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Mexico is not messing around -- the country's Football Federation is threatening any fan caught using an anti-gay chant at any of its matches with a 5-year ban.

Federation President Yon de Luisa said Monday during a news conference ... "We can’t tolerate discriminatory acts. We can’t play in empty stadiums. We invite our fans to adopt these measures."

“It is not a measure designed to avoid the re-sale, but without a doubt will have an effect on that because now fans, even though they have a ticket, must have registered to be able to enter.”

The chant -- believed to have emerged in 2003 during a pre-Olympic tournament in Guadalajara -- is when fans of the Mexican national team join in unison to shout the word "p***" ... which roughly translates to "gay prostitute."

For years ... people have argued that the offensive word was never intended to be used to disparage members of the LGBTQ+ community ... and that the word has multiple meanings in Mexico, as well as other Spanish-speaking countries.

That explanation didn't fly with De Luisa who said ... “We understand that, even if it doesn't go with that intent, if other people feel it that way, then it is that way. That's why we want to eradicate it."

FIFA's disciplinary committee has already begun doling out punishment -- back in November, they ordered Mexico’s team to play its next 2 home World Cup qualifiers without fans.

They also fined the federation $110,000 as punishment for homophobic chants during October qualifiers against Honduras and Canada in Mexico City.

A completely nude Malik McDowell aggressively charged at an officer before he was arrested on Monday ... hitting the cop with full force -- new video shows.

The clip, recorded by a bystander who was just feet from the altercation in Deerfield Beach, FL, shows McDowell was extremely aggressive before he was taken into custody.

You can see McDowell -- a 6-foot-6, 290-pound Cleveland Browns defensive lineman -- sprinted at full speed toward the officer, eventually making contact with the man's chest.

McDowell then appeared to throw punches at the cop ... before shoving him through a bush. McDowell then seemed to take off.

As we reported, officers in police docs say they eventually used a taser to subdue McDowell -- before arresting him.

Cops tell TMZ Sports McDowell was then taken to a local hospital for treatment and evaluation before he was ultimately booked into jail on three charges.

Bruce Arians will have to pay up for slapping his own player's helmet during last weekend's playoff game ... 'cause the NFL is fining him $50k for the incident.

The moment happened during the Bucs vs. Eagles Wild Card game on Sunday ... after Philly receiver Jalen Reagor fumbled a punt return and Tampa Bay recovered.

During the pileup, Bucs safety Andrew Adams appeared to try to get Philly players out of the way ... which pissed Arians off to the point of striking the 29-year-old in the helmet.

The whole thing was caught on camera during the broadcast ... with Troy Aikman admitting he was puzzled by Arians' actions.

"He takes a wack at Adams," Troy Aikman said at the time. "Not exactly sure what that's about."

The 69-year-old coach explained after the game that he struck Adams to avoid a penalty.

"You can’t pull guys out of a pile," Arians said during postgame interviews.

"We just got a big play, great field position, and he’s trying to pull a guy out of a pile, and I was trying to knock him off of that guy so he didn’t get a penalty."

Cleveland Browns star Malik McDowell got all pumped up -- during a fairly uneventful workout at a Florida gym -- shortly before he was arrested for being completely naked in public and attacking a cop.

TMZ Sports obtained surveillance videos recorded Monday at the gym in Deerfield Beach, FL ... where the 6'6", 290 lb. D-lineman is seen walking around, hugging friends and all in all ... just acting completely normal.

People close to McDowell tell us ... after the gym, he walked next door to the hotel where he was staying, and took a shower -- and we're told he never got dressed after that. Instead, he walked out of his room stark naked, started walking down the street and even laid down in the middle of the road, at one point.

He particularly set off a panic because he happened to be near an elementary school, which went into lockdown. When cops arrived on the scene, McDowell allegedly punched a cop several times before he was subdued and taken into custody.

McDowell's demeanor in the gym stands in stark contrast to what happened an hour later ... and seems to point to him having some sort of mental health episode. It's worth noting, Malik suffered serious head trauma in an ATV accident back in 2017 -- which could, obviously, be exacerbated by his NFL career.

Cops have not said anything about McDowell being impaired or under the influence. Broward County Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... "Appropriate tests were conducted. Detectives continue to investigate circumstances surrounding the incident."

A woman frantically hurried kids into lockdown while NFL player Malik McDowell was roaming naked nearby ... new 911 audio, obtained by TMZ Sports, reveals.

In a call to dispatch ... a female can be heard on the line saying a man -- later identified as Cleveland Browns defensive lineman McDowell -- was "naked walking the premises" in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

The call is redacted, so it's unclear where the woman exactly is, but it seems she's calling from the school that cops say McDowell had walked near before his arrest on Monday afternoon.

