TMZ Sports - Page 50

It would've been better than an episode of "Veep" ... sadly, Vice President Aaron Rodgers won't be coming to a poll near you -- Robert F. Kennedy has picked his running mate, and it's NOT the 4-time NFL MVP!

During a campaign event in Oakland on Tuesday, RFK Jr. announced Northern California-based attorney Nicole Shanahan, 38, would anchor the Independent's ticket.

Of course, RFK Jr. was considering two other high-profile options ... including 40-year-old Rodgers, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, who the 70-year-old confirmed was near the "top" of his shortlist. Mike Rowe and Jesse Ventura were also considered.

Ex-NBA tough guy Matt Barnes met his match this week ... coming face-to-face with a pesky opossum that entered his home -- and the video of the standoff is riveting.

The 44-year-old hooper documented the whole thing on his Instagram page ... showing his elaborate plan to get the creature out of his kitchen.

Barnes -- who's in the process of moving -- had a bunch of boxes set up in hopes of leading the opossum toward the door.

The guy even tried throwing various fruits at it ... but the intruder refused to budge.

Barnes then grabbed a golf club ... with the intent to "put a pitching wedge up his ass."

The 6'7" champ did everything he could to keep a distance ... hopping around on the countertops and spraying the rodent with water, which only made it more of a challenge as it scurried further into the home.

At one point, MB even pondered lighting a joint to get the critter high ... but elected against it.

Eventually, Barnes' nemesis decided it was time to go back outside ... bolting for the door and off the property.

"I'll fight anybody, but I don't f*** with animals," Barnes said. "That's for g**damn sure."

The interaction received a ton of responses from Barnes' followers ... including Deion Sanders, Jon Jones, Gilbert Arenas, Terrell Owens and more.

The NCAA tournament wasn't all fun and games for the Utah Utes women's basketball team ... 'cause several players were allegedly called the N-word and other "racial hate crimes" while at the team hotel.

Utes head coach Lynne Roberts revealed the cruel acts following their 2nd round loss to 4-seeded Gonzaga on Monday, claiming they had to relocate the entire team from their hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho over the incredibly offensive treatment.

"We had several instances of some kind of racial hate crimes towards our program," Roberts said during the post-game press conference. "Incredibly upsetting for all of us."

Former NFL star Malcolm Butler -- who famously helped the Patriots win Super Bowl XLIX with a last-minute interception -- was arrested in Rhode Island earlier this month, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to North Providence Police Dept. documents, Butler was thrown behind bars back on March 16 after officers say he displayed signs of driving drunk during a traffic stop.

Cops say they initially pulled his white Mercedes-Benz over at around 3:22 AM ... after he was allegedly blocking traffic while stopped in a travel lane.

11:34 AM PT -- We've gotten some much-needed clarification on what exactly is happening at the gym Taylor Swift frequents whenever she drops in for a workout -- and while it's not nearly as dramatic as it was made out to be ... she does, in fact, get special treatment when she's there.

A rep for Dogpound tells TMZ ... "Dogpound is a by-appointment establishment. We value members' experience and have never had anyone wait outside for 2 hours. The narrative running in the media does not accurately reflect circumstances. We respect the privacy of our clients." On the issue of who these people outside were, they wouldn't say.

Lucky for us, we found the answer another way ... sources familiar with this gym tell us that several of the folks pictured in workout attire are actually Dogpound employees -- whom, we're told, do have to get out when Taylor swings by to get some exercise.

7:18 AM PT -- Baltimore's MLB team just sent out its thoughts and prayers to those affected by the collapse ... vowing in a statement to "get through this" as a "tight-knit and resilient city."

The Baltimore Ravens sent out prayers to the victims of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse Tuesday morning ... writing in a statement their "hearts go out to those who have been affected."

The bridge crumpled into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 AM ... after a large ship hit one of its support columns.

Several vehicles were on the bridge when it crashed into the near-freezing water below ... and city officials say divers are now on the scene searching for victims.

The Ravens -- who play roughly 15 miles away from the bridge at M&T Bank Stadium -- added in their statement they're confident the city will bond together in the wake of the tragedy.

Former Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III also sent prayers to those involved ... as did LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese, who was born and raised in the Baltimore area.

Eric Decker just ensured he won't be having any more kids following the birth of his fourth one -- revealing Monday night he had a vasectomy.

The former NFL star had fun while making the announcement ... sharing some photos of him recovering from the procedure while wearing a T-shirt that read, "Vasectomy survivor. I kid you not."

In one of the snaps, he had a bag of frozen peas on his private parts -- while holding what appeared to be a stiff drink in one of his hands.

Yankees outfielder Oscar Gonzalez is currently resting in a hospital -- this after he broke his eye socket in a scary moment during an exhibition game Monday night.

Gonzalez was at the plate in the middle of NY's tilt against the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in Mexico City when he got pitched inside -- and foul tipped the ball right into his face.

Video from the game's broadcast shows the 26-year-old crumpled in pain immediately ... as trainers raced out to the field to tend to him.

Jake Gyllenhaal's new flick, "Road House," packs one helluva punch ... but Key West's Mayor ain't too thrilled with how their sunny paradise has been portrayed on-screen.

Teri Johnston, the mayor of Key West, tells TMZ ... while she hasn't caught the film, she's not pleased with its rowdy, drug-filled, and crime-ridden portrayal of the Florida Keys ... saying that might've been The Keys in the '70s and '80s, but it's a whole new ball game in 2024!

