TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ben Roethlisberger spent most of his career beating the Cincinnati Bengals -- but it turns out, The Tiger King is still a huge fan!!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Joe Exotic has written a letter to Big Ben from prison, asking the Pittsburgh Steelers star for his autograph.

Exotic's lawyer, John M. Phillips, tells us the 59-year-old penned the note just recently.

In his letter, Exotic told the future Hall of Famer that he needed a signature from Ben so he could gift it to his stepson for a birthday present.

"I promised him an autographed jersey by you because he thinks you are the s*** and he holds you on a pretty big pedestal," said Joe, who's been in prison since 2019 after he allegedly tried to hire men to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.

"There is one on eBay, but I don't have the $600 to buy it for his birthday. My fans helped get everything else he wanted. I'm just missing your jersey."

Joe ended his note by pleading for Ben to honor his request -- saying, "Can you help a man out that is fighting for his own freedom? Every kid needs a hero and you are his!"

WWE Superstar Carmella and WWE commentator Corey Graves tied the knot, getting married in front of friends and fellow wrestling stars -- and the ceremony looked amazing!!

Carmella and Corey said their "I dos" together in Florida on Thursday ... after the couple got engaged last year.

Carmella shared a photo of her and Graves from the ceremony ... where she was wearing an all-white dress, while Corey rocked an all-black suit.

"The best day of my life," Carmella captioned the pic of her and Graves.

The lovebirds jumped the broom in front of a star-studded group including some of WWE and AEW's biggest names.

On tap to witness the matrimony was a slate of wrestling VIPs -- AEW star Jon Moxley and his wife, Renee Paquette, were there ... as well as WWE Superstars Natalya, Tamina, Bayley, Liv Morgan, Sonya Deville, and Happy Corbin.

In vintage Moxley fashion, "The Lunatic Fringe" showed up wearing an all-black get-up -- black leather jacket, black pants, black boots -- and a black Cincinnati Bengals shirt underneath it all.

Glad to see Jon dressed for the occasion. 😅

But, in all seriousness, the guests looked awesome, and everybody was all smiles as they celebrated the couple's momentous occasion.

Now, word is the couple is headed to Hawaii for their honeymoon.

Khloe Kardashian is in no mood for criticism on how she cares for her daughter, and she's now telling critics to worry about their own kids ... not hers.

Khloe was front and center at the premiere of the Kardashian's Hulu series Thursday, and she brought 3-year-old True along for the ride. Khloe was holding her kid for a time, and, of course, the Twitter mob dragged her because they felt the kid was too old to be held.

Khloe just responded ... "For the people who comment that I hold True too much… number 1 I'm gonna hold my baby until I can't hold her anymore."

She went on to say she had good reason to hold her daughter ... there was a flood of flashbulbs, lots of screaming and a crush of people all around her.

Khloe ended with a fair shot ... "Worry about your own children. We good over here".

Tom Segura is opening up on the awful injury he suffered while playing basketball in 2020 ... saying the damage was so bad, he couldn't even wipe his own ass.

The 42-year-old comedian ruined his arm and leg while attempting a dunk during a hoops sesh with fellow funny guy Bert Kreischer ... and if you haven't seen the video yet -- it's worse than you could ever imagine.

But, if you REALLY wanna check it out, click here -- but you've been warned. IT. IS. BAD!!!

In fact, Segura even needed a nerve transfer to help fix his arm ... after he already had pins and screws put in.

Segura joined Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" to break down the days following the incident ... saying he couldn't even feel his leg injury because his brain was focused on his arm.

"I was just like, 'Oh my God, my arm is so f***ed,'" Segura said. "And it was shattered. So I was just like, 'Goddammit.' And they were just giving me f***ing Dilaudid into my neck. I was like, 'Give me more!!'"

But, the severe pain medication -- along with a nerve blocker in his leg -- came with some crappy consequences ... and Segura gave every detail about the "assistance" he needed from nurses in order to go #2 at the hospital.

Yeah ... we're not going to put it into writing, but you can use your imagination or check out the clip.

However, Segura said he couldn't even wipe his tush on his own when he WAS able to take care of business ... and shared the hilarious reaction one nurse had when he found out what he was going to have to do to help out.

Devastating news for Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ... his older brother was tragically found dead by police on Tuesday inside of a Virginia home.

