TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Carl Pickens -- a 2-time Pro Bowler -- was arrested in Georgia this week after cops say he attacked his wife and pinned her down by her neck.

According to the Gwinnett County Police Department, Pickens and his wife got into an argument on Dec. 7th ... and it was all about why his wife allowed her friend to join them on a movie date.

Cops say the argument escalated ... with Pickens slamming her onto a couch and then pinning her down by the neck.

Cops say ... Carl's wife says the ex-NFL star also threw various objects around the house and then stormed out.

When cops arrived to the scene, cops say they could see a bruise on the woman's neck.

Jameis Winston's cousin -- an active U.S. Army soldier -- became an overnight celebrity when the FSU star gave her a shout-out moments after he won the BCS Championship ... and now, we can finally put a face to the name.

Of course, Jameis mentioned his cousin while trying to explain the magnitude of the BCS Championship ... explaining, "My cousin in the Afghanistan watching this game, T'Ola Winston."

Turns out, T'ola is a corporal in the Army who's currently deployed with the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) ... tasked to help keep the peace in Afghanistan.

We reached out to the military to get a comment from T'Ola ... but you know, she's kinda busy.

The Winston family has a lot to be proud of this morning.

There was another "bowl" game in Pasadena last night ... a game that requires a GIANT BONG in the shape of a football ... and last night at the BCS championship, one celebrity had front row seats.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Cheryl Hines -- a big FSU fan -- was waiting in line to get into the stadium when she came face-to-face with the guys from the "420 Football League."

FYI -- teams in the 420FL teams compete by ripping a bong and then holding the toke for as long as they can. The active players can advance the ball one yard for every second they hold their breath.

The guys invited Cheryl to join the league ... but it was clear, she's just not into playing on grass.

Still, the whole encounter is hilarious ... with Cheryl adding, "Colorado would like it."

Jenna Jameson is slamming Tito Ortiz for his DUI bust ... claiming he's putting their children in danger while committing public relations suicide.

Jenna thinks Tito's arrest after crashing his Porsche proves what she's been saying all along -- that Tito's a bad dude, and told us -- "A lot of people think he's this fantastic guy ... it's just not true."

She added, "Slowly but surely he'll hang himself. Not literally, but figuratively."

Jenna also explains how Tito's arrest could lead to her snatching back custody of their 2 boys.

Despite the fact he lied ... cheated ... falsely accused others ... and embarrassed his country ... there's still one person who's got Lance Armstrong's back -- his girlfriend Anna Hansen.

Lance and Anna (who have been dating since 2008) were stand-up paddle boarding together in Hawaii the other day.

It's one of the only activities Lance is allowed to participate in ... since he was banned from cycling, triathlons and just about every sport that requires its players to not be a lying, doped up cheater.

He's usually incredible under pressure, but last night Johnny Manziel experienced a live brain freeze moment on live TV ... in the middle of his BCS Championship commentary.

Manziel was on ESPN2 with Tim Tebow to give insight on the Florida St. vs. Auburn game ... when he tried to explain how FSU could contain Auburn QB Nick Marshall in the second half of the game.

That's when Johnny's brain shut down right in the middle of his sentence. It's pretty funny ... even Johnny couldn't help but smile.

But fear not, Manziel recovered like a pro ... and got through the rest of the show without a problem.

Hey, he's not the first guy to have one of those moments on live TV ...

The Johnny Manziel party train continued to roll last night ... but this time, the Heisman winner didn't leave the club with two hot models, he was with his quarterback coach ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Manziel -- who appeared as a guest commentator during the BCS title game Monday night -- was leaving Bootsy Bellows on the Sunset Strip with QB guru George Whitfield Jr., a guy who's trained bigtime signal callers like Cam Newton and Andrew Luck.

In fact, Johnny even talked a little football on his way out of the club ... saying the dramatic Florida St. victory over Auburn was one of the greatest games he's ever seen.

Former NFL running back Lorenzo Booker shocked college scouts back in 2002 when he bailed on Notre Dame to play for Florida State ... and now TMZ Sports has learned, it was all about chasing tail.

Booker -- who was widely considered the #1 high school running back in the country -- had his pick of college programs back in the day ... and, after making a verbal commitment to play for the Irish, he stunned everyone by announcing he was going to FSU on live TV.

And now Lorenzo tells us why he had the sudden change of heart ... the girls at ND are just flat out ugly and the girls at FSU are a bunch of tan smoke shows. Basically, it was a no-brainer.

Case in point ... that blonde chick who left the club with Johnny Manziel this weekend is an FSU alum. See the proof below ..

