TMZ Sports - Page 50

Johnny Manziel has a job in pro sports again!

TMZ Sports has learned the former QB inked a promotional deal with DAZN to promote the big Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz rematch this weekend ... which is going down at the same time as the SEC Championship.

We're told the deal with Manziel is a "one-time partnership" with DAZN ... but it could lead to something bigger. We're told DAZN made a similar deal with Saquon Barkley.

One source tells us the streaming service is trying to find creative ways to promote their content and tapping Manziel, who has a large and loyal following, could pay off big.

The hook for DAZN is that the fight starts at 12:30 PM PT and will overlap with the LSU vs. Georgia game on CBS.

Manziel's selling point is that fans don't have to choose one or the other -- they can watch the game on TV and the fight on any device.

Metta World Peace didn't even wait an hour to make a play for David Fizdale's job -- claiming he should be the next coach of the Knicks 'cause he's got that NYC street ball mentality!

The ex-NBA star meant no disrespect to Fizdale --- who was fired in his 2nd season --- and gave Fiz credit for what he was able to accomplish in his short time as head coach.

"Shoutout to Coach Fiz. I mean you deserved it man," MWP says ... "You put in work. I watched you over the years."

But, what the Knicks are missing is that NYC mindset, according to Metta who says growing up in Queens and later playing for the Knicks make him the perfect candidate.

"I will absolutely bring that street mentality to the Garden."

"Let's get it poppin' New York City. The fans chill out, you already know what it is. All that booin', we gon' boo yall if I'm in the Garden."

He adds, "We coming to win and that's it ... it's just my love for New York City."

For now, the Knicks have tapped Mike Miller as interim coach -- and there are rumblings NY is seriously considering Mark Jackson for the full-time gig.

Look, Metta knows it's a tough job and he ain't the frontrunner ... but he's making his case anyway!

"It's one of the best jobs in sports. Block out the fans. They act hard but really they just want to win."

"I'm making it official, I'm no longer a Knicks fan!!!"

That's Michael Rappaport officially ENDING his NY Knicks fandom -- saying he's "disgusted" with the team for firing head coach David Fizdale and can no longer justify rooting for 'em.

"I'm serious. I am a fan of the past Knicks. I'm not rooting for this team."

Rap says the only way to send a message to Knicks management is through a celebrity boycott -- and he's calling out the stars by name!!!

"Jerry Seinfeld Howard Stern, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, all the cast of SNL ... I know you get to go to the Garden Suite and get the free meals and the shrimp cocktails and the cookies ... DON'T GO TO GAMES ANYMORE!"

"Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande ... don't do it! Go to see 'Cats' on Broadway. Go to see 'Book of Mormon' ... Netflix and chill."

In fact, Rap -- who stars in "Atypical" -- is out on his U.S. comedy tour ... which should help him take his mind off the Knicks but you gotta watch the clip. He's PISSED!!!

Terrifying moment for figure skating legend Michelle Kwan -- who was involved in a bad crash in South Carolina on Friday after a mattress fell off a car on a highway.

The 39-year-old Olympic medalist was driving on Interstate 26 in Columbia around 6 AM when a driver in the fast lane "dropped a massive mattress" in the middle of traffic.

Kwan tried to avoid the mattress, but in the chaos, she was hit by another driver. Kwan says the car that dropped the mattress sped off when the driver saw the damage on the road.

"Luckily the driver who hit me was paying attention and slammed on his breaks - he still hit me hard."

Kwan -- who was driving a rented Nissan Sentra -- says she's grateful she wasn't pushed into oncoming traffic, where cars were racing around 70 mph.

"Thank God nobody was hurt," Kwan says ... "just felt very scared and now angry at the coward that drove away."

Kwan adds, "Sorry but just need to share and also remind folks to secure furniture or hire movers because you can really kill somebody."

In case you need a refresher, Kwan is one of the all-time greats ... she's been inducted into both the U.S. and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fames.

It sure LOOKS like pro golfer Patrick Reed cheated his ass off on a hole Tiger Woods' big Hero World Challenge tourney on Friday ... but Reed insists he's INNOCENT!!!

Here's the deal ... Reed was caught in a sand trap on the 11th hole -- and during a practice swing, he appeared to use his club to knock away a clump of sand behind the ball, setting him up for a cleaner shot.

The problem ... YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!!

