TMZ Sports - Page 50

Chad Johnson was just arrested and placed in handcuffs inside a Florida courtroom ... after the judge in his probation violation hearing ordered the ex-NFL star to spend 30 days in jail.

The move comes after Johnson pissed off the Broward County judge by slapping his male lawyer's butt during the hearing.

As we previously reported, Johnson's attorney was thiiiis close to sealing a deal that would have kept Johnson OUT of jail for violating his probation earlier this year.

But the butt slap enraged the judge ... and she took the deal off the table.

Now, Johnson's punishment is much harsher than what was originally proposed -- and he has been ordered to spend 30 days in jail.

His probation was also extended until December 21, 2013 ... and he must complete an additional 25 hours of community service along with extra therapy sessions.

Story developing ...

Retired NFL star Shawne Merriman is adamant ... he did NOT overdose on drugs at an L.A. nightclub last night ... telling TMZ he was simply dehydrated.

The 29-year-old -- who was transported from Colony nightclub to an L.A. hospital around 9:30pm Sunday night -- tells us ... "I didn't feel well and they called the ambulance for me to make sure I was good."

Merriman says he doesn't know who called the ambulance.

We're told the person who called 911 reported that Shawne was "barely conscious."

After Merriman was admitted to the hospital, the ex-NFL star says, "They told me to drink some fluids and sent me on my way."

Shawne says he's been running himself ragged recently -- "I've been finishing my MBA, shooting a bunch of films, launching my LightsOut [company] and still training."

In fact, Shawne says he had just gotten off a plane from Canada ... and went straight to the clubs last night.

Shawne's rep tells us, "At the hospital, he got fluids and felt fine ... so he went right back to the club."

Kobe Bryant has ended his legal war with his mother ... settling the lawsuit over his basketball memorabilia.

As TMZ reported ... Kobe went after his mother for trying to auction off jerseys, rings, trophies and scores of other items. Pamela Bryant claimed her son gave her the stuff, but Kobe claimed she was full of it and she was just pissed because he wouldn't buy her an expensive house in Vegas.

Now Pamela and Kobe's dad agreed to issue a letter of apology to the Lakers' star, according to ESPN. In return Kobe agreed to let Pamela sell off just under 10% of the items.

So the legal issue is now resolved. As for family relations, we're guessing that's a whole other Oprah.

Bryant's parents released a statement that reads, "We regret our actions and statements related to the Kobe Bryant auction memorabilia. We apologize for any misunderstanding and unintended pain we have caused our son and appreciate the financial support he has provided over the years. We also apologize to Goldin Auctions for their inadvertent involvement in this matter and thank them for their assistance."

8:20 AM PT -- Merriman is now acknowledging he was hospitalized, and tweeted that he was just "dehydrated" -- which might explain why he looked so sober and coherent in our video.

Mystery solved?

For a guy who was allegedly hospitalized at 9:30 pm Sunday night, retired NFL star Shawne Merriman appeared incredibly SOBER when TMZ shot him out just 3 hours later.

The whole situation is bizarre ... considering law enforcement has confirmed with NFL.com that the former NFL All-Pro was transported to an L.A. hospital for an undisclosed "medical emergency" around 9:30pm Sunday night.

In fact, law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... officials responded to a "possible overdose" at Colony nightclub with a caller reporting a man who was "barely conscious."

Sources tell us ... the 29-year-old former NFL All-Pro had been inside the club -- but was "escorted out" after people inside believed he appeared like he was going to pass out.

In short -- our sources are ADAMANT Merriman was hospitalized last night.

Which brings us to the video ...

Our TMZ photog noticed Merriman leaving Greystone Manor (a short cab ride from Colony) around 12:26 am on Monday morning ... and struck up a normal TMZ conversation with the guy.

In the footage, Merriman appears lucid, conversational ... and in no way like a person who was "barely conscious" just 3 hours before the video was shot.

At one point in the video, Merriman asks us "So, what's up?" Our guy responds, "Just livin'."

Merriman quickly jokes back, "Yeah, me too."

Plus, Merriman was tweeting around 2:40 am ... telling people he was partying with rapper The Game.

Sit back down, Maury Povich, your services are no longer required ... because former NFL star Jamal Lewis has taken a paternity test and learned he is indeed the father of a 7-year-old child ... TMZ has learned.

