TMZ Sports - Page 23

WWE Superstar Seth Rollins says he's in full support of the writers and actors striking in Hollywood ... but tells TMZ Sports there's a bit of a "silver lining" in the situation, 'cause it gives people a new opportunity to check out wrestling!!

Of course, SAG-AFTRA decided to join the Writers Guild of America on the picket line last week ... effectively shutting Hollywood down after tense negotiations with the studios.

Seth makes it clear he is siding with the talented actors and writers fighting for what they want ... but he welcomes any first-time fans to watch some wrestling in the meantime!!

"I know it's a difficult time for the actors and the writers," Seth said at LAX this week. "I believe they're doing the right thing asking for what they deserve. I stand by them.

"But it is a fortunate part of not being part of a union that we're able to still perform and, for our audiences and people who may not be familiar, now they get the opportunity to tune in and see what we're all about."

Seth added the new fans couldn't come at a better time ... 'cause the current roster of talent is the greatest its ever been.

The best NFL coach ever ain't Bill Belichick ... at least, that's according to his former player, Asante Samuel, who said this week the Patriots head man is "absolutely not" the league's GOAT.

Samuel made the claim during a recent interview with ex-NFL player Bryant McFadden.

"Are you crazy?" the ex-New England cornerback said into the microphone when the topic was brought up.

As for why ... Samuel said it has everything to do with how Belichick has performed without Tom Brady.

"Look at his record without Tom," Samuel said. "You've got to win without Tom."

Belichick and Brady were an unreal team together during their 20 years with the Pats ... winning more than 200 total games -- as well as six Super Bowls.

But, after Brady left for Tampa Bay prior to the 2020 season ... Belichick hasn't found too much success, going just 25-25 -- with no playoff wins. Tom, on the other hand, won another ring without Belichick in his first year with the Bucs.

It all, according to Samuel, means Belichick simply cannot be called the best ever.

"One thing I learned about being great is you got to be great in different situations," said Samuel, who played under Belichick for five seasons. "It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom."

"Everybody know it. Tom know it, but he ain’t gonna admit it because he wants to be politically correct. That’s why I’m here, and I’m going to tell the truth."

Samuel hasn't shown much of a filter when it comes to his dislike for Bill ... in fact, the Pro Bowl cornerback even advised Lamar Jackson not to play for the guy when there were rumors swirling this offseason that the QB wanted to play for the Patriots.

NHL player Alex Galchenyuk -- who allegedly hurled racial slurs and made threats toward cops during a hit-and-run arrest last week -- is apologizing for his "deeply disrespectful and despicable behavior" ... saying he's going to seek treatment through the league's player assistance program.

The 29-year-old center was arrested on July 9 in Scottsdale, AZ after appearing to crash his car into a sign. During the traffic stop, cops say Galchenyuk was aggressive and claimed to have connections in Russia who could go after them.

"I'm gonna chop you, your wife, your daughter," Galchenyuk said, according to the police report. "One phone call and you're all dead, your whole family, your bloodline is dead."

Cops say the former No. 3 overall pick also directed racial slurs toward an officer in training during the traffic stop.

The former Coyotes signee broke his silence on the incident on Tuesday ... saying, "I am deeply ashamed of my recent behavior and I am beyond sorry to everyone I offended and hurt."

Galchenyuk lost his contract with Arizona just days after the incident ... and he is now a free agent.

"It was uncalled for, it was horrific and it has ruined this great new opportunity I was given by the Coyotes," Galchenyuk added. "I am beyond embarrassed and disappointed with myself and I feel awful for everyone I have let down."

"My family was counting on me to be better, the Coyotes and the amazing Coyotes fans deserve better and the brave police officers who risk their lives to keep us safe deserve better. I let them all down with my despicable and disrespectful behavior after drinking alcohol."

According to ESPN, Galchenkyuk sent letters to Scottsdale PD and the Coyotes expressing his remorse over the incident ... and he is expected to enter the NHL and NHLPA's player assistance program as early as Tuesday.

