TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dallas Cowboys star Everson Griffen just EXPLODED on a reporter over criticism of his play ... telling the guy to straight-up "keep my name out your mouth."

"I been producing in the Nfl protecting the shield for 11 mother f**king years," Griffen said Tuesday. "So if you feel the need to pick on someone in f**king week 2. It’s not going to be me. I tell you that."

Griffen just inked a deal with the Cowboys last month ... and it was widely celebrated at the time -- as the guy is considered one of the top pass rushers in the league.

But, through two games so far, Griffen and the rest of the Cowboys' defense has been underwhelming -- allowing big play after big play to the Rams and Falcons.

When a reporter pointed that out and said point blank Griffen "hasn't been good for the Cowboys at all yet" ... Everson FUMED.

"Are you f**king joking me" the pass rusher asked ... before adding, "Let’s talk about playing well at the end of the year instead of week 2."

Griffen insists he felt way better during Dallas' second game of the season as opposed to the team's first ... and claims he'll be MUCH better toward the end of the year.

"I get it everyone has job to do," Everson said, "but in this unique year of football, it’s all about the TREND LINE. Especially this year."

Kevin Durant says he totally understands why NBA players would risk it all for some "action" in the Orlando bubble ... saying going that long without some lovin' would drive anyone crazy!!!

It's no secret -- the league has SUPER strict rules against allowing unauthorized guests at player hotels ... and Danuel House was booted from campus while the Rockets were down 3-1 to the Lakers for allowing a "female COVID-19 tester" in his room.

KD addressed the incident on "The Joe Budden Podcast" over the weekend ... and while we will not speculate what went down in House's room, the Brooklyn Nets star did.

"If you've been in a bubble away from some action for 3 months? I mean, you can't blame him, dog," KD said.

FYI -- Durant has not been to the bubble as he recovers from his Achilles injury ... but says he's heard the horror stories about it being an all-out dude fest.

"And I heard it was no females at all outside of [COVID testers.] The maids were all men, there was nothing but men around."

"After a couple of months, you're down 3-1? Nah, He said, 'I don't give a f**k no more,' man," KD joked.

When Budden asked if the younger generation of hoopers is more focused on video games over chicks, KD made it clear that ain't the case.

"Nah bro. They still at the end of the day, they want some action, too," KD said.

Vanessa Bryant is suing the L.A. County Sheriff and his department, claiming they caused her severe emotional distress ... when deputies allegedly took personal cellphone photos of the bodies of Kobe and Gigi Bryant at the scene of the helicopter crash that took their lives.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, "no fewer than 8 sheriff's deputies at the crash site, pulled out their personal cell phones and snapped photos of the dead children, parents and coaches. The deputies took these photos for their own personal gratification."

The lawsuit goes onto allege the photos were the subject of conversation within the sheriff's dept ... with deputies showing their colleagues the pictures that had no investigative purpose.

The lawsuit notes how the photos were exposed ... when a deputy was at a bar and showed the photos to a woman he was trying to impress. The bartender heard the conversation, blew the whistle and called the sheriff's department.

Vanessa says in the suit ... that's when Sheriff Villanueva tried to cover it all up by going to the Sheriff's substation that responded to the crash and telling deputies if they deleted the photos they would not face discipline. The suit claims the purpose of his talk was destruction of evidence.  The lawsuit claims Villanueva did not tell the families about the photos and they only learned of it in the media when the story broke that deputies took the photos.

The lawsuit claims the Sheriff never gave the family straight answers and now Vanessa is in constant fear the photos will leak ... "Ms. Bryant feels ill at the thought of strangers gawking at images of her deceased husband and child, and she lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages.

We reached out to the Sheriff's Dept. ... so far, no word back.

A SUPER RARE Colin Kaepernick football card just sold for over $20k at auction ... and at least $5 grand is being donated to the quarterback's charity!

As we previously reported ... the 2011 Topps Platinum Rookie Patch Autograph Red Refractor card featured a patch from Kap's rookie season jersey and his autograph.

The 1-of-1 card was put up on the block at Goldin Auctions ... and ended up selling for $20,400!!

Pretty awesome ... considering the card was originally part of a regular pack of cards. The anonymous seller picked up the card for less than $1,800 on eBay, before consigning it to GA.

Instead of keeping all the cash, the seller decided to donate a chunk of his profits to the Know Your Rights Camp -- Colin's charity.

