TMZ Sports - Page 50

If Gabby Douglas wants to cash in on her "Flying Squirrel" nickname ... she's gonna have to battle a college kid who locked up the trademark while Gabby was still competing in the Olympics.

TMZ has learned ... Fordham University business student A.J. Rotonde filed to trademark the phrase on August 6 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office for a mere $325.

Rotonde tells us he decided to scoop up Gabby's handle after watching her destroy the competition in London.

A.J. has NO connection to Gabby or U.S. gymnastics, but tells us he plans to slap "Flying Squirrel" on T-shirts and other merchandise -- but before he cashes in the USPTO has to approve his application ... which could take several months.

Gabby can still challenge A.J.'s filing and apply to trademark the phrase herself.

A.J. tells us he'd be happy to sell the TM back to the gymnast ... for the right price, of course.

Training camp ain't cheap -- TMZ has learned, it cost the Dallas Cowboys roughly $25,000 just to hire a police detail for the 3-week program.

Oxnard Police Department Commander Andrew Salinas tells TMZ, the tab covers a wide range of services involving police and public safety -- staffing 6-8 officers on site per day on weekdays ... and 12 on the weekends.

Salinas says the training camp crowd ranges from 3,000-12,000 fans every day -- reaching capacity on weekends ... which is why they needed the additional officers on Saturdays and Sundays.

We're told the charges also include the use of vehicles as well as a mobile command center (an awesome big RV with computers and radio systems and stuff) ... a player favorite.

Training camp wrapped up Thursday -- and we're told the 80-man roster celebrated their last day with a relaxing trip to the beach at Mandalay Bay Beach Resort (accompanied by police).

When they arrived, we're told the players were immediately met by an overeager group of fans hoping for autographs -- so Tony Romo took one for the team ... and offered to sign their stuff in exchange for a little privacy.

Vanessa Bryant claims she's not a shallow gold-digging, championship-hoarding basketball wife ... insisting she would have married Kobe Bryant even if he NEVER won an NBA title.

Bryant is finally responding to critics who skewered her for the interview she did with New York Magazine in which she said, "I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can't win championships."

Now, Vanessa tells TMZ ... "I'm sad to hear that comments in my New York Magazine interview are being misconstrued and taken out of context. I have and will continue to support my husband’s dreams."

Vanessa continues, "I have been with Kobe for 13 years. I accepted his marriage proposal PRIOR to him winning any of his 5 championships with his teammates."

"For anyone to think otherwise is wrong. It is not about being married to a ‘winner’ it is about our sacrifice as a family. “

FYI -- Kobe and Vanessa got engaged in May 2000 ... and he won his first championship in June of 2000.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is adamant ... he NEVER slapped Hope Solo across the face behind the scenes at "Dancing with the Stars" ... despite allegations she made in her new book.

TMZ has learned ... Maksim was absolutely shocked when he heard about the "completely false" story in Hope's book, "Solo: A Memoir of Hope" ... in which the Team USA soccer star claims Maksim pulled a Rick James while trying to put her head in the correct position for a dancing move.

The two were partners on "DWTS" in 2011.

Sources close to Maksim tell us ... he has no idea why Solo would publish such a false and defamatory statement and doesn't know why she would have such ill will towards him ... especially because they've had dinner several times since the show ended.

In fact, Hope JUST tweeted Maksim right before the Olympics, offering him free seats to one of the Team USA soccer games.

Ryan Lochte's annoying catchphrase "Jeah!" is a friggin' GOLD MINE -- at least that's what the swimmer believes ... because he just filed docs to lock up a trademark for the made-up word.

According to the trademark docs, Ryan wants to use the word on sunglasses, workout DVDs, gift cards, mugs, drinking glasses, trading cards, calendars, posters, swimsuits, swim caps, sports hats, and water bottles.

In fact, Lochte's already getting the party started on his website -- selling "Jeah"-themed tees, hats, and sunglasses.

