Football

Turns out, former NFL player Blake Proehl is good on the gridiron AND on the keys ... 'cause he performed so well on the piano during his recent "American Idol" audition -- he brought Katy Perry to tears!!

The ex-Minnesota Vikings wideout -- who's the son of longtime Panthers receiver Ricky Proehl -- sang his heart out in front of Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the famed talent show ... and when his segment aired on TV on Sunday, it wasn't hard to see the dude's got a bright future in music.

Playing Brett Young's "In Case You Didn't Know" with his grandma by his side ... Blake, who played for the Vikes from 2021 to 2023, belted out every verse perfectly -- wowing Perry the entire time.

She not only got goosebumps, she also at one point appeared to wipe away a tear. After he finished, she even asked for his autograph.

The other judges, Bryan and Richie, were just as impressed ... and the trio gave him a unanimous golden ticket to the show's next round.

It was all quite emotional for Blake ... as he explained that a knee injury he suffered during his NFL days had him wondering if he'd ever run again -- let alone become a music star.

Some of Blake's famous pals congratulated him on social media following the show ... including Kirk Cousins, who wrote, "Cousins fam will be pulling hard for him this spring."

10:45 AM PT -- Breece Hall is breaking his silence on the incident ... saying, "If you know me you know I always show love!!! There’s a time and a place for everything but harassing me at baggage claim ain’t the time or place💯."

Breece also thanked Carl and "my guy Joe" for getting involved ... adding their presence helped keep the peace.

Breece Hall came face-to-face with an overzealous autograph seeker when he touched down in Jersey after a week of partying in Vegas at the Super Bowl ... and things got so tense, NY Giants legend Carl Banks stepped in to prevent things from escalating!

The incident went down last Sunday at Newark Airport just a few minutes after the 22-year-old got off his flight, while he was waiting at baggage claim ... when a fan *attempted* to get Breece's John Hancock.

For whatever reason, Hall, one of the best running backs in the NFL, didn't want to sign, so he declined ... and that's when things went south.

A witness heard the commotion and whipped out his phone and started rolling.

It's unclear exactly what was said/done to kick things off, but the fan was heard telling Hall, "So, be a man. If you're gonna slap me, slap me!"

61-year-old Banks, the 2x Super Bowl-winning Giants linebacker intervened, putting his 6'4" frame in between the fan and Breece, while encouraging the guy to keep it moving.

But, the guy wasn't done ... he continued jawing at Hall, who seemed to keep his cool despite the stressful situation.

At one point, another witness off-camera is heard warning the angry man, "It's a federal crime if you get in a fight at the airport."

Seemingly taking the advice, the man finally walks off ... but not before hurling one last insult at the NFL star.

"Get the f*** out of here, p****!"

As for why Banks assisted Hall, we asked Carl ... #58 said he wasn't going to stand by and let his buddy get screwed with.

Who says the Giants and Jets are rivals?

Taylor Swift might be some 9,000 miles away from Travis Kelce at the moment ... but he's still clearly on her mind -- as her Sunday outfit featured a whole lot of homages to the Chiefs star.

The "Cruel Summer" hitmaker appeared at a Melbourne, Australia airport following her most recent batch of "Eras" tour stops ... and as she boarded a private jet to take her to her next group of shows in Sydney, she was seen decked out in Kelce tributes.

On her head was a Super Bowl champions hat that Kansas City officials had given to her following Kelce's big win over the 49ers in Las Vegas earlier this month. On her wrist, she wore the Taylor 'N Travis "TNT" bracelet she had made ahead of Kelce's AFC Championship Game last month.

So far, Kelce hasn't made it down undah to return the support -- he was just spotted out grabbing lunch in K.C. on Sunday -- although there's still plenty of time for him to head out to cheer her on.

Swift is slated to play four shows at Accor Stadium beginning Friday night and ending Monday. She'll then head to Singapore to kick off March -- and with Kelce free of NFL obligations for the time being, many have assumed he'll board a plane sooner rather than later.

Of course, it's been an emotional past few days, to say the least for the 34-year-old tight end ... after experiencing the highest high of winning the Big Game in Sin City, several people sustained gunshot wounds while celebrating the feat at his SB parade. To make matters tougher, Kelce caught backlash for appearing at a party just hours after the tragedy.

