TMZ Sports - Page 50

"Game of Thrones" star and strongman legend Thor Björnsson just shared devastating news ... his daughter passed away this week after his wife suffered a delayed miscarriage.

Björnsson and fitness model Kelsey Henson announced they were expecting their second child together last month -- due in March 2024 -- but tragically, she suffered a stillbirth.

"It is with great sorrow that we announce the birth of our daughter, Grace Morgan Hafthorsdottir born Nov 8th at 21 1/2 weeks gestation," the 34-year-old said on Instagram.

"After a noticeable decrease in movement we found out her heart had stopped beating."

Thor shared photos of him and Henson -- who married in 2018 -- with their daughter in the hospital bed ... as well as their son Stormur holding his baby sister (WARNING: IMAGES ARE GUTWRENCHING).

"Words cannot describe our pain of this loss or our happiness at being able to spend time with our daughter," Bjornsson said.

"The grief we feel will be with us forever but so will the love. All of our hopes and dreams for her have been taken away from us but I know I will be with her again."

Thor added, "Her spirit lives on through us and her siblings. We ask that you respect our privacy at this time as we grieve this unbearable loss. Thank you all for any kind words and support."

Ex-NFL offensive lineman Chad Wheeler has been found guilty of domestic violence ... this after he was accused of nearly killing his girlfriend during a bipolar episode in 2021.

A jury in King County, Wash. came back on Thursday with the verdict ... formally finding Wheeler guilty of one count of first-degree domestic violence and one count of second-degree domestic violence. They did, however, issue a not guilty verdict on a charge of unlawful imprisonment.

Wheeler was remanded into custody following the ruling ... and he's now set for sentencing on Dec. 14.

According to a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, officials can now seek "a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for the" first-degree charge after the jury found Wheeler "used force or means likely to result in death." The spokesperson said they can also now "seek a sentence above the standard range" for the second-degree charge.

The conclusion in the case comes nearly three years after Alleah Taylor said she sustained serious injuries when Wheeler snapped on her at their Washington apartment on Jan. 22, 2021.

Taylor alleged Wheeler -- who she had been dating for around six months at the time of the incident -- demanded she "bow down" to him, and when she didn't comply, he attacked her and choked her within an inch of her life.

Taylor said she sustained a concussion and an arm injury that required bolts and a steel plate to fix.

Following Thursday's ruling, she posted a statement on X ... saying, "I finally have justice."

Taylor Swift kicked off the latest leg of her "Eras" tour without her boo in the crowd -- Travis Kelce was busy showing love for his best friend, Patrick Mahomes, at his charity event on Thursday instead.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar was front and center for his quarterback's "15 and the Mahomies Foundation" bash in Kansas City ... which is about 5,500 miles away from Argentina -- where Swift kick-started her string of international concerts.

There are reports Kelce will make the long trip to check out one of his lady's gigs during the Chiefs' bye week ... and that's entirely still possible -- as she has two more dates in Buenos Aires before he's gotta be back to his day job.

Tayvis has been the biggest storyline of the NFL season ... and Travis' Eagles star bro, Jason, was even asked about the tight end's plans during his appearance on Thursday Night Football -- but the guy played clueless, saying TK will "pop up somewhere."

As for Taylor, she crushed her opening night performance ... and there's one moment in particular that has Swifties freaking out -- when she sang a surprise song about "falling in love again."

The clip of Taylor's delivery during "Labyrinth" is all the proof her die-hard fans needed to determine she is, in fact, head over heels for her new man ... which, of course, had social media in a frenzy.

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is hoping to share a dugout with Shohei Ohtani next season ... telling TMZ Sports he believes New York should go after the former MVP in free agency.

"Yeah!" he said emphatically while out at the MLB Flagship Store in NYC on Thursday. "Of course!"

Ohtani is eligible to leave the Angels this year ... after he spent the last six seasons with the team turning himself into one of the biggest superstars the sport's ever seen.

In his time in LA, he racked up three All-Star appearances, a .274 batting average, a 3.01 ERA and 171 home runs.

And, despite undergoing a second surgery on his throwing elbow in September, Volpe made it clear to us he really wants to see the 29-year-old in pinstripes.

"I mean, I think he's the best of the best," Volpe said.

Ohtani is expected to stay off the mound in 2024 while rehabbing, but he is slated to be healthy enough to hit at the dish -- and many in the MLB believe he's now poised to land the biggest contract in the history of the sport.

Joe Smith has a message for the cynics who believe his public feud with wife Kisha over OnlyFans was a big publicity stunt ... adamantly denying they set up the whole thing for publicity!!

