TMZ Sports - Page 50

Here's a video that'll hit you right in the feels ... a baseball dad watched his son hit his first home run -- and pop's reaction to seeing it fly over the fence was PRICELESS!!!

The father-son duo is Cory and Asher Willig ... and during quarantine out in Georgia -- they've been getting in some batting practice to pass the time.

Turns out ... all the BP work paid off last Friday -- 'cause little Asher hit a moonshot dinger that Dad couldn't have been more proud of!!

The video will make ya get a little misty-eyed ... Ash (with a sweet lefty swing) took a fastball DEEP to center, and Cory lost his freakin' mind!!!

There were hands in the air ... jumping around, and screams -- and it was all capped off by a massive hug!!

"All those times in front of our house this past month paid off!" Cory said. "So proud of you son!"

AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

By the way, did you take note of Asher's epic bat flip after the ball cleared the wall??? Somewhere, Tim Anderson's smiling big!!!

Just 'cause Rob Gronkowski is an NFL player again doesn't mean he's giving up his WWE 24/7 championship belt without a fight -- and he's already eyeing his own coach as a potential threat!!!

Remember, Gronk became the new 24/7 champ after beating up on Mojo Rawley at WrestleMania 36 last month ... pinning his friend to take over the shiny, new belt.

While it seemed like it was the beginning of a full-on career with Vince McMahon's org, the 30-year-old would end up BACK in the NFL weeks later to join his bestie, Tom Brady, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So ... what's Gronk gonna do with his belt??

HE'S DEFENDING THE DAMN THING, BABY!!!!

Rob joined his brother, Chris, on his "Gronk'd UP" podcast to discuss the status of his championship ... and he makes it clear he's got his eyes peeled for anyone looking to steal his belt -- even Bucs head coach Bruce Arians.

"Imagine coming out of the meeting room, I'm like looking to my left down the hallway ... looking to my right to make sure no one is out of the meetings yet, and then all of a sudden ... Coach Arians just comes out of nowhere with a flying elbow and takes me out and pins me and becomes the 24/7 champ," Gronk says.

"That would be legendary. That would be an honor to lose to him."

Of course, the point of the 24/7 belt is ANYONE can come out of nowhere to try to take it from Gronk ... and he says he's gonna have a huge target on his back once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Gronk even speculates someone could try taking it from him DURING AN NFL GAME ... but he's up to the challenge.

"So many different people coming at me from all angles."

KC Chiefs running back Damien Williams -- who scored TWO 4th-quarter TDs in the Super Bowl -- was robbed at a fancy rental home in L.A., TMZ Sports has learned.

Williams was not hurt in the incident -- but the suspects made off with roughly $1,000 in cash and now cops are on the hunt.

Here's what we know ... the 28-year-old had JUST checked in to a pricey L.A. home on Saturday night when 3 intruders broke into the property through a back door.

We're told the men surrounded Williams and his crew -- and even the suspects did not brandish a weapon, it was clear they wanted cash ... or else.

Williams and his guests complied. Our law enforcement sources tell us the suspects got around $1,000 in cash and then fled the scene.

Cops were called but so far, they have not located the men. We're told the LAPD is investigating and looking for possible surveillance footage. The suspects have been described as 3 African-American men.

A rep for Williams tells TMZ Sports ... the NFL player is doing okay.

Williams was a stud for the Chiefs in 2019 -- but REALLY broke out during the playoffs.

During Super Bowl LIV, he rushed for 104 yards and a TD against the SF 49ers -- and also caught 4 passes for 29 yards and a TD!

The receiving TD with 1:12 left in the game basically sealed the victory for KC.

Some people feel he could have been named Super Bowl MVP.

The NFL will NOT bring its games to London or Mexico this year ... Roger Goodell just announced the league will play entirely in the U.S. in 2020 over coronavirus concerns.

The Shield had planned to play one game in Mexico City and four games in London this season ... but Goodell and league officials said Monday those scheduled contests are now OFF.

"After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK," NFL exec Christopher Halpin said.

"We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season."

The Dolphins, Cardinals, Falcons and Jaguars had all committed to playing the international games ... but the NFL says those contests will now revert back to the teams' respective home stadiums.

The NFL has played in both London and Mexico for YEARS ... everyone from the Seattle Seahawks to the Kansas City Chiefs to the Oakland Raiders have played outside of U.S. soil recently.

Edgerrin James will be spending some quarantine time online shopping for a new basketball hoop ... a college player just destroyed the NFL legend's hoop with a vicious dunk -- and the video is insane!!

