TMZ Sports - Page 50

Lance Armstrong is still pissed that fellow admitted cheater Alex Rodriguez has essentially been forgiven by society while he's still considered a villain -- since Lance says he's done WAY more to help people.

"A-Rod didn't raise half a BILLION dollars and try to save people's lives," Armstrong said on the "Today" show ... obviously referring to the work he did with the Livestrong foundation.

Armstrong then threw even more shade at the baseball player ... sarcastically saying, "Look, it's great when somebody hits home runs and maybe does an event here and there for the Boys & Girls Club."

Armstrong has previously griped about A-Rod ... telling "Freakonomics Radio" back in July, "The one key thing is that Alex Rodriguez was allowed to come back and play. And, Alex Rodriguez was part of a team sport. And thirdly, Alex Rodriguez never stood for anything else other than baseball."

The woman who claims she was attacked by NFL star Reuben Foster says reps from the 49ers tried to undermine her credibility with police during the investigation ... telling cops she had lied about domestic violence in the past.

Elissa Ennis appeared on "Good Morning America" Thursday where she accused Foster of roughing her up on 3 separate occasions ... including the Nov. 24 incident at a team hotel in Tampa, Florida.

As we previously reported, Ennis called 911 and told the operator Foster had slapped her and roughed her up during a dispute. He's since been charged with 1 count of misdemeanor domestic violence. She revealed the injury photos during the interview with 'GMA.'

Ennis told 'GMA' they had been arguing because she threatened to tell his new girlfriend that he paid for her flight out to Florida to see him.

"Even when I called the police, the 49ers came up there," Ennis said ... "I have pictures of the 49ers coming up there trying to talk to the police telling them I'm the same ex-girlfriend that set up there and lied."

The 49ers have not commented on Ennis' claims.

She's referring to the previous domestic violence allegations she made against Foster back in February -- when she told officials Foster beat the daylights out of her in their California home ... but later recanted her story and told a judge she made the whole thing up.

Now, Ennis admits she lied in court to protect Foster -- saying, "I did what I had to do for the person I love. I thought that he would change, anybody in my position would do the same thing."

Foster was cut by the 49ers -- but later picked up by the Washington Redskins and Ennis claims she was "shocked" another NFL team would take a chance on such a bad guy.

Ennis says she's now getting help and realizes her relationship with Foster was destructive and "not love."

Ice Cube is jacked up for Lamar Odom's dreams of a pro basketball comeback ... but he says there is a catch if the ex-Laker wants to make it in the BIG3 ...

"He's still gotta try out like everybody else."

Yup ... Ice Cube ain't doing the 2-time NBA champ any favors -- telling TMZ Sports, L.O.'s gotta work out just like the rest of the ballers who want in on his 3-on-3 league.

But ... Cube tells us video he saw recently of Odom on the court and in the gym was promising -- and he's hopeful Lamar can make a squad.

That said, Cube notes that Odom was training in a gym without elite players trying to shut him down -- and the game is A LOT different when there's a defense on the court.

Cube's advice on the next steps Odom needs to take to make it? "Get healthy, get in shape and get to the combine!"

Seems Lamar's already on it ...

Our TMZ photog was out in Washington D.C. today covering the George H.W. Bush funeral ... when Roger Goodell came walking down the street.

So, we had to ask about the obvious issue involving the NFL and TMZ ... Kareem Hunt.

We got right next to the NFL Commish and asked him if he thinks Hunt will ever play another down in the league. We asked some follow-up questions too.

But, Goodell wasn't ready to have that conversation.

The NFL has issued several statements on the Kareem Hunt situation so it's not like the league is stonewalling the media -- but so far, we haven't heard from Goodell directly.

Back in 2014 during the Ray Rice situation, Goodell held a press conference and took questions from reporters about the league's attempts to obtain the video.

So far, we haven't heard of any plans for Goodell to hold a similar media event in regards to Kareem Hunt.

The Cleveland Police Dept. says one of its officers leaked a copy of the Kareem Hunt police report to the NFL back in February -- and now it's launched an internal investigation.

