TMZ Sports - Page 27

As Brittney Griner remains in Russian custody, U.S. State Department officials met with the Phoenix Mercury (her current team) on Monday to discuss steps to safely return the WNBA superstar to America.

The meeting reportedly included officials from an office within the State Dept. that advocates for Americans who've been wrongfully detained ... as well as representatives from the Mercury.

The State Dept. confirmed the meeting took place, but did not name who was in attendance or specify what was discussed during the forum, according to the Associated Press.

Brittney, a 7-time All-Star and WNBA champion, has been in Russian custody since February when authorities claimed the hooper tried to smuggle hashish oil into the country.

In May, the State Dept. demanded Russia allows American officials to see Griner -- who could be facing up to 10 years in prison if ultimately convicted -- as she awaits her drug trial.

On Saturday, Penny Taylor -- a 13-year WNBA veteran -- used her Hall of Fame induction speech as an opportunity to put pressure on the Biden administration ... with hopes they'll expedite the release of Griner.

"BG is our family," Taylor said. "She's yours too. The entire global sport community needs to come together to insist that she be a priority."

AEW star Jeff Hardy has been arrested again, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Jail records show he was booked in Volusia County, Fla. on Monday morning ... and took a mug shot.

Details surrounding the specific allegations against Hardy are unclear ... but court records show he's been charged with felony DUI, misdemeanor violating restrictions placed on driver's license, as well as misdemeanor driving while license canceled, suspended or revoked.

The records show he's due in court Tuesday for a hearing on the matter.

It's the third time since 2018 that Hardy has been accused of driving while under the influence. In March 2018, he was charged with DWI in North Carolina after getting into a car wreck. He was arrested again for DWI in North Carolina in Oct. 2019.

In the months following the 2019 arrest, Hardy admitted he had problems with substance abuse on the "After The Bell" podcast with Corey Graves ... saying on the show that he was receiving professional help.

Hardy was slated to wrestle with his brother, Matt Hardy, on AEW Dynamite later this week. It's unclear if that match will still go on.

Story developing ...

Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, is at war with social media trolls once again ... this time, she's calling one of 'em out after a very offensive and triggering comment made on Instagram.

The remark was left under a photo of Brittany, her superstar husband, and their daughter, Sterling ... announcing they're expecting another baby.

The troll unleashed the disgusting comment in a reply to another user -- saying, "if I was stuck w this woman for life I'd kill myself."

The 26-year-old rightfully took offense ... and put the hater on blast in a response via her IG story.

"Making comments like this are very very concerning but also highly inappropriate," Matthews said. "'Killing yourself' is not a term to just be throwing around like this."

"It's actually a very serious matter. People deal with these thoughts often. And it can be VERY TRIGGERING to some people."

Brittany continued, saying in today's world, cyberbullying can be "extremely hurtful" and because we don't know anyone's mindset, we need to be more cautious.

"Please be aware when you say stuff like this and know it can affect a lot of people if they even read or see these words. Let's be better."

FYI, suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Brittany has come forward about being on the receiving end of hurtful messages on social media in the past -- she even made "Team Brittany" shirts to help raise money for an anti-bullying organization after getting hate for her champagne celebration during a Chiefs playoff win this past season.

Bryce Hall is lucky to be standing after an alleged drunk driver plowed into his Tesla, totaling the vehicle.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect who ran into Hall blew more than double the legal limit and was arrested for DUI Sunday night in WeHo after his SUV crashed into Bryce's Tesla.

We're told no one was seriously injured, but some were complaining about aches and pains after the crash.

Cops say the TikTok star's Tesla had its airbags deployed and ended up getting towed away ... he was pretty shaken up, telling those around him he wasn't getting the answers he wanted.

As we reported, Bryce had an incident last December with a man named Joshua Shakill who was arrested on suspicion of burglary ... the guy broke into his West Hollywood home while Bryce was there.

Jiri Prochazka made history Saturday night -- becoming the first Czech fighter to win a UFC championship -- and thousands of delirious fans showed up to greet the home country hero on Monday.

