TMZ Sports - Page 50

Does this look like a guy who's pissed with his team?!?

Here's Houston Texans superstar QB Deshaun Watson enjoying a romantic getaway with his beautiful GF Jilly Anais ... and the dude is smiling from ear-to-ear!!

The love birds are picking up right where they left off after the QB surprised her with a lavish party for her 25th birthday earlier this week ... getting some much-needed R&R somewhere in paradise.

A shirtless Watson and bikini-clad Jilly posed for a quick snap while getting some rays on board a boat on Friday ... and yeah, we're jealous.

Of course, there is talk Watson -- who just signed a 4-year, $160 MILLION deal back in September -- is upset with the team for not including him in their search for a new general manager ... and there's speculation he could ask for a trade this off-season.

In fact, Watson went as far as to subtweet the hell outta his team earlier this week ... saying, "Some things never change...."

The Texans went ahead and hired ex-Patriots exec. Nick Caserio to take on the role earlier this week ... and CEO Cal McNair says he hopes to speak with his star QB once he gets back from vacation.

From the looks of it, that may be a while, Cal .. dude might book a few more days at the resort!!

UFC fighter Irwin Rivera has been arrested for 2 counts of attempted murder ... according to a jail official.

31-year-old Rivera is a UFC bantamweight (135 lbs.) fighter who first fought with the promotion in May 2020. Rivera is 1-2 in the UFC ... and 10-6 as a professional.

Rivera was booked into the Main Detention Center in West Palm Beach, FL around noon on Thursday, per jail online booking information.

The UFC issued a statement on Rivera's arrest, saying ... “UFC is aware of the recent incident involving Irwin Rivera and subsequently received information from his management that he has been exhibiting behavior consistent with mental health issues.”

The statement continues ... “The allegations are extremely troubling and the organization is currently gathering additional information. The investigation is ongoing and any potential next steps including disciplinary action or medical attention will be determined upon the conclusion."

"Furthermore, UFC has informed Rivera’s management that he will not be offered a bout at this time.”

Before his arrest, Rivera was originally scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night in March.

Adam Thielen is turning one amazing gesture into two ... the Minnesota Vikings star is now auctioning off his Alex Trebek tribute cleats to raise money for pancreatic cancer research.

The 30-year-old wide receiver rocked the spikes for a game just days after the "Jeopardy!" host died in November -- and the homage was awesome.

One of the cleats featured an image of Trebek with a halo. The other had a painted-on "Jeopardy!" style placard that read, "We Will Miss You, Alex."

Now, Thielen is taking the cool tribute one step further ... announcing Friday he's going to sell the footwear with all of the proceeds slated to help the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network find a cure.

As we previously reported, Trebek died due to the disease ... and urged "Jeopardy!" audience members just days before his passing to be wary of symptoms and get tested.

The auction for Thielen's cleats begins Friday and ends Jan. 18.

A 3rd ring is on the horizon for Mookie Betts, 'cause the Dodgers superstar just popped the question to longtime GF Brianna Hammonds -- and she said yes!!!!

28-year-old Betts and Hammonds met way back in middle school ... and have been dating for 15 years. They have a 2-year-old baby girl together.

Of course, Mookie is fresh off winning a World Series ring with the Dodgers (his 2nd WS title) ... but says this is the real highlight.

"Winning another World Series was great, but putting a ring on MY MVP is the REAL BLESSING! I am a blessed man," Betts says.

"(Brianna) has been by my side since we were teenagers. Together we’ve grown mentally, physically, and spiritually. She is my best friend, mother of my child, my lover and my soon to be wife."

As for the ring ... it's a huge 7-carat rock, according to People.

And get this, Betts got an assist from his buddy C.C. Sabathia for the big moment -- the ex-MLB ace staged an awards ceremony to honor Mookie with his pitch in Foundation's 2020 Legacy Award ... but there was a huge surprise.

During his acceptance speech, Mookie revealed the real reason for the night -- he asked Brianna on stage, read her a heartfelt poem and then got on one knee!!

