TMZ Sports - Page 46

Vanessa Hudgens has an optimistic outlook regarding her breakup with Austin Butler ... 'cause she says it led her to her husband, so she's happy things ended with him.

The actress got candid about how prior failed relationships made her reevaluate things on Wednesday's episode of the "She Pivots" podcast. As Vanessa explained ... her splitting from AB in 2020 led her to Cole Tucker, whom she calls the "right person."

Vanessa -- who married Cole in December in a lavish wedding in Mexico -- made it clear she couldn't be more grateful for her MLB player spouse in the wake of the Butler split.

She says, "He's just the most supportive, real understanding human being that I've ever met."

Despite VH and AB's frosty reunion at the 2023 Oscars -- where Vanessa infamously walked by Austin at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party without saying a word -- it seems there's no bad blood between the exes ... but then again, her words here do kinda sound like a dig.

Austin recently emphasized the love and care he says he still has for Vanessa in an interview from February ... this after catching flak for labeling her as nothing more than a friend, even though they dated for nearly 10 years.

As we reported ... Austin referred to his ex of almost a decade as just a friend when detailing how his iconic role in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" came to be. Yet ... during a chat with Esquire last month -- he defended that he didn't mean to downplay their love story -- he just wanted to protect her from having to comment on their past relationship.

It's clear that everyone has happily moved on these days -- with Austin now dating Kaia Gerber. Of course, Vanessa is now a married woman herself ... and looks smitten with Cole.

Closure all around ... or so it seems!

Travis Kelce is going back overseas to see Taylor Swift perform in concert again -- only this time, he's flying to Asia to catch her ... and it looks like his personal team is tagging along.

The Chiefs tight end is all set to head to Singapore to see her perform while she's still in town -- her shows run from Thursday through the weekend. After that, she's got a nice long break before the "Eras" tour kicks up again in May ... at which point, she'll be hitting up Europe.

For now ... Travis will join her where she's been for about a week now -- as confirmed by TK's manager, André Eanes, who's apparently also going to Singapore to see Taylor too.

A coach named Eric Flannery posted a photo of himself hobnobbing with Travis' manager at the Cavs game, and wrote ... "Great catching up with @dreeanes at the Cavs game tonight. Former @SEHS_BASKETBALL player and now the Kelce’s manager, doing a great job!! Heading out to Taylor Swift concert tomorrow in Singapore-safe travels!!"

So, yeah ... sounds like Travis will be en route to Singapore here in a bit -- but it remains to be seen when exactly he'll arrive ... and if he and Taylor will have any time to themselves.

Like we said, she's got a show scheduled for Thursday night ... so if he's flying today, he might be cutting it close. In any case, he'll likely catch one of her upcoming shows.

The last time Travis was with Taylor was a couple weeks ago when he was in Sydney for a brief visit -- where they hit up the zoo together on a romantic date ... not to mention him crashing one of her concerts as well, which ended with a nice public smooch post-show.

Travis was only there for a couple days or so before he jetted on back to Vegas to continue partying with his Chiefs teammates to celebrate their Super Bowl Victory ... yes, again.

After that, Trav was here in L.A. for a bit playing some golf and hanging with friends -- and before long ... he was out in Philadelphia to help his brother, Jason, ring in some big news.

As we reported ... JK announced he was retiring from the NFL, and it proved to be an emotional moment -- with Jason tearing up at the podium, and even Travis himself crying.

Following, Jason's retirement presser ... the two Kelce brothers hit up their hometown of Cleveland for a Cavaliers game -- and they had the red carpet rolled out for them there too.

Now, Travis is reuniting with his girlfriend ... safe to say, he's a busy man these days -- perhaps even more so than he was during the season. Makes sense ... with him dating Taylor, he's arguably more popular than ever -- and he's obviously very much so in demand.

Soon, we'll have some new visuals of him and Tay Tay ... and yeah, we all need our fix. It's been a minute!

Travis Kelce apparently had a helluva time down undah last month ... saying this week he loved his trip to Australia to see Taylor Swift -- praising the Sydney zoo ... and the crowd that showed out for her "Eras" tour performance.

The Kansas City Chiefs star gushed about his Feb. 22 visit to see his girlfriend on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast ... talking about it all with his brother, Jason Kelce, for around 15 minutes.

He spoke about the huge amount of media attention he received -- noting that cameras surrounded him the second he touched down at the airport.

"You're like the Beatles," Jason joked on pod.

Then Travis got into breaking down his zoo date with Swift ... explaining in great detail about all the fun he had checking out the animals with his boo.

Travis said he got to pet several creatures -- including a red panda -- and fed some, too. He did say, though, that photogs circled over their heads the entire time.

"They helicoptered us," Travis said. "Well, not us -- Taylor. This all because Taylor is the biggest and best thing possible."

