Football

Matt Araiza -- the former Bills punter who was cut by Buffalo in the 2022 preseason after a woman alleged he sexually assaulted her -- is now signing with the Chiefs ... roughly two months after his accuser dropped her lawsuit against him.

The 23-year-old football player's agents announced the move on social media Thursday afternoon ... praising the kicker for how he's handled everything since the allegations were first brought against him nearly two years ago.

"We are grateful to Brett Veach, coach [Andy] Reid and the @Chiefs organization for giving Matt this opportunity," JL Sports officials wrote on X. "Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months. He has handled himself with grace and humility that is truly inspiring."

They added, "Matt can now move forward knowing that this ordeal is behind him. He is thrilled to move forward as a part of the #ChiefsKingdom."

As we previously reported, Araiza's accuser claimed in a suit filed back in August '22 that when she was 17 years old, Araiza and two of his college football teammates raped her while she was attending a 2021 Halloween party at the punter's San Diego-area home.

Araiza was adamant at the time the claims were false ... and in December 2022, some four months after she filed the suit, prosecutors announced they would not be pressing charges against the NFLer.

"There is no path to a potential criminal conviction," they said in revealing their decision.

A year later, in December 2023, Araiza's attorneys announced the woman had dropped her suit after the parties reached an agreement.

"Matt is not paying the plaintiff any money," Araiza's lawyers said in a statement, "and he is reserving his right to pursue the plaintiff’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, and his law office for the harm that they have caused him."

Randy Moss didn't learn of his trade to the Patriots on a football field, weight room or at an NFL facility ... no, he says it all actually went down at a nightclub!!

The Hall of Famer made the revelation on the newest episode of "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" -- explaining that he was outside of a hot spot getting ready to party when Bill Belichick hit his line about acquiring him from Oakland.

Moss said initially, he thought it was a prankster, so he hung up.

"I was like, 'Well, maybe he doesn't want to come to New England,'" Belichick said of the 2007 call. "So, then I called him again."

Moss said he again thought it was someone yanking his chain ... but then The Hoodie got serious.

"He cut straight to the chase," Moss said of Belichick. "He said, 'Look, man, if you're not up here by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, no trade.'"

Moss then went inside and celebrated his face off ... with none other than a grip of beer!!!

"I held one of my Coronas," he said. "And said, 'I'm going to be a Patriot!'"

Of course, Moss went on to make history in Foxborough ... in the three seasons after Belichick traded for a 4th-round pick for him, he logged 3,904 receiving yards and a staggering 50 TDs -- including a record 23 in 2007. He also helped lead the Pats to an undefeated regular season that year -- although they ultimately lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

Johnny Manziel says he withered from 210 pounds all the way down to 170 just months after his NFL career ended ... explaining his body morphed due to "a strict diet of blow."

The former Heisman Trophy winner opened up about his struggles following his Cleveland playing days during a recent, two-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe.

In the chat on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast ... Manziel admitted he was at nearly rock bottom once he had failed the Browns in 2015 at 23 years old -- so he turned to the Las Vegas party scene to pick him up.

Apparently, his trip to Sin City included a lot of cocaine ... something he says changed his figure into an unrecognizable one.

"At that point in time, man," Manziel said, "I would look in a mirror and I didn't see myself any different than when I was in Cleveland. Until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, I didn't realize I had lost 40 pounds at all."

"I remember these pictures came out," he continued. "I was like, 'Damn. What am I doing? Ah, whatever, we'll figure that out later. Let's go again.'"

Manziel said in addition to coke, he was also using OxyContin and Percocets.

Johnny Football went on to lament other parts of his life in his talk with Sharpe -- including his strained relationship with LeBron James.

After Cleveland had drafted the Texas A&M QB, LeBron signed him to his agency ... and throughout his time with the Browns, Manziel said the NBA superstar tried to take him under his wing. But, while battling poor play and subsequent depression, he said he pushed the hooper away.

