TMZ Sports - Page 5

Damar Hamlin showed up for his guys in person Sunday -- the first time he's been back in a football stadium since his life-threatening injury ... and it was quite a moment to behold.

The free safety rolled into Highmark Stadium before kickoff, being escorted by security on a team cart ... where he seemed to be trying to lay low with a pair of shades on and a jacket as well. It became clear though, that DH was there -- and utter excitement filled the venue.

He was taken to a private suite, with cameras and reporters following him almost all the way through the door. Damar didn't really stop and chat much -- he seemed way more interested in locking down his bird's-eye view of the field and watching the Bills take the field.

Once he was situated and away from the frenzy, Damar did motion to the home crowd from his window. He was seen throwing up a heart sign gesture with his hands and also hyped up the spectators ... who were roaring for him. The broadcasters found it touching too.

This is an especially big day for Buffalo. They're facing the Bengals -- the same team they were playing a few weeks when Damar went into cardiac arrest following a hard hit after a routine play ... which sent the game into an indefinite pause before it was scrapped.

Both teams have continued to play well since, and now ... they're meeting up once again. The Bills are currently down by double digits, but there's still a fair amount of time left.

Frankie Muniz starred in a massively popular TV show, and has been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, and a bunch of other awards ... but the star actor says if he were to win an ARCA series race, it'd be the greatest professional achievement of his career!

"I don't know exactly how I'll react [to winning a race] but the way I feel right now with even the thought about it, it would rank 100% as the greatest accomplishment of ... Well okay, maybe having a wife, having my son. But, definitely number 3!" Muniz told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs nightly on FS1).

37-year-old Muniz recently signed on to race full-time in the Rette Jones Racing #30 Ford Mustang car -- a NASCAR-owned ARCA team -- when the series kicks off in mid-February at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Of course, Frankie starred as Malcolm in the hit TV show, "Malcolm In The Middle." He also starred in "Big Fat Liar" and "Agent Cody Banks," among many other films.

Frankie, whose first love is cars/racing, could barely contain his excitement at the prospect of racing, and even got emotional during the interview.

"I am on cloud 9. I've been very fortunate in my life to get to do a lot of cool things but this is something that I've wanted, literally, since I was five years old. I've reached in the past but I always knew I wanted to go Stock car racing. I wanted to race NASCAR so I'm thrilled to be in the ARCA Menards Series this year and finally get to announce it the other day. Felt really good 'cause it's something we've been talking about for a long time and here I am."

Muniz knows he has a lot to learn as the new guy on the circuit, but he's more than ready to go.

"I've got a lot to learn and I know that so I'm competitive, I want to win," Frankie said, while recognizing he'll be facing drivers with far more experience.

"I know I have to be a realist and know that this gonna be a pretty difficult year for me. I'm more motivated than ever, being older, you know, 37 years old which is fairly old to get started in the stock car world," Muniz said.

Bottom line for Muniz ... this is his chance to fulfill his dream, and he isn't going to let it go by without giving everything he's got.

"I have this opportunity in front of me right now and I'm gonna go for it 100%. I don't wanna look back at the end of the year and go 'man I wish I tried harder, I wish I trained harder, I wish I spent more time in the ship with the guys learning about the car figuring things out.'"

Basketball's King apparently has the Midas Touch when it comes to pickleball too ... 'cause Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn tells TMZ Sports LeBron James' recent investment in the league brought BILLIONS of eyeballs to the sport!!!

LBJ -- alongside Kevin Love and Draymond Green -- bought a team in the MLP back in Sept. 2022 ... and Kuhn tells us immediately afterward, interest in the org. absolutely exploded.

"This year, stories about Major League Pickleball hit 11 billion eyeballs," Kuhn said, "and the LeBron announcement alone was four billion."

Of course, the sport had been on the rise even before LeBron got involved ... the unique, tennis-like game is widely considered the fastest-growing activity in America.

And, while LeBron's inclusion in the action was huge for the league ... he's hardly the only sports superstar to jump into the mix. Everyone from Tom Brady to Drew Brees to Patrick Mahomes, Naomi Osaka and Kevin Durant have bought into the MLP as well.

