TMZ Sports - Page 50

There will be no more blue-and-gold cleats for DeSean Jackson -- the former L.A. Rams wideout is a Raider now ... and he just copped some dope skull-and-crossbone spikes to celebrate the move!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the receiver hit up his go-to artist, Joe Castro, just days after he was released by the Rams and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Castro tells us the 34-year-old wanted a "new team, new cleats" theme involving skulls for his first game as a Raider on Sunday -- and the shoe expert delivered.

The kicks feature a silver-and-black image of a skull rockin' a black patch over its right eye with two swords crossed behind it -- just like the Raiders' logo.

On the other side of the white Under Armour cleats is another scary skull figure in front of two intense blades.

The shoes also feature faded grey skeleton heads scattered around.

Castro -- who's made custom cleats for DJack for several years -- says it only took him a couple of hours to make.

Jackson had requested his release from the Rams after only catching 8 passes for 221 yards and 1 touchdown in 7 games this season.

It's football Sunday and these famous NFL fans are heading to the stadium to show their support ... and they always get the best seat in the house!

Whether they are celebrating with their significant others like Kaitlyn Bristowe and Jason Tartick, or passing down the tradition to their kids like Nev Schulman, these sidelined stars are scoring all the up-close action to their favorite players.

Brenda Song, Josephine Skriver, Nick Lachey, and Kevin Hart are just a few other sporty stars that are ready to have a field day!

Rush through this gallery of famous NFL fans on the sidelines and see who's cheering on your favorite teams!

The daughter of ex-NBA player Corey Benjamin was involved in another on-court fight just weeks before her viral sucker punch ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The violent altercation went down in mid-September in Del Amo, Calif. -- just two months before she sucker punched a girl during a youth basketball game near Anaheim last weekend.

In the footage, you can see the teenager was jockeying with another girl to try to gain position inside the key ... when she suddenly snapped.

Video shows Benjamin's daughter threw several punches at the girl -- before sprinting toward another girl on the court and throwing even more haymakers.

We're told officials later hit her with an indefinite ban from the venue over the altercation.

You'll recall, Benjamin's daughter was hit with a similar punishment following her actions during a game this past Saturday.

In that incident, the girl laid out her opponent after she felt she was fouled on a jump shot. The mother of the teenager who was punched tells us she has filed a criminal report against Benjamin's daughter over it all.

Benjamin has issued an apology over his daughter's actions, telling NBC L.A. this week, "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

There's nothing foul about President Biden using the word "negro" when referring to the old baseball league ... at least according to the steward of the league, who's defending and applauding him for saying the word.

No doubt you've seen the clip of the Prez speaking on Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery and flubbing in a big way ... saying he'd "adopted the attitude of the great negro at the time." Cringeworthy, for sure, but to be fair Biden misspoke, and eventually cleared it up intending to call out the great Negro League player Satchel Paige.

Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, tells TMZ ... not only was it crystal clear to him what Mr. Biden meant to say, but it would have been "harmful" if he'd used any other word.

Bob says he was surprised at the online fallout -- people ticked off POTUS used such a dated term -- because he says there's a reason the word is still on walls of his museum. As Bob put it, they still use "Negro" to preserve the league's nearly 30-year history -- from 1920 to 1947. He compares it to the NAACP, which also hasn't changed its name, despite the fact (almost) no one uses the "C" word nowadays.

Further, he says "It was an honor that the President made a point to honor Satchel Paige, who happened to be one of the greatest pitchers" in the history of ANY baseball league.

"I feel like we are in grade school and Conor McGregor is following me around trying to pick up my sloppy seconds."

That's Justin Gaethje blasting The Notorious, telling TMZ Sports Conor McGregor is attempting to fight all the dudes he's already beaten, and the UFC star thinks it's pretty comical.

"I hate to say it because it's disrespectful to the opponents that I beat," Justin says.

"I fought Cowboy [Cerrone]. Then he wants to fight Cowboy. I just beat up Chandler. Now he wants to fight Chandler. He'll never say my name. And, Ferguson is on the list now too."

Of course, Gaethje -- the #2 ranked lightweight -- beat Chandler via unanimous decision at UFC 268 ... in one of the greatest fights of all time.

And, just last year, Justin beat Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision ... which earned him a title shot against Khabib.

Over the last few weeks, Conor expressed interest in fighting both men ... Chandler and Ferguson.

Someone the Irish superstar hasn't called out (lately, at least) ... is Justin.

So, we asked Gaethje -- who has previously made it clear he wanted to mess up McGregor -- if he was still interested in the fight.

"Do I want to make [Conor's] face look like Tony Ferguson and Michael Chandler's? Absolutely. Will he ever allow that? No! He has way too many smart people around this dude and he's not a dumbass."

"He might knock me out. Olivera might knock me out, Poirier might knock me out but they have to pray to God that they land that shot."

We also talked to Justin about his beef with Colby Covington (Gaethje trains with CC's rival, Kamaru Usman) ... and JG makes it known, he ain't looking for a fight in the Octagon with "Chaos."

Yair Rodriguez is literally willing to risk it all in his fight against UFC star Max Holloway ... telling TMZ Sports he's ready to die in the Octagon -- seriously.

"You gotta understand this sport is so dangerous and things can happen. You gotta accept that before you go in there," the 29-year-old, #3 ranked fighter says.

"El Pantera" is fighting the #1 ranked contender at UFC Fight Night Saturday night in Vegas ... and the winner will likely face champion Alex Volkanovski.

And, Yair knows how dangerous the sport can potentially be ... and he's okay with that.

"I just accept that it can happen," Rodriguez says.

"I'm fine with my family before the fight. I tell everybody that I love them. I try to get everything ready if anything happens. Hopefully, nothing like that happens to me or any of my co-workers."

As far as the fight ... Max vs. Yair -- who are both electric in the cage -- has the potential to be an awesome fight. Rodriguez even believes it could actually be better than Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler's UFC 268 scrap.

"I know we had pretty good fights last weekend, and I'm sure people excepting a show, so I'm expecting to bring fireworks Saturday."

Whether or not it tops Justin and Michael ... fans are all but guaranteed a kick-ass bout when these men step in the Octagon.

Colton Underwood is moving on from his bachelor pad ... we've learned he's selling his place in Colorado.

The former 'Bachelor' recently listed the 4-bedroom home for $1.35 million ... and we're told he accepted an offer from an interested buyer just 5 days after the home hit the market, though the deal hasn't closed yet.

It's a quick turnaround for Colton ... he only just bought the home back in December 2020.

The place is laid out with a ranch floorplan, complete with a gourmet kitchen, sprawling lawn and 2.5 car garage.

The primary bedroom is on the main floor, and it comes with an oversized closet with access to the laundry room!

The place, which is about 25 miles south of Denver, is decked out with a game room, media room and a home gym, outfitted with high-end fitness equipment.

The backyard is tricked out with an oversized gas grill built into the covered porch, plus a hot tub and a gas firepit.

We don't know where Colton is heading ... whether he's staying in Colorado or not.

Ya can't be too cautious about COVID-19, even on your birthday ... and Anthony Davis had to remind Russell Westbrook that right before he almost blew all over his cake on Friday ... and the moment is hilarious!!

Brodie celebrated turning the big 3-3 at Lakers practice ... getting surprised with a delicious-looking cake in front of all his teammates right inside the gym.

Russ' teammates decided to have a little fun at his expense on his cake day ... 'cause as he went to go straight into blowing out his candles, he was abruptly stopped by AD.

"Whoa, whoa," Davis said. "COVID, COVID!!"

Russ was so damn excited to get right into the cake, he forgot all about the guys having to be extra safe ... so AD gets MVP for the day.

At first, Russ looked confused as to why everyone was tellin' him to pump the brakes ... but once he realized they were just giving him a hard time, he was able to crack a smile and laugh.

Worth noting -- the whole Lakers roster is fully vaxxed ... but hey, breakthrough cases happen!!

In the end, Westbrook used a much safer "backhand blowout" technique to extinguish his candles ... and the Lakers celebrated the California native.

Jim Hayford -- Seattle University's men's basketball coach -- has resigned from his position ... after he allegedly used the n-word on multiple occasions.

Hayford was initially placed on administrative leave last week ... after Stadium Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman reported that the coach had used the racial slur during a scrimmage.

According to the report, Hayford -- who is white -- said the n-word last Thursday after a player had used it.

Goodman reports this was not the first time Hayford had been accused of using the term around his team.

Hayford reportedly apologized to his squad over it all on Nov. 6, but according to Goodman, some players refused to accept the mea culpa, and ultimately vowed to never play for him again.

Seattle U's Athletic Director, Shaney Fink, issued a statement Thursday announcing Hayford's resignation, saying, "It is clear to me that coach Hayford is no longer able to effectively lead this team."

