TMZ Sports - Page 50

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.

Jackson Mahomes just got burnt to a crisp by a local bar in Kansas City ... being called an entitled, egotistic clout chaser who didn't earn his popularity after the Chiefs QB's brother blasted the establishment on social media.

The TikTokker went off on the SoT cocktail bar this week ... claiming he had awful service at the place while asking his 255k followers if they had similar experiences.

Word got back to SoT, which released an Ether-esque diss on Mahomes via its official Facebook page.

The whole thing is wild, but here are some notable lines:

"We are sorry that we set boundaries that you tried to ignore," the bar said. "Often times people with un-earned status and a sense of entitlement think they are above the rules and will lash out at the employee enforcing them."

That's one of the more tame burns.

"We survived a global pandemic, we’ll survive your ego," the bar continued ... going on to mention Jackson's recent controversies -- pouring water on Ravens fans and dancing on Sean Taylor's tribute in Washington.

"We are sorry you didn’t reach out to us first before taking to social media, but then again that is an expectation we would have from a mature and rational person, not someone who pours water on fans and dances on the memorials of tragically lost people for TikTok clout."

"We have not been fortunate enough to be born into a much more talented and much more famous family but we would like to think that if we did have that much luck- we would use our influence in more responsible ways."

"We hope our apology finds you well."

Sheesh!!!

Safe to say Jackson -- or the rest of the Mahomeses -- won't be back in a while.

We've reached out to Jackson and the bar for comment ... so far, no word back.

Peloton's most famous instructor is weighing in on all the drama with the "Sex and The City" reboot -- dissing the show's fashion, floating a Kim Cattrall theory and ripping Sarah Jessica Parker's response to Big's heart attack.

Cody Rigsby, the Peloton instructor fresh off his season of "Dancing With The Stars," took time out of his class to address the death on "And Just Like That ..." and all the fallout.

While responding to a user question about Peloton's involvement in the huge plot twist ... Cody went on the offensive ... saying Kim's character, Samantha, isn't on the reboot because the fashion looks aren't up to par.

As we reported ... Peloton stock took a hit after "And Just Like That" premiered ... possibly because of the scene where Big dies after riding the popular exercise bike.

Peloton then recruited Ryan Reynolds and Big actor Chris Noth for a funny spoof ad ... and now Cody says he's proud of Peloton for "responding quicker than Carrie could."

Cody usually has a part in his class where he changes his cycling shoes to tennis shoes and says he's in "Carrie Bradshaw's closet" ... but he made it clear that bit is getting the ax.

Deion Sanders says Jackson State absolutely did not pay top recruit Travis Hunter to come to the school ... explaining Thursday, "We ain't got no money!"

After Prime flipped the H.S. baller from his Florida State commitment to JSU on Signing Day on Wednesday ... rumors began swirling that JSU had unloaded cash in the forms of NIL deals to get him to sign on the dotted line.

In fact, there was internet chatter that there was some kind of agreement with the nation's #1 overall recruit that involved more than $1 million.

But, Deion shot all of that down when talking with Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson and Jay Williams on Thursday ... saying there was no money involved in getting Hunter to JSU.

"We didn't pay," Sanders said. "We ain't got no money! We ain't got no money! A million and a half? I heard a million and a half. And I heard Dave Portnoy over at Barstool -- that's the biggest lie I've ever heard."

"You know what that is?" the Tigers head coach continued. "That means we kicked your butt, we took what was ours. And now, you got to make up an excuse why."

"Ain't nobody giving out a million and a half. I wouldn't pay my son a million and a half! How am I going to coach a guy that's making more than me?!"

As for how Sanders says he actually got Hunter to flip to his program -- Prime told the guys he guaranteed Hunter that he'd play both ways, and he also said a visit to JSU for its homecoming game earlier this year was what really sealed the deal for the teenager.

Hunter is expected to suit up for JSU next fall ... and it ain't hard to see Deion is pumped to watch that all go down.

Meek Mill and Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin treated 26 kids to the experience of a lifetime ... playing hoops with the youngins before Wednesday night's Sixers vs. Heat game!!

The event was put together by the Reform Alliance -- a criminal justice reform campaign that advocates to change probation and parole laws -- which was founded with Jay-Z, Robert Kraft, and Clara Wu Tsai, among others, in 2019.

Kids at the event received a ton of cool items ... such as custom uniforms, which they got to sport in a star-studded basketball game right on the 76ers home court.

That wasn't all ... the kids also got to watch the team's shootaround, have a Q&A session with Philly's head coach, Doc Rivers, and receive basketballs and gear from Rubin's Fanatics apparel brand.

The VIP list of guests in attendance to support the youngsters included rapper Lil Baby and TikTok stars Charlie and Dixie D'Amelio.

Of course, everyone stayed to watch the game with their families -- the kids took in the NBA action in style as they were treated to some pretty dope courtside seats ... with some getting to watch the game in a suite.

Unfortunately, Miami defeated Philly 101-96 ... but if the kids remember nothing else, it'll be the VIP experience they received compliments of the Philly native and Rubin.

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.