Football

The NFL just announced the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will not return to the field this week ... this after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during Monday Night Football.

Roger Goodell made the announcement official just minutes ago ... saying he spoke with both teams and elected not to resume the matchup prior to Week 18 -- the final week of the NFL season.

The league says it has not decided what to do about the contest ... and Week 18 will continue as scheduled.

The league says it has been in regular contact with the medical team caring for Hamlin ... as well as the Bengals, Bills, and NFL Players Association.

As we previously reported, Hamlin collapsed after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of Monday night's matchup ... and received emergency CPR for several minutes before being carted off the field and transferred to a local hospital.

The game was suspended ... and the league said Hamlin was in critical condition. The Bills later added he was stable, and his heartbeat was restored prior to leaving the field. He spent the night in the ICU, where he remains.

Horrifying moment during the Bills vs. Bengals game on "Monday Night Football" -- Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed at the end of a play ... and required CPR in the middle of the field.

The incident happened just minutes into the game's first quarter ... right after Hamlin tackled Tee Higgins to the ground.

The 24-year-old -- a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- appeared to get up from the stop just fine ... but he seemed to lose consciousness as he got to his feet, and crumpled to the ground.

Medical personnel raced onto the field -- and according to the game's announcer, Joe Buck, officials performed CPR on him for several minutes.

He was eventually strapped to a backboard and loaded onto a stretcher. He was then taken off the field in an ambulance.

Players from both teams were visibly concerned for the defensive back -- Josh Allen buried his face in his hands, while Stefon Diggs had tears running down his face. Reporters on the scene said multiple other players were seen crying.

The league has temporarily suspended play in wake of the injury.

Story developing ...

The sports world is rallying around Bills' safety Damar Hamlin after he went into cardiac arrest on the field Monday night ... with superstars like LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees offering words of support as the 24-year-old fights for his life.

LeBron took the podium after scoring 43 points in Charlotte against the Hornets ... and spoke passionately about Hamlin, sending prayers. Bron also talked about the NFL's correct decision to postpone the game.

Tom Brady tweeted Tuesday morning, "We’re praying for Damar and his family this morning in Tampa. Moments like this put into perspective what it means to play this game we love."

"Thankful for our communities in Cincinnati and Buffalo for the overwhelming level of care and support I know they’ll continue to provide."

Retired quarterback and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees also expressed his concern for the second-year player out of Pittsburgh ... writing, "Damar Hamlin represents every one of us and every teammate we've ever had."

"I've never met him, but I know him as a member of our brotherhood. My family and I pray for him and his family as he recovers. God be with him."

Donovan Mitchell had a historic night Monday -- scoring 71 points in an overtime victory against the Bulls -- but the Cavs star made sure to offer his concern for Hamlin during his postgame presser.

"Prayers up for the Bills' safety," Mitchell said. "I had heard about it. I didn't see it, but I wish him and his family, we're praying for him. From the Cavalier organization, we want to wish the best and pray everything goes well."

Hamlin, selected by the Bills in the 6th round of the 2021 NFL draft, was carted off the field during Monday Night Football after his heart stopped beating following a collision with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

The Bills said Damar was transported to UC Medical Center -- a level-one trauma facility -- where he's receiving treatment and undergoing testing.

Thousands have opened up their wallets in an effort to show love for Damar Hamlin following the Bills defensive back's scary collapse Monday night ... donating over $3 MILLION to the football player's toy drive fundraiser.

Hamlin initially started the charity effort back in 2020 -- in an attempt to gain funds so he could distribute toys to kids in need in Pennsylvania. His target goal was simply $2,500.

But, in the hours after Hamlin suffered a terrifying medical emergency during the first quarter of Buffalo's "Monday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals, donations flooded in.

It hit $1 million roughly an hour after the 24-year-old had been rushed to the hospital, and by Tuesday morning, it was at $3,496,590.

Several NFL players appear to have given to the cause, as 49ers stars Trey Lance and Christian McCaffrey's names were written on the donation list.

In his note on the Gofundme page, Hamlin encouraged those who couldn't contribute monetarily to still help the cause ... writing, "We are accepting donated toys at the Daycare Center or simply spread the word by sharing this fundraiser on your social channels."

As we reported, the Bills say Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after he tackled Tee Higgins to the ground. The team said, thankfully, "his heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment."

