TMZ Sports - Page 36

Felicity Huffman is finally speaking out about the college admissions scandal that landed her in prison, and she kinda sorta is still justifying what she did, in the name of her daughter's future.

Felicity sat with KABC's Marc Brown and explained she had hired a highly recommended college counselor coach Rick Singer for a year, trying to secure a spot at the college of her choice.

The actress says after a year, he gave her bad news ... she wasn't up to speed and would not get into any of the colleges. Felicity says Singer "slowly" rolled out a criminal scheme which she ultimately bought.

Felicity ended up paying Singer $15k to bribe a proctor into changing her daughter's wrong SAT answers. As for why, she says it felt like the only option to give her daughter a future.

At one point she says, "It was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law."

Huffman spoke of the FBI raid on her home ... "They came into my home, they woke my daughters up at gunpoint - again, nothing new to the Black and brown community - then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me."

She continued, "I asked if I could get dressed. I thought it was a hoax. I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I go "is this a joke?"

Huffman served 11 days for the crime.

Her daughter, Sophia, was not aware of her mom's shenanigans. Sophia is now studying drama at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

As for Felicity, she's now working with A New Way of Life, an org helping incarcerated women to re-enter society.

LeBron James is vowing not to miss Bronny's first college basketball game ... revealing he will skip his day job with the Lakers to watch his son play for USC if their schedules overlap.

The King spoke with reporters following L.A.'s 133-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday ... hours after it was announced his oldest son was cleared to return to hoops following his cardiac arrest in July.

LBJ said it's a "proud moment" for his entire family ... and he's so excited for 19-year-old Bronny, he's already let the team know he won't be available to play if his kid's debut falls on the same date as a Laker game.

"Looking forward to his first game," James told reporters. "Whenever he's cleared and whenever he's ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we're playing, then I'm going to have to catch them the next game."

LeBron's teammates jokingly let out groans after his comment ... but he made it clear the James Gang is his priority.

"Family over everything, champs. I love y'all. But, I definitely gotta see Bronny's first game whenever he's cleared and ready to go."

As we previously reported, Bronny will have a final evaluation with USC staffers and participate in practice next week ... and will make his first game appearance soon after.

The Lakers and USC have five potential scheduling conflicts over the next couple of weeks -- Dec. 28 and 30, and Jan. 3, 13, and 17.

The pregnant woman who Von Miller allegedly roughed up during a violent altercation on Wednesday told a 911 operator she was bloodied and bruised after the NFL star's attack.

In the call, the woman appeared a bit frazzled as she tried to explain to dispatch how Miller -- who she described as her boyfriend -- had put his hands on her just minutes earlier.

"My boyfriend was choking me," she said, "hitting me, pulling my hair."

She added, "I have bruises all over me, I have hair -- my hair's out."

When the operator asked if she needed paramedics ... she said "I don't know," before revealing she had "some blood on me."

In court documents, authorities say when officers arrived on the scene shortly after the call had been placed, the woman told them the confrontation had started after she and Miller got into an argument over weekend travel plans.

According to the docs, Miller became "visibly angry" with her ... and pushed and shoved her, before he put his hands on her neck. Authorities said the woman alleged that during the assault she told the football player, "Stop I'm pregnant."

Miller left the scene before cops arrived -- though a felony warrant for his arrest was later issued due to the allegations. On Thursday afternoon, he turned himself in to police and took a mug shot -- before he bonded out of jail.

The woman now, however, has apparently recanted her story ... with WFAA reporting late Thursday evening she said in a text message to their reporters, "Things were blown way out of context."

"No one assaulted anyone," she reportedly wrote in the message. "This is insane. And sad."

The Bills, who are currently on their bye week, said in a statement Thursday they were aware of the allegations against their star pass rusher and "are in the process of gathering more information."

Taylor Swift's publicist came out swinging against a celebrity gossip site, blasting rumors the pop superstar had secretly married her ex Joe Alwyn years ago.

Tree Paine, Taylor's longtime rep, posted a message on X Thursday night, slamming the shadowy Deuxmoi Instagram page, which often publishes unconfirmed reports about Hollywood's elite.

Paine wrote, "Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi. There was NEVER a marriage or ceremony of ANY kind."

She continued, "This is an insane thing to post. It’s time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these."

In a lengthy IG post, Deuxmoi claimed Taylor and Joe tied the knot in the UK in 2020 or 2021, but the marriage "was never made legal," citing multiple anonymous sources.

