TMZ Sports - Page 50

Former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza will not face criminal charges ... despite being accused of participating in the gang rape of a minor at a party in 2021.

The San Diego County District Attorney's Office announced the declination of charges on Wednesday ... saying in a statement, "Ultimately, prosecutors determined it is clear the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges."

They added, "There is no path to a potential criminal conviction."

As we reported, Araiza was sued back in August, after a woman identified only as Jane Doe said the NFL player and two other men gang raped her at an Oct. 17, 2021 party at Araiza's San Diego home.

Doe, who said she was only 17 years old at the time, claimed in the suit that a short time after she met Araiza at the Halloween-themed bash ... the former San Diego State punter handed her a drink that she later believed contained alcohol and "other intoxicating substances."

In the suit, she alleged the two then engaged in sexual acts outside of the home ... before he led her to a room in the house where he and two of his SDSU teammates, Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko and Zavier Leonard, sexually abused her for over an hour.

Doe claimed once the party was shut down, she "stumbled out of the room bloody and crying." She sued Araiza, Ewaliko and Leonard for unspecified damages.

Her attorney, Dan Gilleon, said in a statement to The Athletic that he was "not surprised" by Wednesday's news.

"The police rarely pay much attention to cases where the victim is intoxicated," he said. "Here, the police made it clear in January 2022 that they weren’t interested in the case. They made that clear by ghosting my client and keeping her in the dark. It was only the media attention that caused the police to commence a dog and pony show long enough for them to say they conducted a thorough investigation."

Dustin Poirier was just released from the hospital after battling a nasty Staph infection -- but the UFC star refused to miss even a beat of daddy duty -- the lightweight contender went straight to watch his daughter in her school play!

33-year-old Dustin, on crutches, along with his wife, Jolie, attended their six-year-old daughter Parker's play in Louisiana ... where his adorable little girl was dressed as an angel.

"Straight from the hospital to the school play to see my little angel this morning!" Poirier wrote on social media.

Just a day ago, Poirier was laying in a hospital bed as doctors treated his left foot ... after he came down with a Staph infection.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria." They typically clear up after the patients been treated with an antibiotic. But, MC says that's not always the case.

"However, some staph infections no longer respond, or become resistant, to common antibiotics. To treat antibiotic-resistant staph infections, health care providers may need to use antibiotics that can cause more side effects."

Dustin posted a photo of the mangled appendage ... and captioned it with what we were all thinking -- "Wut da helllll?"

As serious as the infection can be, it's great news to see DP discharged from the hospital.

Poirier was last in the Octagon at UFC 281 ... where he defeated Michael Chandler in one of the year's most exciting fights.

It's unclear how long it'll be until Dustin's ready to fight again.

Many people are beyond pissed at Deion Sanders for leaving Jackson State -- but, Bomani Jones, despite what people think, isn't one of 'em, ... telling us he's "not even really that upset" with Coach Prime's move to the University of Colorado.

Bomani joined "TMZ Live" on Wednesday ... to discuss the backlash he's received for seemingly going in on Sanders after announcing he was bolting from JSU in favor of the Buffaloes.

"I don't think that many people are really that upset at Deion," Bomani said. "But, we are in a time where legitimate, honest criticism of a public figure somehow turns into hating or tearing this dude when all I'm saying is, 'You said this one thing, then you did this thing.'"

Jones admits that Sanders, who went 27-5 in three seasons and won back-to-back SWAC championships with the Tigers, accomplished a lot during his time at the JSU ... but some folks are upset by his move because he overpromised and under-delivered.

"That is the cause for anger from a lot of people," Bomani said. "It's simply that he sold a bill of goods that he didn't really deliver on. He did a lot while he was at Jackson, but this larger idea that he was doing this for someone else was wrong."

Bomani said he saw Prime's decision to leave JSU coming a mile away ... and that he wouldn't have an issue with it had the former NFL superstar stated his intentions upfront, instead of leading people to believe that there was a bigger plan operating at hand.

"He was in this to get to the place where he is in," Jones said. "Congratulations for getting there, but we don't have to act like its more noble than it actually is. You have to reconcile what you said with ultimately what you did."

Despite the mixed reaction Deion has been facing, Bomani doesn't believe that Black people will turn their backs on Sanders or root for him to fail at Colorado since he's no longer coaching at a Historically Black College & University (HBCU).

