TMZ Sports - Page 50

Marco Rubio is PUMPED Miami traded for Josh Rosen ... telling TMZ Sports the former Arizona Cardinal is now the best QB the Dolphins have had in TWO DECADES!!!

"He's the most talented passer we've had on the roster since Marino," the Florida Senator says.

Miami unloaded its second-round pick in last week's NFL draft to get JR from Arizona ... and Rubio is ALL FOR IT -- telling us it's basically a win-win for his favorite football team.

And why? Rubio says because Rosen came with such a team-friendly contract ... there's no risk at all for his squad.

"If it works out, great!" Rubio says ... "If it doesn't, we'll have to draft someone next year."

It's been a rough start for Josh's NFL career ... dude completed just 55 percent of his passes and threw just 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions last season.

Another day, another athlete honored at the White House ... this time, President Donald Trump held a special ceremony for NASCAR champ Joey Logano.

"It's my pleasure to welcome to 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano and Team Penske to the White House," Trump said on Tuesday.

"Over the course of the 2018 season, the #22 team earned 26 top 10 finishes, led 934 laps, won 3 races and competed against 3 former champions in the playoffs and came out ahead," Trump said.

Trump also shouted out Joey's wife and their son, Hudson -- noting Joey celebrated the championship by placing Hudson in the trophy.

"That was quite a scene," Trump explained.

Logano was stoked to be at the White House -- saying, "It's an honor to be speaking here."

He gifted Trump a track-worn racing helmet from the championship season -- which Trump says he'll put on display in the Oval Office.

Trump says he considers himself a NASCAR fan and says he's been good friends with team owner Roger Penske for years.

Trump referred to the 82-year-old as "one of the truly great people of our world."

At the end of the ceremony, Trump invited the entire NASCAR team to view the Lincoln Bedroom -- and promised to personally give the tour.

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade are springing into action to help the mother of the Alabama teen who recently died from suicide after he was mercilessly bullied for being gay.

Sources tell TMZ ... the actress and NBA star are part of a group of celebs -- which also includes Ludacris and Janelle Monae -- donating money to help cover Nigel Shelby's funeral. Nigel is the 15-year-old who took his own life nearly 2 weeks ago.

We're told the effort was spearheaded by Pinky Cole -- owner of the popular ATL restaurant Slutty Vegan -- and "Master of None" star Lena Waithe, who enlisted their famous friends to help out.

Nigel's mother, Camika, had said Nigel suffered from depression and struggled with his identity. Our sources wouldn't say how much money was raised, but we know it was enough to cover the expense of Nigel's tombstone, funeral service ... and a separate amount to support Camika.

Nigel's memorial was held over the weekend at Rock Family Worship Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He was laid to rest in a colorful casket wrapped in rainbows and butterflies.

12:28 PM PT -- The World Surf League has confirmed Garcia was hospitalized after a suicide attempt.

In the past, Garcia has talked publicly about his struggles with depression and even asked fans for advice on treatment.

Surf legend Sunny Garcia -- a 6-time winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing -- is fighting for his life in a Portland hospital, the World Surf League has confirmed.

The 49-year-old was admitted to the hospital in Oregon on Monday. Details about his condition were not made public.

WSL says Garcia is currently in intensive care.

Garcia is one of the most beloved people in pro surfing. He grew up in Hawaii -- and became close friends with fellow surf stars like Kelly Slater and Jamie O'Brien.

He's an absolute STUD in the water -- winning the World Surf League's world championship in 2000. He was inducted into the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Garcia also became the 2nd pro surfer in history to win more than $1 million in prize money -- which is a HUGE accomplishment.

Outside of the water, Sunny had some issues over the years -- he served time in prison in 2007 in a tax evasion case.

Years later, Garcia said the takeaway from that experience was "never trust your CPA ... don't trust anybody for that matter."

Garcia has talked about how much he loved his family and how one of his biggest fears would be to lose them.

