TMZ Sports - Page 50

NFL officials were informed Alvin Kamara was a suspect in a felony battery case by Las Vegas Metro PD prior to the Pro Bowl, but cops and the league allowed the Saints star to still play in the game ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

We're told NFL security was notified several hours before kickoff that police were looking for the 26-year-old running back, but the parties essentially came to an agreement that Kamara would be allowed to play in the game, and cooperate with authorities afterward.

"We got in touch with NFL security about 10 o'clock in the morning and let them know that [Kamara] was a suspect in the case and they located him and he was already on the field," Assistant Sheriff John McGrath told the Nevada Current.

He continued ... "So they contacted him and he agreed to meet with us after the game. And so that's just the way we did it since he was cooperating."

Kamara played ... catching 4 passes for 23 yards.

Waiting to make the arrest seemed to payoff for the police.

After the game, police Mirandized the Saints star at Allegiant Stadium ... where he then spoke with investigators, and gave his side of the story.

Kamara admitted he punched the alleged victim at least 1 time early Saturday morning inside a Vegas hotel after he claims a man made a disrespectful comment to someone in his group.

However, the alleged victim tells a different story. He claims Kamara pushed him for an unknown reason, before Alvin and his 3 friends beat the man down.

Cops say they reviewed surveillance video and the footage showed Kamara punching the man at least 8 times.

Kamara was arrested on 1 count of battery w/ serious bodily injury, a felony.

Gerald Williams -- a longtime New York Yankees outfielder and one of Derek Jeter's best friends -- died on Tuesday at 55 years old.

Jeter just announced the sad news ... saying Williams passed away following a battle with cancer.

"To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother," Jeter said in a statement. "My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family."

Williams was drafted by the Yankees in 1987 and played his first game for the Pinstripes' Big League squad in 1992 -- the same year the team drafted Jeter.

Williams went on to play 14 years in the Majors -- seven of which were spent with Jeter and the Yankees -- before he ultimately left the game following the 2005 season.

Williams batted .255 in his career and hit 85 home runs. One of his most famous moments came in the 1996 season, when he made a great catch to help keep Dwight Gooden's no-hitter intact.

Rashad Evans has known Joe Rogan for many years ... and the UFC legend tells TMZ Sports flat out, the JRE host is NOT racist.

"I know Joe and I know the kind of person Joe is," Evans told us ... "Joe never gave me any kind of feeling or any kind of indication that he's racist."

Of course, Rogan's in hot water as pressure mounts for him to be pulled off Spotify in the wake of an old video that resurfaced showing Joe repeatedly using the n-word.

Joe apologized, saying "It looks f***ing horrible, even to me." However, Rogan also explained the video was edited together without context using 12 years of podcast footage.

Rashad says he is not condoning Rogan's use of the n-word, but says the video isn't indicative of who JR is as a person.

"Not to excuse any of it, but at the same time, when you go back that far I'm sure there could be a compilation of unfavorable things that a lot of people have said that can come back and bite them," Evans says.

FYI, Evans and Rogan go back many years (Rashad was signed by the UFC in 2005). RE was a guest on the JRE pod in February 2020.

In addition to Spotify calling for Rogan's firing ... some have also said the UFC should can the commentator. We asked Rashad ... should the UFC ax Joe?

"I think [the UFC] should stand by Joe Rogan. I don't think those allegations and the compilation, I don't think that speaks to who Joe Rogan is now."

Rashad points out, depending on political affiliation, some people are given a pass in situations ... like President Joe Biden.

"Our president is one they gave a pass to," Evans says.

"There are many things I've heard him say that sounded racist. I've heard him use the n-word in context like how Joe used it. That's completely overlooked, and he was considered to be the savior of people of color."

Switching gears ... we also asked 44-year-old Rashad, who recently beat Gabriel Checco by unanimous decision in Khabib's Eagle FC MMA promotion, about his fighting future.

There's a good chance you haven't seen the last of Suga.

Breaking news -- NFL legends Brett Favre and Michael Vick are coming out of retirement and making a huge return to football!!!

