TMZ Sports - Page 50

NFL superstar Dashon Goldson didn't just hire a tackling coach to give him pointers in the NFL off-season ... he hired a Made-for-TV movie LEGEND ... the guy who played O.J. SIMPSON!!!

Dashon's tackling coach is Bobby Hosea, who's the premiere form-tackling expert at the Train Em Up Academy in Southern California.

Goldson -- a safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- hired Hosea after he was socked with more than $450,000 in NFL-imposed fines from the 2013 season.

But Hosea isn't just a football guru, he's also an actor -- and played The Juice in "The O.J. Simpson Story" ... which famously aired on FOX back in 1995.

"A little old lady once told me, 'You played O.J. better than he played himself!'" Hosea tells us ... "But it wasn't something I celebrated. A mother of 2 kids was slain."

Hosea also says his father thinks he nailed the role so well, it hurt his career because people associated him with the real O.J. ... who was blackballed from Hollywood following the trial.

But it may have been a good thing -- because Hosea went on to educate football players about proper tackling, which doesn't just save them money ... but also protects their bodies from injuries.

It's a good thing Seattle Seakhawks superstar Michael Bennett just signed a brand new $28.5 million contract ... 'cause a judge just ordered him to PAY UP for abandoning a puppy last year, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Bennett was sued by the Lucky Dog Boarding Facility ... after the 6'4" defensive lineman dropped off his boxer, Koa ... and never came back for the little guy.

Lukcy Dog said they tried like hell to get ahold of Bennett, but he kept blowing them off ... and never even paid the bill.

Now a Florida judge has ordered Bennett to pay up $8,268.80 asap ... or else.

FYI -- the judge also said Bennett will have to pay interest for every day he continues to duck the bill at a rate of 4.75% per year.

If he doesn't pay up, a collections agency could try to seize his assets.

An arrest warrant has been issued for the brother of NFL star Mike Williams ... after cops say he stabbed the Tampa Bay Bucs wide out during an altercation in the player's Tampa home ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Officials say 26-year-old Williams was stabbed in the left thigh (above the knee) Sunday afternoon ... however they have not released information about the severity of the injury.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... investigators spoke to witnesses and a warrant was issued for Eric Baylor for aggravated battery and domestic violence.

Williams -- who signed a $40 million contract with the Bucs last year -- was rushed to a nearby hospital where he's being treated.

The inmate who was on the receiving end of a jail house beat down won't have to worry about Aaron Hernandez anytime soon ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he's just been released from the slammer.

Law enforcement confirms ... 25-year-old Andrew Booker -- who was in Bristol County Jail on drug and gun charges -- was released from custody Saturday afternoon.

We broke the story ... Booker was in handcuffs when he was attacked by the former New England Patriots star back in February. The two had been having a verbal feud ... and our sources say the feud had lasted for weeks before the fight.

Jim Irsay's DUI arrest could be the best thing that ever happened to the Colts owner ... so says ex-NFL star Donte Stallworth who tells TMZ Sports he has an opportunity to change his life BEFORE it's too late.

Donte knows what he's talking about ... 5 years ago, he killed 59-year-old Mario Reyes in a drunk driving accident in Florida and says he still lives with tremendous regret from the incident.

"Hopefully, [Jim] can look at the unfortunate decision I made, and learn from it," Stallworth says ... "He's lucky it wasn't more serious."

Donte says he's happy Jim has checked himself into treatment -- "It’s good he's going to get some help. The first step is admitting you need it."

"I've talked with people who lost family members to drunk driving. They come up to me randomly. It's a constant reminder of the decision I made" "

Donte recently tweeted about the lessons he's learning -- saying, "There’s nothing I can do to reverse that day, but hopefully you guys will think of me and make better decisions than I did that morning. You don’t want to live with these regrets I have from my irrevocable decision… Trust me."

NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip had the thrill of a lifetime today -- HE MET DONNA SUMMER ... at least, he thinks he did ... despite the fact she died two years ago.

Waltrip was doing some pre-race work for FOX at the NASCAR Auto Club 400 race today when he THOUGHT he spotted the disco queen.

He even sang some, "Last Dance" on his way over to interview the icon ... who was really just a woman who kinda sorta looked like her.

Once he got there, it got more awkward when he attempted to talk to her -- "Hi Donna how are you? Enjoy the races today, I love your music. You’ve got a great body of work that you’ve put together!”

Moments later, he told team owner Richard Childress, “If you like Donna Summer, she’s right back there.”

Of course, Summer passed away in 2012 ... the woman at the track is just a NASCAR fan named Star Walker.

But Star says she was flattered by the mistake because she's a HUGE Summer fan -- and even went to Donna's induction to the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame!

Ya gotta watch the clip.

Nearly TWENTY of the biggest athletes in the world have cameos in the upcoming "Entourage" movie -- at least, that's all we know of so far (there could be even more!).

Forget Shady Pines, when Steve Nash retires ... he'll be in the lap of luxury -- 'cause the L.A. Lakers star just dropped $4.8 million on a Manhattan Beach pad ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Our real estate sources tell us ... Nash had been on the hunt for a permanent home on the West Coast -- somewhere he could settle down after his NBA career. Then he found a 4,175 square foot gem just 2 blocks from the sand.

