TMZ Sports - Page 50

Sylvester Stallone has some heartbroken fans after an event with the "Rocky" star allegedly sold more photo-op packages than could be accommodated ... and now they'll get refunds.

Sly was booked for a gig last weekend in L.A. called "Experience With Sylvester Stallone LIVE" -- sponsored by a company of the same name, Experience With -- where folks shelled out to have a nice dinner, hear Sly talk onstage and bid on signed memorabilia.

Naturally, there were different ticket packages available -- including some top-tier ones that included a meet and greet and promised a pic with the legend himself ... with pricing options from $750-$1,250.

What ended up happening, though ... Sly wasn't able to get through all the photo ops. We've seen an alleged email organizers sent to disappointed fans that read, "The reason the photos did not go as planned is that Mr. Stallone had to leave the event earlier the expected and was not feeling 100%. Our events can be very demanding, we have to respect the celebrities wishes at all times."

Of course, fans were pissed ... but a source close to Sly tells us the email wasn't accurate. We're told Sly's contract committed him to a certain time with the photo-ops and he actually stayed longer than he had to ... they blame organizers for selling too many of the photo packages for the time allotted.

Ticket buyers flooded Experience With's social pages, and openly wondered whether they'd be getting reimbursed for the Sly incident ... it appears there were quite a few people who were left empty-handed, without any guidance from EW about what was going to happen.

Welp, Experience With is setting the record straight -- telling TMZ everyone who paid for an upgraded photo op ticket with SS and didn't receive one will be reimbursed accordingly.

Experience With also clarified they got through about 60% of the photos so the number of people left hanging amounted to around 100 ... and not 300 like some had claimed online. They also say this sorta thing happens from time to time with their celebs, as these can turn into long nights.

Ex-WWE superstar Velveteen Dream exploded on an officer over his Miranda rights during an arrest earlier this year ... hurling f-bombs at the cop and calling him a "rookie" repeatedly -- new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

The footage was captured on officer-worn body cameras on Aug. 20 ... after the Orlando Police Dept. said the wrestler -- real name Patrick Clark -- bit and punched a gym employee following an altercation at a fitness facility in Orlando, FL.

The video shows as soon as cops put Clark in cuffs -- he immediately became combative ... demanding they allow him to speak with his lawyer. When they wouldn't, he threatened to sue.

The 27-year-old -- who left the WWE in 2021 after starring in NXT -- yelled so much from the backseat of the patrol car, the cop turned up country music loudly ... but that didn't slow down Velveteen Dream.

"This is crazy!" Clark said. "This is crazy! I work for the WWE! This is crazy!"

Clark -- who admitted in the video to being "a little inebriated" -- then said he was not read his Miranda rights before he was arrested ... and proceeded to go ballistic on the cop about it for several minutes.

"Hang up your f***ing phone, sir!" Clark said. "I was not given my Miranda rights! You f***ed up! You f***ed up, sir! I was not given my Miranda rights, so go ahead and bring me to your motherf***ing station, you f***ed up!"

"Think about that, sir!"

Clark screamed about his Miranda rights the entire ride -- and when they finally got to the police station ... he continued his verbal tirade.

"How'd you f*** up the Miranda rights, sir?!" Clark said while cuffed. "What are you, a rookie?! What're you, a rookie?! Oh! We got a rookie on deck!"

Clark was eventually booked and released ... and later hit with two misdemeanor charges of battery and trespassing on a property after warning.

Court documents show the case was disposed in September ... after the alleged victim said, according to the docs, he "did not wish to prosecute."

Lil Wayne and Mack Maine are putting a big smile on a bunch of teen faces for a Weezy Christmas ... rewarding their hard work with a fun-filled day at Dave & Busters!

The diamond-certified Weezy and his pal Mack teamed up with Wilson Sporting Goods to throw the ultimate day at D&B for kids between the ages of 12 and 16 in their hometown of New Orleans.

The Dave & Busters bash was an attaboy/attagirl, commending the kids for excelling in academics AND with local community sports programs ... basketball, football, baseball, soccer and tennis. Each kid got new sports equipment as a bonus. They had Young Money artists Jay Jones and Allan Cubas on hand to pass out gifts in their hometown.

Wayne and Maine are partnering with a bunch of orgs. to give back to kids in their hometown. One of those efforts includes an athletic program in a renovated Harrell Park, where Weezy grew up.

They're also working with two mentorship programs called "Son of a Saint" ... which helps NOLA kids dream big and become leaders in their community through mentorship and support.

