TMZ Sports - Page 50

There was ZERO chance Odell Beckham was going to get Michael Crabtree'd on Sunday night ... 'cause the star WR straight-up refused to wear his chain against Aqib Talib!!

If you somehow missed it ... Talib and Crabtree had an EPIC beef a couple years ago -- with Talib snatching Crab's gold chain on TWO separate occasions in 2016 and 2017.

Obviously, Odell saw all the drama ... and wanted NO part of it when the Browns took on the Rams -- because he told Talib on the field Sunday, "I had to not wear my chain tonight!"

Don't worry, Talib didn't take it as an insult ... he actually laughed about it and said to Beckham, "Stop that sh**, O!"

But, while Odell's chain might have survived the night ... his game didn't exactly -- Talib shut down the receiver, allowing only six catches for 56 yards.

Tough trade-off.

By the way, Talib and Crabtree eventually squashed their beef at a Texas Go-Kart track last March ... with the guys having a long heart-to-heart outside the place.

We're told the two bro-hugged after chatting and the drama is now dead.

Think Nelson Agholor has bitterness toward a Philadelphia hero who clowned him after saving babies from a fire???

HELL NO ... the Eagles wide receiver is straight-up impressed -- and wants the dude to get VIP treatment at a Philly game soon!!!

Here's the deal if ya missed it ... Hakim Laws heroically helped kids flee from a burning building over the weekend, and afterward, he shaded the hell out of Agholor.

"I see a guy hanging out the window screaming that his kids were in there,” Laws told CBS 3 in Philly.

"My man just started throwing babies out ... and we was catching them, unlike Agholor and all his mishaps."

Of course, Nelson's had the dropsies for the Eagles in the past two weeks ... he blew the chance at a game-winning TD pass vs. the Falcons in Week 2 and had a few more mistakes in a loss to the Lions on Sunday.

But, Agholor took Laws' shade in stride ... and asked Twitter to help him find the guy, saying, "Thank you for being a hero in the community, would like to invite you and your family to the next home game."

AWESOME!!!

This is pretty great ... skate superstar Nyjah Huston is sick of keeping his awards in a room at home, so he turned his newest trophy into a modified booze cup and hit the bars!!!

The 24-year-old just clinched the 2019 Street League Skateboarding championship -- the 5th time he's won the title -- and celebrated by raging with friends.

It started off as a house party ... but things escalated quickly -- with Huston and his pals hitting Poppy nightclub in L.A., one of the hottest spots in town.

By the way, who parties on Monday night?! 24-year-old millionaires. That's who.

But, the best part about the clip ... Huston has taped a red Solo cup to his prize so he could drink from it -- kinda like the NHL's Stanley Cup.

Huston -- along with some of his famous pals, including Faze Banks -- then proceeded to rage their faces off inside the club.

Pretty epic actually.

They passed the trophy around the place. Everybody had a blast. Nobody got arrested or in trouble!! Overall, great night!!

He was also super cool with our photog on the way out of the club ... showing off his Solo cup'd hardware.

The Washington Redskins could definitely use some help in the WR department ... but Joe Theismann is warning his former team -- STAY AWAY FROM ANTONIO BROWN!!!

"I don't care who you need. I don't care what you need ... the answer would not come up 'Antonio Brown,'" Theismann told TMZ Sports.

"You can give me multiple choice on anyone you want, the one that would not come up would be 'Antonio Brown.'"

For his part, AB has said that he's done with the NFL ... and has re-enrolled in online classes at Central Michigan to kill the time.

Theismann says Brown does "unbelievable" things on the field ... but it's just not worth the baggage that comes with it.

"I wouldn't want to be on a team with him," Theismann tells us. "A lot of questions that I would be asked during the course of the week would be about him. It becomes a distraction to be perfectly honest with you."

"There's so much that's going on around his life that it just makes it really tough to say 'I just want to go to work every day and worry about myself.'"

We also ask Theismann about Washington's chances at making the playoffs ... and he is extremely optimistic.

Hey ... someone's gotta be.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling ain't just a beast on the gridiron ... the Green Bay Packers stud WR is a killer on the sticks too -- telling TMZ Sports he could be a pro gamer!!!

