TMZ Sports - Page 50

An employee at Moschino USA has a code name for black clients who don't look like ballers -- "Serenas" ... so claims an ex-employee who's suing the company.

Shamael Lataillade is suing the Italian luxury clothing company, claiming her female supervisor at the WeHo shop had a specific protocol for black clients if they didn't have diamonds or carry name brands. In docs obtained by TMZ, she says the woman would call them a "Serena" and instructed other employees to follow and watch them closely -- sometimes even writing down their license plates.

It's not spelled out in the suit, but the alleged code would seem to be a reference to Serena Williams.

What's more ... Shamael claims the supervisor told employees to tell "Serenas" they were out of stock on many items -- and even called cops once to report a suspicious black customer. She says the guy turned out to be a high-profile rapper, but she doesn't name him.

On a personal level, Shamael -- a black, Haitian-American woman -- claims the supervisor discriminated against her and mocked her as someone who practices voodoo. She was canned for complaining to corporate about the "Serena" code word and other things ... according to the suit.

O.J. Mayo is close to losing his massive, million dollar mansion in Milwaukee ... 'cause the bank claims the ex-NBA star hasn't made a payment in 10 months ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... O.J. bought a $1.8 million home in Wisconsin after inking a 3-year, $24 million deal with the Bucks in 2013. At the time, Mayo took out a loan for $1.26 million to help pay for the crib.

The place is SICK -- 9,200 square feet with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, home theater and private gym.

But, according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Mayo stopped making payments in April 2018 while still owing $1,137,302.42 on his mortgage.

A few months later, the bank foreclosed on the house to get their dough back.

The bank tried to serve Mayo with court documents several times -- but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, Mayo's trainer told a process server that O.J. is currently playing overseas in China.

It's unlikely Mayo is hard up for the cash since he reportedly made $45 MILLION during his 8 years in the NBA before getting hit with a ban for violating the league's anti-drug policy in 2016.

The U.S. Open fan who caused a collective gag when she dunked her chicken tenders in soda is now making it possible for you to indulge ... and if you think the food combo makes you nauseous, check out her music video.

Alexa Greenfield, tells TMZ ... she's about to launch her new product -- Cola Sauce! She's unveiling her product 2 ways -- with a video that rivals "Thriller," and an appearance at a chicken joint.

Alexa will make a personal appearance at Hill Country Chicken in NYC on January 26 and 27. It's not just any ol' chicken joint ... it the place she bought the tenders that made her famous.

Truth be told ... the video's kinda fun. It instructs the not faint of heart on how to properly tenderize your tenders with the soda of your choice.

Alexa's going full bore ... she's launching Cola Sauce on her website next month.

Devin Booker made a young fan's dream come true by meeting him in person at the kid's first Suns game ever ... and it was all for a great cause.

The NBA superstar met with 17-year-old Phoenix resident Luke Tucker and Devin's #1 fan this weekend ahead of the Suns' game against the L.A. Clippers, and signed a bunch of Suns gear for him.

Luke -- who has autism -- was gifted 11 tickets for him and his fam by the Suns organization to attend Saturday's game, in partnership with the Playing Special Foundation ... which helps children with special needs become familiar with sports front and center.

We're told that when Devin heard Luke's story, he went out of his way to go meet the kid ... which was captured on tape. The heartwarming moment shows Devin and Luke embracing ... and it's clear the meet-n-greet was a complete surprise to Luke.

David Arquette made a triumphant return to the ring Saturday night, defeating behemoth wrestler Jocephus and then getting his just reward with a pair of clippers.

David teamed up with former NWA champ, Tim Storm for the 2-on-1 "hair match" at the Wilma Rudolph Event Center in Clarksville, Tennessee.

There was lots of back-and-forth ... at times, David took a beating and a few slams, but he and Tim eventually prevailed. Before the 3 counts, Jocephus' spiritual advisor tried to hypnotize David, but he blocks her with a dip and a kiss.

NWA President and former Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan entered the ring so David could do the honors and he proceeded to scalp Jocephus.

Pete Davidson's lookin' good these days ... chillin' with his buddy Machine Gun Kelly Saturday night at the Denver Nuggets game.

Pete and MGK were sitting courtside at the Pepsi Center in Denver, as they watched the Charlotte Hornets lose to Nuggets by a score of 110 to 123.

Ex-NFL star Jamal Anderson -- the guy who created the Dirty Bird dance -- was so zonked out of his mind during a Dec. arrest, he handed cops a bag of chips when asked for his I.D.

Cops were called to a gas station in the Atlanta area to respond to a limo driver who complained that Anderson stiffed him on a $50 ride around 5 AM on Dec. 23.

