TMZ Sports - Page 50

The University of Tennessee cut Jeremy Banks from the football team over allegations he threatened a female student in an incident captured on video and obtained by TMZ Sports.

As we previously reported, Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt cut Banks on Friday and said it was due to new information he received about the linebacker. This, just days after a prior video surfaced showing Banks berating police officers during a recent arrest.

So, what's the new info that pushed Pruitt to cut ties with Banks? Here's the story ...

A female UT student tells TMZ Sports ... on August 24, Banks threatened to "smack" her outside of a party in Knoxville after she refused to let him inside. She claims Banks had been harassing her for months.

The woman claims she called 911 and while cops responded to the scene, Banks was not arrested. She says she was passed to the Univ. of Tennessee Police Dept. to follow up.

Days later, the woman says she was contacted by Univ. of Tennessee school officials who had learned about the incident from police.

The woman told school officials she had video of the August 24 encounter -- which also showed Banks arguing with security guards, shouting aggressive phrases at them like, "I've been thuggin'."

School officials conducted an investigation and issued a temporary no-contact order against Banks while the probe was underway instructing him to stay away from the alleged victim.

TMZ Sports had contacted the Univ. of Tennessee Police Dept. about the investigation on Oct. 3 and we were told, "Let me see what I can find out."

Later that day, we were told the woman was contacted by the school and told they found Banks had violated the student code of conduct.

On Oct 4, the UTPD followed up with us and said, "UTPD handles reports related to violations of law."

"The University of Tennessee Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards handles reports related to violations of the student code of conduct. Records of student conduct cases are protected by federal student privacy laws."

Minutes after we got the email, Coach Pruitt announced Banks was off the football team.

We've reached out to multiple officials at the Univ. of Tennesse for comment -- so far, no word back.

We've also reached out to the Knoxville PD -- no comment from them at this point, either.

The University of Tennessee has booted Jeremy Banks off the football team days after footage surfaced showed him berating police officers during a recent arrest.

UT coach Jeremy Pruitt announced the move moments ago ... saying, "While I will continue to support Jeremy in the next steps in his life, information I recently received made it clear this decision is in the best interest of the football program & university."

As we previously reported, Banks was stopped for making an illegal U-turn in Knoxville on Sept. 15 and during the incident, cops noticed an outstanding warrant stemming from a failure to appear in court for a prior traffic issue.

While Banks was in the police car being taken to the station, he went off on the officers.

At one point, Banks says the following to a female intern who's participating in a ride-along -- "You don't wanna be an intern because where I'm from we shoot at cops. I'm from Memphis, Tennessee."

He also made comments like, "I don't like the police, bro. Hell nah," and "Y'all police are some p*****s, bro. Real s**t, I don't f**k with y'all."

The L.A. Sparks have fired General Manager Penny Toler after she admitted using the n-word in a post-game rant following a playoff loss.

"Toler was relieved of her duties and will no longer be with the organization, effective immediately," the Sparks said in a statement.

"A national search will begin immediately to identify the next general manager of the Sparks. Managing Partner and Governor Eric Holoman will assume the duties in the interim."

As we previously reported, Toler entered the locker room following a Sept. 19th loss to the Connecticut Sun and unleashed in an emotional tirade.

Toler later spoke to ESPN and acknowledged using the word -- but insists it was not directed as a slur toward one of her players.

"It's unfortunate I used that word," Toler said ... "I shouldn't. Nobody should. ... But you know, like I said, I'm not here to defend word by word by word what I said. I know some of the words that I'm being accused of are embellished."

"Did I give a speech that I hoped would get our team going? Yes."

Despite the controversy, the Sparks are praising Toler for what she accomplished during her 20 seasons with the franchise.

"Penny is a foundational figure in the growth of the WNBA and helped lead our franchise to perennial playoff success and multiple titles."

"We wish her nothing but the best moving forward."

