TMZ Sports - Page 50

There will be no triumphant comeback for the Auburn gymnast who broke both of her legs during a floor routine at the NCAA Regional Semifinals ... Samantha Cerio says she's retiring from the sport.

Cerio snapped both of her legs while trying to land a handspring double front on Friday -- she was stretchered off the mat with 2 air casts.

**WARNING -- THE VIDEO IS GNARLY AND GRAPHIC**

Auburn went on to advance to the Regional Final ... but Cero says Friday was "my final night as a gymnast."

Cerio issued a statement saying, "After 18 years I am hanging up my grips and leaving the chalk behind."

The Auburn senior says she learned a lot from the sport -- including hard work, humility, integrity and dedication ... but has ultimately decided to move on.

"It may not have ended the way I had planned, but nothing ever goes as planned."

"Thank you Auburn family for giving me a home and a chance to continue doing the sport that will always be my first love. I am honored to have had the privilege to represent the navy and orange AU for the past 4 years with my team by my side. Thank you for letting me share my passion with you. Thank you for letting me be a part of something bigger than myself."

Charles Barkley is getting over that devastating Auburn loss by trashing any sports team in sight .... and his first target was the Minnesota Timberwolves ... saying the team flat-out SUCKS!!

Chuck took the stage at the free Katy Perry concert for the Final Four in Minneapolis on Sunday night ... and he didn't hold back when addressing their beloved hoops team.

"I wanna thank Minneapolis, Minnesota you guys have a great, great city," Barkley tells the crowd. "I wanna thank y'all for a great weekend.

Which is great! How nice of Barkley to say th--

"I haven't been here for a long time because the Timberwolves suck."

Oh no ... Chuck, what are you doing?!?! These fans LOVE Karl-Anthony Towns and the gang, even if they're worse than the Lakers and have made the playoffs once since 2004.

The fans let him hear it ... booing Barkley to no end.

Gabrielle Union was dancing her ass off at the Pride Festival in Miami Beach this weekend ... and it was all to show support for her 11-year-old stepson, Zion.

Zion is Dwyane Wade's son from a previous relationship but he lives with Dwyane and Gabby full-time and Gabby treats him like blood.

While Wade wasn't at the event -- the Miami Heat had a game in Toronto -- the NBA star was certainly proud of his family, saying:

"Zion had his own cheering section today. Wish I was there to see you smile kid."

The Pride Festival in Miami Beach is one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the country -- with more than 145,000 people flocking to South Beach last year to celebrate together.

Gabby was having a blast -- dancing, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.

Zion was sporting a rainbow ribbon and a big ol' smile!

Dwyane posted a photo of his older son, Zaire -- a HUGE prep basketball star -- with Zion at the parade along with the caption, "We support each other with pride."

He added, "It's a family thing."

Conor McGregor is reportedly under investigation in Ireland -- again -- after allegedly punching a man Saturday in a pub in Dublin.

The UFC superstar was at the Marble Arch pub in Drimnagh (a suburb of Dublin) when he was approached by another patron who thought Conor was acting like a jerk, according to the Irish Mirror.

The patron reportedly talked trash to Conor about his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, "The Russian battered you" ... and that's when Conor snapped and punched.

We called Ireland's Garda Síochána -- the country's police force -- who wouldn't identify Conor by name but did confirm an investigation of an alleged April 6 incident at the Marble Arch.

"No arrests, matter under investigation."

We also called the pub -- but an employee hung up on us as soon as we asked about Conor.

Calls to McGregor's rep have not been returned.

It's just the latest in a long list of legal problems for Conor ... who's also facing criminal charges for an alleged incident at a Miami hotel last month.

He's also reportedly being investigated in a rape probe in Dublin stemming from an alleged incident at a hotel in Ireland back in December. Conor's rep has called the report a "rumor."

How did Texas Rangers superstars Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara celebrate a home run Sunday??

