TMZ Sports - Page 24

Chris Beard's fiancée, Randi Trew, says the Texas Longhorns men's basketball head coach did not strangle her ... walking back the initial comments she made to law enforcement nearly two weeks ago that led to Chris' arrest.

Trew released a statement on Friday ... saying, "Chris and I are deeply saddened that we have brought negative attention upon our family, friends, and the University of Texas, among others. As Chris’ fiancée and biggest supporter, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event."

She continued ... "I realize that my frustration when breaking his glasses initiated a physical struggle between Chris and myself. Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening."

As we previously reported, Chris, 49, was arrested in Texas after law enforcement officials charged him with a felony -- assault on a member of a family or household by impeding breath circulation.

According to court documents, Trew alleged that she and Beard had been upset at each other for a few days and were having "relationship issues" -- and claimed things finally reached a boiling point with Chris slapping reading glasses off her face and choking her with his arm.

Police said in the docs they observed visible teeth marks and redness on Randi's right forearm and an abrasion on her right eyebrow and leg. They also noted a cut to her left thumb.

"Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that,” Trew’s statement continued. “I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time."

Beard posted a $10,000 bond and was released from custody.

Adidas cutting ties with Kanye West has turned out to be a major gamble, because it has over half a billion dollars worth of the guy's shoes to sell, without his name anymore.

We already knew Adidas was planning to move forward with selling unbranded Yeezys post-split, but now ... we have a bit more insight into why. According to the Financial Times, insiders at the sneaker company claim Adidas is sitting on a huge mountain of Yeezys.

Per the report, the inventory the company has amounts to about $530 million ... and Adidas is apparently eager to hawk them to avoid taking an even bigger hit than what it's publicly disclosed thus far -- which was already looking quite grim for end-of-year numbers.

On top of the staggering amount of shoes it has to move -- which Adidas is reportedly scrambling to figure out how to do it -- the FT story goes into some detail about how deeply tied it was to Yeezys and to what extent Adidas was hinging its success on it.

In 2022 alone, Yeezys made Adidas upwards of $1.8 billion ... and made up around 7% of its total profits. The report also says Yeezy has stayed strong as a constant product in the Adidas wheelhouse since at least 2019, which might explain why Adidas took so long to finally cut ties with Kanye -- the dude (and his shoe brand) was literally its cash cow.

Adidas has reportedly already set a date for its first unofficial Yeezy release ... the company is calling it the Adidas 350 V2 “Granite," and it's supposed to retail for $230 -- dropping in January.

There's been a lot of debate online over whether people should (or will) buy what Adidas is trying to sell now ... but this report makes it clear -- it's banking on sneakerheads continuing to cop, because if they don't ... it could mean trouble for the shoe company.

Several New York Giants players and the team's announcer were inside the Mall of America Friday night when a 19-year-old man was shot and killed -- forcing the mall into lockdown -- just hours before the team was scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.

Thankfully, all Giants team personnel are safe.

The Giants are staying across the street from the famous mall ... and a group of players headed over to do some shopping Friday night.

According to Bloomington police, there was an altercation between two groups of men before gunfire erupted around 7:50 PM in Nordstrom. The teenage victim was hit multiple times and did not survive.

Following the shooting, the gigantic mall, busy with last-minute Christmas shoppers, was placed on lockdown.

"Everyone is back in the hotel and accounted for now," Giants PR man Pat Hanlon told the AP.

The identity of the players who were at the mall isn't known. It's also unclear how many Giants were on the premises when the shooting happened.

Bob Papa, longtime Giants radio announcer, was also at MoA Friday night.

Papa tweeted, "Scary here [at Mall of America]. Shooting in mall. On lockdown at #TwinCitiesGrill. Two gunmen at least one victim," before sending out an update about an hour later where Bob reassured his followers he was safely out of the mall.

Police have not yet made any arrests.

Suck it trolls ... you're just jealous!!!

During a stoppage at the Sixers/Clippers game Friday, there was a show where fans dressed in onesies. One of the folks on the hardwood was masked in a blue dog head.

The guy -- Chris Girard -- then revealed himself, got down on one knee and asked one of the 76er dancers -- Jackie Murtha -- to marry him!

