TMZ Sports - Page 22

Reba McEntire's rendition of the national anthem left a lotta fans feeling emotional ... and one Chiefs defender just couldn't hold back the tears.

The singer-songwriter finished up the opening ceremony just moments ago, belting out the song before the Super Bowl kicked off on Sunday.

During the performance, CBS' broadcast jumped from player to player with many keeping their heads down and staying focused ... though Chris Jones, the Chiefs' two-time All-Pro defensive lineman was clearly carried away by the moment.

Check out the vid -- Chris, number 95 with K.C., has tears streaking his face while Reba made her way through the song ... which took 95 seconds BTW, greater than the 90.5-second over/under mark for all you sports bettors out there.

He's not the only person who was moved by the performance. Lots of fans have taken to X to tweet out their impressions of RM's singin' ... and opinions are overwhelmingly positive.

Reba is one of many celebrities both performing at and just attending the biggest game of the NFL season ... with others like Post Malone, Usher, Paul Rudd, Leonardo DiCaprio and a heck of a lot more in attendance.

Drake's betting big bucks on Kansas City to take home the Lombardi Trophy ... some harrowing news for Chiefs fans who know about his betting track record.

The singer/rapper shared a picture of his betting receipt to Instagram Sunday morning ... showing he put down $1.15 million on the Chiefs to win it all.

Drake also seemed to be making a shrewd political move by the way ... joking he couldn't "bet against the swifties" -- definitely a fanbase you don't want coming for your head!

Unfortunately for Drizzy, this might leave K.C. fans upset with him ... 'cause the dude's betting track record is pretty suspect.

For those who don't know ... Drake bets big like this quite a bit -- and loses a decent amount too. This has led fans to dub Drake cursed, saying essentially any team he bets on is bound to lose.

Sports fans tend to be an overly superstitious bunch ... but there's quite a bit of "evidence" to back up this claim with teams and players like the Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide and even Conor McGregor losing pivotal matches when Drake's in their corner.

However, Drake's been a bit more accurate recently ... he hit two bets during last year's NBA finals and won just over $3.5 million when the Chiefs took home the title last year -- so maybe he's actually good luck for K.C.!

Jason Kelce's flying by on luck alone this weekend -- betting thousands at a craps table before Sunday's Super Bowl kickoff.

TMZ has obtained photos of the big Philadelphia Eagles center shooting dice at a craps table in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas ... with eyewitnesses telling us JK  was playing at a high roller's table in the luxurious Vegas hot spot.

We're told the minimum bet was $1,000 while the max was $5,000 ... a pretty penny for Jason, but nothing his reported career earnings of more than $81 million won't cover.

Kelce was letting it ride with his ride or die at his side -- Kylie Kelce stood alongside him, cheering him on with the little crowd that gathered around the Super Bowl champion.

Seems like he might've won a bit too ... we're hearing he was hootin' and hollerin' a bit after a couple throws -- so maybe he's made a few bucks at the table.

Of course, we all know why Jason's in L.V. -- his little bro Travis Kelce's attempting to win his third Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs against the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

Jason's been a pretty public supporter of K.C. since his own Philadelphia Eagles were booted from the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in embarrassing fashion last month -- a 32-9 slaughter by TB.

The Kelces are enjoying Vegas BTW ... with the couple even taking in an Adele concert -- where the 16-time Grammy Award winner said Jason sounded "drunk, and like you’re a football fan."

Travis Scott's music is an aphrodisiac ... at least it seemed to be for one couple who got hot and heavy with their hotel room window wide open.

Here's the deal ... the rapper took the stage at the Hakkasan Nightclub at the MGM Grand Saturday night to perform a few songs ahead of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

While busting out a few of his songs, fans there to watch TS got a totally different kind of show ... the kind you usually need to pay big money to see in L.V.

Check out the video ... it appears a couple was getting down and dirty in one of the hotel rooms overlooking the venue, and they weren't shy whatsoever about having an audience.

Unclear if the couple was aware they were so visible ... but it definitely seems like it'd be obvious that everyone could see them -- hotel room windows aren't usually tinted, people!

Some of the performers apparently addressed the erotic display on the mic ... with one of the performers straight up saying, "That boy's a legend."

People on social media, however, were up in arms ... calling the whole thing uncomfortable and expecting people to have a bit more common courtesy when it comes to those intimate moments.

We don't know if the couple's faced any discipline from the hotel or even the police ... but that wouldn't be entirely unexpected given how much the attendees saw.

Dwayne Johnson popped off over accusations he was booed for not following through on aid to Maui ... calling the claim "false clickbait garbage" in a furious response on X.

