TMZ Sports - Page 50

Dallas Cowboys star David Irving says he will NOT reverse course on his decision to quit the NFL over their policy on marijuana ... and he's got a message for Jerry Jones in case they never speak again.

The 25-year-old defensive tackle famously lit up a joint and announced his sudden retirement from the NFL during an Instagram Live session on Thursday night. Shocking, considering he could've made MILLIONS continuing his career in the league.

But, Irving tells us he's 100% done playing pro football -- and now he's moving on to the next phase of his life.

"No regrets whatsoever," Irving says ... "I know what I wanted to do. I've had plenty of time to think about it."

Irving says he's heard the critics who have called him stupid -- and worse -- for closing the book on such a lucrative profession ... but he doesn't care.

"I'm living my life. They can do whatever the hell they want to do in their life."

Irving tells TMZ Sports he consulted with his father -- a military veteran -- before making his decision. David feels strongly he should be able to medicate using marijuana instead of opioids, which he considers addictive and dangerous.

UFC star Paige VanZant says she fell in love with herself all over again ... and it's all 'cause she's a super sexy bikini model now!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with PVZ about what it was like to get picked for this year's S.I. Swimsuit Edition ... and she says it was a major, much-needed confidence boost.

"Even being in the UFC, I've always have had those body insecurities," Paige tells us.

"After the shoot, seeing all the pictures, seeing the way they look and the reaction I'm getting ... I have been like feelin' myself lately!"

Not everyone is happy with the results though ... just ask her husband, Austin Vanderford.

"My husband is getting really sick of it, 'cause I love myself a little bit TOO much right now," Paige joked.

PVZ says the shoot was an incredible experience ... and despite having to make a few adjustments to make it easier on her broken arm, she's thrilled with the results.

Check out the clip ... Paige says she was totally comfortable hangin' out in her bikini with a crew following her around ... but what happened when she came face-to-face with a yacht full of tourists???

Check out the vid ... and check out the issue when it drops in May!!!

Conor McGregor has a pretty powerful supporter -- with Chuck Liddell telling TMZ Sports the Irishman is right ... his fight with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone should be promoted as the MAIN event.

Remember, Cowboy told ESPN this week ... fight negotiations broke down because Conor refuses to be billed as a co-main event.

The issue is that neither Conor nor Cowboy currently hold a title -- so they would share the main event billing with whatever title fight would take place on the same card.

Cowboy claims Conor ain't down with that -- and won't share top billing with anyone else. So, for now, the fight doesn't seem to be happening.

Enter, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell ... who tells us he REALLY wants to see that fight because Conor and Cowboy are two of his all-time favorites and the bout would be awesome!!!

"I'm excited for that fight," Chuck told us on the way out of 1OAK in L.A. ... "I hope it happens."

As for the main event issue, Chuck says ... "It's a main event fight for sure. No matter what."

"Come on, Conor McGregor and Cowboy?! Two of my favorite fighters! I love watching those guys fight."

Chuck thinks Conor is ultimately using the main event issue as a way to negotiate more money because he's a smart businessman ... and believes the two sides WILL come to an agreement.

Junior Dos Santos is a BAD man, and Derrick Lewis knows beatin' him ain't gonna be easy, but when he does ... "The Black Beast" knows who's next in line for an ass-whoopin' -- Stipe Miocic.

Lewis is headlining UFC Fight Night 146 this weekend in Kansas against Dos Santos -- a 6'4", 250-pound ex-UFC heavyweight champion -- who's beaten 5 former UFC heavyweight champs.

The champs JDS has beaten ... Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Shane Carwin, and Stipe Miocic.

So, it's gonna be a TOUGH fight ... but Derrick tells TMZ Sports after he takes care of biz Saturday ... he knows exactly who's on deck for a date in the Octagon.

"Stipe is the next guy."

The fight ain't a pipe dream either ... Lewis told us Dana White actually tried to make the fight back in January -- but Derrick wanted to chill after fighting Daniel Cormier.

But, Stipe ain't the only guy on Lewis' hit list ... "The Black Beast" says he also wants to run back the Francis Ngannou fight.

"I have to get that fight out of the way again before I retire, ya know? Just to make it right for the fans. Not right for myself. Right for the fans."

Remember, Lewis won the July 2018 match ... but there were only 31 total strikes landed combined and it's widely considered one of the most boring fights ever in the UFC.

