TMZ Sports - Page 50

Sick of seeing Tom Brady flash his SIX Super Bowl rings on land? Well, you're gonna hate the new Patriots' team plane paint job!

The NFL's most dominant organization just freshened up their official team jet -- touting their 6th NFL title after crushing the L.A. Rams in Super Bowl LIII back in February.

The team also added the 6th Lombardi Trophy to the tail of the plane -- but there's a HUGE problem ... it's missing the DENT that Rob Gronkowski inflicted on the hardware last month.

Remember, Gronk used the trophy as a baseball bat during some hitting practice before the Red Sox game at Fenway Park ... and when he squared to bunt, the baseball left a sizable dent.

The team jet isn't the only vehicle that got more smug after the Super Bowl -- Bill Belichick already renamed his personal boat, "VIII Rings" ... to reflect the 8 NFL championships he's won during his career.

Former Braves superstar Andruw Jones took Action Bronson YARD in a slow-pitch softball game Thursday night ... crushing a ball so far, it flew over the actual MLB fence!!!

The tape-measure bomb all went down at CC Sabathia's second Celebrity Softball Game at Yankee Stadium ... where Jones showed no mercy on the "Baby Blue" rapper.

Bronson lobbed a softball over the plate ... and instead of lightly hitting a pop fly over the game's miniature fences set up just outside of the infield, Andruw decided to take it a step further.

Dude WALLOPED the pitch so hard ... it traveled somewhere in the area of 400 FEET into the third row of the left centerfield bleachers!!!

Of course, hitting dingers ain't anything new for Jones ... the 5-time All-Star crushed 434 homers in his legendary 17-year career. But still, this was a slow-pitch softball!!!

By the way, CC's game is turning into an amazing annual event -- huge stars like Fat Joe, Aaron Judge, Tracy McGrady, Tiki Barber and Gary Sheffield all showed up for a great cause.

Former Oregon Ducks stud Keanon Lowe is being touted as a hero today ... Portland high school students are praising the ex-WR for stopping a gunman who was near campus Friday.

Lowe -- one of Marcus Mariota's favorite targets back at Oregon -- reportedly tackled a man with a gun near the tennis courts at Parkrose High School in Northeast Portland.

Unclear what the man's intentions were -- cops have yet to say his motive -- but Oregon Live reports, "a parent said students reported that the suspect, a fellow student, had brought a gun to the school with the intention of committing suicide."

Cops say they've taken the suspect into custody ... and school officials now say all students are safe.

Keanon -- who's reportedly the high school's football coach as well its track and field coach -- was a star with the Ducks, tallying 891 receiving yards and 11 TDs in 68 career games.

Ric Flair is experiencing medical "complications" that have forced doctors to postpone a surgery that was supposed to happen on Friday ... this according to Ric's wife.

Wendy Barlow just issued a statement on the WWE legend's condition -- saying, "Ric's surgery has been postponed until Monday to address some complications that needed to be taken care of first.

"Thanks for all the well wishes."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 70-year-old Flair was rushed to the hospital Thursday morning after experiencing a medical emergency.

Doctors planned on performing a procedure on Flair on Friday -- but now, Barlow says there are other medical issues that need to be addressed before Ric goes under the knife.

The specific procedure is unclear at this point but we've been told Nature Boy has had multiple heart surgeries over the past few months ... and that seems to be a concern as they move forward with his care.

On Thursday, Barlow said doctors expect Flair to make a "full recovery" after the procedure. Hopefully, that's still the case.

The good news ... Migos rapper Offset says he reached out to Flair on Friday and spoke with him on the phone.

"[Just] talked to my man. God is with him," Offset wrote.

"Don't wish death on my friend. He had a long life and he done it all. Some bad but majority good. He is a legend. God bless you Ric. Get well."

Flair has had medical issues in the past, including a very serious situation back in 2017 when he was placed in a medically induced coma for 11 days after he suffered a ruptured intestine.

How do you one-up LeBron's famous Banana Boat pic? Ya can't ... but this is close!

Manu Ginobili and a bunch of his old Spurs teammates hopped on a giant inflatable hot dog Friday to pay tribute (?) to the most famous flotation device pic ever taken!!

Here's the order from front to back ... Boris Diaw, Tiago Splitter, Patty Mills and Manu pulling up the rear.

They've even nicknamed themselves the "WienerBoatBoys" ... a nod to Bron's "Banana Boat Crew."

Remember, Bron -- along with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Gabrielle Union -- hopped on that big yellow floatie back in 2015 in a pic that IMMEDIATELY went viral.

The funny thing about the new pic ... is Manu and his wiener-mates were all part of that San Antonio Spurs team that beat LeBron and D-Wade's Miami Heat team in the NBA Finals back in 2014!

By the way, the Spurs squad posted about the hot dog ride ...

Mary-Kate Olsen is catching major air on horseback during a professional competition.

The "Full House" star put her equestrian skills on full display this week in Spain -- riding 2 horses -- for the Global Champions Tour going down right now in Spain ... and she definitely looks the part.

