Football

A 53-year-old man tragically died while attending the Patriots' home game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday ... after experiencing what officials are calling an "apparent medical event."

According to local outlets, the incident happened in the 300s section at Gillette Stadium around 11 PM ... in the closing minutes of New England's 24-17 loss.

The man -- Dale Mooney of Newmarket, New Hampshire -- was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Details surrounding the incident have not been revealed at this time.

The Norfolk District Attorney's Office tells TMZ Sports the investigation is ongoing and is currently in its preliminary stages. No charges have been filed.

Another medical emergency also went down at the same game ... when a second man suffered cardiac arrest earlier in the night.

According to reporter Bridget Condon, two off-duty firefighters sprang into action and conducted CPR for several minutes ... bringing the man back to life. His current status has not been released at this time.

Shaq Barrett's first career touchdown was an emotional one ... as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker dedicated the moment to his daughter who drowned earlier this year.

The two-time Pro Bowler helped secure the Bucs' victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday ... when he intercepted Justin Fields' pass and reached the end zone en route to the 27-17 win.

After the win, Barrett said his 2-year-old daughter's passing has inspired him to push even harder this season ... and he paid tribute to her as he spoke with reporters.

"I always played for my family already, but then having, like, that extra incentive and making me want to go a little harder for her, it never stops," the 30-year-old said during the post-game press conference.

"It's always going to suck but at least I’m able to shine some spotlight on her a little bit."

Barrett added he believed the moment was "divine intervention" ... and that God has something in store for his family.

"He just setting us up for something. Can't say better because I don't know what can be better than having my baby girl here but he is setting us up for something that we need."

"I'm just ready for it. I'm waiting for it and I'ma believe in his plan for sure."

As we previously reported, Barrett's daughter, Arrayah, drowned in their backyard pool on April 30. Since the tragedy, the family has installed devices around the home to prevent another accident ... and launched a foundation in her name that will educate parents on water safety.

Patriots fans clearly left a bad taste in Tyreek Hill's mouth ... 'cause after the Dolphins torched the Patriots off the field, the Fins superstar receiver laid into them off the field, calling them out for some of the worst fans in the NFL!

29-year-old Hill ripped the New England fans to the media after the Dolphins' 24-17 win at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Sunday night.

"Those fans are some of the worst in the NFL," the 7x Pro Bowler told reporters, "And I'm going to stand on that, they are real nasty."

Hill continued, accusing some of the Patriot faithful of having said some brutal stuff during the game.

"Some of the things they were saying wasn't, you know, I wouldn't say in church."

"So yeah, it felt great to wave goodbye to the fans, and I'll do it again. Bye."

Of course, the 0-2 Patriots are off to their worst start since 2001 ... and their fans are surely on edge. The Pats had a chance to win Sunday's game but came up a few inches short on the final drive.

It's not the first time Hill and Patriots fans had beef .... in 2018, a Pats fan flipped Cheetah the bird and threw beer at him after he scored a touchdown while a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The New York Jets appear to be experiencing some turbulence without Aaron Rodgers ... with two of the team's biggest stars voicing their frustrations online after losing to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Jets took their first L of the season in their first full game sans the 4-time MVP ... and Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall were clearly irked after the 30-10 defeat.

Gardner must've been searching his name on social media shortly after the contest ... 'cause when he noticed a tweet from a Cowboys fan account calling out his performance defending CeeDee Lamb, he clapped back with receipts.

"Damnn y'all really love sayin my name on this app lol," Sauce said on X. "He didn't catch a ball on me today. Source: Me."

Gardner -- who seemingly deactivated his account after the post -- also backed himself up on Instagram while on the team plane ... posting his stats to debunk the notion he's fallen off in his second pro season.

As for Hall, he appeared to be upset about his lack of carries ... posting four football emojis to represent the same number of rushing attempts he had in the outing.

Hall -- who's still limited after recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last season -- finished the game with nine rushing yards, after earning more than 120 in Week 1.

An Antonio Gates hasn't been in the NFL since the 2018 season ... but another could be on the way soon -- and, according to the Chargers legend himself, the next one could be better than the first!!

Gates tells TMZ Sports ... his boy -- Michigan State Univ. redshirt freshman receiver Antonio Gates Jr. -- has the goods to one day make it to the NFL, and be an even bigger star than he was once he arrives.

"I think so," Gates said out in Beverly Hills this week. "I really believe that."

So far, the younger Gates is still learning how to be effective on the collegiate level ... after not playing the entirety of the 2022 season, he's played sparingly in 2023.

But, the elder Gates said with all the resources at his disposal -- a transformation into a beast on the gridiron isn't far off.

"I can kind of give him the information that's important for him to be successful," Gates Sr. said. "So, he's got a great future ahead of him."

