TMZ Sports - Page 50

Forget baseball, IT'S TEBOW TIME IN THE NFL AGAIN ... almost!!!

The Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to sign Tim Tebow to a 1-year contract, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

But, Tebow won't be joining the squad as a QB -- he's a tight end now!

Rap says the deal is expected to be completed in "the next week or so" ... giving the 33-year-old a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Tebow was drafted as a QB by the Denver Broncos in the 1st-round of the 2010 NFL Draft ... and ultimately led the team to a playoff win during the 2011 season!

But, he never really panned out at QB -- bouncing around a few teams including the NY Jets, New England Patriots and finally had a short stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 ... the last time he was in the league.

After that, Tebow went all-in on a baseball career and spent years with the NY Mets organization playing for their minor league teams.

He retired from baseball back in February after it became clear he wasn't gonna make the big leagues and decided to focus on learning the tight end position.

Tebow had a workout with the Jaguars sometime over the past month ... and it seems he did enough to impress the Jags coaches, who will see if he can be an asset.

Don't scoff ... NFL tight end Marcedes Lewis told us he thinks Tebow has a real shot at success at the position because he's smart, athletic and knows the game as well as anyone.

Bob Baffert says he will NOT let Medina Spirit's positive drug test get in the way of his Triple Crown bid ... claiming he plans to run the horse in the Preakness this weekend.

Of course, Baffert was suspended indefinitely by Churchill Downs on Sunday after Medina Spirit was popped for a banned substance following his victory at the Kentucky Derby.

68-year-old Baffert -- by far the most famous and successful trainer in horseracing history -- has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing ... but it's the 5th time one of Bob's horses has tested positive for an illegal substance in the past 13 months and many are skeptical.

But, Baffert appeared on Fox News Channel's "America's Newsroom" on Monday to defend himself and said matter of factly, "We did not cheat to win the Kentucky Derby."

Baffert claims he has no idea how the substance (betamethasone) got into the horse's system -- but says he's hired his own team of investigators to look into the matter.

"We hired investigators but sometimes you never find out. It’s just a tragedy what happened in this race."

Bob also claims the amount of betamethasone in Medina Spirit's system  was so low, it "wouldn’t have any effect on the horse anyway."

Despite his suspension from Churchill Downs in Kentucky, Baffert made it clear he plans to run Medina at the Preakness on Saturday, set to take place at the famous Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

"With all the noise ... We live in a different world now. This America is different. It was like a cancel culture kind of a thing so they’re reviewing it. I haven’t been told anything. We’re prepared to run."

Baffert's attorney, Craig Robertson, also told Fox News ... if Medina Spirit is blocked from the Preakness, they are prepared to file for a temporary restraining order against race officials in the hopes a judge will overrule the ban and clear the way for the horse to run.

"The whole stadium is not nice. There's nothing fancy about it. It's bleacher seats!"

That's Vikings star Adam Thielen taking a verbal dump all over Lambeau Field ... and, yeah, Packers fans ain't exactly loving it.

The Minnesota wide receiver threw the jabs on GOLF's Subpar podcast earlier this month ... straight-up saying Green Bay's famous stadium is just not as nice as the Vikings'.

Of course, the comments have been polarizing ... with even Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas racing in to defend the facilities.

"Lambeau field is the coolest stadium to play at in pro football," the former O-lineman said.

But, Thielen is admittedly biased ... he's a longtime Viking who's been trained to hate the Pack -- and he even said Lambeau is actually his favorite place to play because a win there is just so sweet.

"There's nothing better than leaving Lambeau with a victory," the 30-year-old said. "There's literally nothing better."

Thielen continued, "On the reverse side, there's nothing worse than losing there."

Michael Chandler REALLY hopes Conor McGregor can return to his old, dominant self ... not just because he loves a comeback story, but also he knows it would be HUGE for his bank account.

Chandler is currently the #4 ranked UFC lightweight -- and he's fighting #3 ranked Charles Oliveira Saturday night at UFC 262.

