TMZ Sports - Page 50

It's a miracle Demaryius Thomas wasn't killed in his car crash Saturday morning -- with a key witness telling TMZ Sports he watched DT's car flip 3 times ... and was SHOCKED when he saw the NFL star get out of the vehicle mostly unharmed.

We spoke with Michael Tafoya who happened to be driving in the Denver area around 12:20 AM when he saw the vehicle lose control, hit a curb and launch 20 feet into the air. The car then rolled 3 times before finally landing in a grassy median.

Tafoya -- who's a registered nurse -- says he ran over to the crash scene to help out and tried to get the door open to help the passengers, but it was stuck.

Cops arrived to the scene a short time later and took over -- managing to free Thomas and both of his passengers. Tafoya says officials used the Jaws of Life to help free Thomas from the car.

The ex-Broncos star and the 2 passengers are expected to be fine, according to officials -- but Tafoya tells us Thomas had a "hellacious knot" on his head.

Michael tells us the whole thing looked like a scene out of an action movie ... adding, "I thought those people were dead."

Thomas played for the Broncos for nine seasons before being traded mid-way through this past year to the Texans. He's now a free agent after Houston released him last week.

Cops say the cause of the crash is under investigation.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says she's done her research and now believes more than ever transgender athletes physiologically born as men should NOT be allowed to compete against women.

"It's insane and it's cheating," Martina says in an op-ed posted in The Sunday Times.

"I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair."

Martina has become passionate about the issue after an online spat with transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon -- who won the Masters Track championship in L.A. back in October. The woman who came in 3rd place, Jennifer Wagner-Assali, said the fact McKinnon was allowed to compete against women is "not fair."

Martina initially sided with Wagner-Assali -- which led to McKinnon labeling the tennis great as "transphobic."

So, Martina says she decided to dedicate months of her life to researching the topic -- and now feels even STRONGER that trans women have an unfair advantage and shouldn't be allowed to compete against cisgender women.

"Simply reducing hormone levels -- the prescription most sports have adopted -- does not solve the problem. A man builds up muscle and bone density, as well as a greater number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, from childhood," Martina wrote ... "Training increases the discrepancy."

"Indeed, if a male were to change gender in such a way as to eliminate any accumulated advantage, he would have to begin hormone treatment before puberty. For me, that is unthinkable."

Martina says she's up for having the tough conversations on the issue -- but feels there's a "growing tendency among transgender activists to denounce anyone who argues against them and to label them all as 'transphobes.'"

Conor McGregor vs. Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is NOT a done deal, as some reports have indicated -- Dana White tells TMZ Sports, "Not true. Not even close."

Both Conor and Cowboy have publicly shown interest in the fight -- and White recently said he's down to make it happen. Fans are excited.

In fact, UFC announcer Joe Rogan was talking about the matchup on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast Sunday night ... and said, "It's a done deal, as far as I know."

But, White tells TMZ Sports ... that's just not the case, "It's not even close to being done."

McGregor hasn't fought since October 6 when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Conor has been posting photos and videos showing himself training in his MMA gym while everyone anxiously awaits the UFC to officially announce his next opponent.

White has previously told TMZ Sports he expects Conor and Khabib to rematch in 2019 -- after they each fight other opponents.

White has suggested Khabib's next fight could be Tony Ferguson, who's an absolute monster in the Octagon.

Conor has previously talked about fighting Anderson Silva -- but it seems he's on a collision course with Cowboy first.

No shirts were taken off, twisted around hands and spun like helicopters at NBA All-Star Weekend in Charlotte ... and Petey Pablo is pissed.

Remember, Pablo's 2001 hit, "Raise Up," is all about North Carolina pride -- and the NBA even used the song in an All-Star game promo.

But Pablo, who's from NC, wasn't invited to perform during the ASW festivities -- and it's clear he's upset about it, calling out the NBA, TNT and the Charlotte Hornets on social media.

"To all my fans thank you guys for all the love and support. You will have to ask @NBA @NBAonTNT @hornets @NBAAllStar why I wasn’t added as a performer this year for all star.

"I guess they just wanted to rock the building and not tear the whole roof off."

Instead, ASW featured performers like Meek Mill, J. Cole and constant tributes to the Curry family (Steph, Seth and Dell all have deep ties to NC).

The players didn't seem to miss Petey -- as evidenced by this pic of LeBron James and his teammates coming out of the locker room at halftime to watch J. Cole perform.

Would you pay more than $2,000 for Julian Edelman's discarded beard shavings?!?

That's the going rate for the NFL star's recently shorn facial follicles -- which Ellen DeGeneres famously shaved off earlier this month after the Patriots won the Super Bowl.

Ellen collected the trimmings off the floor of her show and donated them to CharityBuzz -- which is now hosting an online auction with the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.

The opening bid was $1,000 ... but that was quickly surpassed and as of the time of this post, the leading bidder has offered up $2,100!!!!!

Think it's gross to buy someone's used beard?? Maybe ... but Edelman's face fuzz was a piece of Patriots history.

