TMZ Sports - Page 50

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson will have a NEW team when he returns to the track in 2021 -- signing with Hendrick Motorsports, 6 months after his infamous n-word incident.

The 28-year-old driver had been fired by his old team, Chip Ganassi Racing, after he hurled the n-word during a virtual race back in April ... and many wondered if he would ever race again.

But, Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday they've signed Larson to a multi-year contract to drive the #5 car in 2021.

As we previously reported, NASCAR had initially suspended Larson for the incident -- but later announced he was reinstated and eligible to race again beginning on Jan. 1, 2021.

"Hendrick Motorsports is a championship organization that has set a high bar for performance and for how its drivers represent the team and its partners,” Larson said in a statement.

"My goal is to win races, be a great teammate, continue my personal efforts to grow, and hold myself to that high standard personally and professionally."

Larson says he knows there is a high bar for him to be successful both on and off the track. He also says team owner Rick Hendrick was one of the few people who stood by him in the aftermath of the racial incident.

"Mr. Hendrick is one of the people who extended a hand to me over the past 6 months. Our initial conversations were not about racing. He cares about me as a person and wants to see me succeed beyond driving."

"I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the commitment, the faith and the confidence from him and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports."

For his part, Rick Hendrick says Kyle is "unquestionably one of the most talented race car drivers in the world."

"More importantly, I have full confidence that he understands our expectations and will be a tremendous ambassador for our team, our partners and NASCAR."

DeAndre Hopkins has publicly claimed he was NOT speeding through a Trump caravan in Arizona on Sunday -- but new video seems to show otherwise.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of the NFL star driving through a group of POTUS supporters on his way to his Cardinals' game against the Seahawks ... and it's clear as day the dude was FLYING!

In the video, you can see the driver filming the caravan is going between 60-70 MPH ... and Hopkins BLOWS by him with ease.

You can also see Hopkins appeared to be in the emergency lane ... moving so quickly, he kicked up dirt with his tires.

Later in the clip, it's clear Hopkins made several lane changes through cars at a rapid pace.

Of course, witnesses claim DeAndre drove recklessly throughout the entire caravan ... and some said he even flipped them off on his way past.

Hopkins, though, denied driving dangerously on the "All Things Covered Podcast" podcast Tuesday ... saying it was Trump supporters who were screwing with him in traffic.

"They were honking the horn at me to tell me to get out of their way -- and I didn't -- and the guy in front of me stepped on his brakes and tried to stop dead in traffic," he said.

Baker Mayfield is PISSED OFF at the notion the Cleveland Browns are better off without Odell Beckham ... calling critics "insensitive" for bringing it up right after his season-ending injury.

OBJ tore his ACL during CLE's first offensive possession against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday ... officially ending his promising 2020 campaign.

The talking heads speculated it may be a blessing in disguise for Baker and Co. ... allowing the offense to run more organically without forcing targets to their superstar receiver.

Baker was asked about the comments on Wednesday ... and he made it clear he won't entertain the idea -- especially 2 days after OBJ got word of his status.

"For one, I just think it's completely insensitive to a guy that just tore his ACL," the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week told reporters. "I'm not even going to comment on it."

It's not a bad theory, considering Baker went on to go 22-23 with 5 TDs with Odell sidelined ... but Mayfield says it just ain't right to bring it up so soon.

The Houston Texans are shutting down their team facility ... after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19.

"Late last night, we received notice that a Texans player tested positive for COVID-19," the Texans said in a statement.

The infected player is reportedly backup guard Max Scharping, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson. The 24-year-old 2nd round draft pick has been placed on the reserve-COVID list.

The team says they've totally shut down their practice facility ... and have already started contact tracing to make sure no other players were exposed to the virus.

"In accordance with NFL protocols, the player immediately self-isolated and our Infection Control Officer and other members of the Infection Response Team began working with the NFL to perform contact tracing."

"Our facility will be closed today to players for deep cleaning."

Luckily for the Texans, the team is on their bye week ... so assuming there isn't a significant breakout, their November 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars likely won't be impacted.

"We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled bye week operations."