Justin Tucker -- a Campbellsville Univ. junior (who's transferring to Keiser Univ. next fall) -- is the man guilty of the backboard assault ... committing the rim crime last week.

The 22-year-old, who's been family friends with James for YEARS, says he and a few other college hoopers got in some run at James' home court in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday.

The games were going smoothly -- the guys were trying their best to exercise and stay safe during the pandemic -- when all the sudden Tucker caught a lob ... and all hell broke loose.

You can see in the vid, Tucker's authoritative slam rattled the hoop so hard ... the backboard crumbled into a thousand pieces!!!

Don't worry ... the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward says he was just fine afterward -- and admitted everyone was just in awe of the feat.

In fact, Justin claims Edgerrin ran up to him after the slam and asked him straight-up, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

As for the hoop, Tucker says James ain't making him pay for it -- and has plans to replace it ASAP.

By the way, if you didn't know ... Edgerrin's 15-year-old son is a budding hoops phenom as well -- and Justin says he was actually playing against the kid just before the violent dunk!!

And, don't be surprised if James' son is breaking backboards of his own in a few years -- 'cause Justin says the teenager is the real deal!!

Don Shula -- the NFL coaching legend who famously led the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season in 1972 -- has died at 90 years old.

"[Shula] passed away peacefully at his home this morning," the Dolphins said in a statement.

A cause of death was not immediately known.

"Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years," the team said.

"He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene."

"Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike."

Shula is one of football's all-time greats ... after a playing career as a defensive back in the NFL in the 1950s -- he went on to become a Hall of Fame coach.

Shula, the head man in Baltimore from 1963 to 1969 and then in Miami from 1970 to 1995, owns the record for most wins by an NFL coach EVER ... piling up 347 in his 33-year career.

Shula also won two Super Bowls as the coach of the 'Fins ... and is still the only man to ever coach an undefeated NFL team.

Don was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

RIP

Shula had a major impact on a ton of famous people. Some of them are posting tributes on social media including:

NFL commish Roger Goodell -- "Don Shula will always be remembered as one of the greatest coaches and contributors in the history of our game. He made an extraordinarily positive impact on so many lives."

"His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come."

The Cleveland Browns -- who drafted Shula in 1951 -- shared the team's condolences ... saying, "We're proud of the fact that his football foundation was built in Ohio, starting at Harvey High School in Painesville, playing collegiately at John Carroll and then being drafted by the Browns."

"Coach Shula's contribution to our game are unmatched. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Shula Family."

Magic Johnson -- "RIP NFL Hall of Fame Coach and 2X Super Bowl champion Don Shula! My prayers go out to his family."

Andrea Kremer -- "My deepest condolences on the passing of Don Shula ... As a professional I worked w/ him & got to know him well, even naming my dog Zonk, just like he did. RIP Coach."

Gov. Ron DeSantis -- "Coach Don Shula leaves behind an incomparable legacy as the NFL’s winningest coach and as the one who put Miami sports on the map."

Bill Cowher -- "We lost one of the most iconic men in the history of NFL coaching in Don Shula. His leadership and wisdom helped to guide me and many others who have made a life in coaching football. Thank you Coach Shula. May your spirit and legacy live on forever."

Michael Jordan did NOT want to sign with Nike back in the day. Not even close.

He WANTED to sign with ADIDAS IN 1984 ... but they didn't want to make him a priority.

TALK ABOUT A BILLION DOLLAR MISTAKE!!!

MJ explained the whole thing in episode 5 of "The Last Dance" ... admitting his mom FORCED him get on a plane and take a pitch meeting with the Swoosh just to hear what they had to say.

"My mother said, 'You're gonna go listen. You may not like it, but you're gonna go listen,'" Jordan said ... "She made me get on that plane and go listen."

At the time, MJ thought Nikes just weren't a top-flight shoe. He was more into the Adidas.

But, when a very young MJ met with Adidas, they made it clear he would NOT be pushed as their premiere athlete and they weren't open to giving him his own shoe.

Converse -- the other top sneaker company at the time -- had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on their roster and also didn't see him as their top guy.

So, Jordan took the Nike meeting -- and the rest is history.

"Go into that meeting not wanting to be there, and Nike made this big pitch," Jordan said ... "My father said, 'You'd have to be a fool not taking this deal. This is the best deal.'"

Nike was working on their "Air" technology -- which they built into MJ's shoe and called "Air Jordan."

Also, Nike hired Spike Lee to direct the Air Jordan commercials -- and they were AWESOME.

