TMZ Sports - Page 16

Sometimes being the world's highest-paid athlete ain't always easy ... 'cause Lionel Messi had to deal with a SWARM of fans while he was trying to get a little R&R in on a vacation this week.

Messi, fellow soccer stars Luis Suarez and Cesc Fabregas, as well as their wives chartered a yacht in Formentera -- and when they stepped off of it to grab a bite to eat ... a crush of fans mobbed Messi on the sand.

Photos show as the dude was trying to make his way back to the boat following the meal -- people did everything they could to get a close-up of the soccer star.

Some fans snapped pictures, while others reached in for handshakes and hugs.

To his credit, Lionel didn't look to be annoyed ... strolling through the sea of bodies with his head held high.

Eventually, Messi and the soccer stars made it back to the boat -- where they stripped off their tops and got in some sun and swimming.

Juri Vips has just been fired by Red Bull Racing ... less than two weeks after the F2 driver was captured using a racial slur on a hot mic on a video game stream.

RBR just made the announcement, saying after completing its investigation into the junior driver, it decided to terminate Vips' contract.

"The team do not condone any form of racism," RBR said in their announcement Tuesday.

Red Bull Racing initially launched its probe into Vips last week ... after the 21-year-old used the n-word while playing "Call of Duty" on a live stream.

Vips did apologize following the incident ... saying in a statement on his social media page, "This language is entirely unacceptable and does not portray the values and principles that I hold. I deeply regret my actions and this is not the example I wish to set."

The Fury family's relationship with a major Irish crime boss is what's keeping Tommy from entering the United States ... with U.S. officials placing a travel ban on any fighters, managers and promoters with ties to the wanted man.

Daniel Kinahan -- who helped found the MTK Global boxing promotions company that previously repped Tyson Fury -- is accused of running a massive drug and firearms trafficking operation in Europe ... and is currently on the run from authorities.

Law enforcement sources tell us fighters with any association with Kinahan -- even the most tenuous ties with the guy -- are being barred from traveling as part of the federal investigation ... in hopes of getting information on bringing him down.

Here's the thing -- Kinahan is accused of some SERIOUS crimes with the Kinahan Organized Crime Group ... but as far as MTK Global goes, it was legit and well respected in the boxing community.

We're told the feds are even keeping former fighters who are now broadcasters from doing their jobs ... stopping at nothing to get people to cooperate in the investigation.

While Tommy seemingly has ZERO connection to Kinahan, it's Tyson's relationship with Kinahan that kept him from making it to New York for Wednesday's press conference for the Jake Paul fight.

Tyson has clearly avoided questions about his links to Kinahan in the past ... but has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

Jack Harlow's squashed his beef with Brandy, but now he's got PETA on his ass ... and his manager, DJ Drama's speaking up for him, saying the org has the wrong idea about what went down on Jack's music vid shoot.

We caught up with Jack’s Generation Now boss at LAX, where he was feeling great about a big biz move. More on that in a moment, Drama also addressed the controversy over Jack's Drake-featured "Churchill Downs" video.

ICYMI ... PETA had a cow over the music vid, calling for JH and Drizzy to make huge donations to combat racehorse abuse. The video shows horses racing at the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

Drama says he and the team brought no harm to any horses, and coming down on the rappers is a bit misguided. Bottom line? Doesn't sound like PETA's getting those donations.

All that aside, there are big things on the horizon for Drama and Generation Now, which he runs with producer Don Cannon and exec Leighton "Lake" Morrison.

Just last week, they signed an extended deal with Atlantic Records, their partner since 2015 ... a moment that created a "grown man" celebration for Drama.

There's also Jack's upcoming role in the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... and if this all works to perfection, Drama sees his protégé landing in Will Smith and Mark Wahlberg's territory.

Russell Westbrook is staying with the Lakers ... and is sending a message to all the haters who don't like it by posting a video of him absolutely rockin' out to Beyonce's "Break My Soul."

The 9-time NBA All-Star shared the clip of himself jammin' to Bey's new song on social media on Tuesday ... just a few minutes before ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Russ will exercise his $47.1 million option to stay in L.A. next season.

The clip is hilarious ... Russ is dancing and singing along to the track, while appearing to be in the driver's seat of his car.

The song seems to be a clear message to all of his haters ... as many Lakers fans trashed the guy and wanted him gone following a down 2021-22 season.

"You won't break my soul!" Russ sang over and over again. "I'm telling everybody!"

