TMZ Sports - Page 50

Conor McGregor's PR tour has touched down in Italy -- where the UFC superstar is still trying to prove he's just your average family man ... and not a violent maniac.

Just days after Conor went on ESPN to apologize for punching a man in the face at a pub, McGregor and his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, flew over to the Amalfi Coast for some R&R.

Conor also brought along his personal photographer to Italy to capture some lovey-dovey pics of the couple ... which we're sure they'll post on social media shortly.

Of course, Conor is desperately trying to push the narrative that he's not a bad guy ... telling Ariel Helwani last week his violent outbursts are a result of being "baited" by troublemakers.

The problem, obviously, is that video evidence doesn't seem to jive with Conor's explanation ... the guy at the Irish pub was just SITTING THERE when Conor punched him in the face.

And, the phone-smashing incident in Miami also seems to have been more about Conor being a jerk than the other guy antagonizing him.

And, don't forget about the 2018 bus attack ... when Conor chartered a plane from Ireland to New York to try and jump Khabib Nurmagomedov ... injuring several innocent people in the process.

The good news ... Conor is using his injured left hand to lift weights during his Italian vacation which is a good sign if he's REALLY hoping to fight again in 2019.

File Under: Moguls Stick Together!!!

Diddy is throwing his support behind his friend, Jay-Z -- and clapping back at the haters who have been blasting Jay for getting into bed with the NFL.

As we previously reported, Jay and NFL commish Roger Goodell announced a partnership earlier this month -- where Roc Nation will head up music, entertainment and social justice efforts for the NFL.

Some went after Jay saying he turned his back on Colin Kaepernick after publicly supporting the QB in the past. Jay explained that he's trying to turn Colin's kneeling protest into a tangible change for people affected by police brutality.

Now, Diddy is going to bat for Jay too -- while continuing to show support for Colin as well.

"Hov is one of the greatest to ever do it, he has been there more than anybody from the hip hop culture, including me," Diddy said on social media.

"He always has been so selfless and fights for other people. We as a people can not be divided and conquered at this time!!"

As for Kap, Diddy said he's proud of the QB -- adding, "I’ll continue to support him in every way possible."

Diddy says he believes Jay will do some incredible things in his partnership with the NFL -- explaining, "It’s time to play chess not checkers."

Diddy also spelled out why he cares so much about Jay-Z's success.

"I was just watching everything last week but it hurt me to my heart because I know this man personally. He’s one of the most genuine and intelligent black leaders we’ve ever had. We cannot go against each other, there’s not enough of us. I applaud Jay Z and I applaud the NFL for bringing him in."

"This isn’t just about the NFL, it’s about how black and brown people are treated daily across this country. We have to come together and make the hard decisions, nobody is going to do it for us."

"I believe in taking action, taking steps towards the right direction and I support all my brothers that are out here taking ACTION."

DeMarcus Cousins didn't let a torn ACL hold him back on the biggest day of his life ... so says Matt Barnes, who tells TMZ Sports the NBA superstar was dancing and in great spirits at his wedding over the weekend!!!

The 29-year-old Lakers center married his longtime girlfriend, Morgan Lang, in Atlanta on Saturday -- just 2 weeks after seriously injuring his left knee in a Vegas training sesh.

The event looked like NBA All-Star Weekend with huge stars like Barnes, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and more in attendance.

As for the dancing, Boogie didn't do anything stupid -- he was cautious -- and left the wild dance moves to his new wife!!!

You can see in the footage ... Cousins was moving nice and slow during his first dance with his wife. There will be plenty of time for Boogie to boogie after he gets healthy.

We talked to Barnes about DC's morale during his big day ... and while Matt says he's sure the guy is frustrated about the recent bad luck, Cousins didn't show it on Saturday.

"He's been through a lot of late, so I'm happy to see him smile, be able to take his mind off his injury and enjoy his day," Barnes told us at LAX.

BONUS -- Matt Barnes had a BIG problem on the day after the wedding ... he had a bunch of weed but didn't want to take it to the airport.

What ensued is one of the funniest scavenger hunts we've ever seen -- and Barnes posted a road map to his stash on social media!!!

Good luck!!!

If you stay ready, you don't have to GET ready ... and Colin Kaepernick looks ready!

The quarterback hit up a gym in New York City on Sunday to get his pump on ... just in case that phone rings from an NFL team.

Kap was sporting Nike head to toe -- the company has not only stuck by Colin, but has featured him in ad campaigns over the years.

