TMZ Sports - Page 50

Alleah Taylor is revealing the disturbing injury photos taken after she was brutally attacked by NFL lineman Chad Wheeler ... and she's explaining why he needs to be locked up in prison.

Taylor appeared on "CBS This Morning" and told reporter Jericka Duncan the injuries she suffered during the Jan. 22 incident at their Washington apartment will require treatment for the rest of her life.

"I still have to regularly get my concussion checked. I have bolts and a steel plate I'm gonna have forever in my arm. I'm gonna have to deal with this the rest of my life."

As we previously reported, Taylor claims Wheeler -- who played for the Seattle Seahawks at the time -- "snapped" and got violent with her in an apparent manic episode. They had been dating for roughly 6 months at the time.

She claims Wheeler had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder before the attack but had recently stopped taking his medicine.

During the attack, Taylor says the NFL player demanded she "bow down" to him -- and when she refused, he beat and choked her within an inch of her life.

Cops eventually arrived and subdued Wheeler after an intense physical struggle. He was arrested and hit with multiple domestic violence charges.

When asked if she thinks Wheeler's actions were triggered by a mental health episode, she told CBS, "To be honest, I don't know."

She continued, "He went and ate dinner after he did this to me. And he didn’t take the same approach with the cops as he did with me."

Wheeler is facing up to 12 years in prison if convicted on domestic violence charges.

Taylor was asked if she thinks Wheeler should do time and replied, "Yes, I definitely do think that he should."

Taylor says she's "beyond grateful" to be alive -- and feels god blessed her with a second chance at life.

"I want to try to use the time I've been blessed with to help other people and to get this story out and to make sure people don't feel alone and to make sure this doesn’t happen again."

The historic Krispy Kreme donut shop in Atlanta -- which is owned by Shaq and has ties to Martin Luther King Jr. -- was "gutted" in a massive fire Wednesday morning ... but the NBA legend has vowed to repair it.

The fire broke out at the Ponce de Leon Ave. location just after midnight while 2 employees were still inside the shop.

Both staffers were able to escape without injury, but the structure took heavy damage before Atlanta Fire Rescue was able to extinguish the blaze.

"A fast moving fire gutted the building this morning just before 1 am," Atlanta Fire Rescue said in a statement.

Video of the blaze is wild -- it's a miracle no one was hurt. 11Alive's Joe Ripley reports the back of the structure was badly damaged and the famous giant donut menu was melted.

Shaquille O'Neal bought the shop back in 2016 -- noting its importance to the community ... and to the country.

It first opened in 1965 -- one of the first Krispy Kreme shops outside of the company's headquarters in North Carolina.

In fact, after Martin Luther King, Jr. died in 1968, that specific shop donated 150 boxes of donuts to locate churches to feed the mourners who flocked to Atlanta to pay their respects.

Michael Irvin says he's heard secret audio from the Super Bowl ... and it proves Tom Brady did NOT call Tyrann Mathieu a racial slur during their trash-talking at the big game.

Brady and the Honey Badger got in each other's faces multiple times during the Buccaneers' blowout of the Chiefs, and afterward, Mathieu accused the Tampa Bay QB of muttering something nasty his way.

"He called me something I won't repeat," Mathieu said, "but yeah I'll let all the media throw me under the bus as if I did something or said something to him."

Many thought this implied that Brady had perhaps used racial language on the field ... but Irvin says audio picked up on hot mics showed that flat-out didn't happen.

Irvin -- who has access to the clips through his work as an analyst on Showtime's "Inside The NFL" -- explained on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Tuesday he was upset with Mathieu after audio revealed Brady didn't cross any racial lines with his talk.

"I didn't like that Tyrann Mathieu put that out like that," Irvin said ... "Because, I go, come on now. It makes it sound as if -- it makes people want to know, 'What'd he say?'"

"As if he said the n-word. And he did not. Tom did not. So, you know, I didn't like that even looming over this situation. So that's why I think we should clean that up somewhere, somehow."

Irvin added, "That's what I'm saying. [Brady] didn't say that."

