TMZ Sports - Page 50

Las Vegas Raiders star Josh Jacobs is breathing easier today ... he won’t be hit with a DUI charge stemming from his car crash in Las Vegas last week -- according to his attorneys.

David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, who are repping Jacobs in the case, say the 22-year-old running back was only charged with failure to exercise due care by the district attorney on Monday.

"Josh appreciates the district attorney's thorough and complete review of the accident," Jacobs' attorneys said, "and we would like to thank the EMS and law enforcement at the scene."

FYI, failure to exercise due care is generally regarded as a minor offense ... usually punished with fines and community service.

It's obviously great news for Jacobs and his attorneys -- they clearly were effective in convincing the DA not to charge Josh with DUI after he wrecked his car near the airport at around 4:42 AM in Vegas on Jan. 4.

As we previously reported, cops say they had suspected Jacobs of drinking before getting behind the wheel ... claiming the NFL star smelled like alcohol when they questioned him shortly after the crash.

Jacobs and his attorneys, though, were adamant Josh did NOT drink and drive, saying at the time, "there are no blood test results to support a suggestion of impairment."

As for the injuries Jacobs suffered in the crash, his mug shot showed he suffered a huge gash on his forehead ... but it appears the running back will be fine going forward.

Surprising news out of Philadelphia ... Doug Pederson is now OUT as head coach -- this just 3 years after he won the franchise its first-ever Super Bowl.

The Eagles made the move Monday, according to multiple reports ... after Pederson's squad turned in a disappointing 4-11-1 record in the 2020 season.

Some had picked Philly to win the NFC East before the year began ... but poor play from the offense and injuries doomed them -- and the Birds ended up finishing in dead last in the worst division in football.

It's all pretty shocking, considering Pederson had started his career in Philadelphia with a bang.

In just his second season with the team back in 2017, he went 13-3 and ended up beating Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.

But, key coaching departures, failed draft picks and deteriorating play from Carson Wentz all helped lead to Pederson's firing Monday.

Pederson shouldn't be jobless for long, though ... in fact, some have speculated because of his ties to Jets general manager Joe Douglas, he could be a strong candidate for New York's head coaching vacancy.

Ohio State legend Cardale Jones is keepin' it real ... telling TMZ Sports despite his Buckeye ties, if he had the #1 pick in the NFL draft, he'd take Trevor Lawrence over Justin Fields.

"I'm going to try to be unbiased as possible," Jones says, "but I'm going to pick Trevor."

As for why, the ex-OSU QB says it's pretty simple -- he believes Lawrence has played at a higher level for longer than Fields -- this despite Justin beating the Clemson superstar in last week's College Football Playoff semifinal.

"I think he's the safest bet," Jones said of Lawrence, "because he has more of a sample size -- a 3-year starter and some of the things he has done."

Don't get it twisted though ... Cardale still LOVES Justin -- and says if the Jaguars take Lawrence at #1 in April's draft, he expects whoever ends up with Fields to be just as happy.

"I predict both guys will have an opportunity to play at a young, young stage in their careers and have a tremendous effect on whatever organization drafts them," Jones says.

As for how Fields will fare in his (almost certainly) final college football game ever on Monday night ... Jones is backing the Buckeye there -- saying he's got OSU upsetting Bama for the natty.

"I got 38-28 Buckeyes," Jones tells us, "and we finding some way to stop that extremely high-powered Alabama offense."

By the way, speaking of Buckeyes national titles, Cardale tells us the last head coach to win a 'ship with OSU could have huge success in the NFL ... explaining Urban Meyer could be a great fit in Jacksonville.

The NBA season is stumbling out of the gates ... with multiple games being postponed due to COVID-19.

The league has been hit hard with the virus over the past week ... as the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and more have been struggling to put enough men on the court due to the NBA's Health and Safety protocols.

Fresh off the Heat's matchup with the Celtics being postponed Sunday, the Association has now pushed back 2 more games -- Mavs vs. New Orleans Pelicans and Celtics vs. the Chicago Bulls.

Of course, the league requires an 8-man roster in order to compete ... and the Heat and Mavs have been unable to fit that requirement as they conduct contact tracing following positive or inconclusive tests within their organizations.

The Philadelphia 76ers have also dealt with COVID-related issues after Seth Curry tested positive last week.

Despite the mess, the league officials say they will NOT postpone the season ... as they anticipated some hiccups along the way.

Patrick Mahomes is apparently an MVP quarterback AND MVP fiance ... 'cause the NFL superstar just gifted Brittany Matthews with a new whip -- and she was FIRED UP over the present!!!

