TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kareem Jackson has been suspended yet again ... this time, the NFL levied a four-game ban on the Denver Broncos safety after it says he illegally hit Joshua Dobbs during a violent play on Sunday night.

The tackle happened just seconds into Denver's tilt with the Minnesota Vikings, when Jackson launched himself into Dobbs' face while trying to bring down the QB.

Replays of the hit show Jackson tagged Dobbs in the chin area with the crown of his helmet -- a big no-no, according to the NFL exec Jon Runyan, who announced the suspension Monday afternoon.

"You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided," Runyan told Jackson when making the announcement.

"Illegal acts that are flagrant and jeopardize the safety of players will not be tolerated."

This is the second time Jackson has been slapped with a suspension for his play on the field ... back on Oct. 23, he was also banned four games for illegally hitting Packers tight end Luke Musgrave in the head and neck area.

Jackson, however, appealed the ruling ... and had the ban reduced to two games.

Donna Kelce is proving yet again she's just as big a celeb as her two NFL star sons ... receiving a police escort in Kansas City on Monday that included FOUR armed officers.

Jason and Travis' mom got the secret-service-like protection just hours before her two boys will square off at Arrowhead Stadium ... as she was doing some promo work at a nearby Raising Cane's restaurant.

Mama Kelce -- rockin' a half green, half red shirt to represent both her sons' teams -- was working the register and the drive-thru at the eatery ... before cops made sure she got out of the joint unscathed.

Donna, however, didn't appear nervous about the attention at all ... in fact, she was seen smiling and waving to a mob of fans -- all while flanked by policemen.

Of course, Donna has got to be used to all the love at this point ... 'cause after bursting onto the scene during last year's Super Bowl -- she's become an even bigger star following her elbow-rubbing sessions with Taylor Swift at Travis' Chiefs games this year.

Retired Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper's brother, Mickey Cooper, was tragically shot and killed this weekend at a local L.A. park.

Police in Pasadena responded to the area on Washington Boulevard around 4 AM early Saturday morning, where they found 64-year-old Mickey unresponsive with gunshot wounds.

Law enforcement has not commented on motive ... as they continue to investigate the shooting. No arrests have been made.

Adding to the tragic nature of the incident, Michael says he and Mickey grew up hooping on the court where he was ultimately killed.

67-year-old Cooper was a mainstay for the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s, winning 5 championships alongside teammates like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In addition to the handful of championship rings, Michael was one of the most accomplished defensive players in the NBA, making 8 All-NBA Defensive teams, and winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year award in '87.

Zach Wilson is FINALLY headed to the bench and Tim Boyle is the NY Jets starting quarterback, according to several NFL insiders ... a move most Gang Green fans have demanded for weeks!

Sunday's game against the Bills was evidently the last straw for head coach Robert Saleh ... as the offense was putrid in the 32-6 loss to the division rivals Buffalo Bills.

24-year-old Wilson didn't even finish the game ... he was pulled late in the third quarter, as New York trailed big. The former #2 overall pick in the '21 draft finished with an under 47% completion percentage, throwing for just 81 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

29-year-old Boyle, this week's starter, was inserted into the game ... though he wasn't much better, going 7-for-14 for 33 yards, on a bunch of dink and dunk pass attempts.

The Jets have not yet officially announced the change to the signal-caller... but listening to Wilson speak after the loss, the move is no surprise.

"When things aren't getting done, change has to be made, and I understand that," Zach told reporters after the game.

To make things even more difficult for the Jets, they've got a short week ... they're playing the offensive powerhouse Miami Dolphins in Jersey on Friday, meaning Boyle won't even get a full week to prepare.

The Dolphins are averaging 30.5 points per game, best in the NFL, while the Jets are third from worst with 15 points a game. Bottom line, the Jets are going to have to score ... and they're going into the game with a guy who only has 3 starts (0-3) under his belt.

Of course, the hope was the Jets would be in playoff contention, and Aaron Rodgers could come back sometime in mid/late December, and lead the team in time for a deep playoff run.

