TMZ Sports - Page 50

Marco Rubio says the person who posted the racist image of Florida State football coach Willie Taggart is an "idiot" ... not just because it's a hateful act, but because Taggart's a GOOD coach!

The senator says he's a Florida Gators fan -- so he's happy UF got the win over FSU on Saturday -- but says the image of Taggart hanging from a tree obviously crossed the line.

"It's just wrong to say that about anybody," Rubio tells TMZ Sports ... "It's unacceptable, outrageous."

As we previously reported, someone posted the image on Facebook of a black man being hanged from a tree with Taggart's face photoshopped over the original picture.

Officials in Florida are investigating the situation and are working with FSU police to ensure Taggart's safety.

Rubio says Taggart's getting a bad rap in his 1st season at FSU -- he's much better than his 5-7 record shows -- and FSU fans need to rally around him.

As for the person who posted the racist image, Rubio says, "That's just stupid. I mean that's just dumb, stupid, maybe even hateful ... obviously, it's a hateful action."

"Maybe they thought it was funny. It's not funny. And whoever did that is an idiot."

Ex-NFL star Aldon Smith was just convicted in his domestic violence case in which he allegedly roughed up his fiancee ... but he will NOT go to jail if he keeps his nose clean.

As we previously reported, the former Oakland Raiders defensive end was arrested back in March after his fiancee (now ex-fiancee) claimed Smith attacked her at their Bay Area home during a booze-fueled rage.

Smith was initially hit with 4 misdemeanor charges -- domestic violence, assault w/ force likely to produce great bodily injury, false imprisonment and vandalism and faced several years in jail.

But, on Monday, the 29-year-old struck a deal with prosecutors in which he pled no contest to 2 counts -- violating a court order and false imprisonment.

In exchange, he was sentenced to 90 days in county jail -- but he got credit for time served for the days he already spent in jail and also for his stint in a live-in alcohol treatment facility.

He also got 3 years probation, 1 year of domestic violence counseling and 25 hours of community service.

During the hearing, the judge allowed a victim statement to be read out loud in court -- in which Smith's ex said, "I may never be the same" but also wished him luck in getting/staying sober.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call Reuben Foster's ex-GF made after he allegedly attacked her at the 49ers hotel on Saturday ... and she tells the operator, "He slapped me in my face."

The woman sounds like she's sobbing at the beginning of the call -- but pulls herself together to tell the operator, "My ex-boyfriend just took my phone [and broke it] ... slapped me in my face and threatened me."

She later repeated, "He took my phone and broke it and slapped me in my face."

The woman identifies the 49ers linebacker by name and says he left the room at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Tampa Bay right after the altercation -- but noted he was still on the property.

You can tell in the audio the woman is distraught but tells the 911 operator she does not require immediate medical attention.

Cops responded to the hotel and arrested Foster late that night. He was booked on a 1st degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge.

When the woman spoke with police, she told them Foster had also pushed her in the chest and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of her face. Cops say they noticed a scratch on her collarbone.

The 49ers cut Foster following the arrest.

As for the alleged victim, she also told police she's been in an on-again, off-again relationship with the 49ers linebacker for the past 3 years.

Ring rust is real -- and Chuck Liddell is living proof ... so says Oscar De La Hoya.

The head of Golden Boy Promotions -- which put on the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 -- was in a pretty great mood after the fight on Saturday ... telling us, "Tito looked amazing!"

Of course, Ortiz floored Liddell with a brutal 1st-round knockout in Chuck's first MMA bout in 8 years.

"Chuck's timing was off," Oscar said ... "That's 8 years of inactivity."

Oscar wasn't buying the criticism that Chuck shouldn't have been in the cage in the first place -- he thinks Liddell was ready -- but Tito's game is on another level.

So, what's next for Oscar? He's dead set on moving forward with another MMA fight and told TMZ Sports he's looking to sign big fighters ASAP, as long as they're a free agent.

Tom Brady's fed up with Michigan losing to Ohio State ... saying the game was "pretty crappy to watch" ... and now he's gotta wear a "ridiculous" outfit because of it.

