TMZ Sports - Page 50

French Olympian snowboarder Julie Pomagalski -- who won a World Championship in 1999 -- has died after an avalanche in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday.

She was 40.

The French Ski Federation made the announcement Wednesday .. saying Pomagalski and a guide, Bruno Cutelli, died in the accident.

Police say the cause of the avalanche is unknown at this time.

Pomagalski was a two-time Olympian for France ... finishing 6th in the parallel giant slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City games ... and also competed in the 2006 games in Torino, Italy.

She was also the 1999 World Champion in snowboard cross, and won the 2004 Snowboard World Cup and was Vice-World Champion in parallel giant in 2003.

Skiing runs in Pomagalski's family ... her grandfather, Jean Pomagalski, invented the first ski lift in 1934 and is the founder of POMA, a manufacturer for chairlifts.

The French Olympics team made a statement Wednesday, saying "the tragic death of Julie, snowboard world champion and Olympian, leaves the France OLY team in mourning for one of their own."

Whoa!! That was fast!!

54-year-old Mike Tyson has announced he will be fighting 58-year-old Evander Holyfield on May 29 -- despite Holyfield's camp saying negotiations were dead just 24 hours ago!!

"I just want everybody to know the fight is on with me and Holyfield," Tyson said during an IG Live session with Haute Living.

"Holyfield's a humble man I know that and he's a man of God but I'm God's man. Listen, I'm going to be successful May 29."

We're reaching out to Holyfield's camp right now to confirm he's in ... so stay tuned on that.

Remember, it was just yesterday that Evander's manager issued a statement saying talks had "fallen apart" between the two sides.

"We were negotiating in good faith all along and it appears we just ended up wasting our time," Kris Lawrence said.

The two sides were honing in on a May 29 fight date at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The dispute came down to money -- Holyfield's camp says Team Tyson wanted a huge cut ... and even turned down a $25 million guarantee.

So, how did they get it all worked out? We're working on it.

Evander and Mike last fought in 1997 ... and it ended with Tyson biting a chunk out of Evander's ear. Holyfield's last pro fight was in 2011, when he earned a TKO victory over Brian Nielsen.

Brett Favre says his rock-bottom moment came right after winning the Super Bowl in 1997 ... admitting his addiction to painkillers nearly cost him his life.

The NFL Hall of Famer opened up on his battle with pills on "Bolling With Favre" on PodcastOne with guest Dr. Phil this week ... saying he first got addicted in 1994 after suffering an injury.

Favre started taking 2 pills a day ... which led to teammates helping get him more and more painkillers "to a point where I was basically taking in 2 days, a month's prescription, which is crazy."

Favre says he even suffered 2 seizures due to complications from his increased pill intake in 1995, which forced him to come clean with his addiction.

Despite a 75-day stint in rehab, Favre's addiction didn't end until after winning 3-straight MVP awards AND the Super Bowl in 1997 ... when he "was as low as I could possibly be."

That's the moment he knew he had to kick his addiction for good, saying "I said it's one of two things -- I die, or I flush these pills down the toilet."

"I sat by the toilet for two hours," Favre said. "Eventually, I dumped the pills in the toilet, flushed them and I almost wanted to kill myself because of doing that."

"I could not believe that I've actually done that and I was so mad at myself because now what was I gonna do?"

Houston Tumlin, who starred as a child actor 15 years ago in 'Talladega Nights,' has taken his own life.

Houston shot himself in the head inside his home in Pelham, Alabama around 4:30 PM Tuesday ... Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans tells TMZ.

We're told Houston's girlfriend was inside the home at the time of his suicide ... and so far, no note has been found.

Houston is best known for playing the foul-mouthed, 10-year-old Walker Bobby, son of Will Ferrell's character Ricky Bobby, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

His character had a ton of memorable moments and lines in 'Talladega Nights' ... like the famous dinner scene opposite Grayson Russell as Texas Ranger Bobby.

The hit movie is Houston's only acting credit ... and as recently as 2015 he was reportedly serving in the Army's 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He also worked other jobs, like repairing telephone lines.

Houston was only 28.

RIP

The martial arts world has lost a legend ... Toshihiko Koga -- who won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics -- died at 53 years old Wednesday, officials in Japan confirmed.

The judo champ -- a 3-time Olympian -- had reportedly battled cancer in the past year ... though it's unclear if that was the cause of his tragic death.

Japanese politician Katsunobu Kato lamented the loss of Koga at a news conference Wednesday ... telling reporters, "He was so young, and the news of his death is such a shame."

"I express my deepest condolences."

In his first run in the 1988 Seoul Olympics with the Japanese national team ... Koga failed to medal -- but just four years later in Barcelona, he won gold, battling through a leg injury to come out with the hardware.