He and Taylor, though, both donated thousands to shooting victims late last week ... proving it's all very much been on their minds -- even if they've been apart for nearly a week now.

Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey stripped to their bathing suits and hit a Mexico beach ... taking a vacay after a bitter Super Bowl loss.

The engaged couple headed down to Cabo San Lucas with 49ers tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and their wives Claire and Kristin ... where they soaked up the sun in some pretty revealing bathing suits.

Check out the pics ... the whole crew's milling about on the sand before hopping in the clear blue ocean for a dip -- lots of pecs and legs for all to see.

Christian and Olivia seem pretty deep in convo in the water too -- maybe talking about wedding planning ... after all, they've been engaged for almost a year, so ya gotta imagine the wedding's comin' up!

On top of the Niners players and their significant others, Peyton Manning was also down in the same area ... though as far as we can tell he kept his shirt on. He chatted up GK, KJ and CMC at a bar near the beach.

All of this messing around in the water comes just a week after the devastating 25-22 loss to the Chiefs in the NFL's biggest game of the year ... the Niners' second loss in a Super Bowl in the last five years.

The whole trip seems to be one big healing retreat for the gang ... with Claire, Olivia and Kristin even posting a video to OC's TikTok about how much the L was affecting all of them -- though they seem in decent enough spirits.

Travis Kelce's got a ton of free time until next year's NFL season starts ... but, he's still hanging around K.C. instead of jetting off to see his lady love down undah.

The three-time Super Bowl champ was photographed by Daily Mail hitting up one of his fav restaurants in Kansas City with a to-go bag in hand ... Taylor Swift was not by his side obviously since she's down in Australia on tour.

Travis looks relaxed in the DM pics ... having a grand ol' time while hanging out with a pal in the hot Missouri sun -- which might be surprising to fans who thought he'd be down in Australia already.

TK did a bunch of press leading up to the Super Bowl BTW ... including one interview where he said he would love to experience "Down Under" -- so him not already being down there's definitely raising some eyebrows.

Remember ... Swift performed a string of shows in Melbourne this past weekend -- including one right on the heels of the death of a fan who was headed to see her.

It's been an emotional weekend to say the least -- Taylor also opened up about feeling "lonely" during the pandemic ... which some people are seeing as a pretty clear shot at her ex Joe Alwyn.

Of course, Travis has been on his own emotional rollercoaster recently. The high of winning the Super Bowl was followed almost immediately by the tragic shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City.

Both Taylor and Travis have donated thousands in the aftermath of the shooting ... so, clearly the tragedy is still weighing on both of their minds.

Don't worry too much Swifties ... 'cause Taylor's got a few more shows in Australia next weekend, moving on from Melbourne to Sydney. So, Travis has plenty of time to meet up with T-Swift.

Get excited, Panthers fans ... Bryce Young tells TMZ Sports he believes he's going to turn things around in Carolina next season -- saying straight up, "I'm definitely confident."

Of course, the quarterback's rookie season was filled with plenty of speed bumps -- he threw just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions ... and only secured two wins in his 16 starts.

But, he's not down on himself at all ... 'cause when we spoke to him out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, he sure seemed to think things are going to be a whole lot different 12 months from now.

"I feel like I've grown -- I've learned," the 2023 No. 1 overall pick said. "I'm excited to improve this offseason. Get better at some things -- I'm excited for year 2."

Young actually told us all of the growing pains he and his team went through last season will only make them stronger ... feeling like they all "grew a lot closer through that."

As for the Panthers' new coach, former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales, the ex-Heisman Trophy winner seemed fired up to begin working with him as well.

Meanwhile, this year's Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, also spoke with us out in Vegas ... and he told us he's happy to finally get a chance to show what he can do in the NFL.

Taylor Lewan isn't rubbing any extra salt in Mark Ingram's wounds ... telling TMZ Sports he's absolving the guy from a Michigan-Alabama bet the two made earlier this season.

The former Wolverines offensive lineman revealed to us out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas that the guys placed a wager on their alma maters ahead of their Rose Bowl matchup back in January.

By the sounds of things, it seems some serious cash was on the line ... but even though UM won the big game in overtime, Lewan is now ready to let bygones be bygones -- with a little bit of catch.

The ex-Tennessee Titans first-round pick said all Ingram has to do is come on his podcast, "Bussin' With The Boys," later this year and everything will be forgiven.

