Football

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, is issuing a mea culpa ... saying she's truly sorry for calling an Instagram troll a "misogynistic pig" after he criticized her for not wearing makeup.

The troll left his rude comment under a photo of Kelly and her kids ... saying, "[Matthew] could have his pick of women so just a little bit of makeup."

"If you weren't married you'd have it on."

Kelly was so pissed about the hurtful words ... she clapped back and called him "a typical misogynistic pig," while also sarcastically wishing him a happy holiday on her IG story.

But, just a few hours later, Kelly had a change of heart ... and shared her regret for stooping to the troll's level.

"I resorted to name calling which I truly do not like," Stafford said. "So I apologize to [the troll], but maybe you should think about if someone said that to your wife or daughters ... I'm sure you would be wildly upset."

Stafford continued ... saying makeup has never been her thing and her confidence doesn't even come from her appearance.

"It's a big reason I love my thirties because I am finally comfortable in my skin," Stafford said. "I know what I stand for and my values, and knowing who I am is what gives me confidence."

"Name-calling is not something I am fond of, so please accept my apology, but understand how upset you would be if the tables were turned."

Many people are beyond pissed at Deion Sanders for leaving Jackson State -- but, Bomani Jones, despite what people think, isn't one of 'em, ... telling us he's "not even really that upset" with Coach Prime's move to the University of Colorado.

Bomani joined "TMZ Live" on Wednesday ... to discuss the backlash he's received for seemingly going in on Sanders after announcing he was bolting from JSU in favor of the Buffaloes.

"I don't think that many people are really that upset at Deion," Bomani said. "But, we are in a time where legitimate, honest criticism of a public figure somehow turns into hating or tearing this dude when all I'm saying is, 'You said this one thing, then you did this thing.'"

Jones admits that Sanders, who went 27-5 in three seasons and won back-to-back SWAC championships with the Tigers, accomplished a lot during his time at the JSU ... but some folks are upset by his move because he overpromised and under-delivered.

"That is the cause for anger from a lot of people," Bomani said. "It's simply that he sold a bill of goods that he didn't really deliver on. He did a lot while he was at Jackson, but this larger idea that he was doing this for someone else was wrong."

Bomani said he saw Prime's decision to leave JSU coming a mile away ... and that he wouldn't have an issue with it had the former NFL superstar stated his intentions upfront, instead of leading people to believe that there was a bigger plan operating at hand.

"He was in this to get to the place where he is in," Jones said. "Congratulations for getting there, but we don't have to act like its more noble than it actually is. You have to reconcile what you said with ultimately what you did."

Despite the mixed reaction Deion has been facing, Bomani doesn't believe that Black people will turn their backs on Sanders or root for him to fail at Colorado since he's no longer coaching at a Historically Black College & University (HBCU).

Take a deep breath, Bills Mafia -- Von Miller says everything is going to be okay after undergoing season-ending ACL surgery ... sending a heartfelt message to his fans from the hospital bed.

Miller posted a video shortly after the bad news broke ... saying, "Yerrr! Bills Mafia, what's good? I'm good man. I'ma be right back, man."

"Mentally, I couldn't be in a better spot and I think that is the majority of it. Don't feel sorry for me, don't say I hate it for you -- none of that stuff 'cause I am good!"

The Bills announced on Wednesday that the star pass rusher -- who signed a 6-year, $120 million contract this offseason -- is sidelined for the rest of the season due to the injury ... but Miller is already looking forward to getting back to 100%.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to show my teammates how tough I am, how hard I work, and how important that this means to me. I love you guys, and I appreciate you guys. All love and respect. Don't blink, baby!"

Miller suffered the injury against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day ... but the initial belief was that the 33-year-old avoided significant knee injury.

According to head coach Sean McDermott, Von checked in to the hospital for exploratory surgery ... but doctors told the two-time Super Bowl Champ that he tore his ACL instead.

McDermott called the injury a "very unfortunate situation" for Miller and their team ... adding he knows how much #40 will miss being out there with the guys.

Baker Mayfield is headed to Hollywood ... the L.A. Rams have claimed the quarterback -- after he was released from Carolina on Monday.

L.A. confirmed the move with a cheeky tweet -- showing a picture of a baker, a calendar flipped to the month of May, and a field.

The roster decision, of course, is not a surprising one ... starter Matthew Stafford is on injured reserve -- and backup John Wolford is dealing with a neck injury.

