TMZ Sports - Page 50

"There was a time that I played a game with a guy that was drunk in the huddle."

That's ex-NFL quarterback Jon Kitna claiming a WR for the Cincinnati Bengals was hammered during a game ... and still managed to rack up nearly 200 yards receiving.

Kitna spelled out the situation while appearing on the "The Ryen Russillo Podcast" earlier this week ... describing an unnamed Bengals teammate who was clearly struggling with alcohol.

"He was drunk and had close to 200 yards receiving now. So, it was crazy."

Kitna -- who played for the Bengals from 2001 to 2005 -- didn't reveal WHEN the incident took place ... but suggested the boozy game was not uncommon for that particular player.

"That was kind of his normal."

In the past few years, several prominent NFL players have admitted to drinking alcohol before taking the field ... with Clinton Portis saying he used liquor as a form of pain management.

Patrick Mahomes' fiancee, Brittany Matthews, just introduced the world to the couple's newborn baby girl in a precious video ... and the little Mahomes is ADORABLE!!!

Brittany revealed the first-ever public images of Sterling Skye Mahomes Wednesday evening ... showing Matthews' journey from early pregnancy to motherhood in a workout montage.

The video is super cute ... it begins with Brittany doing hip thrusters at 24 weeks pregnant -- and then progresses into Brittany doing hip thrusters with little Sterling on her chest months later.

Brittany captioned the clip, "The most amazing journey, to bring the biggest blessing into our life. Baby girl, we love you!"

As we previously reported, the K.C. Chiefs' star quarterback and his fiancee's first baby was born on Feb. 20.

Brittany made the public announcement a day later, saying the little girl came out 6 lbs and 11 ounces!!!

FYI -- Patrick and Brittany have been dating for YEARS -- they connected way back in high school and got engaged at the Chiefs' Super Bowl ring ceremony in Sept. 2020.

The couple is still trying to lock down a wedding date amid the pandemic ... but something tells us they've got their hands full focusing on little Sterling at the moment!

Chris Harrison's 'Bachelor' host replacement, Emmanuel Acho, isn't down with Chris being canceled, but he's not fully endorsing his return to the show either.

Acho has a super interesting take on the controversy involving Harrison -- which as we've reported, began when Chris tried defending Rachael Kirkconnell to Rachel Lindsay for attending an Antebellum South party in 2018.

Emmanuel told Stephen Colbert on Wednesday's 'Late Show' that Harrison is taking accountability for his actions, and suggests he's doing everything right to make amends ... but he stopped short of saying Chris should get his job back.

Instead, Acho says there needs to more consideration about whether this would be the best move -- not just for Harrison ... but for the producers, the cast, and the 'Bachelor' franchise as a whole.

Of course, Emmanuel's in a unique position here too -- he's filling in for Chris for the "After the Final Rose" special next week ... after "The Bachelor" finale, in which Matt James will potentially choose a bride, and Kirkconnell is one of the finalists.

"I will cut up your family ... Dismember [them] alive."

Federal prosecutors say a sports gambler sent this threat and other heinous ones to MLB players over social media back in 2019 ... and now, the guy is facing up to 5 years in prison over it all.

The man's name is Benjamin Tucker Patz, a 24-year-old from Napa, Calif. who federal investigators claim is a sports better who made violent threats to professional athletes during and after their games.

According to a plea agreement between Patz and prosecutors, Patz pled guilty on Wednesday to one count of sending a threat across state lines.

Prosecutors say he sent disturbing messages to both the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on July 20, 2019.

In the docs, prosecutors say toward the end of the Sox-Rays game ... Patz went on Instagram and fired off messages that included threats to "sever" a player's neck.

Some of the messages prosecutors say Patz sent included, "I will enter your home while you sleep ... And sever your neck open."

Others, prosecutors say, read, "I will kill your entire family ... Everyone you love will soon cease."

The maximum sentence Patz is facing is up to 5 years behind bars ... but prosecutors agreed to recommend a lighter sentence based on Patz’s acceptance of responsibility.

