TMZ Sports - Page 38

12:11 PM PT -- A judge has just approved the prosecutors' motion to drop the three felonies against Jackson Mahomes.

He's now slated to return to court in late March -- as he's still facing one misdemeanor charge in the case.

Prosecutors are working to drop the felony charges against Jackson Mahomes ... after they claim the alleged victim in the case against Patrick Mahomes' little brother is no longer cooperating.

Officials at the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office in Kansas filed a motion to dismiss the three aggravated sexual battery counts against Jackson on Tuesday ... and a judge is expected to a make a ruling on the filing at a hearing later Wednesday afternoon.

In the court documents, prosecutors say the restaurant owner who first accused Jackson of forcibly kissing her inside of her Overland Park establishment back in February 2023 has now told them she does not want to continue to press charges in the case -- stating that she wishes "the matter to be dismissed as to anything involving" her.

Prosecutors said in the docs, however, they tried to move forward with the case regardless ... writing that the incident involving Jackson and the woman "was captured in its entirety on surveillance footage."

But, they added that the woman has made it abundantly clear she no longer wants anything to do with the case -- claiming she told them she would say "that she had not been truthful to the police and that the encounter with [Jackson] was consensual."

A dismissal of the three felony counts would mean Jackson is only facing one misdemeanor battery charge in the case ... which stems from allegations he shoved a waiter at the restaurant the same night that he had the run-in with the woman.

"Like I said from the beginning," Jackson's attorney, Brandon Davies, said in a statement to FOX 4 on Tuesday, "Jackson has done nothing wrong. We had full confidence that the truth of the matter would ultimately be revealed. The defense will reserve further comment until the remaining count is disposed of."

Jackson first pleaded not guilty to the charges shortly after they were filed last year. He's expected to attend Wednesday's hearing in-person.

Katt Williams came on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" with guns blazing ... and taking shots at Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, Rickey Smiley and more rivals.

Katt ripped several of his famous contemporaries in what he called a 2024 reckoning ... starting with his "Next Friday" costar Rickey Smiley for claiming their roles in the film were reversed before filming began when he appeared on "CSS" last year.

Katt says not only was he always cast as "Money Mike," he was responsible for rewriting the character's scene to prevent an on-screen rape with Terry Crews' character "Damon."

After the "Friday After Next" rift, Katt put a clause in his contract that only allowed Rickey to appear in films with him where he was wearing a dress because Katt deemed that's the depth of his acting skills ... and 2008's "First Sunday" featured just that -- Rickey starring as church lady "Bernice Jenkins."

Ced also got thrashed for claiming Katt stole jokes from him during his "CSS" episode, and Katt didn't hold back -- he painted Ced as talentless for having "Entertainer" in his name without being able to sing, dance or write his own jokes. Katt noted Ced's stand-up specials suck so bad, there's no demand for them on Netflix or Tubi.

Ced's "Live from the Ville" from 2016 is indeed on Netflix, but Katt claims the real joke-stealer is Steve Harvey -- for undercutting Mark Curry's "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" sitcom back in the day with his "The Steve Harvey Show" ... both premises revolved around the comedians starring as high school teachers -- but Mark's series came out 4 years earlier.

Katt accused all of them of running in packs to blackball him behind the scenes and also sent a couple of strays in Earthquake and Faizon Love's direction for also falling short of his level of greatness.

Pat McAfee is apologizing for his involvement in the growing feud between Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Kimmel ... saying he understands where both sides are coming from, but is hoping they can make amends and get past it.

As we previously reported, the late-night host unloaded on social media following the New York Jets quarterback's appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... threatening legal action after Rodgers suggested Kimmel could be named as one of Jeffrey Epstein's associates.

The former NFL punter-turned-TV host addressed the crap-storm that ensued on Wednesday's show ... saying that's not something he wants to be involved in, and while the allegations are certainly serious, he doesn't feel the four-time MVP really meant it.

McAfee explained his program's format allows open discussion ... which can lead to solid headlines, but also lawsuits -- just like what happened when Brett Favre sued him after comments he made about his current welfare funds case.

PM said he believes Rodgers' comment was "certainly, probably" just a "s***-talk joke" ... but can see why Kimmel reacted the way he did.

McAfee pointed out he knew it was time to switch the subject as soon as it came out of Rodgers' mouth ... especially because he doesn't want to give their feud a platform, as he prefers to keep things light-hearted on his show.

