TMZ Sports - Page 7

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Sydney Zoo date was cute and all ... but PETA says they should've been mindful of how the animals are treated/handled in this type of environment.

Debbie Metzler --  PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Welfare -- uses Taylor's own song against her to make her point ... telling TMZ, "While we understand all too well the appeal of seeing Australia's wildlife, PETA hopes that next time Taylor and Travis want to see wild animals, they'll spend their time and money at a true sanctuary."

They add that a sanctuary is a better choice 'cause visitors aren't allowed to feed/touch the animals there ... in fact, they're required to keep a respectful distance from them altogether. The zoo there, on the other hand, apparently lets you get hands-on with the wildlife.

Of course, Traylor was doing one of the things PETA advised not to do ... namely, feeding a kangaroo at Sydney Zoo while also checking out a bunch of other animal exhibitions.

The lovebirds were like two kids in a candy store ... enjoying their time at the attraction during their first Sydney reunion date. However, Taylor seems to have known they'd have a blast there -- as she'd already scoped out the place earlier the previous day.

Of course, the pair are just trying to pack in as much time together as possible before Tay Tay gets busy with her final 4 Sydney concerts -- but on this animal adventure specifically, PETA clearly disapproves.

For next time, Taylor and Travis might want to take PETA's advice and head to a local animal sanctuary on their next date ... that is, if they actually care what the org thinks about it.

As you're probably well aware -- PETA tends to sound off on any and all celebs who they feel are acting inappropriately as it pertains to animals/animal rights -- and here ... they're saying Taylor and Travis should've considered a better option for sightseeing.

Can't please everyone. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The assault charge Isaiah Stewart had been facing for allegedly socking Drew Eubanks in the face was dismissed on Thursday ... after prosecutors said the Phoenix Suns player didn't want to move forward with the case against the Detroit Pistons center.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, officials filed a motion in Arizona to dismiss the case this week ... explaining Eubanks "no longer desires prosecution in this matter."

A judge signed off on the motion a short time later -- putting Stewart in the clear.

The 22-year-old was slated to have a hearing in the case on Friday -- less than two weeks after cops say witnesses told them he had punched Eubanks in the parking tunnel of the Footprint Center following an argument just before they were slated to compete in a game against each other.

But, a court official tells us the hearing has now been scrapped following the dismissal of the case.

Stewart, however, was still punished by the NBA for his involvement in the altercation ... the league said Thursday it was hitting him with a three-game ban without pay.

The Detroit Pistons will be without Isaiah Stewart for three games ... 'cause the NBA just suspended the forward for punching Suns player Drew Eubanks in an arena hallway on Valentine's Day.

The NBA announced the news on Thursday, just over a week after Stewart allegedly hit Eubanks during a heated argument in the bowels of Footprint Arena hours before the Pistons-Suns game in Arizona.

In a statement, the league said ... "Detroit Pistons forward-center Isaiah Stewart has been suspended three games without pay for initiating a physical altercation with Phoenix Suns forward-center Drew Eubanks," adding, "Stewart punched and pushed Eubanks during the altercation."

In fact, the situation was serious enough that Phoenix PD were called to the scene to investigate, and Stewart was ultimately arrested for assault.

Simultaneously, the NBA launched its own inquiry ... and announced its findings today.

Despite being charged with a crime, Stewart -- who's averaging 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this season -- clearly wasn't concerned about the assault rap ... his attorney Alex Spiro told us he expected the "case to be dismissed."

Sure enough, officials in AZ tell us the case has been dropped.

Matt Araiza -- the former Bills punter who was cut by Buffalo in the 2022 preseason after a woman alleged he sexually assaulted her -- is now signing with the Chiefs ... roughly two months after his accuser dropped her lawsuit against him.

The 23-year-old football player's agents announced the move on social media Thursday afternoon ... praising the kicker for how he's handled everything since the allegations were first brought against him nearly two years ago.

"We are grateful to Brett Veach, coach [Andy] Reid and the @Chiefs organization for giving Matt this opportunity," JL Sports officials wrote on X. "Matt has been to hell and back in the last 18 months. He has handled himself with grace and humility that is truly inspiring."

