Football

Forget Ohio State vs. Michigan ... Donald Trump's got his eyes on attending a different college football game this weekend -- reportedly gearing up to take in South Carolina vs. Clemson on Saturday.

The former POTUS will be in attendance for kickoff at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. ... according to multiple reports.

Unclear exactly why he chose the Palmetto Bowl over the huge Buckeyes vs. Wolverines matchup -- or any other big college football game Saturday, for that matter -- although South Carolina governor Henry McMaster said Tuesday he'd welcome No. 45 at the stadium with arms wide open.

Of course, Trump does have a bit of ties to both programs ... South Carolina, after all, voted for him in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections -- while Clemson visited his White House for its two national championship celebrations in 2016 and 2018.

You'll recall ... one of the Tigers' visits to 1600 Penn. caused a little bit of a stir -- after Trump served the team a grip of fast food. Although the team's QB at the time, Trevor Lawrence, said he loved it.

The South Carolina trip will be Trump's second appearance at a sporting event this month -- he also attended UFC 295 in New York ... where he appeared to be flipped off by Bill Burr's wife.

Tom Brady is going to bat for his old coach ... saying it's not Bill Belichick's fault the New England Patriots are having a terrible season right now.

TB12 addressed the state of his former team in an interview with Stephen A. Smith this week ... where he was asked whether it was time for BB to move on to a new team after more than two decades in Foxborough.

Brady -- who won six Super Bowls with Belichick -- had nothing but positive things to say about the mastermind ... and pointed the finger at other issues that could factor into the Pats being 2-8.

"I think he's an incredible coach," Brady told SAS. "He's the best coach, in my belief, in the history of the game."

"The thought of him not being in New England is hard for me to think about. He prepares the team really well. Ultimately, you got to have a lot of people around you to succeed. You got to have a lot of things in place for the organization to be successful."

In fact, Brady thinks BB is coaching just like he did when the Pats went undefeated during the 2007 regular season.

"I'm sure he's preparing the team the same way," he added. "The results are different. But again, that's why the sport's so challenging."

TB12 said there's other roles outside of the head coaching gig that have a greater impact on gameday performance -- like the quarterback and defensive coordinator -- but claimed he's not taking a shot at the Patriots' current situation with Mac Jones.

Of course, Brady's comments are interesting ... considering the belief is that Belichick helped usher him out of New England before he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

Taylor Swift is a real-life Barbie doll, straight from the big screen, 'cause she mimicked something Margot Robbie did in the film ... and, for a moment, she had all eyes on her heels and feet.

The singer was performing Monday night in Rio de Janeiro -- making up for the concert she postponed after a fan's death -- and during the show, T-Swift had some footwear problems that forced her to walk with a limp.

After a little while, she straight up broke off the bedazzled heel to her boot and chucked it into the audience ... and then proceeded with the concert as if nothing had happened.

We mean that literally, 'cause TayTay was walking around with her right foot still arched -- as if the heel was still magically there, and it's pretty damn impressive.

Of course, this reminded a lot of people of the 'Barbie' movie ... specifically, when Margot's character starts to lose her doll magic and starts to become human -- which causes her to lose the ability to remain standing in a high-heeled pose ... something TS did here.

Whereas 'Barbie' ended up going flat-footed (like the rest of us would), Taylor seems to have maintained the shoe magic and apparently stayed upright throughout the rest of the show.

BTW, some lucky fan in the crowd was able to snatch up Taylor's thrown heel -- posting a photo online, which appears to show them with it tucked away in their bag.

Nice little memento, for sure ... and just another surreal moment from the "Eras" tour.

Travis Kelce was able to have a little fun Monday night despite a crushing loss to the Eagles ... telling his big brother, Jason Kelce, the defeat was "a late birthday present" for the Philly star.

Travis shared the lighthearted moment with Jason just seconds after Philadelphia pulled off the 21-17 upset at Arrowhead Stadium ... roughly two weeks after Jason turned 36 years old.

"Love you, big guy," Travis said after throwing out the quip to the offensive lineman. "Get home safe."

Of course, Travis was anything but smiles just minutes earlier ... as he was one of the reasons Kansas City ended up falling in the contest.

Playing without his new girlfriend, Taylor Swift, in attendance ... Travis logged only 44 yards on seven catches -- and while he did score a touchdown, he had a critical fourth-quarter drop and fumble.

To make matters worse, the Eagles trolled him and Swift a bit after the L ... posting a green friendship bracelet on their X page with the caption, "In our winning era."

The loss marked the first time Travis has ever fallen to his big brother in an NFL game ... although, fortunately for the star tight end, the Chiefs are still very much alive in the race to make a deep postseason run.

