TMZ Sports - Page 50

Kyrie Irving says he NEVER should've publicly bashed Nike over the "trash" Kyrie 8s ... saying he's working with the Swoosh to fix the problem ASAP.

Of course, Irving blasted the sneaker giant after pics of his next signature shoe leaked on social media ... saying he hated the way they looked and he had nothing to do with their creation.

Now, Irving's clearly had a change of heart ... admitting he should've handled the whole situation differently.

"When you're building something great, there sometimes comes a point when you need to recalibrate and refocus to ensure everyone involved is aligned. This is where the KAI11 brand and Nike are," Irving told Shams Charania.

"It was unfair to put the blame on Nike or any one person. With that being said, we are diligently working, restructuring, and reimagining things together to make sure we get it right."

It's unclear if anything will change on the Kyrie 8 ... or if this will delay the drop.

Joe Judge went absolutely ballistic on his Giants players after they were involved in an all-out brawl Tuesday ... punishing them with cuss words, sprints and push-ups!!

It all went down during the Giants' first day of full pads ... after running back Corey Clement got rocked by Jabrill Peppers at the end of a play.

Giants tight end Evan Engram apparently felt it was a somewhat dirty hit, so he jumped in to defend Clement. That's when cornerback Logan Ryan jumped in to defend Peppers, and then all hell broke loose.

Reporters on the scene say EVERYONE got involved in the melee ... with even quarterback Daniel Jones somehow ending up at the bottom of the dogpile!!

Of course, that set Judge off ... with multiple reporters saying the dude completely lost his mind on his players.

Judge made the team run full, 100-yard wind sprints over and over and over again ... and then forced them to do push-ups.

It was so intense, Giants reporter Pat Leonard said it "would not surprise me if someone starts puking here."

Judge eventually called the team up to berate them some more over the fracas ... before ending the workout.

Afterward, the Giants insisted it was all nothing more than just a heated practice ... with Jones (who wasn't injured in the brawl) explaining, "Guys certainly got the message today."

Caeleb Dressel says he literally talked to Michael Phelps more than his own wife during the Olympics ... telling TMZ Sports the swimming G.O.A.T. helped the 24-year-old win 5 gold medals.

We talked to Dressel in NYC shortly after he returned to the U.S. ... and asked the new face of swimming whether the old face of swimming reached out to congratulate him after his kickass week in Tokyo.

"I actually texted [Michael Phelps] more than [my wife] Meghan during the games. It was nice being able to lean on him. He helped me a lot throughout. I texted him after a couple of events, he was more than welcome to help me figure out some stuff, but he was great."

Pretty cool of Phelps -- a 23x gold medalist -- to help one of the Games' biggest stars AND best performers.

Dressel won 5 medals -- all gold -- in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.

We also asked Caeleb -- who has the Olympic rings tattooed on his upper arm -- whether he planned on getting any fresh ink to commemorate his medals.

Caeleb says no new tats ... but he's got some ideas of how he's gonna celebrate.

But, before that ... Dressel's immediate plans after flying over 12,000 miles and winning 5 gold medals??

"Go home. Go to bed."

Gisele Bündchen is channeling her inner Frankie Valli for Tom Brady's 44th birthday ... penning a mushy love letter to her man -- saying, "You’re just too good to be true."

The international supermodel took to her Instagram on Tuesday to deliver the G.O.A.T. his special birthday greeting ... posting a cute pic of the couple and quoting a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons classic hit.

"You’re just too good to be true," Gisele wrote. “Can’t take my eyes off of you. You’d be like heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much. At long last, love has arrived. And I thank God I’m alive. You’re just too good to be true. Can’t take my eyes off of you."

Gisele finished the post with a message in both English and her native language of Portuguese ... adding, "Happy Birthday love of my life! Thank you for sharing your life with me! I love you."

Brady was clearly thrilled with the birthday post. In fact, he even replied by commenting on the pictures in Portuguese! "Te Amo Tanto meu Amo Da minha Vida." Translated to English, he said, "I love you so much, love of my life!"

Of course, Brady's been working on his Portuguese since their relationship began ... and all the lessons are clearly paying off!!

Scary moment at Carolina Panthers practice on Tuesday -- wide receiver Keith Kirkwood took a powerful blow to the head ... and was taken away in an ambulance.

The 27-year-old pro was going across the middle of the field attempting to catch a pass that was thrown high ... when defensive back JT Ibe launched himself into Kirkwood's head area.

Kirkwood immediately went to the ground ... with coaches and players rushing to his side.

