TMZ Sports - Page 50

Great news from NHL superstar Henrik Lundqvist -- the future Hall of Famer says his recent open heart surgery was a success!!

As we previously reported, the 38-year-old Washington Capitals goalie opted out of the upcoming NHL season last month ... citing an existing heart condition that would prevent him from taking the ice.

Lundqvist underwent a 5-hour procedure earlier this week -- an aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aortic replacement ... and gave an update on his recovery Friday.

"Day 3. Surgery went really well," Lundqvist said on Twitter. "About 5 hours to get it all taken care of. Really appreciate the great staff here at the Cleveland Clinic."

Lundqvist also shared a cute drawing from his 5-year-old, Juli, with her artistic interpretation of the event.

"Last few days has been pretty crazy but feel like I’m in really good hands. Every day is a step in the right direction."

It's a huge step in the right direction for Lundqvist ... although it has not been announced whether he will be able to return to hockey.

"If those were my kind storming the Capitol, what would have been the outcome? And, I think we all know."

LeBron James says the pro-Trump mob attack on D.C. is another prime example of Black people being treated differently in the U.S. ... claiming the handling of the incident proves "we live in 2 different Americas."

The NBA superstar -- wearing a shirt with the message "Do You Understand Now?" -- spoke about the riot after the Lakers' loss to the Spurs Thursday night ... and put all the blame on President Donald Trump.

"The events that took place yesterday was a direct correlation of the president that's in the seat right now ... of his actions, his beliefs, his wishes," James told reporters.

"He cares about nobody besides himself. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. He doesn't care about this country. He doesn't care about his family."

"He doesn't care about anybody besides himself."

LBJ says anyone who can't see the difference in the handling of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Capitol riots needs to take a step back ... and "ask yourself 'how do you want your kids, or how do you want your grandkids, or how do we want America to be viewed as?' Do we want to live in this beautiful country?"

As for where we go from here, James says he will use the incident as an opportunity to continue to uplift and educate Black people ... "even when times like yesterday feel like it was another gut punch to us."

If the Steelers thought JuJu Smith-Schuster's TikTokin' was a distraction -- wait 'til they get a load of this ...

Pittsburgh's flamboyant wideout just provided some SERIOUS bulletin board material for the Cleveland Browns ahead of their playoff matchup this weekend ... throwing major shade at the team's AFC North rival!!

Smith-Schuster's comments all went down in a meeting with the media on Thursday ... when a reporter asked if the 24-year-old had seen anything different out of the Browns this year.

"I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. "I think they’re nameless, gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but, at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns.”

JuJu added, "I'm just happy we're playing them again Sunday."

SHAAAAAAAAAADEEEE!!!

Of course, Smith-Schuster is no stranger to providing motivation for opposing teams ... to close out the season, the receiver made it a point to TikTok dance on opponents' logos before games.

Turns out, other teams used that as fuel ... especially the Bills and Bengals, who whooped the Steelers and griped about Smith-Schuster's dancing afterward.

Issac Bruce says if he were runnin' the Rams show ... he'd dump Jared Goff for Deshaun Watson -- telling TMZ Sports a potential trade with the Texans would be a no-brainer for him.

"I'd love to see it, I'm just going to be honest," the Rams legend says. "I think Deshaun Watson is a great talent. He can throw the football well. He's a competitor."

"You don't have to worry about if this guy is going to show up on Sunday. At all."

Of course, a Houston-Los Angeles trade would take a LOT of dominoes to fall ... first, the Texans would have to be willing to jettison their star QB -- even if he's as disgruntled as some reports say he is.

Second, the Rams would have to get creative with contracts considering Goff's massive deal ... AND they'd likely have to come up with a bunch of draft picks to give away as well.

But, Bruce says if there's any way L.A. can make it work ... the Rams should do it and not think twice.

"If Les [Snead] can pull it off, man," Bruce said of the Rams' general manager, "I'd be jumping on the table as well to make it happen."

As for Bruce's feelings on Goff going forward ... you can tell, Isaac ain't exactly Jared's #1 fan.

State of the nation got ya down? Here's a video that'll help pick you back up ...

A Green Bay Packers fan finished his last round of cancer treatments ... and to celebrate, he rang a ceremonial bell -- AND THEN SHOTGUNNED A BEER!!!

