Football

Colin Kaepernick wrote a letter to the general manager of the NY Jets days after Aaron Rodgers went down with a serious injury during MNF ... asking the organization to consider signing him to their practice squad.

News of the correspondence was actually broken by J. Cole ... who posted the typed note, sent to Joe Douglas, to his X account on Tuesday.

Previously, there were reports that Kap expressed interest in joining the squad ... but now we're looking at the entire letter.

"I'm writing, of course, in response to the unfortunate loss of Aaron Rodgers. I know the aspirations this season were, and still are, to win a championship, and so that Hall of Fame sized hole will need to be filled as best as possible to keep the team on a Super Bowl track," 35-year-old Kaepernick opened the letter.

But, if you thought he was seeking the starting gig from the jump, as barren as the Jets QB room currently is, you're mistaken.

Colin explained ... "As much as I would love the opportunity to fill that [starting] spot, I'm writing you in hopes that you can imagine a much different approach involving me; I would be honored and extremely grateful for the opportunity to come in and lead the practice squad."

"I would do this with the sole mission of getting your defense ready each week."

FYI, NFL teams all have "practice squads" ... consisting of 16 players who, you guessed it, practice with the team during the week, but do not dress for games.

It's a lot of sacrifice for little money or glory ... especially for a guy who was a star and even started a Super Bowl -- like Kap.

Kaepernick went on to say, if things didn't work with Zach Wilson (and let's be honest, it ain't working), he could be a backup plan (no pun intended) for the team.

"I believe a confident Zach Wilson has the tools to do this. However, in the event that this is not the case, I would love to offer you a risk-free contingency plan."

Despite not playing in the NFL since 2016 for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin believes he's still a top-tier signal caller.

"I am sure of my ability to provide you with an elite QB option if, God forbid, QB1 goes down."

Despite the long layoff, CK's adamant he's never stopped training, and is raring and ready to go.

"Unlike many of the veteran QB's that have been named in the media, I've never retired or stopped training."

Despite the letter, the Jets have obviously not signed Kap up to this point.

Taylor Swift fans are giving Travis Kelce a serious stamp of approval ... in the form of new merch, and it seems Swifties think this relationship might have some longevity -- enough to start printing his name, anyway.

The singer and the NFL stud are now getting paired on tons of merchandise cropping up this week on Etsy ... mostly in the form of different shirts going for between $10 to $38, plus some luggage with a $206 price tag.

Swifties seem to think Taylor and Travis have some staying power ... there's even a campaign-themed "Swift 2024 Kelce" top for sale.

Other items include a Kelce version of Taylor's "Eras" tour logo, and a graphic tee with the now infamous image of them driving off in a convertible after she watched him play football.

The Taylor and Travis merch is another sign of just how well Kelce is scoring with her fans. As we first reported, the jacket the KC Chiefs tight end wore with Tay Tay after the game quickly sold out.

Travis Kelce is being painted as a cheater by one of his ex-flings ... but sources close to the NFL superstar say she's full of it, and only trying to grab her 15 minutes of fame.

If you missed it, Maya Benberry, who won Travis' E! dating show "Catching Kelce" back in 2016 just did an interview where she called Kelce a cheater, warning Taylor Swift, "Taylor seems like such a fun girl with a beautiful spirit so I wish her the best of luck but I wouldn’t be a girls' girl if I didn’t advise her to be smart!"

Maya told Daily Mail, "Once a cheater always a cheater."

Sources close to Kelce tell us the two only dated for a month after the show, and couldn't publicly announce their actual split because of a contract they had in place with the network.

The source tells us Travis never cheated on Maya.

Our source adds Kelce and Maya haven't spoken in about 5 years ... and her interview is, "A poor excuse of someone trying to get her 15 min of fame."

Tyreek Hill has some big goals for his post-football career -- the Miami Dolphins superstar says he wants to dive into the porn industry after he retires from the NFL.

... and he's not screwing with us!!

The 29-year-old wide receiver revealed his intentions while streaming on Twitch ... when fellow NFLer Mike Evans brought up the fact Hill has a bright future even after his playing days are over.

