TMZ Sports - Page 36

Move over, Backstreet Boys, there's a new boy band in town -- introducing the Backstreet Bills!!!

Rookies on Buffalo's offensive line ripped their shirts off and gave a heartfelt rendition of "I Want It That Way" as part of their introduction to the team on Thursday ... and honestly, we're impressed!!

Tanner Owen, Alec Anderson and the guys alternated the classic lyrics as superstars Josh Allen and Co. watched the performance ... with the QB even turning on his iPhone flashlight to replicate a lighter.

There was also a bit of dancing going on -- proving the guys were truly giving 100% out there, even if they didn't have an empty airport to use for the big performance.

Rooks have been showing off their pipes recently as part of the yearly tradition -- as we previously reported, Eagles top pick Jordan Davis wowed the crowd with his cover of "Mary Jane" by Rick James just a few days ago.

Brittney Griner’s 9-year prison sentence for flying in Russia with a cannabis cartridge is drawing lots of disbelief and outrage within hip hop, but perhaps no one's reacting as aggressively as Boosie Badazz.

The Louisiana rapper couldn’t contain his anger as he unloaded on America, in general -- but especially on Vice President Kamala Harris ... for not doing more, in his eyes, to help a fellow Black woman.

He screamed the Veep should be on the "front lines" assisting the embattled WNBA star, and claimed Harris' silence sets a bad example for women of color.

Boosie also speculated if it were Taylor Swift in Brittney’s situation, the U.S. government would have launched a massive strategy to secure the pop star’s freedom.

Similar comparisons have been made regarding BG’s international trial, with LeBron James being the most famous example.

After Thursday's verdict, Justin Bieber seems down for the cause too.

Now, no one's gonna confuse Boosie with an expert on international geopolitics -- but, for what it’s worth, both President Biden and VP Harris called for Russia to return BG to the U.S. ... and they've said negotiations are actively going on as you read this.

A hockey player from an adult league in Canada straight-up kicked an opponent in the face with his skate during a mid-game scuffle ... and the incident was so reckless, police now tell TMZ Sports they're investigating it all.

The scary scene happened during an Adult Safe Hockey League game on July 29th at Scotia Barn in Burnaby.

You can see in the video from the arena, two players from opposing teams were fighting each other in the 3rd period ... when, suddenly, one of the guys appeared to intentionally kick the other with the blade of his skate.

The player wearing a #90 jersey immediately fell onto the ice and covered his face. His teammates, meanwhile, went after the kick suspect before refs ultimately intervened. The guy was issued a penalty, and ejected from the game.

The Burnaby Royal Canadian Mounted Police tells us the victim received medical treatment for injuries he suffered from the kick -- adding that they've since launched an investigation.

"Burnaby RCMP is continuing to investigate the circumstances and actions that led to the player’s injuries," the officials said.

"Burnaby RCMP is in possession of video showing one angle of the incident, which has been collected as evidence. Investigators are still in the process of speaking with players and witnesses."

In addition to the ejection, the kick suspect also received an indefinite suspension from the ASHL, which said in a statement, "The conduct and on-ice behaviour depicted in the video in no way aligns with the values of our league and the rules of the game."

Kliff Kingsbury clearly ain't happy that his star wideout spent the day in jail on Wednesday -- telling reporters on Thursday that Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has "got to be better than that."

Brown was arrested at around 7:05 AM in north Phoenix after officers say he was speeding. Jail records show he was booked on a charge of exceeding 85 MPH in a 65 MPH zone -- and according to multiple media outlets, cops said he was actually traveling at 126 MPH.

Speaking with media members for the first time since the arrest, Kingsbury made it known he was not pleased with the 25-year-old, and expected more from the Cardinals receiver.

"Obviously he knows he's got to be better than that," the Arizona head coach said, "and he will be moving forward."

Kingsbury added Brown has "never" given him or the team "any issues" prior to Wednesday.

The U.S. government says it's doing everything it can to get Brittney Griner home ... but now there's a Justin from Canada looking to help out, too -- and it ain't Trudeau.

Justin Bieber is reacting to Griner's 9-year sentence for bringing cannabis oil into Russia ... saying it "hurts" to hear the news, but he doesn't want to sit around and do nothing.

"If anyone knows of anyway (sic) I can help please let me know."

Bieber is just one of many notable figures furious over the sentencing -- Kyrie Irving called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to provide more info about Griner's status.

"What is truly happening with our Queen @brittneygriner @POTUS @VP?" the Brooklyn Nets superstar tweeted. "Please give us an Update."

