TMZ Sports - Page 50

Aniah Blanchard's mom was surrounded by friends and family at a vigil in Alabama on Tuesday where she shared memories of the 19-year-old and told the crowd, "She was my heart."

Officials believe Blanchard -- stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris -- was abducted at a Chevron station in Auburn on Oct. 23rd.

Investigators found remains earlier this week that are believed to be Aniah's -- and while officials are still working to confirm, her mother Angela Harris is already starting to mourn.

"Just her laughter and her smile, that’s what I'm going to miss the most," Harris told ABC33 ... "Just her happiness because she made life better for all of us."

"She's never gonna have my grandbabies that I wanted her to have or see her get married."

Aniah's closest friends hugged Angela at the vigil as she told the girls, "She loved y'all so much."

So far, three men have been arrested in connection with Blanchard's abduction -- but Harris says she feels a strong sense of guilt about the whole thing.

“Maybe not even anything I could have done, but I should have prepared her just a little bit better for things she might have come into contact with."

Officials believe Blanchard was forced into a vehicle by Ibraheem Yazeed -- who was seen at the gas station the night of the abduction. Cops tracked him down and arrested him in Florida.

Harris says she hopes other families will learn from this situation to help better protect their children.

"It can happen to you, it can happen to your family. So from tonight on, go home make a plan, get some things together, talk to your kids so we can prevent this and start fighting back for this evil that’s in this world."

It's officially official -- Memphis Tigers superstar James Wiseman will have to serve his full 12-game suspension after his appeal was rejected, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

Memphis and Wiseman had been fighting to allow the 18-year-old phenom to play for weeks ... but their attempts failed and the org. decided to uphold the ban.

"This morning, the NCAA's Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement upheld the conditions of reinstatement for men's basketball student-athlete James Wiseman, who will be eligible to return to competition Jan. 12," Memphis said in a statement.

"Although disappointing, we look forward to a promising season."

Wiseman -- the projected #1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- was declared ineligible after the NCAA found proof Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway gave his family $11,500 to cover moving expenses in 2017 (before he took the Memphis gig).

Wiseman addressed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Sometimes bad things happen to good people. God has never left me nor forsaken me throughout this process!

"God knows my destiny and I feel that even though hardships may be upon me! It too shall pass in the Grace of God. My journey isn’t finished, and this too shall pass."

Chicago Bears stud Akiem Hicks was PISSED after radio hosts joked about his elbow injury ... angrily hanging up the phone and saying he's NEVER coming back to the show again!

The 30-year-old D-lineman -- who's been out since Week 5 after gruesomely dislocating his elbow -- went on The Waddle & Silvy show to give a pump-up speech to Bears fans who are down on the team after its 5-6 start.

"Roll with us," Hicks said. "We didn't do this on purpose. We didn't try to get ourselves into this situation. But, we're doing everything that we can to climb out of this hole."

One of the radio hosts responded by making a joke about Hicks' elbow injury, saying, "You mean you didn't put your arm in between those two Raiders and it popped out of joint on purpose?"

The radio host added, "No, I'm joking."

But, Hicks clearly wasn't laughing ... and in fact, the 6'4", 352-pounder got super ticked and berated the hosts live on air!!

"That’s a joke?!" the Pro-Bowler said. “You think that’s a joke!? You don't joke about somebody’s injury!"

Hicks then told the guys this would be the last time he EVER appears on the ESPN affiliate station ... and hung up the phone.

Later, Hicks wrote on Twitter, "You don’t joke about someone’s nearly season ending injury. It’s just not funny. Shouldn’t have lost my cool but 'To err is human, to forgive divine'"

This is concerning ...

Steelers star JuJu Smith-Schuster posted video appearing to show him in the driver's seat of a BMW, hitting 104 MPH ... less than 2 weeks after suffering a severe head injury.

The Pittsburgh WR posted the video on to his Instagram stories late Tuesday night ... seemingly wanting to show off his fancy ride and the Travis Scott banger that was playing over his car's speakers.

The problem for JuJu? He suffered a serious concussion in the Steelers' game against the Browns on Nov. 14 ... and speeding down the highway with a phone locked in his hand ain't exactly the smartest call.

Hell, even if he DIDN'T have a concussion, ya shouldn't IG and drive (especially at 104 mph).

JuJu has since removed the video from his IG page.

Of course, this ain't the first time a young NFL superstar has tried to flex behind the wheel at breakneck speed ... back in March, Lamar Jackson did the SAME THING!!!

The Ravens QB -- who topped out at 105 MPH -- eventually apologized for the dumb move ... and went on to become the best player in the NFL this season.

Seems JuJu should learn a thing or two from the league's (likely) MVP.

