TMZ Sports - Page 5

Week 18 might be meaningless to the Eagles, but Chris Johnson tells TMZ Sports he'd still advise Saquon Barkley to suit up ... and go chase history!!

After a 167-yard performance against the Cowboys on Sunday, Barkley is now just 101 yards away from Eric Dickerson's all-time single-season rushing record of 2,105 ... but with nothing on the line for Philadelphia, many have wondered if the tailback will play.

Birds fans would love to see him rest up and be ready for the playoffs ... but Johnson -- a former Titans superstar who once rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009 -- said this week he'd advise Barkley to put on his helmet.

And the Emmy goes to ... Adam Copeland?? It could happen ... and the AEW superstar tells TMZ Sports it's surreal to even be considered for the prestigious award!!

The 51-year-old wrestler and actor chopped it up with Mojo Muhtadi on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ahead of his in-ring return at AEW Dynamite: Fight For The Fallen ... and we got his thoughts on being up for the Best Supporting Performer in a Preschool, Children's Or Young Teen Program for his role in Disney's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians."

Even though he's got a growing resume in front of the camera, Copeland said he didn't really think of himself to be much of an actor until recently.

Celine Dion is setting her intentions for the new year ... hinting another comeback is on the horizon after her triumphant return to performing this summer.

The singer, who announced her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis 2 years ago, took a moment on New Year's Eve to thank her devoted fans for their "unwavering support" throughout this trying time.

As Celine put it ... her fans' "love and energy" has inspired her "every day" amid her health issues -- which saw her take a step back from performing in recent years.

The NFL Pro Bowl fan voting period is officially over ... and which player got the most love?? None other than Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The league just shared the results of the voting process that ended Dec. 23 ... with Taylor Swift's boyfriend coming out on top with 252,200 total entries.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs was a close second with 250k ... and Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels followed with 242K.

The NBA just punished Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson for his role in Sunday's scrap with Tyler Herro ... handing down a two-game suspension.

The Association announced the penalty in a statement ... days after Thompson and Herro were ejected from the Rockets vs. Heat game for starting an on-court brawl at the Toyota Center.

During the incident, Thompson tossed Herro to the ground WWE-style before an inbound pass late in the fourth quarter ... with the two sides jawing and grabbing at each other's jerseys right before the big moment.

Sydney Sweeney is ending her 2024 with some fun in the sun ... donning a little brown bikini for a jet-skiing adventure.

Check it out ... the "Euphoria" star hit the water wearing a cheeky 2-piece swimsuit in order to zip around on a jet ski while out boating in Florida with friends. The actress, who recently wrapped a biopic about female boxer Christy Martin, was unafraid to show off her ripped body ... taking a power stance while straddling the watercraft.

She gave fans a glimpse at her toned abs while ditching her waterside coverup at one point during the day out.

The Rose Parade is just a day away, and a whole lot of hard work has gone into the floats eager fans can look forward to seeing tomorrow ... and, we've tied them all up in a gallery for ya.

Music stars seem big this year ... with massive tributes to Elvis Presley and B.B. King leading the long line of meticulously crafted floats.

Others platforms feature animals -- like the brown and white dog that sits atop one float. Another float pays tribute to bowling, with white pins and a purple ball dominating the display.

Tom Brady and his son sure ain't going into 2025 looking pasty -- the legendary quarterback and Jack decided to leave their shirts behind during their last golf outing of the year ... and the GOAT looks as good as ever.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner shared a snap of his time on the course on Tuesday ... essentially twinning with his 17-year-old as they both rocked short shorts and backward caps.

"Perfect way to end the year," the picture read as the Brady boys looked off in the distance.

Former college basketball star Mike Babul has passed away, UMass announced on Tuesday. He was 47 years old.

The school broke the news just minutes ago ... saying in a heartfelt statement the Minutemen fanbase is grieving the loss of an iconic member of the community.

"Babul was a true Massachusetts basketball legend on the court, serving as a positive force in his community and on many sidelines as a coach," the school said.

Need one last feel-good moment heading into 2025?? Kirk Herbstreit's got ya covered ... 'cause the popular sports announcer shared footage of his 14-month-old dog, Peter, enjoying the beach for the first time -- and it'll warm your heart.

The adorable pup accompanied Kirk out to Los Angeles for the massive College Football Playoff matchup between Ohio State and Oregon going down at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day ... and with more than 24 hours before kickoff, the two took a stroll at Manhattan Beach for the final sunrise of 2024.

Peter clearly loved running around the shore ... and while we don't know if he took a dip in the Pacific, it's much warmer than snowy Indiana!!

A boxing referee turned into a human punching bag on Tuesday ... getting hit in the face multiple times as he tried to break up the action -- but surprisingly, he took it all like a champ!!

It happened at the RIZIN 49: Decade event in Saitama, Japan ... where Rukiya Anpo -- who was originally scheduled to fight Ryan Garcia -- took on K-1 champ Sina Karimian in the bout.

The sixth and final round of the exhibition got intense when Karimian landed an illegal spinning back fist on Anpo ... which sparked an all-out brawl between the two fighters.

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair's three-game suspension for his brutal hit on Trevor Lawrence is over ... and the the six-year NFL veteran revealed he met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other league higher-ups to own up to his actions and defend his character while serving his punishment.

The 27-year-old released a statement on X ahead of Houston's Week 18 matchup against the Tennessee Titans ... in which he stated his play on the former No. 1 overall pick and the fight that ensued "was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me."

"That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment."

Things got heated during the 49ers vs. Lions matchup on "Monday Night Football" ... when San Francisco receiver Jauan Jennings got in a scuffle with multiple Detroit defensive stars -- which ended with him getting shoved into the stands.

The wild moment went down during the first possession of the contest ... when Jennings was tasked with blocking Lions corner Terrion Arnold in the end zone -- and it's safe to say he understood the assignment.

Jennings continued to defend Arnold even after their momentum moved them out of bounds ... and the two wound up on the turf.

Janet Jackson's paying homage to one of her career milestones ... 'cause one of her dancers grabbed her chest from behind during her recent show -- and, it's pretty clearly a throwback to her 1993 album, "Janet."

The singer-songwriter took the stage at Resorts World in Vegas Monday ... and, while outfitted in a tight black leather bodysuit, a dancer came up and ran his hands over Jackson's chest ... while Ms. Jackson looked ready to get 'Nasty' with it.

The Vegas pose calls back to the cover of her 1993 album "Janet," which showed Jackson facing the camera with her arms up in the air, with two hands cupping her bare breasts from behind -- the wide release only showed her from the neck up, but the limited edition featured the full photo. The image was also on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine that year.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Gabriela Dabrowski is opening up on her breast cancer diagnosis ... revealing she competed in the Paris Olympics and the WTA Tour Finals while battling the disease.

The 32-year-old tennis pro shared her journey in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying she discovered a lump in her left breast in 2023, but medical professionals initially said it was nothing to worry about.

One year later, Gaby realized the lump was bigger ... and in mid-April, it was determined it was cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early ... and after several surgeries, she can call herself a survivor.

Dana Stubblefield is on his way to being a free man -- his rape conviction was overturned last week -- and according to the former NFL star's attorneys, his first order of business when he gets out will be a bunch of family time.

Kenneth Rosenfeld and Allen Sawyer sat down with TMZ Sports just days after a California appellate court vacated Stubblefield's prison sentence ... and they said he's "euphoric" over the decision -- and is now looking forward to hanging with his loved ones.

"He's going to be with his family," Sawyer said of Dana's immediate plans. "If there's one thing that Dana misses the most, it's being with his family."