TMZ Sports - Page 21

Despite being critical of both Bill Belichick and Sauce Gardner, Asante Samuel tells TMZ Sports he's got absolutely "no beef" with either guy ... explaining his comments were simply him just giving his opinions -- and nothing more.

"I'm a critic just like y'all," he said. "Y'all wake up, man. Y'all stop actin' like clowns."

Samuel took aim at Belichick's resume this week during an interview with ex-NFL player Bryant McFadden ... saying he didn't believe the Patriots head coach was the best ever.

Just a couple weeks prior, he took issue with Gardner's resume too ... writing on his Twitter page that he believed Seahawks star Tariq Woolen had a better year than the Jets corner -- while adding that he thought Sauce's status was being buoyed by the New York media.

Both hot takes were widely panned -- and most felt they were actually personal attacks on Belichick and Gardner.

But when we spoke with Samuel about it all on Thursday -- he said that couldn't be further from the case.

"Y'all stop it," the former New England Patriots cornerback said. "It's not a beef. If y'all want to cover it, y'all cover it. But it's not a beef."

He insisted giving his takes on the NFL is something he's done repeatedly over the years -- and it's never once been personal.

"I've been doin' this," he said. "I'm sick of it!"

If Magic Johnson does, indeed, change the Commanders moniker in Washington ... former star running back Brian Mitchell tells TMZ Sports he's sure fans would be in favor of it.

Magic -- who was part of a group that officially bought the D.C. franchise from Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion this week -- floated the idea of a name swap during an interview shortly after the deal went through.

"Everything is on the table," the NBA legend told TODAY's Craig Melvin.

When we spoke with Mitchell -- who played in Washington for 10 years -- about it all on Friday ... he made it clear he doesn't believe there would be many Washington fans who would be opposed.

"I think people had started to like the Washington Football Team [name]," the former All-Pro said. "Then you change it to a name that I don't think many, many people voted on or cared for. And, so, if it wanted to change, I don't think you'd have a lot of uproar with people."

Mitchell, though, did caution that it might be a lot for some fans to swallow. After all, it would be the fourth name the team's had since 2020.

Then again, Mitchell made it clear ... "you spend six billion, you get the right to name it whatever you want to name it!"

"Hey Ben, kiss my ass! You're coming out of retirement? I'll send you right back in the motherf***er!"

Buckle up ... we're talking Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren II!

Retired UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) this week to talk about the upcoming Gaethje-Poirier BMF fight (more on that shortly), when the conversation turned to Askren and a comment he made about wanting to avenge his 5-second loss to Gamebred.

"Ben Askren said he'd come out of retirement to fight me," Masvidal said, adding ... "Hey Ben, I'll beat your ass with both hands behind my back!"

The BMF belt holder continued ... "Ben's so bad at boxing."

The resurgence of the beef seemingly goes back to late 2022 when Askren said he'd only come out of retirement for a rematch with JM.

Of course, the men fought in one of the most infamous UFC fights ever -- UFC 239 in July 2019 -- when Jorge opened up with a flying knee that sent Ben to la la land, as the star wrestler was shooting for the takedown.

We asked Masvidal -- what discipline? Boxing, MMA, something else?

"[Askren] wanted MMA, but for his sake, I'd do it boxing so I can't knee him in the face. It's illegal!"

"Maybe Ben can get his way now."

That's when Conor McGregor took a stray ... just because.

"Conor, you're a bitch. You never mentioned my name because I'll break your f***ing eye over it, you're a f***ing skank bitch. I don't really like those guys too much, you know?"

Promise ... we also talked about the BMF fight at UFC 291.

When Masvidal beat Nate Diaz for the inaugural fight, The Rock presented the belt to Street Jesus. This time it'll be Masvidal who has that honor.

But, does he actually like the idea of Dustin and Justin fighting for the belt that was created for him at the MMA star from Stockton?

We've got a brand new look at Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox's dust up at the Orange County Fair ... and it looks like the singer is the one who threw hands first after getting heated.

Check out the latest angle, obtained by TMZ ... right off the bat, things were lookin' tense Thursday night as the couple hopped off the ride, with MGK beelining it to 2 guys standing nearby.

Seems like the dudes must've said something to irk MGK, 'cause almost immediately he swings at them, appearing to nail one guy in the face -- then, the other guy throws a punch back in retaliation, which is when his security gets involved.

As we reported, Megan got caught between the bodyguard and the randos ... getting slammed into a nearby fence before MGK pulled her away from the mess.

Lakers star Austin Reaves is shaking off rumors that he dated Taylor Swift ... saying straight up there's never been a love story between him and the pop singer.

The rumor initially cropped up a few weeks ago ... with some on the internet suggesting they had seen the basketball player with Swift while the two were at an Arkansas bar shortly after she had called things off with Matty Healy.

