TMZ Sports - Page 50

Pittsburgh Pirates 3rd baseman Jung Ho Kang was arrested in South Korea Friday morning after officials say he fled the scene of a DUI crash around 2:45 AM.

The 29-year-old allegedly crashed his car into a guardrail and bolted. Officials say his blood alcohol level was .084 ... over the legal limit ion South Korea, .05.

Officials say they're also investigating allegations Kang asked a friend to lie and take the wrap as the driver of the crashed car.

Pirates President Frank Coonelly issued a statement saying, "We are extremely disappointed in Jung Ho and in his decision process during this matter."

Coonelly, who was arrested for DUI in 2011, added ... "I know first-hand how foolish and dangerous it is to drive under the influence and am most thankful that, as we understand it, no one was injured."

Good news and bad news for Conor McGregor ...

GOOD NEWS: Northern Irish boxing superstar Carl Frampton -- the reigning WBA featherweight champ -- says he loves Conor and would be down to train with the guy if he's serious about boxing.

Joe McKnight's CFL teammates are "in total disbelief" he was killed in a road rage incident ... with one member of the squad telling TMZ Sports McKnight was "the coolest dude ever" and would never get violent.

We spoke to Jeff Knox -- the starting middle linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL -- who tells us the team was shaken to the core when they heard the sad news.

"We have a team group chat, no one believed it at first. I was like NO WAY this could happen to Joe, the guy never looked for any trouble, just wanted to play football and get home to his kids."

Witnesses say McKnight was actually attempting to apologize to his gunman before he was killed ... and, according to Knox, that's exactly who he was.

Joe McKnight's USC family is heartbroken over the death of the running back.

We spoke with Tennessee Titans linebacker Jurrell Casey -- who played with McKnight in 2008 and 2009 -- who tells us, "He will definitely be missed."

"I want to send my regards to his friends and family," Casey says.

"He was always a great guy and fun to be around. He's always had encouraging words. We had some great laughs. He was such a good person to talk to."

Brian Cushing also issued an emotional statement -- "Joe I'll never forget the time we had together at SC. It was unbelievable to see you grow and work your ass off from a freshman until the day you were drafted."

"We competed every day in practice only wanting the best for each other. I'm absolutely crushed to hear the news today about you being gone. I'll never forget what you accomplished and how far you came as a player and a person. RIP Joe McKnight."

LenDale White didn't play with McKnight -- but McKnight's death is hitting him very hard.

"I'm so fu****g hurt right now. Tears jus keep flowing I love u lil bro. long live smokin Joe!!!!"

He adds, "I jus keep wishing this is a bad dream!!!"

Reggie Bush -- "RIP my brother Joe McKnight this one hurts bad."

Matt Leinart -- "News about Joe Mcknight is devastating. Just at a loss of words!"

Su'a Cravens -- "Rest In Peace to one of my all time favorite Trojans Joe McKnight ... Gone way too soon and I'll pray for your family! Sad man, just sad."

The man who shot and killed Joe McKnight is a 54-year-old white male named Ronald Gasser ... the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office tells TMZ Sports.

Law enforcement says Gasser is currently detained and being questioned about why he shot the 28-year-old football star.

At this point, he has NOT been formally arrested.

Cops say Gasser stayed at the scene of the shooting until cops arrived. Once law enforcement got to the scene, he handed over his gun without further incident.

Cops say they're investigating the shooting as a road rage incident -- and are trying to find out what happened in the moments before the former NY Jets running back was killed.

Story developing ...

2:40 PM PT -- Cops say they have detained a man they believe to be the shooter -- 54-year-old Ronald Gasser.

Cops say McKnight did NOT have a gun at the time of the shooting.

Emergency responders tried to administer CPR but to no avail.

Ex-NFL running back Joe McKnight was murdered in a road rage shooting in the New Orleans area ... law enforcement tells TMZ Sports.

The incident occurred at 2:43 PM. Family members identified the 28-year-old at the scene.

A witness told NOLA.com ... she saw McKnight trying to apologize to another man after some sort of traffic incident.

The witness says the man then pulled out a gun and shot McKnight -- and while standing over him screamed, "I told you not to f*** with me" ... then fired another shot into his body.

McKnight was a high school phenom -- considered the best running back in the country.

He played college ball at USC. He was drafted by the NY Jets in 2010.

In a statement to TMZ Sports, the Jets said, "Joe McKnight was a loving father and a genuine, kind-hearted person. It is sad when life is taken in what appears to be such a senseless act of violence. Joe you will be missed."

Joe was currently playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League.

Roughriders president and CEO Craig Reynolds issued a statement saying, "We are saddened to hear of the tragic loss of Joe McKnight."

"Losing a member of our Rider family this way is an unthinkable occurrence. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe’s family, teammates and coaches."

VH1's "Basketball Wives L.A." is cleaning house ... bringing in several new cast members including Evelyn Lozada, plus the infamous baby mamas to Nick Young and Dwyane Wade ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Keonna Green, who just had her 2nd kid with Nick, and Aja Metoyer ... who has a 3-year-old by Dwyane -- will join Shaunie O'Neal, Tami Roman and Jackie Christie for the next season.

