TMZ Sports - Page 50

Wrestling legend Kevin Von Erich is praising the way Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White portray him and his famous brother in a new movie about their life ... but he says there is no way they would make it in a real ring.

Kevin, the subject of "The Iron Claw," tells TMZ ... Zac, Jeremy and Harris Dickinson did a great job bringing him and his brothers Kerry and David Von Erich to life ... though the actors are way too small to cut it as pro wrestlers.

Don't get it twisted, Kevin's not hating here ... he's just keeping it real.

In fact, Kevin has nothing but love for 'Iron Claw,' which tells the story of his famous wrestling family.

Kevin says the film does a pretty good job boiling down so many stories into a 2-hour movie ... and it's pretty much historically accurate, at least by Hollywood standards.

One thing Kevin says 'Iron Claw' took some liberties with is his relationship with his father ... pro wrestler Fritz Von Erich. Kevin says his pops never wanted him to get into wrestling, unlike the way it's portrayed in the flick.

Kevin also understands why the director left his brother Chris Von Erich out of the movie ... and he wants folks to know he never would have risen to such heights without Christianity ... something the movie omits.

But hey, it's Hollywood ... and Kevin knows the name of the game.

Good news, Niners fans ... former San Francisco DB Donte Whitner says he's expecting a walk in the park for his ex-team on Sunday -- telling TMZ Sports the 49ers will beat the Lions by more than three touchdowns!!

Whitner says he's anticipating the final score to be 37-14 ... and it's all, in part, due to his confidence in Brock Purdy -- who he says is a top three or four quarterback in the NFL right now.

"I'm not expecting it to be close," Whitner said of the NFC Championship Game.

Of course, Purdy and the Niners didn't look their best last weekend against the Green Bay Packers ... they needed a late score in the fourth quarter to pull out the win despite being a heavy favorite heading into the game.

But, Whitner tells us he thinks the rain played a huge role in that ... promising, "You won't see that same 49ers football team this week vs. the Detroit Lions."

Whitner -- who logged snaps for the Niners from 2011 to 2013 -- also praised the hell out of Purdy during our conversation ... saying he has no idea why the 24-year-old signal-caller gets so much criticism from national pundits.

"When I go back and I analyze the film on Brock Purdy, he does everything you want him to do as a quarterback," Whitner said.

"How can you continue to beat this kid down when he was the last pick in the draft and he's shown all the qualities and capabailities to be a top franchise quarterback."

Now that it's the weekend, it's worth a look back at what TMZ covered this week ... particularly on the tube -- where we had a lil' too much fun heading into Saturday/Sunday.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' we just had to tackle this whole Alyssa Milano situation -- which was kicked off from her own doing. Basically, she tried fundraising on behalf of her son ... but got dragged for doing so, and you can imagine why.

The question is ... was she in the right, or in the wrong? Strong opinions from all on this one.

'TMZ on TV' was a riot to end the week ... and it's all thanks to the genius marketing people at Warner Bros. -- who trotted out this popcorn bucket for 'Dune 2,' which looks ... strange.

The crew had a blast trying to figure out exactly what this looks like -- take a guess yourself.

Somewhat of a serious and startling topic on 'TMZ Sports,' where Mojo and Mike analyzed the theft of a life-size Jackie Robinson statue from a youth baseball facility this week.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

A chaotic scene went down before the Georgetown-Providence basketball game Saturday ... with videos flooding social media of fans pushing and yelling outside.

Here's the deal ... students were lined up, ready to head into the Amica Mutual Pavillion in Rhode Island for the Big East Conference showdown -- where they'd reportedly been since 7 AM, almost three hours before tip-off!!!

These dedicated students seem to have gotten overexcited 'cause it appears some started pushing their way forward ... which led to several students on the ground -- and a metal barricade standing almost totally vertical on the side.

Check out the vid -- several people are on the ground while their fellow students seem to be trying to hold the crowd back ... clearly in an effort to keep them from being trampled.

It's a tense scene ... with security screaming at students to stop pushing and shoving a couple students away from those who fell -- the person taking the video didn't come away unscathed either, tilting the camera down to reveal their shoes were taken off in the melee.

Ultimately, the people working seemed to calm things down and let students into the game slowly. It's not clear if anyone was injured ... but regardless, it's a pretty scary scene. BTW, Providence ended up winning the game 84-76 -- and videos from inside the arena show the sheer magnitude of the crowd.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West showed up for another one of their icy encounters at their son's Friday night basketball game -- as the cameras caught almost every chilly moment.

The former couple arrived separately at 8-year-old Saint's sporting event in Los Angeles, trying to keep their distance from one another while also having an awkward interaction.

