TMZ Sports - Page 18

Damar Hamlin says he's physically "doing great" in his recovery from his cardiac arrest last month ... revealing he does hope to one day get back on the field.

The Buffalo Bills safety opened up about what life has been like since his Jan. 2 medical emergency during a "GMA" interview with Michael Strahan ... and he said there haven't been many -- if any -- lingering physical issues.

"I'm doing great," the 24-year-old said.

Hamlin, though, did tell Strahan that mentally it's been tough ... saying he's still processing everything and all the "trauma that comes from dealing with a situation like that."

But, despite that, the former 6th-round pick said he still hopes to play football again.

"Eventually, that's always the goal," Hamlin said, "but I'm allowing that to be in God's hands."

Hamlin said he's spoken with doctors about the possibility of being cleared to suit up for an NFL game down the road -- but revealed, "They can't really tell because it's like -- it's a up to me thing, I guess, or it's a long road. They're just worried about trying to get me back to normal as much as they can."

For now, Hamlin -- who received the NFLPA's Alan Page Community Award last week -- is focusing on his recovery ... while continuing to make an impact on communities through his charity work.

Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, shared an emotional moment with their mother, Donna, on the field after the Super Bowl ... but for two very different reasons.

On Sunday, Travis and Jason became the first set of brothers to ever play against each other in the Super Bowl ... and their mom was there to witness the historic moment.

After the game, Travis celebrated with his mom on the winner's stage after the Chiefs defeated the Eagles, 38-35, behind some late-game magic from MVP QB Patrick Mahomes.

Donna found Jason on the field during the Chiefs' celebration, and cameras captured the two exchanging words with Donna hugging and kissing her son, Jason, on the cheek.

Of course, Donna couldn't choose a side, and she showed up to the game repping for both her sons, wearing a jacket that was half-Chiefs colors and half-Eagles colors.

In the end, even though her son Jason's team lost, having two sons play against each other in the biggest game of the season is a win for the entire family.

A$AP Rocky must've been on cloud 9 after Rihanna's Super Bowl performance AND her pregnancy reveal ... because he took to the club to party it up after the big game.

The rapper hit up E11EVEN Miami's Big Game Weekend Pop-Up at Maya Nightclub in Scottsdale Sunday night, after the Chiefs took down the Eagles ... clearly in great spirits as the night went on.

Rihanna wasn't with A$AP ... but he was still in good company, spending time with French Montana, Kevin Gates and YG.

FYI -- it seemed like A.R. was on daddy duty during the game, because he left the State Farm Stadium with his baby in tow. And no, A$AP didn't pull up to the club with the kiddo ... sounds like that job was passed to someone else.

As you know, A$AP's boo RiRi stepped back into the music game in AZ ... bringin' some of her classics to the field -- and of course revealing she's pregnant once again.

The Super Bowl gets some of the best commercials of the year, but one was a little too good ... because it had millions of viewers losing their minds, thinking they were missing the big game!!!

The Tubi commercial aired during Sunday night's big game and if you missed it -- consider yourself lucky 'cause it had households across the country reaching for their remotes and freaking out.

The ad, officially called "Interface Interruption", featured Fox sports commentators Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen -- y'know the guys calling the actual Super Bowl -- so, most fans figured they were really welcoming everyone back from a commercial break.

But then, while the 2 guys were talking, the screen looked like someone was messing around with the remote and scrolled to the Tubi app to watch "Mr. & Mrs. Smith".

Of course, the ad made fans everywhere think someone in their house was fumbling with the remote to watch the flick during the intense Super Bowl game😂

By the end, you could tell it was just an ad for the streaming service (owned by FOX, BTW) -- not some kid sitting on the remote -- and fans were returned to the real game with Kevin and Greg really calling the action.

Former Washington star, LaVar Arrington believes longtime NFL owner Dan Snyder will sell the Commanders sooner rather than later ... telling TMZ Sports a fresh start for the franchise is "certainly what's needed."

We spoke to LaVar about the future of the Commanders just days after Synder listed his Potomac home on the market for $49 million ... and he thinks the billionaire's movement on the real estate market means he's looking to ditch the team.

"I would assume that means he's not staying," LaVar said.

The timing of Snyder listing his Maryland home for sale is pretty interesting ... considering the team announced in November he was exploring a sale of the franchise.

Despite a lack of success on the field, Forbes reports the Commanders franchise is valued at $5.6 billion ... and massive names like Jay-Z and Jeff Bezos are interested in buying the team.

So, we asked Arrington who he wants to own the team if Snyder sells, and the former linebacker told us, simply put -- he wants someone who cares about the people within the organization.

