TMZ Sports - Page 11

"I was on my knees crying. I loved Stephan."

UFC legend Diego Sanchez says he was crushed by the sudden death of his longtime friend and The Ultimate Fighter 1 star Stephan Bonnar ... who passed away unexpectedly on December 22.

"It was devastating. It was truly devastating. I was halfway through Christmas Eve just spending time with my family and I had someone text me, tried calling me, and then they texted me, 'You really wanna take this call.' I called them back and they gave me the news," Sanchez told us.

Diego and Stephan were both castmates on TUF1 -- which aired in early 2005 -- and are credited with helping the promotion grow into the biggest in all MMA. The season produced fighters like Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian and Forrest Griffin among others.

Bonnar's finale fight with Griffin is one of the most famous fights in the promotion's history.

"[Stephan] worked my corner for one of my UFC fights. We were brothers. We stayed in contact and he was doing good, man. He was finally turning the curve," Sanchez said of his friend who at times struggled to find his way after his fighting career ended.

But, Diego -- who was cornered by Stephan at UFC 253 -- says his friend was on the right path.

"As a big brother who's been through the rough, the rain, the pours of life and he got his umbrella and he was coming out and he was going into the light. He was going into the sunshine."

Diego continued ... "He had his podcast, he had a new job with an insurance company and he was just working on rebuilding his life. I was happy for him and excited for him."

The NFL playoffs are finally here with six awesome wild card games this weekend and Monday ... and you're gonna see a lot of WAGs in the crowd supporting their men on the field.

Jenna Brandt will be in 49ers gear when her bae Brock Purdy takes on the Seahawks in his first playoff experience ... and who knows, she might be sitting with Christian McCaffrey's famous lady, Olivia Culpo.

Let's not forget Lauren Jackson -- she'll be there sporting a diamond ring after Tyler Lockett proposed to her a few months ago. Congrats!!!

Of course, Trevor Lawrence's wife, Marissa, and Christian Kirk's fiancée, Ozzy Ozkan, will be going insane in the suites at TIAA Bank Field when the Jaguars face the L.A. Chargers later Saturday.

If you're a Buffalo Bills fan, you know model Rachel Bush -- who married safety Jordan Poyer in 2018 -- will be tweeting away from her seat at Highmark Stadium on Sunday.

Plus, Josh Allen's girlfriend Brittany Williams will also be there ... and odds seem good she'll get a smooch from her QB as always.

Even though Tyrod Taylor is not starting for the Giants, the QB's famous model and fashion designer girlfriend, Draya Michele, might pull up in her best fit. But it's a given Ella Bonafede -- Daniel Jones' girlfriend -- will be there.

The Ravens versus Bengals game Sunday will mark Joe Burrow's second consecutive year in the playoffs ... and Olivia Holzmacher, his girlfriend of five years, will continue to be by his side.

The last game of "Super Wild Card Weekend" will be on Monday when the Dallas Cowboys face Tom Brady's Buccaneers ... and even though we don't expect Gisele Bündchen to be in attendance, his kids might be.

Former 'Bachelor' Colton Underwood is hoping Chris Harrison's past drama, resulting in an abrupt exit from the show, is water under the bridge ... but admits the former host might be doin' better since he left.

We got Colton at LAX Thursday and he's got nothing but love for the guy ... but check out his response when asked about a possible Chris Harrison comeback tour.

Colton's gunning for everyone involved to be at peace -- and hopes the matter's been dealt with and wrapped up behind the curtain.

For those unaware, Chris unloaded his thoughts about his exit this week on his new podcast, "The Most Dramatic Podcast Ever" ... saying he was heartbroken and gutted over the situation -- adding, “I was embarrassed. I was mad at myself."

As we reported, Chris was pushed out of the show after defending former 'Bachelor' contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for attending a plantation-themed party while in college.

Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. claims a luxury clothing company screwed him on a six-figure deal ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned he's suing over it all.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday ... and, according to the docs, it all stems from a pact Oubre Jr. attempted to make with former pro basketball player Patrick Christopher and his company, Sloan And Bennett, in 2021.

Oubre claims he asked Christopher and his co. to help him make products for his own clothing line, DopeSoul. He says in the suit Patrick agreed to provide him with items for DopeSoul's Capsule 001 and 002 collections.

The 28-year-old hooper says he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Christopher ... expecting to receive clothing in return.