Trainers put Kirkwood on a backboard to immobilize him as he was carted off the field and taken away in an ambulance ... but there's good news -- head coach Matt Rhule says the player has movement in his arms and legs and has no pain in his neck.

It appeared coaches were immediately pissed off with Ibe's hit ... and Rhule ejected him from practice.

Kirkwood was an undrafted free agent out of Temple in 2018 ... and signed with the New Orleans Saints before joining the Panthers in 2020.

He has more than 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in his career.

Get well soon, Keith!!

The family of the man who Terry Kennedy allegedly murdered is now suing the skateboarding star for wrongful death, TMZ Sports has learned.

In new court docs, Josiah Kassahun's estate claims Kennedy beat the hell out of Kassahun at a Comfort Suites in Illinois on July 27, and did nothing to help him afterward.

Kassahun's family says Kennedy hit Kassahun, which caused him to fall to the ground and land on his head.

The family goes on to say in the docs that Kennedy kept hitting Kassahun while he was on the ground, and then did not get him medical attention after he had finished the attack.

Kassahun's family says Kassahun later died on July 31 from injuries he suffered in the altercation.

The estate is suing Kennedy and says the damages exceed $50,000, the docs show.

As we previously reported, Kennedy was charged with first-degree murder on Monday over the alleged incident.

In charging docs, prosecutors say Kennedy punched Kassahun in the head, and then kicked him in the torso while he was on the ground. They claim the strikes ultimately led to Kassahun's death.

Kennedy could face up to life behind bars if convicted.

It's still unclear why Kennedy allegedly attacked Kassahun, though social media postings appear to show Kassahun and Kennedy were friends at one time.

Jail records show 36-year-old Kennedy is still behind bars.

Simone Biles hitting the pause button on the Olympics and coming back when she was good and ready is getting nothing but praise from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ... who says it sets a new standard for professional athletes.

AOC broke down what Simone's past week means big picture-wise, when we got her on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning. She said a precedent seems to have been set by Simone -- namely, that athletes don't have to put competing first no matter what.

Instead, she says their own well-being is just as important, if not more so ... and ought to be treated that way.

That certainly appears to be the case, as the proof is in the pudding with SB -- who came back and competed Monday in the balance beam final ... and medaled with a Bronze. To the congresswoman, that simply makes the case even stronger -- that stepping aside was exactly what Simone needed, and it worked out for everyone, including Team USA, in the end.

AOC tells us this is a huge step for mental health advocacy, noting Simone has trailblazed yet again ... only in a different and perhaps more meaningful way this time around.

It'll be interesting to see if other pros follow in Simone's footsteps, and if they do ... Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is all for it -- because she thinks performance doesn't come before one's self.

How's Victor Robles filling the void of no more Max Scherzer and no more Trea Turner in the Washington Nationals' dugout??

Apparently with insects ... 'cause the Nats outfielder played with a praying mantis on his head for a full inning during his game Monday!!!

The hilarious scene all went down during the Nationals' tilt vs. the Phillies in D.C. ... when the 24-year-old outfielder got a surprise visit from a green friend.

Broadcast cameras captured the bug on Robles' dome while he was in the dugout ... and when he left the bench area to hit the field, the mantis stayed with him!!

For the entire inning, Robles and the mantis hung out in center field ... and at one point, Robles even informed his little friend of how many outs were in the inning!

Doesn't seem the creature brought Robles or the Nats good luck, though ... 'cause they went on to blow a 3-2 lead to lose the game, 7-5.

In fact, the Phillies went on to claim the mantis as their good luck charm, saying on social media, "RALLY MANTIS."

Simone Biles made history yet again Tuesday -- shaking off a week full of issues to win the bronze medal in her return to the Tokyo Olympics ... and she was PUMPED about it afterward.

Biles -- who came back to compete in the balance beam finals after withdrawing from the Games' previous gymnastics events due to a mental block -- posted a score of 14.00 ... landing her a medal that she says she's more proud of than any of her first place awards.

"It means more than all of the golds," the 24-year-old said, "because I've pushed through so much the last five years and the last week while I’ve even been here."

Biles was outstanding in Tuesday's event ... hitting stunts with ease and finishing her routine with several flips, a grab of her heart and a massive smile.

Biles ultimately ended up sharing the podium with gold medalist Guan Chenchen (who scored a 14.633) and silver medalist Tang Xijing (who scored a 14.233).

"My mental and physical health is above all medals that I could ever win," Biles said after the event. "So to be clear, to do beam, which I didn't think I was going to be, just meant the world to be back out there."

