TMZ Sports - Page 50

Colin Kaepernick and his girlfriend, Nessa, arrived to Los Angeles late Tuesday night -- which begs the question ... are ya here for business or turkey?

Kap didn't have much to say -- BUT -- you gotta see his reaction when we asked if he's NFL-ready ... one of the big topics that's been debated on social media this week. Colin's smirk says a lot.

Kaepernick and Nessa were cool with fans at LAX -- and even thanked a female fan who told the QB, "I love you so much!"

So, what's next for Colin's football career? Unclear at this point, but Nessa and Carolina Panthers star Eric Reid have insisted Kap is in shape and ready to play if he gets the call.

As we previously reported, Kaepernick is still working out every single day -- lifting, throwing and running.

With quarterbacks like Nathan Peterman -- who's horrible -- getting calls from NFL teams ... many people believe it's proof of NFL collusion.

We spoke with NFL legend Charles Woodson earlier this week who told us he doesn't think CK will get back in the league due to politics ... but thinks he still has the talent to compete at the highest level.

Khabib Nurmagomedov only has 1 fight left on his UFC contract -- and if that final UFC fight is not a bout with Floyd Mayweather -- he'll schedule it himself when he becomes a free agent.

This is the plan according to Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz who says Khabib is still deadly serious about taking on Floyd in the BOXING ring.

Remember, Dana White slammed the door on Khabib boxing Floyd, while he's still under contract with the UFC ... claiming if Floyd wants a piece of the Eagle, it'll be in the Octagon.

Ali tells TMZ Sports ... Khabib will respect Dana's wishes while he's under contract, but, once his deal is up, they're willing to contact Floyd directly and hash out a deal for a 2019 fight date.

If Floyd does agree to an MMA fight, Ali warns the guy to save up for life insurance -- "because he’s not going to be walking anymore. He’s going to be drinking water [through a] straw."

Ali claims he isn't trying to go around Dana -- he wants to work with the UFC -- but clearly feels there's too much money at stake to blow off a potential Mayweather fight.

Floyd previously told us a fight with Khabib would "definitely" score him a 9-figure paycheck -- and Khabib's side would be significant too.

Ever wonder what $9 MILLION in cash looks like? Well, here ya go ...

Here's the cash prize that's being offered to the winner of the Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson 1-on-1 golf tournament on Friday.

While the guys were getting ready for Tuesday's big media event at Shadow Creek in Nevada to promote "The Match" ... our friends at "The Vegas Take with Sharp and Shapiro" snapped a pic of the cash prize on the table in the clubhouse locker room.

Each yellow band of $100 bills contains $10,000 in cash -- and, if you need some help with the math, it takes 900 of those stacks to make $9 mil.

Phil previously told TMZ Sports ... some of the money will go to the Children of the 58 fund -- which will provide scholarships to the children of the 58 people killed in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

Another portion will go to Birdies for the Brave -- a foundation started by Phil and his wife -- dedicated to supporting wounded military vets.

The golf legends are already making personal bets with each other -- including a $200,000 wager on the 1st hole!

Venus Williams has reached a settlement with the family of the man who died in the Florida car accident she had last year ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to court docs filed in Palm Beach County, Jerome Barson's estate and the tennis star reached an agreement last week. It's unclear how much money changed hands, but according to the docs there was a financial settlement that will cover certain expenses.

Both sides are paying their own attorneys' fees in the wrongful death suit. TMZ Sports obtained surveillance video showing the brutal accident.

Jerome's wife was driving and he was the passenger in the sedan that T-boned Venus as she drove through a busy Palm Beach Gardens intersection in 2017.

Venus was cleared of criminal charges after cops determined she was "caught in the middle" of the intersection when her light turned red.

They don't call him the G.O.A.T. for nothin' ... Michael Jordan is delivering a huge assist to Hurricane Florence victims ... handing out Thanksgiving meals to those affected by the storm on Tuesday.

TMZ Sports has learned ... His Airness was dishin' out the meals in front of a Lowe's in Wilmington, North Carolina ... personally greeting and helping out the people in attendance.

It's a tragedy that hit close to home for M.J. ... he grew up in Wilmington and later went on to ball out at University of North Carolina.

ICYMI -- Jordan already donated $2 MILLION to hurricane relief and boxed meals with his Charlotte Hornets back in September.

Jordan also raised more money by selling Hornets merch with proceeds going to hurricane relief.

Not only did Jordan do the Thanksgiving giveaway ... M.J's rep, Estee Portnoy, tells us he surprised kids at the Boys & Girls Club and hooked them up with food and Jordans as well.

Chuck Liddell says he wants to avenge his 2007 loss against Rampage Jackson -- and, if he gets through Tito Ortiz this weekend, he wants a rematch.

Rampage defeated Liddell for the UFC light heavyweight title back at UFC 71 in a brutal first-round knockout.

But, 48-year-old Chuck still has revenge on the brain and tells TMZ Sports, once he smashes Tito at Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 on Saturday in L.A. ... he's got a list of people he wants to fight next.

Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort are all on the list.

