TMZ Sports - Page 7

Cam Newton was almost a Hokie -- the NFL MVP revealed to Eli Manning he actually considered playing for Virginia Tech ... wait for it ... because of their team colors!

The 33-year-old star free agent QB and style icon -- alongside fashion icon Tim Gunn -- joined the 2x Super Bowl MVP for the latest episode of "Eli's Places" (produced by Peyton & Eli's Omaha Productions on ESPN+) ... where the men discussed all things fashion in football.

Back in the day, Newton, a dual-threat QB at Westlake H.S. in Atlanta, received offers from some of the top college football programs in the country ... and one of those schools was Va. Tech.

Cam ended up choosing Florida, before transferring to Blinn (a junior college), before ultimately ending up at Auburn (where he won one of his two BCS titles and a Heisman Trophy).

Things obviously worked out with the college selections, but the star QB admitted to Eli he almost chose the Hokies because of their Chicago maroon and burnt orange colors.

"I considered a school just because of the uniform -- Virginia Tech," Newton told Manning, "that maroon orange collab."

But, it wasn't just Va. Tech in the running because of their unis.

Newton also liked Oregon and Hawaii's team colors, but unfortunately didn't get an offer from them.

"I was hoping to get recruited by Oregon. Never happened. Hawaii -- they had that dark green, black."

Newton continued, knocking the colors of many of the Southeastern Conference universities.

"A lot of schools in the SEC really isn't, like, fashion."

There's more. Eli, Cam, and Tim also sat runway-side for a football uniform fashion show.

A player rocking a classic Penn State University uniform walked the runway ... and Newton wasn't impressed.

"There's no accessories," Newton said about the white and navy fit, "They need like a wristband or something."

Gunn agreed ... and even Manning -- who played for Ole Miss before his great NFL career -- said the Nittany Lions could be flashier.

"I wish it had a little bit more flare. Not like 15 pieces of flare but you know, just some."

Mike Martz went scorched earth on Trey Lance this weekend ... blasting the 49ers quarterback for his performance in Week 1 while admitting, "I've never liked him."

The former Niners offensive coordinator held nothing back when discussing Lance's loss to the Bears on The 33rd Team -- ripping the 22-year-old for his play in the 19-10 defeat in Chicago.

"I want [49ers coaches'] eyeballs here," Martz said. "I've never seen anything about this kid that was encouraging at all."

Martz criticized Lance's throwing motion, his decision-making ... and his running ability -- adding that has no idea "what [Lance] is."

"He looked like a fullback stumbling around, trying to run the ball to me," Martz said.

"He's not particularly a good guy running with the football -- and based on what I saw today, I mean, he missed two guys completely by themselves."

Lance completed just 13 of his 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in the defeat. And, while it was raining cats and dogs at Soldier Field, Martz said that's just not enough of an excuse for the way Lance played.

"I know this," the former coach said, "he can only go up. He can only get better because you can't get any worse than what he did today."

Martz also went in on Lance's opponent -- Bears QB Justin Fields -- saying the Chicago signal-caller was "less than remarkable" in the win, despite his two touchdowns.

"I don't know if I've ever seen such a bad performance by a quarterback in his opening performance of the season," said Martz, a heralded quarterbacks coach during his time in the NFL. "He was just completely awful."

Not even a romantic vacation in Italy can stop LeBron James from prepping for his 20th NBA season -- the Lakers star was spotted shirtless on a yacht Tuesday pumpin' iron ... and he looked GOOD.

LBJ has been over in Portofino this month with his wife, Savannah, getting in some much-needed R&R -- but he's clearly carved out time to make sure he's still getting ready for the Lakers' upcoming slate of games.

James -- wearing nothing more than a pair of tights -- was seen grabbing dumbbells and going to work on the boat ... getting in squats, rows and more.

James looked chiseled, with his abs popping in the Italian sun -- and he seemed to be loving his sweat sesh too, grooving to music while working on his bod.

Unclear how long James is intending to be overseas -- but he'll have to make his way back fairly soon ... the Lakers open preseason play in just a couple weeks on Oct. 3.

