TMZ Sports - Page 50

6:02 PM PT -- More details are surfacing about the circumstances surrounding Matthew Perry's death ... as sources tell us he actually died at his own house after some physical activity this morning.

We're told Matthew came home sometime in the AM after a 2-hour round of pickleball, and that he sent his assistant out on an errand shortly thereafter. We're told when the assistant returned about 2 hours later, he discovered Matthew unresponsive ... and called 911.

Unclear if what Matthew was doing before his passing played any role in his death at this point -- the investigation into his death is underway.

Matthew Perry -- one of the stars of "Friends" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the actor was found Saturday at an L.A.-area home ... where we're told he appears to have drowned. Our sources say first responders rushed over on a call for cardiac arrest. It's unclear where exactly on the grounds this happened.

Our sources say he was found in a jacuzzi at the home ... and we're told there were no drugs found at the scene. We're also told there is no foul play involved.

Perry is most famous for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit '90s sitcom, which ran for 10 seasons ... and with him in all 234 episodes. His character was a fan fave, as was his performance -- mannerisms and lines of which have gone on to be recreated and spoofed by fans all over the world. One comes to mind, in particular ... "Could (blank) BE more ..."

While "Friends" was his biggest claim to fame ... MP starred/guest starred in countless other TV shows over the years -- such as "Boys Will Be Boys," "Growing Pains," "Silver Spoons," "Charles in Charge," "Sydney," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Home Free," "Ally McBeal," "The West Wing," "Scrubs," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "Go On," "The Odd Couple" and more.

He had also acted in a handful of memorable films (mostly comedy) ... like "Fools Rush In," "The Whole Nine Yards," "Three to Tango," "The Kid," "17 Again," "Getting In," and many others. He's been off the scene more recently ... not having acted since a TV miniseries in 2017.

While his onscreen persona was affable and upbeat, Matthew suffered mightily behind the scenes -- notably, from his addiction to drugs and alcohol ... pain killers, specifically. He was hooked on Vicodin for years -- even while on 'Friends' -- and had been in and out of rehab.

Matthew opened up about this painful chapter of his life in a memoir he put out last year -- where he detailed the struggles he had ... including his clear weight loss/gain on the show.

During his press run for his book ... Matthew did a number of interviews where he got incredibly emotional -- including one with Diane Sawyer, where he detailed his story.

While Perry appeared to be clean and sober a year ago, the year prior -- when he and the other cast members were plugging the "Friends" reunion show -- drew concern from fans ... as they felt he appeared unwell, at times slurring his words and looking a bit out of it.

On top of his substance use ... Matthew also dealt with health issues, some of which were serious and required hospitalization. One such incident stemmed from a gastrointestinal perforation -- which forced him to undergo emergency surgery ... but he luckily recovered.

Matthew never married, but he was briefly engaged to Molly Hurwitz a couple years ago ... which came to an end after only 6 months. Before that, he'd been linked to Lizzy Caplan.

He was 54 years old.

RIP

The budding friendship between Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes isn't just for cameras on Sundays ... they've exchanged phone numbers and they're giving BFF vibes!!!

Sources close to Taylor and Brittany tell TMZ ... they swapped digits the first time Taylor went to a Kansas City Chiefs game to cheer on Travis Kelce, back on Sept. 24, and they've kept in touch ever since -- texting each other even when it's not gameday.

We're told Taylor and Brittany don't only see each other at Chiefs games ... and all their fun times NFL fans see on camera aren't just for show, as some folks are speculating.

Case in point ... Taylor and Brittany took shots together at Travis' after-party for the first game TS attended, as the WAGs were hanging out at the shindig.

From there, they progressed to hugs and dances in the players' family stadium suites ... and then this past Sunday, Taylor and Brittany debuted their new handshake to much fanfare.

Travis and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have a strong connection on and off the field ... and the same can be said for Taylor and Brittany.

Peyton Manning and Pat McAfee are back together on the football field again ... and believe it or not, it's Pat who's training the Hall of Fame quarterback -- how to punt!

The former Indianapolis Colts teammates reunited at Lucas Oil Stadium this week for a Halloween episode of Peyton Places on ESPN+ (produced by Omaha Productions) ... where Peyton got a personal tutorial on how to perfect the "coffin corner."

If you're not hip to what a coffin corner is ... it's when the punter kicks the ball between the opponent's 5-yard line and the endzone, giving the offense terrible field position.

"Here Peyton, you try," McAfee said. "Nobody wants to see me punt the ball. They wanna see you do terrible with this."

Considering it's the Halloween episode, they actually placed a literal coffin on the field as a target ... and Peyton had a helluva time getting it down.

