TMZ Sports - Page 16

4:02 PM PT -- Kanye West is denying Brandon Marshall's claims about Yeezy and Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.

A rep for Kanye tells TMZ ... "This is a completely fabricated rumor. It is not true."

Kanye West apparently intended to upstage Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl -- but the pop superstar torpedoed his plan -- at least, that's what one former NFL star is claiming.

Brandon Marshall -- who played in the league from 2006-2018 for a number of teams -- made the shocking allegation on his "Paper Route" podcast this week ... explaining that he'd heard Ye purposely purchased seats right in front of Tay Tay's suite for the Big Game.

According to this purported tea ... the idea, it seems, was an attempt to photobomb all her inevitable TV appearances. On its face, it comes across as a good old-fashioned spite effort.

However, the ex-All-Pro receiver explained the alleged scheme never came to fruition ... as Swift made "a call or two" to have Ye kicked out of Allegiant Stadium entirely -- that's what Brandon's claiming anyway.

Take it all with a grain of salt, but considering how polarizing Ye has been recently -- and Swift being the non-athlete face of the SB champs this season -- it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility the league may have nudged KW to somewhere a little more low-key.

It's also hard to say with any certainty whether she actually got him fully kicked out or not, as Brandon suggests here ... especially if he bought a ticket lawfully and by the book.

In any case ... BM sounds 100% confident that he's breaking news with the world here.

Also worth noting -- TMZ spoke with Ye for several minutes on Monday ... and he only mentioned Swift in a pretty lukewarm manner.

You'd think Ye would pounce at the opportunity to trash Travis Kelce's girlfriend if it really went down as Marshall claims ... but perhaps he got some details fudged up (after all, he did initially confuse Swift with Katy Perry, FWIW).

Either way ... Ye and his wife, Bianca Censori, were definitely at the venue ... with the former rocking a face covering featuring a white crucifix. There are photos of Kanye in the building -- and in the one pic that's going around, he does appear to be next to a stadium worker.

We've made some calls to try and clear the air ... so far, no word back.

Prosecutors in North Carolina have dropped three charges against NBA player Miles Bridges -- including misdemeanor child abuse -- due to lack of sufficient evidence ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records for Mecklenburg County, the three counts -- domestic violence protective order violation, misdemeanor child abuse, and injury to personal property -- were dismissed on Tuesday by prosecutors, who cited insufficient evidence as a reason for dropping the case.

Bridges' former girlfriend had accused him of damaging her windshield while her children were in the car, but now it appears prosecutors felt the case wasn't strong enough to get a conviction.

"The evidence was going to show Miles was innocent and we were going to win a trial," Bridges' attorney said in a statement to ESPN.

Bridges was previously suspended for 30 games by the NBA for a prior domestic violence incident in 2022.

He got 3 years probation, 100 hours of community service, and had to take a parenting class after taking a plea deal in that case.

Usher is a newly married man once again ... an event his ex-wife couldn't be happier about for him -- 'cause she's got motion of her own ... moving and grooving over the news!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Tameka Foster on Tuesday, ahead of the launch of her new reality series, "Bold and Bougie" ... but she tells us she had a blast at the Super Bowl last Sunday, just like her ex-hubby did during his halftime show.

Tameka's been one of Atlanta's most sought-after stylists for YEARS, so first things first -- we had to get her thoughts on the viral backlash regarding Jermaine Dupri's schoolboy-style uniform ... and him trying to use its Louis Vuitton labels as somewhat of a defense.

Hundreds of comments rejected JD's rebuttal and you can add Tameka to that list too. She tells us relying heavily on designer brands won't always breed the best style results ... sorry, JD ... these are just her confessions.

Bottom line ... she's not very approving, just like the rest of the Internet didn't.

As for Usher, social media users couldn't help but bring her name up when we broke the deets on his marriage to Jennifer Goicoechea on Sunday ... Tameka's blowing them off.

They've been divorced for eons now -- since 2009, actually  -- but do have two children together ... and Tameka tells us he's a great dad. As a matter of fact ... one of their sons just may follow in his singing shadow sooner than later, 'cause he's a helluva crooner himself.