Even LeBron's best buddy, Rich Paul, is an investor -- and he told us earlier this month he could see it all eventually becoming a huge deal in the U.S.

As for if the NBA and NFL players would ever get ON the pickleball court ... Kuhn -- like the rest of us -- is hoping that happens soon.

The Miz is reflecting on Stephanie McMahon's time at WWE ... telling TMZ Sports he'll always be thankful for her leadership and the impact she had on his career.

"For me, she's always been one of the people you can talk to," Miz said at LAX this week. "She's done a lot for the company, and she's a really good person as well."

Miz shares one example of Steph's positive influence ... saying she green-lit one of his ideas -- The "Dirt Sheet" video series with John Morrison -- which would eventually pave the way for WWE's YouTube channel.

FYI -- WWE now has nearly 93 million subscribers on the platform ... by far the most of any sports-related account.

But, it's not just the wrestling business that impressed Miz -- he also praises Stephanie for creating Connor's Cure, a foundation specializing in pediatric cancer research. Stephanie was inspired to create the charity after Connor Michalek, an 8-year-old WWE fan died from medulloblastoma, a rare tumor that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Stephanie and her husband, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, founded the organization after Connor passed away in 2014 ... and have raised $3.8 million and assisted over 500 families worldwide, according to the org.'s official website.

As we previously reported, Stephanie resigned from her role as Co-CEO of WWE a few days after her father, Vince McMahon, returned from his sixth-month hiatus.

Despite the shakeup, Miz says he's excited about the company's future and is encouraged by the profound impact the Superstars have on people's lives.

Boxing star Austin Trout is fighting UFC legend Diego Sanchez in a bare-knuckle boxing match next month -- one of multiple BKFC fights the former champ plans to take -- while still pursuing another title in the squared circle.

TMZ Sports talked to 37-year-old Trout, the former WBA light middleweight title holder, ahead of his February 17 bare-knuckle fight with 41-year-old Sanchez ... and asked him if this was something he planned to do more than once.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much trying to pursue a world title in the boxing world. But, there's no reason I can't be a champion in both. I hope it can be a lasting relationship because I like what they're doing in the BKFC," Austin told us.

Trout has a professional boxing record of 36-5-1 ... while fighting some of the best fighters in the world, including Canelo Alvarez, who Austin took on the full 12 rounds with back in 2013.

Of course, Diego is a UFC Hall of Famer who beat everyone from Nick Diaz to Clay Guida ... over his illustrious career.

Naturally, you'd think Trout, a world-class boxer, would have the advantage over a guy whose best weapon was wrestling -- and that may be true -- but it's not how Trout is approaching the fight.

"I'm not gonna think that way. I have to make sure I prepare for the best Diego can give me, and if he makes it an ugly fight, real rough and tough, it's gonna be a long night for me," Austin said.

"So, not only do I have to be able to neutralize that, but I also need to be able to whoop his ass if he decides to come inside and square up with me. We gotta make him pay in every aspect."

We also talked to Diego and asked him how he planned to hang with an elite boxer.

"BKFC is not boxing. For all those people out there hating on me saying, 'Oh, what's BKFC thinking? Diego in there with Austin Trout?'"

"C'mon guys, boxing is different. MMA is different. BKFC is definitely different. Austin has been picking his own opponents for the past couple of years. I was fighting nothing but beasts at the end of my UFC career."

Despite the strong words, it's clear Diego and Austin, who have known each other for years, have absolutely no bad blood between them.

Jeremy Renner just revealed the full extent of his injuries from his snowplow accident ... saying he shattered more than 30 bones in his body!!

The actor took to Instagram Saturday morning to give fans an update on his condition ... and that's when he dropped the bomb.

He said, "Much love and appreciation to you all. These 30 plus broken bones will mend, grow stronger, just like the love and bond with family and friends deepens."

Renner added that his daily routine has been impacted as a result of what happened, particularly his morning workouts. He gave an example by posting a photo of himself doing leg stretches in bed as part of his physical therapy.

