TMZ Sports - Page 36

Pro golfer Bart Bryant -- a 3-time PGA Tour winner -- was tragically killed in a car crash on Tuesday. He was 59 years old.

Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed the sad news in a statement on Wednesday ... saying, "The PGA TOUR is saddened by the tragic passing of Bart Bryant and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time."

Bryant went pro in 1986 ... but his career was troubled with injuries. He won his first PGA Tour in 2004 ... making him the oldest first-time winner at the Valero Texas Open in 9 years.

The Texas native then went on to win two more tournaments in 2005 ... the Memorial Tournament and the Tour Championship, the latter being a big win over Tiger Woods.

Bryant also won the Dicks Sporting Goods Open in 2013 and 2018.

Bryant's older brother, Brad, is also a former PGA Tour winner.

"The Bryants have been a part of the PGA TOUR family for over four decades," Monahan said.

"We are grateful for the impact and legacy he made on our organization and countless communities. Bart will be dearly missed."

Bryant is survived by his wife Donna, his two daughters, stepchildren and his brother. His first wife, Cathy, passed in 2017.

RIP

Paulo Costa is breaking his silence on the allegations that he attacked a nurse in Brazil earlier this week ... saying in a statement on Wednesday the claims are "reckless and inconsistent."

The UFC star, according to Brazilian media outlet Globo.com, was accused of hitting a nurse with his elbow following an argument over a COVID vaccine card in Belo Horizonte.

The outlet reported that Costa told nurses he wanted a vaccination. But, according to the report, Costa backed out of getting the shots, yet still wanted the filled-out vaccine card.

Globo.com reported when a female nurse tried to stop him from leaving with the card, the 31-year-old hit her with an elbow. She reportedly complained of swelling in her lips.

On his Instagram page Wednesday, Costa opened up about the allegations ... saying in a statement, "The accusations and facts narrated do not reflect the reality of what happened."

"The fact will be carefully investigated and the appropriate legal measures for their perfect clarification will be taken."

He added in the press release, "this kind of allegations are completely incompatible with his history and way of life."

It's unclear if Costa is currently under police investigation.

Here's the video you didn't know you needed to see ... John Daly belly flopping!!!!!

Yes, it happened ... and the entire moment was captured on video, further adding to the reputation of the legendary 56-year-old golfer.

To be honest, there's a lot we don't know about the clip. Where it happened? When? Why? But, it's John Daly belly flopping ... who cares about the details?!

The clip starts with another man attempting a belly flop from a small, wooden dock ... displaying terrible form.

Luckily there was an elite athlete (😬) on hand ... the 2x Major winner (PGA Championship in '91, Open in '95) showed everyone how to (properly) execute the flop.

But, Daly didn't just jump from the dock ... he climbed on top of a wooden bench and launched himself, fully committed to pulling off the move.

And, it was perfect! Big splash, loud crack, red belly.

This is awesome!!!

USC basketball recruit Aaliyah Gayles graduated from Spring Valley High School this week ... just months after the hoops star was shot 10 times at a house party.

Gayles -- the no. 8 ranked player in the 2022 class -- held her diploma high after she made it across the stage in a wheelchair on Tuesday ... something her father, Dwight, says she worked her "tail off for."

"Words can't even describe the feeling I feel," Dwight told TMZ Sports on Wednesday.

"It wasn't easy but she did it. I can't be more happy for her. God is good!"

Of course, this is a special moment for the family and Gayles ... after the 5-foot-9 guard was shot 10 times at a Las Vegas house party on April 16.

Despite the serious injuries, Dwight told us back in April that his 18-year-old daughter -- who committed to USC last August -- will still play basketball for the Trojans.

Her father also provided an update on her recovery ... saying, "It's going very well."

"Doing some physical therapy. Getting back to normal one day at a time. Baby steps."

In her last year of high school, Gayles averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game ... leading the Grizzlies to the state tournament.

The 5-star recruit was also the first Vegas player to be named a McDonald All-American since 2010.

But, getting to go across the stage and receive her diploma has got to be her proudest moment.

The NFL and Washington Commanders stonewalled a congressional investigation into the workplace culture of the team ... so says the Chairwoman of the powerful Committee on Oversight and Reform, who "invited" Roger Goodell and Daniel Snyder to testify in D.C.

The United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation in October aiming to "uncover the truth about the culture of harassment and abuse" ... after numerous ex-employees spoke out.

But, House Chair, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) says the league and organization have slowed the investigation by not fully cooperating ... firing off a letter to both entities, ripping them.

