TMZ Sports - Page 50

Atlanta Falcons star Takk McKinley's Twitter fingers just cost him a chunk of change ... with the team reportedly fining the defensive end over his recent Twitter outburst.

McKinley -- a 2017 first-rounder -- seemingly called the Falcons front office clowns after the trade deadline this week ... claiming the team should have pulled the trigger when he wanted out of town last season.

"These @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 2nd round draft pick when I requested to get traded last year," Takk tweeted Wednesday.

"The same @AtlantaFalcons turned down a 5th and 6th round draft pick from multiple teams when I requested to get traded this year. I only have 17.5 career sacks."

"🤡🤡🤡"

While the team denied any actual offer was presented, interim head coach Raheem Morris made it clear he was NOT happy about McKinley's decision to air out his frustrations on Twitter.

"Takk will definitely be held accountable for his actions and everything that goes with it," the coach said.

Now, we know what that means ... with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting Takk was fined an undisclosed amount for the tweets.

Whether the two sides will be able to make up is doubtful -- the team has already declined his 5th-year option and hasn't ruled out cutting McKinley's playing time or suspending him.

As for Takk's tweet ... it's still live on his account.

No regrets??

President-elect Joe Biden can Make Syracuse Football Great Again ... so says head coach Dino Babers, who believes #46's ties to the school will help BIG with recruitment.

Biden is a proud Orange alum -- he received his law degree from 'Cuse in 1968 and became the first Orangeman to be elected POTUS.

Babers was asked about Biden winning the presidency following the Orange's 16-13 loss to Boston College ... and he thinks the impact will trickle onto the field.

"To have the opportunity to be the head football coach at the university where the president-elect graduated from, I think is huge," Babers told reporters.

"Not only is it a huge honor, but I think it’s a huge recruiting advantage when you go around the country and say, 'Hey, come to Syracuse University. You can be a president of the United States."

Babers also says he hopes to meet the president-elect someday .. calling the opportunity "extremely cool."

Dave Roberts is finally speaking out about the Justin Turner COVID drama at the World Series ... admitting everyone involved "could've all done things differently and done better."

The Dodgers manager broke down his feelings on the matter with KTLA on Monday ... relenting his team dropped the ball on the handling of the situation.

"This is new to all of us," Roberts said. "So, I think emotions got the best of all of us."

Turner was pulled in the 7th inning of the Dodgers' Game 6 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays last month after tests revealed he was positive for coronavirus.

The 35-year-old 3rd baseman initially was sent into isolation ... but he came out of it just a short time later, saying in a statement last week that he believed he was given permission to take the field for photos with the World Series trophy.

MLB concluded its investigation into the matter and decided to NOT punish either the Dodgers or JT over it all ... but acknowledged everyone involved should've done more to keep Turner from exposing others.

While Roberts appeared to agree with the sentiment Monday ... he added he's still glad Turner got to relish in the title celebration regardless.

"I'm a cancer survivor," Roberts said. "I sat next to him. And, so, I don't apologize for that."

Ex-Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is suing his former team for more than $22 MILLION -- claiming he was wrongly made the scapegoat for the cheating scandal despite having nothing to do with it.

53-year-old Luhnow -- who was hired by the Astros in 2011 -- says he signed a deal with the team in 2018 that included $31 million in guaranteed compensation in addition to performance bonuses.

But, when the team fired him for cause following an investigation into allegations the team conducted a high-tech sign-stealing system in 2017 ... Luhnow claims he got screwed out of a ton of money, more than $22 million.

In his breach of contract lawsuit, Luhnow claims the Astros fired him "even though [he] had no knowledge of -- or involvement in -- the sign-stealing schemes."

He adds, "Yet everyone above and below Luhnow in the Astros organization came away unscathed" -- including the "video room employees who conceived and orchestrated the sign stealing system."

Luhnow claims the "investigation" -- which he puts in quotes in his suit -- was "deeply flawed" and wrongly made him a scapegoat, claiming he had knowledge of they scheme.

