TMZ Sports - Page 12

The Indiana Hoosiers love their quarterback, Fernando Mendoza -- especially Elijah Sarratt ... who gifted the Heisman winner a $20,000 watch right before the College Football Playoff championship game!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the star Hoosiers receiver reached out to ShopGLD with the idea of getting something special for Mendoza -- not only to recognize his leadership, but also for helping the team make it to the CFP title game.

Mendoza, 22, was captured on video receiving his gift this week ... and judging by the ear-to-ear smile, it's safe to say he loved it!

TMZ Sports is going live from the newsroom to discuss the day's biggest stories ... but we don't just want folks to watch and enjoy the conversation, we want y'all to get involved!!

Hit the comment section as Babcock, Lucas, Dylan, Luca, and the whole crew break down the most important topics of the day ... and we'll be interacting with viewers throughout the program between 1 and 2 PM PT.

YouTube, X, TikTok ... we're everywhere.

So tune in, make fun of us, share your two cents, sound off about your favorite team ... nothing is out of bounds.

The College Football Playoff title game is already one of the biggest events of the year ... but with President Donald Trump attending, Miami police tell TMZ Sports that security will seriously be beefed up!

The No. 10 Miami Hurricanes and No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers will battle for the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Monday night ... in the high-profile game.

The MGPD were already gearing up for the chaos that a game like this can bring -- the stadium holds around 65,000 people -- but with POTUS pulling up, even more manpower has been added.

Denver Broncos star Bo Nix was surrounded by support after he learned his season was over ... with his wife sharing a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the young quarterback after beating the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.

Nix's wife, Izzy, shared the image to her social media followers on Monday ... which shows the second-year signal-caller sitting on the floor with his right cleat removed.

As reported, Nix fractured his right ankle on the second-to-last play of the game ... meaning he will not be able to suit up for the remainder of the Broncos' Super Bowl run.

For the first time in 21 years, LeBron James was NOT named an All-Star starter ... meaning if the King is gonna take part in this season's festivities, it won't be because of the fans.

The NBA's starting fives for the Eastern and Western Conferences dropped minutes ago ... and while there's plenty of star power for next month's event at the Intuit Dome, LBJ's name was notably missing.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, and Jaylen Brown were the top five fan vote-getters in the East ... and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steph Curry, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, and Bron's superstar teammate, Luka Doncic, got the nod in the West.

President Donald Trump just penned a love letter to college football ahead of his appearance at Monday's championship game ... saying the sport is as American as it gets!!

POTUS -- who will be at Hard Rock Stadium to catch Indiana and Miami duke it out for the College Football Playoff title -- gushed about the "beloved and uniquely American tradition" in the lengthy note ... hours before the 2026 season comes to an end.

"Every fall and winter, massive crowds flock to stadiums in college towns all across our Nation to witness the epic display of loyalty, rivalry, tradition, and regional identity erupting throughout the stands and on the field below," Trump said.

NFL officials did NOT blow the critical interception call during overtime of the Bills vs. Broncos game -- it was called correctly, full stop -- according to Dean Blandino, the league's former head of officiating.

"The Cooks' play I thought, ultimately, they got it right," Blandino, FOX Sports rules analyst and former Vice President of Officiating (2013-2017) told TMZ Sports.

Dean explained why, saying ... "Cooks' is going to the ground. He's gotta hold onto the ball when he lands. I thought the ball came loose immediately, McMillian ended up with it."

Indiana University students aren't playing around when it comes to the Hoosiers' chase of history -- lining up in below-freezing temperatures outside of bars just to secure a spot to watch the title game!

The championship game kicks off Monday night at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida ... where the No. 1 Hooisers will face No. 10 Hurricanes.

While Miami fans are lucky the game's right in their hometown, many IU faithful couldn't make the trip to the Sunshine State ... so the best play was camping out in massive crowds with chairs and tents to lock in a seat at the local bars.

Some Buffalo Bills players are NOT happy with head coach Sean McDermott getting fired after nine seasons ... including defensive tackle, Jordan Phillips, who called the decision "stupid" and "sickening."

The NFL world is reacting in real time to McDermott losing his job following the Bills' Divisional Round loss to the Denver Broncos ... but Phillips' comments were by far the most filtered.

"This s*** here is so stupid honestly sickening," Phillips said on Instagram. "The best coach I've ever been around."

Donald Trump's haters are absolutely thriving right now ... Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has been outspoken about his disdain for the present administration ... and the band has just been tapped to open the Super Bowl!

The punk rock band -- which hails from Rodeo, California, in the Bay Area -- will kick off Super Bowl LV at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, February 8.

Billie Joe released a statement ... "We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard! We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!"

This comes after the singer led a crowd at Download Festival last summer in a chant calling Trump a "fat bastard."

Willis McGahee knows Fernando Mendoza is on an all-time run, but the Miami Hurricanes are even hotter -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports, despite Indiana's elite quarterback, his alma mater will take home the College Football Playoff crown!!

The championship game kicks off on Monday in Miami ... where the Hoosiers and Hurricanes will battle for the national title.

Both teams have been playing their absolute best this postseason ... especially Mendoza, who has completed 85% of his passes and thrown for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.

That said, many believe that's too much for the Hurricanes to handle ... but McGahee isn't worried one bit.

The Buffalo Bills are starting fresh next season -- they just fired head coach Sean McDermott.

The move comes fresh off the Bills' loss to the Broncos on Saturday -- a nail-biting overtime thriller that ended with Denver punching its ticket to the AFC Championship Game.

McDermott posted a 98-50 record on the Bills' sidelines since 2017 ... and went 8-8 in the postseason.

The Miami Hurricanes are a win away from adding a sixth national championship to their trophy case ... and Jeremy Shockey -- who won one of them in 2001 -- spoke with TMZ Sports about what he'd tell the players ahead of the biggest night of their lives.

"Try to be like a horse with blinders," Shockey said. "The distractions are going to come, it's a big week."

The 45-year-old said the team has already weathered the storm of the season, noting the Hurricanes have played in three high-stakes playoff games to get to this point.

Bo Nix delivered a playoff win Broncos fans will never forget but it came at a brutal cost.

The Denver QB helped lead a thrilling 33-30 overtime victory over the Bills in Saturday night's AFC divisional round, only for it to be revealed shortly after the game that his season is officially over.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Nix will undergo surgery to repair a broken right ankle, sidelining him for the rest of the postseason.

Kali Muscle suffered a major health scare Saturday while doing what he does best -- working out at the gym, TMZ has learned.

The popular bodybuilder and YouTuber -- whose real name is Chuck Kirkendall -- passed out cold while exercising in a fitness center in California, his ex-wife, Dvyne Dirkendall, tells TMZ.

Kali was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but Dvyne tells us she doesn't know why he fell unconscious or the status of his condition. She noted Kali previously had a heart attack and needed a stent inserted into his heart to restore blood flow.

Marshall Faulk has one request for the Rams and Bears game -- the referees need to CHILL.

Yes, that's what the Super Bowl champ said to TMZ Sports before his former team, the Rams, face the Bears in freezing Chicago on Sunday for the NFL Divisional Round matchup.

"Here's what I hope for," Faulk started.

"I hope that the referees stay their ass out of the game. We don't need to see referees on TV as much. They've been too visible in these games. They're throwing too many flags, I know they wanna be seen, but they need to stay out of the game."