TMZ Sports - Page 3

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is issuing a mea culpa to Trevor Lawrence over his controversial hit on Sunday ... saying he never intended to hurt the Jaguars quarterback -- and calling out "racist" and "Islamophobic" fans in the process.

The 27-year-old released the statement on X ... claiming while he always plays with intensity, he doesn't purposely try to take anyone out of competition.

"My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he said. "And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it's not personal it's just competition!"

Najee Harris seemingly had too much on his plate this Thanksgiving ... claiming the upset stomach he experienced during Sunday's game was the result of a delicious dish his teammate's girlfriend put together for dinner.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back explained why he was sidelined early in the team's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and needless to say, he might have to reconsider his Turkey Day strategy moving forward.

A soccer match in Southern Guinea turned deadly this weekend ... with 56 people losing their lives and droves of others injured following a stampede -- with all the carnage stemming from a controversial call.

The incident occurred on Sunday at a tournament hosting the country's military leader -- Mamady Doumbouya -- in the city of Nzerekore.

A fan in attendance told Reuters things went south following a red card in the 82nd minute of the contest, which led some to throw stones, which police responded to with tear gas, in an attempt to get the situation under control.

Jeremy Renner’s big moment at the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade hit a speed bump -- literally -- when the official grand marshal vehicle dramatically broke down as the procession kicked off.

Check out these pics -- Jeremy, hand in hand with his 11-year-old daughter Ava, had no choice but to walk the rest of the way with his family members when their classic car conked out just a couple of blocks into the 3.2-mile route.

Jeremy, who was honored as this year’s grand marshal, had a huge smile on his face as he made the best of a rough situation, proving that a little hiccup couldn't dampen his holiday spirit.

Christmas came a little early for Kansas City Chiefs heiresses Gracie and Ava Hunt this month ... the two revealed Sunday that Taylor Swift sent them a pair of sweet gifts.

In a series of Instagram Stories, the Hunts -- who are the daughters of Chiefs team owner Clark Hunt -- shared that Swift sent them copies of her "Eras Tour" book presumably for the upcoming holidays ... as well as an autographed note.

Taylor's message to the two expressed gratitude for all of those who attended her concerts over the past year, writing, "what truly made this tour what it became was the passion, joy, unbridled emotion, and love the fans showed us every night."

Everybody has something to say about Bronny James ... but when it comes to his teammates, it sounds like they have nothing but glowing reviews -- with Armel Traore telling TMZ Sports he's got serious love for his fellow rookie.

We caught up with the Lakers' two-way player out at LAX ... and asked him what it has been like spending time with Bronny.

"He's my guy," he said. "And I like everyone on the team, we're a family."

Trevor Lawrence suffered a brutal late hit during the game Sunday ... and, his teammates quickly leapt to his defense -- brawling with the other team mid-game.

With four minutes left in the second quarter of the Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Houston Texans, Trevor Lawrence scrambled out of the pocket and made his way toward the first down marker.

As he approached the line to gain, TL went into a slide ... but, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair didn't slow his momentum enough -- smashing through the QB.

Randy Moss asking for prayers for himself and his family ... 'cause he says he's been dealing with something internal -- and apparently it's affecting his eyes.

The NFL Hall of Famer took to his Instagram Sunday morning -- while working alongside his cohosts on "Sunday NFL Countdown" ... speaking to fans directly and telling them he's been battling some sort of health issues recently.

Moss doesn't go into detail about the exact issues ... but, he asks all the "prayer warriors" to keep him and his family in their thoughts -- so, it sounds fairly serious.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson spent a heartfelt day giving thanks to the troops and their families in Hawaii during the very successful opening weekend of "Moana 2."

The actor and former WWE superstar, who voices Maui in the Disney franchise, visited Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu on Saturday to connect with members of the military community.

Johnson shared moments from his visit on X writing, "Boundlessly grateful to all our military men and women & their families for their service. A great day to look you in your eyes and shake your hands 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 and loved all the daps, hugs, tears, and selfies too. 👊🏾🤗🥹🤳🏾"

Travis Kelce is getting pressured to propose to Taylor Swift — and all the heat is coming from their own fans on social media.

It all started Friday ... Travis hopped on Instagram to congratulate Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on his engagement to actress Hailee Steinfeld.

The soon-to-be-married couple posted a beautiful photo of Josh on bended knee popping the question to Hailee, who, of course, said yes.

Kai Cenat got all in his feelings to his family, fans and team while delivering a tear-filled speech on the finale of his month-long "Mafiathon 2" live stream.

The streaming superstar who has been live streaming for the last 30 days broke down in tears on Saturday while surrounded by his friends and team. He was visibly emotional as he addressed his audience.

He began, "I know my road in life. The fact that God put me in a position to change lives in a small amount of time is all that I love."

The 2024 Bengals are struggling to find wins ... but Chad Johnson is warning the team to not fire Zac Taylor -- telling TMZ Sports "Changing the coach is not going to change s***."

We caught up with the former Cincinnati superstar out at LAX earlier this month ... and just had to get his thoughts on the 4-7, underachieving Bengals.

Johnson made it clear it's been a disappointing year for sure ... but he's not ready to call for mass changes yet.

Geno Auriemma isn't just the most decorated women's basketball coach ever ... his former UConn player, Jennifer Rizzotti, tells TMZ Sports he might just be the best of any sport!!

We spoke with the ex-Huskies guard -- who's now the president of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun -- following Auriemma's historic 1,217th victory on Nov. 20 ... and she raved about all of his accomplishments.

She called him "the best to ever do it" in women's basketball ... but then took it a step further -- and said he might have a claim to the throne of greatest coach period.

A University of Arizona defensive assistant is going to wake up with a splitting headache Sunday ... 'cause he headbutted a player wearing a helmet out of excitement -- and cut his forehead wide-open.

Chuck Cecil -- a senior defensive assistant with the Wildcats -- was hyping up one of his guys pregame ... grabbing cornerback Owen Goss' helmet and slamming his head hard into the player's.

Goss was wearing a helmet ... but Cecil wasn't -- and, after smashing his head into the player's three times, he was clearly bleeding.

The Ohio State vs. Michigan football game ended in a brawl Saturday ... all because Michigan wanted to play conquering hero on OSU's field.

Here's the deal ... Michigan -- an unranked 6-5 team -- defeated their hated rival, ranked #2 in the country, in a dramatic 13-10 victory.

At the game's end, several Michigan players took a flag emblazoned with the yellow Michigan "M" and attempted to plant it in the center of the big crimson "O" at the 50-yard line ... a controversial gesture to say the least.

Josh Allen's ex-girlfriend says her Instagram was hacked after screenshots floated around X of her allegedly taking a serious jab the NFL star ... amid his engagement news.

Here's the hut, hut, hike ... Josh announced Friday that he's engaged to singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld ... and his ex Brittany Williams allegedly took a shot at him in her own comments.

On one of her IG posts ... someone commented a few days ago ... "found the next pro athlete yet?" -- to which she allegedly clapped back, post-engagement news, "Luckily my boyfriend owns a team and doesn't play for one. 🙏 don't have to be with another brain dead CTE athlete."