TMZ Sports - Page 50

Tom Brady is getting a pat on the back from one of the Buccaneers' greatest ever ... with Derrick Brooks praising the hell out of the QB for helping Tampa Bay on its Super Bowl run!

TMZ Sports spoke with the legendary Bucs linebacker this week ... and the guy told us straight-up he's been in awe of what Brady's been able to do for TB this season.

"You're talking about a man that's going to his 10th Super Bowl but still treating it as his first in terms of the words he's used, the preparation that he's using going into it and leading this team," Brooks said.

"It's something that I, honestly, you learn to appreciate as a fan of the game and even as someone who's played the game at a high level, I still say that I can appreciate that."

Derrick says Tom's ability to stay calm and poised when the Bucs struggled at times this year really helped elevate the squad ... telling us, "Tom's presence and his experience has definitely meant a difference."

Don't get it twisted, though ... Derrick says for as good as Tom's been this season -- he's still jacked that EVERYONE on the team played their role well enough to advance this far in the postseason.

By the way, Derrick has been a key piece in preparing Tampa Bay for its role as Super Bowl host city this year ... and he tells us it's been a hell of an experience trying to plan the event in the middle of a pandemic.

Too pretty to bare-knuckle fight, not talented enough to win ... that’s what Paige VanZant's heard for months, but now the combat sports star is finally CLAPPING back at the haters.

TMZ Sports talked to the 26-year-old Bare Knuckle FC fighter days before her fist-fighting debut against Britain Hart at Knuckle Mania on February 5 ... and 12-gauge -- who until now has bit her tongue -- had a message for the doubters.

"My idea was if you talk s*** about somebody then you should be willing to say it to their face and not a single person who has said anything negative about me publicly has been willing to say it to my face," VanZant tells us, continuing ... "And I've seen people in person."

Paige parted ways with the UFC last year ... before signing with BKFC in August.

Some fans and "experts" were super critical of the move, saying VanZant was risking her looks -- and future in the entertainment industry -- to fight BKFC.

FYI, bareknuckle fighting tends to open up cuts -- especially on delicate facial skin -- leading to some brutal fights (awesome to watch if you like blood!!)

But, VanZant's entertainment career is already booming ... she'd done everything from modeling in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue to being a contestant on Dancing With The Stars -- and she clearly isn't concerned about her looks.

"'Oh my face' like, grow up! It's a face and it's mine and I can do whatever I want with it! And guess what? I'm still gonna be beautiful even if I get cut open. It's not a big deal."

If you needed a reminder of how excited the people of Tampa are to be back in the Super Bowl after almost 20 years, take a look at how they rang in the week before kickoff.

A pirate ship in downtown was lit up Friday night with fireworks and a light show on the City's riverfront in Julian B. Lane Park -- where folks gathered for the "Super Bowl Experience" ... a makeshift amusement park with games and attractions fans can enjoy ahead of SB LV.

The ship's decked out with all the NFL team flags, but Tampa Bay and Kansas City -- who are facing off on the gridiron -- were the ones that stuck out most. The vessel will stay illuminated nightly, so people can come back and watch if they missed it the first time around.

Oh, and did we mention the Lombardi Trophy sits aboard too -- yeah that's there ... so pretty neat for football aficionados in general.

Unfortunately, tickets for this thing sold out on NFL's OnePass app -- but apparently, there's another park nearby where you can still get a taste of the fun ... they say there's gonna be DJs, food vendors and other not-as-cool-but-still-kinda-cool things at Curtis Hixon Park.

As we reported ... the Bucs haven't been in the Super Bowl since 2002. Now, almost a full two decades later, they're back -- all thanks to Tom Brady, who came over from the Pats.

WNBA star Layshia Clarendon has undergone successful surgery to have her breasts removed -- and is now going public about it in hopes of inspiring other trans athletes.

Clarendon -- who identifies as non-binary -- uses all pronouns (she/her/they/them/he/him).

In other words ... by society's standards, Layshia is comfortable being referred to as a woman ... but personally, doesn't identify solely with one specific gender.

