TMZ Sports - Page 50

Going head-to-head with the gnarliest dudes in the world in America's gridiron games is the second most painful things these NFL athletes have done in their lives ... 'cause they also have gotten some epic ink as well.

These pro-football players are choosing to express themselves in more ways than one on the field ... and in order to properly stand out from the crowd, some of these big-time ballers have been tatted up in ink-redible ways!!!

Looks like the Bagel Guy pulled a fast one on folks hoping he'd get in the ring with Dustin Diamond -- aka Screech -- 'cause he just announced he's not fighting the guy.

Chris Morgan took to Twitter Saturday night to laugh in fans' faces as he pulled out of the celeb boxing event in Jersey that he and others had been hyping up for weeks now. In a bizarre video he posted, Chris says ... "I fooled you all! I ain't coming to the fight!"

He went on to say that the best way to NOT get hit is to not be there, and then continued to mock everyone who paid to see him duke it out with Screech.

Chris didn't make it immediately clear why he canceled last-minute, but in two videos he'd gone live with prior to the boxing match -- in which he's sitting alone in his car and arguing with fans who engage him -- he alluded to not wanting to be a laughing stock.

Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez are already negotiating what would be the biggest -- and most in-demand -- cameo spot during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Almost immediately after J Lo and Shakira announced they were co-headlining the event ... fans started buzzing that Pitbull is a MUST-HAVE guest on the stage too. Turns out some big wigs in Miami feel exactly the same way.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Pitbull's camp has had recent talks with J Lo's team and the NFL about making the guest appearance happen. More than that ... we're told honchos at Hard Rock Cafe International are pushing for Mr. Worldwide (formerly Mr. 305) to get on the stage. Remember, the game's being played at Hard Rock Stadium.

We're told everyone's aware of the groundswell to have an authentic Miami artist to rep the city -- and the obvious choices are Pitbull or Gloria Estefan.

With LaMelo Ball reportedly open to signing a shoe contract outside of the Big Baller Brand, TMZ Sports has learned Nike has a serious interest in working with the 18-year-old.

Our Nike sources tell us ... the company is actively scouting the youngest Ball brother and even has a scout in Australia monitoring him as plays pro ball overseas.

We're told Nike has not made a formal offer at this point, but the interest is real -- and we're guessing the fact Melo has been rocking Nike shoes lately is a good sign for the Swoosh.

Of course, things could get dicey with LaVar Ball who says he's deadly serious about reviving the Big Baller Brand after a disastrous first run.

Jermell Charlo ain't fighting this weekend ... but all eyes are gonna be on him anyway, 'cause the boxing star just copped an insane amount of jewelry worth $553k!!!

The former WBC light middleweight champ is gonna be iced out when he hits up the Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter boxing match at Staples Center on Saturday ... with a haul that would make Floyd Mayweather blush.

Charlo hit up celeb jeweler Iceman Nick for the task for the watch, chain, pendant, rings and bracelet order. Here's the breakdown:

Errol Spence says anyone who thinks Shawn Porter can't beat him is DEAD wrong ... 'cause Spence says Showtime definitely has what it takes to pull the upset.

Porter is a heavy betting underdog in the fight this weekend -- even though Shawn is an elite fighter himself -- and current WBC Welterweight champion.

Most think Spence is too big and skilled to lose the fight, but when we talked to Errol he told us he's not even listening to that talk ... cause he knows how good Porter is.

"This is a huge fight. He has the pedigree to upset me if I'm not on pinpoint and I'm not sharp and I'm not accurate. Me, I'm going to stay focused and not care about the odds."

Those odds are pretty lopsided -- you have to bet $800 on Errol just to win $100 -- but Spence says being the favorite hasn't changed his process.

"I'm 100% focused on the hunt."

Errol has another reason to lock in as well ... he's eyeing a big-money match-up with Manny Pacquiao down the line.

But, lose Saturday, that $100 million fight goes up in smoke.

No pressure though, right???

We also talked to Porter ... and no surprise, he also believes he can beat Spence. In fact, he says it's a 100% lock he wins.

UFC fighter Steven Peterson's spinning backfist was so vicious there's buzz it could be "KO of the Year" ... except the guy who landed the crushing blow says he doesn't deserve it.

That honor is reserved for Gamebred ... Peterson tells TMZ Sports.

