TMZ Sports - Page 28

Being an NFL quarterback isn't easy, but what's even harder than that? Adding the pressure of being the first overall pick. JaMarcus Russell knows that feeling all too well ... and he spoke with TMZ Sports about the advice he would give players who find themselves in the same shoes he once did.

"Just keep your head up," Russell said when we chopped it up with him. "Never give up. Keep striving forward. You were the number one pick for a reason. Don't get down on yourself, it comes with the sport."

"It don't work overnight. When you're not doing so good, the microscope on it so much because of you being the number one pick. Keep your faith, keep the film room and the weight room your best friend."

Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have turned the Chicago Bears around in 2025 ... and one of the greatest players in franchise history can't get enough of what he's seen so far this season.

TMZ Sports caught up with Mike Singletary as his former team sits atop the NFC North with an impressive 11-4 record ... and he couldn't say enough good things about the coach and quarterback duo.

The Hall of Famer said the Bears have not only played good football, but proved they never give up -- and it's been fun to watch as a spectator.

The University of Michigan has hired Utah's Kyle Whittingham to replace Sherrone Moore as head coach of their Wolverines football program after the disgraced coach was fired for having an "inappropriate relationship" with a female staffer.

The big announcement came out Friday evening, with UMich revealing they inked a 5-year contract with Whittingham, which will run through the 2030 season. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel applauded the deal in a statement, gushing ... "Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect — where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field."

Whittingham spent 21 seasons as head coach of the Utes, but was with the team for a whopping 32 seasons overall, first joining the coaching staff in 1994. He's Utah's all-time wins leader, finishing with a 177-88 record.

Holly Ramsay is a married woman!

The 25-year-old daughter of Gordon and Tana Ramsay married Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty in the UK Saturday. The famed chef can be seen proudly walking with his daughter outside The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

He looked dapper in a tuxedo embellished with a white flower boutonniere, while Holly looked like a Christmas angel in a silky white dress that featured a full skirt and ornate lace detailing.

Gordon took to Instagram before he walked Holly down the aisle and gushed that he was "so lucky" to do so, and thrilled to be "gaining an incredible son in law" in Adam.

Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola were a no-show for the Beckham family Christmas festivities this year, instead celebrating with Nicola's parents Nelson Peltz and Claudia Heffner Peltz.

Check out the pics -- Brooklyn and the "Bates Motel" actress were all smiles as they posed in their matching Christmas pajamas ... also making sure to get a snap with Nelson and Claudia. They captioned their holiday photo dump ... "We wish everyone a merry christmas and a happy new year filled with so much love, peace and happiness ❤️🎄⭐️."

As you know, there's not much peace between Brooklyn and his parents right now. TMZ reported in May there had been issues boiling ever since Brooklyn and Nicola's wedding in 2022, where we were told Nicola was left in tears after Victoria hijacked their first dance. Then, there were tensions when Brooklyn's little bro Romeo Beckham started seeing Kim Turnbull, who Brooklyn had a past with.

The Backstreet Boys made the "right decision" not signing with Shaquille O'Neal back in the day ... so says AJ McLean, who tells TMZ Sports while he adores the NBA legend -- he doubts they'd have the same success had they inked a deal with him.

It's a wild story, but 100% true -- both BSB and *NSYNC used Shaq's Orlando studio to record some of their earliest music when he was a member of the Magic in the '90s ... and O'Neal has openly expressed his regret over not pouncing on the opportunity to work with the boy bands in an official capacity.

We caught up with AJ recently ... and asked a good ol' "what if?"

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen is back in the gym gearing up for what hopefully will be a productive 2026 ... and while he has his sights set on former champ Dricus Du Plessis -- he tells TMZ Sports he's getting mixed signals from the Australian!!

We caught up with Allen a few months after he defeated Reinier de Ridder in Vancouver, and he told us he's hopeful a showdown with Du Plessis will be made sometime in the New Year.

But while that's his desire ... he's not so sure it's what the 31-year-old wants.

Ratings for Snoop Dogg’s Netflix NFL Christmas Game Day “Holiday Halftime Party” drop next week, but judging from the reactions, it’s gonna draw in HUGE numbers!!!

Snoop's 10-minute performance intersected the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings matchup in Minneapolis, and he didn’t shortchange the showmanship in the late, great Prince’s city.

Snoop and his team delivered an array of his classic hip hop records with a mix of Christmas standards and tons of surprises … country superstar Lainey Wilson, Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo, Netflix’s chart-topping HUNTR/X and singer Tonio Armani all shared the stage with Santa Snoop.

