TMZ Sports - Page 50

Michael Blackson says Eli Apple is ruthless with the Twitter fingers ... telling TMZ Sports he's not one bit surprised about his nephew's trash-talking antics -- 'cause it "runs in the family!!"

Apple made headlines throughout the playoffs for speaking his mind on social media ... going after opposing teams and gloating each time the Bengals came out victorious.

The actor-comedian told us he was cheering on his kin against the Kansas City Chiefs on championship Sunday ... but admits if he were Eli, he would have waited until after he won a Super Bowl ring to get at his contemporaries.

"I was rooting for him," Blackson said. "I always believe in talking smack once you get that ring. Once you get that ring, then you can talk smack."

Michael said despite what some people say about Eli, there are a lot of cornerbacks who want to be in his position -- playing in back-to-back AFC title games and the SB last season.

Michael also told us his thoughts on the big game -- he says the first-ever Super Bowl between two black quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes, and Jalen Hurts, "means a lot."

"Finally, Black quarterbacks are getting recognized," Blackson said. "At one point, nobody thought running quarterbacks would make it to the Super Bowl."

MB expects the game to be a high-scoring affair ... and predicts the Eagles will defeat the Chiefs, 28-24, but says you can never count out Mahomes.

"Patrick Mahomes is a kid that never goes down," Blackson said. "This guy finds ways to stay in the game and finds ways to win the game. We have to contain him. He runs all over the place."

Mason Greenwood -- star forward for Manchester United -- is no longer facing charges for attempted rape and assault ... after he was arrested for the alleged crimes last year.

The Greater Manchester police announced prosecutors dropped the charges on Thursday ... saying the 21-year-old soccer player will "no longer faces criminal proceedings in relation to this."

As for why they opted to no longer pursue the serious charges, The Athletic spoke to prosecutors handling the case who said it was a "combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light", saying "there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction."

Police Superintendent Michaela Kerr issued a statement after the decision was made, saying, "this decision has not been taken lightly."

"Despite the media and public’s interest in this case, we have decided not to comment on it in any further detail."

As we previously reported, a woman made allegations against the soccer star on social media in early 2022 ... and Greenwood was later arrested and charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behavior and assault causing bodily harm.

At the time, Greenwood -- who signed with Man United in 2018 -- was suspended by the team after the allegations came to light.

Nike also ended their deal with Greenwood saying they were "deeply disturbed by the allegations."

Master P's son, Mercy Miller, is proving yet again he's a baller on the hardwood ... this time throwing down an insane dunk in a game -- against Bronny James' much-touted high school team no less!

Miller's epic flight happened on Wednesday night when his Notre Dame squad was taking on James' Sierra Canyon team in a highly anticipated game in L.A.

In the fourth quarter of the contest -- which ended up being an 88-61 blowout win for Notre Dame -- Miller drove into the lane, took off on one foot and then hammered home the basketball while blowing through a defender.

The dunk nearly took the roof off of the arena -- as the hundreds of spectators in attendance went wild when the junior guard finished at the rim.

Miller's pops was pleased with the 2-pointer to say the least, sharing a vid of the poster on his IG page -- while writing, "Hard work pays off. The beast came out and showed 'NO MERCY.'"

Matt Barnes and 2 Chainz threw praise on Mercy in the comment section as well.

Of course, this ain't the first time Miller has raised eyebrows on the court ... back in his sophomore season, the Univ. of Houston commit dropped an eye-popping 40 points in one game!!

Tom Brady has hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from Fox Sports, but that's not gonna rush him back to work, he's going to enjoy his first true break from football in a long time because his focus is elsewhere -- and not on dating -- TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Tom tell us he's going to spend the next few months just being a dad. We're told he's an extremely devoted father to his kids -- splitting his time with his kids in Miami and New York -- and is looking forward to spending extended time with them.

Tom's 15-year-old son Jack, who he has with Bridget Moynahan, plays high school football ... and Tom flies private to watch him play every week.

Page Six reported, "His kids ultimately were the reason why he made this decision."

What's more, Tom was recently spotted alone, scoping out schools in the Miami area for his kids he shares with Gisele -- Benjamin and Vivian. We're told Tom's plan is to stay in Miami for the kids.

As for his love life -- our sources say Tom hasn't dated anyone -- his interest right now is just living a life outside of the game.

Of course, he still has his several companies -- TB12, Autograph and Brady Brand -- all of which he'll still be hands-on with ... but without the stresses of football, it'll be much easier.

Tom's also got a massive deal with Fox Sports -- reportedly worth $375 million over the next 10 years -- a deal we're told he's not going to rush into starting, but one he's excited to take on when the time is right. That, we're told, won't happen for several months.

