TMZ Sports - Page 50

L.A. Lakers guard Austin Reaves came up BIG for his squad last night -- the rookie hit a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime -- and the locker room celebration was WILD!

The Lakers were in Dallas taking on the Mavericks in a back-and-forth game that came down to a last-second 3-pointer by LeBron James ... that he missed.

So, cue OT, and insert Reaves -- the undrafted former Wichita State and Oklahoma star -- who, as it turns out, has ice water in his veins .... knocking down a 3-pointer off a dime of a pass by Russell Westbrook, propelling the Lake show to a 107-104 victory.

After the game, the celebration moved from the court to the locker room ... where Lakers vet  DeAndre Jordan poured a bucket of ice-cold water on Reaves' head -- as Bron tossed him a game ball.

A study of Vincent Jackson's brain showed the former NFL star was suffering from stage 2 CTE ... Jackson's family and medical experts revealed Thursday.

Dr. Ann McKee, the expert at Boston University who conducted the study on Jackson's brain, said the ex-Tampa Bay receiver had "multiple areas of the brain that were affected on both sides of the brain."

McKee noted to "Good Morning America" that oftentimes that level of the disease can lead to "violent behaviors" as well as depression and mood swings.

Jackson's widow, Lindsey Jackson, said in an interview with 'GMA' that she believes it all helps explain how the 38-year-old was found dead in a Florida hotel room back on Feb. 15, 2021.

"In his mind," Lindsey said, "it would have explained why he couldn't fix anything."

Lindsey noted that prior to his death, Vincent was dealing with memory issues and was lashing out often -- and needed alcohol to "feel calm."

She said Vincent told her his brain was "fuzzy" ... but said the booze made it feel "not fuzzy."

Lindsey said in a statement Thursday she's choosing to go public with the diagnosis in order to help others who may be dealing with similar issues.

What's interesting ... Lindsey noted Vincent had never been formally diagnosed with a concussion in his 12-year NFL career.

Robert Whittaker has touched down in Tamriel -- the former UFC middleweight champion will now be a fully-voiced character in the uber-popular video game, "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim."

The Reaper -- the #1 middleweight contender who's set to fight Israel Adesanya in February -- will soon be available in the game as part of a companion mod from the creators, Bethesda.

For those who haven't played, Skyrim is an action/adventure role-playing game where the main character goes on a quest to slay a dragon -- it's got quests, ghosts, magic and all that good stuff.

Yes, we're underselling the hell out of it, but just play the game already ... It's been out for 10 freaking years.

With the new mod, Whittaker's character will now roam the area called Whiterun, where he can be spotted training young kids how to fight, according to PC Gamer.

The character looks just like the guy -- all the way down to his signature tattoo. The companion will also have combative behavior and a unique fighting style.

Whittaker getting the voiced mod treatment is pretty rare ... but the guy is a Bethesda ambassador and a big fan of the game, so it seems like that's paying off.

RW could be giving his character a spin on Thursday ... announcing he's going to play the game on a live stream to raise money for Cure Cancer and Game On Cancer.

Jon Jones' domestic violence charge was dismissed earlier this week after the UFC star copped a plea deal with prosecutors ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records in Las Vegas show officials dropped the misdemeanor count against the fighter on Tuesday ... after he pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of destroying property of another, $25-$250.

As part of his sentencing, records show the 34-year-old has been ordered to stay out of trouble, pay restitution to the victim, and take anger management counseling.

As we previously reported, Jones was hit with the dom. violence charge as well as a felony charge of tampering with a vehicle after he allegedly pulled his fiancee's hair and then headbutted a police car in a wild incident on Sept. 24.

In police documents, cops say they were called to Caesars Palace around 5:08 AM for a report of a "domestic disturbance" in a hotel room.

Once there, cops say they stopped Jones outside ... and claim he snapped during questioning -- smashing his head onto the front hood of a patrol vehicle.

Officers say the blow dented the car and chipped the paint.

When cops eventually met with Jones' fiancee, they say they noticed she had blood stains on her sweatshirt and she was bleeding from her lip. They say she told them that Jones "touched the back of my head and pulled my hair a little bit but he did not hit me or anything."

Jones was eventually arrested -- and he said after the incident he was stepping away from booze for good.

"I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol, my brain simply can't handle it anymore," Jones said at the time. "Now is the time to work harder than ever."

The Juice is officially loose now that he's off parole early, and one person who isn't very happy about it is the sister of his slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.

O.J. Simpson being released into society without a parole officer's supervision is a huge downer for Tanya Brown, who tells TMZ ... the guy doesn't deserve a second chance -- especially not in Hollywood, where she thinks he'll attempt a professional comeback.

