TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nick Swisher is heartbroken Christian Yelich won't return to the diamond this season after hurting his knee ... and he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Brewers might be done after the devastating injury.

"I don't know, man," Swisher says. "That's a big hurdle to get over at this point in time."

Yelich -- arguably the front-runner for the National League's MVP award -- fouled a ball off his right knee Tuesday night ... and after the game, the Brewers said he'd be done for the season with a broken kneecap.

When we got Swisher out in NYC on Wednesday ... he told us things are looking grim for the Brew Crew's playoff chances now with their superstar out of the lineup.

But, Nick ain't completely slamming the door on Milwaukee's chances to make the postseason ... telling us, "At the end of the day, man, it's September baseball."

"Anytime you're playing good baseball in September, you feel pretty good about that."

The Brewers are just ONE GAME out of the second Wild Card spot in the NL ... and they are getting stars Mike Moustakas and Keston Hiura back this week -- so maybe there is a chance!!!

Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell should have a stern talking with DeMarcus Lawrence over his interaction with a little New York Giants fan ... this according to the boy's father.

11-year-old Kamil Bautista made headlines earlier this week after video surfaced of Lawrence -- a Dallas Cowboys superstar -- blowing off his autograph request because he was wearing a Saquon Barkley jersey.

In the video, you can see Lawrence give Kamil a sideways look, and tell him straight-up, "Get the right jersey, son!"

TMZ Sports spoke with Kamil's father, Jorge Bautista, and he told us the situation at AT&T Stadium really sucked ... saying he didn't think the way Lawrence reacted to his son was right.

In fact, Jorge says he believes DeMarcus' bosses need to sit the 6-foot-3, 265-pound pass rusher down and explain to him he can't act that way around fans.

"I've got employees," says Jorge, a Giants fan who works in a tennis shop in McAllen, Texas ... "If my employees say something wrong to a customer, I'd be like, 'Hey, that's not right. You gotta be humble. You gotta be polite to people.'"

Jorge says he's not mad over the fact that DeMarcus didn't sign for his son ... he claims there were several other Cowboys -- including Randall Cobb and Jaylon Smith -- who did the same.

But, Jorge's beef stems from the way Lawrence reacted to Kamil ... saying, "You've got my son who has the guts to approach you with his New York Giants fan, and you disrespect him like that?"

"I was like, man, I don't think that was right."

Jorge says he hasn't heard anything from the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Giants over the incident ... but two organizations have reached out to try to help massage the situation.

We're told Overtime Athletics US is donating a signed Saquon Barkley jersey to Kamil ... while an anti-bullying organization has also sent the Bautistas a message.

Vin Scully is one of the most legendary broadcasters in sports history ... and you can own the piece of paper that literally got him hired by the Dodgers 70 years ago -- if your bank account's fat enough.

This is awesome ... back in December 1949, 22-year-old Vincent Scully typed a 2-page letter and sent it to Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey -- the man who years earlier signed Jackie Robinson.

In the letter -- now on the auction block at SCP Auctions -- Scully wrote, "I am applying to you for a job in connection with your broadcasting and television programs" ... offering his services for a 3-year period.

Scully's salary demand ... "wages at the rate of $100.00 per week" for the 1950 season.

Vin asked Rickey to sign the letter if the terms were acceptable ... and that would "constitute a contract" between the announcer and organization.

Branch signed the papers ... and Scully joined the booth in '50 with Red Barber and Connie Desmond.

The rest is history ... Scully eventually became the lead man in the Dodgers booth and called the team's games for 67 years.

And, it all started with a letter authored by a 22-year-old kid ... that's now up for auction and expected to sell for over $20k.

Happy bidding.

Former college football star Ryan Mallett was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Tuesday ... after the ex-NFL quarterback crashed his car in Arkanas ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Officials say 31-year-old Mallett was involved in a 2-car collision in Springdale around 6:30 PM. We're told his car crossed over the center line while driving.

Cops tested his blood alcohol level ... and he blew a .08, jail officials tell us.

Along with the DWI, Mallett was also cited for careless prohibited driving for swaying over the center line.

So far, no official comment from Mallett. We're working on getting more details about the arrest.

It couldn't be worse timing for the former New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens QB -- who recently accepted an invite to the XFL Draft being held in October.

Remember, Vince McMahon famously said he would ban any players with a criminal record from playing in his league during a media event in 2018.

So, the question ... will Vince stick by his guns and uninvite Mallett -- or will he reconsider his stance?

Cops in Miami and Hollywood, FL, as well as Pittsburgh, PA, tell TMZ Sports they have NO records of Antonio Brown's rape accuser ever filing a criminal complaint with officers.

