TMZ Sports - Page 50

MMA star Lance Palmer -- who famously won the PFL $1 Million tournament TWICE -- is upset the organization is not up and running yet and is now demanding they book him a fight or else he'll take legal action.

FYI, the Professional Fighters League has put all fights on hold due to the COVID pandemic -- and Palmer is really frustrated.

Palmer's issue ... the UFC and Bellator have returned to action and he thinks PFL should follow suit.

As of now, he's got nothing booked -- so he tapped his attorney, Harley Breite, so try and figure out a way to get him back in the cage.

Breite tells TMZ Sports they don't want to take legal action, but they will if they have to.

They'd much rather come to an amicable agreement -- whether it's booking a fight or releasing him from his contract so he can fight with another promotion.

If PFL refuses, Breite says a lawsuit is definitely a possibility.

"We're not going to sit back and wait for somebody to dictate the terms of when my client can do what he does for a living. He's a fighter! He must fight!"

Palmer hasn't seen action since Dec. 31, 2019 -- when he won the $1 million prize in a 5-round decision over Alex Gilpin in NYC.

We're told there are other fighters in the PFL who feel the same way -- they realize their window to make money as a pro MMA fighter is short and they need to get back to work already!

The UFC barely missed any time due to the pandemic -- and now, they're putting on fights every weekend in both Las Vegas and on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

It's a good thing Vernon Davis retried when he did ... because the ex-NFL star says he probably would've sat out this season over COVID concerns.

Davis -- who spent 14 seasons in the league -- hung up his cleats for good back in February, right before COVID exploded into a giant problem in the U.S.

Now that he's seen the pandemic play out, Davis tells TMZ Sports he would be "totally concerned" if he was still on a team and expected to play on Sundays.

"I would be totally concerned because I worry about my family," Davis said ... while admitting, "I probably would have opted out."

The NFL is already dealing with some serious COVID problems involving multiple teams -- and there's concerns about a larger outbreak.

Davis says he hopes the league takes the COVID threat seriously -- and puts safety first.

As for football, we asked Davis about the QB situation with his former team in Washington -- since they just benched starter Dwayne Haskins for Kyle Allen.

Davis says he strongly believes Haskins has what it takes to be a star in the league -- and "being benched is just temporary."

We also asked about Alex Smith's comeback from that gnarly leg injury that almost ended his career -- and Davis told us straight-up AS is "the most resilient man I've ever met in my life."

The Travis County medical examiner has wrapped up its investigation into the death of pro gaming star Byron Bernstein -- aka "Reckful" -- and determined he died by suicide.

Bernstein's ex-girlfriend broke the news of his death on July 2 on social media. No details were released at the time. Officials in Travis County, Texas subsequently launched a probe to find out exactly what happened to the 31-year-old.

Now, the M.E. has released the findings of its investigation -- which say emergency responders raced to the scene of the incident and tried to resuscitate Bernstein, but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officials say Bernstein had been under significant stress ... including dealing with money problems and a breakup with a former girlfriend.

The investigators also noted Bernstein had a history of depression, and had previously attempted suicide several years ago.

Bernstein was a legend in gaming, especially at "World of Warcraft" -- where he was the #1 ranked player in the world for 6 straight seasons.

He famously won the Major League Gaming "WOW" tourney back in 2010.

He later became a streaming sensation on Twitch -- where he amassed a following of more than 900,000. He also developed a big following on YouTube and Twitter.

Bernstein had talked publicly about his battle with depression in the past, saying it started when he was 14.

Just last year, Byron appeared on the HealthyGamerGG show to talk about his issues and revealed he was diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2 as a child. He also said his brother took his own life after a battle with depression years ago.

RIP.

Patrick Mahomes says he's sleeping in a completely different bedroom from his pregnant fiancee due to the Chiefs' COVID-19 scare ... because he understands the gravity of the situation.

"It's something I think about every day," the K.C. Chiefs star QB said. "You have to think about that with her being pregnant and kind of that high-risk category."

Mahomes and his fiancee, Brittany Matthews, just announced their pregnancy last month. It's their first child.

So, it must have been scary when Kansas City's practice squad quarterback, Jordan Ta'amu -- who shares the same meeting rooms with Mahomes -- tested positive for coronavirus Saturday.

And, Patrick says he was so worried about possibly having COVID and how that might affect Brit and the baby, he avoided her at all costs around their house.