At first it was unclear if she even knew the guy, but judging by the kiss ... she did. Turns out it's his GF and she said yes.

Now that's where the shade comes in. As they embraced folks started scoffing, saying she was way out of his league. Social media was predictable ... "You know this gorgeous lady is not gonna marry that dork, but at least she didn't embarrass him," and "Make-A-Wish doing adults now?"

Girard clapped back at his trolls ... “DEAR COMMENT SECTION: I KNOW SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. I AM JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE.”

Jimmy Garoppolo likely wouldn't get his job back in the playoffs if Steve Mariucci was in charge of the Niners ... the ex-head coach tells TMZ Sports he'd stay with Brock Purdy in the postseason in order to "ride the hot hand."

Garoppolo broke his foot back on Dec. 4 -- but with a recovery timetable of 7-8 weeks ... there's a chance he could be ready in time for the NFC Championship Game, or even the Super Bowl.

Mooch, though, said out at LAX last week that if SF gets that far -- and Purdy is still playing well -- he'd keep Jimmy G on the bench.

"If Brock Purdy keeps playing like he's playing right now -- which is unbelievable -- I don't know that you change that," said Mariucci, who was the Niners' head coach from 1997-2002.

"If he's got the hot hand going in, I'd probably be more inclined just to stay with the hot hand."

Purdy has been dominant in his 2-plus games as Garoppolo's fill-in, logging 612 passing yards, 6 passing TDs and a single INT since taking over for Jimmy G.

Nyheim Hines is ready to be both Josh Allen AND Santa's helper this Saturday ... the Bills running back just copped some awesome cleats for Buffalo's Christmas Eve game -- that are elf-themed!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the tailback -- who was traded to the Bills in November -- wanted a Xmas design on his feet to celebrate the holiday during the pregame of Buffalo's tilt with Chicago. So, he hit up his main cleat artist Rodney Jackson for the hookup ... and, as always, the guy delivered.

Jackson customized a pair of Adidas spikes for the 26-year-old ... wrapping the kicks in green velvet material -- just like Santa's elves. The shoes also feature red trimming all over -- plus jingle bells.

The design was all Jackson's idea ... and we're told it only took about two hours to put together, despite a need to finesse the curvy toes.

"I cut elf slippers and added a lil' more stuffing [to the cleats], glued it, sewed it, and added new bells to it," Jackson said.

Of course, this won't be the first Xmas weekend game Hines has been swagged out for ... last year, when he was an Indianapolis Colt, he wore Jackson-made furry Grinch pre-game cleats.

Tory Lanez is guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot back in 2020 ... a jury has decided.

The verdict came in Friday, just before the holiday -- where a group of L.A. jurors found the Canadian rapper guilty of all three charges against him -- felony negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.

After the verdict was read, several members of Tory's family -- including his dad and stepmom -- shouted, "This system stands before God!" and calling the court system evil. Deputies surrounded his family members and escorted them out of the courtroom.

Tory was filmed entering court before the verdict was read, telling cameras his spirits were high.

Tory now faces more than 22 years in prison, which will be determined during sentencing on January 27. Sources connected to the case tell us Tory's lawyers were in touch with immigration officials -- before the guilty verdict -- and we're told they've been informed there's a strong likelihood he will be forced to leave the country.

This marks the conclusion of a wild 2 weeks in court, which saw a handful of witnesses take the stand to recount what they say happened on that fateful night. Megan herself obviously testified, squarely pointing the finger at Tory as the shooter.

She said she saw Tory with the gun, explaining she remembers him firing at her from his Cadillac Escalade ... and claims he shouted, "Dance, bitch!" MTS also testified that Tory offered her $1 million to keep quiet.

Meg was called out by the defense for several items, including the fact she initially wasn't forthright about having an intimate relationship with Tory Lanez, and that she'd initially lied to police about how her feet had gotten injured.

The defense also tried to target Meg's ex-BFF, Kelsey, as the shooter ... and the reason she might've shot her was because of alleged creeping behind her back with guys like Ben Simmons, DaBaby and Tory himself -- a revelation that apparently sparked a major argument among all 3 of them in the car.

