TMZ Sports - Page 50

Sports legends from all over the country gathered at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to pay tribute to George H.W. Bush.

Those in attendance include Peyton Manning, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Mike Krzyzewski, Chris Evert, Jim Nantz, Fred Couples and Jim Calhoun.

The body of the 41st President of the United States is lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral service on Wednesday morning at the Washington National Cathedral where his son, former President George W. Bush, will deliver the eulogy.

After the service, Bush's remains will go to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and then to a ceremony at a church in Houston before he's finally laid to rest at a family plot at his Presidential Library in College Station.

Bush was big into sports -- he played baseball at Yale and was a huge fan of the Houston Astros. He also played a lot of golf and horseshoes, and famously enjoyed skydiving.

Bush was 94.

RIP

Sean Smith was sad to learn Brandon Browner will spend the next 8 years behind bars ... 'cause Smith says the guy helped him when the 2 were in jail -- and the place was awful.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Browner pled no contest to attempted murder Tuesday -- and was sentenced to 8 years in state prison.

When Smith -- an ex-NFL DB who did time in an LA jail with Browner over the summer -- saw the news ... he was heartbroken for the former Seahawk, saying time behind bars ain't a joke.

"Jus seen some news about my dawg B Browner smh," Smith wrote on social media.

"It’s crazy how I was JUST in there with him. He for sure helped me get thru the last few months in that hell hole. Jail is for animals."

Smith just got out in August roughly 5 months into his 12-month sentence for assaulting his sister's boyfriend during a July 4, 2017 incident in Pasadena, CA.

He says his time behind bars sucked ... and he hopes Browner's close friends stay by him to help through the sentence like Brandon did for him over the summer.

Brandon Browner was just sentenced to 8 years in state prison after pleading no contest to attempted murder ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former Seattle Seahawks star -- an original member of the famed Legion of Boom defense -- was accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment in La Verne, CA on July 8 and allegedly chased her, dragged her and then smothered her in a carpet.

Her two children were present when the alleged abuse occurred.

Browner was also accused of stealing the woman's Rolex watch. He fled the residence but was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and faced life in prison.

On Tuesday, the 34-year-old appeared in court where he pled no contest to 1 count of attempted murder and 2 counts of willful child endangerment. In exchange, the remaining charges (robbery, burglary and false imprisonment) were dropped.

Browner was immediately remanded into custody during the hearing and is back behind bars.

Browner got credit for 300 days for good behavior during the time he's spent behind bars so far. He's been in custody since the arrest back in July.

Browner is a former Pro Bowl cornerback. He won one Super Bowl with the Seahawks and one with the Patriots.

Good news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says the Redskins are seriously considering signing the QB!!!

Bad news, Colin Kaepernick fans: Jay Gruden says they likely won't.

Just a day after losing their SECOND starting QB in less than a month ... Washington's coach says the team has discussed inking Kaep -- but then revealed they probably won't.

"[There's] not a lot of time to get a brand new QB and a system installed and taught in a couple days," Gruden said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

"He's been talked about and discussed, but we'll probably go in a different direction."

Of course ... the 'Skins lost Alex Smith to a gruesome injury back on Nov. 18 -- but passed on signing Kaepernick the following week in favor of adding Mark Sanchez.

But ... on "Monday Night Football" -- the Redskins lost yet another starter when Colt McCoy broke his fibula -- and now say Kaepernick's back in play.

Gruden says the team will have a workout with QBs later this afternoon ... though it's unclear if Kaepernick will be a part of those.

TMZ Sports has obtained injury photos of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich -- taken in the wake of the domestic violence incident with her MMA fighter husband ... and they're brutal.

The photos show damage to Rachael's face, body, arms and head -- including a black and blue bruise under her right eye.

We spoke with a member of Rachael's family who tells us the photos reflect the "truth" of what really went down that day.

As we previously reported, Ostovich claims her husband, Arnold Berdon, savagely attacked her during a dispute at their home in Hawaii on Nov. 18.

Ostovich claims she suffered a broken orbital bone (eye socket) during the altercation and pulled out of her scheduled UFC bout with Paige VanZant. She has since gotten a second opinion from a doctor who cleared her to fight.

Berdon was arrested and charged with 2nd degree assault. He has pled not guilty and family members have told us he will argue self-defense.

Ostovich filed a request for a restraining order against Berdon -- and court docs show the judge granted the order after Berdon agreed to stay away for 20 YEARS.

Berdon is due back in court on Dec. 18.

12/4 10:40 AM PT -- The move cost Beverley a nice chunk of change ... 'cause he just got slapped with a $25,000 fine for "throwing the game ball at a spectator," the NBA announced Tuesday.

L.A. Clippers player Patrick Beverley fired a basketball at a courtside heckler Sunday night after the fan allegedly said, "F*ck your mother" ... the 2nd major incident between a player and a Mavs fan in 2 weeks.

