TMZ Sports - Page 47

A Little League World Series player's head was covered in cotton during an MLB game on Sunday night -- and while Little League officials acknowledged it "could be perceived as racially insensitive," they said they've since been assured there was "no ill-intent" behind the actions.

The incident happened in the eighth inning of the Red Sox vs. Orioles Little League Classic game in Williamsport, Penn. ... when several members of the Davenport, Iowa, Little League team -- who are white -- took stuffing out of giveaway toys and placed it on a Black teammate's head.

Many on social media were outraged by the visuals on the ESPN broadcast ... considering the Black player did not appear to be laughing about it at all.

But, reps for the LLWS said in a statement Monday that after speaking with the Black child's mother and coaches, they've been assured "that there was no ill-intent behind the action shown during the broadcast."

"After speaking with the team," officials said, "as well as reviewing photos, multiple players on the Midwest Region team were taking part in this while enjoying the game."

"As only one player appeared on the broadcast, Little League International understands that the actions shown could be perceived as racially insensitive."

LeBron James will now have a crown everywhere he goes -- 'cause the King just got his iconic "LJ" logo imprinted on his tooth!!

The Lakers shared a pic of James -- who's gearing up for his 20th NBA season -- on social media minutes ago ... showing the 4-time NBA champ sporting his new bling.

In the pic, you see James' signature "LJ" logo -- which was created to go on all his shoes and apparel when he signed his deal with Nike -- etched on his tooth.

It's plausible Bron got the idea from his homie Odell Beckham Jr. ... who dropped $1.8 million on 13-carat diamond porcelain veneers in 2021.

The flashy wide receiver didn't stop there, though ... 'cause Odell then spent $5K to get diamonds implanted on his teeth -- which aren't removable!!

No word yet on who hooked LBJ up or how much it cost, but he just signed a 2-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Lake Show ... so he can definitely afford it.

The G.O.A.T. is back ... Tom Brady is practicing with the Buccaneers once again -- after he took 11 days to deal with a "personal issue."

The Bucs just posted video of Brady out at training camp -- proving he has, indeed, made his way back to Tampa following an extended off period.

The 45-year-old looked good, weaving in and out of bags while hurling footballs to wide receivers.

Brady initially left camp back on Aug. 11 -- with Bucs head coach Todd Bowles explaining to reporters at the time that the QB was dealing with "some personal things."

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles added. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp, and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

Brady has yet to comment publicly on the brief departure.

The Bucs, meanwhile, played 2 preseason games while Brady was out ... losing to Miami on Aug. 13 and to the Titans on Aug. 20.

A couple allegedly engaged in a sex act in the stands at the Oakland A's game on Sunday ... and now, police tell TMZ Sports they're investigating it all.

The two MLB fans were accused of going at it at some point during the Athletics' tilt with the Seattle Mariners at RingCentral Coliseum ... when a spectator in another part of the stadium appeared to capture the two getting it on in one of the last rows of the venue.

Footage appears to show the woman performing oral sex on the man for several seconds.

An Oakland Police Dept. spokesperson says cops are aware of the allegations ... and have launched a probe into the matter.

"The Oakland Police Department was not alerted to this until after the game," the spokesperson said, "and we have initiated an investigation."

Leon Edwards' crazy upset win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278 made Drake's pockets a bit lighter this weekend -- 'cause the rapper lost out on a $200k bet!!

"The Nigerian Nightmare" was handed just his second professional loss after a head-kick knockout in the fifth round ... a result that had the fighting world absolutely shocked.

Drizzy was so confident the fight would end up in Usman's favor, he actually put up nearly a quarter million on an Usman knockout.

Of course, that didn't happen ... so all that dough went down the drain.

Edwards got wind of Champagne Papi's bet ... and made sure to clap back at the rapper in his post-fight interview, telling him to make the right decision next time.

As it turns out, Drake was taking Ls left and right on Saturday ... because he also lost $230k after Jose Aldo lost to Merab Dvalishvili.

It's become a trend for Drake to place massive sports bets ... but it hasn't gone too well for him over the years -- he's lost close to a million bucks on UFC fights alone.

One of Kenny Lofton's former employees is now suing the ex-MLB star ... alleging the famous baseball player exposed one of his female subordinates to pictures of his penis.