Tournament officials hit Reed with a 2 stroke penalty which is a big deal -- he's currently in 6th place ... 3 shots behind tourney leader Gary Woodland.

But, Reed insists he did NOT cheat -- claiming it was a bad camera angle that's making it LOOK like he cheated ... when he really didn't.

Instead, Reed says his club hit a mound of sand created by a footprint that was NOT close to the ball.

"At the end of the day, it's my word vs. their word and they weren't standing there. They had a camera angle," Reed said.

Reed says he's trying to accept the punishment and move on since he still has another round of play on Saturday.

Tito Ortiz got the ultimate rock star treatment at a U.S. Border Patrol station in Texas ... where agents lined up to take pics ... and even asked him to sign their handcuffs.

... all while sporting a Trump 2020 campaign shirt.

Tito's in McAllen, TX -- about 3 miles from the Mexico border -- for his big Combate Americas fight on Saturday with Alberto El Patron.

And, with Ortiz being a very outspoken fan of Trump's immigration policies, he decided to meet with the people in charge of patrolling the area ... and they LOVED him!!!

Check out the video ... Ortiz took pics with everyone, signed autographs and even gave a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.

Meanwhile, his opponent Alberto El Patron -- who hates Trump -- went a different promotional route this week ... choking out a POTUS impersonator on a Spanish language TV show.

Antonio Brown just issued a massive apology for his off-the-field behavior -- but there's one huge problem with his mea culpa ... it's unclear what he's specifically apologizing for.

"First and foremost, I’d like to apologize to my family, friends and anyone who I offended," Brown said on IG.

"I never once meant to make anyone feel like I wasn’t thankful and appreciative of the opportunity that I was afforded to play the game I love."

Here's where things get even murkier ... AB references "inexcusable" behavior -- but doesn't specify if he's talking about serious allegations like rape or stupid incidents like farting on his trainer.

"While my behavior was inexcusable, sometimes when people are coming at you with false information and allegations, we handle ourselves in ways that we sometimes regret."

Our takeaway from that line is that AB is referencing the menacing text messages he sent to a woman who had accused him of sexual misconduct.

The Patriots cut AB after they learned about AB's texts and the NFL has launched an investigation.

"I do take full responsibility for my actions and I’m working everyday to repair what I broke."

Brown then turns his focus on getting another shot in the NFL ...

"I do know that if I’m ever given the opportunity to play the game that I love, I’m going to work extremely hard to show the world how much I appreciate another chance."

"To the organizations that I offended, I offer my sincere apology to you and my hope is that you forgive me and help me move on from this minor setback."

Those organizations could be anyone from the Patriots to the Oakland Raiders to the Pittsburgh Steelers ... maybe even the Buffalo Bills.

As we previously reported, the Raiders had signed AB to a 3-year, $50 mil contract ... but he had drama with his helmet, his feet and had public spats with the GM and coach Jon Gruden.

The Patriots picked him up ... only to dump him right after the text message incident. Brown later bashed the Pats on social media and referenced owner Robert Kraft's prostitution scandal.

The Steelers couldn't wait to dump AB after he live-streamed a private locker room conversation ... and he went after QB Ben Roethlisberger in the media.

As for the Bills, there was interest in signing AB ... but he reportedly refused to play there and a potential trade never went through.

For his part, AB has been training like a maniac over the past few months -- and you gotta wonder if there's real interest from an NFL team looking to beef up the WR position before the playoffs.

Here's tennis star Juan Martin del Potro showing us how he's recovering from that pesky knee injury ... a Miami beach romp with his model girlfriend!

Feelin' better already?!

Juan -- the former #3 ranked player in the world -- fractured his kneecap earlier this year after slipping on grass during a tourney and had to undergo surgery to repair it.

He's hoping for a big-time comeback when he's all healed up -- but in the meantime, the 31-year-old Argentinian stud is relaxing in Miami with actress/model Sofia Jujuy Jimenez.

They reportedly started dating earlier this year -- and it seems to be going REALLY well ... at least judging by the PDA in the pics!

From what we can tell on her IG page, Sofia is a pretty good model ... meaning, she looks damn incredible in a bikini.

Jerry Jones dropped a "BS" bomb during a live radio interview -- and was DROPPED from the air -- after chewing out the hosts over Cowboys questions.

