Football

Justin Bieber's Super Bowl Halftime appearance could've very nearly happened ... but it just wasn't in the stars, so says Lil Jon.

We spoke to the rapper on TMZ Live Wednesday ... and he tells us JB was actually considering taking to the stage for his former mentor Usher's big performance ... but ultimately decided to sit it out 'cause it was just a lot for him to take on.

LJ adds they all wanted Biebs in the show ... but all the rehearsals, responsibility, time, and eyeballs on him apparently wasn't something he wanted to tackle right now ... and as we all saw Sunday, he opted to chill in the audience with his wife Hailey.

Of course, fans were bummed he didn't say yeah to Usher.

Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Ludacris, and will.i.am ended up hopping onstage alongside Lil Jon, so it's not like fans were deprived of an A-list line-up during Usher's 13-minute-long performance. And while Justin wasn't up there ... Lil Jon says he was still supporting him.

Still, there's no denying that the hyped-up JB/Usher collab would've added an extra layer of magic to the spectacle ... especially since we were first to break the story they were in direct talks of executing the moment that would've been remembered for years to come.

In case you didn't know, Usher helped catapult fresh-faced 13-year-old Bieber to massive fame back in the day ... and he's been working overtime ever since, so from his end, it looks like he still needs a break from performing.

Travis Kelce is addressing one of the Super Bowl's most viral moments -- when the superstar TE nearly knocked head coach Andy Reid flat on his ass -- publicly beating himself up for his actions, admitting it NEVER should've happened.

"It’s definitely unacceptable and I immediately wish I would have took it back," Trav told brother Jason on the newly released episode of their "New Heights" podcast.

Thankfully, there doesn't appear to be any hard feelings between coach and player ... T.K. says he had a conversation with Reid on the field soon after the incident, and they're cool. Winning the Super Bowl also doesn't hurt.

“I just love playing for the guy and unfortunately, sometimes my passion comes out where it looks like it’s negativity but I’m grateful that [Andy] knows that it’s all because I want to win [the Super Bowl] with him more than anything,” Travis added.

Jason, who used to play for Reid in Philadelphia, was also critical of his brother's actions.

"You crossed the line, I think we can both agree on it," JK said, with Travis ... "I did."

Jason added ... "Let's be honest, the yelling in his face too is over the top. I think there's better ways to handle this, retrospectively."

Of course, Travis and Andy go back to 2013 when both men arrived in Kansas City.

Not everyone seems willing to just brush off the exchange and move on ... including some fellow NFL stars like A.J. Brown, who claimed he "would've been kicked out of the league" if he pulled a Kelce.

Travis seems unbothered by the outside criticism.

"I don't give a s*** what anybody else says."

Inside the org, everything appears to be great ... in fact, Reid and Kelce are together at the parade as we type.

Travis Kelce está abordando uno de los momentos más comentados en el Super Bowl y fue cuando la superestrella de los Chiefs casi golpeó al entrenador Andy Reid en su trasero, admitiendo públicamente que eso NUNCA debería haber sucedido.

"Es definitivamente inaceptable y desearía haberme retractado inmediatamente", dijo Trav a su hermano Jason en el recién estrenado episodio de su podcast "New Heights".

Por suerte, no parece que haya rencores entre el entrenador y el jugador. Travis Kelce dice que tuvo una conversación con Reid en el campo poco después del incidente, y que están en buenos términos. Ganar el Super Bowl tampoco hace daño.

"Me encanta jugar para él y, por desgracia, a veces mi pasión aparece y da la impresión de que es algo negativo, pero estoy agradecido de que [Andy] sepa que todo es porque quiero ganar [el Super Bowl] con él más que nada", añadió Travis.

Jason, quien solía jugar para Reid en Filadelfia, también criticó las acciones de su hermano.

"Cruzaste la línea, creo que ambos podemos estar de acuerdo en ello", le dijo Jason Kelce,  a lo que Travis respondió: "Lo hice."

Jason añadió ... "Seamos honestos, gritarle en la cara también es exagerado. Creo que hay mejores maneras de manejar esto, retrospectivamente ".

Por supuesto, la relación de Travis y Andy se remonta al 2013, cuando ambos hombres llegaron al Kansas City.

No todos parecen dispuestos a simplemente dejar pasar el intercambio y seguir adelante, incluyendo algunos compañeros de la NFL como A.J. Brown, quien afirmó que él "habría sido expulsado de la liga" si empujaba a Kelce.