Tommy Lasorda -- a Dodgers legend and arguably the most famous manager in MLB history -- has died, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

He was 93 years old.

The Dodgers released a statement Friday morning ... saying Lasorda suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at his California home and was transported to the hospital with resuscitation in progress.

He was pronounced dead at 10:57 PM Thursday night.

As we previously reported, Lasorda was admitted to a Southern California hospital back in mid-November in "serious condition" ... and required sedation. He was also put on a ventilator.

But, Tommy's condition improved over the past few weeks ... and just a few days ago, he returned home.

Though, tragically, Lasorda passed on Thursday.

"Words can not express my feelings," legendary manager Bobby Valentine said on Twitter. "A friend and mentor for 52 years is no longer with us. Tommy no one will ever fill the void you left. Thank you for everything. R.I.P."

Lasorda was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997. He led L.A. to World Series titles in 1981 and 1988.

Lasorda also won Manager of the Year twice in 1983 and 1988.

"In a franchise that has celebrated such great legends of the game, no one who wore the uniform embodied the Dodger spirit as much as Tommy Lasorda," Dodgers president Stan Kasten said.

"A tireless spokesman for baseball, his dedication to the sport and the team he loved was unmatched."

Kasten continued, "The Dodgers and their fans will miss him terribly. Tommy is quite simply irreplaceable and unforgettable."

Lasorda wasn't only a big deal on the baseball field ... he became an incredibly popular pitch man in the 90's -- starring in commercials for brands like Slim Fast.

Great news from NHL superstar Henrik Lundqvist -- the future Hall of Famer says his recent open heart surgery was a success!!

As we previously reported, the 38-year-old Washington Capitals goalie opted out of the upcoming NHL season last month ... citing an existing heart condition that would prevent him from taking the ice.

Lundqvist underwent a 5-hour procedure earlier this week -- an aortic valve, aortic root, and ascending aortic replacement ... and gave an update on his recovery Friday.

"Day 3. Surgery went really well," Lundqvist said on Twitter. "About 5 hours to get it all taken care of. Really appreciate the great staff here at the Cleveland Clinic."

Lundqvist also shared a cute drawing from his 5-year-old, Juli, with her artistic interpretation of the event.

"Last few days has been pretty crazy but feel like I’m in really good hands. Every day is a step in the right direction."

It's a huge step in the right direction for Lundqvist ... although it has not been announced whether he will be able to return to hockey.

"If those were my kind storming the Capitol, what would have been the outcome? And, I think we all know."

LeBron James says the pro-Trump mob attack on D.C. is another prime example of Black people being treated differently in the U.S. ... claiming the handling of the incident proves "we live in 2 different Americas."

The NBA superstar -- wearing a shirt with the message "Do You Understand Now?" -- spoke about the riot after the Lakers' loss to the Spurs Thursday night ... and put all the blame on President Donald Trump.

"The events that took place yesterday was a direct correlation of the president that's in the seat right now ... of his actions, his beliefs, his wishes," James told reporters.

"He cares about nobody besides himself. Nobody. Absolutely nobody. He doesn't care about this country. He doesn't care about his family."

"He doesn't care about anybody besides himself."

LBJ says anyone who can't see the difference in the handling of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Capitol riots needs to take a step back ... and "ask yourself 'how do you want your kids, or how do you want your grandkids, or how do we want America to be viewed as?' Do we want to live in this beautiful country?"

As for where we go from here, James says he will use the incident as an opportunity to continue to uplift and educate Black people ... "even when times like yesterday feel like it was another gut punch to us."

If the Steelers thought JuJu Smith-Schuster's TikTokin' was a distraction -- wait 'til they get a load of this ...

Pittsburgh's flamboyant wideout just provided some SERIOUS bulletin board material for the Cleveland Browns ahead of their playoff matchup this weekend ... throwing major shade at the team's AFC North rival!!

Smith-Schuster's comments all went down in a meeting with the media on Thursday ... when a reporter asked if the 24-year-old had seen anything different out of the Browns this year.

"I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. "I think they’re nameless, gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but, at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns.”