"The top priority within the Athletic Department is, and always will be, to support the wellbeing and success of our student athletes -- in and out of the classroom and in their chosen sport."

Fink continued, "We are committed to advancing an athletic community that is inclusively excellent. We will take additional steps to ensure any concerns within the program are addressed and that all our student athletes are seen, heard, and supported."

Jon Gruden is accusing the NFL and Roger Goodell of conducting a "malicious and orchestrated campaign ... to destroy [his] career and reputation."

It's all spelled out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, filed in a Nevada court on Thursday ... in which Gruden says the Goodell and the NFL obtained his private emails with his friend and former coworker Bruce Allen.

The former Raiders head coach accused the NFL and its commish of holding the emails for months ... only to leak them when they could cause maximum damage to Gruden.

Gruden characterizes this as a "soviet-style character assassination."

In the docs, Gruden points out that the NFL uncovered hundreds of thousands of emails as part of a larger investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the Washington Football Team ... but the only emails that he claims the NFL leaked are the ones that implicate Gruden.

The 58-year-old, meanwhile, says Goodell and the league have kept all of the other ones under wraps.

Gruden also claims the NFL initially only released a single email -- the one containing the reference to NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith's lips -- and immediately began pressuring the Raiders to fire him over it.

But, when the Raiders refused, Gruden claims the NFL then released a batch of other emails, saying the league "weaponized" them, and ultimately caused the Raiders to pressure Gruden into resigning.

Gruden notes in the suit that the NFL has historically tried to appear transparent, by issuing written reports on a host of past investigations, including Deflategate, the Ray Rice incident, and the harassment allegations against the Miami Dolphins.

The former coach says the leak is an attempt to distract from the NFL's failure to properly handle the sexual harassment allegations against the WFT.

Gruden is suing for unspecified damages -- including punitives -- claiming the NFL's actions caused him to lose his sponsorships and recognition (including his place in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Ring of Honor).

It should be noted -- nowhere in the documents does Gruden deny sending the offensive emails.

For its part, the NFL has denied Gruden's allegations ... saying in a statement they "are entirely meritless and the NFL will vigorously defend against these claims.”

There's a fire starting in Adele's heart -- the singer is opening up on dating NBA super-agent Rich Paul ... saying it's the most "incredible, openhearted, and easiest" relationship she's ever been in.

The "Easy On Me" artist -- who started dating LeBron James' right-hand man this year -- detailed her new romance with Paul with Rolling Stone this week ... saying they first met on the dance floor at a mutual friend's birthday party years ago.

But, the couple didn't hit things off until June of 2021 ... and were spotted together a month later.

"I didn’t really tell many of my friends at the beginning because I wanted to keep it to myself," 33-year-old Adele said.

The couple made things official shortly after ... and have been nearly inseparable ever since.

In fact, they attended the NBA Finals in July, LeBron's wife's birthday party in August and more recently, the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Golden State Warriors.

Now, Adele is happy with her new man ... and is even so comfortable with Paul, she was "proud" to introduce him to her 9-year-old son, Angelo.

Tiger Woods may not be done winning golf tourneys just yet ... so says his good buddy and fellow PGA Tour star, Justin Thomas, who claims the golf legend will try for a comeback to the Tour.

Thomas made the revelation on the "No Laying Up" podcast this week ... explaining the vibe he's gotten from Woods now 9 months removed from his horrifying car crash is that the 45-year-old will attempt a pro return.

"I know that he's going to try," said Thomas, who added that he's been visiting with Woods two or three times a week in Florida recently.

"I know how determined he is and I know he's going to want to at least try to give something again."

Of course, many wondered if Woods would even think about a comeback after he shattered his leg in a Feb. 2020 car accident.

Tiger needed crutches to move around for months -- leaving doubt that he might never pick up a club again.

But, Woods was recently spotted walking with no limp at his son's golf tournament last month -- and according to Thomas, El Tigre is "doing well" in his rehab.

It's unclear if Woods has begun to swing yet ... but Thomas said, either way, he believes Woods will need to get back to firing rounds in the 60s again in order to eventually hit Augusta. Justin, though, clearly ain't putting it past Tiger to get there.

Andre Iguodala believes Kyrie Irving is the 4th greatest point guard of all time ... and you can keep your comments to yourself, 'cause he says it's not up for debate!!

The Warriors forward recently told The Athletic that in his mind, Kyrie has cemented his spot as one of the top 20 NBA players EVER -- and on top of that, he's cemented his spot on the Mount Rushmore of point guards in NBA history.

