NFL

Kayla Nicole was put in a tough spot at her new job ... being forced to talk about her famous ex-boyfriend, Travis Kelce, when breaking down some sports betting -- and yeah, it's pretty awkward.

It all went down on the "I Am Athlete Daily Show" ... a program where Nicole discusses upcoming wagers with Brandon Marshall, Aqib Talib and Tad Prescott.

Naturally, "Monday Night Football" was a topic of conversation ... which means the crew chatted about the Week 5 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Kelce's Kansas City Chiefs.

Jason Kelce picked up a new party trick Monday -- he can now make a beer can stick to the palm of his hand -- and get this, the lesson came from none other than a Swiftie at a Chiefs tailgate!!

The former Philadelphia Eagles center got schooled while he was mobbin' around Arrowhead Stadium in the leadup to Kansas City's "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Saints.

Working a microphone for his new ESPN gig, Kelce was popping in and out of parties ... when a man wearing a No. 87 Taylor Swift jersey taught him yet another way to gulp down some suds in style.

Bill Belichick's clearly smitten with his girlfriend -- the legendary coach cracked a rare smile with Jordon Hudson in a recent social media post ... showing he's not just a grumpy guy after all!!

The 23-year-old cheerleader took to Instagram to recap her summer ... with multiple pics featuring the eight-time Super Bowl winner grinning from ear to ear alongside his boo.

In one of the snaps, you see the 72-year-old rocking a piece of Taylor Swift merch alongside Hudson ... with a beautiful sunset and lighthouse serving as the backdrop.

Jabrill Peppers was arrested on Saturday after his girlfriend told cops he roughed her up, according to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... but the NFL player is adamant the claims are untrue.

Officials wrote in the docs that Peppers' GF alleged the New England Patriots safety got violent with her at around 4 AM ... after she got a phone call during intercourse with him that he didn't like.

Authorities say she stated he demanded she leave his apartment -- and pushed her out of the bedroom while they were both naked. Moments later, she claimed he "put his hands on her neck and pushed her head against the wall." The whole time, she said he appeared "out of his mind and had a serious expression."

Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the rest of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking zero chances ahead of Hurricane Milton ... electing to make their road trip to New Orleans days earlier than expected.

The 3-2 Bucs are scheduled to play a road matchup against their division-rival Saints on Sunday ... and were initially slated to fly out on Saturday.

However, Hurricane Milton has changed those plans ... as the Category 4 storm is heading straight for the Sunshine State.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was reportedly arrested in Massachusetts early Saturday morning ... facing charges including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, strangulation and drug possession.

According to local reports, Braintree Police were dispatched to a home on the morning of October 5 ... after receiving a call regarding a disturbance.

EMS treated an alleged victim at the scene ... and after an investigation, Peppers was arrested.

Travis Kelce is now on the backside of 30 having celebrated his 35th birthday Saturday, and Taylor Swift was MIA, but fear not Swifties ... this will all course correct Monday night.

Travis hit up his Kelce Car Jam spectacle in Kansas City, and he broke the news to the staff Taylor was not showing up.

As you know, there's this crazy buzz that when Taylor is not at every Travis game or event, there's trouble in paradise, but not the case. Travis said Taylor will be cheering him on Monday night when the Chiefs take on the Saints in K.C.

The two people who say they sustained gnarly wounds in the Rashee Rice car crash earlier this year are now hoping the Chiefs star's own recent injury will expedite an amicable resolution to their impending lawsuit.

Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova said in court documents filed back in April that they suffered brain trauma, lacerations to their face, bruises on their bodies, as well as internal bleeding after Rice and his friend lost control of their sports cars on March 30 and crashed into their ride while speeding down a Texas highway.

Petrovskiy and Gromova asked for no less than $10 million in punitive damages -- but there appears to be no disposition to the suit in sight ... as court records show a trial in the case isn't slated to begin until June 2025.

But, Sanjay S. Mathur, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement to TMZ Sports this week that following the wide receiver's knee injury Sunday ... he's hopeful things will now change.

"We are saddened to hear about Rashee Rice's injury on the football field and hope for his quick recovery," Mathur said. "We recognize that injuries can significantly impact one's life, causing both physical pain and mental distress. They disrupt routines, hobbies, daily chores, and activities. Injuries often lead to medical procedures and bills, and they can hinder one’s ability to earn a living."

"We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries," Mathur continued. "We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case."

