TMZ Sports - Page 4

Did you know ... senator Cory Booker played tight end for Stanford back in the day?

It's true ... which is why we had to ask the 52-year-old politician about Tim Tebow's NFL comeback at his old position.

Booker told us he's surprised Tebow is getting a shot with the Jacksonville Jaguars considering the size of tight ends in the NFL these days (Tim is only 6'3" and 245 pounds, which is small for a TE).

But ultimately, he's happy for Tim and wishes him the best.

There are a lot of people on social media who think it's unfair Tebow is getting a second shot in the league while Colin Kaepernick still can't get a legitimate workout for an NFL team.

"I don’t need to cast a shadow on Tim Tebow in order to point out the injustice of Colin Kaepernick," Booker told us ... "It's wrong. He was blackballed and I don’t need to push someone else down in order to point that out."

Booker says he knows Colin got an "awful deal" -- and praised him as an "extraordinary athlete who had his career sabotaged by people that were against him doing what some of the greatest athletes of all times from Arthur Ashe to Muhammad all have done -- which is speak out against injustice."

Colin has repeatedly said he wants to play -- and has proved multiple times he's staying in shape and working out in the hopes of getting a call from an interested team.

Logan Paul says he and his brother are taking no chances after Floyd Mayweather's "I'll kill you" threat ... telling TMZ Sports they now have security watching them "at all times."

Floyd dropped the menacing warning to Jake Paul after the younger Paul bro famously stole the boxer's hat during a confrontation at the Logan-Mayweather pre-fight news conference in Miami last week.

Most considered it an empty threat -- after all, nobody really thinks Floyd's going to commit murder over a baseball cap -- but Logan tells us he's taking absolutely no chances.

As for why -- the 26-year-old YouTube star explained it this way ...

"Dawg, when you have a guy with the resources and the wealth that Floyd Mayweather has and the connection and the network and he's saying s***, 'I'mma kill that motherf***er' -- kill?! Death?! You're gonna kill my brother over a f***ing hat?! Yo, we take that s*** seriously man!"

Logan says the Paul bros now have bodyguards with or around them "everywhere at all times."

Logan, though, says he and his brother will NOT be going to cops or filing anything in the court system over the threat -- the older Paul brother said that idea is straight-up "bitch s***, bro."

There's more ... Logan also says there's a chance he makes $20 MILLION for fighting Floyd -- and he also explained why a fight card that would feature both him and Jake vs. Mayweather would never happen.

Tory Lanez packs a serious punch ... at least according to a 'Love & Hip Hop' cast member who told cops he needed medical attention after the rapper socked him in the face, but Tory's denying it.

Prince Michael Harty, a rapper/promoter who's on "L&HH: Miami," claims Tory reignited their longstanding beef this month at club Vendome on South Beach. According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Prince told cops he was at his table around 4 AM last Monday when he was approached and struck on the left side of his face.

Prince told cops he turned around and made eye contact with Tory, who ran out of the club and took off in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. Tory is named in the police report as a suspect for an alleged battery.

According to the report, Prince also told cops he went for medical treatment and the responding officer said Prince had a visibly swollen area on his left cheek.

A rep for Prince tells TMZ ... he was hanging out with NFL star Malcolm Butler, when he noticed some guys staring at them.

We're told the DJs and hosts made it well known Prince and Malcolm were in the building, and when Butler left Prince alone in their section, Tory came up with his entourage and allegedly threw the punch, leaving Prince with a massive headache and a swollen mouth.

A rep for Tory tells TMZ ... Lanez was nowhere near Prince at the time he alleges and the guy's "obsessed" with Tory. Even further, the rep says there are no witnesses or footage to back up Prince's claim -- 'cause, again, Tory says it didn't happen ...

New Orleans Saints star Cam Jordan is cutting a $120,000 check to help fund anti-racism training for NOPD officers ... and city officials are stoked.

31-year-old Jordan -- a 6-time Pro Bowl defensive end -- announced the move Monday alongside New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell ... saying he's happy to fund a program that will have a positive impact on the community.

