TMZ Sports - Page 14

Stephanie McMahon is resigning from her role as Co-CEO of the WWE ... just days after her father, Vince, made his return to the company's board of directors.

The 46-year-old made the shocking announcement just minutes ago ... releasing a lengthy statement on her decision to walk away.

"About 8 months ago, I took a leave of absence and within a few weeks, unexpectedly had the opportunity of a lifetime," McMahon said. "I had the privilege to return as the Co-CEO and Chairwoman of the Board of WWE."

Steph took over for her dad in July 2022 ... after he resigned amid an investigation into alleged misconduct. Vince was accused of using WWE funds to pay female employees  "hush money" after having sexual relationships with them.

"I cannot put into words how proud I am to have led what I consider to be the greatest company in the world, working alongside a remarkable leadership team and one of the strongest executives I have known in my Co-CEO, Nick Khan," McMahon added.

As we previously reported, Vince appointed himself back on the board on Friday with the intention to help negotiate WWE's impending TV deal ... and explore a potential sale of the company.

Stephanie says her dad is taking the lead during an "exciting" time for the company as it explores strategic alternatives ... and with Khan and Triple H on board, she believes WWE is in a great spot to keep pumping out great content and increase value for shareholders.

"WWE is in such a strong position, that I have decided to return to my leave and take it one step further with my official resignation," McMahon said ... adding she will continue to support the company -- just as she did when she was a little girl -- and will "remain dedicated to WWE."

"I truly love our company, our employees, our Superstars, and our fans," she added. "And I am grateful to all of our partners. Thank you for everything. Then. Now. Forever. Together."

Love is in the air at the WWE to start the new year ... because Superstar Ricochet just proposed to ring announcer Samantha Irvin -- and she said, "YES!"

The 34-year-old wrestler shared the good news on his Instagram page on Tuesday ... writing, "When you find that one person. The one person that when you close your eyes you could never visualize life without them… you keep them close to your heart."

"Now we are closer than ever. @samanthairvinwwe I love you so much."

Ricochet -- real name Trevor Dean Mann -- kept true to tradition when asking Irvin to be his future bride ... getting down on one knee to pop the question.

The former WWE Intercontinental Champ also posted a pic of his and Samantha's hands touching ... showing off the bling he got his future wife, a former "America's Got Talent" contestant.

The two began dating while working for the WWE -- they're on the same brand, Smackdown -- officially becoming an item in 2021.

And, the couple's love for each other has made its way into a storyline ... as a couple weeks ago, they kissed on an episode of Smackdown underneath WWE superstar Braun Strowman's mistletoe.

Travis Kelce is addressing all the rumors surrounding his breakup from Kayla Nicole ... saying it's "crazy" to think money was the reason behind the split.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar and model officially called it quits in 2022 after 5 years together ... with reports -- citing anonymous friends close to Kayla -- claiming the tight end kept a tight grip on his wallet during their relationship, despite making more than $64 million over the course of his career.

Kelce voiced his side of the story on "The Pivot Podcast" this week ... calling all the speculation complete nonsense.

"How crazy is that?!" the 33-year-old said on Tuesday. "Don't buy into that s***!"

"We were in a relationship for 5 years," he added. "A hundred dollars here and hundred dollars there wasn't even thought about, which is ridiculous."

In fact, Kelce says Kayla had her own money to begin with ... so it's not like she needed a handout.

"I would never say that I was supporting her," Kelce said. "She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career."

The Super Bowl champ also talked about his current dating life -- or lack, thereof -- saying he's still single, and the only committed relationship he has right now is with football.

"I'm in the free market right now. I'm out there just enjoying life, focused on my profession," Kelce said.

"I'm outside, though," he added with a laugh.

Former NFL wide receiver Charles Johnson -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the 2001 season -- died by suicide in July ... a report released Monday by the North Carolina state medical examiner's office revealed.

In the ME documents, obtained by USA Today, officials said Johnson passed away after appearing to overdose on drugs. He was just 50 years old.

Johnson was initially found dead on July 17 inside a hotel room in Raleigh ... one day after his wife had reported him missing. A cause of death had remained a mystery -- until the ME's report was released this week.

Officials said in the docs, according to USA Today, that Johnson had oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine in his system at the time of his death ... despite having no active prescriptions.

The outlet had previously reported the former NFL wideout had claimed to have suffered disabilities from his time in the league.

Johnson played for the Steelers, Eagles, Patriots and Bills in his nine years in the NFL ... after being picked in the first round of the 1994 draft.

Following his death, the North Carolina high school he had been working at said in a statement he would "be missed by so many, especially your Husky Family."

