TMZ Sports - Page 50

12:15 PM PT -- Boykin released the following statement:

"I understand the Seahawks decision to release me. The story that was reported casts a bad light on the organization and on me.

I want to be clear that the story is false. The police have taken statements from the accuser, another witness and me. All of these statements confirm that I was not involved in the physical altercation.

This woman has lied about me and it has cost me my job. I know guilt by association is real. This person has fabricated a story and I am suffering the consequences.

I will let the legal system run its course and I know I will be vindicated."

10:23 AM PT -- The Seahawks just announced they've cut Trevone Boykin.

Trevone Boykin is being investigated by police for allegedly breaking his girlfriend's jaw ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Cops in Mansfield, Texas tell us they are investigating Boykin, 24, for allegedly severely injuring his longtime girlfriend, Shabrika Bailey, during a physical altercation last week.

The Seahawks QB and Bailey have dated for years.

Bailey talked to WFAA in Texas ... telling them her and Boykin were arguing over a text message when he started to choke her. She says she lost consciousness ... before waking up in a pool of her blood.

She says Boykin eventually took her to a hospital ... but fled the scene when the hospital staff questioned her about the injuries.

Law enforcement sources tell us they expect Boykin to be charged with aggravated assault -- a felony. however, there is not currently a warrant out for his arrest.

This isn't Boykin's first time in trouble with the law ... he was charged with assault after getting in a bar fight in 2015 -- 2 days before he was supposed to play in the Alamo Bowl.

He ended up getting a year probation in that case.

Warren Sapp says the battery lawsuit filed against him is a "sham" ... and he's asking a judge to throw out the suit, and slap the woman with a cash penalty.

We broke the story ... Sapp was sued in Florida by Paula Trickey, a woman who accused the HOF'er of drunkenly running her over at a Super Bowl party in 2015 ... severely injuring her.

Sapp -- who's long denied being the one who hurt Trickey -- has formally responded to the accusations ... claiming the DT wasn't even at the party where the woman was hurt.

Sapp's lawyer, Michael Christine, asked the court to declare the suit a "sham" -- essentially a case that is clearly false, and without merit -- and throw it out.

Gisele Bundchen says Tom Brady will decide when Tom Brady hangs it up, not her ... disputing past reports that she's begging him to call it quits.

Brady's supermodel wife spoke candidly about her relationship with Tom in a recent interview -- telling the Wall Street Journal she would NEVER force retirement on her man ... knowing he'd resent her for it.

“It’s not my decision to make. It’s his decision, and he knows it. It wouldn’t be fair any other way," Gisele said.

Gisele says all she wants is for Brady to be happy ... though she admits she is concerned over the lasting impact of the concussions he's suffered in his career.

Imagine having a fantasy baseball draft party with all your bros ... and then the pizza delivery guy turns out to be a World Series champ!!

That's exactly what happened when Chicago Cubs superstar Kris Bryant surprised 3 different groups of guys the other day, going undercover as the owner and operator of Kristio's Pizza & Wings!!

FYI -- this is the 3rd year Kris has teamed up with Red Bull to prank unsuspecting fans. This time around, Kris talked himself up as each group held their draft, waiting for his name to be called.

12:35 PM PT -- William Strampel bonded out, and is no longer in custody.

11:50 AM PT -- Strampel appeared before a judge in East Lansing, Michigan where bond was set at $25K. As a bond condition, Strampel is not permitted to travel out-of-state. He's also not allowed to contact alleged victims or witnesses in his case.

Strampel has not yet posted bond, or been released.

He's due back in court in April 23.

Larry Nassar's longtime boss at Michigan State was arrested and thrown in jail Monday night in Michigan ... and he's facing a felony charge for criminal sexual conduct.

William Strampel, 70, was the dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 to 2017... a period of time that saw Nassar abuse hundreds of women and girls in his capacity as the doctor for MSU as well as Team USA gymnastics.

Strampel is currently in Ingham County Jail in Michigan.

According to court docs, Strampel is facing 4 charges including 4th degree criminal sexual conduct with force or coercion, and willful neglect of duty -- a misdemeanor.