The amazing footage was posted on Twitter on Wednesday ... showing a guy in an Aaron Rodgers jersey attacking a Busch Light like a true champ after achieving the incredible feat!

"Ever shotgun a beer in a hospital?" Twitter user @blomdotcomm captioned the video. "Done with chemo. Done with cancer!"

He later added, "Had to celebrate the milestone in an epic fashion."

The clip was so awesome, it caught the attention of former NFL punter Pat McAfee -- who wrote of the vid, "Feel like the world needs some feel good right now... this feels good. Congrats BOSS."

Awesome news for Bengals fans -- star quarterback Joe Burrow says he fully intends to be ready for the start of 2021 ... less than 2 months after going down with a season-ending injury!!

Remember, #9 suffered a torn ACL, MCL and other knee damage in the 3rd quarter of Cincinnati's Nov. 22 matchup against the Washington Football Team ... officially ending his rookie campaign.

Joey B gave an update on his status in an interview with Colin Cowherd on FS1 on Thursday ... admitting he's making strides in recovery.

"Rehab has gone really well," 24-year-old Burrow said. "I'm past the worst part. I'm starting to feel like a normal human again. I can walk around, put my clothes on, do what I need to do."

But, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Heisman winner ... he admits, "The first week and a half, 2 weeks was pretty miserable. You need help doing everything but I'm getting more independent and it's gonna be nice to get some alone time."

Of course, Burrow was putting together a solid rookie season before the injury ... racking up 2,688 yards, 13 TDs and just 5 interceptions.

While Burrow's return date is still TBD, it's clear the young signal-caller isn't expecting to miss any games in 2021.

Just one day after his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump went back to business. And by business, we mean golf.

POTUS awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 3 professional golfers on Thursday -- retired stars Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, as well as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who died in 1956.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor ... which the White House describes as an award given to those "who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Player and Sorenstam were slated to receive the award back in March ... but the event was pushed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony is normally open to the press ... but not this time around.

Of course, that most likely has to do with the events that transpired in D.C. on Wednesday ... with hundreds of pro-Trump supporters invading the Capitol Building.

If you're questioning the decision to continue with the event -- given the country is still dealing with the aftermath of Wednesday's incident -- you're not alone.

Player's son, Marc, expressed his concerns with his dad accepting the award, tweeting, "I wish my father would simply & politely decline this 'award' at this time."

"Tone deaf. In denial. Wrong!!"

Tragic news coming out of Annapolis -- retired Navy football goat mascot, Bill 33, has died, the Academy announced Thursday. He was 14.

Bill 33 -- AKA "Blue Eyes" -- recently battled age-related health issues that would not improve ... and was euthanized in his Navy home with his caretaker by his side, USNA said in a statement.

The angora goat was donated to the Academy alongside Bill 34 in 2007 ... and repped the football team through the 2015 season before taking on a mentorship role to the younger goats.

The Navy says Bill 33 enjoyed hay and treats during retirement ... and was wise enough to stay clear of the younger, "more rambunctious" goats.

The Academy notes Bill 33 is the only goat in the school's history to have blue eyes -- hence the nickname.

"The Academy would like to publicly confirm that he was quite 'old and gnarly' and had 'never been to school,'" USNA added.

Bill 33 is survived by Bill 34 and current mascots Bill 36 and Bill 37.

Cleveland's baseball team no longer has a permanent name OR a star shortstop ... 'cause the Indians just traded away Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster deal with the Mets.

The swap was just finalized Thursday morning ... and it's a HUGE win for New York.

The Mets will reportedly get Lindor and star pitcher Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco ... all in exchange for infielder Amed Rosario, shortstop Andrés Giménez, and a pair of minor leaguers.

Not bad for the Mets at all ... considering Lindor has all the makings of a future Hall of Famer.

In just 6 years with Cleveland, Lindor made 4 All-Star teams, hit 138 home runs and stole 99 bases.

In fact, the Indians would have no doubt kept him if his contract demands weren't so sky-high.

As for Carrasco, he's been slowly regaining his ace form since his 2019 battle with leukemia -- posting a 2.91 ERA in the shortened 2020 season -- and he should slide right into a stacked Mets rotation that will feature Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman summed up all of New York's feelings on the matter nicely in tweets on Thursday, writing, "I’m turnt right now. Lol @Mets."

Stro added, "You’re a legend @StevenACohen2!"

