NFL

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love -- one of the NBA's most outspoken proponents of mental health -- is mourning the loss of Stephen "tWitch" Boss on Wednesday ... and is urging people to reach out to their loved ones and to spread kindness to prevent future tragedies.

Love took to Instagram to send his condolences to the famed Ellen DeGeneres talk show DJ ... sharing a photo of Boss with an emotional message.

"Everyone is going through something that you can't see," Love wrote on the social media post. "Be kind. Reach out. Spread LOVE."

TMZ broke the story ... tWitch was found dead on Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 40 years old.

Others in the sports world were rocked by the news ... former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho shared a recent video of the two laughing and dancing on his Twitter page Wednesday morning.

"You’ll be missed by brother," Acho said. "You’ll be missed. Thanks for always laughing and smiling with me."

"Stephen 'tWitch' gone way too soon. RIP tWitch."

Added ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III, "Praying for Stephen 'tWitch' Boss' family and love ones today. Gone too soon."

Former Saints receiver Lance Moore, NFL reporter Michele Tafoya, and pro wrestler Red Velvet also shared their thoughts and prayers after learning of the news Wednesday.

Aaron Rodgers is shouting out ayahuasca again ... this time, crediting the psychoactive tea for alleviating his "major fear of death."

The Green Bay Packers quarterback -- who previously said his use of ayahuasca helped lead to his two MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021 -- told Pat McAfee on Tuesday that the psychedelic trip he got from the brew made him much more comfortable with his mortality.

The 39-year-old explained ... while growing up as a young teenager during Y2K, he had developed a phobia of not accomplishing certain life goals before ultimately passing.

But, he told McAfee and A.J. Hawk on The Pat McAfee Show that ayahuasca changed all of that for him.

"I definitely had a fear of death," he said. "And ayahuasca, and psilocybin actually, really helped me with that and relieved a lot of the stress around the idea of needing to accomplish things before I actually die."

Rodgers said the trip forced him to "see the other side" ... which made "the idea of death more of a passage and less of an ending. More of just kind of the next chapter of life."

Rodgers initially consumed the ayahuasca during a 2020 trip to South America ... and told Aubrey Marcus in August that it was "a magical experience."

New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker is going OFF on the NFL ... saying officials need to "get on y'alls f***in' jobs" and take care of players who may have suffered head injuries during games.

Parker appeared dazed after getting hit with four minutes left in the first quarter of the Pats' "Monday Night Football" game against the Arizona Cardinals ... and teammate Nelson Agholor had to beg the referees to pause the contest so the veteran wideout could get checked out.

The NFL Players' Association is currently investigating why the league's concussion spotter didn't immediately stop the game ... especially considering the new protocols put in place following the handling of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's head injuries earlier this season.

Parker was visibly wobbly after he made the 10-yard catch -- he actually bumped into teammate Cole Strange as he tried to walk.

Parker thanked Agholor for looking out for him ... and it was for good reason -- #1 didn't return to the game after being examined by the medical staff.

The Pats are now dealing with a short receiving core ... as Jakobi Meyers also missed Monday's game due to a concussion.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Arizona Cardinals -- Kyler Murray did, in fact, tear his ACL on "Monday Night Football" against the Patriots ... and the star quarterback's season is now over.

The signal caller suffered the non-contact injury on the third play of the game ... and ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the tough news just minutes ago.

The injury happened when Kyler escaped out of the pocket and went to plant his right foot before attempting a move on Pats' defender Matthew Judon.

Murray appeared to drag his right leg with him as he fell to the grass ... and many assumed his night -- and season -- were over.

Kyler was visibly emotional as he was carted off the field ... putting a towel over his head in frustration as players from both the Patriots and Cardinals gave their regards.

The Cards turned to backup QB Colt McCoy after Murray's injury ... but the team couldn't come away with the win, losing to New England, 27-13.

It's unclear how much time Kyler will ultimately miss ... but a lot, or all, of his 2023 season could be in jeopardy depending on his rehab process.

Rob Gronkowski is retired from the NFL but he's not done giving back to his fans ... the future Hall of Famer recently surprised a retired U.S. Army veteran, wounded in combat, with an awesome, customized truck!

The G.O.A.T. tight end partnered up with USAA to deliver a 4-door truck to specialist Jonny Flores who served four years in a field artillery unit ... where he worked as a .50 cal gunner, among other jobs.

"Today I'm helping USAA give away a recycled ride to a deserving US military veteran," Gronk said on Tuesday.

"This is gonna be awesome. About to surprise Jonny."

The video of Gronk surprising the Purple Heart recipient in Tampa is amazing ... and from Flores' reaction, he had no idea he was meeting the Super Bowl champ.

"No way!" Flores said, clearly in shock ... "What a surprise!"

Then, when Gronk showed Flores the truck ... he was so stoked!!