Still, the final sentence will be up to the judge.

A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, prosecutors said.

There's more ... in other documents in the case, obtained by the Associated Press, investigators claim Patz also sent threats to the Rams and Patriots after their Super Bowl in '19.

The older sister of tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has announced her retirement from the sport ... saying she's just not having fun.

24-year-old Mari Osaka made her pro debut in 2011, according to the WTA website. She cracked the WTA's Top 1,000 ranking list in 2012 and made it all the way up to #280 in 2018.

But, she never really caught fire on the court -- failing to win a major tournament during her career. She's currently ranked #340 in the world and has only amassed $93,055 in career prize money.

Her sister Naomi has made close to $20 MILLION in prize money with signature victories over superstars like Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady.

Mari Osaka last competed in an International Tennis Federation tournament in Georgia back in January ... and has since decided to hang up her racket for good.

"I am retired from playing tennis," Mari announced on social media.

"It was a journey which I didn’t enjoy ultimately but I’m grateful for all the memories and support I’ve gained and received over the years from the sport."

"I’m moving on now so you can look forward to new fun projects upcoming in the future."

Mari and Naomi have a pretty tight relationship -- with Naomi playfully teasing Mari at the Australian Open back in February ... writing a message for everyone to see which read, "Mari stop sending weird images in the groupchat!"

So, what's next for Mari? She's big into fashion -- and most recently whipped up some cool designer COVID masks to raise money for UNICEF.

X League star running back Tamika Robinson taught her teammate a very valuable lesson this week -- GET LOW OR GET RAN OVER!!!

The best part -- the lesson was all caught on video at Chicago Blitz mini-camp!!!

Check out the footage from one of the reps of the violent Oklahoma-style drill ... Robinson read her block, met her teammate in the hole, and then lowered a shoulder that would make Earl Campbell proud!!

Don't worry, her teammate appeared to be fine ... but watch her coach's celebration of the hit afterward!!

Sidney Lewis, the guy in charge of leading the Blitz in the X League's inaugural season this year, was so pumped, he tripped, but casually somersaulted his way out of the fall!

FYI -- the X League, which has tapped Mike Ditka to be its chairman, begins on June 12 ... and it's promising to be one of the best women's tackle football leagues in the U.S.

Meyers Leonard is wasting no time making good on his vow to educate himself about the Jewish community in the wake of his anti-Semitic incident ... TMZ Sports has learned the NBA player has already been in contact with multiple Jewish organizations and Jewish leaders.

We've spoken with multiple people connected to Leonard and reps from several high-profile Jewish orgs. and everyone is essentially saying the same thing ... nobody wants Leonard to be "canceled," they want to help him learn and grow from this experience.

As we previously reported, Leonard was live-streaming during a 'Call of Duty' video game sesh on Monday and used the anti-semitic K-word to insult an opponent. Video of the incident surfaced on Tuesday and things escalated quickly.

Leonard issued an apology saying he was "deeply sorry" -- and insisting he was "committed to properly seeking out people who can help educate me about this type of hate and how we can fight it."

We've learned the people who have since been in contact with Leonard are leaders in different parts of the Jewish community from rabbis to Holocaust survivors ... even NFL star Julian Edelman, who publicly reached out to Leonard on social media and invited him to a Shabbat dinner.

The impression Leonard is leaving on people so far is that he is genuinely sorry and is committed to doing the work to educate himself about why the K-word is offensive and dangerous.

... and yeah, we're told Leonard is seriously considering taking Edelman up on his Shabbat dinner offer.

One important point ... all of the people we've spoken with are telling us the focus is on getting results, not publicity, which is why we're not naming the orgs. he's been in contact with.

Dana White is CONVINCED Jake Paul is gonna get his ass whooped when he steps in the ring to fight Ben Askren ... and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is!

“I hope you can bet on this thing because I will bet ONE MILLION DOLLARS that he loses this f**king fight," White said on the "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" Podcast.

"I bet a million dollars that he loses this fight!"