Lionel Messi will attempt to win his first-ever World Cup on Sunday, but win or lose, the Argentinian soccer legend is one of the greatest athletes ever, according to fellow countryman, UFC star Santiago Ponzinibbio ... who compared him to America's most legendary athletes.

"I think it's Michael Jordan, these kind of guys. Legends of the sport, all-time. I think Messi is on this level. Michael Jordan. Tom Brady," Ponzinibbio told us, before also throwing out Muhammad Ali's name.

FYI, Santiago, who's coming off a UFC 282 win over Alex Morono, is from La Plata, Argentina ... about 200 miles from Messi's birthplace, Rosario, Argentina.

Of course, 35-year-old Messi, in his last WC, will lead Argentina when they take on Kylian Mbappe and his France squad for the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

According to the oddsmakers and experts, the game is about as close as could be ... though Santiago says he knows who's going to emerge victorious.

"Man, super, super exciting. I told you, I love soccer. Man, I really believe this team is gonna be champion of the world. They're playing so good."

Messi has accomplished nearly everything in the game. He's won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards and has been awarded about every other honor a soccer player could receive ... except that elusive World Cup.

"I think it's the only thing he needs to do to be complete," Ponzinibbio says, adding, "I think he's in the right spot to make history one more time and I'm excited. "

And, as far as worldwide popularity goes, Lionel, with 392 million, blows away some of the U.S.'s biggest and most popular athletes. LeBron James has 139 million Instagram followers. TB12 only has (relatively speaking) 13 million.

It's about to go down between France and Argentina in the World Cup Final on Sunday ... and expect a lot of nervousness in the crowd -- not just from the fans, but the players' WAGS, too!

Lionel Messi's wife will surely be biting fingernails throughout the contest -- the Argentinian model who has over 23 million followers on Instagram has dated the soccer star for YEARS ... and has three kids with him as well.

Rodrigo De Paul's girlfriend, Tini Stoessel, who is an award-winning Argentine singer ... will also be watching on intently.

Fitness model Agustina Gandolfo, who's been dating Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez since 2018, will surely be glued to the TV as well. And, the wives of Argentina stars Emi Martinez and Angel Di Maria will no doubt be watching too.

The France squad's lovers will be rooting their men on as well ... there's Amelia Ossa Llorente -- Lucas Hernandez's wife -- and Erika Choperena, who will probably have the kids decked out in their dad Antoine Griezmann's soccer fit again.

Speaking of kids, you might catch Theo Hernandez's girlfriend Zoe Cristofoli cheering in the crowd ... with their 8-month-old son, TJ.

And, we can't forget star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris ... whose wife, Marine, is a founder and director of a luxury girlswear brand.

The Liver King isn't going to let his steroids scandal bring him down -- in fact, he's stepping right up ... to TMZ ... to explain that he's still on the juice. 💀

We got Brian Johnson -- the influencer behind the internet personality -- out on Rodeo Dr. Saturday, where the dude was shirtless (per usual) and about to start pumping iron in front of everybody ... which he promptly did, right in the middle of traffic. Dead lifts, baby!

After a few reps, we invited TLK to come chat with our Celebrity Tour patrons ... and he did. Before hopping on, though, we asked him some hard questions -- like why he lied about not being on the stuff for years, and why folks should believe anything he says now.

He's got answers for all that, basically saying ... look, believe me or don't -- but my workout regimen and supplement program will get ya jacked and feeling great. That's basically his message.

Then, a bombshell ... Liver King admits he's still on 'roids!!! When we ask why -- especially since it's caused him so much reputational damage -- he says he has to ween off it, and that he can't just cut it out cold turkey.

If you're unfamiliar with this whole saga ... Brian recently copped to being on steroids, this after years of denying it and insisting that his program was the only thing giving him results on his physique.

No, Draymond Green ain't pillow soft for having a heckler booted from an NBA game earlier this week ... so says Michael Rapaport, who tells TMZ Sports the Warriors star was in the right in the situation.

Green had the courtside fan kicked out of Tuesday night's Warriors vs. Bucks game in Milwaukee -- claiming the man threatened his life during a trash-talking sesh.

The man has since said he did no such thing -- but when we got Rapaport out this week ... the comedian, who's usually full of hot takes, said he was siding with Green in the spat.

"Even though Draymond Green is not, you know, you know," Rapaport said out in NYC ... "Fans are inappropriate sometimes. It's a family-friendly event."

Rapaport said fans need to treat games as if they were going to Disneyland -- as in, behave themselves extra carefully -- otherwise, they should be subjected to ejections.

"Guerrilla warfare. I'm gonna take [Sean Strickland's] head off."

