TMZ Sports - Page 50

Trey Songz walloped a bartender with his fist at a concert, then went right back to watching the show ... so the bartender claims in a new lawsuit.

The singer's being sued for battery by a man who says he was tending bar around midnight at the Hollywood Palladium on May 9, 2019 ... and claims Songz was part of the crowd.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the bartender says Songz jumped on the bar to sit and watch the show ... which the bartender insists is against the venue's policy.

The bartender claims Songz ignored his warning that he wasn't allowed on the bar ... so he put his hand on Songz' back to get his attention, and tell him to get down.

That's when Songz allegedly turned around and struck the bartender in the head with a closed fist, looked at the other bartenders blankly, then continued watching the show ... according to the docs.

We did some digging and it seems like Songz was at the Palladium that evening for a Cardi B concert put on by Fashion Nova.

The bartender claims he suffered physical pain and emotional and psychological injury as a result of the alleged attack, and he's suing for damages. We reached out to Trey ... no word back yet.

Hell might be freezing over -- Charles Barkley no longer sucks at golf!!!

Go ahead and check your calendar -- it's not April Fools' Day -- and if you need visual proof, just check out the NBA legend's drive at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am on Wednesday ... when he teed off and ripped a shot straight down the fairway!!

Of course, Barkley was famous for his turrrrrible golf swing ... but was never shy to put his god-awful skills on display.

As we previously reported, Barkley flirted with mediocrity by tweaking his swing back in 2015 ... but sadly, he fell back into his old ways of being tremendously bad.

Chuck has apparently been busting his ass on the links to STAY good this time around, hiring pro trainer Stan Utley to help him get his handicap down to SINGLE DIGITS, according to reporter Drew Carter.

Check out the new and improved product -- the Hall of Famer looks like he really knows what he's doing now ... from the practice swings to actually connecting with the ball (have you EVER heard one of his shots make that clean *ping* sound before?!?!)

It couldn't have come at a better time for Barkley -- he's facing off against huge names like Nick Saban, Bo Jackson, Tommy Tuberville and more at the Greystone Golf and Country Club in Hoover, Alabama.

And, for the first time, the dude might not make a fool of himself on the links!!

Despite being hit with criminal charges in connection with the horrific death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child ... boxer Felix Verdejo WILL continue to have a contract with Top Rank as long he's not convicted -- so says Bob Arum.

The legendary boxing promoter explained the situation in an interview with WAPA-TV this week ... saying he has no plans to cut Verdejo at this time, even in light of the disturbing allegations against the 27-year-old.

"A man -- no matter how bad it looks -- is innocent until proven guilty," Arum says.

"And, we will not release him from the contract and terminate our relationship with him unless or until he's convicted."

While Arum's point is legitimate -- Verdejo's got a mountain to climb to avoid a conviction ... because there seems to be a ton of very compelling evidence against him as it relates to the death of 27-year-old Keishla Rodriguez and her unborn child.

Law enforcement says a witness has come forward and claimed he helped Verdejo kill the woman in Puerto Rico last week ... saying the boxer abducted her, punched her, injected her with foreign substances, and ultimately threw her off a bridge with a heavy block tied to her.

Law enforcement says cell phone data appears to corroborate the witness' story. Investigators also say they have surveillance video which appears to show a dark SUV at the scene of the crime similar to the one Verdejo had previously been spotted with.

Still, Arum says, "We're not going to release him until and unless he is convicted."

Verdejo surrendered to Puerto Rican authorities over the weekend ... and is currently being held without bail.

Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero de Puerto Rico reports he's due in court on May 11 for a hearing in the case.

Terrifying incident involving cricket legend Stuart MacGill ... who was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted at gunpoint in Australia last month -- and cops have now arrested his girlfriend's brother over the incident.

