Football

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.

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.