TMZ Sports - Page 50

Purdue University is honoring one of its most amazing and inspirational fans by naming a gate to the football stadium after Tyler Trent, whose battle with bone cancer inspired millions.

Trent passed away in January after he was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. He was only 20 years old.

But, his attitude during the fight was incredible. He camped out at the stadium before games to get a good seat and appeared on ESPN to root on all Boilermaker teams.

The football program loved Tyler so much, they made him an honorary team captain before he passed.

Now, in a posthumous tribute to Trent ... the school has renamed the student entry gate after him -- unveiling, "Tyler Trent Student Gate" at Ross-Ade Stadium.

There's also a tribute at the gate with a plaque that reads, "Forever Our Captain" ... along with the #TylerStrong hashtag.

After his death, the school had put out a statement summarizing their feeling for Trent:

"Rock bottom for me was laying between two and three women at a time" -- Deion Sanders.

Turns out living in mansions, buying sick cars and banging dozens of women -- sometimes 2 or 3 at a time -- ain't all it's cracked up to be ... so says Deion himself.

We know what you're thinking ... THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!! But, Deion says he actually lived through it ... and it was miserable. The lavish party lifestyle was just a cover up for the pain he was feeling inside.

"Rock bottom for me was just being in the midst of a game when everybody's screaming when they don't know your middle name," the NFL legend said on Paula Faris' 'Journeys of Faith' podcast.

"Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of suits and not covering the pain. Rock bottom for me was having hundreds of pairs of shoes but couldn't take a step in the right direction."

"Rock bottom for me was having 10 cars and wasn't going nowhere. Rock bottom for me was having a 14,000-square-foot house but never feeling at home."

"Rock bottom for me was laying between two and three women at a time, but you get up unsatisfied. Rock bottom for me … yes, I was bleeding."

"Laying right beside the person who said they love you, but she didn't even know you was in pain. That was rock bottom for me."

Sanders said he tried to talk to friends about his situation but no one understood.

"I was crying out to people. But, they couldn't hear you because they saw Prime. They saw my character. The character I created, not the character of a man. They saw the character I created -- that was Prime."

Sanders has addressed his issues before -- describing in his autobiography, "Power, Money & Sex: How Success Almost Ruined My Life," how the stress drove him to attempt suicide in 1997.

Deion says he drove his car off of a highway and over a cliff, falling 40 feet. Miraculously, he survived.

"I opened my eyes and I was still alive," Sanders says.

Sanders says it was that moment he decided to change his life and redevote himself to Jesus.

NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has pled guilty to careless driving resulting in injury stemming from a Feb. 16 car crash ... and he'll spend the next year on probation.

As we previously reported, the 31-year-old Pro Bowler was initially arrested for vehicular assault after losing control of his car around 12:20 AM ... and flipping his ride onto a grassy median.

Thomas and his 2 passengers were injured in the wreck -- with DT suffering an eye injury and a "hellacious knot" on his head, according to a witness.

Officials say Thomas was driving at speeds exceeding 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone -- which not only qualifies as reckless driving, but also felony vehicular assault.

Thomas was initially facing 3 years in prison for felony vehicular assault -- but struck a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to the lesser misdemeanor charge of careless driving resulting in injury.

Court records show Thomas was sentenced to 1 year probation and 50 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay fines and restitution.

Thomas -- who is currently an NFL free agent -- previously issued a statement on the crash saying, "It saddens me that I caused pain to those whom I love most.”

It's been a rough few months for Chad Kelly after getting arrested and losing his job ... but the troubled NFLer still has a Hall of Famer in his corner -- his Uncle Jim.

Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly joined his nephew at a workout in New York on Tuesday ... voicing support for the QB and sharing a motivational message on social media for Chad's birthday.

"Great workout Chad," JK12 says. "Looking great and your journey will continue, just stay focused and listen to Uncle JIM."

"Love your work ethic. Also a big happy birthday Bud."

Jim's brother, Dan, got in on the workout as well ... turning the session into a family affair.

It hasn't been great for Chad lately ... he was arrested for criminal trespassing after getting chased out of a stranger's house -- dressed as Woody from 'Toy Story' -- following Von Miller's Halloween party.

The Denver Broncos released Kelly shortly after ... and he's been a free agent ever since.

