TMZ Sports - Page 50

If Urban Meyer lands in the NFL ... Tim Tebow says he will NOT be joining his former head coach there -- the ex-Heisman Trophy winner tells TMZ Sports he's still fully committed to baseball!!

"For me," Tebow says, "I'm super excited about spring training. So, that's where my focus kind of swirls right now."

It wouldn't have been farfetched to see Tim come along with Meyer in some capacity if Urban gets a new gig with The Shield ... the two have an incredible relationship.

They won a TON of games together at the Univ. of Florida -- and Tebow even admits the guy is "like a father figure to me."

Plus, Meyer is rumored to be possibly the next head man in Jacksonville -- which is where Tebow spent most of his childhood days!

But, Tim tells us his dream of joining the New York Mets' big-league roster has ALL of his attention right now ... and he won't pursue being Meyer's next QB or even a coach on Urban's staff.

Tebow, though, says he's sure the 56-year-old will do well regardless if he gets the NFL role ... saying, "I believe he'll do a great job."

As for his Mets career ... Tebow says he's fired up over the Francisco Lindor trade -- and he's hopeful he can be batting in the same lineup as the star shortstop at some point this season.

By the way, Tebow just dropped his new children's book, "Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember", and he tells us it definitely won't be the last one he writes!!

Law enforcement officials arrested longtime Seattle Seahawks employee Aaron Miyasato on Tuesday after they claim he was found in possession of child pornography.

According to jail records, 41-year-old Miyasato, who had been working as the Hawks' security manager, was booked at 11:07 a.m. Tuesday on three charges of possessing and dealing child porn.

According to legal documents, obtained by KING 5, authorities claim they confiscated around 25,000 images of child porn during a raid at Miyasato's home.

According to the report, they also "confiscated videos of children as young as the age of one being sexually exploited in extremely graphic ways."

Miyasato had reportedly been employed by the Seahawks since 2011 ... and recently took the team's security manager position back in 2018.

Seahawks officials, though, said in a statement Wednesday that Miyasato is no longer an employee with the team after his arrest.

"We are aware of the situation and in accordance with the NFL personal conduct policy, we have notified the league of his arrest," the Seahawks said. "This individual is no longer employed by our organization."

A Mickey Mantle baseball card just sold for $5.2 MILLION at auction ... smashing the previous record by over a million bucks!!

The 5 million dollar card?? A 1952 #311 Topps Mickey Mantle ... considered one of the most desirable trading cards in existence.

We're told the card -- graded in mint condition and 1 of only a few in existence -- was brokered by the people at the online auction site, PWCC.

Aside from Mickey being a 20x All-Star and 7x World Series champ ... 1952 was also the 1st year Topps produced baseball cards.

This isn't the only time this particular Mantle card has been sold ... back in 2018 it raked in $2.88 mil at auction. 2 years later ... it's almost doubled in value.

Before the Mantle card set the new record ...a Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects Superfractor held the title -- with a $3.9 million price tag.

So, who has a big enough fortune to drop $5 mil plus on a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch (albeit extremely valuable) piece of cardboard?

The guys' name is Rob Gough ... and if that name rings a bell, it's because he's the man behind the iconic CBD brand, DOPE CBD.

Rob's bank account is $5 mil lighter today ... but on the bright side, he now owns the most valuable baseball card ever made.

Dick Vermeil says Deshaun Watson is WAY out of line for feuding with the Texans ... the coaching legend tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Houston star is being a big baby for quarreling with the team's brass over hiring decisions.

"I think they change his diapers, OK?" Vermeil says of how the Texans should handle the situation going forward with Watson.

"Nowhere in his contract does it say that he's involved in making the decisions of who coaches or who leads the organization."

The 84-year-old Vermeil continued, "He's a great NFL football player and always has been a great kid, but I think he just shuts his mouth and becomes a better football player and lead the football team and let the leaders of the organization lead him."

You'll recall ... Watson has reportedly had big beef with the Texans for the past few days -- with several outlets claiming the 25-year-old is upset over his lack of input in the hiring of new GM Nick Caserio.

Watson is also reportedly angry that he hasn't had much say in who the team is interviewing for its vacant head coaching role -- and the relationship has gotten so icy, some have predicted a trade could eventually go down.

Vermeil, though, thinks Watson will eventually stand down from strong-arming Texans' execs ... telling us, "I just don't see him playing any place else."