"Following an internal review, it has been determined that in February 2018 a member of the Cleveland Division of Police provided a copy of the police report involving the February 10, 2018 assault incident at The 9 to a representative from the National Football League," the PD said.

"The report did not go through the official public records request process."

So, what's the takeaway? The statement implies the NFL did go outside of official channels in an effort to gather information about the incident.

The CPD also says it's looking into the "overall response" by the PD regarding the Hunt incident -- but did not get specific about other issues.

One big question ... why didn't the responding officers make more of an effort to view the surveillance video on the night of the incident?

The woman was seen on police body cam video begging the officers to view the tapes -- but cops said they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

Lincoln Riley tried to poach ... so did Arkansas and Notre Dame -- but Ohio State's top recruit (a stud WR from Texas) says he's sticking with the Buckeyes, despite Urban Meyer's retirement.

"If coach [Ryan] Day is going to be leading the team, then I'm going to be there right beside him," Garrett Wilson tells TMZ Sports.

It's great news for the Buckeyes -- Wilson is a 5-star recruit who some say is the best wide receiver prospect to ever commit to Ohio State.

It's been a wild year at OSU -- between the Zach Smith scandal, Meyer's suspension, and now Urban stepping down -- but Wilson says he's all set to sign later this month regardless.

Why?? The senior from Lake Travis H.S. in Texas explains it's all 'cause of the man OSU tabbed to replace Urban -- Ryan Day.

"If coach Day is going to be the head coach, then I'm 100 percent done. I trust in him, I love him."

Other schools tried to sway him from that opinion ... the 5-star recruit said Oklahoma, Arkansas, Notre Dame and others all reached out after Urban's announcement.

But, the WR -- who some consider the top recruit in the country -- says there wasn't a chance ... especially after he spoke with Urban a few days ago.

"He called me, which meant a lot."

As for Meyer's health ... Wilson says the coach told him, "he was putting himself at risk" by going out and coaching every day ... but he expects to see him around when he gets to school next year.

"He's gonna have a football office on the campus!"

Guess that means Urban will still be around plenty to enjoy this next year ...

Emotional moment between Brian Ortega and his UFC 231 opponent, Max Holloway -- when Ortega told Max he's been praying for him ever since the Hawaiian's health scare back in July.

Brian and Max are set to fight each other on Saturday -- it'll be Max's first time in the Octagon since he backed out of UFC 226 with "concussion-like symptoms" just days before the fight.

Holloway says he never got a clear answer about his health -- so he's launched a "private medical investigation" to find out what happened to him.

Still, he's been cleared to fight Ortega -- and at the pre-fight press conference in Toronto on Wednesday, Brian got very serious when asked about Max's health.

"At the end of the day, I really do care about your health and how you are and how you're doing," Ortega told Holloway.

"I know you've got a son. I mean, bullsh*t aside, I know we're fighting and all that sh*t, but I do hope you're alright."

Ortega continued ... "I pray for you. Swear to god."

The crowd cheered and Holloway appeared to thank Ortega for the kind words.

UFC star Kamaru Usman says Dana White offered him a fight with Colby Covington next month ... and he's waiting on Donald Trump's favorite fighter to sign the contract.

Both fighters have been dying to get a shot at the welterweight champ Tyron Woodley -- and it seems the winner of the proposed January 19 bout would get their wish.

TMZ Sports talked to Usman ... who tells us Dana called this week and made the offer.

Kamaru ain't exactly confident the fight will actually happen ... saying Colby has refused to accept the match on 4 other occasions in the past.

So yeah, Kamaru and Colby hate each other ... and straight-up, Usman says Covington is scared.

If he accepts, Usman vs. Covington would join a bunch of solid fights on the first UFC event on ESPN -- including Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich and Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder.

Usman just dominated Rafael dos Anjos when they clashed on Saturday night at "The Ultimate Fighter" finale.

Covington's last fight was also against RDA -- Colby scored the "W" in a 5-round decision at UFC 225 back in June.

After the fight, Colby underwent surgery to correct a nasal issue. He visited Trump at the White House in August and took a pic with POTUS while Donald held the UFC interim welterweight championship belt over his shoulder.

