TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Golden State Warriors benched rookie star James Wiseman for the first 3 quarters of Thursday night's game for blowing off a mandatory COVID test during the All-Star break.

The team has said 19-year-old Wiseman -- the #2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- simply "forgot" to show up to the team facility for testing ... a big no-no in the COVID-conscious NBA.

Wiseman was forced to miss practice on Wednesday due to COVID protocols but was eligible to get back on the court Thursday for the team's first game after the All-Star break.

But, Wiseman rode the pine for the first 3 quarters as the Warriors took on the L.A. Clippers -- presumably as a punishment for missing his COVID test.

He finally entered the game in the 4th quarter and balled out -- dropping 14 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes ... making 6 out of his 7 shots. The Warriors ultimately lost 130 to 104.

After the game, Wiseman talked about the incident -- and took full responsibility.

"I made a huge mistake and I most definitely will not do that again. I made sure I apologized to Coach. I was mad, so I had to make sure I just went out there and played hard."

Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said the rookie had to be more responsible, but he liked how Wiseman responded after being benched.

"You’ve got to take care of your business. Everything matters. He responded exactly as I had hoped he would. He competed with energy and that bodes well."

Warriors superstar Stephen Curry had some advice for the rookie after the game -- "There are learning curves for everybody in this league."

UVA is out of the ACC tourney thanks to COVID -- which could keep them out of the NCAA.

Sick of acronyms yet? Yeah, same.

Here's the deal ... someone in the University of Virginia basketball program tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the team to withdraw from Friday night's ACC tournament semifinal game against Georgia Tech.

GT will now move on to the ACC championship game to face the winner of North Carolina vs. Florida State.

So, where does that leave UVA? That's a mystery at the moment.

The Cavaliers were the ACC regular-season champions -- and ESPN projected them to be a #4 seed in the NCAA tourney.

But, the COVID situation could force UVA into a mandatory quarantine that could conflict with the 1st round of the NCAA tourney, which is set to tip-off on Thursday.

Will UVA be out of the COVID protocol by then? If not, will the NCAA postpone the game? So many questions to be answered.

Bottom line ... we're still waiting for more info from the school and the NCAA -- but this could mean another solid team is OUT of the tourney before it even begins!!

An NHL rink looked more like the UFC octagon Thursday night ... 'cause a Red Wings player was straight-up KNOCKED OUT by one punch in an on-ice fight.

The violent scrap all went down during the Lightning's game against the Red Wings in Detroit ... when things between Tampa Bay's Barclay Goodrow and Detroit's Adam Erne got chippy and escalated quickly.

Late in the 2nd period ... Goodrow checked Erne into the boards -- and Erne didn't take kindly to the shove, throwing his stick at Goodrow's legs.

Goodrow returned the favor by attempting to trip Erne ... and then the guys went at it!!

They dropped the gloves, started swinging ... and a few seconds later, Goodrow landed a haymaker right on Erne's jaw.

You can see in the clip, Erne appeared to be knocked out on his feet ... and in an awesome gesture from Goodrow, the Lightning player held up his opponent by his jersey so his head wouldn't crash down on the ice.

Both players were assessed penalties for fighting ... and Erne had to head to the locker room to get checked out by trainers.

Hockey, man.

Scary situation at the Qatar Open -- when pro tennis player Tim Puetz took a RACQUET TO THE EYE in a truly freak accident on the court.

The 33-year-old German pro was in a doubles match with his partner Freddie Nielsen on Wednesday when Puetz tried to stretch to return a serve.

As Puetz reached out his racquet ... he let go of the grip -- and the racquet went crashing to the ground.

But, it hit the surface at a funny angle and BOUNCED BACK at Puetz's face -- with the butt of the racquet bashing the tennis pro right in his eye.

Puetz began bleeding from his face -- and it was obvious he was in pain.

An official ran over with a bag of ice and medical personnel raced over to evaluate the situation.

"I cannot see very well," Puetz can be heard saying in the moments after the incident ... "Freddie I can see pretty well when I’m stationary. But if I look around, I can’t see very well."

Unfortunately for Puetz, the injury forced him to retire from the match. Afterward, his opponents -- Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah -- expressed concern for Tim's health.

"I feel very sorry for Tim," Farrah said in a post-game interview.

"It’s something none of us want, to get hit in the eye, and I really hope he recovers really well."

Cam Newton's time in New England ain't over yet ... the QB is finalizing a deal to return to the Patriots -- and the new contract could reportedly be worth nearly $14 MIL for 1 year!!

The surprising re-signing is expected to come later this month, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter ... with the dollar amount a staggering figure considering Cam's up-and-down 2020 season.

Newton joined the Pats last summer on a 1-year contract -- his base salary was just $1 million with millions in incentives, but unclear how much he ultimately pocketed from the deal.

