TMZ Sports - Page 50

2:52 PM PT -- Tom Sandoval just addressed the backlash he's been getting for his remarks about George Floyd and O.J. Simpson ... and he's apologizing, while also clearing the air.

He writes, "My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed."

Tom Sandoval apparently thinks his cheating scandal last year was comparable to huge moments in pop culture ... like George Floyd's death, or the O.J. Simpson murder case.

The "Vanderpump Rules" reality star made the stunning comparison in a new New York Times profile -- where he was asked why he thought the so-called Scandoval got as big as it did in 2023 ... when he was revealed to have cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix.

While Scandoval was definitely a major moment ... TS seems to think it transcended things to the point that it elevated to a George Floyd moment, or an O.J. one. Yes, seriously.

Here's what he said ... "I’m not a pop-culture historian really but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?"

The writer of this piece tries to lend him some grace, saying ... "I think I knew what he meant. He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective."

There was another wild quote in this interview, where he likens himself to a now-disgraced "That 70's Show" star who's in prison. Tom says, "I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist."

There's another telling moment in the interview ... where Tom explains his rationale for cheating on Ariana with Rachel Leviss. He's pretty blunt about it and straightforward too.

Tom says, "I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life. I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real." Tom apparently got up and went up to his room after this to get ready to go out.

His PR assistant is also quoted as saying ...  "Sometimes he says too much."

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Two adults who've been linked to the Kansas City mass shooting are now facing murder charges and other serious counts ... something just announced by KC prosecutors.

Lyndell Mays and Dominic Miller were both hit with 2nd-degree murder charges Tuesday ... and they're also up against armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon charges on top of that. These guys are different than the two teens who were charged last week.

It's a stunning development, as we're just now learning about the fact that cops even had these two men in their custody. Last we heard ... they only had 3 people detained, including two juveniles.

Now, however ... we know there are at least 4 people total at this point being implicated in this crime. Prosecutors say they're not releasing mug shots yet 'cause these 2 men are still recovering in the hospital.

Prosecutors went on to say that there might be other people arrested and charged in the case -- but for now, they're starting here. They note that the 2 juveniles are being prosecuted by a different court ... and their identities will not be released since they're underage.

It's unclear how old the two adult men are -- and it's also unclear when these two guys came onto the cops' radar. But something interesting officials noted is that these two dueling factions -- remember, they say this all started with an argument -- did not know each other.

Prosecutors note evidence suggests this heated exchange led to a firearm being drawn by Mays ... which then led to others pulling their firearms almost immediately afterward, including one by Miller. After the shots rang out -- prosecutors say Miller's weapon ended up being the one that hit Lisa Lopez-Galvan ... although they're pinning her murder on both guys.

TMZ broke the story ... there were teenagers caught on camera on the scene Wednesday just before shots rang out -- and eyewitnesses tell us they believe they were involved.

While our eyewitnesses say they never saw any of the teens open fire ... they claim the person or persons they were facing off with, off-camera, did unload the first shots.

Kansas City officials say the investigation is still ongoing, and that they intend to hold everyone who participated in the tragedy responsible. At the moment, this is where they're at.

The coin that helped determine the fate of Super Bowl LVIII can now be all yours ... 'cause the NFL has just put the one-of-a-kind piece up for auction!!

There are currently 19 bids for the relic ... with the highest being for $10,000 -- but given how historic the item is, it's expected it will go for far more when the gavel finally comes down in March.

It, of course, was used by Fred Warner and Patrick Mahomes to figure out which team would start overtime with the ball during the 49ers game against the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium back on Feb. 11.

San Francisco ultimately won the toss with a tails call ... and went on to kick a field goal on the ensuing possession. When the Chiefs got the ball back, they subsequently scored a touchdown -- locking up their third title in the last five years.

The extra period marked the first time the NFL's new postseason overtime rules were put into play ... and also given how controversial it was that Warner and the Niners chose to receive instead of kick, the coin certainly has a ton of value.

It's also got a sleek look to it -- on one side it has the two teams' names and logos ... and on the other, it has the Super Bowl LVIII emblem with Roger Goodell's signature etched into it. The piece is marked "00002."

