TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tom Brady and Gronk just got a personal welcome from none other than the Mayor of their new home -- Tampa, Florida -- but it didn't come without a warning to both.

Mayor Jane Castor penned her open letter, telling the Boston expatriates/ex-patriots about the awesome things they can do in her fair City, but then she schooled the G.O.A.T., saying, "Tom, my apologies for the miscommunication when you arrived – not the best first impression. But, given my law enforcement background, I couldn’t help but have someone investigate the sighting of a G.O.A.T. running wild in one of our beautiful city parks. No harm – no foul, and thanks for being a good sport."

And, then there's Gronk. Mayor Castor wrote about one of the largest parades in the city, which is pirate-themed, saying, "You must be ready to pARRGHty ... but not too hard (I'm talking to you Gronk), as Super Bowl LV is the following weekend and we need to keep our eye on the prize -- a dent free Lombardi trophy!"

But, Her Honor wasn't done, adding, "There is plenty for you to do as well Gronk. Although we have to socially distance right now, in no time you will be able to enjoy our nightlife and eclectic neighborhoods ... Just remember 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service' is still in effect around here." Gronk, you've been warned!

And, then a message to both ... "We are so glad to have you here. While most people retire and come to Florida, you came out of retirement to head our way. That shows the competitive mindset we are used to, while sticking it to the AARP at the same time. Looking forward to growing used to the Gronk Spike!"

Brady had an interesting week. As TMZ reported, he went to visit one of his new coaches and ended up walking into the wrong house -- it's kind of a Stepford community -- and came face-to-face with a very shocked dude.

An incredible amount of rare Kobe Bryant memorabilia is heading to auction ... and the items will help the late Lakers legend's foundation.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Goldin Auctions has made more than 50 dope pieces from Kobe's 20-year NBA career available in its Spring 2020 catalog ... from signature shoe prototypes to game-worn jerseys, to his 2000 NBA championship ring.

On top of that, there's a score sheet from Kobe's 81-point game signed by the Black Mamba himself, a jersey with Kobe and Vanessa hand-painted, and Bryant's autograph on White House stationery.

The best part?? 5% of the winning bids will go towards Kobe's Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation ... which helps young athletes learn life skills through sports.

We know, 5% doesn't sound like a lot -- but the value of Kobe memorabilia has skyrocketed over the past few months, so there could be A LOT of money raised here.

Vanessa Bryant has kept the Foundation moving in the months since Kobe, Gianna and 7 others perished in that tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26 ... and the NBA has made a $100k donation to help the cause.

As we previously reported, the sports memorabilia community has flooded with fakes since Kobe's passing ... but Goldin Auctions assures us all of the items in their auction are certified legit.

The auction runs through May 16 ... good luck!!

Joe Burrow did it. Same with CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs.

In fact, 10 of the top NFL Draft picks got custom jewelry for their big day with VERY special meaning behind each piece ... and we got the story straight from the jeweler!

The man behind the bling is Leo Frost who runs his own shop out of Houston, outfitting some of the top athletes on the planet.

You may have seen Ceedee Lamb's #32 diamond piece -- a tribute to his late uncle.

Back before COVID-19 shut down the country, he had a face-to-face meeting with the top draft picks to brainstorm meaningful pieces of jewelry to wear on the biggest day of their lives.

Raiders WR Henry Ruggs -- who famously holds up 3 fingers every time he scores a TD -- got the same hand gesture immortalized on a chain. It's all to honor his best friend, Rod Scott, who died in a car crash in 2016.

Andrew Thomas -- the massive offensive lineman selected by the NY Giants -- got an incredible bear pendant because he embodies a giant grizzly bear!

The piece is sick ... which has rubies on the tongue and eyes and it has a "glowing effect" when you put light around it!

Joe Burrow got a #9 -- but Frost says he's working on a special secret piece for the Bengals QB. Stay tuned for that!

There's more ...

Derrick Brown, Patrick Queen, Javon Kinlaw and Jerry Jeudy also hit up Frost's shop and copped some amazing pieces.

Yeah, they're rich now -- but Frost ain't no dummy -- hooking up the rookies with serious discounts in hopes to win back their business.

