at their upcoming playoff game ... calling the proposed plan "sad."

Detroit is hosting its first playoff game in 30 years against the Rams on Sunday ... which means Stafford will make his return to the Motor City with the intention of knocking his ex-team out of the postseason.

Normally, Stafford's Detroit jersey is one of the most popular ones at Ford Field -- even after he was traded to L.A. for Jared Goff before the 2021 season began.

But, one fan is trying to prevent that from happening this weekend ... appearing to say in a social media post this week that the blue and silver No. 9 threads could bring some bad juju to the home team.

"ANNOUNCEMENT," the fan wrote in the Instagram post. "Please don't wear a Lions-Stafford jersey to the game. This is not a time to be cute or funny."

"This is about business and putting the final nail in the SOL coffin. It ain't personal. Just business!"

It didn't take long for word of the planned ban to get around to Kelly Stafford, who slammed the idea in the comment section of the post.

“Well this is sad because it's the completely opposite of how we feel about this city," she wrote, "but Matthew has always been the bigger person and will continue to be that. Praying for an incredible game with zero injuries. ♥️"

The fan ended up responding ... writing back that the hate is only temporary.

"We love Matthew," the Detroit supporter said, "just not this week.😂"

A 71-year-old security guard is suing the Los Angeles Rams ... claiming the NFL org.'s negligence led to him suffering "catastrophic" injuries during a violent fan brawl at SoFi Stadium last year.

The man -- ID'd in the lawsuit as Robert Leahey -- says the incident happened back on Dec. 8, 2022 during the Rams vs. Raiders "Thursday Night Football" game ... when he was hired by Contemporary Services Corporation to help assist people in large crowds and help "maintain an orderly atmosphere."

At around 6:30 PM inside the Inglewood stadium, however, Leahey says a "large fight broke out" between L.A. and Vegas supporters -- and he jumped in to try to keep the peace.

But, in the lawsuit, Leahey says as other guards arrived on scene -- they pushed him, causing him to fall down a set of concrete stairs.

Leahey claims he hit his head several times while crashing down the stairs -- and when he got up, he alleges someone involved in the fight threw a Modelo beer can that connected with his head ... 'causing him further injury.

Leahey says on Dec. 9, he went to a nearby hospital ... "where he was tested and diagnosed with severe and catastrophic brain injuries, including a subdural hematoma with brain bleeding."

In the suit, Leahey claims since the incident, he's had difficulty with his speech and his vision -- while also suffering from headaches. He claims he's been unable to work as well.