TMZ Sports - Page 50

Joey Fatone is tearin' up the hearts of 'NSYNC fans across the country -- officially shutting down all hope of a Super Bowl 52 reunion with Justin Timberlake.

"I'm here right now," Joey told TMZ Sports outside Delilah over the weekend. "If I was doing something, I'd be at rehearsals right now ... there's your proof."

Remember ... we spoke to Fatone before JT signed on for the Big Game -- and at the time, he said an 'NSYNC halftime show could happen if a few things fell into place.

Joey insists those plans never materialized -- and JT will be rollin' solo next Sunday in Minnesota.

Fatone also told us why he thinks Janet Jackson didn't get a Super Bowl call-back ... you're gonna wanna hear his explanation.

The woman who claims she was raped by WWE superstar Enzo Amore tells TMZ Sports ... she repeatedly told the wrestler to back off and leave her alone -- but he refused to stop.

We spoke with Philomena Sheahan -- who gave us permission to publish her name and her face -- and she laid out her allegations she made to police against Amore, real name Eric Arndt.

Sheahan claims Amore was hitting on her hard in a Phoenix hotel room on Oct. 19 -- and tried to slow him down ... telling him, "I want to get to know you first."

But Amore allegedly blew right past consent and got very aggressive -- ripping off Sheahan's tights and raping her in various parts of the hotel room.

"I said 'no' countless times," Sheahan said ... "I just kept saying 'No.'"

Sheahan said she was crying as she begged him to stop, but he threw her on a bed instead -- and she hit her head so hard, she passed out.

Amore, according to Sheahan, continued to restrain her and pushed forward with the sexual assault.

A few days later, Sheahan says she spoke with Phoenix PD and cops opened an investigation into Amore.

The WWE has since released Amore from the organization.

The WWE has officially "released" superstar Enzo Amore in the wake of allegations he raped a woman in Arizona back in October.

The company issued a statement saying, "WWE has come to terms on the release of Eric Arndt (Enzo Amore)."

As we previously reported, the accuser went public with her story on Monday -- claiming Enzo and two friends got her "f*cked up" in a Phoenix hotel room and Enzo raped her.

The woman filed a report with the Phoenix P.D. Cops are actively investigating.

So far, no word from Enzo.

The Balls were all over the place in Lithuania on Tuesday ... with LaMelo and LiAngelo combining for a whoppin' 80 POINTS in LaVar's pro coaching debut.

BC Vytautas announced Papa Ball would join it's coaching staff for the 4th game of the Big Baller Brand Challenge against Alytaus Dzūkija ... and the strategy worked, 'cause he helped coach the team to a 147-142 win.

Not only did Melo drop 43 points (including 5 straight 3 pointers in the 3rd quarter and a fast break dunk), but Gelo added 37 of his own to secure the dub.

Alas, Cristiano Ronaldo's perfect face finally has a flaw ...

Just a few days after taking a cleat to the face during a match against Deportivo, the Real Madrid star hit the practice field in Spain with a big ol' shiner on his left eye.

CR7 was also sporting a bandage over the corner of his eye -- where it appears he suffered the laceration that left him bloody during the game.

Ronaldo seemed to be in pretty good spirits during the workout -- despite the fact his face may never look the same again!!!

Kidding, he's still beautiful.

WWE superstar Mojo Rawley tells TMZ Sports ... he's been talking with his best friend, Rob Gronkowski, and he's confident the guy will be "good to go" for the Super Bowl.

Of course, Gronk took a big shot to the head during the AFC Championship on Sunday and missed the 2nd half of the game after being evaluated for a concussion.

But, Rawley says Gronk is "one of the toughest guys I know and I'm sure he'll be fine for the big one."

"I've got confidence in my friend, my best friend."

Rawley says Gronk may come off as a meathead, but when it comes to his mental health, the guy is no dummy -- "He's taking the right steps and following the right protocols."

The WWE star also says he's REALLY hoping to get to the Super Bowl to cheer on his friend in person after Gronk came to WrestleMania last year to support him.

There's more ... Mojo was also in attendance at UFC 220 where his friend Stipe Miocic beat up Francis Ngannou.

So, we had to ask ... does Stipe have a future in the squared circle?! You'll wanna see the answer!

Nick Foles is killing it right now ... but when Carson Wentz gets healthy, the starting QB job in Philly is HIS ... so says Eagles legend Brian Westbrook.

Westbrook -- who's in the Eagles Hall of Fame -- tells TMZ Sports he's incredibly proud of the job Foles has done filling in for Wentz, but even if he wins the Super Bowl ... he won't get the starting nod next season.

"When Carson Wentz is healthy, Carson Wentz will be the starting QB of the Eagles."

Jason Kidd just got the boot in Milwaukee -- but he's already got a rebound offer from one of the most powerful head coaches in the NBA!

Well, sorta ... we got Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau -- Doc's former Celtics assistant -- leaving Craig's after Thibodeau's T-Wolves edged Rivers' Clippers in L.A.

Naturally, we had to bring up the shocking J-Kidd firing ... and Doc immediately went to bat for the NBA legend, saying he would "absolutely" add him to his coaching staff.

One problem -- there ain't any vacancies on his bench at the moment ... and he's already got big-name assistants like Sam Cassell and Mike Woodson.

Alright, guys ... this might actually be a thing.

Tennis superstar Genie Bouchard and the guy who won a date with her by betting on last year's Super Bowl are going back to the big game ... after NFL Canada (Genie's home country) offered to take them as guests.

