TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jessica Simpson is lovin' the way she looks ... posting another bikini picture from her vacation in Cabo after she dropped 100 pounds for the 3rd time!

The "Open Book" author posted a mirror pic from what seems to be her hotel room in Cabo San Lucas Monday ... rocking a cheetah print 2-piece for the camera.

She's been living it up with her family in Mexico for spring break, posting photos with her husband Eric Johnson, and their children -- 9-year-old Maxwell, 8-year-old Ace, and 3-year-old Birdie Mae.

As you recall, Jessica revealed her drastic weight loss to her fans Friday ... posting another swimsuit pic and saying she has gained and lost 100 pounds three different times.

It sounds like this one is different because she adds, "I never thought this moment could or would happen" ... Jessica chalked it up to hard work, determination and self-love.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday she and the league are still fighting like hell to bring Brittney Griner back from Russia ... telling reporters the situation is "unimaginable."

Engelbert wasted no time addressing Griner's Russian detainment in her opening remarks prior to the WNBA Draft -- but said little has changed with the basketball superstar's status.

The 31-year-old remains in custody ... and Engelbert said she knows the hooper is still safe.

She added that she and players across the league are still following officials' advice to stay relatively mum on the topic.

"I know we're all frustrated, but we do need to be patient," Engelbert said. "The players have been amazing at following the advice they're getting and we're getting in order not to jeopardize her safety in any way."

Griner has been detained in Russia since February ... after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage while going through airport security.

Griner's detainment was extended until at least mid-May at a court hearing last month.

"This is an unimaginable situation for BG to be in," Engelbert said. "She continues to have our full support. Certainly, we're trying everything we can, every angle, working with her legal representation, her agent, elected leaders, the administration. Just everybody in our ecosystem to try and find ways to get her home safely and as quickly as we can."

Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya says Jake Paul isn't just great for the sport, but tells TMZ Sports the Problem Child could be a world champion fighter in the future.

"Let me tell you one thing about Jake Paul. He's the real deal. I'm gonna tell you that, with only four or five fights, and the way he's taking it serious," De La Hoya tells us.

"Jake Paul is the real deal. And I dare anyone who has boxing experience who has MMA experience to call him out, 'cause I'll tell you one thing, this guy can beat a lot of good champions, and even great champions."

Of course, 25-years-old Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) has only been boxing for a few years. But, despite the relative inexperience (many fighters started as young kids), most agree Jake's been incredibly impressive in the ring.

Over the course of his last 3 fights, Jake has beaten former MMA champ Ben Askren and future UFC Hall of Famer Tyron Woodley (twice) in the squared circle. He also beat former NBA star Nate Robinson in 2020 -- in what was his second pro scrap.

Jake hasn't made any bones about it ... he wants to continue stepping up in competition -- and that means facing experienced boxers.

"This is not a one-off, a two-off, a three-off, no. He wants to become a world champion. There's no way out of becoming a world champion. You have to fight the very best."

Just how far can Paul go? De La Hoya believes he could win belts.

"He's on his way to becoming a contender, and he's on his way to becoming a world contender, then a world champion."

There's more ... we also talked to ODLH about his star fighter, 23-year-old Ryan Garcia's return to the ring after a long layoff.

Ryan beat Emmanuel Tagoe by unanimous decision Saturday night ... after dropping and hurting the vet during their fight.

Who's next for Garcia?? Before the Tagoe bout, Oscar told us he was eyeing a fight with Ryan's rival, Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

De La Hoya lays out the blueprint ... one more fight for Ryan, sign Tank to Golden Boy Promotions, and make a super fight with Garcia and Davis!

A teenage go-karting champ says a salute he made after winning a race this weekend was not intended to be an homage to Nazis -- and now, he's issuing an apology for the misunderstanding.

Artem Severiukhin -- a 15-year-old Russian racer -- made the gesture while on the podium following the FIA Karting European Championship in Portugal on Sunday ... and many were appalled, believing it was a Nazi salute.

But, in a video released on social media on Monday afternoon, Severiukhin says he was simply giving thanks to some of his supporters in the crowd with his chest taps and arm wave.