The league said profits from the auction will go toward Luna Strong's Maui Relief Efforts.

The 21-year-old who lost his leg during a car accident involving Haywood Highsmith earlier this month is now suing the NBA player ... claiming the hooper's careless driving caused the entire tragedy.

Alekxei Pino filed the lawsuit on Friday in Florida ... alleging he was helping assist a stranded motorist on Feb. 6 in Miami when Highsmith barreled into him in his 2021 Audi A5 at a high rate of speed.

Pino claims in the suit Highsmith was going over the roadway's legal speed limit before he hit him ... causing an above-the-knee amputation.

Pino also claims he suffered other significant injuries in the crash ... and has since undergone numerous medical procedures to address the damage.

Pino's attorney, Manuel Dobrinsky, said in a statement this week his client is actually still in the hospital recovering ... "with a very long road of rehabilitation ahead of him."

Pino and his lawyer are asking for unspecified damages but estimate it will be in excess of $50,000.

Pino's family, meanwhile, has also set up a GoFundMe, hoping to raise $100,000 to help him with the recovery process.

As we previously reported, cops said in a police report Highsmith was traveling 45 MPH in a 40 MPH zone before the accident a short time after the Heat beat the Orlando Magic at the nearby Kesaya Center.

Cops stated in the docs they believed drugs and alcohol were not involved ... though they did say Highsmith may have been distracted by unknown circumstances. They ultimately cited him for careless driving.

The Heat said in a statement following the crash that their "hearts go out to those who were injured."

Highsmith sat out of the Heat game the night following the wreck ... although he returned to the floor on Feb. 11 against the Celtics, and played 23 minutes.

Mac McClung is the back-to-back NBA Slam Dunk champion, but even he has his doubts about going at the King ... telling TMZ Sports he'd "probably" lose to LeBron James in a contest!!

The 25-year-old G League star wowed the crowd yet again during All-Star festivities this past weekend ... edging out Celtics star Jaylen Brown to take home the trophy in Indy.

We spoke with the high-flying athlete about what's next following his big victory ... and while he's planning to finish out this season strong before going back to the drawing board for new dunks, there's one thing you can probably take off his "To-Do" list -- a showdown with LeBron.

"[LeBron's] the man, I don't know if I'd want to go up against him," Mac told us during his celebrity shift at Raising Cane's in Orlando. "He'd probably beat me, for sure."

Worth noting -- LeBron famously never did the dunk contest ... something fans practically begged him to do for years, considering he's one of the greatest rim-rattlers in league history.

Despite the lack of experience in the event, Mac thinks the Lakers superstar would be his biggest competition yet ... even at 39 years old.

Mac admitted he's still on the fence about whether he'll go for a three-peat ... but if he does, he's just looking to go up against anyone who actually WANTS to participate.

There's more ... Mac also weighed in on his drive-thru shift at the chicken finger joint ... and he's a natural!!

Popular streamer Kai Cenat invaded Shannon Sharpe's show to set the record straight on his height ... confronting the Hall of Famer for calling him "three feet" tall on national television -- and the whole interaction was hilarious!!

Shannon had social media buzzing when he evoked Kai's height while dissing Jaylen Brown's dunk contest performance on Monday's edition of "First Take" -- ripping the Celtics star for leaping over a sitting Cenat ... when other guys had more impressive attempts with big men like Shaquille O'Neal.

Cenat got wind of Sharpe's comments ... and he went BALLISTIC on his livestream, jumping up and yelling expletives directed at the former tight end.

But he wasn't satisfied with sounding off in front of his viewers ... he had to step onto Shannon's turf on his "Nightcap" show to clear the air even further.

"Why you call me three feet?" Kai said. "Hold on, bro. Stop lying to these people."

Cenat insisted he's actually 5'9" ... but regardless, Shay Shay explained his stance, insisting his issue had more to do with Brown's decision-making than the YouTuber's stature.

Ultimately, it appears the two sides are on good terms now ... and were able to bury the hatchet.

