TMZ Sports - Page 50

DITKA IS BACK, BABY!!!

The legendary coach tells TMZ Sports he feels great after suffering a heart attack back in November -- and he's already cracking jokes and golfing again!!

79-year-old Mike Ditka was hospitalized following the medical emergency and doctors decided to implant a pacemaker.

Ditka says he realizes he's lucky doctors were able to successfully treat him and he's focused on enjoying life because he realizes he ain't gonna live forever.

"How long this [pacemaker] will ride out? I don't know ... but I'm gonna try to make it last."

Ditka says he was overwhelmed by all of the support he received from the NFL community -- and tells TMZ Sports he can't wait to support his Chicago Bears when they take on the Eagles on Sunday.

Ditka won't be at the game, he'll be watching from home -- but he explains why he thinks the Bears are a force to be reckoned with.

Nic Naitanui is one of the GREATEST athletes you've never heard of -- an Australian Rules Football superstar -- who spent his New Year's Eve partying with the most famous people on Earth.

And, why? BECAUSE HE'S A STUD!! Seriously, watch his highlights.

The 28-year-old West Coast Eagles star has spent the past few weeks in America while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. He's been training at UCLA.

Despite his massive fame in Australia, NicNat has been flying under the radar for most of his trip because -- let's face it -- most Americans don't watch Aussie Rules.

But, our photog, Charlie, is from Down Under -- and could barely believe it when he spotted the Australian sports hero hanging out like a normie in Santa Monica.

Nic told us he's met a ton of big stars during his U.S. trip including Ben Simmons and Kendall Jenner ... and spent his New Year's Eve with LeBron James and Drake!

By the way, Nic is 6'7" and 223 pounds -- a freak of an athlete -- and worked out at the Philadelphia Eagles training facility in 2017.

So, is there a future in the NFL?

"I enjoy the game. I don't know ... maybe one day."

Nic says he'd probably be a good fit for a tight end since he's got some of the best hands in Aussie Rules.

Conor McGregor just left the hospital with his SECOND CHILD -- after his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, gave birth to their new baby!

The UFC superstar posted a photo with the new baby and his older boy, Conor Jr., with the caption, "Heading home with my two healthy babies and an energized and healthy SuperMam."

He added, "2019 is off to the best start! Thank you for the well wishes everybody!"

No word on the name or the sex of the newest McGregor family member. We'll update as soon as we find out.

McGregor's celebrity friends are already reaching out -- The Rock posted a message saying, "Ohana! Congrats brother!!"

Hopefully, Conor had a driver waiting for him outside of the hospital because his driver's license is still suspended in Ireland stemming from a 2017 traffic stop.

As we previously reported, McGregor pled guilty in November to going 95 in a 60 in a blue Range Rover. His license was suspended for 6 months and he was hit with a $1,100 fine.

Conor's oldest child, Conor Jr., was born on May 5, 2017 -- a few months before Conor Sr. got in the boxing ring and fought Floyd Mayweather.

Conor obviously lost that bout -- but reportedly made around $100 MILLION.

Conor Sr. is already training his little boy how to fight -- recently posting footage of Conor Jr. hitting the mitts.

WARNING -- this video of Brian Ortega will make your skin crawl. If you've already had your breakfast, prepare to revisit your eggs and toast ... 'cause this is gnarly.

We're not kidding. This is your last chance to look away.

For some reason, the UFC star thought it would be a great idea to show off what it looked like two pins getting yanked out of his bone and through his flesh on Thursday ... and we wish he hadn't.

Ortega broke his thumb and nose during a bloody fight against Max Holloway at UFC 231 last month ... and despite the nasty vid, the recovery seems to be going okay.

"I didn’t feel a THING," Ortega says ... as the metal pins are clamped with pliers and wrestled out of his hand.

Shockingly, not really any blood ... but it's still hard to watch.

Hope we didn't ruin your Friday.

Here's a cute story to start your Friday off right ... Danny Amendola spotted a little kid wearing his jersey Thursday night -- and surprised the hell outta him in an adorable vid!!!

The Dolphins star was cruisin' around in Miami when all of the sudden a little boy rockin' his No. 80 gear pulled out in front of him.

"Hey bro, bro -- come here," Danny tells the kid ... "You know whose jersey you're wearing??"

