TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lionel Messi is the G.O.A.T. on the pitch AND on social media -- the soccer superstar is now responsible for the most-liked Instagram post of all time!!!

The 35-year-old accomplished the feat by sharing pics of his World Cup celebration with Argentina to his 403 million followers shortly after securing the title ... captioning the post, "CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!!!! 🌎🏆"

The pic quickly became one of the most popular posts in the platform's history ... and just now, it officially dethroned the viral egg pic from 2019 (remember that?) at the top of the most-liked charts.

Messi's post currently has 62.6 MILLION likes ... while the egg has fallen behind at 56.9 million.

It seems like Messi fans aren't gonna let the egg take back the top spot any time soon ... considering they're in the comments taunting the once-popular post with pro-Leo statements.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan has had his fair share of battles inside and outside the ring ... but perhaps none scarier than when the WWE legend recently had to ward off an intruder at his South Carolina home.

68-year-old Duggan told the story in an interview with Wrestling Inc. ... saying someone broke into his SC home around 6:45 PM on Thursday, December 8.

Jim says he took the man, who was in his mid-20s, down to the ground, and then held the guy at gunpoint using a .44 caliber pistol.

Jim's wife, Debra, was also home at the time of the horrifying incident.

As if the guy breaking in wasn't scary enough, Jim and Debra heard other people in the neighborhood yelling, which made them fear more danger was on the way.

The intruder reportedly knocked on multiple doors seeking refuge from a separate legal matter ... before ultimately entering Duggan's house, through an unlocked front door, as a last resort.

"Thank God we didn't shoot him," the WWE Hall of Famer said, who declined to press charges on the intruder.

On Saturday, Jim -- who previously battled prostate cancer -- commended the Kershaw County Sherriff's Department in SC for responding and apprehending the intruder.

No, the San Francisco 49ers rookies were not stuck with a whopping $332,000 tab after a team dinner last week -- so says star defensive lineman Arik Armstead ... who insists the whole thing was just harmless fun.

The infamous "rookie dinner" has been a tradition in the NFL for years ... with players eating like kings for a night, and then either making it seem like the first-year pros will be left with the massive check ... or, in some cases, actually forcing them to cough up the dough.

A clip of the 49ers' most recent installment to the hazing went viral on Monday ... when 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson posted the wild totals after the fancy meal, showing all the young athletes in disbelief over the damage.

Of course, a closer look at the receipt reveals clear signs of it being fake ... with ridiculous upcharges, gratuity and fees attached to the tab, and only about $7,500 in actual food.

As the clip continued to spread on social media, Armstead went to Twitter to make sure everyone knew the vets aren't the worst teammates on the planet.

"Y’all silly if you thought a dinner can cost 300k," Arik said. "It was a prank. The waitress went overboard. The dinner was 7500 me and 2 other vets gave 1k towards it. The rooks split 4500."

"We had a great time too," he added. "I had good vets as a young player I would never do a rookie like that."

Sounds like Jackson and the rooks got off easy ... 'cause Chargers legend LaDainian Tomlinson told us back in 2018 he had to shell out $18k to feed his teammates when he first got into the league.

A triumphant return to Argentina on Tuesday nearly turned disastrous for Lionel Messi and a couple of his other star teammates ... who were all almost thrown off the roof of a bus by a low-hanging street wire.

The scary moment happened as Messi and the Argentinian national team were taking laps around Buenos Aires to celebrate their World Cup title over France.

Messi -- sitting beside Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi -- didn't see a power line coming his bus' way ... and it almost clocked him and his teammates right in the heads.

It actually ended up clipping Paredes -- who lost his hat in the collision -- but, thankfully, all of the guys were able to move out of the way ... and keep the World Cup party going.

The scene was WILD in Argentina as the guys made their way through Buenos Aires following the close call -- thousands of fans lined streets for the second day since the big win ... this time, with some climbing to the top of the city's Obelisco to cheer on the soccer team.

It was chaos around the guys' bus, too ... as everyone tried to get an up-close look at the new world champs.

Despite the scare earlier in the day and the pandemonium in the streets ... everyone made it back home OK -- including Messi, who took the World Cup trophy with him to bed.

"Buen día!" he said in his caption on the pic.

Wrestling star Mandy Rose is no longer getting a WWE check, but she sure as hell is still raking in the dough ... 'cause TMZ Sports is told the former NXT champ has made $500k off her sexy content in just one week!!

Mandy was fired Wednesday after posting racy pics on the subscription-based platform FanTime (similar to OnlyFans) ... something that's a big no-no for the WWE brand.

