TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-NFL star Torrey Smith is firing back at the people mocking him for wearing a life vest on a recent fishing trip ... saying, "I’m going to do my part to make sure I make it home."

Several fellow NFLers like Warren Sapp and Kamu Grugier-Hill commented on Smith's IG post on Thursday ... questioning why the athlete would bother wearing the vest.

"To the folks that clowned me about my life jacket (I know most were jokes) this is a serious issue," Smith said on Friday. "I’m new to boating and I respect the water so I’m going to be safe."

The Super Bowl champ -- who points out he knows how to swim -- says that ability alone can't prevent drownings ... and he's not willing to take the risk.

Of course, Smith's post comes days after Naya Rivera's tragic death ... when the actress accidentally drowned in Lake Piru after swimming with her son. Officials say she wasn't wearing a life vest.

Smith also shared an article breaking down stats on life vests and why they're so critical ... even if people are confident on a boat.

"Nothing is promised but I’m going to do my part to make sure I make it home."

Conor McGregor proved he could switch to Irish Olympic diving now that he's "retired" from MMA ... executing a perfect leap during his vacation in the French Riviera.

LOOK AT THAT FORM!!

The UFC superstar has been chillaxing off the coast of France for the past few days as part of a 32nd birthday celebration -- and while he left his brand new $620,000 watch in the hotel room, he made sure to bring his media team to the beach!

Seriously, Conor made sure his personal photographer AND a videographer tagged along with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their 2 kids as they enjoyed the sun and sand.

Gotta have content for the Gram, right?!

Despite the fact Conor announced his retirement from MMA back in June, he seems to be keeping himself in fighting shape -- dude looks absolutely jacked.

Earlier this week, he traded friendly tweets with Manny Pacquiao suggesting a possible boxing match between the two -- but we're guessing he'll be back in the octagon before the boxing ring.

Great news ... Atlanta Braves superstar Freddie Freeman is finally "feeling great" -- this just 1 week after his wife said he was in rough shape after contracting coronavirus.

Last Friday, Chelsea Freeman said her 30-year-old hubby was hit "like a ton of bricks" by COVID-19 ... suffering from fever, headaches, chills and body aches.

In her post, Chelsea sounded VERY concerned for the MLB superstar ... writing, "He is someone who rarely gets sick."

But, Chelsea provided an encouraging update Thursday ... saying Freddie is now "feeling great!"

"Our whole family is healthy," she said. "Thank God!"

Freddie has yet to rejoin the Braves for summer camp, and even though it seems unlikely at the moment he'll be a part of the team for Opening Day later this month -- manager Brian Snitker has said he's still hopeful.

Freddie is one of the best players in the entire sport ... he's a four-time All-Star with a career .293 batting average.

The Canadian football League's Edmonton Eskimos -- one of the most decorated teams in CFL history -- is now planning on changing its team name after some say it's offensive to Inuit people.

It's a similar situation to the controversy in the NFL with the Washington Redskins -- the team had long pointed to research which showed most Inuit people did not find the name offensive.

But, there has been public outcry in recent months from Inuit groups and leaders who claim the name is racist -- and now sponsors are threatening to walk if the team doesn't change it quick.

The team had pushed back for a while -- even releasing a statement saying the club name should be considered a tribute to the Inuit people because it invokes “toughness, hardiness and the ability to perform in cold weather."

But now, the team has apparently decided to make a change -- with TSN reporting they WILL move on from the name with an official announcement coming soon.

It's a pretty big deal -- considering the team has used the nickname since 1949.

The Edmonton franchise is legendary in the CFL -- with 14 Grey Cup titles since 1954.

Earlier this week, the NFL's Washington franchise also decided to drop their team nickname after major Native American groups spoke out against it.

"If Asante Samuel walked up right now, I wouldn't know his face."

That's Darrell Green's reaction to Asante Samuel's recent criticism of his Hall of Fame resume ... and, yeah. OUCH!!!

Don't get it too twisted though ... DG says it's not exactly meant to be a slight to Samuel -- he tells us it just means he's not taking the former New England Patriots cornerback's comments to heart.

"Truthfully," Green told us, "I don't think I've ever met him. I don't know his face if he walked up."

