TMZ Sports - Page 50

3:30PM PT -- Diaz released a statement addressing the case ...

"I'm grateful this case is finally over, I want to thank my team and my lawyer Ross Goodman for the excellent work. But most importantly, I want to thank the fans who stuck by me throughout this process. I'm happy to put this chapter of my life behind me and I'm looking forward to focusing on my return."

Nick Diaz is officially off the hook in his felony domestic violence case ... at least, according to the UFC star's attorney.

As we previously reported ... Diaz was arrested back in May after a woman claimed he slammed her to the ground and choked her in a Las Vegas home.

When cops arrived, officers say the woman had injuries -- she was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Diaz was facing 3 felony domestic violence charges and a misdemeanor -- serious business.

But now, Diaz's attorney Ross Goodman has told ESPN ... prosecutors have thrown out the case and Nick is in the clear.

"[Nick is] grateful the District Attorney's office was fair and thoughtful in reviewing this case based on the evidence," Goodman said to ESPN.

"Truth delayed is better than no truth at all and I trust that the ultimate dismissal of all charges with prejudice will be viewed as total vindication for Nick and clears his name from being associated with such horrific but false allegations."

We spoke with Nick after the incident -- and he joked that he was framed.

Larry Fitzgerald just gave an emotional speech in front of John McCain's friends and family at his memorial service ... detailing his unique friendship with the late senator.

The Arizona Cardinals superstar -- who grew close to McCain since he joined the NFL in 2004 -- says it was an unlikely pairing ... but that's what made it so special.

"Many people might wonder what a young, African-American kid from Minnesota and a highly-decorated Vietnam War hero-turned-United States senator might have in common ... Well, I thought of a few," Fitzgertald said in front of the huge crowd at North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday.

"I'm Black ... he was white. I'm young ... he wasn't so young."

"He lived with physical limitations brought on by war ... I'm a professional athlete."

"He ran for president ... I run out of bounds."

He was the epitome of toughness ... and I do everything I can to avoid contact."

"I have flowing locks and well ... he didn't"

Fitzgerald explains the odd pairing isn't really all that odd if you got to know McCain over the years ... "That's just who he is."

Ohio State might have lost Urban Meyer for 3 games amid the Zach Smith scandal ... but it ain't losing its top recruit -- 'cause Garrett Wilson tells TMZ Sports he's still all-in with the Buckeyes.

Wilson -- a 5-star receiver from Texas whose main OSU recruiter was Smith -- says after all the dust has settled on the drama in Columbus ... he still feels solid with his pledge.

"It was hard to hear, you know?" Wilson tells us about the serious situation at Ohio State.

"I wanted to let it all play out and now that it's all played out and I'm going to have my coach back, I feel comfortable with everything."

It's huge news for OSU because Wilson is an absolute monster on the field -- considered one of the top WRs to ever commit to the school.

Dude hauled in 96 receptions for 1,764 yards and 26 TDs as a junior last season.

He was recruited by just about every major program in the country, including Texas, Alabama and Florida State.

Garrett says he keeps in steady contact with interim coach Ryan Day daily ... and says OSU knows he's so locked in now, the conversations have shifted from the scandal to just football.

As for Zach Smith ... Garrett tells us the domestic violence allegations against the coach were "hard to hear," but Wilson did reach out to the coach to offer his support.

Peyton Manning says he really DIDN'T want to fire footballs at kids' faces during his famous 2007 "Saturday Night Live" skit -- but changed his mind when a parent begged him to peg his kid.

The sketch is pretty famous -- Peyton was spoofing his United Way ads by teaching kids how to get tattoos, steal cars and play real, hardcore park football.

But, a key part of the skit featured Peyton nailing kids in the face with footballs -- HARD -- and the QB says he was so nervous about tagging the youngsters, he almost quit the bit.

Peyton told the story at the 2018 Indianapolis Colts kickoff lunch on Wednesday -- saying he didn't feel comfortable with the scene at the time and told producers he wanted to shut it down.

