Football

Bill Maher asks the question ... how can Republicans support Herschel Walker, whom he calls a hypocritical, lying moron, who played Russian Roulette, threatened to blow his wife's brains out, stalked a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, threatened to shoot cops, falsely claimed to be a cop, falsely claimed to be an FBI agent, abandoned some of his kids, wants an abortion ban despite paying for a girlfriend's abortion? Well, Bill has an answer.

The "Real Time" host says Democrats are blasting Republicans -- from Senators on down who support Walker -- for lacking fundamental integrity. B.M. says the integrity ship has long since sailed ... he says it sank after a long battle with tribalism.

Bill acknowledges, some of the supporters are indeed those "deplorables" ... but claims it's more complicated than that. Bill says, for these Republicans, "The worse a candidate is, the more it says to Democrats, 'do you see how much we don't like what you're selling?'"

Translation ... a lot of Republicans know these wacko candidates are, as he says, "egregious assholes," but they'll hold their noses and support them to counter and make a statement about their objections to identity politics. Bill ticks off examples ... cancel culture, victimhood, white self-loathing, forcing ideas of race and sex on kids too young to understand, etc.

He acknowledges, Democrats have the same contempt for Republican values, but Dems have a sense of shame that prevents them from supporting crazy candidates, and Republicans have zero shame.

If you watched the SMU/Navy game Friday night, it was just a bunch of horses**t, right?

Well, thanks to Peruna, the game abruptly stopped in the third quarter, after SMU scored a TD and the mascot bolted onto the turf to celebrate. Thing is ... Peruna has loose bowels, and left an unhappy trail behind.

Officials tried to ignore it, but SMU's head coach Rhett Lashlee thought better and asked to hit the pause button while the poop was removed.

Now this is where a lack of preparation became a glaring problem.  There was no plan, no equipment, to remove the feces ... something you'd think SMU would have at the ready given its choice of mascots. So the staff had to walk out on the field and pick up horse poop by hand.

It took 15 minutes to make the field properly playable again.

ESPN announcers lost it trying to explain what happened.

Herschel Walker showed up to his Georgia Senate debate Friday, expecting barbs from his opponent, incumbent Raphael Warnock ... but ended up getting a scolding from the debate's moderator for intentionally breaking the rules with a seemingly bogus badge.

The two shared the stage in Savannah to mix it up before the election next month, and when someone asked a question about policing, Warnock pivoted into an accusation aimed at the former Georgia Bulldog star running back.

"One thing I have not done ... I've never pretended to be a police officer," the Senator said,  "And I never threatened a shoot-out with the police."

Warnock's accusations were met by applause and cheers from the crowd, so a flustered Walker tried to cut in.

"You know what's so funny?" and the 1982 Heisman winner flashed what appeared to be a fake police badge ... "I am with many police officers, and at the same time..."

The debate moderator cut him off, sternly and sharply called him out ... "You have a prop. That's not allowed Sir! ... You're very aware of the rules, aren't you?"

Warnock was referring to Walker's claims of being a cop when in reality he's an “honorary deputy” in Cobb County, a distinction former DeKalb County district attorney J. Tom Morgan told WaPo was nothing more than a "political token" that holds no power.

The "shoot-out" comment stems from a new AP report that in 2001, Walker's therapist called police in Irving, Texas, saying he was "volatile," armed and scaring his estranged wife. The officers went to his suburban Dallas residence and later said Walked had "talked about having a shoot-out with police."

The badge debacle is just the latest in a string of calamities in the Walker campaign. Two weeks ago, a woman claimed Walker -- a pro-life Republican candidate --- paid for her abortion, prompting his son Christian to blast him on social media. Also, last week, Home Depot came out to make sure people knew it was not donating to his campaign.

New Orleans Saints superstar Alvin Kamara is being sued for allegedly attacking a man outside a Vegas nightclub during Pro Bowl weekend in February ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The plaintiff, Darnell Greene, claims he was among a group of people waiting for an elevator near Drai's around 6:30 AM ... when Kamara put his hand on his chest to keep him from entering the lift.

Greene says the running back then shoved him into a wall and repeatedly punched him in the face.

The lawsuit claims Greene tried to escape ... but AK chased him down and attacked him, causing injuries including a broken orbital.

