TMZ Sports - Page 50

Thinking about suing the NFL over the blown call in the Saints-Rams game Sunday??

Anthony Barr says don't do it ... 'cause that's dumb -- and people just need to MOVE ON!!!

"Sorry," the Vikings star tells TMZ Sports ... "Take your L and keep pushing. It happens. It's unfortunate, but it's the world we live in. It's not perfect."

One Saints fan clearly disagrees ... a guy actually filed a lawsuit Tuesday suing Roger Goodell and the NFL for not taking action over the non-P.I. call in Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

But, Barr -- who says he certainly understands the pain -- tells us court action is taking things way too far ... and says everyone in NOLA just needs to let it go.

"You can't replay a game after the results are in."

Jackie Robinson's contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers -- one of the most important documents of all time -- is hitting the auction block and it's expected to fetch MILLIONS ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 1947 contract -- which made Robinson the first black player to sign with an MLB team -- will be sold along with Jackie's 1945 contract with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers minor league team.

Bidding on the items, hosted by Goldin Auctions, began on Monday ... starting bid was $5 MILLION.

We spoke with Ken Goldin who tells us he's had the items appraised by a rare documents expert who valued the pair at $36 million. Goldin says 10% of the final sale price will be donated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

The contracts have been on the auction block before -- most recently in 2017 -- but it did not hit the $15 million reserve, so it went back to the consignor.

Now, the seller is giving the sale another shot ... with a lower reserve.

Jackie's 1947 contract with the Dodgers specifies the team will pay him $5,000 for the '47 season.

The contract states Robinson will "keep himself in first class physical condition" and will "obey the club's training rules."

Robinson also agreed to pledge himself to "the American public and to the Club to conform to high standards of personal conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship."

The contract was signed by Robinson and Dodgers president Branch Rickey on April 11, 1947 ... along with National League president Ford Frick.

Of course, Robinson went on to break the color barrier and crushed the league during his rookie season -- winning N.L. Rookie of the Year honors. The Dodgers went to the World Series that year but lost to the Yankees.

As for Robinson's minor league contract ... it stipulates he was paid $600 per month during the season.

According to the inflation calculator, $600 back in 1945 is worth about $8,374 now.

Robinson passed away in 1972 at the age of 53.

10:50 AM PT -- Acreage's founder and CEO, Kevin P. Murphy, tells TMZ ... the Super Bowl spot was going to be a PSA, not an ad for his company. He says the message was going to be a positive one, emphasizing the benefits of cannabis with testimonials about how it has saved lives ... including the child suffering constant seizures and a man addicted to opiates.

Murphy says his company was set to spend more than $5 mil on the PSA ... but to no avail.

7:40 AM PT -- Sources connected to the network tell TMZ, CBS does not accept any cannabis-related advertising. The sources add they are not aware of any broadcasters who will air such ads.

It's the Super Bowl ... not the Smoke-a-Bowl -- that's the message CBS gave to a marijuana company that wanted to run a pro-weed ad during the big game.

The company behind the ad is Acreage Holdings -- which has a license to grow and distribute marijuana in several states.

In fact, former Speaker of the House John Boehner is on the board -- and has been promoting the company heavily for months. Boehner is a huge proponent of medical marijuana.

Acreage claims it submitted a proposal to CBS to air a commercial during the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 -- but they were rejected after seeing a rough outline of the spot, according to Bloomberg.com.

We've learned Acreage already produced the ad and among the message points -- there's a story about a woman who lived in Oklahoma whose son suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.

The woman had to move to Colorado with her son because she couldn't get medical marijuana in OKC due to the laws at the time, despite the fact doctors recommended weed to help him out.

The message is that not allowing medical marijuana is not just bad politics, but it's cruel to people who need it since there's medical proof that it alleviates pain and suffering.

FYI, medical pot is now legal in more than 30 states -- but it's still outlawed federally ... which may have factored into CBS's decision to put the kibosh on the ad.

Acreage president George Allen told Bloomberg the ad was meant to "create an advocacy campaign for constituents who are being lost in the dialogue."

Allen says the company was serious about spending the money on a Super Bowl ad because "It’s hard to compete with the amount of attention something gets when it airs during the Super Bowl."

Ex-Minnesota Vikings receiver Cayleb Jones just cut a deal in court in his domestic violence case -- but he's still facing serious jail time ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old was facing 3 pretty serious charges -- including felony theft by temporary control -- after he allegedly beat the crap out of his girlfriend at a Minnesota hotel back in August.

