TMZ Sports - Page 50

Great news for John Elway ... the Denver Broncos legend has recovered from his bout with COVID and is set to return to the team facility on Friday.

60-year-old Elway tested positive for coronavirus on Nov. 3rd after experiencing what the team described as "minor symptoms."

He's been working from home and self-isolating ever since, the team says.

But now, things have taken a turn for the better, according to KUSA's Mike Klis.

"GM John Elway has recovered nicely from COVID and is cleared to return to his office tomorrow," Klis said.

He also noted Broncos CEO Joe Ellis -- who also tested positive for COVID last week -- "is still battling symptoms and is not yet cleared to return.

For what it's worth, the team believes both Elway and 61-year-old Ellis contracted the virus OUTSIDE the team facility.

The Broncos have a game this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that's also had some recent COVID drama.

A SIXTH green jacket is well within reach for Tiger Woods ... the golf legend got off to a blazing hot start at the Masters -- and is now currently tied for 4th after finishing his 1st round!

44-year-old Tiger shot a super stress-free 68 -- carding zero bogies and four birdies -- and he now trails the leader, Paul Casey, by just three strokes heading into Day 2.

"That's the best I've seen him play in a long time," said golf superstar Michelle Wie, who commentated on Woods' entire round for ESPN on Thursday morning.

It's a great sign for Tiger, who hasn't exactly played his best golf since winning the Masters back in April 2019.

Woods hit 10 out of 14 fairways, 15 out of 18 greens and his average driving distance off the tee was over 280 yards.

If Tiger is able to put together three more solid days just like that ... he could very well walk away with his second straight Masters green jacket -- which would be his 6th overall.

Of course, that number would tie him for most Masters victories ever with Jack Nicklaus ... and would put him just 2 behind the Golden Bear's all-time record of 18 total majors.

Good news for the WNBA ... Patrick Mahomes' unborn daughter already has a basketball hoop in her room!!!

The NFL superstar's fiancee Brittany Matthews is already putting together the nursery for their baby girl -- complete with 2 bassinets and a crib -- and it looks awesome!

There's a marble side table, pink drapes, some cool wall decor -- and a pink hoop by the door!

Unclear exactly when the baby is due -- but if she was 12 weeks when they announced the pregnancy in September, the kid would be due around April 2021.

The Kansas City Chiefs QB began dating Brittany back in high school and they've been together ever since.

Brit and Patrick -- who got engaged earlier this year -- recently said the wedding won't take place until 2022.

"We have a few dates nailed down but we'll be having baby in 2021 and we plan to do a wedding and all wedding things in 2022."

Matthews said the two weren't "trying" to get pregnant this year -- but admitted they weren't exactly "being careful either."

COVID-19 can't stop Urban Meyer ... the college football coaching legend just revealed he beat the virus after contracting it recently.

The former Ohio State head man said he was fortunate ... and only experienced minor effects.

"I did deal with it," the 56-year-old told WBNS 10TV this week. "I've just recently gotten over it. I was relatively symptom-free."

Meyer -- who now works as a CFB analyst for Fox Sports -- says his positive test was the reason he and his other co-hosts had to bail on their “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show earlier this month.

Urban added he doesn't believe his diagnosis affected any of his co-workers.

"The good thing is none of my partners and teammates had it," Meyer said, "and we're going to be back at it this weekend."

Things are REALLY looking up for Mets fans ... just 2 days after their new owner promised to build a winner -- Noah Syndergaard showed his right arm can still throw missiles!!

... oh, and he did it all sweaty and shirtless!!

Syndergaard -- who had to undergo Tommy John surgery back in March -- posted video of him rocketing fastballs Thursday ... and it's gotta have people in NY ecstatic.

There was obviously concern the 28-year-old might not have the same firepower after the elbow operation ... but it's clear in the footage, Thor should be throwing close to 100 MPH again in no time.

The video comes on the heels of new Mets owner Steve Cohen saying Tuesday he wouldn't cut corners in the process of building the team into a premier MLB franchise.