In fact, Nike only expected $3 million in sales in the first 4 years ... but it sold $126 million in the first year alone!!!

Jordans ultimately became the most popular shoe in the world and made Michael hundreds of millions of dollars over the years.

A 7-year-old battling cancer got the surprise of a lifetime Sunday ... John Cena visited the boy for an epic early birthday present -- coronavirus pandemic be damned.

The WWE superstar flew out to Odessa, FL to see the child ... with Cena wearing a mask and gloves to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 while there.

The trip turned out to be an awesome pick-me-up for David Castle, who's battling Wilms tumor, a type of cancer that attacks the kidneys -- because his mom tells WFLA Cena's presence brought the child to tears.

FYI -- Castle's family says the boy's been through A TON since his diagnosis in Oct. 2019, saying, David's "undergone very painful tests, surgery, and long days and nights at the hospital."

But, Cena did his best to take the boy's mind away from his fight ... gifting David with his own personal WWE belt and a bunch of other swag, including autographed T-shirts and armbands.

By the way, Castle's birthday is next week ... which makes Cena's trip an even sweeter one!!

Of course, John's been doing cool visits like this for YEARS ... the guy holds the record for most wishes granted to Make-A-Wish -- with more than 600 total!!!

Two cops smashed Darren McFadden's car windows and later pointed both a gun AND taser at the ex-NFL RB during his 2019 arrest ... and the intense standoff was all captured on new police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The former Dallas Cowboys star was found asleep at the wheel of a Whataburger drive-thru in McKinney, Texas on January 21, 2019 ... and you can see in the video, cops did everything they could to wake him up.

One of the officers beats on the windows of McFadden's 2019 GMC Yukon repeatedly with his fist and flashlight ... before he eventually decided to rock the car back and forth.

But, the motion caused McFadden's foot to slip off the brake and onto the gas pedal ... and that's when things took a scary turn.

McFadden's ride nosedived into the side of the fast-food restaurant ... and in an effort to get Darren to wake up and stop the car, officers smashed the hell out of his windows.

Eventually, the officers were able to bust through and get the car to stop ... but that's when 32-year-old McFadden became combative -- and fought the cops.

In the video, you can see Darren got in a big-time struggle with THREE different officers ... before they eventually pointed both a gun and a taser at him to stop him from advancing.

Thankfully, before the taser or gun was fired ... McFadden gave up and was taken to the ground and handcuffed.

The former NFL player eventually got jail time over the incident after prosecutors hit him with charges of resisting arrest and DWI with a BAC of greater than or equal to .15.

As we previously reported, McFadden agreed to a deal in February 2020 in which he pleaded guilty to drunk driving in exchange for having the resisting arrest charge dismissed.

McFadden was ordered to spend 4 days in jail, although he did receive credit for 1 day of time served. He was also forced to pay fines and fees ... and his driver's license was suspended for 90 days.

Girl dads everywhere should take a cue from this proud papa -- who's helping his daughter stay sharp in cheerleading during quarantine ... something Simone Biles digs a lot.

Check out this sweet video of a guy practicing a pretty advanced cheer routine within the confines of their home. The kid can't be more than maybe 4 or 5 years old -- if that -- but she's got some killer moves ... which her dad was more than happy to coach her through.

Frankly, this feels like something you might see Navarro College athletes practicing in preparation for Daytona -- and this teeny little girl sorta has it down to a tee already.

Her pops starts out by throwing her into the air, where she does a full body twirl and lands on his hands perfectly. She then balances on one leg while lifting the other one up near her head. The daughter then falls into her dad's arms for a cradle and up they go again.

It's incredible to watch -- and the way the father-daughter duo interact is pretty precious too. Of course, it would seem this clip has caught an Olympian's eye, 'cause Simone -- who does similar stuff to this on her own mat -- liked the video from her official page.

Here's Jennifer Lopez giving Shakira a "SHAKE THAT ASS" lesson during a private Super Bowl halftime rehearsal ... and it's amazing!!!

"I do it with my knees," J Lo tells Shakira mid-gyration ... "If you shake your knees, your butt goes.

"My mother taught me that ... when I was four!"

WELL, THANK YOU, MRS. LOPEZ!!!

It's all part of newly released video Jenny from the Block decided to share with the world ... showing all of the hard work the team put in to make that INCREDIBLE halftime show from SB LIV back in February.

The footage is awesome -- and shows just how hands-on Lopez was with ALL of the dancers and performers, including Shakira!

"I can’t believe it’s already been 3 months since the #SuperBowlLIV#Halftime Show," Lopez said.

