TMZ Sports - Page 7

They say the NFL is a copycat league, but Vikings defensive back Kris Boyd isn't trying to hear that ... especially when it comes to teams mimicking postgame celebrations.

Boyd unleashed on the Commanders and Taylor Heinicke ... after video surfaced of the QB iced out in chains, celebrating his team's stunning upset over the Eagles on MNF.

Kris' issue ... Heinicke's celebration was reminiscent of Kirk Cousins', when the Vikings signal-caller rocked a bunch of big chains, topless, on the plane after beating the Commanders (Taylor's team) in Week 9.

Cousins, typically a mild-mannered guy, was an entirely different person on the plane, and social media couldn't get enough.

Well, Boyd wasn't fond of Heinicke and the Commanders seemingly imitating them ... and he didn't hold back, calling out the team and player for seemingly copying his squad.

"Stop trynna f***ing be us…Lames…He couldn’t hold Kirk jockstrap!! Find your own trend!…Y’all shit don’t even look like y’all having fun enjoying it," 26-year-old Boyd tweeted.

Sheesh!!! 😲😲😲

Kris isn't apologizing for what he said, either, explaining ... "I go hard behind my team man….There is no other way around it. These guys are like my brothers. A huge family from all corners. And it’s nothing but major love!! Minnesota Vikings is my family and I don’t play when it come to us!! Point blank period!💜💛💜💛"

Unfortunately, the Vikings and Commanders already played each other ... but with Minnesota at 8-1 and Washington at 5-5, there's an ever-so-slight chance the two could meet in the playoffs.

And, if they do play ... Boyd has a prediction for how the game will go.

"Idgaf! We gone whoop both they ass they cross our path again!😤💜💛💜"

A Danish journalist was threatened to have his camera destroyed on live TV ahead of the World Cup in Qatar ... and now, officials are apologizing for what they're calling a mistake.

TV2 reporter Rasmus Tantholdt was doing a live hit in Doha ... when three men pulled up on a golf cart and tried to put an end to the segment while on air.

During the tense interaction, Tantholdt -- who displayed his media credentials -- accused the men of threatening to break his camera ... saying, "You invited the whole world to come here, why can’t we film? It’s a public place."

"You can break the camera, you want to break it? You are threatening us by smashing the camera?"

The clip quickly went viral on social media ... leading the event's Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy to release a statement on the matter -- saying the Danish outlet was "mistakenly interrupted."

"Upon inspection of the crew’s valid tournament accreditation and filming permit, an apology was made to the broadcaster by on-site security before the crew resumed their activity," the committee said.

The organizers also say they discussed the matter with Tantholdt ... adding they "issued an advisory to all entities to respect the filming permits in place for the tournament."

The decision to host the massive sporting event has been met with harsh criticism ... including allegations of strict rules for media coverage in Qatar.

Folks have also been critical of Qatar's handling of human rights leading up to the World Cup ... with reports of several worker fatalities in preparation for the event.

On top of that, many take issue with the emirate's views on the LGBTQ+ community ... as well as strict limitations on sexual interactions and alcohol consumption and lackluster living conditions for fans.

College basketball is back  -- and so is Dick Vitale, babyyyyyy!!

The voice of college hoops made his triumphant return to the mic on Tuesday to call the Kentucky vs. Michigan State game ... after missing most of the 2021 season to undergo treatment for cancer and vocal cord surgery.

"It's the best medicine I can have, sitting courtside," the 83-year-old said during the broadcast.

"I tell you one thing, it beats laying in the hospital doing chemotherapy -- I can guarantee you that!"

It's been a battle for Vitale. He was diagnosed with multiple forms of cancer last year, but he never stopped fighting. Then, in August, he announced he's once again cancer free!

During the broadcast, Dickie expressed praise for everyone who supported him ... saying it's one of the reasons he beat the disease.

"I just can't say thank you, thank you, thank you, to so many who encouraged me and inspired me to really battle, and to win that battle."

Gisele Bündchen and jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente have raised a lot of suspicion as to possible romantic ties, but we at least now know one of the reasons he's traveled with her to Costa Rica ... he's training her and Tom Brady's kids.

