TMZ Sports - Page 22

The Celtics employee with whom Ime Udoka had an affair helped make all his travel arrangements ... and that job sometimes included organizing travel for his fiancee, Nia Long.

Sources connected to the couple and the NBA franchise tell TMZ ... one of the staffer's duties included planning Udoka's team-related travel, and we're told she was also involved in booking travel for Nia to come to Boston or to road games.

Perhaps most upsetting for Nia is that the employee had a hand in Nia's arrangements to move to Boston permanently, according to our sources.

TMZ broke the story ... Nia had just moved east a little over 2 weeks ago with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime.

The Celtics are not releasing the name of the employee, but we're told Nia has been told who she is.

Team President Brad Stevens got choked up Friday during a news conference ... saying the scandal had been particularly upsetting for all their female employees -- due to speculation about who had the affair with Udoka.

As we've reported, the team suspended its head coach for the entire 2022-23 season after what it says was a months-long investigation into his conduct.

A new horror movie is coming out next week, and the studio found a creative way to let people know about ... sending background actors to live baseball games, front and center.

We're talking about Paramount's latest offering, "Smile," which drops next Friday ... and amid a lot of "Don't Worry Darling" chatter, it seems the mountain execs were trying to find a way to break through the noise and stand out ... and they chose MLB broadcasts to do it.

Several marquee matchups aired on big-time TV stations Friday -- including Dodgers vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. A's and Yankees vs. Sox. In all of them, there was at least one person prominently positioned behind home plate that held a super creepy smile the entire time.

It was perhaps most notable during the Mets game, where a woman in a highlight green shirt (with the word SMILE written across) was standing and smiling awkwardly ... that is, until a security guard told her to park it.

Another guy in green was also spotted at the Dodgers game, sitting in silence and holding a creepy smile for much of the game. Some of them stood up at times, but mostly sat still and just held the pose ... completely committed to the gag.

Another man, this time in blue, was seen at the Yankees game ... and he got up occasionally -- with viewers at home certainly taking notice and noting it was freaking them out.

Unclear if there were more actors at other games, but these are the ones that people paid close attention to. Of course, this is good old-fashioned viral marketing ... and it would appear it worked, 'cause the stunt is getting some media coverage.

"Smile" is going up against Billy Eichner's rom-com, "Bros," next week ... not to mention any spillover from 'DWD' and other recent horror releases like "Barbarian" and "Pearl." Plus, "Avatar" is back in theaters, and it already seems to be doing well -- so tough competition.

Paramount's smiling through it all though, especially at the ballpark!

Jake Paul is being sued by Eddie Hearn -- one of the most powerful people in boxing -- after The Problem Child claimed the promoter paid off a judge in two recent, high-profile bouts.

In a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Hearn and his company, Matchroom Boxing, claim their reputation was damaged after 25-year-old Paul "made outrageously false and baseless allegations" during an interview on Sept. 20.

In the talk, Paul claimed Hearn's Matchroom Boxing paid off judge Glenn Feldman in the August Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua fight. Paul claimed that same judge was also paid off by Matchroom in the April Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight.

Taylor won by split decision over Serrano, while Joshua lost by split decision to Usyk.

"Glenn Feldman shows up in Saudi and scores Anthony Joshua to win the fight when everyone who watched the fight said it was not a split decision," Paul said ... before adding, "Clearly, this guy is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing."

Hearn included Paul's video interview as an exhibit in the lawsuit ... filed by attorney Frank Salzano.

Paul, in the interview, also acknowledged that it was "a bold statement and an accusation that I don't take likely, but it's just blatantly obvious. And they're not even trying to hide it."

Hearn -- who's suing Paul for defamation -- called the comments "outlandishly false."

Chris Johnson is now one of 129 people hoping to make the Hall of Fame in 2023 ... but according to his former teammate, LenDale White, he doesn't need to sweat it -- 'cause he WILL get a bust in Canton next summer.

CJ2K -- one of the best running backs in NFL history -- was officially nominated for the HOF for the first time earlier this week ... alongside 128 other former stars, including Joe Thomas and Darrelle Revis.

Johnson swung by the TMZ office with White just a day after he got the good news -- and he was pumped ... saying he was hopeful it'd now all eventually lead to him getting the call to the Hall later this season.

