TMZ Sports - Page 39

Soccer star Kurt Zouma has pleaded guilty to charges he attacked at least one of his cats in an abhorrent act back in February -- admitting in court on Tuesday that he did kick and slap at least one of the pets.

Zouma was seen on video back on Feb. 6 punting one of his two felines across his house's floor, and then slapping one of them as well. Earlier this week, he was formally charged over the incident.

The 27-year-old, who's a member of France's national team, appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court in London ... and pleaded guilty to two charges -- one accusing him of kicking a cat in the abdomen, and one accusing him of slapping a cat in the head.

Kurt's younger brother, Yoan, also pleaded guilty to a charge that he aided and abetted Kurt during the incident after officials say he was the one who filmed it all and posted it to social media.

The two are due back in court on June 1 for sentencing -- it's unclear if either is facing significant jail time.

Kurt had previously apologized for his actions in the days after the video went viral, saying, "There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret." He was later fined by his West Ham team, and lost sponsorships as well.

At the hearing Tuesday, Kurt agreed to give up the cats -- which have been in the possession of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since February. They're now in the process of finding a new home.

Shannon Sharpe is going off on all the trolls hating on Bronny James for his white prom date ... telling TMZ Sports the bashing of LeBron James' son is "utterly ridiculous."

Bronny just had his prom earlier this month -- and after he took a white classmate to the event ... racist haters came out and left nasty comments all over the photos on social media.

Sharpe told us out at LAX this past week that the attacks were BS ... saying, "People would rather you be miserable with someone your own race than you be in love with someone of a different race."

"It is so utterly ridiculous," he continued. "People need to get a life."

The Pro Football Hall of Famer's advice for Bronny was simply to ignore the noise -- and do whatever he wants to do to make him happy.

"Bronny can't live his life for someone else," Sharpe said. "He has to live for him. And, far too many people live their life for other people."

Ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III made similar comments last week ... saying in a video on his Instagram page, "Leave these kids alone."

LeBron, meanwhile, has still not commented publicly on the backlash ... though he did write a note about his daughter, Zhuri, on one of the now-viral pics from the evening.

Travis Scott just surprised fans with his second Nike drop in two weeks ... but this time, we're told proceeds from the collection will help community initiatives important to the rapper.

TS took to his IG page Monday without warning to announce the release of a new TS Air Max 1 Wheat as well as a summer collection of shorts, shirts, a bikini, belt, socks and a bag.

Naturally, the shoe raffle filled up, with what our Travis sources say was more than a million entries in the first 30 minutes -- and plenty of Travis fans grabbed the other merch as well, though it's not yet totally sold out.

Sources close to Travis tell us he wanted to do the drop through his own website so that he could ensure the proceeds go to Project Heal. Project Heal is an initiative Travis launched back in March as a multi-tier effort to fund initiatives Travis finds important and worthy of assistance.

While the numbers continue to roll in, our Travis sources believe the latest launch has the ability to reach millions of dollars in proceeds, which would obviously be a big help to PH.

Late NBA player Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife Sherra Wright, who pled guilty in 2019 to facilitating the murder of her hooper husband ... was denied parole in a hearing, and must remain behind bars.

The Tennessee Board of Parole unanimously voted to deny Sherra's request for release ... less than 5 years into her 30-year prison sentence.

In 2019, Sherra admitted to orchestrating the heinous killing of her husband, a 12-year NBA vet. Prosecutors say Wright hired someone (Billy Ray Turner) to help her with the crime, before luring Lorenzen to a desolate field, under the guise they were meeting someone for money.

But, it was all a lie ... and Lorenzen was shot, and left to die, all alone.

Ultimately, Sherra plead guilty to facilitation of murder and facilitation to commit attempted 1st-degree murder. In exchange for the plea, she received a three-decade-long sentence.

As for Sherra's case to be paroled after serving so little of her sentence ... her attorney argued Wright was a model inmate inside, and therefore, should be freed.

However, Lorenzen's mom asked the board to deny the request ... stating Sherra should serve the entire 30 years.

Today's decision doesn't mean she's got 25 years remaining ... but it ensures she isn't getting out anytime soon.