But after several tries, Manning finally had some success -- all while wearing a vest and slacks!

"You just hit it," McAfee yelled. "Let's go!!!"

Of course, getting trained by McAfee helps -- the guy's a 2-time Pro Bowl punter who booted more than 575 punts for over 26,000 yards.

The guys were teammates on the Colts from 2009 to 2011 ... right before Peyton signed with the Denver Broncos, where he won his 2nd Super Bowl.

Pat and Peyton are both TV guys now -- McAfee has his show on ESPN, and Manning has the famous "Monday Night Football" Manningcast with his brother, Eli (which airs on ESPN 2).

Ryan McKenna, famous for snapping a viral Super Bowl selfie years ago with Justin Timberlake, is in more legal trouble -- this time cops say he pulled a few no-nos for a guy on probation.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ryan was arrested earlier this month in Florida after his probation officer discovered he'd traveled out of state without permission.

The PO says he got suspicious when Ryan sent an email saying he was "unsure" of any outstanding conditions for October, even though Ryan had already checked in for the month.

When he called Ryan, he didn't answer ... so he dialed his mom, and she told him Ryan was back in Naples, FL, where Ryan had been arrested in February in the case that led to his probation.

Problem is ... the PO says Ryan's address on file is in Massachusetts, and he's supposed to get permission before leaving the state.

When Ryan finally called back, he admitted being back in Florida without getting the PO's permission ... and based on that "unusual behavior," the officer tested Ryan for drugs and alcohol, and says it came back positive for booze.

Major screwup on Ryan's part, and not just because he's under 21 -- as we first reported, Ryan's also not allowed to consume alcohol as a condition of his probation.

Ryan copped to drinking on Oct. 12, even though he'd previously told his PO he didn't. The officer says Ryan was upfront about knowing booze was off limits and lying to his probation officer is also a violation.

Ryan was arrested, posed for a new mug shot and is due back in court Monday morning for arraignment.

TMZ broke the story ... cops were called to a California Pizza Kitchen in Naples, on the eve of the Super Bowl, after they were told Ryan was drunk and had hit his buddy.

Tony Stewart is 52 years old, and although he stopped driving NASCAR in 2016, the racing legend's going faster than ever behind the wheel of a dragster ... and he tells us the finish line isn't anywhere in sight.

The 3x NASCAR Cup Series and IndyCar champion (the only driver to ever win both) stopped by the TMZ offices this week ... and sat down with Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), as Tony prepares for the NHRA Finals in Ponoma, CA November 9-12 at the Auto Club Raceway.

Stewart owns an NHRA team, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), an organization he co-founded with his wife, fellow racing star Leah Pruitt ... who drives a Top Fuel dragster.

Tony made his racing debut as a driver in NHRA in 2022, and this year began racing the Top Alcohol dragster on a regular basis. We asked him how much longer he envisions driving.

"From the NASCAR side, I retired at the right time. I haven't been in a wing sprint car on dirt for a couple of years now and I'm okay with that. The good thing about drag racing is because the run is so short, and the most you're gonna make in a day is 4 runs, physically it's not as taxing on your body. The taxing part is the acceleration and deceleration when the parachutes come out. That's the hardest part on your body," Stewart said.

He continued ... "I do feel like in NHRA, this is adding years to the end of my racing career.  If it wasn't for NHRA, I'd probably would be for the most part officially retired. But this has kind of been a rebirth for me."

A traditional quarter-mile run in a TA dragster lasts a touch over 5 seconds and sees driver and race car reaching speeds near 300 MPH. The body endures several Gs during the start and stop of the race, but it doesn't last 3+ hours like the average NASCAR race.

Stewart believes that's extended his career by years ... possibly decades.

"Chris Karamesines, 'The Greek,' drove into his early 90s, was the last time he drove a top fuel car. Which I thought was absolutely insane watching him do that. John Force in early 70s, still winning races," Tony remarked.

We asked ... could you envision still being behind the wheel as a 70+-year-old driver?

"I just hope I live another 20 years," Tony said, laughing ... "At the rate I've been going, I feel like I'm a video game on extended play."

Travis Kelce has Taylor Swift on the brain whether he's with her or not -- 'cause the dude's out here singing her songs in public ... even though she's nowhere to be seen herself.

The Chiefs tight end was out in Arlington, TX Friday -- where he swung by Globe Life Field to catch Game 1 of the World Series between the Rangers and the D-backs ... and where he ended up getting caught on camera indulging in his girlfriends catchy tunes.

First, fans noticed TK crooning and dancing along to 'Shake It Off' ... which was played during the game. Travis' bouncing around was actually shown on the jumbotron, and he didn't shy away from lip-syncing -- bobbing his head and getting a little hand action in too.

