TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-NFL star Marcellus Wiley is taking a firm stance on who should take over for the Los Angeles Chargers ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks Bill Belichick should NOT be the next head coach.

The Bolts job is arguably the most attractive opening in the league right now ... and many are speculating they could land a big fish like the former Patriots legend or Michigan's Jim Harbaugh if he chooses to make a return to the pros.

We asked the TV personality about those two names specifically ... and while he considers Belichick the greatest coach of all time, he says Harbaugh is the right guy for the gig.

"It's gonna be tough with the Chargers, obviously," Wiley said at LAX. "We're looking for a coach that we can look into the future with. With Belichick, how far are you going to look into the future? I don't know."

Wiley points out there's still a debate whether Belichick or Tom Brady was more responsible for the Patriots' six Super Bowl wins ... and his style of coaching may not resonate with the locker room.

Harbaugh -- who's fresh off a national championship with the Wolverines -- hasn't announced whether he will be back in Ann Arbor next season ... but Wiley thinks his postgame comments mean he's as good as gone.

As for his former team, Wiley -- who played in San Diego from 2001-2003 -- thinks they're an easy fix under Harbaugh ... making him the perfect guy to replace fired coach Brandon Staley.

"With Justin Herbert, he's top 5 talent," he added. "He just needs everybody else. First, he's gotta stay healthy and then everybody else just kinda stay healthy and stay on page. With Staley, it was fun ... but a little too much gambling. It started to cost us. People stopped believing him, the doubt creeped in, then he just lost his way. That's what happens."

Terence Crawford found a way to troll boxing rival Errol Spence during the NFL's wildcard weekend ... comparing his beatdown of the fighter from Dallas to the Packers thrashing of the Cowboys!

If you didn't know, Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) is a Packers fan ... and Spence (29-1, 22 KOs), a big Cowboys fan.

So, when the Packers dominated the Cowboys on Sunday, Terence took a shot at Spence, saying the ass whoopin' Dallas received resembled his TKO win over Spence last summer.

"Oooowwweeee this game looking like me and @ErrolSpenceJr," Crawford wrote on X. "They must have injuries that’s why we winning hun? 😭😭😭"

FYI, Crawford's seemingly referring to Spence's contention that his injured eye is at least partially responsible for the lopsided loss to Bud.

Spence didn't respond to the message, but that didn't stop Crawford from continuing to mock Cowboys fans ... laughing at their continued failure in the playoffs.

"I like Dallas the city and Texas the state. It’s just that the cowgirls have always been a rivalry to my Packers and they all was betting against me," Crawford said.

"Keep fighting cowgirls! Yall had a good season, now yall can go home and rest up for next year."

Of course, Crawford was one of the endless amount of people who were trollin' the Cowboys after the 48-32 loss.

9:59 AM PT -- Hulk Hogan's wife, Sky Daily, just posted about the crash ... writing, "Last night, after we left dinner in Tampa, we saw a car flip in front of us! I truly admire my husband @hulkhogan and our good buddy @jakerask for springing into action, puncturing the girls airbag, and getting her quickly out of the car. By all appearances, she was unscathed, just really rattled, which is an absolute miracle!"

9:07 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained new photos from the scene of the crash ... and in them, you can see Hulk and his friend playing real-life superheroes.

Take a look at these pics ... which show an up-close-and-personal view of the action. From the looks of it, the accident was as dramatic as you can imagine -- with the teen's car completely flipped upside down ... and her actually stepping out from the vehicle.

In fact, you can also see Hulk's buddy, Jake (the marine), running over to help. It's like something straight out of a movie -- and fortunately, nobody was seriously harmed.

7:17 AM PT -- More startling details about this accident -- TMZ Sports has learned that the driver was a minor ... a 17-year-old girl, who, we're told, was completely rattled by the whole thing.

Our sources also tell us that Hulk Hogan's buddy, Jake, who dove right in on this is actually a Marine!

Hulk Hogan sloughed off his WWE heel persona in real life this weekend -- jumping to the rescue of a woman who got into a horrific car accident ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the legendary wrestler, his wife Sky Daily and a friend of theirs were cruising along a highway Sunday evening in Tampa, FL when they witnessed a bad wreck play out right in front of them.

We're told a car erratically swerved across the lanes to catch an exit it was about to miss -- and in the process ... clipped another car, which our sources say flipped over and tumbled.

