TMZ Sports - Page 30

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard is stepping up in the midst of tragedy ... by donating $15K to help pay for the caskets of the Uvalde shooting victims.

Leonard and his wife Kayla made the generous donation through his foundation -- The Maniac Foundation -- to the owner of Soulshine, the Texas company that provided custom caskets for all the victims.

"Once I heard the terrible news about the Uvalde school shooting, I knew that I wanted to do something to help those suffering," Leonard said.

"I am pleased to announce that The Maniac Foundation has donated 15k to Soulshine who provided each victim of the shooting with a custom casket."

Soulshine owner Trey Ganem said when his team was asked to help with the caskets, he agreed without hesitation ... explaining he knew God would send an army to help them fulfill their mission.

21 innocent people, including 19 kids, were savagely murdered inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX on May 24.

The devastation from the senseless violence has reverberated throughout the sports world ... with many high-profile names from LeBron James to Warriors coach Steve Kerr making impassioned pleas to politicians to fix the issue.

A Chicago memorabilia shop was burglarized on Memorial Day and rare sports cards -- including high-priced 1986 Michael Jordan rookie cards -- were stolen ... and the heist was all caught on camera.

According to the Chicago Police Dept., the store was robbed on May 31 at 3:44 AM when a male suspect removed metal bars from the business and broke in through a back window.

When the suspect made entry, cops say he stole several items and fled on foot.

The business's owner, Ronnie Holloway, released video from inside of the store at the time of the theft this week -- showing a man behind the counter rummaging through a ton of sports cards.

Holloway tells TMZ Sports the suspect got away with over $100k worth of merchandise ... including an unopened Fleer packet of MJ rookie cards -- which he says is worth $25k alone. Holloway added that other rare cards of Babe Ruth, Larry Bird, Jackie Robinson and Walter Payton were also taken.

"These are high-end cards," Holloway said. "Trying to replace it is gonna be hard -- vintage cards can't be replaced."

Holloway tells us he believes the suspect scoped out his place a few days before the heist ... saying, "He knew where they were. He must've planned this out."

"Over the holiday weekend, too, so perfect opportunity. Well-orchestrated."

Holloway -- who's owned the store for 30 years -- has put out a $10,000 reward for "an arrest or conviction of this person."

The PGA Tour has just dropped the hammer on Phil Mickelson and the other golf stars who have defected to the new LIV league ... announcing Thursday it's suspended the guys indefinitely.

Commissioner Jay Monahan explained the punishment in a lengthy memo to PGA Tour golfers ... saying players like Phil, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia "are suspended or otherwise no longer eligible to participate in PGA Tour tournament play, including the Presidents Cup."

In the memo, Monahan said the ruling came down because the players' decisions to join the new Saudi-backed golf league violated the org.'s "Tournament Regulations."

Monahan vowed similar punishments for anyone who follows in their footsteps.

Monahan specifically named 17 golfers who were receiving the punishment -- though he noted 10 (including Johnson) have already resigned their memberships.

It should be noted, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed -- who have reportedly committed to eventually joining the LIV League -- were not named in the memo.

It's unclear if the suspended golfers will ever be allowed to play in the PGA Tour again ... Monahan said in the statement that's to be determined.

LIV officials, meanwhile, blasted Monahan for the decision ... saying in a statement Thursday, "Today's announcement by the PGA Tour is vindictive and it deepens the divide between the Tour and its members."

"It's troubling the Tour, an organization dedicated to creating opportunities for golfers to play the game, is the entity blocking golfers from playing," they added. "This certainly is not the last word on this topic. The era of free agency is beginning as we are proud to have a full field of players joining us in London, and beyond."

The Eagles might go 17-0 this season ... and it's all thanks to Coldplay's beautiful performance of the team's "Fly Eagles Fly" fight song at their concert in Philadelphia.

The show went down at Lincoln Financial Field -- home of the Eagles -- on Wednesday ... as part of the band's "Music of the Spheres" tour.

The group made sure to give the hometown fans what they REALLY wanted ... pausing their regularly scheduled setlist to bring a tear to any Eagles fan's eye.

Of course, the tune is usually shouted out by any drunk fan wearing a Brian Dawkins jersey at the bar on NFL Sundays ... but frontman Chris Martin basically turned it into a Billboard Top 100 ballad.

The crowd clearly loved it ... chanting along as Martin even finished it off with the signature "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant.