While the firing was controversial in the eyes of many, it's also done wonders for Rose's business on the platform ... with her agent, Malki Kawa, telling us the 32-year-old has earned a whopping $500,000 from her FanTime page since she got the ax.

In fact, Kawa predicts Rose will be the newest self-made millionaire by Christmas ... 6 days away.

Before Rose was fired, she competed for WWE on NXT's roster, where she had been the women's NXT champion for over 400 days.

Mandy dropped the title to Roxanne Perez on Tues, Dec. 13 -- and she was released by the company the next day.

Rose's content drew the ire of WWE, most likely because, in 2020, Vince McMahon, then-CEO and Chairman of the wrestling conglomerate, issued a letter to all wrestlers stating they must terminate using any third-party platforms where they use their name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to the company.

Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are putting their Hidden Hills estate on the market ... TMZ has learned, just 9 months after they bought it.

Real estate sources say Sly and JF listed the place Monday for $22.5 million ... they bought the house back in March for $18.2 million.

The home is 10,460 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms ... it comes with all the bells and whistles, including a pool, horse barn and stables, plus a riding arena.

The estate sits on 2.26 acres with beautiful mountain views ... and it also boasts a home theater, gym and chef's kitchen, plus a guest house and a pool house.

The master bedroom has a sitting area, private balcony and dual walk-in closets.

Oh and there's also a koi pond, vegetable garden and over 100 citrus and avocado trees on the expansive property.

TMZ broke the story, Sly sold his massive Beverly Hills estate to Adele for $58 million at the beginning of 2022 and then he and Jennifer bought the Hidden Hills home in March.

The family's primary residence is now in Palm Beach, FL, where they own a $35 million mansion ... we're told they're spending the majority of their time in Florida now, so that's why they've listed the home in L.A.

Awesome news ... Hawks announcer Bob Rathbun is making his return to the broadcast booth on Monday night -- just 14 days after he suffered a terrifying medical emergency live on-air.

The 68-year-old revealed on Monday he'll be back on the microphone for Atlanta's game against Orlando at State Farm Arena in ATL ... saying in a tweet that his impending return to work felt "great."

Of course, back on Dec. 5, many wondered if he'd be able to broadcast another game this season ... after he horrifyingly passed out while previewing the Hawks' game against the Thunder for Bally Sports with Dominique Wilkins.

While Wilkins was talking, Rathbun seemed to lose consciousness -- and began convulsing. Bally Sports officials said he was rushed to the hospital ... but, thankfully, testing revealed he was suffering from nothing more than a bout with dehydration.

Rathbun spent several nights in the hospital as a precaution, but was eventually released. He told The Athletic last week that he couldn't wait to get back and call Hawks games ... saying, "This ain’t work. This is the NBA. This is so much fun."

Tom Browning -- who played 12 seasons in the MLB -- died unexpectedly on Monday. He was 62 years old.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky says it received a call regarding a person not breathing in their home around 1 PM ... and upon arrival, officers found Browning unresponsive on the couch.

EMTs and responders attempted lifesaving measures for roughly 10 minutes before Browning was pronounced dead. Foul play is not suspected.

The lefty played most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds from 1984-94 ... before joining the Kansas City Royals in 1995.

He won a World Series with the Reds in 1990 ... securing a Game 3 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Browning -- whose career record is 123-90 with a 3.94 ERA -- also threw a perfect game in September 1988.

Hall of Famer, Barry Larkin shared his condolences just minutes ago ... saying, "RIP my friend Mr. Perfect Tom Browning."

"We shared some great times as well as the same birthdate 4/28. You will be missed."

'Cincy' also released a statement ... saying, "The entire Reds family is stunned and deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tom Browning."

"Affectionately referred to as 'Mr. Perfect,' Tom was a true Red who after his playing days made the Cincinnati area his home and remained heavily involved with the organization."

Willie McGinest beat the hell out of a man at an L.A. hotspot -- an attack that got him arrested Monday -- and shocking video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows him punching the guy in the face and later bashing him in the head with a bottle.

The wild altercation went down on Dec. 9 at Delilah in West Hollywood ... when the ex-NFL star and several of his apparent acquaintances could be seen in the footage unloading on a man who was sitting at a table at the popular lounge.

In the clip, you can see McGinest walking up to the guy and appearing to exchange words with him -- before landing a left hook straight to his face.

At least three other men could be seen in the video immediately jumping into the action -- landing a flurry of strikes on the man over and over again.

