TMZ Sports - Page 50

Move over, Santa ... Robby Anderson is now the king of Christmas -- at least this year -- 'cause the Carolina Panthers star surprised his fiancée with a custom, 2021 G-Wagon for the holiday!

The NFL player had the awesome Dreamworks Motorsports ride delivered over the weekend -- and it arrived in style, coming inside of a glass box.

And, check out video of the surprise, Anderson's fiancée, Sade, was so blown away by the present ... she fell to the ground!!!

"Oh my God!" she screamed over and over again.

Anderson eventually got her up and took her to the Mercedes -- which came with a bow and completely tricked out.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Anderson had the vehicle covered in custom satin black with custom pink accents.

"THANK YOU HUSBAAAAND OMFG 😭😭😭," Sade said on her social media page after getting the car. "………….THIS CAN’T BE REAL, THIS IS MY ULTIMATE DREAAAAM CAR YALL!! 🥺 wow I love you!!!!!"

No word on how much the car cost -- but don't worry, Anderson can afford it ... he just signed a two-year, $29.5 million contract with Carolina this offseason.

As for his relationship with Sade, it's unclear how long they've been dating ... but Anderson just proposed to her a few days before gifting the car.

Dave Chappelle did what he does best Tuesday night ... packed the house with fans, including a bunch of celebs, who showed up on a cold L.A. night to watch Dave's stand-up.

Chappelle was in great spirits as he arrived at the Peppermint Club in WeHo -- drink and cigarette in hand.

Among those who showed up ... Jeff Ross, Mario, Talib Kweli, Andrew Garfield, Casey Affleck, and Odell Beckham Jr. and GF Lauren Wood.

Dave's been doing a bunch of shows since his final Netflix installment dropped. He's been showing his documentary, "Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life," at some of the venues. From what we can tell, however, his Peppermint Club gig was strictly stand-up.

Aaron Rodgers -- who famously took Ivermectin and a concoction of other drugs to fight COVID -- says he's "100 percent" sure NFL teams are recommending his same med regimen to players to get over the virus.

The Packers superstar made the claim Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... insisting that he knows for a fact teams believe his method of staving off coronavirus can work.

"I do know, behind the scenes," Rodgers said, "this is 100 percent true; there are many teams who are using -- who are recommending a lot of the same treatments that I got for their players."

As we reported, Rodgers said after he contracted coronavirus in November that he used a combination of drugs similar to Joe Rogan to recover from the virus quickly.

Rodgers said the meds included monoclonal antibodies, zinc, vitamin C and D, HCQ -- and the polarizing Ivermectin.

Rodgers reiterated Tuesday he believes it all truly helped him mitigate symptoms ... telling McAfee he thinks there are NFL teams that believe it too.

"If you have Delta like I did," Rodgers said. "There's treatment options that actually help."

Rodgers told McAfee he doesn't understand why the combo of drugs isn't being used more in the general public -- and then he went on to slam virus experts.

"If science can't be questioned, it's not science anymore," Rodgers said. "It's propaganda. That's the truth."

John Madden's death rocked the entire sports world ... and athletes like LeBron James, Tom Brady and Alex Rodriguez all mourned the football icon's passing Tuesday.

LeBron said on his social media page following the sad news, "Rest in Paradise To the [GOAT] John Madden!!!! Your legacy will continue to live on!!!!!"

Added Brady on Instagram, "John called our first Super Bowl. He was always so good to me. RIP to a legend of our game."

A-Rod, meanwhile, said even though Madden was associated with the sport he did not play professionally, his passing still affected him greatly.

"An incredible coach, broadcaster and person," Rodriguez said of Madden. "A true hero and role model. He will be deeply missed."

Tons of other sports figures also wrote tribute messages to the former Oakland Raiders head coach -- with Vin Scully, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Robert Kraft and Julian Edelman also expressing their sadness over the loss.

NFL star Richard Sherman had one of the more memorable tributes to Madden following the news of his death ... calling it an honor to have been a cover athlete on his famous football game.

"Thank you for the years of joy and motivation!" Sherman said.

As we reported, Madden -- the face of the "Madden" video game franchise and a legendary NFL head coach and broadcaster -- passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. He was 85 years old.

Former MMA fighter David Koenig's remains were found in a wooded area of Missouri last week, roughly two years after he went missing ... cops announced on Monday.

According to the Branson Police Department, a man searching for deer antlers on Dec. 22 discovered the skeletal remains ... and an ensuing investigation revealed they belonged to Koenig.

The ex-mixed martial artist had been reported missing back in early 2020 -- after his family and friends say he disappeared from a Peach Tree Inn in Branson and later sent disturbing messages asking for help.

Authorities say they searched for Koenig for "thousands of hours" following his disappearance.

Investigators said Monday Koenig's remains showed no signs of trauma ... adding that it appeared there was no "foul play" involved in his death.

"Nobody killed Dave. Nobody!" Koenig's mother, Tracy, wrote on social media on Monday. "He left the Peachtree on foot and never made it home."

She added, "Why he was in distress, and why he walked through the deep woods…..we most likely will never know. But he is GONE."

