TMZ Sports - Page 50

Toccara Jones has seen enough ... she's all but crowned Natalia Bryant as America's next top model.

We got the ex-"America's Next Top Model" star outside Essence Fashion House in Chelsea during New York Fashion Week and wanted her take on Kobe's daughter gracing the cover and pages of Teen Vogue.

Toccara couldn't stop raving about Natalia's performance. Goes without saying ... Toccara doesn't just think ... she knows the 18-year-old model's gonna KILL it in the industry. Natalia, of course, signed with IMG, a major modeling and talent agency, back in February.

When our camera guy asked for her 2 cents ... Toccara shot right back, "Did you see her [Teen Vogue] spread? Did you see the poses? Did you see her styling?" As if saying ... OF COURSE she's got it. And, from one model to another, Toccara tells us exactly why she thinks Natalia's got what it takes.

Toccara says Natalia's success won't be tied to the fact she's Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's daughter. Far from it. Toccara says ... just look at Natalia's amazing features.

Things are moving in a positive direction for NBA guard Malik Beasley and his ex Montana Yao -- TMZ Sports has learned the former couple is working to mend their relationship every day ... but they are NOT back together.

Of course, Malik and Montana had a nasty and public breakup in 2020 ... after the hooper was spotted out in public with Larsa Pippen.

Montana filed for divorce in December 2020 ... and even claimed Malik abandoned his 2-year-old son, Makai, amid the drama.

We're told Beasley -- who just served 78 days in jail for allegedly pointing a gun at a family that was parked outside his house last September -- has been making things right with Yao after getting out of the slammer ... even personally apologizing for his previous actions.

Malik and Montana have recently been spotted out in public together and appeared to be in good spirits ... with some wondering if they've buried the hatchet and reconciled -- we're told that's not the case.

Speaking of relationships ... It's unclear if MB has moved on to anyone else, but sources say Montana is still focused on healing from what went down.

Benny The Butcher's "Bills Mafia Anthem" song is getting a bit of a remix ... 'cause the rapper tells TMZ Sports he's droppin' a new music video -- featuring Buffalo players!!!

Buffalo's own Benny -- who signed a management deal with ROC Nation -- put out the first music video in January, right before the Bills' AFC Championship run.

Check out some of the lyrics:

"You know who the beasts in the AFC East
We gon' grind this thing out for seventeen weeks, yeah
You hatin' on them Bills, then you way off
Talk is cheap, meet us in the playoffs"

The Mafia and the team LOVE it -- so much that Benny tells us he's putting out another music video of the song this season.

"I got the video coming out Week 5," Benny says, "We shot it at the stadium. We was in the Bills players' locker room. I had my own locker in there, it was crazy!"

And, Benny -- who was on La Brea following a photoshoot with LRG -- says it features THREE Bills players -- "My boy Tremaine Edmunds, my boy Dion Dawkins, of course, and Cody Ford!"

Sorry, no Josh Allen ... but Benny says he's working on that.

"We need Josh Allen in one the Benny The Butcher videos," Benny says.

"Josh Allen, man, come to the east side of Buffalo. We know the rest of Buffalo love you, come to the east side of Buffalo!"

We also talked football with Benny -- the loyal fan tells us Josh is taking home TWO titles this season ... MVP and Super Bowl champ!

If Allen gets the Bills to the SB, he'd be the first QB to do so since Jim Kelly, who appeared in four (1990-1994) ... but of course, Buffalo came up short each time.

Ashton Kutcher was invited to an ESPN set this weekend to share his thoughts on college football -- but all he got in return from the crowd was some harsh advice on his hygiene.

The actor got tapped by the network to be the guest prediction picker ahead of Saturday's slate of games, especially the big Iowa matchup later today between Iowa State and the University of Iowa -- with the latter being Ashton's alma mater.

As soon as AK touched down by jet and was revealed as the big surprise for the broadcast, he got torched by the college crowd that were standing by at Jack Trice Stadium.

They were chanting "Take a shower!" pretty damn loudly ... which the mics on set were picking up and broadcasting while Ashton was being intro'd. Doesn't seem like he heard it right then and there, but don't sweat ... the Cyclone fans had another go at it.

Not too long after, Ashton eventually plopped down on his chair for the pre-game panel ... where he was talking football and charities of his -- and there, too, the "Take a Shower!" chant picked up again. This time, it was way closer ... and Ashton probably heard.

He didn't flinch ... acting as if it didn't bother him. And, who knows ... maybe it doesn't. The guy already made fun of himself over the whole bathing fiasco earlier this summer.

