TMZ Sports - Page 50

5:49 PM PT -- Taylor’s journey is nearly at an end ... ‘cause she just hopped off the plane -- though her entourage did her best to hide her.

Here’s a snap of the pop star hopping into an SUV ... almost completely covered by a light blue umbrella held by one of her team members and a car door, but we're assured that's her.

The SUV she’s getting into appeared to pull up to the airport not that long ago ... followed by a couple more cars with completely tinted windows -- almost certainly Tay’s motorcade.

Unclear what the next destination might be ... though it seems pretty clear she’s headed to her Bev Hills mansion.

4:00 PM PT -- The plane believed to be carrying Taylor Swift has landed in Los Angeles -- and people were watching far and wide on livestreams that captured the momentous touchdown.

The L.A. Flights YouTube Channel was documenting the whole thing, and captured the moment it hit the ground to the moments it started coming down the taxiway as it went toward a private hangar at LAX. Good angles on the private jet too ... you could totally see it.

One notable thing about the jet was the fact that all the windows were closed as it came in for a landing ... which is interesting. If TayTay's on there, seems she didn't wanna be seen.

Unclear if anyone's gotten off yet ... but everyone's waiting on shots of her leaving the airport at some point -- assuming she doesn't refuel and take off again. Everyone's watching.

We should note ... the scene at LAX is crawling with cops and extra security. Sounds like someone big is in town -- and most everyone believes it's the Princess of Pop herself.

Welp, Taylor Swift's taken off from Tokyo ... and super fans are tracking a plane they're pretty sure she's on -- and from the looks of it, she's headed for Los Angeles, not Las Vegas.

Here's the deal ... a ton of Swifties are tracking a flight that left Tokyo's Haneda Airport at roughly the same time it seems Swift did. Its current destination -- L.A., specifically LAX ... and it's expected to touch down later today.

Let's be clear, we don't know for certain if this is Taylor's jet or not -- this isn't the one she normally uses, it seems -- but all signs point to this being an aircraft carrying the superstar back stateside ... closer to her Bev Hills home, as opposed to Vegas ... where Travis Kelce and co. obviously are right now. So the question ... why would she be landing in L.A.?

Well, frankly ... there are a number of reasons Taylor might be stopping in the City of Angels before heading on to Sin City -- but some theories make a lot more sense than others.

First and foremost ... the issue of customs has been raised by some as a possible reason she's stopping off in L.A. first. Taylor's coming back from a foreign country, and even mega pop stars need to have their planes checked by customs agents -- something a handful of fans are theorizing she needs to do in L.A. ... y'know since it's a big airport and all.

Turns out, that's unlikely. We've looked up official FAA guidelines, and they state you only have to land at a point of entry to get back to the U.S. after flying in from a foreign country -- and turns out, Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport fits the bill -- it's listed as one of those points of entry she could use. Customs could easily check her if she landed in Vegas.

A more feasible reason she ain't going straight to Vegas ... the airport in Vegas is running out of parking spots for private planes -- possibly the biggest first-world problem in history.

Check out this pic from a local Vegas social account ... the airport's packed to the gills, and The Athletic reports spots for private planes were all snatched up at least several weeks before Super Bowl weekend ... so, any procrastinating jet setters are out of luck.

Now we know Taylor's team isn't like that -- she may well have secured her spot a while ago -- but there's still a major parking issue for PJs at the airport ... tons of NFL players, execs and other celebs are flying in, so they're taking up a lot of space.

Reports have suggested Taylor could still fly in and land at Harry Reid if she was dead-set on doing so, but her jet might not be able to stay if she didn't lock down a parking spot already -- so it'd potentially have to be a quick drive-by/drop-off type deal if she was insistent on it.

But let's be real ... it's Taylor freakin' Swift, y'all -- if she wants a spot at the Vegas airport, she's getting one, so we don't think a parking situation is truly keeping her outta town.

Now, for a much more likely explanation for why TS might skip heading to Vegas tonight ... TMZ has confirmed the existence of a particular rule in the NFL -- namely, players are NOT allowed to stay with wives/GFs the night before games -- any games. And you bet your ass that goes double for Super Bowl week ... and we're hearing in its full effect this week.

We don't know if this is a league-wide mandate, if it varies from team to team, or even if it's just an unwritten rule passed down over time -- all we know for certain is that when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday, the players are basically on lockdown for the wee hours of the night.

