TMZ Sports - Page 50

Love him or hate him, Jackson Mahomes had the crowd buzzing at the Justin Bieber concert on Tuesday ... with fans rushing over to get a pic with the NFL superstar's brother.

The 21-year-old TikTok star showed up at Crypto.com Arena right before the "Peaches" singer took the stage for his second L.A. show this week ... and was immediately met with a swarm of concert-goers asking for a selfie.

We're told Jackson was happy to fulfill all the requests and was polite to all the fans before making his way to his floor seat.

Mahomes has been a polarizing figure recently -- getting backlash for dumping water on Ravens fans and dancing on a tribute to late NFL legend Sean Taylor.

He's also been accused of clout-chasing by a local K.C. bar and scamming a care package out of a snack company ... which he's publicly denied.

As for the concert, Mahomes got to watch Biebs sing and dance his ass off for more than an hour and a half ... including a special guest appearance by The Kid Laroi, who joined JB to perform their hit, "Stay."

The NEC men's hoops championship game on Tuesday night turned ugly ... after a shirtless fan escalated a huge skirmish in the stands by throwing his drink on another man.

The wild scene all went down with just minutes left in the Bryant vs. Wagner tilt in Rhode Island ... when Bryant fans appeared to get into it with Wagner supporters.

Broadcast cameras captured the scuffle in the seats ... and you can see, punches were thrown -- before a fan with no top on chucked the remnants of his drink at another man.

It looked like a couple Wagner players tried to jump into the fracas too -- but fortunately, it seemed they were all held back before they could get physically involved.

The game was delayed roughly half an hour over the melee ... and one Wagner player, guard Will Martinez, was ejected after video replays showed he was trying to race into the stands.

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed ... and Bryant went on to win the game easily, securing the championship and locking down its first-ever trip to this month's NCAA tournament.

From Super Bowl champion ... to champion of beers?!

Troy Aikman tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to do just that ... explaining he's hoping his new, ultra-healthy beer line he's launched shakes up the booze industry.

The Dallas Cowboys legend and three-time SB winner is still super fit at 55 years old ... and when he set out to create a new line of suds recently, he wanted to make sure it matched his healthy lifestyle.

So, Troy tells us he spent loads of time perfecting the ingredients and the taste -- and he ultimately came up with "Eight" beer, which he says is now one of the best products on the market for health nuts looking to enjoy the occasional glass or two.

"It's a lifestyle brand is what it is," Troy said of the beer. "I work out. I'm very mindful of my health and wellness and what I put in my body, but yet I also feel that there are moments in life -- times with friends and family -- that need to be celebrated."

"This beer doesn't compromise all the hard work and effort that's put in during the week, and that's why I like it."

Troy tells us there's no adjuncts in the booze -- it's free of corn, rice, syrups and extra sugars -- saying it's made of simply "100 percent organic grains."

Troy says the can -- which has a cool design that's a nod to his old jersey number -- comes with just 90 calories and 2.6 carbs.

Aikman says the beer is only available in a few restaurants and bars in Texas for now -- though it'll hit store shelves in the Lone Star State beginning in April.

And, if it all goes well after that, Troy tells us his fingers are crossed that it goes nationwide at some point.

"I sure hope we do," Aikman said. "I hope we do. That'd be a good conversation."

Full interview airs tonight on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 ... where Aikman talks the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade, Calvin Ridley's suspension for betting on football, and Aaron Rodgers returning to the Packers.

Queretaro, the Mexican soccer team who played host to one of the craziest brawls in recent sports history, was just hit with severe punishment for Saturday's incident ... and will now have to play games in an empty stadium for a year.

As we previously reported, dozens of people were injured, some severely, after a melee broke out during the Queretaro vs. Atlas soccer game at Estadio Corregidora last weekend.

After an investigation, officials in Mexico handed down the punishment on Tuesday ... and they didn't take it easy.

The current Queretaro ownership group has been banned from the league for 5 years ... and the club's previous owners, Grupo Caliente, will lead the charge in finding a new group to purchase the team. If Grupo Caliente can't find a buyer, Liga MX will take over the reins.

On top of the change in ownership, Queretaro will be forced to pay $1.5 million pesos ($70,000) in fines.

The scene was brutal -- fans began fighting in the stands during the match ... and it eventually spilled onto the field, causing the officials to stop the game.

Awful news from Tony Hawk -- the skate legend says he suffered a broken leg on Monday ... and it's so severe, he may never get back to 100% again.

