TMZ Sports - Page 50

NFL star A.J. Brown says there might be some good to come out of his food poisoning disaster ... telling reporters Friday he could land a deal with Chipotle over it all.

The Tennessee Titans receiver revealed Chipotle has reached out to him after he claimed that some bad food from the restaurant gave him serious issues prior to, during and after his game against the Bills on Monday night.

And, in their talks, Brown said there has been some initial discussion with the company about "possibly doing something with me."

Brown -- despite saying he felt like hell over the food -- seemed interested in signing on ... though he made it clear there's no way he'll do a deal that requires him to consume the product again.

"I don't know," he said of the potential pact. "I'm not eating it, though. No, sir!"

Brown did say Chipotle was trying to remedy the situation, asking him which location he ate at so they could presumably fix any future issues.

Deal or no deal ... Brown reiterated he'll never eat ANY type of fast food again following the whole ordeal, saying, "The way I was feeling guys, I'm telling you, no fast food for me."

What's interesting ... Brown actually had his best game of the year while dealing with the illness, going off for 7 catches and 91 yards against Buffalo.

Boxing champ JoJo Diaz says he's leaving Ryan Garcia in the rearview and focusing his attention squarely on Devin Haney ... a boxer he tells TMZ Sports is a straight-up b*tch who he plans to hand his first loss.

28-year-old Diaz (32 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw) -- the WBC interim lightweight champ -- was scheduled to fight Garcia, but Ry pulled out with a hand injury, and JoJo is in no mood to wait -- so he's calling out 22-year-old Haney.

"I think [the hand injury] was just an excuse that [Garcia] wanted to make up in order for me not to fight him in November," Diaz alleged.

JoJo continued... "I'm not gonna be waiting on Ryan Garcia to be giving the fight fans what they want and deserve. I'm pushing for the Devin Haney fight."

Haney -- the WBC lightweight champ who's 26-0 with 15 knockouts -- is considered one of the best young boxers in the world ... but Diaz believes Devin's been flapping his gums too much, and he wants to make him pay.

"At the end of the day, I'm really really pushing to get this Devin Haney fight. He's been talking a lot of s**t too, and he's a b***h just like Ryan Garcia was."

JoJo tells us he's very familiar with Haney's work in the ring ... and believes the young fighter has never really been pushed.

"Devin Haney is the type of fight that I want to fight because I know that I can beat him, I know that he's an inexperienced fighter that hasn't been tested, he's only been tested once, got wobbled, and I feel like I'm the type of fighter who is gonna give him his first L," Diaz says.

FYI, JoJo is referring to Haney's fight with 36-year-old veteran boxer, Jorge Linares ... who seemingly hurt Devin in the late rounds of their May 2021 fight. Haney ultimately recovered and won via unanimous decision.

Diaz says the plan is to fight Haney at the beginning of December ... and the fight is very close to being signed, sealed and delivered.

"Right now it's looking about 80 to 90% done. Me and my team already got the contract already sent to us, so now we're in negotiations and hopefully, we can lock in something by the end of this week."

Now, if you had your heart set on JoJo and Ryan scrapping ... all hope isn't lost.

The Cowboys hate the Eagles on the field, and they clearly hate them off of it now too -- 'cause Noah Brown just crapped all over Jason Kelce for criticizing Ben Simmons this week.

Kelce went off on the 76ers star on Thursday ... telling reporters that the disgruntled point guard needs to quit crying about his situation in Philadelphia and just play basketball better.

When Brown, one of Dak Prescott's favorite receivers, got word of those comments on Friday -- he snapped, and said in a series of social media posts that Kelce needs to mind his own damn business.

"All these Philly athletes tryna s*** on Simmons for a extra pat on the back from Philly fans," Brown wrote. "Cornball activity."

"Idk when speaking on another man habits and accountability to something that ain't got s*** to do w you became cool."

He added, "S*** corny."

Brown went on to say he thinks Philly fans are going to jump down athletes' throats no matter what they say in this situation ... explaining he believes the city only likes its players when they play well.

"Philly still gone fye u up next time u f*** up so sit back and mind ya business," he said.

A Connecticut man could spend the rest of his life behind bars ... after a jury found him guilty this week of sex trafficking during the 2020 Chiefs vs. 49ers Super Bowl.

Federal prosecutors say the man, Edward Walker, brought two women and a 17-year-old girl to Miami from Connecticut in order to coerce them into having sex with people for cash during the Big Game and the leadup to it.

Authorities say Walker took the money for the acts and kept it all -- and had planned to do the same thing with the women in the future at different locations like the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Walker, though, was eventually arrested and charged, and after a trial this month ... he was found guilty of several charges, including sex trafficking by force and coercion.

Feds announced Friday that Walker now faces up to life in prison ... with his sentencing hearing slated for Jan. 6, 2022.

The debate over the NBA's anniversary team has begun -- with Klay Thompson PISSED over getting snubbed from the list.

88 voters -- ranging from people like Michael Jordan to Stephen A. Smith -- selected 75 players they think are NBA's greatest.

The league revealed the list (which ended up being 76 players because of a tie) this week for their 75th anniversary ... and the Golden State Warrior sharp shooter didn't make it.

"Maybe I'm just naïve in my ability to play basketball," the 31-year-old said of being off the list on Thursday.

"But in my head, I'm TOP 75 of all time."

Is he naïve, though? Well, let's take a look ...

Thompson is a 3x champ, 5x All Star, holds the record for most points in a quarter, the most 3 pointers made in a game and ties the record for most 3-pointers made in a single playoffs (98) with his teammate Stephen Curry -- who made the list.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr agrees with Thompson ... and feels Draymond Green should be on there too, saying, "I definitely think that both guys are top 75."

"Just based on winning and two-way basketball and everything that really matters more than statistics. What matters is if you’re winning championships, that’s what counts."

To be fair, selecting only 75 players is a pretty tough task ... and many, who would be considered top level, didn't make the cut.

Some notable names ... Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway and Dwight Howard also got left off the list.

At the end of the day, should Thompson be up there?? Maybe he'll make the 100-year anniversary list.

Ben Simmons is NOT persona non grata in the Philadelphia 76ers locker room ... 'cause teammate Tobias Harris says the team will welcome the All-Star back with open arms when he's ready to go.

The 25-year-old -- who demanded a trade earlier this year -- spoke with coach Doc Rivers and teammates Friday morning ... reportedly telling them he's not mentally ready to play.

He also accepted the fact he -- as well as the team -- needs to take responsibility for how things have transpired.

While superstar Joel Embiid previously sounded off against the Simmons/Sixers saga, at least one team leader is backing #25 ... with Harris speaking out and saying the team will "respect his privacy and space during this time."

"When he’s ready, we will embrace our brother with love and handle our business on the court," Harris said. "That's it, that's all."

There appears to be absolutely no more bad blood between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder ... 'cause the Gypsy King just sent his former rival a birthday shout-out -- and it was sweet as hell.

Fury recorded his message to the Bronze Bomber on video on Friday morning ... thanking him for their trio of amazing fights and hoping he lives it up on his 36th birthday.

"I hope you have a fantastic day with you and your family," Fury said. "And I hope that God blesses you abundantly. All the best. Lots of love from your old pal, the Gypsy King."

Fury also showered Wilder in compliments, calling him a "great, great" and "awesome" fighter.

"All the best," Fury added. "God bless, Wilder. All the best."

The video tugs at the heartstrings a bit ... considering how much the two have appeared to have disliked each other over the years.

Both guys have talked an incredible amount of trash toward each other -- and immediately following their third fight earlier this month, Wilder straight-up told Fury, "I don't respect you."

But, Wilder got over those feelings in the days following the match ... and sent Fury a message congratulating him and thanking him for the fights.

Seems Fury received the note loud and clear -- clearly showing he'd prefer if the two were buddies from here on out.

Great news for "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan ... the wrestling legend has been discharged from the hospital following emergency surgery, the wrestler announced.

"After 2 nights in the hospital and emergency surgery yesterday, guess who just came home? Thank you to the amazing doctors and nurses at Kershaw County Medical Center which is now, MUSC," Duggan's wife, Debra, wrote on Instagram.

As we previously reported, the 67-year-old WWE Hall of Famer underwent the emergency surgical procedure on Wednesday in a South Carolina hospital.

It's not clear what medical condition the docs were treating.

Thankfully, the surgery was successful ... and after recuperating for a night, Hacksaw was allowed to go home.

FYI, It's not the first time Jim has dealt with health issues over the past few years. Back in 2018, he spent time in the ICU after his heart went into atrial fibrillation (aFib), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to a bunch of serious heart-related health issues.

At the time, Duggan told us he feared he was going to die ... and felt fortunate for doctors who he said saved his life.

Duggan ended his post by thanking the hoards of WWE fans, family and friends who reached out and showed love to the wrestler while he was recovering.

