Football

Nicki Minaj won't have to go at Jay-Z all by her lonesome ... Birdman has entered the Super Bowl LIX chat, and he has some tough talk toward the Roc Nation boss!!!

Much fuss has been made about Kendrick Lamar performing at the upcoming halftime show in New Orleans -- the home base of arguably the biggest rap label ever -- Cash Money Records.

After Nicki took swipes at Jay and Roc Nation in defense of Lil Wayne on Monday, Birdman backed her up and promised revenge ... "These n***** P**** @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB. I’m make these n***** respek us on Gladys," a nod to his deceased mother.

Odell Beckham Jr. was one of several people who stopped to watch Tyreek Hill's run-in with cops on Sunday morning ... and like everyone else at the scene, he wondered out loud "what the f*** happened?"

Check out new video of Hill's detainment, obtained by TMZ Sports ... you can see as the handcuffed NFL superstar was being questioned by authorities outside of Hard Rock Stadium just hours before the Dolphins vs. Jaguars game -- OBJ was just feet away trying to help out.

The Fins wideout -- who signed with Miami this offseason -- could be seen talking with defensive lineman Calais Campbell ... when at one point, he asked straight up what was all the commotion about?

NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson is expressing regret over a playful comment he made about Tom Brady's broadcasting debut ... saying despite it being meant as a joke, it was uncalled for nonetheless.

The moment happened when Hanson poked fun at TB12's call of Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey's potential NFL record-tying field goal attempt during Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns -- a kick that soared between the uprights, but was negated due to a delay of game penalty.

Hanson seemingly felt the seven-time Super Bowl champ needed to bring more energy with his reaction on the mic ... 'cause when he recapped the play on his own broadcast, he said, "Oh come on. Brady has gotta get more excited than that in the booth."

Daniel Jones and the Giants' season got off to a rough start Sunday -- they were blown out by the Minnesota Vikings -- and New York fans had no issues making their displeasure toward their quarterback known.

As Jones -- who went 22-for-42 for 186 yards and two interceptions -- was leaving MetLife Stadium following the 28-6 defeat ... he was hit with a chorus of boos and heckles from Big Blue supporters who were waiting outside.

One fan could be heard saying, "You suck!" ... while another shouted at him to go home.

Simone Biles got a special shout-out after her husband, Jonathan Owens, scored a touchdown in the Bears' season opener on Sunday ... with the TV announcer calling the Chicago safety a fitting nickname during the broadcast.

The highlight play happened in the third quarter of the Bears' Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field ... when Daniel Hardy blocked a punt attempt -- and Owens scooped the ball and took it to the house.

As Adam Amin called the action, he referred to Owens as "Mr. Biles" ... a nod to his Olympic gymnastics G.O.A.T. wife.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's date just keeps on rolling ... the two stars just pulled up to a New York City restaurant -- hand-in-hand, like we've seen a lot recently.

The two celebs hit Meduza Mediterrania in Manhattan's Meatpacking District Sunday night... looking loved up in new outfits hours after pulling off tennis chic in Queens.

Travis dressed in a collared shirt and pants, hat on his head, while Taylor threw on a different dress for their evening meal ... one a little less bright than her tennis-watching ensemble.

Johnny Football is more like Johnny Fashion these days ... 'cause while all his NFL buddies were on the gridiron for Week 1 of the 2024-25 season, he was hitting up the New York Fashion Week festivities with Josie Canseco.

Johnny Manziel -- who first sparked dating rumors with former MLB slugger Jose Canseco's daughter back in April -- stepped out in public with the model and reality TV star on Sunday ... and the lovebirds appeared to be in great spirits as they made their way to the Alexander Wang event.

The two gave off Justin and Hailey Bieber vibes -- the Heisman Trophy winner rocked a hoodie, jeans and some sneakers for the occasion ... while Canseco wore a stylish red bomber jacket and mini skirt with some knee-high boots.

Kendrick Lamar's taking the stage at the next Super Bowl, but not everyone's stoked about it -- 'cause some wanted hometown favorite Lil Wayne in New Orleans next year.

Here's the deal ... this morning, the NFL announced K. Dot as the headliner for the biggest gig in sports -- not exactly a surprise given the success of his Drake diss track "Not Like Us."

