TMZ Sports - Page 50

Heath Evans is adamant he did NOT sexually harass a wardrobe specialist at NFL Network -- claiming they exchanged MUTUAL sexual text messages ... but he was fired anyway.

Evans was named in a 2017 lawsuit filed by Jami Cantor who claims she was sexually terrorized by several ex-NFL stars working at the Network ... including Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Donovan McNabb and others.

In her suit, Cantor claimed Evans sent her nude pics on at least 2 occasions -- but now, Evans says it was definitely a 2-way street.

"My accuser and I had exchanged mutual flirtations that included her sending me and me sending her pictures of a sexual nature," Evans wrote in a statement.

"I regret having engaged in the picture exchange. Nothing ever came of the mutual flirtations and we remained friends during and after her employment ended at the network."

Evans says he has text messages that prove his story.

But, despite his apparent evidence, Evans says the NFL Network pressured him to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the case ... which would bar him from telling his side of the story publicly.

Evans says he refused -- so the NFL Network fired him on July 27. Now, he's sounding off on social media.

Still, Evans says he has no hard feelings towards Cantor -- "While I certainly wish she hadn't falsely included me in the series of allegations she made, I understand better than most that people who have been mistreated and hurt, often hurt other people."

Boxing star Gervonta "Tank" Davis says he wants an MMA fight with UFC champ T.J. Dillashaw -- and now T.J.'s responding ... "Bring It!"

Tank has been talking about getting into the Octagon for a while -- previously telling TMZ Sports he truly believes he has the talent, athleticism and skill to compete in MMA.

And, after he watched T.J. beat up Cody Garbrandt at UFC 227 over the weekend, he tweeted out a challenge to the bantamweight champ.

"I wanna fight the dude that fought Cody yesterday."

Well, T.J. saw the tweet and shot back with a little trash talk of his own -- "Bring it! I heard they were handing out belts after [Vasyl Lomachenko] left your division."

Obviously, if this fight were to come together it would take some time -- but Davis says he's serious about it.

Jerry Jones is praising the hell out of his QB, Dak Prescott, for the way he's handling the drama surrounding the national anthem controversy ... telling TMZ Sports, "I'm so proud of him."

Jerry was leaving Mr Chow in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night when we asked if he expected Dak to get a lot of blowback for supporting Jerry's "My players will stand" position on the anthem.

"I'm so proud of him, just proud of him the way he leads the team ... for not letting it mess with their practices."

We also asked JJ how he felt about Ice Cube standing up for Dak's right to voice his opinion -- and Jerry showed love for Cube as well ... saying, "I'm a fan of Ice Cube!"

Johnny Manziel is admitting his first CFL start was a train wreck ... but says he's taking it on the chin and moving on to the next opportunity.

Johnny's Montreal Alouettes got rocked on Friday night in a 50-11 route -- with Manziel throwing 4 interceptions and completing just 11 passes in his first pro game since 2015.

"It's humbling to come back after a couple years off and that's your first game and that's the result you get," Manziel said on his "Comeback SZN" podcast with Barstool Sports.

"It's not what anybody envisioned, it's not what anybody imagined."

But, Manziel says it's all part of the process ... and he's worked too damn hard to let it ruin his comeback that easily.

"I'm not in this for a quick fix, or a quick turnaround. We'll put in the work and we'll get to where we need to be at. I really feel that way."

LeBron James is clearly unmoved by the criticism of his new I Promise school in Ohio -- at least judging by his shirt.

After Bron announced the opening of the district school in Akron, reports came out showing James is not covering the full operating costs of the school ... only around 25%. The rest is covered by taxpayers.

Don't get it twisted, Bron's coming out of pocket roughly $2 MILLION per year (amazing), but the school will reportedly cost around $8 mil per year to run.

Some critics went in on LeBron for putting such a heavy burden on the school district -- others praised LeBron for his generosity and commitment to education.

Despite the drama, LeBron went out in Hollywood Wednesday night wearing an "I Promise" shirt -- showing his full support for his passion project.

Lance Armstrong wrecked his bike on a cycling trail in Colorado on Wednesday -- and bashed up his face so badly, he went to the hospital for treatment.

