TMZ Sports - Page 50

Michigan State cornerback Khary Crump just caught a big break in his tunnel assault case -- the player was sentenced to probation after agreeing to a plea deal ... and will not spend any time behind bars.

Crump was one of 7 MSU players who faced legal trouble after the post-game altercation with a Michigan player in October ... and was charged with one felony count of assault by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office.

Crump was the only MSU player hit with a felony ... but earlier this month, he pled guilty to misdemeanor assault and battery and disorderly person jostling.

Crump was sentenced to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service ... and his charges can be wiped from his record if he completes the requirements of his sentence.

"That was all I could really hear, I was crying in my heart," Crump told reporters. "It felt beautiful. I'm just looking forward to finishing my term and getting back on the field."

"I just want to get past probation, put this behind me and get back to the initial plan," the 21-year-old defensive back added.

The Big Ten conference announced in November that Crump is suspended for the first eight games of next season and the other 6 players were hit with four-game suspensions.

Tennis star Alexander Zverev will not face any disciplinary action after an investigation found there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate domestic abuse claims made against him, the Association of Tennis Professionals announced Tuesday.

"Based on a lack of reliable evidence and eyewitness reports," the ATP said in a statement released on Tuesday, "in addition to conflicting statements by Sharypova, Zverev, and other interviewees, the investigation was unable to substantiate the allegations of abuse, or determine that violations of ATP’s On-Site Offenses or Player Major Offenses rules took place."

The ATP continued ... "As a result, no disciplinary action against Zverev will be taken by ATP. This determination may however be reevaluated should new evidence come to light, or should any legal proceedings reveal violations of ATP rules."

In 2021, the ATP launched an investigation against Zverev, 25, after his ex-girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, accused him of emotionally and physically abusing her while they were in a romantic relationship.

Zverev released a statement Tuesday on the ATP's ruling ... saying, "From the beginning, I have maintained my innocence and denied the baseless allegations made against me. I welcomed and fully cooperated with the ATP’s investigation and am grateful for the organization’s time and attention in this matter."

Cavs forward Isaac Okoro had a religious experience while listening to 'Take Me To Church' on Monday ... and hilariously performed the song in the team's hot tub!!

The 22-year-old former 5th overall draft pick was sitting in the team's hot tub (hey, gotta take care of the body) minding his business, listening to Hozier's hit single when his teammate Darius Garland walked in.

While the music was blasting, Garland started singing the chorus, and that's when Okoro got up and put on a show.

"Offer me that deathless death, Good God, let me give you my life, Take me to church!" the two belted out.

Okoro's choreography was on point with a hilarious backward fall into the hot tub to conclude his performance .. and Garland couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, Okoro and Garland have a lot to be happy about ... they just whooped the Los Angeles Clippers 122-99 on Sunday. The Cavs are currently ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Plus, Garland -- who signed a five-year deal worth $231 million last season -- is averaging 21.9 points and 8.2 assists per game.

BTW, the song might ring a bell for Cavs fans ... it's the track that was playing in LeBron James' Beats by Dre commercial when he returned to Cleveland.

John Mayer is revealing his secret to getting pumped up before Dead and Company concerts ... saying Hall of Famer Bill Walton, showers him in compliments!!!

The 45-year-old musician opened up on his relationship with the former big man during Walton's "Throw It Down" alternative NBA broadcast on Monday ... explaining how the die hard Grateful Dead fan gets him ready to hit the stage before shows.

"When Bill gives you advice, he looks you dead in the eye and everything stops," Mayer said.

"He speaks with this cadence -- 'Go out there. Give it your absolute all. Don’t be shy. They are here to watch you play. Go play to the greatest of your ability ... and some of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been given are from Bill Walton."

Of course, Mayer plays guitar and sings for the GD spinoff band -- so Walton has seen him perform countless times. He even took the stage with the band in 2015.

In fact, Mayer says Walton -- who stands at 6'11" -- is easily recognizable in the crowd ... referring to the guy as "air traffic control" for the fans in attendance.

