TMZ Sports - Page 50

The man in charge of directing Friday's Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has just been fired hours before the start of the event ... after it was discovered he made a Holocaust joke in 1998.

Kentaro Kobayashi was canned Thursday after video surfaced of him making the wildly gross and inappropriate comment during a comedy act over two decades ago.

In the old clip, Kobayashi reportedly can be heard bringing up the Holocaust and saying, "Let's play the genocide of Jews."

Organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto said Thursday when the footage was brought to his attention ... he and other officials acted swiftly, removing Kobayashi from his high-ranking role.

"We found out that Mr. Kobayashi, in his own performance, has used a phrase ridiculing a historical tragedy," Hashimoto said.

"We deeply apologize for causing such a development the day before the opening ceremony and for causing troubles and concerns to many involved parties as well as the people in Tokyo and the rest of the country."

48-year-old Kobayashi later released an apology in a statement ... saying, "Entertainment should not make people feel uncomfortable. I understand that my stupid choice of words at that time was wrong, and I regret it."

The troubling news comes just days after one of the composers for the opening ceremony, Keigo Oyamada, pulled out of the event after he admitted to bullying a disabled classmate in the 1990s.

Hashimoto, though, insisted the opening ceremony will go on as planned despite it all ... saying Thursday, "we are going to open the Games tomorrow under this difficult situation."

As we previously reported, spectators will NOT be allowed at the ceremony ... as officials hope empty stadiums will help keep coronavirus from spreading.

Forget Advil and ice ... Conor McGregor's clearly found a better way to recover from a broken leg -- a pool, some drinks and L.A. sunshine!!!

The UFC star showed Wednesday he's doing just fine 1 week after docs surgically repaired his busted ankle ... posting pics of him loving life in Beverly Hills.

The photos showed Conor is clearly in great spirits despite the lengthy rehab process ahead of him ... getting in what appears to be some cocktails with friends on a lounge chair.

The pics, though, also showed just how brutal McGregor's injury truly is.

Check out the cast on his left leg ... it wraps all the way from his toes to his knee -- and it's bulky too.

As we previously reported, McGregor needed a rod, a plate and screws to fix the leg he broke during his fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

The surgery went on for 3.5 hours ... and Dana White has said he believes the recovery process will take a full YEAR.

But, Conor doesn't seem too down about it all ... he even filmed himself getting a haircut by the pool Wednesday while flashing a big grin.

Shaun Weiss, the goalie in the 'Mighty Ducks' movie, has scored a hat trick -- finishing a court-ordered drug program, getting a criminal case dismissed ... and most importantly, getting his life back on track.

The D.A.'s Office in Yuba County, CA praised Shaun for successfully completing the drug court program. As we've reported, Shaun's struggled with addiction for years ... but he was recently in court -- dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit, mind you -- to proudly receive his certificate from the judge.

He'd entered the program back in March 2020 after getting busted for burglary.

The D.A.'s Office said Shaun has "demonstrated perseverance during his recovery complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had to move treatment and transitional living programs on several occasions. He underwent dental reconstructive surgery, and had a close family member suffer a serious accident during his treatment."

The D.A. added, "Shaun regained employment and has been traveling across the country making guest appearances and signing autographs. He received tremendous support from friends and fans of the character, Goldberg, he played in the 1992 hit 'The Mighty Ducks.'"

For staying on the straight and narrow his burglary case has been dismissed.

As we reported ... Shaun looked unrecognizable back in January 2020 when he was busted for residential burglary. Cops said they found Shaun trying to steal stuff from a car in someone's garage.

Since then, Shaun's been doing the work, and slowly getting his life together -- from getting sober to beaming with pride thanks to that new set of chompers.

Forget Le'Veon Bell and Adrian Peterson ... Eric Dickerson says if the Rams turn to a vet to help fill the RB void left after Cam Akers' injury -- they NEED to give Todd Gurley a call!

