TMZ Sports - Page 50

Steph Curry is calling on one of his most powerful friends to help relaunch the golf program at Howard University -- Barack Obama -- and he's willing to use bribery!!!

You may have heard, Curry is spearheading the return of Howard University's golf program ... so when we saw him out in D.C., we asked if his longtime golfing buddy would be make a cameo on the course.

"Oh, for sure. For sure," Curry told TMZ Sports ... "He can get his own presidential cart and chase them around!"

Curry didn't go to Howard -- he famously attended Davidson Univ. -- but he's very passionate about bringing golf back at the historically black university (HBCU).

Howard hasn't had a golf team in decades (since the '70s) ... but Curry has stepped up to fund the program for the next 6 years.

So, why is Curry so passionate about this particular issue? He explained it in a previous press release ...

"Golf is a sport that has changed my life in ways that are less tangible, but just as impactful," Curry said.

"It's a discipline that challenges your mental wherewithal from patience to focus, and is impossible to truly master, so when you hear about these passionate student athletes who have the talent but don't have a fair shot at the game, it's tough. I feel really honored to play a small role in the rich history of Howard University."

Kenny Stills -- a Miami Dolphins star who STILL kneels for the national anthem -- is clearly upset with Jay-Z for comments he made after teaming up with the NFL, ripping the guy in the team's locker room Monday.

Stills says Jay came off as "uninformed" when he told members of the media last week that "we've moved past kneeling" and on to "actionable items."

"He's not an NFL player," Stills said. "He's never been on a knee."

Kenny says he's frustrated that Jay-Z made it seem like he was speaking "for the people like he had spoken to the people" ... and says Jay NEVER reached out to him or Colin Kaepernick before signing on to Roger Goodell's team.

"I wonder how many common people that he knows or that he's spoken to," Stills said. "I wonder if he's read my Facebook comments or my Instagram comments. Or some of the things that people say to me."

"To be able to speak on it and say that we're moving past something, it didn't seem very informed."

Stills' comments come on the heels of Kaepernick seemingly taking a jab at Jay-Z over the weekend, when Colin wrote on social media, "My Brothers @e_reid35 @kstills @ithinkisee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats."

Dominick Cruz hasn't fought in 962 days, but he's NOT retired ... he wants his belt back, now -- and he's ready to go through UFC champ Henry Cejudo.

The 34-year-old former champ has battled serious injuries -- a broken arm, torn shoulder ligaments -- and hasn't fought since UFC 207 in December 2016 ... but when TMZ Sports talked to Dom in L.A., he was crystal clear ... he ain't hanging up his gloves.

"I'm definitely not done. I'll absolutely be back."

Cruz is the 2x UFC bantamweight champion and the longest titleholder in the division's history -- and he wants his strap back.

"I want the title. The current titleholder right now called me out."

Remember, Cejudo called Cruz out after his UFC 238 win over Marlon Moraes in June.

"[Henry's] the champion, we're both Arizona natives. We're both on the same national wrestling team," Cruz told us ... "If he wants to be the best, he has to beat the longest reigning champion in the division."

"Anybody who has the title, if you wanna be the best, you should be trying to fight me."

FYI -- If the fight's gonna go down, it'll have to wait. Cruz and Cejudo both have injured shoulders -- and will be sidelined til 2020.

Question is, can Dom -- who has only fought 4 times since 2012 because of injuries -- beat the guy who took down Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw?

Miami Dolphins RB Mark Walton just cut a sweet plea deal with prosecutors ... his gun, drugs and battery cases are all now closed -- and the dude won't have to spend a second more behind bars for any of his alleged crimes.

Walton was arrested three separate times in the past year -- once for marijuana possession, once for an alleged battery and the third for leading cops on a wild police chase.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the third arrest ... and you can see in the video, Walton in BIG trouble with officers -- getting tased and still managing to flea the scene.

In total, Walton was facing six charges for the three arrests ... including a felony gun charge. He was facing YEARS in prison if convicted.

But, we spoke with Walton's attorney, Michael Gottlieb, on Monday ... and he tells us Walton reached a deal with prosecutors in court to close everything out.

