TMZ Sports - Page 50

Chad Johnson lied to his coach's face this week in an effort to keep from being cut from the Miami Dolphins ... but it didn't work ... and Chad's humiliating termination was all caught on tape.

Johnson's ill-fated meeting with Coach Joe Philbin was captured by the crew at "Hard Knocks" ... a weekly HBO documentary series following the Dolphins which aired last night.

"Hard Knocks" cameras followed Johnson on the day after he was arrested for domestic battery ... when he met with Philbin at the Miami offices ... and tried to talk the Coach out of firing his ass.

During the very short meeting, Johnson told Philbin ... "Coach, I've never been in trouble before ... ever."

He lied.

As TMZ previously reported, Johnson was convicted of domestic violence back in 2000 ... after slapping his then-girlfriend during an argument. Apparently, the arrest slipped his mind.

Lawyers for Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian will square off in court today and -- in technical legal terms -- we're told the judge will force Kris to either s**t or get off the pot.

Lawyers for both sides must tell the judge what they have done to either settle the case or prepare for trial. As TMZ has previously reported ... Kris has refused to settle, even though he signed what we're told is an iron-clad prenup that gives him zilch in the 72-day marriage.

What makes things puzzling ... even though Kris won't settle, he hasn't prepared for trial. In fact, we know Kris' lawyers have not even taken Kim's deposition ... this, despite the fact the judge said all depos must be in the can by today's hearing.

As we previously reported, Kris' lawyers have said they want to put reality TV on trial, but it's unclear what their end game is because Kris has no damages. He made hundreds of thousands of bucks off "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" as well as the wedding special, and he signed a $24 million basketball contract -- and the notoriety that made him a celeb didn't hurt the negotiations.

Short story ... it's almost certain the judge will not screw around with the case by prolonging it. If Kris doesn't want to walk away with a clean divorce, the judge will almost certainly set the case for trial -- whether Kris and his legal team are prepared or not.

We're not so cynical to believe Kris is dragging things out because he likes the publicity.

Dwight Howard's working on a backup plan if this Lakers thing doesn't work out -- celebrity impressions ... and he busted out his Charles Barkley today in Beverly Hills.

The Lake Show's new all-star was leaving a salon in the 90210 (he really likes BH), and when someone asked him to whip out his Barkley ... Dwight jumped right into it.

We'll say this ... it's okay. Not as good as the Kobe Bryant impersonation he did last week, but decent.

Chad Johnson has broken his silence ... and has issued an apology "To everyone for the recent events that have occurred" involving his wife Evelyn Lozada.

Moments after Evelyn filed for divorce, Johnson released a statement on his website regarding his recent domestic violence arrest ... saying, "I would like to wish Evelyn well and will never say anything bad about her because I truly love her to death."

He adds, "To all the fans and supporters I have disappointed, you have my sincerest apologies. I will stay positive and get through this tough period in my life."

And now this ... Chad just changed his Twitter picture to a sign that reads "Rock ... Hard place" with arrows pointing in opposite directions. Wonder what he's trying to say ...

Chad Johnson's wife of 6 weeks has filed for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

Evelyn Lozada filed legal docs moments ago in Florida, claiming her marriage is "irretrievably broken."

The trigger for the divorce was the domestic violence incident over the weekend, in which Chad Johnson was arrested after allegedly head-butting her during an argument.

Evelyn claimed she found a receipt for a box of condoms in his car.

According to the divorce docs, the couple had a prenup -- but that won't be a big deal since the marriage was shorter than Kim Kardashian's.

The East Coast leg of Gabby Douglas' post-Olympic media blitz started right at JFK yesterday ... 'cause the second she stepped off the plane she was SWARMED by fans, autograph seekers and paparazzi.

Thanks to some help from the NYPD, the 16-year-old gold medal winner made it to her waiting SUV without incident.

Gabby's a valuable commodity these days -- according to Forbes, she's expected to rake in between $5 and $10 million in sponsorship deals over the next 4 years.

Evelyn Lozada has a few words for Chad Johnson after his arrest for allegedly head-butting her -- first, stop blaming me ... and second, get help for your problems, now.

Evelyn tells TMZ, “I am deeply disappointed that Chad has failed to take responsibility for his actions and made false accusations against me." As TMZ first reported ... Chad told police that it was Evelyn who actually head-butted him during their blowout argument Saturday night.

Chad was arrested and booked for domestic battery.

Chad Johnson is no stranger to domestic violence -- TMZ has learned the former NFL star was secretly found guilty of battering a woman in 2000 ... 12 years before he allegedly struck again.

According to court records obtained by TMZ, Johnson was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in L.A. on February 7, 2000 ... just before he began playing football for Oregon State University.

Sources close to the case tell us the victim was his GF at the time ... and she told police the football star had slapped her in the face after he accused her of cheating on him.

According to court records, Johnson -- 22 years old at the time -- pled no contest ... and the court found him guilty of domestic battery.

Johnson was sentenced to 3 years probation and ordered to serve 45 days in L.A. County Jail. But Johnson struck a deal with the court which allowed him to avoid jail ... as long as he completed 30 days of graffiti removal work with CalTrans. Johnson was also required to complete a 12 month batterer's counseling program and ordered to stay 100 yards away from the victim.

But Johnson didn't complete his probation requirements in a timely manner ... according to court records, he blew off the hard labor AND the dom. violence program for years.