Mayfield will now try to revive his career in the City of Angels ... after his short-lived tenure with the Panthers ended disastrously. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft finished with a 1-5 record in six starts under center -- throwing six interceptions to just six touchdowns.

Things got so bad, Mayfield was eventually benched in favor of P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold.

UFC star Dustin Poirier provided an update on his battle with a gnarly Staph infection on Tuesday ... showing off his swollen left foot from his hospital bed.

"The Diamond" has been getting treatment all week ... and judging by his recent pic, it ain't goin' too hot for the lightweight.

"Wut da helllll," Poirier said on Twitter ... alongside a shot of the deformed foot.

Poirier is hoping to finally get out of the hospital on Wednesday ... but made the best of his stay on Monday night, when he tuned in to his New Orleans Saints' matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Unfortunately for Poirier, it wasn't too fun of an experience -- his home team ended up losing in the final seconds as Tom Brady and Co. pulled off the wild comeback.

Poirier -- who beat Michael Chandler in November -- also took advantage of his time by talking trash with Conor McGregor ... saying he's down to step in the Octagon with him for a fourth time.

Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry -- the three Univ. of Virginia football players who were tragically shot and killed in a terrifying incident on campus last month -- have been posthumously awarded degrees.

The school announced the honors on Monday ... with athletic director Carla Williams saying the gesture became important to her and the university after having talked with Davis' family at his funeral last month.

"He worked extremely hard for it," Williams said of Davis' degree.

Davis had majored in African American and African studies. Perry double majored in studio art and African American and African studies. Chandler, meanwhile, majored in American studies.

"It was a great honor to be a part of presenting these diplomas to the families of Devin, Lavel and D'Sean," Williams added.

As we previously reported, Davis, Chandler, and Perry all died while returning to campus from a class field trip on Nov. 13.

Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., a former UVA football player, is the man police have accused of pulling the trigger. He's since been hit with multiple charges, including three counts of second-degree murder.

Two other students, including UVA running back Mike Hollins, were also wounded in the shooting ... but both have since been released from the hospital following treatment and are expected to make a full recovery.

Colorado Buffs fans owe Jeremy Bloom a HUGE thank you today ... 'cause the CU alum tells TMZ Sports he was the one who actually helped get the ball rolling on bringing Deion Sanders to Boulder.

Bloom -- who starred as a receiver and returner for the Buffs in the early 2000s -- says his pursuit of Prime all started after Colorado fired Karl Dorrell earlier this year after the team got off to an 0-5 start.

Seeing all the success Sanders had at Jackson State, Bloom tells us he reached out to his former school's athletic director, Rick George, to tell him he just had to go after the former Dallas Cowboys star for the open gig.

"I said, 'Rick, we got to go get Deion,'" Bloom said. "He's the only guy that can overnight make this program relevant again."

Bloom says he then turned to some of Sanders' good friends -- Steve Smith, Brandon Marshall, Shawne Merriman and Myron Rolle -- to reach out to the JSU head man to make sure he was aware that the Buffs wanted him.

"Those four guys helped a ton," Bloom said. "I think that made it legitimate for Deion."

Of course, all the recruitment eventually helped CU sign Sanders over the weekend ... and at his introductory press conference on Sunday, Bloom says Sanders acknowledged all the help he put in to making the day happen.

"Deion and I were laughing about it," Bloom said. "He was like, 'Oh, so you're pulling all the puppet strings!'"

With Sanders now at the helm, Bloom says he's absolutely ecstatic over the football team's potential -- telling us "the sky is the limit."

Gronk is BACK on the football field!!!

Recently retired NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski will have Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans drooling over the idea of a comeback ... after the tight end was spotted on the gridiron in Orlando over the weekend.

It's a clip that will have folks wondering if the 4-time Super Bowl champ has the itch to return to his day job ... considering he's still in incredible shape.

But, don't expect the 33-year-old to pull a Tom Brady and return to the league just yet ... 'cause he wasn't running routes and catching passes -- he was lining up for some field goals with his buddy/TMZ Sports TV show co-host Mojo Muhtadi.

The guys were at Camping World Stadium to check out a Pop Warner football game ... and we're told Gronk decided to hop on the gridiron and show off his boot.