Sources close to Gisele tell us the kids, Benjamin and Vivian, are homeschooled and have a team travel with them to make sure they're receiving all the necessities for their education. We're told there's a full-time teacher who travels to teach the kids their basics -- and Valente as well -- it's also not the first time the group has made the trip to Costa Rica together.

Our sources say Valente handles the physical education aspect of the homeschooling -- which makes sense considering he's trained them in jiu-jitsu -- after connecting in Miami.

Nonetheless, it does feel odd Valente was able to up and leave his jiu-jitsu biz back home for several weeks while he's with Gisele and crew ... though you gotta imagine the money is good.

While it's not 100% clear where Gisele and Joaquim stand, we still haven't seen any PDA, and our Gisele sources are adamant -- there's nothing romantic. However, one source close to the former couple still believes the timing of the trip is interesting considering her and Tom just finalized their divorce.

Super Bowl-winning NFL coach Bruce Arians was forced to take time away from his position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month ... after severe chest pain left him in the hospital for four days.

70-year-old Arians -- who has faced a number of health-related issues over the years -- revealed he experienced the most recent scare before a game against the Atlanta Falcons, when he had some friends over for dinner.

"We ate and I got these pains way up here, like two knives going in," Arians told Ira Kaufman. "The more I tried to take a breath, the worse it got."

The Bucs' special advisor says he took some antacids to try and ease the pain ... but when it continued to get worse, his wife, Christine, called 911.

Arians was then stretchered out of his home and taken to Tampa General Hospital.

The longtime coach says docs initially believed he suffered a mild heart attack or pericardial effusion ... before determining he had myocarditis -- an inflammation of the heart that makes it difficult to pump blood.

"Thankfully, the scans showed no fluid, no heart damage and absolutely no blockages," Arians added. "They had a cardiac radiologist look at everything and they ended up giving me anti-inflammatories."

The health scare kept him sidelined from the Bucs for a few weeks ... and he hasn't traveled to away games since.

Despite all he was going through, Arians says he stayed in contact with TB offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to give his takes on the team's performance.

Former Univ. of Kentucky hoops star Isaac Humphries -- who now plays in Australia's NBL -- revealed he's gay in a super emotional talk with his teammates on Tuesday.

Humphries sat down with his Melbourne United squad inside a team meeting room to make the announcement ... and he fought back tears as he explained the truth about his sexuality.

The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center said hiding his real identity had taken a massive toll on him, and it nearly led to death by suicide a couple years ago.

"I fell into a very dark place, a very lonely place," the 24-year-old said. "I couldn't be who I am and I attempted to take my life."

Humphries said "coming to terms with the fact that I'm gay" was extremely difficult. He revealed to his teammates that he "hated" himself and was "disgusted" by it all.

"I thought that I could not be that person in our environment, within a basketball environment," Humphries said.

Isaac, though, explained that after joining up with Melbourne United earlier this year, he became more and more comfortable with things. He said their open and welcoming culture allowed him to feel like himself, and led him to come out this week.

Now, Humphries said he wants to be a role model to the many others who are in his shoes.

"We as professional athletes have a responsibility to set examples for people," Humphries said. "The truth is there are so many other people in other worlds that are struggling every single day and don't know how to get up. Don't know how to exist. And I know how that feels. And I want to represent those people. That's my goal behind this."

The NBA immediately shared its support for Humphries in wake of the news, saying in a statement, "We are proud and grateful to Isaac for sharing his story. We know the real impact his honesty and courage will have on many others."

Humphries, who played alongside De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo and Jamal Murray during his time at Kentucky, has had brief stints with NBA teams following his Wildcats career ... but has starred in the NBL since 2020.

Fivio Foreign is having a hard time wrapping his head around 21 Savage calling Nas "irrelevant" ... and not only because he was featured on Nas' Grammy Award-winning album a couple years ago.

TMZ Hip Hop linked with Fivio Tuesday at LAX, and he was quick to crown Nas "King of New York" in wake of 21's slander.

