TMZ Sports - Page 50

The youth wrestler who clocked his opponent in the face following a match earlier this month has been cited for assault ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Oak Park Police Dept. tells us the 14-year-old eighth grader was officially issued the citation on Thursday ... after he admitted to officers he punched his counterpart because "he was angry that he had lost the match."

The boy is now facing fines and penalties depending on the outcome of an adjudication hearing in Oak Park, Ill. next month.

As we reported, the incident went down on April 8 at Oak Park River Forest H.S. in Oak Park, Ill. ... after a 14-year-old SPAR Academy wrestler had won a match, 14-2, and had looked to shake hands with his opponent out of a show of sportsmanship.

Cops tells us ... when they arrived on the scene following the altercation, the victim had sustained a bloody nose from the cheap shot, but declined further medical care.

Police say all parties cooperated with the ensuing investigation.

It's unclear if the puncher will face further discipline -- such as a lifetime ban from wrestling -- but MMA legend Chael Sonnen told us this week he was hopeful the boy would avoid any sort of lengthy time away from the mat.

"This was a terrible moment," Sonnen said, "but it could also be a teachable moment."

LeBron James claimed he was too cheap to keep his blue checkmark, but his account showed otherwise on Thursday -- the Lakers superstar's page is now officially subscribed to Twitter Blue.

Thursday marked the end of legacy verified accounts on Elon Musk's app -- with the majority of users losing their badges unless they ponied up $8 a month to keep it.

As we previously reported, the King made his stance on the move crystal clear last month ... saying, "Welp guess my blue ✔️ will be gone soon cause if you know me I ain’t paying the 5. 🤷🏾‍♂️"

But someone on Bron's team must not have gotten the memo ... 'cause as superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Wilson and Aaron Judge said goodbye to the verify, his still has its badge.

The 4-time champ didn't get any special treatment -- his account's check says he subscribed to Twitter Blue just like everyone else who wanted to keep it.

Tom Brady, Klay Thompson, Conor McGregor and J.J. Watt are on LeBron's side -- their accounts are all subscribed to Twitter Blue as well.

There are now two teams on Twitter -- check and no check -- so, pick a side and tweet away, folks.

NHL center Morgan Barron is looking like something straight out of a horror flick after taking a skate to the face this week ... he just showed off his massive face scar while speaking with reporters on Thursday -- and it is brutal!!

Barron took a moment to meet with media before suiting up for Game 2 of the Jets' first-round contest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs ... and he gave folks a first look at the damage caused by the skating incident.

"You know, some guys have told me it looks better than expected and some guys look at me like I'm a science project, so I've kind of gotten both ends of the spectrum," Barron said. "I think it feels better than it looks."

In case you missed it ... the Winnipeg center suffered the injury during the first period of his team's 5-1 win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, which required at least 75 stitches. But, somehow, Barron returned to the game about halfway through the second period after getting patched up!!

The resulting scar runs basically from his right eye up to the top of his forehead -- but Morgan is wearing his new addition with pride ... even cracking a smile for the cameras!!

Barron's eye also showed some discoloration in the aftermath.

The injury could've actually been much worse ... even though that may be hard to believe. During the incident, Vegas forward Chandler Stephenson quickly reacted and was able to pull Barron off Golden Knights goalie Laurent Brossoit's skate to avoid further, serious damage.

Mikey Williams -- one of the best high school basketball players in the country -- just pled not guilty to the six felony charges he was hit with in his shooting case.

Troy Owens, the attorney for the San Ysidro H.S. star point guard, entered the pleas for the Univ. of Memphis commit at Williams' arraignment hearing in San Diego on Thursday morning.

During the proceedings, which Williams attended remotely, a judge ordered the basketball player to stay away from the alleged victims in the case. Williams was also ordered to not be in possession of guns or ammunition.

Williams was charged with five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle ... after authorities allege he was involved in an altercation near his home in eastern San Diego on March 27.

Police say someone opened fire on a car that had five people in it -- including three minors -- following an argument at a nearby home. No one was injured.

Williams was arrested on April 13 over his alleged role in it all ... and after he posted bond, Owens said in a statement the hooper "maintains his innocence."

Williams is due back in court for another hearing on the matter in June.

Meanwhile, Williams' future college coach -- Tigers head man Penny Hardaway -- told media members on Wednesday Memphis has not cut ties with the star guard over the arrest.

Elon Musk's crusade to remove Twitter's blue checkmarks from legacy verified accounts is going into overdrive ... with a couple notable casualties among the celebrity ranks.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and K-pop supergroup BLACKPINK all had their blue checks stripped Thursday from their official Twitter accounts.

