TMZ Sports - Page 50

Floyd Mayweather says he did NOT beat the living crap out of his baby mama in 2010 -- despite the fact he was CONVICTED -- claiming the woman has been lying through her teeth for years.

Mayweather -- who did 2 months behind bars for domestic violence -- spoke with Katie Couric and vehemently denied the allegations that were spelled out against him in the police report.

FYI -- both Josie Harris and her son told police Mayweather terrorized her at their Vegas home in Sept. 2010 ... punching and kicking Harris. She was hospitalized for injuries to her face and arm, and cops took photos of the damage.

Despite all of the evidence, Mayweather says all he did that night was "restrain" Harris ... who Floyd claims was high on drugs that day.

"Did I kick, stomp and beat someone? No, that didn’t happen," Floyd said ... telling Couric, "I look in your face and say, 'No, that didn’t happen.'"

"Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that’s domestic violence, then, you know what? I’m guilty. I’m guilty of restraining someone."

Dennis Rodman didn't just terminate his ex-business manager -- HE HUMILIATED HER -- saying she's a total failure who LIED about being a Harvard grad and may have stolen from him ... though she calls BS.

TMZ Sports has learned ... The Worm's lawyer Bradford Cohen just sent a SCATHING letter to Peggy King ... officially terminating her as Rodman's financial lady and demanding she hand over all of her records.

But the letter gets deeply personal ... here's the point-by-point breakdown:

1) You're fired
2) We think you may have stolen a ton of money from Dennis
3) You were supposed to pay bills for Dennis that went unpaid
4) We think you FAKED your background ... and lied about going to Harvard.

In the letter, Cohen states ... "Although you claim to have a graduate degree from Harvard, it is more like your resume could be a study in fictional writing at Harvard."

Boom.

But we spoke with King who says Rodman is the REAL liar ... claiming she NEVER once touted herself as a Harvard grad.

She also tells TMZ Sports that Dennis is nothing more than an "alcoholic drunk" who's ruining what used to be a "good relationship" for no good reason.

"The whole letter is crazy and bogus. I've been with him through thick and thin."

The NYPD has launched an internal affairs investigation into the arrest of NBA player Thabo Sefolosha -- who claims cops used excessive force during a violent incident last week.

As we previously reported, Thabo was taken into custody early Wednesday morning -- after cops say he was obstructing officers from investigating the stabbing of NBA player Chris Copeland.

We posted footage of the arrest on TMZ Sports -- which showed cops putting Thabo in a headlock and pulling him to the ground. At least one cop brandishes his nightstick.

Cops say Thabo was acting in an aggressive manor ... which justified the use of force. Thabo's attorney says BS ... and says the video essentially exonerates his client of any wrongdoing.

Now, an NYPD spokesperson tells us, "The issue has been referred to internal affairs, which is investigating the incident."

Nicki Minaj is one step closer to twerking in the Rose Garden ... now that Sen. Marco Rubio -- perhaps her most powerful fan -- is officially in the presidential race.

The latest Republican candidate to throw his hat in the ring has a pretty good working relationship with our D.C. photog, Colin -- and this morning they bro'd down over the junior senator's love of Nicki, EDM, and his hot wife ... a former Miami Dolphins cheerleader.

Check out the clip ... Colin even opened a door for Rubio to take a shot at Hillary's musical tastes. He didn't exactly take the bait.

He knew he'd be a punch line ... but convicted crab thief Jameis Winston consciously decided to subject himself to crustacean mockery during a recent celeb event to help out a charity ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We spoke with "Deadliest Catch" star Capt. Keith Colburn -- who was at the Mike Alstott Family Foundation celebrity outdoor weekend with Jameis ... and he told us how it all went down.

"I had a giant king crab we were auctioning off," Colburn says ... when Jameis suggested that he should make a public spectacle out of the situation because he knew it would be "good press" for the foundation.

"He thought it was a gag, man!"

Colburn says Jameis couldn't have been a better sport -- and says, "He's an amazing kid."

Hey, if he could take a roasting from Kevin Hart ... he's gotta have thick skin, right?

Hail to the Pacman?!

Manny Pacquiao wants to be PRESIDENT Manny Pacquiao ... so says his promoter Bob Arum who tells TMZ Sports he expects the boxer to run for the top office in the Philippines in the very near future.

"He's gonna be a president," Arum told us outside Craig's in West Hollywood last night.

"He's gonna run for Senate in the Philippines in 2016 ... and then in 2022 or maybe later, he'll run for President of the Philippines."

Manny is no stranger to politics ... he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 2010 and reportedly filed a handful of bills.

The presidential term in the Philippines in 6 years ... so, if he doesn't run in 2022 ... he'd have to wait until 2028, when Manny would be 49 years old.

But before we see if he can win an election, there's a tiny boxing match he's gotta win first.

It's tough to cover NY Jets receiver Eric Decker.

Apparently, it's even tougher to cover his penis ... 'cause his wife is pregnant with Baby #2 ... and she tells us the kid wasn't exactly planned.

We got country superstar Jessie James Decker out in NYC this morning ... who's due in September BTW ... and she told us a 2nd kid was always in the cards, but didn't expect it so soon!

Sort of a pleasant surprise kind of a thing.

Question is ... do you ever tell that to the kid? We asked Jessie ... she had a pretty good explanation.

