NFL

Anyone who yucked Xavier Legette's yum needs to reconsider ... 'cause celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern tells TMZ Sports eating raccoon is actually quite delightful.

The host of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" (what a fitting title for a topic like this) weighed in on the Panthers receiver's shocking reveal this week ... when he disclosed on a podcast he enjoyed some trash panda on Thanksgiving.

Zimmern is siding all the way with the South Carolina native ... who claimed raccoons don't taste like chicken, but possess a very distinct flavor.

It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, and a single moment to ruin one ... and Shawne Merriman says that's exactly what 49ers LB De'Vondre Campbell is about to experience!

"I think his reputation is done. I'd be shocked if another team decides to pick him up after the season because he now is going to be deemed unreliable," the retired former All-Pro told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) on Friday.

Of course, we're referencing an incident in the 3rd quarter of the Rams vs. 49ers Thursday Night Football game when the 9-year NFL vet refused to enter the game once Dre Greenlaw, who just replaced him in the starting lineup, went down with a leg injury.

Seems Todd Gurley's convinced Ashton Jeanty's going to keep on trucking through defenders even in the NFL ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Boise State star is the "real deal."

We caught up with the former Rams tailback out at LAX this week ... and he made it clear he loves Jeanty's game.

"He's super nice," Gurley said. "He's the real deal."

Randy Moss just revealed he's been battling cancer.

The Minnesota Vikings legend announced the news on his Instagram page Friday afternoon ... telling his 640,000-plus followers that he's been in the hospital for the last six days dealing with surgery related to the disease.

Moss appeared on camera to give his fans the update -- and he needed a cane to move in front of the lens. The 47-year-old was, nonetheless, in great spirits -- as he wore a grey, lavender and black "Team Moss" shirt that read "Let's Moss Cancer."

3:24 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained more footage from the incident ... which shows the two ladies chatting with cops as they were escorted off the field.

It's kinda funny, Amberghini begs an officer to not "hate" her -- but based on his reaction, that probably wasn't the case.

The cop was a good sport about it all, saying they weren't going to get in too much trouble ... and admitted the crowd probably "appreciated" the whole ordeal.

As for whether the stunt made it to the Prime Video broadcast ... they got the bad news that the league makes an effort to keep acts like this off the air.

Two models made the 49ers vs. Rams game a bit more memorable -- hopping a fence and running around on the field in some skimpy Santa-ish outfits, and naturally, the stunt got 'em on the "naughty" list ... with cops.

The ladies -- Toochi Kash and Amberghini -- had lower-level seats Thursday night for the NFC West showdown ... but at one point in the action, they took matters into their own hands to get a field-level view.

The models -- who have social media followings in the millions -- rocked festive one-piece ensembles, white snow boots and Santa hats ... with the word "$treak" written on the back.

It's Taylor Swift's birthday ... and among the thousands sending her well wishes was none other than her boyfriend's employer, the NFL!!!

Travis Kelce's league cut a TikTok video on Thursday to celebrate Swift's 35th trip around the sun ... and it's adorable as hell.

Check it out -- the 31-second clip features a bunch of highlights of Swift at Arrowhead Stadium ... as well as some mushy moments between her and her man on the "Eras" tour.

Las Vegas cops found Raiders defensive lineman Charles Snowden passed out behind the wheel of a running car just before they arrested him for DUI earlier this week ... this according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department incident report states cops were dispatched to Snowden's 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee at around 11:30 PM on Monday ... after they received a call of a "suspicious vehicle."

Officers wrote in the docs that when they arrived on the scene, they discovered Snowden's SUV had "almost rolled off a four foot retaining wall" while he was "passed out in the driver's seat with the engine running."

De'Vondre Campbell is the least popular player in the San Francisco 49ers locker room at the moment ... with George Kittle and Charvarius Ward unleashing on their teammate for refusing to play during "Thursday Night Football."

According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Campbell told the team in the third quarter he was not going to enter the game -- despite the Niners being short on linebackers with Dee Winters and Dre Greenlaw battling injuries.

His (safe to say) soon-to-be ex-teammates weren't happy with how he handled himself during the 12-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams ... with star tight end George Kittle ripping into Campbell in his postgame availability.

The Detroit Lions fan who squabbled with Matt LaFleur before a game last week has been punished ... he says his favorite team has revoked his season tickets over the altercation.

Fahad Yousif told WXYZ Detroit this week that his beloved squad made the decision just days ago ... informing him in an email that he'll no longer be allowed to be a season-ticket holder again.

Yousif said to the outlet he was devastated over the decision ... though he ultimately understood his behavior before the "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Packers was inappropriate.

Kirk Herbstreit found himself in the crosshairs of annoyed social media users on Thursday night ... after he incorrectly identified injured 49ers star Trent Williams live on-air.

The embarrassing gaffe happened in the first quarter of San Francisco's tilt with the Rams ... when Herbstreit and play-by-play man Al Michaels were breaking down the Niners' offensive line issues on the "Thursday Night Football" broadcast.

Cameras showed a close-up of SF practice squad member Nesta Jade Silvera ... but Herbstreit said, "And there's Trent Williams, who's a big part of the grit of that offensive line, and they miss him up front."

Taylor Swift's "Eras" might be over, but she's still putting smiles on faces ... taking time to hang out with kids at a hospital in Kansas City -- and the special visit included a funny moment involving Travis Kelce.

The "Fortnight" singer hit up the Children’s Mercy Hospital on Thursday ... and spent at least an hour meeting patients located on the hematology and oncology floor.

Pregnancy sure looks good on Brittany Mahomes ... check out some pics she shared from a recent maternity shoot -- she's glowing!!

Patrick Mahomes' wife went braless for the picture sesh -- choosing to wear nothing but a loose white shirt and some blue jeans to capture the final days of her third pregnancy.

In each snap, she stunned ... and many of her 2.1 million followers raced to her Instagram's comment section to praise her for the looks.

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.