If he wins that fight, Chandler will likely get the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor ... and he's fired up about the whole situation.

"They’re #1 & #1A in my book," Chandler says ... "I’ll be watching, keenly, to see who my next opponent is."

Chandler says he has a ton of respect for Poirier but admits, "I want to see Conor come back, man. There’s nothing better than when a guy as big as Conor McGregor, falls short, loses and is able to pull himself back and win. It’s a huge story, it’s a huge storyline."

Of course, Conor was one of the most feared fighters in the UFC around 2015, 2016 ... but lost some of his momentum after taking L's to Floyd Mayweather in 2017 and Khabib in 2018.

McGregor was also knocked out by Dustin Poirier in January 2021 -- leaving some to wonder if Conor's best days are behind him.

But, Chandler says a McGregor victory over Poirier would be huge for the sport -- and could also set up a very lucrative fight for himself.

"Obviously, the athlete in me wants to fight the winner of [Poirier vs. McGregor], the businessman in me wants to fight Conor of course, but all of it hinges upon me having a phenomenal performance on May 15."

As for his current opponent, Charles Oliveira, Chandler knows how dangerous he is.

"Charles Olivera has cut his teeth in this UFC lightweight division over the last couple of years. 8-0 in his last 8 fights. [He has the] most submission wins in UFC history," Chandler says ... "He’s dangerous every single place."

Welp, this is bad ...

The COVID pandemic is hitting Japan so hard, IOC president Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to the country ... leaving many wondering if the Olympic Games will actually happen in July as planned.

After a surge in cases in major cities, including Tokyo, the Japanese government extended a state of emergency from May 11 to May 31 ... which leaves less than 2 months before the Games are scheduled to begin on July 23.

Health officials in Japan are concerned the current 4th wave of the infection contains a variant that is spreading very fast and impacting a relatively large number of young people.

Officials say hospitals are overwhelmed and the health care system throughout the country is being pushed to the brink.

IOC President Bach was supposed to be traveling all over Japan next week to meet up with the Olympic torch -- but now, those plans have been postponed until Japanese officials end the state of emergency.

As for the numbers in Japan, there are more than 600,000 reported COVID cases and roughly 11,000 deaths.

One of the biggest issues at the moment is the fact only 2% of the 126 million people living in Japan have received at least one vaccine dose according to Reuters.

Washington Nationals broadcaster F.P. Santangelo has been pulled from calling MLB games in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations ... but he insists the claims are "untrue."

The 53-year-old, who's turned into one of TV's best baseball analysts following a 7-year MLB career, was removed from his role as Nats color commentator several times last week.

And, The Athletic reports sexual misconduct allegations are the reasons why.

According to the report, a 31-year-old woman says Santangelo "made an unwanted advance several years ago, ignored her when she repeatedly told him to stop, and sexually assaulted her."

The woman, speaking to the outlet on the condition of anonymity, also claims Santangelo "sent her angry text messages and blocked her on social media after their one and only in-person interaction."

The woman says she has not filed a complaint with police and does not plan on filing a civil lawsuit ... explaining, "I don’t have any motives behind this other than I wanted to avoid this happening to other women.”

Santangelo, though, has denied the allegations ... issuing a statement to The Athletic saying, "What I have read in your recently published article from an anonymous individual about me is untrue and did not happen."

"This is not representative of who I am as a man or a professional. I am confident that my name and reputation will be fully cleared."

Santangelo, who's been calling Nats games for MASN since 2011, was initially pulled from broadcasts last weekend but was allowed to return ... before he was pulled again a short time later.

Nationals officials explained the situation to The Athletic, saying in a statement, "Late last week, we were made aware of allegations of conduct by F.P. Santangelo that are inconsistent with our values as an organization."

"We alerted MASN and revoked our approval of him as a member of our broadcast team. MASN assured us that they would investigate these allegations thoroughly. After MASN notified us that their investigation was complete and that F.P. should be reinstated, additional posts appeared."

