NFL

The wait is finally over for Caleb Williams -- the former USC superstar is officially a Chicago Bear ... as the quarterback was just selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft!!

The 22-year-old was the first to hear his name called in Detroit Thursday night ... which shouldn't really surprise anyone, as he was expected to be a top pick as soon as he declared for the pros.

Despite it not being a big secret, it's an exciting time for the franchise ... and it will now be able to build around its QB1 for years to come.

It's the most fashionable day of the NFL season -- the 2024 Draft is about to go down in Detroit ... and all the top prospects are dressed to the nines.

USC superstar Caleb Williams -- the expected first overall pick -- went with a navy, double-breasted zip-up Chrome Hearts suit ... customized to match his girlfriend's stunning dress.

LSU's Malik Nabers went with a classic, dark double-breasted suit with images of his college highlights in the inner lining ... but it was his "LEEK" chain that had everybody talking, as it's decked out in over 30 carats of rare diamonds and over 200 grams of gold.

If the Giants select J.J. McCarthy in Thursday night's NFL draft, Aaron Ross won't be mad -- the former NY star tells TMZ Sports even though he likes Daniel Jones, he could see J.J. thriving in the Big Apple.

The G-men have pick No. 6 ... and with Jones locked into a lucrative contract, most believed they'd use the selection on a wide receiver. But, recently, there's been a lot of chatter that the team might actually choose McCarthy -- if he's available.

When we spoke to Ross hours before the league kicked off its annual selection show -- he said after mulling the question over for a few seconds he's "not opposed to it."

Reggie Bush might not have his Heisman Trophy back today if not for a chance meeting at Rob Gronkowski's Super Bowl pool party ... where the USC star ran into his attorney Levi McCathern, who fought like hell and got the prestigious award back to its rightful owner!!

Bush, along with McCathern and Ben Crump, (and THE HEISMAN!!), met with the media on Thursday at The Coliseum in Los Angeles ... where they broke their silence on the return of the trophy.

The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner said he's especially thankful to be reunited with his trophy because he never cheated the game ... actually quite the opposite -- he put more than 100% into becoming the best player possible so he could help the Trojans compete for a national championship.

Michael Penix Jr. feels like he "should be" taken in the top 10 of Thursday night's NFL draft ... but he won't be crushed if he's not -- telling TMZ Sports he's going to make the most of whatever situation he's put in.

The former Washington Huskies star was cool as a cucumber some 24 hours before the NFL kicked off its annual selection process -- not sweating the draft one bit.

However, when the topic of being one of the first 10 players taken in the annual event came up ... he did say he believes he belongs in that group.

Fantasy Football nerds, listen up ... Jake Plummer says he's expecting a monster year from Justin Herbert -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks Jim Harbaugh will get the very best out of the Chargers star.

Plummer played in the NFL at the same time as Harbaugh in the late 1990s -- and it's clear as day he grew a ton of respect for the Bolts' head man. So much so, he believes Herbert's game will soar to new heights under his tutelage.

The former Arizona State star quarterback says because Harbaugh wasn't the most athletic signal-caller, he grew a massive football IQ ... and he anticipates that being passed on easily to Herbert.

Now that Reggie Bush's Heisman is back where it belongs, Tim Brown thinks it's time for the NCAA to correct some of its wrongs ... saying he wants the org. to look into its past punishments and consider reversing them too.

Brown joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday to gloat about the Heisman Trust's decision to give its trophy back to Bush ... and then he said the NCAA should attempt to perform similar actions.

Specifically, the former Notre Dame star wide receiver said the organization should contemplate lifting bans for anyone who was thrown under the bus in the past for things that are now legal.

Owen Wilson wants nothing to do with a movie leaning into the idea O.J. Simpson was innocent of the infamous '94 murders -- turning down a boatload for the lead part.

The partially finished flick's director, Joshua Newton, admits he thought Owen was perfect for the role of attorney Douglas McCann, but he says even dangling a whopping $12 million check couldn't sway Owen to sign on the dotted line.

Newton tells Rambling Reporter talks initially went pretty deep with Owen about playing McCann ... a real-life attorney who got sucked into various conspiracy theories during Simpson's 1995 criminal trial.

Ariana Biermann is cringing hard after her mom, Kim Zolciak, implied her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, had died ... and yeah, we'll admit, it's pretty embarrassing.

For those who missed it, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum posted an old black-and-white pic this week showing her and Kroy together, dropping a "#RIP" in the caption. The reason, it seems ... to promote an old, outdated article from 2023.

As fans blasted Kim for the faux death announcement, her daughter -- who Kroy adopted in 2013 -- also weighed in ... sharing she too thinks the social media upload was messed up.

If the Chicago Bears take Caleb Williams AND Brenden Rice in this week's NFL draft, they won't regret it ... 'cause Rice tells TMZ Sports he believes the duo can be the next "Gronk and Tom Brady."

The two, of course, got pretty close to that level of greatness while they were teammates at USC -- particularly in 2023, when Rice, the son of Jerry Rice, logged 791 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

The 22-year-old wideout told us he'd expect a whole lot more of the same if the guys were able to reunite on the Bears, who are expected to take Williams with the No. 1 overall pick Thursday night.

Jim Irsay says his medical emergency back in December was NOT due to an overdose ... insisting this week a leg injury was actually the cause of the scare.

Cops, of course, have stated otherwise. Carmel Police Department officers said in an incident report they responded to the Indianapolis Colts owner's Carmel residence on Dec. 8 at around 4:30 AM after he had been struggling to breathe with a weak pulse. They said following an administration of a dose of Narcan -- a drug commonly used to revive people in opiate overdose situations -- "he responded slightly."

Irsay was ultimately strapped to a stretcher and taken to the hospital ... and cops ended up classifying the whole ordeal as a suspected "overdose" and "overdose/poisoning."

WNBA star Kelsey Plum and NFL tight end Darren Waller are taking a trip to Splitsville -- the two pro athletes just filed a joint petition for divorce, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Plum and Waller got married after a year of dating in March 2023  ... and they were quite the sports power couple -- Kelsey is a two-time champion and former No. 1 overall pick, and Darren was a Pro Bowler in 2020.

It'll be a pretty clean breakup ... as a joint petition means they have already agreed on distribution of assets and debts, as well as alimony.

Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, really is a bikini model now -- the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit rookie put her stunning body on display during her vacation in Mexico ... and flaunted some serious underboob in the process.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar and his longtime partner had a romantic trip in Cabo San Lucas over the past several days ... but on Sunday, it was all about the girls.

Brittany was spotted on a luxurious yacht with at least four other ladies ... soaking up the sun as they lounged on the back deck.

Robert Kraft graduated from Columbia in '63, and has been a huge proponent of the school in every way, including financially ... but all that changed Monday when the billionaire Patriots owner made it clear he wasn't going to stand by and watch his University be taken over by hate and vitriol.

"The school I love so much - the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity - is no longer an institution I recognize," 82-year-old Kraft said in a statement released by Stand Up To Jewish Hate, adding, "I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country."

Of course, since mid-last week, students and others have taken to Columbia's NYC campus to demand the University sever all ties to Israel. Some protestors have been seen showing support for Hamas and their actions on October 7, even calling for repeated attacks.

Matty Ice is putting his career on ice for good -- former NFL MVP Matt Ryan is officially retiring from professional football after 15 seasons.

The Atlanta Falcons great -- who played all but one season with the organization -- released a heartfelt goodbye to the game on Monday ... saying it was time to hang up the helmet.

"Today, 16 years after being drafted, my childhood dream has officially come to an end," Ryan said.