Here's the deal ... Nick Sortor -- an internet personality who has appeared on networks like Fox News and Newsmax -- posted a video to Twitter showing people at a WWE event raining jeers down on The Rock.

Sortor claimed these people were berating Johnson for not following through on his promise to aid the island of Maui following the devastating wildfires last summer.

He even pointed to some fans' chanting in the vid ... claiming they were saying "Maui" over and over -- and if you listen to the clip, it does sound like that's exactly what they're yelling.

But, DJ wasn't having this interpretation of events -- instead hopping on X to slam Sortor's analysis and insisting he was being booed for playing "the heel" in a WWE press conference -- professional wrestling-ese for "the villain."

Johnson said he tries to stay above the social media fray generally, but decided to correct Nick because he used "Hawaii's tragic events to draw attention" to himself before explaining his own role of villain at the presser Thursday.

He went on to claim The People's Fund of Maui -- kicked off by himself and Oprah Winfrey in August with a $10 million donation -- has delivered more than $50 million to thousands of survivors who were affected by the fires.

He praised the resilience of those people whose lives were uprooted by the fires and wrote directly to Sortor "instead of posting bulls*** like this that you know is false - I encourage you to post something positive for Hawaii, for our Polynesian American people. Or actually take positive action and come to Hawaii to help out in an uplifting way."

He encouraged Nick to use his platform to lift up the people of Hawaii instead of trying to tear him down ... and apologized to "all our Poly/Hawaiian ohana of Maui, for shining light on this toxicity as you struggle through tough times."

BTW ... Sortor isn't backing down -- responding on X by saying he's also based in Hawaii and Dwayne has his contact info, so he's happy to meet Johnson whenever he wants.

FWIW ... a community note has been added to Sortor's tweet explaining the context of the booing video -- and the crowd may have been shouting "Maui" but that's also The Rock's character's name from the highly popular Disney movie "Moana," so it could've been yelled in a totally different context.

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and the field where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are set to face off later this afternoon is pretty much all ready to be trampled on.

Check out these pics of a pretty pristine gridiron over at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas -- where the two teams will file in pretty soon to start warming up for the big game ... not to mention thousands of fans who paid top dollar to be there, nose-bleeds or otherwise.

As you can see, the field has been properly marked and labeled with the Chiefs and 49ers logos on each end ... and workers are adding some finishing touches down there too.

Indeed, it certainly looks Super Bowl ready -- and in about 3 hours, the grass will be totally trashed after a ton of bulky dudes running around and tackling each other. Football, baby!

Anyway, the lockers for each team are also in tip-top shape and all set to be used. The jerseys and helmets are all laid out -- and everyone's got their name above their own locker too. Brock Purdy of the 49ers has his spot already designated, as does everyone else.

It's pretty neat to get a behind-the-scenes look at the quiet before the storm ... right now, it's just personnel people in the building -- but soon, this place is gonna be absolutely packed.

Big day obviously, for a number of reasons. Not only is there a football game to be played -- with a huge halftime show in store -- but everyone's gonna have eyes on Taylor Swift as well.

More specifically ... everyone will be watching to see how she reacts to a potential win or loss, and whether Travis Kelce has any ideas if he's riding high on yet another SB victory.

Donald Trump says he'd be shocked if Taylor Swift endorsed President Joe Biden again ... 'cause Donald says he made her a ton of money -- and implied he expects some loyalty.

The former prez took to Truth Social early Sunday morning and addressed the world's biggest celebrity couple -- as well as rumblings that Taylor would endorse Biden again.

DT started by touting one of his legislative accomplishments ... passing the Music Modernization Act -- a law that basically changed the way songwriters and music publishers are paid certain royalties -- on the whole, it helps artists receive fairer compensation.

The MMA was signed into law in 2018, under 45 ... so he feels he helped make Swift some serious cash -- adding Joe Biden hasn't done "anything for Taylor, and never will."

He then invoked the word "disloyal" ... saying Swift could never turn against "the man who made her so much money."

Trump finished off his post with some complimentary words for Travis Kelce ... saying he quite likes the two-time Super Bowl champ -- even if he is a liberal!

While not outright complimentary of Swift, this seems like a shift away from his campaign's reported strategy regarding the world's biggest pop star.

Remember ... Rolling Stone reported the Trump campaign was preparing for a "holy war" against her. Unclear exactly what that means, but this isn't the blatant condemnation one would expect from holy warriors.