"LeBron would text me every week to come over to the house and watch a game or play poker with the boys and just tried to be there," Manziel said. "And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life couldn't get me out of bed to come and hang out with him."

Manziel added that he still feels to this day he let the future basketball Hall of Famer down.

Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce están reunidos en Australia y su primera parada en la ciudad como pareja fue volver al zoológico, tal como hizo Taylor ayer ... Hablando de déjà vu.

Los tortolitos fueron vistos de la mano el jueves paseando por el zoo de Sydney, disfrutando de las vistas y echando un vistazo a todos los animales. Tay Tay parecía llevar la iniciativa, lo cual tiene sentido, ya que estuvo literalmente hace 24 horas allí.

La atracción debe haberle causado una buena impresión, pues claramente pensó que valdría la pena llevar a Travis Kelce para una segunda ronda. De hecho, hizo de guía turística, como se ve en estas fotos aéreas obtenidas por Channel 9 News de Australia.

Trayvis incluso le dio de comer a un canguro.

Ahora, salieron como lo hacen normalmente mientras pasean. Es decir, súper enamorados y abrazados de la cintura. No solo iban cogidos de la mano, sino que se abrazaron varias veces también. Así que, sí, todavía van muy en serio.

Como informamos, Travis estaba en camino a Sydney el miércoles después de saltar en un jet privado la noche del martes en Los Ángeles y hacer una parada en Hawái.

Ahora, en términos de privacidad, no pareciera que Taylor y Travis tuvieran el lugar para ellos. Había otros turistas caminando por el zoológico, aunque parece que tenían su propia burbuja, pues no fueron bombardeados por los fans o los curiosos. ¡Gracias, seguridad!

Todavía tienen unos días juntos durante el fin de semana, pero Taylor estará ocupada, ya que tiene 4 espectáculos seguidos. Es seguro decir que Trav estará presente.

Se preguntarán qué más planean hacer, Sydney es una ciudad increíble y hay mucho que ver y hacer. Estaremos atentos a algunas fotos en el puente, ya que todos van para allá.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reunited down under -- and their first order of business as a couple was to go back to the zoo she was just at the day prior ... talk about déjà vu.

The lovebirds were seen hand in hand Thursday walking through the Sydney Zoo -- taking in the sights and peeping all the animal exhibitions. Tay Tay seemed to take the lead in showing him around ... which makes sense since she was literally there 24 hours before his arrival.

The attraction must've left a good impression on her, 'cause she clearly thought it'd be worth taking TK for round 2. Indeed ... she was playing the tour guide, as seen in these sky pics obtained by Australia's Channel 9 News. Heck, Traylor even fed a kangaroo at one point!

Now, they came off like they usually do as they moseyed around ... namely, super in love and tied at the hip. Not only were they holding hands, but they were locked in a hug a few different times as well. So, yeah ... they're still going strong and very into each other.

As we reported ... Travis was en route to Sydney Wednesday after hopping on a private jet Tuesday night from L.A. and making a pit stop in Hawaii.

Now, in terms of privacy ... it doesn't appear Taylor and Travis had the place shut down for themselves -- there were other zoo sightseers walking around, but they did seem to have their own little bubble without being bombarded by fans and gawkers. Thank you, security!

They got a few days together through the weekend -- however, Taylor will be busy ... as she's got 4 shows to do. Safe to say, Trav will be in attendance.

Ya gotta wonder what else they'll get into ... Sydney's a cool town, and there's lots to see/do. We'll be on the lookout for some bridge shots -- everybody heads there down under.

Have fun, you two!

12:18 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... Michael and his camp have actually not heard from Shaquem's agent to discuss the selling of rights for his movie and no talks have been had at all.

Shaquem Griffin says interest in a biopic about his life has recently exploded ... so much so, he tells TMZ Sports Michael B. Jordan has shown interest in acquiring it!!

