TMZ Sports - Page 37

Another global superstar is saying goodbye to social media -- this time, it's soccer superstar Thierry Henry, who says he's logging off until the platforms do a better job of combating racism and bullying.

Of course, Chrissy Teigen deactivated her Twitter account on Wednesday ... saying, "This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that's the right time to call something."

Now, Henry -- who has 2.3 MILLION followers on Twitter and another 2.7 mil on Instagram -- is throwing up the deuce to all his social media platforms, penning one last message on Friday.

"Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright," the Arsenal legend said.

"The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability."

He added ... "It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous.

"Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I'm hoping this happens soon."

Find someone who's loyal to you like Jamal Crawford's loyal to his Blackberry.

Yep, in the age of iPhone and Android .. the 41-year-old NBA star still rocks a Blackberry device -- AND HE'S DAMN PROUD OF IT!!

The 3-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year was outed as a Berry-user during a Thursday interview with Candace Parker on "NBA on TNT" ... and once J.C. copped to the using the relic, Shaq and the rest of the crew came with the jokes!

"They still got BlackBerry?" one voice said while Shaq and Candace piled on.

So, why is Crawford so adamant about living in the past when it comes to his phone?!?!

"It’s the keyboard," Jamal said proudly ... "You know, I don’t gotta spend time erasing stuff. It’s the keyboard. It shows my loyalty. Once I switched over to Blackberry I never left."

Crawford’s loyalty came with a price … explaining his NBA teammates had to send him separate messages since he couldn’t join the group chats.

"With my teammates, I couldn't be on the group texts. They had to send me stuff on the side since I didn’t have [a smart phone] ... it was coming up green."

For the record, it looks like Crawford's rockin' a Blackberry Key2 -- which came out in 2018 and features a full QWERTY keyboard.

NFL star Marshon Lattimore -- a 3-time Pro Bowl cornerback -- was arrested in Cleveland around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

The 24-year-old New Orleans Saints star was booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail early Friday morning ... where he posed for a mug shot while wearing a COVID mask.

Details surrounding the incident are unclear -- we're working on getting more info -- but Cleveland.com reports Lattimore was taken into custody by "Cleveland police’s gang investigators."

Lattimore -- the 11th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has been a star player ever since ... making the Pro Bowl in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Lattimore is about to enter the final year of his rookie contract -- which means he's expected to renegotiate for a TON of money ... but the arrest could seriously affect his contract situation.

Before his NFL career, Lattimore was a star at Ohio State -- where he was named 1st Team All-BIG 10 in 2016.

Lattimore grew up in the Cleveland area -- and was a star at Glenville High School where he was touted as one of the best defensive backs in the country.

Story developing ...

The Rajon Rondo trade to L.A. is a dream come true for Clippers player Terance Mann ... who IDOLIZES Rondo so much, he's been carrying the guy's rookie card in his wallet for years!!!

AND HE PROVED IT ON CAMERA!!

Check out Mann whipping out his 2006 Topps #251 Rondo rookie card during Thursday's news conference with the media ... right after the Clippers announced Rajon was coming to town!

24-year-old Mann -- a 2019 draft pick -- explained he's been carrying the card in his wallet since 7th grade because he thinks it's good luck!

Mann explained ... "Somebody gave it to me, then I made the A-team for my travel team. I was like, 'Man, it’s gotta be this card!'"

Mann continued, "So I kept the card, and I kept getting better and better at basketball."

Hey, if it works ... why break tradition?!

Now, with the collectibles market blowing up at record levels -- Mann needs to get Rondo to SIGN the card (and get it authenticated) and it could be worth a fortune!!

Jack Draper -- a 19-year-old making his debut on the ATP Tour this week -- frighteningly collapsed on the court during a match at the Miami Open on Thursday ... but thankfully, he said afterward he's all right.

The scary scene all went down during Draper's match against Mikhail Kukushkin ... when Draper began to feel ill amid scorching Florida hot and humid weather.

At one point during the match, medics ran courtside tests on a visibly exhausted Draper ... but the young, budding tennis star elected to continue despite clearly being unwell.

Just a few moments later in the match, though ... he crumpled to the ground attempting to hit a ball -- and there was serious concern among onlookers.

"Oh, dear, that's not good," one of the match's announcers said on the television broadcast. "Worrying times."

Thankfully, medics rushed to Draper's aid ... and the tennis player ended up being able to walk off under his own power -- though he did have to withdraw from the contest.

