TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jimmy Garoppolo sucked on the field Monday night ... but Jerry Rice is giving the NFL star his unwavering support ... going to Twitter to defend the QB with a hilarious fail as bad as Jimmy's performance.

The 49ers signal-caller went 1 for 6 with 0 yards and an INT in his first game back since suffering a season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 last season ... resulting in an incredibly bad 0.0 QB rating.

But, don't freak out, fans ... the G.O.A.T. is here to make everything better!!!

"Relax everyone jimmy G . will be fine this year!!! Go miners" the G.O.A.T. tweeted.

Yes. Miners.

Hey, we all know Rice meant well after the team's $137 million man stunk it up, but the fumble on the vote of confidence is hilariously ironic.

As sure as Jimmy G will get to see another game, Rice got another shot at the tweet (which was deleted) ... and got it right the 2nd time around.

Conor McGregor just posted a message to Nate Diaz -- setting the groundwork for a 3RD FIGHT ... and telling Nate, "I'll be prepared."

The Irish superstar noted that Tuesday marks the 3-year anniversary of McGregor vs. Diaz II -- a fight Conor won by split decision at UFC 202 in 2016.

"3 years to the day myself and this Mexican animal went to war," Conor said.

Then he dropped this bomb -- "I’ll be prepared for it when we go again. If we go again."

"If not, respect always. A war for the ages. No bitch talk. Just real sh*t."

Conor also congratulated Diaz on his dominant victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 over the weekend ... saying, "It was motivating to see it for my own comeback."

"I don’t blame you not mentioning me for the trilogy bout post fight, you know what I’m like when I get going. Vicious."

Conor hasn't fought since his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October -- and while Dana White has told us he expects to see Conor back in the Octagon in 2019, he hasn't specified an opponent.

Clearly, Conor has his eyes on Nate ... but Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal instead.

Carlos Carrasco is a BEAAAAAASSSSTTTT ... 'cause just a few months after being diagnosed with cancer -- the Indians star took the mound again, AND THREW 97 MPH!!!!

Cookie hit the injured list back on June 5 after docs told him he had leukemia. He was feeling sluggish ... and nobody with the team knew if he'd be back again this season.

But, Carlos fought like hell the past few weeks to get back on the diamond ... and the dude looked like he hadn't missed a day of throwing when he made his first Minor League rehab start for Double-A Akron on Monday night.

According to MLB.com's Mandy Bell, Carrasco hit 97 MPH with his first pitch of the night ... and followed that up with a few more heaters at 96.

The Indians stud finished with one strikeout, one walk and no hits or runs given up in his one inning of work ... and he left to a huge cheer from the crowd.

"It feels great because those people were behind me the whole way," Carrasco said. "From Day One until now."

Unclear when Carrasco will officially make his return to the Indians' big-league roster ... but manager Terry Francona said he anticipates having Carlos back in the bullpen sooner rather than later.

As for his timeline on a return, Carrasco said, "I'm ready to go."

Mets legend Darryl Strawberry ain't bitter that Pete Alonso is crushing his rookie home run record ... in fact, the dude is fired up for NY's newest superstar!!!

"That's pretty cool, man," Strawberry tells TMZ Sports ... "I'm really happy for him."

Darryl hit 26 bombs as a rookie for the Mets in 1983 ... and no first-year Met had come close to catching that mark since -- until Alonso this season.

But, Pete hasn't just caught that number ... he's destroyed it -- the rookie has 40 home runs this season, only 12 away from the most in MLB history for a rook.

Strawberry tells us he thinks it's awesome, saying out in NYC, "That's pretty cool, man, that after 36 years someone breaks your record. So, I'm really happy for him."

Straw says it ain't just Alonso he's rooting for this year ... he tells us he's still a huge fan of both the Yankees and the Mets' entire squads.

Ronda Rousey is so tough, she BROKE HER FINGER on the set of the "9-1-1" TV show -- BUT NEVER BROKE CHARACTER!!!

Ronda -- who plays an L.A. Fire Dept. badass on the show -- was shooting a scene in Mexico last week in which she was supposed to slam a door during a dramatic action moment.

But, as one source put it ... "She was a little over-exuberant and slammed the door on her finger."

We're told Ronda didn't wince, didn't complain, didn't mess up the scene ... instead, she continued to stay in character and finished the scene.

