TMZ Sports - Page 50

Oscar Pistorius has been engaging in "self-harming behavior" ... so says his family -- who believes it's a result of extreme loneliness and alienation.

Oscar's uncle Leo Pistorius has just issued a statement on behalf of his family in the wake of reports Oscar got into a bar fight in South Africa.

Leo says ... "Whilst Oscar venturing out into a public space with his cousin, in the current climate and whilst his court case is still underway was unwise, those of us closest to him have been witness to his escalating sense of loneliness and alienation."

He continues, "This, we believe, is underlying some of his self-harming behavior."

"As a family we are counselling Oscar to find ways of dealing with his feelings of isolation."

As for the bar fight, Leo says reports that Oscar was trashing the President of South Africa before he was confronted at the VIP Room bar in South Africa over the weekend are completely untrue."

"Oscar was at school with one of President Zuma’s sons and liked him a lot. Oscar also has great appreciation of President’s Zuma’s extraordinary support of the paralympians."

Larry Fitzgerald could end up in a pool of slime ... or something WORSE ... when he battles Seattle Seahawks star Earl Thomas in a loser-gets-dunk-tanked competition at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told ... Larry and Earl have both signed up for something called the "Verizon Power Dunk" -- in which they will each sit in a dunk tank and try to hit a bull's-eye that will sink the other.

The catch -- the dunk tanks will be filled with a "gooey" mystery substance ... and we're told It could be slime or something worse.

We're told the fans will ultimately decide what goes in the tank via a live vote when the award show goes down on Thursday, July 17th at 8pm.

Don't worry fellas ... if Bieber can take a sliming, you guys should be just fine.

Dwight Howard should NOT have apologized for tweeting #FreePalestine over the weekend ... so says a powerful Palestinian interest group who says Dwight's message was "humanitarian" in nature.

11:11 AM PT -- We're told the person Young is accused of attacking on July 8th is his own attorney.

Also, law enforcement tells us ALL of the attacks took place at a medical treatment center in Los Angeles.

Former NFL wide receiver Titus Young attacked 5 people on 5 different occasions in less than 2 months ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

A war is raging in the TMZ Sports newsroom ... all over Drew Brees' very first trip to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.

Brees is in L.A. for the ESPYs and hit up the world famous chicken joint last night. He was so impressed, the New Orleans Saints QB tweeted about it saying:

"First time getting Roscoe's Chicken'n Waffles tonight! Can't do this too often but Whoa...so good!"

But the real issue is the photo he included -- which clearly shows Drew eats the chicken and the waffle SEPARATELY!!!!!

It's become a fiery issue in the office ... with some people saying the chicken and the waffle are NOT meant to be enjoyed in the same bite while others argue it's ALL ABOUT COMBINING THE FLAVORS.

So, did Drew violate the unwritten rule about chicken & waffle consumption ... or is he enjoying the combo the way Roscoe intended???

More trouble for alleged murderer Oscar Pistorius ... who found himself in the middle of a bar fight in South Africa this weekend ... when a patron allegedly confronted him about his murder case.

Oscar's rep confirms the former Olympic hero was at the VIP Room in Johannesburg when he got into an altercation with another man.

There are reports that say the man got aggressive about the murder case. There are other reports that say it all started when Oscar insulted the President of South Africa.

Either way, everyone seems to agree the two men got physical ... and the bar patron says he shoved Oscar backwards HARD after Pistorius poked him in the chest.

According to S.A. media outlets, Pistorius fell backwards and landed on his ass -- and security rushed in before things got even crazier.

Oscar's rep has issued a comment on the situation -- saying, "The individual, according to my client, started to aggressively interrogate him on matters relating to the trial."

"An argument ensued during which my client asked to be left alone. Oscar soon thereafter left the club."

Brody Jenner called radishes on reports he and Kim Kardashian are in a blood feud.

Brody was at the 9th Annual All-Star Celebrity Kickoff Party Monday in West Hollywood when he was asked if he was intentionally dissing his step-sister by attending Reggie Bush's wedding but not hers.

It's not just women who go crazy for the Red Bottoms ... men love them some Louboutins too ... just ask NFL star Brandon Flowers ... who rocked his $2,000 kicks out last night!

