TMZ Sports - Page 50

Fighter on Saturday. Politician on Sunday.

Less than 24 hours after beating Keith Thurman in a welterweight championship fight, Manny Pacquiao boarded a private jet bound for the Philippines to try and attend the State of the Union.

Pacquiao is a senator back home in the Philippines -- and has previously floated the idea of running for President one day.

And, with this being a crucial week in terms of Filipino politics, Manny knew he couldn't waste time celebrating his victory in Las Vegas.

A rep for Pacquiao tells TMZ Sports ... "He left at 6 p.m. PT [Sunday] via private jet. One stop in Anchorage than straight to Manila."

Unfortunately, Pacquiao didn't make it back home in time for the SOTU -- but he's hoping to participate in other important Senate functions this week.

FYI, Manny reportedly made at least $10 million for the Keith Thurman fight ... with the potential to make a lot more based on pay-per-view buys and other factors.

After the fight, multiple senators in the Philippines issued official statements congratulating their colleague ... including Senator Sonny Angara who said:

"One solid win by Pacman, one giant celebration for his countrymen. This vintage Pacquiao win shows why his people love him to the moon and back."

"By Monday, my friend and colleague will step again into the Senate ring to join the fight against our ancient enemies - hunger, joblessness, poverty. Expect him to the bring the same spunk he had shown in boxing to this unfinished fight of his life."

Sen. Cynthia Villar said ... "I join the Filipino community around the world in celebrating the victory of our Pambansang Kamao, Manny Pacquiao."

Luke Voit taking a 91 MPH fastball to the face and STAYING IN THE GAME impressed even the guys he was playing against ... so says Colorado Rockies superstar Trevor Story.

"He's tough, man," Story tells TMZ Sports.

If ya missed it ... the Yankees first baseman took a heater straight to the chin in Saturday's game against the Rockies -- but he shrugged it off and kept on playing.

Story says that feat was pretty unreal ... telling us, "That was impressive, man."

Of course, the Yanks ended up winning the series over the Rockies 2-1 ... and, despite the sore jaw, Voit took all four of his ABs in Sunday's game.

BEAST!!!

NFL superstar Odell Beckham is opening up on his nasty breakup with the NY Giants ... saying he felt disrespected after getting shipped to Cleveland "after everything I've done for them."

OBJ was traded to the Browns back in March ... and he says the move was like a slap in the face, claiming he kept the team relevant despite losing all the time.

"This is me being honest: This team has not been good for the last six years. Period. Even the year we went to the playoffs and everyone was talking about this and that," Odell said to GQ.

"I felt disrespected, because I felt like I was a main reason at keeping that brand alive. They were getting prime-time games, still, as a 5-and-11 team. Why? Because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That's just real rap."

He continued ... "I'm not sitting here like, 'It's because of me.' But let's just be real. That's why we're still getting prime-time games. I felt disrespected they weren't even man enough to even sit me down to my face and tell me what's going on."

WHOA!!!!!!

Odell says he had been praying to get traded all of last season ... and while he still has love for Giants president John Mara, he was upset he didn't get a chance to have a  face-to-face meeting with coach Pat Shurmur before the trade.

"But then to be called like that and then be texted by your coach and be like, 'Oh, yeah, I heard the news.' Yeah, you heard the news? It happened because of you. The reason I'm gone is because of you."

Odell said a trade was inevitable ... because he "wasn't in a good place" ... and wasn't happy with the team anymore.

OBJ also talked about the insane orange Rolls-Royce he's been driving around L.A. ... and he says he got it BEFORE the trade to the Browns.

Klay Thompson is heating back up with ex-girlfriend Laura Harrier -- as in, the two roasted in the sun at Dodgers Stadium together on Sunday ... months after reportedly breaking up.

The NBA superstar was spotted with the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress at the Dodgers game over the weekend ... where they baked in the sun and drank beer while watching L.A. crush the Miami Marlins.

Klay and Laura had reportedly broken up back in April -- and the Golden State Warriors star was spotted out with 'Godzilla' actress Eiza Gonzalez.

But, whatever was going on with Eiza appears to be over ... because Klay and Laura looked pretty happy together during a very public outing in front of roughly 47,000 people!

Klay is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the NBA Finals -- but it hasn't stopped him from living it up this offseason. He's been on the "Space Jam 2" set multiple times.

How fed up is Le'Veon Bell over hearing he cares more about his rap career than his football one?

"Real sh*t, bro, I'm tired of social media sh*t. I'm tired of everybody telling me, 'Le'Veon, you not focused. He only want to make music. He want to play basketball. He do everything besides play football.'"

Yeah, that fed up.

