TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tiger Woods is back ... and, yup, dude's still good at golf!!!

Playing on the PGA Tour for the first time since mid-February ... El Tigre is showing no signs of rust at the start of his opening round at The Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

Woods has two birdies through his first three holes ... and has nailed all three fairways and all three greens in regulation.

Of course, it ain't TOO surprising ... dude is the greatest golfer of all time -- but the last time we saw him on Tour at the Genesis Invitational, he finished last among those who made the cut and complained of back pain afterward.

But, Woods looks perfectly healthy to start the day Thursday ... which is not an easy feat, considering the wind his howling at the course and the greens are firm as hell.

Tiger's only 2 back from the lead through 3 holes ... and while there's a long day of golf ahead -- the guy just hit another green at #4 and has yet another birdie putt coming up.

HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!

Myles Garrett says he won't let his helmet-swinging attack on Mason Rudolph define his career ... and he's ready to put the "small bump in the road" behind him for good.

The Cleveland Browns superstar was suspended a total of 6 games in 2019 after he hit the Steelers QB during a game against Pittsburgh on November 15.

The 24-year-old -- who just inked a massive 5-year, $125 MILLION extension to stay in CLE -- spoke with local media for the first time since the incident on Thursday ... and said he's ready to prove it was a one-time thing.

"My life is much bigger than one moment," Garrett said. "Me, the Browns, and my teammates are going to look past that."

"That will be just a small bump in the road."

Garrett says he's not concerned about being labeled a "dirty player" ... and he won't be "walking on eggshells" on the field to make sure he isn't viewed that way.

"That's just life," Garrett added. "You have one mistake and people are going to come after you."

"Me, I'm just going to keep on playing my game, not worrying about what people say. It's just a bump in the road. I know my teammates will have my back to de-escalate and keep it to football."

Remember, Garrett previously told TMZ Sports he saw his suspension as a "blessing in disguise" ... and has used his time away from the game to stay in insane shape.

Garrett -- who accused Rudolph of using the n-word during the incident -- added he hasn't spoken to anyone with the Steelers organization in the months following ... but welcomes the opportunity to hash things over with the QB and coach Mike Tomlin.

Zion Williamson has left the NBA bubble Thursday to deal with an "urgent family matter," this according to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 20-year-old plans to return to the bubble if possible, but no word on a time table.

"Zion Williamson departed Orlando this morning to attend to an urgent family medical matter," the team said.

"He intends to rejoin the team in Orlando for the NBA restart at a later date."

Pels Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin added, "We fully support Zion’s decision to leave the NBA campus to be with his family."

"Out of respect for the Williamson family, we will have no further comment at this time."

The Pelicans are 10th in the west and would need to go a crazy winning streak during the NBA's 8-game regular season in the bubble to have a shot at the NBA playoffs.

They're a talented young team -- and it's clear the NBA was hoping to spotlight Zion and his teammate Lonzo Ball during the restart.

NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods still can't get enough of each other ... throwing on their masks and hitting up Nobu in Malibu for a sushi dinner Wednesday night.

Which begs the question -- still buds, or is there something more going on here??

Of course, the rumors have been swirling since last year when they were spotted out in L.A. ... and the two have even appeared to quarantine together during the pandemic (which was pointed out by wildly-talented Instagram sleuths).

While all signs point to the duo becoming an item, Kylie Jenner's ex-bestie spoke out on the rumors back in August 2019 ... saying, "Karl is like a brother to me."

That may very well still be the truth ... OR all the time together has changed things ... after all, that patio at Nobu has a beautiful view and can get pretty romantic at night.

One thing that might throw a wrench in the BF/GF theory -- Jordyn's little sister, Jodie, was with them ... so who knows.

KAT previously dated model Kawahine Andrade ... and Woods infamously had her moment with Tristan Thompson (you know what we're talking about) ... and was also spotted out with James Harden in the past.

So .... y'all dating or what??

"Women lie. Men lie. The stats don’t. Go do your homework."

Ezekiel Elliott has clearly hit a breaking point with critics of his game ... the Dallas Cowboys star just went OFF on an epic rant -- clapping back at haters who say he's lost a step.

"Check the stats," Zeke said. "Since I entered this league I have dominated year in, year out. Put some RESPECT on my name."