BTW, the Kap memorabilia doesn't stop with the card -- the consignor is now selling a pair of game-worn, autographed Kaepernick gloves ... and you guessed it, KYRC is gonna get another check!

Terrifying moment for Lindsey Vonn ... her beloved dogs decided to chase after a porcupine in Utah ... and ended up with dozens of quills in their faces.

"So... my boys got into some trouble over the weekend," Vonn said Tuesday. "They ran out of the house and chased after a porcupine... as boys do"

The images are tough to look at, but the Olympic skier says Bear and Leo were able to get treatment quickly ... and are doing much better now.

"Incredibly thankful that they are ok," Vonn said. "I also greatly appreciate my family and friends for helping them make it home safe and the love and care that they got from White Pine Vet 🙏🏻 You guys are the best!"

Vonn is known for her love of 4-legged friends -- she also has a third dog, Lucy, and recently took care of several foster pups before they were adopted.

Amazing news ... Baltimore Orioles star Trey Mancini just finished 6 months of chemotherapy treatments -- and his GF couldn't have been happier, saying, "This is the best day ever!!!!"

Mancini has been battling stage-3 colon cancer ever since docs discovered a tumor last spring ... and the road for the MLB slugger to get better has been tough as hell.

Mancini described getting chemo treatments amid the coronavirus pandemic as "crazy" ... and added he's been forced to receive his drugs through a mediport in his chest.

But Mancini's GF, Sara Perlman, said Monday the 28-year-old was finally done with his chemo treatments ... and she was THRILLED for Baltimore's outfielder!!

"TREY DID IT!!!!" Perlman said. "He completed chemotherapy!!! What a six months it has been. I’ve never been more proud & joyful."

She added, "Thank you for all the love and support. We are SOOOO grateful!!!!"

The Orioles, meanwhile, gave Mancini a sweet present for completing the treatments -- a signed team photo with personal messages from the guys.

Mancini was moved by the gift ... saying of the framed pic, "I'm speechless right now. This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten."

"I would almost give my left arm to be a part of this staff."

Jacksonville Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith REALLLLLY wants to work with Deion Sanders at Jackson St. ... telling TMZ Sports he's all in on his alma mater's latest football head coaching hire.

"Please, please let me be a part of this historic event that's going on right now," the former Pro Bowl wide receiver said of his message for Deion. "I want to be a part of it and I'm sure I'm not the only one."

Prime was just officially hired by JSU this week ... and Jimmy tells us Deion's passionate speech at the announcement rally Monday fired him up.

So much so ... Jimmy -- who played at JSU before being drafted in 1992 -- says he's gunning to get a face-to-face meeting with Sanders ASAP.

"In the past, I didn't have any interest [in coaching] but after today and seeing that press conference introducing Deion Sanders as the head coach, I would almost give my left arm to be a part of this staff," Smith said.

"I'm thinking about getting in the car and driving over to Jackson today just to hunt for Deion Sanders and take him by the coattails and say, 'Look, I'm going to be here. This is my alma mater.'"

Smith also clapped back at critics of the hire ... saying Deion is more than capable of leading JSU to plenty of wins despite never being a college head coach before.

"He has done it!" Smith says. "This is the best defensive back in NFL history!"

Jackie Stallone, the famed celeb astrologer and Sly's mother, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Jackie recently passed away ... according to sources with direct knowledge. The exact circumstances surrounding her death are still unclear.

Mrs. Stallone was a renaissance woman, to say the least -- well-regarded as an astrologer, dancer and even women's wrestling promoter. Not to mention being the mother of 3 famous children ... Sylvester, singer Frank Stallone and late actress Toni D'Alto, whom she had with Anthony Filiti.

Jackie actually helped kick-start the original "GLOW" wrestling program back in the '80s ... serving as a manager and promoter for the league, which of course would later be portrayed in the hit Netflix show of the same name. Mama Stallone was one of several ring handles she had.

She was also a famous astrologer, making a number of TV appearances throughout the '90s, and, yes ... she had her own psychic hotline. Jackie is also credited with coining the phrase and practice of rumpology ... which is like reading someone's palm, but reading other parts of their body, like moles and whatnot.

Jackie was a reality TV star in her own right -- she appeared on at least a couple seasons of 'Celebrity Big Brother' in the UK, and her persona had been parodied throughout the years, including on "Saturday Night Live."

