TMZ Sports - Page 11

LeBron James says he knows what Kyrie Irving did was wrong ... but the Lakers superstar still came to the Nets point guard's defense Thursday, claiming the punishment KI is now facing is just too much.

James, who played with Irving for several seasons in Cleveland, took to Twitter to relay his stance on the matter to his fanbase ... writing out several tweets while he was in the middle of rehabbing a lower-body injury.

"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information," James said. "And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized, and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple."

Irving was suspended by the Nets last Thursday after he repeatedly refused to apologize for tweeting out a link to the antisemitic film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

The team called the ban indefinite -- saying Irving would have to satisfy "a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" in order to return to the floor.

According to Shams Charania, some of the stipulations included sensitivity training, antisemitic training and meetings with Jewish leaders.

James clearly feels it's all too much ... adding, "Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him."

Daniel Snyder, Roger Goodell and the NFL have all been sued ... after D.C. attorney general Karl Racine claimed they "colluded" to deceive fans about an investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct that went down for years in the Washington Commanders' org.

Racine announced the suit's filing at a news conference on Thursday ... using stern language while insisting Snyder, Goodell, the NFL and the Commanders all covered up probe findings in order to "protect their profits and their image."

Racine told media members that following his office's own investigation of the Commanders -- which he said included a reviewal of thousands of internal documents produced by the team and the league -- "clear wrongdoing and violations of D.C. residents' consumer rights" were found.

Yet, Racine claimed Goodell, Snyder and other officials lied about the findings ... accusing them of "secretly" entering into an agreement in order to protect everyone involved.

"Mr. Snyder was not only aware of the toxic culture within his organization," Racine said in announcing the suit, "he encouraged it and he participated in it."

As we previously reported, Snyder and the Commanders had been accused of wrongdoing for over a decade by multiple ex-employees.

The league said it investigated it all, and ultimately fined the team $10 million.

Following the penalty, Snyder said the org. would be making sweeping and progressive changes, including naming his wife, Tanya, the new co-CEO.

Racine clearly believes more should have been done ... and as part of the suit, is seeking "financial penalties" as well as a court order to force the NFL to release the findings of their probe into the Commanders.

AEW star Max Caster threw shade at Tom Brady, Kyrie Irving and Herschel Walker while rapping right before his match on Wednesday -- targeting three of the most controversial athletes of the moment.

Max and his tag team partner, Anthony Bowens, were walking to the ring to take on The Gunns and Swerve In Our Glory ... when the 33-year-old got busy on the mic.

Caster wasted no time going after TB12, who's struggled all season (game-winning drive on Sunday, aside) as he deals with his high-profile divorce from ex-wife Gisele.

Check out the performance.

"Acclaimed on the mic got the place going crazy, ya'll about to take more L's than Tom Brady," Caster rapped.

"Keep the fence work (???) it's awkward, we got the receipts like he's Herschel Walker."

"I'll make you cry til' you're eyes are burning, I'mma make you say sorry like Kyrie Irving."

Sheesh!

Of course, Tom's Bucs squad is 4-5 ... and after struggling on the field at times, some fans have wondered if he should have stayed retired.

Meanwhile, Herschel, a football legend and current U.S. Senate candidate in Georgia (his race is going to a runoff in early December), has been under attack after he was accused of reportedly paying for a woman's abortion ... despite running on a pro-life platform.

As for Kyrie ... he recently apologized to the Jewish community (though many were unfulfilled by his words) after he posted a link to a controversial film containing antisemitic messaging.

Adidas' announcement it will sell Yeezy designs without Yeezy branding should be money to Kanye West's ears ... TMZ has learned he has that in writing, but he's not getting a dime.

Sources with direct knowledge of the deal Ye signed with Adidas ... tell us there's a clause in the contract that calls for the rapper/designer to get a reduced fee if Adidas sells his designs without his branding.

That's interesting because when Adidas cut ties last month with Ye -- over his antisemitic and bigoted statements -- it said it would not pay him a single cent from that day forward. Of course, that was before Wednesday's announcement it will roll out some of Ye's shoes in 2023 ... just with the Adidas name and markings, instead of Yeezy.

TMZ asked the German shoe co. if it planned to follow through on paying Ye's reduced fee, and a spokesman said he's getting zero, zilch, null ... bupkis.