The Chiefs superstar's fiancee -- who's several months pregnant with the couple's baby daughter -- revealed Mahomes gave her the ride for breakfast on Monday morning.

"Nothing like waking up at 8am to a new car on Monday," Matthews said. "@PatrickMahomes YOU THE BEST #momcar🔥."

24-year-old Brittany posted a video from inside the ride with a friend and Patrick's brother, Jackson ... and the whip looks fancy as hell.

Unclear exactly what the make and model is ... but the interior resembles the Lamborghini SUV -- which is a set of wheels that can cost well over $200,000!!!

"We got a new car!!!" a super happy Brittany said in the clip of the ride. "Heyyyyy!!!!"

Matthews added the caption, "Mom car" with a set of heart-eye emojis.

Brittany and Patrick have been dating since high school ... and got engaged in 2020. They announced their pregnancy in September.

The Cleveland Browns celebrated their first playoff win since 1994 the only way they knew how -- by epically roasting JuJu Smith-Schuster with a locker room celebration for the ages!!

Of course, the Steelers WR had some words for the AFC North rivals leading up to their Wild Card matchup ... calling Cleveland the "same old Browns" and claiming he was unfazed by the new-look team.

Baker Mayfield and Co. clearly had JuJu on their minds after taking care of business Sunday night ... trolling the TikTok-loving star with a taste of his own medicine.

Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Landry and more led the Browns' insane locker room celly following their 48-37 win over Pittsburgh ... blaring Pop Hunna and Lil Uzi Vert's "Adderall (Corvette Corvette)" and having some choice words for the receiver.

Remember, JuJu was infamous for his pregame ritual -- which included dancing to the same song while standing on opposing team logos prior to kickoff.

Landry mocked JuJu with some moves of his own ... while several Browns players recited the receiver's bulletin board material.

"The Browns gon' be the Browns!!!" Hunt said on IG Live ... with guard Wyatt Teller adding, "Same old Browns, huh?!"

It's a huge moment for the Browns ... who now have to prepare for the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs next week.

Another big loss for Donald Trump ... the PGA says it's now pulling a major golf event from one of the president's courses, explaining playing there "would be detrimental" to the brand.

The golf org. made the announcement Sunday -- formally shredding its plans to play the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey in the wake of the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

"It has become clear that conducting the PGA. Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the P.G.A. of America brand," PGA president Jim Richerson said in a video statement, "and would put at risk the PGA’s ability to deliver our many programs, and sustain the longevity of our mission."

Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA, further explained the decision to pull the event Sunday night ... telling the Associated Press it's all related to Trump's role in the unrest at the Capitol.

"Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster," Waugh said. "The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave.”

For Trump's part, POTUS' org. said in a statement it's "incredibly disappointed" with the PGA's decision ... adding, "This is a breach of a binding contract, and they have no right to terminate the agreement.”

FYI, the PGA Championship is one of golf's four biggest events every year. It was held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco this year and won by Collin Morikawa.

It's unclear what course will now host the '22 event.

Listen up Pokémon fans, you've got a clear path to feel like Togekiss -- the happiest Pokémon ever -- 'cause a 1999 Pokémon first edition complete set's about to hit the auction block.

The folks over at Goldin Auctions will soon auction off this 103-Pokémon card set that's in mint condition and expected to fetch upwards of $750,000. The collection includes the highly sought-after Charizard card.

Each card is gemstone certified. Goldin says while the cards have rounded corners, the Professional Sports Authenticator has given it a Gem Mint 10 grading ... meaning they're virtually perfect cards.

The fact that the set expected to earn three-quarters of a mil is pretty impressive ... since nearly 30 billion Pokémon cards have been traded since the craze started.

Some of the other cards in the set include Alakazam, the cute Blastoise, Chansey, Mewtwo and Poliwrath. That might sound like gibberish to some of you, but trust us ... that's badass.

BTW, it also has 72 Devolution Spray cards! 😲

The auction opens Monday with a minimum bid of $125k. If that $750k mark sounds far-fetched, think about this -- just last month, Goldin Auctions sold a pristine Charizard for nearly $400k.

If JuJu Smith-Schuster's Browns shade wasn't enough to fire up Cleveland ... here's EVEN MORE bulletin board material for the Dawg Pound -- courtesy of ex-Steelers player Ike Taylor!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the former Pittsburgh DB this week ... and when he was explaining Smith-Schuster's "nameless, gray faces" comments, Taylor said JuJu wasn't exactly wrong!