"Well, sometimes you’re the hammer and sometimes you’re the nail," Lance said ... while posting a photo of his bloodied face.

Lance was riding on the Tom Blake dirt trail in Snowmass Village in Aspen when he fell ... hard.

"Took quite the blow to the noggin’ so swung by the Aspen Valley Hospital (great facility!) to get my head checked."

Lance says he was checked out by an Emergency Room doc -- but appears to be okay now.

The former Tour De France champ also says he wouldn't have gone to get his head checked back in his younger days, but now that he's 46 (older and wiser) he takes possible brain injuries MUCH more seriously.

Sooooo ... change of heart??

One day after Iggy Azalea publicly confirmed her relationship with NFL star DeAndre Hopkins ... Iggy is taking it back -- now saying she's very much single.

Iggy was a guest on Y100 radio in Miami on Wednesday and played a game of "Truth or Dare" -- where she was asked if the rumors about dating the Houston Texans WR were true.

"Yeah, we're in a relationship," Iggy said.

But, hours later, Iggy went on Twitter and shut down ... herself ... saying, "I'm single."

"I have come to the conclusion i am going to be alone forever. I am completely fine with that. I have a routine now. I watch movies alone in the shower n s**t ... its nice."

So, what happened? We're workin' on it.

UPDATE -- DeAndre has now chimed in as well ... confirming the two are definitely NOT an official thing.

"Ya'll know I'm not a social media seeker but ya boi in SINGLE!!"

Which once again begs the question ... what the hell happened???

Ex-NFL star Greg Hardy -- who's been killing people in his short MMA career -- says he's 100% focused on fighting in the UFC and wouldn't even consider going back to the NFL ... with one exception.

"I'm not putting any brakes on the UFC movement, man. I'm going all in with it," Hardy told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show.

But, Hardy added ... "I'm not crazy, man. I'm not gonna turn down anybody's $10, $15 million, but I can't see myself stepping off this path."

Hardy is still playing semi-pro football with the Richmond Roughriders -- but, with Dana White clearly pumped about the guy's potential as a UFC fighter, those days may be coming to an end very soon.

FYI, Hardy's 5 MMA fights have lasted a grand total of about 3 and a half minutes.

Iggy Azalea is giving athletes another try ... 'cause she just confirmed she's dating NFL superstar DeAndre Hopkins!!

The "Kream" rapper's first run with a professional baller didn't go so well ... she had a disastrous breakup with Nick Young -- and things didn't look promising for other athletes.

But ... apparently she's willing to give it another shot -- with one of football's best players!!

"Yeah, we're in a relationship," Iggy said of Hopkins to Y100 in Miami.

There had been rumors about the two for a week or so ... especially after the Texans star was awfully flirty with her in some of his IG posts.

Ice Cube is going to bat for Dak Prescott -- saying people trashing the QB for wanting to stand for the national anthem can go eff themselves.

Dak's been getting crap for backing up Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones who recently said his players will NOT take a knee during the anthem.

Dak was quoted as saying, "I never protest during the anthem, and I don't think that's the time or the venue to do so."

The backlash was swift ... including a mural in Dallas that depicted Prescott in the "Sunken Place," a reference from the movie "Get Out", which means Prescott has forgotten his place as a black man.

Cube tells TMZ Sports the mural is "bullsh*t" -- and has this message for Prescott ... "Do what you want to do, man. F*ck everybody."

Mike Tolbert only needed to see 17 seconds of Greg Hardy in an Octagon to make a HUGE prediction about his ex-NFL teammate ... telling TMZ Sports, "I could see him being the heavyweight champ of the UFC one day!"

The ex-Panthers fullback -- who was with Hardy for three seasons in Carolina -- tells us he was so impressed with Greg after his fight Tuesday ... he sees a belt in Hardy's future.

"I think if he stays true to it and puts all of his effort into it and continues training," Tolbert says, "... I think he'll be one of the top names in the UFC the next few years."

It's a big statement from Mike ... considering Greg's two fights in a UFC Octagon only total 74 seconds -- but Tolbert knows firsthand what Greg's capable of achieving.

