TMZ Sports - Page 50

Pete Davidson haters are going to love this ...

The comedian was pummeled by ex-New England Patriots star Jerod Mayo for an ad about food waste ... and it's all pretty hilarious.

The spot -- a Hellmann's Super Bowl LVI ad -- was released Monday ... showing Mayo hitting a whole bunch of people who were on the verge of throwing away perfectly usable food.

Mayo sacked a man with bread, a woman with potatoes, an elderly woman with chicken, and then a man with spinach.

Finally, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound former linebacker (who now coaches on Bill Belichick's staff in New England) confronted Pete at a house party.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Pete said to Mayo as the ex-football player charged in ... "Mom's already tackling food waste, Mayo!"

Jerod appeared to leave ... but then he came back and speared Pete to the floor.

"I get it," Pete said while on the ground after Jerod apologized for the hit. "I'm very hittable."

Olympic stars Lisa Buckwitz and Janine Flock bared all before heading to Beijing ... by posing nude for Playboy to promote body positivity!!

Buckwitz -- a gold medalist for Germany in the 2018 Winter Olympics -- wore only an open green top and black heels in her cover shoot for the popular mag's Germany edition.

Flock -- a 10-time world champ from Austria -- sat nekkid in a chair draped in a fur blanket for her cover.

27-year-old Buckwitz said she jumped at the opportunity to be photographed in the buff to encourage women to maintain a positive perception of their body.

"Every woman can be naked and nobody should be ashamed of her body," Lisa told the Sun. "For example, I have a few more muscles -- so what? I wanted to show that this is also a woman's body."

She added ... "I don't have to hide as a competitive athlete. No woman has to hide."

Much like Buckwitz, Flock said the motivation for doing the shoot was her desire to remind women to be proud of their bodies.

"I haven't had any cosmetic surgeries and I stand by what I have," Flock told the outlet. "Every woman can be proud of her body."

Nike is distancing itself from soccer star Mason Greenwood ... after the Manchester United forward was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault last week.

20-year-old Greenwood was recently accused on social media of threatening to sexually assault and kill a woman ... and was later suspended from training or playing for his club.

Nike initially paused its deal with Mason at the time ... saying the company was "deeply disturbed by the allegations" and would "closely monitor the situation."

On Monday, the Swoosh took it a step further ... saying, "Mason Greenwood is no longer a Nike athlete."

Man. U said last week the club was aware of the situation with Greenwood and it would launch their own independent investigation into the accusations made against Mason.

"We will not make any further comment until the facts have been established," the club said. "Manchester United does not condone violence of any kind."

New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara was arrested for Battery in Las Vegas after allegedly beating someone up in a nightclub Saturday night.

The 26-year-old running back was taken to Clark County jail and booked on a charge of battery resulting in serious bodily injury.

Las Vegas Metro PD say officers were dispatched to a local hospital at 5:50 PM on February 5th for a person who reported getting "battered" at a local nightclub.

After investigating, cops determined Kamara was allegedly the guy who doled out the beating. They were able to track down the 5x Pro Bowler on Sunday and take him into custody without incident, according to police.

Alvin was in Vegas for the Pro Bowl ... and actually played in the game on Sunday, catching 4 passes (6 targets) for 23 yards.

Jail records indicate Kamara is still behind bars ... and will appear in court on Monday.

In Nevada, Battery W/ Substantial Bodily Injury is a felony. If convicted, AK could face several years in prison.

Story developing ...

Mark Lye -- a former PGA Tour pro -- was fired from his golf radio host job this weekend ... after he said on-air that watching the WNBA made him want to shoot himself.

Lye made the disparaging comments on SiriusXM's "The Scorecard" show on Saturday ... while trying to explain why he's now a fan of women's golf.

"You know, the LPGA Tour to me is a completely different tour than it was 10 years ago," Lye said. "You couldn't pay me to watch. You really couldn't. Because I just, I couldn't relate at all."

He continued, "It’s kind of like, you know, if you're a basketball player -- and I'm not trashing anybody -- please, don't take it the wrong way -- but I saw some highlights of ladies basketball. Man, is there a gun in the house? I'll shoot myself than watch that."

Lye told GOLF.com the comments almost immediately got him fired ... saying SiriusXM officials canned him a short time afterward.

