TMZ Sports - Page 50

Team USA has already won big in our hearts with these golden good looks ... And it's no wonder why all eyes will be on these Olympic athletes as they compete in Tokyo for the summer games.

We've gathered some of the hottest shots from team USA to help you see why rooting for the red, white, and blue is the way to go!

Take a look through our gallery of USA Olympic athlete abs to see who has been showing off a lot more than just their stars and stripes ... And while you're taking a look, put your athlete knowledge to the test and try to guess who is in the shredded shot!

Trevor Bauer and his attorney showed up to an L.A. courtroom Friday ... making it clear they're ready to fight the pitcher's assault accuser's allegations.

Bauer -- wearing a purple suit, pink shirt and tie -- showed up just prior to the morning proceedings. His accuser was also in court.

During the hearing -- which was scheduled in order to determine if a temporary restraining order against Bauer should turn into a permanent one -- Bauer's attorney said they want to call 3-4 witnesses to support his case.

Meanwhile, Bauer's accuser -- through her attorney -- said they would like to call around six witnesses to show why the restraining order should be granted.

The parties estimated a hearing on the matter would take around 2 days.

The hearing is expected to begin after a lunch break later Friday afternoon.

As we previously reported, Bauer's accuser got the temporary restraining order in late June ... after she said in court docs the MLB star was violent with her during two sexual encounters in April and May.

In the docs, the woman claimed Bauer choked her unconscious and punched her repeatedly ... leaving her with black eyes, bruises, scrapes and scratches.

The 30-year-old pitcher and his reps have denied the allegations ... claiming the incidents were part of 2 entirely consensual sexual encounters.

Police and the MLB are conducting investigations into the claims. Bauer -- who's been on administrative leave and away from the Dodgers' mound since the allegations -- has not been arrested nor has he been charged.

It's unknown if Bauer plans on testifying during the hearing.

Justin Bieber and Conor McGregor -- "The Biebs" and "The Notorious" -- are just a couple of bros having a "proper" breakfast together ... shirtless, of course.

JB and the MMA star were hanging out in Bev Hills Friday, as McGregor continues to recover from his gnarly leg injury suffered at UFC 264 in his loss to Dustin Poirier.

It may seem surprising -- especially since Bieber used to be tight with Conor's nemesis, Floyd Mayweather -- but Justin and Conor have been getting pretty chummy of late.

Bieber was super supportive of McGregor after his January loss to Poirier and also leading up to their latest fight, and Conor actually hopped on his Instagram Live days before UFC 264 to thank him for all the love.

JB also shouted out CM after his injury to send good vibes his way ... and now, here they are, enjoying good vibes together.

Justin captioned the photos, "Breakfast of champions." and tagged Conor's Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey ... which they both appear to be enjoying.

NFL coach Rick Dennison is now no longer a member of the Minnesota Vikings staff ... and it's reportedly all 'cause the guy refused to take the COVID vaccine.

Dennison, according to ESPN, recently affirmed his decision to not get the shots ... and with the NFL rules making it nearly impossible for coaches to coach without them, he's now OUT in Minnesota.

The 63-year-old had been the Vikings' offensive line coach and run game coordinator ... working with the team since 2019.

If you weren't aware, the NFL made it mandatory this offseason for all Tier 1 staffers -- which includes coaches -- to get the vaccine in order to have direct contact with players in meeting rooms and on the field.

The league did allow exceptions -- saying valid medical or religious reasons would be considered -- but it's clear Dennison did not meet those standards.

ESPN reports Phil Rauscher, who was the team's assistant offensive line coach, will now fill for Dennison in 2021.

Dennison -- who's coached in the NFL since 1995 and helped Dalvin Cook blossom into one of the league's best rushers -- is believed to be the first NFL coach to leave his team over the league's vaccine rules.

The Vikings, meanwhile, are set to begin training camp next week and kick off their season in September.

Story developing ...

Matt Ryan says he's devastated over the death of his former coach, Greg Knapp ... writing in an emotional note Friday that the guy was "one of the most positive, consistent, and caring coaches I have ever been around."

