TMZ Sports - Page 50

Richard Sherman tells TMZ Sports if Antonio Brown is REALLY wanting to join the Niners ... he doesn't think it'd be a mistake, saying his time in S.F. has been great so far.

A.B.'s on his way out of Pittsburgh after causing tons of drama this past season ... and Jerry Rice says the All-Pro wideout wants to play next for the 49ers, "really bad."

So, when we saw Sherm hitting up Catch in L.A. on Thursday night, we had to ask if he'd welcome the WR with open arms.

"Good luck to him," the defensive back told us -- and when asked if he had advice to Brown added, "Go wherever makes you happy."

Of course, Sherman signed with the 49ers last March after a legendary career with the Seattle Seahawks -- and, despite the 4-12 record, Sherman says he's enjoying his experience in San Fran.

Besides being a superstar on the field, Sherman is also advocating for lifetime health insurance coverage for NFL players ... so, we asked how that fight is going too.

Boxing superstar Sergey Kovalev has been charged with felony assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face back in June -- but he claims he's not guilty ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Here's what we know ... the Russian fighter was arrested in Big Bear, CA on June 9 after a woman told police the former light heavyweight champion socked her in the face, causing serious injuries.

Sources connected to the case tell us ... the woman is claiming Kovalev had hit on her at a party earlier in the evening but rejected his advances. She claims Sergey and a friend followed her back to her cabin and that's where the alleged attack occurred.

We're told the woman claims she suffered major injuries including a severely broken nose, a concussion and a displaced disk in her neck.

FYI, Kovalev earned his nickname "Krusher" for his devastating punching power. 28 of his 32 wins have come by way of knockout.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... they began searching for Kovalev immediately and arrested him a short time later.

He was charged with assault by means of force likely to cause great bodily injury -- which carries a maximum sentence of 4 years in prison.

Kovalev appeared in court and entered a not guilty plea.

What's interesting ... Kovalev fought Eleider Álvarez in August -- just 2 months after the arrest -- and lost in a shocking upset.

Kovalev is due back in court in March. He also has a rematch with Alvarez lined up for Feb. 2.

Cardi B is about to join a rarefied group of superstars, including Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Britney Spears ... donning Pepsi's red, white and blue for the company's Super Bowl ad campaign ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us Cardi B is officially locked as this year's Pepsi celeb spokesperson. We're told the ad has already been shot and will air during SB 53.

The Pepsi spot is considered the premiere commercial during the big game, which is watched by hundreds of millions and has a long afterlife.

Cindy Crawford did the honors last year, and her predecessors include Pink, One Direction, Madonna, Mariah Carey and The Spice Girls.

Cardi is also set to put on a show with Bruno Mars in the days leading up to The Super Bowl ... the buzz is that it will be the biggest party of the weekend.

As we reported ... Cardi was in talks to join Maroon 5 during the halftime show, but negotiations fell apart.

Thing is ... even though she won't be performing on the Super Bowl stage, the Pepsi commercial is a monumental TV moment.

DeSean Jackson says he has yet to talk with new Bucs coach Bruce Arians ... and tells TMZ Sports he has no idea where he'll play next season.

The Tampa wideout was reportedly disgruntled with his role on Dirk Koetter's team throughout this past season ... and even reportedly requested a trade.

But ... per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport -- Arians wants to keep D-Jax on the team -- and is trying to get in touch with him.

Jackson says that conversation has yet to go down ... and when we asked about his football future at LAX -- Jackson wasn't so sure about a return to Florida in 2019.

"That's what I got an agent for, bro. I don't know, I just go play, bro. That's all I worry about."

Jackson does have one year left on his deal in Tampa ... but the Bucs can cut him this offseason without any salary cap ramifications.

Could that mean DeSean plays somewhere else in 2019??

"We'll see," he tells us.

Cam Newton got his first-EVER tattoo earlier this week on his left hand ... but the Carolina Panthers superstar played it cool leaving the shop -- hiding the new ink in his swaggy jacket!!

TMZ Sports has learned Cam hit up Bang Bang Grand in New York City to get the piece done ... and, per a source, the art is engraved somewhere on his non-throwing hand. You can see the bandage in the post-sesh pic he took with his tattoo artist, Bang Bang.

But, the QB ain't ready to show off the work just yet ... and the tattoo shop tells us, "it's not our place to reveal tattoos."

Still ... Newton getting ink is a big deal -- remember, ex-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson reportedly forbade the QB from ever getting a tat in order to keep up a wholesome image.

But, Cam shot that all down on social media Thursday ... writing, "Big lies! He never said I could not get a tattoo or grow my hair. I was free to do whatever I wanted to do!"

"I should have said something the first time this came out years ago but I can not let this fly this time!"

It all begs the question ... what DID Cam get for his first-ever tat?!?!

