TMZ Sports - Page 50

If you thought Taraji P. Henson's movie, "What Men Want," was a new take on "What Women Want," think again -- a screenwriter says it's really a rip-off of his script, and now he's suing Paramount.

Joe Carlini says he wrote a screenplay entitled "What the F Is He Thinking?" back in 2015, and shopped it around Hollywood -- but Joe admits he struck out. No one bit.

In his lawsuit, Joe says he had meetings with reps for big-time production companies, including Weinstein, Montage and Bloom. He even spoke to several actors about starring in his movie. Yes, he dropped some names in the docs ... James Franco, Chris Pratt, Nick Swardson and King Bach.

Still, it never took flight. Cut to 2 years later ... when, according to the docs, the film's producers get Taraji on board for their film. When it came out in 2019, Joe says it was painfully obvious, to him anyway, they'd jacked his script.

Among the similarities he saw: both main characters wish they could understand men better ... both fall and hit their heads after partying ... and both wake up in the hospital and discover they can hear men's thoughts.

Antonio Brown is NOT done with the NFL -- despite what he said on social media ... this according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who says he's been in talks with multiple teams.

"I have had discussions with a few teams that are very interested in him and want to know about his future and what's going on with the NFL," Rosenhaus said on Warren Sapp's '99 Problems' podcast.

"Hopefully, when that is all resolved, Antonio will be able to continue his Hall of Fame career."

Rosenhaus did not mention any of the interested teams by name.

Of course, Brown swore off the NFL on Sunday morning ... just days after he was cut by the New England Patriots.

"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!"

NFL sensation Gardner Minshew II is admitting his master plan to break his hand with a hammer in college was a "pretty dumb" idea ... and says he's grateful he didn't succeed.

Uhh... YA THINK!?!?

Of course, the Jacksonville Jaguars QB revealed the INSANE story of smashing his hand with a hammer on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" last week ... saying he was trying to get a medical red shirt so he could play another year of ball during his first year at East Carolina University.

Minshew has clearly given some thought about his failed attempt at shattering his paw ... saying in hindsight, it probably wasn't the best way to go about things.

"It didn't work, I guess, fortunately. I mean... looking back, it was pretty dumb," Minshew told reporters on Wednesday. "Believe it or not, breaking your hand is pretty dumb."

"I always tell people [when they ask], 'what would you do to play more ball?' ... damn near anything."

Baker Mayfield is teeing off on Rex Ryan for calling him "overrated as hell" ... saying Rex's opinion doesn't matter -- and he's out of the NFL for a reason!!

The coach-turned-analyst took a shot at the Cleveland Browns QB on ESPN's "Get Up!" on Tuesday following the team's loss to the Rams ... saying Mayfield's not as good as people think.

"I bought into the dang hype," Ryan said. "What's he doing right? Here's a guy right now that's a one-read guy and then he's gonna improvise."

Ryan also bashed Baker for being slow and inaccurate down the field.

Mayfield was asked whether Rex's comments added "fuel to the fire" on Wednesday... and that's when he ripped into the coach for not having a football gig.

"It's whatever," Mayfield said. "In the wise words of Freddie Kitchens -- 'if you don't wear Orange and Brown, you don't matter.' Rex Ryan doesn't have any colors right now for a reason, so it's okay."

BOOM.

Baker has a history of going after media members who are critical of him -- just ask Colin Cowherd.

It'll be interesting to see how these comments shake out though -- considering Rex had a consistent career as a coach in the NFL from 1999 to 2016 ... and has a Super Bowl ring from his stint as a defensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens.

As a head coach, Rex also took the NY Jets to the AFC title game in his first 2 seasons with the team. His career record as an NFL head coach is 65-68 with 4 playoff wins.

Baker has led his Browns to 8 wins in 16 games since being selected as the #1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez will face a Pennsylvania judge Wednesday in his child sex case -- where he's expected to enter a plea to charges he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl.

TMZ Sports has obtained Vazquez's new mug shot ahead of his court hearing ... and, as you can see, the Pirates' All-Star closer has definitely seen better days.

Vazquez is facing 3 felony charges in Pennsylvania -- statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with minor and corruptions of minors.

He's also facing 1 misdemeanor charge -- assault of a person less than 16.

