TMZ Sports - Page 50

The NFL is promoting CPR awareness following the Damar Hamlin incident ... teaming up with the American Heart Association and Red Cross to help train those involved in youth sports to learn the procedure.

The league says it is committed to ensuring all participants at the youth sports level are educated properly and have the necessary equipment to respond to medical emergencies in light of what happened to the Buffalo Bills safety during Monday Night Football last month.

"Being able to deliver care in emergency situations is not just important at sporting events, but in all walks of life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our continued partnerships with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross will ensure even more people have the capability to administer CPR and respond to emergencies."

"The tools and trainings exist to keep young athletes safe -- we embrace our responsibility to ensure that knowledge is in as many hands as possible for the greatest positive impact."

On Tuesday, 24-year-old Hamlin announced a collab with the AHA to create the "3 for Heart" challenge -- a campaign to spread CPR awareness and training.

"As you know, CPR saved my life earlier this year on the field, and CPR could easily save your life or someone you love," Hamlin said in a video posted on his Instagram account.

The league said throughout the month of February -- American Heart Month -- it will host a series of activities ... starting with a fundraiser via NFL Auction on February 9 during Super Bowl Week.

Saquon Barkley can pull off nasty juke moves against linebackers on the football field, but when it comes to dodgeball and Demario Davis ... ehhh, not so much.

The New York Giants star proved he ain't exactly elite at the children's game during the 2023 Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball tournament ... taking a huge shot right to the face!!

Here's what happened ... Barkley and Davis, a New Orleans Saints linebacker, were the only ones left in the NFC offense vs. NFC defense competition on Thursday in Las Vegas -- and had to take each other out in a one-on-one showdown to win it all.

Barkley showed off some impressive defensive moves by bobbing and weaving at first ... but that ended quickly after Davis threw a heater right at the guy's face.

To his credit, Saquon shook it off -- and it actually helped his NFC team win ... because headshots aren't allowed, and Davis was DQ'ed for it.

"Got hit in my face," the 25-year-old said afterward on the Giants' Instagram, "but at the end of the day, we got the win. That's the only thing that matters."

Outside of the painful moment for Barkley, the night went off without a hitch ... featuring a crazy scene involving Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett ... who really showed off his athleticism in the NFC vs. AFC final.

Win or lose, some Eagles fans won't have to stress about waking up early for math class the day after the Super Bowl ... 'cause one school district has already implemented a two-hour delay in honor of the big game.

The Gloucester City School District in South Jersey announced its plans to have a late start on Monday, Feb. 13 .. allowing kids and teachers to either celebrate -- or mourn -- the result of the game a bit longer before hitting the hay.

"It is a rare and special time for families to watch our local professional football team compete in the Super Bowl," school superintendent Sean Gorman said about the decision.

"We feel that it's important to give students and staff the opportunity to enjoy the game with the families and still attend school and work the next day safely and well-rested."

FYI, Gloucester City is located in Camden County in New Jersey ... and is located about 12 minutes from Lincoln Financial Field in Philly, where the Eagles play their home games.

Of course, some people view the Monday after the Super Bowl as a holiday -- kids and adults generally want to call off from work or skip school after all the partying.

Philly fans have a reputation for their passionate postgame antics -- they put that on full display when the Phillies advanced to the World Series ... and more recently, when the Eagles won the NFC Championship game.

Dejounte Murray should be good on sauce from Chick-fil-A FOREVER, or at least through the NBA season ... 'cause the Hawks star was gifted an enormous box filled with Polynesian packets!

The Hawks guard got the surprise gift in the locker room right after the team's 132 to 100 win over the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday.

Of course, the NBA All-Star is obsessed with Chick-fil-A and their Polynesian sauce ... in fact, DJ was even eating CFA before the Hawks-Suns game.

Murray's love of the sauce is well known, so when rookie guard Adrian Griffin Jr. handed him a box wrapped with paper printed with IG messages from fans talking about his love of the sweet and sour sauce, DJ knew what was in the box.