The D.A. in Shelby County, where the case was prosecuted, called the decision "welcome news" for Lorenzen's family and friends, saying, "To have released this defendant after she has served less than five years of a 30-year sentence for murder conspiracy would have diminished respect for the law by declaring a policy of tolerance for violent criminal behavior."

If Wright serves her full sentence, she will be in her 70s upon release.

Josh Donaldson was hit with a 1-game ban on Monday ... after the Yankees star made a Jackie Robinson reference toward Tim Anderson during a game.

The incident happened during New York's matchup with the White Sox on Saturday ... when JD said, "what's up, Jackie?" to Anderson, who is Black.

Sox manager Tony La Russa called the jab "racist," but Donaldson later claimed he was referring to a 2019 Sports Illustrated article, in which Anderson said he felt like "today's Jackie Robinson" ... and claimed he's joked with Anderson about it in the past.

Anderson was clearly pissed over JD's comment ... saying it was uncalled for and he'd "never sleep this off."

As a result of Donaldson's words, he's now been suspended one game ... which he'll appeal.

MLB's senior VP for on-field operations Michael Hill released a statement on the decision ... saying, "MLB has completed the process of speaking to the individuals involved in this incident. There is no dispute over what was said on the field."

"Regardless of Mr. Donaldson's intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions."

Investigators are revealing more details surrounding Dwayne Haskins' death ... saying in reports released on Monday the QB "drank heavily" and ingested ketamine in the hours leading up to his passing, and also had a blood alcohol level of .24 at the time of the April 9 accident.

According to a Broward County Medical Examiner's Office investigation report ... a rep for the Steelers told investigators Haskins had trained with teammates in the Miami area all day on April 8, before eventually heading to a club in the evening with a "friend/cousin."

In the documents, investigators say the rep told them Haskins "drank heavily" ... and then got into a fight.

Hours later, Haskins was found dead on a Florida highway after being struck by a dump truck.

Investigators say at the scene, they found Haskins' vehicle and a "female companion" inside of it. The investigators said the woman told them Haskins had left the car on foot to try to find a gas station. The woman's relationship with Haskins was not disclosed in the documents.

According to an autopsy report that was also released on Monday, two of Haskins' blood samples tested positive for alcohol -- with one revealing a .20 BAC, and the other a .24.

The report also showed Haskins' urine samples tested positive for ketamine and norketamine.

Investigators ruled Haskins died due to multiple blunt force injuries. They said the manner of death was an accident.

Since the tragedy, several memorials have been held in his honor. And, his wife, Kalabrya, also got a sleeve of tattoos to remember her late husband.

J. Cole is still keeping his professional basketball dreams alive, and a pair of his rapper/hooper pals are singing his praises.

We got Fivio Foreign and Dave East out in NYC, where they both gave Cole major props for making what they call a dope move ... opting to join the Canadian Elite Basketball League, which tips off this week. Dave was hanging at Avianne Fit's anti-hate basketball tournament so he was more than happy to discuss hoops.

Cole will play guard for the Scarborough Shooting Stars, a club actually co-owned by Nicholas "OVO Niko" Corino, one of Drake's day one business partners ... and he’s already got Drizzy's sports enthusiasm pumping.

The "TMZ Hip Hop" crew, however, wasn't so easily impressed. Not unanimously, at least.

Fivio, who's currently on tour with DreamDoll, noted the Dreamville rapper’s dedication, seeing he played a few games in the Basketball Africa League last year. Cole averaged 1.7 points and rebounds in his 3 games with Patriots BBC — a stat line that made league star Terrell Stoglin call Cole's inclusion in the league “disrespectful.”

2x Lakers champ Slava Medvedenko -- Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's former teammate in Los Angeles -- is doing everything in his power to protect his home country of Ukraine against Russian forces ... including picking up an AK-47.

Medvedenko, who spent 7 seasons in the NBA and won two championships ('01,'02) with Mamba in L.A., grew up in Ukraine and took up arms to help defend his country.

The 43-year-old has been involved in the war almost since the first day Vladimir Putin ordered his military to invade the sovereign country ... sparking one of the most violent conflicts in recent history.

Slava provided The Athletic with a very detailed account of what life is like for him as he protects the tallest building in Kyiv -- the neighborhood he lives in with his wife and kids.

