TMZ Sports - Page 50

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers needs to "man up" and stop trying to weasel out of the bet he made with Boyz II Men ... this according to NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott.

Lott is no stranger to friendly wagers -- the 49ers legend tells us he used to make similar fun bets with Huey Lewis back in his playing days ... and would always HONOR them when he lost.

And since Aaron lost his bet with B2M -- and should have to wear an Alex Smith 49ers jersey -- Lott tells us the QB needs to pay up soon ... or else it could haunt him later in the season.

“I have a feeling it will bother him the next time he plays the Niners. If they meet again this season, it will bother him.” SF and GB aren't scheduled to play against each other during the regular season -- but many expect them to face off in the NFC Championship game.

Lott tells us he wouldn't be surprised if Boyz II Men gave Rodgers a shot at a "double-or-nothing" bet later this year to clear his debt.

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Bryant was arrested Tuesday morning ... for allegedly strangling his baby mama back in April.

A warrant was issued for Bryant's arrest in South Florida on Tuesday ... stemming from a domestic violence incident that allegedly occurred April 10 between Bryant and the mother of his child, Dianne Helne.

According to reports ... Helne told the police Bryant pushed her in the face ... put his hands around her neck while she was holding their young child ... and then continued to kick and punch her, after she put the child down.

Shortly after the warrant was issued, the 31-year-old turned himself over to police. He was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, domestic violence and culpable negligence.

Bryant -- who played in the NFL from 2002 to 2009 for the Cowboys, Browns, 49ers and the Buccaneers -- was later released on $15,000 bail.

Jerry "The King" Lawler has released a VIDEO from inside his hospital room to show the world the progress he's made since suffering a heart attack earlier this week ... and it's pretty damn impressive.

In the clip, Lawler is standing up and speaking very clearly -- at one point he even cracks a joke about all of the wires connected to his body.

Lawler suffered a major heart attack on live TV in Montreal on Monday night during a taping of WWE's "Monday Night Raw." He's still being monitored in the cardiac unit ... and his recovery is going very well.

Kris Humphries and his on-again girlfriend Myla Sinanaj are so chummy ... the NBA star actually gave Myla his ridiculously expensive Mercedes-Benz -- at least for now.

Myla arrived home to her house today in Rutherford, NJ driving Kris' white Mercedes -- and we KNOW it's his Mercedes because he's been driving the same car forever ... long before Myla even entered the picture.

We asked Myla what she was doing in the whip, and she insisted, "It's my car. It's not his car."

Which means she's either bending the truth, or Kris actually gave her the ride. In either case, it's obvious things are heating up between the two.

Nevertheless, Myla says, "We're just friends, hanging out."

Kris Humphries' closest friends and family were BLINDSIDED by TMZ's footage of the NBA player hanging out with his ex-girlfriend -- telling us, they now believe Kris is in a full-blown relationship with Myla Sinanaj ... and has been lying about it for months.

If you recall, Kris had sicked the FBI on Myla in the past ... telling the feds she tried to extort him by demanding a large sum of money, or else she'd release damaging information about their relationship to the media.

Kris told friends he was totally done with Myla ... insisting she was nothing more than a one night stand. Now his friends and family know ... he was lying through his pearly white teeth.

Sources connected to Kris' inner-circle tells us ... they had long-suspected he was secretly getting back together with Myla, but the video of the two leaving her home in Jersey together this week is the smoking gun they were waiting for.

When his inner circle confronted Kris about the TMZ footage, we're told Kris refused to answer any questions ... and changed the subject.

As for Kris' extortion allegations, Myla denied the claim ... and her lawyer even drafted a 26-page defamation lawsuit against the NBA star.

Chad Johnson has finally accepted the fact that his marriage to Evelyn Lozada is over ... and has filed divorce docs in which he admits the union is "irretrievably broken" ... TMZ has learned.

Johnson filed the papers yesterday in a Florida court ... in response to the docs Evelyn filed back on August 14. In his papers, Chad admits the two have a prenup that he believes should be enforced -- especially the part about who pays for the lawyers.

According to the docs, Johnson wants a judge to BLOCK Evelyn's request that Chad foot the bill for her legal fees ... citing a provision in the prenup in which the two sides agreed to pay their own way if they were to split up.

The divorce has not been finalized yet ... but at this point, it's only a matter of time ... and sources close to Evelyn tell us she's "ecstatic" and ready to move on.

Chad Johnson insists he's no wife beater ... and entered a "not guilty" plea to misdemeanor battery this morning for the alleged attack on his wife Evelyn Lozada last month.

TMZ broke the story, Chad was charged with domestic battery yesterday following his arrest in Florida on August 11th.

According to Chad's wife, the former NFL player headbutted her during a massive argument that erupted after Evelyn found a condom receipt in Chad's car. If convicted, Johnson faces up to a year in jail.

Evelyn has since filed for divorce.