Right after SFA hero Nate Bain hit the game-winner to beat Duke -- fans hit his GoFundMe with $30k in donations to help his family rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian.

AMAZING STORY!!!

Bain fought back tears during his postgame TV interview -- talking about how much the victory at Cameron Indoor meant to him ... especially after the disaster in the Bahamas.

"My family lost a whole lot this year," Bain said, holding back tears. "I'm not going to cry on TV."

Officials at Stephen F. Austin State University had set up an NCAA approved GoFundMe for Bain back in September ... saying Bain's family saw "nearly everything of value destroyed by Hurricane Dorian."

"Bain's father -- a minister -- watched as his church suffered extreme damage from the storm as well."

The good news ... EVERYONE learned about Bain's story after watching SFA take down Duke and fans flocked to the GoFundMe in droves to help out, donating roughly $30k!!!

And, it's not just SFA people opening up their wallets, fans from UCONN, Michigan State, UNC ... and yeah, even some Duke-haters are pitching in.

Incredible story ... but what's even cooler is how Bain was able to celebrate the moment with his teammates -- 'cause the guys went INSANE after his legendary layup!

You can see in locker room video shot by Bain's teammates ... there were water shower celebrations, Gatorade ice baths and a whole lot of flexing and screaming!!

Felt like March in November ... gotta love it!!!!

Here's Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Jasmine Sanders helping us ring in Thanksgiving ... with her butt.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

The 28-year-old model was actually born in Germany, but she was raised in South Carolina and therefore has a deep, deep appreciation for Turkey Day.

So, to celebrate, Jasmine posted this video taking a shower at some rock formation somewhere in a thong bikini ... with the caption, "What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?"

And, THAT is the Thanksgiving connection here.

Oh, you want a sports connection, too? How about this ...

Sanders was recently connected to Phoenix Suns star Kelly Oubre Jr. -- they were holding hands on the way out of Bootsy Bellows nightclub in L.A. back in August.

Kelly said the two never developed into a full-fledged relationship ... which is absolutely RIDICULOUS ... but whatever bro, it's your life. Do you.

As for Jasmine -- the 2019 S.I. Swimsuit Edition Rookie of the Year -- thanks for the yams.

Canelo Alvarez thinks the Floyd Mayweather comeback is HILARIOUS -- saying there's no way Floyd would ever consider a rematch because he's too focused on MMA guys.

The boxing superstar was leaving Matsuhisa sushi in Hollywood in great spirits when we asked how he felt about 42-year-old Floyd wanting TWO fights in 2020.

"He's not gonna fight with me," a smirking Canelo told us ... "He's gonna take on MMA fighters!"

CA's entourage added a little more commentary -- with a female friend saying Floyd "couldn't handle" a fight with Canelo.

His male pal was blunter, saying, "Canelo will kill him!"

For his part, Floyd is still working on nailing down his two opponents -- a boxer and an MMA fighter -- and we're told he's got his sites set on Manny Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Canelo's coming off a violent knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev as he fights his way through his 11 fight, 5-year, $365 MILLION contract.

Unclear what's next for Canelo -- but he's said in the past he would LOVE a rematch with Floyd, who has the ONLY victory over Alvarez in his pro boxing career.

The two fought back in 2013 -- when Canelo was only 23 -- and he lost by majority decision. After the fight, Canelo said he simply couldn't catch Mayweather.

New England Patriots stud Ben Watson just bodied PETA in the war over Georgia's dog mascot ... straight-up telling the org to "kick rocks" for criticizing the school's use of the sideline pup!

"He IS at home with a loving family," Watson said Tuesday, "Kick rocks @peta."

If you missed it ... PETA started an epic war with UGA this week after footage of the school's dog mascot looking sad during Saturday's rain-soaked game surfaced on social media.

The organization demanded the program retire the mascot ASAP ... saying the British bulldog looked "MISERABLE!" and needs to be moved to a new home.

PETA added, "No dog deserves to be packed up, carted from state to state, and paraded in front of a stadium full of screaming fans."

But, Watson -- who played at Georgia from '01 to '03 -- raced to his alma mater's defense Tuesday ... saying in a tweet Uga X is doing just fine at Georgia and DEFINITELY has a loving home.

Of course, this ain't the first time PETA has gone after Uga ... earlier this year it demanded his removal from the school after he and the University of Texas' Longhorn mascot got into it on the sideline.

For its part, Georgia doesn't seem to be in any hurry to bend the knee to the organization ... with no imminent plans to ditch the mascot anytime soon.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff believes Bernie Sanders is a threat to America -- and he's teaching his kids to shoot guns in case Bernie beats Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

"Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders  beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020," the former SF Giants slugger said.

"In which case knowing how to effectively use a gun under socialism will be a must."