WNBA star Lexie Brown added ... "Anyone that goes back to Russia to play is insane."

"Praying for BG man…this is breaking my heart seeing her right now 😔😔😔."

Ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III's reaction was simple -- "BRING BRITTNEY GRINER HOME!!!"

The NBA and WNBA released a joint statement ... saying Griner's verdict and sentencing was "unjustified and unfortunate," but reaffirmed the organizations will stop at nothing to make sure she comes home.

As we previously reported, the U.S. has made Russia a "very good offer" to bring her back to the States.

Mark Zuckerberg was apparently a baseball star for a very small part of his life, and a signed piece of that history is hitting the auction block.

The card's being sold at auction by ComicConnect.com in September ... it's allegedly been held by one of Mark's old camp counselors all these years.

Allie Tarantino remembers Mark standing out amongst the rest at Elmwood Day Camp in Westchester, NY back in 1992. Allie had an extensive baseball card collection, so when the 9-year-old kid came up to him with one of his own, he knew it had to get signed.

Since Mark's rise to the top, Allie's used the card as a big talking point in conversations, of course -- he decided to sell it off to help with his kids' college funds.

Collectibles expert Stephen Fishler, says it's tough to value because there's nothing like it --they're opening the bid at $1, but it'll be an unpredictable fight to the top. It will also be auctioned as an NFT.

Rookie cards seem to be all the rage right now, at least as far as price points go -- one of Lebron James recently sold for a whopping $5.2M!!!

FYI -- Zuck's stats are great, too ... the 48-pound infielder hit 23 of 25 at-bats that season, cleaning up with an impressive .920.

Brittney Griner was emotional in Russian court on Thursday ... apologizing for "my mistake that I made," while pleading with the judge to hand down a light sentence.

Griner issued the mea culpa at another hearing in her drug case ... telling the Moscow courtroom she was deeply sorry for inadvertently packing hashish oil in her luggage back in mid-February.

"I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of [Yekaterinburg] for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them," the WNBA superstar said.

"I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home."

According to Associated Press reporters on the scene, Griner -- wearing a gray T-shirt and dark pants -- appeared to be very emotional while saying she was sorry.

Griner later urged the judge to take it easy on her when her sentence is eventually handed down ... saying she hopes the ruling "does not end my life.”

Prosecutors, though, reportedly argued in the courtroom Thursday that Griner did intentionally bring the cannabis oil ... and urged the judge to sentence the 31-year-old to 9.5 years behind bars. They also reportedly argued Griner should be hit with a big fine.

The judge is expected to make a ruling in the case as early as Thursday afternoon.

As we reported, Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges against her last month. She's facing a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, have classified her as wrongfully detained ... and have confirmed they've made Russia a substantial trade offer to ultimately bring her home.

Terrell Owens got into such a heated argument with a woman in his neighborhood on Wednesday night, cops had to get involved ... and when they arrived, the woman quarreling with the football legend screamed at T.O., "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

Parts of the incident were captured by Owens on his social media live stream -- after he and one of his neighbors apparently got into a dispute over the way he had been driving around his neighborhood.

Owens began filming the incident moments after cops had arrived on the scene.

In the footage, the woman accused T.O. of driving recklessly, nearly hitting her with his car, and then getting out of his ride to intimidate her. Owens adamantly denied the allegations, saying he was driving safely, and only got out of his vehicle because she was screaming profanities at him.

"You don't yell at me and tell me I almost hit you and I didn't," Owens can be heard telling the woman in the video.

"But, you didn't have to get out of your f***ing car!" she replied.

Owens continued, "You didn't have to talk to me that way, either! Karen!"

That's when the woman yelled back, "You're a Black man approaching a white woman!"

The woman then broke down in tears a few moments later. Owens accused her of hamming it up for the cop on the scene.

The police officer attempted to de-escalate the situation -- separating the two -- but it's unclear how it was all resolved ... Owens signed off before the cops left.

The 48-year-old former Dallas Cowboys star did caption the video by writing, "KAREN IS REAL!!!!"

"Wow!! JUST A NORMAL NIGHT OF BEING A BLACK MAN IN AMERICA 🤷🏾‍♂️😂😂," he continued. "I want to say I can’t believe it but y’all know what it is. #karenonbikes #tears #falseaccusations #hernameiskate"

Adrien Broner feels some type of way about "big bro" Floyd Mayweather failing to hit him up for a fight, saying if the shoe was on the other foot, they would've already boxed and got PAID!

