TMZ Sports - Page 50

Titans star O-lineman Taylor Lewan straight-up cried on camera Wednesday ... and it's all because he says he accidentally ingested a banned substance that could lead to an NFL suspension.

Lewan -- Tennesee's 3-time Pro Bowl left tackle -- is facing a 4-game ban after the NFL says he tested positive for ostarine -- a substance that essentially works like anabolic steroids.

Lewan made a video to explain the situation ... and adamantly says that while he did NOT knowingly take the substance -- he is responsible for it getting into his body.

"I want everybody to know that I've never taken this supplement knowingly and I've never cheated the game and I never will."

Lewan says he even took a polygraph test -- which he says he passed (and promised to share later on social media) -- to prove he didn't purposely take the drug.

Taylor then began apologizing to his team, and that's when he got emotional ... breaking down in tears.

"It's just hard," Lewan says ... "I'm sorry to the Tennessee Titans and the fans that I won't be there for 4 games."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there's still a chance Lewan could avoid suspension pending the results of further tests ... but Taylor was still apologetic, nonetheless.

Cris Cyborg says ain't bothered over Dana White saying she's "afraid" to fight Amanda Nunes again ... telling TMZ Sports, "You think I'm surprised when Dana say type of things like this?"

White previously told us "it's pretty obvious why" Cyborg won't sign a contract to rematch with Nunes ... who knocked her out in 51 seconds when they squared off at UFC 232 back in Dec.

"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 said.

So, when we spoke with Cris -- who's gearing up to fight Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 on Saturday -- we had to ask if she took issue with Dana's comments.

Cyborg essentially told us her relationship with Dana ain't great -- and she'd be more surprised if he said something "nice" about her.

She also said Dana isn't qualified to speak about a fighter's mindset -- explaining, "Dana White's never stepped in the case, never fight before ... because he's the promoter."

Cyborg says she doesn't want to talk about a possible rematch with Nunes until AFTER the Spencer fight on Saturday ... telling TMZ Sports she's laser-focused on getting that W.

The Cleveland Browns are once again standing by Kareem Hunt -- saying they investigated an incident at a Cleveland nightclub involving police ... and feel confident the RB did nothing wrong.

TMZ Sports posted video of Kareem speaking with police officers outside of the Barley House party spot on June 29 ... after witnesses say Hunt was involved in a "small argument" with a friend.

Hunt was neither arrested nor detained that night and left without incident -- but it was a concerning video for Browns fans considering Hunt is on very thin ice following a string of violent incidents in 2018, including a physical altercation with a woman.

With Browns training camp opening up on Wednesday, GM John Dorsey and head coach Freddie Kitchens were asked about the most recent incident ... and they both expressed support for the 23-year-old star.

"Freddie and I both had a chance to sit down with him," Dorsey said. "He understands there's no guarantees in life. He is going about exactly what he has been going about. He is working his fanny off on the field as well as off the field as well.

Kitchens echoed Dorsey's backing ... and even seemed sympathetic towards Hunt.

"You know, it's never been harder to be a player in the National Football League. Everything they do is under a microscope."

"With the advancements of social media and all that kind of stuff, every little thing -- it doesn't matter how little or how small -- it's always gonna be made into a bigger deal."

"Kareem's always gonna have our support, we're going to continue to support him just like we do every player that we have."

Dorsey believes the league has considered the matter to be resolved ... essentially saying he doesn't expect any punishment to come from the incident.

Kareem was released by the Kansas City Chiefs back in November after we published video showing Hunt getting violent with a woman at a Cleveland hotel.

Joe Rogan didn't deserve this.

The UFC commentator/podcast titan/comedian had parked his truck at LAX during his Summer vacation to Europe ... and when he got back, he noticed the whip was covered in cat logs.

"I parked my truck for 11 days at LAX and cats decided to sh*t and piss ALL over the sunroof," Rogan said.

"This is what was left after I drove 35 miles home. There was WAY more when I got into the car. Luckily it’s hot out so the sh*t was dry and hard, but f*ck is it disgusting."

There's more ...

"When I got in the car I was confused because it looked like someone poured a drink all over the windshield. We stopped at the exit and realized the entire top of the truck was covered with sh*t and piss."

So, what's the moral of the story ...

Work hard, yacht harder!!!

After wrapping up a few DJ performances in Europe, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal decided to relax a bit on a big, ass yacht off the coast of Formentera, Spain.

The pics are great ... look at Shaq DWARF the regular-sized people on the ship!

Also, weird that he's diving into the water with his shoes on, right!?!

Of course, 47-year-old Shaq recently took his DJ skills to the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium where he was spotted raging with the crowd after his set. He then jetted over to Croatia to perform at the POW WOW Festival at the Noa Beach Club on Monday.

