Football

LeBron James is rallying behind Bryce Young ... telling the second-year quarterback to stay focused on his goals after losing his starting job with the Carolina Panthers.

King James -- a fellow No. 1 overall pick himself -- went to X to show support for the young signal-caller on Tuesday ... making sure his 53 million followers saw his encouraging message.

"Bryce Young hold ya head Young 🤴🏾!! Rooting for you and know this ain't on you! Continue to put the work in and it shall prevail! 🙏🏾👑"

Patrick Mahomes seemingly has everything -- a loving family, three Super Bowl rings and an NFL contract worth roughly half a billion dollars -- but Travis Kelce still tried to hook him up with a sweet birthday gift this week nonetheless.

The Chiefs' star signal-caller revealed during an interview with "The Drive" on Tuesday his favorite pass catcher got him a swanky Louis Vuitton golf bag for his big 2-9.

It's unclear how much Kelce dropped on the present -- but on the designer's website, there are a few different models that range from $22,600 to $31,500.

The Eagles superfan who wrecked his knee after chest-bumping Jason Kelce says he's doing just fine now ... not only because he'll eventually recover, but also thanks to the Philly legend for reaching out and making his dreams come true!!

Rob Dunphy went to social media to provide a pretty hilarious medical update on Tuesday ... saying he got some x-rays done on his knee after the "Monday Night Countdown" catastrophe -- and the results were essentially, "Man the f*** up."

Dunphy added he's hoping to get an MRI done in the next few days ... but in the meantime, he'll be getting around on some crutches.

The Carolina Panthers have no one to blame but themselves for how things played out with Bryce Young ... so says former No. 2 overall pick Ryan Leaf, who tells TMZ Sports the entire organization is a complete mess -- and he's hoping the quarterback gets the hell outta town.

We caught up with Leaf shortly after the Panthers announced they would go with veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton under center in Week 3 ... and he thinks the former Alabama superstar was dealt a crappy hand with his first NFL home.

"They screwed this thing up from the get-go, though. I mean, this organization is horrible," Leaf said.

Kristin Cavallari is an emotional wreck over her son's first foray into tackle football ... breaking down in tears as she admitted watching him get roughed up on the field is "one of the hardest things I've had to sit through."

Cavallari -- who shares her 6th grader, Camden, with ex-NFL quarterback Jay Cutler -- opened up about her struggles on her "Let's Be Honest" podcast ... explaining how her boy is old for his class, but outsized by his 7th and 8th grade opponents.

While KC said Camden's first two games went off without a hitch, the third was a different story ... and he was on the receiving end of some "really bad" hits and "went flying."

Kareem Hunt is returning to Kansas City ... the Chiefs have just re-signed their former star running back -- some six years after they unceremoniously cut him.

Hunt will initially be on the team's practice squad, according to multiple reports ... as Kansas City will first look to replace injured starter Isiah Pacheco with backups Carson Steele and Samaje Perine.

But, should the duo fail to produce ... Hunt could log snaps in the same backfield as Patrick Mahomes for the first time since the 2018 season.

Emily Gold -- the teenage "America's Got Talent" cheerleader who tragically died last Friday -- will be honored by her high school football team and its student body later this week ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Chaffey Joint Union High School District in Southern California tells us ... Los Osos H.S. -- where Gold attended before her death -- will have several tributes at its football game Thursday, including a "gold game," where fans are strongly encouraged to wear gold.

Officials added there will also be a moment of silence for Gold at the event ... which is slated to kick off less than one week after the 17-year-old was found dead under a bridge on the 210 Freeway in Rancho Cucamonga.

The Eagles suffered a crushing last-minute defeat on "Monday Night Football" at the hands of Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons ... and their star running back, Saquon Barkley, is acknowledging his key fourth-quarter drop might have cost Philadelphia the game.

Barkley met with media members at his locker following the 22-21 defeat ... and almost immediately, the $37.75 million man took ownership of a crucial third-down drop that would have iced the contest for Philly.

"I dropped the ball," he said. "Let my team down today. Shouldn't have put my defense in that position, make that catch the game's over."