The UFC and WWE are now owned by the same company, and that couldn't be clearer Monday night ... UFC star Michael Chandler showed up to Raw and cut a wild promo, attacking "candy ass" Conor McGregor!

"What's up Anaheim? You are now in the presence of the most entertaining UFC fighter on the planet," Iron Mike screamed to the packed crowd at the Hondo Center, and then he took aim at The Notorious.

"There's a man from Ireland that's been making me wait way too long, and I still got one dude on my mind, Conor McGregor, get your candy ass back to the Octagon! We got some unfinished business boys, God bless! I'll see you at the top!"

It was a cool, unexpected moment ... and it likely won't be the last time a UFC star has the mic at a WWE event, and perhaps vice versa.

Last year, the UFC's parent company, Endeavor, merged with WWE ... creating TKO Group Holdings, an enormous company with a market cap of nearly $15 billion. The Rock sits on the company's board. Ari Emanuel is the CEO.

As for what Chandler said from just outside the squared circle, he took a shot at McGregor ... as the pair still doesn't have an official fight date despite almost a year passing since the men coached against each other on "The Ultimate Fighter."

Last month, it finally appeared the guys had decided on a date ... June 29 in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, there's been nothing set in stone since.

A college basketball game looked more like the Royal Rumble on Monday ... with the postgame handshakes going from sportsmanlike to straight-up violent in one of the wildest brawls to date.

The scrap went down after Texas A&M-Commerce defeated Incarnate Word 76-72 at the Alice P. McDermott Convocation Center in San Antonio .... when at some point in saying "good game," two opponents got ticked off and bumped into each other.

It's unclear what exactly led to the altercation, but it quickly escalated ... with players from both teams throwing hands.

Despite the attempts of coaches, staffers, and peaceful athletes to break it all up, the fight continued for at least a minute before the teams were separated.

According to the ESPN broadcast, a "young girl" in the crowd was injured at some point ... and another team manager was bleeding from the face.

Both teams addressed the incident in a statement shortly after the game ... saying, "The University of the Incarnate Word and Texas A&M University-Commerce apologize for the behavior exhibited by our respective men's basketball programs following the game on Monday night."

"There is no place in college sports for such actions. The unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred after the game does not reflect the values of the universities involved, as well as the Southland Conference and their member institutions."

A massive crash marred the final laps of the Daytona 500 ... as 23 cars in total pinballed off each other in a wild mess toward the end of the famed race -- although the carnage ultimately allowed underdog William Byron to come out with the win.

The chaos happened with eight laps to go at Daytona International Speedway in Florida ... when Alex Bowman started the wreck by nudging Byron.

The bump caused Byron's No. 24 car to slide into Brad Keselowski's ... which set off a huge chain reaction of accidents.

Check out the replay from the race's broadcast ... more than half of the 40 vehicles in the field got caught up in the melee.

Somehow, Byron escaped it all unscathed ... and after another set of drivers wrecked a few moments after officials got the track all cleaned up, the 26-year-old was declared the winner.

Afterward, he celebrated like crazy ... telling reporters he couldn't believe it all was actually happening.

The race, meanwhile, was delayed a full day ... after rain forced NASCAR officials to move it from its usual Sunday start time to Monday.

While Pitbull could not perform his scheduled pre-race concert as planned ... The Rock still made it out to the festivities -- and fired up the crowd when he told the racers to start their engines.

Adele finally explained why she was making such a goofy ass face at the NBA All-Star game a couple years back -- and, apparently, it all has to do with film crews defying her wishes.

The singer got into the story over the weekend at her Vegas residency and explained what's become one of the most famous Adele memes. You've seen it by now ... the camera cuts to her sitting courtside, but she's awkwardly looking around avoiding making eye contact.

Adele says an NBA film crew on hand had asked ahead of time if it'd be okay to record her during the broadcast, which she says she politely declined because she "really doesn't like being famous" and was content with her boyfriend Rich Paul doing the schmoozing.

Well, they ended up circling back and filming her anyway ... and that ticked Adele off.

