TMZ Sports - Page 50

3:25 PM -- The Arena Group just released a statement on the matter ... insisting allegations that it published AI-generated articles on the Sports Illustrated platform are simply "not accurate."

"The articles in question were product reviews and were licensed content from an external, third-party company, AdVon Commerce," The Arena Group said. "A number of AdVon’s e-commerce articles ran on certain Arena websites. We continually monitor our partners and were in the midst of a review when these allegations were raised."

"AdVon has assured us that all of the articles in question were written and edited by humans. According to AdVon, their writers, editors, and researchers create and curate content and follow a policy that involves using both counter-plagiarism and counter-AI software on all content."

"However," the statement continued, "we have learned that AdVon had writers use a pen or pseudo name in certain articles to protect author privacy -- actions we strongly condemn -- and we are removing the content while our internal investigation continues and have since ended the partnership."

The human writers at Sports Illustrated say they're appalled by allegations that their upper management has posted AI-generated articles on their platform ... and now, they're demanding answers.

Futurism dropped a bombshell report on Monday alleging SI, for months, has been using AI to create fake authors as well as content.

The outlet reported Sports Illustrated would use images from a site that produces AI-generated headshots for fake author pages, and then would attribute stories to them. At times, according to the report, the stories would be AI-written too.

In a scathing statement released later Monday afternoon by SI's writers -- who call themselves the SI Union -- they said they were "horrified" by the report ... and they now want action from their parent company, The Arena Group, ASAP if it's all found to be true.

"We demand answers and transparency from Arena Group management about what exactly has been published under the SI name," the SI Union wrote. "We demand the company commit to adhering to basic journalistic standards, including not publishing computer-written stories by fake people."

The Union also said in the statement they "deplore being associated with something so disrespectful to our readers."

"For nearly 70 years, SI staff members have held themselves to the highest possible ethical standards," they continued. "As members of the SI Union, we are proud to be part of that legacy and work every day to protect it. We expect management to do the same."

According to Futurism, The Arena Group did not respond to questions about the alleged fabrications ... though the outlet claims "all the AI-generated authors disappeared from Sports Illustrated's site without explanation" after it reached out.

11:35 AM -- Shaq Lawson is apologizing for his role in the incident ... claiming he only took action after the man directed death threats at Bills players and their families.

"Those of you who know me know that I'm all about the fans, and I have a lot of respect for the game I play and my opponents," Lawson said on Monday. "Before the game started yesterday, there was a fan behind our bench, who was making life threatening remarks towards us and our families."

Lawson claims the players alerted stadium security about the situation, but the fan was not removed from his seat and continued to heckle their sidelines.

"Eventually, our emotions boiled over, and I made a mistake," Lawson added. "For that, I apologize, but there are certain lines that should not be crossed."

A confrontation between Bills players and one Eagles fan on Sunday grew so contentious ... it actually ended with Shaq Lawson shoving the Philadelphia supporter.

It all happened just before Philly beat the Bills at Lincoln Financial Field ... when a throng of Buffalo players got into a verbal argument with a man in the stands wearing an Eagles-colored beanie.

You can see in video shot by a bystander, Bills defensive lineman Jordan Phillips first got into the man's face ... while Lawson, Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver joined in on the spat just steps behind.

The guys traded words for several moments ... when, suddenly, Lawson can be seen on the video putting his right arm on the man, jolting him backward. The parties, however, were quickly separated by stadium security after the shove.

Neither the Bills nor the NFL has publicly commented on the altercation.

Meanwhile, Buffalo fell to 6-6 with the overtime loss ... while the Eagles moved to a league-best 10-1.

Think your Thanksgiving weekend travels were bad? Odds are they weren't nearly as awful as the ones the Nicholls State football team just had to endure.

According to reps for the school, the entire squad -- plus a bunch of staff members -- were stranded at a tiny airport in Illinois for nearly 24 hours with limited food and water ... all this after it lost its FCS playoff game.

The 6-5 Colonels were in Carbondale, Ill. on Saturday for the first round of the FCS postseason ... and after they got blown out by Southern Illinois, 35-0, they headed to Veterans Airport in Marion to catch a ride home.

