TMZ Sports - Page 50

99.6 MILLION people watched the 2018 "League of Legends" championships ... just a few million shy of the 2018 Super Bowl numbers.

And, Rick Fox says it's only a matter of time before "LoL" eclipses the NFL.

Fox is an Esports pioneer who famously founded Team Echo Fox -- which competes in everything from "Fortnite" to "CS:GO" and even "Mortal Kombat."

Fox says he's been watching the sport explode ... so he wasn't shocked when fellow gaming titan FaZe Banks told TMZ Sports recently there will be an Esports event that will pull in a bigger audience than the Super Bowl.

"As much as we love football in North America, it's not international to the level of gaming," Fox says.

"'League of Legends' is a huge global event. It's already got numbers right below the Super Bowl so it's coming ... it grows every year."

"Everything is so online now, technology has unlocked the ability for those people in foreign countries, or regardless of where you are in the world, to connect."

Fox also says the sport is finally growing massive stars with global appeal -- like Faker, who Fox considers the Michael Jordan of gaming.

FYI, Faker is a 23-year-old "LoL" legend from South Korea who's already racked up more than $1.2 MILLION in prize money.

In fact, Fox says he recently had a chance to play with Faker to raise money for the Bahamas Relief Foundation ... so shout out to Faker for that!

Terrell Owens says put the blame SQUARELY on Jerry Jones for the Cowboys' struggles ... telling TMZ Sports the owner is the problem in Dallas!!

"Anytime there's any type of dysfunction, turmoil, it starts from the top down," TO says. "It starts with him."

Of course, Owens has hated pretty much everything about the Cowboys since Jerry cut him after the 2008 season ... but when we got the Hall of Famer out at LAX this week, he made it clear he truly believes Jones is the issue in Big D.

So much so, Owens says it might be time Jerry steps away and hires a real general manager to take over!!

As for the head coach ... Owens is still advocating for Jason Garrett's firing -- hilariously telling us, "He should have been Edward Scissorhands'ed!"

Dallas has a (very small) chance to prove TO wrong these next few weeks ... if it's able to beat both Philly and Washington, it gets a home playoff game in January.

From Ellen DeGeneres to Jason Momoa ... even Anthony Anderson -- your favorite Hollywood superstars LOOOOOOOVE football ... and can't wait to hang with the players on the field!

Check out all of the bigtime actors, comics, singers, etc who got those coveted VIP passes to hang with studs like Aaron Rodgers, JJ Watt and Deshaun Watson!

The guy who admitted to slapping a female reporter's backside while running a 5k race has been arrested.

Thomas Callaway of Georgia surrendered to authorities Friday and posed for this mug shot. He was booked for misdemeanor sexual battery and was released on $1,300 bond. If convicted, he faces a max sentence of up to 12 months behind bars and up to a $5,000 fine.

TMZ broke the story ... the WSAV-TV reporter -- 23-year-old Alex Bozarjian -- seemed intent of pursuing a criminal case against Callaway after his alleged "smack and grab" during the River Bridge Run last weekend ... when a shocked Bozarjian seemed to respond to contact.

She filed a police report soon thereafter, and went to blast Callaway on social media by saying she the moment was "violating" and "embarrassing." She later told "CBS This Morning" that he'd taken her power from her, and she was simply trying to take it back.

Callaway went on national TV to try and apologize, saying he had a lapse in judgment and got caught up in the moment. He said he hoped Bozarjian could forgive him. BTW, he's reportedly a teen church youth minister and a Boy Scout leader too.

His attorney said his client did not act with any criminal intentions, adding ... "Tommy is a loving husband and father who is very active in the community. We have been in touch with WSAV and representatives of Ms. Alex Bozarjian, as well as members of Savannah law enforcement."

Antonio Brown was greeted with at least three police squad cars this AM -- all because his baby mama didn't think it'd be a good idea to pick up their kid's clothes by herself.

The unemployed wide receiver posted a crazy video Saturday morning that showed him filming police officers surrounding his Hollywood, FL property -- which eventually ended with him ordering his friend to drop off a bunch of kid's clothes with one of the cops on the scene.

According to law enforcement sources, we're told this was at the request of one of AB's baby mamas -- who put in a request with Hollywood PD to have them there for a "civil standby" as she picked up some clothes from him, which belonged to a child they share.

Our sources say they weren't responding to anything wrong or illegal AB had done ... cops were simply there to make sure the exchange went down peacefully and without incident. We're told no crime was committed, and no arrests were made on either end.

Based on AB's Instagram story from a few hours earlier ... it appears this might have something to do with his baby mama, Chelsie Kyriss ... with whom he has 3 kids.