Lewis wants to rewrite history ... under one condition.

Floyd Mayweather has 8 more years to beat the hell out of Conor McGregor, that's according to boxing champ Shawn Porter who says Floyd is so much better than Conor, he could beat him at 50!!!

McGregor let it slip on Twitter that he might be interested in running it back with Floyd and making another $100 mil.

Thing is, that fight was 2 years ago ... and Floyd is now 42 ... so if they were to do it again, is Money too old? When we saw Shawn Porter out in L.A., we had to ask him.

"Mayweather will own the sport of boxing against Conor McGregor any day of the week for the next 5-10 years at least. When he's 50 he could still do it."

Porter was full of shade for Conor, saying that he needs to keep his mind off the ring and on the Octagon because he's not exactly setting the world on fire in there these days.

"McGregor should stay the course he's on in the Octagon and try to make that happen. I don't even pay attention to that too much, but I know he's been struggling there as well."

Rasheed Wallace is in for a world of annoyance at his new job as a high school hoops coach ... this according to his fellow ex-NBAer, Kenyon Martin ... who says kids don't listen to a damn thing nowadays.

Sheed was officially announced as the next head coach at Jordan HS in Durham, NC on Friday ... and when we got K-Mart at LAX, he had some slightly bad news for Wallace.

"It's gonna be tough, but I wish him all the best," Martin tells us.

Why exactly??? Kenyon -- whose son is a prodigy at Sierra Canyon in California -- has been around youngins since his boy has been playing ... and says they all have one thing in common.

Ex-MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza just got sentenced to 36 months in prison after officials found him hiding 44 pounds of cocaine ... and he'll surrender next month.

As we previously reported, Loaiza -- who made more than $40 MILLION during his 14-year MLB career -- was arrested last year after cops say he was trying to move more than $500,000 in cocaine from a house located near a school.

Officials say Loaiza was using "sophisticated" smuggling devices to hide the 22 kilos of coke.

On Friday, the 47-year-old appeared in court in San Diego for his sentencing. He was facing life in prison -- but seems to be getting off easy ... with just a 3-year prison sentence.

Officials say he'll be deported to his native Mexico following his release.

The story about how he was caught is crazy.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. says he was busted during a drug-smuggling sting by the Border Crime Suppression Team.

Loaiza was initially stopped by police during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation -- but a search of his car led to the discovery of a "sophisticated aftermarket compartment used to conceal contraband."

Cops then got a warrant to search a home that Loaiza had been renting since early February -- located "steps away from an area preschool" -- and found roughly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Estimated street value -- $500,000.

Loaiza was initially booked into San Diego County Jail for 3 felonies -- Possession of Cocaine Over 20 Kilograms, Possession of Cocaine for Sale, and Transportation of Cocaine.

He later pled guilty to felony cocaine possession with intent to distribute.

Loaiza, the second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history, played for 8 different teams in his career -- earning over $43 million.

The guy who hit boxing legend Bernard Hopkins so hard he literally knocked him out of the ring says he rewatches the highlight KO to get him fired up to fight!!!

TMZ Sports talked to Joe Smith Jr. -- a 29-year-old fighter with 24 wins and only 2 losses -- about his iconic, devastating knockout of Hopkins back in December 2016.

In the 8th round, Smith Jr. hit B-Hop with a flurry of punches that lifted B-Hop off the ring canvas and sent him flying through the ropes and onto The Forum floor ... never to fight again.

Smith Jr. -- who's fighting undefeated boxer Dmitry Bivol this Saturday on DAZN -- says he ALWAYS watches highlights of the knockout to get PUMPED before fighting.

"I like watching it before my fights," JS tell us, "It gets me pumped up. it gets me motivated. I tell myself, I need another one of these every time I step in the ring."

We also talked to Bivol -- considered one of boxing's biggest rising stars -- about who he wants after Smith Jr.

Hint, he's Mexican and has red hair.

What does Chris Pratt give his friends on their birthday? STOMACH PUNCHES!!

That's how he celebrated with his pal Adel "Kyokushin" Altamimi -- the pro-MMA fighter who Pratt walked to the cage at Bellator 214 back in January.

Pratt and Adel are close friends -- and to celebrate Adel's big 30th birthday, his training partners at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in L.A. handed out a flurry of body blows!

