TMZ Sports - Page 50

Brodie Lee -- the former WWE Intercontinental champion -- died Saturday after battling a non-COVID related lung issue, his family announced. He was only 41.

Lee -- real name Jon Huber -- was a superstar with WWE from 2012 to 2019 before jumping over to AEW in 2020 ... and was a fan favorite with both organizations.

"He passed surrounded by love ones after a hard fought battle with a non Covid related lung issue. The [Mayo Clinic in Florida] is literally the best team of doctors and nurses in the world who surrounded me with constant love."

Jon and Amanda were married back in 2008 and have 2 children together.

"My heart is broken," Huber's wife Amanda said in a statement ... "He was my best friend, my husband, and the greatest father you would ever meet."

"The world saw him as the amazing [Brodie Lee] (formally known as Luke Harper) but he was my best friend, my husband, and the greatest father you would ever meet."

Amanda has credited the leadership at AEW with helping her through this tough time -- and the org. has since issued a statement saying "the All Elite Wrestling family is heartbroken."

"In an industry filled with good people, Jon Huber was exceptionally respected and beloved in every way -- a fierce and captivating talent, a thoughtful mentor and simply a very kind soul that starkly contradicted his persona as Mr. Brodie Lee."

WWE honcho Triple H also weighed in ... saying, "Amazing talent ... Better human being, husband and father."

Matt Hardy -- "I'm shattered over Brodie’s passing. He was full of life with a wife & young children he loved. A devastating reminder of how fragile life is. Rest well, friend."

Huber first became a star with the WWE as Luke Harper, a member of the Wyatt Family -- and won the NXT and WWE SmackDown tag team championship.

He left the Wyatt Family in 2014 and wrestled Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental belt -- but Ziggler won it back a short time later.

In the years that followed, Huber re-joined the Wyatt family and also formed the tag team "Bludgeon Brothers" with Erick Rowan.

Once Huber left WWE and signed with AEW, he won the AEW TNT Championship -- and held it for 46 before losing the title in a match that aired on Oct. 7th.

After that, Lee took a leave of absence from pro wrestling for an undisclosed medical issue. Clearly, it seems that's he learned about his lung situation and unfortunately, never made it back to the ring.

Tyreek Hill says Eric Bieniemy will be the next huge name in the NFL head coaching world ... telling TMZ Sports the current Chiefs OC has everything needed to lead a franchise.

Bieniemy has been a hot name for general managers and team owners looking for a new head coach the past few offseasons ... but he's yet to officially land a gig.

Most believe that'll change in 2021, though -- because Bieniemy has been CRUSHING it as the offensive coordinator for Hill, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and co. this season.

And, Hill tells us whoever ultimately lands EB will be getting a superstar ... with the wide receiver saying, "Besides coach [Andy] Reid, I've never seen a guy who comes into work each and everyday who wants to get better."

"Everything that he says on the sidelines or in meetings, guys are going to go out and do it because all of us, we want to fight for him because he's a great coach."

Hill continued, "I wouldn't mind playing for him anywhere because our relationship off the field is amazing. He cares about the player that much."

There's more ... Hill also spoke with us about his team's running back situation now that Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out with a lower-body injury.

Tyreek says the team has full confidence in Le'Veon Bell ... and expects zero drop-offs as K.C. tries to seal up the #1 seed in the AFC in the next two weeks.

A Utah football star is dead after accidentally shooting himself.

Ty Jordan, a freshman running back at the University of Utah, died early Saturday ... reportedly the result of an accidental shooting.

Cops responded to a call from someone who reported a gunshot victim. He was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities believe the shooting was accidental.

Head Coach Kyle Whittingham said Saturday, "Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan. Ty's personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us." The Coach adds ... "All of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace."

Jordan was the 2020 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year, after rushing for 597 yards and scoring 6 touchdowns.

The 2020 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year allegedly died overnight in an ‘accidental shooting’ while in Texas.

Jordan was 19.

RIP

NFL star Josh Norman says he expects to split $500k worth of donations ... and give it to hundreds of small businesses in Buffalo who have been devastated by COVID-19.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old star CB about the fundraiser he created to assist small businesses that have been decimated by the shutdowns associated with the pandemic.

Josh has donated $25k of his own money -- and countless hours of his time organizing the fundraising -- and says he's already received hundreds of applications.

"With Buffalo Business Blitz, what we're doing with that was pretty much helping out small businesses that closed down during the holiday season, during the pandemic time," Norman tells us.

So, in about 3 weeks, how many businesses have asked Josh for help?

"About 650 applications. It's crazy, but the thing is, a lot of people need help. A lot of people are struggling right now and it's pretty sad."

Of course, small businesses across the country have been badly affected by COVID-19 lockdowns ... and many are on the verge of going out of business.

Every dollar matters and Norman says BBB already has a healthy chunk of change in the coffers ... but believes there's a lot more on the way -- courtesy of some larger corporate donors across the country.

"Right now, we're probably at like $80 grand but that's just accounted into the box. There's other things that are coming on -- couple hundred thousand dollars, so we'll probably be at half a mil, probably a little more than that. Depends on if the donors come through."

Come January 1st, Josh will comb through the applications and select hundreds of businesses -- as many as the donations will allow -- and mail out checks.

Jake Paul says fighting UFC superstar Amanda Nunes would be a complete "waste of time" ... telling TMZ Sports he wants a better-known opponent to generate more hype.

Remember, Jake recently called out Dana White to set up a fight with Conor McGregor ...  and the UFC honcho responded by telling us he'd consider letting Nunes "knock his ass out."

Nunes responded by saying she's down to scrap ... so naturally, we asked Jake if he'd entertain the idea.

"Nah, I wouldn't fight her," Jake says. "Waste of time. No one knows who she is."

Worth noting -- Nunes has more than a million followers on Instagram and several major endorsement deals ... but we take it Paul's comment is related to his fan base.

Of course, Jake acknowledges Nunes is one of the best fighters in combat sports ... but says he's looking for 2 things in his next opponent that the Lioness lacks.

"There's not a lot of hype there. Plus, there's no history."

"I wanna knock out Dilon because we've been talkin' s**t back and forth for 2 years, I've hooked up with his girlfriend, he's all butt-hurt about it, there's history there."

Paul even pulled up on Danis last week -- throwing water balloons and toilet paper at him in a drive-by.

Paul adds Danis might help him get closer to his goal of securing his dream fight with Conor ... "So, why would I waste my time doing some bulls**t like [boxing Nunes?]"

While Jake may not want to fight Nunes for those reasons, boxing star Devin Haney also spoke to us against the idea recently ... saying, "men should fight men."

Lavar Ball says the Charlotte Hornets need to quit messing around and name his son Melo as the starting point guard ... telling TMZ Sports it's time to let the kid shine.

LaMelo was the 3rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- and has already flashed his immense potential during the pre-season.

But, when the season kicked off this week, Melo was #2 on the depth chart behind 25-year-old Devonte' Graham ... a 2nd round 2018 NBA Draft pick who was a star during his college days at Kansas.

We saw LaVar at a Big Baller Brand holiday charity event in L.A. on Wednesday before Melo's first NBA game as a pro and asked him about Charlotte's starting 5.

LaVar says bluntly that Melo deserves a starting role right now -- explaining, "If [Melo is] your marquee guy, what marquee guy don’t start?"

Melo had a rough first game -- missing all 5 of his shots in 16 minutes on the floor ... but it's obvious he can play. Even Shaq vouched for him this week.

There's more with LaVar ... he also told us about the plan for his son LiAngelo (who was recently released by the Detroit Pistons) and why he's still holding out hope all 3 of his boys will eventually play on the same team.

As for Lonzo, LaVar is excited about the situation in New Orleans -- especially with Zo playing for head coach Stan Van Gundy ... telling us it's a good fit for Zo's skill set.

Oh, and we also asked LaVar how he would handle the James Harden drama if he was running the show in Houston ... and it's interesting.

The bottom line ... LaVar says if Harden wants to leave, the Rockets shouldn't stand in his way -- as long as he doesn't go to Charlotte or New Orleans!!!

Boxing star Devin Haney does NOT like the idea of Jake Paul fighting UFC champ Amanda Nunes ... telling TMZ Sports it's simple -- "Guys should fight guys."

Remember, UFC honcho Dana White previously told us he might let The Lioness whoop Paul's ass after the social media superstar offered Conor McGregor $50 MILLION to take a fight earlier this week.

Nunes -- the current bantamweight and featherweight champ -- responded to White's comments on Twitter ... saying, "I'm in!"

So, when we spoke with the WBC lightweight champ outside Dior in Beverly Hills ... we had to get his take on the potential battle of the sexes ... and Haney's not with it.

"I don't think he should fight a girl," Haney tells us. "I think he's still a man. He gotta fight a man."

