TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tim Tebow is definitely down with Jesus ... but he ain't down with "MY Jesus" t-shirts -- and he's threatening legal action because he says a website is illegally using his name to sell the merchandise.

TMZ obtained the cease and desist letter Tebow's attorneys sent to cubbytees.com last month -- in which they claim "The Merchandise makes it appear as if Mr. Tebow actually endorses Cubby Tees and its products."

Interestingly, the tee shirts in question do not use Tebow's image or name -- but instead spell out "MY Jesus" using the colors and font of his new team ... the NY Jets. In fact, the website clearly states, "This fun design is not officially endorsed by New York's backup quarterback or the Son of God, but plays off the themes of Tebow's faith and his new team."

Still, Tebow's attorneys are demanding the site stop "any use of Mr. Tebow's name and/or likeness" -- and according to Cubby Tees, Tebow already successfully petitioned eBay to remove the tees.

The shirt makers tell TMZ they aren't backing down, and actually sent a response to team Tebow ... saying the design "shares nothing with Mr. Tebow except for promotion of a common Lord and Savior." The shirts are still for sale.

Props to terezowens.com for the heads-up on the holy war.

Manny Pacquiao says he DOES NOT believe gay people should be put to death ... and blames the media for twisting his words about his stance on gay marriage.

Manny has been under fire ever since the National Conservative Examiner published an interview in which Pacquiao says gay marriage is against the will of God.

The Examiner article includes a reference to Leviticus 20:13 -- which says gays "must be put to death." But now the journalist who conducted the interview is admitting Pacquiao NEVER specifically referenced that bible verse.

Pacquiao has now released a statement saying, "I didn’t say that, that’s a lie ... I didn’t know that quote from Leviticus because I haven’t read the Book of Leviticus yet."

He continues, "I’m not against gay people ... I have a relative who is also gay. We can’t help it if they were born that way."

Still, Manny says he's AGAINST same-sex marriage -- "What I’m critical off [sic] are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same sex marriage is against the law of God.”

Hours after a report surfaced in which Manny Pacquiao allegedly insinuated that all gay people should be put to death ... the boxer rolled over to his L.A. gym ... where he was SWARMED by adoring fans.

Manny ignited a media firestorm yesterday over an interview with National Conservative Examiner. Manny was asked about Obama's stance on gay marriage ... and the report made it seem as though he referenced Leviticus 20:13.

"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

After the report surfaced, Manny was reportedly banned from The Grove in L.A. -- where he was supposed to do an interview with Mario Lopez from "Extra."

A rep for "Extra" tells us the interview has been rescheduled to a different location.

Rachel Uchitel really is a mother -- she gave gave birth to a healthy baby girl Tuesday evening in San Francisco.

TMZ's learned Rachel and husband Matt Hahn welcomed their daughter -- 7lbs. 1oz. -- at 5:04PM PT.

Just a couple weeks ago, the 37-year old former Tiger Woods mistress one-upped Demi Moore's famous Vanity Fair cover by posing in a sheer sheet ... and while flashing a thong.

Deion Sanders has been ordered to pay $10,500/month in child support to his ex, Pilar Sanders, and a whopping $275,000 to cover her legal fees.

The NFL legend did get some good news today in court -- he was not ordered to pay spousal support.

Pilar was also ordered to return six containers of Deion's property by July 1.

WHO'S DA MASTAH??? UFC middleweight badass Demian Maia ... because his new trainer is none other than BRUCE LEROY from the 80s cult classic "The Last Dragon."

Leroy -- real name Taimak (right) -- tells TMZ, he met Maia during a recent training session in New York ... and they immediately hit it off.

According to Taimak -- an accomplished martial artist in his own right -- Maia approached him in the gym, claiming he was a big "Last Dragon" fan (who isn't?) and the two kept in touch.

Now, Taimak says he and Maia have started to train together -- prepping Maia for his upcoming UFC 148 bout against Korean badass Kim Dong-Hyun, who's lost only ONE fight in his pro career.

As for training details -- Taimak was tight-lipped, not wanting to tip off Maia's Korean competition.

Lance Armstrong is through defending himself against allegations he cheated to win his Tour de France titles ... because he says he's already given 500-600 samples that were ALL negative.

Armstrong, speaking on Gavin Newsom's new late night talk show, says he's not even arguing with people anymore who think he cheated -- "I'm not wasting any more of my time talking about it and you shouldn't waste your time talking about it. Let's move on."

Armstrong is currently competing in triathlons, and says he believes most people already made up their minds about whether he was juicing during his string of 7 consecutive Tour de France victories.

Newsom's new show premieres on Current this Friday night.

Tennis great Andre Agassi has still got game.

Here's the 20-year-old eight-time Grand Slam champion back in 1990 (left) -- and 22 years later, the 42-year-old at the Kentucky Derby last week (right).

