Football

Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest athlete of all time -- and a god amongst pugilists ... so when his grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh, decided to enter the family business, the decision came with a whole heap of pressure!

Now, 24-year-old Ali Walsh is just days away from his PFL MMA debut (against Tom Graesser) ... and TMZ Sports talked to him about fighting as The Greatest's grandchild.

"I definitely have pressure. I even had that pressure in football, and that's a completely different sport. I'm also doing MMA which is also a completely different sport from boxing, but it's also a combat sport, so I think there's gonna be a little bit more pressure there."

FYI, Biaggio was a high school football star in Las Vegas, before playing college ball at the University of California before transferring to UNLV.

Ali Walsh understands he's getting additional attention because of his last name ... but he hopes to be able to blaze his own trail.

"At the end of the day I'm just like any other fighter who's fighting to create their own name, create their own legacy. The only difference is my grandfather is really famous, and because of that I've gotten the platform that I've got, but at the end of the day, it's how you perform in the cage."

"I definitely do have that pressure, but I feel like I'm dealing with it pretty well."

The event, the PFL World Championship, is going down at Madison Square Garden in NYC, under the same roof where Ali fought some of his most memorable fights -- including the "Fight of the Century," Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier in 1971.

We also asked Biaggio if fans might see any similarities between him and his grandfather ... something Ali Walsh says both yes and no too.

"When my grandfather boxed, I feel like it wouldn't translate that well over to MMA. He was very heavy on his lead leg, threw the jab out a lot. If I tried that in MMA, I'd just get leg kicked all day. I've tried that and I've gotten leg kicked and even taken down, so it didn't really work."

"His speed is something that I feel like I have to. I feel like his speed is passed down to me. Dealing with the big stage and the lights and all that, I feel like that's transferred down to me and my brother [Nico], and even my aunt Laila [Ali]."

Tom Brady is one of the most eligible bachelors on planet Earth ... and Tommy Fury has an idea where he can find his next partner -- on a reality TV show!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Tommy (the younger brother of Tyson Fury) ... and the British pro boxer told us Brady shouldn't rule out finding love on TV -- because it happened to him.

"I've met the woman of my dreams on a show, and now she's having my children," Tommy said. "It's definitely hope for Tom Brady out there."

Of course, Tommy, 23, is in a relationship with English social media influencer Molly-Mae Hague. The two first met on "Love Island" ... and they've been together ever since.

In fact -- in September, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together.

It sounds like TNT thinks TB12 can have a similar love story after his divorce from Gisele Bündchen -- if Tom is willing to give it a chance.

As you know by now, Gisele appeared to be taking steps to move on post-Tom ... spending time with renowned jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente -- but her camp insisted the vacation was not romantic.

Regardless, TF says he's rooting for Brady, and his advice to the QB is to never give up on the pursuit of love, even if it comes from the most unexpected places.

NFL football on Thanksgiving Day is one of the best traditions there is -- but before we dive into the games (and food), let's meet the lovely wives and girlfriends of the athletes hitting the field on Thursday.

The Bills and Lions are set to kick things off in Detroit -- Josh Allen's GF, Brittany Williams and Stefon Diggs' GF, Tae Heckard, will certainly be rooting for their men to link up for some big plays.

Jordan Poyer's wife, Rachel Bush, will be hoping her man has a feast defensively against Jared Goff ... as he's cheered on by his fiancée, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Christen Harper.

Dak Prescott has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season -- his GF, Natalie Buffett, will watch as her man's 7-3 Cowboys play the Giants at Jerry World on Thursday.

Saquon Barkley and the Giants will be hoping to spoil the Cowboys' Thanksgiving, which would assuredly put a smile on the face of Anna Congdon, his longtime girlfriend and mother of his kid.

Meanwhile, Mac Jones and his girlfriend, Sophie Scott, will have to wait to stuff their faces with Thanksgiving delights ... as the Pats QB plays the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in the late game.

