TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Alabama Crimson Tide has found Nick Saban's replacement ... and it's none other than the man who nearly won Washington a national championship on Monday -- Kalen DeBoer!!!

According to multiple reports, DeBoer informed his Huskies squad on Friday that he was leaving them to take over the Tide -- just two days after Saban announced his retirement from Bama's head coaching position after 17 seasons.

Details of his contract have not yet been announced.

DeBoer began his college coaching career in 1997 -- and after head coaching stops at Sioux Falls and then Fresno State, he got the gig at Washington in 2022 ... and quickly turned the program into a powerhouse.

In his two seasons as Huskies head man, he went 25-3 ... and had a chance to win a national championship against Michigan earlier this week.

Of course, the 49-year-old will now have some of the biggest shoes ever to fill ... Saban won six national titles with the Tide -- and is widely considered the best to ever grace a college sideline.

Alabama reportedly also considered Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Florida State's Mike Norvell for the vacant gig ... but ultimately landed on DeBoer on Friday.

Cooper Kupp might've been in the middle of a playoff race, but the Rams star wasn't too busy to feed the men and women keeping L.A. safe this past Christmas season ... hooking up a bunch of Sheriff's Deputies with a massive serving of BBQ!

We're told 30-year-old Kupp swung by the Los Angeles Sherrif Department's Lost Hills station just before December 25, and he didn't arrive empty-handed. The standout wide receiver, on his dime, brought trays of food -- meat, sides, they had it all -- for the appreciative deputies.

The reason? Cooper wanted to thank the LASD for all they do.

Just dropping off the food would've been plenty, but to make the trip even better, Kupp hung out and took photos and signed autographs for anyone interested.

“Thank you Cooper Kupp for stopping by the station to bring dinner for the troops and taking the time to hang out for a bit. Your generosity was beyond appreciated. #weloveourcommunities” the LASD said.

Safe to say everyone had an awesome time.

It's not the first time Kupp’s helped his community ... he’s a charitable dude. CK has a history of giving back, even providing around 8,400 meals for food banks back in 2020!

The Michigan Wolverines' championship celebration continued at a children's hospital this week -- with Jim Harbaugh and some of the Wolverines showing off their new trophy to brighten up some patients' days.

The head coach and a few of his stars made the surprise trip on Friday to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor ... just four days after they won the natty by trouncing Washington, 34-13, in the College Football Playoff finale.

The guys had some big smiles on their faces as they brought their new hardware around the facility ... and it seems the patients were loving their visit.

One young boy who had on a J.J. McCarthy jersey seemed particularly stoked ... and it appeared they even welcomed the team with a congratulatory sign in Michigan's team colors.

The team and its fans, of course, won't stop celebrating their first title since 1997 anytime soon ... they have a championship parade slated to go down in Michigan this Saturday.

An international soccer star found a new way to get under his opponent's skin ... by twisting it!!!

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger did something we've never before seen on the soccer pitch ... he gave his former teammate turned Atletico rival Alvaro Morata a "titty twister" during the match!

It all happened during the Spanish Super Cup semifinals earlier this week.

During the game, Rudiger was captured on video approaching Morata and grabbing and twisting his nipple as the forward reacted with anger, pushing AR.

What's funny ... the two know each other well. They were teammates for 18 months with Chelsea. Still, Morata didn’t take kindly to the gesture.

Surprisingly, there was no penalty (for the purple nurple or the push) ... proving while touching balls isn't allowed in soccer, nipples are fair game.

Although a lot less people are talking about his actual play, Rudiger scored one of his squad's 5 goals in the winning effort over Atletico.

Washington Wizards guard Ryan Rollins has been accused of stealing from Target on several occasions ... and now the point guard has been cut from the team.

Documents from the Alexandria General District Court show the 21-year-old was charged with seven counts of petit larceny for items worth less than $1k ... all of which are misdemeanors in Virginia.

The alleged offenses happened twice in September, four times in October, and once in November ... according to the court docs. He's due back in court in February.

According to The Athletic, Rollins has been accused of shoplifting household goods like groceries, body wash and candles.

