TMZ Sports - Page 50

LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey is remaining tight-lipped on Angel Reese ... refusing to go into detail on the star player's current absence from the team.

The Bayou Barbie was MIA once again for the Tigers' 106-47 win over Texas Southern on Monday ... and during postgame availability with the media, Mulkey was not in the mood to explain why #10 wasn't on the court.

"Angel was not in uniform tonight. Angel is a part of this basketball team," Mulkey said. "And Angel will be back sooner than later. I'm not going to answer any more than that."

There has been a ton of speculation surrounding Reese's absence ... with fans noticing she was visibly upset during the Tigers' season-opening loss to Colorado.

The drama continued when Reese was sidelined for the second half of LSU's win over Kent State last week due to a "coach's decision" ... and she hasn't suited up since.

Of course, some folks believe it might be school related after Flau'jae Johnson's mom, Kia Brooks, claimed Reese had a "2.0 or less GPA" on social media last week ... but Mulkey made it clear she was not going to spill the beans on the current "locker room issues."

"Sometimes you want to know more than you're entitled to know. I'm going to protect my players. Always," Mulkey said ... comparing her athletes to family members.

More trouble for Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann in their ugly divorce, as things got so bad during a fight at home, their own kid had to call the cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ cops got a call to the estranged couple's Georgia mansion Monday night for a verbal domestic dispute. We're told in all, 3 officers and a supervisor arrived on the call to try and settle things out with Kim and Kroy.

What's most disturbing, our law enforcement sources say it was one of the couple's 4 young kids who called cops -- and the fight was "extremely loud."

Eventually, we're told, cops were able to calm things down between the two.

It's not the first, second or even the third time officers have been called to Kim and Kroy's house while they continue to hammer out their divorce. It was back in August when Kim called cops and accused Kroy of locking her out of their bedroom. She called again late September to tell officers she didn't feel safe at home.

Fans were surprised to see Kim and Kroy celebrating their wedding anniversary together a couple weeks ago, but things have obviously turned sour once again.

TMZ broke the story -- both Kim and Kroy have been ordered by the court to keep their distance at home, he gets the primary bedroom and she gets the basement and nanny suite.

Forget Ohio State vs. Michigan ... Donald Trump's got his eyes on attending a different college football game this weekend -- reportedly gearing up to take in South Carolina vs. Clemson on Saturday.

The former POTUS will be in attendance for kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. ... according to multiple reports.

Unclear exactly why he chose the Palmetto Bowl over the huge Buckeyes vs. Wolverines matchup -- or any other big college football game Saturday, for that matter -- although South Carolina governor Henry McMaster said Tuesday he'd welcome No. 45 at the stadium with arms wide open.

Of course, Trump does have a bit of ties to both programs ... South Carolina, after all, voted for him in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections -- while Clemson visited his White House for its two national championship celebrations in 2016 and 2018.

You'll recall ... one of the Tigers' visits to 1600 Penn. caused a little bit of a stir -- after Trump served the team a grip of fast food. Although the team's QB at the time, Trevor Lawrence, said he loved it.

The South Carolina trip will be Trump's second appearance at a sporting event this month -- he also attended UFC 295 in New York ... where he appeared to be flipped off by Bill Burr's wife.

Tom Brady is going to bat for his old coach ... saying it's not Bill Belichick's fault the New England Patriots are having a terrible season right now.

TB12 addressed the state of his former team in an interview with Stephen A. Smith this week ... where he was asked whether it was time for BB to move on to a new team after more than two decades in Foxborough.

Brady -- who won six Super Bowls with Belichick -- had nothing but positive things to say about the mastermind ... and pointed the finger at other issues that could factor into the Pats being 2-8.

"I think he's an incredible coach," Brady told SAS. "He's the best coach, in my belief, in the history of the game."

"The thought of him not being in New England is hard for me to think about. He prepares the team really well. Ultimately, you got to have a lot of people around you to succeed. You got to have a lot of things in place for the organization to be successful."

In fact, Brady thinks BB is coaching just like he did when the Pats went undefeated during the 2007 regular season.

"I'm sure he's preparing the team the same way," he added. "The results are different. But again, that's why the sport's so challenging."

TB12 said there's other roles outside of the head coaching gig that have a greater impact on gameday performance -- like the quarterback and defensive coordinator -- but claimed he's not taking a shot at the Patriots' current situation with Mac Jones.