Deuxmoi rambled on, trying to convince readers the story was true while insisting, "I have no reason to lie."

As you know, Taylor called it quits with Joe in April after six years of dating. During their relationship, Joe was repeatedly asked if he was engaged to Taylor -- and the actor always sidestepped the question.

He once told WSJ magazine, "If I had a pound for every time I think I've been told I've been engaged, then I'd have a lot of pound coins."

Getting engaged could be on the horizon for Taylor. As anyone with a pulse knows, Taylor has been romantically linked to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce -- and the two seem to be in love.

Bam Margera is crossing a milestone in his sobriety, and thanking his girlfriend, the gym and skateboarding for helping him stay on the straight and narrow ... all while getting support from Mark Wahlberg.

The former 'Jackass' star tells TMZ … he's over 100 days sober and plenty busy with work and his fitness.

Right now he's in San Antonio working on a movie and developing new artwork for a clothing company. He is still working out daily with his GF Dannii and skating again ... aka the 3 key factors to his sobriety, according to Bam himself.

This week he was working out at a gym owned by Jarred Taylor, one of the founders of the Black Rifle Coffee Company ... who also once worked closely with Wahlberg on the 2013 war movie "Lone Survivor."

As you can see, Bam's working out in a gym covered in images from Mark's movies ... leading to the actor giving Bam a really cool shout-out.

TMZ obtained video of a message Bam sent to Mark, letting him know he was approaching 120 days sober ... and we also got Mark's video response.

Mark's congratulating Bam for his milestone and hoping to connect with him soon in Las Vegas. BTW, Mark's also talked about getting sober this year for health reasons, so they have that in common.

Bam tells us he met Mark a few times back in the day at awards shows and parties, and he's planning to take Wahlberg up on the offer.

BM says he recently got cleared to see his son, Phoenix, so he's planning to drive to California to see his kid, with a stop in Vegas on the way to chill with Mark.

Ronda Rousey isn't going to AEW, according to the former UFC superstar herself who tells us despite not being signed to WWE anymore, she's focused on being a mom, not arm barring women in the squared circle.

TMZ Sports ran into 36-year-old Rousey in Los Angeles earlier this week ... where we asked her about the rumors she could ink a deal to become All Elite.

"No, no, I don't think so," Ronda responded.

Why not?

Mommy duties! 👶

"Just trying to be home with the family, and be a full-time mom," Rousey answered.

Remember, Rousey parted ways with WWE in October -- after signing with the company in 2018 -- and since has wrestled for Ring of Honor (November 17). ROH is owned by AEW ... hence all the speculation.

But, RR, mother of a 2-year-old baby, La'akea, says it's not happening ... at least not now.

There's much more with the UFC Hall of Famer ... who before wrestling played a critical role in elevating women's MMA to a level once thought impossible.

Hubby Travis Browne's career wasn't too shabby, either ... he was a heavyweight contender who beat the likes of Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem.

We asked Ronda if she'd allow her and Travis' kids to follow in mom's (and dad's) footsteps and go into MMA, or professional wrestling.

3:15 PM -- Von Miller has turned himself in ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a spokesperson for the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, the Buffalo Bills star was booked at the Glenn Heights Police Department in Glenn Heights, Texas at around 4 PM CT on Thursday.

Von Miller has been accused of getting violent with a pregnant woman this week -- shoving her, pulling her hair, and putting his hands around her neck in a heated altercation.

The disturbing allegations are all spelled out in a felony warrant of arrest issued for the Buffalo Bills star on Wednesday.

In the documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, authorities say the confrontation initially began inside Miller's Dallas-area apartment at around 10:40 Wednesday morning ... when he and the woman argued over their weekend travel plans.

According to the docs, the woman grew upset during the spat, left the bedroom and walked into the home's office, slamming the door behind her ... which made Miller "visibly angry."

Officials say in the documents Miller then entered the room and demanded she leave the place. The woman, according to the docs, said she'd comply -- though she wanted to grab a laptop and some cell phones from the residence as "they were both cohabitants of the unit."

That's when Miller, however, allegedly turned things physical.

In the docs, officials say the victim alleged Miller walked up to her while she was getting her things and repeatedly shoved and pushed her.

"While the altercation was going on," officials wrote in the warrant, the woman "kept yelling 'Stop I'm pregnant.'"

