NFL

Teddy Bridgewater was forced to spend Sunday night in a hospital ... after he terrifyingly slammed his head on the grass during the Broncos' game against the Bengals.

The horrifying scene all went down on Sunday in the third quarter of the game at Empower Field in Denver ... when Bridgewater dove for a first down but landed awkwardly on his head and neck.

Video of the play is scary ... you can see in the clip, Teddy appeared to be knocked unconscious as soon as his face hit the turf.

Trainers and staffers raced out to tend to the star quarterback ... removing his facemask and strapping him to a backboard, before taking him off the field and to a hospital on a stretcher.

Denver head coach Vic Fangio announced after the game Bridgewater would be kept at a medical facility for evaluation through at least Monday ... though he did say he expected the signal-caller to somehow be okay.

"Everything has checked out good up to this point," Fangio told reporters after Denver went on to lose, 15-10. "They're just going to keep him overnight for observations. But they think he'll -- should be and will be fine. Eventually."

Bridgewater is no stranger to horrible injuries -- you'll recall, he nearly lost his leg after he gruesomely tore his ACL in a play during Minnesota Vikings practice in 2016.

He's since come back from that injury strongly ... and had been having a solid year for Denver this season, recording 3,052 passing yards and 18 passing TDs.

Get well soon, Teddy.

The T in TB12 now stands for temper ... 'cause Tom Brady completely lost his cool during a bad loss to the Saints on Sunday -- appearing to tell New Orleans coach Dennis Allen to "go f*** yourself."

It was anything but Brady's night in Tampa Bay -- the Bucs fell 9-0 in a blowout lost to New Orleans ... and things came to a head when the 7-time Super Bowl champ threw an interception to C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the 4th quarter.

After the pick, many believe Brady ran over to Allen -- who stepped up after HC Sean Payton tested positive for COVID-19 -- and cussed him out.

The interaction was caught on video ... and naturally, every amateur lipreader on social media came up with the same conclusion.

But, that wasn't the only outburst of the night -- Brady got so pissed later in the 4th quarter that he chucked his Microsoft Surface on the sideline ... completely wrecking it in the process.

The frustrations have been piling on in recent years ... as Tom can't seem to figure out how to beat the Saints in the regular season since joining the Bucs.

Jimmy Smith is dancing on Florida State's grave ... thanking the school for not hiring Deion Sanders in 2019 and clowning the program for now losing to the Jackson State headman on the recruiting trail.

Smith took the hilarious shots at the 'Noles in a conversation with TMZ Sports this week ... explaining why he believes Prime will not leave JSU for a Power 5 school anytime soon.

"This is his baby," said Smith, who played his college ball for the Tigers before starring in the NFL. "Why would he want to go anywhere else?"

"You look at Florida State and what they did," Smith continued. "They did not give him a chance to be the head coach in the beginning. Now, look at you, Florida State! Huh?! He's ours now. Thank you!"

Of course, Sanders was rumored to be in the running for FSU's vacant head coaching job back in 2019 -- but the Seminoles passed on him and hired Mike Norvell instead.

Sanders went on to take the JSU head coaching gig in 2020 -- and he just ripped the Noles' hearts out this week by flipping top recruit Travis Hunter.

Smith said he couldn't be more fired up to watch Sanders continue to succeed at his alma mater ... telling us, "These kids are coming to Jackson State because they want to play there!"

"You know, they can go anywhere in the country but they want to be at Jackson State," Smith added. "I'm glad to be an alumni of Jackson State. This is just great!"

Emmanuel Acho -- former NFL linebacker and "The Bachelor" host -- just got himself the sickest birthday present ever ... a $6 MILLION mansion!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Philadelphia Eagles player bought the insane Hollywood Hills home for his 31st birthday last month, and he even copped a vacant, 10,156-square-foot lot next to it as well.

We're told the price tag on it all was $6,325,000 ... and check out the pics of the place -- it appears to be worth every penny.

The hillside house -- which sits just moments away from the iconic Sunset Strip -- offers an incredible view of the L.A. skyline from the hills to Downtown L.A.

The dope pad features four bedrooms and five bathrooms and over 5,900 square feet ... as well as a primary bed suite with a sitting area and balcony that overlooks city lights.

There's more -- the crib also comes with three additional guest suites and features large closets and en suite bathrooms ... as well as a massive kitchen fully equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.