It's not like 33-year-old Broner -- a 4 weight class world champ -- hasn't made millions, but it's nothing close to Mayweather's crazy paydays ... like the $300+ million he says he made for the Conor McGregor fight.

And, AB doesn't understand why Floyd hasn't shared the wealth by setting up their own exhibition.

"Me, as a real n****, if I was Floyd and he was me, he would never have to fight again," AB said to Nah G Chill on CIGARTALK this week.

Broner says he and Floyd would earn north of $100 million, easy.

"This is so easy! This is a layup," AB said.

"We can do an exhibition, 10 rounds, and the whole world is gonna watch it and we gonna get in there and go to work! Hug and go in the back and get a bag but at the end of the day, I don't know what's his feelings."

For now, Broner (34-4) is gonna have to settle for Omar Figueroa Jr. (28-2) ... who he'll face on August 20 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida.

"Selling Sunset" star Heather Rae Young is going after a strip club she says used her image to promote NFL viewing parties ... and now, she wants them to pay.

Heather and two other women just filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- claiming Platinum West and Platinum Plus Gentlemen's clubs in SC and PA, respectively, plastered their images on promo posters to get patrons into the club.

In the docs, Heather includes the flyer she says Platinum West used with her image for Sunday and Monday night football events ... with the phrase, "Cheerleaders for Every Fan."

Heather says she never had any sort of agreement, or communications at all with Platinum ... and to use her image to allure guests is plain old false advertising. Not only that, Heather claims the club is defaming her by making it appear she works there as a stripper.

As for the two other women -- Amber Lancaster and Jaime Edmondson Longoria -- suing the club ... Lancaster works on "The Price is Right" and was previously crowned Miss Washington Teen USA, Longoria has worked for Playboy and as a Dolphins cheerleader ... and is married to SF Giants All-Star Evan Longoria.

Aaron Rodgers says the secret to his recent NFL dominance is a psychedelic experience in South America ... claiming the ayahuasca plant helped him improve his mental health and have the "best season of my career."

Ayahuasca -- which contains DMT -- has been used socially and medically for centuries ... and some consumers credit the plant brew for spiritual healing.

The Super Bowl champ says it's not a "coincidence" he returned from South America and won his next two MVP awards in 2020 and 2021 ... and is speaking out to change the negative stereotypes around using ayahuasca.

"I think there's so many myths and rumors about it," Rodgers said on the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast."

"The fear around it is, you're going to s*** yourself, it's just a big throw-up fest ... but the negative framework of it is that is the experience, not the deep and meaningful and crazy mind-expanding possibilities and also deep self-love and healing that can happen on the other side."

Rodgers says his intention for the first experience was to find out what pure love feels like ... and it worked.

"I had a magical experience with the sensation of feeling a hundred different hands on my body imparting a blessing of love and forgiveness for myself and gratitude for this life from what seemed to be my ancestors," he added.

38-year-old Rodgers says a previous experience with mushrooms led him to try ayahuasca ... and because he did, he has a new perspective on life.

Post Malone raised a huge chunk of change for a handful of charities by picking up a controller, putting on his headset, and playing one of his favorite video games.

The singer did a series of "Gaming for Love" live streams on Twitch in July playing the battle royale game Apex Legends for Human Rights Watch, Project HOPE, United Way and The Trevor Project.

He ended up raising over $196K through donations over the 4 nights ... part of the cash was from Respawn Entertainment, which created the free-to-play game. The company donated $40K for Post's hard work, putting him over the $200K mark.

Post's final stream went down with a 60-person tournament on a private server ... he got $76,026 in donations that night, going out with a bang.

The guy's a big fan of the video game, too -- he's popped up in content creator's streams from time to time to play some Apex with them, and even mentioned it's his favorite game of the genre during an episode of the "Full Send Podcast."

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," is getting a new routine ... and TMZ has a glimpse into his life in federal lockdown.

Jerry is about a month into his 12-year prison sentence in his child pornography case. He was recently transferred to a federal prison in Oklahoma City, where his daily life will be a huge culture shock.

Jerry's going to need to find a new way to stay active, because the only fitness opportunities are basketball, handball, walking and lifting weights.

Other ways to pass the time include hobby craft programs, board and card games, group discussion, letter writing and TV viewing ... but the inmates don't get to pick what's on the tube.

Jerry's got a new bedtime too ... lights go out at 11:30 PM on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends ... but there's no sleeping in ... he's gotta be dressed and out of his cell by 6 AM.