It does seem to draw a line in the sand though ... ex-POTUS expects loyalty -- and it seems like the situation could get messy if T-Swift doesn't kiss the ring.

Taylor endorsed Joe for his 2020 presidential run ... and it seems unlikely she'll back Trump this time, though we suppose anything is possible.

Kickoff is just a few hours away ... but a much bigger battle seems to be brewing on the horizon.

Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr. have said they're just friends, but there's plenty of smoke that it's more than that ... and this video is adding fuel to what has become a fire.

Kim and Odell were at The Wynn in Las Vegas Saturday night, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Kim was shepherded through the hotel with Odell staying close.

You see them both in a crowded elevator, with Kim seemingly hiding in the back.

The duo had just left Michael Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl party which had tons of stars, including Ice Spice, Khloe Kardashian, Tiffany Haddish, Karrueche Tran and many others.

K&O have never confirmed the relationship, but the dating rumors have been circulating since the Summer ... after his breakup with LoLo Wood.

They were also spotted at a pre-Grammy party last weekend thrown by Jay-Z.

5:49 PM PT -- Taylor’s journey is nearly at an end ... ‘cause she just hopped off the plane -- though her entourage did her best to hide her.

Here’s a snap of the pop star hopping into an SUV ... almost completely covered by a light blue umbrella held by one of her team members and a car door, but we're assured that's her.

The SUV she’s getting into appeared to pull up to the airport not that long ago ... followed by a couple more cars with completely tinted windows -- almost certainly Tay’s motorcade.

Unclear what the next destination might be ... though it seems pretty clear she’s headed to her Bev Hills mansion.

4:00 PM PT -- The plane believed to be carrying Taylor Swift has landed in Los Angeles -- and people were watching far and wide on livestreams that captured the momentous touchdown.

The L.A. Flights YouTube Channel was documenting the whole thing, and captured the moment it hit the ground to the moments it started coming down the taxiway as it went toward a private hangar at LAX. Good angles on the private jet too ... you could totally see it.

One notable thing about the jet was the fact that all the windows were closed as it came in for a landing ... which is interesting. If TayTay's on there, seems she didn't wanna be seen.

Unclear if anyone's gotten off yet ... but everyone's waiting on shots of her leaving the airport at some point -- assuming she doesn't refuel and take off again. Everyone's watching.

We should note ... the scene at LAX is crawling with cops and extra security. Sounds like someone big is in town -- and most everyone believes it's the Princess of Pop herself.

Welp, Taylor Swift's taken off from Tokyo ... and super fans are tracking a plane they're pretty sure she's on -- and from the looks of it, she's headed for Los Angeles, not Las Vegas.

Here's the deal ... a ton of Swifties are tracking a flight that left Tokyo's Haneda Airport at roughly the same time it seems Swift did. Its current destination -- L.A., specifically LAX ... and it's expected to touch down later today.

Let's be clear, we don't know for certain if this is Taylor's jet or not -- this isn't the one she normally uses, it seems -- but all signs point to this being an aircraft carrying the superstar back stateside ... closer to her Bev Hills home, as opposed to Vegas ... where Travis Kelce and co. obviously are right now. So the question ... why would she be landing in L.A.?

Well, frankly ... there are a number of reasons Taylor might be stopping in the City of Angels before heading on to Sin City -- but some theories make a lot more sense than others.

First and foremost ... the issue of customs has been raised by some as a possible reason she's stopping off in L.A. first. Taylor's coming back from a foreign country, and even mega pop stars need to have their planes checked by customs agents -- something a handful of fans are theorizing she needs to do in L.A. ... y'know since it's a big airport and all.

Turns out, that's unlikely. We've looked up official FAA guidelines, and they state you only have to land at a point of entry to get back to the U.S. after flying in from a foreign country -- and turns out, Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport fits the bill -- it's listed as one of those points of entry she could use. Customs could easily check her if she landed in Vegas.

A more feasible reason she ain't going straight to Vegas ... the airport in Vegas is running out of parking spots for private planes -- possibly the biggest first-world problem in history.

Check out this pic from a local Vegas social account ... the airport's packed to the gills, and The Athletic reports spots for private planes were all snatched up at least several weeks before Super Bowl weekend ... so, any procrastinating jet setters are out of luck.

Now we know Taylor's team isn't like that -- she may well have secured her spot a while ago -- but there's still a major parking issue for PJs at the airport ... tons of NFL players, execs and other celebs are flying in, so they're taking up a lot of space.

Reports have suggested Taylor could still fly in and land at Harry Reid if she was dead-set on doing so, but her jet might not be able to stay if she didn't lock down a parking spot already -- so it'd potentially have to be a quick drive-by/drop-off type deal if she was insistent on it.

