TMZ Sports - Page 50

Celtics star Jaylen Brown admits he was blindsided by the allegations against Boston head coach Ime Udoka ... saying he was both "shocked" and "confused" over it all.

Brown made the revelation after he was asked by reporters at the team's media day on Monday what his reaction was when he found out Udoka had been accused of having a consensual relationship with a female Celtics staffer -- all allegedly while he was still dating Nia Long.

"My initial reaction, we were all shocked at what was going on," Brown said ... before adding, "A little confused a little bit, but a lot of information wasn't being shared with us."

Brown -- who's been with the Celtics the last six seasons -- said there have been no conversations between him and Udoka since the coach was suspended for the scandal.

Jayson Tatum also spoke about Udoka and the season-long suspension levied against the C's head man ... calling it "a lot to process."

"Coming into this season," the star wing said, "you feel a certain way, and coming off last year, you're excited. Trying to do all these things."

"Along with everyone else, just still trying to process it all, knowing we start practice tomorrow."

NBC Sports Boston reporter Amanda Pflugrad also called out the Celtics at the start of Monday's event ... as well as the social media users who posted the names of female employees to speculate on the identity of the staffer.

"Every woman in our organization has worked extremely hard to get where she is at, and she deserves and earns everything that she has right now," she said. "For things in the Celtics, and what we’re doing moving forward, things do need to change. You need to stand up, support us and hear us."

Jerry Jeudy was so furious with Shannon Sharpe for criticizing his play on Sunday night -- he took to Twitter to fire away at the Broncos legend ... and his burn featured no chill at all.

Sharpe blasted the Denver wide receiver for dropping some passes in the Broncos' ugly win over the San Francisco 49ers -- at one point tweeting during the contest, "Jeudy does all this route running in the off season and can't catch a FCKING pass."

When Jeudy got wind of the criticism following the game -- he didn't take it lying down.

The 23-year-old quote-tweeted Sharpe's words ... and said, "And you be doing all that talking during the season while your breathe be smelling like your ass."

He added, "#BigWin."

Jeudy eventually deleted the tweet. He said in another post later Sunday night, "Lmao ima be the bigger man and let him have that lol good win today doe #GoBroncoz."

Sharpe has yet to respond -- but we're sure some sort of clap back from the now-polarizing TV personality is coming.

Jeudy, meanwhile, has not gotten off to the best start this season ... catching just seven of his 16 targets in three games for 130 yards and one TD.

Two years after Brett Favre allegedly collected millions in welfare money to fund a volleyball arena at Southern Mississippi, a former state official claims the NFL legend wanted more cash for a football facility, new court docs show.

Ex-Mississippi governor Phil Bryant's attorneys say text messages show Favre reached out to Bryant again in 2019 regarding financing a potential indoor practice facility at his alma mater ... this, after already allegedly taking around $5 million for the volleyball arena.

Despite being warned of the serious legal risks, Bryant's legal team claims Favre "continued to press for state funds" ... and wanted up to $2 million for projects, according to ESPN.

The docs state Favre told Bryant via text ... "We obviously need your help big time and time is working against us. And we feel that your name is the perfect choice for this facility and we are not taking No for an answer! You are a Southern Miss Alumni, and folks need to know you are also a supporter of the University."

Bryant responded with caution, saying ... "We are going to get there. This was a great meeting. But we have to follow the law. I am to[o] old for Federal Prison."

Bryant also alleges he spoke with former Southern Miss prez Rodney Bennett, who claimed he "asked Brett not to do the things he's doing to seek funding from state agencies and the legislature."

Favre -- who is listed as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by the state of Mississippi over misspent welfare money -- has previously said through his attorneys he did not know where the funding for the facility came from.

Former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis pled guilty to conspiring to defraud the State of Mississippi out of more than $70 million in federal funds on Thursday.

"Basketball Wives" star Brooke Bailey's daughter, Kayla Nicole Bailey, has tragically passed away at 25 years old.

Bailey announced the devastating news in an Instagram post on Sunday ... writing, "Pretty Black aka Kayla Nicole Bailey 💜🕊💔 This is not a goodbye. Mommy will see you soon 🙏🏾."

The 45-year-old reality star added, "Forever my baby."

A cause of death was not revealed. Brooke, however, did repost an article from a "Basketball Wives" fan account that claimed Kayla died following a car accident on Sunday in Memphis.

"Kayla left a mark on so many lives," Brooke said Sunday. "She entered the room and demanded respect, love and attention."

"If you had the pleasure of meeting her and being friends with her, she has forever changed your life."

