Celebrity Health

NFL prospect Michael Jefferson is optimistic he'll make a full recovery from the injuries he sustained in a fatal car crash earlier this month ... and everyone in the former college football star's camp is still holding out hope a team will pick him in next week's draft.

Brad Sohn, Jefferson's attorney, said in a statement Wednesday that while the ex-Louisiana wideout will need to "undergo a grueling rehabilitation" after he was badly hurt in the April 9 accident in Mobile County, AL ... Jefferson still thinks "he can have an outstanding NFL career."

"We believe that optimism is well-founded," Sohn said, "and hope a team still will select this terrific young man and great football player."

Sohn declined to say what injuries Jefferson suffered in the wreck ... though he added in his statement the 23-year-old is "in good spirits under the circumstances."

"Michael would not have made it this far without being a fighter," Sohn said.

We broke the story ... cops say an impaired driver, 55-year-old Charles Dunn, slammed head-on into Jefferson while the two were on a four-lane road on Easter night. Officials say when Jefferson spun out of the initial collision, another car barreled into him. Dunn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jefferson, who logged 51 catches for 810 yards and seven TDs last season, had been rated by some pundits as one of the 30-best wide receivers available in this year's NFL draft class ... and was expected to be a mid-round pick next weekend prior to the accident.

Frank Ocean will not return to the Coachella stage for the festival's second weekend, dropping out after sustaining two fractures and a sprain in his left leg.

In a statement provided Wednesday to TMZ, Frank's reps say, "After suffering an injury to his leg on festival grounds in the week leading up to weekend 1, Frank Ocean was unable to perform the intended show but was still intent on performing, and in 72 hours, the show was reworked out of necessity."

They continue, "On doctor’s advice, Frank is not able to perform weekend 2 due to two fractures and a sprain in his left leg."

Frank tells us, "It was chaotic. There is some beauty in chaos. It isn’t what I intended to show but I did enjoy being out there and I’ll see you soon."

TMZ broke the story, Ocean allegedly hurt his ankle on the festival grounds leading up to his show, causing some last-minute set changes ... so it appears things were much more serious than initially thought.

As we reported, fans were disappointed by the singer's performance at the festival Sunday night as he started an hour late -- there was also awkward pauses, fans could barely see Frank, and he didn't sing some of his most popular stuff. He also didn't sing some songs live, with a vocal track playing while he moved around the stage ... though the busted ankle might help to explain a few of those issues.

Now the question ... who will take his spot. As we reported, Blink-182 had a hugely successful return to the stage during the group's Friday show.

Calvin Harris also drew a massive crowd to the main stage when he hit the festival Saturday night.

Johnny Manziel's girlfriend, Kenzie Werner, says the former Heisman Trophy winner did NOT abuse her ... claiming a post on her social media page Tuesday night that said otherwise was the result of hackers -- and nothing more.

The Instagram Story went up on Werner's IG at around midnight ... and it was extremely graphic.

The post showed four pictures of Werner with various injuries on her face and her body. In one, she had bruises on her breast. In another, she had blood near her nose. The others showed markings around her eyes.

The caption on the post read, "this is from johnny manziel." It also featured a link to Manziel's Instagram page. The story remained up for a few minutes ... before it was taken down.

Werner, though, said in a new post on Wednesday afternoon she had nothing to do with it all ... writing, "was hacked last night. just got my account back. please disregard what was posted. it isn't as it seems."

Tyler Terry, a rep for Werner, tells TMZ Sports ... the photos were not related to Manziel or their relationship at all. The rep was emphatic that the former Cleveland Browns quarterback has never abused her.

We're also told the injuries shown in the pics were not related to domestic violence -- they were a result of an accident at work, where a three-liter bottle of champagne fell on her.

Manziel and Werner have been dating since at least early 2022 ... and have appeared to be a strong couple the entire time.

In fact, the two just recently took a vacation to Miami, where they joked about a bird taking a crap on the ex-NFL player's head while they were relaxing on a beach.

Tiger Woods is still dealing with the aftermath of his horrific car accident -- the golf superstar just underwent yet another surgery on the leg he damaged in the crash.

The 47-year-old's team shared the update on social media just minutes ago ... saying Tiger had a subtalar fusion procedure to treat post-traumatic arthritis he's experienced after fracturing his ankle bone in the Feb. 2021 incident.

Woods' team says he went to Dr. Martin O'Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in NYC ... and the procedure was a success.

"Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation," the statement read.

It is unclear when Woods will be able to return to the golf course ... but he hasn't been 100% ever since the accident.