The problem ... Oubre Jr. claimed Christopher never delivered what he promised -- saying simply in the suit "the defendants did not perform."

Oubre Jr. said "for months" Christopher and his company dodged him and made excuses for why the products weren't available.

Finally, according to the suit, Christopher and his co. "shipped what they could scrape together" in 2022 ... but it included "incomplete, damaged, and defective goods."

Oubre Jr. is suing for breach of contract, fraud and more ... asking for damages of at least $94,250, and maybe a lot more.

Draymond Green says he's still working to repair his relationship with Jordan Poole after their violent practice altercation three months ago ... admitting their dynamic has completely changed, but it's slowly improved with time.

The Golden State Warriors forward opened up about the incident in an interview with Taylor Rooks ... saying he watched the clip over and over after TMZ Sports published it on Oct. 7, and while he knew he was in the wrong, he claims there's more to the story that he will share one day.

"Once that [video] released, I'm experiencing so many emotions," Green says. "Like, I'm upset. How the hell does this get released? Going through hell because you're just at the sole discretion of public opinion."

Green says the two players have been able to go about their business as professionals since the video was released, but points out they're not rushing to hang out off the court anytime soon.

"We go to work every day together," he says. "Our lockers are right next to each other, that never changed. We ride the same buses together, we change in the same locker room on the road together -- none of that has changed."

"Did it change our relationship, of course. Absolutely. That's still a work in progress. I'll always be willing to continue to do that work because I was wrong."

FedEx is vowing to help Detroit Lions star Taylor Decker ... after the star tackle accused the delivery giant of losing a delivery of breast milk meant for his newborn baby and initially refusing to make amends.

It started when 29-year-old Decker ripped FedEx on Friday ... saying the company lost a big shipment of frozen milk for his 3-month-old baby girl, Daisy Faye Decker, and then refused to pay him back, infuriating the OT.

"Shoutout FedEx for losing a perishable 24-hour shipment of a month supply of milk for my newborn, and responding that there is nothing they can do, and will not reimburse me. What a joke", Taylor wrote on Twitter.

Well, the complaint was blasted out to Decker's 114K followers, which seemed to get the attention of the folks at FedEx HQ ... who told us they're in contact with Decker and are trying to "resolve the issue."

Decker says it's not as easy as just running to the store and replacing the milk ... it's his wife's breast milk that the couple froze and shipped to Arizona for the offseason.

Before taking to social media to air his grievances, Taylor says he drove across Phoenix to 4 different FedEx locations, trying to track down the milk.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is addressing his recent comments about Myles Garrett ... saying he's personally apologized to his teammate, but claiming his words were taken out of context.

The former first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft made headlines recently ... after accusing the Browns of focusing on making Garrett look good instead of the team's overall success.

"You're all trying to get [Garrett] into the Hall of Fame instead of winning games," Clowney told reporters at the time. "I don't even think he notices."

Clowney -- who said he was 95% sure he was not returning to the Browns after the 2022-23 season -- added he didn't believe it was Garrett's fault ... but called the whole situation "B.S."

Now, Clowney is backpedaling his previous comments ... releasing a statement via his publicist Denise White on Friday.

"As a son and a parent I want to fully apologize to anyone I offended, specifically Myles Garrett and his family," the statement obtained by TMZ Sports says.

"My words in the lockerroom were not only taken out of context, but completely misrepresented."

Clowney added he personally reached out to Myles to share his regret ... and "will continue to learn and grow as I move forward."

Enes Kanter Freedom -- an outspoken critic of human rights violations worldwide -- has been declared one of Turkey's most wanted terrorists ... with the government issuing a $530K bounty for information leading to the arrest of the former NBA player.

According to the Turkish Minute, Turkey's Interior Ministry issued its “Terrorist Wanted List", which included the 30-year-old longtime NBA player, accused of being a member of a terrorist organization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the gov. also put up a reward of 10 million Turkish liras -- equivalent to around $532K U.S. dollars -- for anyone who puts Kanter behind bars.

“I’m not the only one. There are so many innocent journalists, academics, athletes, activists and educators on this list. Now their lives are in danger because of the Turkish government,” Enes told TM.

Freedom hasn't been shy when criticizing Erdogan over the years, previously referring to the leader as a "dictator" and the "Hitler of our century."

