TMZ Sports - Page 50

College athletes will FINALLY be able to rake in money off their name, image and likeness ... with the NCAA making the groundbreaking decision Wednesday to suspend its current rules.

The NCAA's board of directors voted to implement an interim policy starting Thursday ... which will allow all incoming and current student-athletes to start cashing in on endorsement deals immediately.

NCAA president Mark Emmert released a statement on the decision ... saying, "This is an important day for college athletes since they all are now able to take advantage of name, image and likeness opportunities."

"With the variety of state laws adopted across the country, we will continue to work with Congress to develop a solution that will provide clarity on a national level.

"The current environment -- both legal and legislative -- prevents us from providing a more permanent solution and the level of detail student-athletes deserve."

The organization says the temporary policy will remain in place for all three divisions until new federal legislation or NCAA rules are adopted.

Players still will not be able to be paid as a direct result of their athletic performance ... but this now allows them to make money off opportunities like signing autographs, social media deals, advertisements and camps.

The decision comes right as several states were set to make it illegal to follow the NCAA's rules preventing student-athletes from these money-making opportunities.

The man who was punched in the face by Joe Schilling at a bar on Sunday is now planning to press charges against the MMA fighter ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The alleged victim, identified as 31-year-old Justin Balboa, has gone to police and will cooperate with prosecutors as he pursues a battery charge, his attorney, Robert Solomon, tells us.

"I cannot believe [Schilling] thought it was OK to just haul off and crack somebody twice like that," Solomon says. "[Schilling] is lucky we're not dealing with a manslaughter case."

In video of the incident, you can see Balboa got rocked in the head multiple times by Schilling on Sunday night at a bar in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The footage showed Schilling -- who last fought professionally in 2019 for Bellator -- whaled on Balboa after the two had bumped into each other in a walkway near the bar area.

In police docs, cops say Balboa told them he had no idea why Schilling hit him.

Schilling, meanwhile, claims Balboa had been bothering him and others all night ... and says he only hit Balboa out of self-defense.

"I was scared for my life," Schilling added.

In the docs, officers say a witness told them it appeared the confrontation all went down because Balboa "had possibly made an improper remark" about Schilling's significant other.

Solomon, though, tells us he believes his client did nothing to deserve the punches ... saying, "The video clearly shows another story."

"The reality of it is is this guy took this way too far," Solomon said of Schilling.

Solomon also says he'll be filing a civil lawsuit against Schilling later this week ... adding that his client suffered a head injury and facial wounds in the altercation.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancée, Brittany Matthews, wants to make one thing abundantly clear -- her boobs are, in fact, 100% real ... and she's making her statement with a stunning bikini pic!!

The NFL superstar's longtime lady made sure any speculation was put to rest on Wednesday ... saying, "Haters will say they are fake, but breastfeeding moms will understand🤷🏼‍♀️😘."

Of course, the couple welcomed their first child, Sterling Skye, back in February ... and Brittany looks absolutely incredible while rocking an orange bikini just 4 months after giving birth!!

Mahomes and the fitness guru have been posting hot shots throughout their trip to Cabo ... enjoying their summer on an expensive ass boat.

It's been a great past year for the lovebirds -- they got engaged at the Super Bowl ring ceremony at Arrowhead Stadium in September 2020, made another trip to the S.B. in February, and had baby Sterling a few weeks later.

Yeah, not too shabby.

On top of all that, Mahomes was also just announced as a cover athlete for Madden NFL 22 alongside Tom Brady ... proving this hot streak isn't coming to an end any time soon.

Chad Pennington's star quarterback son is following in his footsteps ... announcing that he's committed to Marshall University --- his father's alma mater!!!

Cole Pennington -- a 3-star junior QB at Sayre H.S. in Lexington, KY -- made the announcement Wednesday via Twitter ... saying he's stoked to join the Herd.

"To be a college student-athlete has always been a dream of mine," Cole says.

"Thank you, Coach Huff, Coach Cramsey, and the rest of the Marshall Football Staff for giving me this opportunity to say I'm 100% committed to Marshall University!!!! Go Herd!!!"

CP got interest from other schools like Akron, Ball State and Eastern Kentucky ... but come on, the dude is destined to take his talents to Huntington!!!

After all, Chad was a legend at MU -- he played QB from 1995 to 1999 and holds the Herds record for most passing yards (14,098) and is second all-time in passing TDs (123).