And, despite a good opening stretch of games, the 31-year-old finished the season with just 8 TD passes and 10 interceptions.

The year was so rocky for Newton -- who battled a mid-season bout with COVID and ultimately went 7-8 as the team's starter -- most thought the Patriots would move on this offseason.

Clearly, though, the Pats saw enough from Cam to want him back ... and the big money suggests he'll be their starter in 2021.

Of course, the news has to be music to Newton's ears ... the former MVP has spoken VERY highly of his time in New England.

In fact, Cam recently called Bill Belichick "misunderstood" and "dope as s***" on a recent edition of the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast.

By the way, if you're wondering what kind of shape Cam is in this offseason ... it's pretty good -- check out the dude's moves at a roller rink in Atlanta last month.

If Dana White seriously wants MILLION DOLLAR action on the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing match ... Snoop Dogg says he'll take it!!

The rap legend clearly saw the footage of Dana on Mike Tyson's podcast ... where the UFC boss said he's willing to bet $1 MILLION that Ben will destroy Jake when the clash in the boxing ring in April.

Now, Snoop -- who was the announcer during Jake's last boxing match against Nate Robinson -- wants to RAISE the stakes.

"Hey Dana White, I see you got faith in your boy right?! Going up against my guy Jake."

"You say you got a million?! You’re the CEO of UFC. You got more than a million. Put up TWO. Put up $2 million and we’ll match it."

Remember, Jake Paul made a similar offer to Dana -- but so far, the UFC honcho hasn't responded.

Gotta wonder if Snoop's call-out is more interesting to Dana?!

"C’mon Dana, whatchu waiting on?! Your money is good," Snoop added.

"Yeah, I got Jake. Fight night. That's my guy. That's my dog in the fight. $2 million. Holla at me, Dana White."

Jake is 2-0 as a boxer -- with a violent KO of Nate Robinson on the undercard of the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight back in 2020.

Ben, on the other hand, is a decorated MMA fighter who's gone toe-to-toe with some of the baddest men in combat sports.

First, J.J. Watt ... next, Dez Bryant?!

If Dez had it his way, that's exactly the way things would go down in Arizona this offseason ... 'cause the former Cowboys superstar tells TMZ Sports he wants to follow in Watt's free agent footsteps and be a Cardinal in 2021!

"I think that would be dope being next to my boy D Hop [Deandre Hopkins], Christian Kirk, Kyler Murray," Bryant told us out in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

"I think they have a dope offense. I feel like they got a dope defense. I think they got a dope coach ... If I had to choose, yeah, if that opportunity presented itself, I think I would take it."

It's unclear if Arizona has any interest in signing Bryant ... the receiver will turn 33 years old in November -- and the Cards are already loaded at wideout, especially if Larry Fitzgerald returns.

But, Dez -- who came back from a two-year hiatus to play well and score two TDs for the Baltimore Ravens last season -- says he thinks he could thrive for the Cards in a #2 or #3 role.

"I feel like if you gonna play me one-on-one," Dez said, "I'ma win."

If Arizona doesn't work out ... Dez said he'd be more than open to re-signing with his former Cowboys squad, telling us he LOVES what Dallas did with Dak Prescott's new contract.

"I'll tell you this," Dez said, "if it was possible, of course I'd be open to it if it was possible."

Tennis legend Ivan Lendl -- the former #1 ranked player in the world and 8x Majors winner -- is unloading his INSANE Connecticut mansion ... and the 445 acres of land it sits on!!

TMZ Sports has learned the 61-year-old retired Czech-American tennis star listed the Cornwall, CT estate -- about a 2-hour drive from New York City and Boston -- and it's absolutely breathtaking.

Asking price ... $16.45 mil!!

The 18,000 square-foot mansion boasts 10 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and comes with every ridiculously lavish amenity you could ever want in a home.

We're talking a full gymnasium, workout room, 2 locker rooms, sauna, granite outdoor pool, fishing pond, barn with horse paddocks ... and of course, a tennis court!!

If you're not familiar with Lendl -- who retired in 1994 -- he's one of the greatest tennis players of all-time. In fact, he was ranked the #1 player in the world for 270 weeks.

IL racked up 144 career tourney wins ... including 8 Grand Slam singles titles. He won the US Open and French Open each 3 times and the Australian Open twice.

You're probably asking ... how'd he afford this gorgeous house?!

Well, the Tennis Hall of Famer reportedly made $21 mil from prize money alone (he's also been super successful off the court).

There's NO bad blood between Patrick Ewing and James Dolan -- the two have spoken and smoothed things out after Ewing complained about the security protocol at Madison Square Garden, TMZ Sports has learned.

Of course, Ewing spent 15 seasons playing for the NY Knicks at MSG -- and his #33 jersey was retired and currently hangs in the rafters.

