TMZ Sports

Corey LaJoie's "Trump 2020" car barely made it out of the garage Sunday ... the freshly painted ride was totaled in a massive pileup just 16 laps into the Brickyard 400.

The scene was wild ... as several cars tried to squeeze their way onto pit road during the first few minutes of NASCAR's big race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- they all slammed into each other.

LaJoie was caught up in the middle of the mess ... and his "Trump 2020" car didn't survive -- suffering too much damage in the wreck to keep racing.

At least five others, including Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., were also forced out of the race because of the crash.

It's a big disappointment for LaJoie's Go Fas Racing team ... just days before the big event -- team owner Archie St. Hilaire had said he was excited as hell to see the ride compete.

"As a Trump 2020 supporter, this team will do everything possible to secure victory on and off the track electing President Donald Trump to a second term," St. Hilaire said. "Let us bring this country back and Keep America Great!"

Although totaled Sunday ... as part of the team's agreement with the pro-Trump Patriots of America PAC sponsor, LaJoie's team is expected to race in a "Trump 2020" paint scheme 8 more times this season.

Kamaru Usman says Jorge Masvidal's BMF belt IS on the line when they fight Saturday -- and he already knows where he'll keep it after he wins.

"After I go out there and beat his ass and ragdoll him, that sh*t is coming home with me so I can throw it in my closet."

Of course, Kamaru is the UFC's reigning welterweight champ -- and he was originally set to defend that belt against Gilbert Burns in the first main event on Fight Island.

But, when Gilbert tested positive for COVID and pulled out the fight over the weekend -- Masvidal stepped in and took his place.

Now, Kamaru says he's ready to rock ... and considers his new opponent nothing more than a "minor change."

"At the end of the day, when you’re in training camp, the way that I train, you see no face," Usman tells TMZ Sports.

"When I cross into that Octagon, I have to turn on the Nigerian nightmare and leave Kamaru Usman on the outside. And, so I see no face by the time I'm in there anyway."

"Now it's a little extra push to get in there and really do some damage."

Usman says he's the champ for a reason -- and Masvidal will learn the hard way that he's "definitely not Ben Askren."

Remember, Jorge's stock exploded when he slept Askren with a flying knee in the opening seconds of their fight at UFC 239.

Usman says Masvidal won't pull that crap on him.

"I'm smarter than doing something that silly and being put in that situation. So, I'm definitely not Ben Askren and he's definitely going to have to figure that out the hard way."

There's more ... Usman also told us why he thinks the Masvidal fight came together so quickly (in just a matter of hours).

The war between Antonio Brown and his rape accuser is raging on ...

The former NFL All-Pro now claims Britney Taylor is "hiding" from giving a live deposition -- and he's asking a judge to force her to show up in person for the depo ... or, if not, throw out the lawsuit.

But, Taylor's attorney tells TMZ Sports ... that's all a bunch of B.S., saying, "It's not that she's hiding, it's just that Florida's a little infected [with coronavirus] right now."

Here's the deal ... in new court docs, Brown's attorneys say they're trying to get Taylor to sit for a live depo to question her about her allegations that Brown sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

In the docs, though, the attorneys say Taylor is only willing to meet with them over Zoom ... something they say they're NOT OK with.

"The nature of her allegations," Browns attorneys say in the docs, "coupled with the fact that she has absolutely no corroboration for her claims mandate that a live deposition of Ms. Taylor be had."

They now want a judge to FORCE Taylor to show up in person -- while following all proper COVID-19 safety guidelines -- or throw out the case.

But, when we spoke with Taylor's attorney, David Haas, he told us the only reason Taylor is refusing to show up in person is because of the global pandemic.

Haas says his client is willing to answer questions but adds "we're just trying to keep her safe."

A ruling on the motion from the judge has yet to come down ... but Haas says he expects it to be denied.

As we previously reported, Taylor -- who met Brown while the two attended Central Michigan -- is suing the NFL player, claiming, among other things, he violently raped her in 2018.

Khloe Kardashian's 4th of July celebration at her baby daddy's house seems to be proof that an age-old adage holds up even today ... time heals all.

The youngest OG Kardashian sister was spotted heading into Tristan Thompson's L.A. crib Saturday, with her older sister, Kourtney, and even her mom, Kris, in tow. No sign of Kim, Kanye, Kylie or Kendall -- but still, quite the Kardashian get-together if you ask us.

While we know Khloe and Tristan have hung out a lot in recent months -- word is they've been quarantining together since the lockdown -- it's interesting to see the fam coming around to Tristan again ... this, of course, after he got caught cheating a couple years back.

Since then, though, it would appear Khloe and him are giving their relationship a second go ... as they've been super tight lately, and Tristan has more than professed his love for Khloe. Remember, they share a daughter together -- young True -- and it looks like they've been doing more than just co-parenting for a while now.

