TMZ Sports - Page 50

Clinton Portis ain't just shutting the door on Landon Collins' wishes to wear Sean Taylor's old No. 21 jersey with the Redskins ... he's BOLTING it down, saying, "f**k no" he can't wear it!!

"F**k no," the ex-Washington running back says ... "I don’t ever want to see nobody else in it."

Of course, Landon just inked a MONSTER 6-year, $84 MILLION contract with the 'Skins ... and since he grew up idolizing Taylor -- some suggested he should wear the late safety's jersey number.

But, that would rub at least one of Sean's old best friends the wrong way ... 'cause Portis says he's FIRMLY against that idea.

"21, that’s sacred. Why even play with people? Why even spark people’s memories? Retire that jersey," Portis told The Athletic.

"For an organization that don’t retire jerseys or don’t officially retire jerseys, you put that motherf**ker in the rafters, you retire it, and you make sure everybody knows, this is irreplaceable."

Portis and Taylor used to be best friends ... playing together both in college at Miami and in Washington.

In fact, when Sean tragically died in 2007 ... Portis says the Redskins asked him to wear the No. 21 jersey to honor the DB -- but he didn't even feel comfortable doing that back then.

"There was no way in hell I would put that pressure on myself or play with fans to believe that we have a chance of seeing 21 in this jersey again."

Good news for Collins? Sean also wore No. 36 with the 'Skins early in his career ... and seems Portis would be fine with LC honoring Sean by going that route.

But, 21? Portis says that's sacred.

It's time for Robert Kraft to play "Let's Make a Deal" ... Asian Spa prostitute edition!

The Patriots owner has been offered a plea deal in his rub-and-tug case ... TMZ Sports has confirmed. We're told prosecutors are willing to drop the criminal charges -- if Kraft agrees to a battery of embarrassing punishments.

Kraft's proposed penance includes ... completing a course about prostitution and 100 hours of community service. He would also have to submit to an STD test. Yeesh.

There's more ... Kraft would also have to state that if the case were to go to trial, he would be found guilty.

We're told the deal is not specific to Kraft -- other men busted in the prostitution sting have received the same offer.

The issue for Kraft ... he's already pled not guilty, and there doesn't seem to be any upside in the offer from prosecutors -- so it would be shocking if he accepted this deal, or anything close to it.

News of the proposed plea deal was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Unclear if Kraft will accept the terms of the deal. His case is due back in court on March 28.

As we previously reported, 77-year-old Kraft is accused of going to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa on two separate occasions in January and paying for sex acts.

Kobe Bryant is keeping it real when it comes to the Lakers -- telling TMZ Sports when it comes to the playoffs ... "maybe next year."

At least, that's what it appears he said when we shouted a question at him from across the street.

JOURNALISM!

The NBA legend was out in NYC when our photog spotted him and asked about the state of Lakers Nation.

Kobe gave us the ol' thumbs up -- but when we pressed about LeBron taking the team to the playoffs, he shrugged and appeared to say, "Well, maybe next year."

Hey, it's probably true ... right?

The Lakers are in 11th place in the Western Conference and thiiiis close to being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.

Plus, LeBron's injured and there's talk the team will shut him down in the hopes of a better run next season.

So, is this the most shocking clip we've ever posted? No.

The insanely successful Peloton bikes, which changed the fitness game, have done so by jacking songs to use for its instructional classes ... according to a new lawsuit.

Peloton is being sued by several different music publishing companies because -- according to new docs obtained by TMZ -- the company did not acquire the rights to play numerous hit songs featured in its wildly popular interactive spin classes.

The docs say Peloton currently has more than 600k subscribers and is reported to be worth more than $4 BILLION ... and the music publishing companies claim a big part of that success is due to the music playing during the classes.

Some of the songs listed in the suit include "Umbrella" and "Diamonds" by Rihanna, "Don't Wake Me Up" by Chris Brown, along with older hits like "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar. Rihanna's hit track, "Umbrella," has been used in at least 55 workout vids since 2017 ... according to the docs.

All in all, the publishers say they've ID'd more than a thousand songs in their catalogs that Peloton is using without proper permission.

