TMZ Sports - Page 38

Robbie Roper -- a star high school quarterback from the 2022 class in Georgia -- tragically died on Wednesday after complications from surgery.

He was only 18.

Roper's family made the devastating announcement via Twitter ... saying, "We just wanted to update everyone on Robbie. Robbie just passed."

"He was the biggest joy to our family. We are proud of the young man he has become."

"He will be missed by his friends and family dearly."

Roswell High School football coach, Chris Prewett, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Roper was in the hospital on Sunday after suffering complications from a routine surgery.

"Robbie fought hard," Coach Prewett said, "and battled until the very end like he did everything else."

Roper was a dual-threat QB who had 3,010 yards and 37 touchdowns this season -- in one of those games, he had 447 yards and 6 TDs.

The 6'4", 215 pound QB led Roswell High to a 10-3 winning record and was named Georgia's Region 5 Class 7A Player Of The Year.

Roper received several college offers including Massachusetts, Morehead State and recently the Florida Gators who were informed of the terrible news.

"During this difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with the Roper family," the Florida team said.

Roper was also a great student and earned a 3.9 GPA.

Famous boxing announcer David Diamante was reportedly critically injured in a serious motorcycle accident this week ... but thankfully, he's alert and in good spirits.

Diamante -- who's worked for ESPN, DAZN, Showtime, HBO, the Brooklyn Nets and more -- was riding on a street beneath the Brooklyn Queens Expressway when the accident took place, according to Boxing Scene.

The 50-year-old was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for multiple broken ribs and fractures to his spine, as well as "serious" damage to his knee, the outlet reports.

Diamante underwent a 5-hour procedure on Tuesday ... where screws, rods, and cadaver parts were placed in his spine.

But, the good news?? Diamante is already talking about kickstarting his recovery and getting back on his feet.

"It's going to be a tough road," he told the outlet. "It's a bad injury and getting better will take some time. This will be a struggle. I'll have to learn to walk again, and right now there's a risk of complications."

"But, I have a positive attitude and will be back as soon as possible."

Michael Buffer also says he spoke with Diamante ... saying his fellow announcer is "very optimistic."

"David’s a fighter and has met big challenges in his life-this will be another one!"

Diamante is a legend in combat sports ... and is known for his trademark phrase, "The fight is on." He most recently worked the Joseph Parker vs. Derek Chisora fight on Dec. 18.

Former NFL star Vincent Jackson died of chronic alcohol use, autopsy results -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- revealed.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's office released the findings Wednesday ... calling the manner of death "natural."

As we previously reported, Jackson was found dead in a Florida hotel room on Feb. 15, 2021. He was just 38 years old.

His wife, Lindsey Jackson, said last week that Jackson had been suffering from memory loss and mood swings before his passing ... and revealed that a study on his brain had shown he was suffering from stage 2 CTE.

Lindsey also said Vincent had been drinking heavily before his death, explaining that he had told her it helped him "feel calm."

He would have turned 39 years old in January.

Vincent was a big star in the NFL for years, recording 9,080 receiving yards and 57 TDs in his 12-year career. He was selected to three Pro Bowls.

Adrian Peterson just melted down over the officiating in Tuesday's Rams vs. Seahawks game ... going off on the refs, claiming they "robbed" Seattle of a win.

A.P. posted a lengthy rant on social media just minutes ago ... blasting the refs at SoFi Stadium for what he says were a bunch of missed calls in the key NFC West matchup.

"Can we please come together and figure out a better solution that'll hold [NFL refs] more accountable," said Peterson, who just joined the Seahawks earlier this month.

"These blatantly missed and unwarranted calls literally change the outcome of games."

Peterson said there were a couple of plays that really rubbed him the wrong way -- but he said it was the non-pass interference call on DeeJay Dallas late in the game that had him irate.

"I don't make excuses and I also feel any situation can be overcome," the future Hall of Famer said, "but, opportunities are all you need to create change. We got robbed of that last night."

Peterson said the officiating was so bad, his kids actually came up to him following the game and asked, "Dad why are they not making the right calls?! Do they just want the Rams to win?"

Bob Keselowski -- former ARCA Menards Series champion and father of Brad and Brian Keselowski -- has died after a battle with cancer, the family announced on Wednesday.

He was 70 years old.

Brad confirmed the news in an emotional post ... saying, "My dad will always be my hero. He was quiet and understated, but that didn’t change the impact he had on me or that I watched him have on everyone who knew him."

