TMZ Sports - Page 34

DeVonta Smith cared so much about supporting Henry Ruggs during his sentencing hearing on Wednesday ... the Eagles star was reportedly excused from practice so he could be there in person.

The former Heisman Trophy winner, according to Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff McLane, left Birds camp in Philly in order to be in Las Vegas for Ruggs' proceedings.

At the hearing, Ruggs was sentenced to three-to-10 years in prison over the 2021 car crash that killed 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog -- though it's unclear if Smith actually made it into the courtroom for the ruling.

Of course, Smith and Ruggs formed a great friendship during their time at Alabama ... the two were roommates, and Smith said back in 2021 before the accident that they had always "dreamed of" playing against one another in the NFL.

In fact, Smith added at the time that he considered Ruggs "my brother from another mother."

Following the crash, Smith said he was heartbroken over the tragedy ... explaining he had to lean on his teammates to help him get through the shock of it.

Ruggs, meanwhile, apologized to Tintor's family at the hearing ... saying in a statement to the courtroom that he knows he "hurt so many" with his actions.

O.J. Simpson doesn't understand how Henry Ruggs drove over 155 MPH, intoxicated, killing a 23-year-old and her dog, but could be out in a few years ... while he received a 9 to 33-year sentence in the same courthouse for an armed robbery where no one was hurt.

"The math just does not add up."

76-year-old Simpson shared his thoughts on X ... talking to his nearly 900k followers only hours after the 24-year-old former Raiders star got 3 to 10 years in the death of Tina Tintor.

"I know I went to college on a football scholarship but somehow this math is not adding up to me. You're driving a car at roughly 160 miles per hour on a public street and end up killing a girl and her dog and you get three to ten years?", O.J. asked.

The NFL legend continued ... "You go to a hotel room that you're invited to to retrieve your own personal stolen property, property I now have because it was ruled to be mine by the state of California, and you get nine to 33 years?"

Of course, in 2008 O.J. was sentenced to 33 years in connection to an armed robbery in Las Vegas, with the possibility of parole after 9 years.

Although Simpson was hit with the sentence because he entered a Palace Station hotel room with a gun in 2007, looking to retrieve memorabilia ... many believe Juice got the book thrown at him as a way to punish him for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, more than a decade after he was acquitted of their murders.

O.J. was ultimately paroled after 9 years in 2017 ... and is now a free man.

If Ruggs -- who stood up and apologized in court -- is released the year he's eligible for parole, like Simpson, he'll get out when he's just 27 years old.

A notion Simpson clearly believes doesn't make any sense.

Errol Spence and his face are back to normal after suffering his first career loss against Terence Crawford ... 'cause the boxing star is looking good while partying it up in Ibiza!!

The 28-1 welterweight was spotted at the O Beach day club in Spain recently ... and fans who noticed Spence took a couple of pictures with the Big Fish, who appeared to be in great spirits.

It's awesome to see, considering Spence was left beaten and bloodied after taking a bunch of shots just 11 days ago.

Spence is in Spain with his longtime girlfriend Ashra Ortiz ... who shared some words of encouragement after the fight.

"You’re a soldier fr & you never quit. You got the heart of a lion & because of that your name will forever hold weight," Ortiz said on Instagram.

"They gone be talking about Errol Spence Jr. 30 years from now and that’s what makes you stand out, you are one of the greats."

Former NFL cornerback Bashaud Breeland -- a one-time Super Bowl champion -- was arrested this week ... after cops say he was in possession of drugs, a slew of guns and a stolen car.

According to police documents, Breeland was found with the vehicle, the firearms and the contraband at around 3:05 p.m. on Monday after he was pulled over in Charlotte, N.C.

Cops say during the traffic stop, they found the 2020 Mercedes-Benz he was driving had been reported stolen from Florida. They added that during an ensuing search of the car, they found a bevvy of weapons -- including two AR-15s and two AK-47s.

Police also said in the docs they discovered 5.45 pounds of suspected marijuana and 62 grams of suspected mushrooms in the ride ... plus a bunch of cash and drug paraphernalia.

They estimated the suspected drugs to be worth $7,000.

Records show the ex-cornerback was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail at 2:12 a.m. on Tuesday ... on eight total charges -- including possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The records show he was released from custody less than three hours later.

This is not the first time Breeland has been arrested in the past few years ... he was also jailed in South Carolina in 2020 following a scary encounter with cops at a gas station.

Breeland -- who played his college ball at Clemson -- has not logged a snap in the NFL since the 2021 season ... but he had been considered one of the league's better DBs throughout his career.

