Football

Brett Favre's alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar welfare scandal may have just gone from bad to worse ... 'cause a key figure in a criminal case has just made a deal to cooperate with the feds that could put the NFL legend in the crosshairs of the Justice Department.

Former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis pled guilty on Thursday to conspiring to defraud the State of Mississippi out of more than $70 million in federal funds, which he was accused of misdirecting from the state's poorest people.

As part of his agreement with prosecutors, officials say Davis agreed to tell everything he knows about the massive scheme ... which could be problematic for Favre.

The former Green Bay QB has been under fire after he allegedly worked with Davis and other government officials to obtain $5 million from Mississippi welfare funds to help his alma mater, the Univ. of Southern Miss., build a new volleyball facility. Favre's daughter played the sport at the Univ. at the time Favre was accused of getting the money for the project.

Favre sent a text in 2017 to the woman who ran the nonprofit, seemingly acknowledging it was wrong to take the money ... "If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?"  She responded, "No we never have had that information publicized."

A few hours later, the woman who runs the nonprofit texted Favre back, saying "Wow, just got off the phone with [then Mississippi Governor] Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!" Favre responded, "Awesome. I needed to hear that for sure."

Despite facing 15 years behind bars, Davis is being seen as an essential component in the ongoing federal investigation into the misdirection of the funds, as well as a corresponding state case. Prosecutors on both sides are eager to obtain information on other possible co-conspirators, including those connected to Davis.

Ten Pennsylvania H.S. students have been charged ... after a month-long investigation into hazing and sexual assault allegations involving the school's football team.

As we previously reported, Middletown Area High School's football season was canceled in August after several cell phone videos surfaced that appeared to show serious hazing incidents at the school.

The Superintendent of MAHS said the footage was "disturbing and upsetting." Other officials said one of the videos showed two players restraining a group of students while poking two boys with a muscle therapy gun and other athletic equipment in the turf room.

Lower Swatara Township Police and the Criminal Investigation Division of the District Attorney’s Office in Dauphin County opened an investigation ... and on Wednesday, Dauphin County District Attorney Francis T. Chardo announced they're charging 10 students in the case.

"Two students, both seventeen years of age, have been charged with multiple counts of criminal attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, unlawful restraint, simple assault, and hazing," Chardo said in a statement.

The other students were charged with various offenses from unlawful restraint, simple assault, hazing, and violating hazing statute.

Officials say the cases will be handled through the juvenile system.

According to officials, the investigation revealed that six student-athletes -- ages ranging from 14 to 17 -- were victims in the case ... but there could be more.

"As many as six other students may have been assaulted but they have been reluctant to cooperate with the police," Chardo said.

Penn State ain't letting a great opportunity slip through its fingertips ... TMZ Sports has learned the school will capitalize on the "Chad Powers" craze -- with plans to sell merch this weekend on the heels of Eli Manning's hilarious bit at the university.

A spokesperson for the school said T-shirts with Eli/Powers' images on them will hit the Beaver Stadium bookstore on Saturday. They'll be available at trailer locations during the Nittany Lions' home game against Central Michigan as well.

The shirts are hilarious -- they feature the character and jersey number from Manning's "Eli's Places" episode earlier this week.

If you missed it -- click play right now ... the skit is laugh-out-loud funny, showing Manning caking on makeup and donning a wig in order to "try out" for PSU's football team.

In addition to the shirts, a PSU official tells us there will also be a Chad Powers-themed promotion going on at the school's Beaver Stadium Block Party on Saturday.

At the event, if people run faster than 5.49 seconds in a 40-yard dash (the time Manning recorded as Powers during the workout), they'll get a free Powers T-shirt!

No word on what one of the for-sale tees will cost or if Manning's getting a cut.

"While Chad was not eligible to make our roster as a run-on," a PSU official added, "he is still part of our Penn State Family."

Xavier McClain -- a sophomore high school football player in New Jersey who suffered a traumatic head injury during a recent football game -- has died, the school tells TMZ Sports.

"The Linden Public School district is deeply saddened by the tragic death of a Linden High School sophomore student," the school said in a statement. "The district extends its heartfelt condolences and will continue to offer prayers and support to the family during this difficult time."

The district says they've made counseling available to any students and staff who want to talk to a professional.

McClain was "critically injured" during a varsity football game on September 9 ... when Linden was taking on Woodbridge H.S. in Woodbridge.

According to witnesses who were at the game, Xavier, in the second half, was returning a kickoff when the injury occurred. An ambulance was quickly brought onto the field, and play was temporarily halted.

FYI, kickoffs are one of the most dangerous plays in football. In fact, there's been a push by some to eliminate the play from the sport.

Derek Armstead, the mayor of Linden, asked the community for prayers for Xavier's parents, Lisa and Norman, as they grieve the tragic loss of their son.