50-year-old MacGill was reportedly confronted by 46-year-old Marino Sotiropoulos, the brother of MacGill's GF, Maria O’Meagher, on April 14 near Sydney ... according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the report, while interacting with Sotiropoulos, MacGill was then approached by two other men ... who allegedly forced him into a car and drove him an hour outside of the city.

Cops say MacGill was beaten and threatened with a firearm for an hour straight upon arriving at a home in Bringelly ... suffering minor injuries.

According to cops, MacGill was then driven to Belmore -- another suburb of Sydney -- where he was ultimately released by the group.

The cricket legend reported the incident to police days later ... and the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation.

Officials believe the incident was financially motivated ... but say a ransom was not given and money was NOT exchanged.

Detective acting superintendent Anthony Holton told reporters Sotiropoulos was close to MacGill and believes his involvement to be an act of betrayal.

"I’d say the 46-year-old man’s involvement, we'll be alleging, was part of the facilitation of his kidnapping," Holton said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Four individuals were arrested this week in the case -- Sotiropoulos, a 42-year-old man, a 29-year-old man, and a 27-year-old man.

According to the report, Sotiropoulos was charged with "detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm, participating in a criminal group (contributing to criminal activity) and supplying a prohibited drug (large commercial quantity)."

The 42-year-old was charged with "knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group and detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm."

Both the 27-year-old and 29-year-old were charged with participating in a criminal group (contributing to criminal activity) and detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm.

All men were denied bail to appear in court on Wednesday.

MacGill played on the Australian national team from 1998-2008 ... appearing in 44 Test matches.

Tokyo Olympics athletes will NOT be allowed to wear "Black Lives Matter" apparel at Games ceremonies this summer ... officials have confirmed that's part of the ban on protests and political messages.

The IOC revealed its broad policy two weeks ago on no demonstrations on the field of play, during an official ceremony or at the podium ... but the Associated Press reported this week officials have now confirmed "BLM" apparel is included in that ban.

Officials, though, say "BLM" slogans will be allowed during at least some parts of the Games -- such as at press conferences, during interviews and at team meetings.

But, they stressed if the messaging comes during official ceremonies, at the podium or during competition ... athletes could be subject to punishment.

The IOC has said the ban on protesting was put in place after a "majority" of 3,500 athletes it polled were in favor of strict rules against demonstrations.

"A very clear majority of athletes said that they think it's not appropriate to demonstrate or express their views on the field of play, at the official ceremonies or at the podium," IOC Athletes' Commission chief Kirsty Coventry said.

"So our recommendation is to preserve the podium, field of play and official ceremonies from any kind of protest or demonstrations or acts perceived as such."

Welp, here's a scary threat from Kamaru Usman to Jake Paul -- cut the crap before you get hurt, for real.

Yeah.

Okay, here's the quick backstory ... Jake Paul has been looking for ALL THE SMOKE from UFC fighters after ferociously knocking out Ben Askren.

He's called out Conor McGregor, beefed with Tyron Woodley and went face-to-face with Daniel Cormier at UFC 260.

Kamaru -- the reigning UFC welterweight champ -- told TMZ Sports back in April he was getting sick of Paul's trash talk and said he would love the opportunity to "beat the s**t" out of him.

Paul responded to Usman, "Challenge accepted" -- adding, "If your boss Dana gives you permission to box me and make more money than you ever have, let me know and we can lace them up. I promise it will be your biggest pay day."

The two continued to trade shots over social media -- with Jake accusing Usman of "backing out."

Which led to Usman responding yet again on Wednesday morning ...

"I understand you think this is a game which is probably why you don’t realize that this is how people Truly get hurt," Usman said.

"I don’t play fighting and I can change your life in the worst way."

He's not kidding ... Usman is coming off one of the most violent KO's of the year when he flattened Jorge Masvidal with a killer right hand at UFC 261.

Usman's manager Ali AbdelAziz certainly wants a fight to happen -- telling us he thinks it would be one of the most successful PPV events in combat sports history.