Tommy Fury's fight with Jake Paul could go up in smoke ... after TNT claims he was denied entry into the United States ahead of their scheduled press conference in New York.

Just when it seemed like the bout was FINALLY going to happen, Tommy shared the crappy news on his Instagram on Tuesday ... saying his team showed up at Heathrow Airport to hop over the pond ... but they were shut down.

"As soon as I entered the airport, I was pulled to one side and told by a Homeland Security officer that my ESTA had been denied and that I wasn't able to travel to the USA for a reason I apparently know," Tommy said in a video.

Tommy, boxing superstar Tyson Fury's younger brother, went on to say he's done nothing wrong ... and claims he's totally dumbfounded as to why he's not allowed to travel to the U.S.

"I've been training for a fight this whole time and that's all I've been doing," Tommy said. "I have no clue why I'm not allowed to travel and neither does my team or my lawyers."

"Now I've got to go to the embassy trying to resolve it and I'm in the middle of training. I don't know why this has happened a huge shock to me and my team."

As we reported, Tommy and Jake agreed to fight each other at the world's most famous arena -- Madison Square Garden -- in NYC on Aug. 6 ... but Tommy says the issues he's currently facing are bigger than the fight.

What's interesting -- Tommy was able to travel to California last month without issue ... something his nemesis pointed out.

Of course, this isn't going to sit well with fans who've been clamoring for the two boxers to fight after years of trash talk and failed negotiations.

The presser between Tommy and Jake was originally scheduled for Wednesday ... but it's been postponed, according to Most Valuable Promotions.

Despite the travel mishap, Jake isn't letting Tommy off the hook easily ... tweeting, "Tommy, no matter how hard u try to get out of this fight, I'm going 2 do everything in my power 2 not let u weasel ur way out."

AEW star Jake Atlas is breathing easier today ... his domestic violence case has been dropped, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents, a month after Atlas was arrested for allegedly scratching his boyfriend following an altercation in Orlando, officials said they were declining to prosecute the 27-year-old.

"From the investigation which has been made," officials wrote in docs that were filed last week, "it is the opinion of the writer that this case is not suitable for prosecution."

Court records show a hearing in the case that had been slated for Tuesday has been canceled, and the matter is considered closed.

As we reported, Atlas -- real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez -- had been hit with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge after he allegedly got physical with his BF on May 23.

The two, according to police documents, quarreled over a sexual encounter. Atlas had been accused of scratching his boyfriend and tearing the man's tank top during the tiff.

We've reached out to prosecutors for comment, but so far, no word back yet. Atlas' attorneys, meanwhile, declined to comment on the case.

Lewis Hamilton is demanding change after former champion Nelson Piquet called him the n-word in an interview last year ... saying racism of any kind has no place in Formula 1.

Piquet -- a Brazilian F1 legend who won titles in 1981, 1983 and 1987 -- made the comments while discussing an accident in the first lap of the 2021 Silverstone Grand Prix ... when Hamilton made contact with Max Verstappen, leading the Red Bull driver to lose control and crash into the wall.

According to CNN Brazil, 69-year-old Piquet referred to Hamilton as a "little n*****" while speaking with Motorsports Talk ... adding, "The little black guy put the car in and left because there was no way to pass two cars on that corner."

"He made a joke," Piquet continued. "Lucky for him, only the other one [Verstappen] got f***** up."

FYI -- Piquet's daughter, Kelly, is in a relationship with Verstappen.

While the comment was made last year, it is just now gaining attention ... which led the Mercedes superstar to condemn the racist comment.

"It's more than language," Lewis tweeted minutes ago. "These archaic mindsets need to change and have no place in our sport. I've been surrounded by these attitudes and targeted my whole life."

"There has been plenty of time to learn. Time has come for action."

Hamilton, 37, also tweeted a response in Portuguese ... saying, "Vamos focar em mudar a mentalidade" ... which translates to "Let's focus on changing the mindset."

The F1 world is now showing support for Hamilton ... with the sport's governing body releasing a statement Tuesday morning.

"The FIA strongly condemns any racist or discriminatory language and behavior, which have no place in sport or wider society."

"We express our solidarity with Lewis Hamilton and fully support his commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion in motorsport."

F1 also addressed the comment ... saying, "Discriminatory or racist language is unacceptable in any form and has no part in society."

"Lewis is an incredible ambassador for our sport and deserves respect. His tireless efforts to increase diversity and inclusion are a lesson to many and something we are committed to at F1."

