TMZ Sports - Page 50

Fred VanVleet is making a path for underprivileged kids who want to go to college and get their dream job ... by starting an academic scholarship with the University of Toronto.

The Toronto Raptors guard made the announcement on Monday ... saying it's key to help the youth in underprivileged communities as they may not have the same advantages and opportunities as others -- especially when it comes to education.

"This scholarship is important because it's going shine light on some of those who may be underserved or underprivileged in certain communities and aspects," VanVleet said via IG.

"We know there's a selection process to a lot of different scholarships and sometimes that counts people out."

The scholarship will assist a black or Indigenous student who's interested in management with four years of tuition at the local university ... as well as a $1,000 stipend for books each year.

"I would love for the scholarship to be the catalyst to start a young person's career," he added.

"That platform that they need to get access to the resources, information and education. Hopefully, they go on to do many bright and important things."

There's also an amazing bonus -- one-on-one mentoring with VanVleet, which he says is an important way to motivate those who look like him.

Screw debates ... how's this for politicians settling a disagreement?!

39-year-old Simao Peixoto, mayor of Borba, Brazil ... participated in a 3-round slugfest with political rival, 45-year-old Erineu Alvas Da Silva, a former councilor in the area.

Da Silva had been critical of the mayor online, calling him a "scoundrel" (fightin' words!), so the politician accepted the fight ... which went down under MMA rules.

So, punches, kicks, elbows, takedowns ... all legal.

Peixoto ended up winning the fight -- which was streamed by his staff -- by decision, according to the Daily Mail ... despite eating a flurry of heavy leg kicks which clearly hurt the mayor in the first round.

Before the fight, the mayor said this while agreeing to lace up the gloves.

"I'm not a street fighter … I'm the mayor of the municipality of Borba."

Peixoto continued ... "But if he really wants to fight … we're ready to fight … I've always been a winner."

It's certainly a more entertaining way to settle a dispute.

Zac Stacy told cops the brutal attack on his ex was all "staged" ... claiming the woman set him up because she was "bitter" he didn't want to be with her.

The former NFL running back's conversation with officers was all captured on police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, just days after he ruthlessly beat his ex at her Florida home.

In the arrest footage, Stacy can be heard speaking with Orlando Police Dept. officers for several minutes about the events that led up to the Nov. 13 altercation ... insisting it all "was staged."

"It's just a case of just bitterness, man," Stacy told the policemen. "That's why she did this. The whole assault thing, she staged it. She set me up."

Stacy continued, "The whole thing was staged. All she's trying to do is get money out of me. She got a reaction out of me."

Stacy explained that he believes his ex -- the mother of his months-old son -- was upset with him because he didn't want to continue a romantic relationship with her.

The former St. Louis Rams and New York Jets player told officers the woman knew he wasn't in a good place mentally (he said he had just gotten out of rehab for anxiety and depression), and she used that to get "a reaction out of me."

"She knew I was down, she knew I was going through anxiety and depression," Stacy said. "She knew I was trying to close this gap that's between me and my son and she's just upset that she got caught and she's upset I'm not taking care of him like she expected. And now she took it this far."

Stacy added, "This is just a case of just girl is just bitter that I don't want to be with her and she's just trying to destroy my whole reputation 'cause of this s***."

Stacy then told the officers he knew his actions were "f***ed up."

"I don't know what man -- how any man could have handled that situation," Stacy said.

The 30-year-old was eventually taken to a local police station and booked on charges of felony aggravated battery and felony criminal mischief.

Stacy is currently out on bond.

Conor McGregor doesn't believe there's any doubt about who should fight UFC champ Charles Oliveira for the title next -- despite losing his last 2 -- 'cause it's obviously him!

"So what date am I fighting Oliveira," McGregor tweeted Monday morning.

McGregor's tweet comes just days after 32-year-old Oliveira picked up the 32nd victory of his great MMA career, beating Dustin Poirier by 3rd-round submission.

Oliveira -- though champ -- was a slight underdog in the fight.

Of course, it's nearly impossible to objectively say McGregor -- a former 2 weight class UFC champ -- deserves a title shot when he returns to the Octagon.

Not only will Conor -- currently the #9 ranked lightweight -- be coming off a devastating injury (broken leg) ... but he lost his last 2 fights to the guy who just lost to Oliveira (and 3 of his last 4 overall).

The Notorious wasn't done Tweeting.

He also referenced his epic win over Brazilian Jose Aldo ... posting a photo of the Irish flag and the Brazilian flag next to the number 2.

Remember, Conor starched the UFC superstar with a perfectly placed punch in only 13 seconds during their December 2015 fight.

Oliveria is a Brazilian star ... hence Ireland vs. Brazil 2.

Charles has not yet responded to Conor ... who also posed for a photo with his old UFC belt.

As for who he will fight next ... it'll likely be #2 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje. But, Conor's still the biggest star in the sport ... and likely only a good win away from another title. shot.

Legendary college hoops announcer Dick Vitale was so honored by a long, standing ovation he received while calling the Baylor vs. Villanova game on Sunday ... he broke down in tears, and video from the scene is incredibly emotional.

Dickie V -- who's currently going through chemo treatments for cancer -- has been calling games while fighting the disease ... and Baylor fans showed just how much they appreciate the ESPN personality by giving him a round of applause.

Vitale was clearly moved by the gesture ... he began crying and waving to the fans as they clapped and cheered for him.

Vitale was also given a #42 Baylor jersey before the game to reflect the 42 years he's been on the mic for ESPN.

Dickie has had a challenging 2021 -- earlier this year, he revealed he had melanoma ... and back in October, he announced his lymphoma diagnosis.

Despite the recent health issues, Vitale returned to the broadcast booth in November ... and has been crushing it on the mic.

As for the game, #2 Baylor beat #6 Villanova, 57-36.

Terrible news in the horse racing world ... 3 jockeys were hospitalized and 2 horses died after a horrific fall during a horserace in Hong Kong on Sunday.

The tragic event happened during the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin Racecourse ... when jockey Lyle Hewitson's horse lost its footing several hundred yards into the race, collapsing ahead of a large pack of horses.

The whole incident was televised ... and the video clearly shows Hewiston's horse, Amazing Star fall, sending the South African jockey slamming to the ground, before being trampled by a stampede of horses.

That caused a domino effect ... and sent 3 other jockeys and their horses flying to the ground.

Hong Kong Jockey Club's executive director Andrew Harding says all 3 men were treated at Prince of Wales hospital with multiple injuries.

Hewitson ended up having a fractured hip and small bleed in the brain. 4x Hong Kong champ, Zac Purton, suffered four fractured ribs, a fractured wrist and a broken nose.

The third jockey, Yuichi Fukunaga of Japan, broke his collarbone.

Miraculously, all of the jockeys survived.

Unfortunately, the 2 horses weren't so lucky. Amazing Star and Naboo Attack suffered fatal injuries and had to be euthanized.

The race did go on after the collision. Australian jockey Blake Shinn and his horse Sky Field officially took the title ... a win he calls "bittersweet".

"I have mixed emotions for winning this race today," Shinn said.

"Obviously the first emotion is that my feelings are with the fallen jockeys and horses out there."

Santa Claus can pass up Philadelphia ... Meek Mill's got his hometown covered for the holidays, as he gives away more than half a million bucks worth of some fire gifts!!!

TMZ has learned Meek's planning to hand out a massive sack full of gifts for families in need this weekend -- things like bikes, video game gift cards, laptops, tablets, dolls and much more.

The Philly-born and raised rapper's getting his friends to kick in too -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Sixers partner Michael Rubin and Meek's managers at Roc Nation are supporting the huge gift giveaway.

The event, set for this coming Sunday, will be a more up close and personal giveaway than Meek could pull off last year during the pandemic. You might recall this heartwarming moment -- he had gifts delivered, surprising the families ... but could only video chat with them.

No matter what you think about LaVar Ball's antics when it comes to his sons, you gotta respect it ... so says Matt Barnes who tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, he got 'em all to the NBA.

Remember, LaVar has aways been his boys' official hype man for years -- praising Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo any chance he gets ... promising fans (and haters) they would all be in the big league.

LaVar ended up being right ... Gelo is on a G-league team, Zo is dominating with the Bulls and Melo has brought the Hornets back to life.

Barnes applauds LaVar for it, telling us he's a great dad for making sure his kids got to the top level.

Even if he did do a lotta trash talk.

"As far as him being a great dad and helping his kids to where they're at to succeed, I definitely salute him," the 41-year old tells us at LAX this week.

"The kids are very talented. Hope Gelo gets a real chance to make an NBA team but to have 2 kids in the league that are doing well and a hopeful third..."

"I can do nothing but respect that."