Peloton is urging customers who bought its Tread+ and Tread machines to stop using the equipment and contact the company for a refund -- a move that comes after several reported injuries, and the alleged death of a child.

Peloton, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced the voluntary recall Wednesday, and the company's CEO John Foley apologized for not cooperating with the CPSC sooner.

The CPSC had previously warned about the Tread+ being unsafe for children and pets in mid-April, and Foley says, "I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+."

He adds ... "We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologize."

Along with that mea culpa, Peloton has halted the sale and distribution of the Tread+ and is working on modifications to improve safety.

We broke the story ... Peloton was sued by a customer last month who claimed the treadmill's design made it "extremely susceptible" to children and pets getting trapped underneath the machine. The lawsuit alleged one kid had died in an incident involving the machine.

Aaron Rodgers WILL sit out the entire 2021 season if the Packers don't make him happy ... so says Brett Favre, who made it clear his former teammate ain't bluffing about a holdout.

The Hall of Famer explained his thoughts on the Green Bay drama during his "Bolling With Favre" podcast this week ... saying the Packers better fix the issues with their QB -- or else.

"Knowing Aaron, and I think I know him fairly well, if he has a grudge, whether it be against the organization or a player or an arch rival or family, friends -- he ain't budging," Favre said.

"Whatever the issue is, if it's not resolved -- or even if it's resolved but he feels like they got one up on him -- he ain't going to play," Favre continued. "Knowing Aaron, he would sit."

Rodgers currently has a multitude of problems with the Packers org. ... most notably, he's reportedly in a pretty nasty spat over his current contract situation.

But, the QB is also upset over several personnel moves the team has made recently -- including when they picked quarterback Jordan Love in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft instead of a top wideout.

Favre says he's not sure exactly what Rodgers' biggest gripe is with the team ... but he's warning his former squad to fix things ASAP.

"He would forgo a lot of money [by sitting out]," Favre says, "but he's also got a lot of money."

Jim Beglin -- one of the top soccer announcers in the world -- is apologizing after making an "inappropriate and unacceptable" remark when describing a Latino player.

Beglin was calling a Champions League semifinals match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City on Tuesday when PSG's Angel Di Maria received a red card for kicking an opposing player.

Di Maria -- who is from Argentina -- was being sent off the pitch, Beglin chalked up the player's outburst on his "Latino temperament."

Yeesh.

There was immediate backlash on social media -- and Beglin apologized during the broadcast moments later.

"When Di Maria was sent off, I described it by using the word Latino," Beglin said on-air ... "For anybody that's taken offense, I do apologize -- sincerely apologize."

After the match, Beglin expanded on his apology ...

"I apologise for my culturally insensitive remarks during the Champions League tie between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain," Beglin posted on Twitter.

"I wrongly used a racial stereotype. This was inappropriate and unacceptable. Words have a strong impact, and I fully understand the severity of what I said when Angel Di Maria was sent off."

"I will learn from this and be better moving forward."

Tom Brady is now closing in on having as many boats as Super Bowl rings ... the QB says he's adding to his watercraft collection by copping an insane $6 MILLION yacht!!

The NFL superstar revealed last week he's in the process of scoring the Wajer 77 -- a 77-foot superyacht -- so he and his family can take more overnight trips on the sea from their Tampa-area home.

You'll recall ... Brady famously already owns the Wajer 55S -- the smaller Wajer boat he got back in December that he later took to the Bucs' Super Bowl parade in February.

But, Tom says the new yacht he's getting will allow him to do much more than the 55-footer ... and he's PUMPED to add it to his growing list of water rides.

"The 55S is an amazing boat, and it’s been an amazing boat for our family," Brady said during a revealing of the new Wajer 77 yacht last week.

"I think the 77 will be a little bit more suited for what we need it for down here, which is a few more day trips and weekend trips. We spend a lot of time in the Bahamas. So going from the East Coast of Florida across into the Bahamas and around the Bahamas would be really great trips for us as a family."