A Travis parecen no importarle las críticas externas.

"Me importa una m*** lo que digan los demás".

Dentro de la organización, todo parece estar muy bien. De hecho, Reid y Kelce están juntos en el desfile mientras escribimos.

Taylor Swift has finally arrived in Australia ahead of a string of shows -- and as she landed around midnight (locally) ... she had a bunch of fans waiting for her right outside.

The pop star's private jet landed in Melbourne early this morning -- this after she went from L.A. to Hawaii, and then continued on down under overnight -- and as she touched down at the airport ... there were onlookers ready to greet her with a warm welcome.

Take a peek yourself ... as the plane hit the runway, paps and fans alike were perched and prepared to get a glimpse -- heck, there were even airport workers out there lining the fence!

More interestingly, though, was the fact that a decent-sized crowd had formed not too far from Taylor's jet ... basically, it was a bunch of kids/teens with signs for her -- and they were out there cheering on the fact she was stepping foot onto their turf.

Clearly, Swifties are international and all over the place -- and there's no shortage in Australia.

This marks the first major move Taylor's made since her big Super Bowl weekend -- where she partied the night away with Travis Kelce all over Vegas following the Chiefs' win.

While Travis' season might be over ... Taylor's work life is kinda just beginning after a major hiatus through the holidays. She's got a crap ton of shows lined up in the coming months -- and this stop in Melbourne is the first of many to come.

There's already been reports that Travis is going to accompany Taylor for at least some of these shows ... but it's unclear if he's gonna head out to Australia himself in the coming days.

He did say last week that he'd love to go visit down undah if he got the chance. After his Super Bowl parade in Kansas City today, he'll have nothing but time on his hands.

Taylor Swift ha llegado finalmente a Australia antes de una serie de conciertos en el país y aunque aterrizó cerca de la medianoche (local), ¡tenía a un montón de fans esperándola!

El jet privado de la estrella del pop aterrizó en Melbourne esta mañana, después de que se fuera de Los Ángeles a Hawái, y luego continuara su viaje por la noche. Cuando finalmente arribó en el aeropuerto había varios curiosos listos para recibirla con una cálida bienvenida.

Echa un vistazo tú mismo. Cuando el avión llegó a la pista, los paparazzi y los fans estaban encaramados por igual y preparados para verla, ¡incluso había trabajadores del aeropuerto alineados en la valla!

Más interesante, sin embargo, es que una multitud de un buen tamaño se formó no muy lejos del avión de Taylor. Básicamente, eran un montón de niñas y adolescentes con carteles para ella y estaban celebrando que la estrella estuviera pisando su territorio.

Está claro que los Swifties están por todas partes y en Australia no faltan.

Este es el primer gran movimiento que hace Taylor desde su gran fin de semana en el Super Bowl, donde se fue de fiesta con Travis Kelce por todo Las Vegas después de la victoria de los Chiefs.

Aunque la temporada de Travis terminó, la vida laboral de Taylor acaba de empezar tras un paréntesis importante durante las vacaciones. Ella tiene un montón de conciertos en los próximos meses y esta parada en Melbourne es solo la primera de muchas.

Ha habido reportes de que Travis va a acompañar a Taylor en al menos algunos de estos espectáculos, pero no está claro si va a ir a Australia por su cuenta en los próximos días.

Jason Kelce missed every bit of Usher's halftime show on Sunday ... saying the chaos surrounding Taylor Swift during the break in the Super Bowl's action forced him to find cover elsewhere.

Travis Kelce's big brother made the revelation on Wednesday's episode of "New Heights" ... explaining so many celebs tried to get to Swift at halftime of the Chiefs vs. 49ers game at Allegiant Stadium, that he simply could not catch "a lick" of Usher's big performance.

"There was so much happening in the suite," the Philadelphia Eagles star said. "Turns out, everybody wants to meet Taylor."

Jason said the A-listers looking to chat with the "Love Story" crooner included Shaquille O'Neal ... and at point, so many people were there trying to grab her ear that it all got "overwhelming."

"I mean, dude," Jason said, "I think it was my first really understanding of kind of some of the things she has to deal with on a lot of basis. Because there was so many star-studded people there, where it's like, 'Dude, everybody wants to come see her,' but the suite's only so big."

