TMZ Sports - Page 50

Listen up, super-rich athletes!! NBA star-turned-financial adviser Greg Oden is here to give you some solid pointers on how to keep from turning into a super-broke athlete!!

(We're looking at you Boris Becker!)

Of course, the #1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft has taken his talents to the finance world ... and he's working to help his fellow pro athletes GROW their money instead of blowing it (like Boris Becker!).

We spoke with G.O. at the Kenny Smith All-Star event in Chicago about his new career ... and he says he LOVES his job.

"It's amazing," Oden tells us. "I'm an athlete adviser for a financial education company ... the company is called Edyoucore, it's based out in Baltimore and I enjoy it."

There are countless stories of players going from making millions to bankruptcy ... and Oden -- who made $24 million in his career -- is hoping to put an end to the problem.

We put Oden on the spot and asked for a quick tip for any athletes watching ... and he gave us a nugget!!

"Be engaged. Pay attention where all your money is going."

And if you're wondering why we keep referencing Boris Becker -- the former tennis star is LEGENDARY for blowing his fortune.

In fact, during his 2017 bankruptcy case in England, a court official said the former tennis star had racked up a "historic debt."

At the time, Becker's rep John Briggs begged for mercy ... saying, "He is not a sophisticated individual when it comes to finances."

Deputies who responded to Kobe Bryant's helicopter crash site and took pictures of the remains were given a secret way out without repercussion ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... in the days after the crash, top brass at the department was aware some of their lower-level deputies had snapped shots of the scene as well as of the remains found, and were showing them to people in and out of the department.

We're told a message was relayed to the Lost Hills substations and possibly others as well ... if you got Kobe pics -- come in, come clean and delete them. Do that, and you won't be punished. That's essentially the directive we're told was handed down by commanding officers.

What's even more concerning is the fact our sources say this attempt to get rid of the damning evidence was all being done on the hush-hush, and it was only when the L.A. Times came around asking about this scandal that the department launched a formal inquiry.

We've learned the Sheriff's Dept. learned that some deputies took pics of remains days after the crash ... this after a sheriff's trainee went to a bar and thought he could impress and pick up a woman by showing her the photos. Sources say a bartender overheard this and was so irate, he contacted the Sheriff's and lodged a formal complaint.

It's clear ... the Sheriff's Dept. kept everything under wraps until it became obvious its cover was about to be blown.

On Friday, the department issued a statement saying, in part, that top dog Alex Villanueva was "deeply disturbed at the thought deputies could allegedly engage in such an insensitive act." They go on to say, "A thorough investigation will be conducted by the department, with the No. 1 priority of protecting the dignity and privacy of the victims and their families."

Tom Brady's coming back for another year with the Patriots -- or so says Julian Edelman, even though Tommy's face tells a much different story.

The two Pats stars were at the Syracuse-UNC basketball Saturday and while sitting next to Jimmy Fallon ... JE started (jokingly?) telling someone below them that TB was definitely coming back. You can read his lips pretty clearly, but read Tom's darting eyes more so.

He's got this forced, awkward grin on -- which to us says, "Hahaha, shut up, dude, 'cause you know I'm definitely not." ORRR, it could be, "Bruh, you're not supposed to say that out loud. Simmer down, Jules!" Watch to the end too ... Tom mouths something back.

The whole thing is a little cringe-worthy, TBH -- very Larry David-esque.

Now, here's the truth ... we still don't know what Tom's gonna do, but what we do know -- he's taking meetings with other teams and seems to seriously be considering bailing. He'd probably make a lot more money elsewhere, and an irreparable rift seems to have formed between him and Belichick.

Stay, go ... the people at the game didn't appear to care all that much, 'cause both Tom and Julian got booed when their mugs showed up on the jumbotron, even though Jimmy got a lot of love.

Billie Jean King says Maria Sharapova's tennis legacy isn't going to be harmed one iota by her doping scandal -- and it's all because of one simple thing she did ... tell the truth.

We got the tennis legend Saturday in NYC and asked for her thoughts on Maria announcing last week that she was stepping away from the sport, which she dominated for several years. According to BJK, MS is going down as an all-time great ... despite the ding for doping.

Check it out ... Billie says the fact Maria came out right away and addressed the situation head on back in 2016 took a lot of guts, and it's clear she owned up to it sincerely.

