TMZ Sports - Page 32

Deion Sanders' run at Colorado won't be interrupted by just any old school with a bag of cash ... no, according to Buffs legend Chad Brown, only a "true blue blood" will be able to pull Coach Prime from Boulder.

Brown tells TMZ Sports ... he was initially concerned that smaller schools across the country might be able to sway Deion to leave Colorado if they could simply offer him more money than CU. But, after Sanders' noisy 3-0 start to this season ... Brown's now sure there's only a handful of universities in the nation who can grab the coach's ear at this point.

"As this season has gone along," Brown said, "with the amount of interest that has come to Colorado, and the elevation of the Colorado program, I think the number of schools that he would leave for becomes smaller and smaller and smaller."

Brown said he thinks only storied programs like Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama or Florida State have a chance at Sanders now.

Even still ... Brown, a former four-year starter at CU, says Deion would be a ways away from making that jump -- telling us he thinks the coach will be at CU for at least as long as Shedeur Sanders is eligible to play there.

As for the Henry Blackburn vs. Travis Hunter drama that unfolded after a late hit over the weekend ... the former star linebacker tells us he thinks the CSU defensive back's maneuver was a dirty one -- though he was adamant it did not deserve threats from pissed off fans.

Kim Kardashian has started up a new friendship with NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. ... hanging out thanks to a group of mutual friends, TMZ has confirmed.

Sources connected to the pair tell us while Kim's not seriously dating anyone at the moment, she's absolutely open to finding love again if she finds the right person. However, the source insists OBJ is strictly a friend, and they've got a few mutual friends in common.

People was first to report the pair was "hanging out" ... noting OBJ and his longtime girlfriend Lauren Wood split. Our sources say the two actually broke up at the beginning of this year. Beckham and Wood welcomed their son, Zydn, in February 2022.

Unclear who the group of mutual friends consists of or how Kim and OBJ linked -- Beckham is currently a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. He played for the L.A. Rams in 2021 -- Kim went to a couple of the team's games -- at one point taking her son, Saint, to celebrate his birthday.

Kim's been publicly single since she and Pete split in August 2022 after about 9 months together ... and of course, she's been super busy as of late, balancing her life as a mom, and owner of a multi-billion-dollar brand in SKIMS.

Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman appeared to have serious balance issues during his OVI arrest over the weekend ... seemingly struggling through several field sobriety tests before being put in cuffs, police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

Altman -- who joined the Cavs in 2012 -- was pulled over in Cleveland around 9 PM on Friday ... after troopers say they witnessed his white 2022 Lexus make a traffic violation.

During the stop, officers claim Altman was close to causing an accident and showed signs of impairment.

Video shows Altman attempt the walk-and-turn, one-leg stand and eye tests ... and at one point, he claimed the officers were messing up his performance.

Altman -- who turned 41 on Saturday -- explained to cops he was an exec with the Cavs ... and said he was tired after returning from an overseas trip and lengthy dinner earlier in the night, admitting to having a few drinks.

When officers asked Altman to submit to a breathalyzer, he refused ... and he was handcuffed.

Altman was ultimately charged with committing a marked lanes violation and operating a vehicle while impaired. His attorney submitted a not guilty plea on his behalf in court on Tuesday.

Altman was director of pro personnel with the Cavs when they won the NBA Finals in 2016 ... before taking over the team one year later. He made several impactful trades during his tenure ... and drafted stars like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

Lola Vice is making her NXT singles debut Tuesday night, the first match in what the MMA fighter turned pro wrestler says will be an epic career.

How epic? Lola tells TMZ Sports she will one day be considered the greatest wrestler of all time!

"I am going to be the best Superstar in the history of the WWE," Vice told us flat-out.

Big statement, and obviously it's objective ... but, if there is a consensus, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair are often at the very top of the greatest wrestlers list.

If you're not familiar with Vice's story, it's pretty cool ... Valerie Loureda (government name) was an MMA fighter in one of the top promotions, Bellator. She amassed a 4-1 record pro record. Her last MMA fight was in November 2021.

As promising as her mixed martial arts career was, Valerie decided to go in a different direction last year ... trying out in front of WWE executives (and taking in WrestleMania as a fan). That weekend changed her life ... and Lola Vice was born.

"In that moment I got goosebumps when I went to that WrestleMania, and I saw this for the first time, and I spoke to Triple H and everyone, and I just knew it was for me. And, I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. A lot of people would kill to be in the position I am right now and I will never take that for granted."

Fast forward to today, September 19, 2023 ... and Vice is set to make her NXT singles debut vs. Roxanne Perez on USA Network, and she's ecstatic!

