TMZ Sports - Page 50

WELCOME TO FART COURT -- where allegations of flatulence are taken seriously and investigated accordingly.

Today's suspect ... Ronnie O'Sullivan, a star snooker player from England, who appeared to rip a humungous fart during competition this week but tried to blame it on the judge.

The evidence ... Ronnie -- aka "The Rocket" -- was participating in the Northern Ireland Open on Wednesday, competing against Matthew Stevens when someone tore ass.

The arena was basically empty due to COVID -- so the only people in the room were the players and officials.

In other words, you could hear a pin drop ... or in this case, a buttcheek ripple.

The poot was so loud, everyone took notice -- including the announcers who immediately cracked jokes and began to suggest Ronnie was the flatulator.

But, Ronnie didn't take the blame initially -- instead, looking at an official and asking, "Was that you?!"

J'ACCUSE!!!

But, the denial didn't last long, Ronnie eventually copped to the anal honk ... saying after the match, "I dropped my guts -- I am taking full ownership of that. I have had stomach problems for a couple of months."

He continued, "I did say 'Was that you' to the referee but, I am proud of that one."

Tournament officials were also asked about the incident -- and confirmed O'Sullivan as the master blaster.

So, there you have it ... Ronnie -- GUILTY AS CHARGED!!

You win Rookie of the Year, you get the giraffe -- or should we say, Ja Raffe!! -- 'cause Grizzlies star Ja Morant officially has a baby giraffe named after him at the Memphis Zoo!!

And, we must say ... it's JA-mazing!!

The zoo announced its newest addition to the fam on Thursday ... saying it welcomed a baby boy on Nov. 10.

Fresh off Ja's JA-dropping rookie campaign -- he averaged nearly 18 points and 7 assists a game for Memphis -- the place decided to JAnor the 21-year-old with the long-necked namesake.

"We have some new hooves on the African Veldt. His name is Ja Raffe to celebrate @memgrizz’s @JaMorant winning @NBA Rookie of the year," the zoo said on Twitter ... revealing the cute baby giraffe in a video.

Ja hasn't spoken about the big token of JA-ppreciation from the zoo just yet ... but we're sure he's JA-st thrilled.

We take it they're saving the bear naming for when Ja wins MVP??

The president of the Haiti Football Association has been BANNED FOR LIFE by FIFA -- after the soccer org. found him guilty of sexually abusing female players, including minors.

FIFA issued a statement saying 73-year-old Yves Jean-Bart is forbidden from participating in all soccer-related activities -- plus, they've hit him with over a $1 million fine.

In a statement Friday, FIFA said Jean-Bart "abused his position and sexually harassed and abused various female players, including minors, in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics."

FIFA says it had launched an investigation into Jean-Bart and other officials in the Haiti Football Association over allegations of "systematic sexual abuse against female football players between 2014 and 2020."

The allegations have been reported this way ... female soccer players in Haiti felt pressured into having sex with Jean-Bart in order to remain in good standing with the Haiti Football Association.

Several players have spoken up about the alleged abuse to various media outlets -- detailing an allegedly horrific situation.

For his part, Jean-Bart has repeatedly DENIED the allegations -- saying back in April, "I would not encourage such practices in Haitian football, much less in the centre which is under my responsibility."

"If there were such cases, I would encourage the victims to file a complaint with the federation and the judicial authorities of the country. We are ready, at the level of the federation, to support them."

There's more ... Jean-Bart was also reportedly "cleared of any wrongdoing" earlier this week during legal proceedings in Haiti.

Bart Scott is calling Nick Foles out for the QB's reaction to his injury on "Monday Night Football" this week ... the ex-NFL linebacker went IN on the Bears star for "crying" over a bruise.

"You know who Nick Foles is?" Scott asked on ESPN's "Keyshawn JWill & Zubin show" this week. "He's the dude screaming, 'I'm drowning! I'm drowning!'"

"And, somebody says, 'Hey, stand up!' And he says, 'Oh, all I had to do was stand up?'"

Scott was straight-up pissed over it all ... believing Foles overreacted when he needed a cart to leave the field after he hurt his hip in the final moments of the Bears' loss to the Vikings.

Scott's biggest issue? He believes Foles made it seem like he was dealing with a break or a tear as opposed to a bruise.

"Oh, we supposed to have empathy?" said Scott, who played in the NFL for 11 years. "He was crying! There's no crying in football! And, if there's crying, something better be broken! Need to be amputated!"

