TMZ Sports

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have a secret weapon in their college admissions criminal case -- the former head of the USC athletics department, who made it clear during his tenure -- the school gave him a clear directive to raise money, and lots of it.

As we reported, our sources say Lori and Mossimo will NOT enter a plea bargain ... they are determined to win at trial. Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, one of the key witnesses could be former Athletic Director Pat Haden, who is on video from 2011 talking about his mission from the University to fundraise.

We're told at its core Lori and Mossimo's defense is that they did NOT bribe the former Senior Associate Athletic Director Donna Heinel, something the U.S. Attorney disputes. Thing is ... we found out Mossimo did indeed send Heinel a check for $50,000 but it could not have been a bribe because the payee was USC. That money was sent at the direction of the ringleader, Rick Singer.

Singer also told Mossimo to give him a check for $200,000, to help fund one of Singer's charities. Again, not a bribe.

The U.S. Attorney says the smoking gun is that Heinel received $20,000 a month from Rick Singer, which prosecutors say is proof of a bribe. The thing about this ... both of Lori's daughters were accepted BEFORE Heinel received a penny, and our sources say that money was sent to her only by Singer and for various things Heinel did for several families. But, Lori and Mossimo's position is that whatever Singer did in terms of paying money, he did on his own.

The body of a 21-year-old college soccer player was found being devoured by sharks in Western Australia ... after the man went missing in the ocean last week.

Rising star Eric Birighitti -- from Perth, Australia -- was a stand-out player for Hastings College in Nebraska and won a national title with the team in 2016.

Birighitti was at Twilight Beach near Esperance last Thursday when he was swept into the ocean by a swell. Friends tried to save him with a life preserver ... but the current was too strong.

The man's body was discovered on Tuesday when the sharks were spotted attacking the corpse in the water, witnesses tell to 9 News Perth.

"My sister and my father saw the sharks attacking the body. And it was quite a big one, they say," the witness told the outlet.

Birighitti's college team released a statement on his death, saying, "The Broncos family are saddened to hear about the sudden passing of Eric Birighitti."

"Eric played for Hastings during the 2016 & 2017 season and won a national title with the team."

Did you know Todd Gurley could party like a frat star!??!

Neither did we ... until Wednesday night -- when the L.A. Rams running back chugged beers and bro'd down with Dodgers stars at the L.A. Kings game!!!

The video of Gurley throughout the night was more entertaining than the actual on-ice action ... 'cause the 25-year-old lived it up in on-the-glass seats for the Kings-Stars game at Staples Center.

Ya gotta watch the clip ... Gurley rages his face off, throws back some suds and even gets into a chug-off with Dodgers players Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty and Kody Hoese.

IT WAS AWESOME!!!

But the best part? Arena cameras broadcast almost all of it on the jumbotron!!!!

Of course, Gurley and the Dodgers could use the booze ... both squads had rough seasons, with the Rams missing the playoffs and the Dodgers exiting the postseason early.

As for if their antics helped the Kings ... not really, 'cause L.A. lost to Dallas 2-1.

Cavaliers coach John Beilein was forced to apologize to his players Wednesday after he says he accidentally called them "thugs" during a team meeting.

Here's the deal ... the 66-year-old was reportedly praising his Cleveland squad during a film session when he told them they were no longer "playing like a bunch of thugs."

Obviously, the term has an offensive connotation ... and, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, players were "stunned" by their head coach's comment.

But, Beilein attempted to clear the air after Cavs general manager Koby Altman brought the situation to his attention ... with the coach saying he meant to say "slugs," not "thugs."

"I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told Wojnarowski on Wednesday night. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment."

Beilein said he already had personally talked to eight of his players over the alleged mix-up, adding, "they are telling me that they understand."

It's been a rough start to Beilein's NBA coaching career ... after being hired this past offseason, the ex-Michigan coach has struggled to adapt to the pros.

He's just 10-27 this season ... and has reportedly riffed with team star Kevin Love throughout his short tenure in Cleveland.

THIS IS INSANE!!!!

An ex-MLB player was SO PISSED about nearly being beaned during a Venezuelan winter league game Wednesday ... he straight-up turned around and attacked the catcher with his bat!!!

The wild scene all went down during a heated matchup between Aguilas del Zulia and Caribes de Anzoategui -- where pitchers were throwing at batters all night.

But, in the 8th inning ... Aguilas outfielder Alex Romero -- a former Arizona Diamondback -- had enough of the bean wars -- and weaponized his bat after he was nearly struck in the back with a fastball.

The video is NUTS ... 36-year-old Romero takes TWO hacks at Caribes catcher Gabriel Lino -- and then all hell breaks lose.

Lino threw his glove at Romero ... the benches cleared -- and fighting could be seen all over the diamond!!!

Eventually, the umps were able to calm things down ... and ejected several players after the brawl -- including Caribes infielder and Minnesota Twins stud Willians Astudillo.

Reportedly, players will face heavy fines and suspensions over the altercation.

The Astros' and Red Sox's cheating scandals are much ado about nothing ... so says Pete Rose, who tells TMZ Sports sign stealing ain't that big of a deal at all.