Flag football, that is.

TMZ Sports has learned -- the former superstars are dusting off their arms to suit up for a flag football game hosted by the NFL and FaZe Clan ... and the whole thing will help raise some serious cash for youth sports.

FaZe will be going up against creator collective A.M.P. ... with FaZe Temperrr, FaZe Adapt, FaZe Swagg, FaZe Nate Hill, and FaZe Kaysan set to play for the video game giant.

We're told the competition is set to go down at the Super Bowl Experience in L.A. on Saturday, Feb. 12 ... with Favre and Vick slated to play QB for each team.

52-year-old Favre last played in 2010 ... and Vick, 41, walked away from the game in 2015. Needless to say, folks are gonna LOVE to see these two guys toss the pigskin again.

In fact, just a few years ago, the Gunslinger showed he's still got an arm!!

Each team will donate $25,000 each to youth sports ... with FaZe's contribution going to Snoop Dogg's football league.

The NFL and FaZe linked up to help gain fans in both sports and gaming ... with plans to continue the partnership moving forward.

Alvin Kamara allegedly punched a man 8 times before his felony battery arrest at the Pro Bowl ... and police say the alleged attack was captured on video.

26-year-old Kamara was taken into custody Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas after cops say he brutally beat a man inside a Las Vegas Boulevard hotel around 6 AM Saturday morning ... causing serious injuries including a broken orbital.

The alleged victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

According to a police report we obtained, Alvin pushed a man near an elevator bank. The man was then allegedly beaten down by a group of 4 people, including AK.

Police say they actually read Kamara his Miranda rights and interviewed him inside the stadium. While talking, they say Alvin admitted to punching the man.

He claims the person made a disrespectful comment to someone in his party.

Cops say Kamara allegedly punched the man 8 times.

During their investigation, police say they viewed surveillance video and the tape backed up the alleged victim's story.

Cops say they confirmed Kamara's presence at the club by reviewing a credit card that was used to buy liquor.

Kamara actually played in the Pro Bowl ... catching 4 passes for 23 yards. He was arrested after the game.

If convicted, Kamara is facing up to 5 years in prison.

Team USA superstar Chloe Kim says she was close to passing up the opportunity to defend her gold medal at the 2022 Olympics ... admitting the anxiety she experienced the first time around was overpowering.

The 21-year-old snowboarder made the revelation on "Today" this week ... saying her newfound fame post-2018 Olympics was a lot for her to handle.

"My first one was really overwhelming," Kim says. "I was not expecting that kind of response."

She continued ... "So, then I like kind of got scared. I got really bad anxiety and I was like, maybe I can't do that again, 'cause I just don't know if I can handle it."

Kim says she needed to reset mentally and took her talents to Princeton University in search of a fresh start ... but was unable to escape her stardom there, too.

Kim says she even started to hate snowboarding because of what came with it ... which led to her two-year hiatus from the sport she grew up loving.

But, Chloe never ruled out the possibility of returning ... saying she knew she would come back if she missed it while at Princeton -- and she did.

It's not the first time a Team USA hero has opened up about their mental struggles -- Simone Biles most recently backed out of the 2020 Games -- and it certainly won't be the last.

Dana White shared some graphic photos of Kamaru Usman's open hand surgery on Monday -- and, WARNING, you better be done with breakfast before clicking on the pics!!

Usman had to head under the knife after he jacked up his hand in a sparring sesh just weeks before he beat Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November -- and the procedure was clearly no cakewalk.

You can see in the photos that White shared -- docs had to open up the top of Usman's right hand with some beefy utensils to repair the damage.

The before and after pics are gruesome -- they show docs cutting into the hand to fix it all up.

Despite the gnarly nature of the injury, White expressed optimism for a quick recovery -- saying in the caption that he'd see Usman "soon."

As for Kamaru, he posted a video from the hospital bed Monday ... clearly showing he ain't going to let the operation hold him back too much.

No official word on when the Nigerian Nightmare will return to action ... but his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told us recently he'd like to see the fighter take on Leon Edwards next.