In fact, Lewan said he's giving Derrick Henry -- a former Tide tailback -- similar treatment after they, too, bet on the game.

"'Hey,'" Lewan said he told the guys after relieving them of their debt, "'I don't want the money. I'd rather you guys come on the show.' 'Cause those are great dudes and their personality being shown is the most unbelievable thing."

Emociónense, fans de los Panthers, Bryce Young le dijo a TMZ Sports que piensa que va a cambiar las cosas en Carolina la próxima temporada y directamente nos dijo: "Definitivamente tengo confianza".

Claro, la temporada de novato del mariscal de campo estuvo llena de un montón de baches: lanzó solo 11 touchdowns a 10 intercepciones y solo aseguró dos victorias en sus 16 inicios.

Pero él no está desanimado en absoluto, porque cuando hablamos con él durante la semana del Super Bowl en Las Vegas, parecía muy confiado en que las cosas van a ser muy diferentes dentro de 12 meses.

"Siento que he crecido, he aprendido", dijo el global pick No. 1 en 2023. "Estoy emocionado por mejorar esta temporada. Mejorar en algunas cosas, estoy emocionado por 2° año".

Young nos dijo que todos los dolores de madurez por los que pasaron él y su equipo la temporada pasada solo los harán más fuertes y siente que todos "crecieron y se acercaron mucho más por eso".

En cuanto al nuevo entrenador de los Panthers, el ex coordinador ofensivo de los Buccaneers Dave Canales, el ex ganador del Trofeo Heisman, también parecía entusiasmado por empezar a trabajar con él.

Mientras tanto, el ganador del Trofeo Heisman de este año, Jayden Daniels, también habló con nosotros en Las Vegas y nos dijo que estaba feliz de tener finalmente la oportunidad de demostrar lo que puede hacer en la NFL.

Lily Gladstone no está contenta con el nombre de los campeones del Super Bowl y dice que la mascota de los subcampeones no es mucho mejor.

La actriz y activista conversó en un panel del Festival Internacional de Cine de Santa Bárbara el pasado fin de semana, justo antes de que los Chiefs derrotaran a los 49ers, y criticó el uso del tomahawk chop de sus aficionados, un gesto con la mano y el canto usado por fans de equipos que tienen mascotas nativas americanas.

Lily Gladstone dijo que el gesto es un recordatorio de lo que Hollywood ha hecho con los nativos americanos y señaló que el canto fue utilizado en los viejos westerns antes de que a los actores indígenas se les diera la oportunidad de interpretar papeles importantes.

Gladstone dijo que se molesta cuando la gente le dice que el canto se entiende como un signo de "honor", llamándolo otra forma de "mercantilización" de su pueblo.

Estos argumentos son bastante comunes entre los activistas, pero Lily también mencionó a los 49ers de San Francisco como otro ejemplo ofensivo.

Lily apuntó a los colonos -llamados 49ers- que fueron al Oeste en busca de oro, "un tiempo increíblemente brutal para los indios de California", por lo que un equipo de la NFL utilice ese apodo tampoco lo libra totalmente libre de culpa.

Por cierto, las protestas en contra del nombre de los Chiefs tienen lugar de vez en cuando. Hubo una justo antes de la victoria en el Super Bowl LVII del año pasado sobre los Philadelphia Eagles.

Otras franquicias deportivas profesionales, como los Guardianes de Cleveland en la MLB y los Comandantes de Washington, ya han cambiado sus nombres para hacer frente a la crítica, aunque sus nombres originales eran banderas rojas mucho más claras para los activistas.

Lily Gladstone's not happy with the Super Bowl champs' name ... and she says the NFL runner-ups' mascot ain't much better.

The actress and activist spoke during a Santa Barbara International Film Festival panel last weekend, before the Chiefs defeated the 49ers ... and ripped Chiefs fans' use of the tomahawk chop -- a hand gesture and chant used by fans of teams with Native American mascots.

LG said the gesture is a reminder of what Hollywood has done to Native Americans ... pointing out the chant was used in old Westerns before indigenous actors were given the opportunity to play major roles in the movie.

Gladstone said she gets upset when people say the chant is meant as a sign of "honor" ... calling it the "commodification" of her people as well.

These arguments are pretty common among activists and groups ... but, Lily also mentioned the San Francisco 49ers as another example of an offensive mascot.