"If you're that person, and you can afford that price tag, then I hope and I pray that you're able to get them."

Of course, many have called for Snyder to sell the team for years ... after the franchise was the center of multiple scandals, including workplace misconduct and creating a "toxic" culture.

Chris Stapleton's rendition of the National Anthem was quite emotional -- just ask the Philadelphia Eagles' head coach ... who was shedding literal tears during the song.

Nick Sirianni is going viral right now for his reaction during Stapleton's performance before kickoff Sunday at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona. The reason ... toward the end of CS's crooning, the camera panned to Sirianni for a close-up ... and the dude could be seen visibly crying.

His raw response to the moment is tugging at Twitter's heart strings -- as it seems many felt proud and patriotic while Stapleton carried everyone through the 'Star-Spangled Banner.'

He wasn't the only one welling up ... Jason Kelce could also be seen starting to tear up, as were other players from both sides of the gridiron. Safe to say, it's a milestone for a lot of people there today -- including Sirianni, who's said this has been a lifelong dream of his.

Right before Stapleton took the mic, the FOX broadcast noted Sirianni had been pretty open about watching Whitney Houston sing the National Anthem in '91 -- and made it his mission to get to a Super Bowl himself one day.

Now, he's here ... and his squad has a good shot at taking home the glory against the Kansas City Chiefs -- this after just a couple years on the job.

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions!!!

Behind a hobbled Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in an instant classic -- one of the greatest SB's in NFL history.

27-year-old Mahomes, who was named the games MVP, threw for 3 TDs and 182 yards (131.8 QB rating). Patrick reaggravated his injured ankle late in the 2nd half. Still, the 2x Super Bowl champ drove his team down the field, including a crucial run that put the Chiefs in field goal position late, when the game was tied at 35.

It's Mahomes 2nd Super Bowl win in 4 years.

Things weren't looking great for Kansas City at the half ... Mahomes was injured, and the Chiefs were down 10 points, 24-14. But, they got the ball first, and went right down the field for a touchdown

The game was incredibly tight from that point on ... but really turned on a Kadarius Toney's 65 yard punt return, the longest in SB history. Toney, who was traded to KC from the NYG mid-season, took the ball within the 10 yard line. The Chiefs scored a TD several plays later.

Travis Kelce was also effective, catching 6 balls for 81 yards and 1 touchdown.

As for the Eagles, Jalen Hurts' was unstoppable, minus a huge lost fumble that was returned for a TD in the first half. Hurts threw for 304 yards, and 1 TD, but ran for 70 yards and 3 TDs.

Rihanna is set to hit the stage during the Superbowl halftime show very shortly -- and you'd think NFL officials would already have her backup dancers inside by now ... you would think.

Check out this clip that our photog got about 25 minutes ago -- you see SCORES of people dressed in elaborate white outfits trekking across the parking lot just outside of State Farm Arena in Arizona (where the game is being held). The question ... are y'all with RiRi???

That's exactly what we asked them -- especially seeing how they were trying to cover up with trash bags, attempting to head over on the DL, but sticking out like sore thumbs.

A few of them actually gave us answers ... including when we referred to them as "Rihanna's army." They seemed to confirm that, and one of them even told us how deep they were rolling ... there's about 280 of them, it seems.

We don't know for certain these are Rihanna's dancers, but the odds seem high based on what we're seeing/hearing right in front of us. If they are, it's a big old SMH to the people who planned this. There's gotta be some backdoor entrance/route they could've taken. 😅

Hollywood took flight Saturday in Arizona -- partying their faces off in none other than a loading dock for airplanes ... seriously, think "Top Gun."

We're talking about Tao X Maxim Big Game Party: an unKommon events production, which hosted tons of celebs in none other than an airplane hangar -- as in, the giant warehouses where jetliners and other aircraft are stored. Seems someone felt this would be a good setting for a get-together. 😅

Anyhoo, the night kicked off with performances by Migos rapper, Offset, and world-renowned DJ, Zedd. Just about anyone who's anyone who was in town probably swung by.

The aviation-inspired bash brought out celebs like Tyga, Gordon Ramsey, and Wanda Sykes. Cher and Alexander Edwards even made an appearance!

This wasn't the only pre-Super Bowl celebration popping off last night, though. Not too far away, another one was going down ... and on the verge of Valentine's Day, it was appropriately selected.

Travis Scott headlined yet another star-studded Super Bowl bash Saturday night, at Scottsdale's 40 Love -- which is a sports bar there, but it looked more like a club Saturday.

