TMZ Sports - Page 50

New York Yankees relief pitcher Jimmy Cordero will not take the mound again this season ... the MLB has suspended him for the rest of the year for violating its domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

In making the announcement, league officials said Cordero has accepted the punishment ... and the ban will begin immediately.

As part of the policy, the 31-year-old will now also have to "participate in a confidential and comprehensive evaluation and treatment program," the league added.

The MLB and the Yankees did not reveal the specific allegations against Cordero that led to the suspension ... though New York officials said in a statement they "are fully supportive" of the decision.

"There is no justification for domestic violence," the Yankees said, "and we stand with the objectives, standards, and enforcement of MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy."

Cordero had pitched in 31 games for the Pinstripes this season ... earning a 3-2 record and a 3.86 ERA. He had just thrown for the team on Sunday.

John Berylson, owner and chairman of English Football League team (EFL) Millwall FC, tragically died in a single-car crash in Massachusetts Tuesday morning.

He was 70 years old.

Berylson was driving his 2019 Range Rover around 8 AM when police say he lost control of the vehicle, which rolled over, and ultimately hit a tree. Despite rescuers' best attempts, John succumbed to his injuries.

"John’s sudden and tragic passing will unquestionably impact all those who were fortunate to have known him," Millwall Football Club said in a statement.

"He was a truly great man, incredibly devoted to his family, and a person of such remarkable generosity, warmth, and kindness. He lived a storied life, one full of colour and joy, and was infinitely thoughtful of others with an endless desire to share his immense knowledge and experiences to help people."

"John reveled in the club’s underdog status and mentality," the statement continued. "He related strongly to such values and identity and adored Millwall supporters. He was fiercely loyal to all his staff, and both they and the fan base will miss him beyond measure."

Millwall -- which just began preseason training camp in Spain -- honored Berylson during practice on Wednesday.

Berylson, who first became involved with Millwall in 2006, was very involved in philanthropy ... running the Amy Smith and John G. Berylson Foundation. He was also a trustee of the Smith Family Foundation, which awards grants of approximately $15 million a year, according to its website.

John is survived by his wife, Amy, and three children, Jennifer, James, and Elizabeth.

America wasn't alone in celebrating an anniversary over the Fourth of July weekend ... Deshaun Watson and Jilly Anais also commemorated 4 years together!!

The Cleveland Browns quarterback and singer/influencer GF expressed their love for each other on their anny with an IG photo dump on Tuesday, with JA writing ... "4 years with my 4lifer 💛🤞🏽"

Because their anniversary happens to coincide with Independence Day, the couple got to spend some quality time together while watching fireworks.

"Thank you Queen! We still carrying on, We still staying strong .. 4EVER! 💛🤞🏾," Watson wrote.

Of course, Anais -- who recently toured with Nick Cannon -- has been ride-or-die for the 27-year-old signal caller, through all his controversy, often showing up to his game rocking his jersey.

The couple's relationship began when Watson slid into her DMs after meeting her in Los Angeles. One of their first dates was at a hot yoga studio for an early 7 a.m. workout and a 5+ hour dinner.

"Ever since then, we've been rockin' with each other," Watson said in 2020. "We started off as best friends."

Patrick Mahomes' wife, Brittany, has found herself in the crosshairs of animal rights activists this week ... after she went on a vacation playdate with a dolphin.

Brittany had the meetup with the marine mammal several days ago while out in Hawaii with the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback ... but after she posted photos of the swim on her Instagram on Monday, fans went on the attack.

Dozens have left comments on the NFL star's wife's social media page ... ripping her for the outing -- and calling it cruel to the dolphin. PETA later jumped in, too.

"We know you love companion animals," the activist org. wrote in a lengthy note on Brittany's page, "but we hope to see you extend your compassion to marine life too."

In her photos, Brittany can be seen hugging, petting and even kissing the dolphin. At one point during her swim with the animal, she brought her 2-year-old into the water to get close to the sea creature as well.

In its note, PETA told Brittany none of it was healthy for the dolphin ... adding, "These types of interactions are dangerous for them AND us."