Los padres de Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce han puesto en suspenso sus planes de verse por primera vez, debido a un cambio en la agenda de la estrella del pop.

Como esperábamos, Taylor no podrá asistir al partido de los Chiefs contra los Eagles el lunes por la noche, que es donde las familias iban a reunirse. En su lugar, se llevará a cabo el concierto de Río, que estaba programado originalmente para el sábado por la noche y que ella pospuso por la "seguridad y bienestar" de los fans en medio de altísimas temperaturas.

El cambio en la agenda significa que Taylor no puede participar de la reunión en Kansas City, y fuentes familiarizadas con la situación nos dicen que simplemente no tenía sentido que los padres se reunieran con Taylor ausente y Travis ocupado en el campo.

Recordemos que la semana pasada nos dijeron que el plan era que Andrea y Scott Swift y Donna y Ed Kelce estuvieran bajo el mismo techo al mismo tiempo. Los planes no estaban grabados en piedra, tal vez porque todo el mundo se dio cuenta de que la agenda de Taylor podría cambiar.

Habría sido una reunión familiar apropiada con los Chiefs de Travis y los Eagles de su hermano Jason Kelce en una revancha del Super Bowl, y por supuesto, los Eagles solían ser el equipo favorito de Taylor y de su padre también. La lealtad de ambos parece estar cambiando ahora que ella está saliendo con Travis.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's parents are putting their plans to meet for the first time on the back burner, due to a change in the popstar's schedule.

As we expected, Taylor will not be able to attend the Chiefs vs. Eagles game Monday night, which is where the families were going to meet. Instead, she'll be performing the Rio de Janeiro concert that was originally scheduled for Saturday night ... the one she postponed for the "safety and well-being" of fans amid soaring temperatures.

The schedule shift means Taylor can't play "Meet the Fockers" in Kansas City, and sources familiar with the situation tell us it just didn't make sense for the parents to meet with Taylor absent and Travis busy on the field.

Remember, we were told last week the plan was for Andrea and Scott Swift and Donna and Ed Kelce to be under one roof at the same time. The plans weren't set in stone, perhaps because everyone realized Taylor's schedule could change.

It would have been a fitting family get-together with Travis's Chiefs, and his bro Jason Kelce's Eagles meeting in a Super Bowl rematch -- and, of course, the Eagles used to be Taylor's fave team and her dad's too. Both of their loyalty seems to be swaying now that she's dating Travis.

Donna Kelce is proving yet again she's just as big a celeb as her two NFL star sons ... receiving a police escort in Kansas City on Monday that included FOUR armed officers.

Jason and Travis' mom got the secret-service-like protection just hours before her two boys will square off at Arrowhead Stadium ... as she was doing some promo work at a nearby Raising Cane's restaurant.

Mama Kelce -- rockin' a half green, half red shirt to represent both her sons' teams -- was working the register and the drive-thru at the eatery ... before cops made sure she got out of the joint unscathed.

Donna, however, didn't appear nervous about the attention at all ... in fact, she was seen smiling and waving to a mob of fans -- all while flanked by policemen.

Of course, Donna has got to be used to all the love at this point ... 'cause after bursting onto the scene during last year's Super Bowl -- she's become an even bigger star following her elbow-rubbing sessions with Taylor Swift at Travis' Chiefs games this year.

It might be Monday morning, raining and nearly freezing in Kansas City ... but Chiefs fans are still pouring out in droves to support their team before their huge matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to reporters at Arrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes fanatics showed up to the site of arguably the biggest game of the NFL's regular season some 12 hours before it began ... this despite it being a workday with some pretty crappy weather.

You can see in images taken by KCTV5's Nathan Brennan, a line of cars filled with Chiefs fans stretched all the way into the street outside the stadium -- even though it's about 40 degrees out.

Plenty more are expected to be on their way soon, too.

Of course, it's hard to blame them for the excitement ... after all, the "Monday Night Football" matchup features two of the best teams in the league -- and it's also a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.

The Chiefs are currently 2.5-point favorites ... though many believe the Eagles -- who are 8-1 this season -- are the better squad.

Travis Kelce's love for Taylor Swift is much deeper than her looks and musical talent ... the NFL superstar says he's fascinated by her brain and learning new things from her every day.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end opened up on his relationship with the pop icon in an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week ... where he detailed how he's personally growing from their one-on-one time together.

"I've never been a man of words," Kelce said. "Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f***ing mind-blowing. I'm learning every day."

Kelce also praised Swift's ability to turn her own experiences into words ... specifically pointing out his love for a line in her hit song, "Blank Space" -- when she sings, "I could make a bad guy good for the weekend."

Kelce -- who referred to Swift as "hilarious" and a "genius" -- added the two are on the same page with their views ... especially when it comes to family.