TB12 unloaded on his alma mater's ugly 62-39 loss to the Buckeyes -- appearing on WEEI's "Mut and Callahan" show and griping, "Man, freakin’ Wolverines. They can’t win a big game, man."

"We gotta figure out how to beat those guys," Brady says.

It's true -- Michigan has lost 14 out of the last 15 matchups with OSU ... and the current losing streak is at 7.

But, it's a double-whammy for the Pats superstar ... 'cause Tom had "a couple hundred bucks" with his teammate on the line.

"Unfortunately, I lost a bet to Nate Ebner and already paid him his money," Brady said ... noting he'll have to wear a "ridiculous outfit" to practice on Wednesday as part of the bet.

Obviously, Tom can afford to lose the money -- but having to wear an OSU jersey??

Jim Brown is going to bat for Hue Jackson ... telling TMZ Sports the bitterness toward Cleveland's ex-head coach needs to end.

Of course, Hue took only a few days to join up with the Browns' rivals -- the Bengals -- after he got canned in Cleveland ... and dudes like Baker Mayfield were REALLY upset about it.

But, Jim tells us the QB and others shouldn't be ... saying Hue made "a good move."

"No bitterness with him. He's got a job right away. It tells you that he had a value. But, it didn't work out with him and the Browns. That's it."

As for Baker's snub of the coach after Cleveland beat Cincinnati on Sunday ... Jim sees no controversy there, saying Mayfield just got caught up in the moment of competition.

"When you're getting ready for a game, you're getting ready for a game. You're not trying to make friends."

As for the Browns themselves ... Jim can see a playoff game in their future this season -- IF they do just one unlikely thing.

The Browns are 4-6-1 and sitting at the bottom of the AFC North -- but they're definitely NOT mathematically eliminated ... only 3 games out of 1st place.

They've got 5 games left -- facing the Texans, Panthers, Bengals, Broncos and Ravens.

The Red Sox players are STILL winning ... 'cause the bonus checks for their World Series "W" were just announced -- and Boston got paid!!!

Major League Baseball just announced the postseason bonus pool totaled $88 MILLION to be divided by all of the teams that made the 2018 playoffs.

The total pool number -- essentially made up of playoff stadium ticket sales -- is the largest pot in MLB history. It's divided by the 10 playoff teams based on how far they got.

The biggest payout was obviously Boston -- the champs split $31.7 million between 66 players, which came out to $416k each!

Not too shabby, but slightly LESS than the $438k each Houston Astros player got last year for winning the 2017 World Series.

Don't feel too bad for the 2018 losers ... Los Angeles will get a cut of the bonus money too -- with their checks coming in at $267,027.49 per player.

Here's how the rest of the playoff bonus money was distributed ...

Houston Astros -- $154,656.05 per player.

Milwaukee Brewers -- $122,957.13

Atlanta Braves -- $40,375.74

Cleveland Indians -- $37,040.29

Colorado Rockies -- $40,335.96

New York Yankees -- $43,081.55

Chicago Cubs -- $16,155.34

Oakland Athletics -- $19,760.35

Yeah, it still pays to be good.

12:35 PM PT -- The person who posted the image has now been FIRED from his job ... according to a statement from Hilton Grand Vacations.

"Our concern regarding this situation has been a top priority. The person responsible for posting this information has been terminated."

"His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and the furthest example from being a reflection of our company’s values."

A disgusting, racist depiction of Florida State football coach Willie Taggart being hanged from a tree has triggered a state attorney investigation in Florida ... officials have announced.

The image was posted to Facebook after FSU's 41-14 loss to Florida this weekend. It's a photoshopped pic of Taggart's head pasted on top of a black and white photo of an African American man being hanged.

A caption on the image reads, "Believe In Something Even If It Means Sacrificing Your Rep."

The person who posted the image reportedly works for Hilton Grand Vacations in Orlando -- and the company has already issued a statement saying the employee has been suspended.

Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell has confirmed his office is aware of the post and they've connected with the FSU Police Dept. -- and other law enforcement agencies -- to investigate.

Campbell issued a statement to Tallahassee.com saying. "Any threat of violence to anybody in this community – he’s a father, a husband and a member of our community – we’re going to investigate it to the fullest extent possible."