Hulk and co., our sources explain, pulled over immediately -- with HH and his pal, Jake, rushing over to render aid to the driver ... a woman whom we're told was rattled. Since they were first on the scene, we're told Hulk and Jake actually helped get her out of the car.

Our sources say Jake popped the woman's airbag with some tools that Hulk had on hand -- and they both unbuckled her seatbelt and assisted her in safely leaving the vehicle. We're told paramedics eventually arrived on the scene, and Hulk and his crew looked on.

In the end, our sources say the woman appeared to be okay ... and HH was happy to help.

Pretty terrifying obviously -- and while, thankfully, everyone seemed alright in the end ... you gotta imagine the woman who was saved must've been surprised to see none other than Hulk himself being her personal hero. Again, he's often played the villain in the ring.

Turns out, he's the nicest guy and then some when called upon ... well done, brother!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are two peas in a pod these days -- but in terms of their initial coming-together ... her relative is now coming forward to claim he played matchmaker.

Danny Frye III -- who's a dirt track racer in Oklahoma -- did an interview this weekend where he revealed he's T-Swift's second cousin, and not just that ... but he's taking credit for setting up his uber-famous family member with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

Check it out ... in Danny's chat with FloRacing TV, he confirmed he and Taylor are, in fact, related by blood -- but he's not just some random distant relative ... according to him, they're somewhat close and grew up together.

More importantly, DF3 drops a bombshell ... saying he made a "love connection" between his cuzzo and TK -- although, he doesn't really get into the details much at all. Danny shows off a screengrab of him and TayTay at a Chiefs game ... so he's not totally BS'ing.

It's interesting this is coming out now -- 'cause back in November, Travis spilled the beans on how exactly he and Taylor got hooked up ... saying someone in her world played Cupid, and strongly suggested it might have been someone in her own brood who knew who he was.

Some suspected her brother, Austin, might've been responsible -- but now, Danny here is saying he's the reason we have one of the biggest, most famous couples in recent memory.

Again, no deets on how exactly it all unfolded -- but it ain't hard to piece together. Presumably, Danny heard Travis' Taylor story on his pod, and relayed the message.

Dez Bryant was posting through the pain during the Cowboys' shocking loss to the Packers on Sunday ... sharing his roller coaster of emotions on social media as his beloved team got booted from the playoffs.

The former All-Pro receiver was high on Dallas before kickoff ... saying he was "feeling EXTREMELY EXTREMELY great" about America's Team and claiming a $10,000 payday was on the line.

But things quickly went south for Dez ... as Green Bay came out strong with a 27-0 lead and never looked back.

That's when Dez -- who played for the Cowboys from 2010-2017 -- started to unravel.

"Idk wtf going on but we really need straighten up," Dez said ... still holding out hope for a comeback. He later bashed Cowboys staffers ... adding, "Playing (sic) calling trash as f*** right now."

As Dallas started to pick things up in the second half, Dez remained optimistic ... saying, "I still believe in us… game not over" and "If we can score one more time before the 3rd up. I like our chances."

In fact, he claimed he was about to make a live bet on Dallas completing the comeback ... but shortly after, he accepted the inevitable outcome.

"Yea this one might be over."

Bryant gave his two cents on the future of the Cowboys ... saying the organization should fire defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

"Quinn was ready to leave Dallas," Dez posted. "Fire his ass Jerry and give him his wish."

But it doesn't sound like Bryant is solely putting the blame on Quinn ... as he said the current roster was "too damn talented for this."

Green Bay ended up taking the 48-32 victory ... securing a spot in the Divisional Round, where they'll face the San Francisco 49ers. It was certainly not what people were expecting ... as Dallas was believed to be a Super Bowl contender, and the Packers snuck into the postseason with a 10-8 record.

Gotta give Dez credit for being 100% real throughout his heartbreak ... and he got over his troubles with the help of an adult beverage.

The brutal hit on Tyler Higbee, which ultimately tore the TE's ACL, was NOT dirty ... according to Kerby Joseph's Lions teammate C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who says if the Rams want to blame anyone, it should be their QB!

The tackle in question came late in the 4th quarter during the Lions-Rams playoff game at Ford Field Sunday evening ... when Joseph, a safety, hit Higbee low as he attempted to catch a ball running across the middle of the field.

The TV broadcast showed Higbee's planted leg bending backward ... and many people have deemed the hit "dirty."