The kid -- surprised -- responds matter-of-factly, "Yes. Danny Amendola."

Danny's reaction?? "That's me, how are you brother?!"

The kid lights up immediately ... and the smile is the most adorable thing you'll see today -- and then the two even stopped to pose for a pic together!!!

D.A.'s been killin' it this week ... making little kids' days AND (possibly) getting back with his Miss Universe girlfriend.

Alexis Ren's got a wide variety of looks for the camera, but in these shots of the model's sexy sea romp there's a constant ... her itty bitty black bikini.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2018 Rookie of the Year is kicking off 2019 down in Mexico at the Casa Malca Tulum resort, and recruited a lucky guy Thursday to snap some sultry shots of her splashing around.

Alexis was mostly all smiles for the mystery photog, but the cheekiness led to her flipping him the bird at one point.

Not sure what he did ... but Alexis didn't seem to hold it against him too long.

Earlier in the day, Alexis tweeted out a cryptic message -- "If you're reading this, I miss you" -- which fans believe is directed at her former "Dancing with the Stars" partner, Alan Bersten.

Kawhi Leonard's mother reached her boiling point at the Spurs game Thursday night -- going off on a heckler ... calling him an "a**hole" and telling him to "shut up."

It all went down in San Antonio -- where her NBA superstar son returned for the first time with his new team, the Toronto Raptors.

The fans were ruthless to Kawhi during the game, chanting "traitor" and booing him almost every time he touched the ball.

At least one heckler recognized Kawhi's mother, Kim -- wearing a Leonard jersey -- and started running his mouth.

You can see in the video, Kim can't take it and starts yelling back -- "A**hole, shut up!" -- all while continuing to eat her snack ... without spilling a drop!

Unfortunately for Kim, the Raptors ended up losing the game ... 125 to 107. Kawhi put up 21 points and 5 assists.

Kendra Wilkinson's having a hard time getting officially divorced ... and it's kinda her fault.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Kendra and her estranged husband, Hank Baskett, are STILL officially married after the divorce judgment docs she submitted were rejected by the court for yet another error.

In the docs addressed to Kendra, the court clerk writes it must reject the judgment for the following reason -- which was bolded, underlined and enlarged -- "Please make sure the forms you submit have the correct case number, the full case number should be on all forms in the appropriate place, please check each form prior to submission to court."

As we first reported ... the same thing happened back in November when the court rejected the docs after the wrong jurisdiction date was entered and Kendra forgot to check a required box.

Worth noting ... Kendra -- who filed for divorce last April -- filed the faulty papers each time, but Hank bares responsibility too, since he also signed the docs.

Breaking up is hard to do ... but especially hard for these 2.

Cris Cyborg had one helluva shoulder to cry on after she lost to Amanda Nunes on Saturday -- because Halle Berry was waiting for her in the locker room.

The UFC superstar had cameras in her locker room -- capturing the moment Halle visited her friend and gave her a big hug minutes after the brutal knockout.

It was Cyborg's first loss in 12 years ... but it seemed Halle took it harder that Cris -- with Cyborg telling her friend, "Don't cry, Halle."

Halle has been training at Cyborg's gym in Huntington Beach, CA for the past couple of months to get ready for her new MMA movie, "Bruised" ... but the two have struck up a friendship outside of the training center.

In fact, Hall was Cyborg's VIP guest at UFC 232 ... and hung out with her training team before and after the fight.

Cris was obviously sad -- but trying to stay positive ... telling Halle the loss will put "more fire in my heart."

Halle later admitted, "I was shocked [by the loss]. A lot of mixed emotions. But, she's a champion. You'll see ... she'll be back."

She added, "All champions have to face highs and lows. I've faced it in my career. We've all faced it. She'll be back."

Cyborg's friend Clarissa Shields -- a 2-time Olympic gold medalist boxer -- also spoke with Cris after the fight ... telling the UFC star she should have used her jab more often against Nunes.

Ya can't praise Jesus on one hand while popping steroids and cocaine with the other ... so says UFC fighter Corey Anderson, who says he's sick of Jon Jones pretending to be a man of God.

Anderson -- a religious man himself -- is the #6 ranked light heavyweight and angling for a title shot. He tells TMZ Sports it's not just about the belt, he wants to teach a lesson.