While many people are excited Kendrick's getting his own show after appearing alongside other rap legends like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent back at SB LVI, others are pointing out New Orleans has its own star rapper who should've got the top spot.

Tom Brady's hyping himself up before his first broadcasting debut ... quite literally, 'cause a promo for his first appearance shows him talking to past versions of himself.

Fox released the clip before Brady took to the booth to commentate on the Cleveland Browns vs Dallas Cowboys Sunday ... starting off with the current Brady hearing critics telling him he can't be a commentator.

Before he gets too down on himself ... past versions of himself -- one from his Patriots days, one from his tenure with the Bucs and a college version of himself from the University of Michigan -- give him a pep talk.

If Taylor Swift wants to draw up some plays for the Chiefs, so be it ... so says ex-NFL star Nate Burleson, who tells TMZ Sports the pop superstar being hands-on in Travis Kelce's career will only bring good results.

The All-Pro tight end recently confirmed his lady has fully immersed herself in football since they started dating ... and it's gotten to the point where she's been working on her Xs and Os and designing some Kelce-focused routes.

Burleson -- who now stars in front of the camera for CBS -- has no issue with the "Karma" crooner getting involved in her man's day job ... especially considering the Chiefs have continued their dominance amid her presence on gamedays.

Forget Santa ... Miami Dolphins star Jevon Holland is hoping Tua Tagovailoa heads down his chimney this Christmas -- banking on the quarterback gifting him something real nice after signing a $212 MILLION contract this summer.

Of course, if the signal-caller doesn't send a present Holland's way on Dec. 25 ... the Fins' starting safety clearly won't be upset -- as he tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely pumped his pal was rewarded for all of his hard work over the past five years with a big deal.

Holland told us Tua's worth every penny ... especially when you consider he's had to dodge dudes like Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett in order to have success on the gridiron.

The new Netflix documentary on Steve McNair's murder has left fans with more questions than answers ... and a former cop tells TMZ Sports that in order to fully get to the bottom of it all, police should now reopen the case.

The man who's desperately trying to figure out what actually happened to the ex-NFL star is Vincent Hill -- who briefly appeared in "Untold: The Murder of Air McNair," a Netflix doc that explored the life and death of McNair.

In the program, Hill -- a former Nashville Police Dept. officer who's since become a private investigator -- made a case that McNair might have been gunned down in his Tennessee condo by a male assailant ... not his mistress, Sahel "Jenni" Kazemi.

Diondre Overton -- a former college football standout at Clemson who helped them win two national championships -- has died after an early morning shooting, cops say.

The Guilford County Sheriff's Office released a statement minutes ago ... saying officers responded to a call about a disturbance at around 2:30 AM in Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday.

When they arrived at the scene, they say they found a shooting victim, identified as Overton. Officers administered medical aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Donald Trump took a beat from bashing his opponent Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election to turn his ire elsewhere ... blasting the NFL over a newly instituted rule change.

Here's the deal ... this season, kick-offs have dramatically changed to allow for fair catches and to designate when players on defense can go after the ball carrier ... the point being to reduce the possibility of severe injury on the high-risk play.

It seems DT is among those who think the change sucks ... bitching about it on Truth Social as the 2024 season gets underway this weekend.

Travis Kelce didn't get the game ball after the Kansas City Chiefs won their season opener, he got something better ... a kiss from Taylor Swift.

In new photos from the postgame celebration Thursday night in K.C., Taylor is smooching Travis on the cheek.

Taylor and Travis are cheesing for the camera next to another Chiefs couple ... wide receiver Mecole Hardman and his fiancée, Chariah Gordon.

The Chiefs sure looked like the best team in the AFC once again on Thursday night -- but Shawne Merriman tells TMZ Sports anyone who thinks the Chargers can't knock them off is simply delusional.

The Bolts legend didn't mince words when we caught up with him on Friday -- just hours after Kansas City knocked off Baltimore in a thrilling season-opener -- saying straight up, "If you're looking over the Chargers in this division, you're crazy."

Of course, Merriman's a bit biased -- he's remained a huge Chargers supporter even in retirement -- but he's adamant the feeling around this year's Los Angeles team under Jim Harbaugh is just different.