TMZ Sports - Page 50

Meek Mill and Meghan Trainor will make a crucial visit to kids in Chicago to set the tone -- a $400k tone -- for the NFL and Roc Nation's nationwide social outreach.

Sources connected to the league tell us its Inspire Change program is donating $400,000 to 2 Chicago groups which give at-risk kids alternatives to gang and gun violence. Meek and Meghan -- as well as Vic Mensa and Rapsody -- will visit both programs this week.

We're told the groups were hand-selected and vetted by Roc Nation, which started working with the NFL when Jay-Z launched his new partnership with the league.

One of the groups is BBF (Better Boys Foundation) Family Services -- which, we're told, Vic and Rapsody will visit Wednesday. Founded in the 1960s ... BBF says it provides education, employment and youth services, as well as family health programs to more than 400 families.

The other group, Crushers Club, says its mission is to help Chicago kids "restore their lives and improve their neighborhoods." Meghan and Meek will be at Crusher's on Thursday ... ahead of their NFL Kickoff concert.

As we reported, Meek and Meghan came on board, not just to perform the NFL Kickoff concert, but as advocates for Inspire Change -- the league's arm to support player and team efforts to focus on education, police and community relation and criminal justice reform.

Marcellus Wiley says Colin Kaepernick should've never knelt in the first place ... because taking a knee was too divisive and not a good strategy to make change.

Wiley -- one of Kap's loudest critics -- sat down with Van Lathan on "The Red Pill Podcast" and when asked if Colin Kaepernick did the right thing by kneeling Wiley was clear.

"No. If I had to vote whether Kaepernick did right or did wrong I would vote wrong, because I'm into resources. I'm into materializing. I'm into monetizing."

The "Speak For Yourself" host went on to compare Kaepernick's fundraising to J.J. Watt's Hurricane Harvey fundraising, saying that Watt was able to raise more money because he was more inclusive.

"I watch J.J. Watt, different cause, different reason. Instead of being adversarial. In alliance, he raised $41.6 million on record. $2 million on record, $41.6 million on record.'

Lathan points out that Kap's protest and Watt's fundraising are two totally different causes, but Wiley then turned to the fact that Colin's silence is part of the reason he thinks his protest fell flat.

"I'm not going to stand up with that responsibility, and connect with the voiceless and powerless and then go silent on them."

We should say, Colin Kaepernick hasn't gone silent, he's reached out to kids through his Know Your Rights Camps, and has been an active lightning rod for social justice since he first started to protest, but it's obvious Wiley thinks he hasn't done enough.

Link to the full Red Pill Pod cast is below.

Antonio Brown is firing back at the celebrity chef who claims the receiver stiffed him out of $38,000 ... calling the cook a fraud who's only suing AB to try to get famous.

Stefano Tedeschi alleged in a lawsuit earlier this summer that Brown agreed to pay him $38,521.20 at the 2018 Pro Bowl in Florida for three days worth of cooking.

But, Tedeschi says things went haywire after he put a fish head in Brown's fridge, intending to make soup with it the next day.

He claims Brown flipped out when he saw it in the freezer, kicking him out ... and never paying him a dime after that.

In court docs just filed by Brown ... the receiver went scorched-earth on the guy, calling him a liar -- and accusing the chef of using him to pump up his brand.

"[Tedeschi's] complaint is nothing more than a fledgling action to promote the career of a chef who will use any attempt or frivolous claim to seek fame and/or fortune," Brown said in the lawsuit.

"It is plainly obvious that [Tedeschi] ... is simply wishing to force himself into the public eye through the filing of baseless claims against a notable celebrity."

In the docs -- filed in Florida by Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner -- Brown is asking a judge to throw out the case completely.

AB claims the alleged oral agreement is totally unenforceable ... and he doesn't owe the guy a single penny.

It appears Chris Jericho's AEW World Championship belt got SNATCHED ... 'cause the wrestling superstar claims his shiny new hardware was stolen over the weekend.

The 48-year-old filed a police report with Tallahassee PD in Florida on Sunday ... saying he landed at the airport and headed over to Longhorn Steakhouse for some food ... and somehow along the way the belt went missing.

It's confusing ... here's what the police doc says.

"The limo driver shuttled the victim to Longhorn for dinner. The victim remained at Longhorn while the limo driver returned to the airport. The victim had taken the wrong luggage from the airport and the driver took it back to the terminal. When the driver picked up the victim from the restaurant, the belt was missing."