Brooke's social media page was flooded with prayers from fans. Several celebrities, including Nicki Minaj, Porsha Williams and Tammy Rivera, also commented on her page.

"Omg beautiful I'm sooooo sorry!" Rivera wrote. "My prayers are with you. I'm lifting your name high tonight in prayer 🙏🏽😔"

Brooke -- who had relationships with former NBA stars Rashard Lewis and Vernon Macklin -- made her first appearance on "Basketball Wives" in 2012. Kayla then gained fame a short time later for her work in the modeling world.

Former surfing star Chris Davidson died on Saturday ... after he was allegedly punched in the face in an altercation outside of a bar in Australia.

He was just 45 years old.

Authorities say they responded to a South West Rocks pub at around 11 PM on Saturday after receiving calls about an assault. A man -- reportedly later ID'ed as Davidson -- had allegedly hit his head on the ground following a punch.

According to the officials, when they arrived, they found the man unconscious. They say he was transported to a nearby hospital, but died a short time later.

Police say they've arrested a 42-year-old man in connection with the incident. He has since been charged with assault causing death.

Davidson had initially gained fame in the sport in the 1990s ... and eventually earned a #14 world ranking in 2010.

Surfing legend Kelly Slater mourned his death in a post on his social media page, saying, "Lost another soldier yesterday. #RIPChrisDavo."

"Had many a good battle with this guy," Slater added. "One of the most naturally talented surfers I ever knew."

Surfing Australia called Davidson "an incredibly talented surfer and a true individual in our sport and community."

"Our thoughts go out to his two children, friends and family at this time," the org. added.

The Super Bowl Halftime Show could be lit beyond words, because TMZ has learned the NFL and Roc Nation have been in talks with Rihanna to headline.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... there have been multiple discussions with Rihanna and her team. We do not know if she's a firm go, but our sources say the NFL may reveal who they've locked up as early as Sunday afternoon via tweet.

Rihanna makes a lot of sense, because she's a Roc Nation artist, so it's an easy call for Jay-Z. BTW, Rihanna has been teasing her new music for more than a year, and if she's ready to release it there's no better platform than the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

We're told there have also been discussions with another performer, but it's not either/or -- in other words, there would be at least 2 performers on stage.

It's interesting ... Rihanna turned down an offer to headline at the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show because of her opposition to the way Colin Kaepernick was treated by the NFL.

TMZ broke the story ... the NFL asked Taylor Swift months ago to headline the Halftime Show, but she took a pass.

We're told she'd like to do the Super Bowl, but only after she rerecords all 6 of her early albums, and she's only rerecorded 2 so far.

Reggie Bush still doesn't have his Heisman Trophy back -- and his old USC teammate, LenDale White, is still furious over it ... saying the NCAA "looks absolutely foolish" for its role in it all.

Bush initially earned the trophy back in 2005 -- but it was pulled from him after investigators found he and his family received impermissible benefits during his time as a Trojan.

But, following the implementation of the new name, image and likeness rules in 2021, Bush argued it should be returned.

The Heisman Trust said it would have no issues with that if the NCAA reinstated his status -- but the org. declined to do so ... and White said he LOATHES that it's effectively barring Bush from getting the trophy by doing that.

"It's despicable," said the former Trojans tailback, who was in the TMZ office with former NFL star Chris Johnson. "When you think about it, obviously we know he made a mistake back then and he paid for it. He knows it. It was 20 years. Now, it's time to just finally welcome him back. It's been too long."

Bush himself would clearly still welcome the award back to his mantle -- in fact, he just recently starred in a Wendy's commercial poking fun at the NCAA over the drama.

White says he's optimistic the organization will eventually come around on the issue ... and help return the trophy to Bush.

"Hopefully, they come within their senses," he said, "and make something right."

Johnson and White spoke about a bunch of other hot-button NFL topics in a lengthy chat with Babcock ... check out the full interview below!

Actor Kadeem Hardison is a little hesitant about the "White Men Can't Jump" reboot ... but speaking as one of the stars from the OG flick, he sees some potential -- and even has his eyes set on who could play him in this new-gen version.

We got Kadeem in NYC Tuesday ... and he's got a reason to be timid about the new 'WMCJ" -- it's missin' Ron Shelton, the original film's writer and director, who's arguably the reason the movie's still big today.

But, there might still be hope ... the actor's been hearing good things about Jack Harlow, who's playing Billy Hoyle -- Woody Harrelson's role from 1992.

Kadeem puts it plainly -- the "First Class" rapper could be bringin' some serious flair to the new project.