The former Rams superstar explained it all to TMZ Sports out at LAX this week ... saying Gurley would be the perfect runner to sign if L.A. doesn't like what it sees from Akers' backups this summer.

"That’s a no-brainer," Dickerson said of re-inking Gurley. "I mean, he knows the offense, he knows this offense. He doesn’t have to come in and try and learn it."

"He knows [Sean] McVay, he knows the guys on the team -- that would be an easy fit."

Of course, there are plenty of roadblocks both sides would have to get through to get to that point -- many of which Dickerson acknowledges himself.

First and foremost, the two parties didn't have the best breakup when the Rams moved on from their former star in 2020.

Gurley also didn't exactly look great in his lone season in Atlanta last year, rushing for just 3.5 yards per carry.

But, Todd is a free agent seeking an NFL home, and the Rams could use the help -- so Dickerson says "business decisions" could end up motivating both sides to reconnect and enjoy a new marriage.

"At the end of the day, football, this is business," Dickerson said. "That’s what it comes down to. You got to make business decisions."

"You got to make decisions that are good for the football team, and the player has to make decisions that’s best for him."

The MLS just released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying, "Ms. Travieso’s allegations have no merit as her job, along with her entire department and 20 percent of League Office positions, was eliminated in November of 2020 as a result of the dramatic impact of the pandemic on Major League Soccer’s business."

"Ms. Travieso was not removed from her job duties for any other reason. Major League Soccer is committed to providing a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment and takes these allegations very seriously."

"We are constantly working to ensure our employees feel safe and supported in the workplace."

A former media executive for Major League Soccer claims she lost her job for speaking up about racial issues within the organization following the killing of George Floyd ... so she's suing.

Karine Travieso, who is Black, has filed suit against MLS along with 2 of her former bosses, alleging she was removed from job duties, excluded from meetings and unjustly blamed for other employee's mistakes after speaking at a Juneteenth event in 2020.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ Sports ... Travieso began working for MLS in 2017 and worked her way up to a role of prominence ... despite what she describes as a work environment lacking diversity and inclusion.

She also describes multiple incidents of perceived racial stereotypes, such as one of her bosses allegedly implying in 2018 that there needed to be extra security at the 2 Chainz MLS All-Star Concert because Black people would be attending.

According to Travieso ... she mostly stayed silent about stuff like this until George Floyd's death on May 25, 2020, sparked nationwide protests and raised awareness about the plight of Black people.

She claims she encouraged MLS honchos to release a statement about Floyd's death like other major sports leagues after several days of silence, and they finally did ... but she points to it as another example of the soccer org dropping the ball.

Then, according to the docs, Travieso spoke at the Juneteenth event and "opened her heart about racial discrimination" and how she felt she couldn't raise race issues with MLS execs.

She says she cited the 2 Chainz incident as a reason MLS needed to incorporate unconscious bias training, called on "white allies" within the org to help, and pointed out there was "little to no Black representation in the decision-making positions and upper echelon of MLS."

According to Travieso ... her speech was met with praise by colleagues, but MLS did nothing to follow up on it. Instead, she claims she began to be treated differently by her bosses, was no longer invited to meetings she'd previously been a part of, and was removed from certain roles within the company.

She says she reported this to HR in October, and then a month later ... she was informed she was being laid off due to the circumstances with COVID-19 and some business restructuring.

Travieso's suing for race discrimination and retaliation, and she's seeking damages. We reached out to MLS ... no word back so far.

UFC star Sean O'Malley and 6ix9ine made their bromance permanent this week ... 'cause Suga let the controversial rapper tattoo his '69' logo on him!!

The duo had a helluva weekend together in Miami ... clubbing, playing softball and eating expensive ass meals out in South Beach.

But, while the good times may fade away, there's one part of their bro-down that won't -- the wild new ink O'Malley got ... with Tekashi taking the matters into his own hands and doing the job himself!!