It's unclear if the stolen (or lost) belt was the new AEW belt Jericho won on Saturday ... but it's likely it was.

According to the report, responding officers searched the limo and airport for the belt ... but couldn't come up with it.

In the report ... the victim is listed as Christopher “Jericho” Irvine, W/M, 11/9/70″

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

Antonio Brown's crazy antics are cool now while he's one of the best players in the NFL ... but that ish won't fly forever ... so says Brandon Marshall, who tells TMZ Sports he's been in AB's shoes.

Brown's off-season has been filled with turmoil ... from helmet issues to feuds with his old teammates (lookin' at you Big Ben).

Marshall says that's not the biggest deal in the world right now ... but it could be a huge problem in a few years when AB's no longer the hottest receiver in the game.

"When you're a star and you play at the level he plays at, you can get away with things like that."

BM continued ...  "When you become a distraction or if you create drama, they'll deal with it when you're balling. But, when you're not, you're the first guy to get shipped out."

Marshall -- who played 13 seasons in the NFL and made 6 Pro Bowls -- understands AB ... 'cause he admittedly had his fair share of drama throughout his career.

"I have an interesting perspective 'cause I've been on both ends, right? I've been a guy that created headlines and distraction at times. And the second half of my career, I was the guy that was trying to be the glue and keep things together."

LeBron James should pick up the phone RIGHT NOW and get his best friend, Carmelo Anthony, on the Lakers ... so says Rip Hamilton, who tells TMZ Sports Melo would be a "good piece" for L.A.

Y'all know the situation by now ... Anthony has been trying to get back in the NBA since he was released in November. It's been one of the hottest topics of the off-season.

There have been a lot of people -- most notably Royce White -- furious over the fact King James hasn't made some calls to get Melo in Purple & Gold ... and Rip says it's time LBJ pick up the phone.

"I think he should be in the league right now," Rip told us outside Nightingale in L.A. on Sunday ... saying Bron should "absolutely, 1000%" hit up Melo.

"I think it's still a possibility it could happen. They were talking about it for a long time. And, when you think about what the Lakers have right now, and then Melo's a guy that can really be helpful playing with LeBron and knowing [Anthony Davis'] game and stuff like that."

"And, he's a vet, and he's a guy that can close the game, so it would be a good piece for the Lakers."

Things have been picking up steam for Anthony lately, though .. with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant pushing to get him to the Brooklyn Nets ... and Melo told us he'd love to join them in BK.

Cris Cyborg has found a new home -- the MMA superstar has signed with Bellator after parting ways with UFC.

"Hey Cyborg Nation fans, I'm very excited to announce that I'm going to be partnering with Scott Coker and Viacom -- I'll be fighting Bellator," the fighting legend says.

"And, you guys know I have a lot of girls that want to fight at 145 pounds and this means you're going to have a lot of fights per year and I'm very happy about that."

The 34-year-old had clashed with UFC honcho Dana White earlier this year -- and White had said he was going to release Cyborg from her contract.

"I will not match any offers, she is free and clear to go to Bellator or any of these other organizations and fight," White said back in August ... adding, "We’re out of the Cyborg business."

Well, Bellator wasted no time snatching her up ... and it seems pretty obvious Cyborg -- who's 21-2 as a pro -- will get an immediate title shot against Julia Budd, the reigning featherweight champ.

Budd is 13-2 with her only 2 career losses coming from Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes.

Seems Cyborg has her eye on more after that, 'cause she says she's hoping to be one of the most decorated fighters EVER once she arrives in Bellator.

"My goal is going to be the only female fighter holding four different major tiles in the same division and I know with you guys I can do that. And, I just want to say, Cyborg Nation, Welcome to Bellator!"

Bre Tiesi continues to live her best post-Johnny Manziel life ... taking her modeling career to the next level by making her famous butt an actual work of art.

Bre recently became the latest in a long line of famous women to offer her butt as a canvas to Al Baseer Holly, a super hot new wave artist who takes his talents to women's tushies.

Al has painted the backsides of women like Nicole Murphy, Bria Myles, Emmaly Lugo and Karen Civil and he hooked up with Bre to plaster Looney Tunes character Lola Bunny on her backside. 

We gotta be honest here ... this is pretty spectacular art. We've studied the pics for a long time trying to make sure we don't miss any of the expression, and we're convinced the Mona Lisa is in serious trouble here.

Bre and Johnny split up earlier this year, so you'd expect a little spreading of the wings now that she's a single woman, and she's certainly flying.