As for Chuck's critics who say he looked slow and out of shape at his open workout last week, Iceman tells us they're straight-up wrong.

"I hit as hard as I ever have," Chuck says ... "I'm throwing fast and I'm moving and I'm in great shape."

Chuck also says this fight ain't about the money -- and rumors he's broke and desperate for cash are crap.

Ex-Michigan State president Lou Anna Simon has been charged with lying to cops to cover up the Larry Nassar scandal ... and now she's facing years behind bars.

The ex-prez has been charged with 2 felony and 2 misdemeanor counts after an investigation determined she lied about knowing of complaints against Nassar in 2014.

According to court docs, the felony counts carry up to 4 years in prison and the misdemeanors up to 2 years.

In the docs, Simon said she was aware of a review of allegations against a sports doctor, but didn't reveal she knew it was Nassar.

Simon resigned from her position in January ... shortly after Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse.

This is the 3rd school official charged as a result of the investigation into the Nassar scandal ... the school's former dean of Osteopathic Medicine, William Strampel, and ex-gymnastics coach Kathie Klages were also charged.

For the 26th year in a row, Shaq-A-Claus is coming to town -- giving out thousands of toys to kids in need -- and the Big Fella's reason for launching the program is DEFINITELY gonna give you the feels.

Shaquille O'Neal joined the guys on "TMZ Live" and explained how he started his Shaq-A-Claus initiative back in 1992 after someone very special to him asked to borrow money to buy gifts for underprivileged kids.

The NBA legend was so moved, he opened up his bank account -- and got a moving truck (he doesn't really fit in your standard sleigh) -- and brought Christmas gifts to kids with nothing under the tree.

This year, Shaq says he's teaming up with Zappos -- the shoe giant -- to make the program bigger than ever before.

Zappos is essentially offering to cover shipping costs to donate toys through its website -- and will match toy donations on Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Future and Drake turned ATL's famed Magic City strip club into "Future City" for the rapper's birthday, but the party was cut short when a report of gunfire brought cops to the scene ... TMZ has learned.

Sources say Future and Drake's invite-only party brought in rappers Lil Yachty, Jacquees, Pastor Troy, Casino, MJAE The Great & 550 and Atlanta Falcons stud Julio Jones. Solid guest list and they pulled out all the stops with the 3 Bs -- tons of booze, booty-shaking and bands of cash.

We're told Drake literally backed up an armored truck to deliver six figures ... to make it rain on the strippers. Throw in 30 bottles of Hennessey, 30 bottles of Don Julio and another few thousand for Indaglow Productions to rebrand the club, "Future City" -- and ya got all ya need for the party of the year.

One problem though ... Atlanta PD responded at 3 AM to reports of fighting and gunfire. We're told officers found no evidence to support the gunshot claim, but the vibe was definitely killed and people started clearing out.

11/20 -- The NBA has fined Kevin Durant $25,000 for "directing inappropriate language toward a fan"

2:38 PM PT -- Another witness tells TMZ Sports ... the hecklers had been bombarding KD with the "cupcake" insults to the point where it became unbearable.

That witness tells us KD complained to the refs at one point but the fans were not removed or disciplined in any way.

The witness says KD's explicit outburst was completely justified.

Kevin Durant went off on a heckler who was sitting courtside at the Mavs game this weekend -- telling the guy, "Watch the f**king game and shut the f**k up."

It all went down during the 1st quarter of the Warriors vs. Mavs game in Dallas on Saturday.

One witness who was sitting in spitting distance from the incident tells us ... the heckler was just saying the typical NBA fan trash talk -- calling KD names like, "Cupcake" and other insults.

But, KD wasn't having it -- walking over to the group, leaning in ... and cussing the guys out.

Did Durant's warning work? Nope.

We're told the group laughed off the incident because they knew they got to him and ramped up the trash talk even more for the rest of the game.

Ultimately, the Mavs BEAT the Warriors 112 to 109 ... with KD dropping 32 points.

It ain't the first time KD's had to deal with hecklers -- he got into it with some trash talkers back in June and was held back when the guys shouted out that his alma mater (University of Texas) is "butt."

Brock Lesnar's personal "advocate," Paul Heyman, tells TMZ Sports ... the only real thing standing in the way of a UFC fight with Daniel Cormier is the size of his paycheck.

Of course, Brock and DC have been unofficially promoting a fight for months -- but there's no deal in place and Dana White recently told us Cormier's team wants him to retire now.

So, when we saw Heyman -- Lesnar's right-hand man -- we asked what it's gonna take to make the fight happen.

"As long as Daniel Cormier has the balls to step into the Octagon and put his title up against Brock Lesnar, and UFC comes up with the money for Brock Lesnar, I don't see anything that would keep Brock Lesnar from taking the fight."

Cormier has said he will NOT take any fights after his 40th birthday -- March 20, 2019 -- so, if this fight's gonna come together ... they gotta move pretty fast.

And, since Heyman has been so damn successful as an "advocate" in the WWE, we asked what it would take for him to rep Conor McGregor ... if the Irishman chooses to go down that road later in his career.

