TMZ Sports - Page 50

The New England Patriots look like crap and Dave Portnoy couldn't care less ... with the Barstool Sports founder telling TMZ Sports there are much bigger issues to worry about -- like COVID-19.

It's been a different experience for Pats Nation in 2020 -- the team is 2-4 for the first time since 2000(!!!) and players like Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore have dealt with coronavirus.

We spoke with El Presidente out in NYC fresh off the Pats' 33-6 loss to the 49ers ... and he says it's pointless to care about the season when there's a pandemic going on.

"Cam Newton had COVID, he probably still has COVID, a lot of people have died from COVID, so we should be focusing probably on bigger things," Pres told us Monday.

Of course, Portnoy was singing a different tune after Week 1 ... saying it was "business as usual" after Cam's Pats beat the Miami Dolphins in the season opener.

Now, he's questioning everything.

"Does this season even count? Those are the bigger questions that I feel like, right now, we as a people should be discussing. Not wins and losses in a season that'll go down as not counting."

He added, "We're in a major pandemic here. Lives are being lost. That's the bigger issue. That's what I'm focusing on."

Wow! Jeff Garcia really hates Cam Newton's style these days -- saying the QB should only dress swaggy when he's winning!!!

The ex-49ers quarterback unloaded on Cam during an appearance on "NBC Sports Bay Area" following the 49ers shellacking of Cam's New England Patriots.

Cam played so poorly in the 33-6 loss (3 INTs, 0 TDs), he was yanked in the 3rd quarter for Jarrett Stidham. It's the Pats 3rd loss in a row. They're 2-6 in the season.

Despite the issues on the field, Cam still dresses ... like Cam! With wild looks, crazy hats -- you know the style!

But, Garcia ain't cool with it -- essentially saying Cam's fashion choices prove he only cares about himself.

"You go into this game with 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, you threw what, 3 more interceptions? You get yanked in the 2nd half, there’s nothing good going your way. Why are you dressing like that to bring more attention to yourself?"

Garcia continued ... "I’d be trying to ask the equipment managers 'Put me in your jock sock cart and sneak me in the back door and I’ll show up on the field and do the best that I can.'"

When asked if he was speaking from experience, Garcia expanded ...

"This just goes back to a couple years of just watching this guy and seeing him at the podium, but yet what he’s doing on the field does not translate to being that guy."

One of the panelists brought up Joe Namath -- who would rock fur coats and other swaggy items. Garcia responded to that too.

"When you predict you’re going to win a Super Bowl and you go out and do it, wear whatever the hell you want."

Garcia has been taking some heat on social media for the comments -- our favorite clap back is this one ...

Conor McGregor has returned the gym ... seemingly preparing to return to the Octagon in January to take on Dustin Poirier.

The 32-year-old UFC superstar was doing some boxing drills (he appears to be at Straight Blast Gym in Ireland) ... trying to get himself ready to fight for the first time since January, when he destroyed Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

As we previously reported, both Conor and Dustin have publicly agreed to fight on January 23rd -- but Dana White recently told us the contracts have not been officially signed.

That said, White says he's confident the McGregor vs. Poirier will happen because "In the history of dealing with Conor McGregor, Conor McGregor has never come out publicly and said, 'I accept this fight' and then not fought and turned down a fight. So, I expect the fight to go on."

The only wrinkle ... Justin Gaethje called out Conor after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov this past weekend -- suggesting the Irishman should bail on the Poirier fight and fight him instead.

So, what will Conor do? For now, just train.

There's been a ton of drama in Conor's life since his last fight -- including criminal allegations in Corsica, where he's accused of attempted sexual assault.

Before that, he announced his retirement from the sport of MMA -- claiming he didn't have the fire anymore ... but no one believed him.

Now, McGregor has seemingly changed his tune -- even posting on IG that he's "still committed" despite being worth "half a billi."

Genie Bouchard and Mason Rudolph could be getting serious ... the tennis star showed up to the Steelers game Sunday with friends to cheer on her new beau!!!

We broke the story ... Genie and the Steelers backup QB kicked off a romantic fling recently -- and clearly, the fire is still burning hot.

'Cause just weeks after 26-year-old Genie was spotted out and about near Rudolph's Pittsburgh-area home ... she headed to 25-year-old Mason's game against the Titans in Tennessee.

And, while Mason didn't play in the win (he's backing up a healthy Ben Roethlisberger this season) ... didn't seem Genie minded too much -- check out her smile!!!

Yeah, looks smitten to us!!

Neither Genie nor Mason has gone public with the relationship yet ... but posting pics from games means we could be getting close to IG offish any day now.