Peloton is being sued for massive damages ... up to $150 million.

It finally happened ... Ronda Rousey's MMA star husband is beating people up in WWE now too!

Ex-UFC heavyweight Travis Browne was sitting ringside at 'Raw' on Monday night where Ronda was battling Dana Brooke, who's dating NBA star Enes Kanter.

There have been rumblings for a while that Browne would get involved with WWE in some capacity -- and Monday night, it finally happened ... when he got out of his seat and threw a haymaker at a security guard who was trying to restrain Rousey.

Browne pulled Rousey into the crowd and personally escorted her into the tunnel -- it's the first time he's been featured as a relevant player in a WWE match.

Could this mean a bigger role for Browne in the future? Maybe an in-ring debut?

It's possible. In fact, Browne has previously told TMZ Sports he's all the way down to become a pro wrestler ... saying he'd "love to go out there and work with my wife."

Browne is 6'7" and 255 pounds -- he's a BEAST -- and Vince McMahon knows a golden opportunity when he sees one.

What's it like to be attacked with chicken tortilla soup? IT SUCKS.

And now, the guy who was on the receiving end of J.R. Smith's infamous broth beatdown is spilling the beans on what REALLY happened that night.

It all went down in March 2018 ... when Smith got into it with his Cleveland Cavs assistant coach, Damon Jones, and things got so heated, J.R. used his meal as a weapon.

"For a long time I refused to talk about the soup incident, "Jones told ESPN's David Jacoby ... "It's okay now because I've moved on."

That's great and all ... but WE WANT DETAILS -- and Monday morning, Jones dished 'em all up!

Question -- Did Smith throw the entire bowl ... or just fling the soup?

Answer -- "It was the bowl PLUS the soup!"

Question -- Where did it hit you?

Answer -- "It went everywhere. I was standing up ... it hit me in the shoulder, the arm, the wall. It was a mess."

Question -- Did it hurt?

Answer -- "It was the first bowl out of the pot so it was hot. Very hot ... all I remember is the soup was on my arm and it was hot as hell!"

Question -- Were you and J.R. ever able to squash the beef?

Answer -- Yes.

Jones says roughly 3 months after the incident, the guys sat down and talked ... and agreed to let bygones be bygones.

The high school referee who told Andrew Johnson to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit is now threatening to sue ... claiming he's been DEFAMED and he's demanding $100,000 in damages.

The wrestling match made international headlines when Johnson -- who is black -- appeared humiliated when he was essentially forced to cut his hair during the Dec. 2018 match.

The ref, Alan Maloney, has not reffed a single high school wrestling match since ... and he's pissed -- claiming he did nothing wrong.

In fact, Maloney believes he was simply following the rules laid out by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association ... and should NOT be subject to any sort of punishment.

In his letter, Maloney states his case ... saying Johnson's hair length violated the rules. Maloney claims he gave Johnson time to get a hair covering, but Johnson did not have one.

So, in accordance with NJSIAA policy, Maloney says "provided the wrestler with the time to correct the deficiency" -- aka, a haircut.

Once the video went viral, many people accused Maloney of operating out of racism and he feels the NJSIAA did nothing to correct the narrative.

Now, Maloney has fired off a letter to the NJSIAA saying he's planning to take legal action because he feels the association has participated in DEFAMING him, causing him to lose income and suffer emotional distress. He's claiming damages of $100k.

We spoke with Johnson's attorney Dominic Speziali who tells us, "To the extent that [Maloney] plans to file a claim as a victim in this incident is outright absurd."

The University of Michigan gymnastics coach who was arrested for having sex with one of his gymnasts in public was punished in court Monday with a fine ... TMZ Sports has learned.

39-year-old Scott Vetere was arrested back in October after cops say they caught him and an 18-year-old member of the UM gymnastics team banging in a parking lot near the Ann Arbor campus.

Vetere's been in court ever since fighting an indecent or obscene conduct in public charge -- a misdemeanor that carries a maximum of 90 days in jail if convicted.

But, court officials tell us Scott reached an agreement with prosecutors this week ... and got his charge reduced to a civil infraction. He paid off a fine and now the case is closed.

