TMZ Sports - Page 50

Neither Jay-Z or Nas took the stage for Dr. Dre's iconic Super Bowl LVI halftime show, but the legendary producer is crediting them BOTH for saving the event.

On Wednesday, a clip from Dolvett Quince's "Workout the Doubt" podcast surfaced, with an interview with Dr. Dre. The legendary producer admitted he had reservations about looking like a Super Bowl sellout in the aftermath of the Colin Kaepernick protests.

Dre recalls when pondering his decision, he hopped on the phone with Nas, who was able to convince his longtime friend the SB performance would be monumental for the culture.

Together with Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige, the halftime show was nominated for 5 Primetime Emmy Awards -- with massive viewership.

Dre says Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation company produced the halftime show with Jesse Collins, also gave him advice on the stage design.

Ironman athlete Brian Kozera -- who was also a police officer and cancer survivor -- has tragically died at 44 years old ... after he was involved in a terrifying bicycle crash while he was training for an upcoming competition.

Kozera -- a 16-year veteran of the Norristown Police Dept. -- passed away after he struck a car on Saturday while he was biking in Caernarvon Township, PA.

According to a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, at around 9:48 AM ... Brian ran a stop sign and hit the passenger side of a pickup.

Kozera, according to the docs, was thrown from his bike and ended up being caught in the car's rear wheel. Cops say he was transported to a nearby hospital, but died from the injuries he suffered in the accident.

Kozera had been training for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October 2022 ... according to a statement from the Norristown Fraternal Order Of Police Lodge 31.

In 2014, Kozera was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He later beat it in 2015 -- and said his battle with the disease gave him the push to become an Ironman athlete.

Kozera was slated to compete in three more events leading up to the competition in Hawaii ... before his untimely death, according to his blog.

Brian is survived by his wife and three young daughters.

Dean Karnazes -- a famous ultramarathon athlete -- was terrifyingly attacked by a coyote during a run on a California trail this month ... and the incident was so bad, it left him with a bloody face.

The 59-year-old went into detail about the encounter in an IG video ... saying he was running in Marin Headlands when a coyote ambushed him.

"I just had something rather terrifying happen," Karnazes said. "I'm out on a 150-mile trail run and I got attacked by a coyote."

"That's a first. It knocked me over and thankfully I'm running with poles so I whacked it and it ran away."

But, Karnazes did suffer injuries ... you can see in his selfie video he had blood all over his mouth, chin and shirt.

"Not sure what I’m gonna do," he said in the clip. "I guess I gotta keep going or else it'll probably come back for me."

After the experience, Karnazes -- who has won the Badwater Ultramarathon and Vermont Trail 10 Mile Endurance Run -- advised people to stop feeding coyotes on the trail, with the hopes it'll keep the wild animals further away from runners.

"If you see someone feeding a coyote, please say something," Karnazes said.

"The local Rangers are doing the best they can, but we trail runners are out in these areas more than anyone. Thank you. It's best for everyone, coyotes included. #letwildlifebewild"

FYI, this ain't the first time Karnazes has been attacked by a wild animal -- he also said on his social media page that he's had a scary run-in with a shark in the past as well.

"I've been attacked by a shark, and now a coyote," he said. "Both incidents were terrifying."

Karnazes has competed in several running and swimming events throughout his career -- in fact, he swam across the San Francisco Bay and ran a marathon in every state in the U.S. for 50 consecutive days in 2006.

He's also a columnist for Men's Health and the author of "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner."

Joe Rogan got all fired up while talking about abortion with a conservative media personality -- invoking his teenage daughter to make a point ... which sorta had the guy stumped.

Seth Dillon -- who runs The Babylon Bee, a right-leaning satire site -- got into with Joe Tuesday on the latest episode of the 'JRE' ... with its host laying out a very personal hypothetical as they started discussing the overturning of Roe v. Wade and its ramifications.

Watch ... Joe asks about the possibility of a young girl being raped, and inserts his own 14-year-old, Lola, as the would-be victim. He asks the question ... you really think it's okay for her to be forced to carry that baby to term???

Dillon says yes, telling Joe he doesn't think "two wrongs make a right" -- the first wrong being the rape, and the second being the "killing" of a person.

JR continues to press him, though, not accepting his answer -- it almost sounds like he can't believe Dillon actually embraces that ... but the dude stands firm, insisting that there's simply no excuse in his eyes to warrant an abortion. Even the rape of a young girl.