The way Fivio sees it ... after 28 years of prolific music making, Nas has earned carte blanche status in the rap game, and can legitimately have zero fear of ever being obsolete.

Fivio was a guest on Nas's "King Disease" -- for the track, "Spicy" -- which took home the Best Rap Album Award at the Grammys in 2021.

Fivio also saluted Kodak Black who also gave 21 a piece of his mind regarding the Nas slander, but says the best course of action for artists nowadays is to focus on their own lane.

He also deployed a 4-3 defense for another New Yorker -- the "Big Drip" rapper wouldn't stand for us giving NFL great Eli Manning's recent time in the booth a negative review!!!

Fivio maintains Eli did his thing on the new song "Giants on 3," which was recorded with another #10 ... Super Bowl XLII champion Shaun O'Hara.

Keep your fingers crossed, Dallas fans ... according to Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys could very well end up getting Odell Beckham Jr.!

TMZ Sports got the former Dallas head coach out in NYC on Tuesday ... just two days after the Cowboys blew a big lead to the Green Bay Packers and fell to 6-3 on the season.

Johnson made it clear to us, he thinks Big D could use another wideout in its offense to prevent a similar loss from happening again ... and he seems to believe Odell could easily be the solution.

The Cowboys have openly pursued the former Rams star for several days now -- with guys like Micah Parsons and Ezekiel Elliott recruiting him hard through the media -- but no contract has been signed yet.

Johnson thinks it'd be a big deal for Dallas to ultimately get him ... explaining to us if Dak Prescott has the right pieces around him, the QB "can win a championship."

As for Odell's side of things, he's getting closer and closer to 100 percent after hurting his knee last February ... and is reportedly looking to latch on with a new team in the next couple weeks.

Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is opening up on the gut-wrenching heartbreak he suffered after his baby son died during childbirth earlier this year ... calling it the worst experience he's had since his father passed in 2005.

CR7 got candid during a sit-down with Piers Morgan this week ... where he explained what it was like to be overcome with both joy and devastation after welcoming his baby girl and mourning the loss of his son at the same time.

"It is probably the worst moment that has passed through my life since my father died," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, shared the tragic news back in April ... announcing the birth of their baby girl, but also relaying the news her twin brother didn't make it.

"When you have a kid, you expect that everything will be normal," Cristiano added. "And when you have that problem, it's hard. As human beings, me and Georgina had quite difficult moments, because we don't understand why it happened to us. It was difficult, to be honest, it was very, very difficult to understand what's going on in that period of our life."

Ronaldo said despite all the pain he was going through, soccer continued to demand his time ... which was another challenge he faced during his healing.

FYI -- Ronaldo missed one game for Manchester United following his son's death ... and returned to the pitch less than one week later.

CR7 says that time was difficult to explain ... as he was beyond happy to welcome Bella Esmeralda to the world, but was still grieving the loss.

"I try to explain sometimes to my family and close friends," Ronaldo added. "They say, 'I never felt to be happy and sad in the same moment.'"

Gillie Da Kid is lights out shooting the rock ... as the Detroit Pistons learned at their own training facility, and ya better believe he didn't hold back when it came to gloating!!!

The "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast cohost battled Pistons assistant coach Jerome Allen Tuesday in a 3-point competition, where Gillie was talking more smack than Gary Payton in his prime. He even called out his victory before taking his first shot.

Jerome only sunk 3 out of 10 shots, and Gillie was confident he'd top that in short order.

The Philly rapper wasn't even dressed for hooping on the hardwood yet still hit several 3's in a pair of jeans and a Louis Vuitton belt that barely held them up. Jerome is also a former NBA player so the bragging rights are even sweeter.

Gillie's J was so butter, he also called out Pistons' star Cade Cunningham ... who was apparently watching the splashdown massacre from the sidelines but the former #1 draft pick didn't partake. Of course, he's injured with a sore shin, so he gets a pass on dodging the challenge.

Even at 37 years old, Gillie is one of the better rapping hoopers around, and few of his peers would disagree.

Just last year he dropped a cool 30 points in a Philly celebrity basketball game, and also got to show his stuff in Ice Cube's Big3 this past summer.

