Football

Bill Belichick checked in with the greatest Tar Heel ever before taking the UNC head coaching job ... revealing Thursday he had a convo with Michael Jordan just days before he formally put pen to North Carolina paper.

The former New England Patriots sideline manager said His Airness was one of a few UNC legends he chatted with before officially accepting his new gig -- telling media members at a news conference in Chapel Hill he also picked the brains of Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.

It's unclear what exactly the GOATs all talked about ... but Bill said he got blessings from all of them.

One North Carolina super fan sprang into action after the big Bill Belichick news broke this week ... with a proud alum rushing to trademark "Chapel Bill" shortly after the legendary coach announced he was taking his talents to the Tar Heels football program.

TMZ Sports spoke with 2000 grad Anthony Proscia -- who filed papers Wednesday -- and he said his main goal with the move was to ensure the viral phrase didn't fall into the nefarious hands of the school's hated rival fanbases over at Duke or NC State.

Of course, "Chapel Bill" is a play on the town UNC is located in -- Chapel Hill. The phrase has quickly taken off, with the Tar Heels' X account using it in multiple social media posts to announce the hire.

Not everyone was eating turkey on Thanksgiving ... 'cause rising star rookie receiver Xavier Legette revealed he chomped down on a raccoon for his holiday dinner!

The Carolina Panthers first round 2024 draft pick revealed the non-traditional Turkey Day meal on the St. Brown Podcast when Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown asked him about something he enjoys eating that others might find questionable.

"I eat raccoon," Legette admitted. "Like a raccoon that you see in the trash."

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden has been charged with DUI ... after he was arrested in Sin City earlier this week.

Court records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show Snowden was hit with a misdemeanor count on Dec. 10.

8 News Now reports it all stems from a traffic stop police conducted on the 26-year-old after they got a call about "a suspicious vehicle." The outlet states Snowden was arrested and booked into a local jail early Tuesday morning, before he was released a short time later.

Aaron Rodgers says the recent burglary at Joe Burrow's house is rather fascinating ... large in part thanks to the 911 call coming from a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and her mother.

The New York Jets quarterback was asked about the most recent home invasion involving an NFL superstar at Wednesday's practice ... and he opened up on the safety measures he's taken at his own digs -- while also making note of Olivia Ponton's involvement in Burrow's fiasco.

"Well, it's an interesting situation that happened in Cincinnati, mostly around the call," Rodgers said. "But yeah, I think something happened in Kansas City as well."

The NFL is pulling out all the stops for Christmas ... 'cause not only is Beyoncé a halftime performer -- Mariah Carey is kicking off the whole day of games!!

The big announcement was made on Thursday ... with the Queen of Christmas slated to give a special rendition of her classic hit ahead of all the holiday football action.

Carey will perform "All I Want For Christmas Is You" before the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 PM ET and the Baltimore Ravens visit the Houston Texans later in the afternoon.

Cowboys fans hoping for a new head coach might have to wait a while longer ... Troy Aikman tells TMZ Sports he thinks his former team will stick with Mike McCarthy in 2025.

The current Dallas sideline manager's contract expires following this season ... and after his team has floundered to a 5-8 record so far this year -- there's been a whole lot of people in Texas eager to see a new face in the Cowboys' headset.

But, when we caught up with Aikman on Wednesday ... he told us he doesn't believe Mike's going anywhere.

BeyHive rejoice -- Beyoncé will have more time than usual for her Christmas Day game halftime performance ... as TMZ Sports has learned the NFL is extending its intermission to give the superstar singer a longer show.

A typical NFL game halftime is around 12-15 minutes ... but league sources tell us that'll be beefed up when 'Yoncé takes the stage after the second quarter of the Houston Texans' home matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 25.

While it's not Super Bowl-level time -- the Big Game break can last up to 25 minutes -- we're told the total intermission on Christmas Day will be roughly 20 minutes ... meaning Beyoncé gets more breathing room for her set.

