Football

50 Cent couldn't help but gush over Taylor Swift mentioning him on her song "Ruin The Friendship" from her blockbuster "The Life of a Showgirl" album ... and sent a backhanded shot to Travis Kelce's ex-GF!!!

During his sit-down with "Extra," 50 Cent dissected his shout-out on the track, basking in the fact that Taylor was using him as a ubiquitous reference for what was lit in pop culture at the time her song reflects upon.

50 admitted the All-Pro tight end made him a Chiefs fan before quipping he preferred seeing Taylor and Travis together ... as opposed to that "last thing" he was with.

Sean Payton saw the not-so-subtle jab Russell Wilson made toward him on social media on Tuesday ... but the Broncos head coach is adamant he wasn't shading his former quarterback with the comments he made after Sunday's game -- insisting he was simply complimenting Jaxson Dart.

Payton raised eyebrows after the Broncos pulled off an unbelievable comeback against the Giants ... when he told reporters postgame he had hoped Dart would remain the backup until after their Week 7 matchup -- which some saw as shade to Wilson.

Wilson -- the current New York Giants backup after losing the gig to the rookie -- sent a rare shot at his old coach on Tuesday ... and while he didn't mention Payton by name, it was clear who he was referring to in the post.

Roger Goodell is standing by the NFL's decision to have Bad Bunny perform the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show ... saying the star musician "understands the platform that he's on" -- and there are no plans for a replacement.

The commish met with reporters during the league's annual fall owners meeting in New York ... where he explained the process of selecting the halftime performance is "carefully thought through."

"I'm not sure we've ever selected an artist where we didn't have some blowback or criticism," he said. "It's pretty hard to do when you have literally hundreds of millions of people that are watching. But we're confident it's gonna be a great show."

Mark Sanchez's attorney said the former quarterback is "still recovering" from wounds he sustained in a stabbing earlier this month.

The ex-NFLer's counsel, Tim Delaney, informed a Marion County, IN judge of Sanchez's condition during a pretrial conference on Wednesday.

Delaney told the court he was grateful the judge excused his client from attending the proceedings, noting Sanchez "is still recovering from the injuries he sustained" as well as the "medical intervention" he required to fix the damage.

Travis Kelce just revealed what he orders when he's at his and Patrick Mahomes' new steakhouse ... and the dishes are a lot like the way his fans would describe him -- rich and buttery!

The food topic came up during Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" -- when Jason Kelce announced he'd be heading to 1587 Prime for the first time next week ... while he's in Kansas City to cover the Chiefs' "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Commanders.

Jason asked Travis what he should order once he plops down into one of the swanky joint's booths ... and the younger Kelce gave him some recommendations.

Russell Wilson took aim at Sean Payton on Tuesday ... blasting his former coach for some postgame comments he made on Sunday -- all while referencing "Bountygate."

The New York quarterback fired away at Payton on his X page ... just two days after the Denver head man told reporters he was disappointed the Broncos had to face off with Jaxson Dart -- and not Wilson while at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

Payton seemed to indicate Russ would be a much easier assignment ... and the words clearly ticked off his former signal-caller.

No surprise here -- the New York Giants released kicker Jude McAtamney after he missed two crucial extra points on Sunday ... and Big Blue fans didn't hold back when reacting to the news.

The G-Men made the roster move on Tuesday following their 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday ... with McAtamney's errors proving costly in the result.

This, of course, was just a few weeks after NY activated the undrafted kicker from the practice squad.

Travis Kelce is channeling his inner kid with his latest business move -- the Kansas City Chiefs superstar loves roller coasters so much, he invested in Six Flags!!

Taylor Swift's fiancé revealed the news on Tuesday ... saying it was an opportunity he had to pounce on due to his family's countless trips to Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio growing up.

Kelce -- who grew up in northeast Ohio -- teamed up with JANA Partners to get a piece of Six Flags ... which merged with CP's parent company, Cedar Fair, in 2024.

Doug Martin's family is shedding more light on the ex-NFL star's death ... revealing the 36-year-old privately struggled with mental health issues over the years -- and they were actively trying to get him help prior to his passing.

Martin's former agency -- Athletes First -- shared a statement on behalf of the family on Monday ... which explained how Martin's parents had contacted local authorities earlier in the night for "medical assistance."

The family said Doug became "overwhelmed and disoriented" ... which led him to leave the home and enter a neighbor's residence two doors down the street, where he was then taken into custody.

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt is hoping to bury a team tradition once and for all ... begging fans to stop throwing tortillas on the field on gamedays.

The TTU official implored his school's backers to do away with the craze on Monday ... just after the Big 12 promised hefty repercussions -- including fines and 15-yard flags -- if it continued.

"We need to help, not risk, penalizing our team for throwing tortillas," Hocutt said. "Simply, let's not do it."

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.