Brian Flores would have the Texans job if it weren't for his lawsuit against the NFL ... so says the coach's lawyers, who claim his legal battle is the main reason Lovie Smith got hired.

Houston announced the 63-year-old defensive coordinator would be taking over as head coach of the Texans on Monday ... and Flores, per his team, is happy with the hire -- but feels he should have been the guy.

"Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans have hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr. Flores' goal in bringing his case is to provide real opportunities for Black and minority candidates to be considered for coaching and executive positions within the NFL," Douglas H. Wigdor and John Elefterakis said in a statement.

"However, we would be remiss not to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three finalists for the Texans' head coach position and, after a great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL."

As we previously reported, Flores is currently suing the league over its alleged racist hiring process ... in hopes of bringing change to the NFL.

The G.O.A.T. might not be officially done just yet ... Tom Brady said Monday he could possibly come back to the NFL despite retiring last week.

The future Hall of Famer made the somewhat shocking revelation on his "Let's Go!" podcast ... hinting that the door on his football career ain't exactly slammed shut just yet.

"You know, I'm just going to take things as they come," Brady told Jim Gray on the show. "I think that's the best way to put it and I don't think anything -- you know, you never say never."

Brady, though, made it clear he believes right now, in his heart, that retirement is what he wants.

"I know that I'm very -- I feel very good about my decision," the ex-QB said. "I don't know how I'll feel six months from now, and if that will change, it most likely won't. But I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week."

Brady added that, for now, he has no plans to "reverse course" on his decision.

NFL training camps don't kick off until July, and the season doesn't begin until September -- so Brady doesn't have to make a final, final decision anytime soon.

Caitlyn Jenner mastered winning races with her legs ... and now, the Olympic gold medalist is literally shifting gears -- launching the "Jenner Racing" team.

TMZ Sports has learned the 72-year-old 1976 Olympic Decathlon champ's team will race in the W Series this season ... starting in May.

FYI, the W Series is an "international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers."

We're told Jenner will oversee the day in, day out operation of the team.

Jenner is no stranger to motorsports. Back in 1979, she won a celebrity F1 race in Long Beach, CA. Then, in 1986, Jenner made her debut as a real deal pro driver, racing for Ford and Jack Roush.

She made 56 starts over a 6 year period.

So, Caitlyn is super familiar with racing ... but this is about more than winning or losing for the gold medalist.

"As a believer in fair competition, a lover of motor racing, and a supporter of all women in sport from the grassroots to elite level, W Series ticks every box for me and is a fusion of the different aspects of my career,"

Scary moment in the NBA on Monday ... a Wizards assistant coach jumped into the stands and charged at a fan, but fortunately, he was grabbed before a Malice At The Palace-like scene could break out.

The incident happened at the end of Washington's blowout loss to the Heat ... when broadcast cameras showed Mike Batiste appearing to lunge at a fan sitting a few rows behind the Wizards' bench.

You can see in the footage, Batiste got up from his chair, jumped over a row of seats, and nearly made contact with a fan -- but, thankfully, Wizards players grabbed him before anything got physical.

Batiste -- a former pro basketball player who's now serving as the Wizards' manager of player development -- was ultimately escorted into the locker room as the final seconds ticked off the game clock.

Following the loss, Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said he believed Batiste lost his cool because people "said something that was out of line."

"Obviously, we have to take the high road and just can't indulge in that," Unseld Jr. said. "But, I think it was a situation where something was said that was a bit over the line and I think it got the best of one of our coaches. But, either way, you have to take the high road."

Al Sharpton says Joe Rogan needs to do more to prove he’s learned from this controversy over his use of the n-word — but what "more" looks like, exactly, is still a bit hazy.

We got the reverend Monday in NYC and asked if he was buying JR’s apology, and while Sharpton says the guy seems sincere, he’d like to see some actions behind the words to show true penance.

As he points out, Joe didn’t just drop the n-word a couple times ... he said it several times, and not just that -- the apology came after he was exposed by the resurfacing of old clips, instead of an upfront confession.