He's also a religious guy who attends church "every once in a while."

Garcia has also pushed hard for people to come and surf in Hawaii over the years -- but he's big on people having respect for the Hawaiian culture.

"Come, enjoy and be respectful, yeah -- if you can be that then we welcome you with open arms. But, if you're gonna come and piss in my backyard, you might get a slap in the head."

UFC star Al Iaquinta wants to prove he's worthy of another fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- saying he's convinced he can beat the Dagestani if he gets more than 1 day to prepare.

Remember, Al stepped as a last-minute replacement for Max Holloway at UFC 223 in April 2018 ... and survived all 5 rounds with Khabib, despite zero preparation for one of the scariest guys in MMA.

Since that fight, Al beat up Kevin Lee and has lined up a big fight with Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at 'UFC Fight Night' on May 4.

Al tells TMZ Sports he wants to make a statement in the Cowboy fight to show everyone he's the real deal -- and deserves a second crack at Khabib.

"I fought Khabib not only on a day's notice but also after fighting 90 seconds in 3 years," Iaquinta says ... "So it was short notice and a huge layoff."

Al -- the #4 ranked lightweight in the UFC -- says he knows he needs to have a "great performance" against Cowboy ... and seems more motivated than ever.

We spoke with Al after the first fight with Khabib and even though he was bruised up, he never lacked confidence.

As for Khabib, Dana White has said his next fight will be against interim champ Dustin Poirier -- and they're gunning for a Sept. fight date.

But as Al knows ... if Dustin gets hurt and Dana needs a replacement, he could be the guy who gets the call.

An Amazon spokesperson declined to directly address the lawsuit, but told us ... "Amazon respects intellectual property rights and requires selling partners to do the same when listing items for sale on Amazon. Any selling partner that has violated our policies will be held accountable."

The guy who created the horse racing catchphrase "And down the stretch they come" is suing Amazon.com ... claiming the company jacked his signature call to make a crappy "tacky" shirt.

The man behind the suit is Dave Johnson -- who's been calling horse races for more then 40 years! Johnson famously created the call and uses it at the biggest races in the sport from the Kentucky Derby to the Preakness and the Belmont.

Johnson says he owns the trademark for the phrase intended to block other people from profiting from his work.

But, DJ is now declaring war on Amazon -- claiming they began selling a "Down the Stretch They Come" shirt in 2018 without his permission ... and he's pissed.

In fact, Johnson trashes the shirt as a "tacky, low quality, over-priced" item that's tarnishing his good name.

Johnson points out other broadcasters who have ferociously protected their catchphrases ... from Dick Vitale's "Awesome baby" to Michael Buffer's "Let's Get Ready to Rumble!"

Now, Johnson wants a judge to stop Amazon from selling the shirt -- noting he wants all remaining shirts to be recalled and destroyed ASAP.

He also wants ALL of the profits Amazon has made from the shirt ... plus additional damages.

Greg Hardy says he's ready to get back in the Octagon RIGHT NOW after destroying Dmitry Smolyakov this weekend ... telling TMZ Sports he knows he's getting better by the day.

The ex-NFL star annihilated Smolyakov in a violent 2-minute beatdown at "UFC Fight Night" in Florida on Saturday -- with Hardy BARELY taking any damage in the fight.

So, we asked Hardy when he's planning to take another fight ... and his answer was simple, "As soon as possible, dude."

Here's the deal ... Hardy says he's laser-focused on his new career and he's working his ass off to get better.

He's 4-1 as a pro -- and even in his disqualification loss to Allen Crowder back in January, Hardy looked powerful and dangerous.

Now, Hardy says his goal is to continue to beat the hell out of whoever Dana White puts in front of him so he can climb the rankings ladder ... and ultimately start fighting name guys like Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis.

Hardy says he knows he's gotta work on his wrestling -- and the better he gets, the more dangerous he'll become.

Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert says he doesn't want Skynet creations taking over NBA officiating -- he just wants transparency, honesty and accountability from the flesh and blood zebras.

