NFL

New York Islanders player Anthony Duclair has a new look -- he had to cut off his beautiful locs due to general manager Lou Lamoriello's strict cut-and-shave rules ... and now fans are pissed.

The ice hockey forward shocked NYI fans on Wednesday ... when he revealed a pile of cut braids on his Instagram story -- including a sad face emoji to display how he felt about it.

Of course, it can take up to over a year for locs to mature ... so this must be a devastating move for AD.

Forget, J-E-T-S ... Aaron Rodgers was more into P-U-P-S at New York training camp Wednesday -- snuggling an adorable pooch after his squad's workout!!

The team brought in some doggos in order to raise awareness for the St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in New Jersey ... and almost immediately, one took a liking to NY's star signal-caller.

The little ball of fur crawled into the quarterback's arms ... and then licked his face repeatedly.

It only took 17 years, but Tom Brady's son is now just as tall as him -- and maybe even more athletic!!

The legendary NFL quarterback showed off his boy's height and his coordination in a happy birthday post Thursday ... and check it out, little Jack is all grown up!!

In a series of pics Tom threw up on his Instagram page to commemorate Jack's 17th trip around the sun, you can see he's now eye-to-eye with his 6-foot-4 father. He's got a helluva golf swing, too. And, according Tom, he's winning pickup basketball games as well.

The woman who accused Cleveland Browns rookie Michael Hall Jr. of domestic violence has reportedly recanted significant parts of her story.

According to multiple outlets, including WKYC and Fox 8, the woman -- who's allegedly engaged to Hall Jr. -- took back many of the claims she made against the football player earlier this month.

As we previously reported, the woman had claimed Hall Jr. seriously roughed her up during a dispute at their Avon, Ohio home on Aug. 12.

Michelle Obama goes full attack mode on Donald Trump, Selena Gomez's following a wedding planner and Patrick Mahomes responds to a flag football QB saying he's a better fit for the 2028 Olympics than the three-time Super Bowl winner.

On "TMZ Live," Charles and Babcock talk Michell Obama calling out Donald Trump for the "Black jobs" comment he made while debating Joe Biden in June.

Lawrence Taylor's attorney tells TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer's felony case has been dropped -- roughly one month after cops accused the ex-New York Giants star of failing to follow conditions imposed on him as a registered sex offender.

Mark Eiglarsh says the decision came down from Broward County prosecutors on Wednesday ... after he tells us he successfully showed the allegations against Taylor stemmed from nothing more than the former football player's estranged wife making claims in order to "gain leverage in their bitter, three-year divorce battle."

"We are deeply grateful for the prosecutors in this case," Eiglarsh said, "ensuring that true justice was served."

Alex Rodriguez's recent social media activity has many believing it's a subliminal message to his ex, Jennifer Lopez ... with the former MLB slugger sharing a cryptic quote shortly after she filed for divorce from Ben Affleck.

The message on A-Rod's Instagram story was posted on Tuesday afternoon -- around the time TMZ broke the news that Lopez officially called it quits on her marriage.

"You either go one way or the other, you might as well be the one deciding the direction," the post read.

Aaron Rodgers is opening up on his decision more than a decade ago to set the record straight on his sexuality ... saying he was frustrated the rumor was "meant to shame the idea of being gay."

The New York Jets quarterback famously proclaimed he "really, really" liked women amid speculation surrounding his dating life when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers back in 2013 ... and in Ian O'Connor's new biography, "Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers," he explained why he addressed the claims.

"I think I was upset at the framing [of the rumor] because it was meant to shame the idea of being gay, and I have so many friends that are gay in the community," the four-time MVP said.

Travis Kelce's stardom continues to rise ... the Chiefs All-Pro tight end will have a cameo in the sequel to one of the best and most beloved comedies ever -- "Happy Gilmore 2" !