Demaryius Thomas was at the forefront of everyone's mind this Sunday -- especially for his former team, the Denver Broncos, who paid tribute to him ... with an assist from the Lions.

The late wide receiver -- who died suddenly last week -- was honored during the opening minutes of the game ... with just 10 men on the Broncos taking the field, and WR Courtland Sutton taking a knee on the sidelines as his team let the play clock run out.

It essentially served as a moment of silence -- the significance of leaving Sutton/Thomas' position vacated on the field was symbolic, almost like it was meant to be filled by him in spirit.

Denver was penalized for this, but the Lions declined the penalty ... and let them play on as if nothing had happened -- something the team seemed to be grateful for online. There was also a video compilation played on the jumbo screen before kickoff, which showed off some of Thomas' highlights from when he was playing for them.

In addition to the on-field moment and the video, there were a number of other tributes set up all throughout the stadium, including a memorial that had been set up for Thomas that Peyton Manning and his family visited before the game got underway.

There was also a portrait of the guy that was on display in the tunnel, which players kissed and tapped as they made their way to the gridiron. And even on the field itself, the Broncos emblazoned Thomas' former number, 88, right there onto the grass.

All this was to be expected ... as we reported, the Broncos were pulling out all the stops to make sure their guy was recognized properly, as he was a big part of their SB run in 2016.

Thomas was found dead at his home on Thursday, with a call for cardiac arrest triggering a police response. It's unclear what exactly happened to him -- an autopsy is pending.

LeBron James just gave a huge spotlight to somebody controversial in the rap world -- and that'd be one Tory Lanez ... who's embroiled in a legal fight with Megan Thee Stallion.

LBJ took to IG Saturday to do what he often does when he stumbles across some new tunes ... blasting it in the car and vibing out. In this case, he was playing TL's new album, 'Alone at the Prom,' and gave it a big endorsement ... showering Tory with compliments.

He captioned one of his Tory videos with, "MAN THIS BOY COLD AS HELL MAN!!! ALONE AT THE PROM IS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥" Later in the clip, LeBron films himself, seemingly singing along to Tory's lyrics.

Normally, this would be NBD -- like we said, LeBron does this all the time. The difference here ... Tory is very polarizing right now, but that doesn't seem to bother the King.

It's interesting ... LeBron is outspoken over just about everything these days, but he's been mum on the drama between Tory and Meg -- and now, he appears to have shown he's cool with Tory (or at the very least, his music) despite the allegation against him ... namely, that he shot MTS in the foot.

The L.A. District Attorney has charged Tory with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm ... also claiming he caused great bodily injury as it relates to Meg. He's pled not guilty and maintained his innocence.

Tyron Woodley says it was actually a blessing Tommy Fury got hurt and had to pull out of his December 18 fight with Jake Paul -- because nobody wanted to see that crap!!!

Hey, T-Wood said it ... not us.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old future UFC Hall of Famer just days before he's set to step in the ring with the Problem Child, and Woodley tells us the real winners here are the viewers.

"Nobody wants to see no f***ing Tommy Fury fight, come on now," Tyron tells us, saying, "Now his brother is lit. But, he can't ride the coattails of Tyson."

TW went on to say that Fury may go on to have a solid boxing career ... but as of right now,  he simply doesn't present the same threats as Woodley.

So, when we asked Tyron if he was a more difficult opponent ... he didn't hesitate.

"Of course I am, s***. That's why he took [the Fury] fight instead. He made a double wager and then didn't honor it because s***, why would he go back and give me the chance to finish off what I started now that I've been in there with him."

Of course, Tyron and Jake scrapped back in August ... a fight that the YouTuber turned boxing star won by split decision (Woodley wholeheartedly believes he won the fight).

Since, Woodley has all but demanded a rematch ... but Paul shot him down. That is until Tommy pulled out of the fight last week with a chest infection and broken ribs, per his reps.

So, Tyron's in ... and this time he says he will not leave things up to the judges.

"I just feel like, definitely, I can't leave any doubt."

WWE Superstar The Miz is not ready to give up on Baker Mayfield just yet ... telling TMZ Sports despite the QB's recent struggles, fans need to have some patience with the Browns signal-caller.

"He's injured. Like he's injured," Miz said. "He's not playing to his highest caliber because he's injured."

"I mean, how good are you when you're injured, you know what I mean?"