You can see shirtless O'Malley sitting while Tekashi, needle in hand ... is going to work on his right shoulder.

Granted, celebrity tattoo artist Tatu Panda was there to make sure Tekashi69 didn't screw up ... and eventually took over after the first few minutes.

O'Malley was pleased with his big and bold 69 tat ... saying "you da man!" in the comment section on the Instagram post.

But, Suga wasn't the only one to get tatted by Tekashi ... it looks like YouTuber SteveWillDoIt let him start a tat on his left hand, too!!

No word on if 6ix9ine got a tat as well ... but the dude's clearly running out of room on his body, so who knows?!

Suga recapped the whole weekend on his podcast ... saying Steve even gifted him a sick new Rolex in the process!!

Deshaun Watson doesn't look like a guy too concerned about his uncertain NFL future ... 'cause the QB hit up a New York hotspot Tuesday night appearing to be as cool as a cucumber, even posing for pics with fans outside the place.

The Texans superstar -- who's still being accused by more than 20 women of sexual misconduct -- had dinner at the popular 4 Seasons in NYC ... and he didn't seem to be perturbed about much.

Cameras captured the 25-year-old outside the restaurant in good spirits ... smiling and taking photos with people -- even chatting with some who had no idea who he was.

Of course, despite his positive attitude ... Watson's football future is still very much up in the air as his Texans team is slated to open training camp next week.

Watson could be barred from the workouts -- and perhaps even the entire 2021 season -- as cops and the NFL continue to investigate claims he was inappropriate with female massage therapists on multiple occasions over the past couple years.

As we previously reported, 22 masseuses have said in court docs that Watson crossed the line during what were supposed to be routine massage therapy sessions.

For his part, Watson has denied any wrongdoing ... and his reps have been adamant that any sexual encounters between the football player and the massage therapists were entirely consensual.

Devastating news from Bobby Bowden -- the legendary Florida State coach just announced he is suffering from a terminal medical condition ... saying he is "prepared for what is to come."

91-year-old Bowden -- who won 2 national titles with the Seminoles -- spoke out about his health status on Wednesday.

"I've always tried to serve God's purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come," Bowden told the Tallahassee Democrat. "My wife Ann and our family have been life's greatest blessing."

"I am at peace."

Bobby is one of the best coaches EVER -- he earned more than 350 wins in his time as the Seminoles' coach ... and was so good, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 while he was still on the FSU sidelines.

Bowden has not fully recovered from his health scare last year -- he tested positive for COVID-19 while getting treated for a skin infection ... and spent time in the hospital.

The report says the coach is currently under supervised care and "resting comfortably" at his home in Florida.

Olympic athletes are gonna eat GOOOOOD during the Tokyo Games ... 'cause USA volleyball player Erik Shoji gave an official taste test at one of the dining halls this week -- and it looks delicious!!

Of course, Shoji is staying in the Olympic Village ... and says he has two dining options -- main and casual.

For Tuesday's dinner, Shoji picked casual -- which is all Japanese food -- and shared his experience on TikTok ... warning viewers, "watching me eat is CRINGE."

Shoji stuffs his face with teriyaki beef, grilled pork, seasoned corn, okonomiyaki, somen salad and fruit for dessert ... giving a big thumbs up to each course of his meal.

"It's pretty good!!!" Shoji says as he scarfs down the grub.

No word on how good the "main" option is -- but we're sure it's full of American favorites to help the athletes feel at home.

It's a huge sigh of relief to know the athletes don't have a Fyre Fest situation on their hands -- remember the "sandwiches" staff were left eating during that crap show??

The 31-year-old also gave Olympics fans a tour of where he's staying during the Games -- "This is our little living room. Kinda small," Shoji says. "But, the best part is our balcony view!"

There's also a fridge, microwave and snacks -- but no stove.

But, with OV dining like that ... who needs to cook?!

