Football

Jay-Z got a taste of what NFL ownership would be like on Thursday night -- sitting alongside Robert Kraft in the New England honcho's suite for the Patriots' 'TNF' game ... while rubbin' elbows with star players after the contest as well.

HOV hit Gillette Stadium for the Bills' dominant 24-10 win over the Pats from start to finish -- with cameras capturing him chillin' with Kraft for the entirety of the night.

Unclear what Bob and Jay talked about -- but seems safe to say the potential of the rapper eventually owning the Commanders came up.

As we reported, Jay-Z has been very interested in putting in a bid for Daniel Snyder's Washington team ... taking a secret dinner with billionaire Jeff Bezos in L.A. last month to talk about the logistics of it all.

It's unknown yet if Snyder has any interest in selling to the two titans ... but at least two star Buffalo players made it clear they'd welcome Jay to NFL fields with open arms.

Josh Allen and Gabe Davis were both spotted showing big love to Jay-Z in a stadium tunnel following their win. And, afterward, Allen joked with media members about being kind of starstruck over it all, saying, "I'm not sure he knew exactly who I was.''

Brad William Henke, a former NFL player who later got into acting and appeared in "Orange Is The New Black," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

Brad died in his sleep Tuesday, according to sources connected to his family. The cause of death is unclear.

Brad's most famous for playing one of the prison guards in 'OITNB' -- and he's in the scene where one of the show's main characters, Poussey Washington, is killed off -- one of the biggest scenes in the entire series.

He also had roles in TV shows like "Justified" and "Lost" ... appearing in movies including "Pacific Rim" and "World Trade Center."

Brad started acting after retiring from the NFL in 1994, hanging up his cleats due to ankle injuries. He played his college ball at the University of Arizona before being drafted in 1989 by the New York Giants.

A defensive lineman, Brad also played for the Denver Broncos and got on the field in Super Bowl XXIV against the San Francisco 49ers.

Brad first got into Hollywood by acting in commercials, then he started landing TV guest spots on series like "ER," "Arli$$," "Nash Bridges," "Silk Stalkings" and "Chicago Hope."

With over 100 acting credits to his name, Brad also appeared in "CSI," "Judging Amy," "Crossing Jordan" and "Dexter" ... among many others.

His manager, Matt DelPiano, tells us, "Brad was an incredibly kind man of joyous energy. A very talented actor, he loved being a part of this community….and we loved him back. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.”

Brad was 56.

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.

If all else fails, take a private jet.

That's exactly what Odell Beckham Jr. is doing after the NFL star's incident with American Airlines earlier this week ... deciding to skip flying with the normies to avoid any other issues.

The free-agent receiver was kicked off the plane on Sunday after an AA flight attendant told police they were trying to get Beckham to fasten his seatbelt ...  but claimed he was in and out of consciousness.

OBJ says it was all cap ... but he's not taking any chances -- he just posted a video of himself on a private jet on Thursday, fully awake with his seatbelt on.

"Not today 😭😭😭!!!," the receiver said in the caption. "Back to the regular."

Of course, this is not a cheap alternative ... but OBJ has made over $80 million during his 8-year career. So yeah, he's able to fund the substitute.

BTW, this luxury flight might be a sign that the 3-time Pro Bowler is on his way to visit either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants ... as he narrows down his search for a new home.

The feeling is mutual, too, as both teams confirmed the plane incident hasn't changed their mind about signing the Super Bowl champ.

Former Nebraska Cornhuskers interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested for strangulation and domestic assault after an alleged altercation on Wednesday ... Lincoln Police announced.

LPD says officers responded to a domestic service call from Joseph's home in Lincoln around 2 PM ... and after an investigation, the 54-year-old was arrested at a separate location and taken to jail.

Nebraska's athletic director Trev Alberts released a statement on Joseph's arrest ... announcing he has been placed on administrative leave.

"I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on University policy he has been placed on administrative leave," Alberts said. "We will have no additional comment at this time."

Joseph took the reins for the Cornhuskers after Scott Frost's firing in September 2022 ... going 3-6 as interim head coach.