"At this time, the best way to help them and Xavier is for every one of you to pray," Armstead wrote in a social media post. "If you can, stop what you are doing for a minute right now and join me in a moment of silence and prayers."

Armstead -- who's known Xavier and his parents for years -- said the news "hurts," adding, "I trust that God knows better."

"HE needed an angel and decided to call Xavier home to be with HIM," Armstead wrote. "I asked that you continue to keep the family in your prayers."

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."

Mike Evans' one-game suspension for his role in Sunday's fracas with the Saints has been upheld by the NFL, the league announced on Wednesday.

In a tweet, the NFL confirmed James Thrash, the hearing officer in the Buccaneers star's appeal, affirmed the ban.

Evans was initially informed of the punishment in a letter from NFL executive Jon Runyan on Monday, after the league said he violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules when he trucked Marshon Lattimore during a skirmish in the Tampa Bay vs. New Orleans game.

"You knocked your opponent to the ground, and a melee ensued involving players from both teams," Runyan wrote in the ruling. "Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent."

According to Adam Schefter, Evans will only lose $62,000 instead of $715,000 while out, thanks to an offseason contract restructure.

Evans' QB, Tom Brady, called the suspension earlier this week "ridiculous."

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."

Jackson tweeted, "All glory to God!! appreciate the love, support, and prayers from everyone. Bills mafia the best in the world!"

The Bills just confirmed testing at the hospital revealed Jackson had "no major injury to his neck or spinal cord."

"He was released from the hospital and is undergoing further evaluation today," the team said.

Great news ... according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Jackson has been released from the hospital and "all indications are he has avoided major injury."

Garafolo added Jackson actually walked out of the hospital under his own power.

Terrifying scene during the early NFL game on Monday night -- Bills cornerback Dane Jackson suffered a neck injury that was so concerning, an ambulance came straight onto the field to transport him to a local hospital.

Jackson was hurt while making a tackle late in the second quarter of Buffalo's blowout win over the Tennessee Titans.

The 25-year-old was accidentally hit by his own teammate in the face -- and his body bent backward awkwardly. He stayed down on the ground for several minutes as trainers and doctors tended to him.

Eventually, he was taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center -- where the Bills say he was being evaluated for a neck injury.

"He will be getting a CT scan and an x-ray," the team said in a statement late Monday night. "Jackson has full movement in extremities."

No further update on his condition was given.

Jackson was picked by the Bills in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft ... and has started 10 games for Buffalo in three seasons. He recorded three tackles and a pass breakup before exiting Monday's win.

Get better soon, Dane.

A fan who was accused of hurling a bottle at Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam during the team's loss to the New York Jets on Sunday was arrested ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents, 51-year-old Jeffrey Miller allegedly threw the bottle at Haslam just moments after New York scored a touchdown with just seconds left in the game.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero captured the incident on video -- appearing to show the bottle hit Haslam right in the leg as he was walking toward a tunnel at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

In Pelissero's footage, you can see 68-year-old Haslam was startled at first ... but then he seemed to be enraged -- and pointed to where he believed the bottle was thrown from.

Police say after security viewed video surveillance of the scene, they identified Miller as the bottle thrower. They say they eventually tracked him down inside the stadium, but claim he didn't stop after authorities attempted to detain him.

Police say they were eventually able to get the man down to a "police room" inside the stadium -- where they say he "appeared to be intoxicated." Cops noted in the docs that "while in the police room, Miller stated '[the bottle] never hit the field.'"

According to the docs, Miller was arrested and booked on three charges -- including disorderly conduct, failure to comply with a lawful order, and assault.

Pelissero reported Tuesday that following the incident, the Browns are planning to ban the fan from home games going forward.

"Fan, player and staff safety is the top priority in our building and behavior that puts others in danger will not be tolerated," the Browns said in a statement on Tuesday. "Luckily no one was harmed in this incident and as a standard practice, we've cooperated with law enforcement authorities and security video footage of the object being thrown is in the appropriate hands. We will have no further comment on this matter."

Story developing ...

Eli Manning's portrayal of "Chad Powers" -- a dude trying out for the Penn State football team -- was so damn funny, the production company behind the 2x Super Bowl winners skit has been fielding offers from entertainment execs wanting to work with the signal-caller.

TMZ Sports posted the clip from "Eli's Places" on Monday ... showing Powers doing everything from running the 40-yard dash (5.49 seconds) to throwing deep balls, all while providing hilarious commentary ("Chad Powers. Ya ain't seen nothin' like him. Not just good looking. I can throw it, baby!").

The clip has already been viewed millions of times across the internet ... and our sources tell us Omaha Productions, owned by Peyton Manning, has been flooded by people in the entertainment industry who wish to work with Manning/Powers.

One of the ideas ... a "Ted Lasso"-type show. Of course, Jason Sudeikis plays Lasso ... an American football coach hired to manage an English soccer club.

'TL' is one of the biggest shows to premiere over the last few years ... and it's won a bunch of awards.

