TMZ Sports - Page 37

A couple of golfers in Florida unexpectedly encountered a real-life version of Gator Golf over the holiday weekend ... when an alligator straight-up snagged one of their balls on the green -- and then waddled off with it!

The cool (and scary!) moment was captured on video on Sunday ... when Mark Harb and some of his buddies were playing a round at the Ormond Beach golf club.

You can see in footage that Harb shot, as the crew was walking toward the green to putt their balls ... they spotted a gator right next to the flagstick.

"Adam just hit the green," Harb said while recording, "and a gator just had the ball in his mouth."

As Harb got closer, the large reptile bit at the ball, and then crushed it in its teeth repeatedly. The guys joked about it -- from a safe distance! -- saying, "have him just drop it in the hole."

But, doesn't seem that happened -- 'cause the gator kept on moving ... with the golf ball in its mouth.

Kobe Bryant received a touching tribute in the newest season of "Stranger Things" ... with one of the show's stars, Caleb McLaughlin, paying homage by wearing the NBA legend's iconic #8 during the show.

Netflix says 20-year-old Caleb -- who is a massive Kobe fan -- came up with the idea for his on-screen character, Lucas Sinclair, to wear the Mamba's digit on his basketball jersey in the huge show.

Despite the number being factually incorrect (H.S. hoopers could only wear numbers that ended in 0-5 in the 1980s), the show's producers loved the plan to honor Mamba and let him don it for filming.

Of course, 'ST's newest installment is Netflix's biggest debut since "Squid Game" took over the world in 2021.

In fact, season 4 has resulted in 286.79 million hours viewed globally ... making it the biggest premiere weekend for an English language TV show on the streaming platform, according to reports.

In addition to the success here, it also reached #1 on the charts in 83 countries.

It's become common to see entertainers or athletes showing love for the life and legacy of Kobe since his tragic death -- The Game got a tattoo of a sideways 8 and KB's signature about his eyebrow.

Lakers superstar Lebron James got a snake tattoo ... with his numbers and the message "Mamba 4 Life" underneath it.

One of Kobe's favorite young players, Jayson Tatum, is always outspoken about what his relationship with Kobe means to him ... even wearing a purple armband with Kobe's #24 on it during a must-win Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday.

JT also revealed that he texted Kobe's number a message right before the game, saying, "I got you today" ... and he delivered on his promise, scoring 26 huge points for the Celtics in a 100-96 win.

Jay Cutler boasted this week that his bank account didn't take a big hit in his divorce with Kristin Cavallari ... joking, "when the settlement came through, I threw a party."

Cutler shared a laugh about his split with Cavallari during a conversation with Clay Travis on his "Uncut with Jay Cutler" podcast ... saying he believes he made off just fine when he and the former "Hills" star officially broke things off.

"I don't know what I can say, first of all," Cutler said on the podcast with a chuckle. "I don't know if I made money, I just didn't ... [I] did OK."

Cutler, though, made it clear that Cavallari -- who runs an ultra-successful jewelry biz now -- didn't lose her ass in the divorce either.

"I don't recommend divorce for anybody, let me go ahead and say that," Cutler said on the pod (the full episode air Wednesday at midnight ET). "But, it worked out. It worked out for Kristin, it worked out for me. It is what it is."

Jay -- who married Cavallari in 2013, seven years after he was drafted by the Denver Broncos -- reportedly made over $120 million in his NFL career. Cavallari, meanwhile, reportedly has a net worth of around $30 million.

The two had quarreled over money (specifically funds to buy another home) following the announcement of their divorce in 2020 ... but it seems that all got worked out to everyone's satisfaction.

Jeff Gladney, Arizona Cardinals cornerback and former 1st round draft pick, died early Monday morning following a car accident in Dallas.

He was only 25 years old.

The details surrounding the fatal Memorial Day crash are not yet clear.

Gladney, born in Texas in 1996, was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 31st overall pick in 2020 ... after starring at TCU.

The standout corner played in all 16 games for the Vikes in 2020 ... racking up 81 tackles (63 solo).

However, Jeff was cut by Minnesota in the summer of 2021 after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend. The case ultimately went to trial, and Gladney was found not guilty. But, because the trial took time, JG was forced to sit out the entire 2021 season.

After the not guilty verdict, he was free and clear to resume his very promising football career. In fact, the Cardinals just signed Jeff to a new contract in March 2022.

Gladney's agent released a statement, saying ... "We are asking prayers for the family and privacy at this most difficult time."

The NFL world is also mourning the passing. The Cardinals organization issued a statement addressing the tragic news.

"We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney's passing. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all who are mourning this tremendous loss."