Later in the evening ... there was another opportunity to belt out some TayTay, and he did.

Check it out for yourself -- the dude was singing his heart out to one of her most well-known songs, 'Love Story,' and he was even seemingly recording himself while doing it. That, or he was on the phone with someone ... possibly even Taylor. 👀

In any case ... the timing of this great for a couple reasons. For one, it shows that he's all in on Taylor and supports her even when she ain't looking. Of course, the bigger deal here is the fact that Taylor just re-released her '1989' album ... and needs all the pub she can get.

Looks like Travis is solid boyfriend material in both capacities -- and funny enough, he's got a similar cheering style as she does when up in the stands.

Taylor Swift has been a fixture at a bunch of Travis Kelce's games this season, but that's not gonna happen this weekend ... cuz her multibillion-dollar tour is about to start back up.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Taylor won't be making the trip to Denver Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs take on Russell Wilson and the Broncos because she's gotta get back into tour mode.

Taylor's first show back from hiatus is slated for November 9 in Buenos Aires, Argentina -- so you gotta imagine there will be some serious rehearsals and meetings before then.

Taylor's been on a 3-month break from her 'Eras' tour -- closing out the first leg of U.S. shows with 6 nights at SoFi Stadium back in August -- but she'll now be touring off and on for the next year internationally with dates in Brazil, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Canada, France, Italy and a whole bunch more.

As we reported, she's also just hit billionaire status -- Forbes says she's worth $1.1 billion thanks to the "Eras" tour -- and credits her for being one of the only artists to hit the milestone solely off touring and recording sales.

Of course, she's likely made the NFL a bunch of money this season in new viewership and jersey sales ... attending a bunch of her boyfriend Travis' games and cheering him on from a private suite with friends from Sophie Turner to Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany.

If you've ever wanted to play golf with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Zoom chat with Bryan Cranston or visit Ben Stiller on a Hollywood set, here's your chance ... these once-in-a-lifetime experiences are up for grabs, and they support our veterans, too.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are teaming up with Homes For Our Troops ... an annual online auction raising funds for injured vets, and once again this year's lineup is incredible.

Jason and Will are auctioning off 18 holes of golf with them at the Bel-Air Country Club ... and Ben's offering a chance to go with him to work on the set of "Severance."

You could also grab lunch in NYC with Lou Diamond Phillips, have Michael Connelly write your name in his next novel or get tickets to Adam Sandler's show and then meet him.

There's some super cool Hollywood memorabilia being auctioned off too ... including items signed by Jon Bon Jovi, Mark Hamill, and Chris Evans.

Jon's contributing an autographed guitar; Mark signed a super rare Luke Skywalker figurine and Chris is offering a personalized video message ... with an autographed 'Captain America' shield and movie poster thrown in for good measure.

Ryan Reynolds is getting in on the action too ... with a rare, autographed Deadpool figurine. Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston's fundraising with a Fendi bag from her personal collection.

There's also the dress Mindy Kaling wore to Beyoncé's "Renaissance" tour show, and a Wynonna Judd autographed guitar.

Sports fans have something to bid on too ... a basketball signed by the whole "Inside the NBA" crew -- Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. Plus, there's an NFL football signed by Peyton Manning and his Super Bowl champion teammates from the 2010 Indianapolis Colts.

All of the auction's proceeds go to Homes For Our Troops, which builds and donates custom homes for post-9/11 veterans with severe wounds.

Cooper Manning says Univ. of Texas fans will need to wait a bit longer to see Arch Manning starring on the field for the Longhorns ... telling TMZ Sports this week his boy has "a little ways to go" still.

Peyton and Eli's big bro was candid with us when speaking about Arch's situation while out at LAX this week ... saying his 18-year-old son is still trying to figure out how to stay afloat in Austin during his first year on UT's campus.

"I mean, he lost his ID early on," Cooper said of Arch with a laugh. "So, baby steps. But I think he's every day trying to get a little better. And I think he's doing that."

Of course, Arch came to Texas with some sky-high expectations ... he was the No. 1-ranked recruit in the country -- and many Longhorns fans expected him to compete for the starting job as soon as he got his burnt orange jersey this year.

But, that hasn't been the case ... Quinn Ewers has been QB1 this entire season -- and even though he's now hurt, Maalik Murphy is expected to get the start this weekend over Arch.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said there is a chance the young Manning could make his collegiate debut in Saturday's contest vs. BYU -- but he seemed to make it clear that Murphy will be the guy while Ewers is out.

Cooper, meanwhile, doesn't appear to see anything wrong with that ... telling us he expects his freshman son to just need some more time to season up.

