TMZ Sports - Page 50

Deion Sanders is livid that his Colorado players allegedly had a bunch of jewelry stolen from their lockers during Saturday's game against UCLA ... and now, he wants the NCAA to get involved.

Coach Prime ranted about the matter to reporters on Tuesday ... calling it a travesty that his student-athletes can't play a football game without worrying about their belongings getting jacked.

"Our kids got robbed during the game last week," Sanders said. "I think that's a travesty. I would expect the NCAA to do something about that."

Sanders explained his team has always stressed the importance of financial responsibility to their players in light of Name, Image and Likeness deals ... but admitted his staff dropped the ball when it comes to insurance.

Even though a lot of -- if not all -- the players didn't have their valuables insured, Sanders expects the items taken from their Rose Bowl lockers to be replaced or reimbursed.

"This is the Rose Bowl -- they say 'The Granddaddy of Them All,' right? I'm sure Granddaddy has some money. Grandpa should have some money to give these kids."

Coach Prime said the next step is for his players to give an itemized list of what was jacked during the game -- and he expects them to be truthful.

Also worth noting -- Sanders said it wasn't just the Buffaloes impacted by the alleged heist ... revealing there were items stolen from both teams' locker rooms.

"I hope we can do something about that, NCAA. You do something about everything else. Do something about that."

Halloween's a very popular day in the TMZ office, and staffers pulled out all the stops this year ... dressing as some of your favorite celebs and pop culture moments.

We had Barbenheimer, Kendall Jenner plugging 818 Tequila with Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande and Spongebob (aka, her new boyfriend, Ethan Slater), and Britney Spears with her concerning dance companion -- a knife.

Taylor Swift during her "Eras" tour was also another highlight ... as was her new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.

Who can forget pregnant Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl halftime show surrounded by her backup dancers and adoring fans?

Another highlight was Junkrat, one of the heroes in Overwatch ...

Kate Upton's still got her fastball -- the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model just made her debut on TikTok this week ... recreating her viral "Dougie" dance to celebrate the occasion.

Of course, the 31-year-old lit the internet on fire 13 years ago ... when she busted out the iconic moves to the Cali Swag District hit at a basketball game.

The clip garnered millions of views and stole the hearts of horny kids all over the world ... so it's only fitting Upton reprised her role for her first post on the social media platform.

The vid starts by showing Upton search "Teach Me How To Dougie" on DuckDuckGo ... before letting loose with her moves.

"Teach me how to TikTok…? #dougie," Justin Verlander's wife said in the caption.

Safe to say she hasn't lost a step in over a decade ... duplicating the dance for her followers just like she did back in the day.

BTW -- she currently only has just over 500 people tuning in to her page ... but we assume that number is going to explode now that she's gone public with the profile.

So ... Cat Daddy next??

A$AP Rocky was more than willing to chat it up with TMZ Hip Hop during his daily workout, and although his workout is jogging at a swift pace ... he invited us to come along -- and, umm, we did our best!!! 😂

The superstar rapper ran our photog straight outta her shoes as he was jogging Monday afternoon in WeHo .... and belted out a hearty laugh when we asked him about Rihanna's desire to have a couple more kids.

Rocky and Rihanna just welcomed their 2nd child, Riot Rose, this past August and have their hands full ... juggling parenthood and their long-delayed projects!!!

Rocky tells us he's currently working on his next album, "Don't Be Dumb," in real-time and fans will be on the edge of their seats wondering if he'll respond to Drake's shots from his "For All the Dogs" album.

Champagne Papi referred to his sexy time with RiRi as "average," and made it clear he didn't envy Rocky's current situation.

He didn't have much to add to that topic, but did recommend the perfect running shoes for our photog. Watch the clip ... we should definitely take the suggestion. 😉

Jon Jones is on the road to recovery after going down with a serious injury ahead of UFC 295 ... showing off his bandaged-up pec following surgery last week.

Bones was forced to back out of his big heavyweight championship bout against Stipe Miocic after he tore his muscle right off the bone in a training session ... postponing the highly-anticipated matchup until 2024.

Jones wasted no time fixing his ailment by going under the knife ... and on Tuesday, he posted a video revealing Steri-Strips -- which are used to hold incisions together -- near his shoulder.

Jones didn't talk in the short clip ... but he really didn't have to -- you can tell by his facial expression he's just as bummed as everyone else about not being able to fight on Nov. 11 at Madison Square Garden.

In the meantime, Sergei Pavlovich will now take on Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title at the Garden ... which will be the co-main event alongside the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira fight.