"He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition," Bills officials added.

Hamlin joined the Bills in 2021 -- and had started 13 games for the team this season.

USC legend LenDale White was so furious after watching his alma mater lose to Tulane that he took to social media to unload on the team ... at one point calling the Trojans defense "a f***ing joke."

Lincoln Riley's offense looked good against the Green Wave in Monday morning's Cotton Bowl -- but the defense ultimately let the team down ... giving up a game-winning TD with just seconds left to lose the contest, 46-45.

White was HOT about it all immediately afterward on Twitter ... rippin' everyone on the Trojans' D -- and then Riley himself.

"Our defense and whoever's a part of it is a f***ing joke," the former SC tailback said. "That bend don't break Defense s*** you brought from OU ain’t gonna cut it..!!!!!!"

He added, "It’s a shame to be a Trojan right now."

White's barrage on his old team didn't stop there ... he also tweeted "Tulane whooped our ass" and retweeted a fan who wrote, "USC is a joke."

SC had a promising start to the season -- it went 11-1 and appeared headed for the College Football Playoff.

But, the Trojans' defense was bad in the 47-24 loss to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and then again on Monday.

Uche Nwaneri -- former Purdue and Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive lineman -- has tragically died after he was found unresponsive in his wife's Indiana home on Friday.

He was only 38.

Nwaneri was at his wife's home in West Lafayette -- about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis -- when police received a call around 1 AM stating the 6'4" NFL guard collapsed in a bedroom.

Unfortunately, Nwaneri couldn't be saved.

The Tippecanoe County Office of the Coroner tells us while the official cause hasn't yet been determined, their initial (preliminary) report indicates Uche died of an "enlarged heart with acute heart failure".

Authorities say there are no signs of trauma or foul play.

The official cause will not be named until the toxicology report comes back in a few weeks.

Tony Khan -- son of Jags' owner Shahid -- issued a statement shortly after the news broke ... saying Nwaneri "forged a strong bond with the Jags fans that's remained to this day."

"On behalf of the Jaguars organization and my family, our thoughts are with Uche's family + friends at this terrible time."

The Dallas native started his football career when he committed to Purdue over Kentucky and Texas A&M in 2003.

He was suspended from Purdue for the 2005 fall semester after breaking his teammate Ryan Noblet's jaw during a fight at practice.

Nwaneri was picked up by the Jags in the 5th round of the 2007 NFL draft and played for them until he was released on March 4, 2014.

He was signed by the Cowboys a few months later but didn't make the final roster cut.

After football, Nwaneri began a YouTube channel called "The Observant Lineman" where he discussed sports and music with his 21,400 subscribers.

He also remained active with his fans via Twitter ... with his last tweet being a tribute to the late Brazilian soccer legend Pelé on Dec. 29 -- the day before he passed away.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is pouring his heart out on his girlfriend's birthday ... sending Jilly Anais an emotional tribute as she celebrates another trip around the sun.

The 3-time Pro Bowler and influencer/model have been going strong for years ... and judging by the special message he shared with his Instagram followers on Monday, they're still madly in love.

"Happy QUEEN Day Luv!!!!," Watson said on Jilly's 27th birthday. "Today is your day!!!!"

"May The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace! & Continue to bless you with many more years of happiness, love, and success!"

He continued ..."You will achieve whatever you desire my twin! 💛🤞🏾You know this shii 4ever set in stone!!!! 🔒 "

Of course, Jilly has remained by Deshaun's side as he faced accusations of sexual misconduct made by multiple massage therapists ... and was present as he returned to the football field following his 11-game suspension against his former team, the Houston Texans, in Week 13.

The Atlanta Falcons social media team had a change of heart on Monday ... scrapping a post that appeared to make fun of Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles for missing a game-winning field goal over the weekend.

The now-deleted tweet was published right after ATL's Younghoe Koo nailed a 21-yarder to lead the Falcons to a 20-19 home win over the Arizona Cardinals ... which read, "This is how you make a game-winning field goal at @MBStadium."

Of course, Ruggles was in a similar, yet much more important, position on Saturday night in the College Football Playoff semis against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium ... but his 50-yard attempt ended up wide left, ending Ohio State's national championship hopes.

The Falcons' tweet was widely panned on social media ... with many pointing out Ruggles is just a kid, and he's probably already beating himself up over the situation.

