TMZ Sports - Page 50

One of Aaron Rodgers' former favorite targets in Green Bay, Jermichael Finley, just went off on the quarterback ... saying he believes the Packers star has lost his "hunger" to play.

The ex-Green Bay tight end -- who caught passes from Rodgers from 2008 through 2013 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments Tuesday, explaining he thinks Rodgers has simply lost his fire.

"Bro, it's the National Football League," Finley told Max Kellerman on the "Keyshawn JWill & Max" show. "Each offseason you've got to work like it's your last season."

"And, I just don't see a work ethic in Aaron Rodgers that I have in previous years."

Rodgers had one of his worst games as a pro on Sunday, throwing for just 133 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 38-3 loss to the Saints.

And, after an offseason where Rodgers stayed away from Green Bay and instead traveled the globe with his fiancee Shailene Woodley and hosted "Jeopardy!", it's clear Finley believes Rodgers' priorities have shifted from being great on the gridiron to other parts of his life.

"Actually, you can see it right through his helmet," Finley said of his ex-QB. "The eyes and the face tells everything as a personality. And, I just don't see that NFL hunger and just the hunger to go win another championship."

Finley has been critical of Rodgers in the past and has been accused of having an ax to grind against the NFL MVP ... but Jermichael insisted he was not "hating" with his strong takes Tuesday.

"I'm not a hater," Finley said. "I'm looking out, actually. I just want the guys to do their best and play Packer football."

For his part, Rodgers didn't seem too concerned about his Week 1 performance while talking with Pat McAfee on Tuesday ... even joking about a shot he took to his groin during an interception.

The teammates that star in rap music videos together ... win championships together???

That's what Laker fans gotta be hoping ... after LeBron James and Russell Westbrook made big cameos in rap legend Nas' newest visuals for his song, "Brunch on Sundays."

The vid dropped Tuesday (the rapper's 48th birthday) ... showing Nas enjoying a meal at Catch LA with a VIP group of successful artists, athletes and actors -- from Cordae to Hit-Boy to Swizz Beatz and Lil Rel Howery.

Of course, LeBron is a HUUUUGE rap fan ... and has consistently praised the New York MC's latest project, "King's Disease II," on social media since it dropped in August.

It might explain why Bron got the best seat at the table -- right next to Nas as the group enjoys eggs, sushi, mimosas, fries, steak and other delicious items.

Nas commented on the video after it was released ... saying, "Bday Brunch Vibes with my guys."

No word on when the vid was shot, but LBJ and Brodie have been tight way before they became teammates this summer.

But, now that they're both in Purple & Gold, don't be surprised if these sorta things keep happening.

Tyron Woodley isn't only prepared to pay off his tattoo bet with Jake Paul ... he says he actively attempted to get it the night of the fight, waiting in the hotel until the early morning hours, but the tattoo artist never showed up.

TMZ Sports talked to the 39-year-old Woodley ... and the future UFC HOF'er called cap on Paul, who recently said the rematch was off after Tyron refused to uphold his side of their wager and get some "I Love Jake Paul" ink.

"I wasn't willing, I was waiting," Woodley explained, adding ... "We was in the basement of the hotel waiting, no food, up late, looking stupid. Nah, it was not willing, it was waiting. I was waiting on him to follow through with they end of the deal."

FYI, Jake's tattoo artist, Tatu Baby, previously told us she'd be on hand at the fight, ready to ink up the loser.

But, Tyron says she never showed ... so there was nothing he could do.

For what it's worth Tatu Baby told us late Tuesday night she stayed for an hour after the fight to do the tattoo, but left when she believed neither fighter was down to get ink.

Despite all the confusion, The Chosen One is still down to get the tat ... and even told us he'd do it live on Instagram -- with Jake on the stream.

As for the location on Tyron's body, the fighter says he's reserved a bit of real estate on his hand for the new artwork.

"I should get it on my knuckles so when I punch him in the face, he'll see how much I love Jake Paul. I'm gonna put these knuckles all across his little temple and that big ass jawline."

There's more ... T-Wood says he's down to fight Logan, too, but not until he rematches his younger bro.

"Logan, you can get it, too! They both could to be honest but I gotta beat Jake up first because that's just something, I just hate that he can walk around and say he beat me in anything."

"I am personally responsible for all of Gable Steveson's right business decisions in his life and his gold medal and his Hodge trophy and his NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship."

Welp, that's wrestling legend Paul Heyman claiming ALL credit for everything positive the newly signed WWE superstar has done, telling Adam Glyn he's been behind it all.

