TMZ Sports - Page 50

Laura Sanko tells TMZ Sports it's an absolute honor for her to now be an even bigger inspiration for women everywhere ... after she made history in the UFC by becoming the first female to ever call a PPV fight.

Sanko joined Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia last week  ... becoming the first woman to provide PPV commentary for the mixed martial arts promotion since Kathy Long at UFC 1 in 1993.

Sanko said she wasn't sure if she'd ever get the opportunity to do it -- but after it happened, she's been thrilled with the responses she's gotten.

"The reaction has been tremendous and I can't tell you how many women, female fighters, a lot of dads saying, 'My daughter looks to you as an example,'" Sanko said.

"It's not like I ever sought out to be some inspiration figure. It sorta just happened but I take that responsibility very seriously and it's surreal and a huge honor to get those messages."

Sanko did such a good job, Dana White called her the "Ronda Rousey of commentating" ... and now, she's hoping more opportunities will arise in the future.

As for the championship fight she helped call -- Israel Adesanya's memorable bout with Sean Strickland -- Sanko told us she isn't so sure a rematch is necessary there.

"I think a lot of people would like to see a rematch," she said. "Personally, if you're asking Laura Sanko, the fan, the individual, I'd like to see a different fight."

A court in Spain has ordered Luis Rubiales to steer clear of Jenni Hermoso -- the player he kissed on the lips after the World Cup last month -- as the former soccer president is now under investigation for sexual assault.

Spain's High Court issued the ruling on Friday ... saying Rubiales must stay at least 200 meters away from the 33-year-old Spanish soccer player.

Prosecutors in the country recently launched an investigation into the ex-soccer federation president after Hermoso opted to lodge a formal complaint against Rubiales.

As part of the investigation, Luis was hauled in front of the judge for questioning, and that's when he was told he couldn't have any contact with his accuser.

Rubiales was on hand for this morning's hearing but did not speak with media, who assembled outside the National Court.

Hermoso's lawyer, however, did make a short statement.

"We maintain what we've said from the beginning. It was a nonconsensual kiss," Hermoso's attorney Carla Vall said.

"Thanks to the [images of the kiss], the entire world, the entire country, has been able to observe there was no type of consent. And we are going to prove that in the courtroom."

Of course, it all dates back to what should've been one of their happiest professional moments ... when Spain defeated England for their first World Cup title on August 20 in Sydney.

But, rather than being a joyous occasion, it turned into an international incident that ended with the players threatening to boycott, and the entire coaching staff either resigning or getting fired.

New police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows Adam "Pacman" Jones went ballistic on cops following his arrest earlier this week ... throwing a tantrum, while calling some of the officers "stupid f***ers!"

The ex-NFL star's outburst happened at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Sept. 11 ... when officials booted him from a plane after they said he had argued with employees over his seat's electrical outlet.

Body cam footage shows that once he got off the aircraft ... he tried to tell cops what had happened -- but almost immediately, a verbal altercation broke out.

"You need to learn how to talk to a motherf***er, bro," Jones said to one officer on the jetway. "'Cause I don't mind going to jail. I'm letting you know that. But, you better learn how to motherf***ing talk to somebody. Because you ain't my daddy, n****."

When someone tried to calm Jones down ... he screamed, "This s*** is wrong!" Seconds later, cops slapped the cuffs on him -- and then his meltdown really began.

Sources close to Pacman say he was agitated because he was kicked off the plane when he believed he did nothing wrong ... so anything he said was in the heat of the moment, and he still maintains he's the one in the right.

Jones yelled and cussed at cops as they took him away from the plane ... and when they got him in the back of a squad car, he unloaded on one officer in particular.

"You said I was drunk," he screamed from the backseat. "Bitch, breathalyze me. I'm not drunk!"

The cop then told him he reeked of alcohol ... which set Jones off further.