As it pertains to Taylor Swift ... flying hours and hours to see her man, Travis, play seems to be the bigger deal here -- and while we're sure she'd love to see him as much as possible beforehand, there's not much of an incentive to rush to Vegas with such strict restrictions.

Now, Taylor's got a house here in town (L.A.) ... so if she isn't heading straight to Vegas from L.A. later this afternoon -- which is when she's expected to land -- she can presumably rest up after a tiring journey and make the easy hour-long flight to Vegas tomorrow AM.

She'll still be able to land way before kickoff, meet up with her and Travis' families at the suite he paid for and probably feel a whole heck of a lot better before cheering her head off.

T-Swift's a woman of mystery when it comes to travel ... and she could surprise us all by actually going to Vegas tonight -- so we'll just have to wait and see what Taylor decides.

Brett Favre has been a bit of a good luck charm for the Kansas City Chiefs -- they're 2-0 when he's attended their recent Super Bowls -- but he can't make it to the big game this weekend ... and now, he's hoping that doesn't jinx Patrick Mahomes and Co.

The NFL legend tells TMZ Sports ... because of his close relationship with Andy Reid, he's previously gone out to two of K.C.'s three most recent SB appearances to give a championship pep talk to the team.

Both times, he said, they won ... so, naturally, Reid invited him out to Las Vegas this week to keep the streak going.

However, Favre says he's not going to be able to be in attendance this year -- and he's nervous about the juju it might bring to Chiefs Kingdom.

"Knock on wood!" the ex-Packers quarterback said.

Superstitions aside, Favre tells us he's super proud of what Reid has accomplished since the two worked together in Green Bay way back in the 1990s ... telling us he could see even then that Reid had this in him.

In fact, he says he's never seen Andy happier ... and he can't fathom Big Red retiring after Sunday no matter what happens against the 49ers.

"He's enjoying -- maybe more so than any other time in his career -- what he's doing," Favre said. "He seems to be in a really good place."

Jelly Roll is hyped to have his own Super Bowl commercial, but he still can't believe it -- and he told us how much he would've demanded to do the spot!

Jelly Roll, who's getting mobbed by fans in Vegas this weekend, teamed up with Power to the Patients to "demand transparency in healthcare" ... alongside Lainey Wilson and Valerie June.

The ad will air sometime during the big game today. The cost of a 30-second commercial this year is about $7 million. On top of that, the sponsor has to pay the talent, and folks like Ben Affleck are raking in $10 mil for a spot. As for JR ... well, watch the clip.

Jelly Roll clearly believes in the importance of the message, saying the coolest part of the whole experience is that people are already responding to his message.

Power to the Patients previously teamed up with hip hop legends Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Method Man, Rick Ross, and French Montana to combat "hospitals and insurers rigging a system to make profits off of people that are in struggle."

Kaskade is setting the music mood for the Super Bowl ... but he says the NFL hasn't called on him to shine a light on Taylor Swift -- telling TMZ Sports he has no specific orders to rock Travis Kelce's girl's songs during the Big Game.

We spoke with the league's first-ever in-game DJ before the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs take the field for the championship in Las Vegas ... and naturally, we had to ask if Roger Goodell's org. specifically requested to make the night Swifty-friendly.

Kaskade says he was given free reign on the night -- as long as the content is clean, obvi -- but no one put a bug in his ear to go out of his way to include anything from the Grammy award-winning artist's discography.

You can catch Sam Hartman on a football field, in a weight room, or in a quarterback meeting ... but one place you won't find the former Notre Dame superstar is a barbershop -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he knows he simply cannot cut his luscious locks.

The Fighting Irish star spoke with us while out in Las Vegas for Super Bowl week ... and he explained that one thing he's learned since he's risen to stardom -- both on the field and off of it -- is that his hair has to be here to stay.

"People are adamant about that," Hartman said with a laugh. "And my mom likes it."

Of course, the 'do has certainly opened up a lot of doors for the 24-year-old in the past year or so. While his play on the field has obviously garnered him a lot of attention in the sports world -- his looks have turned him into an internet sensation.

In fact, an ad he just recently appeared in has already gained over 20 MILLION views on TikTok ... with most of the watchers droolin' over his mane in the comment section.

Hartman is clearly aware of it all ... telling us jokingly, "Shoutout to Mom for giving me the hair and giving me the good genetics."

But, the signal-caller has his eyes slated on far more than being a heartthrob ... he's gunning to make the NFL -- working his tail off this offseason so a team will select him in April's draft.

