Arizona Cardinals

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Arizona Cardinals -- Kyler Murray did, in fact, tear his ACL on "Monday Night Football" against the Patriots ... and the star quarterback's season is now over.

The signal caller suffered the non-contact injury on the third play of the game ... and ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the tough news just minutes ago.

The injury happened when Kyler escaped out of the pocket and went to plant his right foot before attempting a move on Pats' defender Matthew Judon.

Murray appeared to drag his right leg with him as he fell to the grass ... and many assumed his night -- and season -- were over.

Kyler was visibly emotional as he was carted off the field ... putting a towel over his head in frustration as players from both the Patriots and Cardinals gave their regards.

The Cards turned to backup QB Colt McCoy after Murray's injury ... but the team couldn't come away with the win, losing to New England, 27-13.

It's unclear how much time Kyler will ultimately miss ... but a lot, or all, of his 2023 season could be in jeopardy depending on his rehab process.

Scooby Wright -- the ex-NFL linebacker and former University of Arizona football star -- is now trying his hand at a different contact sport ... auditioning to become the WWE's next big superstar!!

The wrestling org. invited the former Wildcat to attend tryouts at IMG Academy in Florida this week as part of the company's new recruitment strategy ... and, Scooby sure seemed to impress while there.

One of the 30-plus athletes -- 17 of which were former college football players -- who showed up, the 28-year-old moved around the ring just like he did on the football field.

Wright learned the fundamentals from on-site coaches, including how to absorb blows when hitting the mat. He even got some wisdom imparted to him from Matthew Jason Bloom, a veteran in the industry who wrestled under various monikers during different stints with the WWE.

No word yet on how the execs felt about the former backer ... but the dude has rarely ever disappointed in his athletic life -- so we're sure things went well.

If you need a refresher, the former two-star recruit balled out during his college career at UofA ... recording a staggering 270 total tackles, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception in 30 career games.

He went on to be picked by the Cardinals in the 7th round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly fired their offensive line coach/running game coordinator for groping a woman in Mexico City ... just hours before the team played against the 49ers.

ESPN, citing sources, reported Wednesday morning Sean Kugler was accused of inappropriately touching a female on Sunday night. The outlet reports Mexican authorities were made aware of the allegations, and then told the Cardinals of it all. Kugler was fired a short time later and sent back to Arizona on Monday morning.

The Cards had arrived in Mexico on Saturday night for the big game against S.F. on Monday. The team went on to lose the contest, 38-10.

Arizona officials have yet to confirm the report ... in announcing the firing on Tuesday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury would only say Kugler had been involved in an off-field "incident."

Kugler had been on the Cardinals' staff since 2019.

J.J. Watt and Kealia Ohai are parents!!

The Arizona Cardinals star and pro soccer player made the announcement Tuesday evening ... saying their baby boy arrived on Oct. 23.

The couple -- who got married in February 2020 -- shared a photo with their bundle of joy in the hospital bed on Instagram.

"Love and happiness have reached heights we never even knew existed," Watt said in the caption.

The couple also revealed their son's name -- Koa James Watt.

The great news had their post swarmed with comments from fans and NFL players ... including Watt's little brother and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, T.J.

"Welcome to the family Koa!!!" T.J. said on the post.

The Arizona Cardinals and the NFL also congratulated the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year ... with the league account saying, "KJ Watt! Congrats JJ and Kealia!"

This kid definitely has sports in his blood ... besides his dad being a 5-time Pro Bowler, his mom is a Chicago Red Stars midfielder. Plus his uncles are pros as well.

Safe to say the kid will have a future as an athlete if he wants.

DeAndre Hopkins is back!

The Arizona Cardinals receiver -- one of the best in the NFL -- is making his return to the field after serving a 6-game suspension for PEDs ... and he's amped!

The 30-year-old even dropped a hype video celebrating his comeback hours before the Cardinals' "Thursday Night Football" home game against the New Orleans Saints.

"Don't call it a comeback," DHop captioned the clip.

