Football

Pat McAfee is apologizing for his involvement in the growing feud between Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Kimmel ... saying he understands where both sides are coming from, but is hoping they can make amends and get past it.

As we previously reported, the late-night host unloaded on social media following the New York Jets quarterback's appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... threatening legal action after Rodgers suggested Kimmel could be named as one of Jeffrey Epstein's associates.

The former NFL punter-turned-TV host addressed the crap-storm that ensued on Wednesday's show ... saying that's not something he wants to be involved in, and while the allegations are certainly serious, he doesn't feel the four-time MVP really meant it.

McAfee explained his program's format allows open discussion ... which can lead to solid headlines, but also lawsuits -- just like what happened when Brett Favre sued him after comments he made about his current welfare funds case.

PM said he believes Rodgers' comment was "certainly, probably" just a "s***-talk joke" ... but can see why Kimmel reacted the way he did.

McAfee pointed out he knew it was time to switch the subject as soon as it came out of Rodgers' mouth ... especially because he doesn't want to give their feud a platform, as he prefers to keep things light-hearted on his show.

Channing Crowder has a bone to pick with his former team ... telling TMZ Sports he's upset the Dolphins left Tua Tagovailoa and Bradley Chubb in during their blowout loss on Sunday -- leaving them vulnerable to injuries.

The former Miami linebacker said he wished Mike McDaniel had pulled all of his guys from their 56-19 game against Baltimore ... because he thinks it could've saved the Fins' two stars from getting hurt.

"That game, at that juncture," he said, "down by that much -- 30-plus points -- you pull out the starters. You fold up camp. Whatever you want to say. And you get ready for Buffalo Bills."

McDaniel, of course, didn't do that ... and Tagovailoa sustained a shoulder injury that has him day-to-day, while Chubb tore his ACL.

Crowder says the decision could now cost the Dolphins dearly.

"If the Dolphins are healthy, they can play with anybody in the league," Crowder said. "But, now you start getting these injuries after injuries, and that's when it's going to go downhill for the Dolphins."

Going forward, Crowder implored his ex-team to bring in some edge rushers help to offset injuries that Jaelan Phillips and Chubb have now suffered.

Jimmy Kimmel y Aaron Rodgers se están enfrentando en las redes y todo por Jeffrey Epstein y su lista de asociados, la que pronto será desenmascarada.

El presentador de televisión está amenazando al mariscal de campo de los Jets de Nueva York con acciones legales después de que Aaron sugiriera en televisión, que Jimmy podría ser uno de los asociados de Epstein.

Jimmy acaba de disparar de vuelta en las redes, refiriéndose a Aaron como "Querido Aassh***e, (idiota)" diciendo que sus imprudentes palabras ponen en peligro a su familia.

Por si te lo perdiste, Aaron estaba en "The Pat McAfee Show" el martes cuando dijo que estaría celebrando la liberación de los asociados de Epstein.

Aaron dijo: "Mucha gente, incluyendo a Jimmy Kimmel, están realmente esperando que eso no salga".

Jimmy está negando vehementemente que tenga nada que ver con Epstein y está atacando a Rodgers como un "chiflado de cerebro blando" que "parece que no puede distinguir de la realidad".

Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers are beefing ... and it's all over Jeffrey Epstein's soon-to-be unmasked list of associates.

The late-night TV talk show host is now threatening the New York Jets quarterback with legal action after Aaron suggested on live TV, Jimmy might be one of Epstein's associates.

Jimmy just fired back on social media, ripping Aaron -- who he addresses with "Dear Aassh***e," saying the QB's "reckless words put my family in danger."

In case you missed it ... Aaron was doing his scheduled Tuesday hit on "The Pat McAfee Show" when he said he would be celebrating the release of Epstein's associates.

Aaron said ... "A lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, are really hoping that doesn't come out."

Jimmy's vehemently denying having anything to do with Epstein whatsoever ... and he's blasting Rodgers as a "soft-brained wacko" who "can't seem to distinguish from reality."

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is going to have to bust out his check book -- he was just fined $300k for chucking his drink toward a group of fans during Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The billionaire hedge fund manager -- the richest owner in the league -- was spotted dumping his beverage in anger after an apparent exchange with a group of supporters amid the 26-0 blowout ... and the whole thing was caught on video.

The clip is short ... and it's unclear what led to the incident.

The NFL announced the punishment on Tuesday ... labeling the incident "unacceptable conduct."

Tepper -- who bought the Panthers in 2018 for $2.3 billion -- released a statement following the news ... saying, "I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday."

"I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior."

