TMZ Sports - Page 2

Arthur Jones had plenty of ups and downs throughout his career in the NFL, which lasted for nearly a decade.

The older brother of professional martial artist Jon Jones hopped between teams and even earned himself a Super Bowl ring prior to his death at the age of 39.

We're going to take a look into the background of the late football player and see what he accomplished throughout his sports career.

Arthur first began gaining attention for his athletic skills back in high school, where he played football and was a member of Union-Endicott High School's wrestling team.

He started attending Syracuse University in 2005 -- although he didn't play any games during his freshman year of college, according to the school's official sports website.

Arthur more than made up for the missed opportunities during his second year, when he became one of 40 players to have participated in every game in the 2006 season.

The athlete remained with the Syracuse Orange until 2009, when he finished out his final year with the team.

Arthur kicked off his career in the NFL in 2010, when he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens as a defensive end.

The athlete, whose younger brother Chandler also played in the league, remained with the Ravens until 2013, when he helped lead them to victory at Super Bowl XLVII.

Arthur didn't remain with the Ravens after the big game, though, as he signed a five-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts in 2014. He ended up being released from his contract after sitting out for the entirety of the 2015 season, after which he received a four-game suspension in 2016 following a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, reports ESPN.

He signed with the Washington Commanders in 2017, although he was quickly placed on injured reserve.

Arthur stepped away from professional sports in 2018, when he announced his retirement from the NFL.

The professional athlete's death was revealed seven years later, and a cause hasn't been revealed as of yet.

The Ravens released an official statement regarding his death, and the organization's general manager, Eric DeCosta, claimed the team was "terribly saddened" about his loss.

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively may not be in a good place right now friendship-wise... but that didn't stop the actress from supporting the superstar's new album drop.

It's subtle, but it's there ... on Instagram, Blake gave Taylor a "like" in her Thursday post celebrating the release of "The Life of a Showgirl," where TS told fans ... “I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right."

The gesture seems minor ... but it's actually a pretty big deal since the one-time besties had an epic falling out over Blake's ongoing lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.

The spiciest event in Denver -- the Taco Bell 50K -- goes down on Saturday ... and, we talked to the founders about the race even they themselves call "completely stupid!"

We spoke with Jason Romero and Dan Zolnikov -- the two dudes who came together to start this insane event eight years ago -- and, we asked them to run us through the rules of the 31-mile race, which stops at 10 Taco Bells around the city.

Romero and Zolnikov explain competitors gotta stop at each restaurant, and eat at nine of the 10 ... consuming one Chalupa Supreme or one Crunchwrap Supreme by the fourth stop ... and one Burrito Supreme or one Nachos BellGrande by the eighth stop -- and bring your wrappers with you ... 'cause these dudes are gonna count 'em!

Taylor Swift's song "Wood" may have shocked some with its explicit nature ... but, at least one fan says ya just gotta marvel at how beautiful she can make the shocking.

We spoke with Olivia Levin -- an expert on all things T-Swift -- on "TMZ Live" ... and, we asked her about "The Life of a Showgirl," Swift's new album, which came out Friday.

As we told you ... on the track, Swift sings, “Forgive me, it sounds cocky / He ah-matized me / And opened my eyes / Redwood tree / It ain’t hard to see / His love was the key / That opened my thighs.”

Actor and comedian Paul Walter Hauser popped in to our newsroom Friday to talk wrestling, West Hollywood and playing against type on TMZ Live ... and we even learned about a special relationship he has with Bruce Springsteen.

The "Naked Gun" actor dropped by to record a podcast with our wrestling aficionados Roger and Branson ... he tells us he's been directing and producing segments for MLW -- Major League Wrestling -- and it turns out he's a player as well ... with 22 matches already under his belt. And he's got thoughts about the recent Raja Jackson brouhaha.

PWH gives a shout-out to Mark Wahlberg's many, many brands ... and you gotta watch the full clip to learn about his hilarious NSFW connection to The Boss ... beyond his role in the upcoming biopic starring Jeremy Allen White.

Taylor Swift is spilling all about Travis Kelce -- gushing over his over-the-top proposal, the way he planned every detail, and, in her words, how he straight-up crushed it!

Appearing on UK’s "The Graham Norton Show" Friday, Taylor showed off her dazzling engagement ring, and she revealed the whole thing went down in Travis’ backyard ... right in the middle of filming a podcast episode.

Taylor said that while they were filming, someone was setting up a hedge wall in the backyard, and her tour photog sneaked into the bushes to snap the pics ... which blew up IG back in August.

5:27 PM PT -- A rep for CoolKicks tells TMZ ... "Yesterday, the LAPD impounded a small allotment of Nike sneakers that Coolkicks purchased and received within the last 48 hours, alleging that the merchandise was stolen. This news came as a complete shock to our entire team. Neither Coolkicks leadership, nor our staff, had any knowledge or reason to believe that these products were stolen. We entered into this purchase in good faith, as we always have, committed to running an honest business built on integrity and trust."

The statement continued ... "It is important to clarify: there have been no allegations whatsoever from law enforcement that any of the products were counterfeit. Coolkicks takes pride in serving our loyal community with authentic, high-quality products and service; it is at the heart of our culture. We want to reassure our community that the integrity of our products remains our highest priority. We are confident the truth will come out, and the trust we have worked so hard to earn will remain strong. We deeply regret the concern and inconvenience this situation may have caused. Coolkicks has always stood for honest business, and that commitment will never change."

The owner of CoolKicks LA -- the celeb-loved sneaker shop -- was arrested on a felony charge after he was caught up in an LAPD raid that was allegedly captured on a livestream.

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... Adeel Shams, 33, was arrested around 4:45 PM on Thursday in Santa Monica and was booked on a felony charge of "Receiving Known Stolen Property over $950.00."