As we reported, Renner jumped out of his snowplow to help a family member whose car was stuck in the heavy snow near Jeremy's home in Tahoe, Nevada, on New Year's Day. The 7-ton plow then started to roll ... Renner tried to get back into the driver's seat to gain control over the plow, but he was crushed underneath it.

Shannon Sharpe and Ja Morant's dad, Tee, got into a heated altercation at the Laker game Friday night ... with both sides needing to be separated before eventually making amends.

It all went down during the first half of the Lakers' home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena ... when the focus shifted from the court to the crowd.

Memphis guard Dillon Brooks and the FS1 commentator -- who had courtside seats for the game -- had been jawing back and forth during the contest ... when Dillon's teammates Steven Adams and Morant inserted themselves into the picture.

Adams can be seen barking at Sharpe ... as everyone else tries to restore some semblance of order. As the chaos ensues, Shannon and Tee got into a war of words, too.

In the video, Shannon appears to yell "I bet you won't" at Tee multiple times as staffers, security and referees get between them.

Shannon was then escorted out of the seating area and into the tunnel.

After the commotion, Shannon spoke to ESPN's Dave McMenamin at halftime and said it all started after he told Brooks he couldn't guard LeBron James.

"I said he was too small to guard LeBron. He said, 'F*** me,'" Sharpe told Dave. "I said, 'f*** you back.'"

Sharpe claims that's when Brooks came after him ... followed by Ja and his father, which led to him responding the way he did.

"They didn't want this smoke," said Shannon. "They do all this talking and jockeying, and I ain't about that jockeying."

"I wanted anything they had. Don't let these fools fool you now."

Multiple first responders rushed to Pensacola Beach earlier this month to tend to Peyton Hillis after the former NFL star nearly drowned while trying to save his children ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, captured on an Escambia County Sheriff's deputy's body camera, you can see Hillis was in bad shape on the Florida sand after he was pulled from the water on Jan. 4.

The ex-Cleveland Browns running back, who did not have a shirt on, appeared to be breathing heavily ... and seemed to be in a great deal of pain.

But, at least four medics on the scene provided him aid ... administering an IV while checking his vitals.

At one point, they even helped him roll over on his side to make him more comfortable -- while providing a beach towel as a pillow. They also urged him to keep talking in an effort to make sure his condition wasn't worsening.

They eventually got the 36-year-old off the beach and into a helicopter ... which flew him to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

Hillis' initial prognosis wasn't good -- his uncle said in a Facebook post he suffered damage to his lungs and kidneys in the swimming accident -- but, thankfully, his longtime girlfriend said last week he had a breakthrough and was "on the road to recovery."

Hillis now seems to be in far better condition -- he was just seen smiling in his hospital bed on Thursday after Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith popped by his room for a visit.

Anderson Silva wants everyone to stop talking nonsense ASAP ... telling TMZ Sports he did NOT take a dive against Jake Paul last year -- the Problem Child simply beat him fair and square.

Several talking heads in the combat sports community have refused to believe the 26-year-old YouTube superstar beat a legend like Silva back in October ... claiming he faked getting knocked down so Paul would end up with his hand raised.

But, Spider is shutting down all that talk ... saying people need to respect what Paul can do in the boxing ring.

"The people don't give credit to Jake," Silva told us at LAX. "Jake is a very young guy, he's very determined and training hard every day."

Silva says the loss is actually a good thing ... because he can take what he did wrong and improve on it in the future.

"I didn't have the strategy correct and I lost the fight and that's amazing because I continue to learn, continue to accept the new technique with my coach, and that's great."

Silva even has a message for his former opponent ... saying, "Jake, continue to do your job, bro. You're doing amazing. I love you!"

No, a first-round pick ain't too much to give up to acquire the rights to Sean Payton ... so says ex-NFL exec Michael Lombardi, who tells TMZ Sports trading for big-name coaches has almost always worked out for teams in the past -- no matter the cost.

Multiple teams have already lined up interviews with Payton to try to get him on board -- but each will have to send New Orleans something in return if he agrees to come along ... as the 59-year-old retired from the Saints in 2022 with two years still left on his deal.

