TMZ Sports - Page 35

PGA Tour star Hideki Matsuyama just got disqualified from the Memorial Tournament ... and it's all 'cause officials say he had too much paint on one of his clubs.

Tourney officials just announced the decision during the middle of the Masters champ's first round in Dublin, Ohio ... explaining the white marks that were put on his 3-wood's face to help him with his alignment were a no-no.

Players, according to PGA Tour senior tournament director Steve Rintoul, are allowed to have some markings on their clubs ... but the Wite-Out-like substance that was applied to Matsuyama's broke the rules.

"What was done there, with that substance ... was a coating that was not only in the grooves, but was very thick along the face," Rintoul said. "And now he's applied a substance to the face which renders the club non-conforming."

Rintoul said because Matsuyama used the wood on the first shot of the tournament's first hole, he was DQ'ed. He was 3-over par at the time he was informed of the decision.

The disqualification is the first of the 30-year-old's PGA Tour career.

Be afraid future quarterbacks ... another Watt is on the way into the world!!!

Arizona Cardinal superstar J.J. Watt just revealed he and his wife, Kealia Ohai, are expecting their first child together.

"Could not be more excited," Watt said while breaking the news on his social media page.

Fans and pro athletes rushed to Watt's comment section to show the 33-year-old and his pregnant wife major love ... with Browns star Myles Garrett and Patriots star James White both writing congratulations notes.

30-year-old Kealia revealed in a social media post of her own that the bundle of joy is expected to arrive in October 2022.

Watt and Kealia -- who plays midfielder for the Chicago Red Stars -- have been together since 2016 and got hitched in February 2020.

The lovely couple just celebrated their 2nd anniversary ... with Watt saying, "Through 2 years of marriage, many memories have already been created, with so many more on the horizon."

Ciara twerked on a Bronco ... but we're not talking about her husband!!

The singer and Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model held a random dance party at a gas station this week ... shaking it with all her friends as her upcoming single, "J.U.M.P." played in the background.

Russell Wilson's wifey put herself through the open sunroof and propped her leg up on top of the car ... as two dancers posted up on the doors, and one more took the front of the whip.

"It's time to pull up and make that thang J.U.M.P 😎," the "Level Up" artist said on Instagram.

While the short clip is surely an attention-grabber, some followers pointed out the steep gas prices listed behind the group ... with comedian Jasmin Brown saying, "Them gas prices chile 😵‍💫😭 I like this song tho 😍"

Another user added ... "$6.70 A GALLON 💀"

It's been a hot streak for CiCi -- she just graced the S.I. cover and the Wilson fam just made the move from Seattle to Denver.

A fitness trainer tried to do his best LeBron James impression at the King's "Hustle" movie premiere on Wednesday -- attempting to throw down a sweet dunk -- but he came up just short on the landing, and broke his tooth on the hoop's stanchion!

Quan Bailey was on hand in L.A. for the screening of LBJ's new flick -- which stars Adam Sandler -- and he decided to show off on a makeshift court set up near the Westwood Regency Village Theatre.

Bailey threw down one dunk with ease ... but as he finished another alley-oop one, he misjudged his landing -- and slammed his face on the structure holding up the rim!

Bailey immediately knew something was wrong ... grabbing at his grill, before realizing he had a bloody lip and a broken tooth.

Bailey, though, was a good sport about it all ... and even joked on his social media page afterward, "First man to break a tooth at a Hollywood movie premiere ... That one hurt lol."

Bailey said on Thursday morning his mouth was still in pain, but he managed to get some training in ... and added that he's trying to get to a dentist to fix the tooth later in the afternoon.

"Hot Boy" rapper Bobby Shmurda was ice-cold to a Tampa Bay Lightning supporter during the New York Rangers game on Wednesday -- trollin' the fan by waving an NYR towel right in his face!

The hilarious moment happened during Shmurda's epic night at Madison Square Garden -- when the Brooklyn rapper was in the stands cheering his face off for the Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Video shows Shmurda was gettin' his dance on ... and then he turned to a TB fan sittin' right behind him, and waved a "No Quit in New York" Rangers' towel in the guy's grill.

To his credit, the fan took the trollin' in stride -- responding with nothing more than a thumbs down.

Bobby had a hell of a night during the game in between going crazy for big plays -- taking a bunch of photos with fans both inside and outside of the venue.

