TMZ Sports - Page 50

Frank Varey -- a boxing prodigy who had won multiple national titles -- died on Thursday at just 16 years old ... and the news devastated Tyson Fury, who called the fighter a "future world champ."

Varey was out swimming with friends in the River Dee in the UK on Thursday when he went missing ... and law enforcement says after hours of searching, they found his body in the water.

It's believed the young pugilist accidentally drowned.

The tragedy absolutely rocked the boxing world ... with Fury writing on his social media page, "RIP Frank. Was a future world champ."

Fury added, "may God be with your family."

Olympic gold medalist boxer Luke Campbell also sent his condolences, saying on Twitter, "RIP Frank Varey. Rest well champ, thoughts with all your friends and family."

While just a teenager, Varey had wildly impressed in his matches ... and in 2019, he fought for England in the European Junior Championships.

"England Boxing has been devastated to hear the news of Frank’s death, with our coaches, in particular, having got to know him very well during his boxing development," England Boxing CEO Gethin Jenkins said.

"He was a very talented boxer, multiple National Champion and a member of our England set-up and Talent Pathway, proudly representing his country in the 2019 Euros. Although young, he had clearly demonstrated much promise."

Jenkins continued, "He was also a very popular character with his fellow boxers and those who coached him, bringing a sense of fun to everything he did. He will leave a huge gap in people’s lives."

Cleveland pulled out the big guns to unveil its MLB team's new name, drafting none other than Tom Hanks to roll out ... the Cleveland Guardians!!!

A slick new video announced the name change -- which takes effect next season -- with Hanks handling the voiceover, explaining the new name is intended to unite fans "as one family, one community."

The old name, of course, had been trashed for years for being divisive and offensive to Indigenous people.

The new name is linked to a couple of local celebs -- 2 statues on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is right near the team's Progressive Field. Those were built as "guardians of traffic" to symbolize progress in transportation.

The MLB name is more about progress for the city and the team, but like anything else new ... haters gonna hate. Reaction to the Guardians name and logo -- a "G" with a baseball, in the same font as the old name -- is mixed. At best.

That's alright ... Cleveland's used to it.

A man was shot and killed at a popular cheesesteak joint in Philly on Thursday morning ... and one witness says it all happened 'cause of an argument over the Giants and Eagles.

The general manager of the legendary Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia, Tom Francano, explained the horrifying scene to The Philadelphia Inquirer ... saying a passionate talk in his restaurant line about the NFL turned absolutely terrifying.

"They were arguing and it turned into a fight," Francano said. "One guy grabbed the other guy and got him in a grip, and the other guy pulled out a gun and shot him in the torso."

"It was one shot. The cops came right away."

Police in Philadelphia say it all went down at 12:55 AM ... saying they responded to the scene and found a 23-year-old man with a gunshot wound in his lower back.

Cops say he was rushed to the hospital, but later died due to his injuries. Police added they did arrest the shooting suspect.

"My employees are pretty shaken up," Pat’s owner Frank Olivieri told the Inquirer. "I don't understand what goes through people's minds."

"It's a fricking tragedy when anyone dies senselessly."

Tom Brady's seventh Super Bowl ring just might be his best one ... 'cause the QB and the Bucs' championship bling was finally revealed Thursday night, and the ice is INSANE!!

TB12, Rob Gronkowski and the rest of the squad received the rings at a party in Tampa Bay ... and even the guys who are used to big title drip were blown away by the pieces.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ring -- created by Jason of Beverly Hills -- features a staggering 319 total round diamonds on the top, which was a nod to the Bucs' 31-9 Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs.

The top also unscrews to reveal a hand-engraved, 3D Raymond James Stadium ... making it the first-ever Super Bowl ring with a removable piece.

There's also 8 emerald diamonds on each side of the ring to represent the 8-game winning streak the Bucs went on to close out the season ... and there are inscriptions all over the bling including the words "historic" and "trust, loyalty, respect."

And, the guys were clearly thrilled with the final product -- check out how running back Leonard Fournette could not get enough of the jewelry with his teammates!!!

Brady spoke at the ceremony after getting the ring ... and in true Tom fashion, he admitted he's already thinking about what No. 8 is going to look like, telling a story about how he learned his favorite ring is "the next one!"

The future Hall of Famer then capped off his speech while nodding to his teammates ... "Love you. Proud of you. Let's f***ing go."

Does a good fastball run in Pettitte blood? Derek Jeter is certainly hoping so ... 'cause the Marlins exec said he signed Andy Pettitte's son this week because he's banking on the kid's DNA!!

