Football

Fantasy Football nerds, listen up ... Jake Plummer says he's expecting a monster year from Justin Herbert -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks Jim Harbaugh will get the very best out of the Chargers star.

Plummer played in the NFL at the same time as Harbaugh in the late 1990s -- and it's clear as day he grew a ton of respect for the Bolts' head man. So much so, he believes Herbert's game will soar to new heights under his tutelage.

The former Arizona State star quarterback says because Harbaugh wasn't the most athletic signal-caller, he grew a massive football IQ ... and he anticipates that being passed on easily to Herbert.

Now that Reggie Bush's Heisman is back where it belongs, Tim Brown thinks it's time for the NCAA to correct some of its wrongs ... saying he wants the org. to look into its past punishments and consider reversing them too.

Brown joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to gloat about the Heisman Trust's decision to give its trophy back to Bush ... and then he said the NCAA should attempt to perform similar actions.

Specifically, the former Notre Dame star wide receiver said the organization should contemplate lifting bans for anyone who was thrown under the bus in the past for things that are now legal.

Owen Wilson wants nothing to do with a movie leaning into the idea O.J. Simpson was innocent of the infamous '94 murders -- turning down a boatload for the lead part.

The partially finished flick's director, Joshua Newton, admits he thought Owen was perfect for the role of attorney Douglas McCann, but he says even dangling a whopping $12 million check couldn't sway Owen to sign on the dotted line.

Newton tells Rambling Reporter talks initially went pretty deep with Owen about playing McCann ... a real-life attorney who got sucked into various conspiracy theories during Simpson's 1995 criminal trial.

Reggie Bush better get his party pants ready for the next Heisman Trophy ceremony ... 'cause one of the award's former winners, Mike Garrett, tells TMZ Sports it's going to be a BLAST!!

Of course, the 2024 version of the event will be the first one Bush gets to attend since the Heisman Trust gave him back his coveted award on Wednesday ... and Garrett is promising it will be a memorable one for the ex-USC star.

He explained to us that it'll be like Bush "is being reborn" ... and he says the celebration will be a good one because of it.

Ariana Biermann is cringing hard after her mom, Kim Zolciak, implied her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, had died ... and yeah, we'll admit, it's pretty embarrassing.

For those who missed it, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum posted an old black-and-white pic this week showing her and Kroy together, dropping a "#RIP" in the caption. The reason, it seems ... to promote an old, outdated article from 2023.

As fans blasted Kim for the faux death announcement, her daughter -- who Kroy adopted in 2013 -- also weighed in ... sharing she too thinks the social media upload was messed up.

7:37 AM PT -- It's official -- Reggie Bush was welcomed back to the Heisman family on Wednesday ... with the Trust sharing a picture of Bush posing with his trophy.

7:02 AM PT -- Reggie just took to his Instagram page to celebrate the news -- showing a picture of his Heisman Trophy with the caption, "No one can take from you what God has for you."

Reggie Bush is soon to be reunited with what's rightfully his -- the Heisman Trust is slated to reinstate the former USC superstar's prestigious award on Wednesday ... after he was stripped of the honor back in 2010.

If the Chicago Bears take Caleb Williams AND Brenden Rice in this week's NFL draft, they won't regret it ... 'cause Rice tells TMZ Sports he believes the duo can be the next "Gronk and Tom Brady."

The two, of course, got pretty close to that level of greatness while they were teammates at USC -- particularly in 2023, when Rice, the son of Jerry Rice, logged 791 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

The 22-year-old wideout told us he'd expect a whole lot more of the same if the guys were able to reunite on the Bears, who are expected to take Williams with the No. 1 overall pick Thursday night.

Jim Irsay says his medical emergency back in December was NOT due to an overdose ... insisting this week a leg injury was actually the cause of the scare.

Cops, of course, have stated otherwise. Carmel Police Department officers said in an incident report they responded to the Indianapolis Colts owner's Carmel residence on Dec. 8 at around 4:30 AM after he had been struggling to breathe with a weak pulse. They said following an administration of a dose of Narcan -- a drug commonly used to revive people in opiate overdose situations -- "he responded slightly."