"I already know what it is," Murray laughed, "Polynesian! Haha!"

And, unlike Karl-Anthony Towns roasting his teammate Anthony Edwards over his eating habits, it doesn't seem like anyone on the Hawks is bothered by DM's obsession with the sugary CFA sauces.

It might be because Murray -- who joined Trae Young and the Hawks last June following a trade -- has been eating on the floor, averaging 21.2 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Dwayne Johnson's mom, Ata Johnson, was involved in a terrifying car crash on Wednesday night -- one that left her Cadillac totally mangled -- but, thankfully, he said "she's OK."

The Rock shared the news on his Instagram page Thursday evening ... revealing the accident was so bad, his mom's ride suffered a beat-up hood and bumper -- and a completely wrecked right front fender.

Fortunately, the former WWE superstar said the 74-year-old made it out of the accident apparently unscathed.

"Angels of mercy watched over my mom as she was in a car crash late last night," Dwayne said. "She’ll survive and continue to get evaluated."

He added, "This woman has survived lung cancer, tough marriage, head on collision with a drunk driver and attempted suicide. She’s a survivor, in ways that make angels and miracles real."

Dwayne didn't share further details of the crash -- but he did say it happened somewhere in Los Angeles ... and thanked the LAPD and LAFD for their rescue efforts.

Tyre Nichols, who loved to skateboard, could soon have his name emblazoned on skate parks in Memphis and Sacramento ... TMZ has learned.

Chief of Communications for the City of Memphis, Allison Fouche tells TMZ ... leaders are having preliminary conversations about naming a park after Tyre. Mayor Jim Strickland is floating the idea to the City Council.

We're told the Mayor is meeting internally with his team Friday to discuss plans, including whether they'll build a new park in Tyre's honor, or rename an existing one.

Since Tyre's tragic death, videos have been circulating online of him showing off his skateboarding skills. Most of the footage is from his time in Sacramento, CA before moving to Memphis.

Tim Swanson, media and communications manager for the City of Sacramento, tells TMZ ... councilmember Lisa Kaplan, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City staff are working with Tyre's family to explore the best ways to honor his legacy, which could include renaming a skate park after him.

Tyre's parents are crowdfunding a memorial fund, and his mom says she'd like to use some of the money to build a memorial skate park for Tyre.

Tom Brady's been good at just about everything in his life, but Dr. Jenn Mann says the QB could now face some big adversity ... telling TMZ Sports she fears the future Hall of Famer could have a "very difficult transition" to retirement.

The "Couples Therapy" doc says it's normal for athletes to struggle once the game is taken away from them ... but given how successful Brady was -- and for how long he sustained the excellence -- she tells us she's worried the next few months might be really hard for TB12.

She explained ... going from a day-to-day process where everything from nutrition to emotional energy is determined by sport -- to it suddenly being removed -- can be "really surprisingly a difficult transition."

But, Dr. Jenn says there are plenty of solutions for Brady to ease all of that -- starting with the $375 MILLION broadcasting contract he inked with Fox before he hung up his spikes.

If that doesn't help -- the famed psychotherapist said she would recommend therapy for Brady ... as well as finding a new sense of structure ... to get the second chapter of his life started smoothly.

A warrant has been issued for Bengals star running back Joe Mixon's arrest in Cincinnati ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, the warrant is for a count of aggravated menacing -- which is described as when a person knowingly leads another to believe they will physically harm them or their property, unborn child or member of their immediate family.

Aggravated menacing is a first-degree misdemeanor, according to Ohio's State Laws and Regulations. If convicted, Mixon could face up to 180 days in jail and a fine.

Mixon, 26, just completed his sixth season in the NFL ... and the Bengals were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday.

As a member of the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 2014, Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault when he punched a woman after she shoved him in the chest. He entered an Alford plea ... admitting there was enough evidence to convict him. He got 1-year probation, 100 hours of community service and behavioral counseling.

We reached out to Mixon's rep for comment ... so far, no word back.