Gronk's no Justin Tucker, but it doesn't matter -- he was still able to get the pigskin between the pipes for a successful attempt.

Gronk also had some fun talking to some of the kids at the game ... even joining their huddle for a cute moment.

A verbal confrontation took a wet turn at the Cowboys vs. Colts game during Sunday Night Football ... when a fan in a CeeDee Lamb jersey spit on two Dallas supporters -- and TMZ Sports has the video.

The incident went down at the end of the Cowboys' 54-19 blowout win over Indianapolis at AT&T Stadium ... when a woman started arguing with a couple.

It's unclear what sparked the altercation ... but it got so heated, the fan in the Lamb jersey hocked a loogie in the couple's faces before walking up the stairs. Apparently, Dallas' big victory wasn't enough to calm both sides.

The fan made quite the exit -- making a "kiss my ass" motion as she left the area. No word on whether security got involved.

The couple surprisingly didn't freak out over the spitting ... they simply cheered as the woman walked away.

As for the action on the field, Dak Prescott and Co. turned the game into a cakewalk... with  CeeDee, Tony Pollard and Zeke Elliott playing well in the win.

It's not the first time a Lamb fan has gotten into an altercation in the stands -- as we previously reported, a dude wearing a #88 jersey clocked an Eagles fan back in January.

Baker Mayfield is looking for a new home once again -- the Carolina Panthers just announced they are parting ways with the former #1 overall pick.

Mayfield won the starting gig after getting traded to Carolina in July ... but went just 1-5 under center in 2022.

Baker -- the top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft -- played in just 7 total games before getting the boot on Monday ... throwing for 1,313 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions.

The move comes after PJ Walker moved into the backup role behind Sam Darnold.

It was supposed to be a fresh start for Mayfield, who requested a trade after the Cleveland Browns pursued Deshaun Watson.

Mayfield has played in 67 total games in his career ... and has a 30-35 overall record. He's thrown 98 touchdowns and 62 interceptions.

The timing is perfect for the San Francisco 49ers, who are in desperate need of a quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a foot injury, leaving Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy as the lone healthy QB on the roster.

Metro Boomin has poignantly tied the theme of his new album to the recent loss of his mother -- inviting dozens of single moms to an NFL game ... with on-field access!!!

The record producer organized an awesome initiative Sunday for the Steelers' game against the Atlanta Falcons, who were hosting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. MB -- who's originally from the area -- had some guests attend on his behalf ... a lot of them, in fact.

You see ... Metro bought tickets for 26 mothers from around the country as well as their children -- which made for a mini family parade through the tunnel and onto the main stage pre-kickoff.

Not just that, but the group here also got to stand next to the Falcons players for the national anthem ... so, better than a front-row seat. They were the main attraction! Metro himself did not attend -- our sources tell us he wanted the mama bears to have the spotlight.

It was a pretty awesome moment, to say the least ... and the reason Metro did it, we're told, was two-pronged -- one, he wanted to honor his own late mother, who tragically died.

At the same time, Metro wanted to recognize single moms for the heroes they are ... which ties into his latest project, "HEROES & VILLAINS," which is out now.

We're told this effort -- which Metro calls "Single Moms Are Superheroes," in partnership with the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation -- is a way to help these ladies amid struggles they might face as solo parents. With this nonprofit he's established, they can now get more assistance than they might otherwise receive.

Deshaun Watson just stepped foot on an NFL field for the first time in 700 days ... and the Houston Texans fans made their displeasure known -- letting the boo birds fly as he made his Cleveland Browns debut.

The 27-year-old quarterback is returning from an 11-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy ... after dozens of massage therapists made sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Watson faced a hostile crowd as he made his Browns debut on Sunday ... with his former team's supporters heckling him as he lined up under center.

As we previously reported, attorney Tony Buzbee -- who repped almost every woman who accused Watson of sexual misconduct -- announced at least 10 of his clients would be in attendance for the game.

Watson's family was also at NRG Stadium to support ... with everyone wearing #4 jerseys in the stands.

Deshaun had a smile on his face prior to the Browns' first offensive drive ... but the television broadcast showed many fans were not happy to see him.

There may be a bit of rust for Watson, who hasn't played since 2020 -- the Browns ended up going 3-and-out in their first possession.

Officials say there was no funny business involved in the fire that took Earl Thomas' Texas home earlier this year ... telling TMZ Sports they formally ruled the cause of the blaze to be accidental.

