TMZ Sports - Page 23

San Jose State football player Camdan McWright, a freshman running back, was killed on Friday morning ... in a horrifying scooter accident just feet from the SJSU campus.

He was 18 years old.

According to law enforcement, McWright was riding on an electric scooter at around 6:53 AM when he steered into an intersection and was struck by a school bus that was carrying 14 local high school students.

Authorities say McWright suffered significant injuries in the collision ... and died at the scene.

Cops said they do not believe alcohol or drugs factored into the crash. They added that an investigation is ongoing.

SJSU officials said Friday following the accident that they were devastated over it all.

"We lost an amazing young man tragically this morning," football head coach Brent Brennan said. "Camdan had a bright future ahead of him and everyone in this community that had the opportunity to spend time with him knew that."

"We are still trying to deal with the news of this tragedy, and appreciate everyone's support during these difficult times. Our thoughts and prayers are with the McWright family and I want them to know we are all here for them. Camdan will always be in our hearts and he will be profoundly missed."

McWright just joined the SJSU roster this season after starring at St. Genevieve H.S. in Los Angeles. He had played in one game for the Spartans this season, rushing for six yards on three carries against UNLV on Oct. 7.

He would have turned 19 years old in December.

Don't expect an NFL comeback from Todd Gurley ... 'cause the running back says he's done playing football, he just hasn't officially retired yet.

Speculation about the former star RB retiring started after TG posted several tweets this week, thanking current and former NFL stars like Barry Sanders and Tiki Barber for what they brought to the game of football.

The 28-year-old told NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano there's no subliminal message behind his tweets -- he just wanted to give the players their flowers.

"I just wanted to let those guys know that I appreciate them for everything that they’ve done for me from like an inspirational level," Gurley said on Thursday, "just from watching those guys since I was 4, 5 years old."

Gurley says as "alpha males", men don't express themselves on an emotional level like they should and he was in the spirit to buck the trend.

"We don't big each other up, we don't congratulate each other. We see each other post-game and that's pretty much it," Gurley said.

"Just wanted to let everybody know that I really appreciate their game, appreciate everything that they've done for me."

Does this mean Gurley will be getting back on the field? Nope ... the 3-time Pro Bowler said he's "most definitely" done with football but hasn't filed for retirement yet.

"I don't think there's any question about that one," Gurley said.

Of course, Gurley's career, though plagued by injuries, was pretty great. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015, and the Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. He made three All pro teams, too.

The former Georgia Bulldog, and 10th overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft, spent his best years with the Rams, where he led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2017 and 2018.

Gurley hasn't played a down since he suited up for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

No, Subway did not pull Russell Wilson's signature sub from its menu over hate from online trolls ... the sandwich giant tells TMZ Sports it simply needed some space for newer dishes.

The Russ hoagie -- dubbed the "The Dangerwich" -- debuted on Subway's exclusive "The Vault" menu back in February ... and it seemed to initially be a hit.

There didn't appear to be any problems with the sammy -- which featured pepperoni, salami, ham, cheese, bacon and veggies -- but when the org. began releasing some ads with the Broncos QB in them, that's when the backlash began.

Russ looked super cringeworthy in the spots -- including one where he, decked out in sunglasses and a leather jacket, suggested a way to eat the meal with a fork and a knife.

The vids quickly became a meme on social media ... and after Wilson's awful start to the NFL season in Denver, the Internet hate grew exponentially.

This week, fans began to notice the sandwich had been removed from Subway's menu ... and many believed it was due to all of the trolling.

But, a spokesperson for Subway told us on Friday that was not the case -- and that the sandwich had actually been pulled in August, before the season began.

"Subway works with a variety of athlete partners, and The Vault is the perfect place to showcase their favorite sandwiches," the spokesperson said. "While The Dangerwich sub left The Vault in August to make room for some new, craveable options, don't worry, The Dangerwich will be back soon!"

Bronny James put on a show for a star-studded crowd at Overtime Elite's opening night on Thursday ... hitting four 3-pointers on a 16-point night in front of Quavo and Swae Lee!!

"OTE" -- a pro basketball league for 16-19-year-olds -- held an exhibition in Atlanta ... with Bronny's California Basketball Club going up against City Reapers.