As for what Brady did say ... Irvin says he could not reveal that due to directives from "Inside The NFL" show producers.

"This was just two guys competing," Irvin explained. "That's what that is. Just two guys competing."

Colin Cowherd was hospitalized Saturday night for what turned out to be a blood clot in his lung -- after a terrifying medical emergency at a restaurant.

The 57-year-old host of FS1's "The Herd" -- one of the biggest stars in sports talk -- says he was having dinner with his wife near his home in Southern California when he felt a sharp pain on the right side of his chest.

So, Cowherd phoned a friend who raced over, picked him up and sped Colin to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.

Cowherd says he was in "incredible pain" and was understandably scared -- thinking he may have come down with COVID.

Doctors told Colin he tested NEGATIVE for coronavirus twice during his hospital stay -- but noted they found a small blood clot in his right lung.

The clot was limiting Cowherd's breathing so doctors admitted him to a room and used morphine to control the pain.

"I was pretty much knocked out with morphine, a narcotic, for 16 to 18 hours," Cowherd said.

Now, doctors are trying to figure out WHY Cowherd suffered the clot.

"I'm waiting for the blood work," Colin said ... "I have no idea why it happened. I have been doing a lot of skiing at high altitudes, traveling, that could be it. We don't know. We’ll find out in a few days."

Cowherd says he's already feeling better -- noting he went on a 30-minute walk on Tuesday ... "which is amazing considering where I was 48 hours ago."

Cowherd says the goal is to return to his show as soon as possible -- but the focus is on his recovery ... and he shouted out FS1 and iHeartRadio for being incredibly supportive during this scary time.

The guy who streaked at Super Bowl 55 hit the strip club after he was released from custody -- and worked the pole so hard, he was DRAGGED off the stage!!!

... while still wearing his thong bathing suit!

31-year-old Yuri Andrade rolled into the Penthouse Club in Tampa where he was cheered on by patrons ... including Tampa Bay Bucs superstar WR Mike Evans.

But, the craziest moment came when he broke away from security and rushed onto the main stage ... where he grabbed a pile of money and made it rain before jumping on the pole and trying out a few moves.

Eventually, security rushed in and apprehended him -- though it looks to us as if the club was in on the joke, since they posted footage with the guy on their social media page afterward.

Andrade is getting the hero treatment in Tampa after claiming he made $370,000 by allegedly betting a ton of money that a streaker would hit the field at Super Bowl LV ... and then taking matters into his own hands to seal his victory.

The worst part of the whole stunt ... Andrade claims the cops who detained him at the stadium wouldn't let him pick his wedgie from the thong bathing suit.

Imagine the greatest quarterback of all-time handing off to one of best running backs ever in 2021 ...

That's a scene Adrian Peterson is trying to make happen for real ... 'cause the future Hall of Fame RB tells TMZ Sports he wants to play with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay in 2021!!!

"That would definitely be something I'm interested in," Peterson says ... explaining "If they want me to be a part of it, I'll be a part of it for sure. Because I'm definitely trying to add a trophy to my resume."

Peterson is slated to be a free agent this offseason after his 1-year contract with the Detroit Lions expires ... and there could be some interest from the Bucs in him.

After all, Bruce Arians did trade for A.P. back in 2017 when he was the Arizona Cardinals' head coach -- and Peterson performed well there in limited playing time.

Now, Peterson tells us he really wouldn't mind running it back with Arians in Tampa ... saying "Playing with Tom Brady, that by itself is enticing."

The two would be a hell of a backfield duo ... Tom at age 43, has 14 Pro Bowl selections, while Peterson, at age 35, has seven.

Also, for as good as Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were in the Super Bowl ... neither has fully established themselves as Tampa's bell cow, leaving the door wide open for Peterson touches next season.

So, what do ya say, Bruce?!

By the way, in between preparing for the offseason and trying to link up with Tom next year ... Adrian is doing some amazing charity work, putting on an auction to help former NFL player Chester Pitts give back in Houston.

Peterson and his wife, Ashley, are donating gowns, sports memorabilia and so much more to help out Pitts' Carson Parke org. that was put in place by the ex-NFLer to assist underserved and at-risk foster youth.

