TMZ Sports - Page 50

Aaron Rodgers says one of the interceptions he threw against the Saints on Sunday was NOT his fault ... explaining the miscue was all entirely due to two New Orleans players hitting him in the groin during the play.

Seriously.

The Green Bay Packers star made the claim on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... saying two defenders careening on his family jewels just before he threw a third-quarter pass caused him to toss the ball to the opposite team.

"I don't like to make a lot of excuses for interceptions," Rodgers said. "There's some s*** ones. There's some ones you wish you had back. And, there's some ones that really aren't your fault."

Rodgers continued, "That one was entirely due to the double nut shot I took."

In video of the play, you can see what Rodgers is talking about ... 'cause just before he released his pass, two defenders' arms do appear to hit him just below the belt.

"Right before I'm throwing it I took a left kind of closeline," Rodgers said, adding, "and somebody on the right with a right kind of cross -- double nut shot."

Rodgers called it "painful" -- "they got their money's worth on that one," the reigning NFL MVP said -- but he joked he's "got to overcome that and throw a better ball in that situation."

Good to see Rodgers can laugh about it all now ... especially considering he and the Pack ultimately got obliterated, 38-3, in the season opener.

Deshaun Watson is getting a steamy birthday tribute from his girlfriend, Jilly Anais ... with the model sharing a pic of the couple making out in paradise -- and the QB grabbing a handful of booty!!

Of course, DW and JA have been dating for more than a year and are damn near inseparable -- posting hot shots of their extravagant vacations and going ALL OUT with ragers for each other's special days.

This time around, Anais is showing her support with an Instagram post on his 26th ... saying, "Happy Birthday LoveBug! Walking hand in hand with you 4L🤝💛🤞🏽"

Watson replied, saying, "4L 💛🤞🏾"

Worth noting -- Anais has been extremely supportive of her man as he faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from more than 20 massage therapists.

Watson -- whose lawyer, Rusty Hardin, admitted his client participated in what he says were consensual acts with several women -- denies any wrongdoing ... and hasn't taken the field as he faces the allegations.

Conor McGregor and MGK have no bad blood, according to The Notorious himself who says not only do the guys NOT have beef ... but the rock star is invited to his next UFC fight.

The 33-year-old UFC superstar was leaving his hotel in NYC ... when he was asked about the incident with Machine Gun Kelly at the MTV VMA's Sunday night in Brooklyn.

"I got to go to the Barclays Center again. I got to present an award. I was just going to have a good time, you know what I mean? That's it. All love, all love! It's all good," Conor told Adam Glyn.

That's when McGregor extended the invitation, saying ... "Come to the next fight and watch me perform any time. I perform, no problem. Everyone's more than welcome to come to my fights or come to the shows. No beef. I don't even know the guy."

Of course, Conor and MGK nearly came to blows on the red carpet of the award show ... with McGregor lunging at the musician and splashing a drink before being restrained by security.

Peace was eventually restored ... and McGregor presented an award to Justin Bieber at the show. MGK performed with Travis Barker.

But, the question still remains ... why the hell were they fighting?

Conor clearly didn't want to get into it ... but did drop this line before shifting topics.

"I don't know [MGK]. Who is he? Tellin' me he's been at the fights, Megan's been at the fights years, so I know Megan and then I don't know the guy. There's no problem. Come to the fights."

A dig? Possibly. Or, maybe he just ain't a fan of Kelz.

Conor also gave a health update (it's only been 66 days since he broke his leg) and it's going to be music to the ears of McGregor fans.

"I honestly feel like I could kick right now, but I just gotta listen to to the doctors, listen to the people that are guiding me. That's what I've done so far. I've committed myself to the work, and I'm back on the feet."

LeBron James is celebrating 8 years of marital bliss with his wife, Savannah, on Tuesday ... by penning her an anniversary love note and sharing some amazing wedding photos.

LBJ posted a fairytale-like moment from their 2013 San Diego wedding on his IG ... showing the lovely couple kissing on a balcony with fireworks in the sky.

"Our own personal Met Gala 8 years ago," James said on the post, "Happy Anniversary Queen!!"

They definitely looked like a King and Queen -- LeBron was dripped out in a sharp black and white tux with Savannah flawlessly wearing an elegant gown with a veil in her updo hairstyle.

