Football

Tom Brady's second week in the broadcast booth seemed to go off much smoother than his first ... he just wrapped up calling the Cowboys vs. Saints game in Dallas -- and there appeared to be far fewer critics of his work this go-around.

Brady cruised into AT&T Stadium in a dark suit and dark tie -- after receiving mixed reviews during his call of the Cowboys vs. Browns Week 1 matchup last Sunday -- and he seemed comfortable from the get-go.

He had a fun interaction with Jerry Jones down on the field in the pregame -- receiving a custom ball from the Dallas owner. Minutes later, he got into a spirited chat at the 50-yard line with Mike Tyson, who was at the stadium promoting his upcoming fight against Jake Paul.

Losing out on the starting quarterback job this season might be a blessing for Drake Maye ... 'cause Patriots wideout K.J. Osborn tells TMZ Sports he thinks being a backup will only benefit the rookie signal-caller.

Of course, there were many in Foxborough who thought differently ... with a bunch of fans believing Maye had shown enough in the preseason to start under center ahead of veteran Jacoby Brissett.

But when we spoke to Osborn following New England's upset win over Cincinnati, he made it clear he believes Maye's career in the long run will be positively impacted by sitting and learning.

If Dr. Bennet Omalu -- the brain expert credited with the discovery of CTE -- was running either the NFL or the Miami Dolphins ... he tells TMZ Sports he'd force Tua Tagovailoa to retire following his latest head injury.

The inspiration for the famous Will Smith "Concussion" movie didn't mince words when talking about the matter on Friday ... saying straight up the consequences for allowing the 26-year-old back on the field after yet another concussion could be dire.

Specifically, Omalu says if Tagovailoa were to sustain another significant blow to the brain -- he could become "permanently incapacitated."

The cop who put his knee in Tyreek Hill's back and aggressively slapped handcuffs on the NFL superstar during a traffic stop last weekend has been accused of excessive force in the past, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Miami-Dade Police Department records we obtained, officer Danny Torres has received numerous complaints since joining the MDPD back in October 1996.

The records show that on six separate occasions, he was accused of misconduct, including force violations as well as improper procedures. Torres was also investigated for his use of force at least 13 times as well.

Baltimore Ravens rookie Nate Wiggins injured his neck in a car crash this week ... an ailment that will keep him sidelined for the team's Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh shared the news in a press conference ... saying the cornerback -- who had one tackle in his pro debut -- won't be ready to go by Sunday's kickoff.

"Nate was in a car accident a couple of days ago," Harbaugh said. "Looks like he's not gonna be able to make it to the game."

The University of Michigan is mourning the loss of athletics administrator Greg Harden, Tom Brady's life coach in Ann Arbor ... who died after complications from surgery.

The school shared the tragic news minutes ago ... days after it announced Harden remained in the hospital after undergoing a procedure on Monday.

Harden was known as the program's "secret weapon" due to his role as a mental coach for standout Wolverine athletes for decades ... including Brady, Desmond Howard, Jalen Rose and Michael Phelps.

Jalen Hurts finally got a ring ... an engagement ring ... and he used it to pop the question to his longtime partner Bry Burrows!!!

The Philadelphia Eagles superstar got down on one knee just before the NFL season ... asking Burrows to be his future wife at a tropical location.

Photos from the proposal, obtained by Essence, show Burrows said yes in front of an ocean ... all while candles, rose petals and even a violinist surrounded them.

Damar Hamlin says there was nothing out of the ordinary about his hit on Tua Tagovailoa that resulted in a concussion ... telling the media after the game he was simply trying to make a "routine tackle" -- and his thoughts are now with the Miami Dolphins quarterback.

The Buffalo Bills safety broke down the collision to The Athletic's Tim Graham after the Bills' 31-10 win on "Thursday Night Football" ... a play that resulted in Tua being ruled out of the game in the third quarter.

As we previously reported, Tua -- the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- was rushing for a first down ... but instead of sliding, he went for more yards and lowered his helmet when Hamlin moved in for the stop.

