TMZ Sports - Page 50

TMZ Sports content quiz ... would you rather hear a harrowing story of sports glory from one of the most feared athletes of his generation?

Or ... do you wanna hear about the time Verne Troyer made a single tackle in a full-contact football game against a guy (obviously) three times his size.

We thought so ...

Verne was out at LAX when the subject of football came up and he broke the epic news to us that he's not just a fan of the game ... he used to be a player!!

Tracy McGrady thinks there was a way to stop Michael Jordan & the Bulls from winning the '97 NBA title ... just add a little T-Mac ... saying the team woulda never won had he been on the squad.

We got McGrady out at LAX and asked him about his claim that he was almost traded for Scottie Pippen during the 1997 NBA Draft.

The Bulls went on to win a ring that year so the question is ... would they have won that title with a young McGrady instead of an old(ish) Pip?

Check out the clip -- T-Mac keeps it real ... saying he was just too damn young (18 when he was drafted) to help the Bulls win a 'chip in '97.

Johnny Manziel's father has thrown in the towel on saving his son ... saying if he doesn't get locked up soon ... he'll probably die.

Paul Manziel told ESPN, "He's a druggie. It's not a secret that he's a druggie."

Manziel's father realizes his son's wealth is driving his addiction, and says, "there are two things that are going to happen: He's either going to die, or he's going to figure out that he needs help. But we've done everything that we can do."

Paul has addressed his son's addiction in the past ... but after the former QB's attorney accidentally sent a text message to the media discussing drug habits ... Dad clearly had it.

Herschel Walker says he's paying the price for supporting Donald Trump -- telling TMZ Sports he's been dropped from multiple speaking engagements for publicly backing the GOP candidate.

Team USA soccer goddess Christen Press says she LOVES the way her nude pics turned out in ESPN's Body Issue -- but says her bun-bearing days are over ... even if Playboy calls.

Anyone debating the quality of booty clubs in Miami & Pittsburgh LISTEN UP ... the NFL's Pouncey Twins are about to tell you why ass shakers in south Florida SLAY the girls in Steel City.

We got Maurkice and Mike out at LAX and asked the pair which city had a leg up (or two) as far as the beautiful ladies of the pole & and stage are concerned.

Remember ... Maurkice plays in Pittsburgh, and Mike balls down in Miami -- so we're thinking these two might have a little insight on how things go down.

The twins don't hesitate in tapping Miami as the go-to spot for twerk art ... but the reason why will leave you saying "Hey, that makes a lot of sense."

The University of West Virginia football program -- players, coaches and staff -- is stepping up to help the victims of the devastating flooding that's already killed at least 20 people.

The state has been hit hard by massive thunderstorms that have knocked down trees and power lines. Several people, including children, have been swept away and killed in the fast moving waters.

The Mountaineers announced the team will host a water and goods drive Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium -- hoping to get essentials to people in need.

"Our players will be there helping load the donations onto the truck." Alex Hammond, Associate AD for football operations tells TMZ Sports.

"We wanted to be able to do our part. We wanted to utilize our facility and building to let people bring their donations down to us."

NFL quarterback Tarvaris Jackson -- who played for the Seahawks last season -- was arrested in Florida after allegedly PULLING A LOADED GUN on his wife and threatening to kill her.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the 33-year-old was arrested around 2 AM Friday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill.

According to the police report, Jackson pointed a loaded gun at his wife while intoxicated -- threatening to kill her -- all while their children slept in the same house.

"Jackson stated 'I'll kill you bitch, I'll kill you.'"

According to the report, cops arrived to the home -- and Jackson denied having a gun, however an officer observed a black ruger SR9C 9MM caliber handgun on the kitchen counter.

Jackson eventually fessed up to having a gun in his bag -- but insists he never pulled it out.

He also claims his wife had a knife -- and had insulted his football career.

"Upon arresting Jackson his story changed. Jackson stated that he did grab his book bag that contained his firearm because [wife] had a knife in her hand.

Tarvaris stated that he never withdrew his firearm from the bag, but that he did say that he should shoot her to which [wife] replied, 'You better be accurate because you ain't accurate on the field.'"

Jackson's wife told police ... "When Jackson drinks he can become violent and has hit her in the past."

Jackson was transported to the Osceola County jail. He's since been released on bail.

File Under: Oops.

Johnny Manziel's attorney accidentally texted an AP reporter about Johnny's domestic violence case, alleged drug use and more ... in one of the most epic screwups of all time.

The AP reporter had reached out to Bob Hinton seeking a comment on Johnny's hit-and-run case. What the reporter got back was a lengthy message he wasn't supposed to see ... a message intended for another attorney.

