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The speculation can be put to rest -- Rob Gronkowski says his football-playing days are officially behind him ... and not even Tom Brady can change his mind.

The 33-year-old future Hall of Famer doubled down on his decision to walk away from the game just minutes ago ... saying he's excited to focus on new opportunities after 11 seasons on the field.

"Yeah, I'm done with football," Gronk said Tuesday. "Love the game. Definitely blessed with all the opportunities the game of football has given me and the relationships I’ve met, obviously, here in New England for nine seasons and down in Tampa for two."

"But, no, done with football. Stepping my feet into the business world, the business ventures and just seeing what’s out there and where I can find my place."

The comments come one week after teammate Mike Evans addressed Gronk's status ... saying he was hoping to see him back on the field for the Buccaneers in 2022, but knows it's probably for the best.

"He takes a pretty big beating," Evans told KPRC 2 Houston. "I've seen his body after some of them games and I understand why [he would retire]."

The Tour de France had to be stopped for several minutes on Tuesday ... after multiple protesters parked themselves in the middle of the course and lit flares to block riders.

The men and women put their bodies in the roadway in what appeared to be an attempt to raise awareness for climate change.

Video from the race's broadcast showed the people quickly running onto the street and spreading out evenly across it -- forcing cyclists to stop and wait for them to be cleared.

Some of the protestors had chains around their necks, while others had shirts that read, "We have 989 days left." They stayed on the course until authorities physically removed them.

Once they were cleared -- event organizers made sure in the restart of the race that all of the previous gaps built before the pause were maintained after it.

File under "incredibly hot take."

Andre Iguodala believes Rasheed Wallace would be a top 5 player in the NBA if he played in today's game ... saying the 2004 champ would be better than 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Really.

The Golden State Warriors forward made the head-scratching comment on "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" this week ... saying Sheed had what it took to be one of the all-time greats, but chose to "do [his] thing" instead.

"Rasheed Wallace probably could have been a top-five player in the league for a 10-year stretch," Iguodala said on the show. "He was shooting half-court shots left-handed and right-handed."

"If Rasheed Wallace played in modern-day basketball, if he played in our league today, he’d be a top-five player. He’d be better than Giannis and I love Giannis."

Now, Sheed was a great player during his 16-year career ... averaging more than 14 points a game and playing a key role in the Detroit Pistons' title run in 2004.

His ability to shoot from range would certainly fit right in with today's game ... but better than Giannis?!? We're talking about the 2021 Finals MVP, 4-time first-team All-NBA selection, Defensive Player of the Year and 75th Anniversary team pick ... and the dude's just 27 years old.

Tiger Woods is teeing off on LIV Golf ... making it clear on Tuesday that he ain't a fan of the new org., or the golfers who have defected to it.

The 46-year-old railed against the new, Saudi-backed league for several minutes during a meeting with media members ahead of this week's The Open tourney ... explaining he just doesn't understand how guys have ditched the PGA Tour for it.

"I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position," Woods said of the LIV golfers.

Woods, who reportedly turned down a massive offer to play in LIV Golf earlier this year, explained he believes the Tour has given athletes the chance to "earn what we get" and establish a legacy -- something he clearly thinks is lacking in the new golf league.

In fact, Woods questioned how anyone taking the guaranteed payday from the new org. could find a desire to try to get better going forward.

"What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice?" the golf legend said. "What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You’re just getting paid a lot of money upfront and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They’re playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different."

Woods also said he agreed with The Open's decision to ban LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman from some of this week's most meaningful events.

"Greg has done some things that I don’t think is in the best interest of our game," Woods said, "and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport."

LIV Golf officially kicked off its first event last month in England. More than a dozen of the top players in the world -- including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau -- have elected to play in it.

The PGA Tour, meanwhile, has suspended all of the defectors indefinitely, saying in a statement in June that anyone who follows suit will face similar punishments.

It's unclear yet what the four major championship events will do with the LIV golfers going forward -- though Tiger said even the slightest possibility of a ban from those tourneys would have turned him off to the idea immediately.

Richard Jefferson has crossed over to the other side ... the ex-NBA star made his debut as an NBA official last night during the Knicks-Blazers Summer League game.

The 17-year NBA veteran was tapped to officiate the second quarter of the contest between Portland and New York ... after the league says he attended daily Summer League Officiating Meetings in Las Vegas.