As TMZ first reported, Lewis -- who was inducted into the Baltimore Ravens "Ring of Honor" in 2012 -- was hit with a paternity suit last year by a woman in Georgia who claimed Lewis was the father of her boy.

Lewis was arrested over non-payment of support even before any paternity had been established, but the charges were eventually dropped.

Now TMZ has learned paternity test results show Lewis is indeed the father and was ordered to pay $663/month in child support. The amount is considerably less than the $5,236/month his baby mama had asked for, but filing for bankruptcy will do that.

The child's mother was granted sole legal and physical custody, with Lewis getting visitation every other weekend and various holidays (plus a two-week block in the summer).

Allen Iverson has a date this week with the judge who earlier this year called him a horrible parent ... and seeing as his ex claims he owes $40,000 in child support ... this new hearing will probably go as poorly for Iverson as the last one.

As TMZ first reported, when Iverson's divorce was finalized back in February, the judge in the case tore Iverson's parenting skills a new one ... saying, "He does not know how to manage the children" and he "has been a hindrance to their spiritual and emotional growth and development."

Now TMZ has learned Iverson's ex, Tawanna, has filed docs with the court saying that Iverson has failed to honor the child support agreement that was handed down back in January. The order stated that Iverson was to pay $8,000/month in support for their 5 kids ... but Tawanna claims Iverson has missed every payment he was supposed to make.

The two are set to be in court this week, where Tawanna wants the judge to order Iverson to fork over the $40,000 he owes in support and even suggest the judge lock Iverson up for his actions.

Brad Lesley -- who fashioned a sports-movie career out of a few seasons in Major League bullpens -- died of a heart attack ... NOT kidney failure, as previously believed ... according to the death certificate obtained by TMZ.

Leslie was 54 when he died in a Marina Del Rey hospital April 29, as TMZ first reported. His ex-wife said he'd been in a nursing home for months due to kidney problems that required dialysis ... and that he died of kidney failure.

But the death certificate says it was cardiac arrest that got him ... brought on by a case of coronary artery disease ... and he never had surgery for it.

Herschel Walker is UNDEFEATED in the world of MMA ... but the 51-year-old former NFL superstar tells TMZ he wants to get in the ring one more time ... and it could happen before the end of the year.

Walker famously signed a deal with Strikeforce back in 2009 ... and proceeded to annihilate his first two opponents.

But this week, the former Heisman Trophy winner told us he's still got gas in the tank ... and he ain't ready to hang up his gloves just yet.

Fun Fact -- Herschel isn't just a stellar athlete, he's also a stellar businessman who owns a very successful food company called Renaissance Man Food Services.

According to Herschel, RMFS is "one of the largest in the United States" ... and primarily deals with chicken.

The next time you call 911 to report a fire ... the guy racing to your house could be former WWE star Scotty 2 Hotty ...'cause TMZ has learned the master of "The Worm" is a certified fireman!

Scotty -- a former member of the tag team Too Cool (later joined by ass-bomb expert Rikishi) -- graduated from Lake Tech Fire Academy in Florida earlier this month and plans to begin EMT training in the next few weeks.

But Scotty's new career doesn't mean his wrestling days are over -- the 39-year-old -- real name Scott Garland -- still hits the mat on the independent wrestling circuit.

As for Rikishi -- he's still around too ... presumably ass-blasting people who really deserve it.

Former WWE star Justin Credible claims he was a victim of a scary home invasion last night when 3 gun-toting criminals threatened to kill his family ... while he slept through the whole thing.
Credible -- real name Peter Polaco -- tells us he and his wife were sleeping in their home in Waterbury, Connecticut when family members woke them up saying the house had just been robbed.

The ex-Hardcore champ says the bad guys broke a kitchen window to get in the house and quickly made their way to a bedroom upstairs where his brother and nephew were sleeping.

Polaco says the 3 men tied his brother up with zip ties and told him if one noise was made "they'd be shot."

The 39-year-old wrestler says the criminals then made their way to his parents' bedroom and woke the elderly couple up, tied them up and continually grilled them on where the family kept their safe.

The couple repeatedly told the burglars they didn't have one -- so the 3 men took $5 from his dad's wallet -- jacked his mother's cell phone -- and rushed out of the house.