But, right before they called it off, one of the parents of the child actors approached Peyton and the director and said, "I want him to hit my kid in the face!"

So, Peyton -- being a people pleaser -- said, "I will do it. I will knock your kid out."

And the rest is history ... hilarious, hilarious history.

Question: What would YOU do if your boyfriend just signed a $134 MILLION contract?!?!

Answer: POP BOTTLES LIKE A BOSS, SON!!!!

That's what Danica Patrick did Wednesday night -- after her man, Aaron Rodgers, inked the richest contract in NFL history.

Check out the custom bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades champagne -- engraved with Aaron's name -- surrounded by yellow and green balloons, Green Bay Packers colors.

Danica commented, "Big day."

Yeah, she's right.

But, Danica ain't hurting for cash either ... she reportedly made around $13 MIL of her own in 2017, according to Forbes.

By the way ... these two have been an item for nearly a year -- with Danica rolling out to his games in Green Bay and Rodgers returning the favor at her races. Aaron even came to her defense after she got grilled for her ESPYs performance last month!!

Ben Simmons, DeMarcus Cousins and Giannis Antetokounmpo were just SOME of the massive NBA stars refusing to be scared away from a video game event in NYC ... in the wake of the Florida tragedy.

The NBA stars -- along with rapper Travis Scott -- hit up the NBA 2K19 launch event at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in NYC on Wednesday night ... partying the night away while gaming it up.

The party went down less than a week after a disturbed gamer opened fire at a Madden tournament in Jacksonville, killing 2 people and injuring 11 more.

Several tournaments have either been canceled or postponed since the shooting -- but the NBA 2K19 event decided to move forward as planned.

It's a good thing too -- everyone seemed to have a great time without incident.

Just another reminder ... video games are supposed to be fun.

Before Mychal Kendricks was charged with insider trading, he sold out his ex-Philadelphia Eagles teammates to the Browns ... giving a full scouting report on the guys he played with last year.

It was all captured on HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- when defensive coordinator asked the linebacker to come up with a list of weaknesses he learned about his teammates during his time in Philly.

Kendricks didn't even hesitate -- putting together a Eagles cheat sheet like a double agent ... and then presented all of his info during a team meeting before they clashed in last week's preseason game.

Here's the info ...

"Uh, let's start with Nick Foles. Playing with Nick Foles, I realized on his long balls, his deep balls, he has like a teardrop effect. He's tall and he likes to drop that literally from the sky. So corners, and the timing's just a little slower on that ball coming in."

"86 [Zach Ertz], I think, is the best receiver on the team. Notice I said 'receiver.' When it comes to blocking, you f*cking hit his ass over and over, he doesn't want any smoke."

"Big V, Vaitai. He's so big that his size allows him to do what he does. You see, but he doesn't have the quickest feet and he's not the strongest. He doesn't trust his feet at all. You get on him, his confidence will go down."

Look, we get it ... sometimes teams will bring in players for their knowledge about their former team -- but this one felt especially snitchy.

Joseph Baena's channeling his inner Mr. Universe ... with a weightlifting routine that would make his old man proud.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son was at the gym Wednesday, and flaunted his muscles in a short vid of himself jacking up 120 lb. dumbbells on the incline press ... 4 times.

Baena doesn't quite have the bodybuilder bod yet ... but he's getting there. He's looking even more shredded than when we saw him with his smokin' hot GF around the Fourth of July.

And, speaking of Mr. Universe ... Arnold -- the winner of the 1969 competition -- JUST got reunited with his 1st place trophy a couple weeks ago after it went missing for decades.

Victor Cruz doesn't seem to be bored in his new life after football -- the recently retired NFL star spent his Wednesday night having a fancy dinner with Drake!

Cruz hung up his cleats after 6 seasons with the NY Giants -- in which he racked up 4,549 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Not a bad stint.

Cruz reportedly made close to $30 million in contract money during his career.

After he made his retirement official last week, Cruz signed a deal with ESPN to be an NFL analyst.