"You're going to go into lockdown," the woman can be heard saying on the call. "You're going to have to take these kids into the bathroom, OK? Yes. One-by-one."

The woman then told dispatch McDowell was "out front."

"He's just walking up and down in front of the building," she added ... "He's completely naked."

At another point during the call, the woman can be heard again appearing to rush kids into lockdown, saying, "Whitney, help them get into their safe places!"

Two other callers, meanwhile, urged dispatch to get cops out to the scene ASAP ... describing McDowell as fully nude.

As we reported, cops say they were able to eventually tase McDowell at the scene and take him into custody. In video of the arrest, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see McDowell was completely naked while interacting with cops.

McDowell was ultimately booked on charges of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting and exposing sex organs in public.

The Browns released a statement on the arrest on Tuesday, saying, "We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information."

"We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. … No further comment at this time."

Michigan has agreed to a $490 million settlement with more than a thousand accusers who claim former sports doctor Robert Anderson sexually assaulted them at the school ... the university confirmed Wednesday.

Anderson -- who worked at the university from 1966 until his 2003 -- was accused of fondling and raping athletes over his decades-long career under the guise of "medical treatment."

Anderson served as head of University Health Service ... and was the team physician for the UM Athletic Dept. He retired from the university in 2003 and died in 2008.

Over the course of the past 2 years, many athletes and other students have come forward with their stories ... and an independent investigation determined the university failed to act on the claims during Anderson's time at Michigan.

Attorney Parker Stinar -- who represented many accusers -- spoke out on the settlement, saying, "I am proud to announce that a settlement was reached with the 1,050 survivors of Robert Anderson and the University of Michigan."

"It has been a long and challenging journey, and I believe this settlement will provide justice and healing for the many brave men and women who refused to be silenced."

Like Novak Djokovic, Kelly Slater could also find himself barred from competing in Australia this year if he's COVID unvaccinated ... a high-ranking Australian government official announced this week.

The surfing legend hasn't said publicly if he's gotten the shots or not -- but after leaving anti-vax rhetoric in a recent social media post, the speculation is that Slater is, indeed, unvaxxed.

And, according to Australian Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, if that's the case -- Slater has "no chance of getting into the country" to surf in upcoming major events Down Under.

Colbeck made the comments to The Age, saying the 49-year-old can apply for an exemption like Djokovic did. But, he insisted no preferential treatment would be given to Slater just because he's a surf legend, and he could end up facing a similar fate as Djokovic if he goes down that path.

"I reckon he knows the rules. It doesn't matter whether you're a surfer, or a tennis player, a tourist or anyone else, those are the rules. They apply to everyone," Colbeck said.

"I don't like the chances of him competing in Victoria, and I'd hate to think of what the chances were of him competing in Western Australia."

The World Surf League has two big events in Australia slated for April.

Slater, meanwhile, ripped the Djokovic Australia COVID vaccine saga earlier this month on social media ... writing "Maybe Stockholm Syndrome can now change its name to Melbourne/Australia Syndrome."

"It's sad to see the celebrated division by the 'virtuous' vaccinated," Slater added. "If you're vaccinated why are you concerned/worried about anyone else's status...unless, of course, it doesn't protect you?"

Pete Rose has a shocking revelation ... and no, this time it's not what you think -- the all-time MLB hits leader claims he was much better at football than he was at baseball.

Rose made the comments on Rob Gough's brand new podcast, "Talking to Titans With Rob Gough" show (entire convo can be heard here) ... telling the host that his father -- who was a great football player himself -- was the reason he was a far superior football athlete than baseball star.

"Back in the '40s, '50s and '60s, that's all we had to do was sports," Rose said. "We didn't have the iPads, we didn't have the computers, we didn't have the iPhones. We didn't have none of that stuff."

"We had sports and I was a three-sport player but, to be honest with you, I was a much better football player than I was a baseball player because of my dad."

It's a pretty shocking statement ... especially considering Rose would be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame had it not been for his gambling controversy.

Pete says growing up, he simply wasn't into school ... but that he did well enough so he could remain eligible to play.

However, looking back, Rose -- who almost attended the University of Tennessee -- said if he knew then what he knows now ... he'd have put more emphasis on his education.

"If I was growing up, I would have been a ding dong," Pete said, "Because I just didn't give a darn about school ... I just went to school and got your grades enough to stay eligible."

"But if I was playing today in high school, I'd probably try to get really good grades knowing what's ahead of ya as far as going to college. We didn't worry about going to college back in the '50s and early '60s."

