TMZ Sports - Page 50

The man who punched Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert says it wasn't a cheap shot -- insisting he was protecting a friend who was in Dallas' grasp ... and he says he suffered serious injuries as a result.

TMZ Sports spoke with Kyle Hadala, who tells us he feels the viral video does NOT tell the full story of what transpired before that fateful punch was thrown on June 19 at Zoo Bar in South Dakota.

Hadala insists Goedert and his friends had been "harassing" them at a previous bar over the choice of music they were playing on the jukebox.

"They were extremely aggressive and disrespectful," Hadala says.

The group moved to a new spot -- the Zoo Bar -- but Hadala says Goedert and his crew followed them with bad intentions. Very soon, according to Hadala, the situation escalated.

"They picked out my smaller colleague from the group, got in his face, and made very threatening remarks toward his personal well-being," Hadala tells us.

"Then one of his crew told my other colleague, and I quote, 'You’re just a fat f**king pussy. I'll beat the s*** out of you.'"

Hadala says Dallas put his hand on his friend -- which you can see in the video ... and that's when Hadala decided to take action.

"At this point, I was in fear for both of my friends' well-being especially due to the fact there were 10 of them and we were not familiar with the area," Hadala says.

"I protected my friend and then was ambushed by 5 to 7 individuals that punched, kicked, threw beer bottles, etc., trying to cause me bodily harm which I received medical treatment at the hospital for my injuries the next day."

Hadala says he received multiple lacerations in the incident, which required several stitches and staples to close the wounds.

Hadala was eventually arrested and booked on a simple assault charge. He's already lawyered up and plans to fight the case.

NFL rookie Jermiah Braswell's time with the Arizona Cardinals is over before it even began -- the wide receiver has been cut after allegedly drunkenly driving his Camaro into Lake Erie.

The 23-year-old ex-Youngstown State star -- who signed as an undrafted free agent in April -- was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Put-in-Bay, OH on Saturday ... after cops found him in the driver's seat trying to move the vehicle out of the water.

According to witnesses, the Toledo native was traveling at "a very high rate of speed" on the road before the crash ... driving onto grass, off an embankment and into the water.

When cops spoke with Braswell, they claim he was slurring his speech and had no idea how he ended up in the lake ... and decided to conduct field sobriety tests.

Braswell also took a breathalyzer test, which reportedly showed a BAC higher than the Ohio limit.

The NFL transaction report shows the Cards decided to part ways with the rookie on Monday ... ending his short stint with the team.

It took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal -- but now Fight Island is ready to roll and it looks AMAZING!!!

Dana White just dropped the hype video showing the tremendous effort it took to bring Fight Island to life in just a few months ... transforming part of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into a city custom-built for the UFC.

Of course, Fight Island was created to provide a safe place for the UFC to host fights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic -- so, there was clearly an emphasis on testing facilities on the premises.

There are 17 medical personnel stationed on the island, according to UFC -- and they've already administered more than 2,000 tests.

You can see in the video the massive construction effort it took to erect the main fight arena, the beach Octagon and other facilities necessary to host all of the upcoming UFC events.

White has said all fighters and their crews will undergo 5 rounds of testing -- starting with tests before they board their flights to Yas Island.

Once on the island, there will be 3 more rounds of testing before the fights -- and then a final post-fight test before fighters are allowed to fly home.

There is a massive security presence on the Island to keep things safe -- and Dana White is fired up!

"I can't wait to get there," White said.

The first event on Fight Island is UFC 251 on July 11 -- featuring some crazy bouts ... including Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns.

Max Holloway is fighting Alexander Volkanovski and Paige VanZant is fighting Amanda Ribas.

Houston Texans WR Kenny Stills just revealed a new "Black Lives Matter" tattoo on his leg ... part of a bigger piece that tells the story of the Black struggle in America.

The tattoo starts on Kenny's hip and goes all the way down to his ankle -- featuring imagery from the recent BLM protests ... and other important moments in the Civil Rights movement.