TMZ Sports has learned this was Bobby's first-ever hockey game ... and he attended it after getting invited by Icy Ventures -- a talent management company (founded by Josh Stone and his brother Troy Stone as well as NHL agent John Osei-Tutu) whose focus is to bring hip-hop culture to the sport.

"Bobby’s energy could not be contained," Troy told us of Shmurda's night. "Fans were shocked to see such a high-profile rap artist in the building for a Ranger game."

"Bobby was so excited he started taunting the opposing team’s fans, which lead to a viral moment which the NHL has desperately needed."

Troy added, "The experience for Bobby couldn’t have gone better as he saw the Rangers win and got to witness a real NHL fight.”

Brittney Griner remains in a Russian jail cell, but the WNBA star has one small semblance of normalcy during lockup ... the 7x All-Star has been communicating with friends, family, and fellow players over email.

Griner's team created an email account where Brittney's loved ones and friends can write to her ... and then once vetted by Russian officials, the WNBA star's attorney brings the letters to her cell.

Brittney has received hundreds of messages.

L.A. Sparks forward Amanda Zahui B. wrote to Griner a few months ago, and was surprised to hear back from her friend.

"She jokes in her letters," Zahui said. "I don't know how she does it with what she's going through. She's an amazing soul."

"She brings light in a situation like this. I don't think a lot of people could manage to do that," Zahui added.

Brittney and Amanda have exchanged multiple messages ... with the latest correspondence arriving from Russia last week.

Zahui B. says Brittney ended their latest email exchange by writing "From 42 to 42'' ... in reference to Amanda changing her uniform number to honor BG.

And, it's not just electronic communications. Diana Taurasi says she sent a handwritten letter to BG.

Of course, Griner has been locked up near Moscow since February (the exact date of her arrest is unknown) after Russian authorities claim the hooper attempted to smuggle hashish oil (vape cartridges) into the country.

Griner was last seen on May 13 when she appeared in court for a motion her lawyers filed, asking the judge to allow her to move to house arrest while she awaits her trial.

Brittney could face years in prison, if convicted.

Complicating matters is the relationship between the United States and Russia ... fearing many to believe Brittney could be used as a bargaining chip.

Griner's wife, Cherelle, in a recent sit-down interview, implored President Biden and his administration to play a more active role in helping bring the 31-year-old back home.

Josh Allen shanked a ball so badly during Wednesday night's 'The Match' -- he drilled a fan in the back of the head ... but, thankfully, the guy somehow wasn't severely injured.

The wayward tee shot happened on the sixth hole of the event at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas ... when Allen pushed his ball some 20 yards to the right of the green.

In video of the swing, captured by John of @BackNineBullies, on the 190-yard par 3, you can hear the ball crashing down right on a spectator's noggin.

The fan immediately crumpled to the ground in pain, yelling out, "Wow! I got it! Oh, my God!" ... although, fortunately, he ended up ultimately being all right.

Allen eventually made his way up to the fan ... and apologized repeatedly for the shot -- and signed a golf ball, a glove and a football as a mea culpa.

We're told the spectator needed some ice and had a big bump on his head -- but he appeared to finish up the event just fine.

As for Allen, his game never quite looked good during 'The Match' -- he nailed fans continuously throughout the round -- and he and Patrick Mahomes went on to lose to Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

LeBron James just became the first active NBA player to have not 1, not 2, not 3, but 9 zeroes in his net worth -- the Lakers superstar is officially a billionaire.

The 37-year-old 4-time champ reached the milestone after making a whopping $121.2 million in 2021, according to Forbes ... joining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only other hoopers to rake in that kinda coin.

Bron has made more than $387 million on the court, but the majority of his money has come from the business side.

As the outlet points out, James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Entertainment is worth around $300 million, his stake in Fenway Sports Group is worth $90 million and his 10% share of the Blaze Pizza brand has blown up to a whopping $30 million.

Oh yeah, and the dude has a LIFETIME contract with Nike ... which Mav previously hinted was a billion-dollar deal for decades to come.

That's not even scratching the surface of LeBron's success off the court ... but the accomplishment is truly something -- Jordan reportedly didn't become a billionaire until 2014.