Miz says that anyone who wants to see the Browns move in a different direction at QB doesn't appreciate what Mayfield represents ... adding that fans need to throw their support behind the first overall draft pick.

"Everyone's so quick to get rid of quarterbacks nowadays," he added. "Like, you kind of got to stick with people and be like, 'look, this is our guy.' It's one thing, like, I remember a team that wasn't 6-6 that didn't win a game an entire season and I was still on the bandwagon."

Miz recalled the days where the Browns had less than desirable plays at the QB position -- he rooted for guys like Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden, and Johnny Manziel -- but, after Cleveland's bye week, he's predicting things will take off for his hometown team.

"I mean after this bye we have Baltimore," the former champ said. "If we beat them, we're one game out of first place in the AFC North and people are talking a different story."

So, what are his expectations for this underwhelming season?!?

"We're going to the Super Bowl. That's on my mind. I 100% think that."

If you know anything about The Miz, the Ohio native always reps for his squad ... and he's confident that with the roster they have, they can make a Super Bowl run.

"I trust in Coach (Kevin) Stefanski. I trust in Baker Mayfield," Miz said. "I trust in Kareem Hunt, Nick Chubb. I think Myles Garrett will be Defensive Player of the Year, and you're going to the Super Bowl. So, let's win, beat Baltimore, and get it started after the bye week!"

Rey Maualuga -- the ex-NFL star accused of driving drunk and crashing his car through a neighborhood earlier this year -- officially has a trial date set for April, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ex-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker is facing two felony charges as well as one misdemeanor ... and, according to a spokesperson for Kenton County, Kentucky prosecutors, he could be locked behind bars for up to 10 years if he's convicted on all counts.

We broke the story, Maualuga was arrested on Aug. 11 in Villa Hills, Kentucky after cops say he drunkenly drove his vehicle through mailboxes and front yards before ultimately crushing into a parked car and a tree.

In police documents, cops say when they questioned the former USC star at the scene, he was "sweating profusely" and admitted to drinking "a few" alcoholic beverages before driving.

Maualuga was ultimately charged with felony first degree wanton endangerment, felony first degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor DUI -- third offense. His trial has been officially scheduled for April 6, 2022.

Of course, this is far from the first time Maualuga has faced time behind bars -- the 34-year-old has been arrested for DUI two times previously.

He was also arrested in 2017 for allegedly attacking an employee at a Miami nightclub while he was a member of the Dolphins.

Michael Strahan just went where no news anchor has gone ... to the edge of space!!!

It was a flawless flight after a short hold at 15 minutes. Blue Origin hurled into space with Strahan and 4 other astronauts on board, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the oldest daughter of America's first astronaut, Alan Shepard.

The capsule was atop the New Shepard rocket ... named, of course, after Alan.

When they experienced weightlessness, the astronauts were giddy with excitement ... you can hear the joy as they floated in space.

The New Shepard rocket was originally supposed to take off for the 10-minute flight on Thursday but Bezos gave it the yellow light, due to high wind.

This Blue Origin flight is the third launch with people on board. Astronaut Strahan and others had lots of training before they boarded. The TV host says he went to the Blue Origin facility for a week-and-a-half training prior to today's launch.

If taking a trip to space isn't already a good enough incentive, apparently all passengers get some sort of stipend... and Strahan says he is donating his to The Boys & Girls Club.

Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

No Denver Broncos player should ever wear #88 again ... so says Brandon Marshall, who tells TMZ Sports the team needs to retire the digits to honor Demaryius Thomas.

"It's just fitting, it just makes sense," said the former Broncos linebacker, who played with Thomas in Denver for years. "[He's] one of the greatest Broncos ever."

Marshall is making the push for his former team to go ahead with the tribute following Thomas' death this week ... telling us Demaryius is more than deserving of the honor.

Marshall explains Thomas' resume on the field was simply that good ... but he also says Thomas' off-the-field actions warrant the jersey praise as well.

"He's one of the greatest Broncos of all-time, point blank, period," Marshall said. "He's one of the greatest receivers of my era -- of our generation. One of the greatest receivers in Broncos history."

"And, as Peyton [Manning] said, he's an even better guy."

While no jersey retirement is in the cards yet -- the Broncos already have plans to pay tribute to the former Super Bowl champion before the Lions game this weekend at Empower Field At Mile High regardless.

Head coach Vic Fangio said the team will wear helmet decals and play a video tribute prior to kickoff. He also said a moment of silence will be observed.