"The Committee has worked tirelessly to obtain critical information, including the findings of the internal investigation conducted by attorney Beth Wilkinson, only to be met with obstruction from the Commanders and the NFL at every turn."

Rep. Maloney continued ... "We must have transparency and accountability, which is why we are calling on Mr. Goodell and Mr. Snyder to answer the questions they have dodged for the last seven months. The hearing will explore how Congress can act to prevent employers from silencing victims of workplace misconduct and ensure that what happened at the Commanders organization does not happen again."

Chairwoman Maloney wasn't alone ... Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, went in on Goodell and Snyder.

"For seven months, the Committee has been stonewalled by NDAs and other tools to evade accountability," Chairman Krishnamoorthi wrote.

"Mr. Snyder and Mr. Goodell need to appear before the Committee to address these issues and answer our questions about the pervasive workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders, and how the NFL addressed these issues."

FYI, back in Summer 2020, at least 15 former employees spoke out about the alleged sexual harassment that ran rampant through the org.

The NFL investigated the situation themselves, and ultimately fined the team $10 million.

As for the NFL, they clearly see the situation very differently, responding to the invitation, and claiming they obstructed the investigation.

"We received the Committee's invitation this morning and will respond directly in a timely manner," a league spokesperson said.

Tommy Pham says his fantasy football beef with Joc Pederson is really partially Mike Trout's fault ... explaining on Tuesday that the Angels MVP was actually the commissioner of the MLB stars' league!!

The Cincinnati Reds outfielder went in-depth Tuesday about the Joc drama with reporters before his team's game against the Red Sox ... revealing some key details about what led to him slapping Pederson in the head last week.

Pham explained the fantasy league was a $10,000 buy-in, where the last-place finisher had to pony up an additional 10 Gs. The 33-year-old also said MLB stars like Mike Moustakas, Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer were members.

Pham confirmed he was pissed at Joc over a bunch of things -- including roster moves and "disrespectful" text message trash-talk -- and he added that he believed Trout could have stepped in and stopped it all at one point.

"Trout did a terrible job, man," Pham said. "Trout's the worst commissioner in fantasy sports. Because he allowed a lot of s*** to go on and he could've solved it all."

Pham, though, did appear to have at least some sympathy for Trout ... adding, "Nobody wanted to be commissioner."

"I didn't want to be the f***ing commissioner. I've got other s*** to do. He didn't want to do it. We put it on him. It was kind of our fault too, because we made him commissioner."

Pham revealed he walked away from the league in the middle of the season -- but said he was in 2nd place at the time.

Ah, what could have been.

Tom Brady was choppin' it up with Mark Davis at the Las Vegas Aces game on Tuesday ... a sight that would be a lot more frequent had the NFL superstar's free agency gone differently in 2020.

TB12 soaked in some WNBA action ahead of his big golf showdown against QBs Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in "The Match" ... and ended up sharing a moment with the Raiders owner.

Of course, Brady reportedly had LV on his shortlist of teams back when he left the Patriots in free agency two years ago ... and famously said in an episode of "The Shop" he was shocked a team (people assumed he was talking about the Raiders) chose to stick with "that motherf***er" (hi, Derek Carr) over him.

Anywho, TB12 was posted up with his sister and Jim Gray for the Aces' matchup against the Connecticut Sun ... a victory for the home team.

Brady was able to chat with players while at the game as well ... keeping cool, calm and collected just hours before hitting the links.

John Madden is receiving yet another huge honor following his death ... EA Sports just revealed the Hall of Famer will grace the covers of the "Madden 23" video game this year.

The game -- the most popular football one ever made -- will feature three different versions ... and officials at EA Sports say all three covers will honor various points of Madden's life.

The "All Madden Edition" artwork was released by the video game giant on Wednesday ... showing a young Madden smiling with a football in his hand.

The covers will mark the first time the former Raiders coach and legendary broadcaster has been the main art on the front of the game since 2000.

In his place the past 22 years, the game's biggest stars -- including Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson and Rob Gronkowski -- have graced the covers of the game.

In addition to announcing the cover art, EA Sports also revealed Wednesday it's dedicating a field at its headquarters in Northern California to the legend who died in December.

Madden is expected to be honored in several other ways in this year's game -- EA Sports officials are slated to announce more features in the coming days and weeks.

An MLB fan terrifyingly leaned over some railing with his baby in his arm to try to catch a home run ball on Tuesday -- but, thankfully, he avoided disaster, made the grab and kept everyone safe!

