TMZ Sports - Page 50

NHL star Henrik Lundqvist will NOT be suiting up for the Washington Capitals this season ... with the goalie revealing he's battling a heart condition that will prevent him from playing.

"It breaks my heart (literally) to share this news: I will not be joining the Capitals this upcoming season," Lundqvist said Thursday.

"After many weeks of tests and conversations with specialists around the country, it's been determined that a heart condition will prevent me from taking the ice."

"Together, we have decided that the risk of playing before remedying my condition is too high, so I will spend the coming months figuring out the best course of action."

Lundqvist -- who joined the Caps on a 1-year deal in October after playing with the New York Rangers from 2005-20 -- said he was excited for his fresh start in D.C. ... but admits "we knew there was only one way to go from here" after his most recent test results.

"I will take the next few weeks to be with my family and I'll be back to share the next steps."

The Caps also released a statement Thursday ... saying, "The Washington Capitals are supportive of Henrik's decision to step away from hockey at this time due to his heart condition."

"Our players' health is of the utmost importance. And we stand behind Henrik's decision."

"We want to wish him and his family all the best moving forward."

File Under: TOTALLY NOT COOL!!!

Soccer star Reece James was about to bring holiday cheer to a bunch of kids this Christmas season ... until some scumbag broke into his G-Wagon and stole all the toys!!

The 21-year-old Chelsea defender shared the unfortunate event on Instagram ... saying he was participating in a food giveaway with the Felix Project in London when someone smashed the window to his Mercedes and jacked all the presents he was going to donate.

"Unfortunately, I was met with huge disappointment when returning to my car," James said. "During the event, someone felt the need to break in and steal gifts that I was due to go and donate later in the day."

Seriously -- here's a dude doing everything he can to give back to the community during the holidays ... and some Grade-A dirtbag had to ruin it!?!

James added he's sure the culprit will get what's coming to them ... saying, "What goes around comes around."

Shoutout to James for trying to do the right thing.

Two UFC fighters are teaming up -- FOR LIFE -- because Thiago Santos proposed to Yana Kunitskaya ... and she said, 'Da!'

(Side note: She's Russian).

Thiago -- AKA The Sledgehammer -- popped the question to his longtime GF earlier this week, using a ring he got from celeb jeweler Boodaddy Diamonds.

We're told the ring is 18k rose gold with a diamond halo. The center stone is a 2-carat round pink sapphire.

The two have reportedly been dating for a few years -- but Thiago decided it was time to level up -- so he took Beyonce's advice and put a ring on it!

Thiago is the #2 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC (remember, he fought Jon Jones for the title in 2019).

Yana is the #8 ranked women's bantamweight fighter who's coming off a unanimous decision victory over Julija Stoliarenko back in August.

The two have been training together throughout the COVID pandemic -- and while we've all heard stories about the lockdowns wreaking havoc on relationships, it seems to have brought Thiago and Yana even closer together.

Finally, THE ROCK has come back to the football card world -- because a super rare Dwayne Johnson card just sold for $14,000!!!

Remember, before Dwayne Johnson became "The Rock" -- he was a college football player at the University of Miami.

And, during his 1994 season, Bumble Bee -- the tuna company -- produced a set of cards featuring some of the team's best players ... including Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp!

Bob Marley's son Rohan Marley was also included (he was a linebacker at The U).

Legend has it ... the 24-card sheets were handed out at the Orange Bowl during a game that season, but it was a rainy day and most people didn't save the cards.

In fact, there are reportedly less than 50 of the Dwayne Johnson cards from that set in existence today!

So, when the folks at PWCC auctions got their hands on a mint condition (PSA 10) card of the future WWE superstar ... they knew they had a banger.

Final gavel price on the online auction which closed Wednesday night -- $13,988!!

It's a huge jump from the price in 2014 when a similar Dwayne Johnson PSA 10 sold for $4,228.

Here's something that's going to make you feel REALLY bad about your golf game ...

Tiger Woods' 11-year-old son showed off his swing while prepping for a big tournament with Dad in Florida this weekend ... and the kid's stroke is smooth as hell!!!