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

Kareem Hunt and Reuben Foster, listen up ... Ezekiel Elliott is handing down advice on how to get through the lengthy suspensions you're about to face.

"Just focus on your day-to-day life, making sure you’re winning the next day," Elliott told reporters Wednesday.

"Because when you start looking down the road, you kind of get bogged down."

Of course, Elliott has already walked a mile in Hunt and Foster's shoes ... having been accused of domestic violence and getting slapped with a subsequent suspension.

In Zeke's case ... the Cowboys superstar -- who was never arrested or charged -- was popped for 6 games and often spoke about how difficult it was to get through the month-and-a-half absence.

So, his message for Hunt and Foster this week was simple ... "Focus on day to day, doing better day to day, and things are going to work themselves out."

Cops are on the hunt for the scumbags who broke into the home of L.A. Chargers star tight end Antonio Gates and his wife, Sasha, over the weekend ... while their kids were inside the house.

Scary situation ... surveillance cameras at the San Fernando Valley home captured multiple suspects climbing a gate and stalking around the property over the weekend.

We're told the men targeted Antonio's garage where they stole a number of items and rummaged through some of Antonio's high-end cars, including a Rolls-Royce.

All the while, we're told Antonio's kids were inside the home.

The burglars never made contact with the family -- but they stole a bunch of stuff including a hoverboard belonging to one of Antonio's kids.

Cops have the surveillance footage and are hunting for the suspects.

Sources connected to the investigation tell us it appears the men may have cased the property before they struck because they knew exactly where to head once they climbed the fence.

Gates is the latest high-profile burglary victim in the area -- as we previously reported, cops have made a bunch of arrests after stars like Yasiel Puig, Robert Woods and Rihanna were also burglarized.

Unclear if cops believe the suspects in the Gates incident have any connection to the other cases.

Greg Hardy's 1st UFC opponent says he has extra motivation to destroy the ex-NFL star -- telling TMZ Sports he wants to get the victory to honor Rachael Ostovich.

Hardy is set to fight Allen Crowder at UFC on ESPN on Jan. 19 -- the same night Ostovich will return to the Octagon after her domestic violence incident.

As we previously reported, Ostovich was hospitalized last month following an altercation with her MMA fighter husband Arnold Berdon, who was later arrested and charged with assault.

Some critics are upset with the UFC -- claiming the organization is tone deaf putting Hardy and Ostovich on the same card because of Hardy's past domestic violence issues.

FYI, Hardy was found guilty of domestic violence by a judge in 2014 -- but the conviction was thrown out in 2015 when he appealed to have the case go in front of a jury ... and his accuser stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

Dana White has previously told us he's spoken with Hardy about the incident -- but he's convinced Greg is a changed man.

So, how does Greg's new opponent feel? We spoke with Crowder -- who's fought against beasts like Curtis Blaydes and Justin Willis -- and he spelled it out for us.

"I definitely want to win this fight for [Ostovich]. I'm very against men beating women. And, I'm definitely not a woman, so he's gonna have a lot harder time with me then he did the last person."

God came down from above to wake Tyson Fury up from a 12th-round knockout Saturday ... and did it so Fury and Deontay Wilder could have an epic rematch -- so says Wilder himself.

"God lifted that man up from that knockout," Deontay tells TMZ Sports ... "So now when we have the rematch, it's nothing that's going to be said."

Wilder and Fury put on a show at Staples Center in their heavyweight tilt -- all highlighted by a vicious 12th-round left hook from Wilder that put Tyson flat on his back.

"The last knockdown was a devastating one, where the eyes rolled in the back of the head," Deontay says ... "9 times out of 10, a referee would have stopped that immediately."

But, the ref didn't ... and Wilder's convinced it's all 'cause a higher power wanted to see Wilder-Fury II in a few months.

"I think he had an army of prayers around him that night, and I think God don't make mistakes, though. I think God woke that guy up for the rematch."

As for what that means for the highly anticipated Wilder-Anthony Joshua fight ... Deontay says he "don't give a f*ck" about that scrap anymore -- at least for now.

Deontay says Joshua had his shot to make the mega-fight, but right now, he's solely focused on the rematch with Tyson.

