TMZ Sports - Page 50

5/31/19 -- Two other former UCLA players -- OL Zach Bateman and OL Poasi Moala -- have joined Lopez's lawsuit against the school and Mora.

"Each of these young men suffered serious, but significantly different injuries, while they were teammates at UCLA," said their attorney, Pamela Tahim Thakur.

"While the lawsuits involve many of the same facts, each case is distinct in its own way. But what they all have in common is the pattern of brutality and intentional disregard for player health and safey by Coach Mora and his staff at UCLA."

10:30 AM PT -- A spokesperson for UCLA Athletics released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, “While we cannot comment on the specific details of a pending lawsuit, we want to make it clear that the health and safety of our student-athletes is UCLA’s top priority."

"We strongly deny and will defend ourselves against the allegations made in the lawsuit. We handle every injury with the highest standard of care, and take potential head injuries very seriously. As one of the world’s leading research institutions, and a partner in the largest-ever concussion research study conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense and NCAA, we believe our concussion protocol is among the strongest in the country."

"Our team physicians and sports medicine staff work hand-in-hand on diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, and they are the only individuals who determine when a student-athlete is cleared to participate in their sport; coaches are not involved in these decisions.”

Former UCLA coach Jim Mora's practices were so rigorous -- and his concussion protocol was so flimsy -- an ex-OL tried to kill himself ... so claims one of Mora's former top recruits in a new lawsuit.

John Lopez -- a 6' 5", 305-pound offensive lineman -- says repeated concussions he suffered during Mora's practices led to his suicide attempt back in 2016.

Lopez claims after being recruited by Mora to UCLA ... he almost immediately suffered his first-ever concussion at the Bruins' August 2013 training camp in San Bernardino.

Lopez says Mora and his staff didn't take the proper steps to safely return him back to the field ... and rushed him back into practice.

In fact, Lopez says he was ridiculed for being injured ... and alleges one of Mora's coaches even made up a special drill where other players were encouraged to "f*ck him up!"

Lopez says the following year -- at the start of his sophomore season -- at UCLA's August 2014 training camp in San Bernardino ... he suffered a second concussion in an on-field drill.

John claims he was rushed back to the field once again ... and says the drills he was put through in his return were "unnecessarily brutal."

Lopez says a year later -- in December 2015 of his junior season -- he suffered yet another head injury ... and his post-concussion symptoms were so bad, he was forced to medically retire from the team.

But, John says the damage the brain injuries did were already crippling ... saying he suffered from short-term memory loss, depression and "drastic changes in his demeanor."

Lopez says it all came to a head in the fall of 2016 ... when he attempted to kill himself by overdosing on a combination of over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Lopez says he was able to inform family members and friends of his suicide attempt ... and they were able to save his life at the emergency center at UCLA's medical center shortly after.

John is now suing Mora, members of his staff, UCLA and the NCAA ... claiming they didn't do enough to protect him both before he suffered concussions and afterward.

Lopez is now seeking more than $15 MILLION ... saying the trauma he suffered during his time at UCLA is preventing him from finishing school and is causing him emotional pain, suffering and distress.

We've reached out to UCLA for comment -- so far, no word back.

Scottie Pippen tells TMZ Sports he likes Doc Rivers' comparison between Kawhi Leonard and Michael Jordan ... but says there's another name that should be in the mix -- Kobe Bryant.

Earlier this week, Doc raved about the Toronto Raptors superstar while appearing on ESPN, saying Kawhi is "the most like Jordan that we've seen."

"There's a lot of great players," River said ... "LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him."

"Big hands, post-game, can finish. Great leaper, great defender, in-between game. If you beat him to the spot he bumps you off, and then you add his three-point shooting."

So, who better to weigh in than MJ's Chicago running mate? Who BTW, was leaving Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills in his sick Ferrari.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... at first, Scottie agrees with Doc's assessment but then brings up Kobe -- and ultimately can't make a decision about which one is closer to #23.

And, with the Golden State Warriors now entering their 5th straight NBA Finals -- with a possible 3-peat in the works -- we asked Scottie if he still thinks his '95-96 Bulls squad is still the best team ever.

Jacksonville Jaguars QB Nick Foles is revealing why he's been MIA at team workouts this week -- saying his wife suffered a miscarriage in her 15th week of pregnancy and the family is devastated.

Nick's wife, Tori (who was pregnant with their 2nd child), penned an emotional statement on social media explaining how she felt sick on Sunday morning after fighting some sort of "virus" ... but things escalated quickly.

"I went into sudden labor and knew something was wrong," Tori says ... "Not long after we learned we had miscarried our baby boy."

"To fully labor and deliver and even see our baby boy was a pretty devastating process."

Tori says he later found out she had contracted an infection of pneumonia in her blood.

