TMZ Sports - Page 50

Antonio Brown is hitting the ground runnin' in Oakland ... 'cause he's ALREADY working out with his new QB, Derek Carr -- and TMZ Sports has the video!!!

The newest Raider superstar and the team's stud QB hit a park near the team's practice facility in the Bay Area on Tuesday ... and crushed their first-ever workout as Raiders teammates.

You can see in the video ... Brown's catching passes from D.C. like the two have already been teammates for years!!!

At one point, Brown even practices his TD celebration by jumping on a light pole and sliding down!

It's interesting ... 'cause AB blasted Ben Roethlisberger for never meeting up with him to play catch in the offseason -- so, seems Carr already knows how to keep his new receiver happy.

Brown was just traded from Pittsburgh to the Raiders on Saturday for a 3rd-round pick and a 5th-round pick in next month's NFL draft ... a move some are calling a steal for Oakland.

Seems AB's all fine with it ... the receiver's posted non-stop about the move -- even shouting out Carr on social media saying, "Love at first Sight."

Stand-up comedian Brody Stevens' struggle with mental illness is listed as a factor in his suicide on his death certificate.

TMZ obtained the document which confirms Brody died by hanging. Specifically, it says he used a belt to hang himself from a door. It also says his "history of depression and bipolar disorder" was a significant condition contributing to his death.

As we reported ... the comedian and actor was found dead last month at his home in L.A. He had been hospitalized in 2011 after suffering a bipolar episode, and tackled topics like depression on his Comedy Central series, 'Enjoy It!'

Despite that, Brody was famous for preaching positivity during his popular stand-up act. He also had roles in movies, such as "The Hangover" and "The Hangover II" -- and was an avid baseball fan. Brody pitched in college at Arizona State University until he suffered an elbow injury.

He was 48.

Two members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team are more than teammates -- they're engaged to be married!!

Defender Ali Krieger and goalie Ashlyn Harris just revealed they've not only been dating for the last 9 years, but Ashlyn actually proposed in September ... and Ali said, "Yes!"

It all went down in Clearwater Beach, Florida -- where Ashlyn busted out a pretty impressive rock.

The two are now planning to tie the knot at the end of 2019, according to People.com.

Ali and Ashlyn met on the USWNT in 2010 -- with Harris explaining, "We always sat next to each other on the bus and on flights, and we kind of just talked about our dreams and our hopes and what we wanted to do one day when we grew up. Because at the time, we were kids."

The couple wasn't exactly hiding their relationship, but they didn't flash it around either because they didn't want to be a distraction.

"We wanted to be professional and make sure that we showed up every day and did our job and it wasn’t just because we were together, it was because we love what we do, and we’re really good at what we do,” Krieger told People.

"We became more and more confident within and ourselves and then clearly within our relationship," Harris said ... adding, "Finally, after all these years, I just feel like I don’t have to hide anything or feel like I’m not living up to the community I’m in."

10:40 AM PT -- We just got Jay Leno out in NYC and asked him about the scandal ... Leno certainly didn't hold back, calling the whole thing "the definition of white privilege."

The 50 people who were indicted for allegedly paying bribe money to get their kids into college may just be the tip of the iceberg, and scores of very nervous and very rich parents are calling around L.A. trying to get recon.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ, FBI agents have seized numerous cell phones and other evidence they believe will lead them to other parents, college employees and others who might have participated in admissions bribery.

We know a number of wealthy parents from some of the most exclusive private schools in L.A. were calling around Tuesday, asking if Rick Singer, the ringleader who just copped a plea, kept lists of clients. As one source put it, "These parents are sweating bullets."

On a different front, sources at USC familiar with the scandal tell us the University has known about the investigation for around 2 months, but they did not investigate ... because they didn't want to undermine the feds. Our sources say they've dealt with the U.S. Attorney's Office before, and they know if they conducted a simultaneous investigation it could tip off witnesses and targets, and result in the destruction of evidence.

As for what USC will do with the students whose parents got them into the school via bribery, well-connected sources tell us the students will not all be evaluated the same way. We're told if the students knew they were admitted because of bribes, they will be expelled. If they were in the dark, the University will evaluate all of the circumstances and the decisions will be student-specific.

