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Russell Wilson was absolutely devastated to learn of Alex Collins' passing this week ... saying the man who he shared a backfield with for several years in Seattle was "one of my favorite teammates."

"You brought joy to every huddle," Wilson wrote on his X page. "Love you AC. Forever missed. #RIP"

Collins was killed on Sunday night in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. ... after authorities said his motorcycle collided with an SUV at around 10:20 p.m.

Wilson put up his tribute post to his good friend less than 24 hours after the accident ... saying he hoped the former tailback -- who was known for Irish jig celebrations -- would "Keep Dancin’ in Heaven."

Others in the football world shared their condolences following Collins' passing as well ... including his former teammate Geno Smith, who wrote on X, "Life so crazy man."

"Fly high my boy," he added, "until we meet again. AK ALL THE WAY."

One of Collins' other ex-teammates, Robert Griffin III, shared an emotional tribute as well ... remembering a fun night on the town he had with the running back several years ago.

"Everyone was excited to see him, laughing when he came around and showing him love," RGIII said. "You see everyone loved this man and his energy was contagious. To end the night, he hit this dance with all the fans watching him on the dance floor. WHAT A NIGHT and WHAT A GUY AC WAS."

"Shared more laughs than people know and I’m blessed to have been your teammate my brother. Rest In Peace."

NFL stars Rashaad Penny, Tyler Lockett, Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Graham penned tributes to Collins on Monday too.

Collins -- who played five seasons in the NFL, starting 29 games for the Seahawks and Ravens -- was just 28 years old.

This may be one of the greatest catches you'll ever see in a baseball game -- albeit, totally unnecessary -- but still, amazing!

It all went down during the Savannah Bananas -- an exhibition baseball team known for their crazy and fun on-field antics -- world tour in Hartford, CT on Monday night.

The Bananas were taking on the Party Animals, who were at the plate in the 2nd inning. With the count 3 and 1, an Animals player hit a routine pop-up to center field.

But, the catch was anything but routine.

Centerfielder DR Meadows settled under the ball, but instead of simply making the easy out, Meadows busted out a backflip that'd make Simone Biles blush, catching the ball in the same motion, landing with the ball in his glove.

The Savanah Bananas are the most fun team in baseball ... and the catch is just the latest example. There was the bat on fire. Or, the hit by pitch. The in-field dance routine, and the list goes on and on.

Bunk beds at the Little League World Series are out for good ... the tandem sleeping units will be permanently removed from the prestigious event going forward after a player was seriously injured in one of them last year.

Little League officials said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday ... the decision was made after Easton Oliverson suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed while falling from a top bunk inside the LLWS' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn. in 2022.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the officials said, "we placed all beds individually on the floor during last year’s World Series, and in preparation for the 2023 Little League International Tournament, Little League decided to provide its participants with single, one-level beds for all of their player housing at each of its tournament locations, including those in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the dormitories can accommodate all 14 single beds."

This year's version of the event is slated to begin later this week.

As we previously reported, Oliverson nearly died following a fall at last year's LLWS ... with his family saying the 12-year-old tumbled from a top bunk to the floor while he was asleep.

Oliverson was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery ... but, thankfully, he survived.

The player's family went on to sue Little League Baseball over the fall, alleging the beds were not safe. Little League officials never publicly commented on the allegations in the suit.

Images from the Alex Collins crash scene are horrifying ... showing the ex-NFL running back's motorcycle and the SUV that it ran into were completely mangled following the collision.

The former Baltimore Ravens star was killed in the accident on Sunday night ... after authorities say his 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600K bike collided with the side of a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban that had appeared to turn in front of him on a busy road in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. at around 10:20 PM.

According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the wreck was so violent, Collins was thrown from his motorcycle ... and later pronounced dead on the scene.

Video shot just moments after the impact shows both vehicles were completely destroyed ... with Collins' bike left in pieces in the middle of the street.

Officials say the circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation ... though they added the driver of the SUV did remain on scene and was cooperative.