Now, Greene has lawyered up ... and is seeking $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

"The brutal violent assault broke Greene's orbital lobe, severely injured his shoulder, back, and neck, and left him temporarily unconscious and helpless on the floor," the lawsuit states.

Greene claims Kamara boasted about his role in the alleged beatdown ... saying, "I connected with the [expletive]’s jaw so hard,'" according to the suit.

The alleged injuries were so bad, Greene states he will need to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage done to his body.

"Medical testing confirmed a disfiguring facial fracture to Greene's right orbital bone, blunt force trauma to his head, multiple disc protrusions, and structural tears in his shoulder," the suit says.

The lawsuit provides pictures of Greene's bloody face following the alleged beatdown ... as well as still shots from security footage -- and Greene claims NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't taken any action to discipline Kamara.

The NFL is punishing Tom Brady -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar has been hit with a fine for kicking at Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett during Sunday's matchup.

The moment went down with 3 minutes left in the Bucs' 21-15 win over the Falcons ... when Jarrett was hit with a controversial roughing the passer penalty after sacking the 7-time Super Bowl champ.

As Jarrett got up off the ground, Brady appeared to kick at the DE ... although it's unclear whether he made contact.

Regardless, Brady -- who will have made more than $330 million for his on-field work at the end of his 23rd season -- was handed an $11,139 fine for the kick, the league announced on Friday.

Jarrett recently said he spoke to the league about the incident ... explaining his side of the situation.

As for the controversy surrounding the play, Garrett thought he did exactly what he was supposed to when he sacked Brady on the potential game-altering play ... but the refs threw the questionable flag, claiming Garrett committed the penalty.

Deshaun Watson is facing another sexual misconduct lawsuit in Texas after a massage therapist claims the now-Browns QB pressured her into giving him oral sex during a 2020 therapy session at a Houston-area hotel.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Harris County under the name "Jane Doe," a licensed therapist claims the now 27-year-old Watson contacted her in December 2020 over Instagram DM and requested a massage.

The therapist, who was working at home during Covid, says she agreed to meet Deshaun at a local hotel, The Houstonian.

During the massage, the therapist claims ... “Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘get on top.’ Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however, he was able to pressure her into oral sex with the Defendant.”

The therapist, who normally charges $115 per hour, claims she was paid $300 by the quarterback.

The woman claims she's "suffered from severe depression and anxiety" as a result of the interaction with Deshaun, according to the suit.

Doe's attorney, Anissah Nguyen, told ESPN ... "My client's experience with Deshaun Watson follows a series of disturbingly similar encounters reported by more than 20 women who have filed suit against the NFL superstar."

"Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with the shame and trauma from all that he has stolen from her and the daily pain that has become her reality."

The lawsuit is not part of the group of suits settled out of court by Watson, and the filing comes just days after he was permitted to return to Browns practice. Deshaun is serving an 11-game suspension over the previous allegations against the QB.

Watson, nor his team, have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Story developing ...

Arik Armstead continues to help kids in Sacramento ... the 49ers star just made a $250k donation to Mercy Housing California aimed at educating almost 300 youths!

The 28-year-old defensive tackle presented MHC with the massive check before the Niners' Monday Night Football game against the Rams at Levi's Stadium on Oct. 3.

FYI, Mercy Housing California has provided affordable homes for over 20,000 Californians.

TMZ Sports has learned this is the second $250k donation from the NFL star, who partnered up with MHC back in 2021, when they launched the Armstead Academy ... which focuses on underprivileged students in Sacramento.

We're told the large contribution will supply academic programs -- including summer reading, college, and career exploration opportunities -- to almost 300 kids.

"We remain committed to positively impact youth lives," Armstead said Wednesday, "by providing the resources, tools, and positive spaces they need to thrive."

"Excited to continue serving with our partner @mercyhousing."

Several of Armstead's famous friends applauded the 7-year vet, including former Niners receiver Marquise Goodwin who wrote ... "Huge impact 🔥🔥👏🏿".

Troy Aikman is speaking out publicly for the first time since making controversial remarks during "Monday Night Football," calling his comments "dumb."

"My comments were dumb, just shouldn't have made them," Aikman said during a radio appearance on 96.7 The Ticket, adding, "Just dumb remarks on my part."