Officials say the 6'3", 209 pound WR roughed up his GF and when she tried to escape in an elevator to call 911 ... Jones intercepted her, stole her phone and fled before cops arrived.

Cayleb was in court Tuesday to face the charges ... but we're told he cut a deal -- and instead, only pled guilty to interference with an emergency call -- a gross misdemeanor.

In exchange, we're told his two other charges will be dismissed.

Cayleb -- who's already served 5 days of jail time -- still faces up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine when he returns to court for his sentencing hearing in April. It's unlikely he'll be ordered to serve more jail time unless the judge really wants to throw the book at him.

It's been a rough year for the WR -- as we previously reported, Cayleb tried to restrain his brother, Buffalo Bills WR Zay Jones, after he allegedly tried to jump from a 30th story window in an L.A. building last spring.

Greg Hardy is adamant the illegal knee he landed during his fight Saturday night was NOT intentional -- telling TMZ Sports it was a "rookie mistake" and he desperately wants a shot at redemption.

Hardy was disqualified from the Jan. 19 fight against Allen Crowder for throwing a powerful knee to Crowder's head while his opponent's knee was still on the canvas.

"I feel bad," Hardy told us ... "You never want to break the rules."

The ex-NFL star has only been fighting professionally for less than a year and says, "It was a rookie mistake and I'm a rookie."

Hardy says he's still trying to get a grasp on all of the MMA rules -- but wants the public to know his intention was NOT to take out Crowder with a cheap shot.

Now, Hardy says he would love another crack at Crowder -- and hopes to prove he's serious about becoming a top UFC fighter.

The good news for Hardy ... Greg says Dana White spoke with him after the fight and was incredibly supportive, even though Greg was in a "bad place" mentally.

Chick-fil-A is punting on the opportunity to score LOTS of potential cash by refusing to open up one very important location for Super Bowl Sunday.

Sources connected to the fast-food chain tell us the Chick-fil-A stand inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- where Super Bowl LIII will be played in a couple weeks -- will, in fact, remain closed on Feb. 3 ... just like every other Sunday before it.

We're told that although the MBS location won't be open, Chick-fil-A is still one of the corporate sponsors for the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee ... and our sources say CfA is happy to be there in spirit and through its donation to JFK Park.

Much to the chagrin of foodies everywhere, Chick-fil-A notoriously closes up shop on Sundays to give employees a much-needed day off to be with family or go to church.

That's why folks were thrown for a loop back in 2017 when a location sprung up inside MBS, where the Falcons play on Sundays. The operator has said there's tons of other events happening at MBS throughout the year -- enough so, apparently, to make it worth their while.

Just to give you a sense of how much of a cash cow Chick-fil-A is ignoring for this upcoming game -- it could be in the ballpark of half a mil, more or less. Probably more, though.

This guy says they've sold as many as 5,000 sandwiches in one night. Considering Super Bowl stadiums have hit 100,000-plus attendees in recent years ... that's a potential $409,000 Chick-fil-A is losing out on if everyone bought just one of their basic sandwiches.

Move over Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari ... there's a new king and queen of the bare-ass game -- Brooks Koepka and his smokin' hot model GF!!!

The PGA star and Jena Sims did their best Cutler-Cavallari impression in Maldives on Tuesday ... flashin' their asses for the camera in some tiny swimwear.

The caption? "Who wore it better??"

So far, Jena's leading the votes ... but it's close -- and yeah, easy to see why!!!

It's been a hell of an offseason for Koepka -- a two-time U.S. Open winner -- the dude's been hoppin' around with Sims in Vegas, Santa Monica, Abu Dhabi and now South Asia.

In fact ... it was a great REGULAR season for the guy too -- remember when Trump congratulated his "powerful mind" AND "powerful game" after winning the PGA Championship in August??

Bottom line ... it's GREAT to be Brooks.

Manny went for the handshake.

Floyd went for the dap.

The result was ... well, it was a mess.

Once again, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao came face-to-face at the Lakers game -- in what seems to be more shameless promotion for an upcoming rematch.

Floyd was sitting on the court at Staples Center in L.A. to watch the Lakers take on the Warriors (they lost) ... when Manny came up from behind to say "What's up."

The handshake greeting was a disaster -- but they got the point across.