Only after the director yelled "cut," we're told, Ronda FINALLY acknowledged the injury -- saying, "Ow. You're not gonna like this!"

Ronda went to a doctor who diagnosed her with a broken finger -- which is NOTHING for the former UFC superstar.

She got a splint for her hand and went right back to work the next day, our sources tell us.

Hollywood ... it ain't for the weak.

NBA superstar Russell Westbrook believes DRONES are the way of the future -- so he's made it a mission to help at-risk youth learn to pilot 'em ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Brodie's Why Not? Foundation teamed up with Chad Brownstein and the LA Conservation Corps to help "at risk young adults" in Los Angeles learn digital skills that will help them get good paying jobs in the tech field.

Not only will the students learn coding and computer engineering -- but he's also created an "advanced drone piloting career path program" ... which sounds AWESOME!!!!

"As a kid who grew up here in LA, I know how important it is to feel supported and empowered by the community," Westbrook said ... "By helping to provide these resources my hope is that the youth will be able to see how bright their future can be and expand the vision of what they think they’re capable of."

Westbrook and Brownstein are also funding a state of the art computer lab -- which is huge for kids who don't have the resources to learn computer skills on their own.

New hair ... don't care?!?

Seems Ezekiel Elliott is living by that mantra ... 'cause he's back in Cabo holding out from Cowboys camp with a fresh, new hairdo after Jerry Jones jokingly burned him earlier this week.

Of course, 24-year-old Zeke's been missing from Dallas practices all month, wanting a new deal ... and after his backup, Tony Pollard, killed it against the Rams on Saturday -- Jerry said, "Zeke who?!"

It was meant to be funny ... but Zeke wasn't laughing -- his agent told ESPN the comment was "disrespectful."

Now, Zeke's back in Cabo after briefly returning to Texas ... and he's sporting some new dreads while doing it!!!

Unclear if the haircut is a message (unlikely) ... but we do know one thing -- Zeke is serious about this holdout, and it seems he really might not play week 1 for the 'Boys.

But, hey, that haircut though ... #swaaaaaaaaaag!!!

Zeke is supposed to enter his 4th season in the NFL after being drafted by the Cowboys with the 4th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Zeke is still under his rookie deal -- which is only slated to pay him $3.85 million in 2019.

Elliott is looking to be the highest-paid RB in the NFL -- and with Todd Gurley signing a 4-year, $57.5 million contract extension in 2018 ... he clearly wants Jerry Jones to open up that wallet!!!

A fish head left in the freezer is the reason Antonio Brown is allegedly stiffing a guy out of $38,000 ... so says the celeb chef who put it in there.

The story is wild ...

Stefano Tedeschi -- who filed a lawsuit against AB just last month -- tells TMZ Sports after cooking for the NFL superstar at the Pro Bowl in 2018, he left a salmon head in the freezer with the intentions of making some soup the next day.

The problem? Apparently, AB and his crew thought it was a threat -- and straight-up kicked him out of their mansion!!!

"The salmon head I thought was a joke," Tedeschi says ... "But, apparently, it was real."

Tedeschi says he had agreed to cook for Brown and all of his friends for 3 days in Florida during Pro Bowl weekend last year.

He says the first day went off swimmingly ... he cooked breakfast and lunch for Antonio and his guys -- and then came back later in the evening to do a big cooking show dinner.

Part of that meal included filleting a salmon -- one Tedeschi had bought with his son earlier in the day. But, when Tedeschi stored the head of the fish in the freezer after the show ... that's when he says all the trouble began.

"Apparently they misunderstood the fish head," Stefano said.

"I said, 'Who could have possibly misunderstood a fish head in the freezer? Tell me, what person with intelligence could have misplaced a fish head for some mob, horse head?!'"

Stefano says when he came back to cook the next day, he was booted from the property and wasn't allowed to retrieve any of his cooking gear that he had left on the premises.

Antonio also didn't allow him to cook the following day ... and, according to Stefano, the receiver never paid him a dime for the weekend.

As we previously reported, Stefano is now suing Brown for $38,521.20 for the weekend, and he tells us all signs are pointing toward an ugly legal battle in court to get the cash.

"AB's team is acting like we're going to go to court ... he's going to drag this thing out, he's got more money than me, blah, blah, blah."

We reached out to Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, for comment on the fish head story ... and Heitner tells us, "There is no comment on the 'fish head' claim nor any other claim the plaintiff wants to make with the media."