They added, "Matt can now move forward knowing that this ordeal is behind him. He is thrilled to move forward as a part of the #ChiefsKingdom."

As we previously reported, Araiza's accuser claimed in a suit filed back in August '22 that when she was 17 years old, Araiza and two of his college football teammates raped her while she was attending a 2021 Halloween party at the punter's San Diego-area home.

Araiza was adamant at the time the claims were false ... and in December 2022, some four months after she filed the suit, prosecutors announced they would not be pressing charges against the NFLer.

"There is no path to a potential criminal conviction," they said in revealing their decision.

A year later, in December 2023, Araiza's attorneys announced the woman had dropped her suit after the parties reached an agreement.

"Matt is not paying the plaintiff any money," Araiza's lawyers said in a statement, "and he is reserving his right to pursue the plaintiff’s attorney, Dan Gilleon, and his law office for the harm that they have caused him."

Randy Moss didn't learn of his trade to the Patriots on a football field, weight room or at an NFL facility ... no, he says it all actually went down at a nightclub!!

The Hall of Famer made the revelation on the newest episode of "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" -- explaining that he was outside of a hot spot getting ready to party when Bill Belichick hit his line about acquiring him from Oakland.

Moss said initially, he thought it was a prankster, so he hung up.

"I was like, 'Well, maybe he doesn't want to come to New England,'" Belichick said of the 2007 call. "So, then I called him again."

Moss said he again thought it was someone yanking his chain ... but then The Hoodie got serious.

"He cut straight to the chase," Moss said of Belichick. "He said, 'Look, man, if you're not up here by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, no trade.'"

Moss then went inside and celebrated his face off ... with none other than a grip of beer!!!

"I held one of my Coronas," he said. "And said, 'I'm going to be a Patriot!'"

Of course, Moss went on to make history in Foxborough ... in the three seasons after Belichick traded for a 4th-round pick for him, he logged 3,904 receiving yards and a staggering 50 TDs -- including a record 23 in 2007. He also helped lead the Pats to an undefeated regular season that year -- although they ultimately lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.

Sean Strickland is apparently taking on all challengers both inside and outside the Octagon these days ... getting into a scrap on Thursday with a man right on top of a mountain!!!

The impromptu wrestling match happened on a ski slope that appears to be somewhere in North America ... after a dude who Strickland may or may not have known asked him for a wrestling match amid a flurry of snow.

Of course, as one of the baddest men in the UFC -- the former middleweight champ accepted ... and seconds later, the two were locking horns.

Initially, Strickland's opponent seemed to hold his own as a group of snowboarders gathered around and cheered on the action ... but it didn't take long for the MMA star to get control.

And, after a few moments, Strickland made the guy tap. Later, he celebrated the unique win on Instagram.

"Always a good time on the mountain!!!!" the 32-year-old said. "Yall need to stop challenging me lmao!!!!!"

Strickland has made a bit of a habit of beating up non-pros lately ... he took on social media star Sneako in a sparring sesh a few days ago, and after toying with him for a few minutes -- he made the influencer bleed.

Johnny Manziel says he withered from 210 pounds all the way down to 170 just months after his NFL career ended ... explaining his body morphed due to "a strict diet of blow."

The former Heisman Trophy winner opened up about his struggles following his Cleveland playing days during a recent, two-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe.

In the chat on the "Club Shay Shay" podcast ... Manziel admitted he was at nearly rock bottom once he had failed the Browns in 2015 at 23 years old -- so he turned to the Las Vegas party scene to pick him up.

Apparently, his trip to Sin City included a lot of cocaine ... something he says changed his figure into an unrecognizable one.

"At that point in time, man," Manziel said, "I would look in a mirror and I didn't see myself any different than when I was in Cleveland. Until I stepped on a scale at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, I didn't realize I had lost 40 pounds at all."

"I remember these pictures came out," he continued. "I was like, 'Damn. What am I doing? Ah, whatever, we'll figure that out later. Let's go again.'"

Manziel said in addition to coke, he was also using OxyContin and Percocets.

Johnny Football went on to lament other parts of his life in his talk with Sharpe -- including his strained relationship with LeBron James.