Taylor Swift and her fellow wives and girlfriends of the Super Bowl know all too well what's on the line on Sunday ... and while they probably need to calm down ahead of kickoff, let's give these lovely ladies their flowers in honor of the Chiefs and 49ers duking it out on the field.

Travis Kelce's girlfriend is expected to be at Allegiant Stadium for the big game, following her 'Eras' tour stop in Japan ... we take it the TV broadcast will keep us in the loop on if/when she shows up.

Brittany Mahomes has also been in the headlines lately ... especially after her steamy Sports Illustrated Swimsuit photos were released ahead of her hubby Patrick's fourth Super Bowl appearance.

A ton of other ladies in Chiefs Kingdom will be pulling for K.C. ... including Justin Watson's wife, Erica, Drue Tranquill's lady, Jackie, and Jojo O'Connor, who recently got engaged to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The 49ers WAGs are gonna be rollin' deep as well ... like Kyle Juszczyk's fashion-designer wife, Kristin, whose branding has been blowing up thanks to the Swift effect.

Former Miss Universe and model Olivia Culpo will definitely grace us with her presence and support her fiancé, Christian McCaffrey ... posting up in a suite she copped for her future mother-in-law.

Culpo ain't the only model on the 49ers side, though ... Nick Bosa -- who posed for Kim Kardashian's SKIMS campaign -- will surely be dominating on the field as his new GF, Lauren Maenner, watches his every move.

George Kittle's wife, Claire, will also be there to show love (probably in another Juszczyk fit), as well as Jenna Brandt, who got engaged to Brock Purdy last summer.

Fred Warner's wife, Sydney, is on baby watch as she's 35 weeks pregnant ... but luckily, the doctors cleared her to fly to her husband's second Super Bowl appearance.

If Orlando Brown Jr. needed one quarterback to lead his team on a game-winning drive ... he tells TMZ Sports he's not taking Patrick Mahomes OR Lamar Jackson.

No, the four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman says he's riding with Joe Burrow instead!!!

"I'm going to go with my current QB," the Bengals left tackle said. "I'm taking my man Joe Scheisty."

Brown, of course, knows all three quarterbacks very well. He started his career in Baltimore, and protected Jackson for three seasons -- before he was traded to Kansas City to block for Mahomes.

This past year, he left in free agency to join Burrow in Cincinnati ... and he's clearly grown fond of what Joey B can do in crunch time.

"I feel like Joe Scheisty is going to get it done," he said.

Don't get it twisted, though ... Brown ached over the decision -- adding, "That's tough, man!"

Kelly Stewart is one of the best when it comes to sports betting, and she wants to help you earn a little extra cheddar this Super Bowl Sunday!

TMZ Sports talked to Stewart -- the co-host of OutKick's The Fade with Clay Travis -- about some of her favorite bets heading into the Chiefs vs. 49ers game.

"I think if you like either team you bet them on the money line," Stewart said.

"A 2-point spread, slight implied odds that the Niners are a little bit better on a neutral field than the Chiefs, which I would agree with here. But I don't know how we see these last few seconds playing out. I think for me, the last I want holding a Niners ticket is Patrick Mahomes to have 2 minutes left on the clock. That would make me a little uneasy come Sunday."

Despite that terrifying thought ... here's the bet Kelly made for herself.

"I did lay -$125 with the Niners, so if you like the Niners, I think you bet them on the money line."

If you're interested in over/unders ... Kelly has some advice.

"What I always tell people, before you bet, think about your game script. How do you think the game is gonna play out? I think we're gonna see a higher-scoring first half here. I like the first half over. I know some really good friends of mine that agree with me," Stewart told us.

"I think the second half is gonna be lower scoring. I think we're gonna see Steve Spagnolo's defense step up, we know the Niners defense has been one of the best second half defenses over the last two seasons," KS said ... pointing out that San Fran's D has won a lot of people money of late.

Consider Baron Davis on Stephen Jackson's side in his beef with Austin Rivers ... 'cause the former Hornets and Warriors star tells TMZ Sports he believes pairing LeBron James with his son, Bronny, would work wonders for the young hooper.

TMZ Sports caught up with B. Diddy just days after Rivers claimed it would be bad if King James' team drafted the USC standout ... which was met with heavy criticism from the "All the Smoke" podcast host, who referred to the former Clipper as "trash."

Davis -- who played 15 seasons in the NBA -- weighed in on the debate while out in Vegas for the Super Bowl festivities ... and he's optimistic about the potential pairing.