Baker Mayfield simply can't believe the NY Giants selected Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft ... saying the move "blows my mind."

Mayfield made the comments while doing an interview with GQ -- the reporter says they happened to be sitting by a TV when ESPN ran a segment on Jones, the rookie out of Duke.

That's when Mayfield said, "I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones ... blows my mind."

Some people are interpreting the comments as a shot at Jones -- others say Baker was just vocalizing how EVERYONE felt about the pick ... considering so many draft experts had other QBs like Dwayne Haskins ranked higher than DJ.

If you're wondering, the Browns do NOT play the Giants during the regular season this year.

The GQ reporter continued the conversation about NFL quarterbacks -- noting that a ton of so-called "experts" never seem to accurately predict which college stars will make good pros.

Baker added, "Some people overthink it ... that's where people go wrong. They forget you've gotta win."

He continued to explain what makes a great QB -- "Either you have a history of winning and being that guy for your team ... or you don't."

So far, no comment from Jones.

So ... Steve Nash plays park soccer with former World Cup stars now -- and TMZ Sports has the video!

It's pretty amazing ... the 45-year-old ex-NBA superstar was playing some 5 on 5 (with a small goal) on Monday at an L.A. park with the likes of Team USA legend Cobi Jones!!!

Nash wasn't the most dominant guy on the field, but he certainly held his own ... which shouldn't be too big of a surprise considering he's a freak athlete who loves soccer.

In fact, Nash has a shrine in his L.A. home to some of his favorite soccer players ... so to get out there and ball out with Cobi Jones must've been awesome.

Of course, Jones is a Team USA soccer legend who played on the national team from 1992 to 2004 ... scoring 15 goals during his international career. He's the all-time leader in appearances for Team USA, with 164 caps.

A guy cops say claimed to be Genie Bouchard's brother charged more than $40,000 to the tennis star's personal account at a fancy Miami Beach hotel ... only problem is, HE'S NOT HER BRO!

The Miami Beach PD arrested 24-year-old Solomon Shlomo Azari at the 1 Hotel South Beach on Sunday -- where the tennis star lives when she's in Miami.

Cops say Azari went to the hotel regularly over a 2 month period and would run up tabs at the restaurant and bar ... and charge it all to Bouchard's account.

In total, cops say Azari made nearly $42,000 in charges, according to WSVN's Sheldon Fox.

Oh, and when cops arrested Azari ... they claim he had cocaine in his pocket!

Officials say Azari is now facing charges of coke possession, organized scheme to defraud, identity fraud and grand theft.

Colin Kaepernick says the 2015 shooting death of Mario Woods -- a black man who was shot multiple times by police officers -- is what compelled him to become a civil rights activist.

Colin told his story to Paper Magazine ... saying he was deeply affected by the incident, in which 26-year-old Woods was shot 21 times by 5 San Francisco PD officers during a Dec. 2, 2015 incident.

Cops confronted Woods -- who was holding a knife -- after receiving reports about a nearby stabbing.

Officers initially used non-lethal bean bag rounds on Woods while ordering him to drop the knife -- but then opened fire with live ammo when they claimed he became aggressive and was a threat.

But, cellphone footage posted after the incident appeared to contradict the police description -- showing Woods up against a wall while holding the knife at his side in a non-threatening manner.

A death investigation revealed Woods was shot 21 times -- 6 of those bullets struck him in the back.

The incident outraged citizens who accused the SFPD of executing Woods unjustly ... and according to Kap's girlfriend, Nessa, the QB began feeding his brain immediately after.

"If Colin wasn't reviewing a playbook, he was reading a history book," Nessa told Paper.

Kap took a knee in August 2016 -- 8 months after Woods' death -- and began his Know Your Rights Camp initiative that same year, using the Black Panther movement as inspiration.

Colin's KYRC has been thriving since their inception ... touching cities all around the country, and employing volunteers like Ava DuVernay, Taraji P. Henson and fellow NFL player Eric Reid.

Chris Morgan hasn't even entered the ring yet for his celebrity boxing match against Lenny Dykstra and he's already taking a big L ... over his viral nickname.

The angry little guy from the bagel shop has dropped his Bagel Boss moniker for next month's bout at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City after the Bagel Boss chain of cafes flexed on him, legally speaking.

The stores, in NYC and all over Long Island, fired off a cease and desist letter to Chris.