Jones also shared a post-op vid last week ... confirming he had gotten the procedure done and was ready for the next steps in his comeback. Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- who recently worked on Aaron Rodgers' Achilles -- performed the surgery.

Stipe claims he wasn't asked to stay on the 295 card ... but either way, he's ready to get the title back from Jones when the time comes.

"The fight being canceled, it sucks," Stipe said. "No question about it. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we’re in. It happens. Like I said, I hope he’s okay. You want to be the best; you’ve got to beat the best. I want that belt back. It’s my belt. It’s going to happen."

Dana White said it will take eight months for Jones to get back to 100%, but orthopedic surgeons like Dr. David Abbasi say he could be back in half the time.

"The Challenge" star Nelson Thomas has officially been charged with DWI for his near-fatal car crash from earlier this year.

Thomas was hit with the misdemeanor charge at the end of September in Texas, according to docs obtained by TMZ ... and officers said he had "bloodshot, glassy eyes" as he explained to them that another car had swerved in front of him before the crash.

The docs say Thomas told cops he "only had 2-3 mixed alcoholic drinks," but officers claimed Thomas had a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath" while being treated for injuries at the hospital.

Cops say a blood test done while at the hospital came back with a BAC of .178 -- which kicked up his charge to Class A misdemeanor.

As we reported, Minnesota Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn and a few others helped pull Thomas out of the fiery vehicle back in March while driving by in an Uber, likely saving his life. Thomas later thanked K.J. for the heroic assist.

He also shared some pics of himself from the hospital, showing gnarly cuts and burns on his body ... and his GoFundMe was met with a ton of love and cash from fans and fellow reality TV stars like Corey Lay, Mark Long, and Tori Deal.

The English Ice Hockey Association is changing its rules following the tragic death of Adam Johnson ... now making it mandatory for players to wear neck guards starting in January.

The org. announced the decision Monday, saying in a statement, "the safety of our players must take precedence above all else."

"We are firmly committed to our obligation to exhaust every possible means to ensure that a tragic incident of this nature never befalls our sport again," the EIHA said.

The new mandate comes roughly 48 hours after Johnson died following injuries he suffered when he was slashed in the throat by a skate during an on-ice collision.

EIHA officials initially said the incident was "a freak accident" ... though South Yorkshire Police said Sunday they are investigating the matter.

Johnson was just 29 years old.

While neck guards will still be optional for the remainder of '23 ... the EIHA said it's making a "strong recommendation" that players wear them while skating on the ice.

It added that the mandatory rule change would have been implemented immediately if not for anticipated supply issues.

"It is unacceptable for any player to lose their life while playing sport," the EIHA said. "Our responsibility is not only to avert the recurrence of such a heart-breaking accident, but also to pre-emptively address other foreseeable incidents in the future."

EIHA officials said more rule changes could be coming down in the near future ... saying in its statement, "We bear both a legal and a moral obligation to respond in a measured and pragmatic way."

Chalk up a win for Shannon Sharpe ... Brett Favre's defamation lawsuit against the Hall of Fame tight end was dismissed by a judge on Monday, ruling the 3x Super Bowl champ's comments are protected under the U.S. Constitution.

Brett sued Shannon for comments he made about Favre on FS1's "Undisputed" in 2022, characterized by the HOF signal caller as "egregiously false." Sharpe's comments concerned the ongoing fraud welfare scandal in Mississippi, where Favre, along with dozens of others, are accused of misusing tens of millions of dollars over a several-year period.

United States District Court Judge Keith Starrett issued his ruling in a filing, writing, "Sharpe's comments are constitutionally protected rhetorical hyperbole using loose, figurative language."

Starrett went on to dismiss the suit for those reasons.

Among Sharpe's comments, he accused Favre of “taking from the underserved” and stealing "money from people that really needed that money.”

Despite the ruling, Favre doesn't seem done with Shannon ... a rep for the Packers legend told ESPN he was evaluating their next steps.

"We respectfully disagree with the court's decision. Mr. Sharpe's statements were unquestionably false and defamatory. We are considering our options," Brett's representative told the network.

As for Shannon, he was thrilled with the news.

"The United States District Court 4 the Southern District of Mississippi 2day dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me. The court found the statements were protected by the 1st  Amendment 2 the Constitution. Thanks 2 my legal team and their handling of this case. 🙏🏾🙏🏾"

Shannon wasn't the only retired NFL star turned media mogul in Favre's sights. BF also sued Pat McAfee for defamation. Brett withdrew the lawsuit after Pat apologized on the air for accusing Favre of stealing from people in need.

Luka Doncic can apparently sink baskets with his hands AND his head ... 'cause check out this trick shot he made Monday night -- he used his noggin and got nothing but net!!

