TMZ Sports - Page 50

The couple that hosts together, educates America about COVID vaccines together?!

That's what Russell Wilson and Ciara are hoping to accomplish when they co-host NBC's "Roll Up Your Sleeves" TV special on Sunday.

The star-studded show will include huge stars and influential people from all walks of life ... from Barack Obama and Joe Biden to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal.

Of course, Dr. Anthony Fauci will be involved because there will be TV cameras there.

Eva Longoria, Billy Crystal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Lopez, Faith Hill, Ken Jeong, Matthew McConaughey, Demi Lovato and many many more are also slated to appear on the show.

Event organizers say the point of the special is to "educate viewers, raise awareness and dispel concerns surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines."

The show will also aim to "inform and encourage those who have vaccination concerns to learn the facts."

So far, there have been more than 30 million COVID cases in the U.S. -- with more than 560,000 deaths, according to The NY Times.

Move over, Count Chocula and Cap'n Crunch ... Nick Chubb is coming to the cereal game -- the NFL star is launching a new breakfast treat that's set to benefit an awesome charity!!

The Cleveland Browns running back made the announcement Tuesday ... explaining "Chubb Crunch" is currently in the works with plans to hit grocery store shelves VERY, VERY soon.

Chubb partnered with PLB Sports & Entertainment -- the same people who created Doug Flutie's famous Flutie Flakes -- for the concoction, and Nick's cereal is promising to be amazing.

A spokesperson for the company tells TMZ Sports the food will be similar to Cinnamon Toast Crunch ... and will feature a superhero depiction of Chubb on the box.

The best part of it all? Chubb and the company say a portion of the proceeds will go toward First Candle -- an org. with a mission to eliminate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It's a cause close to Chubb's heart ... the 25-year-old reportedly had a nephew tragically die from SIDS -- and he said Tuesday, being able to help that cause with the cereal is huge for him.

"It's always been a dream to have my own cereal," Chubb said, "especially that it benefits a cause that is close to my family."

This is disgusting.

Cleveland Indians infielder Yu Chang was the target of vile and racist hatred after making a game-ending error on Monday ... and now he's calling out the scumbags behind the hateful comments.

Chang -- who is Taiwanese -- was playing 1st base for Cleveland in their tilt against the Chicago White Sox when he made a throwing error in the bottom of the 9th (with 1 out) that ultimately cost Cleveland the game.

Of course, Chang probably felt terrible for the error -- but what made things worse is the tidal wave of hate that came onto his social media pages.

Chang decided he wasn't going to let the racists idiots behind the messages get away with such horrible comments -- and put them on blast Tuesday morning.

The comments are despicable -- using disgusting anti-Asian slurs to attack Chang. One person even brought up SARS and the coronavirus. Really terrible stuff.

25-year-old Chang says he's open to legitimate baseball criticism -- but he won't stand for racism or other offensive comments.

"Exercise your freedom of speech in a right way, I accept all comments, positive or negative but DEFINITELY NOT RACIST ONES."

"Thank you all and love you all. #StopAsianHate."

The comments come at a time of unrest for the Asian community -- Stop AAPI Hate recently released a report claiming there have been more than 3,800 anti-Asian incidents in the past year.

Sports stars have been using their platform more than ever to combat anti-Asian hate -- NBA player Jeremy Lin recently revealed he was called the "coronavirus" during a recent G-League game ... and vowed to do whatever it takes to prevent others from going through similar hurtful experiences.

Chang was a highly touted prospect coming out of Taiwan -- and impressed MLB's scouts with his stellar performance at the 2011 World Youth Championship.

Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski ... AND Julian Edelman in Tampa?!?!

Gronk says it's all possible after Edelman's retirement from the Patriots ... explaining he believes there's a "69% chance" Julian's a Buccaneer in 2021!

The future Hall of Fame tight end made the revelation at LAX on Monday night -- just hours after Julian hung up his Patriots spikes -- saying he believes his former New England teammate ain't done with the NFL yet.

"He'll be back," Gronk said of Edelman. "He'll be back. Yeah."

Edelman, though, didn't seem so sure of that on Monday ... in his retirement announcement, Julian explained injuries just won't let him go any further with his football career.

