TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's Tom Brady doing his best DB impression ... the G.O.A.T. is backpedaling on his public support for Antonio Brown after the WR went after Patriots owner Robert Kraft over the weekend.

Tom -- who's fully backed AB on social media even after rape allegations -- went on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Monday morning and declined to throw his weight behind AB again.

"I do have a lot of personal feelings, none of which I really care to share," the QB said. "That is about it. It’s a difficult situation. That’s kind of how I feel."

Of course, Tom was singing a very different tune earlier this month ... he was reportedly "one million percent" in on the Pats signing Brown -- and even reportedly offered the guy a room in the Boston-area mansion he shares with Gisele.

Tom also let AB into his personal gym ... and after Brown was cut from the Pats on Friday -- he left heart emojis on AB's Instagram post.

So, what happened to 'cause Brady to change his public gears? Unclear exactly ... but it seems like a safe bet to assume it had something to do with Brown's weekend attack on Kraft.

In a Twitter rant Sunday morning, Brown brought up Kraft's famous solicitation case, writing, "Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly."

The New England owner obviously didn't love the move ... because ESPN's Adam Schefter reported there's no way AB is getting his guaranteed money from the Pats now.

As for Brown, he continued to attack a lot of people on social media ... going after his ex-teammate, Ben Roethlisberger, and TV personality Shannon Sharpe.

Just when you thought Bill Belichick couldn't be a bigger jerk to the media, here's the New England Patriots coach giving a death stare to a reporter who dared to ask about Antonio Brown.

The reporter ain't some scrub ... she's respected journalist Dana Jacobson -- whose resume includes everything from CBS News to CBS Sports to ESPN. She's a pro.

On Sunday, her assignment was to get a quick interview with Belichick before the Pats took on the NY Jets ... and she asked an obvious and appropriate question about Antonio Brown, who just got cut days before the game.

"I think I'd be remiss if I didn't ask what was the final straw with Antonio Brown?"

Belichick responded with a classic deflection, "Yeah, we're focused on the Jets today."

Dana thanks Bill for the interview, but he doesn't thank her back -- instead staring through her with a furious, silent anger you can feel through the screen.

Arnold Schwarzenegger looked like a rock star ... even with just a tiny baton.

The Terminator orchestrated one helluva performance Sunday at the 186th Original Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. He proudly waved his baton with purpose as Münchner Zwietracht rocked out to Die Schlagermafia's "Very Good for Hollywood."

Ya gotta give Arnold credit ... he may not have the technical moves down, but he swings with passion. Arnold was there for the festivities with GF Heather Milligan. He's no stranger to getting down at the world-famous festival. It's kinda an annual thing for him.

As we reported ... Arnold was there last year with Heather to celebrate his son's, Patrick, 25th birthday. And just like he did last year, once again, Arnold wore a traditional Lederhosen -- a light-colored shirt and short leather trousers.

Dennis Rodman says Antonio Brown is a case study on self-sabotage ... telling TMZ Sports the guy basically ran a clinic, "The school of how to ruin your career 101."

Rodman was leaving the Javits Center in L.A. on Sunday with his good friend, Dr. Drew -- when the topic turned to AB's social meltdown over the weekend.

As we previously reported, the troubled WR let his Twitter fingers loose ... saying he's done playing in the NFL while taking shots at his former boss, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Even Rodman was shocked by AB's antics ... and that's saying A LOT. He tried to break it down to us.

"Antonio Brown ... he wasn't focusing enough on his career."

Rodman says Brown tried to be clever but "outsmarted himself" and now HAS to quit the NFL because he basically "has no choice right now."

That said, you can tell Rodman and Dr. Drew hope Brown can get his life back on track -- with Rodman noting, "We all make mistakes."

LeBron James graced the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 2002 ... and if your bank account's big enough, you can own the jersey he rocked when he was introduced to the world.

Bron was a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary HS in Akron, Ohio in '02 -- and the top-ranked player in his class -- when SI sent a writer and photographer to profile the future king.

The magazine -- featuring LBJ on the cover in his #23 gold mesh jersey titled with the words, THE CHOSEN ONE -- was released on February 18, 2002 ... when LeBron was 17 years old.

Now, the jersey James donned on the cover (he also wore the jersey for the majority of his junior season where he averaged 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists a game) is on the block at Goldin Auctions.

Ken Goldin tells us he expects the jersey -- which was given by LeBron to a long-time friend who held onto it 'til now -- could sell for mid-six figures (think 300k, 400k, $500k+).

Since the SI story, Bron's become arguably the greatest hooper of all-time -- racking up 3 NBA Titles, 3 Finals MVP's, 4 NBA MVP's and 15 All-Star nods -- and one of the most famous people on Earth.

The jersey King James wore when America first laid eyes on him can be yours ... if you're rich enough.

Bidding goes 'til October 19. Good luck.

Antonio Brown says he's quitting the NFL because the league is corrupt and has screwed him out of millions of dollars.

Brown just tweeted up a storm, saying, among other things, "Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up!"

