TMZ Sports - Page 35

The 2 men who seemingly won a fishing contest by stuffing their catch with weights encased in fish filets have been hooked by a grand jury, that just nailed them with multiple felonies.

Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominski were just indicted for attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools ... both felonies. They've also been charged with the misdemeanor of unlawfully owning wild animals.

It's a crazy story ... the 2 guys were in a competition on Lake Erie at the Walleye Trail tourney when they allegedly hooked what seemed to be 2, 7-pound walleyes. Apparently, some of the honchos were suspicious, cut the fish open and found the weights and filets. The fish actually weighed around 4-5 lbs.

Had they been declared the winners, they would have pocketed $28,760.

These guys have been under suspicion for cheating in other tournaments. They were investigated by cops for similar types of cheating, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge them.

Japanese manga artist Kazuki Takahashi -- best known as the creator of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" -- died while trying to rescue people from drowning, witnesses claim.

A report from Stars and Stripes -- the military's newspaper -- revealed the tragic details of how Takahashi lost his life as three strangers were engulfed in a strong current.

According to people at the scene, Kazuki -- the eventual inspiration for the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" trading card game -- dove into a riptide in hopes of bringing a woman and her 11-year-old daughter back to shore on July 4.

Major Robert Bourgeau, a 49-year-old U.S. Army officer and scuba diving instructor, also took action ... and while he personally did not encounter Takahashi during the rescue mission, multiple people say they saw the artist attempting to assist.

Bourgeau managed to save the 11-year-old girl and the mother ... but when he went to help a 39-year-old U.S. soldier who was also struggling in the water, he feared he would lose his life if he went on any longer.

Thankfully, Bourgeau was able to help yell orders to help the soldier navigate out of the rough waters.

Kazuki's body was found about 1,000 feet offshore two days later.

Bourgeau called Takahashi a "hero" ... saying, "He died trying to save someone else."

Victor Steeman -- a professional motorcycle rider -- has died after a violent crash in a championship race on Saturday. He was only 22.

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme confirmed the sad news on Tuesday ... saying Steeman passed away after suffering severe injuries from a multi-rider incident at Turn 14 of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship’s Race 1 in Portugal.

"Medical personnel and vehicles arrived at the site immediately and the rider was attended to trackside and at the circuit medical centre before being transferred by helicopter to Faro Hospital," FIM said.

"Despite the best efforts of the circuit’s medical staff, marshals and hospital staff, Steeman has sadly succumbed to his injuries."

Steeman -- who rode for the MTM Kawasaki team -- began his career in World Supersport 300 full-time in 2019 ... and racked up four wins, five podiums, and three pole positions this season.

In fact, the Dutch rider made history with the most pole positions in the World Supersport 300 class at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Steeman's family said they feared for Victor's life when he joined the sport ... saying, "Something you have always been afraid of as a parent of a motorcycle racer has now happened."

"Our Victor could not win this last race."

His family says Steeman is a true hero through his passing ... as he was able to save five lives by donating his organs.

"We would like to thank everyone for the way you have lived with us over the past few days. We will miss our Victor enormously.”

Tua Tagovailoa is back slingin' the ball at Miami Dolphins' practice after suffering a concussion 13 days ago ... and while it's a step in the right direction, the quarterback is still in protocol.

The 24-year-old was spotted in Dolphins gear on Wednesday at the Baptist Health Training Complex ... wearing his helmet and throwing the football.

Marcel Louis of ESPN says the QB also launched a couple of deep passes 25 to 30 yards downfield ... which is great to see, considering the frightening sight after hitting his head against the Bengals in Week 4.

Of course, the team is not going to rush Tua back -- especially considering the hit he took in the Bills game four days prior.

Even though it looks like Tua's close to returning to the field, the Dolphins announced that Skylar Thompson will be the starting QB for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The Dolphins have been getting ripped for the way they handled the situation -- with head injury expert Chris Nowinski telling us Tagovailoa should never play for Miami again.

The NFL and NFLPA have modified the protocol after looking into Tua's concussion evaluation, adding ataxia as a "no-go" symptom which is an "abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue."

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft just made a HUGE contribution to the Massachusetts General Hospital ... donating $50 MILLION to promote health equity in the area.

81-year-old Kraft -- who is worth around $10 billion, according to Forbes -- says he handed over the check after being inspired by the treatment his late wife, Myra, received while battling ovarian cancer.