"And, I see him calming down and maturing a little bit and go be a good football player and earn the money they're paying him."

Of course, several prominent former Texans, including Andre Johnson, disagree ... with the ex-wideout saying earlier this week he believes Watson should stand his ground in the clash with the team.

By the way, if you're wondering what Vermeil has been up to since he stepped away from coaching ... the former Super Bowl champ tells us he's got a wine biz that's thriving in the pandemic.

The apple doesn't fall too far from ... The Worm?!

That's definitely the case in the Rodman family ... 'cause Dennis Rodman's soccer-playing daughter, Trinity, has entered the NWSL draft -- and it's likely she'll be a 1st-round pick!!

NWSL officials announced Tuesday that the NBA legend's daughter had officially registered for the league's draft ... and some pundits now believe she has a chance to possibly be the #1 overall pick when selecting begins Wednesday evening!

Of course, if ya follow women's soccer closely, this ain't too much of a surprise ... Trinity has been BALLIN' on the pitch for years, and has future superstar written all over her.

The 18-year-old tallied eight goals and six assists as part of the U.S. youth national team that won the 2020 CONCACAF under-20 women's title last spring.

Trinity had been all set to begin a collegiate soccer career at Washington State in 2020 ... but, because of the COVID pandemic pushing the season into 2021, she was able to possibly forego that career to pursue one in the NWSL.

The league is set to begin its draft at 4 p.m. PT on Wednesday ... with Louisville's Racing Louisville FC selecting first.

The second pick, which some believe could be Trinity, belongs to the Washington Spirit.

Earl Thomas' wife claims the NFL star went ballistic the day after Christmas ... attacking her and her family and punching through a window in a drunken rage -- and she says it isn't the 1st time he's completely lost it.

But, Earl is denying all of the allegations ... we spoke with a member of his camp who says the claims are false and that the couple is on good terms.

Nina Thomas spelled it all out in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying she's "scared" of the 31-year-old former Baltimore Ravens player following what sounds like a terrifying Dec. 26 incident.

In the docs, Nina -- who filed for divorce from Earl in November -- says she agreed to spend Christmas with Earl at her parents' house in Orange, Texas so he could be with their children.

Nina, though, says Earl "chose to stay out all night drinking" on the holiday ... and came back the next morning and flew off the handle.

Nina says after sending "harassing text messages" to her phone, Earl showed up to the house "visibly intoxicated."

Nina says he told her to "suck my d***" in front of their daughter at the residence ... and then followed Nina outside after she went to get some things for her children in the car.

Nina says Earl screamed at her in the front yard ... so she says she locked him out of the house -- and that's when she claims he snapped.

Nina says Earl "was irate and beating on the windows of the house." She claims she then called Earl's mother to try to get him to calm down, but when she arrived, Earl was "still in front of the house screaming obscenities and clearly enraged."

Nina says Earl then put his fist through one of the house's windows ... causing blood to spill all over the front porch.

Cops were called to the scene in reference to a disturbance, according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports, and officers say they were able to question Earl a short time later at the hospital over it all.

Officers say Earl told them he admitted to putting his hand through the window ... though they say Earl "reported no crime was committed to cause his injuries." The police docs list the case as "inactive."

But, in the court documents, Nina says Earl's aggression toward her and her family didn't stop there ... she says Earl "threatened to come back to my parents' house, to burn all of my things if I came back to our house in Austin, and to kick my 'ass.'"

Nina says Earl "then sent an intimate video of him and me in a group text to my parents and to our nanny." She added, "To further torment me, Earl sent an intimate video of himself and another woman to my phone."

In the docs, Nina says the whole incident was just one of several times in the past few months where Earl had terrorized her.

The 31-year-old says in June 2020, she and Earl were at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana when Earl began "acting belligerent" at the casino.

Nina says she was able to convince him to come upstairs with her to avoid any conflict with security ... but she claims once they got back to the room, Earl "decided to direct his anger towards me and started mumbling insults and calling me names."

Nina says it all escalated very quickly ... claiming, "At one point Earl threw me into the bath tub and turned the hot water on me." She says she suffered "bruising to my torso and back that required medical attention to ease the pain caused to my back."

On Oct. 9, 2020, Nina says she and Earl were celebrating her birthday when he "flew into a fit of anger and called me a 'bitch'" after she had left him to go to brunch with some of her girlfriends.

