TMZ Sports - Page 50

Will Smith's ex-Saints teammates, including Drew Brees, are in the courtroom as proceedings began in his murder case.

Witness testimony in the second degree murder case against Cardell Hayes began Tuesday ... and Brees and Steve Gleason were on hand to see it.

FYI -- Smith was shot and killed on April 9th in New Orleans ... after an alleged road rage incident involving Hayes.

Another ex-Saint, Deuce McAllister, was also on hand, but was actually part of the trial ... being called as the state of Louisiana's first witness.

Ronald Gasser believes he's being held on a trumped-up charge -- the manslaughter of Joe McKnight -- and his attorney's demanding his release, ASAP.

Gasser's lawyer just filed a motion claiming there's no probable cause for his client's arrest. He's asking the court for the earliest available hearing ... so he can show a judge why Gasser should get out of jail.

Gasser was arrested Monday night and is being held on a $500,000 bond.

At the very least, his attorney's asking the bond be reduced.

Sheriff Newell Normand is firing back at the people who have criticized him for the way he's handling the Joe McKnight shooting investigation ... and just read OUT LOUD some of the hateful comments he and other leaders have received, including the n-word and the f-word.

Sheriff Normand says he and other leaders have received letters using various racial and homophobic slurs. He did not water down the language.

When asked why he decided to read the hateful language out loud, Normand says he wanted to show people how "crazy" things have gotten ... where people are getting harassed for doing their jobs.

The conversation turned racial and Normand says black people are more likely to be killed by black people in his community.

The man who shot and killed ex-NFL running back Joe McKnight in an apparent road rage incident has been arrested for manslaughter ... this according to police records.

The man who killed Joe McKnight got out of his car and pointed his weapon at a Navy officer who rushed to the scene to try to help ... cops say.

Sheriff Newell Normand says they interviewed Ronald Gasser for more than 10 hours and spoke with more than 160 witnesses in the case.

They believe after Gasser shot McKnight following a verbal altercation -- he got out of the car to see McKnight's body ... and was approached by a military officer.

The Naval officer told Gasser to put his gun away because it was not in his best interest to shoot a Naval officer.

The Naval officer and cops then tried to help McKnight -- but it was too late.

Sheriff Normand says Gasser has insisted he was fearing for his life -- and that's why he pulled his weapon during the altercation.

NBA great Gary Payton says there's no doubt that the league is a little more Charmin then it was when he was in it ... but says that's a GOOD thing, cause it makes the game a lot safer for kids.

We got the Glove out at Catch in L.A. and asked him about some comments he'd made on Twitter earlier this year about the state of the game ... basically that he couldn't play in this ticky tack foul era.

That's when Payton got into it ... saying the game is a lot more exposed now, and you have to keep things clean if you don't want young players Draymond Green-ing each other in the nuts.

The Oakland Raiders offensive line got a celebratory night out courtesy of their QB and RB -- with Derek Carr and Latavius Murray springin' for tickets to Monday night's Warriors game!

And talk about timing ... the game turned out to be insane -- with Klay Thompson dropping 60 points in 3 quarters.

Of course, the guys made sure to get a pic with Klay after the game.

Kevin Durant's mom, Wanda, was also at the game -- and got her pic with Derek Carr ... the "Real MVP" meeting the next NFL MVP???

Enough with the flags ... if NFL players wanna celebrate with props, LET 'EM CELEBRATE ... so says NY Giants wide out Victor Cruz.

With the NFL is cracking down on celebrations this year, Cruz says fans just want to see more FUN on the field (he's right) ... and letting players go all Ochocinco would be a huge step in the right direction!

Tim Tebow made an 89-year-old superfan's LIFE ... when he surprised her in Georgia and even let her kiss him on the face!

Margaret Whitton -- who played Indians owner Rachel Phelps in "Major League" -- has died at age 67.

She died peacefully at her home in Florida after a brief battle with cancer, this according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Whitton was GREAT in the 'Major League' movies -- playing an owner rooting against her team so she could relocate 'em from Cleveland to Miami.

