Interview

Being an NFL quarterback isn't easy, but what's even harder than that? Adding the pressure of being the first overall pick. JaMarcus Russell knows that feeling all too well ... and he spoke with TMZ Sports about the advice he would give players who find themselves in the same shoes he once did.

"Just keep your head up," Russell said when we chopped it up with him. "Never give up. Keep striving forward. You were the number one pick for a reason. Don't get down on yourself, it comes with the sport."

"It don't work overnight. When you're not doing so good, the microscope on it so much because of you being the number one pick. Keep your faith, keep the film room and the weight room your best friend."

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have turned the Chicago Bears around in 2025 ... and one of the greatest players in franchise history can't get enough of what he's seen so far this season.

TMZ Sports caught up with Mike Singletary as his former team sits atop the NFC North with an impressive 11-4 record ... and he couldn't say enough good things about the coach and quarterback duo.

The Hall of Famer said the Bears have not only played good football, but proved they never give up -- and it's been fun to watch as a spectator.

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen is back in the gym gearing up for what hopefully will be a productive 2026 ... and while he has his sights set on former champ Dricus Du Plessis -- he tells TMZ Sports he's getting mixed signals from the Australian!!

We caught up with Allen a few months after he defeated Reinier de Ridder in Vancouver, and he told us he's hopeful a showdown with Du Plessis will be made sometime in the New Year.

But while that's his desire ... he's not so sure it's what the 31-year-old wants.

What's next for Jake Paul after losing to Anthony Joshua?? First of all, some time off to heal his broken jaw ... but Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian tells TMZ Sports El Gallo still wants to make up for his loss to Tommy Fury at some point in his career.

We caught up with Bidarian fresh off Friday's event in Miami ... and he said despite the knockout in the sixth round, there were plenty of wins for Paul.

"Every single MVP fighter won on the card other than Jake, but in my mind, Jake won in many other ways as well by showing his heart, his courage, and actually outboxing, from my perspective, Anthony Joshua in round one and round four."

Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman -- formerly the president of the American Psychiatric Association -- stopped by "TMZ Live," sharing some disturbing insight into the multiple rehab facilities ... which ultimately failed Rob and Michele Reiner's son Nick.

Before his parents' tragic murders, Nick was in and out of rehab at least 18 times. While Nick struggled with substance abuse, Dr. Lieberman suggested the care he received was palliative at best ... and after-care at rehabilitation programs is generally inadequate, resulting in a revolving-door repetition of treatment and release.

Lieberman said, "[Rehab centers] don't necessarily provide mental healthcare for a primary diagnosis such as schizophrenia, which may have been the reason that impelled Nick to use illegal medications, which he became addicted to."

Terence "Bud" Crawford's retirement this week shocked many, but not Shawn Porter ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the boxing champion had been talking about hanging up the gloves for "a long time."

In fact, Porter says Crawford began talking about the end of his boxing career just before their 2021 fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

"I knew once he fought Canelo [Alvarez], he felt like there was nothin' left for him," Porter said.

Nancy Grace says the double homicides of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner are a textbook example of a case that calls for the death penalty ... and that could be bad news for alleged murderer Nick Reiner.

Nancy tells TMZ ... this case is the classic example of when capital punishment should be applied, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman mentioned the death penalty in a recent press conference, so it's being talked about among prosecutors ... but as Nancy explains, a final decision on capital punishment goes way beyond the D.A. office.

Former boxing star Shawn Porter says there's good news and bad news for Jake Paul ahead of his fight against Anthony Joshua -- The good?? The "fixed fight" chatter will end after Friday. The bad?? It's probably because it'll be a rough night for him.

The 38-year-old champ joined TMZ Sports ahead of the big bout going down in a matter of hours on Netflix ... and he broke down his thoughts on El Gallo taking on the biggest challenge of his life -- an active former heavyweight champ and Olympic gold medalist.

Porter says anyone who actually fights knows Jake's bout against then-58-year-old Mike Tyson wasn't fixed -- the legend was simply old and not in shape. Joshua, on the other hand, is as fit as it gets.

Kristin Cabot -- one half of the couple who went viral on social media this summer when they were caught getting cozy at a Coldplay concert -- has confirmed she and ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron are not dating ... and she blames the whole fiasco on alcohol.

The former "chief people officer" for Astronomer opened up about the life-changing ordeal in an interview with The New York Times published Thursday ... she confirmed she is not dating Byron. In fact, they barely have any contact at all. She reasoned ... "Speaking with each other was going to make it too hard for everyone to move on and heal."

Cabot told the NYT she understands she made a choice -- an alcohol-fueled one -- that has now impacted her career. She explained ... "I made a bad decision and had a couple of High Noons and danced and acted inappropriately with my boss. And it’s not nothing. And I took accountability, and I gave up my career for that. That’s the price I chose to pay."