Kraft told WCVB he wanted to make it his mission to ensure people of all backgrounds had similar care ... and thanks to his money, the hospital will be able to start multiple new initiatives to make it happen.

One of the hospital's focuses will be sickle cell disease research ... which also happens to be the charitable cause for Patriots player Devin McCourty.

Kraft made a profound statement to Front Office Sports about the matter ... saying, "If this was a disease for white people, I think the cure would have been found already."

"I think it falls to people like myself to try to do what we can to help."

Kraft has made several donations to MGH -- recently named the best hospital in the country -- over the years, but the organization says this newest round of support has more than doubled the amounts in the past.

Tyrone Davis, former tight end for the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, has died, according to an obituary made public by a funeral home in Virginia. He was 50.

The cause of death is not clear.

Earl Dotson, former Packers offensive tackle who played alongside Davis for eight seasons with Green Bay, confirmed the sad news in an emotional Facebook post.

"This is difficult to post," Dotson wrote. "Rest in paradise teammate. This good man Tyrone Davis fought beside me on the NFL Green Bay Packers for years. Brother forever."

Tyrone started his NFL career as a wide receiver for the Jets, who drafted him in 1995, before he was converted to TE before his second season in the league.

After spending two seasons with the Jets, the franchise traded Davis to the Packers, where he remained until his NFL career ended in 2002.

In 75 career games, Davis compiled 73 receptions, 795 yards, and 13 touchdowns during his eight-year career.

The highlight of Davis' career came in 1998 when he caught Brett Favre's 200th career touchdown pass during a Packers' blowout win of the Giants, 37-3, at the Meadowlands.

Davis passed away on October 2 ... and a service was held for his family and friends days later.

Davis is survived by his mother, Annie Davis, and his four children, Maiya Booker, Damien Davis, Jarrett Gomez, and Mariah Gomez.

NFL superstar Davante Adams was cited for assault for shoving a photog to the ground after Monday Night Football ... with court docs saying the victim suffered whiplash, a headache and possible minor concussion.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Kansas City Municipal Court records show 29-year-old Adams -- listed as 6'2", 210 pounds -- received a citation on Wednesday for pushing Ryan Zebley using two hands.

We broke the story -- Zebley called cops and filed a police report following the incident ... claiming he had to go to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Adams has since apologized for his actions ... saying, "I wanted to say sorry to him for that because that was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me."

"I shouldn't have responded that way, but that's how I initially responded. So, I want to apologize to him for that."

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels is backing Adams ... saying he knows he's a good person and doesn't believe there was any intent behind the push.

Never thought we'd say this, but pickleball might be the hottest sport right now ... because Tom Brady just joined superstars like LeBron James and Drew Brees in becoming a professional team owner!!

Major League Pickleball announced the 7-time Super Bowl champion's newest business venture on Wednesday ... saying TB12 and ex-tennis star Kim Clijsters are buying a 2023 expansion team alongside Knighthead Capital.

As it turns out, pickleball teams are a hot commodity right now ... with names like Bron, Brees, Kevin Love, Draymond Green and Gary Vee getting in on the action recently.

MLP Founder Steve Kuhn spoke about the new owners ... saying, "Tom Brady, Kim Clijsters, and Knighthead Capital Management are champions in their fields and will now be champions for Major League Pickleball."

The sport has been growing rapidly recently ... with a mission to have 40 million players by 2030.

The team Brady and Clijsters are joining will consist of 50% female ownership, the league says.

Former NBA star Ben Gordon allegedly punched his son in the face multiple times at an NYC airport after the 10-year-old boy dropped a book, a witness told police.

As we previously reported ... the 39-year-old former 3rd overall draft pick (2004) was taken into custody Monday night around 9 PM, and now we've learned more about the retired hoopers' alleged actions.

A witness -- an American Airlines employee -- told Port Authority PD they watched Gordon strike his minor son in the "face multiple times."

Police responded to the area ... and when they arrived, Gordon told them the boy was his son. The child was taken to a local hospital where he was examined. It's unclear if he sustained any injuries.

Cops say they attempted to put the 6'3" former professional athlete in handcuffs, but he refused, flailing his arms and twisting his body in an attempt to not be handcuffed. Gordon allegedly said, "I am not going with you guys."