The video shows the 5-time Pro Bowler's recent workout with a mix of LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out' song and Black Sheep's "The Choice Is Yours".

Several NFL players showed support for Hopkins in the comments ... including teammate Budda Baker who wrote, "It’s Time!!! 🔥🔥🔥"

As we previously reported, DH was suspended in May for violating the league's PED policy. Hopkins initially appealed the punishment, before withdrawing.

His return couldn't come at a better time ... the Cardinals just lost star receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown for a month due to a foot injury.

And, Hopkins is one of Kyler Murray's favorite targets ... in the last two regular seasons, the two connected for 1,979 yards and 14 touchdowns.

"I'm excited to have him back," the Cardinals QB said earlier this week, "He's been waiting on this moment. He's an electric player."

The Cardinals are currently last in the NFC West but with DHop back ... AZ could make a run.

Antonio Brown is going way too far with his most recent Twitter antics ... sharing an insensitive image making fun of mental disability on Monday -- and people are pissed.

AB has had zero filter on social media lately ... firing tweets with seemingly no care about the repercussions, including tasteless jokes about Tom Brady's marriage issues with Gisele Bündchen.

34-year-old Brown randomly decided to post the offensive picture just minutes ago ... showing a distorted image of the Arizona Cardinals logo and a modification of the team name that featured the R-word.

"Starting my own Team Sign 🆙" AB said in the tweet.

Of course, not many are laughing at his awful attempt at humor ... and made sure to let him know in the replies.

In fact, some users are even comparing AB's actions to Kanye West, who was recently criticized for preaching "White Lives Matter" over the past week -- leading Brown to add, "All Lives Matter" in a post of his own.

"are you and kanye in some kinda competition?" the user said of the newest post ... while another pleaded, "you gotta just get off social media bro."

Kyler Murray appears to be doing a 180 when it comes to the altercation he had with a fan in Vegas on Sunday ... because he's now saying he has "no hard feelings" toward his alleged attacker.

The Cardinals star clearly felt differently just three days ago -- when a man appeared to take a swipe at the quarterback's face while he was celebrating Arizona's thrilling overtime win against the Raiders.

Murray was apparently so upset with situation, Las Vegas police ended up launching an investigation into the incident ... telling TMZ Sports they received "a battery call alleging a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player."

But in addressing the incident with reporters on Wednesday, Murray seemed now to be ready to let the whole thing go.

"I know every person that I've hit in the face, I did it for a reason," the 25-year-old said. "I don't know if he didn't know where he was. I don't know -- it was a pretty live game, Vegas is Vegas, I'm sure he was having fun. But, again, I don't know."

"I don't think any player should be getting touched in that manner, but, no hard feelings toward the guy," he continued. "I mean, if I see him, I'd shake his hand. It is what it is."

It's unclear if Vegas police are now considering dropping the probe.

As for celebrations with fans going forward, Murray said those will continue if the situation calls for it ... saying he would "do it all over again if I could."

TMZ Sports has obtained new video of Kyler Murray's postgame incident with a fan at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday -- and it appears to show a man winding up before taking a swipe at the Cardinals star's face.

The footage was shot just seconds after Arizona scored a game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Raiders in Las Vegas.

You can see in the clip, Murray was trying to celebrate the win with someone who appeared to be his friend and others -- before a man in a grey T-shirt reached over fans and bopped Murray's head.

It's unclear from the video if the act was intentional or not. Seems the man could have just been attempting to slap Murray's shoulder pad in celebration -- but missed badly.

Murray turned around and seemed upset -- pointing at people in the crowd. His teammates eventually jumped in to separate everyone, and the 25-year-old signal-caller ultimately ran off without further issue.

As we reported, Las Vegas police are investigating the incident ... saying in a statement that a battery complaint was made at the venue at 6:26 PM.

"We do not provide victim names however the event you are requesting is a battery call alleging a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player," the spokesperson told TMZ Sports. "A crime report was taken, and the suspect has not been identified. This is an ongoing investigation."