Fast forward to Wednesday night ... and Cruz was leaving Nobu in New York with the 6 God.

Life is good!

By the way, when he's not hanging with world-famous rap stars, Cruz is dating Karrueche Tran.

Ex-NFL star Greg Lloyd was arrested in Georgia after allegedly pulling a gun on his wife and threatening to shoot her during a domestic dispute, but Greg vehemently denies the allegations.

According to official documents -- obtained by TMZ Sports -- Greg's wife, Stephanie Lloyd, told police ... the ex-Steelers linebacker pointed a gun at her at their home on July 20, and "told me that if I f**k up I'm going to get one."

Stephanie says she managed to get in her car and leave the house -- but Greg called her on the phone and continued making threats.

"Doing stupid sh*t like this is how you end up in the morgue," Greg allegedly said.

Stephanie claims Greg insisted his gun was not loaded -- but she's scared nonetheless.

Stephanie filed for a restraining order against Greg, saying, "I have battled all types of abuse from my husband for years hoping that things would at some point get better ... I do not feel safe anymore."

Stephanie claims Greg "has a history of pointing guns at other people but this is the first time for me."

Court records show Lloyd was convicted of pointing a gun at another person back in the early 2000s. We're working on the details from that case.

53-year-old Lloyd was arrested on July 27, 2018 for felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor pointing a gun at another person, according to official records. He was released 3 days later.

Court docs also show Stephanie's restraining order was granted -- and Greg has been ordered to stay at least 200 yards away from her until August 2019.

We spoke with Lloyd, who denies any wrongdoing ... and says he'll let due process take its course.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Jones allegedly picked his GF up and threw her down ... and later kicked her during the physical altercation.

Officials say Jones' GF escaped to the elevator and attempted to call 911 ... but the Vikings WR intercepted the elevator on a lower floor and smacked the phone out of his GF's hand.

Jones then allegedly picked up the phone and fled the scene before cops arrived, according to the docs.

Cayleb was later arrested ... where he's still being held in county jail without bail.

TMZ Sports has obtained Cayleb Jones' mug shot after the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver was arrested for domestic violence on Tuesday.

The Eagan Police Dept. in Minnesota tells us, "Our preliminary investigation revealed there was a verbal altercation between Mr. Jones and a female which turned physical."

"Mr. Jones fled the scene prior to officers' arrival, but later turned himself in at the Eagan Police Dept., where he was subsequently arrested and transported to the Dakota County Jail."

Officials say the case has been kicked over to the Dakota County D.A.'s office. Prosecutors will decide if Jones will be formally charged with a crime by noon tomorrow.

In the meantime, Jones is being held without bail.

The 6'3", 209 pound WR is currently serving a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy.

He was a member of the Vikings practice squad last year and was competing for a spot on main roster this season.

Cayleb's brother Zay Jones (who plays for the Buffalo Bills) has also had a tough off-season -- he was arrested back in March for felony vandalism.

TMZ Sports had obtained footage of the incident in which you can see Cayleb trying to restrain Zay who was allegedly trying to jump out of a 30th story window at an L.A. building.

White collar crime doesn't sit well with the Browns -- the team just released linebacker Mychal Kendricks in the wake of his insider trading charges.

Kendricks has admitted to breaking federal laws by trading perks for tips in a scheme to make an ill-gotten fortune. Officials say Kendricks turned $80k into roughly $1.2 million using private information that wasn't available to the public.

Kendricks issued a public apology for his role in the scheme -- accepting blame and saying he's ready to deal with the consequences.

Those consequences could be steep -- he's facing serious prison time if convicted. And, since he's already confessed, he'll almost certainly be convicted. Clearly, the Browns want no part of his legal drama and decided to simply cut bait Wednesday.

Kendricks was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl winning team last season, and was expected to be a big part of the Browns' D in 2018.

Ex-pro tennis player Anne White says she knows how Serena Williams feels about the ban on her catsuit at the French Open .. because she went through the exact same thing back in the '80s.

