TMZ Sports - Page 50

12:07 PM PT -- Vladimir Putin FELL DOWN HARD while skating around the rink following the game.

Putin clearly didn't see the red carpet on the ice and when he hit it, Vlad fell face first.

One of his teammates tried to warn him but to no avail.

Thoughts and prayers for whoever put the carpet down ...

It's that time of year again ... when Russian president Vladimir Putin straps on the skates and plays ice hockey with a bunch of his famous countrymen, including ex-NHL players.

And, how did ol' Vlad do???

TOTAL DOMINATION, COMRADES!!!

Of course, it's easy to score on opponents who are in constant fear of being sent to the gulags ... but hey, PUTIN!!!

The 66-year-old crushed his enemies right from the initial puck drop ... posting 8 goals in the annual exhibition match alongside ex-NHL stars Slava Fetisov and Pavel Bure.

Hey, last year Putin only scored 5 goals -- so he's getting better!!!

Putin's teammate -- Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu -- scored 3 goals in the 14 to 7 victory.

The opposing team had some notable players too -- including Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin and Putin's longtime pal, Gennady Timchenko.

A female football player ran into the stands and chugged a beer with her mom after a Legends Football League game last Saturday night ... and the video is AWESOME!!!

LFL superstar ChrisDell "The Ferrari" Harris went off in Austin Acoustic's win over the Chicago Bliss last weekend ... and she was rewarded with a beer for her MVP performance.

But, slamming some suds by herself after the 11-carry, 115-yard, 2-TD game wasn't enough ... so she got Mom involved!!!

The clip is amazing ... Harris sprints straight from the field into the stands, runs up into the crowd and meets Mom at the top of the stairs.

After an emotional embrace ... Harris hands over the bottle -- and Mom takes a big swig!!!

Harris finishes the beer off ... and just so the fans don't feel left out -- she sprays them down with the leftovers!!!

LeBron James made a surprise visit to his I Promise School in Akron on Thursday ... and he came bearing a REALLY big gift -- a $1 MILLION check!!

The NBA superstar presented a grant from the DICK's Sporting Goods Foundation ... which will go towards building a brand new gym for his already-freakin'-awesome school.

The gym will be used for phys. ed classes, after-school activities and act as a safe space for local kids after hours.

“To my kids, this is more than a gym,” Bron says of the gift. “The DICK’s Sports Matter program is helping us provide even more opportunities. An opportunity to play and learn in a safe place that many don’t have access to."

"I can’t imagine where my friends and I would be if it weren’t for the coaches and teachers who cared about us and the opportunities we had.”

As we previously reported, Bron's school is doing REALLY well ... with their statewide test scores soaring after just one year.

Now, the kids will be able to work on their jump shot to, oh, who knows ... maybe become the next LeBron James.

6:58 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call placed by Smith's wife from the school ... and she says Zach was irate -- "yelling" at the principal until cops arrived.

More trouble for former Ohio State coach Zach Smith ... cops say they arrested Urban Meyer's ex-assistant after he got into an altercation with officials at his children's elementary school Thursday.

The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirms to TMZ Sports that Smith showed up to Scioto Ridge Elementary School in Ohio to pick up his kids at around 3 PM.

The problem? They say because of a civil protection order with his wife -- who was already at the school -- Smith was NOT allowed to be there until 6 PM.

When school officials confronted Zach ... cops say an altercation took place -- and Zach was eventually arrested for violating the protection order.

Per jail records, Smith was booked at 6:24 PM and has not been released yet.

As we previously reported ... it's been a nightmare past year for Smith -- who was fired from his role as Buckeyes' receivers coach last summer when he was the centerpiece of a domestic violence scandal involving his wife, Courtney.

She accused him of abusing her on several occasions ... and while Zach denied ever getting violent, he admitted things had gotten physical during heated disputes in the past.

The 35-year-old has been out of coaching since his Ohio State departure in July.

Jennifer Aniston went HAM on a fan trying to sneak a selfie vid with her on the street, but unlike Conor McGregor she won't be arrested for it ... 'cause it's all for TV.

Jen was shooting a scene for her new Apple TV+ show, "The Morning Show," in NYC Thursday night ... and it features her going off on a guy and snatching his phone.

Check it out -- Aniston unleashes an f-bomb rant and looks primed to punish the dude's phone, but fortunately ... Reese Witherspoon's there to talk some sense into her!

If only Conor -- or Offset for that matter -- had someone like Reese in their crew.

"The Morning Show" is an upcoming dramedy web television series starring Aniston, Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Billy Crudup. It's described as "an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning."

He may be retired, but Rob Gronkowski's still training like a pro ... even while partying at the club!

The ex-NFL superstar was celebrating his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, being selected as a cover model for the new Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition at the Wall Lounge in Miami.