RJ was received pretty well throughout the night by the fans (except Knicks fans) in attendance at the Thomas & Mack Center in Vegas ... getting cheers from the crowd, but they also didn't hesitate to let the NBA champ hear it when he got a call incorrect.

One Twitter user posted a video of Jefferson being booed ... after he awarded the ball to the wrong team on an errant pass.

Ironically enough, Richard's first experience as a ref came during a game involving the Knicks -- a team he tormented on the court in his career -- something rapper Joe Budden jokingly made reference to on Twitter.

"I guess no one up top has ever heard Richard Jefferson during any Knicks discussion lol… I don't care how many officiating classes he took, he should not be the official (for a quarter) at ANY Knick game ever Foh," Budden said.

Jefferson -- who retired from the Association in 2018 -- ultimately believes the more knowledge he has about the game of basketball, the better analyst he becomes.

Derek Jeter can pinpoint the exact day that his relationship with Alex Rodriguez melted down ... saying it all happened in 2001, when he realized the MLB superstar was "not a true friend."

The New York Yankees legend opened up about it all in ESPN's new "The Captain" documentary -- which is set to run in its entirety in seven parts beginning later this month -- revealing he grew apart from Rodriguez after the former shortstop had made some remarks about him in an '01 interview with Esquire.

Rodriguez, who was very close with Jeter and had just signed a massive contract to play for the Texas Rangers, told a reporter for the outlet that Derek was "blessed" to play for an absolutely stacked NY team.

"He's never had to lead," Rodriguez said. "He doesn’t have to, he can just go and play and have fun, and hit second."

He continued, "I mean, you know, hitting second is totally different than hitting third or fourth in a lineup because you go into New York trying to stop Bernie [Williams] and [Paul] O’Neill and everybody. You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ That’s never your concern.”

Jeter, who at the time was considered the Yankees' best player, took offense to the comments -- saying in the documentary that they "bothered me."

"I’m very, very loyal," Jeter said. "As a friend, I’m loyal. I just looked at it as, ‘I wouldn’t have done it.'"

Rodriguez said in the documentary he apologized, and Jeter said he was down to accept it -- but #2 revealed A-Rod then went on to say "there’s not one thing he does better than me" in another interview, which Jeter made clear officially fractured their bond.

"He’s not a true friend, is how I felt," Jeter said. "Because I wouldn’t do it to a friend."

The two -- who were so close as youngsters in the MLB that they actually had sleepovers at each other's homes -- eventually became teammates with the Yankees in 2004, but famously had an up-and-down, icy time together.

Rob Riggle is dating as he goes through a nasty divorce with his estranged wife, and his new girlfriend isn't just a professional golfer ... she's a former contestant on his game show.

Rob is dating Kasia Kay ... they recently went Instagram official and are leaving "💗" emojis on their photos together, so it's pretty serious.

Kasia's IG feed is littered with tons of pics of her and Rob at golf courses, Hollywood events and NFL games and they look super happy.

Rob and Kasia had a working relationship before getting romantic ... she appeared as a contestant on season 2 of ABC's "Holey Moley," which Rob co-hosts with Joe Tessitore.

TMZ broke the story ... Rob's wife, Tiffany, filed for divorce in October 2020 and listed May 2, 2020, as the date of separation.

It's worth noting, Kasia's "Holey Moley" episode aired in July 2020 -- and a source close to Rob is telling us there was no overlap with his ex-wife.

Kasia posted her first IG pic with Rob in July 2021, a group selfie with RR, "The Office" star Brian Baumgartner and retired MLB star Chase Utley. We're told the relationship's only recently gotten more serious.

Rob's divorce turned ugly shortly when, as we first reported, he accused his ex of spying on him via hidden camera, hacking him and taking $28,000 of his cash. He's now suing Tiffany, in addition to the divorce.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris will have a lengthy list of rules to follow after doing time for his child pornography case ... including completion of multiple treatment programs.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ, Harris' registration as a sex offender will be just the tip of the iceberg.

The terms of his supervised release require him to participate in a mental health program, and take any meds prescribed by the treatment provider.

On top of that, he'll also have to go through a sex offender treatment program, which might include psychological and physiological testing.

In addition to the treatment, there's an obvious criterion -- Harris is forbidden from coming into contact with the minors involved in his case.