Tanya says she usually believes most folks oughta get a shot at redemption, but for her, O.J.'s not in that category -- not only because he was found liable for killing her sister, but also because she says he hasn't shown any remorse whatsoever.

He also hasn't done much to show he's changed, according to Tanya ... who insists Simpson probably doesn't think he's done anything wrong.

It's because of his enormous ego that Tanya believes he will beeline it for Tinseltown -- but she's praying L.A. power players will continue to shun him ... just like they did in the wake of his 1995 acquittal.

While Tanya says she has no control over who embraces him, she's really hoping Hollywood elites don't even think of welcoming him back ... but the cynic in her is sorta doubtful.

In Tanya's eyes, L.A. has a bad rep when it comes to honoring women ... and she tells us she wouldn't be surprised if they take O.J. in with open arms. That'd be a true shame, according to her, because she says O.J. not only killed Nicole but mistreated her well before that ... citing multiple reported incidents of abuse.

Steph apparently wasn't the only Curry putting up shots on Tuesday night -- TMZ Sports is told the NBA superstar's dad was "respectfully flirty" with a former Playboy Playmate while sitting courtside at the Warriors vs. Knicks game.

Model Ana Cheri tells us her group of friends showed up to the historic game at Madison Square Garden together ... and by coincidence, they ended up sitting right next to Dell in the front row.

We're told the ex-NBAer couldn't have been nicer to Ana, Toria Ranae and Kirzlyn Gabriola throughout the night ... but was obviously giving a bit more attention to Miss October 2015.

Make no mistake -- Dell never crossed lines or made anyone feel uncomfortable, but Ana's friends back it up ... the guy was clearly flirting.

Ana says she congratulated Dell on Steph's success and chitchatted with him during the game ... but after the group snapped shots with each other after the game, they parted ways.

We broke the story -- Dell is recently single after his wife, Sonya, filed for divorce back in June. The breakup has been pretty messy, as both sides accused each other of cheating.

Both sat on opposite ends of the floor ... but it sounds like Dell at least enjoyed himself.

Naturally, we had to ask Ana if Dell got her number.

"No comment."

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Urban Meyer after less than a season ... ending a disastrous tenure plagued by losing and controversy.

The 57-year-old college coaching legend signed a lucrative 5-year contract with the team only months ago.

On the field, Meyer's squad looked flat-out bad ... starting the year 2-11. The worst record in the entire NFL.

He reportedly blamed everyone but himself for the incessant losing ... including assistant coaches and players.

But, play on the field might've actually been the highlight for Meyer ... 'cause off the field, he suffered through several controversies.

Back in October, after his team's 4th loss (in 4 games), the coach stayed in Ohio while his team flew back to Florida ... and was caught cozying up to women in a bar.

Meyers -- who is married -- apologized for his actions ... and reportedly, at the moment at least, got support from the front office and players.

However, the moment was incredibly embarrassing for the organization ... and Urban never really recovered.

In fact, earlier today ex-Jag Josh Lambo accused the coach of kicking him ... and bullying the kicker.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan, the man behind the decision, issued a statement on Meyer's firing to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

“After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban’s tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone.”

He continued ... “I informed Urban of the change this evening.  As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential.  Regrettably, it did not happen.”

Of course, Khan's referring to the Ohio bar incident.

Forget surprise birthday parties -- former wrestling superstar Diamond Dallas Page just one-upped that with a surprise WEDDING with his girlfriend, Payge McMahon, in Tennessee ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!!

We're told the ceremony took place at the Dwell Hotel in Chattanooga ... with the newlyweds wearing a lovely red and white ensemble that complemented one another.

But get this -- Diamond originally told McMahon they were going to a "red and white" Christmas party ... but to her surprise, she was actually getting all dressed up to attend her own wedding!!

As for why he chose Chattanooga, DDP says that he and Payge reunited there after 6 years on December 9th, 2019 ... and that his time spent with her is the most amazing relationship he's ever had.

But don't worry, it wasn't a complete shock -- Payge knew DDP was hoping to marry her before the end of the year ... and she began to put two and two together once she saw her family at the hotel.

There's more -- after they got hitched, DDP revealed a room full of a hundred of their friends so they could all celebrate together.

Listen to this list of guests -- former wrestler Rob Van Dam and his wife Katie Van Dam, Big Cass, and Enzo Amore came through for the special occasion ... and you know they couldn't let the night pass without throwing up DDP's signature hand sign.

The WWE Hall of Famer looked genuinely happy in the pics taken by Rachael Crowe ... and he said that his daughter, Brittany Page, helped him pull off the surprise.