But, either way, Gates Sr. said he's a very proud Papa nonetheless.

Travis Kelce is said to be "hanging out" with Taylor Swift -- something the NFL world just can't get enough of ... and which bled into Sunday's broadcast of his big game.

NFL announcer Ian Eagle -- who called the Chiefs game Sunday -- snuck in a Swift reference after TK scored his first touchdown of the season against the Jags. It was a simple toss from Mahomes into the end zone ... but a big deal since Trav missed last week's opener.

As Travis and his teammates were celebrating ... Eagle said, "Kelce finds a blank space for the score!" His broadcasting partner didn't say anything, but everyone picked up on it.

Even right after this, Eagle kept it going ... saying Kelce was able to shake it off considering he didn't play last week following an injury. So, yeah, everyone's still giddy about the news.

ICYMI ... word of Travis and Taylor possibly dating first started to percolate earlier this week after The Messenger reported they've been seeing each other lately. Other outlets confirmed they're spending time together ... but stopped short of saying they're full-blown dating.

Based on what Travis's bro had to say about it on TNF ... sounds like they're just banging.

Remember, back in July ... Travis revealed he tried shooting his shot with Taylor during one of her concerts -- but apparently got denied at the time. Since sharing this story, however, it sounds like TS got in touch and then some -- which just goes to show, manifesting is real!

If Taylor and Trav are, in fact, keeping it casual ... that lines up with how she handled the Matty Healy fling earlier this year. TayTay's obviously doing her thing post-Joe Alwyn.

The best QB of the 2020 NFL Draft class might not end being Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts OR Tua Tagovailoa ... at least, that's according to LeRoy Butler -- who tells TMZ Sports it could actually be Jordan Love!!

The Packers legend made the eyebrow-raising claim following Green Bay's win in Week 1 ... explaining he thinks that after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers the past three years, Love could now be best set up for success out of all the '20 signal-callers.

"I think he may be better than those guys," the Packers legend said, "because he's going to have that opportunity because he had to sit and wait."

Sunday's victory over the Bears marked just the second time ever that Love has started an NFL game ... but Butler was clearly impressed.

The Hall of Fame defensive back loved the way the 24-year-old -- who the Packers took with the 26th overall selection in 2020 behind Burrow, Herbert and Tagovailoa -- played within himself ... and he liked it so much, he now believes there's a chance Love finishes his career as 2020's best pick.

Butler actually compared the situation to his own career ... saying that while 47 guys were drafted ahead of him -- and played way more than him as a rookie -- he's now got a bust in Canton.

"There's a lot of guys who went before me," the 1990 second-round pick said. "But I'm in the Hall of Fame -- and they're not."

El mejor quarterback de la clase 2020, de la NFL Draft, podría no terminar siendo Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts O Tua Tagovailoa, al menos, de acuerdo a LeRoy Butler, quien le dijo a TMZ Sports que en realidad podría ser ¡¡Jordan Love!!

La leyenda de los Packers hizo la afirmación después de la victoria de Green Bay en la Semana 1, explicando que después de sentarse detrás de Aaron Rodgers en los últimos 3 años, Love podría estar mejor preparado para el éxito de todos los '20 signal-callers.

"Creo que puede ser mejor que esos chicos", dijo la leyenda de los Packers, "porque va a tener esa oportunidad porque tuvo que sentarse y esperar".

La victoria del domingo sobre los Bears marcó apenas la segunda vez que Love inicia un partido de la NFL, pero Butler quedó claramente impresionado.

Al back defensivo del Salón de la Fama le encantó la forma en que el jugador de 24 años -a quien los Packers tomaron con la 26ª selección global en 2020 detrás de Burrow, Herbert y Tagovailoa- jugó... y le gustó tanto, que ahora cree que hay una posibilidad de que Love termine su carrera dentro de la mejor selección de 2020.

Butler de hecho comparó la situación con su propia carrera, diciendo que aunque 47 chicos fueron reclutados antes que él, y jugaron mucho más que él, como novato- ahora tiene un busto en Canton.

"Hay un montón de tipos que estuvieron por delante de mí", dijo el elegido en segunda ronda en 1990. "Pero yo estoy en el Salón de la Fama y ellos no".

Si Brett Favre tuviera las cosas a su manera, la carrera de Deion Sanders como entrenador habría sido muy diferente hasta este punto, le dijo a TMZ Sports que en realidad trató de conseguir el Salón de la Fama para hacerse cargo de Southern Miss antes de que aterrizara su juego en Jackson State.

La leyenda de los Packers dice que su reclutamiento de Sanders a su alma mater ocurrió hace unos años, cuando el hijo de Deion, Shedeur, era un estudiante de secundaria mirando potencialmente asistir a USM.

