TMZ Sports - Page 50

Skin color controversy be damned, Steve Harvey thinks Will Smith would be the PERFECT guy to play Serena Williams' dad on the big screen.

There's a new movie being shopped around about Richard Williams -- Serena and Venus' father -- and it appears Will Smith is the #1 choice to play the #1 dad.

But, there's been a major backlash from people who say Will's complexion is too LIGHT to match the real Richard ... and critics are already calling for potential producers to find a more dark-skinned actor.

Steve Harvey doesn't see it that way ... telling TMZ Sports the beloved entertainer can do no wrong.

"Hell yeah, Will Smith is a good choice for everything."

Smith hasn't officially signed on to the project or even commented about it publicly. The project is only in the "spec script" stage.

However, there's been a push on social media for other actors to get the lead role -- suggested names have included Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker and even Usher.

We asked what Harvey thought about the latter ... and it's safe to say he ain't buyin' it.

"Come on, man."

As for the biopic ... Deadline reports its working title is "King Richard" and will tell the story of how the world's most famous tennis parent raised the 2 sisters from the streets of Compton to international tennis superstardom, despite Richard having no real tennis experience of his own.

Pepsi's doing to Lil Jon what Dave Chappelle once did to him in 2004 -- ruining Lil Jon's life ... but in the best way possible!!!

We got the rapper/producer Tuesday at LAX and wondered what life's been like since Pepsi aired its commercial on Super Bowl Sunday, widely considered one of, if not THE, best ads for SB LIII. The ad features Steve Carell, Cardi B and Lil Jon putting a hilarious spin on whether Pepsi's okay.

Since the commercial aired, Lil Jon says there's been no shortage of strangers coming up to him and repeating his famous line. When our photog got him out, the rapper told us he got at least 10 "Oookaaays" at the airport that morning.

LJ says it was bad a long time ago. Remember when Chappelle spoofed Lil Jon's line in his famous 2004 skit? The rapper said the skit alone changed his life forever ... ditto with Pepsi.

Lil Jon says Pepsi's ad has aired a bunch of times since the Super Bowl and the feedback's been insane. But, check it out ... he says it's all good 'cause he knows fans are just showing him love. Not to mention, it's not like he did the spot for free.

Jon proved he's a good sport by teaching our photog how to properly grunt "Oookay!!"

Sorry to be the spoiler, but that awesome video of Mike Tyson teaching some guys how to throw a ferocious punch combination at a bar ain't new.

In fact, it was shot YEARS ago -- and it was all for a movie that's already been released.

Several major media outlets ran with the video as brand new footage of a 52-year-old Tyson looking like a beast. He does look great, but he sure as hell wasn't 52 when this was shot.

Look, it's still amazing footage -- but a rep for Tyson tells us Mike was only throwing those combos as part of his role in the 2017 action flick "China Salesman" ... which also stars Steven Seagal.

Mike's rep doesn't recall the exact date the footage was shot but production wrapped up in August 2016 -- so, it was obviously before that date.

The big clue ... in the clip, Mike is wearing his costume from the movie.

Plus, 52-year-old Tyson recently appeared on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast and said that he's stopped weightlifting and fight training altogether -- and hasn't in years -- because it "reactivates my ego" and makes him feel violent.

Instead, we're told Tyson ONLY focuses on cardio training -- with the goal to stay healthy (not dangerous) for his new podcast, "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" ... a weed-inspired show.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Adam "Pacman" Jones being arrested at an Indiana casino -- footage the NFL star believes will prove officials overreacted that day.

The footage was shot by Pacman's wife around 3 AM on Feb. 27 -- after he had been placed in handcuffs at the Rising Star Casino Resort.

Authorities accused Pacman of cheating at a table game -- but in the footage, you can see the NFL star adamantly denying the allegations ... and demanding cops let him go.

"Who said I was cheating?" Jones says ... "Let the handcuffs go!"

The footage appears to be shot in the bowels of the casino after Jones had been removed from the gaming area. There are two officers attempting to walk him to another section in the building.

As we previously reported, authorities say Jones was adding chips to his stack after he knew the outcomes of the games ... which is obviously illegal.

Officials say the former Cincinnati Bengals star got aggressive -- cussing out law enforcement and threatening to kill one of the responding law enforcement agents.

Jones believes the video will show he was NOT out of control but rather restrained considering he was being taken into custody in front of his wife and other people who recognized him.

During the video, you can hear Pacman's wife telling police that he had spent $20,000 at the casino that night -- and there's no reason he would have to cheat.

She can also be heard saying, "He didn't put his hands on nobody."

Both Pacman and his wife repeatedly tell cops they can say whatever they want because of "freedom of speech."

