TMZ Sports - Page 32

The football world is heartbroken over Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach's passing ... with Nick Saban, Kliff Kingsbury and more sharing their condolences.

The Alabama legend released a touching tribute on Tuesday ... saying, "Mike Leach was a friend, and we are deeply saddened by his unexpected passing."

"I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mike over the last several years. I never knew quite where our conversations were going, but they always made me smile."

Saban praised Leach as an offensive mastermind ... who was well-respected by his peers.

"His teams were well-coached and challenging to defend. They played with poise and toughness, which is a credit to his leadership."

Kingsbury -- who played under Leach at Texas Tech -- added, "There is no way I would be where I am today if not for Mike Leach and everything he taught me about the game. Truly one of the most innovative offensive minds in football, he was more than a coach."

"He was a mentor, a friend and one of the most special people l've ever met. My heart goes out to Sharon, the Leach family and everyone who who had the privilege of knowing and loving him."

"Our sport was better because of Mike Leach and is far less interesting without him."

Larsa Pippen is sticking to her story, insisting to Andy Cohen she and Michael Jordan's son are just friends ... even as he sat just a few feet away from her on Andy's show.

The reality star played coy to the max on Monday night on 'Watch What Happens Live' -- where Marcus Jordan was in the audience ... for moral support, we're sure. 😉

Of course, Andy tried to grill her, asking Larsa what her ex, NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, thinks about her dating his nemesis' son.

Larsa totally tried to downplay it, telling Andy she has no idea what Scottie thinks about it, and says they've never discussed Marcus.

While she understands why people might have questions -- their 17-year age gap and the fact Marcus was a kid when Scottie and MJ were Chicago Bulls teammates -- Larsa says their families were never tight.

As we've reported ... Marcus and Larsa have been hanging out in public since September, often showing PDA around Miami, and looking every bit like a couple. Hell, the guy even flew to NY with her for Andy's show!

The NBA's Most Valuable Player trophy just got a makeover ... and the league revealed they redesigned and renamed the award after the G.O.A.T. -- Michael Jordan!!

In fact, the NBA unveiled six newly designed trophies on Tuesday that will be awarded to the best players of the season.

The MVP trophy is now named after His Airness and is described as a bronze trophy that features "a player breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock — a crystal basketball."

The prize pays homage to Jordan's jersey number #23 and his 6 NBA titles ... as the trophy stands 23.6 inches tall, and weighs 23.6 pounds.

It also stands on a five-sided base -- a salute to MJ's 5 MVPs -- and has a 15-degree angle base which is a nod to his 15-year NBA career.

Mark Smith, retired VP of Innovation Special Projects at Nike, Inc., and Jordan Brand designer, worked with MJ for the new look ... saying he's honored to have created such a memorable piece.

"As we worked together on this project, it was very important to Michael that the figure not be a likeness of him, but instead that the recipient should be able to see himself in the award," Smith said.

"For Michael, naming the award in his honor was recognition enough.”

The other five trophies will be named after legends Jerry West, Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, and George Mikan.

The Clutch Player of the Year will be named after West, the Lakers legend who won the NBA Finals MVP back in 1969.

The Defensive Player of the Year will be renamed after 2-time DPOY and Rockets great Olajuwon, while the Rookie of the Year award is retitled after Chamberlin, who had a peerless rookie season in 1960.

Havlicek gets the honor of having his name on the Sixth Man of the Year trophy and Mikan -- known for his "Mikan Drill" layup and footwork -- will represent the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

College football coaching legend Mike Leach has died.

Mississippi State confirmed its head coach passed away on Monday night -- just one day after he was rushed to a hospital in Jackson, Miss. after suffering a "personal health issue at his home."

The school said his death was due to "complications from a heart condition." No further details were released.

He was 61 years old.

"Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather," the Leach family said in a statement. "He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity."

"We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."

Leach initially began his college coaching career in 1987 ... and eventually landed his first D1 head coaching role over a decade later when he became the head man at Texas Tech in 2000.

Leach famously implemented a pass-heavy offense that was later dubbed the "Air Raid," which many college coaches now run at schools to this day.

Following 10 seasons at Texas Tech -- where he compiled an 84-43 record -- Leach signed on to coach Washington State in 2012. He spent eight seasons there ... before moving to Mississippi State in 2020.

Nicknamed The Pirate, Leach gained national fame and fans for his dry sense of humor and quirky responses at media events.

Mississippi State University president Mark E. Keenum mourned the loss on Tuesday morning ... writing in a statement, "Mike's keen intellect and unvarnished candor made him one of the nation's true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football. I will miss Mike's profound curiosity, his honesty, and his wide-open approach to pursuing excellence in all things."

