TMZ Sports - Page 50

Shaun Weiss -- famous for playing Goldberg in "The Mighty Ducks" -- is looking like a million bucks ... 'cause he's got brand new pearly whites and he's now over 200 days sober!!!

Shaun's friend, Drew Gallagher, tells TMZ ... Shaun received some full dental sponsorship offers from all over the country after we posted Shaun's story about being 170 days sober ... but needing new chompers.

We're told Shaun ultimately decided to go with Dr. Gabe Rosenthal in L.A., who offered a full dental sponsorship valued between $50k-$100k. We're told the entire process takes up to a year ... since he had to get a handful of teeth removed back in July. The teeth were infected ... causing him pain. Shaun got upper implants Tuesday and will get his lower implants in a few weeks, but the improvement has been drastic ... he just can't stop smiling.

As if that wasn't already great news ... Shaun's got more reason to smile since he's officially 265 days (and counting!!!) living a sober life. BTW, Drew had previously started a GoFundMe to help pay for the dental work and Shaun's rehab. Now that the teeth were fixed for free, the money raised will go a long way and help pay the rehab facility plus living expenses and towards getting him a car.

TMZ broke the story ... Shaun's sober living facility in Woodland Hills changed his life, and he's staying clean and attending outpatient meetings 5 days a week. At the time, he was looking much better and happier. But, since our July story, Shaun's looking a lot more like his former self ... and dude couldn't look happier.

Awesome!!!

New police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows La'el Collins' car accident was more serious than initially believed ... the Cowboys star complained of neck pain while 2 vehicles sat mangled in a street nearby.

The NFL O-lineman was initially described as fine after he was involved in a wreck on Aug. 20 in Little Elm, Texas ... but you can see in the new footage, Collins was definitely aching.

As he and a responding police officer broke down how his 2015 Cadillac Escalade collided with a Volkswagen ... the 6'4", 320-pound Dallas player said his neck wasn't feeling well.

"Should I go to like a hospital or like a, what do you call it? An emergency room?" Collins asked the officer, before adding, "I mean, my neck -- my neck is hurting right here."

Of course, it ain't too difficult to see why Collins was in pain ... the damage on the two vehicles involved in the crash suggests a pretty violent collision took place.

Collins' driver's side quarter panel and front wheel were destroyed -- with one cop describing the rim on video as "broken" with a "complete crack" in it.

The other driver's car, meanwhile, had its whole front bumper ripped off.

According to the accident report, the other driver "failed to yield the right of way" after coming out of a stop sign and turned right into Collins' ride.

As for Collins' neck ... the Cowboys ultimately put him on injured reserve to start this season ... though they claim it's unrelated to the crash -- saying a hip problem he had been previously dealing with was the reason for the move.

Collins -- who will be out at least the first 3 weeks of the season while he's on IR -- is one of the Cowboys' best players and is considered a top-five right tackle in the league.

Illinois athlete Daniel Ruettiger (or better known as Rudy) made a name for himself when he finally took the field as a defensive end on the Notre Dame college football team ... making the final tackle of the game ... and ended the season being carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders in a tear-jerking show of solidarity on November 8, 1975.

Daniel's story was so powerful it was the inspiration for the 1993 film "Rudy" which included actors like Jon Favreau as the college buddy Dennis "D-Bob" McGowan, Ned Beatty as the hard-working father, Charles S. Dutton as the pep-talking groundskeeper, Fortune ... and of course Sean Astin as the scout teammate with a heart of gold, Rudy.

Daniel Ruettiger continues to inspire people ... but now as a motivational speaker.

"See you when I get there coach..."

That's Allen Iverson's emotional message to John Thompson ... after the Hall of Famer served as a pallbearer at the funeral for his legendary college coach.

Thompson -- one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time -- passed away Monday morning at the age of 78.

The list of NBA legends JT coached at Georgetown University is long ... and former players -- including A.I., Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing -- took part in service at St. Augustine Church in D.C. ... carrying Thompson's casket during the touching ceremony.

