TMZ Sports - Page 50

Good news for Sunny Garcia ... the surf legend is making real progress in his recovery -- even saying a few words -- after nearly dying following a suicide attempt in Oregon back in April.

The 49-year-old, who's battled depression, was hospitalized in the ICU after the incident ... and there were times it didn't look good. Back in July, he underwent surgery after a bout with pneumonia.

Now, the Hawaiian native -- who came up with stars like Kelly Slater and Jamie O'Brien -- is continuing to fight ... and his daughter is reporting the "little triumphs" he's making in his recovery.

"We are taking one day at a time and celebrating each little triumph," Kaila Toetuu said on social media ... "My dad is a warrior and fighting everyday to get better and stronger."

"He has said a few words and is now in therapy daily- physical, speech and occupational."

"My family and I thank you for your continued support for My dad as he continues to heal. It’s going to be a marathon not a sprint but we work every day to make sure he is surrounded with love, laughter and ohana."

Kaila also notes the woman in the photo is her mother, Sunny's first wife.

The family launched a GoFundMe page to help cover costs for Sunny's medical costs and it's already raised over $128,000.

Michael Vick just paid the ultimate compliment to Lamar Jackson ... the NFL legend tells TMZ Sports the Ravens QB reminds him of himself!!!

"I think they're good comparisons man," Vick says. "If anybody looking like me, it's Lamar!!!"

Vick is known as the greatest dual-threat QB in NFL history ... and after Lamar tore up the Dolphins and Cardinals in back-to-back weeks -- we had to ask Mike for his take on LJ.

Vick says he loves that people are comparing Jackson's game to his ... telling us, "That's a dangerous man behind center!!!"

In fact, Vick is so high on what Jackson's been doing to start the 2019 season ... he says he has ZERO advice for him going forward.

"Keep doing what you're doing," Vick says. "Don't change nothing."

By the way, Vick also clapped back at everyone saying Jackson's stats are inflated by playing two sorry teams ... telling us, "You don't go out and throw 5 touchdown passes and call it a fluke."

Odell Beckham wasn't lying ... the Cleveland Browns superstar is rocking a pricey watch on the football field AGAIN -- this despite heavy backlash from when he wore one last week.

Odell was spotted in pregame warm-ups just minutes before the Browns took on the Jets on Monday night wearing what appears to be another Richard Millie piece.

While no longer Browns colors ... this one still seems just as expensive -- if not more so -- with acrylic and flash all over it.

Of course, Odell wore a Browns-colored one during Cleveland's loss last week ... and caught hell from plenty of people for sporting the wrist ice during a game.

But, Beckham fired back after the matchup, saying he'd do it again this week ... adding, "If I want to wear it, I will wear it."

Seems he's following through ... and initial reports say this watch could be worth up to $2 MILLION!!!

There was talk Odell could be fined for wearing the watch during games ... but the league decided not to punish the wideout -- leaving the door open for him to do it again Monday.

Question now is, will his game match the level of swag on his wrist???

The ringside doctor SHOULD HAVE stopped the Tyson Fury fight based on the size of his gash ... but they let it go because Tyson is a huge star -- so says Otto Wallin.

The Swedish fighter tells TMZ Sports ... if the tables were turned, the doctor would DEFINITELY have called the fight because the wound was massive and posed a real medical danger.

"If it was someone else, they probably would have stopped it," Wallin said while hanging at a Vegas pool party.

Still, Wallin is being praised for his gutsy performance ... taking Fury to the 12th round despite being a massive 30-1 underdog. Dude fought his ass off.

There was one questionable moment when Wallin appeared to rake Fury's face after an exchange in an apparent effort to widen the cut on Tyson's face.

We asked Wallin if he felt the move was dirty ... and he sorta copped to it.

"He was using dirty tactics too and I'm not gonna let someone do that to me, without me answering back with some dirty tactics," Wallin said.

"This is boxing. It's a fight and you gotta do everything you can to win."

Despite the cheap shots, Wallin says Fury came to his locker room after the fight to congratulate him on the performance ... "[He] showed some respect."

So, what's next for Wallin? He wants a rematch with Fury but knows he probably won't get it any time soon because Tyson has his sights set on a rematch with Deontay Wilder.

