TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jay-Z hasn't had a ton of famous faces come to his corner in the wake of his controversial NFL partnership -- but he just got a key vote of confidence ... from one DJ Khaled.

We ran into Khaled Sunday in NYC, where he was signing autographs and posing with fans -- and when we asked if he was up for some questions ... he was quick to note that he only wanted to talk about positive things, seeing how his son, Asahd, and wife were there.

Seems DJK knew were this was going, because our photog asks if he's down to talk football -- clearly, we want his take on the Colin Kaepernick beef. At first, Khaled says no, but he finally bites ... and we ask if he's talked to Jay's about which NFL team he might wanna own.

Khaled says he doesn't have a clue which squad might be in the stars for Jay, but he sings his praises here with us. Check it out ... it's pretty interesting.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay-Z is set to come up on a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team pretty soon here, which just so happens to coincide with this newfound embrace of the league ... despite public stances he took against them earlier this year.

As we've reported ... a ton of people in Kap's corner have blasted Jigga for the seemingly change of heart, and even Colin himself appeared to take a jab at the rapper just this weekend.

That said, Khaled's clearly on team Jay, telling us the guy has done and continues to do a lot for people in his community -- and he suggests this NFL news is just more of that from Hov. Keep in mind, Khaled and Jay are tight -- they've done tons of music together.

Jay-Z may think folks are ready to move on from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest -- but Kap says otherwise ... shouting out players who continue his movement to this day.

The former 49ers quarterback posted a photo Sunday that appeared to be taking a swipe at something Jay said last week during his press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- when he suggested "we've moved past kneeling" to "actionable items."

Doesn't seem Colin sees it that way, though. In his IG post, he included pics of Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson -- all of whom have continued to kneel in the years since Kap first started his racial injustice protest -- and shared some kind words about them.

He also used similar verbiage to Jay's in making his point, writing ... "My Brothers @e_reid35 @kstills @ithinkisee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats. They have never moved past the people and continue to put their beliefs into action. Stay strong Brothers!!"

ICYMI ... Jay was asked about kneeling directly during the Q&A, and said flat-out ... we're past it, and ready to take the next steps. He believes partnering with the NFL is a key way to do that -- but Colin and co. have been blasting him these past few days as a sell-out.

Now, it looks like Colin himself has weighed in on the controversy, and it's clear he ain't cool with Jay's new alliance ... and sees the issue much differently than Jigga does.

Phil Mickelson nearly missed his tee time due to his hotel catching on fire from a lightning strike -- but hey, at least he lived to tweet about it.

The golf legend documented the scary incident on Twitter Sunday morning, saying he and a bunch of other guests were evacuated near Medinah, IL -- where Phil's participating in the BMW Championship as part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs -- after their hotel got hit by a lightning bolt ... which apparently sent part of the facility up in flames.

Phil wrote, "How’s this for crazy? My hotel was struck by lighting, I was on top floor,we were evacuated and the place is on fire(only thing of mine on fire this week.) I can’t get back into my room and may miss my tee time because I am without clubs and clothes."

His fourth-round tee time (with Brooks Koepka and Dylan Frittelli) was scheduled for 11:52 AM ET, and he was being shuffled out of his hotel a little more than an hour before that.

Luckily for him, Phil reportedly made it to the tee just in the nick of time -- and was later escorted back to his room and was able to retrieve his gear. Phil shouted out the EMTs who helped, writing ... "EMT's were awesome! I'm going to make it. Turns out my clubs acted as a fire retardant. Lucky me."

Now, the bummer ... Phil isn't doing too hot in the tournament right now -- he's in 47th place as of this writing ... and it'll be an uphill climb to break into the top 30 he needs to be in to move on.

Also important ... it doesn't sound like Phil notified his family of the emergency, including his ma -- which his sister, Tina, made him well aware of on Twitter.

Ex-NFL running back Cedric Benson -- the #4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft -- was killed in a motorcycle crash in Austin, Texas late Saturday night. He was only 36.

Benson -- who was a superstar at the University of Texas from 2001 to 2004 -- was reportedly driving his bike with a passenger when they got into an accident with another vehicle around 10 PM.

The passenger -- who has not yet been identified -- was also killed in the wreck. Two other adults were injured. Officials are investigating the accident. Unclear what specifically caused the crash.

Hours before the crash, Benson posted a photo of his motorcycle on social media with the caption, "My Saturday evening."