Bill explains his reasoning for holding his hands up in the sky during shows ... saying he spent 4.5 years immobile with a deteriorating spine, and now that he's able to move -- he's making the best of it.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson gave Travis Kelce a ringing endorsement ... after the NFL superstar ripped the Cincinnati mayor, calling him a "jabroni" following the Chiefs' victory over the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game!

Of course, Kansas City's 6x Pro Bowl tight end channeled The Rock during his on-field postgame interview, telling Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval -- who trolled the Chiefs and their QB Patrick Mahomes before the game -- to "Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!"

Well, the WWE legend and A-list movie star clearly got a kick out of Kelce's clap back, going to Twitter Monday night to show his appreciation for Travis.

"My boy said what he said," The Rock wrote. "I appreciate the venomous 'shut yo' over formal 'shut your' 🤣👊🏽🏆."

Kelce's speech was brilliant ... and anyone familiar with The Rock's signature punchlines knows not everyone can pull off the impersonation!

When The Rock was a WWF/WWE Superstar, he routinely made fans laugh by calling fellow wrestlers "jabroni's" and telling opponents ... "it doesn't matter what your name is!" He'd also threaten to take them to the "Smackdown Hotel." 😅

Kelce earned the right to trash talk after his performance Sunday ... he had 7 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown, making big plays for his team, as has become routine for the league's best pass-catching TE.

Now, the 33-year-old tight end will face off against his brother, Eagles star Jason Kelce, at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona ... a.k.a. the "Kelce Bowl", a.k.a. the "Andy Reid Bowl."

Odell Beckham Jr. doesn't look like he's lost a single step after 2 ACL tears ... the star NFL free agent released a new workout video on Monday, and it makes you think -- OBJ won't be team-less for long!

The 30-year-old 3x Pro Bowler shared the workout sesh on social media, showing the wide receiver running a dig route and catching a pass from the quarterback.

And, he was GONE ... in fact, the camera guy tried to run with Odell, but he couldn't keep up. Beckham Jr. was out!

"I swear I’m loadin," OBJ said on Tuesday via Twitter, "No where near I wanna be but exactly where I need to be."

The former L.A. Rams star has been documenting his progress since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI last February ... which was less than a year and a half after his first ACL tear with Cleveland in 2020.

Odell's been hitting the gym consistently and even balled out in a pickup hoops game earlier this month.

Outside of rehabilitation, OBJ has been spending time with his son Zydn who will turn one next month.

"As if I needed more motivation. Ima make my son proud asf when I’m done wit all this, from what I did on the field, to the way I handled all the other Shxt that came wit it," Beckham Jr. recently wrote.

Here's a new one -- a 22-year-old high school basketball coach is out of the job after trying to pass as a 13-year-old player in a junior varsity game earlier this month.

According to local reports, Arlisha Boykins -- an assistant for the Churchland H.S. Truckers in Virginia -- impersonated one of her players who was away from the team for a club basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Instead of playing with one less hooper, Boykins apparently took matters into her own hands and suited up as the student-athlete ... and footage obtained by WAVY10 shows the full-grown adult balling out against the competition -- driving the lane for a layup, getting a block and nailing free throws.

The outlet reports Boykins was fired as a result of the stunt ... and the rest of Churchland's JV players and parents elected to opt out of the remainder of the season.

The 13-year-old's father spoke about the situation ... admitting he was "shocked" the coach would do such a thing.

The school is now investigating the incident ... and the student's family is asking for an apology.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka had a night out with her mom in the Big Apple on Monday ... hitting up a Japanese restaurant three weeks after announcing she's preggo with her first child.

The 25-year-old and Tamaki Osaka arrived at Nippon in Midtown for dinner ... one of the few times the mother-to-be has been spotted out in public since her big reveal.

No baby bump in sight, though -- Osaka rocked a baggy brown and green outfit for the occasion.

As we previously reported, Osaka told her fans about the major life update on Jan. 11 ... and TMZ Sports confirmed rapper Cordae is the father.

"I realize that life is so short and I don't take any moments for granted, everyday is a new blessing and adventure," Osaka said in her announcement. "I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future, one thing I'm looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, 'that's my mom,' haha."

