TMZ Sports

The night a Playboy model died is coming back into focus ... thanks to a series of troubling text messages allegedly exchanged between former NFL star Shawne Merriman and a friend.

The messages, obtained by TMZ from court docs, show an alleged conversation between Merriman and nightclub promoter Elias Wehbe on July 21, 2017 ... the day Kimberly Fattorini died from a fatal overdose.

In one exchange, Wehbe allegedly told Merriman he had three "whores" at his home, naming Kimberly and two others ... before writing, "Nah I'm tryna get rid of them so I can smash."

Former NBA star Baron Davis has a cold response to his sister's lawsuit over a California home she claims he promised belonged to her but actually stayed in his name ... essentially arguing that being family doesn't mean a thing when it comes to this legal dispute.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Baron is fighting to get Lissa Davis' lawsuit tossed ... arguing she can't sue him over an alleged verbal promise involving a house because California law requires property agreements to be in writing.

And as for their brother-sister bond? Baron's attorneys aren't buying that argument, either ... insisting their family relationship alone doesn't create any special legal obligation to disclose information.

Aaron Rodgers and his little brother Jordan Rodgers are making up for lost time ... posing together with huge smiles after spending nearly a decade estranged from each other!

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback shared a photo on Instagram Friday showing him with his arm around Jordan at Acrisure Stadium ... where his younger brother was working as a college football analyst for ESPN.

"Great to see little bro @jrodgers11 in his element tonight," Aaron captioned the shot, adding ... "Really proud of how hard he’s worked to get to where he is now 👊🏻"

The brotherly love is a big deal considering their years-long family feud ... which first made headlines in 2016 when Jordan revealed on "The Bachelorette" that he and Aaron weren't close.

As we reported ... Aaron has been rebuilding his family relationships this year, reconnecting with his parents, Ed and Darla, and older brother Luke after years of tension.

TMZ obtained video of Aaron spending time with his parents at a high school Hall of Fame ceremony in California, back in April ... showing the family had begun patching things up behind the scenes.

In September, Aaron revealed he'd also reconciled with Jordan, opening up about their difficult conversations during an appearance on teammate Cam Heyward's podcast.

Matthew Stafford's wife Kelly Stafford is giving one internet troll a major reality check ... after the guy suggested she go under the knife!

The Los Angeles Rams quarterback's wife fired back at a social media user who told her to get a facelift and she made sure to bring his daughter into the conversation.

It all started Thursday when Kelly posted an Instagram video showing off her game day skincare routine ... going completely makeup-free and filter-free while demonstrating her favorite moisturizing products.

Chris Bosh denies he or his family were living at their California mansion during the 2025 Palisades fire … despite the man accused of starting the fire pointing the blame at the ex-NBA star’s home.

The former Miami Heat star posted a lengthy statement on social media after suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht’s legal team made claims in his defense.

Rinderknecht is facing criminal charges for allegedly “maliciously” starting a fire. The suspect’s legal team asked for permission to introduce evidence from a retired Cal Fire investigator … who wanted to testify about a potential firework going off from Chris’ home.

One of Rex Ryan's alleged hit-and-run victims is speaking out ... claiming the former Jets coach "almost killed" him and his wife.

Attorney Michael Holland told the California Post that he and his wife were struck by the retired coach's pickup truck last week in Nashville.

Holland said ... "If we had been six inches further out, I’d be in a hospital right now and so would my wife."

Erin Benavides -- the other woman in Tony Parker's explosive alleged affair when he was married to Eva Longoria -- put herself in the crosshairs of shady people ... and her friends don't sound convinced that she died by suicide, as the medical examiner claims.

The Daily Mail spoke to several close friends of the recently deceased Erin ... who say they couldn't believe the news when they heard what the medical examiner said happened.

Erin's friend Andrea Sparks told DM Erin loved her sons so much ... and she doesn't believe she'd leave them behind like she did if she took her own life.

Dana White wasn't planning on playing White House press secretary ... but President Trump apparently forgot to give him the memo.