On top of that, the Falcons were awful in 2022-23 ... and comparing a game-winning kick to earn a 6th win late in the season to a missed opportunity at a championship is laughable.

The Falcons must've agreed with the backlash ... 'cause the tweet was deleted on Monday.

But, considering this is the Internet we're talking about, the damage was already done ... and plenty of followers screenshot the bad joke and shared it all over social media.

Art McNally, a former NFL referee and the first official to ever be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died, his family announced on Monday.

Art's son, Tom, shared that his father, an on-field official for nine seasons, passed away on Sunday due to natural causes. He was 97 years old.

McNally, born in Pennsylvania, served as a field judge and ref in the NFL from 1959-1967. In 1968, McNally pivoted, becoming the NFL's director of officiating.

McNally's NFL career spans several decades -- and he's most revered for his work as director of officiating, where he implemented a program for evaluating officials using game footage.

McNally left his role as director of officiating in 1990 ... but he returned to the NFL front office in 1996 as an assistant supervisor of officials, where he served in that role until 2007.

In 2008, the Philadelphia native transitioned to a role where he observed and trained officials after spending over a decade as an assistant supervisor.

Art was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022 and officially inducted in the summer.

"Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class," commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday. "Throughout his distinguished officiating career, he earned the eternal respect of the entire football community. Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way."

"Our thoughts go out to his wife, Sharon, his children Marybeth, Tom, and Michael, and his grandchildren.”

Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback Bryce Young is going pro -- the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner just declared for the NFL Draft.

The 21-year-old announced his departure from the program on Monday ... and is expected to be a top pick come April.

"Coming here was the best decision of my life," Young said. "I'm forever grateful for the University of Alabama."

Young had a stellar three seasons with Bama ... winning a national championship in 2020 and earning 8,356 yards, 80 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. He was also awarded the AP College Football Player of the Year in 2021.

Some experts are predicting Young will go as high as first or second overall ... with Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud being another option for the Houston Texans, who will most likely secure the worst record and top pick of the draft.

Bama star edge rusher Will Anderson -- who's also expected to be a highly-coveted prospect in the 2023 class -- also announced his decision to forego the remainder of his college career.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs also plans to enter the draft ... which might sound like Bama has a ton of holes to fill -- but if we know anything about the program, they always reload.

The Mississippi State football team will pay tribute to the late Mike Leach during its bowl game on Monday ... by wearing custom pirate helmets in honor of the legendary college coach.

The Bulldogs just unveiled the special lids to pay tribute to the coach's famous "Pirate" nickname ... hours before they play Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

The maroon and white helmets feature a flag with a skull and an eye patch ... with Leach's initials "ML" centered in between two swords.

Mississippi State released a hype video ahead of Monday's contest ... showing off the helmets with the caption, "Swing. Your. Sword."

The stadium's iconic pirate ship also has a memorial set up for Coach ... including flowers and a framed picture.

As we reported, the legendary head coach died in December ... due to complications from a heart condition. He was 61. The loss shocked the entire football community ... with former players, coaches and colleagues sharing their condolences.

The school is encouraging fans to arrive at the stadium early ... as officials plan to honor Leach's life and legacy throughout the game.

Henry Winkler tells TMZ Sports he and Patrick Mahomes do, indeed, have a genuine bromance going on ... and he said it's blossomed so much in the past few weeks -- they're actually going to do dinner soon!!!

The Fonz broke down the improbable friendship for us out at Il Pastaio recently ... explaining the whole thing actually started when he praised the Chiefs star during an interview on "The Rich Eisen Show" some six months ago.

Winkler called Mahomes one of his "heroes" ... and gushed over the QB's talent. A few months later, the 27-year-old signal-caller heard the kind words -- and invited him out to the Chiefs vs. Chargers game in LA.

Winkler ended up coming -- and the two shared an amazing moment in the pregame at SoFi Stadium. And, the 77-year-old acting legend tells us they've remained tight ever since.

In fact, Winkler not only said he's planning on hosting Mahomes for a chicken-stuffed-with-ricotta dinner night -- he told us he actually got a gift for the quarterback's newborn baby boy too!!

As for when the dinner date will go down ... Winkler said it'll have to be at least sometime next month -- because, "I'm going to let him play in the Super Bowl and win first."