As we previously reported, Tiger suffered major damage to his right leg, which included comminuted open fractures to both his upper and lower tibia and fibula during the crash. All of it required several procedures to fix.

Tua Tagovalioa just revealed he considered leaving his NFL career behind due to the numerous concussions he suffered last season ... but ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to retire.

The Dolphins QB -- who missed multiple games last season while battling head injuries -- told reporters Wednesday that the concussion that ended his season in December actually had him thinking about his future.

"I think I considered it for a time," Tua said. "Having sat down with my family and having sat down with my wife and having those conversations. But it would be hard for me to walk away from this game, with how old am I, with my son."

"I always dreamed of growing, playing as long as I could to where my son knew exactly what he was watching his dad do. It's my health. It's my body. I feel like this is what's best for me and my family. I love the game of football."

Tagovailoa, 25, suffered what appeared to be his first head injury of the season against the Bills in September -- and then he suffered a devastating concussion just days later against the Bengals.

The scene in Cincinnati was scary ... he lost consciousness after hitting his head on the ground while getting tackled -- and had to be stretchered off the field. He was out of action the following two weeks before returning for the Dolphins' game against the Steelers in Week 7.

Tagovailoa then suffered another concussion against the Packers on Christmas, forcing him to miss the team's final two games. Some head injury experts like Dr. Bennet Omalu strongly urged him to retire.

But Tua was emphatic Wednesday it's just not going to happen now ... saying he's actually taking jiu-jitsu classes to ensure he learns how to fall safely.

Here's more proof hockey guys are the toughest people out there -- NHL center Morgan Barron took a skate to the face that resulted in 75+ stitches on Tuesday ... but somehow, he managed to return and finish the game!!

It all went down at the T-Mobile Arena ... when Barron suffered the injury in the first period in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series between the Winnipeg Jets and the Vegas Golden Knights.

A scrum for the loose puck ensued by the net ... and as players from both teams converged, Vegas goalie Laurent Brossoit's skate inadvertently cut Morgan's face, causing him to bleed.

The 24-year-old -- who got hurt with 10:43 left in the first period -- emerged from the tunnel and returned to the game with 13:24 left in the second.

After the game, Barron told reporters the injury wasn't as bad as it looked, adding the medical staff did an excellent job of fixing him up.

"I was trying to figure out if the puck went in because it was pretty close," Barron said. "I saw the skate coming. It was an unlucky play. The first thought was that I could see out of the [right] eye was the main thing."

Given the magnitude of the matchup, Barron said there was no doubt he would return ... and felt that as long as he was stitched up well enough, he could help his team's chances.

Buddy Teevens' injuries were so severe following a "serious" biking accident a few weeks back, his leg was amputated and his spinal cord injured, his wife announced this week.

"As Buddy navigates through the healing of his injuries, he is experiencing many positive improvements. Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, Buddy's right leg was amputated due to the severity of the injury," the longtime coach's wife Kirsten announced through the Ivy League university.

She added ... "He is alert and communicating with us and ready for transfer to a premier rehab facility to continue healing. Spinal cord injuries are challenging, and if anybody is up for the challenge, it is Buddy."

66-year-old Teevens was struck by a car in Florida around 8:40 PM on March 21 as he was cycling home from a restaurant. Police said Buddy was crossing a highway when the accident occurred. He was rushed to a local hospital in "critical" condition.

Teevens is a legend at Dartmouth. He played quarterback for the school from 1976 to 1978. In his last season, he was an honorable mention All-American.

After hanging up his pads, Buddy picked up the whistle ... coaching Dartmouth during two different stints, as he spent over 30 years as a Division 1 coach. The first stretch at Dartmouth was between 1987 and 1991.

Teevens then spent time at Tulane and Stanford, before returning to the Hanover, New Hampshire university in 2005. Buddy's been the coach since. He's a Dartmouth institution.

Buddy has two grown children with Kirsten ... and his family thanked everyone who's sent thoughts and prayers.

Ralph Yarl -- the teenager who survived a close-range shooting which may have been racially motivated, is set to meet with the mother of Ahmaud Arbery ... TMZ has learned.

Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, tells us she asked attorney Lee Merritt -- who reps both her and Yarl's family -- if he could broker a face-to-face so that she could lend the Yarls some moral support during this difficult time ... as she went through something similar.

She says Lee thought it was a wonderful idea, and the wheels are already in motion for a sit-down between them in the near future -- although it's unclear exactly when. As you can imagine, Ralph is still recovering from being shot in the head ... allegedly at the hands of Andrew Lester, who was slapped with criminal charges this week and who's been arrested.

