TMZ Sports - Page 50

Less than 24 hours after turning 21, Johnny Manziel was already at a blackjack table in Vegas ... gambling like a champ ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

The Texas A&M quarterback suited up Friday night -- along with a bunch of friends -- and hit up the casino at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas ... where they bee lined it straight for the blackjack tables.

Sources in the casino tell us the guys played for roughly an hour -- from the looks of things, Johnny was doing his gambling with a short stack of the standard $5 red chips.

We're told Manziel had himself some chew at the table ... and was often seen spitting the tobacco into an empty beer bottle (see the pic below).

Unclear if he won or lost any cash -- but one thing's for sure ... the guys all seemed like they were having a blast.

Jadeveon Clowney is no dumb ass... and would never jeopardize his NFL Draft status by hanging out with bad people ... so says JC's step-dad, the man who raised him.

After reports surfaced that NFL teams were concerned about Jadeveon's "entourage" ... the South Carolina superstar's step-dad told TMZ Sports Clowney runs with a good crowd.

"Jadeveon makes good decisions ... including the people who he hangs out with."

Clowney's step-dad adds, "His friends are his friends, but overall he is smart enough to make the right decisions."

"He's a good kid."

Gabrielle Union was asked what she considers the best part of dating an NBA superstar like Dwyane Wade -- and for some reason she didn't reply ... "monster dong."

No matter how much we willed her to say it.

The Jamies Winston investigation revealed college athletes are scoring even more than you thought -- and in groups. You've gotta see what we uncovered about teammates getting together for threesomes.

Plus, Johnny Manziel turns 21 ... in Vegas! We know where he partied and what Johnny Football was up to on the Strip. Is he just celebrating a bday -- or the end of his college career?

And ex-soccer stud Cobi Jones joined us to break down the U.S. team's brutal World Cup draw -- and the uhh -- benefits of playing in Brazil! Also ... would he bet on the U.S.?

Johnny Manziel turned 21 this morning ... and he rang in his birthday by partying at a Vegas nightclub, TMZ Sports has learned.

The Heisman Trophy winner (and candidate) hit up Hakkasan at the MGM Grand last night (he arrived after midnight) ... and laid pretty low.

He posed for at least one pic with a fan (pictured above) ... but so far, no great tales of drunken insanity.

Shocking, considering his reputation as a party animal. In fact, Manziel once found a loophole in Texas that allowed him to booze at a bar underage (he brought a parent along).

It's not like the Texas A&M quarterback has a football game this weekend ... so no harm, no foul -- at least so far.

Team USA was "definitely drawn into a Group of Death" during the World Cup scheduling this morning ... and survival ain't gonna be easy ... so says U.S. soccer legend Cobi Jones.

In case you haven't heard ... USA was placed in Group G ... along with Germany, Portugal and Ghana -- some of the toughest teams in the world.

In fact, Germany's currently the #2 team in the world ... and Portugal is #5. Team USA is considered the 14th best squad in the tourney.

Jones -- who played for the U.S. in three World Cup tournaments -- told us, "The USA has definitely been drawn into a Group of Death. This is not going to be a cake walk for our boys."

The WC begins in June in Brazil -- Team USA will kick off against Ghana on June 16.

If you weren't having wild hardcore orgies in college, you were really missing out, 'cause Jalen Rose tells TMZ Sports ... group sex isn't just for athletes, everyone's doing it.

Jalen -- who played college ball at Michigan -- clearly acknowledged what we already reported ... that college athletes across the country often team up to bang chicks.

But Rose also explained, "College athletes do exactly the same stuff college students are doing."

Jay Z (who runs Roc Nation Sports) just sealed a $240 MILLION deal for his MLB client Robinson Cano ... which sounds great, until you remember they were gunning for $310 mil.

Cano just inked a 10-year, $240 mil contract with the Seattle Mariners ... which ties for the 3rd largest contract in MLB history.

But we gotta wonder, is Cano disappointed in the deal, considering he was reportedly seeking a $310 million contract ... and fell $70 million short of his goal.

When Jay took Cano, he even bragged about it in a rap lyric -- "Scott Boras, you over baby. Robinson Cano, you comin' with me."

Here's former Sports Illustrated model Jessica Hart strollin' around Miami yesterday in a hot pink bikini.

Fun Fact -- Jessica was in the 2009 S.I. swimsuit edition ... the one with Bar Refaeli on the cover.

God, that was a good year ...

Jameis Winston's teammate Chris Casher -- the witness who told cops JW didn't rape his accuser -- also told police he and the FSU quarterback would often share chicks sexually ... and TMZ Sports has learned, that kind of teammate relationship is shockingly common at colleges across the country.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops say Casher stated that when he went into Jameis' bedroom during his sexual encounter with the accuser, he also asked "if [she] would engage in sexual activity with him as well."

Casher explained that kind of situation had happened in the past with other women they had brought to their apartment.

Just a few weeks ago, we also reported on two college basketball players from Oakland University that allegedly double-teamed a woman at a hotel in L.A. while the team was on the road to play UCLA.

We made some calls to a BUNCH of athletes (pro and collegiate) who all told us essentially the same thing -- teammates joining forces to have sex with women at the same time is EXTREMELY COMMON.

One source, who played football at a Big 10 school, tells us, "Running trains happens all the time, sharing girls one after the other."

We also spoke to an athlete who played in the MAC ... who says, "Team threesomes were a good bonding experience. I had a few, but it happened all the time with teammates."

