TMZ Sports - Page 50

No matter what happens on "Monday Night Football" ... 49ers D-lineman D.J. Jones is still winning -- 'cause the guy proposed to his GF before the game -- AND SHE SAID YES!!!

The scene was amazing ... just an hour or so before Jones' Niners squared off with the Browns -- he decided to pop the surprise question to his girlfriend, Kayla Fannin.

Jones told her to look up at the sky ... and when she turned her head, the 24-year-old quickly got down on one knee.

When she turned back around ... the magic happened -- 'cause he asked her to marry him, and she told him of course!!!

The two have been dating for a few years now ... she's been coming to his games every so often -- and the couple is adorable!!!

As for Jones' on-field play, he's been a regular starter for the Niners this season ... and we'll all be watching to see if the good pregame news gives him a boost.

Justin Gaethje is sick and tired of Conor McGregor ... telling TMZ Sports he's been trying to lock down a fight for months, but the Irishman just won't come to the negotiating table.

Gaethje says he's tried every trick in the book to draw him out for the past 7 months ... but it seems Conor has more interest in tweeting than fighting these days.

"He keeps tweeting he’s gonna fight. On planet earth, there's 2 people that will possibly fight him -- me or Dustin Poirier ... He either needs to go away or fight, and it’s me or Dustin."

In fact, Justin says there was a point where he honestly thought Conor had retired from MMA because the guy refuses to have serious negotiations about taking meaningful fights.

Gaethje says he's ready to fight RIGHT NOW -- but Conor won't respond to his texts, tweets and phone calls.

"I wrote him a message like f**king 7 months ago just trying to be his friend. I’ve tried every route. I’m trying reverse psychology. I’m trying to be his friend. I’m trying every f**king route that there is to draw this man out. And I can't draw him out. And he’s calling out Frankie Edgar. So, it’s a slap in the face to me, to all the lightweights, and to really the standard that we f**king do here."

Pres. Donald Trump took time away from tweeting about hating the Democrats and the Fake News media on Sunday to make a very important phone call ... to Kirk Cousins!?

Yep, it's true ... the Leader of the Free World decided to ring up the Minnesota Vikings QB to personally congratulate him on beating the lowly NY Giants (2-3) in an unremarkable Week 5 matchup.

Cousins played well ... completing 22 of 27 for 306 yards and 2 TDs in a 28-10 victory.

And, hey, that's great and all ... but why a call from POTUS??

It could be because Cousins has been a Trump fan for years ... the two actually got in a round of golf together back in 2017, with Kirk saying of the afternoon, "I didn't ever think that would happen."

OORRRRRR ... it could be because Trump has a rally in Minnesota this week and the call was just a PR move to help get the word out.

The two spoke only "briefly," according to WCCO in Minneapolis ... but the news outlet cites a source that says they also talked about the rally.

Cousins is reportedly NOT attending the Trump event ... he's gotta prepare for a big game against the Philadelphia Eagles -- but he was no doubt stoked for the call nonetheless.

YouTube superstars KSI and Logan Paul showed off their maturity and high respect for each other at their boxing rematch news conference in the UK on Monday.

Juuuust kidding ... there were tiny penis jokes and jabs about dead pet dogs.

The rivals met up in London on Monday to promote their upcoming rematch at Staples Center in L.A. in November ... and shocker, it basically turned into a roast.

KSI was quick to bring out the props -- with a 4-legged friend that looked just like Logan's late dog, Kong, who was tragically eaten by coyotes earlier this year.

Logan was anticipating the move though ... bringing out doggie treats to counter-burn KSI's burn.

"I'mma yoss you, guy," Logan said. "I'mma light your feet on fire, guy. I'mma kiss your mom on the cheek, my guy."

"I'm gonna win and I'm gonna make you a meme and you gon' be my bitch, bro," Logan added.

KSI didn't take it ... firing back at Paul with his own verbal punches. "I'm doing this for the UK, yo. I'mma go into your hometown and f**kin' punish you in front of everyone."

Antonio Brown is fighting like hell to make sure video of his condo-trashing deposition doesn't see the light of day ... the NFL star just filed docs in court to try to keep the footage under wraps.

As we previously reported ... Brown is accused of being a "belligerent" monster when he sat down for his depo as part of a lawsuit with his old luxury condo complex.

The attorneys for the place -- The Mansions at Acqualina in Miami, Florida -- say AB was not only late for the meeting, but he was also "pugnacious," "defiant" and "profane."

The attorneys also say Brown "chanted, over and over" during the depo ... and they claim all of his actions were recorded on video.

But, in court docs just filed last week, Brown is asking the court to make sure footage from the depo is never made available to the public ... filing a motion to make it all confidential.

In the docs, Brown says if the video is seen ... it'll destroy his ability to get fair treatment in the lawsuit.