Of course, during Monday night's Raiders-Chiefs game, the former Cowboys QB voiced displeasure with how the NFL is enforcing the roughing of the passer penalty.

"My hope is the competition committee looks at this in the next set of meetings, and, you know, we take the dresses off," the three-time Super Bowl champ said during the broadcast.

Aikman has been under siege ever since ... with the QB being accused of being sexist and misogynistic.

The roughing penalty has become a big talking point this season, especially given Tua Tagovailoa's injuries and the call Tom Brady received against the Falcons.

Aikman, however, isn't alone in his gripes with the NFL -- HOF head coach Tony Dungy took to Twitter to express his confusion with how rules are being enforced against quarterbacks.

L.A. Rams players weren't the only ones taking a beating from Dallas on Sunday ... their fans were, too -- with one dude getting KO'd by a Cowboys fan during a parking lot brawl.

The SoFi Stadium parking lot brawl was caught on video as the Rams were losing to "America's team."

The video shows several people in Rams and Cowboys jerseys going at it as a few people attempted to keep the peace.

But, nobody listened ... and then, out of nowhere, a guy in a #88 jersey (CeeDee Lamb, Dez Bryant, Michael Irvin, Drew Pearson??) -- throws a superman punch at a fan wearing a Cooper Kupp jersey, knocking him to the ground.

The Cowboys fan didn't stop there ... the guy continued to punch the Rams fan in the face until witnesses broke things up.

The Kupp fan eventually gets up but falls back to the asphalt ... obviously shaken up from the blows to the head.

But, he wasn't the only one injured ... nearby there's another guy laid out on the ground.

It's not the only fight that went down during the Cowboys-Rams game on Sunday. Inside SoFi, a fan wearing a Matthew Stafford jersey was knocked on his ass by a guy in an Ezekiel Elliott jersey.

Gisele Bündchen may have just dropped a massive hint about what led to the breaking down of her relationship with Tom Brady and what appears to be the end of their marriage.

Gisele was on Instagram Wednesday when she commented '🙏🏽' in response to a post that read, "You can't be in a committed relationship with someone who is inconsistent with you. Read that again."

The message is certainly interesting -- especially because many feel the beginning of the end of the couple's marriage was when Tom un-retired.

Of course, it's possible Gisele felt Tom was "inconsistent" in his commitment to his family ... first saying he was stepping away from football, only to announce he was going to play again.

TMZ broke the story -- both Tom and Gisele had been searching for divorce attorneys for weeks before reports surfaced they'd hired someone. At this time, we're told the marriage appears to be beyond repair.

Tua Tagovailoa is back slingin' the ball at Miami Dolphins' practice after suffering a concussion 13 days ago ... and while it's a step in the right direction, the quarterback is still in protocol.

The 24-year-old was spotted in Dolphins gear on Wednesday at the Baptist Health Training Complex ... wearing his helmet and throwing the football.

Marcel Louis of ESPN says the QB also launched a couple of deep passes 25 to 30 yards downfield ... which is great to see, considering the frightening sight after hitting his head against the Bengals in Week 4.

Of course, the team is not going to rush Tua back -- especially considering the hit he took in the Bills game four days prior.

Even though it looks like Tua's close to returning to the field, the Dolphins announced that Skylar Thompson will be the starting QB for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The Dolphins have been getting ripped for the way they handled the situation -- with head injury expert Chris Nowinski telling us Tagovailoa should never play for Miami again.

The NFL and NFLPA have modified the protocol after looking into Tua's concussion evaluation, adding ataxia as a "no-go" symptom which is an "abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue."

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft just made a HUGE contribution to the Massachusetts General Hospital ... donating $50 MILLION to promote health equity in the area.

81-year-old Kraft -- who is worth around $10 billion, according to Forbes -- says he handed over the check after being inspired by the treatment his late wife, Myra, received while battling ovarian cancer.

Kraft told WCVB he wanted to make it his mission to ensure people of all backgrounds had similar care ... and thanks to his money, the hospital will be able to start multiple new initiatives to make it happen.

One of the hospital's focuses will be sickle cell disease research ... which also happens to be the charitable cause for Patriots player Devin McCourty.