He also knows who should be playing his role for the reboot -- RJ Cyler, or as Kadeem calls him, the "lightning with the blam blams" dude from Netflix's "The Harder They Fall."

Trippie Redd is currently spreading his sounds and touching his fans down under, and his Australian supporters are getting treated to new music before anyone else!!!

The "Love Scars" rapper/rocker packed out Melbourne streetwear boutique Culture Kings this week for a meet-and-greet -- finally getting a chance to connect with the people post-pandemic.

Fans in attendance got to see Trippie's multi-layered cool side ... he hosted a 3-point shooting contest, where the winner laid claim to precious store credit.

He even took time out to listen to aspiring rappers and treated the crowd to an unreleased track ... which we're told had everyone in attendance in a frenzy once they were getting exclusive stuff!!!

Trippie's in town for the Listen Out Festival ... with appearances in both Melbourne and Perth set for this weekend.

Dwight Howard tells TMZ Sports he's dead serious about his interest in joining the WWE -- explaining he'd trade the basketball court for the wrestling ring this year if the offer was right.

Howard showed back in July he certainly has the chops to cut it in the squared circle -- delivering an epic promo after crashing a WWE tryout in Nashville.

And, when we got him out at LAX this week, he made it clear that wasn't just a one-off thing ... telling us he really has a desire to eventually go head-to-head with Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley and the rest of the WWE's best in the near future.

In fact, Dwight said if the offer to wrestle in the WWE was better than one an NBA team could give him -- he'd have no qualms taking it.

"Whatever opportunity is best," the NBA free agent said.

As for what kind of personality Dwight would have in the org. -- he said he could be both a hero and a villain.

Triple H, meanwhile, seems to be down to give him the shot ... in a recent interview, WWE's CCO said all Dwight would have to do is give him a call and they could get things rolling.

“The ball’s in his court,” Triple H said ... "He came by our tryouts in Nashville, was incredibly entertaining, jumping in promos by himself and then with others -- incredibly entertaining."

R-E-L-A-X, fantasy football players ... Derrick Henry's big games are coming soon -- so says former Titans star LenDale White, who tells TMZ Sports the big tailback is NOT washed.

White joined Chris Johnson in the TMZ office this week ... and guaranteed Henry would be back to form sooner than later after struggling in the opening two weeks of the NFL season.

"I honestly don't believe Derrick has lost his step at all," White said. "I feel like once he gets on the right track and [head coach Mike] Vrabel gets those guys going, he'll be Derrick Henry of old -- King Henry."

The words are music to Tennessee fans' ears -- 'cause Henry really has not looked good so far this year. He only has 107 total rushing yards and 1 TD ... and is averaging a mere 3.1 yards per carry.

But White says there's a lot of factors that go into all of that -- including injuries and troubles in the passing game -- which he believes will all get worked out soon and allow Henry to thrive once again.

White and Johnson were also optimistic that their old Titans squad will flip around their season after starting 0-2.

Lolo Jones tells TMZ Sports she's down to be on a dating show like "The Bachelor" ... on one condition -- the program would need a big change in its age requirements!

The Olympic hurdler and bobsledder explained her stance on it all when we got her out at RiseNY in New York City this week ... saying if producers would make the cast older, she'd be intrigued.

"Why is the Bachelor, Bachelorette never old?" she said. "Tell me that?! 'Cause those are the people that want to get married the most. These 20-year-olds, they're not trying to get married."

The 40-year-old -- who knows a thing or two about reality shows as she's been on "Celebrity Big Brother" and "The Challenge" -- tells us she is single, so it could all work out.

"You guys need to get someone that's like 40-plus," Jones said in a message to dating show producers. "Because they're trying to settle down, have a family."

"Like," she added, "sign me up!"

For now, the World Indoor Champion appears content to continue to use dating apps -- and she tells us it's been hit or miss in that category.

The Celtics employee with whom Ime Udoka had an affair helped make all his travel arrangements ... and that job sometimes included organizing travel for his fiancee, Nia Long.

Sources connected to the couple and the NBA franchise tell TMZ ... one of the staffer's duties included planning Udoka's team-related travel, and we're told she was also involved in booking travel for Nia to come to Boston or to road games.

Perhaps most upsetting for Nia is that the employee had a hand in Nia's arrangements to move to Boston permanently, according to our sources.

TMZ broke the story ... Nia had just moved east a little over 2 weeks ago with Kez, her 10-year-old son with Ime.