He was only 23 years old.

Hampton Police say officers responded to a 9:57 AM call on Tuesday about a deceased person at the 400 block of Lake Tower Drive (one hour east of Richmond, VA).

When authorities arrived on scene, they said they found a dead body inside the residence ... as well as evidence of a fire.

Police announced on Wednesday they ID'ed the victim as Jeremiah's brother, Joshua Emmanuel Owusu-Koramoah. Authorities added they are now investigating the death as a homicide.

22-year-old Jeremiah -- who is currently in Ghana hosting an NFL in Africa football camp -- played football at Bethel High School in Hampton with Joshua.

While Jeremiah ended up going to Notre Dame -- and becoming the Browns' 2nd-round pick in the 2021 draft -- Joshua played three seasons (2016-2018) as a reserve linebacker at William & Mary, where he majored in chemistry.

"Our sympathies are with the Owusu-Koramoah family," the W&M football team said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Joshua's loss will be felt by the many individuals in our athletics program and campus community whose lives he touched with his kindness and caring."

Joshua was a science teacher at Hampton Christian High School, according to his friend Drew Barker, who told the Daily Press he knew something was wrong earlier this week when Joshua stopped responding to his messages.

"It was automatically heartbreaking when he wasn’t answering phone calls, because he was the most punctual, respectful, humble and reliable person I know," Barker said.

"We tried to hold out hope as long as we could. When we found out it was him, it was demoralizing trying to figure out how this happened.”

Police say the homicide investigation is ongoing and "there is no additional information to release at this time."

RIP

British Cycling is now banning transgender athletes from participating in their races ... just a week after trans cyclist Emily Bridges was disqualified from the women's championship.

It's a bit surprising because British Cycling has a Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy that seemingly allows trans cyclists to compete.

But, since the incident with Bridges -- when the Union Cycliste Internationale banned her from the April 2 race because she was registered as a male cyclist -- the board voted this week to suspend the policy.

"As a result of this, on Wednesday 6 April the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favor of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks," BC said in a statement.

British Cycling says its initial policy is "unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing."

Bridges' mother was not happy when she received the ruling via email ... saying on Twitter, "Dumped by email."

"We've just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point during the next 24 hrs."

British Cycling says they will work "tirelessly" to make sure their new policy remains "free of hate, discrimination and abuse in all forms, and that we prioritize the welfare of riders, volunteers, event organizers, commissaries and others that our sport can’t continue without."

"As an organization, we remain committed to ensuring that transgender and non-binary people are welcomed, supported and celebrated in the cycling community, and the inclusion of these groups within non-competitive activities remains unaffected by the suspension."

Jamal Crawford missed some key shots over his amazing NBA career -- but none was more expensive than the one he bricked on the set of "Inside the NBA" on Thursday night ...

While shooting around on the show with Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade ... the three-time Sixth Man of the Year accidentally broke a camera when his ball ricocheted off the rim and crashed into a pricey piece of equipment.

In video from the broadcast, you can see Crawford's ball hit the camera's lens head-on -- causing the glass to shatter everywhere.

D-Wade couldn't believe what he saw at the time of the accident ... and Shaq immediately pointed toward Crawford to tell on who was responsible for the damage.

Wade, though, joked Shaq shouldn't have done that -- yelling, "Snitches get stitches!"

Scary moment during the Mets' season opener on Thursday ... star slugger Pete Alonso was drilled in the face by a 95 MPH fastball, but somehow, he's expected to be OK.

The horrifying scene went down in the ninth inning of New York's win over the Nationals ... when a heater got away from Washington reliever Mason Thompson and made a beeline for Alonso's mouth.

The 27-year-old tried to move out of the way of the pitch -- but it still caught him in the jaw ... sending him crashing to the dirt.

Fortunately, the pitch caught most of Alonso's ear flap before it hit him in the mouth -- but, still, the guy had to leave the game as blood poured from his face.

Pete, though, said afterward he's expecting to be just fine ... explaining to reporters he's still got all of his teeth and suffered no concussion.

In fact, the home run hitter joked about it all on IG following the game, writing on a selfie, "Why spend thousands on lip injections when you can get this look for FREE by getting hit in the mouth by a 97 mph fastball?"