You might've heard ... Ralph was apparently fired upon last week after he rang Lester's doorbell -- mistakenly thinking it was the house his younger siblings were at. His family and family attorneys believe race was a factor ... something investigators are looking into now.

In any case ... Wanda says she thinks she can offer some good advice to both Ralph and his loved ones right now -- telling us that the loss of her son, Ahmaud, came under very similar circumstances ... which, sadly, had a much more tragic result.

She says she wants to let them know that they have her support and that they can get through this trying time ... a road she herself has obviously gone down of late. Wanda tells us she'll be praying for the Yarls through all this too ... and hopes they receive justice.

BTW, Ralph's story is already getting national attention ... including from the White House, which we're told has already reached out to invite him for an in-person visit once he's ready.

Chrisean Rock has another reason to smile on top of her pregnancy ... the "Baddies" reality TV star recently filled in the famous gap in her grill!!!

Dr. Trevor J. Thomas tells TMZ Hip Hop he consulted with Chrisean for weeks before they collectively made the decision to get a permanent, lasting solution for her smile.

He says the process was quick and painless, and, importantly, he didn't need to take X-rays to get the job done -- a legit concern, because she's expecting.

Chrisean immediately loved her new smile and felt inspired ... so she and Dr. Thomas are going halfsies on a Mother's Day giveaway. The duo's giving one mom a free mouth makeover!!!

All fans have to do is follow the 7 people Dr. Thomas is following on his @teethbytrav IG page, and leave a comment on his post about Chrisean's makeover.

Attorney Ben Crump says it's a true miracle Ralph Yarl is alive after the Black 16-year-old was shot in Kansas City after ringing the wrong doorbell -- but he adds, the charges against the shooter point to a larger problem in America.

Crump joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk all about the aftermath of 84-year-old Andrew Lester shooting Yarl in the head and near the chest-area ... after he had accidentally gone to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings.

Ben tells us, it is a blessing Yarl survived and is in stable condition and recovering at home with his family. He adds, he hopes Ralph has a full recovery -- mentally and physically -- from all the trauma he's endured.

However, Crump was less hopeful about the shooter being held accountable. FYI, Lester was charged with 2 felonies on Monday - assault in the 1st degree and armed criminal action but he was NOT charged with attempted murder.

Crump tells us prosecutors say they charged Lester with the most they believe would result in a conviction ... meanwhile, he says Black folks are charged to the max and it's not a question about whether they would get convicted.

He also notes police questioned Lester for 20 minutes and let him go to sleep the same night -- something he calls "unbelievable". BC says we never see this happen when races are reversed.

Celebs and folks all over have rallied behind Ralph and his family ... donating to his GoFundMe and showing their support. However Ben says America has a long way to go.

In his eyes, the country has a larger issue with using guns to handle differences. He says we shoot first and ask questions later ... whether it's police or citizens.

Damar Hamlin has the green light to throw on his helmet and shoulder pads once again -- the Bills safety is "fully cleared" to resume his football career just three and a half months after suffering cardiac arrest during a game, Brandon Beane announced Tuesday.

The Buffalo general manager shared the incredible update just minutes ago ... saying Hamlin's team of specialists are "in agreement" that he is able to resume his football career.

In fact, Beane says Hamlin has been working out lately -- just like any other athlete would after going down with an injury.

"He's fully cleared," Beane told reporters. "He's here, and he is of the mindset, he's in a great headspace to come back and make his return."

Hamlin hasn't played since his medical emergency during "Monday Night Football" on Jan. 2 ... and has used his near-death experience to spread awareness for CPR training and AED accessibility.

Back in February, Hamlin announced his intentions to return to the field in an interview with Michael Strahan ... saying, "That's always the goal, like I said, as a competitor, I'm trying to do things to keep advancing my situation."

"Bu, I'm allowing that to be in God's hands. I'm just thankful he gave me a second chance."

Bills coach Sean McDermott also addressed the news ... adding, "Super excited for Damar.  He's moving forward one step at a time. We'll provide all the mental health we can. Just taking it one day at a time."

Jamie Foxx is still MIA for his latest flick, stuck in the hospital as doctors continue tests after his medical emergency ... and it appears producers of the film he was shooting are using a body double to complete it in his absence.

"Back In Action" is still going full steam ahead, with Jamie's costars Cameron Diaz and McKenna Roberts filming scenes with his double -- an actor named Chris.

Looks like things are going well, as he and Cameron were yukking it up on set Monday ... shooting a scene together as they walk out of a club.

Worth noting he doesn't have telltale CGI dots on his face, so it seems it's being shot in a way that makes it look like Jamie is in the scene.

