TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ben Roethlisberger's being put on blast for getting a haircut in public during the COVID-19 pandemic ... with PA Governor Tom Wolf calling out the QB for not following the state's shutdown measures.

Of course, Big Ben was excited to show off his new, trimmed look in a hype video on Monday ... which symbolized the Steelers QB finally being back to 100% after an elbow injury.

The video showed a mask-less Ben in a Sewickley barbershop getting his hair and beard trimmed up over the weekend ... which is a big no-no, considering hair salons in Allegheny County haven't gotten the green light to reopen yet.

When asked if Ben's visit will spark an investigation into the barbershop ... Wolf explained he's not happy about the situation.

"My concern is just a general concern," Wolf said on Tuesday. "Anybody who puts himself or herself into harm’s way is something that I think we have to try to avoid."

"When you go to something like a barbershop and you’re not protected, I don’t care who you are, the chances of that virus actually wreaking havoc on your life increases."

"I don’t personally think any Pennsylvanian ought to take that chance. I certainly don’t want to take that chance myself."

Ben had been growing his hair out ever since he went down with the injury in September ... vowing to keep the caveman look until he was officially back.

Move over, Eric Dickerson ... another NFL legend is blasting his former team's uniforms -- this time Boomer Esiason says the Bengals jerseys suck, and he's demanding a change ASAP!!

"The one thing I will say -- going into next year -- the Bengals are going to have to redo their uniforms," Esiason said on his "Boomer and Gio" show this month. "They are just horrific. I don't like them."

Boomer -- who played for Cincy from 1984 to 1992 -- says he's held the opinion for a LONG time ... revealing he's believed the Bengals' unis have been awful for more than a decade!!

"They've just got too much stuff going on," Boomer said. "Too much orange. Too many things happening on that uniform. They need to like -- I want to say tone it down."

"It's hard to tone down tiger stripes, but you can. And, I just think that the jerseys over the last couple, 15 years just have not been all that great looking."

Esiason's solution? He says keep the "iconic" helmet -- and then just tamp everything down ... similar to the way Oklahoma State has used a black-and-orange scheme over the years.

By the way, if the jersey rant sounds familiar ... it's because just a few days ago, Dickerson laid into the Rams' new 2020 helmets for looking like "two bananas."

Other teams, like the Patriots, Falcons, Buccaneers and Colts, have redone their uniforms this offseason as well with mixed reviews ... with most NFL fans hating the redesigns.

Do you believe in workarounds?!

Al Michaels says when it comes to calling NFL games during the COVID-19 pandemic, he stands firmly AGAINST working from a remote location.

The broadcasting legend was asked to weigh-in on how coronavirus safety measures could affect pro sports FOR ANNOUNCERS moving forward ... and Al didn't hold back.

"I would hate to think we would not be able to be in the stadium and announce the games from some other location,” the 75-year-old told the NY Post.

"That would not fly as far as I am concerned. You have to be able to feel it, even without fans."

Michaels also says he's not super worried about the disease -- confident he'll be safe if he follows protocols.

"I’m at the point that I’ve done this my whole life. I’m not a fearful person. I understand that we have to take precautions here."

As we previously reported, networks are kicking around ideas about how to preserve the excitement and energy from a normal NFL broadcast ... despite the fact, there will likely be no fans allowed at games when the league gets back in action.

As Joe Buck said, networks including FOX are seriously considering using fake crowd noise during NFL game broadcasts to try and replicate a "normal viewing experience."

We all thought it ... but now some confirmation -- Dennis Rodman intentionally went after Karl Malone during the 1998 NBA Playoffs to help push a pro wrestling storyline involving both NBA stars.

... this according to former WCW president Eric Bischoff.

Remember, Rodman famously slapped Malone on the ass during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Bulls vs. Jazz.

Of course, both NBA stars would clash at the WCW pay-per-view event, "Bash at the Beach," just a short time later ... begging the question, was the in-game altercation scripted beforehand?

The answer ... sort of.