Now, the playoffs look incredibly unlikely at 4-6 ... with six teams currently ahead of the Jets. They've also got a ton of other issues including the offensive line and the coach calling the plays.

It might be Monday morning, raining and nearly freezing in Kansas City ... but Chiefs fans are still pouring out in droves to support their team before their huge matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to reporters at Arrowhead Stadium, Patrick Mahomes fanatics showed up to the site of arguably the biggest game of the NFL's regular season some 12 hours before it began ... this despite it being a workday with some pretty crappy weather.

You can see in images taken by KCTV5's Nathan Brennan, a line of cars filled with Chiefs fans stretched all the way into the street outside the stadium -- even though it's about 40 degrees out.

Plenty more are expected to be on their way soon, too.

Of course, it's hard to blame them for the excitement ... after all, the "Monday Night Football" matchup features two of the best teams in the league -- and it's also a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.

The Chiefs are currently 2.5-point favorites ... though many believe the Eagles -- who are 8-1 this season -- are the better squad.

Travis Kelce's love for Taylor Swift is much deeper than her looks and musical talent ... the NFL superstar says he's fascinated by her brain and learning new things from her every day.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end opened up on his relationship with the pop icon in an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week ... where he detailed how he's personally growing from their one-on-one time together.

"I've never been a man of words," Kelce said. "Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f***ing mind-blowing. I'm learning every day."

Kelce also praised Swift's ability to turn her own experiences into words ... specifically pointing out his love for a line in her hit song, "Blank Space" -- when she sings, "I could make a bad guy good for the weekend."

Kelce -- who referred to Swift as "hilarious" and a "genius" -- added the two are on the same page with their views ... especially when it comes to family.

"Everybody knows I'm a family guy. Her team is her family. Her family does a lot of stuff in terms of the tour, the marketing, being around, so I think she has a lot of those values as well, which is right up my alley."

As for how they first linked up, the two-time Super Bowl champion said someone in Taylor's circle played Cupid after he publicly shot his shot on his podcast ... and eventually, Taylor reached out directly.

Another interesting point -- Travis claims his mother, Donna, is upset with herself to this day about how she downplayed meeting Taylor for the first time during her appearance on the "Today" show ... when she famously said it was just "okay."

Kelce says his mom was just trying to play it cool ... but he reassured her she handled the question perfectly.

AEW's Full Gear went down at The Forum in L.A. on Saturday, but the match was better suited for the Staples Center ... after "Hangman" Adam Page busted out a Swingline and drove a staple into Swerve Strickland's face, before drinking his blood!

It was as nasty as it sounds ... and the thousands in the building loved it!

If you're a wrestling fan, you know the history ... Page and Strickland HATE each other, and the Texas Deathmatch format (and lack of rules) was the perfect setting for the match.

Ultimately, Swerve pinned Hangman, defeating him ... after some help from Prince Nana and Brian Cage. But, it's what happened before the pin that has fans talking.

Hangman, holding a heavy-duty staple gun, stapled a drawing done by his son to Swerve's face, instantly drawing blood. Page then grabbed the drawing and ripped it, staple and all, out of Strickland's face.

As Swerve writhed in pain, Adam dove to the ground, grabbed Strickland's head, and actually began drinking his blood.

The entire match was brutal ... and Hangman wasn't alone in resorting to the use of weapons. In fact, Swerve used a barbed-wire-wrapped chair to hit Page. Hangman also slammed Strickland through a barbed wire-wrapped table.

The men did everything short of killing each other in the squared circle.

An L.A. Lakers fan not only lost out on $55,000 during a shooting contest at Sunday's game ... he also might have seriously injured his leg in the process.

The wild scene happened during a break in the action at Crytpo.com Arena ... when Lakers officials set up a game where a fan named Anthony could've scored a ton of cash if he hit a half-court shot.

Anthony initially seemed super confident he'd get the job done ... telling an in-arena host, "This is what I do."

A short time later, however, everyone in the building quickly learned this is not what Anthony does.

Check out footage from the contest ... as Anthony released the ball, he somehow hurt his left leg -- and he was hurting so much, he ultimately crumpled to the floor.