The 30-year-old guard had reportedly been trading verbal jabs with Don Knobler -- a local celeb in Dallas -- throughout the Clippers' game on Sunday ... when things reached a boiling point in the 4th quarter.

So, what set Beverley off? Don't talk about his mother.

Beverley grabbed the ball and threw it at Knobler -- who calmly collected it after it struck him in the leg. Beverley was ejected.

After the game, Beverley told reporters Knobler said, "F*ck your mother" twice.

Knobler later admitted to talking about Patrick's mom but denies using the f-bomb in his trash talk.

Seems Mavs fans have really been getting to opponents lately -- it was just Nov. 17 when Kevin Durant cussed out a different courtside fan who had been running his mouth.

Durant was fined $25,000 for the incident. He later bashed the heckler as "corny and weak."

In both instances, Durant and Beverley alerted refs and security about the heckling fans ... but ultimately took matters into their own hands.

TMZ Sports obtained video of a very upset Kareem Hunt being restrained in the moments after he allegedly beat up a 37-year-old man inside of a Kansas City nightclub back in January.

As we previously reported, a man filed a police report back in January claiming Hunt and George Atkinson -- along with others -- jumped him at the Mosaic nightclub around 2 AM on Jan. 7.

In the police report, the man claims the Chiefs players had been partying at the club after being bounced out of the playoffs by the Titans a few hours earlier. The man claims he suffered broken bones and bruises in the attack.

In the video, you can clearly see Hunt being held back by a security guard -- while other patrons try to calm him down. We're told Hunt was eventually escorted out of the club.

Neither Hunt nor Atkinson were arrested and no charges were filed. Law enforcement tells us the accuser eventually stopped cooperating with police.

Of course, the very next month Hunt got into a violent altercation with a woman at a hotel in Ohio -- and despite being restrained in that incident, he broke free and brutalized the woman.

Hunt allegedly got into a 3rd altercation at a resort in Ohio in June. He was not arrested or charged with a crime in that incident either.

Kareem Hunt's out of the NFL -- and the virtual NFL too -- because EA Sports says the running back is being removed from the Madden 19 video game.

After TMZ Sports posted footage of the former Kansas City Chiefs player attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel during an incident in February, the video game company says it made the decision to pull Hunt from the game.

"We are in the process of removing Kareem Hunt from the Madden NFL 19 roster, Madden Overdrive and Madden Ultimate Team," a rep for EA Sports tells TMZ Sports.

"Any of our players who currently have Hunt on their Ultimate Team will receive a replacement generic player with identical stats."

Tristan Thompson has something in common with Kevin Durant -- he's finally lost it with hecklers.

T.T. snapped at the end of the Cavs-Nets game Monday night ... flipping off some courtside fans after Cleveland sealed the W.

The dudes on the receiving end were pretty shocked ... you can hear them yelling, "Get out of here, you bum" and "someone's gotta get that on video!"

Of course ... it wasn't as bad as K.D. telling a courtside fan to "watch the f**king game and shut the f**k up" -- but Tristan's DEFINITELY still about to get fined for the incident.

Doesn't seem T.T. cares all that much ... guy's on a hell of a double-double run -- and Cleveland finally snapped its losing streak, which had Tristan feeling himself after the game.

"They better put some respect on my name," he said.

FYI ... Durant was popped $25k for yelling at his heckler earlier this season -- and Patrick Beverley is expected to get more than that for throwing a ball at a fan during a game over the weekend.

Seems these guys really do need to take some advice from Michael Richards ...

Pete Davidson gets by with a little help from his friends ... and courtside seats at the Knicks game.

The 'SNL' star looked like he was really enjoying himself Monday night at Madison Square Garden, as he watched his NY Knicks take on the visiting Washington Wizards. Pete was smiling and having a drink while seated next to his pals -- comedian John Mulaney and actress Chloe Sevigny.

Not sure who the guy in the Washington shirt is, but he should be happier now ... his team won.

Pete's good time came hours after he addressed online the public bullying he's been dealing with since his relationship with Ariana Grande began ... and after it ended. Pete blasted the trolls for harassing him, saying ... "No matter how hard the internet or anyone tries to make me kill myself. I won't."

Grande responded online early this morning, telling her fans to "be gentler" with Pete and others ... saying she cares deeply about Davidson and his health. She added ... "I will always have irrevocable love for him and if you've gotten any other impression from my recent work, you might have missed the point."

No look passes, deep 3s, and rim-shakin' dunks.

Yep, Bronny James is basically a 5'10" version of LeBron James ... and the NBA superstar's 14-year-old son put on an absolute clinic in his Crossroads debut on Monday ... droppin' 27 points!!

King James' kid suited up for the Roadrunners for the first time since making the move to California ... sporting Bron's iconic #23 jersey and dominating the game just like Daddy.

Remember, he's only an 8th grader.

LBJ loved what he saw ... cheering on Bronny from the stands throughout the game.