En ese momento, el entrenador de los Golden Eagles, Jay Hopson, acababa de dimitir y Favre dice que intentó por todos los medios que Prime ocupara el puesto vacante.

"Sabía que haría un gran trabajo", dijo Favre, que jugó con Sanders en Atlanta en la temporada 1991. "Sabía las cosas que necesitábamos en Southern Miss, él marcaba las casillas. Atención, entusiasmo, llevar a la gente a los asientos. Él habría hecho eso".

"Y, sabía que los jugadores le seguirían", añadió Favre. "Por no mencionar que habríamos tenido a su hijo, que probablemente será uno de los finalistas al Heisman este año".

Por supuesto, Deion nunca se hizo cargo de la USM y en su lugar acabó en la JSU, donde dominó durante dos años. Finalmente dejó Jackson por la Univ. de Colorado donde actualmente tiene a los Buffs en el puesto nº 18 del país.

If Brett Favre had things his way, Deion Sanders' coaching career would've looked a whole lot different to this point ... telling TMZ Sports he actually tried to get the Hall of Famer to take over at Southern Miss before he landed his Jackson State gig.

The Packers legend says his recruitment of Sanders to his alma mater happened a few years ago -- back when Deion's son, Shedeur, was a high schooler looking at potentially attending USM.

At the time, Golden Eagles head coach Jay Hopson had just resigned ... and Favre says he tried like hell to get Prime to fill the vacant role.

"I knew he would do a great job," said Favre, who played with Sanders in Atlanta in the 1991 season. "I knew the things that we needed at Southern Miss, he checked the boxes. Attention, enthusiasm, getting people in the seats. He would've done that."

"And, I knew players would follow him," Favre added. "Not to mention, we'd have gotten his son, who's probably going to be one of the Heisman finalists this year."

Of course, Deion never took over at USM ... and instead, he ended up at JSU, where he dominated for two years. He ultimately left Jackson for the Univ. of Colorado -- where he's currently got the Buffs ranked No. 18 in the country.

New police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows Adam "Pacman" Jones went ballistic on cops following his arrest earlier this week ... throwing a tantrum, while calling some of the officers "stupid f***ers!"

The ex-NFL star's outburst happened at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Sept. 11 ... when officials booted him from a plane after they said he had argued with employees over his seat's electrical outlet.

Body cam footage shows that once he got off the aircraft ... he tried to tell cops what had happened -- but almost immediately, a verbal altercation broke out.

"You need to learn how to talk to a motherf***er, bro," Jones said to one officer on the jetway. "'Cause I don't mind going to jail. I'm letting you know that. But, you better learn how to motherf***ing talk to somebody. Because you ain't my daddy, n****."

When someone tried to calm Jones down ... he screamed, "This s*** is wrong!" Seconds later, cops slapped the cuffs on him -- and then his meltdown really began.

Sources close to Pacman say he was agitated because he was kicked off the plane when he believed he did nothing wrong ... so anything he said was in the heat of the moment, and he still maintains he's the one in the right.

Jones yelled and cussed at cops as they took him away from the plane ... and when they got him in the back of a squad car, he unloaded on one officer in particular.

"You said I was drunk," he screamed from the backseat. "Bitch, breathalyze me. I'm not drunk!"

The cop then told him he reeked of alcohol ... which set Jones off further.

"How the f*** you going to lock me up for alcohol and you ain't breathalyze me?!" he continued. "You sound stupid as f***. It's 6 AM in the morning, n****. I had one f***ing drink, which was a Pinot f***ing Grigiot. Go to the f***ing bar and ask them. You stupid f***ers!"

Meanwhile, back on the plane, body cam video shows the pilot and a flight attendant both told a cop Jones was being unruly -- forcing them to go back to the gate.

Eventually, officers transported Jones to a nearby jail ... where he was booked on misdemeanor charges of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening -- before he was released.

Jones has been adamant that he did nothing wrong on the plane ... saying he just wanted his outlet to work so he could use his iPad to prep for the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills Monday Night Football game.

Aaron Rodgers says tearing his Achilles on Monday Night Football was one of the worst experiences of his life ... but the New York Jets superstar is adamant he will recover from it -- and he's not ruling out a return THIS YEAR.

Fresh off going under the knife to repair his tendon, the four-time MVP joined the "Pat McAfee Show" Friday to break down his immediate reaction, recovery and his plans moving forward.

Rodgers said he dealt with "a lot of sadness, a lot of tears, a lot of dark frustration and anger" shortly after going down with the injury ... but he's been receiving a ton of love from his close friends and supporters.