"Who am I w/o you in my corner, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Love you," James said.

Savannah also wrote a note to her hubby ... "Happy Anniversary to my forever scary movie partner, my forever feet warmer, the Capricorn to my Virgo, my bestie, my babe!!!"

"8 years down, forever to go! Love you deep!"

The 36-year-old Lakers star has been with Savannah before it all began -- starting as high school sweethearts back in Akron, OH.

The couple got married in 2013 and have three kids, Bronny Jr, Bryce and Zhuri ... and are the true definition of couple goals.

An Esports star celebrated a tournament win so hard this weekend ... he popped his shoulder right out of its socket -- and video from the scene is absolutely wild!!

The gamer's name is CakeAssault -- and after he earned a victory in a massive "Rivals of Aether" tourney in Sandusky, Ohio on Sunday ... he went ballistic.

You can see in footage from the event ... CakeAssault jumped up from his chair and flailed his arms so hectically, his shoulder separated itself from his torso.

The guy immediately crumpled to the ground in pain while holding the injured arm ... but then he got up and celebrated some more!!!

Afterward, he posted on Twitter that the wound was feeling "mostly" okay.

"i fell on the ground during that popoff cuz i dislocated my shoulder," he added. "lmao"

Of course, the injury could be seen as a small price to pay for the dub ... 'cause the Riptide event win now gives CakeAssault the ability to make an argument that he's officially the best "Rivals of Aether" player on the planet.

Ciara wore something Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Grimes couldn't get their hands on for the Met Gala -- a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Russell Wilson!!

The singer showed up to the big event Monday night channeling her hubby's day job -- decked out in a sparkly green dress resembling Wilson's #3 Seahawks jersey, which was designed by Peter Dundas.

Ciara also held a bedazzled mini football clutch ... just to make sure everyone knew the theme she was going for.

But, to complete the look, Ciara pulled out quite possibly the biggest flex of all-time -- Wilson's Super Bowl XLVIII ring he won in 2014!!!

"My Hubby’s color rush Seahawks jersey transformed into a dress + His Super Bowl XLVIII ring = EVERYTHING!" Ciara posted on Instagram.

So, where was Russ?? The Seattle superstar was busy bro'ing out with Peyton and Eli Manning during their "Monday Night Football" broadcast ... but don't worry, he was sure to shower her with compliments in the comment section.

"My queen. My Everything," Wilson said.

MLB umpire Junior Valentine was rocked in the face by a wayward throw Monday night ... and the ball hit him so hard, he crumpled to the ground in pain and began bleeding from his cheek.

The bizarre scene all went down in the Cardinals' game against the Mets in New York ... right after Kevin Pillar hit a ground ball to St. Louis infielder Edmundo Sosa.

As the shortstop ranged to his left and spun to try to throw out Pillar ... the ball got away from his intended target -- and ended up smacking Valentine in the face.

You can see in the footage of the play ... Valentine was visibly shaken up -- and needed to be tended to by trainers.

Somehow, though, the dude wiped away the blood and stayed in the game.

Afterward, Valentine's crew chief, Jerry Meals, said in a statement Valentine was doing fine despite the scary scene.

"He's been checked out and has no broken bones," Meals said. "He was incredibly alert from the get-go. The blood seemed to stop fairly quickly, thankfully, and he was adamant that he was fine."

What celebs wear is only half the Met Gala game, the other half is how they party -- and Alicia Keys' post-gala event had plenty of that ... with the biggest names.

The singer threw a bash at Casa Cipriani in lower Manhattan late Monday night, and along with performing ... she played host to the likes of Michael Jordan ... who's still so damn popular, he seemed cornered by crowds at times.

Leonardo DiCaprio was in attendance in his going-out baseball cap, and Elon Musk was rocking a white suit to stand out even more.

Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum had folks sounding the new couple alert as they hit the dance floor when the DJ dropped "Poison." Vanessa Bryant and her daughter, Natalia, got some dancing in too.

Finally ... we're wondering if Serena Williams ever got on that elevator??? Watch the video, maybe you've got a guess.

As we reported ... a slew of stars put on their most eye-popping and extravagant outfits for the 2021 Met Gala, and did not disappoint as they arrived in style for the first time since 2019.

Of course, the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. This year, all gala attendees had to be vaccinated.

