Former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. unleashed on Jerry Jeudy just before his Denver Broncos took the field Thursday night.

Denver faced the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and before the game, Jeudy and Smith crossed paths in an awkward moment that turned hostile.

Smith has been critical of Jeudy in the past, using the term “JAG” — an acronym for “just a guy” — to describe his average play. But Smith recently has been impressed with the 2020 first-round pick’s play.

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Jeudy clearly remembered what Smith had to say about him.

“When I saw him, he’s playing well. I wanted to say to him face to face, like, ‘Hey, I know I said some things in the past I probably shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.’ That’s what I wanted to say to him,” Smith said on the NFL Network before Thursday’s game.

“His response was ‘ninja’ — I’m using the word ninja — ‘I don’t mess with you.’ There was a curse word.”

Former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. before an NFC wild-card playoff game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome Jan. 5, 2020, in New Orleans.  (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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So, after Jeudy’s reply, Smith unleashed.

“So, I’ll say it again. I’m sorry I said that you were JAG — just a guy — who’s an average wide receiver they used a first-round pick on that isn’t doing anything,” Smith said. “I hope today that you actually show up in the way you haven’t showed up in the last couple years since they drafted you. 

“I’m sorry for saying you’re an average wide receiver that they eventually will move on [from], and when teams call me and ask should they trade for you, I will say, ‘No, don’t trade for Jerry Jeudy. Because he is mentally unable to handle constructive criticism’ from people who watch specifically [if he can] be a wide receiver. He can be a wide receiver. He’s a Tier 3.”

Jeudy was the 15th overall pick three years ago out of Alabama and was the second wide receiver selected in a stacked class that featured Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins and Michael Pittman, all of whom he was selected over.

But he has failed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season and has yet to make a Pro Bowl.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs Dec. 11, 2022, in Denver.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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In four games this season, he has 17 receptions for 208 yards, and he’s still waiting on his first touchdown. His Broncos are 1-4 after losing to the New York Jets Sunday, 31-21.

Certain schools have a clear advantage in the NIL game, one that college football seemed to insinuate this week.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops was pretty blunt after his Wildcats were rocked by No. 1 Georgia over the weekend, saying Georgia’s pockets have helped them in recruiting.

In his weekly radio show on Monday, Stoops was talking with an upset fan while discussing their 51-13 loss to the Bulldogs when Stoops seemed to take a shot at the Georgia program – and his own fan base.

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“I just encourage them (the fans) to donate more because that’s what those dudes are doing. I can promise you, Georgia, they bought some pretty good players. You’re allowed to these days,” Stoops said.

“We could use some help,” he continued. “That’s what they look like, you know what I mean, when you have 85 of them. I encourage anybody that’s disgruntled to pony up some more.”

Some Kentucky fans didn’t take kindly to the comments, but Stoops, who said his comments were “taken completely out of context,” reminded his supporters that he is thankful for any donation the university gets, whether they donate “one cent, one dollar or a lot of money.”

At the end of the day, he says he had good intentions for his program with regard to the comments.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops looks on in the first half against South Carolina, September 25, 2021, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.)

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“Really, just simply trying to rally people and in a way to move the needle,” he said. “Listen, I didn’t ask for this. [Georgia head coach) Kirby [Smart] didn’t ask for this. It’s the way of the world. And you want to move the needle, that’s one way to do it.”

Smart was made aware of the comments, but he said they were “much to do about nothing” and understood Stoops’ point of view.

“I think Mark is trying to garner interest for money from his fan base for his collective, and we’re all trying to do the same in terms of trying to get money for the collective,” Smart said. “Mark and I talked about NIL pregame, and we talked about it in our meeting. I’m not biting on that.”

University of Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is shown during the game against the University of Georgia at Sanford Stadium on October 7, 2023, in Athens, Georgia. (Perry McIntyre/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

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The defending back-to-back national champions improved to 6-0 with the win while Kentucky suffered its first loss of the year after winning five straight to start the season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Taylor Swift is back at Arrowhead.

Amid rumors she’s dating Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce, Swift appeared at the game about an hour before kickoff against the Denver Broncos.

She walked into the game with a Chiefs jacket slung around her shoulder. 

Then, she appeared in a luxury suite with Donna Kelce, Travis’ mother. It’s the third time Swift and Kelce have shared the same suite since rumors started to fly about Swift and Travis dating.

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Taylor Swift and Donna Kelce before a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Oct. 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.  (David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Kelce was questionable to play in the game with an ankle issue but was active. He was seen jumping around on the field, and it didn’t appear the ankle was giving him much trouble.