"After that, maybe I could get the winner. That would be great, fight for the world title."

Until then, he's got a message for Fury ...

"I wanna say it was a good fight. Thank you for the opportunity and I hope we can do it again."

Sorry, Jacob deGrom ... you are NOT the NL's Cy Young winner this year -- so says Orel Hershiser -- who tells TMZ Sports Hyun-Jin Ryu is actually most deserving!!!

Of course, Orel's biased ... the dude is a Dodgers legend and is currently broadcasting L.A.'s games -- but he swears Ryu is the best pitcher in the National League this season.

"My mind and my heart say that," Orel tells us.

Ryu REALLY struggled in four of his last five starts -- hitting a slump that caused his ERA to balloon up from sub-2.00 to 2.35 -- which made a lot of pundits to hop off his Cy Young bandwagon.

But, Hershiser thinks that's a mistake, telling us, "If he would have spread out his slump over a time period, you would have said, 'Oh, he's had the better year.'"

As for who else is in the running for the award, Orel says it's down to Ryu, deGrom, Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the NL.

Michael Strahan is going to war with one of his ex-wives over child support -- and the ex-NFL superstar just arrived to court in Manhattan for a hearing on the issue.

Our sources connected to Michael say he is NOT behind on his child support payments to his ex-wife, Jean Muggli Strahan. However, she is presumably seeking to increase his monthly payments.

The standoff is between Michael and Jean -- his second ex-wife -- who have twin daughters together, Sophia and Isabella, who are now almost 15 years old. Jean and her attorney Shannon Simpson, from the law firm Cohen Clair, was also present for Monday's hearing.

Michael is obviously doing very well for himself -- following his lucrative Hall of Fame career in the NFL, he's now hosting "Good Morning America" and 2 other shows on ABC. It seems likely Jean is seeking an increase based on his increased income.

Michael and Jean married way back in 1999, but they split in 2006, and the divorce was nasty. Their divorce proceedings dragged on for months, and the judge eventually awarded Jean $15.3 million and set Michael's child support for their daughters at $18,000 per month.

President Trump just presented Mariano Rivera with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday ... and unfortunately, he left his calculator behind.

POTUS -- a HUGE Yankees fan -- honored the Sandman at 1600 Penn on Monday ... praising "maybe the greatest pitcher of all time" for his accomplishments on and off the mound.

FYI -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award a civilian can achieve in the United States -- and is given to people who make an especially great contribution to American society.

But, the funny part is when Trump tried to do some impromptu math ... and hilariously failed when talking about MR's minor league ERA in 1990.

"That year, he had an average ERA of 0.17 ... so that doesn't mean ONE. That means, like, 1/17th of one."

Uhh ... no, it doesn't, Mr. President. Like, not even close. But, hey, we get it. Math is hard.

For the record, .17 is closer to 1/6th of 1 ... not 1/17th.

Of course, the love between Trump and Mariano is mutual -- Rivera serves as the co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition ... and became a U.S. citizen in 2015.

Antonio Brown adamantly denies new allegations he got naked and hit on a female artist during a 2017 encounter, despite allegations in a Sports Illustrated article.

"Antonio Brown has reviewed the sexual misconduct allegations made by an unnamed artist included in a recently published Sports Illustrated article and denies that he ever engaged in such activities," Browns' attorney Darren Heitner tells us.

"There will be no further comment at this time."

In the SI article, published Monday morning, the outlet cites an interview with a woman who claims Brown hired her to paint a mural on the wall of his Pittsburgh-area home in June 2017.

The woman told SI ... while she was painting the mural, he came up from behind her "naked, holding a small hand towel over his genitals."

The woman claims Brown was "flirty" with her but she paid him no mind -- but after she turned down his advances, she claims Brown "ghosted" her.

The woman says she never filed a police report or took ANY action against Brown -- and says she has no plans to pursue legal action in the future.

The woman also says Brown did pay for the artwork and they haven't spoken since.

Of course, the allegations are significant in the wake of a bombshell lawsuit filed by Britney Taylor -- who claims Brown sexually assaulted her on 3 separate occasions ... including a violent rape in 2018.

Brown has vehemently denied Taylor's allegations as well and has vowed to countersue.