"I was terminated about comments made about the WNBA," said Lye, who added that he did apologize for the words in the ensuing segment.

SiriusXM confirmed the firing to GOLF.com, saying the 69-year-old "will no longer be hosting."

Lye put out a statement on Twitter on Sunday following the firing ... appearing to defend the comments.

"The fact that I can’t relate to WNBA does not make me sexist in any way," he wrote. "All you haters should listen to the whole segment, where I completely glorified womens golf, which I love to cover. Thanks for listening."

Deion Sanders says the Pro Bowl is nothing like it used to be ... calling out all the players for their lack of effort on Sunday and asking, "What happened & When?"

Of course, players haven't taken the Pro Bowl seriously in years ... and during the AFC's 41-35 win over the NFC, Primetime voiced his frustration with what the event has turned into.

"Lord help me," Sanders said via social media on Sunday. "I’m watching the NFL Pro Bowl and I remember when we were so proud and appreciative of that accolade."

The NFL has been trying to find ways to make the game watchable for the past few years ... even switching up the game rules in hopes of changing the viewing experience.

But, Coach Prime says it's all on the players ... claiming he went 100% every single time he went to the Pro Bowl.

"We went to Hawaii to prove we were more than worthy so we competed at practice and in the game," Sanders said.

"I wanted u to know that PRIME was PRIME! What Happened & When?"

Prime ain't alone -- other ex-NFL stars like Champ Bailey agreed ... with the 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback saying "Bruh times have surely changed."

3-time Pro Bowl cornerback Pat Surtain flat out said, "S***s EMBARRASSING!!"

T-Pain is posing an interesting question about Joe Rogan -- what exactly are people angry about ... perceived harmful content in general, or is the outrage strictly personal?

The singer dished his thoughts about the ever-evolving Rogan saga this weekend in L.A. -- while celebrating the release of his new track, "That's Just Tips," at Nightingale. He says ... yeah, Rogan's use of the n-word is ugly and perhaps even worthy of "cancelation."

In the same breath, TP also acknowledges what Spotify has confirmed -- namely, that JR isn't going anywhere ... and in T's mind, the reason for that is cold, hard cash.

Fact is, Rogan was an expensive buy for the streaming giant -- $100 million, to be exact -- and it's precisely because of that, from T-Pain's POV, that they won't get rid of him. As he puts it, they have to get every cent they spent out of Joe.

With all that said, T-Pain also wonders if the same energy people have for Joe Rogan at the moment is merely selective -- because he says, if folks are truly perturbed by what they consider dangerous rhetoric, why not nix a lot of raps songs too???

"Khamzat is fighting all these little ass guys, but I'd like to fight him next."

That's rising star Nick Maximov talking to TMZ Sports at Planet Hollywood in Vegas hours after his UFC Fight Night win, calling out one of the most feared guys in the UFC ... undefeated 27-year-old, Chechen-born fighter Khamzat Chimaev.

But, it's not just Borz who's never lost ... 'cause Maximov, a Nate Diaz protégé, is a perfect 8-0, and has fought some super tough prospects -- something Nick says Chimaev has NOT done.

"Why are people scared? He hasn't shown anything to be scared about, cause he hasn't fought any wrestlers. He's a wrestler that hasn't fought any wrestlers. So, I'm like, 'what the f**k, fight me then!'"

Speaking of tough fights ... Nick was the co-main event on Saturday, and defeated Puna Soriano by split decision.

"It's my second UFC fight, I'm the co-main event. Second UFC fight, I'm fighting all these top prospects with either zero losses or 1 loss. I'm like, 'why am I fighting all these hard-ass guys?' No one else is doing that. Not Paddy Pimblett. Not Sean O'Malley."

But, Maximov continues to win ... and believes he will be champion inside a year.

We asked ... can you beat Adesanya?

"Easily. I think I can take anyone in the top 5," Maximov says.

An Olympic athlete at the 2022 Games in Beijing says the food she's been given during her quarantine period has been so bad, she's in physical pain and cries every day.

Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova made the claims on her Instagram page earlier this month ... attaching a photo of some unappealing food that she says she was given while in COVID-19 isolation at a local hotel.