According to a 2009 interview, Ryan got the phrase from rapper Young Jeezy, who uses a similar word "Chea!" in his songs. Ryan says he changed it a little to "Jeah!" ... and says it means something "good." (skip to 1:00)

Tyrann Mathieu -- the ex-LSU football star who was kicked off the team last week for violating the school's substance abuse policy -- has checked himself into rehab.

Mathieu's father, Tyrone, told WVUE-TV in New Orleans that the Honey Badger has been at the Right Step recovery center in Houston since Monday.

Mathieu -- a 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist -- is being mentored daily by former NBA star John Lucas, whose career was derailed by drugs in the 1980s. Lucas has gone on to help dozens of athletes battle addiction.

WWE Champion CM Punk believes Vince McMahon was RIGHT to fire Abraham Washington ... because rape jokes are not funny and have no place in the WWE.

TMZ spoke with the wrestling champ on his way in to Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills last night where he made it clear ... A.W.'s crack about Kobe Bryant during a live WWE event was definitely grounds for termination.

"I don't like to see anybody lose their job," Punk told us ... but says axing someone over a rape joke is "justified."

Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa says she can only be with a man who wins championships ... and if you think that makes her sound like a gold digger -- we agree. Well, some of us do.

MLB umpire Greg Gibson suffered a broken nose and a nasty gash near his eye when L.A. Angels star Torii Hunter accidentally cleated him in the face during Wednesday's game ... but Gibson tells TMZ he isn't holding a grudge.

We spoke with the 43-year-old umpire ... who tells us he's recovering nicely after Hunter's foot collided with his face during a botched slide at home plate.

Gibson says he required 5 stitches to close the wound near his eye. During an exam with an Angels team doctor during the game, Gibson says he was informed the bridge of his nose was fractured.

Doctors also performed a CT scan, but determined he did NOT suffer any head trauma.

Gibson tells us ... Hunter visited him after the game and apologized.

Gibson says Hunter seemed "upset and worried" about the accident ... but the umpire tells us he doesn't blame Torii ... chalking it up to a "freak play ... an accident."

In fact, Gibson says Hunter is one of the nicest guys in the league ... "One of the princes of the game."

Gibson says he has another eye exam Friday morning ... and if he passes, he hopes to get back on the job ASAP.

While Michael Phelps is off hanging out in a mankini with his guys pals in the Maldives, his gorgeous reported girlfriend Megan Rossee was frolicking in a sexy gold bikini at the beach in Santa Monica on Thursday.

Kim Kardashian is telling close friends she is not pushing for a divorce so she can marry Kanye West -- she's saying Kris Humphries has simply become "a cancer" she wants out of her life forever.

Sources connected with Kim tell TMZ ... after Wednesday's court hearing, Kim said, "Kris is the first person I ever had to break-up with and that f**ked with my emotions." She added, when their marriage started to fall apart "He told our producers he would destroy my career and me if the show wasn't edited right."

Kim, who is telling friends she is "emotionally exhausted" from dealing with Kris, says if he really thinks he can convince a judge she defrauded him, wait 'til he sees the outtakes of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" -- which show Kris as a "manipulative, vindictive, petty, fame-hungry jerk."

Things are looking up for Marion Jones -- who was infamously stripped of her Olympic gold medals -- because she just traded in her humble Texas home ... for a much nicer version.

In case you didn't already know ... in 2007 Marion -- who was considered a LEGEND in Track & Field -- copped to using steroids throughout her career and as a result was stripped of her medals, lucrative endorsement deals, and thrown in jail on charges of perjury.

But all that's behind her ... Marion and her husband just sold their modest 2,173-square-foot home ... and traded up to a much nicer 3,156-square-foot pad with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths ... all for a cool $212k.

With her new crib -- which is just a few miles from the old one -- comes a wooded deck ... 3 living rooms ... a huge master bedroom and a giant back yard where she can run around .