"I had everything with Gable Steveson winning the Olympic gold medal. I arranged for Gable Steveson to train with Brock Lesnar at the University of Minnesota, which helped Gable Steveson win the NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship. Then he used my strategy to win the gold medal in the Olympics."

FYI, Gable won gold in Freestyle Wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics.

Heyman -- currently the special counsel for WWE Universal champ, Roman Reigns -- worked with Lesnar for years.

Of course, 21-year-old Steveson had a bunch of options after the Olympics ... but opted to sign a contract with WWE.

So, how does Heyman think Gable will fare in the squared circle?

"Now, we'll see how he does in WWE. He's not at quite the level of a Ronda Rousey or a Brock Lesnar, certainly not of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns."

Jason "Mayhem" Miller allegedly broke a guys ribs in a bar fight just days before his domestic violence arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our law enforcement sources tell us they recently responded to a fight at a San Fernando Valley bar. When they arrived, the altercation was over, and we're told no one wanted to press charges, so everyone was allowed to leave.

However, the next day, one of the people involved in the brawl went to the hospital ... and was diagnosed with several cracked ribs.

We're told at that point, cops took an incident report for felony battery. They're expected to turn the case over to the L.A. district attorney sometime in the near future ... and they'll decide whether or not to charge Mayhem for the bar fight.

Of course, we broke the story last week, Miller -- who has a long history of trouble -- was arrested for felony domestic violence after a woman accused the fighter of roughing her up early Friday morning.

During the domestic violence arrest, Mayhem didn't go easy, with cops using a taser in order to slap the cuffs on him.

Police said the alleged victim had injuries to her face and neck.

That case is still active ... and depending on what the D.A. decides, Miller could be hit with more charges from a totally separate alleged incident.

Aaron Rodgers says one of the interceptions he threw against the Saints on Sunday was NOT his fault ... explaining the miscue was all entirely due to two New Orleans players hitting him in the groin during the play.

Seriously.

The Green Bay Packers star made the claim on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday ... saying two defenders careening on his family jewels just before he threw a third-quarter pass caused him to toss the ball to the opposite team.

"I don't like to make a lot of excuses for interceptions," Rodgers said. "There's some s*** ones. There's some ones you wish you had back. And, there's some ones that really aren't your fault."

Rodgers continued, "That one was entirely due to the double nut shot I took."

In video of the play, you can see what Rodgers is talking about ... 'cause just before he released his pass, two defenders' arms do appear to hit him just below the belt.

"Right before I'm throwing it I took a left kind of closeline," Rodgers said, adding, "and somebody on the right with a right kind of cross -- double nut shot."

Rodgers called it "painful" -- "they got their money's worth on that one," the reigning NFL MVP said -- but he joked he's "got to overcome that and throw a better ball in that situation."

Good to see Rodgers can laugh about it all now ... especially considering he and the Pack ultimately got obliterated, 38-3, in the season opener.

Deshaun Watson is getting a steamy birthday tribute from his girlfriend, Jilly Anais ... with the model sharing a pic of the couple making out in paradise -- and the QB grabbing a handful of booty!!

Of course, DW and JA have been dating for more than a year and are damn near inseparable -- posting hot shots of their extravagant vacations and going ALL OUT with ragers for each other's special days.

This time around, Anais is showing her support with an Instagram post on his 26th ... saying, "Happy Birthday LoveBug! Walking hand in hand with you 4L🤝💛🤞🏽"

Watson replied, saying, "4L 💛🤞🏾"

Worth noting -- Anais has been extremely supportive of her man as he faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from more than 20 massage therapists.

Watson -- whose lawyer, Rusty Hardin, admitted his client participated in what he says were consensual acts with several women -- denies any wrongdoing ... and hasn't taken the field as he faces the allegations.

Conor McGregor and MGK have no bad blood, according to The Notorious himself who says not only do the guys NOT have beef ... but the rock star is invited to his next UFC fight.

The 33-year-old UFC superstar was leaving his hotel in NYC ... when he was asked about the incident with Machine Gun Kelly at the MTV VMA's Sunday night in Brooklyn.

"I got to go to the Barclays Center again. I got to present an award. I was just going to have a good time, you know what I mean? That's it. All love, all love! It's all good," Conor told Adam Glyn.

That's when McGregor extended the invitation, saying ... "Come to the next fight and watch me perform any time. I perform, no problem. Everyone's more than welcome to come to my fights or come to the shows. No beef. I don't even know the guy."

Of course, Conor and MGK nearly came to blows on the red carpet of the award show ... with McGregor lunging at the musician and splashing a drink before being restrained by security.