29-year-old Prochazka was losing his UFC 275 title fight with Glover Teixeira ... but somehow, someway managed to get the 42-year-old champ's neck and force the tap-out with 28 seconds left in the 5-round fight.

The win made Jiri the first Czech-born champ ... and when the newly crowned champ arrived back in his hometown in Brno, there was a huge crowd waiting to give him a hero's welcome!

What's more impressive ... this was only Prochazka's 3rd fight in the UFC. He previously beat Volkan Oezdemir (July 2020) and Dominick Reyes (May 2021).

But, he's been fighting MMA (and other combat forms) for a long time ... going back professionally to 2012. Jiri's overall record is 29-3.

Star boxer Errol Spence Jr. has pleaded guilty to DWI ... nearly three years after he was accused of driving drunk when he horrifyingly crashed his Ferrari in Dallas.

32-year-old Spence Jr. entered the plea last week, according to the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, and was sentenced to three days in jail, though he was given credit for three days time served, a D.A. spokesperson tells TMZ Sports.

In a statement following the disposition of the case, Spence Jr. admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel on the night of the 2019 crash, and vowed to warn others of the dangers of drunk driving going forward.

"Don't drink and drive," he said in a statement. "Not one drink. It's not worth it."

As we reported, Spence Jr. nearly died during the Oct. 10, 2019 incident ... losing control of his Ferrari and flipping it several times in the wild crash.

Spence Jr. was ejected from the vehicle -- but somehow suffered no broken bones or serious ailments in the wreck.

"I was hanging out and having some drinks with some friends and ended up wrecking my car and nearly killing myself," Spence Jr. said of the crash following his plea. "Fortunately, no one else was involved in the accident and I am most grateful for that."

Russell Wilson had a crowd of new grads and their families in stitches over the weekend ... after he thanked them and other officials for finally not introducing him as "Ciara's husband."

Russ made the joke as he was delivering the commencement address for the 2022 Dartmouth College graduating class in New Hampshire on Sunday ... right after he was referred to as a Super Bowl champ and NFL star.

"Thank you very much for that introduction," Russ said. "Usually I just get introduced as 'Ciara’s husband,' so that was cool."

Russ took the quip even further ... adding, "And, let me start by answering the question that is on so many of your minds: Yes, she’s here too."

Russ' speech was captured on video ... and Ciara was spotted by cameras sitting in attendance and laughing big at the witty remarks.

"Yeah," he said. "Level up, level up."

Russ was tapped to give the speech 45 years after his father, Harry Wilson, graduated from the school ... and, following the opening funnies, Russ offered plenty of kind words about the university and what it did for his father and his family.

The Denver Broncos QB also spoke to the graduates about the impact his father had on his life following his time at Dartmouth ... and challenged them to reflect on what they want their legacies to look like after leaving the school as well.

Former tennis star Jelena Dokic just revealed she nearly took her own life in April ... saying she was about to jump off the balcony of a high-rise balcony -- but thankfully managed to get off and seek help.

"I almost jumped off my 26th-floor balcony and took my own life," Dokic said in an emotional Instagram post on Monday.

"Will never forget the day."

The Australian tennis player -- who won 6 WTA single titles -- says she's been struggling for the past six months so badly that she wanted to take her own life.

"It’s been constant crying everywhere," Dokic said, "From hiding in the bathroom when at work to wipe away my tears so that nobody sees it to the unstoppable crying at home within my four walls has been unbearable."

"Such a vicious cycle in my head. The result: almost jumping off my 26th-floor balcony on April 28th."

But, she managed to seek professional help ... and hopes this message will encourage others who are contemplating suicide to get help as well.

"Getting professional help saved my life," the 39-year-old said.

"I am writing this because I know I am not the only one struggling. Just know that you are not alone."

Dokic says she's in the process of getting better and "will be back stronger than ever."

FYI, Dokic's highest ranking in tennis was no. 4 in August 2002 -- and she had the biggest upset win in 1999 when she beat No. 1 ranked Martina Hingis when she was only 16.

