TMZ Sports - Page 20

A huge matchup between the U.S. men's national soccer team and Mexico on Thursday night was stopped early ... after fans in the crowd continuously chanted anti-gay slurs at players.

The shouts could be heard throughout the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal contest at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas ... and when the game entered the 89th minute, referee Ivan Barton paused the action to try to get it all under control.

Minutes after play resumed, however, the chants continued ... leading Barton to call it all off.

Following the game, CONCACAF officials condemned the fans' actions ... while American goalkeeper Matt Turner told reporters it all "goes against everything that we stand for on our side."

"We've been very vocal and open about the strength of our team being our diversity, the strength of our nation being its diversity," Turner added. "So, to use something so divisive during a game, a spirited game -- and maybe the play sort of set the flares off in the stands, but it has no place in the game."

As for the action on the pitch, it, too, was marred. Four red cards were doled out -- as the two squads repeatedly got into wild skirmishes.

In fact, during one of the melees, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie had his jersey nearly ripped off his torso.

"It was a mess," U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said following the contest. "But I was disappointed in the end. I really wish some of our guys kept their heads a little bit better. It just turned into something that wasn't this beautiful game that we love."

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs finally got their Super Bowl LVII rings ... and they were understandably STOKED -- it's got over 600 diamonds!!

Mahomes, his wife Brittany, Juan Thornhill, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the rest of the squad pulled up in their best fits to receive their new bling Thursday night ... the 2nd ring ceremony in the last four seasons.

The ring is pretty insane. It holds 609 round diamonds, 16 baguettes, 4 marquises, and 35 custom-cut genuine rubies ... a total of 16.1 carats!

Not only does it have a ton of diamonds, but the top of the ring can also be removed and turned into a pendant.

Once the ring top is off, there's a miniature Arrowhead Stadium, featuring Lombardi Trophies and a quote from Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, "Arrowhead Stadium is my favorite place on earth".

Each ring also has the player's signature, and scores from the 2022 playoffs on the interior, as well as Andy Reid's motto, "EDGE."

"The Chiefs Super Bowl LVII ring features thoughtful details and incredible craftsmanship," Chris Poitras, the GM of Jostens Professional Sports Division, said.

"This ring captures their unique championship story and commemorates the team's third Super Bowl victory."

In addition to the sweet jewelry, the Chiefs got a fancy meal, too ... eating surf and turf, with filet mignon and grilled lobster tail.

Of course, earning the ring wasn't easy. In the Super Bowl alone, the Chiefs were pushed to the brink, narrowly winning a 38-35 nail-biter in Arizona.

Mahomes won his second SB MVP after throwing three touchdown passes and hitting a clutch 26-yard run late in the 4th quarter, setting the Chiefs up for the game-winning field goal.

Former college football player Ray Lewis III -- the son of Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis -- has tragically passed away, TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was 28 years old.

Details surrounding Lewis III's death have not been released.

Ray was a star running back at Lake Mary Prep H.S. in Florida, rushing for 1,898 yards and 20 touchdowns, as well as 676 yards and four touchdowns receiving during his senior season. He went on to play at the college level for the Miami Hurricanes, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Virginia Union Panthers.

We spoke with Virginia Union Associate Head Coach Diego Ryland about Lewis III's passing ... and he said it's "very unfortunate."

"Great young man and a better teammate. The entire Virginia Union University community is praying for the family as they deal with the loss of Ray."

Lewis' younger brother, Rahsaan, shared the news in a heartbreaking farewell Thursday afternoon ... saying, "Really can't believe I'm even typing this but RIP big brother."

"A true angel I pray your at peace now because IK how much you was rlly hurtin. I don't and won't ever have the words man cuz this pain right here....I love you I love you I love you."

He added ... "Your niece gone miss you but she will hear about u over and over just watch over us all big bruh be our guardian I promise I'll make you smile and proud."

Lewis III most recently suited up for the Wyoming Mustangs of the Champions Indoor Football league.

Lewis III was also pursuing a career in the music industry.

Cycling star Gino Mader has tragically died ... succumbing to serious injuries he suffered in a horrifying crash at the Tour de Suisse on Thursday.

Mader's team, Bahrain Victorious, announced the sad news Friday morning ... explaining the Swiss rider was initially hurt after he lost control of his bike while traveling at a high rate of speed on a downhill portion of the race's Stage 5.

Tour de Suisse organizers said Mader tumbled into a ravine as a result of the wreck ... and when medical personnel first found him, he was laying motionless in a body of water.