"I am forever grateful for what I learned from this man, and I will remember him every day."

Brad's brother, Brian, also expressed his sorrow ... saying, "Got the chance to go with my dad a couple times this year to watch him drive his car."

"We never thought we would be here still after 2 1/2 years of fighting this. Still losing him isn’t easy knowing it’s coming, but I’m so glad I took the opportunity when I had the chance to do it."

Bob and his brother, Ron, were introduced to racing as teens when they served as crew members for their father, John.

Bob went on to have a decorated career -- he won 24 races in the ARCA series, including his championship run in 1989 ... ranking him eighth on the all-time series wins list.

Keselowski's dominance in the sport spanned over a decade -- from 1985-1996 -- and he finished top three in the points for a remarkable 7 consecutive years.

By 1995, Bob had taken his talents to the Camping World Truck series, where he was a driver and co-owned the K Automotive team, winning his lone race in 1977 at Richmond.

NASCAR released a statement saying ... "Bob Keselowski was a true racer whose determination and love of the sport embodied the NASCAR and ARCA spirit."

"He worked tirelessly to build his family-owned team, doing whatever it took to compete. Our thoughts are with the Keselowski family during this difficult time."

Cardi B wasn't the only one to shower Offset in gifts for his 30th birthday -- LeBron James also sent some dope presents to the rapper to celebrate the big night!

The King signed a pair of all-white Air Force 1s and shipped them over to Offset's bday bash in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and they're pretty awesome.

The Lakers superstar put his autograph on both sneakers ... and added a happy birthday message to one of the shoes as well.

James also gifted Offset with a custom bottle of his Lobos 1707.

Offset clearly loved the presents -- he shouted out LeBron on social media, thanking the NBA player for the swag.

Of course, the gifts were great, but LBJ had a ton of competition to win the night's best present award.

A bunch of celebs showed up to celebrate Offset at the bash, with most coming baring gifts -- including Cardi B, who handed over her man a $2 MILLION check.

Yeah ... LBJ's signature is great, but hard to beat cash!

Jimmy Goldstein -- the rich businessman who allegedly goes to more than 100 NBA games a season -- says the league needs to close up shop ASAP ... telling TMZ Sports the fans shouldn't be forced to watch crappy basketball.

The Association is currently dealing with a massive COVID-19 outbreak as players test positive left and right ... forcing teams to pick up free agents or G League players in order to compete.

While Adam Silver recently announced the NBA will not follow the NHL's lead and suspend the season, Goldstein says the best thing to do is shut it down.

"Regardless of what the NHL did, the NBA should close down as soon as possible," Goldstein said at Dwight Howard's OxeFit after-party at the SoHo Warehouse.

"Most of these players (who test positive) are healthy. If the NBA wants to let them play, that's another story. But if they forbid them from playing, I feel cheated as a fan, going to the games and watching G League players play instead of the stars."

Goldstein points out there's a huge game between the Lakers and Nets on Christmas Day ... and the majority of Brooklyn's star players will not be taking the court.

"It's time to recognize the fans are not getting a fair deal."

Cops say Lawrence Taylor was arrested because he had been living in a hotel for months -- but failed to reveal that to law enforcement despite being required to do so.

It's all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say the NFL legend committed a huge no-no after he failed to inform them that he had left his permanently registered address back in April.

According to the docs, officers say due to his status as a sex offender stemming from a 2011 conviction, Taylor must be diligent any time he moves and notify authorities of the change of address.

Cops, though, say an investigation revealed Taylor moved into a hotel in Florida on April 2 and had been living there without properly notifying them.

Police say when they questioned Taylor about the move ... he told them, "he was living at the hotel ... to avoid issues with his soon to be ex-wife."

Cops say Taylor told them he was unaware that he needed to report the change of address -- though the officers claim in the docs that they have paperwork showing Taylor should've known better.

According to the docs, cops issued a warrant for his arrest over it all ... adding that Taylor "promptly turned himself in" once he was made aware of the warrant.

Taylor has since been charged with two felony counts of failure to register as a sex offender.

Gross scene at the Idaho Potato Bowl on Tuesday ... a Kent State offensive lineman got so sick during the game, he puked all over the field.

... and he got flagged for it!!

The nasty play went down early in the second quarter of KSU's bowl game with Wyoming ... when the Golden Flashes were facing a third-and-goal situation.

In video of the scene, you can see left tackle Bill Kuduk -- wearing a No. 71 jersey -- vomited right before the ball was snapped ... causing defensive players on Wyoming to flinch across the line of scrimmage.