Rose -- who spent 7 seasons as a manager for the Cincinnati Reds -- had a message for kids who might have the same feelings towards school as he did when he was younger.

NBA referees just called out Dak Prescott -- pressuring the league to take action against the Cowboys QB after he praised fans who threw objects at officials after the playoffs game with the 49ers.

If you missed it ... Cowboys fans were pissed over the controversial ending to the wildcard game (Dallas lost 23-17) on Sunday ... which abruptly ended their season.

Of course, Dallas fans blame the refs for the L -- since the ump wasn't able to spot the ball with enough time for Dak to get a snap off and clock the ball ... leaving time for one last play in the end zone.

After the game, reporters asked the Dallas Cowboys QB about fans throwing stuff ... and he simply replied, "Credit to them. Yeah, credit to them."

Well, the NBA referees (NBRA) feel some type of way about it ... and called him and the league out.

"The NBRA condemns the comments by Dak Prescott condoning violence against game officials," the National Basketball Referees Association said via Twitter on Tuesday.

"As an NFL leader, he should know better."

The NBRA added, "We encourage the NFL to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future."

The NFL has been totally mum ... neither addressing Dak's comments, nor the NBA Refs' statement. Does anything change now that the refs have called on the league to punish Dak?

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Lerentee McCray was arrested over the weekend ... after police say he flipped off cops and then led officers on a high-speed chase in Florida.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the Fruitland Park Police Dept. attempted to pull over McCray at around 1 AM on Sunday after they say he was going 88 MPH in a 50 MPH zone.

Cops, though, say McCray refused to stop ... and put his middle finger out of his driver's side window before continuing on at speeds of around 100 MPH.

Police say they tried to catch McCray ... but claim he was driving so recklessly and at such a rate of speed, they ultimately called the pursuit off.

But, cops say McCray was stopped about 15 minutes later by the Tavares Police Dept.

Cops say during that stop, McCray was "acting erratically" and was eventually transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation.

Officers say during questioning at the hospital, McCray told them "he did not flick the officer off and he was trying to motion for the officer to continue following him."

McCray was eventually transported to jail ... and records show he was booked on a felony charge of fleeing/eluding police.

He bonded out later Saturday, according to jail records. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter next month.

UFC star Calvin Kattar says Giga Chikadze overlooked him, and got beat up Saturday night because of it ... telling TMZ Sports the star kickboxer from Georgia should've focused less on Alexander Volkanovski.

We talked to the 33-year-old fighter from Boston just days after his unanimous decision win of Chikadze ... and asked if he believes people disrespected him leading up to the fight ... and while Kattar agrees, he's more irked by Giga's seemingly lackadaisical attitude.

"I took more offense to my opponent kinda overlooking me. Calling out the champ when he has a fight with me in about a week. It just seemed like he was overlooking me, and like I've mentioned before. If that's the case, not smart, and you're probably gonna pay for it, and he did."

FYI, Giga was previously ranked 8th in the division before the fight (Calvin was 5th) ... but Kattar was coming off a big loss to Max Holloway, and Chikadze was undefeated in the UFC (now 3 losses overall).

That's why Giga was more than a 2 to 1 favorite.

Kattar continued on Chikadze ... "I didn't like the way he overlooked me and was looking past me and focusing on people he might fight rather than the guy he was gonna fight. That's never a good idea."

What's next for Kattar? He says he's down to step in for either Volkanovski or Korean Zombie in April at UFC 273 ... if either man is unable to make it to the cage.

"I think if something happens to that fight, I'd be a good fill-in, for sure."

If not, Kattar says he'd "like to fight up" ... meaning he wants to fight a higher-ranked fighter, as he continues his trek to the top.

"Whoever's next is fine with me, man, I just hope it's more big moment opportunities, more main events, bigger paydays, on my way to just changing my life and chasing that life on the other side of a win."

Tennis star Nick Kyrgios committed a huge COVID no-no on Tuesday -- celebrating his Australian Open win by taking a swig of a fan's beer.

Check out the clip ... after Kyrgios defeated his opponent, Liam Broady, in the first round, he went over to some fans and had a beer put in his face.

The supporter holding the suds appeared to urge Nick to drink -- and after a few seconds of debating it, he caved and took a sip from the guy's cup.

Of course, the fans in attendance loved every second of it -- encouraging the tennis star to keep drinking -- but it might not have been the best optics for the major event.

Even though the 26-year-old Kyrgios was born and raised in Australia and loves his fans there -- given all the COVID drama that just went down with Novak Djokovic in the country, event organizers couldn't have been thrilled to see the scene.