At one point during the incident, Pacman turns to one of the arresting officers and calls him a "bitch ass n***a."

We spoke with Pacman's agent, Peter Schaffer, who tells us, "Adam was very controlled. We think the authorities overreacted, they love the attention ... Adam showed great restraint."

Luke Perry's son is dropping out of a wrestling show he was scheduled to be a part of next week ... after his father died following a massive stroke.

Jack Perry -- who wrestles under the name "Jungle Boy" -- is pulling out of Bar Wrestling's March 13 show in Los Angeles ... according to an announcement from the organization.

Bar Wrestling says Jack won't be getting in the ring next week at the Bootleg Theater ... saying "our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time."

It's unclear why Jack is dropping out of the event ... but it's safe to assume his father's death is playing a role in his decision.

We broke the story ... Luke died Monday after being unable to recover from a massive stroke. He was 52.

Remember the guy who landed a date with a smokin' hot tennis star all 'cause the Patriots won the Super Bowl???

The incredibly unlikely story of Genie Bouchard's popular fling with a 20-year-old fan is heading to the silver screen with a movie adaptation ... the Canadian pro confirmed Tuesday.

It all went down after the self-proclaimed Bouchard fan, John Goehrke, tweeted at Genie during Super Bowl 51 when the Patriots were trailing the Falcons by 25 points in the 3rd quarter.

Dude basically hit the lotto ... 'cause the Pats pulled off the insane upset, and John got his date.

And, then another date.

And, then another.

Now ... Goehrke is getting a freakin' movie made about how he shot his shot with one of the most attractive female athletes of his time. Unreal.

Bouchard will act as executive producer on the Jonathan Abrams flick ... which will focus on "dating and love in the modern digital age, asking if a relationship born on social media can survive the glare of the public eye," according to Deadline.

Here's Johnny Manziel shrugging off his latest football drama ... and showing off his cannon arm!!!!

The ex-NFL quarterback -- who was just cut by the Montreal Alouettes and the entire Canadian Football League last week -- hit the field for some drills ... and showed he's still got it.

Manziel was out with his longtime trainer, George Whitfield, in San Diego on Monday ... throwing passes and working on his footwork.

You can see in the clip, Johnny slings a 20-yard dime OVER a soccer goalpost for a would-be TD.

Of course, it's been a tough offseason for the former Heisman Trophy winner ... his CFL team announced just days ago Johnny Football violated the terms of his agreement and is now banned.

But, didn't seem Johnny took the news too harshly ... he announced afterward, "I look forward to exploring new options within the United States."

In other words ... he's interested, AAF and XFL.

So, it all begs the question ... is this latest vid an audition tape for leagues like the XFL and AAF to take a look at him??

Sounds like Ricky Williams has sympathy for Robert Kraft in the wake of his prostitution scandal -- explaining simply, "Sometimes it's just better to pay for it, you know?"

The ex-NFL star weighed in on Kraft's scandal Tuesday during an appearance on the 'Domenick Nati Show' ... saying he understands why powerful people like Kraft pay for sex acts.

"I think people have different moral standards and judgments. But, from a purely ... I'll call it practical, maybe a little taboo ... sometimes it's just better to pay for it, you know?"

Ricky's not the only person who feels that way -- prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada and there's a brothel that's already reached out to Kraft in an effort to get him to bring his "business" to the Silver State.

Of course, Kraft is due back in court in Jupiter, Florida later this month to face 2 misdemeanor counts of soliciting another for prostitution. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

For his part, the Patriots owner has adamantly denied doing anything illegal.

Officials say they have video of Kraft going into the Orchids of Asia Day Spa on 2 occasions and receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

One "Nigerian Nightmare" just gave a TON of love to another "Nigerian Nightmare" -- with ex-NFL star Christian Okoye saying Kamaru Usman's victory at UFC 235 was a proud moment for all Nigerians!

Okoye -- who earned the nickname during his football days -- was Octagon-side Saturday to watch his countryman fight Tyron Woodley for the welterweight belt in Las Vegas.

Usman was the underdog going into the fight, but Okoye decided to attend to show his support for the UFC fighter ... who also calls himself the "Nigerian Nightmare."

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Okoye is beaming with pride and tells us how Kamaru will inspire a new generation of Nigerian athletes.

It's pretty cool stuff.

As for whether Christian is willing to pass the torch and hand over the nickname for good ... that ain't happening yet.

As for Kamaru, he's always had respect for Christian -- dating back to the first time we spoke with him back in February 2018.

Josh Gordon isn't throwing in the towel on his NFL career -- it's the opposite -- he's been training like a maniac with an Olympic sprinter in the hopes of returning to dominance.