Cleveland's worst fears are now a reality ... Odell Beckham has confirmed he did, in fact, tear his ACL on Sunday and will miss the rest of the 2020 NFL season.

"Odell Beckham Jr just text me that his ACL is torn and that his season is over," NFL reporter Josina Anderson said Monday morning.

27-year-old Beckham suffered the injury during the 2nd offensive play of the Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals game.

Baker Mayfield had fired a pass Odell's way -- but missed his target and the ball was intercepted. Odell tried to make a play and tackle the ball-carrier but ran into one of his own teammates and apparently messed up his left knee in the process.

It's devastating news for Cleveland -- Odell was having a pretty solid season with 23 catches for 319 yards ands 3 TDs.

The Browns are 5-2 and starting to play like contenders -- losing their #1 receiver is definitely going to hurt their chances.

As for Beckham, he played all 16 games in 2019 while suffering from a groin injury -- and underwent surgery during the offseason.

Now with the ACL tear, that will almost certainly require surgery -- and usually takes about 6 to 9 months to fully recover.

Sucks.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera just finished his last round of cancer treatments ... and the mini-party hospital staffers threw for him to celebrate was AWESOME.

The 58-year-old was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer back in August ... and he's been receiving chemotherapy and other forms of treatment ever since.

But, Rivera completed his last round of treatments Monday ... and the scene afterward at the hospital was pretty emotional.

Check out the footage WFT posted ... Rivera was cheered on by a bunch of medical personnel -- with some even throwing confetti over his head!

Others, wearing "Rivera Strong" shirts, waved pom poms ... and eventually, they all gifted him with a signed card.

The best part of the footage, though? Rivera was able to ring a bell on the wall signifying the end of treatments -- and you can tell, he was happy as hell to do it.

Rivera has said the cancer drugs have taken a massive toll on him over the past couple months ... explaining the fatigue he's experienced has felt like a "300-pound gorilla on your back."

Still, Ron only missed a handful of WFT practices and never missed a game ... despite at times appearing to be in rough shape.

Rivera has said repeatedly his long-term prognosis is good ... adding his doctors are optimistic about a full recovery.

Andy Dalton was knocked out cold by an absolutely BRUTAL hit in the Dallas Cowboys' game Sunday ... but, thankfully, the team says he's now feeling better and "in good spirits."

Dalton lay motionless for several seconds after taking a violent shot to the head in the third quarter of Big D's blowout loss to Washington ... and the scene was SCARY.

WFT linebacker Jon Bostic hit the 32-year-old QB with a shoulder to the forehead while Dalton was sliding ... and the shot was so vicious, it caused Andy's helmet to fly off.

The quarterback needed help from trainers to get off the field and back into the locker room ... where he was diagnosed almost immediately with a concussion.

But, despite the frightening scene, a Cowboys spokesperson told the team's official website Sunday that Dalton was "alert, in good spirits and feeling much better."

Dalton is now in the concussion protocol ... and he'll need to clear tons of different tests to continue to move forward as the Cowboys' starter this season.

As for the hit itself, Bostic was ejected over the play ... and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said he was pissed none of Dalton's teammates went after the guy for the hit.

"It definitely was not the response you would expect," McCarthy said.

Dalton's replacement in the game, rookie Ben DiNucci, is expected to be Dallas' starter on Sunday night if AD is not ready to go.

"I think he's matured, and I believe in second chances,"

That's Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians explaining why he approved of the team signing Antonio Brown ... despite his problematic history.

As we previously reported, the Bucs locked up AB in a 1-year contract -- reportedly worth up to $2.5 million if he hits all of his incentives.

Brown is suspended through Week 8 for a variety of reasons -- including an off-season arrest for attacking a moving truck driver, allegations of rape and sending menacing text messages to a woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

Arians had previously said the Bucs were not interested in Brown -- but clearly had a change of heart. Many people speculated Tom Brady played a role since they appeared to get along during AB's short stint in New England last season.

But, on Sunday, Arians said that just isn't true.

"Everybody wants to say that Tom picked him. Tom didn't have anything to do with it," Arians told the media.

"This was something [general manager Jason Licht] and I had been talking [about] for a couple weeks, ever since the injuries to our other guys."

"When the time was right, would we see if we could pull the trigger and fit him in to what we want to get done? And we'll see. If Antonio does what I think he's gonna do, I think he's gonna be fine."

Arians was also asked what he would say to female fans about the move to sign Brown.

"I think you just let the court system do its job. Allegations -- I've been around a lot of players that have had allegations that weren't true, some were -- so let the court system handle it. If it's found out to be true, he won't be with us."

Tom Brady also weighed in on the signing ...