LeBron -- who had a tough childhood with his mother, Gloria, after she gave birth to him at just 16 years old -- previously spoke about his desire to make a billion in his lifetime ... so it's gotta feel good to be the King.

Take notes, 50 Cent, Dr. Fauci and Steve Aoki ... Miles Teller showed exactly how a first pitch should be done on Wednesday -- throwing a perfect strike before the Phillies game!

The "Top Gun: Maverick" star was at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for the Phils' "Top Gun" night ... and the team allowed him to toe the rubber for the game's ceremonial first pitch.

And, Teller didn't disappoint while on the mound -- ripping a fastball right down the middle to Phillies legend Ryan Howard!!!

Of course, the throw shouldn't surprise many ... 35-year-old Teller is a huge baseball guy -- and has previously said he might have picked a pro career on the diamond over an acting one if given the choice back in high school.

Teller told local media after the throw that he used some advice from Phillies star Nick Castellanos to complete the toss -- explaining the outfielder told him, "let it eat."

U.S. Men's National Team superstar Christian Pulisic just called out American soccer fans for not showing up to the squad's friendly against Morocco on Wednesday ... saying he was "not super happy" with the turnout in Cincinnati.

The 23-year-old striker -- easily the best U.S. footballer -- sounded off after the Red, White and Blue's 3-0 victory ... admitting he was bummed about the thousands of empty seats at TQL Stadium.

"To be honest, for whatever reason, I'm not super happy with the amount of Americans here -- however that works out, if I'm being completely honest," Pulisic said.

"But, thanks to the ones who did come ... and the support is always great from them."

FYI -- according to the U.S. Soccer match report, 19,512 fans were in attendance in Cincy ... nearly 6,500 short of TQL Stadium capacity.

Pulisic added it was "nice" to play on American soil again after months away ... but he was clearly irked.

Sue Bird's TOGETHXR company has made good on its threats ... its now filed a lawsuit against The Rock's XFL over the league's rebranded logo less than a month after initially claiming it was way too similar to theirs.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed on Wednesday -- nearly four weeks after Bird and her fiancée, Megan Rapinoe, threatened to get lawyers involved following the XFL's creation of a new "X" logo.

In the lawsuit, TOGETHXR -- a media org. co-founded by Bird, Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel -- says the football league's logo, which was debuted on April 6, looks and feels "confusingly similar to TOGETHXR's brand and logo."

They included in the docs a side-by-side of the logos ... and said they made "repeated attempts" to contact the XFL and its legal team over it all.

But, in the docs, attorneys for TOGETHXR said the XFL has "failed to acknowledge that it has tread on TOGETHXR's rights" -- and now, they want a court to step in and force the league to stop using the X logo ... plus damages.

Bird and Rapinoe initially brought up their gripe with the logo on April 7 ... with the two star athletes sending loud-and-clear messages to Dwayne Johnson on social media.

"Welp. This is awkward," Rapinoe said in a tweet. "Only thing @TheRock and @XFL2023 are gonna be cookin up is a response to the Cease and Desist and an ENTIRE new brand ID. @togethxr got this on [lock] boys."

Bam Margera's fall at a skate park -- which has his wrist currently in a cast -- was painfully and very clearly captured on video newly obtained by TMZ ... and just watching the wipeout is gonna make ya go ... ouch!!!

Bam's tumble went down at the Hobbit Skate Park in Delray Beach, FL ... as you can see, the trick he tried to land didn't work out as planned, slamming him to the ground, right wrist first.

The "Jackass" star tells us it was a trick he hadn't tried in over a year, and it ended with his arm bending backward and bones nearly breaking his skin.

As we reported, Bam just completed 1 year of alcohol and drug treatment, so he's biting the bullet and refusing all painkillers as he recovers from the broken wrist.

A cop believed Rey Maualuga was so intoxicated following a car crash back in 2021 ... he told the ex-NFL star he could "smell" him "sweating the booze out" while he was placing him under arrest.

It's all in newly released bodycam footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which you can see Maualuga's interaction with cops after he had just crashed his white Mercedes through front yards and eventually into a parked car in a neighborhood in Crescent Springs, KY on Aug. 11, 2021.

The video revealed the aftermath of the accident was terrifying -- showing Maualuga's car was a mangled mess as it was wedged into another vehicle and a tree.

