TMZ Sports - Page 50

Former "Blue's Clues" host Steve Burns is ready to take on 16-time WWE champ John Cena for his old post when the beloved Nickelodeon show is rebooted later this year.

Steve, who hosted "Blue's Clues" for 7 years, told us part of the magic of the show was that there was an average Joe in the driver's seat. So far, Nickelodeon hasn't announced who's gonna be the new host, and Steve's still in the running, but production is strongly considering a female stepping in to fill Steve's old, green-striped polo.

Cena auditioned for the hosting gig during the reboot announcement in a green-striped polo, too. Unclear if it was for real or not, but Steve seems up for the fight regardless.

Roger Mason is firing back at the BIG3 basketball league after he was fired as commissioner -- claiming the work environment has been "hostile and racist."

But BIG3 & Ice Cube say he's full of crap.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Mason got the ax from BIG3 on Monday for refusing to cooperate with a lawsuit against two Qatari investors who allegedly screwed the league out of millions of dollars.

BIG3 says Mason has a personal relationship with the investors -- that he may have taken gifts from them -- and he essentially chose siding with his friends over effectively doing his job as commish.

In fact, after BIG3 sued the investors, Mason commented on an Instagram photo featuring him with the two men saying, "#family."

But Mason is calling BS and claims the real problems center around BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz -- who has "made countless unfounded attacks on my integrity, character, and leadership."

Mason suggests Kwatinetz targeted him, in part, because of his race.

"The work environment at BIG3 has been hostile and racist resulting in the departure of valuable League personnel. Among other matters, a former employee of BIG3 recently told me that Kwatinetz has repeatedly referred to black athletes as 'rich n**gers.'"

Mason says he's "disappointed" that other BIG3 execs -- including Ice Cube (who's black) -- would join with Kwatinetz in "leveling these desperate manufactured claims against me."

O.J. Simpson's confession about killing Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman isn't rattling the manager of one of his new fave hangouts in Nevada ... TMZ has learned.

Simpson's become a frequent customer at Nekter Juice Bar in Summerlin, and a manager there tells us O.J.'s free to continue coming in ... after his bombshell interview on the FOX special, "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?"

The guy hasn't seen the two-hour special yet, but he says it wouldn't matter -- as long as Simpson's a paying customer, he's welcome at Nekter.

The manager tells us he refuses to treat Simpson differently from his other customers, and says the only reason O.J. wouldn't be welcome is if he started getting rude, rowdy or threatening with staff or guests.

Broncos DE Adam Gotsis was arrested in Atlanta last week for allegedly raping a woman when he was a player at Georgia Tech in 2013.

According to the incident report, the woman -- now 30 -- claims Gotsis "placed his penis in her vagina against her will" on the night of March 9, 2013.

The alleged victim did not file a report until February 1, 2018. It's unclear why she waited nearly 5 years.

Gotsis turned himself in to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office on March 7 ... and was released the same day on a $50,000 bond.

The Broncos released the following statement ... “We were recently informed of an investigation into an alleged incident involving Adam Gotsis that occurred in 2013 when he was in college."

"Our organization was aware of his arrest on March 7, and it is our understanding that no determination has been made at this time as to whether any charges will be filed."

"The Broncos take an accusation of this nature very seriously and will continue to closely monitor the legal proceedings. This issue was promptly reported to the NFL as soon as we learned of it, and we will remain in communication with the league office regarding this matter."

Gotsis was a 2nd-round pick for Denver in 2016. He played in all 16 games for the Broncos last season, making 13 starts.

Aldon Smith isn't exactly rolling over in his domestic violence case -- the embattled NFL star just pled not guilty to assault charges stemming from a March 3 incident involving his fiancee.

Smith was hit with 4 misdemeanor charges -- domestic violence, assault w/ force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism.

Smith's fiancee previously told us the NFL player bit her during an alcohol-fueled rage. He checked himself into a rehab center the very next day.

Now, San Francisco District Attorney spokesperson Alex Bastian tells us Smith appeared in court Monday for his arraignment and pled not guilty.

CM Punk is finally returning to the Octagon, TMZ Sports has confirmed -- and this time, he vows to make up for that loss against Mickey Gall.

Punk was clapping back at trolls on Twitter when he broke the news ... responding to someone who asked, "When are we gonna see you cry again in the octagon?"

Punk's response ... "June nine, after I win and lock eyes with my beautiful wife, embrace my coaches and shout out my entire team."

June 9 is UFC 225 in Chicago -- Punk's hometown. For now, there's no word on who his opponent will be.