Shams is scheduled to appear at Los Angeles Superior Court on October 23. No further information was provided at this time.

Taylor Swift's handling all family business on her new album ... 'cause it appears she took the opportunity to take shots at Travis Kelce's ex, Kayla Nicole.

"The Life of a Showgirl" dropped late last night, and Swifites have combed through the album searching for every veiled reference ... and they're convinced the star took some shots at Nicole's effort during her relationship with Kelce on the track "Opalite"

Swift sings, "“You couldn’t understand it, why you felt alone / You were in it for real, she was in her phone / And you were just a pose.”

12:13 PM PT -- The Fort Worth Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... the accident occurred at around 11:48 AM CT on Friday and involved a total of four vehicles.

"Upon arrival, officers located three of the vehicles that were involved; the other had left the scene prior to officers' arrival," cops said in a statement to us Friday. "Medical personnel made the scene and transported an occupant to a nearby hospital with unknown injuries."

"This accident is being investigated."

11:50 AM PT -- Robert Griffin III's wife, Grete, just provided an update ... writing on her IG Story, "I hit my head so will get a CT scan and Robert's back is also getting checked out."

Fortunately, she said the "kiddos are all well and healthy."

Robert Griffin III and his family were involved in a car crash on Friday ... but thankfully, the ex-NFL star says he, his wife and their kids are OK.

Griffin III shared on his X page minutes ago that the wreck occurred while he was out in Fort Worth, Texas getting ready to work this weekend's TCU vs. Colorado game for Fox.

Griffin III and his family appeared to be in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter when the accident happened on a local highway.

Taylor Swift singing about Travis Kelce's "wand" is nothing magical to Dave Portnoy ... 'cause the Barstool Sports founder and diehard Swiftie says he just can't stomach a song dedicated to the Kansas City Chiefs superstar's member.

Portnoy dropped his review of Swift's new album "The Life of a Showgirl" Friday ... saying "Honey," "Eldest Daughter," "Life of a Showgirl," "The Fate of Ophelia" and "Opalite" were his favorite tunes.

Dave said his list comes with an asterisk. He enjoyed the song "Wood" on the first few spins ... but once he learned Swift wasn't actually crooning about trees, he had a hard time swallowing the tune.

Melissa Rycroft allegedly claimed to be the victim of a hit-and-run before cops arrested her for driving while intoxicated ... but, they say a witness totally contradicted the claim.

We've obtained a search warrant from law enforcement in Tarrant County, Texas ... which states officers responded to a call just after noon on September 23 -- where they say they found Melissa standing with an off-duty firefighter and swaying.

The officer claims Melissa had "bloodshot eyes, slurred speech" and alleges she "had a slight odor of a metabolized alcoholic beverage" on her breath.

Taylor Swift fans are in full-on detective mode over "The Life of a Showgirl," investigating each lyric and hunting down every Easter egg ... but the singer has dropped herself -- one song is raw, real, and all about her longing to be a mother.

The singer spilled on UK’s Heart FM with Jamie Theakston and Emma Bunton Friday that her dreamy new jam "Wi$h Li$t" isn’t just about her ... it’s a globe-spanning wish list, with her own dreams sneakily woven right in.

Now, peep the lyrics... "I just want you" -- yep, that’s about Travis -- and "have a couple kids"... clearly Taylor’s painting her dream family.

New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler was a menace to everyone in Boston red on Thursday night ... not only did he dominate the Sox in a Wild Card elimination game, he later trolled one of the team's most stunning fans.

The Yanks rookie hit the comment section of Red Sox fan Lucy Burdge's viral X post after mowing down the Red Sox in the do-or-die tilt at Yankee Stadium ... and he dropped a trolling line.

While Burdge wrote "Sox in 3" ahead of first pitch of the big game ... Schlittler responded, "Not this year."

Glen Powell is teaming up with Peyton and Eli Manning on their "Monday Night Football" simulcast for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars next week ... meaning the OG and new Chad Powers are coming face to face!!

TMZ Sports has learned the actor will be joining the Mannings as they watch Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs take on Travis Hunter and the Jags in their Week 5 matchup.

Of course, Powell's new series "Chad Powers" dropped on Hulu earlier this week -- which was inspired by a character Eli debuted during an episode of his "Eli's Places" series.

There's gonna be a Taylor Swift listening party at the Chiefs' facility on Friday ... 'cause Patrick Mahomes says he will be blasting her new album all day!!

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback revealed his plans with Carrington Harrison on "The Drive" radio show ... just hours before Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," dropped on Friday.

"I'm super excited," Mahomes said. "I haven't been able to hear the album yet, but I'm super excited to be able to do that. It will be blaring all through the Chiefs' facility tomorrow."

Former WWE champ Matt Riddle took things to another level when he lashed out against TMZ's Inside The Ring podcast hosts, picking Branson up by his collar, and slamming him on a table ... but no 911 call needed for this 'work' attack!

The crazy scene unfolded after Riddle was asked about Jake Paul, and clearly didn't take kindly to Branson suggesting the wrestler was out for a "payday," with the ex-WWE Superstar calling the pod "s****y" before getting physical with the host.

Riddle threw a helpless Branson to the ground ... as Roger backed away from the set, carefully watching.

The wrestler then grabbed the TMZ title belt and left the studio in a hurry ... before thanking Harvey and Charles for the invite.

Riddle, former MLW World Champ, is in Los Angeles for his big one-on-one match against Alexander Hammerstone at MLW's Slaughterhouse show Saturday night.

Matt was also WWE's US champ, as well as tag team champ alongside Randy Orton back in his WWE days.

Branson addressed the "incident" and his "injuries," writing on X ... "I'm okay, don't worry, just needed a little ice pack on my face!"