You'll recall, Djokovic was just booted from the country after Australian government officials said his COVID vax status posed a threat to public safety. Maskless sipping of strangers' drinks might just fall in the same vein.

No word yet on if Kyrgios will face any type of reprimand for the actions.

Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Malik McDowell was completely naked while he was being arrested on Monday ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see the 6-foot-6, 290-pound football player did not have a single article of clothing on his body ... as officers tried to subdue him in Deerfield Beach, FL.

McDowell, who had cuffs on his wrists and shackles around his ankles in the clip, appeared to be very agitated with cops, writhing on the ground nearly every time an officer got near him.

At one point, you can see in the video, a cop appeared to kick McDowell to keep him on the ground.

Eventually, McDowell was loaded onto a stretcher and taken away from the scene.

As we reported, cops say in police documents that McDowell stripped naked and was seen walking around near a school.

Officers say when they found him and confronted him, he attacked -- with one cop alleging the football player told him "f*** you" and then "charged at me ... at full speed with closed fist."

The officer claimed McDowell struck him so hard and so many times, he suffered injuries in the altercation -- including a badly swollen eye.

Cops say they were eventually able to take down McDowell using a taser. He was ultimately booked into jail on charges of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting and exposing sex organs in public.

The Browns released a statement on the arrest on Tuesday, saying, "We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information."

"We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. … No further comment at this time."

Very scary moment during the Cardinals vs. Rams playoff game on Monday ... Arizona star Budda Baker needed to be taken to the hospital following a violent collision with an L.A. player.

In the third quarter of the Rams' blowout win, Baker -- a Pro Bowler this season -- was attempting to make a tackle on Cam Akers, when the two brutally slammed heads.

Video of the play shows Baker immediately went limp, appearing to be knocked unconscious as soon as the impact happened.

The 26-year-old laid on the ground for several minutes, before trainers strapped him to a backboard and eventually loaded him into an ambulance.

Thankfully, the Cardinals announced their star player never lost movement or feeling in his extremities ... and was both alert and communicative.

Baker later tweeted he's doing "good" ... writing, "Thank you all for the prayers. I am doing good."

There's been no word yet if the Arizona safety has been released from the hospital.

Akers -- who actually taunted Baker following the hit -- apologized for his actions ... saying in a tweet of his own, "I didn’t know he was hurt after the play but I have nothing but respect for him."

The Cardinals season is now over following the 34-11 loss, while the Rams will travel to Tampa Bay this weekend to play Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

Get well soon, Budda.

NBA player Chandler Parsons announced he's walking away from the game on Tuesday ... 2 years after suffering serious injuries in a car accident.

The 33-year-old small forward gave a heartfelt goodbye to hoops in an emotional Instagram post ... saying, "I've had so many ups and downs and thankful for every single one of them."

"My entire life all I wanted to be was an NBA player. I didn't even realize, or think what came with that, I just wanted to compete and play basketball at the highest level. I can proudly say, I did THAT!"

CP added, "It wasn't perfect, but it was a blast and I want to take a moment to thank every single person who helped me reach my dreams."

Parsons was a 2nd round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft ... playing for the Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Hawks over the course of 9 seasons.

In 2020, CP was driving in his Rolls-Royce when he was hit by an alleged drunk driver ... suffering a brain wound, disc herniation and a torn labrum.

Despite the accident, Parsons was working to get back on the court -- in fact, he told us last November that he was training to return to the game, but said the process was "pretty intense".

"Working out, staying in shape," Parsons said at the time, "but trying to still recover from the car crash last year, so we'll see."

Now, Parsons is ready for life off of the hardwood.

"To all the staff, trainers, doctors, coaches, teammates, agents, and most important the fans who supported me, THANK YOU."

Chandler finished his career averaging 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Serena Williams' young daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., is already showin' she's got tennis in her DNA ... the 4-year-old hit the court to work on her backhand.

Video of the training sesh was posted Monday ... showing Alexis in her sports gear, executing a picture-perfect backhand.

Keep in mind, she's only 4 years old!!

"Practice makes progress," the caption read on the video posted to Alexis' Instagram (BTW, she has 631K followers) ... and fans went crazy in the comments over the resemblance to her 23-time Grand Slam winning mom, Serena.

Even her auntie, tennis star Venus Williams, was taken back by the impressive move -- saying, "It's Oracene [Price] all over again!".

FYI, Oracene is Serena and Venus's mother who coached them -- alongside their father Richard Williams -- when they were around Alexis' age.

Alexis seems to be a star in the making ... not only does she have her momma's move, she also has her fashion sense! She wore the same fit Serena had on at 2021's Australian Open.