TMZ Sports - Page 50

Usher gets the next crack at Apple Music's reign over the Super Bowl Halftime Show -- and they're going all out with a highly-produced promo ... an ode to "The Hangover."

Super Bowl LVIII's in Vegas this year and Apple gathered Usher and the gang -- Ludacris, Lil Jon and Taraji P. Henson -- to recreate the classic comedy flick in a 7-minute clip loaded with other stars, and it seems to suggest these stars might be in the mix on Sunday.

The short film opens with Apple CEO Tim Cook alerting Luda, Jon and Taraji via FaceTime (shameless plugs, duh!) that Ursh had gone MIA  ... and the trio proceeds to run amuck through Sin City to find the missing R&B superstar.

Along the way they encounter Anderson .Paak, J Balvin and Wesley Snipes, and Vegas staples -- The Blue Man Group and Criss Angel -- in full character to beef up the comedy and there's a strong hint that Usher will incorporate his masterclass roller skating into his halftime set.

Around this time last year, Usher, Floyd Mayweather and several other celebs hit the rink to celebrate Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" album with Apple Music so the synergy is running high.

It's shaping up to be Usher's year ... he's dropping his new album "Coming Home" on Sunday and also going on tour in August.

Fans in Detroit are still lickin' their wounds after the crushing NFC Championship loss ... and things didn't get any better for Motor City sports fans last night when they were trolled by the Sacramento Kings!

But, Big D got the last laugh!

The last place Detroit Pistons were in Sactown Wednesday night, and for some reason, the Kings (29-21) chose video violence, playing lowlights from the Lions' loss to the San Francisco 49ers during player introductions.

The Kings played the key Brandon Aiyuk catch, where the ball bounced off Lions DB Kindle Vildor's helmet ... a miraculous play that ended up being the start of the end for the Lions, who blew a 17-point lead, losing 34-31. Crushing. And, they put it on repeat.

The bright side for Detroit fans ... the Pistons players seemed to take things personally.

Jaden Ivey balled out, scoring a career-high 37 points. Ivey’s breakout performance gave Pistons fans some sweet revenge, shocking one of the better teams in the NBA, 133-120.

Just the Pistons winning alone is news ... they're having a historically bad year, once losing 28 consecutive games.

Patrick Mahomes has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated countless times, but it's his wife who's getting the shine now -- Brittany was just named a rookie for the publication's swimsuit issue.

S.I. and Brittany shared the big news on Thursday ... showing the Kansas City Chiefs partner sporting several red one-pieces and bikinis during a photoshoot in Belize.

S.I. Swim editor M.J. Day addressed the decision to feature the famous WAG this year ... saying, "Owner of the Kansas City Current NWSL team, former pro athlete, wife and mother, Brittany emerges as the epitome of a modern-day powerhouse."

"Founder of the world’s first ever dedicated stadium for women’s sports, Brittany’s journey has surpassed all expectations, inspiring others with her tenacity and unyielding determination. We are proud to welcome her to the SI Swimsuit family where she will undoubtedly continue to empower women worldwide."

Brittany -- who married Patrick in 2022 -- also spoke out on the honor ... calling it a dream come true and hoping her spread inspires women all over.

"I want people to know that they can accomplish anything, even things you never thought would be possible in your wildest dreams," the mother of two said.

It's huge for the family ... and comes just days before Patrick's huge Super Bowl matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Andrew Whitworth's playing days are officially in his rearview mirror ... the former NFL star tells TMZ Sports there's absolutely "no chance" he comes back to the gridiron.

Of course, ever since the 42-year-old said he was done playing following his Super Bowl LVI win in 2022 ... there's been rumors he could return.

After all, at the time that he hung up his spikes, he was still widely considered one of the best left tackles in the game ... and in the two years since he's stopped playing, a championship contender has been in need of his talents.

But, Whitworth made it clear to us this week ... he'll never strap on a helmet and shoulder pads for an NFL team again.