"This is a major-market team," Cohen told reporters. "It should have a budget commensurate with that."

Syndergaard -- who didn't have the world's greatest relationship with the Wilpons (the previous owners) -- seems fired up to play for the guy ... he even changed his Twitter bio recently to reflect that.

"Dear Steve Cohen," Syndergaard wrote. "Hi, I’m Noah. Some ppl call me Thor. I’m a Met, working out in Florida, and I just want to win for Mets fans just like you."

Michael Jordan's last piece of NBA laundry is hitting the auction block -- the actual jersey from his final game ... and it's gonna fetch a TON of cash!

It's MJ's #23 away jersey from his final game with the Washington Wizards on April 16, 2003 ... the last time Jordan stepped on the court as an NBA player.

39-year-old Jordan dropped 15 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists against the Philadelphia 76ers that night -- but it wasn't enough to get the W. Final score, 107 to 87.

BTW, we're also told Jordan rocked the jersey for the final 2 months of his NBA career -- his final 14 road games.

The one-of-a-kind jersey is about to hit the block at Goldin Auctions ... and GA tells us they expect the threads to bring in over $500,000!!

As for where the jersey -- which Goldin says has been photo-matched to ensure authenticity -- came from ... well, it's a pretty cool story.

Back in 1984, Jordan befriended the owner of a limousine service ... and the 2 men became close.

MJ gifted the jersey to the guy who held on to it for years -- but he has now decided to part ways with the item.

The Jordan jersey is part of a larger collection of rare MJ items hitting the auction block -- including a pair of signed, game-worn, Air Jordan 1's from Michael's 1984-1985 season. GA also has MJ's signed, game-worn minor league baseball jersey from the Birmingham Barons.

Huge news ... The Weeknd has officially announced he's doing the Super Bowl halftime show in February!!!

... as long as there's still a Super Bowl in February!!!

The superstar broke the news Thursday morning -- "We all grow up watching the world's biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I'm humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year."

Weeknd was booked through Jay-Z's Roc Nation agency -- which has a partnership with the NFL.

Jay also weighed in -- saying, "This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer."

The game is set to take place on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, home of the Buccaneers.

As for fans ... the NFL has previously said it was "hoping" to have thousands of spectators on hand for the game -- but nothing is set in stone because of the COVID pandemic.

League reps have said they are preparing for all possible scenarios -- which includes few to no fans.

Obviously, that would make things weird for The Weeknd -- performing in a massive stadium, on a massive stage with no live crowd reaction.

But, even if there aren't fans in the stadium, the Super Bowl draws a MASSIVE global audience on TV -- Super Bowl 54 (Chiefs vs. 49ers) back in February pulled in 102 MILLION viewers!!

Of course, the halftime show for that game was epic -- Shakira and Jennifer Lopez!!

So, how does The Weeknd plan to follow those legends??

He's got a pretty great catalog -- with hits like "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," "The Hills Have Eyes" and many many more.

Now on the tee ... A BIG-ASS ALLIGATOR!!!!!

A Jurassic Park-like beast interrupted some golfers during an outing in Florida on Wednesday ... and video of the reptile crawling around the course is WILD!!!

Check out some footage that golfers in Naples shot this week ... you can see the gator -- roughly 10 FEET LONG -- was just cruising through tee boxes without a care in the world.

"Holy ...," one golfer said while seeing the animal on the course. "This guy out for a stroll -- oh, my God!"

Gators haven't been shy about making appearances on golf courses over the past year ... remember when two beasts brawled on an 18th hole in South Carolina?

Also, who could forget the gator that stole some dude's ball in Louisiana!!!

What a difference a week makes ...

Lamar Odom and Sabrina Parr are apparently BACK ON -- just one week after Parr announced they had broken up so Lamar could focus on his personal issues.

The two hopped on a plane early Thursday morning for a quick romantic getaway. Unclear where they were headed, but once they touched down, the two posed or a kissy face photo, seemingly to show social media they're back together and happy.

Parr says they are celebrating the 1-year anniversary of their engagement -- so, is that back too?

