Sports

The suspended NFL referees are fighting back!

Following Monday's unprecedented punishments of two NFL officials -- Adrian Hill and Jeff Seeman -- the union that represents the refs is clapping back, saying the league came down on 'em too hard.

Scott Green, Executive Director of the NFLRA, admits the referees' actions were out of character, but says "that should not result in discipline that is excessive or inconsistent with established precedent."

If you're waiting for a Jazz Chisolm apology, don't hold your breath, Yankees fans ... the Bronx Bombers' second baseman stands by his play.

After the Rays beat the Yanks 5-2 in Game 2 of the ALDS Monday night, the second baseman was asked what he’d do differently after a disastrous first inning that included three errors ... and one from the middle infielder that led to a run being scored.

His answer ... basically nothing.

Sam McDowell, a 6-time All-Star pitcher for the Indians, has died at 84 years old.

It's a sad day for Cleveland baseball.

McDowell, 6'5" and known for his vicious fastball, played 11 of his 15 Major League Baseball seasons with the then-Cleveland Indians. He was the first modern-era pitcher to strike out 300 batters in fewer than 300 innings during the 1965 season.

He also led the AL with an eye-popping 2.18 ERA that same year.

His excellent career was capped off by his induction into the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame in 2006.

Two zebras just got benched.

The NFL has suspended two officials -- line judge Jeff Seeman and ref Adrian Hill -- for unprofessional conduct towards players in two separate incidents on Sunday ... a very rare move from the league.

Seeman’s two-game suspension comes after the official was seen jawing with Cardinals star tight end Trey McBride, yelling, "F*** you!" at him twice ... which was captured by television cameras.

Daniil Medvedev’s semifinal match against Novak Djokovic ended with a thud ... after the tennis star fired a tennis ball into a fan's face.

Djokovic already had Medvedev on the ropes before the disqualification -- he won the first set and led the second, 5 games to 3 -- but he wasn't done yet ... until he recklessly sent the ball into the stands, leaving a spectator clutching his eye.

The innocent fan was escorted from his seat and taken to the hospital. Thankfully, it doesn't sound like the injury is too serious.

Celebrating a game-sealing, 4th-quarter pick with a delicious dinner?! Say less ... the N.Y. Giants defense hit up a New York City hotspot Sunday night to celebrate their thrilling win!

TMZ Sports has learned Deonte Banks, the game's hero, treated teammates Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter, Jevon Holland, Tremaine Edmunds, Nic Jones, and many more to a fancy dinner at Sei Less.

The former first-round draft pick rented out a private room at the upscale restaurant/lounge ... where the (very hungry) football players dined on chicken satay, lobster spoons, Beijing chicken, chicken wontons, shrimp lo mein, and more.

As the G-Men were leaving, other guests spotted the players, and they were psyched ... with many congratulating Banks on the game-saving play.

If you missed it, the Cardinals had the ball on the 4-yard line, 4th and goal, down 6 points, with 12 seconds remaining.

One play for Big Blue ... get a stop and win the game.

Deonte did one better, picking off Jacoby Brissett's pass and returning it 96 yards for a touchdown.

Game over, Giants win, 36-24.

Of course, not everyone on the Giants was able to attend the feast, including Jaxson Dart, who was at home nursing his newly surgically repaired knee.

While it was a bummer to miss out on time with his teammates, the Giants QB was PUMPED when Banks made the pick ... a reaction that was caught on camera by his GF Melissa Ayers.

LeBron James is free to hop on Fanatics' helicopter whenever he wants -- while playing in Philly and living in NYC -- and that open invitation is part of his deal with a company that treats the King like royalty.

A source close to Fanatics tells TMZ Sports the newly signed 76ers superstar -- a “key partner” for the biz -- is one of the “most important athletes in the world,” and because of that, they're happy to let him use the company chopper anytime he wants.

James was spotted leaving the City of Brotherly Love in Fanatics' Leonardo AW139 heli after the Sixers scrimmaged on Saturday, on a roughly 45-minute flight back to the Big Apple.

The 76ers had a big offseason -- they brought in LeBron James and Jaylen Brown -- and the Miami Heat added Giannis Antetokounmpo ... to which John Starks says, cool, but the Knicks are still top dog in the Eastern Conference!

TMZ Sports ran into the legendary Knicks shooting guard Friday morning in NYC, and asked him if he believed the champs were getting the proper level of respect after winning the chip.

"They're getting their respect, but I know coming back into the season you have to be hungry. If they still have that underdog mentality coming into the season, it's gonna be good for them," Starks told us.