"Everybody knows I'm a family guy. Her team is her family. Her family does a lot of stuff in terms of the tour, the marketing, being around, so I think she has a lot of those values as well, which is right up my alley."

As for how they first linked up, the two-time Super Bowl champion said someone in Taylor's circle played Cupid after he publicly shot his shot on his podcast ... and eventually, Taylor reached out directly.

Another interesting point -- Travis claims his mother, Donna, is upset with herself to this day about how she downplayed meeting Taylor for the first time during her appearance on the "Today" show ... when she famously said it was just "okay."

Kelce says his mom was just trying to play it cool ... but he reassured her she handled the question perfectly.

Browns cornerback Mike Ford ditched the Dude Wipes for something much different after Cleveland's big win over Pittsburgh on Sunday ... taking a Steelers fan's Terrible Towel and rubbing it all over his rump!!

Vibes were high as the Orange and Brown improved to 7-3 on the season after holding off their division rival in the 13-10 victory ... and to add insult to injury, Ford decided to have a one-on-one interaction with a Steelers backer who was standing in the front of the stands.

In a clip of the exchange, Ford ran right up to the guy in a Hines Ward jersey and threw the Terrible Towel on the ground ... before handing him a Browns rag.

But what had Steelers fans most irked is when he took the yellow cloth and pretended to wipe his ass with it as he ran toward the locker room.

The taunting might worry Browns fans ... as some believe in the Curse of the Terrible Towel, which leads to a bunch of losing for anyone who disrespects the team's signature cloth.

It was an emotional day for the Dawg Pound for several reasons ... but the most touching moment came when Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski gave a game ball to longtime Cleveland play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan, who returned to the booth for the first time since receiving leukemia treatment earlier this season.

Kim Zolciak has been sued yet again for not paying her bills ... this time by Bank of America, which claims she's delinquent on more than $50,000.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim had a $50,000 line of credit over at B of A, and then racked up a bill that reached the limit. B of A claims it sent periodic notices, demanding payment, but got zippo.

With interest and penalties, the balance is now $56,224.07 and growing. So B of A is now the latest in a long line of creditors who have resorted to the legal system to get Kim and Kroy to fork over cash.

BMW just won a case against Kroy over non-payment of a Rolls-Royce. A judge ordered this month that he return the $400,100 SUV to the car company.

Kim and Kroy have also been ordered to pay Simmons Bank approximately $230,000 for defaulting on a home equity line of credit.

Kim was sued back in August by SAKS/CAPITAL ONE for $156,080 ... again, failing to pay her credit card bill.

And Kim was also sued by Target for $2,400 for failing to make good on her credit card bill.

Kroy was sued by Sky Warrior over a gambling debt -- $52,500 -- over a bad run at a casino in the Bahamas.

They've also teetered on the edge of foreclosure.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are looking to get into the Christmas spirit as a couple ... we're told they're moving forward with plans to be together for the holidays.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Taylor and Travis are trying to work out their schedules to make sure they set aside as much time together as possible.

We're told Thanksgiving with the 2 families could go down in Kansas City ... Travis and his fam will already be in town Monday for his game against the Eagles. Here's the thing everyone knows ... Thanksgiving with 2 fams is a BIG step.

As we reported, Travis picked up a sweet $6 million K.C. home ... which is a lot more secluded than his old place ... so he could easily host everyone with room to spare.

It's unclear where they'll spend Christmas, but they've already told folks close to them they've been chatting about it. Our sources say the couple REALLY wants to be together this holiday season.

It's not going to be easy for T&T to continue what we're told is a serious relationship ... she's going to be all over the world next year and, of course, he's got his own obligations. But, our sources say as of now, they're both committing to making it work.

Cleveland Browns legend Josh Cribbs is a bit uneasy with his former team's current quarterback situation after Deshaun Watson went down for the season ... telling TMZ Sports he doesn't have confidence in backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson until he proves he can handle the gig.

Of course, the 6-3 Browns are without their $230 million man for the rest of the 2023-24 campaign due to a shoulder injury ... which means they'll try to keep their hopes alive with DTR under center.

The former UCLA signal-caller saw the field in Week 4 against the Ravens ... and it wasn't great -- he threw for only 121 yards, tossed three interceptions and was sacked four times.

With that being said, Cribbs is somewhat cautious going into Sunday's game against the Steelers ... saying he may not be too high on DTR yet, but he has faith in the team as a whole.

"I rely on action, on stats -- as of now I don't have confidence into DTR until he goes out there and proves it," Cribbs says. "He has a great opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his fanbase and the eyes of his teammates."

