TMZ Sports - Page 50

LeBron James is out ... and now the City of Cleveland has announced they're replacing the legendary banner with a new icon ... a Guardian!!!

No, not Groot. Or Rocket. Or even Mantis ... it's the Guardian of Traffic!

ALL HAIL THE TRAFFIC GOD!!

It's true -- the greatest athlete in the history of the city (maybe the world) is being subbed out for an image of the statue that overlooks traffic on the Hope Memorial Bridge.

City officials proposed the idea during a meeting early Friday morning -- claiming the statue is one of the "iconic landmarks" in town ... adding, "We all serve as guardians in terms of protecting and working within our community."

Okay, but honestly ... wouldn't you rather have Baker Mayfield or Bernie Kosar or Drew Carey?

Hell, throw Ricky Vaughn up there!

The Guardians of Traffic poster will include a slogan for the city -- "All For The Land."

And, if the guardian looks a little grainy to you -- it's 'cause the city wanted it that way ... saying it's a mosaic of "a composite of crowd-sourced images" of Clevelanders.

Immediate reaction to it hasn't been great ... with some tweeting, "Wait, is this real or a meme?"

Colin Kaepernick has another major supporter -- Miss Virginia -- who went to bat for the QB during a Miss America prelim competition on Thursday ... a prelim competition she WON!

22-year-old Emili McPhail was competing against 49 other women at night #2 in the 2019 Miss America prelims -- when she was asked how she'd advise the NFL when it comes to the kneeling issue.

"Kneeling during the national anthem is absolutely a right that you have to stand up for what you believe in, and to make the right decision that’s right for you,” McPhail said.

"It’s very important that we also have to take into consideration that it is not about kneeling: it is absolutely about police brutality."

The judges were so impressed with her answer, she was awarded the $1,000 prelim onstage question scholarship.

After the competition, McPhail talked about her answer with the Press of Atlantic City.

"I said standing up for what you believe in is the most important thing that you can do, and that’s what I did ... I was very happy to have that moment to be honest, because it’s not always easy."

Ex-UFC fighter Melvin Guillard -- who fought the likes of Nate Diaz and Justin Gaethje -- brutally attacked and KO'd a man in a Colorado bar ... and now cops are on the hunt.

TMZ Sports has obtained surveillance footage which shows the 35-year-old getting into it with several people at Bar Standard in Denver around 2 AM on Monday morning.

After some pushing and shoving, you can see Guillard -- with his trademark bleach blonde hair -- cold-cock a bar patron in the face ... knocking the guy out cold before he hit the floor.

The victim was clearly unconscious and people ran to tend to him -- while a female patron tried to attack Guillard in retaliation. Guillard hit her too.

TMZ Sports spoke with a Denver Police Dept. spokesperson who told us several witnesses were able to identify the attacker as Guillard ... and now a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Guillard was a pretty promising MMA fighter when he first started out -- appearing on "The Ultimate Fighter" season 2. He famously scored a victory against UFC stud Jeremy Stephens back in 2010.

But, he also got his ass kicked a lot ... chalking up Ls to guys like Nate Diaz, Israel Adesanya, Justin Gaethje, Michael Johnson and Donald Cerrone.

What do LeBron James, Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Simmons, Scooter Braun, Swaggy P and a bunch of yellow milk crates have in common?

They all came together -- at a skate park no less -- for an incredible photo Thursday during New York Fashion Week.

The murderer's row of sports stars and celebs were gathered for the John Elliott runway show ... the runway being the center of a skateboarding ramp.

It looks like the lineup includes Robert Englund and Maverick Carter, as well ... but we're not certain. No clue who the guy behind the fence peering in is, though.

As we reported ... stars like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Kendall Jenner and more have already flocked to NYC for Fashion Week events.

Kevin Garnett claims his former accountant helped swindle him out of $77 MILLION and now he's suing in hopes of getting some of his cash back.

The NBA star -- who reportedly made more than $343 MILLION during his NBA career -- claims his former accountant Michael Wertheim was helping a crooked wealth manager skim a fortune from his bank accounts over several years and did nothing to stop it.

In fact, Garnett claims the accountant aided wealth manager Charles A. Banks IV in the theft and should be held responsible ... according to the suit, which has been moved to federal court in Minnesota.

Garnett claims part of the diabolical plot against him involved his wealth manager and accountant trying to get him to live on a budget so they would have a greater pool of cash to steal from.

One example ... in August 2013, Garnett claims he asked his wealth manager to wire him $40,000 of his own money -- but was scolded for exceeding their budget. Meanwhile, KG claims the wealth manager took more than $2 MILLION for himself over an 8-day span.

1:52 PM PT -- In the 911 call -- obtained by TMZ -- a male caller tells emergency operators Reynolds is experiencing trouble breathing and chest pain. The caller also says Reynolds is awake but not answering questions. The call was made just after noon on Thursday.

12:54 PM PT -- Burt was cast in Quentin Tarantino's Charles Manson film, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," but a source connected to the project tells us Burt hadn't shot his scenes yet.

He was supposed to shoot for 2 days, playing George Spahn ... the owner of the ranch where the Manson Family lived and plotted the Tate-LaBianca murders. Back in June, he showed up for a table read in Hollywood with the rest of the cast, including Brad Pitt.

Burt Reynolds died of a heart attack Thursday morning at a hospital in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Reynolds was 82.

Burt was transported to a Florida hospital after going into cardiac arrest at home. His family was by his side when he passed.

Reynolds had heart problems for years -- he underwent major heart surgery in February 2010. His rep tells us Burt had appeared extremely frail recently, and was in and out of the hospital.

Burt was a star in movies and on TV -- appearing in classics like "Smokey and the Bandit," "Boogie Nights" and "The Cannonball Run."

Reynolds was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as porn director Jack Horner in "Boogie Nights" in 1997. He won the Golden Globe that year.

He's survived by his son.

Reynolds was famously married to Loni Anderson in 1988 -- but they split in 1993 in one of the nastiest breakups in Hollywood history.

He accused her of sleeping around. She accused him of physical brutality. And there were drug allegations and lots of other things. The 5-year marriage officially ended in 1993, when Burt agreed to pay Loni $234,794.13.

Reynolds refused to pay off the full bill for years -- but finally caved in 2015 ... 22 years after the divorce.

Reynolds was a star college football player -- who played at Florida State. His roommate was Lee Corso.

One of the biggest moments of Burt's career was when he posed naked for Cosmo magazine in 1972 on a bearskin rug. The photo became a national sensation. However, Burt expressed regrets about it later, saying, "It was really stupid. I don't know what I was thinking. I really wish I hadn't done that."

Burt was the #1 box office attraction for 5 solid years back in the '70s -- starring alongside iconic actresses like Jill Clayburgh, Dolly Parton, Goldie Hawn and Julie Andrews.

There is not a thing Nick Foles can do this season to take Philadelphia's starting QB job away from a healthy Carson Wentz ... so says Eagles legend Ron Jaworski.

"The Eagles have made it crystal clear their franchise quarterback is Carson Wentz," Jaws tells TMZ Sports.

"He's the guy that's going to be the quarterback for the next decade."

Of course, Foles -- who Jaws says will one day have a statue outside the Linc -- is getting the starting nod tonight against the Falcons and perhaps for even a few more games after that -- as Wentz tries to return from a torn ACL.

But ... according to Jaws -- even if Foles balls out of his mind in Wentz's stead ... there will be no QB controversy when Carson gets back.

Did you know ... ESPN's Lee Corso was Burt Reynolds' college roommate back in the day?

It's true -- the two lived together at Florida State when Burt was a member of the Seminoles football team. And, according to Lee, Burt would often help him out with the ladies!

Lee used to tell the story when talking to college athletes back in the day -- and recounted it at a football event back in 2007.

"We would send him out for bait," Corso said ... "He would go to the student union and bring two girls back. One was gorgeous and the other one was ugly."