Adele says that rather than engage with the camera like she was supposed to -- or how others might in the situation -- she decided to play dumb and just scan the arena, all aloof.

In terms of her very full lips -- another observation people have made about the now-viral clip -- Adele insists it's all-natural, noting she doesn't need filler. Anyway, the bigger point here is that she says she was sulking in the moment ... and expressing defiance against the NBA.

It's pretty funny that Adele thought she could go unseen/unnoticed at a star-studded event -- especially when she was seated next to the most prominent NBA agent in the league ... the dude who literally reps LeBron James and a crap ton of other high-level players.

Since then, Adele has continued to be pretty camera-shy out in public with Rich -- but when she's in her own environment in Vegas ... she's an open book, and very chatty.

Taylor Swift doesn't have Travis Kelce around as she continues to tour in Australia -- but she'll be far from lonely as she ramps up for Sydney ... 'cause Sabrina Carpenter is there.

The two singers grabbed dinner Tuesday at a swanky hotspot in the city's Surry Hills neighborhood -- and as you can imagine, they were surrounded by fans and paps (and bodyguards) who were following their every move into the restaurant.

Taylor was dressed pretty casually, but was rocking some wavy hair here down under ... and SC wore a red getup, while rocking a big grin as she joined her gal pal for a meal.

Sabrina's been hired to open for Taylor for the next handful of shows -- including 4 in Sydney that start up Friday ... and another batch in Singapore, where they'll jet off to next. After that, TayTay's gonna switch up her opening act yet again ... and bring on Paramore for Europe.

In other words, she's back into the swing of things ... just like she was here in the States last year before she went public with Travis and started going to all his games in the fall.

Obviously, she rode that wave all the way to the Super Bowl ... which made for some memorable snaps -- but now, it's back to reality for her ... and thus far, Travis doesn't appear to have joined her on her international leg of the tour, and it remains to be seen if he will.

Of course, T-Swift still has Kansas City on her mind ... something she proved the other day by rocking a Chiefs SB hat -- so not all is forgotten as she delves deeper into the tour.

Sylvester Stallone says he doesn't advise actors to do their own stunts in the movie biz ... and 7 surgeries oughta serve as a warning -- you listening, Tom Cruise???

The legendary action star made the revelation in an upcoming episode of his Paramount reality show, "The Family Stallone," where he said he'd undergone more than half a dozen back surgeries to deal with an injury he suffered on the set of "The Expendables" back in 2010.

Basically, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin -- who's also in the movie -- was body-slamming Sly on set ... and the dude was actually absorbing the blows, going take after take after take.

He says, "I did stupid stuff. I was directing 'Expendables' and like an idiot I’m doing take ten, take whatever, and I remember one slam and I could actually feel one bang. Steve knew. I never recovered from Expendables 1. After that film, it was never physically the same."

Sly adds .. "I’ve warned people -- don’t do your own stunts."

SS fractured his neck and needed a metal plate inserted to stabilize things -- and as he jokingly notes ... his next role might be Quasimodo in a 'Hunchback' flick.

While he might be discussing it in jest on his show -- the injuries/surgeries are quite serious ... apparently, Sylvester's doctors have told him he might need artificial discs popped into his lower spine down the line, and his wife Jennifer Flavin says on the show it's tough on the family.

Antonio Brown has been ordered to cut a high-profile jeweler a check for over $1 million ... this after he failed to fight a lawsuit that the diamond expert slapped him with last year.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Shuki International -- a world-renowned businessman who's been the jewelry guy for high-profile celebs like Floyd Mayweather for years -- sued AB back in April 2023 after he claimed the former NFL star borrowed a bunch of his prized items in 2022 but never returned them or paid for them.

In his lawsuit, Shuki said he gave AB a pair of his "Shuki International" diamond fingers -- which the jeweler said cost $500K apiece -- under the premise that Brown would eventually give them back ... or simply cough up the dough for them.

Shuki said he also handed over a rose gold black diamond version of the finger piece, a white gold chain, and a ring -- all with the same expectation.