According to reports, school officials tried to keep the game quiet -- meaning, there wasn't a massive publicity push to draw eyeballs to watch James. The school's athletic director reportedly said they want Bronny's school experience to be as normal as possible.

It's fun to watch now ... but the real treat will be when Bronny teams up with Shaq's son, Shaqir, next season.

For now, Bronny's Crossroads team looks solid -- they won 61-48.

Jason Witten was downright PISSED the Redskins claimed Reuben Foster after TWO allegations of domestic violence ... saying, Washington "used horrendous judgment in claiming this guy."

It all went down in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' blowout win over the 'Skins on Monday night ... when Witten was asked on the telecast for his take on the Foster signing.

The ex-Cowboys tight end didn't hold back ...

"I believe the Washington Redskins used horrendous judgment in claiming this guy," Witten said ... "I understand that it's an ongoing investigation."

"But, my family has been affected by domestic violence. I understand the anguish that it causes. Young players just have to understand that there is no tolerance for putting your hands on a woman. Period."

The cause hits close to home for Witten ... his family was impacted by D.V. when he was a child -- and he now has a foundation that serves women and families that have experienced it.

Of course ... Witten opened himself up for criticism -- 'cause he didn't have as strong of takes on ex-Dallas teammates Greg Hardy and Ezekiel Elliott when they faced similar accusations.

If Nikki Bella's date with Peter Kraus had been filmed for "The Bachelorette," it would have ended with him strolling into an SUV without a rose. She just wasn't feeling it ... TMZ has learned.

Our production sources tell us ... while her date looked every bit like an episode of 'Bachelorette' -- which included a ride on a gondola and sipping wine -- fact is, there just weren't any sparks for her to wanna lock down a second date.

The big tell ... we're told Nikki couldn't muster the strength to pucker up and kiss Peter when he made his move. Yup, she left him hanging. We're told she freaked out and screamed "NO!!!" before pulling away.

Bottom line ... Nikki's just not ready to start dating again following her on-again, off-again relationship with John Cena.

As for why she went on the date at all? We're told Nikki's mom is a HUGE 'Bachelor' fan and suggested she give Peter a shot. The date will play out on the new season of "Total Bellas" next year.

For now, we're told Nikki will be laying low on the dating scene, and focusing on her career. Back to the drawing board, Peter.

There's no reason Kareem Hunt shouldn't be arrested and charged with battery for attacking that woman back in February ... so says famed prosecutor Christopher Darden.

"I would have filed battery charges against him," Darden tells TMZ Sports ... saying the video evidence would essentially make it an "open-and-shut case."

Darden is most famous for his work in the O.J. Simpson trial, but also prosecuted tons of cases during his 15-year run as a part of the L.A. County District Attorney's office.

In fact, Darden tells us exactly what he would do to get the conviction -- even if the victim refuses to cooperate.

Darden also says prosecutors in Ohio still have time to make things right and arrest Hunt -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the NFL star would benefit from a court-ordered sentence like a diversion program, therapy or anger management.

Worth noting ... the victim has 18 months from the day of the incident (Feb. 10, 2018) to go to prosecutors and seek criminal charges before the statute of limitations expires.

Michael Richards admits he hasn't always been great at dealing with hecklers -- duh -- but he's now dishing out advice to other stars in the hopes they can learn from his mistakes.

Remember, back in 2006 the "Seinfeld" star lost his mind on a heckler at the Laugh Factory -- dropping a bunch of n-bombs in a tirade that was captured on video.

He's apologized for the incident several times since then and even met with Jesse Jackson in the hopes of repairing his relationship with the black community.

So, with NBA players getting heckled like crazy by fans these days -- specifically Patrick Beverley and Kevin Durant -- we asked Richards if he had any words of wisdom.

"I didn't handle the heckler too good that evening," Richards told us.

But, he did advise the players to not feed into the trash-talkers -- even though it might be hard -- and try to focus on doing their jobs.

"Just remember, you're there to entertain people. Stay with the entertainment. We need it."

Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons did what lots of couples do when the holiday season rolls around -- hit up an ice skating rink so the guy can watch his GF twirl like she's Kristi Yamaguchi ... but she isn't.

Kendall and Ben hit up Philadelphia's Rothman Institute Ice Rink on Monday -- although Kendall was the only one brave enough to slip on a pair of skates.

We're guessing the 76ers are happy their star point guard kept his feet on dry land -- can't risk a twisted ankle. Then again, neither can Kendall. Runway models don't typically do their best work in casts or ace bandages. Luckily for her ... it looks like she has genuine ice skills.

It's good to see Kendall staying on her feet, unlike that time she nearly face-planted on a bicycle.

Kendall and Ben have been hanging a lot in Philly recently ... they grabbed a bite last week after the Sixers took an embarrassing loss, and checked out some college hoops this weekend.

All this after last month's relationship rebound.