That's 38-year-old Jared Cannonier talking about his violent intentions for Saturday night ... when he and fellow middleweight contender, Strickland, 31, do battle in the main event at UFC Fight Night.

TMZ Sports talked to Cannonier -- the 3rd ranked contender at 185 lbs. -- and asked him about the matchup with Strickland ... a fight he expects to test him.

"Strickland is a dog in the cage. He'll get in your face and try and put his fist through it. And if you give him a chance, he'll talk some s**t to you as well. He's as good as anybody else in the top 10," Jared says.

"The Killa Gorilla" added ... "Like I said, he's a dog in there. If I give him the opportunity, he'll sink his teeth in and start shaking me all over the fucking cage, right? I'm ready for that. I'm ready to see somebody try to do that."

Strickland, ranked 7th, is one of the best middleweights in the world ... though he's coming off a loss to Alex Pereira. The now-champ starched Strickland in the first round of their UFC 276 scrap ... when SS made the mistake of trying to strike with Alex.

Cannonier's also coming off a loss -- a title fight at 276 -- where he lost via unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya.

Despite the L to Izzy ... Jared's on the winning side more than not. He's beaten beasts like Derek Brunson, Kelvin Gastelum and Jack Hermansson.

As for how he expects to add Strickland's name to that list ... Jared's gunning to make Sean tap.

"I would like to have a submission. This will be my 15th fight in the UFC. Who knows I might knock him to the ground and jump on a submission or something. It's time to get a submission in the UFC."

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... and Isaiah Rodgers is certainly ready for it -- 'cause the Colts defensive back has copped some amazing light-up Rudolph and Santa cleats!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Indy star wanted to be decked out for the Colts' game against the Vikings on Saturday ... and reached out to cleat artist Rodney Jackson to get some Xmas-themed feet heat made.

Jackson -- who's been Rodgers' go-to shoe guy for several seasons -- tells us they both decided to go with the two most iconic Christmas characters for the spikes ... and they came out great.

The left cleat, featuring Santa, is wrapped in red velvet with white fur all over it.

The right shoe -- which comes with jingle bells -- has Rudolph's face painted on the toe with the bonus of a very shiny nose that lights up.

It wasn't an easy project ... Jackson told us it took two days to put the Nike cleats together -- from wiring the lights into the spikes to making Santa's beard on his own.

Want to feel bad about your golf game? Here's long drive star, Kyle Berkshire, setting a new record ... by absolutely crushing a ball over 235 MPH!!!

The pro golfer -- who's become a legend for his ability to hit balls 450-plus yards -- set up inside of a TrackMan simulator on Thursday ... and went to town with his driver to try to land a new ball speed marker.

According to Golf.com, Berkshire took around 70 swings ... but with one of them, he was able to break the record for ball speed, hitting it a staggering 236.2 MPH.

In fact, according to the outlet, Berkshire accomplished the feat two more times in the sesh ... and said afterward he actually could've gotten to 238!!!

Berkshire said he fueled up with caffeine and music ... and said, "You've really got to put yourself in a place of fight or flight to push yourself past your maxes."

The 26-year-old, who PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau has trained with, believes at some point he'll completely dust his new record -- aiming for 240 MPH by next year.

From the squared circle ... to the silver screen?!?

AEW star Chris Jericho is proving once again to be a man of many talents -- landing a starring role in an upcoming wrestling-themed horror flick called "Dark Match."

The pro wrestler, who actually recently had a supporting role as "Burke" in the film "Terrifier 2," will be acting in the movie alongside a star-studded cast that includes Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Sara Canning, Jonathan Cherry and Michael Eklund.

The Dept.9 Studios flick seems scary as hell ... it's said to be about a small-time wrestling company that finds itself in a whole lot of trouble with a cult leader after accepting a gig in a remote area.

Jericho tweeted about it on Friday, saying he was "Stoked about this!"

According to Deadline, the movie recently concluded filming in Edmonton, Canada, a place Chris is familiar with, given his Canadian roots.

The wrestling vet has always excelled whenever he's been in front of a camera ... especially with a mic in his hand, so it's not surprising to see him landing a big role.

Louis Orr, former New York Knicks forward, Syracuse University star and Seton Hall head coach, passed away at the age of 64.

The cause of Orr's death is currently unclear ... but it was recently revealed the basketball player and coach was in hospice and not doing well.

Louie starred in the Cincinnati area as a high schooler before heading off to Syracuse where he played college basketball for four seasons under Jim Boeheim.

After Cuse, Orr entered the NBA Draft, where he was selected in the second round by the Pacers. Louis spent two seasons in Indiana.

Orr resumed his professional basketball career in New York, playing six seasons with the Knicks. Louis was teammates with Patrick Ewing ... whom he later coached with at Georgetown.