The 24-year-old has come under fire on multiple occasions in the last few days ... one anonymous coach last week ranked him as the 11th-best RB in the NFL.

Just days later, meanwhile, his Madden rating came out ... and he was only a 92 overall -- making him just the 4th best back in the game.

Zeke decided to lash out against the criticism Thursday ... insisting he's still the same dude that busted into the league in 2016 and destroyed everybody.

"Almost 1800 scrimmage yards and 14 TD’s with no training camp [last season] and now im not the same back," Elliott said.

"I do appreciate the standard you guys hold me to though lol. But I promise you no one holds me to a higher standard than myself."

Damian Lillard turned the big 3-0 on Wednesday -- and celebrated with a big party inside the NBA bubble in Orlando!

The video is pretty fun ... a bunch of Dame's Portland Trail Blazers teammates, coaches and staff are crowded into a dining room to sing "Happy Birthday" to the superstar.

There was cake, champagne, balloons ... good times had by all!

Then, when it came time for a speech -- Dame reminded everyone why they're in Orlando ... TO WIN, BABY!

"My only ask as a birthday gift is let's not waste our f**king time out here!"

Dame then blew out the candles -- and we're pretty sure we know what he wished for.

By the way, no masks or PPE in the clip ... likely because the players feel safe due to the protocols in place -- which includes constant testing.

Still, probably not a good idea to blow all over the cake that people are going to eat, right!?

Of course, Portland is currently a 9th seed and 3.5 games out of the playoff hunt ... but they have "regular season" games left in the bubble to claw their way into the post-season.

A lot of people believe they could be EXTREMELY dangerous if they can get into the playoffs ... Dame included.

"What a joke he is."

Bubba Wallace was NOT a happy camper after crashing out of a race Wednesday ... the NASCAR star went OFF on fellow driver Michael McDowell after he says the guy purposely wrecked him.

Here's the deal ... Bubba had been gunning for weeks to get a spot in NASCAR's All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee on Wednesday night.

But, since Bubba hadn't won in 2019 or 2020 ... his only options left for a spot were to win one of the stages in Wednesday afternoon's All-Star Open qualifying race or earn the fan vote.

Bubba, though, was not able to do any of the above ... because the 26-year-old crashed his car into a wall just 17 laps into the Open.

Check out footage of the wreck ... it's clear as day, McDowell pushed his car's nose into Bubba's rear end, causing the guy to spin out and hit the wall.

Afterward, Wallace was FURIOUS ... and blasted McDowell for the move.

"Just disrespect," Bubba said. "When you get hooked right rear into the wall, I don’t even need to see a replay. Look at that sh*t. Yeah, wow."

"People say he’s one of the nicest guys in the garage. I can’t wait for the God-fearing text that he is going to send me about preaching and praise and respect. What a joke he is.”

Bubba's railing against McDowell didn't stop there ... cameras appeared to catch Wallace leaving a piece of his wrecked car near McDowell's garage area as well.

NASCAR says Bubba would have to have won one of the stages of the Open to get locked into the All-Star Race ... the league says Clint Bowyer ended up taking the fan vote despite Wallace leading for several days heading into this week.

ESPN host Rachel Nichols was unknowingly recorded in her hotel room while on a private conversation ... and video was sent to a media outlet in an apparent attempt to damage her career.

Nichols -- host of "The Jump" -- is currently covering the NBA restart at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida ... where she has been shooting segments from her hotel room.

But, Nichols was unaware a video feed was recording her while she was on a recent private phone call in her room -- and the video was later captured on cell phone by someone who had access to it.

Some of the footage -- roughly 4 minutes -- was sent to the website Deadspin, according to the site.

"Nichols is clearly unaware the video feed set up in her room for remote filming of her show is running while she discusses internal ESPN matters," Deadspin reports.

ESPN has already issued a statement supporting Nichols and condemning whoever is leaking the footage.

"We are extremely disappointed about the leak of a private conversation. It’s indefensible and an intrusion on Rachel’s privacy."

The network added, "As for the substance of the conversation, it is not reflective of our decision-making on staffing assignments for the NBA, which has largely been driven by the circumstances of the pandemic."

It's not the first time a high profile ESPN personality has been secretly recorded in their own hotel room.

Back in 2008, Erin Andrews was videotaped nude through the peephole of her hotel room in Nashville.

