TMZ Sports - Page 50

And you thought a Muhammad Ali autograph was cool ...

Almost 30 original pieces of artwork, directly from the hands of the most influential boxer of all time ... are about to hit the auction block, and they're truly special.

The artwork depicts everything from Ali's first car to his fights with Joe Frazier. Throughout his incredible career, Ali befriended icons like Andy Warhol and LeRoy Neiman ... and was known to paint/draw in his spare time.

As Ali's Parkinsons progressed over the years, he used art as therapy, using a crayon or pen to make dots on the page, forming an image. Several of the pieces are dated (they span several decades) and signed.

The pieces are being sold individually at TMN Auctions ... where fans of Muhammad will have a chance to bid and own the artwork starting later this month.

The art is being sold by Ali's former marketing agent, Harlan Werner, who decided it was time fans had a chance to own the collection.

Coincidentally, today marks the 47th anniversary of the "Thrilla in Manila" (October 1, 1975) ... the third (and final) matchup between Muhammad and Smokin' Joe in the Philippines.

The fight is considered by many to be the greatest in heavyweight boxing history.

Even though Cooper Rush has killed it as the fill-in QB1 for the Cowboys ... Dallas legend Daryl "Moose" Johnston tells TMZ Sports Dak Prescott ain't in danger of being supplanted.

"I'm a believer that you don't lose your job due to an injury -- especially if you were one of the starters, one of the best players at your position in the NFL," Johnston told us this week.

"It's going to be hard for Cooper Rush to create that type of controversy."

Of course, many believe that situation has already arrived -- as Rush has been great the past two weeks while Prescott has been out with a thumb injury.

Rush is 2-0 in his two starts, putting up QB ratings of 95.5 against the Bengals and 98.2 against the Giants -- leading some to think he's already done enough to keep Dak on the shelf even after the Week 1 starter gets healthy.

But Johnston told us he doesn't see that happening at all ... explaining he thinks this is an entirely different situation than the one Dak had back in 2016, when he formally took over for an injured Tony Romo.

The former Cowboys fullback, though, believes Rush -- an impending free agent -- has made some money for himself regardless ... showing he can be one of the premier backup QBs in the league going forward.

New York Jets rookie Breece Hall is commemorating his NFL arrival with a special present for himself ... by getting an amazing diamond chain with a nod to his own nickname!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the 21-year-old former Iowa State star wanted to get himself a "trophy" after going 36th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft ... so he hit up Al The Jeweler -- owner of Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ -- to come up with something special.

The piece features Hall's initials made out of roughly 25 carats of baguette and round cut diamonds ... and ruby claws and marks to honor his "Breece the Beast" moniker.

To top it all off, the pendant sits on an incredible Cuban link chain ... which also features about 35 carats of diamonds.

Al has become the go-to guy for New York Jets players -- as we previously reported, he made a couple awesome diamond sauce bottles for fellow rookie Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner.

No word on how much Hall's shiny new piece cost ... but it looks awesome.

Could a Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson reunion be in the works?? Don't count it out just yet -- 'cause Kenya Barris tells TMZ Sports he'd love to include them in the reboot of the iconic 1992 film, "White Men Can't Jump."

We spoke with Barris -- who cowrote the highly anticipated remake -- out in NYC on Thursday ... and asked if fans should expect to see Snipes, Harrelson and the rest of the OG cast members in the flick.

"I hope so," Barris said ... adding he's "trying" to make it happen.

Worth noting -- the Jack Harlow-led project appears to have wrapped in July, so we're sure Barris knows the fine details on the cast already ... and is just toying with us at this point.

Speaking of OGs, TMZ also recently spoke with actor Kadeem Hardison -- who played Junior in the original -- and he's a bit concerned about how the reboot will play out without Ron Shelton writing.

Kadeem did, however, say he had reason to be optimistic -- he heard the "First Class" rapper's ball handling skills, coupled with his talent as an MC, will add flair to the movie.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel fought back tears as he discussed Tua Tagovailoa's injury ... saying, "I'm just really, really glad that I can hear normal Tua in his voice."

McDaniel was clearly emotional as he spoke with reporters on Friday ... saying watching one of his players get carted off the field will "never feel normal."

"It's something you never want to be a part of, and when I put myself there, this is what happens. It's not fun."

Coach said Tua's teammates were excited to see him on the plane after the game ... and happy to see that his personality was "normal."

McDaniel says he talked to Tua on Friday morning ... and said the QB was still feeling headache symptoms. The team is now waiting on the results of Tagovailoa's MRI.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also weighed in on Tua's injury ... saying he was shocked the QB was even on the field, to begin with.

"I couldn't believe what I saw last night," Harbaugh told reporters. "I couldn't believe what I saw last Sunday. It's just something that was astonishing to see after coaching for 40 years -- college and the NFL -- well, almost 40 years."