"Well, first of all, there is no rivalry," Taylor said of the Browns vs. Steelers. "You know, the only rivalry when it comes down to Pittsburgh is the Baltimore Ravens. That's the only rivalry we look at."

"We never looked at Cleveland, we never looked at Cincinnati as no rivalry. That's just how it was."

Don't get it twisted, Taylor still has a ton of respect for Cleveland -- he praised Baker Mayfield for his progress -- but he says there's definitely a big brother little brother relationship between the Steelers and Browns.

"It's not in a disrespectful way," Taylor tells us. "It's just if you're a Pittsburgh Steeler, that's how you look at other teams."

If you missed it, Smith-Schuster spoke with reporters on Thursday and said he doesn't look at the Browns any differently this season compared to years' past when they were awful.

"The Browns is the Browns," JuJu said.

The answer to finding Tom Brady's eventual replacement in New England is NOT Jimmy Garoppolo ... so says ex-Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins, who tells TMZ Sports that's a bad plan!!

The Pats are rumored to be poking around the idea of possibly re-acquiring Garoppolo from San Francisco this offseason ... after the QB has had an up-and-down 4 seasons in the Bay Area.

And, because of Garoppolo's familiarity with NE (Bill Belichick drafted him in 2014) ... some think it'd be a great move for the Pats!!

But, when we spoke with Wiggins this week ... he told us he'd search elsewhere for a franchise signal-caller -- explaining Garoppolo is just injured too damn much.

"Nah, man, we don't want Garoppolo, man," Wiggins says. "He can't get on the field -- he's always hurt. When you look at him, the problem with him is he can't stay healthy. He's always hurt."

"I don't want a quarterback that's only going to play 6, 7, 8, 9 games for the year. So, nah, Jimmy G can stay on the left coast."

Wiggins does have a point -- Garoppolo has played in 6 or fewer games for the 49ers in three of his four seasons in the red and gold while battling various injuries.

So, who would Jermaine prefer? The tight end says he sure wouldn't mind if the Pats made a run at trading for Deshaun Watson (even if he thinks it's a pipe dream).

"I don't know who's gonna get in there with him because I'm saying, he intimidating. He's a big guy, you already know he got big arms and stuff like that. He's got good range."

That's Evander Holyfield -- one of the greatest boxers of all-time -- speaking glowingly about 36-year-old, ex-NFL star Brandon Marshall's skills in the boxing ring.

Marshall -- a 6x Pro Bowler -- last played ball with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 ... and took up boxing last year.

BM -- who previously called out top heavyweights like Anthony Joshua -- went down to 58-year-old Holyfield's gym in Florida ... and the 2 men got in a boxing workout.

Obviously, Marshall's a helluva athlete ... but we've recently seen that being strong, or jumping high doesn't always translate to being able to throw hands (sorry, Nate).

But, The Real Deal says Marshall's the real deal in the ring.

"Brandon, ya know, he looks good balance-wise. We weren't really sparring but he got good balance and hey, he look like he could be a good fighter."

Holyfield even compared the 6'4", 230 lb. former football player to arguably the greatest knockout artist of this generation -- The Bronze Bomber.

"[Brandon] pretty much got the same reach as the heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder," Evander says.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! No, not the holidays -- It's NFL Wild Card Weekend ... and to celebrate, here are the wives and girlfriends of the postseason!!

Of course, Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson are back in the playoffs yet again ... which means their lovely wives Gisele and Ciara will be cheering their men on this weekend.

But, for the first time EVER, we can include Baker Mayfield's wife, Emily, in our postseason gallery ... thanks to the Cleveland Browns finally making it back to the playoffs for the first time in forever!!

There are more newcomers this season -- from Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.'s wife, Kianna ... as well as Washington Football Team QB Kyle Allen's girlfriend Summer Juraszek.

We can't forget about Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff's stunning GF Christen Harper ... who has been cheering for her man all season in her favorite gameday bikinis.

So, sit back and enjoy the festivities this weekend.

Bills Mafia beware -- the Mayor of Buffalo says there will be NO table-smashing tailgates on his watch ... telling TMZ Sports the home playoff game is not an excuse to break COVID-19 protocols.

Bills fans are notorious for their wild pre-game antics -- from bowling ball shots to dousing themselves in condiments to assaulting tables in support of their beloved team.

With Buffalo hosting its first home playoff game since 1996 on Saturday, fans may be eager to go back to their crazy antics -- but we're told officials will NOT be turning a blind eye to large gatherings, considering the pandemic is still in full force.

We spoke with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown ... who tells us, "We are advising people to stay away from tailgating. Tailgating will NOT be allowed by the county or the county sheriffs department."