Iverson and John had a special relationship ... and A.I. even credited JT with "saving his life" after The Answer was accused of injuring people in a bowling alley brawl.

It's not only GU hoopers who have sent love in the wake of Thompson's passing ... the NBA had a moment of silence for Big John before playoff games this week.

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith also celebrated Thompson's life on "Inside The NBA."

Dak Prescott just revealed his older brother took his own life this past spring ... and the Dallas Cowboys QB says he's still having a hard time coping with it all.

"I'll never get another hug in my life like the ones he gave," Prescott said of his big brother, Jace. "He was my best friend."

Jace tragically died at 31 years old in April ... but the family hadn't disclosed the cause of death until Dak and his other brother, Tad, sat down for a recent interview with Graham Bensinger.

The two Prescott brothers were extremely emotional talking about Jace's death ... with Dak saying he believes their mom's 2013 fatal battle with colon cancer took an indescribable toll on Jace.

"Jace at the time was finishing with school and was home, was with her and watched it," said 27-year-old Dak, who was away from home playing at Mississippi State at the time.

"She couldn't necessarily hide it from Jace because he was there every day. He saw the times where she would have to spend probably 10-plus hours throwing up, this and that, and saw the medicine she had to take."

"And, almost, you can't even put into the words the burden," Dak continued. "It's something only Jace knew. And he didn't necessarily share that. And Jace was never really much of a talker so when something like that was a huge burden on him, he didn't know how to share it. He didn't know how to be vulnerable about it."

Dak says he was asleep when Jace died by suicide ... saying his father had to wake him up and deliver "some of the worst news that I'll ever get."

Dak says he cried for about 30 minutes with his dad and his friends ... and added, "I wanted to ask 'Why?' for so many reasons."

The NFL star says he's now imploring others to open up about their struggles ... adding, "It showed me how vulnerable we have to be as humans."

"How open we have to be because our adversity, our struggles, what we go through is always going to be too much for ourselves and maybe too much for even one or two people."

"But never too much for a community or never too much for the people and the family that you love. So we have to share those things."

Good news, bad news for Nashville ...

The good -- Justin Timberlake's now officially on board with a plan to bring an MLB team to the city!!!

The bad -- it still appears to be a massive pipe dream.

JT announced Wednesday he's joined on with a big investment group -- headlined by businessman John Loar and ex-Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski -- to attempt to get Nashville its own MLB team.

The plan sounds amazing on paper ... the group of investors wants to build a new stadium in the downtown Nashville area and have an MLB team playing in it by 2024.

The group has even signed on huge country stars like Eric Church, Luke Combs and Kane Brown in addition to Timberlake in an effort to convince MLB officials the idea is a good one.

The problem? The league's already got 30 teams ... so an expansion might be tough.

As for relocating a squad, there aren't too many teams that appear to be keen on bolting from their home cities at the moment either.

According to the Tennessean, there's also huge questions surrounding the finances -- mainly when it comes to majority funding of the team as well the stadium's costs.

But, Timberlake sounded gassed up over it all regardless Wednesday ... saying in a statement, "I believe in Music City Baseball’s vision of linking baseball and music in a unique way to unite and entertain people and I am excited to help generate awareness throughout the community as we share our vision for bringing MLB to Music City."

Steve Nash admits he was able to "skip the line" to land the Brooklyn Nets head coaching gig ... but strongly believes he's the best man for the job.

The 46-year-old Hall of Famer made his first appearance as the new Nets head coach on Wednesday ... and was asked about the notion he didn't earn the right to have the job since he has no coaching experience in the NBA.

Of course, some critics like Charles Oakley and Byron Scott have said they're disappointed the job didn't go to a Black candidate with a better resume ... like Mark Jackson.

"Well, I did skip the line, frankly," Nash said. "But at the same time I think leading an NBA team [as a player] for almost 2 decades is pretty unique."

"So, while I haven't necessarily learned some of the skills that I'll definitely seek to understand and learn as far as the technical aspects of coaching, I was never far from that."