Gottlieb says in exchange for pleading no contest to a misdemeanor gun charge ... Walton had every other one of his charges dismissed.

His punishment, per Gottlieb, was six months of non-reporting probation. Gottlieb also says Walton will have to complete a driving course.

It's great news for the 22-year-old ... the tailback just signed a deal with the Dolphins this offseason, and is fighting like hell to make the team's roster.

Walton was a Cincinnati Bengals fourth-round pick back in 2018 ... but he was cut by the team after his third arrest in April.

Moments after Cedric Benson crashed his motorcycle into a minivan Saturday, several bystanders slammed on their brakes and raced to the scene to try to save the ex-NFL star's life, new video shows.

The raw footage is graphic so we're not publishing it -- instead, we've cut screen grabs showing the efforts to save Cedric and his female passenger ... with one person even using a fire extinguisher to put out flames on the former running back.

As we previously reported, Benson and his passenger were riding a BMW motorcycle on a popular highway in Austin, Texas at around 10:20 p.m. when he collided with a white minivan.

In new footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see at least 6 cars have pulled over near the crash and a handful of people raced over to Cedric to help out.

The video shows Cedric's burning motorcycle propped against the driver's side door of the mini van, which is fully engulfed in flames. Cedric and his passenger are down on the road nearby.

The person who shot the video notes that no emergency personnel had arrived when the video was being shot -- you don't see any flashing lights.

One good Samaritan grabbed a fire extinguisher and tended to Benson, who appeared to be smoldering from the wreck.

Fire and rescue arrived a short time later -- but it was too late. Benson and his passenger were pronounced dead on the scene by law enforcement officials. No cause of death has been officially released.

36-year-old Benson had sadly posted a picture of his bike on Instagram just hours the before the crash, saying, "My Saturday evening."

We've reached out to the Austin Police Department for comment on the new footage ... and they say they'll have more details on the accident later Monday.

"It's not our fault he's got a 1 inch d**k" -- Lenny Dykstra on Bagel Boss Guy.

Yeah, the trash talking has begun between the ex-MLB superstar and his celebrity boxing opponent ... and Lenny's already aiming below the belt.

"On the 28th of September, you're gonna see a f**king ass kicking," Dykstra told us at the Vivid Cabaret in New York City ... "If I don't beat him, I'll be a ballerina dancer."

What's interesting about this clip ... Lenny says he wants a SECOND fight after Bagel Boss -- and he's calling out his longtime enemy, Mickey Rourke.

Remember, Lenny and Mickey have been BEEFING for years -- ever since Lenny went on Howard Stern back in 2016 and accused Mickey of stiffing him out of a $30,000, suggesting the debt was drug related.

Back then, Mickey threatened physical violence against Dykstra ... telling TMZ Sports, "I would knock the living sh*t out of him the minute that I see him."

Well, Mickey might get his wish ... because Lenny says once he obliterates Bagel Boss Guy, he wants to fight Rourke in a celebrity MMA fight.

"Remember Mickey, I know you," Lenny said ... "You're a f*cking p***y."

Surprise! The Rock is a married man -- he finally worked up the courage to say "I do" to his longtime girlfriend, and it went down in his home state of Hawaii.

Dwayne Johnson and Lauren Hashian tied the knot Sunday after more than a decade of dating, and they both wore white -- a beautiful full-length gown and veil for her ... and a button-down with white pants for him to really rock the island vibes.

The Rock shared the big news Monday morning, writing on IG, "We do. August 18th, 2019. Hawaii. Pōmaikaʻi (blessed)." He also shared a pic of himself dipping Lauren into a romantic kiss with an ocean backdrop.

His acting partner, Kevin Hart, was one of the first to congratulate him on wifing up Lauren.

The couple's been together since 2007, and they have 2 daughters together -- 3-year-old Jasmine and 1-year-old Tiana. Johnson also has an 18-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.

As for the timing of the wedding, it comes just weeks after The Rock announced he "quietly retired" from wrestling.

Congrats!