"I'm surprised he hasn't lost his key and his car and his book bag and everything," Cooper said. "Freshman year -- you know, the lumps. But he's growing up."

As for Arch's NFL future, Cooper obviously isn't ready to talk about any of that ... telling us, "That's a long way away."

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya's breaking down Francis Ngannou's odds of beating Tyson Fury in the boxing ring Saturday night ... putting his chance squarely at "ZERO," flat out telling us it ain't happening!

TMZ Sports was chatting with ODLH -- as he was promoting boxing star Ryan Garcia's upcoming return to the ring -- when we asked him about today's fight in Saudi Arabia ... pitting The Predator, MMA's most feared striker, vs. The Gypsy King, the best heavyweight boxer in the world.

"I think I have a better chance at beating Tiger Woods in golf," Oscar told us ... not mincing a single word.

We followed up ... no chance at all?!

"Zero," De La Hoya responded.

"I'll tell you one thing about Tyson Fury and Ngannou. It's gonna be entertaining, while it lasts I believe. Tyson Fury, you have to realize, he went in there against [Deontay] Wilder. He goes in there vs. Wladimir Klitschko, so he's a fighter all his life inside the boxing ring."

Despite clearly seeing no way the former UFC champ can win, Oscar still gave him credit for accepting the bout.

"Ngannou, I commend him for even trying this. I take my hat off to him for even trying this. He's gonna make a s***load of money. I just think when Tyson Fury gets his number and his rhythm, he's gonna play with him and probably knock him out."

FYI, Francis last fought in January 2022 -- a UFC contest -- against heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane. Ngannou won by unanimous decision. Tyson last fought and beat Derek Chisora by TKO in December 2022.

Fury is regarded as not just the best heavyweight boxer of his era, but of of the greatest ever, period. Meanwhile, Ngannou, a striker who puts fear in his opponents, has never boxed professionally.

Bottom line, there might not be anyone out there who knows boxing better than De La Hoya ... but as they say, there's a reason they play the game, or in this case, have the fight.

Race car driver Christy Georges-Barnett is still finding it hard to believe she won over $1 million at a Las Vegas slot machine ... but, yes, she is indeed now rich -- and she's showing TMZ Sports the massive check that proves it!!

The 63-year-old -- who drives USRA Dirt Mods and Super Trucks -- revealed a copy of the payment ... just a couple days after she was seen on video winning the cash at Caesar's Palace earlier this month.

"I can't even describe it to you. I still don't believe it," Georges-Barnett said this week. "It was like the biggest shock of my life."

"I couldn't even say anything. All I could do was go around in circles like a dummy and just say, 'Oh, my God! I just hit a million dollars.'"

Georges-Barnett said the surreal moment happened around 11 PM at the Dragon Link machine in the high roller room ... where she had won several small prizes before hitting the big $1 million.

That's when casino officials came over to the machine to see if she wanted the dough in cash or a check.

"I want a check for a million dollars," she said. "I wanna be able to show that off."

Georges-Barnett tells us her plans for the $1 million are to help a few people out, put some toward her and her husband's Barnett Harley Davidson shop, and save the rest.

As for advice to slot lovers out there, Georges-Barnett says she has zero ... telling us her trick is simply to talk to the machines before they deliver jackpots.

"The biggest one that I've ever won before that was $50,000," Georges-Barnett said. "I've won a lot of $30,000s and $20,000s and stuff like that, but never nothing like this."

Baron Davis had a long, successful career in the NBA, but he might've just found his true calling -- telling TMZ Sports he's having an absolute blast coaching his sons' flag football teams!!

B. Diddy has stayed close to sports following his hoops career ... taking on a leadership role for young kids in Los Angeles.

We spoke with the former Hornets and Warriors star about the experience ... and he says he's channeling his inner Pittsburgh Steelers head coach when he's on the sidelines.

"I'm like Mike Tomlin out there of flag football," Davis told us at LAX this week. "It's incredible, it's an incredible feeling being around the kids."

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Davis in the act -- showing him instructing and encouraging his squad at a recent game.

Davis -- who has a 5- and 9-year-old son with ex-wife, Isabella Brewster -- added he teaches his team the basics ... how to be a good teammate and how to focus. But at the same time, he treats them like grownups.

"I treat 'em like pros. I said, 'If we're gonna play, I'm gonna treat you like a pro.'"

Cam Newton is adding to his roster of kids -- his comedian/actress girlfriend just announced she's pregnant with his eighth child ... calling herself "baby momma #3."