The MLB legend says back when he was playing ... he NEVER got an advantage by stealing signs -- saying he was always worried the guy reading the catcher would be wrong.

"He might not have the signs -- he might tell you wrong," Rose says. "Now, if you're looking for a low-and-away breaking ball, and the guy throws an up-and-in fastball, you just got one off the kisser."

Of course, the Astros' and the Red Sox's alleged schemes were reportedly much more accurate than a dude standing on 2nd base relaying catchers' signals ... but Rose still says he doesn't care.

In fact, Pete tells us if players were that concerned about it all ... they should just take matters into their own hands and start beaming guys they think are cheating!!!

"I'm f**king serious, bro. You know how serious I take fighting."

That's Logan Paul telling TMZ Sports a potential boxing match with Antonio Brown is VERY realistic ... claiming he's already in talks with AB's camp.

"I think we might be closer than anyone expects," Paul says.

As we previously reported, Logan called out Brown in December -- saying the NFL star would be the perfect opponent to further his pro-boxing career.

Brown responded on social media -- telling Paul, "Square up." Brown has since told Complex he's down to scrap and wants to train with Floyd Mayweather.

So, when we saw Logan in L.A. promoting his brother Jake Paul's upcoming Jan. 30 boxing match against AnEsonGib on DAZN, we had to ask if all the AB fight promotion was real ... or just a gag.

Logan says he's not messing around -- he's deadly serious about getting a deal done and thinks Brown is highly motivated, too.

Paul says transitioning into fighting helped rehab his image after the incident in the Suicide Forest in Tokyo a few years ago ... and a high-profile match could do the same thing for AB.

"In many ways the KSI fight gave me a purpose. I think this would do this for Antonio Brown -- give him a nice pay day, give him a chance to redeem himself."

Paul thinks the fight could be HUGE -- a la Mayweather vs. McGregor.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian have NO problem gripping it and ripping it, or at least that's their goal, as they take their best shots at playing golf.

The K sisters hit the links Tuesday in L.A. with Kris Jenner -- and TV cameras, of course ... so we can expect to see this on a future episode of 'Keeping Up.' If we're keeping it real as to who did it better -- Khloe's follow-through seems better ... but Kim's hip rotation is totally on point. Not shockingly.

Hey, neither of 'em whiffed on the ball. Now, do we think either is going for their pro card? Hell no! Still, should make for good TV.

Y'know you wanna hear Kim yell, "It's in the hole!!!"

If they are serious about improving their games, they could always consult their stepdad, Caitlyn Jenner ... who golfs almost daily. As we've reported she has a 6 handicap -- and if you're not a golfer, just know that's really good for a non-pro.

Mike Tyson says he hated Michael Jackson's guts for YEARS -- calling him a "cold motherf**ker" -- until he got to know the singer ... and that's when everything changed.

The boxing superstar opened up about his experience with MJ on T.I.'s "Expeditiously" podcast ... saying Jackson dissed him backstage at a concert in 1986.

Tyson says he had just become the heavyweight champion of the world -- and had become super famous -- but Jackson treated him as if he was a nobody. Tyson said MJ straight-up hurt his feelings.

"It broke my ego," Tyson said ... "It crushed me."

Tyson says he harbored some serious animosity toward MJ for years -- saying, "That cold motherf**ker. I hated his guts forever."

But, a while later, a mutual friend approached Tyson and said MJ wanted to hang out -- so he swallowed his pride and visited with the singer, hoping to squash the beef.

TMZ Sports Presents: "How To Impress Your Boss" ... starring Joel Embiid!

Today's lesson ... when you dislocate your finger, SNAP IT BACK IN PLACE AND BALL OUT!

The strategy worked, judging by our conversation with Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin, who raved about his star player's toughness after the freak injury.

As we previously reported, Embiid busted his digit during Monday night's game against the OKC Thunder, but taped it up and went back in the game ... and led the 76ers to a big-time win!

"He was a warrior," Rubin said ... "That was one of the ugliest things I've ever seen!"

"It just shows how tough and aggressive he is and how badly he wants to win."

Embiid has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics -- and he's following up with a specialist. Rubin wouldn't elaborate on the injury, but 76ers fans are obviously concerned.

Scary moment for Carlos Correa ... the Astros star says he was forced to run for his life in Puerto Rico after a 6.4 earthquake kickstarted a tsunami warning near his home Tuesday.

"We're getting in our cars and driving out because we live by the beach," Carlos said. "It was terrible."

Carlos was visiting his hometown when the giant quake rocked the island ... and in a conversation with FOX 26 Houston's Mark Berman, he described the frightening scene.

"By the time you realize it's an earthquake, you got to make a decision but you're not sure if it's the right one," Correa said ... "A lot of families lost everything."

The shortstop continued, "A lot of houses went down. A lot of schools went down. It was really sad to drive by & see the damage. It breaks my heart."

According to multiple reports ... the quake was the strongest in Puerto Rico since 1918 -- and left more than 300 people homeless.

Correa -- who made it out of the island safe and back to his home in Houston -- vowed to return to Puerto Rico to help with damage relief.