You'll recall ... Maria tested positive in 2016 for meldonium, which had very recently been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substance list. She said she'd been taking it for years due to a medical condition, and didn't know it'd been deemed a doping agent.

After being suspended from playing for at least a year, she returned to tennis in the following years and found varying degrees of success before hanging it up. Her streak prior to that, however, is what Billie Jean seems certain Maria will forever be remembered for.

She also talks about what may lie ahead for Maria post-tennis, and wishes her all the best.

Seems a Dominick Reyes vs. Jon Jones rematch is on the horizon -- with UFC honcho Dana White saying DR earned a second crack at Jon after that legendary battle in Feb.

Oh, and another clue a rematch is in the works ... Dana had lunch with Dom's manager Tiki Ghosn in Bev Hills and yeah, they were definitely talking business!

Of course, Jon emerged victorious in his UFC 247 fight with Reyes -- though a bunch of fans and fight experts think the judges got it all wrong by giving Jones the unanimous decision.

So, what's the best way to settle things once and for all? LET 'EM RUN IT BACK!

Dana seems to be on board ... telling us, "I think [Reyes deserves a rematch]. You'd be crazy not to think he deserves a rematch."

Ghosn added, "I think there's a very good chance of that!"

As for Jones, he's got options -- but he seems to be the most interested in a fight with light heavyweight contender Jan Blachowicz.

There's more with Dana ... we also talked to the UFC boss about everything from Conor McGregor's next fight and a possible Khabib vs. Floyd Mayweather boxing match.

Ric Flair says a wrestling match between his daughter, Charlotte Flair, and The Rock's daughter, Simone Johnson, would be freakin' AWESOME ... and it could happen!!

TMZ Sports talked to Flair at LAX ... and while the wrestling legend told us he hadn't given much thought to a Charlotte vs. Simone match, he says the women most definitely have -- and it'd be huge.

"I have not [thought about it], but I'm sure it's crossed their mind. They can see it down the road. It would be phenomenal!"

There's a big gap between the women... 33-year-old Charlotte has been with WWE since 2012 and is one of the biggest stars in the game.

But, Simone just started wrestling, so Ric says it's impossible to say exactly how good she'll be -- but she's got a major advantage -- The Rock's her dad.

"I haven't seen her wrestle yet, so it's hard to predict. She's got his genetics and she's got determination. I know that she's been dying to do this."

Charlotte vs. Simone would be epic ... 'cause well, remember Ric vs. The Rock in 2002?

Ex-NFL star Deltha O'Neal is EXTREMELY lucky to be alive today ... TMZ Sports has obtained the crash pics from his DUI case -- and you can see his car was a mangled mess.

As we previously reported, O'Neal was involved in a terrifying wreck back on Aug. 7, 2019 .... after cops say he lost control of his Mercedes going around a curve on a Florida roadway.

Cops say O'Neal and his passenger, Joseph Babcock, struck a curb, slammed into a utility pole, caught on fire and ripped through trees before their ride finally came to a stop.

O'Neal and Babcock were both seriously hurt in the accident ... with officials saying Babcock broke his femur, while O'Neal fractured his back and neck.

In police photos we obtained of the car shortly after the crash ... you can see it's a miracle that's ALL that happened to the guys -- 'cause there was hardly any car left post-accident.

According to court docs, O'Neal had admitted to drinking before the wreck ... and he was later arrested and hit with two counts of DUI.

Babcock, meanwhile, sued O'Neal over the crash ... demanding cash, claiming the former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl DB was responsible for all of his injuries.

O'Neal -- who logged 34 interceptions in his 9-year NFL career -- is currently fighting both cases in court. His next appearance in his criminal case is slated for April.

It's a good thing Joe Burrow's not boycotting the Bengals, 'cause Brett Favre says getting drafted by Cincinnati would be PERFECT!!

Remember, there were talks the Heisman winner would pull an Eli Manning and refuse to play for the Bengals if drafted ... but JB put an end to all that talk when asked about it at the draft, saying "I'm going to show up."

TMZ Sports spoke with Favre about the possibility ... and he says it couldn't be drawn up any better for the LSU Superstar.

"I think this is setting up perfect for him to go back home, assuming Cincinnati will take him," Favre tells us. "Hometown boy."