"I'm just so excited for the past year and a half that I signed here, I've been working so hard, I started from scratch. I've been proving to myself the martial artist and entertainer that I know I am, and tonight I get to kind of prove that to the world," Lola told us.

With UFC and WWE merging, we asked Lola if she had any advice for MMA fighters looking to make a similar transition. She offered a word of caution.

Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman and New England Patriots player Davon Godchaux have a lot to celebrate -- the engaged couple welcomed their first baby together on Tuesday ... and it's a girl!!

The former LSU Tiger -- who signed an extension with the Patriots last season -- shared the great news on his Instagram with a photo of Iman holding their newborn daughter in the delivery room.

"Capri Summer Godchaux 09-19-2023," Davon captioned the pic.

The Patriots, fans, family and friends congratulated the defensive tackle and model ... with one user saying, "such a beautiful name! So thankful you and baby are well. God bless your beautiful family."

Capri is Iman's third child -- she shares two girls with her ex, Sterling Shepard. The New York Giants receiver filed for divorce from Iman in 2021.

Godchaux also has a son from a previous relationship.

Iman and Godchaux first went public with their relationship in early 2022 ... and he popped the question this May during a bae-cation in Italy.

"I never thought I would be getting down on one knee but LOVE will make you do some amazing things in life!" Godchaux said after the proposal.

"Chanel I love you so much and I wouldn’t have rather spend this moment with no one else by my side!"

Prime Time's team is doing wonders for primetime television -- Deion Sanders and Colorado's comeback win over Colorado State had a ton of eyeballs on it ... becoming one of the most-watched regular season games in college football history.

ESPN -- which broadcasted the 43-35 double-overtime thriller -- just announced the record-shattering stats from Saturday night ... reporting a whopping 9.3 million viewers checked out the matchup.

Despite the game ending two and a half hours into Sunday morning on the East Coast, the outlet states it was the fifth most-watched regular-season matchup in the network's existence.

To compare, ESPN says CFB games in that time slot last season averaged 1.7 million viewers.

Coach Prime has helped skyrocket the program into relevance in his first season in Boulder ... with big names like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Offset, Key Glock and Lil Wayne showing up for Saturday's contest.

Colorado -- led by Deion's son, Shedeur, and Travis Hunter -- is 3-0 through three games ... and is currently ranked 19th in the nation.

Fans are outraged to the point of sending Henry Blackburn and his family death threats, but Colorado star Travis Hunter is vouching for the Colorado State player ... saying the late hit that resulted in his injury is all part of the sport.

The star receiver/cornerback gave his opinion on the controversial play in the CSU vs. Colorado game last Saturday ... which caused many, including LeBron James, to voice their disproval.

Hunter disagrees with the backlash ... saying he personally doesn't have an issue with what happened during the game.

"It’s football at the end of the day," the 20-year-old said about the play on Monday. "Stuff like that gonna happen. He did what he was supposed to do. It's football."

Despite Hunter being ok with the tackle, the collision has him sidelined him for the next three games against No. 10 Oregon, No. 5 USC and Arizona State with a lacerated liver.

Hunter said he is staying positive through it all ... admitting he was willing to continue playing through the pain.

"Just gotta get up and fight again -- that's what I tried to do," Hunter said.

"Good thing the doctors stopped me because if there was no doctors there I'd still be out there playing."

Blackburn -- who was recently named a team captain -- has yet to address the incident, but Rams athletic director Joe Parker said the defensive back never "intended to put anyone in harm’s way on the football field."

Blackburn and his family are also receiving serious threats due to his hit on Hunter ... and Colorado State University Police told us they're taking the messages seriously.

"CSUPD is aware of death threats against CSU football player Henry Blackburn, and the investigation is ongoing," a university police spokesperson told us on Monday.

"The police department will continue to monitor the situation, and the university is actively supporting the player and his family."

"This is a serious injury and it will need reconstructive surgery. He will definitely be out the rest of this year. Next year is in question, as well. And, so is his career."

That's orthopedic sports surgeon, Dr. David Abbasi ... offering his medical opinion on Nick Chubb's gruesome knee injury, sustained during the first half of the Browns vs. Steelers Monday Night Football game.

Abbasi is a double board certified fellowship trained ortho surgeon specializing in shoulder, elbows, and knees ... and although he hasn't treated 27-year-old Chubb, he has been the sideline physician for the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bearcats, FIU Panthers and a bunch of big UFC fights.

The Browns have not yet announced the specifics of the injury to the 4x Pro Bowler, but Abbasi says it's clear there was a knee dislocation, and with that, serious ligament damage.

"You can see he gets hit on his knee. That is his knee dislocating out," the doctor explained, "His knee popped out of place."

