TMZ Sports - Page 21

Willie McGinest has been sued yet again ... this time, a man is alleging the ex-NFL star and three other people beat the hell out of him during a dispute over weights at a gym two years ago.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, the altercation happened back on June 21, 2021 ... inside of a 24 Hour Fitness in Long Beach, Calif.

The plaintiff, Andrew Cortez, claims he was using the bench press ... when someone walked up and took one of his plates.

Cortez says he told the person he was not done with the weight ... but he claims McGinest, the former New England Patriots pass rusher, overheard the exchange and said "the f*** you mean?"

According to the lawsuit, McGinest then socked Cortez in the face with a closed fist.

Cortez alleges three other men then jumped in ... and, along with McGinest, proceeded to strike him in the head and back "30 to 40 times."

According to the suit, 24 Hour Fitness personnel eventually separated the parties -- though Cortez claims he was left bloodied and injured.

Cortez says he's been suffering from emotional distress since the attack ... and is still reeling from the wounds he sustained.

He's asking for unspecified damages in his suit.

Penny Hardaway has been suspended for the first three games of the Memphis Tigers' upcoming basketball season after the NCAA says the head coach violated recruiting rules.

The NCAA says the violations happened when Hardaway and a Tigers assistant coach each made an in-home visit with a recruit -- a junior in high school -- during the 2021-2022 academic year.

"NCAA rules, as adopted by members, require any in-person contacts with recruits during the fall months of their junior year of high school to be made at the prospects' schools, not in their homes. As a result, these visits violated recruiting rules," the NCAA said on Wednesday.

"Due to his personal involvement in the violations, failure to monitor his staff's violations, and his failure to consult with the Memphis compliance department before making an in-home visit, the head coach also violated head coach responsibility rules."

The first visit was made by an assistant coach, and then two weeks later by Penny, who was hired as Memphis HC in 2018.

The Division I Committee on Infractions panel announced the three-game suspension, bluntly saying, "Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse."

Of course, this isn't Hardaway's first recruiting scandal ... the 51-year-old former NBA star was accused of giving then-prospect James Wiseman over $11k in 2017.

Offset made the most of his time at Paris Fashion Week ... which he capped off by burning down the runway with a surprise performance!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video of Offset blazing through the perfect song for modeling ... his Metro Boomin-produced classic hit "Ric Flair Drip," which he performed Tuesday during the Li-Ning Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show.

The collection is designed by Oscar Wang and titled "My-Verse" ... which Offset ripped through his on the track.

Offset virtually managed to be in 2 places at once for the evening ... Pharrell also had his debut fashion show as Louis Vuitton's Men's Creative Director, and Offset was also among the many celebrity guests to support. He even dapped up Jay-Z at the event.

SlamBall is returning to your television screens this summer -- the resurrected sports league has agreed to a 2-year broadcasting partnership with ESPN, TMZ Sports has learned.

The exclusive deal will provide coverage for SlamBall's 2023 and 2024 seasons ... which will consist of 30 hours of action from opening night on July 21 through the playoffs and championship game on August 19.

The basketball/hockey/football hybrid games -- played at the Cox Pavilion in Vegas -- will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+.

SlamBall creator and CEO Mason Gordon tells us the deal is proof the sport is only getting more popular with time ... saying, "ESPN's multi-year commitment to SlamBall is further validation of the enormous appeal and growth potential of our sport."

"The level of interest in our hybrid team sport not just in the U.S., but across the world, has been beyond our expectations for the 2023 season. It’s clear that this is the best talent we have had in the sport’s history."

SlamBall's revival has a ton of fans excited -- after all, there was a massive campaign for years to bring it back.

SlamBall co-founder Mike Tollin says the fan feedback was impossible to ignore ... and he's happy to bring the sport back.

"Mason and I couldn’t help but respond to the #BringBackSlamBall clamor. Live sports dominate the airwaves these days and audiences are looking for the next big thing. It’s a thrill to collaborate with ESPN in bringing this ground-breaking sport back to the world."