Knapp -- who tragically died Thursday from injuries he suffered in a horrific bike crash in California last weekend -- was Ryan's QB coach in Atlanta from 2018 through 2020 ... and he clearly had a huge impact on the Falcons star.

"He made it a point to know our families and for us to know his," Ryan said on his social media page. "My heart goes out to his family."

In each of his three seasons playing for Knapp, Ryan threw for more than 4,400 yards and 25 TDs.

"Greg made a significant impact on everyone he came into contact with and while he will be missed by so many he will never be forgotten," Ryan said.

"I'm so thankful for the time we were able to spend together."

Knapp was just 58 years old.

Alex Rodriguez is moving on from Jennifer Lopez in an interesting way ... on a yacht with some bikini-clad women along the French Riviera.

The former MLB star's soaking up the sun and enjoying the water while vacationing in Saint-Tropez this week ... while showing off his buff bod and having some fun on a giant inflatable slide.

We haven't seen much of A-Rod recently, and though we know he's renting a summer house in the Hamptons -- not too far away from J Lo -- she's clearly NOT on his mind at the moment. Sources connected to Alex tell us the yacht adventure is to celebrate his upcoming 46th birthday, and the folks onboard with him are friends, family and A-Rod Corp employees ... no romantic hookups.

We'll say this ... Alex has some attractive friends and staffers.

Since their breakup, A-Rod's been more low-profile ... while J Lo's been out and about in multiple cities with her old flame, Ben Affleck. As we reported, she's been house-hunting in L.A., and Ben's come along for the ride -- plus, they've had some romantic dinner dates.

Frank Varey -- a boxing prodigy who had won multiple national titles -- died on Thursday at just 16 years old ... and the news devastated Tyson Fury, who called the fighter a "future world champ."

Varey was out swimming with friends in the River Dee in the UK on Thursday when he went missing ... and law enforcement says after hours of searching, they found his body in the water.

It's believed the young pugilist accidentally drowned.

The tragedy absolutely rocked the boxing world ... with Fury writing on his social media page, "RIP Frank. Was a future world champ."

Fury added, "may God be with your family."

Olympic gold medalist boxer Luke Campbell also sent his condolences, saying on Twitter, "RIP Frank Varey. Rest well champ, thoughts with all your friends and family."

While just a teenager, Varey had wildly impressed in his matches ... and in 2019, he fought for England in the European Junior Championships.

"England Boxing has been devastated to hear the news of Frank’s death, with our coaches, in particular, having got to know him very well during his boxing development," England Boxing CEO Gethin Jenkins said.

"He was a very talented boxer, multiple National Champion and a member of our England set-up and Talent Pathway, proudly representing his country in the 2019 Euros. Although young, he had clearly demonstrated much promise."

Jenkins continued, "He was also a very popular character with his fellow boxers and those who coached him, bringing a sense of fun to everything he did. He will leave a huge gap in people’s lives."

Cleveland pulled out the big guns to unveil its MLB team's new name, drafting none other than Tom Hanks to roll out ... the Cleveland Guardians!!!

A slick new video announced the name change -- which takes effect next season -- with Hanks handling the voiceover, explaining the new name is intended to unite fans "as one family, one community."

The old name, of course, had been trashed for years for being divisive and offensive to Indigenous people.

The new name is linked to a couple of local celebs -- 2 statues on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is right near the team's Progressive Field. Those were built as "guardians of traffic" to symbolize progress in transportation.

The MLB name is more about progress for the city and the team, but like anything else new ... haters gonna hate. Reaction to the Guardians name and logo -- a "G" with a baseball, in the same font as the old name -- is mixed. At best.

That's alright ... Cleveland's used to it.

A man was shot and killed at a popular cheesesteak joint in Philly on Thursday morning ... and one witness says it all happened 'cause of an argument over the Giants and Eagles.

The general manager of the legendary Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia, Tom Francano, explained the horrifying scene to The Philadelphia Inquirer ... saying a passionate talk in his restaurant line about the NFL turned absolutely terrifying.

"They were arguing and it turned into a fight," Francano said. "One guy grabbed the other guy and got him in a grip, and the other guy pulled out a gun and shot him in the torso."