Turkey? Check. Sweet AND mashed potatoes? Check, check. Mac and cheese?! You better believe it!!

Pop star Bebe Rexha tells TMZ Sports she'll have ALL the Thanksgiving dinner fixins ready to go after she performs at the Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills game on Thursday ... and she made sure to bring her mom along for the feast!!

The "I'm Good" crooner spoke with us at LAX prior to heading to the Motor City for her gig at the Turkey Day game ... and she says despite being on the road, she's not going to miss out on the traditional grub.

Bebe says she's already ordered all the dishes to have a complete dinner ... setting it up perfectly to chow down right after she leaves the stage.

Of course, not everyone who works the Turkey Day games is as lucky -- FOX sideline reporter Erin Andrews previously told us she usually only has a PB&J sammich in the hotel after she wraps up her duties on Thanksgiving.

Bebe thoughtfully sends EA an invite to her Turkey Day gathering ... but unfortunately, she'll be in Dallas to report on the Cowboys game.

There was not one, but TWO Bradys working out at QB at Buccaneers practice on Wednesday ... 'cause Tom's son got in some drills while visiting Dad -- and TB12 loved it!

15-year-old Jack swung by Tampa's day-before-Thanksgiving practice for a few hours -- and at points during the afternoon, he got to toss around the pigskin in front of Tom.

The high schooler -- who actually plays free safety and a little bit of quarterback for his H.S. team -- looked good ... rollin' out of the pocket with two hands on the ball, just like pops.

The younger Brady also showed off a similar follow-through as Dad as well!

Afterward, Brady spoke with media members about Jack -- his son with Bridget Moynahan --being around ... and he said he was super grateful for the opportunities.

"It's the best," Brady said. "I had him out here for training camp last year, which was amazing for a dad. It was pretty special. As much as I can be around him, the better it is."

TB12 said earlier this year on his 'Let's Go!' podcast that he never envisioned Jack following in his football footsteps ... but watching him play now is "one of the great highlights of my life."

In fact, Tom said the kid "actually moves better than I did at his age."

A whopping SEVEN Michigan State players have been hit with criminal charges for their alleged roles in a stadium tunnel fight with Michigan players following a loss last month.

The Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office just announced the charges ... saying they're now looking to prosecute Spartans cornerback Khary Crump, linebacker Tank Brown, defensive end Zion Young, safety Angelo Grose, defensive back Justin White, defensive end Brandon Wright, and pass rusher Jacoby Windmon over the Ann Arbor altercation.

Five of the players -- Brown, Young, Grose, White and Wright -- are facing one count of misdemeanor aggravated battery. Windmon is facing one count of assault and battery.

Crump, meanwhile, was charged with one count of felony assault.

The charges were handed down after a lengthy investigation into the Oct. 29 incident ... where multiple MSU players were seen on video roughing up a couple Wolverines after a disappointing 29-7 loss at Michigan Stadium.

One of the videos showed Spartan players punching and kicking a UM player. Another clip appeared to show Crump swinging a helmet at Wolverines defensive back Gemon Green.

According to Green's attorney, Green suffered a concussion and other injuries in the incident.

All MSU players were suspended from the team indefinitely following the altercations.

Zach Wilson has officially been relegated to the pine.

The New York Jets are benching the 23-year-old -- the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- following a string of poor performances ... and a press conference that appeared to upset some of his defensive players.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... saying Jets head coach Robert Saleh informed his team of the decision during a meeting Wednesday morning.

Either Joe Flacco or Mike White is expected to be the new starter going forward.

Wilson had been playing awful in the last few weeks, and, to make matters worse for the QB, he appeared to ruffle some of his teammates' feathers when he said after the abysmal loss to the Patriots that he didn't feel like he had let his defense down.

Both star corner Sauce Gardner and defensive end John Franklin-Myers liked a tweet slamming Wilson for not taking accountability ... although the two said afterward they did it on accident.

Suuuuuure.

Despite the dysfunction under center, the 6-4 Jets remarkably still have a shot to make the playoffs this year.