"Thanks to Brittani for wheeling Jim out! Thank you for your prayers, vibes, texts, calls and messages. Now home to fully recuperate."

During his days in the ring, Hacksaw was one of the biggest wrestlers in the world ... even winning the first-ever Royal Rumble in 1988. Duggan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Cleveland Browns running back D'Ernest Johnson was in complete shock when he found out LeBron James showed him love after his breakout game Thursday night ... giving a hilarious reaction to the shout-out!!

25-year-old Johnson balled out against the Denver Broncos in his first NFL start, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown on the ground and adding 22 yards through the air.

LeBron -- a diehard Browns fan as of a few years ago -- took note of the performance and tweeted his support for DJ Thursday night ... saying, "D’ Ernest Johnson on 1 tonight!! Love to see it! #Browns"

Johnson got wind of the shoutout during his postgame presser, and he could not believe it.

"What? LeBron?! Man, that's my favorite basketball player, I ain't gonna lie to you," Johnson said. "LeBron?! LeBron?! Bro, that's big time. That's amazing, bro."

"LeBron James, I appreciate it, man. That means a lot."

Johnson's teammate, Anthony Walker, was also star struck ... saying, "That's big time right there."

BTW, Johnson's story is incredible -- he spent a year working on a fishing boat catching mahi-mahi after going undrafted out of the University of South Florida in 2018. When the Alliance of American Football debuted in 2019, he DMed every team in hopes of getting back on the field.

After spending 8 games with the AAF's Orlando Apollos, he joined the Browns in 2019 as a backup. With Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt out with injuries, Johnson stepped up and helped Cleveland get the much-needed win on TNF.

So, did Johnson celebrate the big win with some mahi-mahi??

"Definitely not having no mahi-mahi, probably have some salmon, but not mahi-mahi."

Scary moment on the sideline during the Browns game Thursday ... a photographer was slammed into by a Broncos star -- but somehow, he's okay.

Matt Starkey, the camera guy, was shooting some pics near the end zone during Cleveland's tilt with Denver ... when safety Justin Simmons caught a ball and accidentally plowed into him.

The Broncos player hit the guy with full force -- causing Starkey's hat to fly off, and his head to snap forward.

The collision was violent, and many people noticed the scary scene live -- with Pat McAfee even commenting on Twitter at the time, "That photog got SMOKED."

Fortunately, both Starkey and Simmons were able to pop right back up ... with the photog somehow even saving his camera from hitting the ground!!

After the game, Starkey made sure to let everyone know he was fine, saying, "All good" with a thumbs up emoji.

He also got a pic with Simmons later in the night and joked "iron sharpens iron."

Star boxer Teofimo Lopez took down Vasiliy Lomachenko ... but could he do the same to the 6-foot-9 beast from "Game Of Thrones"??

Turns out ... he couldn't -- 'cause the two traded body shots during an epic training sesh this week, and Hafthor Bjornsson, AKA "The Mountain," appeared to be the winner!!

The two put down the weights and decided to do the body shot challenge in the gym for some reason, and Thor (who's entered the celeb boxing world this past year) REALLY stung Teofimo.

The footage shows Lopez -- who is a foot shorter and about 200 pounds lighter than "The Mountain" -- wasn't exactly KOed by the punch ... but he was winded and admitted, "That was good!"

When it came time for Lopez's turn ... the 5-foot-8 champ who's 16-0 with 12 knockouts on his resume -- threw a nasty right hook, but Thor appeared to absorb it well.

"That was nice!" the legendary strongman said.

The two then hugged it out -- with Teofimo raising Thor's arm.

"David vs Goliath!" Lopez said of the punch-off. "Went punch for punch with the World’s Strongest Man!"

Lopez will return to fighting people his own size later this year ... he's scheduled to get in the ring with George Kambosos Jr. in November.

As for Thor -- he's still eyeing a celeb match with his strongman rival, Eddie Hall, once the guy gets healthy again.

Odell Beckham Jr. needs to get the hell outta Cleveland ... so says Robert Griffin III, who's calling for the Browns to trade the star receiver and stop wasting his talent.

It's no secret -- OBJ isn't nearly as productive in The Land as he was with the New York Giants ... and while he's battled injuries in his 3 seasons with the Browns, he's not getting many targets when he's healthy.

RG3 -- who spent the 2016 season with the Orange and Brown -- has seen enough of OBJ in CLE ... saying it's time to send the 28-year-old to a team that'll actually throw him the ball.

"The Browns need to trade OBJ because they don’t feature him, some games they don’t even try to throw it to him, their QBs don’t seem to be able to sync up with him on the deep ball or any other route," the former Heisman winner tweeted after the Browns' 17-14 win over the Broncos on Thursday night.

"He is wayyy to talented to be this poorly utilized. Oh and now he is hurt."

There was fear Odell further injured his shoulder sprain when trying to catch a pass in the win. He later returned to the game, but finished with 2 catches and 23 yards from backup Case Keenum.

Odell has 16 catches on 33 targets in 5 games this season ... with just a little over 200 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Ivan Douglas -- the left tackle for Ohio State's famous 2002 National Champion football team -- has died after a battle with COVID-19, his family and friends announced.

He was just 41 years old.

Douglas -- who helped block for Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett in the Buckeyes' epic upset win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl -- contracted the virus last month and was placed in the hospital shortly after.

According to a GoFundMe set up in his honor, Douglas was "purple in color and his oxygen level was at 63%" when he entered the medical facility -- and he needed to be placed into a medically induced coma a short time later.

Tragically, after weeks of fighting, Douglas' family and friends said he passed away on Thursday.

"Our family is devastated and ask for your continued love, support and prayers," a statement on Douglas' GoFundMe read.

Douglas' former teammate at OSU, Chukwuemeka Nnamdi Onyejekwe, AKA Mekka Don, also confirmed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Our good brother Ivan Douglas has passed away. Please keep his family in your prayers!"

Douglas leaves behind a wife and two children.

The Philadelphia Sixers need to trade Ben Simmons ASAP, so says Charles Barkley ... telling TMZ Sports it has to happen now that the All-Star is acting like a complete "jerk" around his team.

Simmons was suspended for the team's season opener on Wednesday after 76ers head coach Doc Rivers kicked him out of practice for "detrimental conduct."

We spoke with Barkley the same day of the disciplinary action --- and he tells us that the one-game suspension won't solve the issues.

"They should've suspended him longer," the Hall of Famer says, "he's not going to be better Friday."

"Today is Wednesday, they only suspended him for a day. They should suspend him for longer. Plain and simple."

In fact, Chuck believes the Sixers should ship his ass outta town -- and is contemplating why Simmons even bothered showin' up to the Sixers' facility if he was gonna "be a jerk."

"I'm disappointed. If he wasn't gon' play, he should have never came to training camp," Chuck says.

"You don't come to work and then be a jerk. You don't practice with a cell phone in your pocket!"

Well, that trade might not come anytime soon -- 76ers GM Daryl Morey said this spectacle can last four years unless they get a "difference-maker" type of trade.

Knicks star Julius Randle was just slapped with a $15K fine for tossing the basketball into the stands, in celebration, after NY downed the rivals Boston Celtics in a double-OT thriller.

The game went down Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden ... and Randle played out of his mind, dropping 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.

As the clock wound down on the nail-biter of a game, Randle tossed the ball from one end of the court, high into the air, and into the stands past the opposing basket.

Unfortunately, the NBA wasn't in the mood to celebrate ... and they hit Julius with a $15K fine.

"New York Knicks forward Julius Randle has been fined $15,000 for throwing the game ball into the spectator stands," Byron Spruell, President of League Operations announced on Thursday.

But, don't cry too much for JR ... he scored a 4-year, $117 million extension this off-season, meaning he makes over $250K every game.

Buckle up, folks -- if you're sick of the Ben Simmons vs. Philadelphia 76ers drama now, just wait 'til we're still talking about it in 2025 ... 'cause GM Daryl Morey says he's fully prepared to hold out against the All-Star's trade demand for the next 4 years.

It's been nothing short of a crap storm in the City of Brotherly Love this season ... with 25-year-old Simmons wanting to be shipped to another team, but the Sixers refusing to make a deal unless they get a superstar in return.

Morey was asked just how long he's willing to deal with Simmons in a radio interview on Thursday ... and oh boy.

"You're going to think I'm kidding and I'm not -- this could be 4 years," Morey told 97.5 The Fanatic.

BTW -- Ben's 5-year, $177 million deal lasts through 2025 ... so Morey is making it sound like Ben's only way out could be through free agency when he's 29 years old.

"Unless Ben Simmons is traded for a difference-maker, we are in the prime of Joel's career, we have to get back either Ben Simmons playing well for us, that will help us win the championship, or we have to get back a difference-maker for Ben Simmons."

Ben has been clear he won't change his mind about wanting out ... his body language was awful at practice, and it got so bad he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.