Grambling State made women’s college basketball history Tuesday night ... beating the women from the College of Biblical Studies by 141 points!

The final score was an astonishing 159-18 ... and that's not a typo. The margin was the largest ever in women's Division 1 history.

After the game, the team added insult to injury by torching their opp on social media, tweeting "Amen" ... before ultimately editing the message on X after the backlash.

It was clear from the tipoff that the Biblical Studies team was in far over their head. In fact, the game started 34-0. At the half, the score was 82-10.

At that point, you might expect GSU to take their foot off the gas ... but they didn't, setting multiple records in the process, including a school record for points (in addition to the margin of victory).

Eight Grambling State players put up double-digit point totals ... with Arianna Mosley leading the way with a game-high 27 points.

It's worth noting that Grambling State isn't some basketball powerhouse. In fact, they went into the game with a .500 record. They're now 6-5.

The College of Biblical Studies, a Division II program, is in the midst of its inaugural basketball season. The team is made up of just 8 players, all freshman, according to the school's website.

A group of rabbis were forced to put away their pro-Jewish signs at the Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks game on Monday ... after they claim Kyrie Irving complained to security, and asked the signs be removed.

However, a rep for the NBA superstar tells us that never happened.

Rabbi Avremi Zippel -- a diehard Jazz fan -- says he and his three peers copped courtside seats to the matchup on purpose ... with the intent to send a message to the NBA superstar after his antisemitism controversy from back in October 2022.

During the first quarter, the four rabbis held up signs that said "I'm a Jew and I'm Proud" ... and Irving acknowledged them.

Zippel claims Irving initially said, "Nice, I'm a Jew, too," ... before adding, "Don't gotta bring something like that to the game."

Shortly after the interaction, the rabbi says security came over and told them they had to quit holding up the signs ... citing a policy against having posters in the front row. A second staffer, Zippel claims, later told them it was because Irving complained.

Worth noting -- Zippel told the Salt Lake Tribune the signs were not meant as a political statement ... as they did not mention the war in Israel. He also told the outlet he went over the team's policy several times to make sure they weren't violating any rules.

Despite his research, the Jazz released a statement on the matter ... saying their signs broke the Code of Conduct.

"No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks an interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it," the team stated.

"During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with play of game."

"As the next step in standard security protocol, the fans were asked to take down their signs."

The team also clarified the removal was not due to what the signs said -- claiming, "The part-time employee who told the fans it was the content of the sign that was the problem was incorrect."

"The issue was the disruptive interaction caused by usage of the signs, not the content of the signs."

Zippel isn't buying the Jazz's explanation ... as he thinks the team cited policy in hopes the whole thing would blow over.

This isn't the first time Kyrie has faced critical fans -- last season, a group of fans wore "Fight Antisemitism" shirts during the Brooklyn Nets vs. Indiana Pacers game to protest his comments.

Channing Crowder has a bone to pick with his former team ... telling TMZ Sports he's upset the Dolphins left Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb in during their blowout loss on Sunday -- leaving them vulnerable to injuries.

The former Miami linebacker said he wished Mike McDaniel had pulled all of his guys from their 56-19 game against Baltimore ... because he thinks it could've saved the Fins' two stars from getting hurt.

"That game, at that juncture," he said, "down by that much -- 30-plus points -- you pull out the starters. You fold up camp. Whatever you want to say. And you get ready for Buffalo Bills."

McDaniel, of course, didn't do that ... and Tagovailoa sustained a shoulder injury that has him day-to-day, while Chubb tore his ACL.

Crowder says the decision could now cost the Dolphins dearly.

"If the Dolphins are healthy, they can play with anybody in the league," Crowder said. "But, now you start getting these injuries after injuries, and that's when it's going to go downhill for the Dolphins."

Going forward, Crowder implored his ex-team to bring in some edge rushers help to offset injuries that Jaelan Phillips and Chubb have now suffered.

Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers are beefing ... and it's all over Jeffrey Epstein's soon-to-be unmasked list of associates.

The late-night TV talk show host is now threatening the New York Jets quarterback with legal action after Aaron suggested on live TV, Jimmy might be one of Epstein's associates.

Jimmy just fired back on social media, ripping Aaron -- who he addresses with "Dear Aassh***e," saying the QB's "reckless words put my family in danger."

In case you missed it ... Aaron was doing his scheduled Tuesday hit on "The Pat McAfee Show" when he said he would be celebrating the release of Epstein's associates.

Aaron said ... "A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn't come out."