Benson was an incredible athlete -- he racked up more than 5,500 yards at Texas and won the Doak Walker Award (top running back in the country) his senior year.

He signed a rookie deal with the Bears -- 5 years, $35 mil -- and was a key part of Chicago's 2006 NFC Championship team.

Benson later played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers before retiring in 2012.

Benson had several off the field problems after his career -- he was arrested for drunk driving in 2017 and 2018.

Cardi B made something clear Saturday night -- at least to us -- she's becoming the voice of her generation.

We got Cardi leaving the Bryant Park Hotel after a night of celebrating Jason Lee's birthday with Wendy Williams, and boy, she did not disappoint. Two things were on our photog's mind -- Bernie Sanders and Jay-Z.

He asked about her interview with Bernie, which was better than the sterile, canned interviews in traditional media, but turns out that's not gonna be her thing ... she says her mouth is "too slick" for a talk show.

And, then there's Jay-Z, who's taking a lot of heat for partnering with the NFL. Cardi has a different view, saying she believes he'll change the culture in the League and might even get Colin Kaepernick a quarterback gig. Not sure about that, but love her POV.

Here's the thing about Cardi. She showed everyone during her chitchat with Bernie how she can have conversations with politicians ... not just fire questions at them. She uses her experiences to punctuate her points, and at least in Bernie's case, he connected with her in a big way.

Here's what we think ... if she wants to keep doing this, it would touch millions of people who couldn't care less about politics, especially the way it's currently presented. And, if she does, any candidate who doesn't sit down with her is missing the boat.

Ezekiel Elliott says the security guard he pushed in a Las Vegas altercation demanded $500,000 in an attempt to extort him ... this according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Dallas Cowboys star's attorneys say they were emailed a complete list of demands from 19-year-old Kyle Johnson and his father, Kelly Johnson, after Zeke shoved Kyle at the Electric Daisy Carnival last May.

Police docs show Kelly emailed Zeke's attorneys just days after the altercation with AT LEAST 14 things he wanted from the running back to stay quiet on the incident ... including $500,000 cash.

The list of demands featured a public apology from Elliott, a press conference with Elliott and Kyle, $25,000 for the junior college football team Kyle played for, and signed jerseys from Zeke, Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott.

The demands list also included -- among several other things -- tickets to Cowboys games (both home and road), Ohio State games and a meet and greet with Jerry Jones and his son.

Police docs show one of Elliott's attorneys responded to Kelly's email with a phone call ... and Kelly claims in that conversation the attorney told him "what [he] was doing was extortion."

According to the docs, Kelly said after that conversation he decided to take Kyle's story to the public ... allowing Kyle to do an interview with a Los Angeles TV station on May 28.

Kelly and Kyle eventually filed a criminal complaint against Elliott over the incident ... but according to the docs, prosecutors felt they could not move forward with charges against 24-year-old Elliott.

There's more ... in the docs, Kyle admits Elliott not only apologized to him after shoving him during the May incident, he gave him a hug and took a picture with him.

In an affidavit from Elliott in the docs, he echoes that story, saying, "I had no intention to push and/or harm or intimidate Kyle Johnson."

"After Kyle Johnson fell and I was finished speaking with the officers nearby, I immediately apologized to Kyle and he indicated to me that he was not hurt."

Elliott added, "We gave each other a hug and he asked me to take a picture with him, which I was happy to do as there was never any intention to harm or hurt Kyle."

We've reached out to Kelly regarding the docs, but so far, no word back yet.

As for Zeke's camp, when reached by phone Friday, they declined to comment on the matter.

Elliott is currently holding out from Cowboys camp seeking a new contract. His team kicks off the season on Sept. 8 against the New York Giants.

NY Knicks rising star Kevin Knox says his boss isn't the jerk people make him out to be ... telling TMZ Sports despite what some may think, James Dolan is a GREAT person!!!

You've heard the stories ... the billionaire has a reputation of not getting along with fans, Knicks legends or media reporters.

But, Knox -- the 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft -- says that's not the Dolan he knows ... heaping praise on the guy for being a cool dude.

"He's good, man. I like him," Knox told us at LAX. "He talks to us a lot of times before the games."

"He's a great person. I play Fortnite with his sons all the time. He's a good dude."

No word on if Knox wins ... but if he plays on the sticks like he does on the court, those kids are gettin' smoked.

Errol Spence says he's got his eyes on a BIG FISH after he dispatches with Shawn Porter in September ... and that big fish is no other than Manny Pacquiao.

