TMZ Sports

Marco Angulo -- an up-and-coming midfielder in the MLS -- has passed away from injuries he suffered in a car crash in his home country of Ecuador last month.

Angulo's club, FC Cincinnati, addressed the heartbreaking news on Tuesday ... saying, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Marco -- a husband and father, a brother and son, a friend and teammate."

"He was a joyful, kind young man who lit up every room he entered. Our entire club grieves this tragedy, and we are thinking of and praying for his family."

Nate Boyer, U.S. Army Green Beret turned NFL player, is coming to the defense of Michael Strahan ... after the Pro Football Hall of Famer was accused of disrespecting the American Flag during a Veterans Day celebration -- something the Special Operator says is nonsense!

TMZ Sports talked to Boyer Monday night ... and asked the 43-year-old retired soldier and football player for his thoughts on Strahan, and the criticism.

"It's kind of ridiculous to be completely honest. First of all, Mike has a deep, deep respect for the military. He's done a lot of work in the veteran nonprofit space. He's a military brat. You know, he grew up around this. This is part of his life," Boyer said.

BYU's cheerleading coach says she was knocked out by a flying water bottle at the end of the Cougars' game against Utah on Saturday ... and now, she says cops are on the hunt to find the fan who threw it.

The object was apparently hurled in disgust by a Utah supporter who was upset over the way BYU had pulled off a stunning, come-from-behind, 22-21 victory over the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In video obtained by the Deseret News, you can see just after BYU had kicked the game-winning field goal with just seconds left on the clock ... a water bottle came flying in from the stands and pelted Jocelyn Allan right in the face.

Jason Kelce's competitiveness hasn't lost a step in retirement ... 'cause the future Hall of Famer challenged several Navy SEALs to a push-up contest on Veteran's Day!!

The big showdown happened during "Monday Night Countdown" at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles ... with the action starting well before the Rams and Dolphins kicked off their primetime matchup.

Kelce rocked a tight tank top for the contest ... and he explained he knew he was in for a tough task ahead -- but that didn't prevent him from going through with it.

The Los Angeles Rams made this Veterans Day an unforgettable one for a young fan ... with a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot surprising his son at the game!!

The emotional moment happened at halftime of the Dolphins and Rams' "Monday Night Football" matchup at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles ... when Captain Justin Vega walked out of the tunnel and onto the field.

Cpt. Vega's wife and mother-in-law were in on the surprise ... but his son, Leo, had no idea until he saw him walking toward them -- and he instantly broke down in tears.

Rams running back Kyren Williams came to his teammate's defense during "Monday Night Football" ... but he had a pretty unique way of doing it -- poking his Dolphins opponent's ear in a bizarre in-game moment!!

It went down during the second quarter of the primetime matchup ... after Miami defensive back Kader Kohou gave L.A. wide receiver Demarcus Robinson a shove -- which Williams didn't take lightly.

Instead of escalating the situation further with a shove of his own, Williams responded with a wet willy-esque tactic.

Tyreek Hill nearly didn't play in the Dolphins' big win Monday night due to a wrist injury that he says was made significantly worse by the cops who got physical with him during that now-famous September traffic stop in Miami.

The wideout made the revelation to ESPN's Lisa Salters ... just minutes before he was cleared to go in the Fins' "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Salters said on the game's broadcast that Hill told her he first sustained the ailment during training camp ... but once Miami-Dade officers ripped him out of his sportscar and threw him in cuffs back on Sept. 8 -- it got much worse.

Ashlee Simpson is reacting to all the buzz about her sister Jessica’s marriage being on the rocks ... and if she's concerned, she's doing her best to cover it up.

The singer was out with her husband, Evan Ross, at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills Monday evening, when our photog asked about the rumor ... sparked by Jessica's own post. We asked "Is it true? Do you know?"

Ash had a simple a one-word answer, “No.”

It could be "no" the rumor's not true, or "no" she doesn't know.

Either way, she and Evan didn't seem the least bit fazed by the topic, so chances are she knows full well what's going on -- but clearly isn't gonna out Jessica and her husband Eric Johnson's biz at this point.