Hamilton -- the only black driver to compete in F1 -- has been at the forefront of change in the sport ... and led the organization's anti-racism campaign following George Floyd's death in 2020.

A whopping 12 players and coaches have been suspended for their roles in the massive brawl at the Angels vs. Mariners game on Sunday ... with L.A.'s manager, Phil Nevin, getting a staggering 10-game ban.

The MLB announced the punishments late Monday evening ... just over 24 hours after the two teams fought each other on the diamond following what appeared to be an intentional hit by a pitch in L.A. on Sunday.

Angels pitcher Andrew Wantz was banned for three games for throwing at Jesse Winker. Winker, meanwhile, was hit with a 7-game suspension for his role in igniting the skirmish after wearing the fastball.

L.A. third baseman Anthony Rendon, who's out for the season after having wrist surgery, received a 5-game ban for leaving the team's bench while on the injured list and taking a swipe at Winker.

Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford got five games for throwing punches, while Angels closer Raisel Iglesias was hit with a two-game ban for throwing sunflower seeds and more onto the field.

Others punished, according to the MLB, included Angels assistant pitching coach Dom Chiti, Mariners OF Julio Rodriguez, Angels pitcher Ryan Tepera, Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery, Angels' interpreter Manny Del Campo and Angels catching coach Bill Haselman.

The punishments were slated to begin Monday night, though most of the players have chosen to appeal.

The reboot of the iconic 90s film, "House Party," has lots of folks waiting with bated breath, but fans won't get to watch it anytime soon ... so says the star of the film, Jacob Latimore.

Jacob sat down with Raq on the 'It's Tricky' podcast and talked all about the upcoming film, which is being produced by LeBron James.

Jacob says, the film won't be coming out this summer. He told Raq there were some executive changes at the studio, pushing the release date back to sometime next year. Jacob says it's for the best.

If you know the movie, you know the impact the film had on pop culture. Jacob says, Kid 'N Play will give their blessings to the new cast by appearing in cameo roles.

If it were up to Dana White, a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor would never go down again ... with the UFC honcho telling TMZ Sports, "I have less than zero interest in seeing that again."

Of course, Conor made it seem like a May-Pac run-back could be on the horizon ... after he posted a photo on his Instagram earlier this month of him boxing Mayweather with the caption "I accept."

Dana, though, tells us he hasn't heard anything about the possibility of the two squaring up again in a ring -- and he sounded hopeful it stays that way going forward.

"I didn't even know that," White said. "I haven't seen it."

Mayweather and McGregor made a ton of cash the first time the two boxed back in August 2017 -- it reportedly had more than 4 MILLION pay-per-view buys -- but the two are in vastly different places in their careers now.

Floyd is 45 and has only fought in exhibitions since. Conor, meanwhile, is 33 and is coming off not only a serious leg injury, but losses in 3 of his last 4 UFC fights.

Dana made it clear he'd much rather see McGregor make his return to combat sports in the octagon ... telling us a scrap against Michael Chandler is a fight he still likes.

Unclear when McGregor will be able to return from his broken leg ... the timetable he was given in July 2021 was about one year.

Kyrie Irving is one step closer to getting out of Brooklyn -- the Nets have granted the NBA superstar's wish and allowed him to seek a trade after spending just 3 seasons with the team, according to local outlets.

The NY Daily News reports Irving -- who signed with the Nets as a free agent in 2019 -- was given the green light to find teams willing to trade for the superstar guard.

Irving -- who turned 30 this past March -- has until June 29 to pick up his $36.9 million player option ... and is reportedly seeking a long-term deal, which the Nets apparently don't want to make happen.

The Nets' apprehension in signing Irving to a long-term deal reportedly has nothing to do with his on-court productivity ... rather, it's Kyrie's reliability and dependability that the team can't trust.

In his 3 years in Brooklyn, Irving has played in 103 regular-season games for the Nets ... and over the course of that span, Irving missed 123 games due to injury, personal reasons, and his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Even still, despite the health concerns and his vaccination status, Irving's talent has drawn interest from several NBA teams ... including the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, 76ers, and Mavericks.

As for Kevin Durant ... the Nets superstar reportedly hasn't spoken with the front office since the offseason began, and it doesn't seem KD is pressuring Kyrie to stay with the team.

Lewis Hamilton isn't just a killer on the track -- the Formula 1 superstar clearly knows his way around the water, too ... showing off his incredible moves during a surf session in Malibu this week.