The wild moment went down in the first inning of the Washington Nationals game against the Mets in New York -- when Starling Marte crushed a home run to deep center field.

The ball landed in an area with no seats, took a huge hop -- and that's when a dad in the stands made a play that we're sure Mom wasn't too pleased to see.

Broadcast video from the game shows as the ball was coming back down from its initial carom, the man held his baby with one hand and made the barehanded catch.

"Did he catch that?!" the game's announcers asked. "Baby's fine! All good!"

The fan actually spoke to the Associated Press about the play following the game ... and revealed he was a former baseball player -- so the catch was no sweat.

"In Dominican Republic, we don't all get to have gloves, so we do play baseball barehanded, so I figured I could do it," the fan said. "I did it many times when I was a kid, so why not?"

The kid, meanwhile, was totally fine.

Soccer star Kurt Zouma will not have to spend time behind bars for attacking his cats ... instead, he was sentenced to community service on Wednesday.

Zouma had faced jail time after pleading guilty last week to kicking and slapping his pets during a February incident ... but a judge ordered him to just 180 hours of community service and a five-year ban from owning cats.

His brother, Yoan -- who pleaded guilty to a charge last week that he aided and abetted Kurt during the incident -- was sentenced to 140 hours of community service and was also banned from owning cats for five years.

The two were ordered to pay fines and fees as well.

During the sentencing hearing, the judge scolded the two brothers -- calling their actions "disgraceful and reprehensible."

"As a public figure," the judge said, "you must be aware that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you."

Both of Zouma's cats had been taken away from the 27-year-old, who's a member of France's national team, earlier this year after video show him kicking and slapping the felines.

The cats are currently in the care of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ... and are in the process of finding a new home.

If Chad Ochocinco is still serious about his boxing career ... ex-UFC fighter Chris Avila tells TMZ Sports he'll gladly throw hands with the former NFL star, saying he's looking for a scrap with the guy this summer.

We talked to Avila out in the Bay Area this week and he's targeting August 13 for his next fight -- and, he'd love it if Ochocinco was his opponent.

"I think that'd be an exciting fight for people to watch," said the 29-year-old, who fought in the UFC back in 2016. "If he wants to fight a real fighter, he can box me."

Chad has transitioned into the fighting world following his football career -- you'll recall, he took on Brian Maxwell just before the Logan Paul vs. Floyd Mayweather tilt in June 2021.

Chad was knocked down in the fight, but held his own. He's yet to get back in the ring since.

Avila -- who last fought in a boxing match on the undercard of the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight last December -- tells us he's hoping a match with Ochocinco will be featured on the undercard of Jake's next bout in August.

"I don't know if he'd accept it -- or maybe he wants to stick to fighting celebrities," Avila said of Ochocinco. "But if he's down to test his boxing skills, I'm down to fight him."

Avila says he isn't sure if Chad would accept the offer ... wondering out loud if the 44-year-old is "scared" of him. But, he did tell us he knows exactly how the scrap would end if the former Cincinnati Bengals superstar does step in the ring.

The fitness world is mourning the loss of Paul Poloczek, Polish professional bodybuilder, who passed away at the age of 37, according to his partner, Katherin DeNev.

Katherin shared the sad news in a social media post, saying ..."Bodybuilding was your life. You are not forgotten, you live on in our hearts. We will love you forever."

"I love you, baby," she added.

The cause of Paul's death has not yet been revealed.

Poloczek was last seen at the NPC Worldwide Championships in Germany on May 28, according to Generation Iron.

Paul, originally a soccer player, fell in love with weightlifting as a teenager ... and ultimately decided he wanted to turn pro.

At 17, Poloczek won his first Junior Championship bodybuilding competition. From there, PP went on to win or place in several other competitions.

Then, in 2017, Paul earned his pro card after he placed first in the Arnold Classic Amateur bodybuilding competition ... a prestigious event for any bodybuilding competitor.

Shortly after, Paul took a break from the sport ... before returning in 2021 at the Europa Pro where he placed 16th.

Ray Liotta's legacy will surely live on in his hometown, where planning is underway to commemorate the late actor's career in Union Township, New Jersey ... cause the city is planning to honor him in a special way.

Ray grew up in Union Township, New Jersey ... he graduated high school there in 1973, and his iconic roles would make him one of the town's favorite sons. Current mayor Manuel Figueiredo tells TMZ, they are looking at a variety of options to honor Ray, but also giving the family time to grieve before making a final decision.