Check out these paparazzi photos, obtained by TMZ ... Kim does not appear happy while appearing to listen to something the rapper is saying.

Another picture shows the SKIMS mogul sitting on the sidelines mingling with other people next to her ... while Kanye chatted it up with Nick Cannon away from her.

In a third image, Kim is seen sitting all alone in her chair with a serious look on her face.

After the basketball game, Kim left with Saint to go grab some dinner. Kanye, of course, was not invited, and exited the game alone. His boo, Bianca Censori, was nowhere in sight.

Remember, Kim and Ye were doing much of the same at Saint's game last week, too.

As we reported, Kim and Kanye have had an especially rocky relationship since their 2022 divorce after 7 years of marriage and four children together, including Saint.

Shawne Merriman says the Chargers knocked it out of the park with their Jim Harbaugh hire ... telling TMZ Sports he believes his ex-team now has a feeling of, "'Hey, we can go out and win a championship now!'"

The former pass rusher was fired up when we spoke with him shortly after the Bolts named the ex-Michigan coach their new head man ... explaining to us he thinks L.A. is now a real-deal Super Bowl contender.

Merriman says the roster Harbaugh is inheriting is "the most talented team to never make the playoffs" ... and he's expecting a turnaround to happen relatively swiftly.

"If I'm Jim Harbaugh, I'm licking my chops," Merriman said. "I'm walking in there one day like somebody just handed me the keys to a Ferrari and I'm about to slam on the gas, right?"

As for the fit, Merriman previously expressed concerns about Harbaugh's ability to connect with young players at 60 years old ... but it seems those qualms have been squashed since the hiring process officially kicked off a few weeks ago.

"It's just a match made in heaven," he said. "I don't think there could've been more of a perfect storm."

Merriman also expressed gratitude that his former team passed on the opportunity to sign Bill Belichick ... believing the fit just wouldn't have worked in the City of Angels.

Chandler Jones' jewelry shopping spree didn't stop with iced-out Jesus pieces ... TMZ Sports has learned the NFL star also just got a chain that's worth $1 MILLION too!!

We're told the former Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher reached out to Gabriel Jacobs this week after coppin' the religious bling to get even more new drip made ... and, as he normally he does, the celeb jeweler came through big time.

Jacobs made Jones a chain that's loaded with 300 carats of diamonds that, as you can see, shine ultra bright.

Unclear what Jones paid for it, but Jacobs says it's worth $1.1 million!!!

Even though the bill for all the recent jewelry certainly wasn't cheap ... Jones, of course, can afford it, as he earned over $131 million in NFL contracts after recording 112 sacks and 34 forced fumbles in 12 seasons.

It's the weekend, and best believe we finished strong at TMZ -- especially on the TV front ... where we covered everything from the ongoing Ozempic wars ... to shower eating. 😅

'TMZ Live' was yet another slug fest between Dr. Terry Dubrow and Jillian Michaels -- who seem to be at war with one another over the hotly-debated issue of Ozempic ... and whether it's actually healthy for people who wanna lose weight.

The latest shot was fired by Dubrow, who told Michaels she oughta get her M.D. before weighing in on medication -- but Jillian's been holding her own, and isn't backing down.

On 'TMZ on TV,' we ended the week on a bit of a lighter note -- namely, diving in on whether Jessica Biel's self-confessed "shower snacking" was efficient ... or downright gross.

Lotsa people in our newsroom had different opinions on this one ... just watch for yourself!

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports' ... where Mojo and Mike entertained the possibility of the famed L.A. Clippers fan, Darrell Bailey, of changing his allegiance to the Lakers.

The reason they're even talking about it ... Snoop Dogg is encouraging him to jump ship!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Roy Jones Jr. could be back might be back in the ring sometime soon 'cause the boxing legend tells TMZ Sports he's down to fight fellow great, rival Antonio Tarver for a FOURTH time ... if he keeps talkin' trash.

That's what the 55-year-old pugilist told us this week when we asked if we'd be seeing him back in the ring ... following his last exhibition with Mike Tyson in 2020.

"Why do you wanna see me in the ring so bad?" Jones Jr. said this week, "I'm old news!"

We all know that's not true ... and despite the pivot attempt, Jones Jr. did mention Tarver is a guy he'd like to see in the ring.

"Okay, listen," Jones Jr. said ... "A guy just sent me a video today of Antonio Tarver saying something about I would never fight him again."

"He probably needs some shine but you just can't say anything about Roy. I don't care how old I am."

Remember, Jones Jr. and Tarver have a history ... the two star boxers had an epic trilogy back in the 2000s -- with Roy winning just one fight.

Meanwhile, Tarver -- who last fought in 2015 -- has been eager to get in the ring for an exhibition match ... a fight Roy says he'd do this year.