WITH A DOUBLE CROTCH GRAB, BABY!!!

It all went down in the second inning in Anaheim this past weekend ... when Gallo hit a bomb to deep right field against the Angels that plated his teammate, Mazara.

When Gallo rounded the bases and made it back home ... the two celebrated with some low fives ... and a big handful of each other's crotches.

Weirdly enough ... neither player was asked about the secret handshake after the game -- but sure seems like this was a planned deal between the two.

Unclear if it'll continue all season ... but Gallo is one of the biggest power hitters in the MLB -- he blasted 41 homers in 2017 and 40 last year.

Cris Cyborg just got back from a philanthropic trip to Uganda -- where the UFC star says she was dangerously close to an American tourist who was kidnapped at gunpoint.

Cyborg was building water wells in Uganda for the Batwa Pygmies with fellow UFC fighter Justin Wren -- and during the trip, they learned an American woman and her tour guide had been abducted.

Officials say Kimberly Sue Endicott and her safari guide were ambushed Tuesday by 4 men with guns while traveling in a car through Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Endicott and her guide, Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, were taken near the border of the Congo where her captors used her cell phone to demand a $500,000 ransom.

Ugandan officials -- along with help from U.S. forces -- freed the two on Sunday. They appeared unharmed.

So, when we saw Cris on Friday -- before Endicott was freed -- we asked her about the situation ... and she essentially told us she's LUCKY she wasn't abducted as well.

"I can not stop thinking about [Endicott]," Cyborg told us ... "because I was really very close with her. Like, REALLY close."

Cyborg says she left Uganda one day after the kidnapping -- and she's been praying for Endicott and her guide ever since.

Ultimately, Cyborg says she's still VERY glad she went on the trip because her work helped out so many people.

FYI, Justin Wren has been very involved in helping the Pygmies for years with his "Fight for the Forgotten" foundation ... whose mission is to bring safe drinking water to 2 villages in need.

As for the kidnappers, they're still on the loose. President Trump tweeted about the situation on Monday morning:

Who's ready for John Football!?!?!

The athlete formerly known as Johnny Manziel has a new name -- he's more of a "John" type of guy now ... telling people he's dropping the "-ny" from his moniker.

The quarterback announced the image makeover on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Monday ... saying "I actually go by John these days."

It's not a bad time to hit the restart button for Manziel ... he's had a rough few weeks -- the AAF shut down operations and his estranged wife bashed him on social media for allegedly cheating.

During the show, Manziel also addressed leaving the CFL to play for the Memphis Express ... saying "I was so hungry to get back on the field and start playing, I took the first chance I could."

"When I looked up a year later, things [in the CFL] weren't exactly what I thought they'd be. When I signed in Hamilton with June Jones I thought it would be like a Colt Brennan Hawaii highlight film."

"No regrets, it's just one of the chapters I've closed the book on and moving forward now."

As for whether it was a mutual agreement, or whether the CFL pushed him out, John wouldn't say.

"I don't want to go into detail, but looking back, I'm happy. Memphis was exactly what I needed in my life. First day being on the field with 11 men the game slowed down, it was perfect for me."

Conor McGregor has one less legal issue ... the man suing him in the Miami phone smashing incident has dropped his lawsuit against the UFC star and all signs point to settlement.

As we previously reported, 22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak sued Conor for battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress over the March 11 incident at the Fontainebleau hotel.

Abdirzak claims Conor "flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand" before "stomping on the phone repeatedly." Abdirzak was demanding north of $15,000.

Part of the incident was captured on video and posted by TMZ Sports.

Now, court records show Abdirzak has filed new documents to dismiss his suit against McGregor with prejudice -- which likely means the two reached a settlement agreement.

It's smart money for Conor considering he's worth a fortune and could easily cut a check to put the matter behind him.

McGregor is still facing criminal charges for the incident -- including felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief. If convicted on all counts, Conor faces up to 6 years in prison.

