TMZ Sports - Page 50

Maybe Terrell Owens ain't so crazy after all ... because beloved ex-NY Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz tells TMZ Sports it might be time to finally sit Eli Manning.

Remember, T.O. strongly called for the Giants to move on from #10 -- saying the skills are "eroding" and "the writing's on the wall."

So, when we saw Cruz -- who won Super Bowl 46 after the 2011 season with Manning -- we had to ask if the Giants should bench their legendary QB.

"Maybe, yes at the moment," Cruz said ... "just to see what I got in my future. Just to see what's going on."

In other words, the Giants should test their backups to see if anyone can get the offense going.

The problem for the Giants -- their backup QB, Kyle Lauletta, was arrested in New Jersey earlier this week after cops say he almost ran over an officer with his car during a stop.

Might not be the right time to anoint him the QB of the future ...

As for Eli, if the Giants really do want to move on -- but Eli still wants to play in the League -- Cruz says he doesn't think Manning would have a problem getting hired somewhere else.

"It would be weird to see him in another jersey," Cruz told us ... "but I think he'll find a job somewhere for sure."

Deion Sanders is declaring the Oakland Raiders UNWATCHABLE ... calling Jon Gruden's team straight-up GARBAGE after losing to the 49ers.

AND, HE'S RIGHT -- THEY WERE TRASH THURSDAY NIGHT!!! SOMEONE COME GET YA RAIDAS!!

The Raiders fell to 1-7 after getting torched by San Francisco's 3RD-STRING quarterback, Nick Mullens, 34-3 on "Thursday Night Football" ... and Prime says he couldn't find the TV remote fast enough.

"I'm sorry, I can't take this no more. PLEASE, could somebody get these Raiders off my TV??" Sanders says.

During the game, the camera showed Gruden getting into it with his defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther ... and now there's speculation PG could get the axe.

Problem for Gruden, it wasn't just defense -- his offense STUNK too!!!

As for Chuck, Gruden says he still believes the Raiders will win a championship in the near future.

The NFL is finally caving to pressure and booking an ATL-based musical act for Super Bowl LIII, but fans hoping to see local culture in the halftime show will still be disappointed ... TMZ has learned.

The R&B act is a group called Final Draft and, while the Super Bowl is a huge score for them ... they'll be more of a side act at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As you know, Maroon 5 is holding court as the halftime headliner -- a decision many fans and even artists, like Waka Flocka, blasted the league for making.

The feeling is the NFL's missing out on showcasing Atlanta's hugely popular and successful hip-hop scene.

We're told Final Draft will perform at the Players Tailgate party, about 3 blocks away from the stadium. No tickets are needed, just show up and enjoy. The group will also perform later at the GameDay Fan Plaza ... which, at least, is inside the stadium.

Prior to this, Final Draft's big break came on season 12 of "America's Got Talent" where they reached the quarterfinals -- and they've also appeared on Wendy Williams' show.

As we first reported, Cardi B was in negotiations to join Maroon 5 for part of the halftime show. As far as we know, that's still in play.

It wasn't the players taking a knee during the national anthem on "Thursday Night Football" -- it was a 49ers cheerleader.

Right before San Francisco took on the Oakland Raiders Thursday night, one of the women from the squad followed Colin Kaepernick's lead ... and took a knee for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

So far, the woman's identity has not been revealed and neither the team nor the cheerleading squad has commented publicly about it.

Guessing that'll change very shortly.

Of course, the kneeling demonstration BEGAN in San Francisco with Kaepernick. Soon, some of his 49ers teammates (like Eric Reid) joined him. It later spread throughout the league.

Now, Colin is out of the league -- and he believes he's being blackballed because of the protest.

The league had threatened to punish players who didn't stand for the anthem -- but later did away with plans to enforce that policy.