Sources connected to the wide receiver tell TMZ Sports ... Gordon has been working out at Numa Speed in Florida with Tim Montgomery, a former Team USA sprinter who won a gold medal in the 4x100 in 2000.

We're told the two have been grinding 6 days a week for several hours a day, focusing on speed and power.

Seems to be going well ... Josh posted photos of a recent workout session on social media and, shocker, he looks jacked.

Gordon -- sporting a TB12 T-shirt -- is clearly trying to send a message to his New England Patriots teammates ... showing he's bustin' his ass and is serious on returning to the team.

Of course, Gordon was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in December after reportedly violating the terms of his reinstatement from a previous suspension. Gordon's history of substance abuse is well known.

Flash played 11 games with the Pats in 2018 ... catching 40 passes for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Clemson superstar QB Trevor Lawrence says he never should've put his hands on a student in an intramural hoops scuffle last month ... saying he now understands what it's like to be in the spotlight.

Lawrence -- who led the Tigers in the national title game over Bama in January -- got into a physical altercation with a fellow student at a rec hoops game ... shoving the player twice after trying to set a pick about 80 feet from the basket.

The incident was caught on video and went viral almost instantly.

At the time, Lawrence justified his actions by saying the other player was running his mouth the whole time, while also admitting the shoves were "still probably unnecessary."

Now that the QB has had some time to reflect, he's taking more accountability -- saying he understands why people freaked out over the incident.

"I think everything is just a learning experience," Lawrence told the media after practice on Monday. "You could say you wished you handled something differently, and I do, but ... everyone's watching, and I should be smarter than that."

Lawrence says he made up with the guy after the game and moved on ... even if the media didn't.

"At the end of the day, we're playing a game, and it gets competitive. Me and him shook hands at the end of the game. It gets blown out of proportion, but I gotta know, just because it's me, it's going to get put out everywhere and made a big deal of."

Pacman Jones cussed out multiple law enforcement officers during his Feb. 27 arrest at an Indiana casino while threatening one cop with death and inviting another to "suck my d*ck," this according to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, the NFL star was arrested at 3:17 AM at the Rising Star Casino Resort following allegations that he was cheating at a table game.

Now, we've got the details ... and they're crazy.

First off, officials say Indiana Gaming Commission Enforcement agents responded to Jones after he was suspected of "capping bets" -- which is shop talk for adding more chips to a bet after you know the outcome of the game.

Jones didn't take kindly to the allegations -- telling multiple officials, "F*ck you" ... while moving his hands in a threatening manner and gesturing with his middle finger, according to the court docs.

During the altercation, IGCE agent Christopher Norton says Jones turned to another IGCE agent and told him, "I will kill you ... I will whoop your ass."

Norton says Jones continued to act in a threatening manner, so he subdued the NFL player and placed him in handcuffs. It was then Norton says he smelled booze emitting from Pacman.

While Jones was being taken to the gaming office, the NFL star allegedly continued to berate law enforcement officers ... saying, "F*ck you," "You ain't sh*t" and "You ain't nothing but a bitch."

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE ...

While the agents were handing Jones over to the Ohio County Sheriff's Dept., Jones managed to break out of custody and tried to make a run for it ... but he was ultimately subdued by officers.

After he was recaptured, Jones continued to cuss out the cops -- saying, "F*ck you," "Suck my d*ck" and "You're a bunch of crackers."

Another officer claims Jones also said, "Suck my d*ck, n***er."

The court docs show Jones was ultimately hit with 8 criminal charges including felony intimidation and felony battery against an officer.

The other charges, all misdemeanors, include cheating at gambling, resisting law enforcement and public intoxication.

Jones is due back in court later this month. Calls to Jones' rep have not been returned.

The incident is similar to a 2017 arrest at a Hyatt hotel -- when Jones was captured on video telling an officer to "suck my d*ck" and "I hope you die."

Jones has played in the NFL for 14 years -- most recently, he played with the Denver Broncos. He played 7 games with the team in 2018 before being released in November.

Before that, he had a run with the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015.

Neymar's having himself one helluva week -- raging at Carnival in Rio with a very famous, very attractive Brazilian singer.

The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain superstar had his arm around Anitta at the big parade at the Sambadrome Marques de Sapucai on Monday in Rio de Janeiro.

Unclear if the two are dating -- but they sure looked couple-ish at the Brazilian bash ... even planting kisses on each other's cheeks.

Neymar had been dating Bruna Marquezine for a while -- but they reportedly broke up in late 2018.

So, is this a rebound? Or just a flirty friendship?