To this day, it's the only match where the No.1 ranked player lost a qualifier at Wimbledon.

The Game felt some type of way after he was excluded from the Super Bowl halftime show in his city ... the L.A. rapper saying he was "hurt" Dr. Dre didn't hit him up to perform.

Super Bowl LVI was basically L.A.-themed -- going down at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA -- with the Rams repping the NFC. Most Los Angeles of all, the halftime performers ... including L.A. rappers Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar.

But, The Game -- an L.A. native who always reps for the city -- was not included in the lineup ... something the 46-year-old rapper said wasn't right while appearing on the "I Am Athlete" podcast.

"The f****** Rams was in the Super Bowl, bro!" The Game said, "L.A., L.A., L.A. all around the Super Bowl and I don't get the call. I was hurt by that.”

"Dre should've called and said why. I would've understand that 'cause I talk to Dre. I talk to Dre often and I just know if I was Dre and he was Game, then he woulda been up there. That's just it. It's L.A. and I am L.A. I'm in the streets."

What made Game even more upset was the fact that Eminem and 50 Cent got to perform ... when they're not even born and raised L.A. rappers.

"Snoop is icon. Dre is icon. Em is an icon, but Em is not from L.A. 50 is not from L.A," Game said.

"I’m not taking away from the fact that they were on the Super Bowl, but L.A. n***** wouldn’t have been in the Detroit Super Bowl or New York Super Bowl. It just wouldn’t have happened."

Even though Game's feelings were hurt, he gets why he didn't get the call -- he's "not a safe artist."

"You don't know what Game gon' do when he get up there," Game said, "They went with the safe artists."

Joe Maddon chopped his hair into a mohawk in an effort to try and break the Angels' losing skid earlier this month -- but his team never got to see it ... because he was fired before he could show it off.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian reported the somber story as part of a bigger piece on the Angels that aired before L.A.'s game against the New York Mets on Sunday night.

In the report, Kurkjian said the 68-year-old manager got the new 'do following the Halos' 12th straight loss on June 6 ... in an effort to try to bring better juju to his floundering squad.

The problem? Angels brass fired him unexpectedly -- and none of his team could see it.

Maddon had been hired by the Angels prior to the 2020 season. He piled up a 130-148 record in his two-plus seasons with the team.

Shaquille O'Neal just eviscerated a hoops fan for trying to discredit his success with the Lakers ... telling the guy to "enjoy my stats and STF up."

The whole interaction started after the Legion Hoops Twitter account posted Diesel's insane stat lines from the NBA Finals during the Lakers' 3-peat from 2000-2002 ... which was meant to praise the big man's dominance.

Naturally, one user had to provide his unwarranted take on the topic ... tweeting out, "Even with all of this Shaq doesn’t win those rings without Kobe."

The jab got Shaq's attention ... and pissed him off so much, he clapped back with a fierce response.

"No person can win without another star big dummy," he said over the weekend. "How many would Magic (Johnson) have without Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar)? How many would Kenny Smith have without Hakeem Olajuwon?"

"WTF u talking about I hate dumb ass people," the Hall of Famer added. "Enjoy my stats and stf up."

The heckler has yet to respond to Shaq directly, but has been forced to defend his take with those backing O'Neal up.

A seventh member of Haiti's Special Olympics delegation is now missing in Florida.

Just days after six Haitians -- who were in town to participate in a soccer competition at the 2022 Special Olympics Games -- disappeared in the Kissimmee area, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office announced that 25-year-old Louis Jacques Wilguens has vanished as well.

In a statement, the sheriff's office said Wilguens was last seen getting off a bus at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort in Lake Buena Vista on Saturday at around 4:30 PM.

Police say Wilguens was wearing blue jeans and a Special Olympics shirt with "Haiti" written on it, and had been scheduled to fly back to Haiti on Sunday, but apparently didn't make the flight.

Police are urging anyone who sees Wilguens to "check his well-being" and immediately get in touch with authorities.