It's a feel-good story for a man who has sacrificed mightily for his country. Flores was badly wounded after a vehicle he was in drove over a pressure-plate IED (improvised explosive device) on July 4, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. He ultimately had his left leg amputated. He also sustained other injuries in the attack.

Flores, who uses a wheelchair, will now be able to move around much more freely ... because we're told the ride was retrofitted and modified for his mobility needs, including installing a wheelchair lift.

"This means a lot to me," Flores said, "Being able to get my independence and get in and out of this with ease, you know, with no help. That wheelchair thing is something else!"

"This is a game changer. Oh my God. I can already see how many trips and things we're gonna do with the family. I'm so excited. I can't thank you guys enough for this man."

It's all part of the USAA's celebration of their 100th anniversary serving the military ... and the vehicle was the 87th car they gifted in 2022, Gronk's jersey number.

Gronk played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Patriots and Buccaneers. The 5-time Pro Bowler won 4 Super Bowls before retiring in June.

Chad Johnson is a master in footwork, but his skills certainly don't translate to sandboarding ... 'cause the ex-Bengals star tried out the sport -- and straight-up busted his ass!!

The former NFL wideout is in Qatar covering the World Cup for FOX ... and during a bit of downtime between games, he decided to hit the dunes for a boarding lesson.

The tutorial seemed to go pretty well at first ... but disaster struck as Ochocinco gained momentum going down the hill.

Check out the video -- Chad loses his balance as his speed increases ... and inevitably, it resulted in eating sand.

All appears to be well, though ... and luckily for Johnson, he was able to avoid any serious injury.

Ex-NFL star Fred Taylor commented on Chad's post ... writing, "😂😂😂😂 OH NOOOO OCHO."

Chad, 44, spent 11 seasons in the NFL ... routinely torching defensive backs with his nifty route-running abilities ... but he quickly learned that sandboarding ain't football.

Maybe next time, hit up Tony Hawk first?!? Although, that didn't really help Mike Tyson, either.

All the Deion Sanders haters need to get off the coach's head ... so says Al Sharpton, who tells TMZ Sports Prime had every right to leave Jackson State for Colorado earlier this month.

"I think that a lot of us had such pride in him being at an HBCU that we forget that people make personal decisions," the civil rights activist told us this week in New York City ... "And they have the right to do that."

Of course, there have been a lot of mixed reactions to Sanders' move to Boulder ... with many blasting him for leaving the HBCU that he helped turn around for a Pac-12 program he has little ties to.

But, Sharpton tells us the critics need to cool it ... saying he believes Deion did everything he said he was going to do at JSU before ultimately taking a bigger gig.

"He's moved on and I think that our job is to make sure that Jackson State and others continue at the same level," Sharpton said.

Sharpton ain't the only one that has had Sanders' back since the move ... Bomani Jones also supported him this week -- saying on "TMZ Live" he understood the choice.

Ezekiel Elliott helped both the Cowboys AND the needy with his touchdown last Sunday ... the Salvation Army tells TMZ Sports it saw a significant spike in donations following the star's trip to an end zone kettle.

If you missed it ... Elliott hopped into a Salvation Army red bucket at AT&T Stadium after scoring in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' blowout win over the Colts in Dallas last weekend.

He pretended to be a jack-in-the-box -- while quarterback Dak Prescott wound him up. It was all hilarious -- and, according to Salvation Army officials, hugely beneficial as well.

The org. tells us, "after Ezekiel Elliott leaped into [the kettle] on Sunday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts, the number of donors to the Salvation Army that day doubled compared with the game last year."

They added, "We love it when players jump in the giant red kettle after scoring a touchdown because it does have an impact."

In fact, the org. tells us the amount of $21 donations -- an ode to Elliott's jersey number -- have skyrocketed as well.

Elliott himself actually contributed to the cause as well in the days following the score -- he donated a $50,000 check to the Salvation Army of North Texas on Wednesday. The money, the org. said, will help children, seniors and adults with special needs receive gifts during this holiday season.

Of course, jumping into the kettle isn't entirely a new thing for the Cowboys. In Elliott's rookie year in 2016, he started it all by hopping into the kettle after a score against the Buccaneers.

On Thanksgiving this year, Dallas tight ends had a similar party at the prop.

It's been nearly two weeks since Odell Beckham Jr.'s airplane incident ... and the superstar wide receiver is still scratching his head over the whole thing -- saying he has no clue why the situation escalated to the point he was escorted out by police.

OBJ spoke about the American Airlines fiasco during his appearance on Prime Video's "TNF In The Shop" on Thursday ... and he says he didn't do anything he hasn't done on every flight for his entire life.

Odell explained he purposely booked the flight because it was a 787 with bed seating for first-class passengers ... and he had every intention of catching some Zs as he headed to L.A to see his son before kickstarting his tour to meet with NFL teams.

