TMZ Sports - Page 50

Officials in Florida have impounded a truck registered to DeSean Jackson -- after cops found hollow-point bullets and weed inside the vehicle after it crashed into a tree.

But the twist ... the Bucs WR says he wasn't driving the car -- and he's pointing the finger at one of his friends.

Here's the deal ... cops say the Chevy Silverado was involved in a single-car accident on Sunday night -- the truck slammed into a tree.

When officers arrived on scene, the driver had fled -- and cops found 6.3 grams of weed and two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets. The ammo is legal in Florida -- the weed is not.

Cops saw the car was registered to DeSean and called him up. The WR later came down to the scene and told police the name of the friend who had borrowed the ride, according to NFL.com.

Jackson's rep Denise White issued a statement saying, "It was a friend of DeSean's who borrowed his car while he was out of town without his knowledge."

Prosecutors have dropped the assault charges against ex-NY Yankees infielder Pat Kelly and his GF stemming from an October arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... Kelly and Marina Cernova were arrested at the London Hotel in NYC on Oct. 1 after Marina called cops to report Pat had attacked her.

When cops arrived, they believed Marina also socked Pat in the face -- so they were both arrested and booked for misdemeanor assault.

Pat -- who played for the Yanks from '91 to '97 -- had denied all wrongdoing and claimed the incident was a giant misunderstanding.

Now, we're told the charges have been officially dropped -- mainly because both sides stopped cooperating with prosecutors.

Eli Apple's brother says it's the NY Giants cornerback's MOTHER who's the real cancer in his life -- and he's begging his bro to cut her out before she kills his career.

TMZ Sports spoke with Dane Blackson -- Eli's half-brother (they have the same mom) -- and he's very passionate that Annie Apple is "pulling the strings" in a very damaging way.

"I feel like when people say Eli's like a cancer ... I just think of mom when people say like words and use these types of adjectives."

"I feel like he never had a fair shot. I mean, a lot of this sh*t that you could be judging him on, there's really a master behind him pulling the strings. So, as far as Eli being the cancer, I don't really see Eli being the cancer more than I see mom being the cancer and him not being able to distance himself."

Annie Apple has had a major presence in Eli's life ever since he broke out as a star college player at Ohio State. She became a fan favorite for her outspoken opinions and fun personality at the NFL Draft and later got a job with ESPN.

But, Dane says she's gotta back off in a big way ... telling TMZ Sports no one in Eli's inner-circle likes their mother -- but they're all too scared to speak up.

Ex-NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards says he was just kidding around when he reached over the bar at a Chicago tavern and pulled the beer taps ... in a late-night incident captured on video.

It all went down Friday at Duffy's Tavern and Grille -- you can see the 34-year-old pull 4 beer taps while jawing at the bartender. Unclear what was being said.

The bar manager initially slammed Edwards on social media -- saying Braylon owed the bar $75 for "the product he wasted." The manager also claimed Braylon "threatened my staff and punched the front window as he left."

Edwards tells a different story -- saying he was just goofing around and meant no ill will. He's also adamant he never threatened anyone.

Braylon's rep tells TMZ Sports, "He heard Duffy's was a Michigan fan bar and he wanted to stop by for some holiday cheer. Mr. Edwards spoke with the bar manager and has offered to pay the tab for the taps that were poured during the prank."

Pay attention, NBA dads -- Pistons guard Langston Galloway just set the big baller standard for gender reveals ... and teammate Andre Drummond's got the hilarious play-by-play.

It all went down at Little Caesar's Arena Tuesday night after the Pistons smashed the Pacers ... when Langston rocked the rim to figure out if he and his wife, Sabrina, are having a boy or girl.

Galloway killed it. The ball exploded, confetti went everywhere, and he and Sabrina hugged it out while his teammates cheered him on.

But the real MVP might have been Andre ... the unofficial emcee for Lang's ceremony.

Here's James Harden proving he doesn't need teammates to shine ... getting his solo groove on after hours at one of the hottest clubs in NYC.

It went down at 1 OAK, where we're told Harden was partying with his crew (and some lovely ladies) until the early hours of Wednesday morning.

We're told the spot normally closes up shop at 4 AM, but James asked they stay open an hour later (which they do all the time for celebs) and the resulting groove is captured in this video.

BTW -- the song is "Heartbreak On A Full Moon" by Chris Brown ... and yeah, it's a jam, even if you don't want it to be.

N.Y. Giants star Landon Collins is apologizing for his recent comments referring to teammate Eli Apple as "a cancer" ... saying he met with Eli in person and cleared the air.

ICYMI ... Collins ripped into Apple during a radio interview with 98.7 ESPN New York on Tuesday ... saying there's one major problem in the Giants' secondary ... and that's Eli Apple.

"That first-round pick ... he's a cancer," Collins said.

But Collins tweeted out Wednesday morning that he's extended an olive branch to Apple ... and has since apologized to the rest of his teammates.

"I never stop supporting my brother/teammate Eli and the rest of my teammates as we move forward. Just want him to know I'm always here for him."

The Miz had an AWESOME Christmas in the Middle East -- singing carols, shooting semis and SLINGSHOTTING OFF A FRICKIN' AIRCRAFT CARRIER ... and he documented all the action.

That's right ... while the rest of us were getting cozy by the fire, the WWE/MTV superstar was out in the desert supporting the troops on a 4-day USO tour with celebs like Adam Devine and Iliza Shlesinger.

