TMZ Sports - Page 50

Imagine going 1-for-9 for 13 yards and two interceptions ... and receiving PRAISE???

That's exactly what happened this week ... 'cause after Denver Broncos QB Kendall Hinton laid down a historically awful performance against the Saints on Sunday, some of New Orleans' stars raced to his defense to salute him for the effort.

Here's the deal if you missed it ... Denver's entire quarterback room was forced out of Sunday's tilt at Mile High due to coronavirus protocols -- which lurched Hinton into emergency QB duties.

Hinton -- who had played QB most of his college career at Wake Forest -- clearly wasn't ready for the role, especially considering he'd been nothing but a wideout since making the NFL.

The undrafted rookie amassed just 20 total yards of offense despite being under center the entire game ... and his lone completion in the 31-3 blowout only traveled a few yards in the air.

But, instead of clowning the dude for one of the worst QB performances in the history of the league ... Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis respected the hell out of him for the game.

"He handled this situation like a real pro," Davis said. "I can only imagine the range of emotions and mental download he went through in 24 hrs. #Salute"

Added Jordan, "Helluva situation to be in... No shade at all... RESPECT breh"

For their part, the Broncos were complimentary of Hinton's game as well ... writing on their team Twitter page, "Undrafted rookie WIDE RECEIVER @Kendall_Hinton2 came off the practice squad, had zero practice reps and competed in his first NFL game as the Broncos’ QUARTERBACK—an unprecedented situation. He deserves all the respect."

Here's video which Jake Paul says PROVES he really did suffer a broken nose 3 weeks before the Nate Robinson fight ... and yeah, he looks pretty busted up.

The footage shows Paul in what appears to be a hospital exactly 20 days before the Nov. 28 fight -- bleeding from the bridge of his nose with electrodes on his chest.

Paul also posted a pic of the scar after he was cleaned up.

The 23-year-old says he sustained the injury while meditating -- "I passed out on the concrete" -- and it posed a real threat to his training in those pivotal weeks before the match.

Paul says he couldn't spar for several days -- which is a big deal going into a fight. In fact, Paul says his whole training camp came to a screeching halt for a moment.

But, Paul persevered and dominated in his fight with the ex-NBA player -- ultimately securing a violent KO in the 2nd round.

As for Jake's nose, it didn't look like Nate connected one flush shot to Paul's face during the fight.

Now, Paul says he's looking forward to his next opponent -- which he HOPES is either Conor McGregor or Dillon Danis.

A female Spanish soccer player says she's getting death threats for protesting a tribute to Diego Maradona ... who she considered to be a pretty horrible person.

24-year-old Paula Dapena -- a midfielder for Viajes Interrías FF -- sat on the pitch with her back turned during a planned moment of silence for Maradona before Saturday's match. The rest of her team stood up.

Dapena told local media she felt it was "hypocritical" to honor Maradona ... just days after her league did not hold a moment of silence for domestic violence victims on Wednesday's International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

FYI -- Maradona had been accused of domestic violence back in 2014, but he had adamantly denied ever striking a woman in his life.

"It [Maradona's death] totally overshadowed that day," Dapena said. "We went from putting the spotlight on the death of women due to this cause to talking only about Maradona and what an idol he was for everyone."

Dapena added, "For me, from a football standpoint, Maradona had spectacular skills and qualities. But as a person, he left a lot to be desired."

Maradona's personal issues are pretty well known -- drugs, booze, alleged mafia ties and much, much more.

Dapena now says the protest has led to terrifying ramifications ... claiming both she and her team are receiving death threats.

"It's not just me that has been harassed on social media but also my teammates," Dapena told AS. "We have also received death threats and messages such as 'I'm going to find your home address and go there and break your legs.'"

Dapena also called all of the responses "horrible" ... but added, "Keeping a minute of silence and paying homage to him is against me. I could not do it."

As we previously reported, Maradona -- widely viewed as one of the greatest soccer players ever -- died on Nov. 25 after he reportedly suffered a heart attack.

Forget Skittles, Marshawn Lynch says he would shoot Hennessy in the locker room before NFL games ... claiming he would use his backpack to sneak the booze in.

Beast Mode revealed his secret pre-game ritual during an interview with Peyton Manning ... playing off his pre-game drinking routine as no big deal.

"My superstition was that I needed to have maybe a shot … a shot and half ... before every game," Lynch said on ESPN's "Peyton's Places."

Peyton asked Marshawn to clarify -- saying, "[A shot] of ... ???"

"Hennessy," Lynch replied ... "Whatchu mean 'of?'"

Manning asked where Lynch where he would get the booze -- maybe from a bar in the stadium during his run with the Seahawks?

"Nah, the bar's in my backpack," Lynch said.