Of course, 42-year-old Huff -- who won TWO World Series rings with the Giants -- is an outspoken Trump supporter who doesn't shy away from controversy. And, when asked WHO he was training to shoot, Huff offered up this explanation.

"Ummmm crazy people rioting and trying to break into my house for food or shelter. And yes that includes Americans. And they aren’t fellow Americans if they are breaking into my house and trying to harm my family dumbass."

Huff isn't the first person with an MLB connection to talk about guns and Trump ... just last month, MLB umpire Rob Drake got himself in hot water for similar comments.

"I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL WAR," Drake said.

MLB is investigating pitcher Sam Dyson over allegations he got violent with his ex-girlfriend ... AND their cat.

Dyson's ex, Alexis Blackburn, is accusing the former Minnesota Twins pitcher of flying into a rage and smashing up their cat's play box while the cat was still inside.

Blackburn posted a message on social media -- written in the voice of her cat -- saying, "Someone I trusted with my safety, protection, and love did the unthinkable while I was inside the box."

Blackburn says she moved the cat out of their home -- and says (in her cat's voice), "I don’t have to worry about getting hurt because of anger or control."

"I don’t have to be scared of yelling and things being hurled at mom and me. I don’t have to be scared anymore."

In ANOTHER cryptic post -- using her own voice -- Blackburn alludes to an abusive situation with an unnamed person ... and says, "I am broken."

"I’ve allowed my physical health, my emotional health, and my mental health to diminish to nothing."

A source close to the situation confirmed to The Athletic ... both social media posts were written about Dyson.

An MLB spokesperson tells TMZ Sports, "We are aware of the matter and looking into it."

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal says MLB is calling the matter a "domestic violence investigation."

So far, no comment from Dyson's camp.

31-year-old Dyson is currently a free agent after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins.

Freeclimbing legend Alex Honnold -- the star of "Free Solo" -- is being hailed as a real-life hero after rescuing a fellow climber Sunday who fell off a famous rock formation in Yosemite.

Honnold was at El Capitan -- the epic 3,200-foot formation he impressively climbed WITHOUT ROPES in his documentary -- when something went terribly wrong.

33-year-old Emily Harrington -- a 5-time sport climbing champ -- lost her grip and fell from the formation while attached to her climbing rope ... suffering injuries in the process.

"I took a bad fall and pinballed a bit then somehow hit the rope w my neck," Harrington explained.

That's when Honnold and his pals sprung into action ... getting to Harrington quickly and stabilizing her while emergency personnel arrived.

90 minutes later, Harrington was transported to a nearby hospital where she was treated and is now recovering.

Harrington's boyfriend, Adrian Ballinger, has since thanked Honnold for "calmly maintaining spinal immobilization on the wall, getting things ready for an evac, and telling stories and keeping her talking throughout.”

Ballinger says Harrington is in good spirits, praising her "warrior mentality" and expects her to resume her climbing career ASAP.

Sorry, Wayne Gretzky ... seems the grandkid's got the golf genes and not the hockey ones -- 'CAUSE LOOK AT THE SWING ON DUSTIN JOHNSON AND PAULINA'S SON!!!

DJ and Paulina had an impromptu range sesh with their 2-year-old outside their home Tuesday ... and thank God someone brought the camera -- 'cause the Great One's grandson can seriously hack it.

Watch the clip ... River Johnson has the classic DJ backswing and he keeps his head down throughout the whole stroke. Plus, he even takes a little bit of a divot!!!

The swing clearly impressed Mom ... 'cause Paulina said of the vid, "Watch out pga tour 2035."

Even Grandma loved seeing it, with Janet Gretzky saying, "Takes after his Grandma Honey!!! Go get it River !!"

Of course, the athletic feat shouldn't surprise a soul ... Dustin's one of the greatest golfers of all-time and Paulina is the daughter of the best hockey player ever.

But, don't worry too much about the Gretzkys not carrying on the hockey tradition ... River's pretty good with a stick too -- remember when he put pucks past grandpa earlier this year?!?!

The NHL has launched an investigation into claims Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters called a black player the n-word while he was managing a minor league team 10 years ago.

While the Flames were playing the Penguins on Monday ... ex-NHL player Akim Aliu took to Twitter and accused Calgary's coach of hurling racial slurs at him during their time together in 2009.

30-year-old Aliu played for Peters in the 2009-10 season when the guy was coaching the Rockford Ice Hogs ... and Aliu says on multiple occasions, Peters called him the n-word.

"Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music," Aliu said.

Aliu never mentioned Peters by name in the tweets ... but he made it clear he was talking about the 53-year-old coach when he called him Mike Babcock's "protege."

FYI, Babcock -- who was recently fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs -- coached Peters in college and is considered the guy's biggest hockey mentor.

