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The "Taylor Swift effect" is real ... just ask NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who straight-up credited the pop superstar's relationship with Travis Kelce for bringing a ton of new eyes to the whole league.

Commish gushed about Traylor during his annual Super Bowl press conference in Vegas on Monday ... saying there's no denying the positive impact the coupling had on this past season.

While Goodell initially chalked it up to the good competition on the field -- noting 70% of games this season have been within one score in the fourth quarter -- he did admit Taylor's presence has been massive for the organization.

"Having the Taylor Swift effect is also a positive," Goodell said minutes ago. "Listen, both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people. They seem very happy."

"She knows great entertainment, and I think that's why I think she loves NFL football."

Commish added it's "great" to have Swift -- and her diehard Swifties -- on board ... as it creates a buzz and inspires young women to tune in to games.

As for whether the relationship was scripted, Goodell joked there's no way the league could come up with something THIS good.

"I don't think I'm that good of a scripter -- or anybody on our staff," he said with a laugh.

The Rock's daughter -- NXT Superstar Ava -- says her inbox has been flooded with hate over WWE's new storyline involving her famous pops ... claiming she's been on the receiving end of death threats over the whole ordeal.

Wrestling fans have been up in arms following Dwayne Johnson's appearance on SmackDown last week ... with many criticizing the move as it seemingly derailed what was brewing between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.

Ava is seemingly catching strays in the process ... 'cause she went to social media to address the backlash on Monday.

"can ya'll just leave me out of this ffs i'm busy running a SHOW," Ava -- NXT's General Manager -- said on X ... adding, "death threats over a situation i have nothing to do with … bffr."

Nothing is set in stone when it comes to Rock and RR, but there are rumblings the two could face off at WrestleMania in April ... which would piss a lot of fans off, as Cody earned that right after winning the Royal Rumble last month.

One of the prosecutors who was on the O.J. Simpson case is now trying to put on a robe and sit behind the bench -- and he's got the backing of one of the victims who was slain.

Chris Darden is running for an open seat on the L.A. County Superior Court -- and ahead of election day in March, his campaign has announced a new endorsement ... coming from none other than Kim and Fred Goldman, the sister and father of the late Ron Goldman.

Kim says of CD's bid ... "Christopher Darden was a friend to my family during one of the darkest times in our lives. He helped change the focus of a 'celebrity murder trial' and made it about the victims."

She adds, "My family has never forgotten that, and I am sure it is remembered by countless other family members for whom he has been an advocate and a champion."

One last note from KG about Darden ... "He not only has the legal skills but also the humanity and empathy for victims, along with a true dedication to ensuring
justice for all. My family wholeheartedly supports him and encourages everyone
else to do the same. He will be an outstanding judge."

This is just the latest vote of confidence he's received from someone connected to the O.J. case --- which Darden lost alongside his co-counsel Marcia Clark in the '90s. Back in November, Chris secured another endorsement from one Lance Ito ... the retired judge who presided over the double murder trial.

Darden has snagged a number of other endorsements as well in recent months -- including a bunch of other judges ... as well as his old boss, ex-District Attorney Gil Garcetti.

He seems to have a good shot at winning -- only two other candidates are running for Seat No. 130 ... and Chris has a ton of support carrying his sails at this point. The one person who hasn't come out for him just yet is Marcia herself.

Tyreek Hill and Keeta Vaccaro are staying together after all ... TMZ Sports has learned the Miami Dolphins star's divorce case has been dismissed.

Broward County court records show the wideout filed to drop his petition on Jan. 30 ... just eight days after it was initially filed.

The records now show the matter has been "dismissed, settled or disposed before hearing."

Of course, Hill told the public late last month this would be coming ... saying on a live stream that he never gave his people the green light to file the papers in the first place.

He added at the time that he "fired the f***ing bonehead that did that mistake."

Hill also said in a post on his X page that he and Keeta "are happily married and gone stay that way."

The two have presented a united front ever since the divorce filing went public -- Keeta shared some loving snaps of them on social media ... and she even traveled with him to last weekend's Pro Bowl Games in Orlando.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is at the center of an investigation ... after a staffer within the Formula One organization accused the longtime boss of alleged inappropriate behavior.

The energy drink giant released a statement on Monday ... saying,  "After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation."

Red Bull added the probe is being conducted by an outside party ... and it takes the situation "extremely seriously."

Horner -- who has been with the organization since it joined the grid in 2005 -- has denied the allegations ... although the nature of the claims was not revealed.

Horner is by far the most successful team principal in the sport today -- winning the constructors championship six times at the helm ... and overseeing six drivers championships, most recently with Max Verstappen.

Outside of F1, he's also famously married to Geri Halliwell ... AKA Ginger Spice.

It's unclear if this will have any effect on the upcoming F1 schedule ... as the first race of the season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix in March.

Usher is hopping aboard Kim Kardashian's undergarment train -- he's just the most recent star to partner up with her and promote her SKIMS line ... and yeah, he's shirtless for it.

Kim and co. were able to get Usher to agree to be the newest face for their SKIMS Men's campaign -- and they got him to rock their underwear line for fellas ... including their SKIMS Stretch collection as well as their SKIMS Cotton collection.

As part of this new drop featuring Usher ... they're also releasing 4 new colorways.

It goes without saying -- the fact KK signed Usher to SKIMS is a huge deal ... especially since he's a well-known sex symbol, even these days. That's sorta alluded to in this photo shoot here -- where Mr. Raymond is baring his torso, with his chiseled abs on display.

BTW, there was a video filmed for this team-up as well ... and in it, Usher talks about why he signed on, but more importantly -- how it relates to this new album of his, "Coming Home."

Based on what he says here, you could argue this is a full circle moment for him -- Usher seems to be leaning into his R&B roots ... including what made him uber popular to begin with, like his killer looks. There's a limited edition digital version of his album that's dropping as part of the partnership ... it's releasing on Feb. 8 at 9 PM PT/Feb. 9 at midnight ET.

As for these new SKIMS products themselves ... the undies are gonna be up for grabs starting Feb. 12 at 9 AM PT -- you can obviously get 'em on the SKIMS Men Shop website.

Usher's addition to the lineup comes on the heels of Kim snagging other hunks in the industry to advertise her company -- remember, she already got Neymar Jr., Nick Bosa and other hot dudes to rock the gear ... and now, Usher is in the mix as well.

SKIMS is low-key taking over the fashion world -- everyone seems willing to strip down and pimp the product ... making ya wonder, how the hell do these things feel in person.

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.