TMZ Sports - Page 50

Taylor Swift is dropping her new single at midnight ... and she says the new track is all about embracing your individuality, celebrating it and owning it.

After dropping tons of hints about her new song throughout the day Thursday, Taylor finally opened up about her new music in an interview with ABC's Robin Roberts during the first round of the NFL Draft, which is going down in Nashville -- Taylor's hometown.

All eyes were on Taylor as she gave some background on the song ... and it's not just because she was wearing a bright, rainbow wrap dress. Any time Taylor drops new music it's huge news, and she says her new song featuring Brendon Urie from Panic! At The Disco is going to get stuck in your head and make you feel better about yourself!!!

As you know ... Taylor has been teasing a new musical era for months, and things kicked up a notch Thursday when she posed in front of a beautiful mural in Nashville, created by artist Kelsey Montague.

As you can see ... the mural features 2 massive butterfly wings with the word "ME!" sandwiched between them. Taylor said the mural was filled with clues about her new single ... and it turns out the title was in front of our faces the whole time!!!

We talked to the mural's artist ... and Kelsey tells us when she was first approached by ABC about making an interactive street mural, she was simply directed to create something featuring butterfly wings, hearts, stars, flowers and rainbows, and immediately felt inspired.

Kelsey tells us she was kept in the dark about what the project was ultimately for ... but she still had a feeling it had something to do with Taylor.

Taylor's star power was on full display ... because on a night that's about young men finally realizing their dream of playing in the NFL after years of busting their ass on a football field, she completely stole the show.

4/26 6:04 AM PT -- Taylor's song is here, and already it is just shy of 29 million views.

Elisa Johnson, Magic Johnson's daughter, says she suffered "intense scarring" on her stomach while escaping a terrifying home invasion back in December ... and now she's sharing the pics.

We broke the story ... Elisa was at a home in the San Fernando Valley on Dec. 2 when 2 armed men broke in and began terrorizing the 10 people inside.

We're told they held people at gunpoint and shoved people around while stealing cash, jewelry and electronics.

Elisa was able to escape through a sliding glass door at the back of the home and ran down the street.

TMZ obtained surveillance video from a neighbor's home which showed two men lurking on the block a few hours before the home invasion. We don't know if either of these guys are the suspect, but we know neighbors were suspicious

Now, the 24-year-old says she was injured at some point during the incident -- suffering damage to her abdomen.

"Months ago, I escaped from a home invasion and in the process I was left with intense scaring on my stomach," Elisa says.

"Until now I’ve been so afraid to show these scars, and incredibly insecure about the way I look. But I now realize these scars are a part of my journey, and tell the story of who I am."

Elisa says she loves her body and "I am proud to be in the place I am today. #selfhealing."

Now that he's been drafted ... and the money's coming in ... think #2 overall pick Nick Bosa's ready to remove his virtual muzzle and talk politics again?!

Nope! Well, at least not yet ...

We spotted the 49ers newest star leaving Nashville early Friday morning and asked if he would get back to tweeting about Donald Trump and all of the other pro-Republican things he used to post about.

Remember, before the draft, 21-year-old Bosa (an outspoken conservative) told ESPN he wiped his Twitter page of all political talk out of fear there could be a backlash in liberal San Francisco.

Back in his college days at Ohio State, the star defensive end tweeted pro-Trump comments and was critical of Colin Kaepernick.

But, Bosa was stone-faced in the airport Friday morning while walking behind his famous father, John Bosa (who also played in the NFL), ... and didn't even crack when we asked if he'd be open to get a drink with former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.

Cops were called to Tyreek Hill's Kansas home Thursday night -- just hours after disturbing audio recordings went public ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Overland Park Police Department confirms two units were sent to the Kansas City Chiefs star's Overland Park, Kansas home around 8:30 PM local time.

The audio tapes purportedly capturing Hill threatening his fiancee during a heated conversation about their child abuse case had gone public just around 2 hours prior to the police call.

A spokesperson wouldn't tell us the specific nature of the call, but suggested it was connected to the release of the audio tapes.

We're told no one was arrested as a result of the call -- including Hill. In fact, it's unclear if Hill was even home at the time police arrived to the house.

Cops were only at the residence for about 20 minutes, and as the police spokesperson put it, "It wasn't that exciting."

As we previously reported ... Hill and his fiancee, Crystal Espinal, have been the subject of a child abuse investigation after officials say their 3-year-old son was injured in a suspicious incident.

So far, prosecutors say they are not pressing charges against the couple.

