TMZ Sports - Page 50

Josh Jacobs has officially put his January car accident in Las Vegas behind him ... the NFL star's lawyers say he's no longer facing any legal drama after he paid a fine and completed community service.

The 23-year-old Raiders star running back was staring down big-time trouble after he crashed his 6-figure Acura NSX on Jan. 4 at around 4:42 AM near the Vegas airport.

Cops had initially arrested him and believed he was drunk behind the wheel before the wreck.

But, prosecutors say evidence showed his blood-alcohol level was below the legal limit ... and only hit him with a misdemeanor count of Duty of Driver to Decrease Speed Under Certain Circumstances over the incident.

Jacobs' attorneys told the Associated Press Josh closed out the case Monday by paying a $500 fine and mentoring at a Boys & Girls Club.

As for the injuries Josh suffered in the accident ... they appear to be going away as well -- the running back posted a picture of his face just a few weeks ago, and the gash on his forehead is clearly healing nicely.

Les Miles is OUT at KU ... the school parted ways with the head coach Monday, just days after a report revealed he had been accused of sexual misconduct during his time at LSU.

The report -- which was released by LSU last week to show its findings of how the school had handled past sexual misconduct allegations -- was alarming.

In the docs, investigators say Miles was accused of inappropriately messaging female students, requiring females in his football program to be attractive, and even driving one of the students to his condo and kissing them.

Miles -- who was head man at LSU from 2005 to 2016 and was later hired by the Jayhawks in 2018 -- had denied the kissing allegations ... but KU placed the coach on administrative leave anyway last Friday following the report's publishing.

And, just 3 days later, the school announced it was officially parting ways with the coach.

"I am extremely disappointed for our university, fans and everyone involved with our football program," the school's athletic director, Jeff Long, said in a statement. "There is a lot of young talent on this football team, and I have no doubt we will identify the right individual to lead this program."

Added Miles, "This is certainly a difficult day for me and for my family. I love this university and the young men in our football program. I have truly enjoyed being the head coach at KU and know that it is in a better place now than when I arrived."

Three people attempted to break into Kenta Maeda's L.A.-area home Sunday night, but fortunately for the star MLB pitcher, his alarm system thwarted the suspects before they could get in.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... at around 7:19 PM, three people smashed in windows at Maeda's Santa Monica residence, trying to gain entry to the place.

But, we're told the trio was NOT able to get into the home ... after they were scared off by a home security system.

We're told the alarm company notified cops ... and it appears nobody was home at the time of the attempted break-in.

Cops tell us they've since launched an investigation into the incident.

Maeda is coming off his best season as a pro -- in his 1st year with the Minnesota Twins in 2020, he piled up a 6-1 record and a 2.70 ERA and finished 2nd in the AL Cy Young vote to Shane Bieber.

Maeda began his MLB career with the L.A. Dodgers ... winning 47 games in four seasons before the team traded him to Minnesota in 2020.

Pepe Le Pew was never meant to be interpreted as rape-y, but the times have caught up with him to make it seem that way ... so says the daughter of the guy who first drew him.

Linda Jones -- whose father, Chuck Jones, is credited as the creator and original animator of Pepe and other Looney Tunes -- tells TMZ she strongly disagrees with the notion the suave skunk contributed to rape culture, as suggested in an NYT op-ed.

On the contrary, Linda says she doesn't think anyone who ever watched Pepe was inspired to go out and rape, or even harass, people. She gets pretty literal, saying Pepe never raped another character on the show -- which, okay ... that's a given.

Still, LJ just doesn't think Pepe should be canceled or shelved over this -- because the OG running gag with him was never meant to be predatory ... she says it was more about how much he stunk as a suitor, despite thinking he was desirable.

She does admit Pepe's grabby approach toward Penelope Pussycat certainly doesn't look good by today's standards ... but insists folks who were watching him in the '50s, '60s and '70s were NOT thinking of that dynamic as normalizing rape culture.

Perhaps that was wrong or ignorant of audiences back then, she muses, but that just wasn't the vibe, nor the intention -- as she explains her pops, Chuck, was a super liberal dude, and was never out to hurt people. Linda says the purpose of Pepe was pure comedy.

As for axing Pepe from the new 'Space Jam' movie entirely ... Linda tells us that's Warner Bros.'s prerogative -- and that if they choose to give him a break for a while, so be it.

She did suggest something interesting to rebrand Pepe and capture the spirit her father intended -- write him as a perpetual job-seeker who keeps getting rejected, but constantly changes up his routine thinking he's the perfect candidate.

Rob Gronkowski's gettin' in on the EXPLODING digital sports memorabilia market ... the NFL superstar is releasing his own limited edition, virtual trading cards.

