TMZ Sports - Page 50

According to court docs filed yesterday, the Bryants fully acknowledge Maria Jimenez's right to battle them in court -- although they say her claims of abuse are "without merit." What the Bryants are really concerned with is the confidentiality agreement they claim Jimenez signed when she was hired in 2007 -- which prevents her from talking to the press and other third parties.

The Bryants feel, according to the docs, that Jimenez's press tour following her lawsuit is in violation of that agreement.

Jimenez is suing the Bryants, specifically claiming Vanessa was incredibly abusive -- even demanding that she put her hand in a bag of dog feces to retrieve a tag from her blouse

They are all due back in court in July.

UPDATE: William Vogeler, potential Kobe-stopper and lawyer for Maria Jimenez has just released an exclusive statement to TMZ.

"The Bryants claim that they treated Maria Jimenez with the utmost respect, yet they want to silence her from talking about it. Fortunately, my client has a First Amendment right to talk about how they treated her.

Ultimately, a judge and jury will decide what really happened in the Bryant's home, And the last time I checked, the court is open to the public."

The ladykiller, who's reportedly hooked up with Gisele Bundchen, Pamela Anderson, Bar Rafaeli and Cameron Diaz in the past, broke the bad news to us yesterday: He's got a longtime GF.

This is actually true -- one of the stars of the Pakistan National Cricket team has been officially benched for a case of the crotch rot ... more commonly known as genital warts.

The Pakistan Cricket board have classified the condition as an "injury" and have decided to sit the player in their next tournament ... he just won't be allowed to sit near anyone else on the team.

Here's the official statement from the PCB: "The medical board has reported that Shoaib Akhtar was suffering from genital viral warts and the wound needs further care and treatment for another 10 days."

Before a deal had been made regarding the stadium dispute, the unreleased draft was written by Kroenke Sports and submitted to the WWE for their approval to send out to the media. It contained the following pre-written, butt-kissing, "quote" from Vince McMahon -- a quote Vince claims he never, ever said:

"By all accounts, Mr. Kroenke is one of the most respected professional sports team owners in the world, and the professional way he and his staff good-naturedly handled this conflict gives further testament to the type of business leader he is. We look forward to Sunday's WWE event and future events at the Pepsi Center."

We all know Vince had different things to say about Kroenke.

Get a whiff of those skills.

Newly freed dog-fighter Michael Vick is gonna need a hammer and a hard hat to rebuild his image -- dude just got a job as a construction worker.

TMZ has learned Vick is set to start his work release job at WM Jordan Construction in Virginia. But if the former NFL star is sent out into the field, he will be extremely limited -- meaning he won't be allowed to work on any government sites because he's a felon.

We're told people in the company think Vick got the job because he used to work for the company back in his Virginia Tech days.

After Vince McMahon raised hell when the team's owner screwed up and double booked the Pepsi Center for a WWE event on the same night as an NBA playoff game between the Nugs and the Lakers, the wrestlers have finally agreed to take their show on the road.

But in what seems to be a premeditated twist of fate, Vince is bringing the show to the Staples Center in L.A. -- home of the Lakers.

Everyone knows what a big star the 24-year-old Manchester United winger is.

During a Denver Nuggets game in Dallas last week, LaLa got into it with some Mavericks fans near her in the stands -- and then cussed out security when they tried to remove her. She later said she was defending herself against racist slurs and threats.

But last night in L.A., LaLa dropped a few fighting words on her way out of Katsuya -- predicting that her man's team will take down the Lakers. We'll see about that...

Last night outside Villa, Sapp said Vick has paid "more than enough" for bankrolling a dogfighting ring, and calls his release "A beautiful thing."

Vick will serve his final two months of his federal sentence on house arrest in his Hampton, Va. home.

Despite the Lakers win, this is the most emotion you will see too cool for school Leo (or pal Anthony Kiedis) display in public.

Lock up your puppies -- Michael Vick is out of prison.

Vick left prison early this morning and is on his way to his home in Hampton, Va. where he will serve the final two months of his federal sentence on house arrest.

His release was shrouded in secrecy over concerns for his safety.

Elgin Baylor, one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA, is literally dripping with anger -- and rain -- because the guy claims there's a serious problem with the roof of his Beverly Hills mansion.

It all started in February 2008 -- when a "violent rainstorm" pounded Baylor's home, and leaked water damaging several rooms. Baylor claims his insurance company cut him a check, but a few months later they wanted to do testing on his roof -- that's when Elgin claims things went from bad to worse.

In the lawsuit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Baylor claims the company "failed to repair damages from the testing, leaving holes and openings in the structure." By February 2009 -- Baylor claims the holes still hadn't been repaired -- and a new rainstorm messed the house up even worse.