TMZ Sports - Page 49

A Baker needs dough to do his job ... and Joe Haden says that's the case for Tampa Bay's quarterback as well -- 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he thinks Baker Mayfield deserves $25-30 million a year!!

The Buccaneers signal caller tops the list of available free agents this offseason ... and many are expecting the former No. 1 overall pick to get a big payday -- and staying put in Tampa seems like a strong possibility.

Haden -- who spent several seasons with the Cleveland Browns, just like Bake -- is all for Mayfield getting money thrown at him ... telling us it's hard to come by a quarterback that has playoff experience.

"I think Baker Mayfield should get a contract, for sure," Haden -- a three-time Pro Bowler said.

"Baker, 25-30 million dollars a year, 100% to take a team to the playoffs. I think give him some dough."

Of course, it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows for Baker -- he fought through some injuries and got shipped out of Cleveland when the Browns pursued Deshaun Watson, despite leading them to their first playoff victory in forever just one season prior.

He bounced around to two other teams before landing with the Bucs ... and Haden thinks all his struggles are now behind him.

"You leading two different teams, two different organizations to the playoffs, you worth some dough."

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood was just granted a temporary restraining order against his model ex-girlfriend ... after he claimed the mother of his child made his life a living hell following their breakup in December 2022.

The allegations are all laid out in court documents obtained by TMZ Sports ... with the 28-year-old hooper accusing Yasmine Lopez -- who boasts more than a million followers on social media -- of causing not only mental and emotional stress, but also financial damage to his valuable property.

Wood claims on February 23, 2024, Lopez and her friends trespassed at his California residence by climbing a fence ... and she proceeded to scratch the hood and doors of his Mercedes-Benz.

He says Lopez then entered his other vehicle, opened the front gate and began walking in his yard -- and neighbors who witnessed the incident called the police, resulting in her arrest.

Wood -- who has an 8-month-old son, Kobe Sean, with Lopez -- says cops then told him to pick up his son from her friend's house to avoid being processed through child protective services... but she refused to hand him over and began "making allegations against me and misrepresenting facts to the media to gain favor."

Wood also details an August 2023 incident in which he says Lopez broke into his home in Encino ... destroying statues, glass and vases and attempting to hit him. He says friends who were present at the time called the police, who de-escalated the situation.

It doesn't end there -- Wood also accuses Lopez of trespassing at his home in January 2023, when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks ... claiming she spray-painted his Lamborghini.

Wood believes Lopez is stalking him by using his publicized work schedule to track his location and vandalize his property.

Wood is also accusing Lopez of getting physical with him on numerous occasions and alienating him from their son.

He requested joint legal custody and primary physical custody of their child.

As part of the restraining order, the judge ordered Lopez to steer clear of Wood. She must stay at least 100 yards away from the hooper ... whether he's at home, at work, or even in his car. The one exception is for "brief and peaceful contact" ... which is permitted, but only when it comes to conversations about their child.

The TRO specifically directs Lopez to "not abuse" Wood, including any harassing, attacking, striking, threatening, or stalking of her ex-boyfriend.

There are several other boilerplate restrictions ... Lopez cannot possess a firearm while the order is active.

Taylor Swift is putting her romance with Travis Kelce into song ... reportedly writing a couple tracks about the guy on the Chiefs.

The pop star, famed for writing about her exes, has already written at least 2 songs about her current BF, and the lyrics focus on how she fell in love with him ... according to an Us Weekly report.

The outlet cites a source calling the new songs personal and special, but adds, that doesn't mean she's going to record and release them.

Taylor's got a new album coming out next month called "The Tortured Poets Department," but don't expect her odes to Trav on that project -- in fact, the report says she likely won't share them with anyone.

There's plenty of content for Taylor to write about with Travis -- his summer pursuit of her during the "Eras" tour, each of them appearing at NFL games and concerts and, of course, the Super Bowl and lots of private jet flights.

The speculation is Taylor's next project focuses more on her split from Joe Alywn than her love story with Travis ... so Swifties might not wanna hold their breath for Travis references.

4:22 PM PT -- Tom Porto, the attorney for Ariel Young and her family, just released a statement on Britt Reid's commutation to TMZ Sports ... saying simply, "What’s different between this criminal defendant and every other criminal defendant in the state of Missouri?"

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid -- Andy's son -- just had his three-year prison sentence commuted to house arrest.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson made the surprising decision on Friday ... a little over a year after Reid was thrown behind bars for his role in a DWI crash that left a 5-year-old girl, Ariel Young, with life-altering brain injuries.