The highlights ...

-- Hinton said his team are seeking a plea deal in the Colleen Crowley domestic violence case ... and that the D.A. is "very interested in working with us to arrive at some agreement."

-- Hinton suggested Manziel would be in trouble if one of the terms of the plea deal included drug testing ... saying, "Heaven help us if one of the conditions is to pee in a bottle."

-- In the text, Hinton also refers to a receipt from a Dallas head shop called The Gas Pipe -- suggesting Johnny spent $1,018.77 at the shop, which sells everything from pipes to bongs and other stoner stuff.

-- Hinton also said there was "conflict" as to whether Johnny actually went to police after his alleged hit-and-run crash Monday night.

As TMZ Sports reported, the Dallas PD initially said they had no report of an accident involving Manziel ... but hours later said they did. It was weird.

The AP says Manziel's lawyer threatened to sue them if they published the info from the accidental texts.

Justin Bieber's basketball diary entry for today -- OUCH!!!!!!

Biebs went down hard during a pick-up game Friday in Cincinnati ... and came out of it with a severely swollen ankle.

He says it's sprained, which means 18,000 or so Beliebers are collectively holding their breath since Justin's supposed to perform tonight at U.S. Bank Arena.

They can all suck air again. Justin says he's going to have to take it easy onstage, but promises he's "still gonna crush."

Good news for Mavs fans ... David Lee tells TMZ Sports he doesn't believe Dirk Nowitzki will leave Dallas for greener pastures ... despite the fact Dirk just opted out of his contract.

Instead of signing his option and returning to make $8.7 mil next season -- Dirk opted out and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. There are rumors he's considering going to the Golden State Warriors.

So, when we saw Dirk's Mavs teammate, David Lee, out in L.A. Friday -- we had to ask for his thoughts.

Lee gives a pretty compelling reason for why he thinks Dirk will be back in Big D next season.

Future just dropped a killer new track -- the hook's all about O.J. Simpson and double murders ... and includes a line threatening an unnamed dude who's trying to "f*** my baby mama."

The GM of the Battle Creek Bombers minor league baseball team says a promotion that encourages fans to bring their guns to Friday night's game ... is just not that big of a deal.

The event is called "2nd Amendment Education Night" -- and fans are allowed to bring weapons into the ballpark ... as long as they don't drink alcohol.

We spoke with General Manager Tony Iovieno who says he knows there's controversy surrounding the event -- but says the team is definitely NOT calling it off.

"There are always going to be folks who don’t agree with what we do. We just had LGBT Pride Night the other night and some people didn’t like that either. You can’t please everyone."

Iovieno says there are "misconceptions" about the event -- "This was meant to promote firearm safety. Western Michigan is different from big cities. Carrying a gun is much more the norm here. It’s a different culture. Michigan is an open carry state."

Iovieno says the team is working with local law enforcement and they're bringing in extra security to ensure everyone's safety.

We also spoke with Battle Creek Mayor Dave Walters who says ... "We are doing everything we can to make sure tonight goes off without a hitch. I feel comfortable that everyone will be safe. You can never use the 'G' word … guarantee. But I feel comfortable."

There was A LOT of money at Playhouse nightclub in L.A. last night -- with some of the biggest stars in the NFL, NBA and music colliding to turn up on a Thursday.

The NFL and its 3 Florida-based teams are opening their wallets to help those affected by the Orlando shooting -- donating $400k to help recovering survivors and families of victims.

The Dolphins, Jaguars, and Buccaneers -- along with NFL commish Roger Goodell -- announced they came together to contribute the money to the OneOrlando Fund, which was formed by Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer.

The fund was specifically created to provide support to the victims of the Pulse tragedy and their families.

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross issued a statement saying, "We are united with the NFL, the Jaguars, and the Buccaneers in making this commitment to the OneOrlando Fund."

Great news for Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen ... whose classic Camaro just sold for $100k to a NASCAR team owner -- and 100% of the money went to an amazing cause.

Olsen put his custom '69 Chevy Camaro convertible up for auction -- with the entirety of the winning bid going to his HEARTest Yard charity ... which provides medical services to families of babies with heart problems.

Well, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick -- owner of Hendrick Motorsports -- saw the whip and HAD to have it ... throwing down $100k to win the auction.

FYI, Hendrick is a HUGE car collector -- and loves Camaros -- so it was a perfect fit.

Even better news ... the auction house, Barrett-Jackson -- didn't take one cent of commission, ensuring every penny will go to the charity.