TMZ Sports - Page 50

Gisele Bündchen's addressing rumors head-on ... claiming she never stepped out on her marriage to Tom Brady -- and, claiming the rumors started 'cause she's a woman.

The model -- who was married to Tom from 2009 to 2022 -- sat down for an interview with The New York Times where she finally addressed claims she cheated on Brady with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente.

In the interview, Bündchen straight up calls the claims she cheated lies, and while also saying she's not looking to make her life one big tabloid story.

But, Gisele did offer her theory on why the rumors seem to gather steam ... chalking it up to a sexist attitude toward women in breakups -- claiming ladies always take the blame when they leave unhealthy relationships.

The mother-of-two says the same goes for any woman who breaks up with their man ... it's just amplified with her because of her public platform.

She also confirmed she's dating someone -- though she didn't say Joaquim's name -- adding this relationship is so much different than any of her past couplings ... way more open and honest, according to GB.

We broke the story ... sources close to Tom told us he isn't buying the relationship timeline Gisele's selling -- saying he thinks they started dating way back in 2021.

Meanwhile, Bündchen got really emotional when talking about Tom during an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts earlier this month -- saying she didn't want to divorce Tom, but ultimately needed to make the change.

Kim Kardashian was keeping the peace with her ex Kanye West on Friday ... despite their obvious tension over how to raise their kids.

KK and Ye showed up at their son Saint's basketball game in LA last evening, and they acted like everything was hunky dory between them.

Check out these images obtained by TMZ ... Kim and Kanye were smiling as they posed for photos snapped by their fans. Kanye went one step further, putting his arm around Kim at one point.

Pretty bold move considering their 7-year marriage ended in a bitter divorce in 2022. Their four young children created much of the tension between the former couple.

TMZ broke the story ... . Kim and Kanye are not seeing eye to eye on how to raise Saint, North, Chicago and Psalm. The main issue has to do with where the youngsters are going to school.

Kanye wants them out of Sierra Canyon School, whereas Kim wants them to stay enrolled. There's also the added stress of Kanye's antisemitic rants praising Hitler and the Nazis.

But now it seems Kim is playing nicely with Kanye and his current wife, Bianca Censori. You may recall, Kim recently showed up alongside Bianca at Ye's listening party for his new rap record, "Vultures 1."

Comeback SZN 2.0 could be on the horizon ... 'cause there's one organization clamoring to get Johnny Manziel to suit up once again -- the Arena Football League!!

That's right -- the AFL is relaunching in 2024 under new leadership ... forming 16 teams for a 10-game season.

TMZ Sports spoke with new AFL commissioner Lee Hutton III -- the first black pro league commish in United States history -- on the exciting times for the country's favorite sport ... and he's eyeing some big names to join in.

"Absolutely," Hutton said. "Some of them have received personal [direct messages] from me. I reached out to Johnny Manziel. So, Johnny, I'm a Texas guy. So, if you're ready to come back and indoors -- because you did very well -- we will take you. We will find a spot for you."

31-year-old Manziel was one of the most electric players on the gridiron once upon a time ... winning the Heisman in 2012 and eventually going in the first round of the NFL Draft two years later.

But things fizzled out ... and the former Texas A&M superstar bounced around to the CFL and other leagues before walking away from the sport for good.

Manziel has been open about his struggles with addiction and mental health ... but it appears he's doing much better and is on a good path, so perhaps he gets the itch to give it another go??

Regardless of whether Manziel hops aboard the AFL ship, Hutton -- an attorney for high-profile cases and celebrities -- said there are exciting times ahead for the org ... and they're expecting to satisfy fans' hunger for football throughout the year.

Hutton added he's been picking the brains of former owners, coaches and commissioners of the AFL ... and everyone's been super helpful as he transitions into the new position.

Tim McKyer -- a three-time Super Bowl champion -- reached a deal with prosecutors on Friday in order to close out his hit-and-run case, TMZ Sports has learned.

Court records show the former San Francisco 49ers defensive back agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion program ... and in exchange, officials said they'd drop the charges against him if he successfully completed it.

According to court documents, in order to accomplish that ... McKyer must do 16 hours of community service, take four hours of defensive driving courses, pay $100 and keep his nose clean. A hearing has been set for late May to determine if McKyer has fulfilled all of the requirements.

It appears to be a good deal for McKyer -- as the ex-NFL player was facing serious time behind bars after he was charged with five counts of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage stemming from an alleged incident in a Riviera Beach, FL parking garage back on Feb. 19.

You'll recall, authorities accused McKyer of slamming his Tesla into five parked vehicles ... before leaving the scene without notifying anybody.

We reached out to McKyer's attorney for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Give Jaxson Hayes another assist on his career stats ... the Lakers center was seen handing out cash to kids in LA on Thursday night!!!

The 23-year-old performed the sweet gesture while outside of a Louis Vuitton event on Rodeo Drive ... after some tykes who were selling candy bars asked him for his business.

Hayes didn't want any of their chocolate -- but he decided to kick some money their way regardless.

Check out the video ... Hayes got one of the boys' numbers and then sent what appeared to be a Venmo. Seconds later, the kid jumped for joy and screamed, "He just sent me $100!"

Hayes was also spotted taking some pics with the little fans who had gathered around the storefront.

It's the weekend, and what better to unwind than touch base on our TV show topics?!

Let's start with "TMZ Live," where the biggest news of the day dominated our entire show -- namely, the fact Kate Middleton publicly announced she'd been diagnosed with cancer ... and was now undergoing preventative chemotherapy ... this after weeks of speculation.

Next up, we have "TMZ on TV," where the gang talked about conservative firebrand Candace Owens getting fired from the Daily Wire -- this amid claims she'd embraced antisemitism.

Finally, we land on "TMZ Sports," where Babcock and Mojo talked about Shohei Ohtani.

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

Dolph Lundgren's not against recasting an iconic character -- telling fans to give David Corenswet's Superman a chance ... even if he's not entirely sure who he is.

We talked to the action movie star in Los Angeles Friday, and asked him all about the DC Universe coming to an end -- 'memba, Dolph starred as King Nereus in the 'Aquaman' films -- and he says he's sad to see it go 'cause of his great time working on the flick.

DL name-drops a few of his costars from the flick before moving on to the outrage surrounding Henry Cavill being dropped as Superman for Corenswet.

Lundgren says he isn't familiar with David -- by name or reputation -- but he says fans always get up in arms when one of their fav characters ends up being played by someone else ... and they need to give the guy a chance to flex his superhero muscles.

It seems like Dolph doesn't know Corenswet's work very well -- and yet, he's very positive here, saying he's rooting for DC's newest Man of Steel ... which is pretty awesome.

That said, Dolph's very clear there's one character he doesn't want recast ... Apollo Creed, played by the late great Carl Weathers.

95% of brackets had Kentucky beating Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tourney, so while nearly no one in the outside world believed in the Golden Grizzlies, their squad did, including star hooper Trey Townsend who hopes this proves rankings ain't everything!

As you know, the 14th-ranked Oakland Golden Grizzlies officially kicked off the Madness in March when they defeated John Calipari's number 3-seeded Kentucky Wildcats ... the tournament's biggest upset (so far).

"You can't put that mindset on yourself going to a game thinking you're lesser than your opponent, because you're, per se, shooting yourself in the foot and giving yourself a disadvantage mentally," Townsend said.

"We come in confident and play our best game, play as hard as we can and we're just as good and can compete with anyone in the country. We proved it [Thursday]," the team leader told us.

Now, Oakland (located in Michigan, not California) will face No. 11 North Carolina State in the second round on Saturday ... and Townsend believes they've got a real path to the Sweet 16! Especially with Jack Gohlke shooting lights out (he knocked down 10 threes)!

"I think it's just playing the way we have all season," Townsend said. "The biggest thing, especially at this time of the year, is to stay consistent to what you've done to get you to this point."

"We're not gonna take anything lightly, even though we just had a big win. You gotta keep that in your back pocket for now and we can celebrate after a long run in this tournament."

As if Trey and Oakland's story wasn't already cool enough, his dad Skip Townsend, who was not only a credentialed media member working Thursday's game, but also a former hooper on the Golden Grizzlies team.

In fact, Skip played for Oakland's CURRENT coach, Greg Kampe, way back in the 80s! His mom Nicole was also on the women's basketball team.

"I always wanted to be an Oakland uniform and be like my dad," Trey said.

3/22 -- 3:18 PM PT -- MLB just announced it has officially launched its probe into the matter ... saying, "Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media."

"Earlier today, our DOI began their formal process investigating the matter."

MLB is doing its due diligence with Shohei Ohtani ... with sources telling TMZ Sports that league officials are gathering information to determine if the face of baseball was involved in the gambling scandal surrounding his translator.