The punches rarely stopped for around 30 seconds -- despite bystanders' attempts to try to separate the men from each other.

At one point during the melee, McGinest appeared to pick up a bottle ... and then slam it into the man's head repeatedly. The 51-year-old former linebacker can be seen in the footage tossing it onto a nearby sofa, before finally walking away from the scene.

The man looked to be bloodied and bruised once the brawl stopped. He has yet to be publicly ID'd.

McGinest was arrested on Monday morning over the incident -- authorities said he was booked at 7:30 a.m. on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records show the New England Patriots legend's bail was set at $30,000.

According to police, McGinest posted bond and was released from custody at 9:46 AM.

McGinest is considered one of the greatest players in Patriots franchise history ... he played for the org. from 1994 to 2005 -- winning three Super Bowls. He was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2015.

McGinest has been working as a football analyst for the NFL Network in retirement. A spokesperson for the TV org. announced Monday that they're investigating the incident.

O.J. Simpson is once again denying age-old rumors that he slept with Kris Jenner and fathered Khloe Kardashian -- explaining the reason that can't be true ... she ain't his type.

The Juice addressed the speculation in an interview on the "Full Send Podcast," where he was asked about gossip that he and Kris may have had an affair going on way back in the day ... when O.J. and Robert Kardashian were still good friends and before the murder trial.

O.J. says there's no truth to the notion he hooked up with Kris, explaining he was never attracted to her ... and didn't think she was attracted to him. Not to mention, she was married to Bob at the time -- so there's that.

He also flatly denies being Khloe's dad ... despite years of people suggesting he could be. O.J. says he doesn't know anything about that, but does float the possibility of someone else perhaps being her dad ... making mention of a "cook" rumor he's heard.

In any case -- O.J.'s sticking to his story -- one he's told on camera before regarding this.

O.J. does make clear he had a good relationship with the Kardashians once upon a time -- and it sounds like he was even friendly with Kris post-acquittal -- telling a story about how KJ once allegedly begged him to play golf with Caitlyn Jenner when they first got together.

Bettor Marco Piemonte correctly picked the first 4 games in a 5 pick parlay -- with only a Raiders win standing between him and $2.88 MILLION

The game was surely going to overtime ... that's until Chandler Jones cashed that huge ticket with one of the greatest game-ending plays in NFL history!

Piemonte laid down $31K Saturday afternoon ... picking 5 games. Some outright winners, some with the spread. His picks went like this. Browns to win (beat Ravens). Dolphins +7 (lost by 3 to Bills). Jaguars +4 (beat Cowboys). Viking to win (beat Colts in greatest comeback ever). And, lastly ... the Las Vegas Raiders to win.

So, Piemonte -- known as "Million Dollar Marco" for 7-figure bets he's won in the past -- was a Raiders win from winning $2,880,263.52.

Of course, the game was tied at 24 all with 3 seconds remaining ... the Pats ran a draw, handing the ball to Rhamondre Stevenson, clearly content to take things to OT.

But, Stevenson, with no time left, pitched the ball to Jakobi Meyers, who inexplicably threw the ball across the field, where it was intercepted by Chandler Jones ... who ran over Mac Jones and scored the game-winning touchdown.

The only person happier than the Raiders players and coaches ... Marco Piemonte.

O.J. Simpson hopped behind a mic and gave a rare interview this week ... but there's one topic he won't touch after nearly 3 decades -- who killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.

The 75-year-old was a surprise guest on the Nelk Boys' "Full Send" podcast ... where he talked about his 9-year stint behind bars for armed robbery, his friendship with President Donald Trump, the Kardashians and a bunch of other subjects.

But, when the conversation turned to the 1994 slaying of his ex-wife and her friend, O.J.'s chatter came to a screeching halt.

"Right now, I'm not going to discuss any of that, all right?" O.J. said when asked whether he's pissed the "real" killer was never caught.

"I think that's a pretty obvious question. But, I'm not getting into that. I'm not going there."

O.J. was chill throughout the nearly 2-hour podcast -- laughing as he told stories -- but when the murders were brought up, his mood clearly changed.

The guys tried to ask one more follow-up ... but Simpson was adamant he wasn't going to speak on it.

"I'm not going there," he said as he shook his head.

As it turns out, the guys later explained O.J.'s people told them "10 times" not to bring up anything about the Brown/Goldman trial ... but let's be real, you HAVE to ask, right?!

The hosts admitted they were really nervous about breaking their promise ... and considering a civil court jury found O.J. liable for Nicole and Ron's deaths, it's pretty understandable.