With Travis and Jason Kelce facing off in the Super Bowl, fans are petitioning to get their mom, Donna, to do the coin toss before the big game in Arizona ... and it's already got more than 15,000 signatures!!

The petition was started by Chiefs fan Amber Smith -- who is lobbying the NFL to allow Donna to participate in the tradition since the big game has been dubbed the "Kelce Bowl," according to change.org.

"What a great way to show the Super Proud mama some Amazing Appreciation and Love while giving her a once in a lifetime opportunity!! ❤️" the petition page says.

The game will be a historic moment for Travis and Jason -- they will become the first brothers to ever face off in the Super Bowl.

However, the Kelce brothers want the "Kelce Bowl" storyline to stop ... as the two feel like the narrative takes away from their teammates.

"I kinda don’t like that we’re calling it the Kelce Bowl," Jason said on their New Heights podcast. "Appreciate the support, but there’s a lot of guys involved with this. There’s major organizations involved. Unbelievable storylines in this Super Bowl."

Travis added, "Appreciate you guys calling it the Kelce Bowl, but let’s focus on the Chiefs-Eagles."

Either way ... it appears fans want to see Mama Kelce on the field.

Could an Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams reunion happen in Las Vegas?? The Raiders superstar had fans salivating after hinting at the possibility during a Q&A on Twitter ... and now, everyone is freaking out.

#17 dropped the bombshell tweet on Wednesday ... when he was asked, "Which neighborhood is @AaronRodgers12 moving to?"

Adams' response was short and to the point ... but it was certainly enough to send Twitter into a frenzy.

"Mine," the All-Pro receiver said.

Adams and Rodgers were one of the best duos in the league when they played together on the Packers from 2014-21 ... but split up after the receiver was traded to Vegas last season.

As rumors swirl that Rodgers could be the next piece to get traded out of Green Bay, the Raiders are certainly a potential landing spot now that Derek Carr has seemingly played his last down for the Silver and Black.

Adams also talked about a ton of other topics ... including his sneaker game, claiming he can get any pair of Jordans he wants.

He also said he misses the people in Green Bay -- but they can "keep the weather."

DJ Drama says Meek Mill’s classic "Dreams & Nightmares" has run its course as the Philadelphia Eagles team anthem, because everyone is rocking with Lil Uzi Vert!!!

We caught Mr. Thanksgiving at LAX, where he was giving Uzi partial credit for the Eagles crushing NFC championship victory ... due to the eclectic Philly rapper walking the team out to his eardrum-popping "Just Wanna Rock" record.

Drama is confident his Eagles will take Super Bowl LVII, and expects to hear Uzi's song every day leading up to the big game!!!

This has become a big debate amongst longtime Philly fans -- Uzi v. Meek. Fact is ... Meek's track still blared through the city after the Eagles' victory, and he even dropped a freestyle to hammer home his relevance to disappointed 49ers fans!!!

Uzi's not the only Generation Now rapper entangled in this year's SB festivities -- Jack Harlow and Missy Elliott are slated to be in a Doritos commercial, and Drama tells us there's definitely a collab coming ... it's just a matter of where the record will end up.

Drama's own "I'm Really Like That" album is dropping soon ... so, that combined with his team's success has him on top of the world.

Tom Brady's decision to retire from the NFL has caused a massive spike in demand for memorabilia linked to the 7-time Super Bowl champion -- and TMZ Sports has learned collectors are clamoring to buy and sell memorabilia affiliated with the G.O.A.T.

Officials from PWCC Marketplace tell us since Brady announced his retirement Wednesday, buyers are intensely searching for TB12 trading cards online. Meanwhile, sellers are trying to unload some of the rarest Brady pieces they have at auction.

A rep for the auction site tells us Brady, who retired after 23 NFL seasons, is now the most searched player on the PWCC Marketplace. For context, Tom was ranked 10th among the top searched players in the days before his retirement announcement.

"It's a limited data set we're looking at due to the fact it's just hours after he announced his retirement, but it is safe to say interest in Brady's trading cards and collectibles has risen substantially," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said.

"That data is going to support what will also be the consensus market perspective that his retirement will create an increase in demand for his collectible assets."

Craig says a seller contacted PWCC after Brady's announcement ... and is auctioning a 2000 Brady Bowman Chrome Refractor Rookie card that's expected to sell for over six figures.

"The fact that it’s coming to auction so immediately after this announcement means there are sellers out there who were waiting for this," Craig said.

"They are choosing to move high-end Brady assets now because they feel this retirement will be a keystone event in his legacy."

In November 2021, PWCC sold a BGS 9.5 copy of the same card in the leadup to Brady's first retirement for $312,000 at an auction.