The NFL has long banned alcohol from locker rooms -- so, if Marshawn is telling the truth (and there's no reason to suggest he's lying), it seems the boozy ritual would violate the NFL's policy.

But, as Marshawn also pointed out during the show, he got fined so much during his playing days, the NFL would send him a weekly invoice!

Lynch wasn't the only NFL player drinking Hennessy before games -- Clinton Portis has said he would share the H with Santana Moss and Sean Taylor during their time with Washington back in the day.

Padres star Tommy Pham is suing the San Diego strip club where he was stabbed back in October ... claiming it's the employees' fault that he suffered "catastrophic injuries" at the venue.

As we previously reported, the 32-year-old outfielder was at Pacers Showgirls International at around 10:35 PM on Oct. 11 when he was involved in an altercation in the parking lot that left him with a massive stab wound.

Cops say when Pham tried to walk toward his vehicle -- several people that were involved in a fight near his car confronted him.

Police say Pham "physically moved" one of the men near his ride ... and that's when cops say he was pushed down and ultimately slashed.

Police say Pham's wound was MASSIVE -- approximately 12 inches long and 5 inches wide -- and in video of the scene just after the attack, you can see Pham's shirt was soaked in blood.

Now, in new court docs, filed in San Diego last week, Pham is claiming the entire incident could have all been prevented by the strip club.

In the suit, Pham claims the employees "escalated the risk by participating in the fight and antagonizing" the people involved in the parking lot altercation.

Pham says he was initially "trapped inside the business" due to the commotion ... and he claims that despite the growing size and magnitude of the fight, nobody from the venue called authorities.

In the docs, Pham says he attempted to wait inside for the altercation to die down ... but adds when he couldn't stay any longer, he tried to go outside to the valet to get his car.

That's when Pham says he was attacked and stabbed "without any provocation" ... resulting in "catastrophic injuries" that he claims will hurt his "earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

Pham now wants the nightclub, its employees and its security to pay up over the incident ... claiming negligence and negligent hiring and supervision. He's also suing the unknown people from the fight for battery.

In the suit, Pham is asking for damages.

Mexican soccer star Raul Jimenez underwent surgery Sunday night after fracturing his skull during a Premier League game in London, his team confirmed.

The 29-year-old forward was playing for his club Wolverhampton against Arsenal -- when he collided with Brazilian star David Luiz while going after a corner kick in the 5th minute of the game.

The two banged heads -- and it was so loud, you could hear the impact on the TV broadcast.

Medical personnel rushed on to the field to treat both men -- but it was obvious Jimenez was badly hurt ... and they called for the stretcher.

He was eventually transported to a nearby hospital -- where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and underwent surgery.

Wolverhampton issued a statement Monday morning -- saying, "Raul is comfortable following an operation last night, which he underwent in a London hospital."

"He has our love and support as he begins a period of recovery.  We're all with you, @Raul_Jimenez9."

As for Luiz, he was bandaged up and stayed in the game.

Floyd Mayweather is calling on everyone to stop clowning Nate Robinson for getting knocked out this weekend ... saying, "I will never kick my brother when he’s down."

36-year-old Robinson became a meme on social media in the moments after he was KO'd in his debut boxing match against 23-year-old Jake Paul. Some of the images were straight-up mean.

Enter Floyd ... who's calling on everyone -- and specifically the Black community -- to back off the ex-NBA star.

"Nate, I’m proud of you and I will always stand behind all my brothers," Mayweather posted on social media.

"I will never kick my brother when he’s down."

Mayweather continued ... "It’s ok for people to voice their opinions on social media, but no black athletes or black entertainers, especially black NBA players should make a mockery out of you."

"We are supposed to all stand with each other through the good, bad and ugly. I’m here to uplift you and let you know we all love you and congratulate you for just making an effort."

Floyd added a "sidenote" at the end of his post -- addressing issues he's had in the past with other Black people.

"The times I’ve had issues with another brother is when they came at me first. I was just defending myself."

As for Nate, he posted on social media after the fight saying he's okay -- and thanked everyone who reached out.

Pet owners showed some serious love to Kobe Bryant in 2020 -- with Mamba-inspired pet names up BIG over the past year, new data shows.

The famous dog-walking site Rover.com has crunched the numbers for its annual list of the most popular pet names ... which shows fans are honoring the NBA legend by passing on his name (and nickname) to their beloved furry family members.

The name "Mamba" is up 111% from 2019 -- the biggest spike.

"Black Mamba" is up 58% and "Kobe" is up 16%.

The site says the name "Gianna" is also up 20% from 2019, which Rover suspects is also connected to fans paying tribute to Bryant's daughter, Gigi.

Other notable increases ... Rover says the name LeBron is up among dog owners. Michael Jordan is up big with cats.

