Football

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was on the receiving end of disgusting messages following his team's 28-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday ... with an unhinged individual calling him racial slurs and "a worthless piece of s***."

Rodgers -- who signed a two-year deal with Minnesota in the offseason -- posted the vile DMs on his Instagram Story. In the exchange, the person stated "u f***ing suck" after he got beat on a third-down pass play that ultimately gave the reigning Super Bowl champs the win.

The texts only got worse from there -- on top of the slurs, Rodgers was told he was "waste of air" and "worse than Hitler".

Doug Martin -- a former running back who last played in the NFL in 2018 -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ Martin passed away Saturday morning ... though they did not share any further details.

Martin was a standout RB at Boise State for four years before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Jake Browning might have taken a backseat to Joe Flacco, but the quarterback's fiancée is still clearly in the spotlight ... wowing Bengals fans with a sexy gameday outfit on Thursday.

Stephanie Niles -- who's been dating Browning for years -- took to her Instagram page just prior to Cincinnati's kickoff against Pittsburgh ... and proclaimed her loyalty to her man and his team despite his recent benching.

She did it all while showing off a revealing 'fit that she planned to wear to Paycor Stadium to support Browning and Who Dey nation.

Aaron Rodgers went from elated to enraged in the blink of an eye during "Thursday Night Football" ... when his in-game celebration was derailed by a teammate knocking him to the ground.

Right after Rodgers completed a 68-yard touchdown pass to give Pittsburgh a 31-30 lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the game ... he hit his signature Mario Bros. pump as he was heading off the field.

During the gesture, his left tackle -- Broderick Jones -- wanted to show his QB some love ... so he came up from behind and gave him a big hug, which sent the two tumbling to the ground.

Newly unearthed video shows Bill Belichick and his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, talking smack about staff on one of the legendary coach's shows last year.

The footage, according to Pablo Torre and his "Pablo Torre Finds Out" podcast, was recorded back at the start of the 2024 NFL season ... as Belichick, who had not yet taken the job at UNC, was on the set of an NFL Films-produced program called "Coach."

The show was slated to feature Belichick and his pals, Matt Patricia and Michael Lombardi, analyzing big football games ... but it was clear, neither Hudson nor Belichick were pleased with some of the presentation.

Taylor Swift might be a fan of redwoods, but Kylie Kelce wants everyone to know she REALLY loves her Japanese Maples ... going to Instagram to make it official after her hubby, Jason, compared his junk to the puny tree last week.

Fans spotted Kylie's updated social media bio on Thursday ... about a week after Jason and Travis Kelce broke down Taylor Swift's new song "Wood" -- which ain't exactly about plants -- on their "New Heights" podcast.

While Trav played coy as his bro pressed him on the track ... Jason joked that any song about his appendage wouldn't be as generous.

The Big 12 has issued a penalty on the University of Kansas after an investigation into Saturday's weird pocket knife controversy ... with the conference announcing video evidence paints a different picture than what the Jayhawks coach claimed after the game.

ICYMI, Lance Leipold stated after his Jayhawks lost in a blowout to the Red Raiders that a sharp object hit one of his staff members while standing on the away team sideline.

"It's ridiculous. It's supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it's a culture that's been accepted to a point, and it hasn't changed," he said. "Eventually, somebody's going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately."

Breaking news to any Browns fans who snapped pics with Shedeur Sanders on Sunday -- no you didn't ... 'cause his brother, Shilo, hit the game pretending to be Cleveland's backup quarterback!!

The current free agent made the most of his free schedule and swung by the Browns' AFC North showdown against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday ... and it turns out some folks in attendance who made the trip were quite gullible.

Shilo rocked his older brother's rookie jersey with a massive chain for the outing ... and even threw up his signature "perfect timing" pose every chance he got to make it seem like he was QB2.

2:13 PM PT -- Mike McCoy, a senior offensive assistant for the Titans -- is expected to be named the interim head coach ... according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

He previously spent three seasons as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers from 2013 to 2016.

The Tennessee Titans have just fired their head coach.

The team announced minutes ago they were parting ways with Brian Callahan -- after a crushing, 20-10, loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

In a statement, president of football operations Chad Brinker said team brass met with Callahan Monday morning to inform him of the move.