Sources close to Layshia tell us the 29-year-old NY Liberty star underwent breast removal surgery (also known as "top surgery") in early January and is recovering well.

"I’m feeling free & euphoric in my body & want Trans people to know and see that we’ve always existed & no one can erase us," Layshia said in a statement.

You may be wondering ... are there any issues with the WNBA, which has the "W" for "Women" right there in the name of the league?

The short answer is no.

We're told Layshia has been in contact with the league and there are ZERO issues with her status as a player.

As one source close to Layshia explained to us, "Layshia does not identify as a man. They're not journeying to a destination. Gender is actually a spectrum."

One of the main reasons Layshia is going public with her story ... we're told Layshia wants to initiate a "very real, inclusive, sensitive conversation about how to INCLUDE trans people in sports, instead of how to exclude them."

"Trans youth want to participate in sports ... let's have the conversation."

Jon Jones is gonna love this ...

We did a little rapid-fire round of questions with Dana White the other day -- asking him everything from "Who's the greatest UFC fighter ever?" to "Who's the best UFC fighter right now?"

Of course, Dana answered everything.

Spoiler: Dana says Jon Jones is the G.O.A.T. -- but noted Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest "right now."

It's hard to argue against Jon Jones being the best ever -- he's 26-1 as a pro with wins over everyone from Daniel Cormier to Rampage Jackson, Alexander Gustafsson, Ryan Bader and more.

Most people, including White, don't even acknowledge his 1 loss -- a DQ to Matt Hamill for illegal downward elbows.

Dana explained at the time Jones should have been docked a point instead of being DQ'd -- "It shouldn't have happened that way. He shouldn't have a loss, so it's unfortunate."

As for Khabib ... you probably know, Dana is trying to convince the Dagestani to come back for one last UFC fight -- but it doesn't sound too promising at the moment. Fingers crossed.

WWE superstar Bill Goldberg admits he thought about pursuing an MMA career back in the day -- but ultimately went with pro wrestling because the money was better.

... but the whole thing makes ya wonder -- how would Goldberg have fared in the Octagon?!

Probably pretty well.

"If you know anything about my background when it comes to MMA, I had one of largest MMA gyms in the country back in the late '90s. That was a dream of mine."

Goldberg says he trained alongside UFC legends like Randy Couture and Mark Coleman when they were in their prime.

But, let's get to the point ... how would he do in a real MMA fight?

"I think my stand up skills would have played well, no question," Goldberg tells TMZ Sports ... "because a lot of people have no idea as to what I've done in the past."

"But, I'd be lacking in the ground game, there's no doubt -- and the problem with a guy like myself is I'd end up hurting myself more so than getting hurt by the other person. I'll break a hand on someone's face! I'll blow my shoulder out trying to choke somebody! At the end of the day, I'm my own worst enemy!"

"So the longwinded answer is absolutely I would have loved to have done it if the opportunity was such that it was comparable, if not more advantageous, in the world of professional wrestling. But, at the time, it was a no-brainer for me."

Don't feel too bad for Goldberg, he's had an unreal run as a pro wrestler and is set to face Drew McIntyre in a Championship bout at the Royal Rumble on Sunday.

Goldberg -- who famously trained with UFC star Dustin Poirier back in 2015 -- says the plan is to do to McIntyre what Poirier did to Conor McGregor!

The WWE legend also raved about Poirier -- and told us why he's still inspired by the UFC star ... who's one of the most humble and hardworking athletes he knows.

"He's from Lafayette Louisiana, it's a great story and I just hope people understand -- I've said many times about a few people, his talents are at the top of the game but they pale in comparison to what is actually inside his heart. He's a great person."

The Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul boxing match has officially been postponed, a  Mayweather spokesperson tells TMZ Sports ... and a source says it's because of "COVID and other things."

The source wouldn't elaborate about the COVID situation ... but told us both Floyd and Logan are actively working on rescheduling the fight as soon as possible.

The original fight -- an exhibition -- was set for February 20th, a Pay-Per-View event put on by celebrity custom video platform, Fanmio.

Because the fight was touted as an exhibition, it would not count on either fighters professional record.