It's all part of an epic airport rant the NY Jets star went on this weekend when he finally hit his breaking point over fans commenting on his social media postings.

Bell blasted everyone telling him he should do more work on the football field ... and his examples for why included the local Target worker, LeBron James and Beyonce.

"Somebody work at Target, do you think when they work from 9-5, they go home and all they doing is worrying about putting fucking shit on the shelves?! They trying to worry about what serial numbers coming up?! No!"

Bell added, "You think Bron is waking up, oh, he ain't having no Taco Tuesdays? Bron don't have Taco Tuesdays -- you think he's hooping all day?"

"You think Beyonce waking up singing all day? She don't go to work, she don't act. She doesn't do nothing with her kids, she's just waking up singing?!"

Of course, 27-year-old Bell has taken major heat from fans after sitting out all of last year's football season while simultaneously working on his rap career.

Clearly, the dude has had enough of the criticism ... 'cause he decided to start RUNNING down the stairs at the airport to prove his point!

"I'm going to give you all this one time. Run down these damn steps."

Kendrick Norton has officially been waived by the Miami Dolphins after losing his arm in a July 4 car crash -- but the team will still pay Norton his full salary for the 2019 season.

The 22-year-old defensive tackle's left arm was amputated in the crash -- when his F-250 truck smashed into a concrete barrier on a Miami highway around 1 AM and flipped on its roof.

Norton acknowledged the injury would end his NFL career -- and over the weekend, the Dolphins placed him on the reserve/non-football injury list ... a move that ensures he'll get his full salary.

Norton was scheduled to make $495k this season.

Norton underwent at least 6 surgeries while in the hospital -- all of the procedures will be covered by insurance policies provided by the NFL and the Miami Dolphins.

The former University of Miami star was released from the hospital last week -- and now he's planning to get fitted for a prosthetic arm as he plans for life after the NFL.

Norton previously said he wants to use his platform to help other people -- including organizing a blood drive.

As for the crash itself, Norton was cited by police for making an improper lane change while exiting the highway ... and sideswiped a Maserati while losing control of his own truck.

UFC champ Jon Jones is denying allegations he slapped a cocktail waitress at an Albuquerque strip club back in April ... and telling fans, "I'm definitely not in any trouble."

According to police, the alleged victim claims 32-year-old Jones not only slapped her inside TD’s Eubank Showclub, but kissed her neck without consent ... and then put her in a chokehold that was so powerful, he lifted her off the ground.

The woman told police Jones continued to put his hands on her until he left the club, according to KRQE in New Mexico.

The woman called police to her home after the incident to report the alleged crime. Jones was later charged with misdemeanor battery and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

A spokesperson for Jones told the media Jon was unaware of the case against him -- and didn't know about the warrant because the paperwork was sent to the wrong address.

Jones later paid a $300 bond and the arrest warrant was rescinded.

"Today, the media told Mr. Jones about a false accusation launched against him and that paperwork had been sent to an incorrect address," a Jones spokesman said Sunday night.

"However, after receiving the documents from the press, Mr. Jones immediately went to pay the small fee, and he, and multiple witnesses, stand ready to factually refute the malicious lies being told about him to the public."

Jones later tweeted about the allegations -- telling one fan, "I’m definitely not in any trouble my friend, don’t be so quick to believe everything you read on the Internet."

He told another user, "I know there’s a whole bunch of people hoping for my downfall but there’s even more who are proud of me and love seeing me do well. And screw staying inside, I love this community.. excited to keep climbing, haters going to be mad when I win in December."

Story developing ...

The two baddest women in combat sports could be on a collision course -- because Dana White says he's open to let Amanda Nunes take on undefeated boxing superstar Claressa Shields!!!

First off, Amanda Nunes is the greatest female UFC fighter of all time -- with devastating victories over everyone from Ronda Rousey to Cris Cyborg and Holly Holm.

Claressa is the top dog in boxing -- she's 9-0 as a pro and a 2-time Olympic gold medalist.

Shields has made it abundantly clear she wants Nunes in a boxing match -- and told TMZ Sports bluntly, "I'd put [her] to sleep."

So, we asked Dana if he'd ever let Amanda follow in Conor McGregor's footsteps and take a super fight in the boxing ring ... and his answer was VERY interesting.

"Amanda Nunes has things that she needs to do here [in the UFC] first, but I'm not opposed to it," White said.

"Maybe Claressa comes over here and fight in MMA."

So, what does Amanda need to do in the Octagon before a possible Shields matchup?

Dana says he's trying to sign Cris Cyborg to take a rematch with Amanda -- but White claims Cyborg won't put pen to paper ... insinuating she's scared of getting beaten up again.