But, Gronk knows Julian as well as anybody -- the two were Pats teammates from 2010 through 2018 -- and he made it pretty clear he doesn't think Edelman's REALLY done.

If somehow it is the end of the road, Gronk said Julian is 100 percent a Patriots Hall of Famer ... though he added he's not sure if Edelman is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame yet.

"I definitely think he has a great possibility to be a Hall of Famer," Rob said. "He’s a beast. And the numbers just don’t show everything that he brings to the table. The attitude, the competitiveness that he has."

As for Gronk's future -- he's coming back to Tampa in '21 -- but could he be doing it with a fiancee?!

Denver Nuggets superstar Jamal Murray tore up his knee in such a scary fashion Monday night ... even the game's broadcasters were having trouble watching a replay of the injury.

"This is awful," one said ... while another added, "He's in a lot of pain. I don't even know if I want to watch this."

The gruesome play all went down in the final minute of the Nuggets' loss to the Warriors ... when Murray was driving to the basket at full speed.

You can see in clips of the play, as Murray planted his left leg to try to explode upward ... his knee just simply gave out on him.

The 24-year-old -- who had a breakout season last year and helped lead Denver to a Western Conference Finals appearance -- immediately crumpled to the hardwood in pain.

He let out several screams, pounded the floor ... and needed several trainers to help him get up.

A wheelchair was ultimately brought out for Murray ... but he refused to get in it -- and instead, hobbled off the floor and into the locker room.

The severity of Murray's injury was not yet known immediately after the game -- he'll undergo further testing Tuesday -- but it was clear to all involved it could be a devastating one for the Nuggets' star.

"Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers," Denver head coach Michael Malone said, "and hopefully we'll get some good news."

Added Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, "We hope he's not injured, that was a really scary fall and there was silence in the gym. Everybody is so concerned for him, so fingers crossed."

Steph Curry, who was just feet away from Murray when he suffered the scary fall, said he, too, was hoping Murray avoided catastrophic knee damage.

"My heart goes out to him," Curry said. "I hope that he gets the best news possible."

Murray had averaged 21.2 points per game this season ... and helped Denver to a 34-20 record. Most believed with a healthy Murray, the Nuggets had a great chance to win the Western Conference.

Former NBA player Walter McCarty is adamantly denying he sexually assaulted a female student during his run as head basketball coach at the University of Evansville.

McCarty -- a 1st-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft -- was named in a lawsuit Monday by a woman using the alias Jane Doe ... who claims the 47-year-old raped her at his Indiana home on December 9, 2019.

In her suit, the woman -- reportedly identified as a former athletic trainer at Evansville -- claims McCarty had bombarded her with messages on various social media platforms, making her feel pressure to come visit him at his home.

The woman says she eventually obliged, and when she went to McCarty's home, he sexually assaulted her.

In her lawsuit, the woman claims she reported the incident through the University's "Crime Stoppers" program. Three days after the alleged incident, the woman claims she also went to campus counselor for treatment.

The woman claims she was later diagnosed with PTSD following the alleged incident.

McCarty -- who took over the Evansville men's basketball program in 2018 -- was fired in January 2020 following an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual misconduct allegations.

"Jane Doe" filed a Title IX lawsuit against the University of Evansville on Monday -- claiming the school failed to provide a "safe environment" for female students and staffers.

After filing suit, the woman released a statement blasting the University and McCarty.

"I am heartbroken that my school knew about Coach McCarty's misconduct before what happened to me, and looked the other way. I will continue to go through this difficult process of holding the university accountable, because I want to prevent other women from going through the same thing I did."

But, McCarty has fired back with a statement of his own -- saying, "I've never assaulted anyone in my 47 years on this earth."

"It's disheartening that someone would make up such a vicious lie to gain financial rewards."

"I'm excited and look forward to clearing my name and exposing these untruths. I am certain my name and reputation with be restored when it's our time to do so and present the truth."

The Univ. of Evansville also responded to the lawsuit -- saying it's "confident it responded appropriately to all reports of misconduct regarding Mr. McCarty based on information it actually knew at the time."

WWE Superstar Bianca Belair was overcome with emotion after making history Saturday night as part of the first 'WrestleMania' main event to feature 2 black female superstars.

