TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kirby Smart is clearing the air on why Georgia won't visit the White House to celebrate its second consecutive national championship ... saying there's "nothing political about it."

The Bulldogs head coach addressed the decision to forego the tradition at the Regions Celebrity Pro-Am golf tourney in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday ... saying the time frame simply doesn't work for the program because it's hosting a football camp from June 6-8.

"Tough deal timeline-wise, it didn't work," Kirby said. "Number one time for recruiting for football coaches. When you've got 600, 700 kids coming to your campus, you can't take 200 people to the White House and have no one on campus."

He added, "The time just didn't work out. Nothing political about it, but I've been before. It's very educational. It's a great experience."

Smart said the White House usually extends the invite to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave right after the national championship game winner is crowned ... but that didn't happen this time, as POTUS was hoping to have Georgia visit on June 12.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Shaquil Barrett is opening up on the death of his 2-year-old daughter ... sharing a sweet video of the baby girl with a heartbreaking message.

The two-time Pro Bowler posted the footage and the note to his Instagram page late Wednesday night ... less than two weeks after Arrayah drowned in the pool at their Tampa-area home.

You can see in the clip, Barrett was holding his little girl tightly ... while blowing kisses for the camera.

"I miss you sooo much baby girl," the outside linebacker said in the caption on the post. "I love you please watch over us 😘😘#TGBTG"

The comment section on the post was flooded with support for the Barretts ... with Bucs star Mike Evans writing, "Love you, brother."

Barrett's wife, Jordanna, also left a message ... "We love you forever and ever babygirl💕 until we meet again my baby!"

Jordanna -- who has three other kids with Barrett -- broke her silence on the tragedy last week with an emotional post of her own where she thanked everyone for their "messages, flowers, thoughts and prayers."

"Our world will never be the same," Jordanna wrote. "Arrayah was the apple of my eye, and my heart will forever be with hers."

Arrayah was laid to rest on May 5 at a private funeral in Tampa. She had just celebrated her second birthday on April 19.

Kim Zolciak isn't letting her ongoing divorce war with Kroy Biermann stop her from taking care of the couple's 4 kiddos ... still going full mommy mode to keep things as normal as possible ... despite the fact her estranged husband is gunning to take the kids.

Check out the pics, obtained by TMZ, showing Zolciak driving her Range Rover Wednesday to pick up her son, Kane, from school. Our sources say this is a regular occurrence, but something Kim wants to continue to do in order to keep the kids comfortable and calm.

Kroy stated in his divorce petition he wants sole custody of their four kids -- he wants them to live with him, though he didn't specify where. Our Kim sources say despite what Kroy insinuates in the docs, both Kim and Kroy are still living under the same roof with their children.

TMZ broke the story, both Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions, a clear indication things are getting very nasty behind the scenes.

Kroy is asking for both sole legal and physical custody of the kids, without any mention of visitation for Kim. He's also asking she vacate their family home, the same one that went into foreclosure earlier this year.

For her part, Kim's asking for sole physical and joint legal custody of the kids, with visitation for Kroy.

We were the first to report the estranged couple is in serious financial trouble, owing more than $1 million to the IRS ... in his divorce docs, Kroy requested Kim maintain all financial records -- including expense reports as well as income and tax records.

Peloton has issued a MASSIVE recall on its ever-popular exercise bikes ... because instead of people breaking a sweat during a workout, some are breaking bones.

The company ordered the recall Thursday of about 2.2 million of the PL01 model ... according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the seat posts can break while users take a ride, creating a serious fall risk and other injury hazards.

Peloton says there have already been 35 reports of the seat post breaking and detaching during use, with 13 reports of injuries like a fractured wrist, bruises, and even cuts due to folks falling off the bikes -- yikes.

For those unaware, this isn't Peloton's first time recalling products ... it did the same in 2021 for 125K treadmills following children-related injuries, and even one that tragically died.