Now, there's most likely a morals clause in the contract as well -- and Adidas could easily say Ye's hate speech constituted a breach which nullified their deal. Adidas is providing no further explanation, so we've gotta read the tea leaves.

Christmas came early for a nurse in Minnesota ... 'cause Adam Thielen surprised her at work -- naming her 2022 Vikings Fan of the Year, and gifting her TWO Super Bowl tickets!!

The heartwarming moment was caught on video, showing the 2-time Pro Bowler walking to the health center's courtyard with a custom 22 jersey for Shirley Bowden.

The nurse -- who's worked at the hospital for nearly 20 years -- is a huge fan of the purple and gold team ... and was in complete shock when she saw the wide receiver at her job.

"Oh my God!" she yelled while surrounded by her colleagues.

Thielen gave her the presents ... and told her he hoped he and the Vikes would be the NFC team playing in the Big Game.

"You will be!" Bowden quickly said.

Bowden says she's been a fan of the Vikings fan since she was a little kid ... and goes to every game -- adding, "If you look at my row, I guarantee you I'm standing up."

The Vikings are known for this cool gesture ... just last year, Justin Jefferson surprised a female youth football coach -- who's also a nurse -- at practice.

The Charlotte Hornets unveiled their brand new "CLT" jerseys on Thursday ... and, unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the internet to lambaste the team with sophomoric sexual jokes.

Social media erupted at the sight of the front of the uniforms ... giddily giggling over the fact that at a quick first glance, the "CLT" could look like the slang term for a part of a woman's anatomy.

"I'm ordering mine custom w/ 'Found It' on the name plate," one fan wrote.

"A CLT vs Cream City game would've been legendary," another posted.

The NBA org., though, clearly was proud of the kits nonetheless ... explaining the "CLT" is actually an abbreviation used throughout their home city -- including by Charlotte's own airport.

It is the first time the Hornets will use the abbreviation on their unis -- on previous alternate jerseys, they had stitched "CHA" on them.

Gisele Bündchen is makin' moves ... setting up her homestead right next to her ex-hubby.

TMZ has confirmed ... Gisele closed on an $11.5M home in the Miami Beach area, right across the creek where Tom Brady is building a house.

Sources connected with the former couple tell TMZ ... Tom knew Gisele was buying the house and it all has to do with co-parenting -- making it easy for the kids to go back and forth.

Gisele's home is 6,600 square feet and has all the bells and whistles ... a home theater, a gym and a playroom for the kids. It has a dock out back, just like Tom's. Page Six first broke the story of Gisele's purchase.

Kyrie Irving's relationship with Nike is "likely over," says Phil Knight, co-founder and chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate.

In an interview with CNBC, the billionaire commented on Irving's future with the Swoosh, saying, "I would doubt that we go back. But, I don't know for sure."

"Kyrie stepped over the line. It's kind of that simple. He made some statements that we just can't abide by, and that's why we ended the relationship. And, I was fine with that."

As we reported on Friday, the shoe giant announced it was suspending its relationship with the Nets' superstar point guard after he refused to apologize for tweeting a link to a controversial film containing antisemitic messaging.

"At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech, and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the company said.

Nike's move to press pause on its partnership with Irving came after the Nets suspended Kyrie for at least five games -- the team felt that the 30-year-old wasn't contrite when he apologized for the harm he caused the Jewish community.

Like the Nets, Nike, too, was disappointed in Irving's seeming reluctance to disavow the antisemitic content in the film he tweeted, which left the company no choice but to suspend Kyrie's deal.

Knight told the outlet that when signing athletes, they consider not only how good the athlete is ... but also the kind of character the individual displays.

More disturbing news for former NBA star Delonte West ... TMZ Sports has learned after he was arrested in mid-October -- he was busted again just two weeks later.

The Fairfax County Police Dept. tells us officers were called to a residential area on Oct. 29 at around 3:47 PM over reports of a man who appeared to be drunk. When they arrived on scene, cops say they found West "lying next to a car with an open door."

After making contact with the 39-year-old ... officials say they arrested him for being drunk in public, and then transported the ex-Dallas Mavericks point guard to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

Court records show he was ultimately charged with misdemeanor intoxication in public ... and a hearing on the matter has been set for January.

