TMZ Sports - Page 50

Doesn't seem Jimmy Butler's sweating his latest Heat suspension ... 'cause just hours after the hooper's team hit him with a two-game ban, he was seen yuckin' it up with famed comedian Andrew Schulz at a swanky party.

TMZ Sports has learned Butler made his way to the Reserve Cup Draft & Dinner hosted by Moncayo Ocean Club on Wednesday night ... mere hours after he was punished by the Heat for missing the team's flight to Milwaukee for its upcoming road matchup with the Bucks.

Butler, who wasn't expected at the event, didn't appear to care one bit about the trouble with his employer ... as he smiled big while rubbing elbows with a bunch of celebs, including Schulz, Jerry Jeudy and Wayne Boich.

Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, are adamant they have never covered up child sexual abuse ... this after a new lawsuit alleged otherwise.

The New York Yankees legend and his partner issued the denial on Thursday morning ... with their attorney, Joseph A. Ruta, saying in a statement the allegations against the two "are completely false."

The suit was filed in New York earlier this month by Mother A Doe ... who alleged that back in 2018, her juvenile daughter was sexually abused at a summer camp in Florida that was affiliated with the Rivera's church, Refuge of Hope.

Wednesday night's matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets looked more like a scene from "Fight Club" ... 'cause Ryan Reaves and Mathieu Olivier traded vicious punches in a wild brawl!!

It didn't take long for the two opponents to drop the gloves ... with the moment going down less than two minutes into the contest. Immediately after a faceoff, they dropped their gear and sized each other up.

38-year-old Reaves landed the first punch, but it was a pretty even fight from there ... as both guys got good shots in amid the scrap.

The referees were clearly entertained ... 'cause they waited some time before sending each athlete to the penalty box.

Jason Kelce's signature is worth a pretty penny ... and officials say three people tried to capitalize, allegedly selling $200K worth of fake memorabilia, before they were busted!

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office (PA) announced Thursday that Robert Capone, LeeAnn Branco, and Joseph Parenti are facing 60 felony counts, ranging from theft to forgery, for their alleged roles in the scheme.

Capone, 51, Branco, 43, and Parenti, 39, are accused of lying about the authenticity and provenance of more than 1,100 items, including helmets, jerseys, photos and footballs, advertising the items on a website as real-deal signed Kelce merch.

A rare piece of memorabilia from Roger Federer's historic career is on the auction block -- the racket from his 2004 Wimbledon victory ... which features a personalized autograph for his longtime friend and fashion icon Anna Wintour.

The Wilson nCode pro stock racket was used when Federer defeated Andy Roddick in four sets to secure his second title at the All England Club ... and is complete with all of the tennis legend's preferred customizations.

Federer signed the equipment for Wintour and her daughter ... "To Anna and Bee" is etched on the side, followed by his John Hancock.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom on Thursday and pled guilty to one charge of possessing cocaine.

The 29-year-old -- wearing a blue suit and white shirt -- admitted to a judge that the powdery substance that was found in his wallet following his arrest for domestic violence in October was the illegal drug.

The football player was ordered to remain drug-free and stay out of trouble for the next four months after making his plea.

Forget ice cream and rom-coms, Naomi Osaka's apparently turning to hoops to get her mind off her recent breakup.

The tennis superstar was at the Brooklyn Nets game Wednesday night -- just a couple weeks after announcing her split from Cordae.

The 27-year-old -- who was forced to retire in the third round of the Australian Open due to an injury -- appeared to be in great spirits at the outing ... smiling and throwing up a peace sign during a break in the action.

If Josh Allen and Co. are able to lock up a Super Bowl win in the next few weeks, Thurman Thomas tells TMZ Sports he'll jump through some tables with Bills Mafia -- and he's pretty sure a few of his former Buffalo teammates will join him!!

The Bills' march toward a SB title will continue this weekend ... with a matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium -- and if Buffalo comes away victorious, it'll be on to New Orleans, where it'll face off with the Eagles or the Commanders with the Lombardi on the line.

A win would mean a first-ever ring for the Bills ... and Thomas told us this week in order to celebrate, he'd happily hop through a plastic table -- just like Buffalo diehards have been doing for years.