Video has surfaced of a violent confrontation at a Dick's Sporting Goods store where a customer was punched and put in a chokehold ... all over a candy bar.

It went down in Toledo, Ohio Thursday. Cops say they received a call from an employee at the store that a customer -- 36-year-old Aaron Buckenmeyer -- had stolen some merchandise.

The video begins with Buckenmeyer and an employee are standing toe-to-toe when the employee delivers a crushing blow that sends Buckenmeyer to the ground.

The employee told cops Buckenmeyer had headbutted him and that's what provoked the punches.

You see Buckenmeyer in a chokehold. The employee claims during the takedown Buckenmeyer was grabbing him by the genitals.

As for Buckenmeyer ... he repeatedly told the employee he had asthma and couldn't breathe.

In the end ... it appears the incident was triggered by a candy bar Buckenmeyer had put in a bag that fell out during the confrontation.

Shaun Weiss -- famous for playing Goldberg in "The Mighty Ducks" -- is doing well on his road to recovery following his most recent meth bust ... but he could still use a little help in one area.

Shaun's at a sober living facility in Woodland Hills, where he's staying clean and going to outpatient meetings 5 days a week ... but he could use some new pearly whites, because they're all gone.

His good friend, Drew Gallagher, set up a GoFundMe to help get Shaun a full set of teeth ... and he's trying to raise $25,000 for some much-needed dental work and his ongoing sober-living.

As you can see in this latest pic of Shaun ... he's looking much better and happier. He was having breakfast this week with Drew when the picture was taken ... a meal celebrating 170 days sober.

It's another milestone for Shaun, who finally went to rehab in March after getting out of jail and completed a 90-day program at Quest 2 Recovery in Lancaster.

As we first reported ... Shaun's buddies were desperate to get the troubled child star help before it was too late -- he was dealing with a slew of life-threatening issues and was at one point, living on the streets before January's meth and burglary arrest.

Shaun keeps looking better and better ... so hopefully, he keeps getting the help he needs, including some new teeth.

Colin Kaepernick's former 49ers teammate says it was Chip Kelly who punted the elephant out of the room after the QB's first kneeling protest ... with Jeremy Kerley telling TMZ Sports the coach couldn't have handled the situation any better.

"I love Chip for it," Kerley says.

The ex-S.F. wideout tells us shortly after Kaepernick began his protest of social injustices during 2016 NFL national anthems ... Kelly didn't allow things to get awkward.

In fact, Kerley says the former Niners head man brought the team together almost immediately and gave Kaepernick the floor to speak his mind to the locker room.

"For Chip being able to do that, I think that was pretty cool for him to kind of take the elephant out the room and remove all doubt," Kerley says. "I think that was pretty cool, I love Chip for it."

"It kind of removed all doubts and stuff in the locker room and we just bonded, like we were close and it was fun."

Kerley tells us because of Chip's actions ... the 49ers were able to have a blast in 2016 -- and the receiver says even though they finished 2-14, it was his favorite year of his 8-season career.

"To play with Kaep -- a lot of people forget, Kaep was a ballplayer," Kerley told us.

Jeremy says Kaepernick still has the goods to play in the NFL ... adding, "I think it's definitely time for him to jump back on the field and for people to accept him back on the field."

As for Kerley -- who hasn't played since he was with Buffalo in 2018 -- he says he's still leaving the door open for an NFL return ... but tells us he has a pretty sweet job in the meantime.

The Yankees' truncated season got off to a rough start this weekend during batting practice -- one of their pitchers took a baseball to the noggin by one their hardest-hitting sluggers.

Righty Masahiro Tanaka was tossing to Giancarlo Stanton Saturday at Yankees Stadium during the team's first summer workout before they officially play ball later this month. During one of his pitches, Stanton hit a line drive right back at Tanaka ... and it nailed him.

The ball struck Tanaka in the head, knocking off his hat and sending him flying to the ground. Stanton immediately regretted it as he crouched in disgust and worry. The training staff rushed out to attend to their pitcher, and were eventually able to get him to his feet.

As bad as the hit looked on camera, it would appear the guy's gonna be alright -- which is kind of a miracle. The team says, "RHP Masahiro Tanaka was hit in the head with a line drive during today’s sim game. He is currently alert, responsive and walking under his own power." They added that he would undergo further evaluations/testing at a nearby hospital.

A little COVID fallout didn't stop hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut from breaking his own record this year -- despite the fact there was no crowd -- 'cause the guy did just that and then some.

JC took top honors (again) Saturday at the annual July Fourth Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest -- which saw the dude down 75 dogs in 10 minutes ... beating his own previous benchmark of 74 from last year. It's his 13th title total ... so basically, a G.O.A.T.

During the festivities, he also hit another food vacuum milestone -- his 1,000th career dog! The feat wasn't without its hiccups (damn near vomit fests), but he held off 'til the end.