Jeff's former TCU teammate, Eagles WR Jalen Reagor, is grieving the loss of his close friend.

"Lost my Brother, my best friend, my right hand man… ain't too much more I can take man damn! R.I.P Jeff Gladney, brother watch over me please."

New Cardinals teammate J.J. Watt spoke on the tragedy, writing "Horrifying news to hear this morning. Just tragic. Rest In Peace Jeff."

The Vikings also issued a statement.

"We are saddened by the tragic death of former Viking Jeff Gladney. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, as well as the Arizona Cardinals organization and Jeff's current and former teammates and coaches who are mourning his life lost much too soon."

Rest in peace.

Last time Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen stepped on a field together, they were battling in arguably the greatest NFL playoff game of all time ... a thriller that prompted the creator of "The Match" to call TV execs on the spot to set up Wednesday's round.

TMZ Sports talked to the creator, TV producer Bryan Zuriff ... and asked how he locked down four of the most famous/talented quarterbacks -- Mahomes/Allen ... and Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

"Literally after the game that day when they had that epic game, they scored like 28 points in 3 minutes. Probably the greatest game in football history. I texted the network and said, 'We gotta do something with these guys. This is the future of the NFL,'" Zuriff told us.

Of course, the Bills and Chiefs faced off on January 23, 2022 in the divisional round of the playoffs ... and the game was CRAZY. The lead changed hands 3 times in the final 2 minutes ... a period that saw 25 points scored.

Allen and the Bills ultimately had their hearts broken, losing the game to Pat and the Chiefs.

Bryan also talked about his partnership with TB12 ... who along with being a competitor, is also a producer of the event.

"Tom is an incredible partner. He goes the extra mile with everything he does. He's truly one of the great people to work with in the world. I'm very fortunate he's a producer with me and he's a great partner and is super passionate about golf," Zuriff says.

And, Bryan believes his event is having a big impact on the game of golf, and its popularity.

"I really think we are actually growing the game more so than traditional PGA tournaments that you see every week, because we're reaching the fans in different sports to come into golf, and all these athletes are playing golf."

Zuriff also told the story of how the original Match came to be (it came to him in a dream!) ... a story that involves both Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

Phil and Tiger -- one of the best rivalries in the sport's history -- ultimately faced off in a match play style event in November 2018 for a reported purse of $9 million. Mickelson beat Woods.

Steph Curry and Peyton Manning have also played in The Match, among other sports stars.

The Match -- the 6th iteration -- goes down Tuesday evening on TNT!

Nicki Minaj is going up ... as a Global Ambassador -- yes, that's the actual title for the superstar rapper's new gig with MaximBet, the sports betting platform of Maxim.

The Queen Barb announced her new duties Tuesday ... saying the position includes investing, advising and overall, making sports betting lit within the culture. Maxim's also renowned for its huge celeb events for the Super Bowl and Halloween -- which Nicki also made sure to point out with much enthusiasm.

Maxim also cites Nicki's "disruption" of the typically male-dominated hip hop industry as a reason for nabbing the gig.

With over 191 million followers on Instagram -- making her the most followed rapper -- another 25 mill on Twitter and more than 100 million records sold, hiring Nicki for her star power + influence feels like a no-brainer!

The MaximBet gig will also help launch Nicki's upcoming fifth album (coded "NM5") and next tour.

Nicki's MaximBet come-up mirrors Cardi B's latest bag as Playboy's Creative Director -- who was named to that role in December.

The superstars are lining up to work with Kanye West -- TMZ Sports has learned Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is the first pro athlete to ever sign with Donda Sports.

As we previously reported, future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald became one of the first big names to go public with his decision to partner with Ye for off-field ventures ... saying it was a "no-brainer" to join forces.

But as it turns out, Brown was way ahead of AD ... becoming the first athlete to ever sign with Donda, we're told.

Sources tell us Ye and Brown have been tight for a while now, but things were made official after West attended the Warriors vs. Celtics game in March.

The signs were there -- the two posed together postgame ... and in fact, Brown was spotted wearing a Donda Sports hoodie while hanging with A$AP Ferg afterwards.

So, why 25-year-old Brown?? We're told Donda eyed the Eastern Conference champ because of his intelligence, social activism and charitable work ... as well as his success on the court.

On top of that, the deal was especially important to Ye because Jaylen is a God-fearing man ... and his mother emphasized the importance of education at a young age, just like Donda.

We're told Ye thinks Brown is underappreciated ... and wants to bring him to "superhero" status during his career and long after his playing days.

New NFL star Aidan Hutchinson ain't the only Hutchinson having a helluva 2022 ... his sister, Aria, just took home the "Miss Michigan" crown!!!