Christmas came early for Travis Etienne ... the Jacksonville Jaguars running back copped himself a necklace of his own custom logo ahead of the holidays -- made with 60 carats of diamonds!!!

TMZ Sports is told the former Clemson star wanted to turn his personal symbol into a wearable piece ... so he hit up his go-to guy Ari The Jeweler for the job.

After one month of crafting the new bling, Ari delivered -- right before Christmas!!!

The massive chain and pendant feature Etienne's initials with his jersey number layered on top -- an exact replication of his clothing brand emblem.

Of course, Etienne has a knack for fashion -- he spends a lot of time working on his clothing brand ... which has everything from T-shirts, hats and activewear.

We're told the heavy piece is filled with VVS diamonds and 450 grams of white rose gold.

Unsure what TE put up for the iced-out set ... but we're told something like this would usually cost $100K+.

FYI -- the 23-year-old was drafted by the Jags in 2021, and signed a 4-year deal worth almost $13 million. In other words, he's good for it.

Sorry, Broncos fans ... Peyton Manning says he doesn't have much interest in coaching Russell Wilson -- or anyone else, for that matter -- explaining this week he doesn't want to be in a headset on the sidelines, despite the open job in Denver.

Manning didn't mince too many words when asked this week about the possibility of potentially taking over for the fired Nathaniel Hackett in the Mile High City ... repeating "I don't think so" twice.

Of course, Manning doesn't have any coaching experience at the college or NFL level ... but that didn't stop his former team, the Indianapolis Colts, from hiring his former center, Jeff Saturday, earlier this year.

Peyton, though, didn't appear to have any real desire to follow in his pal's footsteps ... even if his old Denver squad could use him.

As we reported, the Broncos fired Hackett on Monday -- following a tumultuous 4-11 start to his Denver tenure. Many had hoped Manning, known as one of the most cerebral players in NFL history, could come in and save the day.

Clearly, however, they'll now have to look elsewhere.

As for Manning's current gig -- one of the hosts of the ultra-popular "ManningCast" -- he said his dream guest after getting Barack Obama on the air is now Deion Sanders.

Scary news for Tua Tagovailoa ... the Dolphins star has been diagnosed with yet another concussion.

Miami head coach Mike McDaniel just confirmed his quarterback sustained the head injury in the 26-20 loss to the Packers on Sunday ... and is now out for the team's game this weekend against the Patriots.

McDaniel was somber in delivering the news to a gathering of reporters on Wednesday ... saying, "This is a private time for him to focus on his health."

"And," he added, "that's all I really want to get into."

The 24-year-old appeared to be injured in the first half of the game against Green Bay in Miami ... after his head was seen slamming onto the ground following a hard hit. He stayed in the game, though he struggled mightily, throwing three interceptions in the second half.

The latest concussion comes less than three months after he suffered head injuries in back-to-back games against the Bills and then the Bengals.

During the contest against Cincinnati, he had to be stretchered off the field and rushed to a hospital due to the violence of the hit.

At the time, medical experts -- including famed neuropathologist Bennet Omalu -- urged him to consider retirement ... explaining another significant head injury could lead to catastrophic longterm effects.

Tagovailoa said following his return he wasn't too worried about it all ... explaining he felt good after speaking with his own doctors.

One of the best careers in NFL history is coming to an end in just two weeks ... Arizona Cardinals star J.J. Watt just revealed he's retiring following the end of this season.

The 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year made the surprising announcement on his social media page Tuesday morning ... saying he's grateful his two-month-old son, Koa, was able to watch his last-ever home game on Christmas.

"Koa's first-ever NFL game," Watt said in his announcement. "My last ever NFL home game."

"My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure."

Stars from all over the sports world congratulated Watt on his legendary career, including Kevin Durant, who wrote, "True game changer and a legend. Much respect 99."

The former Wisconsin Badger was the 11th overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft and played the majority of his 12-year career with the Houston Texans. Watt suited up for Arizona in his last two seasons.

Watt logged 111.5 sacks and 27 forced fumbles during his career ... and earned five All-Pro selections. He also won Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2017.

The 33-year-old, who just had his first baby with Kealia Ohai Watt in October, may not be on the field after this season ... but his family will still be represented well in the NFL nonetheless -- as his brothers, Derek and T.J., currently play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

J.J.'s final two NFL games will be against the Falcons this weekend ... and then the 49ers on Jan. 8.