Bam Margera got in more trouble this week for allegedly being drunk in public ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us the ex-'Jackass' star was busted early Wednesday morning, around 4:30 AM, in Radnor Township -- a suburb just outside of Philly -- after patrolling officers say they saw him arguing loudly with a woman outside of the Radnor Hotel.

Our sources say they stopped, approached Bam and co. ... and claim he smelled like booze and was slurring his speech. We’re told cops took him into custody and transported him to a station nearby -- where he was issued two citations.

One citation was for public intoxication, and the other was for disorderly conduct.

If Dwight Howard never plays another minute in the NBA, he won't have to worry about being unemployed (forget the $250 mil he made hooping) ... the NBA star and minister officiated a wedding in Spain last week!

The wedding was for London Wilmot, athlete and celebrity stylist, and fiancé, Pure, a model ... and you can't help but notice the 6'10" center standing at the altar as the officiant.

Howard, who received his ministry credentials last year, shared footage and photos of the lovely ceremony on Instagram ... revealing this isn't the first time he's married a couple.

"Took a trip out to Spain to officiate another wedding," the 37-year-old said on Wednesday.

"Man, it's no feeling better than seeing two people come together and unite in love."

From the look upon Wilmot and Pure's faces, they were thrilled to have the NBA champ as their minister.

The 17-year NBA vet has been keepin' himself busy since his last stint with the Lakers in 2021. He's been with the Taiwanese men's pro basketball league and was named an All-Star, All-Defensive First Team, and was awarded the Most Valuable Import of the T1 League for the 2022-23 season.

He also attended a WWE try-out last year ... channeling Sho'nuff from "The Last Dragon" movie, and did a damn good job.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will be writing a hefty check to the NBA -- the All-Star guard was just hit with a $50,000 fine as a result of his postgame chair-swinging outburst last season.

Remember, Edwards picked up a chair and moved it in frustration as he ran toward the tunnel after the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Wolves from the playoffs back on April 25 ... with two female Ball Arena workers claiming they were hit by the seat, suffering undisclosed injuries.

The 22-year-old hooper was cited for assault the day after the incident ... charges his attorney slammed as "baseless" at the time.

The league announced Wednesday those charges were dismissed last month ... and with the criminal investigation closed, it was now free to hand down punishment on the 2020 first-overall pick.

The fine is pretty significant ... but it's not the first time he's had to cough up some big dough to the Association -- back in 2022, he was fined $40K for making a homophobic comment on social media.

Luckily for Edwards, he's reportedly made around $30.7 million through three seasons in the NBA alone.

Former NFL star Henry Ruggs has been sentenced to 3-to-10 years in prison over the 2021 car crash that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor and her dog.

The ex-Raiders wide receiver learned his fate just minutes ago inside a packed Las Vegas courtroom.

Ruggs, 24, showed up to the Wednesday morning proceedings in a navy suit and tie ... and issued an apology to Tintor's family right at the outset of the hearing.

"To the parents and family of Ms. Tintor, I sincerely apologize for the pain and suffering my actions the morning of Nov. 2, 2021 have caused you, your family and those who knew Ms. Tina and Max," he said.

"I let my family, my teammates and those who believed in me down with my actions and hurt so many."

He added that there was "no excuse" for his actions.

A statement from Tintor's family was also read inside the courtroom ... before the judge made her ruling. Ruggs was then immediately remanded into custody.

Ruggs was initially facing more than 50 years behind bars in the case after authorities accused him of drunkenly slamming his Corvette into the back of Tintor's Rav-4 in Vegas ... killing her and her golden retriever.

But, the former football player reached a deal with prosecutors back in May, agreeing to plead guilty to one felony count of DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter in exchange for a prison sentence that would not exceed 3-to-10 years.

Ruggs, who will now be eligible for parole following his third year in prison, was picked by the Raiders in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft ... and had started 19 games in his two seasons with the team. The org. released him following the accident.

Jamie Foxx is in the fast lane to recovery after his months-long health battle ... weeks after the actor was hitting golf balls at the range, Foxx was kickin' ass on the pickleball court!

The 55-year-old got in a game of doubles on Tuesday ... teaming up with top player Ryan Sherry (who is also an accomplished NFL agent). Jamie and Ryan played against Taylor Chien and Olympic volleyball player Casey Patterson.

The guys posted a highlight from the match ... showing Foxx pulling off a beautiful shot that he dropped in right over the net, and it had a ton of spin on it, making it almost impossible to return.