Jeets spoke about the Marlins' deal with Jared Pettitte out in NYC to Adam Glyn ... explaining, with a little bit of his tongue in his cheek, that he inked Andy's boy 'cause of his legendary pops' skillset.

"He's got good genes," Jeter said wryly when asked why he thought his longtime Yankees teammate's son deserved a chance in the Miami org.

Of course, the younger Pettitte is much more than just Andy's kid ... he's got a live arm -- even though he did record a 5.81 ERA in 13 games at Dallas Baptist University this year.

"I do model a lot of my game after [my dad]," Jared told YES Network earlier this month. "I really have to rely a lot on command and just kind of the movement on my pitches."

Jared did not get picked in the 2021 MLB draft ... but Jeter was still able to get him on board as an undrafted free agent this week nonetheless.

And, when asked if he was emotional about being reunited with another Pettitte after having so much success with Andy in New York ... Jeter said he's taking a wait-and-see approach for that.

"Not yet," Jeter said. "We got to get him down there [in the minor leagues] first!"

West Virginia athlete Mary Lou Retton was only 16 years old when she became a household name after she made the American gymnastics team and competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics Games held in Los Angeles ... where MLR took home the gold medal in individual all-around, as well as two silver and two bronze medals.

Retton was part of a power-packed squad of young gymnasts including Pamela Bileck, Tracee Talavera, Kathy Johnson, Michelle Dusserre and Julianne McNamara ... who worked together to win the silver medal in the team all-around.

Both Richard Sherman AND cops suffered gnarly injuries during the NFL star's arrest last week ... new police photos, obtained by TMZ Sports, show.

In the pics, taken by law enforcement after cops say they were involved in a massive struggle to arrest the NFL player on July 14 ... you can see Sherman and cops were bloodied in the alleged scuffle outside of Sherman's in-laws' home in Redmond, WA.

Some of the pics show Sherman had a big gash on his foot that needed to be closed with stitches.

In other photos, you can see one officer had a big scrape on his shoulder ... while another had a large wound on the inside of his thigh.

Fortunately, cops described all of the injuries as minor ... with none of the parties needing significant medical treatment.

Other photos cops released Thursday appear to show damage to the door that Sherman pounded on as he tried to enter his in-laws' home just before his arrest.

As we previously reported, Sherman has been hit with five misdemeanors -- including DUI and resisting arrest -- over his alleged actions during the night.

He pled not guilty to the charges in a King County courtroom last Friday ... but said in a statement earlier in the day, "I am deeply remorseful for my actions."

NFL coach Greg Knapp -- who was struck by a car while riding his bike over the weekend -- succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, his family announced. He was 58 years old.

As we previously reported, Knapp and a vehicle collided on a road in San Ramon, CA. at around 2:49 PM on Saturday ... and coach was rushed to a nearby hospital with "major injuries."

Knapp tragically did not survive the accident ... with the Knapp family sharing the devastating news in a statement.

"Today at 11:32 am PST, Greg Knapp (aka Knapper) was called back home to Heaven, where he will be reunited with his Dad."

Knapp was immediately rendered unconscious after the accident ... and never regained consciousness.

"Those of us who were so blessed to have known him, know that he would have wanted even this moment to be a teachable one," the family continued. "So this is it ... 'Live every day as if it's your last, and love those around you like it won't last!'"

Knapp was beloved in the league -- he coached superstars like Steve Young, Carson Palmer, Mike Vick, Peyton Manning and Matt Ryan since joining the league in 1995 ... and had been working with rookie QB Zach Wilson this offseason after joining Robert Saleh's staff as the passing game coordinator.

He won a Super Bowl as the QB coach with the Denver Broncos in 2016.

Clancy Barone -- who coached alongside Knapp with the Atlanta Falcons and Broncos -- shared an emotional tribute to his friend of 40 years ... saying, "College teammate. Best friend in the coaching profession."

"We always made sure our lockers were next to each other during out coaching journey ... including 2 Super Bowls!!!"

"Knapper ... one of a kind in more ways than we can count."

Jets head coach Robert Saleh added ... "Greg had such an inner peace about him that people always seemed to gravitate towards."

"He lived life in a loving way that helped him connect with people from all walks of life in a unique way. In his short time here, I believe the people in this organization had a chance to experience that connection."

Knapp was surrounded by his mother, wife, brother and 3 daughters in the hospital.

DeAndre Hopkins' days in the NFL could be coming to a close ... at least that's according to the wide receiver himself, who says the league's new COVID vaccine stance has him pondering retirement.