"Just to be a nominee, it's a blessing," he said. "Hopefully I can make it all the way through. We gon' see what happens."

But according to White, who played two seasons with Johnson in Tennessee in 2008 and 2009, the former Titans great doesn't need to fret about it too much ... guaranteeing the 37-year-old will make it this year.

"He will make it all the way through," White said. "I mean, I feel that way."

Johnson played 10 years in the league, rushing for 9,651 yards and scoring 64 total TDs. In 2009, he had one of the greatest seasons ever by an RB, running for 2,006 yards and 14 scores.

White and Johnson both think those numbers should be enough to get him in ... but they did acknowledge if he had played just a few more years and stat-piled during that timeframe, it wouldn't even be a question.

Johnson, though, said he had no regrets about how his career played out.

The first cut for the '23 class will be in November. The finalists will be then announced in January.

Waka Flocka Flame and DJ Whoo Kid are teaming up ... challenging AEW stars Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee to a match -- with a twist -- loser has to donate $100K to donate to a charity!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Whoo Kid, who attended AEW Dynamite at Arthur Ashe Stadium in NYC on Wednesday ... and he broke down the beef between him and Swerve.

The famous DJ said he was supposed to walk out with Strickland and his partner, Lee, but he switched places with NY-born rapper Fabolous at the last minute, leaving the tag team duo pissed off.

Whoo Kid told us he didn't want to be booed by the fans, so he decided to walk out with Strickland's opponents, "The Acclaimed," made up of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens.

During the interview, Wacka Flocka (who happened to be with WK at the time) crashed the party and threw down the gauntlet ... telling Strickland and Lee, if they're looking for a fight, he's down to make it happen, no matter the time or place.

"We'll have a match right in the parking lot," Flocka said. "Wherever I see 'em, it's a match. Get the refs. It's going down."

As for what entrance music Whoo Kid and Flocka will use if/when they fight Strickland and Lee .. you guessed it, the 2010 hit song "Hard in da Paint."

Raul Rosas Jr. -- the 17-year-old who just inked a UFC deal -- is one of the most badass high schoolers in the world ... but, RR's so young, he tells TMZ Sports his mom and dad had to sign his contract!

It's a history-making signing for the UFC ... who made Rosas Jr. the youngest fighter to sign with the promotion after the teenager beat 25-year-old Mando Gutierrez earlier this week on the Contender Series.

We talked to the newest/youngest UFC fighter just days after inking the deal ... and while we may all be surprised he's reached this level as fast as he has, he isn't.

"No, not really [shocked] because I've been working my whole life for this moment. Right now, everything going into existence, but I'm grateful for this opportunity, but not impressed."

FYI, Rosas Jr. is 6-0 professionally (and 6-0 as an amateur) ... and fights in the bantamweight division.

The funny part ... 'cause Rosas Jr. is still a minor, his parents had to sign his contract.

"My parents got to sign too because I'm a minor. So parental guardians got to be on there, too."

But, make no mistake, this kid can fight ... and if you want to see how excited the UFC is for his arrival, just listen to Dana.

As for the reaction of his friends and peers, the 12th grader says many of his classmates are pumped about the achievement.

"A lot of them are happy and excited because they don't really know how this process works for me to get to the UFC. I never really explained it because it's a long process. They just like since middle school, like 'Hey when is Dana White gonna sign you?' Or stuff like that."

Lastly, we asked Raul if anyone messes with him at school.

His response? "No, no, no."

Cody Rhodes is champing at the bit to return to WWE ... telling TMZ Sports the torn pec muscle he suffered has him more motivated than ever to step foot back inside the ring.

And, when we spoke to the WWE Superstar at LAX earlier this week, he told us he's getting closer to making his highly anticipated return.

"They know I'm stupid, and I'd try to test it," Rhodes told us, adding, "I got in my mind where I want to be, and I think a lot of fans have in their mind where I'd like to be, and that's hopefully where it's at."

Despite the serious injury, Rhodes return to the company has been awesome ... as they've embraced him with open arms.

"They've treated me like the house that built me," Rhodes said. "And honestly, it was amazing. "We were back, and everything was rolling so fast. And then I tore my pec."

"It was like the best three months of my life," he continued. "Hopefully, get back to that soon."

Rhodes tore his pectoral muscle while weight training before his match against Seth Rollins at "Hell in a Cell," and joked he was told he had the strength of an 11-year-old.