The UFC boss is opening up about his whirlwind visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in an interview with Lara Trump for her show "My View with Lara Trump" airing Saturday on Fox News Channel ... revealing he had no idea the president was about to throw him into the briefing room.

Dana says he was barely through the White House gates Monday when Trump's assistant called with some unexpected news ... the president wanted him in the press room.

Former NBA star Paul Pierce was allegedly late to pay his baby mama child support this month ... days after he claimed he is struggling to pay his bills ... TMZ has learned. A lawyer for Paul claims the bill has since been paid in full.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Paul’s ex, Princess Santiago, claims she never got the $8,508 he was supposed to pay on November 1, for their son, King Rafael Santiago Pierce.

Princess wants Paul to cough up the unpaid support immediately, plus another $4K to cover her legal fees associated with the matter at hand.

Nina Thomas -- the estranged wife of Earl Thomas -- has fallen on her sword in her criminal case, pleading guilty to conspiring to scam her former NFL star husband out of $2.7 million.

According to federal court document, obtained by TMZ, Nina will plead guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, and she faces a maximum of 5 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. The judge also ordered Nina and co-defendant Kevin Thompson to be jointly responsible for paying restitution in the amount of $3,497,444.64.

Under the agreement ... Kevin will plead guilty to 2 charges -- conspiracy to commit wire fraud and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Kevin faces 5 years in prison on the wire fraud charge and/or a fine of $250,000. He also faces up to 40 years in prison on the cocaine distribution charge and a fine of $5 million.

Days ago, Usman Nurmagomedov was contemplating where he'd sign as one of the biggest free agents in MMA, but the star fighter's future is now up in the air ... he was just sentenced to six months in a United Arab Emirates prison for attacking Merab Dvalishvili.

The 28-year-old PFL lightweight champ and five of his buddies were convicted Friday of "disturbing public security" and "causing panic and endangering lives," according to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, for their role in Wednesday's melee in a hotel lobby in the city.

Each man received a six-month prison sentence, a 300,000 UAE Dirhams fine (about $82k), and an order to be deported as soon as the sentence is served.

Malik Beasley is trying to make a few extra bucks before he pleads guilty in his federal sports gambling case ... selling signed jerseys on social media for $200.

The former NBA star jumped on TikTok Live to hawk his wares ... offering jerseys from basically every era of his NBA career, signed -- with a personalized message -- in exchange for cold, hard cash.

Check out the clip ... Malik says he's signing all of the jerseys and writing people's individual names on them before shipping them out -- he just needs the money first.

And the next leading man of "The Bachelor" is .... Washington Commanders QB Sam Hartman!

ABC made the surprise announcement on Friday's "Good Morning America."

The network shared in a statement ... "Sam Hartman is changing the game as the leading man of the 30th season of 'The Bachelor.' The 27-year-old pro athlete is ready to find his forever teammate. With the same leadership and heart that won over fans on the field, Hartman will begin handing out roses as he searches for love."

Jonathan Rinderknecht lawyer is trying to prove he didn't start 2025's deadly Palisades fire ... and is pointing a finger at Chris Bosh's mansion instead.

According to court documents obtained by the California Post, Rinderknecht's lawyer wants to introduce testimony from retired Cal Fire investigator Michael T. Cole about a possible firework launched from the NBA star's house.

The filing said ... "Mr. Cole is expected to testify that during his 2025 investigation of the Palisades Fire he observed and documented a mark and an associated burn and smoke trail on the driveway and rear patio area of the residence at (redacted), and that, based on his training and experience, those marks are physical evidence of a launched firework."

Frankie Muniz is opening up about his terrifying crash at Daytona International Speedway ... revealing the wreck was so bad, rescue crews had to cut the roof off his race car just to get him out!

The actor turned race car driver shared the frightening details in a video update Thursday, telling fans he's extremely sore but somehow managed to escape without any major injuries.

Frankie said getting him out of the wrecked Ford Mustang Dark Horse R was no easy task ... revealing the safety crew had to cut the roof off the vehicle before they could safely remove him and transport him to the hospital.