TMZ Sports - Page 32

The little girl who suffered a brain injury in the Britt Reid car crash incident in February has still NOT been released from the hospital ... but she's starting to make improvements.

5-year-old Ariel Young was in a coma for more than a week when Britt Reid -- son of K.C. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid -- allegedly slammed his car into the vehicle she was in during a Feb. 4 crash.

Young woke up from her coma in mid-February -- but doctors diagnosed her with a traumatic brain injury and expect a "long road to recovery."

Young's family, through her GoFundMe page, provided an update on her health over the weekend.

"Ariel remains in the hospital, she is getting a little better each day but she still has a long road to recovery."

As we previously reported, cops say Britt Reid admitted to drinking alcohol and taking Adderall before smashing into 2 parked cars that were pulled over on the side of a highway on-ramp.

Cops announced they were investigating the crash but so far no formal charges have been brought against Reid.

Young's family is clearly unhappy with the pace of the investigation -- saying, "Britt Reid is out everyday living his normal life while [Ariel] cannot, please don’t let her story be forgotten."

"Court will take a long time and we don’t know what will be the outcome of it all. So please keep sharing her story and praying for her and the family. Thank you."

"I think everybody thought was an April Fools' joke, but it was deadly serious."

That's CM Punk telling TMZ Sports what it was like to be ringside when MMA fighter Khetag Pliev had his FINGER RIPPED OFF in the middle of a match ... and it's one of the craziest stories ever!

Punk was calling the fight with his broadcast partner, John Morgan, at the Cage Fury Fighting Championship event in Philadelphia when the incident went down -- and says the most important thing was trying to stay focused.

"I wanted to make sure that I know that what I was seeing was correct," Punk says.

The scene inside the arena was wild -- especially since nobody could find Pliev's detached finger in the moments after the injury.

People were scouring the area with flashlights before ultimately discovering the severed digit in Pliev's fight glove.

Despite the chaos, Punk stayed relatively calm and continued to call the action like a true pro for the rest of the night.

"A lot of people are giving us props like, 'Congratulations, you didn't throw up!' ... but I was kind of right at home in the thick of it, calling it on the fly, as it happened. There's nothing better than live television."

No, the NBA should NOT punish Kevin Durant for the homophobic insults he used in a private IG convo with Michael Rapaport ... so says P.J. Tucker.

"Of course not, he did nothing wrong," the Milwaukee Bucks player told us in Beverly Hills on Wednesday before taking on the L.A. Lakers.

"He didn't do nothing wrong."

Not everyone agrees with Tucker -- some people are VERY upset Durant used crude homophobic and misogynistic slurs to attack Rapaport in a private DM conversation the actor made public earlier this week.

Rapaport posted screenshots of recent conversations with the Brooklyn Nets star and said, "I receive threats and disgusting messages DAILY, but never in my wildest dreams did I think [Durant] would be among them."

"[Duant] himself is now threatening me, bringing up my wife and wants to fight. This is supposed to be America’s sweetheart right?"

The question now ... will (and should) the NBA get involved and take action against Durant, considering the league's recent push against hateful language directed at any minority group.

Remember, the NBA took action against Meyers Leonard who used an anti-semitic slur during a video game live-streaming session ... suspending him for a week and hitting him with a fine.

Sure, Durant's comments were intended to be private ... but fact is, they're public now.

For his part, KD has only commented once about the Rapaport convo -- saying, "Me and mike talk CRAZIER than this on the regular and today he's pissed ... My bad mike, damn!!"

Roy Williams -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time -- is announcing his retirement after 33 seasons as an NCAA head coach.

The 70-year-old icon has been the head coach at North Carolina since 2003 -- and won 3 NCAA titles during his 18 seasons with the Tar Heels (2005, 2009 and 2017).

Before UNC, Williams was the head coach at Kansas from 1988 to 2003.

Williams -- who graduated from UNC in 1972 -- has not announced the specific reason for his retirement. He's expected to address the media at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Williams has coached legends from Paul Pierce to Harrison Barnes and many, many more.

His overall record at UNC is 485-163 -- reaching the Final Four with the Tar Heels 6 times and capturing 9 ACC regular-season championships

Williams was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2007.

