TMZ Sports - Page 50

Start celebrating, Trojans fans -- JuJu Smith-Schuster says USC will definitely win a national championship with Lincoln Riley as head coach ... and it could happen as soon as next season!!

JuJu was super stoked to talk about his college team's new hire during Super Bowl week ... going as far as predicting USC will win its first national title since 2004 now that Riley is at the helm.

"Soon, man," he tells TMZ Sports. "This year and whatever God has planned. I think we just gotta keep pushing. I think it's a great move. We have a great coaching staff, so it helps us out a lot."

JuJu played 3 seasons for USC before being drafted by the Steelers in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL draft ... so of course, he's biased when it comes to the Trojans.

However, many would agree JuJu is right in saying the acquisition of Riley gives USC a serious chance to compete for a CFB championship ... bias or no bias.

The Trojans landed Riley after the ex-Oklahoma play-caller chose to take his talents from Norman to Los Angeles ... making him the 30th head coach in the program's history.

Riley said at the time of the move he was heavily recruited by USC ... and when he met with the university in person, he could tell the school and their football program was a perfect fit for him.

Speaking of USC, JuJu says it's time for his old school to allow another former Trojan legend, Reggie Bush, back on campus -- after the star running back was banned for his reported involvement in an NCAA scandal.

"I think it's time to bring back everybody back on campus with all the greats," Smith-Schuster said. "Especially Reggie Bush."

The Russian national soccer team will be allowed to take the pitch ahead of some World Cup qualifying games -- because FIFA's letting them proceed ... despite some sanctions.

The international governing body for the game announced Sunday they would let Russia's players play against some neighboring countries in soon-to-come matches -- like against Poland, for example -- stopping short of an all-out ban ... which many were calling for.

Instead of kicking them out of the competition entirely, FIFA says they are, instead, not going to allow the Russian flag to be displayed, and won't play the Russian anthem either. They're also going to force the team to go by a new moniker -- the Football Union of Russia ... and no fans are allowed either.

Perhaps the biggest restriction FIFA is laying down in response to Putin's invasion ... not allowing any matches to be played in Russia itself, insisting on neutral territories.

Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden were set to dive into a 4-team playoff round -- with games scheduled to be played in Russia itself -- and have since said they wouldn't square off against Russia at all ... no matter where the games were situated.

Seeing how Poland was supposed to play Russia first in this tournament -- they responded to FIFA's announcement shortly thereafter, reportedly calling it "totally unacceptable" and again reaffirming their commitment to not playing against Russia no matter what.

There's beef, and then there's Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal ... who absolutely HATE each other!!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Covington, the #1 ranked welterweight fighter, ahead of his "blood feud" with 37-year-old Masvidal, the #6 ranked WW, at UFC 272 on March 4.

"This is a blood feud. This goes back to a brotherhood. We were eight years together every single day, side by side, couldn't leave each other -- best friends," Chaos told us.

"Now, we're the biggest bitter enemies. He's the one person on Earth that I don't give a s***. Anytime I see him, I want to send that guy straight to hell and luckily I get to do it in the UFC Octagon next Saturday night on Pay-Per-View and it's gonna be bad, man. I'm gonna make him pay. I'm gonna make him suffer for backstabbing me."

See ... this goes beyond the routine pre-fight trash talk.

Colby and Jorge were friends ... best friends. Unfortunately, the relationship fell apart (long story) ... and now the men are about to be locked in a steel cage together.

One of the things both guys have in common is a friendship with Donald Trump.

So, who's the former Commander-In-Chief rooting for?! We asked Colby.

"Mr. President, #45, is not torn. He knows where his loyalty stands. He knows the person that put his whole platform for him, that was sacrificing, doing everything, really showing that I'm a true supporter. George is a fake supporter. He's not a real supporter."

Then, Covington added ... "Donald Trump, you know, I talked to his family the other day, I know where his loyalty resides."

Speaking of Trump, we also asked CC whether the ex-prez would be attending the fight.

Remember, DT attended UFC 264 in July 2021 -- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 -- where he dapped up Masvidal backstage.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is so passionate about winning a championship for the city ... he's willing to lace up his kicks and showcase some of his hoops skills if he has to!!

Adams spoke with TMZ Sports briefly as he was heading into NBC studios at Rockefeller Center ... and our cameraman tried to see if the 110th mayor in the city's history would provide an update on Kyrie Irving's status for home games.

Irving -- who's only allowed to play in road games at the moment -- missed a significant amount of the Nets games this season ... as he was sidelined over his decision to remain unvaccinated.

Of course, most Nets fans had their fingers crossed after Adams took office ... hoping that the former NYPD officer-turned politician would change the mandate that prevents Irving from playing home games for the Nets, but allows his opponents to play.

