Football

The controversial commencement speech Harrison Butker gave over the weekend has apparently made him one of the most popular players in the NFL ... as his jersey sales have exploded in the days following the polarizing talk.

According to NFL.com, Butker's red Chiefs No. 7 uni is now amongst the league's "Top Sellers" -- right up there with C.J. Stroud, Saquon Barkley and Caleb Williams.

In fact, the league's website appeared to indicate that Butker's threads are an even bigger seller than those belonging to his star teammates, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

Harrison Butker's critics are on the move, but so are his defenders -- 'cause 2 different petitions are floating around ... one wants him off the Chiefs, another wants him to stay.

A Change.org petition is circulating and going viral -- as it demands his dismissal from the Chiefs over what they believe to be discriminatory remarks ... and at this point, it's got a helluva lot of signatures, nearly hitting its 150,000 goal since it started a few days ago.

The petition, which popped up 2 days after his polarizing commencement speech, really goes after HB ... accusing him of using his platform to spread harm instead of unity, and pushing harmful stereotypes that threaten progress. However, there's an opposite movement in his favor.

New contract, new whip!

Isaiah Simmons just signed a new contract with the New York Giants (1 year, $2 million) ... so the star defender treated himself to something nice, copping a brand new Tesla Cybertruck, and hookin' it up!

The 25-year-old former first-rounder out of Clemson -- the 8th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- hit up Rosco Abushi, designer behind ABUSHI in Queens, New York ... for a custom wrap on his Cybertruck, the most talked about vehicle of '24.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are enjoying a little getaway in Europe ahead of the singer's next slate of shows in Stockholm ... and they couldn't pick a more romantic setting.

The couple jetted off to Lake Como, Italy to enjoy a private dinner by candlelight just outside of the luxurious 17th-century villa where they're staying.

Despite their A-list status, the Grammy winner and the NFL star kept a low profile ... with Taylor wearing a dark sundress and overcoat and Travis rocking a white long-sleeve shirt and black slacks for the outing.

Whoopi Goldberg is coming to Harrison Butker's defense following his controversial college address -- but she's not so much agreeing with what he said ... more so his right to say it.

The TV star came out swinging on Thursday's episode of "The View" ... saying the Chiefs star was technically right to speak his mind during his speech this past weekend, especially since he's a devout Catholic addressing a Catholic college.

WG says that while she doesn't agree with Butker -- noting that the women at the commencement didn't have to either -- she still feels like he was within his right to speak his views.

More bad news for the Chiefs this offseason ... the team's first-round pick, Xavier Worthy, had his car stolen in Kansas City earlier this week.

According to the Kansas City Police Dept., Worthy's ride was reported missing on Monday morning ... after it had been "parked, secured and intact" at the Two Light Apartment complex in K.C. just hours earlier.

Pro Football Talk reported Thursday those close to Worthy believe it was lifted "by a professional group of criminals who 'knew exactly what they were doing.'" No arrests have been made in the case, however.

Streamers planning to binge "College Football 25" this summer better get used to seeing a whole lot of Quinn Ewers, Travis Hunter and Donovan Edwards ... EA Sports just revealed the trio of ballers are the video game's cover athletes!!

The three CFB stars all posed with smiles on their faces for the new game -- and for good reason, considering it's the first time fans have seen an EA Sports college football game since 2013.

Previously, stars like Tim Tebow, Denard Robinson and Mark Ingram have held the honor.

Give Julian Edelman an Oscar right now -- the former Patriots receiver showed off his acting chops in New England's schedule release video on Wednesday ... and he had help from his good buddy, Rob Gronkowski!!

The Pats went all-out ahead of the 2024 season ... doing their own spin on the classic 1997 film, "Good Will Hunting," to reveal their slate of opponents -- calling it "Good Jules Hunting."

Edelman plays Matt Damon's genius janitor role in New England's version ... deciphering a complicated algorithm to figure out the team's schedule. Gronk was picked to portray Ben Affleck's Chuckie, the not-so-bright right-hand man.

Cam Newton just delivered an impassioned speech to Rashee Rice ... warning the Chiefs star that if he doesn't shape up soon -- his time in the NFL could be over in a flash.

The former Carolina Panthers quarterback sent the message loud and clear on his "4th & 1 with Cam Newton" podcast this week ... going off on Rice for around five minutes over the recent decisions that have led to police investigations.

Newton advised the wide receiver to lay as low as possible going forward ... explaining that's the only way he can now guarantee himself the best possibility at a long-term future in the NFL.

Harrison Butker got disowned by Kansas City following his controversial commencement speech -- at least briefly on social media -- with the city's official X account dissing the Chiefs kicker amid the backlash ... before later issuing an apology.

The @KansasCity page -- which dons the gray badge for government-verified handles -- shaded the hell outta the three-time Super Bowl champion on Wednesday ... saying, "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit."

FYI -- Lee's Summit is about half an hour outside of Kansas City, and a solid 20 from Arrowhead Stadium. Essentially, the account was saying "dude's not one of us!!!"

Another wild Wednesday for TMZ ... and we've got a bunch of clips for you to check out. See the best from our TV shows.

On "TMZ Live," Jacob and Charles discuss major shakeups at Kanye West's company Yeezy including parting ways with his Chief of Staff Milo Yiannopoulos.

It took years, but Rusell Wilson and Ciara are officially done with Seattle ... the A-list couple finally closed on their massive, waterfront property, and their bank account's $31 million fatter!

The 11,104 square-foot mansion, built in 2007 and just 10 miles from Lumen Stadium (where the Seahawks play), officially closed this week for $21.25 million ... after it was originally listed for a whopping $28,000,000.

The superstar athlete and singer opted to knock down the price, and they ultimately found a buyer.

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jone are lovin' their new roles as parents so much, they just got matching tattoos to ensure they never forget this time in their lives.

The couple -- who just gave birth to baby MJ Rose in February -- shared images of their new ink on their social media pages Wednesday ... showing off the adorable tats with pride.

Each one features an M that turns into a J -- with a rose on the end of it.

Travis Kelce has seen Taylor Swift's "Eras" show in five different cities, but he's nowhere close to getting tired of it just yet ... 'cause he said her most recent gig in Paris blew him away!!

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar gushed over his girlfriend's performance on the latest episode of "New Heights" with his brother, Jason, on Wednesday ... going into detail about all the changes she's made to include her latest project in her set.

"I had a blast at Tay's show, her new rendition of the 'Eras' tour," Travis said. "I suggest everybody go see it. It has her new 'Tortured Poets Department,' a handful of those songs in the new show, which means there's a new segment and new lights and new dancing and new everything to the f***ing show."

Netflix said it ... ya can't spell the streaming giant's name without "NFL" ... and starting this season, you can't watch Christmas Day football without a subscription!

The NFL broke the news Wednesday morning, announcing Netflix would stream two "marquee" games on December 25, starting in 2024. They'll also host games in 2025 and 2026, and possibly beyond.

“We couldn't be more excited to be the first professional sports league to partner with Netflix to bring live games to fans around the world," NFL executive Hans Schroeder said.

Deshaun Watson just made a massive commitment to his girlfriend ... getting a huge image of her face tattooed on his left shoulder blade.

The Cleveland Browns superstar hit up Onder Ink's Andres Ortega in Arizona this month to get the work done ... and you can see, the Jilly Anais pic came out awesome, but it was just one part of a tat that now covers the entirety of the 6-foot-2 signal-caller's back.

The fresh ink also features homages to Watson's mother, his hometown and other family members.