Elon targeted April 20 as the date for removing legacy blue checkmarks, announcing his intentions earlier this month, but lots of folks weren't sure if the bird app would actually follow through ... and now the reckoning is here.

For years, Twitter's blue checks were coveted ... they used to serve as the social media platform's official verification system, distinguishing prominent public figures from all the normies.

But, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon decided to go in a different direction ... he's now charging folks $8 a month for subscriptions that come with blue checkmarks, and getting rid of the legacy checkmarks.

Tons of celebs have railed against Elon's policy ... including LeBron James, who said he wouldn't pay for a blue check, only for him to switch course.

Robert Griffin III and Brady Quinn are going at it ... the two former NFL quarterbacks were in a heated exchange on social media Thursday after the former Notre Dame signal caller criticized Ohio State QB and top draft prospect CJ Stroud for allegedly missing Peyton Manning's football camp.

RG3 clapped back at Quinn, who on Wednesday said the Buckeyes standout "ghosted" the Manning Passing Academy the night before previously committing to attend the camp.

Griffin was clearly pissed Quinn shared the unsubstantiated story, and he fired off a tweet letting Brady know as much.

"Brady Quinn’s attempt to tear down CJ Strouds’ character was BOGUS. CJ DID NOT no-show at the Manning Passing Academy without warning because he DID NOT COMMIT TO GOING. I know because I did the research."

RG3 continued ... "@Brady_Quinn said he simply repeated something he was told, but it is STILL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to vet character damaging information yourself before echoing it to millions of people. Too often lies are reported and used to hurt players. THAT AIN’T RIGHT."

Quinn, the former 22nd overall pick who played four seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, stood by his reporting, saying the information he received was vetted, adding it's not reflective of his opinion on Stroud.

Retired NFL player Ryan Clark and current NFL star cornerback Jalen Ramsey also took issue with Quinn's commentary, blasting the CBS analyst for seemingly trying to cast aspersions on Stroud ahead of the upcoming NFL draft.

Ramsey also ripped Quinn's reporting, labeling it a fake story and accusing BQ of "Tryna beak a kid down before the draft." Meanwhile, Clark said Quinn "is an example of [an] analyst telling stories of 0 value to diminish a man’s character while validating his own."

E-40's been hot about Sacramento Kings' security booting him from Game 1 of their playoff clash against the Golden State Warriors ... but tensions have since subsided, and their beef's officially been squashed.

On Thursday, 40 dropped his new single, "Front Row 40" ... which features the legendary rap star spitting his patented slang from inside the Chase Center where his beloved Warriors play.

Sources close to the production of the Jae Synth-directed video tell TMZ Hip Hop that 40 actually filmed the visual several months ago, and had always planned to drop it parallel to the Warriors' postseason run.

The clip also leverages plenty of star power ... with cameos from JAY-Z, Diddy, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort, 2 Chainz and GSW stars Steph Curry and Draymond Green.

But, the rollout takes on new meaning now in the wake of his removal from Sacramento's Golden 1 Center last Sunday, which resulted in 40 deeming the org racist -- but both sides are putting it in the rearview.

40 and the Kings released a joint statement that spoke to the issue's conclusion ... “Contrary to speculation, Mr. Earl 'E-40' Stevens did not stand excessively from his ticketed courtside seat; the outcome resulted from an unfortunate misunderstanding between both parties.”

Colin Kaepernick is stepping up to help a family find answers ... paying for the autopsy of a 35-year-old man who died under peculiar circumstances in county jail after the medical examiner's initial autopsy failed to provide answers.

LaShawn Thompson died in his Fulton County Jail cell in September 2022 ... and his family wholeheartedly believes the facility's horrific and unsanitary conditions led to LT's death. But, the official autopsy came back "undetermined."

Enter Colin. He heard about the story and wanted to help, so he contacted Ben Crump, attorney for the family, and offered to fund a second, independent autopsy.

Typically, autopsies can cost between $20-50k.

Aside from wanting to provide the family with closure, we're told Colin was, and is, upset about the conditions in which LaShawn, initially arrested for a misdemeanor simple battery, and other inmates endured.

In fact, it's those disgusting conditions the Thompson family believes contributed, if not caused, LaShawn's death.

"The cell he was in was not fit for a diseased animal. This is inexcusable and it’s deplorable,” Thompson family attorney Michael Harper said of the cell where LaShawn lived, and ultimately died.

The family has released several photos of the scene, as well as LT's body, which appears to be covered in bug bites.