The Dallas superstar and his teammate, Dwight Powell, were messin' around before the Mavs took on the Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum in Memphis ... when they decided to put on a little show for the fans in attendance.

First, Powell threw a basketball off Doncic's shoulder ... and then he headed it back to Doncic so the point guard could finish off the Globetrotters-esque play with a header of his own.

And, after the ball crashed through the hoop ... the crowd roared, and Doncic celebrated for several moments as if he had just hit a game-winner!

Doncic then tagged Real Madrid -- the football club affiliated with his former basketball team -- clearly wanting them to take a look at his soccer skills.

Of course, this isn't anything too new for Powell and Doncic ... the guys have hit similar shots in the past, including one time last year when Powell threw down a dunk courtesy of a pass off Doncic's dome.

James Harden is going going, back back, to Cali Cali -- the NBA superstar was shipped to the L.A. Clippers in a blockbuster deal late Monday night ... officially ending all his drama with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The trade went down while many on the East Coast were catchin' Zs -- Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev will join the Clips in exchange for Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and some draft picks -- including two first rounders.

The transaction was pretty much inevitable -- 34-year-old Harden made it clear he didn't want to play in Philly anymore ... claiming he felt Sixers GM Daryl Morey was a "liar."

The Beard sat out all preseason ... and when he finally showed up ahead of the season opener, the team told him to turn around and head home.

He did not play a single minute for the Sixers this season.

The Clippers will now have Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Harden and Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

It's a bit of a homecoming for Harden -- he grew up in SoCal ... playing high school ball at Artesia in Lakewood.

Ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas seemed thrilled with the move -- saying, "CHEF HARDEN BACK HOME," on X.

Davante Adams' no good 2023 season got a whole lot worse on Monday night ... and the star receiver couldn't hide his frustration with it anymore -- slamming his helmet in disgust on the sidelines.

The 30-year-old -- who's complained several times this year about his role in Las Vegas' offense -- caught just one pass during the Raiders' 26-14 loss to the Lions ... and he was clearly livid with the situation, melting down on his team's bench as the final seconds of the game ticked off.

First, he hurled his helmet with two hands into the ground. Then he appeared to let an F-bomb fly. Finally, he slumped over and put his face in his hands.

After the game, he told reporters he wanted to be careful with his words to avoid something that would get "blown up in the media" ... though he made it apparent he's not happy.

"Frustration," he said when asked how he was feeling. "But, that kind of goes without saying."

Normally one of the best wideouts in the NFL, Adams has just 47 catches for 539 yards and three touchdowns through eight games this year ... while the Raiders have amassed a mere 3-5 record.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship remains the apple of the media's collective eye -- and after more than a month of the spotlight, it's starting to take a toll on his loved ones.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the frenzy in the press over TayTay and Travis has become incredibly overwhelming for his immediate family members -- including his mom, Donna, his dad, Ed, and even his fellow NFLer and older brother, Jason.

We're told all the attention the couple's getting isn't the fam's favorite thing in the world -- seeing how it ends up spilling over on them -- but, by the same token, they're happy Travis is happy ... so they're dealing.

Our sources tell us the whole family's been under a microscope since the initial dating rumblings way back in September ... and they've all been getting blown up nonstop on their personal phones and on social media since Trav and Tay went public as a couple.

One other interesting tidbit relayed to us ... Travis's flesh and blood are a bit startled by Swifties and their intense, to put it mildly, love for her. We're told their fierce passion actually makes them a little worried for her BF's safety -- even with him being a 6'5", 250 lb. NFL superstar.

All that being said, the Kelces keep smiling for cameras -- they're fully aware how many are on them, especially when they interact with Taylor face-to-face.

Fortunately for them, there might be a break in the near future, as Taylor's about to go back on tour again, and this time she'll be overseas. Of course, he'll be here playing football ... probably into February, as his Chiefs remain a favorite to reach the Super Bowl.

Francis Ngannou's performance against Tyson Fury, despite losing on the scorecards, totally changed how many fans view MMA fighters vs. boxers ... a little too much according to undefeated pugilist Shakur Stevenson, who has a message for any UFC stars having thoughts of stepping in the ring.

Of course, Fury edged Ngannou by split decision in Saudi Arabia on Saturday ... a fight many expected to be a cakewalk for the world's best heavyweight boxer. In reality, it was anything but ... and now some mixed martial artists are emboldened by what went down in the squared circle.

"I say if they feel that way, give it a try. I think that you got some MMA guys that want to come get in the ring with somebody like me, I would love the opportunity to beat up an MMA guy and show them that there's real levels to it," 26-year-old Stevenson told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

20-0 Shakur continued ... "I just think Tyson Fury was off that night and them [MMA] dudes need to relax and stay in their lane."