The celebs picked a good game to get a glimpse of Bronny -- because the Sierra Canyon point guard made it rain from behind the arc several times.

Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Druski, K Camp, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and Mike WiLL Made-It were also in the building to witness Bronny's outing.

Bronny was one of the main offensive options for CBC throughout the night -- finishing the game with 16 points in 35 minutes of action, which was good for the second-leading scorer on his squad.

Puma star Mikey Willams and former NBA star Carlos Boozer's sons, Cayden and Cameron, hit up the game as well to check out King James' son.

17-year-old Bronny has been on cloud nine lately ... he recently inked an NIL deal with Beats by Dre, following in LeBron's footsteps after signing with Nike.

The Bay Area just became Bae Area thanks to the Christian McCaffrey trade ... 'cause not only are the San Francisco 49ers a better team -- they got even hotter, too.

The Niners roster features plenty of hunky jocks on their 53-man roster ... and it's no secret sexy 30-year-old quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is a fan favorite for more than his football skills.

But Jimmy G might have some competition for the "hottest guy on the team" crown now that McCaffrey, 26, is headin' to town ... so naturally, we have to do a sophisticated study to find out who's REALLY worthy of the title.

While they're certainly both perfect 10s (or should we say 49s), don't start hitting Christian's DMs just yet -- the All-Pro has been with model girlfriend, Olivia Culpo for years ... so he's not on the market.

There might be hope with Jimmy G, though ... 'cause he currently doesn't appear to be boo'd up at the moment.

Peyton and Eli Manning, along with Steelers legend Jerome Bettis, did their very best impression of Egon, Ray, Winston and Peter ... going to The Bus' alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, searching for a ghost in a hilarious Ghostbusters skit!

The three NFL legends came together for a special Halloween mashup episode of Peyton's Place and Eli's Place on ESPN+ (produced by Omaha Productions) -- where they became parapsychologists from the classic ghost-chasing movie -- and headed to South Bend, Indiana on the hunt for the ghost of George Gipp.

Gipp was an ND running back under Knute Rockne between 1917 and 1920. You may not recognize the name "George Gipp," but you've heard the phrase ... "win one for the Gipper." George is the Gipper.

In 1925, GG was sick and on his deathbed, when he famously delivered this line to his coach, telling him to use it to motivate the players.

"I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Sometime Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

In the skit, Peyton, Eli and Jerome head for campus in the Ghostbusters' Ectomobile ... all while rocking the GB iconic jumpsuits.

Bettis wasn't feelin' the threads at first ... but Eli had a hilarious response for the former Notre Dame star.

"What?!" Eli said, "Did you think we'd be wearing a crop top or something?"

Peyton also jokes about Eli losing his spot on the ManningCast to Bill Murray -- who played Dr. Peter Venkman in the Ghostbusters movies.

Tom Brady continues to make history -- a rookie card signed by the G.O.A.T himself just sold for $2.4 million, the highest sale for any football card at public auction this year!

PWCC, who auctioned the card, says the Brady rookie card -- from the 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket set -- was hot from the start, crossing the $1 million mark just 16 hours after bidding opened.

We're told the $2.4 mil haul makes it the third-highest public auction sale for a Brady card and the third-highest public auction sale for a trading card this year.

It's no shock this particular card sold for so much money. The card itself is super rare ... only 100 were ever produced. Making it worth even more, the card was graded Mint (and the autograph was graded as perfect).

87 of the 100 cards have been graded at some point, but only a small handful have come back Mint, thus the exorbitant price.

"This is an extremely desirable card featuring the greatest quarterback to ever play the game," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said.

A Houston Astros fan ran onto the field during the team's playoff game against the Yankees on Thursday night and hugged Jose Altuve ... and TMZ Sports has learned he was ultimately arrested over the stunt.

The man hopped Minute Maid Park railing during the ninth inning of Game 2 of the ALCS ... and quickly made a beeline for Houston's biggest star.

The guy -- later ID'ed as 27-year-old Jose Alvarado -- dodged security long enough to actually get to Altuve ... and then he planted a big hug on the Astros second baseman.

Altuve surprisingly didn't seem bothered by the interaction, stayed calm, and hugged the fan back. He even appeared to be down to take a selfie with the guy right in the middle of the outfield grass.