Dallas Cowboys legend Rayfield Wright -- one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history -- died on Thursday, his family announced. He was 76 years old.

In a statement, Wright's wife said America's Team's former left tackle passed away after he had been hospitalized following a severe seizure just days ago.

Wright was picked by the Cowboys in the 7th round of the 1967 NFL Draft ... and played 13 seasons for the team before retiring following the 1979 season. He was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

"Rayfield Wright was the epitome of what it takes to be a Hall of Famer," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement following Wright's passing Thursday. "His grit, his agility, his passion, his charisma and his love for football, the community and his family always shined through."

"He remained an important part of the Cowboys family long after his playing days ended, and he will be deeply missed. Our love and support go out to his wife, Di, and the entire Wright family."

Wright earned three All-Pro honors in his career and made six Pro Bowls. He won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys ... and was named a member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2004.

"His gentle nature away from the game belied his commanding presence on the field," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement.

"All fans, especially those of the Cowboys, will remember fondly his dominance on the offensive line in the 1970s and how he took protecting Dallas quarterbacks as his personal mission."

Patrick Mahomes is apparently a wizard with both the football and a camera ... because he snapped some great pics of his wife's bikini bod on their honeymoon recently -- and they're steamy!!

Brittany Mahomes just posted a series of the sexy flicks that she says her hubby took of her in a pool in St. Barts last month ... praising the Chiefs star for hittin' all the right angles with the camera.

"On the Instagram Husband series, here's todays update…," Brittany wrote. "@patrickmahomes killed it🤣🔥"

Patrick was clearly pleased with his work -- he commented on the pics with a bunch of camera emojis.

Brittany and Patrick took the St. Barts trip to celebrate their wedding in mid-March ... and as we reported, it looked like quite the experience.

The two toured the island, went hiking, kayaking, swimming and more ... and Brittany praised the villa they were staying in as "just pure perfection."

The family of "The Walking Dead" star Moses J. Moseley has created the perfect way to honor the actor's legacy by starting a scholarship in his name.

Moses' sister, Teera Kimbro, tells TMZ … the MJM3 Fitness Scholarship came to be after she read the actor's journal after his passing. He had 5 goals written down for the year -- buy a condo, create a cartoon series, go to Germany for his birthday, start a fitness t-shirt brand, and create a scholarship.

She tells us Moses did a survey in college, trying to determine if student debt was a source of depression among college kids ... giving him the idea to create a scholarship and help with students' mental health.

After learning about his goal, Teera knew the idea had to live on, which is when the MJM3 fund was created -- the "3" comes from him being the 3rd child in the family.

The scholarship through Bold.org will provide 3 qualifying high school seniors or undergrads with $1,000 each to go towards their tuition. His family knows Moses would be proud that his legacy is making a difference in the world.

Terrell Owens is urging Colin Kaepernick to join forces with him in the Fan Controlled Football league ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks it could ultimately help the QB in his goal to get back to the NFL.

Owens -- who just announced his intentions to play in the FCF this week -- explained to us he believes the league's platform could benefit Kaepernick greatly if the former 49ers star would suit up for a few games.

"I feel like he could come in and really use this to really sharpen his skill set," Owens said. "Especially because there's some questions about him not playing for such a long time."

Kaepernick being in the league would obviously give owners and GMs another chance to see the QB in a competitive setting after the signal-caller hasn't played in the NFL since the 2016 season ... but Owens tells us he thinks it could actually improve the 33-year-old's game too.

Owens says because the FCF is played on a much smaller field, Kaepernick's decision-making and accuracy could improve in a short amount of time in the league.

The FCF is slated to begin its season later this month.

As we reported, Kaepernick is doing everything he can to get another chance at the NFL -- working out with NFL wideouts in front of cameras weekly, while imploring coaches and GMs to give him a tryout.

Opening Day is upon us ... and what better way to start the 2022 MLB season than to go through all the new grub fans will be able to devour as they watch their favorite teams at the stadium!!

Off the bat, the Chopped Cheese is hitting Yankee Stadium ... as a homage to the local bodegas in NYC.

The Rangers have a WILD new entry for 2022 -- an Alligator Corn Dog ... which sounds worse than it probably actually is.