"He's a tremendous football player ... I played with him for a brief period of time. Looking forward to working with him again, to see what role he can come in [and play]. He's a very hardworking guy."

Dana Stubblefield's wife says her husband is an innocent man, telling TMZ Sports she's convinced the accuser is lying ... saying she's worried about what could happen to him in prison.

We spoke with Terri Stubblefield ... who's been married to the ex-NFL star for 11 years. They have 2 young children together.

Terri had filed for divorce back in 2016 after she learned about the allegations against Dana ... but they have since reconciled.

Terri admits that Dana screwed up by having sex with another woman ... but she believes it was consensual -- and says allegations he used a gun to rape the accuser are just plain wrong.

"There's no denying they had sex, but he didn't rape her. He didn't have a gun. Dana is 300-something pounds. I don't think he needs a gun to hold down somebody at all."

Terri also says Dana is "not that kind of person. He's a very sweet person."

Terri says she needs Dana to help raise their children and she's terrified at the idea he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

As we previously reported, Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years to life for raping a woman at his Santa Clara, CA home back in 2015.

Prosecutors say the woman has mental and physical disabilities. Terri says she's spent years combing over the allegations, and simply doesn't believe the accuser's story -- any of it.

Terri says over the past few years, Dana's friends and former teammates have turned their backs on him -- with a few exceptions -- praising Randy Kirk and Ron Stone for sticking by Dana.

"I believe that some of his other teammates that I thought he was closer to would step forward and they haven’t."

Mrs. Stubblefield -- who is now focused on appealing the conviction -- has a message for everybody who thinks her husband is a terrible person.

"Please don't think that Dana is a monster because he's not. He is a great person and you all know better. Don't let the media fool you! He's a really good person, a great father, caring with a big heart. He just made a mistake."

Joe Biden got an assist from a huge movie star during the World Series game ... none other than Brad Pitt.

Pitt voiced a pricey, 60-second campaign ad during the game, with the central theme Biden's been pushing ... that he'll be a President for all Americans and not just those who support him.

You hear Pitt say ... "America is a place for everyone," Pitt says as pre-pandemic footage plays of Biden hugging, high-fiving and shaking hands with voters. "Those who chose this country, those who fought for it, some Republicans, some Democrats, and most just somewhere in between."

Pitt never ID's himself, but the voice is unmistakable.

Mike Tyson's next opponent ain't Roy Jones, Jr. -- it's your EARDRUMS -- 'cause the boxing legend has officially made his EDM debut ... and the song is a BANGER!!!

The 54-year-old is preparing for his huge fight against 51-year-old RJJ on November 28 ... and took it upon himself to get pumped up for the huge event by getting on the mic!!

Tyson hooked up with LA-based group Tiki Lau for the collab ... coming up with the perfectly-titled track, "Mike Tyson."

Iron Mike is heard saying some intense lines throughout the track ... like, "I've been the wildest, I've been the craziest, I've been the outrageous, the vicious, the most destructive fighter."

There's more ... "An international warlord that'll strip your heart out ... and guess what?? I'M MIKE TYSON!!!"

Now, this ain't the first time Tyson has shown off his pipes ... remember this?!?!

There are rumblings Iron Mike could use the track as his walk-out song for the Jones fight next month ... so is an RJJ track in the works?!

Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal have a lot in common -- they both blew a FORTUNE when they were young ... and are hoping young people can learn from their stupid, expensive mistakes.

The NBA legends sat down with "Shark Tank" star Daymond John for Black Entrepreneurs Day -- to talk to young people about the importance of financial intelligence.

And man, if these stories don't get the point across ...

Shaq says he was so uneducated about finances when he signed his first endorsement deal after turning pro, he blew $1 MILLION in an HOUR -- splurging on expensive cars, jewelry and a trip to Vegas.

In fact, he went through so much cash, his bank manager pulled him aside and warned him that he was gonna go broke if he continued to spend like a maniac ... because he wasn't accounting for things like income tax, etc.

Dwyane Wade tells a very similar story -- saying he got tangled up in some bad investments because he had no idea what he was doing.

"I blew through a lot of money," Wade said ... "I got into bad relationships with people from ... ventures outside of basketball, restaurant ventures, etc."

Wade says he simply wasn't educated when it came to finances -- and had to learn the hard way after being taken advantage of.

But now, both superstars are hoping their loss can be your gain -- stressing the importance of financial intelligence so young people spend their money wisely and make it last a very long time.

Khabib Nurmagomedov just RETIRED FROM MMA -- after choking out Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Wow.

Khabib essentially said he doesn't want to continue in the sport without his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away earlier this year after a bout with COVID-19.