A UT Chattanooga football assistant coach has just been fired ... after school officials say he penned an "appalling," "unacceptable," and "totally inappropriate" political post on social media this week.

Chris Malone, the Mocs' now-former offensive line coach, went to his personal Twitter account on Tuesday to fire off a vile tweet over the Georgia runoff elections results.

In the four-sentence statement, Malone took aim at Georgia politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams -- who many have credited for helping the democrats flip the Peach State blue.

"Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!!" Malone said in the tweet.

"Enjoy the buffet Big Girl!! You earned it!!! Hope the money is good, still not governor!"

The tweet -- and Malone's entire social media account -- were eventually taken down ... but school officials still dropped the hammer on the guy, firing him Thursday morning.

"Last night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention," UTC director of athletics Mark Wharton said. "The entire post was appalling."

"The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program."

Added UTC head coach Rusty Wright, "Our football program has a clear set of standards. Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on."

"What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff."

Malone was in the middle of his second stint at UTC before his firing Thursday -- he had previously coached for the Mocs in 2014 and 2015.

Malone worked at Old Dominion in between the two UTC stops from 2016-2018.

LiAngelo Ball is getting another shot at his hoops career -- the middle Ball bro has signed to play in the upcoming G League season, according to reports.

The 22-year-old hooper most recently inked a non-guaranteed contract with the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 2 ... but was waived 11 days later after failing to appear in 2 preseason games.

Now, Ball will get to show off his skills when the G League picks back up next month ... in hopes of catching NBA eyes.

The G League is expected to follow the "bubble" format in Orlando that worked so well for the NBA restart in 2020 -- players will begin their season in their respective markets next week for testing before traveling to Florida for the season.

The G League will have a different feel this year ... as teams were given the opportunity to opt-out of the upcoming campaign.

Any player belonging to a team that has opted out will be put into a draft pool to be selected by a participating squad for the season ... although it's unclear if Gelo will have to be "drafted."

"They're not f*cking protesters, they're f*cking terrorists."

Draymond Green gave a passionate speech after the Warriors' game Wednesday night ... eviscerating Trump supporters for their role in the D.C. riots AND the law enforcement officials who appeared to enable it all.

"Storming into a building and busting out windows and carrying podiums and all that other stuff, that's not a protest," the 30-year-old Dubs superstar said. "That's a terrorist attack."

Green was particularly furious over the response to the entire situation ... saying authorities were quicker on the draw when Black Lives Matter protesters hit the streets this past summer.

"It just goes to show the policing system was built against Black people -- Black and brown people," Green said. "And that's the reason those reactions are different."

"That's the reason someone can walk or run or bust their way through or whatever into the Speaker of the House's office and put their feet on the desk like they're sitting at home on her couch and nothing happens."

Green implored lawmakers to create significant changes ... explaining that's the only way he believes real change will come.

Others after the Warriors-Clippers game spoke out about the riots as well ... with Clippers star Kawhi Leonard saying the whole scene demonstrated "the privilege in America."

"Cause if any of us were out there," Leonard said, "I think it would've been tear gas, mace, probably gunshots."

L.A. forward Marcus Morris, meanwhile, said if it were up to him ... he would've canceled Wednesday's Clips game altogether.

LeBron James might have some stiff competition (or a great partner!) if the WNBA's Atlanta Dream does go up for sale ... 'cause Renee Montgomery says she's dead serious about potentially buying the squad too.

"Listen, I'm interested," the WNBA star said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts). "I think that people talking about it are actually serious. And, I'm actually serious."

Of course, the Dream is NOT for sale at the moment ... but team owner Kelly Loeffler -- who just lost her U.S. Senate run-off election in Georgia this week -- has become a villain in the league, and it's led to speculation a sale could be imminent.

In fact, it seems Loeffler's players would actually prefer that ... 'cause members of the Dream have been so outraged by Loeffler's controversial comments during the Black Lives Matter movement this summer, they openly encouraged people to vote her out of office.

And, if Loeffler does end up selling over it all, LeBron tweeted on Tuesday he was "gone put together an ownership group for the The Dream," adding, "Whose in?"

Apparently, Montgomery is ... with the 34-year-old saying Wednesday, "If everything goes OK, I would definitely be interested."