The former NFL star -- who inspiringly made it to the league despite having his left hand amputated when he was just 4 years old -- has been working on a movie about his life journey for over two years.

He told us out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas that, initially, he wanted to get the flick out ASAP. But, he said as more and more people have become aware of the project, he's seen plenty eager to get their hands on it ... including Adonis Creed himself.

He explained ... his agent has been in talks with Jordan's Outlier Society production company -- and he's confident even more are going to come forward as the script gets closer and closer to being done.

"Something special is finna happen," Griffin said.

Unclear if MBJ would have his eyes on the starring role ... but if he did, Griffin would clearly endorse it, even if they would then need to add his limb difference via CGI.

Griffin has now been out of the NFL since the 2021 season ... but he's stayed busy in retirement. In addition to working on his movie, his twin brother told us back in 2022 he's become a damn good motivational speaker as well.

6:30 PM PT -- The first sign of Travis Kelce in Australia has surfaced, and the dude looks ... well, beat.

Here's a shot of the tight end arriving in Sydney Wednesday (or Thursday on his time), and yes ... the dude was pretty straight-faced and serious as he got off his private jet. Ya gotta imagine he's stoked to be there for Taylor Swift ... but yeah, that was a long ass flight. Woof ...

2:58 PM PT -- Travis Kelce has officially touched down in Australia, hopping off his private jet just minutes ago.

Travis Kelce is on his way to see his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in Australia -- in fact, he's currently en route ... and he'll be landing there bright and early, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Travis is, in fact, aboard a private jet at the moment that's on its way to Sydney right now ... and it looks like he's taking a similar flight path that she did when she left Vegas after the Super Bowl to get back to work in Melbourne.

We know Travis went from Los Angeles to Hawaii overnight -- where he landed for a pit stop -- and then continued on his journey very early this AM ... and is up in the air as we speak.

Our sources tell us Travis grabbed dinner in L.A. Tuesday evening before jumping on a plane around 9 PM and jetting on over to the islands. We're told he chowed down at Nobu Malibu -- and seems to have laid relatively low, 'cause there aren't many eyewitness sightings.

Of course, he'll now be joining Tay Tay down under ahead of a string of shows she's got scheduled through the weekend ... this after missing her Melbourne slate. Here, he's making up for it by catching the latter half of her Aussie shows ... 4 of 'em running through Monday.

Unclear if Travis is gonna stick around and hit up Singapore with Taylor afterward -- where she's scheduled to perform next -- but for now ... she'll have TK by her side in Sydney.

Travis has been traveling quite a bit over the past 48 hours -- as we reported, he was in Vegas (again) Monday for a little bro time and some golf ... but beelined outta there quick.

There's been a lot of speculation on when (or if) he'd join Taylor at some point ... and now, we know he will. The reason for the doubt had to do with the Kansas City shooting -- which threw Travis and his whole team for a loop, and seemingly set his plans back a bit.

He was just in Kansas City this past weekend ... but since then, he's been bouncing around.

Travis' dad, Ed, did an interview earlier this week where he said his boy sounded keen on coming down there and enjoying the Aussie landscape -- as it turns out, he was right.

Get ready, Taylor ... here comes, Travis!!!

We'll be talking all things Taylor on the new "TMZ Swift-Tea Podcast" -- available on all podcast platforms.

Ex-NFL star Adrian Peterson claims his most prized possessions are being sold without his consent ... and now, he's planning to sue over the matter.

Numerous items belonging to the All-Pro running back -- including his 2012 Most Valuable Player and 2007 Rookie of the Year trophies -- hit the auction block this week ... which led many to wonder if Peterson had fallen on hard times and was looking to make a quick buck after earning more than $100 million on the field throughout his career.

The former first-round pick cleared the air on Wednesday ... saying he was just as shocked as everyone else when news of the auction made rounds on social media.