Spence and Porter are set to tangle on September 28, but when we got Errol out in L.A. he said Shawn is just the appetizer, and he's looking for a full Filipino meal.

"I'm looking for the Manny Pacquiao after this."

It makes sense ... after Manny punished Keith Thurman he automatically became the biggest money fight in the welterweight division, and a path to superstardom for up-and-coming fighters.

There has been some talk that Pac Man's next fight will be a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, but Errol says he hates the idea of that fight, and he's got a reason.

"I don't wanna see it. Floyd made enough money, let the young guys make some money."

BTW ... Errol isn't the only one fighting in September who wants a piece of Manny, we talked to Porter on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) and he said he'll be Pac Man's huckleberry too.

Careful guys ... one fight at a time.

WWE superstar Lana knows her best foot forward is a Bundle of Joy -- and that's not a reference to her bikini ... it's her dog's name. Although, her bikini is pretty damn joyful too.

Lana was strolling on Venice Beach this week in true hot girl summer fashion. Her bedazzled pink 2-piece would be enough to draw attention up and down the beach -- but she had a bonus accessory.

Lana's famous Pomsky -- a Pomeranian-Siberian Husky mix -- soaked up some rays with a leash to match Lana's swimwear.

BTW, don't get it twisted ... BoJ is a legit famous bitch!!! She has more than 18k followers on Instagram. Point being, this is the duo you not only deserve, but NEED, as summer sadly winds down.

Another day, another Yankees meltdown that ended with Brett Gardner and others getting ejected by the umpires. Gotta love those hot August baseball games!!!

This one was pretty wild -- the Yanks were playing the Cleveland Indians Saturday in a close game, which erupted in chaos around the 6th inning ... when Cameron Maybin was called out on a third strike he and his team felt was off the plate.

Manager Aaron Boone felt very strongly about it, in fact ... and was quickly ejected by home-plate umpire Ben May when he started losing it on the field. Over, right? WRONG!!!

Shortly after Boone was tossed, Gardner started banging a bat on the roof of the Yankees' dugout ... which got him ejected as well. Pitcher C.C. Sabathia was pissed too, and he got tossed almost immediately afterward after seemingly challenging the umpire.

Both Gardner and Sabathia had to be held back by their teammates -- luckily, things didn't escalate from there. Even luckier for the Yankees, they ended up winning the game 6-5, despite the ejections.

The umpire face-offs seems to be a regular thing for the boys in pinstripes lately -- Gardner was ejected last week after a case of mistaken identity. And, of course, Boone got ejected -- and subsequently suspended -- last month when he got in an ump's face.

Meek Mill has followed through on another promise to help his hometown -- lifting the curtain on a refurbished basketball court in his old hood ... and it looks great.

The Philly rapper was on-hand Saturday for the unveiling of a renovated court that he partnered with several different orgs to fix up for the kids and residents who frequent East Fairmount Park, which is right next to Meek's stomping grounds in North Philadelphia.

You can see the blacktop is now painted blue, and slugged with a "Dream Chasers" logo and as well as some inspirational quotes along the sidelines. "Dreamchasers" is one of Meek's mixtapes, BTW.

We got Meek talking about the work that was done -- with the help of PUMA, Roc Nation, the Philadelphia Parks & Rec Department and other local agencies -- and he made sure to shout out all the parties involved for bringing basketball back to his neighborhood.

As we reported, Meek wanted to give youth of his neighborhood the opportunity to "ball in the best conditions possible," which is why he got involved in this project to begin with.

Looks like the court is already doing what Meek set out to accomplish -- bringing his community together. Kids and adults alike were seen putting up shots and enjoying the cleanup job ... including Meek himself, who was ballin' out.

Just another day in Meek's newfound philanthropy -- dude's been on a roll since walking out of prison in 2018 ... whether it's stuff like this, or full-blown criminal justice efforts.

Ezekiel Elliott will NOT face criminal charges over his Las Vegas altercation with a security guard, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police documents ... the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department met with prosecutors late last month -- and after reviewing all of the evidence in the case, prosecutors felt they could not move forward with charges against the Dallas Cowboys superstar.

We reached out to Zeke's camp for a comment on the matter, but they declined.

As we previously reported ... 19-year-old Kyle Johnson, who was working as a security guard, was knocked over a metal railing during a parking lot dispute on May 19 at the Electric Daisy Carnival.