TMZ Sports broke the story of SlamBall's return back in August ... and as expected, the response was overwhelmingly positive.

John McEnroe will have some extra competition when he gets behind the mic at The All England Club to call Wimbledon ... the tennis tourney announced they're using artificial intelligence to cover this year's event!

But, deep breath ... the AI will primarily be used for online highlight videos.

The All England Club partnered with IBM, and will use their Watsonx AI platform to "produce tennis commentary" for all highlight packages online. IBM says the technology has been trained extensively on the "unique language of tennis."

"I see AI as very much complementing the human element, rather than replacing," IBM exec Kevin Farrar said.

"You can't replace John McEnroe doing commentary. That human element always needs to be there. It's very much supplementing and complementing."

As for how good the AI will be, it's been designed "with varied sentence structure and vocabulary to make the clips informative and engaging," according to IBM.

Wimbledon also says they'll use the Watsonx technology to provide advanced analytics, including a player's chances of advancing to the finals, given their draw.

Other top sports organizations across the world have used similar technology in similar ways, including The Masters, who also used AI for select commentary.

Tom Brady is the best football player ever ... but is he a G.O.A.T. Dad too?!?

The former quarterback was left asking himself that exact question on Wednesday ... after he let his three kids fly around the ocean on handheld jet skis!!

The scene was pretty funny ... while TB12 and his three kiddos, Jack, Ben and Vivian, were enjoying yet another summer vacation, the 45-year-old let them zoom through the open waters at high speeds -- causing him to wonder out loud about his father skills.

On a caption on a video that showed the younger Bradys going at high speeds ... Tom wrote, "Not sure if this is good parenting or bad."

He did add, though, a bunch of laughing emojis ... insinuating he was actually loving it all!!

Brady also shared a snap of his boat situation Wednesday as well -- and it ain't hard to see he's loving the retirement life with his fam.

Tom has been everywhere with his offspring since he hung up his football cleats earlier this year ... he hit Disney World a couple weeks ago -- and then got in a height-measuring contest with Jack just days later.

Mets star Edwin Diaz won't be on a mound this season, but that doesn't mean he won't still be looking fly -- TMZ Sports has learned he's just copped a sweet new necklace ... that's worth a quarter of a million dollars!!

The closer -- who's currently on New York's injured list after tearing up his knee during the World Baseball Classic back in March -- hit up Victor Rodriguez, aka Tajia Diamonds, for the piece recently ... and the jeweler just finished the product this week.

And, check out the images ... it came out awesome!!

The pendant features a trumpet -- a nod to Diaz's famous "Narco" walkout song -- as well as his jersey number 39 ... and it's completely iced out.

Rodriguez tells us it has 75 cts of VS diamonds and F color stones.

As for the chain it sits on ... Rodriguez says that's decked out too -- with 100 cts of VS diamonds.

The pitcher also got a custom bracelet to go along with the drip for his neck ... and it's got his No. 39 all over it.

In total, we're told the bill came out to $250K ... but don't worry, Diaz can certainly afford it -- he just inked a five-year, $102 million contract this past offseason.

Tyreek Hill is under police investigation, TMZ Sports has confirmed ... after the NFL star was accused of getting physical with somebody in Miami on Sunday.

Cops confirmed the probe to us on Tuesday ... though they did not disclose further details of the case, only saying they were investigating an alleged assault/battery involving the Dolphins player.

According to Local 10 News, however, the alleged incident happened at Haulover Marina after Hill got into a dispute with an employee of a charter company at the popular South Florida boating spot.

The outlet reported Tuesday the 29-year-old receiver was accused of putting his hands on the employee at some point during the altercation.

Hill has been seen on social media on boats multiple times this week ... on Father's Day, he shared a snap of him while out on the water on his IG story -- and on Tuesday, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, showed the two were at sea fishing near a shark.

But, neither Hill nor Rosenhaus have publicly commented on the police probe.