Madness at the weigh-in for the highly anticipated Claressa Shields vs. Ivana Habazin fight -- when Habazin's trainer was hospitalized after being sucker punched at the event.

James Ali Bashir was laying in a pool of his own blood after someone snuck up and socked him in the face HARD at the event in Flint, Michigan.

Emergency personnel raced to the Dort Federal Event Center to treat Bashir -- who was wheeled out of the facility on a stretcher while wearing a neck brace. Video was captured by FOX 66's Jonathan Deutsch.

Habazin was seen crying while standing over Bashir -- clearly very emotional.

Bashir is well known in the boxing world -- he worked under legendary trainer Emanuel Steward for 17 years and worked with guys like Wladimir Klitschko.

Cops have taken the suspect into custody but so far, that person's identity has not been revealed. There are rumblings the attacker was someone connected with Shields but so far, that has NOT been confirmed.

Shields was set to fight Habazin on Saturday night in the main event fight on Showtime. No word on the current status of that fight.

Shields issued a statement on social media ... saying, "I wanna thank everyone who came to weigh-in to support me. Because of the incident that took place, they had to clear the Dort federal for safety issues."

Odell Beckham says he had a golden opportunity to retaliate against Marlon Humphrey after Sunday's choking incident ... but chose not to fight back because "it's not MMA."

The Cleveland Browns WR says he was fined by the NFL for the incident -- even though he claims he was not the aggressor and was only defending himself.

But, Beckham says things could have been WAYYYY worse ... if he wasn't such a mature and restrained person.

"There was an opportunity for me to really take things way further," Beckham said.

"He was on the ground, I was standing up still. And, I kind of just let the moment pass."

Beckham says the decision to NOT fight back shows how mature he is now -- "I've come a long way. I probably would have been suspended for the next game if I would have done what I wanted to do."

He added, "This is football, this isn't MMA. This isn't 'Street Fighter.' It's a different story."

Of course, the big dispute is whether or not Marlon actually choked Beckham -- something the Ravens have said did NOT happen.

Beckham deflected when asked straight up about the strangulation ... "I don't know. We grown ass men."

"We get hit every day. We get hit by 300 pounders. I’m good."

Beckham also griped about the fighting fine from the NFL ... saying he's sick and tired of the league taking money out of his pockets.

"I understand the penalty, getting fined for that. But, pants above your knees or a shirt hanging out, we’re talking about a t-shirt that cost $5 to make and you’re getting $5,000 taken from you.”

Jonathan Martin just cut a deal with L.A. prosecutors ... and now, the ex-NFL O-lineman could get out of his gun and knife threats case without spending more time behind bars.

Martin -- who famously alleged he was bullied by ex-teammate Richie Incognito during their playing days with the Dolphins -- made some scary comments on social media that led to his arrest in 2018.

In an Instagram post, Martin threw up a picture of a shotgun with shells ... and wrote, "When you're a bully victim & a coward your options are suicide, or revenge."

Hours later ... cops say they found Martin with a cache of weapons including a loaded shotgun, knife and an ax -- and say he had been threatening classmates for years.

Prosecutors eventually hit Martin with 5 charges ... 4 counts of making criminal threats and 1 count of possessing a loaded firearm.

But, TMZ Sports has learned Martin cut a deal in court Friday ... and will enter a 2-year pre-trial diversion program.

The specifics about Martin's program are unclear -- but typically, when offenders complete a diversion program, the charges are wiped from their record.

Typical diversion programs include completing treatment courses, counseling, community service, restitution, etc.

30-year-old Martin started 32 games in his NFL career before ultimately getting cut from the Panthers in 2016.

Conor McGregor has been charged with assault stemming from an April attack in an Irish pub ... and he's now fcaing up to 6 months in jail.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Conor walked into the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin on April 6 and punched a patron in the face after he refused a shot of Conor's Irish whiskey.

Cops investigated the incident and now a spokesperson for the Irish police tells us a court date has been set in the case, October 11th.