The 53-year-old opened up about the setback in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday ... saying he's going to do whatever it takes to get back on the board again -- but it's not going to be easy.

"Yesterday sucked," Hawk said. "I broke my elbow 20 years ago and managed to make a full comeback; this recovery for a broken femur will be much harder because of its severity (and my age). But I’m up for the challenge."

We're told the injury happened while Tony was skating ... but unclear what exactly went down.

Tony says there's a bit of irony surrounding the accident, as it happened right before the release of HBO's "Until The Wheels Fall Off" ... a doc that details how and why he's continued to skate into his 50s.

Hawk has previously vowed to keep skating until he literally cannot anymore ... and says this injury will be the biggest threat to his ability to continue the sport he loves.

Despite the serious injury, Hawk's already planning his comeback ... and posted incredibly impressive visual proof of that with a pic and video showing him putting weight on the broken leg just one day later!!

Get well soon, Hawk.

Russell Westbrook says he's done with fans calling him "Westbrick" ... telling reporters Monday night the taunt is now deeply affecting him, his kids and everyone else he closely associates with.

"A lot of times, I let it slide," the L.A. Lakers superstar said following his team's loss to the Spurs in San Antonio. "But now it's time to put a stop to that and put it on notice."

Westbrook has heard the heckle repeatedly this year -- both at home and on the road -- after he's struggled to put up good performances for L.A. on a consistent basis.

Now, though, he said it's gotten so bad ... he's worried about the potential impact it's having on him and his family -- and he says he's going to do everything in his power to stop it.

"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son," said Westbrook, following a a game in which he had 17 points and five turnovers. "And, the teacher told me, '[My son] Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.''"

"And, I kind of sat there in shock," Westbrook added. "And, it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to call me Westbrick].'"

Russ was seen Monday night in San Antonio appearing to shut down the taunt from a courtside fan, yelling at the person from the baseline, "Don't disrespect my name!"

"Every time I do hear it now," Russ said of the taunting, "I will make sure that I address it and make sure I nip that in the bud."

Westbrook's wife, meanwhile, has also urged fans to stop with the jeers ... urging people in a series of tweets this week to cool it -- claiming their family has even gotten death threats over the course of the season.

Dick Vitale just scored the first win of March Madness -- the legendary college hoops analyst announced that his recent scans came back clean ... meaning he's cancer-free!!!

Dickie V got his positron emission tomography (PET) scans done on Tuesday ... a procedure that detects early signs of cancer and other diseases.

While he waited for his results, Vitale admitted he was nervous ... and asked his fanbase to send thoughts and prayers.

The good vibes certainly helped ... 'cause the 82-year-old revealed the scans showed no signs of cancer!!

"OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of (you) have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing," Vitale said on Twitter.

This is great news for Dickie V, who has been challenged with two types of cancer recently -- in the last year, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and melanoma.

Dickie V also had vocal cord surgery last month and was ordered to be on voice rest.

Throughout his journey, he's received nothing but support from fans ... getting an emotional standing ovation in December at the Baylor vs. Villanova game.

"I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer," Vitale added.

"My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby!"

Now, Vitale gets to rest up and recover in time for the 2022-23 season ... and hoops fans will be more than happy to have him back.

If there was any doubt Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley were back together, this should erase it -- the couple was seen Monday after landing in south Florida, walking side-by-side away from a private jet.

38-year-old Rodgers and 30-year-old Woodley were photographed getting off the PJ in Palm Beach ... where we're told they only stayed for about 5 hours, before departing on the jet.

It's unclear why they were in town.

Aaron and Shailene aren't exactly packing on the PDA -- there's no hand-holding, kissing or even smiling -- but let's be real, they've been inseparable in the weeks following reports of their breakup.

AR and SW attended David Bakhtiari's wedding together (Aaron officiated the ceremony). They were also recently seen at a food market in Los Angeles.

Throw in Aaron's mushy Instagram post a few weeks back ... and it's clear the couple has rekindled their romance.

Arron and Shailene began dating in mid-2020 ... shortly after Rodgers broke up with Danica Patrick.

The back-to-back NFL MVP shocked many people when he announced they were engaged during the NFL's award show in 2021.

Russell Wilson's days in Seattle are over ... the Seahawks have just agreed to trade the star quarterback to the Denver Broncos.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero just broke the news ... saying the 'Hawks received a "massive haul" of draft picks and players to make the move.