The party was crazy -- a bunch of the S.I. models turned up to turn up ... and when they displayed Camille's cover on the big wall, Rob and CK started dancing their faces off.

At one point, Gronk put CK on his back and began doing deep squats -- BECAUSE HE'S A BEAST AND HE'S ALWAYS LIFTING, BRO!!!

Before the club, a bunch of the models hit up Irma's at W South Beach for a kickoff party. Some of the stars in attendance include UFC's Paige VanZant, Tyra Banks, model Veronica Pome’e and Hailey Clauson.

Congrats!

You can't punch spectators, Neymar ...

The 27-year-old soccer superstar has been banned for 3 games after socking a fan in the face minutes after his team lost in the French Cup final last month, the French Football Federation announced.

Neymar's Paris Saint-Germain club had just lost to Stade Rennes in a 6-5 penalty shootout -- and the team was forced to walk through the crowd to collect their 2nd place medals.

During the walk, Neymar claims a fan lurched at him and began shouting various insults -- so Neymar popped the guy in the face.

The fan claims he suffered a bloody nose and a split lip from the punch. Neymar later commented, "I was wrong but I don't have cockroach blood."

The saying essentially means he won't back down from people when they cross a line.

Now, the FFF says Neymar won't play in the next 3 games for PSG -- a suspension the team has described as "severe."

Dennis Rodman claims he's NOT A THIEF -- telling TMZ Sports allegations he participated in a clothing heist at a yoga studio this week are just wrong.

Or as Dennis put it ... "We didn't steal sh*t!!!"

We spotted the NBA Hall of Famer leaving The Abbey in West Hollywood on Thursday with the same group of friends who were with him at the VIBES Hot Yoga studio in Newport Beach earlier this week.

As we previously reported, the owner of the studio claims Dennis and his crew stole more than $500 in clothing off the racks before breaking (and taking) a $2,500 crystal art piece. The whole incident was captured on surveillance video obtained by TMZ Sports.

But, Dennis claims it's all a giant misunderstanding -- insisting the staffers at the shop told the group they could take "a couple of gifts" in exchange for helping to move the giant crystal art piece ... which is why they grabbed the items.

Rodman never explains why his female companion tried to shield herself from view while stuffing shirts into her purse at the store ... or why the staff needed help moving the crystal in the first place.

"I tried to help ... as the good person I am," Rodman said.

When asked why the store owners filed a police report, Rodman and his crew insisted the yoga place was just looking for "exposure."

Remember, Rodman is still on probation from a 2018 DUI arrest -- but Dennis says he's not worried about this incident possibly triggering a violation because he's adamant he did NOTHING wrong!

"Am I going to jail? No."

Rodman also disputes claims he was drunk during the situation.

The NBA will NEVER make its employees play nice with Donald Trump ... that's according to league commissioner Adam Silver, who says if teams want to skip the White House, it's their prerogative.

No NBA champion has visited Donald Trump since he's occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., with last year's Warriors actually opting to visit Barack Obama instead of the sitting Prez.

It's been quite the controversy, with many people suggesting players from all sports should put patriotism over politics and go to the White House. Some think the leagues should compel the players to go.

We got the NBA commish in D.C. and he says that'll NEVER happen in his league, telling our guy if teams want to skip it ... so be it.

"It's a team decision, we'll see who the champion is this year, and what they decide."

There are 7 teams left in the NBA playoffs -- Milwaukee, Portland, Denver, Houston, Toronto, Philly and Golden State. Last year, the Warriors famously blew off Trump to meet with Obama.

"A lot of our players still have relationships with President Obama and I think it's wonderful," Silver told us ... "Players make their own decisions, organizations make their own decisions."

Speaking of Obama, Silver also talked about the NBA's ongoing relationship with #44, and how they're partnering to do some big things in Africa.

"President Obama is doing a lot with the NBA. We announced down in Charlotte at the All-Star game that he was gonna be involved in Africa with us, we're starting a league down there. He's one of our partners."

Silver's a busy guy these days -- on Thursday, he was a featured speaker at a 400-person luncheon at the Economic Club in D.C. where he talked about the NCAA's 1-and-done issue.

Among the high-profile guests in the crowd ... Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh -- who's a big basketball fan.

In fact, Kavanaugh famously still coaches his daughter's youth basketball team.

Refer to Curtis Martin as Dr. Curtis Martin from now on ... 'cause the Hall of Famer just got a doctorate degree!!!

The ex-Jets superstar was just presented with a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York on Thursday ... where he took the stage and was participated in the hooding ceremony.

Martin was honored for his on-and-off field accomplishments ... receiving praise for his Curtis Martin Job Foundation, which provided financial support to single parents and people with disabilities, as well as providing medical attention to people in developing countries.

On top of that, the dude was a freakin' beast on the field ... he was a 2-time first team All Pro selection, a 5-time Pro Bowler and oh yeah, he's in the hall of fame.