Collins was picked by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft ... and went on to have a solid career for both Seattle and Baltimore. In his five seasons with the two teams, he piled up 1,997 rushing yards and 18 rushing TDs. He added 467 receiving yards on 59 catches as well.

After leaving the NFL following the 2021 season, Collins attempted to resurrect his football career in the USFL -- signing with the Memphis Showboats earlier this year.

He was just 28 years old.

Mark Zuckerberg is hellbent on taking a fight in the UFC -- NOT with Elon Musk, but possibly with an actual UFC fighter -- and now, Dana White is more than insinuating it could actually go down!

As you know, Zuck's moved on from a fight with Elon, saying last Friday, " ... I'll share details on my next fight when I'm ready." So, he's got some plan for his "next fight."

He went on to say, "I want to do it in a way that puts a spotlight on the elite athletes at the top of their game," adding, "You do that by working with professional orgs like the UFC or ONE to pull this off well."

Zuck said Monday, "I'm going to focus on competing with people who take the sport seriously."

So, who are the "elite athletes" and "people who take the sport seriously?" It seems unlikely there's another Elon out there -- billionaire vs. billionaire -- and it doesn't make a lot of sense Zuck would involve the UFC for some amateur fight with a rando.

We know Zuck's been in communication with UFC Prez Dana White for well over a month and probably a lot longer, and Dana has 500 fighters on his roster who would love this kind of attention -- fighting M.Z.

Now there's no way Zuck would fight a UFC vet, but what about a fighter who just joined the org?

We contacted Dana with our connect-the-dots theory, and here's what he told us ... "I have said since day 1 Mark is a very serious guy. He loves the sport and is training hard. I believe he is serious about fighting in the UFC."

Notice Dana said "fighting IN the UFC." That more than suggests he'd be fighting someone on the INside, not the outside.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's marriage is one big rollercoaster ride -- we're told their ongoing money struggles are still taking a toll, making for some pretty bad days as they attempt to stay together.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Kim and Kroy's steep financial troubles -- which they still won't publicly address -- are putting a lot of pressure on them. We're told they'll be fine one day, and then at each other's throats the next.

Our sources also say there's an equal amount of blame being thrown around their household -- you'll recall, they allegedly owe $1M to the IRS, and they've been sued by companies like Target and BMW for being behind on payments.

We're told there's still a lot of finger-pointing going on, even though they withdrew the divorce.

As for their 4 kids, we're told they're seeing everything going down ... especially because a lot of their recent blowups have been happening inside their home.

However, our sources say Kim and Kroy do want their marriage to work, and they're trying their best to keep it alive amid their ongoing drama.

Alex Collins, a running back who played five seasons in the National Football League, is dead.

The Baltimore Ravens, one of Alex's former NFL teams, announced his death Monday ... it's unclear when he died, ditto for the cause of death.

Alex had his two best NFL seasons with the Ravens in 2017 and 2018, and the team is remembering him "for the light and love he brought to so many people in his life."

The Ravens say Alex was "quick to greet everyone with a smile, a genuinely kind person who carried a special joy and passion wherever he went."

The Seattle Seahawks, the team that selected Alex in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Arkansas, says the franchise is "absolutely heartbroken" by his death.

Alex had two stints with the Seahawks ... he played with Seattle as a rookie in 2016 and then returned to the club for the 2020 and 2021 NFL seasons.

Overall, Alex played in 50 NFL games ... racking up 1,997 rushing yards, 467 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns.

Alex was out of pro football altogether in 2022 before signing this year with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League, ending the season on injured reserve.

He was 28.

Sean Tuohy is firing back at Michael Oher ... calling BS on all of the former NFL star's "insulting" allegations -- while insisting he and his family made little money off of the success of "The Blind Side."

The 63-year-old -- who was played by Tim McGraw in the 2009 hit movie -- said he was "devastated" to learn that Oher had accused him and his wife, Leigh Anne, of exploiting him for fame and money in a court filing in Tennessee on Monday morning.