If you were thinking moving your spring clothes to the front of the closet, not so fast ... because a famous rodent may have torpedoed your plan.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from the dirt Thursday morning at Gobbler's Knob, PA for Groundhogs day ... and this time around he saw his shadow ... which means 6 more weeks of winter.

Thousands of folks gathered for this year's celebration. Fact is ... this year it doesn't take a groundhog to tell you it's frickin' cold with no end in sight!

Derek Jeter says he was slumping so terribly back in the 2004 season -- he turned to none other than a golden thong to get him out of his rut.

Seriously.

The former Yankees captain made the surprising -- and hilarious -- revelation while playing a game called "True Confessions" with Jimmy Fallon and Rita Ora on Wednesday night's "The Tonight Show."

Jeter was forced to pick one of two topics, and his two cohosts had to guess if he was telling the truth or not.

"I once wore a thong, in public, in front of thousands of people," Jeter said.

Both Fallon and Ora thought it was a fib -- but the ex-NY shortstop said it was, in fact, a real tale.

Jeter explained ... back in 2002, he got a new teammate who swore up and down that wearing a golden thong would get him out of any slump.

Jeter initially thought it was a load of B.S. -- but at the start of the '04 season, he hit an offensive rut that he had never seen before.

"Every day I'd walk in, [my teammate] would point at the thong," Jeter said. "So, finally, I wore the thong."

First pitch of his first at-bat? Home run for Jeets.

"Yes, yes," Jeter said. "That is true."

The game was said to be the Yanks' April 29, 2004 contest against the Oakland A's. Records show he was in an 0-for-32 skid before cracking a dinger off Barry Zito at Yankee Stadium.

As for who the golden thong's true owner was? According to a 2015 interview on the Dan Le Batard Show, it was none other than Jason Giambi.

"The golden thong is legendary," JG said during the '15 discussion on ESPN Radio. "It's never not gotten a hit."

By the way, if you're wondering about the hygiene of it all -- don't worry, Jeter said there was no thong-to-skin contact.

"I had shorts on underneath," he said. "I put the thong over the shorts."

If an artist begins carving a new sports Mt. Rushmore into the side of a mountain in South Dakota in the upcoming weeks ... Deion Branch tells TMZ Sports Tom Brady is a for-sure lock to have a place in it.

The ex-NFL star insisted Wednesday just hours after Brady called it a career -- for real this time (we think) -- the former Buccaneers and Patriots quarterback has done enough to be considered one of the unanimous four best athletes ever.

Branch didn't want to say where he'd rank TB12 amongst the quartet -- but he said the ex-signal caller definitely belongs in the same conversations as the Michael Jordans, Wayne Gretzkys and Derek Jeters of the sports world.

"We do know that Tom is the greatest to ever put on a football jersey," Branch said ... before adding, "Tom will go down as the greatest football player to ever play the game."

Of course, Branch is a bit biased -- he played seven seasons with Brady in New England, winning two Super Bowls and an SB MVP with the QB -- but there won't be too many people arguing against his opinion.

Brady played 23 seasons in the league, winning seven Super Bowls and three MVP awards. He also made 15 Pro Bowl teams, 3 All-Pro teams, and retired as the NFL's leader in passing yards (89,214) and passing touchdowns (649).

Branch tells us the QB should have absolutely no regrets about not hanging things up sooner ... and, in fact, he said he's happy for the 45-year-old over the way he got to do it all.

The wife of 49ers star Fred Warner won't be showing up to Eagles games in the future after she says Philly fans treated her horribly, berating her during the NFC Championship game, and it made her feel unsafe.

Warner's wife, Sydney, opened up about her experience at Lincoln Financial Field ... and let's just say she got a warm Philadelphia welcome.

The All-Pro's spouse says she was minding her own business, getting something to eat at a concession stand when a drunk Eagles fan got in her face, and tried to intimidate her.

"I tried my best to just not let it get to me." the 27-year-old said in a TikTok video on Wednesday.

"Like stay stone face, just walk and just let them throw stuff at you, say all the things and just get to where you're going. Just block it out."

Of course, that's easier said than done.

But, that was nothing compared to what happened when Sydney attempted to leave the game a bit early in an attempt to avoid the hecklers. Unfortunately, she ended up in a tunnel filled with Eagles fans.

"The way they were just like 'go home, go home' but that's fine. I get it but 'I hope your plane crashes!'" Sydney said, "I’m all about passion, but never again.”

Sydney, who married the linebacker last June, says it got so bad that she had to hide her red bag under her jacket so they wouldn't harass her, but she still felt unsafe.

"Like I'm 100% down riding for riding your team, but honestly, I just didn't feel safe," Sydney said.

"I will probably never go back to that stadium, to be honest. I guess you can just call me a wimp, but I couldn't handle the fans."