But, Gardner-Johnson feels differently ... placing the blame on Matthew Stafford for putting his TE in that position.

"If anybody on the Rams feels like it was dirty, well tell his quarterback don't put the ball in a place where he can get his player hurt," CJ told reporters after the game.

"You heard [Tom] Brady say it all the time."

In fact, Brady did recently make this point ... after Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. got hurt after a hit from Steelers' Damontae Kazee (he was suspended for the rest of the 2023 season).

"Nobody likes seeing players get hurt. But hard hits happen," Brady said.

"QBs should not be throwing the ball in areas where they are exposing their own teammates to these types of hits."

On Monday, the Rams fears were confirmed ... Higbee tore his ACL on the play.

Johnson -- a third-round draft pick of the Lions in 2022 -- spoke about the hit after the Lions 24-23 win, saying he wasn't trying to hurt Tyler.

"I’m praying for bro and his family I don’t have no intention to hurt no body and or harm their career," Joseph wrote on X.

Dan Campbell had his Lions players ready to run through a brick wall after the franchise's first playoff win in 32 years ... giving a speech right from the heart that got the entire locker room hyped!!

The Lions pulled off the close 24-23 victory in the Wild Card matchup against the L.A. Rams on Sunday ... punching their ticket to the Divisional Round, where they will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.

Campbell -- who's in his third season with Detroit -- addressed his squad shortly after the contest ... and he didn't hold back as he honored general manager Brad Holmes and Jared Goff with game balls.

"Dude, how electric was it out there?" Campbell said. "I'm telling you what, it doesn't get any better. It's everything you dream of and then more, all right? That's outstanding work."

Holmes was also fired up to the max after the game ... letting out a scream in the elevator, which was captured on video.

Emotions were high at Ford Field ... as the Lions faced off against former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, who played 12 seasons in Motor City before being traded to L.A. in 2021.

Some fans in the crowd were visibly crying after the final whistle ... and understandably so, as the Lions had to deal with some miserable seasons before the turnaround.

In fact, the team's biggest A-list supporters like Eminem, Barry Sanders and Big Sean were present for the showdown ... and they were certainly soaking in the huge moment.

As we previously reported, Slim Shady playfully begged Stafford to let the Lions win ... claiming the former No. 1 overall pick owed him a favor for crushing it during the Super Bowl halftime show when the QB secured his first ring with the Rams in the 2021 season.

People really should pump the brakes on all the engagement talk between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce ... 'cause we're told a proposal isn't forthcoming in the near future either.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... there's absolutely no engagement in the works between Taylor and Travis right now -- despite some reports suggesting they're racing to the altar. To the contrary, we're being told TK ain't getting on bended knee anytime soon.

There were rumblings this week people in Taylor's camp had T-Swift and Trav pegged for an early summer engagement, but we're being told that's just not the case. In fact, our sources tell us some folks on the inside of this don't think it'll go the distance.

We're told some members of their inner circles see Taylor and Travis as still being in a honeymoon phase, of sorts -- and they say it's just too early to tell if they'll ever advance past the dating stage.

Hear that ... that's the sound of Swiftie bubbles bursting, and premature wedding bells going silent.

Our sources also point out their about to enter a very challenging stage of their relationship --  Taylor's continuing her international tour starting in February, which will have her overseas for several months.

Of course, once his NFL season is over, Travis could join her at times -- but folks in their orbit are saying let's see how they deal with the really long distance before jumping to engagement talk.

Bill Belichick's run in New England might be over, but his time as a winner certainly ain't done yet ... at least, that's according to his ex-running back Corey Dillon, who tells TMZ Sports The Hoodie's going to find success at his next stop.

The Pats and Belichick mutually agreed to part ways on Thursday ... and some have wondered if the 71-year-old might be done coaching for good.

But, when we spoke with Dillon just hours after the decision became final in New England ... he assured us his former boss won't be quitting winning in the NFL any time soon.

"I think he's still got a lot left in the tank," Dillon said.

The former tailback -- who spent three seasons playing for Belichick and won one Super Bowl -- said he has no idea where Belichick will coach next, but he's sure he'll find a new gig and record more wins shortly ... something that will make Dillon emotional.

"Am I sad as hell to see him coaching for another team?" Dillon said. "Absolutely, man. That's going to be the worst."