Rollins -- who averaged 4.1 points and 1.1 assists per game this season -- was cut from the team on Monday ... but Wizards President Michael Winger said the team just found out about the charges.

"We cannot comment on that matter, or the basis for our roster decisions," Winger told The Athletic.

"We do take our role very seriously as citizens of the DMV, representatives of our fans and a team our community can be proud of. These are expectations, not aspirations."

Rollins was selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Hawks before they traded him to the Warriors ... but he had season-ending surgery on a Jones fracture in his right foot.

He was sent to the Wizards in July 2023 in the Dubs' blockbuster trade for Chris Paul.

The viral video of a tall "alien" on a hill in Brazil may have already been debunked ... according to an international basketball star who's claiming to be the subject in the clip.

Italian athlete Felipe Motta, who plays for Brazil's Flamengo club, posted online about the confusing clip after it made the rounds -- but as others thought the lanky being was from a different planet, he says the clip shows him on a hike on the island of Ilha do Mel.

He says he was on a trail and enjoying the sweet view when the video was taken from a low angle, and everyone went crazy over it ... which, believe it or not, isn't new for him.

Felipe claims his 6-foot-5-inch height is something that folks have always poked fun at -- and he showed off all tall guy struggles he deals with on the daily ... but jokingly admits he'll warn people the next time he decides to take a hike.

As we reported, locals claimed they saw at least 2 figures up on the hill ... with the woman who filmed the video saying it's impossible for a human to get up there.

The Brazilian government posted about the viral video, but appeared to play it off as a hoax as a way to get folks to come visit the island ... but Felipe is looking to put the theories about it to rest.

Emma Stone couldn't contain her excitement during her beloved Suns' big win over the Lakers ... going right up to the Phoenix bench and dapping up Devin Booker and Bradley Beal!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the "Poor Things" actress making her way out of Crypto.com Arena in the closing minutes of her team's 127-109 road win on Thursday ... and as she walked by the players, she made sure to show some serious love.

In the clip, you can see Stone -- who grew up in Arizona -- go right up to Book and Co. and express her excitement over the dub. The TV broadcast caught a bit of the interaction, too ... which also included a wave to Grayson Allen.

Book and Beal certainly deserved the special moment with the A-lister ... as they had 31 and 37 points in the contest, respectively.

Stone -- who attended the game with PT director Yorgos Lanthimos and costar Ramy Youssef (in the blue beanie in the vid) -- was reppin' PHX throughout the night ... rocking a team hat as she enjoyed the action from her courtside seat.

No, Travis Kelce will not stop playing football and ride off into the sunset with Taylor Swift after this season ... he just revealed he has zero intentions of retiring anytime soon.

The Kansas City Chiefs star made it clear to reporters during a news conference Thursday that he will not hang up his spikes once the final whistle blows on this year ... despite speculation from many online.

"I have no reason to stop playing football," he said. "Man, I love it."

Of course, Kelce kind of sparked the rumors himself ... when he said in an interview in 2023 that he had given thought recently to what life after football would be like.

However, Kelce shut down all that talk Thursday ... telling media members, "I just love the challenge [football] gives me every single day to try to be at my best."

Kelce is coming off of his worst statistical season since 2015, failing to record 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in seven years. He's also completely blown up off the field, starring on "Saturday Night Live" and in various commercials. And, of course, he's dating the most famous pop star on the planet.

Yet still, he says he's not ready to give up the game just yet.

Well, that didn't take long ...

Roughly 24 hours after parting ways with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots have hired a new head coach ... Jerod Mayo!!

ESPN's Adam Schefter just reported Robert Kraft made the decision on Friday morning, explaining the team will formally announce the move at a news conference next week.

According to Schefter, the Patriots were able to bypass the NFL's normal, lengthy hiring process because they had written in Mayo's most recent contract that he'd be Belichick's successor.

37-year-old Mayo becomes the youngest current NFL head coach. He's also the Pats' first-ever Black head coach.