Aaron Donald might be retired from the NFL, but a discus-throwing champ is convinced the dude could still have an elite career in track and field.

TMZ Sports caught up with Reggie Jagers -- who hurled the disc for the red, white and blue during the 2020 Tokyo Games -- out at LAX this month ... and he said he's sure Donald could throw shot put at the 2028 Olympics in L.A. if he put his mind to it.

Jagers told us there's not much technique involved ... and given the brute strength and cash for training that Donald possesses, it wouldn't shock him one bit to see the former Ram have success in the event.

The NFL never seems to go through a shortage of fresh talent ... and it looks like the New York Giants found a keeper with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

And get this ... even though the athlete just started his NFL career earlier this year, he's already been bumped up to the position of starting quarterback!

We're going to take a look at how the football player went from dominating the field in high school and college to playing against some of the heaviest hitters in the game.

Jaxson's football career started gaining attention during his days at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, where he also played baseball.

His skills on the field earned him the title of 2020 MaxPreps National High School Football Player of the Year, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

And Jaxson got the title for good reason -- because the Corner Canyon Chargers went undefeated during their 2020 season.

The accolades kept coming, too, as the athlete was named the 2020-21 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

Jaxson naturally earned plenty of attention from colleges, and he received offers from several schools, including Arizona State University and UCLA, according to 247 Sports.

He committed to the University of Southern California in 2020, and he spent the 2021 season with the Trojans, who finished the year with a 4-8 record.

Jaxson ended up entering the transfer portal in 2022, and he transferred to Ole Miss the same year.

The athlete spent the rest of his college career with the Rebels, and he helped lead the team to victory at the Peach Bowl in 2023.

Jaxson's career in the NFL kicked off in 2025. He was a first-round pick by the New York Giants.

He received a serious boost of responsibility early into the season, as he was named as the Giants' starting quarterback after Russell Wilson was benched by the team in the season's fourth week.

Ryan Clark issued a mea culpa Thursday morning, admitting he dropped the ball when declaring Kyren Lacy an "innocent man" during the Monday Night Football broadcast.

"Two lives have been lost. Herman Hall, a man who spent his life in service of others, and Kyren Lacy, a young man I wish I could tell how much he had to live for. My heart absolutely breaks for both of them, their families and their loved ones," the 45-year-old former NFL player said on "First Take."

"In full transparency, I knew Kyren Lacy personally. But nothing matters to me more than the truth. I always strive to do my best to mix authenticity with the most complete and up-to-date information available."

Jennifer Lopez is shutting down the haters objecting to the news of Bad Bunny's upcoming Super Bowl halftime show ... she's urging viewers to keep an open mind!

The "Kiss of the Spider Woman" star chatted with Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" Thursday, clapping back at all the drama following the announcement BB will perform at Super Bowl LX in February.

"I think it's wonderful people will get exposed to him who don't know him," she said. "Just give it a chance!"

Safe to say Glen Powell won't be lounging at the Jacksonville Jaguars' stadium pool anytime soon ... 'cause the actor says even the sight of the tank torpedoed his whole night!!

The "Chad Powers" star chopped it up with Eli and Peyton Manning during the "ManningCast" for the Jags vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Monday ... just like TMZ Sports reported was going to happen last week.

At one point in the broadcast, the control room cut to a group of people having a fun time in the infamous EverBank Stadium pool -- and Powell wanted to look away.

TMZ Sports has obtained an image of Mark Sanchez being placed into an ambulance after Saturday's stabbing incident in Indianapolis ... showing him lying shirtless and wounded on a gurney as he received medical attention.

We've obtained video and pictures from the scene around 12:30 AM ... showing a large police presence in the area.

In the footage, the alleged victim -- a 69-year-old delivery driver -- can be seen sitting upright with a towel covering his face ... moving his arm to duck caution tape while the EMTs roll him toward an ambulance.

Stefon Diggs' first game back in Buffalo after being traded away following the 2023 season couldn't have gone any better ... helping his Patriots squad pick up a massive win over their AFC East rivals -- leading to a wild celebration in the locker room postgame!

The 31-year-old came up big for second-year quarterback Drake Maye on Sunday Night Football, delivering a 146-yard performance on 10 catches ... in what was clearly a big game for the Pro Bowl wideout.

Before kickoff ... Diggs said his emotions were "nostalgic."