Brittany clearly didn't seem to believe she did anything wrong ... she captioned her pictures with "Ever snuggled a 400lbs dolphin?" She added a heart-eyed emoji as well.

She hasn't addressed the swim and its backlash publicly further.

Two protesters just brought a Wimbledon match to a screeching halt ... after they rushed the court and hurled confetti all over the place.

The bizarre scene went down just minutes ago during Sho Shimabukuro's first-round tilt with Grigor Dimitrov ... when a man and a woman wearing "Just Stop Oil" T-shirts leaped from the crowd and disrupted play.

The two unloaded boxes full of orange paper ... as well as puzzle pieces -- all while Shimabukuro and Dimitrov looked on from just feet away.

They quickly escorted the woman from the area ... but the man sat cross-legged on the court until security pulled him away from the scene.

Activist group Just Stop Oil (who are known for these kinds of stunts) took credit for the commotion in a series of tweets Wednesday morning ... saying the actions were in response to Wimbledon's sponsorship deal with Barclays, an org. which Just Stop Oil officials claim has "given £30 billion to oil and gas companies" in the past two years.

NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak were once sworn enemies, but the two have changed their tune ... now acting as a support system for each other during really tough times.

NeNe was out shopping on Rodeo Drive in Bev Hills and told us she'd recently reached out to her fellow "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star in the midst of her messy divorce with Kroy Biermann.

NeNe tells us while the two chatted, it's still hard to tell exactly how Kim's doing behind the scenes -- every divorce is hard, especially with kids involved.

Fans of the show know NeNe and Kim haven't always seen eye to eye, but NeNe tells us Kim reached out to her during one of her low points when her husband Gregg died in 2021, so it felt right to reciprocate the love.

We've broken a bunch of stories about the huge mess between Kim and Kroy ever since she filed for divorce in May. Since then, there's been a big fight over custody of their kids, with both sides waging war ... Kroy's asking for sole legal and physical.

Kim called the police last month, -- claiming Kroy threatened to file a kidnapping report on a family friend who took their kid to a rodeo. Clearly, there's no sign of things easing up.

Someone who witnessed LeBron James break the NBA scoring record earlier this year is absolutely thrilled to have kept the ticket ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned it's now expected to fetch a few THOUSAND dollars at auction next month!!!

The $92 stub that was used by a fan to watch James pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at Crypto.com Arena back on Feb. 7 just hit the block this week ... and Heritage Auctions experts say it could ultimately sell for over $5,000.

The ticket for the historic Lakers vs. Thunder tilt is awesome ... it's from the 2nd row of section 209 -- and it was given a Mint 9 grade by PSA.

As for the potential sale price -- it seems steep, considering nearly 20,000 people were there and the game happened just a few months ago -- but as we previously reported, it's far from the only thing that night that is worth a ton to NBA collectors.

You'll recall ... Chris Ivy, the director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, told us back in February he believes 'Bron's game-worn jersey from the night could land $3 MILLION if it ever made it to the auction block.

Mark Zuckerberg's new Twitter-like app is just days away from taking flight -- and it seems Elon Musk's not happy about the competition ... further fueling the two techies' beef.

In case you've forgotten ... the reason Mark and Elon are talking about fighting each other (for real) is because of this new service that Meta is rolling out called 'Threads -- which is said to be the "new" Twitter, if you, will ... only, it'll be rolled out under Mark's watch.

When Elon caught wind of MZ's new toy last month, he jokingly said he was willing to battle the guy -- and now, it's full-steam ahead on negotiations as they prepare to duel.

Welp, the impetus for this all came full circle Monday ... with word of Threads' supposed launch date being revealed as July 7 -- with the option to pre-order it now available on Apple's app store. There's more info as well as to what sorta data it's going to harvest from users ... something EM couldn't help but comment on Monday, taking a swipe.

In response to all the ways Threads is going to manage personal data (mining a helluva lot, frankly), Elon replied ... "Thank goodness they're so sanely run." That carries significance.