Ever the character, she was very much active in her later years ... posting a bunch of workout videos of herself doing cardio, plyometrics and even some dancing in studios.

Jackie is survived by her two sons, as well as several grandchildren.

Air Jordan is about to become Rev Jordan -- because Michael is teaming up with a NASCAR legend to start his own racing team ... with Bubba Wallace behind the wheel.

MJ and Denny Hamlin made the announcement late Monday, saying they were kicking off a new, single car NASCAR Cup Series team for 2021 ... and their first driver is gonna be none other than Bubba himself.

Michael writes, "Growing up in North Carolina, my parents would take my brothers, sisters & me to races, and I've been a NASCAR fan my whole life. The opportunity to own my own racing team in partnership w/my friend, Denny Hamlin, & to have Bubba Wallace driving for us, is very exciting for me." He goes on to say that the timing seemed perfect to get more Black owners in NASCAR, which has historically struggled with diversity.

MJ adds, "In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing." Denny echoed that, saying him being the 1st Jordan sponsored driver led to the partnership, while explaining why BW was the perfect fit.

As for Bubba -- who left the Richard Petty Motorsports team earlier this year after the noose scandal that befell him -- he says it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity he couldn't pass up.

He adds, "Both Michael and Denny are great competitors & are focused on building the best team they possibly can to go out and compete for race wins. I’m grateful and humbled that Michael and Denny believe in me and I’m super pumped to begin this adventure with them."

Now for some specifics -- Denny is said to have purchased the charter from Germain Racing, with MJ serving as the principal owner and Denny as a minority partner as he continues to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. Bubba has been signed to a multi-year deal.

Magic Johnson and his employees are getting besieged by a guy who's issuing threats and demands, and recently made it past Magic’s office security -- so, now Magic's court order protection.

A judge granted the NBA legend a temporary restraining order today against a guy named Willie Frazier who, Magic says, has been harassing him and his employees for years… and things have been getting worse and worse.

According to Magic’s legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Frazier started sending correspondence to Magic's personal and business addresses, demanding money and making wild claims that Magic stole documents from Frazier and, ultimately, stole Frazier’s identity.

Magic’s staff tried to ignore the demands, but Frazier's contacts became increasingly frequent — until they were getting bizarre voicemails almost every week. On some of those calls, Frazier claimed he was with the FBI and that if Magic didn't do what he wanted, he would physically harm Magic and his staff. Magic characterizes the behavior as a form of “stalking," saying he feared for his and others' safety.

Finally, in 2020 ... Magic says a hard line was crossed when Frazier twice came to Magic’s office building and made it past security, and rode the elevator to Magic’s floor. When Frazier couldn’t get inside the suite, he allegedly slipped another of his bizarre demands under the door.

Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs is paying homage to both his old and new homes on his feet for Monday Night Football ... by repping Oakland and Sin City on his cleats!!

The 22-year-old running back showed off the incredible work on Instagram earlier Monday ... which features several images in honor of LV and The Town.

Most notable is the phrase, "Thank You, Oakland" on the inside of his right cleat ... with a silhouette of Oakland Coliseum.

JJ also shows love for the late Al Davis with his image and signature phrase, "Just Win, Baby" ... as well as the torch that sits inside Allegiant Stadium in honor of the legendary owner.

The design -- put together by artist Luke Dangler -- also has the iconic Vegas "Welcome" sign ... and other notable buildings from the LV skyline.

Of course, with the Raiders being in Vegas, JJ had to add some playing cards -- 2 Jacks, a 2 and an 8 -- to symbolize his initials and jersey number.

We'll see if any of the Vegas tributes give Jacob some extra luck on MNF.

BYU star QB Zach Wilson says he's NOT concerned about the potential long-lasting effects of COVID ... telling reporters Monday he's siding with Kirk Cousins' "If I die, I die" approach to the virus.

Wilson revealed he was diagnosed with COVID back in July after a "little gambling night" with some of his Cougar teammates.

Zach says his symptoms were "nothing crazy" ... claiming he was just tired, fatigued and felt like he had a cold.

But, when he was asked if he was concerned about lingering effects of the virus down the road ... Wilson channeled Cousins -- and said point-blank no.

"Personally, for me," Wilson said, "I'm kind of like, what Kirk Cousins said a little bit. I know he got harped on for it. But, you know, I would rather play football than ever worry about any of that kind of stuff."