Conor is facing one count of assault, according to the Irish news outlet The Independent, which carries a maximum 6-month jail sentence if convicted.

Conor has spoken about the incident publicly ... telling ESPN in August, "I was in the wrong."

McGregor added, "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having to end the way it did."

During the ESPN interview, Conor said he tried to make amends with the victim but didn't specify how or if he was able to do that.

"But still, that doesn’t even matter. I was in the wrong," McGregor said.

In the meantime, Conor has said he wants to return to the UFC and fight again ... but no match has been set.

We reached out to McGregor's camp for comment. So far, no word back.

The Miami Dolphins might suck, but it's still good to be Josh Rosen ... who left an L.A. hotspot Thursday night with a very attractive lady on his arm!!!

Rosen's Dolphins are on a bye week so the QB decided to catch a plane back to his hometown where he was spotted on a double date with his longtime buddy, Scotty McKnight.

The duo left with two hot chicks ... but we haven't been able to identify them yet.

If McKnight looks familiar, it's because he not only was drafted by the NY Jets back in the day, but he's also kind of a Hollywood big shot who famously dated "Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr.

Robert Kraft's helicopter did NOT destroy a college field when he landed before the Pats vs. Bills game this past weekend ... the damage was "minimal," according to multiple sources.

Here's the deal ... Kraft's chopper touched down on the football field at Erie Community College on Sunday, right before the Pats took on the Bills in Buffalo.

There were reports the helicopter damaged the football field, causing divots that may have led to a problem when ECC played their next football game.

But, we reached out to multiple people connected to the situation -- including ECC -- and were assured by multiple parties the extent of the damage was "overblown."

We're told there WAS some minor damage to the field -- and the Buffalo Bills sent their groundskeeping crew over to check it out -- but it didn't exactly require a massive effort to fix.

An ECC rep tells us the guys just stomped some dirt in the divots and it successfully remedied the issue. The rep says, "There wasn't even $100 in damage."

We're also told the field is in fine condition for ECC's next game and it doesn't seem like anyone has any problems with Kraft or the Patriots.

Kevin Garnett put on a SHOW off-camera on the set of the new Adam Sandler movie, "Uncut Gems" -- hooping out of his mind during a pick-up game ... and it was AWESOME!!

KG has a major role in the flick, which is about a degenerate sports gambler who gets into major problems when his debts spiral out of control.

Garnett plays himself ... and we had heard that during downtime on the set, he stayed in his role and just murdered people on a basketball court they used in the movie.

So, when we saw "Uncut Gems" director Josh Safdie at the Alice Tully Center in L.A. on Thursday, we asked him about the rumors ... and yeah, it's all true, baby!!

"Kevin doesn't know how to do anything but play at 100%," Safdie told us.

No, Sandler didn't play in the game with Garnett ... but Safdie says they all sat on the set and watched KG go off.

Ex-NFL star Fred Smoot -- who played for the Vikings and Redskins -- was arrested in Virginia on Thursday and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Law enforcement tells us, 40-year-old Smoot was taken into custody in Loudoun County around 7:15 PM local time.

A witness says multiple cops were waiting for Smoot at his home when the ex-NFL player arrived there. He was placed in handcuffs and taken to a nearby station where he was booked into county jail.

We're told Smoot was taken in on outstanding warrant stemming from a failure to appear in court in Sept. for a previous issue. Unclear what the previous issue is at this point, but we're working on it.

Smoot was previously arrested in Washington D.C. in 2014 for domestic violence stemming from an issue with his girlfriend. But, when the case went in front of a judge in 2015, he was found not guilty.

Besides being a pretty solid defensive back, Smoot was famously involved in the Minnesota Vikings "Love Boat" scandal back in Oct. 2005 ... when several players were accused of hiring prostitutes for a sex party on water.

Smoot later pled guilty to disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft stemming from the incident.