Beckham admits he was knocked out with his seatbelt off during a 40-minute delay ... and only woke up when a flight attendant approached him.

"They woke me up to tell me that they couldn't wake me up," OBJ says.

Of course, the airline crew told police Odell was going in and out of consciousness as they tried to get him to buckle his seatbelt ... and they feared for his health.

Beckham says the staffers' side of the story doesn't make sense ... especially if he was really experiencing a medical scare.

"They said I was unconscious and unruly or whatever words that they used. And I'm like, 'If that's the case, why is there six police officers surrounding me and not six paramedics or EMTs?'"

Ultimately, Beckham says there's a silver lining ... because he will be sure to prevent any incidents moving forward, which he proved when he took a private jet last week.

A pair of NBA legends showed big love for Brittney Griner after her release from Russia on Thursday -- Dwyane Wade opted to use fashion to make his statement, while Steph Curry made his in an emotional speech.

Wade showed up the Rams vs. Raiders game at SoFi Stadium in L.A. rockin' a Griner tee ... and he displayed it proudly throughout the contest.

The shirt featured Griner in her Phoenix Mercury #42 jersey ... with the words, "We Are BG" printed on it as well.

The 3-time champ made sure his social media followers knew he had the WNBA star's back ... sharing a bathroom selfie with the Griner gear on full display.

Curry, meanwhile, glowed about Griner's return while delivering a speech at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Awards in San Francisco.

"We are glad she's home, we're glad she's reunited with her family," Curry said. "It's a constant reminder for everybody continuing to use their platforms to speak on issues that are meaningful and can move the needle."

The Warriors guard also expressed gratitude to President Joe Biden for his part in getting Griner home ... but urged people to not forget about the others who have been wrongfully detained overseas as well.

"Thank you to President Biden's administration for being a part of that fight," Curry said. "But, it's also a reminder that we all need to stay engaged in the fight to protect American citizens at home and abroad who are wrongfully detained, and we can continue to be engaged in that fight."

"BG, we love you," Curry added. "We are always with you, BG.”

Baker Mayfield's Rams debut had a Hollywood ending -- he led L.A. to a come-from-behind victory in improbable fashion over the Raiders on "Thursday Night Football."

Mayfield and the Rams were down early and went into the half trailing Las Vegas, 13-3.

But, with a few minutes left in the 4th quarter, Mayfield, down 16-3, took a page out of Tom Brady's book, erasing a 13-point deficit ... just as TB12 did against the Saints on "Monday Night Football."

With 15 seconds left in the game, Baker connected with wide receiver Van Jefferson for the game-winning touchdown, capping off an eight-play, 98-yard drive.

Naturally, Mayfield was pumped over the W ... and cameras captured him headbutting his teammate, defensive back Robert Rochell on the sideline out of excitement.

After the game, head coach Sean McVay gave Baker a game ball for his performance ... before turning over the floor to the 27-year-old for a victory speech.

"Good f***ing job, man, that's the way to fight to the f***ing end," Mayfield said after his teammates mobbed him in the middle of the locker room. "I'm happy to be home, man."

All the Internet superstars who think they got hands need to get in line ... 'cause ex-NFL star Adam "Pacman" Jones says he's down to fight "any YouTuber" after his Rough N' Rowdy match on Friday!!

The former All-Pro has taken his talents to the boxing ring after 12 seasons in the league ... and he tells TMZ Sports he's looking to stick with the sport for years to come.

Of course, he's got a big rematch with the undefeated Bobby Laing at Barstool Sports' amateur event in Providence ... and Pacman says if he comes away with the win, he'll give "Lights Out" a trilogy fight out of respect for the guy.

But, don't get it twisted -- Jones won't let the admiration get in the way once the bell rings ... as he plans to make up for his split decision loss back in August 2021 by correcting his mistakes this time around.

"My message to Bobby, you've been ducking me like a motherf***er," Jones said. "I'm coming to turn the lights out."

But, after Pacman's done with Laing, he says he wants to get into more fights ... and he's looking to take on anyone who wants the smoke.

"I love this celebrity boxing," Jones tells us. "It's a lot of celebrities that think they can box -- I'm one of them. I would like someone to call me out. I ain't hard to find. I think I'm pretty good."

Jones has called out ex-NFL guys like Steve Smith and Chad Ochocinco in the past ... but as of right now, it doesn't sound like either guy is willing to enter the ring with him.

When we brought up the surge in influencers getting into boxers, Jones made it clear he's down for any challenge.

"Any YouTuber you name, I'll take him."

Barstool personality Grace "The Mick" O'Malley is also on Friday's RNR card ... and she talked to us about giving up drinking alcohol for five weeks leading up to her bout with the "Cajun Punisher," as well as the grueling training she went through to prepare for her debut.

