TMZ Sports - Page 50

What's cooler than having the BEST knockdown of the week??

How about getting props from Odell Beckham after the fight?

That's what happened to Lorenzo "Truck" Simpson -- who floored his opponent with a crushing left hook during his nationally televised fight on FS1 this weekend ... making just about every single highlight reel.

Simpson -- one of Floyd Mayweather's prodigies -- was fighting Jaime Meza on Sunday ... and when Mezza threw a stupid, wild spinning punch, Truck timed it perfectly and smashed the dude's face in.

"I caught him real good," Simpson told TMZ Sports with a victorious grin on his face ... "I knew I caught him with a nice shot."

After the fight, Simpson got all sorts of love from big stars including boxing champ Caleb Plant, Gervonta Davis and NFL superstar Odell Beckham Jr. ... who's also a big fight fan.

"It's going nuts right now," Simpson said.

Keep your eye on this dude -- Simpson is 3-0 as a pro ... but he's got BIG power and is on track to be a future superstar in the sport.

No, this is not the new Republican party intern photo ... it's the NFL's annual head coaches pic -- and as you can tell, it's overflowing with diversity.

IMPORTANT FACT -- Mike Tomlin is missing from the photo ... but so are 5 other white coaches.

As you can probably tell, there is DEFINITELY not enough black representation in the head coaching ranks ... something the NFL has acknowledged.

The league has the Rooney Rule -- which requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for every available head coaching job ... but as you can see, it ain't always effective.

The good news ... there seems to be a crop of talented, young black assistant coaches who are all making compelling cases for a head coaching gig in the near future, including guys like Kris Richard, Eric Bieniemy and Teryl Austin.

Rob Gronkowski is no longer "shackled" by the NFL and the New England Patriots -- and that means we could see him RUN WILD in the WWE very soon ... so says his good friend, Mojo Rawley.

Everyone knows Gronk LOVES pro wrestling -- remember he made a cameo with Mojo at Wrestlemania 33 in 2017 -- and people are speculating he could become a WWE superstar now that his NFL career is over.

We spoke with Mojo, who says he wouldn't be shocked if Gronk turned his focus to the ring ... and predicts it's only a matter of time.

The best part of this clip ... Mojo strongly suggests the NFL and the Patriots pressured Rob into toning down his public persona to make sure he stayed out of trouble.

But now, "without the shackles" ... Gronk is a "whole 'nother beast" and Mojo says he can't wait to see Rob UNLEASHED!!

"Yo, let's go, baby," Mojo says in a video message for his pal ... "It's time to turn up! The handcuffs are off!"

"You don't have the Patriots and the NFL locking you down anymore! If you thought Gronk was wild before, I'm telling you, wait 'til you see him without the shackles on!!!"

There are rumors Gronk could crash 'Raw' tonight -- which happens to be in Boston.

Your next Peloton ride could be really quiet -- it's recalling any classes featuring the songs the company's accused of using without permission.

John Foley -- Peloton's founder and CEO -- sent a letter to his more than 600k subscribers Monday, letting them know the company is yanking any classes that use the songs ID'd in that lawsuit a handful of music publishing companies filed.

TMZ broke the story ... the publishers claim Peloton was using a bunch of hit songs from big-time artists without permission -- upwards of at least a thousand tracks, apparently -- ranging from Rihanna's "Umbrella" to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."

Those companies are suing for major damages ... up to $150 million.

In his letter, Foley says the fitness company is only doing this as a precaution ... and assures users that their cycling experience will not be affected by the change. He says Peloton has deals in place with lots of other music publishers and labels that give them access to a "broad catalog" of music that he suggests will be able to replace the temporarily silenced tunes.

On the lawsuit itself, Foley says it's unfortunate that it had to be filed ... since he claims Peloton was in talks with at least a few of the publishers before they pulled the trigger.

1:12 PM PT -- Adam tells TMZ walking 17.2 miles at the L.A. Marathon was the greatest weekend of his life. He says he's still beat up from the experience but clearly it was worth it. Check out the vid ... he tells us exactly how a paralyzed person can walk with help from the ReWalk Exoskeleton.

Adam Gorlitsky -- who is paralyzed from the waist down -- provided one of the most uplifting stories from the Los Angeles Marathon ... walking a stunning 17.2 miles.

