TMZ Sports - Page 37

Fresh off his first vacay with Kim Kardashian, Pete Davidson made a little time for his bros ... hitting up the L.A. Kings game for a guys' night out -- in some VERY good seats.

The comedian took in the action at Crypto.com Arena -- and while there was no Kim in site for this public outing, Davidson still looked like he was living the dream.

Pete and his boys had glass seats right behind one of the nets ... and the dudes appeared to have a great time all night while decked out in matching Kings jerseys.

The group caught some good puck too -- even though the Kings lost, it was still a tight 4-2 game against the Nashville Predators.

Of course, it all wraps up a really awesome start to 2022 for Pete -- who was just in the Bahamas with Kim earlier this week.

The two were all smiles on the quick trip ... and at one point during the getaway, Kim posted a sexy bikini shot with a caption that suggested she's REALLY happy with Pete.

Antonio Brown was quite the crowd-pleaser before his last game in a Buccaneers uniform ... smiling from ear to ear, taking selfies and even signing a fan's COVID-19 vaccine card!!

TMZ Sports is told ... AB was in the best of moods while chatting it up with fans in the front row at MetLife Stadium hours before his infamous shirtless exit from Sunday's game.

As one fan put it, "He was the most down-to-earth guy and couldn't have been nicer."

But while some spectators sought regular autographs, one fan went one step further and asked AB to sign his freakin' vax card -- and he obliged!!

Of course, the whole thing was a reference to AB's vax status scandal ... when his former chef accused him of getting a fake vax card. While AB swore up and down he was, in fact, vaccinated ... the NFL felt otherwise and handed him a 3-game suspension.

AB was clearly able to laugh it all off as the fan asked him to sign the card ... grinning and embracing the irony as he etched his John Hancock along the bottom.

On top of that, AB posed for pics with fans before the game ... and we're told he was generous to the entire section.

Unfortunately, things changed later on in the day ... as AB made his infamous exit by ripping his pads and jersey off and strolling into the locker room in the middle of the game.

The Bucs and AB have different stories behind what went down ... but he was ultimately released Thursday morning.

Ex-NFL running back Clinton Portis has just been ordered to spend 6 months in prison ... after pleading guilty to defrauding a plan designed to help retired players pay for medical bills.

Portis -- who pled guilty in the case back in September after reaching a deal with prosecutors -- was sentenced Thursday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

In addition to the 6 months behind bars, the sentence also tacked on 6 months of home confinement. Portis also got 3 years of probation.

According to court docs, Portis must report to prison on March 8.

As we previously reported, the former Washington and Denver superstar was accused of joining over a dozen other ex-NFL players in an elaborate scheme designed to fraudulently make money off the league's Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan.

Prosecutors said Portis and the others made up fake claims for things like pricey hyperbaric oxygen chambers and ultrasound machines, and then submitted them to the plan.

Officials alleged the players then made serious coin when they were reimbursed ... claiming Portis raked in nearly $100,000 in the scheme.

Portis initially went to trial over the allegations, but jurors could not reach a verdict. The case had been set for a re-trial, but Portis ultimately reached an agreement with prosecutors before it got to that point.

Wizards analyst Glenn Consor is under fire for jaw-dropping comments made about Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. during Wednesday's game ... with LeBron James seemingly calling for his job.

The moment took place after KPJ hit a game-winning three-pointer to beat the Wizards, 114-111 ... with Consor saying, "Kevin Porter Jr. -- like his dad -- pulled that trigger right at the right time."

The issue??? Porter's dad, Kevin Porter Sr., was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl in 1993.

Porter Sr. claimed at the time he accidentally pulled the trigger -- which a witness later backed up -- but he spent more than 4 years behind bars as a result of the incident.

Porter Sr. later died in 2004 ... after he was shot 5 times in an incident at a bar.

Considering the Porter family's history, social media erupted in frustration over Consor's statement during the game ... including LeBron, who went off on the analyst early Thursday morning.

"Oh he thought this was cool huh!!??," James said on Twitter. "Nah we ain't going for this! Sorry but this ain't going to fly!"