"It was one shot. The cops came right away."

Police in Philadelphia say it all went down at 12:55 AM ... saying they responded to the scene and found a 23-year-old man with a gunshot wound in his lower back.

Cops say he was rushed to the hospital, but later died due to his injuries. Police added they did arrest the shooting suspect.

"My employees are pretty shaken up," Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri told the Inquirer. "I don't understand what goes through people's minds."

"It's a fricking tragedy when anyone dies senselessly."

Tom Brady's seventh Super Bowl ring just might be his best one ... 'cause the QB and the Bucs' championship bling was finally revealed Thursday night, and the ice is INSANE!!

TB12, Rob Gronkowski and the rest of the squad received the rings at a party in Tampa Bay ... and even the guys who are used to big title drip were blown away by the pieces.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ring -- created by Jason of Beverly Hills -- features a staggering 319 total round diamonds on the top, which was a nod to the Bucs' 31-9 Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs.

The top also unscrews to reveal a hand-engraved, 3D Raymond James Stadium ... making it the first-ever Super Bowl ring with a removable piece.

There's also 8 emerald diamonds on each side of the ring to represent the 8-game winning streak the Bucs went on to close out the season ... and there are inscriptions all over the bling including the words "historic" and "trust, loyalty, respect."

And, the guys were clearly thrilled with the final product -- check out how running back Leonard Fournette could not get enough of the jewelry with his teammates!!!

Brady spoke at the ceremony after getting the ring ... and in true Tom fashion, he admitted he's already thinking about what No. 8 is going to look like, telling a story about how he learned his favorite ring is "the next one!"

The future Hall of Famer then capped off his speech while nodding to his teammates ... "Love you. Proud of you. Let's f***ing go."

Does a good fastball run in Pettitte blood? Derek Jeter is certainly hoping so ... 'cause the Marlins exec said he signed Andy Pettitte's son this week because he's banking on the kid's DNA!!

Jeets spoke about the Marlins' deal with Jared Pettitte out in NYC to Adam Glyn ... explaining, with a little bit of his tongue in his cheek, that he inked Andy's boy 'cause of his legendary pops' skillset.

"He's got good genes," Jeter said wryly when asked why he thought his longtime Yankees teammate's son deserved a chance in the Miami org.

Of course, the younger Pettitte is much more than just Andy's kid ... he's got a live arm -- even though he did record a 5.81 ERA in 13 games at Dallas Baptist University this year.

"I do model a lot of my game after [my dad]," Jared told YES Network earlier this month. "I really have to rely a lot on command and just kind of the movement on my pitches."

Jared did not get picked in the 2021 MLB draft ... but Jeter was still able to get him on board as an undrafted free agent this week nonetheless.

And, when asked if he was emotional about being reunited with another Pettitte after having so much success with Andy in New York ... Jeter said he's taking a wait-and-see approach for that.

"Not yet," Jeter said. "We got to get him down there [in the minor leagues] first!"

West Virginia athlete Mary Lou Retton was only 16 years old when she became a household name after she made the American gymnastics team and competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games held in Los Angeles ... where MLR took home the gold medal in individual all-around, as well as two silver and two bronze medals.

Retton was part of a power-packed squad of young gymnasts including Pamela Bileck, Tracee Talavera, Kathy Johnson, Michelle Dusserre and Julianne McNamara ... who worked together to win the silver medal in the team all-around.

Both Richard Sherman AND cops suffered gnarly injuries during the NFL star's arrest last week ... new police photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pics, taken by law enforcement after cops say they were involved in a massive struggle to arrest the NFL player on July 14 ... you can see Sherman and cops were bloodied in the alleged scuffle outside of Sherman's in-laws' home in Redmond, WA.

Some of the pics show Sherman had a big gash on his foot that needed to be closed with stitches.

In other photos, you can see one officer had a big scrape on his shoulder ... while another had a large wound on the inside of his thigh.

Fortunately, cops described all of the injuries as minor ... with none of the parties needing significant medical treatment.

Other photos cops released Thursday appear to show damage to the door that Sherman pounded on as he tried to enter his in-laws' home just before his arrest.