Neymar is one of the top trending athlete-inspired dog names of 2020 -- with a 58% increase.

They also note Tom Brady is seeing a surge in pet name popularity ... probably from people in Tampa?!

Obviously, the rise in Kobe-inspired names comes from people looking to honor Bryant following his death back in January.

As we previously reported, BabyCenter is also seeing a surge in people naming their human children after Kobe and Gianna as well.

The name Kobe vaulted from #595 on the list in 2019 to #216 in 2020 -- "far and away the biggest riser on the list for boys in 2020."

As for Gianna, her name among newborns rose from #76 to #24 (seriously, #24).

The death of soccer legend Diego Maradona has now triggered a criminal investigation, and his personal doctor appears to be in the crosshairs of the probe.

Police searched the office and home of Dr. Leopoldo Luque ... Diego's doctor. The raid followed several witnesses reportedly telling authorities they had seen Diego and the doctor fighting and shoving.

As we reported, Diego suffered a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires. His death has been ruled a "culpable homicide." The raid involves allegations of negligence.

Police in Argentina have searched the house and private clinic of Luque, just 4 days after Maradona's death.

Diego had a blood clot on his brain earlier this month and underwent surgery. He was also being treated for alcohol abuse.

As for why cops are interested in the doctor ... he reportedly allowed Diego to leave the hospital 8 days after surgery -- it's unclear if that's the foundation of the negligence claim.

Maradona had successful surgery on a brain blood clot on November 11 and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. Dr. Luque wasn't at Diego's home when he died, but he called emergency services to get EMT's out to the house.  It's unclear when and where the shoving match between the doctor and Diego occurred.

Diego's family feels strongly this was a homicide and demanded the investigation.

Now, his family and lawyers are demanding a probe into his death.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi honored Diego Sunday ... after scoring a goal, he ripped his shirt off, exposing Diego's legendary jersey.

RESPECT. RESPECT. RESPECT.

54-year-old Mike Tyson and 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. just fought to a DRAW -- in one of the most impressive performances by two fighters in their 50s EVER.

The showcase of skill, power, athleticism and boxing smarts was just amazing. No knockdowns. No violent knockout. But, what an incredible performance from two legends.

The fight was technically an "exhibition" -- which means it wasn't sanctioned by the California State Athletic Commission and won't count on their professional records ... but it was scored for fun by three judges from the WBC (World Boxing Council), who ultimately saw it as an even fight.

"I'm good with a draw, the crowd was happy with it," Mike said after the fight.

Roy noted Tyson still hits like a truck -- but added, "We gotta do this again!"

The takeaway is this -- both guys look like 50-year-old versions of themselves ... but we mean that in the best possible way.

Roy fought smart -- working distances, angles, setting traps ... no-look jabs!

And, Mike Tyson looks like a 54-year-old version of an athlete not from this Earth ... the speed, the body movement, the power -- he's like a hurricane in short black shorts.

No knockouts in this fight ... but man, was this an impressive performance from two legends.

And, to think Tyson hasn't fought in 15 years -- combined with all of the issues he's had since the last time he stepped in the ring -- it's just mind-blowing.

"Man, I'm proud of both of these brothers tonight," Snoop Dogg said during the 7th round.

By the way, Snoop was AWESOME as a fight announcer -- adding humor and excitement to the whole event.

After the fight, Mike and Roy showed nothing but love and respect to each other.

F1 driver Romain Grosjean is lucky to be alive -- SUPER LUCKY -- because his car exploded in flames and was literally ripped apart during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The race barely got started ... during the first lap of the race, his car made contact with another car and it sent him careening into the barrier. It looked like dynamite ... a massive explosion tore the car apart.

The 34-year-old driver was hurt, but miraculously not badly. He suffered minor burns and was taken to a local hospital, but he'll be ok.

The race stopped down for 45 minutes so the staff could clear the track of debris.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won 7 world championships, went on Instagram almost instantly and said in amazement, "I'm so grateful Romain is safe, wow."

Lewis then went on to remind folks of the danger ... "The risk we take is no joke for those of you out there that forget we put our life on the line for this sport and love what we do. This is a reminder to us all. Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we've taken for roman to walk away from that safely."

Happy Romain's okay.

Jake Paul just DESTROYED Nate Robinson -- knocking the ex-NBA star out cold with a devastating right cross that sent Nate crashing to the mat.

Wow.

23-year-old Jake was in control the entire fight Saturday night -- knocking Nate down once in the 1st round -- and twice in the 2nd.

But, there was no getting up from knockdown #3 -- Paul hit him with a nuclear bomb right on the button.

36-year-old Nate eventually got up -- but the former NBA star needed some help off the canvas.

Paul only landed 8 punches in the fight ... but he made 'em all count.