Lily pointed out settlers -- called 49ers -- who went West looking for gold harkened "an incredibly brutal time for California Indians" ... so an NFL team using that moniker's not totally blameless either.

BTW ... protests against the Chiefs' name take place from time to time -- with one kicking off before their Super Bowl LVII victory last year over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Other pro sports franchises -- like the Cleveland Guardians in MLB and Washington Commanders -- have already changed their names in the face of criticism ... though their original names were pretty clear red flags for activists.

Tom Brady and a craps table in Florida apparently have something in common ... neither stands a chance against Eli Manning!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the New York Giants legend rolled dice at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL for hours on Thursday night -- and he appeared to win BIG.

One witness tells us ... Manning showed up before 9:30 PM and stayed past 2:30 AM -- albeit with a short break for food at some point -- seemingly raking in cash throughout the evening.

In fact, in video we obtained, you can see that after one run in particular ... he celebrated like a madman, high-fiving his tablemates before sharing a huge embrace with one of his pals.

We're told Eli seemed to have around $40,000 in chips in front of him ... while some of the guys he was playing with had over $100K.

Of course, it ain't like Eli exactly needs the dough ... after all, the former signal-caller made over $250 MILLION in his NFL career alone.

Maxx Crosby might be bummed he didn't win NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors this season ... but the Raiders star tells TMZ Sports he's planning on using the snub as motivation to whoop some ass next season.

ICYMI, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett edged out Crosby -- and other finalists T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland -- for the big award at the NFL Honors ceremony on Feb. 8 ... which many felt Crosby deserved.

After all, Myles had 14 sacks and four forced fumbles on the year ... while Crosby totaled 14.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

So, when we got the Las Vegas pass rusher out at Super Bowl week, we had to ask the three-time Pro Bowler how he was taking it ... and it's clear, he's using it as fuel for this offseason's workouts.

"I mean, it's exactly what I needed," he said. "I know I'm going in the right direction. I know what I'm capable of. It's just the beginning."

"People haven't seen anything yet," he added.

Before he embarks on the road to dominance in '24, though, Crosby had a little fun in Vegas ahead of Super Bowl LVIII ... horsin' around on a red carpet with none other than Tom Brady.

Jason Kelce is serious about getting a Chiefs luchador mask back to the Texas teenager who let him borrow it at the Super Bowl ... because he reached out to the teen's family.

As many people saw during the SB celebrations ... Jason famously wore a Chiefs luchador mask to Super Bowl LVIII after-parties in Las Vegas after his brother Travis Kelce won the big game.

As it turns out ... the mask actually belongs to Elijah Smith, an 8th grader from Dallas who gave Jason the mask for a photo op -- but who never got it back amid all the post-game chaos. JK himself had recently said he found it on the floor ... in any case, it's the kid's.

Anyway ... Jason had already pledged to get Elijah his mask back in a social media post Friday morning, and we've since learned the NFL player has contacted Elijah's parents.

Sarah Smith, Elijah's mom, tells TMZ … Jason personally reached out to them Friday while Elijah was at school, and he plans on calling back so he can talk to Elijah on the phone later at some point this weekend.

The Smiths tell us Jason came off as very thoughtful, kind, and apologetic ... and they told him there was no rush in returning the luchador mask, especially given the Super Bowl parade shooting tragedy in Kansas City.

Sarah explains that Elijah's a pretty superstitious teen -- as lots of sports fans are -- and believes the mask is a lucky charm of sorts, which is why he wants it back.

In his post on X, Jason agreed ... "Your mask indeed brings great fortune, I owe you big time, sorry it was commandeered."

Worth noting -- the family isn't upset Jason got to wear it after the Super Bowl instead of Elijah ... they say all the videos and photos of Jason in Vegas with the mask are absolutely "epic." Once Jason returns the mask, Elijah's mom predicts her son will wear it to Chiefs games next season ... unless he frames it, of course.

Sharon Stone claims LAPD officers came to her home during the O.J. Simpson chase and whisked her away -- but cops who were on the force back then don't have any such memory.

David Gascon -- who was a commander at the LAPD's Media Relations department during the O.J. years -- tells TMZ ... he's never heard of cops showing up to Sharon's crib on June 17, 1994, when officers were in hot pursuit of Simpson during that infamous televised low-speed chase.