Of course, Lewis is all about getting his adrenaline rush when he's not behind the wheel -- he recently went skydiving in a pretty terrifying video.

But, things were a bit more chill during the Mercedes driver's off-week before Silverstone ... throwing on his wetsuit and catching some waves in California.

The guy clearly knows what he's doing ... propping himself up on the board and maintaining his balance throughout the run (no porpoising here, thankfully).

Sir Lewis also had some fun on a different type of board as well ... longboarding through the streets before getting his beloved doggo, Roscoe, in on the fun.

It's been a challenging start to the 2022 campaign for the 7-time champ -- he's currently 6th in the standings with only two podiums -- but he looks more than happy during his time away from the track.

Marlin "The Magician" Briscoe -- the first black quarterback to start in the American Football League  -- has passed away. He was 76.

Briscoe's daughter, Angela Marriott, confirmed the tragic news on Monday ... saying Marlin was hospitalized over poor circulation in his legs prior to dying of pneumonia at a Norwalk, California hospital.

Briscoe kicked off his career as a star quarterback for Omaha University in the 1960s. He led the team to three conference titles and set 22 school records including passing yards (4,935) and touchdowns (52).

The Omaha native was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 14th round of the 1968 AFL draft ... and the team tried to convert him into a cornerback.

But, after Denver's starter got hurt and the backup showed inconsistencies at the beginning of the 1968 season, the Broncos put Briscoe at QB1 ... making him the first black quarterback to start in the AFL.

Briscoe thrived in the opportunity ... setting a Broncos rookie record that year with 14 passing touchdowns.

During his 8-year NFL career, the Pro Bowler played for the Bills, Chargers, Lions, Patriots, and Dolphins, where he won two Super Bowls.

He was a member of the 1972 Miami team that went undefeated.

Post-NFL career, Briscoe worked as a director for a Boys and Girls Club in Long Beach and launched a football camp for kids.

The University of Nebraska Omaha unveiled a statue in his honor in 2016.

WWE superstar Liv Morgan is donating cash to an abortion rights org ... just three days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

The wrestler announced on Monday that every dollar she earns in July from her Cameo appearances will go toward the National Network of Abortion Funds -- an org. set up to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access.

The money could end up being significant -- the 28-year-old is a huge star in the wrestling world, and she's charging $555 per video.

"Please consider booking a cameo from me so we can ensure every woman around the world has a choice," she said in her announcement.

Liv, who's been wrestling in the WWE since 2014, added a heart emoji as well.

Worth noting -- Linda McMahon recently praised the reversal of Roe v. Wade ... saying, "Today is a historic day! After decades of fighting for innocent lives, the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade."

Ex-NFL star Martellus Bennett just unloaded on Jimmy Garoppolo ... saying his former QB in New England is a "bitch" -- and Julian Edelman seems to be cosigning the jab.

Martellus made the remarks when he joined his former Patriots teammates, Devin and Jason McCourty, on their "Double Coverage" podcast ... claiming no NFL team can win with Jimmy G at the helm because he believes the signal-caller is soft.

Bennett went on to explain he developed that opinion following the way Garoppolo filled in for Tom Brady during the GOAT's four-game suspension back in the 2016 season.

You'll recall, Garoppolo helped the Pats win the first two games of the season ... but he injured his non-throwing shoulder in Week 2, and sat out the ensuing two games due to the ailment -- something Bennett clearly thinks was a no-no.

"We lost two games," Bennett said. "One of them is because Jimmy Garappolo was being a bitch. He quit before us on the last -- decided not to play right before the game."

"So, we went out there, Jacoby [Brissett] came out and played with a f***ked-up thumb, [and] played his heart out. But, Jimmy was just being a bitch about it all."

Bennett added, "And he's still being -- like, that's why, you can't win with a bitch for a quarterback."

Julian Edelman, who played alongside Bennett on the Pats, was asked about Martellus' feelings toward Jimmy on a recent episode of the "I Am Athlete" podcast ... and the 3x Super Bowl champ said he felt similarly to Bennett.

"A lot of guys got mad about it," Edelman said. "I'm not going to lie, I got mad about it. I sacrifice my body all day long. I was taking shots for this, numbing up that."

"Ribs, broken ribs, shoulders. You know, Grade 3, hanging on by limbs, just to play," Edelman said. "And, you know, I can understand why Marty thinks like that."