TMZ Sports - Page 3

11:38 AM PT -- TMZ Sports caught up with author Jim Murphy on A.J. Brown's viral moment ... and he said he's grateful the receiver is bringing attention to the contents of his book.

Murphy said he was aware Brown got his hands on his work ... but had no idea he was holding onto it so much that he had it on him during games.

As for whether he'd like to meet up with Brown, Murphy said he doesn't want to be a distraction amid the team's playoff run ... but provided some knowledge on what they can focus on to succeed even more.

Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown went viral for cracking open a book right on the bench during his team's Wild Card matchup with the Packers on Sunday ... but he says it's actually nothing new -- 'cause reading gives him a sense of peace mid-game.

Clips of Brown's impromptu book club session quickly made rounds on social media ... with some folks assuming having his nose deep in "Inner Excellence" by Jim Murphy was a sign of rebellion amid his quiet day on the field.

Brown cleared the air with reporters in the locker room after the 22-10 victory ... and he said he always has the literature by his side on gameday -- it's just the first time it's been caught on video.

LiAngelo Ball's officially a signed artist -- he inked a deal with Def Jam following the massive success of his viral song, "Tweaker."

Gelo's contract is with Def Jam and Universal Music Group ... and while initial reports say it's worth $8 million, our sources say that is not true. According to insider Shams Charania, Gelo will own all his music (a huge win in the industry) as well as his own label.

Gelo has found a new lane after pro hoops -- and if the reception from his first track is any indication of how his rap venture will go, he's no one-hit-wonder.

11:44 AM PT -- Carrie Underwood spoke out after being chosen to perform at the inauguration ... "I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the Inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Donald Trump isn't struggling to find A-list talent for his second inauguration ... Carrie Underwood has been tapped to perform at the swearing-in ceremony, TMZ has learned.

A presidential inauguration committee spokesperson confirms to TMZ ... the "American Idol" winner will be singing a patriotic tune before President-elect Trump is sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

Underwood's name was listed in what looked like a leaked program detailing the show order for Trump's big day ... TMZ has also obtained a copy of the program, and we've confirmed it's the real deal.

Travis Kelce's got Taylor Swift on the mind even when he's talking ball ... 'cause the Kansas City Chiefs superstar dropped a clear reference to his girlfriend during an interview -- and even did a dance to bring it home!!

Kelce got the Swifties' ears perking when he hit up the "Pat McAfee Show" on Monday ... when the former Colts punter lobbed it up and asked how he was feeling coming off the first-round bye in the playoffs.

Naturally, the three-time Super Bowl champ slammed it home by reciting a line from Swift's big hit, "22."

Wolf Blitzer is enjoying the Buffalo Bills' current playoff run like it's 1994 thanks to a TV that probably broadcast the inauguration of Bill Clinton ... but one company is looking to change that with a complete entertainment makeover!!

The CNN anchor showed off his setup on social media following the team's 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round ... and while he was all smiles, people had more questions about the way he was enjoying the game.

His entertainment center features a small Sharp TV -- complete with a DVD player and VCR!! With that being said, it's a bit out of date.

A Texas man is in a world of trouble for allegedly stalking Caitlin Clark ... after officials say he contacted the WNBA superstar with threats and sexually explicit messages on social media -- and then drove to Indianapolis.

55-year-old Michael Lewis was taken into custody and charged with stalking (a Level 5 felony) in Indianapolis on Sunday ... after cops say they traced his activity to a hotel in the area.

Indianapolis Metropolitan PD says officers first made contact with Lewis last week ... and he downplayed the nature of the messages -- claiming they were more fantasy than reality. He also stated he was only in Indianapolis on vacation.

Olympic kite surfer Bruno Lobo -- who just competed at the Paris Games in August -- heroically saved a drowning swimmer last week ... and the dramatic rescue was all captured on video.

Lobo posted the footage to his Instagram page over the weekend ... explaining to his thousands of followers the scene played out on Jan. 10 -- as he was testing some new gear during a surf sesh off a coast in Brazil.

The vid shows as Lobo was making his way through the waves ... a young woman appeared to be in serious distress as she was swimming through some choppy waters.

Malik Nabers isn't gonna let a division rivalry stop him from cheering for his friend and former teammate ... 'cause the Giants star was losing it in the stands after Jayden Daniels led his Commanders to a huge playoff victory!!

Nabers and fellow ex-LSU receiver/Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr. hit up Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for the Commanders' Wild Card matchup with the Buccaneers ... and even though N.Y. and Washington go together like oil and water, the two set aside their employers for a night to cheer on their buddy.

