TMZ Sports - Page 50

It didn't take long for Chris Beard to land a new job -- the ex-Texas Longhorns head coach is taking the same position at Ole Miss ... one month after his domestic violence case was dropped.

The Rebels made the news official on Monday ... saying Beard will replace Kermit Davis, who was fired late last month.

"We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation," Keith Carter, Ole Miss' Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics, said in a statement. "After conducting due diligence and speaking to a number of individuals on and off the court, it was evident he is the right person to guide our team to greatness."

Beard was accused of strangling, throwing and biting his fiancée, Randi Trew, in their home back in December. He was arrested and immediately suspended from coaching, but the woman later backtracked on her claims ... and said Beard was only acting out of self-defense.

Despite the woman's public apology over her initial accusations, Beard was fired from UT in January ... and his attorney stated the decision was "based on Twitter feeds and editorials -- and not the facts concerning a truly innocent man."

Beard's case was dismissed last month ... with prosecutors saying after investigating and speaking with the victim, "the felony offense cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt."

Beard -- who's 171-73 in his career as a head coach -- seems thrilled with the second chance at leading a sideline ... saying, "I am honored to be joining the Ole Miss family and excited to get started at this great university."

Tiger Woods claims Erica Herman is no victim of sexual abuse ... saying in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, she's simply "a jilted ex-girlfriend."

Woods filed the docs on Monday morning ... in response to Herman saying a non-disclosure agreement she had with the golfing legend should be declared unenforceable under the federal Speak Out Act, which allows someone to get around an NDA if a dispute involving sexual assault or sexual harassment arises following the initial agreement.

Woods says in the docs Herman has no right to invoke the federal statute ... because she's never alleged in her filings Woods committed any sexual wrongdoing.

In fact, Woods says in the $30 million lawsuit she filed -- the one where she alleged Woods booted her from their home and broke an "oral tenancy agreement" they had -- she checked the box for "NO" when asked "does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse."

Woods claims Herman is just using the law as a way to litigate her claims publicly in court -- and get around the NDA that was supposed to force her disputes to be heard in a private arbitration hearing.

"Ms. Herman's position is utterly meritless," Woods says in the docs ... before adding, "It is a transparent abuse of the judicial process that undermines the purpose of the federal statute and those whom the statute seeks to protect."

Woods is now asking a Florida court to force her to abide by the NDA's arbitration provisions.

As we reported, Woods split with Herman in October after around six years of dating. He claims he told her he was ending things with her, and that she was "no longer welcome" in his home. He said he did provide her with temporary housing and financial support following the breakup.

Herman, meanwhile, alleges Woods concocted a scheme to get her out of the house by promising her a "short vacation." When she got to the airport for the trip, she says Tiger's team told her she'd been "locked out" of the house and could not go back. She said it all violated an agreement they had, which was supposed to last five more years.

WWE star Ridge Holland -- who inadvertently broke Big E's neck during a match last year -- says he's received death threats and been called "racist" ... one year after the tragic incident occurred.

Remember, Holland and Big E were fighting on SmackDown last March ... when E's neck was broken after a belly-to-belly suplex went wrong. The WWE Superstar later said doctors told him the injury could've killed him.

Big E has been out of ring action ever since ... and fans appear to be pissed at Ridge over the injury to the former WWE champ.

"Death threats. Threats to my family. Lobbying for me to lose my job. Being labeled as racist. Great stuff keep ‘em coming," Holland tweeted.

TMZ Sports recently spoke with E -- who's been sidelined as he rehabs his neck injury -- and he told us he doesn't know if he'll ever compete in a ring again, adding I "want to make the best decision" on his future with the company.

"I gotta see what the scans say," E said. "Talk to doctors, and then go from there." "Right now, before I know anything, I'm not going to make any rush to judgments or anything. See how everything looks."

Talk about putting your money where your mouth is ... a fan just spent over $13K on a card that was signed and kissed by Paige VanZant!

The first edition card hit auction last week on eBay ... and after 102 bids, the 1-of-1 sold for exactly $13,200, and the Bare Knuckle FC boxer was hyped!