"I want to clarify recent rumors and media reports," Peterson said in a video. "An estate sale company without my authorization included some of my trophies in a sale, despite clear instructions to leave personal items untouched."

Peterson's rep, Denise White, further explained to TMZ Sports he had a storage unit full of old stuff ... so he hired the Texmax Auctions company to get rid of whatever he didn't want anymore -- but he had no intent to include anything of personal value.

Worth noting -- Peterson made his way around the league during his lengthy career ... so we're told he had several storage units throughout the country and had no clue these specific items would be included.

White tells us they've made several attempts to make contact with the company to fix the issue ... but have not heard back as of this post.

Peterson continued ... "I did not authorize the sale of my trophies and am taking legal action. Trusting the company without supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful."

6:30 PM PT -- Ha salido a la superficie la primera señal de Travis Kelce en Australia y el tipo se ve ... Bueno, exhausto.

Aquí tenemos una foto del jugador llegando a Sydney el miércoles (o el jueves en Australia), y sí el hombre estaba bastante serio al bajar de su jet privado. Podemos imaginar que está emocionado de estar allí para Taylor Swift, pero sí, el viaje es larguísimo.

2:58 PM PT -- Travis Kelce ha aterrizado oficialmente en Australia. El jugador de los Kansas City Chiefs se bajó de su jet privado hace apenas unos minutos.

Travis Kelce está en camino para ver a su novia Taylor Swift en Australia. De hecho, está actualmente en ruta y va a aterrizar temprano en el día, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que Travis está, de hecho, a bordo de un jet privado en este momento y de camino a Sydney. Parece que es una ruta similar a la que hizo Taylor cuando salió de Las Vegas tras el Super Bowl para dirigirse a Melbourne.

Sabemos que Travis viajó de Los Ángeles a Hawái durante la noche. Hizo una parada y continuó su viaje muy temprano esta mañana. Ahora está volando mientras hablamos.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que Travis cenó en Los Ángeles el martes por la noche antes de subirse al avión alrededor de las 9 PM y volar a las islas. Nos han dicho que cenó en Nobu Malibu y parece haber pasado relativamente desapercibido, porque no hay muchos testigos.

Por supuesto, ahora se unirá a Tay Tay, quien tiene una serie de espectáculos programados hasta el fin de semana. Esto, después de perderse su parada en Melbourne. Aquí lo está compensando con la última mitad de sus shows en Australia: 4 hasta el lunes.

No está claro si Travis va a quedarse o si viajará a Singapur con ella después, donde está programado que siga su gira. Aunque por ahora tendrá a Travis Kelce a su lado en Sydney.

Travis ha estado viajando bastante en las últimas 48 horas, como informamos, estuvo en Las Vegas el lunes para jugar golf y pasar tiempo con sus amigos, pero se fue rápido.

Ha habido mucha especulación sobre cuándo (o si) se uniría a Taylor y ahora sabemos que va en camino. La razón de la duda tenía que ver con el tiroteo de Kansas City, que al parecer echó sus planes un poco para atrás.

El jugador estuvo en Kansas City este fin de semana, pero desde entonces ha estado en diferentes lugares.

El padre de Travis, Ed, hizo una entrevista a principios de esta semana donde dijo que creía que su hijo quería viajar y disfrutar del paisaje australiano. Parece que tenía razón.

Lyndell Mays -- the man who cops say fired the first gunshots at the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade last week -- appeared in a Missouri courtroom on Wednesday for the first time since he was hit with a murder charge over the shooting during the K.C. celebration.

Reporters inside of the courtroom say the 23-year-old showed up to the proceedings in an orange jumpsuit ... with shackles around his waist and feet. They added he also had a piece of white gauze taped to his face -- presumably covering wounds he suffered amid the chaos on Feb. 14 at Union Station.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom.

According to KHSB 41, Mays walked in front of the judge with his head dropped slightly ... although he did make eye contact with some who were present.