"His teammates are charged to believe in him wholeheartedly and go out there and win, but the fans are not," he adds. "So, I have faith in the Browns team that they can get the job done."

"So, if we can put it all off of DTR's hands, to say I don't just believe in DTR. I believe in the team because it's gonna take more than DTR. Even if he just simply hands the ball off every single play, it's gonna be up to the team to dictate how this game goes, as well as Coach Kevin Stefanski."

Cribbs commends the Browns and Stefanski for coming up with new ways to get the job done despite dealing with numerous injuries this season -- including Nick Chubb and Jack Conklin to name a few -- and he's not ready to draw the curtains on their Super Bowl chances ... even making a Jurassic Park reference to get his point across.

As for the players, Cribbs tells us he's got a good pulse on how the vibes are in the locker room ... saying he spoke with cornerback Greg Newsome II recently, and he explained how the guys are able to stay level-headed no matter what happens on the field.

There's more -- Cribbs also spoke highly of Watson ... praising the former Pro Bowler for putting his "heart and soul" into the team before the injury.

Peyton Manning got behind the wheel of late NFL legend John Madden's bus ... hilariously attempting to steal the iconic Madden Cruiser from the Pro Football Hall of Fame!!

But no need to check the jail records ... it was all part of the quarterback's "Peyton's Places" show on ESPN, where Manning and 49ers great John Taylor got an up-close experience with the vehicle.

In a clip of the Omaha Productions project, Manning and Taylor line-hop to get right onto the bus in Canton ... before the two-time Super Bowl champ decides to make a run for it!!

Of course, Madden -- who was famously terrified of flying -- would crisscross the country in his luxurious Madden Cruiser, going from city to city, depending on his broadcasting schedule.

The whip was actually a Greyhound bus before Madden flipped it in the late '80s.

The Madden Cruiser has now been restored to its original condition ... including two color TVS, radio, two laser disc players, stereo and VHS layer.

Jerome Ford says Kareem Hunt deserves big-time props for helping the Browns keep things together following Nick Chubb's devastating injury ... telling TMZ Sports the guy "brought the juice back" after Cleveland's star RB went down.

Ford went in-depth with us on the state of the Browns earlier this week following the team's big win over the Ravens ... and he made it clear to us that Hunt has played a huge role in Cleveland keeping the wheels on despite the loss of Chubb -- both on and off the field.

"When Nick left," Ford said, "it left a gap in the running back room. And Kareem came in and -- I really don't know how to explain it other than to say that he brought the juice back."

You'll recall, after Chubb tore up his knee against the Steelers on Sept. 18 ... Cleveland turned to Hunt on Sept. 20 to bolster its RB corps.

And, according to Ford, the roster move changed everything.

"He came in, joking and playing," Ford said. "And he gave us the juice that we needed to kind of, like, 'Yeah, Nick's down, but we gotta keep pushing.'"

The Browns are 5-2 since Hunt joined the squad ... and in those seven contests, he's scored six total touchdowns.

Ford says Chubb, meanwhile, is doing well in his recovery ... and helping out whenever he can.

12:22 PM -- Joe Burrow just met with media members to discuss the injury ... and he said he felt "a pop" while he was throwing the touchdown pass to Joe Mixon.

As for the brace he had on his hand when he landed in Baltimore earlier this week, he told reporters it was simply a compression sleeve to keep some of his other "bumps and bruises" in check.

"This is a completely different thing," he said.

Burrow added that he's planning to still be around the team the rest of the year despite being out for the remainder of the season.

The Cincinnati Bengals will have to try to win a Super Bowl this season without Joe Burrow.

The team just announced its star quarterback suffered a significant wrist injury that will keep him from playing the rest of this year.

According to Cincy head coach Zac Taylor, Burrow appeared to sustain the ailment just before throwing a touchdown pass to Joe Mixon in the second quarter of the team's Thursday Night Football game against the Ravens.

Burrow tried to play through the pain ... but cameras inside of M&T Bank Stadium showed he just simply couldn't grip a football -- and sat out the rest of the contest, which the Bengals lost, 34-20.

Taylor said his 26-year-old star will "likely" need surgery to fix the issue.

The team, meanwhile, could find itself in hot water over it all ... as the NFL is reportedly investigating whether or not the Bengals knew about a potential problem with Burrow's wrist leading up to the big "TNF" matchup.

Burrow was seen getting off the team plane in Baltimore wearing some kind of brace on his hand -- yet he was not listed on the team's injury report heading into the game.

Regardless, losing Burrow is obviously a huge blow for Cincinnati ... as the signal-caller is widely considered one of the five best quarterbacks in the game right now.

The Bengals -- now 5-5 -- will turn to Burrow's backup, Jake Browning, to try to save their season.