As for his actions during the depo ... Brown -- in separate court docs -- said the attorneys' descriptions of his actions were unnecessary, calling them "scandalous, redundant and immaterial."

Brown adds the attorneys only released a description of his depo to "turn this into a media circus" for their "personal gain."

Brown wants the court to NOT impose sanctions against him ... but he adds he IS willing to retake his deposition.

The angry bagel guy is now facing a big lawsuit after bailing on his "celebrity" boxing match with Dustin Diamond at the last minute.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Chris Morgan is being sued by fight promoter Damon Feldman for $10,000. Damon claims Chris' change of heart cost him thousands of dollars in losses.

In the civil suit, the fight promoter claims Morgan signed a contract for a celebrity boxing match and pocketed appearance fees before pulling out of the fight.

You'll recall ... Chris surprised everyone hours before his Sept. 28 tangle with Screech, when he went on social media and said, "I fooled you all! I ain't coming to the fight."

The guys behind "South Park" are taking shots at the NBA for apologizing to China ... and it's pretty funny in an international-political-incident sort of way.

Here's the deal ... both South Park and the NBA are in hot water in China for recent criticisms about the government.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted out on Friday, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong" ... which led to the Chinese government essentially blackballing the Rockets.

Over at "South Park," last week's episode mocked China mercilessly for censorship ... and pointed out how Winnie the Pooh is bear non grata over there because people have used the cartoon character to mock President Xi's physical appearance.

According to reports, the Chinese government has blocked the "South Park" episode from TV and the internet.

Santana Moss says he has the PERFECT candidate to replace Jay Gruden on the Redskins ... telling TMZ Sports Gregg Williams would KILL IT as headman in D.C.!

Of course, Moss is a bit biased ... he was playing receiver for the 'Skins while Williams was the defensive coordinator there back in the early 2000s.

But, Moss says that's exactly why he's pounding the table for Gregg after Gruden's firing Monday ... saying his time with Williams has convinced him the 61-year-old should be Dan Snyder's next hire.

"I watched our defense for years," Moss says ... "One year, we had a lot of missing bodies out there -- like, key guys. And, he made us a contender."

Moss says Williams' defenses were so inspiring, it actually made the offense play better ... telling us, "He implemented what we needed as a culture."

Williams is currently the defensive coordinator in New York ... but it seems like he might be available for hire in 2020, 'cause the Jets are currently terrible.

And -- even though Williams is seemingly constantly surrounded by controversy (see Bountygate and the 2019 Odell Beckham drama) ... he does have a SERIOUSLY impressive resume.

Evelyn Lozada claims she's out on several endorsement deals because one of her "Basketball Wives" costars called her a racist bigot ... so she's now suing.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Evelyn claims Ogom "OG" Chijindu called her a racist bigot on social media ever since Evelyn posted a cryptic message to her more than 4 million followers on Instagram back on September 11.

Evelyn's message read, "Nobody watches you harder than the people that can't stand you." The post included a picture of a laughing orangutan. OG took offense to this and clapped back with a repost of her own that read, "Wow so now black women are monkeys. Everyone boycott this trash box you are disgusting." The post didn't appear to tag or mention anyone.

OG also trashed talked on Twitter: "And there it is..show your true colors you racist bigot. You called Cece 'Ling Ling' Jackie a 'cockroach' & now me a 'monkey.'"

Ex-NBA hooper Matt Barnes was one of the toughest defenders of his time ... and he's telling TMZ Sports how he'd handle the task of guarding Zion Williamson -- "Foul the s**t outta him!!!"

Barnes is retired now but when we saw him out at Delilah in L.A., he had some advice for anyone going up against the 19-year-old New Orleans Pelicans phenom.

"I'd have to foul the s**t outta him," Barnes said ... "He's too big, man. I'd have to body him. [That's how I'd] try to stop him. He's a big boy."

We also asked Barnes about Zion being officially listed in the NBA at 6'6" -- instead of the 6'7" height he was listed at as a freshman at Duke -- and Matt says at this point, one stupid inch won't make a difference.

"You see how dominant he plays, so height doesn't really matter."

Stud running back Jeff Wilson says the Niners are LOVING the shade doubters are throwing their way after their 3-0 start ... he tells TMZ Sports SF's using it as motivation!!!

"It's cool," Wilson says ... "That can continue to be our fuel."

The Niners are off to a piping hot start this season ... but with their trio of wins coming against the Buccaneers, Steelers and Bengals -- people aren't quite sold on them yet.

When we spoke with Wilson -- he told us he's fine with that ... saying it'll "continue to motivate us."

But, Jeff tells us he's also trying not to pay too much attention to any of the outside noise ... saying the Niners have a great locker room that doesn't need outside validation.

"We just going to keep on working on ourselves, man," Wilson says.