Joe also drills down on when exactly Dillon considers a human life has actually formed, getting into weeks, days, and even seconds after conception. SD doesn't have a clear answer, other than to say ... he believes as soon as a sperm and egg merge, it's alive.

Devin Booker can't hold in his love for Kendall Jenner -- the NBA star dropped a flirty comment under the model's most recent batch of bikini shots ... proving their relationship is still going strong.

In case you haven't been keeping up with the Kevin (or is it Dendall?) relationship -- multiple outlets reported the couple of 2 years had called things off back in June ... but shortly after, they were spotted smiling from ear to ear together in Malibu.

While they have assumedly been together ever since, Booker made it clear he's still got his eyes on KJ this week ... posting the "🥵" emoji underneath her latest Instagram post.

As we previously reported, DB and KJ were first spotted together back in April 2020 ... but didn't confirm their romance until Valentine's Day 2021.

Kendall has been one of Devin's biggest supporters ... hitting up as many of his Phoenix Suns games as possible.

Multiple eyewitnesses claim Aqib Talib sparked the altercation that ended with a man being shot dead by the former NFL star's brother during a youth football game, according to The Blaze.

"Aqib incited the whole uproar," an opposing coach told Jason Whitlock, adding, "The game would’ve never been stopped had Aqib not come over to our sideline to yell at the refs."

It's been one of the primary questions since news of the tragic incident came to light ... what happened to spark the tragic and deadly incident?

According to multiple witnesses, Aqib became irate after a flag was thrown against the 9-and-under team he financed, spurring him to cross the field and confront the refs.

"That’s what was so weird. All of the tension was between them and the refs," the opposing team's defensive coordinator told Whitlock, adding Aqib, his brother Yaqub, and the other coaches, including the man who was ultimately killed, knew each other.

"There was no problem between the coaches. We all know each other. Kerry Lewis and Yaqub have coached together. I followed Aqib’s whole career, starting at Kansas. The other thing is that it was their event. They were the hosts. They hired and paid the refs. The refs weren’t cheating for us," the coach explained.

After persistent complaining and threats, the witnesses say the game was called. That's when the 43-year-old man -- a coach whose son played on his team -- attempted to retrieve a football that was located near the Talib brothers and others.

A witness claims as the coach began to pick up the ball, Aqib swung at the man. The coach retaliated, hitting Aqib with the yard marker.

Then the brawl was on ... the coach retreated, as is seemingly seen on video we posted earlier this week, as the man attempted to get away from a group of 5+ people who were advancing.

Seconds later, after the man dropped the yard marker, five shots rang out, leaving him dead on the football field.

Now, everyone's searching for answers.

"There’s no justification for having a weapon at a kids' football game," the opposing head coach said.

"It’s 90 degrees outside and you’re wearing a black hoodie. None of it makes sense. Our babies were all there. Yaqub’s kids were there. Mike’s kids. Football fields are supposed to be a safe haven for these kids. This is where they go to get away from the street life. They come here to feel safe. It’s not like that anymore."

Aqib's attorney told the outlet the story was "inaccurate."

Yaqub turned himself into authorities in Lancaster, TX ... and has been charged with murder.

A rugby league player's season is now prematurely over -- after he was caught red-handed grabbing an opponent's butt during a game last week.

Corey Norman, who plays for Toulouse Olympique, stuck his hand where it didn't belong in the middle of a match against the Warrington Wolves on Aug. 11 -- and officials announced on Tuesday the grab is going to cost the 31-year-old Australian BIG time.

The Rugby Football League announced in a statement Norman has been suspended eight games and fined about $600 after it found "he had intentionally placed a hand between the buttocks of an opposing player."

Norman had initially pleaded not guilty at his disciplinary hearing.

"The footage of the incident shows a deliberate movement of Corey Norman's left arm and hand over the top of Oliver Holmes and on to his buttocks," officials said in a statement announcing the punishment.

"At no point does the footage show a grabbing of the shorts to push Oliver Holmes down as described by Corey Norman. The footage shows a deliberate placing of Corey Norman’s hands and fingers on the buttocks and coupled with the immediate complaint from Holmes, the reaction of his team-mate Danny Walker and the statement of Holmes to which we have measured regard we are entirely satisfied that this was an intentional placing of a hand between the buttocks of the opposing player and we find the charge proved."

Antonio Brown is changing his tune on Tom Brady ... unleashing on the 7-time Super Bowl champ for being MIA at training camp, claiming he's manipulating the game.

