Football

Rob Gronkowski got Red Sox fans fired up for their Patriots' Day game in the most Gronk way possible -- by spiking the ceremonial first pitch straight into the ground!

The New England Patriots legend took the mound at Fenway Park just before Boston took on the Guardians in the annual holiday tilt ... and instead of firing a fastball to his catcher, he decided to bring out his touchdown celebration instead.

Check out the footage, Gronk hurled the baseball into the dirt so hard, it made a loud thud -- and the crowd couldn't have loved it more!!

Even some of the Sox players were spotted cheering it on!!

Gronk then gave his catcher a leaping side bump ... before he settled in to watch the game.

Jason Kelce says Travis Kelce had every right to pound a beer at their "graduation" ceremony last week ... 'cause it was all for a good cause, and for their podcast.

The recently-retired Eagles center responded to someone online over the weekend who kinda criticized Travis' frat boy routine from last at the University of Cincinnati ... where he walked across the stage after receiving a fake diploma, only to pound a cold one right after.

It was all a hokey bit that Travis and Jason were doing with the university as part of a "New Heights" episode ... and it was meant to highlight the fact they never walked back in the day.

Aaron Rodgers' surgically repaired Achilles is already looking game ready ... as it seemed to hold up extremely well during a grueling workout in Santa Monica over the weekend.

The New York Jets quarterback hit up a popular staircase in the city on Friday afternoon with a couple members of the USC football team ... and he sure looked like a guy who had two healthy legs underneath him.

The 40-year-old went up and down the stairs over and over again -- with pace every time -- and the exercise was such a grind, it actually seemed he was on the verge of upchucking.

But, at no point did it appear his Achilles was bothering him ... an obviously great sign for the Jets.

As you know by now, the 10-time Pro Bowler had to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season ... after he blew out the tendon just a few minutes into NY's opener on Sept. 11.

Clearly, though, it's healed up nicely.

The Jets will get an up-close look at it all themselves starting on Monday -- as Rodgers showed up to the team's voluntary offseason program in NY minutes ago with a smile on his face.

Miami Dolphins star Raheem Mostert is opening up on his decision to chase touchdowns over big waves ... telling TMZ Sports he left his pro surfing dreams behind to pursue a college education!!

For those who don't know, the NFL's rushing-scoring leader last season was a beast on the board back in the day ... in fact, he even had a sponsorship offer from Billabong when he was in his mid-teens.

We caught up with Mostert at LAX this week about his first love ... and he said while he misses the sport, he knows he made the right decision by putting his focus on football.

Cam'ron's defending O.J. Simpson's legacy ... saying people need to back off since a jury acquitted him -- and blasting Caitlyn Jenner in the process.

The rapper hopped on the "It Is What It Is" podcast Friday to discuss Simpson's legacy the day after he died, and immediately started defending the controversial figure.

Cam points out a jury found O.J. not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in his 1995 criminal trial ... so, he says he's shocked people think it's fine to call him a murderer.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made a surprise appearance at Coachella Saturday night ... getting cozy backstage while showing support for Tay's Collaborators.

The couple was spotted backstage hugging and dancing while friend Jack Antonoff's band Bleachers performed.

Traylor also showed support for Tay's "Karma" collaborator Ice Spice during her Coachella performance.

Sales of O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It" book have exploded since the infamous star's death, with the publication skyrocketing to the top of the charts.

76-year-old O.J. died on Wednesday -- a day before the public found out -- when the Simpson family announced the news ... and reignited interest in the grizzly, 1994 double murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

According to Amazon.com, the world's largest bookseller, "If I Did It" sits in the number 1, 2, and 4 spots (different versions of the book -- audio, abridged, unabridged) in the entire Criminology section. It's also number 8 in the Murder/True Crime section.

Jared Goff's swimsuit model fiancée, Christen Harper, is celebrating her final days as an unmarried woman in fitting fashion ... soaking in the Mexico sun with other models in teeny bikinis!!!

The 30-year-old -- who got engaged to Goff back in June 2023 -- piled into a plane on Thursday morning with a grip of her closest friends ... and headed off to Cabo San Lucas to let loose one last time before her upcoming nuptials.

And, once they touched down, first order of business appeared to be to throw on some swimwear and catch some rays by a pool at a luxurious resort.

Of course, Harper -- who's been featured in Sports Illustrated several times -- was surrounded by other beautiful women who are no stranger to posing in barely-there attire ... including Katie Austin and Elizabeth Turner.