The 24-year-old has become Aaron Rodgers' second-favorite target this season ... and after he scored a 40-yard TD on Sunday, he busted out a famous Fortnite dance in the end zone.

So, when we spoke with him on Monday ... we had to ask, what was the inspiration for that???

That's when Valdes-Scantling told us he's a huge gamer ... and he's so good -- he thinks he could be up there on stages with Ninja and FaZe Censor!!!

"I definitely think I'm good enough to play professionally," Marquez says.

Of course, Valdes-Scantling has a pretty good career going for himself in Green Bay ... and tells us there's ZERO chance of him leaving football for pro gaming.

The elderly man who was seriously injured after getting hit by Laila Ali's SUV in 2018 has lawyered up and filed a lawsuit ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported ... Ali accidentally hit a man with her Land Rover while backing out of a Calabasas shopping center in December '18 ... causing him to fall and hit his head on the ground. The man claims he went unconscious for a brief amount of time.

Paramedics and L.A. County Sheriff's deputies quickly responded to the scene ... and Ali cooperated with law enforcement. She was not arrested.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the man -- Robert Ise -- says he suffered a left orbital blowout fracture, a concussion and lacerations and contusions across his body.

Ise claims he still suffers from pain and emotional distress due to Ali's negligence ... and now he wants her to pay for all past and future medical expenses.

Ali released a statement after the accident ... saying she was praying for the man's recovery.

UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens says he got into a physical altercation with Yair Rodriguez the day after an eye-poke ended their main event ... all because Yair was talking trash.

By now, you probably know Saturday's main event was called off seconds after the opening bell when Yair accidentally struck Stephens in the eye with an open hand. The fight was officially ruled a no-contest. Sucks.

Stephens says he saw Rodriguez at the hotel in Mexico the next day ... and Yair was running his mouth about the eye injury while Stephens was hanging with his wife.

"If you're gonna come talk to me and talk sh*t, this is the street! It's a lot different. He's lucky I didn't break his jaw."

Stephens tells us his eye has been checked out by a doctor and expects to be cleared to fight soon ... and he'll be hitting up Dana White ASAP to get a rematch on the books.

"Let's run it back, baby" ... "I know how to beat you. I will beat you."

So, Jeremy says he got in Yair's face and shoved the guy ... essentially warning him to shut his mouth or else.

The 1-2 NY Giants can make the playoffs THIS YEAR with rookie Daniel Jones at quarterback ... so says G-Men legend Tiki Barber.

That's shocking ... the NYG were arguably the 2nd worst team (s/o Fins) over the first 2 weeks of the season -- going 0-2 -- and getting outscored 63-31.

But, that's before the 22-year-old, 6th overall pick, Daniel Jones, made his 1st career start and LIT UP the Bucs in Tampa Bay.

Jones' was 23-for-36 with 336 yards and 2 TD passes ... he also had 2 rushing TDs. The Giants won 32-31.

So, with DJ at the helm, we asked Tiki if it was impossible to think the Giants could make the playoffs ... and listen up Giants fans.

"No, it's not impossible."

Barber says with all the players getting hurt -- especially star QBs (see Drew Brees) -- NY could find itself in a position to make the postseason.

"There may be an opportunity. Injuries play such a big part of it. You just gotta keep plugging forward if you're a Giants fan, you're this Giants team, and be ready if the opportunity should come."

Still, let's be real ... if the Giants squeaked into the playoffs, they're not winning any Super Bowls this season.

But, in the future ... hell yeah. DJ's good enough to win some rings.

"Down the line, could I see Daniel Jones as a Super Bowl-caliber QB??? Absolutely. He's got all the intangible. He's got all the skill sets. His arm is big. He's got touch. He's smart. He makes really good decisions," Barber says.

"I like him, and I think Giants fans are ecstatic right now to go to Giants games and watch this young kid develop."

Daniel Cormier says he's got ONE fight left in his MMA career -- and it ain't against Jon Jones -- he wants a rematch with Stipe Miocic.

"Next one will be the last one," Cormier said to Ariel Helwani ... "It has to be Stipe. No one else matters."