... and when we spoke with her moments after the match, Bianca didn't hold back -- thanking her role models like Gail Devers and Flo Jo for inspiring her to chase her dreams!!

This whole video is just awesome -- you can feel Bianca's authentic excitement as she begins to realize she's the new 'SmackDown' women's champion!!!

Bianca took on Sasha Banks at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday night -- ultimately dethroning the champ in a match that's being hailed as one of the best moments of the entire 'WrestleMania 37' weekend.

"This is the most amazing feeling ever," Bianca told us moments after the match ... "It's just something that I can't put into words."

When we brought up the historical significance, Bianca told us she felt blessed and honored -- and credited WWE for making it happen.

"It's so important. I always say representation is not a request. Representation is a requirement and WWE is a perfect example of how people should follow by propelling women and representing women and treating women in sports and in the world."

"It's an amazing moment to stand in the ring with Sasha Banks -- it was the first time two African-American women have had a title match at 'WrestleMania' and [it was the] main event."

Belair continued, "It's more than just about us. It's about women and Black women and two alpha women -- and representing and being role models. My role models inspired me and they're the reason why I'm here today."

Belair shouted out track stars Gail Devers and Florence Griffith Joyner -- along with Team USA gymnastics legend Dominique Dawes.

"They completely changed the trajectory of my life and where my life went," Belair said.

"I'm just so grateful to be able to contribute ... and do the same for others like my role models did for me."

It's a wrap for Julian Edelman -- the New England Patriots WR is officially retiring after a stellar 12-year run in the NFL.

... but it begs the question -- does he belong in Canton?!

Edelman was a 7th-round pick out of Kent State in the 2009 NFL Draft -- and went on to become a 3-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl LIII. Pretty impressive, huh?!

34-year-old Edelman had been dealing with some knee issues lately and underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment back in October.

Unfortunately for Julian, the latest injury proved too much to overcome -- and he decided to hang up his cleats.

Edelman finishes his career with 620 catches for 6,822 receiving yards and 36 TDs -- a pretty solid stat line for any NFL player.

Worth noting ... most WRs currently in the Hall averaged over 800 career receptions, with more than 10,000 yards receiving and around 100 TDs each.

But, is Edelman's postseason prowess enough to get voters to look past the stats?

In the post-season, he's racked up 118 catches -- 2nd all-time behind Jerry Rice, who caught 151.

He also has 1,442 receiving yards in the post-season -- again, 2nd behind Jerry Rice, who has 2,245.

Edelman's career has been debated for years -- with his former Patriots teammate Deion Branch saying, in 2019, he thinks JE had locked up a HOF spot back then!

"He knows I'm all for it," Branch said at the time ... "Put my brother in. He has earned it."

So, will the voters get behind Julian? Either way, congrats on a solid career.

Another bad look for Conor McGregor ... who's admitting he never forked over the $500,000 donation check to Dustin Poirier's charity, despite promising to make the payment before they fought back in January.

In the lead up to their main event scrap at UFC 257, McGregor repeatedly publicly declared he would send the sizable donation to Poirier's "The Good Fight Foundation," a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides resources to underprivileged youth in Poirier's home state of Louisiana.

McGregor initially pledged the money in October 2020 -- repeated the $500k promise again in November ... and vowed to cut the check again in the days before the fight.

But, Poirier revealed Sunday night his organization NEVER got a cent from Conor's team -- claiming McGregor's team went MIA on Poirier's charity "after the fight" in January.

Poirier later explained, "We thanked him because his team reached out fight week to initiate the process but ghosted us the past 2 months after the fight."

"My foundation has reached out 3 times since with no reply. We've moved past it! We will be announcing our next goal soon! It's a big one."

Conor sheepishly replied on Twitter with allegations of his own -- saying, "A donation, not a debt. We’ve been awaiting the plans for the money that never came. I do with all my donations. Know where it’s going dot for dot. Otherwise it goes walking. As is the case with a lot of these foundations, sadly. You took the McG over the belt shows I was right."

McGregor is trying to paint Dustin as more interested in money than legacy -- both in and out of the ring.

He's insinuating Dustin only took the Conor fight because of the massive check -- instead of taking a fight with another opponent that would have brought him closer to winning the UFC lightweight title.