Rhodes isn't rushing his return, despite badly wanting to wrestle again ... but when he returns, he's intent on capturing the magic he had with the fans pre-injury.

Taylor Swift was, in fact, asked to perform at Super Bowl LVII, TMZ has learned, but turned the offer down ... and we know why.

Sources with direct knowledge of the Super Bowl halftime show tell us ... Swift was approached months ago by SB honchos, asking if she'd headline. We're told Taylor was clear ... she didn't want to perform until she finished rerecording all of her first 6 albums.

As you probably know, back in 2019, Scooter Braun was part of a group that acquired the rights to her first 6 albums. Taylor was pissed, saying she was "sad and grossed out." Braun has since sold the master recordings ... and Taylor vowed to rerecord them to, in effect, regain ownership. She's already rerecorded and released "Red" and "Fearless."

We're told Taylor would like to headline a Super Bowl halftime show, but now it's an issue of timing. It's possible she could finish the remaining 4 albums -- "Taylor Swift," "Speak Now," "1989," and "Reputation" -- in the next year. That would open the possibility of a 2024 appearance, but it all depends on finishing the rerecords.

O.J. Simpson has a solution to the Steelers' offensive struggles, and it starts with making a change at the QB position by benching Mitchell Trubisky and starting Kenny Pickett.

Simpson broke down why the Steelers' offense seemingly stalled all night against the Browns during their Thursday Night Football game (CLE won 29-17), saying Trubisky isn't the answer under center.

"I don't see these guys being inspired by their quarterback play," Simpson said. "I don't know what Kenny Pickett is able to do, but I'm willing to bet anybody that he'll score more than four touchdowns in the next three games."

"[The] problem is Pittsburgh isn't going to win any 14-10 games. They're gonna have to score points to win, and I just don't see that happening with Trubisky."

Steelers fans have been clamoring for Pickett -- who was selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft -- after watching Trubisky struggle to move the ball against Cincy and New England.

Juice said Trubisky -- who finished the game with 207 yards and zero touchdowns -- "wasn't that bad," but the body language of his receivers concerned the disgraced HOF running back.

"It just wasn't good, especially Diontae Johnson," O.J. said.

O.J. said he didn't realize how devastating the loss of T.J. Watt -- who tore his pectoral muscle in Week 1 against the Bengals -- was to the fabric and identity of the Steelers team.

Tom Brady just gave every Buccaneers fan a heart attack -- pretending to cut off his finger while filming a video ... but don't worry, it's all fake!

TB12 made the joke while hanging out with celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni recently.

In the clip that the GOAT shared to his Instagram page, he asked Nick how to toss a knife on the cutting board for the camera.

"Just take it, and put it into the board," Nick said

Brady did just that -- but then suddenly screamed, "F***!"

The CGI is pretty good ... making it all look real -- but, Brady is just fine.

The vid is pretty ironic considering Brady is dealing with an actual finger injury in real life -- after he hit it on a play against the New Orleans Saints during their game last Sunday.

Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, though, said Friday the guy will be all right for Sunday's game against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Taylor Swift fans might think their favorite musician is lined up to play the next Super Bowl Halftime show, but it just ain't true ... TMZ has learned.

Social media was on fire Friday after TS fans thought the NFL dropped a few Easter eggs that hinted at Taylor being the big performer. However, we've spoken to sources with direct knowledge who tell us Taylor's NOT going to be performing at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

As for those Easter Eggs, the NFL sent out a press release at midnight announcing Apple Music would take Pepsi's spot as the sponsor of the show. If you're not familiar, Taylor's been making a lot of midnight announcements lately, so fans believed there was a connection.

What's more, Taylor's had a deal in place with Coca-Cola for years, making a Pepsi halftime show impossible ... so with Pepsi out of the picture, fans thought it made sense for Taylor.

The brother of slain boxer Isiah Jones has been arrested and charged with murder ... after prosecutors say he shot and killed the fighter following a dispute earlier this week.

According to officials, Timothy Lyman is accused of getting into an argument with Jones at around 6:20 PM on Monday in Detroit ... before shooting him in the face and fleeing the area.

Authorities say Jones was found unresponsive at the scene and was later pronounced dead.