Scott continued, "He is crying and he got a bone bruise! Drew Brees is talking to [Sean] Payton on the sideline and he got four cracked ribs and a puncture! And, he's talking! And, [Foles] is crying for a hip bruise!? What are we talking about!?"

Scott went even further ... adding, "You hearing everybody, 'Prayers up to Nick Foles.' A bruise?! Man if you don't take some Advil and put some ice and put a girdle on with a hip pad in it, man, get the hell out of here."

For his part, Scott's co-host on the show, ex-NFL star Keyshawn Johnson, tried to defend Nick ... saying the QB was likely just scared given all of the significant injuries that have plagued his career in the past.

But, Scott was having none of it ... calling the injury "a boo-boo" and saying, "He built real different."

University of Miami head football coach Manny Diaz says he's been diagnosed with COVID -- the latest in a wave of positive tests to hit the team.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19," the 46-year-old said Friday morning.

"I am currently in isolation and feeling good overall. I will continue to work with our team virtually as we prepare for our next game at Wake Forest."

The Hurricanes have been hit hard by COVID -- starting back in October when 8 players weren't available for the Oct. 24 game against Virginia.

Leaving 11 players unavailable for the Nov. 6 game against North Carolina State -- and then it grew again to 13 this past weekend against Virginia Tech.

On Monday, University of Miami officials announced a 2-week stoppage -- meaning the team would resume its season on Dec. 5, against Wake Forest.

But, WF has its own COVID problems which led to the school canceling this weekend's game against Duke.

What's the first thing you'd go out and buy if you were the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft????

That's something Greg Oden knows about -- he was top pick in 2007 -- and admits he blew his first paycheck on a really bad purchase!!

Now, Oden -- who's an athlete advisor for a financial company -- is telling TMZ Sports his story in hopes of helping players in the 2020 NBA Draft class avoid making the same mistakes!

TMZ Sports: "What advice would you give to these guys who are instantly becoming millionaires?"

Greg Oden: "I will say you are instantly in debt right now!"

What Greg means is players don't realize they already have a long list of people they have to pay -- from trainers to agents, rent, car bills and -- most importantly -- taxes ... and he says that can all lead to serious financial trouble for guys who aren't responsible from the get-go.

"What everybody thinks you make is definitely not what you're actually going to make," Oden says.

So, Greg's advice? "Get experts in your corner. Get people that you trust."

Oden says financial advisors, lawyers and CPAs are all great investments that can help players avoid the perils of future money problems.

And, Greg -- who's job at Edyoucore is specifically to help people in the sports and entertainment realm with their cash -- says he's down to assist some of these dudes!

"I wasn't able to do it on the court," Oden says, "but, right now, all the knowledge, all my experiences that I've been through, I'm definitely here to help out a lot of these guys."

By the way, Oden's also doing some other really cool stuff in retirement ... he's participating in a charity event with his wife this weekend to help needy families have a wonderful holiday meal.

Oh, and Greg tells us he's even been getting in a little basketball training too!

Dana White is doubling down on his claim Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon -- and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is!

"If I had to make a bet -- and I'm a betting man -- I would bet he does [return]," Dana tells TMZ Sports.

"So, yeah ... I think he will."

Of course, Khabib announced his retirement following his Oct. 24 victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 ... explaining he has no desire to fight anymore after the death of his father earlier this year.

But, Dana says Khabib's father is the reason he WILL return -- explaining it was his dad's dream for Khabib to finish with a 30-0 record.

So, who would be the opponent? Dana says he's NOT considering Georges St-Pierre, despite Khabib previously suggesting that's he'd be open to that opportunity.

Instead, Dana pointed to 2 upcoming fights ... Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson.

"We'll see how all these things play out here ... One of those guys would definitely be in for the fight."

There's more ... we also asked Dana about plans for Jon Jones, who appears to be bulking up for a fight at the heavyweight level.

But, White says there's nothing in the plans for a Jon Jones scrap in the near future.

"Jon Jones, I don’t know what Jon Jones is doing," White says.

"When he’s ready, all he's gotta do is let us know … but we have no inclination whatsoever that this guy is coming to fight."

Before this smiley sweetie was feeling the weight of multiple Olympic medals around her neck, she was just another blondie with bangs growing up in Des Moines, Iowa.

Making her Summer Olympic Games debut in Beijing, she was part of the duo of athletes who scored the top two medals -- both the gold and silver -- in the individual all-around portion of the Women's Gymnastics competition. She took home 4 medals total, but only one gold for her skills displayed on the balance beam.