But, when Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson inquired about it all on the latest episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast ... Reaves said it just ain't true.

"I have never met her, never talked to her," the 25-year-old told the guys on the show. It's "all bulls***. I don't know her."

"I ain’t never talked to her," he added.

As for if Reaves would be down to date her at some point in the future ... Jackson actually tried to pry that answer from the hooper, but the media-savvy Reaves didn't want to indulge.

Jamie Foxx is back in front of cameras for the first time since his medical crisis, and we've learned getting back in the saddle was a piece of cake for the Hollywood vet.

Sources tell TMZ ... Jamie shot a brand new BetMGM commercial Wednesday in Las Vegas at the Aria Resort and Casino, and after almost 4 months of recovery and rehab he was in amazing shape -- showing no signs of physical ailment.

We got some behind-the-scenes pics from the shoot, and he looks pretty focused while sitting in the cockpit of a golden F1 race car. We're told the ad will begin airing just before the NFL season kicks off.

ICYMI, Jamie posted a pic from the shoot Thursday, tagging BetMGM and saying "We got BIG things coming soon." His daughter, Corinne, shared a BTS shot of them together, saying she's really proud of her pops.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky also got some face time with Jamie. The Great One is in the ad, too, and described the shoot as ... "One of the best nights of my life with the greatest person. Big things coming soon."

As we reported, JF was spotted out and about earlier this month -- hittin' golf balls at Topgolf, recovering lost purses in Chicago, and breaking a sweat on the pickleball court.

Jamie was working on a Netflix film in Atlanta back in April when he had to be rushed to a hospital for a still undisclosed medical emergency. He was later moved to Chicago to begin a lengthy physical rehab process.

Jon Rahm's gonna have to wash his mouth out with soap ... 'cause the golf star was caught letting an expletive fly after a putt didn't go his way at the Open Championship on Friday -- passionately yelling out, "F***!!!"

The outburst happened on hole 10 in the second round as Rahm was looking to make par ... but things didn't go as planned, and he let everyone hear his frustration.

"Apologies for any language there," the announcer said shortly after the f-bomb.

The 28-year-old Spanish pro hasn't been the happiest of campers at the Royal Liverpool Golf Course this week ... voicing his frustrations over his play, as well as the amount of people surrounding him during the first round.

He even teed off on the media members who were following Rory McIlroy ... saying he had a "boom mic on my ass" as cameras kept up with his pairing partner.

The two-time major winner will have some work to do if he's looking to improve his spot in the standings ... he's currently tied for 49th at +2 through two rounds.

Magic Johnson's officially the new owner of the Washington Commanders ... and one of his first orders of business might very well be to change the team's name.

The NBA legend -- who was part of a group led by Josh Harris that formally purchased D.C.'s NFL franchise for $6.05 billion this week -- left the door open for a moniker switch when he was asked about the possibility during a sit-down interview with TODAY's Craig Melvin this week.

"Everything is on the table, right?" Johnson said. "Especially after this year. We'll see where we are with the name."

Washington initially changed its longtime moniker back in 2020 ... after Native American groups and others found it offensive. They swapped to the "Washington Football Team" for two seasons ... before eventually landing on the Washington Commanders in 2022.

But, the new name hasn't been loved by many fans ... and the accompanying uniforms and logos haven't been all that inspiring for the fanbase either.

Johnson, though, made it clear he, Harris and the rest of the new owners have yet to make a decision either way.

"I can't say that right now," he said.

Adam22 says there's no way he's letting Antonio Brown anywhere near Lena The Plug ... telling TMZ Sports the ex-NFL superstar better have security if they ever cross paths -- 'cause he's "pulling up."

AB caused quite a stir when he publicly hit up the popular podcaster on Twitter earlier this week ... saying he wanted to be "next" after Adam's porn star wife filmed a sex scene with another man, XXX actor Jason Luv, for the first time in their seven-year relationship.

We caught up with Adam outside the "No Jumper" studio in L.A. on Thursday ... and he's pissed off over AB's antics -- calling it blatant disrespect.

"Let me explain something," Adam tells us. "My wife worked with a trained adult male porn star, and it's not like she's up for grabs for any horny dude in the industry whose career has fallen apart who wants to get some."

As it turns out, Adam claims AB's team reached out to his people in hopes of setting up an interview over the whole interaction ... and he was down to make some "good content" with the Super Bowl champ -- that is, until he asked for $5,000 to make it happen.

"I was like, it's not happening," Adam tells us. "He must be broke, or something. I looked him up on Google, it says he's worth like $20 million. But, I mean, he's out here scrounging up, trying to get $5,000 out of me to do the interview."

"I'm like, why am I gonna give you $5,000 for disrespecting my wife on Twitter, you piece of s***?"