Ya know ... 'cause she's a runner.

Terrell Owens can easily afford $5,000 a month in child support thanks to his brand new NFL contract -- this according to one of his baby mamas ... who's now fighting T.O.'s request to reduce his financial obligations.

Owens had filed legal docs last year -- asking to reduce his enormous child support payments to FOUR separate baby mamas -- because he was unemployed at the time ... and seriously strapped for cash.

But last week, Owens signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks -- a deal reportedly worth almost $1,000,000.

Which is why baby mama #4 -- a woman named Melanie Paige Smith -- has just filed papers, asking the judge to dismiss T.O.'s payment reduction request.

In the docs -- filed by Melanie's lawyer Randall Kessler -- she claims, "It is clear that a downward modification of [T.O.'s] child support obligation is not warranted" due to his new Seahawks contract ... as well as his income over the last 5 years, which Melanie estimates to be around $29,000,000.

According to Melanie, T.O. earned $7,000,000 playing for the Cowboys in 2007, signed a $13,000,000 contract with the Cowboys in 2008, signed a $6,500,000 with the Buffalo Bills in 2009, and signed a $2,000,000 deal with the Bengals in 2010.

And then there's T.O.'s indoor football contract with the Allen Wranglers -- which Melanie says was six figures.

But Melanie's math doesn't exactly add up -- T.O. was released from the Cowboys early, got injured mid-season with the Bengals, and was released from his Wranglers deal after less than a year.

Here's a shocker -- something actually lasted LESS TIME than Chad Johnson's marriage to Evelyn Lozada -- his endorsement deal with Zico coconut water ... because the drink company just fired his ass ... less than a month after signing him.

A rep for Zico released a statement today, saying, "In light of recent events involving Mr. Johnson, we have decided to terminate our relationship" with him. The "recent events" obviously refer to Johnson's domestic violence arrest this weekend ... after he allegedly headbutted Lozada.

The rep adds, "The values we espouse, through our employees, our customers and our brand, are central to our mission. We have taken this proactive step to demonstrate just how important those values are."

Zico signed Johnson on July 25th. Johnson married his soon-to-be ex-wife Evelyn on July 4th.

Kris Humphries' lawyer engineered a sneak attack by trying to serve a subpoena on Kanye West by putting it in a Nordstrom box and sending it to Kim Kardashian's house.

Kim's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, told the judge in the divorce case about the ploy during a hearing that is still going on.

Wasser groused to the judge ... Kim has already racked up $250,000 in attorney's fees, yet it's unclear exactly what Kris wants out of this.

Wasser said she's heard the reports that Kris and his lawyers want to put reality TV on trial, and there seems to be evidence to back that up. Wasser noted that Kris has served Kris Jenner with a subpoena and NBC Universal and Bunim/Murray, which produces the Kardashian reality shows.

Wasser said she's perplexed as to why Kris Humphries thinks the marriage was a fraud -- because he went in eyes wide open.

Kris Humphries' lawyer, Marshall Waller told the court he wants to prove the marriage was a fraud, which Kim wanted solely to benefit her reality show. He says he wants to be armed with information about the show before taking Kim's deposition.

Kim's lawyer, Laura Wasser followed up by asking why it's so important for Kris to get an annulment. Waller did not answer. Wasser then said she intends to get Kris to pay every penny of Kim's attorney's fees.

On her way out of court, Wasser said, "We're just moving forward. My client just wants to be divorced."

Abby Wambach TRAINED HER ASS OFF to lead the U.S. soccer team to a gold medal ... and yesterday she celebrated the victory by letting herself go ... with PIZZA AND BEER!!!

Wambach was out with some pals at Paisano's Pizza in Hermosa Beach, CA ... doing a little well-deserved boozy day partying with her new best friend ... the gold medal.

FYI -- Wambach is a frickin' badass ... who got punched in the face by a cheap-shotting Colombian in one of the early rounds of the Olympics ... and GOT UP.