The Celtics are not releasing the name of the employee, but we're told Nia has been told who she is.

Team President Brad Stevens got choked up Friday during a news conference ... saying the scandal had been particularly upsetting for all their female employees -- due to speculation about who had the affair with Udoka.

As we've reported, the team suspended its head coach for the entire 2022-23 season after what it says was a months-long investigation into his conduct.

A new horror movie is coming out next week, and the studio found a creative way to let people know about ... sending background actors to live baseball games, front and center.

We're talking about Paramount's latest offering, "Smile," which drops next Friday ... and amid a lot of "Don't Worry Darling" chatter, it seems the mountain execs were trying to find a way to break through the noise and stand out ... and they chose MLB broadcasts to do it.

Several marquee matchups aired on big-time TV stations Friday -- including Dodgers vs. Cardinals, Mets vs. A's and Yankees vs. Sox. In all of them, there was at least one person prominently positioned behind home plate that held a super creepy smile the entire time.

It was perhaps most notable during the Mets game, where a woman in a highlight green shirt (with the word SMILE written across) was standing and smiling awkwardly ... that is, until a security guard told her to park it.

Another guy in green was also spotted at the Dodgers game, sitting in silence and holding a creepy smile for much of the game. Some of them stood up at times, but mostly sat still and just held the pose ... completely committed to the gag.

Another man, this time in blue, was seen at the Yankees game ... and he got up occasionally -- with viewers at home certainly taking notice and noting it was freaking them out.

Unclear if there were more actors at other games, but these are the ones that people paid close attention to. Of course, this is good old-fashioned viral marketing ... and it would appear it worked, 'cause the stunt is getting some media coverage.

"Smile" is going up against Billy Eichner's rom-com, "Bros," next week ... not to mention any spillover from 'DWD' and other recent horror releases like "Barbarian" and "Pearl." Plus, "Avatar" is back in theaters, and it already seems to be doing well -- so tough competition.

Paramount's smiling through it all though, especially at the ballpark!

Jake Paul is being sued by Eddie Hearn -- one of the most powerful people in boxing -- after The Problem Child claimed the promoter paid off a judge in two recent, high-profile bouts.

In a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Hearn and his company, Matchroom Boxing, claim their reputation was damaged after 25-year-old Paul "made outrageously false and baseless allegations" during an interview on Sept. 20.

In the talk, Paul claimed Hearn's Matchroom Boxing paid off judge Glenn Feldman in the August Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua fight. Paul claimed that same judge was also paid off by Matchroom in the April Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight.

Taylor won by split decision over Serrano, while Joshua lost by split decision to Usyk.

"Glenn Feldman shows up in Saudi and scores Anthony Joshua to win the fight when everyone who watched the fight said it was not a split decision," Paul said ... before adding, "Clearly, this guy is getting paid money by Matchroom Boxing."

Hearn included Paul's video interview as an exhibit in the lawsuit ... filed by attorney Frank Salzano.

Paul, in the interview, also acknowledged that it was "a bold statement and an accusation that I don't take likely, but it's just blatantly obvious. And they're not even trying to hide it."

Hearn -- who's suing Paul for defamation -- called the comments "outlandishly false."

Chris Johnson is now one of 129 people hoping to make the Hall of Fame in 2023 ... but according to his former teammate, LenDale White, he doesn't need to sweat it -- 'cause he WILL get a bust in Canton next summer.

CJ2K -- one of the best running backs in NFL history -- was officially nominated for the HOF for the first time earlier this week ... alongside 128 other former stars, including Joe Thomas and Darrelle Revis.

Johnson swung by the TMZ office with White just a day after he got the good news -- and he was pumped ... saying he was hopeful it'd now all eventually lead to him getting the call to the Hall later this season.

"Just to be a nominee, it's a blessing," he said. "Hopefully I can make it all the way through. We gon' see what happens."

But according to White, who played two seasons with Johnson in Tennessee in 2008 and 2009, the former Titans great doesn't need to fret about it too much ... guaranteeing the 37-year-old will make it this year.

"He will make it all the way through," White said. "I mean, I feel that way."

Johnson played 10 years in the league, rushing for 9,651 yards and scoring 64 total TDs. In 2009, he had one of the greatest seasons ever by an RB, running for 2,006 yards and 14 scores.

White and Johnson both think those numbers should be enough to get him in ... but they did acknowledge if he had played just a few more years and stat-piled during that timeframe, it wouldn't even be a question.

Johnson, though, said he had no regrets about how his career played out.

The first cut for the '23 class will be in November. The finalists will be then announced in January.