"The health and safety of our team, as well as our entire staff, are of highest priority."

Tony Ferguson does NOT believe Khabib Nurmagomedov is retiring for good -- claiming the Dagestani will return to the octagon one day ... and Tony can't wait.

"You’re gonna miss it like [Conor McGregor]," Ferguson said on Submission Radio ... "He’s going to be back. So, I’ll be f*cking ready."

Khabib announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 -- saying he can't bring himself to fight again after the death of his father.

But Tony -- who was booked to fight Khabib on multiple occasions only to have the fights fall apart due to various issues -- claims he saw Khabib's retirement announcement coming from a mile away.

"I completely called it out," Ferguson said ... "I called it out on my post. You guys can see that. I called he was gonna retire."

Ferguson says Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz "did his job" by steering Khabib into fights with guys like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje instead of him because "he kept his client safe."

"He kept [Khabib] away from very dangerous opponents. I mean, that’s what an agent and a manager is supposed to do. Although, he is a piece of sh*t, but I have to say, he did the smart thing. I mean, he avoided me at all f*cking costs."

Ferguson continued, "I mean, the Russians, they avoided me at all fucking costs. That’s f*cking awesome. So, you know what, I did my job. They ran. F*ckin’ Dagestani ran with his tail between his legs. But you know what, he’s off in the sunset."

Ferguson did offer Khabib "props" for handling his "family business" -- but predicts he will unretire just like Conor McGregor so they can finally settle things in the octagon once and for all.

For his part, Khabib says he's dead serious about retirement -- promising his mother he would stop fighting after the Gaethje victory.

Logan Paul walked so Bryce Hall could run ... 'cause the TikTok star says he's willing to take his beef to the cage and fight his nemesis Thomas Petrou in an MMA match!!

A bit of a history lesson for those not up to speed on TikTok drama -- Hall and Petrou are in opposing content creator "houses" ... with Bryce being a member of Sway House and Thomas being a founder of the Hype House.

Their affiliations have led to some serious quarrels along the way ... and the dudes have pretty much hated each other ever since.

Since Hall is already no stranger to getting into public scuffles -- see here and here -- we had to ask if the 21-year-old would ever go the YouTube super-fight route a la Paul vs. KSI ... and the dude says he's down!!

Remember, the Logan and KSI fights have been a HUGE success in bringing new eyes to boxing -- and their second fight filled up the Staples Center in Nov. 2019.

A TikTok fight could have a similar effect -- Hall has 14.6 million followers on the platform ... and an additional 6.6 milli on IG.

(Petrou has 7.7 mil. on TikTok and 2.2 mil. on IG).

So, when we asked Hall who he'd love to beat the crap out of in a real-deal fight ... dude didn't hesitate.

"Thomas!" Hall said outside Craig's late Tuesday night.

As for what kinda fight it would be ... Hall says he wants to beat Thomas up MMA style!!

A police officer was killed during a raid on an illegal cockfighting event in the Philippines ... when a rooster with a blade on it's leg slashed the cop, causing a fatal wound.

It all went down on Tuesday when cops descended on an illegal cockfight in Northern Samar -- where the "sport" has been outlawed due to the COVID pandemic.

FYI, before COVID times, cockfighting was allowed in the Philippines (at licensed venues) on Sundays and on certain holidays.

Officials say Lieutenant Christian Bolok had picked up a rooster while collecting evidence during Tuesday's raid, when he was sliced by a steel razor blade attached to the bird's leg.

Bolok was hit in the left thigh -- with the blade reportedly slicing through his femoral artery, which ultimately caused him bleed out.

The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital but it was too late -- he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The local police chief, Colonel Arnel Apud, commented to the AFP news agency -- describing the incident as "a piece of bad luck that I cannot explain."

"I could not believe it when it was first reported to me. This is the first time in my 25 years as a policeman that I lost a man due to a fighting cock's spur."

Walker Buehler cracked some brews with Clayton Kershaw after winning the World Series -- and dudes looked happy as hell -- but it begs the question, where's the rest of the Dodgers' celebrations?!

There's no footage of champagne showers. No pics of double-fisted beer chugs in the locker room. And there are no signs of naked cannonballs into ice baths.