The big problem ... Manny reportedly suffered an eye injury during his victory over Adrien Broner this past weekend -- which could throw a huge wrench in the rematch plans.

According to reports, Manny feared he suffered a detached retina in his left eye. Later, his manager said the eye was "fine" and he'll be okay.

Manny was wearing shades at the game -- so you can't see if the eye looks damaged on the surface.

As we previously reported, Manny and Floyd have been teasing a rematch for months ... and with both fighters looking pretty solid in their last fights, it seems a deal could be close.

The two originally fought back in 2015 -- with Floyd winning a unanimous decision in a pretty boring fight.

We recently spoke with Manny who told us he had a bad shoulder at the time -- and now that he's fully healed, he's confident he would whoop that ass.

No deal has been made at this point -- but we're guessing it's just a matter of time ... considering the money these guys could rake in.

There were other big stars at the Lakers game too -- including Halsey, Alexis Ren, Mahershala Ali, Jack Nicholson and LeBron James ... who was a spectator Monday night due to injury.

Get well soon!

Seems Ben Simmons is getting more serious about Kendall Jenner -- because he sat his girlfriend with his MOTHER at the 76ers game on Monday!

Check out Kendall rubbing elbows with Julie Simmons at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia -- where Ben and the 76ers beat up on the Houston Rockets in a 121 to 93 victory.

Ben's stat line wasn't spectacular -- only 9 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. And, he only hit 3 of 12 shots, which is bad for him (he usually shoots well over 50%).

But, who cares about individual stats when your team wins, right?

Plus, the most important question ... did Kendall and Mom get along?! Pretty well actually. The two were seen smiling and chatting. Good times.

It's not the first time they've kicked it together -- Kendall and Julie hung out at a game back in November 2018 and got along great then too.

Ben and Kendall have been dating on and off since May 2018. The next big question ... when does Julie get to come to L.A. to meet the rest of the Kardashians??

Cristiano Ronaldo was ordered to pay a $21 MILLION fine as punishment in his tax fraud case -- but the good news for the soccer superstar, he won't have to serve a 23-month prison sentence.

And, for a guy who reportedly earns around $90 MILLION per year, that's a pretty good deal for him!

The 33-year-old appeared in court in Spain on Tuesday morning smiling and holding hands with his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez ... almost like he knew it was not a big deal.

And, the reason? CR7 had previously agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors ... so Tuesday's court date was just a formality to make it official.

CR7 had been accused of hiding around $16.7 MILLION income he made from his image rights in Spain between 2011 and 2014.

He was facing a 23-month prison sentence -- but hammered out a deal to pay the fine and move on with his life.

It also helps that in Spain, a 1st-time offender sentenced to less than 24 months in prison can serve probation instead of being locked up.

The fine is really no big deal for a guy like Ronaldo -- Forbes reports he pulls in around $93 mil from pro soccer and endorsement deals.

Of course, Ronaldo has other legal issues -- he's being sued in the United States by a woman who claims he raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009.

Ronaldo has denied wrongdoing. Cops are still investigating.

Nick Cannon says he's got beef with Travis Scott performing at SB LIII 'cause the dude hasn't proven he truly cares about black culture ... and Kylie Jenner is one big example.

The 'Wild 'N Out' host was chopping it up with Raquel Harper for a new episode of BET's "Raq Rants," where he explained why he's troubled that Travis was booked to play the Super Bowl halftime show. On the other hand, Outkast's Big Boi getting the gig doesn't bother Nick a bit.

Nick -- who supports Colin Kaepernick -- says BB has proven over the course of his career that he's for the culture ... so, Nick's good with him appearing in his native Atlanta to balance Maroon 5. But, according to Nick, Travis hasn't passed that litmus test.

Check out Nick's rationale on why Trav -- in his eyes, anyway -- doesn't seem to be for black people and black causes ... and what he needs to do to get there. Spoiler ... knocking up Kylie definitely didn't help his cause.

Nyjah Huston jumped a guy at a house party and beat the man's face so viciously he needed surgery to fix a broken nose ... this according to a new lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ryan Sheehy claims he was at a February 12, 2017 house party in Los Angeles when Nyjah jumped him and started beating the hell outta his face.

In the docs, Ryan claims the pro skateboarder's attack left him with a broken nose, which required reconstructive surgery, and a cut above his left eye, which required stitches and left a noticeable disfigurement. As a result of the injuries, Ryan claims he suffered immense pain and was forced to miss work.

