Football

3/6 -- 10:56 AM PT -- Quinton Aaron tells TMZ Sports he was released from the hospital on Wednesday and is now back home resting.

Quinton Aaron -- the actor who played Michael Oher in "The Blind Side" -- has been hospitalized, TMZ Sports has learned, after he woke up last week with a bad illness.

The 40-year-old tells us ... he was rushed to a Southern California medical facility on Feb. 27 -- after coming down with a fever and a blood-soaked cough.

Aaron says doctors administered a bunch of tests ... and the early indications are he's dealing with Type A flu as well as pneumonia.

The Denver Broncos have parted ways with linebackers coach Michael Wilhoite ... just days after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

Head coach Sean Payton announced the move in a statement this week ... saying he met with Wilhoite and informed him the team's distancing itself from him due to his legal trouble.

"We recognize the serious nature of the allegations against him and believe this is the best course of action at this time," Payton said on Wednesday.

Jared Goff and Christen Harper spent one of their final baby-less days taking in some ball -- they hit the Intuit Dome Wednesday night for the Clippers vs. Pistons matchup -- and the former L.A. Rams star made it clear his allegiances are firmly with Detroit.

Goff sported a Tigers ballcap for date night with his pregnant wife ... and even though the two were clearly rooting against the home squad, the Lions quarterback sure felt big love inside Steve Ballmer's new building.

Fans begged him for autographs ... and, at one point, he got to go onto the court to snap some pics with Pistons legends Rip Hamilton and Jalen Rose.

Why make Travis Hunter pick between wide receiver or cornerback when he's great at both?! That's the way future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce sees things.

The 3x Super Bowl champ dropped the latest episode of his super popular "New Heights" podcast on Wednesday, where Trav and Jason Kelce discussed the Combine, as well as the future of 21-year-old Hunter.

"I think he's proven that he needs to play both sides of the ball" Travis said.

Travis, who won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, is outstanding at wideout and defensive back.

Forget Heisman Trophy winner and ex-NFL star ... Tim Tebow's about to have an even better title -- Girl Dad!!!

The former Denver Broncos quarterback and his wife, Demi-Leigh, announced Wednesday they're adding a daughter to their family very soon.

The two revealed their unborn baby's gender in a cute fashion on their Instagram pages ... sharing a video of them surprising themselves with the news after painting a canvas pink while blindfolded.

Shane Gillis had some familiar faces in the crowd for "Saturday Night Live" this weekend ... as San Francisco 49ers stars Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk were present for his hosting gig.

Kittle posted the trio's NYC adventure to his Instagram page on Sunday night ... sharing some behind-the-scenes flicks from Studio 8H -- including a selfie with Mike Myers, who played Elon Musk in the episode.

The group also posed together for a picture on the iconic stage ... and despite Shane rocking a Philadelphia Eagles hat -- who beat the 49ers in the 2023 NFC Championship game -- the guys were all smiles.

University of Pittsburgh football player Mason Alexander -- who just joined the Panthers' team in January -- has tragically died at 18 years old.

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said Sunday that Alexander -- a freshman cornerback -- was a passenger in a 2016 BMW that crashed into a tree on Saturday night on an Indiana roadway in an apparent effort to avoid an oncoming car. Authorities say the vehicle caught fire following the collision ... and Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement he was devastated to learn of Alexander's passing early Sunday.

All eyes are on Travis Hunter ahead of the NFL Draft ... and while there are plenty of questions marks surrounding what position he'll play at the next level, Patrick Peterson has a solution.

The eight-time Pro Bowler -- widely regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his time -- spoke with TMZ Sports with April 24 approaching ... and got his thoughts on the potential top pick.

Peterson recommends whoever gets the Colorado Heisman trophy winner makes the most of his dual-threat abilities ... instead of picking one side of the ball.

Abdul Carter's foot should have zero impact on his draft stock ... so says Manti Te'o, who tells TMZ Sports he still expects his name to be called first on April 24!!

We caught up with the former second-round selection out at LAX ... where we got his take on all things NFL Combine and how it'll impact how things play out in Green Bay in a few weeks.

One big storyline?? Carter's health status.

NFL's Patrick Peterson is passionate about increasing diversity in golf ... telling TMZ Sports he started his own club to introduce new people to the sport!!

Peterson -- who last played with the Steelers in 2023 -- is well aware of the lack of Black representation in the sport ... with Tiger Woods carrying the majority of the weight.

That's why the eight-time Pro Bowler and his friends founded Gold Links Golf Club, which offers plenty of events and opportunities for people to get involved, including an upcoming celebrity tournament with Ne-Yo on April 28th.

Chris Kluwe’s anti-MAGA protest cost him more than a few hours in a jail cell ... his passionate city council outburst also led to his firing from his high school coaching job!

The former Vikings punter revealed he received termination papers from Edison High School on Wednesday -- days after he was arrested and charged with disturbance of an assembly -- following his rant against MAGA at a Huntington Beach council meeting.

"I'm bummed that I won't get to work with the kids anymore, because they always got excited when they figured out I played in the NFL, and I think this exemplifies what MAGA is all about," Kluwe told TMZ Sports on Friday.

Mulan Hernandez is calling B.S. on Stefon Diggs' bombshell lawsuit ... claiming the NFL star's allegations made against her are nothing more than an attempt to get in front of the truth.

The TV personality released a statement on the matter on Thursday ... saying, "On June 7th I was assaulted from behind by Stefon Diggs at our residence an incident that resulted in a concussion."

June 7 is the same day Diggs claims Hernandez showed up at his residence and assaulted him, damaged his property and threatened to ruin his career ... although he denied ever touching her outside of self-defense.

The Texas Tech student who nailed a full-court putt in front of Patrick Mahomes is getting something much sweeter than a pair of headphones -- free school!!

The awesome gesture was revealed on Thursday ... when the three-time Super Bowl champion surprised senior Blake Porter during his appearance on the "Today" show.

Mahomes said Porter's putt is gonna go a lot farther than 94 feet ... 'cause he said Texas Tech Athletics would be footing the bill when his fall courses come around next semester.

Jon Gruden is back in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor ... less than four years after he lost the recognition amid his controversial email scandal.

The organization announced the reversal in a statement on Thursday ... saying "Jon Gruden was initially inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor based on his many accomplishments during his seven seasons as our head coach and he remains a significant figure in the history of our franchise."

"Upon further reflection, we have decided to reinstate him into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor."

Travis Kelce isn't going anywhere.

The Kansas City Chiefs star just announced he's returning next season ... saying losing Super Bowl LIX left a "bad taste in my mouth."

The 35-year-old tight end revealed his plans in a text message to Pat McAfee ... who read it out loud on his ESPN show on Thursday.

"My dog!!! I'm coming back for sure," McAfree read from his exchange with Kelce. "I'm gonna try and get in the best shape I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop."