TMZ Sports - Page 50

CM Punk ain't lettin' his 2 UFC ass-whoopings stop him from training to fight ... 'cause his teammate and UFC star, Anthony Pettis, says Punk is STILL hitting the gym hard.

TMZ Sports talked to Pettis -- the former UFC lightweight champ who's moving up to welterweight to fight #2-ranked Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson on Saturday at Fight Night 148 -- about his Roufusport gym mate's fighting future.

"He is still training. I don't know what his plan is. I know he's doing some movies and a couple other things, but I'm not sure if he plans on fighting again or what. But, I know he's still training ... That dude's a hard worker."

Remember, Punk was dominated and choked out by Mickey Gall in September 2016 ... before returning to face Mike "The Truth" Jackson.

Punk lost to Jackson via a unanimous decision ... but looked like a much-improved fighter.

Pettis says he respects the hell outta CM Punk ... even with an 0-2 record.

"Not many people in the world can do what he did. I mean, it's on the biggest stage, and he fought some good guys too. It's not like he was fighting scrubs. He's fighting good guys in the UFC."

"He's training with killers. He's training with me, Woodley. He comes in day and day, and he's getting his butt kicked, and coming back, showing up, so I give him props, man. No matter what, he did it."

We also talked to Wonderboy -- who hasn't fought in 10 months after sustaining an injury fighting Darren Till -- about exactly how he plans to become champ by the end of 2019.

Adrien Broner just took another L ... but, at least this time, it had nothing to do with boxing.

The prickly prizefighter was trying to get into the Voodoo nightclub with his crew Friday night when he was stopped at the door by security.

In the vid -- shot by @theNYguys -- Broner and the bouncer are seen having a long conversation in which he appears to be pleading to let them in ... but to no avail.

Surprisingly, everything appears to end amicably, despite the boxer's group being denied ... Adrien extends a friendly handshake and leaves peacefully.

It's unclear what the issue with their entry was ... we're working on it.

As we reported ... the boxer didn't have a very good week, either -- he kicked things off by posting a vile, homophobic rant threatening to shoot gay people and attack social media star Andrew C. Caldwell.

This resulted in Broner being hit with a restraining order.

Robert Kraft is finally speaking out about getting caught in the South Florida prostitution sting ... and he's apologizing to his friends, to Patriots fans and to all women.

Kraft says, "In deference to the judicial process, I have remained silent these past several weeks. To correct some of the misinformation surrounding this matter, my attorney made his first public comments on Friday night. I would like to use this opportunity to say something that I have wanted to say for four weeks.

"I am truly sorry. I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard."

His statement continues, "Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing. The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women; my morals and my soul were shaped by the most wonderful woman, the love of my life, who I was blessed to have as my partner for 50 years."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Kraft's legal team, along with 14 other defendants, filed for a protective order earlier this week which would prevent all evidence in the case -- especially the surveillance video from inside the Orchids of Asia spa -- from going public. Kraft's lead attorney, William Burck, insists that video, recorded on cameras set up by police, was illegally obtained.

Burck told the NY Post, "We’ve looked at the law around the warrant for the video surveillance inside the spa, and we think it is a violation of the fourth amendment. We also believe the traffic stop [made by police as the men left the spa] was illegal and a violation of the constitution."

As we first reported, Palm Beach County prosecutors have refused to sign off on the protection order to keep the video from going public -- despite police insisting they are concerned about victims of human trafficking.

Burck also addressed the alleged "trafficking," calling out law enforcement in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. He says they "have said this is a human trafficking case, but have produced no evidence [to corroborate that]. They have falsely connected Robert Kraft and other men to human trafficking. Now they should correct the record. I have asked that the record be corrected and there’s been no response."

Kraft and his legal team have not accepted a plea deal offer ... which would require him to admit he would have been found guilty if the case went to trial.

Frank Shamrock says he didn't mean to hurt the dog he tied to a truck and left at an airport ... telling TMZ Sports, "I know what I did was wrong, but there was no way out of it."

As we previously reported, the UFC legend is under investigation after cops say he abandoned a dog at Dallas Love Field Airport ... leaving it tethered to the bed of a pickup truck for 5 days.

Now, Shamrock is explaining to us why he did it ... saying, "I had no other solution to solve that problem."

