TMZ Sports - Page 50

The NFL is making it clear it stands firmly with the LGBTQ+ community ... releasing a powerful video Monday that featured the message, "Football is gay."

The clip, which is 30 seconds in length, added, "Football is lesbian. Football is beautiful. Football is queer. Football is life."

The messages didn't stop there ... they even went on to say, "Football is transgender" and "Football is bisexual" -- before the video ended with, "Football is for everyone."

A league spokesperson confirmed to Outsports on Monday the video was a direct response to Las Vegas Raiders pass-rusher Carl Nassib announcing he's gay last week.

"I am proud of the clear message this spot sends to the NFL’s LGBTQ+ fans: This game is unquestionably for you," another rep for the league, NFL diversity director Sam Rapoport, added to Outsports.

"I will be playing its first line over and over in my head all season."

As part of the video message, the NFL once again encouraged people to donate to The Trevor Project -- an org. established to try to help prevent suicides in the LGBTQ+ community.

Nassib said last week he was donating $100K to the organization during his video announcement ... and the NFL quickly followed suit matching the donation hours later.

"NFL proudly supports The Trevor Project," the league said in Monday's video. "LGBTQ+ youth with at least one accepting adult have 40% lower risk of attempting suicide."

Nikki Bella is apologizing after some mean comments she made about Chyna back in the day resurfaced on social media ... she says it wasn't worth the cheap laugh.

Here's the deal ... Nikki and Brie Bella were on "Fashion Police" back in 2013 and the resurfaced clip shows Nikki holding up a photo of Chyna and saying, "We don't know if it's a man or a woman."

Nikki apologized Monday after getting dragged online, saying ... "I am sorry and embarrassed by my 29 year old self, who offended Chyna and, in turn, hurt her family and others.

She says she wishes she could take the comment back and adds ... "Please learn from me, it's not worth hurting someone's feelings for a meaningless laugh."

The resurfaced clip also features another dig at Chyna from host Joan Rivers, who says Chyna's "vagina has a penis."

As you know, Chyna died back in 2016 from an accidental overdose ... and she's since been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

In her apology, Nikki thanks Chyna for opening doors for women in wrestling, like the Bella Twins, and says she should be remembered as an "icon and pioneer."

Scottie Pippen just unleashed some serious allegations against Phil Jackson ... claiming the legendary NBA coach is a "racist" in a bombshell interview Monday.

The ex-Chicago Bulls great has been going OFF on his former team over the past week ... including making a bold claim that Jackson's decision to set up a game-winning play for rookie Toni Kukoc in the 1994 playoffs was a "racial move."

Pip doubled down on his stance on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Monday ... when he was asked to clarify if he meant Jackson is actually racist.

Here's the exchange:

Dan Patrick: "By saying a 'racial move,' then you're calling Phil Jackson a racist."

Pippen: "I don't got a problem with that."

DP: "Do you think Phil was, or is?"

Pippen: "Oh, yeah."

While he did not give specific instances to back up his claim, Pippen went on to bash the coach for writing a "tell-all" about Kobe Bryant after leaving the Lakers in 2004 ... just to return a year later.

"Who would do that?" Pippen said. "You name someone in professional sports that would do that. I think he got to expose Kobe in a way that he shouldn't have."

"You're the head coach. You're the guy that sits in the locker room and tells the players, 'This is a circle, and everything stays within the circle' because that's what team is about."

Scottie added ... "But, you as the head coach open it up and now you go out and you try to belittle at that time, probably one of the greatest players in the game."

Patrick fought back, saying that would bring Jackson's loyalty -- not alleged racist views -- into question ... but Pippen was adamant his personal experiences speak for themselves.

"I was in the locker room with him," Pippen said. "I was in practices with him. You're looking at him from afar."

Kim Kardashian's undergarment line, SKIMS, will be officially repping the U.S. on the biggest stage ... as the gear American athletes will rock in their downtime.

The big news came out Monday when Kim posted photos of Olympians already decked out in SKIMS-inspired products with "Team USA" emblazoned across the front and sides. She has quite a story about how this came about, too.

Kim first discussed her ties to the Olympics, and how she grew up with the games as a big part of her life -- thanks, in large part, to her stepdad, Caitlyn Jenner, who used to compete (and win) when she was growing up. So, in other words ... she already has an Olympic pedigree.