As a college head coach, he's racked up 903 wins during his 33 seasons -- which places him 3rd on the all-time wins list by a Division I head coach.

UNC issued a statement saying, "After 33 years as a Hall of Fame head coach, our beloved Tar Heel Roy Williams is announcing his retirement.   Thank you for all you have done and meant to everyone who plays and loves our game."

Legendary college hoops announcer Dick Vitale also weighed in ... "OMG I thought it was April Fools joke but it is TRUE Hall of Famer ROY WILLIAMS is retiring."

"He’s been so good that he is one of my MT RUSHMORES OF COACHING in my 40 + yrs. Bob Knight - Coach K - Dean Smith - ROY WILLIAMS / Thanks for ALL the memories!"

Mike Yastrzemski says he will NOT kneel for the national anthem this season after taking a knee for the song last year ... the MLB star told reporters Thursday he feels he's already made his statement.

The S.F. Giants outfielder, who's the grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, began demonstrating during the Star Spangled Banner after the MLB came back from its COVID delay last summer.

At the time, the 30-year-old wrote a powerful message on social media explaining his decision to kneel ... saying, in part, "By kneeling last night, I wanted to hold myself, and hopefully others, accountable that something needs to change."

He continued, "and I am willing to be part of the change because we all deserve the freedom that our veterans and active members have sacrificed their lives for."

Yaz, though, says the kneeling will end when the Giants kick off their season Thursday night.

According to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, Yaz explained to reporters, "he knelt last year to spark conversation and awareness and let people know where he stands on racial justice and feels he's made that statement."

Before you read this -- no, this ain't an April Fools' Joke!!

Golf superstar Brooks Koepka got on one knee and popped the question to his gorgeous GF Jena Sims ... and she said, "YES!!!"

... A MONTH AGO!!!

Of course, 30-year-old Brooks and 32-year-old Jena are known to have a good time and some lighthearted fun -- and their engagement announcement was no exception.

Living up to their steez, the couple decided to wait nearly a month to announce their plans to get hitched on the biggest "Fake News" day of the year -- April Fools' Day.

"Forever is no joke 💕," Jena captioned the photo of the proposal Thursday ... showing a huge diamond ring on ~that~ finger.

Sims revealed the actual date of the proposal on Instagram ... saying he popped the big Q in Jupiter, FL on March 3, 2021.

The current #8-ranked Koepka and Sims have been dating for around 4 years ... and their relationship burst onto the scene after he won the U.S. Open in 2017.

Colts fans should probably just abandon all hope of an Andrew Luck comeback -- 'cause the QB is telling T.Y. Hilton he's having a BLAST in retirement.

Hilton -- who just signed a 1-year, $10 million deal with the Colts -- is still pretty close with his old quarterback ... despite the fact Luck hung up his cleats in 2019 at the age of 29.

There have been rumblings that Luck could change his mind and rejoin the Colts in the near future -- but Hilton told the media on Thursday the chances of that happening are slim to none.

"He's just enjoying his vacation," Hilton said with a big ol' smile ... "I probably have to stop calling him for a bit. He might make me want to retire!"

A reporter asked if he thinks Luck's "vacation" will be a permanent one -- to which Hilton responded, "Oh, permanent! He's having the time of his life! He's kinda making me jealous. So we’ll see."

In other words, Luck is wasting away in Margaritaville ... enjoying his family and friends without musclebound killers trying to take his head off every day.

Oh, and also worth mentioning Luck made more than $109 MILLION in contract money during his NFL career ... not including endorsements!

So, it's not like he'll be hurting for cash.

Draymond Green says he's "really tired of seeing [female athletes] complain about the lack of pay" -- insisting the time for griping is over, and there needs to be more action.

Maybe not the best choice of words -- but ultimately, Green is arguing that women DESERVE better pay, and need to change their PR strategy in order to achieve their goal.

Draymond explained during a Wednesday interview why he believes female athletes -- specifically WNBA players -- are "doing themselves a disservice by just complaining."

NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Kerith Burke pushed back and told Green "the women are doing more" than voicing their displeasure ... and that's when the Golden State Warriors star explained his position.

"They’re not laying out steps that they can take to change [the pay disparity]," Draymond explained ... "So, it’s coming off as a complaint."