Of course, the refs threw a flag on Kuduk for a false start penalty ... which was assessed after the up-chucking happened during the snap count.

To Bill's credit, he stayed in the game and seemed to play well ... and was a good sport over it all afterward, tweeting, "Puke and Rally!!! Appreciate the shout out #MACtion."

Tommy Fury is breaking his silence on Jake Paul's wild knockout win over Tyron Woodley ... saying it killed him to sit at home and watch, but he still 100% wants their fight to happen.

TNT -- who backed out of his bout with Paul with a chest infection and broken rib -- joined "The Unibet Lowdown" on Wednesday to give his take on Jake's performance ... and he says it would've been a different result if he had been in the ring instead of Tyron.

"It was very upsetting for me to sit there and watch it," Tommy said. "I know if I'd been in there, he wouldn't have been going six, seven rounds or whatever it was."

Tommy -- who is coughing throughout the interview -- claims Jake is "lucky" he had to pull out ... 'cause if he were in the ring, it would've been a bad night for Paul.

"I would have been smashing the jabs out there and fold up with the right -- he just wouldn't have been there because it was that bad. It was a bad, terrible fight."

Of course, Jake claimed Tuesday that Tommy's camp has gone radio silent since the Woodley K.O. ... but he makes it clear he's expecting their fight to get rescheduled.

"That should have been and it will be me," Fury added. "I do believe my time will come. Me, Frank (Warren), we're trying to figure out the next date. We're trying to get that fight rescheduled because that's the fight I want next."

Tommy has a message for his 5-0 rival ... saying 2022 will be the year they finally make the event happen.

"I'll do anything possible to speed up this recovery process because the quicker speed to get better, the quicker I get into the ring and get this fight done," Fury said.

As for Jake, he's moved on to offering Jorge Masvidal $5 million to fight ... but it's clear Tommy wants next.

Packers and Ravens fans got into an all-out brawl during the teams' game Sunday -- and the action got so violent, one fan left the melee with his jacket covered in blood.

The wild scene all went down in the stands at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore ... when Green Bay supporters began jawing with men in Ravens jerseys.

Unclear what initially started the arguments -- but video from the scene shows a guy in a cheesehead hat appeared to ignite the physical fracas after he struck a Baltimore fan in the face.

Check out the video, as soon as the man was hit -- fists flew everywhere, with roughly half a dozen people getting involved in the skirmish.

At one point, a Ravens fan wanted to insert himself so badly into the fight -- he left his feet to jump on top of the crowd.

As security came to separate the combatants, you can see in the clip a woman appeared to have been struck in the cheek during the commotion, which caused one Ravens fan to yell, "Who the f*** punched her in the face?! I swear to f***ing God I'll kill you!"

Eventually, security was able to gain control of the situation -- though it's unclear if any arrests were made. We've reached out to cops, but so far, no word back yet.

Of course, this is far from the first act of violence at an NFL game this season -- fans have been fighting all year, including at the Rams vs. Bears game earlier in the season.

A Phoenix Suns player almost wiped out JoJo Siwa while she was sitting courtside at the Lakers game Tuesday ... but somehow, the influencer avoided catastrophe.

The near-collision all went down early in L.A.'s contest with Phoenix at Staples Center Crytpo.com Arena ... when Jae Crowder went flying into the stands to try to save a loose ball.

You can see in the footage of the play, as Jae dove head-first to nab the basketball -- his 6-foot-6, 235-pound body nearly went crashing into Siwa!!!

Fortunately, JoJo was able to duck out of the way -- and Crowder rolled over her seat without causing any injuries.

Siwa clearly loved the experience ... she was all smiles as Crowder picked himself up off the floor -- and she even tweeted her experience went "quite well!"

The night ended up being an overall bummer for Siwa, though -- 'cause her Lakers ended up losing badly to the Suns.

"I was impressed by Jake Paul. I didn't see that coming. I was sure that Tyron Woodley was gonna win this fight, you know? But you gotta give it to Jake Paul. He made a statement -- a huge statement and he proved that he puts his money where his mouth is."

That's arguably the baddest man on the planet, UFC heavyweight champion and knockout machine, Francis Ngannou saying that even he was very impressed with the Problem Child.

Like many people, Ngannou expected 39-year-old Woodley -- with the experience of their summer fight under his belt -- to handle 24-year-old Paul with relative ease.