The Cowboys running back was placed in handcuffs after the shove -- but the 24-year-old was NOT arrested because Johnson told the cops he did not want to press charges.

But, after Zeke was not suspended by the NFL for the incident ... Johnson decided to file a police report.

Cops spent most of July gathering evidence in the case ... but according to the police docs, they decided they will not be moving forward with charges and will close the case.

It's big news for Elliott ... he now has one less thing he to worry about while his contract holdout with the Cowboys pushes forward.

Khabib Nurmagomedov wants Daniel Cormier to retire after fighting Stipe Miocic.

TMZ Sports talked to The Eagle days before his AKA gym mate headlines UFC 241 on Saturday.

It'll come as no surprise Khabib thinks Cormier will win ... what might shock you, KN says this should be Daniel's last trip to the Octagon.

"Honestly I want him retire, honestly. He have job, he have money. He's like one of the greatest athlete who ever compete in the UFC."

"I really want him to retire. Because 40 years is not like 30 years. I really want him to win this fight and say, 'Hey, I enjoy with you guys long time. Right now, I have to stop this.'"

Just to be clear, these guys are tight (as you could see when DC came into the TMZ office). It's not that Khabib thinks DC's lost a step ... he believes Cormier's been so successful outside of fighting, he doesn't have to risk his body anymore.

Question is, will DC actually hang up the gloves?

Khabib doesn't think so.

"I think, no. Know why? He's like Olympic athlete level. These people cannot say 'I'm finished.'"

Nurmagomedov continued ... "I don't think he's gonna retire after this fight. Me, Coach Jav, all team, we really want him retire, cause we love him."

If DC doesn't listen ... and he fights again, there's a good chance the opponent would be Jon Jones.

Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz have beef... BUT, AP says that doesn't mean he won't spark a J with Diaz after they fight.

Their relationship is icy -- there's been bad blood between the fighters for awhile -- and they're gonna duke it out Saturday night at UFC 241.

"We're not cool. Me and Nate are not cool," Pettis tells TMZ Sports ... "I mean we never had any kind of relationship other than him throwing his middle fingers up at me. So, you do that to me, then I'm assuming we have a problem."

So, yeah, they ain't friends ... which made Pettis' answer to, "Would you smoke with Nate after the fight?" surprising.

"F**k yeah. Hell yeah. Honestly after this fight is done, there's no beef," he says, "I'm gonna settle it in the Octagon, and if we spark one up, we spark one up."

It could happen.

Diaz isn't shy about his love for weed, and even lit up a joint (it's unclear if it was marijuana or CBD) at his open workout on Wednesday.

Pettis loved it.

"That's dope, that's dope. Hell yeah. I support that. I smoke weed too."

Former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins was burglarized in Los Angeles ... and TMZ Sports has learned the thieves made off with the NBA star's shoes and luggage.

Law enforcement sources tell us the 24-year-old -- who's been in L.A. training for the NBA this summer -- had his place broken into earlier this month.

But, we're told cops described the scene as "amateur hour" ... because the burglars left jewelry and other valuables in the heist, and only took about $1,000 worth of the stuff instead.

We're told the thieves stole a pair of Wiggins' casual Nikes and his luggage -- and also made off with his rental SUV Escalade. But, we're told authorities were able to locate the vehicle a short time later.

As for Wiggins' property, the LAPD is currently investigating ... but no arrests have been made, and his stuff hasn't been recovered yet.

By the way, sources close to the situation also tell us the break-in appears to have had nothing to do with the string of burglaries that impacted celebs in the city over the past year -- describing this incident as random.

Wiggins has been one of the Minnesota Timberwolves' best players since entering the NBA in 2014 ... starting in 400 games in his 5-year career.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper's daughter Teal Piper is following in her legendary father's footsteps ... and TMZ Sports has obtained training footage showing her first in-ring action.

We've learned Piper has signed on with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss' WOW (Women Of Wrestling) promotion ... where she'll wrestle at live events and appear on season 2 of their TV show.

Remember, Piper told us she's debuting later this month at an AEW event -- but for now, that's just a 1-time appearance -- so the WOW deal shows she's all-in on wrestling.

In the footage we obtained -- taken at a training center in Long Beach, CA -- Piper is learning the wrestling basics in the squared circle.

We're told she's been training alongside the other WOW performers ... several times a week.

Roddy was a wrestling legend who unexpectedly passed away in July of 2015 at the age of 61.