It's a birthday tradition at the gym -- hold the cage, flex your abs and everybody gets a shot!

Among the gift-givers ... Chris, Jay and ex-NFL player Nate Boyer.

As for the birthday boy, he's got a pretty amazing story -- he was born and raised in Iraq and was contracted as a convoy driver for the U.S. Marine Corps.

During his service, Altamimi was captured by Al Qaeda and was threatened with death -- until he was saved by a group of U.S. Marines.

After the rescue, Altamimi moved to the U.S. and began his MMA training -- where he became close with guys like Jay Glazer and Chris Pratt.

San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer and his wife have both met with law enforcement as a part of the investigation into their physical altercation that was caught on video, TMZ Sports has learned.

The SFPD launched a probe into the March 1 incident -- in which Baer was seen trying to wrestle a cell phone away from his wife, Pam, knocking her to the ground in the process.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- which took place in a public park area in San Francisco -- and you can hear Pam scream for help.

Cops responded on the day of the incident and spoke with witnesses. Now, we've learned investigators reached out to both Larry and Pam ... who also agreed to speak with authorities.

Larry's attorney, Cris Arguedas, tells us Baer and Pam had separate meetings with law enforcement, but fully cooperated ... and they're confident no charges will be filed.

The case has been kicked over to the San Francisco District Attorney's Office -- which will review the evidence and decide whether or not to bring charges against Larry.

Arguedas tells TMZ Sports she's "never been more confident" Larry will not be prosecuted.

Pam has already commented publicly about the case -- chalking the incident up to a marital spat ... and stating that she still loves her husband.

Larry has stepped away from the Giants while cops and the MLB investigate the situation -- but he's also expressed remorse.

Baer has been involved with the Giants organization for decades. He was named chief operating officer in May 1996, team president in October 2008 and CEO on January 1, 2012.

SHEEEED!!!!

Rasheed Wallace has a new gig -- he's been hired as the head basketball coach at Jordan High School in Durham, NC!!

The ex-NBA star was announced at a news conference (inside the school's library!) Friday morning ... donning a royal blue blazer and smiling from ear-to-ear.

"It's a great day to be a Falcon," Sheed said Friday.

Of course, Sheed has ties to Durham ... he was a superstar at North Carolina for 2 years, making the Final Four in 1995.

Wallace went on to have a great 16-year NBA career ... winning a title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and making the All-Star team 4 different times.

It'll be a rebuild for Wallace .. he's taking on a team that went 7-17 this past season, according to MaxPreps.

Sheed had MANY memorable moments during his time in the Association -- who can forget BALL DON'T LIE?!?!?

Worth noting ... Wallace ranks in the top 5 in technical fouls in NBA history, so here's hoping he keeps his chill on the sidelines.

The U.S. Women's National Soccer team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation -- claiming they're sick of being paid less than the men's team ... despite being WAY better than their male counterparts.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Julie Ertz and others all joined in on the suit ... which blasts the USSF for the pay disparity.

"Despite the fact that these female and male players are all called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams ... the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts," the women say in their suit.

"This is true even though their performance has been superior to that of male players -- with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions."

They're right -- the USWNT are not only champs but perennial contenders while the U.S. Men's National Team sucks so bad, they didn't even make the World Cup in 2018.

Oh, and the timing of the lawsuit is interesting -- filed on International Women's Day, which happens to be 3 months before the Women's World Cup begins in France.

In the suit, the women allege gender discrimination. They're seeking to end "the USSF's discriminatory practices."

Ronda Rousey just went scorched earth on the WWE, its fans and the City of L.A. -- issuing a big "F**k you" to all of 'em ... while insisting none of this stuff is scripted.

"I’m not going out there and doing their f*cking act anymore," Ronda said during a heated moment on her video blog posted Thursday.

"I’m going out there and doing whatever the hell I want. And, they can explain it however they want -- but f*ck em. Everybody. WWE Universe included."

We know what you're thinking -- is her declaration of being non-scripted actually scripted? Probably, but it's still really entertaining.

So, why's Ronda so mad? She's been beefing with WWE rival Becky Lynch -- who's been taking personal shots at Rousey ... including insulting her husband and UFC fighting career.

Most recently, Becky (real name Rebecca Quin) referred to Ronda's husband, Travis Browne, as a "d*ck" -- which pissed Ronda off.

