TMZ Sports - Page 50

The NFL is threatening even MORE punishment for those who violate COVID mask protocol ... now saying if coaches are caught yelling at refs sans face covering, they'll be hit with a 15-yard penalty.

League officials made the announcement in a memo to the 32 clubs Friday ... saying in addition to a possible flag -- arguing maskless with refs could now also result in fines, a suspension or even loss of draft picks.

Of course, the league has seen a SERIOUS issue with this over the first 4 weeks of its season ... just last Monday night, Bill Belichick ripped down BOTH his masks to give an earful to refs.

Others, like Ravens coach John Harbaugh, have also been spotted similarly violating the mask protocol to argue with refs this season.

The league has already hit several teams and coaches with BIG fines for just simply not wearing their masks properly on the sideline ... and it's clear, this is just another step the NFL is taking to ensure safety.

Ex-WWE champion Alberto Del Rio has been charged with 4 counts of sexual assault and 1 count of aggravated kidnapping stemming from a May incident with his ex-GF, officials announced.

Alberto -- real name Jose Rodriguez Chucuan -- was arrested in San Antonio, Texas in early May after his ex-GF told cops the pro wrestler went into a rage after accusing her of cheating on him.

If convicted, all 5 counts carry serious penalties. Felony aggravated assault carries a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison. The sexual assault charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. So, a conviction could put Del Rio away for a very long time.

The accuser -- who cops say only speaks Spanish -- claimed Del Rio smashed her cell phone, her laptop and attempted to burn her passport in an attack that started at around 10 PM on May 3 and lasted until around 2:30 PM on May 4.

The woman also claims Del Rio attacked her, causing multiple injuries and left her, "feeling woozy and dizzy from the hits to her head."

There's more ... the accuser also claims Del Rio choked her and at one point "shoved a sock into her mouth, to keep [her] quiet."

The woman says, "When the sock was in her mouth, she could not breathe."

During the incident, the woman claims Del Rio also sexually assaulted her with his penis and other body parts. The woman is adamant she did NOT consent to sexual activity with Del Rio.

The responding officer reported he saw "multiple bruises" on the accuser's face, arms, legs and neck.

43-year-old Del Rio is listed at 6'4", 240 pounds.

Devastating news for the Dallas Cowboys ... star offensive lineman Tyron Smith is set to undergo season-ending surgery for a scary neck injury.

Head coach Mike McCarthy made the announcement Friday ... and it's massive -- with some believing this move alone could end Dallas' hopes of a Super Bowl.

Tyron is considered one of the best left tackles in the sport ... and is widely viewed as a future Hall of Famer.

And, with the Cowboys already missing star right tackle La'el Collins due to a hip injury ... it ain't exactly like the team has depth to replace him.

Dallas is no stranger to missing Tyron from its lineups ... he's battled neck and back issues in the past -- but the Cowboys have notoriously struggled in games he hasn't played in.

As for Tyron's future post-surgery ... it's unclear if this could put his playing days in jeopardy.

The 6'5", 312-pound lineman is only 29 years old ... but he's already played in 133 career games and made 7 Pro Bowls.

Smith signed an 8-year, $97 MILLION contract with the Cowboys back in 2014.

Whitey Ford -- widely regarded as the greatest Yankees starting pitcher of all time -- has died at 91, the team confirms.

We're told Ford passed away Thursday at his home in NY.

The Yankees issued a statement saying the team is "incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford."

"Whitey spent his entire 16-year career as a Yankee. A 6x WS Champion and 10x All-Star, The Chairman of the Board was one of the best lefties to ever toe the rubber. He will be deeply missed."

Ford made his MLB debut back in 1950 -- but took time away from the game to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1951 to 1952.

He returned to the Yankees in 1953 and played until 1967 -- racking up a 236-106 career record with an E.R.A. of 2.75 and 1,956 strikeouts. Unreal.

Ford -- who was born and raised in New York City -- was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974, along with his teammate Mickey Mantle.

The Yankees retired Ford's #16 jersey that same year.

Ford is survived by his wife Joan (they married back in 1951) and their two children Eddie and Sally Ann. They had a 3rd child, Tommy, who passed away in 1999.

Just last week, fellow MLB pitching legend Bob Gibson passed away at the age of 84. Gibson is also a Hall of Famer and considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time.