We all knew Steph Curry's clutch under pressure ... but the dude just took it to a whole 'nother level ... getting behind the needle and inkin' up his own personal tattoo artist!!

The Golden State Warriors superstar met up with the guy behind his body art -- Zebra Tattoo artist Nino Lapid -- on Monday night ... giving him one hell of a birthday present ...

A PERMANENT AUTOGRAPH ON HIS LEG!!!

Lapid is the same guy commissioned for a private tat sesh for the Curry fam after the Warriors beat up on the Cavs last year ... so they're a really tight group.

It's not every day you get tatted by a 2-time NBA MVP ... but that's not all that went down last night -- Steph's wife, Ayesha, and teammate Damion Lee got in on the fun too!!

Luckily for Nino ... it looks like Steph's hand was as steady as his shot.

Ray Rice was welcomed warmly by Baltimore Ravens fans almost 5 years after his infamous domestic violence incident ... with the crowd breaking out a "Ray! Ray! Ray!" chant.

It all went down Sunday ... when Ray was making his first appearance at a Ravens game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore since he was cut by the team in Sept. 2014.

The Ravens initially stuck by the star running back until TMZ Sports published video showing the Feb. 15, 2014 attack on his now-wife, Janay Rice, inside an elevator at an Atlantic City casino.

But now, it seems the two sides have made up -- Ray was invited to participate in the team's "Legends of the Game" ceremony along with stars from the 2008 Ravens team.

So, why the warm reception? Ever since he was cut, Ray has spent countless hours speaking with young athletes so they don't make the same bad decisions he did.

Ray's wife, Janay, praised her husband after the game -- saying, "It was a memorable day being welcomed back into our home of 7 years, M&T Bank Stadium!"

"I’m so proud of my husband for overcoming yet another hurdle in this journey and doing it with a smile on his face. Never once letting any circumstance change who he truly is."

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich has filed for a restraining order against her MMA fighter husband, Arnold Berdon, in the wake of a violent incident over the weekend ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Rachael filed for the order herself in Hawaii on Nov. 19 -- and based on court docs, it appears the order was temporarily granted and is set to stay in effect until May 18, 2019.

As we previously reported, Ostovich was hospitalized with a broken orbital bone along with other injuries after an incident in Hawaii.

Multiple sources tell us ... Ostovich is pointing the finger at Berdon and that's why she's filed the restraining order.

Cops have opened a felony domestic violence investigation but have not released the name of the suspect.

We spoke with a family member who is very close with Berdon, who tells us Arnold is seeking a lawyer and intends to defend himself against allegations he attacked his wife.

We're told Berdon will argue he was attacked first and defended himself.

Berdon is also a pro MMA fighter. He's 27 years old with a 7-2 record, according to Sherdog.com.

He's listed at 5'9" and 135 lbs. Berdon's last fight was back in June -- a unanimous decision victory over Jeremias Fernandez.

Move over Tom Brady ... Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports he won't be surprised if we're all callin' Patrick Mahomes the new GOAT by the time his career reaches its end.

"I think he has a chance to go down as one of the ... if not the finest," the legendary coach says.

Patrick lit up the Rams for 478 passing yards and 6 TDs Monday night ... and when we spoke with Dick about the performance Tuesday -- he couldn't have been more impressed.

In fact ... Vermeil -- who previously coached both the Rams and Chiefs -- says he'd straight-up take Pat over Jared Goff and any other young QBs in the league right now.

"I've never seen anything like him," Vermeil says ... "He can do it all. He can throw off balance, upside down and backwards and throw a completed pass. He has unbelievable poise."

"I don't see any limitation."

Vermeil says it's Mahomes' age that impresses him the most, telling us a 23-year-old in his 2nd year shouldn't be able to do the things the Chiefs star is currently doing.

"He's way ahead of everybody else at the same time!"

We also spoke with Dick about the Rams ... and he loves them too -- but says Goff and the guys still have some proving to do before they can be compared with his old Rams squads.

By the way, if you notice the Chiefs logo on Dick's shirt -- he swears he's not picking favorites ... it's just "gym clothes."

Shareef O'Neal might not be on the court at UCLA this year but he's still finding a way to give the rest of the PAC-12 fits ... 'cause he's getting in early on a BLUE-CHIP L.A recruit ... LeBron James Jr.

14-year-old Bronny hit the UCLA game Monday with his brother, Bryce, and the rest of the O'Neal kids -- including his current Crossroads schoolmate, Shaqir O'Neal.

The whole crew was there to support Shareef -- a member of the UCLA team who's sidelined this season due to a heart condition. As we previously reported, he'll be undergoing surgery next month.

The O'Neals and the James families are REALLY close ... so all of this could just be a fun night out, but you have to wonder if hanging around Westwood is gonna give the Bruins an inside track on Bronny for 2023.

We can't be sure about that, it's too early to tell ... but we are 100% sure about one thing.

These kids are growing like beanstalks, seriously. We have to know what Shaq, Shaunie, LeBron, and Savannah are feeding these children.