JuJu added, "I'm just happy we're playing them again Sunday."

SHAAAAAAAAAADEEEE!!!

Of course, Smith-Schuster is no stranger to providing motivation for opposing teams ... to close out the season, the receiver made it a point to TikTok dance on opponents' logos before games.

Turns out, other teams used that as fuel ... especially the Bills and Bengals, who whooped the Steelers and griped about Smith-Schuster's dancing afterward.

Issac Bruce says if he were runnin' the Rams show ... he'd dump Jared Goff for Deshaun Watson -- telling TMZ Sports a potential trade with the Texans would be a no-brainer for him.

"I'd love to see it, I'm just going to be honest," the Rams legend says. "I think Deshaun Watson is a great talent. He can throw the football well. He's a competitor."

"You don't have to worry about if this guy is going to show up on Sunday. At all."

Of course, a Houston-Los Angeles trade would take a LOT of dominoes to fall ... first, the Texans would have to be willing to jettison their star QB -- even if he's as disgruntled as some reports say he is.

Second, the Rams would have to get creative with contracts considering Goff's massive deal ... AND they'd likely have to come up with a bunch of draft picks to give away as well.

But, Bruce says if there's any way L.A. can make it work ... the Rams should do it and not think twice.

"If Les [Snead] can pull it off, man," Bruce said of the Rams' general manager, "I'd be jumping on the table as well to make it happen."

As for Bruce's feelings on Goff going forward ... you can tell, Isaac ain't exactly Jared's #1 fan.

State of the nation got ya down? Here's a video that'll help pick you back up ...

A Green Bay Packers fan finished his last round of cancer treatments ... and to celebrate, he rang a ceremonial bell -- AND THEN SHOTGUNNED A BEER!!!

The amazing footage was posted on Twitter on Wednesday ... showing a guy in an Aaron Rodgers jersey attacking a Busch Light like a true champ after achieving the incredible feat!

"Ever shotgun a beer in a hospital?" Twitter user @blomdotcomm captioned the video. "Done with chemo. Done with cancer!"

He later added, "Had to celebrate the milestone in an epic fashion."

The clip was so awesome, it caught the attention of former NFL punter Pat McAfee -- who wrote of the vid, "Feel like the world needs some feel good right now... this feels good. Congrats BOSS."

Awesome news for Bengals fans -- star quarterback Joe Burrow says he fully intends to be ready for the start of 2021 ... less than 2 months after going down with a season-ending injury!!

Remember, #9 suffered a torn ACL, MCL and other knee damage in the 3rd quarter of Cincinnati's Nov. 22 matchup against the Washington Football Team ... officially ending his rookie campaign.

Joey B gave an update on his status in an interview with Colin Cowherd on FS1 on Thursday ... admitting he's making strides in recovery.

"Rehab has gone really well," 24-year-old Burrow said. "I'm past the worst part. I'm starting to feel like a normal human again. I can walk around, put my clothes on, do what I need to do."

But, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Heisman winner ... he admits, "The first week and a half, 2 weeks was pretty miserable. You need help doing everything but I'm getting more independent and it's gonna be nice to get some alone time."

Of course, Burrow was putting together a solid rookie season before the injury ... racking up 2,688 yards, 13 TDs and just 5 interceptions.

While Burrow's return date is still TBD, it's clear the young signal-caller isn't expecting to miss any games in 2021.

Just one day after his supporters rioted inside the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump went back to business. And by business, we mean golf.

POTUS awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 3 professional golfers on Thursday -- retired stars Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, as well as Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who died in 1956.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor ... which the White House describes as an award given to those "who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Player and Sorenstam were slated to receive the award back in March ... but the event was pushed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony is normally open to the press ... but not this time around.

Of course, that most likely has to do with the events that transpired in D.C. on Wednesday ... with hundreds of pro-Trump supporters invading the Capitol Building.

If you're questioning the decision to continue with the event -- given the country is still dealing with the aftermath of Wednesday's incident -- you're not alone.