At the ensuing 1996 Games in Atlanta, he won a silver medal in the -78 kg division.

Koga ended up retiring four years later in 2000 ... and went on to coach the Japanese women's judo team.

He was so successful in that role, one of his students, Ayumi Tanimoto, went on to win a gold medal at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Russell Wilson got to enjoy some sports from the stands for once on Tuesday ... hitting up the Stanford vs. Oklahoma State game in the NCAA women's tourney to watch his sister, Anna, ball out!!

Of course, Russ ain't the only star athlete in the Wilson fam -- 23-year-old Anna is a 5th-year senior for the #1 Cardinal ... and she put her skills on display in front of her Super Bowl-winning bro as her team punched their tickets to the Sweet 16!!

Wilson ended up going 4-5 from the field with 11 points in the 73-62 win over the #8 Cowgirls ... and you can tell big bro loved every second of it.

In fact, Russ fanboyed out during the starting lineup announcement ... documenting the whole thing on his IG story, cheering Stanford on from the crowd and tweeting his excitement for his sister's team.

"SWEET 16!!! Let’s Go @StanfordWBB," Wilson tweeted Tuesday night.

But, don't worry, Seahawks fans -- Russ was masked up (with a covering that featured his own signature logo) and social distanced ... so the guy was being safe.

The Cardinal will now face their next opponent on Saturday ... and we know Russ can't wait.

Horror at the Wilkesboro Dragway in North Carolina over the weekend -- where a car lost control and crashed into spectators, leaving a woman with serious injuries.

22-year-old Amber Garner was at the track with her family on March 20 when a purple Mustang spun out and went careening into an area where fans were watching the action.

You can hear a woman scream, "Oh god!"

Amber was struck by the car -- and quite honestly, it's a miracle she's alive.

"As soon as it did hit me, I guess I fell on the ground -- I blacked out, so I don’t know exactly," Amber told FOX 8.

Medical personnel raced over to provide first aid -- including securing her neck in a stabilizing brace.

She was later rushed to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center for treatment on her badly broken right arm.

"Her arm is broken in four places and broke her knuckle," Amber's sister explained on a GoFundMe page she started to help with medical costs.

Garner is expected to undergo at least 2 surgeries to repair the damage -- but again, it's amazing she wasn't more seriously hurt.

As for the driver of the Mustang, that person is reportedly fine -- suffering no injuries in the wreck.

The NHL just canned one of its referees after the guy was caught on a hot mic admitting he called a questionable penalty against the Nashville Predators because he wanted stick it to the team.

It all went down Tuesday night during the 2nd period of the Predators vs. Red Wings game -- when ref Tim Peel blew the whistle on Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson for tripping Jon Merrill.

It sure seems like Merrill flopped -- even the announcers commented, "That's such a dive" -- but Peel seemed locked in on calling Arvidsson for the penalty anyway.

Moments later, a hot mic captured referee Tim Peel explaining why he made the call ... and his explanation is troubling.

"It wasn’t much," Peel said of the tripping penalty, "but I wanted to get a f***ing penalty against Nashville early in the ..."

The audio trails off before Peel completes his thought -- but it sure sounds like Peel had out it out for Nashville, which is a huge problem for the NHL. Refs are NOT supposed to have an agenda when it comes to calling a game.

The NHL immediately launched a probe into the remarks ... and it took just hours before the league formally fired the 53-year-old ref.

The league didn't hold back in explaining the decision either ... saying straight up there was "no justification for [Peel's] comments."

"Nothing is more important than ensuring the integrity of our game," league exec Colin Campbell said in a statement.

"Tim Peel's conduct is in direct contradiction to the adherence to that cornerstone principle that we demand of our officials and that our fans, players, coaches and all those associated with our game expect and deserve."

Peel had been reffing in the NHL for more than two decades ... and had been reportedly set to retire after his scheduled final game late next month.

As for the impact of the penalty ... it didn't seem to affect the Preds much -- they still went on to win the game over Detroit, 2-0.

Now, the big question ... why did Peel want to penalize Nashville -- and did he unfairly target other teams during his career???

The attorney representing the female masseuses in the sexual misconduct cases against Deshaun Watson is also digging in ... firing back at the QB's counsel and filing 2 more lawsuits against the NFL player on Tuesday.

Tony Buzbee -- who has now brought a total of SIXTEEN suits against Watson in the past week -- took aim at Rusty Hardin, calling B.S. on the Texans star's attorney and insisting more evidence of wrongdoing against Deshaun is on the way.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Buzbee said he'll be releasing a copy of an NDA Watson allegedly asked massage therapists to sign sometimes before and after sessions.

Buzbee insisted more court filings would be coming as well ... and also had some strong words and some questions regarding the scathing statement Hardin had released against him earlier in the day.

