TMZ Sports - Page 50

Pour one out for NHL player Jordie Benn ... the dude got ROCKED in an on-ice fight with Wayne Simmonds on Thursday night -- at one point eating 13 straight haymakers!!

The scrap went down late in the third period of the Maple Leafs' 7-3 blowout of the Canucks ... when Benn challenged Simmonds to a fight after the Toronto star had smashed one of Jordie's teammates into the boards.

The battle started off promising for Jordie -- he looked pretty tough callin' out the 32-year-old NHL enforcer!!!

But, quickly, Wayne put 33-year-old Benn in his place ... watch the clip, Simmonds connected on just about every one of his 13 straight haymakers to start the brawl!!

To Jordie's credit, he weathered the storm and threw a few punches of his own ... but Wayne blocked them all and went right back to work, dropping some more left-handed bombs!!!

Ultimately, the fight ended with respect between the two parties ... you can see Wayne told Jordie "good job" after the one-sided tilt.

The best part of it all, though? The Leafs and the Canucks are set to play again on both Saturday AND Monday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci's urging to "lay low" for Super Bowl weekend didn't get to Tory Lanez or a few hundred others partying hard in Tampa ... with zero distancing or masks.

The rapper held a pre-Super Bowl soiree Thursday night at WTR Pool in Tampa where fans packed in and swarmed around the stage where Tory was performing -- loudly singing along to his hits.

What pandemic, right?

Now, Tory's event isn't the only game in town when it comes to crowded parties -- and everyone knows Florida's been wide open for months. Even though it was held outdoors ... health officials have insisted for some time now that even while outdoors, social distancing and face coverings are essential.

It's interesting though ... promotions for the bash noted, "Social distancing and mask guidelines will be strictly enforced as per city guidelines."

As we reported, Dr. Fauci urged Americans earlier this week to cancel Super Bowl LV parties ... fearing nationwide super-spreading events.

A former WWE superstar is going public about her gender transformation -- announcing, "This is me. Unashamed, unabashedly me."

The wrestler is Gabbi Tuft -- who performed for years under the ring name, Tyler Reks. Reks first appeared on "Smackdown" in 2010 and went on to wrestle with some of the top names in the biz, including John Cena, CM Punk and Ryback.

Reks last wrestled for WWE in 2012.

Now, Tuft -- who previously used the name, Gabe Tuft, in her personal life -- says she's going public as a proud transgender woman.

"This is the side of me that has hidden in the shadows, afraid and fearful of what the world would think; afraid of what my family, friends, and followers would say or do," Tuft said in an emotional IG post.

"I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am."

Tuft says she's been struggling over the past 8 months -- "The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions."

But, Gabbi says she stopped caring about what other people think -- which has allowed her "authentic self to come into the light."

Gabbi has been married to her wife, Priscilla, since 2002 and they have a 9-year-old daughter together. Tuft says her family is supporting her through the transition.

"My loving wife, family, and closest friends have accepted me for who I am. To them, I am forever grateful. Your support along the way means more than you will ever know."

Gabbi says she promises to be "transparent and truthful" with her journey -- and clearly intends to be a role model for younger transitioning people who might be struggling, too.

The Weeknd's guaranteeing he'll be the MVP of his halftime show at the Super Bowl ... because he's not bringing any special guests to join him.

The singer went on NFL Network Thursday and explained that in order for his vision to play out properly and for him to include all the songs he wants, it doesn't make sense for other entertainers to be involved in the performance.

We're told the chatter about The Weeknd venturing into the stands at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium is true, but it's part of a pre-built set ... not like he'll be mingling with random fans in the seats.

Our sources say this plan was put into place with COVID precautions in mind, and to cut down on the number of people involved in the stage construction and removal.

Another fun fact, The Weeknd is the first Canadian performer to solo headline the halftime show, a major feat considering heavyweight Canadian talent like Justin Bieber, Drake and Rush.

As we reported ... The Weeknd also promised at Thursday's media event to try his best to keep his show PG-rated, saying he wants to be respectful to families watching all around the world.

Jake Paul is flipping the script on Floyd Mayweather -- issuing his own list of demands if Floyd is serious about wanting to fight him in 2021.

... so why does Jake feel like he's got the upper hand?

Paul says it's pretty simple ... claiming Mayweather is an aging fighter who's only taking exhibitions because he knows he would LOSE if he took another pro fight.

