TMZ Sports - Page 50

WHO'S A GOOD -- AND NOW VERY POPULAR -- BOY?!?!?

Bill Belichick's girlfriend says their dog, Nike, is!!!

Linda Holliday said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" this week that the pup was so adorable during its viral moment at the NFL draft ... the dog's fan base has grown from a couple hundred to nearly 20,000!!!!

If you missed it ... Nike stole the show at the Patriots' draft last Friday -- when it took Belichick's seat just seconds before New England made its 2nd-round pick.

Cameras caught the pup staring at The Hoodie's monitors ... and the scene couldn't have been cuter.

Linda says within minutes of Nike's unexpected cameo -- her phone blew up ... with people hitting the follow button on the dog's IG like crazy!!!

"Nike went from 1,000 followers to about 10,000 followers," Holiday says, "and my phone was just blowing up."

Nike is now up to over 16,000 followers on his social media account since the draft ... this despite Linda saying she's only put a handful of pics on the page!!

As for how the dog did captaining Bill's ship during the weekend? The coach and Linda have got a lot of belly rubbing to do ... 'cause most pundits gave the Patriots' picks an A grade!!!

DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES!!! ... Maybe.

The governor of North Carolina says he's working like crazy with NASCAR and health officials to keep the Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Weekend race on schedule as planned next month ... but without fans in the stands.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced the plan to keep the May 24 race as scheduled ... saying the state has been in contact with NASCAR and the Charlotte Motor Speedway to come up with the safest possible social distancing protocol.

"We believe that unless health conditions go down, we believe we can hold the Coca-Cola 600," Cooper said on Tuesday ... adding NASCAR will make a statement on the decision later this week.

The state of North Carolina has extended the stay-at-home order through May 8 ... but Cooper deemed pro race team shops "essential businesses" to allow them to prepare for the future.

WARNING -- if you can't handle painfully gross injury pictures, please sit this one out.

Still here?? Okay. Let's get into it.

A new image of Washington Redskins QB Alex Smith's injury from 4 days after his devastating broken leg surgery in 2018 has surfaced ... and it's beyond displeasing.

Of course, Smith has previously stated he's lucky to be alive -- let alone have his right leg -- following the unfortunate in-game incident against the Texans ... as his road to recovery was hindered by infections that required 17 follow-up surgeries.

A picture of Smith's infected leg just days after surgery was aired on ESPN Monday -- as part of a promo for the E:60 documentary, "Project 11," premiering on Friday -- and it shows how bad the infection was.

35-year-old Smith has previously said that he's focused on getting better and maintains the goal of getting back on to the football field ... but understands there are no guarantees.

The former #1 overall pick has since made a brief return to throwing ... and even made an appearance at Redskins organized team activities in 2019 ... but it would be a miracle to see him suit up in a game again.

The woman who made domestic violence allegations against ex-NFL player Jim Hill has dropped her restraining order against the legendary sportscaster, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the accuser -- who described herself in court docs as Hill's girlfriend -- claimed the 73-year-old got physical during a March 14 incident at his L.A.-area home.

The woman says she called police and later filed a request for a restraining order against Hill, which was granted.

But now, the woman has backed off in a big way -- asking the court to drop the case against Hill ... and her request was granted.

We also know the accuser had filed documents with the court spelling out her reasons for backing off saying, "I do not believe [Hill] represents a danger to myself, my family or household members."

"Therefore it is unnecessary for the current orders to remain in effect."

Those documents were initially bounced because of a filing error -- but we're told she went back to officials and essentially made the same request.

Hill has denied the allegations from the start -- with his lawyer telling TMZ Sports, "This was a strategic maneuver on the part of [the accuser] on the eve of a prescheduled mediation to resolve their personal relationship."

Tragic news in the motocross community ... legendary pro racer Marty Smith and his wife, Nancy, were both killed in a freak dune buggy accident in California, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was 63.

Officials tell us Marty and Nancy were in a buggy that flipped at the Imperial Sand Dunes and rolled down a hill. We're told Marty was not wearing a safety harness and Nancy was only wearing a lap belt.

We're told emergency responders raced to the scene -- but couldn't do much. Marty was pronounced dead at the scene. Nancy was airlifted to a nearby hospital where she later passed away from her injuries.

