TMZ Sports - Page 50

Megan Thee Stallion says certain execs at her record label have a rep for "bullying and strong-armed tactics," but she's taking a stand by taking them to court ... and she's already won a major battle.

Meg went on the offensive by filing suit Monday against 1501 Certified Entertainment and its honcho, Carl Crawford. As you know, she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was 20, and claims it's now blocking her from releasing new music because she wants to renegotiate.

A district judge in Harris County Texas granted Megan a temporary restraining order which prevents her label from blocking the music she plans to drop on Friday.

In the suit, Megan lays out the most outrageous terms of her contract, at least in her eyes. For instance, she claims the deal calls for 1501 Certified to get 60% of her recording income. The remaining 40% goes to her, but she has to use that to pay engineers, mixers and featured artists who work on the songs.

Point is ... MTS claims there's a very small slice of pie left for her when it's all said and done. She also says her live gigs currently benefit the label more than her.

According to the suit, the contract calls for all money from Megan's touring and live performances to be paid directly to 1501 Certified. She says the label is supposed to give her a proper accounting of what she's owed -- but claims what they've provided is incomplete, and "purposefully and deceptively vague."

Megan also claims Crawford has been using his relationship with Rap-a-Lot Records founder J. Prince to intimidate people in the industry. In the suit, she claims Crawford pressured a producer to hand over beats by saying Prince would be pissed. Megan claims, "Prince is notorious in the industry for strong-armed intimidation tactics, and the comment was taken as a physical threat of harm."

Megan thinks Prince has had a hand in an online smear campaign against her ... including the recent story about her getting arrested 5 years ago.

All of these headaches simply aren't worth it to Megan, who says in exchange for signing the contract she got a measly $10,000 advance. Hence, her desire to renegotiate.

She's suing Carl and 1501 Certified Entertainment for at least $1 million in damages. Megan is not suing J. Prince.

BTW, the temporary restraining order she got also prevents the label from attacking or abusing her on social media. Megan's attorney, Richard Busch, tells TMZ, "We are very happy the Court granted our TRO and thrilled that the world should be able to now hear Megan's new music on March 6. We will now proceed with the other claims set forth in the [lawsuit]."

Bill O'Brien probably ain't gonna love this ...

Here's Houston Texans linebacker Barkevious Mingo firing a cannon in Hungary ... and it's terrifying and awesome all at the same time!!

The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft is overseas this month to help bring football to underprivileged communities ... and while he was in Hungary on Monday, he decided to take a crack at firing a massive weapon.

We're told the action all went down at Eger Castle in Eger ... and the video of Mingo and the heavy artillery is nuts.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound NFL player -- who's instructed by a man with a sword -- puts his face right up to the cannon ... and as it fires, it kicks back at him like a BEAST!!

You can see in the footage ... Mingo looks pretty surprised by the explosion -- but once he realizes he's fine, he seems to love it!!

FYI, we're all pretty glad Mingo survived the blast ... 'cause he's still in talks to re-sign with the Texans before free agency kicks off later this month!!!

By the way, the American Football Without Barriers program that Mingo is a part of is a really cool experience for NFLers ... and stars like Austin Hooper, Alex Mack and Todd Gurley are all over there with Barkevious for the trip.

The public bashing of the Houston Astros is still going strong ... Anthony Rizzo just trolled the hell out of the team during a mic'd up at-bat in a spring training game!!

The Chicago Cubs superstar was talking with ESPN commentators live in an AB against the L.A. Angels on Monday ... when he was asked what pitch he thought was coming next.

"I have no idea," the first baseman said. "I wish I knew. Someone bang for me."

HAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Of course, the Astros were busted by the MLB just a few weeks ago after they were found to have relayed illegally stolen signs to batters using banging noises from their dugout.

MLB players have RAILED against the 'Stros for the cheating ... with everyone from Cody Bellinger to Aaron Judge blasting the team for the cheating scheme.

In fact, it seems some players have already taken it upon themselves to punish the 'Stros ... because as of last week -- they had been hit by pitches SEVEN different times already this spring.

Clearly, Rizzo ain't much of a fan of what the Astros did either ... but at least he's down to have some fun with it -- and we're all grateful for it.

Great news from Leon Spinks' corner ... the Hall of Fame boxer is at home and recovering after a serious health scare in December.

As we previously reported ... 66-year-old Spinks -- who famously beat Muhammad Ali in '78 -- was fighting for his life after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, which spread to his bladder.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Spinks has made tremendous improvement and doctors recently cleared him to leave the hospital, which is a big deal considering how serious the situation was.

“Leon is home from the hospital and is slowly relearning his daily routine and getting physical therapy a few times a week," Spinks' rep tells us.

"He is in great spirits and has received an outpouring of love these past few months."

Matter of fact, Spinks tuned in to the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury fight alongside family and friends at his home last weekend ... and loved what he saw!!

"Leon thinks the heavyweight division of boxing is in great hands in the future with these two stars as well as guys like Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz who continue to put on great performances.”

Spinks is even getting back to work by doing a private autograph session with Inscriptagraphs in April ... where fans can get him to sign a bunch of awesome memorabilia.