Punk hasn't fought since UFC 203 back in Sept. 2016 when he suffered a brutal submission loss in the 1st round to Gall.

O.J. Simpson copping to leaving the infamous bloody glove at the double murder scene is all former prosecutor Christopher Darden needed to hear to know he was right all along.

Darden, Marcia Clark's co-prosecutor in Simpson's trial of the century, tells us watching "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?" proved Simpson and his dream team outsmarted the jury.

In particular, he says Johnnie Cochran's famous line, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" just doesn't hold up once you hear Simpson admit he must have left the glove "because they found the glove there." Darden famously came up with the plan to have Simpson try on the gloves in court ... which, of course, backfired on the prosecution.

As for Simpson's hypothetical accomplice named Charlie -- Darden has an explanation, and it's all about O.J.'s imagination.

MMA star Rampage Jackson says he came thiiiiis close to getting his manager, Tiki, a hoopty Range Rover at the used car lot ... before deciding to be a boss and drop a small fortune!

"I was thinking about going the cheap route ... you almost had a used one!" Rampage said to Tiki. "But then I was like, 'nah man, I can't cheap out.'"

FYI, the new Range was a surprise bday gift -- after Tiki negotiated an epic new contract with Bellator.

When we saw Rampage's video of the big reveal, our car guy (yeah, we have one of those) estimated the whip would run him at least $100k in the hole. Turns out, it was almost 130 RACKS!!

With that price tag, ya gotta think Rampage's deal was in the mils -- but Tiki wouldn't spill the beans.

He did walk us through getting the Range, though ... and it's pretty great.

Two Seattle Seahawks players were verbally accosted at the team practice facility -- when a pissed off woman in a truck started yelling at them to "get off your f**king knees" and stop protesting the flag.

Neiko Thorpe and Mike Tyson say the woman "followed us to work" at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton, Washington and unloaded. Thorpe started recording.

"Stand up and be a man," the woman says ... "I don't care who you are. All I care about is the fact that my tax dollars pay for you to play and go f**king play. Get off your f**king knees."

BTW -- NEITHER ONE OF THE PLAYERS IN THE VIDEO EVER TOOK A KNEE DURING NFL GAMES!!!!

The players asked the woman for her name -- she refused to identify herself -- instead, babbling and cussing away.

Tom Brady is finally showing everyone the hand injury he suffered during the NFL playoffs -- and it's WAYYYY worse than everyone thought ... a massive, deep, bloody gash.

Remember, Brady got the cut in practice just days before the AFC Championship -- but tried like hell to downplay the severity of the wound.

Well, now he's revealing all the gory details on his reality show, "Tom vs Time" -- and it's a miracle he was able to throw the ball at all.

"When I hurt my thumb, I thought, ‘This is it. This is the way the season ends,'" Tom said.

"I’m looking down at my thumb as it’s split open, and I’m thinking ‘I really don’t know what happened to my thumb, but I know it doesn’t feel good and I’m having a real hard time believing I’m going to go out and play well against the #1 ranked defense in four days.'"

Of course, Brady ended up beating the Jaguars before losing to the Eagles in the Super Bowl -- but he played like a BEAST considering the friggin' hatchet wound on his thumb ... which got a healthy dose of acupuncture after it was stitched up.

Who needs Tom Brady ... when you got Justin Verlander!!

Donald Trump just gushed about his friendship with a World Series champ during the Houston Astros visit to the White House ... while also dropping some humble brags about himself (duh).

"So, I know Justin. Justin's a friend of mine," Trump said while noting they play golf together.

"I'm a pretty long hitter," Trump bragged ... "[but] this guy, he is a monster!"

"And he said he's a -2 or a -3 handicap, but believe me, he's much better than that. He's about a +2 or +3. but we love playing and it was really great."

Trump also had some words for Jose Altuve ("you're taller than I thought!") and World Series MVP George Springer before reminding everyone he also played in high school!

He also assured the team the country's doing "fantastically well" under his leadership.

Dennis Rodman just pled guilty to two counts of misdemeanor DUI stemming from a January arrest in Newport Beach ... but he's somehow managed to stay out of jail -- at least for now.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Rodman was busted around 11 PM on Jan. 13 when cops saw him swerving and blasting music with a blood alcohol level of .21 -- more than double the legal limit.

The big issue for Rodman ... he was on probation at the time for a 2016 wrong way car crash and had been ordered to stay clean or else face jail.

But Rodman struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty and, in exchange, he only got 9 months of an alcohol program.