Brandyn Toney -- who claims he was hired by an investment firm and NFT marketplace back in 2021 that Lofton founded and co-owned -- made the allegations on Monday in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, Toney says he began working for Lofton's companies, Centerblock Asset Management LLC and Proxime Corporation, in December 2021 and was promised a salary of $85,000.

Toney, though, says issues began popping up just a few months after officially signing on.

Toney claims he wasn't paid a cent for his work -- and then on June 8, he said a female employee who was hired to monitor Lofton's Instagram account told him the ex-Cleveland outfielder had been sending photos of his penis to various women through his direct messages on the app.

Toney says shortly after the conversation, he approached the companies' in-house attorney to make them aware of Lofton's sexually inappropriate actions.

But, Toney says he was fired within two hours of making his complaint.

Toney is now suing Lofton, the baseball player's companies and others in the orgs ... claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting Lofton's behavior and complaining about wage and hours violations.

He's asking for damages and more in the suit.

"Lofton and his executive team thought they could fire our client for objecting to obvious sexual misconduct and even thought they could get away with not paying him for his work," said Toney's attorney, Ronald L. Zambrano. "That speaks to the arrogance and dysfunction at play every day at Centerblock and Proxime."

Caleb VanHooser and Christian Eubanks, players for the Indiana State University football team, tragically died in a car accident over the weekend ... according to multiple reports.

"There are no words to express the depth of our sadness about this tragedy," school president Dr. Deborah J. Curtis said. "We send our condolences to the family and friends of the students involved. The Sycamore family is mourning and will support each other in this time of grief."

VanHooser's former school -- Lakota East High School -- confirmed the tragic news of his passing ... writing, "It is with (a) heavy heart that we mourn the loss of Caleb VanHooser, former Hawk great, and Indiana State football player who was called home to Heaven early this morning."

"We will never forget his contributions to our program. RIP #2. We love you."

Officials from Indiana State University also released a statement, saying ... "It is with great sorrow that Indiana State University announces that police are working to positively identify three people who died in a single-vehicle accident early Sunday morning."

The Vigo County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened around 1:34 AM on Sunday, according to WTHR ... when a vehicle traveling on State Road 46 -- not too far from ISU's campus -- veered off the road, struck a tree and caught on fire.

VanHooser and Eubanks were 2 of the 5 people trapped inside the vehicle, which was engulfed in flames by the time first responders arrived, according to the outlet.

VanHooser and Eubanks were freshmen at ISU.

Once the news about VanHooser's death circulated on social media, hundreds of people wearing blue and white gathered at Memorial Stadium to pay their respects.

Blueface's girlfriend is in police custody after punching him square in the face -- the second time in less than a month -- but he's begging cops to let her go free.

Chrisean Rock unloaded on the rapper Sunday night while they were in Whiskey Row bar in Scottsdale, AZ. Blueface was standing in front of Chrisean when she hauled back and struck him twice in the face.

She landed both shots, sending Blueface backward and he made no attempt to go back at her. Instead, security took her down ... pinning Chrisean to the ground until Scottsdale PD arrived to haul her off in handcuffs.

So, Blueface's reaction to the violent incident? "Free Rock!!!"

He posted a video saying, "We don't ever make the same mistake twice" ... clearly referring to their very public fight earlier this month.

TMZ broke the story when they both went at each other on the streets of Hollywood -- Chrisean threw the first punch, but Blueface, who's slated to box Nick Young in a celeb event next month, fought back, pinning her to the ground. Cops didn't witness the fight, but after seeing video said they'd opened an investigation.

Nothing's come of that incident yet, and the couple never broke up over it, but now -- with Chrisean in jail -- Blueface says he wants her freed, we think. He was kinda laughing during the video.

One thing he didn't laugh about was the punch, as he put it ... "She hit me with a banger. I was like, oooh!!!"

Tyson Fury says his cousin was killed after being stabbed in the neck in the UK over the weekend ... and now, he's pleading with government officials to crack down on knife crime in wake of the tragedy.

According to authorities, Fury's relative, 31-year-old Rico Burton, was killed following an incident at a popular bar at around 3 AM on Sunday in Manchester. A 17-year-old was also injured in the altercation, cops said, and remains hospitalized.

Fury took to his Instagram page after learning of Burton's death to mourn the loss -- and called for greater punishment for knife crimes to hopefully deter similar incidents from happening going forward.

"This is becoming ridiculous," the boxing superstar said. "Idiots carry knives. This needs to stop 🛑 Asap, uk 🇬🇧 government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, its a pandemic & you dont know how bad it is until its 1 of your own!"