It's been a disastrous 2023 season for the Panthers -- they're 2-14 and will not have their first-round pick next season.

The woman who went nips out for some beads during ESPN's Sugar Bowl broadcast is being offered a deal more eye-opening than the viral clip ... with an adult company willing to shell out up to $100k to get her to perform an encore on its platform.

The folks over at Camsoda laid out the terms of the proposition on Tuesday ... saying it's trying like hell to track down the Bourbon Street patron who exposed her boob during the TV broadcast of Monday night's game between the Washington Huskies and Texas Longhorns.

If CS is able to get a hold of her, the site says it would like to invite her to do a live one-hour webcam show next week ... and they are ready to drop some serious coin for her time.

"One could argue that she was the real MVP of the game last night," Camsoda Vice President Daryn Parker said in a statement.

"We see a lot of breasts on our platform but these certainly caught our eyes ... and all of America's. I didn’t know ESPN was into that kind of stuff!"

Of course, the network issued an apology over the accident ... saying it regrets sharing the footage for the millions of viewers tuning into the College Football Playoff matchup.

Take off the tinfoil hats, folks -- Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's romance is NOT a publicity stunt ... this according to the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's managers, who claim the relationship was never part of their "plan" to make him famous.

Of course, there has been speculation surrounding Tayvis ever since the pop superstar started showing up to Kelce's games earlier this season ... with many questioning if the coupling was actually all for clout.

Andre and Aaron Eanes -- who handle Kelce's business affairs -- did an interview with the New York Times about their client skyrocketing to fame over the past year ... and they say they've always had their sights set on getting the two-time Super Bowl champ bigger than the average athlete.

"People say to me, 'Man, it's been a crazy year,'" Aaron told the outlet. "When I say, 'Actually, it's not that crazy,' people look at me funny. It's because it's easy when you have a plan. We're executing that plan."

Their strategy has led to countless commercials, an expanded business portfolio and a "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig ... but Kelce's team insists dating the biggest musician on the planet wasn't on their 2023 bingo card.

Swift previously told Time her new relationship was the result of Kelce putting her "on blast" for not meeting him before or after her Arrowhead Stadium concert ... and they got to know each shortly after -- becoming a full-on couple, even spending the holidays together.

Ey, amantes de las teorías conspirativas, el romance de Travis Kelce y Taylor Swift NO es un truco publicitario, de acuerdo con los managers de la superestrella de los Kansas City Chiefs, quienes afirman que la relación nunca fue parte de su "plan" para hacerlo famoso.

Por supuesto, ha habido especulaciones en torno a Tayvis desde que la superestrella del pop comenzó a aparecer en los partidos de Kelce a principios de esta temporada. Muchos han cuestionado si su relación es en realidad una estrategia para ganar popularidad.

Andre y Aaron Eanes, encargados de manejar los asuntos de negocios de Kelce, le concedieron una entrevista al New York Times sobre el salto a la fama de su cliente en el último año y dicen que siempre han tenido en la mira que el dos veces campeón del Super Bowl se convierta en algo más grande que el atleta promedio.

"La gente me dice: 'Hombre, ha sido un año de locos'", dijo Aaron. "Cuando digo: 'En realidad, no es tan loco', la gente me mira raro. Es porque es fácil cuando tienes un plan. Estamos ejecutando ese plan".

Su estrategia ha dado lugar a innumerables comerciales, una cartera de negocios ampliada y un concierto como anfitrión de "Saturday Night Live". Pero el equipo de Kelce insiste en que salir con la estrella más grande del planeta nunca estuvo en su plan de 2023.

Swift le dijo anteriormente a Time que su nueva relación fue el resultado de que Kelce la "expusiera públicamente" por no reunirse con él antes o después de su concierto en el Arrowhead Stadium, razón por la que llegaron a conocerse poco después. Desde entonces se han convertido en una pareja de pleno derecho, incluso pasaron las fiestas juntos.

Damar Hamlin is commemorating the one-year anniversary of his terrifying cardiac arrest with some new ink ... getting a pair of heart hands tattooed on the back of his neck.

The Buffalo Bills safety hit up Alexander Brenes twelve months after he nearly died on a football field to get the piece done ... and as you can see, it came out awesome.

In addition to the hands, the dark, black tattoo also features an image of an electrocardiogram -- a clear homage to the health scare he suffered while playing against the Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.

The 25-year-old -- who often threw up the heart hands during his recovery process -- was obviously thrilled with the final product ... he posed for a pic with the tattoo artist and even left a comment on Brenes' Instagram page as well.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are really feeling the love now -- this video of them kissing to ring in the New Year also shows him saying "I love you" to her ... in the view of Swifties, that is.