Take a deep breath, Bills Mafia -- Von Miller says everything is going to be okay after undergoing season-ending ACL surgery ... sending a heartfelt message to his fans from the hospital bed.

Miller posted a video shortly after the bad news broke ... saying, "Yerrr! Bills Mafia, what's good? I'm good man. I'ma be right back, man."

"Mentally, I couldn't be in a better spot and I think that is the majority of it. Don't feel sorry for me, don't say I hate it for you -- none of that stuff 'cause I am good!"

The Bills announced on Wednesday that the star pass rusher -- who signed a 6-year, $120 million contract this offseason -- is sidelined for the rest of the season due to the injury ... but Miller is already looking forward to getting back to 100%.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to show my teammates how tough I am, how hard I work, and how important that this means to me. I love you guys, and I appreciate you guys. All love and respect. Don't blink, baby!"

Miller suffered the injury against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day ... but the initial belief was that the 33-year-old avoided significant knee injury.

According to head coach Sean McDermott, Von checked in to the hospital for exploratory surgery ... but doctors told the two-time Super Bowl Champ that he tore his ACL instead.

McDermott called the injury a "very unfortunate situation" for Miller and their team ... adding he knows how much #40 will miss being out there with the guys.

Popular Streamer IShowSpeed is coming under fire for a gross racist exchange he had with a Chinese fan at The World Cup ... with people urging he do better.

IShowSpeed -- who has 14M subscribers on YouTube and nearly 6M followers on Instagram -- is in Qatar for the massive soccer tournament, and has live streamed a lot of his time in the stands.

The controversial clip shows the streamer call attention to an Asian fan in an Argentina jersey. Speed asks why he's wearing the gear -- seemingly pointing out he doesn't look Argentinian.

From there, he shouts, "Konnichiwa!" -- a formal word for "hello" in Japanese -- several times at the fan. The fan tries to explain he's not Japanese, but Chinese ... and then ISS begins rambling off nonsense with an accent.

Naturally, and rightfully so, Speed's fans have littered the comment section on his social media pages denouncing the exchange. One wrote, "Stop spewing macro-aggressions and racism towards Asian people and use your platform for something positive."

Another said, "You failed Asian Americans and Asians everywhere. We all make mistakes. But grow up. Do better. Be a better example for the youth." While another simply wrote, "ishowracism should be your new name from now on."

The 17-year-old attempted to offer up an explanation as to what he was thinking, but it didn't really help his cause. He says he thought the man was Japanese -- though he doesn't explain why -- and that his adrenaline was pumping during the video.

Video showing a deadly shoot-out between New Mexico State basketball player Mike Peake and a student from a rival school has been released ... and it's terrifying.

The surveillance footage, put out by New Mexico State Police on Tuesday, was captured on Nov. 19 on the University of New Mexico's main campus at around 3 AM.

According to cops, Peake -- a 21-year-old Aggies forward who was in town for NMSU's basketball game against UNM -- was "lured" to the area by a 17-year-old girl and several other male UNM students ... who were allegedly trying to beat him up over an incident that had happened at the UNM-NMSU football game in October.

The video, obtained by KOB 4, shows Peake initially had a gun pointed at him ... while another man ran in and hit him in the leg with a baseball bat.

As Peake turned to sprint away from his attackers, the clip shows he pulled out a firearm -- and began shooting. Cops say he and 19-year-old Brandon Travis traded gunfire ... before Travis was eventually struck and killed.

According to police, Peake was also hit by gunfire during the altercation. He's since undergone multiple surgeries, but is expected to recover.

NMSU announced earlier this week Peake -- who had started two Aggies games this season -- has been suspended from the school's basketball team indefinitely over the altercation.

Santa Claus won't be visiting Patrick Beverley's home this year ... and it's not 'cause his kids have been naughty -- it's because the Lakers guard straight-up told them Kris Kringle isn't real!!!

The 34-year-old explained the wild decision to squash his kids' Christmas dreams on Barstool Sports' "Pat Bev Podcast" this week ... saying it's not about lacking holiday spirit, but more about getting credit for putting presents under the tree.

Beverley says he LOVES giving out gifts to his family members ... but every year, he makes it clear there ain't a jolly, fat man coming down the chimney.

"Them presents y'all getting ain't from Santa, that s***'s from me," Pat said.

The hooper says he even told the kids he's the one devouring the cookies laid out on Christmas Eve ... and gives his dietary preferences by asking for a soda instead of milk.

