TMZ Sports - Page 50

L.A. Rams "Get Back" coach, whose job is to physically restrain head coach Sean McVay from stepping on the field, is now in real hot water ... he's been charged with sexual battery.

His name is Ted Rath -- and he went viral during the 2018 season thanks to a highlight reel showing him constantly pulling McVay toward the bench so he wouldn't get run over by players and refs.

Rath -- who's also the team's strength and conditioning coach -- has been hit with 3 misdemeanor sexual battery charges stemming from an alleged incident on June 15, 2018.

Officials tell TMZ Sports the incident took place at a private residence in Moorpark, CA ... with the alleged victim claiming Rath groped her multiple times without her consent.

The Rams addressed the charges on Friday ... saying, "We take these allegations very seriously."

The Rams added ... "Once the charges were filed, we decided Ted would take a leave of absence from the team as this matter works its way through the justice system.”

Rath is facing more than a year behind bars if convicted ... and he would have to register as a sex offender.

Kansas City Chiefs superstar Tyreek Hill was named in a police report involving an alleged child abuse incident on March 5 ... and the Chiefs say they're aware of an investigation.

Look, the details are sketchy right now but here's what we know ...

TMZ Sports has obtained a report from the Overland Police Dept. filed on March 5 in Kansas which lists Hill as a person "involved" in a child abuse/neglect case.

There's another person named as an "involved" party, Crystal Espinal -- the mother of Hill's child.

Neither person is listed as a suspect on the police report.

There is a note on the report that the case was "closed/cleared" and "prosecution declined" on March 8.

Another police report filed on March 14 does NOT list Tyreek -- but names Espinal as an "involved person" in a battery case involving a juvenile victim.

Again, no details and Hill is NOT listed as a suspect.

The Kansas City Chiefs have issued a comment saying, "The club is aware of the investigation involving Tyreek Hill. We’re in the process of gathering information and have been in contact with the league and local authorities."

We reached out to cops who referred us to the District Attorney's Office -- where a rep told us, "We have nothing in our system."

We also reached out to Hill's agent -- so far, no word back.

3:48 PM PT-- Soulja's lawyer, Fred Minassian, tells TMZ the judge released him today pending a hearing on March 29. He says, "There was no finding in regards to his probation violation."

1:38 PM -- The rapper's been released from jail and he immediately took to Instagram Live to joke and rant about the arrest. Soulja Boy jokes he's gonna rock his jail ID wristbands on stage for his gig at Staples Center. He says he's still gonna perform at the Clippers game Friday night.

Check it out ... he also says he's NOT going out like Tekashi69, who is behind bars on racketeering charges. He also calls himself the hottest rapper in the game before peacing out.

Soulja Boy has been arrested ... and it sounds like the same old story -- he allegedly can't keep his hands off firearms and ammo.

Soulja went to see his probation officer Friday morning in the San Fernando Valley, and when he showed up he was cuffed and taken to jail.

Here's what we know. Soulja is currently on probation and the offenses go back 8 years ... when he was convicted of weapons violations. In 2016, while he was on probation, cops descended on his home after the rapper threatened people online. During their search, cops found at least one weapon, which was a violation of Soulja's probation.

A judge extended his probation again, making it clear ... NO WEAPONS.

Fast forward to last month ... cops executed a search warrant at Soulja's home after a woman claimed he held her hostage in his garage ... something he denied. Our law enforcement sources tell us during the search, cops found ammunition, which he's not allowed to possess while on probation.

Apparently, cops waited to make their move, knowing he was going to show up to see his probation officer, and that's when they swooped in and arrested him for another probation violation.

The rapper's currently in jail in Van Nuys. He'll appear in court later Friday to face a judge.

Soulja is supposed to perform at a Clippers game Friday night -- and seemed pretty confident he'd be there in a video posted just before his arrest. We'll see if he shows.

Originally Published -- 9:31 AM PT

Earl Thomas was facing a MAJOR issue in his first days as a Baltimore Raven ... his beloved #29 jersey was already taken ... and he'd have to cough up some serious dough to get it.

That is ... until Marlon Humphrey decided to change his mind and give it away FOR FREE -- and his explanation is pretty dope.

"I initially asked Earl for money, and later that day I realized that’s not who I am," Humphrey says.

"So I texted him and said he can have it. I respect what he has done and accolades in 29. Didn’t want to alter that for a number I’ve accomplished nothing in."

MH has a point -- Thomas has been stellar in #29 ... winning a Super Bowl, making 6 Pro Bowls and being named a 1st team All-Pro 3 different times!!!