Hill has been the subject of police investigations before -- most notably, back in 2019, he was named in a child abuse report ... though he was never charged with a crime in that case.

Hill has become arguably the best wideout in the NFL ... last season -- his first with Miami -- he tallied 1,710 receiving yards and seven receiving TDs.

4:04 PM PT -- It's a good thing Wemby is a great basketball player, 'cause the prospect's first pitch was quite the stinker ... flying waaaay outta the strike zone and past the catcher.

Wemby was a good sport over it all ... smiling as he made his way to home plate after the toss.

It was pretty expected, though -- after all, baseball ain't the biggest sport in France.

Keep your head up, buddy!!

Future NBA star Victor Wembanyama is throwing the first pitch at the New York Yankees game on Tuesday ... and the giant hooper showed off just how massive he is prior to the ceremonial toss by covering a baseball with his whole hand!!

The soon-to-be San Antonio Spur shared a snap of himself holding a baseball leading up to the big moment ... and the 7'5" athlete made the damn thing look more like a golf ball.

"Lmaooooo," Wemby said on Instagram ... fully aware that he is a freak of nature.

The French superstar was friendly as usual with fans before the game ... signing autographs as he rocked a Yankee jersey and a pair of unreleased Nike x Drake kicks.

As we previously reported, Wemby touched down in the States on Monday ... and was bombarded by supporters, which was a glimpse of what the rest of his life will look like.

The game starts at 4 PM PT ... and Wemby will take the mound prior to the Yankees' tilt against the Seattle Mariners.

There's now really no way Michael Malone ever forgets this year's NBA championship ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Nuggets head coach just got a tattoo on his shoulder commemorating the title!

The 51-year-old newly crowned champ hit up Mike Diaz's Triple W Tattoos shop in Colorado on Tuesday to get the work done ... ensuring he'll always remember his 2022-23 squad.

The piece is hilarious ... it features an image of the Nuggets' first-ever mascot, Maxie the Miner, holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

And, check out Malone's smile after he sat for the tat -- he loved it!!

Diaz tells us ... the body art is Malone's second-ever -- and the first one he's gotten in a couple decades -- proving this was not a decision the Nugs' head man took lightly.

Malone, though, wasn't the only member of the NBA champions to put title ink on his skin Tuesday ... Diaz also tatted the same Maxie image on Denver assistant video coordinator Connor Griffin. The artist says he's planning to tat up assistant coach Ryan Bowen on Wednesday as well.

As for how the Nuggets coaches got a hold of Diaz -- he went viral earlier this postseason when he offered Denver fans $52.80 flash tattoos (in honor of the Mile High City) during the team's series against the Lakers ... and Malone and his guys clearly appreciated the support.

Zion Williamson can breathe a sigh of relief for now -- his alleged former fling just had her Twitter account suspended after threatening to release a sex tape involving the NBA star.

As we previously reported, an adult model named Moriah Mills has gone scorched earth on the New Orleans Pelicans forward ever since he revealed he was having a baby with his girlfriend earlier this month ... claiming she, too, was in an intimate relationship with him at the same time -- and she was blindsided by the news.

Moriah aired out her frustrations with the 22-year-old on social media ... spilling tea about alleged wire transfers and moving plans ... as well as some other REALLY X-rated claims.

The whole Twitter spat lasted two weeks before Elon Musk's company pulled the plug on Tuesday ... with her page that sports more than a million followers getting scrubbed from the platform.

Moriah previously claimed Zion was begging her to stop posting ... which she didn't until she literally could not anymore.

Kirk Herbstreit's son, Zak -- a junior tight end for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team -- was hospitalized Tuesday with an undisclosed health issue, the school announced.

Details surrounding the situation have not been disclosed ... but officials described Zak's condition as "stable," and said he is being monitored and evaluated at OSU's Wexner Medical Center.

The ESPN analyst spoke about the news to ABC 6 in Columbus ... saying, "His family is with him and appreciate everyone's concerns and prayers."