Our Kap sources tell us Colin's been hitting the gym DAILY and working out with a QB coach regularly ever since he last stepped foot on an NFL field back in 2016.

Now, with Andrew Luck announcing his retirement on Saturday ... and other teams trying to figure out their quarterback situations, seems the timing could finally be right for a Colin Kaepernick comeback.

In fact, Colin's pal, Eric Reid, recently said he'd like to see Kap get a shot with the Carolina Panthers if (and only IF) Cam Newton is too injured to play after suffering a foot injury during a preseason game.

Reid stressed that he supports Cam and is rooting for Cam -- but says Kap would be an excellent Plan B.

Kaepernick has made it clear to friends and fans that he wants to keep playing football -- and recently debuted a counter on his social media pages showing the days he's been out of work.

Patriots safety Patrick Chung won't be in court Wednesday to face his cocaine charge ... he waived his arraignment hearing and had his attorney plead not guilty for him on Monday instead.

The New England defensive back was indicted by a grand jury in Belknap County, NH earlier this month after officials say Chung was found in possession of coke back on June 25.

Chung was slated to appear in court later this week to fight the charge ... but according to court officials, that hearing has been canceled after Chung's attorney entered a not guilty plea on the 32-year-old's behalf.

Chung is now slated to head back to court on Nov. 8 ... just 5 days after the Patriots play the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

Chung's cocaine charge is a serious one ... the guy is facing 7 YEARS behind bars if he's convicted.

Chung -- who's helped New England win 3 Super Bowls -- has not played in the Patriots' 3 preseason games this month.

Head coach Bill Belichick has declined to comment on the safety's status ... and the team said in a statement last week, "We will not be commenting while his judicial proceedings take place."

NBA star De'Aaron Fox is shedding some light on why he parted ways with Team USA -- telling TMZ Sports it's NOT because he's injured!!!

The 21-year-old withdrew from Team USA earlier this month -- joining guys like Trae Young and Kyle Lowry who also recently backed out.

There have been questions surrounding Fox's move ... some people think he was nursing a secret injury, others say he wants to focus on the next NBA season. There's even a theory he was cut.

So, when we saw the Sacramento Kings star at LAX, we had to ask for the REAL reason he left.

"That's for me to know," Fox coyly told us ... adding, "I'm completely healthy."

So, the mystery continues ...

Nick Turturro went NUCLEAR on Dodgers star Joc Pederson over the weekend -- with the actor claiming Joc FLIPPED HIM OFF during the game ... and now they're enemies for life!!!

FYI, the "NYPD Blue" star is a HARDCORE Yankees fan -- and was sitting front row at Dodgers Stadium on Sunday to watch his Bombers take on the Blue Crew at Dodgers Stadium.

Nick was going crazy during the game -- celebrating and cheering so hard, he was featured several times during the broadcast on FS1.

But, after Joc's first at-bat (a solo home run), Turturro claims Pederson looked right at him and shot him the bird ... for essentially no reason!!!

"Can you believe this?! I'm sitting here in the front row, Joc Pederson just flipped me off for nothing! I was just looking at him," Nick said.

"I guess 'cause I got a Yankee jersey??? It's alright, Joc. Now, you're on my s**t list!!! Now, I'm in your head!"

Nick's rant continued ... "I'M OFFICIALLY IN YOUR HEAD!!! I can't wait 'til you come up again!!!"

Yep, the Turturro curse was in full affect ... and it worked!!! Joc didn't get another hit the rest of the game and the Yankees ended up winning 5-1, taking the series 2 games to 1.

This beef is far from over ... with the Dodgers and Yankees killing it right now, it's VERY possible they could meet up again in the World Series, which would be AMAZING!!!

Tom Brady is clapping back at the Andrew Luck haters -- saying, "It's his life. Everyone has the right to choose what they want to do."

Luck was showered in boos from Colts fans on Saturday who were pissed at the 29-year-old for retiring just 2 weeks before the season.

Some ex-NFL players and reporters have also trashed Luck -- essentially saying he's screwing over his teammates, coaches and fans.

But, Tom Brady ain't hearing that crap ... essentially defending Luck during his weekly appearance on "The Greg Hill Show" on WEEI.

"Everybody wishes they could be healthy all the time," Brady said ... "It is a contact sport and he’s certainly had his fair share of injuries, so guys retire at different times."

Don't worry, Tom ain't going anywhere ... the 42-year-old QB made it clear he wants to keep playing as long as he can -- and says his family, friends, teammates and trainer are behind him all the way.

