TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-NFL running back Cedric Benson had THC in his system during his fatal motorcycle crash on August 17, this according to the autopsy report obtained by TMZ Sports.

The 36-year-old running back was driving his BMW motorcycle with a female passenger in Austin, Texas around 10:20 PM when he slammed into a minivan that was trying to make a left turn across his lane of traffic. Both Benson and his passenger, Aamna Najam, passed away.

The Travis Country Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Benson and determined he died from blunt force injuries combined with severe burn injuries from the ensuing fire.

According to the report, Benson suffered burns to the majority of his body -- including his face, neck, torso, arms, hands, thighs, etc.

Benson also suffered several broken bones in the crash including a rib, a fractured pelvis, multiple abrasions and lacerations and severe injuries to his hands and wrists.

The report says witnesses called 911 and desperately tried to put out the flames on Benson's body with clothes and a fire extinguisher.

Benson was initially responsive when paramedics arrived, but ultimately died on scene.

As for the toxicology report, Benson tested positive for THC -- 42 ng/mL.

Benson also tested positive for a small amount of alcohol in his system but we're told the number is more consistent with ethanol produced by the body during decomposition than alcohol consumed that night. In other words, officials do NOT believe he was drunk.

The presence of THC could open the door for a possible lawsuit against Benson's estate if Najam's family wants to pursue a wrongful death claim.

Benson was an incredible athlete -- he racked up more than 5,500 yards at the University of Texas and won the Doak Walker Award (top running back in the country) his senior year.

He signed a rookie deal with the Chicago Bears -- 5 years, $35 mil -- and was a key part of Chicago's 2006 NFC Championship team.

Oakland Raiders star Trent Brown -- the highest paid lineman in the NFL -- is being sued for allegedly beating the hell out of his girlfriend, who says he's a repeat attacker.

The woman behind the suit is Diorra Marzette-Sanders, who says she has a 9-month-old son with the 26-year-old.

According to her suit, Marzette-Sanders says Brown first got violent with her at a restaurant in 2018 ... slapping her face during a heated argument and leaving her mouth bloody and face bruised. She also claims he left her at the restaurant to find her own way home at 4 AM.

She noted Brown is 6'8" and 350 pounds and extremely strong.

Marzette-Sanders describes a 2019 incident where she told Brown she was going to leave with their son ... and he replied, "I'll shoot yo ass in the f**king head before you walk out the door with my son."

Marzette-Sanders says Brown struck again in March 2019 ... "choking her out until she couldn't breathe" and leaving a "ring of bruises around her neck."

In April 2019, Marzette-Sanders says Brown slapped her in the face and punched her ribs.

She describes another violent incident in June 2019 where an argument over breakfast during physical and he allegedly slapped her in the face.

Marzette-Sanders says she finally called police and filed a report.

In her lawsuit, Marzette-Sanders included pictures of injuries she claims she suffered as a result of the alleged attacks.

In her lawsuit, Marzette-Sanders says Brown would often hold finances over her head -- saying things to her like, "Follow instructions or you won't be homeless."

Marzette-Sanders isn't just suing for assault and battery -- she also claims Brown misled her about his intentions to marry her and start a family.

In other words, Marzette-Sanders claims Brown told her from the beginning that he would take care of her for life ... but he's since kicked her out of their home and cut her off.

She's suing for unspecified damages -- but since Brown is at the beginning of a 4-year $66 million contract with the Raiders, you can assume she's looking for a BIG check.

We reached out to Brown's camp for comment and the Raiders -- so far, no word back.

Chris Weidman says he can do what Daniel Cormier couldn't -- beat Jon Jones -- and he's telling TMZ Sports how he plans on taking down one of the greatest fighters EVER.

Of course, Weidman moved up to the light heavyweight division to fight undefeated Dominick Reyes at 'UFC on ESPN 6' in Boston on Friday -- but his goal is to smash Reyes in the hopes of getting a crack at Jones.