The yacht is absurd ... it features bedrooms that look like hotel rooms -- with the boat company saying nine people can sleep in it comfortably, along with two crew members.

Brady says it'll bear the same name as the 55-footer -- "Viva A Vida" (a nod to a cause very close to his wife, Gisele) -- and he's hoping it'll get delivered before the end of the year.

Pick a winner, Shaq!!

The NBA legend had a massive bat in the cave while working the desk for "NBA on TNT" on Wednesday ... and decided to go mining for the nose gold live on-air!!!

Shaq, along with Candace Parker, Dwayne Wade and Adam Lefkoe were wrapping up coverage on the Clippers vs. Raptors game ... when a giant green boulder rolled out of O'Neal's nostril.

Shaq's co-hosts tried to signal to the Big Man to wipe his face -- but O'Neal wasn't taking the hint ... and viewers started tweeting about the boogie during the show!!

Finally, the crew just TOLD Shaq to get rid of it -- and the moment he realizes he's been boogying down on-air is hilarious!

"That was the biggest booger I have ever seen in my entire life," Lefkoe told Shaq.

D-Wade pulled out a giant roll of paper towels and told Shaq there's no way in hell a typical Kleenex could handle that job!

Candace was DYING laughing!!!

"I didn't even know it was there," Shaq said ... "Y'all got me!"

Uh oh, Tito.

MMA legend Tito Ortiz is in hot water for allegedly filing for unemployment against the City of Huntington Beach ... despite still drawing a full monthly check.

And why is he drawing a check? BECAUSE HE'S THE MAYOR PRO TEM!

Yeah, not a good look!!

Records show 46-year-old Tito -- real name Jacob C. Ortiz -- filed paperwork with the  California Employment Development Department back on Feb. 22, claiming he hasn't been able to work full time as a City Council member since Feb. 9 due to the COVID pandemic.

FYI, Ortiz won his City Council seat back in November 2020 and was sworn in on Dec. 7.

The job reportedly pays $1,500 per month in salary -- plus Ortiz also receives a stipend and expense allowance.

The problem with Tito's claim ... officials say Tito has NOT taken a pay cut due to the pandemic and his claims appear to be bogus.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr told NBC4 in L.A., "[Ortiz has] been receiving the same amount of wages and hours."

She also expressed concerns that Ortiz's claim may constitute fraud.

Ortiz may have a perfectly good explanation -- but so far, he hasn't commented publicly about the situation.

Tito made a ton of money during his MMA career -- and flaunts it regularly. He lives in a massive house in Huntington Beach and drives fancy cars around town. Have you seen his boat?

Ortiz -- a huge Trump supporter who once claimed COVID-19 wasn’t real -- has butted heads with many people in the city since taking office.

During his 1st planning meeting on November 5, Mayor Carr refused to let Tito into the building because he refused to wear a mask.

Byron Scott shares LeBron James' hatred for the NBA's play-in tournament ... telling TMZ Sports he wishes the league would cut the crap and stick to its regular postseason format.

Remember, King James teed off on the NBA's postseason rule for 2021 earlier this week ... saying, "Whoever came with that s*** needs to be fired."

We spoke with Scott outside Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills about James' take ... and while the ex-player/coach says nobody needs to be canned over the concept, he makes it clear he thinks the idea sucks.

"I agree with him ... it should be the first 8 teams just like it's been for so many years," Scott tells us. "I don't believe in that play-in and all that stuff."

The play-in format has garnered mixed reviews ... with folks like Stephen Curry loving the idea ... and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban calling it an "enormous mistake."

Byron says it's obvious why guys like the current 8-seed Warriors would welcome the idea ... simply because it gives them a better shot at making the playoffs.

While the current 6-seed Lakers are a sneeze away from being forced into the play-in tournament, Scott says L.A. fans should take a chill pill ... 'cause it'll be "nearly impossible" for them to be sent home early.

