TMZ Sports

Former NFL running back Willis McGahee is opening up on the dark place he was in after his career ended in 2013 ... revealing he contemplated taking his own life "a couple times" as he struggled to find his purpose off the gridiron.

42-year-old McGahee -- who played in the NFL from 2003-2013 -- detailed his issues adjusting to life after football in an interview with The Athletic on Thursday ... saying, "When it’s gone, you really have nothing to fall back on."

"It’s just a lot coming at you, man, and it gets mentally tough."

McGahee was a stellar running back, but his career was plagued by countless injuries. Despite his recurring ailments, he managed to earn more than 8,400 yards and 65 touchdowns on the ground ... adding over 1,300 yards and another five touchdowns receiving.

Even though he felt like he could still play following the 2013 season, the league felt otherwise ... and he was forced to move on -- something he said he really struggled with in the years following.

McGahee said he has gotten better with his mental health struggles by going to therapy and focusing on his 10 children -- but his physical pain continues to this day, and he claims the NFL is abandoning players like him who need help through its disability benefits.

While McGahee said he is receiving line-of-duty benefits for substantial disability due to NFL activities, he said he is continuously getting shut down from collecting any sort of assistance for neurocognitive impairment -- which led to a lawsuit.

"It’s not benefiting the players who are really, actually hurt and going through stuff in life," McGahee said. "They’re not taking care of us. It’s a sham. I’m tired of it. Somebody has to step up and do something about it."

McGahee explained he would do it all again if he could ... but ultimately, a decision he'll have to deal with moving forward.

"I don’t regret it," McGahee said. "But it’s something I’ve got to deal with now."

Aaron Rodgers just got tattooed again ... this time he had a dragon featuring a nod to his Jets' jersey put down on his left arm.

The New York quarterback's tattoo artist, Balazs Bercsenyi, revealed the new artwork on his Instagram page on Thursday afternoon ... showing Rodgers got the piece put right in the middle of his bicep.

It's unclear why Rodgers chose the creature -- or what the significance of the lettering around it is -- but Bercsenyi explained the positioning of the dragon's body was no accident.

"Second tattoo for the 🐐 himself @aaronrodgers12," the artist said in a caption on the photos of the ink, "with a subtle hint for Aaron’s new jersey number #8."

The 40-year-old signal-caller was clearly thrilled with how it all came out ... writing in a comment on the artist's page, "Happy Birthday brother! So thankful for you and your mastery."

The tat is the second Rodgers has ever gotten ... he previously had a pair of lions and an eyeball put on his left forearm.

Of course, Rodgers has plenty of time to sit in the tattoo chair these days -- he's been on injured reserve since he blew out his Achilles during NY's first game of the season.

The divorce drama between Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor is heating up ... he's now calling BS on her claim he made her feel endangered when she was with him.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Shumpert says Teyana never proved he made her feel endangered, despite making the claim in recently filed divorce papers. Iman wants the court to take action, and to remove Teyana's accusations from the documents.

To get specific, Teyana put something called "cruel treatment" as grounds for the couple's divorce, which is defined as "willful infliction of pain bodily or mental ... [that] reasonably justifies apprehension of danger to life, limb, or health."

Iman says that's nonsense, and the only grounds should be "irretrievable broken bond." He wants the "cruel treatment" grounds thrown out.

What's more, Iman says despite Teyana's claims, he's never been irresponsible when it comes to the care of their two daughters, seven-year-old “Junie” Tayla, and three-year-old Rue Rose.

The new filing from Iman is just another chapter in what's already become a nasty custody battle. As we reported, Teyana first filed the divorce docs using only the couple's initials in an attempt to keep everything private from the public.

However, Iman blew the lid off the secret when he filed a motion asking the court to attach their full names to the documents ... and allowing the public to know what was going on.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott just issued a mea culpa ... telling media members Thursday he's truly sorry for bringing up the 9/11 attacks in a motivational speech a couple years ago.

According to GoLongTD.com's Tyler Dunne ... McDermott's tone-deaf talk to his players happened during the Bills' 2021 training camp -- when he was trying to emphasize to his squad how it needed to communicate to come together.

"Sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001," Dunne wrote in a lengthy three-part piece about the coach that was published on Thursday morning.

"He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection."

When McDermott addressed the issue with reporters Thursday afternoon ... he didn't deny making the making comments.

"I regretted mentioning 9/11 in my message that day," he said, "and I immediately apologized to the team." He added that his goal was to get his guys to understand the importance of "being on the same page."

ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg reported the coach also said he has plans to apologize to his current roster over the comments later Thursday.

"Not only was 9/11 a horrific event in our country's history," McDermott said, "but a day that I lost a good family friend."

He continued, "I'm not here to discuss the article that's out there and the things that are mentioned other than this right here, because this right here is very, very important to me and something I take very seriously."

Brittney Griner's story is getting the Mickey Mouse treatment -- the WNBA superstar just inked a deal with Disney, ESPN and ABC for multiple upcoming projects ... including a documentary about her Russian drug case.

