TMZ Sports - Page 50

Colin Kapernick is getting some love from Hollywood ... his Nike commercial was just nominated for an Emmy! 

Kap's "Dream Crazy" ad dropped back in September and featured the NFL quarterback telling inspirational messages about overcoming the odds ... and using other huge athletes to make his point. 

"Don't picture yourself wearing [Odell Beckham's] jersey. Picture OBJ wearing yours," Kap said. 

He also referenced Shaquem Griffin, LeBron James and Serena Williams ... 

"And, if you’re a girl from Compton, don’t just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever. Yeah, that’s more like it."

The ad was produced by the Wieden+Kennedy agency -- a Portland-based company located near Nike's headquarters. They famously produced the Terry Crews Old Spice commercials and Bud Lite's "Dilly Dilly."

So, who's Colin's competition for the 2019 Outstanding Commercial Emmy? It's tough actually ... 

They're up against pretty amazing ads from Netflix to Macbook ... and a beautifully shot iPhone ad. 

LeBron James brought a pretty special guest to his weekly "Taco Tuesday" dinners ... Anthony Davis!!! 

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar usually has family dinner on Tuesdays with his wife, Savannah, and kids -- but this time, he made some room for his new 6'10" superstar teammate. 

And, if you think AD got out of screaming out "Taco Tuuuesday" like the rest of the fam ... you're wrong!"

In fact, Bron is such a Taco Tuesday superfan, he wore a brand new "Taco Tuesday" t-shirt to dinner ... which is like wearing a shirt of your favorite band to your favorite band's concert.

Weird, never saw Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram or Josh Hart at Taco Tuesday ... and now it seems like we never will!

Bron and Davis have been growing close ever since he signed with the Lakers -- we even spotted the two shooting around on the set of "Space Jam 2" earlier this summer. 

WNBA All-Star Riquna Williams has been suspended 10 games without pay following a domestic violence incident with her ex-GF back in December ... the league announced on Tuesday.

The story behind the arrest is crazy -- Williams allegedly showed up at her ex's Florida home, destroyed her car with a skateboard, forced her way into the house, hit her in the head several times and pulled her hair out.

The 29-year-old is also accused of getting a firearm out of her car and pointing it at her ex's friend ... saying "you'll get all 18" before leaving the home.

The L.A. Sparks guard is facing 2 felony charges -- burglary with assault or battery and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Williams has been playing all season while the league conducted an internal investigation ... and now she's gotten her punishment.

"Based on the investigation, consultation, and a careful weighing of all the facts and circumstances, the WNBA determined that a ten-game suspension was appropriate," the statement says.

"Among other factors, the WNBA took into account the nature and seriousness of the conduct at issue, including the involvement of a firearm. The WNBA will also require Williams to participate in counseling."

Tom Brady's back under center ... in a smoldering beach make out session with his supermodel wife, Gisele! 

TB12 loaded up the family and flew to Costa Rica for their annual offseason beach vacation -- where the couple proved they've still got that fire 10 years after they tied the knot! 

38-year-old Gisele showed off her legendary physique in a pretty tiny bikini -- while 41-year-old Tom didn't look too bad either! 

In fact, Brady looks like he's made some gains in the gym since those infamous dad-bod pics from last summer. 

Maybe avocado ice cream is worth looking into after all!? 

Of course, Tom is on a ticking clock when it comes to his vacation ... the New England Patriots report to training camp on July 25 -- only 9 days away. 

New Memphis Grizzlies stud Josh Jackson just caught a break in his resisting arrest case ... TMZ Sports has learned he just copped a plea deal and will likely have his case dropped.

Jackson was arrested at the Rolling Loud Music Festival in Miami, Florida back in May after cops say he entered a VIP area without proper credentialing.

Cops say when he refused to leave ... they cuffed the 6-foot-8, 200-pound NBA player and put him on a golf cart.

