TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jerry Rice's daughter says she's dead serious about joining a professional women's football league ... telling TMZ Sports, "I've got genetics in my favor."

We spoke with 29-year-old Jaqui Rice about her upcoming tryout with the L.A. Temptation of the Legends Football League (formerly the Lingerie Football League).

LaVar Arrington has a message for Michael Crabtree -- if you don't want people to snatch your chain on the field, don't wear it during games!!

The former NFLer says Aqib Talib's decision to rip Crabtree's gold chain off during last Sunday's game was an "outright blatant move of disrespect," ... but says if jewelry is part of the uniform, it's M.C.'s own fault.

Bottom line ... floss at your own risk.

Football fans lookin' to bring in the New Year with some extra cash need to listen up ... 'cause Brandon Lang is gonna explain which bets to take this NFL Wildcard weekend.

Lang -- the inspiration behind the movie "Two For The Money" -- says there are two hot picks to go with this weekend ... and there's good news for the fans in New York.

When Antonio Brown takes the field this weekend, he'll being wearing special cleats honoring Jasper Howard ... the UCONN cornerback who was killed after a game in 2009.

TMZ Sports spoke with cleat artist Corey Pane who says Brown knows Howard was born in Miami and felt it was right to pay tribute this week while the Steelers were playing the Dolphins.

Howard's story is well known ... he was killed on campus after a homecoming dance where he and his teammates were celebrating a victory over Louisville.

He was only 20 years old.

A Carnival cruise passenger sprang a major leak while playing mini-golf on the ship -- as in, his arm was ripped wide open, and we got the gory pics he says prove the cruise line's to blame.

Dzung Tran says he was mini-golfing aboard the Carnival Splendor last summer when he tripped and fell over a loose border on the course. He says he suffered numerous injuries ... the worst of which was to his arm.

Tran says he was impaled by a club which tore a major artery in his upper arm. If you want to know how major, check out the photos. You might want to sit down first.

Tran claims the golf course was poorly maintained and not built to code, so he's suing for a ton of dough. We reached out to Carnival. No word back yet.

Take a look at the course ... if you've recovered from the injury pics.

Here's some inside the locker room info from Arizona Cardinals stud defensive end Calais Campbell ... who says his friends on the Raiders TRULY believe they can win with Connor Cook.

Then again, Campbell says they really don't have another choice ...

The 2 time Pro Bowler says he's also convinced Oakland can get it done against the Houston Texans this weekend with the 3rd string QB at the helm ... and his reasoning is pretty good.

Michael, Emmitt and Troy ... or Dak, Dez and Zeke?

Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is finally weighing in on the "Who's the better set of Triplets" debate -- and he's giving one BIG advantage to the new gang.

There's more ... he's also STRONG about Terrell Owens belonging in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a perfect world.

Ciara has dropped her $15 million defamation lawsuit against baby daddy Future ... TMZ has learned.

The singer just filed legal docs in Superior Court in Fulton County, GA, ending her case which was triggered by a radio interview Future did followed up by tweets in which he accused her of being a control freak and a bad mom.

According to the docs, the case has been dismissed "with prejudice" ... meaning she can't refile it.

Our sources say Future didn't pay her a penny in return for the dismissal. But based on all the evidence, it seems almost certain they have also reached agreement on custody of 2-year-old baby Future.

It's pretty clear Ciara has moved on, with new hubby Russell Wilson and a baby on the way, so the dismissal isn't surprising.

Jon Jones says Ronda Rousey isn't some washed-up bum just because she lost ... she's still a beast and should STRONGLY consider fighting again.

We spoke with the UFC superstar moments ago who says it's easy to pinpoint where Ronda went wrong -- Holly Holm laid out the blueprint to beat her and she needs to evolve as a fighter.

As for her future, Jon says it's important for Ronda's legacy that she get back in the Octagon and do what she does best ... because she can still win.

Ex-NFL punter Steve Weatherford had a real "Wanna Get Away" moment in front of President Obama Thursday ... when he ripped his pants down the crack of his ass.

The Super Bowl champ was at the White House as part of a group of 100 handpicked social media influencers invited to have a meeting with the president to discuss how to use their platforms for good.

But as Weatherford was walking to the meeting ... he split his pants.

We spoke with Steve about the situation -- and he told us he couldn't find a set of replacement pants because no one in the White House has "26 inch quads with a 31 inch waist."

The most athletic couple at the 2016 Rio Olympics is calling it a career ... and they want to make one thing clear -- there ain't gonna be a comeback.

TMZ Sports spoke to Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton -- who each retired from competitive track and field this week at age 28 -- and asked if there was ANY chance they'd change their minds and come back to the sport.

"We're definitely done," Ashton, the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, says.

The duo adds that they won't be in the broadcast booth anytime soon ... and would rather spend their free time doing new things outside the sport.

Cool move from Colin Kaepernick ... who decided to clear out a BUNCH of shoes from his insanely expensive Nike collection and donate them to homeless shelters and orphanages.

Kaepernick -- along with his girlfriend, Nessa -- raided the QB's closet, packing up shoes, clothing and hats to donate to a couple of places, including the Dorothy Day House in Berkeley.

And he didn't just give them his worn-out crap -- we're talking Air Max, Jordans, Timberlands, etc. Just from eyeballing it ... it appears to be thousands of dollars worth of gear.

Denzel Washington thinks the Cowboys can beat anybody ... unless they can't.

He also thinks Ezekiel Elliott should win MVP ... unless he doesn't.

Joe Mixon could have ANOTHER video to worry about ... because he's set to be deposed ON CAMERA in the civil suit from his 2014 attack on a female student ... and it's all going down on Jan. 24th.

Mixon -- who just revealed he's entering the 2017 NFL Draft -- is being sued by Amelia Molitor for intentional infliction of emotional distress. She's demanding a ton of cash.

The timing couldn't be worse for Mixon ... who will have to relive the incident on camera while trying to convince NFL teams to take a chance on him.

It'll be interesting to see how Mixon handles the deposition in light of the fact he seemed to take ALL responsibility for the incident during a news conference last month.

While falling on the sword is clearly the noble thing to do, it could seriously damage his defense.

Then again, there's always a chance Mixon strikes a settlement with the victim BEFORE the depo ... which would get him out of the hot seat altogether.

Serena Williams just showed the world her new engagement ring ... and it's massive.

Williams posted the pic Thursday with new fiance and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and -- while it's not a super close-up of the rock -- you can tell she's sporting some serious bling.

The couple announced their engagement last week ... but somehow the diamond hasn't seen the light of day until now.

A Grand Slam for Ohanian.