"I think it's pretty obvious why she wouldn't want that fight. It's a bad fight for her."

"I think that [Cyborg] is at the point where she's afraid to lose again. Losing again isn't something she's interested in."

White says Amanda Nunes REALLY wants the fight -- and since she's basically cleared out the women's division, White wants to give her whoever she wants.

NBA star Trae Young says the hype about LaMelo Ball is REAL -- because he believes it's entirely possible the youngest Ball bro ends up a top 3 NBA draft pick in 2020.

The Atlanta Hawks star just came off a FANTASTIC rookie season, and has been working out with LaMelo while he's out here in Los Angeles.

So, when we saw Trae in BH (#shopping) we wanted to know if he thinks Ball has the goods to be a top three pick in the NBA draft when he's eligible next year.

"Possibly, yeah for sure. He'll be ready the by the time he gets to the league."

Young didn't stop there, telling us it really doesn't matter where Ball is drafted, because no matter where it is he's gonna be a dope NBA player.

"He'll be good in the league. If he's #1, #2, #3 ... regardless he'll be a good player."

Ball is a mystery in basketball circles -- he's 6'7" with real playmaking ability ... but his bizarre basketball journey (remember Lithuania?) is making some scouts think twice.

We'll see what happens, but at the very least we know 'Melo seems to have Trae's vote.

Cleveland Indians legend Kenny Lofton says he belongs in the Hall of Fame ... telling TMZ Sports he was better than Tim Raines!!!

"Look at my WAR and how that turns out," Lofton says.

Of course, Kenny's been a Cooperstown snub for years ... and now needs a special nomination from the Veteran's Committee if he ever wants to get an HoF plaque some day.

Lofton told us out at LAX he thinks that's a shame ... saying his career was just as good as new HoFer Harold Baines' -- and better than 2017 inductee Raines'.

"The guy I look at is Tim Raines," Lofton says. "He got in, and my numbers are just comparable to his, but look at my WAR and how that turns out."

Here's how the two stack up in the major categories:

-Lofton -- .299 batting average, 2,428 hits, 130 home runs, 622 steals and a 68.3 WAR.

-Raines -- .294 batting average, 2,605 hits, 170 home runs, 808 steals and a 69.4 WAR.

Lofton tells us the way he played center field should also factor in ... saying, "I did what I did at my position."

Prosecutors have finally hit Darren McFadden with charges in his wild Whataburger case ... charging the ex-NFL star with 2 misdemeanors that carry jail time if he's convicted.

McFadden was arrested back on January 21 after cops say the 31-year-old was asleep at the wheel of his 2019 GMC Yukon in the drive-thru at a Whataburger in Texas.

Officials say during the incident, McFadden resisted officers ... and it all ended up with the ex-running back's driver's side and passenger windows being smashed in.

Now, TMZ Sports has learned prosecutors have finally hit Darren with charges for the altercation -- charging him with resisting arrest and DUI with a BAC of greater than or equal to .15.

Both counts are defined as Class A misdemeanors in Texas ... which means McFadden is facing up to 2 YEARS behind bars and $8,000 in fines if he's convicted.

McFadden is due in court in October to face the charges.

Darren was a superstar at Arkansas before the Oakland Raiders drafted him with the 4th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Usain Bolt is correct ... the United States DOES have a leg up on Jamaican sprinters for now -- so says track legend Sanya Richards-Ross!!!

We got the FOUR-time Olympic Gold Medalist out at LAX ... and seeing as she was born in Jamaica -- we had to ask about Bolt's comments that the new generation of Jamaican sprinters are "spoiled" and lazy.

Richards-Ross wouldn't go that far with her analysis of the situation ... but tells us she agrees with Bolt -- and says the country's love for the legendary sprinter is actually partly to blame.

"When you have a megastar like Usain Bolt," Richards-Ross tells us ... "it kind of suffocates the next generation of stars."

Richards-Ross also says that because Bolt was so dominant in the main sprinting events ... younger runners came up trying to make their way in OTHER events -- leading to an issue now.

But, good news for USA, Richards-Ross says all of that will lead to Americans being dominant in sprinting ... for now.

"Probably in the next four years you'll see a huge Jamaican star. But, right now, I think it's going to be Team USA."

Gilbert Arenas was NOT the problem in a crazy car crash earlier this month that wrecked his Maybach and caused another car to FLIP OVER ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Arenas was involved in a terrifying accident back on July 7, when a 2000 Toyota RAV4 collided with his 2018 Mercedes on the 101 freeway in Encino, California.

But, the California Highway Patrol tells us a 27-year-old man, who was the driver of the Toyota, was actually at fault for the car crash ... 'cause the CHP says he was speeding when he hit the NBA superstar.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the CHP says the man only suffered minor injuries ... while 37-year-old Arenas was not hurt at all.