Brady is currently taking time away from the Bucs to "deal with personal things" ... an absence that has been approved by team honchos in advance.

AB was super complimentary of his former QB to TMZ Sports last week ... saying he misses Brady and the Buccaneers.

But something set Brown off in the couple days since ... because he's clearly not happy with both TB12 and his trainer, Alex Guerrero.

"Tom brady manipulate the game gets 14 days go home get his mind rt lol," he said. "Now u see the difference. Put that s*** on."

He also took aim at Guerrero, who is Brady's longtime trainer and co-collaborator for the famous TB12 method.

"Alex Guerra (sic) You think i won't have u smacked at TB12 boy stop playing with me !" AB added. "Boy getting paid by bucks (sic) n taking players money too."

There was a slight breeze in Miami on Tuesday ... and it was all thanks to Jake Paul's batting practice before the Marlins game.

The Problem Child was the guest of honor at LoanDepot Park before the home team hosted the San Diego Padres ... and before his ceremonial first pitch, he took the batter's box to get in some swings.

25-year-old Paul looked confident as hell before his first swing ... even calling his shot like Babe Ruth.

But, it didn't necessarily go as planned -- Paul whiffed not only his first pitch, but also the next three that came after ... before finally hitting a grounder to third base.

Of course, Jake was clearly just having fun with it -- he even claimed afterward that the video was edited to make him look bad.

Since he wasn't able to hit a real dinger, the team gave Jake a toy bat to show off what his home run celebration would look like ... and naturally, he hit the griddy!!

Paul eventually took the mound for the first pitch ... and despite being several feet in front of the mound, it was a solid toss.

It looked like Paul had an awesome time at the game -- the dude also got to try out some smelling salts in the dugout.

The 12-year-old who suffered severe injuries in a fall from his bunk bed at the Little League World Series is showing encouraging signs of recovery ... with his family announcing Tuesday night his breathing tube is now out.

Easton Oliverson -- who pitches and plays the outfield for the Snow Canyon Little League team -- is still in a hospital bed and still being monitored, but the family called the removal of the breathing tube "a big step."

Oliverson's family also said he received results from an MRI scan that "came out very promising."

"Easton keeps proving himself to be the fighter we have always known he is!!" the Oliverson family said in a statement. "The prayers are working! Please keep them coming. We love you all!🤍"

Oliverson was initially injured on Sunday night -- shortly after he and his Little League teammates made it to Williamsport, Penn. for this week's World Series.

His uncle, Spencer Beck, told TMZ Sports Easton was sleeping on the top of a bunk bed when he suddenly fell out and hit his head. He suffered, among other injuries, a fractured skull -- and required emergency surgery.

The family has set up a Venmo account, @MiraclesForTank, to help cover his medical expenses.

His team, meanwhile, has said it will still play in its LLWS-opening game later this week.

"If you're a Green Bay Packer, a lot doors open up for you. If you win a championship, all doors open up, but when you're in the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up for you."

That's newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer, LeRoy Butler ... who tells TMZ Sports the opportunities have been rolling in since his enshrinement in Canton.

"My assistant is getting a lot of phone calls," the 54-year-old former Packers star says, adding ... "Some of them are just to feel you out, but some of them are stuff that I always wanted to work on."

And, there's one very special project in the works.

"I'm doing a documentary that my daughters are writing about my life story."

Still, as great as the money and business opportunities are, it's not the most important part for LeRoy.

"I was very excited for my family, man. My kids. I love my kids more than myself, and they really enjoyed it."

We also talked to Butler about a comment fellow HOF'er Deion Sanders made -- where Primetime said too many players were inducted into the Hall ("the Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more") -- an assertion which the former Packers DB disagrees.

"See that's confusing me. I'm assuming he knows there's only 362 guys in there. And maybe 170 living. But see, when you make it first ballot, it's not that big of a deal," LeRoy said, alluding to the fact that Sanders was an absolute lock to be inducted.

Butler says it's different "when you have to wait 16 years."

The Hall of Fame was the last unchecked box in what was a historic career for LeRoy. The Super Bowl 31 champ was a 4x first-team All-Pro who was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade squad.

Fresh off his contributions on The Game’s latest album, Hit-Boy has just taken on a new digital gig ... curating the musical sounds of the upcoming "Madden NFL 23."

