TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," is getting a new routine ... and TMZ has a glimpse into his life in federal lockdown.

Jerry is about a month into his 12-year prison sentence in his child pornography case. He was recently transferred to a federal prison in Oklahoma City, where his daily life will be a huge culture shock.

Jerry's going to need to find a new way to stay active, because the only fitness opportunities are basketball, handball, walking and lifting weights.

Other ways to pass the time include hobby craft programs, board and card games, group discussion, letter writing and TV viewing ... but the inmates don't get to pick what's on the tube.

Jerry's got a new bedtime too ... lights go out at 11:30 PM on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends ... but there's no sleeping in ... he's gotta be dressed and out of his cell by 6 AM.

It's unlikely Jerry will make many friends on the inside ... guys who plead guilty to child porn aren't exactly welcomed by other inmates ... but he can see visitors on weekends and federal holidays.

Jerry's also hanging up the cheer uniform for standard prison garb, which he's got to wear from 6 AM to 4 PM during the week.

Outside those hours, he can wear clothes purchased through approved channels. Oh and he's getting a new barber too, one of his fellow inmates.

Newly crowned interim UFC Flyweight champion Brandon Moreno tells TMZ Sports his highly anticipated 4th fight with champ Deiveson Figueiredo -- where they'll unify the belts -- is the biggest fight in the history of the 125 lb. division.

And, it's not even really up for debate.

We talked to the 28-year-old fighter on Wednesday, and asked him about the significance of the fight.

"Man, tell me another example [of a bigger fight], please. The 4 fights between Figueiredo and I is the biggest one, easily. Tell me the second place," Brandon told us.

It's hard to think of a more anticipated fight. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo fought twice ... and Cejudo's win over Mighty Mouse in 2018 was improbable and thrilling. But, as legendary as both fighters are, Brandon and Deiveson's rivalry is just different.

In fact, just a few years ago, the division was in jeopardy of being scrapped altogether. Now, it features arguably the best current rivalry in MMA.

Speaking of those fights, Brandon and Deiveson already fought three times ... each man has one win. The first and third fights were incredibly close.

UFC 256, Dec. 2020, Draw
UFC 263, Jun 2021, Moreno won, submission via rear naked choke
UFC 270, Jan 2022, Figueiredo won, unanimous decision

Fast forward to last Saturday in Dallas, TX. After Moreno defeated Kai Kara-France with a perfectly placed liver kick to capture the interim title, Brandon and Deiveson came face-to-face in the Octagon.

But, despite a lot of s**t talk in the past, the men kept it respectful ... and that's the way BM says it'll stay.

"I understand I had the opportunity to make more drama, but it's not my way. I understand the business I'm in, I'm trying to entertain the people, but I'm entertaining people with my fight. I'm done with the drama, with all the bad feelings."

Royals pitcher Amir Garrett lost his cool during a game Tuesday night -- throwing his drink on a fan who he says had been heckling him.

The shocking incident happened at some point during K.C.'s 9-2 loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... when Garrett had clearly heard enough from a fan who he claims chirped him on his way into the dugout.

Video shows as Garrett was heading down the steps to take a seat on his team's bench -- he stopped to engage in an argument with a man in a gray T-shirt.

Suddenly, Garrett reared back and tossed what appeared to be water on the fan -- hitting a young kid with the liquid nearby as well.

Following the game, the 30-year-old reliever explained the interaction on his Twitter page ... saying the fan had "disrespected" him.

"Listen the disrespect is insane in these parks," Garrett said. "I really wish I could go to someone’s work and run my mouth. These are grown men talking slick. How miserable do you have to be with your own life?"

A person claiming to be the fan on Twitter said the altercation happened because he told Garrett that he "stunk" and that another player was better than him.

No word on if either Garrett or the fan will be punished ... the Royals and White Sox have yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Aaron Rodgers believes it is possible to make amends with his estranged family one day ... saying he's truly grateful for his upbringing and holds no resentment over how things played out.

The Green Bay Packers superstar had a messy falling out with his parents and two brothers several years ago ... and his separation from the family was famously covered during Jordan's appearance on "The Bachelorette" in 2016, despite the cause of the rift remaining a mystery.

Rodgers is now opening up about where things stand with his fam ... and he says the relationship is not permanently severed.

"I do believe in healing and I believe in the possibility of reconciliation at some point," Rodgers said on the "Aubrey Marcus Podcast" this week. "But, it's a different journey for all of us, and to judge on the outside about what should be or what it should look like, or who's wrong or who's right is just a game I've never wanted to play and still don't want to play."