It's all peculiar ... considering even in pandemic times guys have gone CRAZY winning championships -- and it's forcing us to ask, did Justin Turner's COVID test mute it all???

JT was pulled from the World Series late in L.A.'s Game 6 win ... after MLB officials say he had a confirmed positive coronavirus test result.

The team and Turner both insisted he was off to quarantine after learning the news ... but cameras later spotted the third baseman on the field celebrating his ass off -- even maskless at times.

Turner and the Dodgers were IMMEDIATELY crushed for allowing the scene to play out ... with many wondering, how could they be so reckless???

Turns out, since that time ... no post-game locker room footage or party pics have been released.

Dodgers ace Buehler did at least show the team had SOME post-game beers to celebrate ... but did MLB force a bigger celly to be called off??

Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis -- one of the best rookies in the NBA last season -- was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly socked his ex-GF in the face multiple times ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Davis was staying with his ex-girlfriend at the Beekman Tower in Midtown Manhattan, NY ... when the two got into an argument.

Unclear what prompted the dispute ... but our sources say things got out of hand quickly -- with Davis allegedly punching the woman in the face REPEATEDLY.

We're told the altercation escalated even further after Davis' ex-GF refused to stop filming the NBA player with her phone ... so our sources say Davis grabbed it and shattered its screen.

We're told police were eventually called to the scene ... where they arrested the 23-year-old NBA player, booking him on misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges.

Meanwhile, our sources say Davis' ex-GF was taken to the hospital after complaining of swelling and pain in her left eye. We're told she was treated for her injuries and released.

Davis was a very good player for the Raptors this season after he went undrafted out of Ole Miss ... playing in all 72 of his team's games.

A crazy driver who celebrated the Dodgers championship by doing donuts in the streets of L.A. struck a cyclist during the burn-outs ... and then sped off.

It's wild video -- and scary -- you can see the car fishtailing and trying to regain control of the vehicle after it finished spinning out ... only for the driver to punch it right into an unsuspecting man who was crossing the street.

The victim is knocked into the air and falls over the top of the car as it speeds off down the street.

Miraculously, the man pops right up and limps over to the sidewalk where concerned witnesses tended to him.

The extent of his injuries are unclear. Hope he's okay. No word if cops have a license plate for the car involved.

The incident was just one of the crazy moments following the Dodgers victory -- a bunch of people flooded Downtown L.A. to celebrate by setting off fireworks, chanting ... and yes, more cars doing donuts in the street.

Cops say around a dozen people were arrested Tuesday night. There was looting at a Foot Locker on 7th and Broadway that ended with cops taking two suspects into custody.

Not everyone was violent -- there are videos of L.A. fans chanting Kobe Bryant's name as a tribute to the late Lakers legend.

Other fans set off fireworks and partied in the streets throughout the night. Obviously, there are concerns about a COVID outbreak due to the close contact and several fans not wearing masks.

But Tuesday night, most of the people celebrating didn't seem to worry about their own health and safety.

Wild Tuesday night for the L.A. Dodgers -- they won the World Series and also ignited major COVID concerns after Justin Turner tested positive DURING THE GAME!!

The Dodgers star 3rd baseman was pulled from the game in the 7th inning -- but nobody knew why at first.

It was later revealed 35-year-old Turner had taken a COVID test that came back inconclusive on Monday. He was re-tested on Tuesday -- and that test came back positive.

As soon as the lab got the results from the Tuesday test, they informed MLB. An MLB official immediately called the Dodgers and ordered them to pull Turner, but it was already the 7th inning.

The Dodgers went on to win the game 3-1, thanks to some solid hitting from Mookie Betts.

But, as the players stormed the field to celebrate, Turner was nowhere to be found ... already in quarantine because of the COVID test.

After the game, Commissioner Rob Manfred explained ... "We learned during the game that Justin was positive. He was immediately isolated to prevent spread."