Jasmin "Watch Jazzy" Brown broke the news with a photo of her bump while announcing her newest tour on Friday ... which included a bunch of baby-related imagery like a pacifier and footprints.

"Third times a charm tour 😉," Brown said in the IG caption, "Coming to a comedy stage near you."

The tour name is a clear reference to the fact Jazz will be the third woman to have a child with the NFL quarterback.

Brown has made fun of her role as "stepmom" during her standup routine in the past ... but has also dealt with people who criticized her for dating a man who has kids with two other women.

Newton -- who last played with the Panthers in 2021 -- came to her defense recently by clapping back at an internet troll in Brown's comments.

"Welp that's why I ain't with you," Newton said. "LOL it's levels to this Queen and if someone is worth it, yo ass would do a lot of things you ONCE said you wouldn't do."

"I hope you find someone though, I would hate for anyone to go through life alone. I would hate it there lol."

It wasn't the first time Newton and Brown's love life was met with backlash -- Jasmin was also ripped for saying on the "Lovers & Friends with Shan Boodram" podcast that she's a submissive woman in her relationship.

Despite the hate, Brown's fans are flooding her comments with positivity ... and wish her and Newton the best.

The debts keep piling on for Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann ... they've been ordered to pay approximately $230,000 to a bank that sued them.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, a court in Georgia just ordered Simmons Bank judgment against the estranged couple for $226,836.22 ... as well as $178.51 in interest, $2,071.57 in foreclosure fees and $1,945.31 in attorneys' fees.

That's $231,031.61 in total ... yikes!!!

The lawsuit, filed back in July had to do with a home equity line of credit the couple defaulted on.

This isn't the only lawsuit they're dealing with ... TMZ broke the story, the couple was sued back in August by SAKS/CAPITAL ONE the company claimed Kim's credit card had a $115,000 limit -- and she'd fallen behind on making payments -- the suit stated Kim owed $156,080.64 in total on the card.

We were also the first to report the couple recently listed their Georgia family home for $6 million, asking the court to halt a scheduled foreclosure auction on the property and allow them to sell it on their own.

Kim and Kroy are still living under the same roof at the home, but they've been ordered to keep their distance ... Kim's in the basement/nanny suite and Kroy gets the primary bedroom.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross won't be seeing the field as a result of his recent arrest -- the NFL just placed him on the Commissioner's Exempt List.

Ross is facing domestic battery and criminal damage charges stemming from an altercation with a woman on Monday ... in which the alleged victim claimed he was "dragging her" and wrecking the residence.

The 23-year-old -- who was released on $2,500 bond -- pleaded not guilty to the charges.

It's a status that can only be handed down by Roger Goodell himself -- once a player gets put on the exempt list, they are not allowed to play in games or practice with their team ... but can still attend meetings and get any necessary medical treatment.

Despite the absence from competition, Ross will still get paid ... and will not count toward the active roster.

Patrick Mahomes addressed his teammate's arrest earlier this week ... saying, "We love Justyn. I don't know too many of the details as far as that goes. In this locker room, it's a brotherhood, so we just try to pick each other up as much as possible."

Blueface is clapping back at Kelly Stafford for her criticism of his makeshift strip club at the Rams game on Sunday ... calling Matthew Stafford's wife a straight-up "Karen."

The "Thotiana" rapper went off on the Rams QB's significant other in a series of tweets on Thursday ... just a couple days after she blasted him for making it rain on nearly nude dancers in his SoFi Stadium suite over the weekend.

Blueface was adamant that what he did was fine ... tweeting that he was never kicked out for his actions -- nor was he even spoken to by stadium officials over it all.

Interestingly enough, we reached out to both the Rams as well as SoFi Stadium multiple times about the display ... each pointed the finger at the other to take responsibility without giving any sort of response. Especially weird if even Stafford's wife had an issue with it.

As for BF, he wrote, "Matt get your wife bro before I get disrespectful," he said on his X page ... before adding, "Karen on here smh I paid for the suite if I wanted you in the suite Kelly I could have paid for that as well your nephews an daughter have seen worse on instagram if they are already on there welcome to LA."

Blueface also went after Matthew in his rant ... accusing the quarterback of being one of the reasons the Rams lost to the Steelers on the afternoon.

"I could talk about how y’all lost the game an what Matt could have done better as a QB that’s what his wife needs to be talking about my antics ain’t lose us the game," he said.

Blueface then promised to return to SoFi when the Rams play there next.

Kelly has yet to respond -- though she's made it clear she has no issues commenting on his behavior. On her "The Morning After" podcast, she railed against the MC, calling his suite antics "embarrassing" and "disappointing."

She also said she'd consider not bringing her kids to the game going forward if it wasn't dealt with.