TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tate McRae seems to have a new flame in The Kid LAROI -- that is, if their hand-hold over the weekend is any indication ... and it most certainly seems to be.

The singer was spotted getting cozy with the Aussie entertainer ... as they were photographed hand in hand while exiting dinner with Justin and Hailey Bieber Saturday -- this on the heels of her headlining the NHL All-Star game in dramatic fashion.

From the PDA alone, most everyone is assuming the obvious ... they're dating.

Tate's and TKL's body language definitely seemed to be telegraphing a new relationship status between them ... and the Kid was happy to play gentleman, leading TMR to their car through a massive pap crush.

This has been a long time coming if you've been following along -- the pair kicked off dating rumors just last month ... they appeared to vacation in Mexico together, and were later spotted enjoying some alone time at L.A.'s upscale Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi.

Tate was previously dating ice hockey star Cole Sillinger ... who supposedly inspired her 2023 mega-hit "Greedy" ... which she tellingly filmed at an ice hockey rink.

Her performance this past weekend was a bit ironic in that sense -- but now, she's got a new boo.

As for Kid, he was dating influencer Katarina Deme for 3 years ... before scrubbing all traces of her from her IG in August 2023. On the face of it, they're all in on each other.

Taylor Swift might have one more dig for her ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn -- that is, if her new album is in any tied to a boy's club he admitted to have created ... and it sure seems to be.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Tay Tay's forthcoming project -- which she's titled "The Tortured Poets Department" -- sounds eerily similar to a group that Joe once admitted he'd created among his buddies in the virtual world ... and on its face, Taylor might be trolling it.

The reason many are jumping to that conclusion -- Joe spilled this little detail a couple years ago during an interview he did with Paul Mescal on an 'Actors on Actors' segment.

In the sit-down, Paul and Joe -- who are friends, BTW -- reveal they're part of a WhatsApp group called the 'Tortured Man Club' ... where they apparently share their woes about their significant others. They had a good laugh about it, noting they weren't so tortured anymore.

This was during a time when Paul and Joe were both in relationships -- Joe was obviously still with Tay Tay in late 2022, and PM himself was dating singer Phoebe Bridgers.

Of course, the name of their joke-y club sounds eerily similar to Taylor's new album title ... almost to a T. And considering that Paul broke up with Phoebe not too long after this chat with Joe (not to mention Joe and Taylor hitting Splitsville) ... it's all seemingly connected.

Funny enough, Taylor and Phoebe are low-key BFFs these days ... so yeah, it's a dig.

While her fans are reveling in this perceived connection -- basically, it's yet another post-breakup album with Taylor torching her ex -- some are raising an eyebrow if this is in fact the route she's pursuing ... 'cause she's knee-deep in a relationship with Travis Kelce.

Fact is ... if Taylor's gonna use a whole album (or a good portion of it) to trash Joe/air out her feelings about their breakup -- which most people assume is the case at this point -- then it makes ya wonder ... how does TK feel about that???

He's not the type to hold his tongue -- and you gotta imagine if he's bothered by it, he'd let it be known. Her album is coming out in about 2 months ... so we'll see, we suppose.

BTW, we recently ran into "Million Dollar Matchmaker" star Patti Stanger ... and we got her thoughts about Taylor and Travis, generally, and whether she thinks they'll go the distance.

As it turns out ... PS does think they'll get hitched eventually, and had some other interesting insights -- including what their sexual chemistry might be like between the sheets. According to her, they have great sex!

One more thing we'll leave you with regarding TS -- we actually have a new podcast coming out this week that touches on all things T-Swift ... it's called "TMZ Swift-Tea" and we're going to be talking all about Tay Tay and everything that comes with her ... good or bad.

Patrick Mahomes' father will still be allowed to travel to the Super Bowl this weekend in spite of his Saturday arrest ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Judge James Meredith -- who handled the case in Smith County, Texas on Sunday following Mahomes Sr.'s DWI arrest -- tells us he didn't impose any travel ban on the elder Mahomes as part of his bond conditions ... paving the way for Dad to watch his son play in Las Vegas in SB LVIII.