Mayo has spent the entirety of his football career in Foxborough -- he was picked by New England in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft ... and played eight years for the org. alongside Tom Brady.

Following his career -- which included one All-Pro selection -- he joined Belichick's staff as a linebackers coach in 2019, holding that role until The Hoodie's departure this week.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann are still beefing with a bank over their Georgia mansion ... and now the bank says it has every right to foreclose on the place to collect the money it’s owed.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Truist Bank claims the couple defaulted on their mortgage … and now the bank has the right to foreclose on their mansion.

Kim and Kroy are going through a messy divorce, but they're still living inside the family residence ... remember, Kroy's got the primary bedroom and Kim has the nanny suite and basement.

Truist Bank says it's well aware of the divorce proceedings, but it claims that's not enough to block its foreclosure rights.

TMZ broke the story ... in October, Kim and Kroy asked a judge to stop the bank's foreclosure auction so they could sell it on their own ... and they've slashed the price on the estate to $5.5 million.

Truist Bank says it voluntarily delayed the auction in November ... but Kim and Kroy haven't been able to sell it themselves, and now the bank is apparently getting impatient and intends to exercise its foreclosure rights so it can collect on the debt.

Meanwhile, Kim and Kroy remain at each other's throats over their finances and divorce proceedings ... that is, when they're not banging.

Asante Samuel is sending a message to NFL owners looking into hiring Bill Belichick ... warning them, under no circumstances, do NOT give him general manager powers!!

Samuel tells TMZ Sports given the way it all ended in New England ... Belichick's next employer shouldn't even remotely entertain the idea.

"If any owner would give Bill Belichick that power again," the former Patriots star said, "that would be crazy."

Belichick, of course, held both the head coach and GM roles for New England during his 24-year tenure in Foxborough ... and despite some of the greatest success ever during that timeframe, things ultimately flamed out recently.

Samuel made it clear he believes it all shows Tom Brady was the reason for the winning in New England ... telling us straight up, "One man, one player determined your success."

And, he says that's exactly why if Belichick ends up on a new sideline next year ... he shouldn't have a GM hat, too.

Samuel also continued his questioning of Belichick's legacy ... asking just hours after it was revealed Belichick and Robert Kraft had broken up, "How does a coach fall off?"

"Here's my thing," he said. "You're a coach. You don't have to be fast. You don't have to be strong. You don't have to be agile. All you have to do is use your mind like you always been doing and coach. So if you're so great of a coach, how do you fall off? You didn't lose anything!"

Thursday marked the end of Bill Belichick's reign in New England ... and according to Deion Branch, it also signaled the end of an era that will never, ever be duplicated.

Branch minced no words when talking about his former head coach just hours after The Hoodie and the Patriots agreed to part ways ... telling TMZ Sports, "To do the things that he's done within this era, it'll never be matched again."

Branch played for Belichick from 2002 to 2005 ... and then once more from 2010 to 2012. During that timeframe, he won two rings -- and a bevy of other games -- so he saw firsthand what the coach could do.

And, he made it clear it's something that he doesn't expect to see again in his lifetime.

"There's no arguably," the ex-wideout said. "There's nothing to argue here. There's nothing to argue. [He's] the greatest coach to ever coach the game of football."

In total, Belichick won six Super Bowls for New England, and piled up a 266-121 record.

Branch called Thursday's end "a sad day," though he said he was sure Belichick will roam another NFL sideline soon -- and catch Don Shula's all-time wins mark soon after.

"Is he going to coach? Yes," Branch said. "Is he going to be successful elsewhere? Yes."

Tom Brady is weighing in on Bill Belichick's departure from New England ... saying he's thankful he was able to play for the greatest NFL coach of all time.

TB12 shared his thoughts about the huge Patriots news in a lengthy Instagram post on Thursday ... saying Belichick was "a great leader for the organization, and for all of the players who played for him."

"We accomplished some amazing things over a long period of time, many of which will be hard to replicate."

Brady and Belichick were one of the greatest combos in NFL history -- they led the Pats to 19-straight winning seasons and 17 division titles during their time together.