The NFL announced Thursday it will potentially punish teams with forfeits and loss of game checks if virus outbreaks among unvaccinated players cause unfixable scheduling issues.

Hopkins clearly HATES the idea of that ... and dropped a bombshell on his social media page hours after the league's announcement, saying he might now look into retirement.

"Never thought I would say this," the Arizona Cardinals superstar said in a since-deleted tweet.

"But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl."

The league has NOT made COVID vaccines mandatory for its players ... but it's clear, it wants all of its employees to get the shot.

In addition to Thursday's new policy, the league has also placed heavy restrictions on players who have yet to get the vaccine.

Some of those regulations include, among many other things, daily COVID testing, mask requirements and travel restrictions.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell ... about one quarter of the league's players are still not at least partially vaccinated.

The Milwaukee Bucks are hitting the streets to celebrate their NBA Finals victory ... and it's already filled with plenty of drunken debauchery!!

There are TONS of fans out around the city to get a glimpse of the new champs ... standing shoulder-to-shoulder as the players come through on busses.

P.J. Tucker is getting the parade's party vibes goin' early -- chugging champagne right out of the bottle and spitting some into the air Triple H-style and letting out a huge, "LET'S GO!!!"

Speaking of WWE, fan-favorite Bobby Portis came through with his Championship belt ... with his mama holding on to the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Brandon Jennings -- the ex-Buck who came up with the famous "Bucks in 6" slogan -- is also in on the parade fun ... chugging beers and getting the fans extra hype.

Of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo is also celebrating with his guys ... but there's no Chick-fil-A this time around -- just some big ass bottles of champagne, which he sprayed into the crowd!!

Giannis even poked fun at his infamous free throw routine -- waiting a whopping 18 seconds before shooting a ball to the fans.

We'll keep updating with all the best highlights of the big party -- and judging by how it started, there will be a LOT more.

Ex-Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks is cleared to resume his football career -- the NFLer was just sentenced to one day behind bars in his insider trading case on Thursday.

The 30-year-old pled guilty in 2018 for handing over cash and NFL tickets to a Goldman Sachs analyst for private info that made him $1.2 million in profit ... and was facing up to 25 years in prison.

After sentencing was pushed back multiple times in 2019 and 2020, Kendricks finally learned his fate -- according to FOX NFL's Jay Glazer, he was handed one day in jail, 3 years supervised release, a $100k fine and 300 community service hours.

The sentence means Kendricks is able to resume his NFL career as early as tomorrow.

The former linebacker has been in the league since 2012 -- logging in 19 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions ... plus winning the Super Bowl in 2018 with the Eagles.

"I know you could scold my ass, and I know you could really, really help me out and, just -- please, sir!"

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins -- a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- begged cops over and over again to not arrest him during a speeding stop in Scottsdale, Ariz. last month ... and the entire incident was captured on police video.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops pulled over Collins and told him they were stopping him because they said he was going a staggering 76 MPH in a 35 MPH zone.

Collins was surprised to hear the number ... and told one of the officers, "Nah, I was not going that fast," before adding, "I apologize."

Collins then explained he plays for the Cards while handing over his ID.

The officers eventually placed Collins in cuffs ... and after they told him they were arresting him for excessive speed and reckless driving -- the 22-year-old football player began pleading with them to let him go.

"There's no reason for this," Collins said. "Are you serious?"

Collins then begged some more to the officers ... adding, "I've been cool. I've been chill. Can you please? Please, sir?"

Collins was ultimately placed in the back of a squad car ... and he tried one last time to get out of the arrest there.

"I know I sped a little bit, sir," Collins said ... "I'm just saying, can you help, like, please? Just show a little bit of love. Please. God bless. Please."

Unfortunately for the football player, he was still booked and later charged with 1 count of exceeding the speed limit and 1 count of reckless driving.

Collins' case is still playing in the court system. His next hearing is slated for late August.

Terrelle Pryor says he crashed his bike Thursday morning -- flipping the thing TWICE -- but, the former NFL star claims he somehow escaped the scary wreck with no major injuries.

It's unclear where the accident took place ... but Pryor posted videos and a picture of the damage done to his three-wheeler in the crash, and it's horrifying.

You can see in the footage, Pryor's bike had severe scrapes, scratches and dents ... and the windshield was completely crushed.

In a comment on the clips, Pryor said, "Flipped twice from this dumb ass car chipping me."

He added, "Luckily still breathing and a scratch."

