TMZ Sports - Page 50

Forget the Hall of Fame, Colin Kaepernick deserves much higher praise -- so says his ex-teammate, Takeo Spikes, who believes Kap should have his own statue inside the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

"I truly believe that he deserves some type of monument, a statue in the Smithsonian in D.C," Spikes said during an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area.

Spikes played 2 seasons with Kap and the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and 2012 ... and while he wasn't on the squad with the QB during his national anthem protests, the linebacker says he certainly appreciates what Kap did.

"The reason why I say this is because this man put everything on the line," Spikes continued.

"But I applaud him simply because he decided to take a stand. He decided to draw a line in the sand and say look, 'I can make the money, I can live a carefree life for the most part and get paid handsomely and never say a thing because I'm not affected.'"

"But he took time to look back and really just see the big picture, the spectrum when we talk about the inequalities. He decided to not only call it out, but take a stand for it."

Kaepernick began his kneeling demonstration during the national anthem in 2016 to put a spotlight on police brutality and racial injustice in America.

He parted ways with the SF 49ers after that season -- but hasn't had a legit opportunity with another NFL team since then.

Kap believes there was a concentrated effort to blackball him from the NFL because of his demonstration -- and has said for YEARS that he wants to get back in the league and play.

The NFL has since admitted it bungled the way it handled the kneeling demonstrations -- with Roger Goodell straight up saying, "We were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest."

NASCAR is clearly NOT playing around about its COVID safety rules ... it just dropped the hammer on Chip Ganassi for a violation, hitting the famed team owner with both a ban and a fine.

NASCAR officials say at a race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, Ganassi brought "a non-essential individual that was restricted from the footprint" into the competition area.

Obviously, it's a huge no-no during the pandemic ... the org is trying like hell to limit any potential spread of the coronavirus, and unauthorized guests certainly compromise that.

So, to send a stern message, NASCAR slapped Ganassi with a one-race suspension as well as a $30,000 fine.

Ganassi will have the opportunity to appeal ... but, for now, he's barred from this weekend's races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

UCLA has dismissed runner Chris Weiland from its track and cross country teams over video and text messages featuring racist and homophobic slurs.

Unclear exactly when the video was shot -- but it's bad. During the footage, which has gone viral, Weiland can be seen and heard griping to a woman about a girl he believes cheated on him.

During the conversation, which takes place at night inside of a car, Weiland bashes his lover's other man ... calling him the n-word and the homophobic f-word.

When complaining to the woman on the call, Weiland says his lover "wants to be with this f**king f****t who has no future. She's going to be with a stupid n****r who's going to be in community college all his life."

When the woman on the call urges Weiland to calm down and control his emotions, Weiland threatens to "beat the f**k" out of the other guy.

Video of the conversation was posted on Instagram this week and it BLEW UP quick -- with star UCLA athletes including gymnast Margzetta Frazier calling for the University to take swift action.

Weiland allegedly sent text messages to his ex-lover using similar offensive language. Those text messages were also posted to social media.

UCLA track coach Avery Anderson issued a statement Monday saying Weiland has been dismissed from the program.

But, Avery also confirms he was aware of the video months ago -- and suspended him -- before eventually allowing Weiland back on the track and cross country teams.

"When first learning of this a few months ago, I was disgusted and immediately suspended him indefinitely from the team," Anderson said.

So, why was he reinstated? Anderson says he wanted to give Weiland an opportunity to learn and grow from his mistakes.

"Even in my disgust, as a coach, my intentions are always to lead and educate and make the change happen that I want to see in this world. I can talk about changing the world, or I can put in the work to do so. And that is what I have done over the last few months with this individual. In January, I decided to reinstate him to the team."

Now, Anderson says he's had a change of heart.

"After team members and the athletic community expressed concern, it became clear that his continued involvement with the team is incompatible with the culture of mutual support and respect we’re fostering. I now realize that the decision to reinstate him was not the right decision, and that the action today is best for the well-being of our team."