"Rebecca Quin, I don’t care what the script says, I’m beating the living shit out of you the next time I see you," Ronda had said on Twitter.

Now, in her new video ... Ronda continued to attack Becky and others.

"Wrestling is scripted. It’s made up. It’s not real. None of those bitches can f*cking touch me. The end.”

Ronda also went off on the City of Los Angeles -- blasting L.A. fans for booing her at Staples Center.

"Los Angeles, they don't have any pride in their own city at all," she said ... while ripping Los Angelinos for being bandwagon Lakers, Dodgers and Rams fans.

"That whole city is just a bunch of people who are f*cking transplants who are trying to escape sh*tty ass Ohio or wherever the f*ck that they’re from and they have no pride in L.A. and they come to our f*cking games and sh*t on our teams and say ‘I’m from Los Angeles, I’ve been living here for 10 years’ -- No you’re f*cking not!”

"I'm outta there. I'm not doing this sh*t no more."

*hits joint*

That's seriously how Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving announced his NFL retirement Thursday night ... going on Instagram Live to tee off on the NFL's drug policy and quit his job.

The 25-year-old was suspended indefinitely last week after reportedly violating the league's drug policy again ... and now he's letting everyone know he's taking the punishment by smoking weed.

"Basically guys, I quit," Irving said. "They wanna talk about a suspension and all this other nonsense. I'm outta there. I'm not doing this sh*t no more."

Irving has dealt with several injuries during his short career, including a severe concussion that he claims led to a car accident in 2017. Instead of using marijuana to get better, Irving says he was forced to take Rx pills in order to stay within the policy guidelines.

"We got this opioid thing going on ... I'm prescribed all that bullsh*t. I just think it's bullsh*t that we have to deal with that policy."

"Everyone thinks it's about smoking weed. It's not about smoking weed. It's much bigger than that."

Irving also takes issue with how the league has handled Colin Kaepernick ... as well as his old teammate, Randy Gregory, who has also been suspended several times in just a few years.

Irving wants to make it clear that he still has a passion for the game ... but he refuses to continue to "put up with the bullsh*t."

"I love football ... I mean, sh*t, it shaped me. I wouldn't be here without it. However, I don't love the NFL. The NFL is not football."

Salt Bae's gone full "Rocky IV" mode with his workouts ... taking them to the extreme, but instead of snow he's working it in the sand.

The famous Turkish chef/Internet sensation hit up Miami Beach Thursday making it obvious dude's never skipped leg day.

Mr. Bae also finds it hard to resist taking his workouts to a whole new level ... busting out pistol squats with a freakin' utility trailer and regular ol' squats with a damn log!

Check out the vid ... Bae's bud's right there with him getting it all on video. Probs for the Gram.

Need more proof Salt Bae's living the sweet life? Check out the chick who couldn't resist pulling up next to him for a pic. She clearly kicks butt in her workouts too.

BTW ... it's not the first time Salt Bae's opted for some bitchin' workouts. Remember the parachute?

Hate if ya want, but if getting salty's your thing -- here's a lesson on how to do it right. Like we said, next level.

Serena Williams says the pro tennis ranking system is "biased" against working moms -- and she's living proof -- claiming she took a HUGE hit for taking maternity leave and it's simply not right.

"When I returned to tennis from maternity leave, I was penalized for taking time off: my ranking dropped from #1 in the world to #453," Serena wrote in an op-ed for Fortune.

"That required me to face tougher competition earlier in the French Open, which led to a pectoral injury that forced me to drop out."

Serena gave birth to her daughter, Olympia, back in Sept. 2017 -- but there were complications which required Serena to undergo emergency surgery following the delivery.

Everyone is okay now ... and Serena returned to tennis 8 months after giving birth. The problem? Serena says the extremely low ranking the ATP and WTA gave her when she returned was super unfair and forced her to overcome obstacles she shouldn't have had to overcome!

"I fought hard personally, making it to the Wimbledon final shortly after, but I also fought hard publicly against the biased ranking system. We must stop penalizing women when they return to their careers after having children."

She added, "Women deserve to be given the same respect and opportunities as our male counterparts. We are entitled to the same open doors."

The good news ... the WTA announced back in December they recognized this very problem -- and vowed to give protection to mothers who return to the tour after giving birth.

The WTA says female players who give birth will be able to use their pre-maternity leave ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a 3-year period, which seems like a practical solution.