But, Ewing -- who's now the head basketball coach at Georgetown -- publicly griped about the treatment he received at the Garden on Thursday after his Hoyas upset Villanova at MSG.

"I do want to say one thing, though. I thought this was my building," Ewing said ... "And, I feel terrible that I'm getting stopped, accosted, [people] asking for passes."

Ewing continued ... "Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am, and I'm getting stopped -- I can't move around this building. I was like, 'What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?'"

"I'm gonna have to call Mr. Dolan and say geez ... is my number in the rafters or what?!"

Well, Ewing and Dolan DID speak later that day ... and a rep for MSG Entertainment broke it down this way.

"Jim and Patrick have a long-standing relationship; they spoke this afternoon and reaffirmed that."

"We all know, respect and appreciate what he means to The Garden and New York. Good luck to him and his Hoyas in the Big East semi-finals."

So, seems everything is cool now ... and the Hoyas can focus on their upcoming game against Seton Hall on Friday.

NFL star Melvin Gordon told cops several times before his October arrest that he had been drinking prior to getting behind the wheel ... new police video obtained by TMZ Sports shows.

The Broncos running back was pulled over in Denver late at night on Oct. 13 after cops say they clocked him doing 71 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

In police footage of the ensuing stop ... you can see Gordon told a cop he had been driving fast because he was just miles from running out of gas.

Just seconds later, Gordon then admitted to an officer he had been drinking before driving.

The 27-year-old told the cop he had "a little bit" of alcohol ... but said he was not drunk.

When pressed by the officer about how much and what he drank, Gordon said he had "just one" drink of Pinot Grigio.

The officer then conducted field sobriety tests -- and you can see in the clip, it appeared Gordon could not walk in a straight line very well.

Cops then put the NFL player in cuffs and asked if he'd take a blood test to see if his blood alcohol content level was below the legal limit.

That's when Gordon admitted again that he had been drinking before getting behind the wheel.

"I've been drinking," Gordon said ... with one officer responding, "I know, I can tell."

Gordon continued, "I got some people that can drive me. I'm not going to lie to you. I play for the Broncos. Obviously, you probably know. And, I cannot risk getting in trouble. I live three minutes from here, probably four."

Gordon and the cop went back and forth over the tailback taking a blood test, with Melvin asking the cop repeatedly if the stop would hit the news.

"I'm scared to get in trouble, bruh," Gordon said. "I ain't going to lie to you, I'm in a f***ing position battle, bruh. I'm lowkey scared, bruh. Please, bruh."

According to police docs, Gordon ultimately did take the blood test ... and prosecutors later hit him with 2 charges of DUI and one count of speeding 25-39 MPH over the limit.

Gordon, though, pled guilty to reckless driving Wednesday, and prosecutors dismissed his two DUI charges.

Gordon was ordered to complete 12 hours of community service as well as pay $478.50 in fines.

Here's further proof NOBODY in the NFL is having more fun right now than Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady ...

Coming off their Super Bowl win (and the endless stream of ensuing partying) ... Gronk decided to play around with TB12 with an epic FaceTime prank -- and it's hilarious!!

Check out video Rob posted Thursday ... the 31-year-old tight end called up Brady, just to immediately tell him that he's "busy right now" and needs to call him later.

"Did I call you!?" Brady asked with a perplexed look on his face.

Keeping the gag alive, Gronk went back and forth with Brady about who called whom … until Brady finally gave in -- "Alright," the QB said, "I did call you.”

When the jig was finally up, Robby G let Touchdown Tommy in on the prank ... and the 43-year-old QB couldn't help but laugh and slap himself on the forehead!!!

Gronk then found another person to prank ... his dad!!!

It’s unclear who had a better grasp on the tech between Papa Gronk and Brady, but it sure looked like Rob got them both pretty good.

FYI -- the fun video is the latest edition of the #imbusyrightnow challenge -- a social media trend where celebs and people alike call their friends/family members, and immediately tell them they are going to have to call them back.

Pranksters have ranged from NBA legends like Kenny Smith and Shaq to the Kardashians, and the list of victims varies even more.

Newly crowned Super Bowl champ Jaydon Mickens is in trouble with the law ... TMZ Sports has confirmed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was arrested last week in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement tells us the 26-year-old -- a Bucs receiver and return specialist -- was pulled over on March 5 after cops say his window tint was too dark.

During the stop, we're told officers found a gun inside the car -- NOT on his person -- and arrested him over it.

Mickens was booked on a felony concealed weapon charge. We're told the LAPD later informed the NFL of the arrest.

The Bucs issued a statement saying they are "aware of the issue regarding Jaydon that occurred in Los Angeles last week."

"He reached out to let us know about the situation soon after it happened and we have been in contact with the league office to ensure they were aware."