Executive producer Shaunie definitely increased the drama with her new hires. Keonna made headlines when her pregnancy broke up Nick's engagement to Iggy Azalea. As for Aja, she hooked up with Dwyane when he was allegedly "on a break" from Gabrielle Union.

Nick and Dwyane probably won't watch, but we suspect their lawyers will.

Rio officials have offered Ryan Lochte a deal to make his criminal case go away ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the offer is 70,000 reals, which in American dollars totals around $20,149.

Lochte was charged with falsely reporting a crime at a gas station during the Rio Olympics. Our sources say so far Lochte has not accepted the deal.

Jimmy Feigen copped a plea months ago and paid half that amount -- 35,000 reals. The prosecutor wanted 70,000 reals from Feigen all along and has actually filed legal docs trying to enforce the higher amount.

We reached out to Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, but he was mum, telling TMZ Sports, "We don't comment on a pending case but are hopeful it will be resolved to the benefit of all parties, including the people of Brazil, the Brazilian government and Ryan."

If NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson wins a record-setting 8th championship next year ... he'll be spraying Monster Energy drinks instead of champagne.

Justin Verlander and Kate Upton are getting the martial house ready to go ... because they just locked up a sweet Bev Hills mansion for $5.475 mil ... and it comes with its own private tennis court!

The Detroit Tigers pitcher proposed to his supermodel girlfriend back in May -- and we're told the house hunt began shortly after.

Now, we've learned they pulled the trigger on a 5 bedroom, 6 bath East Coast country style home ... it's 5,000 square feet with an enormous pool and hot tub, koi ponds, park area to entertain guests ... and much, much more!

We're told the couple closed the deal on the private gated estate back in October. Judy Feder and Susan Smith of Hilton & Hyland represented the seller.

Unclear if the couple is planning on moving in until after the wedding ... but would you let this place sit vacant?? Hell no!

Colin Kaepernick is making moves ... selling his San Jose mansion -- in what could be a sign he knows his days as the 49ers QB are numbered.

Colin bought the 4,600 square foot pad in 2014 for $2.7 million -- but now, he's put it on the market for $2.895.

The place is pretty sick ... 4 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a dope billiards room, a bar, an office (where he currently displays his trophies), a foyer with an aquarium in the wall!

The backyard is also very cool -- with great views, a BBQ area and a pool/spa combo with a waterfall!

DeSean Jackson turned 30 years old Thursday ... and he celebrated by raging his face off at a D.C. nightclub ... chugging champagne, taking shots and rocking more jewelry than Tiffany and Co.

The Washington Redskins superstar hit up Sax -- a super gaudy, gold-everywhere, over-the-top club -- where he celebrated with the likes of Wale and 'Basketball Wives' star Laura Govan.

Jackson broke out his fancy jewelry and his fancy Maybach for the occasion and turned all the way up.

Our advice ... HYDRATE! Just 3 days 'til DJ takes on the Arizona Cardinals.

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum has some truth bombs for Conor McGregor -- you'd get straight-up killed in the ring.

Arum -- who's promoted everyone from Muhammad Ali to Sugar Ray Leonard and Manny Pacquiao -- says McGregor is delusional if he thinks he can compete with the best boxers in the business.

That being said ... Arum says now that Conor has a license in California, he probably needs a boxing promoter -- and Bob tells TMZ Sports he's down to set up a meeting ASAP!

"I'd jump at the chance if Conor wanted to sign on ... but I would warn him about the huge odds against him."

So, how does he feel about potential Mayweather matchup?

The bodybuilder who slapped the hell out of a judge during a competition in Greece has been BANNED FOR LIFE ... by the biggest bodybuilding organization in the world ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Giannis Magos -- aka Ioannis Magkos -- attacked one of the judges after losing the Diamond Cup during a competition in Athens on Nov. 27.

Now, the IFBB is slapping back -- delivering a "life expulsion" to Magos ... which is a big deal, considering the organization is connected to the biggest events in the sport ... including Mr. Olympia and the Arnold Classic.

Chad Johnson was straight fire during a lecture at the University of Florida Thursday morning -- blazing up a cigar in the middle of class ... despite the fact it's a non-smoking campus!!

The ex-NFL star was the guest speaker at a sports media class on the UF campus -- and cracked jokes about all sorts of stuff ... including his ever-changing last name.

But Chad got the most laughs when he pulled out his stogie -- and actually began to smoke it during the class!!!

FYI, UF has touted itself as a tobacco-free campus since 2010 ... but if you think a little rule is gonna stop Ochocinco ... child, please.

If Conor McGregor actually gets his $100 MILLION boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, you'll never see him compete in MMA again ... so says Tyron Woodley.

Tyron makes it clear, he wants NOTHING MORE than to fight Conor at UFC 209 ... but would totally understand if McGregor turns him down for the life-changing payday.

He also suggests Conor's decision to get a boxing license could just be a power move to stick it to the UFC -- which recently made CM relinquish his featherweight title.

One last thing ... Woodley -- who's been beefing with Conor since their backstage run-in at UFC 205 -- says he actually respects the guy for what he's done for the sport.

See, these guys can play nice.