He added ... "How insensitive can you be to say something like this. Beat it man! I pray for you but there's no place in our beautiful game for you!"

Others who spoke on the comments are hoping Consor mistakenly thought KPJ's father was former NBA player Kevin Porter, who led the league in assists 4 times during his 11-year career.

Porter Jr., Consor, the Wizards and the NBA have yet to comment on the situation ... but we'll keep you updated as soon as someone talks.

Buccaneers wide receiver Cyril Grayson says it's business as usual in the locker room following Antonio Brown's dramatic exit from the team ... telling TMZ Sports the guys are focused on moving past the fiasco.

We spoke with the 28-year-old Bucs wideout just days after catching a game-winning touchdown in Tampa's comeback victory against the moribund Jets ... and he told us that the team isn't dwelling on what went down with AB earlier in the game.

"I think we just shift our minds to the Panthers," Grayson said. "Obviously, the media and people are going to talk about what they want to talk about."

“They’re gonna make their judgments and stuff about Antonio. I just want everybody to remember that we’re human."

Both AB and the Bucs are entangled in a nasty divorce ... as both sides tell different stories of what led up to what occurred at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

But, Grayson has stepped up big time in Brown's absence ... and he attributes his readiness for the moment to the Bucs' org. and their belief in his skillset.

“I learned from my coach when I played with the Saints that I can’t be anybody else but me," Grayson added.

“They saw a certain talent in me that they wanted to nurture and cultivate.”

Cyril says Tampa -- who has a Week 18 matchup with Carolina before the playoffs start -- needs to "lock-in" if they have any chance of making it to and winning another Super Bowl.

"We can’t let the outside noise cloud what our focus is. We gotta be laser-focused."

AEW star Rey Fenix suffered a horrific arm injury in the middle of his match Wednesday night ... and -- **HUGE WARNING** -- the video of the incident is extremely graphic.

Fenix was wrestling against Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in a tag-team event with his partner, Penta Zero Miedo, at AEW Dynamite ... when the gruesome injury occurred.

Luchasaurus slammed Fenix through a table -- and as the two wrestlers hit the ground, Fenix's arm got caught in an awkward position and snapped backward.

Fenix was in an extreme amount of pain -- video from the ringside angle shows he was screaming loudly after hurting the arm.

The 31-year-old was unable to finish the match -- and he was reportedly rushed to the hospital.

No word on his condition today ... but we've reached out to AEW for comment.

Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus, meanwhile, went on to win the match as AEW personnel tended to Fenix. Jungle Boy (Luke Perry's son) tweeted afterward he hoped the star's injury wasn't too bad.

"Wishing a speedy recovery to @ReyFenixMx," the wrestler wrote. "One of the very best in the world, and one of the greatest people. It’s always an honor to share the ring with you. Much love."

Fenix is one of AEW's brightest stars -- he's known for his high-flying aerial moves, and he's a big-time crowd favorite.

Get well soon.

Kyle Lowry was so pissed off after being ejected from his game Wednesday night -- the NBA star appeared to call a ref a "p***y" repeatedly ... and loudly.

The heated incident all went down in the second quarter of the Heat vs. Blazers game ... after Lowry was tossed for lightly throwing a ball toward a ref.

You can see in footage of the play, after Miami was called for a foul ... Lowry threw the basketball underhand at an official, who clearly didn't love the act.

The ref called a technical on the Miami star -- and because it was the second one he had received during the evening, Lowry was booted from the game.

The 35-year-old, though, didn't leave quietly -- cameras caught him screaming at the ref on his way off the floor, appearing to call the man a "p***y" at least three times.

After the game, crew chief Derek Richardson explained Lowry was assessed his second technical foul "for continuous complaining and throwing the ball at a game official in an unsportsmanlike manner."

Despite losing Lowry, the Heat went on to win the game, 115-109.

A fine for Lowry, meanwhile, is likely coming in 3 ... 2 ...

Wanna own a piece of NBA history?!?

Well, here's your chance -- the actual basketball that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to score his 38,387th point in his final regular-season game just hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports is told it could sell for as much as $500,000!