Brooke A. Elliott of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass represented the seller, while Kennon Earl of Rare Properties at Compass represented Acho.

As for Acho's feelings on the sale, he's clearly pleased with it all ... posting from the pad last month, "I didn't know what to do for my birthday... #NewHomeOwner #LosAngeles."

NFL legend Lawrence Taylor was arrested in Florida on Thursday ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The former New York Giants superstar was booked at around 8:45 PM ET and released hours later, jail records show. The 62-year-old posed for a mug shot before his release.

The news was first reported by Andy Slater.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear -- we're working on it -- but according to a spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Taylor was booked on charges of sex offender violations.

As we previously reported, Lawrence was declared a sex offender back in 2011 ... after he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute.

In the case, Taylor was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl ... though he said at the time he thought she was 19.

Due to his status as a sex offender, Taylor is required to be on top of several things ... including letting law enforcement know of any residence or name changes.

Of course, Taylor is no stranger to run-ins with the law ... the former football player has been arrested several times in his life, including multiple times in the late 1990s after he allegedly tried to buy drugs from undercover police officers.

Horrifying scene during the Chargers vs. Chiefs game Thursday ... L.A. tight end, Donald Parham, was rushed to the hospital after he violently slammed his head on the turf during a play.

Parham was attempting to catch a touchdown pass in the first quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium ... when his head forcefully hit the ground after he dove for the ball.

The 24-year-old appeared to be knocked unconscious immediately ... with his arms stiffening in the bent position.

Trainers rushed out to the football player ... and unscrewed his facemask, before securing him to a backboard and placing him on a stretcher.

Parham was seen moving his hands and legs while talking with trainers ... but, terrifyingly, his arms were shaking as he was being stretchered off the field.

The Chargers say he was ultimately taken to nearby UCLA Harbor Medical Center with a head injury ... adding that he was "in stable condition." No further update has been given.

"I'm just hoping for the best," star quarterback Justin Herbert said of Parham after the game. "Parham has been an incredible teammate and an incredible friend. He's been nice to everyone in that locker room, and everyone loves him."

Parham has started nine games for L.A. this season ... scoring three touchdowns.

If you thought Frank Gore and Deron Williams were just gonna spar for a few rounds on Saturday, think again -- the NFL star tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to put a hurt on the ex-NBAer ... and come away with the win!!

Frank and Deron will both be making their boxing debuts on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II undercard in Tampa ... and with just over 24 hours to go, we asked Gore what he's expecting in the fight.

"I wanna look good, man," he tells us. "I wanna show everybody whatever you put your head to, you can do it."

"I'm going for the W. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win. If the knockout come, it will come. I wanna show everybody that I got skills."

BTW -- Frank and Deron weighed in on Friday ... and they both looked GOOD. Since Gore's been training like crazy, we had to ask if this was just a one-time thing, or if we'll see him in the ring for years to come.

"If I have a good time and feel like I want to do it again, I'll do it," he said. "I'm very happy about my decision to take this fight."

Gore admits he's a bit nervous as he gets closer to stepping in the ring ... but he's looking forward to showing the world what he's got.

Baker Mayfield is getting his wish -- Cleveland's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday has been pushed back 'til Monday ... after a crap ton of Browns players tested positive for COVID-19.

The league had been dragging its feet all week ... insisting it would NOT move the schedule around -- even with Baker, head coach Kevin Stefanski and a constantly growing list of players getting added to the COVID-19/reserve list.

But, with safety -- and quality of play -- becoming an even bigger issue if the Browns and Raiders took the field as planned, Roger Goodell made the decision to have the game go down on Monday.

There's more -- the Seahawks and Rams game is potentially moving to Tuesday ... and the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles' matchup could be moved as well.

As we previously reported, Mayfield was pissed with the league's handling of the COVID-19 outbreaks this week ... saying, "Make up your damn mind on protocols."

The NFL just announced drastic changes to its COVID-19 protocols ... eliminating in-person meals and requiring more masks as cases surge across the league.

Officials announced the moves in a memo to teams on Thursday ... placing tighter restrictions on coaches and players in order to "address the increase in cases and the advent of the Omicron variant."

In addition to more masking and no more face-to-face meals ... the league is also ordering teams to conduct remote or outdoor meetings, as well as ban outside visitors on road trips.