Ric Flair has touched down in Los Angeles ... and there's one thing on his mind -- BEATING UP HULK HOGAN!!!

The Nature Boy tells us he's not only healthy and ready to get back in the ring (in fact, he says he's been by cleared by doctors) ... but he's also back on great terms with WWE.

Remember, Ric  told us in September he had some problems with WWE superstar Becky Lynch using the nickname, "The Man" ... because Rick says he owns the rights to that term and thinks the WWE should pay him for it.

But, when we saw Ric at LAX on Thursday with his wife, Wendy Barlow, Flair said things are definitely cool now ... and he chalks it all up to a case of "agree to disagree."

Gennady Golovkin says Canelo Alvarez should change his name to Amarillo Alvarez ... because the dude is straight-up SCARED to fight him a 3rd time.

(Note for all of our non-Spanish speaking friends, "amarillo" means yellow.)

GGG is set to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden ... but a lot of people are wondering why he's not gearing up to complete the trilogy with Canelo instead.

So, we asked Gennady ... and he essentially told us his team tried like hell to come to terms for a 3rd fight, but Canelo was ducking the smoke like he was Floyd Mayweather.

"Last time he said 'No,'" Golovkin tells TMZ Sports ... "Everybody push him, he said 'No.' I can't bring him!"

Here's something you've never seen before ... Tim Tebow got dominated in a push-up battle -- all while he was spending time with inmates at a Texas prison!!!

Tim -- who's been preaching religion to people behind bars for YEARS -- visited the Alfred D. Hughes Unit in Gatesville, TX on Thursday to talk with the guys.

But, at some point ... Tim put down the mic and put his arms to the test -- 'cause the ex-NFL QB went one-on-one with an inmate in a push-up contest ... and got DESTROYED!!!

The former Heisman Trophy winner actually threw up some amazing numbers ... in about a minute, he got his body up and down 71 times.

LaVar Ball is firing back at his ex-BBB business partner Alan Foster ... claiming the scathing allegations against LaVar in a new lawsuit are total BBBS.

"Alan Foster’s claims are not only unfounded and devoid of any truth, but are an egregious attempt to turn the attention away from the millions of dollars that he embezzled from the Ball Family and the Ball Family Business," Ball said in a statement.

"Not only will LaVar Ball and his family continue to vigorously pursue their civil action against Foster seeking civil damages, but will also continue to cooperate with law enforcement in order to seek justice for his egregious actions."

"The Ball family are all united in relentlessly pursuing Foster for his grave injustices, and will always fight to protect the respected Ball family name, despite Foster’s futile attempt to defile it."

Foster reportedly filed court docs against LaVar, accusing Lonzo Ball's famous father of embezzling more than $2.5 million from the Big Baller Brand company.

The WNBA is investigating L.A. Sparks General Manager Penny Toler after the exec admitted to using the n-word in an emotional postgame outburst in the team locker room after a loss.

Toler -- who is African American -- went off on the team after the Sparks lost Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals to the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 19.

Several players, who didn't wish to be named, spoke with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne about the incident ... saying Toler called them "motherf**kers" and showed "total disrespect."

53-year-old Toler says "it's unfortunate" she used the n-word but insists, "By no means did I call my players the n-word."

"I'm not saying that I couldn't have used it in a context," Toler told ESPN ... "But, it wasn't directed at any of my players."

Toler acknowledges she shouldn't have used the word, adding, "Nobody should ... but you know, like I said, I'm not here to defend word by word by word what I said. I know some of the words that I'm being accused of are embellished. Did I give a speech that I hoped would get our team going? Yes."

Now the WNBA has announced the league is investigating the incident ... saying in a statement on Thursday they have ZERO tolerance for offensive racial language.

“We’ll be looking into it as a league. We understand the heat of the moment and that the Sparks lost in the semifinals, but we don’t condone that kind of language and will be reviewing it over the next couple of days,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.