Of course, Nunes is one of the greatest fighters in UFC history ... and Paul only has 2 "pro" fights under his belt against inexperienced opponents.

But, that doesn't mean anything to Haney.

"No, it's not fair. Girls should fight girls. Guys should fight guys."

Despite being new to the sport, Haney praises Paul's work ethic in the gym ... saying he's trained with the guy and knows he's taking it seriously.

"That's my boy, so I like that he's doing good ... I've been in the gym with him. He's showing that he's dedicated to the sport."

So ... what do y'all think??

Washington Football Team owner Dan Snyder is calling out one of the team's minority owners ... flat out claiming the guy's extorting him in hopes Snyder will unload the NFL franchise.

Snyder filed a declaration stating Dwight Schar, part of the team's ownership group, has been threatening to leak information related to the sexual misconduct allegations made by former WFT employees.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Snyder says Schar is well aware an independent investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing -- however, he claims Schar repeatedly leaked info about the case to the Washington Post and other media outlets, attempting to smear him.

As for the extortion allegation, Snyder claims Schar told Snyder's attorney he had a bombshell that would "kill Dan" if it came out ... and added he would release it if Snyder didn't "just sell the team."

According to the docs, Schar also had the investment banker for the WFT minority owners get in the mix. Snyder claims that guy texted him, "You know what I know and what I've never spoken about ... If you want a s**t show, we are on for that too."

As we've reported, Snyder has long suspected someone was leaking damaging stories to various websites in order to discredit him -- but up until now he hadn't publicly, or even in court, named names.

Snyder's declaration puts it all out in the open -- he's in a civil war with members of his team's ownership. A little background ... those minority owners can't get the full value of their investment unless Snyder, the majority owner, agrees to sell. Snyder's certainly insinuating that's Schar's motive.

The NBA has postponed the Houston Rockets vs. OKC Thunder game set for Wednesday night -- because the Rockets don't have enough players available to field a team due to COVID restrictions.

An NBA team needs at least 8 players to compete -- and the Rockets don't have enough guys.

Here's the deal ... the NBA says, "Three Houston Rockets players have returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for coronavirus."

Unclear which Rockets players returned the positive or inconclusive COVID tests.

Additionally, the league says 4 more players are quarantined due to the league's contact tracing protocol.

Rockets superstars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins are 2 of the players in the contact tracing protocol, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Plus, there's more drama including James Harden, the NBA says the superstar is also unavailable due to "violation of the health and safety protocols."

Harden was spotted partying this week without a mask. Some people claimed Harden was at a strip club but Harden says he was just showing his "home girl love" at a private event.

So, that's a total of 8 guys unavailable for the Rockets -- which leaves them without enough players to field a team. Crappy way to kick off the season.

The Rockets vs. Thunder game was supposed to be one of the NBA's marquee opening night matchups to kick off the 2020-21 season.

Khloe Kardashian looks like she might be engaged to Tristan Thompson ... and by "looks like" we mean the bling on her left ring finger is big enough to make Rose from "Titanic" green with envy.

Khloe was sporting a huge ring on THAT finger during an outing in Boston Tuesday with TT and their daughter, True. The rock's got everyone talking and thinking engagement.

Seriously, look at this thing. It's HUGE.

As you know ... Khloe and Tristan first revealed their relationship back in September 2016, but after True was born in April 2018, videos surfaced showing TT cheating on KK.

Khloe and Tristan have been off-and-on ever since, but over the last year or so, they've appeared to be getting tight once again.

As we've told you ... Khloe and True are helping Tristan get settled in Boston, where the NBA star just signed a big contract with the Celtics. Still, Khloe says she won't leave L.A. for Beantown permanently.

"The Real Housewives of Potomac" reunion special got real when Monique Samuels accused Pastor Jamal Bryant of having an inappropriate relationship ... and she's not backing down, despite his threat to sue her.

ICYMI ... Monique threw major shade at the pastor last week on part 1 of the special -- claiming she had proof he was involved with a woman in his congregation while dating Gizelle Bryant. She even put his phone number on blast.

Jamal fired back at Monique with a cease and desist letter -- obtained by TMZ -- accusing her of "maliciously spreading inaccurate and unfounded information" on TV that defames him ... and claiming dropping his phone digits puts him in danger.

According to Bryant's letter ... he plans to sue her if he doesn't get a quick response assuring she's stopped making false statements.

Monique responded all right -- her lawyer sent the pastor a letter doubling down on her comments about him on the reunion special, saying she "has irrefutable proof of your egregious sexual conduct with a woman you have been seeing for the past eight years, as well as others."

Further, the letter refutes Pastor Bryant's claim the phone number did him harm ... because Bravo edited it out before the reunion show aired.

But wait, there's more. Monique's husband, former NFL lineman Chris Samuels, is also firing back at Pastor Bryant with a cease and desist letter of his own.

Samuels claims Bryant has been spreading lies and disparaging remarks about him on social media ... claiming he's abusive to Monique because he has CTE, that he cheated on her and verbally assaulted another woman.

Tyreek Hill tells TMZ Sports there is no debate in his mind ... Randy Moss is the NFL's G.O.A.T. wide receiver over Jerry Rice!!!

"Everybody know I'm going to say Randy Moss," Hill says. "Randy Moss was my favorite player growing up. Randy Moss is my favorite player of all time! Randy Moss, Randy Moss, Randy Moss!"

The debate just recently heated back up ... with Moss proclaiming himself as the best ever on Terrell Owens' 'Getcha Popcorn Ready' podcast last week.

In fact, Moss said Rice wasn't even his #2 ... putting T.O. in that spot ahead of the San Francisco 49ers legend!!

Rice has fired back a few times since ... saying he still believes he's #1 'cause of his 4 Super Bowl rings -- but Hill tells us Moss gets his nod for the honor all day.

"Like, he just changed the game," the Chiefs star said of Moss. "6-foot-4, run a 4.2, can create separation, can run routes, can catch the ball. Like, come on."

"Like, I understand Jerry got the stats, he got the touchdowns, he got all this, he can run routes -- but if I'm picking a receiver who's going to make me some plays in crunch times when I need them -- Randy Moss, definitely."

Tyreek says he's so enamored by Moss' game, he still to this day watches clips to try to glean tips from the ex-Vikings star.

"I'm like, how is he able to do this at 6-foot-4 running this fast? Like, how?!" Hill says. "Like, man, do God only make these players like once in a generation?! Like c'mon, man, this is crazy."

By the way, when Hill isn't watching old highlights of Moss destroying DBs ... he's working on his Soul Runner clothing brand, which has taken off since its recent launch.

Hill says he's put a TON of effort into it all ... telling us he's nearly as dedicated to it as he is to football!

The Los Angeles Lakers are honoring Kobe Bryant with their 2020 championship rings ... including 2 touching tributes to the late NBA legend in the design.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the returning members of the 2019-20 squad just received their rings prior to the season opener against the L.A. Clippers ... and they're MASSIVE.

The rocks are made of 16.45 carats and 804 stones ... with nods to the Orlando bubble, the league's social justice movement, regular-season wins and more.

The most notable parts of the design pay homage to the 5-time champ, who tragically passed away in a helicopter accident on Jan. 26, 2020.

The first tribute is a snake wrapped around each player's jersey number on the side of the ring ... representing Bryant's "Black Mamba" moniker and mentality.

The rings also feature a detachable top, which reveals each retired number in the franchise -- with Bryant's #8 and #24 jerseys in the team's Black Mamba uniforms worn during their title run.

One more cool thing -- LeBron's actual handwriting is used in the design ... with the team's playoff motto, "Leave a Legacy," etched on one side.

The pieces were made by Jason of Beverly Hills ... who told ESPN he completed the entire project in just 4 weeks due to the shortened offseason.

Rajon Rondo appeared to nudge a woman into a car and then stand by as his girlfriend punched her in the face ... new video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

Rondo, his GF and another woman were involved in an altercation at an apartment complex in Los Angeles back on July 28 ... and according to a lawsuit filed last week, it all stemmed from a dispute over a parking space.

In court documents, Toktam Jorshari says she parked next to Rondo's $300k Rolls-Royce SUV, which she claims was parked in a handicapped parking spot.

In the suit, Jorshari says the NBA star was pissed over how close she parked to his driver's side door ... and claims the Atlanta Hawks player and his GF cussed her out and then attacked her for it.

In video of the alleged incident, which does NOT contain audio, you can see the whole scene unfold.

Jorshari entered the parking structure and had an animated conversation with Rondo and his GF.

At one point, Rondo's GF got on her phone ... and that's when Jorshari got close to her and seemed to shout something.

Rondo then appeared to put his elbow into the woman's body and nudge her into the front of her car.

Rondo's GF then lunged at Jorshari, but Rondo briefly held her back. Suddenly, though, Rondo appeared to let her go ... and that's when the fists started flying.

Video shows Rondo's GF threw several punches at the woman, who never appeared to fight back.

In Jorshari's lawsuit, she claims she suffered injuries ... and is suing both Rondo and his GF for assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress, and conspiracy. She's seeking unspecified damages in excess of $1 MILLION.

In a statement released this week, Jorshari's attorneys -- Eddie Tehrani & Arnold Gross from State Law Firm -- say the video proves their client was the victim in the case.

"In the NBA, unnecessary and excessive contact is considered a Flagrant 2 foul, which can result in a fine, ejection and possible suspension of a player," the attorneys said. "Outside the NBA such conduct is considered an assault and battery. No man should ever put their hands on a woman, ESPECIALLY an NBA basketball player with superior height, and strength. The video speaks for itself."

The attorneys continued, "The defendants have no desire to resolve this matter and we will be looking forward to trying this case and obtaining a favorable verdict by a jury of her peers."

We reached out to Rondo's attorney, Mark D. Baute, over the video on Tuesday ... and received these statements:

"Mr. Rondo tried to separate them and keep them away from each other, he did not push anyone."

"I saw the videotape in July, during the first Covid surge. Rajon Rondo had a broken thumb in a cast at the time, and his vehicle was correctly parked in a handicapped spot while he was picking up his girlfriend."

"The plaintiff chose to park her car two inches from Mr. Rondo’s door, and the plaintiff was not in an assigned parking spot. The plaintiff refused to wear a mask during a short 30 second encounter, and also refused to move her car."

Baute continued, "The plaintiff and Mr. Rondo’s girlfriend had an unpleasant encounter that lasted roughly 10 seconds, and Mr. Rondo tried to prevent them from any further interaction, which was awkward due to (a) his thumb being broken, and (b) the plaintiff not wearing a mask."

"The plaintiff then left on her own, hired a lawyer, filed a lawsuit, and we have chosen to offer nothing, pay nothing and to defend the case on the merits, and win. The focus in July was on winning another championship with the Lakers. The focus now is on playing the best possible basketball for the Atlanta Hawks."

Dave Portnoy's sick and tired of waiting for the government to step up and help small businesses struggling during the pandemic ... so he's injecting his own stimulus package.

The Barstool Sports founder was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and revealed he kicked in $500k of his own money for the Barstool Fund he launched last week to support small businesses impacted by COVID shutdowns. And, with more than 31,000 people also contributing whatever amount they can ... that's created a fund of more than $2 million.

Dave's been vocal against COVID restrictions in NYC forcing restaurants, bars and other small businesses to shut down. Don't get it twisted ... he says it's not about politics and he understands the country is in a terrible situation with no perfect solution.

With that being said ... Dave says the government's not giving these businesses nearly enough for them to survive. For weeks now, the government's been negotiating a new stimulus package that would include $285 billion for a renewed Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses. President Trump's on the verge of signing the package.

Dave's tired of waiting around for Washington to act, hence his relief fund -- which he knows won't be able to save every deserving business, but as he says ... something is better than nothing.

One of the restaurants being funded is New York’s Trattoria L'incontro ... which made headlines after patrons braved freezing weather to dine outside. Dave recently held one of his fan-favorite pizza reviews there too.

You've seen Conor McGregor's dolly-throwing attack on Khabib Nurmagomedov ... but have you seen it in GINGERBREAD FORM?!?!

Thanks to UFC fighter Angela Hill, the infamous moment in MMA history has taken a delicious turn ... and we gotta admit, it's impressive as hell!!!

Remember, Conor and his buddies went crazy at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in April 2018 ... throwing objects at the bus filled with fighters, including Khabib, Michael Chiesa and Rose Namajunas.

Hill and her husband, Adam, decided to pay tribute to the wild moment with their gingerbread house this year ... creating the scene complete with a bus, a dolly-wielding Conor, an angry Dana White, Khabib and Artem Lobov.

The thing is incredible ... and even detailed down to each fighter's face.

"Adam drew all the faces but Conor and the whole thing is made from gingerbread, icing, chocolate for the dolly and candy!," Angela said on Instagram.

As for how long it took to make the masterpiece ... it sounds like a REALLY long time.

"Adam and I spent longer than I’d like to admit making this beautiful #gingerbreadhouse highlighting an important moment in mma history."