Gaethje proved dangerous -- throwing bombs as the lightweight champ -- but ultimately, Khabib's ground game was too strong ... and he caught Justin in a triangle choke in the 2nd round. Gaethje was rendered unconscious but came to moments later. He's fine.

Afterward, Khabib broke down in the Octagon sobbing ... overcome with emotion in his first fight since the passing of his father.

Justin and Khabib embraced after the fight -- nothing but respect between these two.

"God give me everything," Khabib said in the post fight interview ... "This is my last fight. Ain't no way I come here without my father."

32-year-old Khabib ends his career 29-0 -- defeating superstars like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Gaethje and more.

Khabib says he's thought long and hard about his career -- and is certain his decision to retire will stand. It's not a publicity stunt.

In fact, Khabib left his gloves in the center of the Octagon -- a tradition from fighters to symbolize the end of their career.

Next stopgap UFC Hall of Fame ... he'll go down in MMA history as one of the greatest of all time.

Conor McGregor posted a respectful message to Khabib after the fight -- saying, "Good performance. I will carry on. Respect and condolences on your father again also."

It's starting to make more sense why Khabib Nurmagomedov so badly wants to fight Georges St-Pierre -- it was his father's plan.

Khabib's dad, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, passed away back in July after battling COVID. Khabib and his dad were extremely close. Abdulmanap trained him since he was a little kid back in Dagestan.

Khabib will step back in the Octagon for the first time since his father's death on Saturday to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... but he's talked publicly about wanting GSP as his next opponent.

We spoke with Khabib's trainer Javier Mendez who tells us he was with Khabib and his father in Dagestan back in 2019, when Abdulmanap talked about his dream for Khabib to fight St-Pierre.

"I was present when they had that conversation," Mendez says ... "That was the one he talked about as the fight his father would want to see … him fight GSP at 155 pounds."

"His father respected GSP probably more than anybody out of all the people he admired ... and therefore he wanted his son to fight GSP at some point."

In other words, it seems Khabib is calling out GSP in the hopes of honoring his father's wishes.

In the meantime, Javier tells us he's been incorporating Abdulmanap's training techniques for the Gaethje fight -- reminding Khabib to follow "Father's Plan."

Officials in Abu Dhabi are considering allowing fans on Fight Island to watch UFC fights in person at some point down the road ... and Dana White says he's already putting together his VIP list!

"I have a list of people that, when I get it done, I'm gonna reach out to see if they're interested in coming to Abu Dhabi for the fights," White says.

So, who's gonna make the A-list? Some of the biggest stars on the planet.

"Well I haven't even put it together yet but, definitely, obviously The Rock ... and Anthony Kiedis is a die-hard fan. Demi Lovato is a big fan."

"There's so many but we'll shoot something out to all of them and see if they want to come."

There's more ... we also talked to Dana about several upcoming potential fights.

Here are the main points:

-- UFC is targeting Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou for a heavyweight title fight in March.

"That's the goal, we'll see what happens."

-- What's up with the Diaz brothers?

"I know Nate's been texting and stuff like that. And, usually when you see Nate starting to get active, saying this about this guy and that about that guy, means he's getting ready to fight."

-- Do you want to see Nate run it back with Jorge Masvidal?

The secret to Busta Rhymes' jaw-dropping weight loss -- he did what most people wish they'd done in quarantine ... focusing on heavy-duty training and bustin' a sweat every chance he got.

Celebrity trainer, Victor Muñoz, is the guy who guided the rapper through the program that made his bulging gut vanish ... and he tells us the key was pushing heavy metal. Seriously heavy, as you can see in some of Busta's training videos.

Victor tells us, Busta ripped through full-body workouts to strengthen his chest and cut down that belly fat. In the video, it looks like Busta was pushing more than 300 lbs on his bench press!!!

He also drastically changed his eating habits by hiring a chef who prepped meals with leaner meats like chicken, salmon and bison. Victor says Busta also dramatically limited his booze intake.

Victor and the Queens MC have been working together for 8 years, but the trainer says the COVID lockdown offered a rare opportunity -- lots of free time that would normally be spent traveling for performances. He says they committed to using the time to transform Busta's body.

They started with twice a week sessions, sometimes as long as 2 hours -- but now they're up to 3-4 per week. Busta posted a dramatic before-and-after pic, encouraging others to never give up. Muñoz says the results weren't immediate, but they came in due time.

His new album, "Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God" is about to drop, but Busta's not letting up on his fitness. Victor -- who's also trained Diana Ross and "Boardwalk Empire's" Devin Harjes -- says Busta's so dedicated ... he'll choose to walk 16 flights of stairs, instead of taking the elevator, to get to his NYC studio.