The Dallas Cowboys owner appeared on 105.3 The Fan for his weekly radio call -- but it was clear from the jump he was in a BAAAAD mood following the loss to the Chicago Bears.

The hosts asked Jones if he was embarrassed about the loss -- to which he shot back, "Get your damn act together!"

"We're going to have a good visit this morning, but settle down just a little bit."

As the hosts continued to ask questions, Jones warned them -- "I don't like your attitude to come in. I've been traveling all night and I don't have the patience to jack with you today."

Both sides settled down and talked about the Cowboys problems -- from the kicking game to the defense -- and at one point, Jerry used an expletive ON THE AIR!

The show dropped Jones from the air -- and explained that they panicked when he used the curse word. They had tried to just drop the audio, but they accidentally hung up on him instead.

Could you imagine a young Doug Flutie playing in today's NFL? He can ... and the ex-QB says he's convinced he woulda crushed it -- pointing to Lamar Jackson as proof!

"I just wish I could play in the NFL today with these spread offenses, quarterback runs and all that," Flutie says ... "It would be a blast! It would be a little more suited to me."

Flutie was a human highlight reel back in the day ... he won the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and then played pro football until 2005!!!

He could run. He could throw. He even kicked a field goal!!!

So, when Flutie sees another amazing athlete like Lamar Jackson KILLING IT as a QB ... he LOVES EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!

"Lamar Jackson is unbelievable. I was a running QB. He's an elite tailback if he wants to! He's amazing! His shiftiness, his pure speed and then he has the ability to really throw the football too!"

"The other way to stop a QB that runs is loading up the box and leave 'em one-on-one coverage ... and he can make those throws out there, so he's really tough to defend."

Flutie says he's incredibly proud of his fellow Heisman winner and admits, "I love the way he's doing it because it makes me validate some of the stuff I did."

It's a really cool clip.

And get this, Doug is bringing back his famous Flutie Flakes breakfast cereal ... and he's telling TMZ Sports the story about bringing it back after 20 years!

A high percentage of the proceeds will go toward Doug's charity -- the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism -- a cause very dear to his heart.

Talk about moving FAST!!!

Sports reporter Holly Sonders and high-stakes gambler Vegas Dave have only been dating for 1 WEEK ... and they're already dropping L-bombs and talking marriage!

"It's love," Dave told us while out with Holly in Bev Hills ... "We're getting married in Cabo."

Seems like he's joking about the quickie marriage, but they're super into each other and have been virtually inseparable since they started dating last week.

"Our first date was at a strip club in Vegas and it was on Thanksgiving," Holly says with a smile.

"We had a good time," Dave adds ... "We both got our hustle on, we both got our millions so it's like we're a good power couple."

The two have been strip club regulars since they hooked up -- hitting up Crazy Girls in Hollywood this week where they were seen throwing tons of cash at the dancers.

"If we spent $15,000 at a strip club last night with no lap dances, we're doing well," Dave explained.

So, what's the plan moving forward ... Dave says he's bringing Holly as his date to the Lakers game, where he spends a FORTUNE to sit in Jack Nicholson's floor seats.

Dave says he spends more than $20k on those 2 seats -- and usually leaves one empty as a resting spot for his Birkin handbag.

"But, now I get to go," Holly brags.

"Thursday Night Football" sucked for the Cowboys ... on the field and in the stands.

While the Chicago Bears players put a beating on Dak Prescott and company, the Bears fans were lumping up a bunch of Cowboys fans in the bowels of Soldier Field.

Check out the footage obtained by Barstool Sports, showing a group of Bears fans going all Mike Tyson on a couple of guys in Cowboys jerseys at some point during the game.

It doesn't appear anyone was seriously injured -- we're working on finding out if anyone was arrested.

Of course, the actual game went terribly for Jerry Jones and his Cowboys ... Dallas lost 31 to 24 ... but the game wasn't as close as the final score makes it seem.

Despite the ass-kicking, Jerry Jones insists he'll stick with Jason Garrett as the Cowboys head coach until the season is over.

Oh, and somehow the 6-7 Cowboys are still in 1st place in the NFC East and have a real shot at the playoffs. The Eagles are 5-7.

That's a wrap for Caroline Wozniacki ... almost!

The 29-year-old tennis star says she's officially retiring from the sport -- right after the Australian Open in January -- to focus on other aspects of her life, including growing her family.

"I've played professionally since I was 15 years old," Wozniacki says.