Partygoers included Odell Beckham Jr, Devin Booker, G Herbo and his pregnant fiancé Taina Williams.

BTW, We caught P. Diddy's son, King Combs leaving the 40-Love bash ... and he hinted at some upcoming releases ... but also made sure to shout out Rihanna too.

Meanwhile, TMZ Sports's Mojo Muhtadi also partied hard on Saturday ... with the legendary tight end, Rob Gronkowski in Phoenix at Gronk Beach, which was put on by Wynn Nightlife and Medium Rare. They were joined on stage by some enthusiastic sweaty guys in mascot costumes - including an absolutely ripped unicorn, an eagle, and a panther ... doing flips into... and onto the crowd!

The Grammys wanted to honor Janet Jackson in a big way last weekend, but TMZ has learned those talks fizzled after discussions on how to address the way CBS treated Jackson after her infamous Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Sources connected to The Grammys tell us ... the Grammys wanted to bestow Janet with a Global Impact Award, but there was a snag. Recording Academy honchos wanted Janet to attend a pre-Grammy event with the Black Music Collective days before the main event to accept the award, but her schedule wouldn't allow it.

From there, we're told discussions pivoted to a way Janet could receive the honor during the actual broadcast, but that presented another problem ... CBS never made amends with Janet for making her persona non grata after the wardrobe malfunction.

It was Super Bowl XXXVIII, broadcast on CBS, when Justin Timberlake ripped Janet's top, revealing her breast. The network received a ton of flack over the incident, and CBS CEO  Les Moonves pulled Janet's invite to the Grammys that year.

Our sources say Janet's team and Grammy organizers began talking about ways CBS could either apologize or figure out a way to acknowledge how she was treated by the network, but things just got too complicated and talks ended.

Since Janet couldn't attend the Black Music Collective event, she didn't get the Global Impact Award. She also did not attend the Grammys ... fact is she hasn't been there in years.

Move over Tony Gonzalez, Gronk and Shannon Sharpe -- Travis Kelce will go down as the greatest tight end EVER ... so says Raiders star Darren Waller, who tells TMZ Sports the Kansas City Chiefs TE is on his way to G.O.A.T. status.

Of course, the debate has become a hot topic recently ... with 33-year-old Kelce skyrocketing to the top of some lists with his incredible play over the course of his 10-year career.

Waller is definitely Team Kelce -- 'cause he says when it's all said and done, #87 will be the best to ever do it.

"He's that good," Waller told us this week. "I feel like he'll finish as the greatest tight end of all time. I don't think that's farfetched. It's awesome to see what he does."

We also asked Waller about Patrick Mahomes, who lost Tyreek Hill in the offseason to the Dolphins ... and he praised the SB champ for Kansas City's offense remaining at the top of the league.

"It's incredible," the 30-year-old said. "I heard a lot of people saying his job was going to get a lot harder this year with no Tyreek Hill and he wouldn't have the same level of success."

Of course, Mahomes and Hill created magic over the course of the five years they played together in Kansas City, routinely torching opposing defenses in the regular season.

Some thought Mahomes and the Chiefs offense would regress without Hill, but that wasn't the case for #15, who put up MVP-caliber numbers all season en route to the Super Bowl.

Speaking of the SB ... Waller says the game is a toss-up, but he predicts the Eagles will get a lot of pressure on Mahomes when they need it most and believes Philadelphia will win.

Waller got into some non-football talk ... telling us he has some new music on the way.

Rob Gronkowski's pre-Super Bowl party wasn't your run-of-the-mill shindig with some dancing and drinking ... several mascots rushed the stage, havoc was wreaked, and people were slammed by two former WWE Superstars!

Gronk Beach, which was put on by Wynn Nightlife and Medium Rare, went down Saturday afternoon at Talking Stick Resort in Phoenix ... and the day started out relatively normally. Rob took the stage shirtless and shook his ass as the jam-packed ground danced and enjoyed themselves.

Then, like an Allstate commercial, mayhem arrived in the form of a couple of mascots who pushed their way on stage.

Good thing TMZ Sports' own Mojo Muhtadi and Samuray Del Sol, formerly known as WWE Superstar Kalisto, were on hand to restore (😏) order. Mojo and SDS began slamming unicorns and gorillas, as bodies were strewn across the stage.

SDS even hopped up on an elevated platform and hit a backflip ... as Rob looked on, very amused.

Before unicorns started flying around, we talked to Gronk and asked him if Tom Brady's retirement shut the door on any potential comeback. Gronk joked he could come back as a kicker.

"If I make the kick tomorrow for Fan Duel. Jerry Jones is gonna call me and I'm going to the Cowboys."