Adams admitted recently the current vaccine mandate is "unfair" to Kyrie ... but said changing a rule that's already been set in motion would send "mixed messages."

"I am really, really, leery about sending the wrong message. Having the city close down again keeps me up at night," Adams told reporters at a conference.

Of course, Adams' comments were all in good fun -- after all, the Nets are probably better off.

The mayor has since changed his tune on COVID-19 from a few weeks ago ... announcing he has a plan to end New York City's vaccine mandate for indoor spaces like the Barclays Center -- which, of course, is great news for Nets fans.

Adams told reporters he "can't wait" to get rid of the mandate -- a far cry from his initial stance -- and changes could happen "in the next few weeks."

Aaron Rodgers made a trek to the desert after breaking bread with Shailene Woodley in L.A., because he's now soaking up the sun in Palm Springs.

Aaron arrived in P.S. Friday afternoon, looking cool as a cucumber -- Adidas hoodie and aviator shades -- as he left the airport. He's apparently there to get in some rounds of golf. We didn't see Shailene, but who knows?

It was the Green Bay Packers quarterback's first outing since news broke earlier in the day that he was open to a reconciliation with ex-fiancée Shailene Woodley, 30, with a source claiming that the couple are "talking things through."

The questions lots of folks want answered -- are they together, did they break up, did they get back together, are they just friends now? Lots of questions, but not a lot of answers.

There were all sorts of reports Aaron and Shailene broke up, but they never confirmed it. Fact is ... that's not the QB's style. Aaron doesn't like the media, and him not responding is highly unsurprising.

What we do know ... they were just at breakfast together at Erewhon Market in L.A., so whatever their status they seem to be getting along.

Jackson Mahomes is getting ripped by a business again -- this time, a snack company claims the Chiefs QB's brother scammed them out of a $250 care package.

Rare Munchiez owner Sam Farha tells TMZ Sports ... Patrick Mahomes' little bro DMed the company on Instagram back in January, saying he loved their product -- rare snacks and sodas from across the world --  and would like a care package.

Farha says he had no problem with that ... as long as Mahomes posted his business and the bundle for his 260,000 followers to see.

Sam says Mahomes agreed -- but after the $250 package was delivered and signed for by the 21-year-old on Feb. 8, he went MIA.

Farha tells us he reached out to Mahomes several times over the next 2-3 weeks after the delivery ... claiming screenshots of the DMs prove he was being ignored.

"It's not like he wasn't seeing our messages," Farha says. "He was opening them every time I sent a message. He looked at all my DMs for 2 weeks straight."

So, Farha decided to enter Mahomes' world by posting a TikTok video this week sharing his side of things ... and that's when Jackson hit him back.

"He still says he never received it after the video went viral," Farha says. "It took a video to go viral, bashing him, for him to actually respond!"

But, Farha tells us he believes Mahomes DID receive that package ... especially with the tracking info and the way he ignored him for weeks until he put him on blast.

So, what now?? Farha doesn't even want Mahomes to give his business a shoutout anymore ... and is throwing shade at him for taking advantage of being the younger brother of an NFL superstar.

"My message for him is to basically stop taking advantage of clout, trying to scam small businesses because that's just not how the world works."

"He's just using his brother's name and fame for himself to get free stuff."

This isn't the first time Jackson was accused of similar behavior -- just 2 months ago, he was ripped by a restaurant in Kansas City for allegedly clout chasing after he made a social media post about their bad service.

The restaurant later apologized to Mahomes after they criticized him -- but it doesn't seem he'll be getting one from Rare Munchiez.

UFC star Islam Makhachev needed an opponent after Beneil Dariush suffered a freak injury while training ... enter MMA vet Bobby Green, who took the fight on JUST 10 days' notice.

Why take a fight against a guy who hasn't lost in 6.5 years?! TMZ Sports asked Green.

"I know, I know. It's f**king crazy. Put the weight on, take the weight off, just fought, come back and fight again. I'm f**king nuts brother, this is what I do. I try to show everybody that this is real s**t. I call it G s**t, you know, doin' things that most people won't do."

Savage.

What makes it even crazier is that Green just fought on February 12 against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271 ... where he won via unanimous decision.

Now, Bobby will step into the Octagon with Makhachev, the man many believe will be champion before 2023 rolls around.

Islam has just 1 loss on his professional MMA record -- in October 2015 -- and has won 9 straight, including wins over Drew Dober and Dan Hooker, which IM made look easy.

But, Green isn't just stepping up to exchange an L for a fat paycheck ... he tells us how he's going to beat the 4th ranked lightweight.

We also talked to Islam ... who told us he actually respects Bobby for stepping up (and he tells us who turned down the fight).