Turner did not celebrate with the team on the field -- but now there are new concerns about possible exposure to other players, coaches, staffers, etc.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports ... when the Dodgers return to the team hotel, everyone will take a rapid PCR test.  Passan says it's unclear if the COVID news means the team will stay in Dallas ... or if they will try to travel back to L.A. Passan says the situation is "fluid."

But, the question ... how many people could have been exposed in the 8 innings Turner played on Tuesday before he was yanked??

This could be a huge problem ...

Turner later tweeted about the situation -- saying, "Thanks to everyone reaching out! I feel great, no symptoms at all."

"Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team & unbelievably happy for the City of LA #WorldSeriesChamps."

As for the game itself, the Dodgers battled back from a 1-0 deficit and took a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. Mookie Betts extended the lead with a solo HR in the top of the 9th.

Final score, 3-1 ... clinching the series for L.A., 4 games to 2.

Corey Seager was named World Series MVP.

It's the first World Series title for longtime Dodgers stars like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and company.

Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson was on hand in Dallas and was going crazy when the Dodgers won. Awesome moment!

The Blue Crew had made it to the World Series in 3 of the last 4 years -- but lost to the cheating Houston Astros in 2017 and then the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

But, this was L.A.'s year ... the pitching, the hitting -- even the coaching was top notch. Shout-out Dave Roberts.

As we previously reported, the L.A. Lakers have postponed their victory parade until they get the all-clear from L.A. City and County officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's likely the Dodgers will follow suit.

In the meantime, CONGRATS and get well soon, Justin Turner!

Rob Kardashian hit the football card equivalent of the LOTTERY this week -- pulling an insanely rare Tom Brady card that could be worth around $250,000!!!

Yeah, he's having a pretty good week!

Here's the deal ... Rob is a massive sports card collector who's been buying boxes of rare cards from his pals over at The Bullpen card shop in L.A.

Around 3 AM on Tuesday morning, Rob was feeling the urge to buy a case of 2020 Panini Mosaic Choice (hobby) cards -- which comes with 20 boxes.

No word how much Rob paid for the case -- but they usually run around $10,000! (It ain't exactly a cheap hobby anymore!).

Since Rob couldn't personally make it into the store, he gave the green light to the guys at Bullpen to open it on his behalf -- he even allowed 'em to stream the opening on IG Live.

And, man ... Rob hit some BIG cards!

There were some cool Tua Tagovailoa autograph cards. A super-rare Justin Herbert card. And, some Joe Burrow gems.

But, the big pull was a Tom Brady MVP Nebula parallel -- an ultra-rare 1-of-1 card that's worth a fortune!!!

Watch the video ... the guy opening the packs for Rob at the card shop (his name is Ben) immediately knows he's got a banger and loses his mind!!!

We spoke with some experts who told us the card could be worth anywhere from $50k to $250k depending on its condition (which will be graded by the PSA authentication company).

PSA looks for things like how perfectly the card is centered, the integrity of the corners and other possible flaws.

But, since this card was pulled right from the box and immediately put into a case, it's expected to get a perfect 10 grade -- which is HUGE for collectors.

The other cards are also super valuable ... we're told the Herbert card (a Black Gold parallel that's 1 of only 8) could be worth around $6,000.

The Tua autographs could fetch $5k a piece (Rob pulled two!). And, the two Burrow fusion red rookie cards are also worth a few thousand each!

As one expert tells us, "Rob crushed it!"

If Jon Jones wants to secure his legacy as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Randy Couture has some advice for him ... move up to heavyweight and win another title!!

TMZ Sports talked to Couture -- one of the greatest fighters in UFC history -- about Jones, and his beef with the UFC's P4P rankings.

Of course, 33-year-old Jones has held down the #1 spot for a while, but was bumped earlier this week for the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov ... and has been beefin' with MMA fans over the decision online.

Randy tells us if Jon wants to make it clear he's the best in the world, all he's gotta do is put on a few pounds and fight Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou.

"I think if Jon really wants to solidify himself as pound-for-pound, he needs to go up to heavyweight and he needs to take a shot at winning that title. And, then that erases any argument that anybody could have."

Couture says Jon's dominated the light heavyweight division for so long ...but tells us winning in another division would take his career to a different level.

