Football

The Yankee fan who ripped a foul ball from Mookie Betts' glove has ties to Rob Gronkowski ... 'cause the Patriots legend says he went to school with the guy!!

The former superstar tight end came to the realization during his appearance on the "Up & Adams Show" ... when he was checking out footage of Austin Capobianco and fellow NYY fan, John Peter, interfering with Betts after he snagged the ball out of the air.

Gronk had an aha moment in real time ... seemingly completely unaware of his connection to one of the fans prior to joining the show.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are "absolutely happy" in their highly publicized relationship ... with the Kansas City Chiefs superstar thanking his inner circle for protecting his "real" romance.

Trav expressed sincere gratitude to his "Grotesquerie" costar Niecy Nash-Betts during the most recent episode of his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Jason ... praising the actress for remaining tight-lipped when folks hit her up for tea on his personal life.

NNB explained her phone's been ringing off the hook ever since the Ryan Murphy show aired ... with friends and interviewers trying to get some intel on not only what happens on the show -- but also all about Traylor.

Anthony Richardson will have even more time now to catch his breath on the sideline ... as the Indianapolis Colts just benched their former first-round draft pick in favor of veteran Joe Flacco.

The team's move was announced Tuesday morning ... with Colts head coach Shane Steichen leaning on the 17-year pro as they prepare for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.

It comes after the 22-year-old found himself in some hot water following the Week 8 matchup against the Houston Texans ... in which Richardson tapped out of a third-and-goal in the third quarter -- admitting later on he was gassed.

Here's further proof Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld's relationship is pretty serious ... the two threw on a couples' costume and hosted a huge Halloween bash for all of Allen's Buffalo Bills teammates.

The party went down on Monday night -- and it was officially dubbed "Josh & Hailee's Circus Showdown 2024."

Allen wore a ringleader red coat and black top hot for the occasion, while Steinfeld wore a similar -- yet far sexier! -- get-up.

Patrick Mahomes is always in quarterback mode, on and off the field ... 'cause the 2x NFL MVP couldn't resist throwing a few passes to members of the audience at his annual charity event!

The fifth annual 15 and Mahomies Foundation gala -- which focuses on improving the lives of children -- went down Monday night ... the day after the Kansas City Chiefs won their seventh consecutive game (they're the only undefeated team in the NFL).

The superstar QB arrived with his pregnant wife Brittany ... as a whopping 850 people attended the ceremony, including teammate Mecole Hardman.

Michael Irvin tells TMZ Sports if his beloved Cowboys don't make a move by the trade deadline next week ... it could be curtains for Dallas' season already.

The Hall of Famer made it crystal clear to us out at LAX on Monday that the only thing that can save his former team from impending irrelevancy is adding a key piece between now and the NFL's Nov. 5 last day of trading.

Irvin told us if the Cowboys don't improve their roster with a swap ... a whole lot more losses like the one they experienced on Sunday night against the 49ers will be heading their way.

Tom Brady posted a cryptic message to his social media on Monday ... mere hours after news broke that his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen is pregnant with her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente's, baby.

The NFL icon posted a photo on Instagram of the sunset accompanied by The Chicks' remake of Fleetwood Mac's song "Landslide" ... the caption features the lyrics "Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?"

As the song plays ... users hear, "Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?"

Eminem and Kid Rock are showing folks how to put politics aside and unite behind a common cause ... in the most American way possible ... finding common ground over football!!!

Yes, the NFL's Detroit Lions are bringing Eminem and Kid Rock together ... despite them taking opposing positions on the upcoming presidential election.

Eminem, as we reported, introduced Barack Obama at a Kamala Harris rally in Detroit last week ... and Kid Rock's been an outspoken Donald Trump supporter who performed this summer at the Republican National Convention.

Cleveland Browns superstar Myles Garrett's Halloween costume got the ultimate compliment on Sunday ... with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger praising his Terminator outfit!!

The All-Pro defensive end was unrecognizable prior to the Orange and Brown's divisional matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday ... wearing an elaborate mask, leather jacket and sunglasses as he made his way to the locker room.

The team's social media accounts shared footage of the epic entrance ... and it made its way to the Terminator himself, who was clearly thrilled with the end result.

Nick Bosa made it clear he's supporting Donald Trump for president ... the 49ers star defensive end crashed his teammates' post-game interview on live TV -- rockin' a MAGA hat!

The former Defensive Player of the Year pulled off the photo bomb after the Niners beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-24 at home at Levi's Stadium.

NBC reporter Melissa Stark was chatting with Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Isaac Guerendo when Bosa suddenly appeared in the frame from behind.

The Chicago Bears lost in heartbreaking fashion against the Washington Commanders ... and one Bears player is owning up to his role in the end result -- apologizing for taunting fans in the middle of Jayden Daniels' game-winning Hail Mary.

Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson was in a celebratory mood after his team went up 15-12 with less than half a minute left in the contest ... but it was a bit premature, as the Commanders had one final shot to steal the victory.

Instead of concentrating on his coverage, Stevenson turned his back on the action ... and chose to send a message to the home crowd -- all while Daniels was scrambling for his life.

Trevon Diggs didn't show much fight on the field Sunday night, but off of it, he was certainly in the scrapping mood ... getting so pissed with a reporter's critique of him, he actually tried to embarrass the journalist in front of all his colleagues.

The tense moment happened just minutes after Diggs' Dallas squad lost its "Sunday Night Football" matchup with the 49ers ... when the star cornerback had apparently seen an X post from WFAA's Mike Leslie that ticked him off.

The post featured Leslie sharing a highlight video of George Kittle running through the Cowboys' secondary with the caption, "What is Trevon Diggs doing on this play?"

"Dancing With The Stars" pro Rylee Arnold's got a new man in her life -- USC football player Walker Lyons -- and she wants everyone to know it ... officially debuting him on her Instagram on Sunday!!

The 19-year-old hard-launched her boyfriend on the social media app with a bunch of cute pictures of her and him at the Trojans' Friday night game against Rutgers.

In one of the snaps, Arnold can be seen with a huge grin on her face as the two posed for a pic right on the field. In others, the duo was seen lovingly embracing.

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested in Florida earlier this month, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol incident report we obtained ... the 35-year-old was pulled over on Oct. 10 in Tallahassee after allegedly going 78 MPH in a 55 -- while his two kids were in a 2023 KIA SUV with him.

One officer wrote in the report that after stopping the former NFL player ... he admitted to driving despite knowing he had a suspended license. The cop stated in the docs this is not the first time he's committed the offense.

Jamal Lewis would love it if Derrick Henry joined his 2,000-yard club again this season ... telling TMZ Sports he's actually rooting for it to go down.

In fact, the former Baltimore tailback -- who's one of just eight NFLers to ever accomplish the feat -- says he'd dub Henry "the head of our class" if the Ravens' newest star reached the coveted number for the second time in his career.

"It'd be great," Lewis said.

The actor who went viral for his spot-on Rob Gronkowski portrayal on the new Aaron Hernandez drama is hoping to strike gold again with his upcoming role as Travis Kelce ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to win over the Swifties!!

Laith Wallschleger became an overnight sensation after his scenes as the legendary New England Patriots tight end premiered on "American Sports Story" ... with fans pointing to his perfect impression of Gronk's signature laugh.

As it turns out, Laith has had a while to study the subject ... 'cause he's actually been pretty tight with Gronk over the years -- even partying with the four-time Super Bowl champ on countless occasions.