"The last two years have been the most harrowing, transformative and illuminating period of my life, and I am grateful to be in a place now to share my story with the world," Griner said in a statement on Thursday.

"I’m proud to partner with ESPN and Disney to share this very personal story because of its incredible potential to inspire hope around the world and their proven ability to do just that."

The partnership also includes the development of a scripted limited series on Griner's life, which is said to already be "in the works."

Griner was arrested at a Russian airport in February 2022 for cannabis possession. She was sentenced to nine years in prison ... before the U.S. government made a deal to get her back in Dec. 2022 that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Since Griner's release, the center signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury -- averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season -- and has become an advocate for Americans who have been detained in another country.

"Brittney is an exceptional athlete whose hardship and resilience are nothing short of extraordinary," ESPN president Burke Magnus said. "We are thrilled to be working with her to tell the nuances of her story and feel confident that this documentary will captivate audiences everywhere."

The documentary will feature previously unreleased footage, records and letters from Griner's time in prison.

Alvin Kamara is doing his part to brighten up an NFL official's week after the Saints star accidentally broke the guy's leg during a game on Sunday ... sending a signed ball and jersey his way -- with a well wishes note too.

The man -- Nick Piazza -- received the gifts on Wednesday, according to NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan ... just three days after Kamara barreled into him in New Orleans' tilt against the Lions, seriously hurting him in the process.

Piazza seemed to be super appreciative of the gifts -- posing for a photo with them all -- while also revealing to Duncan that Saints owner Gayle Benson personally reached out as well.

While grateful for the support ... Piazza is still far from a healthy man -- as he's got a super long road to recovery ahead of him.

Piazza said doctors told him he tore ligaments in his knee and fractured his fibula as well -- and all of the ailments will require major surgery on Friday.

Piazza is expected to miss work for the next couple months as he recovers -- and his role this season as an NFL sideline official is over as well.

Ric Flair wasn't saying "WOOOO" after his recent run-in with Michael Chandler ... it was more like "OWWWW," 'cause the WWE legend was straight-up tackled to the ground!!

Naitch and the UFC star had an "altercation" at a bar recently ... and the footage of their wild trash-talkin' session that turned violent quickly spread on social media.

Of course, many rightfully suspected there wasn't any real bad blood between the two -- after all, they've starred in commercials for Car Shield in the past ... and actually have another spot dropping next week.

But we reached out to Chandler about the whole thing ... and he explained what exactly went down.

"It was a work," the lightweight contender told TMZ Sports. "Ric was teaching me the art."

Regardless, it's still just as funny to see the two get in full character for the clip ... with 74-year-old Flair showing he's still just as good with his lip service, and 37-year-old Chandler slapping him and doing a double leg takedown.

Festus Ezeli traded in his basketball sneakers for a suit and microphone, but that didn't stop former teammate Steph Curry from having some fun at the ex-Warrior-turned-sideline reporter's expense ... on live TV!!

The trolling went down during Ezeli's pre-game report before the Warriors-Blazers game Wednesday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

Festus was talking about Andrew Wiggins' return from a thumb injury when Curry walked on the court and stood behind the 6'11" reporter. FE had no idea the future Hall of Famer was there.

Steph continued to pace behind Ezeli, staring at him while he spoke to the camera.

Curry eventually cracked and smiled, and even co-signed Festus' message about Steph;s play.

"I approve that message," Curry said to Ezeli.

Festus later shared the hilarious moment on his social media ... saying, "Love @stephencurry30 😂."

"Ever wondered if it’s super distracting talking while people are in your ear? Well here’s a clip of my brain doing the Macarena bc the producer is talking while I’m trying to do my hit."

It was definitely a special moment for both guys ... remember, Ezeli and Curry played together on the Warriors from 2012 to 2015 and won the 2015 NBA Finals as teammates.

Festus averaged 4.3 rebounds and 1 block per game during his 3-year career in Golden State.

Tony Hawk has finally given a glimpse of his son Riley's October wedding to Frances Bean Cobain ... better late than never, right?

The pro skateboarder shared a pic on IG Thursday of the smiling newlyweds cozied up on their big night two months ago ... in honor of his "wonderful and talented" son's birthday.

Frances -- Kurt Cobain's only daughter -- is clearly a hit with the parents ... with Tony expressing gratitude that Riley had found the "love of his life."

The proud dad also gushed he was "inspiring his younger siblings by example" by choosing a "healthy, disciplined approach to adulthood."

"We had a blast at the wedding, and we love you, Riley!" he continued -- ending with a request for Frances to show the sweet wedding snap to his son cause he wasn't on IG.

TMZ broke the story, revealing their marriage certificate showed they exchanged vows on Oct. 7 in L.A. after getting a marriage license in Sept down in San Diego ... with none other than former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe performing the ceremony.

LeBron James is fed up with the lack of change to America's gun laws after the recent mass shooting on UNLV's campus ... saying it's "ridiculous" to see yet another tragedy unfold somewhere people should feel safe.

LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers are slated to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans in Vegas for the semi-finals of the In-Season Tournament on Thursday ... and when speaking with media members, the four-time champ expressed his frustrations with hearing about yet another act of gun violence.