"I heard he said that I won't fight," Jones Jr. said, "Ain't nobody in the world I won't fight!"

"If you wanna talk crazy -- stop! This what I do for a living!"

We also talked to Jones Jr. about some of the young stats in boxing. Roy told us he'd like to see Devin Haney finally fight Gervonta 'Tank' Davis -- who he believes will be his toughest opponent.

But first, he'd like to see Haney vs. Ryan Garcia.

Vince McMahon is out at WWE.

The wrestling legend tendered his resignation as the Executive Chairman of TKO, the company that owns WWE ... just a day after an explosive lawsuit was filed by a former WWE staffer, alleging McMahon sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions.

78-year-old McMahon released a statement reiterating his innocence with respect to the disturbing allegations but would step down because it's the best move for the wrestling promotion he built decades ago.

"Out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately."

McMahon was not running the day-to-day operations for WWE ... but still had a prominent role within TKO. TKO Group Holdings has owned WWE since its purchase in 2023.

Curent WWE president Nick Khan announced the news to his employees late Friday, sending an email to the staffers.

"[Vince McMahon] has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE," Khan wrote.

The massive shakeup comes after a federal lawsuit was filed in Connecticut on Thursday by Janel Grant ... where she claimed she was subjected to degrading sexual acts at the hands of Vince.

Amid the allegations, Grant accused McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome in 2020.

She says the situation left her "miserable and enraged," though she didn't leave because "in her years of experience with McMahon, she knew her requests to stop would be ignored at best or used to destroy her career and reputation at worst."

Ultimately, Grant claimed McMahon distanced himself from her in early 2022 after his wife Linda McMahon became aware of their alleged relationship.

Some time after, McMahon, according to Grant, agreed to pay her $3 million in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement, but she says he failed to pay the full amount.

McMahon has claimed the allegations contained in the lawsuit are meritless, calling the suit "replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth."

Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis was also named in the lawsuit.

Teyana Taylor says Iman Shumpert's playing dirty in their divorce war, claiming he's slowly shutting down all the utilities in the home where she lives with their 2 children ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

In a new court filing, Teyana's attorney says she woke up this month in the Georgia home they used to share, only to discover the WiFi and cable was cut off, and one day later, the water stopped running ... and she's fully laying blame on Iman.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Iman moved out back in October, and shortly thereafter, Iman's brother -- who handles his personal affairs -- told Teyana, Iman intended to shut off the power.

Since then, she claims Iman hasn't paid a cent of child support, or covered any of the kids' expenses ... including food and clothing costs.

With the water, cable and WiFi now gone, Teyana's attorney says they're concerned he's going to follow through and cut off the gas and electricity.

On top of that, Teyana claims Iman left her holding the bag on $200K worth of home renovations he started 3 years ago.

In the docs, she says Iman told her his money is tied up in investments, and proposed she cover the cost and he would reimburse her -- but she's yet to see a penny from him.

Mind you, it's not like Teyana can't afford to turn on any utilities that get shut off -- she's clearly got the cash to handle that, but her attorney's court filing makes it clear ... this is about holding Iman accountable.

Since their divorce is pending, Teyana's attorney points out the court put a standing order in place ... meaning both parties are supposed to maintain the status quo on their home and finances until the divorce is finalized.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are clearly well aware they have plenty of detractors ... but the Chiefs star admitted he and his boo talk about how important it is for their relationship to block out all of the "outside noise."

Kelce made the revelation while chatting with reporters about his off-field life on Friday -- just two days before Kansas City takes on Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.

After one media member asked if he and Taylor had discussed the growing criticism they've received as they've gone more and more public with their love ... he said matter-of-factly, "The only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise."

"That's all that matters."

Kelce also said at the press conference there have been newfound challenges and critiques he's had to deal with this year as his star power has risen exponentially ... although he said he's been able to compartmentalize it all for the most part, allowing his teammates to believe in him.

Skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin was airlifted to a hospital after crashing in a World Cup downhill run on Friday ... but, thankfully, she avoided serious injury.

The scary incident happened when Shiffrin -- who holds the record with 95 World Cup wins -- was going at high speeds down the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

In footage of the run, Shiffrin is shown losing control while attempting to land a jump about 20 seconds into her race ... ultimately crashing into the safety barriers.

The 28-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital via medical helicopter to evaluate her leg injury ... and it sounds like she escaped the incident without any serious issue.

U.S. team coach Paul Kristofic spoke about MS' status with the AP ... saying, "She's positive and in a certain way relieved because it could have been worse. But she’s pretty sore, as you are for most speed crashes. But she was quite upbeat about things."