Marty's best friend, Lee Ramage, was at the scene at the time of the crash and posted a statement on social media.

"It’s with the heaviest, grieving heart that I have to tell you Marty and Nancy Smith we’re killed yesterday in a rollover accident in his dune buggy at the imperial sand dunes," Ramage said.

"My wife, Tammi and I were in the buggy and were unhurt."

"We spent at least an hour trying to save their lives before first responders arrived. Marty took his last breath while I was holding his head, keeping his airway clear."

"Marty was my best friend and I tried with everything in me to save him while Tammi tried to save Nancy."

"There is so much to know about this man and how he wanted to leave this earth when God called him him."

"Please keep his children, Jillyin, Brooke and Tyler and all his grandkids in your prayers."

Marty took the industry by storm after going pro at age 17 in 1974 ... winning the inaugural AMA 125cc National Motocross Championship ... and defending his title in 1975.

Smith went on to win the 500cc championship in 1977 ... solidifying his spot as a superstar in the sport.

Marty retired from professional racing in 1981 ... but remained active in the motocross community as a coach.

Tom Brady did NOT violate league rules by meeting with a Bucs coach at a Tampa house during a bungled home visit earlier this month, the NFL says.

Yeah, it was funny when Tom entered the wrong pad while trying to meet with Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich on April 7 -- but it also raised red flags with NFL officials.

Long story short, players and coaches are NOT allowed to have X's and O's meetings until teams begin offseason programs -- which the Bucs had not yet done at the time of the visit.

The NFL launched an investigation into the incident -- but good news for Tom, he's in the clear.

"We made an inquiry and determined there was no violation," an NFL spokesperson tells us ... "It was a brief personal visit and Tom picked up the playbook."

We broke the story ... a Tampa-area resident says the legendary QB barged into his home on April 7 after Tom thought the place belonged to Leftwich.

The story was hilarious ... David Kramer says Tom bolted from his place SUPER QUICKLY and into Leftwich's real house after the quarterback realized his blunder.

Tom even found it all funny ... joking about it on social media last week!!

It's not the first time Brady caught a break this month -- TB12 got away with a warning earlier when he was caught illegally working out at a closed Tampa-area park that was closed due to COVID-19.

Chemotherapy sucks.

It sucks even more when you’re going through it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But, MLB star Trey Mancini says he still feels "lucky" to have so many resources to battle his stage-3 colon cancer.

The 28-year-old Baltimore Orioles slugger opened up about his treatment in The Players' Tribune ... saying he's facing 6 months of chemotherapy, which will keep him out of baseball in 2020.

As we previously reported, Mancini underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon back in March ... after doctors discovered it during a colonoscopy.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic is complicating things -- but Mancini is still maintaining a positive attitude.

"Chemo in the age of COVID-19 is crazy," Mancini says ... "Nobody is allowed to come in with me, and that’s completely fine by me."

"I don’t want anybody else being put at risk -- people that are close to me and that I love, and other people in the hospital. You just never know."

"COVID-19 has spread so quickly. I’m definitely trying to follow all the protocols, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because I don’t want to expose myself to anything, especially before going into chemotherapy."

As for the treatment itself, Mancini says doctors installed a mediport into his chest --explaining, "It’s where they’ll run the drugs into my body during chemotherapy."

Mancini is also praising his Orioles team doctors for flagging an abnormal blood test during a routine physical -- which led to his cancer diagnosis. He considers himself "so lucky" to have had a head start on proper treatment.

"Honestly, I love the Orioles," Mancini added ... "Our team trainers have been so on top of everything. I am so appreciative for them, and also for the Orioles’ front office and ownership. They have treated me like family."

Despite everything he's going through, Mancini says he's "OK," considers himself blessed and can't wait to play baseball again soon.

Did you know Michael Jordan once ran a faster 40 time than nearly EVERY prospect in this year's NFL draft????

It's true ... so says Roy Williams, who claims he clocked MJ running a 4.38 his sophomore year at Univ. of North Carolina!!!

The Tar Heels coach broke down the unbelievable story to Colin Cowherd on Monday ... saying on "The Herd", he and 2 other UNC assistants witnessed the athletic feat with their own eyes in 1982.