Logan Paul says he did nothing wrong with his former pet pig, who is now being cared for by an animal sanctuary ... Logan says he gave the pig a good home before it was rescued.

The YouTube star joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and talked about his former pet pig, Pearl, who is now being looked after by the Gentle Barn rescue.

Logan says he owned Pearl for a couple years and gave her a good life at his home in Encino, CA ... saying he would even cuddle and sleep with the animal and made sure she had "the best life."

But, when Logan moved to Puerto Rico during the pandemic, he says he sent Pearl to live at a horse ranch in Santa Clarita, CA because he wasn't permitted to bring her with him. Logan says Pearl received amazing care at the ranch.

Logan says Pearl lived at the horse ranch for 10 months but had to be rehomed again when the ranch owner moved out of state -- he says he was unaware of the rehoming.

Gentle Barn posted a TikTok Monday about Pearl's rescue, claiming she was "irresponsibly rehomed" and was found alone in a field next to a dead pig.

Logan says he only found out about Pearl's situation when the video came out, and he says he checked his records and is certain he didn't rehome the pig irresponsibly.

Logan's also claiming innocence on the second pig that was allegedly found dead next to Pearl ... he says the farmer denies knowing about a second pig and says Pearl was transferred to the farm alone.

TMZ broke the story ... Logan reached out to Gentle Barn after the video surfaced, explaining Pearl's history with him and pledging to help with her care.

Logan says the Pearl saga was unpredictable and unforeseen ... and if he could, he would go back in time and tell himself not to buy a baby pig.

Damar Hamlin says he's receiving the best care as he undergoes -- and passes -- more health-related tests at a Buffalo hospital ... asking his supporters to keep praying for him as he continues to recover.

"Not home quite just yet," the Buffalo Bills safety tweeted minutes ago. "Still doing & passing a bunch of tests."

"Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival!"

As we previously reported, 24-year-old Hamlin has improved to the point where he was discharged from UC Medical Center on Monday ... and he flew back to Buffalo to undergo more treatment.

Hamlin has made incredible strides since suffering cardiac arrest during the Bills vs. Bengals matchup on Monday Night Football ... and was able to watch his team take care of business from his hospital room on Sunday.

In fact, the physicians who took care of Hamlin say he was so pumped about the win, he set off all the alarms in the ICU!!

Ben Affleck may be headed to a Super Bowl commercial near you -- because he's teamed up with the one company that's the apple of his eye ... or the pastry of his java, rather.

The actor was seen filming something with Dunkin' Donuts Tuesday morning in his native Boston ... where BA was dressed in an employee's uniform and hamming it up for cameras out of the drive-thru window as he interacted with a fake customer.

All signs point to this being a major ad ... and the speculation is that it might show up on game day, although there's no confirmation of that just yet. We wouldn't be surprised though.

Of course, this is a big deal because Ben is essentially an ambassador for the coffee chain -- time and again, he's seen in and around L.A. with a bunch of Dunkin' products ... so, frankly, it was just a matter of time before a collab came around. It's a match made in heaven.

Here's hoping Dunkin's (potential) SB spot is better than the fictional one Al Pacino did for them in 'Jack and Jill' -- where he was infamously made to sing and dance to a terrible made-up song that morphed a beverage with his name, courtesy of Adam Sandler.

A snowboarder sprang into survival mode when an avalanche interrupted his run over the weekend ... and the scary incident was captured on video.

Boarder Blake Nielson was shredding at Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah when an isolated wind slab broke loose above and below him ... which knocked him to the ground and "took me for a ride."

Nielson -- who says he tested the Kessler Peak area for instabilities before his run -- was able to stay above the surface as the snow shot him down the slope ... using swimming motions with his arms and kicking his board to keep from going under.

In the video, Nielson is heard yelling over the radio to his partner ... saying, "Logan, I'm sliding!! ... I'm staying on top, but I am sliding!!"

Nielson predicts he was swept about 300 feet before he was able to come to a complete stop ... and the slope slid around 1,300 feet.

In Nielson's report of the incident, he says it's imperative to respect the wind.

"Even a small 'manageable' wind pocket can break and carry you a long way in steep terrain with long runouts," Nielson told the Utah Avalanche Center.

He also learned cross-loading is something to look out for ... as he did not expect it to be that big of a problem.

Nielson also suggests making a ski cut ... saying had he done so, he could have decreased some hazards.

"Like 'Dumb and Dumber,' baby. You're sayin' there's a chance."

That's Rob Gronkowski channeling Lloyd Christmas ... and NOT shutting down the possibility of playing in the NFL next season, though it sounds like it'll cost a team a pretty penny.

33-year-old Gronk joined Babcock and Mojo on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1) ... where the G.O.A.T. tight end was asked about playing next season.