Of course, it's unclear if the Chiefs star will want him there now following the added distraction in the leadup to the Big Game ... but, at least in the eyes of the law, Mahomes Sr. will be allowed to leave the state for it.

As part of the conditions of his bond, however, we're told Mahomes Sr. will not be able to take part in much partying in Sin City if he does make the trip. Law enforcement officials say he's been barred from possessing or consuming alcohol and/or illegal drugs. He's also been required to have an interlock device on his car -- as well as submit to random testing.

As we reported, Mahomes Sr. was thrown behind bars late Saturday night on a felony charge of driving while intoxicated.

A spokesperson for the Tyler Police Dept. said on Monday morning cops initially pulled over Mahomes Sr. at around 8:30 PM for a routine traffic stop ... though "evidence obtained during the stop led to the arrest."

The Kansas City Chiefs arrived in Las Vegas last night ... but before the team jet touched down in Sin City, star WR Rashee Rice got the cutest send-off from a bunch of his little neighbors!

The 23-year-old pass catcher documented his ride to the airport on Sunday -- just a week before the Super Bowl -- where 20-plus people, mainly kids, lined the street holding handmade signs.

“Let’s go Rashee #4”, one of the signs read ... while another said, “Good Luck Rashee”

Rice obviously appreciated the love, captioning the video with heart emojis.

The rookie WR will likely play a big factor in whether the Chiefs win or lose against the Niners ... despite it being his rookie season, outside of Kelce, RR's been their best receiver this year, especially in the second half, catching 79 balls for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns this regular season.

The 2nd round pick has carried his prolific play into the playoffs ... he had 130 yards against the Dolphins, and he scored a touchdown. The rook only trails Kelce in post-season receiving yards, topping all other Chiefs.

Travis Kelce couldn't attend the Grammys with Taylor Swift on Sunday night -- he was busy landing in Las Vegas to begin preparations for Super Bowl LVIII -- but he still managed to publicly support his girlfriend from hundreds of miles away.

The Chiefs star and his teammates touched down in Sin City at around 5 PM local time ... just as Swift was settling in her seat for the big music awards show in Los Angeles.

Kelce didn't appear to be sporting any overt homages to his GF as he left the plane to get ready for Super Bowl week -- he wore nothing more than a Nike sweatsuit, some shades and a Cincinnati Bearcats cap.

But, he did take to Instagram to show some love for his GF nonetheless.

The Kansas City tight end dropped a "like" on NPR's Grammys post -- which featured a pic of Swift on the red carpet.

Taylor, meanwhile, flew solo for her big night -- sitting with Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff ... before she took home multiple honors, including Album of the Year. She did not mention Kelce in either of her acceptance speeches.

It's unclear if she'll now join Kelce in Nevada later this week for his big moment -- she's performing in Tokyo before the game ... though most expect her to make it in time for kickoff.

It might be the 49ers' and the Chiefs' year this season ... but in 2025, you can bet it'll be the Rams'!!!

... at least, that's according to YG, who tells TMZ Sports he's sure L.A. will be in the Super Bowl next season.

In fact, when we got the Compton rapper out at LAX this week -- he downright guaranteed it!!

"We'll be back in the Super Bowl next year, you know what I'm saying?" he said. "That's all I'm going to say!"

Of course, YG is biased ... he's been a huge Rams fan for years -- even joining in on in-game celebrations with Robert Woods and others in the past.

But, it might very well be possible ... after all, with a depleted roster this year, LA still nearly won a road playoff game against Detroit.

There's more ... YG also gave us his prediction for the outcome of Sunday's Super Bowl -- and he even doled out some advice to Travis Kelce for how the tight end should handle his love life heading into the matchup in Las Vegas.

Trevor Noah's backing up Taylor Swift ... saying the Grammys wouldn't focus lenses on her like the NFL -- they'd go after a former player.