Travis also had a ton of kind words for the fans at Taylor's show -- explaining that he thought the Sydney crowd was louder than the one he experienced in Argentina ... something he didn't seem to believe could be possible.

"Taylor's very fond of performing in Australia," Travis added.

The guys also talked about a whole lot more on the pod -- including Jason's retirement from the Eagles ... which the elder Kelce said ultimately came down to he wasn't sure if his body would hold up to the rigors of the NFL season any longer.

At one point, though, when reflecting on the end of Jason's career, Travis began to cry.

Cam Newton is officially a father of 8 ... his girlfriend, comedian Jasmin Brown, recently had a baby, revealing the amazing news in a funny video on Instagram!!!

It's unclear exactly when Brown -- famously known as 'Watch Jazzy' -- gave birth to their bundle of joy ... but the baby's here now, and mom had a question for her fellow mothers.

"How long we gotta wear these diapers for?" Brown asked. "The s*** is annoying! I wanna wear a thong!"

That's when you see 34-year-old Brown talking to her baby as the child makes noises off-camera.

"You want me to wear a diaper 'cause you have on a diaper?!" Brown said. "Okay, we'll be diaper twins"

"You don't want mommy in a thong, I get it. My baby don't want me to wear no thong!

The video comes just weeks after Newton and Brown's glamorous baby shower ... where they partied with family and friends to celebrate her first pregnancy.

"What excites me the most about motherhood is the fact that I get to go hard for a person that I’ll love with all my life," Brown said.

"I’m excited to pour all this love I have into my child. I think becoming a mom will honestly complete me. I am truly overjoyed."

Newton -- who last played for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 -- has seven other kids, including two stepchildren.

Cam also has children with ex-fiancee Kia Proctor and ex-GF LaReina Shaw.

New police video shows Haywood Highsmith was visibly shaken up after being involved in a gruesome car crash last month ... appearing to be on the verge of tears in the minutes after the wreck.

The footage was captured on a Miami-Dade Police Dept. officer's body camera at around 11:20 PM on Feb. 6 ... shortly after Highsmith had played in the Heat's game against the Magic at the nearby Kaseya Center.

In the clip, you can see as a cop was questioning Highsmith about how he ran into a 21-year-old who was helping a stranded motorist in the middle of the roadway, causing serious injuries, the basketball player was emotional.

Highsmith, who at one point needed to be consoled by a woman at the scene, told the officer the car he slammed into had been stopped with no lights on. Other witnesses in the area can be heard in the footage saying similar things.

"It didn't have emergency lights on," one said, "at all."

"It was just abandoned in the middle," another added, "blacked out."

Police documents state Haywood was driving 45 MPH in a 40 MPH zone when he hit Alekxei Pino and another car from behind. The docs say Pino sustained a partial amputation on his right leg, as well as a compound fracture to his left leg.

Cops say they believe drugs and alcohol were not involved -- but Highsmith was still issued a citation for careless driving. He didn't play in Miami's game the following night on Feb. 7 -- although he's logged minutes in multiple Heat games since.

Pino, meanwhile, has filed a lawsuit against Highsmith, claiming the hooper's careless actions on the roadway caused him to suffer life-altering injuries that will require "a very long road of rehabilitation."

The Kelce Bros. weren't the only superstar athletes at the Cavs game Tuesday night -- the world's best eater, Joey Chestnut, rolled through Cleveland as well ... putting his unbelievable abilities on display for everyone in attendance!!

Jaws returned to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the Wine and Gold's home matchup against the Boston Celtics ... but the real contest went down at halftime, when the hot dog champ faced off against three normies in a pierogi challenge.

Chestnut -- who's by far the most famous figure in professional eating -- completely wrecked the field ... finishing 39 dumplings in two minutes, while everyone else combined for 23.

Joey looked pretty stuffed after the final buzzer -- his eyes got super wide as he was handed a championship belt.

It's not the first time Chestnut has taken on a trio of Cavs fans -- he previously crushed 47 back in 2022.

Joey was eating fast, but the Kelces were drinking just as quickly ... 'cause Jason and Travis gulped on some beers in the blink of an eye while at the big game.

Travis and Jason Kelce were honored with small statues at the Cleveland Cavaliers game Tuesday, but it's not quite what you think ... they each got their own bobblehead dolls!

The Kelce brothers showed up at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in their hometown of Cleveland last evening – and they sat front and center for the Cavs matchup against the Boston Celtics. The Cavs won in a squeaker 105-104.

But that was only part of the excitement in the arena. Turns out Cavs fans all received special bobbleheads of Travis and Jason in Cleveland jerseys with basketballs gripped in their hands. As you know, the Kelces grew up in Cleveland Heights and attended high school in the suburbs.