Fans are certainly convinced he dropped the L-word just as they smooched at midnight. Watch and decide for yourself -- the speculation is it happens in the first few seconds of the clip.

However, we've checked with a few professional lip readers -- some who've testified in high-profile court cases -- and they tell TMZ ... the video is far too blurry to confirm the public declaration of love.

So, we'll never know precisely what sweet nothings the NFL star whispered to the singer while packing on the PDA -- unless they reveal it -- but, it wouldn't be all that weird if they did exchange 'I love yous" ... they've been dating at least 6 months now.

It's also not clear where they rang in the New Year -- but a fellow partygoer shared the clip ... and it looks like others at the bash respectfully left the two to get on with their smoochin'.

The couple was partying somewhere in the Kansas City area Sunday night ... after Travis and the Chiefs played the Bengals.

As we reported, TS arrived at Arrowhead Stadium solo Sunday afternoon to cheer on her beau ... which she's been doing since they went public a few months ago.

Diehard football fans have become increasingly vexed over the attention Taylor commands at games -- but it looks like she's not going anywhere in 2024.

Travis Kelce y Taylor Swift realmente están sintiendo las mariposas en este momento. Este video de ellos besándose para darle la bienvenida al Año Nuevo también demuestra que Travis le dijo "Te amo" a ella, al menos a los ojos de los Swifties.

Los fans están convencidos de que le dijo la palabra que empieza con A justo cuando se estaban besando a medianoche. Mira el video y decide por ti mismo, la especulación en disputa transcurre en los primeros segundos del clip.

Sin embargo, hemos comprobado con algunos lectores de labios profesionales -algunos de ellos han testificado en casos judiciales de alto perfil- y le dicen a TMZ que el video es demasiado borroso como para confirmar la declaración pública de amor.

Por lo tanto, nunca sabremos con exactitud lo que la estrella de la NFL le susurró a la cantante mientras se estaban abrazando, a menos que ellos lo revelen, pero no sería tan extraño que se hayan dicho "Te amo", ya que han estado saliendo por lo menos 6 meses.

Tampoco está claro donde pasaron el Año Nuevo, pero un compañero de fiesta compartió el clip y como otros en la fiesta parece que dejaron que se siguieran besando tranquilos.

La pareja estuvo de fiesta en algún lugar de la zona de Kansas City el domingo por la noche, después de que Travis y los Chiefs se enfrentaran a los Bengals.

Como informamos, Taylor Swift llegó sola al estadio Arrowhead el domingo en la tarde para animar a su novio, algo que ha estado haciendo desde que hicieron pública su relación hace unos meses.

Los fanáticos acérrimos del fútbol americano están cada vez más molestos por la atención que recibe Taylor en los partidos, pero parece que no se irá a ninguna parte en 2024.

ESPN is apologizing for showing a woman drop top during its broadcast of the Sugar Bowl on Monday ... saying the NSFW footage should have never seen the light of day.

Football fans were left stunned after the network aired a clip from Bourbon Street while returning from a commercial break in the Washington Huskies vs. Texas Longhorns matchup ... which featured the lady's negotiation for a set of beads by exposing her breast as the camera made its way down the iconic area.

It's common for TV crews to show b-roll of the host city's landmarks during games ... and given the College Football Playoff contest between the No. 2 and 3 seeds was played at New Orleans' Superdome, Bourbon Street is an understandable choice.

But producers probably didn't take into account how things can get a bit raunchy around there ... which was made clear by the video that went viral shortly after it made its way to millions of viewers' screens.

ESPN is owning up to it all ... releasing a statement on the flub to the Associated Press.

"We regret that this happened and apologize that the video aired in the telecast," ESPN P.R. guy Bill Hofheimer said.

"Let's gooooooooooo!!!!!"

Tom Brady started off the new year with a bang ... the former Michigan quarterback absolutely lost his mind as his alma mater beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl!

The 46-year-old retired signal-caller shared video on social media on Monday ... showing a topless Tom, rocking a gold chain, watching the final play of the overtime thriller from an unknown location.

UM stuffed Bama and punched their ticket to the National Championship game ... and it'd be an understatement to say Tom was elated!

“Let’s go, woo!” Tom yelled.

Brady captioned the video ... "OMFG" and "Go BLue @umichfootball"

Although Brady couldn't be in the building in Pasadena to watch the game in person, Tom's been supportive of the team all season.

In fact, before Monday's Rose Bowl, he tweeted a photo of himself wearing a Michigan vs Everybody wristband ... along with an incredibly expensive and rare Richard Mille watch.