As we reported, a stunt double named Travis took Jamie's place last week ... days after the actor was rushed to the hospital for an unknown, serious medical emergency. Doctors are still performing tests to determine what caused Jamie's medical crisis.

Pics show Travis and Chris wearing the same outfit to stand in for Jamie yesterday.

New footage from the aftermath of the Jeremy Renner snowplow accident shows the actor surrounded by a team of medics racing to save his life.

The police body cam captured the rescue operation ... critically injured Jeremy is on the ground, with 5 first responders working swiftly to stabilize him. The surreal scene is playing out right next to a huge pool of blood where the plow had run over the actor.

Jeremy somehow survived being crushed by his snowplow, and, as you know ... he was eventually airlifted to the hospital in critical condition.

It looks like medics loaded him into an ambulance while waiting for the chopper to arrive. We now know he had more than 30 broken bones, a collapsed lung and punctured liver -- just to name a few of his injuries -- yet he survived the New Year's Day disaster, thanks in no small part to the first responders seen here.

The police footage also shows Jeremy's nephew explaining the harrowing scene ... detailing how Jeremy had gotten out of the snowplow cab to check on him. When the plow kept rolling ... he got sucked under its tread while trying to get back in the cab and stop it from hitting his nephew.

The officers on scene are audibly shocked when his nephew describes Jeremy's heroism in that moment.

Frank Ocean suffered a serious ankle injury after being involved in a bike accident on the Coachella grounds just days before he was scheduled to perform ... forcing a change to his production.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the accident occurred when Frank was at Coachella rehearsing his set. He wasn't onstage, though, we're told the mishap involved bikes used to roam around the Empire Polo Club grounds .. and it was serious enough for doctors to advise Frank's production be changed.

One of the major changes involved the use of an ice rink, which was built for Frank's set. Another source with direct knowledge tells us ... a casting director reached out to a bunch of L.A.-based hockey teams in March for an unspecified paid performance. Once the skaters got to the audition, they saw Frank in attendance.

We're told it became clear during the audition that it was for his Coachella set -- and over 100 hockey players were cast. They rehearsed on an elevated ice rink at Paramount Studios, and even got bused out to Coachella for a dress rehearsal the week before Frank's show.

The cast arrived at Coachella on Sunday, but were told the skating routine was scrapped. Instead, they joined Frank on stage as background dancers -- it was more walking than dancing, TBH -- and a source tells us they all got hooked up with custom Prada.

Questions surrounding why Frank arrived at his set late and how production will look for his Weekend 2 set still linger ... but we hope he's a fast healer.

Rep. George Santos is apparently trying to cater to the Barbz -- he just introduced a new bill named after Nicki Minaj that's all about vaccines ... so claims one journo.

Semafor's political reporter Kadia Goba tweeted out some news she says she's privy to -- namely, a piece of legislation the New York congressman has supposedly thrown into the House of Representatives for consideration as a would-be law that bears Nicki's name.

She writes, "Ahem. Rep. George Santos just dropped seven bills in the hopper. Among them, The Minaj Act, named for -- yes, you guessed it -- rapper Nicki Minaj establishes a development period for new vaccines in order to generate public confidence."

We've searched Congress's official site and Rep. Santos's official page, which tracks what bills he's sponsored or co-sponsored, and can't find this new bill anywhere. The House is back in session today, so it's possible Goba got a sneak peek before it hits the system.

The bill would be a fascinating play by the embattled Republican, who's been mired in controversy (stemming from his many lies) from day 1.

Still, he seems to be attempting to curry favor with Nicki's fervent fan base already -- just check Twitter and you'll see they're already loving the move ... and, by extension, Santos. Of course, Nicki's history with vaccine skepticism is well-documented from the pandemic.

Remember, she had a whole ballsy story about her cousin and alleged side effects from the vaccine when they were first being rolled out ... a saga for which she caught a lot of flak.

Chris Cornell's estate -- which is run by his widow, Vicky -- appears to finally be on the same page, legally, with his old band, and it seems like there's even new music on the way.

A statement was issued through Chris's official IG page, and it reads ... "Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution."

It goes on ... "The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden's incredible legacy as well as Chris's indelible mark on music history."

The update comes after years of acrimonious legal battles between Vicky and the band since Cornell's death.

From what we know ... she'd actually sued Soundgarden twice -- once in 2019 over royalties and 7 unreleased tracks and again in 2021 regarding the value of his stake in the band ... and there were even complaints to a judge about COVID protocols amid all this drama. It's been a lot.

Now, it seems like they've all buried the hatchet -- which presumably means both lawsuits have been settled. And that's gotta be great news for Chris' fans around the world.