Tuohy told the Daily Memphian he never tricked Oher into getting into a conservatorship ... and he certainly didn't make millions off of it either.

Instead, Tuohy said the whole ordeal went down because the NCAA told him if Oher wanted to attend Ole Miss -- he'd have to be considered part of the family due to Touhy's status as a "booster" at the school.

"I sat Michael down and told him, 'If you're planning to go to Ole Miss -- or even considering Ole Miss -- we think you have to be part of the family,'" Tuohy said. "'This would do that, legally.'"

He continued, "We contacted lawyers who had told us that we couldn't adopt over the age of 18; the only thing we could do was to have a conservatorship. We were so concerned it was on the up-and-up that we made sure the biological mother came to court."

Tuohy then said he'd "of course" end the conservatorship if that's what Oher wanted.

As for the allegations that Tuohy used the conservatorship to negotiate a big movie deal with Fox that netted massive profits for him and his family ... Tuohy said that just simply never happened.

"We didn’t make any money off the movie," Tuohy said. "Well, Michael Lewis ['The Blind Side' book author] gave us half of his share. Everybody in the family got an equal share, including Michael. It was about $14,000, each."

Tuohy says he was in no need of cash after he had sold his fast-food franchises for over $200 million.

"I will say it’s upsetting that people would think I would want to make money off any of my children," he said.

Tuohy also told the outlet his family and Oher had remained very close in the years after the release of "The Blind Side" ... though he began to notice a schism forming about a year and a half ago.

Ezekiel Elliott's got a new home and a new number ... the former Dallas Cowboys star said Monday he's signing with New England -- and he'll wear No. 15 when he gets there!!

Elliott announced the move on his X page just minutes ago ... writing, "One Five, all the way live ! @Patriots."

Adam Schefter reports Zeke's getting a 1-year deal with his new team that could be worth up to $6 million.

The tailback had been one of the best runners in the league after Dallas took him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft -- leading the NFL in rushing yards twice and earning three Pro Bowl selections.

His production, though, waned over the past couple years ... and following Tony Pollard's emergence as a lead back in the 2022 season -- the Cowboys parted ways with Elliott this past offseason.

But the 28-year-old seems very open to the new start -- he even revealed Monday he's going back to the short hairdo he rocked during his rookie year in Dallas for the occasion.

Shocking allegations from Michael Oher ... the former offensive lineman says the family who took him in, helped him become an NFL star and was later portrayed in the hit movie "The Blind Side," lied to him, never adopted him and screwed him out of potentially millions of dollars.

The ex-Baltimore Ravens tackle spelled out the eyebrow-raising claims in a petition filed in Shelby County, Tenn. on Monday ... alleging Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy "exploited" him "for their own benefit" after realizing he was a "gullible young man" with athletic talent.

Oher says he initially got involved with the Tuohys during the summer following his junior year of high school ... after he claimed "a broken social system" in Tennessee left him homeless and in need of aid.

In the docs, Oher says the couple invited him to stay in their home often during that summer to help him out, and took him on shopping trips where they'd buy him clothes. Eventually, before his senior year started, he says they asked him to move in with them.

"The Tuohys did tell Michael they loved him and that they intended to legally adopt him," Oher said in the documents. "Michael believed them, was delighted to be part of a real and stable family, and trusted Mr. and Mrs. Tuohy completely."

A short time later, however, Oher says the Tuohys pulled one over on him.

In the docs, the former football player -- who's now 37 years old -- claims the Tuohys presented him with legal papers that he believed were needed to begin the process of the family adopting him. Instead, however, he says he just learned in February 2023 that they were actually a petition to appoint them as his conservators -- a filing that would allow the Tuohys to "have total control over Michael Oher's ability to negotiate for or enter any contract, despite the fact he was over 18 years of age and had no diagnosed physical or psychological disabilities."

Oher claims the conservatorship then allowed the Tuohys to negotiate a deal with Fox for "The Blind Side," the '09 flick based on Oher's life.