The man responsible for the video was later sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison.

Kamaru Usman wants a shot at the legend -- telling TMZ Sports he's officially campaigning for a fight with Georges St-Pierre!

"Right now, we're tied for the record -- most consecutive wins in the welterweight division," Usman says ... "[He's] considered one of the best and that's where I aim to be."

Of course, there's just one problem ... 39-year-old GSP retired a few years ago. But, there have been rumblings that he's down for a comeback -- and what better way to return than for a shot at the welterweight champ!

"George can still do it," Usman says ... "He proved it 2 years ago when he came back that he can still do it. I feel that he's still able to do it, I feel like he's still able to come in and be that opponent where people are unsure like, 'You know what, we don't know if Usman's got this one.' And I think Georges St-Pierre can be that guy."

Usman is coming off a dominating victory over Jorge Masvidal -- and before that he beat up Colby Covington and then-UFC champ Tyron Woodley. So, he's looking for another high-profile challenge.

"Where you at Georges? Where you at," Usman joked ... "Haha nah, George knows what he's done with his legacy. He's cemented his legacy."

"I would love to test myself. I'm a martial artist just like he was a martial artist and if he still has some fire burning in that oven, let's test it out!"

There's more ... we also asked Kamaru about that friendly moment with Masvidal after their fight at UFC 251 -- are they friends now?

"I wouldn't say all that. I would say it's a respect."

"He's a martial artist, I'm a martial artist, we respect one another because we share that space with one another. It's pretty difficult not to respect one another after you shared something so intimate with one another. I think that's what it was."

And, while Usman says he's deadly serious about wanting a fight with GSP, he's also serious about fighting ANYONE the UFC puts in front of him.

"I don't discriminate when it comes to an opponent and that's one thing that the company -- you can quote me on that, I don't say NO to anybody."

NFL star Tyrann Mathieu has paid for the funeral costs of a 9-year-old boy who was killed in a horrific shooting in New Orleans, TMZ Sports has learned.

Devante Bryant was shot in the head on July 13th in a mysterious attack on a bunch of kids. Two other teenagers -- 13 and 16 -- were also shot, but they survived.

Cops are investigating but so far, they don't seem to have any idea about why someone would commit this horrible act.

When Tyrann -- who's from Louisiana -- found out about the killing, he wanted to help the family and felt paying for the funeral costs would allow them to focus on grieving for their son.

"Young black children should not be dying from gun violence," the Kansas City Chiefs superstar tells TMZ Sports.

"Devante didn’t even have a chance to live his life before it was tragically taken away from him."

"My goal is to help stop the violence and help my community to show and empower children from my community that there is another way, one child at a time."

"I wanted to help the Bryant family because I am from the 7th Ward and I felt that pain. I have a 7-year-old son that lives in New Orleans and I couldn’t imagine something happening to him at that age. He is only 2 years younger than Devante."

"My heart goes out to the Bryant and Howard Family."

If you have any information about the shooting -- please reach out to the New Orleans PD.

Jrue and Lauren Holiday are making a MAJOR donation with his remaining game checks this season ... with the Pelicans guard contributing up to $5.3 MILLION to social justice causes and Black-owned businesses.

The couple announced the gesture to ESPN on Wednesday ... saying they are starting the Jrue and Lauren Holiday Social Justice Impact Fund, which will aid communities in Indianapolis, New Orleans and the L.A. area.

Of course, Lauren -- former US soccer team member -- is from Indianapolis and both of Jrue’s brothers (Aaron and Justin) play for the Indiana Pacers.

Los Angeles was chosen because the Holiday family is from there ... and Jrue and Lauren met in the City of Angels while attending UCLA.

The Holidays say they will be giving the majority of the money to nonprofits, Black-owned businesses and local initiatives with missions dedicated to "equitable outcomes for Black and Brown communities."

Holiday -- who is in the middle of a 5-year, $131,805,000 deal -- is set to make up to $5.3 million through the rest of the 2020 season ... so it's a huge contribution.

Here's the breakdown -- up to $1.5 million will go to Black and Brown communities in NOLA, another $1.5 million to Los Angeles ... and $1 million will go to similar communities in Indianapolis.

The Holidays will also donate another $1 million to Black-owned businesses throughout the country ... and $500k to HBCUs and other educational institutions.

