TMZ Sports - Page 50

A 22-year-old woman claims she was raped in an apartment where 2 Cleveland Browns players live -- telling police a friend of tight end David Njoku had sex with her after she fell asleep at their pad.

Njoku is NOT accused of any wrongdoing but has been interviewed by police over the incident.

According to the police report, the woman claims she went to the upscale downtown Cleveland apartment complex where Njoku lives with WR Rashard Higgins early Saturday morning after a night of drinking with her friends.

The woman claims she fell asleep in Higgins' bed, but when she woke up a 3rd man -- Kashwayne Nelson -- was having sex with her. She immediately tried to call 911 but Nelson allegedly pulled the phone away and grabbed her by the hair.

The woman says she managed to leave the apartment and later got in touch with police.

When cops arrived, they spoke with Higgins -- who said he had hooked up with the accuser earlier that night but had left the apartment because he couldn't sleep.

While Higgins was out of the apt., Nelson allegedly snuck in and raped the woman.

Cops also spoke with Njoku -- who acknowledged Nelson is his friend who also lives in the apartment -- but Njoku says he was in his bedroom the entire evening and didn't know anything about the incident.

Ultimately, cops arrested Nelson on suspicion of rape. Cops also say he gave them a fake ID when asked for identification -- so he was also booked for obstruction of justice.

The Browns issued a statement to Ohio.com saying, "Rashard immediately notified us of the situation and he and David fully cooperated with the police while being interviewed."

Manu Ginobili might be retired ... but San Antonio Spurs star Pau Gasol's clearly still in his prime ... taking his insanely attractive GF out for a romantic trip to Ibiza ... and the pics are straight fire.

38-year-old Pau is dating Cat McDonnell -- a former USC cheerleader who has a background working for a big-time finance company. They've been IG official since 2016.

The couple looked to be having a great time on Pau's home soil ... going on boat rides, cozy dinners and other mushy stuff.

And also, she looks absolutely INSANE in a bikini.

Not like Pau can't afford to take amazing trips like this for the rest of his life -- he's currently in the middle of a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the Spurs.

And get this ... career earning for Pau? $199 MILLION!!!!!

That's just about $34 million less than LeBron James has made through NBA contracts (though James has made a TON more in off-the-court deals).

For comparison, Kobe Bryant reportedly made $323 MIL in NBA contract money. Manu Ginobili made $114 mil over 15 seasons.

How in the hell is WWE superstar Maryse back in the ring just 5 months after popping out a kid???

She's a badass ... who kinda ignored doctor's orders, according to her husband, The Miz.

The wrestling power couple appeared on "TMZ Live" and explained how Maryse didn't want to give up her career after having a kid -- and worked like a beast to get her body back in shape.

The stars of USA's "Miz & Mrs." are a real-life couple who got married back in 2014 and had their first child, daughter Monroe, in March.

For Maryse, who's been wrestling in WWE for 12 years, the decision was easy -- she considers herself a working woman and needed to find a way to balance her career and being a mom.

And, you can tell her husband is impressed -- bragging about how great she looks and how fit she got while crushing mom duty.

The couple is set to take on another real-life married couple at WWE's 'Hell in a Cell' event in Sept. -- Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella.

Conor McGregor told Floyd Mayweather he can take that olive branch he offered and shove it ... saying, "There is no peace here, kid."

Remember ... Floyd gushed over McGregor to TMZ Sports on Monday, calling the Irish fighter a "warrior" and even inviting him to train for the Khabib fight at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Vegas.

But Conor clearly wants no part of that ... declining Floyd's offer on Tuesday with a fat middle finger.

"F*ck the Mayweathers, except Senior and Roger," Conor said.

"There is no peace here, kid. Step up or step down."

Floyd responded to Conor's tweet later Tuesday night by posting a pic from the fight ... saying "Easiest 9 figures I ever made!"