Of the deal itself, she writes, "When I received the call inviting Skims to be a part of @TeamUSA, every moment I’ve spent admiring the strength and energy of the Olympians from the sidelines came full circle" -- going on to explain SKIMS will design the underwear, loungewear and pajamas worn during the Tokyo Games ... which is huge, obviously.

Kim also shouted out the athletes who posed for this campaign ... including Alex Morgan, Dalilah Muhammad, A'ja Wilson, Scout Bassett, Haley Anderson and others.

A California surfer was viciously attacked by a shark in ocean waters Saturday ... and the bite was so bad, authorities say the animal ripped TEN teeth marks into the man's leg.

The attack went down at Gray Whale Cove State Beach in San Mateo County near S.F. ... when authorities say a white shark, approximately 6-to-8 feet long, bit into the 39-year-old surfer.

"The patient suffered severe injuries," fire official Brian Ham told KTVU, adding, thankfully, bystanders were able to bring the surfer to shore just after the attack.

Authorities say the man needed to be "treated with advanced life support measures" following the bite ... and say he was transported to a nearby hospital in "serious condition."

Officials tell TMZ Sports the man has since been released.

The beach, meanwhile, was later closed to all visitors while authorities investigated the incident.

A shark attack in CA waters is very rare ... according to marine biologist David McGuire, "The relative risk is 1-in-17 million to encountering a shark in California waters."

Offset had his hands full announcing baby #2 with Cardi B on Sunday, but he wasn't TOO busy to keep an eye on his Atlanta Hawks ... telling TMZ Sports his beloved team WILL bounce back from their Game 3 loss!!

Of course, it was a huge night at the BET Awards for Migos -- the trio put on one hell of a performance with the "Up" MC as she set social media on fire with her baby bump.

But, even with all the chaos surrounding the baby news, Offset was able to check in on Trae Young and co. as they fell 113-102 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday ... and the dude's pretty optimistic.

"We gon' bounce back," Offset told us outside BOA. "That was some bulls**t. We bouncin' back."

But, if 1/3 of Migos having confidence in the Hawks ain't enough, we also spoke with Quavo ... and he's just as confident Young will lead the squad to the Finals -- and WIN IT ALL!!!

"We gon' get that ring," Quavo told us outside the Highlight Room. "It's the year."

Horrible news from NHL superstar David Pastrnak ... the Boston Bruins forward announced Monday his newborn son has tragically died.

The baby, named Viggo Rohl Pastrnak, was just born on June 17 ... but Pastrnak said on his social media page he lost the child just days later on June 23.

"We have an Angel watching over us and we call him SON," Pastrnak wrote. "You will be loved FOREVER."

It's unclear what caused the death ... Pastrnak only added, "Please respect our privacy as we are going through these heartbreaking times."

The baby was Pastrnak's first.

25-year-old Pastrnak is considered one of the best players in the NHL ... he's spent his entire 7-year NHL career with the Bruins, scoring 200 goals in 438 games.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Josh Naylor broke his leg in a horrifying fashion after colliding with his teammate during a game Sunday ... and video of the play is VERY hard to watch.

The gruesome scene all went down in the 4th inning of the Tribe's game against the Minnesota Twins ... when Naylor was trying to track down a fly ball in right field.

The problem ... his teammate, Ernie Clement, was charging for the ball as well -- and when the baseball finally came down from the sky, the two crashed into each other HARD.

The collision sent Naylor flying -- and when he landed, his leg bent awkwardly underneath him ... horrifically twisting it.

You can see in slow-motion replay, Naylor was in EXTREME pain ... writhing on the ground.

Naylor was eventually carted off the field and taken to the hospital ... and after the game, Indians manager Terry Francona confirmed his player was dealing with a significant injury.

"We know that there's a fracture," Francona told reporters. "Other than that, he's being evaluated over at the hospital right now."

Naylor had played in 69 games for Cleveland this season ... hitting 7 home runs and batting .253.

Bruce Smith says he has a ton of respect for Carl Nassib for coming out -- but the Hall of Famer tells TMZ Sports gay players in the NFL is nothing new.

"We had a gay player in our locker room," Smith says ... "I think it was the mid to late 90s and I think we might have had 2 but that wasn't what we were focused on."