As you know, Harris was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison last week after a string of his friends and supporters read statements about the disgraced reality star's character.

Kamaru Usman is laser-focused on his upcoming match with Leon Edwards ... but the UFC superstar admits to TMZ Sports he's still hoping for a fight with Canelo Alvarez down the road.

The welterweight champion said the tilt would be "a spectacle" -- and predicted it'd be one of the most anticipated events in combat sports history.

"It's never been done, pound-for-pound versus pound-for-pound," Usman tells us. "And, they're significantly close in weight classes to be able to do it -- why not?!"

"I don't think there's going to be anyone in the world who's not watching that fight."

Of course, Usman is slated to rematch Edwards next month -- while Canelo is set to fight Gennady Golovkin for a third time in September.

But, after those two matches wrap up -- Usman made it clear, he'd be more than down for a collision with the star boxer.

"When you hear that fight's announced," Usman said, "everyone's going to be watching that fight."

Canelo has expressed at least some interest in a fight with Usman -- though he wrote in a tweet to The Nigerian Nightmare back in April that he had a legacy to make before he got in the ring with the MMA star.

If Canelo isn't on the horizon, Usman tells us he's got a desire to move to the lightweight division, and take on either Jan Błachowicz or Jiří Procházka.

But, don't get it twisted, Usman is locked in on his Edwards fight -- explaining to us he's only leaving his house to hit the gym to train.

Former Dallas Cowboys star Marion Barber III died due to heat stroke, officials confirmed to TMZ Sports on Monday.

According to the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office, Barber's death was ruled an "accident."

As we reported, Barber was found dead by the Frisco Police Dept. in Texas on June 1. He was just 38 years old.

The ex-running back, who was picked by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, had shown no signs of trouble prior to his death, according to his attorney, Zoltan Papp.

Papp said Barber had started a trucking venture, and had also spent a large portion of the past few years trying to help kids in inner cities, while fighting for social justice.

Barber played in the NFL for seven seasons -- six with the Cowboys and one with the Bears -- totaling 4,780 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns over 99 total games.

RIP.

Video taken in the seconds after Kim Glass was attacked on the streets of Downtown L.A. has emerged ... and it shows blood was spattered everywhere near the former volleyball star as she sat injured on the sidewalk.

Benson Parks captured the footage on his phone over the weekend, just moments after Glass, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, had apparently been struck by a heavy object thrown by a homeless man who was standing near her in the street.

You can see in the clips, there were several pools of blood near Glass, who was holding a bandage near her eye and yelling in pain.

The video also shows Parks holding down the man who was suspected of throwing the object.

As we reported, Glass claims the incident happened after she had finished dining with a friend.

"He just like looked at me with some pretty hateful eyes," Glass said of the attack. "And, as I turned to go tell my friend, 'I think something's, like, wrong with him and I think he's going to hit a car,' before I knew it, a big metal bolt, like pipe, hit me right here."

"It happened so fast."

37-year-old Glass said she suffered multiple facial fractures and needed several stitches to close the gashes on her face ... though, thankfully, she added doctors were optimistic her vision would eventually return to normal.

The suspect, meanwhile, was arrested by the LAPD ... and booked on a charge of felony assault with a deadly weapon.

The man convicted of killing LSU basketball star Wayde Sims in 2018 has been found dead in prison, officials announced on Monday ... just days after he received a life sentence for second-degree murder.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports that a medical team rendered aid to 23-year-old Dyteon Simpson after they found him unresponsive in prison at around 8 PM on Sunday.

The sheriff's office said Simpson was pronounced dead a short time later.

A police spokesperson tells us a preliminary toxicology report revealed Simpson appeared to have fentanyl in his system.

"The EBR Coroner will conduct an autopsy and determine final cause of death," the spokesperson added. "This investigation is ongoing as to the cause of death and possibility of contraband."

We reached out to Simpson's lawyer, Margaret Lagattuta, but she declined to comment on the incident.

As we previously reported, Sims -- who played forward for the Tigers' men's hoops team -- was shot in the head during an altercation at a Subway near the LSU campus on Sept. 28, 2018.

Simpson was arrested for killing Sims a day later ... and was ultimately charged with second-degree murder.

The Department of Justice is investigating whether the PGA Tour -- who punished players for signing with wealthy Saudi golf startup, LIV Golf -- engaged in anticompetitive practices, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Agents of players have been contacted by the antitrust division of the DOJ in recent months, and asked about the Tour's rules preventing players from playing in other golf events, and the punishment of players who signed with LIV, according to the report.

