TMZ Sports - Page 50

Huge victory for Novak Djokovic -- the Serbian tennis star is now expected to play in the French Open after French officials announced they will lift the country's vaccine passport mandate this month.

France had initially barred the unvaccinated from participating in events like the major tennis tournament ... citing health and safety reasons.

Of course, that rule was slated to preclude Djokovic from playing in May's tournament ... because, well, the guy is famously not vaccinated and said earlier this year he would absolutely miss any event that had a mandate in place.

But, officials announced Thursday the order is coming to an end on March 14 ... and with the tourney set to begin on May 22, Djokovic is now slated to, once again, be a participant.

It's a big deal for Djokovic ... because after he was barred from the Australian Open in January, Rafael Nadal ended up winning the tournament and overtaking Djokovic for most career majors with 21 total.

It's still unclear if 34-year-old Novak will be able to play in any other majors following the French Open -- mandates are still in place all over the globe.

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, is seriously regretting going under the knife to get a new set of boobs years ago ... saying her experience with the procedure was straight-up horrific.

Kelly detailed her journey on her "The Morning After" podcast this week ... saying she always wanted to have bigger knockers, so she saved up for years to make it happen.

"I just turned 19," Stafford said. "So I went and got a boob job."

Kelly -- who started dating the L.A. Rams QB at the Univ. of Georgia -- said her man was opposed to the move at the time, but she went ahead and did it anyway.

"He was like, 'Do not do it. Please don't do it,' and I was like, 'Listen, love you, but I've wanted this for a long time and this is about me, not about you.'"

Maybe Kelly should have taken his advice ... 'cause she said it ended up being the worst boob job ever.

"It was two balloons on my chest," Kelly said. "It was so, so bad."

Kelly said the botched job was so obvious, Detroit reporters caught on and believed that her then-Lions QB boyfriend must have paid for her implants -- which pissed her off.

"I am independent. I don't need him to buy my boobs. I bought these boobs."

Kelly added, "If he would've bought 'em, they would've been far better!"

Thankfully, the 32-year-old mother of 4 was able to get them "deflated" a year later, and then eventually redone altogether just a couple years ago.

"They were so bad that it was very evident ... like that looks real bad."

Kelly -- who married Matthew in 2015 -- says even though he was against it, he was very supportive and "sweet" throughout her struggles.

Former Ohio State star Shane Olivea -- who played for the San Diego Chargers after his time in Columbus -- died on Wednesday, his good friend and ex-Buckeye teammate Bobby Carpenter announced.

He was just 40 years old.

Carpenter did not reveal a cause of the death ... but said the former offensive lineman passed away at night.

"I'll never forget the kindness he showed to a young freshman who was clueless and didn't know anything about anything," Carpenter said in a statement on Twitter. "#RIPShane #Thankyou."

Olivea played for the Buckeyes from 2000 to 2003, and won a national championship with the team in 2002. He went on to get picked by the Chargers in the seventh round of the '04 draft, and started 57 games for the Bolts from 2004 to 2007.

Sadly, an addiction to pain killers ended up derailing his career following the '07 season. Olivea had said to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 that his addiction during his playing days was so bad, doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive.

Olivea went to rehab and eventually got better, and he later said he had aspirations of coaching football and mentoring kids.

"Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea," ex-NFL O-lineman Roman Oben said on Twitter after learning of the news. "Praying for his family today."

"In 2022 I'm gonna shock the world. July, International Fight Week, I'm gonna fight Leon Edwards. God willing I get through Leon Edwards, September, Mexican Independence Day, I will stop Canelo Alvarez."

That's UFC superstar Kamaru Usman -- the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport -- manifesting a super fight with the world's top boxer ... a fight the Nigerian Nightmare tells us could earn him and Canelo over $100,000,000 EACH!

34-year-old Usman hasn't lost in almost 9 years ... and has beat the very best fighters in the world in the Octagon. We're talking Colby Covington (twice), Jorge Masvidal (twice), Gilbert Burns, and Tyron Woodley, just to name a few.

Over the last two years, Usman has made it clear he wants to box Canelo ... pitting the two top P4P fighters against each other.

