TMZ Sports - Page 50

Now we know why Mike Tyson was throwing a steel cage on the beach in L.A. the other day ... SHARK WEEEEEEK!!!!

The 54-year-old boxing legend has teamed up with Discovery Channel for an August 9 special called, "Tyson Vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef."

So, what's the show? Seems Mike will "train" with a shark?!! Here's the show description from Discovery ...

"With famed ring announcer Michael Buffer calling the shots, these two heavyweights will square off underwater, where Mike Tyson will try to score a TKO over the massive shark ... all in the name of research."

He adds, "Someone's gonna get bit!"

Again, not really sure what that means -- BUT, WE'RE HERE FOR IT!

"I took on this challenger to overcome fears I still deal with in life," Tyson says in a statement.

"I equate this with overcoming my fear of getting back into the ring at 54 years old. I learned from this experience doing Shark Week that whatever intimidates me, I am still able to step up to the challenge of overcoming anything that would prevent me from accomplishing my life’s mission of reaching my highest potential in life and bringing me closer to God."

As we previously reported, Tyson hit the beach in L.A. a few weeks ago to shoot the spot -- and looked like a BEAST as he tossed around a steel cage, like it was a toy.

Tiger Woods says he's in FULL support of the Black Lives Matter movement ... saying on Tuesday, "change is fantastic."

"That's how society develops," the golf legend added in his first meeting with reporters since announcing his return to the PGA Tour this month. "That's how we grow, that's how we move forward, that's how we have fairness."

But, Tiger says he'll only consider it a success if people protect themselves while fighting for social justice.

"I think change is fantastic but as long as we make changes without hurting the innocent," Tiger said. "Unfortunately that has happened. Hopefully, that doesn't happen in the future but a movement and change is fantastic."

Of course, Tiger's good friend, President Trump, has had completely opposite opinions of the movement ... POTUS recently called a BLM mural "denigrating" and a "symbol of hate."

Unclear if Woods and Trump have spoken about it at all ... but Donald has continuously praised Tiger since taking office -- even famously giving the 44-year-old golfer the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year.

Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp is using more than $1.75 mil to help out "Black and Brown communities" -- making big moves to fight COVID and help people who are behind bars.

Here's the gist of the breakdown ...

COVID-19 Relief -- The Org. believes "COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities" and has earmarked $800,000 in grants to 13 groups that help people affected by the pandemic.

Legal Defense Initiative -- The Org. has said it will help pay legal defense for people arrested in protests after the killing of George Floyd.

We're told, KYRC continues to expand on the defense initiative it was managing nationwide by giving a $500,000 collaborative grant to the National Lawyers Guild to support the defense of thousands of cases throughout the country.

Bail Funds -- KYRC has dedicated $200,000 to various groups in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and more to help cover bail funds.

Essential Living Costs/Rent Relief -- $450k in grants to groups in various cities.

A rep for Colin's organization says it has also teamed up with Impossible Foods to help people experiencing food insecurity since the start of the COVID pandemic.

The group also tells us, "KYRC is proud of the breadth and depth of our community impact during these difficult times."

Washington legend Darrell Green tells TMZ Sports ... there should be only one route Dan Snyder takes when it comes to renaming his NFL franchise -- and that's to go with the "Red Tails" moniker.

"I would say that would be my first and only choice right now," the Hall of Fame cornerback says.

Of course, the Red Tails was the nickname given to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II with planes that had red paint on the tails.

Green says it would be an amazing move on Snyder's part to call his team that ... this after decades of holding onto the controversial and downright racist "Redskins" nickname.

"The Red Tails are some of the greatest heroes of any color in our country," Green says, "and particularly against the extraordinary horrors that the Tuskegee Airmen were up against."

Green's backing of the name comes just days after Washington's franchise QB, Dwayne Haskins, also threw his support behind the potential new mascot.

Green tells us he hasn't yet been asked by Snyder or anyone in Washington's organization for input ... but he's hopeful they'll reach out to him soon.

"I'd love to be part of discussions moving forward," Green says.

In the meantime, Darrell is working on a really cool project with other NFL players ... helping raise awareness and money for minorities who have been impacted during the coronavirus pandemic.

DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?!

Conor McGregor sure as hell does ... because the gift he got for his 32nd birthday is one of the coolest watches we've EVER SEEN!!!

