TMZ Sports - Page 22

Arsenal defender Pablo Marí underwent surgery on his back on Friday to fix injuries suffered in a horrifying knife attack ... but, thankfully, his team says he's now doing well.

A.C. Monza -- the club for which Pablo is playing while on loan for Arsenal -- said the procedure entailed repairing two torn muscles. They added, "the operation went well."

The club also said the 29-year-old will need to remain in the hospital this weekend ... and is expected to be out of action for two months as he recovers.

As we previously reported, Marí was one of six people who were stabbed in a terrifying attack at an Italian supermarket on Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, Pablo told Monza CEO Adriano Galliani that he was fortunate to survive, given the wounds he sustained during the incident.

"He told me he had ‘suerte’ [luck], because, 'Today I saw someone else die,'" Galliani said while he visited Pablo in the hospital.

"He had his child in a cart and his wife next to him. He was probably saved by his height. He was hit in the back, and then he saw this delinquent stab someone in the throat."

Authorities say they arrested a 46-year-old man over the attack. He's still currently in police custody.

A woman is suing Xavien Howard ... alleging the Miami Dolphins star gave her an "incurable STD."

The woman, ID'ed as "Jane Doe" in the suit, claims she met the football player back in 2018 ... and shortly afterward, began dating him. She says at the time, Howard told her he had no STDs -- and even provided her with a copy of his negative test results.

In 2019, however, she said in the suit that Howard discovered he had contracted genital herpes ... but never informed her of the diagnosis, and continued to have unprotected sex with her.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Doe says she eventually contracted the STD from Howard ... and ultimately confronted the 29-year-old over it.

She claims the cornerback -- a three-time Pro Bowler who signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension with Miami this year -- initially denied knowledge of his condition, but then came clean.

"Maaaaan I been told you I was sorry for giving it to you," she says Howard told her. "But what can I do now? The damage is done. You keep bringing it up as if it gon change sumthin. Like yo a** can't move on."

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have reached a settlement ending their marriage, and divorce documents will be formally filed today ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say lawyers for both Gisele and Tom have been working with a mediator to hammer out both property settlement and custody, and we're told they have come to terms.

Our sources say the divorce document will be short ... the terms of the settlement will remain confidential and sealed.

The divorce document, we're told, will be filed in Florida. As we reported, the embattled couple's attorneys have been working on this split since early September.

Since then, Gisele's been spending most of her time in the Miami area, where she's been visiting a spiritual healer. Tom, meanwhile, is struggling through a tough season on the field with his Buccaneers.

In fact, today's divorce filing comes right after Tom's team lost a close game in the 4th quarter on Thursday Night Football. It's the first time he's lost 3 consecutive games since 2002. When it rains ...

Story developing ...

A fan attending the Nets vs. Mavericks game on Thursday night ended up spending most of his evening in custody ... because he was arrested for throwing a cup of ice that nearly hit Luka Doncic on the court.

According to the NYPD, 24-year-old Justin Boatswain hurled the object during the middle of overtime at Barclays Center in Brooklyn ... as Kevin Durant was trying to sink some free throws.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the cup landed about six feet from the Mavericks' best player -- startling Doncic as ice splattered everywhere.

The game was halted for several minutes as officials cleaned up the mess.

Boatswain was immediately ID'ed as the cup-thrower, according to cops, and was escorted from his seat. Authorities say he was ultimately arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for interfering with a sporting event.

Doncic had some other interesting moments with fans in Brooklyn earlier in the night, too ... he was spotted jawing with some courtside attendees throughout the contest.

At one point, he appeared to tell one of them, "Shut up, p***y."

The game, though, went on to conclude without further issue ... the Mavs won 129-125, and Doncic logged a triple-double with 40 points.

Move over Johnny Depp ... Marshawn Lynch is now officially America's most favorite pirate -- 'cause he dressed up as "Captain Black Sparrow" this week, and it was hilarious!!!

The former NFL star got in his "Pirates of the Caribbean" role for a special segment prior to "Thursday Night Football" on Thursday -- after meeting up with Tampa Bay Buccaneers' mascot Captain Fear at Raymond James Stadium.

Lynch donned a Depp-like 'fit, and proclaimed, "I'm Captain Black Sparrow in this motherf*****, man!"

FYI, his locker was labeled as "Captain Beastmode" ... but seems Lynch called an audible on that one midway through the segment.

Lynch and the mascot headed to the Bucs' 100-foot-long pirate ship at the stadium -- just before Tampa took on the Ravens -- and, let's just say Lynch enjoyed climbing up to the boat with his big boots on.