Ex-NFL star Takeo Spikes is famous for an unusually large part of his body ... and he tells TMZ Sports, the ladies go crazy when they get their hands around it.

The former Auburn linebacker was at the LASEC event in the Pasadena Convention Center ... and we asked him just how big his enormous, veiny neck really is.

Spike told us it's about 20 in. around ... and if you're feeling a little self-conscious, Takeo says he's thinking about making a self-improvement video so you can increase your size too.

Antonio Cromartie tells TMZ Sports ... rumors be damned, he has no plans to leave the NY Jets anytime soon ... and wants to stay on the team for the rest of his career.

There have been rumblings that Gang Green is set to release the 29-year-old defensive star because his salary is just getting way too high (he's set to make $15 mil next year).

But Cromartie -- who was in L.A. to watch FSU play for a BCS title -- says the team hasn't sent him packing yet ... telling us, "Until I'm told otherwise, I'm a Jet until my career's over with."

Johnny Manziel hasn't officially declared for the NFL draft -- but he's definitely looking like an NFL superstar after bagging TWO chicks at a Hollywood nightclub! We got the video that proves Johnny Football is ready to turn pro.

Plus, if Jameis Winston wins the BCS National Championship tonight -- thank the burgers. Is In-N-Out the best pre-game meal? There's evidence fast food actually works.

Johnny Manziel hit the clubs in L.A. last night to party with some Florida State alums ... but the real story is that he went home with TWO super hot chicks ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

The Texas A&M quarterback was leaving an FSU alumni event at Emerson nightclub in Hollywood Sunday night ... and on his way out, he talked to our guy about the BCS title game.

And while Manziel was mum when asked if he's going pro (even though it's obvious), there was one more topic he addressed -- his teammates.

As we previously reported, Johnny jetted to Miami the day after his Bowl victory to party with Drake ... and there are people who are saying Johnny's fast exit shows he was never that committed to his teammates in the first place.

But Manziel says that's all BS -- saying, "I love my teammates ... always and forever."

As for Johnny's lady friends ... no word on who they are ... but dude, nice work.

8:49 AM PT -- Turns out one of the women partying with Johnny is a model named Lauren, who's been featured on BarStoolSports.com.

Yeah, she's attractive ...

Bet you didn't know ... Taylor Hicks was booked to perform at a BCS Championship pre-game event today.

Bet you ALSO didn't know ... the guy almost missed his flight due to a national weather crisis that's grounding planes across the country.

But the most shocking part ... Hicks says the only reason he was able to catch a flight is because he has super powerful airline connections that pulled some strings for him.

So, in conclusion ... Taylor Hicks still has star power.

Paulina Gretzky has some great genes -- and she was putting them all on display while on vacation in Hawaii yesterday ... rocking a tiny yellow bikini and showing off a whole lot of ass.

The Great One's progeny showed off her slamming body while sporting a Acacia bikini in Lahaina, HI ... where she's vacationing while her pro-golfer fiance -- Dustin Johnson -- plays in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

Of course, Dustin found some time to get away from the links to spend a little quality time with his woman ... because ... well ... wouldn't you?

Evander Holyfield may think homosexuality is wrong ... but his son says the heavyweight boxer's got nothing but love for gays -- and even had a great relationship with a gay in-law.

Ewin Holyfield tells TMZ ... Evander is no bigot -- despite being bashed for expressing his opinion on homosexuality during last night's "Celebrity Big Brother" in the UK.

Ewin says, "My dad is the most loving and caring person you will ever meet. He treats everyone like a human being ... even if they are homosexual."

In fact, Ewin says he has a gay uncle ... and Evander treated him like a brother.

Ewin adds, "My dad feels that being gay is a choice ... and naturally that's how things work. You cannot procreate and make a baby with two women, or two men. But at the same time, my dad is not going to judge someone for their sexual orientation."

LeBron James is a helluva shot off the court ... so say the folks at a Miami gun range, where LBJ went all Rambo with a machine gun last week, TMZ Sports has learned.

We know ... James and his wife Savannah went for a little his & hers target practice at Lock & Load Miami on New Year's Eve, where they sprayed bullets from multiple guns, including an MP5 (that's the one featured in the video).

We're told both LeBron and Savannah were "very good shots" ... but LeBron had a slightly better aim.

Gun range staff tells TMZ ... LeBron was assigned a specialist to help him on the range -- and the guy is a legit badass ... an ex-police officer who's currently a military reservist.

Mr. and Mrs. James spent roughly two hours firing weapons ... and we're told they were very cool to fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.

No one was harmed in the making of this post.