Now, the mother of one daughter, she lives in Nashville with her husband.

Nobody likes to get that dreadful break-up text ... but Chris Bosh says that’s EXACTLY how he found out LeBron James was leaving the Miami Heat in 2014 ... admitting he was initially pissed about the move.

The 2-time champ made the big reveal to Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the "All The Smoke" podcast Thursday ... when he was asked how King James broke the news he was returning to Cleveland.

"Through a text," Bosh said, laughing. "I thought he was BSing, and then about 10 minutes later it's everywhere."

"At the time, I didn't understand it."

"At the time, in my mind, I was ready to put the team together because we had just lost," Bosh added. "So we wanted to put something together so we could win. And it really didn't go like that."

The 11-time All-Star said it took months to get over James' departure ... but added, "It still worked out for everybody." After all, the Big 3 did win back to back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Of course, LeBron went on to bring Cleveland its first NBA title ... breaking the 52-year title drought in the city.

"He starts beating on my car, beating on my windows right at my dogs."

That's Patrick Mahomes' fiancee, Brittany Matthews, detailing an incident Thursday with a "homeless person" in Kansas City ... saying she was so scared, she ran a red light to escape possible danger.

"Guys, I can't even talk about this because I just got so scared out of my mind," Matthews said in a video after the incident.

"Ya know, with homeless people around Kansas City, there's quite a few of them and I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt and be nice to them and wave at them and smile and give stuff if I have it -- but like today, this guy really just messed things up."

Matthews -- who's pregnant -- says she was driving through the plaza with her windows open when a man approached her car.

"He kept coming ... and kept coming ... and so finally he was saying something and I was like 'No thank you.' So, I was like rolling all the windows up and right as I rolled 'em all up he starts beating on my car, beating on my windows right at my dogs and the dogs going ballistic."

"So, I just sped off and ran the red light! I didn't even look to see if anyone was coming or anything but you know what, I made it home and that was scary."

Glad no one was hurt -- but the incident puts a spotlight on a larger issue in K.C. ... homeless shelters and resource centers are struggling to keep up with the need for shelter and aid since the pandemic began.

Former MLB prospect Brandon Martin will spend the rest of his life in a prison cell ... after a judge sentenced him to life without parole for brutally murdering 3 people, including his own father.

27-year-old Martin -- a 1st-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 -- was convicted of the triple murder earlier this month ... and was facing the death penalty.

Martin was in a Riverside County, CA courtroom on Thursday ... where the same jury that convicted him in only 4 hours decided his punishment.

The jurors spared his life -- electing not to give him the death penalty. Instead, Martin will spend the rest of his life in prison.

The story surrounding the September 2015 murders is disturbing, to say the least.

Martin brutally beat and killed his 64-year-old dad, 58-year-old uncle, and a 62-year-old man the family had hired to install an alarm to protect them from Martin. Officials say Martin used a black baseball bat (with his name inscribed on it) to kill the men.

Mark Sanchez says it may be time for Sam Darnold to pack his bags and leave the dumpster fire that is the New York Jets behind ... suggesting it could be best for both sides to start fresh.

Of course, Sanchez knows a thing or two about the pressure that comes with being under center in the Big Apple -- he suited up for the Jets from 2009-2013.

But, while Sanchez was able to make the playoffs in his first 2 seasons with NY, Darnold's been dealt a bad hand -- resulting in an 11-21 record in 3 seasons.

As the Jets sit at 0-9 in 2020, Sanchez is now floating the idea it may be more beneficial for Darnold to sit out the rest of the season and give it another go somewhere else.

"There’s just so much uncertainty that it’s almost impossible for a quarterback to have success with all those circumstances," Sanchez said on the New York Post's "Gangs All Here" podcast. "I feel for him."

"It’s not like they’re going to turn around and make a playoff run. Now you get into these tough decisions as a competitor thinking, 'Man, maybe my time’s up here and that’s okay. Maybe, it’s best for both sides to move on.'"

But, Sanchez is holding out hope for his fellow USC Trojan ... saying, "In my opinion – and obviously, I’m biased, he’s a USC guy, he’s a SoCal guy – I think he’s a great player. He’s a franchise player. I think he’s somebody you invest in ... He just hasn’t been able to do it there."

Darnold still has one more year left on his rookie contract ... but signs are pointing towards a breakup sooner than later.