Of course, many top players have signed with the new, Saudi Arabia-backed organization ... Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and others have signed incredibly lucrative deals with LIV.

TMZ Sports contacted the PGA Tour which acknowledged the investigation, but didn't seem worried in the least.

"This was not unexpected. We went through this in 1994 and we are confident in a similar outcome," a spokesperson for the Tour told us.

FYI, PGA's referring to a Federal Trade Commission investigation in the mid-90s that looked into the Tour's rules barring players from participating in rival tournaments. The FTC dropped the investigation by 1995.

As for what could happen with this investigation ... the DOJ could pursue punishment of the PGA Tour. Or, players who signed with LIV, and/or the organization itself, could file an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour.

LeBron James is NOT the NBA's G.O.A.T ... so says the King's former teammate, Ray Allen, who completely shut down the declaration from a beloved LBJ fan in a recent argument that was all caught on video.

Tyriek Weeks -- a basketball player from Commonwealth Academy in Rhode Island -- shared the clip to his TikTok page this weekend ... showing him and Allen getting into it over the James vs. Michael Jordan debate.

“He can score and pass it,” Weeks said, advocating for why he believed James was #1.

“Is he a great free throw shooter?" James' ex-Miami Heat teammate fired back. "Is he a great 3-point shooter? Is he a great dribbler?"

After Weeks answered "no" to all three questions ... Allen said, "So, you're saying he's the GOAT, but he ain’t even the greatest in all them categories."

Allen then went on to say Jordan actually is.

The argument from Allen is a surprising one -- considering the 46-year-old won the 2013 NBA title with LBJ, and the guys appeared to be super close during their time together in South Beach.

Walmart heir Rob Walton, fresh off buying the Broncos for a record $4.9 BILLION, just added a new partner to the ownership group ... former United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, the billionaire announced Monday.

"We're pleased to welcome former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to our ownership group."

"A highly respected public servant, accomplished academic and corporate leader, Secretary Rice is well known as a passionate and knowledgeable football fan who has worked to make the sport stronger and better," Walton wrote.

Rice -- a diehard Cleveland Browns fan -- served as the 66th United States Secretary of State under then-President George W. Bush from 2005-09. In 2013, Rice was selected to be 1 of 13 members of the College Football Playoff selection committee, where she served until her term expired in 2016.

Despite the fact Rice's appointment to the committee was met with skepticism initially, it's clear Walton's group felt that experience, along with the fact her dad was a football coach (oh, and Rice is incredibly smart) made her the ideal candidate to join the organization.

In fact, Condoleezza had a connection with the area long before she became an owner of Denver's football team. When Rice was 12 years old, her family moved to the Mile High city. CR eventually went on to attend the University of Denver for college and graduate school.

Political accomplishments aside, Rice is best known for her avid love and support of the Browns ... and her bond with the orange and brown franchise is so strong that in 2018, rumors surfaced that Cleveland was reportedly considering hiring her to be the team's new head coach.

Of course, that didn't happen, and both the Browns and Rice shot down any rumors that Condoleezza would be stepping into call plays for her favorite NFL team.

Russell Wilson is clearly doing all he can to make sure he ain't the last NFL QB to come out of his household ... revealing Monday he's training Future Zahir to be a signal-caller too!

The Denver Broncos QB posted video of a recent workout sesh he had with Ciara's 8-year-old son ... and you can see, the kid appears to be a natural!

As Russ dictated how he wanted the boy to manipulate the pocket, Future Zahir complied with ease -- and then delivered a dart to the 33-year-old NFL star.

Russ also showed he's giving some quarterbacking lessons to the son of famous choreographer Jamaica Craft as well.

"Post workout work with the young fellas!" Russ said of the drills. "Future & Kingston young legends. Watch out @NFL."

Craft was appreciative of the time Wilson was spending with her son, penning a sweet thank you note to him on her IG.

"Kingston was learning from a living legend!!!!" she said. "Let’s Go God! So appreciative."

FYI, Wilson and Future Zahir -- Ciara's 1st child with rapper Future -- have been dabbling in QB drills for a couple of years now ... and in 2020, the 9x Pro Bowler called him his "best teammate" and a "QB in the making!"