Joe Biden has just inserted himself into Aaron Rodgers' COVID vaccine drama ... with the President telling a Packers fan in Kentucky that he wants the QB to get vaxxed ASAP.

Biden made the quip while visiting tornado-ravaged parts of the Bluegrass State ... whispering to a woman in a Green Bay cap and shirt, "Tell that quarterback he's gotta get the vaccine."

Cameras caught the moment between the two ... showing the Packers fan and others around her laughing out loud at Biden's comment.

Of course, Rodgers has famously said he's not vaccinated ... telling Pat McAfee earlier this year he's actually allergic to the Pfizer and Moderna versions of the shots.

Rodgers also said he just flat-out doesn't want the Johnson & Johnson jab, claiming its reported side effects have made that not an option for him either.

Rodgers has been ripped by many for his stance ... with Howard Stern saying Rodgers should be booted from the NFL over it all.

Ex-Jacksonville Jaguar Josh Lambo says his time with Urban Meyer sucked ... claiming the head coach repeatedly bullied him and even got physical with him.

The team's former kicker made the allegations in a bombshell interview with the Tampa Bay Times -- saying Meyer not only was verbally abusive toward him during their time together, he also at one point kicked him.

Lambo says Meyer often called him "dips***" and "s***bag" ... and launched his boot into his leg during a practice back in August.

"I'm in a lunge position," Lambo said of the alleged physical incident with Meyer. "Left leg forward, right leg back ... Urban Meyer, while I'm in that stretch position, comes up to me and says, 'Hey dips***, make your f***ing kicks!' And kicks me in the leg."

While Lambo says Meyer could have kicked him harder ... he said the boot still hurt.

"It certainly wasn't as hard as he could've done it, but it certainly wasn't a love tap," Lambo said. "Truthfully, I'd register it as a five [out of 10]."

Lambo said he told the coach to never do that again while on the field ... and when he later brought it up to Meyer inside the team's facility, he claims the 57-year-old got aggressive.

"'If you ever speak to me like that again, you'll be out of here,'" Lambo said Meyer told him. "'You're the first player I've ever let speak to me that way in my career, and if you do it again, you're gone.'"

Lambo said he brought up the issue with his agent, who reported it to the Jaguars' legal counsel. The team says it made the counsel available to Lambo, but the kicker told the Times he has "no recollection of being able to speak with the Jags' legal team."

Lambo was eventually cut by Meyer in September.

For Meyer's part, the coach told the Times the kicking incident did not happen the way Lambo says it did ... saying, "Josh's characterization of me and this incident is completely inaccurate, and there are eyewitnesses to refute his account."

"I was fully supportive of Josh during his time with the team," Meyer added, "and wish him nothing but the best."

Colton Underwood says he would literally hide from his teammates in the locker room during his football playing days ... admitting he was terrified he would get turned on and be outed as gay.

29-year-old Underwood -- who played in the NFL from 2014-16 -- opened up about being in the closet throughout his athletic career in an interview with "Call Her Daddy" ... claiming he went through extreme measures to make sure no one knew about his sexuality.

"I wouldn't shower after practice because I was afraid of getting turned on in the locker room or in the shower," Colton told Alex Cooper.

"I never really was attracted to anybody who I played with, or coaches. So, it's sort of silly to even say that. But, I wanted to avoid any chance of being outed, so I would not shower with the rest of the team."

Instead, the former Bachelor star said he would change clothes in a corner or in a bathroom stall ... or just leave the locker room entirely.

"There was just a lot of things that I sort of did differently than other players because I felt like I had to, because I didn't want questions to start being asked."

The caution remained through college as well -- Colton says he'd even sleep through his own house parties out of fear of revealing his sexuality while drunk.

Colton says his excuse would be that he's too focused on his career to party ... which is also the same reason he said he was famously a virgin late into his 20s.

Damon Arnette -- who was cut by the Raiders after he recorded himself waving around firearms while threatening somebody -- has just been signed by the Dolphins.

The team announced the move Wednesday ... saying it's added Arnette to its practice squad just over one month after the Raiders released him.

The move is surprising -- because while Arnette, a former first-round pick, is talented, his off-field issues have certainly raised some concerns.

The 25-year-old defensive back has been hit with 2 lawsuits in the past year -- with one alleging he injured a woman during a car crash in 2020.

Of course, disturbing video of Arnette brandishing guns also surfaced in November -- and in the clip, the former Ohio State star can be heard making threats to somebody.

"I swear to God I will kill you, n****," Arnette says in the footage. "On everything I love, I will kill you, n****. You talking crazy."

Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said after releasing the corner that the video was "unacceptable."

"We can not stand the video of Damon with a gun threatening to take a life," Mayock told reporters at the time ... "The bottom line; the Raiders will not tolerate this type of behavior."