Eventually, however, security came in to break the scene up -- with six guards wrestling him to the ground.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Dept. tells us Alvarado was taken into custody and booked on a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.

Jail records show he's still behind bars.

Altuve said after the game he wasn't concerned the fan had bad intentions when he saw the man's Astros jersey.

"He just said, 'We need to win -- I spent all my money on the ticket,'" Altuve said of the incident. "And I was trying to tell him that, 'Yes, we're trying to win.' We were about to take a selfie, but then security guys got there and did their job."

Sara Lee's husband, Westin Blake, is breaking his silence over the wrestling star's tragic death ... sharing an absolutely heartbreaking letter to his late wife on Friday.

As we previously reported, the former "Tough Enough" winner passed away at 30 years old earlier this month ... a death that shocked the entire wrestling community.

The former WWE Superstar -- who had three children with Lee -- poured his heart out in the emotional Instagram post ... sharing a picture of them together.

"I loved you from the first moment I saw you," Blake said on Instagram. "I would always say that you were an angel walking on this earth."

"Beautiful, compassionate, strong and so loving. An angel that blessed me with 3 of the most beautiful children I could imagine."

Blake -- real name Cory Weston -- praised Lee for being the backbone of their family ... and leaving an impact on all who knew her.

"I really don’t know what to say in these uncertain times. I just know that death can’t take away the memories we made."

"I can’t promise that I will stop grieving but I know now, that you’re free. I can’t thank you enough for giving me the best years of my life so far."

"❤️ I LOVE YOU SARA❤️"

Christian McCaffrey officially became a San Francisco 49er on Thursday ... and the superstar running back gave a touching tribute to his first NFL home after being traded, saying, "Carolina, I will always love you."

The blockbuster transaction went down Thursday night ... with the Panthers shipping away their 2017 8th overall pick in exchange for a handful of draft picks.

The 26-year-old thanked Carolina for embracing him for more than half a decade before heading to the Bay Area ... saying, "I'm forever grateful for all of the people who have helped make these past 5 1/2 years so special for me."

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Carolina, I will always love you💙 #KeepPounding."

McCaffrey has been the center of trade rumors for weeks ... with the team looking to go in a different direction. Head coach Matt Rhule got canned for going 1-4 to start the season, and Robbie Anderson was traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the franchise just gave up its most successful and popular player since Cam Newton.

The Los Angeles Rams were also in the running for CM ... but surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills -- who were reportedly interested in landing the playmaker -- were not.

McCaffrey's model girlfriend, Olivia Culpo, also posted about the trade ... saying, "So many emotions right now."

She also posted a pic holding Christian's hand ... captioning it, "Ready for anything with you."

Culpo and McCaffrey first went public in 2019 ... and she has hit up as many Panthers games as she could over the past few seasons.

On the bright side, OC will have a much shorter flight from L.A. to Niners games now!!

Fivio Foreign is blaming arena production staffers for his recent performance woes during the Brooklyn Nets' halftime show ... and says he needs a redo to make the city proud.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Fivio at the scene of the crime -- Barclays Center, the Nets' homecourt -- and his view of the disastrous performance is his production team would've handled things perfectly, unlike the one he worked with that night.

Fivio says everything was fine during soundcheck, but at halftime, his inner earpiece was lower than the crowd noise ... and the sound was delayed in his ear.

ICYMI, Fivio got fried on social media because the Brooklyn rapper seemed to forget his lyrics altogether for a full 3 songs.

Fivio tells us Internet reactions didn't phase him much ... he remembers getting trashed online when his sound went out performing with Kanye West during one of his many Donda events last year.

He's also laughing off haters claiming he was too high to remember the words -- Fivio tells us that chapter of his life is over, and he dropped a few bars about it.

Celebrities often go all out when it comes to their Halloween costumes ... and a lot of them look smokin' hot in their garb, so we've gotta ask -- Who'd you rather?!

Cowgirls have always been a popular costume choice during the spooky season ... and Draya Michele & Kim Kardashian have been down this road before ... so which one's hogtied your heart?

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are 2 of the hottest rappers in the game ... not only for their bars, but for their Halloween outfits, too! So who caught your eye?