"One of the most athletic people I've ever played with," Mike says.

Logan Paul says he's dead serious about a combat sports career after his fight with KSI in less than 3 weeks -- and has a message for Dana White ... BRING ON CM PUNK!!!

Logan has been training like a maniac for the August 25 boxing match in England (which some say could have more viewers than Floyd vs. Conor) -- but tells TMZ Sports he's always dreamed of fighting in the UFC.

"I want to fight a UFC fighter," Logan told us with his brother, Jake Paul, at LAX ... "I've wrestled my whole life."

It's true -- Logan was a pretty solid high school wrestler in Ohio and our sources tell us he's been looking pretty good in the ring too.

"I've done athletics my whole life," Logan says ... "Dana White, are you watching this, bro? Pick a fight for me."

Logan says he wants CM Punk -- but his brother, Jake, is aiming higher ... saying he really believes he could take Conor McGregor with enough training. Logan was all about it.

The Harlem Globetrotters did it again -- hitting an insane trick shot from a FLYING AIRPLANE!!!

Globetrotters star Bull Bullard strapped into a yellow monoplane in Wildwood, New Jersey (where the guys are playing 4 games next week) and took aim at the basket while flying 70 miles per hour.

He shot. He scored. Insane!!!

There's video from all angles -- it's pretty amazing stuff.

"There’s no better way to arrive to Wildwood than with a trick shot from an airplane," Bullard said ... "I can’t wait to meet up with my teammates next week and put on a great show for the fans!"

The Globetrotters have hit crazy trick shots from all over the world -- from the top of Madison Square Garden to a rollercoaster in Georgia ... even Alcatraz.

Ex-Chicago Bears quarterback Erik Kramer has been charged with misdemeanor battery stemming from his alleged domestic violence incident back in June ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported ... the former NFL player was arrested after he admitted to police he got physical with his wife, Cortney Baird, during a fight at their Agoura Hills home.

Baird claims Kramer flipped out after she confronted him about an argument the two previously had ... saying the ex-QB got violent and threw various household items at her.

Kramer was booked on suspicion of felony corporal injury to a spouse and released on $50k bond.

Now ... we're told cops are hitting Kramer with one count of misdemeanor battery for the incident -- and the ex-QB is facing up to six months in jail if convicted.

Antonio Callaway had gun parts and ammunition in his car (in addition to weed) when he was pulled over in Ohio ... and the police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows it made the lead officer get "real nervous."

The Cleveland Browns rookie WR -- selected in the 4th round of the 2018 NFL Draft -- was pulled over on August 5 at 2:59 AM in Strongsville, Ohio for a routine traffic violation.

The cop smelled weed and searched the car -- finding a small amount of marijuana under the driver's seat ... along with the backstrap of a Glock firearm and several rounds of ammo.

You can see the officer gets very serious when he finds the bullets and gun parts -- ordering Callaway to put his hands in the air and stay put.

Antonio told the officer there was NO gun in the car -- just the parts. The officer eventually verified Callaway's claim, but admits to his partner he got anxious when he found the bullets.

In the end, the officer realizes Antonio is a Cleveland Browns player and admitted he felt bad busting him ... since he didn't appear drunk or high and was super polite during the arrest.

At one point, the officer admits he's excited to watch Callaway play -- saying he's "fast as sh*t."

The 49ers are paying tribute to the guys behind the most famous play in the team's history -- erecting a 2-piece "The Catch" statue at Levi's Stadium featuring Joe Montana and Dwight Clark.

Clark died in June at the age of 61 after his battle with ALS -- and it seems the 49ers are pushing the plans forward to honor him as quickly as possible. The team is also wearing #87 stickers on their helmets this year.

As for the statues -- Dwight's sculpture (full arms outstretched) will stand exactly 23 yards from his QB ... to replicate the moment from the 1981 NFC Championship vs. the Dallas Cowboys.

Dwight's statue will stand 11 feet tall. Both pieces will weigh 350 lbs.

Clark had a huge career for the Niners after being picked in the 10th round of the 1979 NFL Draft ... winning two Super Bowls and having his No. 87 jersey retired in 1988.