Reports have suggested that a Meta executive told staffers recently that Threads would be "sanely run" compared to Musk's wild west on Twitter lately -- but it sounds like Elon's scoffing at how much freaking user data they're going to control in order to do so.

Of course, you could argue Elon's probably a little worried about this new foe on the market -- especially in light of his absolutely hated decision to limit Twitter users' daily tweet count ... as far as being able to see new content. He's upped the count since the debacle this weekend -- but folks are still pissed and certainly looking for an alternative for news.

11:45 AM PT -- Joey Chestnut easily won the hot dog-eating contest (again) for the 16th time, and while his performance this year was solid ... it still wasn't as good as years past.

JC ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, which secured him the victory and the belt. Like we said, he's eaten more before -- but it's impressive, nonetheless. Congrats, bud!

Chestnut and the rest of the hot dog-eating machines WILL gorge themselves this year after all on a Fourth of July tradition, -- despite Mother Nature trying to torpedo their plans.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was almost canceled Tuesday at Coney Island ... all on account of a massive thunderstorm that rolled through, which dumped a ton of rain and lightning onto the area -- and sent patrons running for cover.

Footage taken by journos on the ground shows swarms of people looking to get out of the rain any way they can ... and some got creative, standing on outdoor tables under umbrellas.

It got so bad that the NYPD actually pulled the plug on the rest of the competition -- the men's race, specifically -- out of an abundance of caution. But Nathan's organizers waited it out a bit and decided to proceed once the storm cleared -- which it eventually did.

It's unclear when exactly the contest will get underway, but the legend himself is waiting in the wings and clearly ready. JC was seen walking around mingling with onlookers who stuck around -- and he was hyping himself up as they chanted his name.

Indeed, the guy's back to defend his title ... last year he ate 63 hot dogs and won, but that wasn't anywhere near his record set the previous year at 76 franks -- which he hoped to topple in 2023.

The glizzy champ wants another bite at the apple, er, wiener. At this point, it's looking like he'll get his chance -- and seeing how he's the odds-on favorite to win ... people will be counting the dogs he downs as the true marker of victory.

Go get 'em, kid!

Just as sure as they'll be fireworks over the East River on Independence Day, Michael Rubin was true to tradition, throwing an insane July 4th white party bash that was, as per usual, the hottest ticket in town.

JLo and Ben Affleck were all decked out as they sauntered into the Hampton's soiree Jay-Z loaded up his whip with some pals and drove inside Rubin's gates.

Winnie Harlow was all that as she waved to the crowd, Evita style, and Emily Ratajkowski ... well, the photo says it all -- incredible!!!

EmRata showed off the goods, as Travis Scott -- who was just cleared of criminal charges in the Astroworld tragedy -- chilled with some buddies.

Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey mingled among the crowd, as Kendall Jenner and friends mugged for the cam.

Kelly Rowland looked fantastic, and Tom Brady was multi-tasking as he sipped his drink and texted away.

We're not even close to done ... Jack Harlow, Corey Gamble, Druski, Dixie D'Amelio, Fabolous, and a bunch of other members of the Rich-and-Famous Club all had a blast.

A couple of Nepo babies just got a taste of the limits of family fame ... because Bronny James and Shareef O'Neal were unceremoniously rejected from a hot Hollywood party.

Bronny, who's about to play at USC, and his pal Shareef showed up at Poppy Monday night, for Saweeties' birthday bash. You'd think they'd be a shoo-in given their famous fathers -- LeBron and Shaq, but it was embarrassingly not the case.

The 2 didn't get through the front door ... denied, denied.

On the other hand, it's possible their status isn't what torpedoed them. They were with a bunch of friends and no one got in.

Well, lots to do in Hollywood, so we're guessing their party went on.

If Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic ever actually fight, it'll be anything but a cakewalk for Bones, according to former champ Francis Ngannou ... who says the firefighter from Ohio is "still the most challenging guy" in the division, NOT the current champ!

"It's gonna be tough for Jones. I think we all don't give the credit that is due to Stipe. Stipe is not having enough credit. For me, he's still the guy at heavyweight. He's still the most challenging guy in the heavyweight division," 36-year-old Ngannou recently told us when we asked him if Jones would beat Miocic.