"Standing on the podium, I made a gesture that many perceived as a Nazi salute," Severiukhin said. "It's not true -- I have never supported Nazism and consider it one of the worst crimes against humanity."

Severiukhin added he's sorry for the confusion -- and is ready to accept any punishment that might be headed his way over it all.

"I know that I'm a fool," he said, "and I'm ready to be punished. But please believe that there was no intention in my actions. There was no support for Nazism or fascism."

NFL insider Adam Schefter is begging for forgiveness over his insensitive tweet regarding Dwayne Haskins' death ... saying it was not his intent to disrespect the late Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.

A number of superstars took issue with Schefter saying Haskins was "struggling to catch on" in the NFL while announcing the tragic news ... including Ravens star Lamar Jackson, who tweeted his frustrations with the ESPN analyst.

"@AdamSchefter you lame asf all around grown ass man and can look in the mirror and smile at yourself," Lamar tweeted on Saturday.

While Schefter deleted the initial tweet shortly after posting, he shared a three-plus minute-long apology on his podcast on Monday ... saying he wishes he could take it back.

"It was insensitive," Schefter said. "It was a mistake, and I can assure you it was not my intention. I wish I could have that tweet back. The focus should have been on Dwayne -- who he was as a person, a husband, a friend, and so much more."

"I wanted to apologize to Dwayne's family, his friends, the players in the NFL, and offer my condolences to everybody close to Dwayne. And in the way I failed Saturday, I wanted to turn the people's attention to make sure that Dwayne is remembered properly."

Schefter then lists several of Haskins' accomplishments on and off the field, shares anecdotes about his character and highlights his charitable contributions.

Schefter continued ... "He will always be missed and will always be remembered. Sincerest condolences to his family, friends and everyone he touched."

Ohio State star quarterback CJ Stroud paid tribute to Dwayne Haskins on the practice field on Monday ... penning a touching message to the late NFLer on his jersey.

OSU shared photos of the tribute during the Buckeyes' training sesh -- two days after Haskins was hit by a dump truck on a highway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Buckeyes QB -- who's entering his third season with the program -- inked "LLDH7" (Long Live Dwayne Haskins) and "RIH SIMBA" on his practice jersey ... showing respect for the former 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

"Your legacy will live on big bro 💯" Stroud said via Twitter.

Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day spoke about Haskins after practice with the media ... saying it was a "very difficult weekend for all of us."

"Had a meeting with the team today," he told reporters. "We talked about a lot of things and there's a group of guys who played with Dwayne and they're hurting."

Day says they plan on having several tributes for Haskins ... starting with this weekend's spring game.

"Certainly gonna do something Saturday to recognize him in some sort of tribute which I think is very appropriate, especially with Buckeye nation all being together."

Haskins played QB at OSU from 2016 to 2018. During his Buckeye career, he had 5,396 passing yards and 54 passing touchdowns.

A man in a Colorado Rockies hat punched several women in the face in a crazy altercation outside of Coors Field over the weekend ... and TMZ Sports has obtained video of the brutality.

The incident went down shortly after the Rockies vs. Dodgers game in Denver on Friday -- just a few blocks away from the stadium -- when a man jumped into an altercation between women who appeared to be feuding with each other.

You can see in the footage, as several of the women were fighting -- the man stepped in and began unloading haymakers.

The guy punched several of the women in the face -- with one blow landing so flush, it appeared to knock one of the females out.

Later in the fight, the man punched another woman in the face while she was on the ground.

A police officer showed up and appeared to break up the scuffle, though it's unclear if any arrests were made. We've reached out to cops for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Frank Vogel is out of a job ... the Los Angeles Lakers have fired the longtime NBA head coach after a terrible 2022 season -- just two years after he led his squad to an NBA title.

Vogel, who coached the Lakers to a championship in 2020 -- his first season with the team -- was relieved of his coaching duties following a disappointing season this year.

The Lakers finished with a 33-49 record -- 8th worst in the NBA -- and Vogel received his fair share of criticism and blame for the Lakers' struggles.

Vogel wraps up his tenure in L.A. with a 127-98 record in the regular season ... and a postseason record of 18-9.

