TMZ Sports - Page 9

If Tar Heels fans needed further proof a deal for Bill Belichick might be imminent ... look no further than his girlfriend's Instagram page -- she just followed two UNC cheer accounts.

Jordon Hudson -- a former college cheerleader who still competes on the mats -- added @carolinacheerleading and @unc_allgirlcheer to her following list on Wednesday ... a clue that Belichick could be inching toward officially being named the next head coach of the Tar Heels football team.

The first account Jordon subscribed to describes itself as the "official Instagram for the University of North Carolina cheerleading program," while the second touts itself to be the landing page for UNC's competitive club cheerleading squad.

The NFL is standing firm in Jay-Z's corner after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in a new lawsuit ... with commissioner Roger Goodell telling reporters the rap mogul's status with the league remains unchanged.

Commish relayed the non-update during a press conference for the upcoming slate of Christmas Day games on Netflix ... and in his response, it's clear the Shield believes Hov's adamant denial of the allegations.

"We are aware of the allegations and Jay-Z's really strong response to that," Goodell said minutes ago.

Trevor Lawrence's crummy season is about to get a whole lot better really soon ... 'cause his wife just showed off her pregnant belly, and it seems she's just days away from giving birth!

Marissa Lawrence revealed her growing stomach in a "bumpdate" on her Instagram page Wednesday afternoon ... and she certainly looks ready to pop.

"Little girl is not so little," she wrote in a caption on the flick.

L.A. Rams defensive end Kobie Turner took the internet by storm after he was revealed on "The Masked Singer" ... and it caught his coach's attention, too -- 'cause the NFLer tells TMZ Sports Sean McVay asked him to put on a show for his team!!

We caught up with the 25-year-old after his run on the show came to an end ... and while he said his experience on the FOX series was a bit out of his comfort zone, he is no stranger to hitting some high notes.

"I've performed pretty much my whole life," Turner said. "Actually, right before COVID, I just did my first gig, and then kind of COVID hit. So it had been a little while since I performed live, but that more so felt like getting back to a space of home."

A significant piece of New York Yankees history is on the auction block!

Lou Gehrig's game-worn jersey from the 1937 World Series -- and multiple other regular season games -- is up for grabs and expected to sell for over $4 million!

SCP Auctions -- who are selling the coveted threads -- say they've photo matched the classic pinstriped jersey, and it confirmed that The Iron Horse rocked the uni top multiple times during the 1937 regular season (the Yanks went 102-52), as well as during the World Series.

The Yankees beat the New York Giants in the 34th ever W.S.

Gehrig, 34 years old at the time, was at the height of his superstardom, leading the American League in multiple categories, including gamers played (no shock there), walks, and OPS. Lou hit 37 home runs and knocked in 158 runs, while only striking out 49 times.

Archie Manning is backtracking on his hopes of seeing Arch suit up for America's Team ... claiming his comment about his grandson partnering with the Dallas Cowboys wasn't supposed to be taken seriously.

Manning -- who played in the NFL in the '70s and '80s -- recently made headlines after a TikTok user asked him on camera where he would like to see the current Texas Longhorns QB land in the pros.

Peyton and Eli's dad replied, "I hope he'll play three years in Texas. I hope he plays three more years."

Hailee Steinfeld is ringing in her 28th birthday today, and we’ve rounded up some of her most fire looks to celebrate the occasion in style!

The Oscar nominee has been in the game since she was a kid ... but these pics prove she’s all grown up now -- serving up a collection of sizzling mirror selfies that scream style and confidence.

As you can see, Hailee's natural beauty shines through, especially in those bare-faced snaps where she proves makeup is totally optional.

Travis Kelce took time this week to gush over his girlfriend -- praising Taylor Swift for concluding her "unbelievable" "Eras Tour."

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar heaped compliments on Tay Tay for several minutes during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" ... following the conclusion of her epic string of concerts in Vancouver.

TK shouted her out for finishing up "a f*** ton" of performances ... before calling the scope of events "insane."