They also appeared in nine Super Bowls ... taking home the Lombardi Trophy six times.

"He worked every day to help us achieve the ultimate goal, in the ultimate team sport," Brady continued. "And, although we were successful, some of the greatest lessons, I learned, were in the moments where we faced the most challenging adversities."

"I could never have been the player I was without you Coach Belichick. I am forever grateful. And I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose next."

It seems to put an end to any speculation there could still be bad blood between the two ... as many believed Bill played a large role in Brady's departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

Brady also had BB's back during the season ... saying the Pats' struggles were not his fault.

Belichick also poured his heart out at Thursday's press conference ... saying he's grateful for the 24 years in NE, the coaching staff, players and especially the fans.

"Fans here are amazing," the 71-year-old said. "So many memories of fans, the send-offs, the parades, the Sundays."

It was a Seahawks reunion Wednesday night ... as Russell Wilson and many of his former star teammates in Seattle came together to celebrate Pete Carroll's excellent career the same day we found out he'd no longer be coaching the team.

The gathering happened at the Legions Sportsbar in Bellevue, WA ... several hours after the Seahawks revealed the 72-year-old would no longer serve as HC, but will be an advisor for the franchise going forward.

Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with Pete in 2014, shared a photo from the shindig with Carroll ... saying he is "grateful for all you've done for me, my family, teammates and so many others!"

Wilson -- a 3rd round draft pick in 2012 -- played 10 seasons under Carroll before being traded to the Broncos.

"One of the Greatest Ever," Wilson wrote on X.

"Keep Shooting” Coach. Grateful for the memories @PeteCarroll. Best is Ahead."

Wilson wasn't alone at the party ... Richard Sherman, Tyler Lockett, Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor, Sidney Rice, and Jermaine Kearse also pulled up.

Carroll told reporters during an emotional press conference Wednesday that he was grateful for his supportive wife, kids, and Seahawks organization ... and looks forward to bringing some "cool stuff" to the franchise.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic's all-time rant on referees after losing to the Los Angeles Lakers just cost him a ton of dough -- the league announced it has fined him $25k for his comments.

As we previously reported, the first-year coach went scorched earth on officials over the free throw disparity in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's contest ... calling it "completely BS" the Lakers got 23 attempts, while his squad only got two in the 132-131 loss.

Considering it's against NBA rules to criticize officials in public, a financial punishment was pretty much a sure thing as soon as the comments came out of Rajakovic's mouth.

The punishment was made official on Thursday ... with Joe Dumars announcing the decision.

Many will say the rant was worth the $25k ... as it quickly went viral on social media, with some talking heads giving DR props for sticking up for his players.

Nick Saban is clearing the air on his decision to retire ... adamantly denying he is walking away from his legendary career due to the NIL era.

It's no secret -- the seven-time national championship winner was a huge critic of allowing student-athletes to cash in on their popularity ever since it was introduced in 2021 ... and now that it's resulted in massive checks for some of the top stars in the country, he felt it was just a fancy way of saying "pay for play," which could lead to tampering through the transfer protocol.

Deion Sanders' farewell post about Saban even seemingly hinted at the 72-year-old not being able to keep up with the NIL and transfer facet of his job ... saying, "The game has change so much that it chased the GOAT away."

But, Saban is shooting down that notion in an interview with ESPN on Thursday ... explaining that's not what led him to retirement.

"Don't make it about that. It's not about that," Saban said of the speculation. "To me, if you choose to coach, you don't need to be complaining about all that stuff. You need to adjust to it and adapt to it and do the best you can under the circumstances and not complain about it."

Saban feels like he's not alone in thinking the NCAA has a big issue on its hands ... adding, "I think everybody is frustrated about it."

He also pointed out Bama continued to find success in the NIL era ... but at the end of the day, it was time to move on and hand over the reins to someone else.

Saban did, however, open up on the challenges he faced this past season ... saying he didn't experience any major health issues, but seemingly suggested his age was finally catching up to him.

The good news for Bama?? Saban said he'll stick around and help with the transition ... which was made clear when he arrived on campus Thursday morning.