"He always took the beautiful girl ... and gave me the ugly one."

"But, you know what I found out early? Burt Reynolds' ugly girlfriends were better than anything I could get on my own."

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks pled guilty to insider trading Thursday and now faces up to 25 years in prison.

Kendricks -- who was cut by the Browns last week after he was indicted -- appeared in a federal courtroom in Philadelphia on Thursday where he owned up to his crime when questioned by the judge.

"Because I know I was wrong," Kendricks said ... "I know that I made the decision to accept information, secret information, and it wasn't the right thing to do."

Kendricks plied a Goldman Sachs analyst with kickbacks (including cash and NFL tickets) -- and in exchange got private info that allowed him to make roughly $1.2 million in profit.

By the way, Kendricks has more than $20 MILLION in NFL contract money during his career.

Not worth it.

The NFL Network has reached a settlement with the former wardrobe stylist who claimed she was sexually harassed by several high profile network stars including Marshall Faulk.

As we previously reported, Jami Cantor sued the network in 2017 claiming she was "subjected to ongoing and continuing sexual harassment by current and former on-air talent."

Among those mentioned in her suit ... Faulk, Warren Sapp, Ike Taylor, Donovan McNabb, Heath Evans and Eric Davis.

The allegations were graphic -- Cantor claimed Faulk pulled out his genitals in front of her and asked invasive questions. She claimed some of the other men sent her sexually explicit text messages and penis pics.

In her suit, Cantor claims she complained to NFL Network execs but nothing was ever done. Instead, Cantor claims she was fired in 2016 and replaced with a much younger woman.

The network suspended Faulk, Taylor and Evans in wake of the lawsuit ... and McNabb and Davis were fired from their gigs with ESPN.

NFL Network had previously filed legal docs denying wrongdoing and suggesting Cantor consented to the misconduct ... but now, new court docs show NFL Network reached a settlement deal with Cantor and the case will be dropped.

Robert O'Neill -- the guy who killed Osama Bin Laden -- ain't joining the Nike boycott ... and says he thinks people are making too big of a deal out of Colin Kaepernick's kneeling demonstration.

The SEAL Team 6 member was out in D.C. and says he sees both sides of the argument when it comes to Kaepernick ... but at the end of the day, he ain't torching his beloved Air Jordans.

"He says it's for awareness for police brutality. I know a lot of vets are insulted. I wouldn't [kneel] personally but I'm a white guy from Montana."

"Like I always say, every time I was in handcuffs, I deserved it."

O'Neill says when it comes to the people burning their Nikes -- he thinks it's stupid ... saying they're better off donating their gear to homeless people.

His feelings don't exactly line up with another famous special forces guy -- ex-UFC fighter Tim Kennedy -- who told us his military buddies at Fort Bragg in North Carolina were fuming over the Nike ad.

Kennedy told us he would never buy Nike again.

Doesn't seem O'Neill's on the same page.

Devon Cajuste -- the breakout star of "Hard Knocks" -- says he's received real interest from other NFL teams after getting cut by the Browns ... but he's got a Plan B in case it doesn't work out.

The 25-year-old showed real promise during the HBO docuseries -- and made some solid catches in the preseason -- but was told he needed to work on his blocking.

Cajuste says teams have already reached out to him ... but not to sign him right away. They're more interested in having him in their back pocket in case there's a need for a TE later in the season.

That's okay with Devon ... he's still working out 4 hours a day -- every day -- so he can be ready when the call comes.

And, if it doesn't work out in 2018, he's prepared to play in the Spring League -- a showcase for free agents looking for an NFL team.

The good news ... Cajuste says "Hard Knocks" has done wonders for his life OFF the field -- he's been getting DMs from interested ladies and other people interested in crystal healing.

Yes, crystal healing!

Cajuste is an expert when it comes to the healing power of crystals (part of his collection was featured on the show) and now Devon says he's thinking about starting a podcast or YouTube channel dedicated to the craft.