Jim is sticking by his fam through it all ... and he's hoping to help Chad move forward with his life.

"The best is yet to come."

You know what goes horribly with a steak burrito ... STAPLES!!!

But, that's exactly what MMA announcer Jimmy Smith claims he found in his food on Tuesday when he took a bite out of a burrito he bought at a Chipotle in Delray Beach, Florida.

"I took one bite and it was something hard in there and I pulled it out of my tooth and it was 14 staples," Smith says ... "A brick of staples!"

Smith -- who's called fights for the UFC and Bellator -- says he called the restaurant and "freaked out" on the manager ... because he realizes how DANGEROUS swallowing a staple could be.

Smith also says he's LUCKY he didn't ingest the office supplies because he eats like a wild animal -- usually tearing through his food as fast as he can.

Fortunately for Smith -- and Chipotle -- Smith says it does not appear he injured his tooth or his mouth ... or suffered any other injuries from the fully loaded burrito.

Smith says the situation was escalated to Chipotle's corporate offices -- and he has already been contacted by a rep looking to make things right.

Smith says he's not looking for free food or money and does NOT plan on filing a lawsuit -- he just wants the problem corrected so nobody else chows down on 14 STAPLES!!!

"This can't happen to someone else."

Add "Boyfriend of the Year" to Aaron Rodgers' trophy case ... the QB took Danica Patrick to Paris for her birthday -- and she was SWOOOOONNNNIIINGGGG!!!!

"For my birthday he said pack a bag, we are going somewhere......" the ex-NASCAR driver said ... "Amazing."

The Green Bay Packers superstar and Danica have been going strong for over a year now ... and things are DEFINITELY getting serious.

The two have traveled the world together during Aaron's downtime from football ... with both droppin' L-bombs left and right -- and postin' lovey-dovey pics all the time.

But, France for an on-the-whim birthday trip?? Now, we KNOW this really ain't a fling ...

"Happy Birthday to this Beautiful, intelligent, strong, driven, bad ass woman that I get to stand beside in this life," Aaron wrote ... "#lover #friend #travelpartner #smokinhot #finewine"

Aaron's got a few more months to hang with Danica before it's back to the daily grind of Packers training camp.

Which begs the question ... could there be a ring in Danica's future before Aaron chases his second one with the Pack next season????

Stay tuned ...

The BBB is DOA.

Lonzo Ball sent a painful message to his father -- covering up his famous Big Baller Brand tattoo in what seems to be the final nail in the BBB coffin.

The Los Angeles Lakers star hit up tattoo artist Herchell L Carrasco -- aka the RocknRoll Gangster -- who inked out the BBB art ... covering it up with a pair of red dice.

The move comes after allegations BBB co-founder Alan Foster stole more than $1.5 million of Lonzo's money.

Earlier this week, Lonzo's manager/close friend Darren Moore threw his BBB shoes in the garbage and called for a boycott of all BBB merchandise.

There are rumblings that Lonzo and his brothers are now estranged from their father, LaVar Ball, and that the company could fold within days.

Now, with Lonzo sending a message through his tattoos ... seems where there's smoke, there's fire.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the injuries a woman claims she suffered after Dak Prescott's dog attacked her ... and they're graphic.

You can see in the photos the woman's ring finger on her right hand is severely mangled -- with a piece of the tip clearly missing.

As we previously reported, Dak's two pit bulls broke out of his Frisco, Texas home on Feb. 25 and one of his dogs, Icon, made his way to Beth Taylor's front yard -- chewing through her fence and wreaking havoc.

50-year-old Taylor says the animal attacked her dog ... and when she tried to break it up -- Icon bit into her hand.

She says she was hospitalized for 4 DAYS because of the attack ... and needed IV treatment for 2 weeks.

Dak's dog was placed in quarantine after the incident ... and was set to face a "dangerous dog" hearing this month, where possible punishment included the death penalty.

But, officials let Icon off the hook just days before the hearing would take place ... releasing him back to Dak under the condition he is removed from Frisco.

For his part, Prescott never commented on the issue ... and multiple attempts to reach his camp for comment were unsuccessful.

Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is asking for prayers ... the Hall of Fame receiver says he's undergoing tests for throat cancer -- and is scared for his life.

"Saying I am afraid this time is a big big understatement," Mike wrote on social media ... "I AM TERRIFIED!!"

