TMZ Sports - Page 50

The only thing Tom Brady might hate more than losing ... BANANA TIPS!!

The 43-year-old NFL superstar was showing off his smoothie skills on TikTok when it came time to add the ingredients.

Blueberries. Protein powder. Pumpkin seeds. Banana.

Great, sounds delicious and healthy. No surprise there.

But, when TB12 prepped the banana for the blender, he ripped off both ends of the fruit like a psychopath -- and declared that he won't eat banana tips!

So, are we ALL off banana tips now?

Look, Tom's got some weird eating habits (avocado ice cream, anyone?) ... but his diet seems to be effective. You know anyone else winning Super Bowls at 43?

Rob Gronkowski will not be riding off into the sunset after his latest Super Bowl win ... the future Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports he's FOR SURE coming back to Tampa next season.

"I'm back, man!" Gronk says ... "I will be back playing football, man. I love the game of football. I loved playing last year. I had a great time."

In fact, Rob tells us training for 2021 has already begun ... the tight end says he took three weeks off after the Super Bowl, but he just got in 4 straight workouts to begin season prep this week.

"Let me tell you, I was a little bit sore first day of training but it bounced back like that," Gronk says. "I'm feeling good."

The words are music to the Buccaneers' ears ... there had to be at least SOME worry Gronk might hang up his spikes this offseason.

You'll recall, he retired abruptly in March 2019 ... saying his passion for the game just wasn't there.

A soccer journalist was smashed by a falling wall on the set of a live TV show Tuesday ... but somehow, the guy miraculously escaped without injury.

The analyst's name is Carlos Orduz ... and just seconds into his appearance on ESPN FC Radio -- he was blindsided by a piece of the set that clearly hadn't been secured properly.

In video of the incident, you can see the wall fell on Orduz with so much pace ... his face lurched straight into his desk.

His colleagues, who were trying to move on with the show professionally, expressed immediate concern -- and the network cut straight to commercial to check in on Orduz.

Fortunately, the sports reporter says nothing major happened to him as a result of the accident ... in a video update, he explained, "I want to tell you that I'm fine."

"They've already checked me, absolutely nothing happened apart from the scare."

Orduz added after further medical checkups Tuesday night, he suffered no fractures and nothing more than bumps and bruises.

"I must tell you that I am fine," Orduz wrote on Twitter. "Thank God."

Meyers Leonard is in some seriously hot water -- the Miami Heat center appeared to use an anti-Semitic slur during a recent video game stream this week ... and it was all captured on video.

The 29-year-old was playing "Call Of Duty: Warzone" on his Twitch channel -- which has nearly 70,000 followers -- when he seemingly says the following: "F***ing cowards, don't f***ing snipe me, you f***ing k*** bitch."

Yeah ... it's bad.

The comment was met with awkward laughter by other gamers on the stream ... but Leonard seemed to brush off the situation and kept playing.

Leonard has yet to address the incident -- he was actually still streaming on his channel early Tuesday afternoon -- but it's only a matter of time.

ML could now face punishment from Twitch -- the streaming service has a strict policy against hateful conduct and harassment based on race, ethnicity, color, caste, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and more.

Leonard's alleged comments come just months after NASCAR driver Kyle Larson was suspended after using the n-word during an iRacing event in April.

Fellow NASCAR driver Hailie Deegan also faced criticism after using the r-word during a virtual race in January.

FYI -- Leonard was one of the few NBA players who chose not to kneel for the national anthem during the season restart in Orlando.

He explained his decision to stand in a tweet earlier this year, saying, "I STAND AGAINST bigotry, racism, and hate."

We've reached out to Leonard's reps, the Heat, the NBA and Twitch for comment ... so far, no word back.

“[Yan] threw a fight-ending knee and it hit me in the side of the head, a shot I didn’t see, and if you think I’m faking that, let me do that to you. Please let me do that to you."

That's bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling clapping back at the "clowns" and "jokers" who accused Funk Master of pretending to be hurt during his UFC 259 title fight -- all to steal the belt.

TMZ Sports asked the 31-year-old fighter how he was feeling physically after Petr Yan blasted him with the illegal knee.

