Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs ain't messing around with COVID -- tightening up the safety protocol to make sure there are NO possible exposures before the Super Bowl.

... so says star wide receiver Tyreek Hill -- who tells TMZ Sports the team is even bringing in its own COVID-tested barbers to make sure no one catches the virus while getting cleaned up for Sunday.

And, if you're a Chiefs fan, you're loving every bit of this story.

"Yesterday my son had a basketball game and I usually go to his basketball game but since it's Super Bowl week, I didn't even go. We can't even do nothing!"

Hill added, "The Chiefs are bringing in barbers to the facility and getting 'em tested so like they are REALLY following protocol."

Yeah, it might suck to be on lockdown -- but it would suck WAY MORE if someone like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce or Tyreek had to sit out the big game because of COVID. So, props to the Chiefs.

Hill also says that without the usual media insanity of Super Bowl week, the team has been focused on football ... and practices have been intense!

"I just feel like our practice intensity is definitely harder because I don't remember practicing this hard during this time last year!"

"But, this whole process has been fun for me and just being on this team with the brothers and just the coaches, the owner, the GM. It's been amazing! I wouldn't trade it for anything."

In addition to being one of the best WRs in the NFL, Hill is also a fashion designer  -- who just dropped a new high-end backpack with Prime Society.

"Trust me, it's a very luxurious bag," Hill says ... noting he'll be rockin' one on his way to the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Rob Gronkowski channeled his inner-Oprah to surprise 4 healthcare heroes -- YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL, YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL ... EVERYBODY'S GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs superstar dropped in on 4 local healthcare heroes (via video chat) to deliver the good news ... that they've been hand selected by the team to attend the big game at Raymond James Stadium in person on Sunday.

The heroes include Mandy Mueske, Belinda Spahn, Woody Nixon, nurses who have been caring for COVID patients.

Heather Stegmeier is an infection control manager at AdventHealth -- who "educates and assists team members in obtaining and properly using personal protective equipment (PPE)."

And yeah, they're all STOKED about going to the game!!

"The first time the home team is the actual home team and I'm going to be there. I can't believe that," Woody Nixon said.

Mandy is pumped too -- especially since she's never been to a Bucs game before!

"I'm so excited! I watch games every Sunday. Go Bucs!"

The NFL says all 4 heroes will have completed their COVID vaccinations before being allowed into the stadium to watch Tom Brady and the Bucs take on Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will have some real-life heroes cheering them on in Tampa next week ... with the team inviting a group of local healthcare workers to attend Super Bowl LV!!!

The reigning champs announced Friday they have hand-selected their guests for the big game on Feb. 7 ... as a "thank you" to the workers for their commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke about the gesture on Friday ... saying, "We are very excited to invite healthcare workers from Chiefs Kingdom, including a number of individuals from our official healthcare provider, The University of Kansas Health System, to be our Super Bowl guests in Tampa this year."

"These individuals, like so many healthcare workers throughout Chiefs Kingdom and beyond, have given and sacrificed a lot during the ongoing pandemic."

The group will be part of 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers who have been invited to attend the Super Bowl by the NFL ... and among the 22,000 total attendees next week.

"Inviting them as our guests is one way we can thank them for everything they have done for the residents of Kansas City."

Donovan continued ... "It's been an unusual year and season, but it's incredibly special for us to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls and have Kansas City healthcare workers there as we try to finish the job and run it back in Tampa."

Of course, the league is trying like hell to make sure the Super Bowl is as safe of an experience as possible -- including practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings, installing hand hygiene stations and more to prevent a super spread.

The Scooter is faster than The Cheetah!?

Buccaneers wideout Scott "Scooter" Miller certainly thinks so ... 'cause he just revealed he believes he'd DUST Tyreek Hill in a 1-on-1 sprint!!!

"I'm taking me every day of the week," the 23-year-old Tom Brady target said on the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday. "I'll take me over anybody."

Of course, there's a hell of a lot of people who would disagree ... Tyreek is considered the fastest player in the NFL -- and Scott is considered, well, not that.

But, Miller does have some wheels ... you'll recall, the dude ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at his Pro Day at Bowling Green back in 2019 -- and he did look awfully quick on that huge TD against the Packers last week!

"Tyreek is unbelievable, super quick, unbelievable talent," Miller said. "But, if we're talking about a race, I've got all of the confidence in myself going up against anybody."

A race between the two almost certainly will never go down ... remember, Hill told TMZ Sports just a few weeks ago he "retired" from racing people.

But, Hill will play Miller next Sunday for the Super Bowl title when the Chiefs meet the Bucs again.

A new angle capturing the Trey Songz fight at the Chiefs game shows a long discussion with the cop ... and it looks like the singer threw the first punch.