Irvin says after the Cowboys beat the Saints on "Thursday Night Football" in an epic game last November ... he lost his voice.

But, Michael says the issue persisted for the next 8 WEEKS ... and now, doctors are undergoing tests to see if Irvin's vocal problems run deeper than just screaming his face off for his favorite team.

Irvin says he spent the weekend at Ronald Reagan Hospital in L.A. getting a throat biopsy ... and he's beyond afraid for the possible results.

"I share with you that I lost my father at the young age of 51. He had throat cancer. This daemon has chased and vexed me deep in my spirit all my life."

Michael's asking for prayers, writing, "Could you please send up a prayer to help my family and I deal with whatever the results may be?"

For their part, Irvin's ex-teammates have his back ... both Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith reached out to send love to their fellow triplet.

"Lots of love and support for you Irv," Aikman wrote ... "sending prayers my man!"

Odell Beckham might be with the Browns, but he's still invited over for NY Giants thanksgiving ... that's as long as it's at Chanel Iman and Sterling Shepard's house, cause they love the guy.

We got Chanel out in L.A. shopping ... and after learning she has no clue who Rob Gronkowski is -- seriously, that's not a joke -- we asked how she and her husband Sterling felt about Odell being moved.

"Odell is family, so I mean it was really sad to hear he's leaving. He's always gonna be very close to us and we're gonna see him all the time."

Here's the thing ... Shepard will probably benefit on the field from Odell's absence, 'cause he's the number one guy now, but it still must hurt not to have your boating buddy around.

Oh, by the way ... Chanel is beautiful. Has nothing really to do with this post, but hard not to say when you see her out on the streets of L.A., so we'll say it and disregard your judgments.

UFC star Ben Askren thinks Conor McGregor's most recent retirement announcement is a bunch of BS ... telling TMZ Sports it's either a publicity stunt or a negotiating tactic.

The Notorious appeared to call it quits in a late-night tweet on Monday ... saying "I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Art' today."

Some people like Dana White truly believe we've seen the end of Conor ... but Askren?? Not so much.

"I think there’s no way I’m buying it," Askren says. "This isn’t first time he’s tweeted out something like this." It's true ... Conor "retired" back in 2016 too.

Askren points out the timing -- right after the negotiations with Donald Cerrone falling apart ... and says it's essentially a big game of chicken between Dana and Conor to see who will cave first.

"If you look at Dana White's response that is a negotiating tactic back. He's saying, 'okay, bye, see ya later, have a great career'. So, it was kinda a negotiating tactic back saying, 'okay, fine have a great retirement.'"

So, if neither side comes to an agreement, have we REALLY seen the last of Conor? Ben says if he was a betting man, "you’re probably putting all of your money on the fact that you will see Conor fighting sometime in the future."

Dana White says he will not offer Conor McGregor a stake in the UFC to lure the fighter out of retirement ... telling us, "That's never gonna happen."

McGregor announced his retirement on Twitter Monday night -- days after he reiterated his demands to get a slice of the UFC as a part owner instead of a fight paycheck.

White appeared on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday and said he's NOT trying to go to war with Conor -- but he ain't giving away ownership stakes either.

White says if Conor wants UFC ownership, he needs to BUY stakes in the company like everyone else.

"Listen, if you want to own a piece of the company, you have to put up the money to buy a piece of the company," White explained ... "That's how it works."

White says he was surprised by Conor's retirement tweet -- "it came out of nowhere" -- and insists he and Conor are still on good terms.

"I've never had a bad conversation with Conor McGregor since he's been in the UFC."

White is also not concerned about the state of the UFC if Conor is serious about retirement ... saying there will ALWAYS be big stars who take over when other stars leave.

12:42 PM PT -- Conor McGregor's spokesperson, Karen Kessler, has issued a statement ... referring to The NY Times report about the UFC star's arrest as a "rumor."

"This story has been circulating for some time and it is unclear why it is being reported now," Kessler said in a statement first published by ESPN.

Kessler also addresses people trying to connect Conor's retirement tweet to the report about his arrest.

"The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false."

And then, she added a shot at the UFC ...

"Should Conor fight in the future it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport."

We should note the statement does not directly address the sexual allegations described in The NY Times report.

