Football

Joe Burrow might've just earned himself a new nickname, 'cause the Cincinnati Bengals superstar is transforming into Batman right before our eyes ... thanks to his expensive new purchase -- a fully functional Batmobile!!

The quarterback revealed his new toy to his teammates during the premiere episode of "Hard Knocks: In Season With The AFC North" on Tuesday ... saying he's secured the new whip -- but will have to wait a year to get it in his possession.

Burrow couldn't contain his excitement to his receivers, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase ... and they even joked about how the signal-caller needs to go one step further and get himself an accompanying Batsuit so he can really show up to games in style.

Bill Romanowski says the hit Azeez Al-Shaair laid on Trevor Lawrence over the weekend was "abso-fricken-lutely" a dirty one ... but in true Romo fashion, he tells TMZ Sports he "loved" it!!!

The play unfolded in the second quarter of the Texans' tilt with the Jaguars on Sunday ... as Jacksonville's star quarterback was running for a first down.

Lawrence sprinted about 10 yards, and when he saw Al-Shaair closing in, he started to slide. But the Texans linebacker didn't hit the brakes -- and plowed right through the former Clemson signal-caller's head.

Minnesota Vikings WR Jordan Addison pleaded not guilty to two DUI charges on Tuesday ... stemming from the July 2024 drunk driving arrest of the 22-year-old star.

Addison, the Vikes 23rd overall pick out of USC in 2023, told a Los Angeles County judge he intended to fight both misdemeanor counts ... one for "Driving Under The Influence of Alcohol" and the other "Driving With .08% Blood Alcohol Content."

The plea stems from the July 12, 2024 arrest of Jordan ... where police say they found him asleep behind the wheel of his Rolls Royce on an L.A. highway.

The cameras were rolling when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to get Aaron Rodgers into politics ... with new footage showing the former presidential candidate asking the quarterback about the possibility of a career in government -- and it's all featured in a new Netflix documentary.

A teaser for the upcoming Rodgers project dropped during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... and there are plenty of interesting nuggets throughout the short clip.

While Rodgers said the three-part series chronicles a lot of his Achilles rehab and a trip down to Costa Rica -- where his Ayahuasca experiences famously took place -- it also briefly shows a conversation between Rodgers and RFK Jr.

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is sticking up for Azeez Al-Shaair following his controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence ... saying the NFL "embarrassed" itself with how it handled the incident.

Caserio met with reporters Tuesday morning ... and took issue with not only the three-game suspension handed down hours ago -- but also how the Shield took aim at Al-Shaair's character in a letter written by VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan.

"For the league to make some of the commentary that he made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of paying attention to the rules, quite frankly, it's embarrassing," Caserio said.

Leighton Vander Esch's dad was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly attempted to strangle the former Dallas Cowboys star's mom, new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

According to the docs, the incident happened around midnight on Dec. 1 in Idaho County ... when Darwin Vander Esch allegedly got physical with his wife, Sandy Vander Esch, following an argument at a nearby bar.

Cops wrote that Sandy told them Darwin had locked her out of their house after the dispute, so she broke in ... and soon after, officers say she claimed her husband confronted her and put both of his hands around her neck and "was pushing and squeezing, not letting her talk or breathe."

Shailene Woodley is looking back on her relationship with ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers ... and two years on, it's safe to say she's still pretty emotional about the whole thing.

The actress explained she hasn’t shared much about the breakup because it always makes her tear up ... but summed up their 2022 breakup after two years together by saying it just wasn’t right, even though the relationship was beautiful.

Shailene made it clear there’s no bad blood between her and Aaron -- but elsewhere in her Outside mag interview, she also opened up about a "really awful, traumatic thing" that happened to her in early '22, around the time she first split from the NFL star in February that year.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Thanksgiving holiday had plenty of family drama ... we've learned cops were called after the estranged couple got into a heated exchange in front of their kids just before Turkey Day.

In a new incident report obtained by TMZ ... the Milton Police Department explains they were dispatched on Wednesday to Kim and Kroy's Georgia home -- which is set to be auctioned off today -- for a domestic violence call.