The price is said to be an expensive one -- the Saints are reportedly asking for at least a first-rounder in a trade -- but Lombardi told us this week teams shouldn't hesitate to make that swap.

The former Cleveland Browns general manager pointed toward the Buccaneers' trade for Jon Gruden, the Patriots' deal for Bill Belichick, and the Jets' bargain for Bill Parcells as reasons he'd give up the precious draft capital for Payton.

"I think anytime that you've gone through these coaches that have gotten traded, the team that made the trade really won," Lombardi said. "So, yeah. Whatever it costs."

Lombardi said he'd expect the fee to vary from team to team ... explaining he thinks the Saints would charge more to the division-rival Panthers than the Arizona Cardinals. But, again, he said he expects it to be worth it.

As for where Payton will ultimately end up ... Lombardi says he believes it'll be the franchise that has an owner that Sean vibes with most.

Don't be shocked if Cincinnati upsets Buffalo in their playoff game this weekend ... ex-NFL star T.J. Houshmandzadeh tells TMZ Sports he's confident his former squad will get the dub on Sunday!!!

The ex-Cincy wideout broke it down for us at LAX this week -- right after Joe Burrow and the guys beat the Baltimore Ravens in their Wild Card matchup last weekend.

"I like the Bengals' chances," he said.

The 45-year-old former Pro Bowler explained that with the way the Bengals looked against the Bills during their brief "Monday Night Football" contest earlier this month -- he's giving the edge to Cincinnati heading into the big AFC Divisional Round game.

"The way that regular-season game was going," he said, "I like the Bengals' chances."

Of course, the experts in Vegas disagree -- calling the Bills a 5.5-point favorite.

We also talked about the matchup with Houshmandzadeh's former Bengals teammate, Chad Johnson, at the L.A. airport -- and while he didn't seem as sure as his pal did about the outcome of the game, he didn't exactly pick Buffalo either.

"I think it comes down to whoever makes the fewest mistakes," Ochocinco said. "And, the offense that executes the best."

Too $hort is all for setting great examples for younger rappers and hopes his recent trip to the White House offers some inspiration to whoever needs it!!!

We linked with Short Dog in D.C. this week fresh outta the Oval Office and as expected, he said the experience was nothing short of greatness.

Short, along with E-40, Mistah F.A.B. and Sway Calloway got to meet their fellow Oakland native, Vice President Kamala Harris ... and the rap legend says he couldn't be more proud of his hometown.

The Golden State Warriors broke their boycott of the White House in light of Donald Trump no longer being the commander-in-chief and $hort says, as a lifelong fan, he was happy to support the team in person.

He has nearly 40 years in the rap game so Short knows a thing or two about perseverance ... so, we switched gears to football to ask him about Tom Brady possibly, finally retiring. Maybe.

Too $hort is in the camp of folks who say TB12 isn't hanging up his cleats just yet.

Brady and the Buccaneers just got embarrassingly bounced outta the NFL playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys -- but, Short says Tom will give us another pump fake "retirement" and be back on the field for next season.

Jamahal Hill's fighting Glover Teixeira for the UFC light heavyweight title Saturday night ... but he's already got an idea of who he wants to scrap with once he's the champ -- Jiri Procházka.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Hill ahead of his UFC 283 main event fight against the legendary Brazilian fighter ... when we asked the 11-1 striker if he was bothered by people saying he doesn't deserve to fight for the strap.

"From the consensus that I've been hearing a lot of, it's I 'don't deserve the title shot.' I think even Jiri said that which is crazy as hell to me because he only had like 2 wins and he got a title shot. That's weird, know what I'm saying?" Hill asked, making his point.

"Not just that, it's all love and all respect to Glover and everything like that, but at the same time, bro, if you lose your title and don't defend your title, why do you deserve a title shot? Why do you deserve an immediate rematch for a title shot? It's just funny."

Jamahal, who is in the midst of a 3-fight win streak (Jimmy Crute, Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos), is particularly interested in 30-year-old Procházka.

