NFL

The two people who say they sustained gnarly wounds in the Rashee Rice car crash earlier this year are now hoping the Chiefs star's own recent injury will expedite an amicable resolution to their impending lawsuit.

Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova said in court documents filed back in April that they suffered brain trauma, lacerations to their face, bruises on their bodies, as well as internal bleeding after Rice and his friend lost control of their sports cars on March 30 and crashed into their ride while speeding down a Texas highway.

Petrovskiy and Gromova asked for no less than $10 million in punitive damages -- but there appears to be no disposition to the suit in sight ... as court records show a trial in the case isn't slated to begin until June 2025.

But, Sanjay S. Mathur, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement to TMZ Sports this week that following the wide receiver's knee injury Sunday ... he's hopeful things will now change.

"We are saddened to hear about Rashee Rice's injury on the football field and hope for his quick recovery," Mathur said. "We recognize that injuries can significantly impact one's life, causing both physical pain and mental distress. They disrupt routines, hobbies, daily chores, and activities. Injuries often lead to medical procedures and bills, and they can hinder one’s ability to earn a living."

"We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries," Mathur continued. "We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case."

Rice, who has previously expressed remorse for his role in the wreck, was hurt while attempting to make a tackle following a Patrick Mahomes interception against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed -- although the Chiefs have placed him on injured reserve ... meaning he'll miss at least the next four Kansas City games.

Despite suffering yet another scary head injury, Tua Tagovailoa is still going to try to return to the NFL -- so says his close family friend, Manti Te'o.

The former New Orleans Saints linebacker made the revelation to us out in Los Angeles this week -- some 21 days after Tagovailoa sustained his third diagnosed concussion in a "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Bills.

Te'o says while he's tried to give the 26-year-old signal-caller his space as he recovers from the brain trauma ... he did recently speak with the Dolphins star's father -- and from everything he's hearing, Tua is "going to try to get back."

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are stumbling out the gates in 2024 ... but ex-NFL QB Mark Sanchez says the last thing they need to do is make a change on the sidelines -- telling TMZ Sports they need to ride it out with Robert Saleh.

We caught up with the Fox Sports commentator at LAX amid Gang Green's 2-2 start ... and asked what he felt about folks saying NY's head coach should be on the hot seat following a 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos.

"This past game was just an ugly game, they would had to win ugly," Sanchez said. "And they lost by a point, or whatever it was. In a rainy game like that, you need one ball to bounce your way; you need to make a field goal, something."

Travis Kelce's "Grotesquerie" character was a stripper back in the day, but he's now getting opportunities to bring Ed Lachlan's past back to the present ... with several male revues telling TMZ Sports they would love "Big Peter and His Banana Splitter" to make a special appearance!!

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar made his debut on the Ryan Murphy show this past week ... and in one scene, his role was revealed as a former dancer at a male strip club in Juneau, Alaska, where he was "jiggling it for horny mamas coming off of cruise ships."

Unfortunately, there weren't any flashback scenes.

Ex-NFL star Reggie Bush says he would've attended a Diddy party back in the day if it weren't for a blacked-out friend puking before entering the bash ... but he believes his obliterated plus-one was a "sign."

The Heisman winner detailed the past experience in an interview with Robert Griffin III ... saying he was invited to a rager at Diddy's Star Island mansion around 3 or 4 in the morning, so he headed over with a group of friends and a Red Bull rep -- as he was sponsored by the energy drink at the time.

As his crew waited to get into Diddy's crib, Bush said the RB rep started blowing chunks on the front lawn ... right in front of a slew of security guards.

Atlanta is really rubbing off on Kirk Cousins -- the Falcons quarterback celebrated his huge "Thursday Night Football" win by chowing down at Waffle House ... but not before doing an interview in the parking lot!!

The 13-year vet joined "The Dan Patrick Show" on Friday to talk all about the Falcons' 36-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime ... but before they broke down the game, the broadcasting legend inquired about his backdrop for the virtual convo.

Cousins explained he wanted to take advantage of his day off from work, so he asked his 7-year-old, Cooper, what they should do.

Pro Bowl defensive end today ... UFC heavyweight champ down the road?!?

Maxx Crosby sure seems to think that's possible ... telling TMZ Sports he could see himself stepping into Dana White's Octagon at some point in the future.

Crosby, of course, is fully dedicated to his NFL career at the moment ... but he says he trains to be a beast on Sundays with daily boxing exercises -- and it's clear, it all could lead to a professional tilt later on.

Vernon Davis says Travis Kelce did not look like a fish out of water in his "Grotesquerie" debut ... in fact, the former NFL star who's now an actor says the Chiefs tight end "seemed like a natural to me!"