Tom Brady spent his free time helping a great cause during his final NFL season -- his teammate, Logan Ryan's wife just revealed -- the quarterback and his kids regularly volunteered at a local animal shelter.

Ashley Bragg Ryan shared the touching tribute following Brady's retirement on Wednesday ... saying she didn't want to share another story about his on-field accomplishments, but rather shine a light on who he is as a human being instead.

Ashley says Tom, Logan and their kids would go to the humane society together every other weekend ... and the families would bond over playing with puppies and feeding kittens.

"It wasn’t about publicity, fundraising or recognition," Ashley said on Instagram. "It was about being a human being. It was about Tom taking the very thing his little girl loves the most and turning it into an opportunity to spend time together."

"It was about Tom reaching out to his friend, asking how to get involved, helping his community by giving something far more meaningful than money ... his time."

Ashley also shared pictures and videos of a visit back in August ... showing the two NFLers playing with the puppies and having a blast.

Damar Hamlin was a special guest at a taping for "The Masked Singer" Tuesday night ... marking one of the Buffalo Bills safety's first appearances since his medical emergency last month.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures from the set of the taping ... showing the 24-year-old holding a football and smiling on stage alongside host Nick Cannon, with his name in big red letters on the screen behind him.

Hamlin made his first public appearance at the Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game on Jan. 22 ... but while he was present to show support for his team, he did not speak to the media.

Hamlin has since posted videos on his social media -- thanking his supporters and kickstarting a CPR challenge campaign with the American Heart Association.

We're told Hamlin attended the taping alongside his young brother, Damir, who's a big fan of the show ... and he wanted to come along to check out the action.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Josh Sills allegedly forced a woman to perform oral sex on him for "approximately 20 minutes" in his truck back in 2019 ... this according to a new police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office docs, cops say a woman told them the incident happened in Ohio at around 2 AM on Dec. 5, 2019 ... after Sills had given her and her cousin a ride back to her cousin's home from a local cafe.

Cops say the alleged victim, who was 21 years old at the time, told them as her cousin got out of the car -- Sills grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in. The woman, according to the docs, said her cousin "did not think anything of it and shut the door and walked into the house."

In the report, authorities say the woman told them Sills then began his sexual assault, attempting to kiss her ... before grabbing her by the neck and throwing her down on the seat. The alleged victim said Sills unbuttoned her pants and began groping her -- all while she told him to stop repeatedly.

Cops say the woman told them Sills eventually sat up, grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her on top of him -- telling her, "she was doing this and was not leaving until she did this."

She claims, according to the report, that Sills then forced her to perform oral sex "until he did his thing." She asked him afterward if she could leave, according to the report, and after he told her "you will talk to me again," she got out of the truck and ran inside the home.

Cops say the woman told them Sills then left.

Police say in the report the woman had bruising in the back of her throat, her inner lip, her right ear and on the back of her left knee following the alleged assault. Cops said they did take photographs of her injuries.

According to the report, the woman had known Sills, who was also 21 years old at the time, for approximately seven or eight years ... and had attended high school with him.

As we reported, police conducted an investigation into it all ... and the NFL player was eventually indicted on one count of felony rape and one count of kidnapping on Wednesday.

He's due in court for a hearing in the case on Feb. 16 -- just four days after his Eagles team takes on the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

It's not clear yet if the 25-year-old rookie reserve lineman will suit up for the game -- the Eagles said in a statement Wednesday afternoon, "The organization is aware of the legal matter involving Josh Sills. We have been in communication with the league office and are in the process of gathering more information. We have no further comment at this time."

Kevin Durant got his wish -- WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart just signed with the New York Liberty ... and he's hyped!!!

The former Seattle Storm forward announced her decision Wednesday by posting a video wearing her new team's merch ... and playing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State Of Mind" in the background.

Durant -- who was actively recruiting Stewart to the Big Apple -- went straight to Twitter when he saw the news ... saying, "Aye, don’t call my phone lookin for tickets this summer, they gone."

"Let’s get it @nyliberty."

Of course, the Brooklyn Nets star is probably patting himself on the back just a little bit ... considering he revealed on Monday he was texting the 2-time WNBA champ, telling her to join the NY team.

"I hit Stewie the other day," Durant said on the Boardroom podcast. "And I never do this, and was like, 'Yo, it would be an incredible dynasty in New York City if you came here."

He's right -- Stewart is one of the best in the WNBA ... and now, she's joining star guard Sabrina Ionescu and 6'6" forward Jonquel Jones to make a Big 3.

Ionescu is clearly stoked over the new addition ... and shared a photoshopped pic of the trio together after the massive deal.

Stewart wasn't the only big signing in the WNBA's offseason ... Candace Parker officially signed with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

New York Liberty versus the Vegas Aces for the 2023 WNBA Finals? We'll see!!!