And, one final thing, as for USC ... we know officials are furious at the parents who engaged in bribery. They say it has tarnished the school, the students and the athletic programs.

Lucky Whitehead was so wasted during his DUI arrest back in December ... he told cops, "I'm not alright to drive" -- and it's all in police footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The ex-Dallas Cowboys receiver was pulled over on Dec. 23 in Gainesville, Virginia around 2:12 AM after he ran a red light ... and when cops got him out of the vehicle -- it was clear he was DRUNK.

Whitehead was slurring his words, babbling incoherently and absolutely bombing field sobriety tests. Oh, and he admitted to having beer and mixed drinks before getting behind the wheel.

Lucky ultimately refused a breathalyzer -- despite the cop's repeated warnings it would be an additional charge on his crimes ... but the officer says on video Lucky might have blown a 0.25 if he cooperated!!

26-year-old Whitehead was ultimately hit with FIVE charges for the incident, including DUI, refusing a breath sample, driving without a license, failure to obey a traffic signal and a seat belt violation.

By the way, Lucky tried to (very drunkenly) play the Do you know who I am? card at one point during the stop ... telling cops he's the same guy that was involved in that wild shoplifting arrest mix-up back in 2017.

And, yeah ... the cops didn't care.

Floyd Mayweather is finding new ways to get at Conor McGregor -- this time, he's mocking the UFC star's Miami meltdown by BEGGING paparazzi to shoot him in Beverly Hills.

Remember, McGregor was arrested this week for taking a fan's phone and smashing it because he didn't want to be shot on the way out of the Fontainebleau hotel Monday morning.

Enter Mayweather -- wearing a super bright yellow sweatshirt so everyone could see him -- instructing the photogs to "Shoot me, man! Shoot greatness!"

Floyd knew exactly what he was doing ... and so did everyone in his massive entourage -- just look at the smirks while Mayweather puts on his show in the middle of the most famous part of L.A.

Meanwhile, Conor is still in Florida where he's facing criminal charges for the cell phone incident.

Conor recently tweeted about wanting a rematch with Floyd after getting beat up in their boxing match back in 2017.

Conor says he realizes what he did wrong in that fight and believes he can make the adjustments to give Floyd his first loss.

Crazy story, crazy ending.

A Kobe Bryant high school basketball jersey -- stolen out of the school's trophy case in 2017 -- has been located by a fan in China who's returning the item ... for free!!

Here's the deal ... someone broke into a display case at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania on Super Bowl Sunday in 2017 and jacked the autographed #33 Bryant jersey he had signed for the school.

Bryant was a high school phenom at Lower Merion -- where he scored nearly 2,900 points during his 4 years. He also scored a date to his prom with Brandy, 'memba that?!

Well, there was a huge break in the missing jersey case ... when a Kobe superfan in China named Liu Zhe noticed the jersey he recently bought for $2,000 looked VERY similar to the stolen jersey.

Turns out ... it IS the same jersey.

So, 28-year-old Zhe ... being a good dude ... decided to send the jersey back to the school, free of charge, because he felt it was the right thing to do, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

The good news ... Lower Merion has already received the jersey and reps are now working with police to see if they can track down the thief who jacked it in the first place.

So, what does Liu want for his role in the jersey recovery? Nothing really ... just for Kobe to know he did the right thing.

Pamela Anderson and her mom have mastered the art of looking like A MILLION BUCKS while raising a TON O' CASH ... all for an incredible cause.

The "Baywatch" star was front and center in Vancouver where she hosted a charity auction benefiting the Pamela Anderson Foundation. She also had a very sweet date in tow ... her mom, Carol. The gals dressed to the nines for the special event.

We're told tons of cool items were auctioned off ... including signed jerseys from futbol stars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. No doubt those items hauled in a couple of sweet checks but gotta hand it to fashion photographer Raphael Mazzucco, whose career highlights includes shooting Sports Illustrated Swimsuit covers.

Mazzucco donated a piece dubbed "Beauty and Light." Pam couldn't resist posing next to it for a pic. But, we know why she's REALLY grinning ear-to-ear -- the piece fetched a whopping $30k!!!