He added, "Life is very precious & it can be taken away very quick enjoy every moment🙏RIP RICO BURTON 🙏 may the lord god grant you a good place in heven. see you soon"

Police say they have arrested two men who they believe were involved in the stabbing. They added that they are increasing police patrols in the area with the hopes of preventing future crimes.

"This was a senseless attack," Greater Manchester Police spokesperson Ben Ewart said, "and both victims should've returned home this morning after enjoying a night out with friends."

Giants head coach Brian Daboll apparently has a bit of potty mouth -- and thanks to a hot mic on the field during NY's preseason game on Sunday night ... the world now knows it!

Daboll was caught dropping an F-bomb tirade following a pass interference call in the fourth quarter of the Giants' game against the Bengals.

The coach could be heard clear as day on the game's broadcast screaming, "That's f***ing bulls***! What the f***?"

Daboll, who's entering his first year as coach of the G-Men, appeared to be directing his anger toward an official -- but despite the passion, the Giants were still hit with the flag nonetheless.

The 47-year-old, though, ended up going home happy regardless ... 'cause the Giants used a big fourth quarter to pull out a 25-22 win.

Aqib Talib won't be broadcasting NFL games for Amazon after all -- at least not for the foreseeable future -- he's stepping away from the gig following his brother's murder charge.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported the news late Sunday evening ... saying after Talib and his older brother, Yaqub Talib, were involved in an altercation at a youth football game earlier this month where a man died, Aqib is now prioritizing time with his family instead of work.

As we previously reported, the Talib brothers were helping coach kids at a football game in Texas on Aug. 13 when an argument between coaches and refs turned deadly.

According to a witness on the field, Aqib was upset with a penalty call and ran onto the playing surface to confront refs. A short time later, a scuffle broke out.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows a man who appeared to be wielding a down marker to hit others was eventually shot. Authorities say he was transported to a local hospital, but died there due to his injuries.

Cops have accused Yaqub of pulling the trigger ... and the 39-year-old has since been charged with murder.

36-year-old Aqib, meanwhile has not been charged with any crimes.

"Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life," Aqib's attorney said following the incident. "He would like to convey his condolences to the family of the victim and to everyone who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy."

Former AEW star Jake Atlas told cops he was "an international trained superstar" and then slammed his boyfriend as "terrible at sex" in a rant during his arrest back in May ... new police video shows.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see a police officer was trying to ask an agitated Atlas questions about an alleged domestic violence incident between him and his BF outside of his Orlando, Fl. home on May 23.

But, the wrestler, whose boyfriend had accused him of roughing him up during an argument earlier in the evening, appeared to be in no mood to play ball with the cop.

Instead, Atlas told the officer about his wrestling resume, all while bashing his boyfriend and their relationship repeatedly.

"I am an international trained superstar," said the 27-year-old, who is openly gay. "I have worked across the country, across the world, with my name. He is a nobody."

Atlas, real name Kenny Sanchez Martinez, went on to call the man a "f**ing bitch ass, f***ing p***y" ... before ultimately telling the cop, "[he] is a terrible boyfriend and he's terrible at sex."

The cop tried repeatedly to get Atlas to tell his side of the story and explain the events that had gone down earlier in the evening, but the wrestler never seemed to cooperate. Atlas was eventually arrested on the scene and later booked on a domestic violence battery charge.

Atlas' charges were eventually dropped, however ... with officials writing in court documents, "this case is not suitable for prosecution."

The wrestler later commented on the case following its disposition in July, apologizing "for my wrongdoing and any hurt, disappointment and complication I may have caused to my colleagues and fans."

Atlas said he participated in an outpatient program to deal with "a dual diagnosis in substance abuse and mental health," and is continuing to seek treatment.

A famous search and rescue dive team that inserted itself into the hunt for missing teenager, Kiely Rodni, claims they've found her ... but it doesn't sound like she's alive.

The YouTubers known as Adventures with Purpose -- which has millions of subscribers and followers across their social media channels -- made the claim Sunday, writing on their official Facebook page ... "WE JUST FOUND KIELY RODNI."

They go on to say that she is confirmed to be inside a vehicle that is upside down in about 14 feet of water, adding that the family has been notified and that law enforcement is on their way. As for where exactly they discovered her ... reports suggest it might be in Prosser Lake.