DJ Khaled had the best reaction to Michael Block's incredible shot on the golf course on Tuesday ... celebrating like a madman right after the PGA Championship star holed out from a distance!!

The two guys were getting in a warmup round to prep for the musician's inaugural "We the Best Foundation Golf Classic" later this week ... when on the first hole, Block found himself in the rough some 100-yards-or-so away from the green.

The 47-year-old club pro, though, calmly stepped to his ball with a wedge ... launched it high in the air -- before it hit the dance floor and then spun back into the hole.

Khaled couldn't believe his eyes ... and then he lost his mind celebrating with the golfer!!

The "I'm The One" producer jumped into Block's arms -- before screaming "Let's go" over and over again.

When Block wished he had saved the shot for the charity tourney later on Thursday ... Khaled guaranteed there'd be "another one" in his future!!

"It's gonna happen again!" he said.

As for Block -- the golf hero who finished tied for 15th in the PGA Championship back in May -- while he played it all cool on the course Tuesday ... he was pretty thrilled afterward.

"Blessed! by @DJKhaled," he wrote on a clip of the shot on his Instagram page. "Did this really just happen on the first hole?"

Independent wrestling star Teddy Hart -- the nephew of Bret Hart and Owen Hart -- was arrested last week after cops say he was in possession of ecstasy and steroids.

According to Titusville Police Department documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the drugs were found in Teddy's rental car during a routine traffic stop on Friday in Titusville, Fla.

Cops say they initially pulled over the 43-year-old wrestler at around midnight ... after they say he ran a red light and traveled at a high rate of speed in a 2022 Mustang.

During the stop, though, police said they smelled an "overbearing odor of burnt marijuana emanating" from the vehicle ... and noticed "an unsealed medical marijuana container with a faded label inside of the glove compartment" as well as "several pieces of loose leaf marijuana shake" on one of the car's seats.

During an ensuing search of the car, cops said they found a baggie of red pills and a baggie of red powder that both tested positive for the presence of MDMA. They also said they found two small vials inside of a bag in the car that were labeled Masteron and Testosterone Cypionate -- which cops say are known anabolic steroids. Cops also claimed they found another baggie during the search that contained a blue powdery substance -- which they said also tested positive for MDMA.

Teddy -- real name Edward Annis -- was then arrested and booked on two felony charges ... possession of MDMA and possession of a controlled substance without prescription. Records show he was released from custody on Saturday.

This is far from the first time the wrestler has had trouble with the law ... he's been in and out of jail multiple times in the last few years -- including back in 2021, when he had also been accused of being in possession of controlled substances. In fact, Teddy has been arrested so many times over the years, a Twitter account called "Is Teddy Hart In Jail" was reportedly created to monitor his myriad legal issues.

The Battle of Ohio is getting an offseason showdown this year ... 'cause the Cincinnati Bengals just went after the Cleveland Browns over their white throwback helmets -- claiming they're a blatant rip-off!!

The Browns announced the bold new look on Tuesday ... revealing players will rock non-orange helmets for several games this season -- something the franchise hasn't done in more than 70 years.

While famous Browns supporters like LeBron James praised the clean combo, the Bengals -- who rocked alternate white domes last season -- were far from thrilled ... calling out the team for jacking their swag.

The Bengals shared old footage of team owner Mike Brown discussing the two teams' similar jerseys and colors back in the day ... saying former Browns honcho Art Modell believed Cincy "ripped off" Cleveland's look.

In other words, the Bengals think the roles have been reversed.

The Browns clapped back with their own tweet ... pointing out the fact the team rocked white helmets from 1946-51 -- way before the Bengals even existed.

The Arena Football League is just months away from relaunching, and now we know the locations the sixteen AFL organizations will call home -- a mix of preexisting markets and brand-new teams.

