TMZ Sports - Page 29

Saquon Barkley is trying to make peace with upset Giants fans ... saying in an emotional note to Big Blue late Thursday night that his move to the rival Eagles was simply a "business" decision.

The 27-year-old running back posted the message to his Instagram page ... two days after he spurned New York in favor of a three-year, $37.75 million deal with Philadelphia.

In his letter, Barkley thanked the Giants' org and their supporters for all the love they showed him the past six seasons ... before he seemed to explain that his move out of NY was all about dollars and cents.

"The last three days have been a whirlwind of emotions," he said, "but I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge all the Giants fans that have supported me and my family over the last six years."

"When I was drafted here," he continued, "I wanted my impact off the field to rival the accomplishments we had on it, and I can only hope that I came close to doing that."

"Ultimately the NFL is a business, and I hope that everyone can respect my decision."

The two-time Pro Bowler, of course, has received plenty of hate for leaving the Giants in free agency ... most notably from legendary tailback Tiki Barber, who said the former No. 2 overall pick was now "dead" to him.

Barkley famously clapped back on X, blasting Barber ... while adding he shouldn't be getting backlash because he "got the deal" he "wanted" from the Eagles -- not the Giants.

"You been a hater since I got to New York …," he wrote to Tiki, "and all the 'Dead to me' talk don’t smile in my face when you see me."

Somebody get Olivia Dunne an NIL deal with an electronics company ASAP ... 'cause she watched her boyfriend's baseball game on quite possibly the world's smallest laptop -- and even the MLB's official account trolled her over it!!

The superstar LSU gymnast and influencer was locked in on Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes' Spring Breakout matchup against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday ... catching his impressive performance from the comfort of her couch.

But Livvy -- the highest-paid female college athlete thanks to numerous endorsements -- didn't have a baller set up for the occasion ... hunching over a cute little computer screen as she observed every pitch.

In fact, when Livvy shared the scene with her 7.9 million followers on TikTok ... a ton of people flooded the comments to roast her viewing apparatus -- including MLB's own account.

"Your computer is too big how’d you get that thing through the door," the league said.

Livvy took the joke in stride ... replying, "a forklift."

It was a great day for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft -- Skenes put his 100-plus MPH heater on display, striking out against Jackson Holliday, the top selection in 2022 (and ex-MLB star Matt Holliday's son).

Skenes finished the one-inning outing with two total strikeouts ... and the Bucs won the game, 3-1.

Justin Timberlake hosted a star-studded listening party to celebrate the launch of his sixth studio album -- and it's safe to say the singer pulled out all the stops for the event.

Justin closed down West Hollywood hot spot Dan Tana's for the album release party, which kicked off around 8 PM with a dinner for friends, family, and, yes ... members of *NSYNC.

Justin arrived at the Italian eatery alongside his wife Jessica Biel -- with Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, and Babyface spotted as well.

But the fun didn't stop there ... as JT also invited a slew of other celeb friends to swing by after to give a listen to his new album, titled "Everything I Thought It Was." In the video, you can see Dan Tana's packed to the brim with all the notable faces there to celebrate Justin's success.

The celebration came a day after Justin's free, one-night show in L.A. ... where he reunited with his *NSYNC bandmates to debut a new collaboration featured on the new album.

As we reported ... the mini set came together quickly, as sources told us Justin asked his former bandmates on Sunday to participate in the concert. The group only had one day of rehearsal ... as they got together Tuesday to run things through before Wednesday's show.

And we're glad they did -- fans have been clamoring for a reunion ever since they appeared together at the MTV VMAs ... where they didn't perform, and simply presented an award to Taylor Swift.

Jason Kelce's beloved dog, Winnie, has sadly passed away ... and the Kelce family is heartbroken over the loss, with his wife writing in an emotional social media post that she's "lost part of my soul."

It's unclear how the pooch passed ... but Kylie Kelce said on her Instagram page Thursday night the pup "is at peace" now.

"When I was in high school I had a folder on my desktop labeled 'Gods gift to earth,'" Kylie said in an IG post. "It was images of Irish Wolfhounds that I had collected from Google. I had fallen in love with the breed when I was a young and never let my fascination with them fade. It all lead me to Winnie and holy s*** did she live up to the hype."

"I love you, Winn," she continued. "You will always be my first born child."

Travis Kelce sent out his condolences in the comment section, writing, "You [gave] Winn an amazing life Ky!!" The Chiefs star's ex, Kayla Nicole, sent her support with a comment too.

Winnie played a huge role in the Kelce family ... she was the "flower girl" at Jason and Kylie's 2018 wedding. She was also mentioned on Jason and Travis' "New Heights" podcast often ... in fact, the brothers just brought her up on a recent episode when comparing her to animals Travis had seen on his Australian zoo date with Taylor Swift.

