TMZ Sports - Page 50

Several members of Brittney Griner's Russian basketball team came to her aid at her trial in Moscow on Thursday ... praising her character and leadership skills in testimonies inside of the courtroom.

One week after pleading guilty to drug charges in the foreign country, Griner's trial pressed onward -- and during the proceedings, players and officials from UMMC Ekaterinburg, Griner's former basketball team in Russia, testified in support of the WNBA star.

Team captain Evgeniya Belyakova, according to NPR, told the court Griner was "the heart of our team." She added that fans in Russia "adored" the 31-year-old center.

One of Griner's attorneys added following the hearing that the director of UMMC Ekaterinburg, Maxim Ryabkov, also "gave a positive description of Brittney Griner during his speech in court, noting her outstanding abilities as a player and personal contribution to strengthening the team spirit, which allowed the team to achieve the highest results in the Russian basketball premier league and in international competitions for many years."

Griner showed up at the courtroom in a dark-colored t-shirt and glasses. She did not give a testimony during the proceedings. Her trial is expected to continue on Friday morning.

As we reported, Griner is facing up to 10 years behind bars after she pled guilty to charges that she had hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport back in February.

Big E doesn't know if he'll ever wrestle again after breaking his neck in March ... and that's perfectly okay with the WWE Superstar, who tells us he's "at peace" with the way his 13-year career played out.

The 36-year-old 8x tag team champ (WWE champ and 2x Intercontinental Champ, too) joined the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) ... where Mojo and Babcock asked the wrestler for a health update.

“I’m doing really well," E said.

"I can live my life pretty normally. But [my necks] not in a position where I should be ramming my head against other things, immovable objects. So wrestling doesn't make sense right now."

And, E says things could've turned out far different.

"I feel great. Don't have any nerve issues, don't have any weakness, don't have any atrophy. I got real lucky cause it could've been a lot worse."

E broke his neck in March when Ridge Holland attempted a belly-to-belly suplex. It wasn't just his career that was in doubt ... there was concern the injury could severely alter E's life.

Months later, the former champ tells us doctors are taking a "wait and see approach" with his recovery and will reevaluate his progress after the 1 year anniversary of the injury. Meaning fans of the near 300-pounder shouldn't expect to see him competing in a WWE ring anytime soon.

"For me right now, March of next year is very far off. So, I don’t want to spend a lot of time worrying or stressing about that. I’m just kind of living my life," E said.

"I’ve been with this company for 13 years. That means a lot of Saturdays and Sundays in Poughkeepsie and Kalamazoo and most random towns. But, now I get to live my life a little bit and see some friends and I’m enjoying just being human.”

We asked E if he'd be content if he was never able to wrestle again ... and ultimately, he believes the answer is yes.

"Yeah, I think so. Honestly, my philosophy as a human being is learning to be content with whatever life brings you. I'm so grateful to not be in a wheelchair, but if I was, I would have to adjust to life in a wheelchair. That's just how I am programmed."

E continued ... "If I spend hours or days or weeks kind of mourning where I'm at in life, and not being what I wanted to be, that doesn't serve me."

Although Big E has been trying to make the most of his newfound "free time" ... the star wrestler admits he's tired of being in the house, which is why he was thrilled Triple H asked him to be a part of a WWE tryout for college athletes in the days before SummerSlam on July 30.

"You are free to leave, buddy!"

That's Enes Kanter Freedom squarely rejecting LeBron James explanation for questioning whether Brittney Griner -- who's in a Russian jail cell on drug charges -- should even want to return to America.

James has been skewered by many in light of comments he made in a trailer for an upcoming episode of "The Shop," saying ... "Now, how can she feel like America has her back? I would be feeling like, 'Do I even want to go back to America?'"

Bron attempted to clarify Tuesday night, writing he "wasn’t knocking our beautiful country" ... but, it seems Kanter isn't buyin' it.

"You call it a step back, we call this a walk back," Enes said.

"You are free to leave buddy or you can even volunteer for an exchange for her."

The 30-year-old added, "Some people literally have NO idea what is it like to live in a dictatorship. Keep taking your freedom for granted."

Of course, Freedom is outspoken when it comes to global issues affecting human rights ... in fact, he spoke with us recently where he called out NBA commish Adam Silver for pushing him to retire.

He also mentioned Griner ... saying the U.S. government needs to be more aggressive and understand that "human rights is above politics."

The NFL is facing yet another lawsuit ... this time, musician Bobby Nunn says the league used his famous "Rocket 2 U" song during numerous broadcasts -- including a recent 2022 "Sunday Night Football" game -- but never compensated him for it.