"I think that's something that Jones needs to look at, and really solidly his legacy in the sports by going up and winning the heavyweight division, and showing just how technically proficient and athletic he is."

FYI, Jones relinquished his LHW belt a few months back ... and has flirted with the idea of moving up to fight a top heavyweight.

Three Miami University football players have been hit with criminal charges ... after cops say they were involved in a MASSIVE brawl at a fraternity house that was caught on video.

According to the Oxford Police Dept. in Ohio, 19-year-old TE James Bomba, 19-year-old WR Dimitri Mitsopoulos and 18-year-old DB Terrell Rush were all charged Tuesday.

Cops say they played at least some role in an Oct. 3 melee at the Theta Chi fraternity house near the Oxford, Ohio campus that left several people hospitalized.

In video of the brawl -- released shortly after the incident -- you can see the fighting was widespread ... with people tackling each other and throwing wild haymakers.

Cops said after the fracas was broken up ... a few people were hospitalized -- and one person claiming to have witnessed it all told WLWT5 that somebody was hit in the eye with a golf club and suffered a broken orbital.

Police say Bomba was ultimately charged with assault and criminal trespass; Mistopoulos was hit with 2 counts of assault, 2 counts of criminal trespass and 1 count of disorderly conduct; while Rush was charged with trespass.

The University said in a statement to WLWT5 that all 3 players have been suspended from the team indefinitely ... and they could face further school punishment going forward.

"With the OPD criminal investigation concluded, Miami has begun its investigation into the incident," school officials said. "Miami University holds its students to high standards of conduct and will not tolerate violence."

"Students who engage in misconduct face student disciplinary action up to and including suspension or dismissal."

The Miami Univ. football team is slated to open its season on Nov. 4 against Ball State.

As for what led up to the attack, several fraternity members told WLWT5 there was an incident at the house the previous night -- when members told an uninvited guest to leave.

The fraternity members believe the people who showed up the next day to fight were connected to that uninvited guest and may have been looking for revenge.

The fraternity members say some of the attackers showed up to the house wearing masks, hoodies and gloves.

L.A. Chargers QB Justin Herbert is one of several players evacuated from his home Tuesday due to the raging wildfires in Southern California, Herbert confirmed.

"I’m actually in a hotel," the Chargers star rookie said Tuesday on "The Dan Patrick Show" ... "We had to evacuate our house because of the fires."

Herbert is seemingly referring to the Silverado Fire -- which is currently raging through Orange County, CA.

So far, roughly 100,000 people have left their homes to escape the blaze.

Officials say the fire has torched 11,200 acres. More than 750 firefighters are battling the inferno -- using 14 water-dropping helicopters. It's only 5% contained -- and with wild winds, there are concerns it will continue to spread fast.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says several other Chargers players and staff members have also been evacuated.

The team is helping everyone get settled in hotels in safe areas while they prepare to take on the Broncos in Denver on Sunday.

Former NFL star Terrelle Pryor and his ex-girlfriend, Shalaya Briston, were just sentenced to probation stemming from their infamous 2019 stabbing altercation ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records show both Pryor and Briston cut plea deals with prosecutors to close out the cases Tuesday ... and in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser charges, the 2 were each hit with probation.

In Pryor's case ... court records show he pled down from misdemeanor assault to harassment and got 90 days probation.

In Briston's case ... the docs show she pled down from felony aggravated assault to misdemeanor simple assault and got 2 years probation.

As we previously reported, the two were both hit with criminal charges after Briston stabbed Pryor (nearly to death) during an altercation at TP's Pittsburgh-area home on Nov. 30, 2019.

According to the police report, a witness claimed Pryor attacked Briston and her friends after a night out of partying ... which led to Briston ultimately stabbing the former Browns receiver in defense.

Pyror's attorney had vehemently denied those allegations ... claiming it was Briston and her friends who were the aggressors.

Ultimately, Pryor ended up campaigning for Briston's release from jail in a court hearing a few weeks after the incident ... reportedly saying, "let her out."

We've reached out to attorneys for both Pryor and Briston for comment -- as well as prosecutors in the case -- but so far, no word back from anyone yet.