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was just hit with a massive penalty after an extensive investigation into alleged workplace misconduct ... getting banned from the league for one season and forced to pay a $10 million fine.

The NBA released the findings of its investigation after interviewing 320 current and former Suns employees ... and determined Sarver said the n-word at least five times "when recounting the statements of others."

It's worth noting -- the league says Sarver's use of the n-word was not motivated by racial hate or prejudice.

The league also concluded Sarver did not treat female employees equally and made inappropriate comments about their appearance.

The NBA also states Sarver engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.

"The statements and conduct described in the findings of the independent investigation are troubling and disappointing," NBA commish Adam Silver said in a statement. "We believe the outcome is the right one, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period and our commitment to upholding proper standards in NBA workplaces."

"I am hopeful that the NBA community will use this opportunity to reflect on what this great game means to people everywhere and the values of equality, respect and inclusion that it strives to represent. Regardless of position, power or intent, we all need to recognize the corrosive and hurtful impact of racially insensitive and demeaning language and behavior."

"On behalf of the entire NBA, I apologize to all of those impacted by the misconduct outlined in the investigators’ report. We must do better."

During Sarver's suspension, he must complete a workplace conduct course. He will not have any access to the team or its facilities during the ban.

FYI -- the $10 million fine is the absolute most the NBA is allowed to hand down.

The Suns will now have to hire an outside firm to advise on issues like workplace training, hiring and compensation.

Seahawks defensive lineman Shelby Harris -- who was part of the blockbuster trade that made Russell Wilson a Bronco -- got the last laugh on Monday ... 'cause after his team defeated Denver in a 17-16 thriller, he trolled the star QB by using his viral "let's ride" slogan!!

Harris -- who spent five seasons with the Broncos -- was doing a postgame interview when he made it clear he hasn't forgotten about being shipped off to Seattle to make room for Russ in Denver.

"That's what happens when you trade one of your D-linemen to the other team," Harris told NFL Network reporter James Palmer. "We sit here and make plays, all of us. That's what happens when you get two goal-line stops, right there, a win. Can't draw it up any better than that, man."

You'll recall ... Russ was traded from the Seahawks to the Broncos in March in exchange for Harris, Drew Lock, Noah Fant and some first- and second-rounders in the upcoming drafts.

Harris admitted he had some extra motivation playing against his former team and their new $245 million man ... and took joy in knocking off Russ, who was booed heavily in his return to Lumen Field.

"We come out here, everyone doubted us, everyone made this about Russ," Harris added. "We made about the Seattle Seahawks. We came out here, played good ball for four quarters, come out with the W."

"Nobody expected us to win except for us. It’s always going to be us," he continued.

Shelby is right -- the Seahawks, led by Russ' former backup Geno Smith, were massive underdogs against the Broncos.

In the end, a questionable decision by rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of going for it on 4th and 5th cost the Broncos the game.

PnB Rock's death has not only shocked his fans and the music industry, but the sports world as well ... with NBA and NFL stars like DeSean Jackson and J.R. Smith mourning the Philly rapper's death.

We broke the news on Monday that PnB Rock (real name Rakim Allen) was shot and killed in an alleged robbery while dining at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in South L.A with his girlfriend.

35-year-old Jackson -- who last played for the Las Vegas Raiders -- went to IG after hearing the tragic news, posting a photo of the "I Like Girls" rapper with the RIP caption.

"Man good n***a!! This s*** gotta stop 🙏🏽", Jackson said.

The NFL receiver also put out a warning about his hometown of Los Angeles which has seen a surge in robberies -- a 25.2% increase in the area PnB Rock was killed, according to the L.A. Times.

"LA ain't safe," Jackson said, "Y'all stay on Decc."

Jackson also shared a post from L.A. rap legend Snoop Dogg, which reads ... "you gotta be careful being happy around unhappy people".

2-time NBA champ and North Carolina AT&T golfer, J.R. Smith, also shared condolences on social media, saying ... "Sh** is ass man 😞🤲🏽. PnB Rock rest up bro!"

