TMZ Sports - Page 50

Travis Kelce just teed off on Justin Tucker over their pregame altercation at the AFC Championship ... calling out the Baltimore Ravens kicker for acting like a "f***ing d***" and purposely getting in Patrick Mahomes' way during warmups.

Both sides of the tiff have continued to breathe life into the viral moment this week ... with Tucker, Mahomes and now Kelce weighing in on it.

Travis didn't hold back when discussing the spat on his "New Heights" podcast with his brother, Jason, on Wednesday ... saying he could tell Tucker was playing around, but the Chiefs weren't in the mood for tomfoolery.

Kelce explained there's an unwritten rule when it comes to specialists -- they make sure to stay out of their opponents' way when prepping for a matchup. But, Tucker didn't do that ... which rubbed him the wrong way.

"If you want to be a f***ing d*** about it, you keep your helmet and your football and your f***ing kicking tee right where the quarterbacks are warming up and they’re dropping, eyes are looking left and they’ve got a helmet down by their feet," Kelce said.

"If you’re not going to pick that up, I’ll happily move that for you."

Of course, Kelce proved to be a man of his word ... taking Tucker's helmet and tossing it away from Mahomes on Sunday.

Kelce apologized for his actions ... admitting Tucker winked at him during the altercation to indicate he was just messing around, but reiterated he was not in a joking mood.

"If you're gonna be a d*** I promise you, I can one-up you every time."

Atlanta Hawks fans let D'Angelo Russell know they're not down to trade Dejounte Murray for him ... chanting "We don't want you" at the Lakers guard during Tuesday's game!

The cold-blooded moment happened at the Lakers vs. Hawks game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta ... when Russell walked to the free-throw line after being fouled.

"We don't want you! We don't want you!" a chorus of fans in the upper bowl yelled ... a moment that was captured on video by reporter Dave McMenamin.

The chants stem from rumors the Lakers are shopping DLo ... and the guy they want in return is Murray, an All-Star guard, who agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension with the Hawks last July.

Russell -- who is in his second stint with LA -- is averaging 17.1 points and 6.1 assists this season.

Nonetheless, no trade has been agreed to ... so for now the Hawks fans get their wish. But, the Lakers have until the Feb. 8 deadline.

Hawks coach Quin Snyder refused to respond to the trade rumors ... telling reporters at pre-game, "I think I made it clear that I don’t comment on rumors and speculation. It’s not something I get involved with."

Heckling aside, Hawks fans left happy ... their team beat the Lakers, 138-122, thanks in part to an off game from Russell (he only scored 9 points on 3 of 11 shooting).

The San Francisco 49ers are feeling the love from their city after clinching their spot in the Super Bowl ... with the Golden State Warriors hosting the squad for a celebration at Tuesday's game!!

The NFC Champs were treated as such at the Chase Center as the Dubs faced off against the Philadelphia 76ers ... with the home team setting up a nice spread in honor of their big win on Sunday.

All the players like Trent Williams, Ray-Ray McCloud and Chase Young were gifted their very own customized Warriors jerseys ... complete with their names and numbers.

Deebo Samuel was soaking in the hospitality ... which also included a special cake and what appeared to be rosé.

The gang certainly appreciated the gesture ... cheering as they chowed down on some snacks and enjoyed the private gathering.

Stephen Curry also acknowledged the NFC Champs at the game ... sharing a moment with star tight end George Kittle, who was sitting courtside for the 119-107 victory.

In fact, Curry said the Dubs were a bit inspired by the Niners being in the building for the matchup ... and they may have given Golden State the motivation to keep the winning going.

Donald Trump and his closest aides are apparently ramping up to go to battle with Taylor Swift and any Democrats she might end up endorsing -- this according to a new report.

Rolling Stone dished out some alleged behind-the-scenes deets about what's being discussed lately in Trump world -- particularly as it pertains to T-Swift and the (likely) possibility that she'll throw her weight behind Joe Biden as we get close to the '24 election.

From what they're hearing ... DT and co. are grousing at the prospect of Taylor using her massive influence to support the Biden ticket -- so much so, in fact, that RS reports some in the Trump camp are declaring a "holy war" against her ... whatever the hell that means.

The outlet says that the topic of Taylor has come up in Trump's orbit quite a bit in recent months -- especially as she'd become ever-more popular due to her NFL tie lately. The more she's surged in the zeitgeist, the more Trump and co. have reportedly fumed with anger.