"I was a little cloudy, I’m definitely better today. I couldn’t even drink the night of cause I was worried about my head. I felt nauseous. I ended up throwing up later that night."

Sterling went to the hospital the night of the fight -- and has since seen a doctor -- and now must wait to be cleared to begin training again.

As for his future fight plans, Sterling says he's interested in a fight with former champ-champ Henry Cejudo ... but 1st wants to rematch Yan.

And, Aljo says after 4 rounds with Yan -- he's never been more certain he can beat the Russian fighter.

“If anything, I think my confidence got better from this," Aljamain says.

"Everyone made him out to be this guy that was the boogeyman, that he hits super hard, that he’s in your face the whole time, when I was the one backing him up the whole time.”

And, about all those Oscar Award memes on social media ... Sterling sent a closing message to the haters.

“For anyone trying to say I quit, I never quit in anything that I’ve done in my life. Oscar, whatever you guys wanna say, I know who I am. I don’t have to prove anything to nobody."

Johnny Damon got in a scuffle with cops, appeared to bomb field sobriety tests, and even brought up his Trump support during his arrest last month ... and the wild scene was all captured on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Damon and his wife were pulled over at around 1:23 a.m. on Feb. 19 in Windermere, Fla. after cops say he was swerving on the road and driving erratically.

Once a cop stopped Damon ... body cam footage captured the 47-year-old ex-Yankee and Red Sox outfielder admitting to drinking before getting behind the wheel.

Then, an intense standoff between the officer, the ex-MLB star and the baseball player's wife ensued.

In the video, you can see the officer ordered Damon and his wife, Michelle Mangan-Damon, to stay in the car, but neither complied ... and a pushing and shoving squabble broke out.

At one point, the officer grabbed Mangan-Damon's wrist ... before Johnny got involved to separate the two.

The bumping and pushing got so heated, the officer's body camera was actually knocked to the ground.

Fortunately for all parties, backup arrived, and officers were able to settle down the scene.

Damon and his wife repeatedly talked about their support for cops, mentioning over and over, "Blue lives matter."

And, at one point, Damon brought up his affinity for Trump to a cop, saying "Hey, bro, I'm a good f***ing guy. I know people are trying to target me because I'm a Trump supporter."

Damon was then asked to complete some field sobriety tests ... but you can see on the video, it doesn’t look like he exactly passed any of them with flying colors.

Damon was ultimately arrested and booked on multiple charges, including driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence.

A police report later showed cops said Damon's blood-alcohol level was .30, nearly FOUR TIMES the legal limit.

Damon's wife was also arrested after the stop, and booked on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.

Court records show Damon pled not guilty to his DUI charge last month. He's due back in court in May.

LeBron James -- future basketball Hall of Famer AND NFL All-Pro receiver???

Greg Olsen says with 1 year of coaching, he could make that happen ... explaining he could do the same for Russell Westbrook as well!!!

The 3-time NFL Pro Bowl tight end joined Colin Cowherd on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" on Monday ... and broke down how he could turn the NBA players into NFL stars in just 12 months.

"If I could coach LeBron James for one year, I could make him an All-Pro wide receiver," Olsen said. "There's no question in my mind."

Olsen added, "I could turn Russell Westbrook into an All-Pro free safety."

Don't get it twisted ... Olsen wasn't trying to brag about his coaching skills -- he just told Cowherd the NBA players are just that damn talented.

"There's a handful of those guys that could make the transition just because they are so unique," Olsen said. "But there's few and far between those guys."

LeBron's successes as a football player are well-documented ... he was a BALLER in high school before he switched to hoops full-time.

In fact, the Lakers superstar once said the Dallas Cowboys actually offered him a contract after he started training for football back in 2011!!

Vanessa Bryant has just won an important battle in her case against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department ... a judge ruled she can obtain the names of the deputies who allegedly took and distributed graphic photos from the Kobe crash site.

Vanessa alleges that shortly after Kobe, their daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Jan. 2020 ... sheriff's deputies took pictures of the wreckage and the bodies in it and shared the images.