The two guests of honor were also invited onto the court by the Cavs before the game started. Jason was handed his very own number "62" jersey in a picture frame after his emotional retirement from the NFL this week.

Travis and Jason were later filmed with their personal bobbleheads, giving the dolls their stamp of approval. Check out the video posted to X ... the siblings did a pretty funny bit with Travis' only criticism being that he forgot to wear a neck chain like his figurine.

Looks like Jason's diving headfirst into retirement ... and flaming tables!

The bros shot a stunt promo for this week's episode of their "New Heights" podcast where Jason did the bulk of the work -- leaping on to a flaming table, while Travis stood on the sidelines on laughing his ass off.

As for Travis' girlfriend Taylor Swift, the superstar singer has been galivanting around the world on her "Eras" tour and has a few more shows in Singapore.

Donovan McNabb says Jason Kelce's legendary Eagles career was truly special -- not only because he solidified his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but also due to the fact he was able to spend every season in Philadelphia.

The NFL legend spoke with TMZ Sports on the heels of Kelce's retirement announcement this week ... and he said the center did something rare in the City of Brotherly Love -- call it home for the entirety of his career.

McNabb pointed out even fellow greats like Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook had to throw on different jerseys before retiring as Eagles ... but Kelce was an exception.

"It says a lot about Jason and the things he stood for out in Philadelphia," McNabb -- who also played for Washington and Minnesota during his career -- said.

Kelce -- a 6th-round pick in 2011 -- played 13 seasons for the Eagles ... winning a Super Bowl and earning six first-team All-Pro selections.

He was as emotional as it gets when he officially announced his decision to walk away ... and McNabb loved how he did it in true Kelce fashion (including the sleeveless t-shirt look).

"It was Jason's moment," he said of the retirement speech. "He and his wife have kind of implemented that they are all about Philadelphia, they're all about the Eagles, and for a guy like Jason and the things he's been able to do in his career, he will rank among at least the top 50 of all of us who have retired and played for the Philadelphia Eagles."

It's hump day, and while we're almost done with the week ... we're just getting started on TV.

Let's kick things off with 'TMZ Live,' where Charles and Charlie talked about the latest wave of concern for Taylor Swift from her adoring fans ... this time, it came in the form of comments that suggested she was sick over a perceived cough at her Singapore show.

Obviously, their angst comes from a good place ... but Taylor's doing just fine, everyone!

Next, we land on 'TMZ on TV' ... where the gang talked about Charles Barkley's promise to put hands on any Black person who he saw rocking the Donald Trump mug shot in 2024.

Strong words, of course ... and it spurred even stronger debate in the newsroom here.

Finally, we finish with 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock and Mojo talked about Russell Wilson.

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

Dave Bautista is giving kudos to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for being respectful movie-goers -- but on the topic of his own flick crushing it ... DB ain't handing himself flowers.

We got the actor Tuesday at LAX where our photog brought out the fact that Bennifer got caught picking up their own trash and tidying up at the theaters this week while watching 'Dune 2' ... which just so happens to star in.

Check it out ... Dave tells us that what Ben and Jen did -- namely, cleaning up their own crap -- is SOP as far as he's concerned ... and even says he does it himself all the time.

AKA ... anyone who's not already being anti-slob is screwing the pooch in Dave's eyes.

Now, in terms of how successful 'Dune 2' has been at the box office -- and it certainly has been, numbers don't lie -- it's actually an accomplishment Dave wants no credit for whatsoever.

He tells us he only plays a small part in the larger picture, and the film doing well isn't on him ... which is quite the humble take. He might have a supporting role -- but he's definitely part of the A-list star power attached to this ... as is Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, etc.

In fact ... Dave tells us he's completely detached from the performance side of the film.

Josh Allen is adamant he wasn't being a bad boyfriend when he left Hailee Steinfeld in a car out in Paris this week ... explaining Tuesday he was simply rushing to fix a wardrobe malfunction!!

The Buffalo Bills star went viral late Monday night ... after cameras caught him rushing away from Steinfeld amid a night out during Paris Fashion Week.

Video shows as the door of Allen and Steinfeld's ride opened ... he quickly jetted into a nearby building before Hailee seemingly had a chance to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Fans all over social media were critical of the 27-year-old signal-caller's actions, calling him rude and unchivalrous. But, in a hilarious tweet featuring three emojis -- Allen said none of it was what it appeared to be.

"My pants ripped at dinner," he said. "Didn’t want cheeks out…"

"I love Paris," he added.

It appears to be a believable excuse -- you can see in the clip he does have a shirt tied around his waist ... seemingly in an effort to block cameras from getting a good look at his rear end.

Plus, Allen -- who's been dating Steinfeld for most of the past year -- was seen earlier in the week playing the role of a gentleman well, holding a car door open for Steinfeld as she posed for pics with fans.

