TMZ Sports - Page 28

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he's put aside his years-long beef with "Fast & Furious" star Vin Diesel ... confirming his ass-kicking character, Hobbs, will be back in the driver's seat.

DJ let fans in on his big return Thursday, saying Vin's been like a bro to him for a while -- adding the idea of them resolving their differences was big for him, and what the series has cookin' in its final stretch is way more important than their spat.

He also says Luke Hobbs' return to the silver screen was hard as hell to keep under wraps, and is loving seeing people's reactions to his character -- who entered the game way back in 2011 -- make his big comeback after being last seen in 2019's "Hobbs & Shaw."

As we reported, Dwayne's return came in the form of a post-credit scene in the latest flick, "Fast X" ... despite the actor wanting NOTHING to do with Vin or the franchise.

For those unaware, Vin begged Dwayne to come back to the car-racing family in 2021, telling him online he has "a very important role to play." Dwayne clapped back after the public plea -- saying his cries were just a bunch of "manipulation" and there was "no chance I would return."

Sounds like Dwayne DOES have an important role to play in the end of the series -- there's no other way to read his decision to return.

Just before he killed himself, Jeffrey Epstein tried but failed to connect with -- of all people -- fellow pedophile Larry Nassar ... according to a new report.

The Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the federal Bureau of Prisons and obtained 4,000 documents, detailing Epstein's life and declining mental health inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in NYC.

Epstein's attempt to reach out to Nassar -- who was also locked up in federal prison -- was part of the avalanche of docs released Thursday by the AP.

The records state Epstein wrote a letter to Nassar and mailed it to him while the two were incarcerated in separate facilities. The letter was apparently received by Nassar's prison, but correction officials sent the note back to Epstein, yet he never saw it again.

The docs say Epstein's letter was found unopened in the mail room of his prison weeks after he hanged himself in his cell in August 2019. The words, "Return To Sender," were stamped across the envelope.

A prison official wrote in an email to a colleague ... "I am not sure if I should open [the letter] or should we hand it over to anyone?”

The contents of the letter were not publicly disclosed.

As we reported, Epstein was facing decades behind bars before his suicide after the feds indicted him on charges of sex trafficking minors.

Anthony Rendon will not face charges over his altercation with an Athletics fan ... cops tell TMZ Sports they've closed their investigation into the Angels star after they say a victim never came forward.

The Oakland Police Department initially launched their probe into Rendon on March 31 -- one day after the L.A. third baseman was seen grabbing an A's fan's shirt on video following a loss at the Coliseum.

In police documents, cops say they investigated Rendon for misdemeanor assault as well as misdemeanor battery ... but on Thursday, they closed the matter.

A spokesperson for the OPD did say, however, the case would be reopened if an alleged victim were to come forward.

Even though Rendon is now in the clear criminally, he was still punished by the MLB over the incident ... the 32-year-old was slapped with a five-game ban and a fine in April.

Gervonta "Tank" Davis is currently behind bars in Maryland -- TMZ Sports has confirmed he was taken into custody after an "impromptu" court hearing.

28-year-old Davis was booked at Baltimore Central Booking Thursday afternoon.

The Baltimore City Sheriff's Office confirmed to TMZ Sports Davis was taken into custody after an "impromptu hearing" ... but would not disclose any additional information.

Just weeks ago, Davis struck a plea deal with prosecutors that was intended to keep him out of jail following the November 2020 incident where he allegedly ran a red light and slammed into a Toyota.

Prosecutors claimed the woman in the Toyota was pregnant at the time ... and accused Davis of fleeing the scene without helping her.

Davis -- 29-0 as a pro boxer -- was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest on May 5 ... and was ordered to 200 hours of community service.

Davis' attorney told the Baltimore Banner the boxer will now serve the remainder of his 90-day sentence in jail.

Davis' troubles come on the heels of his recent 7th-round TKO victory over Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.

Churchill Downs, the largest and most famous horse racetrack in the world and site of the Kentucky Derby, is instituting a new "safety initiative" after a rash of thoroughbred deaths on the track, effective immediately.

The new protocols were announced on Thursday after a meeting between track officials and horsemen from Churchill Downs and Trackside Training Center Louisville ... all aimed at preventing catastrophic injury on the dirt track.

Horses will now be limited to four starts during a rolling eight-week period ... limiting how often the animals are pushed to the max.