On Wednesday, Tori said she's back home after being released from the hospital and she's continuing to recover "physically from the infection with antibiotics (already much better) as well as emotionally from this traumatic loss."

She added, "The emotions go back and forth from immense and overwhelming sadness, confusion and anger to a firm belief that God has this fully in his hands and will use this for good. We cannot always understand or explain, but we know that is true."

Demaryius Thomas says his violent car crash earlier this year scared the hell of him ... telling TMZ Sports he could have DIED after he flipped his SUV in Denver back in February.

"I could have been gone," the NFL star receiver says.

As we previously reported ... Thomas was doing 70 MPH in a 30 at around 12:20 AM on Feb. 16 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a curb.

A witness says he saw Thomas' car flip several times in the air ... and the pics we obtained from the accident show the gnarly scene.

Thomas says it was a pretty traumatic experience for him ... and tells us he's not only thankful he can still play football -- he's happy to just be a functioning human being.

"I wake up every morning and thank the lord above," Thomas says ... "And, just thankful for just not even just being able to do what I do -- being able to talk, walk, eat, all those things that we forget about on a daily basis."

Thomas -- who signed with the Patriots just a few weeks after the wreck -- is clearly taking advantage of the second chance ... he helped give kids free haircuts and braids at his "Summer Break" event over the weekend.

Rashad Evans routinely dealt ass whoopin's to MMA legends like Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell, Michael Bisping, Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz -- but who's the absolute toughest dude he fought?

Jon "Bones" Jones.

And, it ain't even close ... "Suga" Rashad -- the latest member of the UFC's 2019 Hall of Fame class -- tells TMZ Sports.

"Without a doubt, Jon Jones. When it comes down to it, I think that Jon Jones is the best in history."

"When he's inside the cage, he's dynamic. He's got some skill. But, I would say technically speaking, he's probably the best fighter."

Evans is a legend and he faced some of the greatest MMA fighters ever ... but he says there was something different about Jones -- who beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 145 in 2012.

"When you fight guys that good, you feel like after the fight is over, there's another level that I need to get to. You don't feel like, 'aw man, I had a bad day.' You just feel, 'man, I need to get to another level to be able to beat this guy.'"

So, Jones it the best fighter ... but who hit Rashad the hardest? The guy who landed the bomb will surprise you.

Michelle Wie says she's straight-up "angry" over "racist and sexist" comments made by legendary golf coach Hank Haney ... telling the guy straight-up, "Shame on you!"

63-year-old Haney -- who was Tiger Woods' longtime swing coach -- went on his SiriusXM radio show Wednesday and made stunningly offensive comments about the number of Korean players competing in this weekend's LPGA U.S. Women's Open.

"I couldn't name you like 6 players on the LPGA Tour. Nah, maybe I could -- well, I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."

Haney added, "Honestly, Michelle Wie is hurt. I don't know that many. Where are they playing, by the way?"

Well, Michelle Wie heard the comments and was PISSED -- firing back on social media:

"As a Korean American female golfer, these comments that @HankHaney made disappoint and anger me on so many different levels."

Wie added, "Racism and sexism are no laughing matter Hank ... shame on you. I don’t ever do this, but this must be called out."

She also directed this at Haney ..."Too many of these girls, Korean or not, have worked countless hours and sacrificed so much to play in the US Open this week. There are so many amazing players in the field. Let’s celebrate them ... Not mock them."

For his part, Haney later issued an apology, writing, "This morning I made some comments about women's golf and its players that were insensitive and that I regret."

"In an effort to make a point about the overwhelming success of Korean players on the tour I offended people and I am sorry. I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport and I never meant to take away from their abilities and accomplishments."

Haney added, "I've worked in this game with men and women players from many different cultures and I look forward to continuing to do so."

Move over Robert Kraft, here's another crazy story about a celebrity massage gone wrong.

Houston Astros' star shortstop, Carlos Correa, says he'll be out for the next 4 to 6 weeks ... BECAUSE HIS MASSEUSE BROKE HIS RIB DURING A MASSAGE!!

Yes. He's serious!!

Correa -- who's making $5 MILLION this season -- announced the injury moment ago and he's pointing the finger squarely at the person in charge of his rubdown.

"I sustained the rib fracture during a massage at my home on Tuesday," the 24-year-old said in a statement.

"To sustain an injury in such an unusual way makes it even more frustrating. However, I will work hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible to help our team achieve our goal of winning another championship."

"I'm extremely disappointed about not being on the field with my teammates."

FYI ... Correa has made over $12 MILLION from the Astros since they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2012 -- so, not exactly a great look for the guy.

What's even worse? 24-year-old Carlos was killin' it for Houston when he was healthy this season ... batting .295 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Mandy Moore is getting some super cool social media content on her way up Mount Everest, but Sal Masekela says she's also putting herself in danger ... and she might not make it down alive!!!