Hill agreed ... but little did the Buccaneers great know, he was referring to making highlight reels in the bedroom instead of on the field -- which is exactly what he plans to do.

"Nah, when I retire, bro, I really wanna be a porn star though, bro," Hill said. "Like, dead serious. Like, you think I got that?"

The conversation went dead silent ... forcing Hill to follow up.

"No?"

Evans tried to change his mind ... suggesting a career as a comedian instead.

"You already got like 12 kids, s***," Evans said ... pointing out his family has grown a bit over the years.

It certainly sounds like the Super Bowl champ can't be swayed ... as he remained adamant about venturing into adult films.

Kroy Biermann says he has no desire to call off his divorce from Kim Zolciak despite having sex a couple weeks ago ... claiming banging her doesn't mean he's changed his mind.

The retired NFL player just fired back at his estranged wife ... making it clear he is still gung-ho about divorcing her, selling their Georgia mansion and moving somewhere else with their kids.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kroy says the fact he had sex with Kim "does not indicate a desire to reconcile" and he "remains steadfast in his desire to divorce" her.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim claims Kroy's latest divorce petition is all a sham because they're living together and having a ton of sex, and she's trying to get a judge to toss the whole thing.

But Kroy says folks shouldn't put a whole lot of stock into the fact they had sex earlier this month ... he says it doesn't change his position.

In the docs, Kroy says their home is set to be foreclosed on in November and he accuses Kim of trying to drag things out to stop him from selling their place to pay off their mountain of debt.

Kroy sounds like he has some post-nut clarity ... he claims their current situation is toxic for their kids and he wants to push forward with the divorce, claiming Kim's called the cops to the home 4 times in 4 months, with the latest incident being witnessed by their youngest daughter.

New Mexico State didn't only beat rival University of New Mexico earlier this month ... quarterback Diego Pavia also allegedly peed on UNM's logo -- an act that was seemingly captured on video!

New Mexico St. and UNM, in-state rivals, squared off on September 16 ... a game NMSU won 27-17. Pavia, their junior signal caller, went 9/14 for 203 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

Nice game.

But, perhaps feeling he hadn't done enough, Pavia seems to have offered the grounds crew an assist by (allegedly) watering the indoor ... turf?

Per leaked video, a person wearing sweats (no uniform), appearing to be the quarterback, was seen urinating on the Lobo logo. It's unclear if this was before or after the game.

A spokesperson for UNM told the Albuquerque Journal they became aware of the video several days after the game, and notified NMSU of the situation.

If Pavia's in trouble -- and let's be honest, he likely is -- New Mexico State says they will not reveal any disciplinary information, citing "federal privacy laws."

Pavia, who became the full-time starter last season after sharing time as a freshman, has started all five of NMSU's games (they're 2-3), including the team's 20-17 loss to Hawaii on Saturday.

Morgan Wallen certainly doesn't need help filling seats at his concerts, but he still called on his good buddy Peyton Manning to spread the word about his new tour ... and the Hall of Famer delivered -- rocking a fake mullet and showing off his pipes for the job!!

The country superstar announced he's going back on the road for his "One Night At A Time 2024" shows ... but instead of just posting the dates and locations on his social media, he decided to have some fun with it.

Wallen enlisted both Peyton and Eli to appear in a short sketch ... with the former Colts and Broncos signal-caller donning a wig and hat and singing "Last Night" before picking up a FaceTime call from the singer.

In the phone chat, Wallen explained he wanted Peyton to make a clip to announce the tour ... but asked him to leave out his signature dry comedy and give a straightforward statement on the big news.

"No dressing up ... no singing ... and do not overdo it with the bad jokes," Wallen told Peyton.

"Avoid the bad jokes, kinda like that new hairdo of yours," Peyton clapped back ... referring to MW's new shaved head appearance.

The two-time Super Bowl champ was bummed about the instructions ... and said if Wallen wanted a boring, uncreative vid, he should have just hit up his younger brother.

The comment gave Wallen a lightbulb moment ... and sure enough, Eli popped up to handle the gig just as requested.

