TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ex-Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge is begging the scumbags who STOLE HIS DOG during a burglary in L.A. to return his beloved pet ... saying he'll pay ANYTHING to get him back. 

The 29-year-old English soccer star says his adorable Pomeranian named Lucci was taken from his West Hollywood home on Monday night, along with other personal items. 

He posted video of the smashed door where the thieves likely broke in. 

"I want to know who took my sh*t. I want to know what's went on. I want to know why they've took my dog. I want to know why they've took bags from upstairs. I want to know what the f*ck's going on. I'm dead serious."

Sturridge says money is no object -- he's reportedly made more than $40 MILLION in his career -- and he's willing to crack open his wallet to get his 4-legged friend back. 

"Whoever knows who broke into my crib, I'll pay you anything. I'm dead serious," Sturridge says.

We reached out to the LAPD and they told us they're actively investigating the break-in -- but have no leads at this time. 

Hopefully someone in the area has surveillance video. Story developing ... 

Ex-L.A. Chargers defensive end Chris McCain -- 6'5", 250 lbs -- DOMINATED his opponent in his first amateur MMA fight ... and the video is brutal. 

The 27-year-old played 4 seasons in the NFL for various teams -- including a stellar 5-sack season with the Chargers in '17 -- but he was cut by the Colts in 2018 and has been training to become a pro fighter ever since. 

Fast forward to Saturday night when McCain made his MMA debut at Shawne Merriman's Lights Out Xtreme Fighting promotion in Burbank, CA ... where he entered the cage wearing his old Chargers jersey.  

McCain fought Jamal Harris (0-2) and even though his opponent ain't exactly Francis Ngannou ... McCain showed real potential, ending the fight 38 seconds into the 2nd round. 

The issue for McCain is his troubled legal past -- back in October, he pled no contest to 2 counts of misdemeanor battery stemming from allegations he got violent with a woman in Jan. 2018. 

As we previously reported, the woman claimed McCain grabbed her neck and spit on her during an altercation in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to community service and ordered to complete an anger management program.

Now, it's clear McCain is hoping to follow in Greg Hardy's footsteps -- hoping to get a fresh start in MMA while keeping his nose clean outside the cage. 

McCain is getting support from some of his old NFL teammates -- including Keenan Allen who attended the fight in person. 

It's unclear when McCain plans to fight again -- but it's obvious he wants to get back in the cage ASAP. He'll need a few more wins before Dana White would ever consider signing him to a UFC contract. 

You pay for my son's college education ... and I'll drop my lawsuit against you.

That's how Antonio Brown's legal war ended after he was sued over a 2018 furniture-tossing rampage at his exclusive Florida apartment complex.

Remember, back in April, Brown struck a settlement with Ophir Sternberg -- who accused the Raiders star WR of nearly crushing his 22-month-old son with furniture that Brown allegedly tossed off his balcony.

AB had adamantly denied being the one who threw the objects -- but reached an agreement with Sternberg a few months ago to close the case.

Now, new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, show part of the settlement includes Brown making a contribution to Ophir's son's college fund. 

"The net proceeds to the minor will be invested into Florida Prepaid College for the minor's sole benefit," the docs read.

The docs do not say how much cash Brown will contribute to the fund -- but we're told both sides are happy with the agreement. 

The docs also show Brown is making a contribution to an unspecified charity as another part of the settlement.

For his part, Brown released a statement on social media (that's now deleted), saying, "The legal dispute between Ophir Sternberg and me has been resolved with a confidential sum of funds being donated to charity."

"I am sorry that an incident occurred. I apologize for any statements we made in court filings or otherwise to Mr. Sternberg and family."

You're looking at one of the most beautiful human beings on Earth ... and his girlfriend, Kate Bock.

Juuuust kidding. They're both ridiculously good looking.

NBA superstar Kevin Love and his equally gorgeous bikini model boo are vacationing in Bock's native Canada this week ... and the Cavs champ put his shredded body on display while checking out a hot spring at Pitt Lake.

Love and Bock -- an SI swimsuit and Victoria's Secret model -- have been dating for years ... and they're always posting beautiful pics from their travels together (we're not complaining at all).

The couple can easily make the case for being the most beautiful duo out right now ... AND they have an adorable pup, Vestry ... so they're truly winning on all levels.

A routine traffic stop turned into a violent war inside of a gas station ... with a massive NFL player fighting a cop AFTER being hit with a taser and TMZ Sports has the unbelievable video. 

A police officer in Lathrup Village, Michigan pulled over 23-year Malik McDowell -- a 6'6", 300 pound defensive tackle -- on a snowy February night after he witnessed McDowell's Jeep spinning out on the road after speeding. 

During the stop, which took place in front of a gas station, the officer ordered McDowell to stay seated in his car, but Malik disobeyed -- and repeatedly demanded to speak with a supervisor. 

As the officer continues to verbally engage with McDowell, who was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he tries to leave his vehicle and walk into the gas station convenient store. 

The cop grabs McDowell and tells him to put his hands behind his back ... but again, McDowell disobeys and begins to fight back against the officer, knocking over shelves of food in the process.

