TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-MLB great Doc Gooden says he's found his sobriety again after his recent relapse and is crediting a lot of people -- including his friend Darryl Strawberry -- for helping him out of the dark.

Gooden has struggled with cocaine addiction for years and pled guilty to 3rd-degree drug possession last week after he was arrested in New Jersey during a traffic stop in July.

Doc was ordered into rehab by the courts, and when we got him out in NYC this week, he says the process is working, and he's feeling healthy and focused again.

"I'm feeling great," Doc says. "I appreciate all the support I've been getting. It's overwhelming, it's good to have."

"Things are going great, spirits are good, I've found my sobriety. Good to be back."

As for how he got to that point, Gooden says he had a lot of people come out to support him ... including his ex-Mets teammate, Strawberry.

"Daryl prayed with me -- he's a good man," Gooden says.

Gooden and Strawberry took the MLB by storm in the '80s as members of the '86 NY Mets championship team, and Doc says they used that same teamwork to help him kick his habit this time.

Ex-UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi -- one of the stars of ESPN's Body Issue -- says she was nervous as hell to strip down for cameras, telling TMZ Sports, "It took a lot of courage!!!"

Ohashi had a meteoric rise to fame this past year ... after an awesome floor routine at UCLA in January (59 MILLION people watched it!!!) -- she became a household name.

So much so, ESPN's producers asked her to appear in the buff in their magazine ... and even though she absolutely killed it -- she says it was terrifying!!!

But, Ohashi says it was all worth it ... telling us she's been trying to convey the message that it's okay to be vulnerable in your own skin -- and she thinks the shoot was able to accomplish that.

"I try to portray that on social media in general, like exposing my flaws and struggles and hardships," Katelyn says. "And, to be able to get in front of a camera and do that ... you quickly become at ease."

Ohashi has been open and honest about her body throughout her time at UCLA ... with the 22-year-old admitting she's battled eating disorders and body shaming for years.

But, Katelyn says she's happy and healthy now ... and wrote on social media this month, "i’m proud of my body and all its imperfections, that’s all i have to say."

It's been a month since Brian Cashman was ordered to step away from his car at gunpoint ... but the Yankees GM still has no hard feelings toward cops, praising the officers to TMZ Sports!!!

"The police were doing their job, and so it was all good," Cashman said. "I followed their commands and it all worked out."

Cashman was stopped in Darien, Conn. on Aug 9 after cops mistakenly thought he had stolen the Jeep he was driving ... and when they ordered him out of the car, the scene was tense.

Multiple officers had their guns drawn -- seemingly ready to shoot at any moment -- telling the 52-year-old to get away from the car.

Eventually, the scene calmed down when cops realized they had the wrong guy ... and Cashman was free to leave.

When we got Brian out in NYC on Wednesday ... he told us he hasn't changed his mind one bit about the officers' actions, saying they did a great job throughout the stop.

"Big shoutout to the police for what they do and keeping us all safe."

As for the case against Cashman, cops say he's been cleared of any wrongdoing ... with the lead officer on the scene even apologizing to the Yanks exec.

Tyson Fury's a MASSIVE 20-to-1 favorite this weekend ... but there's a 268-pound reason Otto Wallin believes he'll kick the Gypsy King's ass -- Andy Ruiz Jr.

Wallin's 20-0 with 13 KO's ... but almost no one gives him a chance against Fury -- who Ring magazine calls the best heavyweight in the world.

If this sounds familiar, it's basically the same situation Ruiz faced when he fought Anthony Joshua (he opened as a 30-1 underdog) ... and that's exactly why Wallin tells TMZ Sports he's using "The Destroyer" as motivation.

"As a fighter, you know that anybody can get beat. And, it can happen at any time," Wallin tells us ... "Like I said, it's happened before, and it's gonna happen again. I wasn't surprised by this, but it's still a big inspiration that Andy did it and I'm looking to do it again."

Wallin and Fury got into at the weigh-in on Friday -- jawing at each other while Tyson rocked a luchador mask!!! Good stuff!!!

Wallin also had a message for everyone who thinks there ain't a shot in hell he'll beat Fury.

"Just look at the other fights. Andy Ruiz-Joshua, Mike Tyson, he wasn't supposed to get beat. He got beat from Buster Douglas. We had a Swedish guy, Ingemar Johansson, 60 years ago he came over to New York and beat Floyd Patterson. He was a huge underdog and he beat him. It can happen at any time."

Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson ... and Lamar Jackson???

Jamal Lewis says that very well could be the NFL's top quarterback list in just a few seasons ... 'cause the Ravens legend tells TMZ Sports he thinks the Baltimore QB has that much potential.