35-year-old Lou Williams -- 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year -- shared a photo with PnB Rock, with the caption "Rest Well Rock 💔"

Boxing star Chris Eubank Jr. went to Twitter to express sadness and anger ... saying, "Its so crazy how we’re living in a society where its normal for young black artists to die every year all year round."

"This doesn’t happen in any other culture!! White, Asian, Indian, Latin… no other culture has established artists getting killed like this!! WHY US?? RIP PnB Rock."

PnB Rock was only 30 years old and is survived by his two daughters.

Cassadee Dunlap's father was shot this week ... this after there was reportedly a mix-up on whose home he was in.

The Netflix star -- who appeared on the second season of "Cheer" -- hasn't publicly addressed the incident, but we've learned the man identified by authorities after Saturday's shooting, Ronald Dunlap, is in fact Cassadee's dad.

According to reports, cops say he's in critical condition after he somehow made his way into someone's apartment in Little Rock, seemingly by mistake, in the middle of the night ... and was shot by the homeowner.

It's unclear how or why this unfolded the way it did, but the person who shot Dunlap told authorities they heard someone banging at their door around 3 AM and then -- thinking there was a stranger in their kitchen -- fired several rounds, striking Dunlap.

Dunlap's brother, David, says he's still in the hospital and fighting for his life.

A neighbor's door was apparently also hit by bullets, but no other injuries have been reported. It does not appear any charges have been filed thus far either.

Pure insanity broke out at the Guardians vs. Angels game on Monday ... with Cleveland skipper Terry Francona getting ejected and hurling multiple F-bombs at an ump -- and L.A. manager Phil Nevin getting the boot minutes later!!

The wild scene went down in the bottom of the 7th inning at Progressive Field ... when Tito believed Guards star Andrés Giménez got hit by a Ryan Tepera pitch, but the call didn't go that way.

A pissed Francona then stormed on the field to plead his case ... and after about 30 seconds of back-and-forth, he was thrown out of the game.

The arguing didn't stop there ... 'cause Tito -- who's known for being an all-around really nice guy -- started getting rated R with his rant.

Francona let several "f*** yous" fly as tempers continued to flare ... but finally, he made his way for the clubhouse.

As it turned out, that was just the start ... because when play finally resumed, the Halos skipper was teed off over Tepera not getting more time to warm up.

It was the same result for Nevin, 'cause he was sent to the showers early as well.

Gisele Bündchen admitted she had "concerns" over Tom Brady's unretirement this offseason ... saying she expressed them to her NFL star hubby "over and over again."

The supermodel told ELLE in a recent interview that she was worried about the violence of football. She said she also wanted Brady to "be more present" around the house and their kids.

"I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again," she said to the outlet. "But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too."

ELLE reports Gisele made the comments several weeks before she and Brady reportedly entered into a "rough patch" in their marriage -- a rift that supposedly got so bad, she briefly stopped living with the football player.

The outlet claims it reached back out to Gisele this month over the reports, but she "declined to comment on the speculation."

Of course, Gisele has said publicly that she's wanted Brady to call it quits for at least the last half-decade -- wishing he'd spend more time with the family. She's also said she doesn't believe he has anything left to prove on the field.

She did, though, appear to extend an olive branch to the quarterback before his season-opening game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, tweeting, "Let's go @TomBrady ! Let's go Bucs !"

"Call Cam. Call Kaepernick. Call anybody out there!"

Drew Pearson tells TMZ Sports the Cowboys are in BIG trouble following Dak Prescott's thumb injury -- and they need to give Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick and any other veteran QBs out there a ring ASAP in order to potentially salvage this season.

Dallas lost its star signal-caller in the fourth quarter of the team's blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday night -- and after surgery on Monday, Prescott is expected to miss the next six-to-eight games.

Drew tells us the blow is brutal ... and there's now really only one solution to fixing the problem -- get on the phone and acquire someone like Newton or Kaepernick.

"We got to have somebody there with some experience, some game experience," the legendary Dallas wide receiver said.