Nash says he learned "a tremendous amount" during his playing career -- and although "I haven't grinded it out as an assistant coach like many people's path," he says "there's a precedence for players who have strong careers and are leaders and thinkers to get this opportunity."

The 2-time MVP says he will rely on support staff to fill the gaps where he needs help ... but is gunning to use his experiences as a player to lead the way.

"I did skip the line in many aspects. At the same time, there's some experiences there that other people just aren't going to have because of the type of career [I had] in the league."

Of course, Nash is considered one of the best guards in NBA history with 8 All-Star appearances and 7 total All-NBA selections.

Aqib Talib is calling it a career -- saying he's retiring from the NFL, despite a multi-million offer from the New England Patriots.

"Aqib Talib is officially retired," the 34-year-old defensive back said on the "Call to the Booth" show ... "I'm bringing my talents to the booth."

Talib started the 2019 season with the L.A. Rams -- but suffered a rib injury and was traded to the Miami Dolphins after 5 games. He never played a snap in Miami.

After the season, Talib told himself he would play one more year "as long as somebody give me a nice check ... or if someone gave me a nice ass role."

That's when Talib says he got a call from his former coach, Bill Belichick -- who wanted to bring Aqib back to New England for one final season.

"My guy, my big homie Bill Belichick called my phone man, told me that he had the role of a lifetime for me," Talib said.

Talib says the role was to basically cover tight ends -- and initially, Aqib LOVED the idea.

Oh, Talib says New England's offer was around the $6 million mark!

But, when Aqib started evaluating the monsters playing tight end in the NFL right now -- from George Kittle to Travis Kelce -- he quickly reconsidered.

"I looked at this f*cking schedule and the thought 'Can I even strap these damn tight ends?!'"

"Once that negative thought crossed my mind, man my heart, my competitive edge -- like I ain't really in it like that no more ... I just wasn't feeling it no more honestly."

Talib continued, "You gotta play this game with heart. If you don't play with heart, that's how you get real injuries, concussions and bad injuries when you out here playing nervous and things like that."

Talib was a 1st-round NFL Draft Pick back in 2008 out of Kansas -- and went on to play for the Bucs, Patriots, Broncos and Rams ... making the Pro Bowl 5 times.

He also won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.

Myles Garrett wants to meet face-to-face with Mason Rudolph and squash their beef for good ... saying he's down to make peace with the Steelers QB after the infamous helmet-swinging incident.

"If it were to happen, I’d be fine with it,'' the Cleveland Browns superstar told Cleveland.com. "Not just fine, but I wouldn’t mind it and I’d be happy to make it happen, if there were a way."

Of course, Garrett was suspended a total of 6 games in 2019 after he hit Rudolph with the QB's own helmet during a game against Pittsburgh on November 15.

Garrett claims the attack was sparked by Rudolph using a racial slur ... which the QB adamantly denies.

The 24-year-old says he's unsure if Rudolph would accept the invite to meet ... but explains he'd like to chat about "how we move forward, and just being better men and football players and not letting something like that happen again."

And, get this -- Garrett reveals he contemplated leaving the game of football entirely following the incident ... and even thought about starting a baseball or basketball career instead.

"I just would’ve moved onto something else I enjoy and found another way to save my competitive nature, whether it would’ve been trying out for a basketball team or going to play baseball like [Michael] Jordan," Garrett told the outlet.

But, that didn't happen ... as the defensive end just inked a massive 5-year, $125 MILLION extension to stay in Cleveland ... and he's out to prove he's no the helmet-swinging monster people made him out to be.

"What happened, happened, and at the end of the day you have to move forward," Garrett says.

"I was given a second chance and you have to make the best of it. I know something like that won’t happen again, but life’s funny that way."

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has officially decided to retire from the NFL ... nearly 3 years after suffering a serious spinal injury during a game.

The 28-year-old sustained a spinal contusion after attempting a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals on December 4, 2017 ... and many feared he would be permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Shazier defied the odds and worked like crazy to rehab following the incident ... slowly improving his mobility over the course of the following year -- and was eventually able to deadlift and jog.