Shiffrin thanked her fans for showing love after her crash ... and gave her team a shout-out for finishing top 20 in the race.

"Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes. At this point I’m just taking it day by day, and I’ll share more information or updates as I know more," Shiffrin said on Instagram.

"Very thankful it’s not worse, but I’m pretty sore at the moment."

Shiffrin will sit out Saturday and Sunday's downhill events in Cortina ... and her return to the slopes is unknown at this time.

"I won’t be skiing the rest of this weekend, and I won’t be skiing in Kronplatz," Shiffrin said.

"Beyond that, it’s quite hard to say right now. Need a little time to process with my team and see how everything is feeling in the coming days! Thank you all!🙏"

The crash comes shortly after Shiffrin's boyfriend -- Norweigan skier Aleksander Kilde -- had a brutal tumble at a World Cup event ... resulting in multiple injuries and an urgent surgery.

Tyreek Hill's circle is a lot smaller now -- 'cause the Miami Dolphins superstar said he had to fire a bunch of people off his team this week ... including the "f***ing bonehead" who filed divorce documents without his approval.

Hill and Keeta Vaccaro's union appeared to be coming to an end after just a few months ... when Broward County records in Florida showed the Super Bowl champ submitted the petition for the dissolution of his marriage -- which he later refuted.

The 29-year-old receiver cleared the air on a Twitch stream Thursday night ... saying he never gave his people the green light to file the papers.

"I just gotta say that it sucks that A, yeah, a lot of our stuff is public record," Hill said. "But behind closed doors, a lot of people got fired, too, for just doing things without a 'yes.'"

"It sucks that me and my wife gotta go through that. Like yeah, public records says it and right now we're in a spot of fixing it -- I fired the f***ing bonehead that did that mistake. Now it sucks."

Hill explained he had to confront his wife over the mishap ... saying they have another vacation planned too, so he wanted to make sure everything was good between them.

The two later shut down any speculation of a split ... posing together hours after the reports went public.

Joseline Hernandez has finally learned her fate following that wild 2023 fight backstage at a concert in Miami ... the reality star will have to maneuver carefully now that she's been sentenced to two years probation.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs of Joseline's plea deal that lays out the terms of her sentence ... she ended up pleading no contest to a slew of charges, including resisting an officer with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, and more after prosecutors say she hit the officers trying to keep her from pummeling Lex.

The Love & Hip Hop: Miami star will now be subjected to random drug testing and will have to enroll in a 29-week batterer's intervention program class online to learn how to better de-escalate situations.

Joseline is also barred from having contact with the victim and the victim's family ... and will have to write a letter of apology to the off to the deputies involved in her arrest.

As we reported, Joseline grew enraged after Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III's exhibition bout and was basically accused of creating her own boxing match afterward with repeated attacks to Lex's noggin.

12:34 PM PT -- Alyssa Milano took to Twitter/X to address the backlash over the GoFundMe she set up to help fund her son's baseball team saying ... “I’m getting media inquiries about whether I have financially contributed to my son’s baseball team."

Alyssa continued, "I’ve paid for uniforms for the entire team and coaches, thrown bday parties and sponsor any kid who can’t afford monthly dues. The kids also do fundraising themselves—car washes, movie nights, and many other fun things!"

"Thank you to all who have contributed to the gofundme! You’ve made things easier for these boys and their families.”

Alyssa Milano asked her many followers/fans to chip in for her son's youth baseball trip -- and because she's perceived as incredibly wealthy ... she's getting dragged through the coals.

The actress posted a link to a GoFundMe account that she and her husband, David Bugliari, started on behalf of their kid's 12U squad ... which she calls a travel fund that'll help the boys get to Cooperstown for a big baseball tournament, plus other expenses.

She wrote, "My son’s baseball team is raising money for their Cooperstown trip. Any amount would be so greatly appreciated. You can read more about the team and make a donation here" ... after which, she linked to the GFM page, which has a goal of raising $10,000.

The cash, the page says, will go toward travel costs, uniforms and family dues for players -- and it benefits the whole team, of course ... not just Alyssa's son. Still, the internet's pissed.

You can hop into the "Alyssa Milano" trend this AM to get a sense of what the hell everyone's so angry about because of this -- but it's pretty straight-forward ... people are complaining that AM is a huge star, who's presumably loaded and who can afford this with the snap of her finger. So ... why is she going around soliciting donations like a normie???

As you can imagine, the jokes are flying at Alyssa's expense -- but a lot of folks are genuinely outraged that she'd try to fundraise considering her position. Even more interesting is the fact that in the list of visible donors, none appear to feature her name.

She hasn't addressed all the hand-wringing just yet -- but TBH, this feels like a case of people making assumptions about her on a number of fronts ... and we'll just leave it at that.