Joe Burrow just addressed the burglary at his Ohio home ... and it's clear as day -- he's not pleased about any aspect of it.

The Bengals star actually got his feelings on the matter out of the way right at the outset of his Wednesday afternoon meeting with reporters ... saying straight up, "I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share."

"So," he continued, "that's all I got to say about that."

6:56 PM PT -- It's official -- Bill Belichick is the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels football program ... with the legend himself addressing the new gig.

"I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill," BB said Wednesday night. "I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill."

Belichick's former quarterback, Tom Brady, also weighed in on the move ... saying, "The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing," in his congratulatory message.

It appears Bill Belichick will return to the sidelines in 2025 ... he's now expected to take the head coaching job at the Univ. of North Carolina.

Multiple reports state Belichick and the university are in the midst of putting the finishing touches on a contract that will make the 72-year-old the Tar Heels' sideline manager for the foreseeable future.

The impending move will mark Belichick's first foray into the college football waters ... as he had previously spent all of his time under a headset in the NFL.

Tua Tagovailoa says he's not the one to mess with -- cautioning all potential crooks to "think twice" amid the rise in burglaries at NFL players' homes ... 'cause he's fully prepared.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback was asked all about the unfortunate trend at Wednesday's press conference ... on the heels of Joe Burrow being the latest superstar to have his home broken into during "Monday Night Football" earlier this week.

The 26-year-old revealed he was also a victim of theft when his car was broken into recently ... but has since increased security for himself and his family.

If Tar Heels fans needed further proof a deal for Bill Belichick might be imminent ... look no further than his girlfriend's Instagram page -- she just followed two UNC cheer accounts.

Jordon Hudson -- a former college cheerleader who still competes on the mats -- added @carolinacheerleading and @unc_allgirlcheer to her following list on Wednesday ... a clue that Belichick could be inching toward officially being named the next head coach of the Tar Heels football team.

The first account Jordon subscribed to describes itself as the "official Instagram for the University of North Carolina cheerleading program," while the second touts itself to be the landing page for UNC's competitive club cheerleading squad.

Trevor Lawrence's crummy season is about to get a whole lot better really soon ... 'cause his wife just showed off her pregnant belly, and it seems she's just days away from giving birth!

Marissa Lawrence revealed her growing stomach in a "bumpdate" on her Instagram page Wednesday afternoon ... and she certainly looks ready to pop.

"Little girl is not so little," she wrote in a caption on the flick.

L.A. Rams defensive end Kobie Turner took the internet by storm after he was revealed on "The Masked Singer" ... and it caught his coach's attention, too -- 'cause the NFLer tells TMZ Sports Sean McVay asked him to put on a show for his team!!

We caught up with the 25-year-old after his run on the show came to an end ... and while he said his experience on the FOX series was a bit out of his comfort zone, he is no stranger to hitting some high notes.

"I've performed pretty much my whole life," Turner said. "Actually, right before COVID, I just did my first gig, and then kind of COVID hit. So it had been a little while since I performed live, but that more so felt like getting back to a space of home."

Archie Manning is backtracking on his hopes of seeing Arch suit up for America's Team ... claiming his comment about his grandson partnering with the Dallas Cowboys wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.

Manning -- who played in the NFL in the '70s and '80s -- recently made headlines after a TikTok user asked him on camera where he would like to see the current Texas Longhorns QB land in the pros.

Peyton and Eli's dad replied, "I hope he'll play three years in Texas. I hope he plays three more years."

Olivia Ponton -- a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model who boasts nearly eight million followers on TikTok -- was the one who reported the burglary at Joe Burrow's Ohio home to cops ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office wrote Ponton called in the break-in at around 8:14 PM -- as 28-year-old Burrow was in the middle of his "Monday Night Football" clash with the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.

Ponton, the docs state, told officers that when she pulled up to the Cincinnati-area residence, she noticed a "shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked." According to the report, Ponton phoned her mother, who then called in the matter to cops.