The comedian just took to the Grammys stage to perform his opening monologue -- during which he stayed real positive and complimentary -- before mentioning the world's biggest pop star and chastising NFL fans for blaming Taylor for the amount football broadcasts cut to her.

Noah said she doesn't control the cameras, so people need to chill out ... before insisting that every time someone mentioned Swift, he'd make sure the cameras cut to an ex-NFL player.

The camera then jumped ... to actor and "America's Got Talent" host Terry Crews, who looked totally surprised by the attention.

If you don't know, TC wasn't always an actor -- he played 32 NFL games for three teams between 1991 and 1995 ... the perfect person for TN to use in his revenge plan.

Terry cracked up ... with Noah continuing to yel; funny/harassing things at the absolutely ripped 55-year-old.

It's all in good fun and an especially topical joke ... 'cause Taylor's probably heading to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next week -- so NFL fans can expect more Swift on their screen soon enough

BTW ... Taylor looked stunning in a flowing white dress on the red carpet -- which she was left to walk alone because of her man Travis Kelce's practice schedule.

3:49 PM PT -- Mahomes Sr. was released on $10,000 bail ... according to online jail records.

Patrick Mahomes Sr. was arrested for driving while intoxicated for the third time or more ... TMZ has learned.

The 53-year-old father of Patrick Mahomes was arrested Saturday night in Texas according to online booking records. Bond is reportedly expected to be set later today.

This isn't Mahomes' first arrest for DWI ... he was also reportedly arrested back in 2019 for DWI second or more for which he was sentenced to 40 days in jail. He reportedly served the time on weekends to fulfill his requirement.

It's a pretty wild time for Mahomes Sr. to be arrested ... his son is just days away from competing against the San Francisco 49ers for a Super Bowl title.

Pat Sr. made waves earlier this month for joking he wouldn't sit next to Taylor Swift at the AFC Conference Championship game ... now, it's unclear if he will make it to the Super Bowl.

We've reached out to the Mahomes camp for comment ... so far no word back.

Taylor Swift just lost a listener, at least temporarily ... 'cause Christian McCaffrey's mom says she's turning off all Swift tracks until the Super Bowl's in the books.

Lisa McCaffrey jumped on her podcast "Your Mom" Friday to dig into the upcoming NFL championship ... and she said she's ditching the Swifty label in solidarity with her son's San Francisco 49ers.

Of course ... the Niners are taking on Travis Kelce and the Chiefs for the Lombardi Trophy next Sunday, so Swift and her fanbase are all Chiefs, all the time for the next week -- something LM can't abide.

She was complimentary of Taylor, saying how much she loves the singer-songwriter ... but the boycott's very real and Tay is "dead" to her this week.

While we don't know for certain if Taylor's showing up to SB LVIII ... we do know Lisa's gonna be there -- 'cause her soon-to-be daughter-in-law ponied up the cash for a suite after McCaffrey said she couldn't afford one.

As we previously reported ... Olivia Culpo -- who's engaged to CMC -- paid for the suite at Allegiant Stadium seemingly as a birthday get for her future mother-in-law after Lisa joked that "moneybags" Christian and Olivia couldn't even get one. Talk about a huge birthday surprise!

It's an insanely expensive ticket to even get in the stadium this year ... with StubHub revealing early last week that the average ticket price was around $9,300 and boxes going for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Steph Curry did something Saturday night he's only done one time in his life -- scored 60 points during a game, and Lindsay Lohan was the beneficiary of his achievement.

Steph's Warriors lost to the Hawks in OT -- 134-141, but Steph made a little history -- he's only the 10th player in NBA history to score 60 points at least twice.

As for Lindsay, she and her hubby were right there courtside in ATL watching the game. Afterward, Steph signed his jersey and gave it to Lindsay ... the inscription reads, "Your Godparents love you! To Luai. Warriors" LiLo's one-year-old kid's name is Luai.

In case you didn't know, Steph and Ayesha are indeed the godparents to Luai. As for the connection, Lindsay and Ayesha starred together in "Irish Wish," which will be released March 15 on Netflix.