Of course, Peyton had to give one more silly joke before the end of the clip ... making a song pun for good measure.

As for the tour, MW said ... "Been one of the best years for me and my music so we're gonna run it back.. same tour name, staying on this album and many more cities to visit."

Alabama State's Jacob Freeman punched a security guard in the face during Saturday's Florida A&M game, an attack that was caught on video ... and now the wide receiver has been arrested.

The altercation started when Freeman, number 16, lost his cool with a fan on the sidelines ... and seemingly attempted to get to the person. Security attempted to step in and stop JF, which evidently angered the Alabama State player.

That's when Freeman, helmet still on, threw a quick right, landing square on the guard's face, who immediately clutched the area that had been punched.

On Sunday, Freeman was arrested by the FAMU Police Department, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Freeman was charged with one count of "battery causing bodily harm".

Freeman took a mug shot and was eventually released from jail.

However, he won't be seeing a football field anytime soon ... Bama St. suspended him for his behavior.

"We do not condone the actions of the student-athlete, nor are the actions representative of the expectations set forth by the athletic department and our university," the athletics department said in a statement.

Hornets head coach Eddie Robinson Jr., during a SWAC coaches media call, said Freeman is remorseful, "but at the same time, he has to go through the process of his actions."

Taylor Swift está en todas partes de Estados Unidos por estos días, y ahora estará también en todas partes del mundo con el estreno de su nueva película en el extranjero.

La cantante hizo un importante anuncio el martes sobre su próximo documental de la gira "Eras", que ya se va a estrenar en Norteamérica en un par de semanas. Ahora, dice que se estrenará también en todo el mundo exactamente el mismo día, en MUCHOS países.

Tay Tay escribe: "La gira no es lo único que estamos llevando a todo el mundo........ 🌎 ¡Estoy tan emocionada de contarles que la película del concierto The Eras Tour llegará oficialmente a los cines de TODO EL MUNDO el 13 de octubre!".

Los detalles de la mayor cobertura son asombrosos. La nueva película "Eras" de TS se proyectará en más de 100 países, incluidos todos los cines Odeon de Europa.

AMC Theaters, con quien se ha asociado Taylor para estrenar su película, espera que más de 7.500 cines de todo el mundo proyecten la película al mismo tiempo. En cuanto al número de entradas que se venderán, todavía se está calculando, pero probablemente serán muchas.

Hace un mes, cuando Taylor dijo por primera vez que el documental "Eras" se estrenaría en Norteamérica, sus fans se lanzaron en masa por las entradas y se vendió una cantidad récord en un solo día, de unos 26 millones de dólares. Las estimaciones esperan que 'Eras' recaude $100M en el norte en su fin de semana de apertura.

Este es solo el último titular de Taylor ... obviamente, ella ha estado en la mente y boca de todos por estos días, por su incipiente relación con la estrella de los Chiefs, Travis Kelce, y ahora esta otra bendición.

Taylor Swift is everywhere in America these days -- and now, she's gonna be everywhere around the world on big screens ... 'cause she's taking her new movie overseas.

The singer made a major announcement Tuesday about her forthcoming 'Eras' tour documentary -- which was already getting a North American release in a couple weeks. Now, she's saying it's going to open globally on the exact same day ... in LOTS of countries.

Tay Tay writes, "The tour isn’t the only thing we’re taking worldwide…….. 🌎 Been so excited to tell you all that The Eras Tour concert film is now officially coming to theaters WORLDWIDE on Oct 13!"

The details of the expanded rollout are staggering ... TS's new 'Eras' movie is going to be playing in over 100 countries -- including every single Odeon theater across Europe.

AMC Theaters -- which Taylor is partnering with to put out her film -- says it's expecting more than 7,500 theaters worldwide to be showing this thing at once. In terms of how many tickets this will sell ... it's still being tallied right now, but probably a ton.

A month ago -- when Taylor first said the 'Era's doc would release in North America -- her fans swooped in to snap up tickets ... and they sold a record amount in just one day, about $26 million worth. Estimates had 'Eras' raking in north of $100M in its opening weekend too.