Their presence was understandable ... as it was the biggest game of Daniels' fresh career -- and he delivered by helping Washington secure its first postseason win since the 2005 season.

Tyson Fury is hangin' up his boxing gloves ... the 34-2 heavyweight superstar announced he's retiring!

The 36-year-old boxer made the big announcement on Monday, weeks after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk ... in a 12-round heavyweight clash in Riyadh.

It was Fury's second loss to Usyk ... representing the only two losses of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career.

11:00 AM PT -- The Eagles tell TMZ Sports they're looking into the incident.

A man decked out in Philadelphia Eagles gear berated a female Packers fan on Sunday -- clapping in her face and calling her a "c***" -- and at least part of the ugly scene was captured on video.

The confrontation happened at some point during Green Bay's disappointing 22-10 playoff loss to Philly at Lincoln Financial Field ... when Packers content creator Alexander Basara says he and his fiancée were trying to catch the game from some upper deck seats.

In footage Basara posted to his X page late Sunday night, you can see after refs changed a ruling on the field -- a man in a green Eagles jacket got in Basara's fiancée's ear ... clapped a few times, and yelled, "Short of the goal line, you dip s***!"

Claressa Shields is raving about the new biopic, "The Fire Inside," chronicling the boxing star's rough-and-tumble upbringing in Michigan ... a "surreal" film "T-Rex" says will positively impact countless people!

"I just believe it's very inspiring," Shields told TMZ Sports. "I've seen my movie now nine times and to see Ryan Destiny portray me as well as she did. I know that 'The Fire Inside' is going to change lives. [Ryan] did such a great job."

The movie, which dropped on Christmas, tells Shields' story as a young female fighter in Flint  -- overcoming challenges such as sexual abuse, abandonment, and poverty -- to the Olympic podium, where she made history as the first American woman to win gold in boxing.

Khabib Nurmagomedov was taken off a flight over the weekend following a seating disagreement with the airline’s staff.

The incident, which took place on a flight leaving Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport on Saturday, was captured on video and posted to social media. In the video, you hear a flight attendant asking Nurmagomedov, who's sitting in the emergency exit row, if he was prepared and able to assist other passengers in the event of an emergency.

The flight attendant says, "We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row … I am not going to do this back and forth. I’ll go call a supervisor. You can either take a different seat or we can go ahead and escort you off the plane."

Randy Moss is clearly kickin' cancer's butt ... 'cause his business partner tells TMZ Sports his spirits are high -- and there's a chance he might even make a public appearance next week!!

Brittany Tolliferreo -- a chef who's gotten into the fried chicken biz with Moss over the last few years -- told us just days before she and the Hall of Famer open up their Crisppi's Chicken shop in Miami that Randy's been doing well ... in spite of his medical situation.

Tolliferreo said the 47-year-old has been "in great spirits" -- and she hasn't noticed much of a change in his jovial personality.

If Aaron Rodgers is stuck at a fork in the road, there's a Hall of Famer ready to provide some direction ... with Brett Favre telling TMZ Sports what advice he'd share with the New York Jets quarterback as he ponders his NFL future.

Rodgers is fresh off his second season in the Big Apple ... and it was anything but redemption after suffering an Achilles tear four plays into the 2023 campaign -- going 5-12 and finishing near the bottom of the AFC.

Despite the Jets' playoff hopes dwindling right after the season kicked off, Favre tells us he knows Rodgers has more to give the sport of football -- if he wants to.

Smiling might be Buddy the Elf's favorite ... but, Will Ferrell's is to keep people guessing -- 'cause he says he dressed up as the iconic character just to stir things up!

The actor stopped by "New Heights" -- Travis and Jason Kelce's podcast -- and, they asked him about his recent appearance at an LA Kings game that drove the internet into a frenzy ... where he arrived as Buddy who had fallen on hard times.

Will explains the idea came to him a week or so before the game ... and, he basically bought the costume and dressed up on a whim -- doing it more to amuse himself than anything else.

Matt Leinart's glad the NFL moved the Rams' playoff game out of Los Angeles ... making it clear to TMZ Sports on Friday, it wouldn't have been right to play the tilt as fires continue to ravage the city.

The league officially relocated Monday's L.A. vs. Minnesota Wild Card round matchup to Arizona on Thursday, citing the safety of its players and its fans ... and Leinart told us at LAX he's all for the move.

The former quarterback -- who actually played his college ball in L.A. and then parts of his pro career in Glendale, Ariz. -- said things are simply "more important than football" at the moment.