We followed up with Shakur ... asking if he had an opponent in mind.

"What's that dude's name, Sean ...?" Shakur asked.

He was talking about "Suga" Sean O'Malley, the UFC's bantamweight (135 lb.) champion.

Babcock asked Shakur if he had a message for Suga.

"Tell him we can get it in. I'm ready to lock in with him," Stevenson told us, adding ... "It's levels to this s**t. If he wants to come try his hand, I'll beat the s**t out of him."

Of course, O'Malley previously called out Gervonta "Tank" Davis ... so it's clear Sean's hunting for a big-time boxing superstar.

Shakur fits that bill to a T.

O'Malley is under contract with the UFC, but Dana White has shown he's willing to make big, crossover fights. Look no further than Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather in 2017.

As for the Fury and Ngannou fight, Shakur says regardless of what Fury says, he doesn't believe Tyson trained 3 months for Francis.

"I don't believe the fact that he says he trained for 12 weeks. He didn't look like he trained. Didn't look like he threw too many punches. He usually throws punches. He seemed real hesitant, and I don't know how good of shape he was in," Stevenson said.

"Usually I'm a big fan of Tyson Fury. That night he didn't look too good."

Could Flavor Flav do the national anthem at an NBA game again?? Yeahhhh boyyyyyeeeeeee -- 'cause the rap legend tells TMZ Sports he's gotten offers from two more teams after singing at the Milwaukee Bucks game on Sunday!!

The iconic Public Enemy hype man got on the mic and belted out the "Star-Spangled Banner" ahead of the Bucks' home loss to the Atlanta Hawks ... and footage of the rendition quickly went viral.

As it turns out, it was a bucket list moment for Flav ... who explained he always wanted to give it a shot in honor of his family members who fought in the U.S. military -- some who passed in the line of duty.

"When I sang that national anthem, I was singing it for them because they're not here to sing it for themselves," Flav told us. "I did that in honor of my family and also for a lot of other people's families, too, that fought for this country."

Flav -- who got the opportunity thanks to Bucks prez Peter Feigin -- received mixed reviews on the internet ... but he said the positive feedback far outweighs the negatives, and the only thing that really matters is that he had fun doing it.

"I ain't gonna lie, I was kind of proud of myself after I did it."

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer revealed he also got a lot of love from two of his famous fans -- Anthony Anderson and Flo Rida ... who both told him he crushed it!!

Flav said he never gets nervous before taking the stage ... but admitted he had a few jitters before venturing into this new territory.

"This Is Us" Star Milo Ventimiglia was spotted wearin' a ring on that finger ... and we've confirmed the actor has tied the knot with model Jarah Mariano in a secret ceremony.

Milo and Jarah were watching Saturday's Rugby World Series match at a restaurant called Yahir in Los Angeles -- but the big game between New Zealand and South Africa wasn't even the most interesting thing going on at the establishment.

Check out the bling on Milo's left hand -- Jarah could even be seen touching his ring while they enjoyed their time together. And yes, Milo's rep confirms with TMZ that the 2, indeed, got hitched.

The secret wedding went down earlier this year in a private ceremony with family and some close friends ... safe to say, they certainly flew under the radar with this one.

Milo and Jarah have been linked together since last year, but never came out and confirmed their romance -- but it doesn't get a whole lot more confirmed than this.

Ex-NBA player Joe Smith is not a fan of his wife's latest business venture ... absolutely losing it after finding out she has an OnlyFans account.

Smith's partner of five years, Kisha Chavis -- a former adult actress who went by the name Yasmine Pendavis -- shared footage of his reaction to discovering her XXX subscription-based profile ... and he was PISSED.

"Just finding out you got an OnlyFans page all these years," Smith said in the clip ... adding she should have had a conversation with him before hopping on the platform.

"That's bulls***," Smith -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft -- said. "That's f***ed up, Kish. I'm telling you, that's f***ed up."

Kisha then defends herself ... claiming she isn't doing any work with other people, so it's "my body, my f***ing choice."

She also said she tried numerous times to come up with a solution to her financial status together ... but ultimately decided to revisit her former career path.

"You knew who the f*** I was when you met me ... I thought I would never have to go back to anything like this again. But, unfortunately, that's not the case right now."

It's worth noting -- Smith reportedly made $61 million in his career ... but only pocketed around $18 mil after taxes and agent fees, among other expenses. He has since opened up about his money problems.

Smith said he doesn't care how much money she's making on OF -- it doesn't change the fact that she was doing it behind his back ... and he sees it as a smack in the face.