Until yesterday, 31-year-old Alvarez was dismissive of a fight with Usman, previously telling us he wasn't interested in the fight 'cause he didn't believe it'd add to his resume.

But, seems Canelo had a change of heart on Wednesday ... when Ariel Helwani asked boxing Kamaru, Alvarez answered, "Payday. He wants a payday, I know. But maybe, maybe, why not? You never say no, right?"

Speaking of paydays -- we asked Kamaru how much money the fighters could make ... and he believes it'd be one of the highest-paying combat events ever.

"We talking 9 figures, for sure," Usman says.

But, Usman isn't calling his shot just to inflate his bank account ... he truly believes he can and will beat Alvarez, despite knowing most people will say he can't cross sports and beat the best.

Usman doesn't care.

"Absolutely I see myself winning the fight," Kamaru says, later adding ..."Everything can't be done until it's done."

Canelo has a fight on May 7 against Dmitry Bivol. There's also reportedly talk about a third fight with Gennady Golovkin that would take place in September.

The GGG fight would obviously throw a wrench in Usman's plan to hold the boxing match in September ... but they'd simply have to pick a later date.

WWE is taking a stand against Russia -- Vince McMahon's organization just announced it is cutting all ties to the country amid the invasion of Ukraine.

WWE made the move official on Thursday ... saying its programs will no longer be shown on Russian broadcast partner Match as a response to Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine.

"WWE has terminated its partnership with Russian broadcaster Match and shut down WWE Network in Russia effective immediately," the company said in a statement.

The decision to end the business relationship with Match is a major loss for the Russian company ... as it will no longer have access to any of the promotion's weekly programming -- including Raw, Smackdown, NXT shows, and WWE's on-demand library.

The move also means WrestleMania 38 -- the Super Bowl of wrestling -- will not air in Russia ... which is set to take place in Dallas this year on April 2 and 3.

WWE has a huge following in Russia ... but it's clear Vince wanted to send a message.

The New Orleans Pelicans showed their support for Ukraine on Wednesday -- donning all yellow socks during their game against the Sacramento Kings to raise awareness.

Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and the rest of the squad showed up to their homecourt in New Orleans with the socks on ... and said afterward it was all in an effort to show solidarity with the country as it's in the throes of war with Russia.

"It's tough to talk about that topic," said Jonas Valanciunas, who is from Lithuania. "It's a big mess. We're just trying to bring more attention."

"The enemy still out there," JV added. "Innocent people still dying. The whole world talking about sanctions, support, prayers, but something else has to be done because the war is still going on."

He continued, "Attention has to be brought to Ukraine people."

The socks ended up being good luck for the Pelicans ... as they won the game 125 to 95. Valanciunas scored 17 in the contest and added 14 rebounds.

Blood. Everywhere.

CM Punk was oozing from the forehead and hanging from the ropes during AEW Dynamite on Wednesday ... and it was all at the hands of his fan-turned-nemesis MJF!!

The two wrestling superstars met ahead of their big dog collar match at Revolution on Sunday ... and it was anything but civil.

For those who haven't been keeping up with the epic feud, MJF recently handed his former idol his first-ever loss in AEW ... and they've traded insults back and forth ever since.

MJF had previously opened up about how he worshiped Punk as a kid and was so hurt when he quit wrestling ... even shedding a tear as he talked.

Fast forward to Wednesday, when Punk tried to extend an olive branch over the situation -- which was met with a kick in the nuts and a piledriver.

Real soap opera stuff.

But, MJF didn't stop there -- he then punched Punk in the head with his Dynamite Diamond Ring ... causing him to gush blood everywhere.

"You stupid, stupid old man," MJF said in Punk's face. "I'm a snake. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist."

"And this Sunday at Revolution, I'm going to show you and all these mindless sheep that I am the devil himself."

Punk was then pulled up on the rope by the chain and collar attached to his neck ... visibly struggling as Shawn Spears continued to yank.

Russian billionaire Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has announced he's selling his beloved soccer team ... and, in a surprising move, he said he'll donate all of the proceeds to victims of the war in Ukraine.

The soccer club's boss explained his decision in a statement Wednesday ... saying he believes unloading the team is in "the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club's sponsors and partners."

