TMZ Sports - Page 50

Did you know ... LeBron James was offered a FOOTBALL scholarship to Notre Dame in 2000 by then-wide receivers coach Urban Meyer?

Of course, he turned it down ... and then skipped college altogether to pursue that other sport ... but he could have been one of the greatest WR's of all time ... so says ex-NFL star Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.

Rocket -- who was a star at ND back from '88 to '90 -- tells us had LeBron stuck with football, he coulda been like "Calvin Johnson on steroids."

As for Urban, he feels the same way ... and has previously said James woulda been a 1st round NFL Draft pick and a definite Hall of Famer.

Big day for Leah Still -- because her father told us the 4-year-old starts a new round of chemotherapy this morning that will hopefully crush her disease so badly, she can finally begin stem cell therapy.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still is out in AZ -- and told us that while the cancer is still in Leah's body, she's fighting like hell to beat it.

"We're just hoping for the best and just trusting in the doctors to their best for her," Still told us.

Still also told us why he and Leah decided to write a children's book about Leah's battle with pediatric cancer -- and it's truly inspiring stuff.

Ray Rice is a "good man" -- and has proven that he deserves a second chance in the NFL ... so says NFL Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, who played with Rice on the Ravens.

Ogden is out in Phoenix for the Super Bowl -- and laid out the case for the running back, telling TMZ Sports:

"We understand that the man made a huge mistake, but he's done everything he could over the past year to make up for it."

Ogden continued, "I think his record before that speaks to the fact that he really is a decent human being ... and hopefully somebody will give him a chance because hes a good running back and a good man."

There will be tons of scoring OFF the football field in Arizona this weekend ... cause TMZ Sports has learned that the dating app Tinder is BLOWING UP with randy pigskin fans looking for some tight ends.

We spoke to our Tinder sources (we have them) and they tell us ... since Wednesday activity in the Phoenix area -- where the game is being played -- has "tremendously spiked."

We're also told ... with 300,000 people expected for the big game some type of upswing is normal -- with other sporting events like the World Cup and Olympics (hello Olympic village) seeing the same thing -- but they can't explain why usage shot up so far ahead of the big event this time.

We might have an idea ...

Tiger Woods happens to be playing in the Phoenix Open this week. #JustAThought.

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley DISGRACED HIMSELF at the biggest chicken wing competition in Philly Thursday night ... when he was caught cheating RED-HANDED and got booted from the contest.

Foley -- aka Mankind -- was competing against some of the best eaters in the country at Wing Bowl 23 at the Wells Fargo Center ... when officials says he tried to hide some of the wings in his fanny pack.

Foley disputed the allegations at first ... until officials played video footage on the big screen and he was kicked out for good.

As for the winner, Patrick Bertoletti upset Molly Schuyler -- one of the rising stars in competitive eating -- when he put down 444 wings in 26 minutes!!!!

To the victor ... goes the diarrhea.

Floyd Mayweather's gonna need some more garage space -- 'cause the boxer just dropped nearly $400k on an ultra-rare McLaren that was HAND-BUILT in England.

The car is insane -- it's a 2015 McLaren 650S Spider with a retractable hardtop. Top speed -- 204 mph and goes from 0-60 in 2.9 seconds.

Sources close to the boxer tell us ... Floyd ordered the car through his regular exotic car guy Obi Okeke at Fusion Luxury Motors in Van Nuys, Ca -- and had the car delivered to his Vegas home last week.

Stephen A. Smith just UNLOADED on Cleveland Browns receiver Josh Gordon -- saying the letter he directed at Stephen, Charles Barkley and Cris Carter is "pathetic," "small minded" and "ignorant."

As we previously reported, Gordon ripped the media members -- claiming they were out of line for personal comments directed at him in the wake of his NFL and legal troubles. He demanded a retraction.

But Smith just appeared on ESPN Cleveland Radio and tore Gordon (and his letter) apart -- saying, "I'm sad for him. It's pretty pathetic ... the fact of the matter is that it's his actions that got him to this point."

Smith goes on ... "What he's not realizing is that we're not speaking about you as an individual, we're speaking about what you represent" -- a black man who came from poverty and made it to the NFL.

"So for you to be blowing these kind of opportunities not just speaks to you but it speaks to an abundance of individuals out in this world, particularly those from the African-American community that could possibly find themselves in this position but somehow someway blow it."

"That's what we say when we say 'we care' ... when we say we're disgusted with you."

"So the fact that [Josh] took the liberty to write this letter ... just also at the same time heightens your level of ignorance, because you're not getting the big picture."

Another perk of having Peyton Manning as a teammate -- FREE PIZZA!!!

According to Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware, Peyton ain't stingy when it comes to his Papa John's hookup ... and often sends pies to the workplace.

As you know, Peyton's not just a spokesperson for the pizza company -- he also owns 21 franchises in the Denver area ... and they all saw a boom in profits after Manning came aboard.

St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook says he has NO REGRETS about the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture he did while coming out of the tunnel before a NFL game this season ... telling TMZ Sports he was sending a message from the entire STL community.

The images made headlines across the country in November -- and drew criticism from some people who felt the gesture was disrespectful to police officers ... especially in the wake of the Ferguson/Mike Brown incident.