The team continued, "Once again, we notified MASN and revoked our approval of F.P. as a member of our broadcast team indefinitely. Moving forward, we will refer all questions regarding this investigation to F.P.’s employer, MASN."

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott are showing signs that they're back together ... grabbing dinner at a celeb hot spot with famous friends and family.

Stormi's parents did a triple date night Sunday at West Hollywood hot spot, Catch LA, with Justin & Hailey Bieber and Kendall and her NBA star boyfriend, Devin Booker.

The 6-some all brought their own sense of fashion and style -- with JB still proudly rocking yet another new hairdo -- but Kylie was the only one who managed to duck the photogs all night. She's a pro!

We know she was there for the triple date, though, which only fuels speculation she's back together with Trav ... something that really kicked up a notch when she flew to Miami last weekend to celebrate his birthday with him.

You don't do fancy dinner dates with other happy couples unless you are feeling those same vibes yourself, right???

Tyrell Cohen -- the twin brother of NFL running back Tarik Cohen -- was found dead Sunday ... after officials say they believe he was electrocuted trying to climb power equipment.

Authorities say the 25-year-old, who's a fraternal twin of the Chicago Bears star, was involved in the tragedy shortly after a single-car crash Saturday morning in Raleigh, NC.

Officials say Tyrell left the scene of the accident after the wreck ... and could not be located in the ensuing hours.

Tyrell's family eventually filed a missing person report Saturday night ... with Tarik even putting out a message on social media asking anyone in the area for help locating his brother.

"Could be on foot in the [woods] around 540 and six forks," Tarik said in a since-deleted tweet. "Possibly injured!"

Officials say on Sunday morning, they resumed their search for Tyrell ... and, after an employee at a Duke Energy substation discovered a body, officials ultimately identified it as Tyrell's.

Authorities say Tyrell appeared to have entered the substation after the accident and was electrocuted shortly after. They say they do not believe foul play was involved.

The Bears released a statement Sunday evening mourning the death ... saying, "We are heartbroken."

"Our immediate thoughts and prayers go out to Tarik, his mother, Tilwanda, and the rest of their family and loved ones."

They continued, "On behalf of the entire Bears family, we extend our most heartfelt sympathies to all who mourn his loss."

Tarik was picked in the 4th round by the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft. He's started 22 games for the team in his four-year career.

You can't intentionally hit your opponent in the balls. Period.

That's an NBA rule Luka Doncic broke on Sunday night -- whacking Collin Sexton right in the man junk during the Mavs vs. Cavs game ... earning him a swift ejection.

The two were battling for position under the basket in the 3rd quarter when things got physical ... and Luka threw what looked like a hammer-fist right into Sexton's no-no zone.

The refs called Doncic for a flagrant 2 -- which means automatic ejection -- and when you check out the replay, you can see why.

Ouch.

After the game -- which the Mavs won -- Luka insisted he didn't MEAN to hit Sexton in the groin ... it was an accident!

"It obviously wasn't on purpose," Luka said ... "Just two guys fighting for a rebound, I guess."

He continued, "That kind of stuff happens a lot of the games you know ... I don't know. That's my explanation."

Floyd Mayweather COULD beat up both Logan Paul and Jake Paul on the same night ... but he won't, according to the man who runs Mayweather Promotions.

Remember, Floyd took the mic at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday and said he would have no problem beating "two fake fighters" on the same night.

Jake Paul confronted Floyd about the situation -- and with news cameras rolling, Floyd yelled for his manager to draw up the paperwork.

Hell broke loose after that ... but when things finally calmed down, we spoke with Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe and asked if there was any real chance fans would get a 2-for-1 special on June 6.

"Realistically, he could [fight both brothers], but no ... from a business standpoint, no."

Ellerbe continued, "[Floyd] and Logan are gonna have a great exhibition on the 6th of June and the whole world will be entertained."