Battles over jersey numbers have gotten expensive in the past -- Clinton Portis famously offered an old Redskins teammate $40k(!!!) to get #26 in 2004 (that ended in a court battle).

Deion Sanders also bought a teammate a BMW to get his number when he joined the Cowboys.

UFC star Tony Ferguson pushed his wife, abducted their son and tore their house apart on several occasions ... this according to Tony's wife who says she's now afraid for all of their lives.

It's all spelled out in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Cristina Ferguson says Tony has been "acting violent, paranoid and delusional for the past several months" and he needs help.

Cristina says Tony's behavior has been concerning for years -- but got significantly worse in 2017.

Since 2017, Cristina claims Tony has flown into manic episodes where he's destroyed property in their Santa Ana home -- including ripping off mirrors and dismantled appliances looking for tracking devices and cameras. She included pictures of the wreckage.

Cristina claims Tony has stated their 2-year-old son is Jesus Christ, that Tony is the "second Jesus Christ" and that she is a witch.

Cristina clearly believes Tony is suffering from mental illness that is causing him to be delusional and manic. She's tried to get him help over the years but his situation hasn't gotten better.

She claims Tony shoved her during a January 2018 incident and abducted their son during a March 7, 2019 incident.

"[His] erratic behavior is getting worse and more frightening. I am afraid that during one of [his] episodes [he] will kill me, our son and/or himself."

Cristina requested a domestic violence restraining order against Tony which was granted by the judge. He now has to stay at least 100 yards away from Cristina, their child and other family members.

She was also granted temporary sole physical and legal custody of their son. Law enforcement was ordered to remove their son from Tony's care and return him to Cristina.

Cristina has since issued a statement supporting Tony -- saying, he's a "good husband and good father to our son."

Errol Spence tells TMZ Sports he's ready to take Floyd Mayweather's place as the #1 star in boxing -- saying, "I'm next up to be a superstar icon."

Spence is 24-0 and headlining a massive PPV fight against 39-0 Mikey Garcia on Saturday for the IBF World Welterweight title ... the fight should be one of the best fights of the year.

In fact, Garia told TMZ Sports he believes it's gonna be an all-time classic.

But, Spence says it's not just a fight for him -- it's an opportunity to become one of the highest paid athletes on the planet ... just like Floyd, who changed the game when it comes to how fighters get paid.

"I feel like Floyd opened the door and I'm gonna kick it down," Spence says.

In fact, Spence says he'll probably steal a page from Floyd's playbook and fight Manny Pacquiao -- right after he defeats Garcia.

Spence praised Manny as a "blood and guts" fighter -- and says he believes Manny wants the fight too ... which is why he'll be ringside at the Garcia fight in Dallas this weekend.

After Manny, Spence says he's got his sights set on Terence Crawford -- who's also undefeated with a 34-0 record.

Look, if Errol wants to be known as TBE ... he's gotta get through the best in the world and he knows it.

As for Floyd, Errol says Mayweather will sometimes dish out advice when they hang out -- but mostly he likes to show off his fancy cars.

Hey, can't give away all your secrets ... right?

Big win for Lenny Dykstra despite the fact he pled GUILTY in his crazy Uber case -- after a New Jersey judge ruled the drugs found in Lenny's bags could NOT be used as evidence against him.

Here's the story ... Dykstra was arrested back in May 2018 after an Uber driver claimed Lenny was acting crazy and threatened his life during an early morning ride.

During the arrest, cops say they found cocaine and meth in Lenny's bags -- which had been in the trunk. He was later charged with possession of coke and meth and making terroristic threats.

Once the case went before a judge, Lenny argued cops did NOT have the right to go through his personal belongings ... and therefore the drug evidence should be thrown out.

The judge AGREED with Dykstra -- explaining there was no reason for cops to search the bags since they had no impact on the issue between Dykstra and the driver.

Since the drug charges couldn't stick, prosecutors offered Lenny a deal in which he would plead guilty to disorderly conduct and, in exchange, he got $125 in fines and was ordered to have NO contact with the Uber driver.

That's it -- easy sentence for a guy who was facing serious prison time.

Here's Jared Goff proving he's having a GREAT off-season ... taking his relationship with his smokin' hot model GF public Thursday -- and yeah, dude's definitely winning.

The lovely lady is Christen Harper -- an Instagram model with over 200,000 followers -- and rumors have been swirling since January that the two are an item.

The L.A. Rams QB reportedly wanted to keep the relationship on the DL during L.A.'s run through the playoffs ... but now that that's over -- the two are running public errands like they have nothing to hide!