"Because the people that can change it, they’re just going to continue to say, 'Well, the revenue isn’t there. The revenue isn’t there. So, if you don’t bring in the revenue, we can’t up your pay.' They’re going keep using that."

Green argued that female athletes need to band together to hold sports leagues, advertisers and other influential organizations responsible for effectively marketing women's sports -- including putting real time, energy and money into promoting talented superstars like WNBA legend Diana Taurasi.

Bryce Harper's pheet looked phantastic on MLB's Opening Day Thursday ... 'cause the Philadelphia superstar rocked some custom Phanatic cleats for the occasion -- and they were INSANE!!

One of the spikes was covered in green fur, fake eyeballs and had the word "Phanatic" written across its side.

The other shoe had a little miniature Phanatic sewed into it ... with the mascot's baby feet popping out by Harper's toes!!!

The heat was created by custom shoe artist Soles By Sir ... who said of the spikes Wednesday, "Yes, we did a little something!"

Of course, Harper's no stranger to custom gear ... he's famously rocked Kobe Bryant tribute cleats in the past as well as some ultra-patriotic 4th of July footwear back in 2016.

As for the rest of Harper's Opening Day 'fit ... it was all just as on point as his cleats -- he showed up to the stadium in an Allen Iverson jacket that was clean as hell!!

Incredible scene on the NBA hardwood Wednesday night ... THREE Antetokounmpo brothers -- including Giannis -- played in a game at the same time!!

And, the embrace the trio shared afterward will hit ya right in the feels!!

The awesome moment all went down late in the 4th quarter of the Lakers vs. Bucks game in L.A. ... when Giannis and older bro Thanasis were pouring it on the home team.

Then, suddenly, with 2:18 left in the blowout ... the Lakers sent in the youngest Antetokounmpo, Kostas -- and the party was ON!!

For close to a minute ... the three bros hooped, with Kostas at one point even guarding Giannis!

Eventually, Giannis was subbed out, but Kostas and Thanasis still went at it ... and Thanasis even splashed a 3-pointer in Kostas' face!

After the Bucks sealed the victory ... the three bros hugged it out on the court -- and Giannis later called it all "my favorite moment I've had so far in the NBA."

"This moment, just seeing the guys that I grew up with and we slept in the same bed and we were looking at the ceiling and imagining if we were ever going to play in the NBA, if we ever were going to make it," Giannis said.

"And, just being on the same court while our mom is having her phone and videotaping the whole thing, I think it’s priceless and nobody can take this away from us."

Somewhat surprisingly, the Antetokounmpo brothers are actually NOT the first to accomplish the feat ... NBA star Jrue Holiday and his two brothers, Justin and Aaron, did it first back in December 2019.

Mother’s Day may not be for another month, but Houston Texans star lineman Laremy Tunsil is already in good shape ... after surprising his mom with a brand new BENTLEY!!

The 26-year-old shared the big surprise Wednesday night ... and his mom's reaction is equally hilarious and adorable.

The new ride pulls into the driveway with a big red bow on the hood ... and Desiree lets out a huge shriek once she realizes what's going on.

But the best part?? Desiree's first concern went to what she was wearing for the special moment.

"I can’t get in there with these things on," she said between laughs and shouts. "I need to be dressed up!"

As for the car, it appears to be a Bentley Continental GT Speed. This model can get to 60 MPH in 3.5 seconds, has a top speed of 208 MPH and reportedly starts around $200k!!!

Of course, that ain't a problem for Tunsil, who recently restructured his 3-year $66 MILLION extension with the Texans after 2 Pro Bowl seasons.

Tunsil famously negotiated his contract himself -- without an agent -- and clearly, he's found a solid way to spend that extra 10% he saved!

Longtime NBA referee Leroy Richardson was due for a full-on ice bath Wednesday night ... 'cause the guy got banged up in not one, but TWO incidents while officiating a game -- including a shot to the family jewels!!

But, don't worry -- the ref recovered like a true champ and finished the game!! 💪

Richardson -- who's been a ref in the NBA for 26 years -- was working the Suns vs. Bulls game ... when Phoenix power forward Dario Saric accidentally smacked him right in the baby maker.

YEEEEEOUCH!!!