Lamar Odom made over $114 MILLION during his NBA career -- but a travel agent says the guy refuses to fork over a measly $25,000 for plane tickets ... and now he's suing.

Omar Rahmani claims he booked all sorts of trips for Odom between March '18 and June '18 -- from Florida to Vegas to New York ... even a flight to Hong Kong.

But, after racking up a $25,629.47 bill ... the NBA star refused to cut the check to Rahmani, his lawsuit claims.

Now the guy has filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court accusing Odom of breach of contract and fraud ... and he wants all of the cash plus punitive damages.

As for Odom, he doesn't seem too bothered by the lawsuit -- he's been training his ass off in New York to get ready for the Dubai International Basketball Championship which goes down in Feb.

The 39-year-old has been gunning for a pro basketball comeback ever since he recovered from his drug overdose in Nevada back in 2015 when he suffered 12 strokes and 6 heart attacks.

MMA fighter Sergio Da Silva has been found GUILTY of robbing a bank in New York back in August 2017 ... and now he's facing up to 7 years behind bars.

The 32-year-old was convicted of 3rd-degree robbery after jurors viewed surveillance footage of the incident ... where Da Silva is seen jumping on the counter and demanding cash.

As we previously reported ... bank workers claimed Da Silva threatened to shoot them as he demanded cash at the Astoria Citibank.

Da Silva was facing 2 felony robbery charges. Since the security footage couldn't prove he had a gun, he was found not guilty of 1st-degree robbery ... which carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence.

Da Silva's attorney, David Fish, tells TMZ Sports his client is planning to appeal.

Fish also said, "Thanks to the insight of the jury, he walked out of court a free man Thursday and was not convicted of any violent offense."

Alshon Jeffery just turned a devastating playoff loss into a really cool moment ... making a surprise visit to the 2nd grade girl who sent him a letter to cheer him up after losing to the Saints.

ICYMI -- 8-year-old Abigail Johnson sent an adorable letter to the Philly Eagles star after watching him let a crucial catch go through his hands, which turned into a game-ending interception.

The letter quickly went viral ... and Alshon eventually got a hold of the encouraging words.

Alshon returned the favor on Thursday ... hitting up Abigail's Starkweather Elementary school to surprise her entire class!!

The video is awesome ... the kids are totally stoked to see the Pro Bowl receiver ... and even sang the Eagles fight song for him.

Abigail said in the letter she loves Alshon .. but we'd imagine she loves him even more now.

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich says she's "grateful" to be fighting on Saturday night -- after a domestic violence incident in November nearly derailed her MMA career.

"I'm feeling so grateful to be here," Ostovich told us in NYC ... "There was a point where I wouldn't have been here."

As we previously reported, Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone when she was allegedly attacked by her MMA fighter husband in their Hawaii home on Nov. 18.

Ostovich initially pulled out of her fight with Paige VanZant due to the severity of the injuries -- but after she was cleared by another doctor, she asked Dana White to be put back on the card.

Ostovich says she's received a ton of support from a bunch of UFC fighters -- including VanZant.

"She's an amazing person and she's been very supportive and I love that," Ostovich said.

We also spoke with Paige who says she has a TON of respect for Ostovich -- but the bottom line, when the cage door closes ... they're going to war.

Dana White isn't taking kindly to being called "tone-deaf" over his decision to book Greg Hardy and Rachael Ostovich on the same UFC fight card ... saying, "I could give a sh*t."

... and it didn't stop there.

First, some backstory ...

Both Hardy and Ostovich are fighting at the big UFC on ESPN event on Saturday night -- which drew heavy criticism from ESPN's main MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani, who sounded off Wednesday.

"I found this decision to be incredibly tone-deaf, to put it mildly," Helwani said on ESPN.

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.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries in an alleged domestic violence incident back in November. She claims her husband (who's also an MMA fighter) snapped and beat her ruthlessly.

Helwani and others have expressed concern over having them fight on the same card -- so, when we saw White in NYC on Thursday morning, we asked for his thoughts.

"I don't give a sh*t what Ariel Helwani thinks," White said ... "Who the f*ck is Ariel Helwani to question anything that we do."

"I think we've done a pretty good job in 20 years. I could give a sh*t what he thinks, or anybody else for that matter."

So, why are they on the same card? White says they're both on the UFC roster and it was bound to happen at some point.

Ice Cube is looking forward to the day Carmelo Anthony suits up for the BIG3 league, but says that shouldn't be for a long time, because he thinks 'Melo can still get it done in the NBA.

The BIG3 has become the go-to spot for ex-league guys to flex their skills, with dudes like Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, and soon to be Lamar Odom all competing at a high level.

Anthony's not doing anything right now, so when we got league boss Ice Cube at LAX we asked if he's clamoring to have 'Melo join up ... not so much.

"Of course, we'd accept him. But, he still could play in the NBA, he should be in the NBA."