Weidman has spent most of his career fighting at middleweight (185 pounds), but says the weight cuts were killing him ... so he decided to move up to 205.

The former champ -- who took out Anderson Silva TWICE -- says he feels GREAT at his new weight and is already dreaming about adding another G.O.A.T. to his hit list.

Weidman knows he would be a heavy underdog in a fight with Jones -- but says he's got the skills, the size and the power to put Jon on his ass.

In fact, Chris says he's got the physical attributes that guys like Cormier didn't possess -- like a long body and long limbs -- which would give him a real advantage against Jones.

It ain't no lie ... that "Bye Bye Bye"-inspired TD celebration the Seahawks pulled off has 'NSYNC's stamp of approval ... 'cause JC Chasez tells TMZ Sports he loved the tribute!!

'Hawks players Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jaron Brown and David Moore pulled off what might be the best TD celly of the 2019 season after Brown scored during last week's win over the Browns.

The guys perfectly copied the uber-popular boy band's choreography from their 2000 mega-hit ... so when we saw Chasez out at Alfred Coffee in Studio City, we had to get him to weigh in on their moves.

"I thought it was fun," JC tells us. "It was great to see."

As for whether the players perform an encore of the viral performance or take on another smash hit from the band's discography ... JC leaves it up to them.

Jared Goff does NOT suck -- this despite throwing for just 78 yards last weekend ... so says ex-NFL coach Dick Vermeil, who tells TMZ Sports the Rams QB is still worth the FAT contract he just signed!!

"I still believe that Goff is a fine player," Vermeil says ... "I wouldn't let one game influence the overall evaluation of how good a quarterback this guy is."

Goff inked a massive, $134 MILLION deal in early September ... but he hasn't quite lived up to that huge contract through the six games this season.

The Rams are just 3-3, Goff has 7 interceptions to just 7 TDs ... and the 25-year-old threw for less than 80 yards in a blowout loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

But, Vermeil -- who coached Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl in 1999 -- says he ain't ready to push the eject button on Goff just yet.

"Criminy," Dick says, "the best people have bad games. And many times when they go bad there's more reasons than just the quarterback."

Vermeil says the Rams' defense hasn't been good this season ... and their running game hasn't helped much either, and that's all led to issues for Goff.

But, when it comes to the contract L.A. gave him ... Dick says nobody in the organization should be panicking about those figures right now.

This is pretty epic ... Tyson Fury went to Vegas last week -- and his crew is a collection of G.O.A.T.s!!!

Check out the boxing superstar at Jewel nightclub at the Aria -- where he partied his face off with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Ric Flair and WWE superstar Roman Reigns.

We're told the hangout went down after "Smackdown" in Vegas on Friday. Fury was there to promote his upcoming bout with Braun Strowman at WWE's Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 31.

During his Vegas outing, Fury hooked up with Floyd -- and we're sure they had plenty to talk about ... not only with the whole boxing thing, but Floyd did a stint with WWE back in the day too.

Remember, he famously fought Big Show at Wrestlemania XXIV back in 2008. Big Show busted Floyd's ass for most of the match ... until Floyd got his hands on a steel chair and bashed the giant's head in.

Good times.

Hundreds of birds launched themselves into the side of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, killing themselves ... and the surreal scene was all caught on video.

A woman in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina filmed the chaos ... saying for OVER AN HOUR -- birds continued to kill themselves by running into the building's windows.

According to the Carolina Waterfowl Rescue ... 310 birds total were found at the scene -- with 97 dead on arrival and another nine needing to be euthanized once they got to the shelter.

Paige VanZant has a message for the UFC -- GET ME BACK IN THE OCTAGON ALREADY!!!

The 25-year-old says she's got the green light from doctors to fight again after undergoing surgery on her right forearm back in June ... and she's DYING to test it out in combat!

Of course, Paige initially injured her arm while delivering a spinning backfist during a 2018 fight against Jessica-Rose Clark and needed surgery to fix it.