Unclear if the fighters will pursue other boxing opportunities while they work on rescheduling this event.

As we previously reported, the fight had been in the works for awhile -- but the 2 sides made it official in December 2020.

Despite having an 0-1 record as a pro, 25-year-old Logan was supremely confident he could put a hurtin' on the 43-year-old legend.

Floyd is 50-0 and widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all-time.

In fact, we spoke with Dana White recently, who guaranteed Logan Paul would get destroyed -- "this is gonna be such a 10-sided ridiculous ass whoopin, it's not even gonna be funny."

Earlier this week, Logan appeared on "The Night Shift Gaming" and addressed rumors that the Mayweather fight was suffering from "lack of interest" -- "lack of interest? What the f***? There's not been a fight that's made this much noise the whole year."

An ex-Northwestern cheerleader is suing the school -- claiming she was pressured to present herself as a "sex kitten" to please the fan base ... and subjected to sexual harassment and assault in the process.

The woman behind the suit is Hayden Richardson -- who cheered for the Wildcats from 2018 to 2020.

But, Hayden claims her run with the squad wasn't all pom-poms and backflips -- instead she describes a living nightmare in which she was "subjected to a hostile environment including groping, harassments, and sexual touching by older alumni and intoxicated football fans" ... and the school did nothing to stop it.

Richardson -- who says she's a Truman Scholar -- claims in her suit she was "encouraged by her coach and the University to suppress her intellect and instead flaunt her body as if she were just a commodity."

She continues, "the University forced its cheerleaders to behave in a degrading and demeaning manner intended to entice and captivate wealthy donors."

In her suit, Richardson says she complained about specific acts of sexual assault, sexual harassment and exploitation to the cheer team's head coach ... but the accusations were not taken seriously.

Richardson says she felt she was made to feel like a "sex object for fans and alumni donors" -- and if she didn't comply, she was afraid she would be cut from the team and lose her cheerleading scholarships.

Richardson says in her suit ... "at every home game, the cheerleaders were instructed to saunter around the tailgating lots as if they were Victoria’s Secret models on a runway, unsupervised, in their skimpy cheerleading uniforms."

She adds ... "They were expressly told to split up and flirtatiously mingle with extremely intoxicated fans alone and were not provided any security."

There's more ... Richardson says she was often groped on her breasts and buttocks by scummy fans who insisted they just wanted to take a picture.

Richardson says she complained multiple times but the school failed to properly address the issues -- and as a result, she's suffered "emotional pain, mental anguish, and loss of educational opportunities."

Northwestern issued a statement in response to the lawsuit -- saying the university "is committed to fostering an environment in which all members of our community are safe, secure and free from discrimination or harassment of any form."

A judge is showing no mercy for a Michigan man who appears in new video of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, to strike several cops with a hockey stick.

The federal government released the footage it says shows Michael Foy assaulting the officers -- including a Metro PD cop on the ground -- by violently swinging the stick near their heads.

According to the feds ... Foy was one of the "most violent" rioters, and allegedly hit police officers guarding the doors at least 10 times with the hockey stick, swung at them, hit them in the face and neck, then rallied other rioters before busting into the Capitol.

A federal judge denied Foy bond this week ... so, for now, he'll remain behind bars until trial.

Foy -- a former marine -- was arrested on Jan. 21 at his home, after the FBI reportedly tracked him down through his father's Facebook page. The bond hearing judge said the video strongly suggested Foy brought the hockey stick to use as a weapon.

50 Cent says there's one guy he'd love to punch in the face -- Floyd Mayweather -- but he doesn't think Floyd would ever agree to throw down.

Everyone knows the backstory ... 50 and Floyd used to be super tight -- but they've had SEVERAL falling outs over the years and it seems like the relationship is still fractured.

So, when 50 appeared on V-103's "The Morning Culture" show Friday and was asked who he'd like to square off against in a celebrity boxing match, it wasn't too shocking when the rapper dropped Floyd's name.

"I'd fight Floyd," 50 Cent said ... adding, "I don't think I can make weight though."

50 pointed out Floyd usually fights around 150 lbs -- and the 45-year-old rapper says there's just no way he can slim down to match Floyd's weight.