Ric Flair is on the fence about whether he'll ever wrestle again ... telling TMZ Sports he'll "never say never" to taking another match -- but for right now, he's retired.

Of course, the 73-year-old Nature Boy and his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo whooped Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in what was billed as his "Last Match" back in July ... but as recently as September, he's flirted with the idea of coming back once again.

We spoke with Flair about whether he's 100% done ... and even Naitch isn't too sure if he'll ever return.

"I don't know," Flair told us out in LA this week. "I've already promised [I was done] once. Right now, I'm not doing anything. But, never say never."

Flair even gives us a flex to prove he definitely still has the muscles -- but given the health issues he had leading up to and during the last match, it's understandable why he's not adamantly vowing to come back.

Flair previously said he passed out twice from dehydration during the event ... and leading up to it, he had plantar fasciitis.

In the meantime, Naitch -- who was hanging with manager Darren Prince -- has been working alongside Mike Tyson for his "Ric Flair Drip" cannabis ... and he says it's been "raining money" since his partnership with Tyson 2.0.

If it really is the end of Flair in the ring ... he had one of the most memorable careers ever.

Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown, who spent 20 seasons in the league and was one of the league's most respected officials, passed away on Thursday after courageously battling pancreatic cancer.

He was 55 years old.

The NBA announced the awful news this afternoon.

“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues. After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis early last year, Tony fought courageously through countless rounds of treatment to return to work this past season at the NBA Replay Center, demonstrating the dedication, determination and passion that made him such a highly respected official for 20 years," commissioner Adam Silver said.

"The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Tina; their children, Bailey, Basile and Baylen; and his fellow referees.”

Brown, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2021, officiated 1,110 regular season games and 35 playoff games throughout his NBA career.

Tony's wife, Tina, released a statement thanking everyone for their support during this difficult time.

“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance and peace," Tina wrote.

“We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life. Our biggest thank you to our village of family and friends, near and far, old and new. Your love is immeasurable. Thanks to the Lustgarten Foundation and PanCan. Keep striving for the cures."

Several NBA stars are devastated by the tragic news ... including Jayson Tatum and LeBron James who said he will miss seeing Brown on the court.

"R.I.P. Tony man!! Great ref but greater dude!" James said via Twitter.

"Loved when I ran on the court for warmups and he would be on the game that night! Your smile & laugh will be missed tremendously here in our sport!"

Officials for the Bucks and Sixers game on Thursday are wearing '6 STRONG' purple wristbands to honor Brown's referee number.

Mississippi State football player Sam Westmoreland was found dead on Wednesday at a church ... cops tell TMZ Sports.

A spokesperson for the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office says they discovered the offensive lineman's body after they were called out to Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church in Starkville regarding a death investigation.

The spokesperson said they canvased the scene after arriving ... but cleared it a couple hours later.

The OCSO official did not release a cause of death ... saying a probe into the case is still ongoing.

They added, though, that they had "no reason to suspect foul play" at this point.

Westmoreland had just joined the Bulldogs roster this year ... and was playing offensive tackle while majoring in industrial technology at the school.

"Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future," MSU head coach Mike Leach said in a statement Wednesday. "He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him."

Westmoreland was just two days away from celebrating his 19th birthday.

Zion Williamson's NBA return was one for the books ... but before the Pelicans star hit the court at Barclays Center, he received a custom "Terror Squad" chain from Joey Crack himself, Fat Joe!

TMZ Sports has learned Joe wanted to hook up the NBA superstar with something nice, so he gifted him a custom TS piece made by Avi Davidov, owner of Pristine Jewelers in NYC.

The chain's made with gold and diamonds ... and there really wasn't a special occasion outside of the South Bronx rapper being a fan of Williamson.

But, Zion didn't just walk away with the Terror Squad piece ... Avi tells us he also copped a new timepiece that took the jeweler 10 days to make, and is worth 6 figures!

With Zion's latest purchase, he joins Diddy, Meek Mill, Nas, DJ Khaled, N.O.R.E., and Gucci Mane on the list of celebs who own a timepiece from the world-renowned jeweler.

Before Wednesday night's game, Williamson hadn't played an NBA game since May 2021 ... thanks to a foot injury that sidelined him for the entire 2022 season.