Football

Kirk Cousins is in great spirits after going under the knife to fix his torn Achilles ... sharing a positive update from his hospital bed.

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback went down with the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Green Bay Packers ... officially ending his 2023 campaign.

Despite the circumstances, Cousins was all smiles following his procedure Wednesday morning ... giving a big thumbs up as he showed off his new purple cast wrapped around his right leg.

"Surgery was a success!" Cousins said on X ... adding he enlisted popular doctor J. Chris Coetzee of Twin Cities Orthopedics in Eagan, Minnesota for the job.

"Grateful for your prayers, Dr. Coetzee’s abilities, and our medical team. Would appreciate continued prayers! One day at a time…"

The Vikings -- 4-4 so far this season -- will now look to move past the injury ... trading for Josh Dobbs prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. Jaren Hall will get the start.

Cousins has been a trooper in the days following his ailment -- he even showed up to the team's trick-or-treat event and signed autographs for young fans on Monday.

Josh McDaniels is out of a job in Las Vegas ... Raiders owner Mark Davis announced late Tuesday night he's canning the head coach.

In addition, the Vegas honcho said he was moving on from general manager David Ziegler as well.

"After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward," Davis said in a statement, "I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave. I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best."

The two were both brought on board before the 2022 season began with some high expectations ... but they found little-to-no-success in their brief time in Sin City.

In the '22 season, they posted just a 6-11 record ... and this year, they had just a 3-5 mark before their firings.

And, to make matters worse, they looked so bad in a loss to the Lions on "Monday Night Football" earlier this week, their star player, Davante Adams, threw a temper tantrum on the sidelines.

Davis revealed linebackers coach Antonio Pierce -- who played in the NFL for nine seasons -- will fill in for McDaniels as interim HC ... while Champ Kelly will replace Zeigler.

The firing marks the second time McDaniels has gotten the boot from a head coaching role, back in 2010, the Denver Broncos canned him after less than two years on the job as well.

Bill Bidwill Jr. -- the former Arizona Cardinals exec who's the brother of the NFL team's current owner, Michael Bidwill -- was a bloody mess following an alleged fight with his wife earlier this year ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see officers responded to Bill's Paradise Valley, Ariz. residence at around 6 PM on June 9 following a report of domestic violence ... they came into immediate contact with Bill, who appeared to be bleeding profusely from his face area.

Bill can be heard in the video -- captured on Paradise Valley Police Dept. body cameras -- telling officers his wife, Nicole Bidwill, had just roughed him up following an altercation over some carpet installation.

"She was very upset at me," said Bill, who continuously wiped blood from his head with a large towel.

"I'm sitting on the couch, and she's screaming at me. And I was trying to not escalate because she has a very bad temper."

"And then she started hitting me, and I just started defending myself."

Bill told an officer Nicole "must have hit" him "a hundred times," adding that the strikes were thrown with force. He also said that during the altercation, she picked up a glass cup full of beer and shattered it over his forehead.

"That cut me here," he told a cop.

Bill added that as he tried to get away, Nicole grabbed him and was "just beating the s*** out of me."

Bill, however, later told cops he did not want them to arrest his wife. Instead, he told them to take him into custody -- explaining, "She is not going to tolerate that well."

Meanwhile, cops also interviewed Nicole at the scene ... though she appeared to be far less cooperative with law enforcement than her husband.

She, at first, didn't want to get off the hood of a car she was lying on. She later didn't want to answer questions, telling officers she wanted to wait for her daughter, who's an attorney.

And, when cops placed her under arrest, she didn't want to walk to their squad cars -- so they carried her by her arms and legs.

As we reported, Nicole was booked on a charge of assault ... though, according to a police report, Bill did not want to press charges.

Bill served as the vice president of the Cardinals for several years when his dad, Bill Bidwill Sr., owned the team ... and in 2019, he reportedly helped take over ownership following Sr.'s passing. He does not, however, currently have any role with the team.

Deion Sanders is livid that his Colorado players allegedly had a bunch of jewelry stolen from their lockers during Saturday's game against UCLA ... and now, he wants the NCAA to get involved.