As for the possibility Floyd could fight Jake on another date down the road? The door seems to be open on that ...

Who knows?! Who knows what the future might hold?!"

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was allegedly juiced up when he won the race, because he apparently tested positive for steroids.

The legendary Bob Baffert, the horse's trainer, broke the news Sunday that the test results showed the presence of corticosteroid Betamethasone. It's kinda technical, but the sample came back positive for 21 picograms of the drug. It's used as an anti-inflammatory.

This means the horse could be disqualified. BTW ... Medina Spirit is the only horse in the race to test positive.

Baffert denies doing anything wrong ... "I don't know what's going on, but there's something that is not right.” It's not official till the split sample comes. Usually, we wait for that, but I wanted to get in front of it."

Facts are facts, and this would be Baffert's 5th medication violation since May, 2020.

The good news for bettors ... they won't have to give their money back. The bad news for Baffert, the trainer and the jockey ... they'll have to return their winnings if their appeal fails.

If Medina Spirit is stripped of the win, it'd be the first DQ since 1968, when Dancer's Image won but was later disqualified for an anti-inflammatory drug.

A signed Tom Brady card PACKED with diamonds was just pulled out of a wild box break this week ... and it's got everyone wondering -- is this the greatest TB12 card ever!?

The piece came from a 2020 Flawless NFL box ... and it's absolutely insane -- with some experts putting a conservative resale price tag of $250,000 on it!!

The card -- a 1-of-1 -- features an image of Brady, the Super Bowl XXXVIII logo, Brady's signature and inscription ... plus over two dozen REAL diamonds!!

It was all pulled thanks to Bryan from Ultimate Box Breaks ... who purchased the $6,000 Panini America box this week and split it 32 ways between collectors.

Bryan tells TMZ Sports some of his followers/card enthusiasts agreed to buy in for around $160 -- and each one was then assigned 1 of the 32 NFL teams.

The deal was simple ... whatever team the player's card was on -- that collector would get the item.

Turns out, the guy who had the Patriots scored BIG TIME -- 'cause Bryan tells us the dude is just a regular Joe who so happens to be a huge New England and Brady fan!

As for his plans for the card now, Bryan says it's unclear whether the guy will sell it or hold it ... but it is clear the card could be worth a small fortune nonetheless.

Remember, Tom's rare cards ALWAYS resale for big numbers ... in fact, one of his rookie pieces just netted $1.72 MILLION at an auction last month.

Western Kentucky hoops star-turned Raiders rookie Carson Williams says a fellow Hilltopper's advice inspired his football career ... telling TMZ Sports N.Y. Jets star George Fant played a big factor in getting him to try out for the NFL.

23-year-old Williams' story is pretty wild -- he was named Kentucky's Mr. Basketball as a high schooler in 2016 ... and spent the past 3 seasons playing basketball for WKU, averaging 10.9 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Despite not stepping foot on the gridiron since the 8th grade, the 6'5", 254-pound forward decided to take a leap of faith and participate in WKU's pro day as a tight end last month.

The risk paid off -- 'cause the Las Vegas Raiders were so impressed, they decided to sign Williams to a contract as a tight end.

"It still hasn't completely set in, but I'm obviously very happy, very excited and looking forward to getting to work," Williams tells us.

As it turns out, Williams ain't the only former WKU star to make the jump to the gridiron -- Fant was an all-conference forward for the Hilltoppers from 2011-15, averaging 13.8 points and 8.4 rebounds during his senior season.

Williams says he met up with the Jets lineman/tight end to pick his brain about turning to football ... and by the end of the conversation, his mind was made up.

After all, it's been pretty successful for Fant -- he signed a 3-year, $30 million deal with N.Y. in 2020.

Williams believes his hoops background will be beneficial -- he tells us his foot skills, work ethic and athleticism will give him a solid start on the football field.

Williams says guys like Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham -- who also played college basketball before ending up in the NFL -- also inspired his switch to football ... and he explains why the Raiders made the right move.