The training will be operated by the Crescent City Corps -- which describes itself as a "New Orleans-based non-profit that equips new police officers with leadership development and community engagement training so that they can work alongside citizens to build a more just, safe, and inclusive city."

CCC launched a pilot program with 10 NOPD offices in 2019 -- and now, with Cam's donation, they hope to train 80 officers over the next 2 years.

"This is not a solution," Jordan said during the event ... "This is a continuation of work that has been done from the social justice leaders, who have been on the ground, to the leaders that are in the system as we speak now."

"Lending anything of who I am to this program can bring a spotlight to what they're doing."

NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson praised Jordan for the donation -- and explained how Cam first reached out about it in the wake of the George Floyd murder in May 2020.

"I remember Cam, in the midst of everything that was going on in our country, asking, 'What can I do?'"

The injury Billy Joe Saunders suffered during Saturday night's loss to Canelo Alvarez was even worse than it looked ... and it's possible he may never fight again.

The 31-year-old didn't get off his stool at the end of the 8th round after it became clear his right eye was badly damaged.

Billy Joe was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation where he was diagnosed with a quadripod fracture, according to The Athletic's Mike Coppinger.

FYI, the injury essentially means Saunders' orbital bone was smashed so badly, his cheekbone area caved in.

BJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn, announced he would undergo surgery on Sunday -- though unclear how it went at this point.

Hearn told Coppinger the recovery will take several months -- and it doesn't seem like it's a certainty Saunders will ever be able to fight again.

The long story short, the integrity of BJ's cheekbone area has been structurally compromised since it was broken in 4 spots ... and for a guy who gets punched in the face for a living, that's a VERY bad thing.

Dr. David Abbasi -- an orthopedic surgeon who sometimes works combat sports events -- broke down the injury and it's scary stuff.

Saunders was 30-0 before the Canelo fight -- and looked pretty good in the moments before the fight ended.

He was sticking and moving and landing real shots ... but in the end, Canelo's power proved too much.

Here's hoping Saunders can make a complete recovery and get back to doing what he loves.

It's the end of an era ... Kenny Mayne announced he's leaving ESPN after an epic 27-year run.

"I am leaving ESPN," Mayne tweeted Monday ... "Salary cap casualty."

61-year-old Mayne -- who started at ESPN in 1994 -- thanked former ESPN execs Vince Doria and Al Jaffe for helping him get hired back in the day ... and also praised the current staff.

"I will miss the people. I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old [Scott Van Pelt] joint. We had everything. IntoTheGreatWideOpen#."

Kenny is one of the most popular ESPN personalities ever -- both as an anchor of SportsCenter and as a feature reporter.

In fact, he was so popular, Mayne was tapped for "Dancing with the Stars" back in 2006 ... but was the first to be eliminated. But, the audience loved him and he would occasionally come back to the show for hilarious cameos.

Before ESPN, Mayne was a pretty solid QB back at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Washington and later played at UNLV.

Mayne signed a free-agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks in 1982, according to ESPN ... but eventually decided on a career in broadcasting.

Logan Paul took on FOUR members of the Gronkowski family while training for his upcoming match against Floyd Mayweather ... and claims he handled all of 'em!

But, there's no beef -- it's all love -- and Logan and Rob Gronkowski spelled out the whole situation to TMZ Sports.

Rob didn't actually fight because of that whole football thing he's got going ... which probably makes Tom Brady and the Bucs happy.

But, all 4 of his brothers -- Glenn, Dan, Chris and Gordie -- laced up the gloves to go a few rounds with Paul back in April ... and it seems Rob was genuinely impressed!

"I was the official referee," Rob tells us ... "and good thing I was the official referee. My referring skills were pretty legit, 12 out of 10!"

The Gronks were trained up by two legendary fighters -- Winky Wright and Antonio Tarver ... and Logan says his main focus point was avoiding getting rocked!

"They're massive," Logan tells us ... "I'm f**king 6'2", 200 pounds and I go in there and all of Rob's brothers are towering over me! They're all taller than me vertically, they're all wider than me horizontally. These are huge humans! "

"Honestly, I walked in and I was like. 'Alright, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna kick their ass but I cannot get hit obviously.' They don't know how to box but they got some power and if they hit me, that could be it, man!"

Logan says Rob's youngest bro, Glenn -- who played fullback in the NFL -- has some legit skills and even connected with a quick jab ... but ultimately, Paul proved to be the superior fighter.

Logan tells us he plans to release all of the sparring footage later this week.

Again, the session was super friendly -- and the guys are all joking about it now ... but Logan says he thinks Rob could have a real future in fighting if he commits to it after his NFL career wraps up.

"Anyone with Rob's height and size and power ... if he just dedicated himself to it then yeah!"

The beef between Enes Kanter and Recep Tayyip Erdogan is raging onward ... the NBA player says he's now being sued by the Turkish President over past critical remarks.

The 28-year-old Trailblazers center shared the alleged lawsuit on social media on Monday ... claiming the politician is "suing me and asking for my arrest for 'Insulting him.'"

"His skin is thinner [than] an onion 😅," Kanter added. "Looks like I hurt @rterdogan feelings a little 😂."

It's unclear which comments Erdogan is allegedly upset by ... but Kanter has gone after Erdogan publicly on multiple occasions through the past few years.

You'll recall ... the 6'10", 250-pound hooper famously called Erdogan "the Hitler of our generation" -- a remark that's since made Kanter a wanted man in his home country.

Kanter's reportedly had an arrest warrant out on him for years in Turkey ... but now Enes says Erdogan is coming after him civilly as well.

As for Kanter's response to the lawsuit -- he made it obvious he could not care less, ripping up the docs and burning them in the toilet.

"#DictatorErdogan," Enes captioned the photos.

Forget baseball, IT'S TEBOW TIME IN THE NFL AGAIN ... almost!!!

The Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to sign Tim Tebow to a 1-year contract, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

But, Tebow won't be joining the squad as a QB -- he's a tight end now!

Rap says the deal is expected to be completed in "the next week or so" ... giving the 33-year-old a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Tebow was drafted as a QB by the Denver Broncos in the 1st-round of the 2010 NFL Draft ... and ultimately led the team to a playoff win during the 2011 season!

But, he never really panned out at QB -- bouncing around a few teams including the NY Jets, New England Patriots and finally had a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 ... the last time he was in the league.

After that, Tebow went all-in on a baseball career and spent years with the NY Mets organization playing for their minor league teams.

He retired from baseball back in February after it became clear he wasn't gonna make the big leagues and decided to focus on learning the tight end position.

Tebow had a workout with the Jaguars sometime over the past month ... and it seems he did enough to impress the Jags coaches, who will see if he can be an asset.

Don't scoff ... NFL tight end Marcedes Lewis told us he thinks Tebow has a real shot at success at the position because he's smart, athletic and knows the game as well as anyone.

Bob Baffert says he will NOT let Medina Spirit's positive drug test get in the way of his Triple Crown bid ... claiming he plans to run the horse in the Preakness this weekend.

Of course, Baffert was suspended indefinitely by Churchill Downs on Sunday after Medina Spirit was popped for a banned substance following his victory at the Kentucky Derby.

68-year-old Baffert -- by far the most famous and successful trainer in horseracing history -- has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing ... but it's the 5th time one of Bob's horses has tested positive for an illegal substance in the past 13 months and many are skeptical.

But, Baffert appeared on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" on Monday to defend himself and said matter of factly, "We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby."

Baffert claims he has no idea how the substance (betamethasone) got into the horse's system -- but says he's hired his own team of investigators to look into the matter.

"We hired investigators but sometimes you never find out. It’s just a tragedy what happened in this race."

Bob also claims the amount of betamethasone in Medina Spirit's system  was so low, it "wouldn’t have any effect on the horse anyway."

Despite his suspension from Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Baffert made it clear he plans to run Medina at the Preakness on Saturday, set to take place at the famous Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

"With all the noise ... We live in a different world now. This America is different. It was like a cancel culture kind of a thing so they’re reviewing it. I haven’t been told anything. We’re prepared to run."

Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, also told Fox News ... if Medina Spirit is blocked from the Preakness, they are prepared to file for a temporary restraining order against race officials in the hopes a judge will overrule the ban and clear the way for the horse to run.

"The whole stadium is not nice. There's nothing fancy about it. It's bleacher seats!"

That's Vikings star Adam Thielen taking a verbal dump all over Lambeau Field ... and, yeah, Packers fans ain't exactly loving it.

The Minnesota wide receiver threw the jabs on GOLF's Subpar podcast earlier this month ... straight-up saying Green Bay's famous stadium is just not as nice as the Vikings'.

Of course, the comments have been polarizing ... with even Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas racing in to defend the facilities.

"Lambeau field is the coolest stadium to play at in pro football," the former O-lineman said.

But, Thielen is admittedly biased ... he's a longtime Viking who's been trained to hate the Pack -- and he even said Lambeau is actually his favorite place to play because a win there is just so sweet.

"There's nothing better than leaving Lambeau with a victory," the 30-year-old said. "There's literally nothing better."

Thielen continued, "On the reverse side, there's nothing worse than losing there."

Michael Chandler REALLY hopes Conor McGregor can return to his old, dominant self ... not just because he loves a comeback story, but also he knows it would be HUGE for his bank account.

Chandler is currently the #4 ranked UFC lightweight -- and he's fighting #3 ranked Charles Oliveira Saturday night at UFC 262.

If he wins that fight, Chandler will likely get the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor ... and he's fired up about the whole situation.

"They’re #1 & #1A in my book," Chandler says ... "I’ll be watching, keenly, to see who my next opponent is."

Chandler says he has a ton of respect for Poirier but admits, "I want to see Conor come back, man. There’s nothing better than when a guy as big as Conor McGregor, falls short, loses and is able to pull himself back and win. It’s a huge story, it’s a huge storyline."

Of course, Conor was one of the most feared fighters in the UFC around 2015, 2016 ... but lost some of his momentum after taking L's to Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and Khabib in 2018.

McGregor was also knocked out by Dustin Poirier in January 2021 -- leaving some to wonder if Conor's best days are behind him.

But, Chandler says a McGregor victory over Poirier would be huge for the sport -- and could also set up a very lucrative fight for himself.

"Obviously, the athlete in me wants to fight the winner of [Poirier vs. McGregor], the businessman in me wants to fight Conor of course, but all of it hinges upon me having a phenomenal performance on May 15."

As for his current opponent, Charles Oliveira, Chandler knows how dangerous he is.

"Charles Olivera has cut his teeth in this UFC lightweight division over the last couple of years. 8-0 in his last 8 fights. [He has the] most submission wins in UFC history," Chandler says ... "He’s dangerous every single place."

Welp, this is bad ...

The COVID pandemic is hitting Japan so hard, IOC president Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to the country ... leaving many wondering if the Olympic Games will actually happen in July as planned.

After a surge in cases in major cities, including Tokyo, the Japanese government extended a state of emergency from May 11 to May 31 ... which leaves less than 2 months before the Games are scheduled to begin on July 23.

Health officials in Japan are concerned the current 4th wave of the infection contains a variant that is spreading very fast and impacting a relatively large number of young people.

Officials say hospitals are overwhelmed and the health care system throughout the country is being pushed to the brink.

IOC President Bach was supposed to be traveling all over Japan next week to meet up with the Olympic torch -- but now, those plans have been postponed until Japanese officials end the state of emergency.

As for the numbers in Japan, there are more than 600,000 reported COVID cases and roughly 11,000 deaths.

One of the biggest issues at the moment is the fact only 2% of the 126 million people living in Japan have received at least one vaccine dose according to Reuters.

Washington Nationals broadcaster F.P. Santangelo has been pulled from calling MLB games in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations ... but he insists the claims are "untrue."

The 53-year-old, who's turned into one of TV's best baseball analysts following a 7-year MLB career, was removed from his role as Nats color commentator several times last week.

And, The Athletic reports sexual misconduct allegations are the reasons why.

According to the report, a 31-year-old woman says Santangelo "made an unwanted advance several years ago, ignored her when she repeatedly told him to stop, and sexually assaulted her."

The woman, speaking to the outlet on the condition of anonymity, also claims Santangelo "sent her angry text messages and blocked her on social media after their one and only in-person interaction."

The woman says she has not filed a complaint with police and does not plan on filing a civil lawsuit ... explaining, "I don’t have any motives behind this other than I wanted to avoid this happening to other women.”

Santangelo, though, has denied the allegations ... issuing a statement to The Athletic saying, "What I have read in your recently published article from an anonymous individual about me is untrue and did not happen."

"This is not representative of who I am as a man or a professional. I am confident that my name and reputation will be fully cleared."

Santangelo, who's been calling Nats games for MASN since 2011, was initially pulled from broadcasts last weekend but was allowed to return ... before he was pulled again a short time later.

Nationals officials explained the situation to The Athletic, saying in a statement, "Late last week, we were made aware of allegations of conduct by F.P. Santangelo that are inconsistent with our values as an organization."

"We alerted MASN and revoked our approval of him as a member of our broadcast team. MASN assured us that they would investigate these allegations thoroughly. After MASN notified us that their investigation was complete and that F.P. should be reinstated, additional posts appeared."

The team continued, "Once again, we notified MASN and revoked our approval of F.P. as a member of our broadcast team indefinitely. Moving forward, we will refer all questions regarding this investigation to F.P.’s employer, MASN."

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are showing signs that they're back together ... grabbing dinner at a celeb hot spot with famous friends and family.

Stormi's parents did a triple date night Sunday at West Hollywood hot spot, Catch LA, with Justin & Hailey Bieber and Kendall and her NBA star boyfriend, Devin Booker.

The 6-some all brought their own sense of fashion and style -- with JB still proudly rocking yet another new hairdo -- but Kylie was the only one who managed to duck the photogs all night. She's a pro!

We know she was there for the triple date, though, which only fuels speculation she's back together with Trav ... something that really kicked up a notch when she flew to Miami last weekend to celebrate his birthday with him.

You don't do fancy dinner dates with other happy couples unless you are feeling those same vibes yourself, right???

Tyrell Cohen -- the twin brother of NFL running back Tarik Cohen -- was found dead Sunday ... after officials say they believe he was electrocuted trying to climb power equipment.

Authorities say the 25-year-old, who's a fraternal twin of the Chicago Bears star, was involved in the tragedy shortly after a single-car crash Saturday morning in Raleigh, NC.

Officials say Tyrell left the scene of the accident after the wreck ... and could not be located in the ensuing hours.

Tyrell's family eventually filed a missing person report Saturday night ... with Tarik even putting out a message on social media asking anyone in the area for help locating his brother.

"Could be on foot in the [woods] around 540 and six forks," Tarik said in a since-deleted tweet. "Possibly injured!"

Officials say on Sunday morning, they resumed their search for Tyrell ... and, after an employee at a Duke Energy substation discovered a body, officials ultimately identified it as Tyrell's.

Authorities say Tyrell appeared to have entered the substation after the accident and was electrocuted shortly after. They say they do not believe foul play was involved.

The Bears released a statement Sunday evening mourning the death ... saying, "We are heartbroken."

"Our immediate thoughts and prayers go out to Tarik, his mother, Tilwanda, and the rest of their family and loved ones."

They continued, "On behalf of the entire Bears family, we extend our most heartfelt sympathies to all who mourn his loss."

Tarik was picked in the 4th round by the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. He's started 22 games for the team in his four-year career.