Yet the jeweler claimed Brown failed to ever return the pieces or hand over the money ... so he asked a judge to force AB to fork over $1,095,000 for it all.

And, after Brown never responded to the suit, a judge issued a default judgment for Shuki last week.

Shuki told us he attempted to reach out to Brown over the decision on Sunday ... but the ex-Buccaneers wideout never returned his call. He added that he's disappointed over the whole matter -- considering the two used to be close.

Brown, meanwhile, was just seen out in LA with one of Shuki's diamond fingers earlier this month ... showing it off to our photog on Rodeo Drive.

We're starting off the week strong at TMZ -- but not nearly as strong as our TV segments.

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charlie tackled what amounted to a fairly startling confession from Taylor Swift in Australia this past weekend ... namely, that she was apparently "lonely" while she was dating Joe Alwyn during the pandemic.

The admission came out during a performance, and she made it clear ... she was just with her cat during those years, which is ... alarming to say the least.

On 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about Billie Eilish throwing shade at TikTokers who attended the People's Choice Awards ... apparently with the feeling of, they ain't really A-listers, y'all.

Her remarks got caught on camera ... and it wasn't well-received by all the young'ns.

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports, Babcock and Mojo discussed Breece Hall's unpleasant airport run-in.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

UFC fans might've been shocked to see Mark Zuckerberg Octagon-side at UFC 298, but Merab Dvalishvili wasn't ... 'cause the Facebook founder shot the star bantamweight fighter a text a few days before telling him he'd be in the building for the event!

One of the most memorable moments of the entire card was Merab picking up opponent Henry Cejudo and slamming him to the canvas near where Zuck was sitting, before engaging in a conversation with the billionaire.

TMZ Sports asked the 33-year-old contender about Mark's presence.

"We are following each other on Instagram, and he did text me before the fight that he was coming. He told me 'Don't tell no one.' I can keep a secret, of course," Dvalishvili told us, adding, "I knew he was there, and once I was walking out I saw him, of course, I said hello to him in person."

Although Zuck wasn't technically Merab's corner like he (momentarily) was for Alex Volkanovski, that's not to say Mark didn't share some of his BJJ expertise.

"I had a 4th corner that night. [Zuck] was giving me some tips when I was fighting," Merab said with a laugh.

Remember, Zuck has trained with the likes of Volk, Israel Adesanya, Mikey Musumeci and other top fighters.

Dvalishvili also revealed he was supposed to train with Zuckerberg before the FB exec injured his ACL last year. The men plan to get together once MZ's healed up.

Billionaire tech geniuses aside, there's a bunch more with Merab ... who many fans assume will get the next crack at a title after "Suga" Sean O'Malley and Marlon "Chito" Vera fight at UFC 299 next month.

We asked Merab if the UFC has informed him that he will fight the winner. Merab also tells us who he would prefer to fight, and why.

As for his 298 opp, we also asked Dvalishvili if 37-year-old Cejudo should retire after his second straight defeat.

Travis and Jason Kelce took a break from their usual lighthearted banter to weigh in on the tragic Kansas City shooting this week ... thanking the first responders for springing into action and vowing to help those affected.

The two NFL brothers dropped a surprise video ahead of Wednesday's "New Heights" podcast episode ... with Travis explaining it "didn't feel right" to move forward with the pre-taped show without first addressing the incident after the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14 that left one dead and more than 20 others injured.

Jason said their thoughts go out to all the victims, their families and Chiefs Kingdom ... also sharing his gratitude for local law enforcement officials and all those willing to step up during the unfortunate event.

The Eagles center spoke from the heart ... saying, "One of the things that's evident is how much Kansas City is coming together and rallying around the people that have been affected by this."

He added the Kelces are currently figuring out what they can do to get involved in the recovery process ... but in the meantime, he's hoping their fans will do what they can by donating to the Chiefs' fund for victims.

Travis ended the clip ... saying, "92%ers, we appreciate you. Kansas City and Chiefs Kingdom, we love you guys. We're with you guys and we'll see you guys soon."

As we previously reported, two juveniles are going to be charged as a result of the shooting ... including gun-related charges and resisting arrest.