RS even goes so far as to claim that Trump recently told confidants he was "more popular" than Taylor and that he had a more loyal fan base than her as well. The outlet goes on to say Trump was telling people he "obviously" should've been TIME's Person of the Year.

As wild as this might sound, there's already evidence out there that it's true -- especially on the "holy war" front ... 'cause some popular Trump surrogates have talked about it of late.

Political persona Jack Posobiec recently told a MAGA-leaning crowd at an event that their side had to fight fire with fire when it comes to the Taylor effect ... throwing out stars in their own world who could presumably rile up their base and get people to the polls for DT.

Some of the A-listers he mentioned ... Kid Rock, Ted Nugent and Jon Voight, to name a few.

On its face, it would seem MAGA supporters feel like they're in a fight for their lives here -- and based on all these reports ... it would seem they see Tay Tay as the anti-Christ!

Meanwhile, in reality, all Taylor has done, really, is ... just go to football games and cheer.

That, in and of itself though, has apparently triggered Trumpers around the country -- who are throwing a bit of hissy fit over the prospect she might get political again this year.

Video of a man being handcuffed in his underwear as police discovered three dead bodies in his backyard is finally surfacing -- the latest development in this wild case out of Missouri.

You've probably heard of this by now -- it all has to do with this guy named Jordan Willis in Kansas City, who was hosting a Chiefs watch party at his house back in early January with some friends ... only for 3 of them to turn up as stiff corpses on his property days later.

The story is absolutely insane ... and it's still shrouded in mystery. Here's what cops know for sure though -- at some point after the watch party on Jan. 7, families for 3 of the attendees at Willis' get-together (David Harrington, Ricky Johnson, and Clayton McGeeney) reported them missing ... as no one had seen or heard from these men after that evening.

People had attempted to contact Willis himself, of course, but he too was off the radar for a couple days -- that is, until officers arrived at his home on Jan. 9 ... where he reportedly answered the door with a wineglass in hand ... and wearing nothing but tighty-whities.

That's exactly what you're seeing in this new video here, which just popped up courtesy of NewsNation reporter Alex Caprariello, who says he obtained it through his reporting.

In the brief clip ... you can see a neighbor recording the police run-in Willis experienced that night -- capturing all the officers who responded to the scene ... and them detaining Willis.

And yes, he indeed in his underwear ... just as reports have indicated from the get-go.

It's worth noting, while Willis might've landed in handcuffs here in the moment -- after which officers discovered the bodies of Harrington, Johnson and McGeeney, frozen to death in Willis' backyard -- he did NOT get arrested or charged with a crime ... and hasn't as of yet.

Police there are saying no foul play is suspected thus far in the investigation -- and they're even going out of their way to say this is not being looked into as a homicide ... despite some troubling details that have the public doing double takes and scratching their heads.

Willis, for his part, has denied any knowledge about how his friends turned up dead in his backyard ... and says he wasn't even aware anyone was looking for them. He's denied having anything to do with their demise ... this despite the families' collective outrage.

Two balls that Tom Brady used to throw touchdown passes in one of his Super Bowl victories can now be all yours ... that is, of course, if your bank account has a whole lot of zeros in it!

TMZ Sports has learned ... two pigskins from the Patriots vs. Seahawks matchup in Super Bowl XLIX are going up for sale at the Gotta Have Rock and Roll auction house -- and they both have some significant ties to Brady.

One of the balls was hurled by TB12 and caught by Rob Gronkowski for a score in the first half of the big game. The second was also tossed by Brady to Danny Amendola for six late in the contest. Brady and the Pats went on to win, 28-24.

The Gronk ball actually tied Brady with Joe Montana for the most touchdown passes in Super Bowl history with 11. The one to Amendola ended up breaking that record.

Amendola and Brady ultimately signed their TD ball together ... with Danny writing on the piece, "Super Bowl XLIX Game Used TD Ball." He also wrote a personalized letter that will accompany the ball ensuring its authenticity.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll experts tell us they expect both to fetch $1 MILLION by the time the final gavel comes down.

We're almost halfway through the week, and TMZ is already on Kanye West's bad side -- something our photographer can tell you all about first-hand ... with video to boot.

On 'TMZ on TV,' we recapped Monday's whirlwind of events when one our camera people, Mel, ran into Ye in the streets of Los Angeles, where she asked a straightforward question.

It seems to have touched a nerve with him ... 'cause he berated her for 3 minutes straight afterward -- not to mention snatching her cellphone out of her hands. Watch ... it's wild.