Williams claims prior to MJ's second season with the Tar Heels, he was charting Jordan's athletic growth from his first season ... when he forced the young Jordan to run a 40-yard dash.

Williams says when he looked down at his stop watch ... he saw 4.38 -- and had so much trouble believing the time, he made MJ run it again.

So, Jordan sprinted one more time ... and the results were the same!!!

"All of us got below 4.4," Williams said.

FYI, that time is RIDICULOUS ... only 4 NFL draft prospects this year ran faster than a 4.38 at the combine!!!

"I want to get it removed from my body. It's shameful that I had it on there ignorantly."

That's Patriots rookie Justin Rohrwasser fighting back tears and apologizing for the "3 Percenter" tattoo on his arm ... saying he'll now have it removed because "that's not who I am."

You've probably heard by now ... the 23-year-old has been under fire over the tattoo since he was drafted by the Pats in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Why? Well, Justin claims he got the tat when he was 18 as a tribute to the military -- but some experts and watchdog groups say the "3 Percenters" are actually a dangerous right-wing militia ... some chapters reportedly associate with "extreme racist groups."

3 Percenters' leaders have disputed the claims -- claiming they're just patriots trying to protect American liberties.

Still, Rohrwasser has been getting crushed on social media by people calling him racist, a white supremacist sympathizer and more.

So, the former Marshall kicker did an interview with WBZ-TV's Steve Burton (who is black) to explain why he's JUST NOW having regrets about the ink.

"When I was 18, I got it. [3 Percenters were] described to me as the percentage of colonists that rose up against the authoritarian government of the British, and I was like, 'Wow, that's such an American sentiment. A patriotic sentiment. And coming from a military family, I thought that really spoke to me and I always was proud to be an American. I'm very proud to be an American."

"The first time I found out what it was linked to was on Saturday. That's why it was so surprising."

Shocking statement considering the 3 Percenters made national headlines back in 2017 when several 3P members showed up at the violent Charlottesville protests in military fatigues while carrying weapons.

"As soon as I saw what it was linked to on Saturday, it's exactly that time I knew I had to get it totally taken off my body. I said cover it up, but I want to get it removed from my body. It's shameful that I had it on there ignorantly. I'm sorry for all my family that have to defend me.

Rohrwasser says putting his family and friends in the "compromising position" of having to defend his character is "one of the biggest regrets I'll ever have."

"I'm sorry I'm going to learn from this ... this is not who I am ... no matter what, that 's not who I am. Hopefully, you will all find that out."

For his part, Burton believes him ... tagging his report, "I did not find him to be a racist whatsoever. I found him to be very authentic and very apologetic. This kid deserves a chance."

There's been a lot of speculation Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are getting divorced because of an affair with another woman, but we've learned that is NOT the case and the dispute between the 2 involves custody over their 3 children.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kristin was "surprised" that Jay filed first -- she didn't know he was doing it. There's one thing in his divorce petition that set her off ... his claim that he was the "at-home parent" who was the "primary caretaker" of their kids.

We're told Kristin was shocked and claims Jay was not telling the truth ... she says she has been the primary caregiver.

So, that set up the battle. Jay is asking for joint custody. Kristin, in her response, asked for primary physical custody with Jay getting visitation.

Tennessee is a "fault state" -- meaning someone asking for a divorce must show fault on the part of the other spouse, and that's why she claimed Jay is guilty of "marital misconduct." It's actually boilerplate language in the state. The language is included in a divorce petition and counterclaim because Kristin and Jay can't end the marriage without some showing of misconduct. As for what the misconduct is ... that's for the lawyers to handle.

There have been a bunch of rumors Kristin wanted out because Jay had an affair. We know there was a buzz about this on their reality show and the "other woman" was allegedly Kelly Henderson, who denied there was any relationship between her and Jay. It doesn't matter, because that has nothing to do with the divorce.

We contacted Kristin's lawyer, Rose Palermo, who had no comment other than to refer us to Kristin's post over the weekend saying the divorce was amicable.

Chiefs 1st-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire says he's ECSTATIC to play with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the QB is a Hall of Famer!

We spoke with the LSU superstar just days after he was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the NFL draft ... and it didn't take long for him to tell us he's PUMPED over the idea of sharing a backfield with Mahomes.