Matt Rhule was announced as Frost's replacement on Saturday ... and had high praise for Joseph, who's slated to be Nebraska's wide receivers coach and associate head coach under the new regime.

Before he got into coaching, Joseph was a standout running back. He was Louisiana's Gatorade Player of the Year in 1987 and a First Team Parade All-American.

He played for legendary Nebraska coach Tom Osborne in Lincoln ... where he started 9 games, rushing for 1,091 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna shared an image on a popular social media messaging platform of an adult male having sex with a pre-pubescent female ... this according to cops.

The Gainesville Police Department spelled out the highly disturbing allegations in an arrest report, obtained by TMZ Sports, on Thursday.

In the docs, cops say they received a tip back on June 23, claiming that a Discord user with the account name "jjkit7#8147" had uploaded the image just two days prior, on June 21.

Cops say after launching a thorough investigation, they found out the account belonged to Kitna -- and claim he had also shared another image on June 21 of a pubescent juvenile female exposing herself as well.

According to the docs, Kitna shared the photos during a chat with two separate Discord users.

During one of the alleged conversations, after sharing the image, the person on the receiving end wrote to Kitna, "Wait what. Dude. Are they under 18. Bruh. Nooo."

The docs do not say whether or not Kitna replied.

Police say they eventually executed a search warrant over it all at Kitna's Florida residence on Wednesday ... and seized his phone. According to the documents, an ensuing search of the device revealed he was in possession of three more child sexual abuse images, depicting two nude pubescent juveniles in different poses.

As we reported, Kitna was arrested and booked on five separate child pornography charges. He was granted bail on Thursday at a hearing, after his famous father -- former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna -- testified in court.

The Univ. of Florida, meanwhile, has suspended the 19-year-old from the football team in wake of the arrest, calling the allegations "extremely serious" and ones that the school has "zero tolerance" for.

Jon Kitna was in a Florida court room on Thursday morning ... guaranteeing a judge that if his son was granted bail in his child pornography case, the former NFL star would make sure the 19-year-old returned for every required hearing going forward.

Jon wore a tie and a checkered suit for the proceedings -- which went down less than 24 hours after Jalen Kitna was arrested in Gainesville for possession of child porn -- and he ensured over and over again that he and his wife would follow every rule and regulation imposed on their son if he was released from custody Thursday.

Jon, along with his wife, emphatically told the judge that Jalen would live with them in Texas ... as long as the Florida Gators quarterback was out on pre-trial release.

The former Dallas Cowboys signal-caller's testimony apparently helped his son ... as the judge ultimately set the younger Kitna's bond at $80,000. In making the ruling, the judge ordered that Jalen must not use the Internet and must not have unsupervised contact with minors.

Jalen appeared very somber during the hearing ... at times burying his head in his hands. He said little, except for when acknowledging questions from the judge.

Court records show the teenager has been formally hit with five felony charges in the case.

As we reported, Jalen has been suspended from the Florida football team following his arrest ... with the school saying in a statement, "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior."

Deshaun Watson shut down any non-football related questions prior to his first start as a Cleveland Brown ... saying he was advised to not get into his suspension and the numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against him.

Watson met with reporters on Thursday -- the first time since his 11-game suspension ended this week -- and anyone looking to hear the quarterback address the controversy surrounding him was left without answers.

"I understand that you guys have a lot of questions, but with my legal team and clinical team, there's only football questions I can address at this time," Watson said at the Browns' facility in Berea.

Of course, many want to hear from Deshaun ... especially considering there have been new allegations made against him following his suspension.

Several accusers are slated to attend his debut at NRG Stadium ... but that's something he wouldn't really touch, either -- Watson simply said he was "not worried about the atmosphere" and his focus was being the starting quarterback.

The 27-year-old also declined to speak about specifics regarding his mandatory treatment.

Watson did show love for the Browns, his trainers, teammates and the fanbase for their support during his time away ... and gave a special shout-out to Jacoby Brissett for leading the team in his absence.