It's Andre by a hair.

After finally conquering the Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant was greeted outside the locker room by his two daughters ... and estranged wife Vanessa Bryant ... the latest photo to fuel rumors of a possible reconciliation.

As TMZ first reported, the pair shared a post-game kiss on Valentine's Day (see below) but hit up a Los Angeles Kings game last month as "really good friends."

Barry Sanders and his wife are NOT playing nice in their divorce -- the couple is butting heads over EVERY conceivable point of contention ... including money and custody ... TMZ has learned.

The NFL legend filed for divorce from his TV anchor wife Lauren Campbell-Sanders back in February ... but proceedings hit a rough patch because the two couldn't agree on how to divvy up their stuff.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Barry and Lauren recently went to a mediator to help work out their issues ... but it was a total failure.

The docs show the two are still battling over all 5 major issues in any divorce -- custody, parenting time, spousal support, child support and property.

The judge has now ordered take a 2nd shot at settling their beef before resorting to a full-blown messy, expensive trial.

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose underwent surgery on his left knee today to repair the torn ACL he suffered last month.

The Bulls leading scorer was injured in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers with just a minute left. Rose played in barely half of the Bulls games this season after suffering a litany of injuries ... including turf toe, back spasms, a pulled groin and foot injuries.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was pulled over by law enforcement today while driving to his own charity event this morning ... TMZ has learned.

According to our sources, DeSean was on his way to a church in Philadelphia when he was pulled over by a state trooper. We're told the trooper seemed to recognize DeSean and began acting very rudely towards him.

Our sources say the trooper told DeSean he pulled him over for having tinted windows and suspected him of driving drunk. We're told the trooper ordered DeSean to perform a field sobriety test (see below). Keep in mind ... this occurred around 9:00 AM.

A witness on the scene tells TMZ the trooper was very rough towards DeSean and was yelling at him the entire time. The witness says DeSean never gave the trooper an attitude and followed his instructions at all times.

Eventually, we're told the trooper let DeSean go without a ticket and he made his way to the Triumph Baptist Church in Philly, where the event was being held. DeSean founded the DeSean Jackson Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer after his father died from it in 2009.

The Game thinks Serena Williams is an AMAZING rapper and if she decides to drop an album, it's sure to sell big ... this according to the man himself.

Game tells TMZ ... after he heard Serena's rap for the first time, he knew that she definitely had "raw skills" and was a "really talented artist."

Game says he wasn't that surprised ... considering the tennis champ's Compton roots. He tells us "You shouldn’t expect her to come with anything less than the official rap bars," then added "I can see her doing big things."

Kind of like winning 2 Olympic gold medals, 3 US opens and 4 Wimbledon championships.

NBA star Chris Andersen -- aka The Birdman -- claims he's NOT guilty of any Internet crime involving children ... claiming he's the victim in an extortion plot involving a 21-year-old woman.

After authorities in Colorado searched the Denver Nuggets player's home and seized property, Andersen's lawyer released a statement ... insisting he was set up by a scorned woman.

Andersen's lawyer explains, "A female fan in 2010 mailed Mr. Andersen multiple letters and included several photos in which she was scantily clad."

"Chris and this woman communicated with each other and in 2011, this woman, who represented herself as 21 years of age, flew to Colorado, showing her required identification. After leaving Colorado, she became upset at his lack of interest. In 2012, she threatened to retaliate if he did not provide financial remuneration. "

Andersen's lawyer claims someone purporting to be the woman's mother followed up with an email that read "I want him to pay for everything on her Amazon wish list, 5K for her bedding stuff and her Victoria's Secret wish list."

The statement continues, "The media has been speculating that he's a suspect and not a victim in a criminal investigation. Mr. Andersen has been fully cooperative with the authorities. The investigation is expected to take three weeks. We're confident it will show that Chris did not engage in any criminal conduct."

For the record -- Andersen has neither been arrested nor charged with a crime.

Junior Seau's private memorial -- attended by close friends, family, and former teammates -- is now over ... and the NFL legend's casket is currently en route to a San Diego cemetery for burial.

As we reported, the burial is scheduled for 1pm. A public memorial will take place later tonight at 6:30pm at Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers.

WWE star Bill Goldberg just showed up to Junior Seau's memorial in Oceanside, CA ... showing signs of encouragement.

On his way in, Bill told us, "Nobody will ever understand the positive difference that Junior made to this community and the world."

When Junior died, Bill tweeted he had played with the NFL legend in a charity golf tournament just the day before.

Sad day....Played in a Charity Golf tournament yesterday with Junior and now he's gone. RIP my friend. Please say a prayer for him.

— Bill Goldberg (@Goldberg) May 2, 2012

Junior's scheduled to be buried at 1pm. As TMZ first reported, Junior was found dead in his California home on May 2nd after shooting himself in the chest.