"How the f*** you going to lock me up for alcohol and you ain't breathalyze me?!" he continued. "You sound stupid as f***. It's 6 AM in the morning, n****. I had one f***ing drink, which was a Pinot f***ing Grigiot. Go to the f***ing bar and ask them. You stupid f***ers!"

Meanwhile, back on the plane, body cam video shows the pilot and a flight attendant both told a cop Jones was being unruly -- forcing them to go back to the gate.

Eventually, officers transported Jones to a nearby jail ... where he was booked on misdemeanor charges of alcohol intoxication, disorderly conduct and terroristic threatening -- before he was released.

Jones has been adamant that he did nothing wrong on the plane ... saying he just wanted his outlet to work so he could use his iPad to prep for the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills Monday Night Football game.

Juwan Howard underwent heart surgery on Friday ... and, thankfully, it was a success -- though the Michigan head coach will now have to be away from the Wolverines for at least the next few weeks while he recovers.

UM officials said they discovered issues in Howard's ticker following a recent routine medical check ... but Dr. Himanshu Patel at the University of Michigan Health was able to fix it all.

Howard said after the procedure he was very grateful for the care.

"My wife, Jenine, and our family appreciate the world-class care that has been provided to us," he said. "Dr. (Kim) Eagle, Dr. (Himanshu) Patel, Dr. (Stanley) Chetcuti, and all of the staff at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center are so talented and performed like champions throughout this process."

According to Patel, it'll take Howard 6-to-12 weeks to fully recover ... but he'll be able to rejoin UM's men's hoops program in 4-to-6 weeks. The Wolverines open their season on Nov. 3.

"I am going to work very hard in my rehabilitation to be stronger than ever by the time our upcoming season is upon us," Howard said.

The school announced that while Howard is out, assistant Phil Martelli will step in as interim HC.

Howard became the Wolverines' head man in 2019 after signing a five-year contract ... and since his arrival, Michigan has been to two NCAA tournaments.

Prior to his coaching career, Howard played three years at Michigan ... starring on the school's famed Fab Five team.

Aaron Rodgers says tearing his Achilles on Monday Night Football was one of the worst experiences of his life ... but the New York Jets superstar is adamant he will recover from it -- and he's not ruling out a return THIS YEAR.

Fresh off going under the knife to repair his tendon, the four-time MVP joined the "Pat McAfee Show" Friday to break down his immediate reaction, recovery and his plans moving forward.

Rodgers said he dealt with "a lot of sadness, a lot of tears, a lot of dark frustration and anger" shortly after going down with the injury ... but he's been receiving a ton of love from his close friends and supporters.

"A lot of the sadness, I think initially, was just feeling like I let so many people down who believed in me, supported me, and made that transition so incredible," he said minutes ago.

Rodgers admitted he could quickly tell it was a serious situation ... but makes it clear he can overcome the ailment and get back to 100%.

"Give me the doubts," Rodgers said. "Give me the timetables. Give me all the things that you think can, should, or will happen because all I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration. That's all I need."

"So, give me your timetable, give me your doubt, give me your prognostication and watch what I do."

Rodgers explained he isn't going to curb his expectations or place limits on his recovery ... so when asked whether he could be back in time for the playoffs, he left the door wide open.

"I think as Kevin Garnett said, 'Anything's possible.'"

Vikings star Alexander Mattison says over 60 people sent him disturbing messages following his game Thursday night ... revealing some contained disgusting racial slurs.

The Minnesota tailback said the notes poured into his Instagram message box shortly after he had a down game in the Vikes' 34-28 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia.

He shared screenshots of two of the DMs on his IG stories -- and, in both, you can read he was called the N-word. The writers also told Mattison he should die by suicide.

The 25-year-old said the words really affected him ... writing in a caption on the screen grabs "this s*** is unacceptable."

"Under my helmet, I am a human," he said. "A father.. A son. This is sick. SMH."

Mattison took over the Vikings' starting running back reins this year following Dalvin Cook's offseason departure ... but through two games so far, he's totaled just 83 combined receiving and rushing yards -- and in Thursday night's defeat, he lost a fumble.