The sibling of the Detroit Lions rookie -- who was taken with the #2 overall pick in last month's NFL draft -- officially earned the title at a ceremony in Michigan on Saturday.

She'll now compete for the title of "Miss USA" later this year.

"Years in the making. Years of discovery, evolution, and dreaming of this moment," Aria wrote of the accomplishment on her social media page on Monday.

"Can't begin to convey my gratitude for everyone who's supported me on this journey. I can't wait to use this title for good, helping and inspiring as many people as possible. What a gift this is!"

At the ceremony over the weekend, the 23-year-old was visibly emotional as she received her tiara ... appearing to well up with tears while she was on the stage.

The moment is just the latest great one for Aidan and Aria ... who, after celebrating Aidan's NFL draft, also celebrated their graduation together from the University of Michigan!

Jerry Jeudy is breathing easier today ... TMZ Sports has confirmed prosecutors are dropping the criminal case against the NFL star.

A spokesperson for the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office tells us officials formally filed a motion to dismiss all of the charges against the Denver Broncos wideout on Tuesday morning.

The filing comes just three weeks after the 23-year-old was arrested following an incident with the mother of his 1-month-old child.

Jeudy had been accused of withholding property from the woman who officers at the time claimed was trying to leave his presence on May 12 in Arapahoe County. He was booked on charges of 2nd-degree criminal tampering w/a domestic violence enhancer.

Throughout the case, though, Jeudy's attorney -- Harvey Steinberg -- had argued the receiver should have never been arrested. On Tuesday, he celebrated the D.A.'s decision in a statement to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.

"Nothing rose to the level of a crime," Steinberg said. "I like Jerry and he is a good person and this is a minor bump in the road of what I think will be a sterling career."

Simone Johnson, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is kickin' ass and takin' names before ever stepping foot in a WWE ring ... hitting back at "fans" criticizing her wrestling name.

On Sunday, the 20-year-old, who signed with WWE in 2020, announced her pro wrestling name would be "Ava Raine" ... which disappointed some fans.

The trolls came out in full force saying "The Pebble" (sigh) would be a more fitting name -- an obvious play on The Rock's on-camera name.

Well, Simone is already following in her father's footsteps, and was quick with the comebacks, saying, "I beg of you guys to find a new joke. Anything."

She went on ... "I probably sound like a broken record & hopefully this is the last I'll mention this, but I don't understand why people being portrayed as separate individuals from their family name is such a heated topic."

"A name doesn't discredit any prior accomplishments from any family."

It's not easy being the child of a WWE legend such as The Rock -- one of the greatest sports entertainers in the world -- and Simone recognizes she'll be judged harshly no matter what she does.

"I could build my entire career around my father & people would still bash me anyway," Simone tweeted.

Simone is a fourth-generation wrestler. Her grandpa (Rock's dad) was Rocky Johnson, and her great-grandfather, Peter "High Chief" Maivia ... both paved the way for Dwayne.

AEW star Jake Atlas has been hit with a domestic violence charge ... after he allegedly scratched his boyfriend following an argument over a sexual encounter.

According to police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Atlas was arrested on May 23 after cops say the 27-year-old wrestler's boyfriend and a witness told them Atlas became very aggressive following a night of drinking.

Police say while Atlas was out at a bar, his boyfriend joined him there ... and say the boyfriend told them the two eventually "went back to a female friend's house to take part in sexual activities."

But, cops say Atlas' boyfriend told them that after he had paid "more attention" to the female than Atlas -- the 5-foot-11, 230-pound athlete became enraged.

In the docs, officers say the boyfriend and a witness told them Atlas started a "huge verbal argument" -- and then tried to attack the boyfriend multiple times.

In his alleged fits of rage, Atlas was accused of scratching his boyfriend and tearing the man's tank top.

Cops say in the docs when they tried to interview Atlas for his side of the story, "he only wished to talk bad about" his boyfriend instead of being cooperative.

Court records show Atlas -- real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez -- was ultimately charged with domestic violence battery, a misdemeanor. The records show he was ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.

He's due back in court for a hearing in the case in late June.

Atlas -- who is openly gay -- wrestled in the WWE from 2019 to 2021. He went on to wrestle with AEW in late 2021, but suffered a significant knee injury in Jan. 2022 and has not returned to the ring since.

Transgender NCAA swimming champion Lia Thomas is firing back at those claiming her dominance is unfair to biological women ... saying trans athletes will not destroy women's sports.

The University of Penn athlete broke her silence on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday ... saying she knew she'd face backlash once she started competing against women, but no amount of scrutiny would stop her.