"Magic (Johnson), Steph (Curry), Isiah Thomas. They're the only guys that I will allow you to say are better than Kyrie," Iggy said, adding he's open to the idea of adding Chris Paul to the mix ... but makes it clear his pick is Uncle Drew.

The list of greatest point guards is always a topic of discussion ... but Iggy is leaving out some legends that will certainly have some folks up in arms over the comments.

We're sure Jason Kidd, John Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson and many more would like to have a word with Iggy ... 'cause they didn't make the cut.

It's possible Dre is speaking from recency bias or personal experience ... 'cause he knows firsthand just how skilled Kyrie is ... his ridiculous crossovers and scoring ability make him one of the most exciting players in the NBA.

After all, he got to witness up close and personal in the 2016 NBA Finals.

Corey Benjamin -- former Chicago Bulls guard -- is apologizing for his teenage daughter after she blindsided an opponent, clobbering her with a punch to the head during a basketball game last weekend.

"This is not how I raised my daughter," Benjamin said.

TMZ Sports published video earlier this week showing Benjamin's teenage daughter flattening her 15-year-old opponent with a haymaker for seemingly no reason during a basketball game in southern California on Sunday.

Alice Ham, the mother of the girl who was punched, tells us her daughter sustained a concussion as a result of the punch.

The former 1st round draft pick in 1998 -- who played 4 seasons in the NBA, averaging 5.5 points for his career -- spoke to NBC LA ... and it's clear the former hooper knows his daughter really screwed up.

"To the young lady who was punched by my daughter during a youth basketball game, I sincerely apologize to you and I am praying for your complete healing both physically and emotionally," Benjamin said.

"To her family, I deeply apologize and regret that this happened to your daughter as she did not deserve this to happen to her. Finally, I apologize to all of those who have been impacted and hurt by the actions of my daughter as well as those of her mother. I am here for your family and wish only the best for you."

It's interesting ... Corey also said sorry for the mom of his daughter ... who is seemingly heard on video directing her kid to hit the 15-year-old just seconds before the attack.

Corey continued ... "As a father, I'm shocked and disappointed at my daughter's behavior as this is not a reflection of the values and standards that my family holds. Nor does it exemplify the values, character and spirit of sportsmanship that the game of basketball requires."

"My daughter made a mistake. One that she will need to make right. I am committed to getting my daughter any help she may need and support her in taking accountability for her conduct."

But, the apology from Corey might not be enough ... 'cause Ham has lawyered up, hiring attorney Kevin Hahn.

This is nuts.

MMA fighter Christian Lohsen of the Professional Fighters League just revealed he had to have a testicle removed after it ruptured during training this week ... and the crazy part??? He's already cracking jokes about it!!!

The 26-year-old out of Florida shared the cringeworthy news on Thursday ... saying, "So, last night was rough ... in a training accident I got my left testicle ruptured by a knee which led to it getting surgically removed."

Lohsen says the procedure went well and he's at home and recovering ... adding the loss will not result in loss of testosterone or ability to have kids.

While the incident sounds serious, Lohsen has maintained a sense of humor throughout the whole ordeal ... saying, "If I lose the other one however it's a different story, so from now on if you hit me in my last testicle we aren't friends ... lol."

The 9-2 fighter added a couple of clever hashtags ... saying, "#NoNutNovember #OneBallWonder #MMAIsADangerousGame #TookNoNutNovemberWayTooFar"

Lohsen has won 5 of his last 6 fights ... losing to J.J. Okanovich in the Dana White Contender Series in 2019.

Did you know Shaquille O'Neal could have been John Coffey in "The Green Mile?!?"

It's true ... so says the NBA legend, who revealed on the "The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast" this week that he was initially offered the star role in the 1999 film but turned it down.

The Tom Hanks flick is one of the greatest ever -- and Coffey, ultimately played by the late Michael Clarke Duncan, is one of the most iconic movie characters in cinema history.

And, Shaq says he was initially tabbed to play the part before Clarke Duncan, but says he "turned it down."

"I didn't want to play the down-South African American guy during slavery," Shaq explained. "I didn't want to play that role."

Shaq, who was still with the Lakers in '99, added he has no regrets over it all -- especially considering Duncan shined in the part.

"The guy who played it did a wonderful job," Shaq says, "He's no longer with us, he passed away. Michael Clarke Duncan did an excellent job."

The Big Diesel's not wrong, Clarke Duncan went on to win three awards for best-supporting actor.