A spokesperson for Parson explained the move in a statement to media outlets ... saying, "Reid had completed his alcohol abuse treatment program and has served more prison time than most individuals convicted of similar offenses."

As part of his commutation, Reid will remain on house arrest until October 31, 2025. He'll have to abide by a lengthy list of conditions in order to avoid being thrown back in prison, however -- including working at least 30 hours a week, submitting to random drug screenings, and completing at least 10 hours a month of community service.

Reid is also forbidden from making contact with Young or her family members.

Reid was first hit with criminal charges in the case after authorities said he got drunk days before the Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Super Bowl in 2021 and slammed his pickup truck into the back of a car Young had been riding in.

Authorities alleged Reid was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH zone just before the wreck, and had a BAC of .113 two hours following the accident.

Dash cam footage captured at the scene showed Reid was wearing a Chiefs COVID mask and a Chiefs sweatshirt in the minutes after the crash.

Reid lost his job with Kansas City's NFL franchise a short time later ... and didn't work in the league again before beginning his sentence in November 2022.

We've reached out to an attorney for the Young family for comment, but so far, we haven't heard back yet.

Victoria Beckham rocked a somewhat unexpected accessory at Paris Fashion Week heading into the weekend -- a pair of metal crutches ... hobbling her way into her own event.

The former Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer was seen limping along on the walking aids Friday -- which just so happened to perfectly match her all-black outfit -- ahead of the launch of her latest collection.

Posh Spice kept a low profile as she offered up no smile for the paparazzi and donned oversized black sunglasses -- still looking as chic as ever. Indeed, it was a sorta bizarre sight -- but Vic did her thing and kept it moving ... even if it was a little slow.

Her hubby, David Beckham, revealed last week that his wife was put in a boot after a "little accident in the gym." The retired soccer star told fans on Instagram that VB suffered from a "clean break" ... so hopefully she'll heal sooner rather than later.

Unclear what exactly happened that led to the injury ... but it wasn't enough to totally sideline her, obviously.

Victoria also spoke out about the injury herself ... having first announced the owie on Valentine's Day. VB posted about it on her IG Story ... throwing up a photo of her foot being treated with ice -- confirming she "fell over in the gym." Ouch!

BTW, these fashionable crutches made their way onto Victoria's catwalk, too -- but ever the professional ... the Beckham matriarch merely smized and tottered along, business as usual.

DJ Akademiks is accusing Meek Mill of being a snitch after cops allegedly showed up to his house -- and if he wants to fight the rapper ... they now have the opportunity to do so!

There's a lucrative 7-figure offer on the table to sweeten the deal between these 2 foes ... and it comes courtesy of Celebrity Boxing czar Damon Feldman.

He tells TMZ Hip Hop ... he's got a cool $1 million purse locked and loaded for Ak and Meek -- in addition to other amenities, if they wanna take him up on this. Damon also says he has a venue in Atlanta booked for May 18, adamant he wants both guys to give it their best.

Meek already has a boxing trainer in his corner, but Damon says he's willing to provide Akademiks with one of his top guys -- if he's inclined to train ahead of the fight.

Ak told Adin Ross this week that he considers Meek a straight-up bully -- while going on to call him cowardly, accusing him of hiding behind his goons ... and he seems eager to take him with his fists.

They've had beef for years, of course, but the latest episode spilled into the e-streets over this wild Diddy lawsuit filed this week by his ex-producer ... who floated salacious claims.

Meek took the bait and went down a wild social media rabbit hole ... responding to Ak but all the posts have since run their course with fans.

Chad Wheeler -- a former New York Giants offensive lineman -- was just sentenced to 81 months in prison ... after he was convicted in November of roughing up his girlfriend during a violent encounter in 2021.

The 30-year-old learned his fate inside a King County, Wash. courtroom on Friday ... in front of some of his family and friends -- as well as the victim in the case, Alleah Taylor.

In addition to the nearly seven-year sentence, the judge also ordered Wheeler to have no contact with Taylor ... and to pay restitution as well. The sentence, according to court documents, is scheduled to begin immediately.

Wheeler was found guilty of one count of first-degree assault domestic violence back on Nov. 9 ... nearly three years after Taylor said he almost killed her during an altercation at their Washington apartment.

Taylor claimed Wheeler attacked her after she refused his orders to bow down to him. She alleged the football player grabbed her, threw her on a bed and choked her until she was unconscious.

