TMZ Sports - Page 42

If you thought Frank Gore and Deron Williams were just gonna spar for a few rounds on Saturday, think again -- the NFL star tells TMZ Sports he's gunning to put a hurt on the ex-NBAer ... and come away with the win!!

Frank and Deron will both be making their boxing debuts on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II undercard in Tampa ... and with just over 24 hours to go, we asked Gore what he's expecting in the fight.

"I wanna look good, man," he tells us. "I wanna show everybody whatever you put your head to, you can do it."

"I'm going for the W. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win. If the knockout come, it will come. I wanna show everybody that I got skills."

BTW -- Frank and Deron weighed in on Friday ... and they both looked GOOD. Since Gore's been training like crazy, we had to ask if this was just a one-time thing, or if we'll see him in the ring for years to come.

"If I have a good time and feel like I want to do it again, I'll do it," he said. "I'm very happy about my decision to take this fight."

Gore admits he's a bit nervous as he gets closer to stepping in the ring ... but he's looking forward to showing the world what he's got.

Baker Mayfield is getting his wish -- Cleveland's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday has been pushed back 'til Monday ... after a crap ton of Browns players tested positive for COVID-19.

The league had been dragging its feet all week ... insisting it would NOT move the schedule around -- even with Baker, head coach Kevin Stefanski and a constantly growing list of players getting added to the COVID-19/reserve list.

But, with safety -- and quality of play -- becoming an even bigger issue if the Browns and Raiders took the field as planned, Roger Goodell made the decision to have the game go down on Monday.

There's more -- the Seahawks and Rams game is potentially moving to Tuesday ... and the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles' matchup could be moved as well.

As we previously reported, Mayfield was pissed with the league's handling of the COVID-19 outbreaks this week ... saying, "Make up your damn mind on protocols."

Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump says evidence shows ex-NFL defensive lineman Glenn Foster was choked before he died in police custody earlier this month.

The renowned lawyer made the claim in a statement Friday ... saying an independent autopsy revealed that Foster's body showed "some evidence of neck compressions and strangulation."

Crump said he and medical experts believe it all reveals that Foster did not die of "natural causes" on Dec. 6 ... just two days after he was arrested in Alabama on Dec. 4.

"As we continue to investigate the case," Crump said, "we are learning that Mr. Foster's death in Pickens County appears to be part of a disturbing trend of Black men dying while in the custody of the Pickens County Sheriff's Office."

"Keeping people in your custody alive is literally the lowest bar we can set for a law enforcement agency," Crump added, "and is something that the Pickens County Sheriff's Office failed to do."

"Pickens County owes the family the truth relating to Mr. Foster's tragic death."

Law enforcement officials have been mum about the details surrounding Foster's passing ... with reps from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency only saying that Foster did, in fact, die while in police custody.

"Nothing further is available as the investigation is ongoing," officials said in a statement the day after Foster's death.

We've reached out to the ALEA for comment on Crump's claims ... but so far, no word back yet.

Foster -- who signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and played two seasons for the team -- was just 31 years old.

Brittany Matthews finally wasn't the only one going crazy after a Chiefs win ... 'cause her BFF and Travis Kelce's GF, Kayla Nicole, joined her for the wild celebration -- with the two losing their minds following K.C.'s walk-off dub!

Patrick Mahomes' fiancee filmed it all on Thursday night ... showing the two WAGs going absolutely insane after the star QB and Kelce came back to beat the Chargers in overtime in L.A.

Check out the footage ... after Kelce caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes in the extra period to win the game 34-28, Matthews and Nicole completely lost it.

The two were up in a suite dancing and screaming their heads off -- with Matthews yelling loudly, "Let's goooooo!!!!"

At one point, Matthews turned to Nicole and asked, "How does it feel to be dating the best tight end in the league?!"

Nicole's response? Nothing but pure joy!

"Travis Michael Kelce just had the best game of his career ladies and gentleman," Nicole said. "Period!!!"

The Chiefs are now the No. 1 seed in the AFC ... and are pretty much a lock to make the playoffs.