However, Thursday afternoon, an audio recording from late March went public in which a man believed to be Hill tells his fiancee, "You need to be terrified of me too, b*tch."

On the recording, Hill's fiancee accuses the wide receiver of breaking their son's arm -- an allegation Tyreek adamantly denied.

9:40 PM PT -- The Chiefs announced they have suspended Hill from all team activities.

New audio tapes have surfaced purporting to capture NFL star Tyreek Hill threatening his fiancee over an alleged child abuse incident involving their 3-year-old son -- where you can hear a man say, "You need to be terrified of me too, bitch."

The audio was reportedly recorded by Hill's fiancee, Crystal Espinal, as an "insurance policy" -- and then passed to a friend who gave it to KCTV in Kansas City.

The recording is believed to have been made in early March.

As we previously reported, the Kansas City Chiefs superstar WR and Espinal were the subjects of a child abuse investigation involving their 3-year-old. There are reports the boy suffered a broken arm.

KCTV has now released the audio -- claiming the man you hear on the recording is, in fact, Tyreek Hill.

KCTV also says the tape is now in the possession of the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.

Here's a partial transcript of the recording:

Crystal Espinal: "He is terrified of you. And you say that he respects you, but it's not respect."

Tyreek Hill: "He respects me."

Crystal Espinal: "He is terrified of you."

Tyreek Hill: "You need to be terrified of me, too, bitch. That's why you can't keep a f*cking man."

Crystal Espinal: "He started crying & you were like, 'Shut up, shut up, stop crying, stop crying.'"

Tyreek Hill: "Right."

Crystal Espinal: "And then he kept crying because he was scared. He's terrified. You grabbed onto him somehow or he fell? 1 of the 2."

Tyreek Hill: "I didn't do nothing."

Crystal Espinal: "Then why does he say, 'Daddy did it.'? Why?"

Tyreek Hill: "He says Daddy does a lot of things."

Crystal Espinal: "A 3-year-old is not going to lie about what happened to his arm."

We've reached out to Hill's agent, the Chiefs and the NFL for comment. So far, no word back from anyone.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell just commented about the situation to ESPN's Sam Ponder -- saying:

"Well, you should wait and get the facts. That's the first thing you should do, Sam."

"[Law enforcement doesn't] have any information that they're willing to share with us."

"When you get the facts then you make a decision about how it fits into our personal conduct policy, but you don't rush to judgement and you don't make a decision without having those facts."

The tape surfaced one day after prosecutors announced they had declined to press charges against Hill and Espinal because they could not definitely prove which parent abused the boy.

On the recording, Hill DENIES breaking the boy's arm and accuses Espinal of punishing the child with a belt. She denies that allegation.

Well, more bad news for the Kansas City Chiefs -- Patrick Mahomes was just revealed as the new Madden 20 cover guy ... which means:

CURSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

C'mon, you know this post was coming.

Mahomes was the NFL MVP in 2018 -- posting better numbers than every other QB in the league ... from Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers. The guy deserves it.

But, you all know what comes with the Madden cover ... The Madden Curse!

The dreaded Madden Curse has seemingly taken out a ton of Pro Bowlers over the years ... from Vince Young to Mike Vick to Rob Gronkowski, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson and more.

Just ask Garrison Hearst, Daunte Culpepper, Dorsey Levens, Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander and Peyton Hillis.

Look, it's possible to escape the wrath ... Tom Brady, Odell Beckham and Ray Lewis didn't suffer anything bad the years they were on the cover.

It's time for the NFL Draft ... and you know what that means -- FASHION, BABAYYYYY!!!!

Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa and the rest of the 2019 draft class have left their hotel in Nashville and arrived to Downtown Nashville for the main event!!!

TMZ Sports shot footage of all the big stars swaggin' out in some pretty amazing suits -- great stuff!!

Kyler rocked a dope pink suit, Nick Bosa had some Ohio State swag. Quinnen Williams looked stylin, Greedy Williams went all red everything ... it's awesome!!!

The 1st Round of the 2019 NFL Draft kicks off at 5 PM PT. The 2nd and 3rd round continue on Friday ... followed by Rounds 4 through 7 going down over the weekend.

A ton of prospects are there right now ... along with a bunch of NFL legends on hand for the big night. Of course, the big moment ... when the crowd rallies together to boo Roger Goodell, it's an annual tradition.

We've seen classic looks in the past -- remember Ezekiel Elliott's crop-top dress shirt??

Josh Rosen, listen up ... if the Cardinals DO draft Kyler Murray tonight, Kurt Warner is handing out some sage advice -- JUST PROVE YOU'RE BETTER!!!