After Cleveland had drafted the Texas A&M QB, LeBron signed him to his agency ... and throughout his time with the Browns, Manziel said the NBA superstar tried to take him under his wing. But, while battling poor play and subsequent depression, he said he pushed the hooper away.

"LeBron would text me every week to come over to the house and watch a game or play poker with the boys and just tried to be there," Manziel said. "And I was so depressed for the first time in my life that even my biggest role model and inspiration in my life couldn't get me out of bed to come and hang out with him."

Manziel added that he still feels to this day he let the future basketball Hall of Famer down.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are reunited down under -- and their first order of business as a couple was to go back to the zoo she was just at the day prior ... talk about déjà vu.

The lovebirds were seen hand in hand Thursday walking through the Sydney Zoo -- taking in the sights and peeping all the animal exhibitions. Tay Tay seemed to take the lead in showing him around ... which makes sense since she was literally there 24 hours before his arrival.

The attraction must've left a good impression on her, 'cause she clearly thought it'd be worth taking TK for round 2. Indeed ... she was playing the tour guide, as seen in these sky pics obtained by Australia's Channel 9 News. Heck, Traylor even fed a kangaroo at one point!

Now, they came off like they usually do as they moseyed around ... namely, super in love and tied at the hip. Not only were they holding hands, but they were locked in a hug a few different times as well. So, yeah ... they're still going strong and very into each other.

As we reported ... Travis was en route to Sydney Wednesday after hopping on a private jet Tuesday night from L.A. and making a pit stop in Hawaii.

Now, in terms of privacy ... it doesn't appear Taylor and Travis had the place shut down for themselves -- there were other zoo sightseers walking around, but they did seem to have their own little bubble without being bombarded by fans and gawkers. Thank you, security!

They got a few days together through the weekend -- however, Taylor will be busy ... as she's got 4 shows to do. Safe to say, Trav will be in attendance.

Ya gotta wonder what else they'll get into ... Sydney's a cool town, and there's lots to see/do. We'll be on the lookout for some bridge shots -- everybody heads there down under.

Have fun, you two!

The apple ain't fall too far from the tree with Cristiano Ronaldo and his 13-year-old son, CR Jr. ... 'cause the two look just alike -- even down to their shredded abs!

The proof's in the photos that 39-year-old Ronaldo dropped Thursday on Instagram featuring Cristiano Jr. ... giving his 622+ million followers a view of their physique during their workout sesh.

"Today with my partner ❤️," Ronaldo said in the caption.

The father-and-son snap got over 9 million likes within five hours ... and more than 76K comments, with one writing, "The king and heir to the throne🔥"

Of course, this father-and-son training session comes just a day after Ronaldo scored his 876th career goal in the AFC Champions League, helping lead Al-Nassr to the quarter-finals with a win over Al Feiha in the round of 16.

Like pops, Cristiano Jr. also plays soccer. He spent two seasons with the Juventus youth team before signing with Al-Nassr U13 last October.

And, as an ode to his superstar dad ... he also wears No. 7.

Motocross star Jayden "Jayo" Archer -- a two-time X Games medalist and the first person to land a triple backflip in competition -- died this week after crashing during trick practice in Australia.

He was just 27 years old.

Archer -- a member of the renowned action sports group Nitro Circus -- was reportedly attempting to recreate his famed upside-down move during drills in Melbourne on Wednesday ... when he tragically lost control of his bike.

Travis Pastrana, Nitro Circus' co-founder, said in a statement to ESPN he was devastated to learn of the news.

"This really hit home," the motocross legend said. "Jayo grew up in a time when action sports was at its biggest, and he always wanted to do the big stuff like the double and the triple, even though there weren't a lot of places to showcase those bigger tricks."

"He was a great human first," Pastrana added, "a hard worker second and a bad motherf***er third."

Archer first began racing for Nitro Circus when he was a teenager ... but gained national notoriety in 2022 -- when he became the first rider ever to hit a triple backflip at the Nitro World Games in Australia.

After the stunt, he proposed to his girlfriend, and she said yes. The two were reportedly set to get married this year.

"Jayo was the epitome of passion, hard work & determination," Nitro Circus said in a post on its Instagram page. "He pushed what was possible on a dirt bike to heights never seen before. A positive influence to those around him. And above all else a great human being and friend to us all."