The Everton soccer club is condemning a group of fans -- their OWN fans -- after chanting an anti-gay slur at an opposing player ... with team brass calling it "unacceptable."

The offensive phrase, "Chelsea Rent Boy," was chanted during Everton's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the UK on Thursday.

FYI, "rent boy" is British slang for young male prostitutes who have sex with men.

The Everton F.C. was immediately called out by an LGBT+ support group, Rainbow Toffees -- who says they've spoken with the soccer club about their ill-mannered fans on several occasions.

"It's wrong, it's homophobic & needs to stop," the group said.

"We have brought this up with the club in the past & will be bringing it up again."

The Liverpool-based team replied with a statement, saying ... "Everton condemns the homophobic chanting directed at a Chelsea player this evening at Stamford Bridge.'

"Such behavior is unacceptable and does not represent the values of our club or our wider fanbase."

Everton added, "Through our 'All Together Now' campaign we promote and celebrate the diversity and inclusivity within our club, our game and our community. We expect fans to reflect those values by refraining from any discriminatory chanting in the future."

Tiger Woods appears to be fully back ... the golf legend hit the range Friday with his son, Charlie, and seemed to have no limitations as he gears up for his first tourney since his crash.

The two Woods' smacked balls for around 20 minutes in preparation for Friday's pro-am as well as Saturday's PNC Championship ... and Dad was showing no signs that he had just suffered a significant injury back in February.

Tiger hit both his irons and his woods with ease ... with the ball jumping off of his clubs on every swing.

Of course, Tiger was also in coach mode -- watching Charlie's swing intently in between his own hacks.

Woods and Charlie then teed it up for their pro-am round -- and Tiger looked good there too, blasting his driver around 280 yards.

Tiger and Charlie are slated to tee off at the big event in Orlando, Fla. on Saturday afternoon -- and it'll officially mark the first time Tiger has participated in a tournament since he mangled his leg in a February car crash in Los Angeles.

Woods has said he'll be very picky with his events from here -- vowing to never be a full-time golfer again -- but ya gotta imagine if things go well this weekend, The Masters in April 2022 is not out of the question.

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is crushing it on AND off the court -- the baller proposed to his college sweetheart, Shelby Miller ... and she said "YES!!"

The couple announced the engagement on social media in a romantic post on Thursday ... with Trae saying, "What a night💫#FutureMrsYoung💍."

In the pics, you can see Trae got down on one knee to pop the big question ... and let's just say the dude lived up to his nickname, "Ice Trae" ... 'cause that ring is HUGE!!!

Miller was visibly happy about it all, as the two hugged and embraced. She also commented on Trae's post ... saying, "Forever Young."

Young and Miller have been together since 2017 ... so news of the engagement isn't too much of a surprise.

The lovebirds met in college at the University of Oklahoma -- as it turns out, Miller was a member of the Sooners cheerleading squad, while Young was lighting it up on the court.

23-year-old Young has been ballin' this season as well, putting up MVP-like numbers ... so yeah, he's winning all around.

Adele and Rich Paul couldn't keep their hands off each other at the Chargers vs. Chiefs game on Thursday ... cuddling up in a suite and hanging with Jay-Z and Maverick Carter.

The Grammy-winning crooner and sports mega-agent were spotted on cam during the second quarter of Thursday Night Football ... and the couple was in full PDA mode as Hov and LeBron James' business partner sat right next to them.

Speaking of Bron, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar seemed to have some serious FOMO as his two closest friends hung out with the big musicians -- posting a playful response to a pic of the suitemates on Twitter.

"Who the heck are Jay-Z and Adele’s +1s????" King James tweeted.

It's gotta be a bummer James had to miss out on the fun -- he's always been a HUGE Hov fan and loves to catch a football game from time to time.

But, with the Lakers facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, it makes sense why he had to sit this one out.

Adele and Rich have been inseparable since going public earlier this year -- hitting up parties, sporting events and everything else together.

Remember, Hov helps put together the Super Bowl halftime show ... so maybe Adele is up next for SB57 in Arizona??