Cristiano Ronaldo is publicly acknowledging he paid $375,000 in hush money to the woman who claims she was raped by the soccer star in 2009 -- but still adamantly denies wrongdoing ... and it's all spelled out in new legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Kathryn Mayorga had claimed she took the money from CR7 back in 2010 as part of a private settlement -- and has previously said she signed a confidentiality agreement vowing to keep her mouth shut about the alleged incident.

As we previously reported, Mayorga claims she met Ronaldo at Rain Nightclub in the Palms hotel in June 2009 and went to party with him in his penthouse suite ... where he raped her.

She went to police, but never identified Ronaldo by name -- only describing him as a huge soccer star.

Back in 2018, she publicly ID'd Ronaldo and cops launched an investigation -- but officials ultimately decided NOT to bring charges against CR7 due to lack of evidence.

Ronaldo has adamantly denied the allegations.

Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit against Ronaldo -- and now, Ronaldo has filed new court docs asking a judge to throw out the case because they have a binding settlement agreement PLUS he claims the statute of limitations has LONG expired.

But, what's interesting ... in the same docs, Ronaldo finally acknowledges the amount paid to settle with Mayorga in 2010.

"Mr. Ronaldo paid Plaintiff the sum of $375,000 and both parties agreed to be bound by explicit confidentiality and non-disparagement obligations," the new court docs filed by Ronaldo state.

Several lines of the new court docs explaining the details of the settlement have been redacted -- but Ronaldo's point is clear.

He also says in the court docs the settlement money is NOT an admission of guilt ... but rather just the cost of keeping a legal dispute out of the media.

There's one less Brazzers and Bang Bros subscriber in the world ... 'cause Lamar Odom says he's officially DONE WITH PORN ... telling TMZ Sports he's given up the the habit for a healthier lifestyle.

Of course, LO has been very open about his sex addiction ... claiming he's knocked boots with more than 2,000 women -- including strippers and prostitutes -- in his book, "Darkness to Light."

But, Odom -- who was kicked out of the BIG3 last month for being out of shape -- says he's actively working to change his life in several ways ... telling us he's eliminated candy and porn from his day-to-day.

"I'm trying to be better," Lamar told us at LAX ... saying it's been about a month since he's indulged.

But, the ex-NBA superstar ain't doing it alone ... he's got his fitness guru girlfriend, Sabrina Parr, helping him with his diet and workouts.

Parr says the porn ban has helped in the bedroom ... and it looks like it helps outside the bedroom as well ... 'cause they can't keep their hands off each other.

Rapper Vic Mensa believes Jay-Z is still looking out for Colin Kaepernick -- and will make sure the QB gets HIRED when Hov becomes an NFL owner.

"I would be surprised if Kaepernick doesn't get a job with Hov being in the NFL," Mensa told us on the way out of The Nice Guy in West Hollywood.

"We know the NFL is a slave game, so to have a black man in there ... especially a black man with a socially conscious responsibility, cause i know that's how Hov feels, man ... I believe that Kap gonna get that job and I believe that Hov's intentions are in the right place."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Jay-Z will have a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team -- a plan that will all come together in the "very near future."

Some people have been attacking Jay -- claiming he's betraying Colin Kaepernick and sold out the black community to work with the NFL.

In fact, Kap's good friend, Eric Reid, has been extremely critical of Jay -- calling the ownership move "despicable" and accusing Jay of putting money over the community.

Mensa tells us he still has tremendous respect for Kaepernick and the work he's done -- but says the community should get behind Jay buying an NFL team because ultimately it's a good thing for black people.

Mensa says "sh*t's gotta change" in the NFL ... and Jay's the guy to make it happen.

We also talked to Irv Gotti in NYC ... who is clearly apprehensive about the partnership, but willing to wait and watch what Jay has planned.

"It looks awkward, and I'm gonna give Hov the benefit of the doubt, and hopefully we'll see where Hov is taking it," Gotti says.

"But on first glace, him and Roger sitting there, and Roger not saying nothing, and Jay is doing all of the talking ..."

Jay-Z hasn't had a ton of famous faces come to his corner in the wake of his controversial NFL partnership -- but he just got a key vote of confidence ... from one DJ Khaled.