Jimmy's vehemently denying having anything to do with Epstein whatsoever ... and he's blasting Rodgers as a "soft-brained wacko" who "can't seem to distinguish from reality."

Brooke Hogan's nuptials were under wraps for 1 1/2 years ... and just days after we broke the happy news, she's telling us why she waited so long to reveal she's a married woman.

We got Brooke on "TMZ Live" Tuesday ... where she says she delayed announcing her marriage to ice hockey player Steven Oleksy on June 8, 2022, 'cause she was never a big fame person -- despite her family's reality TV background and her music career.

Florida-based Brooke adds it's been easy for them to keep it a secret as they're not parading up and down the streets of Hollywood -- noting if celebs truly wanted to keep things a secret, they could easily take measures to do so.

On a deeper note, Brooke tells us she's been through so much heartbreak in her life ... that she didn't want to let the claws of fame sink their teeth into something that was so untouched and pure.

She says she wanted to ensure she was with the right person and marrying her soulmate.

She says she asked her family and friends to respect their decision to keep it hush-hush -- and they happily obliged.

We broke the news of her marriage first ... with a stunning first-look image of the pair shortly after being pronounced husband and wife.

They met through mutual friends ... and it was just the 2 of them during their wedding ceremony in Orlando, FL. Steven's fam finally celebrated with them during a reception party last month.

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is going to have to bust out his check book -- he was just fined $300k for chucking his drink toward a group of fans during Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The billionaire hedge fund manager -- the richest owner in the league -- was spotted dumping his beverage in anger after an apparent exchange with a group of supporters amid the 26-0 blowout ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

The clip is short ... and it's unclear what led to the incident.

The NFL announced the punishment on Tuesday ... labeling the incident "unacceptable conduct."

Tepper -- who bought the Panthers in 2018 for $2.3 billion -- released a statement following the news ... saying, "I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday."

"I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior."

It's been a disastrous 2023 season for the Panthers -- they're 2-14 and will not have their first-round pick next season.

The woman who went nips out for some beads during ESPN's Sugar Bowl broadcast is being offered a deal more eye-opening than the viral clip ... with an adult company willing to shell out up to $100k to get her to perform an encore on its platform.

The folks over at Camsoda laid out the terms of the proposition on Tuesday ... saying it's trying like hell to track down the Bourbon Street patron who exposed her boob during the TV broadcast of Monday night's game between the Washington Huskies and Texas Longhorns.

If CS is able to get a hold of her, the site says it would like to invite her to do a live one-hour webcam show next week ... and they are ready to drop some serious coin for her time.

"One could argue that she was the real MVP of the game last night," Camsoda Vice President Daryn Parker said in a statement.

"We see a lot of breasts on our platform but these certainly caught our eyes ... and all of America's. I didn’t know ESPN was into that kind of stuff!"

Of course, the network issued an apology over the accident ... saying it regrets sharing the footage for the millions of viewers tuning into the College Football Playoff matchup.

Take off the tinfoil hats, folks -- Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's romance is NOT a publicity stunt ... this according to the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's managers, who claim the relationship was never part of their "plan" to make him famous.

Of course, there has been speculation surrounding Tayvis ever since the pop superstar started showing up to Kelce's games earlier this season ... with many questioning if the coupling was actually all for clout.

Andre and Aaron Eanes -- who handle Kelce's business affairs -- did an interview with the New York Times about their client skyrocketing to fame over the past year ... and they say they've always had their sights set on getting the two-time Super Bowl champ bigger than the average athlete.

"People say to me, 'Man, it's been a crazy year,'" Aaron told the outlet. "When I say, 'Actually, it's not that crazy,' people look at me funny. It's because it's easy when you have a plan. We're executing that plan."

Their strategy has led to countless commercials, an expanded business portfolio and a "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig ... but Kelce's team insists dating the biggest musician on the planet wasn't on their 2023 bingo card.

Swift previously told Time her new relationship was the result of Kelce putting her "on blast" for not meeting him before or after her Arrowhead Stadium concert ... and they got to know each shortly after -- becoming a full-on couple, even spending the holidays together.

Damar Hamlin is commemorating the one-year anniversary of his terrifying cardiac arrest with some new ink ... getting a pair of heart hands tattooed on the back of his neck.

The Buffalo Bills safety hit up Alexander Brenes twelve months after he nearly died on a football field to get the piece done ... and as you can see, it came out awesome.