It's called the Astronomia Casino, made by Jacob & Co. -- and it's got a price tag of $620,000!!!!

How do we know? Because Drake got one earlier this year -- and it's INCREDIBLE!!

The whole thing looks like roulette table -- with a functioning wheel!

There's a globe-shaped ceramic ball and a 1-carat Jacob-cut white diamond which constantly rotates so you can see it twinkle!

Jacob & Co. also says the watch has this feature -- "When the pusher at eight o'clock is actuated, the wheel spins just like in Vegas or Macau.:"

ARE YOU KIDDING? THE ROULETTE TABLE SPINS!

Oh, and the strap is ALLIGATOR with an 18k rose gold folding buckle.

Conor and his longtime girlfriend, Dee Devlin, are celebrating in the French Riviera.

Private villa, beautiful view ... no kids! What a birthday!

And, of course, Conor brought along some Proper 12 ... because he's always the salesman!

As for his MMA career, Conor insists he's retired ... but judging by the pics in France, he's keeping himself in fighting shape!

Jahreau Shepherd -- a pro MMA fighter who competed for Bellator in 2018 -- has died after officials say he was stabbed at his own 30th birthday party in London.

Shepherd was found bleeding with stab wounds around 10 pm on Saturday in the Kensington area, according to the Evening Standard -- and while emergency personnel rushed to the scene, they were unable to save him.

Earlier in the evening, Shepherd was celebrating at a backyard BBQ with friends and family ... including his mother and small children.

But, something went terribly wrong ... and later in the evening, Shepherd was reportedly attacked, suffering fatal wounds in the process.

A tribute to Shepherd has already sprung up at the site where he was killed -- with flowers and pictures.

Scotland Yard is treating Shepherd's death as a murder -- describing it as a "terrible attack" -- though so far, no arrests have been made.

Officials are asking for witnesses to come forward -- but it sounds like they have some leads.

Shepherd was 6-2 as a pro and earned a TKO victory over Marcin Zywica at a Bellator event in May 2018.

Why does Post Malone have tattoos of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on his body?!

Because the NFL stars kicked his ass in an epic backstage beer pong match -- and the loser had to get tats!!

It all went down after the Chiefs beat the Niners in the Super Bowl -- Mahomes and teammate Kelce were able to score some VIP tickets to Post's February concert in Kansas City.

But, Mahomes told GQ before the show went on ... he and Kelce were invited backstage for a little beer pong action with Post.

What happened next is pretty legendary ... Mahomes said he and Kelce WENT OFF -- and Post Malone was PISSED!!!

Mahomes said after about 14 or 15 straight victories ... Post decided to up the ante on the games -- and brought out a piece of paper for Mahomes and Kelce to sign.

The deal? If Post couldn't win, he'd get the Chiefs stars' autographs inked on his body.

Of course, Kelce and Mahomes didn't lose -- with Mahomes saying his tight end was "unconscious" good on the table! So, when Post got the "L," he agreed to get the ink done after the show!!

Mahomes says he tried to talk Post out of the tats ... saying, "Dude, you do not actually have to get a tattoo of our autographs."

Didn't work.

And, if you're wondering ... no, Post hasn't revealed WHERE the new tats went on his body.

WWE superstar Charlotte Flair is opening up about a horrible bout with silicon poisoning in 2018 ... after she discovered one of her breast implants had leaked.

"Picture it. Charlotte, North Carolina, 2018. A young queen, shortly after a career-defining WrestleMania victory, finds herself sicker than sick at her brother's house," Charlotte says.

"A trip to the doctor tells us the likely culprit is silicone poisoning, and that my implant had been leaking for quite some time. It was one of the worse cases the doctor had seen."

Flair says she consulted with doctors about her options but ultimately decided to go with the choice that "allowed me to return [to pro wrestling] the soonest. That was the choice I made."

The 34-year-old pro wrestler says things appeared to be resolved for a while ... until a few months ago when "something felt off."

She returned to the doctor and found out the new issue was NOT related to silicon poisoning ... but she still needs another operation to fix the problem.

"The surgery is cosmetic to fix an issue from a prior surgery," Charlotte explained.

"This time, I'm going with an option that I believe will solve the issue long time, even though the recovery period is a little longer than I would like."

Now, Charlotte says she'll be taking some time off from WWE to fix the issue -- and she'll return "when I'm ready."