While Adam makes it clear Lena's work doesn't open the door for other guys, he mentions a guy he would consider way before he ever grants AB his wish -- controversial personality Andrew Tate.

"To be totally fair, Andrew Tate might be at the level where we would consider it," Adam says. "Antonio Brown, to me, is basically a homeless person."

"The idea that I'm gonna let this piece of s*** f*** my wife, it's not happening. And, I'm not giving you $5,000 for an interview, either."

The man who stabbed Tyson Fury's cousin to death last year has been found guilty of murder by a jury following a three-week trial.

After three and a half hours of deliberation on Friday, the jury announced their verdict, finding 22-year-old Liam O'Pray guilty of the killing of 31-year-old Rico Burton, Tyson's cousin, and wounding with intent.

As we previously reported, Burton was stabbed in the left side of his neck with a 7-inch blade after a fight at a popular bar in Altrincham, Cheshire last August.

The fatal stab wound caused major blood loss, as it severed the major carotid artery in his neck.

O'Pray was also found guilty of injuring an 18-year-old, Harvey Reilly, in the same incident.

According to The Sun, witnesses said O'Pray was drinking and acting "very erratic" prior to the brawl with Burton and his friends around 3 AM.

Fury was devastated over his cousin's tragic death and called for the UK government to hand down harsher punishment for knife crimes.

"My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck," the heavyweight boxer said on IG last August.

"This is becoming ridiculous idiots carry knives. This needs to stop 🛑 Asap, uk 🇬🇧 government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime, its a pandemic & you dont know how bad it is until its 1 of your own!"

"Life is very precious & it can be taken away very quick enjoy every moment🙏RIP RICO BURTON 🙏 may the lord god grant you a good place in heaven. see you soon 🔜🙏"

The brother of ex-NFL star Aqib Talib, Yaqub Talib, has pled guilty to murder ... stemming from his role in the shooting of a youth football coach last summer.

A rep for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ Sports ... Yaqub entered the plea this week -- agreeing to be sentenced to 37 years in prison.

Formal sentencing for the 40-year-old has been slated for August 7, the rep said.

Yaqub was initially accused of pulling out a firearm and shooting Michael Hickmon following an argument at an Aug. 13, 2022 youth football game involving a team that the Talib brothers were helping coach.

According to a lawsuit against the Talibs filed by Hickmon's family, the Talib brothers had gotten upset with Hickmon -- who was helping coach the opposing team -- over a call on the field ... and abruptly ended the game.

When Hickmon then went to retrieve the game ball -- he was allegedly "confronted" by Aqib, who, according to the lawsuit, threw a punch.

Hickmon's family said in their suit that after Hickmon "defensively backpedaled," Yaqub then pulled out a handgun and fired five shots -- striking Hickmon with several bullets. Hickmon later died at a local hospital.

The alleged altercation was captured on cell phone video by bystanders.

An attorney for Aqib said in a statement following the confrontation, "Aqib was present when this unfortunate incident occurred and is very distraught and devastated over this terrible loss of life. He would like to convey his condolences to the family of the victim and to everyone who witnessed this unfortunate tragedy."

The five-time Pro Bowler -- who starred for the Buccaneers, Broncos, Patriots and Rams in his career -- has not been charged criminally over his alleged role in the incident.

"It's not an easy injury to come back from, but I do s*** that's not easy all the time."

That's former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill talking about the devastating injury he recently suffered during a pickup basketball game ... admitting he doesn't know how long the torn Achilles will keep him out of the Octagon while vowing to make a return.

TMZ Sports caught up with 32-year-old Hill at LAX earlier in the week -- who was using a scooter to get around -- as he arrived in Los Angeles before surgery ... and we asked Hill how he was doing.

"Good," Jamahal told us, saying, "I'm about to get the surgery and back on the road to recovery. I'll do what I gotta do to get back."

Hill got the injury hooping with Daniel Cormier ... we asked him how it happened (he didn't want to say), but did tell us he's always used basketball to stay in shape.

"I've been using basketball to work out, stay in shape with cardio and s*** since I've been [fighting]. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, out of the regular."

Just days after the injury, Jamahal, who obviously won't be able to fight for some time, made the decision to give up his belt (which he won vs. Glover Teixeira in January) ... we asked him why.

"It was the right thing to do."

Jacksonville Jaguars associate strength coach Kevin Maxen just came out as gay ... in what is believed to be a first for a male coach in major men's pro sports in the United States.

The Jags staffer made the announcement in an interview with Outsports on Thursday ... saying he's ready to live his truth without worrying about revealing his sexuality anymore.

"I want to be vocal in support of people living how they want to live, but I also want to just live and not feel fear about how people will react," Maxen -- a former strength coach with Baylor and Vanderbilt football -- said.