In the suit, filed in New York on Wednesday and obtained by TMZ Sports, Nunn says the smash hit that he wrote and produced for the Jets back in 1988 was used without his permission multiple times by the NFL and NBC Universal.

Nunn specifically claims his song was played during the broadcast of the Packers vs. Vikings 'SNF' game on Jan. 3. In the docs, Nunn included a screen grab of the portion of the broadcast where he says the tune could be heard.

Nunn, who's perhaps most well known for his "She's Just a Groupie" song, claims the NFL never licensed the song to use it ... and says when he made contact with the league and its TV partner about it all, they denied infringement.

Nunn is asking for damages ... as well as for the league and NBC to stop using his song without his consent.

This is now at least the third time the NFL has been sued by a high-profile plaintiff in the last few months -- you'll recall, both Jon Gruden and Brian Flores are involved in lawsuits against The Shield as well.

Boxing legend George Foreman says two women have made up claims that he sexually abused them ... all in an effort to extort him out of millions of dollars.

Sources familiar with the matter tell TMZ Sports ... a lawsuit against Foreman is expected to be filed in L.A. this week by two women whose fathers apparently had a friendship and working relationship with Foreman decades ago.

The suit, according to our sources, is expected to allege that Foreman sexually abused the women in the 1970s.

But, Foreman said in a statement on Wednesday that the allegations are flat-out not true.

"Over the past six months," Foreman said, "two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s."

"I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations. The pride I take in my reputation means as much to me as my sports accomplishments, and I will not be intimidated by baseless threats and lies."

Our sources say Foreman believes the suit and the allegations in it are all part of "a coordinated extortion plot" in which the women have asked him since January to pay them $12.5 MILLION each.

"I am, and always will be, guided by my faith and trust in God," Foreman said. "I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers' scheme and defend myself in court. I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them either."

Blueface and his mostly-on girlfriend Chrisean Rock are a walking, talking reality show … and the latest episode had CR blowing chunks in his fancy 2022 Maybach!!!

In a fit of disbelief, Blueface posted his babe barfing before giving her the sleeping beauty treatment with a wake-up kiss.

We caught the Crippy couple after Blueface’s weigh-in for his upcoming fight against Nick Young. The duo's shrugging off their drunk-n-love moment, saying true love tends to get nasty sometimes ... and they're definitely that as a couple!

Blueface and Chrisean have been going strong this year, despite her losing a tooth ... which she eventually replaced with an implant plastered with BF's mug.

Sounds like she loves him even if he loses one to Nick, but Blueface is saying don't place your bets on that. He has himself winning in three rounds.

Ryan Garcia is ready to squash the beef with Canelo Alvarez ... saying he wants to bury the hatchet with the boxing superstar -- even offering front-row tickets to his fight in L.A. as an olive branch.

The fall-out from the former buddies happened earlier this year when Garcia parted ways with his trainer Eddy Reynoso ... who also happens to train Canelo.

Garcia claimed he wasn't getting the proper attention from the team ... so he split. The fallout ... tension with Alvarez. And since, the men have had a frosty relationship ... with Canelo even questioning Ryan's work ethic, saying he's "wasting a lot of time and wasting his talent."

But, after a bunch of back and forth, Garcia says he wants to move on, telling Inside Fighting the quarrel between them is a "hypothetical beef".

"I would definitely love to make amends with people, forgive people," Garcia said on Wednesday.

"I believe in forgiveness and I'm just the type of person to forgive really quick and I don't want that negativity or bad blood with anybody."'

To prove Ryan isn't just talking ... he's inviting Alvarez to his July 16 fight against Javier Fortuna at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles.

"I'll get him tickets," the 22-0 boxer said, "He can get it himself but if he personally asks me, I would give him tickets. First row. Love him to be there."

And, Alvarez won't be the only star there (if he shows). Garcia says LeBron James, Aaron Donald, and Draymond Green will all be making an appearance.

"Only winners come to my fight."

Deion Sanders' beef with Nick Saban is over ... well, at least that's the way it appears -- as the two coaches were spotted laughing together in a new commercial.

"Prime Time" posted a snippet alongside Saban in an Aflac commercial ... and judging from the looks of it, their issues over NIL deals in college football seem to be a thing of the past.

"We're in Los Angeles, California back on the Aflac set with the G.O.A.T.," Sanders said in reference to Saban.

"And the duck," Saban joked while smiling. Sanders responded with a playful jab of his own, saying, "I was talking about you. So, you calling me a duck?"

The war of words between the two Hall of Famers started after Saban accused Deion and Jackson State University of paying Travis Hunter -- a highly-recruited Division 1 prospect -- $1 million to play for JSU.