"Because of my platform, whenever I say something, it goes everywhere, and the Turkish government hates that," Freedom told the NY Post this week. "They’re really sick of it, and they said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and doing whatever they can to shut me up."

Kanter, who legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, spent 13 seasons in the NBA ... playing for the Jazz, Thunder, Knicks, Trailblazers, and, most recently, the Boston Celtics in 2021-22. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

Despite the bounty recently being issued, the Turkish government has been trying to silence Kanter for years. Now, however, Enes is concerned for his safety, believing he will now be the target of not just the government.

“That makes it so dangerous,” Kanter said to the Post.

“Before the bounty, Turkish intelligence was after the people on the list, but now everyone is after them because they want the money.”

If you make a song called "GOATED.," it's only right you get one of the greatest of all time to be in the music video ... and that's exactly what rapper Armani White did -- enlisting none other than Floyd Mayweather to bust a move in his new visuals!!

TBE makes a quick cameo in the West Philly M.C.'s project that dropped Thursday night ... showing the boxing legend working out at BOXR Gym in Miami -- hitting the bag, doing push-ups and even dancing along to the track, which features Denzel Curry.

The 50-0 champ looks like he's having a helluva time in the vid ... even giving Blanco a few training tips throughout the song. Whatever he told Armani must've worked -- 'cause the next scene shows the "Billie Eilish." rapper knocking out a goat mask-wearing opponent in the boxing ring.

AW also gives a tribute to another G.O.A.T. -- Michael Jordan -- shooting another scene at a gymnasium where he dons a custom black and red #23 jersey.

Robbie Knievel, daredevil and son of stuntman Evel Knievel, has died.

A family source tells Robbie was in hospice care for his final days after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He died early Friday morning with his daughters at his side.

Robbie, also known as "Kaptain Robbie Knievel," followed in his dad's footsteps from a young age -- jumping his bike at only 4 years old, and first performing at Evel's show at Madison Square Garden when he was 8.

He went on to perform over 350 jumps in his career, setting world records for 20 of them. One of the most memorable was successfully jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace in 1989 -- a feat his father tried and failed at in the past.

Other death-defying stunts by Robbie included the 30 limousines jump, the Grand Canyon jump and the U.S.S. Intrepid jump, to name a few. His final stunt was in 2011, when he jumped 150 feet above tractor-trailer trucks at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella, CA.

Robbie also starred in the short-lived 2005 show, "Knievel's Wild Ride" ... giving viewers a glimpse behind the scenes at how he and his crew gear up for his wild stunts.

He was 60 years old.

Tyler Herro is not just a #GirlDad anymore ... 'cause the Miami Heat star's famous girlfriend just gave birth to their first baby boy -- and his name is Harlem!!

The 22-year-old guard and fitness model Katya Elise Henry announced last June they were expecting their second child ... and Harlem finally arrived on Thursday.

"Welcome to this big beautiful world baby Harlem," Henry wrote alongside a photo with her son.

Herro -- who missed Thursday's game due to the birth of his son and an Achilles injury -- was right by Katya's side and even shared a photo of the dry erase board in their hospital room containing a special message ... "Happy Birthday Harlem 😀"

Side note, Katya's dancing might've played a part in their son's arrival ... the 27-year-old posted an IG video just five days ago where she said ... "last time this dance put me into labor lol".

This is the second bundle of joy for the couple who started dating in 2020. Their daughter, Zya Elise Herro, was born in September 2021.

BTW, Herro has been beastin' on the basketball court, averaging 21.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

BTS rapper Suga might be a "boy with luv" for a new team -- the K-pop superstar was spotted hanging courtside at the Laker game on Thursday ... bringing his Warriors allegiances into question.

Suga hit up Crypto.com Arena as Los Angeles hosted the Dallas Mavericks ... and he appeared to be in great spirits, enjoying a cold beer as he checked out the action.

The guy's presence was clearly known to the players ... with Luka Doncic even dapping him up before the game.

Of course, Suga appeared to be deep in Dub Nation prior to the season ... getting his own custom Golden State jersey and hanging out with the team when they were in Japan for a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

He was also getting close with Steph Curry ... who gifted him a pair of signed shoes after the matchup.

But, Suga might be swayed to the Purple & Gold now ... as the Lakers also got him a custom jersey prior to attending Thursday's game.