The former fighter tells us his mother is ailing, and when he traveled to Texas earlier this month to take care of her ... he realized she was in no condition to own dogs anymore.

Shamrock says he tried his best to find new homes for the animals ... but just could not find a place for Zelda.

"I called everybody in Dallas, I tried everything humanly possible to get care for the dog, to let people know that we could not take the dog."

Shamrock says his search for a new home for Zelda lasted up until just minutes before he had to board a plane back home ... so he decided the best thing to do was to tie her up with food and water and call security to come get her.

The problem? Security never found her, and she was stuck in the pickup bed for 5 days before police officers rescued her.

Now, Frank tells us he's heartbroken over the whole ordeal ... mostly because he can't believe people at the airport let her stay in the truck for that long without getting her.

"The dog stayed there for five days. I can't believe that," Shamrock said through tears ... "That wasn't what I was intending. I thought they would come get it."

Frank is now under investigation by the Dallas Police Department, who tell us they are expecting to file a charge of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals -- a Class A Misdemeanor -- against the former fighter.

Shamrock says he'll accept any charges, telling us, "I take responsibility for what has happened."

As for Zelda, a spokesperson for the SPCA of Texas tells us she's doing just fine since the incident -- and has received "a ton of TLC" and care while she's been in the organization's custody.

The spokesperson also tells us they expect to put Zelda up for adoption within the next few days.

Mike Tyson says Conor McGregor needs to quit talkin' UFC ownership and focus on what made him a superstar to begin with ... telling TMZ Sports the fighter should do just that -- FIGHT!!!

As we previously reported ... The Notorious demanded a piece of the UFC in a rant at a Chicago bar last week ... following up on what he's been saying for YEARS.

"Give me my rightful shares in the UFC company. That’s all I ask," Conor said at the time.

Tyson says Conor's WRONG ... 'cause ownership is a whole different kinda game ... and Mike seems to think McGregor should get his money the ol' fashioned way -- by kickin' ass.

Think Zion and Duke will coast all the way to the title game without a hitch??? Here's Shaq to make you second-guess your bracket picks ... 'cause he says LSU CAN beat the Blue Devils -- despite the Will Wade scandal.

The Tigers head coach was suspended indefinitely before the Big Dance ... after Yahoo Sports recently reported that wiretapped conversations revealed Wade discussed making a "strong-ass" offer to a recruit.

Shaq clearly ain't sweating the investigation possibly making an impact on LSU's run at a title ... simply saying, "Not a distraction."

The Big Aristotle is probably right ... 'cause the Tigers looked pretty good against Yale on Thursday ... and all they have to do is win 1 more game to match up with the Devils (assuming Duke handles their opponents, of course).

But, with guys like Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish -- 3 projected lottery picks in the NBA Draft in June -- LSU's going to have their hands full ... scandal or no scandal.

Le'Veon Bell is going to help Jamison Crowder have a MONSTER season ... so says the wide receiver himself, who tells TMZ Sports he's going to be open A LOT 'cause of the RB.

"He's going to definitely draw a lot of attention," Crowder says ... "He helps open it up for guys like myself."

Of course, New York went crazy in free agency this month ... signing a bunch of good players to huge-money deals, including Jamison and Le'Veon.

But, Crowder seems most excited for the Bell deal ... telling us, Le'Veon is so good out of the backfield -- there's going to be A LOT of space for him to work in the secondary now.

"I'm just excited to play alongside a guy like Le'Veon Bell."

Crowder ain't kiddin' ... Le'Veon's been a BEAST in the passing game -- and did help open things up for guys like Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster when he last suited up for Pittsburgh.

Jamison's takin' note ... and is predicting not only a big season for himself -- but others in the receiving corps too!!!

By the way, Crowder -- who's been working out at his old school, Duke, this offseason -- is running a camp next month for a VERY good cause, and he told us all about why.

The Cleveland Indians have set the bar HIGH for the 2019 season -- like 13,000 feet high -- kicking things off with manager Terry Francona jumping outta an airplane!!!

The Indians skipper went skydiving for the first time last week ... and the dude had so much fun, he had to share it with other people on the team.

Tito took 12 members of his coaching staff and front office out for some team building on Thursday ... somehow managing to persuade everyone to take the biggest jump of their lives ... and the video is awesome!!!