"I mean Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division 1 player to come to school -- it was in the paper, and then bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it," Saban said at the time.

The former Cowboys legend promptly clapped back at arguably the greatest coach in college football history, saying, "We as a PEOPLE don't have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE."

Hunter seemed to deny that Coach Prime paid him a million dollars to play for the JSU Tigers ... essentially refuting the claims made by Saban.

Of course, Deion and Nick have shot commercials together in the past ... but there was reasonable concern about how their next shoot would go, given their seemingly contentious relationship as of late.

The officer who knelt on Jaxson Hayes' neck during his July 2021 arrest broke department protocols ... the Los Angeles Police Commission announced this week.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- body cam footage of the arrest shows the 6'11, 220-pound NBAer getting into a violent altercation with officers who responded to a call of an alleged domestic dispute at his then-girlfriend's house.

Hayes was wrestled to the ground during the incident ... and one officer appeared to put his knee on Hayes' neck. The 22-year-old is heard on video saying "I can't breathe."

A use-of-force board review into the incident determined the officer put his knee on Hayes' neck twice -- once for four seconds, and another for 11 seconds.

The review states the officer unintentionally applied pressure to Hayes' trachea or windpipe ... although it was not enough to make him go unconscious, according to the LA Times.

The investigation concluded anyone with the same experience and training would know the officer's actions were not "proportional, objectively reasonable, or necessary."

It is unclear if the ruling will result in punishment for the officer.

Hayes was also tased twice during the incident ... but it was determined to be justified due to the hooper's level of resistance.

Pete Alonso still thinks about his horrific, rollover March car crash daily ... admitting Wednesday that he's suffering from "pretty bad PTSD" over the incident.

The New York Mets superstar made the revelation in a piece for The Players' Tribune, explaining he still hasn't quite shaken the impact the accident had on his mental health.

"The whole thing has been a lot for me to deal with," Alonso said.

"A big accident like that, when it happens to you, I don’t care who you are, it’s not easy. No matter how strong you might think you are, it can still be rough in a lot of different ways. I’m still dealing with some pretty bad PTSD from it, to be completely honest with you."

Alonso was T-boned while going through a green light in Tampa, Fla. -- and video that his wife posted shortly after the crash showed the accident left his F250 a completely mangled mess.

The 27-year-old said in his Players' Tribune article that he's leaned on people close to him to work through it all, "but it’s not something that quickly fades away -- at least not for me."

"It’s going to take some time, and that’s O.K.," Alonso added. "I’m just going to keep working to navigate everything and be the best husband, son, brother, friend and teammate I can be."

Pete said the whole thing has taught him to make "the most of all the time that I have left."

Former Denver Broncos defensive back Brendan Langley is breathing easier today ... his airport assault case has been dismissed, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a court official, the case was dropped on Wednesday.

Langley's attorney, Halim Dhanidina, tells us the reasoning is because officials determined Langley "used force that was reasonably necessary" during the now-famous May altercation at Newark Liberty International Airport.

"We are grateful for the Court’s decision which puts an end to this ordeal that began nearly two months ago when Mr. Langley was assaulted then wrongfully arrested and charged for exercising his rights under the law," said Dhanidina, who works for Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP.

As we reported, Langley was initially arrested and charged with simple assault after he socked a United Airlines employee during a May 19 argument at the airport's ticket counter.

Langley -- who hit the guy so many times, he forced him to bleed -- said afterward through his attorney that he was simply defending himself. Langley's rep told us that the United employee had harassed the former NFL player, called him names, and got physical first.

Langley, a Broncos third-round draft pick in 2017, had just signed on to play wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders, who initially decided to suspend him indefinitely over the fight. No word yet if they're now reinstating him following Wednesday's decision in court.

Albert Pujols went deep last night -- inching him closer to A-Rod on the all-time HR leader list -- and fans at Busch Stadium went crazy, including Nelly, who got a high five from the baseball legend after he crossed home plate!

Pujols -- who rejoined the Cards after spending 10 seasons away from the team -- smashed the 685th homerun of his storied career ... and celebrated the monster shot with the St. Louis icon on his way back to the dugout.

Of course, Nelly's a huge deal in St. Louie ... and so is Albert. Even though the hip-hop star has seen Pujols belt numerous dingers over his 22-year career, you can tell Nelly was pumped!

At age 42, Pujols -- a 3x MVP and 6x Silver Slugger -- can still put a charge in one and send it into the seats ... as demonstrated by how quickly he turned around a 94 mph pitch from Dodgers pitcher Mitch White.

Pujols announced in spring training that this would be his farewell year ... saying he planned to retire at the conclusion of the 2022 season.