Well done by the "Viva La Vida" crew ... but football fans can only hope they turn this into a tradition everywhere they go now.

Maybe the Eagles play this before every game from now on??

Not even Chad Kroeger's sweet vocals were enough to pull the Angels out of their losing skid ... 'cause despite playing Nickelback songs on repeat in L.A. on Wednesday to try to get a win -- the team still lost.

Every Angels batter walked out to a different Nickelback tune in their game against Boston in an effort to mix up the mojo amid a 13-game losing streak ... and the idea had initial promise.

With Shohei Ohtani coming out to "Photograph" and Jo Adell strutting to the dish to "Rockstar" -- the team held up strong against the Red Sox for most of the game.

Sadly for L.A., the Nickelback theme didn't work ... and Boston ultimately pulled out the win, 1-0 -- handing the Angels their 14th consecutive loss.

Afterward, interim manager Phil Nevin -- who replaced the newly fired Joe Maddon this week -- said he had no clue where the idea started, but he was in favor of it.

"I like it. I like Nickelback," the 51-year-old said. "The entire game I've got songs in my head I can't stop singing."

Tristan Thompson was the target of the full wrath of the Kardashian sisters when they found out he'd cheated on Khloe AGAIN ... this time getting another woman pregnant.

Kim Kardashian was in the middle of a workout during Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians" when she first got the news -- Tristan had filed legal docs admitting to having sex with a woman named Maralee Nichols -- who claimed she was about to father Tristan's son.

In the episode, Kim immediately calls Kylie, saying, "I'm like shaking for her. My soul dies for her." Kylie asks, stunned, "Is Tristan the worst person on the planet?" From there, Kim calls Kourtney, who says Tristan's actions have been a "never-ending betrayal."

What's more ... Kim points out the night Maralee claims she and Tristan had sex was almost immediately following a 30th birthday party that Khloe threw for him.

When Khloe calls Kim back, Kim fills her in on the situation, Khloe replies, "What the f*** is this?" and the episode ends with a tease for next week.

Klay Thompson is straight-up pissed over the "F*** You Draymond" chants that rained down on the Warriors on Wednesday night ... ripping Celtics fans for the vulgar words and calling Boston supporters "real classy."

While Boston was up big late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden, their fans let Draymond Green have it -- chanting "F*** You" over and over again at the star after the Golden State forward had ruffled feathers in Games 1 and 2 of the series.

In fact, the shouts were so loud, the game's announcer, Mike Breen, had to mention it on the broadcast ... saying, "And Draymond Green hearing it from the crowd with an obscene chant,"

After the game, Klay was asked about it all -- and he made it clear, he wasn't a fan of Cs supporters.

"We've played in front of rude people before," Thompson said. "Dropping F-bombs with children in the crowd. Real classy. Good job, Boston."

Dubs head coach Steve Kerr also chided the Celtics fans for the chant ... adding in his postgame news conference, "Classy. Very classy."

Green himself actually didn't seem to have an issue with it -- he told media members he expected it -- and, in fact, he himself dropped a cuss word in his presser while his son sat next to him.

As for Green's wife, she clearly didn't love it ... calling the chants "disgusting" in a lengthy social media post following the Warriors' 116-100 loss in Boston.

"My kids were at the game tonight hearing that mess!" she said, before adding, "Just shameful!"

Tip-off for Game 4 of the series is slated for Friday ... will the Warriors' vocal issues with fans stop the chants then?

WWE superstar The Miz -- a HUGE Cleveland sports fan -- says he ain't droppin' his Browns support due to the Deshaun Watson trade ... but he did tell TMZ Sports he will never wear the QB's jersey.

We got the wrestler out in NYC this week ... and given the new sexual misconduct allegations against Watson this month -- we had to ask if his Browns fandom is still intact.

The Miz said yes -- reminding us that he's been rooting for the NFL team for decades -- but he made it clear, he won't tout Watson as his favorite player.

"Yeah, I'm still a Cleveland Browns fan," the 41-year-old said. "But you're not going to see me wearing a Watson jersey."

The Browns traded for Watson in March and gave him a massive, fully guaranteed $230 MILLION contract ... despite more than 20 women alleging he had been sexually inappropriate with them during massage therapy sessions in the past few years.

Since the trade, two more civil lawsuits have been filed against Watson claiming misconduct -- while other women have came forward to the New York Times to make further allegations against him.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about all of the new claims during Browns practice on Wednesday, but he told reporters, "I think for me, I'm going to be respectful of the investigation, of the legal proceedings and let that play out."