"I'm not talking about coming in and mopping up for somebody after the game's already won or already lost. I'm talking about somebody that's been there, been in the big time, knows how to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League."

For now, there's been no murmurs of potential free agent pickups for the Cowboys ... who appear to be poised to ride things out with backup Cooper Rush.

Pearson seemed to be upset with Dallas' front office over the situation -- sounding off on the team's brass for letting go of receivers Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson as well as offensive tackle La'el Collins this offseason.

"That's what I'm disappointed in is that the offseason didn't produce what we needed to produce to surround Dak with the protection and the receivers he needed," Pearson said.

Jake Paul isn't duking it out with Anderson Silva 'til next month, but he's already got his eyes on his next opponent after Spider ... telling TMZ Sports he wants to "slap the Stockton out of" Nate Diaz!!

37-year-old Diaz hinted at making the switch to boxing after his big win over Tony Ferguson on Saturday ... which certainly got Jake's attention, considering Nate's UFC contract has ended.

We spoke with Paul at his news conference on Monday ... and asked if going up against the California native was a real possibility after his Oct. 29 bout.

"100%, 100%," Jake said. "I'll slap the Stockton out of him."

Paul says he's not looking past Silva, though ... adding he's a "crazy tough opponent" who he respects a ton.

Jake has been super complimentary of Diaz as well ... tweeting out praise for him over the weekend.

"Nate Diaz is a muthuf***in legend and would have slapped the s*** out of Khamzat [Chimaev]."

There are other guys Jake name-drops ... and they all sound like pretty good matchups.

Jermall Charlo just scored a big win in his assault case ... prosecutors tell TMZ Sports they're dropping the felony charge against the star boxer.

According to court documents, Charlo was accused of roughing up a family member during a Sept. 5, 2021 incident in Fort Bend County, Texas. He was eventually arrested over it all back in February, and charged with felony assault.

But a spokesperson for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office tells us they filed a motion to dismiss the case on Monday "based on the reason that we cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."

"Evidence developed in a way that did not support the charge to conclusion," the spokesperson said.

Charlo's attorney said in a statement Monday the 32-year-old was "very happy" with the decision.

"Nine witnesses came forward to say Charlo never hit his 21-year-old nephew," said Charlo's lawyer, Kent Schaffer. "Jermall is very happy. He can concentrate on preparing for his next fight now that this distraction has been removed."

Another Charlo -- Jermall's twin brother, Jermell Charlo -- is still facing legal troubles related to the case, however.

Prosecutors tell us Jermell -- who was hit with a misdemeanor charge after he was accused of telling the alleged Jermall victim during the incident, "I will kill you with my bare hands" -- is still facing a misdemeanor charge of making a terroristic threat.

Anthony Edwards should NOT be canceled for the homophobic remarks he recently made -- and that's coming from one of the biggest LGBTQ organizations in the world, which tells TMZ Sports it wants to sit down with the NBA star and believe he can be an ally going forward.

PFLAG -- the leading organization for LGBTQ+ people, families and allies -- tells us it saw the IG video posted by the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, where he made offensive comments about a group of shirtless men hugging each other on a sidewalk.

"Look at these queer ass n****s, man," Edwards said in the clip posted this weekend, adding ... "Look at the world I came to."

Edwards apologized after the video circulated on social media ... saying his actions were "immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry."

Some have accepted the apology ... while some haven't.

Jean-Marie Navetta -- Director of Learning and Inclusion for PFLAG National -- says while the video is "an unfortunate reminder that equality and inclusion are still an elusive goal," there's a partnership that can now be formed that benefits all.

"The impact that public figures like professional athletes have is tremendous, and in this case, the message that was sent was of shame and ridicule. But, PFLAG believes that allies are all on a journey, and we hope this will be the beginning of a journey towards allyship for Anthony Edwards -- and we're here and ready to help."

It's not that what 21-year-old Edwards said wasn't bad ... it clearly was homophobic. In fact, Navetta calls the behavior "disappointing and hurtful," but there's nothing to be gained by cutting Anthony off.

The group would also like to see the NBA step up and make clear it values the LGBTQ community.