When the Boston Red Sox hit an L.A. nightclub to celebrate their World Series title, they bought 169 bottles of champagne and left a $195,000 tip, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

As we previously reported, the Sox hit up the Sunday party at Nightingale Plaza thrown by Made Nightlife where star players like Mookie Betts, Steve Pearce and J.D. Martinez turned it all the way up to celebrate beating the Dodgers.

We knew the total bill was around $300,000 -- but now we've seen the itemized receipt and confirmed it's legit.

The rundown ...

48 bottles of Dom. 43 bottles of Ace of Spades. 60 bottles of Moet. 5 bottles of Veuve. 12 bottles of Perrier-Jouet. And, a bottle of Cristal for good measure.

On top of that, the guys also got bottles of Don Julio, Belvedere vodka, 11 bottles of Jameson and 17 bottles of Jack Daniels.

All of the booze plus the tax and other fees added up to around $300k. The tip was around $195k ... totaling an even $500,000 final bill.

More trouble for ex-NBA player Sebastian Telfair -- this time, it's money problems ... 'cause the 2004 1st-round NBA Draft pick is now in the hole for more than $40k to American Express.

It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... which shows the 33-year-old former high school phenom never paid his $43,051.69 bill to the credit card company -- and now they're trying to collect.

Shocking considering Telfair -- a once promising player -- reportedly made more than $19 million during his 10-year career in the NBA.

It's just the latest in a string of problems for Telfair who was arrested in June 2017 after cops say he was illegally in possession of a bunch of guns, bullets and weed.

Telfair's case went in front of a judge this week -- and his attorney argued to have the charges dropped. But, the judge denied Telfair's request and the case will move forward.

He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Nothing can slow down Salt Bae ... except maybe a parachute.

The Turkish chef/Internet sensation was down on Miami Beach for Halloween going through some intense workouts ... thanks to this resistance chute. Can't knock the chute ... especially when you can flex your gains.

If you're in need for a little refresher ... Salt Bae's the famous butcher whose January 2017 video showing him suavely sprinkling Maldon salt flakes on some bone-in steak IMMEDIATELY took off. It undoubtedly forever changed how we sprinkle everything.

Fact is ... Salt Bae was legit way before his vid went viral. Remember, he owns a chain of Nusr-Et steakhouses in Miami, Turkey, the Middle East and he opened his 9th restaurant in Midtown Manhattan nearly a year after his video spread across the globe. He even has his own wax figure.

But, go ahead ... take it with a grain of salt. Just remember how it's sprinkled.

Kawhi Leonard doesn't talk much, let alone sing -- but Tory Lanez doesn't seem to give a crap ... he wants the Raptors superstar on a track ASAP!!!!

Lanez is from Toronto -- and he's got so much love for what Kawhi's been able to do in his first few games in The 6 ... he's ready for a collab.

"That'd be great," Lanez tells TMZ Sports ... "We should do it. Just 'cause we both in Toronto and we both ballin', right?!?!"

Of course ... nobody knows if Leonard even has the capability to sing or rap (remember when he could barely laugh???) -- but Lanez appears to see that as a minor issue.

BTW ... for as much as Tory loves Kawhi these days -- he tells us the forward will NEVER be as good as Vince Carter ... and ya gotta hear why the rapper is convinced that's a fact.

And, if you want more from Tory, he was recently a guest on Van Lathan's 'The Red Pill' podcast where he talked about another hotly debated basketball topic ... his jump shot.

Here's the scariest thing we've seen this Halloween -- O.J. Simpson.

Oh, also he's dressed up as a gynecologist ... which is way scarier than run of the mill O.J..

The ex-con spent his Halloween evening at the Blue Martini Lounge in Las Vegas, Nevada -- one of his fave haunts -- dressed up as an OB/GYN ... with the name Dr. Seymour Bush written on his doctor's coat lapel.

GET IT? SEYMOUR BUSH!!! Juice got jokes, y'all.

As usual, there were no lack of fans lining up to take photos with O.J., despite ... you know.