"The body will be rested, and the mind still focused on legacy. Focused on this job. Focused on being better. Always being better."

Flair later said she refuses to feel ashamed over the medical issue -- and seemingly wants to put a spotlight on it to let other women suffering from a similar condition to know they're not alone.

You know what rich people love more than anything? FREE STUFF!

Just ask Dennis Rodman who sent a video message to Kanye West asking for some comped Adidas sneaks ... and Kanye isn't exactly saying no!

The rapper just posted the video message he got from Rodman -- in which the NBA legend praises all the work he's been doing with his Yeezy brand.

"Love what you doing with Adidas man, keep it up brother.," Rodman said.

He added, "Send me some shoes sometime, what the f**k man?!"

Hey, Yeezys ain't cheap -- they retail for $220 a pair if you can find them in stock. The resale market is even more expensive, with some pairs running north of $1,000!

Rodman also wished Ye a happy birthday (West turned 43 on June 8) ... but it's unclear if Rodman just sent a belated message or if Ye just got around to watching it.

Either way, Kanye seemed to dig it -- replying back to Dennis on Twitter ... "Blessings from one of my heroes, The incredible alien level Dennis Rodman!"

The Big Diesel played the role of Big Samaritan yet again this week ... Shaquille O'Neal stopped to help a stranded driver in Florida -- and the cool act was all caught on police vid.

According to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, a person had crashed their car on I-75 in the Gainseville area Monday, when Shaq witnessed it and sprang into action.

Cops say the former NBA superstar -- who has a home in Florida -- hung out with and comforted the driver until officers arrived on the scene.

In police footage from the accident, you can see the 7-footer clear as day when cops rolled up ... and in typical, awesome Shaq fashion -- he gave the officers a fist bump!!

Of course, this is nothing new for O'Neal ... he's been known to play the good Samaritan role at crash scenes whenever he can.

Remember, back in 2018, we got a photo of him helping out at a wreck in Los Angeles ... where we're told he did what he could to help drivers out there.

The situation reminds us of Kobe Bryant ... who would also go out of his way to help people in traffic accidents in Orange County, CA back in the day.

On multiple occasions, we got video of Kobe helping console victims and help out on the scene at crashes he wasn't even involved in. Dude just liked to help out.

Patrick Mahomes ain't the only dude gettin' paid this off-season -- Myles Garrett is wrapping up a contract negotiation that will pay him $125 MIL over 5 years!

The Cleveland Browns are in the "final stages" of negotiations with Garrett, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport ... but it's basically a lock at this point.

Rap says Garrett's deal is structured to pay $25 mil in new money per year.

"Still a few small hurdles. But it is expected to happen, as Cleveland is set to lock up a key piece," Rapoport adds.

24-year-old Garrett has been a monster in the league ever since the Browns selected him with the #1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

His career hasn't been without controversy -- there was that infamous helmet swing directed at Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph during the 2019 season. Garrett was suspended for the rest of the season (6 games) and fined $45k.

Garrett expressed remorse about the incident and later told TMZ Sports he viewed the whole thing as a "blessing in disguise" because he learned a lesson from it.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff just went BALLISTIC on CA officials for their decision to lock down the state amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases ... saying he's "f**king pissed" and wonders why more people aren't outraged.

"I would rather take my chances with the coronavirus," the former World Series champ said, "and, may I remind you, it has a 99.8% survival rate -- than to end up on the f**king street no longer able to provide for my family."

COUNTERPOINT -- USA Today reports testing findings are too volatile to call the 99% survival rate statement accurate.

The ex-SF Giants infielder -- who has a home in Southern California -- ranted for over 2 minutes in a video posted to his Twitter page Tuesday ... calling people who continue to obey the orders "sheep."

"This is nothing but a system of control in order to crash the economy to get Donald Trump out of office," Huff said. "And, for those of you that can't see this, it drives me f**king batsh*t crazy."

"You know, I don't call them masks anymore. I call them mind-control devices and you're all falling for it. You're sheep."

Aubrey claims suicide rates are "through the roof" due to the closures ... and he added, "I'm f**king pissed. I cannot believe you guys aren't."

We haven't found any reports showing a clear link between COVID and a rise in national suicide numbers so far, though ABC News reports there COULD be un uptick in firearm suicide numbers over the closures.