The 48-year-old former #1 overall NBA draft pick shared his side of the story during an interview with VladTV this week ... where he explained how he found out his partner, former adult actress Kisha Chavis, got back into the X-rated content.

"Nah, that's not what happened and that's not what's going on right now," Smith said.

"It's a real issue. The video hurt, but then also, the fact that the way I had to find out about the OnlyFans page, that's another thing on top of that that hurts as well."

The 16-year NBA vet said he caught Kisha scrolling through her profile on her phone, which led to the infamous video on social media.

Obviously, Kisha recorded the whole thing, and Smith took it as a smack in the face when she uploaded it to the internet ... and he believes if they had kept it between themselves, they could have talked it out.

"I wouldn't put my business out in the streets, I wouldn't put nothing like this out in the streets unless it was real official, and I didn't do this one so it's hurting," he added.

"It's hurtful and I gotta listen to people's opinions every day, all day right now about my relationship and that's something I never wanted to be involved in."

Harvey and Charles spoke to Kisha on "TMZ Live" last week, and she told her side of the story ... and she sees it a bit differently than Joe.

The Tuohy family says it's doled out $138K to Michael Oher from profits it received from "The Blind Side" ... and it's now claiming it's got the receipts to prove it.

Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy shared images of the alleged payments inside new court documents filed in Tennessee this week ... insisting they show Oher received money from them in 10 separate installments.

The Tuohys said in the docs the payments began in June 2007 -- roughly two years before the blockbuster movie about Oher's life was released in the U.S. -- and most recently ended in April.

The payments to Oher, according to the docs, ranged from $117 all the way to $31,500 ... and represented an agreed upon split of the cash the Tuohys got from the "Blind Side" movie and the book that came out just before the hit flick.

"By agreement between the family members including Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, their children SJ and Collins as well as Michael Oher, the book and movie proceeds were to be split five ways," the Tuohys' attorneys wrote in court documents.

"These funds represent funds paid to Mr. Tuohy and the portion paid over to Mr. Oher."

As we previously reported, Oher had accused the Tuohys of essentially tricking him into a conservatorship ... before screwing him out of a ton of cash in the "Blind Side" deal that they negotiated -- which precipitated this week's court filings from the Tuohys.

Meanwhile, the Tuohys have consistently maintained they did nothing wrong ... accusing Oher of actually trying to shake them down for $15 million, before willingly ending the conservatorship in September.

"The Tuohy's have never received any money as conservators on behalf of Michael Oher," the Tuohys' attorneys wrote in this week's court documents, "and further never had control over any funds or any dealings on behalf of Mr. Oher during the entire term of the conservatorship."

The Atlanta Hawks' idea of running an "OnlyFans" style promo with their mascot this week isn't sitting well with at least two of their players ... who took to social media on Thursday to hilariously drag the team over the vid.

The clip was dropped by the NBA org on its social media pages early Thursday morning to promote ATL's involvement in the league's new in-season tournament.

It featured Harry the Hawk seductively posing on a bed in his ATL gear ... while a woman whispered about Atlanta fans "knowing where the real action is."

"Hawks fans know just where to get it," the woman said in the video. "Join in and wake up your wild side."

Some found the footage funny -- but others, including Atlanta stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, didn't exactly love it.

"MANNNNNNN," Murray wrote on his X page while sharing the video, "DELETE THIS S***!!!!!!!'

Added Young, "I had no part of this.. 🤦‍♂️."

Ryan Blaney is just days removed from the biggest moment in his racing career ... so, how's the 2023 Cup Series champion celebrating?! TMZ Sports asked the NASCAR star.

"I'm going on vacation this upcoming weekend, so I'm excited for that!" Blaney told us ... adding the vacay was planned before winning the title, but it certainly makes the trip "even more special now," according to the driver.

But, even more so than a boy's trip, Blaney says he's looking forward to spending time with the team behind the great season.

"I'm excited to go to our race shop [Wednesday] to see everybody. See all the men and women who are a part of Team Penske in North Carolina. So that's gonna be another special moment to spend with everybody."

Blaney, at just 29 years old, secured the coveted title with a second-place (behind Ross Chastain) finish during Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway ... earning Ryan enough points to win the Cup Series title!

Ryan comes from a racing family ... his dad Dave made nearly 500 NASCAR starts. Grandpa was a driver, too -- mostly on dirt tracks -- and the racing lineage was a huge inspiration for the new champion.

"I was lucky enough as a kid to grow up around it, with my dad racing, him coming from dirt tracks just like my grandfather and I just saw it at a young age. As a kid, I just wanted to do what my dad did. I was fascinated by it, so he was obviously a huge part of getting me going, and supporting me throughout the way."