The company had to do damage control after "And Just Like That..." featured the shocking death of Mr. Big while riding a Peloton, which obviously isn't a great look. In response, they poked fun at the whole thing with a pretty cheeky ad campaign.

Someone's about to live like a champion -- a very wealthy World Series champion -- 'cause Braves legend Chipper Jones just unloaded his gigantic mansion in Georgia for $11 MILLION!!

The estate was built in 2013 and sits on 37 wooded acres in Canton, only 13 miles northeast of Atlanta ... where the Braves star was one of the greatest players of his generation.

The gated estate has eight bedrooms, nine baths, a nine-car garage, and entertainment for days including a home theater, game room, dirt bike track, and a 4-stall horse barn.

BTW, the stable has a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment inside, as well.

But, perhaps the best perk is the heated Olympic-sized pool on the mansion grounds!

The interior features floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors, natural stone, and high ceilings.

The Jones property was listed by Katie McGuirk of Ansley Real Estate for $15 million in 2022, but after months on the market, the crib finally sold this week for $11M. Jones bought the property in 2018 for $9.25M.

Now, why would Jones let this beautiful place go? We're told he's simply downsizing.

Of course, Jones has been a beloved Atlanta resident since the Braves selected the third baseman as the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft ... and during his 19 seasons, he became an 8-time All-Star, a 2-time Silver Slugger winner, an MLB batting champ, NL MVP, and a World Series champ.

The Braves retired his No. 10 jersey and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. He's currently the Braves' assistant hitting consultant.

Having a rough Thursday morning? This will certainly cheer you up ...

Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley got a case of the giggles on the set of "NBA On TNT" on Wednesday night ... and the two cracked each other up so hard, it's impossible not to laugh out loud while watching them.

The NBA legends began chuckling right after Ernie Johnson had spoken about the injury Anthony Davis suffered against the Warriors in the Lakers' playoff loss at Golden State ... and check out the video, even though they tried like hell to stifle the giggles -- they just couldn't stop.

Every time one of the two appeared composed, the other one busted out a huge laugh. It alll looked like a scene straight of a middle school classroom.

And, at one point, even Kenny Smith joined in too!!

Johnson eventually got control of the chaos on set, and Barkley resumed breaking down the Lakers' 121-106 defeat as if nothing had happened.

It's unclear what had all the guys in stitches ... some say they were laughing over the way Davis needed to leave the court following his head injury -- though neither has addressed that speculation publicly.

Whatever it was, though, it all made for some pretty great two minutes of television.

Jake Paul doesn't step in the boxing ring for another three months, but he's already got his sights set on his next opponent after Nate Diaz ... and it's none other than Conor McGregor!!

The Problem Child -- who's fighting Diaz on Aug. 5 in Dallas -- laid out his plans to Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 ... saying he fully intends to knock Diaz out (something Conor never did), and then lock in a fight with Notorious.

Of course, Nate and Conor have one of the greatest rivalries in UFC history ... and with their series tied up at one win a piece, Diaz wants to take care of business against Jake and then revisit his old nemesis one last time.

But, Jake says he's going to spoil Nate's plans of a trilogy fight by jumping him in line for a shot at Conor ... and he thinks McGregor will have "no choice but to make the biggest fight in combat sports."

Paul -- 6-1 as a pro boxer -- understands Conor would need permission from UFC honcho Dana White to make the fight happen ... but he seems optimistic that the money would do enough talking to get him to agree.

Remember, Jake has gone after a fight with McGregor a few times in the past ... trolling the UFC superstar nearly every chance he's gotten over the years. McGregor has fired back from time to time too -- but they haven't been able to mix it up in a ring.

If a fight does eventually go down, Jake says he's hopeful it'd be a boxing match ... but he told us he ain't opposed to MMA either.

"We can do a two-part series," the 24-year-old said. "One boxing, one MMA in PFL. Make it happen, no problem."

What do you say, Conor???

WAP meets WWE??

The crossover of the ages could happen if WWE Superstars Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez get their wish ... 'cause the Women's Tag Team Champions just revealed their dream wrestling match is against Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion!!