"I was prepared for that, but I don't need anyone's permission to be myself and do the sport that I love," she said.

Many have denounced Thomas' participation in women's sports after she finished first in the women's 500-yard freestyle back in March ... with everyone from Caitlyn Jenner to Florida governor Ron DeSantis to Joe Rogan, who called it "an assault on women's sports."

But, Thomas argues that shouldn't be the case ... saying, "Transitioning to get an advantage is not something that ever factors into our decisions."

"Trans women are not a threat to women's sport."

Thomas added, "Trans people don't transition for athletics. We transition to be happy and authentic and our true selves."

Despite the outrage, Thomas -- who started hormone therapy in 2019 -- still plans to compete in the Olympics in the future.

One of the rarest and most coveted Kobe Bryant cards in existence -- the 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems #81 -- just hit the auction block ... and could sell for over a million bucks!!

The Bryant card is numbered 60 out of 100 ... making it incredibly rare.

But, what makes this card so special is the fact it's signed by the Black Mamba himself -- likely making it a 1-of-1 -- as no other autographed version has hit the market, as far as we can tell.

Pretty cool to think Kobe held this card and signed it.

The signature was authenticated and graded a Mint 9 by PSA -- one of the premiere graders and authenticators -- before SCP Auctions put it on the block.

The auction believes the card could sell for over $1 million!

It's actually difficult to find PMG cards -- which featured 123 players (all with 100 cards) -- in tip-top shape (let alone ones signed by KB) because of the way they were made. The cards were manufactured using a colored foil that makes them difficult to keep pristine ... as the foil would chip.

The PMGs are incredibly significant among collectors, and look flat-out awesome. And, there are two versions of each card. The first 10 numbered cards are green (Emerald), meanwhile, 11 through 100 are red.

A green Kobe PMG -- not signed -- brought in around $2 million at auction a few months ago, FYI.

The signed card has already been bid on 10 times ... with a high bid of $130K.

Val Chmerkovskiy knows there's a lot going on outside of the crisis in Ukraine ... and he's asking people to do what they can to support his home, while understanding it's not easy.

We got the "Dancing With the Stars" pro at LAX and asked him if he's noticing any Ukraine war fatigue among Americans who raced to help Ukrainians stand up to Vladimir Putin's invasion.

The war's been raging for a few months now, and Val says it's hard for people to stay focused on supporting Ukraine relief efforts ... given all the turmoil and daily struggles that most folks here are dealing with.

Val's got his own foundation building homes for refugees over in Europe ... and he says it's sometimes even hard for him to reach out to his own supporters to rally around Ukraine.

It's an interesting perspective from Val ... he's thankful for all the support so far, and the pledges going forward, but knows lots of folks are struggling to keep their heads above water and understands it's not realistic for everyone to put all their focus on Ukraine.

Chuck Liddell clearly believes Cain Velasquez should be out of jail by now ... telling TMZ Sports a judge needs to give him bond ASAP.

The UFC legend has been locked behind bars since late February -- after he allegedly tried to kill a man who was accused of molesting one of his relatives.

Liddell -- who's been good friends with Velasquez for years -- told us out at LAX this week it's time for that to change ... saying Cain should be let out and able to see his family.

"It's so funny how easy it is to get out -- they're letting all these crazy people out," the Iceman said. "But you have a problem with letting him out? I don't know."

Liddell went on to say, if all of the allegations are true, he doesn't blame Velasquez one bit for it all -- obviously, a big reason why he thinks the 40-year-old should get bond.

"I get it," Chuck said. "In that situation, I get it."

Cain, though, will remain in jail until at least his next hearing on June 10.

Chuck, meanwhile, is pleading with the former fighter to "stay strong" while the case plays out ... saying, "We're here for you. We love you."

A stampede erupted at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after rumors began to swirl there was an active shooter in the arena.

At least 10 people suffered injuries just after midnight Sunday ... when people began screaming someone was firing shots. It wasn't true, but the crowd didn't know it.

It's unclear how the rumor first started, but it spread like wildfire. A security guard said the rumor was that someone was firing shots outside the arena. That caused people who were leaving the boxing match to make a mad dash back inside, and it became a madhouse.

Naomi Osaka was among those present ... she tweeted, that she heard "shouting and saw people running" and was then told "there was an active shooter and we had to huddle in a room and close the doors," adding, she was "petrified."

Madonna was also there for the championship match between Gervonta Davis and Rolando Romero. It's unclear if she was present during the melee.

One person who was there tweeted, "I watched a person get trampled nearly out cold."

The ten known to be injured were taken to a hospital and according to officials, they suffered only minor injuries.