Of course, KAJ scored the monumental basket on April 23, 1989 -- the last regular-season game of his legendary career -- when Kareem's Lakers took on the Seattle SuperSonics at the Forum in Inglewood.

Abdul-Jabbar played 26 minutes ... scoring 10 points on 5-6 shooting. He also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a blocked shot.

Those 10 points put Kareem's career regular-season total at 38,387 ... leaving him thousands of points ahead of Wilt Chamberlain, the second-leading scorer at the time.

FYI, Wilt's now 7th on the list behind ... (6) Dirk Nowitzki, (5) Michael Jordan, (4) Kobe Bryant, (3) LeBron James, and (2) Karl Malone.

Abdul-Jabbar is 1,459 points ahead of The Mailman.

Back to the basketball. After the game, Kareem autographed the Spalding Official NBA ball. It's also inscribed with "Last Reg. Season Game Ball 4/89" and "38,387 PTS Lifetime."

Kareem was one of the greatest hoopers of all time over his 20 season career. He was a 6x NBA champion, 2x NBA Finals MVP, 6x NBA MVP, 19x NBA All-Star.

The ball -- which comes with a letter of authenticity signed by Kareem -- sold a few years ago for $270,050.

TMZ Sports has just obtained the mug shot that Nate Hobbs took after his DUI arrest earlier this week ... and you can see in the photo, the Raiders player clearly wasn't happy to be in custody.

We broke the story ... Hobbs was arrested early Monday morning in Las Vegas after cops say he was found passed out behind the wheel of his car in the exit lanes of a parking garage at The Cromwell.

In new police docs, cops say when they made contact with the Las Vegas cornerback -- who had just played in the team's win over the Colts on Sunday afternoon -- he smelled like booze and had "glassy watery eyes."

Officers also said in the docs that Hobbs had mumbled speech.

Hobbs, though, according to the cops, said he was not drunk ... and instead told them he had fallen asleep in his 2019 Mercedes because "he was just tired."

But police say when they put him through a set of field sobriety tests, he "failed said tests" and was ultimately arrested.

Hobbs was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge ... and he posed for a mug shot photo looking stern in a pink T-shirt. He's now due in court for a hearing on the matter in May.

Hobbs' attorneys told us following the arrest they have "serious concerns" that Hobbs' situation "does not qualify as a DUI under Nevada law."

Baker Mayfield's list of enemies is growing -- this time, the Browns quarterback is taking aim at Cleveland media ... saying it's filled with "drama stirring reporters."

The 26-year-old signal-caller unleashed on Twitter just minutes ago ... after a report from cleveland.com claimed he could request a trade out of town if changes weren't made during the offseason.

But, according to #6, that's apparently not true ... and he's accusing the reporter of spicing up the story to get clicks.

"Clickbait," Bake said Thursday. "You and many other Cleveland local media continue to be drama stirring reporters with no sources or facts."

"Don’t put words in my mouth so you can put food on your table. I’m not your puppet."

The clapback comes on the heels of the Browns' recent elimination from playoff contention ... which capped off a disappointing season.

The 2021 campaign was filled with drama -- Baker recently called out head coach Kevin Stefanski over his play-calling ... and has reportedly taken issue with how the offense isn't utilizing his strengths.

On top of that, Odell Beckham's dad publicly campaigned for the receiver's trade out of Cleveland due to missed targets back in November ... which worked, as OBJ was released shortly after.

Just a few weeks later, Jarvis Landry spoke out about his role with the team ... saying he had no idea why he wasn't getting the ball.

Baker's been known to speak his mind with folks in sports media -- he's had a popular beef with Colin Cowherd in the past ... but the FS1 star told us back in 2019 he "loves" the guy.

A mega-fight between the best heavyweight boxer alive, Tyson Fury, and the best heavyweight MMA fighter alive, Francis Ngannou, might actually go down ... 'cause both guys say they're all the way down to fight!

It all started last month when the UFC star told TMZ Sports he wants to step in the boxing ring with either Fury or Deontay Wilder.

"I would like to test myself to that level," Ngannou told us at the time, "It's not the same sport, although I'm the champion, I'm in the top in this division."

