TMZ Sports - Page 50

Gregg Williams is firing back at Odell Beckham ... claiming he's NEVER coached teams to play dirty -- and then he straight-up seemed to question if the dude was actually a great receiver!!!

Odell threw the Jets' new DC under the bus Thursday ... claiming his Browns teammates told him Williams ordered players to injure him when the two squared off in preseason in 2017.

"I had players on this team telling me that that's what [Williams] was telling them to do, take me out of the game," Odell said.

When Williams -- who was severely punished for being one of the alleged orchestrators of "Bountygate" back in 2012 -- was asked about the allegations Friday, he clapped back.

"We don't do that," Williams said. "Never done that anywhere I've been. We don't do anything to hurt the team ... We just don't do it."

Then, Williams appeared to take a HUGE shot at Odell ... 'cause when a reporter was asking about Beckham being a dynamic player, Williams cut him off and questioned if that was a fact!!

"That's your opinion?" Williams said. "What's New York's opinion? The Giants' opinion? What did the Giants do? So, that's not a question for me."

SHAAAAAAAAAAAADEEEE!!!!!

Williams won't get the chance to cover Odell on Monday when the Jets play the Browns ... but he will be dialing up the defenses.

Someone check Tim Tebow's blood pressure ... the ex-Florida star just went NUCLEAR trashing the new California law allowing college athletes to get paid -- saying it'll ruin NCAA sports forever!!!

"I feel like I have a little credibility and knowledge about this because when I was at the University of Florida, I think my jersey was one of the top-selling jerseys around the world.," Tim said.

"It was like Kobe, LeBron and then I was right behind them. I didn't make a dollar from it and nor did I want to because I knew going into college what it was all about."

There's more ... Tebow is FIRED UP -- but first, a quick review of the new CA law.

It's being called the "Fair Pay to Play Act" and it was passed by the CA State Senate this week, allowing college athletes to be paid for the use of their name, likeness and image without being punished.

California Governor Gavin Newsom now has 30 days to decide whether it will be signed into law -- but the NCAA is fighting like hell to get him to shut it down.

Enter Tebow ... who's taking the side of the NCAA -- going on ESPN's "First Take" to declare war on the 'FPPA.'

Tebow says college should be more about following your dreams and contributing to an institution than trying to make a buck.

"I knew going to Florida, my dream school, where I wanted to go, the passion for it and if I could support my team, support my college, support my University, that's what it's all about."

"But now, we're changing it from 'Us' from 'We' from 'My University' from being an alumni where I care, which makes college football and college sports special, to then 'Okay it's not about us. It's not about we, it's just about me.'"

"And, yes, I know we live in a selfish culture where it's all about us but we're just adding and piling it onto that. Where it changes, what's special about college football. We turn it into the NFL, where who has the most money, that's where you go."

Tebow added ... "That's why people are more passionate about college sports than they are about the NFL."

"That's why the stadiums are bigger in college than they are in the NFL, because it's about your team, it's about your university, it's about where my family wanted to go, it's about where my grandfather had a dream of seeing Florida win an SEC championship and you're taking that away."

"And, you're taking that away so that young kids can earn a dollar and that's just not where I feel college football needs to go."

The issue with Tebow's point ... obviously ... is that to a lot of players, earning a dollar is more important than contributing to the legacy of an already rich University.

Tebow -- who came from an already financially stable family -- went on to earn millions of dollars in the NFL and other endeavors.

A huge amount of NCAA athletes don't have that financial stability or promises of fortunes waiting for them after college.

Undefeated boxing superstar Devin Haney says he's got Vasyl Lomachenko SHOOK ... because Haney thinks Loma is ducking the smoke with him, and Devin is SICK OF IT.

Haney is 22-0 and being hailed by some as the next Floyd Mayweather, because of the way he dominates his opponents in the ring, and his flashy style outside of it.

We got Devin in NYC and asked him who he wants next, when and if he dispatches Zaur Abdullaev on Friday night, and it's clear he wants a crack at Loma.

"After this fight, I'm the mandatory for Lomachencko. I'm going to make [the people] demand a fight with Lomachencko."

