TMZ Sports - Page 41

Neena Pacholke -- a former point guard for the USF women's basketball team -- was found dead this weekend after reportedly making suicidal statements ... police tell TMZ Sports.

She was just 27 years old.

A spokesperson for the Wausau Police Department tells us officers were dispatched to a home in Wausau on Saturday morning for a welfare check. When they arrived, they said they received no answer at the door.

Eventually, officers made their way into the residence and found Pacholke deceased. "Foul play is not suspected," the spokesperson said.

Pacholke's sister told the Tampa Bay Times the former basketball player died by suicide.

Pacholke starred on the court at Freedom H.S. in Tampa -- before eventually making her way to USF, where she lettered from 2013 to 2016.

She later worked as a morning anchor for News 9 in Wisconsin.

"The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well," reps for the station said in a statement Sunday. "Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly."

Pacholke's sister added in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, "She just radiated love and positivity, and she just cared so much about pouring into other people, and always put other people first. I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself."

Serena Williams will be hitting the court in style on Monday -- 'cause the tennis legend had a custom outfit and diamond-encrusted shoes made for her last U.S. Open.

Serena -- who announced she was "evolving away" from tennis after the Grand Slam event -- designed a figure skater-style 'fit for her last on-court hoorah.

When Williams hits the court in Queens, she will wear a six-layer skirt ... paying homage to the number of U.S. Open championships she's won.

Serena, 40, will also be sporting a matching jacket and tote to accompany the dress and shoes .. compliments of the Swoosh.

The best part is the footwear Williams -- who's won 23 Grand Slam titles in her career -- will wear ... custom PE NikeCourt Flare 2 shoes featuring solid gold deubrés with 400 hand-set diamonds.

The stones are set in Black ceramic created in collaboration with the tennis icon's jewelry line, according to Nike's press release.

Nike said Serena provided the vision and details for her custom outfit and shoes ... and both designs will allow the tennis star to look good and feel comfortable while competing.

Williams is no stranger to fashion -- in February, she paid tribute to her late friend Virgil Abloh, who passed away unexpectedly, by modeling in the Off-White show at Paris Fashion Week.

A man accused of impersonating a Patriots player in a wild ruse to fraudulently obtain and sell Tom Brady Super Bowl rings has just been sentenced to THREE YEARS in prison, authorities announced.

According to federal prosecutors, 25-year-old Scott Spina was sentenced on Monday morning ... over eight months after he pleaded guilty to five charges.

As we previously reported, Spina was accused of obtaining a Super Bowl LI ring that had been awarded to a New England player for his role on the 2016 championship team by giving the football player a bad check.

Officials claim once Spina got the ring, he turned around and sold it to a broker for $63,000.

Then, prosecutors say, he began an elaborate scheme to fraudulently make even more money off the situation.

Officials said when Spina got the title bling, he also received information that allowed the former player to buy more Super Bowl rings -- albeit smaller ones -- for family and friends.

"Spina then called the Ring Company, fraudulently identified himself as [the former player], and started ordering three family and friend Super Bowl LI rings with the name 'Brady' engraved on each one, which he falsely represented were gifts for the baby of quarterback Tom Brady," officials said in court documents. "The rings were at no time authorized by Tom Brady. Defendant Spina intended to obtain the three rings by fraud and to sell them at a substantial profit."

Authorities say Spina did ultimately sell the Brady rings -- and one of them ended up going for a staggering $337,000.

Prosecutors say Spina eventually fessed up to the crimes -- and struck a plea deal to close out the case.

Nikki Bella is officially a married woman -- 'cause after 3 years of dating the ex-WWE star tied the knot with her "Dancing with the Stars" dancer fiancé, Artem Chigvintsev, in an intimate ceremony in Paris!!

The former wrestler and Broadway star got married in front of a small group of friends and family ... according to E! News.

Nikki posted a photo of her and Artem's hands with their wedding rings ... saying, "We said I DO, can't wait to share the entire journey with you all when our four-part special event."

The former "Total Bellas" star also shared a pic of the newlyweds in each other's arms as they took in the Paris skyline.

Nikki and Artem -- who met when they were partners on season 25 of 'DWTS' -- have one child, a little boy named Matteo, who was born in July 2020.

Nikki and Artem were engaged for a while due to the pandemic and coronavirus restrictions, but always knew they wanted to say "I Do" ... and now they did!!