Of course, Brady's comments are interesting ... considering the belief is that Belichick helped usher him out of New England before he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are getting back to their North American roots ... making a surprise trip to Canada's British Columbia to pump up the crowd at a Vancouver Canucks game.

The Duke of Sussex dropped the ceremonial first puck before the NHL action ... following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who did the same honors 21 years earlier.

Harry and Megs were twinning in their all-black ensemble as they kicked back in a luxury suite during the game -- but they were quick to jump up and cheer when the home team scored a goal ... and danced to a little Simple Minds 80s jam.

Harry didn't quite pull-off the white man's overbite, but came dangerously close as he celebrated the Canucks' big win.

Remember, the Duke and Duchess were locals ... living on Vancouver Island immediately after the Megxit in 2019, before flying south to put down roots in SoCal.

They're back in Canada to promote Harry's Invictus Games, which will be held in Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025.

Taylor Swift is a real-life Barbie doll, straight from the big screen, 'cause she mimicked something Margot Robbie did in the film ... and, for a moment, she had all eyes on her heels and feet.

The singer was performing Monday night in Rio de Janeiro -- making up for the concert she postponed after a fan's death -- and during the show, T-Swift had some footwear problems that forced her to walk with a limp.

After a little while, she straight up broke off the bedazzled heel to her boot and chucked it into the audience ... and then proceeded with the concert as if nothing had happened.

We mean that literally, 'cause TayTay was walking around with her right foot still arched -- as if the heel was still magically there, and it's pretty damn impressive.

Of course, this reminded a lot of people of the 'Barbie' movie ... specifically, when Margot's character starts to lose her doll magic and starts to become human -- which causes her to lose the ability to remain standing in a high-heeled pose ... something TS did here.

Whereas 'Barbie' ended up going flat-footed (like the rest of us would), Taylor seems to have maintained the shoe magic and apparently stayed upright throughout the rest of the show.

BTW, some lucky fan in the crowd was able to snatch up Taylor's thrown heel -- posting a photo online, which appears to show them with it tucked away in their bag.

Nice little memento, for sure ... and just another surreal moment from the "Eras" tour.

Travis Kelce was able to have a little fun Monday night despite a crushing loss to the Eagles ... telling his big brother, Jason Kelce, the defeat was "a late birthday present" for the Philly star.

Travis shared the lighthearted moment with Jason just seconds after Philadelphia pulled off the 21-17 upset at Arrowhead Stadium ... roughly two weeks after Jason turned 36 years old.

"Love you, big guy," Travis said after throwing out the quip to the offensive lineman. "Get home safe."

Of course, Travis was anything but smiles just minutes earlier ... as he was one of the reasons Kansas City ended up falling in the contest.

Playing without his new girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in attendance ... Travis logged only 44 yards on seven catches -- and while he did score a touchdown, he had a critical fourth-quarter drop and fumble.

To make matters worse, the Eagles trolled him and Swift a bit after the L ... posting a green friendship bracelet on their X page with the caption, "In our winning era."

The loss marked the first time Travis has ever fallen to his big brother in an NFL game ... although, fortunately for the star tight end, the Chiefs are still very much alive in the race to make a deep postseason run.

Paul Mullin isn't just a star on the pitch for Wrexham, he's a TV star, too, thanks to the docuseries, "Welcome to Wrexham" ... which the footballer says he didn't know about until the moment he was literally signing his contract to join the club.

29-year-old Mullin was the first guest on the new Men In Blazers show, "This Week In Wrexham" ... where the star soccer player talked about his decision to sign with the then-fledgling team, and his decision to appear on the hit show.

"People think that the documentary might be a selling point, but I can tell you now that I didn't know about the documentary until I was signing the contract, sat at the table, and there were cameras in the room.  And I was like, 'Who's this?' And they told me then, 'We're filming a documentary,'" the former Cambridge United star explained.

"It had nothing to do with my decision whatsoever. I didn't even know it was happening. I just signed the form as I was signing my contract to give them obviously the opportunity to record me. At that time obviously, you don't know how big it's gonna be. It's just something we've gotten used to. There are cameras everywhere, but you don't notice them because they're blending in, but also 'cause we're used to them, too."

Of course, "Welcome to Wrexham" premiered last summer on FX ... after Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought the Welsh team. The show has been a smash hit ... and was recently renewed for a third season, set to air in 2024.

If not for the docuseries, why did Mullin sign with Wrexham when other higher-profile clubs were available?