Conor McGregor was arrested in January as part of a sexual assault investigation stemming from an alleged incident in December at a hotel in Dublin, Ireland ... this according to The NY Times.

McGregor was released from custody and has NOT been charged with a crime, according to the report. However, The NY Times says officials are still investigating the case.

Local media in Ireland have been covering the situation for months but without naming McGregor as the suspect because of laws that prevent news outlets from naming rape suspects unless they have been convicted.

The accuser is a woman in her 20s who claims she had been hanging with friends in South Dublin before ending up at the Beacon Hotel on Dec. 10.

After the alleged sexual assault, the woman went to police and filed a report -- and was then taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, according to local reports.

Unclear if a rape kit was administered but it seems to be the standard operating procedure for women who are treated in this particular unit.

According to local reports, cops tried to obtain surveillance footage to see if they could place McGregor at the hotel at the time of the alleged incident.

When approached by the media back in December, a police spokesperson said, "[Cops] are investigating an alleged sexual assault on a female which occurred in Dublin 2 in the early hours of this morning, Monday December 10th 2018."

"No arrests have been made and investigations are continuing."

So far, McGregor has not commented on the allegations.

30-year-old Conor McGregor is no stranger to the law -- he was convicted of throwing a steel dolly at a UFC bus last year.

He was also in an Irish court last year over a 2017 speeding incident.

Seems Colin Farrell is taking Conor McGregor at his word -- saying he supports his fellow Irishman's decision to retire from MMA ... and wishes him well in his future outside the Octagon.

Farrell was leaving "Good Morning America" where he was promoting the new "Dumbo" flick when we asked if he REALLY believes we've seen the last of The Notorious in the UFC.

"Everyone can do what they want, man," Farrell said ... "Everyone's gotta follow their hearts."

Colin's been a huge McGregor supporter for years -- raving about Conor back in 2015 as one of the most "phenomenal" athletes on the planet ... and saying he's brought great pride to Ireland.

Not everyone is buying Conor's retirement statement he posted on Twitter late Monday night -- some people believe it's all a negotiating tactic to pressure Dana White into giving him an ownership stake in the UFC.

"The fact that their gender’s different -- who gives a sh*t?"

That's Tampa Bay Bucs head coach, Bruce Arians, explaining why he's down to add female coaches to his staff ... telling reporters at the NFL's annual league meeting Tuesday he honestly doesn't care about gender when he hires assistants.

"I think back to the best teachers I've ever had, most of them are female," the Tampa Bay coach said ... "Football, we're glorified school teachers."

"So, why not take a great teacher of any gender and let them help your players?"

Arians has gained fame in his career for his willingness to hire women -- he had Jen Welter as an assistant on his Cardinals staff and just added Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar to his Bucs roster.

But, Bruce is tired of being celebrated for making the hires ... saying at the coaches breakfast Tuesday he's ready for it to not be news anymore.

"They're good fits for what we need. The fact that their gender is different -- who gives a sh*t? They're good coaches."

Arians says he thinks the NFL is just 5 years away from it being normal to see women on the sidelines coaching.

And, Arians says don't be surprised if you see women coaches getting FIRED in the future -- because it's all part of the business.

The scumbag who stabbed 2-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova during a 2016 home invasion robbery has been sentenced to serve 8 years in a Czech Republic prison, officials say.

Kvitova was slashed badly during the Dec. 2016 incident at her C.R. apartment -- suffering major damage to her left hand while trying to fend off her attacker.

While bleeding all over her apartment, Kvitova offered the attacker 10,000 Czech crown (roughly $440) ... which he took and left.

The suspect was eventually identified as Radim Zondra -- and he was captured in May 2018. The trial took place in February and Kvitova personally testified against him.

As for her injuries, Kvitova underwent surgery to repair damage to the tendons in her left hand and 2 nerves. All five of her fingers on her left hand were also injured in the attack.

What was even worse for Kvitova -- she's known for having a powerful left hand ... so the attack could have derailed her career.

The good news ... 29-year-old Kvitova returned to tennis less than 5 months after the attack and has already climbed her way back to the #2-ranked women's tennis player in the world. Amazing.

As for the criminal, in addition to prison -- he was also ordered to pay back the $440 he stole.

Kvitova has been dominating this year -- she reached the final at the Australian Open and is currently competing in the Miami Open.