As we previously reported, Sherman has been hit with five misdemeanors -- including DUI and resisting arrest -- over his alleged actions during the night.

He pled not guilty to the charges in a King County courtroom last Friday ... but said in a statement earlier in the day, "I am deeply remorseful for my actions."

NFL coach Greg Knapp -- who was struck by a car while riding his bike over the weekend -- succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, his family announced. He was 58 years old.

As we previously reported, Knapp and a vehicle collided on a road in San Ramon, CA. at around 2:49 PM on Saturday ... and coach was rushed to a nearby hospital with "major injuries."

Knapp tragically did not survive the accident ... with the Knapp family sharing the devastating news in a statement.

"Today at 11:32 am PST, Greg Knapp (aka Knapper) was called back home to Heaven, where he will be reunited with his Dad."

Knapp was immediately rendered unconscious after the accident ... and never regained consciousness.

"Those of us who were so blessed to have known him, know that he would have wanted even this moment to be a teachable one," the family continued. "So this is it ... 'Live every day as if it's your last, and love those around you like it won't last!'"

Knapp was beloved in the league -- he coached superstars like Steve Young, Carson Palmer, Mike Vick, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan since joining the league in 1995 ... and had been working with rookie QB Zach Wilson this offseason after joining Robert Saleh's staff as the passing game coordinator.

He won a Super Bowl as the QB coach with the Denver Broncos in 2016.

Clancy Barone -- who coached alongside Knapp with the Atlanta Falcons and Broncos -- shared an emotional tribute to his friend of 40 years ... saying, "College teammate. Best friend in the coaching profession."

"We always made sure our lockers were next to each other during out coaching journey ... including 2 Super Bowls!!!"

"Knapper ... one of a kind in more ways than we can count."

Jets head coach Robert Saleh added ... "Greg had such an inner peace about him that people always seemed to gravitate towards."

"He lived life in a loving way that helped him connect with people from all walks of life in a unique way. In his short time here, I believe the people in this organization had a chance to experience that connection."

Knapp was surrounded by his mother, wife, brother and 3 daughters in the hospital.

DeAndre Hopkins' days in the NFL could be coming to a close ... at least that's according to the wide receiver himself, who says the league's new COVID vaccine stance has him pondering retirement.

The NFL announced Thursday it will potentially punish teams with forfeits and loss of game checks if virus outbreaks among unvaccinated players cause unfixable scheduling issues.

Hopkins clearly HATES the idea of that ... and dropped a bombshell on his social media page hours after the league's announcement, saying he might now look into retirement.

"Never thought I would say this," the Arizona Cardinals superstar said in a since-deleted tweet.

"But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl."

The league has NOT made COVID vaccines mandatory for its players ... but it's clear, it wants all of its employees to get the shot.

In addition to Thursday's new policy, the league has also placed heavy restrictions on players who have yet to get the vaccine.

Some of those regulations include, among many other things, daily COVID testing, mask requirements and travel restrictions.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell ... about one quarter of the league's players are still not at least partially vaccinated.

The Milwaukee Bucks are hitting the streets to celebrate their NBA Finals victory ... and it's already filled with plenty of drunken debauchery!!

There are TONS of fans out around the city to get a glimpse of the new champs ... standing shoulder-to-shoulder as the players come through on busses.

P.J. Tucker is getting the parade's party vibes goin' early -- chugging champagne right out of the bottle and spitting some into the air Triple H-style and letting out a huge, "LET'S GO!!!"

Speaking of WWE, fan-favorite Bobby Portis came through with his Championship belt ... with his mama holding on to the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Brandon Jennings -- the ex-Buck who came up with the famous "Bucks in 6" slogan -- is also in on the parade fun ... chugging beers and getting the fans extra hype.

Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo is also celebrating with his guys ... but there's no Chick-fil-A this time around -- just some big ass bottles of champagne, which he sprayed into the crowd!!

Giannis even poked fun at his infamous free throw routine -- waiting a whopping 18 seconds before shooting a ball to the fans.

We'll keep updating with all the best highlights of the big party -- and judging by how it started, there will be a LOT more.