In fact, he was a finalist for the Heisman in '99.

Chad was selected 18th overall to the NY Jets in 2000 ... making 3 playoff appearances for the Green and White. He also had a short stint with the Miami Dolphins before retiring in 2011.

And, get this -- Chad got a new gig in retirement ... he's Cole's football coach at Sayre!!!

"To my parents and brothers, thank you for your unconditional love and being my greatest support," Cole added.

A super team of celebs showed up for LeBron James' big night -- with the NBA superstar hosting a bash to celebrate "Space Jam: A New Legacy."

King James showed up at Six Flags Magic Mountain Tuesday night for the huge event ... with names like Don Cheadle (who stars in SJ2), G-Eazy, Tiffany Haddish, MGK, Megan Fox and Olivia Rodrigo coming through to party.

Of course, the flick is set to release on July 16 after YEARS of hype ... so it's only right to kick things off with a fun time.

Chris Brown and Tyga even took part in a hoops shootout challenge ... and while Breezy had no issue finding the bottom of the net, the "Splash" rapper was definitely not making it splash on the court.

Hey, we're just playing with ya, Tyga ... we're all trying to have a good time.

Bron's family also popped up for the party -- with the 4-time champ and his wife, Savannah, cuddling up as they watched the action on the court.

BTW -- Bronny is looking TALL!!

Other stars like Diplo, Zedd and Duckwrth were there ... so in case the aux cord gave out, there woulda been plenty of options to keep the music going.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!"

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry was FIRED UP when he found out he and his wife were having a baby boy ... and the video of it all is AWESOME!!

The couple posted the amazing gender reveal footage on Instagram on Tuesday ... showing how they walked into Gillette Stadium hand-in-hand while staring at a jumbotron that read, "He or She?"

Before it was revealed, the 26-year-old Pats star said he thought it was going to be a girl ... but his wife, Parker, thought otherwise.

Turns out ... after a countdown from 3, Parker ended up being right -- and Hunter went CRAZY!!

Henry screamed, threw his hands in the air and even started fist pumpin'!

"No way!" he yelled. "That's dope!!!"

The couple -- who married in 2018 --- says #BabyHenry is due to arrive in December.

An MLB fan got absolutely ROCKED by security after he tried to run onto Yankee Stadium's outfield Tuesday night ... and TMZ Sports has obtained video of the entire incident!!

The chaotic scene all went down in the 6th inning of the Yankees' game against the Angels in New York ... when a man thought it'd be funny to hop the wall and take a lap around the grass.

Turns out, though, the idea ended up being a painful (and dumb) one ... 'cause he made it just steps before he was annihilated by a stadium guard.

Check out the footage ... the fan didn't even make it off the warning track before he was body slammed to the ground!!

Two other stadium officials ran in just seconds later to subdue the guy ... before they ultimately took him off the field.

Our sources say the guy was detained for around five HOURS after the incident ... but they insist the dude did NOT receive any sort of perma-ban from the stadium.

Instead, our sources say he was hit with a citation and allowed to leave.

7-time NBA champ Robert Horry is defending Phil Jackson ... saying he does NOT believe the man is racist -- but admits there were times he had to "check" the legendary coach for comments made towards his players.

Horry is responding to bombshell allegations Scottie Pippen made earlier this week ... when the Hall of Famer told the 'Dan Patrick Show' he believed Jackson was racist.

Big Shot Bob -- who played for Jackson on the Lakers from 1999-2003 -- shared his personal experiences with the coach on his podcast this week ... saying straight-up -- "I don't think Phil is racist."

Horry explains there were times he had to call out Jackson over his choice of words ... but he did not believe the coach had racist intent.

"We were in the huddle and Phil was like, 'You need to know the sound of your master's voice,'" Horry said on the 'Big Shot Bob Pod' on PodcastOne. "I looked at him, I was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, nah, we don't do that. I'm from the South."

Horry says Jackson was quick to backtrack ... claiming he didn't mean it the way it came out.

"I said, 'Dude, that's too close, that's too close,' and I knew where he was trying to come across as saying, because, in the arenas, you need to understand and hear your person that is trying to lead you."

Worth noting -- Phil has been dubbed the "Zen Master" due to his coaching techniques ... but given Horry's description of the exchange, that wasn't really what he was going for either.

Horry continued ... "I understand, I said, but there's certain words you can use and I'm like, 'We ain't that close yet.'"