The WR rocked the scruff during his Super Bowl MVP performance in New England's SIXTH Lombardi Trophy-winning game.

Besides the cash raised from the auction, both Julian and Ellen donated $10,000 each to the Boys & Girls Clubs ... so, props to them!!!

The bigger issue ... what does the winning bidder do with the beard? Display them? Throw them away? Clone Edelman?

Baker Mayfield says he hasn't linked up with his newest star running back ... telling TMZ Sports he's yet to talk to Kareem Hunt since joining the Browns.

The star QB -- along with his fiancee, Emily Wilkinson -- was at LAX over the weekend and we asked if he's had a chance to connect with Hunt after the team signed him last Monday.

Of course ... it's been a busy week for Bake -- he had a romantic Valentine's dinner with Emily ... and just got back from a trip to Denver with his Oklahoma teammates.

As for Bake's teammates, we spoke with David Njoku about the new addition ... and he says he's excited to welcome Hunt aboard. So, we're assuming the guy won't be getting the cold shoulder.

How's Sean McVay getting over the Rams' devastating Super Bowl loss to the Patriots??

You're looking at it ... and we gotta say -- it's getting tough to feel bad for the L.A. head coach now.

McVay and his smokin' hot GF, Veronika Khomyn, hit up what appears to be Hawaii (for the second offseason in a row) ... and seems she's helpin' him get through his dark times.

There's a tiny bikini ... a pool ... the Pacific Ocean ... and shining sun.

Yeah, what Super Bowl L?????

The two have been mostly hangin' poolside in paradise ... but don't worry, Rams fans -- Veronika said last week she was havin' a hard time getting McVay to stop studying plays on his iPad!!!

The trip to the islands seems to be an annual thing for these guys ... last year, they were in Maui to get over McVay's first-ever playoff loss with the Rams.

If ya need a reminder of how Veronika helped back then ... you're welcome.

Lakers' head coach Luke Walton says he doesn't know ANYTHING about reports of friction between him and LeBron James ... telling TMZ Sports, "LeBron and I get along just fine."

The 38-year-old head coach had just touched down at LAX where he let us ask some Lakers questions -- and couldn't have been nicer about it.

On how the season is going so far, Luke told us he thinks it's "good" but points out how injuries to guys like LeBron, Lonzo and others have had an impact.

Still, Luke is optimistic -- telling us, "We'll be alright."

In fact, Walton told us he still thinks the 28-29 Lakers (currently in 10th place in the West) could make the playoffs ... saying, "We have some work to do, but we can do it."

ESPN's Jackie MacMullan recently reported about tension in the Lakers locker room between players and the head coach ... saying in late January, "It's clear to me ... that LeBron's camp would prefer a coaching change. They're not too subtle about that."

Luke cracks a smile when we asked about those reports -- probably because there's more to the story he's just not ready to say publicly yet.

If Floyd Mayweather wants to do business with undefeated boxing star Ryan Garcia (17-0) ... he's gonna have to break out the checkbook!!

Garcia just watched our video where Floyd tells TMZ Sports he wants the 20-year-old to fight one of his rising stars, Rolando "Rolly" Romero, if he wants to get the BIG money fight with Gervonta "Tank" Davis.

Garcia says he's down to scrap with Rolly -- but he's got demands of his own ... namely a $1 MILLION bonus if he knocks Rolly out.

"On the Floyd situation, you have always been the biggest mouth in the room," Garcia says ... "Talk is real real cheap!!!!"

"No more talk," he added ... "actions speaks louder then words I will fight your fighter but I’m going to need 1m if I knock him out and I’ll take that 200k to beat him."

Hey, it's progress!!

Remember, in Floyd's offer ... he told us he's willing to cut Ryan a $200k bonus check if he beats Rolly -- plus, he'd greenlight the "Tank" Davis fight.

But, Garcia's counter is the "knockout bonus" -- a cool $1,000,000 if he ends the fight early with a K.O. -- in addition to the $200,000 victory money.

4:02 PM PT -- A rep for Josie Harris tells us she's also not connected with the project.

10:31 AM PT -- Delicia Cordon also denies involvement with the show. Still, our production sources tell us producers still plan on moving forward with the project.

7:30 AM PT -- Evelyn Lozada's camp tells us she was contacted by producers and had discussions about joining the show, but ultimately turned down their offer to appear in the program.

The woman accusing LeSean McCoy of masterminding a violent robbery at her Georgia home is now trying to take her story to TV ... and she's not alone.

TMZ Sports has learned Delicia Cordon -- along with Evelyn Lozada, Josie Harris and Micaela Sanchez -- are all working on a TV project about surviving abuse.

Cordon is currently suing the NFL running back -- claiming he orchestrated the July 2018 incident when someone broke into her home and pistol-whipped her while stealing valuables. McCoy has denied all wrongdoing.

Evelyn Lozada married NFL star Chad Ochocinco in July 2012 -- but filed for divorce 6 weeks later when he headbutted her during an argument.