His case is due back in front of the judge later this week.

McGregor doesn't seem too bothered by the situation -- he's been partying all over the world, feuding with his UFC rivals and watching WrestleMania.

Before he filed his lawsuit, Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" in March and told us he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."

Torrey Smith proudly displayed the hogs he killed over the weekend.

Torrey's a hunter who set his sights on some South Carolina feral hogs. Authorities in S.C. say the hog population is out of control and has caused real problems for farmers.

It looks like the hogs ended up on his dinner table, because shortly after posting the pic he posted more photos with some boar chops in the frying pan.

Torrey uses thermal scopes to locate the hogs and hone in. A few weeks back, he posted a night photo of 3 hogs with the caption, "Someone asked what does the corn attract. You use thermal scopes and get some nice free organic pork. You also help out the farmers because the hogs destroy their fields. Everyone wins and it's fun!"

Wildlife officials in South Carolina estimated there are 200,000 feral hogs in the state. As for killing them, there are few regulations. Hunters don't need a license on private land and night hunting is permitted.

Conor McGregor was so impressed with Becky Lynch's victory over Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania ... he might be one step closer to joining her in the ring.

Lynch defeated Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the main event Sunday night -- earning both the WWE Raw AND Smackdown belts ... leading Conor to dub her the sport's first "Champ Champ."

"Congrats to Irelands Becky Lynch, the WWE’s first Champ Champ," McGregor wrote.

"Wow! What a match these ladies put on! Ronda Rousey is something special in that ring, as is Charlotte Flair of the Flair dynasty!"

That's when the tease came ...

"Stephanie McMahon you are right, I could not do what these athletes do. Or could I... "

McGregor hasn't exactly had the best relationship with WWE -- in 2016, he went off on a bunch of the wrestlers as "p**sies" who could never win a real fist fight.

"For the most part, those WWE guys are p**sies," McGregor said at the time ... "They're messed up p**sies if you ask me."

He did, however, praise Vince McMahon and Triple H at the time.

So, will he or won't he???

We recently shot Steph McMahon who told us she would love to sign Conor to a WWE contract ... if he's serious about wanting to get in the ring.

Conor's future seems to be a mystery -- he "retired" from MMA in a tweet last month ... but then told Khabib Nurmagomedov he would see him back in the Octagon.

It's all over for Batista!!!!

The WWE superstar -- turned movie star -- announced his retirement from "Sports Entertainment" just hours after losing an insane match to Triple H at WrestleMania 35.

First off, the match was crazy ... the 50-year-old -- who was a 6-TIME champ in the WWE -- battled his face-off with Triple H on Sunday. Triple H even used pliers to rip out Batista's nose ring during the match.

Then, after being hit with everything from a steel chair to steel steps ... Triple H hit Batista with his signature Pedigree move to end the match -- and Batista's career.

Afterward, Dave Bautista went to social media to say goodbye to the fans ...

"To all the @wwe fans across the world that gave me the opportunity to suspend your disbelief, thank you. From the biggest part of my heart thank you for letting me entertain you."

"Tonight was my story book ending and I wanted to leave you with all I had to give. I’ll miss this theater of violence more than I can express in words but I am officially retiring from Sports Entertainment."

"I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, I leave in great health, and without a doubt the show will go on. I had a hell of a run. Thank you for the journey."

Don't worry, Dave will be fine ... he's become a massive movie star thanks to his role as Drax the Destroyer in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'

He's also got a TON of new movies on the way.

If LiAngelo Ball were coming out of college this year, he'd be the No. 1 overall pick ... AHEAD of Zion Williamson -- so says LaVar Ball, who tells TMZ Sports, "He can't hold a candle" to Gelo.

"He ain't no big baller," LaVar says of the Duke superstar ... "He's a Williamson. Williamsons ain't stronger than Ballers!"

Of course, Gelo ain't available for this year's NBA Draft ... he already had his shot to be taken in 2018 -- but wasn't picked with any of the 60 selections.