"At the end of the day, it's just about like trained hands, trained punches, having a good delivery system to produce bombs and I'm sure that if I deliver my own punch, it's pretty good, I can make some damage."

Well, Fury must've watched the interview ... 'cause he posted a fighting promo on his Twitter Thursday, featuring him and the 16-3 (12 KOs) MMA fighter.

"Who would like to see me fight this beast boxing rules UFC gloves?" Fury said.

Ngannou replied to the 31-0-1 heavyweight boxer ... saying the rules should be MMA style but would settle for boxing gloves as a favor to him -- but Fury wasn't having it.

"You want to come into my world calling me and Wilder out to a boxing match," Fury said.

"What I can guarantee you would be knocked out & also paid your highest purse to be so! So, have a think."

Ngannou didn't back down and vowed to go toe-to-toe anywhere and any style after his matchup with UFC interim HW champ Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

"After I handle business on Jan. 22 I'll fight you," Ngannou said, "Under any special ruleset you want. In a ring, an Octagon or a phone booth."

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have formally released Antonio Brown ... and in announcing the news, the team called its former star a liar.

The Bucs said in a statement after officially cutting the wideout that he never indicated to their medical personnel that his ankle was too hurt to play in Sunday's game against the Jets.

Brown, of course, said the opposite in a lengthy statement Wednesday night ... claiming he did tell the team he was too injured -- and that head coach Bruce Arians still wanted him in the game nonetheless.

"While Antonio did receive treatment on his ankle and was listed on the injury report the week leading up to last Sunday's game, he was cleared to play by our medical team prior to the start of the game," the Bucs said Thursday.

"And at no point during the game did he indicate to our medical personnel that he could not play."

The Bucs went on to say that they've asked Antonio several times this week to be evaluated by "an outside orthopedic specialist" ... but say Antonio "has not complied."

"Maintaining the health and wellness of our players is of the utmost importance to our organization," the Bucs said.

As we previously reported, Brown melted down on the sidelines of the Bucs' game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium, stripping off his pads and shirt before running into the locker room.

After the blowup, Arians suggested that Brown had quit on the team ... telling Jay Glazer that he tried to get the wideout to go into the game multiple times, but AB refused and then left.

Brown, though, said Wednesday that's not the way things went down ... writing in a statement, "I took a seat on the sideline and my coach came up to me, very upset, and shouted, 'What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?' I told him, 'It's my ankle.' But he knew that."

"He didn't call for medical attention," Brown added. "Instead, he shouted at me, 'YOU'RE DONE!' while he ran his finger across his throat. Coach was telling me that if I didn't play hurt, then I was done with the Bucs."

Arians previously said this week that Brown did not indicate to him at the time that he was hurt.

"I didn't quit," Brown insisted in his statement. "I was cut. I didn't walk away from my brothers. I was thrown out."

Brown says on Monday he saw a specialist, who told him that his ankle injury was so bad, it'll require season-ending surgery.

"What they did know until now is that on Monday morning I had an urgent MRI on my ankle," Brown said. "It shows broken fragments stuck in my ankle, the ligament torn from the bone, and cartilage loss, which are beyond painful. You can see the bone bulging from the outside."

Brown is now a free agent ... and he said Wednesday night he has no plans to retire.

"Once my surgery is complete, I'll be back to 100% and looking forward to next season. Business gonna be BOOMIN!"

Scary moment for Raheem Mostert -- the NFL running back's 3-year-old son was rushed to the hospital after suffering a high fever and other severe COVID-19 symptoms this week ... but thankfully, he's recovering back home.

The 49ers star's wife, Devon, shared the terrifying news on Wednesday ... posting a photo of their son, Gunnar, in an ambulance.

"If you think COVID is a joke, this is our sweet G man in an ambulance today after I called 911 because he was lethargic, skin was gray, lips were purple, and had a 103.5 temperature," Devon said.

"I'm crying even typing this ... this is all SO SCARY."

The good news is Gunnar is back home with his family ... but Mostert -- who is currently on the Niners' injured reserved list -- made it clear people should not be taking this virus lightly.

"I could say a lot, but I'm going to keep this short because my family gets 100% of my time right now," the 29-year-old said.