As we first reported ... Adam walked with help from the $95k ReWalk Exoskeleton. His journey began Friday at midnight at Dodger Stadium, and by 7 PM ... Adam had made it to mile marker 11 at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, walking for a whopping 19 hours straight.

The hills at Chavez Ravine and managing traffic before the race course was completely set up proved to be big obstacles for Adam. Exhaustion and pain on his wrists also forced him to take a breather.

He returned Sunday at 7 AM in Westwood at the brand new start line for the "ReEnabled Division" at mile marker 20. The new start line's something Adam and the foundation, I GOT LEGS, helped create for others like him who want to take part in the elite marathon with a little help from the course.

Adam walked the remaining 6.2 miles and crossed the finish line at around 4 PM. He started the race with a support group that included friends traveling from other states to walk with him. Adam finished with a bigger group as others inspired by his story decided to walk the final stretch with him.

While Adam didn't walk the entire 26.2-mile course ... he vows to keep trying until he becomes the first paralyzed person in history to complete a full marathon on U.S. soil. When you see his determination in this video, it's hard to doubt he'll do it.

Lonzo Ball's manager wants everyone to take their $500 Big Baller Brand shoes and THROW THEM IN THE TRASH.

Yeah, seems the Big Baller era is officially over.

The guy dumping his ZO2s is Darren "DMo" Moore -- Lonzo's longtime friend and manager.

Moore posted video of the shoe-trashing on social media -- along with the hashtag, "DumpUrMerch."

So, why is Zo's camp turning on Big Baller Brand?

It's obviously connected to reports that BBB co-founder Alan Foster allegedly stole $1.5 MILLION from Lonzo's personal and business accounts.

Ball has lawyered up and says he plans to go after Foster.

In a statement, Lonzo says he still has love and respect for Foster -- but it seems his manager DMo doesn't feel the same way.

Important to point out that Lonzo isn't calling for people to trash his shoes -- he's still a majority owner in the company -- but it's not a good sign that his manager is calling for a worldwide BBB dump.

There are also reports the Ball family is considering folding the BBB brand altogether.

Gigantic college basketball star Tacko Fall just got a huge mentor (literally) ... because ex-NBA great Shawn Bradley says he wants to talk to the 7'6" youngster to help him get ready for the league.

Bradley knows what it's like to be the big man on campus ... he's 7'6" himself and was a superstar in college at BYU before going on to have a 12-year NBA career.

Fall's UCF squad ALMOST beat Duke in the tourney this past weekend, and in doing so the enormous senior made a lot of people believe he has a real shot at being a 1st-round draft pick.

We got Bradley out at LAX and he told our guy that while he hasn't been able to see too much of Fall's game, he'd love to help him fill in any gaps.

"Tell him to call me if you see him. I'll give him some advice."

Might wanna call him, Tacko ... Bradley made close to $50 million during his NBA career, and that was 20 years ago, before the contracts got as stupid silly as they are now.

Shawn did share with us one piece of advice he'd share with Fall.

"Don't try to become something that they're trying to make you."

Ex-NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho says he's got VIDEO of the scumbags who broke into his Texas home and jacked everything from cash to jewelry ... and now he's working with cops to catch 'em.

Cops DID confirm they're investigating the burglary at Acho's Austin home -- but would not confirm the people in his video have been labeled suspects (hence, the blurs on their faces).

But, here's the story ... Acho -- now an analyst for ESPN -- says a crew of thieves "broke into my closet and safe and robbed me of my cash, my Rolexes and other personal memorabilia."

Acho believes the crooks were out-of-towners who were in Austin for the South By Southwest Festival earlier this month. He believes they're from L.A. and Miami.

When contacted by TMZ Sports, cops would not confirm Acho's suspicions -- only telling us they're investigating the matter.

28-year-old Acho was a stud linebacker at the University of Texas back in the day ... earning first-team All-Big 12 honors during his senior season in 2011.

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round, but his NFL career lasted just 3 seasons.

Forget the trilogy with Conor McGregor ... Nate Diaz wants a crack at Khabib.

Just days after TMZ Sports posted footage of Conor saying he "owes" Nate a 3rd fight out of respect -- Nate seems to be poopooing the idea ... and is now setting his sights on The Eagle.

"Kabibs hiding scared cause I slapped the sh*t out of him," Nate posted ... "Conor already got his ass beat twice."

"Where the f*ck you at kabib?"