However, as she and her loved ones -- including her minor kids -- continue to heal from the traumatizing publicity, she is speaking out because she doesn't want her silence to become acceptance, noting ... "I want my kids to know that you can make mistakes, and you can really screw up. But you don’t have to be threatened to be killed for them."

Browns legend Joe Thomas has high hopes for Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland ... telling TMZ Sports if the rookie puts together three good performances to end the season, the Orange and Brown just might have their next franchise quarterback on their hands.

We caught up with the Hall of Famer this week ... and with Cleveland currently sitting at 3-11, there weren't too many positives to discuss about his former team's 2025 campaign.

Of course, the Browns' crowded QB room has been a hot topic throughout the season ... and with Joe Flacco out of the picture, Thomas said Dillon Gabriel proved he's not franchise QB material in his six games as a starter.

“Survivor” Season 48 contestant Eva Erickson narrowly dodged the gunman who opened fire at Brown University Saturday afternoon, but she says she's not overly worried about another shooting there.

Check out our interview -- the Ph.D. candidate says she feels "safe" while hunkered down at her off-campus residence in Providence, Rhode Island because she assumes the assailant is "long gone," reasoning ... "Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place." On the other hand, she notes the idea is "horrible" because it feels like the shooter has gotten away.

As you know, there's an intense manhunt for the gunman by local and federal authorities, and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information in the ongoing case. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told ABC News Monday authorities "continue to receive zero credible threats to our community, Brown or the broader community," which he's certainly caught some flack for as the suspect remains on the lam.

While Eva feels safe overall, she tells TMZ she and her peers have just as much information as the general public, and the lack of knowledge about the assailant has everyone "on edge." She is pining for the answers to simple questions -- how and how such a tragedy could have happened.

One thing she's sure of -- something needs to change. Eva says it's "insane" students are so vulnerable to gun violence in America, noting ... "I just wanted to go to school and learn and have this community and be safe. And now that's been taken from me." While she says she doesn't have the answers, she looks at lawmakers who are better equipped to advocate for gun safety regulations.

Donald Trump’s second term keeps sparking serious WTF moments ... now his chief of staff says his erratic behavior boils down to having "an alcoholic’s personality."

Trump’s former campaign boss and current chief of staff Susie Wiles spills it all in a Vanity Fair tell-all, explaining her analogy ... saying Trump operates like he can do no wrong -- a mindset that seems to mirror the reckless, impulsive behavior often associated with alcoholism.

For the record -- Trump’s late brother Fred Trump Jr. struggled with alcoholism, though Trump himself doesn’t drink. Still, it looks like Susie knows the disease well ... her own father battled alcoholism too.

CJ Perry says John Cena is a hero in her book after seeing him tap out in his final WWE match ... even though his last act didn't go the way some fans hoped.

The wrestling legend stopped by the office Monday and joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked her about John ending his iconic WWE career with a disappointing loss to Gunther.

It wasn't your typical storybook ending, but CJ says she's got even more respect for John for the way he tapped out after Gunther put him in a sleeper hold.

Rob Reiner and his son Nick were on rocky ground long before tragedy struck ... with both publicly hinting at a fractured father-son relationship years before the director and his wife were brutally killed ... crimes Nick is now allegedly linked to.

Back in a 2015 interview while plugging "Being Charlie" -- a film loosely inspired by Nick’s real-life struggles, directed by Rob and written by Nick -- Rob admitted the two butted heads during the writing process, but the clash actually helped him understand his son more ... and said it even made him a better father.

As Rob got emotional, Nick sat stone-faced ... before finally chiming in that their bond came from him watching his dad in his element, doing what Rob did best -- making movies -- adding he probably should’ve kept quiet and learned from him.

Jordan Firstman is ripping the HBO Max hit "Heated Rivalry" ... he says the show has a bunch of unrealistic gay sex scenes.

In an interview with Vulture, the openly gay actor repeatedly slammed the streaming show, saying ... "I'm sorry, I watched those first two episodes ... and it's just not gay. It's not how gay people f***."

Jordan filmed real, non-simulated sex scenes in his 2023 flick, "Rotting in The Sun" ... so he would seem to be kind of an expert here.

Andy Dick had everyone worried after suffering a drug overdose on the streets of Hollywood this week ... but he’s making it pretty clear he’s not planning to seek out any professional help.

The troubled comedian invited a TMZ photographer into his L.A. home Wednesday and he straight-up told us he’s not going to rehab -- offering up that answer only after he first posed the question hypothetically to himself, his buddies, and back to us -- even though we’re the ones who brought it up.