TMZ Sports - Page 50

Cardell Hayes is a HERO -- who saved MULTIPLE LIVES by shooting Will Smith before he could get to his gun ... so says the passenger in Cardell's car.

Iggy Azalea says she's giving fiance Nick Young a second chance, but her vow lacks a ring of truth.

Iggy was not wearing her engagement ring Tuesday as she left the iHeartRadio station in Atlanta. It's especially interesting because before the alleged cheating scandal broke, as far as we can tell the ring was a fixture on her hand.

The rapper says she doesn't have hard proof Nick strayed, so she let him off with a stern warning ... the next time it's his penis.

Manny Pacquiao's promoter tells TMZ Sports a rematch with Floyd Mayweather is "more likely than not" ... but says there are still some serious obstacles to overcome.

We spoke with Bob Arum who says, "It's close to 50/50 but probably leaning more toward the fight happening ... more likely than not."

Arum says he hasn't spoken with Manny or Floyd specifically about the rematch -- but says, "If the match was available, I believe [Manny] would come back for that match."

Arum also says he knows Showtime has serious interest in Mayweather vs. Pacquiao II -- and that's an important component to making the fight happen.

So, what are the obstacles? For starters, both guys claim they're retired ... with Manny focusing on a senate run in the Philippines and Floyd focusing on promoting his fighters.

But Arum says, "If either man agrees to fight, my feeling is that they won't be able to resist."

Some of the biggest stars in the NFL are gay ... they're just not ready to come out publicly yet ... so says Super Bowl champ-turned-LGBT activist Brendon Ayanbadejo.

Let's face it ... none of the NFL players who have come out have really been top tier guys -- so we asked Brendon if we'll ever see an openly gay man achieve that household name recognition ... a la Peyton, Brady, Watt, etc.

That's when Brendon -- who's a big deal in the LGBT community -- told us those superstar guys already exist ... but they just don't feel ready to share their sexual orientation with the world.

Abby Wambach has changed her tune in her DUII case -- pleading guilty to driving under the influence of intoxicants -- but she won't spend another minute behind bars.

In exchange for her guilty plea stemming from her April 2nd arrest, Wambach was ordered into a "diversion program" ... which usually requires people to complete classes and avoid getting into trouble.

The specifics of Wambach's diversion requirements have not been made public yet.

As we previously reported, Wambach was arrested after blowing through a red light in Portland earlier this month and then bombing a field sobriety test.

She initially pled not guilty to DUII -- but changed her plea on Tuesday.

Nothing says "18-year-old NBA millionaire pimp" like loaded potato skins ... just ask Kobe Bryant who took Tamar Braxton on a date to Friday's.

Braxton was dishing about her "sorta" date with Kobe on "The Real" (airs April 13th, check local listings) -- saying the two got dinner in Philly right after Mamba got drafted back in 1996 ... but the vibe was more friendly than freaky.

In the end, Braxton says the two ended up as "homies."

Moral of the story ... if Friday's is good enough for Kobe Bryant, it's good enough for you!

The New Orleans PD says a fully loaded 9mm handgun was recovered from Will Smith's car after he was fatally shot.

NFL running back Pierre Thomas says he'll be forever scarred after watching his close friend, Will Smith, get shot to death in New Orleans ... saying, "These images that I have in my head will never leave me."

Thomas was at the scene when Smith got into it with Cardell Hayes -- and says the whole thing erupted after a "f**king fender bender" ... not a revenge plot as some speculated.

Here's Pierre's post in its entirety:

"The last few days has been a whirlwind and I am still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing. I flew out of New Orleans last night and back to Chicago because I couldn't think straight... I witnessed a close friend, teammate and a man that I thought of as one of my big brothers in the NFL shot to death OVER A F**KING FENDER BENDER!!!!"

"Why!? I just don't get it... these images that I have in my head will never leave me and I understand that and will have to live with it."

"I want to thank each and everyone of you, my family, friends, fans and the entire Who Dat Nation for all of your thoughts and prayers.... But let's send them instead to Will's family- his wife and 3 kids who have to be strong during this difficult time."