"That's me eating that s***, I just wanted to let you guys know," Beverley added.

Of course, the heartbreaking news didn't go over well for his son ... with Pat saying, "It looked like I killed him, or something ... He was destroyed."

Jaws is back!!!

Just days after losing his crown at a famous shrimp cocktail eating contest -- Joey Chestnut redeemed himself at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, destroying the field in a pierogi competition.

The #1 competitive eater in the world -- who just lost by a wide margin at the St. Elmo shrimp cocktail eating contest in Indianapolis on Saturday for the first time in EIGHT YEARS -- went up against Cavs fans during the halftime show of the Lakers game ... and got his redemption.

Rockin' a Cleveland hoodie -- Chestnut stuffed his face, taking down a total of 47 pierogies ... while everyone else only ate 33 combined.

The 39-year-old was thrilled to be back in the winner's circle ... holding up a belt with the Cavaliers' mascot -- while wearing a big smile on his face.

Of course, things couldn't have looked worse for Chestnut just three days prior ... when he lost by nearly SEVEN pounds to Geoffrey Esper at the famous shrimp event.

The Big Aristotle Christmas Tree Ornament?!?

Shaquille O'Neal now has another potential nickname to add to his ever-growing list ... after Kenny Smith plowed him into a giant Christmas tree on the set of "NBA on TNT" on Tuesday night.

The scene was hilarious ... O'Neal was racing The Jet to the show's big board -- when Smith got a little too physical with the Hall of Famer.

Kenny got up underneath the 7-foot-1 Lakers legend ... and sent him flying into a massive tree.

Shaq stayed under the shrubs for a while -- giggling his face off -- while proclaiming he was all right. Eventually, his cohosts pulled him from the wreckage -- with huge smiles on their faces.

"All right, Kenny," O'Neal said after getting up from the pile of presents. "This means war, Kenny!"

As Shaq returned to his seat, you can see the dude was not only covered in pine needles ... but glitter as well!!

As far as we know, Shaq didn't get revenge on Smith later in the evening ... but the guys will all be together again breaking down basketball in just a matter of days.

The Judge has made his ruling ... and it's GREAT news for Yankees fans.

Aaron Judge is re-signing with New York -- and, according to multiple reports, he's getting paid handsomely to do so ... agreeing to a 9-year, $360 MILLION contract.

The Yankees had been competing with the San Francisco Giants for the outfielder's services ... and for a brief period on Tuesday, they had appeared to lose the battle.

But, after seven great seasons in NY, Judge is clearly now looking to finish his career in the Bronx.

The 30-year-old reigning AL MVP is coming off the best year of his life ... hitting a staggering 62 home runs (the new AL record) while logging 131 RBI and a .311 batting average.

Judge in '22 also led the league in runs scored (133), walks (111), and slugging percentage (.686).

The huge season seemingly helped him get a wild pay bump too ... considering he reportedly turned down a $200-plus million contract from the Yanks before the year began.

Judge will now look to build on a pinstripe career that's already seen him bat .284 with 220 home runs and 497 total RBI.

Floyd Mayweather's spending spree didn't stop at Art Basel in Miami ... we're told the boxing legend just dropped $330K on an insane 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S!

TMZ Sports has learned Floyd hit up his longtime car guy Obi Okeke -- aka "Doctor Bugatti" -- telling him he needed a car to get around while in town ... and the Dr. delivered!

Okeke tells us Floyd wired him the money while the two were on the phone ... and even said he was interested in another sports car.

Floyd's new 640 horsepower Porsche, sometimes referred to as the "Ferrari Killer," does 0-60 MPH in 2.6 seconds. The whip has a top speed of 205 MPH!

The Porsche is just the latest addition to Mayweather's epic car collection ... which includes everything from Rolls Royces to a Koenigsegg.

Floyd is no stranger to big purchases ... TBE spent $3.1 million in about 60 minutes on expensive pieces of art at the SCOPE Art Show in Miami.

The next day, Mayweather went back and dropped an additional $1.7 million at the famed art festival ... leaving with 4 Andy Warhol pieces and a large sculpture of burned money.

Mickey Mantle's 1952 Topps #311 card, one of the most coveted ever made, is on the block ... and the auction tells TMZ Sports the piece is estimated to sell for around $1.5 MILLION!