In the wake of the outrage over jail conditions, three high-ranking jail officials have stepped down, with the Fulton County Sheriff saying, “It’s clear to me that it’s time, past time, to clean house,” adding they're making "sweeping changes" to the facility.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan are taking their love to the hardwood -- the couple is teaming up to host a celebrity basketball game ahead of the Miami Grand Prix!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Larcus (yeah, we're coining that) are headlining the Wooshi World Celebrity Basketball Classic in Sunrise, FL on Wednesday, May 3 to benefit the "D Up on Cancer" charity.

Big names like Miami Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill, Lil Pump, Ex-NFLer Bryant McKinnie, influencer Jen Selter and country artist Jimmie Allen are all slated to participate in the game at FLA Live Arena ... and the Chicago Bulls legend's son will serve as a coach.

The event -- also hosted by Celebrity Sports Entertainment, The Money Team and DJ Irie -- is another big step for Pippen and Jordan, who recently took things public after months of downplaying their romance.

Considering it's a special moment, it wouldn't be a surprise if Bravo cameras are present to get footage for a future episode of "The Real Housewives of Miami" ... which, of course, is the show Larsa appears on.

The two are pretty much inseparable at this point -- they've been going to romantic dinners, concerts and fancy boat trips together ever since they decided to go official.

Tom Brady apparently didn't think an AI-generated comedy special about him was funny at all.

According to the comedians who helped create the viral, hour-long video -- which featured an animated version of the NFL legend telling crass jokes in a stand-up format -- TB12 threatened legal action over it just days after it was posted ... which forced them to wipe it from the internet this week.

Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen explained the situation on their "Dudesy" podcast on Tuesday ... saying that shortly after they helped put up the fake Brady comedy special on their Patreon page earlier this month -- they received a cease and desist letter from the G.O.A.T.'s attorneys.

The guys said Brady's lawyers claimed in the letter that the AI version of the future Hall of Famer "blatantly violates" the former quarterback's "rights" ... and if they didn't meet a list of demands -- which included taking down the video -- a lawsuit would be forthcoming.

Sasso and Kultgen clearly thought the whole thing was B.S. -- on their pod, they wondered how it in any away differentiated from live comedians doing impressions of celebs on shows like "Saturday Night Live" -- but they nonetheless acquiesced.

The comedians said they took down the comedy special at midnight Tuesday.

If DeAndre Hopkins ever gets bored catching footballs, he's got a career as a runway model to fall back on ... the Arizona Cardinals (for now) star walked in the 'Fear of God' fashion show Wednesday!

Several A-listers caught the star wideout on camera at the invite-only event for Jerry Lorenzo's fashion line ... held at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Cards teammate Isaiah Simmons shared footage of Hopkins walking the runway in a black two-piece fit and blue gloves.

DHop looked like an old pro on the runway, walking amongst the other professional models.

FYI, Hopkins signed with IMG Models in 2020. He was also named GQ's best-dressed athlete in 2019 and made Sports Illustrated's 50 most fashionable list in 2018 and 2019.

Hopkins has been enjoying the offseason ... aside from the modeling, he's traveled and hung out with his buddies, including former NFL star Dez Bryant, creating a helluva commotion in Dallas.

The Cardinals are reportedly shopping the 5-time Pro Bowler ... looking for a 2nd rounder plus "something else of value”, according to SI's Albert Breer.

The family of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is furious with a German news outlet for publishing an artificial intelligence-generated interview with the seven-time world champ -- and now, they're threatening to take legal action over the whole ordeal.

A recent copy of the Die Aktuelle magazine featured a picture of a happy Schumacher ... promoting "the first interview" with the racing great following his tragic skiing accident in December 2013, which resulted in a serious brain injury.

The cover also featured the tagline, "It sounded deceptively real."

As it turns out, the cover story was entirely fake ... and it was later revealed in the article that Schumacher's quotes were made using AI -- which has led his family to kickstart a legal attack on the publication, according to Reuters.

54-year-old Schumacher hasn't spoken with the media since his accident ... and his family has elected to handle his recovery in private.

Michael's wife, Corinna, spoke about his condition in a documentary with Netflix in 2021 ... saying they do everything they can to make him feel comfortable at home.

Schumacher was as dominant as it gets during his 18-year run in F1 -- he is tied with Lewis Hamilton for the most championships after spending the majority of his career with Ferrari.

If LeBron James needed any more motivation to win in this year's playoffs ... he certainly got it on Wednesday night from Dillon Brooks, who blasted the Lakers star as "old" after beating him.

The Grizzlies wing -- known as one of the biggest agitators in the NBA -- made the eyebrow-raising comments following Memphis' 103-93 Game 2 victory.