Ohtani's inteprator and best friend Ippei Mizuhara has given conflicting stories on Shohei's involvement ... first saying the Dodgers superstar was well aware of his huge gambling debts, and loaned him millions of dollars to get out of the hole. He later backtracked, saying the Japanese two-way athlete had no idea.

As for Ohtani, his attorney claims he's been the victim of a "massive theft."

Now, MLB's trying to figure out what the hell is going on -- not necessarily because they believe Shohei did anything wrong -- but because gambling is an existential threat to any pro sport.

Look no further than Pete Rose ... who despite his exploits on the diamond, was banned for life in 1989 after he admitted to wagering on games -- although no one has accused Ohtani of betting on baseball, or any other sport for that matter.

It's worth noting, it sounds like Ohtani -- who signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers this offseason -- has nothing to hide.

We're told his team alerted authorities to the "theft" ... and the feds are currently investigating.

No one connected to the probe has been arrested.

The Dodgers are 1-1 on the season, and their newly signed star is off to a solid start, despite the scandal ... collecting 3 hits and 2 RBIs in 10 plate appearances on the season.

1:10 PM -- Bijan Robinson is perfect no more ... Marquette just ruined the NFL star's previously unblemished NCAA tournament bracket.

The No. 2-seed Golden Eagles defeated No. 15-seed Western Kentucky, 87-69, making it the only game so far that Robinson hasn't gotten right.

What a run!!!

NCAA tournament bracket already busted? Bijan Robinson can't relate -- the NFL superstar is perfect through Day One!!

The Atlanta Falcons tailback didn't get one of his 16 picks wrong on Thursday -- somehow nailing Oakland's upset over Kentucky AND Duquesne's big victory over BYU.

The feat is incredibly rare ... out of the 22 million-or-so brackets that were filled out this week -- less than 2,000 remain unblemished!!

The 22-year-old was thrilled to be right ... he posted a pic to his Instagram page late Thursday night, flashing a million-dollar grin with the caption, "They said it was crazy."

"Yessirski," he added.

The running back will have quite the hill to climb in order to stay undefeated going forward. He's got No. 11-seed North Carolina State and No. 12-seed Grand Canyon advancing to the Elite Eight ... as well as his alma mater, Texas -- a No. 7 seed -- winning the whole thing.

But, hey, if the guy made it this far this good, perhaps the choices aren't that wild after all!!

His NFL team, meanwhile, celebrated the feat with a late-night tweet Thursday -- writing, "A PERFECT bracket for @Bijan5Robinson on day one?! 🤯"

Tip-off for Day Two is just a couple hours away -- if you need betting tips for the afternoon, probably best to check out Robinson's bracket above!!

NC State might wanna triple team Jack Gohlke in their second round matchup of the NCAA tournament … 'cause Oakland's March Madness hero simply cannot miss -- nailing a full-court shot at practice!!

Gohlke drained 10 three-pointers en route to the Golden Grizzlies' first tourney win in school history on Thursday ... helping No. 14 Oakland get the upset win over No. 3 Kentucky.

The hot streak continued on Friday ... with the sharp shooter pulling up from the opposite baseline and connecting on the loooooooooong three-point attempt.

Luckily, Gohlke's teammate, Evan Solomon, was recording the whole thing ... and the dude celebrated by yelling and chest-bumping his squad.

"That's a good sign," someone is heard saying in the video ... and it could be bad news for the Wolfpack.

Gohlke oozed confidence following the Grizzlies' huge 80-76 win ... saying he knew his team would be able to pull it off.

"I know they have draft picks, and I know I’m not going to the NBA … but on any given I can compete with those type of guys and our team can compete with those type of guys," Gohlke said after the win.

"That’s why I say we're not a Cinderella."

Even the college basketball world took a momentary pause to digest Kate Middleton's cancer announcement on Friday ... with CBS interrupting its NCAA tournament coverage to bring the news to fans.

With around five minutes remaining in the FAU vs. Northwestern game ... Norah O'Donnell came on the screen to inform CBS' audience that Middleton had just revealed she's been diagnosed with cancer.

The broadcast then played around 30 seconds of Middleton's video explaining her prognosis.

O'Donnell spoke on camera for roughly a minute more ... before the network resumed its planned coverage of the big hoops game.

Owls and Wildcats supporters didn't miss a second of in-game action ... as a lengthy timeout had been called on the floor during the special report.

Tim McGraw showed love to Iowa's biggest star when he performed in Des Moines ... wearing Caitlin Clark's Hawkeyes jersey while he rocked out on stage!

The country music legend was in the Hawkeye state at Wells Fargo Arena for the latest stop on his Standing Room Only Tour ... and he was spotted rockin' a black and yellow Clark jersey while singing his hits, including the platinum song, "Truck Yeah".

"Gotta represent," 56-year-old McGraw said while pointing to his jersey.

The Iowa Hawkeyes-themed performance comes just two days before Clark and her top-seeded squad play the Holy Cross Crusaders in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

It's an interesting wardrobe choice for TM, a Louisiana native who pledged Pi Kappa Alpha at Northeast Louisianan University.

But, when in Rome ... not to mention Clark is one of the biggest women's basketball stars we've ever seen. In fact, she's the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, men or women, in addition to holding numerous other records.

Soon, Clark won't be hooping in Iowa ... she recently declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

There's a good chance LSU and Iowa may see each other down the road ... they're on a collision course that could see the rivals play in a highly anticipated Elite 8 matchup.

Celine Dion's proving she can still rock by jamming out to Bon Jovi at a Boston Bruins game ... and the heartwarming video also makes it clear she's not letting her health challenges stop her from living life to the max.

Check out the clip -- Celine didn't hold back as she started singing along to the rock band's classic "Livin' on a Prayer" Thursday night at the Bruins game against the NY Rangers ... a rare public appearance amid her ongoing Stiff-Person Syndrome battle.

Celine's right in the thick of the action at Boston's TD Garden alongside her twin sons Nelson and Eddy ... when the camera zeroes in on her as she pumps her fists in the air and claps along while singing along to the catchy tune.

Her inner rockstar comes alive in the X clip shared by fan account @celinebible ... she rises from her seat to unleash an air guitar solo that's pure magic.

You can take the girl off the stage, but you can't take the performer outta her!

Celine wasn't just there to watch the game ... she and her sons got the royal treatment from Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, who introduced them to the team for a legendary line-up read.

The icon's ice hockey antics came hot on the heels of her heartfelt tribute on International Stiff-Person Syndrome Awareness Day ... where she thanked her family, team, and fans for all their love and support since her diagnosis.

Celine was diagnosed with SPS in 2022, and she's been fighting tooth and nail to cope with the autoimmune disorder, even pulling the plug on her tour to prioritize her health.

The truth is ... she has her good days, and bad ones too during this battle. Her sister has said at times Celine is suffering and completely immobilized.

Olivia Culpo is baring it all in order to drum up interest in her upcoming clothing line ... rockin' nothing but a tiny bikini bottom in a steamy new ad.

Christian McCaffrey's fiancée posted the short commercial on her Instagram page Friday morning ... and, yeah, it's spicy, to say the least.

You can see the former Miss Universe champion sitting by a pool with her top off ... posing for a camera placed strategically behind her.

In a subsequent IG post, Culpo explained it was all to help sell her Montce x Culpo '24 Collection -- which officially drops on March 25.

This ain't the first sexy advert Culpo has taken part in this week ... on Tuesday, she and McCaffrey posed for some sweaty shots to help hawk Bodyarmor's new zero-sugar drink.

It could be one of the last times, however, that Culpo films as an unmarried woman.

Travis Hunter is the early leader in the clubhouse for Son of the Year ... the college football star blessed his mom with a big, brand-new home, and her reaction was priceless!

The Colorado Buffaloes cornerback and receiver surprised his mother over St. Patrick's Day weekend when his family, plus fiancee Leanne, took a trip to Savannah, GA, to celebrate the holiday.

Hunter took his whole family to view the massive house, and while they were there, he gave his mom a card to read aloud ... and when she was done, confetti flew everywhere.

That's when mom realized the house was hers ... and she completely lost her mind when Trav handed her the keys!

"Y'all got me good," Hunter's mom said about the surprise. "Wooooo!!!!"

Hunter, 20, noted the "nice ass house" -- 5 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths -- was one of the two biggest purchases he's ever made.

Travis is a super generous person. Last year he got his fiancee a custom Hello Kitty Tesla along with a massive diamond ring when he proposed in February.

Hunter obviously isn't paid to play football yet (just wait), but he has benefited from several NIL deals, including one with Michael Strahan's company.

The money is well-deserved ... TH is one of the most talented and versatile athletes in all of college football. In fact, under Deion Sanders' tutelage at Jackson State and Colorado, he's racked up 5 interceptions and 50 total tackles in two seasons as a DB.

On offense, Hunter has 911 receiving yards and nine touchdowns ... and was awarded the 2023 Paul Hornung Award for being the most high-level performer in college football.