In his statement, Abramovich said the net dollars from the sale will go to Ukrainian relief efforts ... adding he hopes the funds will help war victims as well as "the long-term work of recovery."

The news comes on the heels of Abramovich -- an oligarch --  reportedly being pressured to sell the team due to his rumored ties to Vladimir Putin.

The oligarch has been friendly with the Russian leader for years ... and with many pushing for sanctions for those who might have the ear of Putin, some believed Abramovich's soccer club was on the verge of being seized.

Experts expect Chelsea FC to sell for around $3 billion ... and given that Abramovich bought the team in 2003 for around $200 million, hundreds of millions of dollars could soon be on the way to Ukraine.

Legendary college hoops coach Jim Boeheim says his wife, Juli Boeheim, is still "shook up" days after she was robbed at gunpoint in New York.

Boeheim joined Syracuse commentator Brent Axe's radio show on ESPN on Wednesday, where Axe asked Jim how his wife was doing following her traumatic ordeal.

"She's definitely shook up," Boeheim said. "I mean, this isn't television. It's not movies. It's real life."

The Syracuse men's basketball coach told the ESPN host that Juli is handling the situation better than most people would, but it's still not easy for her.

"She's a little shook," Jim said, "but I think she's doing much better than could be expected."

As we reported, law enforcement said Juli was sitting in her car in the Destiny USA parking lot in New York around 2 PM on Monday, when a "juvenile looking male" approached her, pointed a gun at her, and then grabbed her purse before running away.

The Syracuse Police Department confirmed that officers responded to the parking lot a short time later for a report of a 55-year-old woman who was robbed.

Fortunately, Juli did not sustain any injuries in the incident, and Jim says she was actually more concerned about the kid's well-being than her own.

"Her main thought was, 'Let's help this kid,'" the hoops coach said. "That's what she does and what we do with our foundation is try to help these kids."

"Keep fighting boys! Never surrender!"

That's heavyweight champion Tyson Fury addressing Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion of Ukraine ... voicing support for star boxers like Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, Wladimir Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old boxing superstar about the unprovoked war ... and the "Gypsy King" even said if the fight came to the US or UK, he'd be right there, gun in hand.

"Two laws, love your woman and fight for your country. So they should be fighting for their country. Why not? If the war comes to the United States or United Kingdom, then I'll be joining. Don't worry about that. We all will! Why ain't we gonna defend our own land? C'mon, behave yourself."

Some people have been surprised the boxers -- who are all famous and wealthy -- have put themselves at great risk of harm or death by fighting Putin's forces.

But, Tyson makes a great point to rebut the notion the boxers are risking too much by fighting alongside the military.

"What's money got to do with it? You got no homeland to go back to, all the money in the world's no good to you. You can't spend it."

We also talked about more optimistic topics ... like Fury's return to the ring!

Of course, Tyson is just a few months removed from his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder. The first fight was a draw ... and TF won the last 2 bouts by knockout.

Now, Fury is set to take on fellow UK star, Dillian Whyte on April 23 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Just hours after Cain Velasquez was hit with 10 criminal charges on Wednesday stemming from his alleged role in a Monday shooting ... he appeared in a courtroom in shackles.

Velasquez was flanked by an officer and wore a COVID mask ... and looked stern as he faced the judge.

According to sources close to the UFC legend, he was not granted bail at the hearing ... and instead will now be forced to remain in custody until his next court date next week.

As we reported, prosecutors hit Velasquez with one count of felony attempted murder and several other charges after they alleged he tried to a kill man who has been accused of molesting one of his close relatives.

In court docs, officials say Velasquez opened fire on the man and his family members as they were driving in San Jose on Monday afternoon.

Velasquez has yet to publicly issue any comment on the situation -- and he did not enter a plea at Wednesday's hearing.

Many of Velasquez's peers in the fighting world have thrown their support behind the UFC legend following his arrest, with Derek Brunson even making T-shirts to try to raise money for Cain's legal fees.

This is amazing.

The college hoops community is stepping up and helping Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler's family in a big way ... by raising more than $200,000 after his family home was destroyed in a fire.

The unfortunate incident happened last month -- Zeigler's family apartment home, in Queens NY, was left dismantled after a fire started on the second floor of the 3-story building.

