TMZ Sports - Page 25

The journalist who called LSU women's basketball players "dirty debutantes" in a column last week has just issued an apology ... admitting, "I have failed miserably in my choice of words."

Ben Bolch wrote the controversial piece for the Los Angeles Times last Friday ... and it was almost immediately met with backlash. Critics slammed the way he compared the UCLA women's basketball team to "milk and cookies," while calling the Tigers' players "Louisiana hot sauce" -- insisting it was both racist and misogynistic.

In fact, LSU coach Kim Mulkey and her star player, Hailey Van Lith, were so offended by the article, they both used portions of their meetings with media members over the weekend to rail against Bolch.

The reporter clearly heard the criticism ... because on Monday afternoon, he issued a lengthy mea culpa.

In his statement -- which he posted to his X page -- Bolch acknowledged his words were "not appropriate" and were "deeply offensive."

"It was not my intent to be hurtful," he said, adding his employer did not require him to write the note, "but I now understand that I terribly missed the mark."

He concluded his message by writing, "I am deeply sorry."

For the L.A. Times' part, they swapped out portions of Bolch's original article ... writing in an editor's note, "The original version of this commentary did not meet Times editorial standards. It has been edited to remove language that was inappropriate and offensive."

2:06 PM PT -- Jail records show Cameron Sutton was released from custody on Monday afternoon ... roughly 24 hours after he turned himself in.

"After completing an investigation into this matter, the Office of the State Attorney has elected to file a single misdemeanor," Sutton's attorney said in a statement following the NFL player's release. "Both Mr. Sutton and the mother of his children request privacy in this matter, as they view this as a family matter and wish to resolve it as a family."

Former Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton has turned himself into police ... this after cops say he ran from them for several weeks.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had been seeking to arrest the NFL player for most of last month ... after it said a woman claimed he roughed her up on March 7.

According to police, Sutton's attorney told cops on March 25 he intended to turn himself in ... and on Sunday, at around 8:24 PM, they say he did just that.

Video from the Orient Road Jail shows Sutton, 29, was wearing a white shirt and mustard-colored shorts when he arrived. He later donned what appeared to be an orange jumpsuit and took a mugshot.

Jail records show he was booked on a charge of felony domestic battery by strangulation ... and as of Monday morning, he remained behind bars.

"After weeks of evading law enforcement, this man has finally made the right choice to turn himself in," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "Domestic violence has no place in our community, and no one is above the law here in Hillsborough County. My thoughts are with this woman as she continues to heal from this man's gruesome actions."

Sutton -- who had just signed a 3-year, $33 million contract to join Detroit in 2023 -- was cut by the Lions on March 21, one day after they say they were made aware of the allegations against him.

He had previously played for the Steelers for six seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs say they're preparing to do everything they can to figure out what role Rashee Rice played -- if any -- in a car crash that allegedly involved one of his vehicles ... with the team's president, Mark Donovan, vowing to "get to the bottom of it."

According to the Dallas Morning News, a car registered to Rice was caught up in a multi-vehicle accident on a Dallas expressway at around 6:25 PM on Saturday. It's not clear at all how exactly the NFL player is believed to be connected to the incident, although the DMN reported cops are now looking to speak to him.

Donovan appeared on KCMO Talk Radio Monday morning to address the allegations -- and he said while they're still in the process of getting information, "We'll get to the bottom of it."

Former NFL star cornerback Vontae Davis -- who played 10 seasons before retiring in 2018 -- has been found dead in a Florida home. He was only 35.

WSVN reported that a male body was found at a home owned by Davis' grandmother on Monday in Southwest Ranches Florida, which is 30 miles north of Miami.

Police said no foul play is involved and the investigation is ongoing.

Utah Jazz general manager Justin Zanik revealed he's been dealing with a serious health condition .... admitting he was in kidney failure after he was diagnosed with a disease that left only 14% of the organ's function.

The 49-year-old went into detail about the discovery on Monday ... explaining his wife, Gina, was concerned that he looked thinner and tired -- so she begged him to get a physical after missing the last eight annual exams.

Zanik -- who became the NBA team's GM in 2019 -- set up an appointment with the Jazz physician David Petron in September 2023 ... and was told he was in kidney failure.

The diagnosis is Polycystic Kidney Disease -- an inherited disorder where cysts develop on the kidneys causing them to work less -- and Dr. Petron said Zanik only had 14% of the kidney's use left.

Zanik will have to get a transplant -- something his father did 21 years ago ... and he found a match with his wife's best friend's husband. The procedure will happen on Tuesday.

"I'm a fixer by nature. My job with the Jazz, my role with my family -- I mean, I was a [player] agent for 15 years. I fixed a lot of s***. I'm the one who's supposed to help," Zanik said.

"I'm the one who's supposed to take care of everything. I really didn't know how to ask for help, but I had to get over it. I knew I had to get over it."

Zanik's children were also diagnosed with advanced forms of PKD ... and were told that Ava, Oskar, and Lucy would need transplants before they were 30 years old.

"We're going to do this together," Zanik said. "We're stronger together."

Drake's got Travis Scott in his sniper scope, and unloaded fake gunfire on a prop representing him ... putting Trav on the impressive list of rappers -- Kendrick Lamar, Future and Metro Boomin -- he's targeting for revenge.

On Sunday, Drake and J. Cole's "It's All A Blur -- Big as the What?" tour rolled into Penn State University Park ... Drake launched into an angry performance of "Meltdown" ... his most recent collab with Travis from last year's "Utopia" album.

But, he ended the verse screaming at the top of his lungs, and then mimicked gunshots on the giant Travis Scott head -- popularized during the Astroworld era -- which Drake had been using as a tour prop during the performance of the song.

Several men attending the Giants vs. Padres game at Petco Park on Saturday evening got into a violent fistfight in a concourse ... and the wild scene was all captured on video.

Check out the footage, you can see at least four men were involved in the altercation ... with two tussling on the floor -- while the other two were slugging one another while upright.

At one point during the standing skirmish, a punch appeared to land so flush on the man in a No. 44 San Diego jersey, it knocked him to the ground.

Russell Westbrook unloaded on a heckling fan during Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets ... with the LA Clippers star cussing the guy out -- and it was all captured on video.

The tense interaction went down prior to the second half of the Clips' 130-118 road win at the Spectrum Center ... when Russ addressed a spectator who, according to witnesses, had been mouthing off about him in the first two quarters.

The clip of the interaction shows Russ scolding the balloon hat-wearing Hornets supporter ... explaining his jeers went too far.

"I got kids, don't disrespect my name," Russ is heard saying during the exchange ... adding, "I don't give a f***" to whatever the spectator replied.

It appears a team staffer was right next to Russ throughout the convo ... probably to make sure things didn't escalate.

The 35-year-old vet has been vocal about the hate thrown his way during games -- especially the "Westbrick" nickname -- saying the effect the name-calling has had on his family goes far beyond the average trolling.

The NBA has also taken action against mouthy fans ... kicking people out on numerous occasions if the athletes on the hardwood complain.

The Kardashians are on board with Caitlyn Jenner and Lamar Odom teaming up for their new sports podcast -- despite reports suggesting they were blindsided, the fam actually gave it a thumbs-up ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Caitlyn tell TMZ ... the Olympian spoke with her former stepdaughter, Khloe Kardashian, after she was approached last year about a possible collab with Koko's ex-husband. We're told Khloe was very supportive of the endeavor, which pays tribute to the family's famous reality show with its title, "Keeping Up With Sports."

Khloe thought it was a great idea for Caitlyn and Lamar to cohost the show together, given they are both champions in their own right. Remember, Cait and LO were always close during the NBA star's marriage to the Good American founder, and afterward, they remained friendly.

Dashcam footage from the Dallas car crash allegedly involving Rashee Rice’s car shows just how gnarly the collision actually was … and yeah, it’s intense.

Check out the video ... which captures the moment 2 black cars -- previously identified as a Lamborghini and a Corvette -- collide with a grey car on the left side of the North Central Expressway.

The initial hit pulls everyone across the road ... subsequently knocking the Lambo and Corvette into more vehicles before coming to a halt.

Mike Vrabel's got a lot more free time on his hands these days -- it is, after all, his first season out of head coaching since 2017 -- and TMZ Sports has learned he's spending at least some of it in Sin City!

Check out photos we obtained of the former Tennessee Titans honcho in Las Vegas on Thursday evening ... you can see he was getting after it on a craps table at the Wynn.

One witness tells us it didn't seem like he won much -- hence the long look on his face -- but nonetheless, a bad day in Vegas has to feel better than a bad day on the coaching headset, right?!

Larry David seems to have had a miserable time watching UConn make its way into the Final Four on Saturday ... at least that's what the internet is thinking from this footage of him.

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star couldn't hide his disdain as UConn beat out Illinois during the March Madness faceoff on Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. The famous curmudgeon was filmed biting his nails and looking seriously annoyed as UConn dominated Illinois.

LD appeared less than comfortable in his front row seat too ... as he was also photographed stretching out his onto the banister in front of him.

The car accident that cops say Rashee Rice's vehicle was involved in was a mess on the side of a freeway in Dallas -- which you can now see in these photos from the scene we've obtained, including what we're told are some of the occupants beelining it out of there.

Check out these pics we got a hold of from Saturday's wreck on the North Central Expressway. We're told these were taken in the immediate aftermath of the accident -- which affected several vehicles, per police -- and you can tell how bad it was by the damage done.

Not only do you see what it all looked like once first responders arrived ... but eyewitnesses tell us these photos also capture some of the guys who were allegedly in the 2 cars involved in causing this mess -- and you can see them casually leaving the scene.

7:50 AM PT -- Dallas PD tells TMZ ... "Police were called to a multi-vehicle accident in the 6600 block of northbound North Central Expressway. The preliminary investigation determined two drivers, one in a Corvette, the other in a Lamborghini, were speeding in the far-left lane."

Cops add, "The drivers lost control and the Lamborghini traveled onto the shoulder and hit the center median wall, causing a chain reaction collision involving four other vehicles." A total of 6 vehicles were involved in the crash, too.

Kim Zolciak filmed a reality show pilot with her daughters Brielle and Ariana, but her estranged hubby Kroy Biermann is completely MIA from the project ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... despite the awkwardness of Kim and Kroy still living under the same roof, cameras were rolling at their Georgia home in January after a production company approached Kim, asking to document her post-split life.

Our sources say the pilot has been getting shopped around for over a month now ... and there's one particular network showing a lot of interest. We're told Bravo -- Kim's old 'RHOA' stomping ground -- isn't the network where the series would potentially land.

Jake Paul believes his upcoming boxing match against Mike Tyson could be the "biggest fight the world will ever see" ... but Canelo Alvarez sure as hell won't be tuning in -- 'cause the superstar pugilist tells TMZ Sports he has ZERO interest in the event.

There's a bit of history between the Problem Child and the multiple-time champ -- Paul has constantly called out Canelo for a fight ... and while the latter has eased his stance on the internet sensation's presence in the sport, he's made it clear the two won't meet in the ring.

With Paul vs. Tyson slated to go down in July, we had to ask Canelo if he's interested in checking it out ... and sorry, Jake -- it's a big, fat "no."