Mayor Johnston lays down the facts ... telling us 90% of Key West residents are transplants  -- representing a diverse mix of environmentalists, artists, business owners, teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

Another day, another slate of hard-hitting TV topics ... and we got it all for you right here.

Let's start out on "TMZ Live," where Harvey and Charles discussed the latest development in the Diddy saga -- namely, his two homes in L.A. and Miami being raided by the feds ... and some people in his family being detained as agents stormed the properties with guns out.

UFC flyweight Andre Lima got bitten, and he's got the marks to prove it ... but believe it or not, the undefeated MMA fighter says he feels bad for the guy who went all Iron Mike on his arm during the Fight Night scrap!

"I feel so sorry, to be honest," Lima told TMZ Sports on Monday. "I'm sad for him because he came from the same thing, the struggle like I did. He has a family ... bright future."

"I feel so much for him because I know the same journey I have, he has too. I feel bad for him."

If you didn't catch it, 20-year-old Igor Severino, who was 8-0 and making his UFC debut, squared off against 8-0 Lima in Las Vegas when things took a wild turn. About halfway through round 2, Igor latched onto the inside of Andre's arm, near his bicep, prompting a scream from Lima.

Severino was disqualified for the bite -- his first loss -- and Dana White cut him shortly after the DQ. In the thousands of fights in UFC history, this was a first.

But, it's not all terrible news ... Lima, who actually got a tattoo of the bite after the fight, says he's down to rematch Igor, IF he gets back into the UFC -- but that's probably wishful thinking.

Lima also got a $50k bonus from Dana ... for going through what he did (as well as the awesome tattoo). We asked him what he was going to do with the cash.

"I wanna help my mom, a few people in my family," Lima said, adding ... "I wanna buy a car. That's one thing I've wanted for a long time and now I can buy my car."

Lima also wants UFC fans to take him seriously ... and doesn't want to only be known as the guy who was bitten during a fight.

Shohei Ohtani just broke his silence on the gambling scandal surrounding his former interpreter -- and the Dodgers star was adamant he never placed any sports bets.

The 29-year-old addressed the media on Monday afternoon for the first time since Ippei Mizuhara was fired for allegedly using some of the baseball player's funds to gamble with an illegal bookmaker.

Ohtani told reporters through his new translator, Will Ireton, that he had no idea what was going on with the situation up until a team meeting following the Dodgers' first game of the season last week in Korea.

Pittsburgh Penguins fans rejoice -- the thousands of Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads that were stolen earlier this month have been located and returned ... and the team is now preparing to hand them out to their rightful new owners.

The organization released a statement on the development Monday ... saying a special cargo recovery team was able to negotiate the return of the bobbles and secure them at a warehouse in Ontario, CA.

The mini Jagrs then made their way to the Steel City ... and are slated to eventually arrive at PPG Paints Arena at some point in the next week.

Of course, the giveaways were originally supposed to go to fans in attendance for the March 14 game against the San Jose Sharks ... as part of a big night to celebrate the NHL legend's historic career.

The team said the Jagr bobbleheads will be made available to those with tix to the original game starting April 6 ... and it will host a drive-thru pickup period at the arena as well.

Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld's romance is starting to feel real serious ... as the two couldn't have looked more in love during a cameo they recently did for a baby's gender reveal.

The video was posted on TikTok on Sunday ... and in it, several family members and friends -- including Allen and Steinfeld -- appeared on screen to guess the gender of Allen's sister's unborn child.

After introducing themselves, Allen and Steinfeld both predicted it'd be a boy -- but check out the footage, the two looked super smitten with one another.

Josh appears to have his hand on her lower back -- and at one point during their short appearance, Hailee stumbles and braces herself with the NFL star's core. The two also flashed big grins throughout.

The couple has been pretty much inseparable recently -- they've been spotted cruising around the Los Angeles area a few times this offseason ... and they were also looking lovey-dovey during their trip to Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.

In fact, they've gotten so tight -- Allen's Bills teammate, Dion Dawkins, proclaimed in early March the quarterback "is in love."

Jake Paul's speed-skating superstar girlfriend, Jutta Leerdam, threw on a bikini and took a swim during a lavish getaway recently ... showing off her incredible, Olympic-worthy body while snorkeling through the water.

The Problem Child and Dutch athlete got some R&R in Costa Rica ... soaking in the sun, enjoying the wildlife and having plenty of time at sea.

The couple of about a year have been inseparable throughout the trip ... sharing plenty of PDA snaps as they celebrated their love.

Ryan Garcia's bizarre social media activity continues ... this time, the boxing superstar claims he's handing out plastic surgery procedures like candy -- including boob jobs and Brazilian butt lifts.

King Ryan made the odd proclamation on his X account Monday morning ... saying he wants to show his support for women by helping them fulfill their cosmetic desires.

"I'm giving out free BBL's and Boob jobs hit me up," Garcia said. "No weird stuff just out here supporting."

Garcia insisted the gesture is not to throw shade at anyone ... adding, "No disrespect either I respect all woman. I love and support all woman in the world."

The 25-year-old explained his decision to help out ... saying he's been getting blown up with requests in the DMs and wanted to go "full support mode."

Garcia ended his post with another weird statement -- "RG FOR PRESIDENT" -- although the guy has a bit of aging to do before he can actually set his sights on the Oval Office.

As we previously reported, Garcia swore off any non-sports social media content prior to his April 20 fight against Devin Haney ... but that promise was short-lived.