In addition to the hands, the dark, black tattoo also features an image of an electrocardiogram -- a clear homage to the health scare he suffered while playing against the Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.

The 25-year-old -- who often threw up the heart hands during his recovery process -- was obviously thrilled with the final product ... he posed for a pic with the tattoo artist and even left a comment on Brenes' Instagram page as well.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are really feeling the love now -- this video of them kissing to ring in the New Year also shows him saying "I love you" to her ... in the view of Swifties, that is.

Fans are certainly convinced he dropped the L-word just as they smooched at midnight. Watch and decide for yourself -- the speculation is it happens in the first few seconds of the clip.

However, we've checked with a few professional lip readers -- some who've testified in high-profile court cases -- and they tell TMZ ... the video is far too blurry to confirm the public declaration of love.

So, we'll never know precisely what sweet nothings the NFL star whispered to the singer while packing on the PDA -- unless they reveal it -- but, it wouldn't be all that weird if they did exchange 'I love yous" ... they've been dating at least 6 months now.

It's also not clear where they rang in the New Year -- but a fellow partygoer shared the clip ... and it looks like others at the bash respectfully left the two to get on with their smoochin'.

The couple was partying somewhere in the Kansas City area Sunday night ... after Travis and the Chiefs played the Bengals.

As we reported, TS arrived at Arrowhead Stadium solo Sunday afternoon to cheer on her beau ... which she's been doing since they went public a few months ago.

Diehard football fans have become increasingly vexed over the attention Taylor commands at games -- but it looks like she's not going anywhere in 2024.

ESPN is apologizing for showing a woman drop top during its broadcast of the Sugar Bowl on Monday ... saying the NSFW footage should have never seen the light of day.

Football fans were left stunned after the network aired a clip from Bourbon Street while returning from a commercial break in the Washington Huskies vs. Texas Longhorns matchup ... which featured the lady's negotiation for a set of beads by exposing her breast as the camera made its way down the iconic area.

It's common for TV crews to show b-roll of the host city's landmarks during games ... and given the College Football Playoff contest between the No. 2 and 3 seeds was played at New Orleans' Superdome, Bourbon Street is an understandable choice.

But producers probably didn't take into account how things can get a bit raunchy around there ... which was made clear by the video that went viral shortly after it made its way to millions of viewers' screens.

ESPN is owning up to it all ... releasing a statement on the flub to the Associated Press.

"We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast," ESPN P.R. guy Bill Hofheimer said.

"Let's gooooooooooo!!!!!"

Tom Brady started off the new year with a bang ... the former Michigan quarterback absolutely lost his mind as his alma mater beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl!

The 46-year-old retired signal-caller shared video on social media on Monday ... showing a topless Tom, rocking a gold chain, watching the final play of the overtime thriller from an unknown location.

UM stuffed Bama and punched their ticket to the National Championship game ... and it'd be an understatement to say Tom was elated!

“Let’s go, woo!” Tom yelled.

Brady captioned the video ... "OMFG" and "Go BLue @umichfootball"

Although Brady couldn't be in the building in Pasadena to watch the game in person, Tom's been supportive of the team all season.

In fact, before Monday's Rose Bowl, he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a Michigan vs Everybody wristband ... along with an incredibly expensive and rare Richard Mille watch.

Brady wasn't the only famous alum to express support for UM with the rubber accessory ... Michael Phelps also posted a photo wearing the yellow bracelet. The 23x Olympic gold medalist tagged Brady.

The win vs. Nick Saban's bama squad was huge, but the work isn't done yet ... Michigan will play Washington Monday night with a National Championship title on the line!

David Ortiz has finally met a pitcher who can blow a baseball by him ... and, it turns out, it's his girlfriend!!

The MLB legend learned that the hard way when he and his significant other, María Yeribell Martínez, were throwing a party recently to reveal the gender of their unborn baby.

The two came up with a baseball-themed plan to make the announcement ... where María would throw a pitch to Ortiz that he was then supposed to blast into either pink or blue smoke.

But, check out footage from the bash ... Ortiz -- a 10-time All-Star with 541 career home runs -- completely whiffed on María's inside heater!!

To his credit, Ortiz and his partygoers all took the gaffe in stride -- they still celebrated with blue confetti while the former Red Sox designated hitter threw his arms into the air and jumped with joy.

Of course, social media has gone crazy over the whiff ... with many hilariously joking María had read the scouting report on Ortiz prior to throwing him the cheddar.