The problem, according to Colonels athletic director Jonathan Terrell, is due to various unforeseen circumstances ... everyone had to lay out on the airport floor for around 22 hours as they waited for a pilot and a plane.

Terrell was critical on X of the NCAA, which handled the team's travel plans.

"Student athlete welfare matters, NCAA," Terrell wrote. "Seven hours in an airport, no transportation, no food and out of water!!!!"

Fortunately for the team, Terrell said SIU and Southland Sports Commissioner Chris Grant were able to get them more water and food throughout Sunday.

Put this guy in the Hall of Fame for (alleged) stupid criminals! First ballot.

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland captured a man fleeing authorities after he was allegedly involved in a domestic violence incident ... and it was all captured on surveillance video!

32-year-old Strickland, who became UFC champ after defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September, posted video of the incident, along with an explanation of the WILD story.

"The guy was drunk stomping out a girl, a security guard seen it, he jumped in his car and drove off. Security followed him, hit a curb, completely shredded his tire, drove on the rim for awhile then jumped out and tried to hide at my house. I initially thought he was stealing my car," Sean described.

The video shows a man, clearly in a hurry, walking onto Strickland's driveway, before attempting to hide between two parked vehicles.

Another angle then shows Sean walking out of his house and toward the driveway while carrying a handgun. The video then cuts back to the first angle, where Strickland has the man at gunpoint.

The suspect seemingly tries to walk away, while Sean and another man follow closely behind him. Strickland gives the feeling man a shove, sending him to the ground, still at gunpoint.

The UFC champ says the alleged criminal was arrested ... though the charges are unclear.

'Tis the season of giving and Kyle Kuzma is off to an amazing start ... the NBA star donated $60k worth of clothes to female inmates preparing for release from county jail in his hometown of Flint, Michigan!

The Washington Wizards forward also launched an initiative to refurbish housing conditions for the women who are locked up.

The Kyle Kuzma Family Foundation partnered with I.G.N.I.T.E. and R.I.S.E., two jail reform organizations that support incarcerated women as they prepare to re-enter society.

Kuzma revealed the collaboration at the 23rd I.G.N.I.T.E. graduation ceremony at the county jail on Sunday ... by surprising the female inmates, and announcing the big $60k donation.

The 6'9" baller also handed out presents to kids who were there to visit their moms.

That's not all Kyle's doing ... the 28-year-old also launched "Kuz's Corner," which will help refurbish living conditions at the Genesee County Jail.

"Kuz’s Corner provides incarcerated female inmates something to reach towards, and prove to themselves, and others of their worth and value," the foundation said in a press release.

"The females chosen to reside in Kuz’s Corner have set themselves apart as role models in their behavior, mentorship, and strive to return to the community as a better neighbor."

Kuzma -- who's averaging nearly 23 points a game this season -- cares deeply about his foundation which helps single mothers and children in Michigan, the DMV (D.C. Metro area), and Los Angeles ... a cause that hits close to home.

"When I was growing up, she worked two jobs and that hard work and dedication, just to make ends meet, put food on the table," Kuzma said about his mom Karri on GMA.

"That’s been my inspiration my entire life."

UFC star Tony Ferguson has been sentenced to one year of probation in his truck wreck
case, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, Ferguson was tagged with the punishment on Nov. 20, after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.

The records show as part of the deal with officials, Ferguson pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of wet reckless driving upon a highway. In exchange, his DUI charge was dismissed.

As we reported, Ferguson had first been hit with the driving under the influence count in the spring ... after authorities alleged he drunkenly crashed his pickup truck into two parked cars outside of a Hollywood club just before 2 AM on May 7.

The scene was terrifying ... Ferguson's truck had ended up on its side after the alleged crash -- though, somehow, he and nobody else were injured.

Ferguson had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge in June.

T.I. kicked off the Atlanta Falcons' 50th anniversary of Hip Hop celebration Sunday, and almost wound up kicking his son King's ass when a family dispute in the stands got physical.