A woman named Britney Taylor alleges the NFL superstar sexually assaulted her twice in the Pittsburgh area in 2017 ... and claims Brown raped her in the Miami area in 2018.

When we spoke with officials from the Hollywood Police Department in Florida -- where Brown has a residence -- they told us they have no records of a complaint ever filed by Taylor.

A spokesperson from the Department of Public Safety in Pittsburgh says they have no records of a complaint either, adding, there are "no active investigations into" Brown at this time.

As for the Miami-Dade Police Department, a spokesperson there tells us, "The Special Victims Bureau does not have any records of a sexual assault reported by the alleged victim, nor any reports where Antonio Brown is subject."

Of course, none of this means a crime DIDN'T happen ... rather, it simply means Taylor did NOT go to police prior to filing a civil lawsuit against Brown in federal court Tuesday.

We reached out to Taylor's attorneys multiple times about the situation, but so far, no word back.

For his part, Brown has denied all of the allegations against him ... with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, saying Wednesday, "These allegations are false. [Brown] denies every one of them."

Rosenhaus added, "I am very confident that his legal team has facts that will prove this."

T. Boone Pickens -- the super charismatic billionaire known as the "Oracle of Oil" -- has died at age 91, a spokesperson confirms.

Pickens reportedly died peacefully Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Texas.

You may know T. Boone for being one of the successful oil tycoons in history. You may know him for the BILLIONS he donated to charity.

And, if you're a college football fan, you might know him because the stadium at Oklahoma State University is NAMED after him! In fact, over the years, T. Boone raved about OSU to TMZ Sports!

He told us back in the day the best part of having a stadium named after him is "I'll always have a seat!"

Pickens made his fortune in energy -- he started working in oil after graduating from OSU in 1951 (with a degree in geology) and ultimately built Mesa Petroleum, which he grew into one of the largest gas and oil companies in the U.S. He became a BILLIONAIRE in the '80s.

He later honed his talents as a corporate raider -- and made TONS of money buying out companies. In 1996, he started BP Capital Management, which was also wildly successful.

As for his philanthropic work, he reportedly donated more $1 BILLION to various causes during his lifetime.

Pickens famously donated more than $500 MIL to Oklahoma State -- and the funds were almost evenly divided between OSU's athletics and academics.

Another interesting note ... Pickens had pledged to donate 90% of his net worth to charity upon his death.

Nobody knows exactly how much Pickens was worth -- or where the funds will go -- but should be VERY interesting to see how that shakes out.

He's survived by 5 children, 11 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Pickens had been married 5 times during his lifetime ... but was not married when he died. He had reportedly been rekindling his relationship with wife #3 Nelda toward the end of his life.

Pickens was also famous for being a host to the most powerful people in the world at his 65,000-acre ranch in Texas ... including George W. Bush, Nancy Reagan, Dick Cheney, Ted Turner and more.

Pickens also penned his 1987 biography, "Boone," and 2008's "The First Billion is the Hardest."

A bunch of bogus Cavs, Spurs, Warriors and Bulls championship rings have been seized in a recent customs bust at LAX ... and officials say the crooks could have moved the pieces for around $560k!!!

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they intercepted a wooden box full of 28 title rings that was heading from China with a final destination in Arizona. Officials believe the fake rings were going to be sold as a collection.

The rings look pretty cool, but when compared to the real thing -- you can tell they're duds.

The collection included 28 rings -- and had they been genuine, the estimated value of the lot is somewhere close to $560k.

“Scammers take advantage of collectors and pro-basketball fans desiring to obtain a piece of sports history," Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in L.A. says.

“This seizure illustrates how CBP officers and import specialists protect not only trademarks, but most importantly, the American consumer.”

This ain't the first time customs has stopped a bunch of crooks from stealing bogus championship rings -- they seized $12 MILLION worth of fake rings earlier this year.

The woman accusing Antonio Brown of rape claims she took a polygraph test after the alleged incidents which proved she told the truth.

Britney Taylor claims she went to "one of the nation's leading examiners, who previously led the FBI's polygraph program" and was asked about TWO incidents of sexual assault allegedly carried out by Brown.

As we previously reported, Taylor claims AB "ejaculated on her without her consent" in June 2017 and then forcibly raped her in May 2018.

In her lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Florida, Taylor says the polygraph exam confirmed her "completely truthful account."

Of course, the polygraph is FAR from a slam dunk for Taylor -- there are plenty of issues with using lie detector tests in court.

First, they are not considered scientifically valid for evidentiary purposes and most courts will not admit them as evidence.

Second, Taylor's test was administered by a hand-picked polygraph expert at the direction of her counsel ... not exactly an impartial 3rd party.