The NFLPA is going after the NFL ... saying the league's decision to take away daily COVID-19 testing for players has resulted in widespread outbreaks across the league.

"The NFL decided to take away a critical weapon in our fight against the transmission of COVID-19 despite our union's call for daily testing months ago," the PA said on social media.

"We're talking to our player leadership & to the NFL about potential changes to the protocols so that we can complete the season."

As of Wednesday, the league’s COVID reserve list skyrocketed to nearly 100 players -- including several big names like Odell Beckham Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and Browns QB Baker Mayfield.

Of course, that number is expected to grow over the next few weeks -- with the holidays approaching -- a scenario the NFLPA says the NFL could have avoided if they had just listened to them in the first place.

Back in September, JC Tretter -- NFLPA prez -- released a statement on the potential ramifications of not testing daily and what kind of issues that move could present for the league.

Well, now the PA's doubling down on Tretter's initial stance ... expressing disappointment over the league's decision to stop testing players daily.

NFL commish Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive Director Demaurice Smith haven't had the best relationship over the years ... so it'll be interesting to see how the NFL responds.

The PA did tweet they were in discussions with player leadership, as well as the NFL, about potential changes to the existing protocols.

The referee who was violently stabbed by a wrestler in the ring on Saturday actually agreed to take $75 to bleed during the match ... this according to cops.

A spokesperson for the Irving Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... officers spoke with the ref, Lando Deltoro, shortly after Devon Nicholson -- aka "Hannibal" -- repeatedly jammed an iron stake into his head at an independent wrestling event in Texas over the weekend.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told them he cut a deal with Nicholson prior to the match -- agreeing to dress up like a referee and then take hits to the head and gush blood in the squared circle.

The spokesperson says Deltoro told police, however, that the bit went too far ... and Nicholson actually ended up hurting him badly with the stake.

But, according to cops, Deltoro told them he did not want to press charges.

We also spoke to Deltoro on Wednesday, and he confirmed with us he was paid for the match, though he did not specify the amount. Deltoro also told us he did not agree to Nicholson's "extra" spiking.

As we previously reported, Deltoro suffered major head injuries as a result of the match, requiring sutures to close the open wounds in his head.

For his part, Nicholson says Deltoro gave him no indication during the match that he was being injured.

The top football recruit in the nation will be suiting up for Deion Sanders' Jackson State Tigers next season ... with Travis Hunter flipping from Florida State to play for the NFL legend's team.

The 5-star cornerback made the move official during national signing day at Collins Hill High in GA on Wednesday ... tossing hats from Georgia, Auburn and FSU -- the school he committed to in March 2020 -- and putting on a JSU Tigers cap!!

Of course, Sanders is a Seminoles legend ... and was rumored to be a candidate for FSU's head coaching spot after Willie Taggart was fired in 2019.

So yeah, this one's gotta sting in Tallahassee.

Hunter spoke about his decision to switch to Jackson State ... saying, "Jerry Rice, Doug Williams, and of course the legend, JSU's own Walter Payton -- Historically Black Colleges and Universities have a rich history in football."

"I want to be part of that history in football. I want to be part of that history, and more, I want to be part of that future."

Hunter says he hopes this move can show other high school recruits that playing for a HBCU isn't a bad thing and "may be everything you want and more."

"I look forward to working with the iconic Deion Sanders, and especially my fellow Tigers."

Of course, Coach Prime is hyped -- saying on Instagram, "When we stick together anything can happen."

Jake Paul says he's looking to fight Canelo Álvarez in three years ... explaining he believes he'll be ready to box the world champ in 2024.

"I think three years from now," Paul said, "us getting in the ring will A) be massive, and B) three years from now, my skill level will be good enough to make it a serious competition."

Paul initially told TMZ Sports he was looking for a fight with Canelo ... but in his talk with Graham Bensinger on the latest episode of "In Depth With Graham Bensinger," he said he's ready for it to happen in only a couple of years.

Paul says it just makes too much sense monetarily ... telling Bensinger, "This year, 2021, Canelo will be the No. 1 highest paid boxer. And I will be No. 2."

"So, what better fight than to put the No. 1 highest paid and the No. 2 highest paid against each other? Because that equals the biggest payday."

Of course, a year ago, there appeared to be no chance of a fight happening between the two ... with Canelo telling TMZ Sports he was NOT a fan of either Jake or Logan Paul in the ring.

But, when we got Canelo in September, he sang a little different tune ... saying "maybe" Jake and Logan ARE good for the sport after all.

Canelo would likely rough up Jake if the two fought now -- and perhaps things wouldn't be a whole lot different in a couple of years -- but the YouTube star still says he wants in on the action regardless.