Jason Derulo is facing a new challenge ahead of his big Super Bowl performance -- no, not a TikTok challenge ... he recently suffered a nasty injury and now he's walking on a cane.

A Source familiar tells TMZ ... the "Wiggle" singer was injured playing basketball 3 weeks ago. Apparently, he was going up for a rebound and wound up landing on someone's foot ... he now has a small break in his foot and a torn ligament to boot.

He was lucky enough to avoid surgery, but he did have stem cells injected, which help speed up recovery time.

As of now ... Jason's going to physical therapy daily and is getting around with the help of a cane.

Of course, this couldn't be worse timing for Jason. ICYMI, he and The Black Keys were announced as this year's headliners of the NFL TikTok Tailgate ... which is supposed to go down prior to the big game.

Our sources say, although he may not be fully recovered for the performance, he will power through it, come hell or high water.

Philly legend, Ricky Watters believes the Eagles have the quarterback edge over an ailing Patrick Mahomes, who's nursing a high ankle sprain. But, it's razor close and the former NFL MVP is still incredibly dangerous!

"I think you can say that [Eagles have QB advantage], but Mahomes, he been playing, even with his ankle sprain, he's still great!" Watters told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1).

"That's what's so crazy about him. He's such a great quarterback and I think he will feel better because he will have some time to heal up and I'm sure they're gonna be working that ankle over and over all the way up to game time."

Of course, the 27-year-old Super Bowl champ was injured during the Divisional round game against the Jaguars ... still managing to throw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bengals. Mahomes also ran critical yards in the waning moments of the game, setting up the game-winning field goal.

Speaking of the injury, Ricky says he's beyond impressed with Mahomes' toughness ... but at the end of the day, the 5x Pro Bowler played with the Eagles, so there's no question about who he's rooting for come Super Sunday.

"That's the worst ankle sprain you can have is a high ankle sprain so for [Mahomes] to do what he's doing, he's a warrior and I love him as well. I really do, so it's really hard to go against him because I love him so much, I love watching him play but you know, I gotta go with my Eagles. You know I gotta see the Eagles fly, baby."

As for Jalen Hurts, Watters is blown away by how well he's played this season.

"[Jalen] does not look like a 24-year-old, that's for sure. He looks like a well-seasoned veteran," Ricky told us ... before explaining why Hurts is so damn hard to contain.

Watters won a Super Bowl in 1995 ... so he knows what it takes to win the big game. We asked him what advice he'd give to the Philly players.

The late Young Dolph's life and times have expertly been curated through a traveling pop-up museum ... attracting rap peers like Jim Jones, who recently soaked up the detailed exhibit.

TMZ Hip Hop got vid of the Dipset Capo during his recent visit at the NYC edition of Dolphland as he examined a toy car exhibit that replicated Dolph's jaw-dropping fleet of vehicles.

Key Glock was on hand to greet both Jim and Maino, and we're told more of Big Apple rap's finest -- like DJ Clue and Dave East -- also turned out to support.

Visitors also took in an exquisite bust statue of Dolph, as well as portraits of his Paper Route Empire artists, and the Memphis rapper's album covers such as "Role Model" and "Gelato."

NFL legend and newly appointed University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has been keeping Dolph's name vibrant since his November 2021 murder. He paid his respects by visiting the Denver Dolphland and chopping it up with PRE's Kenny Munney!!!

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy will be sidelined at least six months after tearing his UCL in the NFC Championship game on Sunday ... this according to multiple reports.

Purdy -- the 49ers' final pick (262nd overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft -- suffered the elbow injury as the Niners were down 7-0 in the first quarter of the game ... when he was hit by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick while trying to make a pass.

Reddick hit Purdy in his throwing arm ... causing the football to come out.

The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but the referees reviewed it and determined Purdy fumbled the football, which was recovered by Eagles defensive lineman Linval Joseph.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the seriousness of the injury minutes ago ... saying Purdy will be out until at least July ... and he's currently getting a second opinion to figure out if he needs surgery.

The injury was devastating for Purdy ... who officially took over under center for the Niners in Week 14 after both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo went down with injuries earlier in the season.