"I've never seen anything like it before. It just was really something that I really just couldn't believe what I was seeing."

AJ McKee and Aaron Pico are two of the most talented fighters in all of Bellator, but barring an absolutely life-changing amount of money, you will NEVER see them in a cage together.

27-year-old McKee and 26-year-old Pico stopped by the TMZ offices this week and sat down with Babcock for the "TMZ Sports" TV show ... to promote their Bellator 286 scraps, going down Saturday night in Long Beach, CA.

During the convo, the guys, friends for nearly their who lives, ranked #1 (A.J.) and #3 (Aaron) challengers in the featherweight division, were asked if they'd ever fight each other in a sanctioned bout.

The short answer ... nope.

"No, we wouldn't do it. We've talked about this before and we said this, 'Listen, if it ever came down to that, it's gonna be years and years from now. Those zeros better add up,'" Pico said.

Aaron continued ... "I'm gonna say 'Hey AJ, is your son gonna be taken care of for life? Are you gonna be taken care of? I'm gonna be taken care of?' But right now, there's so many people for us to smash. I just don't think so."

McKee then broke down the history of their friendship ... and it's not just two guys who occasionally train each other -- they're basically family.

"You gotta go in there with the intent to hurt your brother. Legit known each other since we were 3, 5 years old. Too many fish in this pond."

Aaron chimed in ... "It goes deeper than that. We've been friends. My mom would go and pick him up from his house, you know, we'd all have sleepovers. My dad talks to his dad a lot."

So, barring a huuuuuge check, it ain't happening.

"It'd have to be a lot of zeros. A lot of zeros. His family's taken care of, my family's taken care of. After, we can sit by the pool with a drink and just laugh," Pico said.

There's much more ... we also talked to the fighters about their 286 matchups (McKee's fighting Spike Carlyle at lightweight, Pico's fighting Jeremy Kennedy at featherweight).

Pico also told a touching story about his early career struggles ... when the prospect, an accomplished wrestler AND boxer, lost two fights in a row (Aaron hasn't lost since).

A win Saturday night in LBC could earn Aaron a title shot ... and complete his comeback.

Fat Joe is suing his Chicago-based accounting firm, claiming it was running a Ponzi scheme that misappropriated his funds and those of some MLB players, too.

According to legal documents, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Joe claims tax hub BDO, its longtime CPA Andre N. Chammas and his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez defrauded him in several ways.

According to the docs, Joe noticed some accounting irregularities after Rodriguez was fired in July ... and he says things really didn't add up when he started taking a closer look.

For starters, Joe says his wife Lorena's name was used to open AMEX accounts and make huge unauthorized purchases, including $40K in charges for Uber rides and UberEats deliveries, as well as tuition payments for Rodriguez's daughter.

Joe also claims he discovered one of his entities, Sneaker Addict Touring, was missing large deposits -- to the tune of more than $300K. He says there were similar irregularities with other entities.

As for the Ponzi part of the alleged scheme -- Joe claims the firm also defrauded Jose Iglesias of Colorado Rockies, Luis Garcia of the Houston Astros and former Chicago White Sox player Dayan Viciedo.

In the suit, he says AMEX accounts were opened under their names as well, and the money flowed between all of their accounts to keep the Ponzi going. The players are not plaintiffs in the suit, and Joe makes it clear he feels they were victims ... just like himself.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing their best to make sure Florida recovers following the devastation of Hurricane Ian ... by donating $1 million to help relief efforts.

The Glazer family made the announcement on Thursday ... saying the massive contribution will be issued to organizations in the areas that were hit the hardest during this week's storm.

"The destruction suffered in Southwest Florida and the damage inflicted throughout our state will be felt for some time," Buccaneers co-owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz said.

"It will take entire communities resiliently working together for an extended period, and our family is committed to aiding in the recovery."

Kassewitz added ... "Our thoughts and prayers are with the countless people affected, the heroic first responders and all of those helping to keep others safe."

Tom Brady -- who evacuated his family ahead of the storm -- will also pitch in by donating to the Florida Disaster Fund ... and hopes his fellow NFL players will do the same.

"Happy were able to head home for Sunday night, but so many people in Florida won’t be able to do the same," Brady said.

"Our neighbors support us endlessly, it’s time to return the favor."

The Buccaneers vs. Chiefs game will still be played on Sunday at the Raymond James Stadium.

Junior welterweight Luis Quinones tragically died on Thursday ... just five days after suffering a head injury during a knockout loss in Colombia. He was only 25.

Quinones was an undefeated boxer (10-0) until his matchup with Jose Munoz on September 24 at Coliseo Elias Chegwin ... when was knocked out with less than a minute left in the fight.