One of the victims from O.J. Simpson's Las Vegas armed robbery -- which landed him in prison -- says he has no problems with Simpson finally getting loose earlier than expected, 'cause life moves on.

Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia dealer, tells TMZ ... he's already forgiven O.J. for the incident, and it does no good to dwell on the past -- even though he also says the robbery nearly destroyed his life.

As we reported, Simpson is a completely free man now that his parole ended earlier than expected. Simpson was on parole after serving 9 years behind bars for his 2008 conviction in the armed robbery case.

Remember, he was found guilty of leading a group of men into a Vegas hotel room in 2007 to steal memorabilia from people -- including Bruce -- who he claimed had stolen from him.

Bruce really means it when he says he's forgiven Simpson ... telling us they still do some memorabilia shows together and see each other on golf courses.

Not everyone feels that way -- the sister of his slain ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, hopes Simpson is shunned by Hollywood types.

Andrés Meléndez -- a catcher prospect in the Cleveland Guardians' minor league system -- died on Thursday in Florida ... the team announced.

He was only 20 years old.

The Guardians did not reveal a cause of death ... but said the passing was "sudden."

"The Cleveland Guardians are saddened to share Andrés Meléndez passed away suddenly this afternoon," the team said in a statement Thursday night. "Meléndez is remembered by his teammates and friends as a positive, respectful and thoughtful young man with a beautiful smile who had a profound impact on others."

"He will be greatly missed."

Meléndez initially signed with the Milwaukee Brewers' organization as an international free agent in 2017 ... but was later traded to the Guardians in 2019.

In his first season at the Low-A level of the minor leagues this year, Meléndez hit 8 home runs and batted .247 -- and was just beginning to gain notoriety with the Guardians' affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats.

"We join the Cleveland Guardians in mourning the untimely loss of Andrés Meléndez, a former player in the Brewers organization," the Milwaukee Brewers said in a statement Thursday night, "and offer the friends, family and teammates of Andrés our heartfelt condolences during this difficult time."

Meléndez's Hillcats teammate, pitcher Josh Wolf, mourned the loss shortly after the tragic news was announced ... saying the catcher was "always bringing positive energy to the field and locker room."

"He was a fantastic teammate and an even better person," Wolf added. "Love you Andres."

Three UCLA rugby players were arrested early Thursday morning in Santa Monica after police say they went on a drunken, destruction rampage ... knocking down trees in a popular tourist area.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Santa Monica police were dispatched to the famed 3rd Street Promenade just after midnight ... to confront a group of males who were allegedly causing havoc, doing some unauthorized gardening, breaking holiday decorations, and screwing with a fence owned by a local business.

When cops arrived, they detained 5 men while they located surveillance video.

After watching the tape, which cops tell us captured the vandalism, all five males were arrested.

Three of those men -- listed below -- are currently seniors on the UCLA rugby squad.

- Mark Sapper, 21-year-old, 5'10", 200 lbs.
- Shane Barry, 21-year-old, 5'11", 180 lbs.
- Aiden Metzner, 22-year-old, 6'7", 230 lbs.

All 5 men, including the 3 current athletes, were hit with the same charge ... felony vandalism. Police note the men were cooperative.

If ultimately convicted, the guys face up to 1 year in county jail and/or a $10,000 fine.

The rugby season is currently in full swing ... and the team is a perfect 3-0.

The NFL just announced drastic changes to its COVID-19 protocols ... eliminating in-person meals and requiring more masks as cases surge across the league.

Officials announced the moves in a memo to teams on Thursday ... placing tighter restrictions on coaches and players in order to "address the increase in cases and the advent of the Omicron variant."

In addition to more masking and no more face-to-face meals ... the league is also ordering teams to conduct remote or outdoor meetings, as well as ban outside visitors on road trips.

"We will continue to strongly encourage booster shots as the most effective protection," the league added in its memo.

NFL officials also said they are looking into adjusting "return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19" -- potentially opening the door for players to see the field sooner following a positive COVID test.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of the NFL seeing teams lose some of their biggest stars due to the virus -- with players like Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield having all been sidelined this week due to positive tests.