Mader was able to be resuscitated at the scene and then airlifted to a nearby hospital ... but he passed away hours later.

"Despite the best efforts of the phenomenal staff at Chur hospital, Gino couldn’t make it through this, his final and biggest challenge," Mader's team said, "and at 11:30 a.m. we said goodbye to one of the shining lights of our team."

Bahrain Victorious officials added, "Gino was an extraordinary athlete, an example of determination, a valued member of our team and the whole cycling community. His talent, dedication, and passion for the sport has inspired us all."

Despite the tragedy, the Tour de Suisse will continue ... and before Friday's Stage 6 kicked off, other cyclists gathered in a circle to pay their respects to Mader.

"Gino," Mader's team said Friday, "thank you for the light, the joy, and the laughs you brought us all, we will miss you as a rider and as a person."

Mader was just 26 years old.

Conor McGregor has been accused of raping a woman at Game 4 of the NBA Finals earlier this month ... but the UFC star says the allegations are not true.

According to demand letters, authored by attorney Ariel Mitchell, that were sent to McGregor, the NBA and the Miami Heat this week ... the incident happened just after the Nuggets had won, 108-95, on June 9 at the Kaseya Center in Florida.

McGregor played a big part in the entertainment at the game -- he sat in courtside seats  and even participated in a halftime skit where he punched a Heat mascot multiple times while promoting his Tidl Sport recovery spray.

But, according to the letters, obtained by TMZ Sports, at one point later on during the evening ... he "violently" sexually assaulted a woman inside of a men's bathroom.

In the letters, Mitchell claims that NBA and Heat security helped separate the woman from her friend ... and then forced her into a restroom that McGregor and his security guard were already inside of.

In the letters, Mitchell says "security refused to let [the woman] exit or allow anyone else, including her friend, inside the bathroom." The lawyer then claims McGregor emerged from inside of a handicap stall "and shoved his tongue in the victim's mouth and aggressively kissed her."

According to the letters, the woman was able to get McGregor off of her by telling him she had to urinate ... but then McGregor allegedly forced her to have oral sex with him.

McGregor, 34, is then accused of grabbing the woman and pinning her against the wall ... before attempting to sodomize her.

Mitchell says in the letters the woman was able to elbow McGregor repeatedly -- which gave her a window to escape. However, she allegedly fled in such a hurry, she left her purse -- which Mitchell says McGregor's security guards "held hostage" until she pleaded with them for its return.

According to the letters, the woman finally got away from it all ... and went on to report the assault to local authorities on Sunday morning. Mitchell tells us an officer then encouraged the woman to seek out an attorney.

In the letters, which were sent following the woman's meeting with cops, Mitchell said the woman is seeking settlements with the NBA, the Heat, and McGregor in lieu of litigation.

Reps for McGregor, however, said in a statement Thursday morning the "allegations are false."

"Mr. McGregor will not be intimidated," they added.

The Heat released a statement Thursday afternoon saying the org. is aware of the allegations and is "conducting a full investigation" into the matter. The NBA added in a statement of its own, "We are aware of the allegations and are working with the team to gather more information."

The UFC also addressed the alleged incident ... saying it, too, is aware of the claims and is working on getting more information.

"UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements."

The Denver Nuggets championship parade just took a somber turn ... a police officer was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after being struck by a firetruck that was participating in the ceremonies.

According to the Denver Police Dept. ... the incident happened just minutes ago while the truck was driving along the parade route in the Mile High City.

You can see in video from the scene, Nuggets superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray -- as well as the Larry O'Brien trophy -- were on the vehicle when the accident occurred.

It's unclear how exactly the officer was hurt ... but cops said in a statement Thursday afternoon they have launched an investigation into it all.

Jokic and Murray were not harmed during the incident -- and both were escorted off the truck by officials. The two are now up onstage addressing the huge crowd of supporters that have been out since early Thursday morning celebrating the team's first-ever title.

Busta Rhymes' 30-year career in the rap biz will be honored in full at an upcoming event, presented by Netflix.

The veteran rapper will be receiving the Icon Award at the 7th annual Culture Creators Innovators and Leaders Awards Brunch ... which won't have a shortage of star power in the spotlight this year.

Chloe x Halle will be granted the Innovators of the Year Award ... while LSU b-ball champ Flau'jae Johnson, Stephen Hill, Troy Carter, Karl Kani, Laurieann Gibson, Chris Robinson and Candace Rodney will all be recognized for their areas of expertise.