Pitching coach Carl Willis and bench coach Brad Mills also got in on the fun at Skydive21 in Arizona ... and Francona assured reporters everyone made it out alive.

“Millsie made it. I was really worried about that," Francona said. "If Millsie didn’t make it, our guys wouldn’t know where to go tomorrow.”

Your turn, Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

Tim Tebow has it all -- pro baseball career, 2 TV gigs AND an upcoming marriage -- but tells us what fulfills him the most has nothing to do with sports or being in front of a camera.

We had Tim on Friday's "TMZ Live" to talk about "Million Dollar Mile" ... his new competition show on CBS. He was just walking off the field from a spring training game with his NY Mets squad -- which got us wondering about which of his many, many jobs he finds more satisfying.

His answer was pure Tebow. You gotta see what he said about his Foundation and the work he's doing to change lives. Even if you weren't a fan from his NFL and U. of Florida days -- ya gotta admire him when ya see this.

Don't get it twisted, though, Tim's ALL IN for "Million Dollar Mile" too. The show, which premieres next week, is executive produced by none other than LeBron James -- and Tebow's not only the host ... sounds like he's head cheerleader. He explained why he needed some extra care during taping.

Gotta hand it to the guy -- he's juggling a lot professionally, and don't forget ... he also has to find time to plan a wedding with fiancée Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.

You'll never run as fast as Chris Johnson ... but you can take what he takes before working out, 'cause the ex-NFL superstar is launching his own supplement line.

TMZ Sports talked to CJ2K -- who retired from football after the 2017 season -- about getting into the MULTI-BILLION dollar supplement industry ... a biz he's dreamed of being in since he was a teenager.

"When I first got to college, I was 150 pounds and I was a smaller guy," Johnson says.

"It was always something I was trying to, some type of supplement or something I was trying to get so I could gain weight and get bigger like the rest of the guys."

"So, I was like, one day I'm gonna come out with my own supplement."

Yeah, Chris ... the guy who ran a 4.24-second, 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and went on to become a 3-time Pro Bowler who made 1st team All-Pro, won Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, and rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season (he's 1 of only 7 guys to accomplish that feat) -- wasn't always a physical specimen.

Johnson Performance Supplements launches April 1 ... and Chris says the brand will feature a bunch of dope products including a pre-workout shake.

It's not only about working out ... Chris says he's also got products that have helped him with his memory.

So, even if you don't run a blazing 4.24 ... ya might be less forgetful.

Cal football coach Justin Wilcox is throwing his full support behind a school investigation into claims that members of his team "ruthlessly" sexually harassed a student intern.

"We take these allegations extremely seriously," the coach told reporters Friday ... "It's not something that we would tolerate at our university or in our football program and it's something that is really tough to hear."

Paige Cornelius -- a former student at Cal -- claims she was "endlessly" and "ruthlessly" sexually harassed by members of the Golden Bears' squad during her time as a team intern.

She even accuses one coach of sexually assaulting her, saying he forcibly touched and kissed her during an after-hours office visit.

It's all in a lengthy social media post penned by the ex-Cal student ... in which she claims Wilcox and athletic director Jim Knowlton did nothing even after she reached out with the allegations.

"Your mental and physical health do not matter when a revenue sport is involved. Shoutout to Jim Knowlton, Justin Wilcox, the Cal Athletics Administrative office for teaching me this lesson."

In her claims ... Cornelius says coaches and players would constantly make her feel uncomfortable on the field -- and in one incident, a coach told her during practice, "I will get you fired if you do not have sex with me.”

She also says one coach followed her home after a practice and told her at her front door she "would look amazing in a bikini."

Cornelius says as a result of her time with the team, she's now dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome and anxiety and has medically withdrawn from the school.

It appears Paige is preparing to file a lawsuit against the program ... writing in a separate social media post, "If you have been sexually harassed by any cal athletics coach or player ... dm me."

"My legal team wants to have the best case possible."

1:38 PM PT -- TMZ Sports has learned Zelda is doing just fine after the incident, being taken care of by trained professionals at the SPCA of Texas.

A spokesperson for the organization tells us Zelda has received full care -- including "a ton of TLC" -- since she's been in their custody ... and is expected to be put up for adoption within the next few days.

Ex-UFC star Frank Shamrock is reportedly being investigated by cops after he tied a dog to a truck and abandoned it for 5 DAYS at a Dallas airport earlier this month.