The ex-SF 49er heaped the praise on Kelce while chatting with Harvey and Babcock on "TMZ Live" on Thursday -- some 24 hours after Travis showed off his acting chops on Ryan Murphy's new FX show.

Davis, who just recently acted alongside Morgan Freeman in "The Ritual Killer," told the guys he thought Kelce crushed it ... saying straight up, "He did a wonderful job."

Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield are doing their part to make sure individuals affected by Hurricane Helene can get the assistance they need -- the two NFL stars donated $50k each to a relief fund.

The Falcons and Buccaneers quarterbacks made the combined $100k contribution to Team Rubicon -- a veteran-led humanitarian organization -- to help people who dealt with the impacts of Helene after its landfall back on September 26.

"We stand with those who have been affected," Mayfield said. "Honoring the lives lost and the families that are still in distress. Together, we can make a difference."

Some moms of celebrities are stepping out from their famous kids' shadows and snagging A-list love of their own -- landing the cover of a national magazine!

Glamour Mag’s special "Women of the Year" issue is shining a spotlight on the powerhouse mothers of Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Selena Gomez, and the Kelce brothers ... teaming up for a stunning photoshoot.

Tina Knowles, Donna Kelce, Maggie Baird, and Mandy Teefey are in their element for the shoot, striking poses and flashing smiles like the queens they are -- after all, they’re the proud mamas of some of the biggest stars in entertainment.

Travis Kelce finally made his big "Grotesquerie" debut ... and the takeaway is the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's role is not all that different from his real-life persona -- 'cause the dude's got a way with the ladies!!

The three-time Super Bowl champ hit the screen during the third episode of the Ryan Murphy show on Wednesday ... introducing himself as Ed Lachlan, who works at the hospital where Niecy Nash's character's husband is receiving treatment.

We're not gonna give away all the deets in case y'all want to catch up ... but Kelce's screen time -- and there's quite a lot -- is filled with mackin' on Nash's Detective Lois Tryon.

Turns out, there's not many NFL players who are hate hate hating on Taylor Swift's newfound presence in the league ... as a recent poll of pros revealed she has their support.

The Athletic asked over 100 NFLers earlier this season about Swift-mania -- which kicked off in September 2023 after she sparked a romance with Chiefs star Travis Kelce -- and for the most part, the guys said she's been great for business.

The outlet -- which granted the jocks anonymity so they could speak their minds freely -- reported a whopping 74 out of 102 players "viewed the singer’s interest in the game (and the coverage that stemmed from it) as a positive."

Rashee Rice's mother is being accused of swiping a package containing Chappell Roan records right from her neighbor's porch just hours after the Kansas City Chiefs receiver went down with an injury on Sunday ... and the neighbor says it was all captured on video.

TMZ Sports has obtained Ring footage of what one Texas resident claims shows Marsha Kearney -- wearing a custom "Momma-Rice" No. 4 jersey -- walk by their doorway and look right into the camera before walking down the hall around 6:39 PM CT on September 29, a few hours after the Chiefs defeated the Chargers in Los Angeles.

You can see the woman in the jersey then made her way back to the door, slid a package sitting on the ground with her foot and moved it out of frame (or so she thought).

Travis Kelce's not losing his mind over his stat line like the rest of the world ... saying despite having the best outing of his season on Sunday, the only number he gives a damn about is the one in the win column.

The All-Pro tight end addressed his seven-catch, 89-yard performance in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on the latest episode of his "New Heights" podcast with brother, Jason, on Wednesday ... which was surprisingly the strongest performance of the 2024 campaign for the usually dominant force.

Travis admitted the narrative of his struggles on the field leading up to the Week 4 contest were true ... but only in one area.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Von Miller was just suspended for four games ... after the NFL says he violated the league's Personal Conduct Policy.

Miller -- who won't be paid for the next month while on suspension -- will be eligible for reinstatement on October 28 ... following the team's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

While it's unclear exactly what led to the suspension of the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer, the punishment comes almost a year after authorities issued an arrest warrant for Miller for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman -- later identified as his GF.

Former NFL star Eddie Lacy was thrown behind bars in Arizona on Monday night ... after cops claimed he was driving while wasted.

According to the Scottsdale Police Department, the ex-Green Bay Packers tailback was pulled over at around 10:40 PM -- after officers said they saw him committing several traffic violations.

He apparently elicited signs of being intoxicated during the stop ... as an SPD spokesperson tells TMZ Sports Lacy was ultimately arrested and booked on four separate DUI charges, including "Extreme DUI -- BAC .20 or more."