But let's be real ... it's Taylor freakin' Swift, y'all -- if she wants a spot at the Vegas airport, she's getting one, so we don't think a parking situation is truly keeping her outta town.

Now, for a much more likely explanation for why TS might skip heading to Vegas tonight ... TMZ has confirmed the existence of a particular rule in the NFL -- namely, players are NOT allowed to stay with wives/GFs the night before games -- any games. And you bet your ass that goes double for Super Bowl week ... and we're hearing in its full effect this week.

We don't know if this is a league-wide mandate, if it varies from team to team, or even if it's just an unwritten rule passed down over time -- all we know for certain is that when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, the players are basically on lockdown for the wee hours of the night.

As it pertains to Taylor Swift ... flying hours and hours to see her man, Travis, play seems to be the bigger deal here -- and while we're sure she'd love to see him as much as possible beforehand, there's not much of an incentive to rush to Vegas with such strict restrictions.

Now, Taylor's got a house here in town (L.A.) ... so if she isn't heading straight to Vegas from L.A. later this afternoon -- which is when she's expected to land -- she can presumably rest up after a tiring journey and make the easy hour-long flight to Vegas tomorrow AM.

She'll still be able to land way before kickoff, meet up with her and Travis' families at the suite he paid for and probably feel a whole heck of a lot better before cheering her head off.

T-Swift's a woman of mystery when it comes to travel ... and she could surprise us all by actually going to Vegas tonight -- so we'll just have to wait and see what Taylor decides.

Brett Favre has been a bit of a good luck charm for the Kansas City Chiefs -- they're 2-0 when he's attended their recent Super Bowls -- but he can't make it to the big game this weekend ... and now, he's hoping that doesn't jinx Patrick Mahomes and Co.

The NFL legend tells TMZ Sports ... because of his close relationship with Andy Reid, he's previously gone out to two of K.C.'s three most recent SB appearances to give a championship pep talk to the team.

Both times, he said, they won ... so, naturally, Reid invited him out to Las Vegas this week to keep the streak going.

However, Favre says he's not going to be able to be in attendance this year -- and he's nervous about the juju it might bring to Chiefs Kingdom.

"Knock on wood!" the ex-Packers quarterback said.

Superstitions aside, Favre tells us he's super proud of what Reid has accomplished since the two worked together in Green Bay way back in the 1990s ... telling us he could see even then that Reid had this in him.

In fact, he says he's never seen Andy happier ... and he can't fathom Big Red retiring after Sunday no matter what happens against the 49ers.

"He's enjoying -- maybe more so than any other time in his career -- what he's doing," Favre said. "He seems to be in a really good place."

Jelly Roll is hyped to have his own Super Bowl commercial, but he still can't believe it -- and he told us how much he would've demanded to do the spot!

Jelly Roll, who's getting mobbed by fans in Vegas this weekend, teamed up with Power to the Patients to "demand transparency in healthcare" ... alongside Lainey Wilson and Valerie June.

The ad will air sometime during the big game today. The cost of a 30-second commercial this year is about $7 million. On top of that, the sponsor has to pay the talent, and folks like Ben Affleck are raking in $10 mil for a spot. As for JR ... well, watch the clip.

Jelly Roll clearly believes in the importance of the message, saying the coolest part of the whole experience is that people are already responding to his message.

Power to the Patients previously teamed up with hip hop legends Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Method Man, Rick Ross, and French Montana to combat "hospitals and insurers rigging a system to make profits off of people that are in struggle."

Kaskade is setting the music mood for the Super Bowl ... but he says the NFL hasn't called on him to shine a light on Taylor Swift -- telling TMZ Sports he has no specific orders to rock Travis Kelce's girl's songs during the Big Game.

We spoke with the league's first-ever in-game DJ before the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for the championship in Las Vegas ... and naturally, we had to ask if Roger Goodell's org. specifically requested to make the night Swifty-friendly.

Kaskade says he was given free reign on the night -- as long as the content is clean, obvi -- but no one put a bug in his ear to go out of his way to include anything from the Grammy award-winning artist's discography.

You can catch Sam Hartman on a football field, in a weight room, or in a quarterback meeting ... but one place you won't find the former Notre Dame superstar is a barbershop -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he knows he simply cannot cut his luscious locks.

The Fighting Irish star spoke with us while out in Las Vegas for Super Bowl week ... and he explained that one thing he's learned since he's risen to stardom -- both on the field and off of it -- is that his hair has to be here to stay.