-Austin
-Boise
-California (will play in Bakersfield)
-Chicago
-Colorado (will play in Denver)
-Minnesota (will play in St. Paul)
-Louisiana (will play in Lake Charles)
-Ohio (will play in Cincinnati)
-Orlando
-Oregon (will play in Salem)
-Philadelphia
-St. Louis
-Tallahassee
-Tennessee (will play in Nashville)
-Washington (will play in Everett)
-West Texas (will play in Odessa)

“We are extremely proud to share the initial markets that will serve as the foundation of the new era of the Arena Football League,” AFL Commissioner Lee A. Hutton III said.

“Fans in each community will have the opportunity to come together and create new identities, new traditions, and new memories to help catapult our league to thrilling heights. We’ve been working diligently to put the league and the respective member teams in the best position to deliver a competitive and entertaining product on the field and we simply can’t wait to return to the original innovators of indoor football in 2024.”

The AFL was originally founded in 1987 as a four-team league ... the Pittsburgh Gladiators, Denver Dynamite, Washington Commandos, and Chicago Bruisers. The league expanded and was successful for years before shutting down several years back.

In February, the AFL announced they were coming back in 2024 ... with a 10-game season.

The league hasn't yet announced team names or ownership groups. If you remember back, the original AFL had several celeb owners, including Jon Bon Jovi.

Le'Veon Bell says NFL running backs are being treated like a bunch of ants when it comes to contract negotiations ... and unless they team up, they're going to continue to get squashed.

The ex-Pittsburgh Steelers star -- who famously sat out an entire season over his own contract dispute -- went on a Twitter rant to share his thoughts on the league's biggest stars like Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs failing to get long-term deals this offseason ... and he used an old Disney movie to explain his take.

Bell says anyone trying to understand what's going on should check out the 1998 flick, "A Bug's Life" ... which is a story of one ant, Flik, inspiring his colony to team up against a bunch of grasshoppers who have been taking advantage of them.

Bell says he's the real-life version of Flik, because he made the bold move to hold out during his career ... and he took all the heat in hopes of improving the market for his position.

"At the time, no one could see my vision or what I was standing for but all I was doing was just preparing to go against the grasshoppers/owners," Bell tweeted on Tuesday. "But as a lone inventive ant/RB, I obviously couldn’t beat the grasshoppers/owners alone .. ‼️"

Now that Barkley and Jacobs are in a similar situation, Bell thinks they could take back control by following his lead.

"In 2017 & 2018 I was the lone ant, I was Flik .. it was literally ONLY ME .. fast forward 6 years later, now you have multiple ants tryin join the fight against the grasshoppers …"

"Once Flik helped the other ants realize that there are more of US (ants) than it is of THEM (grasshoppers/owners) they finally defeated the grasshoppers ... ants are STRONG AS F*** together ‼️ very weak when they are individuals."

Even if more players start to hold out (there are rumors Barkley will), Le'Veon says there's only so much that can be done ... because after all, the running backs will always be ants.

Steph Curry's hot streak rolled right into Monday night ... 'cause just one day after he scored a huge win at a prestigious celeb golf tournament, he got an epic shout-out from Drake!!

The Golden State Warriors star was at Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Drizzy's "It's All A Blur" tour some 24 hours after he nabbed the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe ... and the rapper actually paused his show to give the hooper love.

Drake called Curry his "brother" and complimented his looks ... before he told the sold-out crowd to "make some noise" for the four-time NBA champ.

Drake also shouted out Ayesha Curry and Sonya Curry -- who had VIP seats right alongside Steph at the concert.

The Currys all seemed to love it -- arena cams caught them grinning ear-to-ear -- before Drake started spittin' on the microphone once again.

The moment was just one of many big ones for Steph in the last few weeks ... he's had a hell of a summer so far -- first appearing on The Match in late June, then hitting a hole-in-one on Saturday ... before earning the ACC crown on Sunday.

Things are only looking up from here too ... Steph revealed Monday his Gentleman's Cut Bourbon is launching worldwide later this month as well.

James Worthy hasn't tuned into "Winning Time" but not because he's against a series on the Showtime Lakers ... on the contrary, the hoops legend says he wanted to be involved, but showrunners never reached out.

"I haven't watched it because I wasn't involved in it," Worthy recently told TMZ Sports.