Smart and talented!!

Greg Hardy isn't just down to fight during a global pandemic ... he literally wants to MOVE to "Fight Island" and take on every badass heavyweight from Francis Ngannou to Stipe Miocic.

TMZ Sports talked to the 31-year-old heavyweight ... who tells us his contract to fight at UFC 249 in Florida on May 9 is signed, sealed and delivered.

But, Hardy has bigger plans than just 1 fight against 33-year-old, 6-0 MMA fighter Yorgan De Castro.

"I'm saying it right now Dana, man, listen, if you got [living] quarters," Hardy says ... "If you have quarters, I'll stay on the island, bro. I'm not ashamed to move in. We can fight every couple of weeks, dude."

"With all seriousness. Let's run it."

Hardy says he'll shatter a record he set last year ... when he became the 1st heavyweight fighter to fight 5 times in a calendar year.

And, Greg's not looking to just fight tomato cans ... we asked him for his ideal matchup, and uhhh, he's goin' big game hunting.

"This is my dream scenario" ... Hardy says.

"After this fight, I come back, get this knockout [against De Castro]. Remind everybody who it is. I think the UFC [rankings] starts at top 15. I think we start with 15 and go down the line."

"15 fights later I knock out the guy holding the belt, whoever it is."

The names of some of the guys currently in the top 15?

Daniel Cormier. Derrick Lewis. Francis Ngannou. Stipe Miocic.

But, Hardy ain't shook ... "We do it the G. Hardy way. Eliminate everybody 1 by 1, on the island."

Willie McGinest tells TMZ Sports he understands why Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski left the Patriots for the Bucs ... saying straight-up New England is a GRIND!!!

"You work your ass off," the former Pats superstar says. "In that system, in that organization, you work hard. And, there's a lot of pressure put on you."

Don't get it twisted ... Willie says that's why the Patriots are so damn good -- they treat every player the same way and expect results all across the board.

But, the Pats legend tells us that can be taxing ... and he gets why Brady and Gronk wanted to see a fresh perspective down in Tampa Bay at the end of their Hall of Fame careers.

"It's a tough atmosphere because there's a lot of pressure on winning," Willie says. "Everybody is held accountable."

As far as any animosity between Bill Belichick and his former superstars over the way things ended ... Willie says there's no hate there, telling us the guys still have a ton of respect for each other.

"What they did in New England together, as a duo -- as a trio," McGinest says, "will never be duplicated ever in football history again."

Willie tells us he expects Gronk and Brady to be at Patriots reunions as soon as their careers are over ... and even says ceremonial retirements in New England for both dudes are on the table.

Washington State Cougars football player Bryce Beekman died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and promethazine, officials say.

The 22-year-old defensive back was found dead in his apartment back on March 23 and people were baffled about the cause of death.

But now, the Whitman County Coroner's Office in Washington says an investigation shows "the cause of death was acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl and promethazine."

"The manner of death was accidental."

FYI, fentanyl is a powerful pain killer. Promethazine is mostly used to treat allergy symptoms.

As we previously reported, Beekman was a star on the WSU football team.

He started all 13 games at safety in 2019 and was one of top players on the WSU defense. He was 5th on the team in tackles last season.

That's a PUNTER?!?!?!

Meet Jamie Gillan -- aka "The Scottish Hammer" -- a former rugby player turned kicker for the Cleveland Browns!

AND HE'S MORE JACKED THAN HIS QUARTERBACK! (No shade, just facts).

The 22-year-old is a beast in the gym -- and clearly he's been packin' on the bulk after a pretty impressive rookie season.

Gillian was an undrafted free agent in 2019 -- but earned his spot on the Browns roster after blasting a 74-yard punt in a pre-season game. He went on to make the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team.

Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping him off the field, he's been locked in his home gym -- making some serious gains and flexing on the kicker community.

"Do pull-ups help me punt? Absolutely not," Gillan said ... "Do they help me look like a football player? Kinda #pintsandpunts."

The Scottish Hammer got his nickname because he grew up in -- you guessed it -- Scotland before coming over to the States in high school. After a life of rugby, Gillan took up American football and even played some college ball at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (The Golden Lions, not the Razorbacks).