The arraignment for Strampel is scheduled for 2:30 PM local time Tuesday.

From Lithuania to the Lakers?

Looks like that's exactly what LiAngelo Ball is trying to do, because according to his agent Harrison Gaines, the middle Ball brother has declared for the 2018 NBA draft!

Gaines told Yahoo! Sports Ball has filed the paperwork to make himself eligible, and he's expected to work out for NBA teams when his season playing for Vytautas Prienu is finished.

Before you scoff at the kid, 'Gelo is actually doing pretty well overseas -- averaging over 15 points while shooting 45% from beyond the arc.

In the past, LaVar has promised LiAngelo would team with Lonzo in L.A. ... but the question is if they, and everyone else passes on the kid ... what then?

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is finally addressing Zay Jones' bizarre penthouse arrest ... saying it's an "unfortunate situation" ... but hopes it can be a learning experience for the young player.

We broke the story ... Zay was arrested last week after a naked, bloody altercation with his brother, Cayleb -- a Minnesota Vikings player -- at a DTLA apartment building. We're told the fight was to prevent Zay from jumping out of a hole he kicked into a 30th story window.

McDermott spoke with reporters at the NFL Coaches Breakfast in Orlando Tuesday morning about Zay's incident, saying "At the end of the day it's an unfortunate situation and somewhat disappointing. It's a situation to me that we can all take something from and learn from."

When asked if Zay could potentially be cut from the team, McDermott said "At this point, we don't foresee anything like that happening."

Zay was arrested for felony vandalism ... but was NOT charged after his family agreed to pay $20k for damages made to the apartment building.

Super interesting video from Boyz II Men singer Shawn Stockman ... who tells TMZ Sports -- without specifying a reason -- that he doesn't sing the national anthem at sporting events anymore.

We got Shawn out at LAX and were talking to the 49ers fan about all the offseason moves the team is making ... adding guys like Richard Sherman to the squad.

When our guy switched gears and asked Shawn if we'd be seeing him sing the anthem for his team any time soon, Stockman was pretty clear.

"Nah, I don't sing the national anthem."

Shawn didn't say, but you gotta believe it has to do with the recent anthem protests, especially when considering that Stockman has sang the anthem before both solo, and as a member of Boyz II Men.

Chael Sonnen says Floyd Mayweather coming outta retirement is already a done deal ... 'cause he's a "dumb-dumb" who's burned through his billion-dollar fortune!!

And that ain't all -- Chael is guaran-damn-teeing Floyd's next fight will NOT be in the UFC.

"Floyd's not gonna do MMA but he is gonna box again," Sonnen told TMZ Sports. "I will tell you unequivocally, right now, Floyd Mayweather does, and is planning, to box one more time."

Chael ain't disputing Floyd's insane paydays for the McGregor and Pacquiao fights ... but says Money spends his cash even faster than he makes it.

"Floyd's broke ... it does not matter what you made, it matters what you kept, and he is a dumb-dumb!"

"Look, he's just not a very bright guy. He's surrounded with even less bright guys."

Chael says the one thing Mayweather IS smart about is staying relevant -- which is why he's been hyping a switch to MMA.

UFC champ Tyron Woodley says he's gonna start training Floyd ASAP ... so stay tuned.

Danica Patrick might be hinting at some long-term relationship goals with her boyfriend, Aaron Rodgers, 'cause she apparently loves getting older ... with her man by her side.

Danica rang in her 36th birthday Sunday with the Packers QB front and center for a group photo. The party looked pretty fun -- it was unicorn-themed ... for the ladies, anyway.

The soon-to-be retired race car driver shared a few photos of the shindig from over the weekend, in which all of her girlfriends were wearing unicorn hats and were sipping what looked like champagne. The guys went hat-free, but were also all smiles in celebration.

She captioned her photos ... "I love getting older!!!!!!!!!!! Super grateful for all the love around me in my life! People, work, opportunities, dreams.....full heart space." She went on ... "Don't forget to dream big for the things you want in your life."

