TMZ Sports - Page 13

Michael Irvin was back analyzing games on the NFL Network on Sunday ... after he settled his $100 million defamation lawsuit against Marriott.

The Dallas Cowboys legend was all smiles on "NFL Gameday Morning" as he was introduced by host Rich Eisen ... saying on the show, "It's good to be here."

The appearance marked the first time Irvin had been on the network since February ... after he had been suspended following allegations that he was inappropriate with a Marriott employee during Super Bowl week in Phoenix.

The worker -- who Irvin ID'ed as Jane Doe in court documents -- alleged that Irvin had stopped her near the hotel's bar, told her she was attractive ... and then asked her "whether she knew anything about having a 'big Black man inside of [her].'"

Irvin was adamant the claims were not true ... and he filed a lawsuit against Marriott a short time later, saying the Hotel giant's "employees and management inaccurately and inflammatorily accused Mr. Irvin of misconduct to the National Football League" -- costing him tens of millions of dollars. Irvin and his attorney, Levi McCathern, released video of the apparent interaction between the two -- and said it showed nothing more than a brief, innocuous conversation.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the parties reached a settlement recently ... which paved the way for Irvin's return to NFL N. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed publicly.

Ricky Williams was one of the best running backs of his era ... but he says he had the potential to dominate in a completely different sport -- the former Miami Dolphins standout tells TMZ Sports he could have been an All-Star if he pursued a career on the baseball diamond!!

Before he made his way to the NFL gridiron, Ricky -- whose legal name is now Errick Miron -- played several seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies' farm system while juggling his time with the Texas Longhorns football team.

Ricky -- an 8th-round pick to the Phils in the '95 MLB Amateur Draft -- was an outfielder for the organization's rookie league and Single-A teams for four years ... and footage of one of his early games actually exists!!

So when we caught up with Ricky last week, we asked if he's ever wondered how things would've panned out had he switched his focus to baseball ... and he believes he had the skills to hang with the big leaguers.

"I wouldn't say I was great, I had a lot of potential," Ricky told us. "I love to get better at things. If I would have devoted my full time to baseball, I would have been an All-Star baseball player."

So, what led him to football instead of baseball?? A pretty understandable reason.

"It's a fantasy, but the reality is I'm kind of the person where 162 games -- that's too much for me.

"Football is intense, but you got a nice offseason. That's more my speed."

Safe to say it all worked out -- Ricky won the Heisman Trophy in 1998 ... and went on to rush for more than 10,000 yards in his career.

Luis Rubiales is stepping down from his post as chief of Spanish soccer -- this after mounting pressure following his kissing scandal during the Women's World Cup.

The President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation -- who's had the job since 2018 -- just publicly announced he was resigning during an interview with Piers Morgan, who was asking if the backlash had grown too large to ignore.

Rubiales acknowledged his defiance was now starting to affect others and the organization at large, and that he was becoming a distraction ... so he's throwing in the towel.

He does maintain his innocence -- as he's done from the start -- but says trying to keep his position was turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. After a clip of the Piers sit-down was posted, he took to Twitter to confirm he'd passed the baton on to the acting Prez.

In his lengthy statement, Rubiales says he plans to defend himself/his honor in the continuing fallout. Of course, that seems to reference the criminal complaint the female soccer player herself, Jennifer Hermoso, filed with the Spanish authorities -- alleging sexual assault.

Spanish prosecutors have already said they're taking him to court to stand trial. If convicted, he faces a fine and/or up to 4 years in prison.

Rubiales apologized for the incident shortly after it happened -- saying he got swept up in the moment ... but later suggesting it was a consensual kiss, despite Hermoso saying otherwise.

He was eventually suspended, and the head coach of the team actually got fired for defending Rubiales -- in which he commended the fact Rubiales refused to quit. It's perhaps not that surprising ... the team had said they wouldn't take the field until he was gone.

Matt Riddle claimed an NYC airport cop sexually assaulted him during a confrontation -- and while he seems to have taken it back, an investigation is now underway ... TMZ has learned.