The former power forward, who had no military experience prior to joining the war, told the outlet things are typically quiet during the day, but fighting intensifies during the nighttime.

Equipped with binoculars and a Russian-made Kalashnikov (AK-47), Medvedenko recalled a night when he watched Russian forces fire more than 20 missiles ... in an attempt to eliminate Ukraine's radar system.

Of course, the professional hooper, who played alongside one of the most potent 1-2 combos in NBA history (Shaq and Kobe) never envisioned he'd be in the middle of such a dangerous war.

“Can you imagine?” Medvedenko said. “You’re just sitting at a checkpoint and you see a big f***ing rocket just fly over you?” he told The Athletic.

Although fighting seems to have quieted down in Kyiv (at least for the time being) where Slava spends a majority of time ... the near 7-footer is turning his attention to relief efforts for those who've been affected.

4-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel reportedly had to put his speed to the test after the Spanish Grand Prix ... chasing after a group of thieves who made off with his bag.

Vettel -- who finished P11 on Sunday -- was reportedly exiting his Aston Martin in Barcelona on Monday when the robbers grabbed his backpack and made a run for it.

Apparently, Vettel wasn't going down without a fight -- because according to local reports, he hopped on a scooter and used the GPS tracking on his AirPods to hunt down his bag.

Unfortunately for Vettel, the thieves must've planned ahead ... because once he made it to his headphones, they were not with his bag.

A rep for AM spoke about the incident ... saying, "A bag belonging to Sebastian Vettel was stolen in Barcelona this morning; he tried to find it by using his iPhone to track his earphones which were in his bag; but when he located his earphones he found them abandoned and was therefore unable to locate his stolen bag."

Deshaun Watson's attorney says the NFL has concluded its interviews with the Browns star over allegations that he was sexually inappropriate with female massage therapists -- and he's now anticipating a league ruling in the case to come down sometime this summer.

Rusty Hardin said on the "Between The Lines: A Podcast About Sports and the Law" that Watson spoke with NFL investigators for three days this week over the masseuses' claims.

Hardin explained nothing was off-limits during the talks -- and he said he believed with the interviews now in the rearview mirror, a potential NFL punishment for Watson could be figured out in a matter of weeks.

"I don't have a deadline," Hardin said. "I'd suspect the NFL wants to conclude its investigation sometime this summer. Whether that is June or whether that's August or July, I have no idea. That's their schedule."

Hardin said he believed there are still more people the NFL wants to question before it makes its final ruling.

Hardin reiterated on the podcast that he firmly believes his client was not inappropriate with any of his 22 accusers ... adding he still believes any sexual conduct his client had with the women was consensual.

An airline passenger and a United Airlines employee were in an all-out brawl at Newark Liberty International Airport, and the worker ended up flat on his ass.

Witnesses say the 2 began arguing before pushing, slapping and ultimately punching each other.

The video starts mid-fight ... the worker seems to push the passenger, who then slaps the employee in the face, and then all hell breaks loose.

The 2 square off and then the passenger throws punch after punch ... and the blows clearly landed, because the employee eventually falls behind the counter and clearly has trouble getting up and steadying himself.

The craziest part ... the employee is clearly dazed and bloodiest, but comes back for more, and that's where the video ends.

We reached out to airport police to find out if anyone was arrested ... so far, no word back.

A Tuskegee Airman got an amazing surprise at his 100th birthday party ... New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft showed up -- and gifted the man a custom jersey!

Sgt. Victor Butler -- who's believed to be Rhode Island's last surviving Tuskegee Airman -- had the celebration on Saturday in North Providence, and just minutes into it, Kraft made a surprise appearance.

The 80-year-old shook Butler's hand, offered a bunch of praise -- and then handed over a Patriots jersey that featured Butler's name and the No. 100.

"We wanted to give you something no one else could give you," Kraft said at the event. "And, maybe it wasn't always easy, but you did what was best for America."

"So, we thank you for that."

The 6-time Super Bowl champion owner also gave Victor a signed football and took pics with the legend as those in attendance cheered, applauded and sang, "Happy Birthday."

What made the event even cooler? The former Sgt. had originally only asked that people send him birthday cards for his big day.