"I get in the weight room every now and then and I kind of convince myself maybe I could do it," he said. "But I tell you what, there's no chance."

Whitworth -- who's become a star analyst for Prime Video's "Thursday Night Football" in retirement -- explained he's simply enjoying watching ball from the sidelines too much to get back into it.

"I feel too good walking around, hanging out, eating food, having drinks and watching people play football," the 16-year NFL vet said. "It's a much more fun way to do it. So, I'm going to stick with that. That's for sure."

As for this weekend's big game ... Whitworth, unsurprisingly, told us he thinks it could come down to the trenches. For the Chiefs, he said it's paramount they stop Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave. For the Niners, he said they need to build a strategy around slowing down Chris Jones.

Whitworth also said it'll be key for Brock Purdy to control his jitters -- though he's confident the SF quarterback will get it done.

Taylor Swift is pulling a Donna Kelce in the BS department -- telling her fans that she had a backup plan to announce her album if she didn't win at the Grammys ... OK, Tay Tay. 🙄

The singer relayed this sentiment to her Tokyo fans Wednesday night during performance #1 of her 4-show slate -- and yes, she claims she would've saved the news for Japan if things hadn't worked out for her at the award show this past weekend.

Taylor explains she'd only told a select few people about her album at that point -- including her producer, Jack Antonoff -- and then said ... "OK, if I’m lucky enough to get up there and win one thing tonight, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna announce my new album."

She may well be telling the truth here ... but if we're being honest, it sounds like she's being a little insincere in the sense that she makes it seem like her winning at the Grammys wasn't a sure thing ... 'cause truth be told, it absolutely was, and T-Swift probably knew it.

In other words, Taylor is overplaying the modesty card -- which she actually channeled on Sunday night when she won Album of the Year for "Midnights" ... seemingly feigning surprise.

Anyway, TS continued to lay it on thick during Wednesday night's show ... telling the audience, "And luckily enough, that ended up happening ... thanks to you and your support, I was lucky enough to win a Grammy and tell you about it onstage at the Grammys. And now we can talk about it afterward, we can do like a debrief tonight."

Of course, her fans ate it up and cheered her on -- but again, this is very much so in the same vein as what Donna suggested just earlier in the day ... that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl, and that she didn't think she'd be in a private suite.

BTW, Travis himself seems to be on this train too ... he made it seem like he didn't know what country Taylor was performing in ... before correctly saying it was in Tokyo.

Elon Musk and Mark Cuban are far from friends, but they are united on one front, that's NOT betting on Super Bowl Sunday ... because, as you might've figured, they're not big on burning money.

TMZ reached out to both mega billionaires days leading up to the big game, and we got shockingly similar responses from each guy -- no, they won't bet on the Super Bowl ... and, in fact, they say they don't bet on sports at all.

Elon tells TMZ there are "plenty of other risky things going on" ... so it sounds like he might be taking other risks with his cash -- he did gamble $44 billion on X (née Twitter) after all.

As for Mark ... he told us he's not allowed to bet on NBA games because of his ownership stake in the Dallas Mavericks. While he doesn't know if that betting extends to the NFL, he'd rather skip any "potential hassle" altogether. Smart move.

Cubes noted that betting money, IF you can afford to lose it, can be fun and the uber-competitive billionaire does love to win ... it's just not something he'll be doing on Sunday.

MC also tells us he's not attending the Super Bowl, but he'll be watching and rooting for the Chiefs ... unsurprising, given how complimentary he was of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship when news of it first broke.

BTW ... Elon and Mark being aligned on anything is pretty wild news in and of itself -- they've been in a very public feud, with Elon calling Mark a "racist" last month for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices and challenging him to a MMA fight.

Cuban defended his stance on DEI, and called X Elon's "little echo chamber" ... a savage blow, considering Musk touts the platform as a paragon of free speech.

Bottom line, Musk and Cuban are saving their money this Super Bowl Sunday -- bad news for bookies, no doubt.