Jake Paul sharpened his trash-talking tools this week ... but it wasn't with his next boxing opponent, Tommy Fury -- the Problem Child traded verbal jabs with sports personality Bomani Jones in a heated interview.

The YouTuber-turned-pro boxer joined Jones' "Game Theory" this week ... and things went from 0 to 100 real quick.

In a clip from the HBO show, Bomani asked how the undefeated boxer would react if he ever loses a fight ... and Jake made it clear he has zero intention of ever having to cross that bridge.

"I don't plan on losing," Paul said. "I don't train to lose. I feel like that's probably your mindset. A lot of people like to project their mindsets onto me."

Jones interjects and says that's not the case -- he was just genuinely curious to hear whether Paul would still be as interested in boxing if he takes his first L.

That's when Jake gave the host a piece of his mind.

"I'mma be honest, bro, I don't know who the f*** you are. My PR team set up this interview."

If Aaron Rodgers gets traded this offseason, apparently it won't be to the 49ers ... the star quarterback said Thursday he's "not going to San Fran."

The Green Bay Packers star made the proclamation while getting set to tee off on a Par-3 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am ... after a hole announcer had asked if he had any news to share.

Of course, Rodgers was smirking ear-to-ear as he made the statement -- so it's hard to determine whether or not he was being serious ... or just trolling the Northern California crowd.

Rodgers has been rumored to be on the trade block for weeks -- and with the health issues in the 49ers' quarterback room, many thought SF might be an ideal landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.

Then again, the New York Jets and the Las Vegas Raiders -- whose best player, Davante Adams, openly recruited Rodgers in a tweet on Wednesday night -- also make a ton of sense for the QB.

Green Bay has yet to say publicly if it's shopping the 39-year-old signal-caller ... but either way, a decision's gotta be made within the next few months, if not weeks.

Vanessa Hudgens and her MLB player boyfriend, Cole Tucker, have just taken their relationship to a whole 'nother level ... TMZ Sports has learned they're engaged!!!

A source close to the two tells us ... Tucker popped the question sometime at the end of 2022.

It's unclear when exactly the question was popped ... but the couple was in Paris in November -- a lovely place for a potential engagement to go down.

The "High School Musical" star and the Colorado Rockies utility man have been dating since 2020 -- and have been nearly inseparable since they initially became romantic.

Vanessa's been spotted at a ton of his baseball games over the past couple years -- and in Tucker's offseason, he's spent nearly all of his free time with the actress.

Just a few days ago, Hudgens proclaimed her love for the baseball player in a mushy social media post, writing, "I’ll stop the world and melt with you ❤️🥰."

Tucker's written similar messages to Hudgens on his Instagram too.

It was quite a 2022 for Tucker ... he started the year as a Pittsburgh Pirate before moving on to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He ultimately signed as a free agent with the Rockies this offseason -- meaning he and Vanessa are now going to be spending a whole lot of time together in Denver in 2023.

Clemson men's basketball star Brevin Galloway has turned a horrifying injury into a huge boon for his wallet ... scoring a big NIL deal after he severely hurt his testes last week.

Men's underwear company Shinesty announced Thursday they signed the senior guard to a pact that promises to pay him some cash and give him a whole bunch of undies -- after he suffered a testicular torsion injury that he hilariously described in a social media video as his balls "exploding."

Galloway explained in the deal's announcement that he believed the ailment happened because he was wearing loose boxers. But, now, he says he's confident his new Shinesty Ball Hammock pouch gear will keep him -- and his babymakers -- safe and sound going forward.

"Now I can focus on dropping 3's," he said, "since I know Ball Hammocks won’t drop my 2's."

In the company's announcement, Shinesty officials said Galloway is recovering from his surgery nicely and will "return to the court later this month."

LeBron James' first-ever #6 Lakers jersey -- which he wore on the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season -- is hitting the auction block ... and could sell for a ton of dough, TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep with SCP Auctions tells us the gold Nike "Icon" Edition jersey James sported against the Golden State Warriors on October 19, 2021, is up for grabs ... and it's a big deal, considering it's the first time he rocked #6 for L.A., instead of his Cleveland-era #23.