Vetere -- a former stud gymnast who was the 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year -- was suspended by UM after the incident last fall. He later resigned from his position and left the school.

Conor McGregor says he has no problem being the CO-MAIN event of a future UFC card -- he just wants Dana White to give him OWNERSHIP in the brand before he returns to the Octagon.

Of course, UFC legend Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone recently claimed McGregor refused to sign a fight contract unless their fight would be the sole MAIN event.

The issue ... neither Cowboy or Conor hold a UFC title at the moment and Dana White has said they want every major card to have a championship fight in the main event slot.

Enter McGregor ... who finally broke his silence on the issue Friday while speaking with fans at a bar in Chicago, Binny's -- saying, "I’m ready to fight, I’ve said that. No problem."

But, Conor says he doesn't want to fight for a paycheck anymore ... he wants a legit stake in the company, as he's demanded for years.

"Me sliding into the co-main event ... it’s now boosting [the UFC's] brand over fighter rhetoric that they have. And, there's no problem with that," Conor said in video captured by BJPenn.com's Mike Pendleton.

"If they want me to push that and I have no problem with pushing that, give me my rightful shares in the UFC company. That’s all I ask."

"You can put me on the first fight of ESPN+, no problem ... let's see how it goes ... but I'm still prepared and ready to fight."

Conor has demanded ownership in the UFC for years -- and at one point, UFC minority owner Mark Wahlberg offered him a piece of his stake in the company.

Wahlberg later rescinded the offer. But, ya gotta wonder if the UFC is considering Conor's demand with the kind of money McGregor's fights bring in.

How does Cam Newton feel about his Carolina Panthers offensive lineman, Taylor Hearn, getting knocked out in a street fight?

Exactly how you think he would feel ... telling TMZ Sports, "It's unfortunate."

Cam didn't wanna get too into the situation involving Hearn ... but noted he hasn't spoken with the 23-year-old since the incident.

We broke the story ... Hearn -- 6'4", 315 pounds -- tried to fight several people outside of a bar in Augusta, Georgia ... only to get KO'd by a guy half his size.

The one thing Cam DID want to talk about ... HATS!!!

Turns out, Newton is a part owner of the Meshika hat company -- where our photog, Charlie, gets all his cool headwear and the two talked about their obsession with lids!

In fact, Cam told us he's got roughly 50 HATS from legendary hat maker Alberto Hernandez -- and he still remembers the very first one he ever bought!

The hat obsession ain't cheap -- some of Alberto's hats can run upwards of $1,800!!

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Tyrone Crawford -- a defensive team captain -- shoved TWO police officers while they were making an arrest during a bar brawl in Florida, TMZ Sports has learned.

Crawford was at the Coyote Ugly Saloon in Panama City on March 15, when things got violent around midnight. Sources tell us Crawford's crew had gotten into it with bar staff.

The fight was epic -- in a bad way -- multiple people suffered bloody injuries, including bar staff. One employee suffered a broken foot in the melee.

Cops raced to the scene ... and witnessed 8 to 10 people still fighting outside, this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The report does not mention Crawford by name, but we've spoken with witnesses who are adamant Crawford was a key player in the incident.

At one point, Crawford -- 6'4", 285 pounds -- bull rushed his way through two cops and aggressively put his hands on TWO officers who were in the process of handcuffing one of the alleged combatants.

Multiple cops swarmed Crawford and restrained him -- while pushing him away from the arrest scene.

The incident involving Crawford was captured on the bar's surveillance video and shows the scene play out clear as day.

Despite the chaotic scene, Crawford was NOT arrested.

UFC champ Kamaru Usman says he REALLY wants to punish Colby Covington in the Octagon ... telling TMZ Sports the hatred is real and it's time to beat some respect into him.

Usman says Colby has been trolling him for months -- spitting out some of the most disrespectful insults Kamaru's ever heard. Usman says the guy crossed a line and needs to pay.

"Every opponent that I've faced, I've never really had ill will towards ... I've never had bad blood to where I was in there maliciously trying to hurt them. This is a guy that I have that towards."

Of course, the two almost threw down at a buffet line in the Palms hotel the day after Usman beat Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title ... but it got broken up.

