TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tony Gonzalez says he was NOT forced out at CBS to make room for the new guy, Tony Romo -- telling TMZ Sports the decision to leave was HIS and his alone.

The future Hall of Fame tight end spent 3 seasons on "The NFL Today" (and was pretty good) only to announce he was leaving the show back in March.

A few days later, CBS announced Romo was joining the network as a live game broadcaster -- replacing Phil Simms who will take over for Gonzalez on "The NFL Today."

So ... was Tony G pushed out??

Gonzalez is adamant the answer is 'No' -- and gives a pretty solid explanation about his career choice.

UFC rising star "Platinum" Mike Perry says he knows the devastating right elbow he used to K.O. Jake Ellenberger could've ended the guy's career ... but it hasn't fazed him one bit!

Perry joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs Monday night on FS1) and told us he met with Ellenberger after and thinks he'll bounce back, but if he doesn't ... so be it.

Perry is a monster in the Octagon -- he's 10-1 with all 10 wins coming by way of KO/TKO.

He's also only 25 years old.

Letters were found inside Aaron Hernandez's cell when his body was found, but none of them were written to a gay lover.

Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, tells TMZ Sports, "Rumors of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false. These are malicious leaks used to tarnish somebody who is dead."

The D.A. announced Thursday 3 letters were next to Hernandez's Bible, and that's when the rumors began.

TMZ Sports has obtained new footage from the night Cincinnati Bengals star Pacman Jones was arrested for assault -- and it shows even MORE of the tense relationship between Pac and the cops.

Yes, J Lo ... A-Rod is just that into you, and the poor guy couldn't even hide it Monday afternoon as the two grabbed lunch in New York City.

The couple had a fancy meal at The Sea Grill, which is just above the Rockefeller Center ice rink. Plenty of city sights to see outside, but Alex was transfixed by his date.

Be honest ... ya kind of want someone to look at you the way he's looking at Jennifer.

The family of Aaron Hernandez says they love him and miss him and want to thank the public for supporting them in the wake of the NFL star's death.

Hernandez was laid to rest in a funeral service in Bristol, Connecticut Monday in a ceremony attended by family, friends and old college and NFL teammates.

After the funeral, Hernandez's attorney, Jose Baez, and his team issued a statement from the family.

Hernandez died last Wednesday after prison staffers found the former New England Patriots tight end hanging in his cell, where he was serving a life sentence for murder.

Shaquille O'Neal says WWE is squarely to blame for dropping the ball on his highly anticipated WrestleMania 33 matchup with Big Show ... saying, "They messed it up."

The 7-footers had been calling each other out for months in the hopes of colliding in the squared circle at the biggest wrestling event of the year ... but it didn't happen.

Busy day for Houston Texans running back Alfred Blue -- who found out his beloved Chevy Camaro somehow ended up in a Louisiana swamp Monday morning.

Here's the deal ... cops and a tow truck responded to Highway 90 in Des Allemands around 9 AM after a single car collision. One witness tells us, "The car was in the water."

Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports the NFL player is the owner of the car -- but he was NOT driving during the incident and was not present during the crash.

So, what happened? Unclear exactly but cops say no arrests were made and miraculously no one was seriously injured.

We reached out to Blue's reps. Waiting for a call back.

Guests have arrived to Aaron Hernandez's funeral in Bristol, Connecticut -- including family members, friends and NFL stars.

Aaron's close friends, Mike and Maurkice Pouncey, arrived earlier in the day and spent time at the funeral home before the service.

Mike -- who plays for the Miami Dolphins -- was spotted using a cane due to a recent hip surgery.

Both Mike and Maurkice have known Hernandez since they were teammates at the University of Florida and spoke with him in prison regularly.

NFL wide receiver Riley Cooper -- who also played college ball with Hernandez -- was on the guest list though it's unclear if he has arrived.

Brandon Spikes was also on hand. Spikes played with Hernandez in college and with the New England Patriots.

Aaron's mother and brother are in attendance and flanked by security and police officers.

Just days after deciding to move forward with her divorce, Larsa Pippen spent the weekend blowing off some steam on the beach with Kim and Kourtney Kardashian!

The girls -- along with a bunch of other hot chicks -- flew to Mexico for a girls' getaway where they frolicked on the sand in tiny bikinis and posed for photos.

As we previously reported, Larsa and Scottie tried to reconcile several times over the past couple of months but decided last week they'd be better off moving on.

Here's Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais making good on a challenge to his players ... and making a case for coolest MLB manager around.

Servais told his guys that if they scored 10 or more runs against the Oakland A's he would reward them by sportin' a swagged out travel outfit -- complete with some of the players' chains.

The Mariners went out and won the game 11-1 ... and Scott proved he's a man of his word, donning some very swagged out neck decoration.

Kim and Kourtney served up a treat for 2-for-1 Kardashian sisters in bikinis ... and Kim's ass is back to hogging the spotlight.

The Kardashians were down in Mexico this weekend with their gal pals -- including Brittny Gastineau, Malika Haqq and Larsa Pippen -- hitting the beach in some pretty revealing swimwear.

Kim's bikinis definitely took the cake ... and provided plenty too for the paps. Kourtney, meanwhile, seemed more focused on flashing some serious underboob.

Just a healthy reminder ... summer is coming.

Aaron Hernandez is set to be laid to rest in his hometown of Bristol, Connecticut on Monday -- and the police are out in force to make sure things don't get violent.

Hernandez's body is currently at a funeral home in Bristol -- where it was taken after it was released from the medical examiner's officer following his death Wednesday morning.

As we previously reported, Hernandez was found hanging in his cell at a maximum security prison in Mass. where he was serving a life sentence for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.

Cops have set up barricades and dispatched squad cars in the area where the funeral will take place.

A family spokesperson told the Boston Globe's Travis Andersen that Hernandez will be cremated.

So far, it's unclear who will attend the ceremony.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic vows to return to professional soccer after his recent knee injury -- and he posted a photo of his insanely vascular legs to make his point.

The Manchester United star destroyed his knee Thursday -- and the team is describing it as "significant ligament damage." There are reports it's so bad, the 35-year-old might never play again.

But Zlatan says that's a bunch of crap ... he'll be back.

In a social media post, Zlatan acknowledged he'll be "out of football for a while" ... but added, "I will go through this like everythings else and come back even stronger."

You'd think Kyrie Irving would get a pardon in Ohio over his whole "The Earth is flat" comments -- but, nah ... that ain't happening.

The latest person to roast the Cleveland Cavs star over his insanely misguided comments is Ohio governor John Kasich ... who happens to be a pretty big Kyrie fan!

But even Kasich couldn't help himself from taking a shot at the NBA superstar over the weekend.

At least he went softer than notorious smart guy Neil deGrasse Tyson, who said all flat-Earthers should be launched into space!

Serena Williams is opening up about her pregnancy -- with an emotional message to her unborn child describing how the experience is changing her life.