The NFL contends that the changes it's proposing are grounded in data and backed by science, and that the safety of its players, coaches, personnel, and entire NFL community is the No. 1 goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez just announced the genders of their unborn twins ... and they're having a boy and a girl!!!

The international soccer superstar posted a video sharing the news to his Instagram followers on Thursday ... with the caption, "Where life begins and love never ends ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #blessed."

As we reported, Ronaldo and Rodriguez revealed back in October they were expecting twins ... showing images of the sonogram from their bed, as they lay cozied up.

This time, the Manchester United Striker got a bit of an assist -- Ronaldo recruited his kids to help with the reveal ... and you can tell they really got a kick out of it.

Check out the video, you can hear Georgina counting in Spanish, "Uno! Dos!" then boom -- the kids popped the balloons which had been filled with blue and pink confetti.

Of course, Ronaldo is no stranger to parenthood ... but despite already having a big family, Cristiano has gone on the record saying he wants as many as 7 children one day.

The twins' arrival will make babies #5 and #6 for Ronaldo, so he's not too far off from his goal.

Carson Wentz just made sure his O-linemen won't go hungry (or thirsty) for Christmas ... 'cause he just gave them all a grip of meat, booze and coolers ahead of the holiday!!

Colts guard, Quenton Nelson, and tackle, Matt Pryor, showed off the goodies on social media on Thursday ... revealing their quarterback dropped off the presents right in their lockers this week.

In total, the gift baskets for the big fellas included two Yeti coolers, a Yeti water bottle, bourbon and some meats from "The Wagyu Shop."

No word on the final price tag of it all, but since Wentz has made over $100 MILLION in his career, we're pretty sure none of it was cheap.

As for the guys' reaction to the presents, both Nelson and Pryor seemed pumped for the early X-mas gifts ... thanking the QB in their comments.

Urban Meyer is barely out of the door in Jacksonville, but Jaguars legend Jimmy Smith tells TMZ Sports he already knows who should replace him -- Byron Leftwich!

The former NFL star said Thursday just hours after Meyer was canned that he thinks the ex-Jags quarterback is now the right man for the vacant head coaching job in Jacksonville.

"When I think about our next coach," Smith said, "that's the guy."

Smith says his reasoning is simple -- he believes the next coach of the Jaguars has to have love for the franchise as well as previous ties to it, which Leftwich obviously has.

And, given Leftwich's coach resume -- which includes time as Tom Brady's offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay the last two years -- Smith says it should be a no-brainer hire.

"That's a guy that, at this stage right now that we're in as far as the franchise, you need a guy who's going to love the city and love the fans and love the franchise," said Smith, who actually caught passes from Leftwich during their careers as Jaguars.

"I can't think of a guy better than Byron Leftwich."

If Leftwich should turn down the job -- which Smith says could be a possibility -- he told us he wouldn't be opposed to seeing Vikings wide receivers coach and former Jaguars legend, Keenan McCardell, getting a look for the gig as well.

Jake Paul just got an incredibly expensive early Christmas gift -- a $500k championship belt decked out with a Rolex, Cartier watch and a Birkin bag attached to it!!!

The Problem Child showed off the "Most Valuable Boxer" belt at his presser with Tyron Woodley on Thursday -- saying it's a one-of-a-kind and designed by artist Alec Monopoly.

It came out lookin' like money -- literally -- the thing has two wildly valuable watches sewn into the strap of the belt on one side.

The Hermes Birkin bag -- which comes with a starting price of around $40k -- is stitched in on the other strap.

Altogether, Jake says the piece cost $500k.

"Thanks to the kind-hearted CEO of @mostvaluablepromotions for the belt," Paul said, "It’s hand-painted by one of the greatest artists of our generation."

There's more -- Jake and Tyron went at it at the presser Thursday ... with the YouTube superstar coming close to saying he was going to eat Woodley's ass.

The UFC champ added he's gonna earn the $500k knockout bonus in the fight ... and then invest it all into cryptocurrency.

Jake -- and his belt -- will be facing off against Woodley on Saturday.