Ryan continued ... "Still having my family in my life the way they are, supporting me week in and week out, supporting me in my adulthood, is something that I can never thank them enough for."

FYI, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin rounded out the Cup Series standings.

As for when he turns his attention to next season ... here's what Ryan told us.

"Now. But at the same time, I'm still gonna enjoy this one. I don't want to look ahead too much."

Blaney continued ... "I think when it gets to the New Year, when January rolls around, 'Okay, it's time to go back to work! What do we have to do to get another?' But until January, I'm enjoying this one, and then I'll focus on the new one!"

The holidays are right around the corner, and Kim Kardashian and her SKIMS marketing elves are hard at work, this time with a little assistance from one of the biggest names in sports.

Check out the latest SKIMS campaign to drop Thursday, featuring none other than Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, and his wife Brittany with their adorable kiddos; 2-year-old daughter Sterling and 11-month-old son, Patrick, "Bronze."

The family is helping Kim's brand launch its annual Holiday Shop with items for the whole family ... including the winter-must-have, fleece.

We gotta say, the pics are pretty cute, and the whole family appears to be having a good time -- surrounded by teddy bears and gifts.

As for the campaign itself, Patrick seems pretty pumped, adding, "This is our first campaign as a family, and shooting for SKIMS all together was an awesome moment."

It was Snoop Dogg and his family who did the honors for the SKIMS holiday campaign last year, with 3 generations of the rapper's family appearing in photos ... but the pivot to an athlete makes a lot of sense considering the recent launch of SKIMS Men's line.

Logan Paul turned his U.S. Championship belt into a censor bar this week -- the WWE Superstar posted a completely naked shower snap on social media ... with only his new, shiny addition covering his junk!!

The Maverick -- who won his first wrestling title over the weekend after beating Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel -- shared a few snaps of his life as the champ on Thursday ... and let's just say he's been getting some quality time with the hardware.

The 28-year-old clearly wouldn't let his new belt leave his side as he went about his daily routine -- spooning in bed with his fiancée, Nina Agdal, enjoying a rooftop stogie, working out ... and even when he was rinsing off!!

A lot of Logan's followers cracked jokes in the comments ... with one person saying, "Nahhh no one is wearing that belt after the last pic 😂" and another going a bit more blunt by adding, "Bro got his meat all up on da belt."

It's been an insane start for Logan's wrestling career -- the dude has fought big names like Roman Reigns, Seth Freakin' Rollins, Ricochet and The Miz over the past year and a half ... and now, he can finally call himself a champion.

Matt Ulrich's wife, Alison, is speaking out after the former NFL player's death ... sharing an emotional post on Facebook where she remembered him as a great father, coach and friend.

"Our beloved, one-of-a-kind Matt has passed away and is in a better place," Alison wrote.

"Matt, we love you so so much. You are profoundly missed. We all want you back for just one more day."

Ulrich met Alison in the early 2000s when he was a star offensive lineman at Northwestern ... and the couple went on to get married and have four sons together.

In her post, Alison heartbreakingly said she wished she could have "One more hug. One more kiss. One more laugh. One more joke. One more wrestle with the boys" with him.

"It seems impossible to do this life without you," she said. "Please pray for peace and comfort for the boys. They have lost their greatest fan, coach and friend."

As we previously reported, Colts owner Jim Irsay announced the death of Ulrich -- who played two seasons for Indianapolis in 2005 and 2006 -- on Wednesday via the X app ... sharing his thoughts and prayers to the family.

"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich," Irsay wrote. "Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many."

Ulrich joined the Colts as an undrafted offensive guard ... and he went on to win Super Bowl XLI with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Dwight Freeney.

A fundraiser was launched for his family following his passing ... and so far, it's raised almost $40,000.

A cause of death has not been announced at this time. He was only 41.

Victor Wembanyama got the opposite of a warm welcome in his first game at Madison Square Garden ... 'cause a bunch of ruthless Knicks fans made it clear they're not believing the hype surrounding the hoops phenom -- chanting "overrated" in the middle of the game!!

Of course, the San Antonio Spurs' No. 1 overall pick ruffled some feathers with the home crowd prior to Wednesday's matchup with New York ... when he said the Mecca wasn't as big as he expected.

Knickerbocker backers promised to give the 19-year-old hell as a result of his comments ... and they held true to their word throughout the contest -- booing and heckling the 7'4" hooper every chance they got.

Their efforts may have worked ... 'cause Wemby didn't have his best outing -- going 4-14 from the field en route to 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Some people on social media weren't too pleased with the Knicks fans' antics -- saying it's wild to make such a claim eight games into his career ... especially when he's had some amazing performances in the Association so far.