That's why Jake says if Floyd is serious about a scrap, he REFUSES to do an exhibition match -- it has to be a sanctioned bout that would count on both of their records.

"I'm 2 and 0 with 2 KO's with pro fights," Jake says ... "If Floyd wants to do these exhibitions, ya know ... cool! But, I'm a real fighter. He has to take me seriously and I think the reason he wants to do these exhibitions is because he's afraid to risk his legacy of his 50 and 0 record in case he were to lose."

"But, I'm not doing the exhibition s**t. It doesn't interest me. Those are like fake patty-cake fights."

Of course, Floyd is set to take on Jake's older brother, Logan, in an exhibition match later this year ... and he's also toying with the idea of fighting his former BFF, 50 Cent.

Jake says the whole thing reeks of desperation.

"This guy is out of his mind! He just calls me out, out of nowhere -- same with 50 Cent! I mean, he hasn't even fought my brother yet. It just seems like he's losing his marbles ... like what the f*** is this guy doing?!"

Jake also thinks there's another motivating factor behind the scenes for Floyd ... money!

"It just seems like this guy is money hungry. It seems like he hasn't paid his taxes or some s**t and he just wants to fight everyone."

But first, Jake needs to focus on his next opponent, UFC star Ben Askren -- the two will step in the ring on April 17.

Despite Askren's impressive career as an MMA fighter, Jake says he wasn't impressed by new video of Ben hitting the heavy bag in his boxing gym.

COVID is now affecting the Super Bowl gambling world -- with sportsbooks taking real action on which teams and coaches will break coronavirus protocol first.

... seriously.

With Tampa Bay Bucs coach Bruce Arians and Chiefs honcho Andy Reid both experiencing some mask issues during the NFL season ... the folks at BetOnline.ag believe it's a certainty one of the coaches will drop their face covers on Sunday.

But, whose nose will get exposed first?

The odds favor Arians ... ya gotta bet $250 to win $100. Reid is the underdog, which is probably a good thing for him. A $100 bet on Andy pays $170 if he shows his nose first.

If wagering on COVID ain't your thing ... there's plenty more action.

-- Will Gisele appear on the Super Bowl game broadcast more than 1.5 times?

-- Will the announcers mention President Trump during the broadcast?

-- Which will be mentioned first during the broadcast -- Patrick Mahomes is getting married or Patrick Mahomes is becoming a father?

-- There are also odds on what color jacket The Weeknd will be wearing when he is first seen on the broadcast. Red is a heavy betting favorite ... followed by Black and then White. Blue and Purple are 7-to-1 long shots.

-- What's more: Tackles + Assists for Jason Pierre Paul or fingers on the right hand of Jason Pierre Paul (he's the guy who lost some of his fingers in a fireworks accident a few years back).

-- What's more: Total points scored in the Super Bowl or Senate votes to convict Donald Trump?

You can also bet on the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach -- orange is the favorite followed by red, lime green, blue, clear ... and again, purple is the long shot.

Great news for Josh Jacobs and the Raiders ... the massive gash the NFL star suffered on his forehead after crashing his car in Las Vegas last month is healing up well.

The running back showed off his face in videos on his social media page Wednesday ... and you can see, there's hardly any remnants of the huge cut that was so prevalent on his noggin just four weeks ago.

As we previously reported, Jacobs sustained the wound after wrecking his ride at around 4:42 a.m. on Jan. 4 near the Vegas airport.

Cops say when they came on to the scene ... they saw the 22-year-old was bleeding from a "large laceration" on his forehead. Officers added the injuries were so bad, Jacobs had to be transported to the hospital for treatment.

Jacobs -- who just hours before the crash had dominated in a game against the Denver Broncos -- was ultimately arrested over the wreck ... with cops believing he had been drinking prior to getting behind the wheel.

Prosecutors, though, announced just a few days after the accident they were NOT charging the NFL player with DUI ... and instead, hit him with one misdemeanor count of Duty of Driver to Decrease Speed Under Certain Circumstances.

No hard feelings between Roger Goodell and Tom Brady after that whole Deflategate thing ... seems the two are on solid terms these days, according to the Commish.

In fact, Goodell praised his old nemesis as "probably the greatest player to ever play this game" ... and noted he's an even better guy off the field.

"He's an exceptional talent and more importantly one of the great guys," Goodell said Thursday at a Super Bowl 55 media event.