As far as we know, no one was stabbed to death at the bar that night. Only 2 questions remain: Where did O.J. get that jacket, and has anyone seen the real Dr. Bush?

Seriously ...

10:56 AM PT -- Evander Kane and his attorney have issued a statement adamantly denying the allegations in the suit.

"We’ve received notice of the filing of a lawsuit by someone referred to as Jane Doe alleging a breach of contract against Evander Kane," the statement reads.

"We firmly believe that this lawsuit is baseless both factually and legally. We will aggressively defend this claim in court on Evander’s behalf and assert all applicable counterclaims."

NHL superstar Evander Kane is being sued by a woman who claims he promised to pay her $3 MILLION to abort their child ... so she did ... but he never ponied up the dough.

It's all in a lawsuit filed by a woman using the alias "Jane Doe" to protect her identity. In the suit, the woman claims she started dating Kane in 2015.

Doe claims Kane got her pregnant in 2016 -- but they both agreed to get an abortion.

They continued to have a sexual relationship and he knocked her up again in 2017. Doe claims Kane pressured her to abort again because a baby would damage his hockey career ... and also ruin the relationship he had with his official "girlfriend."

The woman ultimately agreed to a 2nd abortion.

Then in May 2018, Doe claims Kane got her pregnant for a 3rd time -- even though she had used Plan B as a last-ditch attempt at birth control.

But, this time, Doe claims she did not want to abort -- which caused problems with Kane.

In her suit, Doe claims Kane told her proceeding with the pregnancy would be a "huge mistake" so he started "bullying" her into seeking a 3rd abortion.

When she refused, Doe claims Kane offered her $1 million to change her mind. She told him no. So, Kane came back with a $3 million offer ... and it was an offer Doe admits she couldn't refuse.

Doe claims she had the abortion in June 2018 -- but Kane never made good on the $3 million payment.

When she followed up with him, Doe claims Kane strung her along ... until finally telling her he wasn't going to make the payment.

She claims Kane tried to turn the tables and accused her of extortion -- and ultimately instructed her to solely deal with his attorney.

The woman is suing for more than $6 MILLION for the $3 million payment -- AND other damages including intentional infliction of emotional distress.

We've reached out to Kane's attorney for comment -- so far, no word back.

27-year-old Kane is one of the best hockey players in the NHL -- and recently signed a 7-year, $49 million contract extension.

Kane was the 4th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and went on to score 190 goals in his career ever since.

It's Rachel Bush's 21st birthday ... and if you've made it this far in the text, it's probably because you're wondering who this woman is besides being someone who's good at taking sexy photos.

So, allow us to enlighten you.

Bush is married to Buffalo Bills star safety Jordan Poyer and the two have a kid together. They've been together for about 3 years now and tied the knot back in February. Why are you still reading?

Rachel's super popular as a bikini model ... and has a huge fan base on Instagram with more than 700k followers. Once again, if you aren't scrolling through the gallery yet, that's some serious self-control.

Rachel rang in her 21st year on Thursday by posing with her birthday cake while sporting some lingerie. Seriously, what else do we need to say!?

She's also been in some pretty heated public beef with other attractive ladies -- but again, that's not really what you're here for right now.

Cops have released video of Stephen Bonnar's DUI arrest -- when he was taken down by a group of concerned citizens -- and the footage is crazy and scary at the same time.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the UFC Hall of Famer was driving like a maniac on a Nevada highway on Sunday afternoon, roughly 10 miles from the Vegas Strip.

When the Highway Patrol arrived to the scene, Bonnar was so drunk that he was passed out in the front seat. The officer dragged the 41-year-old out of his car and a group of citizens helped restrain him on the ground.

At least one of the citizens was carrying a gun.

As cops tried to place handcuffs on him, Bonnar woke up and began to resist.

One member of the group tells Bonnar, "You picked the wrong group of guys, dude."

With help from the citizens, cops eventually got him cuffed and transported him to a nearby station where he was booked for 3rd-degree felony DUI.