"Thank you to everyone who bid," the 28-year-old said on Monday via Instagram. "This was a really cool experience for me ♥"

The card is pretty sweet ... it features a photo of VanZant in her boxing gear with a pink lip print and she proves the kiss was from her lips by sharing a picture of her kissing the card.

She also signed it with her name and "XOXO".

The whole idea was to help launch her husband, Bellator star Austin Vanderford's new shop where you can buy, sell, and/or trade sports cards.

"Go bid while you can and take a look at everything he’s got for sale if your into football cards :) And follow @vanderford_cards for new listings," VanZant said.

Of course, if you follow the couple, you know they support each other in a big way ... ever since getting married in 2018.

"Oh the places we have been," VanZant said in a recent IG video of Austin. "And oh the places we will go. ❤️ @austinvanderford"

Just about everyone in Hollywood was at the Oscars on Sunday, and just about everyone else was at one of these two after-parties ... courtesy of Elton John and Vanity Fair.

These were the biggest shindigs in town post-award show -- and as you see, they were absolutely packed with star power. Not just actors, BTW, but musicians, comedians, models and socialites were dressed in their best getups.

Check out who showed up where ... over at the VF bash in Bev Hills, we saw faces like Jessica Alba, Jennifer Coolidge, Donald Glover, Trevor Noah, Naomi Watts, Tracee Ellis Ross, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Michael Keaton, Queen Latifah, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Paulson, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen ... and even 2 politicos, Nancy Pelosi and Monica Lewinsky.

Meanwhile, out in WeHo, the Rocket Man himself was hosting an Oscars viewing party through his AIDS foundation ... and that, too, was flowing with glamorous A-listers.

Elton was able to get a solid crowd together himself ... people who swung by include Heidi Klum, Kathy Hilton, Christina Hendricks, Tiffany Haddish, Brooke Shields, Patricia Arquette, Smokey Robinson, Zooey Deschanel, Hilary Duff, Emma Watson and many more.

Of course, everyone there was also dressed to impress ... rocking gowns, suits, tuxes and everything fancy in between. Elton himself was in his traditional heart-shaped shades.

It's just the cherry on top for a pretty great night all around ... everybody seemed to be on their best behavior and was certainly having a ball as they celebrated filmmaking.

Like we told you, all the nominees were in quite the touchy-feely mood behind the scenes at the Dolby Theater itself -- but in a good and respectful way ... meaning, they were just bringing it in for hugs and kisses as they congratulated each other. No slaps or swings.

And, naturally, every person that made their big entrance in front of the cameras was also in their best Sunday 'fits ... with most everybody rocking fairly traditional, elegant outfits.

Not only were the nominees looking pristine ... but so were the presenters, all 40+ of 'em.

As for the highlights of the actual broadcast itself ... well, there were a lot. Ke Huy Quan (the kid from "The Goonies" and 'Temple of Doom') won an Oscar, as did Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh ... as did Brendan Fraser. They took home the top acting honors of the night.

Speaking of "Everything Everywhere All at Once," that movie swept just about every major category it was nominated in ... including Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director(s) and Best Picture

It was the Lakers and Knicks who took priority for Denzel Washington and Spike Lee on Hollywood's biggest night -- the two A-listers skipped the Oscars to catch the NBA teams go at it in L.A.!!!

Washington and Lee ditched stage-side seats at the famed movie award ceremony for courtside ones at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday evening ... and didn't seem one bit displeased with their choice.

The guys were seen sharing a hug before the game ... clearly not stressing about missing the Oscars -- which were taking place at the same time less than 10 miles away at the Dolby Theatre.

Lee, of course, is a huge Knicks fan -- and Denzel is a big Lakers one ... and the two talked smack to each other about their teams throughout the contest.

Lee ended up getting the last laugh -- the Knicks beat the Lakers 112-108 ... though Washington didn't seem too beat up over it all.

The actors weren't the only celebs at the game ... star boxers Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia, plus Flea, were there too.

In fact, Washington and Davis had a moment with each other before the game, where Denzel voiced some big support for the fighter.