The SI article features interviews with several fitness and diet specialists who say they had a bad business relationship with Brown ... including Dr. Victor Prisk, who says Brown stiffed him out of $11,500 after working with him in 2018.

Prisk became a mini-Internet sensation when Brown farted in his face during a body fat test.

"It just seemed childish to me," Prisk told SI ... "I'm a doctor and this man is farting in my face."

Tyson Fury was so grateful for the miracle his amazing cutman, Jorge Capetillo, pulled off to keep him in the Otto Wallin fight, he broke the guy off with a CASH BONUS, BABY!!!

That's according to Capetillo himself, who says Fury showered him with praise for the way he treated the two MASSIVE gashes he suffered during Saturday night's main event.

If you saw the fight ... you know Jorge's handiwork -- he somehow managed to slow the bleeding and ultimately prevented Fury from losing the fight (and his championship belt) due to a doctor's stoppage.

So, when we spoke with Capetillo (nicest guy ever BTW), we asked if Fury gave him some love after the fight.

"Yeah, he gave me a bonus, that's for sure!"

Capetillo also told us Fury's cut was THE WORST he's ever seen in his career as a cutman -- and explained his strategy in tending to the wound.

The big question ... how many tubs of Vaseline did you go through?!?!?!

Capetillo says he visited Fury the day after the fight to check in and Tyson was in great spirits -- once again, thanking Jorge for his tremendous work.

Seems Kyrie Irving is off the market ... because his girlfriend is flaunting a massive diamond on her ring finger just days after the NBA star was rumored to have popped the question.

The Brooklyn Nets superstar was out in NYC over the weekend -- but all eyes were on his lady friend, Golden, whose ring is bigger than her knuckle.

The paps congratulated Kyrie and Golden on their engagement ... and the couple didn't exactly deny it.

So, if our math is correct ... ring + PDA + engagement rumors = actual engagement (probably).

We don't know too much about Golden ... other than she's a fashion and fitness influencer with more than 400k followers on Instagram.

By the way, it's been radio silence on the alleged engagement from both Kyrie and Golden on social media ... but they're out in public in real life. So, that still counts right???

Kyrie reportedly just signed a brand new $141 MILLION contract with the Nets -- and he's already made $95 mil in his 8 seasons in the NBA.

The Big Baller Brand is in a state of emergency ... with LaVar and Lonzo Ball getting in a heated argument over the future of the family business ... and LaVar calling his son "damaged goods."

It all went down when the cameras were rolling for their Facebook TV show, "Ball in the Family," ... when Zo asked LaVar if he'd consider changing the company name in wake of the allegations that ex-partner Alan Foster stole MILLIONS from the family.

"Hell no, I wouldn't change the name," LaVar says.

"I'm just saying, from a marketing standpoint ... I'm just asking a question," Zo responded.

"I’m just saying, BBB is always going to be the name on the fact that it also stands for the three Ball brothers. I’m not changing that s**t at all,” LaVar fired back.

Lonzo tries to get the opinion of business partner Chris Rivers, who's also present during the argument ... and that's when LaVar went off.

"I don't give a s**t about his opinion ... listen to me, son. When I come out with a name and then somebody tells me to change it, that’s like me telling me to change your name."

"That’s like people saying ‘Oh, hey, change Lonzo’s name to Alfonzo on the fact that he been damaged goods for the last two years.'"

Yikes ...

Of course ... LaVar is referring to the fact that Lonzo's short NBA career has been plagued with injuries (the Pelicans guard still hasn't played 100 total games yet).

Lonzo says the brand is "demolished" and clearly looks defeated from the argument ... but LaVar doesn't want to give up.

"You're the one that gotta make it grow. I made you guys superstars for a reason. But, if I don't do the things that I'm doing, Zo ... you're just another regular old player."

It's been a rocky few months for BBB ... with Zo's manager telling consumers to throw their ZO2 shoes in the trash ... and Ball admitting his first round of his signature shoes were defective.

Cody Bellinger ain't sure about the MVP debate ... but he is positive about the "MCP" one -- the Dodgers star tells TMZ Sports Christian Yelich is the MLB's "Most Consistent Player" in 2019.