Zak is a third-generation Buckeye -- his dad and grandfather, Jim, were both captains for the Buckeyes. His mother, Alison, was also a cheerleader at OSU.

Zak was recently featured in a Father's Day video with his OSU teammates ... where he gave a special shout-out to his dad.

"This journey hasn't been easy for me, but you have been there every step of the way. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you."

Kirk responded ... saying, "Love you Zak!!! So proud of you!!"

Drew Rosenhaus went from being a proverbial shark on Tuesday ... to wrestling an actual one -- and the wild scene was all captured on video!!!

The NFL super agent's chaotic meeting with the sea beast happened just minutes ago while he was out fishing with his client, Dolphins superstar Tyreek Hill.

You can see in footage that Rosenhaus just posted to his Twitter page ... as he was out in the ocean snorkeling, a shark pulled up to the boat -- but instead of swimming away in fear, he went toward it!!

People on the ship urged Drew to think twice ... but the man who's helped negotiate over $7 BILLION in NFL contracts put his hands on the shark nonetheless, and then pulled it toward him!

Rosenhaus could be seen in the footage then urging people on the boat to then take a picture.

One of the best parts of the clip? One of the fisherman asked Hill if he wanted to join in on the water party with Drew ... and Tyreek's answer was priceless.

"Hell nah!" the wide receiver exclaimed.

Canelo Alvarez's Italian vacation continues ... the boxing superstar and his wife ditched their clothes for a couple of tiny swimsuits, hopping aboard a luxury yacht for a day of fun in the sun near Portofino!

32-year-old Alvarez and his 26-year-old wife, Fernanda Gómez, are vacationing in Northern Italy ... and after some luxury retail therapy earlier in the week, the couple decided to take things to the water.

Canelo, wearing red trunks, and Fernanda, in a teeny bikini, were spotted jumping off the back of the yacht, before going for a dip.

Alvarez, who is arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, also worked on his diving.

When the couple, who married in May 2021, were done aboard the big boat, they threw on clothes (a Dolce & Gabbana shirt in Canelo's case) and grabbed a bite to eat outside a local cafe.

Wyndham Clark wasted no time celebrating his U.S. Open victory on Sunday ... TMZ Sports has learned he hit up an L.A. hot spot just hours after securing the big win -- and while he was there, he chugged booze right out of his new trophy!!

The scene at Delilah was awesome ... the 29-year-old got up on a platform in between some tables at the West Hollywood lounge -- and after one of the guys he was with threw some alcohol in his new prize, Clark went to town!!

You can see in video we obtained, he slurped down the drink ... before he fired up the small crowd that had gathered near him with a series of fist pumps.

Eventually, Clark went back to his trophy for more booze too!!

Witnesses tell us ... everyone inside the joint was going crazy for the golfing star -- who kept the bash going into the wee hours of Monday morning.

Of course, Clark had every right to party his face off ... he fended off Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler to take home his first-ever major at the tough Los Angeles Country Club course.

LeBron James and Draymond Green were spotted enjoying the fruits of their labor in Europe over the weekend ... and the timing is pretty interesting, considering the Warriors star is slated to test the market in free agency in a matter of days.

The NBA stars both rocked bucket hats and sunglasses as they shared a meal and chatted with restaurateur Samy Sass in a pic posted to Instagram ... which also showed Draymond holding a cigar in his hand.

The duo of 4-time NBA champions have been friends off the court for years and there is a ton of mutual respect between the two ... so it's not necessarily earth-shattering to see them hanging out.

But the timing is something of note, as many believe Green and James -- who share agent Rich Paul -- could end up on the Lakers together next season.

Green -- who will hit free agency after declining his $27.5 million player option to stay with the Dubs -- has had nothing but high praise for the King over the years ... going as far as to say he's the greatest player of all time over Michael Jordan.

Maybe it was just two friends chilling during the offseason ... or perhaps it was much more.