"Man, I would love to get knockout of the year, but I can't beat Jorge Masvidal's knockout. You can't beat the flying knee knockout. I bet I'll get runner up, and I'm happy with that. I'm ecstatic to have runner up behind Jorge Masvidal."

Of course, Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee 5 seconds into their July fight.

Spectacular ... but so was Peterson's.

If you missed his fight, the 29-year-old featherweight switched off Martin Bravo's lights with a perfectly placed spinning backfist in the 2nd round at UFC Fight Night 159 Saturday night.

So, what was it like landing the perfect shot full force to the button of Bravo's chin???

Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion ever ... but there's another champion he could've been ... UFC champion, so says MMA legend Rashad Evans.

Mike and Rashad are buddies and business partners -- remember Tyson recently hooked Evans up with boxing pointers on the sideline of an NFL game -- so when we talked to "Suga," we asked how Iron Mike would've fared in the Octagon.

"He could've been amazing, because every single time he lowers his level in a crouch situation, that could've been him faking for a shot and doing a level change, or doing a shot. So, he would've thrown the person off not knowing if he was going for a shot or go for a punch."

"You know when Tyson came up from that crouch position. He was coming up with those hands and that left hook, overhand right. It would've been lights out."

But, UFC heavyweight champion???

"Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. At a young age too. That's the thing, Mike Tyson's a sponge. That's one thing I learned about Mike, Mike knows everything. Mike's gonna study everything. There's no doubt in my mind, he would've been proficient in almost every aspect of the sport just because that's the way his mind works."

FYI, Rashad -- who was retired -- just secured his release from the UFC ... and is now available to sign with other promotions. We're told he's looking to take a fight in the near future.

So, the former light heavyweight champ's back ... but now he's got some schooling from Mike Tyson.

Malik McDowell -- the ex-NFL D-lineman who attacked a cop during an arrest earlier this year -- is in more trouble ... he's back in custody after a judge ruled he intentionally tampered with his ankle monitor.

McDowell has been fighting multiple charges stemming from his February arrest where he got violent with a police officer ... but he had been out on bond while his case played out in the Michigan court system.

But, TMZ Sports has learned McDowell was ordered to be back in custody after a judge ruled he violated the terms of his bond.

A rep for the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office tells us it appears McDowell left town for a longer period of time than he was permitted ... and when he got back, he tried to tamper with his ankle monitor to cover it up.

At a hearing this week, a judge ruled it to be an intentional act ... and McDowell was thrown back in jail.

The rep says it's likely McDowell will remain in custody until he's due back in court next month.

As we previously reported, McDowell is facing 2 counts of felony assaulting and resisting, 1 misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated and 1 misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license for his cop fighting case.

Today in Baker Mayfield trash talk ... the Cleveland Browns QB is shooting right back at a troll for comparing him to Antonio Brown ... and calling out the controversial NFL superstar in the process.

The troll went to Bake's IG comments on Friday to criticize his post about being a college walk-on and beating the odds to becoming a Heisman winner ... saying the caption was "AB'ish."

"Win football games. That speaks louder than these AB'ish style posts..." the comment said.

If you know Mayfield, you know he ain't taking that lightly ... and he fired right back at the dude.

"you're right... let me call out my teammates and throw a fit about my helmet then go freeze my feet off."

Bake is obviously referring to AB's eventful past few months ... which has landed AB from the Steelers to the Raiders to the Patriots and now to free agency.

Mayfield is no stranger to speaking his mind ... just ask Daniel Jones, Rex Ryan and Colin Cowherd.

The war between Antonio Brown and a celebrity chef is getting uglier ... new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports show the cook is now accusing the WR of slander.

AB and a celeb chef named Stefano Tedeschi have been fighting it out in court since July when Tedeschi filed a lawsuit alleging Brown stiffed him out of $38,521.20.

Tedeschi claims he and Brown struck an agreement where AB would pay him to cook for him, his family and his friends for 3 days at the Pro Bowl in Orlando in January 2018.

But, Tedeschi says AB never paid up ... and claims it's all because of a frozen fish head.

Brown eventually called BS on Tedeschi in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this month ... going scorched-earth on the chef, writing, "[Tedeschi's] complaint is nothing more than a fledgling action to promote the career of a chef who will use any attempt or frivolous claim to seek fame and/or fortune."

Now, Tedeschi is firing back ... in new court docs, Tedeschi is accusing Brown of defamation.

Tedeschi says Brown's words were "slanderous, defamatory and not the type of language one would expect to see in a professional legal document."