Problem is ... it's super ugly and outdated.

Solution is ... we're told Nash is gonna knock the whole thing down and build his dream house.

We're told the place was originally listed for $5 million ... but Nash was able to get the price down to $4.8 mil with an all-cash offer. Strong.

Sources tell us Nash already has a builder in mind and wants to get to work ASAP.

The only undefeated pro wrestling champ ... when it comes to drinking ... is Andre the Giant -- so says another WWE legend -- Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Before he was announcing, Lawler used to wrestle and hang with the French giant -- and tells us A.T.G. could drink more than anyone he knows ... or YOU know, for that matter.

As Jerry walked out of LAX ... he also revealed the exact amount of beer it took to get 7'4", 500 lb. Andre drunk, and let's just say ... George Lopez would be proud.

He went in looking for steak, but Tim Tebow left dinner Friday night with a job offer from a big time VH1 actress ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Tebow was grubbin' down at Boa in Hollywood when he was spotted by Kat Bailess -- one of the stars of the hit VH1 dance drama, "Hit The Floor."

“My daddy played football at Ole’ Miss," Kat says ... "So I went up to him and asked to take a picture."

And that's when Kat decided to take things one step further -- "I told Tim that he should be a guest star on my show ‘Hit The Floor.' He said ’that’d be really cool’, but he had to talk to his reps, which I understand.”

“I woke this morning and thought, ‘I can’t believe I pitched Tim Tebow on the show!’”

Kat says Tim couldn't have been a nicer guy -- “He was such a gentleman. He didn’t hesitate to to take the picture.”

March Madness isn't just great for Las Vegas casinos ... it's also HUGE for the ho business ... with one Vegas-area brothel telling TMZ Sports sales have been BOOMING since the first tip-off.

We spoke with a rep for Sherry's Ranch in Pahrump, NV ... who tells us the hotel connected to the brothel is filling up almost as fast as the women on staff!

Lance Stephenson had a helluva Tuesday night ... 'cause hours after he became a dad again, the NBA star was celebrating at an NYC nightclub ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Stephenson's baby mama Feby Torres announced the birth of Lance Jr. on March 18th -- the same night the Indiana Pacers star was scheduled to appear at Greenhouse NYC.

Well, Lance isn't one to bail on a commitment ... and sources at the club tell us he rolled in late Tuesday night -- and popped Bottega Rose champagne and sipped on D'Ussé cognac with some of his pals from the Pacers.

But after he put in his time at the club, we're told Lance returned to the hospital to be with his family.

And if that wasn't enough ... Lance also played in a game the next night and CRUSHED IT -- leading the team in scoring and rebounds.

ESPN reporter Michelle Beadle is firing the first shot at the NY Jets for signing Michael Vick -- saying she will no longer root for the team because she REFUSES to forgive Vick for dogfighting.

Beadle just tweeted, "Looks like mama is on the market for a new football team."

She added, "Oh. And any mention of 'getting over dogfighting' is an automatic block. You do you, chickadees. #happyfriday."

Vick was convicted on dogfighting charges back in 2007 -- and spent 548 days behind bars. He has since issued multiple apologies and worked with various animal organizations.

An insane scene played out today in Johnny Weir's divorce case ... ending with Johnny taking the family dog out of their apartment ... as his sobbing husband Victor helplessly watched.

TMZ broke the story ... Johnny has filed for divorce and it's turned vicious.

Sources connected to the case tell TMZ ... both Johnny and Victor rushed to court Friday. Victor got a restraining order against Johnny, claiming the Olympian attacked him March 5 by hitting him in the arm and throwing jewelry and a wooden Russian doll at him.

Johnny got an order giving him the right to go into their New Jersey apartment for 30 minutes and collect his belongings with the help of cops, without any interference from Victor.

We're told Johnny showed up to the apartment with 6 cops and Victor's cousin while Victor was still in court. Johnny took a number of his belongings, including 2 TV sets, Hermes scarves, various costumes and most importantly ... Tema, a Japanese Chin which he and Victor got during the marriage.

We're told Victor rushed to the apartment while Johnny was still there and stood by helplessly as cops let Johnny take the dog. Victor was on the phone with his crisis manager, Wendy Feldman ... sobbing uncontrollably.

Duke's shocking 1st round upset in the NCAA tournament today really hit hard with Duke porn star Belle Knox ... who tells TMZ Sports she wants to comfort her team ... with her vagina.

As we previously reported, Knox offered the Blue Devils free sex toys from her sex toy line if they won the tourney -- including one item that happens to be a mold of her crotch.

But after Duke was knocked out by Mercer ... Knox says she still bleeds blue and white -- saying, "They played hard and I love them ... of course, I'll give them [my sex toys] for free."

... and with Duke losing to Mercer, it seems Warren Buffett -- and his 1 BILLION DOLLARS -- are safe.

Unless, of course, you picked Mercer.

But you didn't.

No one did.

Sucks to be Duke.

In case you didn't know ... Buffett was offering a $1 billion prize to anyone who submitted a PERFECT bracket through Yahoo and Quicken Loans.

After the first day, 83% of the people in the contest were eliminated. It's unlikely anyone survived after the Duke upset..

BONUS: Here's Mercer player Kevin Canevari celebrating the win by busting out the Nae Nae.