Following the performance, T.I. and King engaged in what started as a playful back-and-forth but quickly spiraled into a physical altercation inside their suite at Mercedes-Benz stadium.

King began live streaming on IG where he pleaded his case that he knew about hardships like living with roaches while growing up ... to which his famous parents scoffed at his story and claimed he'd run to his grandmother's house to suck the pacifier, because he wasn't allowed to in their mansion!!!

King reached his breaking point and began to scream he's known for standing on business, to which T.I. stepped in and told him he was not only "embarrassing" the family but himself as well!!!

King can then be heard pleading for T.I. to "get off him" and you can see T.I. come into frame in an attempt to subdue his son.

He apparently succeeded ... T.I. secured King in a headlock and told him, "Boy you can't do nothing with me ... ain't shit you can do with me" as multiple people in the background can be heard pleading for King to stop before the camera cuts off.

Afterward, King blew off some steam on his IG stories although many of his followers informed him he was royally tripping and his parents were right.

King was born in 2004 -- T.I. had already released his platinum-selling "Trap Muzik" album and formed his Grand Hustle Records.

David lost his Tepper ... and now Frank Reich is out of a job.

The Panthers head coach, who was just hired by the billionaire hedge fund manager in January, has been relieved of his coaching duties after another loss ... this time to the Titans in Tennessee.

The team, which has lost 4 straight, has the worst record in football at 1-10.

"I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well," a statement released by Tepper said.

Adding to the bleak outlook in Carolina is the quarterback situation. The team selected Bryce Young with the first overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, opting to pass up other signal callers, including C.J. Stroud.

Stroud, who has the Texans in playoff contention, has played out of his mind ... and is even in the MVP conversation.

Meanwhile, Young hasn't been good.

Reich, regarded as a solid coach around the league, was fired mid-season last year by the Colts before being hired by Tepper.

Tom Brady is old news to one of his biggest supporters ... 'cause stunning model Veronika Rajek apparently has her eyes on a new man -- Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Veronika -- who went viral after professing her love for the seven-time Super Bowl champion last season -- was in the crowd to catch the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs matchup at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday ... and it's safe to say she liked what she saw, specifically one player in particular.

VK shared pics of her visit to Sin City ... showing her ditching her Buccaneers jersey for some custom Raiders threads as she gave a review of the game.

"LV did their best, but the Chiefs played awesomely," Veronika -- who has more than six million followers on Instagram alone -- said after K.C.'s 31-17 win. "I have to admit. Kelce is such a great player and hunk as well. I get you Taylor, 'road less taken.' 😉"

The "road" comment is seemingly a nod to Swift's old song, "The Outside" ... where she sings, "I tried to take the road less traveled by, but nothing seems to work the first few times, am I right?"

While Rajek clearly isn't shy about her feelings toward Kelce, it doesn't seem like she's ready to butt into Taylor's new relationship ... she's just giving the pop superstar props.

Here's a crazy story -- Dominique Wilkins opened a pack of old NBA cards recently ... and as luck would have it, he pulled his own rookie card!!

The whole thing was documented on video ... when the Hawks legend joined OTIA Sports CEO Jason Koonce to break an unopened batch of 1986 Fleer basketball cards in hopes of finding a Michael Jordan rookie in the pack.

FYI -- the '86 Fleer set is filled with a ton of rookie cards of that era ... including MJ, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and, of course, Dominique Wilkins.

The pull was pretty cool -- the Human Highlight Film reminisced about playing against several players as he revealed the deck ... which featured big names like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Bill Walton.

Once Wilkins came across his own face, the group of guys started freaking out ... with Koonce swearing up and down the card was not planted.

"This was sealed, this was not planned," Koonce said in the video. "That is insane."

"On my kid's life, that was not set up!"

The card could be pretty valuable depending on its condition ... some in great shape are currently listed online for thousands of dollars!!

Ludacris performed at the Atlanta Falcons game this weekend -- and it looks like he took a page out of Lady Gaga's playbook to make an entrance ... descending from the heavens.