We ran into Khaled Sunday in NYC, where he was signing autographs and posing with fans -- and when we asked if he was up for some questions ... he was quick to note that he only wanted to talk about positive things, seeing how his son, Asahd, and wife were there.

Seems DJK knew were this was going, because our photog asks if he's down to talk football -- clearly, we want his take on the Colin Kaepernick beef. At first, Khaled says no, but he finally bites ... and we ask if he's talked to Jay's about which NFL team he might wanna own.

Khaled says he doesn't have a clue which squad might be in the stars for Jay, but he sings his praises here with us. Check it out ... it's pretty interesting.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay-Z is set to come up on a "significant ownership interest" in an NFL team pretty soon here, which just so happens to coincide with this newfound embrace of the league ... despite public stances he took against them earlier this year.

As we've reported ... a ton of people in Kap's corner have blasted Jigga for the seemingly change of heart, and even Colin himself appeared to take a jab at the rapper just this weekend.

That said, Khaled's clearly on team Jay, telling us the guy has done and continues to do a lot for people in his community -- and he suggests this NFL news is just more of that from Hov. Keep in mind, Khaled and Jay are tight -- they've done tons of music together.

Jay-Z may think folks are ready to move on from Colin Kaepernick's kneeling protest -- but Kap says otherwise ... shouting out players who continue his movement to this day.

The former 49ers quarterback posted a photo Sunday that appeared to be taking a swipe at something Jay said last week during his press conference with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- when he suggested "we've moved past kneeling" to "actionable items."

Doesn't seem Colin sees it that way, though. In his IG post, he included pics of Eric Reid, Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson -- all of whom have continued to kneel in the years since Kap first started his racial injustice protest -- and shared some kind words about them.

He also used similar verbiage to Jay's in making his point, writing ... "My Brothers @e_reid35 @kstills @ithinkisee12 continue to fight for the people, even in the face of death threats. They have never moved past the people and continue to put their beliefs into action. Stay strong Brothers!!"

ICYMI ... Jay was asked about kneeling directly during the Q&A, and said flat-out ... we're past it, and ready to take the next steps. He believes partnering with the NFL is a key way to do that -- but Colin and co. have been blasting him these past few days as a sell-out.

Now, it looks like Colin himself has weighed in on the controversy, and it's clear he ain't cool with Jay's new alliance ... and sees the issue much differently than Jigga does.

Phil Mickelson nearly missed his tee time due to his hotel catching on fire from a lightning strike -- but hey, at least he lived to tweet about it.

The golf legend documented the scary incident on Twitter Sunday morning, saying he and a bunch of other guests were evacuated near Medinah, IL -- where Phil's participating in the BMW Championship as part of the FedEx Cup Playoffs -- after their hotel got hit by a lightning bolt ... which apparently sent part of the facility up in flames.

Phil wrote, "How’s this for crazy? My hotel was struck by lighting, I was on top floor,we were evacuated and the place is on fire(only thing of mine on fire this week.) I can’t get back into my room and may miss my tee time because I am without clubs and clothes."

His fourth-round tee time (with Brooks Koepka and Dylan Frittelli) was scheduled for 11:52 AM ET, and he was being shuffled out of his hotel a little more than an hour before that.

Luckily for him, Phil reportedly made it to the tee just in the nick of time -- and was later escorted back to his room and was able to retrieve his gear. Phil shouted out the EMTs who helped, writing ... "EMT's were awesome! I'm going to make it. Turns out my clubs acted as a fire retardant. Lucky me."

Now, the bummer ... Phil isn't doing too hot in the tournament right now -- he's in 47th place as of this writing ... and it'll be an uphill climb to break into the top 30 he needs to be in to move on.

Also important ... it doesn't sound like Phil notified his family of the emergency, including his ma -- which his sister, Tina, made him well aware of on Twitter.

Ex-NFL running back Cedric Benson -- the #4 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft -- was killed in a motorcycle crash in Austin, Texas late Saturday night. He was only 36.