Gillan's been keeping his followers entertained during the global pandemic ... showcasing his crazy talent in the process.

The NFL Draft had a record-breaking audience when Joe Burrow and Chase Young heard their names called Thursday night ... with an average of 15.6 MILLION people watching!

The league just announced the crazy numbers from Night 1 of the 3-day event ... touting a huge 37% increase from 2019.

And get this, the league claims the number ballooned to 19.6 MILLION watching from 8:45-9 PM. Wow!

Also worth noting ... the NFL says the top 3 metered markets were from Ohio -- Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Obviously, the fact the Cincinnati Bengals had the #1 overall pick -- and selected Ohio-native Joe Burrow had a lot to do with that.

The 2020 Draft completely wrecked the previous record held by the 2014 draft, which brought in an average of 12.4 million.

Rounds 2-7 will go down Friday and Saturday ... and it's safe to say those numbers will be high as well.

Forget boxers vs. briefs ... John Cena rocks a BANANA HAMMOCK in his real day-to-day life because he likes the way it fits.

Yep.

The WWE superstar was doing an interview/photo shoot with Men's Journal when he changed clothes between shots right in front of the reporter ... revealing his "hot pink" banana hammock thong.

As the reporter put it ... "Picture just some poor spandex holding on for dear life."

When the reporter asked 43-year-old Cena if that was his usual underwear (and not some special piece for the photo shoot), John confirmed that he's a hammock man, through and through.

"It is [my underwear] ... More for the fit, less for the color."

Hey, if it works for you!!!

Naturally, we did some digging ... that's what we do ... and found out this wasn't just a one-off.

Cena famously rocked a black banana hammock thong during a WWE segment back in the day ... while admitting he has a "thing" with nudity.

"I really honestly don't know my thing with nudity," Cena said ... "It got to be like a joke. Like, I could use it to ease a situation up. There would be some tension and I would get naked. And, people would be like, 'Alright it's not that bad."

UFC star Nina Ansaroff told us pregnancy wouldn't stop her from training ... and here she is, 19 weeks preggo ... PUTTIN' IN THAT WORK, SON!

Nina is the 5th ranked UFC strawweight contender in a STACKED division that includes killers like Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas and the champ Weili Zhang!

And since Nina plans on continuing her MMA career after she gives birth, she planned on staying in shape during the pregnancy to help expedite her return to the Octagon.

Take a look at the video ... Nina and her fetus are WRECKING those pads!

Of course, Nina is engaged to UFC champ Amanda Nunes -- and when they came into the TMZ office before the COVID pandemic, they spelled out their fight/baby plans!

"I’m gonna be training throughout my pregnancy," Nina told us ... "I’m gonna stay in shape. I’m not gonna, ya know, just like not do anything and jump in."

Nina said the plan is to take a year off -- but acknowledged, "I’ve never had a baby before. So, I don’t know what to expect."

As for Amanda, she obviously supports Nina -- but doesn't want her to rush back to the Octagon too soon ... a mistake she feels Mackenzie Dern made earlier this year.

The NFL's Draft-A-Thon was more like The Roast of Tom Brady on Thursday ... with the Tampa Bay QB getting all the jokes about his recent goof-up.

We broke the story ... TB12 accidentally entered the wrong house recently when trying to visit his coach, Byron Leftwich. The shocked homeowner could barely believe his eyes when he realized it was Tom Frickin' Brady.

Brady's buddies won't let him live the hilarious mistake down during the league's COVID-19 charity event ... 'cause the NFL Network's Rich Eisen made sure to hit him with a friendly jab about it after Brady tried to rip Russell Wilson for being in his car during the event.

"Tom's in the wrong house," Eisen said. "Tom strolled into the wrong house."

HAAAAAAAAA, good one, Rich Eisen.

Brady hit back with a joke of his own ... saying, "They got Wi-Fi, so I'm cool."

The whole clip is legitimately hilarious ... with Russ dogging Brady for having a zebra-striped chair, Kevin Hart roasting Deion Sanders for looking like Bill Russell, and more.