The Broncos celebrated the impending deal with a hilarious Tom Hanks "Wilson!" GIF just minutes after the report dropped.

Unclear on how many first-rounders the Seahawks will receive in the deal or which players will be sent over for the quarterback ... but Pelissero reported QB Drew Lock will be at least one of the players headed to the Pacific Northwest in the trade.

Wilson was initially picked by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft ... and he went on to become arguably the franchise's best QB ever.

The 33-year-old won one Super Bowl with the team and made nine Pro Bowls ... and he also piled up a 104-53-1 record in 10 seasons.

Wilson had said just days ago that he was happy in Seattle -- explaining during an interview with "Today" that he thought the city was "great." Wilson, though, had reportedly been looking into a trade for a while, reportedly at one point targeting the Bears, Cowboys, Raiders and Saints as possible next destinations.

No word yet on how his wife, Ciara, feels about the move ... but somebody needs to check on huge Seahawks/Russ fan Joel McHale ASAP!!

Brittney Griner's alleged mug shot was shared by Russian State media, marking the first time the WNBA star has been seen "publicly" since her detainment in February.

The 31-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury was taken into custody last month at an airport near Moscow ... after Russian customs officials claim a drug dog alerted to her carry-on luggage, which allegedly contained hashish oil (for a vape).

Russian officials say they've launched a drug trafficking investigation ... and if convicted, Griner could face a decade behind bars in Russia.

Russia's state-owned news channel, Russia 24, aired a photo of Griner's mug shot. State media reported the booking photo was taken at a Russian police station, according to CNN.

The mug shot is significant because Griner has not been seen or heard from publicly in weeks.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for the WNBA superstar. Russia is in the midst of a full-out assault on Ukraine, and the United States and many other countries have sanctioned the Russian government, seriously ratcheting up tensions.

Now, the Russian government has a high-profile American prisoner ... and could become a pawn or bargaining chip for Putin.

As for the efforts to bring Brittney home -- we recently spoke with longtime U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham who told us the State Dept. is doing everything in its power to return the star hooper to her family and friends in the States.

Deion Sanders ended up losing two toes in his battle to recover from foot surgery, the NFL legend announced in an emotional Instagram post on Tuesday.

Previewing the next episode of his "Coach Prime" documentary with Barstool Sports and SMAC Productions on his social media page ... Sanders revealed the big toe and the second toe on his left foot had to be surgically removed several weeks ago.

Sanders showed the mangled foot in the doc's video teaser ... writing in the caption, "I endured a lot while I was in the hospital during our historic season but I am so thankful for GOD being there to help pull me through."

As we reported ... Sanders initially had surgery to fix a longtime foot injury back in the fall, but his recovery process never quite got on track.

Sanders struggled to get his foot to heal -- and he needed a wheelchair and a scooter to get around for months.

The former Dallas Cowboys cornerback said he ultimately required 8 surgeries to try to get the foot right ... and it's clear, one of those procedures included cutting off two digits from his left foot.

Breathe easy, Green Bay ... Aaron Rodgers is coming back.

The star quarterback's BFF Pat McAfee just announced the news ... saying, according to sources, Rodgers is slated to return to the Packers for at least the 2022 season.

McAfee said the 38-year-old seriously considered retirement -- but ultimately chose to return to Wisconsin after all.

McAfee added that reports of a new, mega, 4-year, $200 MILLION contract for the QB were "not accurate" -- though the ex-NFL player did not elaborate on what Rodgers' new deal (if there is one) will be.

As we reported, Rodgers had been feuding with Green Bay brass prior to the 2021 season -- upset over a variety of personnel moves -- and many felt it would ultimately be his final one in the green and yellow.

But, the two sides appeared to build a bridge throughout the 17-game season ... and Rodgers seemed much happier with the org. in recent months.

Rodgers is coming off his second straight MVP award -- and his recommitment to the team is expected to sway star receiver Davante Adams to return as well.

Ukrainian Anastasiia Laletina pulled out of a major event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games on Tuesday ... after an official says her father was captured by Russian troops back home.

Team spokeswoman Natalia Harach said the 19-year-old's dad -- a soldier in the Ukrainian army -- was taken and beaten ... and Laletina was so understandably shaken up over it all, she withdrew from the middle distance sitting para biathlon.

Harach added Laletina, a nordic skier, did receive care from a team doctor after she learned of the horrifying news.

"She was very upset," Harach told media members Tuesday, "and couldn't take part in the race."