Josie Harris was attacked by her baby daddy Floyd Mayweather in 2010. Floyd was convicted and spent 2 months in jail for domestic violence.

Micaela Sanchez has a child with Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. They're locked in a legal battle because she claims he's been violent towards her. He's adamantly denied her allegations.

We're told the series was partially inspired by "Surviving R. Kelly" -- and producers are still looking for other women to join the project. Sources tell us producers are currently speaking with TV networks and other digital media outlets in hopes of making a deal.

Cops nabbed a guy they say pulled the home invasion that forced Magic Johnson's daughter to run for her life.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD identified the suspect after reviewing surveillance video from the neighborhood where Elisa Johnson's friends were renting a house back in December.

We broke the story ... 2 armed men got inside the home and started terrorizing Elisa's friends, holding them at gunpoint and making off with a Rolex, cash and electronics. She was able to escape out of a sliding glass door at the back of the home.

Our sources say the suspect is a 25-year-old man with a long rap sheet. In fact, we're told he was at his parole office when cops picked him up. He's now facing multiple robbery charges for the home invasion and is being held without bail. We're told the 2nd suspect remains at large.

As we reported, Elisa -- who appears on her brother EJ Johnson's E! reality show -- ran down the street and knocked on neighbors' doors, until she got someone to call 911.

Talk about a complete 180 for the National Anthem performance at this year's NBA All-Star Game ... sorry, Fergie.

Anthony Hamilton took the reigns Sunday to do his own rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner," and he absolutely killed it ... even with a slowed-down version -- unlike his predecessor.

The soul singer took his time, and hit every note he needed to ... and the crowd seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Even more telling ... no NBA players were laughing. You'll recall ... Fergie had guys like Draymond Green and others giggling on the court.

Fergie eventually came out and apologized for her performance after it was roasted by just about everyone, saying she tried her best.

No question ... Anthony's got Fergie beat. But the real question now is, who did better ... AH or Marvin Gaye??? In case you didn't know, MG belted out what many consider to be the best rendition of the National Anthem during the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.

Reese Witherspoon and her husband scored courtside seats to watch the Harlem Globetroters this weekend -- but they also got an unexpected Motown serenade out of it.

The actress and her hubby, Jim Toth, hit up the Staples Center in L.A. Sunday to watch the Globetrotters perform their magic on the court. The good thing about sitting so close ... ya might get called up and be put under the spotlight, which is exactly what happened to Reese.

She and Jim were then treated to the soothing tunes of The Temptations ... with "My Girl," of course. And, naturally, the couple got to two-stepping hand-in-hand.

Colin Kaepernick is far from a sellout by settling with the NFL -- because he shed an important spotlight along the way that won't soon be forgotten ... so says Common.

We got the rapper leaving WeHo Sunday, where we asked what he thought of the ex-QB recently coming to terms with the NFL out of court. Common's got nothing but good things to say about Kap here and gives a good reason why he hasn't compromised his principles.

According to Common ... Kaepernick exposed the NFL and its owners through his collusion case and thoroughly highlighted what Common considers exploitative practices over their black players. He says nothing can take away from the work CK's done on that front.

When our photog asks point blank if his settlement -- which is rumored to be in the $100 million range -- makes him a sellout, Common shoots that notion down hard.

Jermaine Jones might've been on to something when he said David Charvet banged his wife and ruined their relationship, 'cause now there's photos that seem to back him up.

The former "Baywatch" star was spotted at a restaurant in Malibu Saturday night with J.J.'s estranged wife, Sarah, following close behind. It looks like a classic date night situation, even though there are no immediate signs of intimacy in these pics.

Still, the shots could give credence to Jermaine's public accusations of David being a homewrecker and sleeping with Sarah a few months ago ... depending on who you ask.

It all might be moot, though. David got a temporary restraining order against Jermaine after claiming the U.S. soccer star threatened him with violence. Sarah got a TRO against her soon-to-be ex-hubby as well, claiming he was stalking and harassing her.

She also filed for divorce from Jermaine last month, so it's clear the door is closing on their marriage. An outing like this doesn't bode well for any type of reconciliation either.

Floyd Mayweather is warning Ryan Garcia -- if the 20-year-old boxing star actually steps in the ring with Gervonta "Tank" Davis, "He's gonna get f*cked up."

Garcia and Davis have been talking TRASH to each other for months and it seems the super featherweight stars are on a collision course to fight in the very near future.

With Davis being a Money Team fighter, we asked Floyd if that fight is actually going to happen -- and that's when Mayweather laid out the terms.

"Ryan Garcia says he wants to fight 'Tank' ... well, I'm putting up the money right now."

Long story short, Mayweather says Garcia must fight TMT boxer Rolando "Rolly" Romero first ... and if Garcia wins, Floyd will give Garcia a $200,000 check plus he'll make the Davis fight happen.

But, if Garcia loses against the undefeated Romero (7-0), "I don't want him to ever say Tank's name again."

Mayweather added, "If [Garcia] gets through Rolly, he gets Tank."