"He puts things, 'Oh, God this and God that,' but then goes out and does drugs. Ya popping steroids and ya failing your tests. You're hitting pregnant women and running from the scene. Ya can't sit there and mix God and still live that life."

Long story short ... Anderson thinks Jon is a phony who's been putting on an act to win over the public for years -- and says it's offensive that he would tattoo a bible verse on his chest while living an ungodly life.

"There's a lot about him that's just fake to me. The fact that he keep quoting these bible verses," Anderson says ... "I'm the type of person, I wake up in the morning and read my bible. I'm a God-fearing man."

Anderson and Jones have been trading insults on social media -- but Corey says he's not just about that talk ... he wants that action in a big way.

"Hey Jon, if you watching, let's go. All the smoke baby. You said, do I want the smoke? I want it all. Chain smoke. Cigar smoke. Weed smoke. Crack smoke. Whatever you smokin', blow it in my face. Let's get it."

Anderson fought on the undercard at UFC 232 and beat Ilir Latifi before Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the main event.

As we previously reported, Anthony Smith is also gunning for a shot at Jones and says he's already negotiating with UFC.

Wanna see a blind football player nail the best Bird Box Challenge ever?

USC long snapper Jake Olson didn't let the fact that he's blind stop him from getting in on the viral sensation surrounding the super popular Netflix movie, "Bird Box."

What's the BB Challenge? When ya blindfold yourself (a la Sandra Bullock) and (attempt) to perform an everyday task.

The videos have gotten so outta control -- with fans trying to complete dangerous tasks -- Netflix actually had to release a statement pleading with people to be safe.

Olson -- who's been blind since losing his sight to cancer at 12 years old -- hit up a field and snapped the football to his buddy while blindfolded ... and it was perfect.

Of course, dude's been blindly snapping for the Trojans for the last couple of years ... so he's had plenty of practice.

LeBron James says bringing the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors makes him the greatest basketball player of all time ... but does his teammate agree??

TMZ Sports spoke with Richard Jefferson -- who was part of that 2016 NBA title team in Cleveland -- about LBJ's bold proclamation ... and R.J. says there's no question that something "great" happened.

"It was the greatest performance I ever saw," R.J. says.

But, having witnessed firsthand what the King was able to do against the 73-9 Dubs in the 7-game thriller ... we asked R.J. if he agreed with LBJ's decision to declare himself the G.O.A.T.

1:24 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the injury photos of Elissa Ennis -- the woman who claims Foster attacked her ... but apparently, the pics weren't compelling enough for charges to be pursued.

You can see a big red bruise on her cheek and red marks on her chest.

The photos were taken in the aftermath of the Nov. 24 incident -- the woman claims Foster hit her in the face while trying to take her cell phone. She called 911 and cops responded to the team hotel.

Foster's attorney tells us he believes prosecutors dropped the case because of credibility issues.

Remember, after making a claim months ago that he attacked her in February, she recanted on the stand saying she made up the allegations in a fit of anger after being dumped.

And, it got even worse when she appeared on 'GMA' and said she lied about lying on the stand.

Bottom line ... seems prosecutors realize there is no way they could prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt with an alleged victim who has repeatedly lied about the very thing for which Foster was arrested.

8:51 AM PT -- An NFL spokesperson tells TMZ Sports ... "We are monitoring all developments in the matter which continues to be under review by the league."

7:22 AM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Foster's attorney Eddie Suarez who tells us he believes the case was dropped due to issues with the witness' credibility.

Suarez says he believes the fact Foster's accuser has changed her story about a previous domestic violence incident multiple times was a factor in the decision to drop the case.

Reuben Foster is off the hook in his domestic violence case ... again.

TMZ Sports has obtained a court document filed on Jan. 2 which shows the State Attorney's Office in Florida has dismissed the misdemeanor charge against Foster stemming from a Nov. 24 incident with his ex-girlfriend.

Foster was scheduled to appear at an arraignment in Hillsborough County, FL on Thursday morning -- but the hearing was canceled after the notice of termination of prosecution was filed.

Unclear why prosecutors decided to drop the case against the 24-year-old linebacker -- we've got calls out to everyone.

As we previously reported ... Foster was arrested back on Nov. 24 for allegedly roughing up his ex-GF, Elissa Ennis, at the 49ers' team hotel in Tampa Bay.