When cops arrived, Anderson was a mess -- stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips.

One of the officers asked for his driver's license, Anderson reached into his pocket and presented the cop a pack of cigarettes.

When that didn't work, Anderson offered up his chips. She didn't accept that as a proper form of identification either.

Anderson denied being intoxicated, but cops say he was hammered and arrested him for public intoxication. The limo driver declined to press charges over the $50 fare.

Cops also asked Anderson how he paid for the smokes and the snacks -- and someone inside the gas station said another patron ponied up the dough for the Atlanta Falcons legend.

Anderson was placed in cuffs and hauled to a nearby police station where he continued to profess his innocence.

The 46-year-old has had tons of problems ever since his NFL career ended back in 2001 -- he's been arrested multiple times for things like cocaine, DUI and exposing himself in a gas station.

Well, that was quick!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Jon Jones is signed on to fight Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in March ... as long as the Nevada State Athletic Commission gives him the green light.

As we previously reported, several UFC fighters have been angling to get a crack at Jones after he returned from his suspension to beat up Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 last month ... including Luke Rockhold, Corey Anderson and Smith.

But now, we've confirmed ... Jon's next opponent will be 30-year-old Smith, who's currently on a 3 fight win streak after beating Volkan Oezdemir, Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans.

We spoke with Dana White, who tells us ... "Later this month, Jon Jones will file an application for licensure with the NSAC in order to compete at UFC 235 in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 2nd."

"Provided that license is granted, Jones will be defending his Light Heavyweight title against Anthony Smith in a 5 round main event at the T-Mobile Arena."

The issue with the Commission is that Jones tested positive for tiny traces of the anabolic steroid Turinabol just days before UFC 232 -- but the Nevada Athletic Commission couldn't convene for a hearing on such short notice.

UFC went to the California State Athletic Commission, which WAS able to examine the issue and after weighing the evidence, ultimately decided to grant Jones a license.

The CSAC officials say multiple experts concluded the traces of Turinabol were left over from a previous positive test -- meaning Jones did not consume the PED for the UFC 232 fight.

The expectation is the Nevada Commission will see it the same way as California and approve Jones, too.

Smith is currently the #3 ranked light heavyweight -- and just last week told TMZ Sports he's "ready" for Jones. He also told us he wasn't impressed with Jones in the Gustafsson fight.

Should be fun!

Boxing star Adrien Broner has a busy Monday -- he's got dates in TWO courtrooms in TWO states to face TWO separate allegations of sexual misconduct, TMZ Sports has learned.

... and it's all going down just TWO weeks before his mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Here's the deal ... Broner was arrested back in February in Atlanta for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a local shopping mall. Cops say he groped her against her will.

Just 4 months later, Broner was arrested again in Cleveland for allegedly throwing himself on top of a woman at a nightclub and forcing her to kiss him. He's facing multiple felony counts including gross sexual imposition and abduction.

As fate would have it ... both cases have been scheduled for January 7 -- and since he can't be in two places at once, he's gotta decide which hearing he wants to attend.

We've learned Broner is planning on sending a lawyer in his place to Ohio -- where he's not required to attend the hearing in person.

Does that mean he'll be in Atlanta instead? Broner has a habit of blowing off court cases ... so, no one really knows where he'll be.

Adrien is facing 5 separate charges for the two incidents ... and if he's convicted on all counts -- he could go to jail for NINE years.

The craziest part of the story -- Broner also has a court date in Florida on Jan. 23 stemming from his arrest for failure to appear in court earlier this month for traffic violations.

Ryan Lochte swims blindfolded.

And, he's been doing it WAY before the "Bird Box Challenge" became a thing.

First off, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME -- IT'S SUPER DANGEROUS AND YOU MIGHT DIE.

But, Lochte is a pro -- surrounded by a team of coaches -- and tells TMZ Sports there's a real benefit to swimming laps with his eyes covered.

"I do that sometimes just for fun in practice. I'll swim blindfolded a couple laps just to make sure my stroke count is perfect."

Again ... DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

Speaking of training, Lochte says he's laser-focused on competing in the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo ... even after the drama he was involved in during the last Olympics, in Brazil.

You know ... when he was arrested for allegedly trashing a gas station in Rio. That became an international incident, and U.S. Swimming banned him from competition for 10 months.

He's now 34-years-old -- but tells TMZ Sports he's got his eye on a gold medal ... and wouldn't put himself through all the hellacious training to settle for a silver or a bronze.

Melvin Gordon went head to head with his Uber driver over who's going to win Sunday's Wild Card matchup between his Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens ... and the guy didn't have a clue who he was talking to!

The video's hilarious -- the Chargers stud RB playfully goads his friendly driver to make predictions on the game and ends up getting some spicy trash talk out of him ... especially about Philip Rivers.