Chris Gutierrez is fresh off the biggest win of his career ... but, he says the moment was actually bittersweet, 'cause he retired UFC legend Frankie Edgar -- someone he admired as a young fan of MMA.

31-year-old Gutierrez, who came into UFC 281 as an unranked fighter, knocked out number 12 ranked bantamweight, 41-year-old Edgar, about halfway through the first round of their contest with a perfectly placed knee. It was the last fight of Frankie's Hall of Fame career.

"It's definitely bittersweet. I knew I still had a job to do, but at the end of the day, I didn't enjoy ... It was bittersweet. I gotta do what I gotta do and I won the fight but no one really likes to see a champion go down like that. It hurt me a bit. It did."

Chris says Edgar was someone he looked up to as a young MMA fan ... and the former champ actually inspired him.

"The reality is it was an honor to share the cage with him, an honor to share the Octagon. He's someone that I grew up watching from the beginning. He was the little engine that could. A smaller guy taking on these giants and he would come out on top. He would find a way. He inspired me as a kid to kind of push through life."

With the win over Edgar, Gutierrez cracked the top 15 ... and now sits in the 13th position. Chris is in the midst of a 4 fight win streak ... and hasn't lost since 2018 (he fought to a draw in August 2020).

We asked Gutierrez who he wants next ... and he had some ideas.

"I already have three people on my mind. Pedro Munhoz, Dominick Cruz, or Rob Font would be some good ones," Chris says.

But, no matter what happens from here ... Chris is grateful for all his success.

"To be honest I never envisioned myself being where I'm at in life so every day is like a blessing."

As for Frankie ... he goes down as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history.

The former University of Virginia running back accused of killing three current Cavaliers football players had "no overlap" with the victims during his time on the team ... the school's athletic director revealed on Tuesday.

According to Carla Williams, Christopher Jones Jr. -- the man who allegedly murdered D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler on Sunday night -- only spent one semester on the Cavs' football roster as a walk-on in 2018, before he left the team.

Williams said during that time, neither Perry, Davis nor Chandler, who were all juniors this year, crossed paths with him on the field or in the locker room.

"There was no overlap," Williams said as part of an emotional press conference with football head coach Tony Elliott. "I don't know if there was any interaction outside of the class."

Jones Jr. allegedly opened fire on the three football players -- and others -- on a bus on campus after they had all returned from a class field trip. Police have yet to reveal a potential motive.

Jones Jr.'s father, Christopher Jones Sr., told NBC12 on Monday his son had complained about people "picking on him" at school about a month ago ... but said, otherwise, Jones Jr. "was doing real well."

At Tuesday's news conference, both Elliott and Williams spoke fondly of the victims -- remembering them as great men and teammates.

Elliott confirmed a fourth member of the Virginia football team -- running back Mike Hollins -- was also shot in the incident ... and is currently in the hospital receiving treatment for his injuries. Elliott declined to give further details on the football player's condition.

A new Nipsey Hussle docuseries is on its way ... and none other than LeBron James is going to have his fingerprints all over the project.

The Lakers superstar revealed the news on Tuesday morning ... announcing he and Maverick Carter's SpringHill Company has teamed up with Hussle's Marathon Films to bring Nipsey fans some new, inside looks into the life of the late rapper.

The work promises to, among other things, feature exclusive footage and tons of interviews with rap legends like Diddy and Snoop Dogg -- and Bron said Tuesday he was pumped for it all.

"It's an incredible honor for SpringHill to have a part in sharing Nipsey's story and legacy with the world," James said. "He used his gift to give back to his community and lived what it means to inspire, empower, and uplift others along the way."

LBJ added, "His words, his ambition, and his actions stick with me to this day as he continues to inspire myself, our company, and people everywhere."

The series does not yet have a title or a release date.

According to Deadline, James and Carter will receive credit as executive producers.

"It's an incredible responsibility to tell Nipsey Hussle’s story alongside his family and Marathon Films in a way that captures every facet of life from his childhood to his impact on community and culture," Carter said.

