Football

Some folks are outraged over a live tiger's presence at LSU's game against Alabama ... and that includes Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin -- who tells TMZ Sports the stunt was "blatant disregard for the tiger's well-being."

Saturday marked the first time since 2015 a Panthera Tigris was on the field for an LSU football game ... at state governor Jeff Landry's request. He initially wanted the host school to roll out its current tiger mascot, Mike, to the field for pregame festivities ... but the university declined.

Landry then resorted to bringing a tiger from Florida ... which irked Baskin for several reasons.

Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston is adamant he didn't go No. 2 on himself while on the field Sunday ... saying the stain on the back of his pants was actually nothing more than some spilled sports drink.

Houston -- the 217th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- put all the speculation to bed in a late-night X post following Detroit's come-from-behind win over the Texans ... explaining the poop-colored marking on his white trousers was simply Gatorade.

"Ay yall," he wrote, "I had sat on some Gatorade."

Minnesota Vikings safety Cam Bynum dedicated his third interception of the season to infamous break-dancer Raygun ... and his celebration after the highlight made it all the way to the Australian Olympian -- who gave it a perfect 10!!

The 26-year-old safety mimicked Raygun's viral moves after he picked off Mac Jones' pass late in the fourth quarter of the Vikes' 12-7 win at EverBank Stadium ... and naturally, the footage quickly made rounds on social media.

Bynum clearly did his homework ... perfectly executing the moves that made Raygun a household name for all the wrong reasons at the Paris 2024 Games.

11:11 AM PT -- Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell just announced Jack Del Rio has resigned from his position on the Badgers' staff following his arrest.

"It's a tough situation," Fickell said, "decisions that all of us have to be able to take full responsibility for. So that's what Jack will do and we'll continue to move forward."

Ex-NFL head coach and current Wisconsin football adviser Jack Del Rio was busted for driving while intoxicated in Madison ... after cops say his car drove into a street sign and fence.

61-year-old Del Rio -- who joined the Badgers' staff under Luke Fickell in August -- was arrested after officers were called to the scene around 12:35 AM on Friday.

Madison PD tells TMZ Sports -- a vehicle hit a street marker, broke a fence and came to rest in a yard ... and witnesses directed cops to a man who was walking away from the area.

Michael Strahan has found himself in the crosshairs of a bunch pissed off people who say his stance during a national anthem on Sunday was "disrespectful."

Strahan's controversial posture happened as the Hall of Famer and his "NFL on Fox" crew were at Naval Base San Diego for a special Veterans Day broadcast.

As part of their hours-long salute to service ahead of a full slate of NFL games -- he, Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmie Johnson and Rob Gronkowski stood side by side for a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Jason Kelce's trip to Los Angeles is going a helluva lot better than his most recent one to Happy Valley ... he was spotted out in the City of Angels on Sunday celebrating the Eagles' win -- and didn't appear to have one single issue with fans.

The former Philadelphia offensive lineman was seen at a couple watering holes on the westside of L.A. ... helping bartenders pass out drinks while also cheering on his ex-team as it blasted the Cowboys in Dallas.

Throughout the afternoon, he interacted with several people ... and every encounter appeared to be nothing but pleasant.

Nick Bosa channeled his inner Donald Trump during the 49er's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ... hitting soon-to-be number 47's signature dance move after picking up a sack, and the President-Elect loved it!

The 27-year-old 49ers star pass rusher celebrated his sack of Baker Mayfield with DJT's favorite dance move (ya know, the one he does during "YMCA"!) ... just two weeks after he wore a "Make America Great Again" hat while photobombing a live post-game interview on NBC.

Well, the celly caught the eye of President Trump ... who praised the Pro Bowler on Truth Social.

Taylor Swift gave security at Arrowhead Stadium a crash course in good manners on Sunday, telling one guard to speak a little nicer to the paparazzi.

The pop superstar arrived at the stadium in Kansas City to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his K.C. Chiefs battle the Denver Broncos on the field — but Taylor had her own itty-bitty skirmish behind the scenes before the kickoff.

Check out the video ... Taylor was being chauffeured in a golf cart through the arena with her mom and dad -- Andrea and Scott.