In addition to Kraft's gifts, others also showed up bearing presents -- and there was even a parade thrown his Butler's honor.

Chris Jericho says his niece was seen on video being brutally punched and kicked in the face last week ... and now, the wrestling superstar is pleading for officials to do something about it.

The AEW talent explained the situation on his Twitter page on Sunday night ... saying his niece has been "incessantly bullied" at her middle school in Florida "for months."

Jericho says the bullying took a violent turn just a few days ago ... when she was beaten up in a street.

In the clip Jericho shared to his social media, you can see a girl being socked in the face multiple times -- before she was continuously kicked and punched while bystanders looked on.

Jericho says despite his family's efforts to get officials involved, "nobody did anything to help" -- and he pleaded with school reps to "take action."

He added in a message to TMZ Sports that his niece is "physically ok. But, mentally she’s hurting."

"She's scared to go to school," the 51-year-old wrestler said. "This could've been avoided as the family approached the school a few times prior but nothing was done."

"We need to spread awareness so that the schools do a better job of protecting our kid's mental health and safety. ALL kids. Not just the ones with famous uncles."

We reached out to cops for comment, but they told us they have not been made aware of the situation.

The Colorado Avalanche say they are working with police ... after one of their star players, Nazem Kadri, allegedly received racist messages and threats following a controversial play on the ice this weekend.

Kadri was involved in a collision with St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in Game 3 of their playoff series on Saturday.

The on-ice clash ended up injuring Binnington and will force the goalie to miss the rest of the series against the Avs.

A short time after the play, hockey player Akim Aliu -- who's a part of the Hockey Diversity Alliance with Kadri -- claimed the Colorado center, who's Muslim, told him he had been the subject of "so many racist attacks and threats since last night."

Aliu claimed the threats were so bad, police were involved ... and in a statement on Sunday, the Avs confirmed they have been in contact with cops over it all.

"The Avalanche organization is aware of threats made toward Nazem Kadri and is working with local law enforcement to investigate," the team said.

Aliu added, "Racist attacks like this have no place in hockey and should be investigated and reported on."

Kadri had said after the game there was no intent to hurt Binnington, claiming "their defenseman kind of collided with me and pushed me into him. So, had that not been the case, I don't think I would have hit him at all."

Kadri added that he believed Binnington threw a water bottle at him while he was doing a postgame interview.

The NHL has not handed down punishment for any player involved in the play.

Karl-Anthony Towns is making boyfriends all over the world look bad ... the NBA star surprised girlfriend Jordyn Woods with a super romantic weekend getaway for their 2nd anniversary!

Woods shared some of the lovely moments from the weekend ... saying the Minnesota Timberwolves center brought her to the same place President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie had their honeymoon.

FYI, the Kennedys spent a couple of weeks at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA, after getting married in 1953.

KAT showered Jordyn with jewelry, a new Chanel and Tom Ford wardrobe along with a personal photographer for a getaway photoshoot.

"I had no idea we were going anywhere," Woods said, "and Karl surprised me with a weekend trip to the same resort John and Jackie Kennedy had their honeymoon, an entire wardrobe, an amazing photoshoot with a top photographer, and an unforgettable experience."

That's not it ... Woods was also surprised with several private dinners, including one on a sandy beach with a guitarist -- and a spa day plus golf.

"I love you @karltowns!!," Woods said, "You make me feel like a queen and always remind me everyday."

"Best anniversary weekend."

This marks the 2nd anniversary for the couple who made it official back in 2020. Last year KAT credited Woods with changing his life, and turning him into a better man.

Peng Shuai is being recognized for courageously opening up on the alleged sexual assault she experienced at the hands of a powerful Chinese official -- the tennis star was named to Time's list of most influential people of 2022.

The former doubles champ disappeared from the public eye after claiming former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex with him -- and while she later denied the allegations, many believe the retraction was forced by the Chinese government.

The WTA pulled events from China as a result of Shuai's allegations and disappearance ... and a worldwide call for Shuai's safety ensued.

Shuai was recognized by Lu Pin, a feminist activist and writer, in the outlet's spotlight ... who said, "With one lengthy post on Chinese social media site Weibo, tennis star Peng Shuai set off a chain reaction of events that profoundly changed global sports."