LSU is taking steps to ensure Olivia Dunne and the rest of her gymnastics team aren't put in harm's way by crazed fans again ... vowing to beef up security for the social media star and the Tigers as they hit the road again for another meet on Friday.

LSU head coach Jay Clark told reporters Thursday they are now adding "security detail" when the team goes on the road ... after a large group of college-aged boys were seen at the Tigers' last meet in Salt Lake City creating a disturbing scene outside of the arena while waiting to catch a glimpse of Dunne.

"We will be working to create a perimeter around where we get on the bus, where we load," Clark said ... before adding, "I take our team's safety and security very seriously."

Dunne and the rest of her teammates, thankfully, were unharmed by the raucous Utah crowd ... though they reportedly had to move their team bus to avoid the sea of people.

At least one parent of a Utah athlete said the fans in the area were "so rude and disrespectful" ... explaining some of them actually told her daughter, "you are not Livvy but you will do, can we get a picture."

Dunne, who has over 6 million followers on social media, took to Twitter on Sunday night to discourage fans from repeating the scene ... writing on her page, "I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job."

LSU is slated to perform against Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington on Friday evening. When asked if the Wildcats were doing anything to improve their security measures in anticipation of Dunne's arrival, a spokesperson told TMZ Sports, "Our policy is that we do not disclose details of security plans publicly."

Shaquille O'Neal's clearly a man of his word ... 'cause after he bet he'd eat a frog if TCU lost to Georgia in the national championship -- he settled his debt live on television on Thursday night!!!

Shaq initially made the wager with his "NBA On TNT" co-host Ernie Johnson last week ... saying if UGA managed to pull out the victory over the Horned Frogs on Monday, he'd scarf down a plate of toad.

The Dawgs ended up smacking TCU 65-7 ... and when it came time to pay up on the bet on Thursday's show, Shaq didn't shy away.

Ernie brought out a plate of what appeared to be multiple fried frog legs, and the NBA legend stuffed his mouth with them one by one as a nation of basketball fans looked on.

Shaq took bite after bite after bite -- while Ernie gloated with a Georgia helmet strapped to his head.

"I'm a man of my word," O'Neal said as he chomped away on the dish. "I'm a man of my word, Ernie."

Shaq had some fun with the guys on the set while finishing off the legs -- sticking a piece of the meal in his teeth while adding, "I just want to let ya'll know these frog legs are good!"

WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss is overjoyed that Logan Paul's former pig, Pearl, has found a new home ... telling TMZ Sports all that matters now is that the animal is getting proper care.

As we previously reported, Logan took Pearl to a horse ranch in California before he moved to Puerto Rico a few years ago ... but sadly, after being rehomed again, the pig was found abandoned and in grave condition.

While many were quick to blame Logan for Pearl's state, the YouTuber made it clear he had no idea his beloved pet ever left the ranch ... nor did he know she was in terrible shape until the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary posted about her on TikTok.

The former women's champ -- who had a pet pig of her own for years -- spoke with us at LAX about the whole situation ... and she's not focused on who's at fault, but rather the fact Pearl is on the mend.

"Unfortunate as it is, I'm happy his pig was rescued and is in a better situation," Bliss says.

"As long as the animal is taken care of, that's all that matters."

Bliss goes on to give a bit of advice to anyone looking to get an oinker as a pet -- "mini" pigs don't exist ... and she'd know, considering her pet, Larry-Steve, a Vietnamese pot-bellied breed, weighed about 150-200 pounds!!

BTW -- Alexa's pig was a social media star, racking up nearly 90,000 followers on Instagram. Unfortunately, Larry-Steve died in 2021 after battling a severe illness.

Derek Carr's days as a Raider may be numbered, but the guy was certainly a great teammate in Vegas ... 'cause the quarterback had custom diamond pendants made for Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby!!

TMZ Sports has learned, 31-year-old Carr wanted to show his appreciation for his guys ... so he asked Al The Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ to come up with something extra special.

Al whipped together a pair of awesome pieces for Adams and Crosby -- black and white diamond pendants featuring their respective jersey numbers.

Of course, Carr and Adams go way back to their days at Fresno State ... and their friendship has continued throughout their pro careers.

Carr and Crosby have been teammates for four seasons ... and the two captains formed a tight bond during their time with the Raiders.

As we previously reported, Carr penned a goodbye message to Raider Nation earlier Thursday ... seemingly bringing his 9 years in Silver and Black to an end.