"The most important thing for me is deep love and gratitude for them, and for the lessons I learned, and for the way I was raised, and hope for the future," he added.

"But, who knows what that future is gonna look like, when it's gonna look like, when time is gonna come."

"But, I have no bitterness in my heart. I have no resentment," Rodgers continued. "I just have deep love and appreciation for the lessons that I learned, and the fact that if I hadn't been raised that way -- all the good and all the frustrating -- there's no way I'd be sitting here today."

While Rodgers had previously stated he spent time "with my folks" for his birthday in 2018, it was reported as recently as January 2022 that he still does not speak with his family.

First, he learned to dunk like Dad -- then he got inked up like Pops, too!!!

Bronny James -- the oldest son of LeBron James -- just got his first-ever tattoo this week ... and he looked super happy with how the body art turned out.

No word on what the 17-year-old got permanently inscribed on his skin -- but it seems he got a few tats during the session, including some on his neck and his wrists.

The tattoo artist who did the work, Ganga, said on Instagram he got LeBron's blessing to do the tats -- adding that he was grateful for the opportunity.

"I made the first tattoo for @bronny," the artist said. "thank you very much for the trust, @kingjames 👑 much love fam ❤️"

Of course, the Lakers superstar is familiar with the tattoo needle -- he's got ink all over his body ... and he even recently allowed Ganga to draw on his upper thigh area as well.

Deshaun Watson could be suspended for more than 6 games after all ... the NFL announced Wednesday it is appealing Monday's initial ruling.

The league had three days to decide if it would appeal Sue L. Robinson's choice to only ban Watson for six games, and after using nearly every allotted hour, The Shield revealed it will now do it.

According to a statement from the league, the appeal will either be heard by commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Goodell or his designee will then "issue a written decision that will constitute final disposition of the dispute and is binding."

It is expected that this will mean Watson will serve a ban longer than six games.

In fact, famed business and legal analyst Andrew Brandt told "TMZ Live" on Tuesday he expected that if the league appealed the suspension, it would not only increase the ban, but would also tag on a "big fine."

As we reported, Robinson initially handed down the suspension after she ruled the 26-year-old QB had been sexually inappropriate with multiple female massage therapists.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka and her rapper boyfriend, Cordae, are going stronger than ever and have NOT broken up ... despite reports claiming otherwise.

The rumors began to swirl on social media this week ... when one blog stated the two 24-year-olds had called it quits.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ Sports the Japanese pro and "Chronicles" MC are actually doing better than ever ... and they're most definitely still "happily in love."

In fact, we're told Cordae and NO have been spending even more time together recently ... which makes the initial report even more of a head-scratcher.

As we previously reported, the duo first started going public with their relationship in 2019 ... and have been each other's biggest supporters during album releases and tennis matches.

Speaking of, Cordae is fresh off a buzzing performance at Lollapalooza ... and Osaka just made her first return to the court since May, winning her first-round match of the Silicon Valley Classic.

Osaka said after the match she was "really happy" to be back on the court ... so it sounds like everything's going well for the superstar.

NBA player Iman Shumpert was arrested for having a "sizeable" amount of marijuana in his backpack at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport on Saturday ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to the police report, officers responded to a potential drug violation call around 2:40 PM ... after TSA screeners found a plastic bag filled with a "green leafy substance" in Shumpert's bag, which he admitted was weed.

Cops say the substance weighed 6.12 ounces and tested positive for marijuana using a mobile test.

The report adds 32-year-old Shumpert -- who was set to board a Delta plane to Los Angeles at 3 PM -- expressed concern about missing his trip to visit his daughter ... but the responding officer informed him he would not be making that flight, as he was being placed under arrest for marijuana possession.

The report says the 2016 NBA champ was then placed in handcuffs and transported to the airport jail without incident.

The charge is classified as a "State Jail Felony" ... meaning Shumpert could face up to two years behind bars and a $10K fine, if convicted.

Cops also claim Shumpert -- who also won Season 30 of "Dancing With The Stars" -- had a Glock magazine and 14 9mm rounds in his bag ... although he didn't have a gun.

Shumpert last played for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020-21 ... and has also suited up for the Knicks, Cavaliers, Kings and Rockets over his decade-long career. He's averaging 7.2 points a game in his career.

Cardinals star Marquise "Hollywood" Brown spent his Wednesday morning in jail instead of getting ready for training camp practice ... TMZ Sports has confirmed he was arrested not long before the workout began.

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Brown was stopped on State Route 101 in north Phoenix at around 7:05 AM, and was arrested for criminal speeding.

Bart Graves, a DPS spokesperson, tells us as of 10:30 AM, Brown was still in custody.

No further details surrounding the arrest were revealed.

Brown, who's been battling a hamstring injury this offseason, had been expected to be eased back into practice this week.

"We are aware of the situation regarding Hollywood Brown and have reported it to the NFL office as required," the Cardinals said in a statement. "We will comment further as appropriate."

Brown was just traded to the Cardinals back in April -- after starring for the Baltimore Ravens from 2019 to 2021.

Story developing ...

Former Houston Rocket Vernon Maxwell is opening up about a wild confrontation he had with Hakeem Olajuwon during halftime of a game back in the day ... saying police drew guns on him after he tried to stab "The Dream" during the heated altercation.

The 2x-NBA champ made the startling revelation on Gilbert Arenas' podcast, "No Chill With Gilbert Arenas" ... where he recalled his encounter with the Hall of Famer which nearly turned fatal.

Maxwell says the crazy incident started as he and Olajuwon walked back to the locker room at halftime. Vernon was pissed his teammates weren't feeding him the ball, compromising his numbers for the game.

Vernon and Hakeem exchanged words in the tunnel en route back to the locker room ... and once there, Maxwell says Olajuwon slapped him in his face.

"I said, 'God damn, this motherf***er slapped the s**t out of me,'" Maxwell said. "That motherf***er hit me so hard, man, [he] knocked me out the chair."

"I jumped up, grabbed my chair, and throwed it at [that] motherf***er, bust the glass in the locker room. Everybody running out. Police come in with the guns drawn, like 'what the hell goin' on in here?'"

"Damn, they got the guns on me at a professional halftime. At a professional game," he continued.

Maxwell -- who played 6 seasons on the Rockets with Olajuwon -- says had the police not barged in to break up the mayhem, he was going to "chase Dream and stab the s**t out of him."

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and Vernon and Hakeem went on to maintain a civil relationship ... and after becoming Muslim, Dream even talked to VM about converting religions.

The tributes for the late Vin Scully will continue on all day Wednesday -- TMZ Sports has learned the MLB is asking all of its teams to participate in league-wide moments of silence throughout its afternoon and evening slate of games.

Our MLB sources say the moments of remembrance for Vin -- who sadly died on Tuesday at 94 years old -- will take place prior to every contest played on Wednesday.

The first is expected to happen in just a few minutes, before the Blue Jays take on the Rays in Florida. The last, fittingly, is scheduled to go down just prior to when the Dodgers play the Giants at around 6:45 PM PT in San Francisco.

Of course, the tributes almost certainly won't stop there -- because people have been paying homage to the legendary sports broadcaster since news of his death broke on Tuesday evening.

Dodgers fans made a makeshift memorial for Scully at Dodger Stadium -- and athletes and celebs all over have remembered the iconic storyteller on their social media pages.

Scully began calling games in 1950 -- and didn't stop until he retired in 2016. He's regarded as perhaps the greatest baseball broadcaster ever.

Notorious is going Hollywood -- UFC superstar Conor McGregor will be making his acting debut in a remake of the '80s classic movie, "Road House" ... starring alongside huge names like Jake Gyllenhaal!!

The project is set to be a reimagining of the Patrick Swayze-led 1989 flick ... with Gyllenhaal playing a UFC fighter-turned-bar bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the former featherweight and lightweight champ will have a part in the Prime Video project, which will be his first feature film.

Of course, 34-year-old McGregor has a ton of business ventures out of the Octagon ... but we're told the new career move does not mean he's done competing.

"Conor McGregor is very excited to expand his storied career to Hollywood and join with Jake Gyllenhaal in this reimagining of 'Road House', a beloved classic," Conor's rep, Karen J. Kessler, tells us.

"While fighting remains his top focus, this is the beginning of another successful venture in the McGregor empire."

"He is eager to get started filming."

Deadline reports the project -- directed by Doug Liman -- will also star Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Lukas Gage, Hannah Love Lanier ... as well as other notable actors.

The outlet says McGregor got wind of the interest in having him involved ... and after checking out the original, he took a meeting with producer Joel Silver.

McGregor apparently loved what he heard about the vision for the flick ... and quickly signed on to show off his acting chops.

It's become quite a natural transition for UFC fighters to make it in Hollywood -- as we recently reported, Kamaru Usman will be in the new "Black Panther" movie this November ... and Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre, and more have also made it to the silver screen.

Tom Brady turned 45 today ... and the star QB's wife, Gisele, made sure to shout out her man on his special day, reminding him he's loved as he celebrates another year of life!!

Gisele -- who's been married to Tom since 2009 -- took to Instagram to pen the romantic post to her 7x Super Bowl-winning hubby QB ... posting a photo of Brady in his Bucs uni with two of his three children.

"Happy birthday to one of the most focused, disciplined, and fashionable person I know! @tombrady" Gisele wrote on social media.

"You are so loved and we are always here cheering for you and wishing you all the most wonderful things in life! ❤️"

Tom and Gisele have been one of the most powerful and well-known couples in sports and entertainment for quite some time now, and Bundchen has always made sure to support him.

Of course, Tom's super focused on the NFL season ahead ... but it's nice to see Gisele took the time to publicly show her appreciation for him.

Happy Birthday, Tom!!

"SlamBall is back, baby!"

That's Mason Gordon, founder of SlamBall -- basketball mixed with football and MMA on big trampolines -- announcing to TMZ Sports ... the sport is returning in 2023!

"There have been all kinds of people clamoring for SlamBall to come back. There has been #BringBackSlamBall media, viewed over 200 million times in the last 12 months. So, I'm ready to announce next summer, 2023, SlamBall is coming back, live!"

If you haven't seen a SlamBall game, it's pretty damn awesome. Huge air, big hits ... it's great. And, that's why so many people waited for this day, including Celtics star Jayson Tatum, a SlamBall fan.

Gordon says he's had endless opportunities over the years to bring the game back, but he didn't want to do it until all the conditions were perfect for making a return.

"We've gotten opportunities pretty much every couple of months, there will be an opportunity to bring SlamBall back in some form. My partners and I have always looked at it and said, 'we're not gonna come back until the market conditions are like really optimal,' and the alternate sports marketplace is on fire."

Gordon and his partners felt it was the perfect time to strike ... especially since kids are decreasingly watching entire 3-hour sporting events.

"SlamBall just kind of fits the bill. They're 20-minute games. Television half hours. People obviously have really gravitated to the action, and it's this incredible mash-up between basketball, football, hockey, little bit of gymnastics, little bit of video games, that's just SlamBall."

SlamBall was built for social media -- and when it comes to the TV side of things, Gordon has a secret weapon -- producer/director Mike Tollin is a partner on the project ... the man behind "The Last Dance" and "The Captain," amongst many others.

Great update from "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan ... the wrestling legend just completed radiation treatment for cancer -- and celebrated by ringing the bell at the facility.

The 68-year-old made the announcement with an IG video -- just weeks after his cancer returned from a previous battle in 2021.

Duggan revealed in May he had to do 8 weeks of radiation treatment ... and as of this week, he's finally done with the grueling process.

"For eight weeks I've been coming by looking at this bell, listening to the other folks come by and ringing the bell and looking forward to it," Duggan said in the video.

"So out of respect, I'm not going to do no big 'hoo' in here, but when we get outside you better believe there's some 'hooing' ... But right now, after eight weeks, here we go, tough guy!"

Duggan also thanked the medical staff, his family, and his fans for holding him down through it all.

"I want to thank my wife and my daughters who stuck with me through all of this, but most of all, I want to thank you folks out there that have been able to share this, and you guys shared your stuff with me."

As we previously reported, Duggan battled cancer in 2021 and needed multiple procedures, including removing his prostate. He was declared cancer-free in December 2021 before it returned in May.

Droves of baseball fans eschewed early bedtimes Tuesday night to head out to Dodger Stadium to pay homage to Vin Scully hours after the legend died -- building a makeshift memorial for the former broadcaster while mourning his passing.

Several people lit candles and dropped off trinkets at L.A.'s ballpark -- which, fittingly, sits on Vin Scully Ave. -- well into the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Fans wrote notes, hugged each other ... and even cried -- as they remembered Scully, who passed away at 94 years old at his Hidden Hills home earlier Tuesday.

Others around the globe took to social media to pay tribute to the longtime voice of the Dodgers -- LeBron James wrote a sweet note on his Twitter page, while Magic Johnson also tweeted out an emotional message about Scully as well.

"Vin was the nicest & sweetest man outside of the booth & was beloved by all of our Dodgers family," Johnson said.

"He was just as popular as any Dodger player. His legacy will live on throughout Major League Baseball & he will be remembered as the greatest announcer ever in MLB history. Cookie and I are praying for the entire Scully family and Dodgers fans all around the world."

Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw also called Vin "the best there ever was" following L.A.'s win over the Giants in San Francisco.

Scully, who began broadcasting Dodgers games in 1950, called nearly every one of the franchise's greatest moments up until his retirement in 2016. He's widely considered to be one of the greatest broadcasters of all time.