TMZ Sports talked to 31-year-old Gronk ... and the 4x Super Bowl champ broke the news on his new side hustle.

RG -- with biz partners Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig -- linked up with artist Black Madre, Gronk's good friend ... and created 5 (very limited) trading cards.

But, no cardboard here -- the cards are part of a digital collection Rob's calling his Championship Series NFT Collection.

NFT stands for non-fungible token -- essentially a digital card that can't be duplicated -- and Gronk believes they're the future of the trading card world.

"I think having digital trading cards now is just gonna be unique and it's gonna blow it out of the water. Actual trading cards, I think will always be there, but I think it's leading towards a way where everything's digital."

Trading cards (and all sports memorabilia) have blown up over the last few years. In fact, a 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors Kobe Bryant rookie card just sold for $1.8 million.

Rob -- starting Thursday at 7 PM ET on crypto marketplace, OpenSea.io -- is dropping 5 cards featuring original, hand-drawn artwork ... celebrating his Super Bowl XLIX, LI, LIII, and LV championships.

Each SB card comes in only 87 editions (Rob's jersey #) ... with the exception of the 5th card -- the holy grail -- a Career Highlight Refractor Card signed by Gronk.

If that wasn't cool enough ... the winner of that card will have an opportunity to go to a Bucs game next season and meet Gronk, in-person.

“It’s unacceptable, obviously. It's heartbreaking to hear what [Meghan Markle] went through, what she’s still going through.”

That's Leon Edwards -- one of the baddest MMA fighters alive -- who is also a Black man that was raised and still lives in the United Kingdom ... commenting on Markle's shocking allegations during her interview with Oprah.

Of course, Markle told Winfrey that someone in the Royal Family had conversations about baby Archie's skin color ... implying it might be too dark for the role of Prince.

TMZ Sports talked to 29-year-old Edwards -- who moved to England as a 9-year-old -- about the allegations of racism made by MM.

“[Meghan's] a new mom, know what I mean? Just got married. This should be a fun time in her life. Should be enjoying her family, enjoying her baby, but this is what she has to deal with," Edwards says.

"I think that’s part of the UK. There's racism, but it’s very hush racism, right? It’s not like in America, there’s blatant racism sometimes. But, in the UK, it’s like very down low racism, but it's there, and it's sad to see in 2021.”

We asked Leon if the Royal Family was in need of major changes given the allegations ... and he said it's absolutely time.

“You can’t keep an old monarchy in 2021. You can’t do that. They need to come up to date with the times. Hopefully, like I said, I wish [Meghan] well, and she can get through it.”

BTW, Edwards has a huge fight Saturday against Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 187. We talked to him about his next move ... and whether he still has beef with Jorge Masvidal.

The NFL's biggest offseason storyline finally has an ending ... Dak Prescott has reached a long-term contract agreement with the Dallas Cowboys -- and dude just got PAAAAAIIIDDD!!!

The 27-year-old superstar has agreed to a 4-year, $160 MILLION deal with Dallas ... and, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it includes a league-record of $126 million guaranteed.

Schefter also reports Prescott will make $42 million per season in the first 3 years of the deal ... and could make a total of $164 million with incentives.

Prescott's signing bonus is $66 million and he has a no-trade clause in the deal, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added.

The money is huge and it's sure to create salary cap drama for Dallas ... but it's still welcome news for the Cowboys and their fans regardless.

Dak and Dallas tried to get a deal done all last offseason ... but couldn't make it happen -- reportedly quarreling over the length of the prospective contract.

Prescott played on the franchise tag last season ... and it seemed the two sides were possibly headed for yet another franchise tag season this year after negotiations still dragged on the last few months.

Rheal Cormier -- a longtime MLB reliever and a Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer -- died Monday after a battle with cancer, MLB confirmed.

He was 53-years-old.

The left-handed pitcher threw for several teams over his 16-year MLB career ... but had his most notable season as a pro with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003, going 8-0 with a 1.70 ERA.

Cormier ultimately pitched for the Phils, Cardinals, Red Sox, Expos and Reds ... and finished his career with a 71-64 record and a 4.03 ERA.

Details surrounding his cancer diagnosis and subsequent battle with the disease are unclear ... but several of his former teammates were crushed to hear the news of his passing Monday.

"RIP 'Frenchy' ... Rheal Cormier lost his battle with cancer," Dan Plesac said on Twitter. "One of my all time favorite teammates. Big heart, spent 2yrs sitting next to him in the @Phillies bullpen (2002-2003)."

"He made everyone he played with better...keep throwing that 3-2 splitter in heaven. RIP my friend."

