NFL

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair says if people want to make him a bad guy, he'll show them a bad guy ... sharing a message about going full "villain" mode after his suspension was upheld.

The NFL announced Al-Shaair's appeal was denied on Wednesday ... meaning he will serve his full three-game ban for his controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence during Sunday's game, which ultimately landed the quarterback on Injured Reserve.

Shortly after the league's decision was made public, Al-Shaair went to social media to weigh in ... and while he initially apologized for the entire incident on Monday, he's no longer trying to defend his name -- instead, he's leaning into the new narrative.

Fantasy football managers frustrated with Christian McCaffrey should feel comfortable picking him again next year ... 'cause he just promised to "come back better" in 2025 from his recent rash of injuries.

The three-time Pro Bowl running back made the vow in an emotional message on his Instagram page Wednesday ... just a few days after the 49ers placed him on injured reserve with a PCL injury.

"This wasn’t my year," he admitted in the note, "and sometimes when it rains, it pours. You can feel sorry for yourself and listen to the birds, or you can hold the line. I’m grateful for the support of everyone in my corner and promise I’ll work smarter and harder than ever to come back better from this."

Bryce Young found himself benched by the Carolina Panthers two starts into his sophomore season ... but last year's first overall pick has found success since returning to the lineup in week eight -- and Rod Wave may have something to do with the turnaround!

The backstory ... the 26-year-old rapper took to social media, asking the Panthers signal caller to hit his line after he was pulled, and many fans wondered if the call happened, and if so, what'd the fellas discuss?

On Wednesday, Young resolved the mystery ... and while he wouldn't go into specifics, he did address the convo, and it's clear he's very appreciative.

Jason Kelce seems to believe Taylor Swift is working her magic on the Kansas City Chiefs ... but Travis is having none of that talk -- calling his brother a "d***head" for entertaining a popular internet conspiracy.

The playful back and forth went down on the latest episode of the Kelce brothers' "New Heights" podcast ... when the two were having a conversation about sports movies.

Travis brought up the classic "Angels in the Outfield" film and explained he'd love to feel what it's like to have a higher being on his side during games ... and Jason hinted the tight end's girlfriend is generating a similar effect on his Chiefs.

Baseball fans can now get their hands on some John Elway Yankees cards -- Topps has just put the NFL legend in a new set ... and it announced the move with a hilarious Larry David commercial!

Elway, of course, was drafted by New York way back in 1981 -- but despite initially playing for the org.'s minor league affiliate ... he bailed on the team for a Hall of Fame NFL career.

He never quite got a baseball card to commemorate the brief time in the MLB -- but Topps is changing that now ... throwing cards of him donning Pinstripes in its new 2024 Bowman Draft set.

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.

Taylor Swift is once again serving as one Illinois family's inspiration for their holiday decorations ... bringing back their viral "Eras" tour design, which now features 3 new eras.

ICYMI ... in 2023, Amy and Brian Scott went viral after they decked out their home in Naperville, Illinois with decorations honoring Swift's "Red," "Speak Now," "1989," and "Evermore" eras.

With the pop star's record-breaking tour coming to a close this month, the Scott family brought back their Eras Tour-themed holiday decor ... but this time integrated in TS' "Reputation, "Folklore," and "Tortured Poets Department" albums.

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."

NFL star Chris Jones has already put it ALL on display in the past ... but he's got more to reveal to the world -- 'cause he's using his upcoming strip-tease performance to showcase what big boys can do onstage!!

The Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle -- one of the best players in the league -- and a handful of fellow male celebrities took part in Fox's "The REAL Full Monty" special airing Dec. 9 ... and it's clear the three-time Super Bowl winner didn't take his participation in the big event lightly.

While Jones -- who famously had a wardrobe malfunction at the NFL Combine in 2016 -- admitted he doesn't have the most experience when it comes to dancing, he said he will get the job done in the show based on the popular musical and movie.

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.