"We are encouraging people to watch the game, cheer loudly, celebrate the Bills but do it with people in their own household."

FYI -- Buffalo is currently in "Orange" phase, which means no dining unless outdoor and otherwise approved.

Around 6,700 Bills fans WILL, however, be able to attend the game -- the team required each spectator to get a COVID-19 test this week -- but as the mayor said, they won't be able to do their usual pregame routine.

And, get this -- Mayor Brown had tickets to the game ... but tells us he gave them to 2 essential employees in the city's public works department who deserve to have some fun.

"Those are the people that been on the front lines keeping our city going through this pandemic, picking up garbage, plowing the snow so I thought it was absolutely the right thing to do."

We also spoke with Buffalo PD Chief of Staff Jeff Rinaldo, who tells us they aren't expecting any issues ... and praises Buffalonians for following guidelines throughout the pandemic so far.

Aside from the pandemic, another factor that could keep Bills fans at home?? It's expected to be 36 degrees on game day.

But hey, this is Bills Mafia we're talking about.

Warren Moon says Deshaun Watson does NOT want out of Houston yet ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the Texans QB simply wants to see some significant changes in the org.

"He literally loves playing in Houston," the Hall of Fame quarterback tells us. "He loves the city. He's involved in it a lot. But he definitely wants to win."

Watson, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, is "extremely unhappy" with the Texans heading into this offseason ... reportedly upset over his lack of input so far in the hiring process of the team's new GM and head coach.

Now, many believe that could lead to a trade ... but when we spoke with Moon -- a close friend of Deshaun's -- the 64-year-old told us he's not expecting the QB to be dealt with anytime soon.

In fact, Moon tells us he's pretty confident 25-year-old Watson will still be under center in Houston in 2021.

"If they really sit down and listen to this guy, and listen to what his feelings are, they'll give him a lot of input into who that next head coach is going to be," Moon says.

"And if that happens, I think he'll be happy there."

The problem? Moon believes if Houston doesn't do that ... a trade request from Watson could then follow.

"This is a guy that comes from a Clemson program where he won a national championship, he lost another one in the championship, so he's used to winning football," Moon says, "and it just hasn't been that way for his team this past year and he sees them going in a downward slide."

If the Texans aren't able to keep Watson happy ... Moon says he believes a bunch of teams could be suitors for his services.

A basketball card collector hit the JACKPOT -- pulling an ultra-rare, 1-of-1 Zion Williamson card -- and he's not wasting any time CASHIN' IN on the super valuable piece.

Here's the deal ... an Australian fan ponied up $750 to reserve 1 card from a box of 2019-20 Panini Flawless Basketball cards (a box generally runs around $7K).

The man lives thousands of miles away (and we're still in a pandemic), so an employee from Firehand Cards in Southern California pulled the card on Christmas Eve ... while the fan watched online (see video below).

Keep in mind ... the fan knew he bought a card, but had NO IDEA which one.

The card was a Zion NBA Logoman ... arguably the most sought after basketball card of the year. The card contains Williamson's signature, and patch from a game-worn jersey from his rookie season with the Pelicans.

The fan hit up Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions, and they struck a deal to put the card on the auction block.

Goldin arranged for his nephew who lives in Cali to pick up the card from the shop ... and deliver it to PSA -- a premiere memorabilia grading service. A day later the card was graded mint condition, and is now on the auction block.

GA tells us they expect the card to bring in around $750,000 ... once the auction goes live January 11.

Philadelphia 76ers star Danny Green has turned his favorite superhero into some iced-out jewelry -- coppin' a Power Rangers pendant filled with ... you guessed it, GREEN diamonds!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Green was on a new-team, new-jewelry kinda vibe after being traded to the Sixers a few months after winning the title with the LA Lakers last season.

So, the 33-year-old wing hit up celeb jeweler Leo Frost to hook him up ... and, as a huge Power Rangers fan, he asked for a sick piece -- and Leo delivered!

The ice is INSANE ... it looks exactly like a Power Rangers mask -- and it's filled with 48 carats of green, black and white VVS diamonds, plus 14k of white gold!!!

Unclear what Green paid for the piece ... but don't worry, we're sure he could afford it -- he's made $81 million in 12 seasons in the NBA!!

As for why the Green Ranger ... Danny's last name is, of course, Green -- but Leo says it's also because "whatever team he ends up on, he ends up balling out."

"That's what the Green Ranger did on Power Rangers," Leo tells us.

It makes sense ... Green has played for the 5 teams and won 3 NBA championships (Spurs, Raptors, Lakers).