The post-Wilson era -- at least for now -- starts Sunday ... when NY plays Chicago.

Brandon Marshall will now have the New England Patriots logo etched into his arm FOR LIFE ... and it's all 'cause of a silly bet he made with Julian Edelman last week.

The two former wideouts placed the wager on the set of "Inside the NFL" back on Friday -- two days before their ex-teams went head-to-head at Gillette Stadium.

The deal was simple -- if the Jets win, Edelman gets NY ink. If they lose, Marshall gets branded.

As you know, the Patriots pulled out the win Sunday with an improbable, last-second 84-yard punt return ... and when it came time for Edelman to collect this week, Marshall paid up.

The 38-year-old, who made the Pro Bowl with the Jets in 2015, sat in a chair on the "Inside the NFL" set and took the needle to his right forearm.

Edelman gloated about it all afterward on his social media page ... writing, "A bets a bet. And @bmarshall is a man of his word. Thanks for saving me @patriots."

In even better news for Julian -- the Patriots don't play the Jets again this season, so it appears he's safe from any sort of retribution from Marshall.

Then again, the former wideout did play for the Dolphins as well -- and they are slated to play against New England on Jan. 1.

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.

A top H.S. quarterback recruit's use of the n-word will not spell the end of his football career ... so says ex-NFL star Jamal Anderson, who tells TMZ Sports he's confident the teen will get another scholarship offer.

Marcus Stokes -- a four-star athlete from Allen D. Nease High School in Florida -- had his full ride to the Univ. of Florida pulled on Sunday ... after he posted a video of himself rapping the n-word in his car.

He apologized for it all, calling it "hurtful and offensive to many people" -- but some have wondered if it, and the Gators' subsequent punishment for it, would mean he'd no longer have a chance to play college ball anymore.

When we got Anderson out at LAX this week, he told us he's sure another school will give him another shot ... saying, "Man, he's a kid still."

"You've got to have time to grow and make mistakes and learn and make amends for the mistakes that you make," the former Atlanta Falcons running back said. "So, I wish him all the best and I hope that it all works out for him."

Anderson tells us Stokes' coaches, teammates, friends and peers will help him rebound from it all ... explaining if those around him continue to report he had no racist intentions with his actions, it'll be easier to forgive.

"When you look at the reports of the people that actually know him," Anderson said, "The people that are actually around him, there's nothing like that."

As if Cleveland's season couldn't get any worse -- some rando allegedly broke into FirstEnergy Stadium and took a joyride on the field just days before the Browns' next home game ... resulting in a bunch of damage.

The incident reportedly went down early Tuesday morning ... forcing the Browns' grounds crew to rush to repair the grass before Sunday's matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pictures captured by News Channel 5 show tire marks throughout the field ... with a road roller working to improve the home turf.

Luckily, the team told the outlet the damage is superficial ... which means there's a good chance Sunday's game will go down without any hiccups.

Police believe the joyride occurred after someone broke into the stadium and got ahold of a golf cart. The whole thing is currently under investigation.

“We are aware of the incident that occurred early Tuesday morning at FirstEnergy Stadium and have provided the Cleveland Division of Police with all relevant information," the team said in a statement.

"Based on our internal evaluation, there was some superficial damage to the playing field that our grounds maintenance team is currently working to repair."

Here's further proof Big Ten football is taken VERY seriously in Ohio -- droves of newborns in the state this week have been wrapped in "Beat Michigan" swaddles ... as the Buckeyes prepare to play the Wolverines in a huge game this weekend.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was the facility providing the anti-Michigan paraphernalia to the babies -- with, of course, parents' permission -- and while Wolverines fans may not enjoy it so much, it's adorable as hell.

The kids got red blankets with the words "Beat Michigan" inscribed in them -- with the M crossed out. They were also gifted some Buckeye-colored beanies.

