TMZ Sports - Page 50

The New England Patriots might've technically satisfied the Rooney Rule requirement, but NOT the spirit ... according to longtime NFL executive/GM Rod Graves who says the Pats made a joke of the policy.

TMZ Sports spoke with Graves, who after decades working in the NFL as a league executive and general manager, now serves as the Executive Director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, an org. dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion within pro football, about the much-debated rule that says teams must interview a minority candidate before hiring a coach.

Robert Kraft's football team interviewed two Black head coach hopefuls, Pep Hamilton and Byron Leftwich, before ultimately hiring Mike Vrabel ... who was expected to land the job from the moment the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo.

Sad news from Russell Wilson ... his beloved dog has died.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced the heartbreaking update on his Instagram page just minutes ago ... revealing his Great Dane, Prince, passed away on Friday morning.

"I got you my rookie year," Russ said in an emotional note to his late pup, "& you have been a blessing to our family with so many memories, hugs, and kisses from our 4 kids and us."

Some notoriously tough Philadelphia Eagles fans just proved they have a soft side ... they're raising some funds for Los Angeles wildfire victims -- in spite of their scheduled faceoff with the L.A. Rams on Sunday.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe tells TMZ Sports ... a group of Eagles supporters who congregate on Reddit created a charity earlier this week in an effort to assist people in need in the Rams' hometown.

The fans who helped kick things off made it clear they wanted to put the playoff matchup aside to make sure Angelenos felt supported, even from those thousands of miles away.

The sound of the buzzer didn't mark the end for Florida State and Pitt ... 'cause the two sides nearly came to blows after the Panthers head coach took exception to a last-second dunk!

It all went down during the postgame handshake line after FSU beat their ACC rival by a final score of 82-70. Jeff Capel, head coach of Pitt, walked up to junior forward Malique Ewin ... who had just slammed a two-handed dunk as time expired.

It's unclear what Capel said to Ewin, but he wasn't whispering sweet nothings ... as players and coaches from both sides converged, attempting to keep the peace. There was a lot of pushing and shoving ... and cops even got involved, directing Pitt players back to their locker room.

Noah Scurry -- a high school basketball star in Pennsylvania -- tragically died this week after he was shot just steps from his home.

The Philadelphia Police Department said the fatal shooting happened at around 7:15 AM on Tuesday ... revealing Scurry was on his way to Samuel Fels High School when he was gunned down.

He was just 17 years old.

Juuuuuuust a bit outside.

Legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker has died at 90, the Milwaukee Brewers announced Thursday morning.

Prior to his Hall of Fame career behind the microphone, Uecker -- born in Wisconsin in 1934 -- signed with his hometown Milwaukee Braves in 1956 ... before spending several seasons in the minor leagues.

8:57 AM PT -- TMZ Sports just spoke with Michael Lombardi ... and he called all of the rumors surrounding Bill Belichick nothing more than "fake news."

UNC general manager Michael Lombardi broke out his wet blanket Thursday and threw it all over rumors that Bill Belichick could leave Chapel Hill for the NFL ... insisting the coach is staying put.

Speculation that The Hoodie might bolt reached a boiling point on Thursday AM -- after it was revealed Belichick does NOT yet have a binding contract with the Tar Heels.

LeBron James' presence brought a young courtside fan to tears at a Lakers game Wednesday ... and the King was so moved by her emotions, he just had to meet her after he wrapped up the win.

The heartwarming scene all unfolded during L.A.'s tilt with the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena ... when James waved at a little girl who was wearing his jersey.

The youngster couldn't help but break down in tears after seeing her idol acknowledge her ... and James told reporters after the game he became aware of her reaction at halftime -- so he decided to spend a few moments with her following L.A.'s 117-108 dub.

Dwayne Johnson's telling his fans not to wait too long when it comes to squashing beef with parents ... speaking directly to his male fans who have problems with their dads like he did.