Remember, it was just a week ago Sabrina went public about their split -- suggesting Odom is still dealing with personal demons that were getting in the way of their relationship.

"Y'all know I'm honest and transparent so I have to be the first to let you guys know that I am no longer engaged to Lamar," Sabrina Parr posted last Wednesday night on IG.

"Lamar has some things that he alone needs to work through," Parr said ...adding, "I love him dearly but I am no longer able to be by his side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs."

So, what changed? We're trying to find out.

40-year-old Odom had proposed to Parr (a fitness and life coach) at Myles Chefetz's Prime 112 restaurant in Miami back in November while dining with pal Nene Leakes.

UFC meet UFO.

It was close encounters of the third kind for Diego Sanchez this week -- the UFC star is convinced he was visited by aliens on Wednesday night.

No, this ain't a joke.

38-year-old Sanchez -- who's been fighting in the UFC since 2005 -- described the encounter at his home in New Mexico late Wednesday evening.

"I was doing energy work on my patio as a ufo flew right up on me," Sanchez said on Twitter.

"I called for my daughter quick quick she watched this thing [hover] only hundreds of feet away."

"Albuquerque is a trip sightings are regular here. But this sh*t was contact tonight."

Sanchez added, "it was obvious it was watching me."

Unclear if Diego snapped any pics or shot any video.

Sanchez famously appeared on Season 1 of "The Ultimate Fighter" back in 2005 -- and defeated Kenny Florian in the season finale.

Wanna see a guy tougher than you???

Las Vegas Raiders fullback Alec Ingold smashed up his ribs so badly on Sunday, he was forced to go to the hospital -- but now, the dude's trying to play in a game just 7 days later!

Ingold had to be removed from the Raiders' win over the Chargers last weekend after he broke 2 ribs in a violent collision with an L.A. defender.

The injuries looked serious ... Alec posted a pic of him hooked up to a ton of wires at a local medical facility -- and everyone wondered if that would spell the end of his season.

Well, Ingold is deciding there's no chance in hell of that ... 'cause he's not only gunning to play Sunday against the Broncos -- HE WAS BACK AT PRACTICE WEDNESDAY!

The 24-year-old is known as one of the toughest dudes in the league ... but sheesh, man!

"He’s like the throwback guys," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said of Ingold to reporters Wednesday. "He will not come off the field. He insists on playing."

"He’s been cleared to play, and he did practice today. I’d be shocked if he’s not ready to play great on Sunday.”

An Argentinian man crashed into a large pile of cacti during a recent bike ride ... and he was covered in so many thorns afterward -- he was forced to go to the hospital for treatment.

The poor guy's name is Diego Moreno ... an amateur bicyclist who was riding in Buenos Aires when the disastrous spill went down.

Moreno says he was cycling in a pack ... when he didn't see a pothole in the road. He claims his bike clipped it and sent him flying.

Unfortunately for Moreno, his landing area was giant cactus -- and he hit the plant so hard, it stuck hundreds of thorns into his body.

Check out the footage of the aftermath ... everything from Moreno's head to toe was covered in broken pieces of the prickly plant.

Good Samaritans tried to help Moreno ... but the damage was so significant, he had to get immediate medical care at a local facility.

Fortunately, Moreno did NOT suffer any life-threatening injuries ... and is expected to make a full recovery.

"Thank God I was wearing glasses and a helmet and I didn't injure my face or head," Moreno told local media after the wreck. "Because the way the spines got embedded in me, it could have blinded me."

Journey Brown -- Penn State's top running back in 2019 -- is retiring from football after doctors diagnosed him with a serious heart condition

It's called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- a thickening of the heart muscle, which makes it more difficult to pump blood to the body.

According to the American Heart Association, "HCM has been cited as the most common reason for sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes under the age of 35."

Experts say things like "lifestyle changes" can make a big impact for people diagnosed with HCM -- which is obviously why Brown is making the decision to quit football. It's just too risky.