It's arguably the most untouchable record in American sports ... and now the jersey HOF'er Cal Ripken Jr. wore for his 2,632nd consecutive MLB game is about to hit the auction block.

Ripken Jr. -- a 19x All-Star and 2x A.L. MVP -- played in EVERY GAME from May 30, 1982 to September 19, 1998 ... spanning over 16 consecutive seasons.

Incredible ... never sick, never hurt, and a record almost everyone agrees will NEVER be broken.

Now, the black Baltimore Orioles home uniform -- rocked by Ripken Jr. during the last game of his amazing streak -- is on the block at Goldin Auctions ... and it can be yours.

FYI, Ripken Jr.'s Orioles beat Derek Jeter's New York Yankees at Camden Yards, 2-0.

But, that's not all ... Goldin has some other incredible items straight from Ripken Jr.'s personal collection.

Also on the block is the black Louisville Slugger bat Cal used on September 6th, 1995 (his 2,131 consecutive game) ... and the day he dethroned "The Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, as baseballs Iron Man.

GA also has the jersey Cal wore during his Major League debut in 1981 ... and if that's not old enough for you, a game-worn Little League jersey.

The entire collection of items comes directly from Cal Ripken Jr. ... and Ken Goldin says he wouldn't be shocked if the jersey sells for over $500K -- which would make it by far the highest-priced modern jersey ever.

All in all, Goldin says the entire collection is likely worth OVER $5 million.

For the first time in a YEAR, China's state-owned television network has announced it will resume broadcasting NBA games -- starting with Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Remember, China Central Television pulled ALL NBA games from its network following Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey's tweet in support for Hong Kong protestors in October 2019.

The simple tweet, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong," ignited a massive crap storm between the league and China.

In fact, NBA commish Adam Silver told us at the time he was working hard to try and repair the relationship.

"We do need to reset with the Chinese government and everybody has to establish what the rules of the road are going to be going forward," Silver told us in October 2019.

Apparently, Silver's efforts worked -- because China credited the NBA with helping out big time during the COVID pandemic ... thanking the league for donating $1 million and medical equipment, according to ESPN.

China's CCTV says in a statement the NBA relief effort was one of the main reasons it decided to put the league back on TV.

"During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China," CCTV says.

"We also took note of the league has been continuously delivering goodwill (to China), particularly making positive contributions to Chinese people's fight against COVID-19 pandemic."

Name the first thing a stripper takes off ...

That was a topic on an NFL players edition of "Family Feud" Thursday night ... and Marcus Peters' answer was so bad -- the Baltimore Ravens star was clowned like hell over it!!!

Here's how it went down ... Peters was facing off with Adrian Peterson when Steve Harvey asked the two, "What's the first thing a stripper takes off?"

Peters -- confident as hell -- buzzed in and blurted out, "Panties!"

PANTIES?!

The answer was immediately hit with a red X ... and when Harvey got over to Peterson's NFL legends team -- they laughed their asses off over it!!

"See, that's the difference between old school and new school," Harvey said. "Panties, right now!"

To his credit, Peters laughed it all off with the rest of the guys ... and, hey, watch the clip -- it wasn't like anyone else's answers were much better!

Wichita State basketball coach Gregg Marshall is the subject of an internal investigation after multiple claims of hostility -- including allegations he punched a player TWICE during a 2015 practice.

The alleged victim is former Shockers forward Shaq Morris -- who claims Marshall socked him in the face for committing a foul on a teammate during a workout.

Morris says he was trying to block a shot by teammate Zach Brown -- and unintentionally knocked Brown to the ground.

"I went over to help [Brown] up, and as I was helping him up to make sure he was okay, bam -- I’m struck on the left side of my face with a punch," Morris told Stadium.

"I turned back with my fists ready to punch or swing. I don’t know who did what and I see Marshall standing there. I turned around and started walking out."

Stadium says 6 players who were on the team at the time have corroborated the incident.

Several teammates, including Fred VanVleet (who's now in the NBA) allegedly refused to practice the next day unless Marshall apologized, which Morris says he did.

"[Marshall] comes down in the film room and says, ‘First off, I just want to apologize to you and he pointed at me. Then he said, “We good? We good? We good? All right, let’s move on."

There's more ... Morris says Marshall also choked assistant coach Kyle Lindsted during a practice in the 2016-17 season.