But, the Big Baller says his middle son has gotten SO much better in the last year ... he tells us Gelo would be a surefire bet to be selected over Zion if he were eligible this June.

"Biggest and the strongest 2-guard in the NBA right now. Ain't nobody built like him at the 2-guard. Nobody. 6-6, 240, can shoot the 3, post you up -- kill you. But, you going to see. You going to see."

In fact ... LaVar is so confident LiAngelo has upped his game -- he's PROMISING his son will have an NBA deal by the end of 2019.

10:22 AM PT -- Big Boy from 92.3 the REAL just came down hard on Kodak Black, saying he won't tolerate disrespect like this toward royalty in Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London. BB says hip-hop culture has a tendency to look the other way on moments like this, but he argues that has to change ... and that people from the community have to hold one another accountable, including Kodak. It doesn't sound like Big Boy is committing to not playing Kodak's music on the airwaves like Justin Credible did, but he does say he hopes this helps change minds going forward about ya say about who.

Check out his full statement above.

Kodak Black apologized for something he clearly should not have done in the first place ... disrespected Lauren London, the grieving girlfriend of Nipsey Hussle.

Kodak went on IG Live Saturday with his mea culpa, though somewhat half-hearted. He said he was sorry for disrespecting her, "even though I didn't."

As you know ... on Saturday a video circulated of Kodak calling Lauren "that baby" and "whole widow out here." He went on to say he was willing to give her a year of "crying and s***" before making a move on her.

Justin Credible from Power 106 in L.A. tweeted the station was "appalled by the disrespectful and poor comments" and they would no longer play his music.

Former welterweight championship boxer Andre Berto told us Saturday in Bev Hills, what Kodak did was super disrespectful, because Nipsey Hussle's murder was so fresh, and Kodak would serve himself well by staying out of L.A.

In Kodak's "apology," he did say Nipsey inspired him to do more in his community.

As we reported, there will be a huge memorial service for Nipsey -- who was murdered a week ago Sunday -- at L.A.'s Staples Center.

Triple H's good looks are unmatched!

Here's a 31-year-old version of the professional wrestler at an event in Los Angeles back in 2001 (left) and 18 years later ... the now 49-year-old was seen showing off his scruff at a conference in Austin, Texas just last month (right).

The Game isn't over yet!

The question is ...

Tito Ortiz is coming out of retirement and will fight MMA this year ... we know, deja vu all over again.

TMZ Sports saw Tito -- who last retired days after dominating Chuck Liddell in November (a fight he came out of retirement for) -- at LAX earlier this week ... and we asked him about Conor McGregor hanging up his gloves.

That's when Tito dropped some retirement news of his own ... as in, he's comin' back.

"I'll probably fight in October," Ortiz told us.

"After I fought Chuck last year, I thought it was gonna be my last one. But, my body's intact, everything's fast, everything's great. Sparring's been good. Training's been great. So, let's do one for fun."

So, who's The Huntington Beach Bad Boy fighting?

Is Kansas City Chiefs legend Jamaal Charles a Hall of Famer??

The RB ain't saying for sure ... but the former NFL superstar tells TMZ Sports his stats certainly suggest he might be one.

"I mean, some of my numbers look way better than some people already in Canton."

As one of the league's most electrifying backs EVER -- Charles does have a case ... in 11 seasons, he ran for 7,563 yards and scored 44 total TDs.

Charles also owns a record that neither Barry Sanders nor Jim Brown can claim ... he's got the highest yards per carry average in NFL history -- getting 5.49 per tote.

"That tells you what type of player I was," Jamaal says ... "I gave it my all. Every time I touched the ball, I averaged six yards a carry basically."

Still not sold on him being a Hall of Famer?? Good news for Jamaal, he says his NFL career might not be done yet -- so more stats could be coming!!

The RB tells us he ain't ready to officially call it quits ... saying his football future is "in the air right now."