"Like Dumb and Dumber, baby. You're sayin' there's a chance. You never know. What if someone wanted to throw the whole salary cap at me, baby, or half of the salary cap, then you gotta think about it. Throw me some quarterback money. Then you're talking, so there's always a possibility."

Remember, Rob sat out the 2019 season but returned in 2020 with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Gronkowski played two more seasons before sitting out this year.

As for whether he ever got an itch this season watching football, Gronk says no, he didn't.

"Ya know I really didn't have the itch. I just had a couple thoughts throughout the 17 weeks of football. It was about week 10, week 11, week 12, right around there where I was thinking about it, but I really never got the itch. It was just a couple of thoughts."

Rob continued ... "I'm not gonna ever go back to football if I'm just thinking about it and don't really have that itch. That trigger was not gonna be pulled to go back and play football this year. It was not there, man."

There's more ... while Rob won't be playing in the Super Bowl, he'll be in Arizona, throwing one of the biggest and best parties of the week -- Gronk Beach!

In addition to Rob, 21 Savage, Diplo, Lil Jon and other celebs and performers will be at Talking Stick Resort on February 11, the day before the Super Bowl.

Of course, Gronk's no stranger to Arizona ... he was an Arizona Wildcat, so he's done his fair share of partying in the state.

"It's the big game weekend's number 1 event. I'm going back to Arizona," Rob said, explaining he needs to hit his AZ party quota.

Here it is -- Odell Beckham Jr.'s repaired knee back in action during a recent pickup basketball game ... and the NFL superstar looks GOOD!!

The 30-year-old free agent hasn't played a down of football since going down with a torn ACL in the Super Bowl last February ... and despite visiting with several potential teams, he remains without a home.

While fans almost certainly won't see him on the field this season, he's improved to the point where he was able to hit the hardwood in Miami on Jan. 6 ... showing off his impressive skills in the process.

OBJ -- wearing an "I Love Oral Sex" shirt for some reason -- backs down his defender and squeezes past him for a finger roll ... and follows up with some solid defense, stealing the ball and hitting his teammate with an alley-oop off the glass on a fast break.

He also displayed some serious range in the sesh ... draining a long three-pointer.

Clear out some space at UGA and start getting the bronze ready ... ex-Georgia star Nakobe Dean says following the Bulldogs' second national championship in as many years -- the school needs to erect a statue for Stetson Bennett on campus ASAP!!

The former Dawgs captain made the proclamation on the SoFi Stadium turf after Bennett and UGA blew out TCU to win the title in Los Angeles ... explaining the quarterback has now done everything necessary to receive the permanent honor in Athens.

"Nobody has done what he has done at Georgia," the ex-Georgia linebacker told 11Alive's Maria Martin. "Nobody has done what he has done in life. His whole story and everything -- he's just going to be a great story."

Bennett was nearly perfect in UGA's victory over the Horned Frogs ... completing 18 of his 25 passes for 304 yards and four TDs. He added 39 yards and two more TDs on the ground as well.

And, Dean, who played with Bennett and won a title with the 25-year-old last season, called it all awesome -- and a performance deserving of a campus fixture forever.

"I'ma be there when they reveal it!" he said.

The bad news for Dean? Bennett's time in Georgia is now over -- and the Philadelphia Eagles rookie linebacker might have to face off against the guy in NFL games next season.

The CPR touchdown celebration in the Madden video game franchise will be no more ... TMZ Sports has learned EA Sports is in the process of removing the animation in wake of the Damar Hamlin emergency last week.

A spokesperson for the gaming giant tells us ... the virtual end zone dance will be taken away as part of an update to "Madden NFL 23" in the next few days.

The celebration has been a popular one amongst gamers this year -- as it allowed players who scored TDs to pretend they were in need, while other avatars raced in to administer CPR in an effort to "revive" them.

Many, however, are now finding the animations to be insensitive and crass ... considering Hamlin actually needed the life-saving efforts during the Bills vs. Bengals game last Monday night.

Surprisingly, real-life NFL players didn't do away with the celebration on Sunday despite the scene in Cincinnati ... with the Pittsburgh Steelers mimicking CPR following a big play against the Cleveland Browns.

Logan Paul's former pig is now being cared for by the famous, Gentle Barn ... and he's thanking the rescue org. for saving the animal.

Here's the deal ... the famous animal sanctuary in Santa Clarita, CA posted a TikTok Monday about rescuing a pig with tattered ears and a potentially-life threatening infection who was found alone in a field next to a dead pig ... and it turns out the pig has a connection to Logan.

The pig, Pearl, was owned by Logan a few years ago ... and says he thought it was a "mini pig" when he bought her. The pig is now huge.