However, that didn't happen ... 'cause Paul knocked T-Wood -- the former dominant UFC welterweight champ -- out cold in the 6th round of their highly anticipated rematch Saturday night in Tampa, landing a huge power punch that flatlined the future UFC Hall of Famer.

Francis -- who's won 12 of his 16 pro MMA fights by KO -- says this should be a lesson to anyone who doesn't take 6-0 Jake Paul seriously ... you really should, or wind up fast asleep on the canvas.

"[Jake's] taking himself very seriously. You better take him seriously because he proved it."

We also talked to the HW champ about his upcoming UFC 270 fight with interim champ, Ciryl Gane ... a fight in which Ngannou is actually the underdog.

But, Francis flat out says he doesn't care what Vegas thinks ... and when January 22 rolls around, he plans on extending his win streak to 6!

Wanna live like NFL superstar Khalil Mack?? Now you can -- if you've got a small fortune layin' around ...

TMZ Sports has learned the Chicago Bears pass rusher -- who began his career with the Oakland Raiders -- is selling his insane hillside mansion in NorCal for $2.88 MILLION.

The 3-time All-Pro bought the place in San Ramon, Calif. shortly after the Raiders drafted him ... but with no need to be in the Bay Area anymore, he's ready to get rid of the pad.

The place -- which is being listed by Maria Afzal from Keller Williams Luxury Palo Alto after being referred to by Luther Robinson II from Robinson Luxury Group -- is insane, featuring 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

It's 3,700 square feet and has a spa bathroom, chef's kitchen and a huge patio with views that overlook hills and lights from the city.

Of course, if the home sells, it'll be the second time Mack has unloaded property this year -- 'cause he just sold his home in Illinois for $3.9 million.

Unclear if it all means Mack is gearing up to play football for a new team in a new city next year, or if the dude just wants some extra cash in his pocket.

Jake Paul is channeling his inner Godfather and making Jorge Masvidal an offer he can't refuse ... saying he will shell out $5 MILLION to get the UFC fighter to be his next opponent.

Fresh off his knockout win over Tyron Woodley, the Problem Child announced the offer on his brother Logan's "Impaulsive" podcast on Tuesday ... saying he's not all talk and REALLY wants to scrap.

Jake says Masvidal keeps shutting him down for 2 reasons -- he only fights the best, or he fights for the money ... so now, Paul is giving him the latter.

And, a LOT of it.

"Masvidal, I got an offer for you right now -- $5 million guarantee plus percentage of Pay-Per-View," Jake said. "Let's make it happen."

Remember, Jake called out Gamebred and Nate Diaz right after the win ... calling them "bitches" in the process.

The big obstacle, though, is that both guys are under contract with UFC ... and would need permission to take a fight outside the promotion.

He says he's down to take either UFC star in the ring ... calling it "light work."

"Diaz isn't good," Jake added. "Look at their records! Numbers don't f***ing lie, bro. I'm undefeated. Diaz literally wins two fights and loses one. Two fights, loses one. F*** that."

It wasn't always this bitter between the two -- back before the Ben Askren fight, Jorge was actually helping Jake train.

Is the money enough to get Jorge's attention?? Most likely. But, the real question is, if UFC honcho Dana White -- who ain't exactly the biggest Paul fan -- will sign off on the fight?

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley -- who said he'd rather die than get the vaccine -- tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday ... and is expected to miss at least 10 days before returning to the team.

The news became official just minutes ago ... with the Bills placing Beasley on the COVID-19/Reserve list.

Beasley -- who is unvaccinated, obviously -- returned a positive test, and is now sidelined for the Bills' big game against the Patriots.

Of course, Cole has been as passionate as they come on his decision to not get the jab -- back in June, Beasley went on a social media rant ... calling out everyone from the NFLPA to fans on Twitter.

"Hi, I'm Cole Beasley and I'm not vaccinated!" the 32-year-old said at the time. "I will be outside doing what I do. I'll be out in the public. If you're scared of me then steer clear or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period."

"I may die of Covid, but I’d rather die actually living."

Beasley's decision to not get vaccinated even drew criticism from Mavs owner, Mark Cuban, who pled with the slot wideout to get vaxxed for the sake of everyone else.

"Cole's a good guy, but, you know, getting vaccinated isn't just about you, it's about everybody else as well," Cuban said.

Despite Cuban's advice, Cole -- who already had to quarantine earlier this summer after coming into close contact with a trainer who tested positive for the virus -- doesn't seem like he's changing his mind anytime soon.