The NBA refs are on the hot seat right now, with some fans thinking they handed a gift game to the Golden State Warriors in the first run of the Western Conference semifinals against Houston.

Gobert was one of the critics on Twitter, saying his Jazz got different treatment from the stripes when they faced off against the Rockets in the 1st round.

There's been talk for years that the way to fix bad calls is to have robot or computer refs take the court over (seems terrifying), but when we got Gobert out he said all that ain't necessary.

"I think it would take something away from the game if you do that."

Gobert, one of the best defensive players in the league, says that carbon-based refs are fine, as long as the players are able to have honest talks with them.

"Dialogue is the most important thing."

NFL Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti -- a 2-time NFL champ -- has died at the age of 92, his family confirms.

Marchetti wasn't just a legend on the field -- he was a U.S. Army soldier who bravely fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a machine gunner in World War II.

After he returned home from the war, Marchetti was selected in the 2nd round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the New York Yanks, which later became the Baltimore Colts.

During his NFL career, Marchetti -- mainly a defensive end -- was selected to 11 Pro Bowls and was a 9-time 1st Team All-Pro!!!!!

Marchetti was such a stud, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, joining guys like Deacon Jones and Reggie White.

His number 89 jersey was retired by the Indianapolis Colts -- and he's a member of the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor.

Marchetti passed away at a Pennsylvania hospital with his wife, Joan, by his side.

Joan told the Baltimore Sun, "I kissed him and he knew me and smiled ... That was Gino’s way of saying goodbye."

Let the Hall of Fame debates officially begin ... Jamaal Charles is calling it an NFL career -- reportedly set to sign a 1-day deal with the Chiefs to retire this week.

The legendary RB told TMZ Sports earlier this month his football future was "up in the air" ... but 610 Sports Radio reported Tuesday he'll ink a ceremonial deal and officially hang up his cleats shortly.

It's not too surprising ... Charles hadn't started a single game since the 2015 season -- and told us earlier this month it was "a possibility" this day could come.

But, now that it's here ... the Hall of Fame process can officially begin.

Remember, Charles just told us he believes he IS worthy of having a bust in Canton ... saying, "I mean, some of my numbers look way better than some people already in Canton."

It caused a ton of debates ... 'cause Charles' numbers -- 7,563 rushing yards and 44 total TDs -- aren't quite the slam dunk totals necessary to get in.

But, is he deserving now that his playing days are over and people can really reflect on his 11-year career??

Ezekiel Elliott saw a kid get hit by a hockey puck at the Dallas Stars playoff game on Monday ... so he jumped into action and raced over to make sure the little boy was okay.

Don't worry, the kid appears to be fine -- and now he's got selfies with Zeke!

Unclear exactly when the kid was hit by the puck -- or how serious the impact was -- but Elliott (who's been a regular at the Stars games) made his way over to the boy in the 3rd period to check in on him.

The Dallas Cowboys superstar thought snappin' a pic with the youngster would help sooth the oncoming bruise ... and guess what?? IT DID!!

You can see in the video ... the boy cracks a smile as Zeke daps him up and busts out the phone for a few pics. His family seemed happy with the gesture too.

Elliott also made sure another fan who was hit by the puck ricochet got some love as well.

It's not like Zeke works for the Stars and was sent over by management to diffuse the situation -- just a famous guy who was trying to help out. Seems like it worked.

Jimmy Butler wanted to make one thing clear to his coach after the 76ers' big victory over the Raptors on Monday ... "MY NAME IS NOT JAMES!"

Here's the deal ... Butler was a 1-man wrecking crew against Toronto -- putting up 30 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 94-89 playoff victory.

After the game, 76ers head coach Brett Brown was RAVING about Butler to the media -- and in an attempt to compliment his star, he referred to him as "James."

"This was James Butler," Brown told the media ... "That was the adult in the gym."

"He was just a tremendous sort of rock. He willed us to a lot of different situations."