In her suit, Taylor also claims she has a trail of evidence to back up her accusations ... including an aggressive email Brown sent her in which he brags, "I jack my d*** on your back."

Taylor also says she left a paper trail after the alleged rape ... purchasing an STD test and a pregnancy test at Walgreens just weeks later.

Plus, she claims in January 2019 she reached out to the #TimesUpNow organization and described the allegations in a message, without naming Brown.

What's unclear at this point is if Taylor ever reached out to police or had a rape kit administered. There's no mention of either in her lawsuit, something Brown's legal team will surely point out.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says Antonio Brown WILL practice with the team on Wednesday while the organization continues to investigate rape allegations against the WR.

But, when it comes to AB playing on Sunday, Bill would not commit to an answer saying, "We're taking it one day at a time."

Bill was also asked if the team knew about the rape allegations BEFORE they signed him to a 1-year contract worth up to $15 million over the weekend ... and he punted on that question.

Belichick constantly deflected and was combative with reporters -- especially when asked if AB spoke with the team about the situation.

Belichick told reporters he already answered that question -- to which a reporter fired back, "No, you didn't."

The reporter told Belichick that fans had a right to know if the team knowingly got into bed with a WR who was being accused of rape.

What Belichick did say was that the Patriots have "looked into the situation. We're taking it very seriously ... all the way through the organization."

Regarding Antonio's statement on the case -- AB adamantly denies the allegations -- Bill said, "They are what they are."

Bill constantly tried to turn the conversation back to the upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins -- and then told the media, "I appreciate all the questions and what's been said is what's been said."

Have a crappy week 1 of fantasy football? Eddie George has the solution ... TRADE FOR SAQUON BARKLEY AND SONY MICHEL ASAP!!!

We got the NFL legend out in NYC this week and had to ask for his take on the RB landscape in fantasy football ... and that's when he told us he's predicting big years for 2 guys.

"[Saquon] is going to be a beast," George says. "Catching the ball out of the backfield, he's going to be a monster this year."

And, the other? "Sony Michel. New England. He's playing with Tom Brady -- they're going to use him in so many different ways, man."

Soccer superstar Neymar wasn't too bothered after his Brazil squad lost a friendly to Peru at the Coliseum in L.A. on Tuesday ... taking time for a pic with NFL star Todd Gurley!

By the way, this was the first time Brazil had lost in 17 straight games -- the last L they took was during the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals when they were defeated by Belgium.

Neymar didn't start the game but came in off the bench. Brazil hung tough for the most of the match until Peru hit net in the final minutes of the 2nd half.

This is the 5th time Peru has EVER beaten Brazil in the 46 times they've played each other!!

So, why was Neymar in such a good mood? Might have to do with the fact that officials in Brazil announced this week that the woman who accused him of rape is being prosecuted for allegedly making the allegations in an effort to blackmail the soccer star.

As for Gurley, the L.A. Rams running back had GREAT seats for the game -- sitting right behind the Brazil goal when Peru hit the winning shot.

After the game, Gurley hopped into a pretty sick car -- a Vanderhall Carmel, a 3-wheeled vehicle with a $35k starting price tag!

Gurley will return to the Coliseum on Sunday when the Rams take on the New Orleans Saints in a rematch of the 2018 NFC Championship game!

Antonio Brown is being sued by a woman who claims the New England Patriots star WR sexually assaulted and raped her during 3 separate encounters ... this according to a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

The woman behind the lawsuit, who identifies herself as Britney Taylor, says she was hired by Brown as a personal trainer. Taylor claims the first incident happened in June 2017 during a training session when "Brown exposed himself and kissed [her] without her consent."

Taylor then describes a second alleged incident ... "Later that month, Brown, while positioned behind her, began masturbating near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back."

Taylor claims the first incident occurred at Brown's home in Pittsburgh and the second incident occurred at Brown's home in Florida.

According to the lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, Taylor claims Brown bragged about the incident to her in "profane and angry text messages."

Several months later, the accuser claims Brown reached out to her to express contrition and "begged forgiveness."

Taylor claims Brown begged her to continue training him -- and after initial hesitation, she ultimately agreed.

However, the woman claims nearly a year later -- on May 20, 2018 "Brown cornered [her] forced her down onto a bed, pushed her face into the mattress, and forcibly raped her."

The woman claims she tried to fight back but Brown was "too strong and physically overpowered her."

In the suit, the woman claims she screamed and cried throughout the entire incident -- repeatedly shouting "no" and "stop."

Brown refused to stop, according to the suit, and penetrated her, the woman claims.

In her suit, Taylor describes herself as a "28-year-old world class gymnast" who competed at "elite levels of international competition."