Per the report, Kim says she and Kroy got into a tense argument while taking curtains down in their home ... with "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum painting her estranged hubby as the aggressor. She claims Kroy got confrontational with her, resulting in him physically removing her from the ladder by throwing her to the ground.

Jameis Winston had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Browns' ninth loss of the season ... praying for the Lord to prevent him from throwing pick-sixes during his postgame interview.

The 30-year-old had numerous memorable moments against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" ... kicking things off with yet another classic pregame speech that even included the program's signature jingle.

Once the game was underway, so was the "Jameis Winston experience" -- the QB ended up breaking the Browns' single-game passing record previously held by Josh McCown by throwing 497 yards and four touchdowns.

The NFL just threw the book at Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair for his Sunday hit on Trevor Lawrence ... suspending him without pay for THREE GAMES.

The league made its ruling official on Tuesday morning ... saying his past offenses for "personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations" factored into the decision.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan scolded the Houston linebacker in a strongly-worded letter when announcing the ban for lowering his shoulder and hitting Lawrence in the head as the Jaguars QB was sliding during their weekend tilt in Jacksonville.

Martin Gramatica is making it clear if he were running the Ravens' special teams ... he would NOT get rid of Justin Tucker -- despite the star's recent woes.

The legendary kicker tells TMZ Sports ... he believes Tucker's just simply hit a rough patch -- and he's confident the 35-year-old will fight his way through it in time for Baltimore's impending playoff run.

"He's going to snap out of it," the former Buccaneers kicker said. "There's no question that he knows how to kick. He's done it forever."

The father of retired Dallas Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch was arrested in Idaho over the weekend on several charges -- including felony attempted strangulation.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office says it received a call regarding a domestic battery outside the city of Riggins around 12:16 AM on Dec. 1.

After cops arrived at the scene, 61-year-old Darwin Vander Esch was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited for misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device.

3:17 PM PT -- Eli Manning has entered the chat ... letting Tom Brady know he wasn't too impressed with his catch.

Speaking of catches ... TB12 clapped back with a zinger of his own -- referencing David Tyree's Super Bowl-saving helmet reception that helped the Giants beat Brady's Patriots back in 2008.

Ultimately, Brady's seven rings beats Manning's two ... but considering both of those came against the Pats, Eli's got the right to throw a friendly jab here and there.

Tom Brady's clearly thankful for retirement ... sharing his relief over not having to play in crappy Buffalo weather anymore -- all while sending out a friendly reminder he's hot A.F.

The G.O.A.T. shared some snaps from his post-Thanksgiving fishing and golf outings ... and judging by the visuals, he didn't overdo it on the turducken.

TB12 ditched his shirt for the boat trip ... and after snagging some queen snapper, he posed with one of his catches.

Tragic news for Trent Williams' family -- the San Francisco 49ers star's wife just revealed their son was stillborn last month ... after losing his twin sibling earlier in the pregnancy.

Sondra -- who shares three daughters with Williams -- announced the heartbreaking loss on Instagram with a heartfelt video showing her pregnancy journey leading up to welcoming Trenton O'Brien Williams Jr. on November 24.

"My firstborn and only son, I've always wanted you, but God wanted and needed you more," Sondra said ... adding Trenton -- who weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces -- was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, also known as Patau Syndrome.

Josh Allen played in his first game fresh off his engagement to Haliee Steinfeld Sunday night ... and it sounds like he can get used to playing as a fiancé -- saying he "felt free" out on the field!

The Bills star quarterback was all smiles when a local reporter asked for his thoughts on playing with his new moniker as Steinfeld's soon-to-be hubby ... and he had no complaints.

"It felt good," he said. "It felt free."

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is issuing a mea culpa to Trevor Lawrence over his controversial hit on Sunday ... saying he never intended to hurt the Jaguars quarterback -- and calling out "racist" and "Islamophobic" fans in the process.

The 27-year-old released the statement on X ... claiming while he always plays with intensity, he doesn't purposely try to take anyone out of competition.

"My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he said. "And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it's not personal it's just competition!"