As we previously reported, Vazquez is accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Mustang in Pennsylvania back in 2017.

Officials say the 28-year-old also sent the girl graphic videos and photos -- and told her in text messages he was planning to have sex with her again.

The texts were discovered by the alleged victim's mother -- who alerted police. Investigators say the images depicted numerous "unique and distinguishable" tattoos on his body ... which they were able to match to Vazquez through public images on the Internet.

Cops claim Vazquez admitted to the crime during a Sept. 17 interrogation ... telling investigators he had "sex but not really" with the victim.

Meanwhile, in Florida -- where the alleged victim claims she received the lewd text messages -- he's facing 2 felony charges ... 1) giving obscene material to a minor and 2) soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct.

A hearing in Florida has not been scheduled -- we're told officials will closely monitor the case in Pennsylvania before making any major decisions.

Vazquez is a 2-time All-Star who was having a great season for the Pirates in 2019. He currently has a 1.65 ERA, 28 saves and 90 strikeouts. He signed a 4-year, $22.5 million contract in 2018.

Think Bills fans will continue their tradition of throwing sex toys at Tom Brady and the Patriots??

New betting odds will reward you if you're right ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned you can actually make money off this ridiculous thing!!!

A rep for BetOnline.ag says Bills fans are actually favored to NOT throw a fake phallus this weekend when the Pats come to New Era Field ... putting the odds at -130.

If you want to throw down cash saying a rubber dong will come flying in when the Bills take on New England on Sunday ... the odds are -110.

Of course, Buffalo fans have been inexplicably throwing sex toys onto the field every time the Pats have come to town since 2016 ... but the act hasn't come without a cost.

Bills officials have imposed LIFETIME BANS for people who are caught throwing the sex toys ... which is why this bet is so damn intriguing.

Kickoff between the two teams is set for 10 AM PT ... keep your slips handy!!!

Aaron Judge made 2 of his biggest fans bawl their eyes out ... but they definitely weren't sad tears, 'cause the MLB slugger hooked them up with his bat and gloves!!

The moment is incredible ... a little girl and boy got to meet their favorite player on the field before NY faced off against the Rays in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

But, Judge -- who's always down to meet his small supporters -- didn't want them to leave empty-handed ... gifting the boy his bat and the girl his batting gloves!!

The kids' reactions will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside ... as they start sobbing with happiness when they realize what just happened. The girl even collapsed to the dirt with emotion!!

Judge knows what these moments mean to his fans ... remember,  last month he surprised a little kid whose dad just recently died.

Kyle Long ain't shying away from the fact that thousands of people just saw his junk ... in fact, the Bears offensive lineman is actually joking about the whole ordeal!!!

After Chicago beat up the Washington Redskins on Monday night, Long's penis was accidentally exposed while teammate Tarik Cohen live streamed from the locker room on Instagram. Oops!!!

Cohen took down the vid just minutes after realizing he accidentally exposed Long's man junk, but the damage had already been done -- Long was trending on social media.

But, Kyle is taking the whole incident in stride ... he appeared on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" -- and he and the 'PMT' guys slyly and hilariously joked about it.

Some of the highlights from Long ...

"The D was out in numbers."

"You would think with my large stature there'd be more, like, jumbo packages."

"I had heard about a cold front coming in, and I guess I just wasn't prepared for it, man. Because it hit me hard right at the end of the game."

NHL superstar Auston Matthews is facing disorderly conduct charges in AZ ... after the Maple Leafs center allegedly dropped trou and grabbed his ass in front of a female security guard, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to the police report ... the guard was sitting in her vehicle outside Matthews' condo complex in Scottsdale around 2 AM on May 26 ... when the 22-year-old and his friends tried to open the locked car door.

The guard -- who claims the group appeared to be drunk -- says the guys thought it would be funny ... but she didn't consider it a laughing matter.

In the report, the guard claims Matthews started to walk away when he dropped his pants to his ankles and grabbed his butt cheeks -- while keeping his skivvies on.

According to the report ... the whole interaction is on video, showing a man walking towards the building's elevator with his pants around his ankles.

The guard filed a complaint with cops a few days later ... and was ultimately charged with 1 count of disorderly conduct.