But, the victim told authorities Miller eventually pushed her onto a chair -- before he used one hand to apply pressure to her neck "for 3 to 5 seconds before letting go." The woman told officials, according to the docs, that she felt pain, but did "not have difficulty breathing."

Miller then allegedly chucked the woman's laptop on the ground and stomped on it. Officials say the woman told them when she went to retrieve the electronic device, the NFL player then "pulled her by her hair, ultimately pulling a chunk of hair out and causing her to fall to the ground."

Officials in the docs say Miller later pushed her onto a couch and "placed pressure around her neck with both hands, again causing pain but no difficulty breathing."

"When [the woman] got up she stated to [Miller] she was going to call for police, resulting in [Miller] leaving the residence," officials said in the docs.

According to the warrant, when cops arrived on the scene, the woman -- who said she was six weeks pregnant -- had visible abrasions on her left hand, as well as bruising on her neck, abdomen and left bicep.

34-year-old Miller is now wanted on one felony charge of assault on a pregnant person -- though as of Thursday afternoon, he had yet to be formally arrested.

Miller -- a DeSoto, Texas native -- joined the Bills in 2022 after a successful run with the Denver Broncos and L.A. Rams ... and despite a good start with his new team in his first year, he's been largely ineffective this season returning from an ACL injury.

Buffalo is currently on its bye week.

Mikey Williams was all smiles leaving a San Diego County courtroom on Thursday ... 'cause he formally cut a sweet deal with prosecutors in his shooting case that will allow him to avoid jail time.

The 19-year-old Univ. of Memphis basketball commit had been facing multiple felony charges in the case -- including five counts of assault with a firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle -- after he was arrested in April for his alleged role in a shooting that went down outside his Jamul, Calif. home back on March 27.

However, following his pact with prosecutors on Thursday ... Williams pled guilty to just one single count of making criminal threats in order to close out the case.

According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, in exchange for the plea, Williams must attend Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, gun safety, and anger management classes ... as well as complete 80 hours of community service. If he does all of the above by his sentencing date on Aug. 12, 2024 -- and keeps his nose clean -- the charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor, and, perhaps more importantly, he'll stay out of a cell.

Video of Williams following Thursday's court proceedings showed the hooper was happy with the resolution in the case ... walking away from the courthouse with a grin on his face.

"I feel good," Williams said on camera. "All glory to God."

Deputy District Attorney George Modlin told reporters, meanwhile, he, too, was happy with the results of Thursday's plea deal.

"Cases are individually looked at," Modlin said. "There is no rubber stamp for any type of case, but when we looked into the details of Mr. Williams' age, lack of criminal record, everything that took place that night, both sides got together and worked really hard and came up with a resolution that we both believed creates justice for Mr. Williams and the community, keeps the community safe and creates the proper safeguards."

Jake Paul wanted to make his Tyron Woodley fight in 2021 extra "Cleveland" by having Kid Cudi perform at the big event in his hometown ... but he says there was just one issue that kept it from happening -- the rapper's "astronomical" asking price.

The Problem Child revealed his failed plans during his "BS With Jake Paul" podcast this week ... when his conversation with guest Rich Paul led to the fellow Northeast Ohio native.

Jake brought up how he personally thinks Cudder doesn't have much Cleveland pride ... which is pretty uncommon for anyone from the area.

The boxer used one of his own experiences to back his stance ... saying, "I tried to get him to perform at the Tyron Woodley fight just before I came out [to the ring], and he asked for like, an astronomical fee that was like, 'F*** you.'"

Jake explained while he understands people have their price, he thought the moment would have meant much more to the city than any check he could write out to Cudi.

"I get it, but it's like, this was like some s*** to tap in back with the city. Like, first event back from Covid."

Jake's cohost, Jasper, defended Cudi ... saying if the roles were reversed, the YouTube superstar would charge his usual appearance fee, too.

But, Jake says that's simply not true ... claiming he always gives a hometown discount to anyone from the area -- even doing some things pro bono.

T.I. stood on business with all ten toes after a club attempted to capitalize off his viral spat with his son, King ... letting the owners of the establishment know he came to shut the party down!!!

Tip and King had been previously scheduled to appear at Atlanta's Elleven45 Lounge for its "R&B Wednesdays" but just one day before the event, the rapper learned a flyer to promote the event included a photoshopped image of Tip holding King in a headlock.

The image was meant to poke fun at King flipping out on his parents during Sunday's Atlanta Falcons game inside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium suites over claims he grew up more rugged than he actually did.