Thankfully, his family escaped safely ... but Zeigler's mother, Charmane, and his special-needs 4-year-old nephew, Nori, lost all of their belongings -- including his nephew's wheelchair, splints and other equipment.

The Vols sprang into action to help out -- starting a GoFundMe with a goal of $50k for "relief and recovery" for the freshman guard's family and Nori's care.

"Our administration did a terrific job. Once they got the news they jumped on it and got after it," Vols head coach Rick Barnes said of the gesture.

"Been doing what they have to do to get things in order so that we can help."

But, what's even better?? Within just a few hours after the fund went up, thousands of people donated -- raising over $200k!!

"The outpouring of support has been unbelievable!" Zeigler said Wednesday on Twitter, "We’ll get through this. All love, #VolNation!!"

Fighters across the UFC are throwing their support behind Cain Velasquez following his arrest on Monday ... with Derek Brunson even making "Free Cain Velasquez" shirts to try to help pay for the MMA legend's legal fees.

Brunson announced the creation of the tees and the sale on his social media page on Wednesday ... explaining 50% of the profits would go toward helping Velasquez foot his legal bills.

The shirts -- which come in white, blue, red, grey and green -- have a $27.99 price tag.

Brunson actually modeled the shirt when announcing the sale -- posting a photo of him in the tee with the caption, "We support you @cainmma."

As we reported, Cain has been hit with 10 charges -- including felony attempted murder -- after officials say he tried to shoot a man in San Jose who was accused of molesting one of Velasquez's close family members.

Velasquez has been in a jail cell since Monday evening ... though he's slated to appear in front of a judge on Wednesday afternoon and could be released following the hearing.

Mike Trout -- arguably the best player in Major League Baseball -- is fed up with the lockout ... blasting the league for refusing to come to an agreement with the players and canceling games instead.

"I want to play," Trout said Wednesday. "I love this game. But I know we need to get this (collective bargaining agreement) right."

"Instead of negotiating a deal, Rob canceled games."

Trout went on ... "Players stand together. For our game, for our fans, and for every player who comes after us."

"We owe it to the next generation."

Of course, Mike is referring to Rob Manfred's decision to cancel the first two series of the MLB season ... after the league and MLBPA failed to ratify the CBA.

The commissioner's decision to cancel games at the beginning of the season comes after the league and the players couldn't reach a resolution after a week of negotiations.

Some of the game's biggest names weighed in on the lockout, with newly acquired Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman calling the commish "Manclown."

Anthony Rizzo -- who spent 8 seasons with the Cubs, but is now a free agent -- said, "To the fans we will miss you most. To the younger generation of baseball players, this is for you."

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer -- a Cardinal goalkeeper and a team captain -- has tragically died, the school announced Tuesday.

She was only 22 years old. No cause of death was revealed.

"Please join us in offering our deepest condolences to her parents and sisters," university officials said of Meyer in a statement. "We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's friends, hallmates, classmates, teammates, faculty and coaches."

School officials added that counseling has been made available all over campus to students and others who are grieving the loss.

Meyer -- described by the school as "a bright shining light for so many" -- was one of the Cardinal's best players ... and had helped the team win the NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

During that title game against North Carolina, she made two massive saves to help secure the victory. Her celebration afterward went viral.

Meyer was slated to be a redshirt senior on Stanford's team this season.

Whaddaya do when you win the Super Bowl??

You get all your friends together on a yacht and head to Cabo, of course!!

L.A. Rams head coach Sean McVay did just that this week -- boarding a $15k-a-night boat and having the time of his life ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

36-year-old McVay, his fiancée, Veronika Khomyn, and their closest friends made the trip down to Mexico and partied it up on a 75-foot Sunseeker called Sea La Vie.

McVay quickly ditched his shirt for the occasion ... showing off his impressive build as he soaked in the rays before riding around on a jet ski.

Sean has a lot to celebrate -- he is fresh off leading the Rams to a Super Bowl win over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals ... becoming the youngest head coach to win it all.

On top of that, pretty much every major network wants him to leave his coaching gig to start a career in the broadcast booth ... reportedly being offered insane checks in the process.