"I mean, he's my quarterback. He's my guy! He stuck by us, I'mma stick by him."

That's Myles Garrett -- one of the biggest stars on the Cleveland Browns -- when asked if he's ready to abandon ship and get rid of Baker Mayfield as the Browns' QB.

The defensive end told TMZ Sports he's not giving up on Baker, and he still believes in what the former Heisman winner can do under center.

Of course, Baker's been under a ton of scrutiny this past season from his critics ... with many speculating that the former No.1 overall draft pick in 2018 might not be the best long-term solution at the quarterback position for the Browns.

Garrett -- who's spent five seasons with the Browns -- has been teammates with Mayfield for four of those years, so the two have established a connection over time.

After a disappointing 2021 campaign, both Baker's play and durability were questioned ... as he seemingly regressed after leading Cleveland to the playoffs a year ago.

Mayfield played in just 14 games for Cleveland last year -- the NFL switched to a 17-game schedule before the season started -- as he dealt with a lingering shoulder injury which sidelined him for 3 contests.

Phil Mickelson just lost a major sponsor in the wake of his controversial comments on Saudi Arabia ... and it's one of his oldest partners.

Callaway Golf is pausing their business relationship with the pro golfer and will stop sending him payments.

The golf company says they will reevaluate the partnership at some point in the future ... but for now, they are distancing themselves from Phil.

As you know ... Mickelson is catching a ton of heat for his comments on Saudi Arabia ahead of playing in a new golf league in the country.

Phil played in the league despite saying the country had a "horrible record of human rights."

Phil said ... "We know they killed (Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates."

Mickelson apologized for his comments after playing a round in the Saudi league, saying he was taken out of context and his statements were supposed to be off the record ... though he admitted his words were regrettable and offensive.

In his mea culpa, Phil said ... "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words," Mickelson said in his statement. "I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

He continued, "My intent was never to hurt anyone and I’m so sorry to the people I have negatively impacted. This has always been about supporting the players and the game and I appreciate all the people who have given me the benefit of the doubt."

Phil also hinted he could take a step away from the game for a while following the firestorm ... including the fact he "desperately" needs "some time away."

Fantastic news -- New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson's dad, Mitchell Jr., has been found safe ... after going missing for 2 weeks.

As we previously reported, the hooper pled for the public's help in searching for his dad, who was last seen on Feb. 11. in Pensacola, Florida.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Mitchell Jr. was found after he was pulled over for a traffic violation in Clayton, Missouri early Tuesday morning.

Clayton PD tell us the officers discovered Mitchell was listed as missing by Escambia County police after they ran his name through the system. CPD informed ECSO Mitchell was found safe and wasn’t a danger to himself ... and Mitchell was let go with a verbal warning.

It's a major sigh of relief -- the 2018 2nd-round pick had been posting on social media about the situation ... saying, "Don't know a place the devil will hide you ... Come home pops."

Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev had a simple, yet powerful message as his country and Ukraine collide on the world stage ... writing "no war please" on a camera following his match in Dubai.

Andrey -- the world's No.7 ranked tennis player -- knocked off his opponent, Hubert Hurkacz, on Friday ... and then made his mark for all to see.

Rublev spoke more in-depth about the conflict after the match ... saying, "You realize how important it is to have peace in the world and to respect each other no matter what, to be united."

"We should take care of our earth and of each other. This is the most important thing."

Rublev -- who's from Russia's capital city, Moscow -- says he's been receiving negative comments online because of the invasion in Ukraine.

Fellow tennis great Daniil Medvedev -- who's also from Russia -- spoke about the importance of using his platform to promote peace.

"By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world," Medvedev said. "It's just not easy to hear all this news. I'm all for peace."

But, despite the major accomplishment, Rublev expressed certain issues transcend the realm of sports -- and the situation in Ukraine is one of them.

"In these moments, you realize that my match is not important," Andrey said. "It's not about my match, how it affects me. What's happening is much more terrible."

A Los Angeles woman says she was unable to see her Rams hoist the Lombardi Trophy after spending nearly $9,000 on tickets to the Super Bowl ... claiming she suffered "life-altering injuries" during the big game -- and now she's suing SoFi Stadium.

Rams fan Lita Abella made the allegations in a lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- claiming she missed the rest of the game due to an incident in the third quarter.

In the docs, Abella claims she was sitting in her seat when she "suddenly, and without warning," felt a forcible blow to the back of her head.

Abella says the impact was so strong, it forced her out of her assigned seat and sent her flying into the back of another seat rows ahead.

In the suit, the woman alleges that a man lost his balance and fell after "high fiving" another man ... causing him to fall into where Abella had been sitting, which resulted in her face and head colliding with another seat.

