TMZ Sports - Page 33

Manny Pacquiao is sick and tired of the violent attacks on the Asian community -- and he's calling out the coward perpetrators behind these awful crimes.

"Stop attacking Asians who can't defend themselves! FIGHT ME INSTEAD."

The 42-year-old boxing superstar continued, "We have one color in our Blood! Stop discriminating. LOVE AND PEACE TO EVERYONE!! #StopAsianHate."

Seems Pacquiao has finally seen enough after a 65-year-old Filipino-American woman was pummeled in broad daylight by a large man, in an horrific incident captured on video.

Besides being one of the top boxers in the world, Manny is also a Senator in the Philippines, where he was born and raised ... and clearly he felt compelled to issue a public statement after the wave of anti-Asian incidents making headlines around the world.

There has been a surge of hate crimes directed at Asian people in the U.S. over the past few months -- including a horrific incident in Atlanta where a gunman stormed multiple Asian-run spas and murdered 8 people.

Back in February, the Philippine Embassy in the U.S. issued a statement that advised Filipinos to use "utmost caution" due to the rise of anti-Asian attacks in America.

President Joe Biden just blasted the Texas Rangers for not limiting capacity at their stadium this year ... saying the decision could lead to a big spread of the coronavirus.

"I think it's a mistake," Biden told ESPN on Wednesday night. "They should listen to Dr. Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But, I think it's not responsible."

While Texas will require its fans to wear face coverings when in the stands at Rangers games this season ... the team says there won't be attempts to put a cap on the number of people that can attend.

And, with Globe Life Field having a capacity of more than 40,000 ... Biden clearly has concerns it could become a COVID-19 breeding ground.

For their part, the Rangers -- whose home-opener is scheduled for Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays -- have insisted protocols will prevent the games from being super-spreader events.

Texas is currently the only team in the MLB without a fan limit ... most of the rest of the league is at less than 50% capacity, with Boston and Washington limiting their seating to just 12% of the stadium.

As for MLB and the vaccine ... Biden sent a strong message to players, coaches, staffers and fans Wednesday -- urging everyone to get the shot.

"I would say I'm President of the United States and I got vaccinated," Biden said. "I don't have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me?"

There's more ... Biden also said he would support MLB execs if they chose to move the All-Star Game out of Georgia this year in wake of the state's governor's decision to sign a polarizing voting bill.

The prospective new law would put several tight restrictions on voters ... and opponents to it have argued it could hurt the voting opportunities for minorities.

"This is Jim Crow on steroids what they're doing in Georgia and 40 other states," Biden said. "What's it all about? Imagine passing a law saying you cannot provide water or food for someone standing in line to vote. Can't do that? Come on."

"Or you're going to close the polling place at 5 o'clock when people just get off? This is all about keeping working folks that I grew up with from being able to vote."

Biden also, once again, threw his support behind closing the pay gap between men and women in sports ... reiterating, "I just don't think it's right. I don't think it's fair."

UCLA star Johnny Juzang has made himself a WHOLE LOT of money over the past 2 weeks ... so says Kenny Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the hooper is now a surefire 1st-round NBA draft pick!

Juzang has been a BEAST for the Bruins in their march from the First 4 to the Final 4 in this year's NCAA Tournament ... he's scored 20 or more points in 3 of UCLA's 5 games so far.

And, when we asked The Jet about the kid out at LAX on Wednesday ... he gushed over the former Kentucky transfer -- saying his stock has skyrocketed after UCLA beat Michigan on Tuesday.

"This puts him -- this year, next year -- in the first round," Smith said of Juzang's tourney performances. "And, high in the first-round possibly. For sure."

Smith also said Juzang's accomplishments will help UCLA for years to come.

The NBA on TNT analyst said the Bruins' run to a potential national championship should help the Bruins' recruiting tremendously ... telling us they've got a way better shot of keeping all the California 5-stars in California now.

"UCLA basketball is back," Smith says.

As for what's next for Juzang and UCLA ... they've got Gonzaga -- the best team on earth right now -- on Saturday night.