But, don't fret too much Cards fans ... Albert's going out with a bang. On Tuesday, Albert confirmed he was participating in this year's Home Run Derby contest in L.A.!

Horrifying moment on a Little League baseball diamond over the weekend ... gunshots rang out near the field, sending kids and coaches running for cover.

The terrifying scene happened on Sunday in North Carolina ... when South Durham's 8U Orange All-Star team and Wilmington's 8U Machine Pitch squad were playing at the Gillette Athletic Complex in Wilson, NC.

Video shows three gunshots -- appearing to be VERY close to the action on the field -- went off, forcing the 7 and 8-year-old players, along with coaches, umps, parents and spectators to hit the ground and sprint away in a panic.

Thankfully, cops say no one was hurt in the incident ... though, according to WITN, a minivan's window that was parked near the field was struck by the gunfire.

Despite everyone making it out physically unscathed, the two teams have since pulled out of the tournament -- with South Durham officials saying it was best for the kids.

"It was a terrifying situation for all involved," the team said in a statement. "Video shows coaches bravely covering players with their bodies and crawling off baseball fields."

"No child or parent should ever experience anything like this."

The Wilson Police Department, meanwhile, said in a statement that it is investigating the shooting ... but added there's currently "no evidence that this situation was an active shooter incident."

The greatest rivalry in competitive eating could soon be reignited -- Joey Chestnut just revealed it's possible he lines up against Takeru Kobayashi in an eating contest again ... saying, "there's a chance" an epic showdown happens as soon as next year!!

Of course, Jaws and Kobi haven't faced off in more than a decade ... thanks to a nasty breakup between Takeru and Major League Eating that kept the two from competing against each other.

As it turns out, Joey says his own exclusive contracts with MLE and Nathan's hot dogs will be up at the end of the year ... paving the way for a matchup for the ages.

"The end of this year is going to be a weird year for me because my contract with Major League Eating and Nathan's is going to be over," Joey told Big Cat and PFT Commenter on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take."

"So, it'll be my first year in a long, long time that I can actually eat against Kobayashi," he added. "So, me and him could find a way to compete because he'll never compete with Major League Eating again because they have just a childish contract dispute ... but there's a chance that I might be able to eat against him."

Chestnut beat Kobayashi three times in the 4th of July matchup ... but the Japanese superstar is responsible for bringing the entire sport to the mainstream after winning the hot dog contest six times in a row.

Chestnut -- who just secured his 15th Mustard Belt this past Independence Day -- admits he has no idea how much money a contest against Kobayashi could rake in, but says he's down to let his nemesis name his price -- as long as it's even.

A Formula 1 commentator has been suspended by his TV network indefinitely ... after he called driver Lance Stroll "the autistic" during a race broadcast over the weekend.

Lionel Froissart, a French journalist, made the remark during RTBF Sport's broadcast of the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

As racecars were whizzing around the track, Froissart -- speaking in French -- called Stroll "the autistic," and when his broadcast partner condemned him for the words, he fired back, "Honestly, this is the truth."

The comments were immediately panned on social media ... and on Wednesday, RTBF Sport announced it has put Froissart on ice over it all.

"RTBF strongly condemns the words used on Sunday, July 10, on air by its consultant Lionel Froissart during the Austrian Grand Prix," network officials said in a statement to GP Fans.

"Associating autism with a driver’s way of communicating was misplaced and completely inconsistent with RTBF values. An internal investigation will be conducted, to hear all the involved persons. The goal is to understand in detail what could have led to this incident."

The network added, "Pending the results of this investigation, RTBF will no longer work with the consultant in question until further notice.”

Neither Froissart nor Stroll has appeared to comment publicly on the discipline yet.

Fake Drake will get his wish to fight in the Celebrity Boxing arena ... just not against the man to whom he owes his livelihood.

Damon Feldman of Celeb Boxing tells TMZ Hip Hop that Lamar Odom -- AKA ex-NBA champ, husband to Khloé Kardashian -- has agreed to square off against Frake ... and this one feels a little personal.

Lamar dropped a prefight video while rocking a Nipsey Hussle shirt ... and he seemed pissed Fake Drake was trying to drag the real deal into the ring. So L.O. promised to help his friend and lay out the impersonator once and for all.

Not to be outdone, Fake Drake shot a training vid of his pugilistic skills -- although he's mainly ducking punches.

He's gonna need some serious evasive techniques -- Lamar stands at 6'10, won championships with Kobe Bryant annnd has already beat up J Lo's ex-husband and knocked out Aaron Carter in Celeb Boxing matches so ... good luck Fake Drake.

While they're still deciding between Atlantic City or Miami, we're told the fight is definitely on for October 15.