FSU President John Thrasher also weighed in ... saying, "I speak for the entire FSU community in expressing our disgust and extreme disappointment, and I am glad the state attorney is investigating."

Could Tim Tebow's days as an unmarried man be numbered?!?!

Certainly seems that way ... 'cause the ex-NFL superstar brought his Miss Universe girlfriend to the Tebow Family Thanksgiving -- a sure sign that things are getting THAT serious.

Tim and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters -- Miss Universe 2017 -- have been dating for a while now ... and they've been getting super cozy with each other the last few months.

Remember ... the South African model wished him a very public "happy birthday" back in August AND the two had a date day in New York with DLNP's fam in September.

In fact ... Demi even hinted she was "falling in love" with the minor league baseball star after the two hit up a Florida game last month.

But, the couple took things to another level last week ... when Tim brought her to the fam's turkey dinner.

"My first American style Thanksgiving with the sweetest family," DNLP said of the holiday ... "Grateful for an incredible year and everyone I got to share it with."

Tim never got a ring in his 3 years in the NFL ... but we wouldn't be shocked if he bought one pretty soon!!!

Steph Curry was REALLY lucky to walk away from his Black Friday car crash without a serious injury -- because TMZ Sports obtained video of the accident ... and it's scary stuff.

As we previously reported, the Golden State Warriors star was driving his black Porsche on Highway 24 in Oakland on Nov. 23 when another car lost control, skidded out and slammed into Steph.

You can see in our video, the other driver was going pretty fast when the vehicle slipped across 4 lanes of traffic and clipped the front of Steph's car ... it appears both cars hit the center divider.

Officials say roughly 10 minutes after the crash, another car lost control and slammed into Steph's Porsche from behind.

Miraculously, no one suffered any major injuries. Steph was photographed walking around the crash after the incident. Officials say everyone was wearing their seat belts.

He later tweeted, "Don’t need any reminders but All the Time God is Great and God is Great all the time! Appreciate all the texts."

Khabib Nurmagomedov says he REALLY wants his next fight to be against Floyd Mayweather -- saying he's ready to prove all of the critics wrong.

And as for Conor McGregor ... Khabib says that guy was ALL TALK -- but ever since the fight, it seems Conor "forgot his tongue."

The UFC champ spoke with reporters for almost an HOUR at a press conference in Moscow on Monday and explained why he's dead serious about getting a shot with Floyd.

"Frankly, I think money-wise, and competition-wise, the bout against Mayweather would be much more interesting [than a UFC fight against Tony Ferguson]."

"It has always been very interesting ... Two undefeated fighters? It would be very interesting to see who wins."

Khabib admitted some people on his own training team don't think he has a shot to beat Floyd in a boxing match -- "Well, this motivates me."

As for McGregor, Khabib said a reconciliation with Conor might be possible down the line -- but not right now. He also said he's not sure if he would shake Conor's hand if they ran into each other on the street.

Khabib says he has not spoken with Conor since UFC 229 on Oct. 6.

During the fight, Khabib says Conor tried to explain that all the insults leading up the bout were "only business" ... but Khabib wasn't having it.

After the ass-whooping, Khabib says Conor didn't have much to say -- "Maybe he forgot his tongue at home."

Khabib also said he realizes he could have hurt himself when he jumped out of the Octagon to attack Conor's team.

"It just happened. And it was quite high. I could've easily have broken my leg. You never know how you are going to act in a certain situation. You have to control yourself."

"I don't take anything back. I did what I did. But if I were looking at this from a side, I can't condone such behavior."

As for Floyd, he previously told us he thinks the fight with Khabib will happen and predicts a 9-figure payday.

Kendall Jenner is no fairweather girlfriend -- because after the 76ers lost to the putrid Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday ... she stuck by Ben Simmons at a French restaurant in Philly.

Here's the thing -- the Cavs are embarrassingly terrible. J.R. Smith recently quit the team after accusing them of tanking the season for a higher draft pick. It's bad.

But, after the 76ers took the "L" on Friday, Ben and Kendall went to Parc -- a French Bistro -- the very next day.