But, seriously, it's crazy no one was hurt ... we obtained 911 calls from the scene -- and they paint a picture of a wild accident.

We're told no arrests or citations were issued in the incident ... and it's unclear what the cost of all the damages were.

Ex-San Diego Chargers star Shawne Merriman is being sued by the parents of a deceased Playboy employee, who claim he drugged and possibly assaulted their daughter before she overdosed while partying with him ... but Merriman flat-out denies wrongdoing.

The employee was Kimberly Fattorini, who died in 2017. At the time, her death was ruled accidental, with the cause being overdose from a cocktail of substances ... including booze, coke and a commonly used date rape drug known as GHB.

In a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Kimberly's parents claim that she and some friends went to a club event 'cause of an invite from a promoter, who the parents allege went on to host the girls at his house, continuing to party into the early morning.

The lawsuit alleges that the promoter texted Shawne at some point the next day, saying ... "Got 3 whores over," with the idea being that Shawne could take a couple off his hands.

Kimberly's parents go on to claim that Shawne did in fact show up, and was allegedly witnessed carrying a bottle with some sort of liquid inside. After that, the parents allege that Kimberly texted the promoter from inside the house saying, "you friend just poor'd half G in my drink," and the parents believe G refers to GHB, which is a powerful depressant.

The lawsuit alleges Kimberly sent a number of texts afterward that made no sense, with the implication being that she was incredibly intoxicated. The suit claims that Kimberly, Shawne and a friend of hers then went to her friend's place after ... and then around 3 PM, a 911 call was placed by Kimberly's friend who found her unresponsive.

Kimberly's parents claim that first responders found her "half-naked with her jeans unzipped and unbottoned." They also allege Shawne was in the room when 911 was called, and that he made clear to the present parties that he didn't want it known he was there.

The suit alleges that a preliminary report from the autopsy didn't indicate any foul play, but they also note that a test for sexual assault wasn't done because officials said it wasn't conducted at the time of the initial autopsy, and couldn't be done properly afterward.

Now for an alleged text Kimberly's parents claim they dug up between a friend of Kimberly's and the promoter who initially invited Shawne ... it allegedly read, "Shawn killed her ass, what a f***ing idiot." Another alleged text from the promoter reads, "That dumbass been drugging girls for years."

The complaint claims negligence, battery and a violation of the drug dealer liability act. The family's asking for damages.

As for Shawne, a representative for him tells TMZ ... "As of right now Shawne, nor his attorney, have any knowledge of him being named in any lawsuit. This alleged lawsuit is baseless. Shawne attended an after party more than two years ago where a young woman unfortunately overdosed."

Luke Voit is one tough SOB -- he took a baseball to the face this weekend, but temporarily stayed in the game and even ran the bases right afterward.

The Yankees slugger was up to bat Saturday against the Rockies at the bottom of the 4th -- with the Yanks up 6-0 -- and on a 0-2 fastball from pitcher Chad Bettis, which got away from him ... the ball made contact with the front of Voit's face ... grazing his lip and chin.

It looked a lot worse than it ended up being, but geez ... talk about freaky. Miraculously, Voit avoided a serious injury and took his place at first ... no big pause or anything either.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone rushed out right away to check on his first baseman, and as Voit worked out some kinks in his jaw and wiped off his lip, he seemed to signal that he was okay. A short while later, he got to third on another hit ... and appeared fine doing it.

Still, the ball definitely connected with Voit's face and it's quite a sight to behold in slow-motion. You can see his face jiggle and vibrate as the ball slides across his mug.

Manny Pacquiao says he wants to fight until he's 45 years old ... and when he retires, the boxing star tells TMZ Sports he will seriously consider buying an NBA franchise.

The 40-year-old superstar has made a FORTUNE during his boxing career -- and says he feels he's got AT LEAST another 5 years of fighting before hangin' 'em up for good.

"I feel like young, like late 20s," PacMan says ... explaining that he still loves the sport and all of the training that comes with it.

Pacquiao -- who's fighting undefeated star Keith Thurman on Saturday -- tells us he feels blessed by God ... and plans to use his gifts as long as his mind and body hold up.

Part of Manny's training regimen is playing basketball for 4 to 5 hours a day ... seriously.

In fact, Manny's so obsessed with the sport, he bought his own semi-pro basketball league back home in the Philippines called the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).

FYI, Forbes says Manny has made more than $500 MILLION during his boxing career -- including a $26 million haul over the past year.

So, we had to ask if he had NBA ambitions and the boxer gave us an emphatic "Yes!"