Rice, who has previously expressed remorse for his role in the wreck, was hurt while attempting to make a tackle following a Patrick Mahomes interception against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed -- although the Chiefs have placed him on injured reserve ... meaning he'll miss at least the next four Kansas City games.

Despite suffering yet another scary head injury, Tua Tagovailoa is still going to try to return to the NFL -- so says his close family friend, Manti Te'o.

The former New Orleans Saints linebacker made the revelation to us out in Los Angeles this week -- some 21 days after Tagovailoa sustained his third diagnosed concussion in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Bills.

Te'o says while he's tried to give the 26-year-old signal-caller his space as he recovers from the brain trauma ... he did recently speak with the Dolphins star's father -- and from everything he's hearing, Tua is "going to try to get back."

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are stumbling out the gates in 2024 ... but ex-NFL QB Mark Sanchez says the last thing they need to do is make a change on the sidelines -- telling TMZ Sports they need to ride it out with Robert Saleh.

We caught up with the Fox Sports commentator at LAX amid Gang Green's 2-2 start ... and asked what he felt about folks saying NY's head coach should be on the hot seat following a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos.

"This past game was just an ugly game, they would had to win ugly," Sanchez said. "And they lost by a point, or whatever it was. In a rainy game like that, you need one ball to bounce your way; you need to make a field goal, something."

Travis Kelce's "Grotesquerie" character was a stripper back in the day, but he's now getting opportunities to bring Ed Lachlan's past back to the present ... with several male revues telling TMZ Sports they would love "Big Peter and His Banana Splitter" to make a special appearance!!

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar made his debut on the Ryan Murphy show this past week ... and in one scene, his role was revealed as a former dancer at a male strip club in Juneau, Alaska, where he was "jiggling it for horny mamas coming off of cruise ships."

Unfortunately, there weren't any flashback scenes.

Ex-NFL star Reggie Bush says he would've attended a Diddy party back in the day if it weren't for a blacked-out friend puking before entering the bash ... but he believes his obliterated plus-one was a "sign."

The Heisman winner detailed the past experience in an interview with Robert Griffin III ... saying he was invited to a rager at Diddy's Star Island mansion around 3 or 4 in the morning, so he headed over with a group of friends and a Red Bull rep -- as he was sponsored by the energy drink at the time.

As his crew waited to get into Diddy's crib, Bush said the RB rep started blowing chunks on the front lawn ... right in front of a slew of security guards.

Atlanta is really rubbing off on Kirk Cousins -- the Falcons quarterback celebrated his huge "Thursday Night Football" win by chowing down at Waffle House ... but not before doing an interview in the parking lot!!

The 13-year vet joined "The Dan Patrick Show" on Friday to talk all about the Falcons' 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime ... but before they broke down the game, the broadcasting legend inquired about his backdrop for the virtual convo.

Cousins explained he wanted to take advantage of his day off from work, so he asked his 7-year-old, Cooper, what they should do.

Pro Bowl defensive end today ... UFC heavyweight champ down the road?!?

Maxx Crosby sure seems to think that's possible ... telling TMZ Sports he could see himself stepping into Dana White's Octagon at some point in the future.

Crosby, of course, is fully dedicated to his NFL career at the moment ... but he says he trains to be a beast on Sundays with daily boxing exercises -- and it's clear, it all could lead to a professional tilt later on.

Vernon Davis says Travis Kelce did not look like a fish out of water in his "Grotesquerie" debut ... in fact, the former NFL star who's now an actor says the Chiefs tight end "seemed like a natural to me!"

The ex-SF 49er heaped the praise on Kelce while chatting with Harvey and Babcock on "TMZ Live" on Thursday -- some 24 hours after Travis showed off his acting chops on Ryan Murphy's new FX show.

Davis, who just recently acted alongside Morgan Freeman in "The Ritual Killer," told the guys he thought Kelce crushed it ... saying straight up, "He did a wonderful job."

Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield are doing their part to make sure individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can get the assistance they need -- the two NFL stars donated $50k each to a relief fund.

The Falcons and Buccaneers quarterbacks made the combined $100k contribution to Team Rubicon -- a veteran-led humanitarian organization -- to help people who dealt with the impacts of Helene after its landfall back on September 26.

"We stand with those who have been affected," Mayfield said. "Honoring the lives lost and the families that are still in distress. Together, we can make a difference."