"I really think he can be one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL in a few years," Lewis says.

Lamar just set the Miami Dolphins on fire last Sunday, throwing for 5 TDs and 324 yards ... and Lewis says, after that performance, he's convinced the guy has a HUGE ceiling.

"I think he can really break some records in this league," Lewis says.

Of course, Lamar still has his detractors ... some NFL pundits aren't convinced the guy can truly, consistently throw the football -- saying the 'Fins were just that bad last weekend.

But, Lewis is clapping back at all those haters ... saying he thinks Jackson can "take the Ravens deep in the playoffs pretty much every year."

Kenneth Faried says he's knows Team USA did it's best in the FIBA World Cup Basketball tournament, but the young guys gotta play "tougher and harder" if they wan to win next time.

Faried knows what it takes to win on the international stage, he took home the gold with the 2014 U.S. FIBA team that featured All-Stars like James Harden, Derrick Rose, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry and Anthony Davis.

The 2019 team had far less star power and it showed, as they failed to even medal in this year's World Cup (c'mon guys). We got Kenneth at LAX and he says the international game is getting better, and our guys gotta want it more.

"I think them guys really went out there and really tried to play their hardest, just need to play tougher and harder."

Faried says the players from across the pond have blossomed into big NBA stars, and they have absolutely NO FEAR of the studs from America and that makes Team USA vulnerable.

"Saban just, like, he likes to do a lot of, like, deez nuts jokes."

That's Josh Jacobs -- former Alabama superstar and current Oakland Raiders starting RB -- dropping the biggest bombshell about Nick Saban ever ... and we can't stop laughing!!!

Jacobs appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Friday ... and when DP asked Josh for his favorite story of Bama's head man -- Jacobs didn't hold back, saying the guy LOVES the toilet bowl humor!!!

"It's funny because I hadn't heard one of them since middle school," Jacobs says of the "deez nuts" jokes. "And then Saban, when I went to college, Saban used to do it a lot."

Jacobs then proceeded to tell the funniest Saban story you'll ever hear ...

"Alright, so one day, I caught like five passes in a row, and he was like, 'Hey, hey, Josh. If you want to hold all the balls, hold deez.'"

"I was like, 'What, coach?' So I just sat there for second and I was like, did he really just say that to me?!"

That's right, 67-year-old Saban -- winner of 6 national championships -- is clowning all his players on a regular basis with one of the most childish jokes ever.

Tyron Woodley wants a crack at Khabib Nurmagomedov ... sending a message to the UFC superstar -- "We can meet at a catch weight!"

Woodley says he's just about ready to return to the Octagon after dealing with a hand issue -- and he's on a mission to win back the UFC welterweight title.

... and when that happens, Tyron says he would LOVE to fight Khabib -- a guy he has tremendous respect for as an athlete.

"I want to fight Khabib," Tyron said on 'The Hollywood Beatdown' ... "He's dope as hell, he's super dope. I'm a fan of his."

Of course, Tyron fights at 170 and Khabib fights at 155 -- but Woodley says he's down to meet at 165 pounds ... "for the right bag."

Woodley says Khabib has struggled to make 155 in the past and thinks it's only a matter of time before the Dagestani superstar moves up ... so why not take a fight with Woodley?

Plus, Tyron says the style matchup is perfect -- "I got the best takedown defense in the history of the sport."

But, before that can happen, Tyron says he's gotta beat up Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington ... two fights he wants BAD.

There's more in this ep of 'The Beatdown' -- Tyron calls out Kobe Bryant for calling out a little girl on the NBA star's youth basketball team.

He also admonishes Antonio Brown's entourage ... saying SOMEONE close to the NFL star needs to step up and help get his life back on track.

Rap star Action Bronson is a hardcore UFC fan ... and he's got some advice for Dana White when it comes to Conor McGregor's next fight!

Here's the current situation in the UFC ...

Conor wants a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib ain't down, saying he'd rather fight a more deserving opponent like Tony Ferguson or Georges St-Pierre.

Dustin Poirier recently lost to Khabib and says the only fight that makes sense is a rematch of the 2014 bout with Conor. Conor wants Dustin to beg him to make that fight happen.

Meanwhile, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is fighting Justin Gaethje on Saturday ... and there's rumblings that Conor could get the winner of that fight.

The UFC has previously tried to book Conor to fight both Cowboy and Justin ... but neither happened for various reasons.

Dana White has TRIED to book Khabib vs. Tony Ferguson on FOUR separate occasions ... but the fight always fell through, mostly due to injuries.

Johnny Damon is going to bat for fired Red Sox exec Dave Dombrowski ... telling TMZ Sports, "Dombrowski is a very good GM, very honest."