Good stuff.

A few minutes later, Butler faced the media and was asked how he felt about the "James" thing -- his response was hilarious.

"My name isn't James! It literally is Jimmy!"

The media cracked up laughing.

CNN's Don Lemon says he wasn't shocked to see President Trump congratulate Nick Bosa on being the #2 pick in the draft -- while ignoring Kyler Murray -- in part because Bosa is white and Murray is black.

Lemon was leaving the CNN building after his show Monday night when we asked about Trump's congratulatory tweet to Bosa ... who had been very vocal about his support for #45.

"Bosa is a supporter of Trump," Lemon said ... "[Bosa] doesn't like Kaepernick. It's everything this President is about."

Lemon added, "I think we should be congratulating the #1 person [Kyler Murray] as the #1 person made history."

Of course, Murray became the first person to be selected in the first round of the NFL and the MLB draft ... an amazing accomplishment.

"Don't forget the #1 person [Murray] is also black," Lemon added.

As for Bosa, he had previously called Kaepernick a "clown" on social media -- but later deleted the tweet.

When pressed about Kaepernick at his first press conference with the San Francisco 49ers, Bosa backtracked ... saying the name-calling was a bad decision.

Bosa also said he "respects what [Kaepernick] has done" and apologized for the initial tweet.

Sorry Patriots fans ... the guy who filled in for Rob Gronkowski in 2016 ain't interested in doing it again in 2019 -- with Martellus Bennett telling TMZ Sports he's retired for good.

Bennett -- who had 5 catches for 62 yards in the Super Bowl that season -- announced his retirement from the NFL in March 2018.

But, that was BEFORE Gronk decided to hang up his cleats ...

Remember, it was just back in February Marty joked about rejoining the Cowboys during a monster workout session in the gym. Dude still looks like he can play!!

So, when we spotted Marty B out in NYC Friday afternoon, we had to ask if he would consider putting the jersey back on for another stint with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

The long story short ... the 32-year-old says his mind is made up -- and it's a hard no.

"It's not me, I'm not the one," Bennett told us.

Instead, Bennett tells us he's focusing on his multimedia production company -- he's doing everything from book publishing to animated features and more.

You're looking at "Iranian Hulk" Sajad Gharibi -- a powerlifter who's become a social media sensation -- and he's about to try his hand in MMA.

The good news ... UFC star Brian Ortega is offering up some advice for the massive 27-year-old -- but that advice comes with a serious warning!

Long story short ... Ortega is 100% confident he would destroy Gharibi in a fight -- despite weighing roughly 250 POUNDS less!!!!

"I would just gas him out, piss him off," Ortega tells TMZ Sports.

For the record, Ortega is 5'8", 145 ... Gharibi (from the info we've found) is 6'2", 385.

"Of course, you're gonna see me just get mauled up like a damn little chihuahua in the beginning," Ortega says ... "but just when I ride that wave out, it's a done deal man. He'll gas out and he'll be mine."

Gharibi says he's dead serious about taking a real MMA fight -- telling reporter Chamatkar Sandhu he's already accepted a fight against a Brazilian opponent.

"Platinum" Mike Perry HATES Colby Covington -- telling TMZ Sports he FANTASIZES about torturing the UFC fighter ... in one of the most sick, twisted and awesome rants we've seen in a while!!!

"I want to grab him and stick my thumb in his eye and bite his ears off and rip his face apart and rip his head from his neck," Perry says.

"And, if this much pain and suffering and hatred is inside of me, I will, I can, and I'm capable."

Let that sink in.

Perry is coming off a pretty impressive win over "Cowboy" Alex Oliveira this weekend -- so we asked Mike who he wants to fight next.

Obviously, Mike says he's got a mission to destroy Colby -- but if he doesn't get that fight, he wants Darren Till.

Either way, the 27-year-old says he's peaking right now and feels he can beat ANYONE the UFC throws in the Octagon.