TMZ Sports - Page 6

LSU safety Greg Brooks -- a starter on the Tigers' defense -- underwent emergency surgery on Friday to remove a large brain tumor.

Thankfully, according to a statement released by his family on Wednesday morning, the procedure was successful -- though the football player and his loved ones are now anxiously waiting on biopsy results.

"Greg continues to fight," Brooks' family said in their statement, "and we await further clarity on the extent of that battle."

"His incredible strength of character gives us confidence, but we also know that he needs our support now more than ever. Please keep Greg and our family in your prayers."

Brooks missed the Tigers' win over Mississippi State on Saturday while recovering from the surgery. Head coach Brian Kelly said Monday his absence was due to a "medical emergency" -- though he didn't elaborate on the issue. He added at the time there was no timetable for a return for the defensive back.

Brooks started his collegiate career at Arkansas in 2019 but transferred to LSU after three season. He played in 14 games for the Tigers in 2022, piling up 66 tackles and two interceptions.

An Alabama high school band director was in for a shock after refusing to stop a musical performance that cops asked him to stop -- and we mean he literally got a shock!

Johnny Mims was arrested Thursday in Birmingham for disorderly conduct and a slew of other charges, after police say he disobeyed their orders to tell his band kids to stop playing after a football game had ended, as the school was trying to clear the place out.

New body cam footage was released showing last week's confrontation, and it's pretty wild. The guy basically tells cops to piss off, refusing to halt things ... and then getting Tasered.

It's unclear why Mims didn't wanna comply, but what is clear is that he was dead-set on doing this last song with the band in the stands -- even though the game was long over. Supposedly, this follows in some sort of "5th quarter" tradition, but, on its face, it's bizarre.

Anyway, things escalated quickly. The first officer who responds tells Mims it's time to go and that he's gotta wrap it up ... but Mims tells him to get out of his face, continuing to conduct even though the cop was standing right in front of him. The band kids kept playing loudly too.

Eventually, more officers arrived, and they attempted to restrain/cuff Mims, which led to a clear struggle between the cops. Other folks appear to have gotten in the mix as well.

At a point, one cop threatens to tase Mims if he doesn't settle down ... and then the electricity starts flowing. He looks to have been zapped at least 3 times.

Jason Kelce is revisiting the rumors surrounding his brother's potential love story ... saying he fully believes Travis and Taylor Swift are, in fact, dating.

But, you need to calm down, Swifties -- it was clearly a joke.

The Eagles star was asked once again about recent reports of Travis and Taylor "quietly hanging out" during his appearance on Audacy's SportsRadio 94 WIP Wednesday morning ... and while he claimed he doesn't keep up with the Chiefs tight end's relationship status, he then threw fuel into the speculation fire.

"It's hard to answer because I don't really know a lot about Travis' love life," Jason said. "I try to keep his business kind of his business, stay out of that world. But, having said that, I think he's doing great and I think it's all 100% percent true."

Jason quickly followed up by couching the whole thing ... admitting he had no idea what was going on between the two, if anything at all.

Jason's comments ARE pretty interesting, though -- one would think if Travis and Taylor were really dating, he'd probably tell his bro he should've said no to talking about it, right??

Another theory -- Traylor (that's what we'd call them if they were indeed a couple) are just casual and don't really care who knows ... so Jason addressing it wouldn't really matter.

Interesting note -- Jason said he was "blindsided" by Tony Gonzalez's question on Thursday Night Football last week ... which was the first time anyone near Travis ever addressed the rumors.

LaMelo Ball got inked up ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season ... with the Charlotte Hornets star getting three new tattoos, including his LaFrancé clothing line logo, tatted on his neck!

TMZ Sports has learned the NBA All-Star went to his go-to guy RockRollG at Pachuco Tattoo shop in Orange, California around his birthday (August 22) to get some new ink ... and we're told Melo left with three new pieces.

The first one ... an "LF" symbol on the left side of his neck, near his ear. LF stands for LaFrancé, Melo's clothing line.

The 22-year-old launched LaFrancé back in 2020 ... before he was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the NBA Draft.

LaFrancé is also Melo's middle name.

RockRollG -- who also tatted Melo's rare angel piece back in 2021 -- did two more on Melo's wrists ... a "001" in reference to the Netflix show "Stranger Things" and his jersey number. He also got a "Heem" tat in black and red.

Dartmouth football head coach Buddy Teevens has tragically passed away from injuries he suffered in a bicycle accident six months ago, his family announced Tuesday.

He was 66 years old.

"Our family is heartbroken to inform you that our beloved 'coach' has peacefully passed away surrounded by family," Teevens' loved ones said in a statement. "We are confident and take comfort in the fact that he passed away knowing how much he was loved and admired."