Police in Las Vegas have launched an investigation ... after a fan allegedly smacked Kyler Murray in the face following the Cardinals' win over the Raiders on Sunday.

The incident happened just seconds after Arizona beat Vegas in an overtime thriller -- when Murray ran over to some fans to celebrate the victory.

At first, the Cards' star quarterback was jubilant -- he high-fived somebody -- but then his demeanor quickly changed after a man appeared to hit him in his face with an open hand.

Video shows Murray became upset -- and tried to identify the fan who appeared to tag him. Arizona players eventually raced in to intervene before things escalated.

A Las Vegas police spokesperson said on Monday cops are now investigating the matter -- saying a battery complaint was made at Allegiant Stadium at 6:26 PM.

"We do not provide victim names however the event you are requesting is a battery call alleging a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player," the spokesperson told TMZ Sports. "A crime report was taken, and the suspect has not been identified. This is an ongoing investigation."

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton suffered second degree burns all over his lower body ... in what he described as "literally a freak accident" in a kitchen.

According to NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the 29-year-old football player was cooking a meal recently ... when he accidentally spilled hot oil all over himself.

Hamilton says he suffered burns on his thighs and feet in the incident ... but he was grateful it wasn't much worse.

"I had an accident that could've ended up deadly for me & my family," Hamilton said on his Twitter page. "But instead I got the short end of it by having my feet severely burned."

The Cardinals put Hamilton on the reserve/non-football injury list Thursday -- which means he's out of Arizona's lineup for at least the first four weeks of the season while he recovers.

It's a super unfortunate break for the defensive back -- because he had just crushed Cardinals training camp and earned a starting job. In fact, Hamilton called it "the greatest camp of my career."

No word on how much time Hamilton will ultimately miss ... but he said in his social media post Thursday, "God spared me to only have these injuries."

Hamilton broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He bounced around the league for several years after that, but latched on with the Cardinals last season.

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown apparently has a need for speed ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Cardinals star was ticketed for going 71 MPH in a 50 zone just weeks before he was arrested for allegedly going 126 MPH in a 65.

According to court documents, cops say Brown went roughly 21 MPH over the speed limit in a black Mercedes on June 9 in Maricopa County, Ariz. He was issued a ticket for the offense on July 11.

Per the docs, Brown is facing a fine of $350. Records show he's due in court for a hearing on the matter in October.

Of course, Brown was arrested back on Aug. 3 -- less than a month after his initial speeding ticket arrived in the mail -- following accusations that he went 61 MPH over the speed limit in a white Mercedes in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Records show he's due in court for a hearing in that case next month.

Brown apologized for the recent arrest earlier this week, vowing to be better going forward -- but he made no note of the earlier ticket in his chat with reporters.

As for his head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, he said following Brown's arrest that he was disappointed in his receiver ... adding, "he knows he's got to be better than that."

Cardinals wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown spoke about his speeding arrest for the first time on Wednesday ... saying it was a mistake he wants to learn from and vowing to be better moving forward.

The 25-year-old -- who was acquired in the offseason from the Baltimore Ravens -- was asked at Wednesday's practice if he had a message for his teammates following his arrest earlier this month, when he was allegedly driving 126 MPH in a 65 zone.

"I want to learn from it," Brown said. "I'm not a guy who gets into trouble, so I want to put in my past and make sure I'm always doing the right things at all times."

Brown says he wasn't late to practice the morning he was speeding, but he did call his decision that day "very disappointing" ... adding that he feels a responsibility to conduct himself in a better manner because the younger generation looks up to him.

"I have a lot of kids that look up to me, so I want to set the right example at all times," Brown said.

As we previously reported, Brown missed his team's training camp practice two weeks ago because he was arrested for criminal speeding.

The Cardinals addressed the arrest at the time, saying "We are aware of the situation regarding Hollywood Brown and have reported it to the NFL office as required. We will comment further as appropriate."

Kliff Kingsbury also addressed the arrest ... saying Brown has "got to be better."

Brown has been nursing a hamstring injury all offseason, so this was his first full week of practice.