What exactly happened in the car was a major source of contention during the trial. While Megan had one version of events -- Kelsey seemed to have a different story ... albeit, with a very spotty memory on the stand that created stop-and-go recounting under oath.

What she did definitively testify to on the stand ... she wasn't the one who shot Megan ... but she wasn't willing to go as far as to say Tory did.

But, remember ... prosecutors were eventually able to get the green light to play a prior interview she'd given investigators in September -- and in that recording, she said Tory did actually shoot Meg.

Other witnesses took the stand too, but none of them were as consequential as Megan and Kelsey -- including the guy who supposedly saw the two women fighting from his balcony. Ultimately, he wasn't very definitive about who he says he saw fire the gun.

The physical evidence in the case wasn't that strong -- there was gun residue found on both Kelsey and Tory ... and inconclusive DNA evidence on the gun itself. Tory never took the stand, and neither did his driver that night ... Jaquan Smith. Aside from cops and a witness to the Kylie Jenner party that preceded all this -- it really boiled down to Kelsey and Meg.

In the end, the jury obviously sided with prosecutors. As for the court of public opinion ... the jury is still very much out. People certainly took sides on social media -- and on traditional media too -- but now ... it's unclear if their allegiances will change.

Miles Austin, the former Dallas Cowboys superstar and current wide receivers coach for the NY Jets, has been suspended by the NFL for violating its gambling policy ... the league announced Friday.

Austin's agent, however, said in a statement following the news that the 38-year-old is appealing the punishment ... saying Austin wagered "from a legal mobile account on table games and non-NFL professional sports."

"Miles did not wager on any NFL game in violation of the Gamblign Policy for NFL Personnel," Austin's attorney added.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter ... Austin's ban will be "for a minimum of a year" if it's ultimately upheld.

Miles -- a two-time Pro Bowler who spent 10 seasons in the NFL -- got into coaching and scouting following the conclusion of his playing days ... first latching on as an intern with the Cowboys in 2017.

He later went on to become a 49ers quality control coach in 2019 ... before eventually landing the gig with the Jets in 2021.

A cocaine scandal that rocked the foundation of ESPN five years ago ultimately led to a HUGE windfall for the UFC ... this according to Dana White.

The boss of the fighting org. spelled out the wild tale in an interview with Grant Cardone this month ... insisting it was all "a true story."

White explained that back in 2017, the UFC's deal with Fox was running out ... and when they had initially turned to ESPN about consummating a new pact -- the org. wasn't interested.

"You ever hear of John Skipper?" White asked Cardone during the sit-down chat. "John Skipper ran ESPN. Now, I think he runs DAZN. Runs ESPN, beloved, looks like the squarest dude on the planet."

"Older guy," White continued. "Hates UFC. Hates it. Hates UFC. Big soccer guy. For whatever reason, different people like different things. And I'm not s***ing on John Skipper. But this is a fact, this happened and this is a true story."

White says Skipper essentially blocked talks on a deal from ever going through ... but suddenly, out of nowhere, the ESPN prez announced his resignation.

At the time, Skipper said it was due to a struggle with "a substance addiction." He later revealed in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he had been a user of cocaine, and that "someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me."

"They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well," Skipper said. "I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign."

White said that decision paved the way for a massive ESPN-UFC agreement ... that's now taken his company to new heights.

"John Skipper's cocaine dealer is gonna rat him out," White said. "So he has to tell Disney 'My cocaine dealer is gonna go public' or whatever, so he has to step down from ESPN, right at the time we're trying to make a new TV deal."

"Who do they put in as the new president?" White continued. "Jimmy Pitaro, who ran Yahoo! Sports for years. I've known him a long time. He's a great dude, and he loves the UFC. Now you got him, you got a guy named Kevin Mayer, who is really close to [Endeavor CEO] Ari [Emanuel], and we ended up doing the ESPN deal when our deal was up."

ESPN and UFC ended up agreeing to a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal.

Dallas Cowboys rookie Sam Williams is clearly very fortunate to have walked away from Thursday's car crash unscathed ... because new video from the accident's aftermath shows his Corvette was severely mangled in the collision.