The Angry Bagel Boss Guy is prepping to fight other viral stars ... by enlisting freakin' UFC SUPERSTARS for his training!!

Chris Morgan -- the dude who infamously lost his mind in a Bagel Boss shop in NY a few weeks ago -- teamed up with big-time fighters Chris Weidman and Al Iaquinta on Tuesday ... learning the ropes from some of the best in the business.

The video is really unbelievable -- Al tapes up Morgan's hands, gets in the Octagon and starts sparring with the guy!!

To no one's surprise, Morgan runs his mouth after the training sesh ... and even calls out Logan Paul, who told us earlier this week he was down to whoop Bagel Guy's ass in the ring.

As we previously reported ... Morgan inked a deal with promoter Damon Feldman to get in the ring on September 7 in Atlantic City ... and one of his opponents could be Antoine Dodson.

Yeah ... so hide yo kids, hide yo wife ... 'cause the Bagel Guy means business.

Boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin is speaking out about the death of fellow boxer Maxim Dadashev ... telling TMZ Sports the tragedy isn't just sad on a personal level, but it's also terrible for the sport.

"It's very bad for the sport of boxing," Triple G told us outside of Spago in Beverly Hills.

You can see in the video, GGG is clearly emotional about the situation ... and said the entire community "feels crazy" right now.

We asked Gennady if there's anything the boxing community can do to help prevent deaths like this in the future ... but he simply told us there's nothing anyone can do can bring Maxim back.

As we previously reported, 28-year-old Dadashev suffered a brain bleed and went into a coma from the damage he took during his fight on Friday night. He later died from his injuries.

Clippers executive Jerry West tells TMZ Sports he's getting wayyyyy too much credit for bringing Kawhi Leonard to L.A. ... saying straight up, "I didn't close this deal, okay?!"

People have pointed to the 81-year-old Hall of Famer as the secret weapon who ultimately convinced the NBA Finals MVP to leave Toronto for Los Angeles.

But, outside of E Baldi in Beverly Hills, West explained why he's not comfortable being hailed as the hero.

"This was hard work by our front office," West said ... "Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger. All the people associated with it."

West says he's very excited for the 2019-20 season and says with the Lakers signing Anthony Davis to play with LeBron, basketball "should really be fun for fans" in L.A.

And, even though the Clippers have a sick roster -- with Kawhi, Paul George, Patrick Beverly and more ... West says he's not thinking about a championship yet.

"I don't think we're worried about championships yet ... worried about getting through the season and seeing how we play."

Jacksonville Jaguars superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey is out for a big contract this season ... and to drive that point home, he reported to training camp Wednesday in a BRINKS TRUCK!

"Ya'll know what time it is," the driver of the truck said on a bullhorn while announcing Jalen's arrival to the crowd.

"This man's coverage is so good, he's gonna have his own cell phone service! The man's so good, they're gonna give him his own jail called Jalen County because these receivers are on 24-hour lockdown."

"If you check his pockets, he's got 8 Master Locks in his pocket, they are on lockdown all season."

Finally, it was time to announce "the man, the myth, Jalen Ramsey" ... with the hype man telling the crowd, "It's time to get this money, money!"

Subtle.

Jalen has made the Pro Bowl the past 2 seasons and is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

He's entering the 4th year of his rookie contract which will pay him a $3.6 million base salary in 2019. He's expected to make $13.7 mil in 2020.

But, Ramsey has previously stated he's gonna be a monster when it comes to renegotiating his deal ... saying, "I'mma ask for so much money, they have to put me on layaway."

Manny Pacquiao's team is ALL IN for a rematch with Floyd Mayweather -- so says his trainer, Freddie Roach who tells TMZ Sports, "I really think Manny can knock him out."

After 40-year-old Manny put a hurtin' on Keith Thurman this weekend, there's a huge buzz about a MayPac II rematch ... following the first superfight back in 2015.

Roach, who's been training Pacquiao for years, says Manny and the entire team is down ... if Floyd is man enough to get back in the ring.

"[Floyd] would be a fight we'd want. I'd like to get that one back one more time. I know we can do much better. We had an injury in that fight, but regardless, we lost a close decision. I know Manny can do much better than that."

Remember, after their May 2015 fight, Manny revealed he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp which he says held him back in the main event.

But now, Manny's healthy -- and looked awesome in the Thurman fight -- and Roach ain't all that impressed with the work Mayweather's done inside the ring over the past few years.

"Floyd's last couple of fights against a kickboxer and whatever the other guy was [Conor McGregor] he wasn't too impressive," Roach tells us ... "I think it's a good time to catch him right now."

Freddie says Manny was planning to call out Floyd in the ring after he defeated Keith Thurman ... but Floyd bolted out of the arena.

Of course, 42-year-old Floyd keeps insisting he's retired ... but c'mon, you really think he'll turn down another $300 million payday?!?