"We will continue to strongly encourage booster shots as the most effective protection," the league added in its memo.

NFL officials also said they are looking into adjusting "return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19" -- potentially opening the door for players to see the field sooner following a positive COVID test.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of the NFL seeing teams lose some of their biggest stars due to the virus -- with players like Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield having all been sidelined this week due to positive tests.

The NFL contends that the changes it's proposing are grounded in data and backed by science, and that the safety of its players, coaches, personnel, and entire NFL community is the No. 1 goal.

Carson Wentz just made sure his O-linemen won't go hungry (or thirsty) for Christmas ... 'cause he just gave them all a grip of meat, booze and coolers ahead of the holiday!!

Colts guard, Quenton Nelson, and tackle, Matt Pryor, showed off the goodies on social media on Thursday ... revealing their quarterback dropped off the presents right in their lockers this week.

In total, the gift baskets for the big fellas included two Yeti coolers, a Yeti water bottle, bourbon and some meats from "The Wagyu Shop."

No word on the final price tag of it all, but since Wentz has made over $100 MILLION in his career, we're pretty sure none of it was cheap.

As for the guys' reaction to the presents, both Nelson and Pryor seemed pumped for the early X-mas gifts ... thanking the QB in their comments.

Urban Meyer is barely out of the door in Jacksonville, but Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith tells TMZ Sports he already knows who should replace him -- Byron Leftwich!

The former NFL star said Thursday just hours after Meyer was canned that he thinks the ex-Jags quarterback is now the right man for the vacant head coaching job in Jacksonville.

"When I think about our next coach," Smith said, "that's the guy."

Smith says his reasoning is simple -- he believes the next coach of the Jaguars has to have love for the franchise as well as previous ties to it, which Leftwich obviously has.

And, given Leftwich's coach resume -- which includes time as Tom Brady's offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay the last two years -- Smith says it should be a no-brainer hire.

"That's a guy that, at this stage right now that we're in as far as the franchise, you need a guy who's going to love the city and love the fans and love the franchise," said Smith, who actually caught passes from Leftwich during their careers as Jaguars.

"I can't think of a guy better than Byron Leftwich."

If Leftwich should turn down the job -- which Smith says could be a possibility -- he told us he wouldn't be opposed to seeing Vikings wide receivers coach and former Jaguars legend, Keenan McCardell, getting a look for the gig as well.

Jackson Mahomes just got burnt to a crisp by a local bar in Kansas City ... being called an entitled, egotistic clout chaser who didn't earn his popularity after the Chiefs QB's brother blasted the establishment on social media.

The TikTokker went off on the SoT cocktail bar this week ... claiming he had awful service at the place while asking his 255k followers if they had similar experiences.

Word got back to SoT, which released an Ether-esque diss on Mahomes via its official Facebook page.

The whole thing is wild, but here are some notable lines:

"We are sorry that we set boundaries that you tried to ignore," the bar said. "Often times people with un-earned status and a sense of entitlement think they are above the rules and will lash out at the employee enforcing them."

That's one of the more tame burns.

"We survived a global pandemic, we’ll survive your ego," the bar continued ... going on to mention Jackson's recent controversies -- pouring water on Ravens fans and dancing on Sean Taylor's tribute in Washington.

"We are sorry you didn’t reach out to us first before taking to social media, but then again that is an expectation we would have from a mature and rational person, not someone who pours water on fans and dances on the memorials of tragically lost people for TikTok clout."

"We have not been fortunate enough to be born into a much more talented and much more famous family but we would like to think that if we did have that much luck- we would use our influence in more responsible ways."

"We hope our apology finds you well."

Sheesh!!!

Safe to say Jackson -- or the rest of the Mahomeses -- won't be back in a while.

We've reached out to Jackson and the bar for comment ... so far, no word back.

A study of Vincent Jackson's brain showed the former NFL star was suffering from stage 2 CTE ... Jackson's family and medical experts revealed Thursday.

Dr. Ann McKee, the expert at Boston University who conducted the study on Jackson's brain, said the ex-Tampa Bay receiver had "multiple areas of the brain that were affected on both sides of the brain."

McKee noted to "Good Morning America" that oftentimes that level of the disease can lead to "violent behaviors" as well as depression and mood swings.