No bikini? No deal.

Two world-class beach volleyball pros from Germany say they will boycott an upcoming tournament in Qatar over a policy that prohibits women from wearing skimpy bikinis on the court.

The women behind the boycott are 32-year-old Karla Borger and 33-year-old Julia Sude -- two respected veterans in the sport who compete for the German national team.

The two were set to play in an FIVB World Tour event in Qatar in March -- where the weather is expected to be a searing 85 degrees -- but they're bailing over the uniform policy for women in the Muslim country.

According to reports, female volleyball players have been asked to wear shirts and long pants instead of bikinis out of respect for the host country.

The Qatar Volleyball Association is making it seem like it's more of a request than a rule. It's also issued a statement saying athletes are allowed to compete in their international uniforms ... which are basically less-skimpy bikinis.

Check out the FIVB uniform guide from Oct. 2019 -- which would apply to the tourney in Qatar. It's basically a bikini with a little more coverage.

Still, the Germans aren't happy and don't want to compromise.

"We are there to do our job, but are being prevented from wearing our work clothes,” Borger reportedly told German radio station Deutschlandfunk on Sunday.

"This is really the only country and the only tournament where a government tells us how to do our job -- we are criticizing that."

There seem to be bigger issues bothering the woman than the uniform rules -- including alleged human rights violations in the country.

Vanessa Bryant is NOT HAPPY with Meek Mill over a lyric referencing Kobe's helicopter crash ... calling it straight-up "disrespectful."

The Philadelphia rapper has been under serious fire over the past week for one particular lyric in his new collab with Lil Baby which says:

"This b**ch I'm f**kin' always tell me that she love me, but she ain't ever showed me // Yeah, and if I ever lack, I'm goin' out with my chopper, it be another Kobe."

The clip ultimately got to Vanessa Bryant who sounded off on Meek -- and explained why she's so offended.

"Dear @meekmill, I find this line to be extremely insensitive and disrespectful. Period," Vanessa posted on IG ... "I am not familiar with any of your music, but I believe you can do better than this."

Bryant continued, "If you are a fan, fine, there's a better way to show your admiration for my husband. This lacks respect and tact."

WNBA star Candace Parker -- who's extremely close with the Bryant family -- immediately posted a statement supporting Vanessa.

"I'm sorry YOU and your GIRLS have to continually deal; with S**T like this," Parker said ... "It's not fair and it's not right."

"We love you and I am continually in awe in your ability to take the high [road]."

Vanessa lost her husband and her daughter, Gianna, in the Jan. 26, 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. Seven other people also perished in the crash, all of whom had a close connection to the Bryant family.

RIP

Shailene Woodley says she and NFL star Aaron Rodgers have been engaged for "a while" ... revealing she's smitten with the quarterback who she believes is just a big "nerd."

"I don't know him as a football guy," the 29-year-old "Big Little Lies" actress told Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" this week. "I know him as the nerd who wants to host 'Jeopardy!'"

"That's the dude I know. He just happens to also be very good at sports."

Woodley did not say when or how she and Rodgers first met ... but she revealed everything kicked off at some point during the pandemic.

"We met during this wacky, wacky time," Woodley said.

The surprising part about their relationship, though, is Woodley says she truly had no idea how good the 37-year-old NFL MVP is at football when she was first introduced to him.

Woodley says she had never seen a football game -- let alone been to one in person -- explaining, "I didn't really grow up with sports. Especially American sports."

But, Woodley appeared very happy with how things were going with the Packers star nonetheless ... explaining Aaron is "a wonderful, incredible human being."

By the way, Woodley says her dog is also happy the engagement is happening ... saying her future hubby is an ELITE fetch player!!

If the WWE decides to carve 4 heads into the side of a giant mountain to honor the greatest pro wrestlers in company history, The Miz says his face better be on there.