Kansas City Chiefs linebackers coach Britt Reid has been suspended from the team ... as police investigate his involvement in a bad car accident that left a 5-year-old girl fighting for her life.

As we previously reported, cops say Reid admitted to consuming alcohol and Adderall before a bad 3-car crash around 9 PM Thursday night that left a child in critical condition.

The child's family members say the girl suffered major brain damage in the accident ... including swelling and internal bleeding. She has not woken up since the crash.

Reid -- who did not travel with the Chiefs to Super Bowl LV in Tampa this past weekend -- has officially been placed on administrative leave, the team announced Tuesday.

"We remain in the process of gathering information on the incident, and we will continue to assist local authorities as requested," the team said in a statement.

"Our focus remains on Ariel Young and her family. We have reached out to the family to offer our support and resources to them during this difficult time, and we will continue to pray for her recovery."

WWE Superstar The Miz says Bad Bunny better think twice before entering the ring at WrestleMania ... telling TMZ Sports he will straight-up BREAK THE DUDE'S JAW if he even tries!!

There's major beef between the two after the Puerto Rican rap star made his wrestling debut at Royal Rumble earlier this month -- BB helped eliminate Miz and his partner, Morrison, from the match ... and hit 'em with a frog splash in the process.

We spoke with The Miz about rumors BB could team up with Damian Priest to continue his feud with M&M at WrestleMania ... and the dude has some advice for the newcomer.

"Let's put it this way," Miz tells us. "Bad Bunny is an amazing artist, right? He has a ton of people, a ton of fans. He has like 1.1 billion views on his YouTube videos, all his music videos have so many people watching."

"Stay in your lane! Like that's what you do! I'm a WWE superstar! That is what I do, that is my job! You are a musician! Be a musician!"

He didn't stop there -- "Look, he makes a lot of money being a musician. So, go do that. Keep on making that money because the fact is, if you come into the WWE ring, I'm gonna break your jaw and when I break your jaw, you're gonna need a lot of money."

Miz says the ship has sailed for BB's chances at being a WWE Superstar ... and he simply hasn't put in the time to deserve a shot at WrestleMania.

"It takes years upon years to be a WWE Superstar, to get into a WWE ring and WrestleMania. These are moments that we have that we worked for."

Miz has A LOT more to say ... and explains what happens when he first asked Bad Bunny to collab in the studio. Here's a preview:

"You don't come to my house and put your dirty shoes on my carpet. You just don't. You get thrown out the house."

The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team is apologizing for forcing the school to postpone a game after players were caught partying without COVID masks.

Here's the deal ... a bunch of UNC players celebrated Saturday night after beating Duke in a 91 to 87 victory -- and video of the after-party was posted on Snapchat, showing at least 2 star players turning up without masks on.

Obviously, we're still in the middle of a pandemic -- and large, maskless gatherings are strictly prohibited by the team.

The UNC vs. Duke rivalry is one of the most celebrated in all of sports -- and after UNC won this year, students flooded the streets of Chapel Hill to turn up.

UNC's next opponent -- the Miami Hurricanes -- saw the video and clearly felt uncomfortable sending the team out against a bunch of possibly exposed Tar Heels players They were supposed to play on Monday.

The ACC claims both teams mutually agreed to postpone the game because of the incident -- and now, the Tar Heels players are falling on the sword.

"Saturday night, a number of players and managers -- not just the ones shown on the video that was seen -- got together to celebrate our win at Duke," the team said in a statement.

"Our intention was to celebrate privately within our group. Unfortunately, we allowed several friends who are not members of the team to join the gathering. We were inside and not wearing masks, which were mistakes."

Among the players spotted in the video ... Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharp -- two of the team's best players, who combined for 27 points against Duke.

"We apologize for not adhering to the University's and Athletic Department's guidelines and apologize to Coach Williams and his staff ... We have worked too hard for 8 months doing the right thing to make those kinds of mistakes at this point in the season."

For his part, head coach Roy Williams says he "appreciated" the apology -- adding, "they realize they did make a mistake, for which they are paying a very significant price."