Former Univ. of Alabama running back Ahmaad Galloway -- who played for Tide from 1999 to 2002 -- died from an accidental overdose ... officials tell TMZ Sports.

The Office of the Medical Examiner in St. Louis said Friday the ex-football player died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, ethanol and xylazine.

He was just 42 years old.

As we reported, Galloway was found dead in his home on Jan. 9 ... after he failed to show up for his gig as an eighth grade teacher at Compton-Drew Middle School in St. Louis.

The school's principal, Susan Reid, said at the time he showed no signs of trouble leading up to his death ... and had just attended a students' basketball game days prior to his passing.

In his three years at 'Bama, Galloway rushed for 1,830 yards and 17 touchdowns. He went on to be picked by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft -- but never logged an official stat in his pro career.

Tiger Woods has fired back at his ex-gf, disputing her claim he had an oral agreement to let her live in his house and essentially support her for years ... in what is shaping up to be a hyper-nasty $30 million lawsuit.

Tiger's lawyers are challenging Erica Herman, who claimed in her lawsuit Tiger promised to support her and let her live in his house for at least 5 more years in return for services (she did not specify) -- this before he broke up with her a few months back.

According to legal docs, Tiger's lawyers said (BTW the house is partly owned by a trust)  ... "During their relationship, Mr. Woods invited Ms. Herman to live with him as his guest in the Residence. Mr. Woods never negotiated an oral tenancy agreement with Ms. Herman. Nor was there ever a written tenancy agreement between Mr. Woods or the Trust, on the one hand, and Ms. Herman, on the other hand. Mr. Woods never transferred to Ms. Herman any ownership interest in or rights of possession to the Residence."

Herman claimed in her lawsuit ... Tiger's people convinced her to pack a suitcase back in the fall for a "short vacation" -- without Tiger -- and drove her to the airport. Upon their arrival at the airport, Herman claims she was told the locks to the house were changed and she was out.

Tiger's lawyers claim the golfing legend did not throw Erica out in the cold ... rather, they say Tiger put her up in a luxury resort and gave her enough money for a new residence.

"SNL" eviscerated the Oscars Saturday night .... with a fantasy awards show that is absolutely hilarious!!!

The enforcer against a Will Smith redo is none other than Mike Tyson, played spectacularly by Kenan Thompson, who said, “I should warn you, the following things will set me off: clapping, statutes of gold people, shows that last more than three hours, and also hearing the phrase ‘the magic of movies.’”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who wore a dress right off the Costco rack, is equally funny.

But the best ... Tom Cruise showed up at the Oscars.  Well, it's actually Rep. George Santos, who slyly passed himself off as "Tom Q Cruise."

Ryan Garcia tells TMZ Sports Jake Paul would probably get "beat up" by Floyd Mayweather if the two ever got in the ring ... but he did put at least some respect on the YouTuber-turned-boxer's game -- saying he believes the tilt would at least go the distance.

A potential Paul vs. Mayweather fight appears to be in the works ... after the guys got into a heated back-and-forth outside of the Miami Heat game on Wednesday night.

So, when we got Garcia out promoting his upcoming match with Gervonta Davis out in LA this week -- we had to ask ... who'd win if the fight went down?

Garcia made it clear that despite his friendship with Jake, his money is on Floyd ... "but, guess what," he said, "Jake won't get knocked out."

His explanation for why was simple ... Mayweather couldn't KO Jake's big bro, Logan, in their exhibition match back in June 2021 -- and he obviously believes Jake's a better fighter.

As for the meetup in the streets this week ... Garcia called out Floyd for it all, saying it wasn't "right" to confront Paul with a huge entourage.

But, Garcia told us he isn't too worried about that matchup ... saying his focus is solely on Davis -- who he'll take on next month after years of smack talk.

Kane -- AKA Mayor Glenn Jacobs -- tells TMZ Sports he's focused on running his county right now ... but the WWE legend didn't rule out the possibility of holding other political offices in the future, saying he'd entertain the idea when the time is right.