Before he was winning World Series rings with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani was dominating on the Angels ... and one of the final jerseys he wore with the other L.A. team is hitting the auction block -- and it could go for a big bag!!

That's what Heritage Auction told TMZ Sports this week -- just months before bidding opens for the rare Ohtani gear on Feb. 6.

The jersey was worn on Aug. 3, 2023 ... when Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the season against the Seattle Mariners. He also had four strikeouts on the mound for the Halos.

The white and red gear comes with all the details -- including the team logo, the FBM advertising patches, and the Nike/MLB inventory sticker.

TMZ Sports has obtained bodycam footage from the night a former Miami Marlins' draft pick allegedly wreaked havoc on the Washington State Capitol ... showing destruction throughout the building.

Cops arrived on the scene and found an abandoned Ford in the landscaping. After walking around, trying to find the driver of the vehicle, the fire alarms inside the building were heard going off, sending the cops running to figure out what was going on.

A responding officer found Gunnar Schubert walking outside the building before ordering him to the ground and throwing him in cuffs. Before he was detained, he threw a can of lighter fluid ... clearly, the 29-year-old wasn't in a speaking mood with cops.

Taylor Swift is showing her team spirit by spending Christmas day in Kansas City ... popping up at fiancé Travis Kelce's game against the Denver Broncos!!!

Travis' game is being shown on Amazon Prime and the broadcast just cut away from some second quarter action to show Taylor's arrival.

The NFL's X account in Brazil posted a clip from the broadcast showing Taylor walking through the stadium on her way to her suite. It's likely this footage was shot before the game and Amazon was waiting for the right time to show it during the game.

Jordyn Woods got one lucky thing for Christmas this year ... a ring -- 'cause she is now engaged to NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns!!!

The couple announced the news in a joint post on Instagram on Christmas day ... captioning the emotional carousel of photos with a simple pun -- "Marry Christmas."

Jordyn -- dressed in all white -- looking as happy as ever with her new fiancé as they stand atop a gorgeous, scenic view at the "Overstory" cocktail bar in New York City.

KAT -- known for his legendary games playing for the NYC Knicks -- is double-dipping in the Christmas celebrations today, being they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a close game, hours before their dazzling announcement.

The high-profile couple started dating back in 2020 after being longtime friends, and bonded over shared experiences of losing a parent ... with Towns' mother passing from COVID-19 and Woods losing her father.

Travis Kelce and his brother Jason are taking holiday fashion to a whole new level -- rockin' matching Christmas sweaters that each feature a gigantic tree as a not-so-subtle nod to their respective … ahem … “packages.”

For context ... in Taylor Swift's hit song "Wood," she sings all about her NFL fiancé's nether regions ... referencing Travis’ manhood as a redwood tree and dubbing it “the gift that keeps giving" ... so this surely is quite the package deal.

This isn't the first time the bros addressed the elephants in the room ... Jason Kelce was actually the one who got the footballer to open up on "Wood" during an episode of "New Heights" -- and while Travis said he liked it, he was quite shy when pressed to give further comment.

Jason went on to describe which forest friend he'd compare his genitalia to, saying ... "It'd be like Japanese Maple," before adding, "Sometimes can see" -- hence the crimson-themed design on his sweater this Christmas.

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... which means epic NBA showdowns -- and the gorgeous wives and girlfriends that come with them!!

The first matchup takes place at Madison Square Garden ... where the Cavaliers face the NBA Cup champion New York Knicks.

Turns out Taylor Swift and Andy Reid are two peas in a pod -- Big Red's wife says the pop icon actually reminds her of her husband!!!

Everyone knows Taylor as the biggest musician on the planet ... but the Reids have been tight with Swift for decades -- way before she became a huge Chiefs fan thanks to her now-fiancé Travis Kelce.

Tammy -- who was giving back to kids at a Raising Cane's event -- said Swift is a genuinely great human being, despite her stardom ... a quality that reminds her a lot of her hubby.

Mookie Betts spent some quality time with a former Commander in Chief last week ... 'cause TMZ has learned the Dodgers superstar teed it up with Barack Obama for a full round of golf in Southern California.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Mookie and Barack played 18 holes together last Tuesday at Lakeside Golf Club, the ultra exclusive, members only course in Burbank.

We're told multiple Secret Service agents were stationed around the course, with cops on motorcycles nearby to keep things secure while the two enjoyed their day on the green.