Kraft made a profound statement to Front Office Sports about the matter ... saying, "If this was a disease for white people, I think the cure would have been found already."

"I think it falls to people like myself to try to do what we can to help."

Kraft has made several donations to MGH -- recently named the best hospital in the country -- over the years, but the organization says this newest round of support has more than doubled the amounts in the past.

Tyrone Davis, former tight end for the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, has died, according to an obituary made public by a funeral home in Virginia. He was 50.

The cause of death is not clear.

Earl Dotson, former Packers offensive tackle who played alongside Davis for eight seasons with Green Bay, confirmed the sad news in an emotional Facebook post.

"This is difficult to post," Dotson wrote. "Rest in paradise teammate. This good man Tyrone Davis fought beside me on the NFL Green Bay Packers for years. Brother forever."

Tyrone started his NFL career as a wide receiver for the Jets, who drafted him in 1995, before he was converted to TE before his second season in the league.

After spending two seasons with the Jets, the franchise traded Davis to the Packers, where he remained until his NFL career ended in 2002.

In 75 career games, Davis compiled 73 receptions, 795 yards, and 13 touchdowns during his eight-year career.

The highlight of Davis' career came in 1998 when he caught Brett Favre's 200th career touchdown pass during a Packers' blowout win of the Giants, 37-3, at the Meadowlands.

Davis passed away on October 2 ... and a service was held for his family and friends days later.

Davis is survived by his mother, Annie Davis, and his four children, Maiya Booker, Damien Davis, Jarrett Gomez, and Mariah Gomez.

NFL superstar Davante Adams was cited for assault for shoving a photog to the ground after Monday Night Football ... with court docs saying the victim suffered whiplash, a headache and possible minor concussion.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Kansas City Municipal Court records show 29-year-old Adams -- listed as 6'2", 210 pounds -- received a citation on Wednesday for pushing Ryan Zebley using two hands.

We broke the story -- Zebley called cops and filed a police report following the incident ... claiming he had to go to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Adams has since apologized for his actions ... saying, "I wanted to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me."

"I shouldn't have responded that way, but that's how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that."

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels is backing Adams ... saying he knows he's a good person and doesn't believe there was any intent behind the push.

Never thought we'd say this, but pickleball might be the hottest sport right now ... because Tom Brady just joined superstars like LeBron James and Drew Brees in becoming a professional team owner!!

Major League Pickleball announced the 7-time Super Bowl champion's newest business venture on Wednesday ... saying TB12 and ex-tennis star Kim Clijsters are buying a 2023 expansion team alongside Knighthead Capital.

As it turns out, pickleball teams are a hot commodity right now ... with names like Bron, Brees, Kevin Love, Draymond Green and Gary Vee getting in on the action recently.

MLP Founder Steve Kuhn spoke about the new owners ... saying, "Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, and Knighthead Capital Management are champions in their fields and will now be champions for Major League Pickleball."

The sport has been growing rapidly recently ... with a mission to have 40 million players by 2030.

The team Brady and Clijsters are joining will consist of 50% female ownership, the league says.

Police have finished their investigation into the youth football game fight where LeGarrette Blount threw punches at a man ... and they've now kicked over the case to prosecutors, who will decide if the ex-NFL player will face criminal charges.

A spokesperson for the Gilbert Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... cops turned the case over to the Town of Gilbert Prosecutor's Office for review in the last few days.

It's unclear if the GPD recommended any charges in that handoff.

Prosecutors now have a choice -- file criminal charges against Blount ... or let him off. We've reached out for comment, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

As we reported, cops initially began their investigation into Blount on Oct. 1, after he was involved in a huge fracas following the conclusion of a 12-year-old-and-under football game in Gilbert, Arizona.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, appears to show the three-time Super Bowl winner -- a coach for one of the teams involved in the game -- getting ticked off by something someone said in the postgame handshake line.

In the footage, Blount appears to sprint after somebody -- before throwing two punches at a man.

Cops say they were called to the scene, but the fight had concluded once they arrived. They said no injuries were reported.

Blount eventually apologized for his role in the incident, saying in a statement, "As a leader, coach, father and a role model I understand my actions are unacceptable. I hope and pray for your understanding and forgiveness and plan to continue to be a positive impact in the lives of our youth."