Dreams really do come true -- at least that's the case for WNBA star Cameron Brink -- 'cause the Los Angeles Sparks rookie just landed a spot in the newest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue!!

The baller beauty jetted down to Boca Raton, Florida for a photo shoot with Ben Horton ... joining athletes like Suni Lee, Gabby Thomas, Jordan Chiles and Eileen Gu who will grace the pages of the popular magazine in 2025.

It's a full circle moment for Brink, who said earlier this year it was a life goal of hers to pose for S.I. ... telling Paul George on his "Podcast P" show, "I think it's super empowering."

Camryn Bynum is hoping to parlay his Raygun interception celebration into a meeting with the famous breakdancer ... telling TMZ Sports he's "1,000 percent" down to collab with her in some way this offseason.

If you missed it ... the Minnesota Vikings safety paid homage to the Olympics star in incredible fashion on Sunday afternoon -- after he picked off a Mac Jones pass to seal a win for his squad in Jacksonville.

Bynum got up from the endzone turf and immediately mimicked each one of the moves Rachael Gunn made famous during the Paris Games last August. It ended up being such a good impression, Gunn herself even gave her stamp of approval!

Jay Glazer came to the defense of Michael Strahan a day after Michael was under fire from critics online for being “disrespectful” for his stance during a FOX Sports Veterans Day broadcast special.

Jay posted on X on Monday in response to the backlash of his friend and colleague shedding light on Michael’s deep rooted respect for the military and his quiet contributions to veterans. Jay notes how MS learned from his dad and how his time living on an Army base shaped him into who he is.

Jay said, "I know these days people want to be angry fast but maybe first, how is THIS for a novel idea. ASK him if he’s protesting something. When you protest you want people to know, don’t ya?"

Ole Miss fans' excitement over their team's big win against Georgia just cost their university $350,000 ... as the SEC handed the school a hefty fine after spectators stormed the field before time expired in Saturday's matchup.

The conference announced the penalty on Monday ... days after the Rebels handled the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs in a 28-10 effort.

The penalty is split up due to two infractions -- $250k for the fans rushing the gridiron ... and another $100k for doing so with time remaining in the contest.

Some folks are outraged over a live tiger's presence at LSU's game against Alabama ... and that includes Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin -- who tells TMZ Sports the stunt was "blatant disregard for the tiger's well-being."

Saturday marked the first time since 2015 a Panthera Tigris was on the field for an LSU football game ... at state governor Jeff Landry's request. He initially wanted the host school to roll out its current tiger mascot, Mike, to the field for pregame festivities ... but the university declined.

Landry then resorted to bringing a tiger from Florida ... which irked Baskin for several reasons.

Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston is adamant he didn't go No. 2 on himself while on the field Sunday ... saying the stain on the back of his pants was actually nothing more than some spilled sports drink.

Houston -- the 217th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- put all the speculation to bed in a late-night X post following Detroit's come-from-behind win over the Texans ... explaining the poop-colored marking on his white trousers was simply Gatorade.

"Ay yall," he wrote, "I had sat on some Gatorade."

Toronto forward RJ Barrett was so starstruck by a "Game Of Thrones" actor who was sitting courtside at his game in L.A. on Sunday -- he actually briefly paused his play to recognize the guy ... and the scene was hilarious.

It all went down during the Raptors' tilt against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena ... just after Barrett had been fouled while scoring a basket in the first quarter.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the 24-year-old walk toward some fans in the stands to celebrate his potential 3-point play ... he did a double take as he noticed Nikolaj Coster-Waldau -- the man who played Jaime Lannister in 'GOT.'

Minnesota Vikings safety Cam Bynum dedicated his third interception of the season to infamous break-dancer Raygun ... and his celebration after the highlight made it all the way to the Australian Olympian -- who gave it a perfect 10!!

The 26-year-old safety mimicked Raygun's viral moves after he picked off Mac Jones' pass late in the fourth quarter of the Vikes' 12-7 win at EverBank Stadium ... and naturally, the footage quickly made rounds on social media.

Bynum clearly did his homework ... perfectly executing the moves that made Raygun a household name for all the wrong reasons at the Paris 2024 Games.