O.J. has previously announced he wouldn't move back to L.A. out of fear of running into the "real" killer ... saying back in 2021 he had no idea who did it.

New England Patriots legend Willie McGinest has been arrested in Los Angeles, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ex-NFL star was booked at around 7:30 AM on Monday morning, jail records show. His bail has been set at $30,000.

It was not immediately clear what crimes he's been accused of.

McGinest, a first-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, played in the league for 15 years ... and is considered one of the greatest Patriots players ever.

He won three Super Bowls with the org. ... and made two Pro Bowls with the team as well. The linebacker was ultimately inducted into the franchise's Hall of Fame in 2015.

McGinest -- who found a second career following his retirement as an NFL analyst for various television networks -- finished his career following the 2008 season with 804 total tackles and 86 sacks.

"I was trying to be a hero, I guess."

That's Jakobi Meyers explaining his actions on the final play of the Patriots game Sunday -- that turned into one of the most shocking endings in NFL history.

ICYMI, the Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders were tied, three seconds away from overtime ... when New England decided to run a draw play instead of taking a knee.

Pats' RB Rhamondre Stevenson lateralled the ball to Meyers, who shockingly attempted to throw a long lateral back to Mac Jones ... but was intercepted by Raiders' Chandler Jones, who proceeded to run over Mac, on the way to a 48-yard game-winning touchdown.

After the game, Meyers -- who signed with Pats in 2019 -- did his best to explain his head-scratching move.

"Just trying to do too much," the 26-year-old said about his part in the final play, "Trying to be a hero, I guess."

"I ain't see dude back there, tried throwing the ball. Like I said, I just was doing too much. I should've went down with the ball.”

Meyers flatly said the lateral wasn't part of the plan (plan was to run the ball and get to OT) ... but he (believed he) saw Mac open.

"I didn't see Chandler Jones at the time," Meyers said.

"Thought [Mac Jones] was open, tried to give it to him and let him try and make a play with it. But the score was tied, so like I've said, I should’ve went down."

The WR says he'll learn from this costly mistake and do better from here on out.

FWIW, respect to Meyers for standing there and answering questions after the worst football moment of his career.

The Patriots are still in the playoff hunt -- thanks to some other bubble teams losing -- but the loss didn't help, and neither will the Cincinnati Bengals coming into town Saturday.

College basketball player Phil Urban -- a freshman forward at Post University -- was tragically shot and killed at a nature preserve in New Jersey on Saturday, officials said.

He was just 20 years old.

According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, police responded to the Hopewell Valley Nature Preserve in Hopewell Township at 7 PM on Saturday ... and found Urban "slumped over" in the driver's seat of a Mercedes on a trail.

Officials say Urban was taken to a local medical facility -- but was pronounced dead there from a gunshot wound.

Authorities say a preliminary investigation showed Urban appeared to have been attempting to meet someone at the preserve ... and "was shot at some point during the encounter."

No arrests have been made ... and a probe is ongoing.

Post Univ. president John Hopkins said in a statement that Urban "modeled the attributes of leadership, commitment and hard work on the court and in the classroom."

Hopkins added the school and its community are "heartbroken" over Urban's death.

Urban committed to play hoops at Post Univ. back in April. The school welcomed him at the time with a tweet ... writing, "We are excited about what Phil will add to our team both as a player and person. Welcome to the nest, Phil!"

The fan who caught Aaron Judge's historic 62nd home run ball has no regrets about rejecting a $3 million offer, despite it only raking in half that number at auction.

Cory Youmans, the Texas Rangers fan who caught the ball in Arlington, saw the ball sell for $1.5 million over the weekend at auction ... but Cory says he's at peace with how things played out.

"Congratulations to Joe! Given the historical significance of #62, it was important to me that the selling process was fair, accessible, and transparent," Youmans said Sunday in a statement.

"As this chapter comes to an end and I reflect on catching home run ball #62, I'll always remember the kindness of the fans around me on that exciting night in Arlington," Youmans said. "It was the epitome of how sports brings humans together, and I'll cherish that memory forever.”

Remember ... Youmans caught the ball on Oct. 4, and the Yankees initially tried to bargain with him to give it up, but Cory refused.

As expected, CY began receiving offers for the ball, culminating in a $3 million offer from a private buyer, which Youmans turned down, thinking he could make more if the ball went to auction.

Unfortunately for Youmans, that wasn't the case. As for the new owner, the auction says it was sold to a "prominent Midwestern businessman and collector," though the person wasn't identified.