White just simply ain't convinced Jake has what it takes to beat an accomplished professional fighter like Ben Askren ... who's 19-2 as an MMA fighter.

Askren's strength is his wrestling -- not his striking -- but White doesn't think it matters ... he's predicting a massacre when they finally clash on April 17.

"Let’s be honest, Jake Paul isn’t a f**king boxer. This guy is a fucking YouTube kid," White added.

Paul is 2-0 in his boxing career with a violent KO over ex-NBA star Nate Robinson ... and he's been training with ex-boxing star Zab Judah, who defended Jake on the podcast.

"Dana I watched him, he’s been working hard, Dana. I have seen him put it together," Zab said.

Judah added ... "He’s got hands. I am not joking.”

The clip went viral almost immediately and ended up in front of Jake who was VERY amused and is now challenging White to INCREASE the bet to $2 MILLION!!!

"Dana let’s double the bet up! $2 Million," Jake said.

"We wire the money into escrow. $4 million total. Winner takes all. My team will be in touch to make a contract."

Meyers Leonard is getting an olive branch from at least some in the Jewish community -- a group called "Jew in the City" wants to work with the Heat player, instead of canceling him.

We got "Jew in the City" founder Allison Josephs in NYC Wednesday during a protest in front of NBC, which we'll get to in a moment -- but right off the bat, we asked her about Leonard's anti-Semitic slur incident.

Allison's actually pretty merciful, saying the guy should get a second chance, as long as he's willing to learn what the epithet he used really means to Jews ... and to learn more about Jewish people, in general.

She suggests Meyers actually meet with some Jewish folks. As we reported, Patriots star Julian Edelman's already reached out to him, and Allison believes that's the right approach in these situations.

Speaking of educating the masses ... the group was demonstrating at 30 Rock as part of its campaign to correct inaccurate depictions of Orthodox Jews on NBC shows like "Nurses" and 'Law & Order: SVU.'

You might've heard about the "Nurses" fiasco recently -- which forced NBC to yank the episode in question entirely after it was accused of rehashing anti-Semitic tropes. Welp, Allison says that's nothing new, and points to a Season 9 SVU episode that's just as cringeworthy.

"You know I contracted COVID a little over a week ago ... and uh, s**t ain't been going f**king good for me."

That's UFC rising star Jamahal Hill explaining why his main event fight against Paul Craig has been postponed -- detailing a bloody bout with COVID-19.

The 29-year-old undefeated fighter (8-0) is coming off a big victory over Ovince Saint Preux and was slated to headline the big UFC on ESPN card on March 20 against the #14 ranked light heavyweight Paul Craig (14-4-1).

But, Hill revealed he was recently diagnosed with coronavirus -- and it's taking a heavy toll on his body.

"I started out with a fever and I've been dealing with all types of symptoms ever since then," Hill said in an emotional video posted Wednesday ... "Chest tightness, chest congestion, my breathing is off."

"Even as recent as yesterday, I was coughing ... I coughed up blood. I coughed up, spit some mucus out and it was blood inside of it."

Despite his condition,  Hill sounded off on Craig for the way he broke the news to his fans on social media ... when Craig said, "Fight has been cancelled due to Hill pulling out."

Hill felt Craig's description made it seem like he had a choice -- when in fact, the decision was out of his hands the moment he tested positive for the virus.

"It's my health," Hill said in his video ... "My health is in question. That's gonna get my undivided attention. That's my work. That's my job. My job is to make sure my body is okay and my body is good and able to perform and do what it does."

"So for Paul Craig to even sit up and say I pulled out and even make it seem like that like its any type of fear in my heart. That's disrespectful as f**k to me and you gonna feel that s**t. Real talk."

Broadcasting legend Joe Tait -- voice of the Cleveland Cavaliers for 39 seasons -- has died after battles with kidney failure and liver cancer. He was 83 years old.

Tait joined the Cavs radio team for the inaugural season in 1970 ... and stayed on the mic nearly every year until his retirement in 2011.

Tait was known for his signature calls over the years -- including the Miracle in Richfield in 1976, when the Cavs won their first playoff series.