Of course, 40-year-old Cormier said he was pondering retirement after he lost to Miocic at UFC 241 in August ... explaining that he needed to talk things over with his family.

But now, DC says it's crystal clear ... he wants the trilogy fight with Stipe to try and win back the UFC heavyweight title -- and no matter what happens next, it's over after that.

"I love to compete and I don't want to finish like this."

Cormier says there's no fight date set in stone yet -- but he was open to Dec. 14 at UFC 245.

Cormier says he's not sure if Stipe has accepted the fight ... but he's laying all of his cards out on the table -- saying he will NOT fight anyone else, including Jon Jones.

As for Stipe, Cormier says he thinks Miocic might be dealing with some issues of his own ... but he wants to fight sooner rather than later.

One of the guys who snatched Derwin James' Rolex and gold chain at gunpoint last summer has just been sentenced to NINE YEARS in state prison for the crime ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Back in June 2018 ... officials say a man named Kevin Mitchell rolled up on 23-year-old James and his uncle after they ate at Bossa Nova restaurant on Sunset Blvd.

Officials say Mitchell and another man held the L.A. Chargers superstar defensive back and his uncle at gunpoint ... stealing James' pricey watch and chain.

Cops launched an investigation after the incident ... and found a breakthrough a few weeks later, when Mitchell allegedly tried to sell the watch at a pawn shop in the San Fernando Valley.

James confirmed Mitchell was one of the men who robbed him ... and the guy was arrested and hit with FIVE felonies for the crime.

But, Mitchell copped a plea deal with prosecutors this week -- court docs show he was convicted on charges of felony robbery and felony criminal threats and the 3 other charges were dropped.

According to court documents ... for the robbery charge, he was ordered to serve 9 YEARS in state prison as well as pay fines, fees and restitution.

As for the criminal threat charge -- he was ordered to serve 3 years in prison for that crime, but the judge ruled that will be a concurrent sentence to the nine-year one.

During training camp last summer, James spoke about the whole ordeal with reporters, saying, "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody."

"It happened. It was just one of those things that you never expect to happen to you, but it happened and I'm just happy to be out here playing football."

Former Ole Miss and University of Texas quarterback Jevan Snead has died at 32 ... after being found in an Austin apartment unresponsive late Saturday.

According to reports, authorities in Austin responded to a call to help unlock a car or apartment on Saturday and found Snead's body dead on site.

No other information has been made available as of yet, including whether or not Snead has any visible signs of trauma to his head or body. Officials have reportedly said there does not appear to be signs of foul play.

Jevan was one of the most highly recruited QB's in the nation when he signed with Texas in 2005, switching to the Longhorns after his original commitment, Florida, signed a guy named Tim Tebow.

Snead transferred to Ole Miss in 2007 and went on to have great years for the Rebels, finishing in the school's all-time top ten in passing yards.

Snead was not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, but signed with the Tampa Bay Bucs. He was released 3 months later.

Both Ole Miss and Texas have reacted to the news on Twitter, posting tributes to Snead.

Ex-college basketball and BIG3 star Andre Emmett was shot and killed in Dallas on Monday morning ... TMZ Sports has confirmed. He was 37 years old.

According to Dallas PD ... Emmett was approached by 2 suspects while sitting in his car in front of his house around 2:30 AM on Monday. One of the suspects pulled out a gun and an altercation ensued.

Cops say Emmett was gunned down while trying to run away from the suspects ... and he was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Emmett -- the 35th pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2004 NBA Draft -- was the 2nd leading scorer in the 3-on-3 league this past season while playing for 3's Company.

"The BIG3 is in a state of shock over the sudden and tragic death of Andre Emmett," the league said in a statement. "Andre was a member of the BIG3 family for two seasons and never without a smile on his face."

"His kindness towards others and easy-going demeanor made him a joy to be around."

Emmett briefly played for the Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets ... and played several years overseas.

Emmett was a star at Texas Tech under Bob Knight ... and was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2018.

#RIP

Is Justin Bieber to blame for Arkansas football's embarrassing loss to San Jose State this weekend?

Razorbacks QB Nick Starkel seems to think so ... and that's why he's throwing away the famous JB shirt he wears under his pads for every game.