If you missed it ... in order to boost his own Hall of Fame resume, Asante went after Darrell on Twitter earlier this month, calling out his career stats.

"With all do respect can someone explain to me why Darrell Green is considered a great?" Samuel wrote. "He played 19 years and was mostly a nickel back. 54 INT's in 19 years. Talk to me????"

Asante was blasted by many over the tweet -- with Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy essentially telling the guy to do some research.

"Darrell Green played on the outside, not as a nickel," Dungy said. "He traveled with the best receiver and was a TOP ECHELON CB for almost 2 decades!!"

Green tells us he appreciated Dungy coming to his defense ... but added he believes his career numbers more than speak for themselves.

"There's enough information if he really wanted to know that he could have found," Green said.

FYI -- Green played 20 years for Washington and won 2 Super Bowls and made 7 Pro Bowls before he was inducted into Canton in 2008.

Still, Darrell tried his best to take the high road with Samuel ... adding, "I hope he gets in the Hall of Fame."

NY Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas has been officially hit with 3 charges stemming from his high-speed, hit-and-run arrest last month ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

We broke the story ... witnesses told cops they saw the 25-year-old going around 100 MPH and driving erratically at 8:25 AM in Chico, Calif. on June 15 ... when he allegedly failed to stop at a red light and T-boned a pickup truck.

Cops say Rosas continued to drive away from the scene until his car broke down shortly after the crash ... and witnesses claim he continued to flee on foot.

Once cops caught up with Rosas near the crash site, they say his hands, legs and bare feet were bloody when they stopped him for questioning roughly 3 1/2 hours after the accident ... and believed alcohol may have played a factor.

Rosas' criminal complaint was officially filed in Butte County on Wednesday ... charging him with reckless driving on a highway, hit-and-run and property damage, and driving with a suspended or revoked license due to a previous DUI of alcohol or drugs -- all misdemeanors.

Fifteen former female Washington NFL team staffers claim they were sexually harassed and verbally abused during their time with the org. ... and they say it was relentless and repeated.

It's all in a new bombshell Washington Post report ... which claims the culture with Washington's NFL team was toxic and demeaning toward women in the workplace.

In the report, one of the women, 31-year-old Emily Applegate -- a former marketing coordinator who spent one year with the club before leaving in 2015 -- claims, "It was the most miserable experience of my life."

"And we all tolerated it," she added, "because we knew if we complained -- and they reminded us of this -- there were 1,000 people out there who would take our job in a heartbeat."

Applegate says she was told by a high-ranking exec to wear revealing clothes "so the men in the room have something to look at."

She also says the same superior constantly verbally abused her, and once called her "f**king stupid."

Applegate says she would meet with a female co-worker in the bathroom on her lunch breaks ... and they would cry together over the alleged harassment.

The report also says 14 other women echoed Applegate's claims ... sharing similar stories, but choosing to remain anonymous over fears of litigation.

In one of the most salacious allegations ... some of the women claim men in the facility -- including team trainers -- would stand at the bottom of a staircase near the entrance to team headquarters and would stare up female employees' skirts.

In fact, the women say this was such a well-known problem among the females in the office ... employees warned others to avoid the staircase at all costs.

In another allegation ... a female employee said at the team's training camp in Richmond, Va., she was "propositioned basically every day" by team officials for late-night visits.

Several of the team employees accused of harassment in the report have been fired by Washington in the last few days.

Bombshell allegations from Evelyn Lozada -- who says Chad Ochocinco abused her MULTIPLE times during their relationship, despite his claims to the contrary.

Lozada -- who was married to the ex-NFL star for less than a month in 2012 -- released an emotional video Thursday claiming Chad is straight-up LYING about physical abuse in their relationship.

As we previously reported, Ochocinco was arrested for domestic battery on August 11, 2012, when he headbutted Lozada during an argument, causing a massive bloody gash.

Johnson was later cut from the Miami Dolphins as a result -- and his NFL career never really got back on track.

On Wednesday, Ocho mentioned the incident on Twitter -- saying, "I lost my temper for once in life for 3 seconds & it cost me a lifetimes worth of work."

He added, "I got it all back plus some after getting a 2nd chance & NOTHING will ever get me out of that happy space again."