Some of the protest signs tatted on Stills include, "Say Their Names" and "Stop Killing Us" ... mixed with iconic images including a protest sign from a school segregation protest.

28-year-old Stills -- one of the NFL players who continued to take a knee during the national anthem in 2019 -- added the new art to a previous tattoo which featured the mug shot of Congressman John Lewis, who was arrested in the 1960s for peacefully protesting segregation.

Below that image is the famous shot of a protester in Memphis holding a sign reading, "I Am A Man." The original photo was taken in 1968 by photographer Steve Schapiro.

Arianny Celeste -- the most famous UFC Octagon girl ever -- has announced she's pregnant ... and will be stepping away from the cage for a bit.

34-year-old Celeste tells TMZ Sports ... she and her boyfriend, Taylor King, are expecting their first child in September.

Celeste says she hasn't been working UFC events recently due to the pregnancy -- and plans on taking some time off until after the baby is born. So, she won't make the trip to Fight Island for UFC 251.

But, don't worry, Celeste says after the kid is born she plans on returning to her job ... and tells us UFC -- including Dana White -- have been nothing but supportive.

Celeste has been working UFC fights since 2006 and blew up after that -- modeling for everyone from Playboy to Sports Illustrated and more.

Arianny says she doesn't know the sex of the kid yet -- but she's excited to find out.

Celeste and Taylor King (a professional photographer) have been dating for roughly a year ... and Arianny says he's her "soulmate and my best friend."

Oh, and if you like the maternity pics -- Taylor shot 'em!

Conor McGregor's longtime coach says the UFC star is really retired -- "as far as I can tell" -- but admits things can change in a heartbeat.

Of course, Conor announced his retirement from MMA earlier this month -- the 3rd time he's "retired" in 4 years -- but nobody really believes he means it.

So, when John Kavanagh decided to host a quick online Q&A this week -- he was peppered with questions about Conor's career.

QUESTION: Is Conor retired?

ANSWER: "Yes, he is as far as I can tell. It's what he said, isn't it!?

QUESTION: Can you convince him to come back?!

ANSWER: "I can't convince Conor to do sh*t. Conor will tell Conor what he's gonna do and who knows what's gonna happen in the future. But, for now, he's retired."

Someone asked how Conor would fare against the reigning welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- and Kavanaugh gave an interesting answer to that as well.

"That would be interesting," John said ... nothing that "a very motivated Conor" could beat anyone around his weight class.

He included Colby Covington in that list -- but didn't mention Khabib.

Earlier this year, Kamaru warned Conor about trying to pick a fight with him -- promising he'd beat the Irishman worse than Khabib did!

As for life outside of the Octagon ... Conor's kept busy hanging with his family, drinkin' his Proper 12 whiskey and jetskiin' all over the world.

DeSean Jackson is once again using his cleats to send a message -- this time, he's paying tribute to Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The Philadelphia Eagles WR has a history of expressing himself through custom artwork on his kicks -- and this time, he went back to SolesBySir to take on police brutality.

"I stand on what’s right," Jackson says ... "Let’s not get caught up in the false impulsive message behind #BLM We just want fair rights!"

He added, "400 plus years .... The time is now #ahmaudarbery #breonnataylor."

Of course, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police after they executed a no-knock warrant on the WRONG apartment in Kentucky back in March. Taylor was in bed during the incident and was shot 8 times. None of the 3 officers involved in the shooting have been charged with a crime.

Ahmaud Arbery was chased down and killed by 2 white men in Georgia back in February -- while 3rd man watched and recorded the incident. After a public outcry, all 3 men were charged with felony murder in what some people are calling a modern-day lynching.

On both sets of cleats, DeSean included an image of the victims -- adding the word, "Enough" on the Arbery pair.

Jackson has previously gone to SolesBySir for tributes to people like George Floyd, Rodney King and Muhammad Ali.

WELCOME TO FLOYD'S CRIB!!

Floyd Mayweather is finally giving a video tour of his massive Vegas mansion ... with a closet made to look like a Neiman Marcus store!

Seriously! That's what he said!!