"It just goes back to what I said before about guns in America," LeBron said Wednesday. "I think it's such a longer conversation, but we're the only ones who keep dealing with this same story, this same conversation every single time it happens, and it just continues to happen."

"The ability to get a gun, the ability to do these things over and over and over, and there's been no change is literally ridiculous. It makes no sense that we continue to lose innocent lives, on campuses, on schools, at shopping markets and movie theaters and all type of stuff. It's just ridiculous."

67-year-old college professor Anthony Polito is accused of opening fire on UNLV's campus ... killing three people and wounding a fourth. Investigators are reportedly looking into whether a recent job rejection played a role in the act.

LeBron -- who has been outspoken against gun violence in the past -- believes lawmakers are asleep at the wheel ... claiming firearms have become even more accessible throughout the country.

"The fact that we haven't changed anything -- it's actually been a lot easier to actually be able to own a firearm, it's stupid."

Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson making their first public outing since announcing they have a baby on the way woulda been spectacle enough, but their pal Taylor Swift joined 'em to really make a night of it.

The expectant couple and singer stepped out in NYC to support Emma Stone at the premiere of her new movie "Poor Things."

After confirming her pregnancy last month, Suki proudly showed off her bump in a white striped sheer-paneled outfit ... and a very casually dressed Rob was glad to let her get all the attention from photogs.

Taylor looked ultra glam in all-black as she arrived with the expectant parents.

S&R's big night out comes after Suki officially announced she was expecting at the Corona Capital Music Festival in Mexico -- following months of swirling speculation.

This will be the first child for both of them -- they've been dating for 5 years, and moved in together during the pandemic, while Rob filmed "The Batman" in London.

Luka Doncic is apparently having a difficult time keeping his postgame interviews PG ... letting yet another F-bomb fly on Wednesday night -- although, as he's done previously, he apologized right away.

The latest potty-mouth incident from the Mavericks superstar happened just after the Dallas point guard netted 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 147-97 win over the Utah Jazz.

Doncic was asked about the importance of the W after his squad had started December with an 0-2 record -- and that's when began cussin'.

"I said before the game, you know, we just can't f*** around," Doncic said.

Almost immediately, he realized his blunder -- and told the reporter on the floor, "Ah, s***. My bad."

To his credit, the journalist helped Luka brush off the embarrassing moment -- attributing it all to the lack of sleep he's gotten due to the birth of his first child.

Of course, Doncic has been doing this since well before his newborn arrived ... in fact, it just happened in late October, when he described a player's game as "f***ing amazing."

Doncic said he was sorry for that incident as well -- looking just as sheepish as he did Wednesday night.

Travis Kelce is no stranger to breaking records on the field, and now he's doing so off as well ... with a game-used jersey auctioning off for a hefty price.

The jersey, worn by Travis in the Chiefs 2019 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City, and a game in which TK scored a TD just went for an eye-watering $37K on Goldin Auctions. The sale marks an all-time record for a Travis game-used item for the auction house.

Auction owner, Ken Goldin, tells us, "This is an all-time record for a Travis Kelce game-used item. He has always been popular but the success of the Chiefs, as well as the publicity he's gotten around his relationship with Taylor Swift, has added to his popularity and awareness among collectors."

Ken's clearly stating the obvious, though ... as the frenzy surrounding his romance with Taylor has been like nothing we've seen before. Not all NFL fans have been happy with Swift's presence at the games, stating she's been a distraction ... especially during broadcasts.

Candace Parker's WNBA career ain't over just yet ... the superstar hooper tells TMZ Sports she's got plans to return to the hardwood next season -- if she's healthy.

Of course, there were questions about her basketball future after the 6-foot-4 forward was forced to miss the Aces' WNBA Finals win -- as well as a large portion of the 2023 season -- while battling a foot injury.

However, when we got her out in Los Angeles this week ... she sure didn't seem like someone ready to hang up her sneakers just yet.

"If I'm healthy," she told us, "I want to play."

Right now, Parker said the recovery process from her foot injury is going well.

When it comes to how many seasons the 37-year-old might have left in her if her body gets back into playing shape ... she says she isn't quite sure.

One of the brightest young stars in the MLB is on his way to wearing pinstripes in 2023 ... the Yankees are reportedly finalizing a trade for Juan Soto!!

According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi ... in addition to the Padres outfielder, New York's deal with San Diego for Soto will also include utility man Trent Grisham.

Morosi added that as part of the pact, the Yanks are planning to send the Padres five players, including pitcher Michael King.

The move will give the Yankees arguably the most talented outfield in the league -- as Soto, a 25-year-old three-time All-Star, will join Aaron Judge as well as newly acquired slugger Alex Verdugo at Yankee Stadium.

Soto was just traded to San Diego from Washington in 2022 ... and after a lackluster first year in SoCal, he bounced back this past season, piling up a .275 batting average with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

In his career, Soto has played the Yankees nine total times -- and has gone off in almost every game, hitting .310 with five home runs.