What he's saying ... the Patriots signed him to a $15 mil deal with a $9 mil guaranteed signing bonus. But, here's the catch. The $9 mil was reportedly spread out over the season, and he was cut after just one week, and he's not gonna see most of that cash.

But, Brown went further and took aim at the Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft, firing this shot ... "Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes folks clearly." In other words, he's saying there's a double standard for him and the NFL bigwigs. Brown saying Kraft was charged with a crime and he was not, and the NFL hasn't punished Kraft.

He's also pissed because the NFL is investigating, and while that probe continues, he's poison to every team in the league.

This is absolutely awesome ... WWE star Lacey Evans did NOT break character for one iota of a second while being pulled over by cops in Canada. Now, THAT is nasty.

The southern belle wrestling personality recorded an encounter she had with police in Edmonton, Alberta over the weekend -- where she was being given a ticket for allegedly speeding down the highway. To non-WWE fans, it might've come off as intense.

In the video that Lacey posted to her own social media, you can see her get pretty testy with the relatively friendly and polite officer. Oh, Canada ... never change.

As he comes back to her car to hand her the ticket, Lacey goes off on him ... demanding to know whether he even knows who the hell she is. It's hilarious ... he definitely doesn't.

Lacey accepts the ticket with some major attitude, even go so far as to drop her signature catchphrase ... telling the cops he's "nasty" for doing what he did. The guy tells her to have a good day, and she fires back by wishing him a terrible day.

He ends leaving it as politely as he started, welcoming Lacey to Edmonton with a wave and smile. Lacey captioned her tweet, " 1.Canada is terrible. 2. You know Exactly who I am. 3. You will be speaking to my lawyer. #YaNasty." True to form, we must say.

Lacey's known for saying "nasty" A LOT on WWE, whether she's kicking ass in the ring or lecturing rambunctious co-workers from the stage. Talk about commitment, huh?

Warren Moon has a message for Donovan McNabb ... you WILL be a Hall of Famer -- so stop campaigning for it!!!

D-Mac stirred up the football world just a few months ago when he told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airing weeknights on FS1) that he belongs in Canton.

Moon saw the interview ... and wishes McNabb had been a little more neutral on his stance -- saying there's ZERO need for D-Mac to plead his case.

"I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame," Moon told the guys. "If you look at his numbers and what he did over the course of his career -- he went to four NFC championship games, he went to a Super Bowl."

But, Warren added, "I just think when you start campaigning for this, it's not a good look."

McNabb was just named one of 122 finalists for the 2020 Hall of Fame ... and he immediately took to Twitter saying, "Let's make sure we go out and vote. 'Fly Eagles Fly.'"

Moon thinks that's just unnecessary, saying, "I wish he would have never made any comments about it."

Think wrestling is a bunch of phony hogwash?? Gather 'round, naysayers, 'cause it's 💀HORRIFYING REAL INJURY STORYTIME 💀 ... starring WWE superstar Xavier Woods!!

The storylines may be scripted ... but The New Day member tells TMZ Sports he once had a REAL gnarly injury experience ... and it involves his teeth making contact with a foot.

"One time, I got kicked in the face and my 2 front teeth flattened up against the top of my mouth and it broke my gum in half."

Umm ... OUCH?!

What's crazy about all this ... is Woods says he wanted to keep wrestling after it happened, but he was warned, "You're gonna bleed everywhere!!"

As if this story wasn't cringe enough ... here's what happened after.

"The doctor had to put her foot on the armrest of the chair, put her fingers up underneath my teeth and just pull them back into place before they could numb anything."

😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲 😲

Again ... OUCH!!!!!!!!

Woods says he got stitched up and now has a new pair of pearly whites, thanks to the accident.

"That was pretty terrible."

Milwaukee Bucks Owner Wes Edens obviously isn't afraid of commitment ... because he just told our cameras he's ready to make a lifelong pact with his star, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"We want to be a part of his life for the rest of his basketball career."

That is what Edens told our cameras when we got him out in New York City promoting his new tequila, Cincoro -- which he launched with other NBA owners including Michael Jordan ... adding that it is not just the MVP's game that makes him want to basketball marry him, but his makeup as a man.

"He's an amazing guy, he's amazing to the organization, he's amazing to his family."

Here's the thing ... it seems like the love goes both ways, the nearly 7-feet-tall Greek Freak recently said he wants to have a career like Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan ... staying in one place forever.

Donald Penn's got a new home in the NFL ... and now he's trying to get rid of his old home in L.A. ... 'cause the Washington Redskins lineman is selling his $5.2 million mansion!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 36-year-old Pro Bowl tackle is parting ways with his 8-bedroom, 11-bath Encino pad ... which comes with a private home theater and a freakin' walk-in shoe closet!!

If that ain't enough, the 11,000-square foot place also has a game room, private gym and a sauna ... as well as 2 private guest suites.

Oh, yeah ... AND it's got a pool!!

Penn was an undrafted free agent out of Utah State ... but grinded his way to a 13-year career with the Vikings and Raiders ... and made more than $60 MILLION along the way.