"People!! When is this sh*t going to stop?"

"There is so much senseless killing going on in our world, and I'm not saying that I have the answers to fix it."

"But I am willing to do my part to help and find a solution. My heart is heavy and I wish I could turn back the hands of time, but what is done is done."

Adrien Broner is behind bars in Ohio -- and will be there for the next 10 days -- to serve his punishment stemming from a previous reckless driving conviction.

Here's what we know ... Broner was sentenced to 6 months probation back in July 2015 stemming from a drunk driving arrest in which he told the officer he was super rich and famous.

He later pled no contest to reckless driving.

But according to court documents, Broner violated his probation in November 2015 -- and was sentenced to 10 days behind bars.

Broner appeared in court this morning -- and pled guilty to probation violation and formally began his 10 day sentence.

He's currently behind bars at a jail in Hamilton County, Ohio.

Will Smith did NOT appear drunk when he left a New Orleans restaurant ... moments before he was shot to death -- this according to restaurant management.

TMZ Sports spoke to employees at Sake Cafe Uptown ... the last place Smith was seen before the shooting. The incidents with Cardell Hayes reportedly began after he left the eatery.

There are theories that Smith was sloshed at dinner ... and was driving impaired when he got into it with Hayes.

But management at Sake Cafe Uptown say they're not buying it -- insisting Smith only had 1 glass of wine during the roughly 75 minutes he was at the restaurant.

"He got there kinda late ... didn't drink a lot at all ... no cocktails, and I can only remember seeing one glass of wine," one staffer tells TMZ Sports.

Interesting clip with Brooklyn Decker ... who says she doesn't want her new baby son with Andy Roddick to follow in either of their footsteps when it comes to his future career.

Of course, Decker is one of the most famous models in the world -- scoring the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover in 2010. And Roddick is one of the best American tennis players of all time.

So, you'd think they'd want the kid to follow their lead ... since their professions have made them rich and famous beyond their wildest dreams ... but according to Brooklyn, it's just not the case.

The NFL Players Association has reached out to several of Will Smith's former NFL teammates to offer support and professional counseling to help with the grieving process.

TMZ Sports spoke with NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis who says the Assoc. wants to do everything in its power to help players who may be taking the death especially hard.

"We're here to support the players. We've been in contact with the players and their reps. Counseling is available."

Smith played 9 seasons in the NFL -- all of them with the Saints (he did spend some time with the Patriots but never played in a game for them).

The Ohio State football program is paying tribute to Will Smith at the annual Spring Game this weekend -- honoring the late Buckeye with a customized helmet decal.

OSU's athletic director Gene Smith announced ... "Honoring Buckeye great Will Smith Saturday at our Spring Game. Tribute to include helmet decal & moment of silence."

Manny Pacquiao is getting some career advice from one of the most famous Filipinos alive -- the lead singer of the rock band Journey ... who tells TMZ Sports it's time for Pacman to officially hang 'em up.

Arnel Pineda -- who's been the frontman of the group since 2007 -- was out in NYC when he told us Manny has nothing left to prove.

"I think he needs to retire," Pineda said ... "He's on top."

"He's conquered the world."

There are rumors Manny could get back in the ring one last time to fight Floyd Mayweather in a super match ... but right now, nothing is set in stone.

Meantime, check out Arnel in action -- dude's got some serious pipes!!

She's usually a Broncos fan ... but Kate Hudson put her allegiance aside to go on a date with Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt -- and it was all captured on video!!!

Another bizarre twist in the Will Smith shooting case -- new video appears to show Smith's car rear-ending the shooter's Hummer and aggressively driving off ... moments before the fatal shooting.

In the video, obtained by Fox 8, you can see Smith's Mercedes hit a red Hummer (which appears to be the one driven by Cardell Hayes) ... but instead of pulling over to exchange info, Smith peels into the opposite lane of traffic and speeds off.

The Hummer then zips off after the Mercedes.