The L.A. home of Lakers center JaVale McGee was burglarized over the weekend -- with scumbags stealing everything from cash to an NBA Championship ring, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... McGee only discovered the burglary Tuesday, but surveillance footage shows the incident took place on Saturday.

We're told the thieves stole TWO safes from the home which contained at least $200k in cash and jewelry -- including one of the two rings McGee won during his stint with the Golden State Warriors. Unclear which ring was taken.

McGee is also missing the celebratory goggles he used in the locker room for the champagne celebration after winning one of those titles.

McGee won a 'chip with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 -- before signing with the Lakers in July 2018.

We're told cops have been reviewing the surveillance video -- but so far, no arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified. They're working on it though.

As you probably know, McGee has a pretty solid surveillance system in his home -- it recently captured the NBA star fighting with a giant bug in his driveway.

Unfortunately, celebrities (and athletes in particular) have become targets for burglars in the L.A. area -- with stars like Yasiel Puig and L.A. Rams WR Robert Woods having been victimized.

The Logan Paul vs. KSI rematch is FINALLY SET -- it's going down at Staples Center on Nov. 9 ... and this time, it won't be counted as an amateur bout, this is a PRO fight!!!

Remember, the two social media superstars clashed in England back in August 2018 and fought to a draw in a pretty solid match on YouTube Pay-Per-View.

The fight did so well, even UFC honcho Dana White praised the guys for attracting a pretty big audience ... not an easy feat for people with no real fighting experience.

Clearly, the folks at DAZN took notice -- because they just inked a deal with Paul and KSI to stream the rematch on their app. DAZN is the same company that signed Canelo Alvarez to a 5-year, $365 MILLION deal last year.

As for the actual fight, KSI and Logan will NOT wear headgear this time around -- and it will be promoted by Matchroom Boxing, which is owned by boxing super promoter Eddie Hearn.

Hearn represents huge stars like Anthony Joshua and Daniel Jacobs.

In other words, this is the real deal.

TMZ Sports spoke with Logan over the weekend ... and he said he might literally kill KSI in the ring in "under 90 seconds."

"It's gonna be aggressive. It's gonna be violent. If you're not into violent sports, don't watch."

As for Logan's bro, Jake (who fought KSI's little bro, Deji, on the 2018 fight card)  -- he's been teasing a return to the ring as well but, so far, no opponent has been announced.

Rudy Giuliani is going to bat for James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and the rest of the Yankees' starting pitchers ... telling TMZ Sports they're good enough to win the World Series!!

"They wouldn't have the best record in baseball if they didn't have enough pitching," the former NY mayor says.

Of course, tons of MLB pundits disagree ... especially because the Houston Astros added Zack Greinke to their already stacked rotation at the trade deadline while the Yanks stood pat.

But, Giuliani says he's got no worries about the Yanks' staff heading into the postseason, telling us their 90-49 record "indicates they do" have enough!

Currently, the Yankees rank No. 14 in the league with a 4.44 staff ERA ... while other World Series favorites like the Dodgers (3.45) and Astros (3.69) rank 1st and 4th, respectively.

MLB pitcher Carlos Carrasco is giving back in a HUGE way following his return from cancer ... pledging $200 for each strikeout he earns in the month of September to childhood cancer research.

Cookie -- who was diagnosed with Leukemia in the Spring -- returned to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday after stepping away from the team for a few months to focus on treatment.

32-year-old Carrasco is launching the "Punchout Cancer with Cookie" campaign in his return to the mound ... announcing he'll make a donation to St. Jude's every time he K's a batter this month.

"I have cancer, but cancer doesn't have me," Carrasco said in the announcement video ... adding the disease has not affected his spirits through his journey back to the team.

"I want to remind families that there is always hope."

But, the coolest part?? Carrasco's teammate, Shane Bieber, is joining in on the campaign, pledging $100 a strikeout.

"With @cookie_carrasco returning back to the mound, we are reminded of how far positivity, faith, and resiliency can take us," Bieber said.

"To think he’s back pitching after being diagnosed with Leukemia just a couple months ago is nothing short of inspiring."

On top of that, Carlos Santana is donating for every home run ... and Francisco Lindor is pitching in for every team win!!

NFL superstar DeAndre Hopkins says he "felt like a slave again" when he heard late Houston Texans owner Bob McNair infamously refer to NFL players as "inmates" back in 2017 ... but he still believes McNair was a "good man."