T.I. confronted everyone at Elleven45 Lounge, letting them know it wasn't cool, and threatened the whole appearance would be cut unless things changed.

In his outrage, Tip stated the city of Atlanta was still his -- and regardless if the club honchos were homegrown or outsiders, they'd abide by his rules!!!

Turns out, Tips' fury worked ... because the club promoter changed the flyer and the event went on as planned Wednesday.

T.I., King and Domani all pulled up to the event, and all looked to be well with the fam bam.

Ex-Chicago Blackhawks player Corey Perry is breaking his silence ... apologizing for his actions and adamantly denying the reason he got kicked off the team had anything to do with Connor Bedard's mother.

The 38-year-old Canadian had his contract terminated earlier this week ... after the team said he violated the Blackhawks' internal policies over "conduct that is unacceptable."

The move came days after folks on social media spread a rumor that Perry hooked up with Bedard's mom, Melanie ... and the chatter got so loud, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson had to address the "wildly inaccurate" and "disgusting" claims.

Now, Perry is also speaking out on the situation ... and he, too, is confronting the false narrative head-on.

"As a result of my actions, there has been speculation and rumors," Perry said in a statement. "I am sickened by the impact this has had on others, and I want to make it clear that in no way did this situation involve any of my teammates or their families."

"Most importantly, I want to directly apologize to those who have been negatively affected and I am sorry for the additional impact to others it has created. My behavior was inappropriate and wrong."

While details surrounding the specific incident have not been disclosed, Perry was reportedly involved in an "alcohol-infused incident" with team staffers and corporate sponsors prior to getting cut.

Perry said he is now seeking mental health and alcohol treatment ... in hopes he doesn't repeat his actions moving forward.

"I hope to regain the trust and respect of everyone who has believed in me throughout my career," he added.

Taylor Swift has officially returned the favor to Beyoncé ... showing face at Queen Bey's "Renaissance" movie premiere in London.

The pop star was all glamor, with a glittering strapless gown, wavy hair and red lipstick ... hitting the carpet before Beyoncé arrived.

Of course, when she showed up, Queen Bey had fans in a frenzy ... wearing a sparkling black dress -- she also had 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy by her side.

Tay and B made the most of their night out in the British capital ... posing for professional red carpet snaps, Taylor also took selfies with die-hard fans.

The "Karma" singer was clearly thrilled to be at the event, proving that even though her relationship with BF Travis Kelce was gaining momentum ... she was willing to ditch him in Kansas City to champion her pal on her big night.

It was only a few weeks ago when Beyoncé showed up to Taylor's "Eras" tour movie premiere in Los Angeles ... so there was a big suspicion Taylor would do the same.

Bronny James has been given the green light to resume his athletic career -- medical officials have cleared the USC freshman to play basketball again ... just four months after suffering cardiac arrest during a workout.

A rep for LeBron James' family shared the great news on Thursday ... saying the 19-year-old hooper will have a final evaluation with USC staffers in the coming days before joining his teammates at practice next week.

The statement added once Bronny gets some practices under his belt, he will suit up for the Trojans "soon after."

"The James family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible medical team, the entire USC community, and especially the countless friends, family, and fans for their love and support," the statement said. "Fight On!"

Bronny was sidelined for USC's first seven games of the 2023-24 season ... with the team going 5-2 in his absence.

The Trojans play Gonzaga on Saturday, which means they'll have at least one more game without #6. Based on the statement, it sounds like Bronny could make his debut either December 10 against Long Beach State ... or a week later against Auburn.

TMZ Sports broke the story -- Bronny collapsed on the court during a workout on campus on July 24. It was later determined he had "an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect," which caused the cardiac arrest.

1:28 PM -- Melvin Townsend's attorney, Jake Jondle, tells TMZ Sports his client has been dealing with a myriad of injuries since the Mike Tyson attack ... including a concussion, cervical radiculopathy, and impaired vision.

"Not only is the evidence clear that Mr. Tyson committed the intentional torts of assault and battery, but he also acted recklessly and negligently," Jondle said in a statement to us Thursday.

"Additionally, Mr. Tyson admitted on national television to attacking Mr. Townsend and never once claimed a legal justification for his actions, such as self-defense. He admitted he should not have attacked Mr. Townsend. Being irritated by a fan is not a legal defense to any of Mr. Townsend's claims."