Not only is Gascon personally unaware of it happening ... he says he'd never heard a single report of Sharon's involvement, at least not until she talked about it this past week.

Ditto for Tom Lange ... the lead LAPD detective on the O.J. case tells us he hadn't heard a peep about Sharon's claim cops ushered her to a hotel for safety reasons. In fact, Lange asks the obvious question ... why would O.J. go after Sharon at the time?

Lange insists, if Sharon's Simpson saga happened, he would've heard of it. As for Sharon's M.O. in telling it ... he suspects it might have to do with the 30th anniversary coming up in June.

Last, but not least, we spoke to a retired former LAPD officer -- who worked in the South L.A. division back in 1994 -- and he also says any Sharon-O.J. connection is news to him!

This retired officer questions how or why O.J. would have any reason to go to Sharon's house at the time ... especially with 20 patrol cars chasing him down the freeway.

The way Sharon put it in her new interview, her "Basic Instinct" fame from '92 is what supposedly spurred a bunch of officers to show up to her house to hide her at a hotel. Although, as many here have noted, she had no apparent connection to O.J. in those days.

Sharon has previously talked about how crazy it was for her in the '90s after her then-viral movie skyrocketed her to A-list status ... not to mention making her a bona fide sex symbol.

Again, the fact these former officers are taking her story with a grain of salt does not mean what Sharon is saying didn't occur -- but as far as they're concerned, it was never on their radar.

The Mahomes family is doing whatever it can to help following the Kansas City shooting ... with Patrick, Brittany and their foundation donating $50,000 to the Chiefs' fundraiser for victims and others impacted by the tragedy.

The Super Bowl champions launched the campaign with United Way on Friday ... kicking things off with a $200,000 contribution.

The three-time S.B. MVP and his wife were quick to join in, too ... with their names and the 15 and the Mahomies Foundation popping up under the top donors list.

Patrick called on his followers to also chip in if they're able ... saying, "Just like #ChiefsKingdom has always been there for me and my family, we want to be there for them.❤️"

"The @Chiefs have launched #KCStrong, an emergency response fund supporting victims and their families, violence prevention and mental health services, and first responders."

T-Mobile threw in $20,000, too ... bringing the total to $345,500 just one hour after Patrick posted on X about the fundraiser.

The gesture comes on the heels of Patrick and Brittany's visit with shooting victims in the hospital ... and Taylor Swift's $100,000 contribution to support the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was killed in the tragedy.

The team spoke about the campaign ... saying, "We've all been affected by this moment -- and if you’re compelled to act, we encourage you to turn your outrage into action and contribute to this fund and share it with others."

Patrick Mahomes y su esposa Brittany están intentando alegrar algunos rostros después del trágico tiroteo del miércoles en el desfile de los Chiefs: los dos fueron vistos haciendo una visita al hospital local el jueves y levantando el ánimo de algunos niños heridos.

Los Mahomeses fueron específicamente a las habitaciones de una niña de 8 años y a otra de 10 años, ambas heridas de bala después de que se produjera un tiroteo tras la celebración de los Chiefs por el Super Bowl en Union Station.

Las niñas, parte de la familia Reyes, fueron alcanzadas en las piernas por las balas y necesitaron cirugía poco tiempo después para curar sus dolencias.

Pero cuando Patrick y Brittany pasaron a saludar no fue difícil ver a los pequeños muy felices, ambos tenían grandes sonrisas mientras posaban para las fotos.

Parece que la estrella de Kansas City y su esposa también trajeron regalos, ya que las niñas llevaban cascos en miniatura de los Chiefs.

La familia Reyes -que al parecer está relacionada con la mujer que trágicamente perdió la vida en el tiroteo- estaba agradecida de que los dos fueran a visitarlos y escribieron un comunicado: "Queremos dar un agradecimiento personal al equipo del Hospital Children's Mercy y a Patrick y Brittany Mahomes por su efusivo cuidado, amor y apoyo."

Por su parte, se creó un GoFundMe para ayudar a las niñas y a su familia en su recuperación y ya han recaudado 54.000 dólares.

En total, 23 personas fueron alcanzadas por las balas justo después de que Mahomes pronunciara un discurso en el mitin. Según las autoridades, al menos la mitad de las víctimas eran menores de 16 años.