He was also known for his classic opener and sign-off -- "It's basketball time at ..." and "This is Joe Tait. Have a good night, everybody!"

Tait was recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, when he received the Curt Gowdy Media Award ... which is given to outstanding writers and broadcasters.

Cleveland also honored Tait with a commemorative banner at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse prior to his departure from the team ... which hangs in the rafters alongside the retired jerseys.

The Cavs released a statement Wednesday afternoon ... saying, "The Cleveland Cavaliers mourn the passing of one of our beloved founding fathers and the original, long-time voice of the franchise – Joe Tait."

"A friend and mentor to many over the years, Joe Tait wasn’t just a member of the Cavaliers family; he was a part of the Cavs story like no one else and his voice and unique, candid perspective reverberates throughout the team’s history. He will be dearly missed."

Tait spoke about his life in an interview published just days ago ... saying, "I’m not afraid to die," he told The Plain Dealer.

"I do wonder what happens after you die. If anything does. I’m curious to find out. I do know I’ve had a good life. Lots of people have been great to me."

RIP.

Dak Prescott says he's healthy and ready to ball out for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 ... and thanked Alex Smith for giving him hope after suffering his gruesome ankle injury.

The 27-year-old QB was all smiles at his big contract signing event with Jerry Jones on Wednesday -- and for good reason, he just signed a 4-year deal worth up to $164 million!!!

But, the big question on everyone's mind ... will Dak be 100% when he takes the field in September after that horrific compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle he suffered during the 2020 season???

The short answer ... Dak says he'll be good to go!

"I thought about jogging out here, jumping up on the stage," Dak joked ... "I don't know if y'all ready for that but I'm healthy."

Dak wouldn't say if he's 100% recovered at this point -- but noted, "I'll be ready when it matters."

That's when Dak acknowledged the role Alex Smith played in his recovery -- saying the QB provided hope and inspiration as he worked his way back.

"I have to thank, honestly, Alex Smith because at that moment when you're sitting there with an injury like that or you come out of surgery, to see somebody who's already done it and did it actually in worse circumstances ... that allowed my mind to go straight to, 'Hey I can do this. I'm gonna beat this! It's just a matter of time.'"

Smith's story is well documented -- he also suffered a nasty compound fracture during the 2018 season and the injury was so bad, doctors came very close to amputating his right leg above the knee.

But, after 17 surgeries and hundreds of hours of rehab, Alex returned to the field in 2020 ... and was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after an impressive season with the Washington Football Team.

As for Dak, he's setting big goals for himself -- telling media the plan is to win a Super Bowl so they can get have that long-awaited parade in Dallas.

New York Yankees pitcher Zack Britton says he was ROCKED by COVID-19 ... revealing he lost 18 pounds in 10 days while battling the virus ... and he's still not fully recovered.

The 33-year-old southpaw says he contracted the coronavirus back in January ... and went into detail with reporters about his experience on Wednesday.

"I was surprised," Britton said. "I think I got it at the hospital when we were having our kid, so it was even worse."

"I was not expecting to be hit that hard by COVID. It wiped me out pretty good."

"The weight loss was surprising and just the after-effects I've been dealing with showed me how serious this can be, even for somebody that's healthy and how that can impact you months even after you've gotten over the roughest symptoms."

FYI -- Britton is 6'1" and reportedly usually weighs around 200 pounds ... in other words, he's in pretty good shape.

"It just wiped me out pretty good for about 10 days," Britton said. "Lost about 18 pounds, which could be good, I guess? But, I wasn't looking to lose 18 pounds and it happened quickly, so that's not good on your body and puts pressure in a lot of places."

Britton says the virus prevented him from throwing for about 3 to 4 weeks during the offseason ... but he's finally starting to feel like himself again.

But, COVID isn't the only health issue Britton's dealing with -- the 2-time All-Star is set to undergo surgery to remove a bone chip in his left elbow ... and is expected to miss several months of the season.