Winnie and the Kelces' other dog even had their own Instagram page.

"She was everything I had hoped for in a wolfie," Kylie said in mourning the dog's passing, "and more."

3/15 6:35 AM -- Dak Prescott's attorney, Levi McCathern, released a statement on the new investigation ... claiming the accuser and her legal team only filed a police report (in a different jurisdiction) after learning their "extortion plot" failed.

"Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what is going on," McCathern said. "Clearly they think that this will somehow mitigate their criminal responsibility for attempting this illegal shakedown."

"It won’t, and it is a true disservice to the real survivors of sexual abuse."

There are now dueling criminal investigations surrounding Dak Prescott and a Texas woman ... with Dallas police launching a probe into sexual assault allegations made against the Cowboys quarterback.

As we previously reported, Dak filed a lawsuit on Monday ... claiming Victoria Shores tried to extort $100 million out of him to not go to police over an alleged encounter that occurred on Feb. 2, 2017.

Prescott and his team have maintained Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual acts with anyone in his life ... adding they went to authorities to report Shores' "criminal actions."

TMZ Sports has confirmed the Dallas Police Department received a report on Tuesday of an alleged sexual assault outside the XTC Cabaret strip club on Feb. 2, 2017 ... and the investigation remains ongoing.

Meanwhile, Prosper, Texas officials are investigating Precott's claims ... and the whole back-and-forth will now play out both criminally and civilly.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones briefly addressed Prescott's status with the team on Thursday ... saying the ongoing situation would not impact his current contract negotiations, but had no further comment considering it is a legal matter.

Prescott is suing Shores and her attorneys for defamation, slander, civil extortion/duress and more.

Callum Walsh may look and sound like Conor McGregor (after all, they're both Irish!), but the undefeated boxer tells TMZ Sports he's NOT trying to be a carbon copy of the UFC star!

Walsh is an up-and-coming super welterweight boxing star with a main event at Madison Square Garden on March 15 against Dauren Yeleussinov, his second fight at the iconic arena in the last four months.

Making the event even more special, it's St. Patrick's Day weekend, and Callum is pumped!

"It's unbelievable," the Irish boxer told us, adding, "I'm very grateful to be able to do this at such a young age."

Because of his Irish nationality and fighting talent, many, including Dana White (who works with CW), see him being the next McGregor ... but it's a comparison he doesn't love.

"I'm trying to make my own path and do my own thing," the 23-year-old said.

"I'm never trying to copy anybody or be like anyone. Everyone always says 'Oh you wanna be like the Conor McGregor of boxing'. I'm just trying to be Callum Walsh."

That's no disrespect to McGregor ... Walsh and Conor have met before, and Callum says McGregor was somewhat of a role model for him when he was younger.

But, he wants to be himself, not another star fighter.

"I'm just trying to do my own thing, try make my own path. Leave my own legacy," Callum said.

With a 9-0 record, Walsh is on the way ... and hopes to keep his winning streak alive by knocking out Yeleussinov (11-3, 10 KO) at MSG Friday night.

"I'm always looking for the knockout in every fight," Walsh said.

It's Friday, and there's no better way to head off into the weekend than by looking back at what we covered on TMZ ... and there was a lot, especially when it came to our shows.

Starting off on 'TMZ Live,' Charles and Harvey discussed the looming divorce between Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky -- which we know is all but certain at this point, based on conversations we've had with lots of people in that world. At this point, it's essentially over.

Kyle touched on this during Wednesday night 'RHOBH' ... and got emotional in doing so.

Next up, we got 'TMZ on TV,' where the gang talked about Justin Timberlake reuniting with Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick, making it an *NSYNC affair.

They performed together ahead of JT's new album dropping ... and boy, did they sound good.

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' Babcock and Mojo talked the incredible recovery of Mark Coleman.

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

The basketball community is rallying around Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett ... after it was revealed his brother, Nathan, recently passed away.

Nathan's former youth basketball coach, Chris Stewart, confirmed the tragic news on Thursday ... saying the athlete was special to the program.

"Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected," Stewart said.

"No parent should ever have to bury a child, hug your kids today a little longer. You will be missed Nathan, RIP ❤️🏀🙏🕊️"

Details surrounding his death have not been revealed at this time.

Nathan -- a 6-foot-1 guard -- played at Montverde Academy, just like RJ. He had dreams of becoming a pilot.

"In my family, we’re very competitive," RJ told SLAM in 2018. "Everyone is always trying to beat each other. Everyone is an athlete, so that’s where I get all my competitive drive."

RJ spent one season at Duke University before going 3rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played for the Knicks until he was traded to the Raptors in December.

Barrett -- who did not play in Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons -- has been ruled out of Friday night's contest against the Orlando Magic ... and understandably, it is unclear when he will return to the court.

The Barrett family released a statement on Nathan's death ... saying he passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

"While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together. Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable and driven."

"Though his time with us was brief, he will live forever in our hearts."

Carlos Alcaraz's tennis play is sweet like honey ... and clearly, some bees thought so too -- 'cause a huge swarm forced him off the court!

The second-best men's player in the world took the court Thursday to take on Alexander Zverev during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but ended up contending more with a cloud of the dastardly drones when the match was tied 1-1.

Check out the video ... Alcaraz tries to simply swat a few of the irksome creatures away from his face before realizing his bug problem's a whole lot bigger than he thought.

CA keeps his cool for a bit while the sideline official explains the situation to the audience ... but the bees buzzing around his head proves to be too much for the Spanish star.

Carlos starts swinging his racquet around wildly before running toward the tunnel away from the court. He also pulled up his shirt over his face to protect himself -- and let's just say, it was quite a sight ... like something out of "Sleepy Hollow."

In the end, it sounds like Carlos took some damage from all this -- his agent says he got stung on the forehead during the melee, although it's unclear to what extent he was hurt.

Ultimately, it seems like everyone ended up relatively OK ... 'cause play continued just after 5 PM PT with Carlos soldiering through his injury -- after a totally unprotected individual went around and vacuumed up the insect swarm on the camera, all by themselves. Bold!

Robert Kraft poured his heart out while reflecting on the end of Tom Brady's career in New England ... admitting he knew the quarterback's departure would pull the plug on "the greatest cycle in the history of the NFL."

The Patriots owner opened up on TB12's 20-year run with his franchise in the latest episode of the Apple TV+ doc, "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" ... reminiscing on his first memory with the future 7-time Super Bowl champion.

Kraft said upon his arrival in Foxborough, Brady approached him and said it was "the best decision the organization has ever made in drafting him #199 in the sixth round" ... and it's safe to say the guy backed his words.

Over the next two decades, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl victories ... and Kraft acknowledged how special it was to watch him develop into the leader he became.

But, of course, all good things come to an end ... and when it came time for Brady to leave his first NFL home for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Kraft knew the impact it would have on the organization.

"'I thought, 'Wow, the greatest cycle in the history of the NFL is ending,'" Kraft said.

Brady previously opened up on his decision to switch teams for the final three years of his career ... saying he was ready to split off from Bill Belichick over how things transpired in recent years.

The Bucs won it all the next season ... and the Patriots have struggled to find the same success in the post-Brady era.

Shohei Ohtani just finally revealed his lovely wife -- it's Japanese basketball player Mamiko Tanaka!!

The Dodgers superstar -- who got the largest contract in sports history this past offseason -- recently announced he married "someone from my Native country of Japan who is very special to me" ... but did not disclose her identity.

Ohtani and his team put an end to all the speculation on Thursday ... sharing a photo of the newlyweds on their way to Seoul, South Korea for the Dodgers' season opener on March 20th.

The woman was quickly ID'd as Tanaka, a 27-year-old basketball player who played for Waseeda University and the Women's Japan Basketball League's Fujitsu Red Wave.

The 5-foot-11 forward/center averaged 7.8 points and 6 rebounds per game ... so they're really quite the athletic couple!!

Ohtani said he and Tanaka have known each other for three to four years ... but their actual wedding date is unknown.

He also said she had no impact on his decision during free agency ... but pointed out Tanaka has a great understanding of his profession.

Patrick Mahomes is connecting with Travis Kelce for another off-field highlight -- the pair of Chiefs superstars are getting in the restaurant industry once again with a new steakhouse in Kansas City.

The hot spot is named 1587 Prime (a nod the duo's jersey numbers) ... but their business partners over at the Noble 33 hospitality group say their involvement goes far beyond that.

Entrepreneur Tosh Berman -- who runs several popular restaurants with Noble 33 -- says Mahomes and Kelce have been "instrumental" with input about the place's concept ... and have shared cool, original ideas to bring to the business.

The two-story, 10,000-square foot eatery -- which will be located inside the Loews Hotel in downtown -- is slated to open in early 2025 ... and it sounds super fancy, with a meat display as the focal point of the whole thing, as well as "hyper-subtle" nods to the Super Bowl champions' on-field accomplishments.

There will also be a massive wine collection, which will be one of the largest in the state.

Mahomes -- who also teamed up with his favorite target by investing in Chicken N Pickle -- spoke about the decision to join forces with Kelce again ... saying, "Travis and I have become frequent visitors of Noble 33 restaurants in other cities so it only made sense to bring something special to our own community in Kansas City."

Kelce added ... "We're excited to be a part of this journey with Noble 33 to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience, and what better place to start than our very own, Kansas City."

The guys are essentially attached at the hip both on and off the field ... and now they got the perfect place to double date with Brittany Mahomes and Taylor Swift!!

Danny DeVito's getting back together with his onscreen twin -- saying he and Arnold Schwarzenegger are set to team up once again ... in a totally new project.

The actor spoke with Fox News Digital Wednesday -- days after his surprise appearance alongside The Governator at Sunday's Oscars ceremony -- and said he and AS have plans for a silver screen reunion.

In fact, Danny says this isn't just some hopeful whim -- he says a script is actually in the works, and Warner Bros. is involved ... so, it seems like this thing is really happening!

"Twins" fans shouldn't get too excited though ... 'cause DD says this is an all-new flick, not a sequel to the hit 1988 film starring Danny and Arnold as fraternal twins.

Danny said that his and Arnold's friendship stretches even further back than "Twins" saying they'd see each other every so often ... but -- as Danny joked -- they weren't pumping iron at the gym together!

Ultimately, Danny says they're hoping to start production next year ... and, he's keeping his fingers crossed the project won't be delayed.

Arnold's got a whole bunch of projects on the way according to IMDb FWIW ... and Danny's gonna be featured heavily in the 17th season of his hit show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," so the two guys are gonna have to work around busy schedules.

Aaron Rodgers is attempting to clear up his position on Sandy Hook, a day after a scathing report claimed the superstar QB denied the horrific shooting ever happened, saying that's simply not true, calling it "an absolute tragedy."

"As I’m on the record saying in the past, what happened in Sandy Hook was an absolute tragedy. I am not and have never been of the opinion that the events did not take place," 40-year-old Rodgers tweeted from Costa Rica.

"Again, I hope that we learn from this and other tragedies to identify the signs that will allow us to prevent unnecessary loss of life. My thoughts and prayers continue to remain with the families affected along with the entire Sandy Hook community."

The statement comes after CNN published a report on Wednesday citing two people who claimed AR was adamant the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT was fake, attributing the following quote to the 4x NFL MVP.

"All those children never existed. They were all actors.”

Rodgers tweet seems to directly contradict the CNN story ... but not all of it. The network also reported Aaron believes, or at least did in 2013, that the shooting was an "inside job" perpetrated by the United States government.

The Jets signal-callers message does not address whether he ever claimed the shooting was an inside job.

UFC legend Mark Coleman is breathing on his own and talking to his family ... just days after he was airlifted to a hospital with life-threatening injuries sustained while rescuing his parents from a house fire.

Coleman's daughter, Kenzie, shared an emotional clip on Mark's Instagram ... just 2.5 days after the MMA great suffered smoke inhalation while saving his mom and dad from a giant blaze.

"I had to make a decision," Coleman said about the house fire from his hospital bed, "It was already horrible! I couldn't breathe!"

"I'm the happiest man in the world. I swear to God I'm so lucky! I can't believe my parents are alive!"

Unfortunately, his dog, Hammer, passed away ... and Coleman -- who retired from MMA in 2013 -- is completely devastated.

"I couldn't find Hammer!" Coleman said as he cried with his family.

A GoFundMe was set up for Coleman's loved ones as his daughters will take time off work to help him during his recovery. As of Thursday, over $68K was raised.

Thursday night was supposed to be Jaromir Jagr bobblehead night in Pittsburgh -- with a packed arena celebrating the Penguins legend -- but those plans went to hell when a cargo shipment carrying thousands of the collectible figurines was stolen!

The Penguins made the gut punch of an announcement Thursday morning, saying, "the shipment carrying the Jagr bobbleheads for tonight’s game has been stolen en route to Pittsburgh" ... after arriving in California.

Pittsburgh is playing the San Jose Sharks at home ... where they intended to honor their former star player.

Jagr spent 11 seasons playing for the Penguins, earning 6 All-Star nods in Pittsburgh.

The celebration was meant to be a bright spot amid a disappointing season for the team.

Despite the fact fans will go home empty-handed tonight, the team says they will deliver on the collectibles.

“We were shocked to be a victim of cargo theft, and we are working closely with local and federal authorities on the investigation,” Penguins executive Kevin Acklin.

“While this unfortunate incident adds to the legend of Jaromir Jagr, who will be in attendance as our guest at tonight’s game, we look forward to resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans.”

The org. plans to provide vouchers to fans who can trade them in for a bobblehead in the future ... however, there's no timetable.