Coach Prime ranted about the matter to reporters on Tuesday ... calling it a travesty that his student-athletes can't play a football game without worrying about their belongings getting jacked.

"Our kids got robbed during the game last week," Sanders said. "I think that's a travesty. I would expect the NCAA to do something about that."

Sanders explained his team has always stressed the importance of financial responsibility to their players in light of Name, Image and Likeness deals ... but admitted his staff dropped the ball when it comes to insurance.

Even though a lot of -- if not all -- the players didn't have their valuables insured, Sanders expects the items taken from their Rose Bowl lockers to be replaced or reimbursed.

"This is the Rose Bowl -- they say 'The Granddaddy of Them All,' right? I'm sure Granddaddy has some money. Grandpa should have some money to give these kids."

Coach Prime said the next step is for his players to give an itemized list of what was jacked during the game -- and he expects them to be truthful.

Also worth noting -- Sanders said it wasn't just the Buffaloes impacted by the alleged heist ... revealing there were items stolen from both teams' locker rooms.

"I hope we can do something about that, NCAA. You do something about everything else. Do something about that."

Chalk up a win for Shannon Sharpe ... Brett Favre's defamation lawsuit against the Hall of Fame tight end was dismissed by a judge on Monday, ruling the 3x Super Bowl champ's comments are protected under the U.S. Constitution.

Brett sued Shannon for comments he made about Favre on FS1's "Undisputed" in 2022, characterized by the HOF signal caller as "egregiously false." Sharpe's comments concerned the ongoing fraud welfare scandal in Mississippi, where Favre, along with dozens of others, are accused of misusing tens of millions of dollars over a several-year period.

United States District Court Judge Keith Starrett issued his ruling in a filing, writing, "Sharpe's comments are constitutionally protected rhetorical hyperbole using loose, figurative language."

Starrett went on to dismiss the suit for those reasons.

Among Sharpe's comments, he accused Favre of “taking from the underserved” and stealing "money from people that really needed that money.”

Despite the ruling, Favre doesn't seem done with Shannon ... a rep for the Packers legend told ESPN he was evaluating their next steps.

"We respectfully disagree with the court's decision. Mr. Sharpe's statements were unquestionably false and defamatory. We are considering our options," Brett's representative told the network.

As for Shannon, he was thrilled with the news.

"The United States District Court 4 the Southern District of Mississippi 2day dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me. The court found the statements were protected by the 1st  Amendment 2 the Constitution. Thanks 2 my legal team and their handling of this case. 🙏🏾🙏🏾"

Shannon wasn't the only retired NFL star turned media mogul in Favre's sights. BF also sued Pat McAfee for defamation. Brett withdrew the lawsuit after Pat apologized on the air for accusing Favre of stealing from people in need.

Davante Adams' no good 2023 season got a whole lot worse on Monday night ... and the star receiver couldn't hide his frustration with it anymore -- slamming his helmet in disgust on the sidelines.

The 30-year-old -- who's complained several times this year about his role in Las Vegas' offense -- caught just one pass during the Raiders' 26-14 loss to the Lions ... and he was clearly livid with the situation, melting down on his team's bench as the final seconds of the game ticked off.

First, he hurled his helmet with two hands into the ground. Then he appeared to let an F-bomb fly. Finally, he slumped over and put his face in his hands.

After the game, he told reporters he wanted to be careful with his words to avoid something that would get "blown up in the media" ... though he made it apparent he's not happy.

"Frustration," he said when asked how he was feeling. "But, that kind of goes without saying."

Normally one of the best wideouts in the NFL, Adams has just 47 catches for 539 yards and three touchdowns through eight games this year ... while the Raiders have amassed a mere 3-5 record.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship remains the apple of the media's collective eye -- and after more than a month of the spotlight, it's starting to take a toll on his loved ones.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the frenzy in the press over TayTay and Travis has become incredibly overwhelming for his immediate family members -- including his mom, Donna, his dad, Ed, and even his fellow NFLer and older brother, Jason.