"And I was hoping that they would come to us and get some really good interviews and some really good one-on-one sit-downs because we were willing to, like, share a lot of stuff. That decade was iconic. And I just wish we could have been involved."

"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is an HBO drama based on the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Lakers squad. The show premiered in March 2022 and was renewed for another season which begins airing in August.

If you're wanting Lakers content, James, a 3x NBA champion, does have a suggestion that isn't "Winning Time ... Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers."

"I did the Hulu, the Legacy, which is the real deal. It's real footage with interviews of people who were there. So I understand satire, but I just think [Winning Time] could have been done really, really good. And I was disappointed that it wasn't."

We also asked James if he's discussed the HBO series with any of his former teammates.

"We never talked about Winning Time because we weren't involved in it. We talked a lot about the Legacy. So if you really want to know the truth, go watch Legacy on Hulu. Go watch the Legacy on Hulu, get the real deal."

Brandon Miller's 📍 Cloud Nine ... 'cause the Charlotte Hornets rookie just met Paul George -- the man he considers the G.O.A.T. -- and the Clippers star offered to mentor the #2 overall pick throughout his NBA career!

"Use me, use me as much as you want," George told Miller. "Use me as a resource, bro. That's what I'm here for. I want to help you in every step that you need if you need."

The All-Star continued ... "Make that journey a lot smoother and easier for you."

The two finally linked up on George's podcast weeks after the former Crimson Tide hoops star revealed PG13 was the player he considered to be the greatest ever ... not LeBron James, Michael Jordan or anyone else.

Of course, fans roasted Miller for picking George over James and Jordan ... but it's clear BM couldn't care less as he sat down with the L.A. Clippers.

"It's exciting just him being in my presence," Miller said to PG's co-host. "It's definitely a great moment, been lookin' up to him for a long time."

Miller explained to George that he became his GOAT when he played on the Indiana Pacers and put Chris "Birdman" Anderson on a poster back in the day.

"Now I'm up here with him, now I get to compete against him I think is an even better experience."

Of course, George knows what it takes to be an NBA star ... he's been in the league for 13 seasons and is an 8-time All-Star, NBA's Most Improved Player, in addition to many other earned accolades.

Miller, were it not for Victor Wembanyama, would've been the top pick ... and many people believe he has Kevin Durant-like skills on the court. So, skies the limit ... and Paul's there to help.

Jordyn Woods and Kylie Jenner might be mending their relationship, but fans for both women aren't shy in voicing their opinions on the whole thing ... with some all for the rekindling and others totally against it.

The comment section on Jordyn's IG has become a very active chat room, where folks are expressing concerns over the model's rekindled friendship growing with Kylie. Kylie's comments are taking off too -- with a pretty mixed bag of reviews.

While some fans are supporting the move to be friends again, there's also a large portion who aren't ... in Jordyn's comment section, one user is bummed about her taste in pals, while another feels downright betrayed, commenting ... "Girl wtf was you doing out with Kylie after we fought vehemently for you." One fan even declared Jordyn's "better and happier" without Kylie by her side.

Kylie's comment section doesn't look much different than Jordyn's ... with fans offering up warnings on taking Jordyn back -- considering what happened the first time around.

While it's obviously not how either KJ or JW feels, the consensus among their fans is each is doing just fine after losing her former besties in the fallout of the Tristan Thompson drama.

TMZ broke the story ... Kylie and Jordyn had been hanging out for over a year, prior to their public sushi outing -- working on getting their friendship back to where it once was.

Wiz Khalifa is getting ready to throw that high cheese when he takes the mound at the Pirates game ... 'cause the rapper says he's planning on being "stoned af" for the ceremonial first pitch.

The Pittsburgh native -- who's in town for his "High School Reunion" tour -- will do the honors before his hometown team hosts the Cleveland Guardians on Monday ... and he's got a perfectly on-brand strategy in place ahead of his big moment at PNC Park.

"Finna get stoned af and throw this first pitch at the pirates game," Wiz tweeted to his 36 million followers.