"When I went home over the weekend, I slept in a different bedroom and stayed away from her as much as possible."

Mahomes said he eased back on those restrictions once his COVID tests came back negative ... but he added the safety of his fiancee and their baby is still ALWAYS on his mind.

"I just try to do my part just to kind of keep myself away from her and social distance whenever stuff like this arises," Mahomes said.

Of course, there's a chance Mahomes might now have to go through a similar arrangement with Matthews this week after the quarterback came in close contact with COVID-19-positive Patriots star Stephon Gilmore during their game Monday.

Cameras caught Gilmore and Mahomes dapping each other up after K.C. beat New England ... and Mahomes said Wednesday he's regretting the actions.

"It was a little bit of a mental lapse," Patrick said.

So far, Mahomes and the rest of his Chiefs teammates have tested negative despite the close contact.

This could be a huge problem ...

The Miami Dolphins have been granted permission from the governor of Florida to allow full capacity at Hard Rock Stadium.

You read that correctly. We're talking 65,000 seats. In the middle of a pandemic.

The green light comes by way of Gov. Ron DeSantis -- whose spokesperson told Andy Slater the team is now allowed to pack their stadium as part of statewide removal of COVID-19 stadium restrictions.

That doesn't mean the Dolphins will rush to allow 65,000 people to watch the team at their next home game ... Slater says the org. still plans on limiting the number of fans to 13,000 at the next home game on Oct. 25.

The news comes on the heels of an announcement from the Green Bay Packers -- which just pressed pause on the possibility of opening up Lambeau Field to fans any time soon.

"Due to the concerning increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Green Bay area and across Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers today announced that the organization has put an indefinite hold on hosting fans for games at Lambeau Field this season," the team said in a statement.

Plus, with NFL teams like the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, K.C. Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders dealing with possible COVID outbreaks among the players ... it just doesn't seem like the best time for a team to pack a stadium with people!!

Lindsey Vonn says she seriously considered switching sports from downhill ski racing to Formula 1 racing ... but claims a policy about pregnancy prevented it from happening.

The 35-year-old Olympic legend explained the whole thing on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" ... saying she was specifically told she would need to make a 3-year commitment to NOT getting pregnant in order to get a shot as a pro driver.

"I was thinking about switching, going to Formula One. Like actually trying to be a racer, a driver. But, I couldn't because they wanted me to commit, what was it, 3 years? And, they're like you can't get pregnant, you can't do anything. I'm like hmm, I don't know if I really want to do that."

Vonn says the opportunity would have been with the Red Bull racing team -- and it's something she would have "loved to have done" ... but ultimately, she wasn't down to put off having a family.

BTW, Vonn is engaged to NHL star PK Subban -- and it's clear having kids is definitely on the table.

Lindsey is a huge fan of race car driving -- she's a natural behind the wheel. And, says if F1 didn't work out, jumping to NASCAR was also a possibility.

During the interview, which airs on TV this weekend, Vonn also mentions how much MONEY race car drivers make compared to skiers.

"Probably the salary of one racer is probably the total amount of money that ski racing has for their annual budget as a sport. [Lewis Hamilton] makes more money than all of ski racing combined!"

An ultra-rare, 110-year-old Honus Wagner baseball card is about to hit the auction block ... and it's expected to sell for OVER $1.2 MILLION!!

The 1909-11 T-206 Wagner is regarded by hardcore collectors as one of the most desirable cards in existence.

How desirable?? Well, Goldin Auctions -- the auction site selling the Wagner card -- previously sold a version of the T-206 for $3.12 MILLION in 2016!!

This Wagner card -- featuring a portrait of Honus on the front with a "Sweet Caporal" cigarette ad on the back -- isn't quite graded as high ... but with only around only 50 in existence, it's one of the most valuable pieces of cardboard in the world.

FYI, Honus -- an 8-time NL batting champion and Hall of Famer -- played from 1897 to 1917. Wagner was a career .329 hitter and he racked up 3,430 hits ... and is widely considered one of the greatest ballplayers ever.

Fun fact ... Wagner earned less than $140K over his 2-decade long career. Now, his baseball card will likely sell for 8 times what he made playing ball.

The card hits the GA block on October 12 ... good luck!!

The bubble life couldn't stop the Seattle Storm from getting their party on after winning the WNBA Finals ... with the players raging and boozing all night!!