Matthews -- the #1 overall pick in 2016 -- has a hearing later this week.

Matthews is a STUD on the ice -- he's had more than 200 points in 3 seasons and just inked a $58 million contract extension earlier this year.

Matthews' NHL squad released a statement on Tuesday ... saying “The Toronto Maple Leafs are aware of the complaint of disturbing the peace against forward Auston Matthews."

"Auston is cooperating fully with the relevant authorities but neither he nor the Club will comment any further out of respect for the process involved.”

Here's a cool Lakers team-building exercise ... LeBron James, Anthony Davis and a bunch of their L.A. teammates hit up a WNBA playoff game in Vegas on Tuesday -- and they bro'd out HARD!!!

The Aces took on the Washington Mystics at the Mandalay Bay Events Center ... and to get acquainted with each other, the Lakers made a date night out of it.

LBJ, AD, Kyle Kuzma, Dwight Howard (good to see Howard getting along with his teammates!) and a few other Lakers studs were there ... and as you can see in the pics -- they had a blast!!

Of course, WNBA games are becoming SUPER popular among athletes ... even Warriors forward Draymond Green was spotted courtside.

In fact, Raiders owner Mark Davis was also there!!

The on-the-court action lived up to the hype ... the Mystics beat the Aces, 94-90, winning their playoff series over Vegas, 3-1.

By the way, Elena Delle Donne did her best LeBron impression in the game ... scoring 25 points with 6 rebounds in 37 minutes.

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles star Hollis Thomas says his firing from his gig on a Philly sports radio station may have been racially motivated ... and a lawsuit is at least crossing his mind.

The 45-year-old former defensive tackle (who spent 10 seasons with the Eagles) made regular appearances on 94.1WIP -- until recently. Many wondered what happened -- and on Tuesday he went on Josh Innes' podcast to explain.

Long story short ... Hollis says he caught flack from WIP for appearing on Green Legion Radio, which WIP considers to be a competitor.

Thomas also says the station was upset because he didn't make a scheduled promotional appearance for the station ... but Hollis says the station didn't give him the details about the appearance until he was already booked to do something else.

Thomas says he was a part-time employee and felt he was allowed to take side gigs for extra money.

"Don't act like you all-in on Hollis Thomas. Because if you're not all-in with me, I'm not all-in with you."

Thomas also suggested a racial component to his firing.

"I could sue for discrimination because I am the only black guy up there .. and it looks real bad when you single out the one black guy who's just trying to make a little bit of cheese."

Innes, who is white, told Thomas not to sue because it would be a bad look for him. Thomas didn't completely dismiss the idea.

Andre Emmett was held up at gunpoint and then tried to run for his life before he was chased, shot in the back and killed in Dallas ... new video shows.

The Dallas Police Dept. released footage captured by a Ring Doorbell near the murder scene showing the ex-NBA player and BIG3 star apparently being pulled out of his car by gunmen on Monday morning.

It all went down at Emmett's home in Old East Dallas where you can see a group of men yelling at the 37-year-old while he sits in his silver Range Rover.

As they approach the car, Emmett clearly knew he was in imminent danger and immediately tried to run away from the scene ... but one of the men pulled out a gun and opened fire.

Antonio Gates is going to bat for his ex-teammate ... telling TMZ Sports the Chargers need to pay Melvin Gordon ASAP -- and they need to give him Ezekiel Elliott money when they do!!!

MG has been sitting out this season in hopes of getting a fat new deal ... and the Bolts have struggled without him -- going just 1-2 in their first 3 games.

Gates says the solution is just to pay Gordon, telling us when we got him out at Avra in Bev Hills this week, "Melvin Gordon is the answer. They need to get Melvin Gordon back."

As for how much Dean Spanos should pay the star RB ... Gates says the deal belongs in the same stratosphere as the 6-year, $90 MILLION contract that Zeke just got from the Cowboys.

"He means a lot to the Chargers and to our organization," Gates says. "You can sense that as the season gets going, the absence of him is starting to have more effect."

Gates -- the Chargers' all-time receptions leader -- says it's obvious to him the team is really missing Gordon when it gets down in the red zone, saying, "He's big time."

But, don't worry Chargers fans ... Gates says he believes the deal will all get worked out soon, telling us, "I think he's going to get paid."