Oher says the Tuohys got themselves and their kids -- but not him -- "a contract price of $225,0000 plus 2.5% of all future 'defined net proceeds.'" The movie -- in which Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy -- ended up grossing over $300 million.

Oher claims as part of the deal with Fox, a contract giving away the rights to his story without any form of payment whatsoever, was signed. Oher says he "at no time ever willingly or knowingly signed this document and that nobody" ever made him aware of what the document actually entailed.

Oher is asking for a judge to end the conservatorship. He's also asking for damages ... as well as an accounting of the money the Touhys made through contracts negotiated on his behalf. It all appears to be potentially a precursor to a lawsuit.

Oher -- who's previously been critical of "The Blind Side" over the way he feels he was wrongly portrayed as dumb -- played in the NFL from 2009 to 2016 ... starting 110 games in his career.

Jimmy Fallon gave Jonas Brothers fans quite the surprise at the band's latest show ... rocking the NYC crowd with a very impromptu karaoke performance.

The "Tonight Show" host jumped on stage at Yankee Stadium Sunday night, clearly a shock to folks in the crowd -- he showed up as the concert's intermission came to an end, showing off his boombox before jamming out to The Killers' "Mr. Brightside."

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Nick Jonas asked Jimmy to show up at their NYC show a week ago -- he was told he could do whatever he wanted, and Jimmy tested the limits, asking if karaoke with his boombox would be alright.

Obviously, that was all good with the Jo Bros ... and we're told there was no rehearsal for the surprise appearance, but it looks like it was a moment fans will remember for a long time.

BTW, the Jonas Brothers are currently embarking on their "Five Albums. One Night" world tour, which features hits from 5 of their albums.

Rodion Amirov -- the Toronto Maple Leafs 2020 first-round draft pick --- died Monday after courageously battling a brain tumor, his agent announced.

He was just 21 years old.

"It is we great sadness that we announce the passing of Rodion Amirov. Two years ago, Rodion was diagnosed with a brain tumour. From the moment he received the news, he refused to speak in the negative, determined to enjoy every day, facing it with the same positive attitude he showed during his hockey career," agent Daniel Milstein wrote.

Amirov was diagnosed with the tumor in February 2022 after undergoing treatment for an unrelated injury in Russia. Rodion, a left winger, spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs on loan in his native Russia ... before halting his career permanently.

Toronto signed Rodion to a three-year entry-level contract after he was selected 15th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan also released a statement addressing the terrible news.

"The entire Maple Leafs organization is devastated by this tragic loss. Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion’s positivity inspired everyone around him, and he made lasting impressions with our team and fans in his brief visits to Toronto."

Shanahan continued ... "It’s incredibly sad to see a young man with so much promise taken from us so soon. We offer our deepest condolences to Rodion’s family and friends as we mourn this loss together.”

Playing on loan in the Kontinental Hockey League for Salavat Yulaev Ufa -- his hometown club -- Rodion scored one goal during the 2021-2022 season and 10 across his six-year professional career.

Rodion also played for Russia internationally and won a silver medal at the World U18 Championships.

"We will always remember his courage, his desire, his will, his smile, all of the great things about him."

Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into Rays star Wander Franco ... after social media posts emerged over the weekend that allegedly showed him in an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Franco did not play during Tampa Bay's game on Sunday as the posts on X went viral. Fans at Tropicana Field 14 and younger had received Wander Franco Snapback Hats as part of the pregame promotion.

His coach, Kevin Cash, said the afternoon off was simply a routine rest day for the shortstop -- though the manager told reporters he "was aware of the speculation" surrounding the 22-year-old.

The Rays, meanwhile, said in a statement they're taking the allegations against Franco "seriously."

"During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco," the org. said. "We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence."

Franco was in the team's dugout during its 9-2 loss to the Guardians ... though he left in the fifth inning. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, he did not get on the team plane as the squad headed to San Francisco on Sunday evening for its upcoming series with the Giants. Passan added Franco could be placed on the restricted list as the probe continues.