We're told all the attention the couple's getting isn't the fam's favorite thing in the world -- seeing how it ends up spilling over on them -- but, by the same token, they're happy Travis is happy ... so they're dealing.

Our sources tell us the whole family's been under a microscope since the initial dating rumblings way back in September ... and they've all been getting blown up nonstop on their personal phones and on social media since Trav and Tay went public as a couple.

One other interesting tidbit relayed to us ... Travis's flesh and blood are a bit startled by Swifties and their intense, to put it mildly, love for her. We're told their fierce passion actually makes them a little worried for her BF's safety -- even with him being a 6'5", 250 lb. NFL superstar.

All that being said, the Kelces keep smiling for cameras -- they're fully aware how many are on them, especially when they interact with Taylor face-to-face.

Fortunately for them, there might be a break in the near future, as Taylor's about to go back on tour again, and this time she'll be overseas. Of course, he'll be here playing football ... probably into February, as his Chiefs remain a favorite to reach the Super Bowl.

The University of Colorado football team apparently left California with more than a loss on the field -- several Buffaloes players claim they had jewelry stolen from their lockers during their matchup against UCLA on Saturday.

Deion Sanders' son, Deion Jr., shared the allegations in a postgame video posted on Sunday night ... showing multiple athletes in shock outside the Rose Bowl after discovering their valuables were taken.

Star safety Cam'ron Silmon-Craig was one of the players who claimed they were affected ... saying, "You're gonna play football and know your s*** safe. That joint messed up."

Another player stated he had just gotten his chain the day prior ... and whoever snagged his stuff took it right out of the box.

An investigation into the matter is underway, according to OutKick.

"The UCLA athletic department confirmed that a report was filed to the Pasadena Police Department following the UCLA-Colorado football game regarding items that were reportedly missing from the Colorado locker room," the school said in a statement.

"UCLA is in communication with law enforcement, Rose Bowl Stadium officials and the University of Colorado on the matter."

The Buffaloes fell to the Bruins, 28-16 ... falling to 4-4 on the season.

Looks like Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce are dominating the Halloween game this season, much to the surprise of no one ... appearing as skeletons on front lawns everywhere.

The spooky version of the couple has been popping up across the country, as made apparent from the viral vids online ... one shows Travis and a whole lotta versions of Taylor in her Halloween Era -- paying homage to the singer's multiple looks in her "Eras" tour concerts.

One fan also had a bunch of different Taylors out front, with a skeleton Travis cheering them on in a folding chair on the sidelines.

They're all pretty creative, TBH ... one display was done up to look just like a private concert -- with the decorator even taking over the local airwaves, so anyone that drives by can listen along with the undead crowd!

As you know, Taylor and Travis are the talk of the town right now, with their romance in full swing ... so the pop-ups don't seem that far outta left field. Folks have even been dressing up as the iconic duo over Halloweekend, as expected.

Haters really ARE gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate -- the Denver Broncos told Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs to "shake it off" after their shocking upset loss on Sunday ... by trolling the hell outta them with a Taylor Swift jam session.

The Broncos stunned the Super Bowl champs in a 24-9 home win in Week 8 ... and right after the game clock hit zeroes, the Mile High Stadium speakers started blaring the tight end's new lady's hit song, "Shake It Off."

It's a clear shot at the hype surrounding Tayvis ... with many accusing NFL broadcasts of going overboard with coverage every time the pop superstar attends games.

Swift was nowhere in sight for the shocking loss ... so the theory that she's Kelce's good luck charm is starting to sound pretty legit.

TK had six receptions for 58 yards in the contest ... less than half the production he had a week prior with Swift watching from a suite.

Kelce was in great spirits prior to the loss -- rocking out to his boo's biggest songs following his appearance at Game 1 of the World Series in Texas on Friday.

Magic Johnson just joined the 10-figure club -- and he's in the prestigious company as only one of a few athletes to reach the achievement ... so says Forbes, anyway.

The famed magazine -- which prides itself on keeping tabs on stars' fortunes -- says their new tally on the Laker great has now made him an official billionaire ... and he's got change to spare with the title. According to them, Earvin's estimated net worth is around $1.2 bil.