Player's son, Marc, expressed his concerns with his dad accepting the award, tweeting, "I wish my father would simply & politely decline this 'award' at this time."

"Tone deaf. In denial. Wrong!!"

Tragic news coming out of Annapolis -- retired Navy football goat mascot, Bill 33, has died, the Academy announced Thursday. He was 14.

Bill 33 -- AKA "Blue Eyes" -- recently battled age-related health issues that would not improve ... and was euthanized in his Navy home with his caretaker by his side, USNA said in a statement.

The angora goat was donated to the Academy alongside Bill 34 in 2007 ... and repped the football team through the 2015 season before taking on a mentorship role to the younger goats.

The Navy says Bill 33 enjoyed hay and treats during retirement ... and was wise enough to stay clear of the younger, "more rambunctious" goats.

The Academy notes Bill 33 is the only goat in the school's history to have blue eyes -- hence the nickname.

"The Academy would like to publicly confirm that he was quite 'old and gnarly' and had 'never been to school,'" USNA added.

Bill 33 is survived by Bill 34 and current mascots Bill 36 and Bill 37.

Cleveland's baseball team no longer has a permanent name OR a star shortstop ... 'cause the Indians just traded away Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster deal with the Mets.

The swap was just finalized Thursday morning ... and it's a HUGE win for New York.

The Mets will reportedly get Lindor and star pitcher Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco ... all in exchange for infielder Amed Rosario, shortstop Andrés Giménez, and a pair of minor leaguers.

Not bad for the Mets at all ... considering Lindor has all the makings of a future Hall of Famer.

In just 6 years with Cleveland, Lindor made 4 All-Star teams, hit 138 home runs and stole 99 bases.

In fact, the Indians would have no doubt kept him if his contract demands weren't so sky-high.

As for Carrasco, he's been slowly regaining his ace form since his 2019 battle with leukemia -- posting a 2.91 ERA in the shortened 2020 season -- and he should slide right into a stacked Mets rotation that will feature Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman summed up all of New York's feelings on the matter nicely in tweets on Thursday, writing, "I’m turnt right now. Lol @Mets."

Stro added, "You’re a legend @StevenACohen2!"

A UT Chattanooga football assistant coach has just been fired ... after school officials say he penned an "appalling," "unacceptable," and "totally inappropriate" political post on social media this week.

Chris Malone, the Mocs' now-former offensive line coach, went to his personal Twitter account on Tuesday to fire off a vile tweet over the Georgia runoff elections results.

In the four-sentence statement, Malone took aim at Georgia politician and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams -- who many have credited for helping the democrats flip the Peach State blue.

"Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!!" Malone said in the tweet.

"Enjoy the buffet Big Girl!! You earned it!!! Hope the money is good, still not governor!"

The tweet -- and Malone's entire social media account -- were eventually taken down ... but school officials still dropped the hammer on the guy, firing him Thursday morning.

"Last night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention," UTC director of athletics Mark Wharton said. "The entire post was appalling."

"The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program."

Added UTC head coach Rusty Wright, "Our football program has a clear set of standards. Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on."

"What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff."

Malone was in the middle of his second stint at UTC before his firing Thursday -- he had previously coached for the Mocs in 2014 and 2015.

Malone worked at Old Dominion in between the two UTC stops from 2016-2018.

LiAngelo Ball is getting another shot at his hoops career -- the middle Ball bro has signed to play in the upcoming G League season, according to reports.

The 22-year-old hooper most recently inked a non-guaranteed contract with the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 2 ... but was waived 11 days later after failing to appear in 2 preseason games.

Now, Ball will get to show off his skills when the G League picks back up next month ... in hopes of catching NBA eyes.

The G League is expected to follow the "bubble" format in Orlando that worked so well for the NBA restart in 2020 -- players will begin their season in their respective markets next week for testing before traveling to Florida for the season.

The G League will have a different feel this year ... as teams were given the opportunity to opt-out of the upcoming campaign.

Any player belonging to a team that has opted out will be put into a draft pool to be selected by a participating squad for the season ... although it's unclear if Gelo will have to be "drafted."