As you can see ... he now goes by The Angry Bagel Guy. It's not as catchy, but it still gets the job done.

According to the letter -- obtained by TMZ -- the lawyer for Bagel Boss demanded Morgan and fight promoter Damon Feldman stop using its name for ads and promos for the event or risk getting sued for trademark violation.

We've learned that within hours of the legal threat being sent Monday, the changes were made and the Bagel Boss nickname was axed and replaced with the new one.

It's unclear if it'll be enough to ward off a lawsuit, though ... because the letter also demanded a public statement declaring Morgan has no affiliation with Bagel Boss. So far, we haven't seen it ... and there are still some old social media posts referring to him as Bagel Boss that have not been removed.

As we've told you ... Morgan signed on with Feldman to be part of his upcoming celeb boxing event after going viral earlier this summer for ranting against women on dating sites, challenging a couple of guys to fight and promptly getting his ass kicked.

He dug himself a further hole personality-wise during subsequent interviews -- including with us -- but managed to land the fighting gig. Former MLB star Lenny Dykstra was named Morgan's opponent last week and has already teed off on him ... with some micro-penis jokes.

NASCAR dropped an awesome "thanks for saving our legend" gift over the weekend ... donating tickets to the first responders at Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s plane crash -- and seems they loved the gesture!

44-year-old Junior was involved in a fiery plane wreck last week, where he, his wife, his daughter and two pilots miraculously survived when their aircraft went down in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Everyone involved in the accident thanked the town's first responders for making sure they all got out OKAY ... and as a present, NASCAR gave them tix to Saturday night's Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

"We had a great time with our first responder family at the BMS night race!" The Carter County Sheriff's Office said.

"A big thank you to NASCAR for giving us and all the agencies that responded to Dale Jr.'s plane crash free tickets!"

Dale also chimed in with a thank-you message of his own -- breaking his silence on the crash -- writing Monday, "We are truly blessed that all on board escaped with no serious injuries, including our daughter, our two pilots and our dog Gus."

"I am thankful for the quick response of my pilots, local law enforcement, emergency personnel and hospital staff."

Daniel Cormier is still emotionally devastated after his UFC 241 loss to Stipe Miocic ... saying, "I am so sorry to all I have let down."

Of course, Cormier lost his heavyweight belt to Stipe after he was knocked out in the 4th round of their main event on Saturday night ... a fight DC was winning before things turned.

Now, Cormier has had a few days to process the loss and issued an emotional statement on social media.

"It’s been a couple of days and I can’t stress the disappointment," Cormier says ... "I am so sorry to all I have let down."

"To my wife and kids I am so sorry you guys had to experience that, I never wanted y’all to see that and the hurt you guys showed breaks my heart everytime I think about it."

"My coaches I am sorry, i appreciate the work and time you’ve spent with me. My fans, thank you guys for all the love and support you have guided me to all these amazing accomplishments."

"Stipe Miocic and his team, congratulations on a tremendous victory, you showed so much heart and grit, you are the definition of Cleveland tough."

As for Cormier's future, the 40-year-old legend says he's still contemplating his fighting career -- and "I will decide what I am gonna do now, and as soon as I decide you will all know right away."

Cormier is one of the all-time greats in the UFC and a surefire Hall of Fame when he does decide to retire ... with signature wins over studs like Anderson Silva, Rumble Johnson, Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis, Dan Henderson and more.

The BIG3 was ON FIRE over the weekend -- with a ton of huge stars hitting the American Airlines Center in Dallas for the BIG3 Ballout ... capped off with a live performance from T.I.

The place was rockin' ... with Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Gary Payton and more showing support for the league's intense 6-game showcase just 1 week before the playoffs begin. The championship game is on Sept. 1 at Staples Center.

The basketball action was solid -- with stars like Tri-State's Amar'e Stoudemire and Aliens' Greg Oden battling it out on the court ... where things got pretty chippy between the 2 big men.

And, with so many players in the league looking to make the jump back to the NBA, it's a pretty big deal to have Dallas Mavericks honcho Mark Cuban sitting in the front row.

By the way, Lisa Leslie's Triplets squad is currently in 1st place -- with stars like Jannero Pargo and Joe Johnson, who just set a BIG3 record for points scored in a season (175).

The Triplets are 7-1 through 8 weeks  -- with Stephen Jackson's Killer 3s squad in 2nd place with a 5-3 record.