Lakers VP Rob Pelinka released a statement announcing the firing.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court. Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”

Things weren't always bad for Vogel  ... during the 2020 season, the Lakers posted a 52-19 record -- the best record in the Western conference -- and third best in the league.

Vogel's been an NBA coach since 2001 -- getting his start as an assistant with the Boston Celtics, before serving as the head coach for the Indiana Pacers for 10 seasons.

The departure of Vogel leaves the Lakers, who missed the play-in tournament this season, with a void to fill at head coach.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is being investigated by police after he smashed a young fan's phone following his team's loss on Saturday.

The incident went down after MU lost to Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park ... when Ronaldo, as he was leaving the field, appears to smack something to the ground as he walks through an area where fans were standing in close proximity.

The video circulated on social media ... with many fans calling out Ronaldo for his alleged bad behavior.

A spokesperson for the Merseyside Police confirmed they were looking into the incident, saying, according to ESPN, "As players were leaving the pitch at 2.30 PM, it was reported that a boy was assaulted by one of the away team as they left the pitch."

"Inquiries are underway and officers are working with Everton Football Club to review CCTV footage and are carrying out extensive witness inquiries to establish if an offense has taken place."

Ronaldo has since apologized for his actions in a social media post, saying ... "It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing. Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game."

He continued ... "I would like to apologize for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship.🙏🏽"

We reached out to police, who told us they are "aware of the incident and dealing with all aspects of the incident."

'NSYNC is BACK -- well, partially -- the boy band hit the stage after Alexa Bliss and Ryan Cabrera's wedding over the weekend ... and the WWE Superstar joined them on stage!!

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the epic moment (thank you, Mojo) ... showing the wrestler singing and dancing her heart out alongside Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone as they perform the 2000 hit, "Bye, Bye, Bye."

Alexa and Ryan got hitched in Palm Springs on Saturday ... and we're told it was a star-studded crowd with some of the biggest names in wrestling and music.

The wedding looked awesome, but the reception turned into a freakin' rock concert ... with O-Town, Yellowcard, Bowling for Soup and We the Kings playing multiple songs for the crowd.

Of course, it's pretty rare to see 'NSYNC performing nowadays -- especially with Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez distancing themselves over the years.

The quintet reunited in 2013 to perform at the MTV VMAs ... and a JT-less 'NSYNC joined Ariana Grande at Coachella in 2019.

A fan attending the Toronto Blue Jays game on Friday was arrested ... after cops say she socked an officer in the face during an altercation in the crowd.

The incident happened during the Jays' contest against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre ... when cops say a female fan became enraged with law enforcement after they tried to boot her from her seat.

The Toronto Police Service says the woman and another man were involved in a fight with others in the area -- and officers were attempting to deescalate the situation by removing the two from the section.

But, in footage of the incident, you can see as the two were being escorted out ... the woman quickly turned and launched a right hand into the cheek of a female officer.

Video shows the woman was then taken to the ground immediately after the punch ... and was ultimately put in handcuffs.

Cops say the woman, ID'ed as 27 years old, was eventually arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer and being intoxicated in a public place.

The strippers weren't the only ones takin' it off at a popular Miami strip club this weekend -- Antonio Brown went topless too while he raged with Jamie Foxx!

It all happened at Booby Trap On The River (greatest name) ... where the 54-year-old actor/singer was hosting a party with Bitcoin Rodney on Saturday.

The NFL free agent made an appearance with Foxx on stage and while everything was cool, calm and collected, Foxx turned it up with a special request for AB.

And, that's when the party REALLY started.

"Turn up ni***!" Foxx said on the mic, "Take ya shirt off ni***! Run through this mothaf**ka! Get naked!"

You know AB ain't afraid of takin' his shirt off, anytime, anyplace (shoutout to the Bucs) --  and he did just that, showin' the strippers he's got dance moves, too.

And, AB also spit a few bars on the mic.

Brown has been enjoyin' life partying since parting ways with Tampa Bay on January 2, doing everything from hittin' up NBA games with Floyd Mayweather to partying with Madonna and Kanye.

The Super Bowl champ recently told us he wants to play again and will get his ankle fixed ... only if he gets signed.