Diddy's family is remaining committed to one another while the music superproducer is locked up ... with his baby mother Dana Tran, his daughter Love and his son Christian showing support to Diddy's twin daughters, Jessie and D'Lila.

Tran brought two-year-old Love to the game Friday night ... with the baby girl outfitted in a blue varsity jacket bearing her name and her birth year -- '22. Love's already camera-ready, pointing at the photogs at the game.

Dana's got her own varsity jacket -- a forest green one -- on ... and, she flashed a smile too-- keeping her spirits up while the father of her daughter deals with his legal troubles.

Rob Gronkowski's looks like he's ready if Tom Cruise wants to do a third 'Top Gun' film all about helicopter pilots ... 'cause he just jumped out of an airplane on live TV to honor vets.

The former tight end was commentating on "Fox NFL Sunday" as he always does ... but, he decided to change it up a little in honor of Veteran's Day tomorrow -- throwing on a wet suit and flippers and throwing himself out of a helicopter.

Watch the video ... a real Navy enlistee jumps out of the plane first to show Rob how it's done -- before he leaps and lands in the water. It's only about 20-25 feet in the air, but, as one of the guys on the broadcast points out, that's higher than most people want to jump from.

Taylor Swift's ready to watch her man take care of business against the Denver Broncos ... pulling up to his Sunday afternoon game in K.C. in a biz-casual ensemble.

The singer-songwriter rolled into Arrowhead Stadium in a red and black checkered blazer, pulled over a low-cut black top ... with a tiny skirt matching her jacket.

Clearly, she's in her "No-Nonsense Era" ... preparing to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce's team beat up on their division rival.

Rylee Arnold's relationship with USC football player Walker Lyons is just days old ... but it's clearly going well -- as she tells TMZ Sports she's "loving life" with her new man!!

Arnold and Lyons went Instagram official shortly after the "Dancing With The Stars" pro caught one of his Trojans games last month ... and it's apparently been smooth sailing ever since -- as Arnold was nothing but smiles when talking about the guy this week.

While out running errands in Beverly Hills, Arnold told us she's "super happy" with her tight-end love interest ... and called their dynamic "really fun."

Nick Bosa's political message after the San Francisco 49ers Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys ain't going unpunished ... 'cause the league just hit him with a manageable fine.

The four-time Pro Bowler was just hit with an $11,255 fine after he wore a white and gold "Make America Great Again" hat on the field after his team's 30-24 win over their longtime rivals.

ICYMI ... Bosa stopped by a postgame interview his teammates Brock Purdy, George Kittle and Isaac Guerendo were giving, flashed the hat, and then ran off toward the sideline. It's a pretty quick moment, but it sparked a pretty massive uproar.

Kirk Herbstreit's grieving the loss of man's best friend ... breaking down over his dog Ben's death live on-air.

The football commentator appeared on ESPN's "College GameDay" Saturday morning ... just two days after he announced he and his wife had to put down his golden retriever -- who traveled with him to many of his games.

During the broadcast, ESPN played a clip all about Ben ... with Kirk talking about how he was far more than just a dog or travel companion -- and, clearly Ben's still feeling very raw emotionally 'cause he could barely talk about Ben during the show.

Jay Cutler isn't letting his recent DUI arrest keep him from having a good time ... the former NFL star made an appearance at the recent "Yellowstone" premiere.

The retired quarterback and his girlfriend, Samantha Robertson, stepped out in New York City Thursday evening, where they stopped by the party celebrating the highly anticipated return of the Paramount Network hit.

While Samantha posed with a wine glass in her hand, Jay was notably empty-handed for the pic ... which was smart given his recent arrest.

The football world is up in arms after two CRITICAL missed calls on the deciding play in Thursday night's Ravens vs. Bengals game. So, how does the league fix it? We asked the former VP of Officiating for the NFL.

Dean Blandino joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on Friday (airs nightly on FS1) ... where we talked about everything from the play in question (where there actual fouls), to punishment for the refs who missed calls, to improving officiating moving forward.

"[Officials] would [welcome expanded replay]," Blandino, now FOX Sports' NFL and college football rules analyst, said of adding additional replay.