Credible says the family believes the attack was NOT random because the bad guys kept mentioning his brother by name during the invasion.

L.A. Lakers star Steve Nash just won a victory in his custody war with his ex, but it's small potatoes compared to what's ultimately at stake.

A judge in the case just ruled ... Steve's live-in girlfriend, Brittany Richardson, is allowed to accompany the 3 kids without Steve from L.A. to Arizona and back. Steve's ex, Alejandra Nash, had objected to Brittany taking charge of the kids on grounds she wasn't a family member.

The judge ruled ... Brittany was as much a family member as the nanny, who is allowed to care for the children.

There's a bigger issue on the line. Both Steve and Alejandra are waiting for the judge to rule on whether she can move from Phoenix to L.A. Steve has objected ... he says because L.A. is a lousy place to raise kids. Alejandra scoffs at Steve's objection, saying it's a smoke screen and the real reason he doesn't want her to move is because a California judge would nail him with child support.

The judge is expected to rule any day.

Tony Parker and his fellow San Antonio Spurs are poised to snatch the NBA championship title from the Miami Heat ... but a victory could cost Tony a fortune.

As you know ... the Spurs are up 1-zip in the finals, and the odds are they could win the whole shebang, because let's face it ... the Heat players are a little haggard.

Tony is in the middle of a $20 million lawsuit over the blowout fight between Drake and Chris Brown at W.i.P. Nightclub in NYC. Parker says he suffered lacerations to his cornea when a glass shard from a bottle struck him in the eye.

When Parker filed the suit, he was halfway through a $50 million contract with the Spurs ... and his future seemed uncertain given the eye injury.

Parker is suing the club, claiming it was negligent in not preventing the brewing brawl.

Now here's the problem ... Tony played a fantastic season this year. He could have won MVP if he hadn't sprained his ankle ... and if LeBron James had suddenly retired.

So the $20 million damage claim kind of goes out the window, especially if Tony gets a ring.

Here's the good news -- In a year, he'll sign a new deal, and $20 mil may look like chump change.

Jay Cutler is finally gonna make an honest woman out of his baby mama ... TMZ has learned the Chicago Bears QB just purchased a marriage license in the state of Tennessee.

We've confirmed ... Cutler and Kristin Cavallari appeared at the Davidson County Clerk in Nashville, TN early this morning ... and dropped $99.50 on the paperwork required to tie the knot.

Sources connected to the couple tell us ... the two are set to swap "I dos" at a ceremony THIS WEEKEND in Nashville ... the city where Jay went to college (he played at Vanderbilt).

The marriage license is only valid for 30 days ... so if Jay has a last minute change of heart this weekend, Kristin still has a couple of weeks to change his mind.

Jay and Kristin were originally engaged back in April 2011 ... but called it off in July.

Just a few months later, they announced the engagement was back on ... and in January 2012, they revealed Kristin was preggo with Jay's kid.

Kristin gave birth to their son Camden on August 8, 2012.

So far, no comment from Cutler or Cavallari.

Congrats!!

UPDATE 12:33 PM PT -- Kristin posted a pic to her Instagram of a pair of wedding rings with the caption: "Im officially Kristin Elizabeth Cutler!!!!!"

Las Vegas cops have cleared former baseball slugger Jose Canseco of allegedly sexually assaulting a woman last month.

Vegas detectives have closed the case and will not seek criminal charges.

Canseco was adamant from the get go ... the woman's claims were BS and the two had consensual sex. He took his own polygraph to prove his innocence, and passed with flying colors.

They're only up 1-0, but Michael Rapaport tells TMZ ... San Antonio Spurs fans can break out the brooms, 'cause they're going to SWEEP the Miami Heat in the NBA finals.

​If Anderson Silva WANTS Roy Jones Jr., he's gonna GET Roy Jones Jr. -- 'cause RJJ tells TMZ he'll accept Spider's challenge to a boxing match ... but the clock's tickin'.

We spoke to the 44-year-old former boxing champ in L.A. this week ... who says he heard Silva loud and clear when Anderson told the New York Post about his dream to fight a "great champion" like Jones.

38-year-old Silva is currently under contract with the UFC ... but suggested that UFC honcho Dana White should strike a deal to make the fight happen.

As for Roy -- once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet -- he tells TMZ, "I would love it ... Call me and we'll make that happen."