The WWE wrestling star posted a shocking allegation Sunday, taking to IG to throw up a photo of a Port Authority police officer at JFK ... and attaching a scathing caption. He claims to have been touched inappropriately by this cop but doesn't go into too much detail.

What he does say is that he told this officer "no," but alleges the man proceeded to do something out of bounds to him anyway. FWIW, Riddle has since deleted the IG post.

Now, as far as what led up to this and what exactly went down ... we have some answers. Law enforcement sources tell us Port Authority officers got a call for a disorderly person who was deplaning, and they met him in the terminal. As it turns out, that was Riddle.

We're told the cops talked to MR -- as well as other witnesses -- and he seemed apologetic in the moment. No police report was filed, and everyone was free to go without incident.

It's because of this that our sources say the Port Authority was shocked by Riddle's claim ... as, from their view, nothing went down to warrant such an accusation. Still, we're told the department is taking his claim seriously ... and an internal probe has been launched.

Kim Zolciak seems to be in full-blown denial -- or else Kroy has had a radical change of heart -- because she's talking like her marriage is still a work in progress, despite the fact her husband has filed for divorce and wants to sell the family home.

Kim posted, "I'm living here not going anywhere! Been working on our marriage and have been living as husband and wife. The lies daily are too much."

Thing is ... Kroy Biermann has not only filed for divorce ... he wants the kids. He's accused her of sinking the family into a deep financial hole, in part because of her gambling.

Kroy has been trying to get Kim to sign off on selling the family home ... giving they have an IRS debt of more than a mil, and lawsuits totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid personal debts, including a $150,000 SAKS bill.

Kroy's lawyers have told TMZ the divorce is still on, but Kim seems to think it's all salvageable.

Vernon Davis' playing days might not be over after all ... the two-time Pro Bowler tells TMZ Sports he'd consider coming out of retirement if a team made him the right offer.

"Yeah, absolutely," he said this week. "Whoever needs a tight end, I could come in."

Davis hasn't played a down in the league since the 2019 season ... and he's been super busy with a budding Hollywood career and other business endeavors in the last four years.

But, the 39-year-old former first-round pick says when he finds the time to catch some games on TV ... he does get the itch to compete again.

"I want to test my ability against these young guys," he said.

As for the chances of a return actually happening, Davis tells us the team would need to be a contender ... and the money would have to be right -- but if that all fell into place, he's in.

"If it's all connected from a winning standpoint, as well as financially, yeah," he said. "Come on, I'll come off the bench."

"Put me in, Coach. Put me in, Coach!"

For now, though, Davis seems to be content being a fan -- and he tells us from that standpoint, he sees the Ravens being an underrated Super Bowl contender.

Dak Prescott has paid tribute to his late mom once again ... this time, he and his brother got matching tattoos to honor her on what would have been her 62nd birthday.

The Dallas Cowboys superstar and his older bro, Tad, hit up Christina of Inked By Auburn on Monday afternoon to see if she could fit them in that day ... and despite being closed for the holiday, the artist jumped at the chance to help the Prescotts out.

Christina tells TMZ Sports ... Dak and Tad came to her shop late Monday evening, and they both settled on getting Virgo constellations to represent their mom's zodiac sign.

Tad went first, getting the piece done on his hand. Christina also tattooed the dates of Peggy's birthday and the day of her passing below it as well.

Dak then got his on his bicep ... and both were super pleased with the outcome -- happily posing for photos.

It all took about 90 minutes to complete ... and afterward, Christina says Dak sent her a message, thanking her and saying he'd be back for more ink soon.

Noah Lyles ain't backing off his "world champion" stance one bit ... and he's sending some loud-and-clear shade to one of the guys who had the biggest problem with it all -- Drake.

The track star won three golds (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) at the World Athletic Games in Budapest, Hungary last month ... and following the efforts, he ruffled a ton of feathers when he said NBA players shouldn't get to call themselves champs of the globe like he could.

"World champion of what?" Lyles said, reminding those in attendance that NBA players only perform in the U.S. and Canada. "The United States?!"

His comments were hit with immediate criticism ... with guys like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Draymond Green -- and, yes, even Drake -- firing away at him.