"People are adamant about that," Hartman said with a laugh. "And my mom likes it."

Of course, the 'do has certainly opened up a lot of doors for the 24-year-old in the past year or so. While his play on the field has obviously garnered him a lot of attention in the sports world -- his looks have turned him into an internet sensation.

In fact, an ad he just recently appeared in has already gained over 20 MILLION views on TikTok ... with most of the watchers droolin' over his mane in the comment section.

Hartman is clearly aware of it all ... telling us jokingly, "Shoutout to Mom for giving me the hair and giving me the good genetics."

But, the signal-caller has his eyes slated on far more than being a heartthrob ... he's gunning to make the NFL -- working his tail off this offseason so a team will select him in April's draft.

Taylor Swift and her fellow wives and girlfriends of the Super Bowl know all too well what's on the line on Sunday ... and while they probably need to calm down ahead of kickoff, let's give these lovely ladies their flowers in honor of the Chiefs and 49ers duking it out on the field.

Travis Kelce's girlfriend is expected to be at Allegiant Stadium for the big game, following her 'Eras' tour stop in Japan ... we take it the TV broadcast will keep us in the loop on if/when she shows up.

Brittany Mahomes has also been in the headlines lately ... especially after her steamy Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photos were released ahead of her hubby Patrick's fourth Super Bowl appearance.

A ton of other ladies in Chiefs Kingdom will be pulling for K.C. ... including Justin Watson's wife, Erica, Drue Tranquill's lady, Jackie, and Jojo O'Connor, who recently got engaged to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The 49ers WAGs are gonna be rollin' deep as well ... like Kyle Juszczyk's fashion-designer wife, Kristin, whose branding has been blowing up thanks to the Swift effect.

Former Miss Universe and model Olivia Culpo will definitely grace us with her presence and support her fiancé, Christian McCaffrey ... posting up in a suite she copped for her future mother-in-law.

Culpo ain't the only model on the 49ers side, though ... Nick Bosa -- who posed for Kim Kardashian's SKIMS campaign -- will surely be dominating on the field as his new GF, Lauren Maenner, watches his every move.

George Kittle's wife, Claire, will also be there to show love (probably in another Juszczyk fit), as well as Jenna Brandt, who got engaged to Brock Purdy last summer.

Fred Warner's wife, Sydney, is on baby watch as she's 35 weeks pregnant ... but luckily, the doctors cleared her to fly to her husband's second Super Bowl appearance.

If Orlando Brown Jr. needed one quarterback to lead his team on a game-winning drive ... he tells TMZ Sports he's not taking Patrick Mahomes OR Lamar Jackson.

No, the four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman says he's riding with Joe Burrow instead!!!

"I'm going to go with my current QB," the Bengals left tackle said. "I'm taking my man Joe Scheisty."

Brown, of course, knows all three quarterbacks very well. He started his career in Baltimore, and protected Jackson for three seasons -- before he was traded to Kansas City to block for Mahomes.

This past year, he left in free agency to join Burrow in Cincinnati ... and he's clearly grown fond of what Joey B can do in crunch time.

"I feel like Joe Scheisty is going to get it done," he said.

Don't get it twisted, though ... Brown ached over the decision -- adding, "That's tough, man!"

Kelly Stewart is one of the best when it comes to sports betting, and she wants to help you earn a little extra cheddar this Super Bowl Sunday!

TMZ Sports talked to Stewart -- the co-host of OutKick's The Fade with Clay Travis -- about some of her favorite bets heading into the Chiefs vs. 49ers game.

"I think if you like either team you bet them on the money line," Stewart said.

"A 2-point spread, slight implied odds that the Niners are a little bit better on a neutral field than the Chiefs, which I would agree with here. But I don't know how we see these last few seconds playing out. I think for me, the last I want holding a Niners ticket is Patrick Mahomes to have 2 minutes left on the clock. That would make me a little uneasy come Sunday."

Despite that terrifying thought ... here's the bet Kelly made for herself.

"I did lay -$125 with the Niners, so if you like the Niners, I think you bet them on the money line."

If you're interested in over/unders ... Kelly has some advice.

"What I always tell people, before you bet, think about your game script. How do you think the game is gonna play out? I think we're gonna see a higher-scoring first half here. I like the first half over. I know some really good friends of mine that agree with me," Stewart told us.

"I think the second half is gonna be lower scoring. I think we're gonna see Steve Spagnolo's defense step up, we know the Niners defense has been one of the best second half defenses over the last two seasons," KS said ... pointing out that San Fran's D has won a lot of people money of late.