Regardless, Horry says he does not agree with Pippen's take.

White Sox star Lucas Giolito was so furious that Twins 3rd baseman Josh Donaldson made a "sticky" quip during their game Tuesday ... he straight-up called the Minnesota player "a f***ing pest."

The scene on the diamond was pretty wild ... after Donaldson homered off Giolito in the 1st inning -- he celebrated by insinuating the Chicago pitcher had previously used sticky substances to throw better.

As Donaldson crossed home plate, he rubbed his hands together and yelled toward his dugout, "It's not sticky anymore!"

Of course, Donaldson's implying the MLB's new crackdown on pitchers and foreign substances was affecting Giolitio ... and the Sox ace did NOT like that at all.

After the game -- which Giolito ultimately earned the win for -- he sounded off on JD ... eviscerating him in a profanity-laced rant.

"He's a f***ing pest," Giolito said. "It's kind of a classless move. If you're going to talk s***, talk s*** to my face. Don't go cross home plate and do all that. Just come to me."

Giolito continued, "We won. The W is next to my name. They're in last place."

Tuesday's contest was the first of a three-game series between the Twins and Sox this week, and while Giolito won't throw again against Minnesota in the next 2 days ... the series just got a whole lot more interesting regardless.

Fetterolf continued ... "Mr. Bauer and [the accuser] have not corresponded in over a month and have not seen each other in over six weeks. Her basis for filing a protection order is nonexistent, fraudulent, and deliberately omits key facts, information, and her own relevant communications. Any allegations that the pair’s encounters were not 100% consensual are baseless, defamatory, and will be refuted to the fullest extent of the law."

MLB superstar Trevor Bauer is currently under investigation for assault ... after a woman claims the Cy Young winner got physical with her earlier this year.

But, sources close to the case say Bauer is adamant the encounter was nothing more than consensual, rough sex with someone he met online. We're told they hooked up twice.

TMZ Sports has learned the alleged victim was granted a temporary domestic violence restraining order earlier today in L.A.

Pasadena PD is investigating the alleged incident ... and sources tell us TB is cooperating with authorities.

As for the alleged victim ... her attorney, Marc Garelick, tells us his client "sought and obtained an order for Protection from the Court against Mr. Trevor Bauer, under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act."

"The order is a result of a recent assault that took place at the hands of Mr. Bauer where [the accuser] suffered severe physical and emotional pain."

The attorney continued ... saying he expects criminal charges to ultimately be filed against the MLB All-Star.

"Our goal is to keep Mr. Bauer from contacting our client in any way possible. We anticipate there will be criminal action against Mr. Bauer, and it is our hope law enforcement will take our client’s allegations and case seriously."

Our law enforcement sources say the case will likely be sent to the district attorney ... where they will decide whether to file charges.

Bauer is one of the best pitchers in baseball ... and has been solid for the Dodgers in 2021, posting an 8-5 record with a 2.59 ERA.

He previously played for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Riddick Bowe is back!!

We're told the 53-year-old former 2x heavyweight champion has inked a deal with Celebrity Boxing to fight October 23 in Miami.

Bowe -- who last fought to a unanimous decision victory in December 2008 -- does not yet have an opponent.

Back in his day, Riddick was one of the BADDEST dudes in the world. His pro record stands at 43-1 (33 KO's) ... with 1 of those big wins coming at the expense of the legendary Evander Holyfield.

Bowe is just the latest 50-something former champ to re-lace up the gloves.

Late last year, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. fought an exhibition match that ended in a draw.

Speaking of 55-year-old Iron Mike ... we're told Bowe actually has interest in fighting Tyson.

It's a fight boxing fans badly wanted back in the day, but the stars never aligned for Mike and Riddick.

Jacob deGrom decided to have a little fun before NY's game Tuesday ... horsing around with a teammate in pregame warmups -- and it has Mets fans absolutely TRIGGERED!!!

The scene was captured by MLB Network cameras hours before the Mets' game against the Braves in Atlanta ... and it was pretty silly -- deGrom wrestled a teammate to the ground in hilarious WWE fashion.

Seriously, the play fighting was actually funny ... deGrom pulled the shirt over his teammate's head, threw him to the ground -- and then another Met came in to count down the pin!

The problem ... Jacob's battled some injuries this season -- and Mets fans are absolutely LOSING IT over the sight of their star ace rolling around on the ground unprotected!!