We recently talked to Jacobs -- currently in his second term as the mayor of Knox County, TN -- and asked the WWE Hall of Famer whether he has ambitions of ascending the political ladder, and running for higher office like U.S. senator or governor.

"I don't know," Glenn said. "I'm just trying to do the best job I can as mayor right now. We'll leave that until the time comes."

Jacobs -- who's been a WWE Superstar since 1995 -- told us he's content in his current role, and wants people to remember him for the difference he's made in their lives through his policies and advocacy.

"What I want is pretty simple," Jacobs said. "People to understand that I cared about my community and wanted to do what I could to make it a better place. As mayor, you don't do that yourself, but what you can do is kind of lay out a vision and get people to the table and somewhat lead the way."

Glenn was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, and says he didn't enter politics for personal gain, but rather to make Knox County "even better than it already is."

Five-star hoops prospect Kiyomi McMiller -- arguably the top girls H.S. basketball player in the country -- tells TMZ Sports she's hoping to get a signature shoe just like Michael Jordan ... after she inked a deal with His Airness' brand last month.

We spoke to the 16-year-old -- a superstar point guard for Life Center Academy in Burlington, NJ -- just a few weeks after she put the pen to paper with Jordan ... and she told us the historic deal is "pretty crazy."

And, she said that now that she's a part of the MJ roster ... she wants her own line of kicks one day -- perhaps with something that ties into her "The Product" nickname.

She added, though, that her "ultimate goal is to be the greatest of all-time."

Kiyomi's parents coached at a local college when she was young, sparking her love for the game -- and it was actually her father, Mike, who came up with her famous moniker. McMiller said Dad thought of it because he believes she can deliver anything that's needed on the basketball court.

McMiller -- who wears #23 just like Mike -- told us Julius Erving, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry and MJ are her top-five favorite players of all time ... and said the reason she considers Jordan the greatest ever is because he stood out among other NBA greats.

Kiyomi, a junior who's yet to commit to a college, is planning on majoring in communications, sports management or marketing.

We asked McMiller -- whose lethal handles and shiftiness on the court make her a must-see -- what player inspires her game the most ... and she said Kyrie and KD influence how she plays.

"I don't think fans wanna tune in to see me wrestle. They damn sure don't tune in to see me do Brazilian jiu-jitsu. So, why not cut the fat and get right to the meat and potatoes."

That's former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez, 39 -- one of the greatest lightweight mixed martial artists in history -- on why he's decided to leave MMA for bare knuckle boxing.

Alvarez recently inked a deal with BKFC ... and will fight 37-year-old fellow former UFC star Chad Mendes on April 29.

The men have over 60 pro MMA fights combined (Eddie has 40), but Alvarez points out the sports are considerably different, including the fact that cuts are very prevalent.

"There's a lot of little subtleties that I learned when I went to the event myself. Usually you get cut about a minute or two into the fight, typically there's a cut that goes on and you have to learn and you gotta learn to fight with that," Eddie says.

And, cuts are a serious factor, according to Alvarez, who says seeing one's own blood can screw with a fighter's head.

"Some guys could be world champs, undefeated. Never seen their own blood and when they do, you get to see the bitch in them real quick. You need to see your own blood a few times," Eddie tells us, adding, "I'm very familiar with my own blood. I know what it tastes like, smells like, and oftentimes I don't feel like I'm in a fight until I'm cut."

The Underground King says there are more differences between the sport.

"There's even smaller margin for error. And it's a sprint, not a marathon. You need to be ready when that bell rings. There's no feeling out process."

Eddie and Chad aren't the only combat sports stars on the card. Former UFC champ Luke Rockhold is also boxing former UFC star "Platinum" Mike Perry the same night, and we spoke to the 38-year-old fighter.

"It's different, it's intriguing, and it's f****** scary. F****** crazy shit. I'm a f****** crazy man."

Aside from being a great fighter, Rockhold's also a model (he was previously the face of a Polo Ralph Lauren advertising campaign), so we asked him he if was concerned about his moneymaker getting damaged (see Eddie's comments above about the cuts).