"I looked over and saw coach Marshall choking him," Morris said. "Then people started de-escalating the situation, trying to calm him down."

Lindsted -- who left Wichita State in 2018 -- declined to comment to Stadium about the allegation.

There are also allegations of racism ... Marshall allegedly verbally abused player Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, who is of Native American descent.

Marshall allegedly told him to "get back on his horse" and made "Indian howling noises" while in practice during the 2018-19 season.

One former assistant coach described Marshall this way to Stadium -- "He’s smart, a great coach. Just a bad person."

The coach has commented on the investigation -- telling The Athletic, "I'm aware the university conducted interviews and I fully participated in the process."

"I look forward to having it wrapped up as I continue to focus my energy on our team."

Did Tom Brady forget what down it was in a crucial moment during the Bucs game Thursday night???

It certainly seems so ... 'cause cameras caught the QB asking refs what down it was after he had just thrown a game-losing incompletion on 4th down!!

Here's the deal ... after the Chicago Bears kicked a field goal to go up 20-19 on TB12's Bucs late in the 4th quarter -- Brady took the ball with less than 90 seconds left in the game.

Tom looked poised to lead Tampa Bay to its 4th win this season and was driving ... when, suddenly, his offense started to sputter.

On 1st down, Tom missed Mike Evans. On 2nd down, #12 hit his running back for a short gain. On 3rd down, Brady's pass to Rob Gronkowski was broken up. And, on 4th, the QB threw another incompletion.

But, as his whole team was walking off the field -- Brady looked dumbfounded, held up 4 fingers and appeared to ask the ref, "What down?!"

The debacle cost the Buccaneers the game ... 'cause the Bears took a couple knees and ended the contest.

Afterward, Brady was asked about the down-counting disaster -- and he claimed he actually knew it was 4th.

"I knew we had to gain a chunk," Brady said, "so I should have been thinking more 1st down instead of chunk in that situation."

Added his head coach, Bruce Arians, "Yeah, he knew."

Sure, guys. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

Orlando Magic star Mo Bamba says he's all the way down with a new California proposition pushing for 17-year-olds to be allowed vote ... but there's a catch!

It's called Prop. 18 -- and if passed, it would allow 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections.

There are 18 states where this rule is already in place -- but it's now on the ballot in Cali, so when we saw Mo leaving Delilah in L.A. on Thursday, we asked him about it!

22-year-old Bamba told us he'd like to see MORE states adopt the policy -- but warned, "One thing I think they [17-year-olds] need to do is be informed and do their research on who to vote for."

Fair point that should apply to everyone!

Bamba also raved about LeBron's "More Than a Vote" initiative -- saying he thinks "we'll see a very big turnout from the NBA" in the 2020 election.

'Big Brother' alum Paulie Calafiore's looking to go from the reality TV couch to the gold medal stand ... as a member of the U.S. Men's Bobsled Team.

Paulie -- best known as a houseguest on "Big Brother 18" -- got a call from Team USA coaches back in May after his good friend, Lolo Jones, recommended him for the popular winter sport ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

We're told on Paulie's first call with the coaches, they asked what he knew about bobsledding and he replied ... "I watched 'Cool Runnings' as a kid."

Maybe not the best start, but Lolo also had an unconventional path to the sport coming over as an Olympic hurdler ... so our sources say Paulie's motivated to make it happen.

We're told COVID-19 provided a training challenge for Paulie from the jump, but he whipped together a team consisting of a nutritionist, strength coach and 3 other specialists to prepare the past 5 months.

His everyday training regimen includes 2-3 hours of virtual mobility and flexibility sessions, 2-3 hours of strength training and sprinting sessions, and a strict 5,000 calorie a day diet. He's been training in both Montana where he lives, and South Carolina.

As for Paulie's progress ... our sources say he took a virtual combine to mark his time and weights in September and had incredible stats. He's currently quarantining for 2 weeks at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and after that, he'll hit the bobsled push track for the next phase of training.

If all goes well, Paulie may be on his way to the next Winter Games ... scheduled for February 2022 in Beijing.

As we reported ... Paulie was one of several 'Big Brother' stars who quarantined this summer in anticipation for "Big Brother: All-Stars," but he didn't make the final cast list.