"That Jamie Foxx spin will get ya," Patterson captioned the video.

It was so good, some cynics doubted JF was the one actually hit the shot, so CP gave the haters another angle of the shot.

"For all the haters in the comments who say @iamjamiefoxx didn’t hit the ball," Casey said in another video on Instagram.

Foxx even trolled the fellas after the shot, saying "I got dead balls out here! Dead balls!"

It shouldn't be a shock that Jamie's nice on the court. He's big into pickleball ... and even owns his own company that makes paddles, The Best Paddle.

It's good to see Foxx out and about and active ... remember, the "Project Power" actor suffered a medical emergency in April and was out of the spotlight until last month, first emerging in Chicago, where he was caught on a yacht waving at fans.

Rough night at the minor league ballpark for Blue Jays pitcher Chad Green ... the reliever was drilled in the head by his own catcher's throw -- and he was in so much pain afterward, he had to leave the game.

The wild incident all went down while Green was making a rehab appearance for Toronto's triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons.

In the fifth inning of the tilt against the Worcester Red Sox, Green threw a heater for a ball ... but his catcher, Tyler Heineman, popped up immediately to try to gun down a runner who was trying to steal second base.

Unfortunately for Green, the baseball didn't make it to its intended target ... 'cause it struck the pitcher right in the back of the head.

Green was in obvious pain as the ball caromed off his dome and ricocheted several feet away ... and while he tried to shake it off, he eventually had to exit the contest.

No word on if Green -- who's been trying to make his way back to the Big Leagues after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season -- suffered any serious ailments from the play ... although he was able to walk off under his own power.

Even one of the most famous athletes on the planet can geek out over celebrities -- 'cause Aaron Rodgers was giddy as hell after meeting Liev Schreiber at New York Jets camp ... calling him the "f***ing voice of God!!"

The "Ray Donovan" actor/"Hard Knocks" narrator made a rare appearance on the HBO series Tuesday night ... dropping in via helicopter to hang out with the team during practice.

The most excited player was easily Rodgers ... who told Liev he's a huge fan of his filmography.

The quarterback lost his mind to his teammates after greeting the movie star ... telling them to go say 'sup.

"He's the guy who narrates 'Hard Knocks,'" Rodgers told everyone who was willing to listen.

Rodgers even begged his offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, to go introduce himself ... saying Schreiber was "nervous" and wanted to hang out with the players.

"Just say 'hi,'" Rodgers told coach. "Just be nice. Look at him, he got all dressed up for it. He looks great."

"Don't be an ass****," he added.

Schreiber's spot on the show was pretty hilarious ... as he narrated the whole thing, explaining he wanted to drive to practice, but producers thought the helicopter would be more dramatic.

Gisele Bündchen says her divorce from Tom Brady has been no cakewalk ... admitting the recent split has been hard on her, but she's getting through the rough patch by shifting her focus elsewhere.

The supermodel went into detail about ending her 13-year marriage with the seven-time Super Bowl champion in an interview with Vogue Brazil this week ... where she opened up about finding the silver lining, despite how much of a toll it has taken on her.

"I've always believed that every situation, no matter how challenging, teaches us something and helps us grow," Gisele said.

"Breakups are never easy, especially when the media is speculating every step of the way."

Of course, there was a lot of speculation at the time about why Gisele and Tom were calling it quits -- many believed it was about Brady's return to football, but as we previously reported, that was simply not the case.

Gisele added she is keeping her kids, health, career, and aspirations the priority after the divorce ... as she now has a better understanding and acceptance of herself.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Devin Haney will likely NEVER happen, despite being one of the most coveted fights in boxing, according to SS himself ... 'cause DH knows it's a fight he won't win.

26-year-old Stevenson, 20-0 (10 KOs), joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... when the convo turned to 24-year-old Haney's future plans after the undefeated fighter recently announced he's moving up a weight class.

"It ain't really a hope, it's 'I dare him,' like I dare him to come back to 135 [lbs.] and try me. Like I pray that that's what he plans on doing and I can show the world I'm the truth," Shakur said.

"Right now, we're looking at [Vasyl] Lomachenko, but after everything unfolds and he fights Regis [Prograis] and I fight Lomachenko and they can build and make that a big fight, I dare him to come down to 135. I dare him!"

Of course, the fighters, who evolved from phenoms to bonafide stars, have been on a collision course for years ... and even exchanged words in the ring back in May after Devin scored a controversial decision win against Lomachenko.