Boston made the shocking move just a few days ago to can their team's president of baseball operations -- just 10 months after he won the World Series.

Reporters out in Beantown are perplexed by the move ... and nobody seems to have a definitive answer as to why the dude was fired after having so much success since he was hired in 2015.

When we got Damon out in NYC on Wednesday ... he said of the surprising move, "[The Red Sox] must know something else that's going on."

But, Damon ain't concerned that this will be a death blow for Dombrowski ... he played for the guy in Detroit in 2010 -- and says Dave's a really good GM.

"If he wants another job, he'll find another job," Damon says ... "I hope for him the best."

As for what he thinks ultimately went wrong in Boston -- Damon seems to think bullpen issues cost Dave his job, saying, "He wasn't given a closer this year and their setup guy was a headache."

Gregg Williams is firing back at Odell Beckham ... claiming he's NEVER coached teams to play dirty -- and then he straight-up seemed to question if the dude was actually a great receiver!!!

Odell threw the Jets' new DC under the bus Thursday ... claiming his Browns teammates told him Williams ordered players to injure him when the two squared off in preseason in 2017.

"I had players on this team telling me that that's what [Williams] was telling them to do, take me out of the game," Odell said.

When Williams -- who was severely punished for being one of the alleged orchestrators of "Bountygate" back in 2012 -- was asked about the allegations Friday, he clapped back.

"We don't do that," Williams said. "Never done that anywhere I've been. We don't do anything to hurt the team ... We just don't do it."

Then, Williams appeared to take a HUGE shot at Odell ... 'cause when a reporter was asking about Beckham being a dynamic player, Williams cut him off and questioned if that was a fact!!

"That's your opinion?" Williams said. "What's New York's opinion? The Giants' opinion? What did the Giants do? So, that's not a question for me."

SHAAAAAAAAAAAADEEEE!!!!!

Williams won't get the chance to cover Odell on Monday when the Jets play the Browns ... but he will be dialing up the defenses.

Someone check Tim Tebow's blood pressure ... the ex-Florida star just went NUCLEAR trashing the new California law allowing college athletes to get paid -- saying it'll ruin NCAA sports forever!!!

"I feel like I have a little credibility and knowledge about this because when I was at the University of Florida, I think my jersey was one of the top-selling jerseys around the world.," Tim said.

"It was like Kobe, LeBron and then I was right behind them. I didn't make a dollar from it and nor did I want to because I knew going into college what it was all about."

There's more ... Tebow is FIRED UP -- but first, a quick review of the new CA law.

It's being called the "Fair Pay to Play Act" and it was passed by the CA State Senate this week, allowing college athletes to be paid for the use of their name, likeness and image without being punished.

California Governor Gavin Newsom now has 30 days to decide whether it will be signed into law -- but the NCAA is fighting like hell to get him to shut it down.

Enter Tebow ... who's taking the side of the NCAA -- going on ESPN's "First Take" to declare war on the 'FPPA.'

Tebow says college should be more about following your dreams and contributing to an institution than trying to make a buck.

"I knew going to Florida, my dream school, where I wanted to go, the passion for it and if I could support my team, support my college, support my University, that's what it's all about."

"But now, we're changing it from 'Us' from 'We' from 'My University' from being an alumni where I care, which makes college football and college sports special, to then 'Okay it's not about us. It's not about we, it's just about me.'"

"And, yes, I know we live in a selfish culture where it's all about us but we're just adding and piling it onto that. Where it changes, what's special about college football. We turn it into the NFL, where who has the most money, that's where you go."

Tebow added ... "That's why people are more passionate about college sports than they are about the NFL."

"That's why the stadiums are bigger in college than they are in the NFL, because it's about your team, it's about your university, it's about where my family wanted to go, it's about where my grandfather had a dream of seeing Florida win an SEC championship and you're taking that away."

"And, you're taking that away so that young kids can earn a dollar and that's just not where I feel college football needs to go."

The issue with Tebow's point ... obviously ... is that to a lot of players, earning a dollar is more important than contributing to the legacy of an already rich University.

Tebow -- who came from an already financially stable family -- went on to earn millions of dollars in the NFL and other endeavors.

A huge amount of NCAA athletes don't have that financial stability or promises of fortunes waiting for them after college.

Undefeated boxing superstar Devin Haney says he's got Vasyl Lomachenko SHOOK ... because Haney thinks Loma is ducking the smoke with him, and Devin is SICK OF IT.

Haney is 22-0 and being hailed by some as the next Floyd Mayweather, because of the way he dominates his opponents in the ring, and his flashy style outside of it.