"God has blessed us with so much. We know a couple of things that are important are time and money, and right now, we have both," Holiday told ESPN.

Bad news, Cowboys fans ... Dak Prescott did NOT reach a long-term deal with Dallas at the deadline Wednesday -- reportedly turning down over $100 MILLION guaranteed.

The superstar QB had been in contract talks with Cowboys brass all offseason about getting an extension done ... but the two sides just couldn't meet in the middle.

26-year-old Dak will now play on the franchise tag in 2020 -- which locks him in as Dallas' QB for only this season at $31.4 million.

Dallas' final offer to Dak was set to pay the 2-time Pro Bowler between $33 and $35 million every year, with over $100 million guaranteed ... NFL Network's Jane Slater reported Tuesday.

But, Prescott reportedly wanted fewer years on the deal ... and the Cowboys wouldn't budge -- so now it'll be back to the negotiating table next offseason.

It ain't all horrible news for either side ... Dak's still getting paid BIG money this season, and Dallas will have another year to decide if it wants to pony up Patrick Mahomes-type money for the quarterback.

And, if things are still undecided by this time in 2021 ... the Cowboys have the option of franchise tagging Prescott again for roughly $37 million.

Legendary trainer Bob Baffert has just been SUSPENDED by the Arkansas Racing Commission ... after 2 of his horses tested positive for a banned substance.

Of course, Baffert is a Hall of Famer in the sport ... and his horses have brought home the Triple Crown in 2015 (American Pharoah) and 2018 (Justify).

The 67-year-old was just hit with a 15-day suspension by the racing org. on Wednesday ... after 2 of his horses tested positive for lidocaine, a banned numbing agent.

Both horses had just won races at Oaklawn Park recently ... and the owners now have to forfeit their prize money.

Charlatan -- which won a division of the Arkansas Derby back in May -- earned $300,000 in prize money ... and Gamine's owner received a $36,000 check after placing 1st in another race earlier that day.

Baffert argued that the banned substance was transferred to the horses by accident ... after an assistant trainer applied a medical patch to his back after breaking his pelvis.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- one of the most diehard Washington NFL fans on Earth -- says he's STOKED the team is changing its name ... calling the old moniker "a dark cloud" over the franchise.

"For me, personally, I’m ready for a new chapter," the NASCAR legend said on his Dale Jr. Download podcast this week.

"I'm ready for this conversation to no longer be part of my experience as a fan of the team, and the debate over this and the frustration over it and how it affects the franchise."

Dale's been ride-or-die with Washington for decades ... he's got all sorts of memorabilia and often publicly comments about the team after wins and losses.

So, when team owner Dan Snyder pulled the plug on the "Redskins" name ... everyone was wondering if Dale approved -- and the 45-year-old said wholeheartedly yes.

"It's a dark cloud over it all the time and it’s not going away," Earnhardt Jr. said of the name. "And, it’s hard to continue to support the franchise when this is part of the conversation."

"So, I'm great to break completely clean and start an entirely new identity and future. I think it will be great for the organization, the people that work in that company, the players that play for that team and anybody that plays for that team in the future. So, I'm good with it."

Dale didn't give any suggestions for a new name ... although he did seem to like the rumored "Red Wolves" option -- saying the fanbase could have fun with that one.

This is NOT good ...

Hundreds of people ignored social distancing guidelines and partied their asses off at Devin White's "Trail Ride" charity event over the weekend ... and video of the scene is alarming.

The Tampa Bay Bucs linebacker -- despite surging COVID-19 cases in Louisiana -- decided to press forward with his 2nd annual "Trail Ride" event in Cotton Valley on Saturday.

The problem? Hundreds -- if not thousands -- of people attended ... and even though White said he'd urge hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing, it's clear those precautions weren't followed seriously throughout the evening.

Check out footage from the event ... partygoers can be seen mask-less, dancing amid a sea of people. At one point, you can even see 22-year-old White partying without a mask.

We reached out to Louisiana State Police, as well as the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office, for comment on the event ... but so far no word back yet.

But, reps for both departments had told us last week officers would be at or near the scene of the party to assist in traffic control ... although neither said definitively if they'd help enforce social distancing guidelines.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Cotton Valley, C.C. Cox, told TMZ Sports he was allowing the party to happen because, "That's what he wants to do, he can do it, you know?"