He threw up what appear to be text messages between her and another person, which AB seemed to believe are about him, as he captioned his own screen grabs of the text exchange with ... "These hoes been liening," as well as, "These hoes be discussing your funds too."

There's a pic of Chelsie in the texts too BTW -- and just earlier this week, he tweeted something else that seemed to be a shot at her, with him writing ... "No more white woman 2020." For her part, Chelsie reportedly responded by saying he was characterizing the texts ... and said she had photos of him that'd "end your entire life!" She says he's playing victim.

Anyway, whatever the hell was going on at his crib ... he definitely let the cops know he was sick of them coming by -- saying they couldn't force their way in on a G.O.A.T.

Side note, AB might be fighting off a cold or something ... his voice sounds super hoarse.

Kanye West and Joel Osteen know a good thing when they see it, and after a massive success at Joel's Sunday Service in Houston, they've talked about a possible national tour.

TMZ broke the story, Kanye and Joel will appear at Yankee Stadium on May 2 and they will almost certainly sell the venue out. Kanye will be responsible for the music ... Joel will perform the sermon.

Our sources say the next venue will be Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... Kanye's hometown. We're told that event will go down in September.

But, there's more. We're told Joel and Kanye are talking regularly now ... mostly about religion, but they've also talked about expanding the kind of show they put on in Houston. We're told, although nothing has been locked down, they're talking about Miami, Detroit and Los Angeles. Joel has taken his service to Detroit in the past -- at Comerica Park in 2016, with great success. As for L.A. ... we're told the likely venue is Dodger Stadium.

We're told Detroit, L.A. and Miami would likely be in 2021.

Don't stick a fork in Eli Manning just yet -- his friend and ex-teammate, Plaxico Burress, is adamant he'll play again in 2020 ... telling us, "It won't be the last you see of him."

Plax LOVED the way 38-year-old Eli played against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend -- "S**t, I think E-Money held his own!"

And, while most people think Eli will hang it up at the end of the season, the former NY Giants WR says he just ain't convinced Manning's ready to retire.

"I don't think it's the end of the road. That's my main man. That's my homeboy," Plax says ... "It won't be the last you see of him. I'll tell you that."

The big question ... will Eli stay with the Giants, where he's played his entire career or move on to another team in need of a QB.

When Manning DOES decide to retire, Plaxico says there's ZERO DOUBT he'll end up in the Hall of Fame.

"First ballot, no doubt about it," Plax says ... "How is he not? 2 Super Bowls, 2 MVPs ... how many QBs have done it?"

Ohio State superstar Chase Young -- the projected #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- says he's not thinking about declaring for the draft and the "plan" is to return to school.

... But you know what they say about plans. They change.

TMZ Sports spoke with the Heisman finalist in NYC on Friday before Saturday's big ceremony ... and, despite the MASSIVE contract he could have come April, Young says that's not on his mind.

Young -- a 20-year-old junior -- has been a dominant, uncontrollable force on defense for the Buckeyes this season ... racking up 16.5 sacks (a school record) despite being suspended 2 games.

So, yeah, whoever sits at the top of the draft is gonna want to either take Young or his old teammate/LSU sensation Joe Burrow ... but it sounds like the Bucks could come out winners. Maybe.

We also talked to Young about the upcoming Fiesta Bowl matchup with Clemson ... and he sounds ready to go.

Charles Oakley says even though the dude's a LEGEND in New York, Patrick Ewing simply ain't the right guy to take over for David Fizdale as Knicks head coach.

But, don't worry, Oak's got someone in mind -- Mark Jackson!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the ex-NY star about the coaching vacancy ... and, while he lists off a number of ex-Knicks who are qualified for the gig, Ewing ain't one of them.

Why??

"Ya gotta be a different type of coach than Patrick," Oak tells us. "I think he tried before and they didn’t hire him. So, I don’t know. We’ll see what happens."

Also, why??

Teofimo Lopez says the violence won't end when the bell rings Saturday night ... 'cause he's promising to attack the world's top pound-for-pound boxer -- and he even wrote the TMZ headline for when it goes down.

"Teofimo Slaps The S**t Outta Viva Lomachenko!!"

Yeah, he's probably playin' around ... but you get the point. Teofimo wants to put hands on Lomachenko.

22-year old Lopez is 14-0 with 11 KOs ... and is considered one of the best young prospects in the entire sport.

He's fighting IBF champ Richard Commey Saturday night at Madison Square Garden ... and, while he's super focused on keeping that undefeated record, he admits he's got his eye on a fight with Vasyl Lomachenko.

"I think Saturday night, I kinda put the exclamation point on it, showing everybody that we are ready to take on who they say is the pound-for-pound best. For me, I don't see him as the pound-for-pound best."

