TMZ Sports - Page 50

11:00 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us ... Bates hailed a cab in Manhattan and was taken to his hotel in Queens, and the fare totaled $32.06. We're told, he told the driver he didn't have cash or a card and took off ... so the driver called the police.

We're also told before Bates attacked the sergeant at the station, he said, "I want to punch you in the face" ... then did exactly that.

Our sources say Bates has now officially been charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest, along with theft of services.

A relatively unknown NFL linebacker just made a name for himself in the worst way ... by allegedly flying off the handle and punching a cop in the face!

According to law enforcement sources ... Lions LB Trevor Bates was arrested around 3 AM Saturday morning at a Hampton Inn in Queens, NY for refusing to pay his cab fare. Cops were called to the hotel and took him into custody for theft of services.

We're told while he was at the local station preparing for fingerprinting, Bates became irate and declared he didn't like one of the officers in the room. He then allegedly punched a sergeant ... causing a laceration above the cop's left eye.

Our sources say the sergeant received 3 stitches and was treated for a concussion at the hospital before being released.

Bates was taken to the hospital, as well, for a psych eval. We're told he has not formally been charged yet for assaulting an officer.

Jason Momoa not only owns the land beneath the sea ... he owns the ski slopes too!

We got the coolest man at the Sundance Film Festival Friday night leaving Butcher's Chop House in Park City, Utah, and he declared his impending dominance on the slopes. Jason says he's breakin' out the snowboard Saturday and he will be king of the mountain.

He's certainly king of the sea. "Aquaman" has become the highest grossing DC superhero flick, grossing more than a billion bucks.

Jason's at Sundance to host a panel on, "The Creatives Behind Some of YouTube's Buzziest Channels."

Kelly Rowland has a ton of respect for Gladys Knight -- but tells TMZ Sports she would NOT have made the same choice to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Of course, Rowland is playing Gladys Knight in the BET series, "American Soul." She's previously talked about what an "honor" it is to play the 74-year-old singing legend.

So, with Knight at the center of the NFL controversy -- we asked the former Destiny's Child singer what she would have done if the NFL asked her to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the big game.

Rowland tells us ... she would have turned them down -- though, she doesn't go into detail.

As we previously reported, there's been a backlash from stars like Nick Cannon and Common who have told us they wish stars like Travis Scott would pull out of the Super Bowl over the way the league has treated Colin Kaepernick.

Despite the criticism, Knight has doubled down on her decision to perform -- saying she hopes to use the Super Bowl platform to unite the country.

Rowland has worked with the NFL multiple times in the past -- in fact, she performed with Beyonce at the Super Bowl back in 2013.

It's now time to reevaluate who your Valentine is this year ... because UFC star Arianny Celeste is doing a super hot lingerie shoot for Lovers Day ... and she doesn't know you exist.

Celeste and her best pal Alejandra Boggiano dropped new smokin' hot images of their Valentine's Day shoot for their company Girlfriend Box ... and TMZ Sports has them.

The company offers a service to guys who want to get their GFs sexy outfits, by offering them a subscription program.

Good idea ... and a better way to sell the idea is Arianny serving up a variety of scantily clad looks to promote the company, and we gotta say ... DAMN.

BTW -- GF Box subscriptions range from 69-89 bucks ... and in case you were wondering, Arianny DOES NOT come with your first month, but you do get a Valentine's Day card, an outfit and jewelry for your girl.

Could the Golden State Warriors starting 5 *actually* single-handedly beat the Eastern Conference All-Star starters?!?!

You better believe it ... so says Chris Webber, who tells TMZ Sports the Dubs are just too damn good to lose that fantasy matchup.

The 2019 All-Star game starters were announced Thursday night ... here's the East:

-- Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard and Kemba Walker

Here's the Warriors starting lineup:

-- Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Boogie Cousins, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green

Webber does a great job breaking down why the Eastern Conference All-Stars would LOSE if they took the court against the Warriors ... and he's pretty damn confident about it.

Of course, Webber used to play for the Warriors -- but there's no bias here. Webber's hittin' us with truth bombs.

As for the Western Conference All-Stars ... here's how that team looks:

-- LeBron, KD, Steph Curry, James Harden and Paul George.

That's scary.

What do Tom Brady and Atlanta strip clubs have in common???

THEY'RE BOTH THE BEST IN THE WORLD!!!

At least, according to Asante Samuel ... who tells TMZ Sports that Brady's still the G.O.A.T. -- and the booty clubs in ATL are too!