Remember, Goodell hit Brady with a 4 game suspension for his role in deflating footballs before the 2014 AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts.

Brady had adamantly denied wrongdoing -- and basically declared war on Goodell and the NFL, appealing the suspension and fighting the punishment all the way to U.S. federal court.

Ultimately, Brady waved the white flag in 2016 after a U.S. Court of Appeals sided with the NFL -- which led to the QB announcing that he would accept the suspension and sit out the first 4 games of the 2016 season.

The Patriots -- led by a pissed off Tom Brady -- won the Super Bowl that year ... and Goodell had to give Brady the MVP trophy.

So, how are things between the two now? Roger insists it's all water under the bridge.

"Tom Brady has shown that he's probably the greatest player to ever play this game. His leadership, his ability to rise to the big occasion and make everybody rise around him. That's what's absolutely incredible to me, everyone just plays better when they're with him."

Goodell continued, "I've known him for probably 15 years and he's an extraordinary guy. He's real, he cares about this game deeply, he cares about people involved with the game."

"So, for me I wish him well. I think he's gonna continue to be a great performer. I'm glad to hear he's going to play a few more years."

Bygones are apparently bygones now in both Tampa Bay AND New England ... 'cause just days after Tom Brady praised the Patriots, Robert Kraft said he's rooting like hell for the QB in the Super Bowl!

Kraft, in an interview that's slated to air in its entirety Sunday on WBZ-TV, said he's holding no hard feelings about the way Tom left the Pats ... and, in fact, he's now hoping TB12 gets ring #7 on Sunday.

"I’m rooting for Tom Brady,” the 79-year-old Patriots owner said. “I’m so excited. We’ve had some great communications and he is such a special human being."

"We were privileged to have him here for two decades, and he’s one of the finest human beings I’ve ever met."

Things weren't always the rosiest between the two parties ... you'll recall, after Tom and the Pats split this offseason -- it all appeared to be pretty awkward.

But, time has clearly healed any and all wounds ... Brady reflected fondly of his tenure with the Pats earlier this week, saying he still has "a lot of love for Boston and all of New England."

The feeling's clearly mutual on Kraft's end ... 'cause Tom's former boss added, "[Tom] knows how to lead, and I wish him well and I really hope he wins Sunday.”

Of course, Tom's former teammates are in the same boat as Kraft ... we spoke with Pats captain Lawrence Guy this week, and he told us he and the rest of Brady's former squadmates are all backing the QB against the Chiefs as well.

Don't worry, moms and dads -- The Weeknd says his Super Bowl halftime show will be a family-friendly event ... vowing to keep Sunday's performance "rated PG."

At least, he's gonna try.

Of course, the super-popular singer is known for his mature content -- drugs, sex, violence ... all the stuff that makes parents freak out.

When Abel was asked about his graphic content during Thursday's media event, the guy promised to try his best to keep things appropriate for all ages.

"For sure, I definitely want to be respectful to the viewers at home," the 3-time Grammy winner said.

Remember, people were PISSED following Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's halftime show last year ... with 1,300 complaints filed to the FCC over their provocative dance moves.

While we may not have to worry about sexy dancing this time around, The Weeknd says the show will follow the storyline of his "After Hours" album ... but "definitely will keep it PG for the families."

"I'll try my best."

YOU GOTTA SEE THE MASSIVE TROPHY ROOM IN SERENA WILLIAMS' MIAMI MANSION!!!

Oh, and you also have to see when she discovers a 2nd place trophy on one of her shelves -- and says she's moving it to the TRASH!!!

"I see a 2nd place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash -- shouldn’t be in here. We don't keep second place."

The tennis goddess opened up the doors to her Miami home for Architectural Digest ... showing off everything from her own private art gallery (!!!!!) to the bar, media room and more.

But, the highlight for us is the Trophy Room ... which contains hardware from her victories at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open and more.

It's unreal.

Serena has so many trophies, she can barely keep track of what trophies she has and where some of them are located ... and if that's not the most baller thing ever, what the hell is?!

Of course, Serena has won 39 Grand Slam titles in her amazing career -- 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She also has 4 Olympic gold medals.

The Salvation Army has a new soldier -- and it's LaMelo Ball ... who just donated 500 blankets to help the homeless in Charlotte keep warm during an ice-cold winter.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte Salvation Army tells TMZ Sports ... the donation marks Melo's first time working with the organization, but they're very excited to partner up with the 19-year-old Charlotte Hornets rookie.