In any case, Tameka's not entertaining negativity on her side -- and neither are her gal pals Malaysia Pargo, Gocha Hawkins, Princess Banton-Lofters and Crystal Smith in their new TV venture.

Ya can't be a boss and be bothered by online BS ... and Tameka certainly isn't as it pertains to Usher's new marriage.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes has been arrested for the second time in the last year ... after he was accused yet again of putting his hands on a woman.

Jail records in Bexar County, Texas show Forbes was thrown behind bars on Tuesday afternoon and booked on a felony domestic violence charge.

Court documents, obtained by News 4's Mariah Medina, show the arrest all stemmed from an alleged violent encounter the basketball player had with the mother of his two children on Monday in San Antonio.

According to the docs, the woman told officers Forbes banged on her apartment's window -- and when she let him in, "he immediately punched her in the head."

Officials say the woman told them Forbes then choked her with his forearms, the collar of her shirt ... and then his bare hands.

The docs state the woman told Forbes she could not breathe ... but he allegedly responded, "if you can speak then you are not being choked."

Officials say the woman told them she was ultimately able to get away from Forbes but had soreness in her neck afterward.

This is not the first time the 30-year-old hooper has been accused of getting violent with a female ... back in February 2023, he allegedly hit a woman "several times" after a night out on the town in Bexar County.

Forbes was tagged with an assault charge over the allegations ... but court records show he entered into a pretrial diversion program back in June 2023.

It's Fat Tuesday -- and while it marks the end of Mardi Gras ... the reality is, the party out there has been going strong for several days now ... just take a look yourself.

Lots of festivities have been unfolding in New Orleans these past several days -- including elaborate parades that have been trotted up and down local streets there ... with some awesome floats on display.

There've been a handful of stars on the scene as well to celebrate Mardi Gras -- Neil Patrick Harris was spotted in NOLA on Monday ... and Kevin Dillon was out there on Sunday.

Yes, both of them both in the spirit of things ... with NPH in some fancy wardrobe, and KD dressed like a king.

There've been some other notable figures this week out and about to ring in the occasion ... like New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe and Harry Connick Jr., who were both also seen on floats Monday night.

Like we said, Fat Tuesday is the tail end of the Carnival celebration in NOLA -- coming right before Ash Wednesday starts, and when people will presumably give up foods and crap.

Yes, there's some religious significance behind it -- even though many just treat it as an excuse to eat, drink and be merry in the streets.

That's certainly how some starts have gone about it over the years, anyway.

Travis Kelce showered Taylor Swift with praise after winning his third Super Bowl ... thanking her for flying across the globe to catch the game and calling her "the absolute best."

The NFL just revealed the audio from the power couple's emotional postgame moment on Tuesday ... and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar poured his heart out as he soaked it all in with his girlfriend.

"Thank you, thank you for the support," Kelce said. "Thank you for making it halfway across the world!"

As we previously reported, Swift hopped on a private jet to make it from her "Eras" tour stop in Tokyo to Las Vegas for Sunday's kickoff ... and Kelce returned the favor with smooches on the field right after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime.

Kelce also let Tay Tay know just how much she means to him ... and you can hear him call her a cute pet name.

"You're the best," Kelce said. "The absolute best, baby!"

A 45-year-old man is now in police custody after cops claim he stole and destroyed a beloved Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas ... but authorities say they believe his actions were NOT motivated by hate.

According to the Wichita Police Department, Ricky Alderete has been hit with four criminal charges -- including felony theft and aggravated criminal damage to property -- after authorities say he nabbed the famed JR monument from outside a youth baseball facility late last month and then burnt it down to a pile of rubble.

Cops say their investigation revealed Alderete committed the act in order to cash in on the figurine's metal scraps.

Officials added they believe there might be more individuals involved in the crime.

"Our detectives remain committed to gathering information to identify and charge all individuals involved in the theft and destruction of the Jackie Robinson statue," cops said in a statement Tuesday. "The WPD extends its gratitude to the community for their support, patience, and information related to this case."