A Philadelphia Eagles superfan spent part of his Monday night in a world of pain ... and it's all 'cause he took a huge bump to the chest from Jason Kelce at a parking lot party.

It all went down just prior to the Eagles' "Monday Night Football" game against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field ... where Kelce was trying to rowdy up some fans at a tailgate outside of the stadium.

The former Birds offensive lineman hopped on the mic and gave an epic pump-up speech ... and to put an exclamation point on things -- he brought Rob Dunphy out for a fun celebration.

Derrick White was hit in the head by a spinning backfist on Saturday, new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows ... and it all appeared to be because the NBA champion was showing love for his alma mater.

White, a Boston Celtics star and a Univ. of Colorado alum, attended the Buffaloes' big rivalry matchup with Colorado State over the weekend at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins in some CU swag ... and, initially, it looked like he was enjoying the game without issue.

But, one witness in attendance tells us during the second quarter ... the hooper got into a bit of a verbal spat with some Rams fans as Deion Sanders and Co. began handling business on the field.

Bryce Young has been booted to the bench after stumbling out the gates to start the 2024-25 season ... with the Carolina Panthers reportedly shifting to veteran quarterback Andy Dalton under center.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales confirmed the development minutes ago ... saying the team is going with the 36-year-old Pro Bowler starting this week.

It's been nothing short of a disaster for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick ... he's thrown for just 245 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns in his first two outings.

NFL teams in need of a quarterback might want to see what Caitlin Clark's up to on off-days ... 'cause the WNBA star threw out some swag at the Fever game Sunday -- and it's clear, she's got a cannon!!

Check out video Indiana posted to its social media pages following its 110-109 win over the Dallas Wings ... you can see the 22-year-old signed some mini-basketballs, and then hurled them into the stands like she was Patrick Mahomes.

One after another, she rifled them to people who were sitting in Gainbridge Fieldhouse nosebleeds ... and people were left in awe of her right arm.

Patrick Mahomes turns 29 Tuesday ... but he was already in celebration mode over the weekend and his wife, Brittany, gave everyone a behind-the-scenes look at his bday party.

Brittany posted a series of photos and videos on her Instagram story, providing a sneak peek into Patrick's birthday bash Sunday evening at their Kansas City, Missouri home.

Check out the images -- one of which showed a large display of red and black balloons surrounding two signs that read, "Patrick's 29." Other pictures captured more balloon arrangements, drink holders with old photos of Patrick smiling as a boy and blown-up pics on a column decoration with more throwback pics of the star KC Chiefs quarterback.

10:20 AM PT -- Detroit Police tell TMZ Sports the second man involved in the shooting has tragically passed away.

A Lions fan lost his life on Sunday -- after he was shot and killed during a party after Detroit's home game against the Buccaneers.

Detroit Police say the man -- who was in his 40s -- had been at a tailgate at Eastern Market in downtown in the hours after the Lions lost a heartbreaker to Tampa Bay ... when he got into an altercation with another man.

Cops say witnesses told them the two guys squared up as if they were going to fight -- when, suddenly, the man's opponent pulled out a gun and fired.

Packers center Josh Myers had a sick game Sunday, literally ... he PUKED ON THE FOOTBALL before snapping it to his quarterback, Malik Willis.

The vomit-inducing moment went down during the second quarter of the Packers' 16-10 win over the Colts ... right as 26-year-old Myers was about to snap the ball on 3rd and 10.

The 6-foot-5, 309 pound athlete was in his stance, hand on the football, as Willis went through his cadence ... when, projectile vomit, all over the football.

Hike!

Taylor Swift's showing her Kansas City stripes ... pulling up to her boyfriend Travis Kelce's second game of the season in an oversized K.C. shirt dress for his matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The singer-songwriter has just arrived at Arrowhead Stadium for the game ... wearing a bright red Chiefs shirt, with the large arrowhead logo on the front.

She's not on her own at this one ... striding into the game with singer Danielle Haim at her side -- who showed up in her own bright red top.