Dustin responded to Conor early Monday morning ... saying, "100% never a debt. You offered, we accepted, and like I said your Team never responded to our emails regarding the process of where funds would be put to work! July 10th you will taste defeat yet Again."

So, here's the long and short ... McGregor is suggesting Poirier's charity is shady -- which is a pretty heavy allegation to make publicly.

But, McGregor had MONTHS to do his own research before making a public declaration to donate such a hefty amount.

Props to Dustin for dealing with the situation with class.

The NCAA is going to bat for transgender athletes who want to compete at the college level -- saying it will only hold NCAA championship events in areas that are "safe, healthy and free of discrimination."

The NCAA Board of Governors issued a strong statement on the issue as more U.S. states reportedly move closer to passing laws that would make it much more difficult for a transgender athlete to compete at the high school and college levels using their gender identity instead of gender assigned at birth.

"The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition," the statement said.

The NCAA then spelled out its policy about transgender participation in college sports.

"Our approach -- which requires testosterone suppression treatment for transgender women to compete in women’s sports -- embraces the evolving science on this issue and is anchored in participation policies of both the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee."

"Inclusion and fairness can coexist for all student-athletes, including transgender athletes, at all levels of sport."

Then, in a move that seems similar to the MLB's decision to yank the All-Star game out of Georgia ... the NCAA warned it would pull NCAA championship events out of areas where it feels the environment is not safe for transgender athletes.

"When determining where championships are held, NCAA policy directs that only locations where hosts can commit to providing an environment that is safe, healthy and free of discrimination should be selected."

"We will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants."

Britt Reid -- Andy Reid's son and a former assistant on the Chiefs' coaching staff -- has been hit with a felony DWI charge stemming from his role in a violent Feb. car crash ... law enforcement announced Monday.

In court docs, prosecutors said they've officially levied a "Dwi - Serious Physical Injury" charge on the 35-year-old. If convicted, Britt faces up to 7 years behind bars.

As we previously reported, Britt was involved in a bad 3-car crash near Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City back on Feb. 4 -- just 3 days before K.C.'s appearance in Super Bowl LV.

Britt was accused of slamming his pickup truck into two cars that had pulled over on the side of the I-435 highway at around 9 p.m.

The collision caused serious injuries to a 5-year-old girl, Ariel Young, who was in a coma following the crash.

According to the girl's family, Ariel remains in the hospital and has been showing signs of improvement ... but "she still has a long road to recovery."

Investigators say Britt had told them he had taken Adderall and drank before getting behind the wheel. They added in court docs Britt did not perform well during field sobriety tests.

Britt had been placed on leave by the Chiefs following the accident ... but he's now no longer employed by the NFL team.

The Minnesota Twins will NOT be taking the field Monday afternoon -- the team has postponed its matchup with the Boston Red Sox following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright at the hands of a police officer.

"Out of respect for the tragic events that occurred yesterday in Brooklyn Center, and following the additional details in this evolving situation, the Minnesota Twins have decided it is in the best interests of our fans, staff, players and community to not play today's game," the team said in a statement.

20-year-old Wright was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center.

Cops say they were trying to take him into custody after learning he had outstanding warrants ... and Wright attempted to flee.

BC Police Chief Tim Gannon claims the officer meant to use her taser during the incident, but accidentally shot Wright instead. He died at the scene.

Protests and riots broke out in the area following the tragedy ... and the National Guard was deployed on the scene.

The Twins -- who were set to open a 4-game series with the Sox -- say they worked with MLB, local and state officials to reach its decision ... and will announce a makeup date at a later time.

Paul Blart: NFL coach!?

Kevin James is all set to play New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in an upcoming Netflix project ... and it's all based around the fallout from the infamous "Bountygate" scandal.

Remember, Payton was suspended for 1 year after the NFL found Saints defensive players were getting cash payouts from 2009 to 2011 for targeting and injuring opponents during games.

But, the movie doesn't sound like a dark look into the violent side of the scandal ... it's reportedly based on Payton's decision to focus on coaching his son's youth football team during his time away from the league.

The movie is being produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions -- so it seems the flick will be a lighthearted, family-friendly depiction of the situation ... despite the heavy and despicable nature of the suspension in the first place.

The movie is titled "Home Team" ... and Payton is reportedly heavily involved, according to Peter King -- who says Payton received a copy of the script and actually submitted a round of notes to producers.

In real life, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was FURIOUS with Payton and the Saints for the scandal -- saying it gave the league a serious black eye.

An NFL investigation found that Payton both knew about the bounty situation AND made efforts to conceal it from the league during subsequent investigations.

One of the players who had a bounty on his head was Brett Favre -- who got the snot beat out of him during the 2010 NFC Championship game. The beating he took that day was exceptionally violent.

The NFL ultimately found Payton failed to "act in a responsible manner" to shut down the bounty scheme and suspended him for the entire 2012 season.

During his suspension, Payton helped out his son's 6th-grade youth football team.

According to Peter King, Payton used the suspension to "re-assess his life and put it in some perspective" -- and that will serve as the theme for the upcoming movie.

There is already some backlash on social media from people who are afraid the movie will paint Payton as some sort of hero. Then again, people can change ... right?

"HE DID IT! HE DID IT! HE GOT THE 7-10, RANDY! HE DID IT! WOOOOOOOOO!!!"

A pro bowling announcer completely lost his mind after an 18-year-old picked up a 7-10 split with an INSANE roll on Sunday ... and the footage of the wild scene is amazing!!

It all went down on Sunday, when Anthony Neuer was facing the dreaded pin placement in a match with Jakob Butturff at a PBA Tour event in Reno, Nev.

Neuer somehow got the two pins to fall ... and Fox Sports announcer Rob Stone went BALLISTIC afterward!!

Check out the clip, Stone was great ... going crazy over Neuer's unexpected get -- and even calling him the "Ginger Assassin!"

Yeah, it was that amazing!!

And, if you're wondering the reason why Stone went so hard, it's because picking up a 7-10 split is seriously difficult as hell ... especially during a televised broadcast.

According to the PBA Tour, Neuer is just the 4th player EVER in the history of org. to hit the shot on TV ... with nobody doing it in the last 30 years!

The Hunt family just keeps winning ...

Gracie Hunt -- whose family owns the K.C. Chiefs -- has won the Miss Kansas USA pageant ... just like her mother did back in 1993!

The 21-year-old is the daughter of Clark Hunt -- the chairman, CEO and co-owner of the Chiefs.

Clark's father, Lamar Hunt, was a football pioneer who founded the American Football League and eventually merged it with the NFL. Lamar also came up with the name of "The Super Bowl."

And now, Lamar's granddaughter is making a name for herself in the pageant world -- taking the top spot at Miss Kansas USA on Sunday.

After the victory, Grace posted a celebratory statement on social media.

"I cannot put into words how honored I am to join the VANBROS family and Miss Kansas USA legacy & represent the amazing state of Kansas!"

"Thank you to everyone who believed in me and to God for making my prayers a reality. I hope to make everyone proud through the next part of my journey. And so the adventure begins ..."

Gracie notes she also works in marketing and development for the Chiefs -- while pursuing a Master's Degree in Sport Management from the University of Kansas.

Gracie also serves as a global ambassador for the Special Olympics.

Gracie's mom, Tavia, was a beauty queen back in the day -- after she won Miss Kansas USA, she was runner up in the 1993 Miss USA pageant.

****WARNING: PUT DOWN YOUR MONDAY MORNING EGGS BEFORE CLICKING THIS!!****

NHL superstar P.K. Subban was slashed with a skate so badly during a game Sunday ... the dude suffered a massive thigh wound -- and the pics of his gross injury are GNARLY!!!

The 31-year-old New Jersey defenseman shared the images of his leg after he was cut during the Devils' game against the Penguins ... and you can see, the wound is deeeeep.

In fact, it was so bad ... P.K. had to get stitched up mid-game!!!

Don't worry ... Subban's fine, he even wrote of it all that he didn't lose any time on the ice despite the cut, explaining, "Never missed a shift..."

As for how it went down, video of the accidental slash in the Devils' 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh hasn't been unearthed yet, but Subban explained it this way on his social media ... "Skate blizzy caught me slippin."

Guess that's one way to put it.