BTW ... the Pamela Anderson Foundation supports organizations that protect human, animal and environmental rights. The foundation's been at it for 20 years. #KeepGrindingPam

Dak Prescott had the chance to prevent his pit bull from violently attacking a neighbor, according to officials ... who say they warned the QB MULTIPLE times his dogs were escaping from his house.

It's all in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... where officials allege they told either Dak, or residents of Dak's Frisco, Texas home ... TWICE that his dogs were getting out and running loose in the streets.

They say there's a door near the Cowboys star's garage that doesn't close properly unless it's locked ... so they told Dak he needed to fix the issue to prevent his pit bulls from escaping.

But, the QB seemingly didn't take care of the problem ... 'cause his dogs broke out of the door once again on Feb. 25, tearing into a neighbor's yard and attacking.

As we previously reported ... a woman claims she lost part of her finger when she tried to pry Prescott's dogs off of hers ... telling 911 operators she believed her dog was "probably" injured in the attack as well.

Now, Dak's dog, Icon, is facing a "dangerous dog" hearing ... where if he's found to be dangerous, he could be put down.

The hearing is set for March 20 at 8 AM PT.

3:01 PM PT -- USC has fired water polo coach Jovan Vavic and Senior Associate AD Donna Heinel.

11:08 AM PT -- The NCAA released a statement addressing the scandal ... saying, "The charges brought forth today are troubling and should be a concern for all of higher education. We are looking into these allegations to determine the extent to which NCAA rules may have been violated."

Multiple prominent members of the USC Trojans athletic department have been indicted in a far-reaching college admissions scandal ... where they allegedly took bribes to help students gain admission.

USC senior associate athletic director Dr. Donna Heinel, ex-USC women's head soccer coach Ali Khosroshahin and ex-assistant soccer coach Laura Janke are all named ... as well as current USC men's water polo head coach Jovan Vavic.

Vavic -- a 13-time national coach of the year -- has 14 national titles under his belt during his tenure at the University of Southern California.

The general allegations go something like this -- William Rick Singer, a guy who runs a college admissions prep service, would facilitate bribes to current and former USC coaches to designate prospective students as recruited athletes ... which would lower the academic standards for admission.

The problem ... officials say the students were NOT recruited athletes and the coaches and other USC officials LIED in exchange for big money donations to USC and other payments.

Here's a video of the U.S. Attorney's Office laying out the alleged scheme ...

According to court documents, USC ain't alone in this -- at least one soccer coach from UCLA is named, along with a coach from Georgetown, a sailing coach at Stanford, a tennis coach at Texas, a coach from Wake Forest and even Yale.

In regards to USC, officials say one of the parents involved in the scheme is Lori Loughlin -- whose daughters were allegedly recruited by USC's crew team, despite the fact they had no experience in crew.

You can bet your ass the NCAA has eyes on this -- especially considering USC's legendary history of bribery and scandal in their athletic department.

By the way, USC president Dr. Wanda M. Austin issued a statement saying USC is the VICTIM and not the bad guy here.

"The government has repeatedly informed us that it views USC as a victim and that these employees purposefully deceived USC."

She added, "It is immensely disappointing that individuals would abuse their position at the university in this way."

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are still basking in the glow of their recent engagement ... and the happy couple is taking their celebration to the friendly skies.

J Lo and A-Rod just boarded a private jet together, and it's decked out with tons of cute mementos for their engagement.

J Lo is clearly a big fan of the arrangements ... including powdered donuts crowned with images of diamonds, silver balloons that say "congrats," and a bottle of champagne on ice next to a chalkboard sign commemorating their engagement date. Nice touch!!!

Looks like A-Rod is intent on going over the top in professing his love for J Lo ... they previously celebrated on a bed of roses after the retired MLB superstar dropped to one knee over the weekend for a beachy proposal.

Conor McGregor duped the dude whose phone he allegedly snatched and smashed in order to get to the goods ... so claims the guy who lost his phone.

TMZ Sports spoke with Ahmed Abdirzak, a UK resident, who tells us he was vacationing in Miami before Monday's scuffle with the former UFC champ.

Ahmed says he spotted Conor on their way out of the club as he waited for the valet to bring his ride around. Once he saw Conor, Ahmed tells us he pulled out his phone to snap a pic -- and then says Conor actually approached him and appeared to be offering a handshake.