"A lot of the sadness, I think initially, was just feeling like I let so many people down who believed in me, supported me, and made that transition so incredible," he said minutes ago.

Rodgers admitted he could quickly tell it was a serious situation ... but makes it clear he can overcome the ailment and get back to 100%.

"Give me the doubts," Rodgers said. "Give me the timetables. Give me all the things that you think can, should, or will happen because all I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration. That's all I need."

"So, give me your timetable, give me your doubt, give me your prognostication and watch what I do."

Rodgers explained he isn't going to curb his expectations or place limits on his recovery ... so when asked whether he could be back in time for the playoffs, he left the door wide open.

"I think as Kevin Garnett said, 'Anything's possible.'"

Vikings star Alexander Mattison says over 60 people sent him disturbing messages following his game Thursday night ... revealing some contained disgusting racial slurs.

The Minnesota tailback said the notes poured into his Instagram message box shortly after he had a down game in the Vikes' 34-28 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia.

He shared screenshots of two of the DMs on his IG stories -- and, in both, you can read he was called the N-word. The writers also told Mattison he should die by suicide.

The 25-year-old said the words really affected him ... writing in a caption on the screen grabs "this s*** is unacceptable."

"Under my helmet, I am a human," he said. "A father.. A son. This is sick. SMH."

Mattison took over the Vikings' starting running back reins this year following Dalvin Cook's offseason departure ... but through two games so far, he's totaled just 83 combined receiving and rushing yards -- and in Thursday night's defeat, he lost a fumble.

Mattison explained on his social media page that he's OK with people telling him "you suck" over his play on the field ... but he said the latest batch of messages just simply crossed a line.

"SMFH," he wrote. "This is not OK."

Since he shared the screen grabs, several fans have rushed to the comment section on his most recent post to send words of encouragement.

Mattison and the Vikings play next on Sept. 24 against the Chargers.

Deion Sanders just threw some major shade at Jay Norvell ... doubling down after the Colorado State head coach criticized his "hat and glasses" look this week -- by giving his whole Buffaloes team their own pair!!

Prime and Norvell have exchanged verbal jabs ahead of their big matchup ... with the former saying the game is now "personal" after the Rams coach blasted his appearance on his weekly radio show.

Prime went one step further on Friday ... 'cause during a team meeting, he had his equipment staff hand out a bunch of sunglasses to all the players as a clear response to Norvell's dig.

The whole squad loved the gesture ... donning the gold shades and smiling for the cameras as Prime told them how good they looked.

Sanders said Norvell's diss truly backfired ... 'cause not only did it give his squad some extra motivation, it will also help sell his glasses collab with Blenders.

Brett Favre believes Aaron Rodgers will be back on the field next year ... and when he ultimately straps on his helmet and shoulder pads again -- the Packers legend tells TMZ Sports the QB will be "as good, if not better, than ever."

Of course, Favre says there's at least some chance Rodgers calls it a career after he snapped his Achilles during his Jets debut on Monday night ... but as a guy who's spent years around the signal-caller, Favre just doesn't see a way this is the end for Rodgers.

"I personally think that he will come back," Favre said. "I don't see him going out like this."

And, if and when he returns to the Big Apple, Favre has no doubts Rodgers will find success again.

In fact, Brett says he plans on reaching out to his former teammate soon to make sure the future Hall of Famer gets that message.

"It seemed to me from the outside looking in they had a good thing going there," Favre said of Rodgers' time in New York. "Just the vibe I was getting. If that's the case -- if he felt that way too, give it a shot. That's what I would tell him."

For Rodgers' part, he certainly seems like a guy that's not ready to quit ... just a day before he had surgery to repair his damaged leg, he wrote in an Instagram post that he "shall rise yet again."

Talk about adding insult to injury -- 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was forced to rep his college rival after Iowa State lost to George Kittle's Iowa last weekend ... showing up to his media availability decked out in a Hawkeyes mascot head!!

The pair of Niners teammates placed a friendly wager when their alma maters faced off Saturday against each other ... and, unfortunately for Purdy, the Cyclones lost, 20-13.

Purdy -- who went to Iowa State for four seasons -- held up his end of the deal at Thursday's press conference ... rocking a big Herky the Hawk head as he took the stage.

The whole room thought it was amusing ... and Kittle thanked Hawkeyes staffers for getting the mascot head to SF.

"Go hawks @HawkeyeFootball @brockpurdy13," the tight end said on X. "Shoutout @TylerBarnesIOWA for getting this herky out to cali!"

Kittle also joined in on the fun ... throwing on his former mascot's head as well.

Purdy isn't the only NFL QB taking Ls by placing bets on his former college team -- Aaron Rodgers had to wear Auburn gear after Cal lost to teammate C.J. Uzomah's Tigers.