Brock's backup, Josh Johnson, entered the game on Sunday -- but JJ was removed after suffering a concussion, which forced Kyle Shanahan to go back to an injured Purdy.

Purdy could barely throw -- he finished the game with only four passing attempts and 23 passing yards, and the Eagles won 31-7, advancing to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona.

The mayor of New York City is admitting it probably wasn't the best idea to light up the Empire State Building in Eagles colors on Sunday -- saying Monday, "That got away from us."

The building rocked green and white at its top following Philadelphia's NFC Championship win over the San Francisco 49ers ... and it was immediately met with a ton of backlash, considering the Eagles are one of the New York Giants' biggest rivals.

To make matters worse for bitter backers of the G-Men, officials wrote on the building's social media page, "Fly @Eagles Fly!"

When Mayor Eric Adams was asked about it all during an appearance on "CNN This Morning" ... he made it clear he was not exactly thrilled that it happened.

"Unfortunately," he said, "someone did not get the memo at the Empire State Building."

Adams said the building -- which shifted its lights to Chiefs colors after K.C.'s AFC Championship win over the Bengals -- should have featured Giants shades following the games.

"That blue should have been there," he said.

New England Patriots star, Trent Brown is going from protecting Mac Jones on the field, to doing the same off of it -- telling TMZ Sports the quarterback's haters need to go kick rocks.

The Pats' left tackle didn't mince words while out at LAX on Monday -- saying he's a HUGE fan of Mac ... and doesn't get the criticism that surrounded the QB for most of this year.

Brown said he straight up "loves" the guy -- and anything Mac's critics say goes in one ear and out the other for him.

"They don't really matter," Brown said of the Jones haters. "Really, nobody outside of that building matters."

"It's all about who's in that locker room and who comes to work for us every day. That's it."

Jones faced a ton of heat this year -- he threw 11 interceptions in 14 games and had just 14 passing TDs -- leading many to call for backup Bailey Zappe to start over him.

Clearly, though, Brown's got Mac's back ... and loves him at QB1.

As for how things will go next year and the following years after this season's 8-9 disappointment ... Brown promised things would turn around soon.

"I don't believe we'll be down too long," he said.

Karl-Anthony Towns isn't gonna like this -- NBA star Anthony Edwards just opened up about his Chester's Hot Fries obsession ... admitting he eats at least 21 bags a week!!

The Minnesota Timberwolves guard listed the 10 things he can't live without during a GQ Sports interview on Monday -- and naturally, his beloved snack food made the cut.

"The best chips that were ever made," the 21-year-old said. "I've been eating 'em since I was probably like five years old."

"I probably eat like 3 a day. You do the math ... what's that 21 bags? Yeah, I eat that many!"

In fact, AE says he probably eats more than that depending on how much time he has during the day.

Of course, this might not sit well with KAT -- Remember, the Wolves center called out Edwards for being sluggish on the court ... and blamed AE's love for Popeyes chicken for his performance.

"I know y’all think it’s funny up here when he talks about Popeyes and all that s***," Towns told reporters last October. "That doesn't make me happy to hear."

Well, his recent performance on the court says otherwise. In Minnesota's last three wins, Edwards averaged 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game -- plus, he's shooting at 55% from the field.

Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague are officially parents ... the pro boxer and English reality star/social media influencer had their first child together -- an adorable baby girl!!

The lovebirds posted a pic of the newest addition to their family on Instagram, born on Monday, January 23.

In the pic, Tommy, younger brother of Tyson Fury, is holding their daughter with Molly by his side. And, the expressions on their faces say it all.

Tommy and Molly have been dating since 2019 ... after meeting on the reality show "Love Island."

TF and Hague announced in September they were expecting ... and after months of excitement and anticipation, their bundle of joy finally arrived.

"A dream come true," Tommy captioned a pic of him touching Molly-Mae's pregnant belly when they announced they were expecting.

It's been an eventful past few days for Tommy ... on Friday, he and Jake Paul finalized their boxing match for February 26 in Saudi Arabia after their two previous fights were canceled.

But, Jake may have spoiled Tommy's surprise before he shared it ... saying, "Tommy has no excuses now. Baby’s born. Money’s massive. Immigration is not an issue.'"