Thankfully, Abassi says the knee went back into place moments later ... and that's important because it limits the risk to the nerves and the blood vessels "which can be limb threatening."

The bad news ... for the knee to pop out the way it did, David says, "[Chubb] had to have torn at least two of the four ligaments, but usually it's more than two ligaments."

"The knee ligaments I'm referring to here consist of the ACL, the PCL, the MCL, and the LCL. I would not be surprised if at least three, if not all four of these have torn."

After the MNF game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Chubb would be out for this season.

It's not the first time the 4x Pro Bowler has dealt with a serious injury to his left knee. Back in 2015, Chubb tore three ligaments (all but the LCL) in a college football game vs. Tennessee. He missed the rest of the season but was back for '16.

No, Tom Brady will not be replacing Aaron Rodgers in New York this season ... the G.O.A.T. just made it absolutely clear he has no intentions whatsoever of being a Jet.

The former Buccaneers star shut down the possibility of a second unretirement while on his "Let's Go!" podcast this week ... after his cohost, Jim Gray, asked if Gang Green had hit him up following Rodgers' season-ending Achilles tear.

"No, no, no -- next question!" Brady responded. "You already know. I love being with you guys on Mondays and I love what we got goin'."

Brady then smoothly changed the subject to the 3-0 Colorado Buffaloes and Deion Sanders, who was a guest on their show.

Of course, rumors of Brady playing for NYJ started almost immediately after Rodgers went down on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.

Many Jets fans had hoped the org. would sign a Rodgers-like vet ASAP ... and a guy like seven-time Super Bowl champ Brady was the obvious No. 1 choice.

The Jets, though, made it clear following Rodgers' injury that while they were looking into a potential veteran backup ... they were putting their faith in 2021 first-round pick Zach Wilson -- not a guy like Brady.

Jay Cutler apparently wasn't the only NFL star Kristin Cavallari's had eyes for over the years ... she just admitted she had a fat crush on Travis Kelce as well!!

Cavallari said her feelings for the Kansas City Chiefs star actually developed while she was married to Cutler -- revealing on her "Let's Be Honest" podcast this week that she was obsessed with Kelce while watching him on his "Catching Kelce" reality TV show back in 2016.

"You've probably heard the term 'TV crush,' right?" the reality star told Kelce on her pod. "Like, you know what a TV crush is? It's when you see someone on TV, you probably haven't met them yet but you just have this like little crush on them? You were 100 percent my TV crush when this show was on."

She added, "I was in love with you."

Kelce was flattered by the comments ... though he quickly burst her bubble by telling her what she saw on the dating show was largely not real.

"You're ruining it for me now," she said with a laugh.

Cavallari obviously never acted on her feelings for Kelce -- she stayed with Cutler until their split in 2020 ... and when she recently met TK while the two were out in The Hamptons, it seems there was definitely more of a good friend vibe.

Of course, the door still appears to be at least somewhat open for something down the road ... both are single at the moment.

Former New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis -- who won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady -- was arrested in Florida on Monday, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a Hillsborough County jail official, the 32-year-old was booked at 3:12 PM on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. He was released several hours later at 11:48 PM on a $500 bond.

Further details of the allegations surrounding Lewis were not made immediately available.

Lewis made his NFL debut back in 2011 after being picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the draft ... but he became a household name when he joined Brady and the Patriots in 2015.

Lewis started 19 games in his three seasons in New England ... scoring 13 total touchdowns. In his second year with the Pats in 2017, he helped Brady score a huge comeback victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. He nearly helped Brady get another Super Bowl win in his final season with the Pats ... though he and New England came up just short of a victory in SB LII in a thriller against the Eagles.

Lewis went on to play for the Titans and Giants ... before retiring in 2021.

Five years later, Johnny Manziel's still the man ... 'cause the Heisman Trophy winner reunited with his old bestie, Drake, at Champagne Papi's concert in Houston!

The award-winning artist and former superstar QB linked up at Toyota Center in H-Town where Drake did his infamous walk ... where he walks through a crowd of his fans during his show during his "It's All a Blur" tour.

Manziel shared a clip on Instagram, saying he was "honored" to walk with his old friend.

"You and your music have changed my life for the better," the 30-year-old said. "Thank you for letting the kid from Texas share that moment with you #SZN."

Remember, Aubrey and Manziel became friends back in the day when Johnny was the signal-caller for the Texas A&M Aggies football team ... during the time Drake was droppin' hits like "Take Care" and "Started From the Bottom".

In fact, Drizzy made a track called "Draft Day" and mentioned Manziel ahead of the 2014 NFL Draft ... where Johnny was selected with the 22nd overall pick.

Johnny also got an "OVO" tattoo on his wrist.

Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb suffered a horrific knee injury Monday night ... one that was so bad, ABC chose not to air close-up replays of it.

The NFL star and his team were going toe to toe against the Steelers during a primetime game in Pittsburgh ... when Chubb got knocked out of the contest in the second quarter.

During one of the plays ... Deshaun Watson handed the ball to the 27-year-old tailback, who sprang forward into a crush of helmets, getting tackled by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Moments later, Chubb was unable to get to his feet even with the help of his teammate. He grimaced and writhed in pain as he gripped his left knee -- which he also severely injured in 2015 while playing college football.

A far-away replay showed Chubb's leg had bent in a way it shouldn't have ... and both Joe Buck and Troy Aikman -- the game's broadcasters -- told the audience they would not be showing the other angle of the hit due to its gruesomeness.

Chubb was then carted off the field to cheers from the opposing crowd at Acrisure Stadium.

After the game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Chubb suffered a "significant knee injury" -- one that will almost certainly sideline the running back for the rest of the season.

It seems like Blueface's street code is preventing law enforcement from putting together a case against his alleged assailant.

The L.A. County District Attorney's office tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the case has been rejected, for now, due to Blueface's lack of cooperation with the investigation. The video doesn't clearly show everything necessary to bring a criminal case, so, we're told investigators needed cooperation from witnesses to move forward.

According to docs, Blueface refused to answer any of the responding officer's questions, refused to provide his ID and even rejected medical aid ... though he quickly posted his bloody injury on social media, assuring fans he was good.

As we previously told you, Brandon Henrysnell had turned himself in on August 24, and was booked for felony assault with a deadly weapon.

But, the case won't go any further ... as authorities reviewed the footage, and while it clearly shows an altercation, it's missing the key moment Brandon allegedly stabbed Blueface.

Deion Sanders just received about the highest praise a coach could get ... courtesy of Shaq, who tells us Coach Prime reminds him of 11x NBA champion Phil Jackson during the epic rivalry game with Colorado State this weekend!

"When they were down 15, there was a camera that panned to Deion's face, and it reminded me of Phil Jackson. And I've always said, if the general doesn't panic, the troops don't panic," O'Neal told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (full interview airs on Tuesday's show on FS1).

Of course, Sanders' squad was down double digits to Colorado State Saturday night ... when the Buffaloes stormed back late in the 4th quarter, ultimately winning 43-35 in double OT.

Deion's demeanor on the sideline brought back memories for Shaq.

"I know exactly what the [Colorado players] are going through because when you are standing in front of someone that has an impressive resume, and you're trying to get to the level he get to, everything you say is golden. I felt that way when Phil Jackson first came to the Lakers," the NBA legend explained.

"Before [Phil] got there, me and Kobe, we got swept all the time. But when he came there and stepped in the locker room and we saw he didn't panic, so it taught us not to panic. We know that this guy knows what he's talking about."

Coach Prime's team, which won a total of 1 game last season (1-11), is now 3-0 ... and they're ranked 19th in the country.

Given the job he's done so far, Shaq believes Sanders is the best coach in the sport.

"Deion right now is the best coach in college football. You heard it here first."

We also talked to O'Neal about The Event on October 7, Shaq's third annual fundraiser ... which has raised more than $6 MILLION for children in need in Atlanta and Las Vegas!

In addition to Diesel, The Event -- hosted by The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation -- will also feature performances by John Legend and Jennifer Hudson. Ray Romano will also be in the building for the Joel McHale-hosted event.

Tickets are now on sale!

Colorado State defensive back Henry Blackburn is on the receiving end of death threats after laying a controversial hit on Travis Hunter during Saturday's game ... and now, university police tell TMZ Sports an investigation into the hateful messages is underway.

Blackburn received a ton of heat for his massive late hit on the Colorado receiver in the first half of the Rams vs. Buffaloes matchup... which left Hunter sidelined for weeks with a lacerated liver.

Some looked at Blackburn's tackle as targeting ... including LeBron James, who went on X to say, "That was blatant and uncalled for IMO!"

Shortly after the tackle went viral on social media, the safety and his family were singled out by furious fans ... and we're told cops are taking the interactions seriously.

"CSUPD is aware of death threats against CSU football player Henry Blackburn, and the investigation is ongoing," a university police spokesperson told us on Monday.

"The police department will continue to monitor the situation, and the university is actively supporting the player and his family."

CSUI athletic director Joe Parker told Pete Thamel of ESPN he's concerned for Blackburn ... saying Henry never meant to hurt Hunter or anyone on the field.

"It's not what we teach or coach," Parker said. "We hope that the irrational vitriol directed at Henry stops immediately."