Roman Reigns opted out of WrestleMania last year over COVID concerns, but with Mania only days away -- and fans set to partially fill the venue -- the WWE Superstar tells TMZ Sports he's NOT worried about his safety.

WrestleMania 37 -- goin' down April 10 and 11 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa -- is always a huge deal ... but it's even bigger this year cause WWE's allowing 25k fans back in the building each night for the first time in over a year.

We straight-up asked Roman if he believes WWE is doing enough to keep him, his fellow wrestlers and the fans safe.

His answer ... yes, Vince McMahon and his team are bending over backward to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.

"I think our safety precautions are second to none," Roman says.

"We'll have the pods to create the social distancing, masks will be required. We'll be giving out masks for those who are forgetful. We'll have, I believe, cashless concessions, so we're gonna create an opportunity where everybody's gonna be as safe as they could be."

Remember, Roman -- who battled and beat leukemia -- bowed out of WM 36 last April ... at the time telling us he didn't want to risk exposing his newborn baby to coronavirus.

But, things have changed, and Reigns says WWE's doing everything they can to keep everyone healthy, while also allowing passionate wrestling fans a chance to let loose.

John Cena's decision to participate in a Nickelodeon hidden-camera show helped an 8-year-old kid SAVE HIS BABY SISTER FROM CHOKING!!!

Seriously -- it's an unbelievable story!

8-year-old Jaxson Demsey was on a family outing in Hazleton, Pennsylvania over the weekend -- when he noticed his 20-month-old sister was having trouble breathing.

Fortunately for the Demsey family, Jaxson had watched an episode of the Nickelodeon show, "The Substitute" ... which featured a cameo from WWE superstar John Cena.

Cena was disguised as a CPR instructor on the hidden-camera show -- and was tasked with teaching a group of kids how to perform chest compressions in case of a choking emergency.

Clearly, the show made an impression on Jaxson -- because when his sister needed help, he sprung into action and successfully dislodged a McNugget!

“We were driving to my haircut, and I noticed she was starting to choke from a chicken nugget from McDonald’s," Jaxson told WNEP ... "I told my dad to pull over. Then I was starting to pat on her back, and it got out."

After the incident, he credited Cena for teaching him the life-saving skills he needed that day!

"In the very first episode [of 'The Substitute'], John Cena was on it, and in the last part, he showed how to save someone when they're choking."

Jaxon’s dad, Matt, was thankful his son stepped up in this situation, but he wasn’t surprised.

“He amazes us every day, you know -- some of the things he says and does, and his actions. We’re simply blessed to have the child that he is, the things that he does for his family, his friends, for his little sister. He’s a good big brother."

Dak Prescott's offseason just keeps getting better and better ...

Just weeks after the NFL star inked a MASSIVE 4-year, $160 MIL contract with the Dallas Cowboys ... he bro'd down with 2 country music stars on an epic fishing trip in Louisiana!

The 27-year-old joined up with Jimmie Allen and Chris Young, as well his brother Tad and his Cowboys teammate La'el Collins, for the adventure ... and it looked fun as hell!

Allen -- whose "Best Shot" tune is STILL crushing it on country music radio -- documented the trip on his IG ... showing he and the guys getting after it at a huge crawfish dinner Tuesday night.

They then hit the boat Wednesday morning for some fishing ... and after some jabs over who caught the most -- Jimmie showed off their haul, and it was a TON of fish!

The guys then posed for a pic on the boat ... and it seems like good times were had by all.

By the way, we know what you're thinking ... and yeah, Dak's ankle looked OK to us.

The investigators tasked with finding the cause of the Tiger Woods crash have determined the cause of the accident -- but they're not releasing the results, citing "privacy issues."

L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed Wednesday the investigation into Woods stemming from the Feb. 23 crash has wrapped up -- but when pressed on the findings, he told the media he won't go public with the findings until he gets permission from Tiger's camp.

"A cause has been determined, the investigation has concluded," Villanueva said.

"We have reached out to Tiger Woods and his personnel ... There's some privacy issues on releasing information on the investigation so we're going to ask them if they waive the privacy and then we will be able to do a full release on all the information regarding the accident."