"It feels great when you have that support because a football season is like a marathon. There’s moments where it is very challenging whether it’s physically, emotionally, or mentally -- you need somebody to help you push through the hard parts because it’s not all easy."

Brady added, "It’s a great challenge, but it is very rewarding when you meet the challenge, too."

What's interesting is that Tom's wife, Gisele, has spoken publicly about her concerns for Tom's long-term health ... saying in 2017 he has concussions all the time that "we don't talk about."

She also went on Ellen in late 2018 and suggested she tried talking Tom into retiring ... but "wasn't very successful."

Tom's not the only star QB defending Luck -- Troy Aikman came out swinging at Doug Gottlieb, who tweeted, "Retiring cause rehabbing is 'too hard' is the most millennial thing ever."

Aikman fired back -- "That's total bulls**t Doug. What qualified you to decide how someone should live their life?"

Sore losers?!?

The director of the University of Florida marching band was attacked on the way back to the bus after the football team beat the Miami Hurricanes ... and everyone seems to be pointing the finger at an angry 'Canes fan.

After Florida secured a 24-20 win over their in-state rivals Saturday night in Orlando, Jay Watkins was leading the UF band out of the stadium and to the waiting buses when he tried to block a female fan from cutting through the formation, according to school officials.

Moments later, someone grabbed Watkins from behind and threw him to the ground -- causing a laceration on his head.

The suspect fled the scene -- but most people believe the culprit was a Miami fan who took the rivalry too far.

The good news for Watkins ... he was treated by a paramedics but ultimately traveled home on the bus with the rest of the band.

Watkins spoke with Florida State University band director Patrick Dunnigan on Sunday -- and told him, "he is very sore today and has a nasty bump on his head."

Dunnigan says he's sick and tired of band members being targeted by stupid, violent fans.

"Students in band uniforms are an easy and all-too-common target for disgruntled fans — especially these idiots who attend Miami games," Dunnigan said on Facebook.

The battle continues ...

Shaquille O'Neal is throwing shade at Dwight Howard again ... proving that a Lakers jersey won't protect DH from the wrath of the Diesel.

Shaq and Dwight have been going at it for years -- some people trace the feud back to a 2007 dance battle ... when a young Dwight tried to eat Shaq's metaphorical heart (don't worry, Shaq battled back and took his head).

Over the years, the shots continued ... with Dwight even trying to use Shaq's famous "Superman" moniker at one point. That didn't go over well with O'Neal.

So, when we saw Shaq at Papa John's in ATL -- where he was giving away free pizza to kids -- we had to ask how he felt about the Lakers signing D12 in the wake of Boogie Cousins getting injured.

"Who?!? I don't know him," Shaq cheekily told us ... trying to turn the focus back on the food.

Point is ... Shaq's a Lakers legend with his own statue on the side of the Staples Center -- so if Dwight wants to win back Lakers Nation, he's gotta figure out a way to win over Shaq, quickly.

Rob Gronkowski's retirement will end THIS SEASON ... so says ex-Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins, who tells TMZ Sports, "You heard it here first, he's going to be back this year!"

30-year-old Gronk famously hung up his spikes this past spring ... but there haven't been many people who have believed he's truly done with football.

Wiggins -- who's still plugged in with the Patriots -- says count him on the side that thinks Gronk's going to make a comeback ... telling us, "I would bet money -- at this point in time, I'm, like, 97% sure he's going to come back."

And, why? Jermaine thinks Rob is just going to miss playing too much to not eventually come walking back into Bill Belichick's locker room later this year.

"He loves the limelight," Wiggins says ... "And, what better way to keep continue to build the Gronk brand by being out on the field?"

As for how successful Gronk will be after such a long layoff from football, Wiggins says he thinks the future Hall of Famer will have no trouble getting back into form.

In fact, Wiggins tells us he thinks the time off will actually HELP Gronk!!

The angry short guy who threw a fit in a Bagel Boss shop a month ago is all fired up again -- only this time, it landed him in cuffs.

Chris Morgan was restrained by cops Sunday at Bay Shore Marina in New York, where eyewitnesses say he'd allegedly gotten into it with another guy just moments prior. Police were on the scene and pounced -- and most of it was caught on camera.

You can see the officers tell Chris to lay on his stomach and get his hands behind his back. He complies, mouthing off throughout the whole ordeal.

Chris was placed in cuffs and led to a police cruiser -- you see that here in video TMZ obtained. It's unclear if he was placed inside, or if he was arrested or not -- we're working on getting more details now. Point is though ... this is a bad look.