Move over, Jason Kelce ... Shaquille O'Neal tells TMZ Sports he's hoping to score a seat right next to Taylor Swift at Super Bowl LVIII!!

The Big Diesel made his intentions known during a chat with us this week ahead of the Big Game ... saying straight up he wants a premium chair in Swift's suite at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas next Sunday.

"Hey, Taylor!" the NBA legend said with a smile. "Love you!"

Of course, there are plenty of people who are already vying for the spot. Jason obviously has some dibs -- his brother, Travis Kelce, is playing in the game after all -- as does Brittany Mahomes ... and anyone else from Swift's girl gang for that matter.

But it seems Shaq really wants in ... even saying he'll be rooting for Travis and Kansas City during the tilt!

There's more ... we also talked to the former Lakers center about his annual Super Bowl party, Shaq's Fun House, and he said in addition to Diplo and Lil Wayne, he's expecting even more artists -- perhaps even Snoop Dogg -- to show up.

Jarrell Miller is pleading with a judge to remove the ankle monitor that officials placed on him following his carjacking arrest last month ... claiming the thing is hindering his ability to prep for future fights.

The boxing star's attorney filed a motion to amend the conditions of his pre-trial release last week ... stating in the docs Miller "trains as a fighter for a living and having a monitor limits his training."

Miller's lawyer also said the 26-1-1 pugilist's request should be granted because he "has not been in any trouble before and is not a flight risk."

A judge is expected to make a ruling on the motion at a hearing in a Broward County courtroom later Monday.

Miller is facing two charges in the case -- one felony count of carjacking without a firearm and one felony count of burglary with assault or battery -- after prosecutors alleged he beat up an employee on a car dealership lot, before stealing a truck from the property.

In police video we obtained of his arrest back on Jan. 2 ... you can see he was in a jovial mood despite the allegations against him, joking around with cops before they placed him into a squad car.

Brock Purdy has always flown under the radar -- whether as a lightly recruited high school player or a college QB just hoping to get drafted -- the 49ers signal-caller has been overlooked, according to his H.S. coach ... though the collective football world shows signs they're starting to wise up!

"[The recruiters] don't know how to evaluate talent," former Perry High School head coach Preston Jones, wearer of a killer 'stache, told TMZ Sports this week.

"They don't know what's good and they look at all these things about height and speed. They don't look at winners and they don't look at all these things that [Purdy] is."

Before last season's unexpected turn of events (Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo going down), Purdy was just a 3-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class  ... and outside of Iowa State, he didn't get much attention at all.

Brock chose ISU ... and went off for the Cyclones during his four seasons, throwing for 12,170 passing yards and 81 passing touchdowns. he also ran for a bunch of yards and TDs ... and he broke 32 school records!

Stud ... maybe even a first-round pick with those gaudy numbers, right?

Not so fast. Purdy wasn't taken in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd rounds ... no, he was the last pick -- selection 262 -- in the 7th and final round of the 2022 Draft ... colloquially known as "Mr. Irrelevant."

He's not so irrelevant anymore ... and Jones thinks a lot of coaches are likely kicking themselves for overlooking Brock.

"There's a lot of guys that missed on him and they're gonna regret this one day," Coach Jones said. "I like to laugh at those guys now."

At the end of the day, Jones is ecstatic it's all worked out for his former QB -- who he calls the greatest offensive player he's ever coached -- believing everything turned out the way it was supposed to.

"It was destiny, it was so cool that it worked that way and it's also kinda been his life's story. Coming out of high school, not getting recruited ... so it was kinda perfect," Jones said.

"It's a great chapter in his book that's not done yet."

And, with a win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Brock's story may actually end up being a book ... and a movie.

We're wrapping up the week here at TMZ, but we're just getting started on juicy topics to talk about on TV -- which is exactly what we did on Friday.

On 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles dove head-first into the Darius Rucker arrest that goes all the way back to last February, and which landed with him in a jail cell earlier this week.