Mattison explained on his social media page that he's OK with people telling him "you suck" over his play on the field ... but he said the latest batch of messages just simply crossed a line.

"SMFH," he wrote. "This is not OK."

Since he shared the screen grabs, several fans have rushed to the comment section on his most recent post to send words of encouragement.

Mattison and the Vikings play next on Sept. 24 against the Chargers.

Deion Sanders just threw some major shade at Jay Norvell ... doubling down after the Colorado State head coach criticized his "hat and glasses" look this week -- by giving his whole Buffaloes team their own pair!!

Prime and Norvell have exchanged verbal jabs ahead of their big matchup ... with the former saying the game is now "personal" after the Rams coach blasted his appearance on his weekly radio show.

Prime went one step further on Friday ... 'cause during a team meeting, he had his equipment staff hand out a bunch of sunglasses to all the players as a clear response to Norvell's dig.

The whole squad loved the gesture ... donning the gold shades and smiling for the cameras as Prime told them how good they looked.

Sanders said Norvell's diss truly backfired ... 'cause not only did it give his squad some extra motivation, it will also help sell his glasses collab with Blenders.

Brett Favre believes Aaron Rodgers will be back on the field next year ... and when he ultimately straps on his helmet and shoulder pads again -- the Packers legend tells TMZ Sports the QB will be "as good, if not better, than ever."

Of course, Favre says there's at least some chance Rodgers calls it a career after he snapped his Achilles during his Jets debut on Monday night ... but as a guy who's spent years around the signal-caller, Favre just doesn't see a way this is the end for Rodgers.

"I personally think that he will come back," Favre said. "I don't see him going out like this."

And, if and when he returns to the Big Apple, Favre has no doubts Rodgers will find success again.

In fact, Brett says he plans on reaching out to his former teammate soon to make sure the future Hall of Famer gets that message.

"It seemed to me from the outside looking in they had a good thing going there," Favre said of Rodgers' time in New York. "Just the vibe I was getting. If that's the case -- if he felt that way too, give it a shot. That's what I would tell him."

For Rodgers' part, he certainly seems like a guy that's not ready to quit ... just a day before he had surgery to repair his damaged leg, he wrote in an Instagram post that he "shall rise yet again."

UFC Hall of Famer Pat Miletich -- the promotion's first-ever welterweight champion -- was arrested for allegedly driving drunk in Iowa Thursday morning ... after a witness said they saw the MMA legend driving his truck the wrong way down a one-way street.

Authorities in Bettendorf, Iowa received a call early Thursday morning for a man allegedly driving against the flow of traffic on a one-way street, before crossing an embankment and parking at a nearby gas station.

Once on the scene, police say they found 57-year-old Miletich asleep behind the wheel ... with the truck still in gear.

Cops woke him up, and Miletich admitted to drinking wine, according to an incident report. Police say Pat had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, was unsteady on his feet, and reeked of alcohol.

They attempted to put Pat through a field sobriety test, but he refused. He also refused the Breathalyzer.

Given his alleged condition, and evidence on the scene that supported the accusation Pat was driving erratically, Miletich was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI), 3rd Offense, a class D felony in the state.

Pat was booked into Scott County jail at 6:16 AM. He was listed at 5'10" and 200 pounds.

Miletich was in custody for just short of two hours before being released at 8 AM after posting $5k bond.

If you're not familiar with Pat ... he's one of the first MMA stars. He took his first pro MMA fight in 1995, and went on to become UFC welterweight champion, fighting 39 pro fights along the way.

It was Pat's third arrest for driving drunk ... he was popped in 2019 and 2021.

The arrest comes as Miletich is preparing to return to the MMA cage. He's fighting 38-year-old Mike Jackson (of CM Punk fame) at Caged Aggression on October 14.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's efforts to dig outta their deep financial hole, amid their divorce, aren't going that well -- their Georgia home is teetering on foreclosure once again, TMZ has learned.