"I wanna thank, most importantly, Jacoby," Watson said. "The big brother he's been to me and everyone in that locker room. The passion, the grit, the leadership he has shown these past weeks, everyone done see it. He's the ultimate guy that everyone wants to follow."

Antonio Brown has found himself in more legal trouble ... an arrest warrant has been issued for the ex-NFL star -- after he was allegedly involved in a domestic battery incident earlier this week.

According to the Tampa Police Dept., Brown and the alleged victim got into a verbal altercation around 1:30 PM on Monday at a home in South Tampa.

The dispute, according to cops, later became physical ... when Brown allegedly hurled a shoe at the woman.

Brown then "also attempted to evict the victim from the residence and locked her out of the home" during the incident, cops said.

According to FOX 13, the woman shares children with Brown.

Records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show a warrant for Brown's arrest was put out on Thursday morning. The charge is listed as a misdemeanor domestic violence battery.

What's interesting ... court records also show the Tampa Police Dept. attempted to get a risk protection order against Brown on Tuesday, though a judge denied the petition.

Terry Bradshaw's family show, "The Bradshaw Bunch," won't be returning for a 3rd season, TMZ has learned, and the reason has to do with Terry's health.

Production sources tell TMZ ... the E! show was renewed for a third season and filming was supposed to begin last March, but around that time Terry informed producers he had a serious health condition, which demanded his full attention.

At the time, we're told Terry didn't give specifics on his diagnosis but he let producers know he couldn't move forward with the show. In the end, our sources say the Bradshaws and E! mutually decided to not go forward with the series. The network has never disclosed the show was canceled.

Last month, Terry revealed on NFL on FOX he went in for an MRI for what he thought were neck issues ... and that's when doctors discovered a tumor and diagnosed him with Merkel cell carcinoma -- a rare, aggressive form of skin cancer.

Terry had been diagnosed with bladder cancer in November 2021, during the airing of the second season of the show.

The series, which was filmed at the family's ranch in Oklahoma, was centered around the 4-time Super Bowl champ, his wife Tammy and their 3 daughters.

Patrick Mahomes is giving some insight into how his baby son got the unique "Bronze" nickname ... saying it's all thanks to his little brother, Jackson.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar spoke with reporters for the first time since the newest Mahomes was born earlier this week ... and he explained how if he ever had a son, he wanted him to be Patrick Lavon Mahomes III.

But, instead of giving the kid a traditional nickname like "Trey," Patrick said he wanted to go for something different ... and it was his TikTok star brother who came through with the idea.

"My brother Jackson, whenever we were trying to find something that was a little unique and different, he said, 'What about Bronze? It fits perfectly with Sterling,'" Mahomes told the media on Wednesday. "So, we went with that."

"It works out well," he added. "He can have his own thing now where he's not Patrick, he's Bronze, even though he's Patrick. And, Sterling and Bronze can have that connection moving forward."

Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna -- the son of ex-NFL star Jon Kitna -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 19-year-old was just booked into jail minutes ago -- at around 3:20 PM ET.

Further details surrounding his arrest were not made immediately available.

Jalen -- a touted recruit out of Burleson H.S. in Texas -- committed to the Gators in 2020. He joined the team in 2021, and redshirted. He saw his first on-the-field action this season, making his debut against Eastern Washington in October.

In total, he's appeared in four games for UF -- with his best performance coming against EWU, when he threw for 152 yards and a touchdown.

There had been speculation he could start the team's bowl game later this year if Anthony Richardson, a coveted NFL draft prospect, opts out of the postseason contest.

Jalen's father, Jon Kitna, played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks over the course of his career ... and was named the 2003 Comeback Player of the Year. He threw for nearly 30,000 yards and had 169 touchdowns in 14 seasons.

Washington Commanders star Brian Robinson's big hat resulted in some BIG sales for the company behind the massive lid ... 'cause TMZ Sports is told their business saw a whopping 2,000% increase in orders!!

Robinson's hat quickly went viral after Sunday's 19-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons ... and the running back hilariously told reporters -- "If you want a big hat, let me know."