But, when Lyles sat down with TMZ Sports this week ... he made it clear he's not budging from his opinion -- though he did clarify that he loves what the NBA's doing, and he wants track and field to follow their model.

"I do think that the point was lost," he told us. "At the end of the day, it was talking about how I see what we do to our national championships -- I just want the same thing for our world champions. And we're a sport where we're bringing in the most medals every year -- and it's like nobody even knows because they don't pay attention."

As for Drake ... Lyles brushed off the rapper's criticism of him -- saying, "Just go home, buddy. Go home."

Today marks the start of the NFL season, but those pigskins aren't flying quite as high in L.A. because Hollywood has swung right into the Pickleball trend, serving up fashion, wiffle balls and their pretty little paddles!

Big or small, David Dobrik and Taylor Lautner firmly grabbed hold of their paddles, Ellen Degeneres showed off her strongest backhand stance, and fear the paddle no more, because Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush demanded order on the court ... Game on!

Sweat is in the air this Sunday, so bounce into our gallery of athletic stars getting themselves into a pickle!

Donald Trump is ready for beer pong and keg stands -- at least that's the vibe here as he meets and greets frat boys in the mid-west ... ones of the land, that is.

The ex-Prez is at Iowa State University right now, where he's expected to attend the Cy-Hawk football game against the University of Iowa. His team announced he'd be in the stands there at Jack Trice Stadium -- and it looks like he's already showing his allegiance.

Check out this clip posted by his campaign team ... it shows 45 walking into a room full of members from the Alpha Gamma Ro Agriculture Fraternity House. So, yes ... farmer bros!!!

Sounds like the guys -- upwards of 40 of them, it seems -- were super happy to see DT ... 'cause they welcomed him with a huge round of applause as he walked in. As for Don, he entered the same way Roy Williams famously did in that locker room once upon a time.

There are a couple different angles floating online, and one shows a little bit of what happened after the guys settled down and stopped clapping. It looks like Trump made a quick quip to the room, which was about to start laughing ... but the clip cuts off before that starts.

Even outside the frat house, there was a huge crowd there to greet Trump ... cheering him on. There's more footage of DT making the rounds on campus and getting received warmly.

Of course, his presence there makes sense ... he's still in campaign mode -- even amid all his legal woes -- and Iowa's a big player in the run-up to a nominee being selected in the GOP. Based on what we can see, it appears he's still got lots of fans in the state of Iowa.

Novak Djokovic was one happy camper Friday night ... not only did he advance to the finals of the US Open, but he got a surprise visit from Tom Brady.

The tennis great and NFL legend came face to face in a locker room at New York's Flushing Meadows Corona Park after Djokovic beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 in their semifinal match.

Brady showed up to congratulate Djokovic on his victory, propelling him into the finals against Daniil Medvedev. The retired quarterback even brought along his 3 kiddos -- Jack, Benjamin and Vivian -- to meet the world's No. 2 ranked tennis player.

Check out this video posted to X ... Brady and Djokovic shake hands and embrace, both men smiling.

Brady then offers Djokovic some encouragement, "Keep kicking ass, as always." Djokovic replies, "Trying, trying."

One by one, Brady introduces his children to Djokovic before admitting he unfortunately missed Novak's semifinal match.

Sean Strickland is upset Natan Levy didn't really kick the crap out of his troll last month ... telling TMZ Sports if he had been in the same situation, he would've straight-up carved a "J" on the guy's forehead with his elbow.

Levy, who's Jewish, knocked the dog snot out of a social media heckler in Las Vegas in August after the guy had defended an antisemite in an exchange on X ... but Strickland says he wished the beatdown had gone even further.

"Like, if that was me, broken bones in the face, blood," the UFC star said. "But, Natan's a nice guy. I think we're gonna have to work on him to be a little bit more savage."

Strickland, who's teammates with Levy at Xtreme Couture in Nevada, said the troll's actions were so disrespectful, he would've tried to permanently scar the guy if he were wearing Natan's gloves.

"Like if it was me," Strickland said, "I would've tried to carve a big ol' f***ing 'J' in the forehead."