Remember, Smith's Bills were legendary in the '90s ... making the playoffs 8 times (including 4 Super Bowl appearances).

But, Smith says he never cared about anyone's sexual orientation -- as long as that player could ball out on the field.

"We were focused on winning games and each and every person that was in that locker room contributing to the goal at hand which was winning football games. None of that other stuff mattered. This was about winning football games and trying to be a good person."

Smith says he completely understands the cultural significance of having an openly gay player in the NFL -- and believes Nassib's decision to come out will have a tremendous impact.

"Obviously, we like to see the inclusion part. We like to see folks that understand that the world is changing and you have to embrace those that may be a little bit different and it's okay."

But, ultimately, Smith believes NFL locker rooms have been more inclusive than people think ... and the notion that older players wouldn't have accepted a gay teammate is just wrong.

Gwen Berry -- a U.S. hammer thrower who'll compete at the Tokyo Olympics -- partook in what event honchos have said they won't tolerate come game day ... national anthem protests.

Berry, who's Black, did well enough Saturday at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, OR to qualify for her second Olympics as a pro athlete ... but when it came to accepting her bronze medal on the podium -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" began playing.

She wasn't having any of it ... with several photos capturing the awkward moment, in which GB refused to place her hand over heart, and even turning away from the flag -- unlike her fellow competitors, who did the exact opposite.

At one point, while she was standing up there, Berry busted out a T-shirt she had on her that read "Activist Athlete" ... holding it up high, and then putting it over her head while she continued to snub the flag/anthem as it played. She didn't stop there, either.

Afterward, she was obviously asked about her demonstration. Turns out, she was pretty "pissed" by the whole thing -- accusing organizers of staging the timing of it all and playing the anthem right when they knew Gwen would get up, almost like daring her to react.

She says, "They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there. I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually, I stayed there and I swayed ... It was real disrespectful." Berry went on to claim she was told the anthem would be played before the podium ceremony, adding, "I don't really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important. The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has."

A rep for the USA Track and Field Team denied her characterization, saying the anthem is scheduled to play daily at a certain time (5:20 PM, it seems) and no sabotage was in play.

Either way, it'll be interesting to see how Berry handles anthems at the actual games here in a few weeks. The International Olympic Committee has said athletes who compete are forbidden from making scenes like this, be it political, social or otherwise.

Tristan Thompson might not be with Khloe Kardashian romantically anymore, but he's still got a lot of love for her -- which you can see in a public birthday message he sent Khloe's way.

The Boston Celtics star posted a touching tribute to his baby mama Sunday -- Khloe's 37th birthday, no less -- which was accompanied with intimate photos of them and their daughter, True, wishing her well and also thanking her for being an incredible mother, pal and more.

TT writes, "Happy birthday @khloekardashian Thank you for being not just an amazing partner, mommy and best friend but also being the kindest, caring and most loving human being I've ever met."

He goes on ... "Your love and spirit is contagious to all who've met you. Thank you for always being there for me and putting our family first. I love you so much. Have an amazing day. ❤️❤️"

It's a very sweet gesture, and it doesn't appear he cares about the backdrop of things either -- namely, the fact they just called it quits (again) after allegations of cheating (again).

It all ties back to a woman named Sydney Chase, who claimed to have had sex with Tristan not too long after he officially reunited with Khloe. He seems to have denied that -- among other cheating/paternity claims that are also floating out there -- but the scandal, apparently, proved to be too much for Khloe.

Of course, they continue to co-parent ... and still seem to care for each other. Or, at least Tristan does, anyway -- Khloe hasn't commented much on the breakup since it went down.

Serena Williams will not be Tokyo-bound this Summer ... because she just said she's not heading to the Olympics.

It's a big blow for the games losing that kind of star power -- Serena snagged 4 gold medals in prior years, most recently in 2012.

She said Sunday at Wimbledon, "I'm actually not on the Olympic list, not that I'm aware of," adding, "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."

If that sounds a little vague, Serena cleared it up with this ... "There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to. I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."

Still not enough? Well, she ended with this ... "I have not thought about it. In the past [the Olympics] has been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."

As for her Olympic hardware, in the 2000 games in Sydney she beat Maria Sharapova in singles and won doubles as well, in 2008 she won in Beijing and 2012 won doubles with her sister, Venus.

As for the present ... Serena's eying her 8th win at Wimbledon. She's up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus Tuesday.

It seems that massive crash Saturday during the Tour de France might have been downright criminal ... because French authorities are now on the case.

As we reported, a spectator with a cardboard sign was apparently mugging for the TV cameras when she got way too close to the racers ... striking German rider Tony Martin who was at the front of the pack.

She stepped in front of the racing pack holding the sign, appearing to display a message for the television cameras.

The sign hit Martin who was cycling near the head of the pack. Martin tumbled to the ground, setting off a chain reaction as nearly 2 dozen other cyclists ate it.

So now, law enforcement is on the hunt for the woman they say caused "unintentional injuries by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of safety or prudence." Translation, recklessness.

Authorities are asking witnesses to come forward who can ID the woman -- who quickly left the scene before investigators arrived.

Master P wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to coach the Pelicans ... telling TMZ Sports he's signed with one of the biggest agencies in sports to help him get the job!!!

Remember, the rap legend told us earlier this week about his desires to lead his hometown team ... saying he'd be the guy to bring in wins and keep young superstar Zion Williamson happy.

We caught up with P out in Beverly Hills to get an update on his mission ... and he's already taking the necessary steps to make it happen!!!

"Right now, I just hired a sports agent," P says. "So, you know, to be an NBA coach, you have to have a sports agent."

But, it's not just any sports agent -- P says he's teaming up with Roc Nation Sports' Raymond Brothers ... a fellow Louisiana guy who's repped players from the Ball Bros. to Caron Butler to Zach Randolph.

"He's a good friend of mine and he knows what he's doing," P added.

As for his knowledge of the game, P says he's more than capable of a leadership role with the Pels.

"I'm not an X and O coach, but I understand people management. We don't need another X and O coach. (Stan) Van Gundy was an X and O coach, it didn't work."

"Times have changed. I think I have the best people management skills than any NBA coach can have."

Get this -- P says he can bring NOLA to greatness even if Zion wants out ... telling us he'll be able to help the remaining players reach their full potential.

As for his coaching staff?!? He's already got a guy lined up.

"I talked to John Lucas, he's willing to support me and come with me on this journey. So, I will have John Lucas that knows the X's and O's on the staff with me to make this happen. So, I got all the pieces to the puzzle."

Scottie Pippen better think again before he continues to crap all over Kevin Durant's legacy ... so says ex-NBAer Brandon Jennings, who tells TMZ Sports KD is way better than Pippen ever was!!!

Of course, Pip UNLOADED on the Brooklyn Nets superstar in an interview with GQ this week ... saying KD's selfish playing cost his team a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Naturally, KD fired back on Twitter ... reminding Pippen he's the guy who refused to play in the final seconds of a 1993 semifinals game because coach Phil Jackson drew up a play for Toni Kukoc instead.

We spoke with Jennings about the Wagyu-quality beef between the two guys ... and he tells us Pippen's resume cannot live up to KD's, so he better respect the greatness.

"I mean if I'm KD I wouldn't listen to Scottie," BJ said outside Crustacean on Thursday. "I mean, KD is better than Scottie."

When we pointed out the ring count -- Scottie has 6, KD has 2 -- Jennings says it's bigger than that.

"At the end of the day, KD was shorthanded, and at the end of the day, he did the best that he could do just like when Mike left the Bulls back in the '90s and Scottie had a chance to be the man."

Jennings admits both guys have the right to say whatever they want -- they're both amazing ballers -- but KD is essentially untouchable.

A spectator with a sign caused a massive, crazy pileup Saturday during the Tour de France.

Literally minutes after the race began ... a fan holding a cardboard sign held it out too far ... hitting one of the riders ... causing him to eat it hard. That, in turn, triggered a chain reaction as rider after rider bit the dust in a wild scene.

Here's how it was described by former green jersey winner Sean Kelly ... “The guys at the front went through a very tight section between the islands in the middle of the road and it was a dangerous one for those further back in the peloton. This is Brittany – you have a lot of road furniture and small villages. It is very technical for the first stage of the Tour de France.”

As if that's bad enough ... there's a real chance of rain as the day wears on. Believe in bad omens much?

It's unclear if any of the riders were injured, but gotta say ... if none were, it's a minor miracle.