"Sending our thoughts and love to Jayo’s family and friends. We love you mate."

Former Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman in a nightclub in 2022.

Spain's top court in Catalonia decided on the sentence on Thursday following a three-day trial earlier this month where the 40-year-old former Barcelona star was found guilty of the December '22 crime.

The woman testified at trial that after dancing with Alves at a New Year's Eve party, they went to the bathroom, but she decided she wanted to leave ... that's when she said she was raped.

As for the 4 1/2 year punishment, the court said, "the sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven."

Alves will also have to pay a near-$163k fine to the victim.

It's not nearly the sentence length prosecutors were hoping for ... they wanted Alves thrown behind bars for 9 years. The victim was hoping for even more.

Despite the sentence, the victim's lawyer, David Saenz said they were happy the court acknowledged "that the victim was telling the truth and that she suffered."

Alves initially denied any wrongdoing, claiming he didn't know the woman, but later changed his story several times.

After biological evidence was presented, Alves admitted he had sex with the woman, insisting it was consensual ... saying he only lied because he was married.

Alves' lawyer Ines Guardiola continued to insist her client's innocent, announcing they'd appeal.

"I still believe in Dani Alves' innocence. We haven't read the whole sentence yet because it's very long, but we are going to study it in detail now. We defend [Alves'] innocence."

Before the arrest, Alves was considered one of the best defensive players of all time ... and spent time with Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris-Saint Germain during his 20-year career.

12:18 PM PT -- Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports ... Michael and his camp have actually not heard from Shaquem's agent to discuss the selling of rights for his movie and no talks have been had at all.

Shaquem Griffin says interest in a biopic about his life has recently exploded ... so much so, he tells TMZ Sports Michael B. Jordan has shown interest in acquiring it!!

The former NFL star -- who inspiringly made it to the league despite having his left hand amputated when he was just 4 years old -- has been working on a movie about his life journey for over two years.

He told us out at Super Bowl week in Las Vegas that, initially, he wanted to get the flick out ASAP. But, he said as more and more people have become aware of the project, he's seen plenty eager to get their hands on it ... including Adonis Creed himself.

He explained ... his agent has been in talks with Jordan's Outlier Society production company -- and he's confident even more are going to come forward as the script gets closer and closer to being done.

"Something special is finna happen," Griffin said.

Unclear if MBJ would have his eyes on the starring role ... but if he did, Griffin would clearly endorse it, even if they would then need to add his limb difference via CGI.

Griffin has now been out of the NFL since the 2021 season ... but he's stayed busy in retirement. In addition to working on his movie, his twin brother told us back in 2022 he's become a damn good motivational speaker as well.

We're almost at the finish line in the week, but TMZ's just getting started on our TV shows!

Let's start at 'TMZ Live,' where Harvey and Courtney discussed news of Gisele Bundchen and Joaquim Valente being together as a couple ... which has apparently been going on since June 2023 -- something people close to Tom Brady are calling bull crap on.

Take a look to see what we mean ... apparently, folks in his world are insisting they've been hooking since at least 2021 -- which, if true, is ... well, a little messy to say the least.

On 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about Kelly Rowland and this wild story about her storming off the set of the 'Today' show after apparently not liking the quality of her dressing room.

There was some debate on whether she was right or wrong ... strong feelings on this one.

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' Mojo, Edward and Lucas talked about Marshawn Lynch's DUI deal.

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

Shaun Weiss has some fans thinking he relapsed on drugs ... but he says folks are reading way too far into a video he posted online.

The "Mighty Ducks" star shared a video Wednesday on Instagram, talking about how blessed he is to be paid to travel around and interact with fans ... but his physical appearance seemed to throw people off.

Shaun, who recently celebrated 4 years of sobriety, is looking kinda thin and he has a red substance smudged between his eyes ... leading some to wonder if he busted his head open, even though his caption says it's "consecrated ash from Sadhguru."

Shaun tells TMZ ... he's still 100% clean and has not relapsed.

He says he's doing great and has never been better, adding ... "If I ever need help I promise I will reach out to people. No going backward."