TMZ Sports has obtained Karl Haglund's mug shot.

It's already been a tumultuous season for Deion Sanders and his Colorado football team ... but this will certainly be the strangest thing to happen to the Buffaloes this year -- a suspected hit-and-run driver busted through stadium gates, and drove his truck all over their field!

According to police, they started receiving calls at around 6:45 PM Thursday after several hit-and-run accidents involving the same pickup truck. Witnesses on the scene told cops a blue pickup was in at least two crashes, and also struck trees and signs before leaving the area after nearly hitting a pedestrian.

Cops eventually found the driver -- later identified as Karl Haglund of Massachusetts -- but he evaded capture. University police later caught up with him near the stadium, but not before he ran his truck through stadium gates and onto the field.

NFL players are seriously worried about Tua Tagovailoa's health after his scary concussion during "Thursday Night Football" ... with everyone from Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe to Antonio Brown urging the Dolphins quarterback to consider retirement.

Gonzalez, a Hall of Famer, was broadcasting the Bills vs. Dolphins game ... so he got a first-hand view of all that went down in the 3rd quarter, when Tagovailoa seemed to lose consciousness after a hard collision with Damar Hamlin.

Tagovailoa, 26, was taken off the field with help from the training staff and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Tom Brady knows he's got some kinks to iron out after calling his first NFL game with Fox ... admitting his performance wasn't perfect, but is confident he's going to improve.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion broke down his TV performance on his latest vlog ... which showed him relaxing on a private jet after the Dallas Cowboys whooped the Cleveland Browns in Week 1.

When asked how he was feeling about his outing, 47-year-old Brady said it felt good to get the ball rolling ... especially with all the emotions that surrounded his debut.

Kendrick Lamar's viral new song validated Dee-1's unyielding message that hip hop culture has sunk into Hades -- and the New Orleans-bred rapper is etching it as a career-changing moment!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Dee on Thursday, just hours after Kendrick shouted him out on the song being dubbed, "Watch The Party Die."

Kendrick seemingly mutes himself with the somewhat cryptic bars, "I want to be empathetic, my heart like Dee-1 but I would ___" ... and Dee thinks the Compton lyricist was metaphorically saying he would blacken his soul to combat the evils of the world, and decided that silence would be the best punchline to end the rhyme.

Detroit Lions legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt passed away on Wednesday, the team announced. He was 92 years old.

"Joe Schmidt had the heart of a Lion," team owner Martha Firestone Ford said on Thursday ... "which made it appropriate that he was also the heart of our team."

"Joe was a key part of our Championship seasons and continued to be an important part of our organization until his passing."

A quartet of former NFL players were forced to pause a heated debate while they were live on television on Thursday morning ... after a terrifying earthquake rocked their set.

It all happened just minutes ago on FS1's "The Facility" -- when Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, James Jones and Chase Daniel were passionately discussing Baker Mayfield.

Jones was trying to compare the Bucs star's career arc with Derek Carr's ... when, suddenly, the cameras that were filming the guys began shaking.

Kendrick Lamar's not gonna kill Roger Goodell's vibe at Super Bowl LIX ... 'cause the NFL commish says he's "absolutely" a fan of this year's halftime performer.

Goodell was out in the Big Apple with his wife, Jane, on Wednesday ... when photogs asked for his thoughts on the 17-time Grammy winner getting picked to take the stage in New Orleans in February.

"Feeling great [about it]!!" Goodell told a camera person ... while adding he's an enthusiast of the Compton MC's discography.

Taylor Swift took home a big win at the MTV Video Music Awards Wednesday night – but the biggest winner was her BF Travis Kelce who wasn't even in the room!

The pop megastar snagged the VMA for Video of the Year for her tune, "Fortnight," and was handed her trophy by none other than the show's host Megan Thee Stallion.

Taylor stepped up to the mic onstage to give a speech thanking the people who helped her create the music video.