There will also be ramifications for animals that aren't competitive ... "Horses that are beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs" until they're given a clean bill of health by approved vets.

CD will also pause "track-based incentives such as trainer start bonuses" for all who finish races ... instead only paying out the top five finishers.

The new rules come after a rash of on-track incidents at Churchill Downs, leading to the euthanization of 12 horses ... and a lot of outrage among animal lovers.

"Any decision must be made first and foremost with the long-term well-being of the horse in mind," Churchill Downs Equine Medical Director Dr. Will Farmer said on Thursday.

"It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be efficiently, confidently and thoroughly relayed to the owners."

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to investigate the wave of deaths and the condition of the track.

"HISA continues to monitor this situation closely and will evaluate any additional next steps as appropriate."

Bam Margera is having a meltdown because he hasn't seen his son in over two months ... threatening to smoke crack until he's dead, unless he gets to see his kid.

The former "Jackass" star just posted an alarming rant on his newest social media account, ripping his family and his estranged wife, Nikki.

Bam says Nikki and his relatives are driving him to drink ... and he says waking up every day knowing he's probably not going to be able to speak to his son, Phoenix, makes things even worse.

At the end of the video, Bam threatens to go down to the boardwalk to smoke crack with the bums until he's dead or until Nikki allows him to see his son.

Remember ... Bam's desperate to have a relationship with Phoenix, who he hasn't seen since the end of March, with Bam's legal team claiming Nikki won't even let them talk over FaceTime.

Meanwhile, Nikki just filed new legal docs this week seeking sole physical and legal custody over Phoenix, plus $15k a month in child support.

In those docs, Nikki says visitation for Bam can be on the table as long as it's supervised and he completes rehab programs for drug and alcohol abuse.

But, Bam's throwing a fit and demanding to see Phoenix ASAP.

Bam's also addressing his beef with his brother, Jess Margera ... remember, Jess claimed Bam attacked him at his Pennsylvania home and now Bam's barred from the property.

10x MLB All-Star Steve Garvey -- who won the World Series with the LA Dodgers in 1981 -- is considering throwing his cap in the political ring ... with a run for U.S. Senate in California.

Republican strategist Andy Gharakhani spoke to the L.A. Times, confirming the 74-year-old Dodgers icon is contemplating running for one of the most powerful political positions in the country.

“He is being contacted by leaders up and down the state," Gharakhani said.

"They’re recruiting him to run from both sides, Republican and Democrat, and he’s seriously considering it. We should have a decision made here in the next few weeks.”

Despite never holding elected office, Garvey -- who spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers (and 5 with the San Diego Padres) -- has reportedly been meeting with GOP donors and leaders in California, in preparation for the campaign.

If Garvey were to run, the 1974 NL MVP would reportedly make quality-of-life issues the focus of his campaign ... namely, the cost of living and public safety in CA.

Steve will have his work cut out for him if he ultimately runs ... several high-profile Democrats have reportedly amassed massive campaign war chests.

It's also worth mentioning Republicans haven't won a Senate race in California for decades ... but Garvey reportedly believes a high-profile candidate like himself could buck the trend.

After a major false start, Antonio Brown says he's for sure suiting up for his National Arena League team this month ... guaranteeing he will play for the Albany Empire on June 17.

The Super Bowl champion and new Empire owner confirmed the news in an interview with local Albany station WNYT on Thursday ... saying he will make his big debut at his team's home matchup against the Jacksonville Sharks.

Of course, AB initially said he was going to throw on a helmet and pads when the Empire hosted the Fayetteville Mustangs on May 27 ... but those plans fell through after he claimed his physical paperwork wasn't turned in to the league offices on time.

It was a huge disappointment for the larger-than-usual crowd in attendance ... as the team advertised the game as AB's first return to the field since his bizarre, shirtless exit from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2022.

AB says the game will also be a celebration for Juneteenth ... and he's planning to make it a "party," including a proper halftime show.

He also acknowledged those who may doubt his words given how things played out last month ... but Brown says it's 100% happening this time around.

The fire that ravaged Mike Breen's home last year destroyed nearly everything he owned ... but he revealed this week that, somehow, an invaluable jersey that Kobe Bryant had signed for him was able to be salvaged.

The NBA announcer -- who will broadcast this month's Heat vs. Nuggets Finals series -- shared the amazing news while talking with The Athletic about the September blaze that burnt his Long Island home to the ground.