For the time being, Haney is on his way up to the 140 lb. weight class ... despite the Stevenson fight being there for the taking. We asked Shakur why Devin wouldn't want the opportunity to prove he's a superior fighter.

"I don't know. I'm here but I think as far as for him to come back down and fight me is dangerous," Shakur told us.

"It's a dangerous thing to do. I think that's maybe the reason, I'm a big risk. I'm hard to deal with for anybody and I think he knows that. He's been around me for years so it's hard to deny the fact that I'm a big risk."

We followed up ... asking Shakur if he believes Devin doubts he would win the fight.

"Yes! Yes! I think he believes in himself, but I think when it comes down to me, he knows deep down inside, he knows that I'm the truth."

Then, in his heart of hearts, does Stevenson believe the fans will get the fight they want? Shakur isn't very optimistic.

"If I'm being honest, I'd say 20% [chance the fight happens]."

Shakur continued ... "The logic that they're putting out there is [Devin's] gonna go up for this one fight and then come right back down and fight me for the belts but, like, I just don't see him being that bold. I don't think he got that in him, so I'd say 20% chance."

Conor McGregor spared no expense for Dee Devlin's birthday this week ... putting on an epic boat party for his fiancée, while showering her with designer gifts.

The UFC superstar shared pics of his surprise bash for his lover on Tuesday -- one day before Devlin, who's pregnant with the couple's fourth child, officially turns 36 -- and you can see, the guy went absolutely all out.

McGregor strung up a ton of balloons -- some pink, some gold -- in a room on their yacht ... and then he forked over handbags and shoes that cost several thousand dollars each.

One of the gifts was a super rare Chanel purse ... which the fighter said had significant meaning to him, 'cause it represented his big feelings for her.

"Baby my love for you is as deep as the ocean!" McGregor said of the presents and the party. "Here is the limited edition ocean @chanelofficial bag, among other things you love!"

"I love you baby," he added, "happy birthday ❤️"

The lovebombing didn't stop there ... 'cause the couple and their kids eventually hit one of the boat's decks for a big cake!!

The two have been nearly inseparable since McGregor was accused of sexual misconduct at an NBA game back in June -- she traveled to New York to give him some TLC just after the allegations surfaced ... before they jetted off to France earlier this month for a vacation.

Dillon Danis first ... Le'Veon Bell next?!

If Bell had things his way, that's exactly how Logan Paul's upcoming fight schedule would work out ... 'cause the former NFL star-turned-boxer says he wants all the smoke with The Maverick in the ring soon.

Bell made his intentions known with a fiery tweet on Tuesday afternoon -- just hours after Paul revealed he's going to fight Danis on Oct. 14.

"lol you really can’t duck me forever @LoganPaul," Bell wrote. ".. at some point you're gonna have to see me in that boxing ring."

Bell -- who first stepped into the celebrity fighting world following the 2021 NFL season -- has previously had his sights set on Logan's little brother, Jake ... calling out the 26-year-old multiple times over the past couple years.

But, seems he's now turned his attention squarely toward Paul -- adding in a separate tweet that he'd "be ready" if the Danis fight falls through.

Of course, Bell's going to have to get in a long line to be Paul's next opponent ... a bunch of fighters have already requested a taste of the WWE Superstar, including Tyron Woodley, who told TMZ Sports last week he's ready for the older Paul brother after two fights with Jake.

Ric Flair was not saying "WOOOO!!!!" after smoking weed with Mike Tyson -- the former WWE Superstar says he got so high with the boxing legend ... he thought he croaked!!

The Nature Boy opened up on the time he got super faded with Iron Mike in the Hamptons during his appearance on the "This Past Weekend" podcast with Theo Von ... explaining he wanted to go hit for hit with Tyson, and it ended up being a huge mistake.

In fact, Flair -- who spent 11 days in a medically induced coma in 2017 -- compared his high to his medical emergency ... admitting, "I actually thought I died."

Naitch said once he got back to his room, he wasn't able to move ... so he kept asking those around him to squeeze his hand, and everything was in a delayed process.

"I said to myself ... 'Did I die? Have I just died?'" Flair told Von. "I feel like I did when I was in my coma. But I can think, and I don't think I could think when I was in my coma. That's the way I was talking to myself."

Luckily, Ric finally snapped out of it around 3 AM ... and he had to call someone on the phone to make sure he was still kickin'.

Ric and Mike are partners in the weed biz now ... and they've never shied away from sharing footage of their smoke sessions in the past.