TMZ Sports - Page 50

File Under: "AWWWWWWWWWW"

IndyCar driver Scott Dixon got the sweetest letter in the mail from a concerned 9-year-old fan after his terrifying crash at the Indy 500 ... and was so moved, he decided to pay her a personal visit!

The superfan is a little girl named Lucy from the Indianapolis area who was deeply concerned for Dixon after she watched his car crash and explode into flames at the May 28 event.

Once she learned Dixon made it out alive, she grabbed a pencil and wrote to the Indy corporate office thanking them for "keeping him safe."

"I saw him limping on TV and just wanted to make sure he was ok."

She added, "I've loved Scott Dixon since I was really little and when I saw the crash I got so scared and started crying."

The letter got to Dixon -- and he wanted to personally thank Lucy for caring about him so much, so he surprised her at home ... and it was awesome!!

#FeelGoodMomentOfTheDay

Chad Johnson says he's all for Keyshawn Johnson showing his son a little tough love ... saying it might be just what the kid needs to keep him from blowing his football career (and some BIG money).

Keyshawn Sr. yanked his boy off Nebraska's football squad after Key Jr. got busted with weed in his dorm -- saying his son needs to "mature" before he can put his pads on again.

We got Chad out at LAX, and asked him if this was great fathering -- or parenting gone too far?

Ocho made it clear he has Key's back -- although he wasn't sure he'd have done the same thing.

Oscar De La Hoya is firing back at Dana White -- saying it was "disrespectful" for the UFC boss to book McGregor vs. Mayweather three weeks ahead of Canelo vs. GGG.

White had previously attacked Oscar in a expletive-filled verbal smackdown after ODLH bashed the McGregor fight as nothing more than a "circus."

Fast forward to Wednesday when Oscar appeared on ESPN with Canelo Alverez and Gennady Golovkin and was asked how he felt about Dana upstreaming him.

"It was disrespectful," Oscar said.

"I would have thought that Dana White would have a little more respect with this boxing event taking place, because look, you just don’t do that."

"It's like having the Super Bowl and then three weeks later the World Series takes place, the final game. It just doesn’t happen."

"We have the whole year to stage these types of big events ... They could have maybe staged it in November or December but, look, it is what it is."

"We have a superfight here. We have a real fight, and that’s exactly what we’re focusing on."

Here's 50-year-old Troy Aikman showing off his insanely shredded physique while lounging with his brand new smokin' hot fiancee in the Caribbean.

The Dallas Cowboys legend is a notorious workout-aholic and clearly it's paying off (#abs #pecs).

Troy's having a helluva year -- he just popped the question to Capa Mooty during a romantic vacation to Italy ... and now they're enjoying the engagement (and she's enjoying the view!).

No word on when the ceremony will go down -- but the good news, they're both already in wedding shape!

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Letroy Guion was busted for driving drunk Wednesday morning ... which just so happened to be his 29th birthday.

Guion -- a 9-year vet in the NFL -- was pulled over by cops in Waikiki, Hawaii at 4:22 AM when they suspected he had been drinking. Instead of blowing out candles, cops had Guion blow into a breathalyzer, which showed he was over the legal limit.

The birthday boy was then arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant (OVII) ... and was released on $500 bond.

NY Jets linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin has been arrested for misdemeanor assault for allegedly attacking a dude in an NYC nightclub back in April ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources confirm the 24-year-old turned himself into authorities Wednesday morning in Manhattan.

Mauldin -- a 3rd round pick in the '15 Draft -- is accused of punching a man in the face at the Highline Ballroom during an altercation on April 2 after the other man allegedly spilled champagne on him.

If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail. Mauldin is due back in court in August.

In addition to the criminal case, Mauldin has also been sued in civil court by the alleged victim -- who says he suffered several broken bones in his face from the beating.

We reached out to the victim's lawyer, Glenn Race, but he had no comment.

Ice Cube isn't even a tiny bit upset his BIG3 player/coach Chauncey Billups is leaving the BIG3 for a front office job with the Cleveland Cavs ... telling TMZ Sports the league is SUPPOSED to be a pipeline back to the NBA.

Cube is in NYC where he's gearing up for opening day -- THIS WEEKEND -- and we asked which BIG3 team is the favorite to win it all.

That's when Cube brought up Chauncey ... and maybe broke some news?!

"It was the Killer 3's (led by Chauncey and Stephen Jackson) for a minute but since Chauncey took that job, it might change."

It's been reported that Chauncey's in talks with the Cavs -- but nothing has been confirmed publicly ... at least not yet.

Cube also talked Allen Iverson -- telling TMZ Sports the NBA legend has been working out like crazy and he's "ready to go."

Forget Rookie of the Year -- Cody Bellinger already has MVP chops ... so says L.A. Dodgers analyst/former Dodger Jerry Hairston.