If Teofimo wins, a fight with Vasyl is likely to go down in 2020 ... or sooner. As in Saturday night ... 'cause Lopez says VL will be in the building

"He'll be in New York for the fight and everything to watch ringside," Lopez says ...

"So, I get to slap him afterward. It'll be cool."

Stop the search for a franchise QB, Denver ... Broncos stud Justin Simmons tells TMZ Sports Drew Lock IS the future of the team!!

"He's starting to prove himself a little bit," the Broncos DB says.

Of course, Lock's only started two games this season ... but Simmons tells us it's pretty clear to him Denver has finally got their QB of the future.

In fact, Simmons says he could see this coming way back in the fall ... telling us during practices in Sept. and Oct., he watched Lock's massive upside up close and personal.

"You could see he had all the potential," Simmons says.

"So, it's cool that we kind of got, like, the first look at it and he got to go in these past two Sundays and kind of perform for the world."

So far, Simmons' anointing of Lock as QB1 ain't exactly a crazy statement ... Lock is 2-0 the past two weeks with 5 TDs and 443 passing yards.

But, Lock has a chance to make Justin look really brilliant this weekend ... the rookie QB will go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in a tense AFC West game on Sunday.

"Obviously, it's a big test for us on the road this week," Simmons says.

Janoris Jenkins says he now understands how hurtful the r-word can be -- telling TMZ Sports he won't use the term again and vows to learn from this experience.

Just hours after the NY Giants released Jenkins for using the word to insult a critic on Twitter, the NFL star agreed to speak with TMZ's Evan Rosenblum, a parent of a 4-year-old special needs daughter.

During the conversation, Evan explained why using the r-word as an insult is particularly hurtful for special needs families -- and Jenkins called it a "learning moment."

"It's always a learning moment, man. Everybody's going to learn from different situations ... move forward and learn."

Buckeye loyalty be damned ... Ohio State legend Eddie George says LSU's Joe Burrow is the front-runner to win the Heisman trophy on Saturday ... despite 2 OSU finalists.

TMZ Sports spoke with the 1995 Heisman winner about the 4 finalists -- Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Chase Young and Justin Fields -- and while he won't tell us who he voted for, he thinks the Tigers gunslinger will take home the hardware.

"They're all worthy candidates," George tells us ... "It's tough for me to say who's gonna take it. It might be Joe Burrow might be the leader. But this thing has always been surprising.

"If I was a guessing man, I would think it would probably be the quarterback at LSU."

Boxing legend Leon Spinks is battling prostate cancer that spread to his bladder -- but the family is hopeful he'll pull through.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 66-year-old Spinks has been fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital.

Now, a family spokesperson is revealing more details about Leon's condition.

"Leon is currently in intensive care of a Las Vegas hospital receiving attentive medical care to suppress prostate cancer which he was diagnosed with earlier this year and has since spread to his bladder."

"The last few months have been an agonizing roller coaster for Leon and his wife, Brenda, with continuous hospital stays."

"Leon is showing small signs of improvement and progress. A miraculous fighter his entire life, we are optimistic and hopeful that he will  move out of ICU soon."

"The power of prayer is real and his family is beyond grateful for all of the tremendous love and support."

Quit smoking ... get a brand-new Maserati???

That's the deal Josh Donaldson made with his mom ... and when the MLB superstar paid up his side of the bet with the $70,000 whip -- Momma Donaldson's reaction was PRICELESS!!!

The Atlanta Braves stud says he made the pact with his mom a couple of years ago ... saying if she cut out cigarettes, he'd deliver a pricey ride as a present.

Well, sometime recently, she reached the two-year clean mark ... so he filmed himself giving her the Maserati, and the footage is amazing.

The third baseman's mom goes absolutely bananas when she sees the car ... jumping into his arms and screaming wildly.

Seriously, it's the best.

"2 years of not smoking and here is her early Christmas present," Donaldson said. "Trust me you are going to want to watch this."

The vid is so amazing ... a bunch of MLB stars weighed in, with JD Martinez calling it the "best reaction ever" and Ian Kinsler saying, "That's amazing."

Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and will miss the rest of the season to focus on treatment, the team announced.

23-year-old Lindblom is a rising star in the NHL -- he already has 18 points in 30 games this season ... impressive for someone so young.

But, Friday the team announced Lindblom has been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma -- which is described by St. Jude's as "a cancerous tumor that grows in the bones or in the tissue around bones (soft tissue)."

Only about 200 children and young adults are diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma each year in the United States.

The good news ... the cancer is treatable and people diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma have a good chance of beating it, according to WebMD.

The Flyers say Lindblom "will undergo further testing and evaluation next week and begin treatment immediately thereafter."

"He is not expected to return to play for the remainder of the season."

The team added, "The Flyers will do everything possible to support Oskar and assist him in securing the best care available."