Obinna Anyanwu -- a top H.S. basketball star who has offers from Arizona and USC -- was injured in a serious car crash this weekend ... just hours after his team's championship game.

The tragic scene went down in San Diego ... where the teenager was reportedly driving home from a friend's house shortly after leading his Cathedral Catholic squad to the Open Division boys basketball title Saturday.

Anyanwu was driving on the 163 when a car forced him to crash into a guard rail, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The report says after Obinna got out of the car ... he was hit by another vehicle -- causing major injuries.

The high school junior was rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung and other ailments. His current condition is unknown.

We've reached out to both Anyanwu's school and his coaches ... but so far, no word back yet.

The 6-foot-7 power forward is a high school hoops superstar who's considered one of the top recruits in the 2021 class. Rivals.com has him ranked as the No. 76 junior in the country.

Luka Doncic might have lost his Mavericks game on his 21st birthday ... but he DEFINITELY won the after-party!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the NBA superstar got after it Friday night for his bday despite losing to the Heat ... hitting up Miami hot spots with his Mavs teammates and other celebs.

We're told Doncic and the guys got dinner at Papi Steak in Miami Beach before ultimately spending the night at Club LIV.

And, you can see in photos we obtained of the festivities ... Doncic was having a blast -- even at one point getting some partying in with Bad Bunny!!

We're told Mavs owner Mark Cuban threw an especially big bash for his team's best player ... taking over LIV's stage area and popping champagne all night.

As for how the hangover went ... the Mavs were off Saturday -- but Luka still took Dallas' game off against the Timberwolves on Sunday.

The team says it was because of a previous thumb injury ... but we're not so sure we're buying that.

Ex-Astros pitcher Ken Giles says he's absolutely devastated by Houston's sign-stealing scandal ... and despite having no idea his teammates were cheating, he's willing to return his World Series ring.

Giles -- now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays -- revealed his feelings over the bombshell scandal, saying he was hurt to find out through the commissioner's report.

"It crushed me to learn about the stuff that went on when I was there," Giles said via the Toronto Sun.

"I had no idea. I had no clue whatsoever. I was blindsided by the commissioner's report. Up until then, I honestly didn't believe it. Just crazy."

Of course, bullpen pitchers rarely make it to the dugout with the other players ... so the findings of the investigation floored Giles.

There have been players and fans calling for the 'Stros to relinquish the 2017 World Series title ... and Giles says he's willing to give up his championship ring.

"Whatever they ask, I would oblige. Because what was going on at the time, was not OK."

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?!

NFL prospect Trey Adams says he wants a "bigger d**k!"

And, why do we know that?! Because the former Washington Huskies lineman said it ON CAMERA at the NFL Combine!!

The 6'8", 327-pound offensive tackle was doing the usual Q&A stuff with Combine staffers (not a specific team) when he got the layup question ... and thought he'd give a jokey answer.

Of course, these Q&A sessions are SUPPOSED to remain private, but someone leaked the footage ... and yeah, it's super-viral now!

Ya gotta wonder if Trey's stupid answer will affect his draft stock -- would you hire a guy who made a penis joke in his job interview?

Not everyone is laughing about the situation ... especially former NFL exec (and current NFL analyst) Gil Brandt who's pretty furious about the fact the footage was leaked in the first place.

"I hope the person who leaked the Trey Adams video is found out and punished to the fullest extent," Brandt said.

"These are supposed to be confidential meetings. Not fair to Adams or the process. Both players and teams rely on this confidentiality to have honest discussions.”

Deontay Wilder might want to pick up the phone and call Floyd Mayweather -- because TBE just suggested he could help Deontay beat Tyson Fury ... if Floyd trains him!

Mayweather was speaking at an event in Manchester, England over the weekend when he was asked straight-up -- "Do you think Wilder will win in a rematch with Fury?"

Floyd responded, "If I train him! If I train him, I can teach him how to win!"

Floyd has been especially supportive of Deontay after the Bronze Bomber lost that Feb. 22 heavyweight fight with Tyson Fury.

"Win, Lose or Draw ... Deontay is our brother that has accomplished many triumphs and as a community we should all uplift and support him throughout it all," Mayweather posted on social media.

"No matter what, you're still a winner in my eyes, King!"

Wilder has exercised his rematch clause with Fury and is expected to get back in the ring for a 3rd fight with the Gypsy King on July 18 in Las Vegas.

Wilder has been catching flack for suggesting his 45-pound ring entrance costume had a lot to do with his poor performance against Fury ... after he claimed the weight of the outfit burned out his legs.

Over the weekend, Wilder posted a new video assuring his fans he's doing okay now -- and he's laser-focused on defeating Fury.

Will he strike a deal to train with Floyd? They do have a connection ... Wilder is managed by Al Haymon, Floyd's business partner.

Dana White hates the idea of a costume party before a big fight -- which is why he won't allow UFC fighters to play dress-up like Deontay Wilder did at the Tyson Fury fight.

The UFC honcho thinks Deontay's decision to rock a 45-pound costume during his ring walk was ill-informed ... but says ya can't blame the whole loss on the outfit -- give credit to Fury!