In his 21 years as a head coach, Leach compiled a record of 158-107 ... and won eight bowl games.

Robert Griffin III says he's sorry for using an anti-Black slur on the "Monday Night Football" pregame show ... insisting he simply misspoke.

RGIII was breaking down the Eagles' big win over the Giants for ESPN in the lead-up to the network's broadcast of the Cardinals vs. Patriots game on Monday night ... when he tried to heap praise on Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts.

"People said that Jalen Hurts couldn't get it done," the former Washington Commanders star said. "He could not break from the pocket. He's not the quarterback of the future. I think he proved all those j******** wrong."

The use of the word -- which has historically been used to disparage Black people -- was immediately panned on social media ... and hours after he muttered it, Griffin III issued an apology for it.

"Yooooo, Definitely need to clarify this," the former quarterback said. "THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY."

The 32-year-old then explained he was trying to use the term "Bug-A-Boos."

"Regardless of my intention," he said, "I understand the historical context of the term that came out of my mouth and I apologize."

The price tag to keep Aaron Judge in pinstripes was expensive ... but according to CC Sabathia, the outfielder was worth every penny of the $360 MILLION deal!

Judge finally decided to re-sign with the Yankees last week -- opting to stay with his original team instead of going to either San Francisco or San Diego -- and the move certainly didn't come cheap for NY.

The Yanks agreed to pay him $40 million per season for the next NINE years -- a massive contract for a 30-year-old.

But, when we got Sabathia with his wife, Amber, out at their PitCCh In Foundation charity event in New Jersey on Monday, the ex-Yankees star made it clear -- his old team didn't get fleeced in the pact.

"I think he got paid the perfect amount," CC said of Judge.

Of course, CC might be biased -- he was a teammate of Judge's for four years in the Bronx -- but a lot of people would agree nonetheless. Judge is coming off one of the greatest MLB seasons ever ... where he hit an AL record 62 home runs, batted .311, and won his first-ever MVP award.

As for what the Yankees have to do next this offseason ... Sabathia says they don't need to get Carlos Rodón to consider things a success -- given the way the Judge situation all unfolded.

"The biggest signing was to get Aaron Judge," he said. "And they got that accomplished. So, everything after that is just icing on the cake."

By the way, Sabathia's event Monday was super cool -- he and Amber helped 300-plus kids have an awesome holiday party at Space Events in Englewood ... that featured video games, bowling, dancing and more.

Ben Simmons has found himself in the middle of Tory Lanez's high-profile assault case -- and now, the Nets superstar is defending himself after he was accused of messing around with Megan Thee Stallion.

On Monday, the defense gave their opening statement in Lanez's trial -- where he's accused of shooting Meg in L.A. in 2020 following an argument. While addressing the jurors, Tory's attorney suggested it could've been Meg's friend, Kelsey Harris, who fired the shots, after the women were feuding.

Enter Simmons.

The defense claims Meg had a history of hooking up with men Kelsey's been with ... and accused her of doing just that with the NBA star, which they say caused a huge argument between the women.

But 26-year-old Simmons was quick to shut it down ... posting a viral video on his Instagram story of Rick Ross yelling, "Accusations. These are false accusations," during a segment with Swerve in Our Glory when the Florida rapper visited AEW Dynamite.

Ben didn't name Meg, Tory, or Kelsey in the post, but, c'mon.

It's only day 1 of the trial, but it's evident the defense's strategy is to convince the jurors that it was Kelsey who fired the gun, not Tory.

Even though the trial just started, it's a critical piece of information. If the defense can create reasonable doubt that Kelsey, and not Tory, fired the shots ... he'll be found not guilty.

Longhorns men's basketball head coach Chris Beard is in jail in Texas ... after officials say he committed an assault on one of his family/household members.

According to jail records, Beard was booked in Travis County, Texas on Monday at 2:18 AM ... on a charge of felony "assault on family/household member impede breath circulation."

A spokesperson for the Austin Police Dept. said officers were called to a residence in Austin "for a disturbance" at 12:15 AM -- and Beard was arrested a short time later. No further details surrounding the allegations have been released.

49-year-old Beard is in his second season at UT -- in 2021, he led the Longhorns to a 22-12 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. This year, he got the team off to a 7-1 start.

The Longhorns last played on Saturday night, beating Arkansas - Pine Bluff, 88-43. Their next game is scheduled for Monday night against Rice. The school said in a statement Monday morning, "The University is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process."

David Rudisha, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the best middle-distance runners in the world, survived a horrifying plane crash -- and is grateful to be alive.

Rudisha, a native of Kenya, told the Nation newspaper his plane took off after he attended the annual Maasai Olympics event at the wildlife sanctuary in Kajiado South-East Kenya when disaster struck.