County prosecutors had argued the names of the deputies allegedly responsible for sharing the photos should be kept under seal ... saying it could put the deputies in harm's way.

Vanessa, though, opposed that ... and it looks like she convinced the judge.

U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled in favor of Bryant on Monday, according to the LA Times, writing in a ruling, "Although the Court recognizes that this case has been the subject of public scrutiny and media attention and that the Deputy Defendants are legitimately concerned that they will encounter vitriol and social media attacks, such concerns, by themselves, are not sufficient to outweigh the public’s strong interest in access."

The county will have the opportunity to appeal the ruling.

Julianna Peña is doing what most female fighters are scared to do ... not only challenge Amanda Nunes to a scrap, but promising to whoop her ass!!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 31-year-old, #6 ranked UFC Bantamweight about Nunes ... who just obliterated Megan Anderson in just over 2 minutes at UFC 259.

The narrative has been that Nunes has cleared out all the women in the 135 & 145 lb. divisions ... but Peña tells us that simply ain't the case.

“I’m still here, I’m in the division, and stylistically, I am the worst possible matchup for [Nunes]. The last time she was put on her back by Cat Zingano, she balled up into the fetal position and had the ref need to yank Cat off of her, and I beat Cat."

FYI, Zingano was the Lioness' last loss ... all the way back in September 2014. Amanda has won 12 UFC fights in a row since the TKO loss.

We asked Peña -- who's 10-4 as a pro -- why she believes Nunes is avoiding a fight with her ... and the Venezuelan Vixen says the double champ knows she presents big-time matchup issues.

"I definitely think she knows stylistically I am the worst matchup for her. I know it, I am her Kryptonite, and I think that's why she keeps trying to push it off.”

In other words ... a lot of the women in the UFC may fear Nunes, but Julianna ain't one of them.

“She’s not this big ol’ boogeyman that everyone thinks she is, and I'm not afraid of her, and I defiantly think she knows that," Peña says.

Julianna closed the interview with a message aimed squarely at Nunes.

NFL MVP ... engagement to stunning actress ... and, next, fatherhood?!?

Aaron Rodgers says that's the plan ... with the Green Bay Packers superstar saying he's eyeing having a baby now that he's engaged to Shailene Woodley.

The quarterback made the revelation during a chat with Zenith Watches last week ... saying fatherhood is the next life goal he'd like to reach.

"I just think it'd be so fun," Rodgers said of being a dad. "I've dreamt about what that would be like and I'm really excited about that chapter whenever that comes."

37-year-old Rodgers says he's not sure exactly when he'd like to head down that road -- he explained it might not be in the "immediate future" -- but he added he's still pumped about the idea regardless.

"I've done a pretty good job taking care of myself for the last 37 years," Rodgers said. "I look forward to taking care of another life at some point too."

As we previously reported, Rodgers announced his engagement in February after he won the NFL's MVP award.

Woodley confirmed the news a few weeks later and raved about the QB in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, playfully calling the QB a "nerd."

Terrell Owens is used to catching Hail Mary passes, but now he's throwing one -- with the Hall of Famer shooting his shot with his celebrity crush, Olivia Munn!!

T.O. revealed his admiration for the "The Predator" star in an interview last week ... saying he'd love to spend some time with the actress.

In fact, Owens just launched his own "Eighty-One" wine brand ... and when he was asked which celebs he'd love to "wine and dine," the former Dallas Cowboy immediately brought up OM.

"On my list right now I would say Olivia Munn," Owens told Page Six. "She’s very, very high (up there). She’s very, very sexy."

Of course, Munn previously dated NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers from 2014-17 ... and the couple had a public breakup over the Packers superstar's relationship with his family.

Rodgers is now engaged to Shailene Woodley, which means TO -- who says he's casually dating people at the moment -- is free to do his thing.

Owens appears to have a backup plan if his shot with Munn turns out to be an airball -- he also mentions he's got a thing for Sanaa Lathan and loves her movies as well. BTW -- they were also rumored to be dating back in 2006.

Josh Jacobs has officially put his January car accident in Las Vegas behind him ... the NFL star's lawyers say he's no longer facing any legal drama after he paid a fine and completed community service.

