TMZ Sports - Page 50

It ain't bad being Dez Bryant ... 'cause the Dallas Cowboys superstar just got a SWAGGED out luxury watch worth $61k ... and it was FREE!!

Here's what we know ... Bryant is now a brand-ambassador for Hublot -- and the CEO of the company is so pumped about their partnership, he met up with Dez in London to personally gift him with one of the sickest watches they make.

It's called the "Hublot Big Bang Unico King Gold Pave" -- made with 18 karat King gold (gold blended with platinum and copper) and encrusted with more than 300 DIAMONDS!!

The timing's fitting ... as we previously reported, Dez signed with Roc Nation Sports earlier this week ... and Hublot is super popular with celebs like Jay-Z.

And the winner is Dez.

Ex-NFL player James Hardy III -- a 2nd round draft pick in 2008 -- has been committed to a state mental institution ... 6 months after he was arrested for attacking 3 cops ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Hardy was taken into custody on May 4th at an L.A. apartment complex after an alleged violent meltdown. We're told it took several officers to subdue the 6'6", 225-pound athlete.

Now, we're told a judge has ruled that Hardy is not mentally competent to stand trial in the case -- and has ordered the 28-year-old to be committed to a state hospital.

According to court documents, the hospital has the authority to administer "involuntary antipsychotic medication" to Hardy as needed.

Rapper Joell Ortiz -- 1/4th of the supergroup Slaughterhouse -- says he has a plan to SAVE the NY Jets ... and it centers around Johnny Manziel.

The Brooklyn rapper -- who signed with Eminem's Shady Records -- was out in NYC last night and had a message for Jets Nation ... DON'T GIVE UP HOPE!!

Take a listen to Joell's plan ... it could be his audition to be the next NY Jets G.M.

Kurt Busch's ex girlfriend only delayed reporting an alleged domestic assault because she wanted to protect his image ... and desperately wanted him to get professional help for anger issues.

TMZ Sports spoke to a source very close to Patricia Driscoll ... who explained why Driscoll waited six weeks to go to police with allegations the NASCAR driver choked her after a September race in Dover, Delaware.

According to the source ... Driscoll claims Kurt frequently flew off the handle, and she told him she would NOT go to cops if he got anger management counseling. We're also told she knew filing a police report meant the incident would go public ...which she wanted to avoid for his sake.

We broke the story ... Busch denies attacking Patricia, and sources close to him say Driscoll's attorney contacted Kurt's lawyer to negotiate a financial settlement.

Our Driscoll sources say that's BS, because Patricia is independently wealthy and doesn't need cash from Kurt.

Brian Bosworth himself now says he's a headcase -- the ex-linebacker is going after the NFL for turning his brain to mush ... claiming the league knowingly lied about the dangers of concussions during his 3 seasons.

Brian -- infamously known as "The Boz" during his playing days -- says he suffered multiple concussions that were improperly diagnosed while he played for the Seattle Seahawks in the late 1980s. So he's now filed a lawsuit against the NFL and helmet-maker Riddell.

In the suit, Boz blasts the NFL for concealing the truth about head injuries and the after effects. He's also pissed at the NFL for "glorifying violent plays" with NFL Films projects such as ... "Moment of Impact" and the "Crunch Course" series.

According to the docs, experts have criticized Riddell for making crappy helmets that inadequately protect players. Boz even says they have a design defect.

He adds that he's currently suffering severe headaches and memory loss.

Bosworth's suit is almost a word-for-word copy of the class action lawsuit thousands of ex-NFL players brought against the league ... which was settled in July.

UAB Athletic Director Brian Mackin confirmed the investigation Friday afternoon, saying, “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter. That is the only comment we will have at this time.”

The University of Alabama Birmingham has opened up an investigation into reports UAB defensive end Chris Rabb may have been part of a point-shaving scheme with Jameis Winston ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... UAB is currently in fact-finding mode -- contacting people who may know something about the allegations to figure out if Rabb has done anything wrong.

One email, sent by a UAB official to someone involved in the story, includes a line which reads, "These allegations may affect Chris’ eligibility so it is very important that we speak as soon as possible."

The allegation in question ... Jameis tanked the 1st half of the FSU vs. Louisville game to help Rabb win a $5,000 bet.

Of course, point-shaving is illegal ... but it seems UAB is also interested to see if Rabb was gambling on college sports at all -- a huge no-no for active college athletes.

Kurt Busch is adamant he did not lay a single finger on his ex-girlfriend during an argument back in September ... claiming she's making the whole thing up in a shameless cash grab ... sources close to Busch tell TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the NASCAR driver is being investigated for an alleged domestic assault on his ex Patricia Driscoll at Dover International Speedway on the weekend of Sept. 26th.

Sources close to Busch tell us ... the couple had broken up about a week before the incident -- and Busch was surprised when she showed up to his motorhome.

We're told ... Busch acknowledges they got into an argument -- but claims it never got physical.

Sources tell us ... Driscoll has told authorities Busch choked her inside the motorhome.

TMZ Sports spoke with Busch's attorney Rusty Hardin who tells us, "This allegation is a complete fabrication by a woman who has refused to accept the end of a relationship and Mr. Busch vehemently denies her allegations in every respect."

He adds, "The Dover Police Department has been informed that Mr. Busch will fully cooperate with their investigation and he expects to be vindicated when the entire truth of the situation comes to light."

And there's this -- we're told ... days after the incident, Busch's lawyer was contacted by a person claiming to represent Driscoll looking to negotiate a monetary settlement.