They say his massive wealth post-basketball comes as a result of a hodgepodge of investments he's made over the years -- and if you know anything about Magic, that tracks.

The dude's a partial owner in a number of pro sports teams -- including the Dodgers, the Sparks, MLS' LAFC and more recently ... the NFL's Washington Commanders. Interestingly enough, though, these minority owner stakes aren't what make him rich-rich here.

Apparently, it's Magic's 60% stake in a life insurance company called EquiTrust ... which he snapped up in 2015. The company's been booming in profits since then -- and he's rolling in the dough as a result.

There are more investments Magic's made that tipped him over the edge ... including movie theater chains he's bought into, as well as a Starbucks partnership he entered into a while back. He's also got an extra minority stake in a PepsiCo bottling plant outside of D.C.

Of course, he's also a media mogul ... not to mention an incredibly recognizable face just about everywhere he goes -- which probably helps when he gets booked for appearances.

Like we said, Magic hitting this benchmark puts him in an exclusive group among 3 other athletes in the billionaire stratosphere ... that'd be LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Now Magic's there too -- and to be honest, it was probably a long time coming.

La incipiente amistad entre Taylor Swift y Brittany Mahomes no es solo para las cámaras los domingos, ¡¡¡ambas han intercambiado números de teléfono y parece que se están haciendo muy amigas!!!

Fuentes cercanas a Taylor y Brittany le dicen a TMZ que intercambiaron sus números la primera vez que Taylor fue a ver un partido de los Kansas City Chiefs para animar a Travis Kelce, el 24 de septiembre. Desde entonces se han mantenido en contacto, enviándose mensajes de texto, incluso cuando no hay partidos.

Nos dicen que Taylor y Brittany no solo se ven para los juegos de los Chiefs, y que los momentos juntas en el estadio no son para las cámaras, como algunos han especulado.

Lo cierto es que Taylor y Brittany se tomaron una foto juntas en la fiesta de Travis después del primer partido al que fue la cantante.

A partir de ahí, las hemos visto abrazándose en los partidos, bailando en las suites familiares de los jugadores, y el pasado domingo, Taylor y Brittany debutaron su nuevo apretón de manos con mucha fanfarria.

Travis y el mariscal de campo Patrick Mahomes tienen una fuerte conexión dentro y fuera del campo, y lo mismo puede decirse de Taylor y Brittany.

The budding friendship between Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes isn't just for cameras on Sundays ... they've exchanged phone numbers and they're giving BFF vibes!!!

Sources close to Taylor and Brittany tell TMZ ... they swapped digits the first time Taylor went to a Kansas City Chiefs game to cheer on Travis Kelce, back on Sept. 24, and they've kept in touch ever since -- texting each other even when it's not gameday.

We're told Taylor and Brittany don't only see each other at Chiefs games ... and all their fun times NFL fans see on camera aren't just for show, as some folks are speculating.

Case in point ... Taylor and Brittany took shots together at Travis' after-party for the first game TS attended, as the WAGs were hanging out at the shindig.

From there, they progressed to hugs and dances in the players' family stadium suites ... and then this past Sunday, Taylor and Brittany debuted their new handshake to much fanfare.

Travis and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have a strong connection on and off the field ... and the same can be said for Taylor and Brittany.

Peyton Manning and Pat McAfee are back together on the football field again ... and believe it or not, it's Pat who's training the Hall of Fame quarterback -- how to punt!

The former Indianapolis Colts teammates reunited at Lucas Oil Stadium this week for a Halloween episode of Peyton Places on ESPN+ (produced by Omaha Productions) ... where Peyton got a personal tutorial on how to perfect the "coffin corner."

If you're not hip to what a coffin corner is ... it's when the punter kicks the ball between the opponent's 5-yard line and the endzone, giving the offense terrible field position.

"Here Peyton, you try," McAfee said. "Nobody wants to see me punt the ball. They wanna see you do terrible with this."

Considering it's the Halloween episode, they actually placed a literal coffin on the field as a target ... and Peyton had a helluva time getting it down.