Caitlin Clark's birthday wasn't gonna come and go without a special surprise from her employer ... 'cause the Indiana Fever pulled out all the stops with some cake, balloons and singing!!

The superstar guard was met with the lovely gesture after finishing her workout on Wednesday (of course she wouldn't take her big day off) ... when she walked into the exercise room to see her coaches and other Indiana staff.

The team had a birthday cake with candles and a giant "23" balloon ... and, of course, some singing.

One of the four Chilean men believed to be connected to the Joe Burrow home burglary was sporting a Bengals hat when the group was pulled over by cops earlier this month ... an item that very well could have belonged to the Cincinnati quarterback himself.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol just released body camera footage of the Jan. 10 traffic stop that ultimately resulted in the Chilean nationals' arrests ... which was initiated by an improper lane change.

The cops executed a search of the vehicle after smelling marijuana ... and a designer bag and a suitcase with an LSU shirt were discovered in the trunk. In the glove box, window punchers were also found.

Mariano Rivera and his wife, Clara, allegedly covered up child sexual abuse that took place at their home and at one of their church's summer camps ... this according to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The bombshell allegations were spelled out in court documents that were filed this month in New York -- and while neither Rivera nor his spouse are defendants in the suit ... they're both named repeatedly in the papers.

Mother A Doe alleges in the docs her daughter, a teenager ID'ed only as Jane A Doe, was convinced by Clara in 2018 to travel down to Florida for an internship that her Refuge of Hope Church was helping put on.

Patrick Mahomes is admitting he crossed a line with his controversial flop in the Chiefs' playoff matchup against the Texans this past weekend ... saying he "probably shouldn't have done that."

The three-time Super Bowl MVP was asked about the viral moment from the defending champions' 23-14 win over Houston during his appearance on 96.5 The Fan's "The Drive" on Wednesday ... and he owned up to his actions.

"I would say the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didn’t get the flag," the 29-year-old said. "The ref saw it and didn’t throw a flag, I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldn’t have done that."

A teenage basketball player floored two of his opponents with vicious haymakers during a game earlier this month ... and the punches were so violent, TMZ Sports has learned cops are now investigating the situation.

The contest went down at around 6 PM on Jan. 3 in Georgia ... when Sonoraville High School was taking on Rockmart in Calhoun.

With a little less than half the tilt remaining, a Rockmart player could be seen on video shoving a Sonoraville athlete to the ground. Seconds later, after the boy had gotten up from the push, the Rockmart player leveled him back to the hardwood with a huge right hand.

The Philadelphia Eagles are slinging white stuff ... but we're not talking Scarface here -- the team's actually putting snow from their playoff win over the L.A. Rams up for sale!!

The Eagles and The Realest announced a first-of-its-kind deal on Wednesday ... saying they  collected powder from Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles snagged a 28-22 win against the Rams in the Divisional Round.

Flakes were falling from the sky during the contest ... and so much accumulated that 100 pint-sized containers were filled to the brim for fans to have a unique souvenir to remember the victory forever -- as long as they have freezer space.

Belal Muhammad says he's back in the gym and gunning to make a mid-2025 return to the Octagon ... but he's not looking to share the Octagon with training partner Islam Makhachev.

TMZ Sports talked to the UFC welterweight champ ... several weeks after 36-year-old Muhammad was forced to pull out of his title defense fight with number one contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.

"I think for sure, May, June, right after Ramadan is where I'm aiming for. And, definitely before summertime, that would work perfectly for me, where I could get in three fights this year, that's my goal, to stay active," Belal told us of his plans.

Bradley Cooper is just like every diehard Eagles fan who rode the emotional rollercoaster during Philly's playoff matchup against the L.A. Rams ... but the one big difference?? He had his supermodel girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, present to keep him at ease.

TMZ Sports obtained video of the actor stressed to the max in his suite as his beloved Eagles squared up against Matthew Stafford and the Rams ... and while the final score went his way, it certainly wasn't a sure thing.

After interacting with some fans in his box, the "Hangover" star popped a squat next to his stunning partner and put his face into his hands. Hadid saw her man needing reassurance ... and promptly gave him a pat on the back to lift his spirits.