Teevens -- the winningest coach in Big Green history -- was hit by a pickup truck in Florida back in March ... and the collision was so bad, doctors had to amputate his right leg. His family said he also suffered spinal cord injuries in the crash as well.

Assistant Sammy McCorkle was named interim head coach while Teevens attempted to recover.

"This is tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire football world," Dartmouth leaders said in a statement Tuesday night. "Buddy not only was synonymous with Dartmouth football, he was a beloved coach and an innovative, inspirational leader who helped shape the lives of generations of students."

The school added that McCorkle informed the football team of Teevens' passing Tuesday evening and ensured players "that they have the support and resources they need as they process such devastating news."

Teevens -- who played quarterback at Dartmouth in the late 1970s -- was first named Big Green head coach in 1987 ... and following five years on the Dartmouth sidelines, he took gigs at Tulane, Illinois, Florida and Stanford, before returning to his alma mater in 2005.

Teevens went on to pile up a 117-101-2 career record at the school ... gaining fame nationally for his efforts to limit his players' risk for concussions.

Teevens opted to do away with full-contact practices to keep his players safe ... and he also played a pivotal role in the creation of the Mobile Virtual Player, a bot college and NFL teams use to hone their tackling craft.

His tactics were so innovative, Roger Goodell recognized him as "a leader in making our game safer through breakthrough innovations" at the 2023 NFL Draft.

Teevens will be honored with a moment of silence before Dartmouth's game Saturday against Lehigh.

'Real Housewives' fans have been wondering if Kim Zolciak will make her return to the series as her divorce from Kroy Biermann heats up ... but we know she ain't even in the running.

Sources connected to 'RHOA' tell TMZ ... producers aren't considering her for a season 16 return, despite lots of speculation amid her messy public split.

We're told Kim isn't chatting with producers about coming back, either. Kim made a guest appearance on the show last season, but sources say that was a one-off.

We're told it's nothing personal toward Kim ... the show is looking to refresh the long-running series with new faces, and producers aren't looking at past housewives to fill the space.

Kim certainly has a gripping storyline -- the divorce is filled with rancor, and their Georgia home is in pre-foreclosure yet again ... this after Kroy said he sold off his own belongings and claims they're "financially destitute, largely related to Kim's love for online gambling."

Deion Sanders' run at Colorado won't be interrupted by just any old school with a bag of cash ... no, according to Buffs legend Chad Brown, only a "true blue blood" will be able to pull Coach Prime from Boulder.

Brown tells TMZ Sports ... he was initially concerned that smaller schools across the country might be able to sway Deion to leave Colorado if they could simply offer him more money than CU. But, after Sanders' noisy 3-0 start to this season ... Brown's now sure there's only a handful of universities in the nation who can grab the coach's ear at this point.

"As this season has gone along," Brown said, "with the amount of interest that has come to Colorado, and the elevation of the Colorado program, I think the number of schools that he would leave for becomes smaller and smaller and smaller."

Brown said he thinks only storied programs like Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama or Florida State have a chance at Sanders now.

Even still ... Brown, a former four-year starter at CU, says Deion would be a ways away from making that jump -- telling us he thinks the coach will be at CU for at least as long as Shedeur Sanders is eligible to play there.

As for the Henry Blackburn vs. Travis Hunter drama that unfolded after a late hit over the weekend ... the former star linebacker tells us he thinks the CSU defensive back's maneuver was a dirty one -- though he was adamant it did not deserve threats from pissed off fans.

Kim Kardashian has started up a new friendship with NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. ... hanging out thanks to a group of mutual friends, TMZ has confirmed.

Sources connected to the pair tell us while Kim's not seriously dating anyone at the moment, she's absolutely open to finding love again if she finds the right person. However, the source insists OBJ is strictly a friend, and they've got a few mutual friends in common.

People was first to report the pair was "hanging out" ... noting OBJ and his longtime girlfriend Lauren Wood split. Our sources say the two actually broke up at the beginning of this year. Beckham and Wood welcomed their son, Zydn, in February 2022.

Unclear who the group of mutual friends consists of or how Kim and OBJ linked -- Beckham is currently a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He played for the L.A. Rams in 2021 -- Kim went to a couple of the team's games -- at one point taking her son, Saint, to celebrate his birthday.

Kim's been publicly single since she and Pete split in August 2022 after about 9 months together ... and of course, she's been super busy as of late, balancing her life as a mom, and owner of a multi-billion-dollar brand in SKIMS.

Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman appeared to have serious balance issues during his OVI arrest over the weekend ... seemingly struggling through several field sobriety tests before being put in cuffs, police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

Altman -- who joined the Cavs in 2012 -- was pulled over in Cleveland around 9 PM on Friday ... after troopers say they witnessed his white 2022 Lexus make a traffic violation.

During the stop, officers claim Altman was close to causing an accident and showed signs of impairment.