Brooks had gotten in LeBron's face repeatedly during the contest in Tennessee ... and when he was asked if he had considered that it could potentially set James off -- Brooks unloaded.

"I don't care," he said. "He's old. You know what I mean?"

Brooks then accused LeBron of only trash-talking back when the Memphis star got in foul trouble.

"I poke bears," he said. "I don't respect no one 'til they come and give me 40" points.

FYI -- LeBron had 28 points, 12 rebounds and three assists in the loss. Brooks, who said he prides himself on his defense, had 12 points, one rebound and three assists in the win.

The two teams won't play again until Saturday night for Game 3 of their series ... and something tells us LeBron's now going to be pretty pissed off heading into the tilt in L.A.

Chael Sonnen says he was disgusted by the viral video of a youth wrestler sucker punching an opponent after a match ... but tells TMZ Sports the kid should NOT be permanently banned from the sport.

Of course, a 14-year-old SPAR Academy wrestler was hit with a vicious punch after beating his opponent in a local wrestling tourney at Oak Park River Forest H.S. in Illinois on April 8th.

Video of the incident went viral, and many believe the puncher should receive an indefinite ban after the cheap shot that injured the wrestler's nose.

But, Sonnen -- a former college All-American wrestler and MMA legend who currently runs his own submission grappling promotion -- feels otherwise, believing a ban will not help the situation.

"I would tell you as a coach, the worst thing that a young man should have is free time," Sonnen told us. "It's probably one of the reasons that his parents got him enrolled and enlisted him in something like wrestling in the first place."

"To kick the kid out and have him just roaming the streets and doing something else I think should be given a real consideration."

"This was a terrible moment, but it could also be a teachable moment."

The 46-year-old, rather than burying the kid, is instead showing empathy, saying he doesn't want the young man's entire life judged off a five-second clip.

"We don't know the rest of the story. For sure it was terrible action but to ban a kid for life, I think there's a discussion that at least deserves to be had."

Sonnen also feels for the injured wrestler ... though Chael points out wrestling's a physical sport, and competitors sometimes lose their tempers.

"The gentleman that you saw getting hit likely has lost his temper before, too. Maybe it was at practice, maybe he didn't hit quite as hard, maybe it wasn't caught and shown to the world but it's a very normal thing in wrestling," Sonnen said.

"Wrestlers tend to forgive other wrestlers and I bet if you asked that kid that was hit, what he wants to see happen, he does not tell you ban that kid or put him in jail."

There appears to be a reason why Jonathan Majors is being cut from projects as his team jumps ship ... he reportedly has more alleged abuse victims waiting in the wings.

The alleged victims are coming forward and cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to Variety.

Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry tells TMZ ... "Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated."

As we reported, Majors was arrested last month in New York City for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his girlfriend in the back of a taxi cab.

Variety reports the alleged incident is just the tip of the iceberg ... which explains why honchos in the entertainment industry are distancing themselves from the "Creed III" star.

Remember ... in the wake of his arrest, Majors was dropped by his management team, and a major PR firm pulled the plug on working with him. He's also been uninvited from the upcoming Met Gala.

Majors' attorney claims the alleged victim from the NYC arrest texted the actor after he got busted to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."

As you know, Majors has been working nonstop in Hollywood lately ... he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU after starring in the recent 'Ant-Man' movie.

But, with other alleged victims reportedly waiting in the wings ... it appears the hits could keep coming for Majors.

NFL prospect Michael Jefferson is optimistic he'll make a full recovery from the injuries he sustained in a fatal car crash earlier this month ... and everyone in the former college football star's camp is still holding out hope a team will pick him in next week's draft.

Brad Sohn, Jefferson's attorney, said in a statement Wednesday that while the ex-Louisiana wideout will need to "undergo a grueling rehabilitation" after he was badly hurt in the April 9 accident in Mobile County, AL ... Jefferson still thinks "he can have an outstanding NFL career."

"We believe that optimism is well-founded," Sohn said, "and hope a team still will select this terrific young man and great football player."

Sohn declined to say what injuries Jefferson suffered in the wreck ... though he added in his statement the 23-year-old is "in good spirits under the circumstances."

"Michael would not have made it this far without being a fighter," Sohn said.

We broke the story ... cops say an impaired driver, 55-year-old Charles Dunn, slammed head-on into Jefferson while the two were on a four-lane road on Easter night. Officials say when Jefferson spun out of the initial collision, another car barreled into him. Dunn was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jefferson, who logged 51 catches for 810 yards and seven TDs last season, had been rated by some pundits as one of the 30-best wide receivers available in this year's NFL draft class ... and was expected to be a mid-round pick next weekend prior to the accident.