Kliff Kingsbury clearly ain't happy that his star wideout spent the day in jail on Wednesday -- telling reporters on Thursday that Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has "got to be better than that."

Brown was arrested at around 7:05 AM in north Phoenix after officers say he was speeding. Jail records show he was booked on a charge of exceeding 85 MPH in a 65 MPH zone -- and according to multiple media outlets, cops said he was actually traveling at 126 MPH.

Speaking with media members for the first time since the arrest, Kingsbury made it known he was not pleased with the 25-year-old, and expected more from the Cardinals receiver.

"Obviously he knows he's got to be better than that," the Arizona head coach said, "and he will be moving forward."

Kingsbury added Brown has "never" given him or the team "any issues" prior to Wednesday.

Cardinals star Marquise "Hollywood" Brown spent his Wednesday morning in jail instead of getting ready for training camp practice ... TMZ Sports has confirmed he was arrested not long before the workout began.

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Brown was stopped on State Route 101 in north Phoenix at around 7:05 AM, and was arrested for criminal speeding.

Bart Graves, a DPS spokesperson, tells us as of 10:30 AM, Brown was still in custody.

No further details surrounding the arrest were revealed.

Brown, who's been battling a hamstring injury this offseason, had been expected to be eased back into practice this week.

"We are aware of the situation regarding Hollywood Brown and have reported it to the NFL office as required," the Cardinals said in a statement. "We will comment further as appropriate."

Brown was just traded to the Cardinals back in April -- after starring for the Baltimore Ravens from 2019 to 2021.

Story developing ...

Warren Moon was appalled by the homework clause the Cardinals put into Kyler Murray's contract this month ... calling it not only "embarrassing," but a "slap in the face to all African-American quarterbacks."

The Hall of Famer didn't mince words when breaking down his thoughts on the infamous addendum to the Arizona star QB's massive new deal -- blasting the Cards for even thinking of the idea in the first place.

In fact, Moon tells TMZ Sports it was so bad, he straight up believes the reasoning for the clause and the wording in it was clouded by racial undertones.

"It's something we were always accused of back in the day when they didn't let us play," Moon says. "That we were lazy, that we didn't study, that we couldn't be leaders, that we weren't smart. So all those different things just kind of came to surface after we put all that stuff to bed over the years and just because of this deal that's going on between Arizona and Kyler."

"So yeah, very embarrassing."

If you missed it, as part of Kyler's new $230.5 million contract, the Cardinals included bizarre language that required Murray to study for four hours a week -- on his own, sans distractions.

Once the addendum was made public, though, it was met with so much criticism, the Cardinals eventually removed it on Thursday night.

But, Moon tells us it might be too little too late at this point.

"The damage has been done," the 65-year-old said. "He'll have this riding on him every time he does something wrong in a football game. They're going to say, 'See, that's the reason why that happened is because he didn't study enough film last week,' or whatever it might be."

"It's a very unfortunate situation for him and very embarrassing for both sides."

For Murray's part, he told media members at an impromptu press conference on Thursday that no one should ever question his work ethic or preparation for games -- saying, "It's disrespectful, and it's almost a joke."

The Kyler clause is officially no more.

After days of backlash following the reveal of a "do your homework" addendum the Arizona Cardinals added to Kyler Murray's massive, new contract -- the team has officially removed it, saying it created way too much of a distraction for the QB and the org.

"It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended," the Cardinals said in a statement announcing the removal of the clause on Thursday night.

"Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

If you missed it -- inside of Murray's new, huge $230 MILLION deal was very strange language that obligated the 24-year-old signal-caller to, among other things, study film for four hours a week.

The verbiage seemed to imply that the team was having trouble getting Kyler to put in the bare minimum in the film room -- and it created a firestorm on social media.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud, Murray felt the need to hold an impromptu press conference on Thursday to explain he does actually work hard off the field and the addendum was not necessary.

Hours later, the Cards scrapped the whole thing from the Murray deal -- saying, "After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract."