TMZ Sports - Page 50

NFL rookie Jordan Davis impressed the hell out of his Eagles teammates at training camp -- but it didn't happen on a football field -- the first-round draft pick sang his ass off to a Rick James classic ... during a performance in front of the whole team!

The impressive performance was caught on video Thursday ... when the 13th overall pick out of Georgia hit the stage at Eagles' camp at Lincoln Financial Field for his rookie performance ... when the vets force you to perform on stage.

Most guys aren't any good ... but the 6'6", 340 lb. defensive tackle isn't most. Dude has pipes.

His song choice? The 1978 Rick James classic "Mary Jane" ... and Davis hit all the notes, high and low, including the "Do ya? Do ya? Do ya?" part ... and his teammates were lit!

Now, rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean's performance didn't hit the same ... but it was still hilarious!

Dean -- 3rd round pick also out of Georgia -- chose Fantasia's "When I See You" from 2007 ... and even though he was off-key at times, the team found it humorous.

The rookies do this every year at Eagles camp (and so do most other teams). Remember, Jalen Hurts was booed during his performance when he attempted to sing "Before I Let Go" by Frankie Beverly And Maze.

The Congressional Baseball Game -- the annual event in D.C. set up to benefit charities -- was anything but chummy on Thursday night, at least for a few moments, 'cause a Democratic lawmaker flipped off a bench full of Republicans, and didn't seem to mean it in a joking way.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, a Democrat from California, unloaded the single-barrel salute in the sixth inning of the game at Nationals Park as she was pulled from the bases for a pinch runner.

No word on what apparently upset her ... but you can see in video of the incident, as she was leaving the diamond to head back to her dugout, she looked at Republican lawmakers and then fired off the offensive gesture.

She has yet to publicly comment on it all.

Outside of the stadium, there was drama too -- multiple protestors were arrested after they blocked an entrance to the park.

Several protestors, meanwhile, ended up making their way inside the venue, and ultimately unfurled a banner that read, "They play ball while the world burns.”

As for the action on the field, there were far less fireworks there ... as the Republicans dominated the game, winning a laugher, 10-0.

The Kyler clause is officially no more.

After days of backlash following the reveal of a "do your homework" addendum the Arizona Cardinals added to Kyler Murray's massive, new contract -- the team has officially removed it, saying it created way too much of a distraction for the QB and the org.

"It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended," the Cardinals said in a statement announcing the removal of the clause on Thursday night.

"Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract."

If you missed it -- inside of Murray's new, huge $230 MILLION deal was very strange language that obligated the 24-year-old signal-caller to, among other things, study film for four hours a week.

The verbiage seemed to imply that the team was having trouble getting Kyler to put in the bare minimum in the film room -- and it created a firestorm on social media.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud, Murray felt the need to hold an impromptu press conference on Thursday to explain he does actually work hard off the field and the addendum was not necessary.

Hours later, the Cards scrapped the whole thing from the Murray deal -- saying, "After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract."

WWE legend Ric Flair isn't mincing his words when it comes to his feelings on the retirement of Vince McMahon ... outright saying he hates it!

76-year-old McMahon retired last week after decades as Chairman and CEO of WWE ... so when Nature Boy joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airing weeknights on FS1) this week, we asked him if his former boss should've stayed on the job.

"Yes, I think he's one of a kind and I've said this," Flair tells us, adding Vince has made a lot of careers thanks to his genius.

"He's made so many people rich and he's literally has made chicken salad out of a lot of chicken s**t. Mojo knows what I'm talking about. He's made a lot of people rich."

Flair went on to say he doesn't condone the allegations against McMahon (Vince is being investigated by a law firm hired by WWE for allegedly paying off several former female employees with whom he allegedly had relationships).

"I mean they're just trying to murder him now and who knows and all. I'm certainly not defending anything that's negative and I'm not taking a side on the issue that apparently has been brought up but I know as a person and what he did for me, there's nobody like him."

As for the future of the world's top wrestling organization (McMahon bought the company from his dad in 1982), Flair says the company is in great hands with Vince's daughter and current WWE executive, Stephanie McMahon.

"I think Stephanie's a genius!"

As for Ric, it's a huge week for the 2x WWE Hall of Famer ... on Sunday, Flair will enter the squared circle as a competitor for the last time in his incredible career.

Some retired players go into coaching, others broadcasting ... but when Dwight Howard finally hangs up the J's, the NBA star has a future as a WWE Superstar, if he wants it, 'cause the 7 footer just showed up to a WWE tryout and cut an incredible promo.

TMZ Sports has video of the 36-year-old 8x NBA All-Star crashing tryouts in Nashville (WWE's in TN for SummerSlam) ... where he went all out on stage in front of Triple H and other company execs.

Howard channeled Sho'nuff (whom he was previously for Halloween) -- the bad guy from the 1985 movie "The Last Dragon" -- and he killed it!

Dwight, a big-time pro wrestling fan, is buddies with WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil, so Howard decided to hop on a flight to Tennessee ... to catch some big-time wrestling matches.

While a bunch of college athletes are in town trying out, we're told Dwight was just having some fun (he isn't ready for basketball retirement just yet). But, that doesn't mean you won't see him in the ring sometime in the future.

"I think it is something in my future. I love the WWE. I love wrestling," Howard told Arash Markazi.

"I'm grateful and thankful for this opportunity to be here and just witness this whole thing, tryouts, and everything. Hopefully one day in the future, I'll actually be in the ring, wrestling and holding up a belt."

And, it sounds like the feeling's mutual ... a source from WWE told us "the promo was a good start!"

Zion Williamson's new contract is coming with some hefty demands -- the NBA star will reportedly have to maintain a certain weight and body fat percentage, or will risk losing some of his guaranteed money.

Williamson inked a 5-year extension worth up to $231 million to stay with the New Orleans Pelicans this off-season ... but there's a big catch.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com says some of that money could be yanked from his pockets if certain health stipulations aren't met.

The report states the 22-year-old will submit to weigh-ins throughout his contract to ensure the sum of his weight and body fat percentage stays below 295 ... and if he doesn't, he'll literally pay for it.

Williamson's weight has become an issue since going #1 overall to the Pels in 2019 ... and the former Duke star has only been able to play in 85 career games due to injury.

Williamson is currently training like a madman to get back to 100% in 2022-23 ... which also includes switching up his diet, according to reports.

Crazy scene at the Tour de France Femmes on Thursday ... when a crash resulted in a huge pile-up during Stage 5 of the event, requiring one rider to be taken away in an ambulance.

It all went down with about 28 miles left in the race -- when two riders made contact with each other ... causing them to wipe out.

The crash sparked a domino effect, with 30 riders getting tied up in the crowd.

Somehow, most riders were eventually able to get back up and finish the stage, but Movistar's Emma Norsgaard required further medical attention and was taken away from the scene in an ambulance.

Several other riders required assistance with minor injuries after completing the stage.

Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM ended up winning the stage ... beating out Elisa Balsamo and current leader Marianne Vos in the tight race.

Lamar Odom says his former management team is refusing to turn over access to his social media accounts ... and now he's calling them out.

Lamar says he changed managers recently but claims his old team has highjacked his social media pages and he's telling his old handlers to do the right thing and stop posting as him.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Lamar left his old management July 19 and asked them through his attorney for all the login info for his Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages, but still doesn't have access.

We're told Lamar's old management changed all his passwords back in the day and Lamar doesn't know any of the login information ... and his former team has not released any of his accounts back to him, continuing to post as if it is him.

Our sources say Lamar has deals with companies where he's required to post on social media, but he can't do so right now and is losing about $8,000 per post.

We're told Lamar has about 15 deals right now ... including car, weed and clothing companies, plus restaurants, hotels and beverage lines ... but he's not able to promote them on social media.

Our sources say Lamar and his new team are working with Meta Legal to gain access back to his accounts, working on reaching reps at TikTok and Twitter as well.

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers certainly don't appear to need any more magic on the field -- but just in case they do, Mike Evans clearly has them covered!!

The star wideout unveiled at Tampa Bay training camp practice on Thursday that he got yet another Harry Potter tattoo recently on his body ... showing off new wizard ink on his calf.

The piece features Daniel Radcliffe -- lightning scar and all -- staring with a fierce expression on his face.

The Bucs posted a pic of it -- and Evans laughed about it, captioning it with a funny quote from Harry and Hermione.

"Hermione -- 'she's only interested in you because she thinks you're the chosen one,'" Evans wrote. "HP -- 'but I am the chosen one.'"

Evans has made it clear over the years he's a MASSIVE HP fan ... this is at least his second Potter tat -- he previously got the Deathly Hallows symbol inked on his elbow.

The 28-year-old also had a Harry-themed cake at his wedding back in 2016 -- and has called the films ... the greatest of all time.

Ric Flair had a lot to WOOOOOO about Thursday ... the WWE legend showed up to Tennessee Titans training camp, and Derrick Henry and the squad were pumped!

The Nature Boy is in Nashville for the last wrestling match of his esteemed career ... so when 73-year-old Flair received an invite to camp, he pulled up, and spent some time with the players.

Of course, Naitch broke the team down ... to a bunch of woooooo's!

Flair told reporters at Saint Thomas Sports Park his favorite player is on the Titans, so when the invite came in, he wasn't going to say no.

"My favorite player in the NFL right now is Derrick Henry," Flair said. "Hated him at Alabama but I love him here."

Flair continued to sing the praises of the guy many consider the best back in the league.

"I didn't realize he had that speed. I didn't see that in college."

Ric even compared him to a future Hall of Famer.

"Yeah I mean 2,000 yards [a year] -- think about it. That puts him in the same class as Adrian Peterson. That's big-time stuff."

Henry also talked to reporters, telling them it was "pretty cool" to have Flair at practice ... 'cause Ric's someone Derrick used to watch on TV as a kid.

"He's a legend in the WWE world," Henry said.

"I watched him on TV growing up for a long time so it's surreal to meet people like him and come out here and let 'em talk to us after practice."

Flair's 'Last Match' goes down on July 31 ... where Ric will team up with his son-in-law, Andrade, and take on Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.

Horrifying moment in the Marlins vs. Reds game Thursday afternoon ... Miami pitcher Daniel Castano was drilled in the head by a 104 MPH line drive, but somehow, he appears to be OK.

The terrifying scene just happened in the bottom of the first inning at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati ... when Castano threw a slider to Donovan Solano.

The Reds third baseman smacked the ball violently ... and it made a beeline straight for Castano's face.

Thankfully, Castano was able to turn away enough to avoid getting hit near the eye area -- and the ball popped off his head and his teammate was able to record the out.

The 27-year-old lefty stayed down on the mound for several moments as trainers raced to his aid, but he was able to walk off under his own power.

In between innings, Marlins manager Don Mattingly appeared to tell an umpire that Castano had avoided serious injury, explaining the ball appeared to mostly hit the brim of the pitcher's cap.

Miami, though, has yet to officially release an update on his status.

Grab a tissue ... you may need it!

Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett literally brought a young boy to tears (happy ones!) when he signed a football for the kid, and the sweet moment was caught on video!

It all went down at Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania on Wednesday ... where the Steelers are holding training camp.

The clip starts with 24-year-old Pickett -- a first-round draft pick out of the University of Pittsburgh -- meeting a bunch of Steelers fans and signing autographs. One of the fans was a young boy named Phillip ... who couldn't contain his emotions.

"I appreciate you," Pickett said while tapping the kid's head ... and that's when the young boy broke down in tears.

"He's crying 'cause he was scared to even meet you," the woman said.

Phillip tried to keep it together, but couldn't ... so Pickett consoled him while signing his football.

"You alright, man?" the 24-year-old signal-caller asked, "Happy times! Happy times!"

Then, Pickett and Phillip dapped each other up ... as nearby fans cheered for the boy.