Rory McIlroy -- one of Tiger Woods' best friends on the PGA Tour -- says Tiger is "doing better" after his horrific car crash ... and could be discharged from the hospital in the next week or so.

McIlroy made the revelation on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Tuesday ... saying he's spoken with Tiger since the 45-year-old was seriously injured in a rollover crash on Feb. 23 -- and is getting positive news from the golf legend.

"He's doing better," Rory told Fallon ... "Hopefully if things go well over the next week or so he might be able to get home and start recovery at home."

It'd be great news for Woods ... Tiger's right leg was severely broken in the accident -- requiring multiple procedures to fix the issues since.

McIlroy, though, said Woods has been in good spirits during his recovery ... even sending Rory encouragement -- and even some friendly trash talk -- over his performance at this past weekend's Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

"Even from the hospital bed," McIlroy said with a smile, "he's still giving me some heat."

Tiger has not spoken publicly since Feb. 28 -- when he thanked the pro golfers, including McIlory, who paid homage to him by wearing red and black during their rounds.

NFL star Malcolm Butler -- the hero of Super Bowl XLIX -- says he's not ready to call it a career after being released by the Tennessee Titans.

The 31-year-old cornerback had signed with the Titans in 2018 following a weird, mysterious breakup with the New England Patriots. Butler ultimately inked a 5-year, $61 million contract with $30 mil in guaranteed money.

But, on Tuesday, the Titans informed Butler they would be moving on without him ... and Malcolm handled the move with class, thanking the organization and making it clear he intends to continue his NFL career elsewhere.

"I want to thank the Tennessee Titans, Ms. Adams, John Robinson, Coach Vrabel & the Coaching staff for giving me an opportunity after I left the New England Patriots in free agency in 2018."

"I also want to thank the Tennessee Titan fans who supported me from the beginning, and through my return from my injury last year to have my best season as a Titan this year."

As Butler points out, he led the Titans in interceptions and pass break-ups in 2020.

"I still feel I have a lot of gas left in the tank, and look forward to helping another team make it to the Super Bowl," Butler added.

"After going to 3 Super Bowls in my first 4 years in the league I know what it's like to play at a high level and help a team win it all."

"I will continue to give 100% on and off the field wherever I play next year."

Butler became an overnight celebrity when he intercepted Russell Wilson in the final seconds of Super Bowl 49 back in 2015 ... sealing the victory for the Patriots.

Tom Brady was named MVP of the game -- but everyone knows that specific play was the difference-maker.

Butler's relationship with the Pats seemed to sour at the end of the 2017 season when Bill Belichick chose to bench Malcolm for Super Bowl LII in January 2018 for unspecified issues.

Cleveland Browns WR Ryan Switzer says his 9-month-old son was discharged from the hospital Tuesday night following a major health emergency which required 3 blood transfusions and a major surgery.

Switzer says his baby boy, Christian, was initially hospitalized on March 6 after he "woke up in his blood."

To make matters worse, Christian also tested positive for COVID.

A team of doctors (which included a pediatric gastroenterologist) feverishly searched for the source of Christian's bleeding -- and ultimately decided to perform emergency surgery on March 7.

During the procedure, doctors found "several sites of bleeding" -- but couldn't identify the specific issue at the root of the situation.

Unfortunately, Christian continued to experience bleeding episodes after the surgery -- and his parents asked the public to "pray for our baby."

Christian lost so much blood during the ordeal, he required 3 infusions to stabilize his hemoglobin levels.

But, things finally took a turn for the better on March 8 -- "There were no more bleeding spells overnight and all of [Christian's] labs remained normal," Ryan said.

Finally, on March 9 ... doctors concluded Christian was stable enough to continue his recovery at home and he was formally discharged from the hospital!!!

Many questions about Christian's condition remain -- but it seems he's trending in the right direction and on Wednesday morning, Ryan shared a video showing his son smiling and happy at the family home.

"We didn’t get any clear answers on why what happened, happened but, to see him sleep through the night with no bleeding and wake up in a playful mood this morning means our prayers are being answered."