Mays did not enter a plea at the hearing ... and he's now due back in court for a bond review next Thursday. He remains in police custody on $1 million bail.

As we previously reported, Mays is facing one count of murder in the second degree, two counts of armed criminal action, and one count of unlawful use of a weapon ... after police say he admitted to firing his gun multiple times following a dispute with other people at the K.C. party.

Cops say Mays told them his actions were "stupid."

"Just pulled a gun out and started shooting," police said he told them. "I shouldn't have done that. Just being stupid."

One other adult, Dominic Miller, and two juveniles have also been hit with criminal charges related to the shooting. It's unclear when their first court appearances will take place.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is attempting to clear the air on his decision to unfollow his employer on Instagram ... claiming part of it had to do with escaping the Caleb Williams debate.

The NFL star caused a stir when he removed the Bears from his feed last week ... with some folks speculating it was foreshadowing his future with the organization and what Chicago will do with the top pick in next month's draft.

Of course, many expect the USC standout to have his name called first ... which would almost certainly end Fields' time in the Windy City.

Fields was asked all about it on the "St. Brown Bros." podcast episode that dropped on Wednesday ... and he wants everyone to relax.

"Why do people take social media so serious?" Fields asked. "I still mess with the Bears, this and that. I'm just trying to take a little break. I unfollowed the Bears AND the NFL, bro. I'm not just trying to have football on my timeline."

Fields compared his social media activity to talking to a girl -- just because they may not follow each other doesn't mean something isn't going on behind the scenes.

The former No. 11-overall pick did point out one thing that bothers him in particular -- the comment section turning into a massive back-and-forth over what the Bears should do.

Marshawn Lynch just cut a deal with prosecutors in his DUI case ... avoiding a trial that was slated to begin in Las Vegas later Wednesday.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show that as part of the agreement, the former NFL star's misdemeanor DUI charge will be reduced down to a reckless driving one if he completes several conditions.

Some of those, the docs show, include 200 hours of community service, DUI school, a $1,140 fine and keeping his nose clean for the next 12 months.

As an additional part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges Lynch had been facing.

Court records show Lynch is now due back in court for a hearing in the case in May.

Lynch's attorneys, Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, said in a statement to 8 News Now following the agreement, "Mr. Lynch has not been convicted of any offense at this time. He has agreed to complete certain requirements which will result in this case being closed as a reckless driving traffic offense."

The ex-Seattle Seahawks running back was initially charged with the DUI -- as well as, among other things, one count of failure to drive in a travel lane -- back in August 2022 ... after officials accused him of getting behind the wheel of a 2020 Shelby GT500 while drunk.

Officials claimed Lynch tore up his car on the roadway ... before he parked it and fell asleep.

Police video shows when officers confronted Lynch ... he seemed uncooperative. And, after cops said he was "obstructing" their investigation, they pulled him from the car.

"Roll over," the cops could be heard telling him as they wrestled him to the ground. "Hands behind your back. No more games today."

Lynch's attorneys argued at the time "the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation" -- and therefore the DUI charge shouldn't stick.

Gisele Bündchen no comenzó a salir con Joaquim Valente hasta junio de 2023, pero al parecer Tom Brady no está comprando lo que ella está diciendo.

Múltiples fuentes relacionadas con Tom le dicen a TMZ que el ex jugador de la NFL cree que G & J comenzaron a salir juntos mucho antes de eso. Como dijo una fuente: "Deberían añadir después de junio de 2021. Ahí sería exacto el titular".

Fuentes relacionadas con Gisele le dijeron a People: "Han estado saliendo desde junio. Se lo están tomando con calma. Primero empezaron como grandes amigos".

Como ya informamos, Gisele y Tom conocen a Joaquim desde hace años. Sus 2 hijos tomaron clases de jiu-jitsu con él y la propia Gisele entrenó con Joaquim.

Después de que Tom y Gisele se separaron, ella viajó varias veces a Costa Rica con Joaquim, junto con sus hijos, y han sido vistos juntos en Miami también.