"And I wasn't expecting to walk away with the medal. I was just going out there doing this for me."

Biles said pulling out of last week's events due to mental health was not a "cop out" ... and she would be risking her physical health had she performed last week.

"Before team finals, the girls were terrified for me and they've never really been scared when I do something but they were like really nervous," she told "Today."

"At the end of the day, we're not just athletes or entertainment, we're human, too. And we have real emotions and sometimes they don't realize that we have things going on behind the scenes that affects us whenever we go out and compete."

As we previously reported, Biles did not compete in nearly every one of the gymnastics events in Tokyo after she said she was battling the "twisties."

Biles said she was having a hard time figuring out up from down while she was doing twisting stunts ... and called it all "petrifying."

Biles addresses the people claiming she "quit" ... saying she has worked 5 years for this moment, and would not back out of competing if it weren't absolutely necessary.

The Gymnastic Great, though, shrugged it all off ... and her bronze Tuesday now gives her seven total Olympic medals, tying her with Shannon Miller for the most ever by an American gymnast.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair is no longer with WWE -- the Nature Boy has been released from his contract, the company confirms to TMZ Sports.

It goes without saying -- Flair is one of the most iconic wrestlers to enter the squared circle ... he's a 16-time world champ and has been a fan favorite since joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1991.

It's not the first time Flair has parted ways with McMahon's company -- he left in 1993 for WCW before returning to WWF in 2001.

72-year-old Flair had a cup of coffee with other promotions in the '00s -- including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor -- before returning to WWE in 2012. He stayed with WWE up until this week.

While Naitch is one of the most recognizable wrestling superstars on the planet, we're told the move is not a complete shock ... despite Flair re-upping with WWE last May.

At the time, Flair told Wrestling, Inc., "Well it's not for life but I hope [WWE keeps] renewing me. You never know, but I'm obviously not gonna go anywhere else if they didn't renew me."

We're told the split has been in the works ... and both sides ultimately came to an agreement recently.

Of course, if Ric wants to find work elsewhere, his buddy Tony Khan runs All-Elite Wrestling, which could be a possible landing spot.

Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired FOR REAL ... so says the UFC superstar himself, who tells TMZ Sports there's absolutely no plans of a comeback in the works.

The 32-year-old laid down his gloves after beating Justin Gaethje in 2020 ... but given that he's still in the prime of his career, many believed he'd eventually make his way back to the UFC Octagon.

In fact, his longtime coach, Javier Mendez, recently told Betway Insider that Khabib "misses" fighting, adding, "I guess you could say he wants to fight again."

But, when we got Nurmagomedov out at Catch in Los Angeles over the weekend ... he emphasized over and over and over again that he's done.

"No," Khabib said when asked if he'd return. "No. No. No. No. No."

Khabib is clearly keeping his promise to his mother ... agreeing to never fight again following the tragic death of his dad (and coach), Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Besides, The Eagle is obviously enjoying his post-fighting career as an MMA coach ... telling us he just flat-out loves it when his fighters win their matches.

Skateboarding star Terry Kennedy has just been charged with 1st-degree murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office tells us the charge was formally filed Monday afternoon ... after the man Kennedy allegedly attacked at an Illinois motel last week died over the weekend.

We're told Kennedy appeared in court for a bond hearing after the filing ... though the proceedings were continued until Tuesday morning.

Kennedy is now facing up to life behind bars if convicted.

As we previously reported, officials say Kennedy attacked 23-year-old Josiah Kassahun in Oakbrook Terrace, IL on July 27 and then fled the scene.

Details of the incident are still unclear.

Kennedy was eventually located, arrested, and initially booked for several charges, including aggravated battery in a public place and threatening a public official.

But, we're told Kennedy was hit with the murder charge after the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Kassahun's death on Saturday as a homicide.

We've reached out to Kennedy's reps for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Kennedy is a big star in the skating world ... he's appeared in the popular "Skate" video games -- and has often boarded with Rob Dyrdek over the years.

Syracuse women's basketball coach Quentin Hillsman has resigned amid an investigation into claims from former players about alleged inappropriate behavior ... from bullying and threats to forehead kisses.

Nine former players spoke with The Athletic about the alleged toxic culture on Monday ... telling the outlet Hillsman -- who's been the HC since 2006 -- would intimidate them using vulgar language.

"The way he threatened us, like we all knew he would never physically harm us, but he’d always be talking about beating our asses," one player said during the interview.

"Like, ‘I’ll f*** you guys up. I’ll f*** you up. It’s gonna be your ass if you f*** this up."