As for transitioning from whoopin' the entire NCAA to the NFL, the Hall of Famer ain't worried about the 23-year-old adjusting to the pros.

"I think if he plays the way he played this year, the transition will be easy."

Jussie Smollett's alleged attacker may not have done much damage to the actor on the streets of Chicago, but he keeps racking up knockouts in the ring.

Abel Osundairo was a featured fighter in the 11th Annual Fights Amateur Boxing Tournament at the Belvedere Events Center in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame was behind the event.

Dude strolled into the ring and it was no contest ... 'cause after feeling out his opponent in the first 18 seconds, Abel unleashed his vicious jab and strong left hook to smother his opponent. Watch ... with less than a minute and a half left into the round, Abel traps him on the ropes and knocks him out with a powerful right hook. And just like that, it was over.

After the match ... Abel -- with his brother, Ola, in tow as a guest -- were all smiles posing for pics with boxing Hall of Famers Larry "The Easton Assassin" Holmes and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini.

BTW ... Abel's no stranger to knocking out opponents in the first round. He built a solid boxing reputation doing just that when he entered -- AND WON -- the prestigious Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament.

Tony Romo's staying put at CBS ... and the network's rewarding him handsomely by making him the highest-paid NFL analyst in TV HISTORY!!!

The former Dallas Cowboys QB is reportedly set to earn a whopping $17 million per season. The two sides struck a deal Friday ... before ESPN got its chance to lure Romo, who is regarded as the NFL's best analyst, perhaps ever.

The New York Post was first to report the figure. The outlet's also reporting the deal's for "significantly more than five years," which could mean the entire deal may be worth more than $100 MILLION. The Sports Business Journal says CBS Sports confirmed locking Romo to a new deal but would not comment on terms.

Romo, who was in his final year of a 3-year deal, reportedly made $4 million last season. Over at FOX ... its lead NFL analyst, Troy Aikman, reportedly makes around $7.5 million per season. John Madden was previously the highest-paid analyst with a deal that paid him $8 million per year. And if you factor in an adjustment for inflation, that would still only put Madden's number at $14 million per year.

For a little more perspective ... Romo's highest single-season earnings in the NFL came in 2013 when he made $26.5 million, which included his signing bonus. He made over $127 million in 14 seasons with the Cowboys.

Tito Ortiz's win over Alberto Del Rio has been reinstated by a Texas athletic commission ... days after they took away the MMA legends victory and ruled the fight a no-contest.

45-year-old Ortiz DOMINATED 42-year-old Del Rio during their December 7th fight ... submitting the former wrestling star by rear-naked choke in the 1st round of the fight.

All was cool until earlier this week when the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation abruptly announced Ortiz's win had been stripped ... with no explanation why.

However, on Friday, the TDLR told TMZ Sports they reversed course ... after an investigation proved Ortiz didn't break any rules.

"A urine sample provided by Jacob 'Tito' Christopher Ortiz on Dec. 7, 2019, at the Combate Americas MMA event showed a potentially disqualifying substance that Ortiz claimed was prescribed by a physician. Pending the outcome of the TDLR inquiry into whether the substance was indeed prescribed by a physician, TDLR marked the fight results as 'No Contest.'"

"TDLR confirmed with the physician that the item was prescribed to Ortiz. TDLR has reinstated Ortiz’s victory in the Dec. 7 bout."

We know what you're thinking ... what's the drug in question? So far, those details have not been released but we'll have more here as the info becomes available.

WORST CRIMINALS EVER???

Two LSU frat bros and a female companion were arrested this week after cops say they broke into Tiger Stadium and whipped a suped-up golf cart all over the football field, causing a ton of damage!

And, the worst part ... they probably would've gotten away with it -- but cops say one of the guys returned to the field a few weeks later AND DID IT AGAIN!!!

The main suspect is 19-year-old Clayton Fleetwood -- who allegedly snuck into the stadium with a buddy just after midnight on January 21 and got behind the wheel of a red Kawasaki Mule, a fast-moving utility vehicle.

Officials say Fleetwood and his pal, Thomas English, proceeded to drive the Mule all over the grass -- causing at least $8,000 in damage to the grounds, which had just been upgraded with a new drainage system.

Cops say they shot footage of the joy ride, which eventually made its way to social media. NOT SMART!