Noggin Boss -- the company that sells big hats starting at $75 -- tells us the impact was immediate ... with Monday being one of the biggest days in the brand's history.

As it turns out, NB says a bunch of major television networks hit them up to get Noggins for their on-air talent following Robinson's appearance ... but ESPN's Scott Van Pelt was one of the lucky ones who got one "years ago" -- and he wore it on "SportsCenter" Monday night!!

If the look seems familiar, Noggin Boss co-founders Gabe Cooper and Sean Starner appeared on "Shark Tank" earlier this year. The guys were seeking $50k for 25% of the company ... and ended up sealing the deal with Daymond John for 30%!!

Robinson's hat -- customized with the Commanders' logo -- was a gift from a family friend ... and the dude almost certainly started a trend in the sports world, with teams even photoshopping big hats onto their players.

Texans wide receivers will honor their teammate, John Metchie III, with sets of custom cleats this week ... paying tribute to the wideout as he continues his battle with leukemia.

The guys, led by star Brandin Cooks, surprised the 22-year-old with the idea on Tuesday ... showing off the special spikes that they'll don for their game against the Browns on Sunday.

The orange-themed cleats pay homage to John's signature "Karate Kid" touchdown celebration that he made famous while playing for Alabama. They also say "Metchie Strong" and "Believe" on the sides.

And, check out video that the Texans shared Tuesday, Metchie III was blown away by it all.

"We love you," Cooks said to the wideout while unveiling the cleats. "Keep inspiring us in everything that you're doing. You know we've got your back every step of the way as best we can, for sure."

Metchie III was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Texans ... but the team announced in July that he would miss the season following his leukemia diagnosis.

Jerry Jones was hit by a coughing fit that was so bad on Tuesday -- he didn't just request oxygen ... he wanted a shot of booze too!!!

The Cowboys owner hacked up the lung during his weekly spot on the Shan & RJ show on Audacy's 105.3 The Fan ... attempting to clear his throat for several moments.

While he was discussing the state of his Dallas franchise, things got so full of phlegm, the show's hosts had to pause and ask if he was OK. Jerry responded yes, before the coughing continued.

Finally, Jerry was able to get it all out ... and then he quipped, "Get me some oxygen!"

"Better still," he continued, "how 'bout a big shot of Jack!"

Jerry eventually recovered well enough to discuss some more serious matters -- the Odell Beckham Jr. plane incident ... and the 1957 photo of him at a desegregation protest.

On OBJ, Jones said the issues the wide receiver had on an American Airlines flight on Sunday will have no impact on the Cowboys' pursuit of the free agent.

As for the now-infamous photo of him that began recirculating last week, Jones said, "I think the key thing is, for me, is that it's a misread if you think that I don't recognize how monumental those days were."

"I respect the people that were involved that were trying to, make their, if you will, change things. And I have a lot of respect for that."

NFL quarterback DeShone Kizer says Aaron Rodgers made a bold first impression when he joined the Green Bay Packers in 2018 ... claiming the superstar asked whether he believed any conspiracies surrounding the September 11 terrorist attack.

The free agent shared the bizarre tidbit during an appearance on "The Breneman Show" Monday ... when he said AR wasted no time breaking the ice in their first meeting together.

Kizer said, "He shut the door and the first thing that came out of Aaron Rodgers' mouth was, 'Do you believe in 9/11?'"

The former 2nd-round pick was clearly puzzled by the question ... replying, "What, do I believe in 9/11? Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"He was like, 'You should read up on that.' And then we just start learning up about the playbook, and I was like, 'Wow I don't know where this is going."

But, Kizer isn't painting the Super Bowl champ out to be a 9/11 denier or crazy conspiracy theorist ... explaining it was more of a bonding exercise -- and it worked.

"What it ended up being was a thought experiment where he wanted me to go back and look into some of the conspiracies around it," Kizer added.

Kizer and Rodgers' time as teammates only lasted one season ... so there wasn't much time for them to throw on the tinfoil hat together.

People -- especially those who lost loved ones in 9/11 -- may question the use of conspiracies to build a relationship ... but Kizer seemed to have appreciated its efficiency.