"Your daddy is LeBron James," Davis said, "I think it will do nothing but help him."

"You say it'll enable him because your daddy on the team, but like, nah, that s*** different. That's LeBron. LeBron's a coach, a basketball genius and that's his seed."

Davis used Ken Griffey Jr. as an example ... as the former MLB legend played with his dad on the Mariners in the 90s -- making them the first father/son duo to play on the same Major League Baseball team together.

"There's a certain type of swag, there's a certain type of s*** that you really didn't get to see as a kid," Davis said.

"Now you there, you get to see your dad's whole layout."

At the end of the day, Davis feels Rivers' own comparison to being coached by his dad is totally different than Bronny playing with his pops ... and the James duo will benefit whichever franchise they play on.

"[Bronny] already got the DNA. Now you got the whole layout, the whole trajectory, and the blueprint laid out for you."

Patrick Mahomes looks over the years are the real MVP!

Here is a 19-year-old version of the sophomore warmin' up playing for the Texas Tech Raiders back in 2015 (left). This was four years before he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a win against the 49ers at Super Bowl LIV.

And, nearly a decade later the hunky pro was still makin' 'em sweat -- playing against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York (right).

Mahomes is gearing up to take on the 49ers yet again, but will his good looks and athletic skills be enough to take home the trophy?

It's SHOWTIME baby!

The important question here is...

It's Super Bowl Sunday ... and there's no better time than now to brush up on what TMZ was covering on their TV shows to end the week, all of which was topical/timely.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles got into a story we broke Friday -- namely, the fact Usher has been hitting up Justin Bieber lately to talk about the prospect of JB joining him during the Super Bowl Halftime Show ... which now sounds like a very real possibility.

Still no word on whether Justin agreed -- but we know they've been chatting ... A LOT.

When it comes to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang got back to talking about Prince Harry -- but only 'cause he popped up in the most random of events ... the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.

Dude definitely didn't seem to fit in ... and the staff certainly seemed to notice, and comment.

Big day on 'TMZ Sports' ... we had the great Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin stop by!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Rap beef -- Super Bowl edition!!

San Francisco 49ers super fan E-40 and diehard Kansas City Chiefs backer Tech N9ne came face-to-face ahead of their teams' huge Super Bowl matchup ... and luckily, the TMZ Sports cameras were rolling for the whole hilarious interaction!!

The two MCs put their loyalty on full display at NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal's "Shaq's Fun House" event on Friday night ... and there was no shortage of friendly banter.

Our photog asked the two rap greats if there were any wagers going down for the Big Game ... and as you can tell in the clip, they have too much respect for each other -- and their teams -- to risk taking money from their "family."

But that didn't stop them from letting it known where they stand on the contest ... with N9ne pointing out Patrick Mahomes will lead the Chiefs to a second-straight championship ... and 40 giving "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy his flowers.

E-Four-Oh and Tecca Nina aren't just casual fans -- they've both gotten in the booth to record anthems for their beloved squads ... so no one can accuse them of being fair-weather fans at all.

While the two rappers may have placed their own individual bets on the game -- gotta love their confidence -- it's clear they'll still maintain their respect for each other no matter what the scoreboard says after the game.

Kayla Nicole's probably not rooting for Kansas City on Sunday ... instead she seems firmly in Niners camp -- partying with San Francisco wives and girlfriends

The ex-GF of Travis Kelce took to Instagram in the wee hours of Saturday morning to share a number of clips from a wicked rager she attended ... and a few familiar faces to 49ers fans popped up in the clips.

During the night, Kayla took a shot with some ladies ... and George Kittle's wife Claire threw one back alongside her. George of course is San Fran's tight end -- the same position Kelce plays.

Claire and Kayla are clearly friends ... having been photographed together at a different event near the end of January.

Kristin Juszczyk -- wife of versatile SF fullback Kyle -- tagged Claire in multiple posts last night from the party, so it seems she was there at least -- though it's unclear if she had any face time with Kayla as well.

Kayla's been fraternizing with people on both sides of the Super Bowl debate ... remember, we obtained photos of her and Patrick Mahomes' bro Jackson chatting amicably -- so maybe she's just being friendly to both teams.

Given her acrimonious breakup with TK, though -- and his new very public relationship -- we gotta imagine Kayla throwing back shots with Niners wives means she's chosen her side for the Super Bowl.