Maxen added he consulted NFL free agent Carl Nassib -- who came out 2021 -- for some advice about the process ... explaining he wanted to help build acceptance of LGBTQ+ members in sports.

The former college football linebacker also revealed he is happily in a relationship ... saying he has been seeing his partner, Nick, for more than two years.

"It wasn’t until recently -- and with the immense love and support of my family, my friends, colleagues and peers, and the courage and sacrifice from my partner -- that I realized I have the right and responsibility to love and be loved, and that maybe sharing this will hopefully give someone else the strength to accept their own life and take control of their own story."

As for how his team will react, Maxen believes it will not be an issue as long as he continues to do his job.

Channing Frye had a "welcome to the NBA" moment before he even made it to the league ... 'cause he claims Richard Jefferson racked up a whopping $36,000 tab on his credit card the night before he was drafted!!

The pair of Cavs champions/former Arizona Wildcats detailed the 2005 rager on their "Road Trippin'" podcast this week ... when RJ invited Frye and his crew of 20-30 friends to go clubbing in the Big Apple.

The former No. 8 overall pick says the group included a ton of ex-Arizona guys like Gilbert Arenas and Luke Walton, Nets and Knicks players and fellow class of 2005 draftee "David Lee's punk ass" (RJ's words, not ours) ... but there was no issue with rolling deep, 'cause Jefferson had clout in the city after helping the Nets reach the NBA Finals.

"Richard, for lack of a better term, ran that demographic of New York," Frye says.

Once they got inside the club, it was bad news for Frye ... who willingly handed over his card to RJ after he asked him to "hold the table."

As it turns out, Frye says the massive group ended up partying on his dime the whole night ... with the final damage coming out to a mind-blowing $36,000!!

"They swipe it, they swipe it," RJ says. "He's just getting crushed. And this is kind of like a rookie hazing."

Channing rightfully freaked out over it all ... explaining, "The NBA money hadn't even got into the ozone yet, and my phone is blowing up."

"My s*** is still college s***, I don't even have an NBA check yet!!"

RJ insists he was looking out for his guy the whole night ... saying he was acting as a security blanket in case things went south.

The NFL has just approved the sale of the Washington Commanders ... meaning Dan Snyder's polarizing run as a league owner is now officially over.

Roger Goodell said all of The Shield's teams unanimously rubber-stamped the deal on Thursday afternoon ... making Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris, as well his partners, Magic Johnson and David Blitzer, D.C.'s new honchos.

"Congratulations to Josh Harris and his impressive group of partners," Goodell said in announcing the move. "Josh will be a great addition to the NFL. He has a remarkable record in business, sports, and in his communities."

"The diverse group that Josh has put together is outstanding for its business acumen and strong Washington ties and we welcome them to the NFL as well."

Harris and his team initially struck a deal with Snyder to buy the Commanders for $6.05 billion back in April ... making it the most expensive franchise purchase in sports history.

The move will inspire plenty of jubilation for Commanders fans ... as Snyder's 24-year tenure was mired in losses on the field -- and plenty of controversy off of it.

You'll recall, Snyder's team was fined $10 million back in July 2021 ... after the NFL had investigated claims that several high-ranking figures within the franchise sexually harassed and verbally abused female employees regularly.

On Thursday, the NFL also said Snyder will be forced to pay $60 million ... after independent investigator Mary Jo White found he had been inappropriate with one of Washington's former cheerleaders during a work-related dinner.

White also said Thursday that Snyder's team "appears to have improperly shielded" millions of dollars in revenue from the rest of the NFL -- things Goodell called unacceptable.

"The conduct substantiated in Ms. White's findings has no place in the NFL," Goodell said.

Snyder officially finishes his time as an NFL owner with a 164-220-2 record. The team only won two playoff games under his leadership.

Swizz Beatz felt it best to channel Al Pacino's Scarface out in Miami for DJ Khaled's We The Best golf tournament ... judging from the new "Tony Montana" track he spun to get his fellow rap stars grooving!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from Timbaland giving Swizz a grand intro Wednesday as he deejayed Khaled's pre-party.

Swizz let the beat drop on the Scarface-inspired track ... and began rapping about waking up and putting on a suit like the infamous fictional gangsta.

Khaled and son Asahd, Diddy, and Jeezy all approved of the track, and sources at the party tell us the room was quite the royal hip-hop royal ballroom, mixed with pro-athlete elites.

We're told Quavo, Fat Joe, Bun B, Angie Martinez, Cedric The Entertainer, all convened under the tent with the likes of Matt Barnes, Bubba Wallace, Terrell Owens, Gary Sheffield ... and many more!!!

Diddy also got a sneak peek grab at the winner's trophy and hoisted it like it was throughout the function.