We got the ex-Pats DB just a couple days after Brady earned his 9th trip to the Super Bowl ... and Asante couldn't help but gloat about the correct Brady prediction he made to us last month.

"He's still the G.O.A.T. He's the best ever to do it. You can't compare him to nobody ... When it's time to make the play to win the game or the situational plays, he's the G.O.A.T.!"

Then, Asante -- who played 2 seasons for the Falcons -- broke down the strip club scene that fans will be faced with at SB 53 ... and tells us that, like Brady, they're the best too!!!

"The strip club is the main attraction, man. You go in there and see all the booty you want!"

It's crazy Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy took time Friday to blast the NFL on the floor of the Senate ... so says Jay Glazer, who tells TMZ Sports, "Talk about damn politics!"

The blown pass interference call in last weekend's NFC title game has put every Saints fan on the planet into an uproar ... with everyone from players to politicians ripping the league.

In fact ... Cassidy took the debate straight to Capitol Hill this week -- calling for the NFL to launch a full investigation into the incident!!!

But, Glazer tells us it's ridiculous that happened ... saying politicians need to have their focus on things other than the gridiron.

"Let's try and get the government right first before we start talking about what's going on in the NFL."

As for the Glazer's feelings on the call itself ... he says it was atrocious -- and guarantees BOTH the Rams AND Saints feel bad about it all.

Adrien Broner is a wanted man in Florida ... again.

The star boxer failed to show up in Broward County court once again Wednesday ... and the judge issued a warrant for his arrest immediately afterward.

Remember, this ain't the first time Broner's had this problem ... he's been arrested TWICE already for this same issue -- including just last month -- all stemming from a Dec. 2017 speeding incident.

So, where was Broner instead of court Wednesday? Dude has been in Los Angeles -- in fact, he went to the Lakers game on Thursday night. Hey, priorities right?

Cops arrested the 29-year-old for having no driver's license, speeding, no registration or proof of insurance on Dec. 7, 2017 ... but nobody's been able to get him to show in court since.

If/when he ever appears for the traffic offense ... don't be surprised if the judge throws the book at him for blowing off the case so many times in the past year.

Joe Rogan rewatched an old comedy classic recently -- "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" -- and pointed out something which seems crazy obvious now ... IT'S SUPER TRANSPHOBIC!!!

The UFC announcer was talking about all sorts of issues with New York Times reporter Bari Weiss on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast this week when he brought up the 1994 Jim Carrey flick.

"I didn't realize how transphobic that f*cking movie is," Rogan said ... "It's off the charts!"

Rogan says he hadn't seen the movie in years, but when he sat down to watch it with 8 and 10-year-old daughters he quickly realized, "It is so insanely transphobic."

If you remember ... the whole point of the flick is for Ace to track down the former Miami Dolphins player who kidnapped the team mascot -- and (spoiler alert) it ends up being the kicker.

But the kicker, Ray Finkle, was no longer living as a man -- he became Lois Einhorn.

When Ace and Dan Marino crack the case and realize Lois used to be Ray -- they cringe in disgust and everyone who had kissed Lois begins puking and washing out their mouths.

Rogan asks the question ... if places like iTunes should remove the movie from its library due to its offensive nature. Bari argued that it's important to NOT erase movies like "Ace" but notes how far society has come since the movie came out.

Ronda Rousey is not taking kindly to reports she's planning on leaving WWE to start a family -- saying she's the ONLY person authorized to speak on matters regarding her vagina.

Rousey's personal life was the subject of a bunch of reports Thursday after wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported Ronda could step away from WWE after Wrestlemania in April to focus on expanding her family.

Ronda addressed the report with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and came out swinging.

"I honestly don't know why [anyone] feels [they're] an authority to speak on plans for my uterus," Rousey said.

"It's my vagina, my life, keep the speculations to yourself. Leave me and my reproductive organs alone."

Ronda HAS spoken on the record several times about her plans to reproduce -- telling "Ellen" back in 2016 her plan was to have kids with Travis Browne and in May 2018 she said she would be pregnant "soon."

We had reached out to WWE about the Meltzer report and they told us, "Whether she wants to start a family is a private matter."

Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy is still so pissed off about the blown non-penalty in the NFC Championship game ... he just went on the floor of the Senate to call out the NFL.

"The State of Louisiana is outraged because of what happened in the Superdome last Sunday," Cassidy said during his 5-minute presentation.