Bischoff admits he encouraged Rodman to mix it up with Malone -- but not in any way that would affect the outcome of the game.

"Now, what I said to Dennis, not to Karl was, 'Hey Dennis, if anything were to happen off court while there's a timeout, while there's no gameplay ... so that the feud between Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman is real, on a kind of a 360-degree basis, not just what happens on our TV show,' that wouldn't piss me off at all."

In other words, Bischoff says he didn't give a direct order -- but didn't talk Dennis out of it either.

Bischoff also tells TMZ Sports he made sure both his boss at Turner Sports and the NBA knew that the Rodman vs. Malone story "didn't interrupt the gameplay."

Bischoff says he LOVED how it all played out during the game -- "I chuckled like a little kid because it accomplished so much."

"As a wrestling producer, to be able to create a moment ... that played out on a platform so huge as the NBA playoffs was really satisfying."

So, how did the wrestling match turn out?

Rodman and Hollywood Hulk Hogan went on to defeat Malone and Diamond Dallas Page in a tag-team match.

The situation was featured on the ESPN docuseries, "Last Dance" -- which also touched on the time Rodman skipped out in a Bulls practice between Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals to appear live on WCW Nitro.

"I certainly didn't expect Dennis to skip practice and participate in Nitro," Bischoff says ... "That decision was all Dennis."

Horace Grant is going scorched-earth on Michael Jordan -- claiming 'Last Dance' was filled with "lies" to make MJ look good ... when in reality, Jordan is nothing but a "snitch."

Yeah, man, Horace is PISSED!!

Of course, Horace participated in the ESPN docuseries -- most memorably to deny he leaked sensitive information about MJ to Bulls reporter Sam Smith back in the day.

Bottom line -- it became abundantly clear the two men don't like each other ... and haven't gotten along in years despite winning 3 NBA championships together.

Fast-forward to Tuesday when Grant appeared on the "Kap and Co" radio show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago and was asked straight-up if he was the Sam Smith leak.

"It is a downright, outright, completely lie," Grant said ... "Lie, lie, lie."

"If MJ had a grudge with me, let's settle this like men ... Let's talk about it. Or we can settle it another way. But yet and still, he goes out and puts this lie out that I was the source behind [the Sam Smith book Jordan Rules]."

Grant strongly believes MJ still holds a grudge against him -- "And, I think he proved that during this so-called documentary."

"When if you say something about [Jordan], he's going to cut you off, he's going to try to destroy your character."

That's when Grant brought up Charles Barkley -- and how MJ cut off their decades-long friendship after Sir Chuck criticized his management of the Charlotte Bobcats on TV.

"Charles Barkley, they've been friends for over 20, 30 years ... and he said something about Michael's management with the Charlotte Bobcats or the Charlotte Hornets, and then they haven't spoken since then."

"And, my point is, he said that I was the snitch, but yet and still after 35 years he brings up his rookie year going into one of his teammates' rooms and seeing coke, and weed and women. My point is: Why the hell did he want to bring that up? What's that got to do with anything? I mean, if you want to call somebody a snitch, that's a damn snitch right there."

Grant then criticized the docuseries as a whole -- acknowledging it was entertaining but says 90% of it was "B.S."

"It wasn't real -- because a lot of things [Jordan] said to some of his teammates, that his teammates went back at him. But, all of that was kind of edited out of the documentary, if you want to call it a documentary."

Megan Rapinoe says Donald Trump is a "white nationalist" who's screwed over his own supporters ... and admits she's considered running for office herself one day to help make things right.

"We have a white nationalist -- I think -- in the White House," Rapinoe told VICE TV's Anand Giridharadas.

"And, the spewing of hate and the other'ing of the rest of the country has only led to more rife between people and more despair and more anxiety and more fear going forward."

Rapinoe -- a very outspoken critic of POTUS since he took office in 2017 -- also says on VICE's "Seat At The Table" (airs Wednesday) that Trump is also hurting his own supporters.