Benson -- who was a superstar at the University of Texas from 2001 to 2004 -- was reportedly driving his bike with a passenger when they got into an accident with another vehicle around 10 PM.

The passenger -- who has not yet been identified -- was also killed in the wreck. Two other adults were injured. Officials are investigating the accident. Unclear what specifically caused the crash.

Hours before the crash, Benson posted a photo of his motorcycle on social media with the caption, "My Saturday evening."

Benson was an incredible athlete -- he racked up more than 5,500 yards at Texas and won the Doak Walker Award (top running back in the country) his senior year.

He signed a rookie deal with the Bears -- 5 years, $35 mil -- and was a key part of Chicago's 2006 NFC Championship team.

Benson later played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers before retiring in 2012.

Benson had several off the field problems after his career -- he was arrested for drunk driving in 2017 and 2018.

Cardi B made something clear Saturday night -- at least to us -- she's becoming the voice of her generation.

We got Cardi leaving the Bryant Park Hotel after a night of celebrating Jason Lee's birthday with Wendy Williams, and boy, she did not disappoint. Two things were on our photog's mind -- Bernie Sanders and Jay-Z.

He asked about her interview with Bernie, which was better than the sterile, canned interviews in traditional media, but turns out that's not gonna be her thing ... she says her mouth is "too slick" for a talk show.

And, then there's Jay-Z, who's taking a lot of heat for partnering with the NFL. Cardi has a different view, saying she believes he'll change the culture in the League and might even get Colin Kaepernick a quarterback gig. Not sure about that, but love her POV.

Here's the thing about Cardi. She showed everyone during her chitchat with Bernie how she can have conversations with politicians ... not just fire questions at them. She uses her experiences to punctuate her points, and at least in Bernie's case, he connected with her in a big way.

Here's what we think ... if she wants to keep doing this, it would touch millions of people who couldn't care less about politics, especially the way it's currently presented. And, if she does, any candidate who doesn't sit down with her is missing the boat.

Ezekiel Elliott says the security guard he pushed in a Las Vegas altercation demanded $500,000 in an attempt to extort him ... this according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Dallas Cowboys star's attorneys say they were emailed a complete list of demands from 19-year-old Kyle Johnson and his father, Kelly Johnson, after Zeke shoved Kyle at the Electric Daisy Carnival last May.

Police docs show Kelly emailed Zeke's attorneys just days after the altercation with AT LEAST 14 things he wanted from the running back to stay quiet on the incident ... including $500,000 cash.

The list of demands featured a public apology from Elliott, a press conference with Elliott and Kyle, $25,000 for the junior college football team Kyle played for, and signed jerseys from Zeke, Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott.

The demands list also included -- among several other things -- tickets to Cowboys games (both home and road), Ohio State games and a meet and greet with Jerry Jones and his son.

Police docs show one of Elliott's attorneys responded to Kelly's email with a phone call ... and Kelly claims in that conversation the attorney told him "what [he] was doing was extortion."

According to the docs, Kelly said after that conversation he decided to take Kyle's story to the public ... allowing Kyle to do an interview with a Los Angeles TV station on May 28.

Kelly and Kyle eventually filed a criminal complaint against Elliott over the incident ... but according to the docs, prosecutors felt they could not move forward with charges against 24-year-old Elliott.

There's more ... in the docs, Kyle admits Elliott not only apologized to him after shoving him during the May incident, he gave him a hug and took a picture with him.

In an affidavit from Elliott in the docs, he echoes that story, saying, "I had no intention to push and/or harm or intimidate Kyle Johnson."

"After Kyle Johnson fell and I was finished speaking with the officers nearby, I immediately apologized to Kyle and he indicated to me that he was not hurt."

Elliott added, "We gave each other a hug and he asked me to take a picture with him, which I was happy to do as there was never any intention to harm or hurt Kyle."

We've reached out to Kelly regarding the docs, but so far, no word back yet.

As for Zeke's camp, when reached by phone Friday, they declined to comment on the matter.

Elliott is currently holding out from Cowboys camp seeking a new contract. His team kicks off the season on Sept. 8 against the New York Giants.