It may not just be ganja powering Wiz through the toss, though ... 'cause he also added, "Shroomed out throwin a baseball is crazy."

To prove he wasn't kidding (not like he needed to), Wiz also posted a picture of his supply ... showing two big jars of weed, as well as some mushrooms.

You could say Wiz is sorta paying homage to former pitcher Dock Ellis, who famously claimed to have thrown a no-hitter while high on LSD back in 1970!!

High or not, Wiz will still probably throw a better pitch than 50 Cent.

Saquon Barkley will enter the 2023 season without a long-term contract -- the superstar running back and New York Giants were unable to come up with a new deal before Monday's deadline ... and now, the former No. 2 overall pick is weighing in on the stalemate.

Both sides were working until the last minute in hopes of reaching an agreement ... but despite the Giants reportedly upping their offer (there are rumblings they were offering $13 million a year), they were left without a solution.

"It is what it is," Barkley tweeted shortly after the news broke ... which certainly doesn't sound like he's happy with the end result.

The Giants placed the $10 million non-exclusive franchise tag on Barkley shortly after signing quarterback Daniel Jones to an extension in March ... but there's a chance he could now sit out the entire upcoming season.

In fact, Barkley has reportedly already decided to sit out training camp ... which would not result in fines, as he has not signed his tender.

It wouldn't be the first time a player of Barkley's caliber has missed a whole season due to failed negotiations -- Le'Veon Bell skipped all of the 2018 season as a result of his own dispute.

Francis Ngannou says Tyson Fury will rue the day he underestimates the former UFC heavyweight champ!

"[Tyson] has said a lot of things. He better just get ready for October 28th because if he's not taking this seriously, I think he might get surprised and get some regrets for his life," 36-year-old Ngannou told TMZ Sports just days after his highly anticipated boxing match with the Gypsy King was announced.

Fury, by nearly everyone's account, is the best present-day heavyweight boxer ... but Ngannou isn't content with cashing a big check just to lose his boxing debut.

"I'm going there to box. I'm going to walk into this fight as a boxer. And I'm impressed to see how people are counting me out of this and it also gets me excited. You know, one more thing that they keep doubting on me. And as usual, I might keep proving them wrong."

Despite Francis' confidence, Tyson doesn't seem too concerned, sending a message to Ngannou over social media, taking a shot at his opponent.

"Ngannou, you're getting it, you big dosser. You big stiff dosser, you're getting knocked out. You're getting knocked out, friend!"

We also talked to the former UFC star about how he plans to prepare for the bout ... and Francis is thinking about bringing in two of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

"I think getting some advice or some training from Mike Tyson would be good. I also think of somebody like Lennox Lewis, which could be good."

Francis continued ... "I love his boxing style, very basic, but very sharp, efficient, you know, want to all those stuff like classic, but very good, I love stuff like that. So yes, one of those guys, we are reaching definitely reaching out."

FYI, Fury is a heavy favorite -- to the tune of -1250 (risk $1,250 to win $100) -- but Ngannou is unbothered.

Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods have been spending time together and working on mending their relationship for over a year ... a friendship we're told Khloe Kardashian never put any restrictions on following the drama with Tristan Thompson.

Sources close to the pair tell TMZ ... the 2 have been hanging out privately for a while, and this weekend's sighting just marked the first time they've been spotted out and about by the public since their rekindling.

You'll recall, the 2 were best friends since 2012, but everything fell apart in 2019 when Jordyn kissed Khloe's ex-BF and baby daddy, Tristan Thompson. BTW, Jordyn admitted Tristan kissed her, but shot down the idea that there was any romance between the two.

Despite the messy fallout, we're told Khloe never held her little sis back from being friends with Jordyn -- the unfriending was Kylie's call. Sources say there were more issues with the friendship than just the Tristan drama at the time, so everything kinda collapsed all at once.

We're told everyone's moved on from that saga, though ... Kylie and Jordyn were best friends back in the day, and they're now working to hopefully get back to BFF status again.