The 23-year-old Raiders star running back was staring down big-time trouble after he crashed his 6-figure Acura NSX on Jan. 4 at around 4:42 AM near the Vegas airport.

Cops had initially arrested him and believed he was drunk behind the wheel before the wreck.

But, prosecutors say evidence showed his blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit ... and only hit him with a misdemeanor count of Duty of Driver to Decrease Speed Under Certain Circumstances over the incident.

Jacobs' attorneys told the Associated Press Josh closed out the case Monday by paying a $500 fine and mentoring at a Boys & Girls Club.

As for the injuries Josh suffered in the accident ... they appear to be going away as well -- the running back posted a picture of his face just a few weeks ago, and the gash on his forehead is clearly healing nicely.

Les Miles is OUT at KU ... the school parted ways with the head coach Monday, just days after a report revealed he had been accused of sexual misconduct during his time at LSU.

The report -- which was released by LSU last week to show its findings of how the school had handled past sexual misconduct allegations -- was alarming.

In the docs, investigators say Miles was accused of inappropriately messaging female students, requiring females in his football program to be attractive, and even driving one of the students to his condo and kissing them.

Miles -- who was head man at LSU from 2005 to 2016 and was later hired by the Jayhawks in 2018 -- had denied the kissing allegations ... but KU placed the coach on administrative leave anyway last Friday following the report's publishing.

And, just 3 days later, the school announced it was officially parting ways with the coach.

"I am extremely disappointed for our university, fans and everyone involved with our football program," the school's athletic director, Jeff Long, said in a statement. "There is a lot of young talent on this football team, and I have no doubt we will identify the right individual to lead this program."

Added Miles, "This is certainly a difficult day for me and for my family. I love this university and the young men in our football program. I have truly enjoyed being the head coach at KU and know that it is in a better place now than when I arrived."

Three people attempted to break into Kenta Maeda's L.A.-area home Sunday night, but fortunately for the star MLB pitcher, his alarm system thwarted the suspects before they could get in.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... at around 7:19 PM, three people smashed in windows at Maeda's Santa Monica residence, trying to gain entry to the place.

But, we're told the trio was NOT able to get into the home ... after they were scared off by a home security system.

We're told the alarm company notified cops ... and it appears nobody was home at the time of the attempted break-in.

Cops tell us they've since launched an investigation into the incident.

Maeda is coming off his best season as a pro -- in his 1st year with the Minnesota Twins in 2020, he piled up a 6-1 record and a 2.70 ERA and finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young vote to Shane Bieber.

Maeda began his MLB career with the L.A. Dodgers ... winning 47 games in four seasons before the team traded him to Minnesota in 2020.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

Rob Gronkowski's gettin' in on the EXPLODING digital sports memorabilia market ... the NFL superstar is releasing his own limited edition, virtual trading cards.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Gronk ... and the 4x Super Bowl champ broke the news on his new side hustle.

RG -- with biz partners Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig -- linked up with artist Black Madre, Gronk's good friend ... and created 5 (very limited) trading cards.

But, no cardboard here -- the cards are part of a digital collection Rob's calling his Championship Series NFT Collection.

NFT stands for non-fungible token -- essentially a digital card that can't be duplicated -- and Gronk believes they're the future of the trading card world.

"I think having digital trading cards now is just gonna be unique and it's gonna blow it out of the water. Actual trading cards, I think will always be there, but I think it's leading towards a way where everything's digital."

Trading cards (and all sports memorabilia) have blown up over the last few years. In fact, a 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors Kobe Bryant rookie card just sold for $1.8 million.

Rob -- starting Thursday at 7 PM ET on crypto marketplace, OpenSea.io -- is dropping 5 cards featuring original, hand-drawn artwork ... celebrating his Super Bowl XLIX, LI, LIII, and LV championships.

Each SB card comes in only 87 editions (Rob's jersey #) ... with the exception of the 5th card -- the holy grail -- a Career Highlight Refractor Card signed by Gronk.

If that wasn't cool enough ... the winner of that card will have an opportunity to go to a Bucs game next season and meet Gronk, in-person.