Bellinger and Yelich have gone pretty much swing for swing this season -- at least until Yelich broke his kneecap last week -- leading to an intense debate for who should win the NL's MVP award.

When we got Bellinger out in NYC ... he told us he ain't concerned about winning the honor -- but he says the Brewers superstar certainly deserves the title of "most consistent" at the very least.

"He's probably the most consistent player in the game, for sure," Bellinger says.

Of course, Yelich is done for the season after fouling a ball off his right knee last week ... but his numbers are still incredible -- especially side-by-side with Bellinger's ...

Yelich: 100 runs, 44 home runs, 97 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and a .329 batting average

Bellinger: 112 runs, 44 home runs, 108 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .304 batting average

As for Yelich's injury, Bellinger says it "definitely was" a big loss for the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo admits he was "embarrassed" over news coverage of allegations that he raped a woman in a Las Vegas back in 2009 ... saying he tried to hide the stories from his kids.

"I remember one day I was at home in the living room with my girlfriend watching the television to see the news and they speak about 'Cristiano Ronaldo this and that,'" Ronaldo told Piers Morgan on "Good Morning Britain."

"I listened to my kids coming down the stairs and I changed the channel because I was embarrassed."

"I just changed the channel for Cristiano Jr. not to see that they speak bad about his father about a very bad case."

"It makes me feel so bad to be honest."

Of course, Ronaldo is talking about allegations made by Kathryn Mayorga -- who claims CR7 brought her to his penthouse hotel room in June 2009 after a night of partying and forcibly raped her.

Mayorga went to police after the incident but didn't name Ronaldo in her report. She later cut a deal with Ronaldo in which she would sign a confidentiality agreement in exchange for $375k.

In 2018, Mayorga broke the terms of the deal by filing a civil lawsuit against the soccer star -- claiming he and his team bullied her into signing it in the first place. The civil case is still active.

Officials in Vegas investigated the allegations but ultimately decided NOT to bring criminal charges against Ronaldo citing lack of evidence.

It was only a matter of time ... but Kellen Winslow Jr.'s wife has finally filed to divorce the ex-NFL star months after he was convicted in his rape case.

Janelle Winslow filed the docs on August 30 in San Diego County Superior Court seeking to end their 13-year marriage. The couple has two young children together.

Of course, Winslow -- a former Pro Bowl tight end for the Cleveland Browns -- was found guilty of forcible rape back in June stemming from allegations he sexually assaulted a 58-year-old homeless woman back in May.

He was also found guilty of indecent exposure to another woman and lewd conduct regarding a 3rd accuser.

The jury in the case was deadlocked on 8 other charges -- and the retrial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 30.

If convicted of all 8 remaining charges, Winslow faces up to life in prison.

No, the Falcons didn't just win the Super Bowl ... they just celebrated like they did -- 'cause linebacker Duke Riley led an insane locker room dance party after their W over the Eagles!!

ATL scored a big win over one of the best teams in the league Sunday night -- beating Philadelphia 24-20 -- and their post-game party was pretty epic.

Riley led the way with some awesome moves -- there was arm flailing, bouncing, leg gyrating ... it was awesome!!!

Backup running back Kenjon Barner also got into the circle to flash some of his dance moves -- and good times were had by all.

Of course, star QB Matt Ryan was also in the middle of the celebration -- thanking Marcus Trufant for his two-interception night that helped bail Ryan out of a game where he wasn't great.

While Tom Brady was throwin' bombs to his new teammate, Antonio Brown ... Rob Gronkowski was busy ass-shakin' to some Backstreet Boys in an epic dance-off with his GF!!

The retired Patriots superstar is staying active on his NFL Sundays ... teaming up with his bikini model lady, Camille Kostek, for a public workout at the Boston Seaport with his family's Gronk Fitness business.

The workouts are great and all ... but we're 100% here for the hot couple getting down and GETTING IT to BSB's "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" ... while the whole crowd cheers them on.

The Patriots didn't need Gronk in their 43-0 domination over the Miami Dolphins ... and Gronk sure as hell didn't need the Pats to have a good time, either.

Of course ... maybe the 30-year-old is using BSB to send us a message -- if Backstreet's back, does that mean Gronk could be coming back too??