... right along with Hulk Hogan and John Cena.

And, yeah, Miz is dead serious about this -- claiming he's got the resume to back it up.

"I am the first-ever 2-time Grand Slam champion," Miz tells TMZ Sports ... "That means I've held [the WWE Championship] title twice. The Intercontinental more than twice. The United States champion twice and Tag Team Championships twice."

"I am the only one in the history of this business to be a 2-time Grand Slam champion. So in my opinion, I'm on the Mount Rushmore of WWE."

In all seriousness, Miz has had a pretty epic career since first appearing on WWE's reality show competition "Tough Enough" in 2004 ... busting his ass to become one of the top wrestlers in the world.

So, who gets the 4th spot on WWE's Mount Rushmore??

"You can select between The Rock and [Stone Cold Steve Austin] … and Ric Flair," Miz says.

Of course, there's a solid argument for a handful of other WWE legends ... from Andre the Giant to The Undertaker to The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage and more.

The Babe Ruth baseball card market is still ON FIRE!!!

Check out this rare 1933 Goudey #149 card-- signed by The Bambino himself -- that just sold for $761,100 at auction Sunday night ... more than DOUBLE the highest price ever fetched for this particular card!!!

The item was part of the legendary "Uncle Jimmy" collection -- an insane collection of ultra-rare cards that Jimmy Micioni had stashed away at his home in New Jersey since he was a kid.

Experts say Uncle Jimmy did such an amazing job preserving the cards, it's like they were printed yesterday!!

Micioni died in March 2020 at the age of 97 -- but his family has gone public with the incredibly valuable treasure trove of cards ... and they've been getting record prices at auction.

In fact, Jimmy had a SECOND signed Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #149 that sold in 2020 for $325,000 -- which was a record at the time.

The 2020 card quality was graded at a 4.5 (very good to excellent condition) and the Ruth signature on the card got a 6 grading.

The card that sold Sunday night was PSA graded 4 with an 8 on the autograph.

Final gavel price ... $761,100 -- a record for that particular card and proof the sports card market is still as hot as ever!!

The card sold through Wheatland Auctions -- which only expected the card to fetch somewhere between $300k and $600k.

Memorabilia collectors have always been fond of Babe Ruth -- remember, in 2019 someone forked over $1 MILLION for the bat he used to smack his 500th home run in 1929.

Andy Reid’s iconic face shield just reached Hall of Fame status ... 'cause the Pro Football H.O.F. just announced the Chiefs coach's COVID-19-friendly look is getting put on display in Canton!!

The Hall of Fame announced the newest addition to its "Pro Football Today Gallery" on Monday ... which will now feature the same hat and face mask the legendary coach wore throughout part of the 2020 season.

Of course, Reid became an instant meme when his shield fogged up like crazy during Week 1 of the NFL season ... which Coach later referred to as "brutal."

After the game, Reid had their equipment director, Allen Wright, fix the issue with an anti-fogging product. He eventually switched to wearing a face mask in order to meet newly introduced league protocols.

The Hall points out it's the same mask Reid wore as he secured his 230th win as a coach during Week 9 ... when he moved into 5th place all time.

Julio Urias' dad just made sure he'll NEVER forget his son's World Series win ... the star pitcher's pops just commemorated the Dodgers' title with a HUGE tat -- and it's awesome!

The artist who did the work -- Andres Ortega Rojas -- revealed the piece Sunday night ... showing off the new, incredible ink that runs from the top of Julio's dad's shoulder to just above his elbow.

The artwork features 24-year-old Julio celebrating inside the World Series trophy ... with "World Series Champions" inscribed at the bottom.

Of course, the depiction of Julio is now a famous image ... it's the pose he struck after closing out the Tampa Bay Rays in the 9th inning of Game 6 back in October.

"It was a pleasure to tattoo the dad of Julio Urias," Ortega Rojas wrote on social media.