Jesse Ventura is throwing his support behind the ex-Navy SEAL who wrote the tell-all book about the killing of Osama bin Laden ... telling TMZ, "We deserve to know."

Ventura -- a former Navy SEAL and Gov. of Minnesota -- was out in NYC yesterday when we asked him about U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta threatening to punish "Mark Owen" over his book "No Easy Day."

"I don't have a problem with it " Ventura says ... "It's over. We deserve to know ... our tax dollars pay for this ... we have every right to know what we pay taxes on."

He continued, "Once the operation is over, you're not compromising anything then."

It's one thing if Aaron Rodgers refuses to pay up after losing his wager with Boyz II Men -- but blaming TMZ for his loss? Dude. Anybody smell chicken on the grill?

Chad Johnson has officially been charged with misdemeanor battery after allegedly headbutting his wife Evelyn Lozada during a nuclear argument last month, this according to the State Attorney for Broward County, Florida.

If convicted, Chad faces up to a year in jail.

As we reported, Chad was arrested for domestic violence in Florida on August 11th after a fight over a condom receipt allegedly turned violent. Evelyn told police Chad headbutted her.

At the time of the fight, Evelyn and Chad had barely been married a month. Evelyn has since filed for divorce, claiming their marriage had become "irretrievably broken."

Chad is refusing to sign any divorce papers, insisting he's still in love with her.

Jerry "The King" Lawler is making tremendous progress after suffering a heart attack earlier this week ... and is now awake, alert and responsive ... this according to Lawler's son.

TMZ spoke with Kevin Lawler ... who tells us, "[Jerry] is hooked up to tubes and is still not able to speak … but he's writing stuff on a notepad to talk to people."

"Not just brief notes, but detailed stories which show he knows where he is and what is going on.”

Kevin says the family was concerned about brain damage because Jerry wasn't breathing for several minutes after suffering the heart attack ... but doctors say so far, it appears Lawler's brain is fine.

Kris Humphries has been adamant ... he never dated Myla Sinanaj. Myla swore during her deposition in the Kim Kardashian divorce case ... she and Kris were just friends. Well guess which friends apparently spent the night together this week?

TMZ shot video of Kris and Myla leaving her house in Rutherford, New Jersey Tuesday. He was inside the house for several hours. And we're told ... Kris' car was parked outside the entire night Monday.

The question -- have Kris and Myla been hooking up all along, and did she tell the truth during her depo?

New York Knicks star Jason Kidd does NOT believe his drunk driving case in New York will have any affect on his performance in the upcoming NBA season ... at least that's what he told us on the way into court this morning.

A well-dressed Kidd -- along with his legal team -- rolled in to the Southampton Town Justice Court to handle business related to his July 15 arrest ... when cops say he drunkenly slammed his 2010 Cadillac Escalade into a telephone poll around 2 AM.

Kidd had already entered a not guilty plea in the case.

Olympic gold medalist Tyler Clary -- the guy who smashed Ryan Lochte's backstroke record -- turned down an invite to chill with President Obama at the White House ... all so he can race stock cars instead.

But sources tell TMZ ... the swimmer has dreams of being a pro race car driver after his swimming career ends ... he's opting to be in Fontana, CA instead to test drive cars for a few days and then hit up the MAVTV 500 IndyCar event on September 15.

We're told Clary is serious about his future racing career ... he's already been courted by several IndyCar and NASCAR teams and sponsors since returning from London.

Hulk Hogan's son Nick Hogan is incredibly relieved that Jerry "The King" Lawler has stabilized since his heart attack Monday night -- but tells TMZ, it might be time Lawler considered retirement.

Nick tells us, wrestling "takes a toll" on your body -- and as a result, "most guys retire around 50ish." Lawler is 62.

According to Nick, people in the wrestling business have varied career lengths -- but when injuries come into play, it's hard to ignore the obvious ... it's time to slow down.

Nick uses his own dad as an example -- saying even his 59-year-old father has cut back drastically on wrestling because of serious back injuries.

Aaron Rodgers doesn't seem to understand the way bets work -- because even though he LOST a wager to Boyz II Men ... he's now trying to weasel his way out of paying up ... by throwing TMZ under the bus.

We broke the story ... the Green Bay Packers star agreed to a friendly bet with the guys from Boyz II Men -- if he lost to the 49ers, he had to wear an Alex Smith jersey the following week.

Well, the Pack lost ... and Boyz II Men told us they were confident the NFL star would hold up his end of the bargain.

But earlier today, Rodgers addressed the media -- and when he was asked about the wager, he sounded like a man trying to get out of donning his rival's jersey.

"There's nothing to that," Rodgers said ... adding, "That got blown way out of proportion."

Still, Rodgers DID acknowledge a bet was made ... saying, "It was at best a joke between friends, and, unfortunately, the great reporting of TMZ blew another one."

What did we blow? You made a bet ... you lost ... now you're not living up to it.

In fact, check out the tweet Boyz II Men posted in the final minutes of Sunday's game ... which reads, "Pressing the jersey now!"