You'll recall ... at one point during their relationship, "Good Morning America" accidentally called Nikki Artem's wife before the two ever jumped the broom.

Nikki and Artem were not married then, but now, after years of waiting, the romantic duo can proudly say they are husband and wife.

Sauce Gardner is really living up to his name ... 'cause the star NFL rookie just signed a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings -- with his very own "Sauce sauce!!"

The New York Jets cornerback and the sports restaurant franchise made the announcement on Monday ... showing Gardner rockin' a BWW jacket and saying how he LOVES to put sauce on literally everything.

"Sauce on wings, pizza, sandwiches," Gardner says. "Even sauce on sauce".

That's when out of nowhere, Gardner hilariously starts pouring sauce out of a bottle similar to his custom VVS diamond sauce pendant he copped from Al The Jeweler.

Of course, the sauce coming out of the blinged-out bottle is probably some commercial magic -- but it's still dope!

"Our partnership was meant to be," Gardner told CBS Sports about the new deal.

"It is natural. I have my sauce, it is a smoky, sweet, and spicy barbecue. It has its own personality, just like me."

Gardner -- the 4th overall pick from the 2022 NFL Draft -- will release his new dressing on September 1 at a "Signed With Sauce" event in New Jersey.

"I think I am the only person with my own sauce," Gardner said, "The fact that it is able to be called 'Sauce Sauce,' it really is my sauce. It is just a blessing, man."

Sorry to kill all the fun, but Cleveland Browns player Martin Emerson, Jr. was NOT walking around with a bunch of weed during Saturday's preseason game ... as it turns out, it was a bag of sunflower seeds.

Shocker, right?!

Of course, some folks and/or trolls on Twitter tried to take a grainy picture of the Browns vs. Chicago Bears broadcast ... and play it off like Emerson was holding a bag of weed on the bench.

The pic quickly made rounds on social media ... with users cracking their "typical Browns" jokes for retweets and favorites, and playing it off like the players were getting ready to toke.

But, one intrepid account decided to find a much clearer image of the alleged weed ... and yeah, it's definitely a bag of seeds.

If you don't believe your eyes, our sources confirm it's not marijuana and there were several players clearly chewing in the same clip that made its rounds online.

FWIW, the NFL has softened its stance on weed recently ... but sunflower seeds, however, are not banned.

Brian Robinson is speaking out for the first time since he was horrifyingly shot in D.C. on Sunday -- saying on Monday he underwent surgery for his injuries ... and, thankfully, it all "went well."

The Washington Commanders tailback, who was hit by bullets in what appeared to be a robbery attempt less than 24 hours ago, posted the positive message on his social media page.

In the note, he said he was thankful for everyone's prayers ... and added, "God is great!"

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, meanwhile, also provided some good news on the 23-year-old ... saying to media members on Monday morning, "The doctors were very positive with him, and he was very positive as well."

Robinson, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, was struck in the glute and the lower leg in the incident. Rivera said there's currently no timetable for a return to the field for the football player.

"He's doing well," Rivera said. "It'll just be a matter of time before he's back out here. There is no timeline, but as I said, everything was very positive."

The Commanders took the former Alabama star in the third round of this year's NFL draft. He was having a huge preseason before the shooting -- with some suggesting he could have been the team's starting running back when it kicks off its season next month.

Tragic news ... Kenyan cyclist Sule Kangangi has died after he crashed in a race on Saturday in Vermont.

He was only 33 years old.

Kangangi's racing team, AMANI, confirmed the rider's passing on Sunday -- saying their team captain died after "crashing at high speed" during the Vermont Overland gravel race, a 59-mile dirt road competition.

"Sule is our captain, friend, brother. He is also a father, husband and son. Gaping holes are left when giant's fall. Sule was a giant," the team said.

"Instead of leading us at the front of the pack, he will now lead us as our guiding pole star as we press forward in the realization of his dream."

The fatal crash reportedly happened during the final leg of the race that hosted almost 900 cyclists in West Windsor -- an hour south of Montpelier, the capital of Vermont.

"He was a kind friend and an inspiring and heroic athlete to his teammates and the gravel cycling community at large," Vermont Overland said in a statement.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, his friends, @teamamani, and the people of Kenya who are mourning his loss today."

Kangangi just started competing on gravel after many years of racing on the road.