Obviously ... there's still bad blood on Conor's end from when the two fought in the boxing ring last August. McGregor lost ... and then had to deal with Floyd's trash talk over their Forbes List rankings (Floyd #1, Conor #4) a few months later.

Ex-NFL star Arian Foster says Beto O'Rourke isn't some flash in the pan viral video star -- he's WAY more impressive than that NFL kneeling video shows ... and that's saying A LOT.

O'Rourke is running for senator in Texas against Ted Cruz -- and his popularity exploded last week after footage surfaced showing him explaining why he supports the NFL kneelers.

Foster -- who played for the Houston Texans and still lives there -- went out and met with O'Rourke last week because they had a mutual friend and he wanted to see what Beto was all about.

Important to note that Foster doesn't identify himself with ANY political party -- but says he's decided to throw his support behind Beto after hearing his policy ideas ... ideas that are specifically beneficial to the black community.

"He's for criminal justice reform. He's for accountability for police officers ... even deeper than that, some of the things he wants to do with education, he wants to fund inner city schools."

Foster noted, "He's extremely to the point. He answers your questions and it's substantive."

Arian also says he's 100% in agreement with Beto when it comes to his stance on the NFL kneelers -- agreeing that players trying to shine a spotlight on injustice are acting in a patriotic fashion.

As Beto said in his viral speech -- "I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, anytime, anywhere, any place."

Tons of athletes besides Arian are also supporting Beto after seeing that video -- including LeBron James and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, Ted Cruz has attacked Beto over the speech -- saying Beto's views are disrespectful to U.S. military personnel and are not in sync with the majority of Texans.

Arian acknowledges that is was risky for Beto to take such a strong stand on the anthem issue -- but says he respects O'Rourke even more for doing so.

"Really it's like a make or break for him honestly. Because this is a red state, Texas, and you have some people who love that, and some people who hate that."

Eryk Anders' opponent at UFC Fight Night really made an impression ... leaving his TEETH MARKS in Eryk's shin bone after he KO'd the dude with a leg strike to the face!!!

Anders was fighting Tim Williams on Saturday night -- and delivered the punishing blow with his left leg while Williams was trying to get up off the ground.

"His teeth marks are definitely in my shin," Anders said ... noting that his foot is fine and dandy after the fight.

By the way, Anders was a big college football star back in the day -- he was a linebacker on the 2009 Alabama BCS National Championship team and his sack in the 4th quarter sealed the game over Texas.

On top of that, Anders had a free agent contract with the Cleveland Browns after his Bama days ... as well as stints in the CFL and Arena Football League before taking fighting seriously full-time.

Now, he's an MMA fighter -- and he's a good one, too. So far, the 31-year-old has already racked up an impressive 11-1 record with some violent finishes.

UFC knockout artist Justin Gaethje says his violent beatdown of James Vick this weekend felt "amazing" for him -- but for the other guy?

"It was the most terrifying night of that man's life."

Yeah, he ain't lyin'.

Gaethje joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) -- and said it was actually a "scary moment" for Vick ... 'cause getting KO'd is no joke.

"I've been there man. It's scary actually. His brain ... it's like a reset button on your forehead. It's like someone presses it every 30 seconds."

Gaethje was the #7 ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC going into the fight. Vick was ranked #10. The fight ended 90 seconds into the first round when Justin threw a crushing overhand right.

Gaethje says he actually felt bad for Vick -- a little bit -- but in the moment he was focusing on his accomplishment and "it feels f**king amazing."

Despite all the trash talk before the fight, Justin says there's no hard feelings anymore -- because it's way easier to squash beef after you almost knock your opponent's head off.

"It's a painful way to go out."

51-year-old Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais made a bet with his star pitcher Edwin Diaz -- get 50 saves and I'll swap out my dad hair for your flashy designer fade.

Diaz got the job done on Saturday -- so, Scott got the chop ... and it's all on video.

Diaz and Servais made the bet way earlier this year -- and as Diaz caught fire, it became clear Servais was gonna have to walk the walk or be forever mocked as a chicken.