Shocking comments from NFL coach Jack Del Rio ... who just called the Jan. 6 attacks at the nation's Capitol "a dust-up."

The Washington Commanders defensive coordinator made the remarks during a meeting with media members on Wednesday -- in an attempt to explain his controversial post on his Twitter page earlier this week.

If you missed it, in a tweet on Monday, the 59-year-old questioned why the 2020 riots following George Floyd's murder were not being investigated with the same fervor as the January 2021 attack at the Capitol.

"Would love to understand 'the whole story' about why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is ???," he wrote. "#CommonSense."

Del Rio elaborated further on his tweet to reporters at Commanders practice Wednesday ... making comments that raised eyebrows.

"Let's get right down to it," Del Rio said. "What did I ask? A simple question -- why are we not looking into those things if we're going to talk about it. Why are we not looking into those things?"

"Because it's kind of hard for me to say, I can realistically look at it -- I see the images on TV, people's livelihoods are being destroyed. Businesses are being burned down -- no problem. And then we have a dust-up at the capital, where nothing burned down. And we're going to make that a major deal."

FYI -- the insurrection, which occurred following the results of the 2020 election, resulted in the deaths of five individuals.

"I just think it's kind of two standards," Del Rio continued. "And if we apply the same standard, and we're going to be reasonable with each other, let's have a discussion. That's all it was. Let's have a discussion. We're Americans. Let's talk it through."

Del Rio, who posts polarizing opinions on his social media page daily, insisted his players are not concerned by his comments ... but added, "If they are, and they want to talk about it, I'll talk about it with anybody."

"I'm for us having a great opportunity to have a fulfilled life," he said.

Del Rio was hired by the Commanders following the 2019-20 NFL season. He previously worked as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Oakland Raiders.

Tom Brady's changed up his hairstyle yet again -- now choosing to dye it orange -- but, this time, the move is all for a great cause!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers partnered with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation on Wednesday to throw a "Cut and Color for a Cure" event ... and Brady was front and center for the action.

At the event -- which allowed kids who are battling pediatric cancer to give hair makeovers to Bucs players in an effort to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research -- Brady sat down in a chair and let the youngsters go to town on his famous 'do.

The kids sprayed his hair front to back in orange -- the official color of the NPCF -- leaving the GOAT with a sweet new look.

Brady and the Bucs also donated a check for $117,000 to the org. at the function.

“The support of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in our fight to end childhood cancer is invaluable,” NPCF exec David Frazer said.

“The team’s continued commitment to assist kids facing a cancer diagnosis makes them so much more than a sports team -- they are truly heroes, rallying to create a better tomorrow for their young fans and supporters nationwide.”

ESPN anchor Sage Steele returned to work on Wednesday less than three weeks after she was struck in the face by a golf ball -- and she said on-air that she felt fortunate to still be alive.

Steele was hit at the PGA Championship on May 19 by an errant Jon Rahm drive ... and she explained during an episode of "SportsCenter" on Wednesday morning that she feared for her life after impact.

"One moment you're out on a course just innocently watching amazing golfers play out at a golf major," Steele said. "Next moment, you're on the ground. You're in pain with your entire life flashing before your eyes, scared to death, trying to comprehend what the hell just happened."

Steele thanked God on the show, and said that she feels like "the luckiest person in the world to still be here and be standing after that."

The 49-year-old also thanked her co-host, Matt Barrie, for all that he did out at the event and at the hospital to keep her calm.

Steele suffered undisclosed mouth injuries in the incident -- and shared a photo showing the golf ball caused her to bleed profusely.

She said she's spent countless hours with her dentist in wake of it all, and added there's still more work to be done on the road to recovery.

Anthony Edwards might have a future in Hollywood -- the young NBA star showed off his acting chops in the LeBron James-backed "Hustle" flick ... and the dude's impressive!!

The film is based on Adam Sandler's character -- an NBA scout with the Philadelphia 76ers -- who discovers a super-talented hooper in Spain in hopes of saving his job.

20-year-old Edwards spends the majority of the flick antagonizing Juancho Hernangomez's character -- Sandler's golden ticket and one of the movie's stars -- playing the villain role in natural fashion.

Ant's appearance in the movie is getting a ton of praise on social media ... with some folks saying the hooper needs to be in more movies.

