Caleb Williams Breaks Caitlin Clark's Record ... Most Draft Night Merch Sold Across Sports

Caitlin Clark is known to break records, but Caleb Williams is showing her what it's like to be on the other side of history ... with the Chicago Bears quarterback becoming the top-selling draft pick across sports -- just one week after the Indiana Fever superstar earned the title herself.

The former USC Trojans signal-caller was the first prospect to have his name called at Thursday night's draft in Detroit ... and shortly after the selection was made official, Bears fans rushed to cop merch in support of their new face of the franchise.

Fanatics -- the official online retailer for the NFL -- confirmed to TMZ Sports there were an insane amount of orders for Williams apparel ... more than any rookie on draft night across any professional sport.

Korey Cunningham Former Giants Player Dead At 28 ... Found In NJ Home

Former Giants offensive tackle Korey Cunningham -- who also played for the Cardinals and Patriots -- was found dead in a New Jersey home on Thursday. He was only 28.

The NYG confirmed the passing on Friday, the morning after the first round of the NFL Draft, saying they're heartbroken over the death of their former player.

"We are saddened to hear of the passing of Korey Cunningham," the G-Men said in a statement.

KIM ZOLCIAK FIRES BACK AT 'RIP' KROY POST CRITICISM ... 'Tired of All the BS!!!'

Kim Zolciak's over all the lies and accusations following her clickbait "RIP" post ... saying it wasn't about her estranged hubby Kroy Biermann dying, but actually about the death of their relationship.

The 'RHOA' star kept the drama train chugging ... sharing another B&W IG post with Kroy, and venting in the caption, "EVERY DAY it's always something new. I'm tired of so much BS being thrown my way. So you want to know 'what died?' Here's the truth..."

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Kim urged everyone to hit up the link in her bio, which redirected to a site that's clearly paying her for clicks, where users read her defense ... "I used a picture of BOTH of us and said #RIP — and, frankly, the end of my relationship was like a death of sorts so #RIP to that."

Travis Kelce 'Boys' Slid Out During Podcast ... Says Andrew Santino

MODERN PROBLEMS, MODERN SOLUTIONS
New Heights / Wave Sports + Entertainment

Travis Kelce quite literally went balls-out in an interview with comedian Andrew Santino a few years back ... 'cause as it turns out, the NFL superstar continuously suffered a wardrobe malfunction throughout the podcast!!

The "Dave" actor revisited the hilarious 2019 mishap in the latest episode of the Kelce Bros' "New Heights" show this week ... explaining how the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's "boys" made a few guest appearances as they chopped it up about life, sports and other topics.

Taylor Swift's boyfriend rocked some yellow basketball shorts for the occasion ... but admittedly, he "didn't have my Tommy Johns on" that day.

USC's Caleb Williams Drafted To Da Bears With No. 1 Pick!!!

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.

NFL 2024 Draft Day Drip In Detroit

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.

ARRIVING IN STYLE
Courtesy of NFL

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.

Ex-Giants Star Aaron Ross I Like Daniel Jones ... But I'm Not Opposed To J.J. McCarthy

Giants Draft Options
TMZSports.com

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.

SPENDING TIME WITH THE GIANTS
The Rich Eisen Show

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 Gronk Gets Credit For Heisman Return ... Met My Lawyer At Gronk Beach Pool Party!

POOL PARTIES MATTER
X / @AttorneyCrump

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. I 'Should Be' Top-10 Draft Pick ... But Not Sweating It!!!

READY FOR THE DRAFT
TMZSports.com

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.

Jake Plummer Herbert Will Shine Under Harbaugh ... Expecting Huge Growth

Haven't Seen The Best Of Him
TMZSports.com

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.

Tim Brown NCAA Should Revisit Sanctions ... After Reggie Bush Heisman Decision

GOTTA MAKE THIS RIGHT
TMZSports.com

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 TURNED DOWN O.J. SIMPSON MOVIE ... Script Suggests He Didn't Do It

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 Blasts Kim's Fake Death Kroy Post ... What In the Hell, Ma?!?

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.

Brenden Rice Caleb Williams And I ... Can Be The Next Gronk & Tom Brady

he's gonna be just fine
TMZSports.com

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.

Colts Owner Jim Irsay Disputes Cops' 'Overdose' Report ... Says Leg Injury Caused Medical Emergency

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."

Kelsey Plum, Darren Waller It's Over!!! ... Divorcing After 1 Year

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.

Old news is old news!
Be First!

Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser!