TMZ Sports - Page 50

Turns out, there IS an expiration date on Tom Brady's football career after all ... the QB says he ain't committing to playing 'til he's 50, explaining, "That's a long time."

The NFL's G.O.A.T. revealed to USA Today Sports this month his goal is still just to play until he's 45 in two years ... and then perhaps end the run at that point.

"50? That’s a long time," Brady said. "Even for me, that’s a long time."

"I’ve always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal. This year I’ll be 44, so next year I’ll be 45. I got a two-year contract."

Don't get it twisted, though ... Brady didn't exactly slam the door on the idea of another 6 years under center either.

"I’m going to be able to obviously play this year and God forbid anything happens but play next year and then see what happens after that," Brady said.

"If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And, if that’s enough, then that would be enough.”

If Brady does want to make the extended run ... his Buccaneers team certainly ain't stopping him, 'cause Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht said back in May he'd allow the QB to go that long if he wanted.

But, Tom's coming off knee surgery ... and certainly seems to be at peace with the idea his playing days could be done in two years.

NY Jets running back La'Mical Perine SUUUUCKS at shotgunning beers.

Like, he's spectacularly bad ... and he put his non-skills on display Thursday while pre-gaming for the NY Islanders playoff game!

The 23-year-old -- who played college ball at the Univ. of Florida (isn't that supposed to be a party school!?) -- was turning up on a party bus on the way to the game when someone called for a shotgun chugging contest.

First, Perine tries chugging from the hole in the side of the can BEFORE he opens the top -- which is obviously a huge problem.

Then, when he realizes his mistake ... he can't keep the beer in his mouth and spills ALL OVER HIS JORDANS!!!

What a disaster!!!

By the end, a defeated Perine admits, "I almost threw up" ... while the brew continues to drip down his beard.

As for the hockey game, it didn't go much better for the Islanders ... they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 defeat.

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers got eliminated from the playoffs, the hottest ticket in town has been to see the Clippers Sierra Canyon Trailblazers play ball.

Drake and Michael B. Jordan showed up Thursday night to watch Bronny James -- LeBron's 16-year-old son -- take on the Etiwanda Eagles in their regional semi-final basketball game.

They might as well have been watching the Lakers in the Finals though, as they were really getting into the action from their courtside seats ... cheering on Bronny and Sierra Canyon's other star -- UCLA commit, Amari Bailey.

At one point in the first half, Drake was seen giving Bailey a pep talk, and it must have worked, because he did his best to keep the Trailblazers in it, leading the team with 37 points.

Bronny didn't score much other than a late three, but it wasn't enough in the end -- Sierra Canyon got beat 82-76 and lost out on a place in the regional final to end their season.

Of course, this wasn't the first Bronny game to draw a star-studded crowd. Just last week ... his famous father attended and brought along some past teammates -- J.R. Smith and Jared Dudley. Drake was there for that one too.

That game was Bronny's first of the season after missing most of it because of a torn meniscus he suffered in February. It was also a loss, so it's worth noting ... Sierra Canyon was 0-2 this season when Drake was in attendance. Hmm ... maybe the curse is back.

Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro is clearly lucky to be alive today ... the pitcher revealed he needed brain surgery after being drilled in the head by a line drive this month -- and the scar he showed off Thursday is gnarly.

Zombro -- who was struck by a comebacker in a minor league game on June 3 -- posted pics from his recovery on his Twitter page ... and it's truly miraculous he appears to be okay following the scary scene.

Zombro showed the entire right side of his head was opened up by docs after he was hit by the baseball ... and then later closed up with a grip of staples.

"Unbelievably grateful to be in the situation I’m currently in with the incredible help from @DukeHospital & staff," Zombro said.

"To all of you that have showered my family and I with positive thoughts, I have no doubt that all of the prayer support kept God with me throughout that night, as I’m in a very fortunate position all things considered."

The initial injury was one of the scariest incidents anybody's EVER seen on a baseball diamond ... Zombro let a fastball go and it was smacked right back at him.

The 26-year-old could be seen convulsing on the mound and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

In fact, things looked so dire, Zombro's minor league team, the Durham Bulls, postponed their game the following day in wake of the injury.

But, Zombro said Thursday he's doing much better ... even cracking a joke about his sprint speed!

"In optimistic news: I’ve never been the fastest on the field so I may have gotten a boost after this surgery," Zombro said.

Zombro added he intends to get back on the diamond eventually ... though there's no timetable for a return at this point.

Bryce Hall's fighting days ain't over -- at least not yet -- the social media star tells us "of course" he'll be back in the ring soon.

But, the bigger question is ... who's he gonna fight?

The 21-year-old superstar -- coming off a loss to Austin McBroom -- was all smiles as he hit Boa Steakhouse on Sunset Blvd. on Thursday night ... a wild scene with fans, paparazzi and his own personal rapper?!!

Yep, some dude was freestyling for Bryce right in front of the restaurant ... spitting bars about the fight (maybe not the best idea, considering he lost).

As for Bryce's fighting future, he recently told Drama Alert’s Keemstar he plans on continuing his training ... but wouldn't confirm his next opponent.

There's talk he could face KSI's younger bro, Deji -- but Austin said they're actually friends and he doesn't want to punch someone he actually likes.

"I couldn’t just fight somebody if I don't have beef with them," Hall told Keemstar.

Vitor Belfort says he isn't only fighting ONE Hall of Famer in Oscar De La Hoya ... the combat sports star tells TMZ Sports he has also signed a deal to box Evander Holyfield later this year!!

We talked to the 44-year-old former UFC champ after Belfort was announced as 48-year-old De La Hoya's opponent in his boxing comeback (ODLH hasn't fought since losing to Manny Pacquiao in 2008).

Belfort -- who has a tremendous amount of respect for Oscar's career accomplishments -- tells us his September 11 fight on Triller will literally be one of the hottest fights of all time.

"I believe this fight with me and Oscar, this is the biggest fight ever."

So, why does Belfort believe it'll be such a big deal? He says he and Oscar paved the way for some of today's biggest stars.

"Oscar is legendary. Gold medals, one of the best pound-for-pound ever to live in the game. He revolutionary sport. If it wasn't for Oscar, would not be [Floyd] Mayweather."

Vitor continued ... "If it wasn't for Vitor Belfort, would not exist a Conor McGregor."

If you think VB is just messing around ... he isn't. Vitor doubled down ... saying his bout with De La Hoya will rival one of the most significant sporting events ever -- The Rumble in the Jungle.

"This fight will sell like Muhammad Ali and George Foreman."

Of course, Ali knocked out Big George in the 8th round of their historic 1974 boxing match.

And, get this, Vitor claims the bout with ODLH isn't a one-off ... 'cause he says he has a signed contract to box 58-year-old Evander Holyfield.

La La and Carmelo's Anthony's marriage has been through a separation, a reconciliation, and years of speculation -- but now they've amicably decided to officially call it quits.

La La filed divorce docs Thursday in New York, 11 years after tying the knot with the NBA star, and cited irreconcilable differences.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... they've been separated for awhile but remain friends, as always, after 16 years together, and everything about the divorce is amicable.

We're told they both wanted to take time to ensure a private and smooth transition in their relationship for their 14-year-old son, Kiyan -- who's always their top priority -- and they remain fully aligned as parenting partners.

As we reported, Melo and La La split in 2017 after 7 years of marriage amid rumors he cheated on her, but by late 2018 it seemed they were working things out.

We even saw La La in Portland to support Carmelo as he made a transition in his career after getting signed by the Trail Blazers. It appeared things were on track.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is pulling out of another Grand Slam ... the #2-ranked player in the world has withdrawn from Wimbledon to spend time with loved ones ahead of the Olympics.

This is the second major tournament 23-year-old Osaka has decided to skip -- she withdrew from the French Open before the second round last month due to her opposition to mandatory media availability.

Now, Osaka will not be making the trip to London, with her agent releasing a statement Thursday.

"Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," the rep said. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

It's unclear if Osaka's war with the reporters played a factor -- the All England Club reportedly reached out to the superstar to have a discussion about handling media ops ahead of the tournament.

As we previously reported, Osaka opened up on her battle with depression and social anxiety following her 2018 U.S. Open win ... saying she's struggled with coping with the spotlight.

Osaka has consistently said she has no issue with the journalists who have treated her fairly ... and has apologized to those affected by her decision to avoid talking.

It's finally happening -- Oscar De La Hoya is making his highly anticipated return to the boxing ring in September ... and he's going up against MMA star Vitor Belfort in an exhibition match!!

Of course, 48-year-old ODLH announced his return back in March ... saying he was ready to take a fight on July 3.

The date was pushed back a few months as Oscar searched for an opponent ... and now he's finally got one -- the 44-year-old former UFC champion!!

We all know what Oscar can do in the ring -- he won belts in six divisions and was one of the biggest superstars in the sport before retiring in 2008.

Belfort on the other hand, has one boxing match under his belt -- a quick TKO over Josemario Neves in 2006.

The Triller event is set to go down on September 11 with Las Vegas as the target location. The venue and undercard are set to be announced at a later date, according to reports.

Oscar's been teasing a comeback for years -- he even said he wanted to fight UFC honcho Dana White at one point -- training nonstop to get back in fighting shape.

Did you know NFL star Henry Ruggs is a ridiculously good football player AND bowler?!

It's true ... 'cause the Raiders wide receiver nearly rolled a PERFECT GAME this week -- missing the 300 figure by just one pin on his last frame!!!

The incredible feat all went down Wednesday in Las Vegas ... when Ruggs was bowling with some friends at a local alley in Sin City.

Ruggs had hit 10 straight strikes ... and needed just two more good rolls to give him the unblemished evening.

You can see in footage of Ruggs' final balls, though ... after hitting the first strike no problem -- he left just one pin standing on his final throw!!!

Henry was both elated and defeated ... 'cause, ya know, a 299 is an insane score -- but missing the 300 mark CLEARLY hurt.

In fact, after the game, Ruggs took to social media to say, "I am sick" about not knocking down the final pin.

Don't worry, Henry's only 22 years old, so he's got plenty of visits to the alley left in him.

The famous "Suns In 4" guy is FINALLY opening up about his violent brawl with Nuggets fans ... claiming the whole thing went down because the Denver dudes poured beer on him.

Nick McKellar joined Barstool Sports' "The Dave Portnoy Show" this week and broke the whole fight down from start to finish ... explaining he was NEVER the aggressor in the situation.

McKellar claims he showed up to Ball Arena for Game 3 last Friday and made friends with nearly everybody around him right away.

But, he says when he started lightheartedly joking with two Nuggets fans toward the end of the game ... that's when things turned contentious.

"These guys are walking past me and obviously they didn't think it was funny," McKellar said. "Meanwhile the whole crowd that I made friends with, initially they were laughing, having a good time."

"I wasn't being annoying. So, these guys were like, 'You know what, I'm taking offense to this.'"

McKellar says the two Nuggets fans then got in his face, talked smack, flaunted money at him ... and then tugged on his jersey and poured beer on him.

That's when McKellar says the action picked up on video ... and the rest is history.

"Instincts of self-defense kick in," McKellar says.

McKellar told Portnoy he was escorted out of the arena by cops after throwing the haymakers, but says he was NOT arrested because witnesses told the officers he did nothing more than protect himself in the skirmish.

As for if Devin Booker ever got a hold of him, McKellar said he has been in contact with the Suns superstar -- and told Portnoy there could be a future collab between the two in the future.

Cody Simpson is staying positive after finishing last at the Australian Olympic swimming trials on Thursday ... saying he's proud of his progress and looking forward to training for the 2024 games!!

The 24-year-old pop singer -- who was a standout swimmer as a kid before focusing on his music career -- has been working out like crazy in hopes of making it to the trials finals in 2021 ... and he did just that!!

Simpson competed in the 100-meter butterfly final on Thursday ... and while he came in last, he's considering it his big win on the year.

"What an experience racing at my first Australian Olympic Trials," Simpson said Thursday. "To make a final was our goal this year and with less than a year of training we did just that."

"I’ve come so much further than I expected to this year and to be racing the best in the country already is a privilege."

FYI -- Simpson finished with a time of 52.94 ... while Matthew Temple came in first at 50.45, an Australian record.

Simpson knew making it to Tokyo was going to be a long shot this year .. but it's clear he wants to go to Paris in 2024.

Powerful moment from NBA player Meyers Leonard ... who choked backed tears while addressing a group of Jewish kids at a temple in Florida, as he explained his regret for using an anti-Semitic slur back in March.

The 29-year-old took the mic at Boca Raton Synagogue over the weekend ... and began by saying, "I owe everybody, truly, a sincere apology."

As we previously reported, the former Miami Heat player was playing "Call of Duty" on March 9 when he hurled the K-word at an opposing player. The session was being live-streamed on Twitch at the time.

Twitch immediately blocked Leonard from the platform -- and the NBA hit Meyers with a $50k fine and a 1-week suspension.

Leonard apologized and vowed to educate himself about why the slur is dangerous and offensive ... and it's pretty obvious he's been putting in the work.

At least, according to Rabbi Efrem Goldberg ... who spoke glowingly about Meyers at Sunday's event -- praising him as a good dude and a "great friend of the Jewish community."

Rabbi Goldberg told the crowd, "Over the last 3 months, I’ve gotten to know Meyers off camera and off the court … I've gotten to know what's in his heart and who he is."

"Meyers has learned a lot about the Jewish community ... meeting with Holocaust survivors and reading books about Jewish history."

Leonard also opened up about life after the incident -- saying, "I've had a lot of really good moments and some pretty dark emotional moments but I just like to say, again, I'm so, so thankful for the people in the Jewish community whether it's a little kid, a teenager, a high schooler or a rabbi."

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are out to prove the Madden Curse is officially dead ... with the Super Bowl LV foes set to appear on the video game's cover yet again!!

Remember, EA Sports' biggest franchise was notorious for the bad luck each cover athlete would have after receiving the honor -- from Mike Vick to Marshall Faulk to Vince Young, Peyton Hillis and more.

Both TB12 and Mahomes were able to dodge any serious mishaps when they both appeared on the cover in the past ... as Brady was on Madden NFL 18 and the Chiefs QB was on Madden NFL 20.

Now, the superstar athletes are set to stare the curse right in the eyes yet again ... and if they have baller years, it may be time to put the "Madden Curse" to rest for good.

The game had been teasing "2 goats" would appear on the cover ... and anyone who's been watching football the past few years had to see this one coming.

Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling says he's sorry for throwing a temper tantrum after his teammate's error ... calling his actions both embarrassing and mortifying.

The Toronto starter went crazy after Joe Panik botched a throw to first base in the Jays' loss to the Yankees on Wednesday night ... screaming at his third baseman and throwing his hands in the air.

Stripling could be heard telling Panik to essentially play better ... and the on-field explosion was so off-putting, even Yankees broadcasters called Stripling out for it live on-air.

But, it didn't take long for Ross to realize he really screwed up ... 'cause he issued an apology to Panik after the game, calling the scene "the most disrespectful thing I've ever done."

"I'm completely embarrassed about it," the 31-year-old said. "I simply let the moment get too big for me."

Stripling said he not only spoke to Panik about it all, but addressed the situation with his entire team as well.

"I mean, I literally can't explain it," Stripling said. "Honestly, I'm mortified by it, I can't stand that's the way that went."

Ross continued, "It'll never happen again from me, I promise you that."

Ross added that Panik had accepted the mea culpa and told him "no hard feelings."

"Please, just talk to us. Please, just work with us."

Gerrit Cole is BEGGING MLB officials to ease their latest stance on pitchers and foreign substances ... telling reporters Wednesday night he's VERY concerned a league crackdown on it all could lead to serious injuries.

The Yankees star kept it real in his meeting with the media after New York's huge win over Toronto ... saying the lack of sticky substances on his hand really hurt him during the game.

In fact, Cole said he struggled so much with gripping the baseball all night long ... he became not only concerned about his arm, but also batters in the box.

"I would just hate to see players get hurt," the 30-year-old said. "I would hate to see balls start flying at people's heads. I had a really tough time gripping the baseball tonight, especially early when it was windy."

Cole is now imploring MLB officials to back down from their threat to impose fines, ejections and even suspensions on pitchers who are caught putting foreign substances on their hands and baseballs.

"It's so hard to grip the ball," Cole said after the Yanks' 3-2 victory. "For Pete's sake, it's part of the reason why almost every player on the field has had something, regardless if they're a pitcher or not, to help them control the ball."

Of course, the comments echo Tyler Glasnow's concerns from earlier this week ... when the Tampa Bay Rays ace said he believed the league's crackdown ultimately caused a serious injury to his elbow.

For his part, despite grip issues and a dry hand, Cole still dominated a strong Blue Jays lineup ... throwing 8 innings and giving up just 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 4.

"I would encourage the commissioner's office to continue to talk with us, please, because we're the ones that throw the ball," Cole said.