White famously wore a body suit to play in Wimbledon in 1985 -- but was told during the tournament, the suit violated the dress code and she needed to change it or she couldn't continue.

She changed her outfit -- and lost the following match.

White tells TMZ Sports she felt the whole thing was sexist -- "It's kinda crazy that women aren't allowed to wear what they want to work. It's a shame."

Like Serena, Anne says her catsuit was more about function than fashion -- explaining her outfit was intended to keep her warm in the cold weather.

FYI, Serena's catsuit was custom-designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of health issues caused by blot clots.

White tells us ... she's a HUGE fan of Serena and believes tennis officials should change the rules to allow women like Williams to essentially wear whatever they want, especially if there's a legit reason.

Sorry, Clint Dempsey -- you had a great career ... but it still doesn't compare with Mia Hamm's -- so says soccer legend Alexi Lalas.

Alexi spoke with TMZ Sports after Clint hung up the cleats Wednesday ... and when we asked about greatest U.S. soccer players of all time -- Lalas told us Nomar Garciaparra's boo was better than Clint.

"You can put Mia Hamm higher than Clint Dempsey," Lalas says.

Don't feel too bad for Clint ... Lalas did have a bunch of great things to say about him when it came to MALE players -- even if he had him behind Landon Donovan in his rankings.

"If I needed a goal scored in a World Cup Final, I would go to Landon Donovan," Lalas says.

"But, if I needed someone to have my back in a bar, I'm going with Clint Dempsey."

Alexi appreciated Dempsey's care-free, on-field attitude too ... and you gotta hear the expletive-laced quote that he says sums up Clint perfectly.

Ex-Ohio State football coach Zach Smith is furious -- claiming allegations he beat his wife are wrong and he's threatening to sue the reporter who broke open the story, Brett McMurphy.

"Silence = over," Smith tweeted Wednesday ... the beginning of an angry rant directed at reporters and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith.

Smith claims McMurphy's reports about him are not only wrong -- but claims some of the images he's posted or reported on have been photoshopped.

"I am waiting for one thing that is accurate beyond a name change or photoshop session. I will see you in court you clown."

Smith also lays out his version of the "facts" -- saying:

"1. My kids are suffering because of all of this (most important)
2. I never beat my wife
3. OSU botched the investigation and worse off the 'punishment.'
4. They forced [Urban Meyer] into his statement, I hope at least... because he knows what’s real and would have never apologized.
5. President Drake is either the cause of the joke of an 'investigation' or 'punishment' or he allowed it."

Smith added, "It is very hard to be silent when falsehoods & half-truths are said about you and there is no way to defend yourself. I’ve made mistakes in my life but being a domestic abuser is not one of them! I’ll answer every question in court and under oath when the time comes & cant WAIT!"

Smith also posted a photo of his two young kids claiming they're the ones hurting the most from the scandal.

As we've previously reported, Smith was fired in July after allegedly violating a restraining order requiring him to stay away from his ex-wife.

It has since come out that Courtney called police on Zach several times over the years alleging domestic violence but he was never formally charged with a crime.

Zach has previously denied abusing Courtney, but acknowledged that things had gotten physical during heated disputes.

The biggest fight in UFC history will end in a loss for Conor McGregor -- 'cause he's NEVER fought a dude with strength like Khabib ... so says UFC star Kelvin Gastelum.

Kelvin tells TMZ Sports he's heard all about Khabib from other fighters ... and he sees no way McGregor will be able to overcome his power when they square off at UFC 229.

"Every time somebody speaks about Khabib, they tell me how strong he is and how he feels like a heavyweight once he gets a hold of you," Gastelum says.

"So, I feel like if he grabs a hold of Conor, he's never felt that kind of pressure and I think Khabib will get it done."

Kelvin's bold fight predictions didn't stop there ... 'cause he also tells us he's going to win his upcoming title bout with Robert Whittaker -- and he's even giving us the round it'll end in!!

By the way ... there's still no date set for that fight while Robert recovers from a broken hand.