They eventually left the stadium ... but cops say Fleetwood returned on Feb. 8 with another pal -- 20-year-old Catherine Nowery -- and once again, Fleetwood grabbed a Mule and tore up the field.

Officials say surveillance video shows the two "talking, kissing, and drinking what appear to be alcoholic beverages."

Cops received anonymous tips about the suspects and officials were able to track all 3 perps down ... matching school ID photos to the surveillance video.

Also, the President of Delta Chi called school officials and confirmed the two men in the viral video were members of his frat.

Eventually, all 3 people were arrested and hit with a bunch of criminal charges.

Fleetwood is facing felony burglary, misdemeanor trespass and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle. Jackson is facing felony burglary and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle. Nowery is facing misdemeanor criminal trespass and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Suspended Yankees star pitcher Domingo German was involved in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on Thursday ... NY manager Aaron Boone confirmed.

The right-hander was NOT, however, injured ... Boone says.

"Germán is fine," the Yanks head man told reporters at NY's spring camp. "He was in the car, in the back seat on the driver's side. He's been to the complex in the D.R., he's been checked over, and he's fine.”

German has been training in the DR away from his Yanks teammates in Florida, because he's still in the middle of an 81-game suspension he was hit with for violating the MLB's domestic violence policy last year.

It's unclear if others were injured in the accident -- Yankees officials have still not released a formal statement on the matter.

Tim Tebow ... NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Heisman Trophy winner turned Mets farmhand had a chance to be a hero in NY's spring training game Friday ... but instead, he tripped over his own shoes!!

The sad scene all went down in the Mets-Cardinals exhibition game ... where Tebow's squad was up 3-2 in the top of the ninth inning.

With two outs left in the game, Tim could've closed everything down by catching a lazy pop fly to left field -- but he fell to the ground before he could make the grab!!

The vid is pretty depressing ... Tim takes a solid route to the ball, camps underneath it, but then gets his feet tangled in his shoelaces and goes crashing to the grass.

SO CLOSE!!!

The ball landed just a few feet from him ... allowing the game-tying runner to advance to second base.

To make matters worse, Tebow -- the No. 9 hitter for the day -- was 0-for-2 on the afternoon with 2 strikeouts. YIKES!!!

Fortunately for the ex-NFL QB, the Mets were able to get the next batter to fly out to right to end the game ... but social media is already ROASTING poor Timmy for the effort!!

Of course, it hasn't been all bad news bears for Tebow this spring ... he just hit his first home run of camp earlier this week, but clearly, this ain't going to help make the Mets' opening day roster.

Barry Sanders has entered the great Garth Brooks jersey scandal of 2020 ... hilariously asking the country singer if he wants to team up and run America together!!

Of course, some Garth fans lost their damn minds this week when he wore a Sanders #20 jersey at the Detroit stop on his stadium tour ... thinking the wardrobe choice was in support of Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders and not the Hall of Fame running back.

One fan wrote ... "Good grief. Can’t you just do what you get paid to do ???? Why why why does it have to involve politics !!! 🤢 So sad. We don’t pay good money for anything other than to watch you perform. 😡 Thought you were different."

The confusion is absolutely hilarious ... and it just got even better, 'cause Barry has chimed in with a zinger for the ages.

"Hey @garthbrooks, want to be my VP? #Number20for2020" Sanders tweeted.

The Detroit Lions even got involved too ... making Sanders' first official campaign graphic.

THIS IS AWESOME!!!

David Ayres -- the Zamboni driver who came in as an emergency goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes in an NHL game last week -- is getting his own, official trading card!!!

A spokesperson for Upper Deck tells TMZ Sports there was a SERIOUS demand for Ayres cardboard after he helped secure a win for the Canes when their top two goalies went down on Feb. 22.

So, we're told the card co. went to work ... and not only locked up an individual deal with the 42-year-old -- but made him his own, dope card quickly!!

The card features a shot of David in his gear standing in goal ... and on the back bio, it spells out exactly how Ayres turned from Zamboni driver to NHL player!!

"After giving up two quick goals," the card reads, "he stood tall and saved the next eight shots he faced, helping Carolina prevail 6-3 and earning a win in his surprise NHL debut."

Upper Deck officials say the card will be available in packs this week.