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It’s unclear how much coverage Amazon Prime will give Swift as she cheers on the Chiefs. Al Michaels provided some insight in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina on his “Traina Thoughts” podcast.

“What we’re gonna do tonight, everything in moderation,” Michaels told the outlet. “Our crew talked about it this morning. You can’t make a sideshow the show. The vast majority of the audience are tuning in to watch a football game. 

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“There are people — I don’t know how many, it could be a sizable number — but it’s certainly not a majority, that if you trained the camera on her all night long, they’d be satisfied with that. This is not what we’re going to do.

Travis Kelce at at Arrowhead Oct. 12, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.  (RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

“There might be an appropriate shot or a couple. I don’t know what the number is going to be. If Kelce scores six touchdowns, who the hell knows what we’re going to do? But, for the most part, just in moderation. The game is still the important element here, by far. That’s our thought. After that, you sort of make it, one of my favorite words — farcical.”

The legendary broadcaster stressed again, “Moderation.”

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While it’s clear Kelce wanted to keep his private life private, it doesn’t appear that will be the case.

Walt Garrison, a former NFL fullback who played nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and won a Super Bowl with them in 1971, has died. He was 79.

Garrison was a star at Oklahoma State before the Cowboys selected him in the fifth round of the 1966 NFL Draft. 

He was also drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in the American Football League at the time.

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He was with the Cowboys from 1966 to 1974, retiring as the team’s No. 3 rusher and No. 4 receiver. He gained 3,886 rushing yards.

The team announced Garrison’s death on its website but did not reveal a cause.

Garrison was a cowboy off the field too. The team said he would go out after team meetings and compete in local rodeos as a steer wrestler. He would return to the team hotel before an 11 p.m. curfew.

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Craig Morton (14) hands off to running back Walt Garrison (32) during the Cowboys’ 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V Jan. 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. (Fred Roe/Getty Images)

“I wasn’t starting,” Garrison once said. “I was returning punts and kicks and covering on the kamikaze squad, that’s all I was doing. And, hell, you could get hurt worse on them than you can rodeoing. I didn’t think much about it, but the Cowboys did.”

Legendary Cowboys head coach Tom Landry prevented Garrison from moonlighting as a regular cowboy during the season, but he continued in the offseason.

“Coach Landry pointed out that there was a clause in my contract that if I got hurt doing another sport, that my contract would be null and void,” he was quoted as saying. “And I said, ‘OK.’ I didn’t think rodeo was that dangerous.”

Garrison was injured in 1975 while steer wrestling and called it a career in football.

At the height of his fame with the Cowboys, Garrison was also a national spokesman for Skoal.

Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Brown, left, and former Dallas Cowboy great Walt Garrison meet at the Cradle of Champions sculpture near the Chisholm Trail Mural, also the site of ESPN’s broadcasting center, in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, Jan. 28, 2011. (Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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He finished his NFL career with 39 touchdowns and was a Pro Bowler during the 1972 season. He had 74 rushing yards on 14 carries in the team’s 14-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in the 1972 Super Bowl.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Five-time Olympic medalist Mary Lou Retton has received a significant amount of financial support after her daughter revealed on social media this week that the athletic icon is “fighting for her life” as she deals with a rare form of pneumonia.

Now, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has stepped in to offer aid after it was revealed that the 55-year-old former Olympian does not have medical insurance.

A spokesperson for the USOPC told USA Today on Thursday that the committee is working to get Retton approved to receive aid through the United States Olympians & Paralympians Relief Fund.

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“The USOPC supports the United States Olympians & Paralympians Relief Fund to offer aid to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians facing significant hardships due to illness, death or extenuating circumstances,”  USOPC spokesperson Kate Hartman told the outlet.

“Upon learning of Mary Lou’s condition, we immediately took action to expedite the application process for her family to receive assistance. We are currently working through the necessary details in real-time and have reached out to Mary Lou’s family to offer our assistance.”

Mary Lou Retton, center, is shown during the women’s gymnastics medal ceremony at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles on August 1, 1984. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

McKenna Kelley, Retton’s daughter, created a donation page where she revealed her mother’s condition.

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“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she [is] not insured.”

As of Thursday evening, the page had raised nearly $380,000 from more than 6,800 donors, surpassing its original goal of $50,000.

U.S. Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton holds up her gold medal at a press conference during the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. (Getty Images / File)

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Retton’s daughter thanked everyone for the “outpouring of love” for her mother on social media Wednesday. She said Retton was still in the ICU but was getting “incredible medical care.”

Retton was nicknamed “America’s sweetheart” during her gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. She was just 16 when she scored perfect 10s in the floor exercise and vault in the final two rotations to become the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title.

She would earn five medals that year, two silver and two bronze in addition to gold.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.