TMZ Sports - Page 15

The cameras were rolling when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to get Aaron Rodgers into politics ... with new footage showing the former presidential candidate asking the quarterback about the possibility of a career in government -- and it's all featured in a new Netflix documentary.

A teaser for the upcoming Rodgers project dropped during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... and there are plenty of interesting nuggets throughout the short clip.

While Rodgers said the three-part series chronicles a lot of his Achilles rehab and a trip down to Costa Rica -- where his Ayahuasca experiences famously took place -- it also briefly shows a conversation between Rodgers and RFK Jr.

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is sticking up for Azeez Al-Shaair following his controversial hit on Trevor Lawrence ... saying the NFL "embarrassed" itself with how it handled the incident.

Caserio met with reporters Tuesday morning ... and took issue with not only the three-game suspension handed down hours ago -- but also how the Shield took aim at Al-Shaair's character in a letter written by VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan.

"For the league to make some of the commentary that he made about lack of sportsmanship, lack of coachability, lack of paying attention to the rules, quite frankly, it's embarrassing," Caserio said.

Leighton Vander Esch's dad was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly attempted to strangle the former Dallas Cowboys star's mom, new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

According to the docs, the incident happened around midnight on Dec. 1 in Idaho County ... when Darwin Vander Esch allegedly got physical with his wife, Sandy Vander Esch, following an argument at a nearby bar.

Cops wrote that Sandy told them Darwin had locked her out of their house after the dispute, so she broke in ... and soon after, officers say she claimed her husband confronted her and put both of his hands around her neck and "was pushing and squeezing, not letting her talk or breathe."

It wasn't really a mystery ... when you take Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga out of the equation ... it was pretty clear Billboard would name Beyoncé the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century ... and that's exactly what it just did.

Billboard ran through all of Bey's achievements in music, including "Countdown" and "Love on Top." It's all pretty impressive.

They also directly addressed putting Bey at the No. 1 spot over Taylor ... who is technically the bigger artist based on numbers alone.

NFL star Chris Jones has already put it ALL on display in the past ... but he's got more to reveal to the world -- 'cause he's using his upcoming strip-tease performance to showcase what big boys can do onstage!!

The Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle -- one of the best players in the league -- and a handful of fellow male celebrities took part in Fox's "The REAL Full Monty" special airing Dec. 9 ... and it's clear the three-time Super Bowl winner didn't take his participation in the big event lightly.

While Jones -- who famously had a wardrobe malfunction at the NFL Combine in 2016 -- admitted he doesn't have the most experience when it comes to dancing, he said he will get the job done in the show based on the popular musical and movie.

Shailene Woodley is looking back on her relationship with ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers ... and two years on, it's safe to say she's still pretty emotional about the whole thing.

The actress explained she hasn’t shared much about the breakup because it always makes her tear up ... but summed up their 2022 breakup after two years together by saying it just wasn’t right, even though the relationship was beautiful.

Shailene made it clear there’s no bad blood between her and Aaron -- but elsewhere in her Outside mag interview, she also opened up about a "really awful, traumatic thing" that happened to her in early '22, around the time she first split from the NFL star in February that year.

Kader Sylla -- a popular professional skateboarder who's competed in the X Games -- was arrested over the weekend in New York, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The NYPD tells us ... Sylla was pulled over at around 2:13 AM on Sunday in Manhattan ... after he was accused of driving the wrong way in his 2017 Porsche SUV.

According to ABC News, Sylla allegedly showed signs during the stop of being impaired -- including slurred speech and bloodshot eyes. The outlet also reports cops said the 22-year-old skater admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Thanksgiving holiday had plenty of family drama ... we've learned cops were called after the estranged couple got into a heated exchange in front of their kids just before Turkey Day.

In a new incident report obtained by TMZ ... the Milton Police Department explains they were dispatched on Wednesday to Kim and Kroy's Georgia home -- which is set to be auctioned off today -- for a domestic violence call.

Per the report, Kim says she and Kroy got into a tense argument while taking curtains down in their home ... with "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum painting her estranged hubby as the aggressor. She claims Kroy got confrontational with her, resulting in him physically removing her from the ladder by throwing her to the ground.

Bryce Hall is returning to the ring ... and he's fighting MMA star turned boxer, Kevin Ferguson Jr. -- son of the street fighting legend, Kimbo Slice!

TMZ Sports has learned the 25-year-old TikTok star turned fighter will throw down with the former Bellator MMA star at BKFC's KnuckleMania V event next month at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Eddie Alvarez vs. Jeremy Stephens -- both former UFC stars -- will be the main event.

"Baby Slice" last fought in April 2023 with Misfits Boxing ... losing via second-round TKO to Okemka Jibunor.

Mexican boxer Israel Vazquez -- a former three-time world champion in the super bantamweight division -- has passed away at 46 years old after a battle with cancer.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed the news in a social media post ... stating the fighter is "finally resting in peace" a month after his diagnosis was made public.

"May God give strength and support to his wife Laura, their children, family and friends during these difficult times," Sulaiman said on X.

Former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champ Neale Fraser -- one of the greatest Australian tennis players of all time -- has passed away. He was 91.

Australia Tennis confirmed Fraser died on Monday ... saying the sport has "lost one of its giants" with the passing.

Tennis legend Rod Laver -- who Fraser beat in the 1960 Wimbledon and U.S. Finals -- also paid tribute to the fallen star ... calling Neale a "true gem in a golden era of Australian tennis legends."

Jameis Winston had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Browns' ninth loss of the season ... praying for the Lord to prevent him from throwing pick-sixes during his postgame interview.

The 30-year-old had numerous memorable moments against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" ... kicking things off with yet another classic pregame speech that even included the program's signature jingle.

Once the game was underway, so was the "Jameis Winston experience" -- the QB ended up breaking the Browns' single-game passing record previously held by Josh McCown by throwing 497 yards and four touchdowns.

The NFL just threw the book at Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair for his Sunday hit on Trevor Lawrence ... suspending him without pay for THREE GAMES.

The league made its ruling official on Tuesday morning ... saying his past offenses for "personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations" factored into the decision.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan scolded the Houston linebacker in a strongly-worded letter when announcing the ban for lowering his shoulder and hitting Lawrence in the head as the Jaguars QB was sliding during their weekend tilt in Jacksonville.

Martin Gramatica is making it clear if he were running the Ravens' special teams ... he would NOT get rid of Justin Tucker -- despite the star's recent woes.

The legendary kicker tells TMZ Sports ... he believes Tucker's just simply hit a rough patch -- and he's confident the 35-year-old will fight his way through it in time for Baltimore's impending playoff run.

"He's going to snap out of it," the former Buccaneers kicker said. "There's no question that he knows how to kick. He's done it forever."

Serena Williams is adamantly denying she's making major changes to her appearance after a recent video of the retired tennis superstar went viral ... saying speculation she lightened her skin is BS!

"And no, for you haters out there, I do not bleach my skin," Serena said on Instagram Live while going through her makeup routine on Monday.

The clapback comes after numerous social media accounts focused on how Williams looked when she shared footage from her daughter's school play, with some commenting on the shade of her skin.

The father of retired Dallas Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch was arrested in Idaho over the weekend on several charges -- including felony attempted strangulation.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office says it received a call regarding a domestic battery outside the city of Riggins around 12:16 AM on Dec. 1.

After cops arrived at the scene, 61-year-old Darwin Vander Esch was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited for misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device.