As for Bill's legacy in New England, Dillon tells us there should be no debate over whether Tom Brady was responsible for all of his big wins ... explaining, "It was all of us, man. We all made that thing work."

"I couldn't get it done without Tom Brady," he said. "Tom Brady couldn't get it done without Bill. Bill couldn't get it done without us. [Robert] Kraft couldn't get it done without everybody."

Tom Brady never netted a dollar playing professional baseball ... but a card of him in uniform just made one seller a boatload of cash.

A baseball card of the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback sold for $158,600 online Saturday after a contentious bidding war on the site Goldin.

As we previously reported ... the happy seller is a Minnesota card collector who pulled the one-of-a-kind signed Bowman Tom Brady Montreal Expos Superfractor card ... talk about a lucky draw!

TB12 played catcher for his high school baseball team, and the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) took him in the 18th round, 507th overall ... not high enough to entice Tom away from his University of Michigan scholarship.

The rest is history ... Brady's gone down as the greatest QB of all time, a surefire Hall of Famer -- though it hasn't stopped people from imagining what could've been.

Topps put out a commercial reimagining Brady's life as an MLB player instead ... guy ended up being the G.O.A.T. in a different sport (no surprise there).

Patrick Mahomes is headed to the next playoff round, but the happiest person in his household has to be his wife, Brittany ... who posted a crap load of photos with her new twin.

The mother-of-two and former college soccer star shared the pics from Saturday night's 26-7 Chiefs win where she posed with pop sensation Taylor Swift.

TS and BM hit a series of poses ranging from cute and flirty to downright silly ... and close friend and fellow WAG Lyndsay Bell hopped in for a couple pics too.

Mahomes made reference to their matching puff jackets -- emblazoned with the names of their footballing beaus on the back -- in her caption, writing "Twinning & Winning💯."

As you well know ... Brittany and Taylor sparked up a fast friendship amidst Tay's whirlwind romance with Travis Kelce, who is very close to Patrick and the Mahomes family.

On top of taking in games together, the dynamic duo have hung out several times including dinners in NYC ... where Mahomes rubbed elbows with celebs like Selena Gomez and Gigi Hadid.

Most recently, the friends (along with Bell) grabbed dinner at Spago in L.A. last weekend when the Chiefs came to town to play the Chargers.

Some of their time together has drawn mixed reactions -- remember their "cringe" handshake during October -- but the duo doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks ... easy to do when you're part of the uber-rich.

Eminem says Rams QB Matt Stafford owes him, and he’s calling in a favor -- let the Lions win on Sunday!

The legendary rapper is a big Detroit Lions fan ... and with the team hosting a home playoff game tonight for the first time in 3 decades (1994), Eminem sent a message to the 35-year-old former #1 overall draft pick ahead of the highly anticipated Super Wild Card matchup.

"Stafford, what'd I say? You owe me this favor, bro. I was there for you when you won it. I was there for you. I was right there. I rapped for you Stafford, bro, I rapped for you. Can you just let us have this one? Just this one!"

When Em says he "rapped for" Matt, he's referring to Super Bowl 56 at SoFi Stadium in 2022 ... where Marshall (along with Dre, Snoop, Mary J., and 50) performed one of the best halftime shows in SB history.

On the field, Stafford's Rams beat the Bengals, 23-20 ... and Em showed love for the former Lions star.

Of course, before he ever played a down as the Rams QB, Stafford broke into the league as a Lions star in 2009 ... when he was drafted with the first overall pick.

Stafford, after 12 seasons in Detroit, was traded for now-current Lions' signal-caller Jared Goff, in 2020.

Goff's played some of the best football of his career since leaving SoCal, and led the Lions to a 12-5 record this season. It's the rare trade that has worked out great for both organizations.

Eminem aside, anticipation of Matt's return to the Motor City has become a bit of a contentious topic ... with some fans calling for a boycott of his Lions jersey at Ford Field, which didn't sit well with Stafford's wife, Kelly.

As for Sunday's game, it's expected to be incredibly close ... so you can't fault Em for trying to get an advantage!

The Lions have never won a Super Bowl (they won 4 championships before the SB era), and haven't won a playoff game since January 1992.

Taylor Swift stared all googly-eyed at Travis Kelce as the power couple walked hand in hand out of Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium Saturday night.

The pop superstar seemed totally enamored by her hunky beau Travis – the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, who rolled to an easy 26-7 victory with his teammates over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC wild card game.