The comfort meal worked -- because the 76ers bounced back with a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Kendall was at the game -- and was pictured going crazy in the stands as she cheered on her man.

Still, there's an online petition to get Kendall banned from 76ers home games in fear of the "Kardashian Kurse."

We should note ... ever since the two got back together on Nov. 3, the team is 9-4 and overall looking pretty good. They're in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.

Sooooo ... maybe she should KEEP coming to the games!

Drake fans can hold on all they want, they're NEVER gonna go home to the kinda bedroom Drizzy's building in his Toronto mansion -- you could easily get lost in the damn place!

The publicly filed floor plans for his crib feature the layout for the most insane master suite we've ever seen. How big? The 941 square feet literally takes up HALF of the second floor of the ginormous crib.

Here's what he's working with: his own stairwell entrance, 2 dressing rooms AND 2 closets (all part of one elaborate wardrobe area), a steam shower and tub with a skylight above, TWO balcony areas with an outdoor hot tub and a kitchenette.

Again, all of that is JUST for his bedroom quarters. Of course, there are 4 impressive guest bedrooms too ... although they don't compare to Drake's.

If the room itself isn't impressive enough, take a gander at the estate in its entirety -- to call it a beaut is a gross understatement.

The mansion is about 35,000 square feet on a 2-acre lot and the toys include ... 2 saunas, a massage room, a 10-car garage, an elevator, a gym, a screening room ... and a full basketball court. There's more, but we're tired.

Drake bought the place for nearly $4 million and had it under construction for a majority of 2017 and about half of 2018. Talk about views!

There's a ZERO percent chance LaMelo Ball will follow in his bro's footsteps and play at UCLA next season ... so says LaVar Ball who tells us he's still furious over the way the school treated LiAngelo.

17-year-old LaMelo is playing pretty well at the Spire Institute in Ohio -- and recently dropped 30 points during a game in Atlanta.

LaVar tells us his son is "better than LeBron" was as a teenager -- calling him "unbeatable" and "the coldest person on two feet."

So, where's he gonna play his college ball next year? Definitely not in Westwood.

"Heck no, he won't be at UCLA," LaVar says ... "UCLA? Why? After what they did to my other son? Are you crazy?"

Remember, LiAngelo withdrew from UCLA after the shoplifting incident in China. UCLA had suspended him indefinitely but that didn't sit well with LaVar.

"Suspend him and don't tell him when he supposed to be able to play and all that? No, they ain't behind him like that. One mistake and now you put him to the side and act like he's supposed to come the next year?"

LaVar says he's also upset that UCLA forced LiAngelo to wear #15 when he wore #3 all his life -- "so it started off wrong."

As for LaMelo, Ball says he'll start taking recruiting trips to colleges "when he feels like it."

NFL linebacker Rey Maualuga dodged a bullet ... 'cause he ain't gonna spend a single minute behind bars for allegedly grabbing a club employee by the throat -- as long as he stays outta trouble.

As we previously reported, Maualuga -- who spent 9 seasons in the NFL with the Bengals and Dolphins -- was arrested in Miami in Nov. 2017 after officials say he got into a physical altercation over a $40 bar tab. He's accused of shoving and grabbing a bar employee by the throat.

31-year-old Maualuga was initially charged with misdemeanor battery and faced up to a year in jail if convicted.

But, TMZ Sports learned, the former USC Trojan cut a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to complete a pretrial diversion program and, in exchange, the charge will be dropped.

The program requires Rey to attend two 6-hour anger management courses -- designed to teach conflict resolution and impulse control ... and he's gotta stay away from the club.

Seems like a good deal to us.

Justin Bieber and new wife Hailey Baldwin went ice-adjacent at the Ontario Junior League.

JB and HB seemed somewhat more into themselves than the game, as the Stratford Warriors battled the Kitchener Dutchmen. Justin cheered on Stratford -- his home team as they scored a goal.

Justin's grandparents were beside them in the stands, as Justin and Hailey joined in the chuck-a-puck, a Canadian Junior Hockey tradition where fans buy pucks for a buck to raise funds for the team, and then throw the pucks onto the ice during intermission. The person who throws the puck closest to the center wins a prize.