Brady wasn't the only famous alum to express support for UM with the rubber accessory ... Michael Phelps also posted a photo wearing the yellow bracelet. The 23x Olympic gold medalist tagged Brady.

The win vs. Nick Saban's bama squad was huge, but the work isn't done yet ... Michigan will play Washington Monday night with a National Championship title on the line!

Tom Brady was apparently ready to get back on the gridiron not long after announcing his retirement (again) this year ... now revealing he damn near put on his shoulder pads again.

The retired QB and the G.O.A.T. of football made the shocking confession in an end-of-year IG post that featured a collection of photos of him, his kids and other loved ones in various settings throughout 2023 ... all of which looks to be quality time well-spent with family.

He writes, "Looking back on 2023 grateful for every moment. Cherishing the highs, learning from the lows, and looking forward to what’s coming next. I’m blessed to have family and friends filled with so much love, joy, and compassion surrounding me."

TB12 goes on to say that he recommends everyone connect with the people they love as much as possible, as they're all that matters at the end of the day.

He then ends with this ... "PS: The only downside to 2023 was when I was about to unretire in May and my friends threw a surprise retirement party. Kind of forced my hand."

Sounds like he's serious ... which, if true, then it's absolutely nuts -- especially when you consider he already faked retired the year prior, only to undo it and go for another season.

This also seems to prove that he was somewhat BS'ing when he claimed a report saying this exact thing could possibly happen was "fake news." As it turns out, there was in fact some truth to it ... but in the end, Tom obviously decided to stay retired for good.

Of course, he's got that big FOX Sports broadcasting job for him on the horizon -- which, by all accounts, he's been vigorously prepping for next season. Still, the dude can't seem to stay away from football -- as a matter of fact, he's been critical of the state of the game lately.

Former NFL star Muhammad Wilkerson was arrested again last week ... after cops say he drove drunk with a loaded gun tucked beneath his car seat.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Wilkerson was initially pulled over by police in Morris County, New Jersey back on Dec. 22 at 6:41 AM.

During the stop, cops suspected he was under the influence ... saying a strong odor of alcohol was emanating from the former New York Jets pass rusher's ride.

In the docs, cops say at one point during questioning, Wilkerson told them he was coming from a New York City club ... and a short time later, they say he failed field sobriety tests.

Wilkerson was placed under arrest -- and afterward, cops said during a search of his vehicle they not only found an open bottle of Don Julio tequila ... but also an FN 509 Tactical Handgun with 11 hollow point bullets inside of it.

Police said Wilkerson told them the firearm was purchased in Florida -- but he did not provide them proper documentation.

Court records show Wilkerson has since been tagged with a bevy of charges in the case -- including operating a vehicle while under the influence and unlawful possession of a handgun.

He's due in court for hearings on the matter next month.

This, of course, is not the first time Wilkerson has been accused of drinking and driving ... he was arrested for DWI in 2020 and 2019 as well.

Taylor Swift is ending the year watching her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play football -- capping off what's been a whirlwind romance full of memories ... not to mention NFL appearances.

The pop star was once again in the building at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday to catch the K.C. Chiefs play one last home game against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and just like she usually does, she rolled up in a golf cart down below and made her way to her luxury box suite.

Looks like she was cruising solo this time around, whereas last week ... she had some company in her mom and brother, who joined her for the big Christmas game there in town.

T-Swift was looking pretty stylish here for the NYE matchup ... dressed in all black, aside from a sweet white Chiefs letterman jacket she was rocking as she made her way up to the stands. If it wasn't obvious by now, she'll be spending New Year's there in Kansas City.

Like we said, Taylor attending games has become a bit of a pastime this year -- ever since she and TK went public with their relationship toward the start of the season ... she's gone in person to watch him several different times, and sometimes in totally different cities too.

At each stop, Taylor has been seen rooting and screaming her heart out for her man ... oftentimes memorably, whether it's cursing at a bad call or celebrating with handshakes.

While she and Travis were apart for a bit during Thanksgiving -- when she jetted on down to Brazil for a few shows as part of her 'Eras' tour -- they've spent the majority of the holidays together ... and their bond is going strong. From the looks of it, this could be the real deal.

From the NFL side ... you best believe the league has loved them as a couple, especially when Taylor shows up in person. The ratings have ballooned at most of her games ... as she seems to have drawn in a whole new audience who might've otherwise not watched.

Some diehard football fans have become annoyed with the attention Taylor commands -- but hey, it's entertainment at the end of the day ... and this is where worlds collide for big $$$.

Anyway, it's pretty safe to say she's probably had the biggest year out of anyone in showbiz.