Anyway ... Logan sent an email, obtained by TMZ, to Gentle Barn ... thanking them for caring for Pearl and explaining how the pig's been rehomed a few times.

Logan says Pearl lived at his home in Encino until April 2020 when he moved to Puerto Rico. He says Pearl was rehomed to a horse ranch in Santa Clarita, where he thinks she lived for 10 months until being rehomed to the farm across the street "with the purpose of care."

But, when Gentle Barn found the pig, they say she had clearly been through more trauma than they could imagine.

A source close to Logan tells TMZ ... he was very upset to learn of Pearl's condition and is truly grateful to Gentle Barn.

The national championship game might have been a snoozer, but the party in Athens afterward certainly wasn't ... as UGA fans swarmed streets, climbed light poles and set fires in roadways to celebrate the big win over TCU!!

Thousands of people clad in black and red hit the streets near the Univ. of Georgia campus on Monday night to party after the Bulldogs whooped the Horned Frogs, 65-7, in Los Angeles ... and they created quite the scene.

Videos shot by people in the area showed there was standing room only on the roads ... and, at one point, someone set a massive blaze in a crosswalk for fans to play with.

You can see in footage from the scene, UGA fans gleefully jumped over the fire -- before one actually picked up the flames and held them over his head.

Elsewhere in the city, students and Dawgs supporters were seen climbing to the top of street lights, as hundreds cheered them on and chanted.

A spokesperson for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department tells TMZ sports ... there were "several arrests" made -- however, cops did not receive reports of property damage to cars, street signs or public art.

Meanwhile, back in L.A., UGA's players celebrated the big W at SoFi Stadium by smoking cigars on the field with none other than Quavo!

Kevin Lee says Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz ain't happening, but there's another MMA star who is down to book a fight with "The Problem Child" -- "The Motown Phenom" himself tells TMZ Sports he wants to fight JP!

"If Jake Paul is serious about [MMA] and if he really wants to fight. If he wants to have that respect, he wants to have that attention, he wants people to take him seriously, he's going to have to fight a serious fighter," 30-year-old Lee told us in the aftermath of Jake signing with PFL (Professional Fighters League).

"He's going to have somebody for real, for real. I'm the best option for that. I'm in my prime. I've fought the whose-who of MMA. I've fought six different world champions."

FYI, Kevin's fought everyone from Charles Oliveira, Edson Barboza, Tony Ferguson and Rafael dos Anjos, among a bunch of other top-line guys.

After announcing the signing, 25-year-old Jake, 6-0 as a professional boxer, issued a challenge to Diaz -- a boxing match followed by an MMA fight -- against the combat sports superstar from Stockton, CA.

It's not that Kevin doesn't like Jake vs. Nate ... he's actually into the fight.

"Nate Diaz is a good fight. I'll give him that, but there's two problems with the Nate Diaz fight. Nate Diaz ain't going to take that fight, let's be honest. They're going to go back and forth for months and years," Kevin said, explaining Diaz would first need to sign with PFL, which Lee says will not happen.

Kevin says if they make it happen, that's great for them ... but if Jake wants to fight a top-of-the-line MMA fighter in the near future, Lee's the guy.

"If he makes the Nate Diaz fight happen, great but I don't see that happening within the next year or so and if he wants to fight this year then he should fight somebody that's on the roster and already making it happen. Nate Diaz is a good fight, though. I ain't hating."

We asked Lee, who says he's on the verge of signing with PFL, whether he had a message for Paul.

"Let's make it happen. Be a man. Put your money where your mouth is. Step in there. You might lose. You're going to lose. It's going to happen but I'm gonna shake your hand afterward and let's make some money."

Bryce Hall seems to have put his boxing skills to the test in Sin City, punching a nightclub security guard in the head, and it's all on video -- an incident that could land him in some legal trouble.

TMZ obtained the footage, shot Friday night in Las Vegas outside XS nightclub at the Wynn, showing the TikTok star getting physical with security -- including a punch to the side of the guy's head.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LVMPD responded to a call from XS and police ended up citing Bryce with two counts of battery and one count of trespassing, all misdemeanors. We're told the case will be submitted to the District Attorney.

As for what sparked the fight ... we're told Bryce and a friend were kicked out of the club during a Calvin Harris performance after being invited up to the DJ booth.

In the video, you see Bryce throw the punch ... and it then takes four security guards to take him to the ground.

Remember ... Bryce is famous for his TikTok account, but he's also boxed before ... getting destroyed in a June 2021 boxing match against fellow social media star Austin McBroom.

Bryce use to live in Los Angeles, but bought a house in Las Vegas in 2022. He also attended and posted at the AVN awards over the weekend.