Once he had a hold of his hand, Ahmed says Conor pulled him in and grabbed the phone out of his hand ... allegedly proceeding to stomp on it while his bodyguards blocked off Ahmed. Ahmed asked for the phone back, but to no avail.

He says Conor put it in his pocket, laughed and hopped into a waiting vehicle. Ahmed's pissed about his phone, 'cause he says there's precious content on there for him that he'll never get back.

As you know, Conor was arrested and booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief, and made bail Monday night. He was calm and collected as he made his way past cameras and into his ride.

1:15 PM PT -- William H. Macy just showed up at the federal courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. His wife, Felicity, is scheduled to appear before a judge around 2 PM PT.

12:47 PM PT -- Singer has now pled guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

9:15 AM PT -- The U.S. Attorneys Office broke down the alleged scheme during a news conference ... and named William Rick Singer as the ringleader. They say he created a fake non-profit, charitable foundation which served as a front to launder the payments from parents.

The feds said most parents paid between $200k and $400k for Singer's help. Some payments apparently went as high as $6.5 million. All told, they say investigators uncovered about $25 million in bribes.

Singer allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible "donations" ... to his non-profit.

Feds say Singer will plead guilty to racketeering charges.

Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged along with 48 others in a massive bribery scam involving some of the most elite colleges in the country.

Court records show the actresses and others allegedly paid hefty bribes -- as much as $6 MILLION -- to get their kids into various schools, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.

The charges include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. We've learned Felicity has been arrested and is presently in custody. We're told she will be released on a signature bond ... which essentially is a promise to appear in court.

The alleged scam was reportedly unearthed after authorities found a California businessman who ran an operation helping students get into the college of their choice. Authorities say parents would pay the man a predetermined amount which he would funnel to an SAT or ACT administrator or a college athletic coach.

The feds say if the money went to a college coach ... the coach would arrange a fake profile that listed the student as an athlete. If the money went to an exam administrator, the administrator would either hire a proctor to take the SAT/ACT or correct the student's answers.

As for Loughlin, she and her husband -- Mossimo Giannulli, the founder of Mossimo clothing -- allegedly paid $500,000 to have their 2 daughters designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... despite the fact they did not actually participate in crew. However, the feds say Mossimo sent action photos of their daughters on rowing machines, including one of his older daughter on an ergometer to Singer via email.

Mossimo, who was also charged, took a cheap shot at one university. According to the indictment, he wrote an email saying he wanted to "make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!"

Loughlin's daughter caught some flak last year when she posted a video about starting college. She stated, "I don't really care about school," and explained she was excited about partying and game days mostly -- which angered viewers who commented, calling her "spoiled" and "privileged." She later apologized for her "super ignorant and stupid" comments.

As for Huffman, she and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly made a charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter.  The indictment says the daughter was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students and the paid proctor agreed to secretly correct her answers afterwards.

The indictment says the girl received a score of 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Macy was not indicted.

According to the docs, the FBI recorded phone calls in which Loughlin and Huffman talked about the scheme with a witness who was cooperating with authorities.

And, the federal indictment out of Boston has a twist ... it says most of the kids admitted to the schools had no idea their parents allegedly greased the wheels to get them in.

We reached out to the reps for both Felicity and Lori ... so far no word back.

2:13 PM PT-- Westbrook has been fined $25k for “directing profanity and threatening language to a fan.”

1:54 PM PT -- The Utah Jazz just announced that they have permanently banned the fan involved in the verbal altercation with Russell Westbrook after they say a team investigation revealed the fan acted inappropriately.

The Jazz just released a statement ... saying, "The Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Group announced today a permanent ban of the fan who engaged in the inappropriate interaction with the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook last night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The ban is effective immediately and includes all arena events."

"The organization conducted an investigation through video review and eyewitness accounts. The ban is based on excessive and derogatory verbal abuse directed at a player during the game that violated the NBA Code of Conduct."

"The Utah Jazz will not tolerate fans who act inappropriately. There is no place in our game for personal attacks or disrespect."

Jazz President Steve Starks also addressed the situation ... saying, "Everyone deserves the opportunity to enjoy and play the game in a safe, positive and inclusive environment."