Paul explained his decision.

"It wasn't even [soccer] to begin with, it was my son. Obviously, it's well documented now but he's autistic, and I've been away in Cambridge for the majority of the season, obviously coming home whenever I could, and I just wanted to be at home with him every night, and Wrexham was the perfect opportunity to do that, and ultimately, it was perfect for me, as well in the [soccer] sense because it was a club with real ambition, a club going somewhere," Paul told Roger Bennett.

Wrexham has done incredibly well since Reynolds and Mullin's arrival ... they not only won the National League championship with a 3-1 win over Boreham Wood in April, but they were also elevated to League 2.

AJ McLean's pit stop on the Vegas Strip -- during the Formula 1 Grand Prix festivities --  had A-listers doing laps around the glitzy event, and got AJ onstage with The Chainsmokers.

The Backstreet Boys star put the pedal to the medal inside XS Nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas Thursday night, as the trio performed a special rendition of his band's mega-hit "Everybody" -- but not before F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton and Will.i.am kicked things off at the exclusive invite-only opening ceremony the night before.

On Friday, TikToker Alix Earle jumped into the DJ booth with Swedish House Madia at XS ... while Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Michael B. Jordan, French Montana, and Saweetie partied in VIP.

The whole weekend was packed with celebs in town for the main event ... Saturday night's race, where RiRi and her man A$AP Rocky immersed themselves in the action. No doubt, it was a nice break from reality for the rapper, ahead of his courtroom appearance Monday in his shooting case.

Jake Paul's leaving a ton of money on the table in his upcoming boxing match ... telling TMZ Sports he's more focused on being a world champion than selling Pay-per-views.

The 26-year-old Problem Child is facing off against 35-year-old pro boxer Andre August in Orlando next month ... which is a stark contrast from his usual big-name opponents like Tommy Fury, Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva.

Paul says that's by design ... as he needs to take on real-deal boxers to both silence his haters and move toward his goal of being the best fighter on the planet -- even if it doesn't line his pockets like his other high-profile bouts.

"This is probably just a break-even fight for me," Jake told Michael Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on FS1. "I probably won't even make money on it. Who knows what the outcome is. It's $200,000 for a private jet to fly around just to get me there and back."

But, that's not fazing Jake -- he makes it clear his only concern is polishing his skills and taking on a bigger challenge against a guy with more wins and knockouts under his belt.

"He's a beast, he's a dog and he's coming to win," Jake said of his opponent. "This is his make-or-break moment as a boxer himself. It's gonna be a really good fight."

Jake made a great point -- the entire world has watched all of his fights from the very beginning ... which is unprecedented for someone in the sport. Usually, dudes take on smaller bouts to gain more experience before getting big.

Jake explained he's not going to leave the massive PPV opportunities for good -- which might be good news for former boxing champion Andre Ward, who previously told us he was interested in taking on one of the Paul brothers in the future.

Nick Hogan was working a bikini contest at his father Hulk Hogan's restaurant hours before being arrested for DUI in Florida.

TMZ obtained video from Friday's event at Hogan's Hangout in Clearwater ... and you see Nick working from the DJ booth, playing music and introducing some of the winners.

Hulk was one of the judges, and he was also hosting the bikini contest, which featured $5,000 in cash prizes to three winners ... with Nick serving as MC/DJ.

When the contest started, Hulk announced they were giving out free shots ... which is interesting because ... as we first told you, later that night Nick got busted on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Nick's yet to address his DUI bust ... which comes 16 years after a scary car wreck in Clearwater that left a passenger with severe brain damage ... but now we know what he was doing earlier in the night.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's parents are putting their plans to meet for the first time on the back burner, due to a change in the popstar's schedule.

As we expected, Taylor will not be able to attend the Chiefs vs. Eagles game Monday night, which is where the families were going to meet. Instead, she'll be performing the Rio de Janeiro concert that was originally scheduled for Saturday night ... the one she postponed for the "safety and well-being" of fans amid soaring temperatures.

The schedule shift means Taylor can't play "Meet the Fockers" in Kansas City, and sources familiar with the situation tell us it just didn't make sense for the parents to meet with Taylor absent and Travis busy on the field.

Remember, we were told last week the plan was for Andrea and Scott Swift and Donna and Ed Kelce to be under one roof at the same time. The plans weren't set in stone, perhaps because everyone realized Taylor's schedule could change.