Don't get Cube wrong, he'd LOVE Anthony in the BIG3, but he thinks the former scoring champ still "got some NBA in him."

Dope that Cube is supporting Anthony, but we have a question ... if Kevin Durant and Steph Curry wanted to leave the Warriors and join the BIG3, would he discourage them too?

If you watch the NFL on Sundays ... but you're pissed off about Travis Scott doing the Super Bowl halftime show, you're a hypocrite, period.

... so says rap legend Nelly.

"I don't see the big deal on people upset about who's performing at halftime," the St. Louis legend told us at LAX.

"Because what people have to understand ... if you're really against the NFL, the halftime show is not what you should be concerned about."

"If you're watching the NFL ... if you're supporting your team ... that's how [the owners] get paid. They don't get paid through the halftime show."

We asked if Colin Kaepernick had a point in his criticism of Travis Scott ... Nelly kept it real.

"I wouldn't say that he has a point in the sense of ... I mean he has his own reasons but again ... if you watch the NFL every Sunday, you support your team, that's how they make their money."

"If you're trying to make a stand against the NFL, you should probably not watch it on Sunday or you should not go to the games ... the halftime show is irrelevant."

When asked if he would consider doing the SB Halftime show if he was asked, Nelly responded -- "Probably."

Neymar got a steak dinner Wednesday night he'll never forget ... 'cause Salt Bae fed gobs of meat to him -- straight off his knife!!!

It all went down in Qatar ... where Neymar and fellow Paris Saint-Germain superstars Mbappe, Buffon and others got a world-class meal from the Turkish chef/Internet sensation.

Neymar and the guys -- who were in Qatar training and sharing memories with fans for their Qatar Tour 2019 -- ate like kings ... and even got to participate in the cooking process!!!

Salt Bae chopped the meat in his signature fashion ... and then let the football stars dust it off with the classic salt-pour-over-bent-arm move.

The best part of it all?? Salt Bae wouldn't let Neymar use his own fork ... instead -- he fed him the meat straight off his knife!!!

Neymar seemed to love it ... 'cause dude went back for Salt Bae's hand-fed meat multiple times!!!

The fun and games ended Thursday ... PSG headed back to France to get set for their game Saturday.

Seems there's only one celebration appropriate if any of 'em scores a goal then ...

Gladys Knight says she's IN for the Super Bowl -- she's decided to perform the National Anthem before the big game ... and it's all for reasons bigger than football.

"I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta," the 74-year-old said.

"The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year."

Knight's statement sounds similar to Travis Scott -- who agreed to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show after the league agreed to donate $500k to Van Jones' social justice organization.

There has been backlash from some high-profile people -- including Common -- who says the NFL doesn't care about black people and he wishes artists would boycott the league.

Common and others (including Jay-Z) have said they're extremely upset with the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick and they want no part of the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, other stars like Nelly have said it's pointless to boycott NFL pre-game and halftime entertainment if you're just gonna watch the game anyway.

Think Kyler Murray is too damn short to be a successful QB in the NFL?

YOU'RE WRONG ... so says fellow short guy Doug Flutie, who's telling TMZ Sports he's living proof that the vertically challenged can THRIVE in the pros!

Flutie is 5'10" -- which is a good height among normies but short by NFL quarterback standards.

Murray is also 5'10" -- and the knock on the Heisman Trophy winner is that he just doesn't have the height to make the tough throws over those gigantic NFL linemen.

Enter Flutie, who's really going to bat for Murray ... explaining, "The biggest problem with a lot of short quarterbacks is they don't have the arm strength. [Murray] does. He can make all the throws."

Flutie also says the implementation of spread offenses throughout the NFL will help Murray find passing lanes ... and says it shouldn't be hard for him to replicate the success he had at Oklahoma.

"He can throw from all kinds of angles. We see that with [Patrick] Mahomes and you'll have the same thing with Kyler Murray."

The new batch of celebs who'll be living in the 'Big Brother' house for another season of drama are filling with one thing in common -- starting salaries ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the contacts for all 12 stars in season 2 of "Celebrity Big Brother" tell us each of them will rake in $100k ... just for entering the house. The winner can walk away with an additional $250k.

In other words, Anthony Scaramucci isn't more important than Dina Lohan this year ... at least not from the jump, money-wise.

Our production sources also tell us the houseguests had been sequestered in separate hotel rooms for 4 days prior to entering the house Wednesday. We're told CBS brass didn't want anyone in the cast knowing who else was set to appear until the premiere.

Other celebs set to appear on 'CBB' include Natalie Eva Marie, Ryan Lochte, Joey Lawrence, Kato Kaelin, Lolo Jones, Tom Green, Kandi Burruss, Tamar Braxton, Jonathan Bennett and Ricky Williams.

Side note ... the American version of 'CBB' doesn't pay nearly as much as its U.K. counterpart. Just look at what Speidi made, not to mention Ray J. Big difference.