For their part, the Flames immediately announced they were launching a probe into the allegations ... with general manager Brad Treliving telling reporters they take the claims seriously.

The NHL weighed in on the issue Tuesday as well ... saying it's launching a probe too, adding, "The behavior that has been alleged is repugnant and unacceptable."

Peters was not made available to the media after the Flames' game Monday night ... and he's yet to address the allegations himself.

Papa John's founder says his former pizza chain ain't the same without him -- but the way he got to that conclusion is a little troubling ... and kind of a heart attack waiting to happen.

John Schnatter sat down with WDRB in Kentucky to discuss how his life's changed since getting ousted from the company last year following his n-word controversy. The big takeaway -- he's pigging out on PJ pizza, and bitter as hell about his exit.

Schnatter says he's eaten more than 40 pies over the last 30 days to sample how the taste has changed since he's left. According to him, they simply don't have the same magic as when he was in charge.

He goes on to say he feels his coworkers were out to get him last year by allegedly releasing audio of him saying the n-word in a private conference call. He also vows for a day of reckoning -- but more importantly, he weighs in on Shaq being hired.

As we reported, the big man was tapped to join the Papa John Board of Directors this year. Despite Schnatter's firing for shamelessly using the n-word -- he says he's a fan of Shaq getting involved ... with a caveat.

Warning to Schnatter: If the bitterness in your heart doesn't kill ya, your clogged arteries might. Lay off the pizza, bruh. We get your point ...

It pays to be the champs ... and the Washington Nationals now know exactly how much they're getting for winning the World Series -- a whoppin' $382k per player!!

Major League Baseball just announced the total amounts that got divvied up to each postseason team ... and while it isn't record-breaking, it's still an insane number -- $80,861,145.74!!

BTW -- the total pool number is essentially made up of playoff stadium ticket sales and is divided by the 10 playoff teams based on how far they got.

Since the Nats took the title, they obvi got the biggest amount to share -- $29,110,012 to split between 61 players, totaling in $382,358!!

The Houston Astros lost, but they can wipe their tears with a sweet $256,030 each!!

Here's how much the rest of the playoff teams got ...

New York Yankees -- $114k per player

St. Louis Cardinals -- $144k per player

Atlanta Braves -- $33k per player

Los Angeles Dodgers -- $32k per player

Minnesota Twins -- $37k per player

Tampa Bay Rays -- $36k per player

The $80 million pot is the 3rd-highest of all time ... right behind the 2017 and 2018 postseasons.

"I am the hardest-hitting puncher in boxing history, period."

Deontay Wilder says his right hand is the most devastating weapon in the history of combat sports -- more dangerous than Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, you name it.

... And to everyone who disagrees, Wilder has a simple message -- "Let [the past] go!"

The Bronze Bomber is coming off a ferocious 7th round knockout of Luis Ortiz -- where he cracked LO with a right cross that knocked him into next week.

But, Wilder says it's not the hardest shot he's landed ... he thought he KILLED a guy in a 2016 fight.

"Man, I think the [Artur Szpilka] fight still tops it. Just the way that he landed and I really didn't see him breathing ... at all. I didn't see him start breathing until his GF came over and he finally woke up."

"It was like something in the movies and I actually had to witness it with my own eyes and it was amazing to see that. That one, I really felt it. Ortiz, I didn't feel the punch."

Next up for Wilder is the rematch with Tyson Fury, who just said he has the "Kryptonite" for Deontay's right hand.

"I mean, if him getting up off his back is the 'Kryptonite' than Lord have mercy! Have mercy upon him the 2nd time because he won't get up. Because I'm gonna get him again."

Wilder continued, "These fighters have to be perfect for me for 12 rounds and that's 36 minutes! 36 minutes you gotta be perfect!"

As for George Foreman, who told TMZ Sports he thinks Mike Tyson hits harder than Deontay ... Wilder says his critics need to stop living in the past!

Wilder also says he knows Iron Mike has been praising him in private, but he's ready for Mike to shower him with compliments in public!

"I had some people sitting by Mike (at my fight). Mike gave me some praises, which I wish he would have said in public. Behind closed doors is cute and s**t but out in public?! Just express yourself!"

"I don't know what the deal is with the old generation, new generation. Like, the old is the past, bro -- let it go!"

There's more ... Wilder also gave us the lowdown on his AMAZING ring-walk costume ... telling us it cost a fortune, but it was worth every penny!

"We wanted to go into a modern-day king, like knight ... It was like the outfit represented the old and the new. The old me turning into the new me. The past is the past, welcome to the future."

So, price?

"The outfit was like $16k ... but its a write-off."

Wilder says he's already working on his NEXT costume ... and he wants it to be even more impressive!