It's a bit of a convoluted mess, but long story short ... the guy got stopped in 2023 over expired tags -- which ended in cops finding what they say might've been drugs ... and almost a year later, they said they were sure it was drugs, resulting in Hootie posing for a mug shot.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' we got into Avril Lavigne's new friend (and maybe love interest?) who went skating with her out in L.A. earlier this week ... in what sure looked like a date.

Of course, we're talking about Nate Smith ... whom we ran into at the airport, and who cleared the air. Take a look ... the guys seems to suggest that AL is ... just a pal.

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock talked to NFL HOF'er Andre Reed about the Buffalo Bills and Stefon Diggs ... who AR says could take a pay cut to stick around.

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

The Rock may be cooking in the WWE once again ... but some fans aren't super happy about it -- 'cause it seems his return has knocked a major storyline off track.

Here's the deal ... last night, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got into an intense staredown with current Undisputed WWE Universal champ Roman Reigns at the end of ESPN's WWE SmackDown -- an insane moment seemingly setting up a match between the two wrestlers.

Indeed, rumors have been floating around today that they will fight in the next couple of months -- maybe at WrestleMania in early April -- and the online response ... is a bit lukewarm if we're being totally honest.

Sure, there are diehard Rock supporters who want to see their champ-turned-actor wipe the floor with Reigns ... but a lot of people are pointing to recent Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and asking why it seems his story's now taking a backseat to The Rock's.

See, right before The Rock came out for his staredown ... CR talked about taking RR's title from him -- a right to challenge Cody earned by winning The Royal Rumble just last week -- and then seemingly stepped aside as he introduced The Rock to the crowd as if to indicate DJ's getting the chance instead of him.

That's all kinda shocking for fans ... 'cause Rhodes has been on the road to Roman for a while now while The Rock only recently hopped back into the ring.

As we previously reported ... Dwayne called out Roman Reigns back in early January during a surprise appearance on RAW during which he asked if he should be sitting at the "head of the table."

So it seems clear The Rock wants the title ... and that's where people are starting to voice their frustration -- because it sounds like the WWE's not really interested in furthering Cody Rhodes' journey anymore. Basically, they've backed a different dawg in the ring, and -- based on the X trend -- fans just aren't totally on board.

The major question here ... is it fair for fans to voice their frustration with The Rock at all? After all, the guy's not writing his own storylines as far as we know, and he's a legend in the sport, so it makes sense the WWE wants to use him.

But, Johnson recently joined the TKO Group board -- the governing body of the WWE and UFC -- and he now holds "The Rock" trademark ... so you could say he's got a lot more agency than your average WWE superstar.

Plus, Johnson's got a bit of a rep as someone who gets what they want in Hollywood. When he was working on "Black Adam," for example, he said he worked his magic to make a standalone film instead of first appearing in "Shazam!" ... a departure from the OG plan.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are being courted by a Las Vegas strip club ... not to work the poles, but to party their faces off if his team wins the Super Bowl across the street.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Las Vegas is offering Taylor and Travis what the strip joint's calling a Topless Touchdown Celebratory Package ... and it's valued at $1 million.

So long as Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas -- which is being played across the street from the Hustler Club -- the package is theirs for the taking ... and it's on the house.

Here's what $1 million gets ya inside the strip joint ... unlimited access to the $10K per hour Mohney Suite, an Ace of Spades champagne bottle parade, and $50K for Taylor and Travis to make it rain.

Oh, and that's not all ... roundtrip limo transportation is included, plus Taylor and Travis get a VIP Platinum Lifetime Membership to HC ... which gets them free lap dances for life.

Frankly, this is a Hail Mary from the Hustler Club ... it's hard to envision Taylor and Travis taking them up on the offer ... but then again, Travis wore a Vegas strip club shirt after a regular season win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Brittany Rose, the GM of the club, tells TMZ ... “We are used to catering to a-list celebrities and athletes alike so we can ensure their discretion will be met while partying inside our venue.”

Shooters shoot, right?!?

Even if Taylor and Travis turn 'em down, there's a good chance the Hustler Club is going to have a few Swifties in the house.

The gentlemen's club is currently auditioning Swifties for positions.