The incident came just 14 days after West had been previously arrested in a similar fashion just about a mile away.

In that case, police said they arrested West following calls that he had been trespassing in a vehicle. Court records show he was hit with four charges ... including drunk in public and vehicle trespassing.

West had appeared to be turning his life around prior to the October run-ins with cops ... he had scored a tryout with the Big3 in March ... and also landed a job with a flooring company in June.

However, his former boss, Mavs owner Mark Cuban, told us in September he had heard West was struggling with some issues.

A Jake Paul vs. Andrew Tate fight might actually happen ... the two came face-to-face and are negotiating terms for a fight, according to The Problem Child.

Paul -- an undefeated cruiserweight boxer -- and the former kickboxing champ met up at the PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani's Kamani Club in Dubai on Thursday.

You can see the shirtless fighters face-off in front of a boxing ring in Paul's social media post ... with the caption, "Negotiations."

It's a fight that's been talked about for a long time. In fact, Tate -- a controversial influencer -- offered Jake $3 million to fight back in 2021 ... but Jake had other opponents in mind at the time.

But, during a recent episode of brother Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, Jake claimed the 76-9 kickboxer -- who also had a short stint in MMA -- doesn't really want to fight him, or Logan.

"I don't think he gets in the ring with one of us," Jake said in August.

"It's too big of a risk for him. He's 'alpha male,' right? That's his whole entire thing."

Paul added, "And when he loses -- he will lose to either one of us he fights -- his whole schtick and all the women will be like, 'Yeah!' and his whole schtick goes out the window."

The Problem Child also ripped Tate for his catchphrase.

"He runs with this whole thing like 'what color is your Bugatti?'," Paul said, "Andrew, it's not cool to tell kids that they need a Buggati to be cool."

The biggest night in country music turned into a bit of a roast of Eli Manning -- with Peyton tossing several barbs his little bro's way throughout the evening ... and it was all hilarious!!

The Indianapolis Colts legend was co-hosting the annual CMA Awards show with Luke Bryan in Nashville -- and while a bunch of music stars caught playful shade from the duo ... Eli appeared to find himself as the butt of the jokes more often than not.

In fact, it only took about 10 minutes into the show for Peyton to make his first dig at the former New York Giants star, who he co-hosts his weekly "Monday Night Football" "Manningcast" with.

"Peyton, let me break it to you, I don't prepare," Bryan said during the opening monologue. "I'm just kind of a wing it kind of host."

"Trust me, that's clear," Peyton responded. "So, what you're saying is, this is my worst nightmare. But it's actually OK, because I do a show with my brother Eli -- I'm used to this lack of professionalism."

A couple hours later, Peyton threw some more quills Eli's way while chatting with the Brothers Osborne.

"So, let me guess," Peyton said turning to the country music group. "Your mom makes you work with your brother too, right?"

Eli certainly noticed it all -- and took to Twitter to gripe about his older bro.

"If my math is correct," the younger Manning said, "that is the 3rd shot Peyton has taken at me on the CMA's."

New video obtained by TMZ Sports shows Miles Bridges' ex did appear to attempt to break into his residence back in October -- slamming a hose nozzle against the NBA star's door repeatedly as he tried to hold it closed.

The footage was captured on Oct. 12 ... after Mychelle Johnson allegedly brought over the couple's two kids in an attempt to get inside Bridges' L.A. rental home to speak with him.

Bridges, however, said in court docs this week he wanted no part of contact with her -- saying he wasn't allowed to talk to her due to court orders that were given to him after he was charged with felony domestic violence for his alleged role in a June altercation with the woman.

In the docs, Bridges claimed Johnson showed up unannounced through a side gate in his backyard ... and then, after he retreated inside, "kept yelling outside the door demanding me to open it while the kids were calling out to me to let them in."

The footage shows at one point during their encounter, one of the children handed Johnson a hose nozzle that she then used to hit the door several times in an effort to get into the pad.

Over and over again, Bridges can be heard in the video telling her to stop.

Eventually, according to the court docs, after she couldn't get in, Johnson stole Bridges' dog and left with the children.

The incident was not isolated, according to Bridges, who said in the docs that on two other occasions -- one on Oct. 31 and one on Nov. 5 -- she similarly harassed him and caused him emotional distress and anxiety.