While the in-arena host attempted to get him to come back to make another attempt at earning money ... Anthony was in simply too much pain to continue.

"Let's put our hands together for the attempt," the host said as officials walked Anthony off the court.

Browns cornerback Mike Ford ditched the Dude Wipes for something much different after Cleveland's big win over Pittsburgh on Sunday ... taking a Steelers fan's Terrible Towel and rubbing it all over his rump!!

Vibes were high as the Orange and Brown improved to 7-3 on the season after holding off their division rival in the 13-10 victory ... and to add insult to injury, Ford decided to have a one-on-one interaction with a Steelers backer who was standing in the front of the stands.

In a clip of the exchange, Ford ran right up to the guy in a Hines Ward jersey and threw the Terrible Towel on the ground ... before handing him a Browns rag.

But what had Steelers fans most irked is when he took the yellow cloth and pretended to wipe his ass with it as he ran toward the locker room.

The taunting might worry Browns fans ... as some believe in the Curse of the Terrible Towel, which leads to a bunch of losing for anyone who disrespects the team's signature cloth.

It was an emotional day for the Dawg Pound for several reasons ... but the most touching moment came when Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski gave a game ball to longtime Cleveland play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan, who returned to the booth for the first time since receiving leukemia treatment earlier this season.

Bronny James got to warm up with his USC teammates for the first time this season before their game on Sunday night ... and LeBron James said afterward his son is "almost" ready for a full return to the court.

The younger James got in some jump shots and dribbling work as fans filled the Galen Center just prior to the Trojans' tilt with Brown ... his first legitimate pregame action with his team since he suffered cardiac arrest during a workout in July.

The 19-year-old looked great ... showing no signs of issues -- this despite needing surgery to fix a congenital heart defect just a few months ago.

Following the USC game, Bronny headed over to Crypto.com Arena to watch LeBron play against the Rockets ... and after Dad took care of business vs. Houston -- he gushed about all the progress Bronny has made since his medical emergency.

"Today's game was the first game he got an opportunity to warm up with his team," LeBron said with a smile. "He's almost there."

LeBron added that seeing Bronny courtside gave him a little extra juice in the Lakers' 105-104 win over the Rockets.

Trojans head coach Andy Enfield, meanwhile, said Sunday night it was "great" seeing Bronny warm up ... though there's still no set timetable for a return to action.

Kim Zolciak has been sued yet again for not paying her bills ... this time by Bank of America, which claims she's delinquent on more than $50,000.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim had a $50,000 line of credit over at B of A, and then racked up a bill that reached the limit. B of A claims it sent periodic notices, demanding payment, but got zippo.

With interest and penalties, the balance is now $56,224.07 and growing. So B of A is now the latest in a long line of creditors who have resorted to the legal system to get Kim and Kroy to fork over cash.

BMW just won a case against Kroy over non-payment of a Rolls-Royce. A judge ordered this month that he return the $400,100 SUV to the car company.

Kim and Kroy have also been ordered to pay Simmons Bank approximately $230,000 for defaulting on a home equity line of credit.

Kim was sued back in August by SAKS/CAPITAL ONE for $156,080 ... again, failing to pay her credit card bill.

And Kim was also sued by Target for $2,400 for failing to make good on her credit card bill.

Kroy was sued by Sky Warrior over a gambling debt -- $52,500 -- over a bad run at a casino in the Bahamas.

They've also teetered on the edge of foreclosure.

It appeared Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's marriage still had some signs of life ... but there's new evidence things still might be trending in the wrong direction.

Kim and Kroy were spotted out in Georgia separately over the weekend -- Kim hit a convenience store while Kroy was out with one of their kids to grab some grub. However, neither Kim nor Kroy were wearing their wedding rings.

It's kind of surprising given the recent state of things between Kim and Kroy -- including the fact they celebrated their wedding anniversary together just a week ago. Kim also recently added Biermann back to her name on Instagram.

Of course, at times, things between the two have gotten super nasty in their divorce -- he's accused her of a serious gambling issue and both have filed for sole custody of their 4 young kids -- not to mention the more than $1 million they owe to the IRS.