It's dope to see Pickett get this level of love before playing a single snap for the black and gold ... but he's a familiar face in Pennsylvania.

Tsudoi Miyazaki -- a Japanese triathlete and aspiring Olympian -- was tragically killed on Wednesday after she was struck by a car while training on her bike in France.

She was only 25.

The terrible incident happened near Orleans (almost two hours south of Paris) where Miyazaki was staying for a triathlon training camp at an overseas base, according to the Triathlon website.

Miyazaki was out riding on her bike for practice when she was hit by a car ... and sadly, she did not survive the accident.

"World Triathlon and the Japan Triathlon Union want to offer our deepest condolences to Ms. Miyazaki family, friends, coaches and teammates," the org. said in a statement.

"The thoughts of all the Triathlon Family are with you all in these terrible times."

This deadly accident comes just days after Miyazaki competed in the Pontevedra World Cup in Spain -- in fact, her last IG post was about the race and how she "hadn't reached my level yet!"

"It was a good experience and I hope it doesn't end, and I'm going to use what I feel next," Miyazaki said in the caption.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the challenge. Thank you for your support."

During her career -- which started when she was in college -- Miyazaki won the Japan U23 Triathlon Championships in 2019 and was aiming to make it to the 2024 Olympics in Paris and 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The crash is under investigation by the French authorities.

Donald Trump just teed off in the LIV Golf pro-am with Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau ... hitting the fairway with his opening drive.

Trump hit the course with the golf superstars -- kicking off the big event, which is going down at his Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Donald didn't seem to be nervous about playin' alongside some of the best in the world -- he piped his drive so well, he didn't even need to see its ball flight, immediately reaching for his tee after giving it a ride.

According to reporters on the scene, Trump's ball landed comfortably in the fairway -- setting the 76-year-old up for an easy second shot.

"Glad that's over with," Trump joked after hitting his ball.

Trump, DeChambeau and Johnson will also be playing alongside Eric Trump for Thursday's round.

The event will also feature a bunch of other celebs and athletes -- most notably Caitlyn Jenner, Charles Barkley, Chris Harrison and Brian Urlacher.

Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski is out of Tampa ... but future Hall of Famer Julio Jones is in -- and Tom Brady's wasting no time using him, already throwing TD passes his way!!

TB12 and his new wideout hooked up for six for the first time ever at Buccaneers practice on Thursday -- and video from the field shows the duo sure made scoring look easy.

Jones, rocking #85 after signing with Tampa on Wednesday, ran a slick corner route, and Brady dropped him a dime that Jones eventually snagged while deep in the endzone.

Even though defenders weren't on the field yet -- fans in attendance went crazy, 'cause Jones' raw athleticism -- and Brady's pinpoint accuracy -- oozed during the play.

The 33-year-old receiver reportedly picked Tampa over a slew of other teams this week due to the big-time odds of winning a Super Bowl this season.

Formula One superstar Sebastian Vettel just announced the 2022 season will be his last ... saying it's time for him to retire and be with his loved ones.

The 35-year-old German driver shared the news in a poetic video on Instagram ... saying, "At the end of the year, I want to take some more time to reflect on what I will focus on next. It is very clear to me that, being a father, I want to spend more time with my family."

"But, today is not about saying goodbye. Rather, it is about saying thank you -- to everyone -- not least to the fans, without whose passionate support Formula 1 could not exist."

Vettel won four-straight championships with Red Bull from 2010-13 ... and has also suited up for Toro Rosso, Ferrari, and most recently Aston Martin -- securing 53 career wins over 15 seasons.

There had been much speculation about the driver's future, as his contract is up at the end of 2022. Now, the talk can be put to rest.

"Committing to my passion the way I did and the way I think it is right, does no longer go side by side with my wish to be a great father and husband," Vettel added. "The energy it takes to become one with the car and the team, to chase perfection takes focus and commitment."

"My goals have shifted from winning races and fighting for championships to seeing my children grow, passing on my values, helping them up when they fall, listening to them when they need me."

The announcement was Vettel's first-ever social media post ... and the whole thing is powerful.