Montgomery is no stranger to owning orgs ... as we previously reported, the WNBA player -- who played for the Dream before taking a hiatus to focus on social justice issues in 2020 -- co-owns the Beasts team in the new Fan Controlled Football league.

Miami Heat and Boston Celtics players took a knee during the national anthem prior to tip-off Wednesday ... with both teams releasing a powerful message following the Jacob Blake decision and unrest in D.C.

The Celtics reportedly held a players-only meeting during warmups ... presumably to figure out how to address the current status of the country and whether the game would take place.

The result -- a joint statement from both teams explaining their decision to play.

"2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed," the players said in a statement. "We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after yesterday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on."

"The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today’s protesters who acted illegally just shows how much work we have to do."

Of course, the players are referring to the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol just hours ago ... breaking through barriers and jumping over walls to enter the building.

Miami center Meyers Leonard was the only Heat player to stand for the anthem (as he did throughout the 2020 season restart in Orlando) ... while every Celtics player elected to take a knee.

The statement continued ... "We have decided to play tonight’s game to try and bring joy into people's lives."

"But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America."

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe says the violent scene at the nation's capital reminds him of a 3rd world country, not America ... and believes today's events could have a permanent effect on the nation.

"Where are the police?" Sharpe said on Twitter, Wednesday.

"Do we think an all black protest group could’ve stormed the Capitol and not 1 shot fired, no tear gas. Peaceful protestors got pepper sprayed so Trump could hold a Bible upside for a photo in front of church. Yet, I’m told everyone is treated equally in Flag of United States"

Of course, a large group of pro-Trump supporters flooded the U.S. Capitol building -- breaking down multiple barriers and fences -- and making their way to the Congressional Chamber.

Sharpe -- who has been very outspoken about the president in the past -- accused Donald Trump of trying to illegally seize power using violence.

"Pres Trump and his minions are trying a coup attempt. This is sedition. President Trump and a certain numbers of Republican Senators, Representatives have been heading dwn this path for 4 yrs and here we are. I need Black Lives Matter energy from law enforcement"

Sharpe believes there is hypocrisy in the handling of the protests ... claiming if the group was Black, law enforcement would be using stronger tactics.

"Where are the police? Do we think an all black protest group could’ve stormed the Capitol and not 1 shot fired, no tear gas. Peaceful protestors got pepper sprayed so Trump could hold a Bible upside for a photo in front of church. Yet, I’m told everyone is treated equally in Flag of United States"

Shannon isn't the only superstar athlete speaking out ... NBA legends Dwyane Wade and Reggie Miller have also commented on the chaos.

NFL star Dez Bryant also shared a message about the incident.

"I'm just wondering where the tasers and tear gas like they do black people when they are peacefully protesting? Just a thought not that I promote violence and chaos but black people could never come out of that alive"

"I'm hoping real changes can happen for the future of this country 'cause it's an ugly mess right now."

As for Trump, he just released a video asking his supporters to act peacefully, and to leave the Capitol.

Story developing ...

Josh Jacobs is clearly VERY lucky to be alive today ... TMZ Sports has obtained the mug shot from just after the NFL star's car wreck this week -- and you can see he suffered a GNARLY head wound in the crash.

As we previously reported, cops say Jacobs wrecked his ride at round 4:42 AM near the Las Vegas airport on Monday.

And, in new police docs obtained by TMZ Sports, officers say Jacobs smelled like booze when they found him at the crash site.

In the docs, cops claim as Jacobs was explaining to them why he had crashed ... "a moderate odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage" was coming from the Raiders running back's mouth.

Cops say Jacobs was bleeding from a "large laceration" on his forehead as well ... and the officers added the 22-year-old told them he believed he had fallen asleep at the wheel just before the crash.

In the docs, officers say Jacobs was treated for his injuries and was transported to the hospital ... and once there, cops questioned him further about drinking and driving.

Cops say they performed a sobriety test on the NFL player while he was laying in his hospital bed ... but they say he passed that.

Still, officers in the docs claim he "did however have a strong odor of alcohol coming from his person."

Cops in the docs also say at some point during the morning Jacobs admitted to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Cops claim they also reviewed surveillance video from the crash and believed they had enough to arrest Josh on suspicion of DUI.

For his part, Josh -- through his attorneys David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld -- denied that he was drunk behind the wheel.

"We intend to enter a not guilty plea on behalf of Mr. Jacobs if he is ever charged," they said in a statement.