Morgan and Raquel were in Puerto Rico for Backlash when they laid down the gauntlet to Cardi and Meg while speaking to WrestlingNews, officially putting the award-winning MCs on notice.

Liv was asked which two celebrities she and Raquel would love to go toe to toe with in the squared circle ... and she answered without hesitation, "We’re talking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. We want them."

Rodriguez added, "They’ve had a little interaction with some of our other Superstars. They’re always interacting on Twitter, so I think they would be more than willing to come and have a little fun with Liv and I."

On the surface, it seems like an unfair fight if we're talking inside the ring. After all, Morgan and Rodriguez are on top of their game after defeating Hall of Famer Trish Stratus and "The Man" Becky Lynch for the Women's Tag Team Championship.

But, Morgan told the outlet she and Rodriguez aren't trying to disrespect the two "WAP" artists by challenging them to a match ... and said how much they adore Cardi and Meg.

“I’m sure they are both highly athletic, so this is our official call out, but we love you guys," Morgan said. "It’s not in a mean way. We love you.”

Brittney Griner's just days away from returning to the WNBA court -- and anticipation is at an all-time high for Mercury fans -- but the pot is about to get a little sweeter ... 3x Grammy winner Wyclef Jean will be performing a special halftime show in honor of BG's homecoming!

TMZ Sports has learned the Phoenix Mercury have teamed up with The Sum, a new music platform from Anagram Studios, to bring in Jean to perform during their May 21 game against the Chicago Sky at the Footprint Center to celebrate Griner's return on what will be her first home game since the Russia ordeal.

We're told one of the songs Wyclef will sing is Bob Marley’s iconic hit, “One Love” ... where Jean will be joined by 200 fans who will be selected to perform live with the 53-year-old musician.

He will also put on a postgame concert.

Of course, it'll be a party when the star center hits the hardwood in front of hometown Mercury fans this season ... after missing all of last season while she was detained.

The 32-year-old endured nine months in a Russian jail cell/prison camp, before coming home in December thanks to a prisoner swap. There was initially doubt Griner would ever hoop again, but she quickly put that sentiment to bed ... announcing she was coming back.

The WNBA champ ultimately signed a 1-year deal with the Mercury in February ... and said she can't wait to play this upcoming season.

"Look forward to all those moments. Just waking in on the first home game, the grind, the sweat, the blood," Griner said during last month's press conference. "Just taking all that in. I missed it."

And, it's not just BG who's pumped ... Mercury president Vince Kozar can't wait for their home opener!

“May 21 is going to be an unforgettable experience for our fans and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to have an award-winning artist the caliber of Wyclef Jean join us in celebrating BG’s return and a new Mercury season,” Kozar told us.

Hiccups suck. Now, imagine having them for a year.

That's exactly what the legendary Bo Jackson says he's been dealing with since July, and no one knows why, or how to get rid of them.

Yes, this is serious. The 60-year-old made the revelation Wednesday while on a local radio show, "McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning," when Jackson was asked how it felt to see Auburn Tigers alumnus, Frank Thomas, receive a baseball statue outside the stadium last month.

"I wasn't there because I've been dealing with hiccups," the former Tigers superstar athlete said. "I've had the hiccups since last July."

Jackson -- who played with Thomas on the Chicago White Sox in the 90s -- says he's been trying everything to stop the hiccups ... including smelling a porcupine's behind.

"I have done everything," Jackson said. "Scare me, drink water upside down, smell an ass of a porcupine. It doesn't work!"

Funny ... but also, it sounds like an awful thing to deal with.

Jackson said doctors have been doing everything they can to figure out what the hell is causing the constant hiccupping ... and Bo says he's supposed to be getting a procedure done this week.

"I'm busy at the hospital, sitting up with doctors, poking me and shining lights down my throat and probing me every way they can to find out why I got these hiccups."