Peace was eventually restored ... and McGregor presented an award to Justin Bieber at the show. MGK performed with Travis Barker.

But, the question still remains ... why the hell were they fighting?

Conor clearly didn't want to get into it ... but did drop this line before shifting topics.

"I don't know [MGK]. Who is he? Tellin' me he's been at the fights, Megan's been at the fights years, so I know Megan and then I don't know the guy. There's no problem. Come to the fights."

A dig? Possibly. Or, maybe he just ain't a fan of Kelz.

Conor also gave a health update (it's only been 66 days since he broke his leg) and it's going to be music to the ears of McGregor fans.

"I honestly feel like I could kick right now, but I just gotta listen to to the doctors, listen to the people that are guiding me. That's what I've done so far. I've committed myself to the work, and I'm back on the feet."

LeBron James is celebrating 8 years of marital bliss with his wife, Savannah, on Tuesday ... by penning her an anniversary love note and sharing some amazing wedding photos.

LBJ posted a fairytale-like moment from their 2013 San Diego wedding on his IG ... showing the lovely couple kissing on a balcony with fireworks in the sky.

"Our own personal Met Gala 8 years ago," James said on the post, "Happy Anniversary Queen!!"

They definitely looked like a King and Queen -- LeBron was dripped out in a sharp black and white tux with Savannah flawlessly wearing an elegant gown with a veil in her updo hairstyle.

"Who am I w/o you in my corner, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Love you," James said.

Savannah also wrote a note to her hubby ... "Happy Anniversary to my forever scary movie partner, my forever feet warmer, the Capricorn to my Virgo, my bestie, my babe!!!"

"8 years down, forever to go! Love you deep!"

The 36-year-old Lakers star has been with Savannah before it all began -- starting as high school sweethearts back in Akron, OH.

The couple got married in 2013 and have three kids, Bronny Jr, Bryce and Zhuri ... and are the true definition of couple goals.

An Esports star celebrated a tournament win so hard this weekend ... he popped his shoulder right out of its socket -- and video from the scene is absolutely wild!!

The gamer's name is CakeAssault -- and after he earned a victory in a massive "Rivals of Aether" tourney in Sandusky, Ohio on Sunday ... he went ballistic.

You can see in footage from the event ... CakeAssault jumped up from his chair and flailed his arms so hectically, his shoulder separated itself from his torso.

The guy immediately crumpled to the ground in pain while holding the injured arm ... but then he got up and celebrated some more!!!

Afterward, he posted on Twitter that the wound was feeling "mostly" okay.

"i fell on the ground during that popoff cuz i dislocated my shoulder," he added. "lmao"

Of course, the injury could be seen as a small price to pay for the dub ... 'cause the Riptide event win now gives CakeAssault the ability to make an argument that he's officially the best "Rivals of Aether" player on the planet.

Ciara wore something Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber and Grimes couldn't get their hands on for the Met Gala -- a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of Russell Wilson!!

The singer showed up to the big event Monday night channeling her hubby's day job -- decked out in a sparkly green dress resembling Wilson's #3 Seahawks jersey, which was designed by Peter Dundas.

Ciara also held a bedazzled mini football clutch ... just to make sure everyone knew the theme she was going for.

But, to complete the look, Ciara pulled out quite possibly the biggest flex of all-time -- Wilson's Super Bowl XLVIII ring he won in 2014!!!

"My Hubby’s color rush Seahawks jersey transformed into a dress + His Super Bowl XLVIII ring = EVERYTHING!" Ciara posted on Instagram.

So, where was Russ?? The Seattle superstar was busy bro'ing out with Peyton and Eli Manning during their "Monday Night Football" broadcast ... but don't worry, he was sure to shower her with compliments in the comment section.

"My queen. My Everything," Wilson said.

MLB umpire Junior Valentine was rocked in the face by a wayward throw Monday night ... and the ball hit him so hard, he crumpled to the ground in pain and began bleeding from his cheek.

The bizarre scene all went down in the Cardinals' game against the Mets in New York ... right after Kevin Pillar hit a ground ball to St. Louis infielder Edmundo Sosa.

As the shortstop ranged to his left and spun to try to throw out Pillar ... the ball got away from his intended target -- and ended up smacking Valentine in the face.

You can see in the footage of the play ... Valentine was visibly shaken up -- and needed to be tended to by trainers.

Somehow, though, the dude wiped away the blood and stayed in the game.

Afterward, Valentine's crew chief, Jerry Meals, said in a statement Valentine was doing fine despite the scary scene.