Haney's got a problem, he says Lomachencko doesn't want to tangle with him -- instead opting to move around at different weight classes and take fights with guys for headlines. Devin said it's time to stop all that.

"Stop ducking me, let's make it happen."

If you're looking for this fight to go down soon, don't hold your breath ... Haney is young, INSANELY DANGEROUS, and still building his boxing name, which means Lomachencko will probably take bigger money fights against other guys.

Sebastian Telfair is FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

... for now.

The ex-NBA star and former H.S. prodigy is out of prison just days after he was sentenced to 3.5 years in his gun case ... but there's a chance Telfair could end up back behind bars.

Here's the deal ... 34-year-old Telfair was convicted of possessing an illegal firearm stemming from a June 2017 incident where he was caught with an arsenal of weapons during a traffic stop.

He was facing up to 15 YEARS in prison for the crime ... but instead, on Aug. 12, a judge ordered him to serve 3.5 years.

Telfair and his legal team appealed the sentence ... and asked that while the process plays out, they let Telfair bail out of prison.

TMZ Sports has learned a judge agreed to those terms Thursday -- with an ankle monitor clearly a part of the deal -- and Telfair is now a free man.

Unclear how much Telfair's bail was -- we're working on it ... but we do know he was spotted with friends on Thursday.

Telfair -- who famously appeared on Sports Illustrated's cover as a high schooler -- played for several teams in the NBA from 2004 to 2015. He was a Trail Blazer's 1st-round pick in the '04 NBA Draft.

Tyson Fury says he doesn't give a DAMN about money -- telling TMZ Sports he's not boxing for the paycheck because he's never met one single happy millionaire.

"I know a lot of millionaires and I don't know one happy one. Not one," Fury said.

"They're always unhappy because they're searching for more. Material stuff or money will never make a man happy. Man has got to find happiness deep within his soul."

So, why are we talking money with Fury?

He's fighting undefeated Otto Wallin on Saturday -- and if he wins that fight, Tyson says next up is a rematch with Deontay Wilder ... which comes with a MASSIVE PAYDAY.

But, Tyson tells TMZ Sports the money ain't the motivator ... it's deeper than that.

"I'd rather have the victory than money, that's what I'm gunning for. I'm not gunning for his belt, I'm not gunning for the paycheck ... I'm going for his blood."

Fury continued, "It's not about money at all. When you're comfortable in your life, what do a few zeroes mean really anyway?"

"Money's one thing, but you're talking to a KING -- El Rey de los Gitanos!! I am the Gypsy King! The real official Gypsy King!"

Fury says he has millionaires and billionaires lining up to be his friend because they want to be close to greatness ... but he doesn't care because money can't buy happiness.

Antonio Brown should pack his bags ... the WR is expected to travel to Miami and play for the New England Patriots on Sunday, despite facing very serious rape allegations.

Brown practiced with Pats on both Wednesday and Thursday (and worked out at Tom Brady's TB12 facility) ... and now NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says all signs are pointing to AB being active.

"Generally with Bill Belichick, the way it works is if you practice on Wednesday, then you are preparing to play," Rapoport says.

Earlier this week, Belichick wouldn't commit to an answer when asked if AB would play on Sunday ... telling the media the team was taking things one day at a time.

But, as Ian pointed out, AB wouldn't be getting reps at practice if he wasn't expected to play -- that's just the Belichick way.

As for as his eligibility, neither the NFL nor New England has said Antonio CAN'T play ... despite a new lawsuit that was filed on Monday in which Britney Taylor alleges AB raped her in Miami back in 2018.

In her suit, Taylor also accuses Brown of inappropriate sexual acts in 2017 ... including one incident where she says Brown "began masturbating near her without her knowledge and ejaculated on her back."

For his part, Brown -- through his attorney, Darren Heitner, and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus -- has strongly denied the allegations.

Since the case is civil, and NOT criminal -- NFL officials didn't rush to place Brown on the Commissioner's Exempt List, which would almost certainly have happened had charges been filed.

Rapoport reported Friday morning if Brown doesn't play -- it'll likely be due to football reasons and NOT the new accusations against the embattled wide out.