Rick Harrison and his "Pawn Stars" crew are looking to capitalize on the Super Bowl coming to town -- their shop's hawking some championship rings from recent Super Bowls.

The good folks at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, featured on the reality show, tell TMZ ... they're selling a Super Bowl ring from the 2007 New York Giants for $77,500.

The '07 Giants beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII ... ruining the Patriots' undefeated season. This SB ring was owned by a team staffer, and it's made by Tiffany & Co.

Gold & Silver Pawn shop also has a ring from the 2021 Los Angeles Rams in its possession ... and it's going for a much more affordable $20,000. The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in LVI on the strength of a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp in the final minutes.

The Rams championship ring is also from a team staffer, and we're told it's on sale for less than the Giants ring because there are way more NYG fans than Rams fans ... and Giants SB rings historically sell for higher prices than Rams rings.

Rick tells TMZ ... they get a lot of inquiries about their sports championship rings, but interest in Super Bowl rings is always higher around the Big Game.

With Super Bowl LVIII going down in Vegas, Rick is hoping Giants and Rams fans win big money gambling this weekend. He says, "I'm guessing we might find them at our door once they wake up from celebrating Sunday night looking to own a ring from their favorite team."

Gold & Silver Pawn is also selling AFC Championship rings previously owned by NFL players ... including one from the 2011 Patriots for $32,500, and another from the 1989 Denver Broncos for $40,000.

It's worth noting ... player rings are a little different than staff rings, and player rings are more valuable, and thus, come with higher price tags.

Brett Favre says he was concerned for his good pal Toby Keith in the days leading up to the country music star's death ... telling TMZ Sports that after speaking recently with the musician, he could tell the guy was simply exhausted.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback said he gave Keith a ring just two weeks ago to check in on him ... after he noticed the 62-year-old didn't look so hot following some December performances in Las Vegas.

Favre -- who told us he would call Keith every three-or-so months following his stomach cancer diagnosis -- said the "Red Solo Cup" crooner complained about the damage chemotherapy had done to his body during ... before adding that Keith seemed fatigued.

"I think in the end," Favre said, "he was just tired."

"He did say that to me when we had our conversation," the Hall of Famer continued. "He said, 'Brett, whatever happens, I'm OK with it.'"

Keith ended up passing away days later, on Feb. 5, while surrounded by his family.

Favre -- who first befriended Keith at a concert near Lambeau Field back in the 90s -- was heartbroken over the news ... though he was clearly proud of how Keith battled in his final days.

"He handled it with grace and faith and family," Favre said, "and stood up to the cancer about as good as you can."

Favre then recalled some of his favorite memories with Keith -- which included several fun trips around golf courses.

"I can't remember a good or a bad shot he hit," Favre said of one of their outings, "I can just remember him smiling, and had everyone hooting and hollering and having a lot of fun."

We're almost at the finish line in the week, but we're just getting started at TMZ -- including on the TV front ... where the topics are only getting better by the day. Take a look!

Right off the bat on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles tackled something Travis Kelce's mom said on the 'Today' show this week ... namely, that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl come Sunday. That's what she claims anyway -- nobody's buying it.

Fact is, her son(s) are incredibly wealthy ... but there's a new billionaire in her orbit who probably has covered for a private suite seat -- despite what Mama Kelce's saying.

Over on the 'TMZ on TV' side of things ... we opened up about our feelings, but not nearly as much as Kumail Nanjiani -- who recently revealed what sent him to therapy recently.

As it turns out, some bad movie reviews for a film he was in did the trick ... and the staff wasn't all that nice about it. Tough crowd, indeed.

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports,' where Mike and Mojo discussed the fact that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bears a passing resemblance to the guy who killed JFK.

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

NFL player and 49ers running back Ricky Watters was 25 years old when he led his fellow 49ers to winning Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers back in 1995. His running style and stellar receiving skills earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters.

After playing in the NFL for 10 seasons ... Today Watters is a proud dad of 2 and is still very active in the sport of football. He's got quite the fan base, and you can find him signing autographs at meet and greets. He also attends the games and supports his team on the sidelines.