If you haven't heard, Gronk will attempt a 25-yard field goal (a commercial will air the "Kick of Destiny" in the 3rd quarter), and if the future Hall of Famer can knock down the FG, bettors will split $10 MILLION!

And, the guy looks like he could still play (tight end, kicker, DE) ... Rob's jacked.

Although, he got a little bit of help ... we have photos of Gronk at Emsculpt's booth for some TLC on the ol' six-pack!

It'd be Brock Purdy in and Trey Lance out if Jeff Garcia were running the 49ers ... the former San Francisco star tells TMZ Sports he's all-in on Mr. Irrelevant in 2023!!!

Purdy took over the QB1 reins after Lance and Jimmy Garappolo got injured during the 2022 season, and he instantly became a hero ... winning nine games, and nearly leading the team to the Super Bowl.

However, the 23-year-old rookie suffered an elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game ... leaving his status as the future starter in question with Lance looming in the same QB room.

But, when we got Garcia out at the "GameOn Super Bash hosted by Babes and Ballers" Super Bowl event in Arizona this week ... he made it clear, if Purdy's healthy, he'd be his hands down main guy under center.

"Purdy runs the offense the way [Kyle] Shanahan coaches it," Garcia said. "They're not trying to fabricate plays and create like they were for Trey Lance."

"You gotta go with the guy that's going to make the right decisions, run the offense the way it's supposed to be run and take advantage of the weapons around you."

In fact, Garcia said he has so much confidence in Purdy ... he told us he thinks the Niners should consider trading Lance, since the 22-year-old is young, athletic, and has value.

"There may be people that are interested in that," Garcia said. "What can you get for him to make your team stronger, more solid? It's something you gotta look into."

Shannon Sharpe says Sean Payton is the perfect fit for the Broncos ... telling TMZ Sports Denver is moving in the right direction with the Super Bowl-winning head coach at the helm.

"I think Sean Payton is the right guy for the job," Sharpe said when we spoke to him at LAX this week ... adding he hopes most players come back and give it another shot with a new coach in town.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer -- who won three Super Bowls with the Broncos -- says he believes Payton will revamp the culture in Denver and get Russell Wilson back on track.

"Sean understands quarterback. [He] had Drew Brees. He's a no-nonsense type of guy. Some of that stuff that flew last year under Nathaniel Hackett is not going to cut it this year."

"His system and the way he conducts business is not for everybody. You're either gon' do it his way, or you're going to hit the highway and I love that."

Sharpe, though, knows the Payton hire won't result in an easy road to the Super Bowl ... he admits the Broncos will have their work cut out for them in the star-studded AFC West when they go against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.

As for Russ, the former tight end told us he doesn't think Wilson is broken ... and is optimistic the union with Payton can result in success for his former squad.

Super Bowl Sunday is finally here ... but before we get to the big game and Rihanna's must-see halftime show, let's meet the wives and girlfriends of the athletes taking the field!!

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, is making her third trip to the Super Bowl ... but this time, their 1-year-old daughter and newborn son will be tagging along to check out the action.

Even though Shane Buechele won't be starting over Mahomes, the backup quarterback's wife, Paige Lorenn, still deserves a big shout-out.

We're sure Orlando Brown Jr.'s fashion influencer GF Holly Luyah, will be dressin' fancy for the big game ... as well as Juan Thornhill's new fiancée, Reagan Elizabeth.

"Fly, Eagles Fly" is something we expect Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts' girlfriend, Bry Burrows, to be yelling when her bae takes the field ... alongside Kelsey Holmer, who hopes her man Lane Johnson protects the QB from the Chiefs defense.

Speaking of defense, Ndamukong Suh's wife, Katya, is gonna be stoked that her man is in his second Super Bowl ... just like Fletcher Cox, whose lady, Kaycee Marchetti, will get her usual pregame smooches.

Vernon Davis says he wouldn't be shocked if Tom Brady goes from hoisting Lombardi Trophies to picking up Oscars ... telling TMZ Sports he was impressed by the QB's role in "80 For Brady."

The former 49ers tight end -- who's turned himself into a super successful actor in his life after football -- told us out in Arizona this week that Brady legitimately showed him something in the new flick.

In fact, Davis said Brady did such a "great job" in the movie about a group of women who traveled across the country to catch him in Super Bowl LI -- he could envision the 45-year-old turning into a real-deal actor someday.

"I could see him having longevity," said the 39-year-old, who just recently worked with Morgan Freeman in the movie "Muti."

"He knows about discipline. He knows about hard work. He knows what it takes to be great at anything. So, with that, he can only go up."