Urias clearly approved of the ink ... he posed for a thumbs-up pic with his dad and Ortega Rojas after the tattoo was completed.

The thing is ... Urias and the Dodgers are the favorites to win this year's championship as well -- and it's got us all wondering, is there space on the other arm for portrait #2?!

Mariners president Kevin Mather is OUT in Seattle ... the org.'s honcho has just resigned after MLB and MLBPA officials say he made "inappropriate" and "disturbing" comments about his team.

Mather joined a call with a Rotary Club earlier this month and spoke at length about his team ... and in parts of the conversation -- which surfaced on video over the weekend -- he made cracks about some of his players' and staffers' abilities to speak English.

When talking about Hisashi Iwakuma -- a former M's pitcher who just signed on to be a part of the Mariners' coaching staff -- Mather said, "Wonderful human being; his English was terrible."

Mather then brought up English-speaking abilities again later when discussing top minor league prospect Julio Rodriguez.

"Julio Rodriguez has got a personality bigger than all of you combined," Mather said. "He is loud. His English is not tremendous."

The MLBPA ripped Mather for the remarks ... saying in a scathing statement Monday the words were "highly disturbing" and "offensive."

For his part, Mather apologized vehemently in a statement of his own, saying, "There is no excuse for my behavior, and I take full responsibility for my terrible lapse in judgment."

Clearly, though, the mea culpa wasn't enough to save his job ... Mather resigned shortly after saying sorry -- with Mariners chairman John Stanton calling Mather's words inexcusable.

"There is no excuse for what was said," Stanton said, "and I won't try to make one. I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better."

The NY Rangers say allegations star player Artemi Panarin assaulted a woman in 2011 are "unfounded" -- suggesting the claims are all part of a Russian smear campaign to punish the NHL star for publicly criticizing Vladimir Putin.

Here's the deal ... on Monday, Panarin -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $81 million contract -- announced he's taking a leave of absence from the Rangers for personal reasons.

The announcement comes in the wake of a report out of Russia that Panarin beat the hell out of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel bar in Latvia in 2011.

In an on-camera interview with a Russian news outlet, Nazarov says Panarin was detained by police during the alleged 2011 incident -- and references a rumor that the NHL star paid 40,000 euros to bribe his way out of trouble.

The man behind the allegations is Andrei Nazarov -- who coached Panarin during his time in the KHL (formerly known as the Russian Superleague).

Nazarov and Panarin reportedly clashed over politics -- since Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Enter the NY Rangers ... the club says it has looked into the allegations and also spoke with Panarin and believes the whole thing is pure B.S. conjured up to ruin Panarin's career as punishment for criticizing Putin.

"Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story," the Rangers said Monday.

"This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team."

"The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations."

USA Today's NY Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano says Panarin is concerned about the safety and well-being of his family.

It’s rare for a Russian star athlete to speak out against the Russian government, but Panarin hasn’t been shy -- In a 2019 interview with a foreign publication, he sounded off on his frustration with economic structure.

"I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them," Panarin said at the time. "If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don't want to see retirees begging.”

FYI, Panarin voiced his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an IG post from January 21 ... with the caption, "Freedom for Navalny."

The Fighting Irish has announced it will NOT be a part of the new EA Sports NCAA college football video game ... saying they won't give the green light until it's clear how players will be compensated.

The new video game, which was announced earlier this month, is the first EA Sports college football game since 2013.

When EA Sports made the announcement, the company said more than 100 teams would be in the game ... however it would NOT include current rosters or images and likenesses of real college players.

At the moment, NCAA rules prohibit players from selling their NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights while they're still in school.

But, Notre Dame says they won't cooperate with EA Sports until there's a plan in place for Fighting Irish athletes to be compensated fairly.

"Notre Dame athletics welcome the return of EA Sports college football, the video game series that has historically helped promote interest in college football," AD Jack Swarbrick said.

"Notre Dame will not, however, participate in the game until such time as rules have been finalized covering the participation of our student-athletes."