"To the folks back home, it is something which continues to disturb them."

Cassidy, of course, is referring to blatant pass interference -- and helmet-to-helmet contact -- that went uncalled in the final 2 minutes of the game ... allowing the L.A. Rams a chance to come back and beat the Saints.

Cassidy described the play as, "The most blatant and consequential blown call in NFL history."

In fact, Cassidy says it's not just Saints fans who are pissed -- superstars like LeBron James, JJ Watt and Dez Bryant tweeted about the "travesty."

Cassidy suggested that the refs may have had a secret pro-Rams agenda and he's calling for the NFL to launch a full investigation.

Cool moment at the Pro Bowl -- two NFL stars who battled cancer and WON bonded in Orlando this week ... which makes this pic of Jim Kelly and James Conner inspiring as hell.

Obviously, Conner made the Pro Bowl after balling out with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year -- and Kelly is there as an assistant for the AFC squad.

Conner's story is pretty amazing -- he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2015 after a stellar junior year at Pitt. He underwent months of chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free in 2016.

58-year-old Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his jaw in 2013 and has undergone several major surgeries since ... including a major reconstructive procedure in 2018.

So, when they spotted each other on the sidelines of the Pro Bowl practice in Orlando on Thursday, they had an instant connection.

"These two know the game of football," Jim's wife, Jill Kelly, wrote ... "And they know cancer. Superstars and survivors...NEVER GIVE UP!"

Wanda Durant's son, Kevin (heard of him?), might just be the smoothest scorer in NBA history, but Mama tells us she's even more proud of what her boy does OFF the court for his community.

KD -- a 4-time scoring champ, league MVP, 2-time champion, and 10x All-Star -- recently opened his Durant Center, an after-school facility in his hometown focused on helping low-income students get to college.

Kevin put up $10 million to get the Center started, and when we talked to his mom and asked her which part of her son's life she's most impressed by, she went with the outreach, and not the NBA accolades.

"Off The court, of course. Off the court really shows who he is as a person."

Walker Buehler got the best welcome-back-to-L.A. surprise at the airport Thursday ... he learned from our camera guy his Dodgers squad signed A.J. Pollock!!!

"We signed him today?! We signed him while I was on the plane?!"

The 24-year-old pitching phenom took the breaking news with a smile ... and said he was stoked to have yet another All-Star on the team.

"That's cool, man. He's a good player. That's cool, man. I'm excited!"

As for if Pollock is the missing piece the Dodgers need to finally get them a World Series ring ... ya gotta hear what Buehler has to say about that.

BTW ... Walker's been away from L.A. for the past couple months -- and says he's done nothing but relax with his girlfriend (who he introduced us to!) since the World Series.

But, pitchers and catchers report to spring training on Feb. 12 ... sooo, time to get back to work!!!

They boycotted #45 ... but the Golden State Warriors got LOTS of love for #44 -- with the entire team meeting with Barack Obama on Thursday before taking the court against the Wizards.

Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the rest of the squad met with President Obama at his Washington D.C. office ... and then posed for a group photo afterward.

Unclear what they all talked about -- but after the game, Durant told the media, "It was amazing."

Draymond described the meeting this way to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne -- "A private team meeting, team event, it was good."

Of course, the Warriors famously boycotted the White House after winning the NBA Championship in 2017 ... after visiting Obama in 2016 and 2015.

Durant previously told TMZ Sports, "We don't f*ck with [Trump]."

They DO, however, like Nancy Pelosi ... the Speaker of the House not only attended the Warriors vs. Wizards game on Thursday -- she also met with players after the game, including Draymond.

By the way, the Warriors won the game 126 to 118.

Could Super Bowl Sunday be the last time Rob Gronkowski hits the football field??

His brother, ex-NFL player Chris Gronkowski, says maybe ... 'cause the older Gronk tells TMZ Sports neither he nor the Patriots superstar is sure of Rob's NFL future beyond Feb. 3.

"I couldn't tell you, and I don't even think at this point that he knows what he's going to do after the season."

Gronk's no stranger to retirement rumors ... he's dealt with a TON of serious injuries in his 9-year career -- and even reportedly threatened to walk if he was traded before this season.

But, the dude is only 29 years old ... and is still a beast -- which Chris says people are starting to take note of again now that fantasy football seasons are over.

"If you actually watched him play throughout the year, he was crushing people all year!"

Sooo ... could there be only four more quarters of that in his legendary career???