Last week, police said the other 6 Haitians, whose ages range from 18-32, had disappeared after turning in their room keys and leaving behind their personal items. Police said at the time they did not suspect foul play.

The Sheriff's Office said in a statement they had been in communication with Walt Disney World and the Special Olympics over the disappearances.

A USFL wide receiver was hit so hard on the field during a game on Sunday, his tooth shattered inside of his mouth -- forcing him to grossly spit it out on the sidelines.

The dentist's worst nightmare went down in the third quarter of the Pittsburgh Maulers' game against the Philadelphia Stars in Alabama ... when Isiah Hennie caught a pass and turned up the sidelines looking for a big play.

After about 10 yards, though, Stars defensive back Cody Brown drilled him in the jaw with his helmet -- sending the Maulers wideout crashing to the ground.

The collision was violent -- and, in fact, it was such a forceful blow, cameras caught Hennie spitting out what appeared to be multiple teeth from his mouth just seconds later.

Hennie, who was mic'ed up for the game, later revealed it was just one tooth that had broken into several pieces from the collision.

"I lost one," he told teammates and staffers. "It was just a wisdom tooth, though ... It's, like, coming out in pieces."

Adding insult to injury, Hennie's Maulers fell 17-15 in the game.

But, Hennie did say he was fine -- and actually went on to catch another pass later in the game.

It didn't take long for Prince Harry to get back on the polo field after his trip to the U.K., but things didn't go so smoothly ... cuz he ended up on the ground.

The Duke of Sussex competed in a match at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club over the weekend while friends Katharine McPhee and David Foster looked on. PH took a tumble at one point, but apparently, it wasn't so bad, as he chatted up David and Katharine on the sideline just minutes later.

As you know, Harry's trip to the polo field comes shortly after he, Meghan Markle and their children flew to Britain for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Meghan and Harry ended up leaving before the final Jubilee events, but the family divide was pretty evident the whole time.

It's reported Prince William and Kate didn't attend a first birthday party for Harry and Meghan's daughter, Lilibet. Queen Elizabeth got some facetime with her great-granddaughter for the first time, but didn't allow photos of the meeting.

Bills legend Bruce Smith tells TMZ Sports he played a role in bringing Von Miller to his former team ... saying he personally told Buffalo coaches and execs the ex-Rams star is exactly what they need to get to a Super Bowl.

Smith made the revelation in a conversation with us this week ... explaining that prior to Miller's Bills signing this offseason, Smith had a conversation with head coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane to convince them to go after Miller.

"I told them," Smith said, "I said, 'Look, this is the guy we need rushing the quarterback.'"

Smith said in previous convos he's had with McDermott, he's stressed the importance of having a game-wrecking pass rusher on the team ... and explained that when Miller became available, he believed the 33-year-old was the perfect guy for that role.

"His body of work speaks for itself," Smith said. "And that's what you have to focus on."

Obviously, McDermott and Beane listened to Smith -- because, after all, the guy is the NFL's all-time sacks leader -- and ended up signing Miller to a six-year contract.

Smith said the move now pushes Buffalo's defense to a whole 'nother level ... and makes them a big-time contender for this season's Lombardi Trophy.

President Biden is taking it on the chin, courtesy of Jake Paul ... who's making it very clear that he's not happy with how the economy is doing, or where the country's headed.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer tweeted out a direct message aimed at JB this weekend, in which he slammed POTUS for the job he's done thus far ... ticking off a list of triumphs under Biden's watch, but doing so with the utmost sarcasm.

Jake wrote out a handful of Biden's "accomplishments," including "1. Highest gas prices 2. Worst inflation 3. Plummeting crypto prices," plus ... "4. Highest rent prices ever."

He even took a personal shot, adding ... "5. Created new incomprehensible language." Jake wasn't done -- he sent a post-script to Biden voters as well. Jake says, "If you’re reading this and voted for Biden and you still don’t regret it then you are the American problem."

Interesting that Jake sees the ongoing crypto crash as a blemish on Joe's record -- ya gotta figure he's got money tied up in it, and most everything's been on a downward trend for months.