Thomas' home in Orange caught fire back in August ... and after firefighters extinguished the flames, the property was deemed a "total loss."

The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office launched an investigation into the fire shortly afterward ... and told us this week they found it was all likely caused by a lightning strike -- and nothing more.

Officials noted at the time of the blaze that it was the largest residential fire in terms of monetary damage in the history of Orange.

As we reported, Thomas and several family members were home at the time of the incident ... but, thankfully, they all got out safely and everyone was left unharmed.

Travis Kelce better prep his monologue ... 'cause "Saturday Night Live" alum Taran Killam tells TMZ Sports the NFL superstar would be the perfect pick to host the comedy sketch show!!

"Travis Kelce is one of the funniest, coolest dudes and a legend," Killam said at LAX.

"It's just not fair to be that strong, fast, good, charismatic, handsome and hilarious. I hate him. He's coming for my job," he joked (or is he?)

Killam knows about both comedy and football -- he actually has an Amazon Prime show, "The NFL Pile On," where he puts a funny twist on the sport's biggest stories of the week.

Killam has spent a ton of time at 30 Rock -- he was on "SNL" from 2010-2016 ... and had several memorable sketches during his stint.

Killam even thinks Kelce could take his talents to acting if he really wanted ... and says if "SNL" were to come calling, he'd thrive as the celebrity host for an episode.

"I'd love to see Travis Kelce host," Killam said, swallowing his pride as a Rams fan. "I think he'd kill it."

Drew Brees' recent commercial has left lightning strike victims enraged ... with a major organization ripping the NFL superstar's "inappropriate" and "disgusting" stunt.

The New Orleans legend went viral on Friday after he faked getting struck by lightning as part of a promotion with PointsBet USA ... duping some people into believing he was actually injured -- if not worse.

Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors International -- an organization that has members in 13 countries that helps those impacted by similar accidents -- got wind of Brees' commercial ... and they tell TMZ Sports they're not happy.

"The recent Drew Brees lightning commercial is an inappropriate, disgusting method of promoting gambling or any TV commercial campaign," a statement from LSESSI says.

"This is a deadly injury, and it is disappointing to see the continual ridicule of lightning and electrical injury survivors in comical light in which it is presented for commercial gain and profit."

The org. says it did not find any humor in the ad ... considering many survivors are forever impacted after an accident, and it affects their loved ones as well.

"To poke fun at these folks and make this injury trivial is unacceptable, and what example does it set for our children to learn?"

There's more -- "As a survivor, this is very disturbing, the thoughtlessness on the part of the participants who are trying to profit from tragedy is remarkable. Much progress through hard work and education has been made over the last twenty years to lower the lightning/electrical deaths and risk of injury through education and informed knowledge of the dangers."

The org. believes Brees' ad "just set us back 20 years."

"There are many groups working to educate the public and help survivors, this commercial nullifies all their work and encourages unsafe practices to the general public. And all for gambling ... Lightning Bets? How ignorant can you possibly be?"

Awesome gesture from the New York Jets' coaches ... several assistants on the roster will be wearing custom Air Force 1s this weekend against the Vikings -- to honor the late Greg Knapp.

The feet heat will feature a depiction of Knapp, who coached in the NFL for nearly three decades before he was tragically killed in a bicycle accident last July, in a headset, with his nickname, "Knapper," written on it as well.

The shoes will also have a website link to Knapp's foundation -- an org. set up following the coach's death to try to stop people from driving distracted.

Mike Jordan, the cleat artist who designed the kicks, tells TMZ Sports ... the Jets were the ones who initially tapped him for the task earlier this year -- and he was pumped to take on the job.

And, he said he was thrilled with how they ultimately turned out.

Jordan also designed several other custom cleats for Jets stars for this weekend's "My Cause, My Cleats" game ... including ones for Sauce Gardner, who will wear American Cancer Society-themed spikes.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson also copped Jordan cleats representing the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) ... while cornerback DJ Reed got a pair for multiple sclerosis, something his father died from in September.

"To help these guys support these charities and organizations that are close to them for one reason or another, like DJ Reed whose father passed away due to MS, is special," Jordan said.

Jordan -- who's been crafting cleats for 6 years -- says he spent a ton of hours on all of the custom shoes for Week 13 ... but at the end of the day, it was all worth it.