There were plenty of highlights ... but The Miz said nothing could top his "COD TAC line launch" ... where he and Adam were literally boomeranged off the USS Theodore Roosevelt in a military plane.

"I’ve been on all kinds of rollercoasters and nothing beats this. I literally tell (Devine), 'My balls are in my throat.'"

Props to Miz, Adam and Iliza ... and, of course, THE TROOPS!

Happy holidays!!

Mark Wahlberg is PUMPED his New England Patriots signed James Harrison -- and he made a video straight from his boat welcoming the ex-Steelers star to the squad.

"Did you hear the news?" Wahlberg asked his wife, Rhea ... "James Harrison is a Patriot? Oh my. Defense just got a lot better."

He added, "Isn't it nice that [Tom Brady] got away without getting hit by him in the playoffs and possibly the AFC Championship?"

"Go Patriots. Go James Harrison."

Barack Obama just gave Michael Jordan the royal seal ... telling Prince Harry that he'd take His Airness over King James as the GOAT, without hesitation.

Obama sat down with Harry in a rare interview that aired Wednesday on BBC Radio 4 ... talking about everything from his presidency to Donald Trump.

But, when it came to the Prince's round of rapid-fire questions ... Harry immediately got Barack -- a HUGE NBA fan -- to close the book on the MJ vs. Bron debate.

"Jordan. Although I love LeBron, I'm a Chicago guy," Obama said.

Of course, Barack's pick ain't too surprising given his Bulls allegiance ... even though him and MJ haven't always seen eye-to-eye on everything.

American Airlines has issued an apology to two professional basketball players -- including ex-Chicago Bulls player Marquis Teague -- after they were kicked off a plane by a flight attendant who accused them of stealing blankets.

Teague -- the Bulls 1st round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft -- boarded a flight in Dallas on Sunday with his Memphis Hustle teammate Trahson Burrell. Both players are black.

As they headed back to their coach seats, two 1st class passengers handed the players their blankets. Problem is ... a flight attendant accused the men of stealing the blankets and kicked them off the plane.

American Airlines says the flight attendant involved is also black.

Floyd Mayweather is NOT in a committed relationship with 'Love & Hip Hop' star Nikki Baby ... so says the boxer's rep who tells TMZ Sports, "they're associates."

Floyd and Nikki have been friends for a while -- and ignited dating rumors after a flirty Instagram exchange that was captured by The Shade Room.

But when we reached out to Floyd's rep, Mayweather's camp shot it down saying when it comes to reports of dating, it is "not true."

Yo, Adrian ... Sylvester Stallone just bought the backup "Rocky" statue from "Rocky III" -- and all it cost him was $400,000!!!

It's a great story -- the statue was one of two Rocky statues made by the original artist, A. Thomas Schomberg. The original was used in the movie and is now on display in Philly.

The backup had been on display for years in the San Diego Hall of Champions, but that place closed down so the Rocky #2 statue hit the auction block last month with SCP Auctions.

A rep for SCP could only tell TMZ Sports ... the 9-foot tall, 1,800-pound piece was sold for $403,657 to a new customer (through a buyer) and the statue was shipped to L.A.

Fast forward to Christmas Day -- when Sly and Arnold Schwarzenegger posed in front of the statue at Stallone's house! A source connected to the auction confirms Stallone was indeed the mystery buyer.

So, Rocky has been reunited with Rocky ... just in time for "Creed II."

Add James Harden to the list of NBA players showing support for Meek Mill ... 'cause the Houston Rockets superstar visited the rapper in prison on Tuesday and says "his spirit is high."

Harden took some time in-between games to visit Meek at the State Correctional Institution in Chester, PA and reported back on social media.

"Got a chance to see my bro Meek Mill today. His spirit is high and hopefully we can get him out by February," Harden wrote.

"Told me to tell y'all when he get out he got some (fire) for y'all."

Sources connected to Meek tell TMZ Sports ... the NBA star had some special "Free Meek" sneakers whipped up and plans to rock them on the court on Thursday when the Rockets play the Celtics.

As we previously reported, Joel Embiid and 76ers owner Michael Rubin visited Meek last month and said he was doing well. Colin Kaepernick also spoke with Meek and said Meek was "humbled" by the support.

This could be very interesting for Vince McMahon ... ex-NFL star Greg Hardy says he'd be down to join his XFL league if the WWE honcho really does bring it back.

Of course, 29-year-old Hardy is currently fighting his way into a pro MMA career (he's already 2-0) -- but tells TMZ Sports he still loves the game of football and would be open to giving it another go.

"If I get paid ... I'd probably be there, man."

Meanwhile, Hardy says he's still VERY focused on climbing the ladder in MMA -- and ultimately has his sights set on fighting in the UFC so he can compete against the best in the world.

Don't get too comfy, Kobe ... Marco Rubio says "there's no doubt" the Heat are gonna retire LeBron's jersey -- giving the King two numbers up in the rafters (but in different arenas).

We got the Florida Senator out in D.C. ... and Marco told us there are no hard feelings over Bron taking his talents outta South Beach.

"He won 2 championships down there. We went to the finals 4 years in a row. Those were great days," Rubio told TMZ Sports.

So, #6 is goin' up in Miami just like #23 is goin' up in Cleveland.

Maybe not as epic as having 2 jerseys retired in 1 night ... but still pretty legendary.