The movie is filled with some of the NBA's biggest names -- Kenny "The Jet" Smith has a significant role as sports agent Leon Rich ... and stars like Julius Erving and Mark Cuban also make cameo appearances.

Trae Young, Jordan Clarkson, Kris Middleton, Kyle Lowry, Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey also had roles in the movie.

Six Haitians who were in Florida for the Special Olympics this month have mysteriously vanished ... and now, an active search is underway to find them.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced this week that Oriol Jean, 18, Anderson Petit-Frère, 18, Peter Mianovich Berlus, 19, Nicholson Fontilus, 20, Steevenson Jacquet, 24, and Antione Joseph Mithon, 32 all disappeared on June 6.

According to cops, the six -- members of Haiti's Special Olympics delegation who were competing in the soccer competition -- were last seen at around 2:30 PM in Kissimmee. All of them, police say, turned in their hotel room keys, left their personal belongings and then vanished.

The sheriff's office said it's now investigating it all as a "missing person's case."

"We are in communication with Walt Disney World, Special Olympics, and our Law Enforcement and Federal partners," cops said in a statement. "At this time, we believe this is an isolated event and do not suspect foul play."

The Special Olympics event began on June 5 in the Orlando area and is slated to run through the end of this week. According to organizers, it's set to feature around 5,500 athletes and coaches -- with roughly 120,000 people expected to tune in at the venues.

One of the missing Haitian Olympians, Petit-Frère, wrote in a social media post just last week that he was excited for the event ... and called it an "honor" to be a part of the team.

An 8-year-old went from cute to straight-up savage on the Pat McAfee Show ... praising the crew for being the ultimate inspiration to a young sports fan -- and then dropping an F-bomb toward one of the co-hosts!!

The youngster called in on the popular Sirius XM show on Wednesday -- saying his name is Owen, he's 8 and 1/2 years old, and he's a massive fan of the show.

"I wanna talk about how inspiring this show is," Owen said with a soft-spoken voice. "How you're inspiring this whole entire world with how you're talking about sports and how you're talking about your life experiences."

McAfee and the rest of the crew initially had their reservations about having young ears tuning in to their show ... but kindly thanked Owen from Connecticut.

And that's when the kid went from 0 to 100 real quick!!

"Oh, and also -- F*** BOSTON CONNOR!!!"

McAfee and the team were in complete shock when the kid took at a shot at their co-host ... but cheered and applauded Owen for droppin' the F-bomb.

"I wanna let Owen know, you're inspiring," McAfee said.

"I ain't know an 8 and a half can do that. Shout out, Owen!"

Dwyane Wade says he's scared to death for his transgender daughter's safety ... saying as more states implement anti-trans sports laws, his fear grows even stronger.

The Miami Heat legend spoke about his concerns at the TIME 100 Summit in NYC this week ... when he was asked -- as the father of 15-year-old Zaya -- about the current struggles for trans youth in this country.

"As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves our house," Wade said.

"And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world."

Wade gave a passionate response about his fears ... while also blasting the idea of trans sports bans -- calling out lawmakers for making rules on things he says they know nothing about.

"To me, it’s a joke," Wade said, "This is our life. We live this."

"When you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this and you're not living this and you're just out there signing away and making laws, that's not right. That's a joke."

FYI -- Louisiana just became the most recent state to pass a bill preventing trans women from competing in women's sports ... joining states like Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and more.

Wade added, "Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her."

Wade says he is frustrated that we're "losing the humane side of us" ... claiming in reality, he believes people should take the opportunity to educate -- instead of being dismissive.

"We're not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual transgender -- we can't close the book on that!"

Ex-NFL player Darren Sharper -- who's currently serving 2 decades behind bars following a multi-state rape case -- has reached a settlement with three women accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting them back in 2014, TMZ Sports has learned.

The women filed a lawsuit against the 46-year-old Super Bowl champion in December 2015 -- two of the plaintiffs claim Sharper drugged and sexually assaulted them after meeting at a nightclub in West Hollywood on January 14, 2014 ... while the third claims Sharper drugged and sexually assaulted her in Las Vegas the next day.

Sharper was arrested shortly after ... and women in Louisiana, Arizona and Nevada also came forward with their own disturbing allegations of drugging and rape at the hands of the former safety.

Sharper pled guilty and was handed a 20-year sentence in 2016 ... which he's currently serving.

Details on the settlement were not revealed ... but will be made official once all sides sign off on the paperwork.