Over at 'TMZ Live,' things were a little lighter ... with Harvey and Charles discussing next week's sentencing hearing for Jonathan Majors -- who faces up to a year behind bars.

Another photog of ours actually got Jon out in L.A. this week and we asked him about it. Let's just say he's happy to talk about the man upstairs ... but not his legal woes just yet.

Lastly, we arrive at 'TMZ Sports' ... where Michael and Mojo talked about a new reality TV show from WWE stars Bianca Belair and Montrez Ford -- who are going the way of KUWTK.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Patrick Mahomes believes Justin Tucker being all up in his space before the AFC Championship Game was no accident ... claiming the Ravens kicker's pregame run-in was an attempt to get under the Chiefs' skin.

The incident was all the talk before kickoff on Sunday ... with Mahomes and Travis Kelce getting into it with the veteran NFL kicker over his spot on the field while both sides were trying to warm up for the big playoff game.

Tucker downplayed the incident on Monday ... calling the whole thing "silly," but Mahomes clearly doesn't see it that way -- accusing the All-Pro specialist of going out of his way to play some mind games on the defending Super Bowl champions.

"He does that little stuff, I think to try to get under our skin," Mahomes said Tuesday on The Drive on Audacy's 610 Sports Radio. "I asked him to move his stuff. He got up and moved it, I think, two inches but didn’t move it out of the way. I was gonna let it slide, but Travis got in and moved it for me. And after that, I wasn’t gonna let him put it back down."

Mahomes said he's only had similar issues three times in his NFL career ... and each happened to be before games against the Ravens.

"I have a lot of respect for him as a player, one of the best kickers of all time, probably the best kicker of all time," he added. "But at the same time, you’ve got to have respect for each team, and we all share the field, and we try to do that in a respectful way."

Jason Kidd just shoveled a mountain full of praise on Luka Doncic ... saying the Dallas Mavericks superstar is not only better than Dirk Nowitzki -- but he's approaching Michael Jordan territory as well.

The Mavs head coach -- who won an NBA title with Dirk in 2011 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments on 97.1 The Freak's "The Downbeat" on Tuesday ... explaining he truly believes Doncic is already the best player to ever wear a Dallas uniform.

"He does things that Dirk could never do," Kidd said ... adding, according to ESPN, "He's in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]."

Doncic has certainly made Kidd's stance one that's hard to argue with recently -- as he's coming off one of the greatest three-game stretches the Association has ever seen.

On Jan. 26 against Atlanta, he scored 73 points. The next day vs. Sacramento, he logged a triple-double with 28 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds. And on Monday night while facing Orlando, he poured in another 45 points with 15 dimes and nine boards.

Kidd said it's all led him to believe the 24-year-old will win several titles in his career.

"He's a winner," Kidd said, "and his ultimate goal is to win a championship. And, he will get there and not just win one, but he will win multiple when it's all said and done."

11:15 AM -- Travis expressed his disappointment over not being able to jet to L.A. for the awards show ... saying on "The Pat McAfee Show" he wishes he could go and "watch her win every single award that she's nominated for" -- but his day job simply won't allow it.

Just like we reported, Travis explained he will be traveling to Sin City on Sunday -- the same day of the Grammys -- and while he'll be supporting in spirit, he'll have to be with the team as they focus on bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.

Taylor Swift's been showing up to her boo Travis Kelce's games to cheer him on ... but he won't be returning the favor during her big night at the Grammys -- but for good reason.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Kansas City Chiefs tight end will actually be arriving in Vegas the same weekend as music's biggest night ... where he and the team will be on a strict schedule ahead of squaring up to the 49ers for the Super Bowl.

This kills any hope from Swifties that TK would show up as Taylor's plus-one at the Grammys -- as they all realized his spot in the SB meant he'd no longer play in the Pro Bowl the same day ... and would therefore technically be free to hit up the Grammys with Tay Tay.

Alas, it ain't gonna happen -- our sources say there's no chance Travis shows up in L.A. this weekend. So, it looks like Taylor's gotta find company elsewhere or even ride solo for the glam evening this weekend. ... where she's up for 6 awards.

Of course, the conflict in their schedule doesn't signal any trouble in paradise between the pair ... remember, he just dropped the L-bomb after the Chiefs earned their way to the Super Bowl following a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. AKA, they're doing just fine.