Mayweather actually built the pad years ago -- but says he never really got around to moving in because he's traveling the world all the time.

But, since COVID paused those plans ... might as well enjoy your palatial estate, right?!

Here are the highlights ...

INDOOR POOL AND SPA -- it looks like something you'd see in an upscale Vegas hotel ... only it's just for Floyd.

COURTYARD WITH FOUNTAINS AND FIREPITS -- so many statues and pieces of expensive outdoor art ... including a replica of the Versace logo.

MAIN CLOSET -- This is incredible.

Rows and rows and rows designer clothing and shoes line all of the designer shelves in Floyd's place.

Dozens of pairs of Louboutin shoes, tons of Birkin bags, jackets -- Floyd says his goal is to "make sure it always looks like Neimans."

There are so many shoes in his closet, we couldn't even keep count -- HUNDREDS of pairs.

THE ELEVATORS -- Floyd has several elevators in his pad ... it looks expensive with wood panels. Probably special buttons. It's gaudy.

THE GARAGE -- Floyd has a famously HUGE collection of whips, including a couple of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Bugattis and all sorts of rare vehicles ... some cost MILLIONS.

But, get this ... Floyd says despite all of the fancy rides, his day-to-day car ... is a Dodge Ram 1500 truck.

"This is my favorite car I drive right here -- I like to be low key."

Sure ya do, Floyd.

THE KITCHEN -- All marble everything. Expensive appliances. Floyd always has a private chef ... so he probably doesn't even use the stuff himself.

MAIN BEDROOM -- nope, that's off-limits to the fans. Some things gotta stay private, right?

Floyd says he's showing off the house to inspire people to achieve greatness. You inspired yet?!

NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo are officially at war -- don't worry, their relationship is doing just fine -- but they're now competing against each other for the best abs on the planet!!!

The Carolina Panthers RB and former Miss Universe hit the waters for a romantic meal on Monday ... eating up all the Chick-fil-A sandwiches they could fit in their shredded bodies.

OC posted a snap from the getaway on Instagram ... with the couple sharing a kiss in between bites.

"You had me at fried chicken sandwich," Culpo posted.

OC's fellow S.I. Swimsuit model friend Brooks Nader took notice of the biggest takeaway from the picture ... adding the simple caption, "Abs!"

Of course, OC and CMC have been pretty much inseparable ever since they started dating in 2019 ... and we're sure quarantining together has been a hell of a time.

Remember, if you're gonna join Olivia and Christian in eating a bunch of fried chicken, you're not gonna look like them unless you work out nonstop like they do.

Yeah ... we may settle for a salad.

Huge day in court for Robert Kraft ... the State of Florida is trying to convince an appeals court to ALLOW graphic video shot from inside a Jupiter day spa to be used against Kraft in his sex acts case.

It's all happening right now -- and it's all being live streamed.

Remember, prosecutors say cops got a warrant to secretly install cameras inside the spa because they believed it was operating as a brothel ... and they wanted to catch criminal activity in the act.

Cops say they have footage of Kraft at the spa on 2 different occasions in 2019.

But, in a previous ruling, a judge ruled the video was NOT permissible because law enforcement did not do enough in their surveillance to protect innocent people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

The State of Florida has appealed that decision -- and now a panel of judges in the Fourth District Court of Appeal (located in West Palm Beach) will decide if the previous ruling will stand.

Jeffrey DeSousa is representing the State of Florida. Derek Shaffer is representing Robert Kraft.

DeSousa claims the video of Kraft, specifically, was shot legally -- and prosecutors should be able to use the footage to prosecute him ... claiming its essentially a smoking gun.

As we previously reported, Kraft was busted back in Feb. 2019 after officials say a sting operation at a Jupiter, Fla. massage parlor revealed the New. England Patriots owner did illegally pay for sex acts on at least 2 occasions.

Originally, the video WAS to be allowed in the case ... but Kraft's dream team of attorneys successfully argued at a series of hearings last year it should not be permissible.