Villanueva did not expand on why he would need Tiger's permission to release the info.

As we previously reported ... the investigation had unearthed some troubling evidence after law enforcement sources told us they believed Tiger never hit the brakes as he spun off the road. We were also told there was no evidence he took his foot off the gas either.

We were told investigators believed Tiger did nothing to prevent the crash once he lost control of his expensive SUV rental. Our sources had said before Tiger got to the scene of the crash he had been driving "normal" and not speeding. Evidence indicated he accelerated and was speeding when he lost control.

As we reported, the Sheriff's Dept. said Tiger told one of the first responders he had no recollection of the accident. Even still ... the Sheriff said almost immediately after the crash there was no evidence of impaired driving nor any evidence of alcohol. That being said ... the Sheriff also never attempted to get a warrant to draw blood to test for medications and was adamant Tiger wouldn't face criminal charges for the crash.

Tiger, of course, suffered major injuries in the single-car crash -- like major damage to his right leg, comminuted open fractures to both his upper and lower tibia and fibula -- which required emergency surgery.

Urban Meyer knows talent when he sees it -- and the Jacksonville Jaguars coach was so impressed by an 11-year-old girl who scored her 1st TD, he invited her to training camp!

Meet Keilani Contreras ... who made history Saturday when she caught a TD for the Arlington Seminoles, a youth tackle football team in Jacksonville.

Keilani's coaches told Action News Jax she's the first girl to ever score a TD in Arlington Football Association history!

After the game, the extremely charismatic Keilani was even MORE impressive on camera during her post-game interview with the local news!!!

"Sometimes boys might be like 'Oh you can't do this because you're a girl' ... well, look at me! I'm a football player!"

"You should always go for your dream," Keilani told Action News Jax ... "it doesn't matter if it's a boy thing or a girl thing."

The footage went viral and eventually made its way to Urban Meyer -- who reached out on social media to offer his congrats and invite her to Jaguars training camp.

"What a story! Congratulations on your first touchdown, Keilani," Meyer said.

"You're right, you should always go for your dreams! If fans are allowed at training camp this summer I want you and your teammates to come out and be our special guests."

Oh, and get this -- Keilani is also a straight-A student and a talented artist!!!

The Cleveland Indians will NOT allow fans to wear headdresses or mimic Native American facepaint at Progressive Field this season ... the team officially banned it all Wednesday.

The club -- which is reopening its doors to fans at games in 2021 -- says it's all part of a team effort to eliminate cultural appropriation at its stadium.

In the announcement, Indians officials said violations of the new rules could result in ejection or a straight-up denial of entry into games.

As we previously reported, the Kansas City Chiefs issued a similar ban on headdresses and facepaint at their Arrowhead Stadium games in 2020.

Cleveland's baseball team is also currently in the process of changing its team name -- the same way Washington's NFL squad parted ways with its longstanding nickname last year.

The Indians -- which eliminated the offensive Chief Wahoo logo from its uniforms in 2019 and instead has opted for a block C emblem -- say the change could happen as soon as the 2022 season.

The negotiating is underway ... but Jon Jones says $10 MILLION is simply not enough cash to get him in the Octagon with Francis Ngannou.

Ngannou became the UFC heavyweight champ after demolishing Stipe Miocic in a violent 2nd round victory at UFC 260 on Saturday.

Immediately after the fight, all eyes were on Jones -- widely considered the greatest UFC fighter of all time -- who tweeted, "Show me the money."

The good news ... Jones says he's been in touch with the UFC's top business guy, Hunter Campbell, and they're already discussing money.

The bad news ... Jones says the two sides are very far apart.

"I had a brief phone meeting with UFC‘s lawyer Hunter a few days ago. As of right now, I expressed to him that anywhere around eight to $10 million would be way too low for a fight of this magnitude. That’s all that has been discussed so far."

Unclear how much Jones is looking to pocket for the Ngannou fight -- but it would undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history.

Gronk's doing it. Same with Patrick Mahomes. Even Snoop -- and now L.A. Rams safety Taylor Rapp is launching his own NFT collection.