After a judge tacked on an additional 15 days of graffiti removal, Johnson finally completed his legal obligations in 2002 ... when he was a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now, Johnson finds himself in a similar situation ... having been accused of battering a woman once again ... his wife Evelyn Lozada.

Johnson told police he did nothing wrong this time around. He's expected back in court soon to enter his plea.

We called Johnson's lawyer. He had no comment.

Fired UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller unleashed a BLIZZARD of fire extinguisher foam inside a church moments before his crazy naked arrest yesterday -- this according to police -- and now, TMZ has obtained photos of the mess.

We broke the story ... Miller was taken into custody for burglary early yesterday morning -- after allegedly breaking into the Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo, CA ... and tearing the place up.

In addition to the mass fire extinguisher chaos -- law enforcement sources say Miller also scattered CDs, books, and broke multiple picture frames ... before relaxing on a couch upstairs ... stark naked.

The WNBA is not for pansies ... just ask the Mayor of Phoenix ... who BROKE HIS NOSE IN TWO PLACES during a practice session with the Phoenix Mercury!!!

It all went down just a few hours ago in AZ ... when Mayor Greg Stanton was running drills with several Mercury players.

He looked good at first ... quick, spry ... but things went to hell quickly when Stanton (6'1", 185 lbs) went up for a rebound against Nakia Sanford (6'3", 205 lbs ... all muscle) ... and took an elbow to the face ... breaking his nose in two places.

Stanton was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated and released.

The Mayor later issued a statement saying, "Injuries are just part of the game -- they're battle wounds."

We spoke with Mercury coach Corey Gaines who tells us, "It was hilarious ... you can't script it any better."

Gaines says the 5-on-5 match-up was at the Mayor's request ... because he felt confident after sinking several 10-foot jumpers during drills.

Coach says the Mayor insisted he could hang with ladies because he has prior "rec-league experience."

Coach says he warned the Mayor about the risks of stepping on the hardwood with the pros ... telling him, "They're not girls ... they're women."

True.

Bruce Jenner is calling radishes on Usain Bolt's "greatest athlete of all-time" title -- claiming Bolt can't hang in the only TRUE test of athletic skill ... the big D! And no, that doesn't stand of dressage.

Chad Johnson's wife Evelyn Lozada had a bleeding gash on her forehead when she ran to her neighbor for help this weekend ... this according to the neighbor -- who begged 911 dispatch to keep the whole situation hush-hush.

As we first reported, Evelyn fled to her neighbor's house following a domestic dispute with Chad Saturday night, during which the NFL star allegedly head-butted her in the forehead.

The neighbor called 911 -- telling the dispatcher, Chad "hit her on the head ... She has a nice cut on the forehead that I believe is going to need stitches."

But the neighbor wasn't just worried about Evelyn's cut, he was also freaking out about an inevitable media firestorm surrounding the domestic dispute ... telling the dispatcher, Chad is a "very high-profile person and we'd like to keep this as quiet as possible."

He pleaded, "We don't need the news here."

3:37 PM PT -- Naked is in ... TMZ just obtained Jason Miller's mug shot after his crazy naked arrest today in an Orange County church ... and he's wearing the paper suit reserved for naked arrestees. Just like Randy Travis.

Recently-axed UFC fighter Jason "Mayhem" Miller was arrested today in Orange County, TMZ has learned -- after allegedly breaking into a church, spraying a fire extinguisher all over the place, and getting buck naked.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, the O.C. Sheriff's Office received a call early this morning from the Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo about a possible burglary in progress.

When the deputies arrived, we're told they found the first and second floors covered in white fire extinguisher spray. Cops say the place was also trashed -- scattered CDs, books, and broken pictures.

When officers reached the second floor, we're told they found Miller naked on some couch -- totally awake and coherent.

Miller -- who also hosted the MTV reality show "Bully Beatdown" -- was taken into custody for burglary, and is currently being medically evaluated. It's unclear if Miller was under the influence.

It's worth noting -- UFC honcho Dana White cut Miller earlier this year, claiming "some crazy sh*t happened backstage" at UFC 146 and Miller was fired.

Nas wasn't planning on being in the stands when Team USA played for the gold medal in basketball ... he wasn't planning on partying with the guys after the game either ... until Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James talked him into it ... and gave him free courtside tickets.

It's good to have rich friends.

Here's the story -- Nas had been in London to headline a concert and was 6 hours from getting on his return flight back to the States ... when he got a call from his pal Carmelo Anthony.

Nas' rep told us ... the rapper has been friends with 'Melo and 'Bron for a while, and the two made it clear they REALLY wanted Nas to attend the game ... and offered to get him some pretty sick seats if he was down to change his flight.

Nas' rep tells us ... the rapper didn't have to think twice before taking the guys up on their offer ... changing his ticket immediately and extending his hotel room stay because "He didn't want to miss history."

Of course, Team USA CRUSHED Spain in the finals ... and the rapper joined the champions in the gold medal after-party.

Nas' rep tells us, "He's very thankful that Carmelo and LeBron looked out for him ... It was a moment that he will always remember."

Chad Johnson just lost another job ... VH1 tells TMZ the network is cancelling plans to air Chad's upcoming reality show in the wake of his domestic violence arrest.

The series, titled "Ev and Ocho" is already in the can and was supposed to debut on Sept. 3.

But now, after Chad was arrested for allegedly headbutting his wife Evelyn Lozada ... VH1 tells us:

"Due to the unfortunate events over the weekend and the seriousness of the allegations, VH1 is pulling the series 'Ev and Ocho' from its schedule and has no current plans of airing it."