You'll recall ... Cousins said on a podcast this summer that he was not afraid of the virus, adding he'd much rather go about his daily life normally than worry about the illness.

"I'm going to let nature do its course," the Vikings QB famously said. "And just say, if it knocks me out, it knocks me out. I’m going to be OK."

Wilson echoed those sentiments with his comments Monday ... despite revealing one of his favorite high school teachers is currently in the ICU battling the virus.

"I know it affects everyone differently," Wilson said. "But for me, and I know a lot of other guys on the team feel the same way, you know, honestly we would rather just play football than ever worry about this."

Ever imagined what it would be like to hear Hue Jackson sing "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion?? Well, today is your lucky day!!

Except we're not talking *that* kinda WAP ... we're talkin' WINGS AND PIZZA!!!

So ... how the hell did we get here?? Browns fan and Big Ten football prophet "Sir Yacht" decided to shell out $60 for a Cameo from coach ... requesting he dedicate some Kidz Bop-esque altered lines from "WAP" to the Dawg Pound.

And, oh boy, did Hue DELIVER.

"Now, from the top, we gotta make it drop ... that's some wings and pizza," Hue rapped.

"Now, get a bucket and a mop ... that's some wings and pizza."

"Macaroni in a pot ... that's some wings and pizza."

Of course, it goes without saying Cardi and Meg were NOT referring to wings and pizza in the OG version ... but ya really think Jackson was gonna rap the real lines??

BTW, We're not gonna knock Hue too much here -- after all, the guy donates his earnings from Cameo to his charity, which fights human trafficking.

"Khamzat would put Conor McGregor in a wheelchair, and he would drink from a straw for the rest of his life."

That's Khamzat Chimaev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, detailing what would happen to McGregor if he ever stepped in the Octagon with the UFC's hottest fighter.

Chimaev only needed 17 seconds to brutally KO Gerald Meerschaert Saturday night in Vegas ... his 3rd win in 66 days. In 3 fights, KC's been hit a grand total of 3 times.

TMZ Sports talked to Abdelaziz about Chimaev's next opponent ... and it's crystal clear he thinks it'd be a TERRIBLE idea for McGregor to fight him.

"I'm not looking for Khamzat to fight a mentally unstable fighter. Conor McGregor is mentally unstable. I wish him the best of luck," Abdelaziz tells us.

"Khamzat would kill him. He would really kill him."

Of course, McGregor previously talked smack to Chimaev, calling him "rat lip" ... in a Tweet Conor later deleted.

So, who's next then?

Abdelaziz says he doesn't believe Demian Maia stands a chance in hell of beating Khamzat ... so he'd rather see him scrap with Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz.

Though, AA says they don't stand a chance, either.

"Nate Diaz, Masvidal, some of these guys, I think he'd mop the floor with them too. I think he'll beat the shit out of these guys. These guys are a little bit older, they're veterans, they're great fighters, but I think they're levels to this."

PHEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Indianapolis Colts star linebacker Darius Leonard damn-near LOST his wedding ring gifting a pair of his game-used gloves to fans ... but, thankfully, TMZ Sports has learned he got it back!

Here's the deal ... after the Colts destroyed the Vikings on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium -- Leonard gave away his mitts to some young fans who were in attendance.

The problem? As Leonard was taking off his gloves ... his wedding ring got caught in them -- and then he unknowingly handed it over to the kids!!

A family member of the glove recipients posted about the whole thing on social media Monday ... and when Leonard caught wind of it all -- he wrote back, "I need that."

Ya think!?!?

Happy ending for Darius though ... we're told the fans are good friends with a Colts staffer -- and were able to return the ring no problem.

Oklahoma State University bull rider Rowdy Swanson has died from injuries he suffered during a rodeo last week ... the school announced. He was 20 years old.

Swanson was competing at the Palo Pinto County Livestock Association's PRCA Rodeo in Mineral Wells, Texas on Thursday ... when he was bucked off a bull.

OSU rodeo team coach Cody Hollingsworth spoke on the tragedy ... saying, "With a heavy and aching heart, I am saddened to announce that the OSU Rodeo Team has lost one of our own, Rowdy Swanson."

"He was a big part of our rodeo family and he will be missed immensely. Our thoughts are with the Swanson family at this time."

PPCLA Rodeo Chairman Scott Fenner added, "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rowdy Swanson following injuries sustained at the Palo Pinto County Livestock Association’s PRCA Pro Rodeo."