Snoop Dogg was announcing the fight and cautioned other athletes looking to get in the boxing game -- "You don't play boxing."

After the fight, Paul praised Nate during a post-fight interview with Jim Gray ... "He was better than I expected ... I wanted to say thank you to Nate."

"It takes a lot of balls to step in the ring and I don't want to take anything away from that."

After the fight, Nate called out Conor McGregor -- telling Jim Gray he wants to stay in boxing for a long, long time.

Charizard was always the most coveted holographic Pokemon card -- so it's not hard to believe someone might drop half a mil for one of the rarest ones out there.

Goldin Auctions is hawking a 1999 1st edition Charizard card that's got all the nerdy fixings that trading card aficionados geek out on. Namely, this one's got a grade of Gold Label Pristine 10 by SGC, and it's Black Diamond Certified ... meaning it's in near-mint condition. So yeah, it's beyond valuable, people!!!

The opening bid for this thing started at $50k, and the current bid stands at $150k ... and there's still two weeks left for people to jump in.

As for why GA honchos think their Charizard card could go for at least $500k -- we're told they're basing it on a few factors. For one, another Charizard card with a 10 rating recently got bought and sold in a private transaction for a whopping $250k.

Not only that, but Charizard is getting a second lease on life as far as interest in the younger generation -- one Logan Paul recently bought a Charizard card that was also graded 10 for a cool $150k. Bottom line ... we're told the Goldin Auctions folks believe the demand is there, and they're banking on people dropping a pretty penny for theirs.

There's only 10 people with bids on this card for now -- but by the closing bell, Goldin is expecting way more ... and for the price to fall at a record number. If it hits $500,000, like they're hoping, it would be the first time someone's shelled out that much for a Charizard.

Very cool gesture from Adrian Peterson ... the NFL superstar says he's helping injured guys like Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley with their rehabs -- and he's got plans to assist Joe Burrow soon too.

The future Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports ... after he went through a devastating knee injury in 2011 and recovered spectacularly, he's doing all he can to impart wisdom on others so they can follow down the same path.

The 35-year-old says he's already been in touch with Saquon and Odell after they suffered their respective knee tears ... and he's reaching out to Burrow soon too after the Bengals QB ripped up his knee Sunday.

And, Peterson says he's hoping his words and his story really make an impact on the guys.

"To be that poster child for [ACL recovery] is what I envisioned," Peterson said. "Because now people, they look at it, and they say, 'You know what? I can do that. I'll be able to come back.'" Adrian had an MVP season when he came back.

Peterson says part of his advice to the guys includes handing over some of his old rehab routines, workouts and milestones so they can follow along during their journeys.

The rest, Peterson tells us, is all about convincing the guys to have a positive mindset amid the adversity.

How's Justin Jefferson rewarding himself for ballin' the hell out during his rookie season?!

BLING, BABY!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Minnesota Vikings star receiver just copped a new diamond chain featuring a jet pendant ... and it's AWESOME!!!

We're told the wideout hit up Leo Frost in Houston a few weeks ago to get the ice made ... and the famed jeweler sure as hell delivered.

The jet -- an obvious nod to Justin's "Jet" nickname -- is iced out ... while the chain features stars on the links.

All told, the piece is 14k gold with 37 carats of VVS diamonds!!

No word on what JJ paid for the drip ... but don't worry -- dude can afford it, he signed a 4-year, $13 MILLION deal this year!!

Lil Wayne will NOT be performing at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after all -- even though he signed a contract saying he would ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us ... organizers for the mega event this weekend had a flight booked for Weezy so he could take the stage Saturday ahead of the fight set to go down at Staples Center in L.A. in just a few hours. We're told LW simply never got on the plane.

Sounds like it was a last-minute cancelation -- we're working on getting more info about why that happened, but in any case ... it's a no-show for Wayne, and our sources say folks at Triller are working on adding another big name to the lineup.

So far, rapper SAINt JHN has stepped in and signed on to perform at the fight. We're told there's a real possibility Snoop Dogg could get on the mic, too. He's an investor at Triller, so it's feasible he'd do that.

Even with Weezy out, there's a stellar entertainment lineup -- featuring performances from stars like Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana and YG.

Plus, THE FIGHTS! Both Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have said they're gunning for knockouts -- and they looked in incredible shape during Friday's weigh-in.

Plus, the undercard features Jake Paul vs. ex-NBA star Nate Robinson -- and those dudes HATE each other. Should be a good scrap.

As for Wayne, it's strange that he wouldn't follow through if it wasn't an emergency -- the dude was literally plugging his involvement in the fight just on Friday night (on the heels of him dropping his 'No Ceilings 3' mixtape, to much fanfare).

We've reached out to Wayne's camp as well for an explanation and to make sure everything's okay ... so far, no word back.