Laletina is still scheduled, for now, to compete in another skiing race at the Games. It's unclear what the status is of her father at the moment.

Ukraine has sent over nearly two dozen athletes to compete in the Games despite the ongoing conflict with Russia ... and the competitors have found big success.

Renato Moicano says he's happy the ref didn't stop his co-main event fight with Rafael dos Anjos, despite receiving a beating for much of the UFC 272 match, 'cause he got to test himself in the harshest conditions ... and he'd do it all over again if asked!

"I'm really thankful that the judge didn't stop the fight because otherwise, I would not know what I'm made of. I always try to go forward, I always try to fight back and for me, it was perfect. The referee did his job, it was a great job."

32-year-old Moicano is a bad man. He's beaten the likes of Jeremy Stephens, Cub Swanson and Calvin Kattar. He stepped up to fight a 5 round fight against RDA -- a future Hall of Famer -- on 5 days' notice, and lost a unanimous decision Saturday night.

But, that doesn't tell the whole story. RDA was dominating the fight, and the commentary team and fans and fighters on social media said the fight should've been stopped.

At least twice the ringside doctor examined Moicano's eye, but told ref Marc Goddard the fight could go on. Goddard also warned Renato to pick up the pace or he was calling the fight.

"For me, the referee did his job. Was a great job," Moicano said of Marc.

About the eye -- which looked terrible during the fight -- we asked Renato if it hurt him a day and a half later.

"No, I'm not feeling pain. It's just black, you know?"

In the late stages of the final round of the fight, Moicano somehow mounted an offensive, landing heavy shots on RDA as the fight came to a close.

Renato says because of the short notice, he wasn't fully prepared for the fight. He says he was actually on vacation, eating and drinking good,

"I flew straight to Brazil, and I was enjoying my vacation. You know, drink some beers, eat some steaks. But, the opportunity shows up, and when an opportunity like that shows up you have to give it a try, and I was ready to beat him. His game plan was better than mine."

Ja Morant should be the next hooper-turned-Hollywood actor ... so says Kenny "The Jet" Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the Grizzlies star would be perfect alongside Jack Harlow in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot.

As we previously reported, the "Nail Tech" rapper was announced as the lead actor in the new project ... taking on Woody Harrelson's role of Billy Hoyle.

While Harlow's costar has not yet been announced, we asked Kenny who should be the modern-day Sidney Deane ... and he's got a great idea.

"They should get a current young player," Smith tells us. "They should get Ja Morant."

"They get Ja Morant to do that. No question. Hey, production credit!!"

Not only does Smith praise Morant as his pick for Sidney Deane, he also gives him credit for his success on the court this season ... and thinks he deserves to be in the race for MVP.

"He's in the conversation, but I think Joel [Embiid] is still gonna win it. But, he is right behind him. They are a contender."

Morant is balling out this season -- averaging 27.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists a game -- and if his success spills over to the silver screen with "WMCJ," Smith says he needs a shoutout.

Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia is drawing a strong reaction from the family of a U.S. Marine who's also imprisoned there ... and they're not buying what the Russians are selling.

The family of Trevor Reed, a retired Marine from Texas who's been locked up in Russia since 2019, is "highly skeptical" of the allegations surrounding Brittney, because they've seen the Russians fabricate criminal cases.

That's why Reed's family rep, Jonathan Franks, tells us the family believes the claim Brittney was traveling with hashish oil could be totally bogus ... and they're accusing the Russians of manufacturing criminal charges against other Americans, including Trevor.

As we reported, Russian officials have opened up a drug trafficking investigation after customs officials at an airport near Moscow claimed to have found vape cartridges in Brittney's carry-on.

Franks says he'd bet his car Griner was NOT in possession of cannabis, and the facts surrounding Trevor's case might explain why.

For those who don't know, Trevor was convicted in July 2020 and sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison for allegedly endangering the life and health of Russian police officers during an altercation in Moscow.

The U.S. ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, says the alleged crime never happened and has even described Trevor's case as "theater of the absurd."

The Reeds deny the allegations against Trevor, and recognize Brittney's situation as tragic. We're told they hope her circumstances, and Trevor's, will wake up folks to the danger of being an American in Russia.

We're told Trevor's loved ones are reaching out to Brittney's family ... offering to provide any support and insight from their dealings with Russia.

Sen. Lindsey Graham told us the State Dept. is working on securing Brittney's release ... and the Reeds say Trevor could use help too, because he might have been exposed to tuberculosis in prison.