The woman says she suffered gnarly injuries -- including a concussion, orbital fracture, fractured nose, and fractured shoulder -- and ended up missing the trophy ceremony because she was in the hospital.

Abella is accusing SoFi Stadium of negligence and premises liability -- saying the stadium was ultimately responsible for what she describes as the "dangerous and defectively planned" seating which led to her injuries.

She's suing for unspecified damages.

The Kid from Akron is getting his own museum in his hometown ... with the massive tribute coming to Ohio in 2023.

The LeBron James Family Foundation made the announcement on Friday via Instagram -- showing flicks of the 37-year-old standing in the soon-to-be exhibit.

"The story of King James will live on in Akron forever inside the one-and-only LeBron James Museum by Upper Deck Sports at House Three Thirty 👑."

The museum will be in the basement of the HFF -- a multi-use facility launched by the LBFF that offers financial health training, a sports complex, full-service dining and more for the community.

The exhibit will feature the journey of King James ... starting from the Springhill Apartments to becoming a 4-time NBA champion.

It will display his basketball awards at St. Vincent-St. Mary H.S., his "Decision" to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, his return to Ohio and more recently, his time with his current team, the L.A. Lakers.

His many off-court ventures will be focused on as well -- including the I Promise School, involvement in growing the Blaze Pizza franchise and his acting career.

"We can’t wait to bring the story of the kid from Akron to life for all to see in 2023. 🤴🏾"

Hopefully, they left some space for his retirement and his Hall of Fame induction ... and maybe a few more trophies?!

X-Pac is back!!

The 2x WWE Hall of Famer, who's been out of the squared circle for years, tells TMZ Sports he will wrestle Friday night under the independent promotion, Game Changer Wrestling.

"I'm returning to the ring for the first time in about 3 years," X-Pac told Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

Then the wrestling legend dropped this bomb ... "I had ACL surgery last year. I had a torn ACL for about 14 years."

X-Pac, government name Sean Waltman, has been living life with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Now that the injury was repaired, Waltman says he expects to put on a helluva show in the ring.

"This is my first match back where I can actually do some good, really good stuff in there."

And, X-Pac believes he's still got it ... but when he no longer does, that's when he'll walk away for good.

"I expect it to go well," he says, adding ... "and if it does, I'm going to have matches until I can't have good matches anymore."

X-Pac's been in the biz for over 30 years ... wrestling for everyone from WWF, WCW, WWE, and TNA, just to name a few.

He was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame twice -- once in 2013 and again in 2020 -- the second time around as a member of the wildly popular "NWO" faction.

The NWO AKA "New World Order" was a group that featured some of the industry's biggest stars -- Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall, also known as Razor Ramon.

Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley were spotted out together in Los Angeles earlier this week ... despite reports the world-famous couple broke off their engagement and called it quits on the relationship.

38-year-old Rodgers and 30-year-old Woodley were seen by a fan -- who posted about the encounter on Twitter -- at Erewhon market on Tuesday.

The couple/former couple sat down for breakfast, sitting outside at a table together, according to E! News. They didn't stay very long.

Seeing Aaron and Shailene together is surprising ... because they reportedly recently broke up after nearly 2 years of dating.

The couple announced they were engaged in February 2021.

At the time of the reported break up, People reported both were busy people and wanted to focus on their careers.

But, then Rodgers posted a mushy Instagram message about Woodley, writing ... "Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you."

Doesn't sound like a couple who's broken up.

The NFL MVP also went on Pat McAfee's show and continued to gush over Shailene ... while never directly saying whether they were still together.

So, they may be engaged ... or they may be broken up.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant's legacy continues to live on -- the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation released a hoodie celebrating the two this week ... and it sold it out in less than 24 minutes.

Thursday -- 02/24 -- was a symbolic day for the Bryant family because it features the jersey numbers Gigi and Kobe wore during their basketball career.

Vanessa Bryant says Champion donated the hoodies to support the Mamba & Mambacita Sports store launch ... and judging from how quickly they went, supporters couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

Vanessa says the hoodie is for a good cause ... with 100% of the proceeds going to support the Foundation's mission of creating equal opportunity for underserved boys and girls in athletics.

The MMSF Reverse Weave Pullover hoodie is all black ... and features the Mamba & Mambacita logo on the front in white.

The hood and sleeve feature the numbers 2, 8, and 24 ... commemorating each jersey number Kobe and Gigi wore when they hit the hardwood.

"Special thanks to Champion for donating this merchandise to our foundation," Vanessa wrote in a post on Instagram.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years. We are overwhelmed with gratitude. Our hoodie sold out in less than 24 minutes 🖤🤍."