Video shows Altman attempt the walk-and-turn, one-leg stand and eye tests ... and at one point, he claimed the officers were messing up his performance.

Altman -- who turned 41 on Saturday -- explained to cops he was an exec with the Cavs ... and said he was tired after returning from an overseas trip and lengthy dinner earlier in the night, admitting to having a few drinks.

When officers asked Altman to submit to a breathalyzer, he refused ... and he was handcuffed.

Altman was ultimately charged with committing a marked lanes violation and operating a vehicle while impaired. His attorney submitted a not guilty plea on his behalf in court on Tuesday.

Altman was director of pro personnel with the Cavs when they won the NBA Finals in 2016 ... before taking over the team one year later. He made several impactful trades during his tenure ... and drafted stars like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

Lola Vice is making her NXT singles debut Tuesday night, the first match in what the MMA fighter turned pro wrestler says will be an epic career.

How epic? Lola tells TMZ Sports she will one day be considered the greatest wrestler of all time!

"I am going to be the best Superstar in the history of the WWE," Vice told us flat-out.

Big statement, and obviously it's objective ... but, if there is a consensus, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair are often at the very top of the greatest wrestlers list.

If you're not familiar with Vice's story, it's pretty cool ... Valerie Loureda (government name) was an MMA fighter in one of the top promotions, Bellator. She amassed a 4-1 record pro record. Her last MMA fight was in November 2021.

As promising as her mixed martial arts career was, Valerie decided to go in a different direction last year ... trying out in front of WWE executives (and taking in WrestleMania as a fan). That weekend changed her life ... and Lola Vice was born.

"In that moment I got goosebumps when I went to that WrestleMania, and I saw this for the first time, and I spoke to Triple H and everyone, and I just knew it was for me. And, I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. A lot of people would kill to be in the position I am right now and I will never take that for granted."

Fast forward to today, September 19, 2023 ... and Vice is set to make her NXT singles debut vs. Roxanne Perez on USA Network, and she's ecstatic!

"I'm just so excited for the past year and a half that I signed here, I've been working so hard, I started from scratch. I've been proving to myself the martial artist and entertainer that I know I am, and tonight I get to kind of prove that to the world," Lola told us.

With UFC and WWE merging, we asked Lola if she had any advice for MMA fighters looking to make a similar transition. She offered a word of caution.

Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman and New England Patriots player Davon Godchaux have a lot to celebrate -- the engaged couple welcomed their first baby together on Tuesday ... and it's a girl!!

The former LSU Tiger -- who signed an extension with the Patriots last season -- shared the great news on his Instagram with a photo of Iman holding their newborn daughter in the delivery room.

"Capri Summer Godchaux 09-19-2023," Davon captioned the pic.

The Patriots, fans, family and friends congratulated the defensive tackle and model ... with one user saying, "such a beautiful name! So thankful you and baby are well. God bless your beautiful family."

Capri is Iman's third child -- she shares two girls with her ex, Sterling Shepard. The New York Giants receiver filed for divorce from Iman in 2021.

Godchaux also has a son from a previous relationship.

Iman and Godchaux first went public with their relationship in early 2022 ... and he popped the question this May during a bae-cation in Italy.

"I never thought I would be getting down on one knee but LOVE will make you do some amazing things in life!" Godchaux said after the proposal.

"Chanel I love you so much and I wouldn’t have rather spend this moment with no one else by my side!"

Prime Time's team is doing wonders for primetime television -- Deion Sanders and Colorado's comeback win over Colorado State had a ton of eyeballs on it ... becoming one of the most-watched regular season games in college football history.

ESPN -- which broadcasted the 43-35 double-overtime thriller -- just announced the record-shattering stats from Saturday night ... reporting a whopping 9.3 million viewers checked out the matchup.

Despite the game ending two and a half hours into Sunday morning on the East Coast, the outlet states it was the fifth most-watched regular-season matchup in the network's existence.

To compare, ESPN says CFB games in that time slot last season averaged 1.7 million viewers.

Coach Prime has helped skyrocket the program into relevance in his first season in Boulder ... with big names like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Offset, Key Glock and Lil Wayne showing up for Saturday's contest.

Colorado -- led by Deion's son, Shedeur, and Travis Hunter -- is 3-0 through three games ... and is currently ranked 19th in the nation.

Fans are outraged to the point of sending Henry Blackburn and his family death threats, but Colorado star Travis Hunter is vouching for the Colorado State player ... saying the late hit that resulted in his injury is all part of the sport.

The star receiver/cornerback gave his opinion on the controversial play in the CSU vs. Colorado game last Saturday ... which caused many, including LeBron James, to voice their disproval.

Hunter disagrees with the backlash ... saying he personally doesn't have an issue with what happened during the game.