Check out the footage of little Charlie Woods grippin' it and rippin' on the range -- he's calm, he's easy ... and he even has a tiger driver headcover in his bag like Pops!!!

Of course, we'll see how well his range swing transfers to the actual course beginning on Saturday ... 'cause Charlie and Tiger are all set to compete in the PNC Championship.

The tourney -- which will pit the Woodses against guys like Justin Thomas and his father, and John Daly and his son -- will go down at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.

Tragic news ... former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro died on Wednesday, cops in Virginia confirmed.

He was just 28 years old.

The York-Poquoson Sheriff's Office in Yorktown, Va. announced it received a call of someone needing medical attention at around 3:07 PM on Wednesday.

Cops say when officers arrived, they found Taliaferro and immediately helped emergency personnel transfer him to a local hospital.

Sadly, police say he died at the facility a short time later.

Cops did not release a cause of death ... but a family member told Fox45 in Baltimore that Taliaferro had suffered a heart attack.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lorenzo Taliaferro," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said in a statement Thursday.

"Lorenzo was a kind, smart, respectful and determined young man -- someone always committed to his teammates and well-liked by everyone in our organization. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lorenzo's family. May he rest in peace."

Taliaferro was picked by the Ravens in the 4th round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Coastal Carolina -- and was immediately put on people's fantasy football radars in his rookie year after some HUGE games.

Taliaferro, though, was forced to go on injured reserve late in his rookie year ... and was eventually moved to fullback.

He left the NFL after being cut by Baltimore prior to the 2017 season and eventually latched on in the CFL for 2018.

In his 3 years with the Ravens, Taliaferro rushed for 339 yards and 5 TDs. He also caught 16 passes for 153 yards.

NY Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has tested positive for coronavirus -- forcing the team to cancel Thursday practice.

54-year-old Garrett -- former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys -- will not call plays for the Giants when they take on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, so he can focus on his recovery, the team announced.

Instead, Giants tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens -- the former Cleveland Browns head coach -- will take over the playcalling duties this weekend against his former team.

The Giants say they do NOT believe there are other high-risk contacts who may have contracted the virus from Garrett because the team did not meet on either Monday or Tuesday due to "the league's most updated protocols."

"At this point, there appear to be no high risk close contacts. We are awaiting confirmation from the league."

Drew Brees ain't out of the woods yet -- the QB still has "a ways to go" before he'll return to the field after breaking 11 ribs and suffering a punctured lung.

... so says New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton who told reporters the plan is to continue to be patient with Drew to make sure he can properly heal up.

41-year-old Brees has already missed 4 games due to the injuries -- which he reportedly suffered over the course of 2 games, Week 9 against the Bucs and Week 10 against the 49ers.

Payton was asked Wednesday if there was a chance Brees would be able to play on Sunday's Week 15 matchup against the Chiefs ... but that's seemingly out of the question.

"He's got a ways to go still, and he's someone we're not gonna just hurry back and just put him in the game," Payton said.

"I think the significance of the injuries are such that you've gotta make sure he can function and feel confident."

The good news ... Brees says he's making significant progress and hopes to be back soon.

"Each week I feel better," Brees told Cox Sports Television on Sunday night.

"I obviously have a plan in place as to the benchmarks that I need to hit in order to get to where I know that I can play and play effectively for this team. And all I can say is I'm close."

"There's a recovery element. There's a strength element. And I'll know when that time comes."

The husband of one of the victims in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash is suing the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. for invasion of privacy over crash scene cellphone pics, TMZ Sports has learned.

Matthew Mauser -- who lost his wife, Christina Mauser, in the Jan. 26 crash -- claims Sheriff Alex Villanueva did a poor job securing the area in the wake of the crash, which led to emergency responders taking unauthorized photos of the tragic scene.

In fact, Matthew claims he has reason to believe members of the L.A. County Fire Dept. photographed the remains of his wife -- and then shared them with people who had no involvement in the investigation.

"These facts show that Sheriff Villanueva had a special duty to ensure that the scene of the crash was given the highest caliber security his department could employ," Mauser claims in his suit.

Matthew claims he -- along with the couple's 3 daughters -- now suffer severe emotional distress, humiliation and anxiety "from the realization that photographs of their mother and wife were wrongfully taken, shown and discussed."