The rapper was the hired talent Sunday at Mecedes-Benz Stadium ... but weirdly enough, he didn't put on a halftime performance -- but rather, did a quick set after the third quarter ... which definitely took everyone by surprise.

The reason ... the dude literally rappelled down onto the stage below from way up toward the top of the facility -- and he did it kinda slowly, partially rapping a song in the air.

Looks like he was doing 'Move Bitch' on his way down ... and he was hyping up the crowd too, who ate it up. Unclear if he did a whole set once he touched down or not (there was a game going on, after all), but he got a little shine regardless.

The whole point of this was to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop in the ATL ... of which Luda has been a huge contributor over the years -- not to mention countless other acts from the area.

Tom Brady is on dad time right now -- taking his kids out to sea ... just a few days after their mom, Gisele, flew 'em out to Central America with that jiu-jitsu guy she's always with.

The retired NFL quarterback posted a bunch of photos of him and his little ones Sunday, where they're on a boat and diving into the ocean with snorkeling gear on. He captioned his post, "I did Michigan and Massachusetts winters for a long time. Let me have this."

The pics he threw up are super cute ... but he definitely added one thirst trap, which features him facing the camera and completely shirtless. Yeah, the dude's ripped here.

No sign of his eldest son, Jack ... but we can see his other 2 kids -- whom he shares with Gisele -- front and center and ready to dive. There was another little girl in the mix too, but it's unclear who she is. In any case, if you peep his IG, looks like lobster's for dinner.

Now, what's interesting about this excursion is the fact that Gisele took these same children on a trip just earlier this week. They were photographed down in Costa Rica enjoying a vacation ... with none other than Joaquim Valente tagging along as well.

Gisele and Joaquim have been on a lot of getaways together this year ... and at times, her and Tom's children have joined them. It seems like that's becoming a regular thing now.

Despite the obvious appearance of Gisele and Joaquim being a couple ... she's denied any such thing, saying he's simply a close friend of the family who coaches them all up.

Hard to say if anyone's really buying that ... frankly, nobody tends to jet set with their jiu-jitsu instructor for intimate family outings like this, month in and month out. Whatever though ... right now, it's Tom's time with the kiddos -- and he's making the most out of it.

The squeaky-clean Patrick Mahomes may have finally misstepped ... 'cause according to Henry Winkler, the Chiefs superstar has inexplicably left him hanging on a sweet dinner invitation.

The Fonz relayed the surprising news to TMZ Sports while signing some autographs in Los Angeles this week ... saying despite initially agreeing to come to Winkler's pad for a homemade meal, Mahomes has now ghosted.

"I think he fibbed to me," a defeated Winkler told us.

If you're unfamiliar ... Winkler and Mahomes first made the plans back in 2022, after the guys developed a bromance following an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Chiefs vs. Chargers game.

Winkler said he was going to make the quarterback his famous chicken stuffed with ricotta -- and it seemed it had all been set to go down in the offseason after Mahomes won Super Bowl LVII.

But apparently, Mahomes has reneged on the deal ... and check out the clip, Winkler couldn't appear to be more sad about it.

Of course, Mahomes was busy this offseason with his newborn son ... so maybe he's waiting for 2024 to break bread with Winkler??

Cleveland Browns legend Josh Cribbs says return men are being straight-up disrespected by the Hall of Fame selection committee ... telling TMZ Sports he and Devin Hester both deserve busts in Canton.

Cribbs and Hester were two of the most exciting players of their era ... with kickers and punters purposely avoiding them out of fear they'd take it to the house every time they got the ball.

Despite racking up All-Pro, Pro Bowl and All-Decade team honors during their careers, both guys are still MIA at the Hall ... and Cribbs tells us it's about damn time they get the call.

"I believe Devin Hester is a Hall of Famer, I believe myself is a Hall of Famer," Cribbs said.

To make his case, Cribbs points out he dominated on both sides of returns ... also excelling as a gunner.

"Who can you say did both, was like the best returner out there as well the best cover guy?" Cribbs said.

As for Hester, Cribbs says his résumé speaks for itself.

"You got guys that are a class of their own right there. We're in a class of our own. When you mention us, our unique talents can't be matched anywhere -- in history and in the future."

