Football

Leighton Vander Esch's dad was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly attempted to strangle the former Dallas Cowboys star's mom, new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

According to the docs, the incident happened around midnight on Dec. 1 in Idaho County ... when Darwin Vander Esch allegedly got physical with his wife, Sandy Vander Esch, following an argument at a nearby bar.

Cops wrote that Sandy told them Darwin had locked her out of their house after the dispute, so she broke in ... and soon after, officers say she claimed her husband confronted her and put both of his hands around her neck and "was pushing and squeezing, not letting her talk or breathe."

Shailene Woodley is looking back on her relationship with ex-fiancé Aaron Rodgers ... and two years on, it's safe to say she's still pretty emotional about the whole thing.

The actress explained she hasn’t shared much about the breakup because it always makes her tear up ... but summed up their 2022 breakup after two years together by saying it just wasn’t right, even though the relationship was beautiful.

Shailene made it clear there’s no bad blood between her and Aaron -- but elsewhere in her Outside mag interview, she also opened up about a "really awful, traumatic thing" that happened to her in early '22, around the time she first split from the NFL star in February that year.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Thanksgiving holiday had plenty of family drama ... we've learned cops were called after the estranged couple got into a heated exchange in front of their kids just before Turkey Day.

In a new incident report obtained by TMZ ... the Milton Police Department explains they were dispatched on Wednesday to Kim and Kroy's Georgia home -- which is set to be auctioned off today -- for a domestic violence call.

Per the report, Kim says she and Kroy got into a tense argument while taking curtains down in their home ... with "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum painting her estranged hubby as the aggressor. She claims Kroy got confrontational with her, resulting in him physically removing her from the ladder by throwing her to the ground.

Jameis Winston had a come-to-Jesus moment after the Browns' ninth loss of the season ... praying for the Lord to prevent him from throwing pick-sixes during his postgame interview.

The 30-year-old had numerous memorable moments against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football" ... kicking things off with yet another classic pregame speech that even included the program's signature jingle.

Once the game was underway, so was the "Jameis Winston experience" -- the QB ended up breaking the Browns' single-game passing record previously held by Josh McCown by throwing 497 yards and four touchdowns.

The NFL just threw the book at Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair for his Sunday hit on Trevor Lawrence ... suspending him without pay for THREE GAMES.

The league made its ruling official on Tuesday morning ... saying his past offenses for "personal fouls and sportsmanship-related rules violations" factored into the decision.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan scolded the Houston linebacker in a strongly-worded letter when announcing the ban for lowering his shoulder and hitting Lawrence in the head as the Jaguars QB was sliding during their weekend tilt in Jacksonville.

Martin Gramatica is making it clear if he were running the Ravens' special teams ... he would NOT get rid of Justin Tucker -- despite the star's recent woes.

The legendary kicker tells TMZ Sports ... he believes Tucker's just simply hit a rough patch -- and he's confident the 35-year-old will fight his way through it in time for Baltimore's impending playoff run.

"He's going to snap out of it," the former Buccaneers kicker said. "There's no question that he knows how to kick. He's done it forever."

The father of retired Dallas Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch was arrested in Idaho over the weekend on several charges -- including felony attempted strangulation.

The Idaho County Sheriff's Office says it received a call regarding a domestic battery outside the city of Riggins around 12:16 AM on Dec. 1.

After cops arrived at the scene, 61-year-old Darwin Vander Esch was arrested for felony attempted strangulation and cited for misdemeanor domestic battery and misdemeanor intentional destruction of a telecommunication device.

3:17 PM PT -- Eli Manning has entered the chat ... letting Tom Brady know he wasn't too impressed with his catch.

Speaking of catches ... TB12 clapped back with a zinger of his own -- referencing David Tyree's Super Bowl-saving helmet reception that helped the Giants beat Brady's Patriots back in 2008.

Ultimately, Brady's seven rings beats Manning's two ... but considering both of those came against the Pats, Eli's got the right to throw a friendly jab here and there.