"Watch how I hit these motherf***ing high steps with these thangs!" he yelled. "I bet you this thang ride like a Caddy."

Lynch also shot off the famous cannons from the ship.

"I thought I done lost, bust my wig, boy!" Lynch said. "I done lost my eye patch!"

This isn't the first time Lynch has garnered laughs on "TNF" ... just last week, he turned into "The Alligator Man" in New Orleans when the Saints played the Cardinals.

The 5-time Pro Bowler joined Amazon Prime's "Thursday Night Football" team earlier this year ... and part of his job is to do funny "N' Yo City" skits.

Le'Veon Bell's decision to box former UFC fighter Uriah Hall has been questioned by many, and while almost everyone expects the former Pro Bowler to get rolled over, Bell tells us that's not how he sees it going ... he's planning to beat Hall's ass, and one day become champ!

"Honestly, I'm trying to be the best," 30-year-old Bell said when he joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1), adding ... "I wanna be a champion at some point."

The 5-time All-Pro is fighting 38-year-old Hall on the Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva card on Showtime PPV ... and he's a heavy underdog against the former UFC title contender (Uriah beat "Spider," Chris Weidman, Gegard Mousasi in an MMA cage)

Bell -- who beat fellow NFL star Adrian Peterson in his first pro bout in September -- knows he has to go through tough opponents like Uriah if he wants to be a champion.

"The goal I have set in mind, I have to get in the ring with guys like Uriah Hall. He has a ton of experience, he has a lot of fighting background, and the direction I'm trying to go, I gotta beat guys like that. Step in the ring and beat him and Uriah Hall is the next guy."

And, Bell isn't content with just hanging in there ... he wants to end the night with his hand raised.

"I'm going in this fight like I'm trying to win. I got a mission. Uriah Hall is a guy who's on the route of my journey. He's one of those guys I gotta get through. He's gonna be probably one of the toughest guys I done fought because I done fought obviously, I only fought Adrian Peterson, but I haven't even sparred guys with 17 years of experience like Uriah Hall."

Le'Veon was previously rumored as an opponent of Jake Paul's ... so we asked LB if he was interested in fighting the Problem Child, should they both win.

"Yeah, the interest is definitely there, whether I'm the next opponent or whoever my next opponent is. I don't know. If Jake Paul wanna be fight number 2 professionally for me, that would be perfect."

Bell continued ... "Whatever guys that make sense and they put in front of me, I gotta take those guys out and keep on climbing up the ladder, 'cause like I said, I'm trying be a champion and whoever's in my way tryna stop me from that, I'm definitely willing to fight 'em."

Le'Veon last played NFL football in 2021 with the Bucs and Ravens ... and is still only 30. So, would he play again?

Check out the clip ... Bell says there's almost no chance he'd play again, unless one very particular situation presented itself.

Pro golfer Grayson Murray was involved in a bloody scooter accident in Bermuda this week ... which knocked him unconscious and forced him to withdraw from a PGA Tour event.

Murray -- who was set to play in the 2022 Butterfield Bermuda Championship -- was traveling back to his hotel via scooter at around 4 PM when the incident occurred, per VCP Golf.

Murray was turning around a bend in the road when he steered near the center line. Unfortunately for the golfer, a car coming in the opposite direction was also moving near the center, which resulted in the 29-year-old colliding with the front corner of the vehicle -- knocking him off his ride and rolling several feet.

Grayson's caddie, Doug Schwimmer, was traveling behind him on scooter and witnessed the horrific accident ... but could not intervene because he was going too quickly to stop.

Schwimmer experienced road rash after falling off his scooter ... but was not transported to the hospital.

Murray, meanwhile, was left unconscious and needed 50 stitches (25 on his face) to close his wounds ... but did not suffer any broken bones.

While parts of the ordeal remain foggy for Murray, he does remember telling witnesses that his knee was in a lot of pain.

Murray refused to blame anyone for the accident ... saying, "Riding on the opposite side of the road is already confusing, and the roads in Bermuda are narrow and sketchy."

FYI -- Murray and his caddie were riding scooters because tourists in the area are prohibited from renting cars.

"Honestly, I’m pretty fortunate because the helmet saved me," Murray told Golfweek. "If it wasn’t for my knee and stitches in my left hand, I would try to play."

Murray posted a photo on Instagram on Thursday, making the thumbs-up gesture ... and informing everyone that he was heading home.