"And, just going out and playing every Sunday and leaving it all on the field and whatever else anybody got to say or feel their opinion is, it'll be that."

The Niners have a chance to shut up some of the doubters on "Monday Night Football" against the Browns ... a lot of people would consider that a huge win for the Bay Area squad.

As for Wilson's personal game on the field ... he's killing it this year with 4 TDs on just 18 carries -- and he tells us fantasy owners everywhere are LOVING him!!!

Antonio Brown isn't giving up on his pro football career ... the embattled WR is still training as if he's expecting to get back on the field this season -- despite some major obstacles.

AB posted footage on Monday showing him working out on a football field in the Fort Lauderdale area ... near his 84/7 training facility.

The workout comes days after the NFL Player's Association reportedly filed a grievance on his behalf, seeking $40 million from the Patriots and Raiders in unpaid salary, fines and unpaid guarantees.

Of course, Brown was cut by BOTH teams earlier this season over bizarre off-the-field conduct.

The Raiders cut bait back in Sept. after a dispute with GM Mike Mayock led to AB secretly recording a phone call with head coach Jon Gruden. Brown posted the call to social media.

The Patriots picked him up hours after the Raiders let him go ... but days later a lawsuit was filed against the WR alleging multiple incidents of sexual assault, including violent rape. The NFL has since launched its own investigation into the allegations.

Oscar De La Hoya is calling BS on an L.A. radio star who claims the boxing legend treated him like crap during his run with Golden Boy Promotions ... telling TMZ Sports his lawsuit is full of lies.

Oscar just broke his silence on the lawsuit filed by David Gonzalez -- famously known as "Tattoo" -- who accused De La Hoya of doing some seriously messed up stuff in his role as head of the company.

In his suit, Gonzalez -- who was hired to do announcing and PR stuff for Golden Boy -- claims Oscar would force him to run personal, non-work related errands ... sometimes while Oscar was "highly intoxicated and under the influence of various substances."

So, when we saw Oscar at LAX over the weekend, we asked him for his response to the accusations ... and that's when the boxer swung back.

"You rap 'cause you need it dawg, I do it for sport. When you run I see that tampon string in your shorts."

Yep, that's Shaquille O'Neal hitting below the belt in his 2nd-round of a rap battle with Damian Lillard ... where the Big Fella makes several comparisons between Dame and female genitalia.

In the new track, titled "Second Round Knockout Freestyle" ... Shaq compares Dame to a "queef" and then says, "Why would I clout chase a dude with camel toe in the front?"

He also tells Dame to call him Dr. Diesel and says he plans to bring Lillard in for his annual pap smear.

There's more ... Shaq also goes after Dame as a basketball player -- saying the dude sucks and has never won.

James Harden is apologizing to China -- insisting he "loves" the country -- after his team's general manager caused an international crap storm by tweeting out support for Hong Kong.

"We apologize. We love China," Harden said while standing next to Houston Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook.

"We love playing there. Both of us, we go there once or twice a year," Harden added.

"We appreciate them as a fan base. We love everything there about them, and we appreciate the support that they give us individually and as [an] organization."

So, what's the issue?

On Friday, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted out 7 words ... "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong."

If you're unaware of the issues between China and Hong Kong ... there's big drama between the two sides at the moment.

Beijing currently controls many aspects of the former British colony, where there's been 4 months of violent pro-democracy protests.

The NBA has a huge presence in China, where the league has made a concentrated effort to grow for years ... but Morey's tweet REALLY pissed off the Asian country.

In just a few days, China's state broadcaster said it was pulling Houston Rockets games off the air. Sponsors have abandoned the Rockets and the NBA is scrambling to try and smooth things over ASAP.

And, massive Chinese e-commerce site Taobao has pulled all Rockets merchandise.

On Sunday, Morey tweeted about the issues ... saying, "I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China."

"I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives."

"I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA."

U.S. presidential candidates are now weighing in on the issue -- with Beto O'Rourke tweeting, "The only thing the NBA should be apologizing for is their blatant prioritization of profits over human rights. What an embarrassment."

What's going to be interesting ... the Lakers are supposed to play the Brooklyn Nets in Shanghai later this week.

50 Cent is producing a new docuseries covering a wide range of celebs ... and the most interesting story on the docket is the rise and fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Fiddy's scripted series will focus on Tekashi, Snoop Dogg, music producer Scott Storch, former NBA stud Rafer Alston and 50 himself.

The docuseries is called "A Moment in Time" ... and it will have 6 to 8 hour-long episodes dedicated to each subject. The project will be produced through 50's G-Unit Film & Television company.

Our sources say 50 is framing Tekashi's story around his brief but controversial rap career. As you know, 69 rose to fame by incorporating the Nine Trey Bloods gang into his music, only to be busted by the feds and turn into a snitch.