The event goes down on Saturday, June 24 inside the Beverly Hilton International Ballroom and is also sponsored by Lexus.

Antonio Brown's tenure as owner of the Albany Empire has hit an all-time low -- the ex-NFL star's team was just kicked out of the National Arena League.

The organization announced the decision on Thursday ... saying Brown repeatedly failed to pay his team's monthly assessments, which are used to support the league's operating budget.

In a statement, the NAL explained the Empire made its first assessment payment in April, but it was later challenged. The Super Bowl champ's team then refused to cough up the money in May.

The league says it was in contact with Brown's accountant, who claimed his client did not plan to fulfill his assessment responsibilities, nor would he pay a $1,000 fine he was handed for Conduct Detrimental to the League after recent comments he made.

The NAL held an emergency phone conference with the other team owners to address the fiasco ... and decided to give Brown until noon on Thursday to make up the payments, which he did not.

As a result, the league has severed ties with the Empire.

Brown took over the team in March, and it's been nothing short of a disaster -- he faced accusations of failing to pay players and coaches, getting in heated exchanges with members of the organization and broken promises of suiting up and playing in games.

Brown's father, Eddie, was a star for the team back in the day ... and the ex-Pittsburgh Steeler vowed to be hands-on as a member of the organization.

Fans expressed their displeasure with the team ... with game attendance tanking in the process.

The Denver Nuggets' NBA championship parade is officially underway ... and things are already off to a hot start -- with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope getting into a beer-chugging contest with a fan in the crowd!!

The awesome moment went down as the team made its way through the streets on firetrucks ... when KCP decided to hop off and down some brews with a lucky supporter.

The basketball player destroyed his competition ... but no one seemed to really be keeping score, as the two hugged it out at the end -- and the fan lost his damn mind.

Not everyone was guzzling the beers on hand, though -- Christian Braun did a sort of Triple H/"Stone Cold" Steve Austin combination by spitting out his drink as his truck cruised down the street.

Finals MVP Nikola Jokic has his whole family with him for the celly ... so we take it he'll mostly be on his best behavior -- but we're hoping he decides to let loose a bit.

The parade will end at Civic Center Park ... where the team will hold its rally.

Hopefully, there will be some boozed-up speeches on the horizon!!

The Vegas Golden Knights are still riding high after winning the Stanley Cup Final ... 'cause the squad continued their celebration by raging their faces off on The Strip!!

The champs have taken advantage of their home turf this week ... staying put in Sin City as they soak in the first Cup in franchise history.

VGK players hit up several spots during their victory tour, including the popular Encore Beach Club inside the Wynn .... and they were treated like kings -- getting treated with confetti, signs, flags and, of course, the song "We Are The Champions" by Queen.

The players were loving it all ... and to show their appreciation, they showered the fans with massive bottles of champagne before stealing a few sips for themselves.

To soak up all the alcohol, the team enjoyed a meal at hot spot Delilah before their night out ... and they brought the Stanley Cup with them, too.

This is the second night in a row of partying for the champs after defeating the Florida Panthers, 9-3, in Game 5 on Tuesday.

Austin Reaves' hot streak continues -- fresh off his breakout season with the Lakers, the former undrafted NBA prospect has inked a signature shoe deal that's reportedly worth millions!!

The 25-year-old signed a multi-year contract with Chinese brand Rigorer that could "reach over seven figures per year," according to Shams Charania ... and it includes getting his very own sneaker, the "AR1."

Reaves talked about the business move on Thursday ... saying, "If you would have told me I'd have had a signature shoe at 18, I'd have looked at you and called you a liar."

"Honestly, I'm blessed to play basketball for a living and I just have to pinch myself sometimes to really understand what's going on."

Reaves blew up this past season ... becoming an important piece on the Lakers roster, averaging 21 points a game in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.

The Arkansas native's shoe deal isn't the only major source of income -- he's expected to be a big target in free agency, with teams prepping to offer him more than $50 million over four years.

Racecar driver Stefan Wilson just revealed he needed some serious hardware put into his back -- including rods and screws -- to fix gnarly injuries he suffered during an Indy 500 practice crash last month.

The 33-year-old announced the update on his social media page late Wednesday night ... explaining docs had to affix two titanium rods and a slew of other metal onto his spine in order to stabilize it after he injured it on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track on May 22.

Wilson said he couldn't even get out of bed -- let alone take steps -- following the surgery ... but he told his fans in his Wednesday update that he's now doing better.