We got Devin in NYC and asked him who he wants next, when and if he dispatches Zaur Abdullaev on Friday night, and it's clear he wants a crack at Loma.

"After this fight, I'm the mandatory for Lomachencko. I'm going to make [the people] demand a fight with Lomachencko."

Haney's got a problem, he says Lomachencko doesn't want to tangle with him -- instead opting to move around at different weight classes and take fights with guys for headlines. Devin said it's time to stop all that.

"Stop ducking me, let's make it happen."

If you're looking for this fight to go down soon, don't hold your breath ... Haney is young, INSANELY DANGEROUS, and still building his boxing name, which means Lomachencko will probably take bigger money fights against other guys.

Sebastian Telfair is FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

... for now.

The ex-NBA star and former H.S. prodigy is out of prison just days after he was sentenced to 3.5 years in his gun case ... but there's a chance Telfair could end up back behind bars.

Here's the deal ... 34-year-old Telfair was convicted of possessing an illegal firearm stemming from a June 2017 incident where he was caught with an arsenal of weapons during a traffic stop.

He was facing up to 15 YEARS in prison for the crime ... but instead, on Aug. 12, a judge ordered him to serve 3.5 years.

Telfair and his legal team appealed the sentence ... and asked that while the process plays out, they let Telfair bail out of prison.

TMZ Sports has learned a judge agreed to those terms Thursday -- with an ankle monitor clearly a part of the deal -- and Telfair is now a free man.

Unclear how much Telfair's bail was -- we're working on it ... but we do know he was spotted with friends on Thursday.

Telfair -- who famously appeared on Sports Illustrated's cover as a high schooler -- played for several teams in the NBA from 2004 to 2015. He was a Trail Blazer's 1st-round pick in the '04 NBA Draft.

Tyson Fury says he doesn't give a DAMN about money -- telling TMZ Sports he's not boxing for the paycheck because he's never met one single happy millionaire.

"I know a lot of millionaires and I don't know one happy one. Not one," Fury said.

"They're always unhappy because they're searching for more. Material stuff or money will never make a man happy. Man has got to find happiness deep within his soul."

So, why are we talking money with Fury?

He's fighting undefeated Otto Wallin on Saturday -- and if he wins that fight, Tyson says next up is a rematch with Deontay Wilder ... which comes with a MASSIVE PAYDAY.

But, Tyson tells TMZ Sports the money ain't the motivator ... it's deeper than that.

"I'd rather have the victory than money, that's what I'm gunning for. I'm not gunning for his belt, I'm not gunning for the paycheck ... I'm going for his blood."

Fury continued, "It's not about money at all. When you're comfortable in your life, what do a few zeroes mean really anyway?"

"Money's one thing, but you're talking to a KING -- El Rey de los Gitanos!! I am the Gypsy King! The real official Gypsy King!"

Fury says he has millionaires and billionaires lining up to be his friend because they want to be close to greatness ... but he doesn't care because money can't buy happiness.

Antonio Brown should pack his bags ... the WR is expected to travel to Miami and play for the New England Patriots on Sunday, despite facing very serious rape allegations.

Brown practiced with Pats on both Wednesday and Thursday (and worked out at Tom Brady's TB12 facility) ... and now NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says all signs are pointing to AB being active.

"Generally with Bill Belichick, the way it works is if you practice on Wednesday, then you are preparing to play," Rapoport says.

Earlier this week, Belichick wouldn't commit to an answer when asked if AB would play on Sunday ... telling the media the team was taking things one day at a time.

But, as Ian pointed out, AB wouldn't be getting reps at practice if he wasn't expected to play -- that's just the Belichick way.

As for as his eligibility, neither the NFL nor New England has said Antonio CAN'T play ... despite a new lawsuit that was filed on Monday in which Britney Taylor alleges AB raped her in Miami back in 2018.

In her suit, Taylor also accuses Brown of inappropriate sexual acts in 2017 ... including one incident where she says Brown "began masturbating near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back."

For his part, Brown -- through his attorney, Darren Heitner, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus -- has strongly denied the allegations.

Since the case is civil, and NOT criminal -- NFL officials didn't rush to place Brown on the Commissioner's Exempt List, which would almost certainly have happened had charges been filed.

Rapoport reported Friday morning if Brown doesn't play -- it'll likely be due to football reasons and NOT the new accusations against the embattled wide out.

Remember, the guy is still dealing with injured feet due to a cryotherapy mishap.

"Nothing has stepped in and stopped Antonio from being eligible to play," Rapoport said. "It certainly seems like that is the direction things are going to go in New England."

The Patriots square off with the Dolphins in Miami at 10 AM PT ... and inactives lists are due a couple hours before game time, so things won't be official either way until early Sunday.