Nate and Conor fought TWICE back in 2016. Nate won the first fight, choking McGregor out in the 2nd round.

When they ran it back a few months later, Conor won a majority decision after 5 bloody rounds. Some people, including Nate, believe the judges blew the decision.

The fans have been calling for a rubbermatch ever since -- and Conor finally addressed the issue in Chicago ... while standing on top of a bar.

"He fought me, he beat me. He gave me a rematch at the exact same weight, there was no hesitation, that's a true fighter right there," McGregor said.

"I have nothing but respect ... I owe him the trilogy now and the trilogy will happen."

Diaz made $10 MILLION for the 2nd fight -- so you 'd think he'd be motivated for a 3rd scrap.

But, he feels the Khabib fight is a higher priority.

Diaz has talked about slapping Khabib and embarrassing Conor before -- telling TMZ Sports in August 2018, "I whipped one's ass and I slapped the f*ck out of the other one so they're both my little bitches."

Diaz then told us about an incident in which he smacked Khabib in the face in front of "all his Russian friends" and they "didn't do sh*t."

Of course, Nate was supposed to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 230 back in November -- but Poirier pulled out after suffering an injury.

Diaz just issued a statement to him as well -- "Ps porier is a pussy."

Forget Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga ... here are two WWE superstars performing the smash hit "Shallow" IN THE WRESTLING RING -- and it's pretty amazing!!

The guy with the guitar is Elias -- who's a pretty talented musician when he's not bodyslamming people.

Dude teamed up with Finn Balor at a WWE live event over the weekend where they put on a musical show for the crowd ... and they loved it!!

Elias took the Bradley Cooper part of the song from "A Star Is Born." He sounded great.

Finn, on the other hand, is no Lady Gaga. Good effort though!

Of course, Bradley and Gaga's version of "Shallow" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 2019 Oscars ... where the movie stars performed the song live.

It's been covered by a TON of people since the movie came out ... from Alicia Keys to Kelly Clarkson.

**WARNING -- THIS CONTAINS PRETTY GRAPHIC VIDEO OF STRIPPER BUTTS**

How do you get over Johnny Manziel? Strippers. Lots of strippers.

That's how Johnny's wife Bre Tiesi distracted herself from the split over the weekend -- throwing money at some very talented twerkers ... all while Johnny was making his debut in the AAF.

Ya probably know the backstory by now ... Bre went OFF on Johnny on social media over the weekend, essentially accusing the QB of cheating on her. She had already scrubbed him from her Instagram page.

So, while Johnny hit the field with the Memphis Express on Sunday -- a HUGE step in his goal to make it back to the NFL -- Bre wasn't in the stadium or even watching on TV.

Instead, she was making it rain and slapping butts in a strip club while celebrating a friend's birthday.

As for Johnny, the 26-year-old looked pretty solid in his AAF debut -- talking trash to opponents while completing 3 of 5 passes, rushing for 20 yards ... and creating a few highlights in the process.

Seems he's poised for a comeback on the field -- as for his marriage? Unlikely at this point.

1:31 PM PT -- Cameras finally spotted Kraft at the meetings, though he was clearly in no mood to stop to chat ...

The most powerful people in the NFL touched down in AZ over the weekend for the Annual League Meeting ... and while most of the owners and GMs strutted around Phoenix, Robert Kraft was unusually low key.

Everyone from Jaguars owner Shad Khan to Denver Broncos general manager John Elway was spotted in Phoenix -- where the league's top guys meet every year to discuss rule changes and other NFL issues.

Elway looked pretty jacked, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was scooting around after his foot surgery and Raiders owner Mark Davis was rockin' his usual white blazer with his patented hairdo.

While Kraft was seen walking with his son, Jonathan, and NFL commish Roger Goodell, he didn't speak with the media and seemed to make an effort to lay low.

Obviously, Kraft has a LOT going on right now -- he's due in court in Florida later this week to deal with his prostitution case where he's facing two counts of solicitation.

Kraft broke his silence on the legal issue this weekend -- essentially admitting wrongdoing and apologizing for his actions.

"I am truly sorry. I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard."

He's facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted -- but it's VERY unlikely he'll serve one minute behind bars.

WHOAAA!!!!!

Two pro motorcycle racers just got hit with 2-year suspensions over one of the CRAZIEST fights we've ever seen on a race track!!