McNair made the comments during an NFL owner's meeting in 2017 while discussing the league's reaction to Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest ... and said he was against "inmates running the prison."

When Hopkins heard about the comments, he was FURIOUS -- and now, he just opened up about the situation to GQ.

"I went home," Hopkins says ... "I ain't going to practice today. Hell no. I was about to not play in the game."

Hopkins also described his feelings when he heard the comments ... "It feels like I'm a slave again. Getting ran over. Listen to the master, go to work."

But, Hopkins says he took into consideration that McNair -- who died last year at age 81 -- was an "older" man and chalked up the comment to simple ignorance ... not aggressive racism.

"RIP, his soul. He was a good man, but some people they don't really ... When you grow up certain places, you talk a certain way."

"I try to take into consideration that he's done a lot of good for black people, so sh*t, you can't take nothing away from that."

Hopkins says he considered sitting out the Texans next game -- but ultimately decided to play because he didn't want to let his teammates down.

In the GQ article, DeAndre also vents about how upset he was that the Texans didn't give Colin Kaepernick a workout after starting QB Deshaun Watson suffered an injury during the 2017 season.

"Yeah, I was upset. Everybody needed to give Kaep a look. He can help a team win. I've seen a lot of quarterbacks that's not as good as Kaep, but teams don't want the heat behind them."

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Notre Dame QB Ian Book TRIED to throw the ball out of bounds during a busted play against Louisville on Monday ... but ended up hitting a cheerleader and BROKE HER NOSE!!

It happened in the 4th quarter as ND was trying to protect its lead against the Cardinals ... Book was pressured and tried to get rid of the football, opting to just heave it out of bounds to avoid the sack.

But, the ball sailed past the sidelines and stuck an unsuspecting UL cheerleader RIGHT IN THE FACE!!

The woman immediately dropped her poms and walked off (presumably to get medical attention).

After the game, the cheerleader -- named Liz -- tweeted about the damage.

"My broken nose is twitter trending huh," she wrote ... adding, "Well my nose is crooked but I'll always have a good story to tell."

Yeah, we know ... it's like that scene from "The Brady Bunch" ... or "Varsity Blues."

Hopefully, Liz is recovering well and will be back on the sidelines soon!

Tyler Skaggs' reputation will ALWAYS be as a hero who dominated on the diamond ... so says ex-MLB stud Dallas Braden, who tells TMZ Sports Skaggs' autopsy results don't change anything.

"People are going to pass their judgments," Braden says ... "They're going to say what they're going to say -- we remember Tyler for what he's done on the field."

A medical examiner in Texas last week found Skaggs tragically died after choking on his own vomit due to a lethal mix of pain killers and alcohol in his system.

But, when we got Braden out in NYC just hours after the news broke ... he told us Skaggs will always be remembered for his pitching -- not by the way he died.

"What you do on the field, how you compete on the field, is what a lot fans are going to remember you by," Dallas says. "Off the field, you're a completely different human being."

Skaggs played 7 years in the MLB before his death in July ... starting 96 career games with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels.

The 27-year-old won 28 career games and posted an ERA of 4.41.

Skaggs' family announced last Friday they are working tirelessly to find out who might have given the former pitcher the drugs, saying, "We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels."

Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre is vouching for Dwight Howard -- telling TMZ Sports the guy was a good teammate during their time in Washington ... despite being a "little distant."

23-year-old Oubre kept it 100 when we spoke with him at LAX -- describing Howard as a "psychological dude" who was "very down to earth" ... and NEVER a distraction.

As for being "distant," Oubre notes Howard was dealing with an injury -- so he understood why Dwight wasn't 100% engaged with the team.

There have been reports over the years that Dwight rubbed previous teammates the wrong way -- and people are concerned about how he'll do with the Lakers, but Kelly doesn't seem worried at all.

We also spoke with Kelly about the bigger issue in his life -- are thing getting serious with insanely hot supermodel Jasmine Sanders, one of the top bikini models on the planet?!

Remember, the two were spotted holding hands on their way out of an L.A. nightclub back in August -- and it APPEARED like a brand new supercouple was on the scene!

But, Oubre tells us they're NOT exclusive ... explaining they're good friends and she's a great person, but he's just not ready to settle down with ANYONE yet!

"Man, I'm 23 ... ya feel me?! I got a long life to live!"

You do you, bro ... but good lord. Jasmine Sanders is RIDICULOUS HOT!!!!