The actor posted a black and white video to Instagram early Thursday morning ... and, in it, he reveals yesterday was the five-year anniversary of his dad Rocky 'Soulman' Johnson's death.

The Rock notes he and his dad weren't in a particularly good place when he passed ... and, Dwayne says he woke up yesterday feeling weird -- and realized it's because he'd never get a chance to make things right with his pop, and it's still bothering him.

Travis Kelce sure sounds like a guy who's in love ... 'cause he just raved over his relationship with Taylor Swift -- straight-up admitting he "couldn't be happier."

Stephen A. Smith grilled the Kansas City Chiefs superstar on his feelings for his girlfriend for several minutes during a recent sit-down on "The Stephen A. Smith Show" ... and check out some of the 35-year-old tight end's answers -- he certainly seems smitten.

Kelce told the ESPN analyst he and Swift are "in a strong relationship" ... and because of it, he's "as focused as I've ever been on my job."

Sofia Vergara is seemingly distancing herself from those Lewis Hamilton romance rumors ... stepping out solo for dinner in NYC -- and the F1 star is nowhere to be found.

Check it out ... the "Modern Family" alum hits The Corner Store, an upscale restaurant in NYC's SoHo neighborhood, in a chic burgundy jumpsuit and matching floor-length trench coat.

While Sofia looking jaw-dropping isn't necessarily news -- she always looks great -- her solo status Wednesday night certainly transmitted a message ... given a mere day prior there was chatter about her love life.

Sam Darnold didn't torpedo his chances at a big payday after two bad games to finish the season ... at least that's what NFL super-agent Leigh Steinberg thinks -- telling TMZ Sports he believes the Minnesota Vikings will stick with him as the franchise quarterback.

Darnold -- the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 -- had a career resurgence in the 2024-25 campaign ... throwing for more than 4,300 yards and 35 touchdowns as he led the Vikes to a 14-3 record.

His hot streak fizzled out down stretch, though ... with the team's Super Bowl dreams coming to an end after a poor outing against the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round on Monday.

Drake Maye didn't get a ring to cap off his rookie season, but his longtime girlfriend did -- the New England Patriots quarterback just proposed to Ann Hudson -- and she said yes!!

The two announced the happy news on Wednesday on their Instagram pages ... with the couple revealing the 22-year-old signal-caller got on a bent knee while out at a beach.

Maye set up some roses, pillows and champagne for the occasion ... and was clearly thrilled Hudson agreed to be his forever partner by the sea.

The Philadelphia Eagles fan who was captured on video over the weekend calling a Packers supporter a "dumb c***" has finally broken his silence ... claiming Wednesday his outburst was provoked.

Ryan Caldwell said in a statement to the New York Post the video that showed him going off on a female Packer backer at Sunday's playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field did not tell the full story.

Caldwell insists what took place just before his vulgar rant was "banter" between all parties. He then strongly implied that Alexander Basara and his fiancée, Ally Keller, egged him on.

Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson and her husband, former NFL player Andrew East, may be in retirement, but they're proving they've still got it ... one acrobatic challenge at a time.

The former athletes put their fit frames on display for a number of videos uploaded to social media, where they've tapped into their competitive spirit to pull off a series of acrobatic stunts.

Check it out ... a shirtless Andrew effortlessly lifts Shawn into the air ... just as she contorts her body and turns a full 360 degrees. It's flipping adorable, if we do say so ourselves!!!

The Eagles fan who berated a female Packers supporter in Philly is officially out of a job ... with the hotheads' now-former employer calling out his behavior ... while also knocking people who have trashed their business online!

TMZ Sports spoke to BCT Partners co-founders Lawrence Hibbert and Dr. Randal Pinkett -- who appeared on Season 4 of The Apprentice -- who slammed ex-project manager Ryan Caldwell for his actions in a now-viral video where he called the Green Bay fan a "dumb ugly c***."

"I can't say enough about how abhorrent the behavior that we observed was and how upset I was in seeing someone who was at the time associated with our company displaying that kind of behavior," Pinkett said.