Ennis said in an interview with "Good Morning America" on Dec. 6 the fight stemmed from her threatening to tell Foster's new GF that he paid for her flight out to Florida.

In 911 audio obtained by TMZ Sports ... Ennis says, "My ex-boyfriend just took my phone [and broke it] ... slapped me in my face and threatened me."

She later repeated, "He took my phone and broke it and slapped me in my face."

Ennis said on 'GMA' that wasn't the first time Foster had struck her ... saying he had also roughed her up on two other separate occasions -- one of which she says she lied about in court to protect the LB.

Foster had been arrested for domestic violence in Feb. 2018 and charged with several felonies for allegedly roughing up the same woman.

But, when Ennis went on the stand in that case, she told the judge she had concocted the story to get back at Foster as revenge for breaking up with her.

The judge dismissed the charges against Foster in that case.

Ennis later said she lied in court to protect Foster because she thought she loved him.

San Francisco cut Foster just hours after the incident in Tampa ... but he was later claimed on waivers by the Redskins, who vowed the LB wouldn't suit up for them until the legal process played out.

Story developing ...

Officials in Israel believe Bar Refaeli tried to hide more than $6 MILLION from tax authorities ... and now she's been informed prosecutors will hit her with tax evasion and money laundering charges.

Refaeli has been under investigation for years -- authorities believe she tried to get out of paying taxes in Israel by claiming her primary residence was in the U.S. ... and telling U.S. authorities she lived in Israel.

Authorities claim the supermodel was shady with tax officials from 2006 to 2012 -- part of that time was when she was dating Leonardo DiCaprio.

Officials say Bar claimed to be living in the U.S. with Leo at the time when she was really living in Tel Aviv under a family member's name, this according to JPost.com.

Bar's parents, Tzipi and Rafi Refaeli, are also expected to be hit with money laundering and tax evasion charges stemming from the same investigation.

As for Bar, her attorney Moshe Mizrahi told Ynet ... Israeli tax authorities are backing out of a deal she negotiated with them in 2009. He also claims Bar "hasn’t hidden anything."

33-year-old Refaeli is one of the most famous models in the world -- gracing the covers of magazines like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and GQ.

Stephen Jackson just ripped Darryl Strawberry for saying weed is a gateway drug ... blasting the ex-MLB superstar as a "cokehead" who's "weak-minded."

ICYMI ... Strawberry told TMZ Sports earlier this week that marijuana is SUPER dangerous and is "just the beginning" of the path to way more serious drugs.

Enter Jackson ... a staunch marijuana advocate who heard the comments -- and just had to tear into the former outfielder for making the bold claim.

"You a whole cokehead out here, bruh," Jackson says.

"Asking you for advice about weed is like asking somebody who went broke on how to stay rich. You a whole cokehead out here, bruh!!"

Jackson later apologized for the comments ... saying he didn't mean to disrespect the ex-Yankee who's tried to turn around his life after being suspended 3 times for cocaine during his baseball career.

But, Stephen didn't back off his initial opinion at all ... doubling down and saying, "If you think weed is a gateway drug, then you weak-minded."

Johnny Manziel says he's right in the middle of the Kanye West vs. Drake beef -- since it's all going down in Calabasas -- and he's convinced Yeezus is scared.

You already know the backstory ... Kanye went off on Drake publicly this weekend when he realized the rapper still followed Kim Kardashian on IG. He took his gripe to Twitter where he posted about 75 million tweets about the situation.

Since Manziel is friendly with Drake -- and lives around the corner from Kanye and Kim in Calabasas -- he talked about the situation on his Comeback SZN podcast on Barstool Sports.

"It's all happening right around the corner," Manziel said ... "So, I'm in the middle of it right now. I can't wait to see it unfold a little bit more, but [Kanye] is triggered!"

He added, "It sounds like Kanye is a little worried about Drake. Like he's going to call someone to beat him up or something."

Seems Manziel is right ... remember, Kanye suggested that Drake threatened his family during a Twitter spat a few weeks ago.

"You threatened the safety of me and my family," Kanye tweeted on Dec. 13 ... "Never threaten north saint and Chicago's dad bro."

Kanye continued ... "So drake if anything happens to me or anyone from my family you are the first suspect. So cut the tough talk."