Una fuente de Tom dijo: "Cuando anunciaron su divorcio en octubre de 2022, Gisele huyó a Costa Rica durante dos meses. Joaquim voló con ella durante 2 meses. Ella se toma en serio su entrenamiento de jiu-jitsu. LOL".

9:54 AM PT -- Whether Tom Brady believes the relationship timeline between Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente or not -- they're continuing to see each other as they explore their romance ... proven by the fact that Joaquim just left Gisele's place earlier this morning.

Here's a shot of the jiu-jitsu instructor making a clean getaway from Gisele's home in Miami Wednesday morning -- right on the heels of reports that they're together as a couple now. Tom himself might be incredulous as to when it all began ... but they clearly don't care.

Gisele Bündchen didn't start dating Joaquim Valente until June 2023, but apparently Tom Brady isn't buying what she's selling.

Multiple sources connected to Tom tell TMZ ... the former QB believes G&J started dating long before that. As one source put it, "They should add 2021 after June. Then the headline would be accurate."

Gisele sources told People, "They have been dating since June. They're taking it slow. They started out as great friends first."

As we reported, Gisele and Tom have known Joaquim for years. Their 2 kids took jiu-jitsu lessons with him and Gisele herself trained with Joaquim.

After Tom and Gisele split, she traveled several times to Costa Rica with Joaquim, along with her kids and have been seen together in Miami as well.

One source said, "When they announced divorce in October 2022, Gisele fled to Costa Rica for 2 months. Joaquim flew there with her for 2 months. She takes her jiu-jitsu training seriously. LOL."

Tom has been dating supermodel Irina Shayk on and off since last summer, so he's moved on. The couple shares joint custody of their kids.

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive back Tim McKyer -- who won three Super Bowls in his NFL career -- was arrested in Florida this week ... after he was accused of crashing into multiple parked cars before fleeing the scene.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, McKyer allegedly slammed his Tesla into five vehicles on Sunday in a Riviera Beach parking garage.

Cops wrote in the docs all five rides -- which were parked at the time -- had visible damage, with some left totally "inoperable."

Police say their investigation revealed that after wrecking the cars ... McKyer backed his Tesla into an open space on a different floor of the garage -- before he left without making anyone aware of the damage he had caused.

According to the docs, Riviera Beach Police Dept. officers made contact with McKyer a short time later ... and they claim he showed signs of inebriation -- namely, cops say he reeked of alcohol and struggled with his balance.

McKyer was taken into custody for leaving the scene of an accident with property damage ... and transported to a nearby hospital. While there, cops say he admitted he was the only one who had driven his Tesla that evening.

McKyer was ultimately arrested and booked on five total charges of hit and run.

Records show he's due in court for a hearing on the matter on March 4.

Travis Kelce's got a chance to sing where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases ... 'cause Garth Brooks is personally inviting the Kansas City Chiefs superstar and his buddies to perform "Friends in Low Places" at his bar grand opening!!

The country music legend extended the offer on his "Inside Studio G" show Tuesday night ... after he praised the Super Bowl champ's attempt to cover his classic 1990 anthem at last week's festivities in Kansas City.

GB said he thought TK's rendition at the Chiefs' Super Bowl rally was "fantastic" ... adding it blew him away 'cause he was watching the whole moment unfold live.

Brooks was so moved by the gesture, he revealed he wants to send a private plane to Kelce, his brother, Jason, and all his boys to give the song another shot when his new watering hole -- fittingly named Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky Tonk -- officially opens its doors in Nashville in a couple weeks.

"Big man, I'm just telling you this," Garth said on his show. "I will be at grand opening if you're there. I'll send a plane if you want another shot at the title. If you want to come sing that, I'll send a plane."

"So, yes, I'll be happy to send this invite out to you if you want to try a little 'Friends in Low Places' in Friends in Low Places."