Rooting against your ex in the Super Bowl ... really adds a whole new meaning to "winning the breakup!"

Super Bowl LVIII's already bringing the stars to Las Vegas ... including reality TV mainstays, the KarJenners -- and it seems they've brought a super famous crooner with them.

The Kardashian clan's jet touched down in Sin City early Saturday morning ... with Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kendall Jenner all bundled up and clambering out of their private jet.

They kept a fairly low profile ... Kim covering up with a hat while all three of the ladies used big sunglasses to cover parts of their faces as they made their way from the airport to their luxurious accommodations.

Big reveal at the hotel though ... because a man in a huge puffy coat, white beanie decorated with a black palm tree, and blue jeans on -- and with style choices like those this could only be Justin Bieber!!!

At least, we're pretty sure it's Biebs ... check out the pics for yourself. It definitely looks like JB from the back, and he's carrying what seems to be a Louis Vuitton dog carrier -- and we only really know one celeb who regularly schleps that around.

Of course ... Justin's tight with the Kardashian family -- particularly Kendall and Kylie Jenner through his wife Hailey, so flying with them isn't totally surprising.

And, we broke the story ... Usher's personally been in contact with his protégé about performing during the Super Bowl Halftime show -- not handlers passing messages between the two, but direct communication.

So, it looks like Justin took Usher up on his offer ... or he just wants to take in the game with his pals. Either way, we're definitely probably sure that's Justin!

Bottom line ... celebs not named Taylor Swift are trickling into Vegas before Sunday's 3:30 kickoff -- and there may be a few more surprises in store for fans.

Darius Rucker's singin' his blues away ... 'cause he hopped onstage in Las Vegas to belt out a few tunes -- alongside Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa.

The legendary singer-songwriter was joined by TT for a performance of his song "Wagon Wheel" ahead of Super Bowl Sunday in Sin City ... and the dynamic duo seemed to give the crowd the time of their lives.

Check out the vid ... Darius' staying on lead vocals of course -- dude's got three Grammys on his shelf, so he's in charge -- but there's Tua right next to him, dark shades on, strumming away on his acoustic guitar.

Tua's not hiding in the back though ... the 25-year-old's supporting DR with both his guitar and his voice it appears -- no lip sync controversy here!

The crowd's belting away too ... with most of them ripping away on vocals -- including Giants QB Daniel Jones who's really getting into it with a couple buddies.

FWIW ... this isn't a stir-of-the-moment performance. Tua showed off his musical talents during an episode of the ManningCast back in December -- plucking away on his guitar as the Jaguars took on the Bengals.

The performance seemed to catch Rucker's eye ... 'cause the longtime Dolphins fan said he'd be down to jam with Tua sometime -- and that time finally came!

BTW ... Darius doesn't look like any of his recent legal drama's weighing him down -- we broke the story, Darius was arrested early this month on three misdemeanor charges all stemming from a February 2023 arrest.

The Super Bowl may not be the most star-studded sporting event in Vegas these next few days ... 'cause Dana White's Power Slap 6 Friday night in Sin City had some of the biggest stars in the world, including Tom Brady and Travis Scott!

And we've got a bunch of pics and video from the event.

It wasn't just TB 12 and La Flame in the building ... Charles Barkley, Pat McAfee, Johnny Manziel, Taylor Lewan, Bert Kreischer, IShowSpeed, billionaire Michael Rubin, and a bunch of others were also there for the festivities -- and judging by the stars, it slapped.

Friday night marked the first event White held outside of the UFC's own Apex center ... going down at the Durango Resort, marking a big step forward for the young org.

We talked to Dana backstage during the event (while he wasn't rubbing shoulders with Tom and Travis) ... and asked him about the night.

"This is the first time ever selling tickets. We sold VIP packages. It was a good night," White said with a big smile on his face.

As for the action on the mats, the main event, Manny Muniz vs. Christopher Thomas, was a barn burner ... and the scrap DW was most looking forward to.

"Muniz has never been knocked out, and Chris Thomas knocks everybody out," White told us.

Manny ended up beating Chris by knockout in the 5th round.

We also talked to UFC legend Chuck Liddell at the event ... and while it's clear he likes watching, it doesn't sound like he's going to be coming out of retirement to compete at Power Slap 7.

Jax Taylor was also in the house ... and the former "Vanderpump Rules" star told us how he became a slap-fighting fan.

Taylor says he initially saw highlights on Instagram, so he messaged Power Slap ... which led to an invite from Dana.