Franco is considered one of baseball's brightest young players -- he signed an 11-year, $182 million deal with Tampa in 2021 ... and made his first-ever All-Star team this season.

Jalen Hurts continues to win on and off the field ... after leading his team to the Super Bowl and signing a contract extension worth $250+ million, the Eagles' superstar QB just inked a deal with Jordan Brand!

Jordan revealed the partnership on social media on Monday morning, writing ... "Before anyone ever had an opinion, @jalenhurts had a purpose. Welcome to the Family."

Jalen was rocking the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low sneaker for the announcement ... the first of many shoes the Pro Bowler will surely spotlight over the years.

The 25-year-old now joins fellow QBs Dak Prescott and Bryce Young as the other signal callers repping the Jumpman logo ... while guys like Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel and Cam Jordan are also signed to the label.

Although the former Oklahoma star is newly signed to Jordan, the Eagles captain wore player-exclusive Jordans for all of last season, including during Philly's 2022 playoffs run.

Hurts put up career highs across the board last year, throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns, while also rushing for 13 scores.

Jalen finished second in the 2022 Most Valuable Player award voting.

It's been five years since Derek Jeter booted the infamous home run sculpture from LoanDepot Park in Miami ... but the man who initially put it in the stadium is still apparently bitter as hell over The Captain's decision -- blasting the Hall of Famer over it in a recent interview.

Jeffrey Loria -- the former Marlins honcho who sold Jeets the team in 2017 -- unloaded on DJ for the decision to remove the centerfield sculpture while speaking with the Miami Herald ... accusing the Hall of Famer of "destroying public art."

"Jeter came in and destroyed the ballpark,” Loria said ... before adding that removing the piece "was a horrible thing to do."

Loria put the 7-story, $2.5 million sculpture in the arena in 2012. It featured fish, flamingos and water ... and it lit up every time the Marlins blasted homers.

Jeter, though, hated it -- only saying of it after he purchased the team in 2017, "It's big. Yeah. It's big. It's big." Several months later, he was able to get out of the park -- relocating it to a plaza outside of the venue.

Loria is still clearly pissed over that choice ... saying he actually tried to get it back from Jeter -- though his attempts were ultimately unsuccessful.

"Now it will rot outside where it is," Loria said, "condemned to neglect and outdoor decay."

Loria also expressed disdain for Jeter over the way he made other changes to the park -- such as covering up colorful tiles and doing away with behind-the-plate fish tanks.

There's more ... the 82-year-old also blasted Jeter for some of the roster moves he made -- while also accusing him of firing a longtime scout while the man was in the hospital recovering from colon cancer surgery.

It was a big ol' family reunion of sorts at Drake's most recent show in L.A. -- with Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny and Tristan Thompson all spending some QT.

Kim, Kendall and Bunny apparently had unlimited access at the show, bouncing between assigned seats, the floor section and another standing VIP area Sunday night as Drake and 21 Savage entertained for nearly 2 hours at the Kia Forum.

During her convo with Kendall and Bad Bunny on the floor, you can see Kim repeat the phrase, "I didn't come this far, just to come this far" ... a quote she said on "The Kardashians" about her situation with Kanye that Drake also included on his song "Search & Rescue."

Everyone appeared to be having a great time -- and the trio was later linked up in the crowd with Tristan Thompson -- as Kim snapped pics of Kendall and BB.

Tristan and friends also got a ride to the show with Kim, hopping out of a sprinter van and walking right through the venue's VIP entrance.

However, the loved-up couple of Kendall and Bunny got some time to themselves as well ... dancing and taking in the show with some cuddles.

The whole thing is an interesting swing given the drama between Kim, Drake and Kanye from years ago after false reports Kim and Drake were a thing. Kim later blamed Kanye for fueling the rumors ... but Kanye and Drake later made nice at their joint "Free Larry Hoover" show at L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

That relationship has since gone down the tubes thanks to Kanye's antisemitic rants.