Remember, the guy is still dealing with injured feet due to a cryotherapy mishap.

"Nothing has stepped in and stopped Antonio from being eligible to play," Rapoport said. "It certainly seems like that is the direction things are going to go in New England."

The Patriots square off with the Dolphins in Miami at 10 AM PT ... and inactives lists are due a couple hours before game time, so things won't be official either way until early Sunday.

Michael Blackson ain't impressed with Kobe Bryant's dance moves ... telling TMZ Sports he moves like "Michael Jackson with a concussion."

We know, not exactly politically correct ... but we still laughed.

Of course, Kobe posted footage of himself when he was 12 years old, bustin' some old school moves to "Ice Ice Baby" at a school dance performance. The point was to show people Kobe had other interests outside of basketball.

Earlier this week, Kobe came under fire for comments he made about a girl on his daughter's youth basketball team who chose a dance recital over a basketball game. People accused Kobe of shaming the child, but the NBA legend insists he was telling a story about commitment.

Either way, Blackson wasn't impressed with Mamba's dance moves ... and fired off a few zingers outside Argyle in L.A.

The action on the field was boring ... the action in the stands was VIOLENT!!

A bunch of Carolina Panthers fans decided to pass the time at Bank of America Stadium in NC by beating the the living hell out of each other while hundreds of people gathered around to watch.

No, it wasn't an "official" fight club ... but look at the crowd watching these people fight.

Old people, young people, men, women, children ... people in visors -- everyone stopped dead in their tracks to watch the idiots throw hands.

Unclear who actually won the brawl ... but the fans seemed to like it -- maybe they felt like they got their money's worth?!

As for the game, when the rain stopped ... the Panthers got back on the field and blew a few late game opportunities as they eventually took an L to the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Don't fight, people. You look stupid.

Ex-NBA player Al Harrington has serious questions about why he's getting so much attention from the police lately, telling TMZ Sports he truly believes he's being targeted by the po-po.

You might remember we got video of a police stop involving Al last month -- he was pulled over outside of his office in Hollywood for some reason, but never ticketed.

Al claimed the incident was a case of "driving while black," and said it wasn't the first time he'd been hassled by police, claiming they'd frivolously stopped him earlier in the summer as well.

We got Al entering a Viola Lifestyle event in Hollywood on Wednesday and he said he's just been stopped by the police AGAIN, and it's clear he thinks something is up.

"I think I'm being targeted too."

The LAPD tells us they take Harrington's claims "very seriously" and says it is still investigating the situation.

Antonio Brown wants to show he's not being shunned by his Patriots teammates -- it's the opposite -- with Tom Brady welcoming the embattled WR to his famous TB12 training facility.

AB went live on Instagram on Thursday to show fans that he got a tour of the facility and a private workout with Tom's personal guru, Alex Guerrero.

Brown had a message for his fans during the live stream ... saying "Stay focused. The devil gonna try to bring you down when you get closer to your goals. The key is, don't let him."

Brown has been at practice the past 2 days despite a sexual assault and rape allegation spelled out against him in a lawsuit filed in Florida.

Earlier this week, Bill Belichick said the Pats are taking the situation very seriously, but wouldn't say if they planned on having AB with them on the field on Sunday.

What's still unclear is if the Patriots knew about the allegations before they signed him to a 1-year, $15 million contract on Saturday.

Another interesting note -- the Patriots have a rep for being tough on players when it comes to posting on social media ... but AB's post seems pretty harmless, unlike the aggressive posting he did during his time with the Raiders.

Andy Ruiz turned 30 years old on Wednesday -- and he celebrated by hanging out with inmates at one of the most infamous prisons in Mexico.

Just days before the heavyweight boxing champ kicks off training camp for the Anthony Joshua rematch, he visited Topo Chico prison in Monterrey, Mexico ... where he was cheered by the hundreds of prisoners like a conquering hero!!!

It just so happened, the prison was hosting the prison championship boxing tournament that day -- so Ruiz got to see some of the inmates flex some real athletic ability.

During the visit, Ruiz spoke with the inmates and encouraged them to follow their dreams and get their lives in order ... noting that he was on a bad path himself before turning his life around and becoming a boxing superstar.