Jondle added that his letter this week to Alex Spiro was sent as simply an effort to "engage in good-faith settlement discussions to attempt to resolve this claim prior to filing a lawsuit."

The man who Mike Tyson pummeled during a wild fight on a plane last year is now demanding the boxer pay him nearly half a million dollars to avoid a future lawsuit over the altercation.

But, the boxing legend's attorney, Alex Spiro, is adamant the whole thing is "a shakedown" attempt ... and insists absolutely no payment will be forthcoming.

A lawyer for Melvin Townsend -- the punch victim -- made the demands clear in a pre-litigation letter sent to Spiro earlier this week, according to the New York Post.

In the document, the lawyer -- Jake Jondle -- said Tyson could have used other remedies to diffuse the situation on the April 2022 JetBlue flight ... but instead "he chose physical violence" and "viciously assaulted" Townsend.

Jondle explained as a result of the attack, Townsend sustained a "severe headache" as well as neck pain ... and "is still suffering with the effects of the assault to this day."

Jondle wrote in the document that $450,000 from Tyson would help Townsend cover his legal bills ... as well as any future treatment Townsend would require.

According to Spiro, however, no such check will be written.

"I have received a shakedown letter related to some instigator's harassment of Mike a year ago and the aftermath," Spiro said in a statement. "There will be no shakedown payment."

Reps for Tyson had previously told TMZ Sports the entire incident happened because Townsend threw a water bottle at the former pugilist and annoyed him repeatedly. Tyson himself later said on his "Hotboxin" podcast that Townsend "was f***ing with me" prior to the incident.

For Townsend's part, Jondle said in his letter this week his client was simply "excited to see [Tyson] on the flight, began discussing the marijuana industry and psychedelic mushrooms with him, and Mr. Tyson became annoyed" and attacked.

Tyson's been in the clear criminally, meanwhile, for over a year ... as prosecutors declined to file charges against the ex-fighter in May 2022.

The University of Minnesota Duluth community is devastated over the sudden death of football player Reed Ryan ... and TMZ Sports has learned the athletic department will honor the 22-year-old this weekend with ribbons, decals, and a moment of silence.

As we previously reported, Ryan -- a defensive end for the Bulldogs -- passed away Tuesday after collapsing during a workout earlier this month.

To honor his memory, we're told all Bulldogs sports teams will pay tribute this weekend ... starting with a moment of silence for Reed before their home games.

The volleyball team will wear ribbons with his jersey number, 99, when they play Wayne State College in the NCAA II Central Regional tournament game on Thursday.

We're also told that the hockey team may wear #99 decals.

"It’s on the minds of every staff member and student-athlete right now," a UMD Athletics spokesperson told us, "and the tributes will be on going through their seasons."

The redshirt senior joined the Bulldogs this season and had eight total tackles and one sack. Before UMD, he played four seasons at the North Dakota State University ... who gave him a full scholarship out of Waunakee High School.

Reed was a double major in professional sales and marketing.

TMZ Sports has learned an arrest warrant has been issued for NFL superstar Von Miller ... after he allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman.

According to a spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department ... the warrant stems from an incident involving Miller and a woman on Nov. 29 at around 11 AM.

Cops say they responded to a Dallas-area residence over "a major disturbance call" ... and officers were told there was "a verbal argument" between Miller and a woman that turned physical.

Cops say Miller left the scene before officers arrived -- and the woman "was treated for minor injuries," but was not taken to the hospital.

As of early Thursday morning, the 34-year-old Buffalo Bills pass rusher had not been jailed.

Miller's team released a statement on the matter, saying, "This morning, we were made aware of an incident involving Von Miller. We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment at this point."

The NFL, meanwhile, said in a statement of its own, "We are aware of the matter and have been in contact with the club. We have no further comment at this time."

Miller, who's from DeSoto, Texas, is currently on a bye week. He last played for Buffalo on Sunday in Philadelphia, logging 21 snaps in an overtime loss to the Eagles.

Miller initially began his career in 2011 with the Broncos and put together a Hall of Fame resume for the Denver franchise -- but he was traded to the Rams during the 2021 season.

After helping L.A. win a Super Bowl that season, he moved on to Buffalo in 2022 ... and while his Bills career got off to a solid start, he's largely been ineffective since tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving last season.

In his career, Miller -- the Super Bowl 50 MVP -- has totaled 123.5 sacks in 169 games.