"It's not like he's giving them a bunch of jobs. It's not like he's made life really better for them. He's just given them this false reason why maybe they're not happy with their lives. There's been no sort of path forward."

Rapinoe's public criticisms of Trump have caught his attention in the past -- most famously when she declared she was "not going to the f**king White House" if Team USA won the 2019 World Cup.

There are conflicting reports about whether Trump ever seriously invited the team -- but regardless, they didn't go.

But, get this ... Rapinoe was asked straight-up if she's ever considered getting into politics when her soccer career wraps up -- and it's clearly something she's thought about.

"I'm not totally shutting the door but it seems wild," Rapinoe says.

As for her dream political job, Megan admits, "President, of course."

"If I'm going to do it, I want the biggest, baddest post."

Kristin Cavallari's pulling the plug on her latest reality TV stint ... hanging it up after 3 long years on the heels of her divorce drama with Jay Cutler.

The former 'Hills' star made the announcement Tuesday, saying she was not going to continue shooting "Very Cavallari" ... while going on to thank fans for tuning in along the way.

Kristin says, "As I start this new chapter in my life, I have decided not to continue with ‘Very Cavallari.’ I’ve absolutely loved my time filming and am so grateful to E! Entertainment for making this journey possible. To the fans: I can’t thank you enough for all your support and for keeping up with me all of these years. I love you guys. 💛"

Season 3 of 'VC' just wrapped a couple months ago -- right before they announced they were splitting and Kristin's eventual divorce filing ... in which she accused Jay of "marital misconduct." The allegations have gone back and forth since then -- it's been fairly nasty.

The timing for this news is interesting, of course, because Jay was prominently featured on their show ... even though Kristin was the star. There was even a storyline about possible infidelity toward the end there, which turned out to be a red herring as far as their split is concerned.

Officials are desperately searching for ex-WWE superstar Shad Gaspard -- after he went missing during a swim at Venice Beach on Sunday with his 10-year-old son.

Gaspard and his son were among a group of swimmers caught in a strong rip current around 4 PM -- with lifeguards racing into the water to pull everyone out.

Gaspard's son was rescued -- but the 39-year-old pro wrestler has not been located.

One official working with the L.A. Fire Dept. told media they believe the 39-year-old "did submerge."

Divers were sent to scour the area. Helicopters were searching from above.

One witness at the scene tells us ... when lifeguards raced into the ocean, Gaspard directed rescuers to help his son first, which they did.

During the rescue, we're told another big wave crashed down on Gaspard -- and that's the last time he was seen.

We're told the photo of Shad officials are using in the search (included in this post) was taken earlier Sunday, before the incident.

Shad was at the beach that day with his wife and their 10-year-old son.

Gaspard was a big star with WWE back in the day -- making up one half of the tag team Cryme Time with his partner, JTG.

Outside of pro wrestling, Gaspard made headlines in 2016 when he stopped an armed robbery in Florida.

In fact, Shad came on the "TMZ Sports" TV show to talk about it and couldn't have been a nicer guy.

Akim Aliu says ex-NHL player Steve Downie is a "racist sociopath" who "made my life a living hell" during their junior hockey days ... and the allegations are shocking.

Aliu -- who is black -- spelled out the whole thing in a strongly worded op-ed for The Player's Tribune ... detailing several alleged incidents of abuse at the hands of Downie.

FYI, 33-year-old Downie was a 1st round NHL Draft pick in 2005 -- and played 9 seasons in the league.

But, Aliu says before he got to the big stage, Downie terrorized him while both players were members of the Windsor Spitfires, a team in the OHL -- the best junior league in Canada.

"First couple of practices he put Tiger Balm in my jock," Aliu says ... "Then he took my gear outside and threw it on the roof."

"And then he began to belittle me in front of my teammates, the coaches, whoever would listen to him. He’d make fun of my clothes, the way I spoke."

"He was two years older than me and a rising star, and he wielded his power over me like I was nothing -- like I was subhuman."