"I've always told myself, when the time comes, that there are things away from tennis that I want to do more, then it's time to be done. In recent months, I've realized that there is a lot more in life that I'd like to accomplish off the court."

Caroline says getting married to NBA star David Lee "was one of those goals" -- along with "starting a family with him while continuing to travel the world."

She also wants to focus energy on raising awareness for rheumatoid arthritis -- a condition she suffers from.

"So with that, today I am announcing that I will be retiring from professional tennis after the Australian Open in January," Wozniacki says.

"This has nothing to do with my health and this isn't a goodbye, I look forward to sharing my exciting journey ahead with all of you."

As far as her tennis accomplishments, Caroline was pretty damn good.

"With 30 WTA singles titles, a world #1 ranking for 71 weeks, a WTA Finals victory, 3 Olympics, including carrying the flag for my native Denmark, and winning the 2018 Australian Open Grand slam championship, I've accomplished everything I could on the court."

Not bad, right?

Wozniacki and her hubby recently took classes at Harvard Business School as part of a program that helps athletes build a second career outside of sports ... so post-tennis life has been on her brain for a while.

Congrats!

Jeb Bush is going to bat for his beloved Houston Astros -- saying allegations they cheated during their 2017 World Series season is nothing more than "Fake news!"

"No way," Bush told us ... "Not the 'Stro Dogs! No way!"

"It's fake news!"

Bush -- who grew up in Texas and says he's a longtime Astros fan -- was smirking in our clip ... so it seems he knows the evidence is mounting against his squad.

In the past few weeks, videos have surfaced that seem to show the Astros used an array of visual signals and sounds to tip off batters about the types of pitches coming their way.

So far, none of the players have admitted guilt -- in fact, ex-Astros outfielder J.D. Davis has outright DENIED the allegations ... and points to his batting average as proof.

"I wasn't aware of anything and even if I was, even if there was, I wish I would've known because I batted only like .180, .200 or something like that," Davis told The Athletic.

MLB officials are currently investigating -- and it's obvious this scandal ain't going away any time soon.

The Bush family has a major connection to Major League Baseball -- Jeb's brother, George W. Bush, was a part-owner of the Texas Rangers back in the day.

Johnny Football could become Johnny Spousal Support ... at least, that's what his estranged wife Bre Tiesi is going for.

TMZ Sports has obtained Bre's divorce petition in which she specifically asks the judge to award her spousal support ... despite separating after only a year.

379 days to be exact.

In the docs, Bre says they got married on March 10, 2018, and she lists the date of separation as March 24, 2019 ... which is interesting.

We've learned ... Bre was in Bali on a girls' trip with friends on the date of the split -- and Bre has publicly accused Manziel of "breaking vows."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what she's implying ... that he cheated on her while she was away. In the docs, she cites "irreconcilable differences."

So, let's get down to the money ...

Obviously, Bre doesn't have a claim to any of the NFL cash Manziel made BEFORE they were married ... but she could be entitled to the money he made during their union.

Remember, Johnny played in the Canadian Football League after he tied the knot -- from May 2018 until he was cut and banned from the league in Feb. 2019.

Unclear how much cash Manziel made in the CFL, but that could factor in to a potential settlement and possibly into a spousal support deal.

Tiesi will likely argue she became accustomed to a lavish lifestyle -- and she believes Manziel should fork over money so she can continue to live that way.

Will a judge agree? Maybe, maybe not ... but this could get very interesting.

Oh, and Bre also wants Johnny to pay her attorney's fees.

Stay tuned ...

Dana White says the fight deal he made with Floyd Mayweather was entirely constructed and sealed at the Clippers game last month ...and says they're targeting a Sept. 2020 fight date.

"He and I did a deal right there in our seats on the court," the UFC honcho told Rich Eisen ... "We shook hands and we have a deal."

White didn't reveal any details about Floyd's potential opponent -- but later told Jim Rome he's hoping to sit down with Floyd's business partner, Al Haymon, in March to get a fight booked for Sept.

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Mayweather is actually trying to book TWO comeback fights in 2020 ... both boxing matches.

Sources close to Floyd tell us ... he wants to fight a respected pro boxer (we're told he's seriously considering Manny Pacquiao) plus another match with a UFC fighter.

Floyd has previously called out Khabib Nurmagomedov, but it's unclear if that's his intended target on the UFC side of things.