The Pro Bowler has moved on from his dream of returning to the field for new endeavors on Wednesday ... announcing his decision in an emotional video.

"When you play the game of football the way I did, you convince yourself you're Superman. That nothing can stop you," Shazier says.

"But then the moment I got hurt, I stopped being Superman and that was difficult to make sense."

"But, the way I look at it, God put us all here for a purpose. For 20 years, he let me play football and now its time for me to do what he wants me to do."

"I'm gonna step away from the game for a while and see what else life has to offer. I know football will always be here for me if I need it but right now I'm excited to explore new challenges and different paths."

Shazier hints he won't be stepping out of the public eye ... and promises to reveal details about his next project soon.

The linebacker goes on to thank all the coaches, fans and doctors who supported him throughout his rehab process ... and showing how much they care about him off the field.

"When I got hurt, football may have been taken away for me, but everything it gave me is still here inside."

Florida State coaching legend Sue Semrau will step away from the women's basketball program this season to focus on caring for her mother, who is battling ovarian cancer.

Semrau says she's been traveling back and forth from Tallahassee to the family home in Seattle to help out, but the COVID pandemic has complicated things.

"For the past several months I’ve found it increasingly difficult to commute back and forth due to the tedious and ever-changing restrictions as a result of COVID-19," Semrau said.

So, instead of trying to split her time between work and family, Semrau announced she will "step away from the day-to-day coaching through March 2021."

Semrau says she will also forfeit her salary "so it can be used to offset COVID-19-related budget cuts."

"This decision allows me to support my family while providing much needed resources for Seminole Athletics."

Semrau is one of the top coaches in college basketball -- in her 23 seasons at FSU, she's taken the Seminoles to the NCAA tourney 15 times and racked up a 468-252 record.

FSU associate head coach Brooke Wyckoff will take over the head coaching duties until Semrau returns.

"I need you to trust my decision and support our team and staff like never before," Semrau added.

Powerful videos from the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin -- who thanked Naomi Osaka for her COVID mask tributes at the U.S. Open.

Osaka has been wearing a different name of a violence victim on her face coverings every day of the tournament in NYC ... hoping to bring awareness to Breonna Taylor, Arbery, Martin and others.

And, after her match on Tuesday -- ESPN surprised her with thank you video messages from the families of two of her mask honorees.

In the first, Martin's mom, Sybrina Fulton, praised the 22-year-old tennis player for her tributes ... saying, "We thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

In the second, Arbery's father, Marcus Arbery Sr., added ... "I just want to tell you thank you for the support on my family. And God bless you for what you're doing."

Osaka initially kept her cool on the set while the videos played ... but she admits she broke down in private after viewing them again.

"I often wonder if what I’m doing is resonating and reaching as many people as I hope," Osaka said. "That being said, I tried to hold it in on set but after watching these back I cried so much."

"The strength and the character both of these parents have is beyond me. Love you both, thank you."

In total, Osaka has displayed five masks tributes at the U.S. Open this week ... featuring the names of Taylor, Arbery, Martin, George Floyd and Elijah McClain.

She says she still has others planned for the rest of the tournament as well.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call from the DeAndre Baker alleged armed robbery ...  and the caller is VERY clear the NFL player is the culprit.

"I just got robbed by an NFL player," the caller tells the operator during the May 13 call.

The caller says he was hanging out at a get-together with 23-year-old Baker and other people when a confrontation broke out ... and things escalated quickly.

"I was standing at the back restroom and Dre Baker came around with a gun and him and his friend robbed me," the caller tells the 911 operator.

"[Baker] told his friend to shoot me. And they took my bag and my money and my watch."

The caller says Baker and his associates left the scene in a black G-Wagon and a Lamborghini.

When the operator asks for a description of the suspect, the caller says, "I know exactly who it is … Dre Baker. He plays for the NY Giants."

As we previously reported, Baker has been formally charged with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm ... and faces up to life in prison if convicted.

He was cut by the NY Giants earlier this week.

Baker, through his attorney, has repeatedly denied the allegations and vows to fight the charges.