But Cook -- who's in AZ for the Super Bowl -- tells TMZ Sports he and his teammates were NOT trying to disrespect ANYONE ... and merely wanted to make a statement on behalf of the people of STL.

"We were simply trying to be an outreach of our community of the things that we had going on in our community," Cook says ... "because we are voices of the people of St. Louis no matter who it is ... black, white, brown, whatever."

"So in times when people need us, we gotta stand up and say something about that."

Tampa Bay Bucs superstar Mike Evans has a message for the Cleveland Browns -- stop messing around and give Johnny Manziel the starting QB job already.

Evans -- who played with Johnny at Texas A&M -- touched down in Phoenix moments ago ... and told us he still STRONGLY believes the Heisman winner can still tear it up in the NFL ... despite a rough rookie season.

There's just one catch ... Evans clearly believes the Browns should commit to #2 as the starter from the very beginning of the season -- unlike they did this past season, when Brian Hoyer got the nod.

"When he starts the season off, he'll be good," Evans said.

Cleveland Browns superstar Josh Gordon admits he chugged 4 drinks on a private jet to Vegas after the team's final loss this season ... but insists he's NOT an alcoholic.

Gordon just spilled his guts in an open letter to several high profile media members including Charles Barkley, Cris Carter and Stephen A. Smith -- blasting them for taking him to task over his reported substance abuse.

In the letter, posted on The Cauldron, Gordon is adamant he's not an alcoholic or a pothead ... but admits he's been making bad decisions over the past few years.

Gordon says he hasn't smoked weed in years -- and when he tested positive for the green stuff during an NFL drug test, it was due to "inadvertently inhaling second-hand marijuana smoke last offseason."

"Truth is, I have not smoked marijuana since before I was drafted by the Browns in 2012  -- and there are years worth of drug tests to prove it."

As for testing positive for alcohol earlier this month after an NFL-imposed ban from booze (following his DWI) ... Gordon says he imbibed with teammates on a private jet to Vegas on January 2.

"Just days after our season ended earlier than we all had hoped  -- and yes, my actions during the prior offseason definitely contributed to our failure to make the playoffs; it killed me seeing our guys fight so hard when I wasn’t out there with them — I boarded a private flight to Las Vegas with several teammates. During the flight, I had two beers and two drinks."

Gordon says, "It was the first time I had consumed so much as a drop of alcohol since July 4, 2014, the day of the DWI."

Gordon admits "I failed myself" -- but concludes with a message to his celebrity critics:

It could be the closest thing to a smoking gun ... prosecutors just played video in court showing Aaron Hernandez holding what they claim is a firearm in the hours after he allegedly killed Odin Lloyd.

Prosecutors say the footage was taken inside Hernandez's Massachusetts house on June 17, 2013 ... showing the forming NFL star clutching what appears to be a glock firearm.

Officials believe Lloyd was shot 6 times earlier that morning ... and are convinced Aaron pulled the trigger using the very same gun in the surveillance video.

Aaron's lawyers are calling the video into question -- saying the object in Hernandez's hand could be anything from an iPad to a cell phone to a remote control.

If you thought Richard Sherman's "Don't Ever Talk About Me" rant was priceless, think again -- 'cause the NFL star's brother tells us it made the family a TON of money!!

Richard's older brother Branton Sherman -- who's also the business manager for the Richard Sherman Family Foundation -- is out in PHX to root for the Seahawks ... when he we asked how he felt about the legendary moment with Erin Andrews last year.

"We made so much money off of that whole deal," Branton says ... "It was a good thing for us!"

Even Branton's mom was able to cash in ... he says the rant helped Richard and their mother lock up a commercial for Campbell's Soup ... and now they get more free soup than they ever could've imagined!

"We got Campbell's Soup up the ass man!"

One last thing ... even though Richard is widely regarded as the best defensive player in the league, Branton still says he could take 'em.

"I'm the big brother."

Justin Bieber woulda had a lot less problems in life ... if his mama woulda dished out a few good ass-whoopings over the years ... so says NFL legend Eric Dickerson.

As you may know, Dickerson is no stranger to Biebs -- they were neighbors in Calabasas and E.D. says he would often see the kid driving dangerously fast around town.

Bieber eventually moved -- and Wednesday night he made a new video explaining that he truly wants to change for the better.

So, does Eric think Bieber has a shot to become a better person?

"It's possible," Dickerson says.

But check out the video -- Dickerson explains why "a good ass whoopin' never hurt nobody" ... and why he believes tough love from a parent made him a BETTER PERSON in the long run.

Richie Incognito has arrived to the Super Bowl -- but he's not there to mess around ... the former Miami Dolphins lineman tells TMZ Sports he's laser focused on getting back in the league.

Incognito was hangin' at the W Hotel in Scottsdale Wednesday night ... where a bunch of huge NFL stars and league bigwigs were hanging out at a celebrity fashion show.

Incognito -- who hasn't played a down in the league since he was suspended for bullying Jonathan Martin -- told us he's still training hard and hoping a NFL team will take a chance on him after missing the 2014 season.

It could be tough sledding for the 31-year-old ... who was admitted to psychiatric care in the wake of the bullying scandal.

But when we spoke with him Wednesday, he seemed to be in great spirits -- even joking around about his eating habits.