Taylor said Wheeler was so violent, she suffered a concussion and an arm injury that required metal hardware to fix.

On Thursday night, just hours before Wheeler's sentencing took place, Taylor wrote on her X page, "Sending Chad to prison tomorrow!"

"I appreciate everyone that has supported me and the legal process to make this happen! It’s been a long road but we are finally here and finally receiving justice!"

Tyreek Hill clearly ain't too worried about the lawsuit a model hit him with last week ... the Miami Dolphins superstar is currently out on a yacht -- celebrating his birthday in some serious style.

The wide receiver -- fresh off being sued by an influencer who claimed he broke her leg in a fit of rage during a football drill last summer -- was seen on a big boat with his wife on Friday afternoon in a large body of water.

Hill seemed to party without a care in the world ... smooching his significant other, dancing around and soaking in all of the first hours of his 30s.

Hill also got to enjoy some balloons as well ... and even a custom cake!!

Of course, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for Hill the last few days ... particularly after Sophie Hall filed her lawsuit on Feb. 23 -- suing him for unspecified damages.

"F*** you [Chito]! I'm gonna knock you out, buddy!" 😲

Time doesn't heal all wounds ... more than 3 1/2 years after fighting, Sean O'Malley still ain't fond of Marlon Vera (and the feeling's mutual), with the reigning champ telling TMZ Sports he's going to render Chito unconscious!

We talked to 29-year-old "Suga" just days before he heads to Miami for the main event fight against his 31-year-old rival ... about everything from the effect of his only loss (Vera injured O'Malley during the fight) to if he'll chase double champ status against Ilia Topuria.

On the August 2020 fight -- which Sean lost by TKO late in the first round -- O'Malley had this to say:

"I got a lot of hate for saying mentally I didn't lose that fight. I didn't feel like my skills were beat. It was a freak accident. Yeah, he threw the kid. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it all. Mentally undefeated, going in there with that mindset. Going in there with the mindset to kill this dude, and it's as simple as that," Suga told us.

We asked O'Malley, brevity of the fight aside, if he could take away anything from the first outing.

"Not really," he added. "Like you said, it was such a short fight, there really wasn't too much to take away from it. I was confident. I felt very confident in there. Even with the injury, my foot was shut off and I was still piecing him up. Dotting him up, chasing him down. I'm just very confident going into this fight."

It's Sean's first fight as defending champion ... we asked what, if anything, was unique this time around.

"Nothing's been different. My second 5 round training champ. Obviously, that last fight didn't go 5 rounds, it only went 2, 1 1/2. Nothing's really been different other than Chito, big fight, rematch. Same s***, different day. I've been doing this for 13 years."

Speaking of his belt, Sean won it with a masterful performance against Aljamain Sterling at TD Garden in Boston at UFC 292 in August 2023 ... in front of a decidedly pro-O'Malley crowd.

299 isn't in Beantown ... instead, the March 9 event will take place in sunny Miami, a city with a large Ecuadorian population. Chito was born in Chone, Ecuador.

Steph and Ayesha Curry are adding to the family roster ... the NBA superstar's wife is pregnant with their fourth child!!!

Ayesha just revealed the amazing news in her newest Sweet July magazine issue ... explaining that she and the Golden State Warriors guard initially thought they were done having kids after their third child was born in 2018 -- but had a change of heart.

"Last year, we looked at each other and agreed we wanted to do this again," the 34-year-old said.

Ayesha -- a TV personality and cookbook author -- added this pregnancy hits differently ... especially when it comes to her cravings like watermelon, Japanese peaches and McDonald's McGriddles.

She explained she's happy and grateful for the support system helping her through her pregnancy ... but admitted it can be difficult at times.

"I was really stubborn in my earlier pregnancies," Ayesha said. "And that hurt me in the end. It made things really hard on me. I had to learn to put my pride aside and realize it was okay to take help, to have people around me help and to not shy away from it."

"I know I can’t do this alone -- it truly takes a village."

Steph and Ayesha's relationship is like something out of a movie -- they met at a church youth group in Charlotte, N.C. when they were teenagers ... and got engaged in 2010.

They tied the knot a year later ... and since then, Steph has become a four-time NBA champion, while Ayesha hosts her cooking show on the Food Network and runs her lifestyle publication that launched in 2020.

Steph and Ayesha have three other kids -- Riley, who was born in 2012, Ryan in 2015, and Canon, who arrived in 2018.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the confrontation Lil Wayne had with a Lakers security guard on Thursday night ... and you can see he was so upset over the interaction, he bolted from the game immediately.