In the struggle, two cops say they were hurt ... one sustained a knee injury, and the other an injury to their arm and wrist. Both officers were treated at the hospital.

To make matters worse for Gordon, he wasn't even supposed to be with his son in a different state ... 'cause there was a restraining order put in place by an Illinois judge in May 2018.

According to police, Ben was prohibited from "committing physical abuse" against his son, as well as from taking him out of the state.

The alleged incident happened in Queens, New York.

Gordon was hit with 9 charges.

- Assault in 2nd degree (2 counts)
- Criminal contempt
- Assault in 3rd degree
- Resisting Arrest
- Criminal Contempt in 2nd degree
- Endangering the welfare of a child
- Attempted assault in 3rd degree

It's not the first time the former NBA player, who also won an NCAA championship with Jim Calhoun at UCONN in 2004, has been in trouble with the law ... but Ben had seemingly kept his nose clean the last few years until the alleged airport incident with his son.

Gordon was arraigned Tuesday night in the Queens County Criminal Court ... he's due back in a New York City courtroom later this month.

A Florida bodybuilder has been charged with the gruesome death of his ex-wife this week ... after being accused of incinerating her body in a backyard.

43-year-old Ian Christopher Baunach -- a former Marine -- was arraigned on Monday on first-degree murder charges in the death of Katie Baunach.

The last time Katie was seen alive was on September 29 ... when a friend claims she said she intended to go to Ian's to get some of her things, but never returned.

Police were called to Ian's home the next day, where they discovered Katie's car parked outside, but he refused to let them in. Once officers revisited the residence with a warrant, Katie's car was gone.

Once inside Ian's home ... detectives say they noticed signs of a struggle and evidence of blood stains.

Officers say they also found an AR-15 upper receiver and 13 silencers, a Glock Model 27 .40 caliber pistol inside a plastic bag on a bookshelf inside a safe. Katie's engagement ring and wedding ring were there as well.

Detectives say they found human remains outside of Ian's home -- including a jawbone with a tooth still intact -- in a fresh burn pile that smelled like flesh, according to docs ... which was near a 50-gallon barrel.

The bodybuilder contends he never killed her, claiming she disappeared. Ian, however, did admit the two got into an argument over another woman.

Ian was taken into custody two days after Katie's death -- and was charged with first-degree premeditated murder, destruction/concealment of physical evidence, and cremating a dead body.

Ian pled not guilty to the charges in Tampa court this week.

Last month, Katie filed for a restraining order against Ian ... after accusing him of abusing one of their children. Ian was also arrested on charges of domestic battery by strangulation in November 2021

Kanye West's mouth is forcing LeBron James and his producers to scrap an entire episode of 'The Shop' ... after they say he spewed "dangerous stereotypes" while they were recording.

LeBron's show normally drops on his 'Uninterrupted' YouTube channel, but late Tuesday night -- after shooting with Ye on Monday -- he and Maverick Carter opted to pull the whole show, rather than edit around Ye's remarks.

Maverick says, “Kanye was booked weeks ago and, after talking to Kanye directly the day before we taped, I believed he was capable of a respectful discussion and he was ready to address all his recent comments. Unfortunately, he used 'The Shop' to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes."

He didn't get more specific about what Kanye said, but we know Twitter and Instagram recently put restrictions on his accounts after he posted antisemitic remarks ... and, of course, he's drawn a ton of backlash for the White Lives Matter T-shirts he's been wearing.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr just revealed the extent of Draymond Green's punishment for punching teammate Jordan Poole in practice last week ... saying the NBA superstar will be fined and NOT suspended -- and he will rejoin the team on Thursday.

Kerr cut to the chase after the Dubs' preseason win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday ... starting off his postgame news conference by sharing an update on the 4-time champ.

Coach says the team has had "deep discussions" with players -- including Poole and Green, as well as Stephen Curry -- and other execs in the league about the incident ... and came to the conclusion that it was the best route to take after assessing everything.

Kerr -- who took the Warriors job in 2014 -- says it was "an exhaustive process" ... and it was a challenging decision.

"This is the biggest crisis that we've ever had since I've been coach here," Kerr said. "It's really serious stuff."

Kerr says he will not disclose the amount of Green's fine.

Poole and Green have had a sit-down conversation since the incident, Kerr said ... adding Jordan played a key part in determining the penalty.