One former college superstar put it another way -- "I used to f**k so many hos and after I was done with her, a b*tch will let everyone else up in her. I mean, of course!"

So, why is group sex so prevalent among college athletes?

As one player put it ... there were ALWAYS groupies offering to hook up with players at the same time. They loved being connected to the football team. And the guys would do it because they felt comfortable around each other and because it was available.

Most of the players we spoke with included this nugget as well -- the teammate group sex thing basically STOPS once you get to the pros.

Sammy Sosa got his aristocrat on at a fancy shmancy art soiree in Miami Sunday night ... where TMZ has learned, he rubbed shoulders with other rich people looking for expensive pieces of art to fill their mansions.

It all went down at Univision star Raul de Molina's 12th annual Art Basel celebration -- where we're told Sosa rolled up in a white Rolls Royce -- and hung out with other celeb guests like NASCAR driver Pablo Montoya, artists Ruben Millares, Liu Bolin and Antonia Wright, and Disney star Sofia Carson.

The slugger just purchased a $7.6 million. 7,272 square foot home in Golden Beach -- which is one of the few places in Miami where you can own ocean front property ... and naturally he needs some equally impressive art to fill those walls.

No word if Sosa actually purchased anything at the show ... but a little culture never hurt anyway.

Jameis Winston has a clear path to the Heisman and maybe a National Championship now that he's been cleared in the rape investigation. Should he and his attorney sue the accuser ... or just be happy and move forward?

Plus, the Miami Dolphins have their eye on Steelers coach Mike Tomlin -- warning him to keep his ass off the field this weekend ... or else. But you gotta see the war the erupted in our newsroom over Tomlin's punishment for the Jacoby Jones near run-in.

And chicks playing rugby might not sound sexy, but NAKED chicks doing it? Time to meet the toughest women at Oxford University -- hotter than you might expect!

Jameis Winston has finally broken his silence ... saying he's relieved that the rape saga is finally over -- and is turning his focus back to winning a national championship.

The Florida State QB just issued a statement, which he hand signed, saying, "It's been difficult to stay silent through this process, but I never lost faith in the truth and in who I am."

He added, "I'm very relieved I'll be able to continue my education at Florida State and I'm excited I can get back to helping our team achieve its goals."

There's more ... Jameis' lawyer, Tim Jansen, says the football star is considering taking legal action against the accuser for making the allegation in the first place.

Jansen says Winston values his reputation ... and feels it has taken a hit because of the situation.

One of the men who was with Jameis Winston on the night of the alleged rape told police he WITNESSED the accuser perform oral sex on the Florida State QB ... and she seemed "more than willing."

TMZ Sports obtained documents which show that Jameis' pal Chris Casher told police he went to Potbelly's bar with JW and another friend, Ron Darby, on the night of the alleged rape.

Casher says the accuser, a blonde woman, was not drunk when she left the bar with Jameis and when they got to his apartment, they went into JW's bedroom together.

Chris says, "Since the door was partially open, I looked through the opening and we could see her giving Jameis oral sex. They had only been in the room a few minutes before I witnessed her giving him oral sex."

"Jameis was facing the door with his hands on his hips while she was in front of him on her knees. I witnessed them both take each other's clothes off and lay on the bed."

"Jameis and the blonde female began having intercourse."

Chris says .. "as a joke" he busted into the room to embarrass Jameis ... but the woman shooed him out of the room, closed the door and turned off the lights for more privacy.

Chris says he and his other buddy Ron could hear the two having sex.

11:35 AM PT -- The accuser's family has issued a statement ... saying, "[the accuser] has grave concerns that her experience, as it unfolded in the public eye and through social media, will discourage other victims of rape from coming forward and reporting."

11:03 AM PT -- We spoke with Jameis' grandmother, who's thrilled with the announcement ... telling us, "God is good all the time."

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston will NOT be charged with a crime stemming from allegations he raped an FSU student back in 2012.

The announcement was just made by State Attorney Willie Meggs, who said, "No charges will be filed against anyone in this case."

Meggs said there were "several people in the room" when the incident happened.

Meggs said there was a 2ND MAN'S DNA discovered ... insinuating the accuser slept with another person around the time she had sex with Jameis. Meggs said the 2nd man's DNA belonged to an unidentified person.

Meggs says Jameis' DNA was on the accuser's underwear ... and the 2nd person's DNA was on her shorts. He also said there were no outward signs of trauma.

Meggs said the timing of the case was NOT driven by the FSU football schedule.

Meggs said the case would've gone a lot better if "we all would have gotten involved earlier."

Meggs said the accuser's blood alcohol level was .04 at the time it was taken ... which Meggs described as "not very high."

Meggs says ... the State Attorney will NOT investigate the Tallahassee PD ... though he did admit things might had gone differently had they known about the case earlier.

Another apparent blunder by police in the Jameis Winston case ... TMZ Sports has learned there WAS surveillance footage at the bar where Jameis and the accuser were allegedly boozing before the incident ... but since cops delayed the investigation, the video was written over and lost for good.

We spoke with the owner of Potbelly's bar in Tallahassee, Fl ... who tells us investigators only RECENTLY came to his establishment and asked for footage that could have shown the interaction between Jameis and the accuser in the hours leading up to the alleged rape.

According to the search warrant, the alleged victim told police she had been boozing hard at Potbelly's before the incident (5 or 6 shots that night) ... and she left with a black guy who she later ID'd as Winston.

Problem is ... the incident happened back in Dec. 2012 ... but cops never bothered to go to the bar and ask for the footage until TMZ Sports began to poke around last month.