We're told, the city is considering naming one of its baseball fields after him, as a nod to his role in "Field of Dreams." The field they're looking at is used for youth sports in the area.

In case you didn't know, Ray was born in Newark, but raised in Union Township. His family actually has strong ties there -- his mom was the Township clerk, and his dad was a store owner and President of a local Democratic club.

Ray was inducted into the Union High School Hall of Fame in 1993, and that same year, he participated in the Township's Annual Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony.

As we've reported, Ray died in his sleep last week at the age of 67 ... while in the Dominican Republic filming a movie called "Dangerous Waters."

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, 3x Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and civil rights attorney, wholeheartedly disagrees with Lia Thomas ... insisting trans athletes have a significant advantage over biological women.

Hogshead joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... and addressed statements Thomas made earlier in the day when she joined Good Morning America for her first interview, telling Juju Chang ... "Trans women are not a threat to women's sport."

But, Nancy, who also runs a female advocacy organization called Champion Women, told Harvey and Charles that Lia is just wrong.

"After somebody has been through male puberty, you cannot roll that back. So, it isn't fair," the former Olympian said, citing several experts.

"We're hoping that we can get sports governing bodies and legislatures and others to care more about fairness than any other conclusion."

It's not that Nancy isn't supportive of Lia Thomas -- she says she is -- everywhere except the swimming pool.

"I affirm who [Lia] wants to be for all of her life. Whether it's employment, the classroom, or anyplace else. But when it comes to sports, sports is not based on identity. It is based on biology. That is why we have the women's sports category."

FYI, the UPenn swimmer, an NCAA champ in the 500m freestyle event, is done with college athletics after recently graduating. However, Lia isn't done competing ... she's made it clear she wishes to compete in the Summer Olympics in 2024.

And, Hogshead believes the future of women's sports is literally on the line.

"If sport is not based on sex segregation, and if gender identity equals sex discrimination, we might lose the right as woman athletes to be able to have separate sex sports."

That's something Nancy is intent on preventing from happening.

"I am not going to allow this generation of women to have to be gracious losers to somebody that has a biological advantage that you can't train for, you can't eat better, you can't find better coaching," Hogshead said.

A 23rd female massage therapist is now suing Deshaun Watson ... claiming she's decided to file the docs after watching the HBO special on the quarterback earlier this month.

In the lawsuit, filed in Harris County, Texas on Tuesday and obtained by TMZ Sports, Nia Smith says Watson was sexually inappropriate with her during three separate massage sessions in 2020.

Her allegations -- which are similar to the other 22 masseuses who have sued Watson in the past two years -- had been made public before ... she spoke about them in an interview in July 2021, but had said she did not sue Watson over it all, fearing backlash.

However, in her suit, Smith claimed after watching a piece on Watson and his accusers during HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" last week ... she changed her mind.

"After seeing Watson publicly refuse to take responsibility for his action," Smith's attorney, Tony Buzbee, wrote in the documents, "saying he had 'no regrets,' and Watson's lawyer repeatedly calling the women liars, [Smith] decided enough was enough."

"She decided that Watson needs to be held accountable," Buzbee added. "She does not want him to get away with his lies."

In her suit, Smith is asking for "minimal compensatory damages."

"Today we filed suit for the 23rd plaintiff in this litigation," Buzbee said in a statement to TMZ Sports following the filing. "Other cases may come. The Watson defense team has vilified these women and this cause. Shame on them! We look forward to trying this case in court."

Braves fans will be able to spot their star outfielder whenever he's rolling around ATL -- Ronald Acuna Jr. just copped a brand new luxury whip for $175k ... with his very own logo etched all over it!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 2-time All-Star is the proud new owner of a BMW X6 M Competition with a bright yellow paint job.

If you look closely, the car has a personal touch -- featuring Acuna's name and custom logo all over the exterior, which was his business partner Nick Drbal's idea alongside Xample.

"Ronald and I wanted to brand his logo in a unique and personal way," Drbal tells us. "The best way we envisioned this was for his own city to be able to identify who was inside, based on what was outside on the car."

We're told Acuna will only have the whip in ATL for a short time before it gets shipped back to his home country of Venezuela.

The RA13 logo is also featured on the inside ... with the emblem getting put on the headrests for a special touch.

The Beamer X6 M Competition usually comes with a starting price tag of around $130k ... but we're told with all the bells and whistles and the custom job, it ended up being around a $175k purchase.

The slugger definitely seems pleased with the end result -- posing next to the car for a quick photo.