"When LeBron gets back and he's healthy, Anthony Davis is back healthy, they're too good."

He added ... "They were together all last year. They know each other well enough. They know what they gotta do, so I'm not worried about it one bit."

Scott thinks the Lakers -- despite struggling with injuries and bad losses late into the season -- can "absolutely" repeat as champions in 2021 ... and has full faith in the organization.

Capitals winger Tom Wilson body slammed Artemi Panarin in the middle of their game on Monday ... rag-dolling the Rangers star on the ice -- and now, EVERYONE's pissed over it.

The wild scene all went down in Madison Square Garden ... wherein the 2nd period of the Washington vs. New York tilt, all hell broke loose near the Capitals' crease.

As a pile built up around the goal mount, 27-year-old Wilson jumped on Rangers star Pavel Buchnevich ... and then slid in a dirty punch that pissed off NY players.

As the Rangers rushed to Pavel's defense ... Wilson fought back hard -- and went to work on throwing Panarin all over the ice.

You can see in footage of the melee, Wilson body slammed the Rangers' 29-year-old goal scorer not once, but TWICE ... and it was violent.

Fortunately, it seems Panarin escaped the fracas without serious injury ... but the NHL world was sent into a frenzy over Wilson's actions regardless.

Despite Wilson receiving 10-minute misconduct ... many on social media called for more severe punishments from the league -- with Rangers coach David Quinn ripping the guy for his actions after the game.

"We all saw it," Quinn said. "There are lines that can't be crossed in this game."

He added, "You got one of the star players in this league now that could have gotten seriously, seriously hurt in that incident ... You all saw what happened, and it happens time and time again with him. Totally unnecessary."

Wilson ended up with the last laugh ... the Caps player not only flexed on the Rangers from the penalty box -- but he helped Washington win the game, 6-3, scoring an empty-net goal late in the contest.

Dallas Cowboys fans are going to LOVE this ...

Dak Prescott says his ankle injury has healed so nicely -- he could play in an NFL game "right now!"

The quarterback -- who famously suffered a horrific lower leg injury last October -- told reporters at an event out in Texas on Tuesday he's now pretty damn close to 100 percent.

"I could go play in a game right now and in my head be very, very successful," the 27-year-old said.

It's an incredible update from the NFL star ... because just 7 months ago, many wondered if he'd ever play football again.

His ankle injury was gruesome -- he was diagnosed with a dislocated and fractured ankle, and it was so bad, networks had to blur replays of the injury.

But, Dak -- who had multiple surgeries to repair the damage -- seemed confident as ever on Tuesday that he'd be back to normal by the time the Cowboys need him for the 2021 season opener in September.

"There's no doubt that when I need to be successful, when I need to do the things that it takes to be on the field, I'll do exactly that and the timing will be right," Dak said.

Tristan Thompson has hired a legal gun to shoot down new cheating allegations from an Instagram model ... whom he calls a liar and is threatening to sue if she keeps yapping.

The Celtics star -- who's back in with Khloe Kardashian now -- had his attorney, Marty Singer, fire off a cease and desist letter to Sydney Chase ... who recently claimed she had sex with Tristan since he and Khloe reunited. She also claims to have salacious texts from him.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Singer calls her allegations "malicious defamatory fabrications," adding ... "Mr. Thompson had no relationship with you whatsoever and he never sent you any such texts."

Singer goes on to accuse Chase of making up quotes from Tristan and having no proof to back up her claims, and blasts her by saying, "It is obvious that you are a liar."

The letter concludes by saying if Chase doesn't stop "defaming" Thompson in the media or online, "you do so at your peril since you may find yourself in court attempting to defend your indefensible misconduct."

Thompson's attorney also sent a cease and desist letter to Adam22, host of the "No Jumper" podcast ... on which Chase initially blabbed the cheating allegations.

"No Jumper" has already removed the portion of Sydney's interview where she talks about the alleged fling. We'll see if Chase keeps quiet.