"The truth is the Astros had no basis to fire Luhnow, a respected executive with an unblemished record and a 16 year history of compliance with MLB rules."

The Astros fired Luhnow in January 2020 -- after the MLB report was released.

He was hit with a 1-year ban -- same as manager A.J. Hinch -- but Luhnow has not been hired by another team.

Hinch, on the other hand, was just hired to manage the Detroit Tigers.

Logan Ryan made the interception that won the game for the NY Giants on Sunday -- and he's giving the game ball to his wife.

What a week.

As we previously reported, Logan's wife, Ashley, underwent emergency surgery last week for an ectopic pregnancy (which is when the fertilized egg implants in the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus).

Ashley didn't know she was pregnant and only went to the doctor at the suggestion of a NY Giants medical trainer.

She is recovering and doing well but doctors were not able to save the pregnancy.

Despite the traumatic week, Ryan -- a defensive back for the G-Men -- decided to play Sunday against the Washington Football Team ... and was awarded the team ball for picking off Alex Smith in the 4th quarter to seal a 23-20 victory.

After the game, Ryan opened up about his "extremely emotional week" -- and gave an update on his wife's condition.

"[I'm] extremely grateful to the organization and to my wife," Logan said ... "She's a fighter."

"For her ... not to lose her there in that situation is very fortunate."

"At the same time, my wife and I mourn in silence of our lost child during that process to so we had a loss as well. Although it's a great story, it was an emotional week for me and her and that game is definitely for my wife, definitely for my family."

Logan says he had his wife's name written on his cleats on Sunday -- and when was thinking about her the whole day.

In fact, Logan says Ashley told him to go out there, BALL OUT and earn a game ball -- and that's exactly what he did.

The Dallas Cowboys took another loss on Sunday ... but at least D-lineman Antwaun Woods left the weekend a winner -- TMZ Sports has learned his weed case was just dismissed in court.

The 27-year-old NFLer was pulled over back on Dec. 3, 2019 in Frisco, Texas after cops say he was doing 77 MPH in a 60.

Officers said during the stop they smelled weed on Woods ... and eventually, they claim to have found a grip of marijuana in his car.

According to the police report, Woods had 2 glass mason jars and a small gold cylinder container full of weed, along with several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

In video of the stop, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see a cop told the Cowboys player outright, "Listen, you've got too much marijuana, OK?"

Woods was ultimately arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana ... but court records show the case was dismissed last Friday.

Unclear why the charge was dropped ... we're working on it.

We've reached out to both the Collin County DA and Woods' attorney ... but so far, no word back yet.

Larsa Pippen says her falling out with Kim Kardashian and her sisters was at the behest of Kanye West ... who she believes has brainwashed all of them.

Larsa opened up about her relationship with Kim on the "Hollywood Raw Podcast," saying the rift began earlier this year because Kanye didn't trust anyone with Kim ... which led to Larsa and Kim unfollowing each other on social media.

Larsa believes Kanye then got Kourtney and Khloe to turn on her too by making her out to be a bad seed ... even though she says she had nothing but love for all of them.

Larsa says she and Kanye never had any serious altercations either ... but she mentions an alleged incident between Travis Scott and her that could have set off Kanye.

She also claims Kanye used to call her a lot to vent about stuff ... but she eventually got tired of it and blocked his number. Larsa says Kanye didn't like that either.

A pandemic like no other ...

Golf star Sergio Garcia has tested positive for coronavirus -- and has withdrawn from The Masters tournament in Augusta, which is set to kick off on Thursday.

Garcia is one of the top golfers in the world and famously won The Masters back in 2017.

The 40-year-old revealed the news on social media ... saying he got tested over the weekend after experiencing symptoms.

"On Saturday night after driving back from the Houston Open, I started feeling a bit of a sore throat and a cough," Garcia said.

"The symptoms stayed with me on Sunday morning so I decided to get tested for Covid-19 and so did my wife Angela. Thankfully she tested negative, but I didn’t."

"After 21 years of not missing a Major Championship, I will sadly miss The Masters this week."