"He is a legit MVP candidate," Hairston told TMZ Sports before Tuesday night's game at Dodger Stadium ... a 12-0 L.A. blowout that saw Bellinger slug home run #22 (his 10th in 10 games!).

Hairston knows what he's talking about -- he played in the bigs from '98 to '13 and won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009.

As for Bellinger ... he's on the most torrid HR pace for a rookie EVER ... pretty insane considering the kid started the season in the minors.

Hairston -- a third-gen MLBer -- told us he's "never seen a start to a career like this."

Even Cody's dad, a three-time World Series champ, can't believe what he's seeing.

Chicago Cubs star Addison Russell's wife is filing for divorce ... just 2 weeks after the MLB opened a domestic violence investigation against the All-Star infielder.

Melisa Russell had addressed the split on Instagram earlier this month ... hinting infidelity was the problem. Melisa's friend later commented on the post, claiming Russell had "mentally and physically" abused his wife. The league took notice and launched an investigation.

Melisa's lawyers released a statement saying she will not speak with investigators about the claims ... and hopes to find a resolution in the best interest of their 1-year-old son.

WWE legend Kane has some serious political firepower in his corner -- THE NATURE BOY!!!

Ric Flair just cut a WWE-style promotional video to support his friend Glenn Jacobs -- who's running for mayor of Knoxville County, Tennessee.

Naitch even promises to hit up a local campaign rally on July 12 -- saying, "I will be there live and in color to support my very close friend, Glenn Jacobs."

And you KNOW he ain't cutting a promo without his signature sign-off ...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nate Diaz's former agents claim they busted their ass to negotiate a sick multi-million dollar deal for him to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 202 only to get fired a month before the fight ... and now they're suing.

The Ballengee Group filed a lawsuit in District Court in Dallas claiming they had worked with Nate since 2014 and hammered out deals on several big fights including Rafael Dos Anjos, Michael Johnson and the first McGregor fight at UFC 196.

But Ballengee claims things got icy between the two sides in July 2016 -- right after sealing the deal for Nate to fight Conor at UFC 202 in August.

Ballengee claims Nate "unexpectedly" fired them -- and never paid them their cut for the UFC 202 fight, which was reportedly the biggest UFC pay-per-view ever at the time.

According to the suit, filed by attorney Jason Friedman, Ballengee is demanding more than $1 MILLION in damages.

We reached out to Nate for comment. So far, no word back.

Prosecutors have dropped the domestic violence case against ex-Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam stemming from heated altercation with his GF ... officials confirm.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Elam was arrested for domestic battery and grand theft in Florida on May 22 after getting into it with his girlfriend and stealing her cell phone.

According to court records, Palm Beach prosecutors have decided NOT to move forward with the case because the alleged victim stopped cooperating and officials felt there wasn't enough evidence to get a conviction without her.

Elam dodged a huge bullet ... he was facing at least 5 years behind bars if convicted.

The guy with more money than God just met the guy with a direct line to him.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones just had a face to face with Pope Francis at the Vatican ... and even gifted his holiness with a customized "Papa Francesco" football jersey.

The jersey was signed by Jones and other NFL greats including Curtis Martin and Jim Taylor.

No word on what the two talked about. Guessing Jerry negotiated some blessings for his QB, his RB and his WR.

Sidenote: Pope's gotta be a Saints fan, right?

Keyshawn Johnson has pulled his son, Keyshawn Johnson Jr., off the Nebraska football team (at least temporarily) weeks after the WR was busted for weed in his college dorm.

Key Jr. was one of the top high school WRs in the country -- but ultimately chose Nebraska.

Earlier this month, the 19-year-old was cited for marijuana possession after university police found pot and drug paraphernalia in his dorm.

Now, Key Sr. -- who played in the NFL for 11 years -- has confirmed that his son is taking an "extended leave of absence" from the football program to "mature" for 6 months.

Keyshawn Sr. told Omaha.com the decision to pull his kid was his alone.

"I never asked him," Johnson Sr. said referencing his son.

"At the end of the day, I don’t think that decision was in his hands. He squandered that decision. He still wants to play football, and he still wants to play for Nebraska. But if you don’t do the things you’re supposed to do, under the guidelines of me, it’s not going to happen."

He added, "One thing you will not do as my son is you will not embarrass Nebraska, you will not embarrass Mike Riley and you will not embarrass this family."

Boris Becker -- who reportedly made more than $25 MILLION during his tennis career -- was declared bankrupt in a British court hearing early Wednesday morning.

If you thought Russell Westbrook's swag would drop off after becoming a parent ... THINK AGAIN!! ... 'cause the OKC Thunder star is stuntin' on every daddy out there with his diaper bag game.

Russ -- whose wife gave birth to their son back in May -- is already rockin' the couture dad gear ... sporting a $1,500 Gucci diaper bag while strolling through the streets of Paris.

Brodie's insane swag has never been in question ... now he's proving you can still be fresh while carrying around everything you need to clean your kid's ass.