"I've wanted the Jiri fight for years. I'm hearing his shoulder isn't as bad as they thought it was. He can be back by the summer. S**t, run that. That's a thousand percent what I want," Hill told us.

"I've been ready to show him the levels to even the style that he thinks he's good at."

We also talked to Glover ... who won the belt in October 2021, taking it from Jan Blachowicz, before himself losing to Procházka in June 2022.

Let's just say Glover isn't content with having been champ once ... he may be 12 years older than Jamahal, but he's hungry as hell!

Flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and interim flyweight champ Brandon Moreno are also on the card ... fighting for a record 4th time.

#5 ranked welterweight Gilbert Burns and #12 ranked Neil Magny will also battle in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ... home country of Glover, Gilbert, and Figgy.

It might be cold in Kansas City, but Gracie Hunt is on fire ... 'cause the Chiefs heiress showed support for her beloved team by sporting a bikini in the snow ahead of their big playoff game!!

Gracie -- daughter of K.C. Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt -- shared the steamy pics on Friday via Instagram ... a day before Kansas City faces the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round at Arrowhead Stadium.

The 23-year-old was clearly enjoyin' the snow with her Chiefs-themed bathing suit on ... and considering the temps, she threw on some moon boots and a metallic jacket so she didn't freeze to death.

"Thinking warm thoughts and hoping for a Chiefs WIN!❤️‍🔥," Hunt said. "Who’s ready for game day?!🏈"

Of course, Hunt isn't camera shy -- she's been in several beauty pageants in the past ... and was named Miss Kansas USA in 2021. Gracie also finished in the top 15 in the Miss USA contest that same year.

FYI, it's supposed to rain and snow for the Jaguars-Chiefs playoff game, with temps in the 30s.

Allen Lazard's wallet won't be 10 Gs lighter after all ... the NFL rescinded the $10,609 fine it hit him with after he appeared to taunt Dolphins players in a Christmas Day game -- and the Packers star couldn't have been happier about it.

The league initially forced Aaron Rodgers' favorite target to shell out the big bucks after he counted to three following a vicious block that took out three Dolphins defenders on one play back in Green Bay's 26-20 win over Miami on Dec. 25.

Lazard delivered the hit -- which allowed his running back, Aaron Jones, to get loose -- and then celebrated afterward, pointing out how many bodies he knocked to the ground. The NFL didn't like it, and fined him days later.

But, the league changed its tune Friday ... saying in a letter to the receiver, "After reviewing the arguments and video presented to me during the appeal, I have concluded that the evidence does not warrant a fine for this violation."

The announcement was music to Lazard's ears ... who tweeted, "Guys, they aren’t going to fine me anymore for counting to 3!!!"

Authorities in Colorado say Derek Wolfe followed all the steps necessary in his hunt of a mountain lion this week ... confirming to TMZ Sports the former NFL player's killing of the animal was legal.

A spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells us ... Wolfe did all that was required of him in order to lawfully take down the big cat in Grant earlier this week.

According to the CPW, Wolfe obtained his mountain lion hunting license and is "in good standing" with the org. It also said Wolfe checked all the boxes necessary -- such as properly reporting the kill -- to make it all above board.

Wolfe himself insisted on his "The Drive" podcast that he did nothing wrong ... explaining, as he did in his initial post about the kill, that the male mountain lion was a menace to neighboring communities prior to its death.

"He was hiding under this lady's porch down the road," Wolfe said of what initially made him set out to kill the beast. "She told us, 'Please get rid of him. He killed my dog last year.'"

Wolfe added, "I love hunting deer and elk, and mountain lions kill deer and elk, and mature male mountain lions kill the cubs of female mountain lions to get them to go back into heat."

"I feel like I am doing my part by taking care of some of these Toms. It is not easy."

Wolfe said after an hours-long hunt for the animal, he eventually shot and killed it with a bow and arrow. He said the big cat was massive -- weighing around 200 pounds ... and spanning the entirety of his 6-foot-6 frame.

"That thing can kill anybody," Wolfe said.