Call this a new kind of love-love for tennis star Genie Bouchard ... TMZ Sports has confirmed she's now dating Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph!!!

A source close to the couple tells us the two began a romantic fling recently ... and have gotten pretty serious.

In fact, 26-year-old Genie was just spotted at a fancy restaurant in Pittsburgh this week ... posting a pic of her at the place with the caption, "Pitt stop."

25-year-old Mason -- who was presumably on the other end of the camera -- dropped a "like" on the photo.

Of course, the new relationship means the end of a possible old one for Rudolph ... as we previously reported, the quarterback had been seen in L.A. in April getting cozy with "Bachelor" star Hannah Ann Sluss.

Unclear how serious the two were ... but Rudolph's clearly moved on either way.

As for Genie, she's been no stranger to famous dates in the past ... remember Super Bowl bet guy?!

But, seems she's finally found her special someone ... which is awesome for her, considering just a few months ago she tweeted that going through quarantine "would be a lot more fun with a boyfriend."

Congrats!!

Before this team player was an actor cast in a maddening sketch comedy show, he was just another sporty star shooting hoops on the basketball squad in Chicago, Illinois.

This brunette baller is known for his portfolio of celebrity impressions that he showed off over his 5-season run on a hilarious sketch show -- where he shared the screen with comedians Bobby Lee and Jordan Peele.

He has been featured on numerous TV sitcoms but landed a reoccurring role on a comedic doctor series named after an actress who rose to fame for her character on 'The Office.'

WNBA legend Cappie Pondexter has been arrested in Los Angeles and is NOT missing ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The LAPD tells us the 37-year-old was taken into custody Tuesday and booked on a misdemeanor battery charge.

We're told Pondexter refused to ID herself to cops so she was booked as "Jane Doe" ... and was held in jail until she was released earlier Thursday.

Now, multiple law enforcement officials tell us the woman has been identified as Pondexter.

Details of the alleged incident are unclear ... we're working on it.

Pondexter -- a 2-time WNBA champ -- was thought to have been missing ... after those close to her said she hadn't been heard from since Monday.

In fact, the WNBPA released a statement Thursday saying, "We are sharing this out of concern for our fellow WNBPA sister, Cappie Pondexter."

"If you have any information, please contact authorities. Please help us spread the word and ensure that she is safe."

Cappie is a hoops legend ... and played for the Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Chicago Sky, L.A. Sparks, Indiana Fever and several international teams.

Jackie Robinson's daughter says she's straight-up "insulted" her father's image was used in a campaign ad on Donald Trump's official YouTube page ... and she's now demanding the president remove it immediately.

POTUS' team posted a pro-Trump campaign video Tuesday featuring some iconic pictures of legendary Americans ... including Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson.

The ad -- titled "Say What You Will About America" -- urged citizens to vote for Trump ... and as of Thursday afternoon, it had over 5 MILLION views.

But, Sharon Robinson says she's LIVID the president would even consider using her dad's image in the video ... explaining there's no way in hell the baseball legend would have supported a re-election for Trump.

"Jackie Robinson’s family strongly objects to the use of Jackie Robinson’s image in a Donald Trump [ad]," she said Thursday.

"The Trump campaign is in opposition to all that Jackie Robinson stood for and believed in. We’re insulted and demand that his image be removed!"

Meanwhile, MLK's daughter, Bernice King, also found Trump's use of her father's image in the ad "beyond insulting" ... and she demanded the president remove the photo as well.

File Under: Perks Of Being Rich and Famous.

Cleveland Browns superstar Odell Beckham's already got his hands on the new Xbox Series X ... which is pretty unfair, considering the damn thing doesn't hit shelves until next month!!!

OBJ showed off his new toy on Thursday ... and while he didn't say how he got it, he got his point across with a few emojis -- "🤐🤫🤯"

The new Xbox will become available to the non-VIP public on November 10 ... but when you're Odell Beckham, you ain't gotta wait like the rest of us normies.

Beckham's not the only one getting special treatment ... Travis Scott made heads explode when he bragged about having a PlayStation 5, which launches on Nov. 12.

No word on Odell's review of the Xbox just yet ... we can only imagine how dope it's gonna be.

It's been a great week for OBJ, who's coming off a MONSTER game against the Dallas Cowboys ... with 2 touchdowns off of insane trick plays.