Cops say Bonnar reeked of booze. Medical staff also responded to the scene and determined nothing was medically abnormal, he was just drunk.

Steph Curry has teamed up with Viola Davis to make a documentary about the 2015 church shooting in Charleston in which 9 African Americans were killed.

The movie is called "Emanuel" -- named after the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

The victims had been participating in a bible study session when then 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof walked in and opened fire.

According to Curry's production company, Unanimous Media, the documentary "features intimate interviews with survivors and family members who were left to grapple with this senseless act of terror."

The movie is being promoted as a "poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, and the healing power of forgiveness."

Roof was captured and later pled guilty to state murder charges. A federal court sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

Remember, one of the most powerful moments from the whole ordeal was at Roof's first court appearance when family members of one of the victims told Roof they forgive him.

With multiple once-promising NFL teams down to emergency QBs -- from the 49ers to the Bills -- Colin Kaepernick's phone is still not ringing ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The Bills are turning to Nathan Peterman. The 49ers are considering undrafted free agent Nick Mullens. The NY Giants' backup prodigy Kyle Lauletta just got arrested for allegedly almost running over a cop.

And, with Blake Bortles in trouble in Jacksonville, the #2 quarterback for the Jags is Cody Kessler.

There's more ... but you get the point.

Still, sources connected to Kaepernick tell us while journeyman Matt Barkley (8 career TDs, 18 career INTs) got the call from Buffalo, no one has reached out to Colin (72 career TDs, 30 INTs).

When asked why Buffalo didn't kick the tires on Colin, head coach Sean McDermott said, "I know Brandon [Beane] is always looking at all the different options that are available to us, so we’ll leave it at that."

Whatever that means ...

As we previously reported, Kap is still training like a maniac -- working out and throwing every morning at 5 AM with his trainer.

People close to Colin tell us he's staying ready in case that call comes.

How does it feel to be the BEST tight end in Fantasy Football?

It actually SUCKS when you don't own yourself! Just ask Eric Ebron!

The Indianapolis Colts tight end is having a crazy year -- with 7 TDs (more than any other TE in football) and no signs of slowing down!

So, what's the problem? Eric says he loves to play FF -- but this year, his best friend drafted him before he could draft himself ... and the points he's been putting up are killing him!

Remember that game against the Patriots where Ebron had 9 grabs for 105 yards and 2 scores? Yeah, Eric says he was playing his buddy that week.

The good news -- Eric says he's having a blast playing with the Colts and LOVES his new QB Andrew Luck, telling TMZ Sports he believes Luck's the best in the league right now.

In fact, Ebron says the two have really bonded since he came to Indy from the Detroit Lions -- they sit together in meetings, they run routes before practice and they get along outside the office.

"He's like a nerdy goofball," Ebron jokes ... noting that Luck's one of the hardest working dudes in the league.

Barry Bonds says he's been crying over the death of his good friend and mentor, Willie McCovey -- but says he promises to pass along the wisdom he learned from the SF Giants legend.

Bonds and McCovey formed a very strong bond over the years -- with McCovey recently blasting the Baseball Hall of Fame voters for not inducting Barry. He called it a "sin."

So, when Bonds learned McCovey had passed away Wednesday, he was devastated.

"Mac, I am crying over losing you even when you told me not to," Bonds wrote.

"I remember asking you what I would do without all of you around. You told me when that day comes - and it will one day - to keep the tradition of Giants baseball living forever."

"You told me to help the next generation of ball players get better. You told me to be thankful that we had so much time to spend together and talk about the love we have for the game, San Francisco, the Giants and for each other."

"You wanted me to be happy that we had a love and friendship that will never disappear and will be in our hearts forever."

"Uncle Mac thank you for your mentorship and unconditional love for me and my family. You will be dearly missed."

McCovey was a beast on the field -- one of only 4 Giants players in the elite 500 Club ... along with legends like Willie Mays, Mel Ott and Barry.

McCovey was 80.