Williams was involved in the wreck at around 2:15 PM in Plano, Texas, according to cops, after his black sportscar struck another vehicle that had attempted to turn in front of oncoming traffic.

Video obtained by FOX 4 shortly after the crash shows Williams' ride was hit so hard, it completely lost its front wheel. It also had significant damage to both its front and rear driver's side fenders.

Somehow, however, Williams was not seriously injured in the accident. Cops say he and the driver of the other car were transported to the hospital, though it was solely "for precautionary reasons."

Williams told Cowboys nation in a tweet on Thursday night he was "okay" and "so is the other person that was involved." He added prayer and heart emojis.

Cops say they're still investigating the accident, but do not suspect alcohol or drugs were involved.

As for his availability in Saturday's key game against the Eagles, the Cowboys have not yet ruled the pass-rusher out for the contest.

Trevor Bauer -- who was suspended 324 games after he was accused of sexual assault -- had his punishment reduced to 194 games on Thursday, the league announced.

Independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman ruled the Dodgers pitcher, who served 144 games of his suspension, will be reinstated immediately. Bauer will not have to miss any additional time, as his placement on the league's restricted list in the 2021 season will count toward the overall punishment.

"While we believe a longer suspension was warranted, MLB will abide by the neutral arbitrator's decision, which upholds baseball's longest-ever active player suspension for sexual assault or domestic violence," the league wrote in a statement Thursday.

"We understand this process was difficult for the witnesses involved and we thank them for their participation. Due to the collectively bargained confidentiality provisions of the joint program, we are unable to provide further details at this time."

The Dodgers -- who signed the 31-year-old pitcher in February 2021 -- will have 14 days to decide if they wish to reinstate the ace to their 40-man roster.

As we previously reported, Bauer was suspended for 2 years without pay after Major League Baseball concluded that the Dodgers' star pitcher violated the league's joint domestic violence policy.

Bauer was accused of punching and choking a woman unconscious ... with the accuser claiming she sustained bumps, bruises, scratches and other injuries. He also faced allegations made by other women.

The Cy Young winner, however, has maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal ... denying any wrongdoing.

Trevor is still under contract with the Dodgers for at least one more season.

Story developing ...

Barack Obama is staying warm while most of the country is dealing with extreme weather .... hitting up a golf course in Hawaii ahead of the holidays.

The former prez was spotted getting in a Round of Golf in Hawaii on Thursday ... sporting a pink shirt, white shorts and a pair of sunnies.

Barack appeared to be with pals, but still had his game face on ... as he set up his swing. Unclear if the whole family is in Hawaii, but they're certainly known to spend time there.

You'll recall, Barack and Michelle Obama had a mansion built on the island of Oahu back in 2015 after dropping $8.7M on the property ... but it came with some pushback from environmentalists over a seawall.

The Obamas seem to be enjoying the place they can now call home ... and it very well could be where they plan to spend their retirement years.

Ex-NFL star Willie McGinest is sharing his deep regret for attacking a man at a restaurant earlier this month ... saying the incident never should have happened.

"First and foremost, I want to offer my deepest apology for my lapse in judgment and behavior on December 9 at a restaurant in West Hollywood," the New England Patriots legend said. "To my family, community, friends, and youth I mentor, please know I feel horrible for my actions and take full responsibility."

51-year-old McGinest was involved in an altercation at Delilah ... with video, obtained by TMZ Sports, showing he not only punched a man -- but bashed him in the head with a bottle as well.

The former football player, who was inducted into the Pats Hall of Fame in 2015, turned himself in to cops on Monday over it all, and was booked for assault with a deadly weapon. He eventually posted bond ... and was released.

McGinest -- who also serves as an analyst for NFL Network -- was later suspended from his TV gig following the incident.

"To my colleagues at the NFL Network and those I work closely with as an advisor to professional and community-base organizations, please know I am embarrassed and regret what occurred," McGinest added.

"Most of all, I am disappointed in myself, as I know this is an isolated incident and is not reflective of my faith, role as a father, life's body of work, or the role model I've worked hard to become. It is personally devastating that decades of community service, youth engagement, mentoring, and professional development would become an afterthought in a single moment that should have never happened."