It's just the latest splashy headline for Taylor ... obviously, she's top of mind right now due to her budding relationship with Chiefs star Travis Kelce -- and now, here's another boon.

Usher is downplaying all the fallout his viral moment with Keke Palmer caused, at least on his end ... he thinks the whole debacle was sensationalized so he simply used the situation to their advantage!!!

The R&B icon was confronted with the issue Tuesday on "The Breakfast Club" as he explained the differences between his Vegas shows -- like the one that jeopardized Keke's relationship and his newly announced Super Bowl LVIII Halftime gig.

Usher was asked if he felt any guilt about creating a wedge between Keke and her boyfriend Darius Jackson this past 4th of July weekend.

Usher blames the internet for blowing up the spot but has no regrets for their make-good, in the form of the "Boyfriend" music video starring Keke that leaned into the moment.

The world's still heavily invested in Keke and Darius ... the actress recently pled the 5th in the name of Beyonce on morning TV.

As for the Super Bowl, Usher says Jay-Z woke him up early in the morning about a week ago with the good news, but played it coy when asked about any potential guests joining him on the big stage.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are not "officially" dating, at least not yet ... but they are definitely headed in that direction, and the early returns seem promising.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Taylor's appearance at Travis' NFL game Sunday was NOT the first time they were together. We're told they have been together "several times" over the last few months.

While Taylor's show of support was very public, our sources say their person-to-person interactions before Sunday were always in a "very private setting."

Still, it's interesting Taylor is already meeting Travis' parents ... our sources say Sunday marked Taylor's first introduction to TK's mother, Donna, and father, Ed.

As you know, TayTay watched Travis score a touchdown from a suite with his family ... and cameras caught their excitement.

We're told Taylor's time with Donna, Travis' mom, went "very well" ... and that the matriarch calls Taylor "a lovely person."

Taylor has yet to meet Travis' older brother Jason -- sounds like that will have to wait -- he's busy playing for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

Taylor and Travis smiled for the cameras as they left Arrowhead Stadium together after his Kansas City Chiefs pummeled the Chicago Bears, 41-10 ... leaving in a convertible. We're told they took a shot with some friends before leaving the stadium.

We didn't see any PDA from Taylor and Travis in public, but our sources say they were holding hands at the restaurant he rented out for his family, friends and teammates after the game. At one point Taylor was sitting on Travis' lap.

Taylor fit in well with Travis' friends and family ... she came to the game alone -- bodyguards excepted -- and was chatting up everyone.

Taylor's upcoming tour dates could make a full-blown relationship tricky ... she's about to go back on tour in a few weeks, and then in November she heads out for her tour's international leg. Meanwhile, the NFL will consume Travis' life, potentially through February's Super Bowl.

Las Vegas Raiders superstar Chandler Jones claims he was forced into a mental health hospital last week ... and "injected" with a foreign substance.

The 33-year-old NFL player said it all happened after authorities told him "people were concerned about me because of my posts online."

"I answered my front door," Jones said Monday evening on his X page in what appeared to be pictures of recent journal entries, "and a group of 5 to 7 were there to put me in an ambulance where I was later injected and I asked them not to."

The pass rusher -- a two-time All-Pro -- says he was first taken to Southern Hills Hospital, before he was transported to the Seven Hills Behavioral Health Hospital, a treatment facility for those struggling with mental health issues.

"They tried to force me to take meds and injections," he said of his time at the facility.

Jones added that the place was not one for "high-profile athletes."

"My first night I slept on the floor and was not offered a bed," he said ... adding, "I'm still confused on what I did wrong. I'm stuck here. I'm very sane."

In his notes, Jones claims he tried to contact the Raiders "for help," but he's yet to hear back.

He also said he's continuing to work out despite the facility's conditions.

"All I know is whoever put me in here had bad intentions," he said.

Jones has not played for the Raiders this season after he was placed on the non-football illness list following a social media rant earlier this month where he declared that he did not want to play for Vegas anymore.