As for her prediction for Friday ... O'Malley is expecting her hand raised at the end of the bout.

"It's a definite dub. It's gonna be a dub, it's going to be a good fight, though," O'Malley said.

The Washington Commanders were allegedly behind the release of troubling old emails that resulted in Jon Gruden's firing as Las Vegas Raiders head coach, a new House Oversight and Reform Committee report claims.

The 79-page report -- titled "How the NFL and the Washington Commanders Covered Up Decades of Sexual Misconduct" -- was released on Thursday, more than a year after launching the investigation -- and it's ugly for Dan Snyder, with the committee concluding he "permitted and participated in" the horrific workplace culture.

In fact, the committee says Snyder attempted to shift blame onto others and away from himself, and even provided a host of damaging emails sent and/or received by former team president Bruce Allen to the House Oversight Committee ... the day before Allen was set to testify.

Those emails contained the profane and arguably racist messages sent by Jon Gruden years earlier ... which were published in the Wall Street Journal. Gruden, the Raiders head coach at the time, was forced to step down from his job as a result of the scandal.

The report says Allen asked a member of the NFL's legal team why they'd released the emails to the paper, to which the attorney responded ... "We didn’t do it at the league office. It came out of their side."

Of course, the emails from about a decade ago, which contained homophobic language and racial tropes, were made public by The Journal in October 2021 ... and the Super Bowl-winning coach stepped down shortly after. He has not worked as a coach since.

In addition to the revelation about the emails, the Committee report paints a damning picture of an organization rife with workplace misconduct, much of it originating from the very top of the Commanders.

Last month, Snyder announced he'd hired a bank to investigate potential interest in a sale for the Commanders.

As we reported, Jeff Bezos and Jay-Z, both interested in acquiring the team, recently had a secret dinner meeting in Los Angeles to discuss a potential partnership.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons is apologizing for slamming President Joe Biden over the Brittney Griner deal ... admitting he was speaking "out of emotion" and wasn't educated on the topic.

The 23-year-old was livid after the Griner news broke Thursday morning ... solely because retired Marine Paul Whelan has been behind bars in Russia since 2018 after being accused of spying.

Parsons -- whose father is a military vet -- was irked after finding out Whelan wasn't part of the deal to bring BG home ... saying, "Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah."

The 2021 first-round pick clarified he was thrilled Griner was on her way back to U.S. soil ... but explained, "I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn't bring him home too."

"I'm the furthest thing from a Trump supporter but I'm not a fan of Biden either."

Parsons later backpedaled on his stance ... saying he talked things over with some people and now has a better understanding of the situation.

"I should have been more educated on the topic and not tweeted out of emotion for my family and other who have served," Parsons tweeted. "For that I apologize."

"Also if what I'm told about the attempts to bring Ret Marine Paul Whelan home are true then the best outcome was accomplished. I pray Mr. Whelan comes home but am extremely happy for Brittney and her family."

"I am not too prideful to admit when I've made a mistake."

Pete Davidson is back on Instagram, but there's a catch ... it's a joint page with Eli Manning!!

Yes, the former Giants star quarterback and comedian joined forces to launch the IG page together ... debuting the account Wednesday night with an IG video in Davidson's apartment.

"Hello Instagram," Davidson said on his Giants-themed bed, "I have decided to come back, but only with the GOAT."

"Stay tuned for more photos on the gram!"

The duo shared a video and a couple of photos, including a pic of Davidson's small helmet tattoo. Eli captioned the post, "confirmed ... Pete's a Giants fan."

The guys also worked on one-handed catches (a la Eli to Odell Beckham Jr. vs. the Dallas Cowboys) ... and Davidson has hands!

Fans loved the idea of the joint account ... they flooded their comments with support, with one saying, "lmfao the link up I never knew I needed 🐐".

FYI, Pete -- who's been MIA from IG since 2018 (he occasionally returns before deactivating again)  -- and Eli already have over 17k followers, as of Thursday morning.

Bobby Wagner's miserable 2022 season just got at least somewhat brighter ... TMZ Sports has learned he won't face criminal charges for tackling a field invader earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the Santa Clara Police Department tells us ... after investigating the Oct. 3 "Monday Night Football" incident, police "did not file charges with the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office."

Cops had initially launched the probe on Oct. 4 ... after Alexander Taylor claimed he was assaulted by Wagner after running onto the field during the L.A. vs 49ers game at Levi's Stadium.

According to a police report, Taylor said he suffered a headache, a concussion and a burn on his inner right bicep following the altercation with Wagner.

The Rams and their star linebacker never seemed overtly concerned over the report ... with Wagner saying he took down the man because "you never know what that person got in they pocket, in they hands, whatever."

Head coach Sean McVay added, "We all know where Bobby's intentions were, and I support Bobby Wagner."