Penn State's head coach, James Franklin, said Brown only discovered the condition while undergoing routine COVID testing -- but noting, "it is not COVID related."

"We learned about this in early September, and we've been working through this and dealing with this as a team," Franklin said.

"The entire organization has rallied behind Journey and his family."

Brown was a force at running back -- earning MVP honors at the 2019 Cotton Bowl by rushing for 202 yards and 2 TDs on 16 carries in Penn State's victory over Memphis.

He led Penn State in rushing in 2019 with 890 yards and 12 TDs.

Brown has posted a statement about the situation -- saying his condition will prevent him from realizing his dreams of playing in the NFL, but "football will always be a part of me."

"The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts and I can't explain how I am feeling right now. However, I can walk away from the game knowing I truly gave my all at every practice, on every down and in the locker room every day."

Wanna reduce concussions in soccer by 20 percent?!?! Reduce the air pressure in the balls ... so says Purdue University.

Yeah, this is potentially huge news.

A team of engineers at Purdue have been looking into ways to make the game safer, citing claims that 22% of soccer injuries are "concussions that can result from players using their heads to direct the ball during a game."

Long story short, the team believes there's a connection between air pressure and injury ... and inflating balls to a lower pressure could make a HUGE difference to player health.

"The study, conducted by Purdue University engineers, found that inflating balls to pressures on the lower end of ranges enforced by soccer governing bodies such as the NCAA and FIFA could reduce forces associated with potential head injury by about 20%," the school said in a statement.

The researchers also recommended swapping out wet balls for dry ones -- because they more water they take on, they more danger they pose to players.

“If the ball has too high of a pressure, gets too waterlogged, or both, it actually turns into a weapon," said Eric Nauman, who spearheaded the study.

"Heading that ball is like heading a brick."

Everyone wants to know why UFC star Paul Felder is volunteering to fight a killer like Rafael dos Anjos on just 5 days' notice.

Well, Paul just gave us the answer -- and it's about as gangster as it gets.

"This is the crazy stuff that will either set me up for a major fight and move my career forward or I'll prove that I got balls that are bigger than anybody else's in the division."

No lies detected.

Paul -- who hasn't fought since February -- stepped up to replace Islam Makhachev in the main event on Nov. 14 ... after Islam was forced to withdraw this week due to a staph infection.

Felder says UFC firmed up the fight on Monday night -- giving him less than a week to prep himself for war.

Fortunately, Felder says he's been training like a maniac recently for a triathlon -- which means his cardio is insane at the moment.

So, he weighed the pros and cons of fighting a legend like dos Anjos -- and quickly came to the decision that it's worth the risk.

"If he beats me, he's a former champion! I don't give a sh*t! It's Rafael dos Anjos!"

Felder continued, "I mean, I've got nothing to lose other than some brain cells and some broken bones and things as usual but I will heal up and I'll be fine."

Don't get it twisted, Paul says he wouldn't have taken the fight if he wasn't 100% confident he can win.

"I'm fully capable of beating him, that I will make everyone clear of! I'm not coming in here to get a payday."

Felder says there's a real chance this could be the last fight of his career -- but he's not worried about that. He's just getting himself ready to fight.

Dos Anjos is the former UFC lightweight champ -- with signature victories over stars like Nate Diaz, Robbie Lawler, Kevin Lee and "Cowboy" Cerrone.

The defending NBA champs will be playing home games in front of empty seats to start off the 2020-21 season ... with the Los Angeles Lakers keeping fans home "until further notice."

The team made the announcement Wednesday ... saying it consulted with state and local health officials to come up with its plan for games as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

"The health and safety of our fans, players, staff and community are our main priority and we will continue to work with state and local officials to come up with a plan to safely welcome fans back to STAPLES Center in adherence with local, State, and NBA guidelines," the Lakers said in a statement.

"We appreciate your continued support and look forward to coming together, when it is safe to do so, to celebrate the raising of our banner and the quest for another NBA championship.

FYI, L.A. -- like many places across the country -- is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The 2020-21 schedule will be released soon ... and the season starts Dec. 22.