NY fans have erupted on social media ... pleading with deGrom to take care of himself -- especially with his next start scheduled for Thursday night.

Don't worry, deGrom made it through the outfield scrap unscathed ... but it would seriously be a bummer if something did happen to him.

Chauncey Billups was introduced as the next head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday ... but before he talked hoops, the ex-NBA star opened up on his sexual assault allegations from more than 20 years ago.

Back in 1997, Billups -- a player for the Boston Celtics at the time -- was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at teammate Antoine Walker’s home.

The woman claimed she blacked out during the attack ... and woke up with injuries to her cervix, rectum and throat.

Billups was NOT charged with a crime ... but reportedly settled a lawsuit filed by his accuser.

During Billups' intro presser on Tuesday, Portland GM Neil Olshey insisted the organization took the 1997 allegation very seriously ... even hiring an independent team of investigators to look into the troubling claims.

Olshey said the investigators dug around and determined Billups' claim that the encounter was consensual was corroborated.

The team did not elaborate on the findings of the investigation.

Billups personally spoke about the allegations as well, saying, "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about how every decision that we make can have a profound impact on a person's life."

"This experience has shaped my life in so many different ways."

He added ... "I really, really look forward in providing insight, leadership to our guys who are young and taking on a lot of responsibility as I was at that time."

"But, just being able to support them and walk them through situations is something that I'm gonna take as a responsibility."

Members of the media tried to ask follow-up questions about the alleged incident ... but Blazers PR shut it down.

Serena Williams will not add another Wimbledon trophy to her collection this year ... she just withdrew from the tournament due to a leg injury -- and her exit was VERY emotional.

Williams was competing in her first-round match in London against Aliaksandra Sasnovich ... but at one point during the contest, she slipped and injured her leg.

Serena got it all checked out by trainers ... and tried to continue -- but the injury became too much, and she eventually crumpled to the grass in extreme pain.

Williams didn't try to compete after that ... she pulled herself from the event -- and broke down in tears while doing so.

The crowd in attendance made it known they appreciated her effort -- giving her a standing ovation -- and before Williams left for the locker room area, she waved to everybody.

39-year-old Williams doesn't withdraw from Grand Slams due to injury much ... in fact, this is only the second time it's EVER happened to her (she had to withdraw from Wimbledon in 1998).

Serena currently holds 23 major titles, just one shy of the record 24 mark set by Margaret Court.

Get well soon!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

UFC legend Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne just announced their baby's gender on Tuesday ... sharing the big news with a Pokémon-themed reveal.

The badass couple first put out word they were expecting the "baddest baby on the planet" back in April ... with a September 22 due date.

Of course, Rousey is a massive Pokémon nerd ... so it was only fitting to channel the game when making the gender news public.

"Our gender reveal is finally here," Rousey said on YouTube. "We didn’t want to do anything that would set hundreds of acres ablaze or thousands even."

"Some people are idiots," she added. "We didn’t want to do that. So, we’re keeping it simple. We’re keeping it safe. We’re keeping it Browsey Acres-style."

Remember, Ronda is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time ... and went on to have a wildly successful career with WWE until she left in 2019 to focus on starting a family.

So, will the baby girl follow in mom's footsteps and bring the bantamweight belt back to the Rousey name?? Guess we'll find out in 2041 or so.

Tyler Skaggs' widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Angels ... claiming the team is to blame for her husband's tragic passing in 2019.

It's all spelled out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Carli Skaggs says the Angels could have prevented the pitcher's death with several simple steps ... but did not.

In the suit, Carli says it all boils down to the team's handling of Eric Kay ... the Angels team employee who was criminally charged with distributing the drugs that ultimately killed Skaggs in his hotel room while on the road for an away game in Texas on July 1, 2019.

Carli says the team knew Kay was giving Skaggs and other players drugs ... but did not do anything about it.

In fact, in the suit, Carli claims Kay was a known drug abuser ... and says despite the team being well-aware of it -- it still gave Kay "complete access to players, day and night both off the field and on the field."

"This was a fatal mistake," Carli said in the suit.

Carli claims if the team had taken steps to restrict Kay's access to players, her husband would still be alive today.

"The Angels failed Tyler," Carli said in the suit. "And because of this failure, Tyler, who was on the brink of achieving certain and substantial success as a pitcher in MLB, had his life cut short."

Carli is suing for damages.

We've reached out to the Angels, but so far, no word back yet.