Paige returned to the Octagon in Jan. 2019 and defeated Rachael Ostovich ... but required another operation in June 2019 to get a metal rod reinserted in the arm.

Now, VanZant says she's all healed up and she's already hit up Dana White to book a match ... and she wants a fight in the next 2 months!!

"I told the UFC, actually, almost a month ago. Like 4 weeks ago. 'Hey, I'm ready to fight. Give me a fight.' And its been a month and I haven't heard anything," VanZant says.

"I'm trying to force the hand and get a fight because I've been ready this whole time and we're kinda just waiting to hear who they match me up against."

Paige had offered to step in and fight Michelle Waterson if Joanna Jedrzejczyk dropped out of their Oct. 12 main event due to weight issues. But, Joanna made weight, so no go for Paige.

VanZant says she's still down to fight Waterson when she heals up from the Joanna fight -- but if Michelle needs months to recover, Paige would rather find another opponent because she doesn't want to wait.

Alex Smith went under the knife SEVENTEEN TIMES to repair the leg that he gruesomely mangled in a Redskins game back in 2018. Yeesh.

According to The Washington Times, the 'Skins QB was speaking at an Inova Sports Medicine event earlier this month in Fairfax, Virginia when he made the revelation.

It's a pretty shocking figure ... considering in December, it was reported 35-year-old Smith only needed SIX surgeries to fix the issues.

Of course, given how violent the injury looked when J.J. Watt sacked the QB in a Nov. 18, 2018 Texans-Redskins game ... it's not exactly a surprising number.

Smith has battled heroically throughout the whole recovery process ... remember, it was just a few months ago when his leg was spotted at a Wizards game with a nasty metal brace on it.

Alex has since had the contraption removed ... and told reporters at Washington's training camp this summer that he still has hopes he can return to the field someday.

Ever seen Obi-Wan Kenobi rage his face off?? Well, this is as close as you're gonna get ...

Pitcher Sean Doolittle was close to making that a reality after the Nationals punched their ticket to their first-ever World Series ... whipping out a lightsaber for an epic locker room celebration!!

The Washington Nationals threw the most epic -- and equally nerdy -- party after beating the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 on Tuesday ... pulling out all the stops to take in the huge win.

Don't believe us?? Just check out Nats aces Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer turning the NLCS trophy into a beer luge!!

Of course, there was also the other usual champagne poppin' and beer showers, Trea Turner rocking his alma mater NC State's football helmet and Brian Dozier losing his shirt somewhere along the way.

Look -- when we say nerdy, we say it with love. We're just trying to figure out how Washington will top this if they end up winning it all.

HE'S STILL GOT IT!!!

He hasn't fought in almost 15 years, but 53-year-old Mike Tyson can still hit like a Mack Truck ... and here's the video to prove it!!

Mike was hosting a bunch of UFC stars at Tyson Ranch earlier this month -- including Ottman Azaitar, a rising MMA star from Morocco.

During the meeting, Ottman and Tyson were talking about striking -- specifically a stick-and-move technique, when Mike decided it was time for the jacket to come off and the guns to come out.

A 19-year-old Univ. of Alabama student was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly made a bomb threat to LSU's Tiger Stadium during the school's game against Florida on Saturday.

Cops say they were able to track down Connor Bruce Croll right after the bomb threat -- and he reportedly fessed up right away ... saying he wanted to stop the game because "his friend was on the verge of losing a large bet."

According to jail records, Connor Croll was booked as a "fugitive from justice." He's being held without bail and expected to be hit with criminal charges including making a false bomb threat on school property.

A University of Alabama spokesperson tells TMZ Sports, "Threats and pranks can have serious ramifications and necessitate an appropriate response."

The spokesperson added, "The University and UAPD are cooperating fully with the investigation, but we cannot provide any additional details on a pending matter."