"Thank you to the PGA tour staff for all the help the last couple days and all the well wishes I got from players/caddies and y'all. Much love."

One of the most die-hard celebrity Laker fans is resorting to a public plea to turn things around ... with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea calling on GM Rob Pelinka to do something ASAP.

"Either blow it all up and rebuild, or mortgage the future to fix the lack chemistry and skill on this basketball team," Flea said in a passionate Twitter post on Wednesday.

"Do not let another season meander its way down the drain, wasting the great LeBron James’ sunset of his career."

The cry for help comes after the Purple & Gold's abysmal 0-4 start to the season ... and as Flea has put it recently -- "This Laker team is not equipped to win."

Many have criticized Russell Westbrook's play ... but really, the Lakers' struggles are far beyond just one player.

It's getting so bad for the Lakers, LeBron has already started posting cryptic Instagram messages ... saying, "How long will you be taken for granted."

Arsenal defender Pablo Marí was reportedly stabbed during a terrifying knife attack on Thursday afternoon ... and he's now recovering in an Italian hospital.

Multiple reports say the 29-year-old -- who's currently playing for A.C. Monza while on loan from Arsenal -- was one of six people who were slashed by a man at around 5:30 p.m. at a shopping center in Milan.

The reports say authorities ID'ed the knifeman as a 46-year-old who is believed to have grabbed the blade from the shelves of a store before lunging at passersby. He's since been arrested, according to the reports, and is still in police custody.

Mari, meanwhile, was rushed to a nearby medical facility following the incident ... but The Athletic reported he's not thought to be seriously injured.

Marí signed a permanent deal with Arsenal in 2020 -- and played sparingly with the club before joining Udinese and Monza this year while out on loan.

"Power" will no longer be played before AFC Bournemouth games this season ... the Premier League team is pulling the plug on the pregame song -- after Kanye West's recent antisemitic remarks.

The Athletic reported Tuesday that the team made this decision this week ... following in the footsteps of multiple huge organizations that have cut ties with the artist over his recent, highly offensive comments.

The Cherries had played the hit before games for YEARS -- running onto English soccer fields to the tune as fans in stadiums roared.

So far, no word yet on what song will replace the Ye beat.

The futbol team's decision comes after Adidas, T.J. Maxx and Balenciaga severed their relationships with West -- and just two days after superstar athletes Jaylen Brown and Aaron Donald dropped from his Donda Sports agency.

Donald Trump wasted no time taking a shot at Joe Biden during a golf outing on Thursday -- shading the president literally seconds into his morning round.

Trump teed off with Brooks Koepka at the LIV Golf Team Championship pro-am event in Miami ... and after the FIRST ball he hit, he turned to the crowd in attendance to talk some smack about his rival.

"Do you think Biden can do that?!?" he said smugly after whacking his drive. "I don't think so! I don't think so!"

Of course, this ain't the first time Trump's trash-talked Biden on the links ... in fact, just 13 months ago, he used a similar quip during an outing with some buds.

At the time, after he piped one up the fairway, he asked a group that was following him on the tee box, "Do you think Biden can hit a ball like that?!"

Trump didn't throw any more disses Biden's way on the course -- that we know of.

As for how his game looked outside of the big drive on hole 1 ... he told reporters he played well, claiming he shot a 1-over on the front nine of his Trump National Doral course.

Trump also gave some props to his playing partner ... saying, "Brooks was fantastic."

Matt Barnes says he's in full support of the transgender community ... but when it comes to trans athletes competing in sports, he believes "Whatever you're born, I feel like you should play in that space."

Barnes made his thoughts on the controversial topic crystal clear in an interview with VladTV ... where he was asked about the potential of trans athletes competing in the WNBA.

"I don't like that," Barnes said.

"If you're born a woman, you should play women's sports. If you're born a man, you should play men's sports. I think the sports thing is a little different."

Barnes made sure to note he is "pro-make your choice" ... but when it comes to sports, it's a completely different situation.

Barnes referred to Lia Thomas, the transgender NCAA swimming champion, whose accomplishments were questioned because she was born a male and started hormone therapy in 2019.

Lia faced backlash from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Caitlyn Jenner ... who both felt Thomas' success resulted from an unfair advantage.

Khloe Kardashian was the first in her family to publicly support the Jewish community and defend her sister Kim Kardashian against Kanye West ... but apparently, she's still a fan of the Yeezy shoe itself.

Khloe was spotted wearing Yeezy 350s Wednesday while taking her daughter True to an art class, followed by a stop for ice cream in Calabasas.