But what's cool about Rapp's foray into the world of non-fungible tokens -- he's donating part of the proceeds to the #StopAsianHate movement.

The 23-year-old free safety -- the Rams 2nd round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft -- is Asian-American (his mom is Chinese) and has been outraged by the recent wave of anti-Asian hate crimes across the country.

So, when Rapp was presented with the chance to jump into the NFT craze, he knew it would be an opportunity to help his community.

"I am Asian American, and this community means a lot to me," Rapp told CNBC.

"I wanted to help my people, and what better way to raise money right now to donate than through creating an NFT collection and using my platform."

An NFT is essentially a digital collectible built on a blockchain, oftentimes featuring a cool piece of art or video.

Rapp is launching 6 digital collections on Thursday -- and will auction off 90 total NFTs, according to CNBC.

Rapp says he will donate a "large chunk" of the auction proceeds to the #StopAsianHate GoFundMe page, which has already more than $4 million.

Deshaun Watson's attorney says 18 professional female massage therapists are going to bat for the QB -- saying they had nothing but positive experiences with him over the years.

Rusty Hardin says the women all worked with the Houston Texans QB at some point over the past 5 years -- completing more than 130 sessions without any sort of incident.

Hardin issued a statement saying, "These women say they are deeply troubled by the accusations made against Deshaun and that these claims are wholly inconsistent with their experiences with him and who they believe him to be."

"All of them stated that Deshaun never made them feel uncomfortable or demanded anything outside the scope of a professional massage."

"None of them experienced any of the behavior alleged by anonymous plaintiffs in the numerous lawsuits filed by the same Houston attorney."

Hardin says the 18 women he's been in contact with agreed to issue on-the-record statements supporting Watson.

"These statements show the other side to this story that has been so lacking in the flurry of anonymous complaints filed by opposing counsel.," Hardin says.

The first masseuse is Myah Roberson -- described as "a licensed massage therapist, who has been working in Houston for 10 years, primarily on athletes."

"I started working with Deshaun in December 2019 after being referred to him by another therapist. He sent me a screenshot of a diagram that the head trainer of the Texans gave him, highlighting the muscles that needed to be worked on, which included the groin and hamstrings. He asked if I felt comfortable working on those areas and I said yes, because I am used to working on athletes."

"During the massage, Deshaun was more comfortable using a towel than draping sheets over the table; this isn’t unusual at all. I have several clients that prefer using a towel over sheet. We began using a towel, and that became the norm. When I saw that the first lawsuit mentioned a towel, I chuckled because I gave him that idea. And it’s not inappropriate because they teach you in massage school that using a towel is okay. Some of these accusations are so ludicrous. I just can’t see him doing any of those things. He was never inappropriate with me. I never felt threatened in any way."

Most of the statements from the other 17 share similar experiences --Watson is described as a "professional and polite" client who's been "respectful."

Multiple therapists also point out that sometimes male clients will become aroused during a treatment -- but they're trained on how to handle that situation appropriately.

Norma Reyna -- described as board-certified in therapeutic massage and body work -- put it this way:

"When working the adductors and groin/pelvic area, it is not uncommon to accidentally graze the penis, but you don’t engage it. I teach my students to use a firmer touch or to move to a different area if a client gets aroused during a session, which sometimes happens."

Reyna did NOT say if that ever happened with Watson -- she was speaking in generalities.

As we previously reported, 21 women have filed lawsuits against Watson accusing the QB of sexual misconduct. All of the accusers have used a pseudonym to protect their identity.

Watson has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the accusers are liars looking to publicly shame him into a payout.

Cops are on the hunt for a woman who pulled a gun on a skateboarder during an argument in Maryland ... and the video is terrifying.

The Montgomery County Police Dept. claims it has obtained cell phone footage of the Jan. 16 incident which shows the suspect pointing a handgun right into the chest of an underage boy.

Cops say the "male juvenile victim" was skating around with friends around 2:25 PM "when he became involved in a verbal dispute with a passing motorist."

The female driver got out of her car and began arguing with the skateboarder, according to witnesses ... and a crowd began to form.