Mauser is suing for invasion of privacy, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more. He's seeking unspecified damages in excess of $25,000.

Christina Mauser was only 38.

The mystery buyer who dropped $3.7 MILLION on a rare Honus Wagner card is revealing himself ... and it's real estate mogul Kurt Rappaport!

The card is the legendary 1909-11 T206, which Rappaport describes as "the HOLY GRAIL -- the rarest and most desired of all sports cards."

The purchase -- handled by Heritage Auctions -- makes Rap's Wagner card the 2nd most expensive baseball card ever purchased ... behind a rare Mike Trout card that sold for $3.9 million back in August.

There are less than 60 Wagner cards in existence -- but what makes Rap's card extra special is the fact it's in such great condition.

Professional Sports Authenticator (known in the industry as PSA) graded Rap's card as a 3 -- which is pretty good for a card that's more than 100 years old.

"Just to put it into perspective, 3 means very good condition," Rappaport told the guys on "TMZ Live."

"The 50 or 60 that exist in the world, this is one of the Top 5. There's only 4 other cards that have graded any higher than this. These don't come up to sale and I had the opportunity to buy it and I did."

Rappaport doesn't consider himself a hardcore card collector -- just a guy who appreciates rare cards ... comparing them to classic art pieces.

Lil Baby is looking out for George Floyd's family ... by hosting a huge bash for George's daughter, Gianna.

Her 7th birthday party is going down right now in Atlanta. Our sources tell us the rapper is covering all the expenses, and it looks like he pulled out all the stops. We're told the party idea was conceived by restaurant owners Ericka and William Platt of Restaurant Ten and Rosie's Cafe.

Video from the bash shows a huge playroom at The Pink Hotel decked out with tons of colorful balloons, birthday signs and a bunch of food.

The venue looks pretty big, it's at least 2 stories, and there are other areas where Gianna and the girls are getting their hair done, plus manicures and foot spas.

Sure seems like the balling-est 7-year-old turn-up we've ever seen -- which means lots of dollhouses.

Lil Baby and Shaq stopped to take a couple pictures with the birthday girl ... and Gianna says she was totally surprised.

Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez says he couldn't be happier to return to practice on Wednesday ... describing the "crazy roller coaster" he's experienced since his recent cancer diagnosis.

As we previously reported, 26-year-old Sanchez underwent surgery for a cancerous tumor earlier this month ... days after feeling "kinda weird" during practice on Nov. 25.

Sanchez says he notified team staffers about feeling off ... and they instructed him to get checked out with an MRI and ultrasound.

That's when Sanchez got the news -- he has cancer.

"It's one of those things that you just never think is gonna happen to you. I never thought it was gonna happen to me either," Sanchez told reporters ... "Because I'm young, and when you're young you think you can do anything and you're going to be fine for a long time."

The crazy part?? Sanchez still got out on the field for Indy's next game against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 29 ... saying his situation couldn't get any worse and he didn't want to put his team in a bad situation.

"I wasn't about to do that to my team. It's all about the team, you know?" Sanchez said.

Sanchez made his return to the team this week ... and he said he's thankful for the team's support throughout his journey.

"I'm just so grateful to be here with you guys and it's amazing to be back."

Sanchez says he's heard from all his idols -- including leukemia survivor Chuck Pagano -- throughout his recovery ... and he's hoping for the best.

It's been a rough week for NFL superstars in the crapper ...

Just ask Todd Gurley who dropped his cell phone into the toilet while taking a dump and was then forced to make a decision -- retrieve it or not!?!?

Think about it ... Todd is super rich -- he can afford another cell phone! So, should he fish it out and use it again? Or just junk it and get a new one?? Man, this is tough.

But Gurley, thankfully, walked us through the situation in real-time on social media,

It all started Wednesday at 12:34 PM -- "Dropped my phone in the toilet while taking a #2 smh. Shxt happens literally."

So, how did he drop the phone exactly?

"Man I laid it on my lap next thing I know it’s sitting on a like of 💩."

Seven minutes later ... an update.

"I just sprayed my phone with Mrs. Meyer’s cleaner and called it a day lol."