The platinum-selling Grammy-winning producer announced the move Tuesday, expressing the passion gridiron Sundays gives him when creating music.

Hit-Boy produced a jaw-dropping 33 beats for in-game play, while selecting the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, Erica Banks, Cordae and his "King’s Disease" collaborator Nas for the soundtrack.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop the third installment of “King’s Disease” is being worked on as we speak, arguably making Hit-Boy the hardest working producer of 2022.

This year alone, Hit worked on Beyoncé's No. 1 “Renaissance” album, dropped his own “Corsa” single with Dom Kennedy, and gave The Game a template to diss Eminem for 10 minutes straight.

MLB journeyman Adeiny Hechavarría and his stunning swimsuit model fiancée, Alison Bowles, have decided to call off their engagement after 5 years together ... TMZ Sports has learned.

33-year-old Hechavarría -- who played for 7 different MLB teams from 2012-2020 -- first started dating Bowles in 2017 ... and decided to pop the question with a five-carat engagement ring in 2019.

Bowles tells TMZ Sports their current career paths require them to be apart for long periods of time -- Adeiny is currently playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, while Bowles travels all over the world for modeling and her side gig as an influencer.

Because of that, the two barely saw each other ... which ultimately led to the split.

Bowles tells us ... "We have nothing but love and respect for each other and I wish him future success in his career."

It's been a tough road for the two -- back in December 2021, Bowles revealed to the NY Post they had to spend 9 months away from each other during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KSI is taking on not one, but TWO challengers when he steps in the ring on Aug. 27 ... and his rival Jake Paul is crapping all over the idea -- saying the whole thing sounds like a setup.

The English YouTuber is slated to fight both rapper Swarmz AND Bulgarian pro middleweight Ivan Nikolov (3-16-2) at the O2 in London ... which is not the first time a boxer has had more than one opponent in a night.

In fact, George Foreman took FIVE fights in one day back in 1975 ... but as Jake points out, it wasn't necessarily a great experience for the fans.

"George Foreman fought 4 people in 1 night and it was an awful showing," Paul said on Twitter minutes ago.

"At first it seemed like a good idea but eventually it actually pissed the fans off because they realized all the opponents were put in to lose. It was was basically a stunt, not worth the price of admission."

Jake's assessment isn't wrong -- reports from the night claim fans were booing by the time Foreman showed up on the scene.

Even though he doesn't mention him by name, it's obvious Jake is talking about KSI's new announcement ... which promoters are hoping will keep fans interested after Alex Wassabi had to pull out due to a concussion.

Everything wasn't always peaches and cream between Najee Harris and Nick Saban at Alabama ... the former Tide star just revealed he and his former coach used to fight each other all the time during his four years at the school.

The Pittsburgh Steelers star broke it all down on "The Pivot" podcast Tuesday ... saying Saban belittled him often -- and he would push back every time he felt the head coach went too far.

"I'm not the type of dude to sit back and just let somebody talk to me in a way and expect me not to say something," Harris said during the interview with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor.

"I can take coaching, but, like, it's just a certain type of line when you cross, like all right, bro, I'm a man, you ain't gon' f***ing talk to me like that."

"Don't think you're more than just a coach to me. Don't try to belittle. I felt like I was belittled."

Najee -- who played for Saban from 2017 through 2020 -- said things between the two got so bad, he ended up leaving the school for a few weeks during his last year on campus.

"Last incident happened and I left school," Najee said. "I left school for like two weeks -- people didn't know that. I left school for like two weeks and then Saban sat me in his office."

Harris says they were able to clear the air for good during that 1-on-1 sesh, and "ever since that day, we was rock solid."

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro has just been hit with a suspension by Major League Baseball ... after his phone made an accidental appearance during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Jeff Passan of ESPN says the league handed down the one-game ban because Castro "played while having a cell phone in his back pocket."

The 23-year-old -- who's in his second season with the Pirates -- was sliding into third base when the mishap occurred. As Castro slid head-first into the bag, his phone flew out of his left pocket.

Castro was unaware the phone came out ... and the ump had to tell him it was on the ground before he retrieved it.

Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton was not pleased with Castro -- who was called up from the Minors for the game that night -- and said after the incident, "This was just a kid who made a mistake."

"It’s just one of those things we move forward from and tell him, 'You can’t do that,'" he said.

To his credit, the second-year player did take accountability for his mistake, which he contends was an honest mistake, expressing he felt "horrible" about the situation and never wanted to be the center of attention.