We got the former X Games host at LAX Wednesday and asked him about the recent deaths at Mt. Everest ... and Sal delivers a dire warning to rich people who are climbing just for the social media snap -- and for Mandy, who just reached Everest's base camp.

This climbing season has already resulted in 11 deaths in the Himalayas, with the latest casualty an American lawyer. The way Sal sees it, even the most elite athletes can succumb to Everest's harsh conditions ... so Mandy's gotta be extra cautious, even though she's being guided by experts.

Every time Drake opens his mouth during the NBA Finals, he's contributing to Too Short's new rap song ... so says Short Dog himself.

See, Too Short is a hardcore Golden State Warriors fan (Oakland!!), so when we saw him at Bootsy Bellows in L.A. (hanging with Jimmy O. Yang!) we asked how he plans to deal with Drake, whose Raptors fandom has been driving people crazy.

"We've had a meeting about this," Short tells TMZ Sports.

"What we're gonna do is, we're gonna watch Drake. We're gonna record every little bit of tape of Drake [during the NBA Finals]. Every word he says, we're gonna make a song with those words."

It's not a bad idea ... considering everything Drake touches turns platinum nowadays. As for the title for the project??

"It's gonna be called 'Drake Losing to the Warriors.'"

Yeah, the title could probably use some work -- but the idea is pretty solid!

By the way, Too Short and Drake are good friends -- in fact, Drake even paid homage to Short in the DJ Khaled track "For Free."

1:55 PM PT -- Runnels claims she was carrying the loaded gun because she had just been called to her mother's house to deal with an armadillo that was digging up the yard ... this according to the police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Runnels told cops she simply forgot she had the gun on her when she went to the airport ... chalking the whole thing up to a genuine mistake.

Cops say the loaded weapon was inside of a sock located in Runnels' backpack.

10:40 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained a photo of the gun Terri was allegedly carrying at the airport -- a Glock 9mm handgun ... and officials say it was LOADED.

We count at least 11 bullets -- which appear to be hollow-tipped, which tend to cause more soft tissue damage upon impact with a target. In other words, it's a more lethal round.

Ex-WWE superstar Terri Runnels -- who was famously married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes) back in the day -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday after officials say she brought a gun to the airport.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... 52-year-old Runnels was arrested by the Tampa International Airport Police at 7:32 AM for "carrying a concealed firearm," a class 3 felony.

We're told she was arrested at a security checkpoint with a loaded Glock 9mm.

The charge carries a punishment of up to 5 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

She was taken to jail and bond was set at $2,000. Records show she's still locked up as of this post.

According to her booking sheet, Runnels is listed at 5'0", 119 pounds with blue eyes and blonde hair.

Runnels mainly worked as a manager during her wrestling career -- working with the likes of The Hardy Boyz, Edge, Christian and most notably her ex-husband, Goldust.

She was married to Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes aka Dustin Runnels) from 1993 to 1999.

Runnels won the WWE Hardcore Championship back in 2002 -- she's one of only 4 women to hold that title.

Runnels last appeared at a WWE event in January 2018 as part of the WWE Raw 25 Year special.

Story developing ...

Good news, bad news for Drake -- Good news?? Klay Thompson likes your music. Bad news?? Klay Thompson HATES YOUR GUTS!!!

... as a Raptors fan.

The Warriors superstar was asked whether he's gonna get in the zone for the NBA Finals by vibin' out to some Drizzy, or skip his jams considering he's with the enemy Toronto Raptors ... and Klay had one helluva soundbite.

"If it's one of his soft, R&B songs, I'mma skip it 'cause I'm in 'kill mode' right now trying to get these 4 games," Klay says ... "So, I'll skip 'Hotline Bling' and anything along that line."

Side note -- Klay, don't do "Hotline Bling" like that. RESPECT "HOTLINE BLING"!!!!!! It's a classic.

Thompson -- who says he's been a Drake fan since high school -- added, "He's a great artist. Do I like him as a Raptors fan? No. But, I like him as a musician. He's extremely talented, but I will definitely skip the song if I don't like it."

Jameel Cook -- a former Super Bowl champ with the Bucs -- was just convicted of stealing over $100k from an NFL player trust fund ... and prosecutors raked him over the coals afterward!!!

"He stole from the very fund his fellow former players depend on for help," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said ... "And he has now fallen from professional football glory to the ranks of felons."

As we previously reported ... the ex-Tampa Bay FB was busted back in September after officials say he stole money from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan -- a fund set up to benefit ex-players.

Cook's scheme -- according to prosecutors -- involved him filing 30 bogus claims between March 2016 and September 2017 ... resulting in the 40-year-old illegally obtaining $105,000.

Prosecutors hit Jameel with a felony stealing charge -- and he faced up to 10 YEARS behind bars for the crime.