MK rocked white jodhpurs with a black cropped jacket and black riding boots as she hopped on the backs of her trusty steeds, Fatum and Naomi

She soared over fences quickly enough to guide Naomi to a sixth-place finish at the tournament at Club de Campo Villa in Madrid.

The Olsen twin started riding horses when she was only 6 years old, but she took a break when she went to college at NYU ... and now she's building a new name for herself in the equine world.

Mary-Kate ... child actress, fashion mogul and horseback riding star!!!

Teyana Taylor definitely saved a horse, and instead opted to ride and grind Iman Shumpert -- and this video might make her the G.O.A.T. of lap dancing!

Teyana performed at the Red Bull Music Festival at NYC's Manhattan Center, and brought her NBA player hubby onstage as a prop. We guarantee he had zero complaints about getting strapped into an inversion table.

Teyana quickly flipped him over and kicked off some steamy action -- with an assist from one of her backup dancers -- which the crowd ate up.

The Wednesday night performance was reportedly dubbed, Teyana Taylor: House of Petunia. In somewhat of an awkward moment ... Teyana performed the provocative dance with their 3-year-old daughter, Junie, sitting in the front row.

Anyway ... Teyana and Iman love their strippers. Seriously, they really do. So, Teyana's lap dance skills shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

BTW ... Method Man and Fabolous also made it onstage ... but no lap dances for them.

To Protect and ... SWISH!!!

Check out this real LAPD officer showing off his real basketball skills the other day ... hitting a no-look, backwards trick shot LIKE A BOSS!!!

The kids went absolutely CRAZY -- cheering and screaming like they just watched Kawhi Leonard's buzzer beater in person.

The officer's name is Arius George -- aka Trick Shot Cop -- and his hoop skills are so impressive, he caught the eye of the Harlem Globetrotters and they did an event together back in February.

Former WWE superstar Ashley Massaro -- who later competed on 'Survivor' -- has died, TMZ Sports has learned. She was only 39.

Officials tell us ... Massaro was transported from her home in Suffolk County, NY to a nearby hospital where she died early Thursday morning.

Officials would not reveal the cause of death at this point, but we're told it's being classified as "non-criminal."

Massaro famously won the WWE's "2005 Raw Diva Search" -- which included a $250,000 1-year contract.

She went on to become a valet for WWE tag team champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick.

Her most high-profile matches including a WWE Women's Championship against Melina at Wrestlemania 23 in 2007 ... and a Playboy BunnyMania LumberJill match at Wrestlemania 24 the following year.

Massaro appeared on "Survivor: China" in 2007 -- but she was voted off on the second episode of that series.

She also appeared on the April 2007 cover of Playboy Magazine, which she revealed on an episode of "Smackdown."

She later cut ties with WWE in 2008. She later returned for a stint with a lesser known pro wrestling company in 2017.

"We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of former WWE Superstar Ashley Massaro," WWE said in a statement.

"She performed in WWE from 2005-2008 and was beloved by her fellow Superstars and fans around the world. WWE offers its condolences to Ashley’s family and friends."

WWE stars from all generations have reached out to share their heartbroken feelings on Massaro's death, with Torrie Wilson saying, "I can’t even begin to explain how devastated I am to hear about @ashleymassaro11 - legit one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known."

Melina Perez added, "I am gutted by the news of Ashley’s passing and my brain doesn’t want to believe it. How can this be real? It’s difficult and awful news to take in."

Trish Stratus, who says she was Ashley's first-ever suplex in the ring, said, "I’m having a hard time processing this news of my friend, a fellow worker, a fellow mom. I’m both sad and mad ... Rest In Peace baby girl,take in."

The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie, wrote on their Twitter page, "We are so saddened to hear the news of Ashley Massaro. She had such a tender heart and sweet soul. We will always remember her of that. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. RIP Ashley"

Even legendary wrestler Mick Foley offered his condolences, saying, "She lived in the same town as me...I loved seeing her around. She was always so nice...and now she’s gone."

A ton of other stars -- including Rikishi, The Iron Sheik, Bayley and TAZ -- also shared their thoughts and prayers for Ashley and her family on social media.

The Denver Broncos are doing an awesome thing to help local families in the aftermath of a tragic school shooting ... offering up their practice facility so students have a place to hold their graduation ceremonies.

Last week -- just days after a student opened fire at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado, killing one and injuring 8 others -- officials reached out to the Broncos for some help.

The school needed a place to hold its ceremonies for its graduating students ... and the Broncos stepped up in a big way -- happily giving away their UCHealth Training Center in Dove Valley.

"STEM School reached out to the Broncos late last week about the possibility of hosting its graduations at UCHealth Training Center," Broncos' executive vice president of public and community relations Patrick Smyth said in a statement.

"We told them we’d be happy to help the school, the students and their families in any way possible."