The rare card -- graded near mint/mint 8 by CSG -- is from Mantle's second season in the Majors and has a near-flawless surface, according to SCP Auctions, the folks auctioning the historic card.

The card was the first Mantle made by Topps (Bowman produced his rookie card) ... and the design is iconic.

The front features a large picture of Mantle in his Yankees-fitted cap with a bat resting on his shoulder ... with Mick staring off-camera.

The back features stats from Mickey's minor league career, where he spent three seasons before being called up to the big leagues. Mantle's numbers from his 1951 rookie season.

Certified Sports Guaranty (CSG) VP Andy Broome examined the Mantle up close in October, and called it more than just a card, but rather "a piece of artwork."

Mantle's career spanned 18 seasons with the Yankees. He was a 3-time MVP and 7x World Series champion.

Mantle also made 20-time All-Star teams (there used to be two ASGs a season). He also won the batting title (.353) and Triple Crown (52 HR, 130 RBI) in 1956. Mickey was one of the greatest hitters to ever hold a bat.

To get an idea of the card's value ... earlier this year, an inferior #311 (it wasn't in as good of shape) sold for $1.56 million at auction.

A 9.5 graded version sold this year for -- brace yourself -- an astonishing $12.5 million at auction.

As for SCP's #311, the auction's already live and has 9 bids ... with the high mark coming in at $536K.

Nia Long and Ime Udoka are done -- the couple of 13 years has reportedly broken up after the Boston Celtics coach's affair with a team employee.

The news comes less than three months after the Boston Celtics suspended Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season for violating team policy ... a public scandal that Long said was "devastating."

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Udoka had an inappropriate relationship with the Celtics' travel planner ... who was in charge of booking Long's flights to attend home and road games -- as well as her arrangements to move to Boston permanently.

The fallout was apparently too much to recover from ... as People reports the two sides have called it quits on their relationship and are now focused on co-parenting their 11-year-old son, Kez.

Long recently sounded off on the Celtics for airing out their dirty laundry ... saying, "I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public."

Udoka remains suspended from the Celtics ... but was rumored to be Steve Nash's replacement at the head of the Brooklyn Nets bench. The team ultimately decided to go with Jacque Vaughn.

Baker Mayfield is headed to Hollywood ... the L.A. Rams have claimed the quarterback -- after he was released from Carolina on Monday.

L.A. confirmed the move with a cheeky tweet -- showing a picture of a baker, a calendar flipped to the month of May, and a field.

The roster decision, of course, is not a surprising one ... starter Matthew Stafford is on injured reserve -- and backup John Wolford is dealing with a neck injury.

Mayfield will now try to revive his career in the City of Angels ... after his short-lived tenure with the Panthers ended disastrously. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft finished with a 1-5 record in six starts under center -- throwing six interceptions to just six touchdowns.

Things got so bad, Mayfield was eventually benched in favor of P.J. Walker and Sam Darnold.

Big break for Israel Adesanya ... TMZ Sports has learned the UFC star's brass knuckles case will be dismissed if he stays out of trouble for the foreseeable future.

According to a spokesperson for the Queens District Attorney's Office, Adesanya's case was called on Tuesday -- and he was issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD).

Per the spokesperson, that means if Adesanya keeps his nose clean for the next six months, he will no longer be facing criminal charges.

We broke the story, Adesanya was initially arrested back on Nov. 16 -- just four days after his loss to Alex Pereira -- after authorities say he went through security at JFK airport with metal knuckles.

He was ultimately issued a desk appearance ticket -- a written notice from a police officer -- and ordered to appear in court on Tuesday.

Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, told us at the time of the arrest that "Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities."

Lil Baby's birthday was technically on December 3, but the rapper isn't just limiting his celebrations to one day -- seemingly celebrating all month.

Baby's festivities took him to Houston Monday, where he partied with James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers after they lost to Harden's former squad, the Houston Rockets.

Bouncing back after an L in the club is very familiar territory for JH13 -- and he and Lil Baby switched courses for one of H-Town's illustrious strip clubs.

With Harden in tow, Baby rapped along to his "Danger" lyrics while previewing the insane stack of cash they set aside for the dancers, which undoubtedly had them throwing cash all night!!!

The evening is giving a serious case of déjà vu ... Baby got wild with James, Travis Scott, and Meek Mill for his birthday in March after losing by 29 points -- against another one of his former teams, the Brooklyn Nets.