Cribbs called out voters for continuing to give the position the cold shoulder ... saying just being nominated for the HOF ain't enough.

"The league is saying that it's not that important, even though it is. We literally changed games. Coaches literally kicked away from us."

FYI -- Cribbs had more than 11,000 kickoff return yards and 8 touchdowns over the course of his 10-year career ... adding 2,300 yards and 3 TDs on punt returns.

Hester had over 3,600 punt return yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns in 11 seasons ... with 7,300 yards and 5 scores off kickoffs.

"We actually deserve our place because of the work we put on the field for over a decade," Cribbs added. "We were both All-Decade return specialists and we deserve our place in history."

Patchy Mix is Bellator's Bantamweight champion, but the 19-1 fighter has no doubt in his mind that he's the best in the world, regardless of the MMA promotion.

"I believe deep down, full-heartedly, in my heart of hearts, I actually know I am the best bantamweight in the world."

Of course, different promotions have different champions ... the most well-known Bantamweight title holder being MMA star Sean O'Malley, the UFC champion.

TMZ Sports had a conversation with Mix this week after his impressive 2nd round submission win over Sergio Pettis at Bellator 301 ... and we asked him about his standing in the Bantamweight hierarchy.

"100%. 150%. 1,000%. I don't think I just take them, I'd finish them. I'm a finisher. I'm the best finisher at Bantamweight. My record speaks for itself. 19-1. 15 finishes. I think I finished 13 or 14 out of my last 15 wins. It speaks for itself. I can finish anybody in the world."

On a matchup with O'Malley -- who became champ with a TKO win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 -- Patchy is very confident in how he'd fare in the hypothetical scrap.

"Different styles, and I can strike too. I'm very good on the feet, as well. I'm just as tall as [O'Malley]. Just as long as him," Patchy said,

Mix continued ... "I just believe I'm better than him. I think I could finish him within 2.5 rounds. I don't think he'd really have much for me."

Now, unless the fighters move promotions, it's a fight that'll likely never happen.

For Mix, it's an interesting time. Bellator was just bought by PFL, and although it sounds like PFL execs plan to keep the promotion running, there's some uncertainty about what the future holds for Bellator.

4:24 PM PT -- Hayley Burley -- the owner/manager of Shorts Bar & Grills -- tells TMZ ... there was one real troublemaker who started this mess, even though it looks like a free-for-all.

She adds, "Holidays are a really crazy busy time of year and we do everything we can to ensure that everyone has a fun and safe holiday. The man involved was taking swings at my customers. Unfortunately the video doesn't really depict my bartender who was trying to help get the situation under control is having his ankle twisted in the and asking for help. We never condone any type of violence and the police were called and responded immediately."

A security staffer who got dragged into a bar fight he was trying to break up just proves the old adage is true ... no good deed goes unpunished, and sometimes you gotta kick ass.

Check out this wild footage, obtained by TMZ, showing an absolute melee going down late Friday night/early Saturday morning at a joint called Shorts Bar & Grill out in Fairport, NY ... where we're told 4 dudes went at it right on the floor as the evening tipped into midnight.

As exciting as that was ... it was nothing compared to when one of the hired "Staff" security guards stepped in. At first, he was pulling people away and separating everyone -- that is, until someone on the outskirts apparently pushed him down to keep the chaos going.

That's certainly what it looks like, anyway ... and that's certainly how the bouncer took it -- 'cause the guy started wailing on the man whom he suspected of shoving/provoking.

Indeed ... the beatdown he dished out to this older fella is pretty brutal -- dropping elbows on him and socking away. Eventually, they let the guy get up and stumble his way out of the scene. He didn't really put up much of a fight, and it's unclear what happened after.

No word on whether cops were called to this brawl or not either ... and what's even weirder is that this seems to have been Buffalo Bills related (if the jersey'd fan is any indication).

We know the Bills Mafia can get rowdy, but weirdly enough ... their team doesn't even play until Monday. Never too early to let the fists fly, we suppose -- happy holidays, everyone!