Jason implied, though, that Taylor handled it all with flying colors ... something that didn't surprise Travis one bit.

"Taylor thrives in those situations," Swift's boyfriend said on the podcast. "She's been in them countless times in her life."

Patrick Mahomes' wife is pulling out all the stops to get right in time for the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday ... having an IV stuck in her arm for some rapid rehydration.

The Chiefs players and their significant others have been taking advantage of their right to party after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas ... going on what appears to be a multi-day bender at this point.

Brittany shared a glimpse of the measures she's taking to reach 100% (or at least close enough to start drinking again) ... getting some much-needed IV therapy before riding through the streets of Kansas City in a few hours.

"Saving me always," Mahomes said on Instagram alongside a pic of the treatment -- which has become a popular move for party-goers in recent years, as it helps with hangovers.

Of course, the Chiefs deserve to go all-out in their celebration ... and it seems like they did just that -- Patrick appeared to be struggling while doing interviews at Disneyland on Monday, and Mecole Hardman told us on Tuesday he hadn't gotten any sleep yet!!

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce made their way through the streets of Kansas City to celebrate the Chiefs' Super Bowl ... but it's their teammate, Willie Gay, who was by far the MVP of the day.

The parade went down on Wednesday ... and the victors did it big as they partied with Chiefs Kingdom.

Gay set the bar high early on in the parade ... going shirtless, running and dancing -- even hopping on a car to give fans a better view of his vibe.

Gay also dropped to the ground at one point -- holding a bottle of Henny as he lay shoeless in the street.

Of course, the Coors Light, liquor and bubbly flowed from start to finish (hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere) ... and some players did a cheers with Casamigos tequila prior to the festivities.

Mahomes popped the top, too ... but he elected to put a jacket on (maybe out of fear of what the dad bod trolls would say).

Donna Kelce acted as Cupid for the parade ... passing out roses to folks in the crowd in honor of Valentine's Day.

The Bears may not sniff a Super Bowl for a while, but a teddy bear mascot head made a cameo for some reason ... with multiple players rocking it throughout the event.

To really lean into the animal theme, Isiah Pacheco and Mahomes had some time with a real baby goat wearing a No. 15 jersey!!

Kelce also had a freakin' blast -- getting a piggyback ride at one point in the bash!!

As we previously reported, the fans lined up in the early hours of Wednesday to prepare for the event ... braving the cold for their beloved team.

Matt Damon is disavowing the most talked about Super Bowl ad -- at least creatively, and instead he's laying blame/giving credit to his BFF Ben Affleck.

Of course, Matt and Ben teamed up with Tom Brady to hilariously debut their boyband, The DunKings, for the splashy Dunkin ad -- which cost $15 mil just for the airtime -- all sporting bright orange tracksuits.

The spot was the standout Super Bowl Sunday commercial, but Tuesday night, when 'Late Show' host Stephen Colbert showed Matt a pic of him in the DunKing getup ... he immediately made it crystal clear he wasn't the brains behind it!

TBF, it does have "Ben Affleck" written all over it.

MD did own this detail ... at the end of the commercial he tells Ben, '"Remember how I said I would do anything for you? This is anything" -- a line he actually said IRL to his pal.

He says Ben just decided to put it in the ad.

Matt jokingly acknowledged being in The DunKings wasn't exclusive to the Boston trio ... 'cause the only qualification needed to be in the band was the willingness to slide into those visually loud tracksuits.

Though, it seems like dressing the part ain't an issue for lots of coffee and donut lovers ... as Dunkin' sold out of the tracksuits in just 19 minutes after going up for sale on their site.

In fact, demand's so high that new stock is on the way ... with the track pants listed for pre-sale.

Dunkin's SB spot certainly seemed to sweeten the deal for them -- with staff from various DD locations telling us they've busy as hell since Sunday.

Matt Damon está renegando del anuncio más comentado del Super Bowl, al menos creativamente, y en su lugar le está echando la culpa a su mejor amigo Ben Affleck.

Por supuesto, Matt y Ben se asociaron con Tom Brady para formar la pandilla The DunKings para el impactante anuncio de Dunkin, que costó 15 millones de dólares solo por el tiempo de emisión, y todos vistieron chaquetas de color naranja brillante.