A shirtless MLB fan's face got demolished by several men in a wild brawl at the White Sox game Tuesday night ... and the insane fracas was all caught on video.

The melee went down at some point during the Sox's tilt with the Twins at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago ... when men let their fists fly in the stadium's left-field bleachers.

You can see in the footage ... the fight was violent -- with haymakers being thrown, and landed, repeatedly.

The man without a shirt took most of the damage ... eating flurries of punches from multiple people involved in the skirmish.

To the guy's credit, though, he had quite the chin ... 'cause he took everyone's best shot -- and still wanted more.

It seems at some point cooler heads prevailed ... 'cause when we reached out to cops over the incident, they told us no arrests were made.

As for the game, the Sox used a big 8th inning to railroad Minnesota, 9-5.

Beary scary situation in Tokyo ... 'cause a wild bear has broken into the Olympic softball stadium -- and it's STILL ON THE LOOSE!!!

Officials in Fukushima are furiously searching for the wild animal with games underway ... after the Asian black bear was spotted twice inside the Azuma Sports Park earlier this week.

Security at the venue is reportedly trying like hell to find and capture the bear -- blaring music on the speakers and even letting off firecrackers in hopes of scaring it out of hiding ... but so far, no bear.

Of course, there are no fans in the stands at the games ... but ya gotta give props to the teams for being brave and still playing!

Fortunately, the bear didn't make an appearance as the opening round kicked off on Tuesday ... but here's hoping all the rest of the games don't get an unexpected visitor!

Forget porterhouse steaks and fancy champagne ... Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his NBA title with Chick-fil-A -- and his run to the fast-food joint Wednesday was absolutely EPIC!!!

The Bucks superstar -- fresh off dropping 50 points in Milwaukee's NBA finals-clinching Game 6 win over the Suns -- documented his whole trip to breakfast on social media, and it was seriously amazing.

Giannis made the trek to the food spot with the Larry O'Brien trophy and his NBA finals award in his lap ... and he stopped to celebrate with plenty of happy fans along the way.

At one point, the dude even let a guy reach into his ride to touch his championship hardware!!

Once Giannis got to the Chick-fil-A line ... he ordered a feast -- first, requesting 50 (not 49 and not 51) nuggets to celebrate his points total from Tuesday night's game.

Then the 26-year-old added some burritos and a half Sprite/half lemonade drink!!

Giannis then tried to score some free Chick-fil-A for life ... making a deal with workers that if he went back-to-back next season, he'd never have to pay for the place's chicken again!!

"Hey," Giannis told his followers on IG Live. "This is why I love Milwaukee. This is why I chose to stay because we celebrate together. It's been like this since Day One. And I love this."

Fans then surrounded Antetokounmpo's whip -- chanting "Bucks In 6" and "M-V-P" -- before Giannis signed off to go home and eat his meal.

Athletes wasted no time making a statement against injustice as the Olympic competition kicked off this week ... with soccer players taking a knee before their matches on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee released a strict policy for the 2020 Games ... banning any sort of demonstrations or protests on the field of play, during ceremonies or at the podium ... and anyone who broke the guidelines would face severe sanctions.

But, the IOC eased up on its rules leading up to Tokyo ... allowing athletes to "express their views" before or after the competition, as long as it is not disruptive or targeted against specific people, countries or organizations.

Members of Great Britain's and Chile's women's soccer teams took advantage of the relaxed policy by getting on one knee before their opening match at the Sapporo Dome hours ago ... a demonstration that would have resulted in harsh punishment if the amended rules didn't come into play.

Team USA and Sweden also dropped to one knee before their match ... as well as Australia and New Zealand.

It's apparently "Coach" Sanders or it's no Sanders for Deion Sanders ... 'cause the Jackson State headman allegedly shut down interviews Tuesday after reporters referred to him as simply "Deion."