For the team's part, head coach Josh McDaniels has called the matter "personal" and "private."

If James Harrison had a vote ... the Steelers legend would NOT be in the Hall of Fame -- the former NFL star tells TMZ Sports he truly doesn't believe his resume is good enough to earn him a bust in Canton one day.

"As far as Hall of Fame, you know, it's a lot of things that goes into that," the five-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion explained this month.

"And I believe numbers is one of those things, you know? And when you look at my numbers, they just don't, for me, they don't equate to what the numbers should be."

Harrison played in the league from 2002 through 2017 -- but he was really only a full-time starter from '07 to '13 ... something he clearly believes will likely prevent him from getting in the Hall.

Still, despite only roughly seven years as a cornerstone defensive piece, Harrison dominated when he was on the field -- earning All-Pro honors twice ... while finishing his career with 84.5 sacks and 811 combined tackles.

In fact, the totals were so good, the Hall of Fame announced earlier this summer that he's one of 173 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

Harrison, though, clearly thinks he'll never get the ultimate call to the Hall ... telling us, "That's just how I feel."

But, if it did come, Harrison says he'd be thrilled for the award.

In the meantime, Harrison is going into at least one Hall this season -- the Steelers announced they'll be inducting him into their Hall of Honor later this year ... an accolade he said he's super proud of.

The wife of a New York Jets player is furious with "Jersey Shore" castmate Angelina Pivarnick ... claiming the reality TV star slid into her hubby's direct messages this weekend -- despite knowing he was a married man.

Alexis Bawden -- Nick Bawden's longtime partner -- said the incident happened on Sunday afternoon ... right after the fullback had taken the field to play against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium in Jersey.

According to Alexis, Pivarnick saw her decked out in gear representing her husband while she was on the sidelines at the stadium ... but ignored it all -- and went on to send a DM to Nick on Instagram anyway.

Alexis says Pivarnick wrote, "See u soon" -- and it made her livid because she believed it was an effort to woo her man.

"I just want to say if you're a fan of her, she's weird," she said in a TikTok slamming Pivarnick. "That's weird. You don't message a married woman's man you're going to see him soon after you see his wife go by on the field. Weirdo."

Pivarnick eventually responded after the TikTok went viral ... saying in a since-deleted statement on her Instagram Stories that she never made a move on the football player.

"This s*** that's being told about me sliding into a married man's IG has gotten out of control," Pivarnick wrote. "His wife is clearly a clout chaser and I only spoke to players I knew and in a friendly way."

"I know she's reaching," she added. "She needs to stop trying to slander me and stop being a liar. I am not into married men and would never write that shit. If she doesn't stop my lawyer will send her a letter of cease and desist soon. Not playing. Add this to TikTok girl. What a joke."

Here's something that almost NEVER happens to Taylor Swift ... walking anywhere, much less into an NFL game, with zero fanfare -- but we've learned that's exactly what she pulled off on Sunday.

This shot shows Taylor -- rocking the Chiefs' windbreaker -- walking into Arrowhead Stadium to see Travis Kelce and his team play the Chicago Bears. The woman in the black leather jacket is part of Travis' PR team, and she escorted Taylor and Trav's friends to his luxury suite.

The amazing part is ... we're told there were no fans screaming for Tay Tay as she walked into the stadium, and made her way to the suite.

You gotta hand it to Taylor and Travis for pulling off the perfect sneak attack. No one knew she was going to the game -- we got wind of it just 20 minutes before kickoff -- and, as a result, the Swiftie army was NOT lined up to see her arrival.

Kinda shocking they weren't on the lookout, considering Travis made it known he had invited her to a game.

As we reported, Traylor (yeah, that's what we're calling 'em) were quietly escorted out of the stadium -- and only one reporter, WGN's Jarrett Payton, was able to get a quick shot of them inside.

They pulled away from Arrowhead in a pretty conspicuous way, though -- looking like Danny and Sandy from "Grease" in Travis' metallic purple convertible muscle car -- but they definitely pulled off a 'Mission: Impossible' getting her in on the DL.