The best part -- SHE ASKED HIM!!

"OMG. Back to where it all began?! And with the Patriots too?! I’m in! What do you say?" Genie tweeted at Missouri University student, John Goehrke.

Of course, John accepted -- "This keeps getting better. I’m in!"

You know the story -- Genie made a bet with John last year when the Falcons were up big on the Patriots ... agreeing to a date if the Pats pulled off a comeback.

They did ... and they've since gone on (at least) a few dates -- including a bikini beach sesh in Miami.

Kobe Bryant was just nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his movie, "Dear Basketball" ... but it begs the question, Time's Up?

In a time where huge Hollywood stars are crushing people like Aziz Ansari, James Franco and others ... ya gotta remember, Kobe was formally charged with raping a woman back in 2003.

Remember, Bryant admitted having sex with a 19-year-old hotel staffer in Eagle, Colorado -- but insisted it was consensual.

By his account, things went south when Kobe asked the woman if he could ejaculate in her face during the sexual encounter. Kobe claims the woman denied his request and he stopped cold. The woman clearly saw things differently.

When approached by police, Kobe asked the cops if he could pay her off to make the situation go away.

Kobe was charged with sexual assault -- but the case was dropped when the accuser stopped cooperating with prosecutors. At the time, she claimed she was receiving hate mail and death threats.

She filed a civil suit against Kobe, which he later settled. There are reports he paid around $5 million, though Kobe claimed he never paid her a dime.

Kobe later released an apology saying, "I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year."

Kobe added this part ... which sounds a lot like Aziz's explanation:

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter."

So, the big question ... how will Hollywood react if Kobe wins?

James Franco was not nominated for an Oscar, and there isn't a shadow of a doubt the reason is that 5 women have accused him of sexual misconduct.

It's a stunning statement ... Franco won the Golden Globe and the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actor. The voting was partially completed before the allegations surfaced but obviously there were enough outstanding votes afterward to make a difference.

Here's what's interesting ... Kobe Bryant was nominated for Best Animated Short for "Dear Basketball." As you know, in 2003, Kobe was charged with raping a woman in Eagle, Colorado ... something he denied, claiming it was consensual. The case was dropped after the alleged victim refused to cooperate. Kobe settled a civil suit with the woman for a reported $5 million.

Mark Wahlberg denies being a steroid user ... saying his yolked bod is "all natural" and a result of "hard work."

We got Mark Monday in L.A. and asked about allegations that he, Josh Duhamel and WWE star Roman Reigns were clients of a now-jailed roid dealer, Richard Rodriguez.

Mark's adamant -- his gains come from nothing else but his own work ethic. He even bashes steroid use, saying it screws with your health.

As for any potential legal action ... it sounds like Marky Mark's just trying to put this thing behind him. Josh and Roman seem down with that, too. Both have also denied steroid use.

There will be no Jerseygate 2 at Super Bowl LII -- with law enforcement putting together special plans to watch Tom Brady's jersey LIKE A HAWK in the wake of last year's theft, TMZ Sports has learned.

First off, the guy who jacked Tom's jersey out of the locker room in 2017, Mauricio Ortega, has been banned from all Super Bowls (and all NFL games) for life ... an NFL spokesperson tell us.

Law enforcement directly involved with the SBLII protection in Minneapolis says the protection of player property -- especially game-used memorabilia -- will be a major priority this time around.

As one source put it ... "One of the main goals is to keep people and property safe. We do not want a repeat of last year and we have learned lessons from other major sporting events."

We're told the overall security plan involves federal agencies, multiple state agencies and private security plus "surveillance everywhere."

Still, Tom might wanna have a designated "jersey guy" just in case ...

With LeBron James and Steph Curry picking the teams for the NBA All-Star game, we asked Kyrie Irving if he'd be upset if his old teammate didn't pick him first.

Ya gotta see what Kyrie says when we spotted him at Delilah in West Hollywood.

For the record, Irving is having a killer season with the Boston Celtics -- averaging 24.5 points per game and carrying the team on his back. He's definitely an MVP candidate.

So, Bron's GOTTA pick him first, right?! We'll see ...

Johnny Manziel and his hot fiancee have a message for all the Johnny Football lovers (and haters) out there -- IT'S COMEBACK SEASON!!!

No, Manziel hasn't finalized his deal with the CFL ... but him and Bre Tiesi are out flaunting his "ComebackSZN" gear as he waits on word from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Johnny and Bre weren't too chatty when we got 'em leaving Delilah in L.A. over the weekend ... but they were happy to show off a sample of Manziel's new signature swag.

And if hoodies aren't your thing ... they also got t-shirts with Johnny's face on a $2 bill and "lost in the sauce" dad hats!!

The Phoenix Police Dept. has opened up an investigation into allegations made by a woman who claims she was raped by WWE superstar Enzo Amore back in October. The WWE has also suspended him indefinitely.

The woman went public with her story on social media Monday -- claiming Enzo (real name Eric Arndt) along with 2 friends got her "f*cked up" in a hotel room on Oct. 19 to the point where she passed out.

The woman claims Enzo then restrained her and, "it happened."

The Phoenix PD says officers responded to a local hospital on Oct. 23 for a call about a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted. Investigators were assigned to the case. The investigation is still open.

As for the WWE, the organization has suspended Enzo ... saying, "WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving sexual harassment or sexual assault."

"Until this matter is resolved, Eric Arndt has been suspended."