In fact, the driver said he actually got up to walk 4.5 miles this week!

"Pleased with how far I've come so far," Wilson said.

It's all pretty miraculous ... when you consider how bad the crash looked.

You'll recall, Katherine Legge struck Wilson from behind during the practice run ... sending him into a wall. He ended up fracturing his 12th thoracic vertebra ... and was raced to the hospital.

Wilson, though, is clearly on the road to recovery ... and he said his focus has now shifted to getting back to the Indy 500 in 2024.

A Michael Jordan fan just spent a staggering sum of money to own some of the NBA legend's most iconic memorabilia ... dropping over $1 MILLION to nab His Airness' "Flu-Game" sneakers!!

The shoes -- which Jordan wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz while he battled an illness -- were bought at auction Wednesday ... coming in with a final price tag of $1,380,000.

Somehow, it was not the highest price ever for Jordan sneakers -- a pair from the 1998 Finals and a pair from his rookie season previously netted more -- but, according to the man who facilitated the auction, Ken Goldin, they're an unreal purchase nonetheless.

In fact, the auction expert previously told TMZ Sports back in April that he believed they were simply "the most valuable sneakers of all time."

Jordan scored 38 points while wearing the Jordan 12s in the pivotal game in Salt Lake City. Despite battling an ailment that left him, at times, completely exhausted on the court, he still was the key reason the Bulls won the game. Chicago would later go on to lock up the NBA title on the heels of the victory.

Following the game, Jordan signed the kicks and then handed them over to Utah Jazz ball boy Preston Truman ... who had helped MJ with postgame snacks in years prior.

Truman then held onto them for over a decade, before he sold them at auction back in 2013. They hadn't been seen again ... until Goldin's auction this year.

No word on who Wednesday's buyer was ... but something tells us they're very rich -- and, now, very happy.

Forget Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, Fury vs. Wilder and Davis vs. Garcia ... Terence "Bud" Crawford tells TMZ Sports his fight with Errol Spence is a bigger one than all of them!!!

"It is the biggest fight of the year," the 35-year-old said out in New York City on Wednesday ... before adding that it could be "the biggest fight in the last 10-plus years!"

Crawford might actually not be wrong ... even though Floyd Mayweather, Tyson Fury and Gervonta Davis have had some huge, headlining bouts since 2013 -- both Crawford and Spence have been must-see fighters for boxing fans all over the globe for the last few years.

The two are undefeated, have rare knockout power -- and are still considered to be in their primes.

And, Crawford tells us there's no way the match will let anyone down ... promising fight fans there will be "fireworks" in the ring when they get after each other next month.

As for who's going to come out victorious ... Bud insisted he's got it in the bag.

"I'm going to win this fight," he told us. "And I'm already the best fighter in the world!"

50 Cent's booze brand is adding ice to the mix ... as in, a new partnership with the Stanley Cup champions ... The Las Vegas Golden Knights.

The NHL club, which hoisted professional hockey's trophy Tuesday night, announced a multi-year partnership Wednesday with the rapper's spirits company.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits, which makes Branson Cognac and Le Chemin du Roi Champagne, will now be the official cognac and champagne of the Vegas Golden Knights ... giving 50's brand a presence in the team's arena and on its digital platforms.

In fact, Fiddy was on hand to watch the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup Tuesday night ... and the team partied with his booze in the locker room after the series-clinching win.

The collab isn't just about alcohol ... 50 Cent's G-Unity Foundation is also teaming up with the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to serve the community in Sin City.

50 Cent's Sire Spirits is on a win streak just like the Golden Knights ... as we first reported, the brand just squashed a beef with Remy Martin over its cognac bottle design.

Conor McGregor and his fiancée, Dee Devlin, are adding to their family -- the UFC superstar just announced the couple is expecting their fourth child together!!

The former champ champ shared the big update on "LIVE With Kelly And Mark" Wednesday ... and he says they couldn't be more excited for the new baby.

34-year-old McGregor was talking about raising his three other kids -- Conor Jr. (6), Croia Mairead (4) and Rian (2) -- when he spilled the beans on the growing family.

"We've also got another on the way ... so there's a lot going on," Conor said with a big smile.

Conor says the family still has a few more weeks before finding out about the baby's gender ... and it's clear he can't wait to get the news.

Conor and Dee have been together for about 15 years ... and were engaged in 2020.

If the baby ends up following in daddy's footsteps, they'll have a sparring partner nearby ... 'cause Conor says Junior is already starting to perfect his moves!!