By the sound of it, the two players have buried the hatchet and are willing to team up to defend their title this upcoming season.

Police have finished their investigation into the youth football game fight where LeGarrette Blount threw punches at a man ... and they've now kicked over the case to prosecutors, who will decide if the ex-NFL player will face criminal charges.

A spokesperson for the Gilbert Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... cops turned the case over to the Town of Gilbert Prosecutor's Office for review in the last few days.

It's unclear if the GPD recommended any charges in that handoff.

Prosecutors now have a choice -- file criminal charges against Blount ... or let him off. We've reached out for comment, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

As we reported, cops initially began their investigation into Blount on Oct. 1, after he was involved in a huge fracas following the conclusion of a 12-year-old-and-under football game in Gilbert, Arizona.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, appears to show the three-time Super Bowl winner -- a coach for one of the teams involved in the game -- getting ticked off by something someone said in the postgame handshake line.

In the footage, Blount appears to sprint after somebody -- before throwing two punches at a man.

Cops say they were called to the scene, but the fight had concluded once they arrived. They said no injuries were reported.

Blount eventually apologized for his role in the incident, saying in a statement, "As a leader, coach, father and a role model I understand my actions are unacceptable. I hope and pray for your understanding and forgiveness and plan to continue to be a positive impact in the lives of our youth."

Johnny Knoxville was left looking like a real jackass for challenging a track phenom to a race ... because when they finally met up for an epic showdown -- he was left eating her dust!!

Here's the deal -- the stunt legend has been playfully trolling 13-year-old Junior Olympian Jaiya Patillo for months ... demanding a one-on-one battle to prove he can take her on in a 200-meter dash.

Well, that day finally came ... and let's just say Knox has to be wishing it didn't.

Give credit to Johnny for posting footage of the race to his 4 million Instagram followers ... 'cause he couldn't even last a second before he fell far behind, even though he brought his own cheerleaders for the event.

FYI -- Patillo is the top-ranked sprinter in her grade ... and has come in first at the AAU Junior Olympics and USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in the past. She's also gone viral on social media multiple times for showing off her insane speed.

According to her website, Jaiya's fastest 200-meter time is 25.48 seconds ... so, yeah, Johnny never stood a chance.

Knoxville was a great sport about it all ... but said he likes his chances at a second go 'round.

"And just because you NARROWLY beat me this time Jaiya it doesn’t mean there can’t be a rematch!!" Knoxville said.

Fall baseball is back ... and to commemorate the MLB's postseason, the teams still alive are hookin' up their fans with new food choices at their stadiums -- including the Yankees, who unveiled a massive, Aaron Judge-themed cheeseburger!

The Pinstripes, Braves, Dodgers, Astros, Guardians, Phillies and Mariners all introduced delicious meal choices this week for their supporters to enjoy during the playoffs.

In NY ... the Yanks revealed the "62" bacon burger in honor of Judge, who just became the American League home run king this season by hitting 62 dingers. The Bronx Bombers also showed off a new pumpkin spice milkshake, too.

The Dodgers are offering fans Lomo Saltado Fries -- which are made up of sautéed steak, bell peppers and onions drizzled with aji verde sauce.

The Braves -- who won the World Series last year -- brought out the OPPO "Taco" ... which is chicken rolled in naan featuring a bunch of toppings. It, of course, is named after an opposite-field home run.

Cleveland, meanwhile, has a new menu loaded with all sorts of options, from nachos to hot dogs, to chili, to braised beef.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison ... this after he was convicted of providing the drugs that led to Tyler Skaggs' death.

A federal judge in Texas just announced the sentence.

Kay, 48, had been facing a minimum of 20 years ... and up to life behind bars.

The longtime L.A. media relations official was initially arrested back in 2020 ... after authorities alleged he had given pills laced with fentanyl to Skaggs -- which ultimately led to the pitcher's tragic passing.

Officials claimed they had text message conversations between Kay and Skaggs from the night of the pitcher's overdose -- which prosecutors used as evidence to show the two talking about drugs.

Kay was indicted in 2020 on 1 count of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and 1 count of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death. He was found guilty of the charges in Feb.

As we reported, Skaggs passed away in his hotel room in July 2019 just before the Angels were slated to take on the Rangers in a series in Texas. Toxicology results revealed he died from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone.