TMZ Sports - Page 50

Even the best football player alive can't believe what the Eagles did Sunday night ... with Patrick Mahomes saying he was straight-up perplexed by Philly's apparent tank job against the WFT.

The K.C. Chiefs QB explained his feelings on the matter to KCSP 610 Sports Radio on Monday ... saying when Doug Pederson pulled Jalen Hurts from a winnable game, he just didn't get why.

"You never know what's going on inside the team or the organization," Mahomes said, "but, I mean, just watching how he played the last few weeks, it did kinda confuse me at the time."

Mahomes made it clear he would've wanted Jalen to play the final 4th quarter of the season ... even if it meant it could cost the Eagles a few spots in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"For me, I would have wanted to play and finish out the season, no matter what our record was," Mahomes said. "But, whatever the coach thought was best for the team, he did, and you have to back that as a guy on the team."

For Pederson's part, he's adamantly claimed he was trying to win the game despite the Hurts benching.

There's more ... Mahomes also raved about Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, praising the coach as a "vital" piece of K.C.'s puzzle and promising he'll be a successful head man if he gets the opportunity.

"He's a guy that will hold everybody in the organization accountable, he's going to build the culture the right way and obviously he knows how to call the plays and do that stuff and produce on the field. There's no real negative about it."

The New York Giants are PISSED the Eagles kept them out of the playoffs with an apparent tank job Sunday night ... with one NYG star straight-up callin' Philly's actions "sickening."

Here's the deal ... after NY beat the Dallas Cowboys Sunday morning, all they needed was a Philadelphia win over the Washington Football Team to lock up a postseason spot.

But, the Eagles didn't appear to take their game with WFT seriously at all ... they rested nearly every one of their star players -- and even benched QB Jalen Hurts before the pivotal 4th quarter even began.

In fact, Philly's actions were so perplexing -- the guys calling the game for NBC, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, questioned head coach Doug Pederson on-air!!

"Al, I couldn’t have done it," Collinsworth said on the broadcast. "I couldn’t have done what Philadelphia did."

"I simply just could not have done it. You’ve got men out there that are fighting their guts out trying to win the game. And, I’m not saying -- I’m not blaming anybody. I, personally, could not have done what they did."

Philly ended up losing a very winnable game, 20-14 ... and while the scene was playing out, the Giants were HEATED.

Receiver Darius Slayton said on Twitter, "Why on gods green earth is Jalen Hurts not in the game." He later wrote, "This is sickening."

Star running back Saquon Barkley added, "Can someone make it make sense to me what’s going on....?"

Both Golden Tate and Eli Manning responded to that ... with Manning writing, "This is why we don’t like the Eagles."

For his part, Pederson said he actually was trying to win the game, telling media after the loss, "Yes, I was coaching to win."

Sure, Doug. Sure.

Sorry, New York.

WNBA star Renee Montgomery has a brand new business partner -- she's joined Marshawn Lynch as a co-owner of a football team in the new Fan Controlled Football league!

Montgomery announced the move on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts) -- saying she's officially a shot-caller with the Beasts, one of four teams in the new FCF league.

The move makes Renee the first female owner in the league -- where she'll compete against other teams owned by NFL stars like Richard Sherman and Austin Ekeler. Quavo is also a co-owner of the Glacier Boyz.

As we first reported, Johnny Manziel just signed a deal to play in the FCF with a team called The Zappers -- and Renee jokingly admitted she was bitter about the deal, because she wanted Johnny on her squad!!

The FCF is a fast-paced, full-contact, 7-on-7 league -- with teams competing on a 50-yard field. All of the games will take place at a facility in Atlanta, where Montgomery is based.

Montgomery says she'll expand on her decision to buy into the team on her podcast "Remotely Renee," which drops on Tuesday.

The season kicks off in February -- and all of the 60-minute games will be live streamed on Twitch. The league says they've already locked in players who formerly competed in the CFL, XFL and Division 1 college football.

While anti-maskers around the country continue to freak out, here's the Boston University men's basketball team wearing mouth coverings during their game on Monday.

And, get this ... they WON!!

FYI -- Boston U. implemented a new rule during the COVID-19 pandemic ... which requires players to wear masks during their home AND away games this season.

The Terriers debuted their new look in their season debut against Holy Cross ... with the players rocking red masks to match their jerseys.

The masks didn't come between BU's hopes at securing a dub, though ... with the Terriers coming up with an 83-76 win over the Crusaders.

HC didn't mask up in Monday's matchup, but players on both teams will be wearing face coverings when the Crusaders visit BU on Tuesday.

The matchup -- or should we say, "maskup" -- is believed to be the first time both teams will be wearing masks in a college hoops game.

Josh Jacobs -- the star running back for the Las Vegas Raiders -- was arrested for DUI on Monday after officials say he drunkenly wrecked his car at 4:42 AM.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. says officers responded to a single-vehicle crash near the Vegas airport on Monday morning ... and found the 22-year-old, who appeared to be impaired.

"He was transported to a local hospital due to minor injuries resulting from the collision," cops say.

"After treatment, he was transported to the Clark County Detention Center where he was booked for DUI."

Jacobs played for the Raiders on Sunday against the Denver Broncos -- posting big numbers, 89 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries, helping the Silver & Black to a 32-31 victory.

Clearly, Jacobs returned to Vegas after the game and that's where he got into trouble.

In the hours before his arrest, Jacobs posted video on Instagram showing him at a karaoke party with some friends. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.

Jacobs was a 1st-round pick out of Alabama in the 2019 NFL Draft and has flashed some serious superstar potential.

Jacobs has 2,215 career rushing yards since joining the Raiders -- with 19 rushing TDs in just 28 starts.

C.J. McMahon -- a decorated horse racing jockey -- was arrested and booked over the weekend for attempted murder, according to officials in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Officials are not revealing specifics about the case -- in fact, one official told TMZ Sports the case is sealed. But, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office records show the 26-year-old was booked on 1 count of attempted 2nd-degree murder.

McMahon -- who won the Oklahoma Derby in 2016 -- was also booked on a weapons charge and a drug possession charge.

A note in the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office booking records says, "Subject was arrested after traffic stop and drugs were found, also an active warrant."

Again, no word on when or where the alleged attempted murder took place -- or who was targeted. Authorities are being very tight-lipped at the moment.

According to police records, McMahon was initially stopped on Saturday afternoon for a traffic violation -- and when officers ran his name, they noticed an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from another incident, presumably the alleged attempted murder.

McMahon posted bond the following day (Sunday) and has since been released from custody.

He's raced everywhere from Lone Star Park to Delta Downs and more -- and has racked up more than 1,000 career victories.

McMahon comes from a horse racing family -- his father was also a jockey.

Attempts to reach McMahon for comment were unsuccessful.

March Madness -- the entire NCAA college basketball tournament -- will take place in the state of Indiana in 2021, officials confirm.

It's the first time in the history of the tournament that all 67 games will take place in the same state -- and, of course, it's all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA says it's "partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials."

"The Marion County Health Department has approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating with the NCAA leading up to and during the championship."

The majority of the games will take place in Indianapolis -- with some contests going down in West Lafayette and Bloomington.

Several Indiana-based universities will technically "host" the tournament -- including Ball State, Butler, Indiana University and Purdue, among others. The school will lend their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations.

The NCAA says teams will be allowed to use the Indiana Convention Center as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue.

Most teams will stay at Marriott hotel properties -- which happens to be an official NCAA corporate partner.

COVID protocols will be in full effect -- "All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues."

The NCAA says Selection Sunday is still scheduled for March 14 -- with the Final Four games set to take place on April 3 and 5.

The org notes, "The exact preliminary round dates are still to be determined."

"This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement.

Russell Wilson just made his teammate David Moore $100k richer ... by calling an audible pass at the end of Sunday's game to get him a fat bonus!!

Here's the deal ... the Seattle Seahawks were lined up to take a knee and finish off the San Francisco 49ers in a 26-23 win ... when Wilson decided to switch it up and hit Moore with a touch pass with 22 seconds remaining.

The announcers were confused during the broadcast -- wondering why Russ didn't just run the clock out. But, they figured it out ...

Turns out, Wilson knew Moore was 1 catch from hitting 35 receptions on the season, which triggered a $100,000 bonus ... so Russ purposely targeted his guy to get him paid!!

The play was simple -- Wilson stepped back into a shotgun, sent Moore in motion and hit him with a quick touch-pass to secure the coveted catch #35.

Watch the video ... you can see Moore smiling in the huddle after the play, along with his teammates who were clearly aware of the situation.

The superstar QB spoke about the move after the game ... saying, "It's a blessing to help his family and daughter and all stuff, so it was part of the game."

"We wanted to get him that last catch. We were able to dial that up for him on that last play."

FYI, 25-year-old Moore -- a 7th round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was reportedly set to make $825k this season ... so the extra $100,000 is a big deal!

Very cool and inspirational move from NFL star Alex Smith ... the QB transformed his leg-saving brace into a trophy -- and the piece came out AWESOME.

Smith's wife, Liz, revealed the artwork before the signal-caller and the Washington Football Team locked up the NFC East title Sunday night ... saying, "No matter the outcome, Alex has already won."

Liz added praise to the welder who fabricated the piece ... writing, "Special thanks to @coldhardart for transforming a symbol of hard times to a trophy of triumph we can proudly put on our shelves."

Of course, you'll recall ... Smith needed the brace for several months after he broke both his fibula and tibia during a violent hit from J.J. Watt in a November 2018 game.

Alex nearly lost the leg while trying to recover ... ultimately requiring 17 surgeries to fix the break and the ensuing infection it caused.

The 36-year-old, though, has miraculously shown no signs of deteriorated play in his return this season ... and it seems staring at the twisted metal that used to be affixed to his leg has helped in all of that.

The piece is clearly inspired by the Lombardi Trophy -- which is awarded each year to the winner of the Super Bowl.

For the artist's part, Cold Hard Art wrote of transforming the brace, "Might be one of the most unique projects to be part of turning a leg stabilizer into a symbols of strength and determination."

UFC fighter Mike Perry is on the mend after slicing himself open during a bizarre incident late Sunday night -- posting footage showing doctors stitching up his wound.

The 29-year-old initially posted video showing him lying in a pool of blood Sunday next to a shattered glass door. It appears as if Perry opened a massive gash while trying to smash through the glass.

While on the ground, Perry says to himself, "F*ck am I supposed to do about this?"

Fans on social media expressed concern for the fighter who seems to be in a downward spiral -- following allegations of domestic abuse and a separate violent incident at a steak restaurant back in July.

But, early Monday morning, Perry posted video from what appears to be a hospital room -- showing a doctor treating the wound on his lower right leg.

A few hours later, Perry posted more footage showing himself walking his dog -- so, all better?

Perry has fought in the UFC since 2016 and has flashed real potential -- earning multiple fight of the night and performance of the night bonuses along the way.

But, losses to guys like Cowboy Cerrone, Geoff Neal and most recently Tim Means (in Nov.) have kept him from reaching that next level.

Hatchet buried?!

Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph shared a handshake and exchanged pleasantries in a post-game moment Sunday -- something no one expected to happen roughly 13 months after the infamous helmet attack incident!

Remember, it was in Nov. 2019 that Garrett swung a helmet at Rudolph's head during a nationally televised Browns vs. Steelers game -- with some calling for the Browns star to be criminally prosecuted.

The situation got super nasty between the NFL players -- Garrett claimed Rudolph had used the n-word on the field, something Rudolph had vehemently denied. Ultimately, Myles was hit with a 6-game suspension that ended his 2019 season.

The two teams clashed again on Sunday night -- with Rudolph filling in at QB for Ben Roethlisberger ... and the big question, is there still bad blood???

No helmet swinging this time around as the Browns beat the Steelers -- but after the game, cameras caught Myles and Mason dapping each other up.

"Myles came over and said, 'good game,' postgame and that's all it was," Rudolph said. "I told him 'good luck' and that I had a lot of respect for him."

Added Garrett, "I just told him good game -- he played a hell of a game -- and we’ll see you all in a week," Garrett said. "He played tough. He had 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He played very well, and he kept them in it to the very end."

"Had to show a little praise that he did well in this game and he was able to make some big plays for them."

So, friends? Not exactly ... but the situation is 1000000 times better than it was last year.

And, get this ... Myles and Mason will have a chance to continue their chat on Sunday when the Browns face the Steelers AGAIN in the AFC Wild Card game.

It's finally over.

The NY Jets have officially fired head coach Adam Gase after one of the worst seasons in team history.

The Jets only won 2 games in 2020 -- after starting off the season 0-13 -- finishing up with a pathetic 2-14 record.

The Gase-era -- which started with a bizarre press conference in 2019 -- ended with a sad 9-23 record. Not great.

"This evening, I informed Adam Gase he will no longer serve as the Head Coach of the Jets," NY Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement Sunday night.

Johnson praised Gase and his family but ultimately said moving on is the right thing to do. No kidding!

"While my sincere intentions are to have stability in our organization -- especially in our leadership positions -- it is clear the best decision for the Jets is to move in a different direction."

Johnson added, "To our fans, it is obvious we have not been good enough. We are committed to building a strong organization, on and off the field, and will continue to provide the necessary resources to field a team that you can be proud of."

The 2020 campaign was the 2nd worst season on NY Jets history -- following an infamously terrible 1-15 season back in 1996.

Gase was just bad all the way around -- he was hailed as a QB whisperer who could help out Sam Darnold ... but Darnold looked terrible this season and the Jets finished the year with the 32nd ranked offense in the league.

MMA star Anthony Pettis says that he's 100 percent down to fight Jake Paul ... and he's willing to do it in the boxing ring -- a place where he has no experience.

But, Jake does -- he's 2-0 as a professional boxer.

TMZ Sports talked to the 33-year-old fighter before his unanimous decision UFC Fight Night win over Alex Morono in Vegas ... and Pettis was crystal clear -- he wants to box before he retires, and Jake Paul would make for a helluva opponent.

"Bro, I would love to box. I haven't boxed yet, so I'm 0-0. Boxing is something I grew up watching my whole life. That's why I got into fighting, honestly. Watching Chavez, De La Hoya, Mayweather, all these guys up and coming."

Of course, Paul knocked former NBA star Nate Robinson out cold over a month ago. There's been debate about how good JP actually is in the squared circle ... but Pettis believes Jake has skills.

"I think he's definitely getting better. He prepared for a boxing match. You could tell he was in boxing shape, he was in a stance at least. It's going to be interesting to see how far he can go with it."

Even if it's not against Jake Paul, Pettis -- a former UFC champ with wins over guys like "Cowboy" Cerrone and "Wonderboy" Thompson -- says he's gonna give boxing a shot before he retires from fighting.

"Man, I'm only 33, and I've been doing this MMA thing for so long. 12 years with Zuffa. So as a pro, I think I've been like 14 years. It's a crazy life I live. I'd love to go in there and try something new," Pettis tells us.

Bottom line ... "I definitely think before I retire boxing will be something I do."

Could T.J. Watt one day be the NFL's all-time leader in sacks???

Bruce Smith -- the current sack record-holder -- certainly thinks so ... telling TMZ Sports the Pittsburgh Steelers star is "the one we want to watch now because he's young."

Smith has held the all-time sacks mark since 2003, when he logged his 200th career QB takedown ... and nobody has come close to the number since.

Guys like J.J. Watt and Von Miller -- two of the best of this generation -- barely have over 100, and their careers are winding down.

So, we had to ask ... does Smith think anybody will be able to get to his mark eventually??

Smith says it's certainly possible -- telling us the rules of the game will change enough for players to have a shot -- but he says everything has to break the right way for a player to hit 200.

"You have to understand there has to be a level of consistency that will last for 14, 15 years," Bruce says. "So, there are a lot of factors that go against you from being able to, heck, even reach 130 sacks or 140 sacks."

"The number one factor is health," Smith added.

Bruce says guys like Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald could do it ... but the Buffalo Bills legend believes T.J. Watt might possibly have the most realistic shot.

FYI -- T.J. has 47.5 sacks through his first 3-plus seasons ... which Smith says he's impressed by.

DeMar DeRozan is honoring Malcolm X with some brand new ink ... tattooing an iconic image of his hero on his left bicep.

We're told the San Antonio Spurs star wanted the piece done before the NBA season kicked off ... so he hit up Canadian artist Steve Wiebe -- who has worked with a ton of NBA stars like Kevin Durant and John Wall.

Wiebe was in L.A. tattooing some other hoopers ... so he linked up with DeRozan at his house.

DeMar picked a very well known image -- taken for Ebony magazine at Malcolm X's Queens home in 1964  -- where the icon is holding a rifle.

Wiebe tells us the whole piece took about 5 hours to complete.

The 31-year-old guard -- a free agent after this season -- had an eventful (to say the least!) off-season. DD's house was broken into ... and the hooper was forced to confront the intruder.

They don't call him "The Great One" for nothin' -- Wayne Gretzky managed to end the year on a high note ... by smacking a hole-in-one on New Year's Eve.

The hockey legend had more reason to celebrate the end of 2020 than everyone else, because he hit his first ace on the golf course ... on the signature par-3 6th hole at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Gretzky hit a 9-iron on the 140-yard hole, and though COVID restrictions kept onlookers away from his big moment ... word traveled pretty fast.

We're told the world's #1 golfer, Dustin Johnson, called him from Hawaii afterward to congratulate him. Johnson, of course, is engaged to Wayne's daughter, Paulina.

So, there ya go ... the man who holds the NHL records for goals, assists, points and hat tricks -- along with countless other records -- is also as good at golf as his future son-in-law.

At least for one hole.