In the clip, Wayne -- wearing a cream-colored hoodie, black cap and headphones -- can be seen trying to get to his courtside seat with a few friends ... when, suddenly, several Crypto.com Arena officials seem to tell him to stop.

One man in a grey polo with a walkie-talkie clipped to the collar then appears to have words with the "How To Love" crooner ... seemingly gesturing to him that he needs to get to his chair via a different route.

Wayne's clearly pissed over the chat ... check out the vid, he throws up his hands in a "Come on!" motion -- before he then just jets out of the building.

One witness who was just a few yards from the scene, MaxMarketPros' Joseph Stirling, says it all happened in the second quarter of the game ... after Wayne seemed to have some troubles finding his seat. Stirling added that following the incident, he didn't see Wayne the rest of the night.

At first, Wayne wrote on his X page that he was "treated like s***" ... although during a Friday morning appearance on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," he seemed to relent that it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"They was just doing their job," the rapper said.

But, he did add that he felt like the encounter was "a little much."

"So," he said, "I was like, let's just leave."

Tyreek Hill is fighting back against the model who said he broke her leg during a fit of rage in a football drill ... saying she got injured merely because she tripped over a dog.

In a lawsuit filed in Florida last week, Sophie Hall -- an influencer with over 2 million followers on Instagram -- claimed that after Hill courted her through a series of direct messages last summer ... she showed up at his Southwest Ranches mansion.

She alleged that while there, the two engaged in some football drills -- and when she "held her own" against the Miami Dolphins star, he became embarrassed and enraged. She said he then "charged into her violently and with great force," causing her to sustain a serious leg injury.

But, Hill's attorney, Julius B. Collins, said in a statement to TMZ Sports on Friday that Hall's lawsuit is complete BS ... and an attempt to shake down the NFL player.

According to Collins, Hall did show up to Hill's home and the two did engage in some "playful" drills ... but she hurt herself when she fell over a dog -- not because Hill turned violent.

Collins called Hall's claims "disgusting and cunning."

"This lawsuit is baseless," Collins said, "and nothing more than an attempt to bring bad publicity to Mr. Hill and force him into paying them and their client monies."

Collins added that Hill has opened up an insurance claim for the injuries Hall suffered while at the wide receiver's residence ... but Hall filed the lawsuit "in an attempt to 'scare tactic' him into personally covering the cost of Ms. Hall’s medical bills."

"Mr. Hill is prepared to defend against this baseless lawsuit head on," Collins said.

For the Dolphins' part, general manager Chris Grier told media members at the NFL Combine this week they were aware of the suit and are still gathering information.

Cam Newton is finally speaking out about his viral violent altercation at a 7v7 youth football tournament ... holding himself accountable and admitting things never should have turned physical.

The former NFL MVP addressed the elephant in the room on his '4th and 1' podcast on Friday ... and he backs up what Top Shelf Performance coaches TJ and Steph Brown said earlier this week -- it all stemmed from some trash talk.

Cam claims both sides exchanged triggering words prior to the scuffle ... but he's owning up to the fact he shouldn't have put himself in that position to begin with.

"There's no excuse," the former Panthers star said. "It's really not, 'cause it could've been a melee, more violence could've stemmed from that and it's just not called for. And on top of that, it's echoing something that's been permeating for years -- black people. Why it gotta be at a black event? You know what I'm saying? And I can easily play the victim and I'm not going to do that."

Cam understands the gravity of the situation ... and is thankful things did not get more serious.

Ultimately, Cam said he needs to use his platform to have a positive influence on the next wave of athletes.

"I have to use my power to empower the next generation," he added. "That's all I wanna do. I wanna use what I've been through as information to change the narrative because to be honest, these are a lot of children's way out of their situation."

"They don't have lawyers to look up to. They don't have counselors to look up to. They see street n****s, they see people who are rapping and they see athletes as people that they look up to."

As we previously reported, Cam and the Browns -- who used to coach with the QB -- got into the physical altercation during the 7v7 youth football tournament in Atlanta on Sunday.

9:10 AM -- Lil Wayne joined FS1's "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless on Friday to address his beef with the team ... chalking it all up to an issue with security.

"They was just doing their job," the rap icon said ... explaining as he was attempting to make his way to his courtside seat, a staffer stopped his crew in their tracks and told them to enter from another part of the arena.

But when they got to the second entrance, Weezy noticed they would have had to ask other spectators to get up from their spots to allow his group through to their seats ... and he didn't want to bother them, so he walked back to the original entry.

When he got back there, Wayne said the same staffer got upset ... saying, "I told you guys to go to the other entrance!" -- which he felt was a bit out of line.

Wayne also said he was told after the fact that the issue was that he'd have to wait for a dead ball to get to his seat -- but that wasn't relayed to him.

Tunechi -- who admitted he was only at the game as part of a brand deal -- said the experience left a bad taste in his mouth ... and he'll only go back to Crypto because his son is a diehard Laker fan.

Lil Wayne says he was "treated like s***" at the Lakers game on Thursday night ... and he's so pissed over what went down, it seems he's ready to cut ties with his beloved squad.

It's not quite clear exactly what happened with Weezy as he made his way to Crypto.Com Arena to watch LA battle with the Washington Wizards ... but just 90-or-so minutes after the game tipped off, he took to X to criticize the Purple and Gold.

"Wow!" he wrote. "Got treated like s*** at the Laker game just now."

Wayne didn't get into specifics ... but he suspected it all had to do with some previous comments he's made about one of the team's superstars, Anthony Davis.

If you're unfamiliar ... Wayne, who's always spotted in courtside seats at Lakers games, makes regular appearances on Fox Sports 1's "Undisputed," and when the topic turns to LA hoops, he's often critical of Davis. In fact, during a November episode, he said the team should straight up trade the nine-time All-Star.

In his post on X, Wayne wrote, "I figured they’d do me that sooner or later" "bc of what i said abt AD," but he added that he's gotten an uneasy feeling from the team for a while now -- which apparently has him questioning his fandom going forward.

"All good I get it," he said. "F*** em. It isn’t what it isn’t. I’m used to it."

Neither he nor the Lakers addressed the matter further as of Friday morning.

It seems a bunch of other celebs, though, had no issues attending the game ... Flea, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Corey Gamble, Jay Mohr and even Chevy Chase were all spotted near courtside with grins on their faces.

Everyone there got to enjoy quite the game too -- as LeBron James and Davis combined to score 71 points in a 134-131 overtime win.

Jake Paul is keeping his enemies closer -- the Problem Child has signed Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat to Most Valuable Promotions ... this after the two came face-to-face in a heated "confrontation" earlier this week.

32-year-old Goyat -- a three-time WBC Asia title holder -- has been calling out Paul for months ... and it all came to a head when he pulled up on the YouTube superstar in Puerto Rico ahead of his fight against Ryan Bourland.

The whole thing (which was obviously staged) showed both guys getting into a shoving match before being separated.

It turns out the clip was seemingly meant to hype up the big addition to the company -- its first international signee -- and on Friday, the news was made official.

Neeraj -- who's also an actor -- spoke about joining Paul's company ... saying, "I'm truly honored to be the newest member of the Most Valuable Promotions family. MVP has been making waves in the boxing world, particularly with its commitment to showcasing and uplifting women in the sport since 2021."

"In just 2.5 years, MVP has organized some of the world's most significant boxing events, and I'm excited to work with MVP to elevate the status of professional boxing in India and bring attention to boxers from India globally."

Joining MVP makes sense -- Goyat has been pro for more than a decade ... and also boasts a large social media following.

A "Saturday Night Live" comedy trio is taking credit for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's romance -- but only if it goes the distance ... otherwise, they want nothing to do with it.

The topic of Traylor kickstarted when comics Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy -- who make up Please Don't Destroy on 'SNL' -- spilled the beans on working with Tay Tay.

They told host Mike Birbiglia on the 'Working It Out' podcast the star told them she had watched Travis' 'SNL' episode before they first met and she liked what she saw.

Ben added that Taylor told them she thought Travis seemed super funny in the clip ... saying that it was in that moment that they kinda, sorta brought them together.

However, Ben shared some serious reservations about taking credit for the Traylor romance -- only 'cause of Taylor's army of devoted fans, the Swifties.

He said that if things were to ever go south between the pair ... they'd be the ones getting roasted over the coals for it.

Travis, of course, got in on the action hosting 'SNL' in March 2023 -- about six months before he went public with Taylor. It's interesting ... they're saying this is when Travis first fell onto Taylor's radar -- but whether she was actually interested or not ... well, anyone's guess.

Travis also appeared in a pre-taped sketch written by Please Don't Destroy, where he played a hilarious self-defense instructor named Kurt Lightning ... so yeah, they have 'SNL' history.