Flowers -- who just signed a 1-year contract with the Chargers -- hit up a Hollywood party in his red "Dandy pik pik" Louboutin shoes ... which retail at a cool $1,995.

For the record ... on Louboutin's website, the designer warns, "If shoes could be deadly, "Dandy Pik Pik" would kill."

As for Brandon -- the guy was super-nice and explained his fashion strategy on his way into the party last night.

Just one thing -- our in-house fashion expert (Anna) tells us Brandon says the name of the designer wrong: "It's pronounced Louboutin ... NOT Louie Bitton!"

Call off the coroner, 'cause Chad Johnson's NFL football career may not be dead just yet ... so says Cincinnati Bengals WR Marvin Jones ... who tells TMZ Sports the 36-year-old can ball.

Jones was at a party at the Mondrian Hotel in Hollywood when we asked if the artist formerly known as Ochocinco (who's currently playing in Canada) could still hang in the U.S.

Marvin -- who set a team record last year when he scored 4 TDs in a single game -- told us he's been impressed with Chad's performance in the CFL ... and says the guy clearly still has "something left in the tank."

But does Chad have enough gas to beat Marvin in a footrace?

Aaron Hernandez still has one supporter who's standing by his side while he faces murder charges -- his brother D.J. ... who recently showed his allegiance with a brand new chest tat, TMZ Sports has learned.

28-year-old D.J. -- Aaron's older brother -- is now sporting a tattoo on his chest that reads, "D&A" ... a combination of the first two letters of their names.

It appears D.J. only got the tat within the last few months -- while Aaron was locked up in Bristol County Jail awaiting trial for the murder of 3 people.

Just three weeks ago, D.J. posted a photo on Instagram on "Throwback Thursday" ... showing him and Aaron embracing on the day Aaron was drafted into the NFL. He included the hashtag, "D&A."

We reached out to DJ. for comment -- so far, no word back.

Everyone's talking about the new medical study that suggests sniffing farts could have serious health benefits -- but NFL running back Willis McGahee says he'll ONLY accept prescriptions ... from himself.

The study was conducted by the University of Exeter -- which says one of the chemical compounds found in flatulence can actually help prevent ailments like diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and dementia ... when used in small doses.

8:20 PM PT -- Cops tells TMZ ... Young knocked out the man he was fighting by punching him in the face. We're told the man -- who Young knows -- was transported to the hospital and later released.

Former NFL wide receiver Titus Young was arrested in Compton last week after getting into a fight with another man ... and he's still in jail ... cops tell TMZ Sports.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept ... cops received a call about a battery on Tuesday, July 8th at 3:40 PM. Cops have not revealed the identity of the alleged victim, or what the fight was about.

Young was arrested the following day -- and hauled to a nearby station where he was booked for felony battery.

Bail was set at $105K ... he's still behind bars.

It's the latest legal problem for Young -- who's been arrested several times over the past two years.

Young, who was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2011 -- was cut by the St. Louis Rams in February 2013 -- and it seems his once promising career is over.

Jerome Bettis is calling BS on people who say Hines Ward's decision to get married at Hines Field will take away from his bride's special day ... telling TMZ Sports no matter where they get hitched, it's ALL ABOUT HER!

Bettis was at the Alex Thompson Foundation's Celebrity Golf Classic in L.A when he told us he'll be one of the guests when his former Steelers teammate ties the knot in Pittsburgh later this month.

And while some people have been critical about the wedding location, saying it takes the attention away from the future Mrs. Ward ... Jerome says it may have been HER decision in the first place.

For the record -- pretty cool if it was.

FOX 29 News Philadelphia | WTXF-TV

Good news -- Charles Barkley finally decided to watch soccer for the first time during the World Cup.

Bad News -- He HATED it.

Sir Chuck was co-hosting "Sports Extra" with Howard Eskin on FOX 29 in Philly last night when he got brutally honest about his relationship with soccer.

Barkley admitted he respects the athletes ... but can't handle 90 minutes of scorelessness on a consistent basis ... and basically said he's checking out for the next 4 years.

Rihanna partied so hard at the World Cup … even a little poopy water couldn't stop her good times.
For some reason she took a dip at Urca Beach where pollution is so bad, people usually can't go in the water.

And yet, RiRi frolicking in a fecal tide wasn't the strangest part of Rio's festivities … for some people.