City officials, meanwhile, have already said they plan to replace the Robinson sculpture with another one in the near future.

The Super Bowl streaker is breaking his silence, explaining why he dropped $42k on front-row tix, only to be tackled on the field half-naked and thrown in the pokey ... revealing it all started with a bet!

TMZ Sports talked to SB streaker Alex Gonzalez on Monday ... just hours after he was released from the local jail.

The question ... why?!

Alex says the plan was to originally place a prop bet at a Vegas sportsbook ... plunking down cash on a fan running on the field during the Chiefs vs. Niners game.

Gonzalez says he was at a UFC event the day before Super Sunday, and he told everyone who would listen, including Dr. Phil and the Nelk Boys, that he was going on the field. So, place your bets.

The only issue? When Gonzalez tried to place the wager, it no longer existed. But, at that point, he says he was already committed ... so despite spending over 40 grand on tickets, Alex decided to go forward with the plan knowing he'd never get to finish watching the game.

"I'm like, 'Damn. I am in too deep at this point where I can't back out anymore.'"

Gonzalez and some buddies headed to a local sporting goods store to buy cleats (we know those Super Bowl fields) and other supplies, and they headed for Allegiant Stadium.

Then, when the third quarter rolled around (gotta watch at least some of the game), Alex and his friend made their move.

Gonzalez ultimately ran around for several seconds before giving himself up to security officers who were closing in, before leading him to a holding cell in the back of the new stadium.

Alex says he was then taken to jail where he spent Sunday night behind bars.

But, if you think he's regretting it all now ... watch the clip -- he certainly doesn't seem to be sweatin' the situation -- even if he is facing at least one misdemeanor charge.

Patrick Mahomes ain't the only Chief workin' on little to no sleep since the Super Bowl ... Mecole Hardman tells TMZ Sports he, too, hasn't gotten a lick of shut-eye since catching the game-winning touchdown Sunday.

The Kansas City wideout made the revelation to us on Tuesday while appearing with CB L'Jarius Sneed at a Missouri-based Raising Cane's ... saying straight up, "I ain't got no sleep yet."

"It's been hectic," he added.

Of course, Hardman isn't exactly complaining ... considering it's been a helluva ride since he caught the touchdown pass that gave the Chiefs the 25-22 win over the Niners in SB LVIII.

He got to talk with Taylor Swift in the postgame, party with teammates at a Las Vegas nightclub ... and then guest star on Monday night's taping of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" -- before he took Tuesday's shift at Raising Cane's.

"I've been enjoying the ride," he said. "Just taking advantage of it."

Mecole told us that because of the way he began the year with the Jets, this title win felt "a little more emotional" than his previous two. He then added that he sure hopes Kansas City will re-sign him for next season.

"That'll be the goal for sure to come back," he said.

Travis Kelce's enjoyed a bunch of professional perks since he started dating Taylor Swift, but it hasn't been all rainbows and butterflies ... the superstar TE was forced to move after overzealous fans camped out in front of his crib.

Kelce's big bro, Eagles center Jason Kelce, told the story on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" this week ... after The Big Fella asked the future Hall of Fame center about their newfound fame since Trav and T.S. hooked up.

"It's crazy what it opens up, opportunity-wise. It's crazy to feel how much joy you bring people or how much you affect people's daily lives," Jason told the NBA legend.

Now here's the but.

Kelce continued, "It has drawbacks, for sure and Travis knows more than I do."

That's when the 7x Pro Bowler revealed the reason behind Travis upgrading homes last October (he moved into a $6 million, 6 bed, 6 bath, 16,000 sq. ft. place), saying fans, who weren't invited, were basically camping outside his house, literally forcing him to move.

"He had to completely move out of his house," Jason said, "People were just staying by his house."

Unfortunately, not even the new place, with added security measures, was enough.

"The first day he moved into the new house, in a gated community, somebody knocks on the back window of the house."

Thankfully, no one has seemingly wanted to cause them harm ... but it's clear the Kelce's are still adjusting to their newfound fame outside of the NFL.

"The Taylor World and the pop culture world, that's a whole different level. It's a new demographic that wasn't there before," Jason said.