A fight with a little hockey sprinkled in ... is probably the best way to describe Tuesday's Bruins vs. Jets game in Winnipeg, 'cause there were brawls everywhere!

It's a game the Bruins would just as soon forget -- they lost 8-1 -- and when it became clear in the third period that Boston wasn't winning this one, the NHL game began to look more like UFC 311, with three consecutive fights.

The first fight involved Boston's Trent Frederic and Winnipeg's David Gustafsson ... where Gustafsson was sent to the ice after eating a right hand. The refs quickly jumped in and (temporarily) restored order.

Joe Rogan is coming out swinging against the healthcare industry, calling it a "dirty business" following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

During Tuesday's podcast, Rogan sat down with movie director Quentin Tarantino and producer Roger Avary ... with the trio at one point turning their conversation to Luigi Mangione -- the suspected killer of Thompson.

Rogan said he doesn't think Mangione is a professional assassin, but rather is someone who may have had a beef with the healthcare business. Rogan also said UnitedHealthcare apparently "is really bad at denying claims.”

Randy Moss' son, Thaddeus, is adamant his dad does not have liver cancer ... and he's ripping Larry Fitzgerald Sr. for making the report on Tuesday night.

The father of NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald wrote in a post on X that he had "just heard" about the diagnosis while out in Las Vegas ... and he asked his followers for prayers.

But, just minutes after the elder Fitzgerald -- who is a member of the news media -- pressed send on the post, Thaddeus raced to the comment section to refute the claims.

Things got awkward on the "Inside the NBA" set on Tuesday ... when Kenny "The Jet" Smith innocently name-dropped Jay-Z in the middle of a segment -- which prompted Charles Barkley to admit it's "probably not a good time" to bring up the rap legend in conversation.

The moment happened when Shaquille O'Neal, Ernie Johnson and Chuck were weighing in on TV personality Stephen A. Smith's public free-throw contest challenge to Smith ... to which he scoffed at, saying the ESPN talent isn't on his level.

Smith started to make his case by saying entertaining the notion would be like Jay-Z getting in a rap beef with a no-name MC ... but before he could finish his thought, Chuck interrupted.

Former UFC star Nate Diaz has been charged with battery ... after he was accused of striking a Las Vegas nightclub employee in the face during an altercation earlier this year.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the alleged incident took place back on Aug. 25 -- just after midnight -- while Diaz and some of his acquaintances were trying to get into the Omnia at Caesars Palace.

Cops say in the docs witnesses told them that Diaz and his crew were holding up the cashier line ... and when an Omnia guard came to try to see if there was an issue -- Diaz got physical with him.

Paul Bissonnette's 1 v. 6 restaurant brawl was captured on video ... with footage showing the ex-NHL star duking it out with alleged drunk patrons in a CVS parking lot.

The Scottsdale Police Department just released several clips from the Nov. 24 incident that started at Houston's ... showing Bissonnette approaching the group after he says they became aggressive toward a staffer.

When he tried to calm them down, the men shifted their focus to Biz ... and immediately started wailing on him.

Olivia Ponton -- a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model who boasts nearly eight million followers on TikTok -- was the one who reported the burglary at Joe Burrow's Ohio home to cops ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office wrote Ponton called in the break-in at around 8:14 PM -- as 28-year-old Burrow was in the middle of his "Monday Night Football" clash with the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.

Ponton, the docs state, told officers that when she pulled up to the Cincinnati-area residence, she noticed a "shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked." According to the report, Ponton phoned her mother, who then called in the matter to cops.

Floyd Mayweather's visit to London was derailed by an angry mob of anti-Israel protesters this week ... when the large group confronted the boxing legend outside a jewelry store.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage from the scene ... showing TBE and his Money Team bombarded by a crowd in Hatton Garden.

A rep for Mayweather tells us the confrontation was sparked by his support for Israel ... which has been documented by his many charitable efforts for the Israel Defense Forces and those affected by the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.