The picture appears to show a plate of plain pasta, some meat, a few potatoes and a sauce ... none of which looks incredibly appetizing.

In her comment on the picture ... Vasnetsova trashed the food as inedible, and claimed the meal was what she was receiving for "breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already."

"My stomach hurts," Vasnetsova said. "I’m very pale and I have huge black circles around my eyes. I want all this to end. I cry every day. I’m very tired."

Vasnetsova added that the lack of nutrition in the food has caused her to drop weight ... saying, "my bones are already sticking out."

According to the Associated Press, things have improved for Vasnetsova following her complaints ... the outlet reported Russian biathlon team spokesperson Sergei Averyanov said Vasnetsova was getting delivered better meals over the weekend, including salmon and cucumbers.

Vasnetsova is far from the only athlete to complain about quarantine conditions at the Games ... there have been several others from countries all around the world who have griped about the living conditions.

Peng Shuai gave her first non-Chinese run interview about her apparent disappearance last year, insisting all is well ... but it sure sounds like she had a gun held to her head.

The ex-tennis star and women’s doubles champ did an interview this weekend with French outlet L’Equipe in Beijing -- where the 2022 Winter Olympics are currently being held -- and during the sit-down, she once again denied ever accusing any Chinese government official of sexual assault, while also downplaying speculation that she’d vanished shortly thereafter ... even though both definitely seem to have happened on the face of things.

When asked about the initial allegation she’d posted on the Chinese social media app Weibo, Peng is quoted as saying it was “an enormous misunderstanding,” while also flat-out rejecting she’d ever even made such a claim -- despite clear evidence she, in fact, had ... via screenshots of her quickly-deleted statement at the time.

Shuai says, “Sexual assault? I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault.” But when pressed about the world having seen the OG post and asked why she’d deleted it, PS answered ... “Why? Because I wanted to.”

You'd think they'd ask why she posted it in the first place, but apparently ... no such follow-up question was allowed, and they moved on to other topics.

We should mention ... although this interview was done with a publication that wasn’t state-run by the Chinese government, they still very much had a hand in how this was playing out -- as Shuai is said to have been accompanied by a Chinese Olympic official during the chat and the questions were submitted ahead of time, on the condition they print her remarks verbatim ... according to L’Equipe.

Shuai thanked everyone who expressed concern for her when she appeared to have vanished from public view after posting that claim -- but then said this ... “I never disappeared. It’s simply that many people, like my friends and among them, those from the IOC, sent me messages and it was completely impossible to respond to so many messages.”

In addition to all this, the IOC also announced that its Prez, Thomas Bach, had had dinner with Shuai in Beijing ... noting she appeared okay. The IOC, however, refused to weigh in on whether they felt she was under duress or not ... insisting it wasn’t their place to do so.

Spotify has called out Joe Rogan for "incredibly hurtful" comments, but they are holding firm ... he still has a place on its platform.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote a memo to staff, saying, "There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you."

Ek then zeros in on Joe, saying, "Not only are some of Joe Rogan's comments incredibly hurtful -- I want you to make it clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard."

It seems the comments are directed at Rogan using the n-word -- the full word -- on his podcast, although the COVID controversy may well be part of it.

And then, Ek pivots, explaining, "While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more."

Now the support ... "And I want to make one point very clear -- I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope."

Ek says his company will invest $100 million "for the licensing, development, and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups."

Philadelphia Eagles safety Anthony Harris just made an 11-year-old fan's dream come true ... when he escorted her to a daddy-daughter dance in Texas after her father passed away last year.

Audrey Soape -- a huge Harris fan -- tragically lost both her dad and grandpa recently ... so her mother reached out to the safety in hopes of having him step in to escort her to the school event.

Of course, Audrey's mom, Holly, knew it was a long shot ... but after the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs, Harris' schedule opened up -- and he came through for Audrey!!

"I just asked if he would come, if he'd be willing to come," Holly said, according to local reports. "And he said, 'not only will I come, I want to make sure she feels like a princess.'"

Audrey said she got the big news a week before the dance was set to take place ... and she was nervous she'd mess up while dancing with Anthony.

But, judging by the pics -- taken by Vember Photo -- of the event, it was a massive success ... and Harris succeeded in making the night extra special for her by paying for her dress, shoes, and make-up.