The claims continued ... players say Hillsman told each of them "I don’t give a f*** about you" in the locker room at halftime during the 2019-20 season ... before flipping over a table.

Some players recall alleged inappropriate behavior ... three claiming Hillsman gave them forehead kisses after discussing playing time ... and detailed another incident when he came up behind a player, wrapped his arms around her and placed his hand near her pelvic area.

In 2019, Hillsman also hired Ronnie Enoch, who was fired from his previous coaching job over sexual harassment accusations. He's also Hillsman's longtime friend.

Because of the alleged abuse, several players claim to have suffered from suicidal thoughts -- others sought therapy and were even prescribed antidepressants.

20 players have left the program since 2018 ... the highest transfer rate amongst Power 5 teams under one head coach.

On Monday, Hillman turned over his resignation papers.

"Coach Hillsman and I agreed that parting ways is in the best interest of the University, the program and our student-athletes," Syracuse Athletic Director John Wildhack said in a statement.

"We wish him and his family all the best. Interim leadership for the Women’s Basketball Program will be announced in the coming days."

"As previously announced, the University retained an external law firm to conduct a review of the program. That review is ongoing, and the Department of Athletics will address issues that are identified at the conclusion of the review."

Hillsman began his head coaching job at Syracuse in 2006 and is Cuse's winningest coach with a 319-169 record.

He led the women's team to four of the last five NCAA tournaments -- making it to the National Championship game in 2016.

Boxer Adrien Broner had to be restrained while furiously trying to get to a group of people ... after a night of clubbing in his hometown of Cincinnati -- and the whole incident was caught on cell phone camera.

TMZ Sports acquired video taken outside the Copa Lounge in Cinci on Friday, July 23. The 32-year-old former 4-weight class world champ is clearly agitated, and has to be held back.

At one point, the video shows 34-4-1 Broner squaring up to another man. He never throws a punch or makes contact with anyone.

We're told peace was ultimately restored ... cops were not involved, and no one was arrested.

AB -- for all his talent in the squared circle (and he's got a lot) -- has had a bunch of run-ins with the law outside it ... from DUI's to alleged assaults and robberies.

As for fighting inside the ring, Broner earned a unanimous decision victory against Jovanie Santiago in February. It was AB's first fight since losing to the legendary Manny Pacquiao ... a more than 2-year layoff.

USC WR Bru McCoy -- who was expected to have a breakout season with the Trojans -- was arrested last week in L.A. for felony domestic violence ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

And to make matters worse for the 21-year-old, McCoy has also been suspended from the football team.

Here's the deal ... a spokesperson for LAPD tells us McCoy was arrested July 24 for "intimate partner violence with injury" -- a felony.

We're told the alleged incident which led to Bru's arrest went down near the USC campus around 5:30 PM.

The charge is described in California Penal Code as ... "Any person who willfully inflicts corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition upon a victim described in subdivision (b) is guilty of a felony."

This afternoon the Trojans announced they were suspending McCoy, writing ... "USC does not condone violence of any kind. We are aware of the situation, and USC’s Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX is reviewing it," according to Keely Eure.

USC added ... “The student-athlete has been temporarily removed from team activities.”

McCoy -- who was the MaxPreps Player of the Year while starring at Mater Dei -- caught 21 balls for 236 yards during the 2020 season. However, Bru was expected to be a key member of the offense ... as one of starting quarterback Kedon Slovis' favorite targets.

McCoy's bail was set at $50k ... which he posted hours after being arrested.

Bru is scheduled to appear in court on November 5 ... 2 months after the Trojans season kicks off.

Lamar Jackson is about to be immortalized in Louisville ... the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner is getting a statue in his honor at Cardinal Stadium!!

Of course, the Baltimore Ravens MVP only left the school 4 years ago ... but the Cards wanted to waste NO time getting the ball rolling on the major tribute .... with Athletic Director Vince Tyra making the announcement during "The Deener Show" on Monday.

Tyra didn't expand on any of the details like location, timeframe or how big the statue will be ... but knowing Jackson's impact on the school, we can only expect it to be nothing short of incredible.

From 2015-17 with the Cardinals, Jackson had a total of 9,043 passing yards, 4,132 rushing yards and 119 overall touchdowns!

LJ also broke records ... having the most rushing yard and rushing touchdowns for the Cardinals football program.

On top of that, he's the youngest player -- and first Cardinals player -- to ever win the Heisman ... and first to make the All-American team for Louisville.

Now, the 24-year-old is entering his 4th season with the Ravens and has made the playoffs ever season -- but eventually hopes to win the Super Bowl.