The owner of the only Chiefs-inspired bar in San Francisco is clearing up whether 49ers fans are actually "banned" -- as has been suggested -- and he's saying they're not, but also noting ... it might be hard to get in come game day.

Here's the deal ... Vlad Cood -- who owns the sports bar Buzzworks in SF, which has come to be known as a Chiefs-friendly haven for Kansas City diehards -- tells TMZ that recent reports he and his staff weren't letting San Fran fans into the establishment are false.

There were a lot of headlines locally that ran with that narrative, but Cood says his words were taken out of context -- although, he does admit ... it could be difficult for the 49ers faithful to actually get into the building, especially around Super Bowl weekend.

While he tells us his doors are open to any and all -- regardless of team affiliation -- Cood says that his bar tends to get packed with Chiefs fans on football Sunday early and often ... and that's just how it's gone for a while.

Cood says 49ers heads can certainly swing by anytime they want, but by the time kickoff starts -- he tells us Buzzworks is usually stuffed with Chiefs people ... and he doesn't expect that to change for the SB. In other words, come as you are ... but come with time to spare!

He also says this ... if 49ers fans are truly interested in coming to his business, he's got an alternative for them where they can congregate and pound booze among their brethren. As it turns out, Cood owns another bar across the street there called Butter, which he says has more than enough room for anyone who wants to file in and catch Super Bowl LVIII.

Here's the irony in all this ... Cood tells us he himself is actually a longtime 49ers fan -- so even though Buzzworks caters to Chiefs lovers, it sounds like he'd love to be with his own kind.

Heat player Haywood Highsmith was involved in a car accident following Tuesday night's game in Miami ... a crash that reportedly left one man in critical condition with a partially amputated leg.

The Heat say 27-year-old Highsmith -- an undrafted free agent out of Wheeling University in 2018 -- got in the wreck heading home from their contest against the Orlando Magic, in which he recorded three minutes of action in the 121-95 win.

According to local reporter Andy Slater, Highsmith hit a man who was helping another driver who was stuck in the middle of the road.

The man who was struck remains in critical condition, the report added.

The Heat released a statement on the incident ... saying, "Our hearts go out to those who were injured."

Highsmith will sit out Wednesday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs due to "personal reasons."

Highsmith -- who has also suited up in the G League and overseas -- has appeared in 37 games this season ... averaging 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds so far. It's unclear when he is expected to rejoin the team.

Tech N9ne is gearing up for his Kansas City Chiefs to play in the Super Bowl ... by hosting a party at a famous Las Vegas strip club across the street from the football field!!!

The Strange Music co-founder is working with Crazy Horse 3, kicking off their Super Bowl party lineup Thursday night at a special event -- and they're making sure he's all set to do his thing for the big weekend ... and yes, the specifics are very stripper-friendly.

Our sources say Tech N9ne's contract calls for him to get $20,000 in singles to throw in the club. Yeah, it's gonna be raining greenbacks in there ... and Tech's gonna be tossin' cash.

Tech N9ne's deal also includes a supply of 10 magnum bottles of 10 tequila -- those are the big boys -- with 5 bottles of Clase Azul and 5 bottles of Don Julio 1942. Nothing but the best for Tech.

The guy's a massive Chiefs fan and his "Red Kingdom" song has kinda become the unofficial team anthem ... so we're guessing the crowd is gonna favor KC.

NFL players expected to appear include ... Dallas Cowboys wideout KaVontae Turpin, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

WHEN's unclear, but put the IF question to bed ... 'cause Tyson Fury ain't quitting boxing, and absolutely, positively says he will return to the ring!

The legendary pugilist even laid out a tentative 5 fight blueprint ... and it's got some of the biggest names in the sport.

“I keep hearing talk of people saying that I should retire or that I’m going to retire soon or whatever. I ain’t retiring anywhere!" Fury, directly addressing the camera, told his social media followers.