"At the changeover, I was starting to feel my body a bit," Draper told reporters after the match.

"I said that I'm going to carry on because I wasn't feeling faint ... but obviously when I got out there, that wasn't the case."

Grand Canyon University hoops star Oscar Frayer -- who scored 8 points in his team's NCAA Tournament game Saturday -- died in a car crash Tuesday ... school officials confirmed.

He was just 23 years old.

Frayer was one of three people riding inside of an SUV at around 2:30 AM Tuesday in Lodi, Calif. when California Highway Patrol officials said it veered off the road and slammed into a CHP patrol vehicle.

Officials say the SUV then continued onward, struck a tree and became fully engulfed in flames. All 3 passengers in the SUV -- which included Frayer's older sister, Andrea Moore -- tragically died.

The CHP says two of its officers were injured in the wreck, but are expected to survive. CHP officials added "both will have a long road to recovery and we will eagerly await their return to full duty."

Frayer -- a senior this year -- is regarded as one of "the most accomplished players" in GCU basketball history, according to school officials ... and the team mourned his death in a lengthy statement released Thursday night.

"He was the heartbeat of our team with his vibrant, energetic personality," GCU men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew said.

"I cannot put into words the hurt and sadness we all feel, but we know he is in heaven and that gives us great joy to know we will be together again."

Frayer played 26 minutes in GCU's loss to Iowa on Saturday. The Lopes entered the tournament as a #15 seed.

The game was the 107th career start for Frayer at GCU ... and he had tweeted after the loss, "I bleed purple FOREVER!!!! THANK YOU LOPE NATION for the last 5 years..it’s been nothing less than amazing."

Big night for Dwight Howard in his return to Staples Center on Thursday -- first he got his 2020 NBA Championship ring ... and then he got EJECTED!

Remember, Howard was part of the Lakers team that won it all in Orlando during the bizarre bubble season of 2020.

After the season, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers ... right around the time Danny Green was traded from L.A. to Philly.

Both returned to Staples for the first time this season on Thursday where the Lakers honored the two with a ring ceremony before tipoff.

Big smiles. Big diamonds. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood.

But, everything changed when the game began -- Howard got into it with Lakers tough guy Montrezl Harrell in a chippy 1st quarter.

Things culminated with Howard intentionally bumping Harrell as time expired in the 1st quarter -- Harrell shoved him back.

Howard got the technical and was ejected from the game.

At least he had a sparkly parting gift ...

Ultimately, the 76ers got the win -- even without Dwight -- taking down the champs in a 109 to 101 victory.

Jordyn Woods flaunting a huge rock on her finger is a red herring, because it turns out it was just for show and she's not marrying her NBA boyfriend ... at least not yet.

Elizabeth Woods -- Jordyn's mother and manager -- tells TMZ ... the ring her daughter's wearing in her recent Instagram pics is NOT an engagement ring from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Jordyn's mom says it's simply a piece of flashy jewelry she put on for a photo shoot -- she's definitely not engaged.

Understandably, Jordyn's fans flooded her IG comments anyway asking if KAT proposed to her and complimenting her on the rock ... even pointing out that it's on her wedding ring finger.

Towns also helped fuel the speculation last week when he denied cheating rumors on Twitter, saying he's already got the "baddest girl in the game." He added that haters will always exist even "when I put a ring on her finger."

If they had gotten engaged, it would have been pretty quick. Jordyn and KAT appeared to begin dating in July, but didn't make it official until September when they took a Cabo trip together for her birthday.

San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Kevin Givens has been hit with an assault charge after he allegedly beat the hell out of a man at a Maryland hotel ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents, 24-year-old Givens was charged with misdemeanor second-degree assault after Hayden Bosley said he was attacked by the NFL player on Feb. 21.

In the docs, Bosley says he was out for the night in Baltimore when he had a confrontation with Givens.

Bosley says he, Givens' girlfriend and another friend were grabbing an Uber/Lyft when they asked Givens if he was tagging along for the ride.

In the docs, Bosley says Givens got angry and told him to go away ... so he left with the other two for a Sheraton Hotel in the area.

That's when Bosley says Givens showed up a short time later, saw the three standing in a hotel hallway ... and attacked.

Bosley claims Givens tackled him to the ground, dislocated his shoulder and continued to wrestle with him.

Bosley says he was able to escape and run away ... but claims he ended up suffering a black eye, bruises, cuts and scrapes in addition to the shoulder injury in the altercation.