In the docs, Nina says Earl grabbed her by the back of her neck and threw food and drinks at her "while hurling insults and telling me that I am worthless." Nina says all of it caused her to have bruising on her body, which she claims to have photographed.

What's interesting is Earl had penned a love note to Nina and posted it on social media that same day.

On Oct. 22, Nina says she and Earl were at a hotel in Dallas when Earl "started mumbling rude and obscene things to me" after a night of drinking.

Nina says she went to get up to pack her things and leave, fearing escalation ... and that's when she says Earl "grabbed me by the pony tail, threw me onto the bed, and he pinned my body down."

Nina says she was eventually able to escape ... and filed for divorce just days later.

In her court docs, Nina wrote of it all, "I am scared of Earl and believe that there is a clear and present danger." She requested a restraining order, writing in the docs that she feared "both me and the children will be harmed."

According to court records, a judge granted Nina's request last week ... and ordered Earl to stay at least 400 feet away from Nina's Austin, Texas home and the children's schools.

Earl has been ordered to appear before the judge via videoconference later this month for a hearing on the matter.

U.S. Olympian Klete Keller -- a 2x gold medalist and former teammate of Michael Phelps -- was reportedly spotted inside the U.S. Capitol while pro-Trump supporters raided the building.

38-year-old Keller represented America as part of the U.S. Swim Team at the Olympic Games in '00, '04, '08. Keller was the anchor on the 4x200 meter freestyle relay team in 2004 ... and famously held off Australian superstar Ian Thorpe to narrowly secure the top spot on the podium.

A Townhall Media reporter shared footage from inside the Capitol Rotunda ... and according to the New York Times, people familiar with the 6'6" swimmer quickly recognized Keller.

(Keller is first visible around the :12 second mark)

Keller -- who has not yet addressed his presence at the raid -- is an outspoken Trump supporter, according to reports.

In the footage, Keller appears to be wearing a Team USA jacket with a U.S.A. Swimming logo.

Keller could be in trouble ... law enforcement officials have been actively tracking down people who breached the Capitol, and arresting and charging them with various crimes.

As a result of the raid, 5 people died ... including a police officer.

It appears James Harden is on the verge of getting a one-way ticket outta Houston ... 'cause Rockets head coach Stephen Silas told the NBA superstar to stay home after ripping the team in a post-game interview.

31-year-old Harden unleashed on the Rockets after their 117-100 loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night ... saying, "we're just not good enough" and claiming the situation is beyond repair.

In wake of Harden's comments, a clearly fed up Silas explained why The Beard was absent from practice Wednesday.

"We felt that it was best for the group and best for James not to come to practice," Silas said.

Harden's teammate, John Wall, spoke out about #13's reaction to the team's 3-6 start ... saying, "It’s only been nine games. Come on, man, you want to jump off the cliff after nine games?"

"When you have certain guys in the mix that don’t want to buy in all as one, it’s going to be hard to do anything special, to do anything good as a basketball team."

DeMarcus Cousins wasn't as nice Wednesday afternoon.

"My interest is to play with John Wall, to be brutally honest," Cousins said.

"The (James Harden) disrespect started way before. This isn't something that all of a sudden started last night."

"It's completely unfair to the rest of the guys in the locker room."

Of course, Harden's name was in the news all offseason -- JH was spotted in ATL and Las Vegas while his teammates were in Houston preparing for the season ... claiming he was "training" for the season.

There are rumors Harden could be shipped to the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia Sixers or other potential teams as a result of the drama ... so it's very possible he's played his last game in Houston.

Jose Canseco is putting a fight with Logan Paul on the backburner -- for now -- 'cause the ex-MLB slugger has agreed to a boxing match with Barstool Sports intern Billy Football!!

Remember, Jose has called out the oldest Paul bro for months, saying he wants to get violent payback after his daughter, Josie, and Logan's split "left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth."

But, TMZ Sports has now confirmed, Jose has 100% agreed to get in the ring with the "Pardon My Take" podcast contributor first ... with the 2 slated to face off during Barstool's "Rough 'N Rowdy" boxing event during Super Bowl weekend.

PMT first reported the news on Wednesday's episode of the podcast ... saying the paperwork has been signed and the fight will officially go down on Feb. 5 in West Virginia.