Just because he's a Nike star now doesn't mean Colin Kaepernick is giving up on his NFL comeback ... he's still working out like a maniac in the hopes of landing a QB job.

That's according to one of Colin's close friends, Brandon Marshall -- who tells TMZ Sports he just spoke with CK and his sites are definitely still set on the NFL.

"I talked to him today and yesterday," the Denver Broncos linebacker told us Wednesday night ... "He's in high spirits. He's excited."

We also know Kaep's been working with a personal trainer for months. Remember, he was out throwing passes back in March and we're told that's still part of his training regimen.

Marshall and Kaepernick were teammates and fraternity brothers at the University of Nevada Reno -- and Marshall participated in Kaep's kneeling demonstration.

"It's like really historic what he's doing," Marshall said about his friend ... referencing Kaep's collusion lawsuit against the NFL and the impact he's having on social justice issues.

Marshall says he's spoken with other NFL players about Kaep -- and they're overwhelmingly supportive of the QB in his fight against inequality AND in his lawsuit.

Marshall also gave a special message for his friend -- "Keep fighting for what you believe in man. Keep going. You're doing everything you believe is right."

Nike didn't just embrace Colin Kaepernick because of his views ... its market research was clear -- the race, age and political views of most Nike customers are in sync with the new ad campaign.

Sources with direct knowledge of Nike's demographics have given TMZ an inside look into the company, and it paints a clear picture of consumers who generally support Kaepernick's protest.

African American, Hispanics and Asians are more strongly represented in Nike's consumer base than they are in the U.S. population.

For example, the company's market research shows 13% of Americans identify as African American, yet 18% of Nike buyers are black. Hispanics account for 16% of the population, but represent 19% of Nike buyers. And, Asians account for 3% of the population, but 5% of Nike customers.

Caucasians are under-represented in the Nike world. The white population in the U.S. is 75% -- but they comprise only 67% of Nike's customers. And, of those, Nike believes a very large percentage, especially young whites, support Colin.

BTW ... the percentages don't add up to 100, because some people in the company's marketing research identify as more than one race.

As for age ... according to Nike's stats, 18 to 34-year-olds comprise 30% of the U.S. population, but they represent a whopping 43% of Nike buyers. On the other hand, people 65 and older account for 19% of the population, but represent only 6% of Nike customers.

Now politics ... Nike consumers are 7% less likely to be Republicans than the general population, and 3% more likely to be Democrats.

Short story ... Nike made a big statement by its new Kaepernick ad campaign, but the people most likely to protest are outside the company's sweet spot.

That said, there was a bonus for Nike ... numbers aside, we're told they wanted a campaign promoting social change that current and future athletes would embrace.

Lil Rel Howery has a question for all the people boycotting Nike over the Colin Kaepernick ad -- where were you during the Nike sweatshop scandals?!?!

The funnyman -- and star of "Rel" -- tells TMZ Sports he thinks it's "crazy" that people are wasting their money by burning Nike products ... and finds it interesting that CK was the issue to set them off.

"They didn't burn they stuff when they said Nike was using sweatshops," Rel said.

Background ... Nike has been accused of using sweatshops since the '90s -- but began auditing its factories in 2002.

But, Rel says he's a BIG fan of Nike's new ad campaign with Kaep -- "I think it's a dope promotion man. Nike's doing a good job of not just dealing with athletes, just dope people."

There's no doubt in Metta World Peace's mind that LeBron will bring a title to the Lakers ... 'cause he's telling TMZ Sports it's already been pre-written by the basketball gods!!

"He's destined," Metta says. "You can tell when somebody is chosen basketball-wise. You can tell."

Of course ... Metta's crystal ball is a little cloudy when it comes to the date LBJ will win one -- 'cause the ex-NBA superstar says he sees the Warriors taking home a few more 'ships first.

"I think Kevin Durant will three-peat," World Peace says. "I think Kevin Durant might four-peat, quite honestly."

As for if K.D. will ever team up with 'Bron in L.A. -- World Peace runs out of predictions there.