LSU's Tiger Stadium was packed with over 100,000 people for the game ... and according to a Tigers school spokesperson, officials handled the alleged threats quickly.

"Protocol was followed efficiently and effectively to quickly ascertain the source of the threat," LSU’s media relations director Ernie Ballard said in a statement to The Tuscaloosa News.

"That protocol including an immediate sweep of the stadium and a multi-agency investigation, which led to the suspect being identified within minutes and arrested soon thereafter."

Sen. Ted Cruz has a blistering message for LeBron James ... "kissing up to Chinese communists and tyrants and apologizing for murderers, that's not a good look."

The U.S. Senator from Texas went off on LeBron over the NBA star's comments on China ... saying it sounds like Bron's "more interested in money and making bucks" than standing up for human rights.

"I don't have a problem with [athletes speaking out on politics]. What I have a problem with is when they don't know what they're talking about and they end up defending tyrants."

Cruz is obviously referring to LeBron's repeated condemnation of Daryl Morey's pro-Hong Kong tweet. Bron said the Rockets GM was "not educated" on the topic before creating an international incident.

But, Cruz says if ANYONE needs to be educated, it's LeBron -- "I would encourage LeBron to learn a little bit about the people of Tibet, learn a little bit about Falun Gong the religious persecution and the torture and the horrific human rights abuses that occur in China."

"This is not the time to try to crucify LeBron's character. We all know who LeBron is."

That's ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson going to bat for his pal, LeBron James ... telling TMZ Sports Bron ain't the kowtowing sellout some people are making him out to be.

Look, Jackson admits LeBron probably could have handled the China situation better ... but thinks people need to stop hatin' and consider all of the GOOD stuff Bron does for people.

"He's done so much off the court. We can't let this one incident when we knew he was coming from a good place [destroy his reputation]. He was coming from a good place, he might not know everything he's talking about but we know LeBron, and it's never coming from a bad place. I would stand to say that."

Of course, LeBron has been under fire for condemning Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey -- and suggesting the guy "wasn't educated" when he sent his controversial pro-Hong Kong tweet.

A bizarre ending in the Jon Jones strip club vagina slap case -- the UFC star pled no contest to disorderly conduct ... but officials say they couldn't prove Jon actually did what he's accused of doing!!!

Remember, a waitress at TD's Eubank Showclub in Albuquerque told cops Jones had slapped her in the vagina during a wild April 19th night out with his NFL star brother, Chandler Jones.

The woman claimed Jon came up from behind her that night and put her in a "tight rear-naked choke hold" and then lifted her up in the air in what felt like a "wrestling match."

Once he put her down, the woman claims Jon slapped her right in the genitals.

Jones was initially charged with misdemeanor battery -- though he ADAMANTLY denied all wrongdoing and pled not guilty at the time.

Cops investigated the allegations and interviewed "numerous independent witnesses" -- but NOBODY could corroborate the woman's allegations.

In fact, cops say they tried to work with the accuser -- but she stopped cooperating with law enforcement during the investigation.

Ultimately, the Bernalillo County DA's office tells TMZ Sports, "There was not enough evidence to proceed with the petty misdemeanor charge of battery under New Mexico state law."

Yair Rodriguez SWEARS there will be no eye pokes when he rematches Jeremy Stephens this weekend -- and he even got a brand new manicure to make sure his fingernails don't go rogue and scratch anyone!

Remember, Yair and Jeremy were set to do battle in Mexico back in Sept. -- but the fight was stopped in the first few seconds after Yair accidentally jammed his finger in Jeremy's eye.

The fight was ruled a no-contest and the two agreed to run it back on October 18 at "UFC on ESPN 6" in Boston.

Yair says there are a bunch of major changes this time -- this will be a 3-round fight instead of a 5 rounder ... and the fight will be at sea level in Boston, instead of 8,000 feet elevation, like it was in Mexico.

Rodriguez believes the new parameters will give him a major advantage -- "It's gonna be even easier than last time."