"He's been checked out and has no broken bones," Meals said. "He was incredibly alert from the get-go. The blood seemed to stop fairly quickly, thankfully, and he was adamant that he was fine."

What celebs wear is only half the Met Gala game, the other half is how they party -- and Alicia Keys' post-gala event had plenty of that ... with the biggest names.

The singer threw a bash at Casa Cipriani in lower Manhattan late Monday night, and along with performing ... she played host to the likes of Michael Jordan ... who's still so damn popular, he seemed cornered by crowds at times.

Leonardo DiCaprio was in attendance in his going-out baseball cap, and Elon Musk was rocking a white suit to stand out even more.

Zoe Kravitz and Channing Tatum had folks sounding the new couple alert as they hit the dance floor when the DJ dropped "Poison." Vanessa Bryant and her daughter, Natalia, got some dancing in too.

Finally ... we're wondering if Serena Williams ever got on that elevator??? Watch the video, maybe you've got a guess.

As we reported ... a slew of stars put on their most eye-popping and extravagant outfits for the 2021 Met Gala, and did not disappoint as they arrived in style for the first time since 2019.

Of course, the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. This year, all gala attendees had to be vaccinated.

LSU football student staff member Kevione Faulk -- daughter of 3-time Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk -- tragically passed away on Monday, the team announced. She was just 19 years old.

The Tigers released a statement on Faulk's passing ... saying, "We are heartbroken with the passing of Kevione Faulk, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Faulk family and all of those who love Kevione."

A cause of death has not been released at this time.

"She was part of the LSU Family, and we mourn the loss of a daughter, a sister, a friend, a classmate and a colleague. We ask that all Tigers keep the Faulks in their prayers and respect their privacy at this difficult time."

Kevione's father, Kevin, currently serves as the running backs coach in Baton Rouge ... and is the program's all-time leading rusher after a stellar career from 1995-98. He was on staff when LSU won the national championship in 2020.

Kevin also had a lengthy career in the NFL ... playing from 1999-2011 for the New England Patriots, winning 3 Super Bowls with Tom Brady.

Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player ever to play in an NFL game Monday night ... and then he came up big for his squad -- helping the Raiders win with a huge sack in overtime!!

Lining up for the first time in a regular season game since opening up publicly about his sexuality in June ... Nassib was all over the field during Las Vegas' win over the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."

He logged three tackles and was disruptive throughout the evening -- but in the game's overtime period, he made a monster play to help lead the Raiders to a victory.

As the Ravens were attempting to drive down the field for a game-winning score ... Nassib sacked Lamar Jackson, forcing a fumble.

The Raiders were able to recover the ball ... and just a few snaps later, Derek Carr sealed it with a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Afterward, Nassib was pumped to get the win ... telling reporters, "It was really special."

"I'm really happy that we got the win on the day that kind of made a little bit of history which was really nice to do," Nassib added.

A reporter also informed the 28-year-old that a fan had worn his jersey and was attending an NFL game for the first time in order to support Nassib after his announcement.

And, Carl was stoked over the anecdote -- saying, "That's amazing. That's a great story. I love that."

Vitor Belfort says he's about to be $30 MILLION richer ... that is, if Jake Paul has the guts to step in the boxing ring, telling TMZ Sports The Problem Child's a coward if he doesn't accept the fight.

"I'd like to teach that boy a lesson. Your parents give you behaviors and all that, so he's gonna meet his big daddy," 44-year-old Belfort says.

"And, if he likes money, we got big money. There's no excuse to run away from this fight. So, he has to take it, and if you don't take it, he's gonna show he's a coward and he's looking for easy fights."

Shots fired.

Paul's 4-0 professionally -- with wins over Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren -- but Belfort has zero doubt he'd knock out the YouTuber-turned-boxing star, saying ... "I'm gonna knock [Jake] out. There's no doubt about it."

Of course, Belfort called out 24-year-old Paul in the ring following his 1st round KO of Evander Holyfield ... with Triller's Ryan Kavanaugh pledging $30 million to the winner of the potential scrap.

$30 mil is A LOT of money, but what's unclear ... after signing a deal with Showtime Boxing, could Jake take the fight, even if he wanted to?

"I think it's worth it. $30 million to get your a** whooped by a legend like myself," Belfort says.

If not Jake, Vitor told us he's also interested in Canelo Alvarez (there's a $40 mil offer on the table from Triller), Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Lennox Lewis and even Tyson Fury.

As for Paul, he recently called out Jorge Masvidal ... but with Gambred under contract with the UFC, it's highly unlikely Dana White would sign off on the fight.