It's unlikely Jerry will make many friends on the inside ... guys who plead guilty to child porn aren't exactly welcomed by other inmates ... but he can see visitors on weekends and federal holidays.

Jerry's also hanging up the cheer uniform for standard prison garb, which he's got to wear from 6 AM to 4 PM during the week.

Outside those hours, he can wear clothes purchased through approved channels. Oh and he's getting a new barber too, one of his fellow inmates.

Newly crowned interim UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno tells TMZ Sports his highly anticipated 4th fight with champ Deiveson Figueiredo -- where they'll unify the belts -- is the biggest fight in the history of the 125 lb. division.

And, it's not even really up for debate.

We talked to the 28-year-old fighter on Wednesday, and asked him about the significance of the fight.

"Man, tell me another example [of a bigger fight], please. The 4 fights between Figueiredo and I is the biggest one, easily. Tell me the second place," Brandon told us.

It's hard to think of a more anticipated fight. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo fought twice ... and Cejudo's win over Mighty Mouse in 2018 was improbable and thrilling. But, as legendary as both fighters are, Brandon and Deiveson's rivalry is just different.

In fact, just a few years ago, the division was in jeopardy of being scrapped altogether. Now, it features arguably the best current rivalry in MMA.

Speaking of those fights, Brandon and Deiveson already fought three times ... each man has one win. The first and third fights were incredibly close.

UFC 256, Dec. 2020, Draw
UFC 263, Jun 2021, Moreno won, submission via rear naked choke
UFC 270, Jan 2022, Figueiredo won, unanimous decision

Fast forward to last Saturday in Dallas, TX. After Moreno defeated Kai Kara-France with a perfectly placed liver kick to capture the interim title, Brandon and Deiveson came face-to-face in the Octagon.

But, despite a lot of s**t talk in the past, the men kept it respectful ... and that's the way BM says it'll stay.

"I understand I had the opportunity to make more drama, but it's not my way. I understand the business I'm in, I'm trying to entertain the people, but I'm entertaining people with my fight. I'm done with the drama, with all the bad feelings."

Royals pitcher Amir Garrett lost his cool during a game Tuesday night -- throwing his drink on a fan who he says had been heckling him.

The shocking incident happened at some point during K.C.'s 9-2 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... when Garrett had clearly heard enough from a fan who he claims chirped him on his way into the dugout.

Video shows as Garrett was heading down the steps to take a seat on his team's bench -- he stopped to engage in an argument with a man in a gray T-shirt.

Suddenly, Garrett reared back and tossed what appeared to be water on the fan -- hitting a young kid with the liquid nearby as well.

Following the game, the 30-year-old reliever explained the interaction on his Twitter page ... saying the fan had "disrespected" him.

"Listen the disrespect is insane in these parks," Garrett said. "I really wish I could go to someone’s work and run my mouth. These are grown men talking slick. How miserable do you have to be with your own life?"

A person claiming to be the fan on Twitter said the altercation happened because he told Garrett that he "stunk" and that another player was better than him.

No word on if either Garrett or the fan will be punished ... the Royals and White Sox have yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Aaron Rodgers believes it is possible to make amends with his estranged family one day ... saying he's truly grateful for his upbringing and holds no resentment over how things played out.

The Green Bay Packers superstar had a messy falling out with his parents and two brothers several years ago ... and his separation from the family was famously covered during Jordan's appearance on "The Bachelorette" in 2016, despite the cause of the rift remaining a mystery.

Rodgers is now opening up about where things stand with his fam ... and he says the relationship is not permanently severed.

"I do believe in healing and I believe in the possibility of reconciliation at some point," Rodgers said on the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast" this week. "But, it's a different journey for all of us, and to judge on the outside about what should be or what it should look like, or who's wrong or who's right is just a game I've never wanted to play and still don't want to play."

"The most important thing for me is deep love and gratitude for them, and for the lessons I learned, and for the way I was raised, and hope for the future," he added.

"But, who knows what that future is gonna look like, when it's gonna look like, when time is gonna come."

"But, I have no bitterness in my heart. I have no resentment," Rodgers continued. "I just have deep love and appreciation for the lessons that I learned, and the fact that if I hadn't been raised that way -- all the good and all the frustrating -- there's no way I'd be sitting here today."

While Rodgers had previously stated he spent time "with my folks" for his birthday in 2018, it was reported as recently as January 2022 that he still does not speak with his family.