According to online records, their Alpharetta mansion is in pre-foreclosure again, with the pending sale date listed as November 7. It isn't technically in foreclosure yet, but it certainly appears to be heading in that direction -- indicating they've missed some mortgage payments.

As we reported, Kroy filed docs last month, asking for an emergency hearing to authorize selling their $3 million house, saying their financial woes were getting worse and the sale could cover their "significant debt."

Kroy claimed they were struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments, having to sell off his backpacks and other personal belongings to make enough cash to cover what was owed.

He says he asked Kim to sell her purses for contribution, but she refused.

Kroy claims Kim sold some bags, wigs, and other high-end items ... but added, "None of the funds garnered from the sale of these items have gone towards the mortgage, or any other bills."

Kroy claimed they weren't able to make their mortgage payment in July, presenting the prospect of foreclosure ... which is why he's pushing to unload the property.

Regarding Kroy's push to sell the house, his attorney, Maryls A. Bergstrom, tells TMZ ... "We are going to court on September 27th to request that the court order the home sold."

Don't forget, their family home faced foreclosure back in February, with the estate set to be auctioned off the following month ... but they were able to stop the sale and keep the spot through their payments.

Talk about adding insult to injury -- 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was forced to rep his college rival after Iowa State lost to George Kittle's Iowa last weekend ... showing up to his media availability decked out in a Hawkeyes mascot head!!

The pair of Niners teammates placed a friendly wager when their alma maters faced off Saturday against each other ... and, unfortunately for Purdy, the Cyclones lost, 20-13.

Purdy -- who went to Iowa State for four seasons -- held up his end of the deal at Thursday's press conference ... rocking a big Herky the Hawk head as he took the stage.

The whole room thought it was amusing ... and Kittle thanked Hawkeyes staffers for getting the mascot head to SF.

"Go hawks @HawkeyeFootball @brockpurdy13," the tight end said on X. "Shoutout @TylerBarnesIOWA for getting this herky out to cali!"

Kittle also joined in on the fun ... throwing on his former mascot's head as well.

Purdy isn't the only NFL QB taking Ls by placing bets on his former college team -- Aaron Rodgers had to wear Auburn gear after Cal lost to teammate C.J. Uzomah's Tigers.

Are Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift an item? The NFL superstar's older brother wouldn't spill the beans on Thursday night -- though he did give a hint that suggested there might be at least some truth to the rumors.

Just after Jason Kelce and the Eagles whooped up on the Minnesota Vikings in Philadelphia ... the star center and his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, hit the Amazon Prime postgame set for what they thought would be some football talk.

A short time into the conversation, though, Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez brought up Jason's brother's love life.

"I have a 15-year-old daughter," the ex-tight end said to the Eagles star. "And, she's a big fan of a certain pop star. And, you have a family member -- a brother, I think -- and I've been hearing rumors that there's maybe some stuff. Can you comment?"

Jason got a big smile on his face ... and while he initially side-stepped the question -- telling Tony, "I've seen these rumors. I cannot comment" -- when he expounded further, he didn't do much to dispel the chatter.

"Ever since 'Catching Kelce,' everybody's been infatuated with Travis' love life," Jason said. "So, I don't really know what's going on there. So, yeah, I know Trav is having fun. We'll see what happens with whoever he ends up with."

Travis and Taylor were first linked to each other back in July ... when the Chiefs tight end attended her concert at Arrowhead Stadium with a clever plan to give her his number. While Travis said the scheme ultimately failed, there's been rumors ever since that the two found a way to hang out in the weeks afterward.

Neither Travis, who was last in a serious, public relationship with model Kayla Nicole in 2022, nor Taylor has commented publicly on the matter.

Do you want to see Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce date? Vote below.

Prince Harry's celebrating his birthday this year with an intimate gathering ... of several thousand people at the Invictus Games, which turned into a massive "Happy Birthday" sing-along.