Some proud, cheesin' parents posed with the Ohio State-clad kids ... and, surely, they're hoping those smiles stay on their faces on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

The game goes down at noon -- and with both teams coming in with 11-0 records ... it almost certainly means a spot in the College Football Playoff is on the line.

A couple L.A. Chargers fans turned on each other during the Chiefs game on Sunday night ... whaling on one another's faces at SoFi Stadium -- as their favorite team played on in the background.

Video, obtained TMZ Sports, shows that a man in a Joey Bosa jersey appeared to have started the melee ... when he threw a couple of punches at a guy in a row below him.

Unclear what caused the altercation to break out -- but soon after the first blow was thrown, another man got involved ... and all hell broke loose.

At least three guys traded haymakers for roughly 30 seconds, before other fans jumped in to slow down the action.

One witness tells us neither police nor stadium security guards ever arrived to check in on the situation ... but, fortunately, the parties left on their own without further incident.

Antonio Brown is continuing to cross the line in his feud with Tom Brady -- this time, he posted a clearly photoshopped nude pic of Gisele Bündchen on social media.

The troubled ex-NFL receiver shared the image to his Snapchat on Monday ... showing Gisele's face edited on top of another woman's naked body.

A caption was not included, so there's no explanation behind the decision to take another shot at Brady's ex-wife. The slide was later deleted ... but screenshots of AB's post quickly made rounds on Twitter.

It's yet another example of AB burning his Brady bridge to a crisp -- he's completely turned his back on his former teammate in recent months, despite TB12's continuous support throughout his off-field troubles.

Brown has also posted several times about Brady's divorce from Gisele after 13 years together ... including a pic hugging Bündchen after the Bucs' Super Bowl win in 2021.

He also went the bad photoshop route another time ... by putting his face onto Brady's body as Gisele had her arms wrapped around him.

AB seemingly tried to expose Brady by sharing a text conversation from 2021 last week ... in which the 7-time champ called Brown out for acting like "a young immature man that is selfish, self serving, irrational and irresponsible."

The UVA vs. Virginia Tech game has been canceled ... in wake of the tragic shooting on the Cavaliers' campus earlier this month.

The ACC made the ruling late Monday evening, saying the Nov. 26 matchup will not go down as planned ... after UVA players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry were shot and killed on a bus after returning from a class field trip on Nov. 13.

According to the conference, ACC officials and both Virginia schools had a say in the decision.

"The ACC and Virginia Tech continue to support UVA following the devastating tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of three members of the Cavalier football team -- Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry, and injuries to students Mike Hollins (also a Virginia football student-athlete) and Marlee Morgan."

This is the second game that's been canceled since the tragic incident -- last weekend's UVA vs. Coastal Carolina contest was also called off.

Both UVA and Virginia Tech's seasons are now over.

Mats were nowhere to be seen on the sidelines during the Chargers vs. Chiefs game on Sunday night ... just days after a Broncos player sued L.A., claiming the previous use of the ground coverings at SoFi Stadium caused him to tear his ACL.

The mats had been there for the Broncos vs. Chargers game back on Oct. 17 -- and during a special teams play in the overtime period of the contest, outside linebacker Aaron Patrick stepped on them and blew out his knee.

In a lawsuit filed on Nov. 15, he claimed it was a mistake by the Chargers, ESPN, the NFL and others to allow the mats to be placed so close to the playing field ... explaining all parties should have known they presented a dangerous hazard for players.

He sued for unspecified damages, including lost bonuses and future earning potential.

On Sunday -- the first Chargers game at SoFi Stadium since the suit was filed -- no mats were present in any area of the field.

It should be noted the game was an NBC broadcast, not an ESPN one ... but cords and cables were either covered in a different way, or carried by officials.

Unclear if the Chargers imposed the changes as a result of the suit ... they declined to comment due to the pending litigation.

Patrick's attorney, William M. Berman of Berman & Riedel, tells TMZ Sports he and his client still aren't happy with the changes ... saying, "The guys holding the cables/wires were still in too close proximity to the field, creating what we believe to still be a very dangerous condition."