It would have been a fitting family get-together with Travis's Chiefs, and his bro Jason Kelce's Eagles meeting in a Super Bowl rematch -- and, of course, the Eagles used to be Taylor's fave team and her dad's too. Both of their loyalty seems to be swaying now that she's dating Travis.

Kareem Jackson has been suspended yet again ... this time, the NFL levied a four-game ban on the Denver Broncos safety after it says he illegally hit Joshua Dobbs during a violent play on Sunday night.

The tackle happened just seconds into Denver's tilt with the Minnesota Vikings, when Jackson launched himself into Dobbs' face while trying to bring down the QB.

Replays of the hit show Jackson tagged Dobbs in the chin area with the crown of his helmet -- a big no-no, according to the NFL exec Jon Runyan, who announced the suspension Monday afternoon.

"You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided," Runyan told Jackson when making the announcement.

"Illegal acts that are flagrant and jeopardize the safety of players will not be tolerated."

This is the second time Jackson has been slapped with a suspension for his play on the field ... back on Oct. 23, he was also banned four games for illegally hitting Packers tight end Luke Musgrave in the head and neck area.

Jackson, however, appealed the ruling ... and had the ban reduced to two games.

Donna Kelce is proving yet again she's just as big a celeb as her two NFL star sons ... receiving a police escort in Kansas City on Monday that included FOUR armed officers.

Jason and Travis' mom got the secret-service-like protection just hours before her two boys will square off at Arrowhead Stadium ... as she was doing some promo work at a nearby Raising Cane's restaurant.

Mama Kelce -- rockin' a half green, half red shirt to represent both her sons' teams -- was working the register and the drive-thru at the eatery ... before cops made sure she got out of the joint unscathed.

Donna, however, didn't appear nervous about the attention at all ... in fact, she was seen smiling and waving to a mob of fans -- all while flanked by policemen.

Of course, Donna has got to be used to all the love at this point ... 'cause after bursting onto the scene during last year's Super Bowl -- she's become an even bigger star following her elbow-rubbing sessions with Taylor Swift at Travis' Chiefs games this year.

Retired Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper's brother, Mickey Cooper, was tragically shot and killed this weekend at a local L.A. park.

Police in Pasadena responded to the area on Washington Boulevard around 4 AM early Saturday morning, where they found 64-year-old Mickey unresponsive with gunshot wounds.

Law enforcement has not commented on motive ... as they continue to investigate the shooting. No arrests have been made.

Adding to the tragic nature of the incident, Michael says he and Mickey grew up hooping on the court where he was ultimately killed.

67-year-old Cooper was a mainstay for the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, winning 5 championships alongside teammates like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In addition to the handful of championship rings, Michael was one of the most accomplished defensive players in the NBA, making 8 All-NBA Defensive teams, and winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award in '87.

Zach Wilson is FINALLY headed to the bench and Tim Boyle is the NY Jets starting quarterback, according to several NFL insiders ... a move most Gang Green fans have demanded for weeks!

Sunday's game against the Bills was evidently the last straw for head coach Robert Saleh ... as the offense was putrid in the 32-6 loss to the division rivals Buffalo Bills.

24-year-old Wilson didn't even finish the game ... he was pulled late in the third quarter, as New York trailed big. The former #2 overall pick in the '21 draft finished with an under 47% completion percentage, throwing for just 81 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

29-year-old Boyle, this week's starter, was inserted into the game ... though he wasn't much better, going 7-for-14 for 33 yards, on a bunch of dink and dunk pass attempts.

The Jets have not yet officially announced the change to the signal-caller... but listening to Wilson speak after the loss, the move is no surprise.

"When things aren't getting done, change has to be made, and I understand that," Zach told reporters after the game.

To make things even more difficult for the Jets, they've got a short week ... they're playing the offensive powerhouse Miami Dolphins in Jersey on Friday, meaning Boyle won't even get a full week to prepare.

The Dolphins are averaging 30.5 points per game, best in the NFL, while the Jets are third from worst with 15 points a game. Bottom line, the Jets are going to have to score ... and they're going into the game with a guy who only has 3 starts (0-3) under his belt.

Of course, the hope was the Jets would be in playoff contention, and Aaron Rodgers could come back sometime in mid/late December, and lead the team in time for a deep playoff run.

Now, the playoffs look incredibly unlikely at 4-6 ... with six teams currently ahead of the Jets. They've also got a ton of other issues including the offensive line and the coach calling the plays.