"There's a very good chance he dies in the ring," Billy said ... "I would commit manslaughter, I wouldn’t commit murder."

"For the record, I have no intent to kill him."

So, how'd we get here?? PMT co-host Big Cat says he initially wanted to fight Canseco 2 years ago ... but now that time has passed, he offered his intern in return -- and Jose accepted!!

We spoke with Jose ... who says the fight is just a warmup for the guy he REALLY wants.

"Logan Paul, I am coming for you after I wreck this guy," Canseco told us.

Of course, Jose has a little bit of fighting history under his belt -- he famously fought 7'2" South Korean MMA star, Hong-man Choi, back in 2009.

***WARNING: THESE IMAGES ARE VERY, VERY GROSS!!!***

A bodybuilder in the UK says he nearly lost both of his legs after he violently fell down his staircase about a month ago ... but, fortunately, he says his Amazon Alexa saved him.

The story is absolutely terrifying ... Dante McNulty -- a 40-year-old diehard gym-goer -- says he got up in the middle of the night to let his dog out when he slipped and fell down his stairs.

McNulty says the crash left him unconscious in a kneeling position for hours ... and with his entire 230-pound frame crushing his legs for that long, he suffered serious damage.

McNulty says blood flow was blocked to his lower legs ... resulting in acute compartment syndrome, which can sometimes be so severe, it can cause the loss of limbs.

"I just remember I couldn’t feel my legs," McNulty said of the incident. "I couldn’t walk or move, I felt paralyzed. Below my knees was cold, they didn’t seem swollen but I had a lot of veins pop just under my kneecap."

McNulty, though, says he was able to yell for his Alexa to call for help ... and he was able to get emergency medical care right away.

According to a GoFundMe set up for the bodybuilder, McNulty underwent immediate surgery ... with doctors cutting open his calves to the bone with the hopes of relieving swelling.

"He was put into an induced coma and on a ventilator, alongside dialysis and blood transfusions," McNulty's family said in a statement on the GoFundMe.

Thankfully, after several more surgeries and days recovering, McNulty's family says he was just recently discharged from the hospital and is attempting to re-learn how to walk.

"It really is unbelievable," McNulty said of the whole incident. "Thank God my WiFi was working that day."

LeBron James is now $100 richer ... and it's all thanks to a mid-game bet he made on an insane no-look 3-pointer with teammate Dennis Schroder!!

The Lakers were already easily handling the troubled Houston Rockets early in the game Tuesday night ... holding a 21-point lead through the first quarter.

But, the real fun started a few minutes into the second, when Schroder yelled out a proposition to Bron to nail a wide-open corner 3 ball for $100.

"Bet a Benjamin on it!" Schroder said from the bench a few inches away.

Naturally, LBJ pulled up, took the shot, turned around and looked Schroder dead in the eyes and said "BET!!" before the ball even made its descent to the hoop.

Of course, the ball hit nothing but net, and the Lakers bench went absolutely bonkers!!

So, why did LeBron flip around before the shot even went in like he was Steph Curry?? It's all about that bet etiquette!!

"A bet isn't official until you look a man in the eye, so I had to look him into the eye."

Schroder also commented on the shot, calling it straight-up "legendary."

Jake Paul is making good on his promise to move out of Los Angeles to focus on boxing ... he just put his Calabasas crib up for sale.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Jake wants $7 mil for his 3.5-acre estate, which gets you 8 bedrooms and 15,045 square feet.

The mansion is decked out with a three-story entryway and spiral staircase ... plus an office, theater, wet bar and gym.

Of course, there's the obligatory Cali pool and spa with some pretty cool accents ... 2 waterfalls, a grilling area and patios with sweeping views of the canyon.

So, what to do if you want to replicate Aaron Spelling's mega-mansion but only have 15,000 feet of living space? Well, there's enough land to build a second, massive structure. And, there will be plenty of room to park ... the driveway can handle 20 cars.

As we reported ... the YouTube star and undefeated boxer announced last month he was fleeing the distractions of L.A. to focus on becoming a boxing champ. Jake's eying Miami for the move ... it's a good town for boxers.

Jake's former neighbors will be looking forward to a new occupant ... he was pretty famous for pissing off folks with his wild parties and YouTube shoots.

TMZ broke the story ... the property was the scene of an FBI raid last year, when agents in armored trucks stormed in with a search warrant and ended up seizing some weapons. It's unclear what's come of that.

"Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" stars Josh and Matt Altman have the listing ... they repped Jake back in 2017 when he bought the property.

Lamar Odom is back ... but the 2x-NBA champion isn't returning to the hardwood -- he's fighting!!

TMZ Sports has learned that the 41-year-old ex-NBA star has inked a deal with Celebrity Boxing ... and will step into the ring on June 12 at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

The 6'10" Odom doesn't currently have an opponent ... but CB creator Damon Feldman tells us he's working on a big-name celeb to duke it out with Lamar.

Of course, Odom is no stranger to fighting ... he literally fought for his life after collapsing at Dennis Hof's Nevada brothel back in 2015.

Lamar attempted a basketball comeback ... and was briefly part of Ice Cube's Big3 League.

However, the hooper has turned his attention to pugilism (temporarily, at least) ... and we're told he's fully committed to busting his ass in the boxing gym ahead of his upcoming fight.

It's worth noting, the last time a basketball player stepped in the ring, he got ROCKED (sorry, Nate).

So, goes without saying, Lamar hopes history doesn't repeat itself!!

Houston, the Texans have a SERIOUS problem ... team legend Andre Johnson is now ripping the org. -- calling the franchise "pathetic" amid all of the drama with star QB Deshaun Watson.

The retired Houston wideout -- who's the only member of the organization's Ring of Honor -- sounded off on the Texans in a tweet Tuesday ... telling Watson to not back down from his demands from ownership.

"If I’m @deshaunwatson I will stand my ground," Johnson said. "The Texans organization is known for wasting players careers."

Johnson then went on to slam Jack Easterby, the team's executive vice president of football operations who's been with the Texans since 2019.

"Since Jack Easterby has walk into the building nothing good has happened in/for the organization and for some reason someone can’t seem to see what’s going on. Pathetic!!!"

If you missed it, Watson is reportedly VERY upset with the Texans' brass over his lack of say in the team's hiring process of its new GM and head coach this offseason.

In fact, the relationship has reportedly gotten so icy ... some have wondered if it could lead to a trade demand from Houston's brightest star.

Seems Johnson would be OK with it all if it got to that point ... clearly siding with Watson in the dispute.

And, that ain't all of the issues for Houston, 'cause former Texans superstar Deandre Hopkins also weighed in on the saga on social media Tuesday -- saying people should take Johnson seriously!!

"When Dre speak listen," Hopkins said.

Unclear exactly what Watson and co. truly need to see from Texans ownership to smooth things out ... but what is very apparent is something needs fixing in Houston ASAP.

Tip for all trolls looking to come at Philadelphia 76ers guard Danny Green ... ya better be ready to eat your words -- 'cause the dude WILL clap back!!

Here's the deal -- it's fair to say Green seriously struggled against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night ... going 0-9 and racking up a whopping 2 total points in 28 minutes.

Naturally, one fan let Green have it after the final buzzer ... yelling at the 12-year vet to do better as he walked into the locker room.

"Man, you gotta start shooting better, man," the heckler said after the Sixers' 112-94 loss to the Hawks. "You was 0-10, bruh. 0-10!!!"

That's when Green put the dude in his place ... reminding him just exactly who he was talking to.

"I got 3 rings, n****," Green said ... acknowledging his success with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, Green is known for being a sharp-shooter ... but Internet trolls are never shy to give the 33-year-old an earful when he has an off night.

It even got to the point where Green claims he and his fiancee were on the receiving end of death threats after missing a wide-open 3 pointer in Game 5 of the NBA Finals last season.

Did you know Yankees centerfielder Aaron Hicks is really good at hitting fastballs AND stationary golf balls?!

It's true ... check out footage of the 31-year-old MLB player at Top Golf this month -- DUDE HAS AN INSANE SWING!!!

Hicks' brother posted the clip to social media Monday ... showing Hicks sending a golf ball into orbit with one monstrous stroke.

You can see in the video ... the ball cleared the range -- well over the netting some 300 yards away -- and according to the Hicks bros, it CARRIED 330 yards before finally touching down!!

"Light work," the Hicks bros captioned the vid.

If this looks familiar ... it's 'cause it kind of is when it comes to MLB stars on the driving range -- remember when Nelson Cruz launched one into outer space at a Top Golf last year??