After praising Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and basically telling Gordon the Chargers QB sucks, he adds ... "I'm going to pull for Phil Rivers to get up off the ground because they gonna put him on the ground."

The driver also feels confident in Baltimore because they've been playing more as a team now that Flacco's on the sidelines, but clearly ... he doesn't have much info on that Melvin Gordon guy.

Even funnier ... despite making it clear he's pulling for the Ravens, the driver eventually admits he's from Texas, but he's "got to talk that crazy talk" since he's picking up Baltimore residents.

Victor Espinoza's been taking steps to return to doing what he loves after nearly dying in a training accident, and he just took another huge step ... up onto a horse!!!

The famed jockey reportedly got back on a horse for the very first time Saturday at Santa Anita since his near-death injury in July. Victor hops aboard the horse, St. Joe Bay, and goes for a little ride.

We broke the story ... the Hall of Famer was severely injured after a horse he was riding went into cardiac arrest on the track last summer in Del Mar, California. Victor nearly lost his life in the fall when a bone chipped off his neck and just missed cutting an artery.

He's been on the road to recovery ever since, getting out of a neck brace in September and working his way back into riding shape.

According to BloodHorse, Espinoza's still going through physical therapy and isn't ready to get back to racing yet.

New York Giant's running back, Saquon Barkley is spreading his good fortune -- literally -- by passing out hundred dollar bills like they were playing cards at a blackjack table.

Barkley, who's up for Pepsi's Rookie of the Year, was at Red Rabbit nightclub Friday night in New York City, and he cheerfully doled out $100 bills to folks waiting in line in the freezing cold to get inside.

Barkley is reportedly pulling in $31.2 million over 4 years. Not bad for a 21-year-old.

David Arquette is a glutton for punishment ... returning to the wrestling ring after a deathmatch that almost killed him.

Arquette took the mic at a news conference Friday night to hype his upcoming match with veteran pro wrestler Jocephus in a "hair match" for the National Wrestling Alliance. The stakes ... loser shaves his head.

NWA President and former Smashing Pumpkins frontman, Billy Corgan, kept the 2 men apart during the faceoff at the Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Jocephus stormed the stage with a VHS copy of Arquette's 2000 pro wrestling movie “Ready to Rumble” ... mocking him as an actor and implying he had no business trying to measure up in the ring.

As we previously showed you, poor David was a bloody, mangled mess last November after getting smashed in the head with a light tube.

Early Doucet -- a former superstar LSU wide-receiver-turned-NFL-draft-pick -- was hit with a temporary restraining order in November after allegedly brutalizing his wife for the second time.

TMZ Sports has obtained court docs filed in Louisiana which show the 33-year-old was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from the alleged victim and her 2 children after an incident in which Doucet allegedly attacked the woman and smashed up their home.

The accuser told officials Doucet physically assaulted her in early November -- causing bloody injuries to her face and chest. She also claims Doucet smashed holes in the door and walls.

The judge set a follow-up hearing for December where both sides could tell their side of the story -- but no word yet on if the judge has extended the restraining order.

We do know it's the second time the accuser has gone to authorities with violent allegations against Doucet.

We've also obtained a police report from April 2017 showing Doucet named as the suspect for assaulting the same woman, who he was dating at the time.

Police took photos which show the woman bloodied and bruised and missing a tooth. Cops' photos of Doucet's hands show bloody knuckles.

We've reached out to officials to find out what happened with that case -- so far, no word back.

We've also reached out to Doucet for comment but have not heard back.

Doucet was a key part of the 2007 LSU national championship team. He caught 7 passes for 51 yards and a TD in the BCS title game against Ohio State.

"Hold tight, I'm coming, Princess."

Luke Rockhold wants a big piece of Jon Jones ... and that's his message to the UFC superstar.

TMZ Sports spoke with Luke -- the former UFC middleweight champ who's moving up to light heavyweight -- and he ain't switching divisions just 'cause cuttin' weight sucks.

He wants to fight Jon Jones.

"I'm a different man at this weight, with the power behind me. I'm moving up to get after him. So, that's what I'm here for."

Luke's just the latest to throw his hat into the super crowded "I wanna fight Jon Jones" ring. Earlier this week, Anthony Smith AND Corey Anderson also told us they want a crack at Jones.

But, Rockhold's got the best resume of the 3 fighters ... and a fight with him and Jones would be a big money maker ... and it's a match L.R. is totally confident he'll win (he told us he'll be champ in '19).

Why? 'Cause he wasn't all that impressed with Jon's performance against Alexander Gustafsson.

"I thought he looked beatable."

So, who's Jon gonna pick???