But, police say Jackson got up and walked away ... and when cops told him to stop, he started running.

The 22-year-old was eventually caught and subdued ... and he was later hit with two charges -- felony escape and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

But, Jackson was able to get the felony charge dropped a couple weeks ago ... and now, we've  learned he's cut a deal to get the misdemeanor charge dropped too.

The Miami State Attorney's Office tells us Jackson has agreed to complete some kind of pre-trial diversion program in exchange for having the charge dropped.

The diversion program usually consists of either community service or some kind of life-improvement courses (like alcohol education or something like that) to help offenders grow from their legal mistakes without having a conviction on their record. 

Josh was the 4th overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Phoenix Suns. He earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in his first season in the desert.

A World's Strongest Man competitor is calling for bodybuilding star Shawn Rhoden to be locked away in a pen if rape allegations are true ... with Robert Oberst telling TMZ Sports, "It pisses me off!"

"If it's f*cking true, I hope he gets his due justice," Oberst says.

Rhoden -- the 2018 Mr. Olympia -- has been accused of raping a female bodybuilder at a Utah hotel on October 12, 2018 after she had just completed a photo shoot.

Details of the incident are graphic, with officials saying the woman suffered a laceration to her genitals as a result of Rhoden's alleged actions.

Oberst -- who's shared a stage at fitness shows with Rhoden in the past -- tells us Shawn didn't seem like a guy who would commit that kind of crime ... but says if Rhoden did it, he should be punished heavily.

"That type of sh*t, it makes me feel bad and it also pisses me off," Oberst tells us, saying if the allegations are true, "Put him in a pen and let other people -- let him know how it feels, man."

"That's what he deserves. Honestly, that's the truth."

A warrant for Rhoden's arrest has been issued ... with the 44-year-old facing $750,000 bail once he's arrested.

Dwight Howard says he's not gay -- despite allegations made against him in a lawsuit -- and claims the whole legal battle made him "never want to come outside again."

The NBA superstar appeared on 'Fair Game' on FS1 where he told Kristine Leahy, "I went through a situation last year that kind of just set me free."

Howard is referring to the lawsuit filed by Masin Elije -- who claimed he had a sexual relationship with Howard and claimed Howard threatened him with violence if he went public about it.  

Dwight has previously denied the allegations across the board -- but told Kristine that the whole case caused him tremendous amounts of emotional pain. 

"I'm not gay," Howard said when asked directly. 

Dwight says he received a lot of hate from people who THOUGHT he was gay -- and says he now understands why people are afraid to come out and be their true selves in public. 

Howard says he spent months reflecting on his life after the allegations went public -- and thought long and hard about how he wants to be remembered ... especially when it comes to his kids. 

As for the allegations, Howard is adamant he NEVER met the accuser and has no idea why the man would go to such lengths to lie about him. 

"It upset me because I didn't even know who the person was. Why would somebody who I've never met, never had any contact with make up a whole story about me?"

The criminal investigation into Ezekiel Elliott over his Las Vegas altercation with a security guard is officially underway, TMZ Sports has learned. 

A rep for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. tells us ... they were contacted by Kyle Johnson, who claims he was the victim of a battery committed by the NFL star. 

"This incident is under investigation," the spokesperson confirmed. 

We reached out to Zeke's camp and a rep told us, "No comment."

As we previously reported, 19-year-old Johnson has stated he was going to file a police report over the May 19 incident at the Electric Daisy Carnival when Elliott knocked Johnson to the ground during a dispute in the parking lot. 

At the time, police officers working at the event detained the Dallas Cowboys running back and placed him in handcuffs -- but he was NOT arrested because Johnson told them he did not want to press charges. 

At the time, cops described the incident as a "battery" -- since Ezekiel clearly used his body to push Johnson into a metal gate, ultimately knocking him to the ground. 

Johnson publicly demanded a "sincere" apology from Zeke -- and said if he didn't get it, he would explore his legal options. 