In fact, Clyde says when he found out Patrick had advised Chiefs brass to pick him before their draft last week ... he became even more enamored with the QB.

"It made me feel like this was the right place to be," Edwards-Helaire says. "This is where God wanted me to be."

"And, ultimately. Man, MVP quarterback, soon to be Hall of Famer -- he's going to be a Hall of Famer, so for him to send my name in and want me to play with him, it made me feel a little special."

Clyde -- who's expected to have a huge role in the Chiefs' offense catching passes from Mahomes in 2020 -- added, "I'm still kind of amazed by the entire situation."

WCW legend Rick Steiner says it's pretty damn cool to watch his son sign with the Baltimore Ravens ... telling TMZ Sports the pro wrestling community is already rallying around him with advice!!

Bronson Rechsteiner was a star fullback at Kennesaw State (averaged 8 yards per carry!) and just signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent.

Rick says he couldn't be more proud of his son -- saying it's another huge moment for his famous family!

"I watched him grow up. I watched the sweat and time and effort he puts into what he does and everything he does," Rick says.

"Just to see him totally succeed going to college, totally succeed with rushing yards and catches and everything else. It's just a super, super proud moment for our dad, for me being his father, to see him do that, see him accomplish that and now, take the phone call, take the next steps to be a professional athlete. Pretty cool, man."

Rick says he's already getting calls from his pro wrestler buddies -- some of whom played in the NFL.

"You got guys like Goldberg, who played in the NFL and all these other guys that were in there. I'm just getting a host of texts and emails congratulating me, proud of my son, proud of his accomplishments. Really makes me feel good, ya know."

Bronson tells us Goldberg -- who played with the Atlanta Falcons in the early '90s -- is already giving him some pointers!

Rechsteiner is a BEAST (just like his dad and uncle) -- in fact, he ripped off 35 reps on the bench press at his pro day, which would have been 3rd best at the NFL Combine.

Wanna own real live dirt The Undertaker used to bury A.J. Styles at Wrestlemania 36???

Better act fast because the WWE has collected the soil and put it up for sale -- and we're told it's already in super-high demand!!

If ya missed it ... 55-year-old Undertaker beat Styles in an epic "Boneyard Match" at Mania back on April 4 -- which featured the two wrestling stars fighting it out in a cemetery.

Now, to commemorate the tilt, WWE is selling real dirt from the night ... and the piece is actually pretty sick.

The memorabilia features a plaque with photos from the evening as well as a capsule full of the historic Earth that Styles was ultimately buried under.

WWE is listing the items for $74.99 a pop ... and is limiting quantities to just 536 total.

One source tells us ... "Demand is strong and it's already a top-selling item" on the official WWE online shop.

Of course, while it is just dirt ... WWE mementos tend to age pretty well -- some of the game-used items from iconic wrestlers in the past have sold for thousands!!

The Ball Brothers are joining a new family -- the Roc Nation Sports fam -- with LaMelo, Lonzo AND LiAngelo Ball all planning to sign with Jay-Z's sports management company.

Melo's business partner, Jermaine Jackson, went public with the decision on Monday ... saying the whole family is on board.

"This was a family decision," Jackson said in an interview with ESPN. "This is now an extended family. They put together a beautiful game plan with Jay-Z."

Jackson says the family had been shopping for an agency and spoke with "several agents" -- but ultimately, "The family had good vibes with Roc Nation."

Jackson added ... "I've known Jay-Z since I played for the Knicks, but this is what the kids wanted to do. Jay-Z is a master at what he does. He's global. It's power beyond power."

Roc Nation will take the lead on marketing deals for the Ball bros -- including LaMelo's shoe deal.

Of course, LaVar Ball has put tons of work into rebuilding the Big Baller Brand ... but Jay-Z is the creative director for Puma Basketball ... so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out.

Jackson says there are multiple sneaker companies targeting Melo -- a top 2020 NBA Draft prospect.

"He's still wide open," Jackson said ... "He hasn't signed with anyone. Everyone is kicking in the door. Melo is open to whatever. With this pandemic going on, we don't know what things are going to look like."

The Ball Bros join a HUGE roster of sports superstars signed to Hov's agency ... including Kyrie Irving, Jaire Alexander, Spencer Dinwiddie and JuJu Smith-Schuster.