Football

Malik Nabers wasn't letting a torn ACL keep him from seeing his favorite rapper, NBA YoungBoy ... the injured NY Giants star using crutches, and rocking a knee brace, pulled up to his concert in New Jersey!

The Pro Bowl wideout was spotted at the Prudential Center in Newark Monday night, where the "Outside Today" artist put on a show for his MASA (Make America Slime Again) Tour.

Nabers -- the 6th overall pick on the 2024 NFL Draft -- shared a pic on his Instagram story with YoungBoy after gifting him a signed No. 1 Giants jersey.

Jason Taylor had folks worried the Hall of Famer was caught in a "Coldplay kiss cam" moment when the cameras spotted him with a beautiful woman at "Monday Night Football" ... but the good news?? They're married!!

The Miami Dolphins great was shown on the ESPN broadcast in the fourth quarter of the 27-21 win over the New York Jets ... and at first glance, it looked like the stunning lady was scrambling to get out of the shot -- as if the two weren't supposed to be on national television together.

It turns out it was NOT what it looked like at all ... 'cause 51-year-old Jason and Monica Taylor, 31, have been hubby and wifey since 2020.

8:18 AM PT -- Malik Nabers did, in fact, suffer a torn ACL in Sunday's game ... officially ending his season.

Odell Beckham Jr. is urging the NFL to ditch the turf at MetLife Stadium once and for all ... pleading for change amid speculation the surface played a role in Malik Nabers' injury on Sunday.

The New York Giants star receiver went down with a non-contact knee ailment in the second quarter of a showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium. While an official diagnosis hasn't been confirmed, many fear it's a torn ACL.

OBJ isn't waiting on the announcement to let his feelings known ... especially considering the growing list of devastating injuries at MetLife over the years.

Bad Bunny will have to turn down invites to Super Bowl LX watch parties next year ... 'cause he is headlining the halftime show at the event in Santa Clara!

The news was announced during halftime of the Sunday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys ... two teams with Super Bowl aspirations of their own.

The pick here makes a ton of sense ... Bad Bunny's one of the biggest stars in the world -- with tons of fans in regions where the NFL is working to gain more of a foothold like South America. Plus he's currently on tour -- so, he'll be well-practiced and ready to take on one of the world's biggest stages in a few months

Skylar Thompson -- the Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback -- was attacked in Ireland before their game against the Minnesota Vikings, according to reports.

Tom Pelissero -- a longtime sports reporter who now works for NFL Network -- first reported the news that several men jumped and robbed Thompson while he was walking around Dublin earlier Saturday morning, around 3 AM local time.

Thankfully, Pelissero says Thompson -- who is currently on the injured reserve list -- suffered only minor injuries in the beating.

Is the Jaxson Dart era in New York starting too early? Justin Pugh certainly appears to think so ... as the ex-Giants star tells TMZ Sports he would have preferred it if the rookie didn't assume the QB1 role until next year.

The former Big Blue offensive lineman sat down with us just after Brian Daboll revealed he was benching Russell Wilson in favor of Dart ... and Pugh made it clear, he's got some concerns about the move.

Pugh said he's actually "nervous" that Dart's hitting field "a bit too soon" ... explaining he thinks teams that have the most success at quarterback are the ones who don't rush their young signal-callers onto the field.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco might have a few haters on their big day, including one big-time celebrity ... the feisty Oregon Duck!

Here's the deal ... the University of Oregon is facing off against Penn State University Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley, PA with kickoff set to take place at 4:30 PM PT.

However, attendees got an early start on the festivities because the popular college football pregame show "College Gameday" set up on PSU's campus to preview the exciting matchup ... and The Oregon Duck whipped out a sign while in the crowd.

The gunman who killed multiple people at the NFL's headquarters in New York earlier this summer has been diagnosed with CTE.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner said in a statement on Friday that after testing Shane Tamura's brain tissue, they discovered "unambiguous diagnostic evidence" of the disease.

Tamura, of course, believed he was suffering from the ailment prior to his July 28 rampage ... and mayor Eric Adams said he was actually targeting the NFL over it.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel just revealed defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer ... explaining the health issue is the reason behind his recent absence from the team.

Vrabel made the announcement at the beginning of his press conference on Friday ... saying Williams will undergo treatment for the disease -- while noting his diagnosis is deeply personal for him.

"They're figuring out the best plan of attack to be able to attack this, heal it and fix it and allow him to get back to better health," Vrabel said.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba let everyone watching "Thursday Night Football" know he was pissed he was flagged during a critical 4th quarter drive, calling it straight up BS ... in a moment that was captured on an open microphone.

Whoops.

The expletive was heard loud and clear, on both the stream of the game, and in the stadium, as the Seahawks star and his squad played the Cardinals in Arizona in a week 4 matchup.

If Hollywood's got a Bill Belichick script on the way, Mark Wahlberg's making it clear he's got dibs ... telling TMZ Sports he's dying to play the coach in a movie!!

The "Ted" star made no bones about it during a brief chat with us out in New York City this week -- explaining it's a goal of his because Bill's the "greatest coach of all-time."

Of course, the desire shouldn't surprise many ... as Wahlberg is one of the biggest Patriots fans on the planet -- and Belichick helped New England lift six Lombardi Trophies in the last couple decades.

Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson is devastated over his former teammate Rudi Johnson's death ... saying he wishes he had the chance to tell him he loved him one last time.

The ex-Cincinnati Bengals superstar briefly addressed the tragic news on the "Nightcap Show" with Shannon Sharpe on Wednesday ... and it's clear he was deeply impacted by loss.

"I just lost my dog yesterday, Rudi Johnson ... obviously the great memories we had playing in Cincinnati and all that good stuff."

Russell Wilson isn't ready to give up on his NFL career after losing his starting job to a rookie -- the new-New York Giants backup met with the media for the first time after being named QB2 ... and he made it clear he's still got gas left in the tank.

Wilson, 36, spoke after practice on Wednesday ... days after he threw two interceptions and zero touchdowns in the Giants' 22-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at MetLife Stadium on "Sunday Night Football."

The disappointing performance opened the door for Jaxson Dart ... who head coach Brian Daboll named the starter on Tuesday. Despite losing the gig, Russ isn't phased ... nor is he worried about his future.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt joined the TMZ Sports Live Stream on Tuesday ... and the Commanders star touched on a bunch of hot-button NFL topics -- including his fantasy football popularity!!

The rookie tailback sat down with Michael Babcock and Co. for the show -- which airs at 1 PM PT/4 PM ET Monday through Friday on the TMZ and TMZ Sports YouTube channels as well as other social media platforms -- and he talked ball for around 10 minutes.

He chatted about how he has "a chip on my shoulder" after going in the seventh round of April's draft, before he got into all the direct messages he's been receiving from fantasy football players looking to get roster advice.

Tom Brady is on the defensive against critics accusing him of having a "conflict of interest" with his Raiders ownership and Fox gig ... saying it's his duty to utilize his knowledge of the sport -- and anyone who doesn't see that is "paranoid and distrustful."

The legendary quarterback addressed the chatter in a newsletter on Wednesday ... when he spoke at length about the importance of doing one's job.

For him ... that means growing the game of football by sharing his experiences on Fox broadcasts while also assisting in bringing the Las Vegas Raiders back to relevance.

7:21 AM PT -- Cops tell TMZ Sports ... Rudi Johnson died by suicide in Florida just after midnight on Tuesday.

Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson has died.

A family source for the ex-NFL star tells TMZ Sports ... he passed away this week.