Check out the video ... Taylor, decked out in her red Chiefs jacket, is totally glued to Travis, sporting cool sunglasses and black leather pants. In another angle from behind ... the two are holding hands as the back of Taylor's coat is in full view -- emblazoned with the name "Kelce" and his NFL number "87."

Taylor also made a grand entrance – as usual – getting escorted in a golf cart to the VIP area so she could watch Travis from her stadium suite.

Video shows her rolling up in her chauffeured cart, stepping out and strolling past security and a bunch of media types with cameras.

During the game, Taylor was filmed interacting with other Chiefs fans in the stands, cheering and high-fiving with them. She was sitting right next to Travis' mom Donna, and Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany -- who all did a little dance in the suite.

Taylor has been a regular at Travis' NFL games since they confirmed they were an item in September 2023 – and even before that when they were rumored to be dating.

Matthew Stafford better have brought his tough-guy helmet with him to Detroit this weekend ... 'cause Calvin Johnson tells TMZ Sports he's not expecting Lions fans to welcome their former QB with open arms.

Of course, Megatron says there will likely be some cheers and even some people decked out in Stafford's former No. 9 jerseys at Ford Field when the Rams visit for their much-anticipated Wild Card round game Sunday night ... but the Hall of Famer tells us, "I'm sure there will be people booing."

As for how Johnson will feel ... it seems he's feeling conflicted on how to handle it all as well.

"I'm definitely a Matthew fan -- that's my guy," said Johnson, who caught passes from Stafford from 2009 to 2015 with the Lions. "But I want him to come in here and come into the Lion's Den and not go home!"

Some Detroit fans, meanwhile, have already given a bit of a preview into how they'll respond when Stafford runs out onto the field later Sunday ... advocating a ban on wearing old No. 9 uniforms to the game -- something Matthew's wife was not pleased about.

Antics in the crowd aside, Johnson expects his old team will ultimately get the win over Stafford -- though he says the score will be very close.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are applauding Jake Browning's ability to fill Joe Burrow's shoes this season ... telling TMZ Sports the Bengals backup made it an "easy transition" for the whole team.

The former Washington quarterback's number was called after the team's franchise player went down with a wrist injury back in November ... and found some success under center, going 4-3 and helping Cincy finish the season with a winning record.

We spoke with the Bengals' top two targets this week about Browning ... and both guys had nothing but positive things to say about him.

"Jake came in and did his job, honestly, man," Chase said. "Him just being poised enough to get in there and have to piggyback off what Joe's doing or what he has done, it's not easy."

"Him having two elite receivers to play with is just going to make it even easier for him."

Higgins also pointed out how Browning got reps with the first stringers when Burrow went down with a calf injury in training camp ... and he did a helluva job rebuilding that chemistry mid-season.

"I felt like it was an easy transition for him and for us."

Chase added Burrow's impact was still felt even though he wasn't on the field ... as his presence alone "brings joy to guys' faces."

We also spoke with Chase about a fellow superstar LSU Tiger -- Jayden Daniels -- and he said he was thrilled to see the Heisman winner hold it down in Baton Rouge this year.

As for whether he had a better season than Burrow, Chase said there's one big thing that separates the two.

Noah Knigga is looking to give the people what they want ... telling TMZ Sports he's gotten a ton of requests to sell jerseys and merch after becoming an internet sensation -- and he wants to help make it happen!!

The two-sport junior from Lawrenceburg H.S. in Indiana went viral after the masses got wind of his unique surname (relax, it's pronounced Kuh-Nay-Guh) this week ... which, naturally, resulted in thousands of social media users chiming in on the phenomenon.

We caught up with Noah -- a three-star linebacker -- about his new fame ... and he says the whole experience has been life-changing.

The football and basketball star says his accounts have been flooded with people inquiring about getting their hands on some apparel ... and while he would love to fulfill the demand, Knigga explained he's gotta make sure anything he pursues won't hurt his eligibility with the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

FYI -- Indiana is one of the handful of states that has not allowed Name, Image and Likeness monetization at the high school level yet, so Knigga says he's looking to meet with officials before giving anything the green light.

Aside from a potentially booming business on his hands, Noah also tells us he's gotten a lot more interest from college coaches about playing ball at the next level ... naming schools like Indiana, Eastern Michigan, Kentucky, Northwestern and more that have reached out.