The statement continued, "As those rules are developed, it is our strong desire that student athletes be allowed to benefit directly from allowing their name, image and performance history to be used in the game."

ND head coach Brian Kelly also weighed in -- saying, "We are here to support our student-athletes."

"Much like we have empowered our players when it comes to providing a platform to speak on racial inequalities & social issues that are important to them, we must support them when it comes to NIL & the work that still needs to be done."

It's obviously a big deal -- Notre Dame is arguably the biggest name in college football and has been for decades. The team finished the 2020 season ranked #4 in the country.

Cristiano Ronaldo's pet cat is down to 8 lives ... it's currently recovering in Spain after being hit by a car.

The animal, Pepe, is a hairless Sphynx cat -- the beloved family pet who travels everywhere with the Ronaldos on private jets, fancy cars and stays in mansions all over the world. Pepe has been a part of the Ronaldo family for about 2 years.

But, Pepe was badly hurt recently -- after leaving the family residence in Turin, Italy and getting run over by a car.

"It was close to death and after a month and a half in intensive care at the vet’s, we’ve decided my sister Ivana should look after it," CR7's girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez told the Spanish magazine InStyle.

"Pepe’s now in Spain recovering ... now he's in the best hands."

Sphynx cats only have an average lifespan of 8 to 14 years ... and it sounds like the Ronaldos are doing everything they can to help little Pepe get to double digits.

Arizona Cardinals tackle Marcus Gilbert and his former beauty queen fiancee, Madison Gesiotto, tied the knot at a star-studded ceremony over the weekend ... and holy crap, have you seen their cake?!?!

The couple -- who got engaged back in July 2020 -- hosted their closest family and friends as they got hitched in Canton, Ohio on Saturday ... and it looked like one heck of a party.

Gilbert's NFL friends like the Pouncey twins and Carlos Dunlap showed up for the bash ... and there's no way anyone left on an empty stomach.

Folks in attendance were served with chicken piccata and risotto, which is nice and all ... but the REAL takeaway is the black and gold 9-layer cake that was served for dessert!!

The cake featured the couple's "MG" initials on top ... as well as "The Gilberts" and the date of their wedding, February 20, 2021, near the base.

What's equally impressive?? The whole party got in on a Hora chair dance during the reception -- including Gilbert, who is reportedly 6'6", 330 pounds!!

Of course, Gesiotto is former Miss Ohio USA 2014 ... and went on to become a political analyst. She is well-known for her support of the Republican party and President Donald Trump.

Gilbert has been in the NFL since 2011 ... and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers until 2019, when he joined the Cardinals.

Oklahoma wide receiver Spencer Jones, who played in every game for the Sooners this past season, nearly lost his eye in a violent altercation in a bar bathroom earlier this month.

The wild scrap was all caught on video ... and the footage is insane, showing Jones and another man getting in a fistfight on Valentine's weekend at Logies on the Corner in Norman, OK.

It's unclear what started the fight ... the video picks up with Jones and another person arguing with two men.

In the clip, you can hear Jones tell one of the men repeatedly, "Get the f*** out of here!" before he takes several punches to the face.

Jones is then thrown on the ground, punched some more, and ultimately put into a chokehold.

A separate fistfight, meanwhile, also broke out while Jones and the other man were wrestling on the ground.

The commotion was eventually broken up ... but Jones suffered serious damage in the melee -- with his attorney, Woodrow "Woody" Glass, telling OUDaily.com the Sooners' redshirt senior almost lost his eye.

Glass said Jones had to undergo a lengthy surgery to fix his issues ... adding doctors told Jones and his family afterward the football player was "extraordinarily lucky" to still have his eye.

As for what started the fight, Glass said Jones was simply trying to play peacemaker and ended up being the victim of an assault.

We've reached out to cops in Norman to see if a police investigation is underway, but so far, no word back yet.