ICYMI ... Ashton and Mila Kunis revealed back in July that they didn't really wash their kids daily, and only threw 'em in the shower as they saw fit, or if they saw noticeable dirt. It sparked a huge debate about kids and cleanliness -- but the Kutchers took it in stride.

Boxing legend Shane Mosley wagered $1,000,000 on himself, betting he'd BEAT Canelo Alvarez in 2012 ... but unfortunately for Sugar, he not only lost the fight, he netted a NEGATIVE $400K in the process!!

The 50-year-old, former multiple-weight class world champion sat down with Mario Lopez for Triller's "OK Bet" show ... and made the stunning admission.

"They were gonna pay me $600,000 [for the Alvarez fight], but I made a bet for a million dollars that I was gonna beat Canelo, and if I would've won I’d have $6 million," Shane recounts.

"I was thinking this snot nose kid is not gonna beat me, you know at 154 (lbs)."

Sadly for Shane's bank account, he was wrong ... and instead of making millions like he would've with a win, he actually LOST hundreds of thousands of George Washington's after paying off his debt.

"I bet a million dollars and I lost so I ended up having to pay back 400,000 dollars. For getting my butt kicked I had to pay $400,000."

If you don't remember the May 2012 fight ... then-40-year-old Mosley took on a 21-year-old Canelo at the MGM in Las Vegas.

Alvarez was 40-0-1 at the time ... and held the lightweight title. But, Mosley, who'd won just 2 of his last 6 fights, and was nearing the end of his great career, believed he still had enough left in the tank to get the W.

After 12 rounds, Mosley ended up losing a 1-sided decision to the future top pound-for-pound fighter in the world ... with 2 judges scoring the bout 119-109, and the other, 118-110.

Shane retired 5 fights later in 2016. Since, the legendary pugilist has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

To all those Chiefs fans who ain't feeling Travis Kelce's new baby-face look, we're sorry in advance ... 'cause the K.C. star tells TMZ Sports he might go beard-less -- ALL YEAR!!!

The 31-year-old broke down the plans for his facial fuzz out at LAX this week ... saying even though he got roasted for whipping out the razor recently -- he might just keep the fresh-faced drip all season.

What's interesting, though ... Kelce actually had some stubble going when we got him -- but he insisted that was merely a temporary thing.

"Nah, I haven't got a cut in a while," Kelce told us.

As for why he initially decided to trim his famous fur -- which he's become known for in his rise to NFL stardom in Kansas City -- he said bluntly, "Sometimes you gotta see your face!"

When we asked if he planned to keep that mentality all season, he added ... "We'll see!"

Beard or not ... we're pretty sure Kelce's going to ball out this season -- and he clearly feels the same way, telling us before jetting away from the airport, "We gon' get after it, baby!"

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks ... and the man who caught President Bush's ceremonial pitch before World Series game 3 in NYC says #43 sent him a letter this week, commemorating the powerful moment.

TMZ Sports talked to former New York Yankees catcher Todd Greene -- who was Jorge Posada's backup at the time -- about that unforgettable October night in the Bronx, only 49 days after 9/11, when GWB fired a strike from the mound, symbolizing America's resolve.

"I get the same feeling too when you think back to that moment and how electric the stadium was that night and just what it meant for our President Bush to walk out on the field and as a symbol of strength, as a symbol of healing, as a symbol of unity for our country which is really, really important," Greene, who played 11 seasons in the big leagues, tells us.

"To hear the USA chants and then have President Bush give the thumbs up on top of the mount -- it was, again like you said, it will get the hairs standing on your arms now."

Of course, baseball season was in full swing when the terrorist attacks happened ... and the sport played a critical role in bringing back a sense of normalcy to America.

The 2 most unforgettable moments were Mike Piazza's go-ahead home run against the Braves 10 days after 9/11 ... and of course, Bush's pitch.

It'll never be forgotten.

The Yankees ended up winning the game (down 2 games to none, they had to), behind a strong performance from Roger Clemens, 2-1.

Greene -- who wasn't even supposed to be the catcher who caught the pitch -- says he hasn't spoken to Bush over the years, but did receive a letter in the mail on Wednesday from the former president.

"He sent me a personalized letter that I just received yesterday. President Bush saying how much that moment meant for him and that he was honored, well not honored, I was honored to be on the field with him at the time and just in remembrance of that moment."

Derek Brunson admits he lost to Israel Adesanya, fair and square, but says he wasn't right before the 2018 fight -- his last loss -- and now he wants to run it back with Stylebender, promising a different result.

"I'm not gonna discredit Izzy. He did a great job in the first fight. But, after looking at the fights, my coaches were like, 'Are you okay? What's wrong? Cause that ain't you,'" 37-year-old Brunson tells TMZ Sports.

Derek says he couldn't train for 2 weeks before the Adesanya fight ... as he was dealing with a hurricane that disrupted his routine. The time away from the mats made DB rusty.

Brunson also says he stopped lifting weights in the lead-up to the fight ... in an effort to increase his cardio. However, Derek says the strategy backfired in the fight.

Bottom line, Israel won, but Brunson says that won't be the case next time.

Since takin' the L, Brunson's been on a rampage -- winning his last 5 fights -- with dubs over Edmen Shahbazyan (his 1st loss), Kevin Holland and Darren Till, in addition to 2 others.

Adesanya's likely going to fight Robert Whittaker later this year or the beginning of next year.

Tom Brady's retirement will mark the end of TWO Hall of Fame careers ... so says Chris Gronkowski, who tells TMZ Sports his bro, Rob Gronkowski, will officially quit when the QB does.

"Whatever Tom has left," Chris says, "I think that's what Rob has left as well."

As for why ... Chris says it's simple -- he just can't fathom Rob sticking around and catching passes from a different style of signal-caller.

"I just can't see him playing with another quarterback," Chris tells us. "It's tough to get that chemistry. It's tough to win once you lose that QB."

Tom has said his goal is to play until he's 45 years old and then reevaluate things ... which means he's looking to strap up the pads through at least the 2022 season.

And, at 32 years old, that wouldn't seem too farfetched for Gronk ... but, remember, the tight end has dealt with plenty of injuries in his career -- including "probably" 20 concussions.

But, Rob looked healthy as ever in the Bucs' season-opening win over the Cowboys on Thursday ... and Chris tells us he could see Rob's career continue if Tom decides he wants to play another FIVE years.

"I think Rob will play it out until Tom plays it out is what I'm thinking," Chris says.

Good news for Toronto Raptors fans -- and Drake -- the team just announced they'll be playing at home in 2021 after using Tampa as their home court for 19 months!!

Last season, the Raptors had to relocate to Tampa and play their home games in Amalie Arena due to Canada's travel restrictions over COVID-19.

The team hasn't played in their Scotiabank Arena since Feb. 28, 2020 -- but just got the green light to play their preseason opener at home which starts on Oct. 4 against the Sixers.

The capacity limit is still up in the air and there is a COVID vaccination mandate.

"We are optimistic regarding our ability to host full capacity events at Scotiabank Arena," the team said.

"And as a reminder, all people wishing to access the arena — whether to attend an event as a spectator, or as a member of the media — will be required to show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or proof of a medical exemption."

The Raptors season opener is Oct. 20 against the Wizards and it will be in their city of Toronto.

Bad news for the Dallas Cowboys -- starting tackle La'el Collins just got slapped with a 5-week suspension due to the league's substance-abuse policy.

It's gotta be heartbreaking for fans of America's team -- 28-year-old Collins missed all of 2020 due to a hip injury ... and had been having some stinger issues during camp this season.

Collins was stellar in Thursday's Week 1 opener -- a crushing 31-29 loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But, it's back to the bench for the 6'4", 320-lb. star ... with the team announcing the news Friday afternoon.

Jo Koy has a future in politics, 'cause dude showcased some serious sidestepping skills when we asked about Chelsea Handler ... his new GF. Or is she???

The comedian joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and we talked about his big night at Dodger Stadium. Jo recently got the call to throw out the first pitch, and we -- like everyone else watching -- couldn't help but notice how cozy he and Chelsea were on the field.

Look, she was coaching Jo, and they had no problem hugging up on each other in front of a 56,000 seat stadium -- hell, they even posted pics together that screamed date night. So, we had to ask about the budding romance.

Well, Jo's trying (keyword: trying) to have y'all believe he and Chelsea are just "great friends."

That being said ... Jo -- host of the new Netflix competition show "Metal Shop Masters" -- couldn't stop paying Chelsea compliments. He also called her beautiful, and came THIS close to buckling under pressure ... but dude kept it together.

Jo didn't even fall for the ol' slip-the-dating-question-into-the-middle-of-a-plug-for-his new show tactic!!!

For what it's worth, Chelsea held a Q&A on Instagram just days after the Dodgers game date, and when asked if she has regrets for not getting married/having kids, Chelsea answered she's "never felt more confident and secure in my life decision-making skills, in remaining childless and alone, than I have during this pandemic."

Of course, we weren't talking marriage or kids ... just dating. Still, no solid confirmation, but watch the vid -- you can read between the lines.