TMZ broke the story, Kim and Kroy recently put their GA mansion on the market for $6 million ... and have apparently kept it out of foreclosure auction.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are looking to get into the Christmas spirit as a couple ... we're told they're moving forward with plans to be together for the holidays.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Taylor and Travis are trying to work out their schedules to make sure they set aside as much time together as possible.

We're told Thanksgiving with the 2 families could go down in Kansas City ... Travis and his fam will already be in town Monday for his game against the Eagles. Here's the thing everyone knows ... Thanksgiving with 2 fams is a BIG step.

As we reported, Travis picked up a sweet $6 million K.C. home ... which is a lot more secluded than his old place ... so he could easily host everyone with room to spare.

It's unclear where they'll spend Christmas, but they've already told folks close to them they've been chatting about it. Our sources say the couple REALLY wants to be together this holiday season.

It's not going to be easy for T&T to continue what we're told is a serious relationship ... she's going to be all over the world next year and, of course, he's got his own obligations. But, our sources say as of now, they're both committing to making it work.

Clipper Darrell says the punch that sent him crashing to the ground following a game in L.A. last year is still causing him issues ... and they're so bad, he tells TMZ Sports they're currently preventing him from going to see his beloved team in person this year.

The Clippers superfan -- real name Darrell Bailey -- suffered the initial injury back on Dec. 12, 2022 ... after a security guard tagged him on the chin following a dispute in the bowels of Crypto.com Arena.

Darrell says despite having 11 months to recover ... he's still not doing so hot, telling us, "I'm still in therapy."

CD says frequent headaches and dizziness are commonplace for him still ... adding that he'll never "tease another player in life" over concussions due to the horrible experience he's having with the one he sustained.

"The headaches and the dizziness is still there," he said.

Nick Hogan's fresh DUI arrest is opening some old wounds for the family of the man who was severely injured in the guy's 2007 crash -- and they think Nick hasn't learned his lesson.

TMZ talked to John Graziano's mother, Debra ... who says she isn't surprised over Nick's latest bust -- telling us he appears to have been as careless now as he was almost 20 years ago when he got into another car wreck as a teen -- which changed her son's life forever.

While it remains to be seen if Nick will be formally charged in this new case ... Debra says she believes his past incident with John -- who suffered severe brain damage in '07, riding passenger alongside Nick at the time -- should be factored into whatever happens here.

To Debra, the fact Nick got popped again all these years later shows a "total lack of respect for what (he) did to another person’s life and you’re still driving reckless."

She adds, "I can only pray that at some point in his life, while he still has the chance, that he turns his life around. Until then I hope no one else gets hurt." Debra goes on to say that the '07 accident and the saga that followed continues to take its toll on her/her loved ones.

Debra says, "I grieve the virtual loss of my son on a daily basis. I thank God daily that at least I have John here with us at home." She says while John has lost most of his ability to function normally, she's grateful he's alive and surrounded by people who care about him.

Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, are getting into the holiday spirit with a little local theater -- showing face in a ballet play ... one that their daughter is in too.

TMZ has obtained photos of the couple onstage Sunday during a production of "The Nutcracker" -- which was being put on by a ballet school near Palm Beach Gardens, FL ... where this play was going down at a local venue, with the little ones taking the lead.

Eyewitnesses tell us some adults made appearances as well ... including Serena and Alexis, whom we're told played guests at a party during one scene. They were definitely in character.

You can see Mama and Papa Bear dressed in full costumes as they acted out their parts -- this while the other kid actors/performers stood around and welcomed them onstage. It looks like a fancy pretend get-together, 'cause SW did a sweet little curtsy next to her hubby.

This Sunday matinee wasn't the only performance they did BTW -- we're told they did their thing for Saturday's show as well. Super cute obviously, and it just goes to show ... Serena and Alexis are very involved in their children's lives.

As you know ... Serena and Alexis got hitched in 2017 a couple months after they had their first daughter -- who's about 6 years old or so right now, and who was in this play.