So, why did he have a home in L.A.? Penn was born and raised in SoCal ... and was a star standout at St. Bernard HS.

Claressa Shields still has Amanda Nunes squarely in her sights, and has taken steps to make the fight a reality ... telling TMZ Sports she's met with an MMA coach and her manager talked to Dana White.

Shields -- who's only 24 years old -- is a beast. She holds belts in 2 weight classes, and is looking to make history as the fastest fighter to be a champion in 3 different divisions.

Vasyl Lomachenko accomplished the feat in only 12 fights ... if Claressa wins her October 5 fight with Ivana Habazin, the record is hers.

That's not the only history Shields wants to write ... when we talked to Claressa on Friday, she told us she's seriously considering taking up MMA ... with the end goal being a Nunes superfight.

"I'm really a hard worker, and I'm dedicated to the craft. I eat right, I don't drink, I don't smoke. When you have an athlete like that, and I'm young, I can really pretty much do anything right now," Shield says.

"It has been thoughts to actually start training. I've actually sat and talked with an MMA coach. Shit can get serious real quick."

In order to make this happen ... Dana White -- who previously told us he's open to the idea -- needs to be on board, and Claressa says her manager has already talked to the UFC honcho.

Shields isn't just gonna jump from the boxing ring into the Octagon and fight Nunes, she says she needs to develop her ground skills ... and take a few warm-up matches.

Ex-Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell says he's turning to poetry to help his mental health after retiring from football ... saying the art form is "soothing."

Mitchell signed a 4-year deal in New England back in 2016 and helped the team win a Super Bowl that season. But, the 27-year-old battled injuries every year after that, and eventually retired last March.

Now, he's telling TMZ Sports he's become a writer ... and poetry has helped him transition from being a violent football player to an artist.

"It's soothing," Mitchell says. "I was talking to a reporter the other day about the mental health aspect of retiring from something you've been doing your whole life."

"Like, imagine if you couldn't do this anymore? You'd be stuck, right?"

Mitchell is currently finding HUGE success in the writing world ... he helped author the popular children's book "The Magician's Hat" -- and he's got a picture book on the way too.

But, he says poetry has become a real passion for him ... telling us, "Introducing that in a creative way is something that entices me."

Antonio Brown is back home after a turbulent past few weeks and an effective firing from the New England Patriots -- and he doesn't look too happy about it

The embattled wide receiver was seen exiting his private jet Saturday as he touched down in Miami -- where he owns a home. As he walked the runway, AB had an incredibly pained look on his face ... which is understandable after everything that's happened.

BTW, he was wearing Supreme gear here up top -- not Nike, which just dropped him this past week amid the mounting allegations. He also carried a Louis Vuitton briefcase.

While he looked pretty down in the dumps when he got back to Miami, AB was trying to put on a brave paid face before leaving the airport in New England ... posting a photo of himself sitting on top of a Rolls-Royce with the caption, "The Journey #Iknowimspecial #Whytheyplaying." Looks like he snuck in some Nike after all in his footwear.

As we reported ... Antonio was released by the Patriots Friday after a whirlwind of bad news for him, including a lawsuit alleging rape and sexual assault ... a Sports Illustrated story detailing more alleged sexual and behavioral misconduct ... as well as a reported attempt to contact one of his accusers with menacing texts.

Despite one good outing, it looks like the Pats had seen enough ... cutting him loose before Sunday's game against the Jets. AB's an unrestricted free agent now, and the NFL is still investigating the claims against him, not having come to a conclusion yet.

There's a ton of money in Esports ... and there could be GOLD in video games soon too ... 'cause Fortnite superstar Ninja says gaming WILL be in the Olympics -- it's just a matter of time.

Of course, Esports is bigger than ever -- the prize pool for the Fortnite World Cup was $30 MILLION in July (shout-out to 16-year-old gamer Bugha, who took home $3 milli for winning).

Ninja doesn't think the sport's done growing ... 'cause he says gamers will be representing their country on the sticks VERY soon.

"For me, I just think it's going to be time," Ninja tells TMZ Sports. "I think that obviously, the younger generation enjoys Esports and enjoys watching video games. Eventually, that's what they're gonna want and that's what the TV people are gonna want to show and represent."

"Just give a little bit of time and Esports will be there."

As for how soon it can happen, we ask if it can happen in time for the 2028 Games in L.A. ... and Ninja says he "wouldn't put it out of the question."

The UFC is creating a REAL custom "Baddest Mother F**ker" belt for the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal fight ... and Dana White says it ain't cheap!!!

"I think it's gonna be like $50,000," White tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, the whole thing came about after Nate Diaz defeated Anthony Pettis in August and, during a post-fight interview, declared himself the 'BMF' champion of the world.

"We're fighting for the baddest mother f**ker in the game belt and that's mine," Diaz said after the Pettis fight ... "So, I'd like to defend it against Jorge Masvidal."

White liked the idea and the UFC is running with it -- in fact, White says Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has already agreed to present the belt to the winner of the fight on November 2 at UFC 244, which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City!!!