TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-NBA superstar Steve Francis called police "groupie motherf**kers" during his DWI arrest back in November ... and DARED cops to lock him up after they confiscated his gold chain.

It won't matter if Aaron Hernandez's murder conviction is overturned -- he'll NEVER get another shot in the NFL ... so says Cris Carter.

Here's the thing ... Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, says he truly believes the ex-Patriots tight end is innocent in the murder of Odin Lloyd and will eventually get out of prison after he appeals.

Hernandez is only 27 -- and when he was playing, he was one of the best tight ends in the game.

But Carter says it won't matter if he's exonerated -- no NFL team will touch him.

Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum has a message for Sergey Kovalev ... stop complaining about American judges, saying officials from the USA are just fine for Kovalev's rematch with Andre Ward.

Sergey's team has asked for "neutral" judges in the June fight ... meaning neither from America nor Russia ... with the implication being Andre got some home cooking in their first fight.

We got Arum out in L.A. and asked about the request ... and he thinks it's a bunch of hogwash, and actually seems a little miffed at the thought judges from 'Murica weren't on the level.

One of the biggest producers in rap says it's no accident LeBron James got Kendrick Lamar's album early ... telling TMZ Sports he's done the same thing for 'Bron ... out of respect for his hip-hop ear.

Rudy Gay is taking Jay Z all the way in a lyrical battle of the Carters ... telling TMZ Sports even though Lil Wayne is part of the Roc Nation family now ... Hov is still the best lyricist down with the crew.

Tunechi recently announced he was joining Roc Nation (even though he's still under contract to Birdman) meaning he's now on the same team as Rudy, who's down with Roc Nation Sports.

We got Rudy out in L.A. and asked him if there's a new top rap dawg at the Roc now that Wayne is throwing his diamond up, and Gay does the smart thing ... he goes with the boss.

Tim Howard clapped back at a heckling fan at a game last Sunday and went a little too far ... so it's going to cost him 3 games.

The Colorado Rapids goalie lost his cool when a Sporting Kansas City fan started razzing him ... and replied by shouting something that sounds a lot like "F*** your mother!"

MLS issued a 3-game suspension on Friday for Howard's "inappropriate fan interaction" ... which includes the foul language in the video and another altercation with a fan following the game. No word yet on exactly what happened then.

Shaquille O'Neal is helping ease the pain for a Georgia family struck by tragedy ... he's paying for the funeral of a boy who accidentally shot and killed himself.

13-year-old Malachi Hemphill was showing off a gun on Instagram Live when it accidentally went off. His family heard a loud boom ... and his mother and sister found him in his bedroom in a pool of blood. He died Wednesday.

Shaq heard the sad news and visited the family's home in Atlanta Thursday night and offered to pay for Malachi's services.

The NBA legend says he wants to help the family deal with the tragedy.

The boy's grandmother said the family didn't have insurance for Malachi, so Shaq's gesture is "a blessing and very touching" and she appreciates everything he does for the community.

Aaron Hernandez will NOT spend the rest of his life behind bars ... so says his attorney, Jose Baez, who tells TMZ Sports he believes he can overturn the ex-NFL star's murder conviction.

A Washington Redskins linebacker has been cast to portray slain Redskins legend Sean Taylor in a new TV show about his murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've learned 25-year-old Khairi Fortt will star as Taylor on a June episode of "The Perfect Murder" on Investigation Discovery ... which will explore how cops helped solve Sean's tragic 2007 home invasion murder.

The show is a combination of real-life interviews with investigators and family members, and scenes dramatizing the actual events.

But get this ... the role of Taylor's father will be played by Fortt's father, Guy Fortt -- who was an actor working with producers on the show last year when he suggested they consider Khairi to play Sean.

Khairi got the audition and executive producers Kevin Kaufman and Rick Tirelli tell us it was an obvious fit.

Break a leg (or don't, the Redskins wouldn't like that).

Daniel Cormier says he definitely wants in on the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight ... telling TMZ Sports he'd be cool taking 2nd billing in exchange for "life-changing money."

Of course, the fight would be Cormier vs. Jon Jones -- a rematch that would headline any other card.

Cormier says he hasn't been involved in any talks to appear on the card (probably because the main fight hasn't been made yet) ... but if it comes to fruition, he wants in.

"Any human being that gets part of the Pay-per-view would definitely want to be a part of that," Cormier says, "If you are on a card with Mayweather and McGregor, and me and Jon Jones. It would do ridiculous numbers. You'd get paid."

Regardless if the mega fight happens ... D.C. says there's 1 thing he's gotta do to cap off his career ... beat Jon Jones.

One of the most famous female athletes in the world put her physique on display in the Caribbean this week ... and it was NICE!

Can you name the hot bodied super jock?

Sorry, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson fans, your hero is NEVER coming back ... so says UFC Champ Tyron Woodley,who tells TMZ Sports he knows what Rumble's next move is, and it ain't fighting.

We got Tyron out and asked him if he thought Rumble was done for good, or if there was a chance he'd pull a Jay Z, Michael Jordan type deal and change his mind.

Former NFL star Todd Heap accidentally hit and killed his 3-year-old daughter while moving his truck in the driveway of his Arizona home today ... according to police.

Mesa Police say they responded to an emergency call for a pedestrian hit by a vehicle around 3:45 PM. Heap's daughter was transported to the hospital ... where she later died.

Heap's 3-year-old daughter was the youngest of his 5 children.

Officials say Heap -- a 2x-Pro Bowl tight end who played 12 seasons for the Ravens and Cardinals -- showed no signs of impairment.

The Arizona Cardinals released a statement on the tragedy, saying ... "Our hearts go out to Todd, Ashley and the Heap family. It is a grief that is beyond words and one which no family should ever experience."

The 2 protesters who bum-rushed Ryan Lochte during his live season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars" have cut a deal to avoid time behind bars ... but it cost them a fortune.

Sources tell us the judge and the L.A. City Attorney's Office dropped the case after the protesters agreed to pay BBC Worldwide Productions -- which owns 'DWTS' -- and CBS -- where the show was filmed -- $20,000.

Here's the way the law goes ... there's something called a "civil compromise." It means if someone is charged with certain crimes, they can have the charges dismissed if they work out a deal with the victims.

The protesters faced 6 months in jail after being charged with leaving a spectator area and entering upon a stage as well as interfering with a performance -- both misdemeanors.

As we first reported, the protesters went to 'DWTS' because they felt Ryan's bad behavior in Brazil was the reason one of their family members got busted for something unrelated ... out of revenge for the U.S.

Aaron Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, is adamant the ex-NFL star is "not a killer" -- and says the jury in his double murder case GOT IT RIGHT with the not guilty verdict.

Baez says there was "an abundance" of reasonable doubt in the case -- and tells us he's very happy for Aaron and his family now that the former New England Patriots tight end has been exonerated.

Cristiano Ronaldo is adamant he did NOT rape a woman in Las Vegas back in 2009 -- and then pay her a fortune in cash to keep her quiet ... this according reps for the soccer superstar.

Ronaldo's personal team is responding to a story in a German newspaper which claims CR7 paid a woman roughly $375k in hush money after she claimed he raped her in a Vegas hotel room.