"He thought he was the only one in this sport, the biggest thing in this sport," Wilder said of Joshua.

"But, you're not. Me and Fury, that's all it's about -- me and Fury. I don't give a f*ck what they talking about ... He's on the backburner. Ain't nobody talking about him."

Jason Whitlock says there's only one way for Kareem Hunt to make it back to the NFL ... and he's giving TMZ Sports the blueprint.

"If he goes out and makes an earnest attempt to get the proper help, and continues to stay humble and contrite, makes amends with the victim -- yeah, I think he gets another shot in the NFL."

Of course ... Kareem's got a long way to go to even start down that road -- the league is mulling a huge suspension for the former Chiefs RB after TMZ Sports posted footage of him attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel.

But, once Hunt gets through that ban ... Whitlock says he's got no problem with an NFL team picking the 23-year-old up -- IF the RB gets help and shows contrition.

"I wouldn't object to that."

The host of FS1's "Speak for Yourself" also tells us why everyone needs to ease up on the NFL when it comes to policing domestic violence ... saying it shouldn't be the league's job.

"We're holding the NFL to a standard that I think is unfair. We keep beating up the NFL, 'They don't understand how to deal with domestic violence,' but the police don't either!"

Whitlock says it's time to start thinking of the NFL as what he says it actually is -- a television show.

YouTube superstar Deji says he wants REVENGE on his arch nemesis, Jake Paul, after their PPV boxing match back in August ... but there's just one small thing keeping that from happening.

"He's too p***y to fight me again."

The first fight was wild ... with Jake getting the victory when Deji's camp threw in the towel in the 5th round of their bloody slugfest.

Deji was spending some of that hard-earned fight money on Rodeo Drive this week when he was asked about the possibility of the 2 YouTubers beating each other up in the ring again -- but it sounds like it ain't happenin'.

Why?? -- "He's too scared to lose the title."

But, Jake Paul ain't the only guy Deji's beefing with right now -- turns out, he's in a real-life feud with his own brother, KSI.

KSI is reportedly furious with Deji after his lil bro posted KSI's bank statements online. Deji also made some scandalous claims involving his brother and a woman.

But, Deji says the feud runs deeper than that -- explaining, "There's a lot of stuff my brother's done."

Doesn't seem like they're even close to burying the hatchet at this point which is crazy considering how close they were.

Deji also says he's got a big problem with KSI's crew, "The Sidemen" -- a group of British YouTube stars -- and says he's never really been cool with them.

Dan Rather says he wasn't shocked to learn Urban Meyer is retiring ... telling TMZ Sports it's clear to him the Ohio State coach NEEDS to focus on his health.

Urban and the Buckeyes announced Tuesday the coach will hang up his headset after the team's Rose Bowl game next month ... and Rather thinks it's easy to see why.

"I had the impression this last season that his health was not as good as he liked it to be."

In fact ... the CBS News legend says he thinks the rigors of the Zach Smith controversy really took a toll on the coach who once left a job at Florida because of complications with a brain cyst.

Ohio State says it'll replace Meyer with offensive coordinator Ryan Day ... but Rather tells us he doesn't necessarily think this is the end of Meyer's run on a football sideline.

So, Kyrie Irving was doing a nice thing ... visiting kids at a local children's hospital when one of the kids hilariously LIT HIM UP -- and it was all 'cause of Duke!!

Uncle Drew and his Celtics teammates threw on some goofy Christmas hats and hit up Boston Children's Hospital on Tuesday ... singing carols and handing out special shoes to the tough kids getting treatment.

The kind gesture didn't keep K.I. from hilariously getting into it with one of the kids ... who gladly pointed out Irving's Blue Devils lost to Gonzaga earlier this season.

"Who won the Duke vs. Gonzaga game?!" the boy asks.

"You didn't have to bring Duke into it. Duke is fine, we were good! We're good!!" Irving clapped back ... "That's why you so mad, 'cause we're Duke!!"

The whole exchange is obviously in good fun -- and ya gotta give it up for the kid who never backed down from the NBA superstar!

Props to everyone involved.