In the interview, Breen explained he had gotten the jersey from his ESPN family way back in 2014 ... in honor of the NBA allowing its players to wear nicknames on the backs of their uniforms.

Breen's custom jersey was a Brooklyn one -- he was broadcasting a Nets game at the time -- and it featured "Gray Mamba" on the back.

The 62-year-old loved it so much, he eventually had Kobe -- the Black Mamba -- sign it for him ... adding that Bryant had written in his autograph, "From one Mamba to another."

Breen said he thought the prized possession was turned to ashes by the fire ... but he explained to The Athletic his wife was able to somehow locate it in the rubble, and have it restored.

Breen, though, did lose countless other belongings in the fire -- clothes, NBA memorabilia, a piano, and just about everything else -- but he said he was just grateful no one was hurt, and he was thankful for the outpouring of thoughts and prayers he received in wake of it all.

Damian Lillard agrees with former head coach turned broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy ... halftime's pointless, and the league would be wise to eliminate the 15-minute break!

"I’m w [Van Gundy] on halftime lol… I do not fw it," the 7x All-Star proclaimed on social media, responding to the former Knicks coach's proposed rule change.

It was during a recent interview with The Athletic that Van Gundy suggested several substantial ways to speed up/improve the game.

"This whole idea of what goes on at halftime, I think is so misunderstood," Jeff told the outlet. "It’s a lot of either praising what just happened or correcting. But you could do that in two minutes out by the bench in an elongated timeout."

Bottom line, Jeff feels halftime is too long and drawn out, describing it as "the biggest waste of time," adding players only need time to go to the bathroom and possibly make a few adjustments, which could be done within 5 minutes.

The 61-year-old analyst didn't stop at halftime ... JVG also said the NBA should save free throws for crunch time.

“So my most radical one is to eliminate free throws until the last four minutes,” Van Gundy said. "If you get fouled on a shooting foul, you just get the points. You don’t go to the line. And you don’t go to the line for technical free throws."

While the networks probably won't love Jeff's halftime idea (commercials!) -- likely making it a nonstarter -- Van Gundy is adamant his free throw rule change needs to be adopted.

LeBron James is giving his stamp of approval to the actors who played him and his high school teammates in an upcoming movie ... saying the talented group of guys knocked it out of the park.

The NBA superstar and the rest of the St. Vincent-St. Mary "Fab Five" squad attended the "Shooting Stars" premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday ... and King James was super complimentary of the final product as he addressed the crowd before the start of the flick.

James admitted it was a weird experience for him, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee and Dru Joyce III to see their lives played out on the screen ... but said the cast perfected every last detail.

"You guys did an unbelievable job," James said.

Of course, the Peacock project -- produced by Bron's SpringHill Entertainment -- is based on the book James released alongside Buzz Bissinger in 2009 ... which focuses on James and Co.'s journey to winning high school state championships.

Tom Brady is NOT coming out of retirement to play quarterback for the team he'll soon own ... emphatically saying a return to the football field simply ain't happening, despite endless speculation.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, the 46-year-old 7-time winning Super Bowl champ made it clear he's done for good ... and there will be no unretirement this time around.

"I'm certain I'm not playing again. I've tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that 'because I've already told people that lots of times but I'm looking forward to my broadcasting job at FOX next year," Brady said.

Tom, who retired for the second time in February, continued ... "I'm looking forward to the opportunity ahead with the Raiders and we're in the process of that along with the other different things I'm a part of professionally and in my personal life."

Brady recently agreed to terms with Mark Davis and is in the process of becoming a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

During a conversation with Troy Aikman last week, the NFL legend told us he could envision a situation where Brady came down from the owner's suite, threw on pads, and played QB for the team.

The 3-time Super Bowl champ was far from alone in considering the possibility. Add to it, the NFL allows owners to play, provided 75% of the teams approve via a leaguewide vote. Getting the votes would presumably not be a problem ... as Brady is great for business.

But, it's all just talk ... 'cause Tom says it simply isn't going to happen. His days as a signal caller are over.

As for what he will do, Brady's plans center around his children.

"Just spending as much time with my kids as I can and seeing them grow up and support the different things that they have going on. That's a very important job. I take them all pretty seriously."

Longtime NBA referee Eric Lewis won't be needing his whistle anytime soon ... the league just announced he will not work the Finals amid an investigation into claims he used a Twitter burner account to defend himself and his colleagues.