Dwight Howard's ex Royce Reed is FURIOUS that the NBA star is off the hook in his child abuse case ... telling close friends their 7-year-old son is still "terrified" of his father.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Howard was investigated by the Atlanta Police Dept. for allegedly hitting his son with a belt buckle last year. They ultimately decided to drop the case.

Now, we've learned Reed is fuming over the decision -- with one source close to Reed telling us, "She's extremely upset by the way the system neglected to defend her son."

"She never asked for Dwight to be arrested. She asked for him to get help and take parenting classes. Her child is terrified of his father."

We reached out to Dwight's camp for comment -- and his attorney told us, "Several law enforcement agencies have thoroughly investigated the allegations and all decided against filing charges."

Fun Fact -- The winners of the Matt Ryan Celebrity-Am Classic golf tourney get a football personally autographed by Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan.

Funner Fact -- Matt Ryan's group won the tourney.

Don't worry, Matt ended up giving the prize to one of the kids at the Aflac Cancer Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta ... the organization that Matt was raising money for.

The kid is cancer survivor Justin Berry (who was also the keynote speaker at the event) -- and according to our friend Craig Sager Jr., Matty even personalized the ball for him.

Ex-NFL running back Lawrence Phillips -- the 6th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft -- has been named a suspect in the murder of his prison cellmate ... officials confirm.

The 39-year-old -- who played for the Rams, Dolphins and 49ers -- is serving time at Kern Valley State Prison in California ... on a 31-year sentence for all sorts of convictions, including spousal abuse.

Officials say Philips' cellmate -- 37-year-old Damion Soward -- was found in his cell around 1AM on Saturday. Soward had been locked up on a 1st degree murder conviction.

Officials say there was ANOTHER murder in the prison on the same day -- and that victim's cellmate is also the main suspect in that case. Unclear if the two murders are linked.

Two things ...

1) Tom Brady took some batting practice off Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez today.

2) He bats lefty?!

The New England Patriots QB was a pretty good baseball player back in the day -- in fact, he was drafted by the Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft (as a catcher, not a pitcher).

But at Fenway Park on Monday, #12 proved he's handy with the wood as well ... from a lefty stance ... even though he throws with his right hand on the football field.

Hugo Boss is out ... Nike is in -- at least that's the way it seems when it comes to the "Rocky" franchise ... with Apollo Creed's grandson decked out in Swoosh gear on the set of the upcoming "Creed" movie.

But get this -- there's no official sponsorship deal in play ... it's as simple as Nike sent over a bunch of free stuff to the set and essentially said, "Feel free to use this in your new movie."

A rep for Nike tells us ... their "entertainment team" will often send merch to movie productions hoping producers will use their stuff on camera. If they do, it's great free publicity. If not, no big deal.

Well, the Rocky people bit ... with Michael B. Jordan dressed in Nike clothing in the first official picture from the set -- which Sylvester Stallone eventually posted on Instagram.

FYI -- it's not the first major apparel company to get some love in the Rocky flicks ... Balboa famously cradled a dying Apollo Creed in a Boss hoodie in "Rocky IV."

Tommy Gunn sported an Adidas track suit in "Rocky V" ... and Mason "The Line" Dixon was partial to Under Armour in "Rocky Balboa."

Darren Sharper has been KICKED OUT of his college Hall of Fame -- with officials at the College of William & Mary telling us they refuse to continue to honor a convicted rapist.

Sharper was inducted into the W&M Hall of Fame back in 2008 ... after a stellar collegiate career that led to an impressive run in the NFL.

Now, after Sharper pled guilty in rape cases in multiple states ... and after receiving criticism from high profile alums ... the school has decided to throw Sharper out of the Hall.

"After a period of thoughtful deliberation, the decision has been made to remove Darren Sharper from the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame," athletics director Terry Driscoll tells us.

Lauren Hill is still having a major impact on the war on cancer ... even after her death -- TMZ Sports has learned her foundation received a major surge in donations in the hours after she passed away.

A rep for The Cure Starts Now Foundation tells us ... they received more than $42,000 in donations through Lauren's Club 22 fundraising organization since Friday from people wishing to honor Hill's memory.

So far, the foundation has received more than $1.5 million in donations through Club 22 -- named after Lauren's basketball jersey number.

A memorial for Hill will be held tonight at Xavier University -- where Lauren played her first college basketball game for Mt. Saint Joseph.

We're told event organizers are expecting a packed house ... and sadly, may have to turn some people away if they hit capacity.

A private funeral will take place on Wednesday -- but it's only for close friends and family.

The person selling Aaron Hernandez's official jail I.D. card from Suffolk County jail in Mass. says eBay has shut down the auction ... so he's moved it over to Craigslist.

We broke the story ... the seller says he "happened to come across the I.D." while he was locked up in jail with Hernandez ... and managed to smuggle the item out of the clink. Starting bid was $500.

But now, the seller says his plan hit a speed bump ... when he got an email from the auction site saying they suspended his account.

We reached out to eBay for comment -- but haven't heard back.

The seller tells TMZ Sports he's still optimistic about making a deal ... and has upped the asking price to $5,000.

So far, no word from Hernandez either -- since he's still on trial for murder.

Dwight Howard will NOT face criminal charges for allegedly beating his then 6-year-old son Braylon with a belt buckle ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the NBA star was being investigated by the Atlanta Police Department over an incident that went down in Georgia back in August 2014.

We spoke with Howard's attorney David Oscar Markus who told us, "We are gratified that the Atlanta Police Department, after fully examining the frivolous allegations against Dwight Howard, has closed the case and decided not to proceed with charges."