We broke the story ... the L.A. County D.A. charged Nyjah with felony battery after the alleged fight.

Ryan is going after Nyjah for damages.

How did Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys get over a devastating playoff loss to the Rams??

VEGAS, BABY!!!

Zeke and a bunch of his teammates took off for Sin City late last week ... and TMZ Sports has learned they hit the craps table almost immediately.

We're told the All-Pro RB, Sean Lee, Connor Williams and other Dallas stars hit up Aria's casino on Friday and gambled away the pain from their playoff loss for most of the day.

We're told the guys got a private table -- and it seemed the casino allowed them to bet whatever they wanted ... but Zeke was throwing down around $500 (and sometimes WAY more) per roll.

Don't worry, won't affect Elliott's bank account too much -- he's currently toward the end of his rookie $24 million contract and will make HUGE money when he renegotiates with the Cowboys.

To put it into perspective, the NFL's highest-paid running back is Todd Gurley who recently signed a 4-year, $60 MILLION extension with the Rams ... with $45 million in guaranteed money.

Zeke will make similar money ... which means his $500 per roll is chump change for him.

As for Elliott's luck at the tables, we're told neither the RB nor the rest of his teammates came up big winners on the day.

Hey, there's always next year -- right???

Andy Reid WILL win a Super Bowl with the Chiefs despite yet another championship game heartbreaker Sunday ... so says legendary coach Dick Vermeil.

"I would bet on it!" Dick tells TMZ Sports ... "I would bet that they will win one!"

Of course, Reid's history says otherwise ... his loss to the Pats on Sunday was his 6th championship game L (4 NFC championships, 1 AFC championship and 1 Super Bowl) in his 20-year, ring-less career.

But, Vermeil says Reid WILL get it done sooner than later ... saying K.C. is just too talented.

"There's no question in mind they will get there and there's no question in mind, if he sticks with it long enough, he's gonna win it."

In fact, Vermeil thought earlier this season THIS would be the year for Reid ... and said he was downright ill seeing Reid and the Chiefs fall to Tom Brady in overtime.

"Kansas City, I'm just sick. I woke up three times during the night thinking about that ballgame. I was so disappointed."

2019 season kicks off in 7 months ... could that finally be Reid's year??

Allen Crowder -- the UFC fighter who took a vicious knee to the head from Greg Hardy on Saturday -- says the move was NOT a dirty one ... telling TMZ Sports, "sh*t happens."

Hardy and Crowder squared off in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ ... but the match ended in the 2nd round after Greg blasted Allen with a right knee to the temple while he was still down.

Hardy was DQ'd ... and given his troubled past -- many wondered if the ex-NFL player who has been previously accused of domestic violence MEANT to throw the illegal shot.

But, Crowder says he doesn't think Hardy had any malicious intentions with the move ... saying, "it's a fight. It's the heat of the moment."

"There's a lot of people that have made the same mistake. I have no hard feelings against him at all. He was tired, and sh*t happens. I have no hard feelings about it at all."

For his part ... Greg says he didn't know the knee was illegal -- saying, "it was not intentional."

FYI ... Crowder says if officials had given him another 30-or-so seconds -- he woulda gotten up and continued the fight.

As for a rematch ... Crowder says he'd be down -- if the price is right.

Alex Smith ain't out of the woods yet -- the QB is still using crutches and a complex brace around his leg ... 2 months after suffering a gruesome injury against the Texans.

The Washington Redskins star finally surfaced in public Monday at the Wizards-Pistons game in D.C. with his leg wrapped in bandages and what appears to be a Taylor Spatial Frame.

FYI, a TSF is often used by doctors to treat compound fractures. It essentially helps the bone heal correctly with the use of pins, wires and rods.

Smith's right leg was snapped in half in a game against the Texans on Nov. 18 ... with Smith ending up breaking both his fibula and tibia to the point where bone poked through the skin.

In fact, the injury was so devastating ... reports say Alex needed further surgeries to correct an infection he got following the first operation to fix the issue.

But, Smith seemed to be in good spirits as he watched the hometown Wizards from a press box ... even smiling as he spoke with people in the arena.

It's unclear whether Smith plans to play ever again ... releasing a statement just a few weeks ago, saying, "Although this is a serious injury, Alex and his family remain strong."

"We would ask that everyone please honor the Smith family's request for privacy at this time."