LSU football student staff member Kevione Faulk -- daughter of 3-time Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk -- tragically passed away on Monday, the team announced. She was just 19 years old.

The Tigers released a statement on Faulk's passing ... saying, "We are heartbroken with the passing of Kevione Faulk, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Faulk family and all of those who love Kevione."

A cause of death has not been released at this time.

"She was part of the LSU Family, and we mourn the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate and a colleague. We ask that all Tigers keep the Faulks in their prayers and respect their privacy at this difficult time."

Kevione's father, Kevin, currently serves as the running backs coach in Baton Rouge ... and is the program's all-time leading rusher after a stellar career from 1995-98. He was on staff when LSU won the national championship in 2020.

Kevin also had a lengthy career in the NFL ... playing from 1999-2011 for the New England Patriots, winning 3 Super Bowls with Tom Brady.

Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player ever to play in an NFL game Monday night ... and then he came up big for his squad -- helping the Raiders win with a huge sack in overtime!!

Lining up for the first time in a regular season game since opening up publicly about his sexuality in June ... Nassib was all over the field during Las Vegas' win over the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."

He logged three tackles and was disruptive throughout the evening -- but in the game's overtime period, he made a monster play to help lead the Raiders to a victory.

As the Ravens were attempting to drive down the field for a game-winning score ... Nassib sacked Lamar Jackson, forcing a fumble.

The Raiders were able to recover the ball ... and just a few snaps later, Derek Carr sealed it with a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Afterward, Nassib was pumped to get the win ... telling reporters, "It was really special."

"I'm really happy that we got the win on the day that kind of made a little bit of history which was really nice to do," Nassib added.

A reporter also informed the 28-year-old that a fan had worn his jersey and was attending an NFL game for the first time in order to support Nassib after his announcement.

And, Carl was stoked over the anecdote -- saying, "That's amazing. That's a great story. I love that."

Vitor Belfort says he's about to be $30 MILLION richer ... that is, if Jake Paul has the guts to step in the boxing ring, telling TMZ Sports The Problem Child's a coward if he doesn't accept the fight.

"I'd like to teach that boy a lesson. Your parents give you behaviors and all that, so he's gonna meet his big daddy," 44-year-old Belfort says.

"And, if he likes money, we got big money. There's no excuse to run away from this fight. So, he has to take it, and if you don't take it, he's gonna show he's a coward and he's looking for easy fights."

Shots fired.

Paul's 4-0 professionally -- with wins over Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren -- but Belfort has zero doubt he'd knock out the YouTuber-turned-boxing star, saying ... "I'm gonna knock [Jake] out. There's no doubt about it."

Of course, Belfort called out 24-year-old Paul in the ring following his 1st round KO of Evander Holyfield ... with Triller's Ryan Kavanaugh pledging $30 million to the winner of the potential scrap.

$30 mil is A LOT of money, but what's unclear ... after signing a deal with Showtime Boxing, could Jake take the fight, even if he wanted to?

"I think it's worth it. $30 million to get your a** whooped by a legend like myself," Belfort says.

If not Jake, Vitor told us he's also interested in Canelo Alvarez (there's a $40 mil offer on the table from Triller), Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Lennox Lewis and even Tyson Fury.

As for Paul, he recently called out Jorge Masvidal ... but with Gambred under contract with the UFC, it's highly unlikely Dana White would sign off on the fight.

The Met Gala is back after a year off due to COVID, and it looks like the stars were chomping at the bit to put on their best suits and dresses in a return to normalcy.

This year's hosts include Keke Palmer, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, Timothee Chalamet and Naomi Osaka -- and they've already arrived in with their own getups ... which were eye-popping and extravagant.

Some of the stars expected to show include Rihanna, J Lo, Kim K, Emily Ratajkowski, Camila Cabello, Lupita N'yongo, Beyonce, Addison Rae and more. This year's theme is "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" -- so we'll see wears to rep that.

We know what you're thinking ... what about the Delta variant? There are strict protocols in place to help mitigate that -- including requirements for proof of vaccination prior to showing up, not to mention a negative COVID test as well. Masks indoors are also required.

Remember -- last year's Met Gala got scrapped altogether due to the pandemic ... so, it's been a year-plus since folks have been able to flex their fashion muscles anew.