This is where Kiely first went missing weeks ago at the beginning of the month, and the search efforts thus far have been focused on this area. AWP literally just volunteered their service a day or two ago ... vowing to help locate her, and it appears they did just that.

As we reported ... Dog the Bounty Hunter told us he'd been getting tons of tips on her potential whereabouts, but was reluctant to jump into the high-profile missing persons case because of all the blowback he got from the Gabby Petito case.

Kiely went missing on Aug. 6 near Truckee, CA -- where she and a bunch of other youths were partying in the Lake Tahoe region.

She went missing late in the night, apparently without a trace ... and hasn't surfaced since. A massive undertaking has been underway to find her.

No other details have come to light yet as to how Kiely may have ended up in a car and submerged in the lake -- and if foul play is suspected.

Tom Brady was apparently all set to become a Raider after leaving the Patriots -- that is, until Jon Gruden stepped in and shot it down ... this according to Dana White.

The UFC honcho broke down the story Saturday during the UFC 278 broadcast ... telling Rob Gronkowski and a bunch of other panelists that TB12 was, in fact, gunning to join the Las Vegas Raiders ... something DW had been pitching him on for a long time at that point.

This was all happening during Tom's free agency period in 2020, BTW, and per Dana ... the GOAT was actually already scoping out houses in the area. So it sounds like it was just about a done deal -- with Dana working behind the scenes to make it all happen.

Not just that ... but Rob himself was apparently going to join Tom there in Vegas under this would-be move. The reason it fell apart, so says Dana, is because of the ex-head coach.

Gruden allegedly blew it up last minute, saying he didn't want Tom and co. -- and, apparently, the ownership listened to him. Tom ended up joining the Bucs instead, and went on to win the Super Bowl later in 2021 ... with none other than Gronk by his side for the glory.

Dana later elaborated a bit on the tale, telling reporters Brady wasn't happy about it at the time ... but wouldn't get into the exact details of what Gruden's beef was.

Of course, he ended up getting canned by the organization amid a racism controversy from prior emails.

Gruden ended up suing the league and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the leaked correspondence was part of a coordinated character assassination.

Dennis Rodman says he's going to put his dictator diplomacy to good use soon in an attempt to free Brittney Griner, who's currently jailed in Russia.

The ex-NBA star told NBC News this weekend that he's planning on jetting off this week, adding that he got "permission" to head over there and "help that girl" in a would-be prisoner swap. Unclear if Rodman is serious or not ... but his track record suggests he could be.

As we all know ... DR has visited North Korea a lot over the years and built a relationship with Kim Jong Un. Rodman has always insisted his connections in N. Korea have helped U.S. diplomatic efforts -- including the release of an American prisoner, Kenneth Bae.

Of course, he also tagged along with then-President Donald Trump for a 2018 trip to the communist country. That said, his actual influence has always gotten a raised eyebrow.

There isn't much more to the NBC interview -- which sounds like it was fast and on the move, as there's no video or anything beyond text quotes -- other than Rodman suggesting that he's also familiar with Vladimir Putin, adding that he knows the leader "well."

As NBC and other outlets have noted ... Rodman doesn't actually need permission to head to Russia right now -- and there's no word yet on whether this is a U.S.-sanctioned effort.

The feds have advised Americans not to travel to Russia at the moment -- and they're already actively working on securing BG's release -- but we suppose we'll see if DR actually touches down in the near future to do something that isn't already happening. BTW, he was in town in D.C. this weekend for an event ... so maybe geopolitics were top of mind for him.

Marquise "Hollywood" Brown apparently has a need for speed ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Cardinals star was ticketed for going 71 MPH in a 50 zone just weeks before he was arrested for allegedly going 126 MPH in a 65.

According to court documents, cops say Brown went roughly 21 MPH over the speed limit in a black Mercedes on June 9 in Maricopa County, Ariz. He was issued a ticket for the offense on July 11.

Per the docs, Brown is facing a fine of $350. Records show he's due in court for a hearing on the matter in October.

Of course, Brown was arrested back on Aug. 3 -- less than a month after his initial speeding ticket arrived in the mail -- following accusations that he went 61 MPH over the speed limit in a white Mercedes in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Records show he's due in court for a hearing in that case next month.

Brown apologized for the recent arrest earlier this week, vowing to be better going forward -- but he made no note of the earlier ticket in his chat with reporters.

As for his head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, he said following Brown's arrest that he was disappointed in his receiver ... adding, "he knows he's got to be better than that."