"The important thing is that my family and I are feeling good. We’ll come back stronger and give the green jacket a go next April."

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman -- the first UFC heavyweight champ ever -- is recovering in the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The 55-year-old legend says he felt something was wrong late Tuesday -- "chest locked up my arms went numb" -- but he tried to sleep it off.

When things didn't get better after several hours, Mark hightailed it to the hospital where doctors found a "complete blockage of a major artery."

"If I [didn't go to the hospital] I’m probably not here today," Coleman posted from his hospital bed.

"I’m so glad I went I have so many things I want to do."

He added, "For the first time in a long time I am motivated I am great full and appreciate all your support. It wasn’t my time. It’s time to live."

Coleman became the first UFC heavyweight champ back in 1997 when he defeated Dan Severn in the 1st round of their fight at UFC 12.

He went on to fight some of the greatest heavyweights of all time -- like Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture.

His signature victories include wins over guys like Mauricio Rua and Stephan Bonnar.

Coleman was inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2008.

The Saints' blowout win over Tom Brady's Buccaneers was so massive even Sean Payton had to get in on the post-game dance party ... and the vid of coach cutting a rug is epic!!

Just minutes after New Orleans finished off drubbing Tampa Bay, 38-3 ... the guys put on some music in the locker room and began a celebration.

The dudes were HYPED -- Jameis Winston was eating W's and Saints players all over the room were getting in on the dance train.

FYI -- if you're unfamiliar, the Winston dance is a throwback to his Bucs days ... remember when he tried to get his Tampa teammates to "eat a W" before one of their games against the Saints? What a throwback move!

But, just a few seconds into the fiesta ... Payton decided to join in -- and the 56-year-old didn't seem outta place!!!

Check out the footage wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith posted ... Payton bopped around with his players and even got in a little footwork with star tackle Terron Armstead!!

Of course, Payton is no stranger to post-game dancing after big Ws ... remember when his 2018 locker room celebrations were so epic, they were immortalized in a hip-hop song??

How'd J.R. Smith celebrate Joe Biden's victory?

He drove around bumping "F*** Donald Trump" and flipping off MAGA supporters.

So yeah, just as you'd expect ...

The L.A. Lakers star hit the streets (of what appear to be Beverly Hills) on Sunday -- where he blasted the YG song from his BMW, while leaning out of his window and shooting the bird at all of the pro-Trump protesters he saw.

Smith loved every second of it -- and was smiling and laughing while trolling Team MAGA.

Of course, Smith is the latest in a long line of NBA players relishing Biden's victory ... his teammate, LeBron James, has been rejoicing on social media for days -- even waving goodbye to Trump in one tweet.

Trump and the NBA haven't seen eye-to-eye in a long time ... coaches such as Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich have RIPPED him consistently over the past 4 years.

The president, meanwhile, has been critical of players for kneeling during the anthem in the Orlando bubble this summer ... and he's consistently talked about the league's reportedly low TV ratings.

In fact, at a rally just a few days before his election loss ... Trump got a crowd to chant "LeBron James sucks" after he voiced his displeasure with the Lakers star and the NBA.

NBA player Sterling Brown has reached a $750k settlement with the City of Milwaukee, records show -- stemming from a 2018 incident when he was tased by cops.

Remember, the Milwaukee Bucks player was confronted by officers outside of a Walgreens while he was on a first date.

Cops had accused him of parking in a handicap space ... and things escalated from there.

Video showed officers taking Brown to the ground and tasing him -- despite the fact he never resisted or seemed to pose a threat.

Brown filed a lawsuit after the incident -- and previously said he was offered a $400,000 settlement in exchange for his silence on the matter but refused, saying, "I can't be quiet."

Now, Brown HAS reached a deal ... but according to The Athletic's Shams Charania it's not just about money.

In addition to the $750,000 ... Shams says the "City of Milwaukee would in a statement admit to a constitutional violation and commit to incorporate changes to the Milwaukee Police Department standard operating procedures."

Better start warming up that arm, Mr. President-Elect.