Elliott and his reps have accused Johnson of running an extortion scheme -- implying Johnson was more interested in getting money from Zeke than getting justice. 

WWE wrestler Jeff Hardy was passed out in a public stairwell and reeked of booze before cops arrested him Saturday ... this according to new police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

We broke the story ... Hardy was busted down in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend for allegedly being drunk in public -- and was eventually released on less than $200 bond.

Now, we've obtained police docs that say Hardy admitted to drinking vodka before cops found him passed out in a stairwell.

Hardy was facing a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication -- but we've now learned Jeff ain't facing more trouble in the case.

Court officials tell us ... because Hardy paid a $153 ticket for public intoxication, his case is considered closed.

Of course, there is a small chance Jeff could fight the ticket in court later this month ... but doesn't seem that'll be likely, considering he's not facing a conviction on his record.

41-year-old Hardy has been 1/2 of the famous Hardy Boyz tag team in the WWE for years. 

St. Louis Blues center Robby Fabbri's now serving spaghetti ... with a side of Stanley!!!

The NHL champion had his day with the cup Monday ... and he made sure to put it to use -- 'cause at a family cookout, he straight-up served his noodles inside the trophy!!!

It all went down in his hometown of Mississauga Ontario, where Robby took the Blues' newest award out for a spin.

The guy brought it to his old high school ... and then decided it needed a little parmesan and marinara at lunch time.

The meal looked great ... there were meatballs, spaghetti, salad and rolls. Even the family dogs loved it!!!

Of course, Robby also had some emotional moments with the cup ... he brought the (cleaned-out) trophy to his hospitalized grandpa during the day -- and the scene was pretty special.

Fabbri played in 32 games for the champs this season ... logging 2 goals and 4 assists -- and he also had the coolest celebration after the Blues won it all last month ...

It's that time of year again ... Cristiano Ronaldo is launching his new CR7 underwear line -- and shocker, he's thrusting his own man junk front and center of the new campaign! 

The soccer superstar stripped down to his skivvies to showcase his new High Summer collection of his CR7 undies ... and yeah ... they make more than his eyes pop.

Ronaldo says the design was inspired by summer sunsets, saying, “Summer is my favourite (he spells it weird because he's European) season and I love the time of day when the sun goes down and the sky is vivid."

"I wanted to capture that feeling in my HS19 campaign, using intense colour (again with the weird Euro spelling) that’s bold, rich and compliments my new collection. I wanted the campaign to have a really relaxed feel. Summer is the time of year when I have some time to chill out, so I wanted to reflect that.”

Ronaldo takes his looks about as seriously as his game ... and the dude is on a quest to make the most stylish underwear out there.

"Essentially, I want to create underwear that looks so good that I want to wear it on the beach, rather than covering it up with my swimwear!”

In case you're wondering ... Ronaldo's underwear usually costs about $38 for a 3-pack. 

Amar'e Stoudemire's interest in an NBA comeback is definitely mutual ... 'cause the All-Star says his workout in Vegas went well, with about half the league showin' up to check him out!!

Oh yeah .. and he's got an update on that epic interaction with a heckler in his Instagram DMs.

But, back to the workout ... STAT and Monta Ellis worked out for multiple teams -- including the Lakers, Warriors and Knicks -- last week ... and he says it couldn't have gone better!!

"It went good, man." Amar'e tells us. "We had a good workout, about 15 teams showed up. It was very nice."

The 36-year-old hasn't been in the Association since the 2016 season ... and has a career average of about 19 points and 8 rebounds a game. In the meantime, he's suited up to play overseas and in the BIG3.

"It's a lot of teams out there -- teams with young players, teams with veteran players that wanna make the playoff push ... we'll see what happens."

The short guy who lost his s*** in the New York bagel shop last week is putting his viral fame to good use ... by getting in the ring and beating the crap outta other "celebs."