Sounds to us like Danica's pretty happy with Aaron, who she's been dating since at least December. And with a stud like that in her life, why wouldn't she be stoked to cross off another year?

Congrats!

Gregg Popovich doesn't exactly like Donald Trump's White House, but he ain't down on all of D.C. ... 'cause Pop took the gang to another Washington landmark -- the Supreme Court!!

Unclear if Pop and co. were there on any official business or just to see the sights ... but they sounded pretty stoked talking to us on their way out.

Pop called the trip "great." Pau Gasol said it was "very nice." Manu Ginobili went the diplomatic route and told us their outing was "equal" to a White House trip.

FYI, Pop WRECKED Trump for leaving D.C. before March for Our Lives this past weekend -- calling it "cowardice" to avoid the protests and hang at his resort in Mar-a-Lago.

Coach is clearly in better spirits, now -- have you ever seen him smile like that?!

Cristiano Ronaldo just got planted with a wet one by a man who stormed the field during his soccer match.

He didn't seem to enjoy it very much, but the fan loved it ... and stuck around for some selfies!!

It all went down in Geneva, Switzerland ... where Ronaldo's Portugal squad was taking on the Netherlands in an exhibition game.

CR7 was already pretty pissed off about being down 3-0 ... and all he could do was shake his head after a random bro snuck onto the field and landed a peck on his cheek.

Coulda been worse -- the guy was going straight for the kisser before Ronaldo juked him out.

DMX is name-dropping former NBA star, and ex-con, Jayson Williams in his attempt to get leniency when a judge sentences him for tax evasion ... TMZ has learned.

DMX filed docs ahead of Wednesday's sentencing which include a letter to the judge laying out their plan to keep him on the straight and narrow. According to the letter, Jayson has offered DMX entry into his rehab program called the Rebound Institute.

The rapper's legal teams says Jayson reached out to them, believing the faith-based center is exactly what DMX needs. According to docs, the rehab program runs a minimum of 45 days, and includes drug testing 3 days a week.

Williams -- who infamously got 5 years for the shooting death of a limo driver -- says other famous athletes help out with the program. He mentions an NFL Hall of Fame running back and an NBA All-Star ... although their names have been redacted for their privacy.

It's unclear if DMX plans to choose Jayson's program ... he says he's gotten several offers from treatment facilities.

The rehab issue could be moot. As we reported, federal prosecutors have recommended the judge throw the book at X and give him 5 years in prison.

NFL player Jeremy Lane just copped a plea deal in his January DUI case ... pleading guilty to reckless driving, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Lane was initially stopped for driving 80 mph in a 60 mph zone on January 14. When cops pulled Lane over, he had admitted to smoking weed 3 hours earlier.

At the time of the arrest, Lane had told cops he was worried people would think he was drunk, saying "This time I was more high than anything."

The 27-year-old was initially charged with DUI on March 12 ... but has now agreed to the lesser reckless driving charge.

Lane -- a current free agent after he was released by the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month --could be sentenced to up to 364 days in jail, but it's unlikely he'll do any time at all. He can also be forced to cough up a maximum fine of $5,000.

The WWE just climbed the top rope in court and is ready to drop the elbow ... all to protect its brand ahead of WrestleMania 34.

The World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. just filed legal docs in Louisiana against anonymous makers of unauthorized WWE merch with the org's biggest event just weeks ahead in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the WWE wants a temporary restraining order to ban bootleggers from selling unauthorized souvenirs and memorabilia bearing WWE trademarks.

Bob Arum says Canelo Alvarez should go away for a long time if he's taking steroids to get an edge on GGG ... but the top boxing promoter ain't gonna throw the book at him just yet.

Don't get it twisted -- Bob says Canelo blaming his positive PED test on Mexican beef is like telling your teacher, "the dog ate my homework" -- but he says Canelo's owed due process even though his excuse smells like BS.

"If drugs were taken to bulk him up, they gotta suspend him, and they gotta suspend him for a long period," Arum told TMZ Sports. "If it was inadvertent ... then give him a pass."

FYI, Canelo was temporarily suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission over the weekend ... just days after GGG slammed him as a long-time juicer.