Of course, Chris has been riding his 15 minutes of fame since his viral meltdown in the bagel shop, where he lost his cool over a number of things, including lady troubles. As we've noted, he's had a long history of public confrontations and face-offs with folks.

Chris has since signed on to partake in a celebrity boxing match with Lenny Dykstra, who's already taken some personal shots.

No word yet on whether this is gonna affect Chris' boxing deal.

Kendrick Lamar may be small, but the man is mighty -- that much we can tell by the way he trains in the ring.

The Grammy-winning rapper has been getting his box on lately at a gym in Northridge, CA -- about 20 minutes north of L.A. -- and TMZ Sports got a hold of what appears to be the only footage of Kendrick in the ring doing his thing. This clip is from earlier this year.

Dude's from Compton, but it seems he's been looking to keep an even lower profile than usual ... 'cause we're told this specific facility is pretty dang discreet.

As for what Kendrick has been getting into inside, welp ... take a looksy for yourself. As it turns out, Kung Fu Kenny's got hands -- you can see him doing a vigorous round of focus mitt drills with a trainer ... and we gotta say, KL could go toe-to-toe with any Joe there.

We're told Kendrick went about four rounds of mitts on this outing -- and he looked sharp all the way through. It's unclear what he's training for -- maybe he's just keeping fit?

Either way, the MC is no stranger to combat in his art. During his "DAMN" tour, he embraced the martial arts aesthetic in a video that accompanied his set, and homeboy could move.

Whether it's boxing or kung fu fighting ... Kendrick has made major strides from the way he used to throw down (jokingly, of course).

Mark Zuckerberg's summer of Man vs. Wild 2019 is in full swing up in Lake Tahoe -- where he's now a boating captain ... with a little assistance from the crew, of course.

The Facebook founder and CEO was at one of his two new Tahoe waterfront estates Saturday -- properties he reportedly dropped around $60 mil for this past winter -- and Zuck was getting briefed on a new operating system ... it's called HowToSteerVessels 2.0™.

Eyewitnesses tell us Mark and some pals were being taught how to steer this boat, and that he even got behind the wheel at one point as it drifted away from the dock.

It must've been a successful outing, 'cause we're told Mark and co. had the boat out on the water for a few hours before returning to shore. Now, it's unclear if MZ owns this thing -- it's possible he's just learning how to drive on it and someone was doing him a favor.

Ya gotta imagine when he gets it down, he'll shell out for something a bit nicer -- dude's worth an estimated $66 billion, after all. He can afford to be among Tahoe's finest, no doubt

It's interesting too ... Mark's been getting in the water A LOT over the past year or so, including what look like some cool ventures there in Tahoe this summer as well. He posted a photo last month of him paddle boarding on the lake and taking in a gorgeous sunset.

Stipe Miocic stepped out of the Octagon as the big winner, and then stepped right into this club a week later an even bigger birthday boy.

The MMA fighter celebrated winning the heavyweight card at UFC 241 against Daniel Cormier last weekend by raging at Cleveland's Barley House Saturday night, where he was met with a massive bottle of Luc Belaire bubbly ... which he promptly started drinking.

Nothing says 4th-round TKO victory like champagne to the face.

The party served two purposes as it turns out -- Stipe was also celebrating his 37th birthday, which had just come around this past Monday. That's why you're seeing cake here too.

The pastry came courtesy of Colossal Cupcakes, and it ended weighing in at 20 lbs. of pure edible gold in the shape of a UFC trophy. Looks like Stipe was diggin' lickin' it.

The Cleveland native was joined by some good friends, including Browns player Myles Garrett, whose team has looked pretty solid this preseason, but lost on Thursday night.

David and Victoria Beckham are flexing their British roots with some of the best company the UK has to offer -- Sir Elton John is onboard with the couple on the same yacht.

The Beckhams and their children are riding on a luxury yacht right now with the legendary singer, his husband David Furnish and their kids -- where they're all enjoying the steady waters in the South of France ... and diving in feet first when the mood strikes, it seems.

Well, Dave is anyway -- he was snapped holding hands with his daughter, Harper, and one of Elton's boys ... jumping off the side of the yacht into the ocean as a group.

Based on what we can see here, the wife had a little something for him when he came back up dripping wet. Yes, you can feel the love today with these two ... it's as strong as ever.

As for boat wear ... DB went with the classic shirtless look, Victoria rocked a sun dress and Elton was in a floral design getup ... rockin' his shades too, per usual. Looks like he kept Victoria company at one point while Dave was splashing around with the kiddos.