Video of the fight shows Quinones fall down after getting punched ... and he's unable to get back on his feet. He was then taken out of the ring on a stretcher by medical personnel.

It was reported that Quinones suffered a blood clot in his brain as a result of head trauma from the fight ... and was in a coma after surgery. He was declared brain dead on Thursday, but remained on a respirator until his passing.

"Cuadrilatero Boxing deeply regrets the death of Luis Quinones, an exceptional human being, disciplined and who always showed the greatest commitment to this sport," Quinones' promoters said in a statement on Friday.

"We would like to thank the staff at the General Clinic of the North, who during this time did what was within their power and took care of Luis in the best possible way."

Munoz -- who is also his sparring partner -- is devastated by his death ... saying he never thought "a dream could turn into a real nightmare".

Quinones was inspired by Julio Cesar Chavez and left his hometown of Barrancabermeja to become a professional boxer. He made his debut in 2018.

"Boxing is the ultimate challenge there is. Nothing to compare to him," Quinones said in an IG post last year.

"It's to prove to yourself the way you do it every time you step in the ring."

Myles Garrett's days of driving like Jeff Gordon appear to be over following his terrifying car crash earlier this week ... the Cleveland Browns star just said Monday's wreck was a serious "wake-up call" for him to drive safer.

Garrett spoke with media members at the Browns' facility on Friday for the first time since the accident -- and he explained he now knows he needs to slow down when he's behind the wheel.

"I think this will be definitely a wake-up call for me," said Garrett, who's been cited for speeding several times since being drafted by Cleveland in 2017.

"Just trying to be smart overall with driving. Don't take it for granted ... You know, just take my time."

He added, "This was definitely a call to me to be more safe with my driving and pay attention to my speed and my surroundings."

Garrett was hit with a citation for failure to control his car following Monday's accident, after he told authorities on the scene he was traveling 65 MPH in a 45 MPH zone.

But, he and his 23-year-old passenger fortunately escaped the wreck relatively unscathed. Garrett suffered just a shoulder sprain and a bicep strain in the crash -- and on Friday he said he's been feeling much better now.

In fact, the defensive end says there's a chance he plays against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

"The Dolphins did not take care of you. The fact they put you out there, frankly, If I were [Tua], I would not go back and play for the Dolphins, because this was not just a failure of the medical team, this was a failure of the coaching staff, and failure of ownership."

That's Chris Nowinski, one of the world's foremost experts on traumatic brain injuries, very much NOT mincing his words when it comes to the future of 24-year-old Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

And, whether it's in a Dolphins jersey or any of the other 31 teams, Nowinski believes Tua shouldn't see the field for a single snap the rest of the season.

"My advice would be, having been through it and knowing so many dead athlete stories where there was suicide or some aspect of CTE or some traumatic brain injury, do not go back this season."

Of course, the second-year signal caller was on the receiving end of an incredibly scary hit Thursday night ... as the Fins played the Bengals in Cincinnati.

After being slammed to the ground, Tagovailoa appeared to immediately lose consciousness ... and it was clear something was wrong.

Tua was placed on a stretcher and left the stadium in an ambulance, where he was taken to a local Cincy hospital for treatment.

To make matters worse, the game was only five days after Tagovailoa seemingly suffered a head injury against the Bills (Chris says he showed five signs of a potential concussion), but was allowed to return to the game.

As for his current condition, Tua was released from the hospital and was able to fly back to Miami, per reports ... where he's said to be resting at home in good spirits.

But, Chris says this is anything but a story with a happy ending ... 'cause there's real risk of long-term impact, and that's why Nowinski says Tua shouldn't play again this season.

If you're at all familiar with traumatic brain injuries and CTE, you've likely heard of Nowinski. The former WWE wrestler had his career cut short after sustaining a head injury ... and he recognized the sports world misunderstood the injury.

Chris went on to earn his Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience, and he co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the Boston University CTE Center ... where his work has been celebrated across the world.

Nowinski also had strong words for first-year Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel ... who told media after the game ... "the best news we can give is that everything is checked out that he didn't have anything more serious than a concussion."

"This is a statement of no faith in the coach," Chris flatly said.

"Really what he should be saying is it's nothing more serious than a traumatic brain injury that caused decerebrate posturing which is very rare, and a sign of a very serious injury."

There's much more. Nowinski also explains Tua's hand placement following the scary injury, and lays out the long-term effects with which he may now be forced to live.

Horse jockey Christophe Soumillon was left apologizing after a seemingly-scumbag move during a race on Friday -- appearing to deliberately shove his opponent off his mount ... causing him to tumble to the ground.

The moment happened at the Saint-Cloud racecourse in France ... when the Belgian star seemingly stuck his elbow out to force Rossa Ryan to lose balance and abandon his horse.

Ryan landed harshly and took several tumbles before coming to a halt ... but thankfully, he was able to stand up and get off the track.