"Take COVID seriously! It's not a joke!!"

Raheem and Devon got married in 2017 and have 2 kids -- Gunnar and 1-year old Neeko. The couple also just announced they're expecting a third baby on the way last week.

Roman Reigns is back ... the Universal champion is officially free of COVID and is returning to Smackdown Friday night -- where he's expected to confront the newly crowned WWE champion Brock Lesnar -- TMZ Sports has learned.

Of course, Reigns and Lesnar were supposed to clash at WWE's 'Day 1' pay-per-view on New Year's Day in Atlanta ... but that didn't happen after Reigns tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the company to go in a different direction.

Lesnar ended up winning the title that night in a Fatal 5-way match ... defeating WWE superstars Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and Big E -- the reigning champion at the time.

On a recent Monday Night Raw, Brock -- flanked by manager Paul Heyman -- had some pretty strong words for the Samoan superstar.

"Before we get this party started tonight," Lesnar said, "I'd like to give a big shoutout to my good buddy, Roman Reigns, who's probably sitting at home more than likely, tuned into Monday Night Raw, tuned into the new WWE heavyweight champion. The real champion. Brock Lesnar."

"Get well soon, buddy," Lesnar sarcastically added."

Reigns and Lesnar have been feuding for years ... fighting a total of 7 times in their storied careers. They've had 4 singles matches, 2 triple threats, and 1 fatal 4-way match ... with each guy winning 3 matches apiece.

Tennessee politician Jeremy Faison was booted from a high school basketball game earlier this week ... after he tried to pull a referee's pants down in a sideline temper tantrum.

Seriously.

Faison, a top Tennessee House Republican lawmaker, was in attendance to watch his son play in Lakeway Christian Academy's game against Providence Academy in Johnson City on Tuesday ... when he exploded over a call on the floor.

Video from the gym showed Faison was so irate with a ref over the whistle, he got in the man's face, screamed at him, and then attempted to pull his pants down.

According to the Nashville Tennessean, the ref wanted to immediately call the cops on Faison -- but fortunately for the House Republican Caucus chairman, law enforcement never arrived.

Instead, Faison was ejected from the venue.

Afterward, the politician issued a mea culpa, apologizing for his actions and calling himself a "fool."

"For years I thought how wrong it is when a parent loses their temper at a sporting event. It’s not Christian and it’s not mature and it’s embarrassing to the child have always been my thoughts," the 45-year-old said.

"Unfortunately, I acted the fool tonight and lost my temper on a ref. I was wanting him to fight me. Totally lost my junk and got booted from the gym."

Faison continued, "I’ve never really lost my temper for all to see, but I did tonight and it was completely stupid of me. Emotions getting in the way of rational thoughts are never good. I hope to be able to find the ref and ask for his forgiveness. I was bad wrong."

Faison is no stranger to sports controversy -- in 2017, he was famously part of a movement to stop the Univ. of Tennessee from hiring Greg Schiano as its football coach.

The Super Bowl halftime show promises to be one of the most spectacular yet, thanks to Dr. Dre, but the stakes are high because if COVID somehow kills the show, Dre could lose millions.

As we reported, the show will be filled with huge stars, including Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Dre is fronting most of the money necessary to pull off the event, and we're told it's in the millions of dollars.

Our sources say ... Dre has Event Cancellation Insurance to cover any calamity that might derail the halftime show. Problem is ... we're told there's an exclusion for COVID.

We've learned the pesky provision is called a Communicable Disease Exemption, and it's been around for years ... ever since SARS. But COVID is part of the Communicable Disease Exemption, which means the insurance policy will not cover Dre's losses if the show is 86'd.

The high, high likelihood is the show will go on as planned. There's cautious optimism Omicron will peak later this month ... and the Super Bowl is set for February 13th.

Even if there's an explosion of cases and the crowds are either scaled back or even eliminated, the game will go on ... similar to how it went down last year in the throes of the pandemic. The other possibility, the NFL has made it clear it wants fans in the stands, and if that can't happen at L.A.'s SoFi Stadium, the game could be moved to say, Dallas.