NFL

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!"

Najee Harris seemingly had too much on his plate this Thanksgiving ... claiming the upset stomach he experienced during Sunday's game was the result of a delicious dish his teammate's girlfriend put together for dinner.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back explained why he was sidelined early in the team's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and needless to say, he might have to reconsider his Turkey Day strategy moving forward.

The 2024 Bengals are struggling to find wins ... but Chad Johnson is warning the team to not fire Zac Taylor -- telling TMZ Sports "Changing the coach is not going to change s***."

We caught up with the former Cincinnati superstar out at LAX earlier this month ... and just had to get his thoughts on the 4-7, underachieving Bengals.

Johnson made it clear it's been a disappointing year for sure ... but he's not ready to call for mass changes yet.

Josh Allen's ex-girlfriend says her Instagram was hacked after screenshots floated around X of her allegedly taking a serious jab the NFL star ... amid his engagement news.

Here's the hut, hut, hike ... Josh announced Friday that he's engaged to singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld ... and his ex Brittany Williams allegedly took a shot at him in her own comments.

On one of her IG posts ... someone commented a few days ago ... "found the next pro athlete yet?" -- to which she allegedly clapped back, post-engagement news, "Luckily my boyfriend owns a team and doesn't play for one. 🙏 don't have to be with another brain dead CTE athlete."

Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen are engaged ... announcing the news in a romantic Instagram post on Friday.

The actress and the Buffalo Bills QB posted a photo of Allen down on one knee asking Steinfeld to marry him with a beautiful sunset coloring the scene, framed by a gorgeous flower arch.

Hailee leans down and plants a kiss on Josh's mouth in the snap ... with the caption reading "♾️ 11•22•24 ♾️" -- indicating he popped the question one week ago.

Alabama A&M football linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. has passed away at 20 years old after suffering a severe head injury during a game last month.

According to local officials, he died at 5:43 PM Wednesday evening at UAB Hospital.

Burnett Jr. was involved in the collision during A&M's matchup with Alabama State on Oct. 26 -- one day before his birthday. He received treatment in the ICU ... and according to his sister, had several brain bleeds and swelling.

Taylor Swift's skipping deal hunting for football on Black Friday ... hitting up the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Las Vegas Raiders with Travis Kelce's fam.

The singer-songwriter arrived at Arrowhead Stadium just minutes ago ... with Travis' mom Donna walking alongside her down the tunnel and into the stadium.

Taylor's in her comfy, cozy K.C.-fan era ... red quarter-zip top and black pants on -- bracing the elements out in Missouri. It's currently 35 degrees in KC -- so, certainly not shorts and t-shirt weather.

The Matt Eberflus era is over in Chicago -- the Bears just fired the guy in his third year with the team ... marking the first in-season head coaching move in franchise history.

The news broke on Friday ... less than 24 hours after the Bears' sixth-straight loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day -- a result that was met with heavy criticism.

With the ball and down 23-20 in the final minute of the game, Eberflus elected not to use a timeout to stop the clock ... and Chicago's late push came up short.

Shaboozey might be at a bar gettin' tipsy ... but, his halftime show performance was full of just clean, family fun -- at least, that's what some on the internet say.

Here's the deal ... the singer-songwriter performed during halftime of the Detroit Lions game against the Chicago Bears -- playing several of his hit songs including "Tipsy (A Bar Song)," "Last of My Kind" and others.

The 6-minute performance was well-received both in the building and online ... with many on X applauding the show for being fun and family-friendly.

Tom Brady's had plenty of detractors since his debut in the broadcast booth earlier this year, but Rich Eisen clearly ain't one of them ... he tells TMZ Sports he finds the former QB's mic chops amazing.

The famed sportscaster -- who's worked play-by-play at a few NFL games this season -- gushed over TB12's first foray into color commentating ... saying out at LAX this month Brady is "one-of-one."

Eisen loves the fact that the future Hall of Famer can speak on just about every single issue that crops up in a game -- including injuries, winning, losing and playing into his 40s.