We found footage of Anitta doing her thing -- and damn. She's fire. Also, she's a MASSIVE star with more than 35 MILLION followers on Instagram.

Neymar is one of the most famous athletes in the world -- and according to Forbes, he was the 5th highest paid athlete in the world in 2018 ... pulling in $90 MILLION!!

Get this ... Neymar's current contract with PSG is a 5-year deal reportedly worth more than $600 MILLION!!

He also has lucrative endorsement deals with massive brands like Nike, Red Bull, Gillette, McDonald's and Beats by Dre.

Ex-NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. is back behind bars following TWO new allegations of sexual deviance ... this time, he's accused of touching himself in front of a 77-year-old woman.

Remember, Winslow had been out on bail while fighting allegations he raped 3 women. Officials say 2 of the women were transients who were kidnapped by the former tight end.

A 3rd woman claims Winslow raped her 15 years ago while she was unconscious.

If convicted on all counts, Winslow faces up to life in prison. Bail was set at $2 million, which he posted back in July.

But, according to officials, Winslow has NOT been living up to the terms of his bail -- and now, prosecutors claim he committed more sexual impropriety just last month.

Officials say Winslow was working out at a San Diego area gym on Feb. 13 -- when he started touching himself and asking a nearby elderly woman if she liked it.

The very next week, the woman claims she was in a hot tub at the same gym when Winslow once again engaged in lewd conduct. The woman says she got out of the tub and reported Winslow.

She also claims Winslow reached out and touched her arm and foot as she tried to leave.

Winslow was formally charged with 2 counts of lewd conduct, 1 count of battery of an elder and 1 count of willful cruelty to an elder.

The judge in Winslow's case revoked his bail on Monday and ordered him to be locked up.

He's due back in court later Tuesday.

3/8 7:00 PM -- Gervonta released a statement saying, "The accuser contacted the police at the time of the alleged incident on February 17 while I was still in the mall. I waited for the police to arrive and I fully cooperated with their investigation. After the investigation, the police decided not to charge me with any crimes. The arrest warrant was based on the word of the accuser."

He adds, "I was not attempting to avoid being served with the warrant. In fact as soon as I was made aware of the warrant I told my attorney to contact the Fairfax Virginia Police Department to address this matter. I immediately went to the police department and fully cooperated with the police. I was never processed by the police or placed into custody. I just signed the warrant and agreed to appear in court at a future time. I’m eager to put this matter behind me and continue my career.

3/6 2:22 PM PT -- Cops tell us Davis has been served with the warrant and his court date will be set in the next few days.

Boxing star Gervonta Davis is a wanted man in Virginia ... law enforcement tells TMZ Sports a warrant has been issued for his arrest over allegations he assaulted a man at a high-end mall.

We broke the story ... Davis -- Floyd Mayweather's top protege -- was at a fancy shopping mall in Virginia on February 17 when he got into it with another man at an ATM machine.

Cops say Davis assaulted the guy ... and when officers arrived at the scene to investigate -- Davis "directed derogatory and offensive language at the officers in a public setting."

In fact, one witness tells us he watched Gervonta shove one of the officers while screaming obscenities ... while his friends were desperately trying to restrain him.

After an investigation, cops tell us a warrant for Davis' arrest on one misdemeanor count of assault has been issued.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Per a Fairfax County Police Department spokesperson ... multiple attempts to reach Gervonta to inform him of his warrant have been unsuccessful.

In other words, if you're reading this, Gervonta -- CALL THE POLICE!!

Davis is 21-0 as a pro fighter -- and is already a 2-time super featherweight world champ. Mayweather recently told TMZ Sports he's got big plans for Davis as a fighter ... with a potential superfight on the horizon with rising star Ryan Garcia.

Snoop Dogg meant no disrespect to African-Americans when he said the struggling Lakers oughta go away on a "slave ship" -- but he did mean to vent about ALL of his favorite teams sucking.

Sources close to the D-O-Double-Gizzle tell TMZ ... the rapper's trash talking -- taken by many as racist -- was totally a heat of the moment thing. We're told the rapper turned on his phone, and impulsively unloaded about his Lakers' embarrassing loss to the last-place Suns.

As we reported ... Snoop went all scorched Earth, saying, "Ship all them n***as out. Get a slave ship, and ship all them sorry mother f**kers the f**k outta here!"

Despite much of the public reaction to Snoop's rant -- our sources were clear ... the rapper doesn't have a single racist bone in his body, especially against his own race.

We're told the die-hard Lakers fan was -- like most fans -- pissed about possibly missing the playoffs, even with LeBron James. It's also a little insult to injury for Snoop ... he's also a Steelers fan and they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013.