The Broncos played host to a kindergarten ceremony Thursday -- The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala reported -- and are expected to play host to a bigger grad ceremony early next week.

For their part, Broncos players have also reached out in the aftermath of the tragedy, with superstar pass rusher Bradley Chubb saying, "Got a chance to meet the graduating seniors from the STEM School out here in Co."

Rough day at the office for ex-UFC star Sage Northcutt -- who just got his face obliterated 30 seconds into his ONE Championship debut.

The 23-year-old was taking on Brazilian fighter Cosmo Alexandre in Singapore ... when just 25 seconds into the fight, things went bad for Sage.

Cosmo cracked the kid with a solid right -- immediately turning off Sage's lights and sending him crashing to the floor face first.

The ref stopped the fight and the announcer said Sage was out cold.

Don't worry, he got up and appears to be okay.

Disappointing debut for Sage to say the least ... he left the UFC after his contract was up last year and was hoping to become a massive superstar with ONE.

In fact, Sage previously told us he was hoping to parlay his MMA success into a movie career -- but it's always harder to do that following a crushing loss.

Sammy Sosa says it's time to finally come back to Chicago ... the legendary Cub tells TMZ Sports he's looking to return to Wrigley after a 12-YEAR hiatus!!!

Of course, Sosa's been missing from the historic ballpark since he quit playing back in the 2000s ... mostly because team chairman Tom Ricketts has created an icy situation with the ex-superstar.

And, why? Ricketts has said multiple times over the years he wants Sosa to come clean about his alleged PED use before the Cubs will officially welcome him back.

Unclear if Sosa is ready to meet those demands ... but he tells us he's ready to return to Chicago nonetheless.

"I haven't gone back to Chicago yet, but I will," Sosa says.

Sammy -- who says he's still a HUGE Cubs fan -- tells us he's been happy living out his life in Miami in the meantime ... saying that's actually the reason why he's yet to make an Illinois return.

"I haven't had the time to go to Chicago, but I will."

South African born athlete Nick Price gained international fame as a great golfer in the early '90s after he won two PGA Championships -- the first in 1992 at Bellerive Country Club ... and the second in 1994 at Southern Hills Country Club.

Nick Price's other major championship win was also in 1994 at the Open Championship where he squeaked out a one-stroke victory over Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik.

Price was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in back in 2003.

Fun Fact: The winner's share for the 1992 PGA Championship was $280,000 ... while the winner's share for this year's championship is close to $2,000,000.

Schwing!!!

3:25 PM PT -- TMZ Sports just received a statement from Ric's wife, Wendy Barlow, who says she expects the WWE legend to make a "full recovery."

"Due to ongoing health complications, Ric was taken to the hospital and is expected to undergo a procedure tomorrow morning, after which he expects to fully recover."

Ric Flair was rushed to a hospital Thursday morning after suffering a medical emergency, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Flair was in the Atlanta area when something went wrong. The 70-year-old WWE legend was initially taken to the emergency room to be treated.

The specifics are unclear at this point -- but we're told the situation is "very serious."

We reached out to Ric's camp for comment -- so far, no word back.

Flair had a previous medical scare back in 2017. He was placed in a medically induced coma for 11 days after his intestine ruptured. Flair was in critical condition and on the verge of dying.

But, "The Nature Boy" pulled through -- and a year later, he married his longtime girlfriend Wendy Barlow ... who stuck by his side throughout the entire medical scare and subsequent recovery.

Ric had been doing great recently -- and had a massive star-studded bash for his 70th birthday back in February ... with a guest list that included Todd Gurley, Charles Barkley, Jeff Hardy, Triple H, Evander Holyfield and Dennis Rodman.

The estranged husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich just got 4 years probation in his domestic violence case ... stemming from a violent attack back in November.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was initially arrested for attempted murder after Ostovich claimed he beat the hell out of her and fractured her eye socket.

Ostovich initially pulled out of a high-profile UFC fight with Paige VanZant due to the injury -- but was later cleared by a different doctor. Ostovich ultimately lost the fight.

As for Berdon ... after his initial arrest, prosecutors downgraded the charge to 2nd-degree assault -- and he pled no contest back in March.

Berdon was sentenced on Thursday to 4 years probation -- which appears to be a good deal for Berdon considering he was facing up to 5 years in prison.

The expletive-spewin', hot tubbin', Caddy drivin' former head football coach featured in "Last Chance U" is putting down the cigar and picking up a pen ... 'cause he's writing a book!!!

Jason Brown -- who recently resigned from his gig at Independence CC in Kansas for telling a German-born player he's his "new Hitler" -- starred in season 3 and 4 of the super-popular Netflix show ... and now he's ready to put his thoughts in writing.

"I have partnered up and signed a book publishing contract with SBPRA, to write a book. I will send the details once the book is printed," Brown tweeted on Thursday.

"Much love for all the support!"

Brown became a massive hit with the show ... thanks to his IDGAF attitude and unorthodox coaching style ... so we're assuming this thing is gonna be entertaining as hell.