You knew this was coming ...

Alex Rodriguez was epically teased over his ex, Jennifer Lopez, getting engaged to Ben Affleck ... with Michael Kay hinting at it during the Yankees vs. Red Sox game -- and the moment is hilarious.

The ex-MLB slugger was chopping it up with his co-host during the "KayRod" broadcast of "Sunday Night Baseball" on ESPN 2 ... when Kay decided to poke some fun.

"It's a great time in sports," Kay said in the 9th inning. "You have a new Masters champion, NBA playoffs are about to start, baseball's in full swing, people getting engaged. I mean, it's a happy time in the world."

A-Rod's reaction is priceless -- he awkwardly plays along and says, "Happiness and world peace is what we're looking for."

The best part -- after 2 seconds of piercing silence, A-Rod returned his focus to the game ... saying, "The 2-1 pitch."

Remember, J-Rod started dating in 2017 ... and were engaged in 2019. They never made it to the alter, as they broke up in 2021.

As for Kay and Rodriguez, they didn't always have the greatest relationship ... but it seems like they're all good now.

A fan at a minor league baseball game got doused with his own beer ... after a foul ball hit his drink straight into his face -- and the entire, hilarious scene was all captured on camera!

The funny incident went down during Springfield's game against the Northwest Arkansas Nationals on Saturday ... when Cardinals second baseman Chandler Redmond was up to bat against pitcher Anthony Veneziano.

Redmond took a couple pitches -- and then fouled off a ball that somehow ricocheted into a can that was placed near a screen behind home plate.

In video of the incident, you can see the ball hit the drink so hard -- it splashed beer everywhere, including all over the can's owner's face!!

Thankfully, the guy was a great sport about the impromptu booze shower -- laughing hysterically and then giving two thumbs up to the centerfield camera.

"And that is our first beer victim or beverage victim," one of the announcer's said.

Tragedy has struck the Dallas Cowboys organization again ... longtime assistant coach Gary Brown died on Sunday -- just days after one of the team's legends, Rayfield Wright, passed away.

Brown -- who coached Dallas' running backs from 2013 through 2019 -- had reportedly been in hospice care recently after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was just 52 years old.

"Everyone who knew him, loved him," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "He meant so much to the players he coached and the coaches he coached with. His love for family, football and life was evident each day."

"He continued to fight, and he never gave up. My family and the Dallas Cowboys family are heartbroken, and our love and support are with his wife, Kim, his daughters, Malena and Dorianna, and his son, Tre."

Brown had a lengthy career as a player in the NFL before jumping into coaching, rushing for over 1,000 yards in 1993 and 1998.

He ultimately went into coaching after retiring following the 1999 season ... eventually landing with the Cleveland Browns in 2009 and then later the Cowboys in 2013.

Brown helped coach Demarco Murray, Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott, among others, to huge years ... before he left the team after the 2019 season following Jason Garrett's departure.

"This has been a tough week losing Rayfield, Dwayne [Haskins] and Gary B," Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith said early Monday morning. "May the piece of God cover their families and may his grace cover us. Rest in Peace my friends."

Henry Ruggs' former Alabama teammate, Jaylen Waddle, says he was shocked by the ex-Raiders star's arrest ... calling Ruggs both a "good person" and a "good dude."

Waddle explained his feelings on Ruggs' legal situation to Pacman Jones and Omar Kelly on the the "I Am Athlete" show this week ... saying he never would have thought Ruggs would be in the situation he's currently in.

In fact, Waddle said out of the star 'Bama wideouts who went to school together -- which also included Devonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy -- Ruggs was perhaps the best guy in the meeting rooms.

"Out of all us," Waddle said, "that'd be the person that you least expect something like that to happen to."

Waddle told Jones and Kelly that Ruggs was such a good friend, the two still keep in contact with each other to this day.

As we reported, Ruggs is facing decades behind bars after he was accused of driving drunk and killing Tina Tintor after he crashed his pricey sports car into the back of her Rav4.

Ruggs is currently out on bond while he awaits trial.

Waddle didn't want to comment too much on the situation due to the pending legal case -- but he did say the incident has made him more aware of his surroundings and behavior.