TMZ Sports - Page 50

Convicted woman beater Montee Ball -- a former NFL running back -- turns 26 Monday.

And his gift? Dude just got released from jail.

Ball -- who was drafted by the Broncos in the 2nd round of the 2013 Draft -- was doing time in Wisconsin after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and battery stemming from 2 incidents involving 2 different women.

Now, after serving more than 60 days in jail, he's out ... but with strings attached.

Ball is now on probation for the next 18 months and MUST remain sober as part of the deal.

He must also submit to random drug and alcohol testing and complete a domestic violence treatment course.

One last thing ... he must also stay away from any bars, taverns or liquor stores -- so, no turning up at the club tonight.

Here it is ... the moment Panthers head coach Ron Rivera confronted Cam Newton about his dress code violation before the team trip to Seattle ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

It all went down on Saturday at the bay area hotel where the team had been staying since playing the Raiders in Oakland the previous weekend.

After the players and coaches had boarded their buses to go to the airport to head to Seattle to play the Seahawks ... Rivera got off his bus, went to Cam's bus, and pulled Cam off for a 1 on 1 convo.

We're told this was the moment Rivera confronted Cam about his dress code violation -- not wearing a tie on travel day.

You can see the look on Cam's face ... he's obviously disappointed and retreats back to the bus.

Cam was benched for the first series of the game on Sunday as punishment.

After the game, Cam explained, "I didn't follow dress code, and Coach told me I wasn't going to start. I stand by his decision."

Matt Barnes is adamant he did NOT start the brawl in an NYC club Monday morning -- insisting all he did was DEFEND HIMSELF after he was attacked by a violent group in the VIP section.

Conor McGregor wants everyone to know he still has BOTH of his UFC championship belts -- and ain't NO ONE gonna take 'em!

The problem ... obviously ... is that the UFC has said Conor relinquished his featherweight championship last weekend because he can only defend 1 title at a time. He's keeping his lightweight title.

But Conor sees it differently -- he believes the "title" belongs to whoever physically holds the championship belts ... and as long as he has both belts in his possession, he still considers himself the "champ champ."

In fact, he took his belts on a private jet flight Monday morning.

Doc Rivers knows he crossed a line when he LOST HIS MIND on an NBA ref Tuesday night -- saying plain and simple ... he shouldn't have acted that way.

The outburst went viral -- Clippers players had to restrain Doc from going after ref Ken Mauer when he was issued a technical foul for talking to another ref during the 1st overtime period against the Nets.

"Yeah, you don't act like that," Doc told us at Catch in West Hollywood this weekend ... "You should get thrown out for that."

Don't worry ... Doc says he's cool with Mauer too -- calling him a good guy.

Add another boxer to the list of people calling out Conor McGregor ...

This time, it's "Sugar" Shane Mosley saying the UFC star wouldn't have a scintilla of a chance if the two stepped inside of a boxing ring.

Sacramento Kings star Matt Barnes is wanted by NYPD for questioning after he allegedly choked a woman inside a nightclub early Monday morning -- and TMZ Sports got video of him right after the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops got a 911 call to Avenue Nightclub after midnight, reporting a man assaulting 2 women and another man. We're told things got physical when Barnes allegedly choked one woman during an argument -- and when 2 other people tried to intervene ... he punched both of them.

In the video, Matt and his teammate, DeMarcus Cousins, are talking about the fight. Cousins is clearly heard saying, "I hit hit the s*** out this ni***!"

Barnes fled the scene before cops showed up. The Kings were in town to play the Knicks on Sunday. They lost.

NFL great Fran Tarkenton says athletes who turn down an invitation to Trump's White House are "disrespectful" and "stupid" ... adding, "Nobody boycotted Obama 'cause he's black, did they?"

Take a deep breath, Patriots fans!! Losing Rob Gronkowski isn't the end of the world ... so says New England legend Troy Brown, who thinks the Pats are still Super Bowl bound THIS YEAR.

Gronk had season-ending surgery on his back Friday ... leaving the folks in Foxborough worried about their chances at the team's 5th Lombardi trophy.

But Brown -- a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame -- says New England is so used to players like Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo coming off the bench and dominating, the "next man up" concept is part of the team's DNA.

"That football team was great before Gronk, it was great with Gronk, and they're probably going to be great without him."

Oscar De La Hoya has proclaimed himself single -- which apparently means his longtime marriage to pop singer Millie Corretjer is down for the count.

WWE legend Steve Austin can easily dismantle a bad guy with a well-placed Stone Cold Stunner -- but that didn't stop him from working out his trigger finger at the gun range ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Stone Cold recently stopped by Taran Tactical Innovations in Simi Valley, CA to throw some lead down on their tactical range with a Sig Sauer MPX 9mm. In layman's terms: one badass rifle.

Check him out as he opens a can of whoop-ass ... just don't throw him a beer.

NFL great Shannon Sharpe is calling for patience and diligence in the Joe McKnight killing -- patience on the part of outraged citizens, and diligence from the cops.

The Hall of Famer talked to us about the protests in the wake of Ronald Gasser's release, without charges, after he admittedly shot McKnight 3 times. FS1's 'Undisputed' co-host isn't ready to say this is an open and shut case. In fact, he channeled Johnnie Cochran.

Btw, we got Shannon outside a benefit Friday night for Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans of America, held in Pacific Palisades.

Justin Bieber is keeping his hands up to date in a boxing gym -- even though recent evidence shows his jab is pretty sharp.

Bieber hit up Ten Goose Boxing in Van Nuys, CA on Friday for a few rounds of sparring. This is the same gym where he's worked the mitts with his pal Floyd Mayweather in the past.

Justin might feel the need to work on his skills after his run-in with a fan in Spain last week. The fan, who hooked up with JB's left fist, would say it's not necessary. At all.

Ronald Gasser, the man who shot and killed football star Joe McKnight, had an eerily similar road rage incident 10 years ago ... on the same street corner where he opened fire this week.

TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of Ronald Gasser moments after he shot Joe McKnight ... and the witness who took the photo says he WAS yelling at McKnight's body after the fatal shots were fired.

Here's Dr. Oz dumbing down Rob Gronkowski's season-ending back injury, 'cause we know all that medical talk can be confusing sometimes.

Gronk left the Pats v. Jets last Sunday due to a herniated disc ... and now that the team announced that he's having season-ending surgery, Oz explains why the Pro Bowl TE won't be able to contribute to New England's Super Bowl run.

Long story short ... Gronk is in a lot of pain, but Oz believes he should be fine in a few months.