DR told the outlet about seven or eight minutes into the flight the engine malfunctioned, resulting in the plane going down in the Imbirkiana area in Kajiado.

"It was a scary episode where you hold your heart in your hand as you pray to God," Rudisha said. "The pilot did an incredible job to keep the plane afloat and stable for long."

Rudisha was on board with five other people at the time of the crash. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, and they were all evacuated to Makindu Hospital for treatment.

"We thank God we all came out alive with some soft tissue injuries that were treated before all were discharged save for one," said Rudisha.

Unfortunately for Rudisha (or maybe fortunately), this isn't the first time the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics 800m champion almost lost his life in a serious accident.

In 2019, the two-time Olympic champ's SUV crashed into a bus in a Kenyan village. Luckily, David escaped the crash with minor injuries.

Curren$y's hometown New Orleans Pelicans are on a hot streak, winning their last 7 games -- so, now he's getting in on the celebration ... in a very personal way.

The NOLA rapper was on hand for the Pels' overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, and afterward MVP candidate Zion Williamson -- who scored a season-high 35 points -- gifted the veteran lyricist his worn jersey!!!

Curren$y's other homie, Chris Paul, sent the game into overtime with a tying bucket, but the Western Conference-leading Pels prevailed, and Spitta thinks their last 2 wins -- both against the Suns -- have done wonders for the city.

An appreciative Curren$y said the postgame gift meant "the world" to him -- and he's been a proponent of the Pels' uplifting the community for some time.

We last spoke to Curren$y during the Pels' playoff run last season when it was cut short -- ironically by Chris Paul and the Suns -- where he predicted the experience would not only help the team but boost ticket sales, which in turn, boots camaraderie throughout the city.

Soccer reporter Grant Wahl's body was repatriated to United States soil on Monday ... two days after his shocking death at the World Cup in Qatar.

Department of State spokesperson Ned Price confirmed the news during press briefings just now ... saying U.S. ambassador Timmy Davis has been in constant communication with Wahl's family, and the embassy has been working nonstop to help fulfill their wishes in the days following the journalist's passing.

Price said an embassy consular officer accompanied Wahl's body and possessions to the U.S.

Officials told the AP Wahl's body was taken to JFK airport in New York.

As we previously reported, 49-year-old Wahl died after collapsing in the press box while attending the Argentina vs. the Netherlands match on Friday.

Emergency responders treated Wahl at the stadium for nearly 30 minutes before rushing him to a nearby hospital.

Wahl stated earlier in the week he was battling a bad case of bronchitis ... referring to his cough as a "death rattle."

Wahl's brother, Eric, posted an emotional video to Instagram after his passing ... claiming he believed foul play was involved due to Grant wearing a pro-LGBTQ+ shirt to the U.S. national team's first match last month.

"I do not believe my brother just died," Eric said on Friday. "I believe he was killed."

Wahl was briefly detained prior to the contest ... claiming security told him his shirt was "not allowed."

A Tennessee State University staffer was arrested earlier this month ... after she allegedly rammed her vehicle into a Tigers player's car in a fit of jealous rage.

According to court records, Devon Starling -- a TSU junior running back -- called police at 2:30 AM on Dec. 3 in Davidson County, TN after he said he saw his "ex-'fling'" Ariel Escobar, the Tigers' director of football operations and on-campus recruiting, in her car outside of his apartment as he was arriving home with his girlfriend.

The football player -- who logged 540 rushing yards and 2 total touchdowns this season -- claims he told Escobar to leave, but she refused. Police said in the documents that Starling then proceeded to drive around with his girlfriend while waiting for the cops to arrive.

According to the docs, Starling said that after pulling into a parking lot, Escobar followed him ... and then blocked him into a spot. The Tigers tailback alleged she then rammed her vehicle into his car while he and his girlfriend were still in it.

In the docs, Starling said Escobar actually backed up and hit his car a second time ... before pulling off. He claimed his car had minor damage.

According to the docs, Escobar later showed back up at his apartment ... where she was arrested. Police say she told them she did block them in with her car and said she wanted Starling to confess to his girlfriend that he had "had a sexual relationship" with her the day before.

Cops say the 22-year-old also admitted to throwing ketchup and scratching Starling's apartment door as well.

Court records show Escobar has been charged with 2 felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon ... and one count of misdemeanor vandalism. She's scheduled to appear in court in January.

Escobar is in her 2nd year as TSU's director of football operations and on-campus recruiting. We've reached out to the school for an update on her status with the program, but so far, no word back yet.

Ex-MLB pitcher T.J. House is introducing the world to his authentic self ... coming out as gay and announcing his engagement to his boyfriend.