"We will continue to monitor the situation but will have no further comment at this time."

Mickens played in Tampa's championship win over the K.C. Chiefs last month ... taking back three kickoffs for an average of 25 yards a pop.

The 4-year NFL veteran was signed by the Bucs back in the 2019 season ... and has served as a key special teamer since.

He caught 7 passes for 58 yards this past season.

Aaron Rodgers is a pretty solid teammate when it comes to doggy duty -- check out the NFL star braving the freezing cold to take his fiancee's German Shepherd for a walk!

The Green Bay Packers QB is out in Montreal, Canada where his actress GF Shailene Woodley has been shooting the cop thriller "Misanthrope."

The weather has dipped into the 20s this week in Montreal -- but Aaron doesn't care ... the guys plays in the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field!!!

So, strap on a jacket and a beanie ... easy work!!

The dog doesn't seem to mind the cold either -- check out the adorable canine on a walk with Shailene just a few weeks ago!

As we previously reported, 37-year-old Aaron announced his engagement to the 29-year-old actress back in February after winning the NFL's MVP award for the 2020 season.

He's been gushing about his relationship with Woodley ever since -- and said he's even looking forward to having a kid with her at some point.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has just signed a bill that will ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports ... insisting the future law will help keep competition fair.

LGBTQ+ leaders, however, say the governor's actions Thursday could cause serious problems ... including the encouragement of bullying and discrimination.

The bill is titled Senate Bill 2536 in Mississippi, and after Reeves' signature this week, it's slated to become law on July 1.

While it can still face a legal challenge in the courts even after Reeves' decision -- the law will force all public schools in the state to "designate its athletic teams or sports according to biological sex."

Reeves -- a Republican with daughters who play sports -- had said earlier this month he believes the law is necessary ... explaining it will "protect young girls from being forced to compete with biological males for athletic opportunities."

Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David, however, strongly disagreed with the governor's decision ... calling it all an "appalling" "anti-transgender push."

"While transgender athletes have been competing at every level for years without incident," David said in a statement Thursday, "Governor Reeves is signing this bill while Mississippians continue to suffer and real issues go unaddressed."

"Bullying transgender kids is no way to govern the state out of the crises they face ... Transgender kids deserve better and so does Mississippi."

It's all over for Duke ... the school announced its 2020-21 season is OVER thanks to COVID -- thus ending the school's streak of 24 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

The Blue Devils basketball team was already having one of the worst seasons in recent years with a 13-11 overall record and 9-9 in the ACC.

Duke's chances of making the NCAA tourney were largely dependent on winning the ACC tournament, which would have given the school an automatic bid into the big bracket.

Duke won its first 2 games in the ACC tournament -- but a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19 following Wednesday's game ... which has forced the team to quarantine.

Because of the COVID situation, Duke has officially withdrawn from the ACC tourney ... essentially killing all chances of Duke going to March Madness.

Duke athletic director Kevin White says the situation will effectively "end our 2020-21 season."

"We wish every team still playing college basketball good health and the very best during the next few weeks."

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski -- who's been leading the program since 1980 -- said, "While our season was different than any other that I can remember, I loved the 2020-21 Duke Basketball team and was honored to be their coach."

"We have not asked more of any team in our history, and they deserve enormous credit for handling everything like the outstanding young men they are."

Coach K continued ... "We are disappointed we cannot keep fighting together as a group after two outstanding days in Greensboro. This season was a challenge for every team across the country and as we have seen over and over, this global pandemic is very cruel and is not yet over."

"As many safeguards as we implemented, no one is immune to this terrible virus."

The NBA has suspended Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard for ONE WEEK for hurling an anti-Semitic comment during a video game sesh ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Leonard was also fined $50,000.

For the record, Leonard will make more than $9 million in contract money this season.

There's more ... the NBA says Leonard will be required to participate in a cultural diversity program.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Leonard's comment was "inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society. "

Silver continued, "Yesterday, he spoke to representatives of the Anti-Defamation League to better understand the impact of his words and we accept that he is genuinely remorseful."

"We have further communicated to Meyers that derogatory comments like this will not be tolerated and that he will be expected to uphold the core values of our league -- equality, tolerance, inclusion and respect -- at all times moving forward."

Leonard's Miami Heat teammates and coaches spoke about the situation during a media session on Wednesday.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra said he's been in touch with Leonard -- who he considers a "good human being."

Spoelstra says Meyers "feels really bad" about using the anti-Semitic K-work during a video game streaming session and is getting a better understanding of why the word is hurtful and dangerous.

Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem also spoke out about Leonard's comment -- saying he has a bunch of Jewish friends and reached out to make sure they know hate speech is NOT tolerated within the Heat organization.

"I have a lot of Jewish friends and ya know, they call me Udonis Haslem-berg sometimes," he joked.