Even the best basketball player on the planet screams for ice cream ... 'cause LeBron James couldn't help himself from devouring a cold treat while vacationing this week -- and TMZ Sports has the pics!!

36-year-old LBJ has been getting some R&R in Europe over the past week ... getting cozy with his wife, Savannah, and hanging with buddies in Italy -- even Elton John!!

Now, King James has found his way to France -- the town of Calvi in Corsica to be exact -- and stopped for a quick cone before hopping back on their lavish yacht to take off to their next destination.

Worth noting -- Bron's been loving the ScHoolboy Q bucket hat look during this trip ... and we're here for it!!

On top of the hat, James is sporting a blue-on-blue look ... and we know what you REALLY care about -- he's rocking some Nike Sacai x LDWaffle "Varsity Blue" sneakers, which are reselling for more than $600 right now on some sites.

Trevor Bauer will not pitch again for the Dodgers this season -- not even if they make it to the World Series -- 'cause the MLB has just extended the star's paid leave through the end of the year.

The baseball org. and the MLBPA announced the move Friday ... agreeing to put Bauer on the shelf for the rest of 2021 as an investigation into sexual assault allegations against the pitcher continues.

As we previously reported, the 30-year-old Cy Young winner has been on administrative leave since late June ... following accusations that he got violent with a woman during two sexual encounters in the spring.

The alleged victim told cops Bauer punched her and choked her unconscious during their meetups ... leaving her with scrapes, scratches, bruises and other injuries.

The woman had obtained a temporary restraining order against Bauer following it all ... though a judge ruled last month a permanent one could not be put in place because Bauer did not pose a continual threat to the accuser.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, are still mulling whether or not Bauer should be hit with criminal charges ... after police turned over their investigation findings to the L.A. County D.A. in late August.

Another woman, meanwhile, has also come forward claiming she, too, was physically assaulted by the baseball player during sex.

Bauer, for his part, has denied any and all wrongdoing in both cases.

The MLB is still in the middle of its investigation into all of the claims.

Former WWE star Al Snow is being hailed as a hero ... after the wrestling legend saved a child's life Thursday by jumping in the ocean and pulling the boy from a riptide.

The incredible act of bravery all went down at Santa Rosa Beach in Destin, Fla. ... when Snow -- who gained fame in the 1990s for carrying and talking to a mannequin head named "Head" during matches -- says he heard yelling and screaming while he was in the water.

Snow says when he looked around, he saw a boy being hit by waves while being pulled away by a rough current.

58-year-old Snow says a lifeguard was on the beach ... but added, "I knew she wasn't going to make it in time" -- so he sprung into action.

"I made it, thank God," Snow said. "And, I caught him just by the arm just as a wave started to pull him even further out. If I hadn't have grabbed him, I think he'd have probably went out to sea."

"That would have been it."

Snow, though, says the rescue mission nearly turned dire after he snagged the child ... 'cause a wave took them under -- and it caused him to remember Shad Gaspard, the wrestling star who tragically died in the Pacific Ocean in May 2020.

"I was able to stay up," Snow said, "and hand him off to the lifeguard and I made my way back across to my friend and we went up on the beach and I felt like I was about to collapse. I was exhausted."

Snow said neither he nor the boy suffered injuries ... and added the child's mom cried and thanked him repeatedly afterward.

And, in a lighthearted moment, after everyone was safe and sound, Snow says a couple on the beach actually recognized him from his wrestling days!!

Jason "Mayhem" Miller, troubled ex-MMA fighter, was arrested for felony domestic violence in L.A. ... after allegedly getting physical with a woman, TMZ Sports has learned.

40-year-old Miller was taken to jail ... and his bail has been set at a whopping $1.385 million.

He is still currently in custody.

Our law enforcement sources tell us cops in the San Fernando Valley received an emergency call before 3 AM Friday morning ... made by a female who was screaming on the phone.

Police -- lights and sirens blaring -- raced to the scene code 3 ... and found the female caller with visible marks on her face and neck.

At that point, cops *attempted* to arrest Miller inside the home ... but, he didn't cooperate.

A struggle ensued, and LAPD tased him.

Finally, police were able to cuff Miller ... and he was taken to the hospital to be checked out by doctors.

Miller was ultimately booked for felony domestic violence.

It's not the first time Mayhem's lived up to his name ... he's got a (very long) rap sheet.

In 2011, Miller was arrested for allegedly putting his sister in a headlock ... and refusing to release her.

Then in 2012, he was arrested for allegedly going into a church and spraying a fire extinguisher, before getting buck naked.

In 2015, Jason was locked up for allegedly trying to use a ceramic tile as a weapon against cops ... before being tased and arrested.