Added Jim Thome, "Rheal was one of the most vibrant people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing."

"He loved baseball, but he always put his family first. Frenchy was the kind of guy who would do anything for you and I’m lucky to have called him my friend for many years."

"Our time spent together in Philadelphia as teammates was unforgettable. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten."

Cormier -- who grew up in Canada -- was a 6th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988. He later made his first appearance with the team at the big-league level in 2003.

He ultimately pitched for Team Canada in two Olympics ... and was inducted into the country's baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Creighton head coach Greg McDermott is making his return to the bench this week ... one game after he was suspended for making a racially insensitive comment in a post-game speech last week.

As we previously reported, McDermott admitted to using a "plantation" analogy after a 77-69 loss to Xavier on Feb. 27 ... saying, "Guys, we got to stick together. We need both feet in. I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can't have anybody leave the plantation."

McDermott apologized for the comment -- he even offered to resign from his position -- and was suspended from the team last Thursday.

The school has officially ended that punishment on Monday ... with Creighton AD Bruce Rasmussen saying McDermott "demonstrated a commitment to growth" in the days following the incident.

"I believe his apology, his commitment to grow from this, to learn, and regain the trust of his student-athletes and others impacted by his words," Rasmussen said.

The school says McDermott will also participate in a program with the Racial Equity Institute, which helps educate people on racism in institutional and structural settings.

One person is so confident Josh Allen's breakout season was not a fluke ... they just invested nearly a quarter of a million dollars into the Bills star's rarest rookie card!!

The guys at Goldin Auctions say a 1-of-1, signed Allen piece just sold for $210,330 ... a staggering number (the highest price tag ever for an Allen card) considering the QB has only made 1 Pro Bowl in his first three years in the league.

But, the gamble could pay off ... Josh's growth in year 3 in the NFL was so big, he has the potential to be a future MVP -- which could make the card explode in value.

The piece is perhaps the most unique Allen rookie card ever created -- it features an NFL logo jersey patch as well Josh's signature in bold, blue ink.

The card has a MINT 9 grading, while the autograph has been given a perfect 10 grading by Beckett. The back of the card Topps card certifies the whole 1-of-1 package is the real deal.

Of course, if Allen regresses in year 4 in Buffalo ... it could be a tough loss.

A signed ticket from Kobe Bryant’s epic last NBA game ever -- when Mamba dropped 60 points -- just sold for over $40K at auction!!

The April 13, 2016 game will never be forgotten ... Bryant had one of the greatest final performances in sports history.

Then 37-year-old Mamba single-handedly delivered his Los Angeles Lakers team to victory over the Utah Jazz -- scoring 15 of the team's final 17 points.

Kobe -- who knocked down big shot after big shot -- finished the game with 60 points ... capping off his 20-year, Hall of Fame career.

A ticket from the game (section 302, Row 2W, Seat 2) was on the auction block at Goldin Auctions ... and after 42 bids, it ultimately sold for $40,590.

The identity of the buyer is not known.

What's interesting ... the Staples Center attendance for Kobe's last game was listed at 18,997. Now, all those tickets obviously weren't adorned with Kobe's signature.

Cubs, Diamondbacks ... and fighting geese?!

An MLB spring training game featured all of the above on Sunday ... and the video from the diamond was wild!!

During Chicago's tilt with Arizona at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz. ... some geese decided to crash the party in the outfield, and one of the birds bit the hell out of another!!

Check out footage the Diamondbacks' broadcast team shot ... you can see a goose flew at another and ripped feathers straight out of its backside.

Later in the game, a goose plopped down next to Cubs outfielder Rafael Ortega ... and, given the events that had taken place earlier, you can tell the dude wasn't exactly thrilled to have the bird so close to him!!

Of course, spring training and uninvited feathered friends aren't exactly new ... remember when Randy Johnson drilled a dove with a fastball in 2001??

Michael Jordan’s signed, game-worn Air Jordan 1’s are on the auction block ... but the coolest part about the kicks is the backstory -- ‘cause MJ used the J’s to recruit an H.S. hooper to UNC.

According to MEARS Auctions -- the peeps behind the sale -- there was a grandma in the mid-1980s who had a grandson who could ball his ass off.

He was one of the best players in the nation, and tons of schools -- including Jordan's alma mater, the University of North Carolina -- pulled out all the stops while recruiting him.

Legendary UNC coach Dean Smith personally visited grandma -- who was very tight with her grandson -- and he didn't hesitate to use his secret weapon ... Michael Jordan.

Of course, Jordan was a superstar at UNC. In 1981, he was the ACC Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, he hit the NCAA Tournament-winning shot against Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown squad.