Irsay was ultimately strapped to a stretcher and taken to the hospital ... and cops ended up classifying the whole ordeal as a suspected "overdose" and "overdose/poisoning."

Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, really is a bikini model now -- the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie put her stunning body on display during her vacation in Mexico ... and flaunted some serious underboob in the process.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar and his longtime partner had a romantic trip in Cabo San Lucas over the past several days ... but on Sunday, it was all about the girls.

Brittany was spotted on a luxurious yacht with at least four other ladies ... soaking up the sun as they lounged on the back deck.

Robert Kraft graduated from Columbia in '63, and has been a huge proponent of the school in every way, including financially ... but all that changed Monday when the billionaire Patriots owner made it clear he wasn't going to stand by and watch his University be taken over by hate and vitriol.

"The school I love so much - the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity - is no longer an institution I recognize," 82-year-old Kraft said in a statement released by Stand Up To Jewish Hate, adding, "I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country."

Of course, since mid-last week, students and others have taken to Columbia's NYC campus to demand the University sever all ties to Israel. Some protestors have been seen showing support for Hamas and their actions on October 7, even calling for repeated attacks.

Matty Ice is putting his career on ice for good -- former NFL MVP Matt Ryan is officially retiring from professional football after 15 seasons.

The Atlanta Falcons great -- who played all but one season with the organization -- released a heartfelt goodbye to the game on Monday ... saying it was time to hang up the helmet.

"Today, 16 years after being drafted, my childhood dream has officially come to an end," Ryan said.

If Pat Tillman ever gets honored at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jake Plummer will be the first one there for the ceremony ... although he tells TMZ Sports if it doesn't happen, he knows the hero's legacy will go on regardless.

Plummer and Tillman were good pals before the Army ranger's tragic death in 2004 -- the two played together at Arizona State and then once more with the Arizona Cardinals -- and when we asked if it was time to include the former defensive back in Canton, Plummer said he'd be for it.

After all, despite playing in just 60 games in his pro career, there might not be a more universally respected person in the history of the NFL.

Former Dallas Cowboys star Mike Jenkins was involved in a heated confrontation at a Florida bar over the weekend ... video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

The incident happened at The Kenwood on Sunday night in St. Petersburg ... after Jenkins had apparently become upset with the way one of the establishment's employees had handled his credit card.

A witness tells us the worker had either misplaced or lost Jenkins' plastic -- which agitated the former 2008 NFL Draft first-round pick.

Another Rice is making his way to the NFL this season ... but don't expect him to look anything like Jerry on gamedays -- no, Brenden Rice tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to be his own man when it comes time to perform on Sundays.

Brenden has been a baller receiver at USC for the last two years -- but he's now entering the NFL draft ... and he says when he gets on his new team next week, he doesn't want anyone to compare him to his dad.

While, of course, he loves his father and respects the hell out of the legacy the football legend left with the 49ers -- he says he's determined to build his own name ... and not ride on anyone's coattails.

Jim Harbaugh's a man of his word ... fulfilling a promise he made to ink his body if they won a national championship -- and his players filmed the whole experience.

The Michigan Wolverines football team met up Saturday to receive their national championship rings ... and, JH lived up to his end of the deal -- sitting down with an artist and getting the Michigan "M" tatted on his right arm.

After Michigan defeated the Washington Huskies in the title game 34-13 back in January, Jim revealed he'd promised his team he'd tattoo their logo with the record "15-0" as a shout-out to their accomplishment.

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes might be on vacation, but the trolls seem to find them regardless ... with some hardcore Raiders fans giving them guff as they left a restaurant.

TMZ obtained video of the pair grabbing a bite at Rosa Negra -- a luxury Latin restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico -- Thursday night, and it looked like one hot date night for the couple, sans any kids.

Eyewitnesses say the couple hung out for about two hours before dipping out ... and, that's when they got heckled by some fans of an opposing team ... with some goons booing and hissing them, not to mention shouting "RAIDERS" to Patty and Brit as they bounced.