His probation was revoked -- but is now reinstated -- and instead of sending Rodman to jail, he was essentially given a slap on the wrist and told that if he messes up again in the next 2 years, he'll go to jail for 90 days.

Rodman went to rehab immediately after the arrest and insists he's now sober and plans to stay that way.

Roger Mason's out, Ice Cube is in ... with the rap legend replacing the ex-NBA star as the Commish of the BIG3 basketball league after allegations of some seriously shady conduct.

TMZ Sports has obtained a letter the BIG3 sent to players, coaches and staff explaining the move:

"We are writing to inform you of the decision by the BIG3 to terminate the employment of Roger Mason Jr. for cause under the terms of his employment agreement with the league."

The letter details a corruption investigation involving Mason and his ties to two Qatari investors who allegedly stiffed the league out of millions of dollars ... investors that Mason brought to the league in the first place.

BIG3 sued the investors Ayman Sabi and Ahmed Al-Rumaihi -- but Mason allegedly refused to cooperate with the league because of his personal relationship with the men.

The league says Mason had an obligation to side with BIG3 due to his role as Commish.

One of the problems, the league says it found evidence the Qataris were showering certain BIG3 employees with gifts and vacations while refusing to pay the league. The insinuation is that Mason was one of the beneficiaries and it corrupted his ability to effectively run the league.

The good news ... Ice Cube will step into the Commish role effective immediately and will stay in the job until the league finds a long-term replacement.

After 24 years any mystery surrounding the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman is over ... because O.J. Simpson confessed.

FOX aired "O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?" Sunday night and Simpson walked publisher Judith Regan through what happened on June 12, 1994. He starts out adamant -- he was just talking hypothetically, which is weird, because if he didn't do it what's his basis for creating the hypothetical.

Simpson starts by talking about his "friend Charlie" ... whom he says for some reason went to Nicole's to snoop around. He says Charlie came over to Simpson's home, told him what was going on and Simpson responded, "Whatever is going on it's gotta stop!" Unfortunately, Regan didn't ask Simpson what Charlie said was going on.

Simpson says, hypothetically, he and Charlie drove to Nicole's with a cap, gloves and a knife under the seat and parked in the alley. Simpson says he walked around the property and Ron Goldman appeared, saying he was at the restaurant where Nicole dined and was returning the sunglasses her mom left behind.

Simpson says he got angry at Ron -- presumably thinking he was there on a date with Nicole -- and started screaming at him. Nicole came out, things got heated, she told O.J. to get the f*** off her property, and then he says Nicole fell and hurt herself. In fact, he swung the knife at her and hit her in the face with the blunt end.

Now the confession ... Simpson loses the hypo and starts talking very clearly -- undeniably -- in first person, saying Ron got in a karate stance, O.J. responded, "You think you can kick my ass?" and then he says, "I remember I grabbed the knife." O.J. eventually checks himself when he realizes he's talking in first person and actually starts laughing ... seriously. Check out the video for the rest.

By the way ... he also acknowledges dropping a glove on the property, which totally blows up the theory cops planted a glove.

Case closed.

Justin Verlander and his Houston Astros teammates arrived in D.C. to visit President Trump at the White House ... just weeks after Trump and the Golden State Warriors turned each other down.

TMZ Sports just spotted Jose Altuve, Dallas Keuchel and World Series MVP George Springer -- along with a bunch of other players -- walking up to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave ... with the trophy being carried in right behind!

Visiting the White House has become a polarizing issue with pro athletes. Tom Brady skipped the White House last year after a falling out with President Trump.

Just a few weeks ago, several members of the Philadelphia Eagles -- including Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins -- said they would NOT visit the White House to celebrate the Super Bowl because they don't agree with Trump's politics.

Of course, the Warriors spoke out strongly against Trump and decided as a team to boycott Trump's White House. Trump rescinded their invite as well.

Michael Jordan might be the Michael Jordan of Spring Break -- getting a sexy bikini dance from his smokin' hot wife at a Miami beach party ... and TMZ Sports has the footage!

MJ and Yvette Prieto hit up the Hyde Beach party at the SLS Hotel over the weekend -- where they balled out with a private cabana stocked with tequila and surrounded by muscle-bound private security.

She was boozin'. He was smokin'. These two live a helluva life.

We're told the place was packed with college-aged kids raging it up on Spring Break -- so, most 55-year-olds may have looked out of place ... but this is MICHAEL JORDAN ... so, it was cool.

One more thing ... take a look at that diamond ring on Yvette's finger -- bigger than her knuckle!

Get it!