Kangangi made his way to the United States to race in three gravel competitions this month in Colorado, Nebraska and Vermont -- with Kenyan riders John Kariuki, Nancy Akinyi and Jordan Schleck from Uganda.

Several cyclists have paid tribute to Kangangi ... including 4-time Tour De France winner Chris Froome, who called his death "heartbreaking."

A GoFundMe has been launched to support his wife and children after the tragic loss.

The death comes just one week after pro cyclist Rab Wardell passed away in his sleep -- two days after he had won the Scottish MTB XC Championships.

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, kept the birthday vibes going at the Kendrick Lamar concert on Sunday ... 'cause they were straight-up grooving to the rap superstar's music!!

The King and his Queen hit up the Rogers Arena in Vancouver one day after her special day ... and by the looks of it, they were having the time of their lives.

In the clip, you see James and Savannah posted up in what appears to be a private seating area ... but they weren't just standing around -- they were definitely feeling themselves.

Naturally, once fans noticed the 4-time champ in the building, many swarmed to the James Gang's spot ... taking pics and videos of LBJ.

Of course, Kendrick is on tour for his latest studio album, "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers," but rather than wait for K. Dot to perform in L.A., LBJ decided to check it out while up North.

You can tell LeBron was feeling the song selection ... and when the California MC started performing his hit song "Humble," James went crazy and even engaged with the crowd.

Bron has regularly shown love to Kendrick, especially when he releases new music ... posting videos of him jamming to K. Dot's bars and giving the rapper his flowers.

Parting ways with his Super Bowl ring just got much easier for Hakeem Nicks ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the former NY Giants star's bling fetched a whopping $117,000 at auction this weekend.

The gavel officially dropped on Saturday -- netting Nicks around $40K more than what Heritage Auctions officials had initially expected it to sell for.

It's great news for not only Nicks ... but charities as well -- as we're told the former wideout had planned to donate a portion of the proceeds to those in need.

Nicks initially put the piece up for sale earlier this month ... after he helped Eli Manning and the G-men win it back in 2012.

Nicks piled up 10 catches and 109 yards in the SBXLVI win over Tom Brady's New England Patriots.

Colin Kaepernick and his partner, Nessa Diab, are parents -- the couple just announced they recently welcomed a baby to the world.

This is the first child for Kap and Nessa, who started dating back in 2015.

"I thought long and hard about sharing our life changing news today," the radio personality said. "I decided to do so because today is the first day in a few weeks where I stepped out for work with a new life title -- MOM!"

"Colin and I welcomed our amazing baby to the world a few weeks ago and we are over the moon with our growing family."

Nessa says the free agent quarterback has been the "most amazing dad" and fully supportive throughout her recovery ... which she implies has been a challenging process.

Diab says the newest member of their family has already taught her "how to love in ways I never knew."

Kap has been out of the league since 2016 ... which he firmly believes is due to his controversial national anthem protest, which sparked backlash from many -- including President Donald Trump.

Kap sued the NFL in 2017 ... which resulted in a settlement.

He recently worked out for the Las Vegas Raiders ... but left the tryout without a gig.

Several hooded men reportedly broke into FC Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's home in Spain on Monday morning, beat him and then robbed him at gunpoint.

The horrifying incident, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais, happened at Aubameyang's residence in Castelldefels at around 1 AM ... when at least four people invaded the soccer player's home while armed with guns and iron bars.

Once inside, the men allegedly forced Aubameyang and his wife to open a safe inside the home. They then, according to El Pais, took several pieces of jewelry and other valuables, before fleeing the property.

Thankfully, Barcelona team officials have told multiple media outlets the 33-year-old footballer and his wife are doing OK, and did not suffer serious injuries.

Aubameyang had been with FC Barcelona just hours before the incident for its game against Real Valladolid. He was an unused substitute in the team's 4-0 victory.

Cops have reportedly launched an investigation into the robbery, though arrests have not been made.

Kamaru Usman dominated Leon Edwards for the better part of 21 minutes, so why didn't the former welterweight champ just chill -- grab, wrestle, stay away -- in the 5th round of their UFC title fight? 'Cause that just ain't the Nigerian Nightmare's personality.

TMZ Sports talked to 35-year-old Usman -- one of the greatest mixed martial artists to ever step foot in a cage -- just two days after his UFC 278 loss ... and we asked if he considered running out the clock over the fight's final 4 minutes.

