TMZ Sports - Page 6

Anyone who yucked Xavier Legette's yum needs to reconsider ... 'cause celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern tells TMZ Sports eating raccoon is actually quite delightful.

The host of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" (what a fitting title for a topic like this) weighed in on the Panthers receiver's shocking reveal this week ... when he disclosed on a podcast he enjoyed some trash panda on Thanksgiving.

Zimmern is siding all the way with the South Carolina native ... who claimed raccoons don't taste like chicken, but possess a very distinct flavor.

Lamar Odom's certainly no Grinch ... 'cause he handed out toys to thousands of kids Saturday -- though the notorious Christmas villain did make an appearance.

The former basketball star cohosted a toy drive with Steve Pazmany -- star of "Fully Torqued" on History Channel -- with the help of LAPD Devonshire PALS Center, an org that helps fund after-school programs for kids.

After taking a pic with Pazmany and the Grinch, Lamar walked around the giant warehouse full of toys ... and, check it out 'cause it look like they've got enough to fill Santa's sleigh a few times over.

Daniel Penny was facing a long prison sentence last week ... but, now he's living the good life -- meeting two of the most powerful men in government on Saturday.

The Marine veteran met President-Elect Donald Trump and his future Vice President J.D. Vance ... posing for pictures with them at the Army-Navy football game in Maryland.

In the photo -- posted by one of Trump's staff members -- the three share big grins ... with Penny taking center stage in the photo between the two politicians.

Juan Soto got an amazing dinner to go along with a $756 million contract on Thursday ... TMZ Sports has learned the Mets bought their new star and his family a steak feast to celebrate his formal signing with the team.

We're told just a few hours after Soto put pen to orange-and-blue paper at Citi Field, Steve Cohen hosted the 26-year-old and his loved ones at the world-renowned Benjamin Prime in NYC.

Soto grubbed on mozzarella and tomato salad ... and for a main course, he had a ribeye (if you were wondering, he's a medium-plus temperature kind of guy).

It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, and a single moment to ruin one ... and Shawne Merriman says that's exactly what 49ers LB De'Vondre Campbell is about to experience!

"I think his reputation is done. I'd be shocked if another team decides to pick him up after the season because he now is going to be deemed unreliable," the retired former All-Pro told Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs nightly on FS1) on Friday.

Of course, we're referencing an incident in the 3rd quarter of the Rams vs. 49ers Thursday Night Football game when the 9-year NFL vet refused to enter the game once Dre Greenlaw, who just replaced him in the starting lineup, went down with a leg injury.

Colby Covington twice fought for the UFC's welterweight title ... and now the 6th ranked 170 pounder, inspired by the soon-to-be 47th President of the United States, tells TMZ Sports the comeback is on!

"I'm super excited," Covington told us, adding ... "I've been hearing some of the chatter, people saying that 'Chaos' is dead. They have no idea what's coming on Saturday night. I'm going to put the best performance in my career."

"I'm super inspired by Donald Trump taking back the White House and his work ethic. I mean, he's in three different states a day. Guy doesn't sleep. So Saturday night, I'm going to make the UFC 'Great Again.' And January 20th, when Donald Trump gets inaugurated, he's going to make America great again."

Seems Todd Gurley's convinced Ashton Jeanty's going to keep on trucking through defenders even in the NFL ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Boise State star is the "real deal."

We caught up with the former Rams tailback out at LAX this week ... and he made it clear he loves Jeanty's game.

"He's super nice," Gurley said. "He's the real deal."

Sydney Sweeney's ready to knock out all the haters talking trash from behind a keyboard ... sharing a clip with all their negative comments about her body -- cut together with a powerful workout montage.

Here's the deal ... the actress -- who plays boxing legend Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic -- has been slammed by internet trolls in recent days saying she's gained too much weight and isn't hot enough for them anymore.

Sweeney put many of the body-shamers on blast though by cutting their comment into a video ... flashing through each of them quickly -- before cutting to a clip of the star getting swole.

Randy Moss just revealed he's been battling cancer.

The Minnesota Vikings legend announced the news on his Instagram page Friday afternoon ... telling his 640,000-plus followers that he's been in the hospital for the last six days dealing with surgery related to the disease.

Moss appeared on camera to give his fans the update -- and he needed a cane to move in front of the lens. The 47-year-old was, nonetheless, in great spirits -- as he wore a grey, lavender and black "Team Moss" shirt that read "Let's Moss Cancer."

3:24 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained more footage from the incident ... which shows the two ladies chatting with cops as they were escorted off the field.

It's kinda funny, Amberghini begs an officer to not "hate" her -- but based on his reaction, that probably wasn't the case.

The cop was a good sport about it all, saying they weren't going to get in too much trouble ... and admitted the crowd probably "appreciated" the whole ordeal.

As for whether the stunt made it to the Prime Video broadcast ... they got the bad news that the league makes an effort to keep acts like this off the air.

Two models made the 49ers vs. Rams game a bit more memorable -- hopping a fence and running around on the field in some skimpy Santa-ish outfits, and naturally, the stunt got 'em on the "naughty" list ... with cops.

The ladies -- Toochi Kash and Amberghini -- had lower-level seats Thursday night for the NFC West showdown ... but at one point in the action, they took matters into their own hands to get a field-level view.

The models -- who have social media followings in the millions -- rocked festive one-piece ensembles, white snow boots and Santa hats ... with the word "$treak" written on the back.

Former MMA fighter Vinny Magalhaes was arrested in Las Vegas recently ... after he allegedly pulled out a gun on his own family, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us officers were called to a private residence regarding a domestic violence issue around 7 PM last week.

After cops arrived, they spoke to folks at the scene ... who alleged Magalhaes threatened family members and pointed a weapon at them. As far as we know, no injuries were reported.

Shaquille O'Neal is opening up on his decision to go above and beyond to help the youth every holiday season ... admitting he used to be a "high-level juvenile delinquent," but is doing everything in his power to make his mama proud now.

The four-time NBA champion chopped it up with Charles and Babcock on "TMZ Live" after another successful annual "Shaq-A-Claus" event ... where he handed out tons of toys, clothes, tech and food to more than a thousand youngins in Georgia.

Shaq credits his mother -- Lucille O'Neal -- for coming up with the idea for the event ... and considering he wasn't on his best behavior growing up, he's making amends with his actions in the present.

Katie Couric will be sporting a nasty bruise this holiday season ... revealing she's now black and blue after an unfortunate pickleball accident.

The famed newswoman posted on her Instagram Stories Friday, where she shared an up-close look at the noticeable lump forming on her head.

Per Katie, the large mark -- which appeared to be turning purple -- was caused by a self-inflicted pickleball injury.

It's Taylor Swift's birthday ... and among the thousands sending her well wishes was none other than her boyfriend's employer, the NFL!!!

Travis Kelce's league cut a TikTok video on Thursday to celebrate Swift's 35th trip around the sun ... and it's adorable as hell.

Check it out -- the 31-second clip features a bunch of highlights of Swift at Arrowhead Stadium ... as well as some mushy moments between her and her man on the "Eras" tour.

Las Vegas cops found Raiders defensive lineman Charles Snowden passed out behind the wheel of a running car just before they arrested him for DUI earlier this week ... this according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department incident report states cops were dispatched to Snowden's 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee at around 11:30 PM on Monday ... after they received a call of a "suspicious vehicle."

Officers wrote in the docs that when they arrived on the scene, they discovered Snowden's SUV had "almost rolled off a four foot retaining wall" while he was "passed out in the driver's seat with the engine running."

President Joe Biden commuted the two-decade-long prison sentence of University of Miami booster and Ponzi scheme mastermind Nevin Shapiro ... who previously admitted to illegally plying players with expensive gifts.

The commutation of the 55-year-old convicted felon was one of 1,499 handed down by Biden on Thursday ... a one-day record for a POTUS.

Shapiro pled guilty to 8 felony counts -- and was sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison -- for his role in a $900+ million Ponzi scheme, which he ran from his Capital Investments office in Miami.