The problem ... Evelyn says Chad isn't telling the truth and it's causing her tremendous pain.

"For this man to sit up there and say that he lost his temper for 3 seconds is infuriating to me," Lozada said ... "It's messages like this, tweets or whatever the hell it was, that are triggers for me."

"People read this on social media and are coming at me talking about 'oh you made this man lose his job' it's like if you're gonna speak the truth, I want you to speak the truth as to what the situation was."

"It wasn't the first time, it wasn't the first time!"

"And, one of the things I'm always gonna do is I'm always gonna live in my truth, whether it's good, whether it's bad, whether it's ugly, I'm not going to let anybody take away my f**king truth and put this perception out there for a pity party as if you made one mistake."

Evelyn continued, "And, I'm trying to move on from this. But, as a victim, how am I supposed to move on?!"

"What happened to me that day and other days, I didn't deserve. I didn't deserve that."

Danica Patrick has unfollowed Aaron Rodgers on Instagram ... and we all know what that means -- BREAK UP?!!?!?!

NOOOOOOO!!!!

Seems the couple has called it quits after two years of dating -- shocking considering they were publicly trading "I love yous" ... and had even shacked up together at a recently purchased $28 MILLION mansion in Malibu.

In fact, it was just back in December when Danica posted a super mushy birthday message for Aaron on IG -- saying, "Happy birthday to my best friend and favorite person in the world. You are the one I want to tell my best and worst days to first."

She also dropped an "L-Bomb."

"This journey we are on.... it’s a really really good one. I love you. Happiest of birthdays yet!!!!!!"

Before that, Jenny McCarthy asked Danica on her SiriusXM show back in November about a possible wedding at some point -- and while DP admitted she WANTED to get engaged, she wasn't trying to rush it.

The Green Bay Packers superstar and ex-NASCAR driver started dating back in 2018 ... after initially meeting at the 2012 ESPYs.

We've reached out to reps from both camps -- but so far, radio silence. Seems no one's ready to talk yet.

Patrick previously dated race car driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -- but they broke up in 2017. Danica had said she was ready to get engaged -- but Stenhouse refused to pull the trigger and that was that.

Rodgers previously dated Olivia Munn but they split in 2017.

Undefeated boxing star Travell Mazion -- known as "Black Magic" -- was killed Wednesday in a car crash in Austin, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was only 24.

Details about the crash are unclear -- we're working on it.

Mazion was 17-0 as a pro -- most recently defeating Fernando Castaneda at the Alamodome in San Antonio back in January.

It was an impressive 58-second victory for Mazion -- who won the NABF 154 pound title in the process.

Travell was a talented guy with tremendous potential. He was once backed by NFL star Von Miller.

Tributes are already pouring in from the boxing world.

Boxer Vergil Ortiz Jr. said, "I can’t believe it, R.I.P Travell Mazion."

"For those who don’t know him or never met him, he was a very talented boxer and one of the coolest people I knew. Always enjoyed watching him fight. Love you bro, watch over us."

Remember when a random liquor store worker beat out every national reporter in breaking the insane Patrick Mahomes deal??

The Kansas City Chiefs decided to team up with the infamous tweeter for another go-round on Thursday ... to officially announce a new contract with star defensive tackle Chris Jones!!

WELL, before any major outlet had a scoop on the Mahomes news, Katie Camlin of Plaza Liquor in KC sent out the following -- "A front office employee for the Chiefs came in and bought 6 bottles of Dom Perignon."

"Said there's a big signing today. He said it's not Chris Jones, so my guess is a Mahomes deal."

We all know by now that Katie was absolutely right in her prediction ... with Mahomes inking a record-breaking, 10-year deal worth up to $503 MILLION.

As a way to pay homage to the epic moment, the Chiefs worked with Camlin for a re-enactment for the Jones deal -- a 4-year, $85 million extension.

"OMG. Chiefs came in again. Six more bottles. My guess is CHRIS JONES!!" Camlin tweeted in the vid.

Of course, ESPN's Adam Schefter ended up breaking the news on Tuesday ... which Camlin joked was out of generosity.

"I let @AdamSchefter have that one."

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."