"Offensive and abusive behavior does not reflect the values of the Miller family, our organization and the community. We all have a responsibility to respect the game of basketball and, more importantly, each other as human beings. This has always been a hallmark of our incredible fan base and should forever be our standard moving forward."

"I swear to God, I'll f*ck you up, you and your wife. I'll f*ck you up."

Russell Westbrook let the profanities fly at the OKC Thunder vs. Utah Jazz game on Monday ... verbally threatening physical harm on a fan in the 2nd quarter of the game.

So, what did the fan say to set Russ off??

If you ask the fan, 45-year-old Shane Keisel, he denies ANY inappropriate or racist words were said, claiming he yelled, "Ice those knees up!" to the MVP.

As for his wife being involved, Keisel says she never said a word ... and is pissed Westbrook went after her too.

"She never got up. She never stood up. She never said a word to him," the fan told ESPN after the game.

"I mean, it's all fine, we're having fun and games with the guy and we're talking, but at the end of the day, no man should threaten a woman, period."

"I'm not afraid of the guy. Come on up. But when you threaten a woman that's 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, you're a big man. So this guy needs to be exposed."

Brodie says he doesn't regret the blowup because he heard something completely different -- something racially charged -- "Get down on your knees like you're used to" ... and that's what made him go nuclear.

"For me, I'm just not going to continue to take disrespect for my family," Westbrook told reporters after the game.

"And if I had to do it again, I would say the same exact thing, because I truly will stand up for myself, for my family, for my kids, for my wife, for my mom, for my dad every single time.

"I expect anybody else to do the same. So that's kind of where I'm at with the whole situation."

"As for beating up his wife, I have never put my hand on a woman; I never will. Never been in any domestic violence before. Never have before, but once he said the comment, his wife repeated the same thing to me as well. So that's kind of how that started."

Russell has gotten support from ex-NBAer Matt Barnes ... who said, "I said it b4 @utahjazz have the most racist fans in the @NBA."

The Jazz released a statement ... saying, "We are continuing to investigate the unfortunate exchange at tonight’s game between Russell Westbrook and fans."

"Multiple warning cards were issued by arena security. Players and fans have a shared responsibility to create a safe and respectful environment. If it is determined that any fans violated the NBA Code of Conduct, appropriate action will be taken."

Conor McGregor went right back to business after getting released from jail Monday night ... hitting the streets of Miami for a late-night run!!!

As we previously reported ... the UFC superstar was arrested after he allegedly smashed a fan's phone for trying to take a pic of him outside the Fontainebleau hotel early Monday morning in South Beach.

He was booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000 -- the price of the fan's phone -- and was released a few hours later, around 8 PM PT.

Now we know exactly what Conor did after getting out of the slammer ... 'cause we've obtained video of The Notorious going on a shirtless jog shortly after he posted his $12,500 bond.

Yeah, Conor (seemingly) ain't worried ... and maybe for good reason. He was initially charged with a felony after the NYC bus incident with Khabib -- but struck a deal and only ended up with 5 days of community service and an anger management course.

Conor's attorneys released a statement on Monday ... saying, "Last evening Conor McGregor was involved a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement.

Mike Tyson says he loved Michael Jackson ... but there's no way in hell he would've let his kids hang with MJ unattended.

The legendary boxer joined Michael Rapaport on his "I AM RAPAPORT" podcast (coming to Luminary this spring) ... where he was asked about the explosive "Leaving Neverland" documentary.

Of course, Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- the two centerpieces of the HBO special -- accused Jackson of sexually abusing them as children.

Tyson -- who was friends with Jackson and even visited him at Neverland several times -- says he believes a lot of the blame falls on the parents of the kids.

"The parents have to be responsible for that sh*t. I just thought the fact that these kids, Michael is telling them, 'if anyone knows about this we're both gonna go to prison forever.' It was just ... really horrible."

"I have an 8-year-old kid. I wouldn't let Michael hang out with my kid. I wouldn't let my kid go over Michael's house. I love Michael. Ya know what I mean. Michael has a reputation of this."

Tyson says "whatever happened when [Robson and Safechuck] was kids is wrong" ... but did critique the men for participating in the documentary.

"What you're doing now is even wrong. Coming out saying this stuff. It comes across that these are guys just out to get some money."