Hasim Rahman Jr. has found a new opponent ... former NFL star turned UFC fighter turned boxer Greg Hardy is stepping in last minute to save the main event after Vitor Belfort was forced to pull out after getting sick, it was announced Tuesday.

DAZN broke the news this morning ... announcing Rahman will square off against the ex-Panthers defensive end in just four days.

“I’m excited, man, this is my chance to show that I belong in the boxing world,” Hardy said.

“I know plenty about the Rahman name as boxers, and I know he was preparing for Vitor, but I’m definitely confident and prepared to show people I can box.”

Hasim and Vitor were originally set to go toe-to-toe on Nov.19 in Austin, TX ... but the bout was called off after the Brazilian mixed martial artist contracted COVID-19.

Rahman will have his hands full with Hardy ... who aside from being huge (Greg would have to cut to make the 265 lb. limit as a UFC fighter), also hits like a truck.

But, Hasim's also dangerous. The 31-year-old boxer -- whose dad was a heavyweight champ -- has a pro record of 12-1 (6 knockouts).

Of course, Rahman Jr.'s been one of the fighters feuding with Jake Paul of late. The men were scheduled to fight, but the bout fell apart weeks before. Hasim has been adamant the Problem Child's ducking him.

A Denver Broncos special teamer is suing the NFL, the Chargers and a bunch of others ... claiming mats placed on the sidelines at SoFi Stadium earlier this year caused him to suffer a severe knee injury.

Aaron Patrick spelled out his allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying that a series of poor decisions by the league and its L.A. team resulted in his ACL tear back on Oct. 17 during the Broncos vs. Chargers' "Monday Night Football" game.

The 25-year-old Denver outside linebacker said in his suit the injury happened in the overtime period of the contest in L.A. ... while he was attempting to make a tackle on a punt return.

Patrick says because of his effort to make the play on the field, his momentum carried him into the sideline area -- where an NFL official who monitors television timeouts was standing. Patrick claims in the suit in an attempt to avoid the man, he had to step on mats that stadium workers had put down to cover up NFL instant replay sideline monitor cords and cables.

Patrick says, as a result, his foot got caught in the mats and the cords -- causing his knee to bend awkwardly. He was later diagnosed with a torn ACL, and is expected to miss the rest of this season.

Patrick is heaping blame on not only the NFL and the Chargers for it all, but also ESPN, the mat company and others -- claiming they all could have done more to prevent the injury from happening.

Patrick claims all parties should have known the mats presented a dangerous hazard for players. He also says the NFL official shouldn't have been standing where he was.

Patrick is suing for unspecified damages, including lost bonuses and future earning potential.

"Player safety should be the foremost of importance to the NFL and its owners," said Patrick's attorney, William M. Berman of Berman & Riedel. "The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar sports enterprise and business, and it needs to do everything possible to protect its players from non-contact game injuries."

Jake Paul wants to settle his feud with Tommy Fury once and for all ... saying he'll fight TNT in the U.K. in February -- or he's moving on forever.

The Problem Child announced his plans in a message to Fury's promoter on Tuesday ... saying, "Dear @FrankWarren, I agree to fight Tommy in Manchester or London in Feb. I’ll come to his country, no more running."

The fight has been cursed since the very beginning -- it was scrapped twice due to issues on Fury's side ... including an injury and trouble getting access to the United States.

The beef reached new heights after Tommy's exhibition fight on Sunday ... when the two jawed back and forth -- and John Fury even ripped his own shirt off and taunted Jake.

After the incident, John told reporters Jake agreed to finally fight Tommy ... and JP followed through on his promise.

Paul -- who's fresh off an impressive win over Anderson Silva -- wants ink to paper ASAP ... saying Fury's team can either agree to the fight in the next week, or lose their opportunity forever.

"Since John is adamant we’ve agreed, I am giving u 7 days to present a signed contract by Tommy or I’m moving on," Jake tweeted.

Tommy has yet to respond.

It's worth noting -- Tommy is expecting his first child with fellow "Love Island" star Molly-Mae Hague around the time of the proposed fight ... but Jake claims Fury's camp has assured there won't be any issues this time around.