It all went down at the National Motorbike Championship in February in Costa Rica -- where racer Marion Calvo got pissed after Jorge Martinez bumped him during the race and caused him to lose control of his bike.

Somehow, Martinez clung to Calvo's bike and forced Calvo to pull over, while Martinez was hanging off the back of his opponent's bike.

When the bike finally came to a stop, Martinez reached back and threw a HAYMAKER shot right at Calvo's face -- knocking the racer on his ass!!

But, kudos to Calvo ... who got up ... and ran back after Martinez, trying to continue the fight ON THE TRACK while other racers zoomed by.

Eventually, things broke up ... but wow. Insane.

Both racers were disqualified on the spot -- but now the Latin American Motorcycle Association has doled out the bigger punishment -- and it's 2-year suspensions for both fighters.

It's a wrap for Nikki Bella in the WWE ... the former champ says she's closing the book on her wrestling career -- claiming her body just can't handle the punishment anymore.

Bella said she realized she needed to retire after returning from a recent tour of Europe -- saying, "[The tour] was good but I just feel like I'm too old for that travel."

"The travel was really, really rough," Bella said on her reality show, "Total Bellas" ... "So, I realized, I was like, why am I doing this? I don't feel good."

Nikki said she feels the women at WWE are doing amazing things and she doesn't feel she needs to keep wrestling ... explaining, "I really am ready to hang up the jersey, like I can say it fully."

Nikki's sister, Brie -- who announced her retirement on a "Total Bellas" episode earlier this month -- gave her full support to Nikki, saying she can hang her WWE jersey "right next to mine."

35-year-old Nikki explained her body just doesn't feel great anymore -- and she wants to turn her focus on other business endeavors ... including her fashion brand.

"Here's to closing one chapter and the next one opening."

Bella is a sure-fire WWE Hall of Famer -- she is a 2-time WWE Divas champion and one of the most popular women in the history of the company.

TMZ Sports has obtained a 911 call made by Tony Ferguson's wife during an incident in February -- and the way she handled the call may have saved Tony's life ... and the lives of several cops.

As we've previously reported, Tony's wife, Cristina, called police to their Santa Ana, California home several times over the past couple months when the UFC star was having manic episodes and acting erratically.

Cristina has made it clear she loves Tony and wants him to get treatment -- but during a Feb. 16 incident, things got to a point where she was scared and needed police to intervene.

During the call, Cristina says she needs help -- but warns police that Tony is a professional fighter. She notes, "I don't want no cops to get injured."

The operator responds, "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

Of course, Tony is not just a pro UFC fighter, he's one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world ... currently, the #1 ranked contender in the UFC's lightweight division.

When cops arrived to Ferguson's home, officers used the information from the call to help diffuse the situation ... and according to the police report, Tony told officers he would seek help.

Unfortunately, cops were called back to the house a few days later -- but the good news, Tony has since agreed to get serious about treatment and appears to be doing better.

In fact, just last week, Tony posted on social media that he's seen a psychologist and that it "went well."

4:14 PM PT -- Tom Brady has responded to Gronk's announcement with a heartfelt message. He posted a photo of the two of them on the field, and added a caption that read ... "What an honor and privilege to play with you these past nine years @gronk! You accomplished so much and our team was almost unbeatable when you were on the field! Your fun-loving, inspiring, and positive energy made an impact on everybody you came into contact with! Not just that, but for as great as a player you are, you are a better teammate and person. The NFL was a better place with you in it! But I have no doubt you will be a success in anything you do!!! Love you pal!"

New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski says he's finally hanging it up and retiring from football at age 29 ... this after months of speculation.

The longtime tight end broke the news on Instagram Sunday with a lengthy caption attached to a shot of him holding the Lombardi Trophy. He wrote, "It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today."

He goes on to thank Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his head coach, Bill Belichick, for the chance they gave him when "drafting my silliness in 2010." Gronk continued to reflect on his time with the Pats' organization, saying ... "My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine."

Gronk then went on to thank Pats fans for accepting him for who he is, while adding that it's time to move on knowing Patriot Nation is a huge part of his makeup. He ended with one last thank-you to his teammates -- past and present -- by saying, "To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next."

Rob is a 3-time Super Bowl champ with the Pats, a 5-time Pro Bowler and has made First-Team All-Pro 4 times. He's widely seen as a shoo-in to get into the NFL Hall of Fame one day as well.