The officer repeatedly warns McDowell to stand down or else he would be tased. Once McDowel's on the ground, the officer instructs him to get on his stomach, but the NFL player refuses ... so the cop deploys his taser. 

Meghan Markle has no time for commoners snapping pics of her at Wimbledon -- her security demanded people to turn their lenses away while she watched Serena Williams.   

British media consultant and former BBC reporter Sally Jones tell TMZ ... she was sitting in the members box, taking pics of Serena Williams when one of Meghan's bodyguards came up and said, "Would you not take photographs of the Duchess? She's here in a private capacity." 

Shocked at the request, Jones says she told the security guard she had no intention of photographing Meghan ... and wasn't even aware she was there before that moment. She says she was simply trying to take a shot of Serena. Jones tells us, she didn't take a single pic of Meghan, before or after she was approached by security.

Jones says it's apparent to her some people at the palace suffer from a feeling of "entitlement." She says the whole thing was ridiculous.

BTW, Jones wasn't the only one shooed away. Several other spectators with phones out were told to beat it. Although, it's certainly worth noting ... her security seemed fine with fans taking photos when Megan was signing an autograph for a little boy. Guess a photo op's still a photo op.  

For the first time in his career, Floyd Mayweather got PUT ON HIS BACK during a major sports event -- and the whole thing was caught on camera!!

The 42-year-old superstar was ballin' out at the $50k Charity Challenge celeb hoops game at UCLA on Monday night where Floyd was trying to play some defense on streetball legend Bone Collector. 

... but things didn't go Floyd's way -- because BC crossed Floyd over so hard, the boxer lost his footing and went tumbling to the ground. 

The crowd went crazy as Bone hit his shot -- and all Floyd could do was smile as he picked himself up. 

When asked why he would even try to cover Bone Collector, Floyd told fans and teammates he simply wanted the challenge ... gotta respect that. 

The event was all for a good cause -- raising money for Teen Cancer America. Huge stars like Rob Gronkowski, Snoop Dogg, Kyle Kuzma, Michael Blackson, Terrell Owens, Pacman Jones and Brian Quick were also in attendance. 

The bromance between Robert Kraft and Donald Trump is back on -- because the New England Patriots owner was front and center at a Trump dinner in D.C. on Monday. 

78-year-old Kraft sat at Trump's table for a special dinner at the Treasury Cash Room honoring Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar. 

The dinner was intended to show the Emir that the U.S. wants to work with his country -- so Trump rolled out some of the biggest names in business for the event. 

Kraft was joined by Goldman Sachs exec Dina Powell and International Monetary Fund honcho Christine Lagarde. 

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were also on hand -- along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. 

"This is a who’s who of people in business," Trump told the room, according to The NY Times. 

Of course, Kraft and Trump were VERY close for years -- until they publicly clashed over Trump's comments about Colin Kaepernick. 

Remember, Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the anthem. Kraft called Trump's statements "divisive" and "horrible."

But, after Kraft praised Trump during a FOX News interview back in February, seems the two are on better terms. 

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady are back together -- at least they were on Monday -- with Gronk telling TMZ Sports the two worked out together at UCLA!

"It was great working out," a slimmed-down Gronk told us at the $50k Charity Challenge Basketball Game at Pauley Pavilion. 

"Tom needs someone to throw to so, you know, he calls Mr. Reliable Robbie G the one and only!"

Rob ran routes and caught passes from TB12 at the field at UCLA, where Tom usually works out while in L.A. for the offseason. Gronk is in town for the charity event, which raises money for Teen Cancer America. He's also expected to attend the ESPYs on Wednesday. 

Of course, the workout with Tom begs the question ... will Gronk come out of retirement for one last ride with his Hall of Fame quarterback?! 

It's possible ... while he admits he's enjoying retirement so far, Gronk told Rich Eisen last week that his attitude might change once the season starts.

"I can’t really say how I’m going to feel about it when the games start rolling around and everything," Gronk said. 

Nike's stocks going up ever so slightly -- which just so happened on the heels of the Betsy Ross controversy -- has absolutely nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick ... so says Ted Cruz.

The Texas senator shut down any notion that Kap sent Nike's market value soaring in the wake of the footwear company yanking its planned Betsy Ross shoe at the ex-QB's behest, because he says there's a much simpler explanation ... a booming economy. 

There's no way of knowing for sure what effect, if any, Kap's involvement might've had -- but we do know anytime his name gets brought up next to the Swoosh ... they do well. 

As far as what Ted makes of the whole situation, he elaborates on what he tweeted this weekend ... when he said he wouldn't buy anymore of the only tennis shoe he's ever owned.

Check it out ... doesn't sound like Teddy's ready to start burning his Nikes quite yet, but he does bemoan the fact the great American company has become politicized .... and in a direction opposite his own views.

Soccer icon Michelle Akers says it's absurd to compare the U.S. Women's National Team to the men for 3 reasons: the women make less, have less marketing money ... and still win wayyy more!

The two-time World Cup champ joined us on "TMZ Live" and says the U.S. Women should be paid at least as much as the men, if not MORE, because they've been dominating the sport on a global scale for decades, while the men's team is in a different universe ... just struggling to get into the World Cup tournament most years.  