Frightening moment for NFL star Shaq Barrett ... he was forced to evacuate his Colorado home Monday after a wildfire threatened to consume it.

But, fortunately for the Tampa Bay Bucs pass rusher, firefighters were able to contain the blaze ... and saved the 27-year-old's "dream home."

"It sucked," Barrett told CBS4's Michael Spencer shortly after evacuating. "That's our dream home, we do not want our dream home to go anywhere."

Law enforcement officials said the fire -- which burned over 400 acres in the Denver area -- was caused by a malfunction on a power pole ... and took several hours to fully contain.

Barrett -- who's kept the home since signing as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos back in 2014 -- was no doubt grateful to hear his place had been saved.

"For it to go that way would be the worst way possible," Barrett said.

Shaq -- who's been franchise tagged by the Bucs this offseason after a monster 19.5-sack 2019 -- joked Tampa Bay needs to sign him to an extension so he can avoid situations like this going forward.

"Tampa needs to help me buy a house in Tampa with a long-term deal!"

Lewis Hamilton has teamed up with Mercedes to make a big statement on the track about racism ... repainting his car and redesigning his racing uniform -- and both look awesome.

The Formula 1 superstar's car will get an all-black paint job for 2020 to send a message that both Hamilton and Mercedes "stand against racism and all forms of discrimination."

The 2020 season kicks off on July 5 at the Austrian Grand Prix.

35-year-old Hamilton will also swap out his usual white racing uniform for a black jumpsuit instead -- all part of a "pledge to improve the diversity of our team and our sport, and a signal of the team's commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms."

The changes come in the wake of some new offensive and downright stupid comments from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ... who is trying to push the narrative that Black people are more racist than whites.

"In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than White people are," the 89-year-old racing legend told CNN.

When CNN pushed for specific examples, Bernie didn't cite any concrete evidence -- explaining it's something he's "noticed" over the years.

But, Hamilton says his team at Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 Team -- including boss Toto Wolff -- have been super supportive of all of the new plans to make a statement about racism in their sport.

"When I spoke to Toto about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united."

"I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto and the Mercedes board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business."

The NBA will paint the words, "Black Lives Matter" on all 3 of the courts it will use in the Disney World bubble when the season restarts, according to ESPN.

The words will appear inside both sidelines -- and ESPN says both the NBA and the NBA Players Association are down with the plan.

As we previously reported, several players have publicly expressed concern with joining the NBA bubble instead of focusing their full time and energy on continuing the Black Lives Matter movement.

In fact, Stephen Jackson -- who was close friends with George Floyd -- has called for NBA players to skip the season to keep the momentum going.

But, in the last week, people from both the NBA and NBAPA have been brainstorming ways to use the NBA's platform to continue to spotlight social justice issues ... and the BLM message on the court seems to be addressing those concerns,

Over in the WNBA, the league is also considering using Black Lives Matter on the court when it kicks off at the IMG Academy in Florida, according to ESPN.

There are also rumblings WNBA players could use warm-up shirts with the words, "Say Her Name" written on them as a way to spotlight victims of police brutality including Breonna Taylor.

"You fittin' to get a monster!"

Former Patriots Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch says Cam Newton is going to go OFF in 2020 ... telling TMZ Sports the QB is poised for a huge season as Tom Brady's replacement.

"I think this guy's going to erupt, man," the ex-Pats wideout says. "I think this is going to be a crazy season for him."

As for why ... Branch tells us he believes Cam's going to come into New England motivated -- and says that should be a scary sight for the rest of the league.

"Right now, Cam feels like everybody is doubting him," Branch says. "That's a place you never want to see a true competitor, because you fittin' to get a monster!"

Of course, Cam hasn't been quite the same QB since his MVP season in 2015 ... mostly because injuries have hampered him throughout the last four seasons.

But, Branch says if Newton's healthy -- which he reportedly is -- the Patriots might find a seamless transition from TB12.

"This isn't fake, man," Branch says. "This guy is out here grinding. And, he's trying to show teams, 'Hey, I know what I can do. Just give me the opportunity.'"