Aliu also says Downie and other teammates tried to strip him naked on the back of the team bus with other rookies as part of a hazing ritual ... but Akim refused.

Because he refused, Akim says Downie "shoved his fiberglass stick through my mouth."

"I lost seven teeth in half a second. Blood gushing down."

Akim says he felt forced to drop his gloves and fight Downie in an effort to save face in front of his teammates.

Akim goes directly at Downie in the article -- saying, "I went through hell at the hands of a racist sociopath."

"His name’s Steve Downie."

"I don’t really give a crap what he thinks about the way I just described him. I’d say it to his face today."

"He had nothing but hate in his heart back then. He looked at me and saw a black boy with a weird accent -- and didn’t like me because of it. I was attacked because of the color of my skin. I knew it then. And I know it even more now."

31-year-old Aliu has previously made headlines for exposing several horrible racist incidents he was forced to deal with on his journey through the hockey ranks .... including blackface costumes and n-word rants by team officials including former Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters.

We've made repeated efforts to contact Downie for his side of the story -- reaching out his former agent, calling numbers connected to him and even trying to contact him through social media.

IT'S HAPPENING!!!

Tom Brady took the field for drills with his Buccaneers teammates for the first time (at least publicly) Tuesday ... and it's weird as hell seeing the guy in a bright orange uni!!

Check out a pic of the new TB QB during the workout -- which took place at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, FL -- he was the only one in shoulder pads and an orange jersey.

Brady also rocked his new Bucs helmet during the sesh ... and according to the Tampa Bay Times -- the 7 AM ET workout featured around eight of the QB's new teammates.

The drills lasted for about two hours, the Times reported ... and concluded with some convos in the stands.

And, no, Brady and the Bucs didn't violate any NFL rules ... the league said in a statement to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero the workout is all good in their books.

Of course, that's a welcoming feeling for Tom -- remember, he was booted from a closed park for working out there just a few weeks ago!

Tom's been able to switch things up ... getting some runs in at his rented Tampa mansion -- but with Florida lifting stay-at-home orders recently, seems Tom's in the clear to throw with teammates now.

AND, DOWN THE STRETCH THEY'LL COME ... ON JUNE 20TH!

The 2020 Belmont Stakes have been moved from June 6 to June 20 -- and will serve as the FIRST leg of the Triple Crown, officials announced.

Usually, Belmont is the THIRD and final leg of the marquee races -- but do to the COVID-19 pandemic, everything was pushed back.

So, here's the official order ...

Belmont Stakes -- June 20

Kentucky Derby -- Sept. 5

The Preakness -- Oct. 3

The New York Racing Association -- which oversees the Belmont Stakes -- says no fans will be allowed at the track, in accordance with NY coronavirus safety measures.

"The Belmont Stakes is a New York institution that will provide world-class entertainment for sports fans during these challenging times," said NYRA President & CEO Dave O'Rourke said.

"While this will certainly be a unique running of this historic race, we are grateful to be able to hold the Belmont Stakes in 2020. Thanks to our partners at NBC Sports, fans across the country can look forward to a day of exceptional thoroughbred racing at a time when entertainment and sports are so important to providing a sense of normalcy."

Tony Romo touchdown pass to ... LeBron James????

The King and his business partner say that damn-near happened way back in 2011 ... with Maverick Carter revealing Jerry Jones offered LBJ a contract with the Dallas Cowboys!!

Here's the deal ... LeBron said on an Uninterrupted podcast Monday he had such serious concerns about the NBA lockout in 2011, he actually began training for a pro-football career.

The Lakers superstar -- who was with the Miami Heat at the time -- says he changed up his whole workout routine in the event he would have to switch sports.

LeBron says he was dead serious about it all too ... claiming he added 40 times, more bench pressing and even sled pushing.

"The thoughts came into my mind," James said. "I had no idea how long the lockout was going to be.”

In fact, Carter chimed in and said things got so serious -- the Cowboys actually reached out with an offer!!