While TK's been soaking up Taylor's PDA-packed show of support lately, many NFL'ers haven't ... blasting the singer for making the games about her -- even though she has no control over the stadium cameras ... something both he and she have made abundantly clear.

For his part, Travis is totally aware of the venom directed at his woman ... telling off-field reporters days ahead of the AFC Championship Game they frequently discuss blocking out all of the "outside noise."

Fortunately for him, he won't have to hear any of it on a huge showbiz stage -- his mind's strictly focused on football right now ... and his GF's more than capable of handling her business in the spotlight.

2:42 PM PT -- Kroy Biermann's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, tells TMZ ... her client denies the claims Kim Zolciak made to police earlier this month, adding "it's not true."

Kim Zolciak went running to cops earlier this month to accuse her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, of looting her expensive crap and trying to sell it ... and it's all on video.

TMZ has obtained police body cam footage that was recorded a little over 2 weeks ago -- when KZ went to the police station to file a report claiming Kroy had taken a ton of her stuff hostage over the past year or so and then tried to sell some of it.

It's a little convoluted, and you can tell 'cause even the cop Kim's talking to doesn't seem to understand what it is she's reporting -- but eventually, she spells it out ... claiming Kroy confiscated some items of hers (jewelry and purses, it seems), stashed them away in a safe and eventually sold at least one of those things for cash -- that's what she's alleging anyway.

In Kim's mind, this constitutes theft .. which is why she was here at the Alpharetta Police Dept. to lodge her complaint. She tells the officer that the many things Kroy allegedly took from her are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The officer ends up asking for an itemized list of the property she claims he stole -- but in the end, the officer basically tells her this isn't something the cops can do much about.

He tells Kim that the property she's describing sounds like they may be shared marital assets -- and since their divorce is still ongoing ... he makes it seem like there isn't much cops can do. Translation: deal with it in divorce court.

Another interesting tidbit here ... Kim claims she's attempted to retrieve some other personal belongings of hers from their bedroom at their mansion -- but alleges that Kroy's bolted the door shut, and that she can't get in there.

The officer explains steps she can take to address that situation ... and then sends her on her way.

Basically ... these two are still fighting, and from the sounds of it -- they ain't sleeping together right now, which we know has flip-flopped over the course of this nasty divorce.

This is just the latest salvo in this saga ... more to come later, we're sure. BTW, we've reached out to Kroy's team for comment ... so far no word back.

Richard Simmons seems to be showing signs of a potential comeback, 'cause he's getting back to putting out positive messages ... and his latest offering is about tuning out the bullies.

The reclusive fitness guru posted an uplifting message on his Facebook page Tuesday, saying ... "For as long as I can remember, people have made fun of me. And people still to this day make fun of me. But you know what? I am glad to be me! And you should be glad that you are you."

Richard says music helps boost his confidence and ignore the naysayers ... and he's recommending three songs from back in the day. Seems Richard is a big Gloria Gaynor fan ... because he says two songs he often listens to are her classic hits "I Will Survive" and "I Am What I Am."

Another tune Richard recommends comes from the soundtrack for "The Greatest Showman" ... with the full cast singing, "This Is Me."

Richard's always been about helping people, and it got to the point back in the day where he basically could not turn anyone down. That seems to be what he's alluding to in these recent posts of his.

RS ultimately disappeared from the spotlight and has been laying low for years, but his recent FB activity seems to be a sign he's getting closer to being back in the public eye.

Richard's been way more active on FB recently, which lines up with Pauly Shore portraying him in a new short film, "The Court Jester," and developing an upcoming biopic ... which Richard may finally be coming around on.

Before Pauly's projects, Richard only had one FB post in all of 2023 ... and he didn't post a lot in 2022 either until our TMZ documentary on his life and his disappearance.

Richard's still got a lot of fans out there ... and while it might feel like we might be hearing (or even seeing) more from him going forward -- we've learned that's not the case. A source directly connected to Richard tells TMZ ... "after all the Pauly news, Richard wanted his fans to know he's doing well and that he appreciates their support."

The Jackie Robinson statue that was stolen from outside a youth baseball park last week has been located ... but unfortunately for fans of the beloved tribute, it was found destroyed beyond repair.

Officials in Wichita, Kansas shared the sad news on Tuesday ... saying the fire department received a call around 8:40 AM for a trash fire at a local park. Once the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered pieces of bronze in the rubble, which turned out to be from the statue.

It was determined the Robinson figure -- which stood outside League 42's McAdams Park for years -- was not salvageable.