"Alleged sexual misconduct is serious," Buzbee said. "Attempting to criminalize or minimize those that speak out or step forward is wrong."

"I have been asked to respond to a released statement by Mr. Watson’s counsel. My first reaction is that there have been so many massage sessions from Instagram that Mr. Watson can’t keep track of them ... I can’t tell you how many people have stepped forward to report similar conduct or provide information."

"That info will be released, again in public filings -- not in the media."

Buzbee continued, "My second reaction is a question: why would his marketing agent admit Watson had sex for pay with a massage therapist, consensual or otherwise?"

"We will also provide a copy of the non-disclosure agreement that Deshaun Watson and his marketing manager repeatedly insisted that Jane Doe (and others) sign after (and sometimes before) the 'massage session,' which she refused to sign."

Buzbee concluded, "I do appreciate Mr. Hardin’s professionalism and his words of support for victims, but would respectfully suggest there are many facts here, that we will put in public filings, that Mr. Hardin might not be aware of."

As we previously reported, Hardin accused Buzbee of orchestrating "a circus-like atmosphere" with the public lawsuits against Deshaun ... and adamantly supported Watson, calling all the misconduct allegations against the 25-year-old "completely false."

Hardin also released a statement from Watson's marketing manager, Bryan Burney, in which Burney claimed that everything that had happened between Watson and one of the accusers was consensual.

Vanessa Bryant and her daughter, Natalia, spent their Tuesday night getting new tattoos to honor Kobe and Gianna ... with the help of one of the best ink artists in the biz.

It appears Nikko Hurtado made a house call for his VIP clients -- and hooked the Bryants up with some pretty cool body art.

Vanessa -- who already has several pieces from Nikko -- added the word "Mambacita" to her forearm ... a tribute to Gianna, who earned the nickname through her obvious basketball talents that reminded people of her dad!

18-year-old Natalia -- who just recently signed a deal with IMG Models -- got two tattoos during the session.

The first, located on her finger, says the word, "Muse" -- which happens to be the name of Kobe's documentary he released back in 2015.

She also got another tattoo on her wrist -- but it's hard to tell the design.

But, with Hurtado working the needle, there's no doubt it's quality work.

TMZ Sports has obtained new footage showing the desperate scramble to neutralize the gunman who fired shots into the air at an MMA event in Florida ... and it's scary stuff.

You can see in the video, people at the Bamboo Room on March 20 were scared and confused after an unidentified man in a red shirt pulled out a handgun and fired into the air in what appears to be an attempt to restore order when a massive brawl broke out in the crowd.

The video -- captured by Florida City Entertainment -- shows multiple people tried to confront the gunman ... but nobody wanted to get too close because the guy was waving around a loaded weapon like it was a loaf of bread.

Eventually, multiple armed security personnel drew their own weapons and confronted the man in a corridor near an exit.

But, before additional law enforcement officers could respond to the scene ... the man was kicked out of the venue and hasn't been heard from since.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports it's still actively investigating the incident ... and released photos of the gunman in the hopes someone will step forward and identify him.

As we previously reported, multiple people were injured in a massive brawl that broke out at the RIZE Fighting Championship event in a chaotic scene that included people throwing punches and chairs.

LaMelo Ball is officially on the mend after undergoing surgery to fix his fractured right wrist on Tuesday ... with the Charlotte Hornets rookie stepping out in NYC with his arm in a sling hours after going under the knife.

The youngest Ball brother flew to the Big Apple to have the procedure performed by Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery ... which will keep him sidelined for at least the next month.

19-year-old Ball was spotted leaving his hotel in NYC Tuesday afternoon in his Puma shirt and shoes ... as well as a pair of $1,100 Chrome Hearts sweatpants.

Of course, Melo went down with the injury on Saturday against the L.A. Clippers ... and the team initially feared he would miss the remainder of the season.

But, there's now hope the Rookie of the Year frontrunner could still return in 2021 ... depending on how quickly he heals up ... and if the Hornets can reach the playoffs (they're currently the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference).

Ball tweeted shortly after the surgery saying, "extremely blessed" ... which is great news all around.

Ty Cobb's century-old, game-used baseball bat -- complete with cleat marks and tobacco juice stains -- just sold for over $1 MILLION!!

TMZ Sports has learned Cobb's 34.5 inch, 40.1-ounce ash Hillerich & Bradsby bat -- used by the baseball legend during the 1928 MLB season -- raked in $1.1 mil at a private sale.

The buyer and seller of the insanely special piece have chosen to remain anonymous.

Cobb was one of baseball's earliest stars ... and an absolute BEAST at the plate. He won the Triple Crown in 1909, the A.L. MVP in 1911, and was a 12x batting champion. He averaged .366 and had 4,191 hits over his 24 season career.