Of course, Strickland hasn't had much time to devote to the issue recently ... he's been preparing for a title fight with Israel Adesanya that will go down later Saturday night.

Shannon Sharpe tells TMZ Sports he's absolutely fired up for Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes, saying he hasn't seen something more popular in Colorado since weed was legalized there!!!

We got the NFL legend out at LAX just days after Coach Prime's squad shocked TCU ... and he told us he's pumped to see what's going down in the state he called home for more than a decade during his playing days.

"I haven't heard people talk about Colorado so much since weed was legalized," the 55-year-old said.

"I'm excited for him, I'm excited for the program," Sharpe continued. "Obviously, everybody knows I spent 12 years in Colorado so I'm excited for Time and what he's bringing to the table."

Sharpe and Deion have a long history together ... they battled on NFL fields for years -- and in retirement, they've become super close. In fact, this past offseason, the two sat down together for a podcast ... where they exchanged plenty of jokes and laughs.

All that being said, though, Sharpe still isn't sure the Buffs are quite ready to be considered a national championship contender just yet.

"I think they're a couple of years away from that," he said, "but I'm excited for what they're doing right now."

Themba Gorimbo won't give up his couch at the gym just yet ... 'cause even after Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson bought him a new apartment, the UFC star tells TMZ Sports he'll still be catching Zs on that sofa!!

"It belongs to me," Gorimbo said about his beloved furniture he famously rested on at his gym in Florida.

"When the fight camp kicks in, six weeks from the fight, I'll probably go back to the gym and sleep on that couch."

Don't get it twisted, Themba LOVES the apartment The Rock hooked him and his family up with earlier this year -- as a matter of fact, Gorimbo was sitting in the living room when we spoke with him.

But, that gym couch has sentimental value and serves as a reminder ... as it's the bed Gorimbo slept on during the start of his UFC career, before he linked up with the WWE legend.

Gorimbo added he still can't wrap his head around the great lengths Johnson has gone to help him out after hearing about how he only had $7 to his name.

"With the blessing that he gave me, you know, giving me a place to stay, and having to do everything that he's done for me ... for me, it's a blessing from God," the 11-4 fighter said. "It is really, really, really surreal."

Gorimbo says everything The Rock has done for him has made him more determined to become a UFC champion ... and it's also placed a target on his back amongst other fighters.

Gorimbo -- who won his last fight against Takashi Soto in May -- isn't fazed at all ... and is anticipating his next match in December.

"I believe that once we sign a fight to fight each other, I'm gonna beat you and I'm gonna win," Gorimbo said.

Lisa Lyon -- a game changer in professional women's bodybuilding -- has died, TMZ has learned.

A close friend who has been helping Lisa and her family tells us, Lisa died Friday at her home in the San Fernando Valley, where she was in hospice care. We're told the cause of death was stomach cancer.

Lisa famously posed for Playboy back in 1980, and the year before she won the first International Federation of Bodybuilders Woman's World Pro Bodybuilding Championship. It was a huge achievement that really put women's bodybuilding on the map.

She became a staple on the TV talk show circuit, also appearing in a slew of health and fitness magazines. She even wrote a book -- "Lisa Lyon's Body Magic" -- which was published in 1981.

She also modeled for iconic photog Robert Mapplethorpe.

Lisa was inducted into the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federal Hall of Fame back in 2000 ... for helping to elevate bodybuilding into an art form.

And speaking of elevating bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger told TMZ, "She is the best. I love her."

Lisa was 70.

Tristan Thompson has taken over as caregiver for his younger brother in the wake of his mom's death, and is now taking steps to make his guardianship official.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tristan's asking the court to become guardian of Amari Thompson. The documents state Tristan took over the responsibilities of care for 17-year-old Amari after their mother, Andrea, died in January.

The documents also state Tristan and Amari's dad, Trevor, has been absent from Amari's life -- leaving Tristan as his closest family member who is able to provide the care he needs.

Amari has several medical diagnoses that leave him unable to care for himself -- and Tristan will need to help him with his day-to-day as well as with his medical appointments.

What's more, the documents say Amari is set to receive approximately $103,475 as a result of Andrea's death ... and Tristan will protect that inheritance from loss or injury.