Lethal Shooter has trained some of the biggest stars in Hollywood and sports, but now the social media sensation has his sights set on one of the most important figures in recent American history -- Barack Obama!

The viral shooting coach -- real name Chris Matthews -- swung by the TMZ Sports set this week and unloaded a dream list of clients he still hasn't gotten his hands on, and it's an impressive list.

"Mike Tyson. Samuel L. Jackson. You ready for the next one?" LS asked Babcock.

"Stevie Wonder. Trust me, bro. He can make a jump shot. If somebody can play the piano, if somebody can listen and hear the melody, if I'm in front of him, can Stevie Wonder knock down a jump shot?" he asked.

The fired Portland Trail Blazers announcer is apologizing for the offensive tweets that got him sacked.

Braiden Bell went on X to issue a brief, written apology, saying ... "I am deeply sorry for the language I used on Twitter. These tweets, while wrong, were written by me 14 years ago while I was only 15 years old and have no reflection of who I am today."

He continues ... "I regret this being my first impression to many of you online, but I can take solace in knowing that the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am."

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York is breaking his silence over his August arrest in Ohio ... after the NFL suspended him for six games and fined him $500,000 for violating its Personal Conduct Policy.

York tells TMZ he accepts the league's decision in full ... calling what happened an "inexcusable mistake" and apologizing to his family, the 49ers organization, fans and partners.

He says ... "What I did does not reflect my values or the man I strive to be for my family."

Tony Romo is officially out at CBS Sports ... ending his nine-year run with the network months after his highly publicized OWI arrest.

CBS confirmed to TMZ Friday it had "mutually agreed to part ways" with the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback ... thanking him for his contributions and wishing him the best moving forward.

J.J. Watt -- who has filled in for Romo so far this season -- will remain in the booth alongside Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson.

The Portland Trail Blazers canned their new play-by-play announcer hours after announcing his hiring ... after a series of racist and sexist tweets from when he was in high school resurfaced.

The NBA franchise fired Braiden Bell over comments he posted on social media in 2012 and 2013 after a local reporter reached out to the team for comment about the posts ... according to KGW8.

Bell has since made his X account private, but not before the outlet took screenshots and reported on his insensitive posts.

WWE NXT star Arianna Grace is seeking a restraining order against fellow wrestler Keanu Carver after claiming she repeatedly told him to leave her alone and "go the f*** away" in text messages ... TMZ has learned.

Grace -- real name Bianca Carelli -- filed for protection in Florida last month against Carver, whose real name is Kevin Robertson, and text messages attached to her filing, obtained by TMZ, appear to show her repeatedly trying to shut down contact.

In one alleged exchange, Keanu tells Arianna he "came back" after she told him to leave ... prompting her to respond, "Leave me alone" before warning, "If u come back here im texting Andrea" and saying "Go the f*** away."

Talk about a mic drop moment ... Steve Aoki was ecstatic after he landed a super rare Shohei Ohtani rookie card, the greatest pull of his card collecting life!

The world-famous DJ -- who rediscovered his love for cards during the pandemic -- was breaking boxes with Matcrackz for the first ep of HardScope's new collectibles show, UNPACKED, when he pulled the '18 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani rookie refractor.

In mint condition, the Green card -- one of only 99 that were ever produced -- is worth around $40,000.

Aoki was over the moon the second he saw the card, yelling, "This is like probably one of the greatest pulls of my life! Like, I'll never forget this experience!"

Now, it's nowhere near the most valuable card that Steve owns. He has an autographed Tom Brady card that he dropped $770k on.

Aoki also has a "triple autograph" basketball card featuring the John Hancock's of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. That's worth about a quarter million.

The difference is he didn't find those himself -- as he did with the Dodgers superstars card, and that's what makes it special.

Phil Mickelson voluntarily checked himself into an addiction treatment center amid ongoing personal issues ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep for Phil tells TMZ Sports ... "Phil was seeking treatment for family trauma and addiction."

We're told the pro golfer sought the treatment recently, and he's already out of the facility.

Phil's reps previously said in June, "Mr. Mickelson's priority is to become the husband, father, and man his family deserves. Right now, that means giving his full attention to a private family health matter. He understands that parts of his life are public, but his family's private matters are not."

Phil has also been open about his longtime struggle with gambling addiction ... saying in 2023 that he had crossed the line from moderation into addiction and had sought professional help for years. He said the habit had taken a toll on his personal life.