The Association just announced the officials for the Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat series ... and Lewis, who previously worked the last four NBA Finals, was not one of the 12 individuals selected for the matchup.

NBA spokesperson Mike Bass confirmed the omission is directly related to the investigation ... saying, "Regarding Eric Lewis and the social media posts, we are continuing to review the matter, and he will not be working the Finals."

The NBA launched a probe into Lewis, a 19-year veteran who has officiated over 1,200 regular and postseason games, after a Twitter account responded to posts on league officiating, seemingly defending Lewis and his contemporaries.

The tweets in question have reportedly been deleted, but the account, listed under "Blair Cuttliff" with the handle @CuttliffBlair, is still active.

It's unclear if Lewis was really behind the burner account. It's a big problem if he was ... as the NBA has a rule prohibiting referees from publicly commenting on officiating without authorization.

MMA fighter Mike Dragich is used to squaring up against proverbial beasts inside of a cage, but last month, he got to go up against a literal one -- wrestling a 10-foot alligator away from onlookers ... and the wild scene was all captured on video!!!

The crazy matchup happened outside of an elementary school in Jacksonville ... when Dragich -- a 33-year-old amateur fighter and licensed gator trapper -- was summoned to help Florida fire and rescue officials wrangle a giant reptile away from a campus full of students.

You can see in footage that Dragich posted to his social media page, he didn't look nervous about the upcoming fight at all ... strolling up to the gator in a cut-sleeve shirt and tight pants.

Video shows Dragich tried to grab the alligator by its tail multiple times ... but the animal wasn't budging.

Finally, Dragich was able to hook its head with a catch pole ... but the alligator didn't go down easily, causing a group of spectators nearby to scream with fear.

It rolled multiple times in an effort to break free from Dragich ... though, eventually, the man was able to corral it with the help of JFRD responders.

After the battle, the gator wrangler told Fox 35 Orlando, "I felt like Batman, for real."

"A lot of fighters will understand that uh, when you go to the cage, you're nervous but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused and honestly that's what I remembered from that night," Dragich said.

The mixed martial artist is no stranger to these kinds of situations, in addition to taking multiple fights in his career ... he's also taken down a bunch of gators over the years too, showcasing many of his conquests in videos on his IG page.

Of course, he's far from the first notable figure to get in brawls with scary creatures -- UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov gained fame for wrestling bears regularly. And, who could forget Chuck Norris' own tilt with a bear?!?

Begs the question, what's crazier ... fighting a gator, or a bear???

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have FINALLY bought a house after 2 years of looking ... and it's amazing.

The house boasts a cinema, wine room, whiskey lounge and a spa with a hair and nail salon, and a sauna and massage room. And get this, there's also a separate, 5,000-square-foot sports facility, which includes an indoor pickleball court, boxing ring and sports lounge. On top of that, there's a 2-bedroom guard house.

In all, there are 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and 15 fireplaces!

Ben and Jen paid $60,850,000 ... and they paid in cash. The whole deal took 1 week, start to finish.

It sounds like a lot of loot, but it turns out they got an incredible deal. The property was listed in 2018 for $135,000,000 and relisted this year for $75M.

It sits on a 5-acre promontory and the security is unmatched ... the estate is double-gated.

It's considered the crown jewel of Wallingford, and that's saying something.

The newlyweds have had several false starts, going into escrow on a few other estates but pulling the plug before closing.

Ben and Jen were repped by celeb realtor Brett Lawyer. The seller was repped by Ginger Glass.

Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is a real-life hero ... the L.A. assistant coach helped save a 3-year-old boy from drowning at a Las Vegas hotel pool over the weekend.

The terrifying incident happened at the Encore, when, according to a post on Morris' wife's social media page, a little boy was pulled from the water without a pulse by his father.

An on-duty lifeguard raced over to provide aid to the toddler ... and, thankfully, a quick-thinking Morris jumped in to help too by grabbing a nearby automatic external defibrillator (AED).

"I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?" Morris said to ESPN on Wednesday. "When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK."

Morris' wife said the kid was taken to a nearby hospital ... and, thankfully, discharged a day later.

Morris -- who joined Sean McVay's Rams staff in 2021 -- said training he received recently in the wake of the Damar Hamlin medical emergency helped him know what to do in the horrifying situation.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff added that he believed the training played a significant role in the heroic efforts as well.