As the NFL world gathered in Indianapolis this past weekend to rub elbows with the newest crop of top rookie prospects ... Bill Belichick was roughly 600 miles away -- watching cheerleading.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former New England Patriots head coach opted to forgo the NFL Combine on Saturday in favor of attending the 2024 Coastal At The Capitol cheerleading event in National Harbor, Md.

Witnesses tell us the 71-year-old had a seat in the back row of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center to catch at least one of the competing teams' routines ... before he left.

We're told Belichick declined to take pictures while there -- although he was polite and cordial to fans throughout his time at the venue.

It's unclear exactly why the future Hall of Famer was in the building ... we've reached out to a rep for the coach for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, Belichick is usually buried inside Lucas Oil Stadium around this time of year ... scouting potential draft picks.

NFL legend Donovan McNabb is expanding his business portfolio and getting closer to his fans at the same time ... telling TMZ Sports he's invested in a virtual autograph company.

The former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback explained his decision to partner with FanFair Signatures -- a request-based digital keepsake outlet -- and he said it's a unique way for athletes to interact with their supporters, which could be a real game-changer.

Think Cameo ... but for digitally handwritten personalized prints.

McNabb said he loves to sign items and write personal notes for football fans ... but his packed schedule can make it hard to fulfill everyone's wishes when he's out and about.

He said FanFair simplifies that process by sending fans' requests directly to him so he can write out personal notes and his Hancock using a stylus on an app -- which then get thrown on a print and delivered to the recipients.

McNabb believes he's spearheading a movement ... and sees other athletes following his lead by joining the company in the future as well.

A big air jump went horribly wrong for a skier when he collided with A CHAIRLIFT -- and it was all caught on video!

You can't make this up ... skier Ivan Jones was at the Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada over the weekend when the incident happened.

Jones shared the clip on Instagram ... you see the 17-year-old launch himself into the air, attempting a flat spin 360 in the air near the Top of The World Chair lift.

His stunt, unfortunately, was attempted at precisely the wrong time ... as a chairlift was going by, and Jones smacked right into it before crashing down to the snow covered ground.

Thankfully the ski lift chair was empty and Jones was left with just a few bumps and bruises.

Witnesses, and everyone who watched the clip, had pretty much the same reaction ... disbelief!

A Lake Louise Ski Resort spokesperson said they're happy Jones wasn't seriously injured, but advised guests to do stunts only in select areas.

"There's a reason why we have terrain parks," the spokesperson said. "To give people the opportunity to practice and do these kind of stunts."

Vince McMahon pocketed over $400 million in an instant on Monday ... selling a chunk of his TKO stock following his departure from the company over sexual assault allegations, according to a recent SEC filing.

McMahon dumped 5,350,000 shares -- about 25% of his stock -- while still holding on to his remaining stake in WWE and UFC's parent company, which is around 15 million shares.

The SEC filing notes the value of the stocks at $411.95 million ... though they could be worth closer to $436 million, as yesterday's TKO stock price closed at $81.67 (times 5.35 million shares).

The news comes just over one month after the former honcho resigned from his role as TKO's executive chairman as a result of a former staffer's lawsuit filing ... which accused him of heinous sexual acts and misconduct.

McMahon has maintained his innocence ... but felt it was necessary to step down "out of respect for the WWE Universe."

This is the second big stock dump for McMahon -- back in November, he sold 8,400,000 shares ... netting around $700 million.

Tyreek Hill has a bone to pick with Rick Ross ... claiming the rap superstar should've given him a call instead of posting his burning house all over social media.

Rozay -- who lives right across the street from the Miami Dolphins receiver -- documented the smoky scene from his yard on Jan. 3 ... providing his millions of followers with commentary and speculating the blaze was sparked by an electrical problem.

Hill was less than thrilled by Ross' reaction ... 'cause when speaking about the accident on "The Pivot," he admitted he felt the musician should've blown up his phone.

"First off, I just wanna say, Rick Ross, bro -- I can't vibe with you now, bro," Hill said. "I can't f*** with you no more, bro."

"Rick Ross, man. You had the audacity to talk to a fireman instead of come protect -- you got my number, bro," Hill continued. "You get on Twitter, posting me all over Twitter, like, after what me and my family went through. You're supposed to be the neighbor -- the neighborhood hero!!"

Former Jaguars star and Pivot cohost Fred Taylor -- who also lives near Hill and Ross -- shared his side of the emergency ... saying he saw Ross recording the whole thing on his celly.

He explained there were a ton of firetrucks outside by the time he knew what was going on ... but Cheetah didn't seem to be bothered at all, especially because Taylor didn't throw video up on the internet for everyone to see.

Hill also took issue with how Ross name-dropped Wing Stop during the whole fiery fiasco ... adding, "Don't try to use me for promotion, bro!!"