Kansas City Police posted the footage, apparently from a security camera, which they say shows Trey and a few of his buddies in the stands being approached by stadium security 3 different times ... before the KCPD officer was called to intervene.

Check out the clip, they arrow Trey each time -- pointing to the guy in the black hoodie and black hat ... which Trey was wearing in the close-up footage we have of the fight.

You see Arrowhead security come over to talk to him, and the first guard even looks like he's flashing a mask gesture to the group ... presumably telling them that they gotta mask up. A couple other guards come by to talk to them, but the group doesn't appear to follow orders.

Finally, when the KCPD officer shows, he talks to Trey for about 90 seconds ... and then walks around to try escorting Trey out of the section. The singer backed away down the row, before swinging or shoving the cop ... and then it was total mayhem.

You've seen the rest ... Trey and the officer wrestled in the seats, and Trey even had him in a headlock for a bit. Finally, as backup arrived to assist, Trey was arrested and hauled off to jail. He was booked on a handful of charges, including assaulting a police officer.

Remember, KCPD says the whole thing started because fans were asking Trey and co. to put on their masks -- something Trey actually did at one point while he was in the facility, next to security no less -- but it looks like it eventually came off.

Trey Songz found himself in the middle of a physical altercation with a police officer during the KC Chiefs' game, and fans who witnessed it say the cop was way out of line.

We've obtained this video from Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, which -- at first -- shows Trey and the officer in a struggle. Trey connects a punch with the officer's head, and gets him in a headlock, but then the officer pins Trey to a seat.

A witness tells us the whole thing started when Trey was being heckled by some fans a few rows behind him and he asked them to chill out. We're told the officer approached Trey, and without warning, went after him. The witness says Trey was totally caught off guard when the officer got physical, and started to defend himself.

You can hear fans throughout the video shout at the officer, telling him to get off Songz until additional officers arrived. Fans were yelling for the officer to be arrested.

Once backup got there, they were able to separate Trey and the cop ... and they put Trey in handcuffs.

We're told Trey is currently in custody, but it's unclear if he's being booked for anything ... or simply detained.

We've reached out to his reps ... so far, no word back.

Great news for Chiefs Kingdom ... Patrick Mahomes says he's been CLEARED to play in Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills.

"Yeah I'm actually ... just got out of the protocol," Patrick told reporters on Friday.

"The week has just been a bunch of testing, a bunch of different things just to make sure that I'm good to go and there's no lingering effects or anything like that. But everything's been good, I went through what 3, or 4 different doctors have said. Everything's looked well and I'm out of it now."

Of course, Mahomes was knocked out of last week's playoff game against the Cleveland Browns following a shot to the head. He's been in the NFL's concussion protocol ever since.

Mahomes was replaced by veteran Chad Henne, who played pretty well filling in for Patrick against the Browns ... and the big question -- would Henne get the start against Buffalo?

But, Mahomes just addressed reporters on Friday afternoon and confirmed out of concussion protocol ... which means HE'S BAAAAAACK!!

Kansas City was a 3 point favorite going into the match up -- but now that Mahomes is cleared to return, it's possible the spread could widen even further.

As for the Buffalo Bills, led by QB Josh Allen, they've been preparing this week as if Mahomes would play.

Odell Beckham may not be suiting up this weekend, but he's still backing his boys in Orange and Brown ... saying he expects the Cleveland Browns to pull off the HUGE upset and beat the K.C. Chiefs!!

Baker Mayfield and Co. are set to face off against the defending Super Bowl champions in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs on Sunday ... a game that heavily favors the Chiefs.

There's been a LOT of smack talk surrounding the matchup -- from K.C. receiver Sammy Watkins claiming the Browns aren't a real threat to Steelers rookie Chase Claypool saying they'll get "clapped" against Patrick Mahomes' squad.

OBJ -- who's been out since October with a torn ACL -- has entered the chat ... saying folks shouldn't be shocked if the Browns come away with the dub and advance to the AFC title game.

"Don’t be surprised this weekend when they win," Odell tweeted Thursday. "just throwin it out there now."

It may come off as a flaming hot take, but the short-handed (and head coach-less) Browns were able to get their first playoff win since 1994 at Pittsburgh last week ... so really, anything can happen.

Even future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas is expecting big things from his team on Sunday ... saying Cleveland will win and eventually advance to a Super Bowl appearance.

The Browns are 9.5 point underdogs to the Chiefs, and almost no one believes they’ll dethrone the defending champs (lookin’ at you Chase Claypool) ... that is, except NFL legend Joe Thomas.

The 10x Pro Bowler tells TMZ Sports Cleveland will not only beat Kansas City ... but they’ll advance to the Super Bowl this season.

Of course, Cleveland's no stranger to playing the underdog.