Kamaru says he only approached Colby that day to address their beef face-to-face ... but Colby got scared and "grabbed an old lady and put her in front of him."

Usman says, "You can't be that troll and then when I see you in person you want to hide behind an old lady!"

So, when will they throw down? Kamaru says there have already been talks with Dana White about making the fight happen.

The only problem ... Kamaru is concerned Colby is a moron who will say something stupid to piss off the powers that be at the UFC, who will take the fight away from him.

Mikey Garcia is in "good spirits" after that crushing loss to Errol Spence over the weekend ... but that doesn't mean he's looking to do it again any time soon.

We spoke with Mikey's brother, Robert Garcia -- who also trains the boxing star -- and he told us everyone is still sad for Mikey because they were expecting a legacy-defining victory.

Obviously, that's not what happened ... Mikey lost nearly every round to Spence -- who proved to be the superior fighter in just about every way.

So, what's next for Mikey? He's got options ... and just about all of them include fighting someone not named Errol Spence.

Robert says he thinks it's best for Mikey to drop down from 147 pounds to the 140-pound weight class and take some big fights there.

Some of the top guys fighting in (or around) that weight class include stars like Terence Crawford and Vasyl Lomachenko.

40-year-old Drew Brees will be playing in the NFL for AT LEAST two more years ... so says Jonathan Vilma, his ex-Saints teammate.

"I think that Drew has, in my objective opinion, about another 2-3 years left."

Of course, Drew's future is back in the news 'cause Teddy Bridgewater just turned down the Dolphins' starting QB job to return to New Orleans to be Brees' backup.

Most figured it's 'cause Drew's days in the league are numbered and he needs a successor ... but Vilma -- who played with Brees for 6 seasons in New Orleans -- tells us Teddy could be waiting a while for that.

"If you ask Drew, he's got like another 10 or 15 years left!"

But, that doesn't mean Vilma hates Bridgewater's choice to stay ... in fact, the former linebacker tells us he thinks Teddy "made a smart long-term decision."

As for Bridgewater, he told reporters after re-upping with the Saints last week that, "I’m still 26 years old. The way I look at it is that I’ll have another opportunity to start in this league at some point."

Alessandra Ambrosio is serving up a little sex on the beach ... looking stunning as ever during a game of beach volleyball.

We got pics and video of the retired Victoria's Secret supermodel putting her amazing curves to work, having fun in the sun over the weekend at a beach in Los Angeles. Mother nature gets an assist on this one for turning up the heat so Alessandra could turn heads in a skimpy black bikini.

The mom of 2 is about to celebrate her 38th birthday ... and she's looking fine as hell! We're convinced this MILF could still work the runway.

Alessandra isn't afraid to get down and dirty ... diving for balls and laying it all out on the court. Sexy beach vball sessions are kinda her thing.

Johnny Football's back!!!!!

Just a few weeks after being cut from the entire Canadian Football League ... Johnny Manziel is out on the field with another pro football team -- and his new squad seems damn proud of it!

The Alliance of American Football league's Memphis Express inked the embattled QB to a contract Sunday ... and immediately put him out on the practice field Monday.

JFF was rockin' his familiar no. 2 ... and, of course, had his famous swagged-out visor screwed into his facemask.

No word yet on how he looked throwing during his first day on the job ... but his new league seemed STOKED to hire him over the weekend.

"We are pleased to welcome Johnny Manziel to the Alliance of American Football, which we’ve always described as a league of opportunity for talented players to launch or revitalize their pro football careers,” cofounder and head of football for the Alliance, Bill Polian, said.

Added Express GM Will Lewis, "I’ve always viewed him as a viable option, so we’ll look into that situation and see how that works out for us.”

Of course, Manziel was just booted from the CFL on Feb. 27 after the league says he violated the terms of his agreement.

But, it doesn't appear that's fazed the AAF ... 'cause they say they did "extensive background work" on the QB -- and think it's fine for him to play in their league.

As for Johnny's future with the Express ... their starting QB, Zach Mettenberger, just injured his ankle -- so immediate playing time is available.

Sooo ... does that mean #ComebackSZN is officially on again?!?!