Of course, 35-year-old Tyson was set to fight Oleksandr Usyk later this month, but was forced to pull out of the title fight after sustaining a wicked cut over his eye during a sparring sesh.

Given all he's accomplished, and with many fans commenting The Gypsy King didn't look like his dominant self against Francis Ngannou last year, some speculated he'd hang up his gloves.

But, not happening.

In fact, Fury has even laid out a road map for himself ... picking his next three opponents.

“I got two fights with Usyk, for the undisputed, twice. Then I’m going to fight [Anthony Joshua] at least once, maybe twice, if there’s a rematch, if he wants one after the first battering I’m going to give him.”

Tyson continued, announcing another major rematch is in the cards.

“Then I’m going to fight Ngannou again and that’s just the start, so that’s five little fights to wet your appetites with. I ain’t going nowhere, nowhere, 35-year-old prime of my life and I’m ready to smash on.”

That'll be music to Francis' ears. The former UFC champ recently told us he wasn't interested in fighting the winner of Fury-Usyk ... no, he just wants a rematch with Tyson!

Taylor Swift's party plans for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas are top secret and a promoter with a close tie to Taylor isn't spilling the beans ... but he's got other party options for ya.

Logan Paulson, a Las Vegas promoter, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and gave us a rundown of the different weekend parties ... ranging from the free to the super exclusive.

Taylor and Travis Kelce are renting a villa next to the Kansas City Chiefs team hotel, the Westin Las Vegas Resort & Spa, and while Logan's girlfriend, Natalie Peterson, is one of the singer's backup dancers, he played it coy when we asked him if Taylor and Travis were hosting a house party.

The strip is more Logan's specialty -- specifically nightlife at the Wynn -- and he says the property's famous XS club is expecting a packed house Friday with performances from Lil Wayne, Diplo and Shaq.

Logan says Friday is pretty much sold out, and the only way to get in at this point is to buy a table ... it's gonna cost ya, the cheapest table is going for $8,000 ... and it's outside.

For those ballers on a budget, Logan says Hakkasan has a free party this weekend, where revelers will be treated to a Travis Scott gig ... and Logan has other free parties too.

Everyone wants to know where Taylor, Travis and the Chiefs are going to have their postgame bash ... and Logan says history points to XS at the Wynn ... so keep that in mind, Swifties.

Mo'Nique is riding Katt Williams' coattails in talking major trash -- 'cause she basically just did the exact same thing on the same pod ... but her list of names slightly differs.

The comedian sat down for a new episode of Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast -- and she took aim at A LOT of big stars in the industry -- airing out grievances and claims against Oprah, Tyler Perry, Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart ... just to name a few.

Mo'Nique has been vocal over the past few years about feeling blackballed in Hollywood and she continued to double down on all that here in this chat with Shannon ... once again dragging O and Tyler into the conversation with allegations of them attempting to torpedo her career, something she's alleged in the past -- but there's a new twist to this now.

She tells Shannon that she has TP on audio allegedly admitting something to this effect ... and SS himself appears to acknowledge that he might have heard it off-camera.

We should note ... Tyler has denied tarnishing Mo'Nique's rep behind the scenes -- despite her repeated insistence over the years that he has. She also didn't play the alleged audio on Shannon's show. Mo'Nique wasn't done there, though!

She kept the parade of insults and accusations going -- calling out Oprah for "overstepping" with her in many instances ... and even took a shot at Tiffany for something she said about Mo'Nique in a GQ interview. Mo'Nique went below the belt and mentioned TH's DUI arrests, as well as her controversy in regard to the icky lawsuit she was embroiled in.

We will note ... Mo'Nique has been on this campaign for years and years now -- alleging she's been done dirty by so many different people in the industry ... and while she's squashed some of her beef with a few individuals, it sounds like there's still bad blood with a vast majority.

It's pretty crazy to think Mo'Nique's gripes all stem from a movie she did way back in '09 -- a film we're sure she probably regrets now considering how much acrimony it's spurred.