"We're going to focus on schools," Carlos said. "Kids, unfortunately, they're not going to be able to go to school because they don't have a school to go to."

With Nick Young getting ready to tie the knot to fiancee Keonna Green -- our guy asked an interesting question ... does D'Angelo Russell get an invite to the wedding?!

Nick's response??? "HAHAHAHA!!!"

Look, in a way ... D'Lo is responsible for Nick's upcoming marriage -- because had he not posted that infamous video back in the day, Iggy Azalea and Nick might still be together!

It was messy at the time, but things seemed to have worked out for everybody since.

Nick's happily engaged (that went down over the Christmas break).

Iggy's moved on with Playboi Carti.

And, D'Angelo -- who was teammates with Nick on the Lakers during the video scandal -- was traded away and eventually blossomed into an All-Star.

And, speaking of hoops, Nick -- who's only 34 -- says he's still gunning to get back in the NBA, hopefully in time for the playoffs. Hey, the guy does an NBA ring in his collection.

Andrew Yang is looking to get a King's endorsement for his 2020 presidential campaign ... telling TMZ Sports he wants LeBron James on his side!!

The entrepreneur-turned-Democratic candidate already has a solid list of celeb backing -- from Donald Glover to Elon Musk to Rivers Cuomo from Weezer -- but no big-time athletes ... yet.

Considering Yang's a big NBA fan, we asked -- hypothetically -- which baller he'd most want as his running mate ... and it took him like, a millisecond to give us his answer.

"I'd have to go with LeBron James," Yang tells us. "He's already shown he's got a heart of gold and loves the American people."

Yang showers the Lakers superstar with praise and throws some major shade at President Trump in the process ... saying, "He certainly could do better than the guy who's currently there."

Of course, Bron has shown support for Hillary Clinton in the past ... and even introduced her at a rally in Ohio.

LBJ has also made his feelings about POTUS crystal clear ... calling him a "bum" and a clown since #45 began his presidency.

Yang thinks LeBron would be a great addition to his team ... and gives him a personal message.

NBA superstar Trae Young is starting off 2020 by giving back to his new city in a HUGE way ... by helping cancel out more than $1 MILLION in medical debts for people in Atlanta.

The 21-year-old pro teamed up with a nonprofit called RIP Medical ... which, according to the site, uses donations to buy large bundles of medical debt and then forgive that debt with no tax consequences to donors or recipients.

Young's foundation recently donated $10,000 ... which translates to $1,059,186.39 in medical debt getting erased, helping 570 people in need.

"The City of Atlanta has welcomed me with open arms," Young said, according to WSB-TV in ATL.

"Giving back to this community is extremely important to me. I hope these families can find a bit of relief knowing that their bills have been taken care of as we enter the New Year."

We spoke with Young's dad, Rayford ... who tells us "[Trae] understands where he came from. He understands everyone is not in a position he's in."

Rayford adds that he was in medical debt before Trae got to the NBA ... so it's a cause that hits close to home.

The coolest part??? Rayford tells us each person affected by Trae's donation will receive a personalized letter from the hooper.

Save that letter!!! Young's stock is exploding in a big way these days ... did you see that move he pulled off the other day? GOOD LORD!!!

Claressa Shields is getting a big-time assist in her possible MMA fight with Amanda Nunes -- PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS FROM JON JONES!!!

The planet's best female boxer tells TMZ Sports she's been in contact with the UFC superstar about some MMA lessons to get ready for a possible tilt with Nunes ... and it looks like those will all go down after Jones' fight with Dominick Reyes in February.

"He said after he fights, I could come down there a week or two and see how I feel doing MMA stuff."

Of course, if Shields had her way ... there would be no need for the workouts -- she wants a fight with Nunes to be strictly boxing only.

But, Amanda told us last month the only way she's getting in the ring with Shields is if it's an MMA fight ... so Claressa is taking the steps to get the ball rolling on that.

Shields says she's actually "excited" AND "scared" to begin learning the tools for the possible bout ... telling us, "I'm going to have to learn so much more stuff and I just hope that I like it."

As for what will happen when she feels her MMA skills are good enough to take on Nunes ... Shields says she expects that fight to be BIGGER than Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor!!

But before stepping in the cage ... Shields has a big time boxing match this Friday against Ivana Habazin in Atlantic City.

The Clemson vs. LSU championship game on Monday will be one of "the more secure places in America" -- with fighter jets patrolling the skies -- so says Sen. Marco Rubio.

With Iran vowing revenge on the U.S. -- and reportedly offering an $80 MILLION bounty on President Trump -- some people are concerned the Superdome could be a major target, especially since Trump is scheduled to attend the game.

But, Rubio isn't concerned one bit ... in fact, he believes Trump's presence will ensure top-notch safety efforts and insists fans should focus on enjoying the game.

"[Trump] being there will probably make it one of the more secure places in America for those 3 hours that he's there," Rubio tells TMZ Sports.

"It's already tight security to begin with because of the size of the event, but him being there will be even more so."

Rubio continued ... "I kind of understand what he travels with in terms of security and all of the things he brings with it. The whole airspace is restricted. They'll have fighter jets up there. So, not your typical event."