Soumillon was disqualified from the race and handed a two-month suspension for his actions ... which has fans pissed, as many on social media were calling for a lifetime ban.

Soumillon later apologized for the incident ... saying he put his elbow out in hopes of making him aware he wasn't moving toward the inside of the track.

"Unfortunately, when I asked my horse to go there and to the right I pushed him for a stride or two and he fell off," Soumillon explained.

"Straight away, I knew I made a mistake. I'm terribly sad with what happened because I hate seeing stuff like this."

"It was not a nice act on my side, and I'm terribly sorry and I want to apologize for what I did today."

Soumillon says he met with Ryan afterward ... and he appeared to be okay.

U.S. Women's National Team legend Abby Wambach is distancing herself from a health company supported by Brett Favre ... after finding out the business has been accused of being involved in the massive Mississippi welfare funds scandal.

ESPN reports Wambach -- a member of the sports advisory board for Odyssey Health -- had her mentions on the company's website scrubbed Thursday afternoon ... after hearing that a lawsuit filed by the state of Mississippi alleged $2.1 million intended for welfare recipients was directed to the health company instead.

Odyssey Health is a drug company developing a nasal spray to treat concussions ... and Favre is reportedly its biggest investor. Kurt Warner, Mark Rypien, David Ross and Steve Mariucci are also members of the org.'s sports advisory board.

Wambach explained her decision to walk away in an email Thursday to ESPN ... saying, "Minutes after learning this new information, I initiated the process to immediately and fully divest myself from any involvement -- financial and otherwise -- with Prevacus/Odyssey Health Inc."

"A process that I insisted be complete by end of day today."

Wambach added she "genuinely believed this company was being transparent about a product that could spare the next generation of athletes from the severe impact of concussion injuries that I endured as a professional athlete."

"I am profoundly angry, disappointed, and saddened by what I learned today."

Wambach's decision to fully divest from the drug company comes on the heels of more troubling allegations for Favre ... whose charity, Favre 4 Hope, is under fire for donating money meant for children and cancer patients to USM's athletic foundation between 2018-2020.

Years ago, Mark Cuban allowed Steve Nash to walk -- after six successful seasons in Dallas -- and the Mavs owner still hasn't forgiven himself, calling the blunder the billionaire's biggest basketball regret.

OSDB caught up with the 64-year-old owner in NYC this week ... and asked which move he kicks himself over in his almost 23 years of NBA ownership.

"Probably letting Steve Nash go. Yeah, I regret that. It's been almost 20 years now, and I still regret it," Cuban said.

Of course, Nash played six seasons in Dallas, and even made two All-Star teams. But, when his contract expired in 2--4, Steve left for the Phoenix Suns.

At the time, Nash said he was "sad to leave my teammates," but excited to be "going somewhere where they really wanted me."

He went on to win back-to-back NBA MVP awards.

It's not that things didn't work out for the Mavs, too. They made the Finals in 2006, losing to the Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal-led Miami Heat.

Then, in 2011, the Mavs once again made the Finals ... but this time, Dirk Nowitzki wouldn't be stopped. Dallas beat LeBron James' Miami squad in 6.

It appears Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin are back on track, at least if body language is any indicator, just weeks after she filed for divorce.

The married couple of 25 years were spotted Thursday in deep convo outside a grocery store in Calabasas. Notice Sly's hand on Jennifer's leg as they chat ... certainly not a gesture that would be made if the two were still super pissed at each other.

TMZ broke the story, sources close to the two told us there was not a prenup in place, and they were working out a divorce settlement after filing docs to put a pause on any public proceedings. At the time, we were told the divorce was still happening.

However, by the looks of things, the two are at least working on figuring things out -- and even possibly a total reconciliation.

Remember, it was last month when Jennifer filed divorce docs -- accusing Sly of moving marital assets -- a claim he's denied. There was also Sly's infamous new ink of his Rottweiler, Dwight, he got on his arm ... covering a portrait of Jennifer.

Sly told us the dog wasn't the reason he and Jennifer split, they'd simply grown apart.

Frightening moment during free practice at the Singapore Grand Prix -- AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just barely escaped as his car burst into flames ... and the video is wild.

The incident went down as the 26-year-old made his way into the pit lane ... and as his car was being tended to, the area near his air box caught fire.

Luckily, Gasly was able to hop out of the vehicle as his pit crew put out the blaze.

Pit reporter Ted Kravitz provided an update on the Sky Sports broadcast ... saying, "Everything’s been sorted out. There’s been a bit of tape that’s been out over the fire-damaged engine cover."

"The team are telling me the fire started when the fuel breather was connected to the car but it was put out quickly and then he’s going back out on the circuit."

The Singapore GP is known for giving drivers one of the biggest challenges on the calendar due to humid temperatures and the nature of the track.