Okay, maybe the Super Bowl streaker deserves a little more credit than we thought ...

Yuri Andrade -- the man who broke onto the field while wearing a pink thong bathing suit -- says he came up with the idea for the stunt after seeing a prop bet that offered GREAT ODDS if someone actually ran onto the field during the SB55.

Andrade explained the whole thing during an interview with WILD 94.1 -- saying the gambling website Bovada offered +750 odds ($100 bet pays $750) so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

He called up everyone he knew and had them BET on someone storming the field -- then he got tickets to the game and recruited a buddy to serve as a decoy.

Andrade says once security was distracted by his pal -- he ran onto the field ... and the rest is history.

The 31-year-old says he also sent someone to Vegas to make the prop bet at a sportsbook there -- but he didn't identify which book took the action.

Bottom line ... Andrade says he walked away with $370,000 in profit!!

Of course, he was arrested and booked for trespassing -- but chalks the whole thing up as no big deal.

The worst part was he couldn't pick the wedgie that was up his ass while in custody because he was in handcuffs ... but he's clearly over that now.

We know what you're thinking ... is it even legal to make a bet and then personally interfere with the game to get the desired result?? We're looking into it.

But, until someone says otherwise ... tip of the cap to you, sir.

Conor McGregor is so rich, he craps gold!

Well, he probably will after taking down a gold-plated steak at Salt Bae's famous restaurant in Dubai!

The UFC superstar took his family to the Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai -- where social media's most famous slicer of meat broke out his sharpest knife to personally serve Conor.

The dish is known as the Golden Tomahawk -- which is a fancy wagyu cut wrapped in a 24-karat gold leaf.

Yes, it's edible. No, we don't know if it will actually make your dookie twinkle.

The steak is reportedly priced right around $1,000 -- but we don't know if Conor was charged the full amount. Hey, they say the wealthiest people get the most free stuff, right?!

Seems Conor has been on a spending spree ever since he took that "L" to Dustin Poirier on Fight Island at UFC 257 back on January 24. He even scooped up a fancy new Rolex, inspired by Tupac.

Dana White wouldn't tell us exactly how much Conor made for the fight -- but did say the final number was HIGH.

McGregor is expected to rake in even more cash in a trilogy fight with Poirier -- that's expected to go down around May (though nothing is confirmed yet).

Cleveland Browns stars Rashard "Hollywood" Higgins and Jedrick Wills, Jr. just caught a break in their drag racing incident ... with both players pleading guilty to lesser charges of speeding on Tuesday.

As we previously reported ... 26-year-old Higgins and 21-year-old Wills were cited for drag racing in Westlake, OH on Jan. 5 ... just days before the Browns' first playoff game in nearly 2 decades.

During the stop, police claim they found a marijuana joint in Higgins' pocket ... which the wide receiver was instructed to destroy on camera, as one cop claimed it would be "bad for press."

During Wills' stop, the lineman admitted he and Higgins were "just being d*ckheads."

While the players' attorney initially claimed they would both plead not guilty to the drag racing charges, TMZ Sports has confirmed Higgins and Wills both pleaded guilty to lesser charges of speeding.

Both players paid $250 fines to wrap things up -- which seems like a pretty good deal considering the more serious punishment they could have received if convicted on the drag racing charges.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Malik Beasley was just sentenced to 120 days in jail -- and banned from owning guns for life -- this after he pled guilty to felony threats for pointing a firearm at a family during a bizarre incident back in September.

Prosecutors in Hennepin County, Minn. say Beasley's Plymouth house was accidentally put on a "Parade of Homes" list in the fall -- which is essentially a tourist guide for impressive mansions in the area. The list caused vehicle traffic around Beasley's home to increase -- which really pissed him off, prosecutors say.

Officials say on Sept. 26, Beasley got so frustrated that he walked toward a visiting car that was near the end of his driveway and pointed a gun at it. Prosecutors say he then ordered the family inside the ride to scram.

24-year-old Beasley -- who cops say was also in possession of marijuana at the time -- was later arrested ... and ultimately charged with felony threats of violence and felony drug possession.