City officials are already planning on making things right again for the community ... with council member Brandon Johnson saying in a press conference he will ensure a replica statue will stand outside the ballpark again.

"We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area," Johnson said.

As we previously reported, the Robinson statue was taken early Thursday morning after someone cut it at the ankles and hauled it off in a truck.

No arrests have been made at this time ... but officials are calling on anyone with information to come forward.

The Battle of the Sexes: NBA Edition is official -- Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu will be going head-to-head in a three-point shootout during the upcoming All-Star Weekend festivities!!

The NBA just shared the exciting news minutes ago ... saying the highly-anticipated, first-of-its-kind event will go down Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Curry -- a two-time three-point contest winner and all-time three-point scorer -- will shoot from the NBA arc, while the New York Liberty guard will throw up her attempts from WNBA regulation. Both hoopers will also use their respective league's game balls for the contest.

Of course, this all started after the Golden State Warriors guard challenged Ionescu after she scored 37 points (out of a possible 40) in the WNBA's three-point contest last summer, a record in the WNBA and NBA.

"I think I gotta bring her out," Curry said while discussing her milestone with his teammate Brandin Podziemski. "We gotta settle this once and for all."

SI accepted the offer ... and the NBA is giving fans what they want by making it happen.

Not only are bragging rights on the line, but money will be raised for a good cause, too -- every shot Curry and Ionescu make will go toward a donation to the NBA Foundation to help Black communities.

Curry's charity, Eat.Learn.Play, and Ionescu's SI20 Foundation will also receive a donation from the NBA and WNBA.

A racehorse tested positive for meth after a winning run in Ohio ... and the trainer's slap-on-the-wrist punishment has pissed off PETA, who is now demanding he be banned.

The horse, Gardys Legacy A, was given a blood test after winning a race at the MGM Northfield Park on September 3 ... and it came back positive for D-methamphetamine, a Class 1 Category A offense according to the U.S. Trotting Association.

Following the positive result, the Ohio State Racing Commission suspended trainer Samuel Schillaci for one year ... and ordered him to pay a $1k fine.

The Standardbred was also disqualified ... and the $4,500 winnings were returned.

That punishment clearly wasn't enough for PETA, the largest animal rights organization in the world, who are now calling on Schillaci to be permanently banned from the sport.

"This small administrative fine and suspension aren’t commensurate with such a serious violation," PETA's Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said on Monday.

"Administering meth endangers a horse’s life, and trainers who treat a horse so callously will do the same to others, too. The commission should consider not only the safety of Gardys Legacy A but also that of all the other horses in Schillaci’s barn."

"Those who demonstrate such cruelty even one time show a clear disregard for the regulations and shouldn’t be granted the privilege of competing in your state ever again."

Guillermo added, "By permanently barring Schillaci from competing in Ohio, you would create a safer environment for all participants."

Unfortunately for PETA, the OSRC told FOX 8 in Cleveland that "the judges gave the maximum penalty allowed by law."

David Letterman is telling Taylor Swift's NFL haters to "shut up" about her romance with Travis Kelce -- even though he seems a little confused about who her boyfriend is.

The talk show host offered up a passionate defense of Taylor in a new clip he posted to his social media ... and yes, it's a fierce cosign of all things Taylor, whom he calls a bright light in a world full of darkness.

Also ... DL hilariously confused TK for Kelsey Grammer -- something he continued to mistakenly say, even after being corrected a couple times. Point being ... he loves Taylor!

According to David, Tay doesn't deserve any hate whatsoever ... especially if her stadium-packing credentials are anything to go by -- but to those who couldn't care less about her pop culture icon status and don't want her anywhere near the pitch ... he tells 'em to zip it.

David says T&T's PDA-packed relationship is a lovely, positive, and good thing for both the NFL camp and Taylor's own. He just wants more unity in the world, not division -- and he seems to think Tay-Tay provides that.

ICYMI, Taylor's been coming out to cheer on the KC Chiefs tight end since September ... though she's been heavily criticized for distracting from the sport by fuming diehard fans.

In fact, Tony Dungy even recently compared her to outside noise affecting the game itself in a Fox News interview -- and who can forget Taylor's viral stare-down with Golden Globes host Jo Koy when he mocked her NFL appearances during his opening monologue?

Clearly, the whole thing's a very divisive matter, but David's saying just let them love and live -- adding: "God, bless Taylor Swift and Kelsey Grammar (Travis Kelce)."