Well, guess what ... just 3 days after Diaz notched save #50 against the Diamondbacks -- Servais found himself a barber, got in the chair and held up his end of the bargain.

End result? IT LOOKS GOOOOOD!!!!!!

Donald Trump learned what a red card was for on Tuesday ... and POTUS waited about 2 seconds to use it on the White House reporters!

The playful ejections all went down in the Oval Office, where D.T. played host to FIFA president Gianni Infantino for a celebration of North America landing the 2026 World Cup.

Gianni gifted #45 with his own personalized futbol jersey ... and then brought out the referee cards -- and the exchange that ensued between the two was as hilarious as it was predictable.

"In soccer, we have referees. And they have cards," Infantino explained.

"Yellow cards and red cards. Yellow card is a warning, and when you want to kick out someone, this one right here."

Trump couldn't grab the red card fast enough ... nearly chucking it at the media assembled in the Oval Office!!

2:19 PM PT -- The report also contains text messages from Shelley to Urban Meyer on the night he fired Zach Smith (7/23) ... in which Shelley says she's worried about Zach's "response."

"He drinks a lot and I am just not sure how stable he will be. Afraid he will do something dangerous. It's obvious he has anger/rage issues already."

It begs the question ... if Shelley and Urban truly believed Zach was such a dangerous person, why was he allowed to stay on the OSU coaching staff for so long??

Urban Meyer's wife, Shelley, texted Courtney Smith -- expressing serious concerns about her husband, Zach Smith ... saying point blank, "He scares me."

The text exchange between Shelley and Courtney are included in the Ohio State investigation report into the football coach's mishandling of Zach, who was a WR coach for the Buckeyes.

The exact date of the text message exchange that was handed over to investigators is unclear -- but it was AFTER she filed for divorce from Zach and BEFORE it was finalized.

Zach was clearly still a member of the OSU coaching staff at the time.

Shelley initiated the conversation saying, "Hi courtney- I think about you very often- how are you and the kids? I am so sick that you have to suffer with this crap- so young. I am so so sorry."

Remember, Courtney has said she told Shelley Meyer about the alleged physical abuse she had suffered at the hands of Zach over the years ... and was upset neither Urban nor OSU took any action against him.

Courtney texted back to Shelley that she was "hanging in there" and added, "It's not your fault. I should have left a long time ago. Leaving was the best thing for me and the kids ya know? Just want the divorce final so I'm not walking on egg shells anymore."

Shelley replied, "I am with you! A lot of women stay hoping it will get better. I don't blame you! But just want U to be safe. Do you have restraining order? He scares me."

The text message exchange was first reported by Brett McMurphy, who broke open the entire Zach Smith scandal.

Also in Tuesday's document dump … an anonymous rehab facility worker claims Smith was ordered to participate in a 10-day treatment for multiple substance abuse addictions in 2015 – as well as receive a sex addiction evaluation – but he left after just 4 days.

Ex-MLB star Luis Gonzalez says the moment he was asked to be a pallbearer for John McCain was one of the highest honors of his life ... but admits it was weird, since McCain was still alive at the time.

Gonzalez will be one of the 6 men selected to carry McCain's casket at his funeral on Thursday -- and tells TMZ Sports the late Arizona senator had been planning out the event for months.

"I've known for a while," Gonzales tells us ... "[McCain's team] had contacted me a while back, a few months back to ask if I'd be willing to be a pallbearer."

"First of all, it's an honor. And secondly, he was still living at the time so it was a strange request."

Gonzo and McCain have been friends since the days Luis played for the Arizona Diamondbacks -- they would text, talk on the phone and attend events together.

Luis says he was always impressed with McCain's knowledge and enthusiasm for sports -- noting he never wanted to sit in VIP suites in stadiums, he always loved hanging with the people in the bleachers.

"He was a great person who cared about other people."