But, Cook cut a deal this week ... and in exchange for a guilty plea -- he will NOT have to go to prison.

Instead, Jameel got 10 years of probation ... and he was ordered to pay back the $105,000. He was also sentenced to 160 hours of community service and was hit with another $1,200 fine.

Oh, and in addition to getting ripped by Ogg ... Special Assistant District Attorney Jason Horn also threw some major shade on the ex-NFL player!!!

“He earned fame and great accolades in a career most could only dream of, and should have been role model,” Horn said ...

“Instead, he let down everyone around him by defrauding a plan set up for all players and taking money that wasn’t his.”

Dennis Hof was a lover, not a murderer and he did NOT try to kill Lamar Odom ... so says Hof's best friend, porn star Ron Jeremy.

Just hours after Odom went on "The View" and claimed the late Love Ranch brothel owner poisoned him on the day he overdosed back in 2015 ... we spotted Ron outside the Rainbow Bar & Grill in L.A. and asked him if there was any truth to LO's allegation.

"Read my lips," Ron told us ... "NOOOOO!!!"

Of course, Hof passed away in October 2018 ... so he can't exactly defend himself -- but Hof always described Jeremy as his best friend, so he might be the next best person to ask.

"Why would Dennis do this? What could he possibly gain?" Jeremy said.

Jeremy essentially told us he NEVER heard Hof discuss such plans to kill Odom and says he wants to see all of Odom's alleged evidence.

On the flip side, Jeremy says Hof had a ton of celebrity friends and was always thinking of ways to grow his business ... and murdering Odom wouldn't have been in his best interest.

A 110-year-old Honus Wagner baseball card -- the Holy Grail for card collectors -- just sold for $1.2 MILLION!!!

Craziest part? The card ain't in great shape ... the physical quality was only rated a 2 out of 10 (10's perfect mint condition)

So, why'd it sell for a freakin' fortune?

Wagner -- an 8x NL batting champion who's considered one of the greatest baseball players of all-time -- reportedly hated the card because it was made by a cigarette company ... American Tobacco Company.

'Cause of that, ATC only made a handful of the cards between 1909 and 1911 ... making it arguably the most desirable baseball card of all-time.

The private sale was brokered by SCP Auctions in SoCal.

Wagner -- who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 -- made $138k over his 21-year professional baseball career, according to Baseball Reference.

His picture on a piece of paper just sold for $1,200,000.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moments after Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man on a NY highway in February ... and cops clearly felt awful for the Syracuse coach.

The 74-year-old was returning home from dinner on Feb. 20 at around 11 PM when he says he "observed a vehicle sitting in the roadway" on Route 690 in the City of Syracuse.

When Boeheim swerved to avoid the car ... he hit a pedestrian named Jorge Jimenez in the road -- killing him.

When police arrived on the scene ... they were shocked to find it was the legendary basketball coach behind the wheel -- with one cop saying, "It's f*cking Jim Boeheim!"

As the police learn more about the accident and what went down ... you can tell they feel sorry for the coach, 'cause one officer says, "That's fucking awful; he's shook up isn't he?"

You can see from pictures obtained by TMZ Sports the scene WAS horrific ... with an imprint of Jimenez's body clearly left on the hood of Boeheim's SUV.

Cops eventually took Boeheim back to the station to officially record his side of the story ... and afterward, officers commented once again on how badly they felt for the coach.

"Dude, that sucks, though," one cop says ... "Like, you're not doing anything wrong and you just go kill somebody?"

Cops eventually determined Boeheim was going 11 MPH over the 55 MPH speed limit ... but they classified it as a "tragic accident" and declined to file charges.

Racing fans from all over the world packed St. Stephen's Cathedral in Austria on Wednesday to bid farewell to F1 legend Niki Lauda ... including Lewis Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The mourners braved heavy rains to get inside the church, where Lauda's coffin was flanked by flower wreaths. His trademark red crash helmet was placed on top.

The 70-year-old passed away last week -- nine months after undergoing surgery for a lung transplant.

Lewis Hamilton has taken Lauda's death particularly hard ... the two were very close. In fact, Lauda was involved when Lewis signed with McClaren ahead of the 2013 racing season.

Niki's widow, Birgit, and his son, Mathias Lauda -- who's also a pro racecar driver -- also attended the memorial service.

Other notable names at the service include Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and former drivers Alain Prost, Sir Jackie Stewart and Nico Rosberg.

Niki won the F1 drivers' championship in 1975 and '77 with Ferrari and again in '84 with McLaren ... but he's most famous for crashing and catching fire in 1976 at the German Grand Prix.

Lauda was badly burned in the crash, but he made a miraculous recovery an returned to racing only 6 weeks later.

Lauda's incredible comeback after dodging death instantly made him the stuff of a legend ... and his 1976 rivalry with British driver James Hunt was the plot line of the movie "Rush."