The bottom left corner of the piece of history shows LeBron's jersey size (54) and the date of the game, 10-19-21, handwritten on the tag.

The jersey has gone through several layers of authentication -- it was entered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program -- and was photo matched to the 1st and 2nd half of the contest against the Warriors.

Remember, James switched from #23 to #6 in June 2021 ... just four months before the NBA season started. LeBron previously wore the #6 when he was with the Miami Heat for four seasons (2010-2014).

"It's always been a part of me, to be honest," James said when asked about the switch. "Six has a lot of meaning to me, from my family and numbers and things of that nature to what I believe in and things of that sort, but my mentality doesn’t change."

King James finished the night against the Warriors with a game-high 34 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists -- but the Dubs spoiled LeBron's night, defeating the Lakers, 121-114.

Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby ripped Joey Bosa for complaining about NFL officials after the Chargers' playoff loss, and vowed himself to never act like a "f***ing crybaby".

"A couple of games ago, when f***ing dude had a meltdown and blamed the refs," Crosby said of Bosa on Barstools' Bussin' With The Boys, saying, "I see dudes blaming, oh, f*** it, O-linemen hold all the time. Refs don't call it."

"I'll never be that guy. S*** like that is so weak to me. You're going to get held. I know I get held all the time. You watch the Rams' last drive against us. I was getting literally tackled."

Crosby continued ... "I'm not going to go and double down and look like a little f***ing crybaby," he added. "That's not me."

Of course, Maxx took aim at Bosa after the star pass rusher complained about the refs following his team's 31-30 collapse to the Jaguars in the Wild Card Round.

"I think there just needs to be more accountability," Bosa said after the playoff game. "I mean if I say something to them I get a $40,000 fine, but if they blow a call that ruins an entire team's season, they're probably back in the locker room after the game like, 'Haha got that asshole. Yeah, got him. Fifteen yards, what a loser.'"

"I guarantee that's what their f***ing talking like in the back. Whatever, power trip. I'm sick of those f***ing people."

Former wrestling star Lanny Poffo -- younger brother of the late Randy Savage -- has died ... his friend, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan said Thursday.

He was 68 years old. A cause of death is unknown at this time.

Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 ... before joining multiple promotions affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance, where he won a Tag-Team Championship alongside his father, Angelo.

In 1985, Poffo joined the World Wrestling Federation ... where he would be known as "Leaping Lanny Poffo" and "The Genius."

Poffo competed against huge names like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Jim Neidhart and The Ultimate Warrior over the course of his stellar career ... and at one point, teamed up with Mr. Perfect.

Poffo inducted his brother, Randy, into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 ... giving a touching tribute and attending WrestleMania 31 in his honor.

Out of the squared circle, Poffo also wrote several books ... and was known for writing poems.

"With a very, very heavy heart, I've been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius," Hacksaw said on Instagram.

Former boxing champ Kell Brook said Thursday he "messed up" ... apologizing to his family and fans after a video showed him appearing to snort white powder at a recent party.

The clip, obtained by The Sun and posted last month, seemed to show Kell at a Sheffield residence leaning over a glass coffee table and putting a line of the substance through a straw and up his nose.

In the footage, Brook -- wearing a Joe Louis t-shirt -- can be heard saying "nice" ... before celebrating with some shadow boxing.

Initially, his manager, Terry Thompson, told The Sun it was "a joke" -- but Brook issued a mea culpa over it all on Thursday on his social media pages.

"I messed up," the 36-year-old said. "I hold my hands up and want to apologize to my family, gym, friends, and fans."

"It's no secret that I struggle with mental health and I'm finding retirement hard."

The British boxer, who won the IBF welterweight title in 2014, added, "I'm actively seeking the help I need to get me on the right path. And again apologize for the hurt and disappointment I've caused."

The 40-3 boxer retired in May 2022 -- a few months after knocking out Amir Khan in the 6th round at the AO Arena in Manchester England.