TMZ Sports spotted the pair leaving Best Buy in Woodland Hills -- and Jared didn't object to our photog calling Christen his "girlfriend" ... even thanking us for saying she looks great!!!

By the way, Jared also gave us his opinion on the Odell Beckham trade to the Cleveland Browns ... but he wasn't in much of a mood to stay any longer to chat after that.

And, after looking at these pics ... can ya blame him?!?!

The husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich pled no contest to assault stemming from a violent altercation in November ... and he most likely won't spend a minute behind bars.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was charged with 2nd-degree assault for punching Ostovich in the head, face and ribs during an argument at their Hawaii home.

Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone in the attack -- and initially pulled out of a scheduled fight with Paige VanZant ... but that fight was rescheduled after she healed up and was cleared by a doctor.

In audio obtained by Hawaii News Now you can hear a man yelling, "I'm going to f*cking murder you" during the alleged incident.

Berdon appeared in court on Thursday and pled no contest to the charge -- which carries a 5-year prison sentence.

But, Berdon likely won't do ANY time-- the judge told him he'll likely just get probation if he successfully completes a domestic violence intervention program.

During the hearing, Berdon told the judge he's "going to do well."

As for Ostovich, she issued a statement on the situation through her attorney, Lanson Kupau, saying she's "satisfied that Arnold is accepting responsibility for his actions and getting the needed help so that he can be the best father to our daughter."

The NFL has suspended Kareem Hunt for 8 games without pay for violating the league's personal conduct policy -- stemming from TWO violent incidents, including an altercation with a woman captured on video.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hunt shoved, bull-rushed and kicked a woman at a Cleveland hotel on Feb. 10, 2018.

Cops were called to the scene and investigated -- but did NOT arrest Hunt, who denied getting violent.

At the time, Hunt was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs -- but the team released the star running back once the video went public, claiming Hunt lied to them about his behavior that night.

Hunt sought treatment for anger management and substance abuse issues -- and was later signed by the Cleveland Browns, who were waiting to see what Hunt's punishment was going to be.

Hunt was also accused of getting violent with a man at an Ohio resort in June 2018 -- allegedly punching a man in the face during a heated argument.

The NFL says it investigated both incidents using "reviewing available law enforcement records, video and electronic communications, interviews with numerous witnesses, and multiple interviews with Hunt."

The league says, "Hunt has advised the league office that he accepts responsibility for his conduct and the discipline that has been imposed."

"He has committed to take advantage of available resources to help him grow personally and as a member of the Cleveland community, and to live up to his obligations as an NFL player."

"The eight-game suspension will take effect as of the final roster reduction on August 31. Hunt will be eligible to play in the Browns' ninth regular season game."

Hunt has issued a statement saying, "I want to again apologize for my actions last year. I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them."

"I respect the league's decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week."

"I'm grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me. I also appreciate all of the support from my union through this process."

Shane Battier is off the deeeeeeeep end ... and it's beautiful as hell.

The 2-time NBA champ hit the stage to put on his best rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" at his charity karaoke event on Thursday ... and this guy pulled out all the stops.

Look ... singing the ballad in front of ANYONE requires some guts. But, to do it in front of a huge crowd while wearing a dress AND a wig puts the whole thing over the top.

Miami Heat TV host Jason Jackson played the role of Cooper ... and he even put on a wig as well!!

It was all part of the 7th Annual Battioke Event in Miami ... which raises money for college scholarships.

Battier clearly stole the show ... but there were other great performances from Kelly Olynyk, who sang some classic One Direction ... and Pierre Garcon, who pulled off "Let Me Love You" by Mario.

The championship belt ended up going to Heat GM Andy Elisburg, who sang "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers.

We're told the event raised more than $150k!!!

Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated return to the court on Thursday ... and when people weren't busy watching his rim-shaking dunks, their eyes were glued to his shoes.

The Duke superstar hit the court against Syracuse for the ACC Tournament after missing the past month with a knee sprain ... when his Paul George sneaker infamously blew up on him.

Z-Dub ditched the Thunder star's kicks for Kyrie 4s in the return -- he has to stick with the Swoosh with Duke being a Nike school -- and the replacements seemed to work just fine.

Well ... great, actually. Zion went on to shoot 13 for 13 from the field, with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 5 steals. He looked like a freak of nature who won't let a pair of sneakers get in his way.

Of course, there were a bunch of people like Scottie Pippen saying Zion should just sit out the rest of the season ... and uh, we're glad he isn't listening.

Although ... Zion didn't go *completely* without any scary moments ... 'Cuse star Frank Howard appeared to try to trip him in the first half of the game.