Sadly, Taylor's no stranger to overzealous fans. She's dealt with over a dozen stalkers, most recently including a man named David Crowe, who showed up to her NYC pad multiple times, despite being arrested.

Surprise!! -- Post Malone will show off his acting chops in the reimagined "Road House" movie ... and judging by what Jake Gyllenhaal had to say about the casting, the dude is a natural in front of the camera.

The Academy Award nominee revealed the "Rockstar" crooner's involvement in the upcoming Prime Video project on Tuesday ... showing Posty all bloodied up on set.

It's an announcement that is catching folks off-guard -- Malone wasn't featured in the trailer that dropped last month ... but he's getting the full treatment now.

In fact, PV released a poster image of Malone -- real name Austin Post -- in a fighting pose for the promo ... featuring the caption, "Come and get it."

Gyllenhaal clearly thinks highly of what his costar did in the movie ... showering him in praise on social media.

"A man of many talents," Jake said minutes ago. "To say it was a pleasure working together is an understatement. Welcome to the #roadhouse @postmalone!"

It won't be the first time fans get to see Posty in Hollywood -- he's also done work with Jason Statham and Mark Wahlberg in the past ... but this seems like his biggest role to date.

The flick is proving to have a ton of star power -- UFC superstar Conor McGregor got a lot of shine in the trailer as his villainous character, "Knox" ... and names like Darren Barnet, Lukas Gage, Jessica Williams and Daniela Melchior landed roles as well.

Kevin Durant's career portfolio is expanding into hip hop music ... the NBA superstar appears to have shot a new music video with rapper Stalley, and he's delivering autobiographical bars!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a video of KD and Stalley vibin' to an audio recording of them while watching basketball highlights on TV ... and the NBA All-Star starter sounds like he's got a lot to get off his chest.

The raps appear to be a classic back-and-forth ... Stalley opens the track by championing his own independent hustle and stress-release practices.

KD eulogizes his late grandmother ... "RIP to Barbara Davis/We hit another layer/When she speak to me, it's like she saying prayers."

He was just named as a starter in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, his 14th appearance, but but gripes about aging players getting discriminated against ... by comparing himself to Randy Moss during the Hall of Fame wide receiver's time with the Oakland Raiders.

Stalley, the Ohio-born rapper, had stints playing college hoops and was also on Rick Ross' Maybach Music label -- so, it's ideal he and KD would spark up a friendship.

KD's worn his hip hop fandom on his sleeve his entire b-ball career and the love has been reciprocated ... Drake, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Kash Doll and several other rap stars have interacted with him, and name-checked him in songs.

UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas -- who just recently scored an impressive win at UFC 294 -- was arrested on Tuesday in Florida following a tense confrontation with police.

According to Escambia County jail records, the 28-year-old was booked on a charge of battery at around 6:13 AM.

Further details surrounding his arrest were not made immediately available ... although video posted to Dumas' Facebook page late Monday night/early Tuesday morning appears to show him getting into a verbal argument with several law enforcement officers just hours before he was thrown behind bars.

In the footage, it looks like Dumas was clearly upset with at least one member of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office ... who had told him they had been called out over "a disturbance."

Dumas repeatedly asked the officers questions before he told one, "I'm beyond f***ing pissed ... I'm just walking to blow off steam and she want to come at me and tell me I'm disrupting?"

The mixed martial artist and the police then went back and forth for several minutes ... before one of the officers told Dumas they had received a call regarding a woman who had said "her boyfriend was banging on the door and ringing the doorbell."

Ultimately, the video ended after it appears the officers put Dumas in handcuffs.

Dumas most recently fought on Oct. 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi ... where he beat Abu Azaitar by unanimous decision.

Taylor Swift not only hit the club with Travis Kelce and co. after the Super Bowl -- but she was there with her parents too ... something she caught on camera and posted online.

The pop star threw up some behind-the-scenes footage Monday night showing off what she had gotten up to the night prior, this after the Chiefs' big win in Vegas ... after which Tay Tay and the team hit the town and painted the town red at after-parties.