Saric immediately grabbed Richardson to apologize for the truly unfortunate nut shot ... and eventually, the ref was able to walk it off.

But, the bad luck continued with just 2 minutes left in the game ... when Chicago forward Denzel Valentine accidentally bumped into Richardson while contesting a 3-point shot ... sending the ref flying into the bench and tweaking his ankle in the process.

Either incident would have been a great excuse for a ref to leave the game -- but not Richardson. After all, he was in the Navy for 12 years ... so he's one tough dude!!

It hasn't been a great week for refs -- remember, NCAA official Bert Smith had a scary moment when he collapsed during an Elite 8 game earlier this week ... but thankfully, he's been in stable condition since.

Ex-NFL WR Kenbrell Thompkins -- who famously caught TDs from Tom Brady in 2013 -- is now facing over 10 years in prison after he allegedly committed identity theft and fraud.

Federal prosecutors in court docs say the 32-year-old former Jets, Raiders and Patriots wideout stole identities to illegally obtain cash that was intended for people who were financially reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

In the docs, prosecutors say Thompkins used personal information from multiple people to apply for financial aid in California in Aug. 2020.

Investigators claim when the requests were granted, Thompkins was sent the money in the form of debit cards. Prosecutors claim they then caught the ex-NFL player on surveillance video using them to withdraw cash at Florida Bank of America locations.

Investigators say in total, Thompkins' "scheme involves approximately $300,000 in California unemployment insurance funds credited to the fraudulent debit cards." Of the $300K, investigators claim Thompkins withdrew around $230,000.

Court records show Thompkins has been hit with 1 charge of use of one or more unauthorized access devices and 2 charges of aggravated identity theft.

If convicted on all counts, Thompkins is facing over 10 years behind bars.

Thompkins broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with New England in 2013 ... and he had a solid rookie year, tallying 32 catches for 466 yards and 4 TDs.

Lil Nas X's "Satan Shoes" likely won't be on the feet of any of his fans soon, because Nike got a judge to shut down the selling of the controversial footwear ... at least temporarily.

The court granted Nike's request Thursday for a temporary restraining order against MSCHF -- the company producing the shoe inspired by the rapper -- which blocks it from fulfilling any orders.

As we reported ... Nike sued MSCHF earlier this week, claiming it has no connection with Lil Nas X's Satan Shoe and did not authorize the production of it.

Nevertheless, the devilish shoe still reportedly sold out of its 666 pairs produced within minutes Monday ... even at the hefty price tag of $1,018.

Due to the restraining order, MSCHF will not be allowed to ship them to customers awaiting the shoe that the creative agency put their blood, sweat and tears in ... literally blood!

FYI ... judges grant temporary restraining orders of this type when there's a high probability they will win when there's a full-blown hearing.

Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson is opening up about the terrifying mid-air emergency on the team plane this week -- admitting several players were thinking, "This might be over for us."

As we previously reported, the Jazz team plane was forced to make an emergency landing Tuesday after striking a flock of birds -- which caused one of the engines to catch fire.

The plane landed safely -- and the Jazz eventually caught another plane to get to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies on Wednesday. After the game (the Jazz won), Clarkson talked about the plane incident and described a scary scene inside the aircraft where several players and staffers were pondering their own fate.

"I just remember walking back to my seat and as I got to my seat, I just hear a loud bang. Me and [Mike Conley] looked at each other and he was like 'Oooooh! Those are the birds!'"

"Then I turn and looked out the window and see the whole engine shaking and everything and then you see everybody in the back kinda like reacting to what's going on."

"A lot of people in the back that was sitting behind the engine, they seen a burst of flames so immediately they're probably thinking the plane is fully caught on fire and I see everybody kinda reacting towards that."

Clarkson says the "whole plane started shaking" -- and "a lot of us really came to like a point, at least 30 seconds in that flight, everybody came to the point where it was like, 'Man this might be over for us.'"

"It's sad to say that. I don't play with death or anything like that and it's something that we gotta push through and come together and keep going."

Clarkson said some players were so concerned "this might be really the end" -- and sent text messages to family and other loved ones.

Jazz star Donovan Mitchell did not make the trip to Memphis. The team cited "personal reasons" -- but Clarkson insinuated Mitchell was still shaken up from Tuesday's flight incident.