"I do think it could happen, yes. Probably not 'til next year. But, the thing is, it is a big fight out there. And, again a fresh Manny with no injuries, I love that fight."

James Harden, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris and a bunch of other NBA stars have all bailed on playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup ... and Donovan Mitchell says that's no problem!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the Utah Jazz star about some of the biggest names in the game dropping out of the big tourney this summer ... and while some folks are getting concerned about America's chances at completing a 3-peat, Spida ain't.

"All I'm worried about right now is just making the team and doing the best we can," Mitchell says.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who we have, we're going to compete for our country and I'm excited to play."

Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.

39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.

One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.

"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.

As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.

"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."

"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."

Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.

Odom also tells us why he feels surviving that infamous 2015 overdose in Nevada was God's plan ... and how he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.

Boxing star Zab Judah has launched his own investigation into his June 7 fight with Cletus Seldin which left Zab hospitalized with a brain bleed ... with Zab calling for drug test results.

Zab -- a 6-time world champion -- suffered numerous injuries including an intercranial hemorrhage in a TKO loss to Seldin which required emergency surgery after the fight.

Judah is doing much better now ... but he's also really pissed off and looking for answers.

In fact, the 41-year-old has hired the Elefterakis, Elefterakis and Panek law firm to investigate "all circumstances involving the fight."

As part of his investigation, Judah is requesting Seldin's pre-fight urine drug screening sample results so he can see for himself if Seldin was truly clean during the fight.

For the record, Seldin has NOT been flagged for a violation as far as we know.

Judah's attorney wants to be clear that he is making "no formal accusations of misconduct" ... but rather doing their due diligence in the "investigatory stage."

In a statement Judah's attorney says, "To date, our firm contacted the Oneida Gaming Commission as well as the promoter of the fight to obtain the results of the pre-fight urine drug screening. No results have been provided to the Judah camp as of yet."

MLB legend Sandy Koufax is joining Jackie Robinson ... as the only Dodgers to get a statue at Dodger Stadium.

The team has confirmed they will be unveiling the statue for the 2020 season -- honoring one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. The statue will be a part of the $100 million renovation to the stadium.

In fact, the Dodgers will be moving the Jackie Robinson statue from the Reserve Level to the new entertainment plaza to be placed next to the Koufax piece, according to Sports Net L.A. reporter Alanna Rizzo.

Unclear what the statue will look like ... the Dodgers are expected to address the media about it later Tuesday.

Koufax -- famously dubbed "the Left Arm of God" -- won 3 Cy Young awards and 4 World Series titles during his career with the Blue Crew.

It's getting worse for Dwight Gooden ... the MLB legend was arrested for DUI in New Jersey on Monday night after cops say he was driving the wrong way down a 1-way street.

The 54-year-old former Mets pitcher was pulled over around 11:10 PM in Newark, according to the NY Post ... which reports Gooden was a "mess" during the stop.

Gooden was reportedly taken to a nearby hospital for treatment -- though it's unclear how he's doing now.

The arrest comes just weeks after Doc was busted for cocaine possession in Jersey. As we previously reported, cops say they found two baggies of coke during a traffic stop on June 7.

At the time, Doc's attorney told us the former baseball star was taking the matter seriously.

Gooden was charged with 3rd-degree possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence in that case.

Monday's arrest is the latest in a sad string of drug and alcohol related incidents for Gooden ... he tested positive for coke back in 1987, months after he won the World Series with the Mets.

Then, in 1995 ... MLB suspended Gooden for the entire season for failing another drug test.

In 2006, Gooden did an 8-month stint in jail after showing up to a probation hearing high on cocaine.

In 2010, Gooden crashed his car in Jersey while under the influence of drugs -- he was driving his 5-year-old son to school at the time of the crash.

Bodybuilding superstar Shawn Rhoden -- the reigning Mr. Olympia -- just turned himself in to authorities in Utah and pled not guilty to multiple felony rape charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Rhoden -- who goes by Flexatron -- is accused of raping a female bodybuilder during a hotel encounter back in Oct. 2018.

According to court docs, Rhoden's accuser claims Rhoden forced himself on her inside his hotel room - and despite repeated pleas to stop, he refused. She claims he eventually stopped and let her leave the room.

Authorities conducted a thorough investigation and eventually charged Rhoden with felony rape, object rape and forcible sexual assault.

Now, Rhoden's attorneys say the bodybuilder voluntarily turned himself in to authorities Tuesday  -- after negotiating his bail to be reduced from $750k to $250k.

Shawn's lawyers say he "vigorously denies the charges" and "looks forward to being cleared of these false accusations in court."

Jail records confirm Rhoden was formally arrested and booked. The 44-year-old is listed at 5'10" and 265 pounds.