Chris Morgan just inked a deal Monday with fighting promoter Damon Feldman -- who's arranged for Chris to put on some boxing gloves and go toe-to-toe with someone later this year in Atlantic City. We got him out with his new crew ... and he seemed pretty excited.

Not as fired up as he was in Bagel Boss, of course, but stoked nonetheless. Chris tells us he's willing to take on anybody foolish enough to face him ... and needs minimal training.

He might wanna rethink that, considering he got railroaded by a much bigger guy in the store. If his opponent is even a few inches taller than him -- Chris might have a hard time.

As for the fight itself, we're told the bout is currently booked for September 7 at the Showboat Hotel. And, while no definitive opponent is set in stone quite yet ... he could face someone just as viral -- Antoine Dodson (the "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" guy).

Damon says Antoine is currently on the same card as Chris -- so it's possible they might square up at some point. Money-wise, we're told Chris stands to make anywhere from 5 to 6 figures ... depending on ticket sales and online streams.

The autopsy on Pernell Whitaker has been completed -- with officials saying the boxer died from "multiple blunt force injuries" in a car accident that has been labelled an "accident."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 55-year-old boxing legend was hit by a car while walking in Virginia Beach on Sunday night around 10 PM. Emergency responders raced to the scene and treated Whitaker but couldn't save him. 

The driver of the car was cooperative with police -- and we're told officials do NOT believe alcohol, drugs or speed was a factor in the incident. 

As one official put it, "It appears to just be a horrible accident."

Now, the Virginia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is releasing the topline results of the autopsy -- telling us the obvious, "Multiple blunt force injuries."

No word on funeral arrangement at this point -- but we're told several fans have created a makeshift memorial at the spot where Whitaker died, leaving flowers and other items to honor the boxer. 

Dana White says Urijah Faber's comeback is REAL -- telling TMZ Sports the 40-year-old's victory this weekend was legitimately impressive ... and he ain't ruling out a fight with Henry Cejudo. 

Faber hadn't fought in 3 years when he came out of retirement to take on Ricky Simon on Saturday -- and Faber destroyed him in 46 seconds!

"He looked good man," White told TMZ Sports. 

"Obviously, not just who he beat but HOW he beat him and how he did it. He looked incredible."

Earlier this week, Faber told us he wants a shot at Henry Cejudo at Madison Square Garden in November -- but after talking with Dana, it seems Urijah might have to wait. 

White explained that Cejudo should defend his 125 pound title against Joe Benavidez BEFORE taking on Faber ... giving Henry a chance to avenge his last defeat (Joe beat Henry in 2016). 

Look, it's obvious Faber vs. Cejudo isn't White's priority -- but Dana clearly knows there's interest ... and that's good for Urijah. 

In the meantime, White says he's glad Cejudo -- who's the champ in TWO weight classes -- is willing to defend both of his titles. 

"I think that he's a guy who can carry both of them ... by both of them I mean both divisions."

We also spoke with White about Pernell Whitaker -- and how much he meant to the world of combat sports. 

Team USA soccer star Rose Lavelle says she's stoked about that $23k bonus check from Secret deodorant, but explains there's A LOT more work to be done! 

As we previously reported, Secret cut a $529k check to the USWNT Player's Association to help close the pay gap between the men's team. Each player will essentially walk away with $23k. 

So, when we saw Rose -- the 24-year-old phenom who scored that amazing 2nd goal in the World Cup final -- we asked how she felt about companies like Secret trying to help out. 

"I think it's great," Lavelle told us while walking around Washington D.C.

"I think it's a step in the right direction, but I think there's always work to be done."

We also asked Rose if there was ANY chance the team would be willing to end the feud with President Donald Trump ... but Lavelle seemed genuinely stumped.  

"I don't know," Lavelle said while chuckling at the question .... "I have no clue!"

While Rose acknowledged it would "be cool" for the team and POTUS to find a away to get along, she didn't seem too optimistic about it.