A husband's going viral for putting a Taylor Swift tip jar in his house, and making his wife pay up for every mention of the pop star OR her boyfriend, Travis Kelce!

Maryland resident Dana Rice shared the clip of her hubby's new "invention," showing him clearly fed up with the Taylor/Travis chatter going on around their home these days ... prompting him to tape a sign with the new house rules on a tall glass.

It says, "Any mention of T. Swift and you owe $0.25" ... adding, "I can't take it anymore." And yes, there's a footnote reminding Dana the Kansas City Chiefs star is included in the deal.

Dana says she became a Swiftie when Taylor launched her "Eras" tour back in March ... and now fellow fans are coming to her defense in the comments -- one jokingly wrote, "25 cents is a small price to pay to spread the gospel."

Dana slips up pretty early, BTW ... saying they both were recently on 'SNL' -- referring to their brief cameos last month on the show's season premiere. As you know, that's when the entire country was goin' nuts over their relationship.

As we reported, the duo was spotted holding hands in NYC before their brief appearances on 'SNL' ... and they also hit up the show's after-party together.

It took just seconds for Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan to talk about Taylor Swift during the CMAs on Wednesday ... and, unfortunately for New York fans, the reference led to a hilarious crack about how terrible the Jets have been this year.

The NFL Hall of Famer and the country music star hosted the annual awards show ... and as part of their roles as anchors, the two gave an opener full of jokes.

Of course, that meant there was definitely a mention of Swift and her new relationship with Travis Kelce ... which then turned into a jab at the 4-4 Jets.

"Luke," Manning said into the mic onstage, "you know the difference between Taylor Swift and the New York Jets?"

"Uh, Taylor can sell out a stadium?" Bryan responded ... before Manning cracked, "You nailed it!"

The barb was met with a mix of laughs and groans -- before Manning chuckled, "I had you do that punchline, Luke, so I wouldn't get in trouble."

The duo's opener also included Peyton singing some country music classics ... as well as a quip about Eli Manning getting a face tattoo in honor of Jelly Roll.

Alan Foster -- who cofounded the Big Baller Brand -- is dragging the Balls to court once again ... this time he's suing LaVar Ball, Tina Ball, LaMelo Ball as well as PUMA, alleging they screwed him out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Foster's claims were spelled out in a new lawsuit filed in federal court in California earlier this week ... some four years after he had a falling out with the Ball family over the BBB business.

In the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, Foster says as part of his role at BBB, he helped develop Melo's brand.

Foster alleges he came up with the "MB1" line for the Charlotte Hornets point guard when the hooper was just a teenager -- and then he filed for several trademarks for it. Foster claims it all eventually led to the creation of Melo's first signature shoe, the MB1 -- which he says was highly successful.

However, Foster says a few years later ... in an attempt to push Foster out of the company, LaVar created a second version of BBB -- and tried to transfer over Foster's trademarks to cut him out of the "huge profits" from the successful brand.

In addition, Foster says when Melo ultimately signed a lucrative shoe contract with PUMA, the basketball player and the apparel company infringed on his trademarks when they created their new signature shoe, the MB.01.

"LaMelo was instrumental in creating his first signature shoe with Big Baller Brand," Foster wrote in the suit. "He was fully aware of the existence of the LaMelo Trademarks -- he helped design them!"

Foster continued, "He knew that his Big Baller Brand signature shoe was called the 'MB1' and that the name was protected by federal trademark. Yet, despite his knowledge of all of this, LaMelo willfully and deliberately chose to name the signature shoe he created and designed with PUMA the 'MB1' in violation of the LaMelo Trademarks."

Foster alleges the damages he's sustained over it all exceed $200 million.

Of course, this is not the first time Foster has gone after LaVar in court ... he previously sued after alleging LaVar used BBB company money to fund his lavish lifestyle.

Tyreek Hill officially has another ring ... TMZ Sports has learned he just married his longtime fiancée, Keeta Vaccaro!!!

According to court documents we obtained, the former Super Bowl champ and Vaccaro -- the sister of ex-NFL star Kenny Vaccaro -- tied the knot on Wednesday afternoon while in Travis County, Texas.

The ceremony had been a long time coming ... as Hill initially asked for Keeta's hand in marriage way back in 2021.

During his extravagant proposal, Hill popped the question with a giant diamond ring that the wide receiver said he put in serious effort to make sure was better than his SB bling.

"She's definitely got the most diamonds, man" the 29-year-old Miami Dolphins star told us at the time. "We made sure of that, you know what I'm saying?!"

Hill will now have plenty of time to celebrate being a newlywed ... the Fins are on a bye -- so he won't have to start prepping for a game until next week.