If the Darnold experiment really is over, there's a guy from Clemson (cough, Trevor Lawrence) who may be the Jets' savior ... unless, he decides to stay in school another year.

"I’m so over it. I’m so over living in a dictatorship we call Michigan."

That's Kelly Stafford -- wife of Detroit Lions QB Matt Stafford -- railing against the COVID-19 restrictions in the state of Michigan ... claiming another shutdown will make things worse for everybody.

"I understand there’s a pandemic, and I understand it’s very scary. I’m scared of it too. If you are at risk, do not leave your house until there’s a vaccine," Stafford said Thursday.

"But, shutting down all these small businesses, things that people have worked their life for, shutting them down again is not the answer. Because they will not make it."

Stafford continued, "So, once we are able to leave our house, once this dictatorship decides to let us have some freedom, there will be nothing left. I’m just over it. I see all these people and it brings me to tears."

Stafford is referring to new restrictions that Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Sunday ... detailing a new round of closures and other measures to reduce the spread of the virus.

Stafford immediately received backlash for referring to Michigan as a dictatorship ... and issued an apology a short time later, saying, "Should never have used the word 'dictatorship.' I got caught up in the heat of the moment, that is my fault."

"I care about the people who are losing their lives or battling this ... and also the medical staff who care for them. And, it is hard knowing these local business owners and watching them struggle and having to lay off their employees, not knowing how they are gonna make it."

Stafford says she loves Michigan and didn't mean to let her emotions get the best of her.

The Staffords have had a tough time during the pandemic -- Kelly recently revealed their youngest daughter was hospitalized for a concussion after falling out of her high chair.

Andy Dalton's been cleared to play football again after contracting coronavirus ... but he says his nose and mouth still ain't ready to smell or taste things just yet.

The Dallas Cowboys QB -- who was diagnosed with COVID-19 at least 2 weeks ago -- told reporters Thursday despite testing negative now, his sense of smell and taste are still being affected by the virus.

"You can tell things are sweet," the 33-year-old said. "You can tell things are salty. You just don't get the flavor with it."

Dalton, trying to make light of it all, said it's actually helping his diet ... "I can eat really healthy right now, and it doesn't matter because I can't taste it."

Dalton told reporters the whole thing was actually pretty scary ... he says the virus hit him HARD the first day -- AND his wife and kids ended up coming down with it as well.

Andy, though, says everyone is now on the mend.

"Been a crazy three weeks," said Dalton, who had to recover from a concussion at the same time as his COVID diagnosis, "but excited to be on the other side of it."

Reshad Jones -- a former Pro Bowl safety for the Miami Dolphins -- was arrested in Florida on Wednesday after cops say he was illegally carrying a loaded firearm.

According to a police report, obtained by WPLG Local 10, cops made contact with Jones at around 4 a.m. after witnesses say the NFL free agent was walking around Davie, Fla. gas stations carrying a gun.

In the report, officers say when they began questioning the 32-year-old former Miami defensive back ... they noticed the firearm sticking out of his pants.

Cops say Jones told them he did NOT have a concealed weapons permit ... and initially complied with their arrest orders for him to get on the ground.

Officers in the report, though, noted Jones later became combative ... and "appeared to be on the influence of an unknown substance."

Cops in the report also say Jones reeked of booze.

Jones was eventually arrested and booked. Jail records show he's since been released.

Jones had a great career for the Dolphins after being picked by the team in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in Miami for 10 seasons, starting 113 games and recording 21 interceptions.

Jones was released by the 'Fins after the '19 season ... and he's yet to latch on with another team.

NBA superstar Klay Thompson has been diagnosed with a torn right Achilles tendon -- and will miss the entire 2020-21 season.

It's the worst possible news the Golden State Warriors could have received about the Splash Brother after he went down with an injury during a pickup game Wednesday in Downtown L.A. with other NBA players.

The team initially feared the injury could be severe ... a fear that was realized Thursday after the test results came back.

The injury usually takes 9-to-12 months for recovery -- though Kobe Bryant famously returned after 8 months when he suffered the same injury back in 2013.

What's worse for Klay is that he was busting his ass over the past year to return from a torn ACL in his left knee -- an injury he suffered during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, which required him to miss all of last season.

It's a major blow to the Warriors ... who posted the worst record in the league last season without their 2 biggest stars -- Thompson and Stephen Curry, who was recovering from a broken hand.

Thompson is easily one of the best shooters in the game -- with a career average of 19.5 points on 45% shooting ... including 41% from 3-point range.