The Washington Nationals have invited Joe Biden to throw out of the first pitch of the 2021 season -- when they take on the New York Mets at home on April 1st.

And, right now, it seems they expect him to accept.

"We look forward to hosting President-Elect Biden on Opening Day of the 2021 season," the team said in a statement.

"We're excited to continue the long-standing tradition of sitting Presidents throwing out the first pitch at the home of the national pastime in our nation's capital."

Worth noting ... Donald Trump did NOT throw out a ceremonial first pitch at an MLB game during his presidency -- the ONLY president to skip the tradition since it began with William Taft in 1910.

Trump famously attended Game 5 of the 2019 World Series when the Nationals played the Houston Astros -- but he didn't throw out the first pitch.

As for Biden, he played a little baseball as a kid -- and threw out the first pitch for the Baltimore Orioles during Opening Day in 2009.

The pitch wasn't horrible (looking at YOU, Dr. Fauci) ... but it wasn't a perfect strike either.

Evander Holyfield has a message for Mike Tyson -- I WANT NEXT!

Here's footage of 58-year-old Evander busting his ass at the Heavyweight Factory gym in Hollywood, FL -- and we're told it's all in the hopes of getting a rematch with his old rival.

We've been covering Evander's comeback for months -- after Mike Tyson announced he would be returning to the ring, Holyfield followed suit.

Now, with Mike set to take on Roy Jones Jr. on Nov. 28 -- we're told Evander wants the next fight with "Iron Mike" ... and feels confident he can win.

And, get this ... our Holyfield sources tell us they believe Tyson is actually avoiding Evander.

One source put it this, "It's not even about the money at this point, I think Tyson is scared."

"We've offered multiple times and Tyson vs. Holyfield is the fight that should happen."

Tyson and Holyfield first clashed back in 1996 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas -- where Evander dominated Mike in an 11th round TKO.

Everyone remembers the rematch in 1997 -- the last time Evander had two intact ears.

Tyson was disqualified in the 3rd round for taking a few bites out of Holyfield's lobes.

Years later, Tyson apologized to Holyfield and they became friends ... but it's clear, Holyfield is itching for another chance to punch Mike in the face.

Tyson has said he wants to continue fighting after the Roy Jones match -- but hasn't locked in any opponents.

Ex-WWE champ Alberto Del Rio is adamantly denying new allegations he routinely physically abused his ex-girlfriend, Paige ... insisting she was the aggressor during their tumultuous relationship.

Earlier this week, Paige had publicly accused Alberto -- real name Jose Rodriguez Chucuan -- of terrorizing her on a regular basis before they broke up in 2017.

During an interview on GAW TV, Paige described the cycle of abuse -- saying the incidents escalated from once every few weeks to daily attacks.

"It's like it's up to 6, 7 hours a day you're literally trapped in a certain room and getting your ass beat every couple of minutes, you know what I mean?"

Paige -- real name Saraya Bevis -- also noted Alberto is currently facing criminal charges in Texas for allegedly attacking a different ex-girlfriend back in May, something she chalks up to "karma."

"Karma's a real thing and you put out what you receive -- and right now, he's receiving it."

We contacted Alberto for comment -- and not only did he deny the allegations, Del Rio insisted he's the real victim.

"It was the other way around," Del Rio tells TMZ Sports ... "I have the evidence. Not just words."

Del Rio says he's considering taking legal action against Paige for defamation -- and issued this comment to her.

"I would say Raya, why? Why? Why are you doing this Raya? And, I'm not calling you Paige because you were never Paige to me, you were Raya."

"Why would you hurt me in a moment like this?"

Nothing says family better than being on the same team, and these famous families are proud to show off their NFL fan photos!

Stars like Gisele Bündchen, Chanel Iman, Sterling Shepard, Mario Lopez, Rob and Bryiana Dyrdek and a ton more celebs have shared shots on social media of the whole family ... and which pigskin squad they are getting behind.

Huddle up and take a look through our gallery of football fanatic families to see who the biggest names in Hollywood are rooting for on the field.