Tom Brady's clearly thankful for retirement ... sharing his relief over not having to play in crappy Buffalo weather anymore -- all while sending out a friendly reminder he's hot A.F.

The G.O.A.T. shared some snaps from his post-Thanksgiving fishing and golf outings ... and judging by the visuals, he didn't overdo it on the turducken.

TB12 ditched his shirt for the boat trip ... and after snagging some queen snapper, he posed with one of his catches.

Tragic news for Trent Williams' family -- the San Francisco 49ers star's wife just revealed their son was stillborn last month ... after losing his twin sibling earlier in the pregnancy.

Sondra -- who shares three daughters with Williams -- announced the heartbreaking loss on Instagram with a heartfelt video showing her pregnancy journey leading up to welcoming Trenton O'Brien Williams Jr. on November 24.

"My firstborn and only son, I've always wanted you, but God wanted and needed you more," Sondra said ... adding Trenton -- who weighed 4 pounds, 8 ounces -- was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, also known as Patau Syndrome.

Josh Allen played in his first game fresh off his engagement to Haliee Steinfeld Sunday night ... and it sounds like he can get used to playing as a fiancé -- saying he "felt free" out on the field!

The Bills star quarterback was all smiles when a local reporter asked for his thoughts on playing with his new moniker as Steinfeld's soon-to-be hubby ... and he had no complaints.

"It felt good," he said. "It felt free."

Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is issuing a mea culpa to Trevor Lawrence over his controversial hit on Sunday ... saying he never intended to hurt the Jaguars quarterback -- and calling out "racist" and "Islamophobic" fans in the process.

The 27-year-old released the statement on X ... claiming while he always plays with intensity, he doesn't purposely try to take anyone out of competition.

"My goal is to hit you as hard as I can then I pray you're still able to get up and play the next play," he said. "And when the game is over go home to your family unharmed because it's not personal it's just competition!"

Najee Harris seemingly had too much on his plate this Thanksgiving ... claiming the upset stomach he experienced during Sunday's game was the result of a delicious dish his teammate's girlfriend put together for dinner.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back explained why he was sidelined early in the team's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and needless to say, he might have to reconsider his Turkey Day strategy moving forward.

James Van Der Beek is clearly learning firsthand how out-of-control medical costs can sink a family.

As we reported, the "Dawson's Creek" star is being treated for colorectal cancer. He's pitching something to his Instagram ... followers can help pay his medical expenses and the expenses of others in a similar situation.

James is enticing his followers to buy a football jersey from his flick, "Varsity Blues," and guarantees he'll have it personally signed and delivered by XMAS.

The 2024 Bengals are struggling to find wins ... but Chad Johnson is warning the team to not fire Zac Taylor -- telling TMZ Sports "Changing the coach is not going to change s***."

We caught up with the former Cincinnati superstar out at LAX earlier this month ... and just had to get his thoughts on the 4-7, underachieving Bengals.

Johnson made it clear it's been a disappointing year for sure ... but he's not ready to call for mass changes yet.

A University of Arizona defensive assistant is going to wake up with a splitting headache Sunday ... 'cause he headbutted a player wearing a helmet out of excitement -- and cut his forehead wide-open.

Chuck Cecil -- a senior defensive assistant with the Wildcats -- was hyping up one of his guys pregame ... grabbing cornerback Owen Goss' helmet and slamming his head hard into the player's.

Goss was wearing a helmet ... but Cecil wasn't -- and, after smashing his head into the player's three times, he was clearly bleeding.

The Ohio State vs. Michigan football game ended in a brawl Saturday ... all because Michigan wanted to play conquering hero on OSU's field.

Here's the deal ... Michigan -- an unranked 6-5 team -- defeated their hated rival, ranked #2 in the country, in a dramatic 13-10 victory.

At the game's end, several Michigan players took a flag emblazoned with the yellow Michigan "M" and attempted to plant it in the center of the big crimson "O" at the 50-yard line ... a controversial gesture to say the least.