TMZ Sports - Page 50

Allegations of homophobia are running wild in the NFL ... with Torrey Smith dropping a gay slur, Chris Kluwe claiming he was fired for championing gay rights and Aaron Rodgers on the attack over gay rumors.

Plus, Mike Tyson STOPS a fight from breaking out? We've got the whole story and a crazy brawl in the stands at the Sugar Bowl.

10:50 AM PT -- Torrey is standing his ground ... tweeting, "I wasn't being offensive nor am I homophobic not apologizing or taking it down."

With the Chris Kluwe gay controversy raging, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith has thrust himself into the mix by hurling a homophobic slur in public.

Smith just posted a photo on Instagram featuring a man wearing pink flowery socks ... along with the caption, "Look at this queen."

Seriously.

Interesting timing, considering Kluwe says he was blackballed from the NFL for crusading against gay hatred -- like this -- and pushing for equality.

Of course, it ain't the first time an NFL star has used a homophobic slur in public -- just last year, 49ers defensive star Chris Culliver came under serious fire after saying he wouldn't play with a gay teammate because he's not into "that sweet stuff."

Jovan Belcher's infant daughter is following in her grandmother's footsteps ... because her legal rep is suing the Kansas City Chiefs for the wrongful death of the child's late father, TMZ Sports has learned.

Zoey Belcher can't sue the Chiefs herself -- she was only 3 months old when her NFL linebacker dad murdered her mother and shot himself in the Chiefs' facility parking lot back in 2012 -- but her conservator has filed the case on Zoey's behalf, according to court docs.

The suit is nearly identical to the one filed on Tuesday by Zoey's grandmother -- Cheryl Shepherd -- and states the Chiefs were directly responsible for Jovan's failing mental health prior to his death.

The Chiefs allegedly failed to diagnose Jovan's post-concussion syndrome ... which they say caused him to suffer "insane impulses" ... which played a factor when Jovan shot and killed his girlfriend (Zoey's mom) and then himself in December 2012.

Former NFL star Brendon Ayanbadejo tells TMZ Sports ... ex-Minnesota Vikings kicker Chris Kluwe is "100% right" about claims he was cut from the team because of his pro-gay rights crusade -- and he's got the stats to back it up.

Ayanbadejo -- who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens -- has been friends with Kluwe for a while (they both share the same views on gay rights) ... and tells TMZ Sports he's always suspected Kluwe's activism was the real reason the Vikings cut Kluwe last year.

FYI -- Kluwe unleashed on Minnesota Thursday in a scathing self-written article on Deadspin, in which he referred to two Vikings officials as "cowards" and another as a "bigot" for cutting him after 8 seasons with the team. The Vikings insist Kluwe was only released as a result of his "football performance."

But Brendon says the numbers speak for themselves ... Kluwe was great ... but he strongly believes Chris was blacklisted because he's been so outspoken about a cause that doesn't jive with the NFL.

"Sports Illustrated" swimsuit model Julie Henderson left a little more to the imagination than usual this week when she hit the beach in Miami ... sporting a bikini made of actual cloth instead of paint.

The 27-year-old model has appeared in the legendary S.I. Swimsuit Edition seven years in a row, starting in 2007.

But her most famous moment had to be her 2009 body paint photo shoot ... which the people at S.I. so generously captured on video to share with the world ... and it's glorious.

Jay Cutler is worth every single penny of his brand new 7-year, $126 MILLION contract with the Chicago Bears, so says one of the Windy City's most famous sons, Common.

The rapper/actor/Bears-superfan was leaving ArcLight in L.A. last night when we asked about the QB signing one of the biggest deals in the NFL, despite the fact he didn't make the playoffs this year.

Common's response? Da Bears made the right call ... Cutler "deserves it."

If Cutler plays out his entire deal with the team, he'll be 37-years-old when it's over.

The question -- currently, Jay has more cameos on "The League" than he does Super Bowl rings ... think that'll change in the next 7 years?

Charles Barkley wasn't far off the mark when he said the Detroit Lions "have no idea how to play football" ... this according to an actual Detroit Lion, who tells TMZ Sports, the team has LOTS of work to do after failing to make the playoffs.

Wide Receiver Nate Burleson tells us, "I can't blast Charles. To a large degree, I agree with him."

In case you missed it, Charles went OFF on the "Rich Eisen Podcast" today, saying, "The Detroit Lions would be the perfect example of a team that's got a bunch of talent that don't have no clue, any clue, how to play football."

But while Burleson sees where Charles is coming from, he still thinks the man's blowing things out of proportion. "Saying we have no idea how to play football is quite exaggerated. No clue and no consistency are different. You don't make it to this level without knowing how to play the game."

A fight broke out at a media event for a fight ... with Mike Tyson caught in the middle ... but this time, the legendary boxer wasn't escalating the situation, he was trying to quash it.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of Tyson promoting an event called "Friday Fight Nights" in Minnesota on Thursday ... when two of the young boxers started going at it right on the stage.

It started to feel like shades of the infamous Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis media event back in 2002, when they started brawling at a news conference.

But this time, Tyson got right in between the two guys -- who were pushing and cussing at each other -- and eventually broke the whole thing up.

Who'da thunk?

If at first you don't succeed ... try, try again ... and again ... and again -- just like Michael Jordan is desperately doing with his Chicago mansion that no one on earth wants to buy.