"While no organization can possibly manage the beliefs and behaviors of everyone employed, when situations like this one arise, it's a powerful opportunity for organizations to step up and affirm their values, contrast them with what transpired, and spotlight the work happening inside the organization."

Jake Paul says Dana White still owes him a million-dollar check for beating Ben Askren, but the Problem Child is once again proposing a friendly wager with the UFC honcho ... saying he's willing to put $5 MILLION on the line when he fights Anderson Silva.

Jake and Spider were holding a news conference in L.A. on Monday ahead of their October 29 bout in Arizona ... when Paul mentioned how his nemesis thought he'd never take on the challenge ahead of him.

"Dana White did not think I'd take this fight," Jake said minutes ago. "And Dana, I know you're watching, bro. You still owe me a million dollars from when you bet against me on Ben Askren."

"I want you to come out of hiding, stop being a bitch and make a bet against me and Anderson and actually pay up this time because you didn't think I would take this fight."

"So let's make a bet," he added. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put 5 mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a bitch."

As for a bet between Jake and Anderson ... Spider says he hates tattoos, so a body ink bet is off the table. With that being said, Jake says he'll get clever and figure something out.

Don't expect Dana to respond to Jake's offer -- 'cause as he told TMZ Sports last week, he's sick of talking about the guy.

Halloween may be next month ... but the Dodgers celebrated early with some of their biggest superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman wearing costumes for the team's annual dress-up travel day.

The team posted pics of the players following their 11-2 victory over the Padres on Sunday ... and they're pretty good!

The tradition dates back a few years ... the Dodgers typically made rookies dress up in silly outfits, but a few vets decided to expand the practice to include all players on the team.

Betts -- one of the best players in baseball -- paid homage to the golf G.O.A.T. Tiger Woods, wearing TW's signature red Nike shirt and black pants.

Mookie's caddy was none other than teammate, Freeman, who looked the part ... and even had a golf bag full of miniature golf clubs at Mookie's disposal.

Of course, the best outfit has to go to Andre Jackson, Justin Turner, Joey Gallo and Cody Bellinger ... who dressed up as Chippendales dancers.

(Who says baseball players are out of shape?!)

Jackson, Turner, Gallo and Bellinger took the assignment to heart ... they were all shirtless and wore black bow ties with black pants and cuff links.

Trae Turner dressed up as Jordan Belfort, who was busted back in the day for financial crimes. JB was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street.'

In fact, Trae's infatuation with 'Wolf' led him to create a celebration the team uses now ... where he hits his helmet like DiCaprio did with the mic during one of the movie's famous scenes.

A bunch of the players, including second baseman Gavin Lux, dressed up as characters from the classic baseball movie "The Sandlot."

Infielder Max Muncy dressed as a beer keg.

Aaron Rodgers is livid Novak Djokovic was not allowed to compete in the U.S. Open tournament ... highlighting the absurdity of some of the COVID-19 regulations that simply make no sense.

Rodgers sat down with Bill Maher for an episode of his 'Club Random' podcast ... where the two had a candid conversation about Djokovic being kept out of the high-profile tourney for remaining unvaccinated.

"The best f***ing player on the men's side can't play," Rodgers said of Djokovic. "One of the most fit guys in the f***ing world whose had covid at least once, if not twice, can't f***ing come to New York?"

Rodgers then brought up Kyrie Irving's long, drawn-out saga with the Nets ... which saw the star point guard miss a bevy of games during the season over his refusal to get vaccinated.

"Kyrie Irving attended a basketball game courtside but couldn't play for his team."

"How is that f***ing possible?" Rodgers asked. "He attended a basketball game and got to watch it in the stands but couldn't play f***ing play on his team because he wasn't vaxxed."

"Make it make sense. Make it sense. You can't," Aaron continued.

Rodgers and Maher accused the Nets, who told Irving he could play in road games but not home games, then said he couldn't play for the team at all ... of changing their tune once the team started struggling.

AR and BM were dumbfounded that Bradley Beal, who is unvaccinated like Irving, was allowed to play in games at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, despite the NYC mandate.