As for what's on his forehead, Shaun tells us it's from his "spiritual practice." He says it's supposed to "activate my third eye."

Shaun says he's getting into the inner engineering teachings of Sadhguru, a famous Yogi ... telling us, "It has been a game changer in terms of my overall balance and levels of joy."

The video that first sparked relapse concern among fans was on Shaun's page for about 5 hours until we talked to him ... and he's since uploaded a new video where he wipes off the red substance from his face and says he's fine and there's nothing to worry about.

6:30 PM PT -- The first sign of Travis Kelce in Australia has surfaced, and the dude looks ... well, beat.

Here's a shot of the tight end arriving in Sydney Wednesday (or Thursday on his time), and yes ... the dude was pretty straight-faced and serious as he got off his private jet. Ya gotta imagine he's stoked to be there for Taylor Swift ... but yeah, that was a long ass flight. Woof ...

2:58 PM PT -- Travis Kelce has officially touched down in Australia, hopping off his private jet just minutes ago.

Travis Kelce is on his way to see his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in Australia -- in fact, he's currently en route ... and he'll be landing there bright and early, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Travis is, in fact, aboard a private jet at the moment that's on its way to Sydney right now ... and it looks like he's taking a similar flight path that she did when she left Vegas after the Super Bowl to get back to work in Melbourne.

We know Travis went from Los Angeles to Hawaii overnight -- where he landed for a pit stop -- and then continued on his journey very early this AM ... and is up in the air as we speak.

Our sources tell us Travis grabbed dinner in L.A. Tuesday evening before jumping on a plane around 9 PM and jetting on over to the islands. We're told he chowed down at Nobu Malibu -- and seems to have laid relatively low, 'cause there aren't many eyewitness sightings.

Of course, he'll now be joining Tay Tay down under ahead of a string of shows she's got scheduled through the weekend ... this after missing her Melbourne slate. Here, he's making up for it by catching the latter half of her Aussie shows ... 4 of 'em running through Monday.

Unclear if Travis is gonna stick around and hit up Singapore with Taylor afterward -- where she's scheduled to perform next -- but for now ... she'll have TK by her side in Sydney.

Travis has been traveling quite a bit over the past 48 hours -- as we reported, he was in Vegas (again) Monday for a little bro time and some golf ... but beelined outta there quick.

There's been a lot of speculation on when (or if) he'd join Taylor at some point ... and now, we know he will. The reason for the doubt had to do with the Kansas City shooting -- which threw Travis and his whole team for a loop, and seemingly set his plans back a bit.

He was just in Kansas City this past weekend ... but since then, he's been bouncing around.

Travis' dad, Ed, did an interview earlier this week where he said his boy sounded keen on coming down there and enjoying the Aussie landscape -- as it turns out, he was right.

Get ready, Taylor ... here comes, Travis!!!

We'll be talking all things Taylor on the new "TMZ Swift-Tea Podcast" -- available on all podcast platforms.

Ex-NFL star Adrian Peterson claims his most prized possessions are being sold without his consent ... and now, he's planning to sue over the matter.

Numerous items belonging to the All-Pro running back -- including his 2012 Most Valuable Player and 2007 Rookie of the Year trophies -- hit the auction block this week ... which led many to wonder if Peterson had fallen on hard times and was looking to make a quick buck after earning more than $100 million on the field throughout his career.

The former first-round pick cleared the air on Wednesday ... saying he was just as shocked as everyone else when news of the auction made rounds on social media.

"I want to clarify recent rumors and media reports," Peterson said in a video. "An estate sale company without my authorization included some of my trophies in a sale, despite clear instructions to leave personal items untouched."

Peterson's rep, Denise White, further explained to TMZ Sports he had a storage unit full of old stuff ... so he hired the Texmax Auctions company to get rid of whatever he didn't want anymore -- but he had no intent to include anything of personal value.

Worth noting -- Peterson made his way around the league during his lengthy career ... so we're told he had several storage units throughout the country and had no clue these specific items would be included.

White tells us they've made several attempts to make contact with the company to fix the issue ... but have not heard back as of this post.

Peterson continued ... "I did not authorize the sale of my trophies and am taking legal action. Trusting the company without supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful."