TMZ Sports - Page 50

It's all over the new "420 Football League" -- a new "sport" in which teams compete by ripping a bong and then holding the "toke" for as long as they can. The active players -- among them is rapper Ditch -- can advance the ball one yard for every second they hold their breath. But back to the issue at hand ...

The NFL has sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of the league claiming his 420 FL logo looks a little too much like the NFL shield ... minus the marijuana leaves.

According to the letter, the 420 FL logo will "tarnish the image of the NFL ... and dilutes the strength and value of the NFL trademark."

Sources directly connected with Lawrence Taylor tell TMZ the NFL legend's defense to rape is masturbation.

We're told Lawrence will not deny he was in the same room as the 16-year-old prostitute, but his lawyer will argue Lawrence did not have sexual intercourse -- an element of third degree rape.

As one source put it, Lawrence engaged in a "masturbatory act" and that was it.

According to New York law, "A person is guilty of rape in the third degree when ... he or she engages in sexual intercourse with another person less than seventeen years old."

Interestingly ... in the criminal complaint against the alleged pimp, authorities allege Taylor engaged in "sex acts" but there is not mention of sexual intercourse -- a requirement for 3rd degree rape.

As TMZ first reported, a condom was found in Taylor's hotel room, but sources say Taylor's lawyers will argue the condom wasn't his and he didn't use it.

Taylor's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, has said flatly, his client did not have sex with the girl.

In case you missed it, Mike -- who once famously chewed up Evander Holyfield's flesh back in the day -- claims he's given up meat for good.

Among other things, the two rooks also checked out the local ladies, showed off their "jerk" dancing skills in the parking lot, and discussed the possibility of Jesus being black ...

It didn't take long for the golfing world to pay tribute to their fallen 25-year-old star Erica Blasberg -- TMZ has learned several tributes have already been planned.

The first tribute will take place at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama -- where Erica was scheduled to compete this week. We're told everyone in the tourney will don purple ribbons in honor of Erica.

Members of the women's golf team at the University of Arizona -- where Erica went to school -- will be wearing black ribbons at the National Championship Tournament in North Carolina later this month.

LeBron James just got the sweetest offer in the history of mankind to move from Cleveland to the New York Knicks -- a lifetime of free stripper action.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star -- who will become a free agent after this season -- is getting million-dollar offers from several franchises to make the switch to their team ... but if LeBron inks a deal with the Knicks, New York's premiere strip club Scores says it'll give the basketball star:

- A free lifetime of lap dances
- A "LeBron James Day" when all the strippers will wear his jersey
- And free food for life at the strip club's very own steakhouse

The Cook County Sheriff's Department tells TMZ Siohvaughn Wade was taken into custody this morning when she showed up to court in Chicago. Yesterday, the court issued a body attachment order asking police to track her down.

In court today, Siohvaughn's attorney filed papers claiming that she -- the attorney -- was involved in a car accident yesterday, and asked that the body attachment order be rescinded citing the accident as the reason why Siohvaughn was a no-show.

The judge didn't buy it -- so Siohvaughn was taken into custody at 11:15 AM CST.

And get this: Siohvaughn must have known the car accident excuse wasn't going to work ... because court officials say she showed up with her $10,000 bond in hand.

Erica Blasberg's father is adamant that the 25-year-old LPGA superstar did not take her own life in Nevada this weekend -- insisting she was "very upbeat" in the days before her death on Sunday.

TMZ spoke with Mel Blasberg, who tells us he had visited Erica at her home in Henderson, Nevada on Thursday and spoke with her on the phone on Friday -- and both times she seemed "very upbeat."

In fact, Mel tells us Erica was excited to play in a golf tournament in Alabama this week ... and had already packed her brand new golf bag in her car for the drive to the airport Saturday morning. But Erica never made her flight.

Mel tells us a friend discovered the golfer in her bed on Sunday.

ESPN believes the man who peeped Erin Andrews isn't done paying for his crimes -- the sports giant wants more than $300k from Michael David Barrett for the mess he caused the network.

During the time of the peeping, Andrews was working as a reporter for ESPN -- and according to federal documents filed yesterday in California, the net claims they had to cough up a ton of cash to pay for extra security for Andrews.

In the docs, ESPN also claims they incurred losses "from assisting the government in its investigation."

ESPN is demanding that Barrett pay back every cent of the $327,442.27 they ultimately spent on the Andrews situation.

Barrett -- who pled guilty to stalking Andrews last year -- began serving a 30 month sentence on May 3.

Sources very familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the most important thing for both Tiger and Elin is keeping the terms of the divorce confidential. We're told Tiger has a team -- partly based in NYC -- that is working on the division of assets. But ... as TMZ first told you ... the key player is West Palm Beach lawyer Thomas Sasser, an expert in child custody agreements that involve more than one jurisdiction.

Sources say one of the options is to actually file for divorce in Sweden -- Elin wants to move there with the kids and Tiger would have to submit to the jurisdiction of the court. Wherever the divorce is filed, the plan is to keep the custody and property settlement agreements out of the court file. We're told the quicker and quieter the divorce, the better.

The big issue, we're told -- Tiger wants either custody or visitation, and assurance that he can go into court and enforce the agreement if Elin violates it. We're told Tiger wants the option to go to either a Swedish or American court to enforce the custody agreement.

And sources say ... the couple has not reached agreement on any of the major issues ... at least not yet.

Stay tuned...

After six years together, Hank Haney has informed Tiger that he's moving on.

In a statement released to the Golf Channel Monday night, Haney says, "Tiger Woods and I will always be friends, but I believe that there is a time and place for everything, and I feel at this time and at this place in my life I want to move forward in other areas."

25-year-old LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg was found dead at her home in Nevada, this according to local police.

According to law enforcement sources, the cause of death has not yet been determined -- but officials are currently conducting a "death investigation."

Blasberg was named Golfweek's 2003 College Player of the Year after finishing the season No. 1 in the rankings.

Blasberg's agent Chase Callahan released the following statement:

"We are devastated to learn of the passing of Erica Blasberg. To most of the world, Erica was known as a professional golfer, but she was more than that. She was a loving daughter to her parents and a compassionate and loyal friend. Erica had a good heart, was extremely kind and very thankful for what she had in her life."

Earlier today, Siohvaughn Wade had blown off a court hearing in Chicago regarding her ongoing divorce war with the Miami Heat star -- so the judge threatened to issue a body attachment order unless she showed up in the afternoon.

The deadline came and went -- and Siohvaughn never showed.

Now, the judge has issued the order -- which means cops will now seek her out, take her into custody ... and deliver her to the judge.

As we previously reported, Siohvaughn has made several sensational claims about Dwyane -- most recently accusing the NBA star of engaging in "sexual foreplay" with his new girlfriend in front of his kids.

White was adamant about dumping Daley in the post-fight presser, saying, "He'll never come back ... I don't care if he's the best 170-pounder in the world. He's never coming back here. There's no excuse for that. You never hit a guy like that after the bell."

Koscheck won easily by a unanimous decision. White said afterward Daley was released from the UFC. He sure acts fast.