Breanna Stewart and the gang easily handled the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 to sweep their way to the team's 4th title Tuesday night ... and immediately got to boozin' and dancin'.

Natasha Howard documented the whole thing ... with the team downing shots and bubbly in a club-like atmosphere inside their bubble at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

There was Chris Brown, Soulja Boy and Megan Thee Stallion blaring ... with Alysha Clark dropping it low while sippin' straight from the bottle!!

It may not have been the REAL kinda rager the ladies were hoping for ... but a title is a title and they partied like champs.

The funniest part is how QUICKLY Breanna wanted to party -- crashing Sue Bird's interview to demand she answer only one more question so they could go get lit.

Congrats to the champions!!

Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden has been taken to the hospital to help aid in his battle with COVID-19 ... his wife said Tuesday.

Ann Bowden, who's been married to Bobby for over 70 YEARS, told the Tallahassee Democrat the 2-time national champion coach was transported to the hospital via ambulance.

Ann says the trip is precautionary at the moment ... but she added 90-year-old Bobby is experiencing fatigue and will have further testing done at the facility.

"I feel sure he's going to be OK," Ann said. "I am very positive. I am not an alarmist."

Bobby had previously been in the hospital over the past few weeks due to a skin infection on his leg ... and learned toward the end of his stay there last week that he had tested positive for COVID.

The former Seminoles head man said Monday from his home he wasn't experiencing any symptoms ... and appeared to be confident he'd be fine.

But, Ann said Tuesday, "He hasn't been getting around much at all due to his leg; it has been pretty painful. He sleeps much of the day."

Ann said she's hopeful Bobby can leave the hospital again in a few days.

Michael Jordan's done it. Same with Walter Payton and Mary Lou Retton.

And now, LeBron James is finally getting the honor of being on the Wheaties box!!

It's kinda crazy LeBron hasn't been on the box before considering he's been an NBA superstar since 2003, but better late than never!

General Mills announced the Lakers superstar will take over as the box cover athlete, relieving Serena Williams of her cereal duties.

The company says it picked LeBron to celebrate his "efforts both on and off the court" -- most notably, his accomplishments with the I Promise program for underprivileged kids in Akron, Ohio.

In fact, LeBron will share the Wheaties box with images of kids, families and faculty from the I Promise program and the I Promise public school.

FYI, Wheaties has been putting top athletes on the cereal box for 85 years -- the very first athlete to grace the cover was Lou Gehrig back in 1934!

Mike Holmgren is going to war with Donald Trump ... blaming the president for the Packers' new fan ban -- and claiming POTUS is single-handedly responsible for "devastating" Green Bay's economy.

The Packers coaching legend spelled out his issues with DT in a scathing statement Tuesday ... just hours after the team announced fans would NOT be allowed at Lambeau Field for the foreseeable future due to rising COVID cases in the area.

"Today's announcement makes one thing very clear -- President Trump's failure to mount a forceful response to the coronavirus pandemic has had profound consequences for Green Bay's economy," Holmgren said.

"Small businesses in the community are paying dearly. We are now months into this crisis, cases are surging across Wisconsin, and President Trump still doesn't have a plan to get the virus under control."

Holmgren added, "It didn't have to be this bad."

Mike says the Packers pulling the plug on fans this season will have a HUGE negative impact on the city's economy -- claiming it could cost locals roughly $160 MILLION.

"As a result of Trump's failure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic," Holmgren said, "the scaled-down Packers season is devastating to many Green Bay-area businesses."

Holmgren is adamant about booting Trump from office this election cycle ... saying he believes Joe Biden's plan for coronavirus would mean better news for Green Bay.

"He's a man of integrity," Holmgren said of Biden. "And, now more than ever, we need him in the White House."

What is ... INCREDIBLE?!!?

How about this video of legendary "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek making a surprise video for the 2020 NHL Draft on Tuesday, announcing the Ottawa Senators' 1st-round pick?!

Yep, the 80-year-old Canadian quiz show legend -- who's battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer -- is also a HUGE hockey superfan. So, when the opportunity came to make a cameo for the 2020 Draft, Trebek accepted!

The Senators had the 3rd overall pick in the Draft -- and Alex set up the announcement from the "Jeopardy!" stage, with some help from the show's announcer Johnny Gilbert.