BTW, Joey wasn't the only making history this weekend -- there's a women's champ too ... the one and only Miki Sudo, who downed 48.5 franks ... which easily beat the competition.

This year's event was unique in that there were no ticketholders or spectators (aside from the eaters' own teams, of course) ... which made for a somewhat muted performance. There was also plexiglass between the competitors -- so pretty distance friendly we'd say.

The only downside to Saturday's dog chugging event was that Joey did NOT live up to his promise to TMZ Sports earlier in June, when he said he'd hit 77 dogs no problem.

Justin Rohrwasser has delivered on his promise ... the Patriots kicker has removed a controversial tattoo from his arm after a public outcry, TMZ Sports has learned.

The tattoo in question is the logo for the "Three Percenters" -- a group some experts have described as a dangerous right-wing militia. Some chapters reportedly associate with "extreme racist groups."

The 23-year-old kicker claimed he got the tat when he was 18 because he thought it was a patriotic tribute to the military -- not knowing the group has been associated with some pretty bad stuff.

After the Patriots selected Rohrwasser with the 159th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft back in April, he received some major blowback online ... and later vowed to remove it from his body,.

"It's shameful that I had it on there ignorantly," Rohrwasser told WBZ-TV ... "That's not who I am."

Now, multiple sources confirm ... the tat is gone for good.

We're told the former Marshall kicker began the removal process almost immediately after the NFL Draft ... and described the process as physically painful.

Rohrwasser has apologized for the tattoo multiple times -- and told WBZ-TV, "I’m sorry for all my family that have to defend me. Putting them in that compromising position is one of the biggest regrets I’ll ever have, so to them, I’m sorry.

Karma -- the pro gamer who was struck by lightning while streaming on Twitch -- says she's no longer in physical pain ... but admits she's suffering a little "PTSD" after the crazy incident.

27-year-old Jaime Bickford was INSIDE her Boston-area home Sunday night commenting on a game of "Rocket League" when lightning struck ... and somehow, she got hit.

You can watch the live stream and HEAR the moment of impact -- it's really scary stuff.

Bickford tells TMZ Sports she's still not 100% sure how she got hit -- saying, "It all happened really fast."

"I was just commenting over this game and then a huge flash came out of my controller, like really bright," Bickford says.

"I just remember my hands burning and my body just automatically dropped the controller."

Bickford says her hands were sore for the next 2 days. But there was also mental trauma.

"I definitely had PTSD about it the day after -- just loud noises scared me. There was still thunderstorms the next day so I didn't want to touch the game just 'cause it freaked me out."

Don't get it twisted ... Bickford says she's definitely NOT walking away from gaming -- telling TMZ Sports she's worked too damn hard to quit.

As for the controller she had been using -- that's toast.

It's finally happening ... it looks like one of the big holdouts in the movement to 86 offensive names and imagery from our lexicon is about to go down, because it looks like the Washington Redskins may be FINALLY changing their name.

The team's owner, Dan Snyder, said his org will “undergo a thorough review of the team’s name” ... this as the Redskins have encountered a tidal wave of criticism.

Snyder said, “This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise but also input from our alumni, the organization, sponsors, the National Football League and the local community it is proud to represent on and off the field."

And there's more ... Ron Rivera, the head coach, added this ... “This issue is of personal importance to me and I look forward to working closely with Dan Snyder to make sure we continue the mission of honoring and supporting Native Americans and our Military.”

This all feels like things are now teed up for a name change, and not a minute too soon. FedEx -- whose name is on the stadium -- asked the team to change the name. Ditto Nike, that removed all Redskins merch.

The NY Giants hired a new full-time scout -- which usually isn't newsworthy ... unless that person is the FIRST FEMALE SCOUT in the team's 95-year history!

The team announced 25-year-old Hannah Burnett has joined the organization as their Midlands scout, a full-time position.

Burnett started as an intern for the Buffalo Bills in 2017 and later jumped to the Atlanta Falcons, where she spent the previous 19 months working with their scouting department.

She recently interviewed with the Giants and crushed it -- and now, she's on the staff.

"The only thing I care about is for us to win the Super Bowl," Burnett said in an official team statement.

"Our main goal as a team is to win a Super Bowl. That's my goal, that's everybody's goal."

Burnett is also humble on breaking gender barriers in the NFL.

"I try not to think about that. I completely understand and am aware that this is an awesome opportunity, and it's important for females in the league. But I've said this from the get-go, I just want to be the best area scout that I can."

"I want to go in there like everyone else goes in there and go about my business like a pro. Everything else will work itself out if I go about my business the right way. For me, that's my mindset. It's always been my mindset. I'm just continuing to stay on that course."

By the way, Burnett was a star lacrosse player at the University of Massachusetts back in the day. Not only was she a team captain, she was a 2-time all-region and all-conference player and 3-time conference champion.

She also holds the UMass record for points in a game with 10.