Manning -- who retired after the '19 NFL season -- hosts the "Manningcast" during "Monday Night Football" with Peyton.

Eli also has an online show, "The Eli Manning Show," co-hosted by his former center, Shaun O'Hara, on the NY Giants YouTube page ... in addition to a bunch of endorsements.

Tom Brady has beef with the NFL yet again -- this time, the Buccaneers QB said he's pissed over the league's decision to suspend his star receiver, Mike Evans, for fighting on Sunday.

"I don't think it deserved any type of suspension," Brady said on his "Let's Go" podcast on Monday evening. "I think that's ridiculous."

Evans was banned one game for his role in a brawl with Marshon Lattimore during the Tampa Bay vs. New Orleans game on Sunday.

Evans, defending Brady, ran onto the field and leveled Lattimore -- causing an all-out melee. The 29-year-old wideout was ejected from the game, and on Monday, the league announced it was banning him for an additional game, claiming his behavior violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules.

Brady opened up about the incident on his pod -- slamming the league's ruling -- while saying he was a fan of Evans' actions.

"In the end, I appreciate Mike having my back," Brady said. "I know he'll learn from it. And he knows that we all have his back."

Brady also took some blame for the fight -- saying if he hadn't run down the field to argue with the call, none of it would have happened.

Eagles star Darius Slay made sure James Harden left "Monday Night Football" a happy man -- because after intercepting Kirk Cousins, he gifted the 76ers point guard the INT football ... and then he signed it for him after the game!

Darius lived up to his "Big Play Slay" nickname on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings -- picking off two passes --- and Harden had a front-row seat to witness the defensive masterpiece.

And, on Slay's first pick, the Vikings -- who had been trailing Philly 24-7 in the 3rd quarter -- were driving down the field ... but the DB stepped in front Justin Jefferson to nab Cousins' throw, and then he bolted over to James.

Slay handed him the ball and slapped his hand -- all while Harden had a big smile on his face.

After the game, Slay found Harden in the bowels of Lincoln Financial Field and autographed the pigskin for him.

"First Eagles game was lit!" Harden said of it all on Twitter afterward. "keep ballin bro @bigplay24slay."

Eli Manning was back in a pair of cleats and tossin' around a pigskin on the gridiron this month -- but he didn't do it as Eli ... rather, he did it as "Chad Powers," and it was HILARIOUS.

Manning went undercover as part of the latest episode of "Eli's Places" (produced by Peyton & Eli's Omaha Productions on ESPN+), where the former New York Giants star wanted to get the full walk-on experience at Penn State.

He spoke with head coach James Franklin and decided to get in on a "try out" -- but making sure he caked on the makeup and donned a wig so he wouldn't be recognized.

Manning called his alter ego "Chad Powers" -- and when he took the field, he stayed in character the entire time.

The 41-year-old ran a 5.49 40-yard dash ... and then threw the football all over -- seemingly impressing Nittany Lions coaches.

"Not just good looking," he said during the bit, "I can throw it, baby!"

Of course, Manning, who played his college ball at Ole Miss, has exhausted all of his eligibility -- so Chad Powers won't be getting in PSU games anytime soon.

Despite a broken ankle and season-ending surgery ... Trey Lance is in good spirits, sharing a photo from his hospital bed on Monday with a big smile on his face.

The 22-year-old 49ers star quarterback suffered the gruesome injury during the win over the Seahawks on Sunday -- breaking his right ankle in the first quarter.

SF head coach Kyle Shanahan announced after the game that Lance would need season-ending surgery ... and, on Monday, Lance said it all went well.

"Truly appreciate all of the messages and prayers," Lance wrote on his Twitter page. "Surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this rehab process."

"We will never understand why, but I trust that it’s all a part of His plan," the QB added. "I will be back better than ever. This chapter is going to make the story even greater!"

Jimmy Garoppolo took over for Lance and ended up with 154 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and the win. He said after the game he felt badly for his teammate.

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."

Mike Evans was just hit with a one-game suspension by the NFL after fighting Saints' defensive back Marshon Lattimore on the field during the Bucs-Saints game, the league announced Monday.

The Tampa Bay Bucs star wide receiver will be suspended without pay ... after the league deemed his behavior violated unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules in Sunday's game.

NFL exec (and former star lineman) Jon Runyan said Evans -- who saw Tom Brady engaged in a war of words with Lattimore -- and ran towards the men and violently threw his body at Marshon.

"You knocked your opponent to the ground, and a melee ensued involving players from both teams," Runyan wrote in a letter to Evans. "Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent."

"And clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional," he continued.

The beef between Evans and Lattimore is well-documented -- the two had a dustup in 2017 after Lattimore and then-Bucs QB Jameis Winston exchanged words on the field.

Evans can appeal the suspension, but he'll likely miss the Bucs' highly anticipated matchup against Green Bay next week.