Tim Tebow's taking his upcoming wedding as serious as one of his workouts ... 'cause the ex-Heisman Trophy winner was sweating his face off practicing his moves with his fiancee!!

The former NFL first-round pick showed off his waltzin' skills with Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters ... and he also flashed a healthy sweat that could be seen through his pink shirt.

Don't worry ... Demi-Leigh -- Miss Universe 2017 -- didn't seem to mind the perspiration ... in fact, she shouted out the guy for improving!!!

"Getting better," she wrote ... "one step at a time."

Unclear if the couple is planning on making this their first dance at their wedding ... but the celebration appears to be coming up soon.

Remember, the two got engaged back in January ... and their posts about their upcoming wedding have REALLY started to heat up.

Which means ... only a few more weeks left with that v-card, Timmy!!!

Ex-NFL lineman Kendrick Norton -- who lost most of his left arm in a July 4 car crash -- now believes the accident was meant to be ... because he's in a position to help so many other people.

It hasn't even been 3 full months since the crash that ended his NFL career and changed his life forever ... but Norton is in great spirits and launching his non-profit organization, Kendrick Norton's Angels Initiative.

The 22-year-old former Miami Dolphins player says the organization is aimed at helping young amputees and their families in various ways ... from upgrading prosthetics, helping to make homes handicap accessible, spearheading blood drives and more.

What Norton is doing is nothing short of amazing -- and he strongly believes this is his purpose in life.

"The more I get out there and the more I help, the more I feel like this was supposed to happen. This was my calling."

Norton later told us he feels like this is all part of God's plan for him.

As we previously reported, Norton (a 7th-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft) was battling for a roster spot with the Dolphins when he crashed his truck on July 4 with his girlfriend, Kira, in the vehicle.

The two have since launched a YouTube page chronicling life as an amputee. It's pretty inspiring stuff.

Mark Rypien's wife was on the ground gasping for air and choking after the former Super Bowl MVP struck her ... and it's all on new police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Rypien and his wife got into an argument in their car on a busy street in Spokane, Washington on June 30 when Rypien says things got physical.

The 56-year-old -- who won two championships with the Redskins in the late '80s and early '90s -- claims his wife, Danielle Rypien, struck him in the head with a cell phone and poured water on him while he was driving. He also claims she covered his eyes while they were on the road and, when he got scared, he hit her.

In video previously obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see Danielle spill out of the car onto the ground and collapse onto a grassy area of a nearby bank parking lot.

New police video shows what happened next ... cops interrogated Rypien and his wife over the incident, and the former QB admitted to striking her.

"She was covering my face up when I was driving and I was scared and I just said, 'Get away from me!'" Rypien said.

Cops say they also noticed the driver's seat was wet -- seemingly corroborating his story that Danielle had poured water on him.

When the cops asked why she was coughing and choking ... Rypien added, "She just had the wind knocked out of her when I kind of threw her hand off me."

"She was covering my face up and I was scared we were going to get into a wreck."

Cops questioned both Rypien and his wife for the next few minutes over the incident ... but Danielle appeared to refuse to tell officers what really went down -- saying she was worried about what would happen to Mark if he went to jail.

"He raises money for cancer and it will hurt his reputation," she told police.

She also told cops Rypien is "sick" -- suffering from head trauma sustained during his days in the NFL.

Eventually, cops decided to arrest the ex-QB ... telling Rypien that, since he admitted to hitting Danielle, "I do not have any choice but to place you under arrest for domestic violence."

The video also shows cops acknowledging Rypien as a "pretty high-profile person" -- and discussing how to handle the situation appropriately.

Rypien was eventually charged with misdemeanor domestic violence ... and after fighting the case in court throughout the summer, he eventually got the charge dismissed on Aug. 30.

According to court docs, Rypien was able to get the charge dropped because he "acknowledged the event and is pursuing counseling."

For his part, Rypien released a statement after the court's ruling, saying, "In light of the dismissal of the misdemeanor assault charge against me, I want to express my appreciation to the citizen callers who reported this incident and to the officers involved for their efforts to protect Danielle on the day of this incident."

"I also appreciate the professionalism of the officers, jail staff, court personnel and the prosecutor's office in having treated me with respect and civility through a very difficult process."