As you know ... the U.S. Women beat the Netherlands 2-0 Sunday to bring home their fourth World Cup title, sparking a huge debate about equal pay. The women will reportedly bank $260k per player for their big win, while the men would have raked in $1.1 million each if they'd won the whole thing.

Check out the clip ... Michelle not only rails against the huge pay gap, but adds the U.S. Soccer Federation should pour more cash into promoting the women. It's just a smarter investment than the men's team. 

No offense guys, but it's hard to argue with her today. 

Barstool Sports is being sued over its most iconic image -- Sad Roger -- with the guys who allegedly created the shot of Roger Goodell with a clown nose claiming Barstool has been using it without permission. 

The guys behind the suit are Jake Bernier, Kenneth LeMarier and Joseph Bernier ... who claim they created Sad Roger and licensed it to Barstool for a "one-time use in 2015."

The image became the face of Barstool's war against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when he went after Tom Brady for allegedly deflating footballs during the 2014 NFL season. 

The image was a hit with Stoolies -- many of whom rocked Sad Roger towels at the Patriots 2017 home opener. Sports Illustrated reported Barstool spent $140,000 to give away 70,000 towels that day. 

Barstool has been using the image on shirts, posters and even Christmas ornaments. In fact, New Orleans Saints' head coach, Sean Payton, appeared to wear a Sad Roger shirt after the Saints lost in the NFC championship over a blown non-pass interference call. 

Barstool is still selling the men's shirt under the title, "Clown Tee" for $29.95. 

In their lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in New York, the alleged creators claim Barstool never got permission to use the image after that one-time usage license in 2015 ... and  they're pissed. 

The guys claim they're entitled to $150,000 for every time Barstool infringed on their copyright -- though they haven't specified exactly how much money they want from the suit. 

We reached out to Barstool for comment -- so far, no word back. 

The champs are here ... AND THEY BROUGHT THE BOOZE!!!

Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and the rest of the U.S. Women's National Team just touched down in New York City on Monday after winning the World Cup ... and they're clearly ready to party!!

Rapinoe pimp walked off the jet onto a waiting red carpet with a glass of booze in hand -- SWAAGGGGG!!!

The scene was awesome ... the women were singing "We Are the Champions" and showing off their medals and trophy while wearing "World Champions 2019" shirts. 

At one point, one of the players screams out, "I love America!"

Morgan was feelin' herself too ... she grabbed Rapinoe's cup and took a sip for herself!

Of course, the women are still celebrating their 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in France ... where they secured their second straight World Cup championship.

They're in New York now to continue the party -- a victory parade is set for Wednesday morning in Manhattan.

Bizarre situation involving Serena Williams -- who damaged a Wimbledon tennis court during a pre-tourney practice session ... and now she's been ordered to cough up $10,000 in fines. 

Unclear exactly what Serena did to warrant the fine -- though some reports say she used her racket to inflict the damage during a Sunday workout. 

The All England Club -- the organization which hosts Wimbledon -- has meted out a $10,000 fine for Serena which is chump change for her considering she's already made $367,000 for making the quarterfinals. 

So far, Serena hasn't commented on the fine ... but she's never been shy to speak her mind if she feels she's been wronged. 

She's set to play Alison Riske on Tuesday -- and there's no doubt she'll be asked about the incident by the media either before or after the match.  

D'Angelo Russell went joyriding in a luxury whip before signing his massive, $117 million deal with the Warriors ... taking a crazy expensive Ferrari out for brunch ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

Just hours before inking his reported 4-year deal with the Dubs on Sunday, DLo hit up Toast Bakery in L.A. with his folks ... and the dude knew how to make an exit, hopping in the passenger seat of the Rari and riding off down the street.

We fired off a bunch of questions -- if he had a message for the Brooklyn Nets after dealing him to the Dubs, if he's the newest Splash Brother, if the Warriors were still the team to beat in the NBA ... but the All-Star guard let the wheels do the talking.

No word on the exact year and type of this particular Ferrari ... but given the price tag of similar models, it's gotta be worth a quarter million dollars AT LEAST.

NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is deadly serious about defending his nickname -- and now he's suing an artist for selling "Greek Freak" shirts without his permission. 

The Milwaukee Bucks stud is going scorched earth on Pennsylvania-based artist Jinder Bhogal -- who sells NBA player-inspired clothing on his website. 

In fact, Bhogal featured various items featuring Giannis' face morphed with Bucks antlers in a design titled, "Greek Freak."

At one point, Bhogal offered his clients 10% off anything in the "Greek Freak" collection. 

Problem is ... Giannis says he owns the trademark to use "Greek Freak" for commercial purposes and claims Jinder never asked for permission. 

In court docs filed Monday, Giannis says he sent Jinder a cease and desist letter but the guy never responded. So, suing the dude was his next best move. 

Giannis claims he's entitled to up to $2 MILLION for the alleged trademark infringement -- but his lawsuit seems more about protecting his image than making a Buck (get it?!). 

We've reached out to Jinder for comment -- so far, no word back.