And, the donation couldn't come at a better time ... we're told Charlotte has seen a 25% increase in the homeless population since the COVID pandemic began. Plus, temperatures in the area are expected to dip into the low 20s in the next few weeks.

"There's a lot of need out there so we're thankful when people like LaMelo step up to provide something like this," the spokesperson tells us.

NBC Charlotte's Ashley Stroehlein visited one of the Salvation Army locations that received some of the blankets ... and the staff was stoked!!

And, by the way ... we're told several Charlotte Hornets players have a great relationship with the Salvation Army. Same with the Carolina Panthers.

So, props to everyone helping out ... especially when families need it the most.

Tragic news -- 3 backcountry skiers in Colorado were found dead following a huge avalanche this week ... after being buried in more than 20 feet of tumbling ice and snow.

A group of 7 skiers was traveling between Silverton and Ophir when they accidentally triggered an avalanche near a well-known area called "The Nose" on Feb. 1, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

The report says the incident happened at an elevation of approximately 11,500 feet ... and 4 members were caught up in the avalanche.

The CAIC states the group was able to find and dig out one of the missing members ... who suffered only minor injuries.

Authorities conducted search and rescue operations to find the remaining 3 skiers … but efforts were suspended after 2 days due to "considerable" avalanche danger for the safety of the search and rescue team.

Unfortunately, the 3 other skiers were found dead, according to San Juan County officials.

Eagle County and the town of Eagle released a joint statement Wednesday ... saying, "the families of Seth Bossung, Andy Jessen and Adam Palmer are allowing us to share their names, so we can all openly acknowledge their deaths and grieve together."

"The families are surrounded by loved ones, and we are asking everyone to respect their wishes as to when and how they wish to communicate with others."

A helicopter is now required to retrieve the 3 bodies due to the damage caused by the avalanche and rugged terrain ... and they will be taken to the San Juan County Coroner's office for positive identification.

Officials say the Ophir Pass has been suspended and people should continue to avoid the area.

The National Transportation Safety Board will formally announce Tuesday the probable cause of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.

Investigators have been working the case for more than a year ... but the NTSB says it will formally announce its findings at a virtual board meeting that will be live-streamed to the public on Feb. 9.

In the days following the crash, the NTSB said preliminary findings showed no outward evidence of engine failure.

Months later, NTSB officials said the pilot, Ara Zobayan, may have been disoriented when the aircraft was caught in deep fog.

The NTSB said in June it found evidence showing Zobayan thought he was ascending over the fog, when in reality, the helicopter was going downward.

Autopsy results showed Zobayan was NOT on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash ... and NTSB investigators said Zobayan’s girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the accident.

Unclear if there's new evidence to refute the earlier theory, but it seems likely to us the NTSB will confirm its earlier findings.

Along with Kobe and Zobayan, seven others -- including Kobe's daughter, Gianna, and friends Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Payton Chester and Sarah Chester -- perished in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash.

The head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori, says he will NOT be stepping down ... just days after he made some super sexist comments about women.

The 83-year-old -- who's been trying to help keep the summer Games on schedule despite the pandemic -- was in a meeting earlier this week when he reportedly said he believes women talk too much.

Mori, according to the Japanese national newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, said during the virtual meeting, "Women are very competitive. When one of them raises her hand, they probably think they have to say something, too. And then everyone says something."

He reportedly continued, "If we are going to have more women directors, someone has remarked, then meetings go on for a long time unless we restrict the comments. I'm not saying who that is."

The sexist comments were met with immediate backlash ... and the criticism grew so loud, Mori was later forced to apologize.

"The statement made at the Japan Olympic Committee was an inappropriate expression, contrary to the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics," Mori said on Thursday.

"I am deeply remorseful. I would like to withdraw the statement. I would like to apologize for any unpleasant feelings."

Still, even with the mea culpa, there's been growing pressure on Mori to step down from his high-ranking role on the Olympics committee.

Mori, though, explained he will do no such thing ... saying, "I have been working hard and helped devotedly for seven years. I will not be stepping down."

The controversy is just the latest dark cloud surrounding the Tokyo Olympics ... the planned event has been marred by issues ever since the pandemic forced its postponement last year.

In fact, some believe the Games -- which are currently scheduled to kick off on July 23 -- will have to be canceled altogether due to COVID-19.