For California lawmakers' part, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday shutting down bars, restaurants, gyms, salons and more were necessary ... as positive coronavirus cases have exploded throughout the Golden State over the past month.

Drake is drawing more fans to a basketball court these days than his beloved Toronto Raptors, and he's just playing a pickup game ... in Barbados!!!

Drizzy got his entourage together and flew his private jumbo jet down to his ex, Rihanna's home turf -- and decided to get in a little outdoor hoops. No small feat on a July day in the tropics!

Champagne Papi slipped on some Nike gear -- sneakers, socks, shorts, jersey, headband -- and showed off his sweet jump shot ... but as the crowd continued growing, Drake paused the game and donned a face mask while snapping pics with locals.

He's easily the biggest draw on Barbados -- far as we know Rihanna's not down there -- and unlike the NBA's restart in its Disney bubble in Florida, Drake put some butts in the seats!!!

Dude's got game too ... looks like Drake's been practicing on his insane home indoor basketball court.

Check ball!!!

Ex-NFL superstar Chad Ochocinco says the doesn't give a DAMN if he ever gets into the Hall of Fame ... but he clearly thinks he should.

"My numbers and [Michael Irvin's] numbers are exactly the same," Chad told the "I Am Athlete" podcast.

Irvin was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 -- after posing 750 catches, 11,904 receiving yards and 65 TDs in 12 seasons.

OchoCinco -- who only played 11 seasons -- posted 766 catches, 11,059 yards and 67 TDs.

But, Michael Irvin has 3 Super Bowl rings -- a fact that was brought up to Chad during the podcast.

"Oh, so we letting people in the Hall of Fame for rings? The goal post moves depending on who the individual is," Chad says.

"The goal post moves on what the accolades and what it means to get in there. Ain't got time to play that game, man."

Chad says he's perfectly fine if he never makes it to Canton -- because "I made my own jacket. I made my own bust."

We knew about the jacket -- he famously wore it on the sidelines during his playing days. The bust sounds new!

"I got a bust when you walk into my place, it's a bust right there when you walk in. Face, boom! 14 karat gold! I don't even like bronze."

Chad says he won't beg anyone to get into the HOF -- saying, "I don't care nothing about that."

Put this down as the first loss of the season for Florida State ...

Deion Sanders' top QB recruit son, Shedeur Sanders, announced Monday he's committing to play football at FAU in 2021 ... spurning his dad's Seminoles in the process.

It's pretty big news ... Shedeur is considered one of the best high school QB prospects in the nation -- and most had him pinned to follow in his dad's footsteps in Tallahassee.

But, the 6'1", 198-pound rising senior told ESPN this week he wanted to blaze his own trail in Florida ... opting to play for Willie Taggart and the Owls instead.

"I wanted to write my own legacy, FAU gave me a opportunity to do that!" Shedeur said. "I trust the staff ... Willie Taggart was the first coach to offer me a opportunity to play at the next level."

Shedeur is a monster on the football field ... in his junior season last year at Trinity Christian School in Texas, he threw for 3,477 yards and 47 TDs to just 4 INTs. He also rushed for 225 yards.

Of course, Shedeur has also gotten some tips from the greatest quarterback of all-time ... he famously worked out with Tom Brady last month and said he "soaked" in all the GOAT knowledge.

Four-time MLB All-Star Charlie Blackmon says he didn't have many issues in his fight with COVID-19 at all ... telling reporters Monday the flu he had a few years ago was worse.

"My symptoms were what I would consider mild flu symptoms," the Colorado Rockies OF said. "I had a headache, I had a bit of a cough and then I had some body aches. I just felt sick."

But, Blackmon -- who returned to Colorado camp for the first time since contracting coronavirus last month -- says his symptoms went away after only about a day and a half.

"It only lasted for about 36 hours," Blackmon said, "and I would consider it mild compared to the flu. I had the flu proper a couple years ago and I thought that thing was going to wipe me out."

Don't get it twisted ... Blackmon says he knows he's lucky his experience with the virus wasn't much worse -- but he emphasized, "I would consider the symptoms that I felt to be minor."

It's great news for the Rockies and the MLB as a whole ... when Blackmon was diagnosed last month -- there was obviously some concern for the 34-year-old.

But, Charlie told media members he's all good ... and could even be ready for the team's season opener later this month.