"No, that's not who I am. When I fight, there's a reason I'm pedal to the medal and I don't look at the clock," Usman flatly told us.

Kamaru then continued ... "That's the way that I fight. I wanted to finish. It was just a beautiful technique. I could've taken him down, but I really wanted to finish and when I was setting up, you know only God knows what I was setting up, I didn't land it."

Despite the loss, Usman, who hadn't taken an L since May 2013, isn't bitter ... in fact, he's very impressed with the head kick with which 31-year-old Edwards ended the fight.

"It was just a beautiful technique. Beautifully timed, and he threw head kicks throughout the fight, but I blocked them all. That one was just money. I'm almost in awe on how good it was but it happens. Champions fall and then they get back and show you why they're champions."

As for all the memes, the people talking crap online, the other fights like Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez, Kamaru's paying all that no mind at all.

"I am mixed martial artist and I am the best mixed martial artist in the world. So, that's what I need to do. I need to prove that. I think of nothing else right now except that."

"When you sit on top of that thrown, then you can branch out and do other things. Right now, I don't sit on top of that throne right now. I'm not paying attention to all this side noise and side talk or anything like that. Let's focus on what we need to focus on first which is getting that back and then we'll decide."

Brian Robinson of the Washington Commanders was shot in D.C. this weekend ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The 23-year-old running back was struck by two bullets Sunday, which his lower half -- this during an attempted carjacking ... according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. We've been told he's been hospitalized and is in stable condition. He's expected to survive his injuries.

MPDC tells TMZ Sports ... a handgun was recovered not too far from the scene of the crime -- which occurred shortly before 6 PM ET -- but no arrests have been made yet.

The Commanders just played a game on Saturday against Ravens. Robinson was selected during the NFL Draft earlier this year.

Aaron Rodgers gave a full play-by-play breakdown of what exactly happened with his vaccine controversy last year ... dishing the deets to none other than Joe Rogan.

The Packers quarterback was on the 'JRE' this week, and he drilled down on how things unfolded, through his perspective, from the start of training camp to the day he was asked if he'd been vaccinated ... and it sounds like he thinks he got a raw deal in the whole thing.

Watch ... AR explains that he's allergic to a certain part of the vaccine -- the polyethylene glycol found in both the Moderna and Pfizer jabs -- and was all set to take the Johnson & Johnson shot ... until it got pulled for causing blood clots in certain recipients.

When that was out, Aaron says he researched another alternative to protect himself -- one that involved holistic medicine, he says -- and went that route ... without getting a vaccine.

Aaron says he showed up to camp with everyone knowing what his status was -- something that was hard to miss, because he says the NFL would literally separate players both physically and symbolically ... giving out different colored wristbands to differentiate.

He also says he was appealing for a waiver with the league, but he felt he wouldn't get one -- especially when they allegedly called him a conspiracy theorist after he refuted that vaxxed people couldn't contract or spread the virus ... something we now know is possible.

Aaron says he eventually caught COVID -- from an already-vaccinated player, he says -- and that's when word got out officially. He says he felt it was a witch hunt environment to begin with, and when the truth came out ... Aaron says he felt betrayed by the media.

Tom Brady just can't take a day off without people writing a book about it -- well, unless it's missing the first two weeks of training camp -- so he's addressing it again, essentially saying he went through a lot of s**t.

Brady showed up Saturday for the preseason debut in the exhibition final, and said post-game, "Everyone has different situations they're dealing with and we all have unique challenges to our lives."

Then he said this ... "I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of shit going on, so you just have to try and figure out life the best you can. You know, it's a continuous process."

Brady, who performed at the Brady level, kinda said the obvious after the game ... "I feel good. I've played football for a long time. I'm pretty good at it," Brady said. "Doesn't take me long for me to remember how to play it."

Brady did not get specific about the 11-day absence -- remember, he initially said he was self-benching for "personal reasons."

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

There have been massive rumors he was MIA so he could appear on " The Masked Singer," but Brady flatly denied that. But here's the thing ... when he was retired for that nanosecond, he signed a massive, $375 million deal with Fox, and it's not inconceivable part of the deal might have been to appear on Fox shows, the biggest of which is the 'Masked Singer.'

So the theory goes ... when he un-retired, he went back to the Bucs and said he had signed the deal so part of the terms of coming back would be the 11-day hiatus.