The bizarre scene reportedly took place during SWAC Media Day in Birmingham, Ala. ... when The Clarion-Ledger claims Sanders went off on one of its writers, Nick Suss, for calling the coach by his 1st name.

"You don't call Nick Saban, 'Nick,'" the outlet claims Sanders told Suss, referring to Alabama's legendary head football coach. "Don't call me Deion."

"If you call Nick [Saban], Nick, you'll get cussed out on the spot, so don't do that to me," Sanders reportedly added. "Treat me like Nick."

The Clarion-Ledger says when the football coach was referred to as Deion a second time during the interviews ... it claims that's when Sanders stormed out of the event.

Sanders -- who's very active on social media -- has yet to comment publicly on the allegations.

What's interesting about it all is Sanders is well-known for his nicknames ... responding to both "Neon Deion" and "Prime Time" during and after his NFL career.

As we previously reported, 53-year-old Sanders took over the Jackson State football program in 2020 ... and posted a 4-3 record in his first season as headman.

JSU is slated to kick off its second season with Sanders at the helm in September.

Joe Pytka -- the director of Michael Jordan's original "Space Jam" -- is going off on LeBron James' reboot, calling it an uninteresting mess ... and that's about the nicest thing he has to say.

Pytka -- who's also known for directing popular music videos and commercials in the '80s and '90s, including the "I Am Tiger Woods" ad -- tells TMZ ... "Space Jam: A New Legacy" is so boring, he couldn't finish it in one sitting.

In fact, he says it took him 5 separate sessions to complete its 2-hour runtime.

The director has several issues with the reboot, starting with LBJ. Pytka points out when "Space Jam" was made in 1996, MJ wasn't just the best basketball player ... he was the biggest celebrity in the world.

Joe says LeBron's an incredible athlete and a very good actor, but adds ... "The truth is that LeBron ain't Michael." On top of that, Pytka says his film tied the plot to MJ's personal life -- retiring from hoops to play baseball -- while the new movie's missing a personal connection to LeBron.

Pytka's just getting started ... he feels the 1996 "Space Jam" featured a far superior supporting cast with Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues, Shawn Bradley and Bill Murray. In 'New Legacy' ... he says he can't even remember one thing Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard or the others did.

The director also thinks the reboot's soundtrack is "insignificant" while the OG's is classic, but his biggest beef is what happened to Bugs Bunny. No spoilers here, but Joe sees Bugs' role in 'New Legacy' as "heartbreaking."

Pytka says this new BB has no connection to previous depictions -- something they paid close attention to with the OG "Space Jam." In short, he says the new version "looked like one of those fluffy dolls you buy at an airport gift shop to bring your kid when your business trip has taken too long."

Take all this with a grain of salt, because Joe acknowledges his "Space Jam" was mostly panned by critics -- just like this reboot -- but it still became a cult classic.

Dozens of gunshots sent celebrating Milwaukee Bucks fans running for their lives after Tuesday night's NBA championship game ... and video from the scene is chilling.

It all happened near Fiserv Forum, where just minutes prior to the chaos, Giannis Antetokounmpo had helped earn Milwaukee an NBA title with a victory over the Suns.

Multiple cameras captured the terrifying images from the streets surrounding the arena ... and in footage from WISN12 News' broadcast -- you can see just how horrifying the situation was.

Gunfire erupted loudly and repeatedly near hundreds of fans who were celebrating the victory ... and it all grew so intense, people could be seen sprinting from the area in fear.

Milwaukee Police have not given specific details surrounding the shots yet -- but officials did say in a statement Wednesday that 3 people were injured in shootings shortly after the Bucks won it all.

According to cops, a 19-year-old woman, a 32-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Police added they've launched an investigation into it all.

Just before the gunfire broke out ... the scene was epic in Milwaukee -- with more than 60,000 fans cramming into areas near the stadium to watch the game and then celebrate the win afterward.

Some were seen climbing on street poles after the victory ... while others were caught on camera leaping into the Milwaukee River.