"Bottom line is it's just part of it," Warner tells TMZ Sports out in Nashville ... "You gotta go and just prove you're the best guy for the job."

Of course, Arizona drafted Rosen last season thinking he'd be the guy for the franchise's future ... but now, with Kliff Kingsbury at the helm, they're expected to take Murray tonight.

Many have wondered if JR should be upset if the draft pick does go down ... but Warner says Rosen should actually see it as a chance to prove he's the right guy for the job!!!

"I don't think you can ever be offended by a team trying to figure out the best thing for their organization to get better. And your job is to compete."

Josh should take the advice ... Warner bounced around the league for several years -- even after MVP seasons with the Rams -- proving he was a Hall of Fame caliber guy at nearly every stop.

For the first time ever, the official Philadelphia Warriors scoring sheet from Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point game is up for sale ... and it's expected to rake in more than $100,000!!!

The game was March 2, 1952 -- Wilt's Philadelphia Warriors took on the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Wilt racked up 100 POINTS that night -- the ONLY time a player has hit triple digits -- and Chamberlain famously posed for a photo with a sign that read "100."

We're told the Warriors' official team scorer's sheet -- which was signed by Wilt that night -- was taken home by the official team scorer. When he passed away, his widow gifted the item to a close family friend.

Now, that friend has decided to offer it up to a worthy collector via SCP Auctions -- the starting bid was $15,000 ... and there's already been a ton of action. The auction closes Saturday night.

Experts predict the sheet will ultimately skyrocket past the $100k mark -- since the official Knicks scoring sheet from that game sold for $100k back in 2012.

James Holzhauer -- the "Jeopardy!" contestant winning prize money at a torrid pace -- has a history of breaking the bank ... 'cause he set records on another show called, "The Chase."

TMZ got details about the current "Jeopardy!" phenom's 2014 domination of 'Chase' ... a Game Show Network hit. As is his style, Holzhauer started out hot in the opening "cash builder" round, answering 12 questions correctly -- often before host Brooke Burns even finished asking them.

The 12 right answers for $60k broke the previous record and was never topped in 51 episodes of "The Chase" -- and, get this ... it could have been 13 answers if he was a Jason Mraz fan. You gotta see it.

There's more -- James also set the high mark in "The Final Chase" round by answering 19 questions correctly for his team. This record also still stands.

When it was all said and done, Holzhauer's team of 3 won $175k and split it evenly.

What's interesting ... at one point, Holzhauer was offered a chance by the show's titular "chaser," Mark "The Beast" Labbett, to win more money, and he declined ... opting to take the conservative route.

If you've been watching him on "Jeopardy!" ... you know he likes to bet BIG. James later revealed he crunched the numbers and determined the larger payoff on 'Chase' wasn't worth the gamble.

Holzhauer became the second person in "Jeopardy!" history to surpass $1 million in winnings in non-tournament play Wednesday, and owns the single-show record of $131,127. He also now holds the top 7 daily totals, and is well on his way to catching Ken Jennings, who won a total of $2.5 million over 74 games.

James has done all his damage in just 15 games.

Antonio Brown is threatening Ryan Clark with violence if his former teammate doesn't stop talking about him ... telling the ex-Steelers DB, "next time we meet it’s on site ain’t gone spare u."

Remember, Clark and AB have been going at it for months ... 'cause Ryan -- who's now an ESPN analyst -- was critical of the WR while his drama in Pittsburgh was all unfolding in the winter.

At the time, Ryan said Brown and the Steelers needed to part ways because of AB's antics ... and Antonio famously fired back, calling Clark an "Uncle Tom."

Now, the beef has escalated ... because after Ryan brought up Antonio's name again on Twitter on Wednesday -- Brown straight-up threatened him with violence.

"Bro stop mentioning my name I know it get u clout keep that same analysis energy next time we meet it’s on site ain’t gone spare u."

Damian Lillard's college coach could see the Trail Blazers star's game-winning shot coming from a mile away ... 'cause Randy Rahe tells TMZ Sports he predicted it would happen!!!

"As he's coming down and sizing up George, my wife says, 'He needs to drive it!'" the Weber State head man says ... "And, I said, 'Nope. He ain't doing that. He's going to let one go.'"

Of course ... Lillard did just that -- burying a 30-footer in Paul George's eye to send Portland into the second round of the NBA playoffs in insane fashion Tuesday night.

"When it went in," Rahe says ... "it was absolutely the most fitting ending for a performance like that that you could possibly have."