Orr averaged nearly 10 points and 4 rebounds a game over his NBA career.

Louis went into coaching in the early '90s, serving as an assistant coach with stops at Xavier, Providence and for JB at his alma mater, Syracuse.

After coaching one year at Sienna in New York, Orr was hired as the head man at Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ ... replacing Tommy Amaker, who'd just bolted for Michigan, following a terribly disappointing season.

Orr brought back stability and respectability at SHU -- twice leading the Pirates to an NCAA tournament birth -- including during the 2003-2004 season when his team beat a stacked University of Arizona squad in the first round.

The basketball world is mourning the loss of Orr ... with former players, coaches and teammates expressing sorrow over the loss of not just a good coach, but a good man.

"So heartbroken with the news of Louis Orr's passing. My first Syracuse recruit n Knick player was as kind a person to play in the NBA - our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Rick Pitino wrote.

Despite having no ties to Mike Leach, the Miami Redhawks are still paying homage to the late coach in an awesome way -- putting huge decals featuring crossbones on the backs of their helmets on Friday.

The school unveiled the tribute at the Bahamas Bowl against the UAB Blazers ... showing off a big, black sticker that has Leach's name on it with a pirate-themed MAC logo.

Leach, of course, was nicknamed "The Pirate" due to his obsession with sea robbers ... and on the Miami decal, they added another tribute to that by putting the hashtag "#FlyTheFlag" at the bottom.

The ode is particularly meaningful considering Leach never coached at Miami -- nor in the MAC ... which shows just how far his coaching genius reached during his life.

As we previously reported, the former Mississippi State football head coach died on Monday ... due to complications from a heart condition.

Internet star Deestroying got deestroyed in the boxing ring this week ... and it was all at the hands of Jake Paul!!

The 26-year-old former football player -- who has millions of followers on social media -- bravely went up against the 6-0 pugilist in a sparring session in Puerto Rico ... and the Problem Child made easy work of his buddy.

In the short clip, Jake lays it on Dee with two hard body shots ... which force him to lie down on the canvas before Paul could even break a sweat.

"Boxed Jake Paul today," Dee -- real name Donald De La Haye -- said on IG. "Safe to say that MF got hands."

"You're crazy bruh 😂🤣" Jake added.

Of course, the REAL opponent Jake wants to face off against in the ring is Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett ... who is fresh off a controversial win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

Jake has offered Paddy $1 million to fly to P.R. for a sparring session on Jan. 5 ... but as of right now, it's unclear if the UFC star will take him up on it.

Brittney Griner is finally breaking her silence on her return from Russia ... saying she's super grateful to be back in the United States -- while vowing to play in the WNBA again.

Griner released a statement on her Instagram page Friday morning ... thanking President Joe Biden and everyone else who helped get her out of Russian custody last week.

Griner shouted out her wife, her agents, her reps, the WNBA and more in her note ... adding, "It feels so good to be home!"

"The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn," she wrote. "I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help."

Griner also said in her message that she will play basketball again -- insisting she'll be ready to roll for the Phoenix Mercury this upcoming season.

"I look forward to being able to say 'thank you' to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon," she said.

Griner -- who also shared a photo of the moment she was reunited with her wife -- added that she's going to do everything in her power to help Paul Whelan and other detained Americans return home soon, too.

"Every family deserves to be whole," she said.

Tristan Thompson has hammered out a paternity settlement for his second-youngest child -- where he'll shell out monthly ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Tristan Thompson and Maralee Nichols have agreed to terms for Theo, their 1-year-old son. We're told Tristan will pay $9,500 a month in child support and also covered some of Nichols' lawyer fees.

The $9,500 may seem low considering his NBA contracts have totaled $100M over the span of his career -- but he isn't currently on a team and therefore not earning income, and income is the operative factor in determining child support.

Our sources say Maralee will have sole custody, and while they haven't figured out an official visitation plan yet, those talks will come in the near future.

What's more -- we're told Tristan will be listed as the father on Theo's birth certificate.

Our sources say the paternity settlement agreement will be filed today in L.A. County Superior Court.

Maralee gave birth to Theo in December of last year -- and things got ugly -- Maralee sued Tristan for child support, even claiming he offered to pay her $75,000 to keep quiet about the baby.

It was in January when he came clean after a paternity test, revealing he was Theo's dad, and apologized to Khloe, saying, "You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don't deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions have certainly not lined up with the way I view you."

While we didn't know it at the time, Khloe and Tristan were expecting a son via surrogate at the time of Tristan's apology -- that baby was born in July.