HE FISHED IT OUT OF THE POOP TOILET!! GROSS!!!

Afterward, Gurley reached out to Lamar Jackson, who also made some headlines over an alleged bathroom incident this week.

"Yo @Lj_era8 any tips my dude?"

C'mon, that's hilarious!

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the NFL is exploring ways to have fans at the Super Bowl -- specifically health care workers.

Goodell fired off a letter to Rob Higgins -- President of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee -- informing him of the league's plans to reward the front line workers who have busted their asses during the COVID pandemic.

"We are currently discussing with public health officials our desire to invite vaccinated health care workers to the Super Bowl as our guests," Goodell says in a letter obtained by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

"Subject to their approval and in consultation with your team, we aim to do this in a safe and responsible way."

Goodell says putting vaccinated health care workers in the stands for the biggest game of the year would "help promote the importance of vaccination and appropriate health practices including wearing masks in public settings."

The plans aren't set in stone yet -- but it seems Goodell is optimistic.

He concluded his letter by heaping more praise on health care workers.

"We hope that in some small way, this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes as we look forward to a better and healthier year."

James Harden says he wasn't just raging with Lil Baby and hitting Las Vegas hot spots while ditching Rockets training camp ... insisting he was really "training" to prepare for the upcoming season.

The 31-year-old superstar met with the media Wednesday for the first time since showing up to camp on Dec. 8 ... and was immediately hit with all the questions people have been wondering for weeks.

First ... does he still want to be traded out of Houston??

"Right now, I'm just focused on being here," Harden said. "Today was good, yesterday felt really good being out there for the first time since the bubble. I haven't really had an opportunity to do a lot of 5-on-5 work."

"For my first time being out there, I felt pretty good."

Next ... what was he doing in ATL and Sin City when his team expected him to show up to camp??

"I was just training," Harden said.

When pressed on what exactly he was training for, The Beard simply replied -- "The start of the NBA season."

As for why exactly he couldn't do that in Houston with the rest of his teammates??

"Just my personal trainers," Harden said.

As we previously reported, JH was spotted celebrating the rapper's birthday in ATL while his teammates were in Houston to prepare for the season ... gifting Lil Baby a $300k bag, Richard Mille watch and wads of cash.

Harden then took the party to Drai's nightclub in Vegas Sunday, Dec. 6 ... hours after he reportedly told the Rockets he would be at camp earlier that day.

Harden's actions drew criticism from ex-NBA player Stephen Jackson ... who called him out for "chasing rappers" instead of helping first-year head coach Stephen Silas.

Jose Canseco is REALLY pissed at Logan Paul over the breakup with his daughter -- suggesting something scandalous went down behind-the-scenes.

The ex-MLB star isn't spilling all of the tea ... but says the split between Logan and supermodel Josie Canseco earlier this year "left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth."

Now, 56-year-old Jose wants to FIGHT the 25-year-old YouTube star to defend his family's honor.

... and yeah, Jose insists this is for real.

"I actually met him when my daughter and Logan came down to Vegas," Jose said this week to Sports Talk Chicago on AM 1530 WCKG.

"He seemed like a very nice young kid -- to me, seemed a bit on the arrogant side. But, then all of the sudden they broke up."

"I gotta give you the final details, they will come up .. but you know, it left me with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth."

Once Jose floated the idea of boxing Logan on social media back in November, Logan replied, "No problem. I love smashing Cansecos."

Yeesh.

Now, Jose is calling for LP to back up his words ... saying he'll be waiting for him after his exhibition with Floyd Mayweather next month.

"Get ready, this is real. This is not a joke ... If I hit him, he's going down."

Jose also says he's not intimidated by Logan's age and boxing experience -- saying, "Even though I'm 56-years-old, I do have some martial arts and celebrity fighting experience."

Jose even references his 2009 fight against South Korean MMA star Hong-man Choi -- a 7'2" monster who beat down Jose in just over a minute when they squared off.

"After fighting a guy who's 7'2" and 400 pounds, these guys look like shrimps to me," Jose says.

As for his strategy, Jose says he will channel his inner Rocky Balboa ... using 3 words to finish Paul off -- "Blunt force trauma."