Adam Sandler himself revealed the news on Tuesday when he was a guest on "The Tonight Show" with Jimmy Fallon ... who asked about cameos in the upcoming film.

"We have a nice something for Travis," Sandler said. "He's gonna come by."

A current flag football star quarterback believes he's a better fit to lead Team USA in the 2028 Olympics than Patrick Mahomes ... and he tells TMZ Sports the only way he'll think otherwise is if the three-time Super Bowl champion proves it to him on the field.

The confident signal-caller's name is Darrell "Housh" Doucette ... a 35-year-old righty who helped lead the U.S. national flag football team to gold at the 2022 World Games.

If his name sounds familiar ... it's because earlier this week, he made national headlines -- when he claimed it was "disrespectful" that a lot of NFL stars are currently believing they can displace some flag footballers and go for gold on their own at the Los Angeles Games in four years.

Brian Flores heard Tua Tagovailoa's harsh criticism this week ... and while he said he doesn't believe his former quarterback's characterization of him is accurate, he's vowing to adapt nonetheless.

Just one day after the Miami Dolphins star called Flores a "terrible person" who spewed nothing but negativity his way during their time together in South Florida ... Brian stood in front of a gaggle of journalists to address the matter.

The Vikings defensive coordinator -- who was with the 'Fins from 2019-2021 -- seemed both hurt and surprised by the critique ... but he said he will use it all as a learning experience moving forward.

Simone Biles might not be at Chicago Bears games this season a la Taylor Swift to support her man, Jonathan Owens -- but no, it's not because of the Packers coat incident!

The 7x Olympic gold medalist explained why you may not see her on the sidelines, or luxury suite in a TikTok video ... explaining her upcoming schedule is packed, despite just returning from the 2024 Paris Games.

"I don't know how many games I'll be able to make," the 27-year-old said, "because in a few weeks we go on tour."

Tyreek Hill might get his wish ... 'cause the NFL said it is "actively" figuring out a way to get its players to compete in flag football at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller was asked the burning question surrounding the new event in a conference call on Monday -- could Team USA orchestrate a team of All-Pros and Super Bowl winners to absolutely dominate en route to a gold medal??

As of right now, it's definitely not a "no."

Tua Tagovailoa is getting candid about his experiences with Brian Flores ... labeling the former Dolphins head coach a "terrible person" and claiming he endured endless insults under his leadership.

Tagovailoa didn't hold back about his feelings in a recent interview ... when he was asked about the difference between his current coach, Mike McDaniel, and Flores, who had the same gig from 2019 until 2022.

"To put in simplest terms, if you woke up every morning and I told you you suck at what you did, that you don't belong doing what you do, that you shouldn't be here, that this guy should be here, that you haven't earned this right ... and then you have somebody else come in and tell you, 'Dude, you are the best fit for this,'" the 26-year old said on the Dan Le Betard Show with Stugotz.

Simone Biles ate up the competition at the 2024 Olympics ... and, one restaurant knows it -- giving her a custom championship that's not exactly safe for work.

The 11-time Olympic medalist went out to dinner with her husband Jonathan Owens in Chicago after the Chicago Bears preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals ... and, the restaurant they dined at -- Maple & Ash -- surprised the Olympian.

Scrawled across the front -- over her eating options -- in big letters read "Olympic F***ing Champion" ... something SB loved by the way, 'cause she posted multiple pics and vids about it.

Tyreek Hill's mother allegedly slapped a woman and later broke her necklace during an altercation last month ... and now the woman has filed a police report over it.

According to police documents obtained by TMZ Sports, the incident happened on or around July 1 in Southwest Ranches, Fla. ... after the NFL star's mom, Anesha Sanchez, got into a dispute with her friend, Maleney.

Cops say Maleney told officers that during their argument, Sanchez offered to give Maleney a ride home in order to stop the disagreement. But, Maleney claims Anesha snapped during the lift back to her pad ... and allegedly slapped Maleney across the face with the back of her hand.