50 claims the last time he dropped to 150, "I looked like a homeless person."

Instead, 50 says he thinks he could fight at 180 lbs ... which is closer in weight to Floyd's next opponent, Logan Paul, who fights around 190 lbs.

Let's get serious ... everyone would watch Floyd vs. 50 -- especially since 50 has real boxing training under his belt and reportedly stays in solid shape.

Remember, the two used to be super tight -- 50 famously walked Floyd to ring when he fought Oscar De La Hoya back in the day.

But, they've since beefed about everything from Floyd's reading skills to 50's financial situation ... and the hatchet appears to be far from buried.

Torrey Pines looked more like the set of "Happy Gilmore" on Friday ... 'cause Brooks Koepka hit a tee shot that landed INSIDE a shoe -- and it had everyone wondering, should he have to play it as it lies?!?!?!

The wild scene all went down during the 2nd round of the Farmers Insurance Open, when Koepka smashed a drive down the right side of the fairway that crash-landed into the back of a golf cart.

As Koepka strolled down the North Course's 16th hole ... the 30-year-old quickly realized the ball actually came to rest IN a shoe that was sitting on the back of the vehicle!!!

EVERYONE was immediately reminded of the scene in "Happy Gilmore" ... where Shooter McGavin lost his mind after having to hit a ball "off Frankenstein's fat foot!"

But, fortunately for Koepka, golf's rules actually allowed him to take a penalty-free drop and continue on.

The issue, though? Koepka did NOT want to retrieve the ball from the camera guy's shoe ... saying straight-up, "I ain't sticking my hand in there. You can grab it out of your nasty-ass shoe."

Koepka eventually got everything squared away and he was able to save par.

The bad news ... Koepka's round is currently sucking -- and he's now in danger of missing the cut.

Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney -- the first African-American coach in college hoops history with 700 wins -- has died, according to multiple reports. He was 89 years old.

Details surrounding his death have not been released.

Chaney was an icon in the game -- especially at Temple University -- and known for his tough coaching approach and willingness to teach his players life lessons outside of the court.

Chaney coached at Temple for 24 years and led the Owls to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the Elite Eight five times. At one point, Temple made it to the tournament 12 straight times with Chaney leading the bench.

He was awarded the USBWA National Coach of the year twice (1987, and 1988) ... and finished his astounding career with a 516-253 record as the coach for the Owls.

Chaney coached several players who went on to play in the NBA -- including Eddie Jones and Aaron McKie.

Chaney was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Cops say a fan in Cleveland heckled LeBron James so aggressively during the Cavs vs. Lakers game Monday night ... they were forced to boot him from the arena in an intense confrontation.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops claim 49-year-old Joseph Bilgen was holding up offensive shirts and screaming profanity at LeBron and others during the big game.

Of course, with LeBron returning to his home state and playing the Cavs ... emotions were high -- and according to the report, several Cleveland players and employees, including GM Koby Altman, reported the fan to security.

Cops say they were informed the guy had held up shirts with offensive writing on them ... including, "Lebron is a racist," "La B**w J*b," and "Lebron is a narcissist."

Officers say when they confronted Bilgen about the inappropriate shirts and actions ... he became so combative -- security told officers he would have to be removed from the arena.

Bilgen, though, did not go quietly according to the report ... an officer says the man told him to "go f*** yourself" repeatedly, and at one point, even put his hands on the cop.

The report states as Bilgen was leaving, he then held up a shirt that read, "Gloria Goes West. Starring LBJ as king narcissist."

In the report, officers say that when a female security guard took the shirt from him, Bilgen grabbed her arms and struck her in her left side.

Officers say they were eventually able to boot Bilgen from the arena after several more minutes of struggling near the exits. Bilgen, according to Cleveland.com, was NOT arrested.

No charges have been filed against Bilgen, either, per Cleveland.com.

Tito Ortiz was just elected to city council and appointed Mayor Pro Tem, but several top Huntington Beach politicians are already trying to fire his ass from the powerful spot ... accusing the UFC legend of lacking "honor and dignity."