This right here though has gotta take the cake.

Paul Pierce isn't a 1-time flatulence offender -- the dude farts on his coworkers all the time ... so says Jalen Rose.

Of course, Rose was in the room when Paul let one rip right on Michelle Beadle this week during a taping of ESPN's "Off The Clock." In fact, it was Jalen who called Paul out on the air.

Look, Rose says the gang had been working a VERY long day and sometimes farts slip ... but dude's gotta cut back on the butt bombs.

There's serious stuff in this clip too ... Rose tells TMZ Sports what the Lakers need to do to fix the team -- and it starts with bringing in a big-time free agent to help Bron out.

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Los Angeles is a Clippers town.

Breathe that in. Digest it. Because that's the world we live in right now ... according to the Mayor of Los Angeles.

We spoke with Eric Garcetti -- who's a DIE-HARD Lakers fan -- but even EG knows things ain't going so well in Lakerville right now.

It's downright bad ... the Lakers have no coach. The team sucked this past season. Magic Johnson quit. They haven't made the playoffs in 6 years.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are doing GREAT -- they shocked the world by getting into the playoffs this year and they're set up to be able to sign two MAX-CONTRACT free agents to the squad next season.

There's talk they could even land Kawhi Leonard -- which would be a game changer in Clipperland.

So, in 2019 ... with LeBron James wearing Purple and Gold -- the Mayor of Los Angeles says we're living in a Clippers town.

Donald Trump heaped TONS of praise on the Boston Red Sox at the White House -- calling out individuals like Chris Sale and J.D. Martinez ... while leaving out the key players who didn't show up.

As we previously reported, Sox manager Alex Cora boycotted the trip because he doesn't "feel comfortable" with Trump over the way POTUS handled the hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.

Other Red Sox players who refused to attend include Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, David Price and Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

Betts was the A.L. MVP last season and Price CRUSHED IT during the playoff run -- but got NO LOVE from Trump since they didn't show up to the White House on Thursday.

Same with Alex Cora.

Trump had glowing remarks for Chris Sale -- complimenting his World Series performance and the fact he struck out 14 batters Wednesday night in a regular season game against the Orioles.

Trump also invited the Red Sox players and staff in attendance to a personal tour of the Lincoln Bedroom -- a room that's supposed to be off-limits to the public.

TMZ Sports shot footage of some of the key execs arriving at the White House before the ceremony -- including VP of Baseball Operations Tony La Russa, owner John Henry, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski and others.

Earlier Thursday, the Red Sox visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the D.C. area -- where they visited patients.

Here's an awesome story to brighten up your Thursday ... Michael Thomas and other Saints stars lent a hand to a disabled man this week -- building a ramp for him outside of his house.

Jerry Hills -- a resident of the New Orleans neighborhood St. Roch -- says he lost his leg after a bacterial infection 3 years ago ... and he's struggled to get up and down his stairs ever since.

When the Saints got word he needed some assistance ... they visited the guy's home with some power tools -- and built him a new ramp for his pad on Wednesday!

According to NOLA.com, Saints stars like Thomas, Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport were all there with employees from Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers to lend the hand.

Hill appreciated the amazing gesture, saying, "Having this ramp is a great feeling ... To see so many people that care about you, it’s great. It’s really great."

This ain't the first time the Saints have given back to their community ... Drew Brees famously built an entire "fully inclusive playground" back in 2017 for special needs kids.

In Tennessee and looking for a classy place to booze up while feeling like you're in a country western movie??

Peyton Manning clearly knows the feeling ... and is fixing the issue -- by opening up a "high-end watering hole" in Knoxville in 2020!!!

The QB and Graduate Hotels announced Thursday they're building a "western-inspired" bar and restaurant near University of Tennessee's campus.

The name of the place? Saloon 16 ... a homage to Manning's nickname, "The Sheriff," as well as the No. 16 jersey he wore when he was a star with the Volunteers.

It's supposed to be an awesome spot -- complete with dartboards, jukeboxes, a piano and an outdoor dining area.

Graduate Hotels says the place will open its doors in the spring of 2020.

Addison Russell was booed by his OWN fans in his return from a domestic violence suspension Wednesday ... with Wrigley Field lighting up the guy with jeers during his first at-bat.

As we previously reported ... the star infielder was banned from the Cubs for 40 games after his ex-wife accused him of physically and verbally abusing her.

Melisa Reidy -- who has a child with the 25-year-old -- accused Russell of name calling, intimidating with personal force and putting his hands on her during their 2-year marriage.

Addison began serving the suspension late last season ... but the Cubs brought him back for their game against the Marlins on Wednesday -- and fans weren't exactly pleased to see him.

For the team's part ... President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein said before the game Russell didn't deserve cheers from the home crowd, telling reporters, "I think he will receive an appropriate response and that's something he needs to take responsibility for."