Jackson's widow, Lindsey Jackson, said in an interview with 'GMA' that she believes it all helps explain how the 38-year-old was found dead in a Florida hotel room back on Feb. 15, 2021.

"In his mind," Lindsey said, "it would have explained why he couldn't fix anything."

Lindsey noted that prior to his death, Vincent was dealing with memory issues and was lashing out often -- and needed alcohol to "feel calm."

She said Vincent told her his brain was "fuzzy" ... but said the booze made it feel "not fuzzy."

Lindsey said in a statement Thursday she's choosing to go public with the diagnosis in order to help others who may be dealing with similar issues.

What's interesting ... Lindsey noted Vincent had never been formally diagnosed with a concussion in his 12-year NFL career.

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Urban Meyer after less than a season ... ending a disastrous tenure plagued by losing and controversy.

The 57-year-old college coaching legend signed a lucrative 5-year contract with the team only months ago.

On the field, Meyer's squad looked flat-out bad ... starting the year 2-11. The worst record in the entire NFL.

He reportedly blamed everyone but himself for the incessant losing ... including assistant coaches and players.

But, play on the field might've actually been the highlight for Meyer ... 'cause off the field, he suffered through several controversies.

Back in October, after his team's 4th loss (in 4 games), the coach stayed in Ohio while his team flew back to Florida ... and was caught cozying up to women in a bar.

Meyers -- who is married -- apologized for his actions ... and reportedly, at the moment at least, got support from the front office and players.

However, the moment was incredibly embarrassing for the organization ... and Urban never really recovered.

In fact, earlier today ex-Jag Josh Lambo accused the coach of kicking him ... and bullying the kicker.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan, the man behind the decision, issued a statement on Meyer's firing to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

“After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone.”

He continued ... “I informed Urban of the change this evening.  As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential.  Regrettably, it did not happen.”

Of course, Khan's referring to the Ohio bar incident.

Joe Biden has just inserted himself into Aaron Rodgers' COVID vaccine drama ... with the President telling a Packers fan in Kentucky that he wants the QB to get vaxxed ASAP.

Biden made the quip while visiting tornado-ravaged parts of the Bluegrass State ... whispering to a woman in a Green Bay cap and shirt, "Tell that quarterback he's gotta get the vaccine."

Cameras caught the moment between the two ... showing the Packers fan and others around her laughing out loud at Biden's comment.

Of course, Rodgers has famously said he's not vaccinated ... telling Pat McAfee earlier this year he's actually allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna versions of the shots.

Rodgers also said he just flat-out doesn't want the Johnson & Johnson jab, claiming its reported side effects have made that not an option for him either.

Rodgers has been ripped by many for his stance ... with Howard Stern saying Rodgers should be booted from the NFL over it all.

Ex-Jacksonville Jaguar Josh Lambo says his time with Urban Meyer sucked ... claiming the head coach repeatedly bullied him and even got physical with him.

The team's former kicker made the allegations in a bombshell interview with the Tampa Bay Times -- saying Meyer not only was verbally abusive toward him during their time together, he also at one point kicked him.

Lambo says Meyer often called him "dips***" and "s***bag" ... and launched his boot into his leg during a practice back in August.

"I'm in a lunge position," Lambo said of the alleged physical incident with Meyer. "Left leg forward, right leg back ... Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey dips***, make your f***ing kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

While Lambo says Meyer could have kicked him harder ... he said the boot still hurt.

"It certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it, but it certainly wasn't a love tap," Lambo said. "Truthfully, I'd register it as a five [out of 10]."

Lambo said he told the coach to never do that again while on the field ... and when he later brought it up to Meyer inside the team's facility, he claims the 57-year-old got aggressive.

"'If you ever speak to me like that again, you'll be out of here,'" Lambo said Meyer told him. "'You're the first player I've ever let speak to me that way in my career, and if you do it again, you're gone.'"

Lambo said he brought up the issue with his agent, who reported it to the Jaguars' legal counsel. The team says it made the counsel available to Lambo, but the kicker told the Times he has "no recollection of being able to speak with the Jags' legal team."

Lambo was eventually cut by Meyer in September.

For Meyer's part, the coach told the Times the kicking incident did not happen the way Lambo says it did ... saying, "Josh's characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account."

"I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team," Meyer added, "and wish him nothing but the best."