All of the girls seemed to be having a blast ... there were balloons, catered food -- and even temporary tattoos with Goff's mug on them!!

Harper and the ladies then threw on some dresses for a night on the town ... and it's expected they'll keep the party going throughout the weekend.

Harper and Goff first went public with their relationship way back in 2019 -- when TMZ Sports spotted them running errands at a Los Angeles-area Best Buy. They've since become inseparable -- even when the quarterback got traded from the Rams to the Detroit Lions.

O.J. Simpson estuvo rodeado de su familia en los últimos días y eso incluye a todos sus hijos, incluso los 2 más jóvenes que tuvo con Nicole Brown Simpson.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que todos los que vinieron a visitar a O.J. a su casa los días previos a su muerte tuvieron que firmar acuerdos de confidencialidad para resguardar su privacidad. Eso corrió para sus amigos, familiares e incluso para el personal médico que estaba en contacto con él mientras estaba bajo cuidados paliativos.

Nos dicen que el viernes, un profesional médico revisó a O.J. y notificó a sus cercanos que estaba empezando su transición... y fue entonces cuando todo el mundo acudió a verlo.

O.J. Simpson was surrounded by family in the final days before his death, and that includes all of his living children -- yes, even the 2 youngest he had with Nicole Brown Simpson.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... everyone who came to visit O.J. at his home in the days before he passed had to sign NDAs for his privacy -- that went for friends, family and even medical personnel who were coming into contact with him while he was under hospice care.

We're told on Friday, a medical professional checked on O.J. and notified those around him that he was starting to transition -- and that's when everyone came flocking to his bedside.

Travis Kelce reached yet another life milestone on Thursday night, receiving his college diploma from the Univ. of Cincinnati, and in true Kelce fashion, he celebrated by -- you guessed it -- sucking down a beer!!

The Kansas City Chiefs star and his big brother, Jason, were at their old stomping grounds to film a live episode of their 'New Heights' podcast ... and when it came time to put a bow on the festivities, officials at their alma mater surprised them with an impromptu commencement ceremony.

Both dudes had previously graduated from the school ... but neither got to walk across the stage to snatch their diplomas -- so the moment was pretty special for the two.

O.J. Simpson's death has sparked new interest in his memorabilia ... one collectibles store in Las Vegas tells TMZ.

Company Inscriptagraphs tells us ... they've been hit with an increase in web traffic and sales hours after O.J.'s death was confirmed by his family. We're told the owner even opened the store early due to the high demand.

40 sales were made the morning after O.J.'s death from items ranging from $150-$2,000 in pricing -- and Inscriptagraphs is planning to add more inventory to its already impressive collections. The business is located in Tivoli Village ... minutes away from where O.J. lived in Sin City.

O.J. Simpson's cancer battle took a heavy toll on his health over the past year -- and in his final days, he was incredibly frail and virtually unrecognizable ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us O.J. was, in fact, diagnosed with prostate cancer -- something he first alluded to in May 2023 in a video he posted to X. He never offered much detail, and seemed to suggest he had beaten it.

Despite the brave face he put on, our sources tell us the cancer was not at all in remission and greatly impacted his health. Whereas, we're told, he lived as if he were a younger man -- even into his later years -- his physical state seriously deteriorated over the past 11 months.

El cáncer de O.J. Simpson causó un gran deterioro en su salud durante el último año y en sus últimos días estaba increíblemente frágil y prácticamente irreconocible ... según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que O.J. fue, de hecho, diagnosticado con cáncer de próstata, algo que aludió por primera vez en mayo de 2023 en un video que publicó en X. Nunca ofreció muchos detalles y parecía sugerir que lo había vencido.

A pesar de lo valiente que se veía, nuestras fuentes nos dicen que el cáncer no estaba en absoluto en remisión y que afectó mucho a su salud. Aunque vivía como si fuera un hombre más joven, incluso en sus últimos años, su estado físico se deterioró gravemente en los últimos 11 meses, según nos cuentan.

4/12 -- 5:55 AM PT -- Rashee Rice posted bond shortly after he was taken into police custody.

He did, however, take a mug shot before he was released ... and you can see in the picture, he looked stoic.

Rashee Rice is currently in police custody after the K.C. Chiefs star surrendered to law enforcement on Thursday ... and is now behind bars in a Texas jail.

It's almost the weekend, but another busy day of big news hit Thursday ... and, TMZ was there to cover it all.

On "TMZ Live," Charles and Jason break down O.J. Simpson's death ... discussing the life of an incredibly polarizing public figure.