An officer can be heard in the clip asking Maualuga if he'd be willing to take field sobriety tests a few feet away from the wreckage ... but when the 34-year-old former football player declined, the cop slapped the handcuffs on him.

While he was tightening the cuffs, the cop told Rey, "I can just smell you sweating the booze out, my man."

Maualuga was apologetic throughout the arrest ... repeatedly telling officers and medical personnel on the scene that he was "sorry."

The former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker was taken to the station ... and ultimately hit with three charges over the incident -- felony first-degree wanton endangerment, felony first-degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor DUI -- third offense.

Maualuga ended up pleading guilty to the charges last month ... and entered into a pre-trial diversion program, meaning if he keeps his nose clean for the next five years, and completes several other conditions, the charges will be dismissed.

Prosecutors told TMZ Sports Maualuga spent 120 days in jail after his arrest and completed an in-patient substance abuse program ... which they said factored into their decision to agree to give Maualuga the pre-trial diversion program.

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III was found dead in his apartment on Wednesday. He was just 38 years old.

Barber -- a Pro Bowler in 2007 -- was found by Frisco Police, according to the Dallas Star-Telegram. Further information has not been made available.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III," the Dallas Cowboys said in a statement.

"Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down. He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates."

"Our hearts go out to Marion's family and friends during this difficult time."

The former University of Minnesota star had a solid pro career spanning seven seasons ... suiting up for, most notably, the Cowboys from 2005-2010. He also played one season with the Chicago Bears.

Barber was a 4th-round pick ... earning 4,780 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns over 99 total games. His rough running style earned him the nickname, "Marion the Barbarian."

Barber III's dad, Marion Jr., and brother, Dominique, also played in the NFL ... and his youngest brother, Thomas, played at Minnesota as well.

Barber fell on hard times following his pro career -- most recently, he was arrested in 2019 after allegedly damaging multiple cars in 2018. He pleaded no contest to close out the case in late April.

Barber's passing comes one week before his 39th birthday -- June 10.

"The Match" is starting off hot ... with Patrick Mahomes opening up a barely healed wound, clowning his own golf teammate Josh Allen over the Bills' BRUTAL overtime playoff loss to the Chiefs!

The two QBs are back on the green for the first time since the AFC divisional round ... taking on Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in a celebrity golf match.

But, before the round began, the four superstar signal-callers were asked a series of questions from fans on social media... one question being, "Josh's biggest fear?"

Mahomes' (super cold) response ... "A coin toss."

OUCH!!! And, Allen must have felt it too 'cause his reaction was priceless!!!

Of course, KC beat Buffalo during their January playoff game, with a trip to the AFC Championship game on the line, scoring 25 points in the last 2 minutes of regulation, forcing OT.

The Chiefs won the coin toss ... and the rest is history. KC advanced, but ended up losing to the Bengals.

Another fan asked Allen if it's true he throws up before every game.

Allen confessed ... saying, "I do throw up before every game."

And, with all the pressure of The Match, is it possible he might blow chunks before he tees off?

"If I start thinking about it, I get a little queasy."

There's more -- Brady dropped an "F" bomb right off the bat ... with the hot mic picking it up.

Allen also hit a spectator in the hand on the second hole ... so yeah, this is nothing short of entertaining.

Trevor Bauer just sounded off on Amber Heard following the verdict in the defamation lawsuit with Johnny Depp ... saying the actress deserves to pay every single penny of the MILLIONS she was ordered to give her ex-husband.

"It took four years of torching Johnny Depp's reputation over false allegations of abuse to get to today, but he has finally been vindicated," 31-year-old Bauer tweeted Wednesday.

"Thank you to the jurors in this case for rightfully holding Amber Heard accountable for defamation."

Bauer is clearly sending a message here -- the Cy Young winner faced allegations of going too far with three women on multiple occasions, which he contended was consensual rough sex. He recently filed a defamation lawsuit of his own.

While Bauer was never charged criminally, Major League Baseball handed him a 2-year ban after a lengthy investigation ... one of the longest suspensions in modern sports history.

Bauer has maintained his innocence throughout ... saying the only bad decision he made was associating with the wrong people.

As for Depp and Heard, the jury awarded $10.35 million total in compensatory and punitive damages against Heard ... but his ex-wife will only have to shell out $8,350,000.