Serena Williams has an unlikely ally in her catsuit controversy -- the former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

French Open officials recently told Williams she could not wear a custom-made Nike catsuit during the tournament -- despite the fact it was designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of her health issues surrounding blood clots.

Well, the issue isn't sitting well with the Ahmadinejad -- who took a page from Donald Trump's playbook and lashed out at the French Open on his official Twitter account.

"Why is the #FrenchOpen disrespecting @serenawilliams? Unfortunately some people in all Countries including my Country, haven't realized the true meaning of freedom."

Johnny Manziel says he was initially EXCITED about being drafted by the Browns -- but when he finally got to Cleveland ... all he wanted to do was leave.

"Once I landed and went to Berea, Ohio for the first time, I was like, 'Can I go back to college?'"

"I don't know anybody, I don't know where I'm at. It's cold. I don't like it," Manziel told Kevin Hart while taking an ice bath on his show, "Cold as Balls."

Manziel opens up like a book to Hart -- talking about everything from his drug use in college to wanting kids with his new wife, Bre Tiesi.

On the drug topic, Manziel said while playing at Texas A&M he felt like "I was the guy who had to party to be able to play good."

Manziel said he later realized he didn't like who he had become and wanted to change his life for the better.

"I'm at a point now where I can look back, I can reflect and realize that I was one way -- that was wrong. What can I do moving forward? Because I can't change how I was."

"That's all I can do and just try to stack enough good days together and stack enough things together to get back to where I wanna be."

Johnny says he's determined to work his way back to the NFL.

He also farted during the interview.

Arghhhhh ... the star of the VH1 reality show "Black Ink Crew" is also a PIRATE who allegedly stole the Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor fight -- this according to a new lawsuit.

Ceaser Emanuel -- who owns the Black Ink tattoo shop featured on the show -- is being sued for a FORTUNE after he allegedly rigged the TVs at the parlor to play the fight without paying the proper fees.

Remember, the fight cost most people $99 on Pay-Per-View -- but if you wanted to show the fight in a commercial business, you had to pay thousands of dollars extra in licensing fees.

Well, according to the suit ... Emanuel was so cheap, he tried to bob and weave his way out of the fees by illegally obtaining the fight and showing it at his Atlanta location ... hoping he wouldn't get caught.

Problem is ... the company in charge of the licensing, Joe Hand Promotions, said they busted him red-handed.

Larry Nassar has a new home ... a high-security federal penitentiary in Florida that's home to notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.

Nassar was originally serving his 60-year federal sentence for child porn in Arizona ... but his attorney claims he was attacked in May only a few hours after being released into general population.

Officials transferred Nassar to a temporary facility in Oklahoma ... before sending him to Sumter County, Florida -- about 50 miles from Orlando.

USP Coleman II is a high-security federal prison that currently holds about 1,400 inmates ... and has been home to famous convicts like Bulger.

The facility has been described by some as a special needs prison ... known to be a place where especially vulnerable inmates have a higher degree of safety and protection.

Fresh off kickin' Deji's ass... Jake Paul is already getting challenged to step back into the ring ... by All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Dez apparently tried to congratulate Jake's brother, Logan, via Twitter DMs on his fight with KSI ... except he got the 2 Paul's confused and accidentally messaged Jake.

After Dez explained the mistake, Jake clapped back by congratulating the current free agent on his massive contract extension ... pretending to mix Bryant with L.A. Rams superstar Todd Gurley, who just signed a 4-yr., $57.5 mil contract this past July.

Jake (who happens to be a Cleveland Browns fan) made the interaction public ... saying "Dez Bryant don’t want the smoke💨 & no team wants Dez Bryant!! GO BROWNS!!"

When Dez was asked about Jake, he said "I guess he called himself trying to clown..we can get in the boxing ring tho if he want smoke."

Of course, Jake just got done beating up on Deji this past Saturday ... and proceeded to call out Chris Brown as his next opponent.