BACKSTORY -- Starkel is a HUGE Bieber fan. In fact, back in 2018, he sent a video to Ellen DeGeneres begging her to help him meet Justin because the singer is his hero!

As a tribute, Starkel also wears a Bieber shirt when he plays ... hoping to draw power from the pop star -- but it hasn't really worked out this year.

Arkansas -- once a mighty college football powerhouse -- is 2-2 this season and just lost on Saturday to San Jose State, not exactly known as a top national program (no disrespect).

Plus, it didn't help that Starkel threw 5 interceptions in the game.

"Bieber shirt has been ripped in half and thrown away," Starkel said in a post after the game.

"No more nonsense. No more distractions. All I’m focusing on is this team and this season. Nothing else."

Well, word got to Bieber ... because the singer reached out to Starkel with a message:

"I'm disappointed."

So, the good news ... Starkel finally heard from his idol. The bad news ... well, that's obvious.

Another allegation of sexual misconduct has come up against Antonio Brown ... this time, the artist who was hired to paint a mural in his home says AB had sex with another woman in front of her while she worked.

The artist, who has not gone public with her identity, was previously featured in a Sports Illustrated article about Brown, in which she claimed the WR got naked and hit on her while she was working at his home in 2017.

In the article, the woman says she declined his advances and felt he was being completely inappropriate ... but never went to cops or took any legal action against him.

After she went public, Brown allegedly sent her a series of menacing text messages as part of a group chat ... instructing associates to look into her personal life. AB included a photo of the artist's children, which she took as a clear threat.

In fact, the artist's attorney, Lisa J. Banks, sent a letter to the NFL saying her client is "understandably frightened by these text messages, which are clearly intended to threaten and intimidate her."

In the letter, Banks rehashes the initial sexual misconduct allegation featured in the SI article ... but then drops this additional allegation.

"What is not detailed in the story is that Mr. Brown engaged in other forms of sexual misconduct during the two days that she worked in his home, which included Mr. Brown having sex with another woman while the artist was working in the same room."

The NFL immediately launched an investigation into Brown -- who was cut the by the New England Patriots a short time later.

A Philadelphia man heroically saved a bunch of children from a burning building on Sunday ... and used his 15 minutes of fame to hilariously roast the hell outta Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor.

The man -- Hakim Laws -- says he was walking down the street in West Philly around 2 AM when he noticed flames coming out of a 2nd story apartment building window ... and sprang into action.

“I see a guy hanging out the window screaming that his kids were in there,” Laws told CBS 3 in Philly.

But, what the dude said after that has to be considered an all-time best local sports news quote ... with Laws taking a huge shot at the Philly WR when explaining his heroic actions.

“My man just started throwing babies out ... and we was catching them, unlike Agholor and all his mishaps.”

DAMN.

Of course, the man is referring to Agholor dropping a Week 2 TD as well as dropping a major 3rd-down pass and coughing up a fumble in Sunday's loss to the Lions (he did catch 2 TDs, though) ... and the dude ain't over it even after saving lives.

Lenny Dykstra will NOT fight Bagel Guy Chris Morgan ... the ex-MLB star has pulled out of the celebrity boxing match just DAYS before it was set to go down.

Dykstra had been promoting the Sept. 28 event for weeks -- he's been training, trash-talking ... he even shoved Morgan during a face-off earlier this month.

But now, it's all over ... Lenny went on Howard Stern Monday morning to make the announcement himself -- "Unfortunately, the fight will not happen."

Lenny's attorney, John Pierce, issued a statement explaining Dykstra pulled out to focus on preparing for his upcoming trial, stemming from a malpractice suit.

As we previously reported, Lenny filed a $15 million lawsuit against L.A. County and several deputies claiming he was badly beaten while serving a jail sentence in 2012.

Now, he's suing the Boucher Law Firm -- which represented him in his lawsuit -- and his new attorney believes the boxing match would be too big of a distraction with that legal issue on the horizon.

Dykstra's attorney says ... "The fight will not be rescheduled."

We're told "Bagel Guy" wants a new opponent -- after all, he's been training with UFC stars like Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta ... and he wants to unleash the fury on someone!

Stay tuned ...