On top of that, the 30-year-old also had a car with a driver come to the house and pick her up!!

Harris told NBC 10 in Philadelphia he was "just trying to be a human ... Trying to take off the helmet, trying to take off the cape of what I do professionally and just show some sympathy for that family and try to show some support there."

It never rains in Southern California ... but at least one L.A. strip club is expecting huge showers daily in its venue during Super Bowl week -- telling TMZ Sports it believes it's going to be a "mad house" in the buildup to the Big Game.

Seventh Veil -- one of the hottest strip clubs in the Hollywood area -- says it's seen it before -- with its manager, Leo Betancourt, telling us it happened when the NBA All-Star game came to Los Angeles in 2018.

"We had 40 girls a night when we had the All-Star Game a couple years back," Betancourt said. "We were super packed."

"It's going to be busy the whole week before the Super Bowl because it's not like people are going to fly in on Sunday. It's going to be a mad house!"

Because of that, Betancourt tells us he's planning to have "as many girls as I can for that weekend" out of his roster of 100+ dancers.

Popular strip club Crazy Girls, meanwhile, is taking a different route for the busy week ... with a rep there telling us their focal point is "quality over quantity" for their Super Bowl guests.

"We intend to more so focus on giving all of the Bengal fans and NFL supporters a good time and great experience in Los Angeles," the rep said, "and enjoy the Crazy Girls Experience."

For the male strip clubs, Detention Ultra Lounge -- which hosts one of the Hollywood Men Shows in Anaheim -- is predicting an overwhelming weekend despite being located 26 miles from L.A.

The clubs aren't the only ones anticipating a jam-packed week ... entertainment agency Spotlight Strippers -- which provides female and male exotic dancers to private parties -- is also expecting high demand in the leadup to the Rams vs. Bengals tilt.

"We're expecting a higher than average call volume during that weekend," the agency said, "which we are looking forward to."

Before this pipsqueak throwing up the peace sign was landing some of the most difficult tricks in the rink, she was just another baby with bangs training for the Olympics in Arcadia, California.

This cute kid is best known for representing the United States with her amazing figure skating skills ... she hasn't only made a remarkable impact for America in Winter Olympic Games, but also on the future of the sport itself.

She has won numerous bronze and silver medals over the course of her career but only has taken home the gold once.

Tom Brady is the Greatest of All Time, and Kevin Bacon's here to make sure we all know it ... with a little message that's both literal and distracting!

The legendary actor took to TikTok Sunday with a tune he made up on his trusty ukulele -- performing it next to a bunch of his goats, no less, on a little farm he and his family own out in Connecticut.

Check it out ... the song isn't half bad at all, and neither is Kevin's pipes. The performance is especially impressive, considering he had two goats (plus a couple pigs) nibbling and needling him throughout the whole thing.

The song itself is all about TB12's retirement, and how amazed Kev seems to be by both the announcement ... as well as Tom's career at large. As captivated as he seems to be by the news -- his 4-legged friend next to him appeared even more dumbfounded by the show. 😅

BTW, this concert-from-the-farm thing is actually something Kevin does a lot. He regularly whips out an instrument and strums away with his farm animals by his side. They certainly seem to dig it ... and who wouldn't??? Kev and co. are actually pretty damn good.

Anyway, speaking of Tom Brady ... the guy himself had a bit of a message to share as well in the wake of him stepping away from football. He posted a video that talks about "Chapter 2" and how he's ready to embark on this journey.

Really, it was just a huge plug for his BRADY brand of clothing ... but the point is certainly made. Tom's diving into mogul mode, and based on the visual evidence -- he's locked in and ready to hawk some gear.

Hoping to hear Tom Brady in a broadcast booth now that he's done on the field? Eli Manning says don't count on it ... explaining he believes there's no way TB12 gets into TV.

The New York Giants legend spoke with Adam Glyn out in NYC this week about what's next for Brady following his retirement ... and Eli said straight-up he doesn't believe it'll be talking X's and O's on a network.

"He's not going into broadcasting," Eli said. "He's too good."

As for what is next ... Eli said he's pretty certain it'll involve relaxation and family time.

"Enjoy life," the ex-QB said.