The 33-year-old former Cleveland and Toronto southpaw shared the news in a lengthy post on social media ... saying, "I've struggled my entire life with being comfortable in my own skin."

"I have purposefully distanced myself from people for the sake of trying to protect myself. It's disheartening how one simple thing can change an individual's opinion of you in a matter of seconds. It has taken me years to wake up every morning and tell myself that you are loved for you, the one that's deep down inside that you've never truly let out."

House said he was always adored for being a pro athlete ... but the admiration he was receiving felt like a bandage covering a wound as he hid his identity.

"Deep down I wanted something more, I wanted to be loved not for what I did, but who I was."

"Shame has kept me quiet all these years," he added. "But Love has finally set me free."

House joins Billy Bean and Glenn Burke as the only openly gay former MLB players.

Following the passing of the Respect For Marriage Act, House decided to no longer live in secrecy ... starting with announcing his engagement to boyfriend Ryan Neitzel.

LeBron James' family has yet another reason to celebrate today ... The King's youngest son, Bryce, has followed in Dad's footsteps -- and signed on with Klutch Sports.

The agency announced Monday it's inked the young James to an NIL deal ... welcoming the 15-year-old rising Sierra Canyon hoops star with a social media post.

Of course, LeBron's longtime friend Rich Paul founded the org. in 2012 after leaving Creative Artists Agency (CAA) ... and has inked some of the biggest deals in the NBA over the last few years.

In addition to LBJ, stars like Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons, Trae Young and Anthony Edwards are all Klutch clients.

It's unclear what dollar figure Bryce is now expected to make with the org. ... but, safe to say it'll be a whole lot more than just gas money.

Bryce is now the second James kid to get his feet wet in the NIL game ... his brother, Bronny, signed a deal with Beats by Dre and Nike in October.

Jared Gordon is admittedly "really bitter" over the controversial loss to Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett saying everyone knows he won -- even fans of Pimblett -- and he wants a rematch!

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Gordon the morning after his heartbreaking, unanimous decision loss to 27-year-old Pimblett -- an outcome that shocked many fans, fighters, and journalists -- and asked how he was feeling.

"I'm obviously upset. I've been in some dark places before, this hasn't reached the level I've been to before but I'm still really bitter, but I believe my stock went up more than it could've if I won say a boring fight. I know everyone knows I won. I know I won."

Gordon continued ... "The UFC staff, major players from the UFC staff, all the fighters. All the fighters. All the of the MMA jouranlist. All of Twitter. The Paddy fans. All the Scousers messaging me, 'Hey I'm from Liverpool. I'm a Paddy fan, but you won. You got a new fan in me.'"

As for what's next ... Gordon wants to run it back.

"I would love a rematch. I'll go to London to fight him, I don't care," Gordon said.

There's actually a card coming up at O2 in March ... UFC 286. Jared says he's 100% down to fight.

"I think it makes sense. I think it'd be great. When I win then I'll be 2-0. But on paper, 1-1. Then we'll have a trilogy and we'll really see what he's about."

The fight was officially scored 29-28 by all three cageside judges (all scored it 2 rounds to 1, for Pimblett).

But, almost all media members who scored the fight -- except one -- picked Gordon as the winner. Many had the fight 3 rounds to zero for Jared.

We also talked to Jared about the actual fight.

"I had him running around the cage. Backing him up. His punches were grazing ... I have a couple of bruises, but his punches were just landing on my hands and arms. I was landing the bigger shots. I got three takedowns. I had 6.5 minutes of control time. He had 30 seconds of control time. I stuffed his shots. I reversed his takedowns. I just don't how, in what world we're living in that he won."

We asked Gordon if he had a message for Pimblett.

Chad Johnson is a master in footwork, but his skills certainly don't translate to sandboarding ... 'cause the ex-Bengals star tried out the sport -- and straight-up busted his ass!!

The former NFL wideout is in Qatar covering the World Cup for FOX ... and during a bit of downtime between games, he decided to hit the dunes for a boarding lesson.

The tutorial seemed to go pretty well at first ... but disaster struck as Ochocinco gained momentum going down the hill.

Check out the video -- Chad loses his balance as his speed increases ... and inevitably, it resulted in eating sand.

All appears to be well, though ... and luckily for Johnson, he was able to avoid any serious injury.

Ex-NFL star Fred Taylor commented on Chad's post ... writing, "😂😂😂😂 OH NOOOO OCHO."

Chad, 44, spent 11 seasons in the NFL ... routinely torching defensive backs with his nifty route-running abilities ... but he quickly learned that sandboarding ain't football.

Maybe next time, hit up Tony Hawk first?!? Although, that didn't really help Mike Tyson, either.