But after several tries, Manning finally had some success -- all while wearing a vest and slacks!

"You just hit it," McAfee yelled. "Let's go!!!"

Of course, getting trained by McAfee helps -- the guy's a 2-time Pro Bowl punter who booted more than 575 punts for over 26,000 yards.

The guys were teammates on the Colts from 2009 to 2011 ... right before Peyton signed with the Denver Broncos, where he won his 2nd Super Bowl.

Pat and Peyton are both TV guys now -- McAfee has his show on ESPN, and Manning has the famous "Monday Night Football" Manningcast with his brother, Eli (which airs on ESPN 2).

Ryan McKenna, famoso por tomarse una selfie que se hizo muy viral con Justin Timberlake, está en más problemas legales, ya que la policía dice que violó algunos acuerdos de su libertad condicional.

Según los nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, Ryan fue detenido a principios de este mes en Florida después de que su oficial descubriera que había viajado fuera del estado sin su permiso.

El oficial dice que empezó a sospechar cuando Ryan le envió un correo electrónico diciendo que estaba "inseguro" de las condiciones pendientes para octubre, a pesar de que ya se había registrado para el mes.

Cuando lo llamó no le contestó, por lo que marcó a su madre, quien le dijo que Ryan estaba de vuelta en Nápoles, Florida, donde había sido detenido en febrero en el caso que llevó a su libertad condicional.

El oficial dice que la dirección de Ryan que aparece en el archivo está en Massachusetts, y se supone que debe obtener un permiso antes de salir del estado.

Cuando Ryan finalmente llamó de nuevo, admitió que estaba en Florida, sin ningún permiso, y por ese inusual comportamiento, el oficial decidió hacerle una prueba de drogas y alcohol, que dio positiva para esta última sustancia.

Gran metedura de pata por parte de Ryan, y no solo porque es menor de 21 años. Como informamos por primera vez, a Ryan tampoco se le permite consumir alcohol como condición de su libertad condicional.

El chico admitió haber bebido el 12 de octubre, a pesar de que había dicho previamente que no lo hizo. El oficial dice que Ryan estaba claro acerca de que el alcohol está fuera de sus límites y de que mentir a su oficial de libertad condicional también es una violación.

Ryan fue arrestado, posó para una nueva foto policial y debe presentarse en la corte el lunes por la mañana para la lectura de cargos.

TMZ dio la noticia, policías fueron llamados a un California Pizza Kitchen en Nápoles, en la víspera del Super Bowl, después de que se les informara que Ryan estaba borracho y que había golpeado a su amigo.

Ryan McKenna, famous for snapping a viral Super Bowl selfie years ago with Justin Timberlake, is in more legal trouble -- this time cops say he pulled a few no-nos for a guy on probation.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ryan was arrested earlier this month in Florida after his probation officer discovered he'd traveled out of state without permission.

The PO says he got suspicious when Ryan sent an email saying he was "unsure" of any outstanding conditions for October, even though Ryan had already checked in for the month.

When he called Ryan, he didn't answer ... so he dialed his mom, and she told him Ryan was back in Naples, FL, where Ryan had been arrested in February in the case that led to his probation.

Problem is ... the PO says Ryan's address on file is in Massachusetts, and he's supposed to get permission before leaving the state.

When Ryan finally called back, he admitted being back in Florida without getting the PO's permission ... and based on that "unusual behavior," the officer tested Ryan for drugs and alcohol, and says it came back positive for booze.

Major screwup on Ryan's part, and not just because he's under 21 -- as we first reported, Ryan's also not allowed to consume alcohol as a condition of his probation.

Ryan copped to drinking on Oct. 12, even though he'd previously told his PO he didn't. The officer says Ryan was upfront about knowing booze was off limits and lying to his probation officer is also a violation.

Ryan was arrested, posed for a new mug shot and is due back in court Monday morning for arraignment.

TMZ broke the story ... cops were called to a California Pizza Kitchen in Naples, on the eve of the Super Bowl, after they were told Ryan was drunk and had hit his buddy.