While Khloe's still wearing Kanye's designs, True was wearing Nike kicks. So, mixed signals here.

Remember -- Khloe posted a message of solidarity with the Jewish community Monday amid Kanye's continued antisemitic rants ... with Kendall, Kylie, and Kris Jenner later sharing the same post.

Adidas, who makes and distributes Yeezy gear, announced Tuesday it was ending its partnership with Kanye ... and by Wednesday, folks across the globe were scouting out the best time to sell their Yeezy kicks.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye's looking for a new partner in the shoe game, showing up uninvited to Skechers headquarters and being shown the door.

Ex-NBA player Eric Bledsoe was arrested for domestic violence on Wednesday ... just hours after reports he is signing with the CBA's Shanghai Sharks, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told cops received a call about a domestic incident around 11:13 PM ... with a victim claiming she had been slapped by her boyfriend.

Officers responded to the Lost Hills, Calif. residence ... and after an investigation, arrested Bledsoe for misdemeanor domestic violence.

32-year-old Bledsoe was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff's station ... and has since bonded out.

A photo was posted to Bledsoe's girlfriend's Instagram account after the incident ... appearing to show a red mark on her face. The caption said, "NO RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS IS EVER WORTH STAYING IN."

The woman added ... "Domestic violence is real! This wasn't the first time but I sat here and stayed so it's my fault!!"

"ERIC BLEDSOE really is a monster."

The post has since been deleted.

Bledsoe -- a Birmingham, Alabama native -- was a star for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2009-10 ... and was picked 18th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft.

He played for the Clippers, Suns, Bucks and Pelicans over the course of his career.

Kamaru Usman -- in Los Angeles for the Hollywood premiere of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" -- stopped by the TMZ offices and talked about being part of a major blockbuster action film ... even showing BTS photos from the set.

"To be honest, it's something I kind of spoke into existence," 35-year-old Usman said when he sat down with Babcock for the "TMZ Sports" TV show. "After seeing the first one, I was such a big fan. I was like, man why wouldn't I be in the second one? They're fighting, they're Africans, they look the part, they're physical, like, I should definitely be in it."

When he did land the role, the job was different than Kamaru thought ... turns out acting isn't easy!

"It was definitely not what I expected. Let me just say, it's much harder than I thought. Extremely harder than I thought."

Usman says the gravity of being in Black Panther hit him when he got to the set.

"My first day on set, I'm in a scene where I'm explaining -- well I don't wanna give away the movie, but I'm in front of the people in the movie, and a piece of me is like 'Oh s**t! I'm on set!' So, was a little bit nervous and I only had just a couple of lines!"

So nervous ... he literally forgot to deliver his lines.

"I was in awe of everybody to where I forgot to talk. So it's like my turn, everyone is quiet. Oh s**t, I forgot to talk, because I'm just so into everyone else. I mean just watching the masters at work was incredible."

Kamaru also shared some photographs from set -- where he posed with Winston Duke -- the first images we've seen of him in character.

Of course, the first Black Panther film, starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o was released in 2018 to worldwide acclaim. Many fans declared the movie the best in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Tragically, Chadwick died in mid-2020 after quietly and courageously battling colon cancer.

Despite the terrible loss, the cast and crew pushed forward with the highly anticipated sequel ... which drops worldwide on November 11.

The movie is all but assured to be one of the biggest of the year.

And, Usman hopes it's not his last film ... he sent a message to industry decision-makers.

Kanye West's Donda Academy is officially toast ... the rapper just shuttered the doors to his school ... at least for now, as his troubles mount following his antisemitic remarks.

The school's principal, Jason Angell, fired off an email to the parents of students, informing them that "at the discretion of our founder, Donda Academy will close for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year effective immediately."

Kanye himself weighed in on social media in a since-deleted Instagram post ... "Here's the clout you're looking for. My school is being shut down." Hollywood Unlocked was first to report the closure.

In his email to parents, Angell insisted the school plans to reopen in September 2023, adding ... "we are confident that our scholars will continue to advance as the creative innovators, influencers and academic leaders of the next generation."

An unaccredited Christian institution, Donda Academy required parents to sign non-disclosure agreements before their children could become students. There were only about 100 students in total, with half on scholarships from Kanye and friends of the rapper.

Parents whose kids didn't get scholarships had to cough up $15,000 per year for their kids to attend. Students wore designer uniforms by Balenciaga and Ye's own clothing line, Yeezy.