A Washington Football Team fan unloaded on a fellow fan in the stands during the team's game against the Chargers on Sunday ... dropping haymaker after haymaker on the poor guy.

In footage of the melee, filmed by someone sitting near the violence, you can see a man in a Clinton Portis jersey began scrapping with another guy in a Sean Taylor uni.

Unclear what started the tilt ... but the man in the Portis jersey quickly got the upper hand -- and never let off the gas pedal until other fans finally intervened.

The clip shows the dude threw roughly 13 punches -- with many of them landing flush on the other man's face.

No word if anyone suffered injuries in the fight ... but we're betting at the very least, they're both pretty damn sore today.

As for the action on the field, the WFT ended up losing to L.A., 20-16 ... so, yeah, tough day all around for these guys.

Clay Helton is getting the axe -- the University of Southern California has fired its head coach just 2 games into the season.

The 49-year-old had a 46-24 record with the Trojans ... but a 42-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday appeared to be the last straw for fans, boosters, alums ... and now, school officials.

USC AD Mike Bohn released a statement Monday ... saying, "This afternoon I informed Clay Helton of my decision to make a change in the leadership of our football program."

"Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to your young men. We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best."

USC legend Keyshawn Johnson tweeted his frustrations with Helton on Saturday ... saying, "I’m so pissed, I can no longer FIGHT ON for Him ….. Period  embarrassing."

But, it wasn't all bad for Helton's Trojans -- he led USC to a 2017 Rose Bowl win over Saquon Barkley and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Trojans won the Pac-12 South 3 times in Helton's time with USC.

So, why uproot the program early into the season?? Bohn says he felt interim HC Donte Williams is the best coach for the team this season.

"Donte is an experienced and well-respected coach is renowned for this ability to develop relationships with student-athletes, and I appreciate his willingness to take on this challenge."

Bohn says the decision puts 1-1 USC one step closer to winning a national title ... which is the ultimate goal for the organization for years to come.

"With our storied history, our talented young roster, and the major investments we've made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I'm optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for us."

Tonight's the night ... WWE Superstar Big E is cashin' in, using his coveted 'Money In The Bank' briefcase for a title shot against Bobby Lashley -- or Randy Orton on tonight's Raw.

TMZ Sports talked to E ... and the 35-year-old SmackDown star, holding the 'MITB' case, made the announcement.

"I'm a big proponent of setting your intentions, and I woke up this morning and I said, let me set my intentions to be a world champion here tonight in Boston," Big E tells us.

Of course, Big E won the 'Money in the Bank' ladder match in July ... entitling him to a title shot against either the Raw (Lashley) or SmackDown (Roman Reigns) champ at any moment.

Bobby is set to face Orton tonight ... so, E could wrestle either of the men.

Lashley's the current champ ... so we asked him if he had a message for the Raw champ.

"First and foremost, Bobby needs to worry about a certain 14x world champion in Randy Orton, who's trying to become a 15x champion tonight. so he's got that to worry about. so my message to bobby is worry about that apex predator first. Just know, I'm here. I'm in the building."

Why tonight on Raw from Boston??? We asked E.

"Why tonight? Why not tonight? Boston. Heckuva town. Kofi's from here. The fact that Kofi and Woods are both present. My sister lives here. I have extended family that lives here."

So, fam's here, Kofi and Xavier, but can he win the belt?!?

Stay tuned ...

Several Bears and Rams fans got into a wild brawl Sunday night -- with multiple men throwing and landing massive haymakers -- and the violence was all captured on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The calamity all started at the beginning of L.A.'s game against Chicago ... when one witness tells us a Bears fan got into a verbal argument with several Rams fans for cheering the action on the field.

The witness says things got so aggressive in the seats, security at SoFi Stadium had to step in and request people swap chairs in order to keep the peace.

We're told after the game, though, some of the men ran into each other inside the concourses at the newly built arena -- and it didn't take long for the fists to start flying.

In video of the battle, you can see multiple scraps broke out ... including one where a man in an Akiem Hicks jersey was pummeled by punches and kicks.

In fact, the fights were so violent ... you can see blood actually ended up smeared all over the man's Hicks jersey.

We're told security was eventually able to break things up ... ultimately putting one of the combatants in handcuffs -- though it's unclear if any actual arrests were made.