Shamrock had to move his ailing mother out of her Texas home -- and in the process, was forced to take control of her two dogs.

Frank tells WFAA in Dallas he was able to find a shelter for one of the dogs ... but when he couldn't find a home for Zelda, the other dog -- he tied her to a truck and left her at Love Field Airport.

Shamrock admits the act was "terrible" ... and says he ran away from the dog in tears.

But, Frank also says his actions helped keep the dog alive, saying, "Here is what I guarantee, that dog is alive and safe right now and I couldn't guarantee that before I tied that dog to the truck and left."

Police seem to disagree ... and are reportedly investigating Shamrock -- and considering levying animal cruelty charges against the fighter.

For his part, Shamrock says he'll accept responsibility for it all, saying, "They can charge me with whatever. I will show up. It is what it is. I'm not hiding in any way."

"It's an unfortunate and terrible thing. I'm an animal lover and I ran away crying."

Zelda is reportedly safe and in custody of Dallas animal control.

Jussie Smollett's fighting to stay outta prison, but one of the brothers who allegedly helped him stage the infamous "attack" is fighting his ass off in the boxing ring -- and just rung up another W.

Abel Osundairo competed again Thursday night in the semifinals of the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament at Cicero Stadium. He didn't score a first-round knockout like he did in the quarterfinals, but Abel still secured a unanimous decision -- and he's moving on to the finals, slated to go down next month.

After the match ... Abel was met by a horde of reporters. Abel didn't say much with his mouth but he did let his eyes do a lot of talking. Just ask this reporter who got a bit of a death stare.

Nevertheless ... Abel -- who wore a white robe with the American flag emblazoned on the back -- has proven he's got potential as a powerful southpaw. His vicious jabs set up a brutal knockdown in the first round. As we first said after his win last weekend ... pretty clear that Abel held back a LOT during the "attack."

As for Jussie's fight -- he's pled not guilty on the 16-count indictment, and is awaiting trial.

BTW ... the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament is arguably the most elite amateur tournament in the country. It's been around since 1923 and some of its past champions include Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sonny Liston.

Terrell Owens has a new, MUCH BETTER gig in retirement life -- personal photog for an insanely hot bikini-clad woman at the beach ... and TMZ Sports has the pics!!

The 45-year-old Hall of Fame receiver hit up the beach in Miami on Thursday ... lounging around with the mystery woman and catching some rays, laughing and taking pics on his phone.

We haven't been able to ID the beach babe yet ... but we're working on it.

While TO doesn't budge from his spot (why would he??) ... the mystery lady doesn't hesitate takin' a dip in the water to cool off. We take it he was snappin' pics for her the whole time.

Bill Belichick ditched his hoodie for a blazer and took his girlfriend out on the town in L.A. on Thursday ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

The Pats head coach and longtime GF Linda Holliday hit up Craig's in West Hollywood ... and in rare form, the dude was grinning from ear to ear!!

BB's been busy lately ... bouncing around from the combine and pro days to check out all the potential future Patriots players prepping for the NFL Draft ... but Bill's always got time for his lady.

The couple just got back from a romantic beach vacay filled with bikini pics, golf, card games and ice cream last week.

Adam "Pacman" Jones has agreed to a plea deal in his casino cheating case that will put him behind bars -- and also ban him from drinking booze for a YEAR AND A HALF ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 35-year-old was arrested in an Indiana casino last month after authorities say he cheated while playing a table game ... and then went ballistic on officials after he was confronted.

The former NFL star was hit with a bevy of charges ... including felony intimidation, felony battery against an officer and several misdemeanors.

But now, Jones has agreed to a plea deal that will send him to jail.

According to court docs, Jones will enter a guilty plea to one count of felony cheating at gambling and one count of misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.

In exchange, prosecutors have agreed to drop all remaining charges against the defensive back.

The terms of the deal would require Jones to spend 10 days behind bars ... while also serving a probation period that will bar him from drinking booze for a year and a half.

Jones also cannot possess a firearm or dangerous weapons without permission from his probation officer during that time frame ... and he's also been banned from the Rising Star Casino.

The agreement is not set in stone ... all parties still have to appear in court and a judge has to sign off on it -- but that's usually just a formality.

Jones is currently scheduled to be back in court next month.