In a message to TMZ Sports, Pryor reiterated he came away from wreck OK ... saying, "Yea, I'm cool."

Pryor has been seen in the three-wheeler -- a Vanderhall model that runs for around $30,000 -- for the last few months ... even posting some video of him driving the ride with no hands back in May.

Pryor, though, said he will NOT be getting another one after Thursday's accident ... saying he's, "Done with bikes."

Of course, this ain't the first time Pryor has been fortunate to be alive after a terrifying incident ... you'll recall, he somehow made it out OK after he was allegedly violently stabbed by his GF back in Nov. 2019.

Simone Biles is 6,600 miles from her BF, Jonathan Owens, but that didn't stop her from showing the NFLer some love on his birthday -- with the Team USA superstar sending him an adorable cake day message from the Olympics!!

"Here in Japan it is already my favorite persons birthday 🖤 HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY BABE," Biles said to the Houston Texans safety via IG Thursday.

"Jonathan Owens I love you so much. Can’t wait to celebrate you when I get home!"

The 24-year-old is gunning to make history at the Tokyo Games -- she's gunning to break the record for the most gold medals by a U.S. gymnast -- but there's no way Biles was gonna miss out on giving her man the big shoutout!

The couple have been very supportive of each other's sports careers -- Owens was in the stands to watch Biles compete in person for the first time last month.

"Thanks for keeping me sane during the craziest times. an ear to vent too, someone to share fun times with and make the best of memories," Biles says.

"Not sure how I got so lucky & what I’d do without you! But I hope you have the best day ever. Not too much fun without me tho hahaha."

Biles and Owens made it IG official in August 2020 ... after Biles says she slid in his DMs the month before.

17-year-old basketball sensation Mikey Williams is close to becoming one VERY rich high schooler -- the 2024 prospect just inked a historic management deal that could help him rake in MILLIONS!!!

Williams is one of the top-ranked players in his class ... and has earned a massive following on social media with 3.2 million followers on Instagram alone.

Now that the NCAA and most states allow college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness, Mikey has followed up by becoming the very first high school athlete to sign a NIL deal -- teaming up with Excel Sports, an agency that works with superstar athletes like Tiger Woods, Nikola Jokic and Clayton Kershaw.

The deal will help the Vertical Academy junior guard secure endorsements and sponsorships WAY before he makes it to the college level ... and Excel VP Matt Davis tells ESPN the partnership "will generate millions of dollars for this young man."

Williams spoke about the monumental moment ... saying, "The NIL rules provide a new opportunity for someone like me who that has put in so much energy and effort into building a community."

"I am excited to be the first high school athlete to make this move. I love to hoop and I love engaging with my fans and look forward to continuing to share my journey with everyone."

FYI -- there are no laws in North Carolina that prevent high school athletes from making NIL deals, so it seems like Williams will not hit any roadblocks on the way to makin' serious coin.

It's a sign of what's to come for young athletes all over the country ... and ya gotta wonder if Williams' fellow Class of 2023 prospect Bronny James is next.

Rachel Uchitel says Seeking Arrangement dropped her like a bad habit as spokesperson for the dating site in the wake of the Matt Gatez scandal ... so she claims in a new lawsuit.

Tiger Woods' ex-mistress filed legal docs claiming Seeking Arrangement terminated her contract as the company's mouthpiece just 3 months into the deal ... claiming it only happened because the company ran scared after the congressman from Florida was linked to the dating service.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Uchitel says she and Seeking Arrangement entered into a 6-month deal back in February to be the company's spokesperson. She says the deal called for $20k per month in return for de-stigmatizing the sugar daddy concept.

Uchitel says she did her job just fine ... and got paid the first few months. But, then came Gaetz's investigation by the feds over allegations he paid young women for sexual encounters with an underage female ... linking him with Seeking Arrangement and alleging he's a member of the site.

Uchitel says she had no connection to Gaetz, and the honchos at Seeking Arrangement told her to stay mum on Gaetz during interviews. She says she was told the scandal was "a very serious crisis for the company."

She says the CEO asked her to get 4 young women who used the site to make videos attesting that the site wasn't exploiting them. She says she followed orders but was then told the company was going through a re-branding and that required terminating her contract.

Uchitel says 6 days after terminating her contract the company came back to her and said they would pay her in full if she signed an NDA.  Uchitel told them to pound sand, presumably because she didn't want in any way to become part of the Gaetz scandal.

She's suing Seeking Arrangement for the balance owed, along with damages for tarnishing her reputation. She also wants money for emotional distress.