Henry Ruggs will officially be sentenced to 3-to-10 years behind bars later this summer ... after a judge formally accepted his plea deal on Wednesday morning.

The former Las Vegas Raiders star appeared in court to enter guilty pleas to one felony count of a DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter after reaching an agreement with officials earlier this month.

As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the rest of the ex-football player's charges stemming from his November 2021 car crash.

The judge asked Ruggs -- who was wearing a navy suit with a blue tie -- several questions during the proceedings ... before she ultimately accepted the parameters of the agreement.

Ruggs will now learn whether it'll be closer to three or 10 years in prison at a sentencing hearing on August 9.

As we previously reported, Ruggs had been facing more than 50 years behind bars after prosecutors had initially hit him with five total charges following allegations he drunkenly slammed his Corvette into the back of Tina Tintor's Rav4 ... killing her and her dog.

They alleged at the time that Ruggs had traveled 156 MPH just before the crash with a BAC of .161.

Ruggs' attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld said last week when the 24-year-old first agreed to the plea deal that it all was "a fair resolution to this matter."

Clark County district attorney Steven B. Wolfson said of the ruling Wednesday, "This outcome accomplished our three most important goals: (1) convict Henry Ruggs of the strictest charge allowed by Nevada law for drunk driving; (2) send Henry Ruggs to prison; and (3) eliminate his ability to appeal his conviction and prison sentence."

Wolfson added, "Tina's family members are the most important people in this process, and I met with them several times before reaching this resolution."

Two months after his cancer diagnosis, free agent tight end Foster Moreau has found a new home in the NFL -- he's just signed with the Saints.

Moreau agreed to a three-year, $12 million deal with New Orleans on Wednesday, his agent announced ... and according to a report from Saints beat writer Nick Underhill, the 26-year-old has already been cleared to suit up for New Orleans as early as this month.

The news is incredible ... considering back in March, doctors discovered Moreau had Hodgkin's Lymphoma -- a type of cancer that affects the body's immune system.

Moreau had called the news "life-changing" ... and said he was going to step away from football so he could battle the disease.

During an April interview with "Good Morning America," the former fourth-round pick said the cancer had spread slowly, but he felt confident he could overcome it.

“It’s at stage 2, so it’s spread from the initial location," Moreau said on GMA. "But, it appears to be a slow spread, and we should be able to get rid of all of it."

Now, according to Underhill, Moreau's made such good progress, he's "not expected to have any limitations" when he straps on his helmet for the Saints in 2023.

Bob Huggins has been punished for using a homophobic slur twice during a radio interview earlier this week ... getting hit with a three-game suspension and a $1 million annual salary reduction.

The news came out just minutes ago ... with WVU announcing the coaching legend will NOT lose his job over the comments, but will spend a bit of time away from the team.

The punishment also includes sensitivity training ... which will now be a requirement for all current and future coaches at the university, according to the release. On top of that, Huggins' contract has been reconstructed to a year-by-year agreement ... and he's being kept on a short leash.

"We have made it explicitly clear to Coach Huggins that any incidents of similar derogatory and offensive language will result in immediate termination," WVU prez Gordon Gee and athletic director Wren Baker said in a statement.

The $1 million that has been pulled from Huggins' checks will now be used to support the university's LGBTQ+ Center and other organizations that help marginalized communities.

Huggins will also make a donation to Xavier's Center for Faith and Justice ... as well as the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.

Of course, Huggins faced a ton of backlash after referring to Xavier fans as "Catholic f**s" while speaking to Bill Cunningham on 700 WLW in Cincinnati.

Huggins apologized for his comments ... saying there is no excuse for what he said, and he would accept any punishment handed his way.

"I am ashamed and embarrassed and heartbroken for those I have hurt," Huggins said Monday. "I must do better, and I will."

FYI -- Huggins was making $4,150,000 a year before the punishment ... and his contract had options that ran through the 2027 season.

"We will never truly know the damage that has been done by the words said in those 90 seconds," Gee and Baker said in the joint statement. "Words matter and they can leave scars that can never be seen. But words can also heal."