Duke ended up winning the game, 84-72 ... and Zion escaped unscathed.

The owner of the Utah Jazz addressed the Russell Westbrook incident head-on Thursday night -- saying Utah is "not a racist community" ... and warning fans to treat opposing players with respect.

Of course, the Westbrook incident made international headlines after he told a fan, "I'll f*ck you up." Westbrook claimed the fan and his wife had made offensive comments. The fan denied it. The Jazz ultimately banned the fan for life.

Enter Jazz owner Gail Miller ... who grabbed the mic before the Jazz took on the Timberwolves at Vivint Smart Home Arena and warned fans she'll boot ANYONE who acts like a jerk.

"I am extremely disappointed that one of our 'fans' conducted himself in such a way as to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players, and you as the best fans in the NBA,” Miller said.

"This should never happen. We are not a racist community."

She added, "We have a code of conduct in this arena. It will be strictly enforced."

Out of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury ... who does all-time heavyweight great Lennox Lewis think would've given him the absolute TOUGHEST fight?

Answer ... the 6'9" herky-jerky boxer-puncher that rose from the dead to get a draw with Wilder last year ... Tyson Fury.

We talked to the 3x heavyweight champ who ruled the division for a decade -- who's calling the Errol Spence-Mikey Garcia mega fight on Saturday -- and he told us why he thinks his fellow countryman would cause him the biggest problems.

"I think Tyson Fury would've given me some trouble because he's so big. He's a bit lanky."

That's sayin' a lot ... Lewis was an absolute beast in the ring -- compiling a 41-2-1 record with 32 knockouts -- including wins over boxing legends like Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

So, does Lennox think that Fury could actually beat him???

HELL NO.

3/15 5:47 AM PT -- Tony's wife, Cristina, has issued a statement through her attorney ... essentially saying Tony did NOT physically abuse her, but she's clearly concerned about him.

"Tony Ferguson is a good husband and good father to our son. The current legal proceedings are part of a process to ensure that Tony will receive the help necessary to continue being the best possible husband and father, as well as to pursue his passion and career as a UFC champion fighter."

"All positive well wishes are sincerely appreciated and I hope our privacy will be respected."

The wife of UFC star Tony Ferguson has filed for a restraining order against the fighter -- after cops responded to their home on 5 separate occasions, this according to official records.

Cristina Ferguson, who has a 2-year-old son with Tony, filed the latest round of documents on Wednesday -- following several bizarre incidents with Tony, as first reported by MMAJunkie.com.

Police documents show ... cops were called to Ferguson's home in Santa Ana, CA on Feb. 19, after a woman told authorities Tony hadn't slept in 3 days and was "tearing apart the home."

The woman also told police Tony "believed someone placed a [computer] chip in his leg."

Another person at the home told cops Tony had said he believed "someone was inside his walls."

During an incident on Feb. 16, Tony's wife told cops Tony "kept throwing 'Holy Water' at her."

There are other similar incidents -- but records show Tony was never arrested or charged with a crime.

Tony's wife and others told police they had urged the fighter to see a doctor.

It is unclear what finally motivated Tony's wife to finally request a restraining order -- but it seems obvious she feels he is mentally ill and unstable.

The court docket lists Cristina's filing as a "domestic violence" case. He's due back in court next month.

We've reached out to Tony's rep for comment -- so far, no word back.

Tony, one of the best fighters in the UFC, had recently turned down a fight with Max Holloway and no one seemed to understand why ... but now it seems it may have to do with his drama at home.

In the least shocking news of the day, Conor McGregor has officially been sued by the man who claims the UFC star smashed and stole his cell phone.

22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak filed his suit in Miami-Dade County on Thursday -- claiming battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In his suit, Abdirzak says he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami and tried to take a picture of Conor on his phone -- but McGregor snapped and grabbed his arm so tightly that he couldn't get away.

"[McGregor] then flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand."

Abdirzak says McGregor then grabbed the phone, smashed it to the ground and "began stomping on the phone repeatedly."

Abdirzak says he went after Conor to try and get his phone back but Conor just laughed as yelled back, "F*ck you!"

He's now seeking unspecified damages north of $15,000.

As we previously reported, McGregor was arrested Monday for the incident, which took place while he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

Abdirzak told TMZ he did NOTHING to provoke McGregor and was shocked when the 30-year-old snatched his phone, threw it on the ground and stomped on it twice.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- you can see and hear Conor putting his foot down on the phone while Abdirzak is being restrained by unidentified men.

Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" on Thursday morning and said he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."