The Category: "The NHL"

The Clue: "With the 3rd pick in the 2020 NHL Draft the Ottawa Senators choose this player."

The Correct Response: "Who is Tim Stützle."

FYI, Stützle is an 18-year-old prodigy from Germany, who can play both center or wing.

This is bad. Really bad.

Another New England Patriots start has tested positive for COVID-19 -- Stephon Gilmore ... and now there are serious concerns about a major NFL outbreak.

Gilmore is one of the top players on the Pats -- a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback who was a part of the Patriots 2018 Super Bowl team.

He's also the 3rd Patriots player to test positive over the past week -- following QB Cam Newton and practice squad defensive end Bill Murray. Newton had tested positive on Saturday, which led to the NFL moving the Pats vs. Chiefs game from Sunday to Monday.

The big concern, obviously, is that Gilmore played during Monday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was seen shaking hands with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes after the game.

Did Gilmore have COVID at the time even though he tested negative? It's possible. And, now everyone is concerned.

The Patriots have canceled their Wednesday practice while they try to figure things out. They're supposed to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday but now that game is clearly in jeopardy.

More bad news ... another Tennessee Titans player ALSO tested positive for COVID -- which means the team can't open their practice facility on Wednesday, as they were hoping to do.

It also puts their scheduled Sunday matchup with the Buffalo Bills in jeopardy.

EVEN MORE BAD NEWS ... a player on the Las Vegas Raiders has also tested positive. The Raiders are supposed to play the Chiefs on Sunday.

Remember, the NFL is NOT in a bubble environment -- though players and staffers are tested daily.

But, right now, there is serious concern about how the league can move forward if so many players continue to test positive.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- Brie Bella and her twin sister, Nikki, are using the same playbook for real estate ... as they did for childbirth. Allow us to explain.

Brie just listed her Phoenix home for a cool $1,695,000. The 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathrooms crib is 1 of only 16 homes in a coveted gated neighborhood ... and it comes with a spacious 3,000 square feet of living space.

It's a semi-custom, modern farmhouse with soaring ceilings, custom wood cabinetry, stone counters and hardwood flooring throughout. Now, if the "Total Bellas" star's move sounds familiar, that's because Nikki did this with her AZ property just over a month ago.

As we first reported ... Nikki put her place on the market back in August after living in it for barely 3 months, and we're told she already has a contingent offer on it.

Nikki, of course, lived right next to Brie ... and the building process was part of this past season's storyline.

Brie's home listing -- Greg Corbett of eXp Realty -- totally makes sense for the sisters. Remember, they were pregnant the same time, and Nikki gave birth to her baby boy on July 31 ... while Brie followed the next day, also having a boy.

They joked on the show that if they got on each other's nerves, Nikki could just up and sell the house. No word if that actually happened -- we doubt it -- but they're bolting together.

Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker Bud Dupree is giving a firsthand account into what it's like to play during the pandemic ... telling TMZ Sports his life really consists of 2 things right now -- "go to practice and go home."

The NFL was hit with its first COVID outbreak following Week 3 ... with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots reporting positive tests within their organizations.

Dupree -- who had an unexpected week off when the Steelers' matchup with the Titans was pushed to later in the season -- says his team is being EXTRA cautious to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to them.

"We try to stay away as much as possible just so we won't be on that end of the stick," the 27-year-old tells us. "We don't wanna be the ones who are holding the game up."

Dupree -- a 1st-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft -- points out the league's strict guidelines have essentially prevented him from doing anything other than reconnecting with family at home during his bye week ... or he'd face a fine.

As for switching gears from preparing for the Titans to getting ready for the Philadelphia Eagles this week ... Dupree says Coach Mike Tomlin makes it easy.

"With a coach like Tomlin, anytime adversity hit, he already got us coded to just keep going," he says.

"Live in the moment, be ready for whatever, just keep the punches going. He does a great job of preparing us for the moments even throughout training camp."

Before this little Lakers fanatic was one of the most successful models in the world, she was just another basketball girl blowing out her birthday candles in Los Angeles, California.

This suited-up hoopster was raised in a famous family -- her younger sister follows in her modeling career footsteps and their mother is featured on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.' She's walked the most renowned runways and been photographed on the cover of numerous magazines ... including 35 appearances on Vogue.

Recently, this sporty sweetheart had a baby girl of her own with her boyfriend, a former member of the band, One Direction.