Fortunately for the NBA, the league got back to work, and LeBron never had the chance to switch sports ... instead, deciding to frame and hang Jerry's offer on the wall as opposed to signing it.

But, LeBron admits football is an itch he's sad he never scratched ... revealing he straight-up still dreams about the sport!

"It’s crazy because I actually never run on the field in my dreams," James said. "It always gets to the point where I’m either in the locker room or getting dressed or talking about or seeing the fans and as soon as I’m about to run on the field, something else happens in my dream. It’s like something that it always happens like that."

The NBA is still hoping to return to play this season amid the coronavirus pandemic, but, in the meantime, the Cowboys COULD still use another tight end ...

Cops are NOT in possession of video showing Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar robbing people at gunpoint at a cookout in FL ... but investigators are scouring the neighborhood hoping to find something ASAP.

Multiple people involved in the investigation had told us they were confident there was video from the May 13 incident -- but a spokesperson for the Broward County State Attorney's Office tells us straight-up there's no video, "not that I'm aware of."

One person involved in the case tells us cops are making an effort to speak with people in the vicinity to find out if the incident was captured on home surveillance video, including Ring doorbell cameras ... and no, TMZ Sports has not seen any video of the incident either.

As we previously reported, Baker is facing 8 felony charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault -- while Dunbar is facing 4 counts of aggravated assault.

Both men claim they have multiple witnesses who say they did not rob anyone at gunpoint. Meanwhile, both men are out on bond, awaiting their next court date.

The issue ... cops say they spoke with multiple witnesses on the night of the incident who fingered Baker as the shot caller in a brazen armed robbery.

One witness told cops Baker ordered a third man, who was wearing a red mask, to shoot another partygoer.

Cops say Baker, Dunbar and the unidentified third man fled the scene in exotic getaway cars with more than $12,000 in cash and $60,000 in expensive watches.

Both the Giants and Seahawks have said they are aware of the allegations ... and are doing their own investigations into the matter.

The University of Kentucky just axed its entire cheerleading coaching staff over allegations of hazing, heavy boozing and public nudity.

"The advisor and the coaches failed to stop a culture of hazing, alcohol use and public nudity at off-campus activities where they were present," UK said Monday in a statement.

"Our students deserve more responsible leadership, and the University of Kentucky demands it."

So, what happened?

The school launched an investigation after allegations of debauchery at a cheerleader retreat back in February at Lake Cumberland.

Team members allegedly engaged in nude routines -- including topless and bottomless basket tosses into the water from a dock.

School officials say the activities were carried out while under the supervision of team coaches.

The school also says team members slammed alcohol during boat parties -- and several members required medical treatment.

Another incident went down in Tennessee, according to the school ... where members were ordered to perform dirty chants while wearing uniforms without underwear.

Head coach Jomo Thompson -- along with assistant coaches Ben Head, Spencer Clan and Kelsey LaCroix -- were all fired as a result of a 3-month investigation.

What's the appropriate amount to tip on a $37 check?

HOW ABOUT ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS?!!!

That's the kind of math Chad Ochocinco is all about -- and he proved it Monday, by dropping a killer tip at one of his favorite restaurants.

The ex-NFL wideout popped by Havana's restaurant near Ft. Lauderdale -- which recently reopened amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not only did Chad order up some delicious grub, but man -- he blessed the good people with a some serious tippage!

"Congrats on reopening, sorry about the pandemic, hope this helps," Ochocinco wrote on the bill ... "I love you!"

The restaurant staff felt the love and publicly shouted out the former Cincinnati Bengals star on social media.

"We would like to thank Chad 'Ocho Cinco' Johnson for his continued patronage."

"We greatly appreciate your generosity to our employees now during these most difficult times. Many blessings to you and your family. Thank you again!"

We know what you're thinking -- how rich is that dude? Johnson reportedly made close to $50 mil during his 11 year NFL career ... but he's famously thrifty with his cash.

... but hey, it's good to make an exception once in a while!

Props to Chad!