Lyman was arrested on Wednesday -- and, according to prosecutors, he's now been charged with one count of second-degree murder, and one count of felony firearm.

He's due in court for a hearing in the case later Thursday.

According to Roshawn Jones, Isiah's longtime boxing trainer, Isiah was a "very great father" who "provided for his kids."

"He was a hard worker," Roshawn added in an interview with The Ring after the boxer's death. "Everyone is not perfect in life but he was a good human being. He’d make you smile and laugh and was a great role model in the gym."

Isiah -- a National Golden Gloves winner -- turned pro in 2016, and piled up a 9-7 record.

Roshawn has set up a GoFundMe for the fighter, explaining the money will go toward his funeral and his kids.

Ray Allen went off on a famous YouTuber after the guy attempted to pull a fart prank on the NBA Hall of Famer ... telling him, "keep it moving!"

In the video, which was posted on YouTube, Allen was picking up a few things at Target when he noticed he was being followed by Lofe, a YouTube star with nearly one million subscribers.

Lofe is seen walking over to Allen and making incessant farting noises near him as someone recorded the prank, setting the former Celtics star off.

"My man! I know you hear me," Allen is heard saying in the clip ... "You following me around trying to do some bulls**t over here. I know you hear me. Keep it moving!"

Allen continued to scold the YouTuber ... blasting the guys for recording after he asked them to stop.

The guys told Allen they were simply taking pictures of him, but the NBA champ wasn't thrilled with the explanation, saying, "I'm not cool with that."

Nia Long says she's gonna need all the support she can get after getting blindsided by her fiance, Celtics Coach Ime Udoka ... who we've learned kept her in the dark about his affair, even though the team busted him months ago.

Sources connected to the team and the couple tell TMZ ... Nia had moved to Boston with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime, just 2 weeks ago, and the couple was house hunting.

The sad twist for Nia is that when she moved, Ime was already fully aware his affair with a married front office staffer was about to blow up. We're told Ime knew way back in July the team was aware of the affair, and was launching an investigation.

Meanwhile, we're told Nia only found out about it in the last few days ... and only because Ime knew it was about to go public.

Nia tells TMZ, through her rep Shannon Barr ... "The outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the community during this difficult time means so much to me. I ask that my privacy be respected as I process the recent events. Above all, I am a mother and will continue to focus on my children."

The social media backlash against Ime, and support for Nia, was swift as soon as the Celtics announced on Wednesday they'd be punishing him.

On Thursday night, the Celtics officially suspended him for the entire upcoming 2022-23 season.

A man invaded the Laver Cup in London on Friday and set his arm on fire right next to the net -- just hours before Roger Federer will play his last-ever competitive tennis match on the court.

The wild scene just went down minutes ago during a match at O2 Arena -- when a guy wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt stormed the court with a lighter in his hand.

Video shot by witnesses in the stands shows the man sat down, made a fire -- and then let the flames crawl up onto his arm.

Security raced in to smother the blaze -- before they carried the guy off the court. No word if the man was seriously injured.

It's unclear what message the guy was attempting to send with the protest -- though his shirt did read, "End UK Private Jets."

Despite the scene, Federer's final match is still scheduled to go on later Friday -- when he's expected to team up with Rafael Nadal in a doubles event for the final match of his historic career.

The Boston Celtics had known about the allegations against Ime Udoka for a couple months at the most ... team owner Wyc Grousbeck said on Friday.

Grousbeck addressed the situation surrounding his team's head coach publicly for the first time with media members since banning Udoka on Thursday for one full year, and while he declined to get into any specifics of the case, he did say the Celtics were first made aware of the claims at some point this summer.

Grousbeck says the team immediately brought in a law firm to investigate ... and it concluded its probe on Wednesday.

After learning of the firm's findings, Grousbeck said, the Boston owner and other execs within the Celtics org. decided to suspend Udoka for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

Grousbeck reiterated Friday that the punishment could go on longer than just one year.

Udoka is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer during his one year as Celtics coach. Neither the team nor Udoka has addressed the allegations specifically, though Udoka did issue an apology on Thursday night following the announcement of his ban.

"I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down," Udoka said. "I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation, and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment."

Udoka was hired by the Celtics in June 2021. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said they had no indication that he had been guilty of any misconduct at his previous jobs during his interview process.

"Nothing but glowing remarks," Stevens said.