Of course, Francis and Stipe fought twice ... each winning one fight.

Miocic won the first fight at UFC 226 in 2018 by unanimous decision. The big guys rematched at UFC 260 in 2021 ... a fight Ngannou won by 2nd round knockout.

Stipe has not stepped in the Octagon since that night.

Despite the 27-month layoff, it's clear Francis believes Miocic is still the guy at heavyweight.

As for Jon, he's 1-0 at heavyweight after dominating title contender Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 earlier this year ... a fight the former light heavyweight champ made look easy.

The chain Nick Smith Jr. rocked to the NBA draft was SERIOUSLY iced out ... TMZ Sports has learned it featured a staggering 40 carats of VS diamonds!!

We're told the former Arkansas Razorbacks point guard hit up Courtney Roy of Clarity Custom Jewelry to get the piece made just before the big event ... and as you can see, the jeweler certainly delivered.

Roy -- who also made pieces for Cassius Stanley and Jacob Evans -- tells us he spent about two weeks carefully crafting the bling ... not only decking it out in the diamonds but adding 14k of white gold to it as well.

The piece features Smith's "NS" initials ... and sits on a Cuban link chain -- and the 19-year-old hooper was clearly happy with the piece.

Smith Jr. wore it on stage with Adam Silver with pride just after the Charlotte Hornets took him with the 27th overall pick.

Magic Johnson may hate the show, but Larry Bird is gonna be THRILLED with the next season of "Winning Time" ... so says actor Newton Mayenge, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Celtics legend will love his portrayal in the project.

It's no secret -- some ex-Lakers superstars aren't too pleased with HBO's hit series that documents the Showtime era ... with Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly ripping it to shreds.

We spoke with Mayenge -- who plays former NBAer Jim Chones on the show -- about the backlash from the OGs ... and while he says the WT actors would love their support and approval, they still have a job to do.

"It was a love story for them," Mayenge tells us. "If they don't necessarily see it that way, it's unfortunate, but we gotta continue to move forward."

Season 2 will focus on the Lakers' rivalry with the Boston Celtics, which means Larry Legend will play a huge part ... and Mayenge had nothing but praise for the guy tasked with the role.

"My castmate who plays him, Sean Patrick Small, he was born to play Larry Bird, first and foremost," Mayenge says.

"He freaking killed it. My personal opinion is Larry's gonna love it because once again, it's a love letter to him as well."

In fact, Mayenge even praises Small's hoop skills ... saying the guy "embodies" the Hall of Famer on and off the court.

Logan Paul's gotta feel relieved after getting engaged to his boo, Nina Agdal ... which has gotta be why he took his fiancée on a boat after the big question for some R&R.

Logan and Nina were spotted soaking in the sun Monday, leaving the shoreside Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como -- and it didn't take long before he planted a kiss on his bride-to-be.

Of course, the WWE star popped his shirt off while on the water ... and Nina's view of her upcoming hubby is one we're sure she doesn't mind, either.

As we reported, sources close to the couple confirmed Logan proposed to Nina Sunday while on their Italian vacation.

He appeared in London for some wrestling just the day before, so the likely-sore guy is probably loving every minute of their vacay.

Michael Jordan has never been one to mince his words, and he's sticking true to form when asked about his son, Marcus, dating Larsa Pippen.

The G.O.A.T (to most) was spotted leaving dinner at Matignon in Paris Sunday when he was asked about 32-year-old Marcus' relationship with 48-year-old Pippen.

At first, MJ just laughs -- but the photog doubles down asking if Jordan approves -- to which Michael offers a resounding "No!" The photog asks again, and MJ just shakes his head no.

Obviously, MJ's take is much different than the story Larsa recently told a few months ago on "The Tamron Hall Show." When asked about her dynamic with Marcus' family, she said, "I feel like, we've spent holidays together and it's good. We're in a great place."

Of course, Marcus and Larsa have been dating for quite some time now. Larsa admitted when they first got together she had him saved in her phone under a different name to prevent anyone from finding out about the couple.