Harry and Meghan Markle were in the crowd at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf Friday to watch Germany and Poland go at it in volleyball -- but when the game ended everyone's attention turned to the Duke of Sussex, who turns 39 today.

Meghan and Harry lit up pretty quickly as the "Happy Birthday" song began, with Harry jokingly trying to deflect some of the attention he was getting. He even got another song from the Polish team before he asked to snap a pic with them.

Not a bad way to celebrate his big day, especially because the event is so near and dear to Harry. He founded the Games in 2014, and each year since it brings together injured, sick, and wounded veterans to compete.

So, having the athletes and their families and friends wish him happy birthday has to hold more weight.

The celebration seems to have started on Thursday night when Harry and Meghan went out to a German brewery. One of the waiters at the spot told DailyMail Harry knocked back 6 small beers during the pre-birthday festivities.

Aaron Rodgers took the first step in his return to football after tearing his Achilles ... he says he had successful surgery, posting an update from his hospital bed!!!

The New York Jets star quarterback shared a positive injury update Thursday on social media, saying he went under the knife Wednesday ... reporting the procedure "went great."

Aaron's thanking Dr. Neal ElAttrache for "starting me on the road to recovery." Aaron and Neal have a history together, and the doc is renowned in the sports world, operating on star athletes in both football and baseball.

The good news for Jets fans ... Aaron's smiling in his hospital gown, so he seems to be feeling better after initially saying he was "heartbroken" after suffering a season-ending injury just 4 plays into his Jets career.

Antonio Gates says if the Jets are looking for a veteran to replace Aaron Rodgers this season, they shouldn't look much further than Philip Rivers ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the 41-year-old is "definitely capable" of doing the job.

Gates made the claim out in Beverly Hills this week ... in wake of reports that New York could potentially be looking to add a big-name QB after Rodgers' season ended with an Achilles tear on Monday night.

"Philip is someone that's definitely capable of doing it," said Gates, Rivers' old Chargers teammate. "Just because the mental capacity that he has."

The likelihood of the signing, though, seems slim at the moment ... Jets head coach Robert Saleh said this week his team is rolling with Zach Wilson as its starter -- and any outside help they bring in would be, at least for now, a backup to the 24-year-old.

And, while Gates was certainly confident in Rivers' ability to potentially take over in the Big Apple ... he seemed to believe keeping Wilson as QB1 was the right call.

"I'm sure they got him in position to go out and still try to make plays and help them win football games," Gates said.

Jermaine O'Neal's one of the greatest Pacers ever, rocking number 7 during his 8 seasons in Indiana ... so when the 6x NBA All-Star found out Buddy Hield was switching numbers and wearing his old digit, O'Neal admitted he was bummed!

"I love Buddy and the work that he puts in. My statement has nothing to do with him," Jermaine wrote, providing a caveat for what would follow.

"It is disappointing to watch teams every year recognize and celebrate the players who have been the franchise's very best players on and off the court but yet Pacers don't. It's been confusing and disappointing to say the least!"

It's all a reaction to Hield, a former first-round draft pick (2016) who joined the Pacers in 2022, deciding to change numbers from 24 to 7.

Hield wore 24 with the Pelicans, Kings, and even Indiana last season. He also rocked 7 at Oklahoma, where he was one of the best players in the country.

During his time with the Pacers (2000-2008), O'Neal was a force on the court. He made 6 All-Star teams as a member of the Pacers, averaging nearly 19 points a game throughout his tenure with the team.

Earlier this year, the Indy Star compiled a list of the greatest players in the team's more than 55-year history, going back to the ABA in the mid-1960s ... and O'Neal was ranked 5th all-time.

Only two modern players were above Jermaine, Reggie Miller at 1, and Paul George at 4. Old timers Mel Daniels (2) and George McGinnis (3) rounded out the top 5.

Some lists even have O'Neal as high as the second greatest in organizational history, behind Reggie.