This is where things get crazy ...

Cops say two RANDOM women who just happened to be walking down the street at the time of the incident decided to get involved.

"One of the female suspects approached the juvenile victim and interjected herself in the dispute," cops say.

"The second female suspect went to a red Volvo that was parked in the area and drove it close to the dispute. She then gave a handgun to the first suspect, who used it to threaten the victim. Witnesses captured the incident on their cell phones."

In other words, the woman with the gun is NOT the same woman from the initial argument.

Fortunately, the woman did NOT fire the weapon and no one was injured,

Now, officials say they're looking for the gun-wielding suspect as part of an investigation into a possible 1st-degree assault with a handgun.

Cops are asking the public to help identify the suspects.

The Black Mamba's daughter is now a cardinal and gold Trojan ... Natalia Bryant just got accepted into USC on Tuesday -- and Vanessa says Kobe would've been "so proud!"

Vanessa shared the amazing news with heartwarming videos ... showing a PUMPED Natalia after she got her acceptance letter into the University of Southern California.

In one of Vanessa's vids of the special moment, 18-year-old Natalia jumped up and down over and over again ... and screamed "I got in!" repeatedly.

In the other Vanessa video, she showed off all the gifts she gave Natalia for the accomplishment ... and they included balloons, USC swag and some custom Trojan-themed Kobe kicks.

"Tears of joy," Vanessa said of the moment. "I’m SO happy for you Nani! I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU. I am so PROUD OF YOU!! Your hard work and dedication was so worth it."

"You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded. I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate but I know they’re here in spirit. We love you so much!"

Natalia made it pretty clear she's USC-bound after the acceptance letter ... posting a pic of her in SC gear and writing, "See You Soon."

It's been a really good past few weeks for Natalia ... remember, she just signed a deal in February with IMG Models that she was also stoked about.

Kobe was a big USC guy -- who not only attended basketball and football games but also spoke to classes, according to reporter Arash Markazi.

Deshaun Watson's alleged sexual misconduct against female masseuses now spans over FOUR states ... a new accuser in Arizona is claiming the NFL star was inappropriate with her during a session in 2020.

The woman -- using the pseudonym "Jane Doe" -- spelled out her accusations in a new lawsuit filed against the Texans QB late Tuesday ... claiming Watson has "a disturbing pattern of preying on vulnerable women."

In the suit -- which is now the 21st levied against Watson in the last two weeks -- the woman says Deshaun reached out to her over Instagram in July 2020.

Doe says the two eventually agreed to a Swedish massage in Scottsdale, but she claims just minutes into the session ... Watson became inappropriate.

In the suit, the woman says Watson asked her to massage him in a sexual way ... and after she declined his advances -- she says the quarterback put an end to the session.

The woman claims she felt "extremely uncomfortable and intimidated" by Watson ... and also felt "violated, degraded and disgusted."

In her suit, Doe is suing Watson for unspecified damages.

Watson has now been accused by female massage therapists of inappropriate behavior in Georgia, Texas, California and Arizona.

And, the attorney representing the accusers, Tony Buzbee, has intimated more suits could be on the way.

How did UCLA students celebrate their first Final Four berth in over a decade???

COUCH FIRE NEAR CAMPUS, BABY!!!

Dozens of Bruins supporters hit Westwood streets Tuesday night just minutes after UCLA secured a 51-49 win over Michigan ... and a massive blaze in a roadway quickly ensued.

Video from the scene showed people burnt a couch, a bookshelf and much more ... and then everyone danced around the inferno with glee!!

Don't worry ... the fire department showed up quickly to douse the flames -- and law enforcement said no arrests were made and no injuries were reported.

Of course, the night was a long-awaited one for UCLA fans ... the once-storied program had been in a lull since its last Final 4 appearance in 2008.

In the 12 seasons that followed that run ... the Bruins had only advanced to the Sweet 16 three times, and had been largely mediocre or worse.

But, Mick Cronin's clearly got the guys rollin' this year ... and they'll try to beat Gonzaga on Saturday for a spot in the National Championship game.