“I guarantee you I’m the best striker [in the UFC] and a much better striker than Max Holloway. I just need my chance to prove it."

That's UFC rising star Giga Chikadze officially throwing down the gauntlet ... challenging the featherweight G.O.A.T. to a scrap when talking to TMZ Sports.

Chikadze's stock is soaring after the 32-year-old put Cub Swanson away with a BRUTAL liver kick only 63 seconds into their co-main event fight last weekend.

Giga -- 13-2 (8 KO's) -- is now the #10 ranked featherweight ... so we asked him to name his dream fight.

“For sure Max Holloway.”

Why Blessed? He's the definition of a problem inside the Octagon.

"His fight against Calvin Kattar, I watched that fight and it was probably one of the best performances I’ve seen in a featherweight division," Giga says.

"Every time he was doing some crazy boxing combo I said, 'Man, I wanna fight him!'"

Of course, Holloway didn't just dominate Kattar (he landed a record 445 significant strikes) ... he's beaten Jose Aldo (twice), Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar, Anthony Pettis and Jeremy Stephens -- to name a few.

Despite his ridiculous resume, Chikadze isn't afraid to say he has better hands (and legs) than the former champion ... and a fight with Max would be over inside 10 minutes.

“It doesn’t matter if it's gonna be a 3-round fight, 5-round fight ... I only give [Holloway] 2 [rounds]. That’s the max.”

TMZ Sports: "Do you think Jake Paul can win?"

Mike Tyson: "No. He's gonna get beat up pretty bad."

There it is ... Mike Tyson keeping it all the way real when asked how Jake Paul would fare against Floyd Mayweather if they ever step in the ring.

Don't get it twisted, Mike is NOT a hater -- he loves both Jake and Logan Paul ... but he's also a walking boxing encyclopedia who knows more about the sport than almost anyone else on the planet.

So, with Logan slated to fight Floyd on June 6 and Jake also gunning for a shot at Mayweather, we asked Mike if either guy had a snowball's chance in hell.

Look, our photog was extremely excited to talk with Mike and fudged the names ... but you get the gist of what he's trying to say.

Bottom line ... Mike ain't even offering up the "puncher's chance" argument for either Paul -- which basically states that anyone with knockout power has a chance of winning a fight, even if they're out-skilled.

WWE Superstar The Miz says he's 100% down to play the legendary Johnny Cage in the next "Mortal Kombat" movie ... telling TMZ Sports he'd put his blood, sweat and tears into perfecting the role.

Of course, the beloved Cage was left out of the iconic video game franchise's reboot movie that dropped last month ... but SPOILER ALERT: the ending teased the hell out of him being in a possible sequel.

M.K. nerds have started a social media campaign to see the WWE Superstar play the sunglassed badass in a future flick... with Miz tweeting out for M.K. producers to call his agent.

But, the champ tells us he's not kidding about wanting the role ... telling us he'd love to give the fans what they want.

"Honestly ... if I have a shot at it, I would definitely want to make sure that I give everything that I possibly can to make sure that not only the production company, the director are happy with the character that I get, but also the fans because they are the ones that are so adamant about Johnny Cage being in the movie," The Miz told us at LAX this week.

"This is an iconic character in the 'Mortal Kombat' franchise and it needs to be done right. If I'm the person to do it, then so be it. I'm ready to go!"

We know what you're thinkin' -- Miz is more of a wrestler than a karate guy like J.C. ... but he says he'd do whatever it takes to execute each move like the real Cage would.

The role would be a full-circle moment for The Miz ... who says he spent countless hours playing M.K. while growing up.

"I remember playing this game when I was a kid. Sega Genesis, I would never play Super Nintendo because it didn't have the blood, but I always played the Sega Genesis version and I remember playing as Johnny Cage."

"And, to see this kinda all happen, it'd be like a dream come true."

Miz could have some competition, though -- it sounds like Ryan Reynolds is also trying to throw his hat in the ring.