Rahe has seen Lillard do similar things before ... after all, the guy coached Damian at Weber State for 4 years from 2008 to 2012.

But, even Randy admits Dame's 50-point night had him shocked, telling us, "I was in awe."

Wanna get outta the country and live like an MLB slugger at the same time??? Jason Giambi's awesome Cabo villa is hitting the auction block -- hope ya got a few MILLION laying around!!!

The crib (nicknamed Casa Cielo) is sick -- featuring 9 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, an infinity pool with a hot tub, insane ocean views, home gym, game room, bar ... and a cool tiki hut thing.

Oh, he also has parking for 13 cars ... just in case.

Look at the pics ... it's the ultimate vacation pad. It makes you want to pound a Corona RIGHT NOW!!!

The 48-year-old previously listed his 12,079-square-foot Mexican villa for $10.7 million ... but now he's decided to expedite the process by listing the place with Concierge Auctions.

The auction starts on May 21 and runs to the 24 -- and there's no reserve ... meaning highest bid wins!!!

Hope you saved up ...

So, why is Giambi selling the place? Simple ... he wants to free up some cash.

"The auction of Casa Cielo marks an exciting new chapter for me as I move on to other ventures," Giambi said.

Giambi made a TON of cash during his nearly 20 years in the Bigs ... raking in a reported $133 MILLION!!!

He was a 5-time All-Star and won the American League MVP in 2000.

The Sacramento Kings have teamed up with NBA officials to launch a joint investigation into the Luke Walton sexual assault allegations.

Both the Kings and the NBA have hired their own teams of investigators -- which are already working together to look into the accusations made by sports reporter Kelli Tennant.

Tennant claims Walton -- now the head coach of the Kings -- sexually assaulted her in a hotel room back in 2014, when Walton was an asst. coach with the Golden State Warriors.

The two women leading the Kings investigation are Sue Ann Van Dermyden and Jennifer Doughty -- who both have extensive experience conducting investigations.

As for the NBA side, they've tapped NBA Senior VP Elizabeth Maringer -- who previously served 12 years as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The Kings and the NBA issued a statement saying they "take these allegations very seriously and will collaborate to conduct a complete and thorough investigation."

As we previously reported ... Walton adamantly DENIES assaulting Tennant and claims she's an "opportunist" looking for a quick buck.

Tennant held a press conference earlier this week emotionally recounting her version of the incident -- saying she thought Walton was going to rape her that day.

Tyreek Hill has finally broken his silence on the child abuse investigation involving his son -- saying, "My son’s health and happiness is my #1 priority."

Hills' statement comes one day after prosecutors in Johnson County, Kansas announced they would NOT be pressing charges against the NFL star.

Officials said they DO believe someone hurt the kid -- but prosecutors said they were unable to "conclusively establish who committed the crime against [the] child."

Translation -- there isn't enough evidence to prove Hill injured his son.

Now, the Kansas City Chiefs star WR issued a statement ... saying, "I love and support my family above anything. My son’s health and happiness is my #1 priority."

"I want to thank the Kansas City Chiefs, my attorneys, my agent and my union for supporting me through this."

"My focus remains on working hard to be the best person for my family and our community I can be, and the best player to help our team win.”

The child had reportedly been temporarily removed from Hill's custody.

LenDale White says he's sick and tired of Reggie Bush being banned from USC -- and he's calling for the school and the NCAA to reverse the punishment and allow the RB back on campus!!!

LenDale and Reggie were arguably the greatest running back tandem in USC history -- absolutely dominating as "Thunder and Lightning" during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

But back in 2010, the NCAA ordered USC to completely disassociate with Bush over Reggie's improper benefits scandal.

During Bush's college career, Reggie's family received improper benefits from 2 sports marketers who were hoping to sign him. As a result, the NCAA stripped USC of 14 wins, including the 2004 national championship. Bush was also stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy.

USC has said they want Reggie back on campus -- but they can't disobey the NCAA.

Enter LenDale who tells TMZ Sports enough is enough -- telling the NCAA, "Stop screwing people and do the right thing."

White says he feels Bush had paid for his crimes and should be allowed back to the school where he created so many amazing memories on the football field.

"I just know Reggie needs to be back there," White says ... adding, "F*ck the NCAA!"

White's not the first USC great to call for an end to the Bush ban -- back in 2016, Willie McGinest told us there was a group of ex-players working to get Bush back on campus.

Matt Leinart also told the L.A. Times a few days ago, "What's happening with Reggie is a travesty."