TMZ Sports - Page 4

Joe Burrow is finally revealing why he bought his offensive linemen swords for Christmas ... explaining it was a bit of a compromise -- as his teammates initially said they wanted firearms.

The Cincinnati quarterback went into detail about the unique presents following the Bengals' 24-6 win over the Browns ... telling media members he didn't want to get his pals guns, so he opted for a little safer weapon.

"I was like, 'I don't know about guns, guys,'" he said with a smile. "And, so, I was in the weapon mindset, and I was like, 'What's a cool weapon?' And Samurai swords, I think, are pretty dang cool."

Dave Stewart -- Rickey Henderson's former teammate and good friend -- is encouraging baseball fans everywhere to remember the outfielder in the wake of his death as a kind man who was "one of the five best players to ever play Major League Baseball."

Stewart sat down with TMZ Sports on Sunday -- just two days after Henderson passed away at 65 following a battle with pneumonia -- and he gushed over the Hall of Famer ... calling him "a tremendous human being."

Stewart says he first met Rickey when they were teenagers ... but formed a real bond with him when they turned pro.

Travis Hunter -- the Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the most known player in college football -- has deactivated his Instagram ... as online criticism of his fiancée continues.

Leanna Lenee -- Hunter's often-ridiculed partner -- found herself in the crosshairs of trolls once more over the weekend ... as a video appearing to show her dancing on a man resurfaced on the internet.

While it's believed to be a clip taken from several years ago -- before she and Hunter got together -- haters nonetheless raced to their keyboards to take aim yet again at Hunter's boo.

If Darren Rizzi ditches his interim head coach tag for a full-time one in New Orleans ... you won't hear Demario Davis complaining -- the Saints star tells TMZ Sports he LOVES the guy.

Rizzi, of course, took over for Dennis Allen last month after the Saints' sideline manager got canned following an abysmal 2-7 start ... and the former special teams coordinator has since led the squad to an admirable 3-2 record.

Davis told us while out at Raising Cane's bike giveaway event this week that Rizzi deserves a ton of credit for the turnaround ... explaining he's done "a phenomenal job."

The Ohio State Buckeyes ran the Tennessee Volunteers off the field during the College Football Playoff on Saturday night ... and one ESPN commentator had an interesting take on the game.

ESPN offered an alternate broadcast of the playoff game, hosted on ESPN 2, starring the cast of "The Pat McAfee Show." McAfee and his crew are one of the most popular draws to "The Worldwide Leader," known for their humorous takes on sports topics, and at times, controversial comments.

Well, the latter was on full display in the second quarter, when McAfee turned to one of his main honchos, Boston Connor, to see how Tennessee fans were reacting after being down 21-0.

A popular fitness influencer who was shot during a robbery in L.A. three months ago has died.

Miguel Angel Aguilar, who has tens of thousands of followers and owns a chain of gyms in So-Cal and several other states, passed away on Saturday.

His team took to IG to announce the tragic death, "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our founder and CEO, Miguel Angel Aguilar. After a courageous three-month battle following the tragic incident that took place on September 13th, 2024, Miguel peacefully passed away on December 21st, 2024 surrounded by his loved ones."

Armani Latimer -- the Cowboys cheerleader who danced without a wig earlier this month -- tells TMZ Sports she's thrilled with the way her performance has brought awareness to alopecia.

Latimer explained to us this week that the national conversation she kicked up by cheering on the Cowboys against the Bengals on Dec. 9 at AT&T Stadium while bald has warmed her heart.

She says the responses she's seen have all been mostly positive ... and some people have even approached her to tell her about how it helped them learn more about the autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

Three-time NBA champion Danny Green is fired up for his alma mater's football team ... telling TMZ Sports he really thinks Bill Belichick can turn UNC around.

The former New England Patriots head man stunned the sports world this month when he took the Tar Heels coaching job ... and while some are skeptical he can effectively make the turn from the pros to college, Green made it clear to us out at LAX he's not in that camp.

"I'm on board," said the 37-year-old -- who attended UNC from 2005 through 2009. "I'm all about it. I think it's great."

Travis Hunter can only blame himself for his relationship being a hot topic -- at least that's what Nate Burleson is saying ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the Heisman winner could've avoided all the criticism if he just kept quiet about his private life.

The Colorado superstar and his fiancée, Leanna, have been forced to defend themselves from the haters recently ... following months of piling on from folks on the internet.

Burleson weighed in on the drama out in NYC this week ... and he politely pointed out the engaged couple brought it on themselves.

Baseball's "Man of Steal," Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is dead after a bout with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Henderson passed away Friday in the Oakland area, and had been getting treatment at a hospital for a brief period.

The MLB legend holds the record for stolen bases, and played left field for 9 teams from 1979 to 2003. Most of those years were spent with the Oakland A’s, where he debuted in the majors, but he also starred with the Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Padres and others ... before retiring with the Dodgers.

Texans wide receiver Tank Dell had to be carted off the field Saturday ... after suffering a bad injury while catching a touchdown pass.

The Houston standout was playing in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs ... running a deep route into the endzone early in the second half of the game.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a perfect pass to Dell, falling right into his arms ... but, his teammate Jared Wayne was right next to him and dove for the ball -- his body slamming full force into Dell's leg.

Nina Thomas -- the estranged wife of Earl Thomas -- was hit with multiple criminal charges this week ... after prosecutors say she swindled the ex-Seattle Seahawks star out of millions of dollars.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show feds allege Nina began her scheme to illegally take cash from her former lover in Sept. 2021 -- a short time after she filed for divorce from him in 2020.

Officials accuse Nina and another person -- whose name is redacted in the docs -- of taking money and property from Earl without his knowledge ... and transferring it into bank accounts under their control.

Taylor Swift is feeling the holiday spirit ... dressing up in a bright red furry coat while arriving at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to support her man.

The singer-songwriter pulled up to the Chiefs game against the Houston Texans just a little while ago ... stepping out of the customary golf cart looking like Mrs. Claus in the coat and black bucket hat.

She looks real warm in her ensemble ... good news since it's currently just 33 degrees in Kansas City -- and expected to get even chillier as the day goes on.

James Conner -- an Arizona Cardinals superstar who's beaten cancer -- is offering up advice to Randy Moss as he faces his own battle with the disease ... telling TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer should make it a priority to lean on his loved ones.

Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in 2015 when he was a college running back at the University of Pittsburgh ... but he ended up beating it, and he's since gone on to have a hell of an NFL career.

This week -- while he was out at a Raising Cane's bike giveaway charity event -- he told us he was praying for Moss ... while encouraging the ex-Minnesota Vikings receiver to stay positive.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is being sued by a woman who claims the ex-NBA star screwed up her business deal with Chris Brown, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court documents we obtained, the lawsuit was filed on Friday in Los Angeles by a pharmaceutical scientist, Dr. Lyndsey White, who says after she initially got involved in a barbeque sauce venture with Davis -- and things went south in a hurry.

In her suit, White claims she and Davis agreed in April 2021 to create "Big Baby Q" BBQ sauce ... and then, a short time later, she says she gave Davis a $30,000 loan to get into a weed business together as well.

Dwight Howard is off the market ... because he's engaged to rapper Amy Luciani.

The pair went public with their relationship Friday and it looks like they've been together for a while ... because they're already engaged.

Amy posted video showing their sparkling, diamond engagement rings on social media ... and the footage shows Dwight admiring Amy's bling as they party in a nightclub.