Koenig was 25 years old at the time of his disappearance.

"12 Gauge" ain't out of ammo yet ... Cardale Jones tells TMZ Sports he's not retired, and he still wants to play pro football.

The former Ohio State star quarterback -- who bounced around the NFL from 2016 to 2019 -- says he's working out and staying in shape, ready for any role in either the NFL or XFL.

"That's still the goal," Jones said.

Jones is still only 29 years old, and he did have some bright moments the last time he took the field for the DC Defenders in the most recent iteration of the XFL.

Jones tells us he's eager to prove he's still got more left in the tank, saying he's confident he can still lead a team to wins.

John Madden -- the NFL coaching and broadcasting legend who's also the namesake of the famed "Madden" video game franchise -- has died, the NFL announced.

He was 85 years old.

The league said he passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday morning.

"Nobody loved football more than Coach," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Tuesday evening. "He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to me and so many others."

"There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today."

Madden is one of the most iconic figures in NFL history -- he dominated as a head coach of the Oakland Raiders, winning Super Bowl XI and finishing his career with a 103-32-7 record.

After his time as a head man on the sidelines ended, he went on to become one of the greatest color commentators ever -- famously teaming up with Pat Summerall to break down key NFL games for decades.

He was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 -- and his popular terms "Boom!" and "Turducken" are still used around NFL broadcast booths to this day.

"I am not aware of anyone who has made a more meaningful impact on the National Football League than John Madden," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement Tuesday. "And I know of no one who loved the game more."

Madden, though, is perhaps most known for his association with the insanely popular "Madden" football video game.

Casual fans, NFL players, and even coaches around the league play it religiously ... and the franchise -- which comes out with a new iteration yearly -- is reportedly worth around $4 billion.

Madden also gained fame in his career for his role as a pitchman -- he hawked products like Miller Lite and Tinactin, and appeared in notable commercials regularly.

Madden is survived by his wife Virginia, and his two sons, Joseph and Michael.

Baker Mayfield's wife says the hateful comments toward her husband following the Browns' loss to the Packers have turned scary ... saying the QB is now getting death threats.

Emily Mayfield said in a social media post that after the Cleveland star played poorly in Green Bay, fans have now begun to come at her and her husband with "death threats," "lies," and "blatant disrespect."

"I pray for those of you who even think those thoughts, let alone type them out," Emily said.

"I hope you can find some happiness so you stop trying to steal it from others."

Emily did not divulge if law enforcement has been notified of the threats ... but she added, "It's crazy how much negativity is amplified via social media."

Baker has been the quarterback of the Browns since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2018 ... but the criticism of his play has grown loudly this season after he's had an up-and-down year.

It may be the most drawn-out divorce in Hollywood history -- but after 10 1/2 years, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are single again.

It went down Tuesday morning in L.A. Superior Court ... TMZ has learned. The divorce had been mediated by a private judge and that judge signed off on the divorce earlier this month, but it needed to be entered into the court system by a sitting judge, which happened this morning.

As for why this divorce took so long, it's a combination of lack of motivation and a very complicated property settlement agreement. As we reported, both Arnold and Maria moved on years ago ... they both have been in relationships but stayed cordial with each other ... and often had family gatherings with their 4 kids.

The rupture in the marriage occurred more than a decade ago, when news leaked that Arnold had fathered a child with the family's housekeeper. That child -- now an adult -- Joseph Baena, is now a college grad with acting ambitions, and he has a leg up because he's the spitting image of his dad.

As for the property settlement ... well, it's all confidential. But, we know there was a ton of money -- an estimated $400 million -- and our sources say things pretty much got divided down the middle. There was no prenup.

Arnold and Maria were married in 1986, so it was a long run.

Tom Brady's wallet did not get lighter after his infamous tablet smashing incident earlier this month ... the Bucs QB says the NFL did not fine him for hurling the electronic device.

Just over a week after Brady destroyed a Microsoft Surface in a fit of rage in Tampa Bay's loss to the Saints ... the football player told Jim Gray on the "Let's Go!" podcast that he was not punished by the league.

Brady said he was only issued a warning ... though he did say league officials told him they would fine him in the future if he does it again.

"I did get warned from the NFL on that," Brady said. "So, I won't throw another Surface."

Brady apologized for his actions ... but listen to the audio, he clearly thinks he actually helped Microsoft by chucking the device into the turf.

"I think it was pretty good marketing for the surface at the end of the day," Brady said with a laugh. "I think it worked out pretty well for them."

Microsoft -- which has been the NFL's tablet since 2014 -- had some fun over the incident as well, tweeting instructions about how to care for the device after Brady threw it.

Former Navarro College cheerleader Jerry Harris' child pornography case is getting addressed in the upcoming season of the Netflix docuseries that made him famous.

The streaming giant just dropped the trailer for the upcoming second season of the super popular "Cheer" ... and it shows the school's cheer team coach, Monica Aldama, referencing Jerry's arrest.

In the clip released Tuesday, Aldama says ... "I can't even process it" ... and one of Jerry's former teammates adds, "Everyone just felt lost."