With that in mind -- and with a shout-out to India.Arie for bringing this to light in the first place -- Rev. Sharpton suggests Joe do something to right the ship. Interestingly, he says a meeting with community leaders, as is often done, probably won’t cut it.

He kinda leaves it in Joe’s court on how to proceed.

Is there anything Jake Paul can't do?!?

Well, perhaps surfing ain't the boxing superstar's forte ... but the Problem Child certainly tried his best to catch a wave during a water park date with his girlfriend -- and TMZ Sports has the vid!!!

We're told Jake hit up the American Dream complex in Jersey with Julia Rose and friends on Friday ... having some fun at the amusement park before going to Carpaccio for some grub.

The fun didn't stop after dinner -- Jake and the gang went to the water park ... where the YouTuber attempted to master a new sport.

Look, he's no Kelly Slater ... but it's pretty impressive to see Jake get a few seconds standing on the board before crashing into the water.

FYI -- Jake was in town to promote the Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor fight ... so it's nice to see he's still able to balance work and play as he begins his next venture in boxing.

The 5-0 boxer is fresh off knocking out Tyron Woodley in their rematch on December 18 ... and has previously said he'd love to try out other sports (from NASCAR to the NFL).

Machine Gun Kelly is clapping back at all the haters making fun of him for not knowing there's no halftime in hockey ... saying, "You know what I'm saying!"

The "My Ex's Best Friend" artist was trolled relentlessly on Saturday after he tweeted that he'd be performing at "half time" of the NHL All-Star Game.

Hockey fans proceeded to ride Megan Fox's future hubby hard ... getting after him for not knowing there's three periods in the sport.

Finally, after two days of online bashing ... MGK just released a video explaining himself, essentially telling people to get off his back.

"I know nothing about sports!" MGK said. "But you know what I'm saying! You know what I'm saying? When they're not playing, I'm going to be performing. You know what I'm saying?!"

We get it ... it's confusing, most sports do feature four quarters with one halftime -- and the idea of two intermissions instead of one half is a little strange.

Think the Browns are jealous of Odell Beckham Jr.'s shot at a Super Bowl?? Think again ... 'cause Jarvis Landry says he's pulling for his bestie to win a ring this year!!

Landry surprised OBJ during a media call on Monday ... saying he had no questions, but a few words of encouragement for his longtime friend instead.

"I've witnessed it all firsthand," Landry said, "You have scars to show for where you are today."

"This is a dream that you actually turned into reality and I wanted to come on here and just let you know I'm proud of you."

Landry added, "I love you! Go get that ring!!!"

Beckham -- who couldn't see his LSU teammate at first -- knew off the rip it was Landry ... and became emotional by his buddy's comments.

"You givin' me chills!" Odell said. "I know that voice, man!"

"Besides pops, there's no man who ever came into my life and has an effect and impact that you have had to make me a better person, player, man, soon-to-be father, brother, lover like you've shown me the light dawg," OBJ said.

"I love you so much, bro! This moment is for us, bro!"

Remember, Landry and Beckham go way back -- starting at LSU football to playing together again on the Browns in 2019 ... before OBJ was cut last November.

Bill Murray's at it again ... just two years after he ripped a fan's tequila shot at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- he repeated the feat at the same place this weekend!!!

The hilarious moment -- like the one in Feb. 2020 -- was all captured on video on Saturday ... showing Murray taking a lime wedge and a cup of booze from a fan just before he was set to hit his next shot on a hole.

The footage is laugh-out-loud funny ... you can see Murray grabbed a cup from a woman, shot the tequila no problem, and threw both the container and the lime into the crowd.

The fans loved it -- one yelled, "Let's go! What a boss!" -- and everyone nearby cheered and hollered.

Of course, this is becoming a bit of a tradition for Murray at the famous golf event ... you'll recall, just two years ago, he downed a fan's tequila shot there in epic fashion as well.

Murray isn't known as the world's best celeb golfer -- but he's certainly one of the most fun ... in fact, he hit a no-look putt over the weekend that had everyone cracking up too.