"Do I seem like I'm worried about my face?" Luke joked, adding ... "Mike Perry should be worried about his face cause I plan on putting it right on his f****** nose!"

"I wanna make that nose a little more crooked."

"The Challenge" star C.T. Tamburello and his estranged wife have agreed on who gets the house in the midst of their divorce ... and he won't be the one movin' out.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Lilianet "Lili" Solares filed back in December to get sole possession of their Florida pad -- but she has now agreed to move out and leave the marital home to C.T.

Docs say Lili will move into a rental property ASAP ... but C.T. will be responsible for the $7,200 deposit for her new place. Lili's only allowed to enter the marital home to get her stuff -- including furniture and personal items, as well as some of their kid's things.

C.T.'s required to pay $761 a month for temporary child support ... and they agreed to stick to a schedule when it comes to taking care of their little one, Christopher Jr.

TMZ broke the story, C.T. filed for divorce last November, putting an end to their tumultuous marriage. No word on what led to the decision, but their relationship issues were front and center on "The Challenge: Double Agents" -- where he revealed they separated back in 2020, before eventually getting back together.

Shakira put her breakup with longtime partner Gerard Piqué into a song -- one that's taken over the music industry ... and which just won her a crap ton of world record awards.

The Latin pop star hit 'The Tonight Show' Friday night, where she and DJ Bizarrap -- who collaborated with Shakira on 'Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,' a song that's been a chart-topper since January -- chopped it up with Jimmy Fallon about all the success and praise.

Shakira didn't shy away from the fact that this track is, by and large, an FU to her ex ... going on to say that much of her personal life, including the nasty split, motivated her to create an anthem for women everywhere.

As she puts it ... her fan base has now become a sisterhood, one she says she recognizes has had to put up with a lot of "crap," just like she's done the past year and change.

Of course, she's referring to the fact that Piqué has moved on with a much younger woman -- 23-year-old Clara Chia Martí ... with whom GP went public last year. According to reports, she's a PR student who works for Pique's production company and who handles his events.

Anyhoo, Shakira gave the people what they wanted on 'Fallon' ... performing the hit song and getting the whole audience on their feet and dancing. It's clear ... they're on her side.

At some point during her appearance, she also posed backstage with all the Guinness World Records she's broken since the song came out -- a whopping 14 of them, in fact, as the single continues to do numbers and cements her in the history books of music/pop culture.

Among the titles she now holds as a result ... most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours, the most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours, the fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube, and the most streamed Latin track on Spotify in one week.

There are more ... but you get the gist. The song is absolutely killing it, once again putting Shakira on top -- a testament to her staying power and how beloved she is worldwide.

The fallout from her and Pique's uncoupling has been pretty rough, and for good reason -- they were together for 11 years and share two kids ... Sasha and Milan. A lot of people feel the way he ended things with Shakira was unceremonious ... and fairly scandalous too.

Shakira seems to be doing just fine now, though ... and is still looking pretty fine, at that.

The Kardashian Klan showed up in force to celebrate twin sisters Malika and Khadijah Haqq's 40th birthday bash in stormy L.A. Friday night ... but the rain didn't seem to dampen the mood.

Kim, Khloe, Kylie and Kris Jenner all showed up at The Nice Guy restaurant in WeHo for their longtime friends' soiree, which was busting at the seams with celebs.

Among the guests ... Saweetie, Lauren London, Evan Ross, Simon Huck, Nicole Williams, Adrienne Bailon, Lance Gross and Yris Palmer.

Khloe's ex Tristan Thompson also dropped in, although he didn't arrive with her and they left separately.

Everyone was dressed to the nines, which explains why some guests hid under umbrellas to protect their fancy outfits as they braved the elements.

Of course, Khloe heaped lots of praise on Malika, whom she befriended as a teen in the late 90s. She even took to Instagram to celebrate Malika and Khadijah, posting several old photos of the three together.

Kim also shared a video from the event on her IG, showing her mugging for the camera with Kylie and Kris.

Overall, it seemed as if everybody was having a blast ... weather be damned.