As we reported ... Jerry was the breakout star of "Cheer" season 1, but he was arrested for child pornography back in Sept. 2020 in Illinois, casting a dark cloud over the hit series.

Remember ... the feds hit Jerry with 2 charges and he's also being sued by 2 of his alleged victims.

"Cheer" director and executive producer Greg Whiteley says the new season, which debuts Jan. 12, will "tackle extremely difficult moments" as it centers around "the impact of COVID-19 and criminal charges against one of Navarro's former team members."

Allen Robinson's fight with COVID-19 was so bad ... the Bears star said he lost 10 pounds -- and is still recovering weeks after contracting the virus.

The wide receiver -- who's missed Chicago's last two games due to COVID -- opened up about his battle with coronavirus on Tuesday ... and he called it all a "beast."

The 28-year-old told reporters he experienced all of the common symptoms associated with COVID -- and added that even though he's getting better, he's still not 100 percent.

"Still kind of fighting through it," Robinson said.

Allen, though, said he's hopeful he can play for the Bears this weekend ... which would be big for the wideout, because he's had a mostly forgettable season so far.

The Big Diesel is officially The Big Generous now ... 'cause Shaquille O'Neal just raised $2 MILLION for charity -- all by selling some unique NFTs of himself.

The NBA legend, along with NFT platform Notables, dropped the collection of the digital images earlier this month ... and TMZ Sports has learned they all sold out on Monday.

In total, they brought in a small fortune -- which Shaq and his camp say is all going toward The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation, which helps underserved youth in America.

The NFTs were pretty awesome -- each one featured unique depictions of The Big Aristotle ... showing the former Lakers superstar in different costumes with funny facial expressions.

Some had him in Lakers-colored gear, while others had him wearing a Magic-themed uniform. Some even showed him with donuts, pizza and Christmas lights.

Shaq's team says they're all "1-of-1 unique digital collectibles" -- and the hope is they continue to bring in money for charity going forward.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says LeBron James' use of a COVID Spider-Man meme was so reckless ... it could cost people their lives.

The NBA legend sounded off on the Lakers superstar in a scathing post on Monday ... ripping LeBron for sharing an image that showed three Spider-Mans pointing at each other.

In the meme -- shared by LeBron over the weekend -- the Spider-Mans were labeled "COVID," "Flu" and "Cold" ... and LeBron captioned the image by saying, "Help me out folks."

Abdul-Jabbar said he was so peeved by the implication of the post ... he straight-up called it all a "blow to [James'] worthy legacy."

"By posting the uninformed meme," Abdul-Jabbar said, "LeBron has encouraged vaccine hesitancy which puts lives and livelihoods at risk."

Abdul-Jabbar then implored James to urge people to get the vaccines ... saying his support for the shots "could save thousands of Black lives right now."

As we reported, LeBron is vaccinated ... although he's said he will not pressure people to do the same, telling reporters before the season "That's not my job."

NBA star Jordan Clarkson was so pissed off over a fan's heckling on Monday ... he attempted to go after the man in the stands, but fortunately, he was held back by his teammates.

The Jazz guard's drama with the fan happened during Utah's game with the Spurs in San Antonio ... when Clarkson clearly had enough of a fan's ribbing.

According to journalist Raul Dominguez Jr., as Clarkson was headed toward his bench during a timeout ... a fan stood up and had words with the basketball player.

A short time later, Dominguez Jr. reported, Clarkson took steps toward going after the fan.

Thankfully, Clarkson's teammates and security stepped in before things turned ugly ... and ultimately, the fan was ejected from the arena.

After the game, Clarkson told reporters the fan had absolutely crossed the line with his trash talk -- saying the dude's comments were straight-up "malicious."

"The guy just keeps antagonizing me, like almost challenges me, like, 'What you going to do?'" Clarkson said. "Fans got to learn, we human. We people too."

The 29-year-old said he often has playful banter with courtside supporters during his games ... but he said to media members this exchange was very different.

"It did cross the line," Clarkson said. "I was walking away initially, and then he said something again. And, I turned back around and then he said it again. And, I'm just like, 'What's going on?!'"

Clarkson said he didn't press the issue further, explaining a potential fine and a possible suspension deterred him from escalating things.

Houston Rockets star Christian Wood nailed a fan in the forehead with a wayward pass on Monday ... and he felt so badly about it afterward, he offered up free tickets as an apology.

The wild scene all went down in the Rockets' tilt with the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center, when Wood was trying to start a fastbreak at the end of the first half.

Wood grabbed the rebound, turned, and then heaved a pass to his teammate that was so errant, it sailed into the stands and plunked a woman right in the noggin.

You can see in the video, the ball hit the fan flush -- sending her crashing to the ground.

Wood and the rest of his Rockets teammates clearly felt awful -- but somehow, the woman appeared to walk away without any sort of injuries.

After the game, Wood apologizes for the terrible throw ... saying, "happens to the best of us."

"Courtside tix to any rocket game of her choice," he added.

By the way, things didn't get much better for Wood as the night went on ... Houston ended up getting blown out, 123-99.