Her most memorable scene ... when she crashed the Indians locker room when Lou Brown was complaining about the "bitch" who runs the team ... and responded, "You wanted to talk to the bitch?"

Awesome.

Besides "Major League," Whitton also appeared in "Little Monsters," "The Man Without a Face" and "9 1/2 Weeks" and more.

Johnny Manziel turns 24 on Tuesday ... and he's celebrating with a relaxing, peaceful vacation in Miami.

Just kidding ... he's pounding booze at 8 AM.

The ex-NFL quarterback has been partying in Miami for the past couple days -- probably because Miami is poppin' right now due to the Art Basel event that takes over the city.

He's dancing on yachts, he's hanging with celebs, he's been chillin' at fancy hotels.

Well, at least one guy isn't trashing the Rams for signing Jeff Fisher to a contract ... NFL/reality star Kroy Biermann, who thinks the guy actually deserved his 2 year contract extension.

Despite the fact they're 4-7 and BRUTAL to watch ... news broke over the weekend that Fisher will stick around as the main man in L.A. for the next 2 seasons.

Some fans and critics (including Eric Dickerson) are pissed ... but not Kroy. He likes the move.

Then again, he's also looking for a new team.

Dak Prescott shouldn't even THINK about holding out for a massive contract after his insane rookie season ... so says Colin Cowherd, who says playing hardball is a bad move for the QB.

The "Speak For Yourself" co-host was leaving a benefit for the Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans of America this weekend -- when he told us it might take another season for Dak to get the big money.

FYI, Dak is obviously still under his rookie contract -- 4 years, $2.7 million.

His backup, Tony Romo, signed a 6 year, $108 MILLION contract extension in 2013.

Tony is reportedly making $20.8 MILLION this season. Dak is making about $545k.

But with injuries always a possibility in the NFL, should Dak hold out to get that FAT starting QB money before he steps on the field for another season?

The man who shot and killed Joe McKnight tracked another motorist into a gas station -- attacked him -- and then vowed more violence during a 2006 incident ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Ronald Gasser -- who has admitted to shooting McKnight last week -- was previously named a suspect during an incident on Feb. 20, 2006.

The person who filed the report says Gasser was driving a red Isuzu in Jefferson Parish, LA -- the same area where McKnight was shot -- when Gasser cut him off.

The person says he saw a number on Gasser's car inviting people to call and report unsafe driving acts by the driver -- so he did -- but Gasser picked up the phone.

The person says Gasser followed him into a nearby gas station and immediately got violent -- hitting him twice in the head and once in the shoulder with a closed fist before saying, "I will get you."

Gasser then drove off.

The man called police and when cops responded -- they didn't see any injuries and the alleged victim refused medical attention. But the report says the man wanted to pursue criminal charges.

This COULDA been super awkward ... but Alex Rodriguez apparently played it cool when his girlfriend reconnected with her billionaire ex-husband Sunday night ... at an event PACKED with powerful nerds.

Of course, A-Rod is dating Anne Wojcicki -- who was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin until they split in 2015.

But it seems they're on good (or at least decent) terms because they didn't just hang out at the event last night ... they teamed up onstage and addressed the crowd at one point during the awards ceremony.

FYI, Brin is reportedly worth more than $30 BILLION.

A-Rod and Wojcicki started dating earlier this year. Brin attended the event with his girlfriend, Nicole Shanahan ... an accomplished lawyer/business mogul (who also happens to be smoking hot).

The event itself was wall-to-wall rich people and celebs ... including Mark Zuckerberg, Vin Diesel, Kevin Durant and more.

Here's pics and vids of the Dallas Cowboys continuing their epic winning streak OFF THE FIELD ... showing up to a couple Texas children's hospitals to spread Xmas cheer to some brave little tykes.

The whole gang included Dak, Zeke, Dez, Witten, and Romo -- and from the looks of the photos taken Monday morning, the whole team scored with the kids.

Great to see the guys spread a little joy ... and also great to see that kids still remember what Romo looks like without the clipboard in his hand.

#Yuletide.