El anuncio fue uno de los más destacados del Super Bowl, aunque cuando Stephen Colbert, presentador de "Late Show" le mostró a Matt una foto con el atuendo de los DunKings, ¡dejó claro que no fue el cerebro detrás del anuncio!

Para ser justos, el anuncio tiene escrito "Ben Affleck" por todas partes.

Matt Damon dice que aportó con un detalle al final del anuncio, cuando le dice a Ben: "¿Recuerdas que te dije que haría cualquier cosa por ti? Esto es cualquier cosa", una línea que de verdad le dijo en la vida real a su amigo.

Y que Ben decidió incluirla en el anuncio.

También reconoció en broma que estar en The DunKings no era exclusivo del trío de Boston, porque el único requisito necesario para ser parte de la banda es la voluntad de ponerse esos buzos naranjos.

Ahora, parece que vestir estas prendas no es un problema para los amantes del café y las donas. Solo 19 minutos después de que salieran a la venta, los conjuntos se agotaron.

De hecho, la demanda ha sido tan alta que están en camino nuevas acciones, como por ejemplo, la pre-venta de los pantalones del conjunto.

Chiefs fans have already hit the streets in Kansas City for the team's Super Bowl parade ... braving near-freezing temperatures to get ready for the upcoming party -- and a good spot for a potential glimpse of Taylor Swift too!!

The Kansas City Police Dept. shared video from the parade route minutes ago ... showing a drove of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce supporters already lining roadways -- this despite it being around 35 degrees at 7:30 AM.

The festivities won't officially begin for a few more hours ... but when it all kicks off -- it's expected to be a huge bash.

Of course, Kansas City fans are used to this by now -- this will be their third parade in the last five years -- though there might be one big addition to this title celly ... Swift!!

It's unclear if Kelce's GF will be in attendance -- she does, after all, have to be in Australia by Friday for her latest batch of 'Eras' tour shows -- but given that she's been such a loyal fan this year AND that it's Valentine's Day ... it certainly seems possible.

Even if she doesn't show, Mahomes, Kelce, Andy Reid and the rest of the guys will all be there ... something fans will gladly accept as a consolation prize.

Bill Belichick will be back on an NFL sideline -- after he gets some much-deserved R&R -- according to one of the best players to ever suit up for the legendary Patriots coach, Rob Gronkowski!

TMZ Sports caught up with the future Hall of Fame tight end at his epic Gronk Beach Super Bowl party at Encore Beach Club at the Wynn in Las Vegas, and we asked Rob about BB's future.

"I think it's great he's going to take a year off," Rob told us, adding, "He needs it. he deserves it. And I think he's going to come back next year with some vengeance!"

Of course, after winning 6 SBs in New England, Bill mutually parted ways with the Pats this off-season, and while many around the league expected he'd get a job straight away, it didn't happen.

It's clear Gronk believes his former coach ain't done yet -- he will be back -- and he may be reunited with the superstar TE ... err, WR?

"I'm gonna play for him. I'm gonna be a wide receiver," Gronk JOKED ... "I don't know who he's gonna coach for, but I'm gonna play wideout."

That part's a pipe dream ... Bill coaching a team isn't.

Adding to the likelihood of a return, Belichick's only 15 wins away from becoming the all-time NFL total wins leader as a coach ... which counts regular season and playoff games.

There's much more with Gronk ... who alongside TMZ Sports' own Mojo Muhtadi went absolutely WILD at the party Saturday afternoon.

4:02 PM PT -- Kanye West is denying Brandon Marshall's claims about Yeezy and Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.

A rep for Kanye tells TMZ ... "This is a completely fabricated rumor. It is not true."

Kanye West apparently intended to upstage Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl -- but the pop superstar torpedoed his plan -- at least, that's what one former NFL star is claiming.

Brandon Marshall -- who played in the league from 2006-2018 for a number of teams -- made the shocking allegation on his "Paper Route" podcast this week ... explaining that he'd heard Ye purposely purchased seats right in front of Tay Tay's suite for the Big Game.

According to this purported tea ... the idea, it seems, was an attempt to photobomb all her inevitable TV appearances. On its face, it comes across as a good old-fashioned spite effort.

However, the ex-All-Pro receiver explained the alleged scheme never came to fruition ... as Swift made "a call or two" to have Ye kicked out of Allegiant Stadium entirely -- that's what Brandon's claiming anyway.