Vegas had them on the wrong side of a 5.5 point spread on Sunday ... before the team thoroughly whooped the Steelers, ending their season.

So sure, Thomas might be a little biased ... but he wholeheartedly believes the Browns will take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs when they face-off this weekend.

“I think it’s gonna be a close game,” Joe says.

“The Chiefs have played a close game just about, well I think a one-score game every game the last half of the season, and I think with the Browns rushing attack and the way Baker Mayfield is playing with that killer mentality, I like the Browns in this one.”

FYI, the Chiefs -- a year after winning the Lombardi trophy -- finished the season with the NFL's best record, 14-2.

Bottom line ... Thomas is adamant the lovable loser Browns are long gone -- and this is a team to be reckoned with.

“This is the revival and the resuscitation of the Cleveland Browns franchise. For 17 years, to not go to the playoffs, for a lot longer than that not having won a playoff game and to be able to come back, get that monkey off your back, go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers, your hated rival, in a game that nobody gave you a chance in."

"I think it really is the turning of the tides for the Browns franchise and I think it’s a little bit of the turning of tides in the AFC North as well.”

It's a good thing Travis Kelce's NFL career worked out -- 'cause the guy says he blew every cent of his rookie contract on awesome/dumb stuff like shoes and watches!!!

"Man, I spent it all," the Kansas City Chiefs tight end revealed on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast ... "I should've been on the '30 for 30: Broke' the way I was spending!"

Here's the deal ... Kelce was a 3rd round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft and signed a 4-year, $3.1 million deal with a $700k signing bonus. Great money for a normal person but far from generational wealth!

So, how did Travis spend his first NFL checks? Shoes and a Rolex.

"I'm a big sneaker fan ... and the Marty McFlys ... the 'Back to the Future' ... the Nike Air Mags were the first purchase of kicks that I got."

"I knew I wanted 'em ever since I saw 'em self tie themselves on McFly's feet!"

There's more ... "On top of that, I always wanted a Rollie man so I went out and got myself a Rollie from a Kansas City jewelry shop."

Kelce says he could barely afford rent -- but hey, he REALLY wanted the kicks and the jewelry!

"Man I was walking in this empty apartment with some Marty McFlys on and a Rolex. I felt like the coolest guy in the world, man."

Don't worry ... things worked out for Travis, who signed a $57 million contract extension in 2020. He'll be fine.

But, he has some advice for the next generation of young guys ...

"All the young guys in the league, all the guys that have the opportunity to get that big first check from the NFL -- save it!"

Even the best football player alive can't believe what the Eagles did Sunday night ... with Patrick Mahomes saying he was straight-up perplexed by Philly's apparent tank job against the WFT.

The K.C. Chiefs QB explained his feelings on the matter to KCSP 610 Sports Radio on Monday ... saying when Doug Pederson pulled Jalen Hurts from a winnable game, he just didn't get why.

"You never know what's going on inside the team or the organization," Mahomes said, "but, I mean, just watching how he played the last few weeks, it did kinda confuse me at the time."

Mahomes made it clear he would've wanted Jalen to play the final 4th quarter of the season ... even if it meant it could cost the Eagles a few spots in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"For me, I would have wanted to play and finish out the season, no matter what our record was," Mahomes said. "But, whatever the coach thought was best for the team, he did, and you have to back that as a guy on the team."

For Pederson's part, he's adamantly claimed he was trying to win the game despite the Hurts benching.

There's more ... Mahomes also raved about Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, praising the coach as a "vital" piece of K.C.'s puzzle and promising he'll be a successful head man if he gets the opportunity.

"He's a guy that will hold everybody in the organization accountable, he's going to build the culture the right way and obviously he knows how to call the plays and do that stuff and produce on the field. There's no real negative about it."

Tyreek Hill says Eric Bieniemy will be the next huge name in the NFL head coaching world ... telling TMZ Sports the current Chiefs OC has everything needed to lead a franchise.

Bieniemy has been a hot name for general managers and team owners looking for a new head coach the past few offseasons ... but he's yet to officially land a gig.

Most believe that'll change in 2021, though -- because Bieniemy has been CRUSHING it as the offensive coordinator for Hill, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co. this season.

And, Hill tells us whoever ultimately lands EB will be getting a superstar ... with the wide receiver saying, "Besides coach [Andy] Reid, I've never seen a guy who comes into work each and everyday who wants to get better."

"Everything that he says on the sidelines or in meetings, guys are going to go out and do it because all of us, we want to fight for him because he's a great coach."

Hill continued, "I wouldn't mind playing for him anywhere because our relationship off the field is amazing. He cares about the player that much."

There's more ... Hill also spoke with us about his team's running back situation now that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out with a lower-body injury.