"So much has happened since then, but I wanted to share a fun peek behind the scenes at our first rehearsal with the dancers and @Shakira."

One of the moves they busted their asses to perfect was the end pose ... from the cake jiggling to the final ferocious head turn to the camera.

Former Oakland A's pitcher and "Real Housewives of Orange County" star Matt Keough has died.

His former team made the announcement that Matt passed on Saturday. The team did not reveal the cause of death.

Matt pitched for Oakland for 7 seasons. He received some notable awards ... 1978 All-Star rookie, 1980 American League Comeback Player of the Year. In addition to Oakland, Matt pitched for the Cardinals, Cubs, Astros and Yankees.

Matt was on the cover of Sports Illustrated in '81 with the other "Five Aces" ... 4 other members of the A's.

After baseball, Matt ventured into reality TV with his then-wife, Jeana ... they were cast members on "Real Housewives of Orange County." They married in 1984 and separated 20 years later. Despite the separation, they continued living together during the early seasons of "RHOC."

Matt had his share of legal trouble. He racked up 2 DUI's ... the second of which earned him a 1-year jail sentence. Interesting ... Jeana testified on Matt's behalf, even though their marriage was over, asking the judge to give him probation.

It's especially tragic for the family ... a few weeks back their daughter, Kara, had a son who died during childbirth from complications ... shoulder dystocias and a compressed umbilical cord.

Kara posted a tearful message ... "Daddy, please take care of my son. Teach him the circle changeup and how to find forever friends. You're on grandpa duty in heaven now. Xoxo, Hammerhead."

Matt leaves behind 3 kids. He was 64.

Mark Cuban is challenging the federal government to rejigger the economy NOW ... by hiring some of the millions of people who are out of work and retraining them to become useful in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Cuban demanded answers ... "Explain to me why in the midst of 50m people unemployed or underemployed, the gov isn't hiring and training MILLIONS to do Tracking/Tracing, Caring/Supporting at risk populations and sanitization work? And now is the time to train/pay stay at home parents/caregivers as well."

It's an idea that was obliquely hatched during the Democratic presidential debates, by folks like Andrew Yang and others ... to scramble the economy and find new ways of supporting an increasingly struggling workforce.

We talked to California Governor Gavin Newsom on "TMZ Live" a couple weeks ago about his new program -- Californians For All -- encouraging young people to volunteer to help.  We asked if this could be the start of something like FDR's New Deal, where programs like the Work Progress Administration put out-of-work Americans to work to help the country.  Newsom seemed all about it.

Asante Samuel says playing for Bill Belichick and the Patriots was NOT fun ... and he tells TMZ Sports he believes the reason Tom Brady bolted was 'cause he just couldn't take it anymore.

"He probably just got fed up with it at the end of the day," the former New England cornerback says.

Samuel played with Brady and Belichick from 2003 to 2007 ... and he had a TON of success -- but he tells us he had ZERO fun along the way.

"It worked out for me, man. It made me a better man, but it's not something I enjoyed," Samuel says.

As for why Samuel says playing for The Hoodie is a grind ... it's because of the coach's strict rules and no-mercy personnel decisions.

In fact, Samuel says it was so tough ... he believes that's why Brady will head into the 2020 NFL season with a Buccaneers jersey on.

"He probably just got tired of it," Samuel says of TB12. "He probably got tired of some inner-circle things that he wanted. Maybe, he wanted receivers and tight ends to stay there with him and maybe Bill tried to trade them. Who knows what happened?"

Don't get it twisted, though ... Samuel still seems to respect the hell out of what Bill did for his career -- telling us he just didn't love the route it took to get there.

Ron Jaworski is going to bat for his Eagles ... telling TMZ Sports Philly did NOT screw up the Jalen Hurts pick -- saying the QB could be used like Lamar Jackson!!

"The guy has too much talent to have him sit on the bench," Jaws says. "You could create that package for him just like Lamar Jackson had when he first came to Baltimore."

Of course, Jaws' opinion ain't shared by too many in Philadelphia ... the team was blasted all week for taking the Oklahoma star in the 2nd round despite having 27-year-old Carson Wentz on the roster.

Jaws admits he doesn't know exactly how the veteran QB will respond to the draft choice ... but he says Doug Pederson will find a way to get them both on the field at the same time regardless.

"You fit him in, you teach him, you groom him, and eventually you've got a player!" Jaworski tells us.

But, Ron made it clear, there will NOT be a QB controversy in Philadelphia ... as long as Wentz stays healthy.