At a virtual court hearing back in December, Beasley pled guilty to the threats charge ... and in exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the drug charge.

At the hearing, Beasley said of his actions, "I was not in my right mind. I’m ready to move on."

Beasley returned to virtual court on Tuesday for sentencing ... and the judge ordered him to spend 120 days at a jail facility known as "The Workhouse" at Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility.

As part of the sentencing, the judge ruled Beasley will NOT have to serve the time during the NBA season ... setting a tentative May 26 date to report to the jail.

The judge also said Beasley could end up being released on electronic home monitoring if COVID-19 precautions force that move.

Beasley was also ordered to complete an anger management program and was hit with a lifetime ban on owning firearms. Beasley was also ordered to not consume any alcohol or drugs, and complete random drug testing.

Prosecutors say Beasley read a statement at the hearing, telling the court, "I am not that person. I humbly apologize for my actions."

In a statement to NBA reporter Shams Charania, Beasley's attorney, Steve Haney, said, "We are very pleased with this outcome that will allow Malik to continue working on becoming a better person and making better choices."

WNBA superstar Renee Montgomery -- a 2-time champ who sat out the 2020 season to focus on social justice work -- is retiring from pro basketball, she confirms to TMZ Sports.

"This is my 'Dear Basketball' moment," 34-year-old Montgomery said on the TMZ Sports TV Show (which she co-hosts nightly on FS1) ... "I'm gonna hang up my Kobes!"

When asked why she's stepping away now, Montgomery explained, "I just feel like there's so much momentum that I’ve created just with the things going on here in Atlanta … and I don't want to stop it."

Montgomery had one helluva career -- in college, she led UConn to a national championship in 2009 and was such a legend, the University added her to the "Huskies of Honor" (essentially the school's Hall of Fame) while she was still an active player!

She was a 1st round pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft (4th player selected) and won 2 WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx.

Montgomery was an All-Star in 2011 and won the league's 6th Woman of the Year award in 2012.

During her illustrious career, Montgomery also played with the Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm and most recently, the Atlanta Dream.

The federal agency tasked with investigating the helicopter crash that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with 7 others, will announce their findings in a Tuesday meeting -- including the probable cause of the accident.

National Transportation Safety Board will meet virtually Tuesday -- and it will be open to the public, so we'll live stream the whole thing here.

The NTSB has been working on the case ever since the aircraft -- a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter -- crashed in Calabasas on Jan 26, 2020.

As we previously reported, the NTSB initially said preliminary findings showed no outward evidence of engine failure -- and months into the investigation, officials said the pilot may have been disoriented when the aircraft was caught in deep fog.

Autopsy results showed the pilot, Ara Zobayan, was NOT on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash ... and NTSB investigators said Zobayan’s girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the accident.

The NTSB said in June it found evidence showing Zobayan thought he was ascending over the fog, when in reality, the helicopter was going downward at a high rate of speed.

In addition to revealing the likely cause of the crash, the NTSB is also expected to make flight recommendations for similar aircraft in the hopes of preventing another tragedy.

Along with Kobe and Zobayan, seven others -- including Kobe's daughter, Gianna, and friends Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Payton Chester and Sarah Chester -- perished in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash.

#RIP

Need further proof hockey players are some of the toughest people on the planet??

Vancouver Canucks winger Nils Hoglander was left a bloody mess after taking a puck to the face Monday night -- BUT HE STAYED IN THE GAME!!!

The terrifying scene all went down in the Canucks vs. Maple Leafs tilt in Toronto ... when in the first period, Jordie Benn threw a puck at the net that accidentally caught Hoglander right in the forehead.

Fortunately, Hoglander was wearing a visor ... but the force of the shot was so strong, it still cut the 20-year-old badly.

Check out the clip, Hoglander was bleeding so profusely from his nose and forehead area ... it covered his entire visor!

But, in true #HockeyGuy fashion ... Hoglander wiped it all away with his hand, and then returned to the game a short time later!!

Bad news ... Vancouver ended up losing, 3-1.