Xavier president Colleen Hanycz went in on West Virginia men's basketball coach Bob Huggins for his use of homophobic slurs earlier this week ... calling his comments "repulsive" and "offensive."

Hanycz addressed Huggins' controversial radio remarks about Xavier fans during a speech at a school event on Wednesday ... and she didn't hold back.

"The deplorable, mischaracterization, and homophobic slurs directed towards our LGBTQ+ and our Catholic communities were repulsive and offensive," Hanycz said on campus.

"To those in our Xavier family who were directly targeted and harmed by these hateful words, be assured you are invaluable members of our Xavier family, and you belong here. Your presence makes us better."

Huggins found himself in hot water on Monday after he referred to Xavier fans as "Catholic f**s." The 69-year-old ultimately apologized to the Xavier, Cincinnati and West Virginia communities ... saying he was "ashamed" and "embarrassed."

Huggins -- who was reportedly handed a suspension and $1 million salary reduction by WVU as punishment -- said he was "heartbroken" over the hurt he caused by his words, and vowed to do better moving forward.

Dolph Lundgren says he's locked in an eight-year battle with cancer ... revealing his diagnosis for the first time.

The Swedish actor opens up about his cancer battle on the nationally syndicated interview series, "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," revealing he was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015.

Dolph says he eventually went into remission but then the cancer came back in 2020, when a doctor gave him a terminal cancer diagnosis, telling him he only had 2-3 years to live.

When the cancer came back, Dolph's fiancée Emma Krokdal says doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center told him he had tumors in his lungs, stomach, spine and kidneys ... and Dolph was resigned to the fact he would likely die soon.

Fortunately for Dolph, he says he went for a second opinion with Dr. Alexandra Drakaki and her treatments are making his tumors shrink.

Tom Cruise apparently wants to court Shakira in what could be a new romance -- but her fans are having a hilarious reaction to the news ... STAY THE HELL AWAY!!!

Page Six came out with a story Tuesday, claiming insiders are saying Tom is "extremely interested in pursuing" her -- this after they crossed paths Sunday at Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix ... where they were photographed looking chipper, not to mention talking a lot.

According to the outlet, there's some chemistry between them -- so, it would seem they hit it off ... enough so for him to send her flowers post-meeting, which he reportedly did.

Of course, both of them are single and unattached at the moment ... especially Shakira, who just went through a nasty public split with her longtime partner and soccer star Gerard Pique -- who cheated on her with a younger, less-famous woman ... who he's currently dating.

Not just that, but Tom and Shakira aren't too far off in age -- she's 46 and he's 60 ... and they're both in the upper echelon of stardom. Plus, as PS notes, she's not taller than him.

On paper, you'd think they'd be a great match, but Twitter certainly doesn't like the pairing ... and they're making it known in droves. Users are screaming into the void in hopes Shakira will hear them. The message being ... please don't get mixed up with this guy, Shak.

One tweeter wrote, "SHAKIRA! LISTEN TO ME! HE'S TRYING TO RECRUIT YOU INTO SCIENTOLOGY! DON'T GO OUT WITH HIM! LISTEN TO ME!  SHAKIRA!!" Another chirped, "'Get away from her' and 'stay away from her' trending because there are reports tom cruise wants to date shakira is sending me." Obviously, in reference to the collective freak-out.

The reason they don't want her to date Tom, it seems, has to do with his past relationships -- as well as his connection to Scientology. Bird app folks feel like those 2 things haven't historically meshed very well ... especially when he's involved with high-profile women.

His ex-wife Nicole Kidman's iconic reaction to her divorce from Tom being finalized in 2001 comes to mind ... when she was seen rejoicing outside of a law office, which was telling.

With that said, we feel like it's kinda unfair to Tom to mock him like this ... and maybe even for Shakira too. Fact is, they're both grown and probably up to speed on each other's reps. So, if Shakira feels inclined to test the Cruise waters -- she should.

All aboard???