In her suit, Taylor claims she met Antonio Brown while they were both student athletes at Central Michigan University where they participated in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group.

Wyclef Jean says Michael Jordan's $1 million donation to Hurricane Dorian relief is "100% a big deal" ... but tells TMZ Sports it's important to make sure that huge contribution isn't lining the wrong person's pockets.

The Haiti native knows what he's talking about -- his massively successful Yéle Haiti charity campaign raised more than $16 million for the 2010 Haiti earthquake, only to close down after an investigation determined a large portion of the funds were misused.

So, when we asked Wyclef about MJ's massive donation, the musician praises His Airness for the gesture ... but calls for organizers to not take advantage of people in need.

"The most important thing for me is that the money is really allocated right and we really don't use distractions, don't use people for patsies, don't distract the crowd, have them looking another way," Wyclef says.

"It constantly happens because another man's disaster is another man's gain."

Wyclef says he's praying for the Bahamas and hopes everyone does the right thing.

Sorry, Conor McGregor ... there's a "0.00% chance" you'll get your rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov -- so says Khabib's manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz (looking fresh in his Versace shirt) after Khabib's big victory over Dustin Poirier in Abu Dhabi this weekend ... and we had to ask who's next on the hit list!!!

Of course, Dana White has said he wants Khabib to fight Tony Ferguson -- the #1 ranked lightweight contender -- but Ali says Tony's not the priority.

"Georges St-Pierre is next," Ali tells TMZ Sports ... "If Khabib is going to fight for legacy, a fight with GSP would be a huge fight."

Ali says Tony has never been a champion -- while GSP is widely regarded as one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time ... so for him, it's a no-brainer.

Plus, Ali says there's WAY more money in a Khabib vs. GSP fight ... explaining, "People would care more!!!"

Ali tells us, Khabib could be ready to take that fight before the end of 2019 -- and he's confident Georges could be ready too.

As for Conor -- who recently tweeted about wanting a 2nd crack at Khabib -- Ali says Khabib has nothing left to prove ... and since he smashed McGregor so badly in the first fight, there's no need for a rematch.

"Not interested at all ... for what?!? We already beat him, we already whooped his ass."

Ali also says Khabib doesn't want to get involved with the "ugliness" associated with Conor ... an obvious reference to the racist and disgusting insults McGregor spewed while promoting the fight.

"We don't wanna go through with this Conor bulls**t again."

When asked specifically about the chances of a rematch coming together, Ali said bluntly -- "0.00."

WWE superstar Mojo Rawley saw Rob Gronkowski call him out to TMZ Sports ... and he's got a message for the NFL star -- don't let your mouth write checks your ass can't cash!!!

Remember, just a few weeks ago Gronk said he'd consider inking a deal with the WWE just to get a crack at that "wimp" Mojo Rawley -- "I gotta go in that ring and whoop his ass!!!"

So, we hit up Mojo ... and man, HE'S TALKING SMACK!!!

"Sometimes Rob says things he doesn't mean like calling a guy a wimp when he knows he could blatantly kick the crap out of him!!! I mean, these are just things that come out of his mouth that have no meaning!!!"

"Robbie G's been running around calling himself 'Mr. Recovery' -- well, Mojo Rawley will put that to the test when I stomp him the hell out!!! We'll see how CBD medic is really treating him!!!"

Of course, Rob and Mojo are longtime pals -- with Gronk famously helping Rawley win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 in 2017.

And, while it's unclear if they really will go toe-to-toe in the squared circle ... Rawley says there's a VERY real possibility the two could link up for a tag-team match next year.

"We've been talking about doing a tag match together for a really long time," Mojo says.

"SummerSlam is in Boston next year. That might be the one man!!!"

In the meantime, Rawlyer says he's all the way down to beat Rob's ass one-on-one ... saying straight-up, "I'd kick the living crap out of him."

Great news!!!

Oakland Raiders star cornerback Gareon Conley tells TMZ Sports the X-rays on his neck, following that scary injury on "Monday Night Football," came out good ... and he expects to play next week!

Conley was laid out on the field for roughly 10 minutes after suffering a neck injury while trying to tackle Denver Broncos running back Royce Freeman.

It appeared Conley took heavy impact from hard-hitting Raiders' teammate Johnathan Abram -- who assisted on the tackle. Conley was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

We reached out to Conley's camp on Tuesday to see how he was doing, and he sent us back a video telling us he got great news from the doctors!

"I had X-rays and everything on my neck. Everything came out good," Conley says ... "So, I'll be ready to play next week, man. I'm good!"

Conley also thanked all of the fans who kept him in their thoughts and prayers.

The Raiders dominated the Broncos on 'MNF' earning their first win of the 2019 season.