"It’s football at the end of the day," the 20-year-old said about the play on Monday. "Stuff like that gonna happen. He did what he was supposed to do. It's football."

Despite Hunter being ok with the tackle, the collision has him sidelined him for the next three games against No. 10 Oregon, No. 5 USC and Arizona State with a lacerated liver.

Hunter said he is staying positive through it all ... admitting he was willing to continue playing through the pain.

"Just gotta get up and fight again -- that's what I tried to do," Hunter said.

"Good thing the doctors stopped me because if there was no doctors there I'd still be out there playing."

Blackburn -- who was recently named a team captain -- has yet to address the incident, but Rams athletic director Joe Parker said the defensive back never "intended to put anyone in harm’s way on the football field."

Blackburn and his family are also receiving serious threats due to his hit on Hunter ... and Colorado State University Police told us they're taking the messages seriously.

"CSUPD is aware of death threats against CSU football player Henry Blackburn, and the investigation is ongoing," a university police spokesperson told us on Monday.

"The police department will continue to monitor the situation, and the university is actively supporting the player and his family."

"This is a serious injury and it will need reconstructive surgery. He will definitely be out the rest of this year. Next year is in question, as well. And, so is his career."

That's orthopedic sports surgeon, Dr. David Abbasi ... offering his medical opinion on Nick Chubb's gruesome knee injury, sustained during the first half of the Browns vs. Steelers Monday Night Football game.

Abbasi is a double board certified fellowship trained ortho surgeon specializing in shoulder, elbows, and knees ... and although he hasn't treated 27-year-old Chubb, he has been the sideline physician for the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bearcats, FIU Panthers and a bunch of big UFC fights.

The Browns have not yet announced the specifics of the injury to the 4x Pro Bowler, but Abbasi says it's clear there was a knee dislocation, and with that, serious ligament damage.

"You can see he gets hit on his knee. That is his knee dislocating out," the doctor explained, "His knee popped out of place."

Thankfully, Abassi says the knee went back into place moments later ... and that's important because it limits the risk to the nerves and the blood vessels "which can be limb threatening."

The bad news ... for the knee to pop out the way it did, David says, "[Chubb] had to have torn at least two of the four ligaments, but usually it's more than two ligaments."

"The knee ligaments I'm referring to here consist of the ACL, the PCL, the MCL, and the LCL. I would not be surprised if at least three, if not all four of these have torn."

After the MNF game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Chubb would be out for this season.

It's not the first time the 4x Pro Bowler has dealt with a serious injury to his left knee. Back in 2015, Chubb tore three ligaments (all but the LCL) in a college football game vs. Tennessee. He missed the rest of the season but was back for '16.

No, Tom Brady will not be replacing Aaron Rodgers in New York this season ... the G.O.A.T. just made it absolutely clear he has no intentions whatsoever of being a Jet.

The former Buccaneers star shut down the possibility of a second unretirement while on his "Let's Go!" podcast this week ... after his cohost, Jim Gray, asked if Gang Green had hit him up following Rodgers' season-ending Achilles tear.

"No, no, no -- next question!" Brady responded. "You already know. I love being with you guys on Mondays and I love what we got goin'."

Brady then smoothly changed the subject to the 3-0 Colorado Buffaloes and Deion Sanders, who was a guest on their show.

Of course, rumors of Brady playing for NYJ started almost immediately after Rodgers went down on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

Many Jets fans had hoped the org. would sign a Rodgers-like vet ASAP ... and a guy like seven-time Super Bowl champ Brady was the obvious No. 1 choice.

The Jets, though, made it clear following Rodgers' injury that while they were looking into a potential veteran backup ... they were putting their faith in 2021 first-round pick Zach Wilson -- not a guy like Brady.

Jay Cutler apparently wasn't the only NFL star Kristin Cavallari's had eyes for over the years ... she just admitted she had a fat crush on Travis Kelce as well!!

Cavallari said her feelings for the Kansas City Chiefs star actually developed while she was married to Cutler -- revealing on her "Let's Be Honest" podcast this week that she was obsessed with Kelce while watching him on his "Catching Kelce" reality TV show back in 2016.

"You've probably heard the term 'TV crush,' right?" the reality star told Kelce on her pod. "Like, you know what a TV crush is? It's when you see someone on TV, you probably haven't met them yet but you just have this like little crush on them? You were 100 percent my TV crush when this show was on."

She added, "I was in love with you."

Kelce was flattered by the comments ... though he quickly burst her bubble by telling her what she saw on the dating show was largely not real.

"You're ruining it for me now," she said with a laugh.

Cavallari obviously never acted on her feelings for Kelce -- she stayed with Cutler until their split in 2020 ... and when she recently met TK while the two were out in The Hamptons, it seems there was definitely more of a good friend vibe.

Of course, the door still appears to be at least somewhat open for something down the road ... both are single at the moment.