Bosley says he went to the emergency room, where he got treatment from medical personnel from 3 AM to 7 AM.

Givens is now due in court later next month to face the charge. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 YEARS in prison.

We've reached out to Givens for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Givens signed with the Niners as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State in 2019. He played in just 1 game in his rookie season ... but went on to play in 13 last year.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's fired up for the return of Miesha Tate -- but there's an "I Told You So" moment in this clip he's been waiting to drop for years!

Long story short ... Tate got her nose surgically repaired after her 2016 brawl with Amanda Nunes.

White says he strongly urged her to NOT go under the knife until after her MMA career was seriously over ... because when you're a pro fighter, there's a good chance it could get broken again!

Tate ignored White's advice and got the surgery anyway -- and now that she's returning in July to take on Marion Reneau after a 4-year layoff, Dana's dropping the ol' "I Told You So!"

"I told her don't do it, I'll fix your nose when you're done," White says ... "[but] she did it."

"Her and I haven't talked about this but big mistake and over the last five years obviously she's given her nose plenty of time to heal."

But, Reneau -- the #12 ranked bantamweight -- is a legit striker who will likely take some shots at Tate's sniffer!

White says Tate's a grown-ass woman and she knows what she's getting herself into -- and he's happy to have her back in the fold.

He also dropped some news about Amanda Nunes -- saying Julianna Peña has been "driving me f**king bananas" trying to get a fight with the champ ... and he's leaning towards making it happen.

"[She] will not stop terrorizing me that she deserves this fight. Amanda Nunes this, Amanda Nunes that, Amanda is ducking her, Amanda doesn't want her because the style doesn't match up well for Amanda ... so I'm thinking bout doing a Peña and Nunes."

There's more ... White also talked about this weekend's main event -- Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 -- and explained why Stipe could be the most disrespected fighter in MMA history.

"I think he's starting to wear that underdog role and own it," White said.

"I think there's a lot less pressure on him going in there being the underdog. The disrespect continues for the champ."

As we previously reported, the winner will get to face Jon Jones ... White says he'd love to make that fight happen in the Fall.

Pro ski jumper Daniel-Andre Tande suffered serious injuries in a terrifying crash caught on video Thursday ... but thankfully, officials are now describing his ailments as non-life-threatening.

Tande, a 27-year-old who won a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics, was competing in a World Cup event in Slovenia ... when one of his jumps went horrifically wrong.

You can see in video of the crash ... midway through his flight, he turned sideways and landed HARD on the snow below.

The Norwegian then violently plummeted hundreds of feet down the mountain ... before coming to a stop at the base of the jump.

Ski officials say Tande was unconscious when medics arrived. They added Tande had to be "intubated and mechanically ventilated" after he was loaded into the ambulance.

Fortunately, doctors said in a statement later Thursday afternoon that "preliminary tests are very promising."

And, a statement released by Norwegian Ski Jumping Team leader Clas Brede Brathen showed there's clear optimism Tande will eventually make a recovery.

"The fall has looked dramatic for us and we are now relieved after the first diagnosis that Daniel's injuries are not life threatening," Brathen said.

Israel Adesanya admits he "crossed the line" when he threatened to "rape" fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland during a trash-talking session on social media ... and vows to learn from his mistake.

For context, Israel was responding to allegations Holland made earlier this month against him ... claiming the middleweight champ is a steroid user.

Adesanya responded in an Instagram story by saying, "Bro, I’ll f***ing rape you."

The comment was met with outrage from high profile people ... including New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who said, "There is never a time to make flippant comments about rape. It’s just not something anybody should do."

Finally, on Thursday, Israel addressed the situation ... and admitted he messed up.

"Last weekend fight talk escalated to a point in which I crossed the line," Adesanya said on Twitter.

"I understand the gravity of this word and how it can affect and hurt other people apart from my opponent, although that was NEVER my intention."

"I am still growing under the spotlight, and I take this as a lesson to be more selective with words under pressure.”

Bring on the picks and leave the masks ... the NFL says if teams' draft war rooms next month feature fully vaccinated individuals, it will lax COVID policies and not require face coverings.

The league made the announcement to its clubs in a one-page memo Thursday ... explaining teams can have quasi-normal draft day procedures if all participating members can prove they've taken the COVID vaccine.

NFL officials say draft-night changes for vaccinated teams' war rooms include no mask requirement and flexible physical and social distancing rules.