We're told that attorney resigned from representing Driscoll just days later.

We also spoke with police who tell us Driscoll didn't report the alleged assault until Nov. 5th -- six weeks after the incident.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch is under investigation by police in Delaware in an alleged domestic assault case.

Details are scarce so far, but Busch's girlfriend told the AP the allegations involved an incident inside his motorhome at a race in Dover.

Busch has yet to be charged with any crime.

In a statement, the Dover Police Department said Friday, "At this time, the department is still investigating the victim’s claims and will not have any further comment on this matter in order to preserve the integrity of the case."

Jameis Winston's teammates are rallying around the QB -- telling TMZ Sports there's NO WAY Winston was shaving points during the Louisville game ... saying, "He cares about winning too much."

We spoke to FSU football players who didn't want to be named who told us ... Jameis was playing as hard and as intense as he always does when he took the field on October 30th.

We're told the team has been buzzing about the report that Jameis allegedly point-shaved in the 1st half to help his friend win a bet ... but the overwhelming opinion in the locker room is that it's complete B.S.

Willis McGahee's a man who knows what he likes ... and he REALLLYY likes WNBA star Maya Moore.

The former NFL running back was hosting a charity event at Couture nightclub in Hollywood Thursday night when he told us he's got a big crush on the 25-year-old basketball phenom.

By the way, he's not the only huge sports star infatuated with Moore -- DeMarcus Cousins had a thing for her back in the day ... but Maya shot him down.

Willis hopes he stands a better chance ... even delivering a personal message for her.

Good luck.

New reports have surfaced alleging Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston was involved in a point shaving scheme to help an old high school teammate win a $5,000 bet.

According to the report, Winston tanked the 1st half of the FSU vs. Louisville game on October 30th ... after his buddy Chris Rabb allegedly placed a bet for Louisville to be winning at halftime.

Winston's play in the 1st half was atrocious ... and FSU was down 21-7.

FSU eventually came back and won the game -- but according to the report, the final score had no bearing on Rabb's bet.

FYI -- point shaving is illegal and punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

So far, it's unclear if law enforcement is investigating -- but we're working to find out if that's the case.

7:55 AM PT -- We spoke with a rep for the FBI who tells us, "We are the agency that would investigate these claims."

Serena Williams says there's a damn good reason she didn't run the NYC Marathon with her good friend Caroline Wozniaki ... "My ass is too big."

The tennis superstar talked her butt -- and a whole lot more -- during an "Ask Me Anything" thing on Twitter this morning ... even revealing that she "desperately" wants to have children.

Another interesting moment ... when asked if she was single, Serena wrote ... "Not by choice."

Sad, right?

Big Sean is taking some serious heat over his new football-themed music video -- ripping the rapper as a clueless fake sports fan ... after he showed a wide receiver wearing #77!!!

The video in question is "I Don't F**k with You" -- which is set in a high school football stadium and features Big Sean as the star quarterback.

Which brings us to the first issue ... he's wearing #88 ... which is NOT a typical QB number.

It gets worse ... the wide receiver on Sean's team is wearing #77 ... a typical lineman's number.

There's more ... Kanye plays a coach wearing a mock turtleneck (who does that?) -- and people are also upset that players are chugging Red Bull on the sidelines instead of Gatorade or water.

Here are some of the comments floating around on Twitter ...

-- "crazy how that big sean video ruined football, red bull, and the phrase "on fleek" in less than six minutes"

-- "IDFWU video. If you love football it'll make you mad cause Big Sean is a QB who's number is 88. And a receiver number is 77."

-- "Big Sean don't know anything about football smh how you a quarterback and you number 88? Lol n the receiver 77?"

-- "@bigsean why is #77 running a fly route?"

Vince Neil and ex-NBA baller Chris Herren know far too much about drug and and alcohol addiction, but found a way to put their experiences to good use ... for a NJ rehab center.

Sources tell us the Mötley Crüe front man and Herren were instrumental in raising more than $100K for Turning Point ... a drug and alcohol rehab facility that hosted a big charity gala last month.

Herren -- who documented his battle with drugs in his book "Basketball Junkie" -- was guest of honor at the gala ... and talked about how he overcame addiction.

We're told Neil helped raise cash by donating a pair of floor seats and backstage passes for the Crüe's final concert in NYC ... which were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Vince didn't perform at the gala, but he did introduce the band Going Dark and some up and coming local rockers.

Boxing legend Leon Spinks is finally walking, talking and smiling again ... after a medical scare stemming from a chicken bone accident ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Spinks was hospitalized -- and was in pretty bad shape -- after swallowing a chicken bone ... which got lodged in his intestine.

We spoke with Leon's attorney Steve Pacitti who tells us the former champ is still in the hospital -- but he's making tremendous progress.

"He's healing. He's on the road to recovery," Pacitti tells TMZ Sports ... "I went to see him the other night and when I walked in he flashed a huge smile. He's in great spirits."

Charlamagne Tha God tells TMZ Sports he's heard the diss track that NY Knicks star Iman Shumpert aimed at him -- and he has one response ... STICK TO BASKETBALL.

We broke the story ... Iman dropped a single this week called "#HowToHate" in which he blasts Charlamagne as a two-faced smack-talker. Naturally, Charlamagne wasn't happy about it.

In fact, the MTV star/radio host appeared on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" and fired back ... calling Iman a "wack rapper" who should be locked out of all recording studios during basketball season.

If Iman was mad before ... he definitely won't take kindly to Charlamagne's brand of keeping it real.