"This incident has prompted me to deep self-reflection -- mind, soul, and spirit. I know that violence is never the answer to such situations, no matter how intense the provocation. Rest assured, I will take whatever steps necessary to restore the public trust, mend damaged relationships, and ensure this never happens again."

WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long says he wants to see Vince McMahon make a comeback to his former company ... admitting he has no clue why the former chairman and CEO resigned in the first place.

Long made his opinion on his ex-boss very clear in an interview on the "Sportskeeda Wrestling" podcast ...  saying he disagrees with the 77-year-old's decision to step away for good even as he faced allegations of paying multiple women "hush money" not to discuss their relationships with him.

"I don’t see where there was any reason for him to step down or go away," Long said. "I mean, that’s just my opinion because I don’t know the circumstances or all the facts about what's been going on. But I just didn’t see any reason for him to step away, and if he wants to come back, let him come back."

"He’s done this his whole entire life, and to be away, I would imagine that takes a lot from him not being able to involve himself into what he’s been involved in all his life," he added.

Of course, Long, a former professional referee and wrestling manager, is best known for his time in WWE ... where he spent nearly two decades working for and alongside Vince.

McMahon, who helped grow the WWE into the wrestling conglomerate that it is today, announced his resignation from the company in July. He previously stepped down from his executive roles while WWE's Board of Directors investigated the troubling claims made against him.

Vince's retirement sent shockwaves throughout the sports entertainment world ... but the company has continued to push forward in his absence under the guidance of his daughter, Stephanie McMahon, and her husband, Triple H, WWE's Chief Content Officer.

The bottom line ... Long wants to see Vince back in the WWE.

Zach Wilson and the New York Jets were a mess during Thursday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars ... and the quarterback says the fans in attendance had every right to be pissed -- admitting "we don't blame them" for booing.

The 2021 #2 overall pick was the center of criticism throughout the 19-3 defeat ... and after going just 9-18 for 92 yards and an INT, he addressed the fans in the crowd who voiced their displeasure from the stands.

"We don't blame them. We have a very passionate fanbase and they're here to watch us score touchdowns and we're not scoring touchdowns."

"We're not getting first downs, we're not moving the ball. We obviously can't throw the ball. So, of course they're going to be frustrated."

Wilson's bad outing might be the last straw for the Jets ... as he was benched for former CFL signal-caller Chris Streveler in the middle of the game.

In fact, former Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick thinks Wilson's time in the Big Apple is over ... saying on the Prime broadcast the former BYU star has officially lost the locker room.

A local Iowa news broadcaster was EXTREMELY bent out of shape over his assignment -- covering the blizzard -- and he let his bosses know on live TV -- and it's hilarious.

KWWL reporter Mark Woodley was dispatched onto the snow-covered streets in Waterloo, IA, during Thursday's hours-long morning show. Right from the get-go, Woodley had a 'tude, snarkily delivering a weather report about the sub-zero temps.

He kicked things off this way ..."I normally do sports, uh, everything is canceled here for the next couple of days so what better time to ask the sports guy to come in about five hours earlier than he would normally wake up and go stand out in the wind and the snow and the cold and tell other people not to do the same."

It gets funnier ... Woodley joked that a co-worker named Clint cut a better deal because he's allowed to stay warm in the Storm Chaser vehicle. "I feel like Clint got the better end of that deal. That thing's heated. The outdoors currently is not heated."

Woodley also cracked this doozy ... "This is a really long show. Tune in for the next couple hours to watch me progressively get crankier and crankier."

He wasn't done yet ... "I've got good news and I've got bad news. The good news is that I can still feel my face. The bad news is I kind of wish I couldn't."

Hours later, Woodley couldn't take it anymore and addressed the TV host named Ryan, who was enjoying the warm studio ... "Can I go back to my regular job? I'm pretty sure Ryan that you guys added an extra hour to this show because somebody likes torturing me."

One thing's for sure ... Woodley should try stand-up comedy -- after he warms up with some hot chocolate.