As it turns out ... Taylor brought along her mom and dad -- Scott and Andrea -- for at least part of the festivities, something she put on display in an awesome TikTok video.

It's a rare upload for T-Swift (more on this later) and it shows her sitting in a private section of what looks to be Zouk at Resorts World behind the DJ booth ... as she pans to her left and records her parents sitting on the couch next to her, sippin' drinks and taking it all in.

She also recorded Travis who crossed right in front of her ... and he made a goofy face.

Taylor wrote ... "It's a friends and family party they said." She captioned her TikTok further by adding ... "accidentally going clubbing with your parents is something everyone should try at least once in their life." So far, her video has over 18 million views, with lots of likes.

It's interesting for a couple reasons -- for starters, this appears to be the first time Taylor has posted Travis on her official social accounts, so she's 100% claiming him now as the BF.

More importantly, though, this is a major change for Taylor ... as she normally doesn't give much of a peek into her private life. Until now, she'd hardly ever shared something like this.

Just goes to show ... she seems to be a whole new person with Mr. Kelce by her side.

Kendall Jenner was out and about in Vegas this past weekend to enjoy the Super Bowl -- but it looks like one of her exes made it into her suite as well ... and it wasn't Bad Bunny.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed a photo that Michael Rubin's daughter, Kylie, posted on her Insta Story from Sunday ... which shows her sitting next to socialite Will Makris (the dude sleeping in Kim Kardashian's suite) -- and while she was cracking jokes ... others were zooming in on her pic.

The reason for the focus ... Devin Booker was chillin' in the back, seemingly trying to be low-key and enjoy his food -- but certainly sticking out like a sore thumb regardless.

There didn't seem to be anyone else around him in this photo, but the fact he was even there at all -- in the KarJenner suite, no less -- caught the attention of many ... and for good reason. Obviously, he's one of Kendall's many famous exes, and a more recent one at that.

No explicit evidence (yet) that he was hobnobbing with Kendall specifically, but ya gotta figure he was there because of her. Even more fascinating ... Bunny was also in the building.

Photos have been circulating of the Puerto Rican rapper/singer hanging out with Lizzo's crew -- all of whom were rolling with Apple honcho Tim Cook, it seems -- and they were all in a completely separate private suite ... in a completely different part of the stadium too.

On its face, it would appear Kendall might, perhaps, be rekindling things with Devin once again -- whom she broke up with almost 2 years ago -- after her latest romance with Benito.

The interesting thing, of course, is that Kendall was recently spotted hanging with Bad Bunny after their own split a couple months ago. Remember, they'd been seen running with the same crew to ring in the New Year ... and some thought they were getting back together.

If she's chillin' with Devin, though ... that now seems unlikely, especially with BB there in Vegas, but nowhere near her. From this -- you can kinda assume ... they're probably over.

Devin was Kendall's previous boyfriend before Bunny ... so, retracing her steps a bit.

Shaquille O'Neal got his wish by running into Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl ... but he seemed a bit more infatuated with the pop superstar's plus-one on Sunday -- revealing he has a big ol' crush on Ice Spice!!

The four-time NBA champ told TMZ Sports last week he wanted a seat right next to Travis Kelce's girlfriend for the Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers ... and while that didn't happen, he still got to rub elbows with her on at least two different occasions throughout the night -- even gifting her a Judith Leiber bag, which comes with a $4,500 price tag.

Shaq made sure to show his appreciation for his run-in with Swift -- who ended up sitting with the "Think U The S*** (Fart)" rapper, Kelce fam and Blake Lively instead -- going to Instagram to share the interactions with his followers ... as well as his a special shoutout to 24-year-old IS.

"and @icespice is so dam fine thanks @taylorswift," Shaq said on social media ... which undoubtedly sounds like shooting his shot.

His comment section was flooded with similar takeaways ... with one user joking, "Shaq shot his shot… but it was a free throw 😞"

Another added ... "The last thing I’d expect on my page is Shaq saying ice spice is fine."

Unclear what Ice thought of the gesture ... but gotta respect Shaq's courage to throw it all out there, even if it goes over like a "fart" in a windstorm.