46-year-old Ortiz -- a lifelong Huntington Beach resident -- was unanimously voted Mayor Pro Tem (after being elected by HB voters) ... which is basically Vice Mayor. If the Mayor wasn't available, Tito would assume control of the top position.

Now, the same politicians who voted Tito into the powerful position are hoping for another unanimous vote -- a unanimous vote to throw him out of the Pro Tem office.

HB Mayor Kim Karr and Council Members Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick have requested a vote of no confidence from the City Council ... which is essentially a move to kick him out of the position and find a replacement.

The reasoning ... Mayor Karr and Council Members Posey and Kalmick say Ortiz has been a DISASTER since day 1.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at a level expected for this position and has demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity."

The report continues ... "His unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement have raised concerns among residents, local business owners, and his fellow council members. The Huntington Beach community expects local elected officials to take their governing responsibilities seriously and we whole heartedly agree."

Karr, Posey and Kalmick have requested a vote take place on February 1.

They're asking for a vote of "no confidence" and the removal of Ortiz as Pro Tem Mayor. Tito would keep his job on the Council.

Ortiz -- a huge Trump supporter who once claimed COVID-19 wasn’t real -- has butted heads with many people in the city.

During his 1st planning meeting on November 5, Mayor Carr refused to let Tito into the building because he refused to wear a mask.

Ortiz also got into a screaming match with a citizen ... and recently called for the boycott of a well-known local restaurant because they wouldn’t serve him without a mask (T.O. later apologized).

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will have some real-life heroes cheering them on in Tampa next week ... with the team inviting a group of local healthcare workers to attend Super Bowl LV!!!

The reigning champs announced Friday they have hand-selected their guests for the big game on Feb. 7 ... as a "thank you" to the workers for their commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke about the gesture on Friday ... saying, "We are very excited to invite healthcare workers from Chiefs Kingdom, including a number of individuals from our official healthcare provider, The University of Kansas Health System, to be our Super Bowl guests in Tampa this year."

"These individuals, like so many healthcare workers throughout Chiefs Kingdom and beyond, have given and sacrificed a lot during the ongoing pandemic."

The group will be part of 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers who have been invited to attend the Super Bowl by the NFL ... and among the 22,000 total attendees next week.

"Inviting them as our guests is one way we can thank them for everything they have done for the residents of Kansas City."

Donovan continued ... "It's been an unusual year and season, but it's incredibly special for us to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls and have Kansas City healthcare workers there as we try to finish the job and run it back in Tampa."

Of course, the league is trying like hell to make sure the Super Bowl is as safe of an experience as possible -- including practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings, installing hand hygiene stations and more to prevent a super spread.

Can "The Kid" fix baseball's diversity problem? He's sure as hell gonna try!

Ken Griffey Jr. has been tapped to be a Senior Advisor to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred -- to consult on several issues including "improving diversity at amateur levels of the game."

It's a big problem in baseball -- where less than 8% of players on 2020 opening day rosters were Black, according to USA Today.

And, get this ... 3 teams in the league had ZERO Black players on their 2020 opening-day rosters.

The 51-year-old Hall of Famer -- one of the most exciting baseball players of all time -- will also be involved in baseball operations and youth baseball development.

"Griffey also will serve as an MLB ambassador at youth baseball initiatives and at its special events, such as the All-Star Game and during the Postseason," the league announced.

"I am humbled to be asked to work with Major League Baseball in this role," Griffey said ... "It will be an honor to represent the best sport in the world and to promote our game among today’s youth."

Commissioner Rob Manfred also praised KGJ -- saying, "We are thrilled that Ken will represent Major League Baseball on some of our sport’s most important stages, alongside our current and future stars."

"We welcome the perspective and insights that Ken gained as an historic player, as a parent, and as someone who has spent his life in and around our great game."

Griffey was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016 -- the same year he began serving as a youth ambassador for both MLB and the MLB Players Association on their joint baseball development initiatives.

On the field, Junior was an absolute monster in his 22-year MLB career -- making 13 All-Star teams, smashing 630 career HRs and winning the AL MVP in 1997.