Matthew Stafford's wife, Kelly, says she's breaking down emotionally after the Rams quarterback was put in the NFL's concussion protocol this week ... saying straight up, "I'm not OK."

The L.A. star finished the Rams' loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday seemingly without issue -- but according to head coach Sean McVay, members of the team's medical staff found he didn't pass their postgame checkup with flying colors.

McVay said the doctors thought it would be best to put the QB in the league's protocol to ensure his safety ... though the coach added it wasn't clear if Stafford officially suffered a concussion.

The 34-year-old will now have to pass a myriad of tests regardless in order to be cleared to play in this Sunday's game against the Cardinals ... and Kelly said it all has her worried sick.

The mother of four wrote in a social media post Wednesday afternoon head injuries terrify her ... saying, "I have every emotion running through me. Concerned, angry, sad, tired... all of them."

Kelly, who married Stafford in 2015, has been very vocal about her fears of the effects of football head injuries ... even breaking down in tears last month when talking about the Tua Tagovailoa situation.

"If you have listened to my podcast at all, you know how big a deal it is to me," Kelly wrote Wednesday. "The head is not something to be messed with... and I hope as this sport develops, so does the concern for head health and the research around it."

Shawn Mendes is making a strong case to be Canada's finest export ... for the latest evidence, look no further than these pics of him taking a stroll without a shirt!!!

The "Treat You Better" singer ditched his shirt Wednesday and went on a hike on one of Los Angeles' many trails ... looking like a certified hunk.

Shawn worked up a sweat on his journey ... which only made him look even hotter.

The guy's checking all the boxes here ... flowing dark hair, the right mix of tattoos, six-pack abs, and just enough body hair. Yes, please!!!

Handsome looks aside, it's good to see Shawn looking happy and healthy ... remember, he's not performing right now because he canceled his world tour for a mental health break.

TMZ broke the story ... Shawn told us he pressed pause on his tour to enjoy the simple things in life, along with some therapy, in order to regain his life balance.

The last time we saw Shawn, he was going to church with Justin Bieber, who also put his tour on ice for a mental health break.

Kanye West's Yeezy designs will, in fact, live on at Adidas after all ... but they'll have a completely different title when they drop.

Adidas honchos announced Wednesday the company plans to continue selling more of the Ye-inspired shoes starting as early as 2023, but without a trace of the Yeezy name ... according to Insider.

Adidas reportedly emphasized to their shareholders the company remains the sole owner of the core designs of the current Yeezys in circulation ... including shoe silhouettes and colorways. As such, they feel they have every right to keep hawking them.

Adidas also gave some sobering financial numbers -- noting it expects to lose up to half a billion dollars in annual revenue as a result of ending the partnership with Ye.

Previously, execs said they'd take a $247 million hit, this year alone.

Unclear if they're going to discard the Yeezy inventory they have right now, or retweak and rerelease them. In any case, it sounds like sneakerheads will see "Yeezys" on the market again soon enough.

Adidas had already signaled this move when it first cut ties with Kanye -- explicitly saying the shoe designs belonged to them. Kanye hasn't publicly said anything about that stance or the company's plan to sell rebranded Yeezys.

We know Kanye's griped in the past about ownership. As it stands, at least on paper, he only owns the patent to Yeezy Slides.

FWIW, there are 14 different Yeezy shoe products (sans the Slides) that have been released over the years, and lord knows they've been popular and profitable thus far.

Former boxing champ Jose Zepeda -- who owns a career 35-2-2 record -- was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to police, officers responded to a battery call in Baldwin Park ... and following an investigation, arrested Zepeda.

Per a Baldwin Park Police Dept. spokesperson, the 33-year-old was eventually issued a citation ... and the case has since been kicked over to prosecutors for review.

Further details surrounding the allegations were not made immediately available.

The arrest couldn't come at a worse time for Zepeda -- he's slated to fight Regis Prograis in a title fight in less than three weeks on Nov. 26.

It's unclear if the fight could be in jeopardy over Tuesday's incident.

Zepeda has held several belts in his career ... most recently winning the WBC Silver light welterweight title in Oct. 2020. He's currently on a five-fight win streak, which includes a win over Josue Vargas in his last match on Oct. 30, 2021.