Take it all with a grain of salt, but considering how polarizing Ye has been recently -- and Swift being the non-athlete face of the SB champs this season -- it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility the league may have nudged KW to somewhere a little more low-key.

It's also hard to say with any certainty whether she actually got him fully kicked out or not, as Brandon suggests here ... especially if he bought a ticket lawfully and by the book.

In any case ... BM sounds 100% confident that he's breaking news with the world here.

Also worth noting -- TMZ spoke with Ye for several minutes on Monday ... and he only mentioned Swift in a pretty lukewarm manner.

You'd think Ye would pounce at the opportunity to trash Travis Kelce's girlfriend if it really went down as Marshall claims ... but perhaps he got some details fudged up (after all, he did initially confuse Swift with Katy Perry, FWIW).

Either way ... Ye and his wife, Bianca Censori, were definitely at the venue ... with the former rocking a face covering featuring a white crucifix. There are photos of Kanye in the building -- and in the one pic that's going around, he does appear to be next to a stadium worker.

We've made some calls to try and clear the air ... so far, no word back.

It's Fat Tuesday -- and while it marks the end of Mardi Gras ... the reality is, the party out there has been going strong for several days now ... just take a look yourself.

Lots of festivities have been unfolding in New Orleans these past several days -- including elaborate parades that have been trotted up and down local streets there ... with some awesome floats on display.

There've been a handful of stars on the scene as well to celebrate Mardi Gras -- Neil Patrick Harris was spotted in NOLA on Monday ... and Kevin Dillon was out there on Sunday.

Yes, both of them both in the spirit of things ... with NPH in some fancy wardrobe, and KD dressed like a king.

There've been some other notable figures this week out and about to ring in the occasion ... like New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe and Harry Connick Jr., who were both also seen on floats Monday night.

Like we said, Fat Tuesday is the tail end of the Carnival celebration in NOLA -- coming right before Ash Wednesday starts, and when people will presumably give up foods and crap.

Yes, there's some religious significance behind it -- even though many just treat it as an excuse to eat, drink and be merry in the streets.

That's certainly how some starts have gone about it over the years, anyway.

Travis Kelce showered Taylor Swift with praise after winning his third Super Bowl ... thanking her for flying across the globe to catch the game and calling her "the absolute best."

The NFL just revealed the audio from the power couple's emotional postgame moment on Tuesday ... and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar poured his heart out as he soaked it all in with his girlfriend.

"Thank you, thank you for the support," Kelce said. "Thank you for making it halfway across the world!"

As we previously reported, Swift hopped on a private jet to make it from her "Eras" tour stop in Tokyo to Las Vegas for Sunday's kickoff ... and Kelce returned the favor with smooches on the field right after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime.

Kelce also let Tay Tay know just how much she means to him ... and you can hear him call her a cute pet name.

"You're the best," Kelce said. "The absolute best, baby!"

The Super Bowl streaker is breaking his silence, explaining why he dropped $42k on front-row tix, only to be tackled on the field half-naked and thrown in the pokey ... revealing it all started with a bet!

TMZ Sports talked to SB streaker Alex Gonzalez on Monday ... just hours after he was released from the local jail.

The question ... why?!

Alex says the plan was to originally place a prop bet at a Vegas sportsbook ... plunking down cash on a fan running on the field during the Chiefs vs. Niners game.

Gonzalez says he was at a UFC event the day before Super Sunday, and he told everyone who would listen, including Dr. Phil and the Nelk Boys, that he was going on the field. So, place your bets.

The only issue? When Gonzalez tried to place the wager, it no longer existed. But, at that point, he says he was already committed ... so despite spending over 40 grand on tickets, Alex decided to go forward with the plan knowing he'd never get to finish watching the game.

"I'm like, 'Damn. I am in too deep at this point where I can't back out anymore.'"

Gonzalez and some buddies headed to a local sporting goods store to buy cleats (we know those Super Bowl fields) and other supplies, and they headed for Allegiant Stadium.

Then, when the third quarter rolled around (gotta watch at least some of the game), Alex and his friend made their move.

Gonzalez ultimately ran around for several seconds before giving himself up to security officers who were closing in, before leading him to a holding cell in the back of the new stadium.

Alex says he was then taken to jail where he spent Sunday night behind bars.

But, if you think he's regretting it all now ... watch the clip -- he certainly doesn't seem to be sweatin' the situation -- even if he is facing at least one misdemeanor charge.