The league also says it will allow both eating and drinking as well.

But, there will be some precautions for the draft weekend -- which is set to kick off April 29 -- even for those vaccinated teams.

The league says fully vaccinated rooms are to be capped off at 10 staffers.

If not vaccinated, teams will have to adhere to strict COVID policies ... with masks, social distancing and a cap of 20 per room.

The man who knocked out Eagles TE Dallas Goedert last year is breathing easier today ... he was just sentenced for the punch, but received nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

A South Dakota court official tells TMZ Sports ... Kyle Hadala -- the 30-year-old who rocked Goedert's face at a bar in June 2020 -- pled guilty to misdemeanor simple assault earlier this month and was sentenced that same day.

His punishment, though, was light -- considering he was facing up to 1 year in jail and a potential $2,000 fine.

According to the court official, Hadala was sentenced to 60 days in jail ... but if he keeps his nose clean for the next year, he won't have to spend a single day behind bars.

We're told Hadala also had to pay court costs and fines that totaled $336.50. He was ordered to have no contact with Goedert for 1 year as well.

As we previously reported, Hadala punched Goedert on June 19 at Zoo Bar in Aberdeen, SD ... after he says Dallas threatened one of his friends during a night out drinking.

Sources close to Dallas -- who had to go to the hospital after the punch but was NOT seriously hurt -- tell us the 26-year-old was simply trying to play peacemaker before he was KO'd.

Live from Atlanta ... it's Pete Davidson!!!

... who's officially signed on to join Snoop Dogg's commentary team for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed the "Saturday Night Live" star will be a part of the broadcast team for the very first Triller Fight Club 2021 event on April 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

We're told he'll be working the event alongside Snoop, Mario Lopez, supermodel Taylor Hill, and social media stars Dixie and Charli D’Amelio.

The play-by-play announcers are seasoned veterans when it comes to boxing -- Ray Flores, Al Bernstein and Mike Coppinger.

Snoop was the breakout star during the first Triller boxing event featuring Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. -- he was in the broadcast booth calling the action and was HILARIOUS!

Remember, he was busting out church hymns as Jake put a hurtin' on Nate Robinson on the undercard.

So, add Pete Davidson to the mix!?! That's gonna be awesome.

As we previously reported, the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren already has a stacked musical lineup featuring superstars like Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo, Major Lazer and the debut of Snoop's new rap supergroup Mt. Westmore (which features Snoop, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40).

The main event will be an 8-round sanctioned professional boxing match featuring undefeated 24-year-old Jake Paul (2-0) going up against decorated MMA star Ben Askren, who's 36.

Askren has guaranteed victory over Jake -- saying he's never stepped in the ring against a REAL accomplished fighter.

Jake vows to wipe the floor with Askren -- saying the guy's striking ability is straight trash.

Johnny Manziel may have never become Johnny Football if it weren't for his 2012 arrest ... 'cause the former superstar says his grueling punishment after getting in trouble led to his Heisman-winning season.

Manziel was arrested for disorderly conduct and having a fake ID after getting in a fight at College Station on June 29, 2012 ... months before his breakout redshirt freshman season at Texas A&M.

28-year-old Manziel is now opening up on the fallout from his wild night of Irish car bombs and Patron ... saying he was forced to run gassers before and after every Aggies football practice as punishment -- which ended up being the ultimate blessing in disguise for a guy that was 4th on the depth chart at the time.

"In 11 days, I won the (starting) job doing these sprints, doing the whole thing," Manziel said on his "Ball Don't Lie" podcast with Mike.

"At the end of the year, I rushed for 1,500 yards. I outrushed Todd Gurley in the SEC. Nuts. My redshirt freshman year, the year I won the Heisman."

"I believe all that was directly correlated to me running those sprints at the beginning of the year and being in the dumbest shape on the team."

In other words, Johnny says if he hadn't gotten in trouble, his whole career would have played out completely differently.

"Without a doubt. I got punished and I won a Heisman for it. It's crazy. The bad doesn't always turn out so bad down the line."

Manziel became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman in 2012 ... but says he could have won ANOTHER if he had put in the work -- and it's his biggest regret.

"I think every day if I would of done what I need to do in between seasons, not only would I of won another Heisman, I would of put my team in a position to win a national championship."

He added ... "I wasn't voted team captain after winning the Heisman because I didn't show up to workouts, I didn't do what I need to do and I wasn't accountable to guys on my team."