The lumber was authenticated and graded by PSA ... who gave the bat a perfect GU 10 score -- a super important figure for collectors.

In order to authenticate the bat, PSA says they examined cleat markings and tape on the bat (among other stuff) -- and all were consistent with other known Cobb bats. They also traced records back to the manufacturer.

The bat also came with a hand-written note from Ty ... who referenced using the bat during "the last year of my career in baseball" -- the 1928 season with the Philadelphia Athletics.

Joe Orlando -- CEO of PSA's parent company, Collectors Universe -- tells us Cobb's bat is one of the most special items to hit the market.

“In this case, when you consider the classic Ty Cobb characteristics this bat exhibits, along with its impeccable provenance, it’s no wonder this gamer became the first of its kind to crack the $1 million dollar barrier."

"From his signature taped handle, which is totally intact, to the tobacco juice-soaked barrel, the eye appeal of this baseball relic is elite.”

Cracking 7 figures is very rare ... but not totally unheard of. Back in 2019, the bat Babe Ruth used to slug his 500th home run sold for $1 million at auction.

Deshaun Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, is going scorched earth on the attorney representing the QB's accusers -- claiming Tony Buzbee has "orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere" to unfairly paint Watson as a sexual predator.

In his statement, Hardin stands by his client -- saying matter of factly, "I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

Hardin says his team has already begun to investigate the numerous lawsuits filed against the NFL star, but it's been extremely difficult because Buzbee will not reveal the identities of the women making the claims.

"The tactic of refusing our requests to confidentially provide the names of the plaintiffs so we can fully investigate their claims makes uncovering the truth extremely difficult."

"Anonymity is often necessary as a shield for victims but opposing counsel has used it as a sword to publicly humiliate Deshaun before the truth‑seeking process can even begin."

Hardin says his own investigation has already uncovered "strong evidence" showing one of the accusers is lying.

Hardin also claims ... in January, "a woman attempted to blackmail Deshaun by demanding $30,000 in exchange for her 'indefinite silence' about what she stated was a consensual encounter."

Additionally, Hardin says his team has received "numerous unsolicited comments in the past week from many licensed massage therapists who have worked with Deshaun in recent years."

"These women describe him as a gentleman and a model client who never engaged in inappropriate conduct. Indeed, before these salacious claims, everyone who associated with Deshaun described him as an outstanding, respectful, and compassionate man."

Hardin had strong words for Buzbee ... saying, "Opposing counsel has orchestrated a circus-like atmosphere by using social media to publicize 14 'Jane Doe' lawsuits during the past seven days in a manner calculated to inflame the public and malign Deshaun’s otherwise sterling reputation."

In other words, Watson is not backing down and judging by the statement, he's digging in his heels to fight this thing out as long as it takes.

Vanessa Hudgens and MLB player Cole Tucker are getting pretty serious ... 'cause the "High School Musical" star showed up to his spring training game Tuesday to cheer him on!!

The 32-year-old -- who made things Instagram offish with the 24-year-old Pirates utility man last month -- rocked a Pittsburgh jersey and sat just a few rows behind home plate to check out her BF.

Hudgens was there with her pal, GG Magree -- and you can see in the footage they shot out at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL ... they were super into Cole's game!!

The two went crazy when Tucker nearly beat out a broken-bat ground ball to second base ... and then they jammed out to "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" later on.

The bad news? Tucker didn't impress much during the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Twins ... he was 0-for-2 with a walk while serving as his team's designated hitter for the day.

But, hey ... it's spring training after all -- AND the dude gets to go home to Vanessa Hudgens at the end of the day.

Mike Evans is fresh off winning a Super Bowl, but he’s not done making great plays -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star just donated $50k to help those affected by the winter storm tragedy in Texas.

27-year-old Evans is originally from Galveston, Texas ... an area that was heavily impacted by the storm. In fact, there were reportedly 3 storm-related deaths in the area ... and at least 25 others in nearby Harris County.

Evans says he was inspired to help the same community that shaped him into an NFL star ... which resulted in a $50,000 check from his foundation to the United Way of Galveston.

"The Galveston community has been so supportive of me throughout my career," Evans said Monday. "After I heard about the destruction the winter storm caused, I knew I had to do something to give that same support back.”

The money given to United Way of Galveston will be distributed in two parts ... $37,500 will be given to the families in need in the form of gift cards for food and other essential items Lindsey White, executive director of United Way of Galveston said.

The remaining money will be given to the Johnny Mitchell Boys & Girls Club of Galveston and St. Vincent’s House to help underserved children and families.

“We’re so thankful that the foundation entrusted us with these much-needed funds for Galveston families," White continued.

"Their decision to support our community as we’re reeling from the compounded effects of the pandemic and the winter storm will have a huge impact on those that call Galveston home.”