MJ left Chapel Hill after his junior year ... and was the 3rd overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft (s/o Sam Bowie 😬).

Coach Smith arranged a meeting between granny and MJ ... and in early 1985, she traveled to Chi-town for a Bulls game.

After the game, grandma was escorted to a private area of Chicago Stadium ... where Jordan -- still in his white and red uniform -- approached her.

Michael pitched grandma on the awesomeness of UNC ... passionately explaining why her grandson should play in Chapel Hill.

Before MJ bounced, he removed his Air Jordan 1's -- left shoe size 13, right size 13.5 -- signed both sneakers, and gave them to grandma.

Now, the AJ 1 ain't just any old shoe ... it's one of the most iconic ever created, and is credited in part with giving birth to sneaker culture.

Grandma held on to the kicks for 35 years ... before passing away. The sneakers were then gifted to an unknown person -- who put them on the block at MEARS.

Unfortunately, the consignor does not want the identity of the player revealed ... but we do know that MJ's hard sell did NOT work.

The grandson ultimately decided to play ball at another university.

Now you can own the historic pair of J's -- with the crazyyy backstory -- if ya have the money.

Auction ends this Saturday ... best of luck!!

The NBA All-Star Game did NOT turn into a super-spreader for COVID-19 ... with league officials saying there were ZERO new cases throughout the weekend.

Remember, there was great concern over hosting all the league's best players in one city during a global pandemic ... with players from LeBron James to De'Aaron Fox expressing their concerns leading up to the event.

But, the league says all the festivities went off without a hitch in Atlanta ... announcing all testing for players, coaches and officials came back negative throughout the weekend.

In fact, the Association says all participants were tested 3 TIMES to make sure there were no on-court infections, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

As for the game, Team LeBron beat Team Durant 170-150 in a crazy, highlight-filled matchup ... with Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo taking MVP honors after going 16-for-16 from the field.

COVID-19 protocols did play a bit of a role in the game, as Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons were pulled before tip-off due to contact tracing.

Now, the players have a few days off before the second half of the season picks up later this week.

Hopefully, the trend continues the same for the rest of the season.

Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades AND the NBA Dunk Contest ... 'cause Blazers guard Anfernee Simons took home the top honors Sunday night after nearly kissing the rim!!!

The 21-year-old edged out Knicks rookie Obi Toppin and Pacers rookie Cassius Stanley to win it all during halftime of the All-Star Game ... showing off his INSANE hops in the process.

Simons' first dunk may have been the most creative of the night -- he grabbed the ball off a mini hoop 2 feet higher than the rim and brought it home for the slam.

There was a bit of controversy in the first round -- many believed Stanley's between-the-legs slam deserved a better score ... but ultimately, scored lowest out of the first three dunks.

Simons' second dunk was a tribute to one of his idols, Tracy McGrady -- throwing on a T-Mac throwback Raptors jersey for a one-bounce 360 dunk, which was good enough to earn him a spot in the finals.

Simons secured the win after his lips came within inches of the rim on his last attempt ... and even though his goal was to actually make contact with the rim, but at least it was enough to take home the hardware.

"In practice, I never actually kissed the rim, but I was like ... 'I gotta commit to it,'" Simons told the media after the contest.

"I tried to put a mouthpiece in last-minute, but it didn't fit in my mouth. I just scratched, and I'm just going to emphasize the smooch face so people know I'm next to the rim and trying to kiss it."

Kyle Larson was back in NASCAR's victory lane Sunday for the first time since he publicly used the n-word ... and Bubba Wallace was one of the 1st people to congratulate the guy.

Just 11 months after Larson infamously dropped the slur during a virtual race last April ... the 28-year-old smoked the field to win the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas.

And, not only was Bubba waiting for him on the winner's stage to give him a handshake and a hug ... the most famous Black driver in NASCAR also said he was "proud and happy" for Larson afterward.

"Told him way to keep his head thru it all!" Wallace said of Larson's win. "We all knew it was a matter of time.."

Added Larson, "It meant a lot to have Bubba come to victory lane ... He said congrats. He's always believed in me. So that was special."

As we previously reported, Larson faced tremendous backlash after a hot mic caught him using the n-word on a live race stream in April 2020.

He was fired from his racing team, dropped by major sponsors and suspended by NASCAR over it all.

Larson -- who apologized vehemently for the incident and insisted he was not racist -- was reinstated by NASCAR in October ... and was signed by Hendrick Motorsports a short time later.

Sunday's race was just Larson's fourth with the new team.

Bubba, meanwhile, has supported Larson from the start of the entire drama ... saying at the time of the incident, "I am not mad at him, and I believe that he, along with most people deserve second chances."