Tedeschi -- who wants the court to deny Brown's motion entirely -- added, "This language can only be viewed as an effort to smear [Tedeschi]."

We reached out to Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, for comment on the new docs ... and he told us, "There was simply no defamatory statement made."

The basketball net from one of the most legendary sporting events ever -- Willis Reed's miraculous comeback in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals -- is up for auction!!!

The backstory ... Red Holzman's NY Knicks -- who had a great 60-22 season -- were favored to beat the L.A. Lakers in the Finals. However, the Knicks championship aspirations appeared to sustain a death blow when superstar Willis Reed tore his thigh muscle in Game 5.

Knotted up at 3 games each, no one expected Reed to play in the decisive 7th game. Somehow, he did ... limping onto the Madison Square Garden hardwood to a roaring ovation.

Reed scored the game's first 2 baskets ... and played lockdown defense on Wilt Chamberlain.

The Knicks won the game 113-99 ... and were NBA champions for the first time.

After the game, the net from one of the hoops was presented to Holzman ... and the Hall of Fame coach kept them until his death in 1998.

After he passed away, Red's family held the net until now ... when they put the historic piece of memorabilia up for auction at SCP Auctions.

Now, it can be yours, hoop fans ... bidding ends Saturday afternoon.

Robert Garrison -- the actor best known for playing Tommy in "The Karate Kid" and its sequel -- has died ... according to his family.

Garrison's sister-in-law tells TMZ ... he died Friday morning at a hospital in West Virginia. She says his passing wasn't sudden -- he had been in the hospital for over a month dealing with kidney and liver issues.

We're told the family is currently working on funeral arrangements.

Ralph Gracie -- 5th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and ex-MMA fighter -- has been charged with felony assault ... after allegedly knocking a Jiu-Jitsu champion out cold with an elbow, and then kicking him in the face.

The alleged incident went down December 15, 2018 on the sidelines of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships in Anaheim, CA.

Officials say Gracie -- whose grandfather Carlos Gracie developed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu -- attacked 5-time world champ Flavio Almeida ... elbowing him in the face, knocking him unconscious before kicking him in the face at least once.

Almeida suffered a concussion and lost 2 teeth in the altercation.

A Grand Jury convened in Orange County, CA and decided to charge Gracie with felony assault.

He's facing serious time behind bars.

To make matters worse for Ralph -- who owns several BJJ schools -- the alleged attack was caught on video.

Gracie's been charged ... but there's a problem. After the incident, officials say he fled to his native country, Brazil.

Lonzo Ball has taken his career into his own hands ... saying he's "making all the decisions now" ... and taking control from LaVar.

The New Orleans Pelicans star -- who LaVar recently referred to as "damaged goods" -- told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski he's not letting his dad get involved in his business decisions anymore ... and their relationship will improve because of it.

"My dad has always been talking my whole life. It's nothing different to me," Zo says.

"I think what makes it easier is that I'm controlling everything now. You really can't tell me what to do. This is my life, my career. I'm making all the decisions now. I chose to go to CAA. I just think me becoming my own man is going to make it easier, honestly."

Zo also spoke about the career advice he's given his younger brother, LaMelo ... and he basically told the top hoops prospect to be his own man and not let Dad take over.

"I told him, make sure he takes control of his career. Now," Lonzo said. "Don't wait like I did. Hopefully that helps him. He seems like he's taking it all in. I'm excited for him."

Lonzo says if he could go back in time, he'd take meetings with shoe brands like Nike and Adidas instead of boxing them out for the family business ... although he doesn't regret sticking with BBB.

Zo also addressed the infamous "damaged goods" scene from their "Ball in the Family" reality show ... saying it's all out of love.

An Alaska Airlines passenger flying coach was arrested by federal authorities after he went nuclear because he was blocked from using the first-class bathroom.

The man wearing a Jets jersey was on a flight Thursday from JFK to LAX, when he got super frustrated over the long line for a coach head.

He ranted, "By making 7 people wait here to use the bathroom while the whole bathroom up there is empty, it's wrong."

The pilot got on the horn and tried to cajole the passenger -- who was decked out in a Jets jersey and matching hat -- to sit down ... to no avail. That's when the man allegedly threatens to kill the pilot and others onboard.

The plane made an emergency landing in Kansas City and passengers cheered as the guy was removed from the plane and taken into custody.