The reigning champs -- the Atlanta Braves -- have a $151 wagyu beef burger available for purchase ... but there's also a $25,000 option that comes with a World Series ring!!

The Orioles have a ton of delicious options this season ... but the Crab Cake Egg Rolls made our stomachs growl the most.

The Royals have one of the most unique items -- the BBQ Reese's Sandwich ... which is part of Aramark's Dare To Pair series, a promo that makes unique combinations turn into delicious creations.

There's a ton more new additions ... but it's better if you just check out the pics for yourself.

The Chicago Cubs used Opening Day on Thursday to raise awareness for the war in Ukraine -- flying Ukrainian flags at Wrigley Field and donating raffle proceeds to victims.

Cubbies officials hung the Ukrainian flags all outside of the stadium ... with roughly a dozen of the flags being placed around the famous venue's facade.

Inside the stadium, Chicago donated proceeds from the 50/50 raffle to Ukrainian relief efforts.

The team also had Ukrainian American Youth Association Choir hit the field before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers to sing the Ukrainian national anthem.

As we reported, Ukraine has been in need of support since late February ... after Russian troops invaded the country.

Tiger Woods is officially back -- the golf legend just teed off at The Masters ... only 408 days after he nearly lost his leg in a car crash.

The 46-year-old hit his opening drive 264 yards in the fairway, just short of the bunker on the first hole at Augusta -- and his surgically repaired leg looks just fine.

Tiger is expected to finish all 18 holes of his first round in the next roughly three hours or so.

The sight is something most golf fans didn't expect to see again ... after Tiger mangled his left leg in a car wreck back in February 2021.

Woods required multiple procedures to fix the damage ... and things were so dire at the time, Tiger said doctors seriously considered amputating the limb.

Woods has worked tirelessly to get back to the course, though ... and said earlier this week that he believes he can legitimately win this weekend's event.

Tiger is playing with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Masters favorite, Jon Rahm, is expected to tee off at around 11 a.m. PT.

NFL coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton have joined ex-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, and are also suing the National Football League, alleging racial discrimination in its hiring practices.

Wilks, who was head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, is going after the Cards' organization ... claiming the team discriminated against him in a manner consistent with the experiences of many Black coaches.

In the suit, Wilks says he was hired as a "bridge coach," meaning he was never given a real chance to succeed, and his tenure was only meant to "keep the seat warm" until they found his replacement.

The 52-year-old was fired after finishing 3-13 with the Cards -- the worst record the franchise posted in almost two decades (and worst record in the league) -- and struggled to find success with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen under center.

According to the suit, "Wilks was not given nearly the time nor authority to develop the team or culture for the Cardinals -- certainly nothing at all commensurate with the time and opportunities afforded to white Head Coaches throughout the League."

The suit points out the organization hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace Wilks ... but despite Kingsbury having Kyler Murray -- the No.1 overall pick in the draft that year -- he only managed to win 2 more games (5 wins total) than Wilks did the previous season.

"But Mr. Kingsbury was not fired," the suit reads. "He kept his job and was given time to develop the team. In year two, 2020, Mr. Kingsbury improved the team to 8-8, and to 11-6 and a playoff berth in 2021."

"Mr. Wilks was never given close to the same opportunity. 262. Like many other Black Head Coaches, Mr. Wilks has never been given a second opportunity to become the Head Coach of any other NFL team."

As for Horton, the longtime NFL coach (who's now retired) accused the Titans of only interviewing him in 2016 to satisfy the league's Rooney rule -- which requires minority candidates to be interviewed for head coaching and senior football operation jobs.

Horton believes his interview process was a sham and meant to deliberately show the Titans were an equal opportunity employer willing to consider a minority candidate to fill their head coaching vacancy.

"As Mr. Horton now understands," the complaint reads, "the rush to interview him was an orchestrated attempt to make it appear that the Titans had complied with the Rooney Rule and otherwise appear to have given an equal opportunity to Black candidates so the team could announce the pre-made decision to hire Mr. Mularkey as Head Coach."

Wilks and Horton's claims are similar to the ones made in the original lawsuit filed by Flores -- where he alleged the NY Giants interviewed him, but never intended to hire him 'cause Bills assistant Brian Daboll was their guy all along. Flores says he only found this out after Bill Belichick accidentally texted Flores thinking it was Daboll.