Tyreek says the team has full confidence in Le'Veon Bell ... and expects zero drop-offs as K.C. tries to seal up the #1 seed in the AFC in the next two weeks.

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Tajae Sharpe is paying tribute to King Von with his newest cleats ... repping the late rapper with an incredible custom paint job.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old rising rap star was shot and killed last month outside an Atlanta nightclub ... a tragedy that shook sports stars from LeBron James to Montrezl Harrell, Stephen Jackson and more.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Sharpe wanted to pay homage to one of his favorite rappers  .. and hit up artist Joe Castro from California to bless him with a pair dedicated to Von.

Castro -- who's worked with huge names like Chase Young and DeSean Jackson -- got to work on the special project ... and delivered an awesome product.

Each cleat has an image of Von on each side ... and features phrases that honor the rapper's background -- from the famous Chicago "O Block," which he repped, and his nickname "Grandson," which is also the name of his first mixtape in 2019.

Castro tells us Sharpe picked the perfect portrait of King Von for the cleats ... and the whole project took him 6 hours to complete.

Sharpe just signed with the Chiefs this week ... and you gotta assume he'll be hoping to wear them on the field in Von's honor.

Stunning revelation from Tyreek Hill ... the KC Chiefs superstar says he thought Patrick Mahomes was straight-up GARBAGE after the team drafted the QB in 2017.

"I thought he was trash," Hill said of his first impression of Mahomes at their first training camp together in KC. "I ain't gonna cap. I ain't even gonna cap."

Hill appeared to remember the moment vividly when talking about it all with the guys on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" this week ... saying he wondered out loud what his team's personnel department was doing after seeing Mahomes live for the first time.

"I was like, 'This who y'all drafted right here?'" Hill said with a smile. "'This who y'all drafted?!'"

Of course, Mahomes ended up turning things around -- he's now widely considered the best quarterback of this generation -- and Hill says it's all 'cause the dude put in hard work.

"He proved me into a whole, complete -- I don't know," Hill said. "Like, it's just that second year, like, his quarterback mechanics were different. It was like he was spending more time with his quarterback coach. Spending more time with coach [Andy] Reid. Like learning the offense."

"It was like, dude is like different!"

Mahomes appears to be on his way to winning his second league MVP award in just his third season as a starter ... he's thrown for 3,497 yards already this year with 30 passing TDs and just 2 interceptions.

And, Hill's on his way to a career year because of it all as well -- already scoring 14 total TDs in just 11 games!!

"My girlfriend Kayla."

BOOM. THERE IT IS -- Travis Kelce confirming he's back together with Kayla Nicole ... and just in time for the holidays!!

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end raved about Kayla during a Q&A sesh Monday with WNBA superstar Chiney Ogwumike -- confirming they've officially reconciled after taking a few months off.

Remember, Kelce and Kayla broke up suddenly back in August -- weeks after an awesome couples trip to Lake Tahoe with Patrick Mahomes and his fiancée Brittany Matthews.

Neither side explained the reasons for the split -- though Kelce had said rumors of infidelity were simply not true.

But, get this ... Kayla was recently spotted at a Chiefs game (hanging out with Matthews again) -- sparking hope she and Travis were back on good terms.

AND IT'S TRUE -- not only did they make up, they're dating again! Travis made the status of their relationship crystal clear during his convo with Ogwumike calling her his "girlfriend" and promising to shower her with gifts for the holidays.

"She's the best," Kelce said about Kayla ... "She's the absolute best."

Kelce and Kayla are definitely fan favorites when it comes to celebrity couples -- remember when they raged together during the Super Bowl parade in K.C. back in February???

A ball Patrick Mahomes signed back in high school is hitting the auction block ... and check out the signature -- the NFL superstar had a John Hancock like a pro even as a teenager!!

TMZ Sports has learned the K.C. Chiefs QB put pen to ball back in 2013 ... and now, it's the earliest Mahomes auto EVER to go up for auction.

We're told the story behind the ball is pretty special ... the guys at Lelands say Mahomes and his entire Whitehouse H.S. Wildcats baseball team in Texas signed it for a boy who was battling Leukemia.

Leland's reps say the boy threw out the first pitch at one of the team's games (with Mahomes catching it) -- and later, the kid got the whole team to sign it.

Check out the piece ... in the sweet spot, "2013 Whitehouse Wildcats" is handwritten. Just above it is Mahomes' auto, which features his signature with the "#5."

21 of Mahomes' other high school teammates also signed the ball.

Unclear what it's ultimately expected to fetch -- it is awfully hard to price such a unique item, after all -- but bidding has started at $500.

And, if that price sounds crazy ... consider this -- a ball signed by a teenage Michael Jordan in 1976 just sold this year at auction for $36,000!!!