Jordan has re-listed the 7 acre estate for $16 million ... after it failed to sell at a recent auction, where the minimum bid was $13 million (yeah, we don't get the strategy either).

Of course, MJ initially tried to sell the house back in 2012 for $29 mil ... but slashed the price to $21 mil when no one bit ... then reduced it to $13 mil for the auction ... then called off the auction when no one placed a bid.

The Music City Miracle -- one of the most famous plays in NFL history -- wasn't drawn up for Kevin Dyson ... it was supposed to go to Derrick Mason, but something happened that day that forced the Titans to change plans at the last minute.

TMZ Sports spoke with Mason at a Prime Sports event at the Rose Bowl ... and the former wide receiver dropped some interesting info about the legendary lateral pass from Frank Wycheck to Dyson in the 2000 AFC Wild Card game against the Bills.

Mason says the team used to practice the play every single week ... and he was the main target.

So, why wasn't Derrick on the field when the play was called that day? Let's just say it was all in his head. Check out the clip.

Dwyane Wade's baby explanation seems to be blowing up in his face ... all thanks to Gabrielle Union's Instagram account, which could prove they weren't really "on a break" when he knocked up another woman.

Plus, a real-life "Jerry Maguire" situation is unfolding with Teddy Bridgewater ... with sports agents scrambling so hard to sign the top NFL prospect, they're driving his mom crazy!

The race to sign Teddy Bridgewater IS ON ... with dozens of agents so desperate to get in touch with the NFL prospect, they're hammering his MOTHER with phone calls -- and it's starting to piss her off.

TMZ Sports spoke with Teddy's mom, Rose, who tells us ... ever since the Louisvlle QB announced his plans to leave college and head to the NFL this week, her phone's been ringing off the hook.

"The agents won't stop," Rose says ... "They won't take no for an answer."

"I ask them, 'What do you expect me to do? Call my son and tell him to sign with you?'"

For the record, Teddy is projected to be a high 1st round pick ... so it's no shock that every agency in town wants a piece of the 21-year-old phenom.

Rose says Teddy has not picked an agent yet ... but it's not going to be a knee-jerk decision -- he's going to put a lot of thought into who he selects.

When we asked Rose if she's excited about her son's impending NFL payday, she gave us one of the greatest answers we've ever heard -- "That's money he earned. I've never touched a football. I've never been tackled. I just want him to be a productive citizen."

Rose -- who raised Teddy and his 3 siblings by herself and then went on to battle breast cancer -- tells us she's incredibly proud of her son and can't wait to watch him play in the NFL.

Rose also says she's not rooting for one particular team to pick Teddy ... but she does hope he goes to a city with warm weather.

Minnesota Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson isn't starting the New Year off too well -- he was just arrested for his second DWI in two months ... after allegedly plowing his car through a bunch of trees.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports, Henderson was popped on New Year's Day near Eden Prairie, MN after police received a call about a single-vehicle crash.

According to law enforcement, Henderson had been driving erratically and speeding when he lost control of his black SUV, skidded over the centerline through a grassy area, through a parking lot, before colliding with several trees. The front and sides of the vehicle were heavily damaged, but Henderson was not injured.

When police showed up on the scene, we're told officers suspected he was under the influence (Erin's breath allegedly smelled like booze and his eyes were blood shot). Police then administered a field sobriety test, which Henderson bombed.

According to the booking report, Henderson was placed under arrest and booked on 4 charges, including DWI. He has just been released on $12,000 bail.

Henderson was previously arrested on suspicion of DWI in November in the same area.

Oklahoma State basketball star Stevie Clark was arrested on New Year's Day ... and according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports, he was rolling a blunt when he was busted.

The 19-year-old -- who's a freshman guard for the Cowboys -- was a passenger in a Toyota Camry that was pulled over around 10AM on January 1 after a cop says he spotted Clark not wearing a seatbelt.

During the stop, the officer says he saw "small pieces of marijuana on Clark's shorts and on the seat between his legs."

According to the report, the cop says he asked Clark how much weed he had in the car ... but Clark was speechless and only shook his head "no."

Eventually, the cop says Clark handed him a half-filled marijuana blunt.

The cop says the driver tried to take the rap ... saying the weed was his and he didn't want Clark to get in trouble.

According to the report, the driver also said he was taking Clark to practice at the time of the incident.

Screw the normies ... 'cause after Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M to a victory in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, he flew to Miami to party with his super-famous BFF Drake.

Manziel -- who likely played his last college football game on Tuesday -- said he needed a "little vaca" following the game ... and jetted over to Miami to meet up with the rapper.

Once he arrived, Drake, Johnny and OB O’Brien posed for a photo together, each flashing the "show me the money" sign.

Damon Wayans Jr. is breaking his silence about the mother of his children giving birth to Dwyane Wade's baby -- telling TMZ Sports he doesn't want his daughters to "get hurt in any of this."

We broke the story ... Wade's new baby mama is Aja Metoyer, who already has two children with "New Girl" star Damon Wayans Jr. (Wade claims he and fiancee Gabrielle Union were on a break when the child was conceived).

Now, Damon tells TMZ Sports, "I really have nothing to do with Aja's situation. We both live completely separate lives, aside from co-parenting."

He continues, "My concern are my daughters and that they don't get hurt in any of this."