"I think there's a lot to it. Fury looked awesome," White says ... "Fury fought a perfect fight. But, if you think about boxing and fights when fighters are getting ready, they're in the back. They're relaxing. Some guys sleep. Some guys just lay around and chill. Then you get up, you time it out, do your warm-up. Then you throw something on to stay warm. You don't put all this gear on and all this stuff. That's why I don't do any of that bulls**t in the UFC. I don't like it. I don't like any of that."

But, is the costume the reason Wilder lost? No.

"The reason he lost is 'cause Fury is a bad-ass boxer, and he fought the perfect fight that night and executed his game plan."

As for Fury, who has previously teased a possible MMA fight at some point in his career -- White says, "I'm interested in the future of Tyson Fury in all combat sports!"

"I'm excited to see him no matter where he goes. If he wants to fight in the UFC, I would love it. I'm excited to see what's next for him in boxing."

"Mad" Mike Hughes may have blacked out and that's why he failed to deploy backup parachutes moments before his fatal rocket crash ... TMZ has learned.

Mike's rep, Darren Shuster, tells TMZ ... the daredevil's launch got off to a terrible start when his parachute got snagged by a ladder next to the rocket. Mike needed a ladder because he didn't wanna be lifted into it, as they had initially prepared.

When the parachute got snagged, Mike's ground control crew radioed Mike and ordered him to deploy his backup parachute. There were 2 backups on the rocket. Problem was ... the ground crew never got a response from Mike.

Shuster tells us Mike's crew believes he may have blacked out with the rocket taking off at around 500 MPH. Shuster believes if Mike blacked out, it could very well explain why he never deployed his backup chute.

The timing for deploying the backup chutes was also critical ... Mike would have had to deploy the backup before he hit his apex because if he was descending at too high of a speed, it would have ripped a hole in the chute. But, Mike never got the chance.

As we reported ... the amateur rocket-engineer launched himself in the air with a self-made rocket that crash-landed. The incident was captured on camera after it was highly publicized.

Mike was attempting to get as close to space from Earth as possible -- known as the Karman line, about 62 miles above Earth's surface without the use of advanced tech.

Vanessa Bryant is heartsick over revelations some L.A. County Sheriff's deputies took photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims at the crash site and wants them punished.

Vanessa's lawyer says on the day of the crash, Vanessa went to the Sheriff's Department and requested the crash site be designated a no-fly zone so photogs would be kept at bay. The attorney says it was of "critical importance" to Vanessa to protect the dignity of all the victims.

The attorney calls it "inexcusable and deplorable" and "an unspeakable violation of human decency."

As we reported, some deputies took photos at the crash site and shared them with various people inside and outside the department. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ a deputy trainee went to a bar several days after the crash and, in an attempt to impress a woman, he showed her the photos of remains. The bartender overheard the conversation and was so indignant he filed an online complaint with the Sheriff's Dept.

The lawyer says, "Mrs. Bryant is grateful to the individual who filed an online complaint exposing these acts of injustice."

The lawyer adds "Sheriff Alex Villanueva assured us all measures would be put in place to protect the family's privacy, and it is our understanding that he has worked hard to honor those requests."

As we reported, days after the crash top brass at the Dept. told deputies who took the photos to come to the substation and delete the photos, and if they did this no action would be taken. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the Sheriff did not order an internal affairs investigation until the L.A. Times contacted the Dept. and inquired about the photos.

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he's down to fight Floyd Mayweather ... but The Eagle is floating the idea of a mixed boxing/MMA match!!

"Like maybe 11 rounds boxing, 1 round MMA," Khabib tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, Khabib and Floyd have flirted heavily with the idea of a fight for years ... with Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, telling us TBE has been "begging" for a scrap.

In fact, Ali says they even got a $100 MILLION offer from some powerful Saudis to put on the fight in the Middle East!!

But, talks haven't advanced between the two sides ... and when we asked Khabib about it this week -- he says it's because he straight-up doesn't want a boxing-only matchup.

"If he want to fight, come to UFC!" Khabib says. "This is real fight. You know, I'm not boxer. I'm not, like, just wrestler. I'm MMA fighter."

If the two somehow do agree to a bout ... Khabib is VERY confident he'll emerge victorious -- insisting 43-year-old Floyd is just too damn old.

"He almost like my father's age, you know?" Khabib says. "I don't understand how I'm going to punch his face."

Diggs breaks up a pass intended for ... Diggs?!?!

That's a situation Trevon Diggs is hoping this happens A LOT in 2020 ... 'cause the 'Bama draft prospect tells TMZ Sports it's his goal to shut down his big bro Stefon Diggs in the NFL!!!

"We've always been competing like that since I was younger, like high school," Trevon says. "It's just a competition thing. We always compete."

A Diggs vs. Diggs matchup ain't exactly a farfetched dream for the DB ... Trevon is expected to be a 1st-round draft pick who could be a starter for a team right away next season.

And, with Stefon playing receiver for the Vikings ... the matchup definitely could go down at some point in 2020!!

As for how Trevon will handle it if it does happen ... he tells us he's got trash talk already prepared.

"I just have to be annoying," Trevon says. "I know how to get under his skin."