Andy's rep tells us, "For his birthday he decided to spend the day with these guys and talk to them and motivate."

Ruiz will get a second crack at Joshua on Dec. 7th in Saudi Arabia.

By the way, Topo Chico prison is notorious for a 2016 prison riot in which 49 people were killed. Two rival factions of the infamous Zetas cartel went to war inside the facility ... setting the cell blocks on fire.

In 2011, police found the body of a prison official -- completely dismembered -- inside of a box in an abandoned car near the penitentiary.

There's more ... but it's similar stuff.

Lil Pump tells TMZ Sports he can dunk a basketball ... and TMZ Sports says PROVE IT, YOUNGBLOOD!!!

But, before we get to the Great Lil Pump Dunk Challenge of 2019 ... let's provide some context.

The "Harverd Dropout" rapper is featured in the uber-popular "NBA 2K20" video game this year. Although, only Pump can play as himself in the game, you can play against him in the game's "Neighborhood" feature.

The 19-year-old rap superstar says he's got serious "2K" skills in the game and warns cocky gamers, "Nobody wanna see me in '2K.' I'm the G.O.A.T. in '2K.'"

But, the big question ... does 5'8" Pump have the same REAL-LIFE skills that his video game character has on the digital court???

In other words, can you dunk, bro? Pump says ABSOLUTELY.

Okay ... let's see it then!!! Challenge made.

Now, we're not calling Pump a liar, but there are some important issues we'd like to point out ...

First -- the Internet says Pump is 5'6". We believe the Internet because the Internet never lies.

Second -- if Pump could dunk, we'd know that by now. How many closet dunkers do you know??? Exactly. None. 'Cause if you can really dunk, you post it on Instagram. Everyone knows that.

So, here it goes, Sir Pump -- name a time and a place, and we'll send a camera guy to document your rim glory for all the world to see. Let's see these hops.

Oh ... and P.S. -- 10-foot rim.

Major accusations from Odell Beckham ... who claims former Cleveland Browns coach Gregg Williams ordered his players to "take [Odell] out" of a 2017 preseason game.

And, Odell says he's got proof ... current Browns teammates who straight-up told him about the dirty hit mandate.

First off ... yeah, Gregg Williams is the same guy from the 2012 "Bountygate" scandal, where New Orleans Saints players had cash incentives to injure players on opposing teams.

Williams is now the defensive coordinator for the NY Jets -- and Odell and the Browns are playing them on Monday night. Odell was asked about Williams during a media session Thursday and went off on the guy.

"Just gotta watch out for the cheap shots and the dirty hits and all of the things that he likes to teach," Beckham said.

That's when the allegations came out ... with Odell saying current Browns players told him that Williams made him a target in a 2017 preseason game against OBJ's NY Giants.

"I had players on this team telling me that that's what [Williams] was telling them to do, take me out of the game."

Beckham suffered an ankle injury during that game due to a low hit from Browns cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun -- and you can tell Beckham's still PISSED.

"It's something that I will never forget, it changed my life forever."

Beckham says the injury led to other injuries (including a season-ending fractured ankle) -- and it almost tanked his NFL career. He clearly blames Williams and still hates the guy's guts.

"If I were a coach, I would never teach what he teaches," Odell said at practice on Thursday. "But, that's just him and what he does."

Scary revelation from Rob Gronkowski ... who says he's probably had 20 concussions in his life from playing football including 5 blackout moments -- but he feels like he's "fixed" now.

The New England Patriots legend was talking football to CBS News when he was asked if he'd ever let his child (if and when he has children) play the sport he loves.

“I would let my son play football, but first off I would educate him on the game," Gronk said ... "Educate him on what I went through."

But, here's the scary part ...

"I truly believe any injury that you receive is fixable though. I went through it. I had 9 surgeries. Probably had like 20 concussions in my life, like, no lie. I remember 5, like, blackout ones."

Of course, with CTE concerns at an all-time high, Gronk's statement is concerning, to say the least.

He also described having a pint of blood drained from his body following the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles ... an issue he chalks up to internal bleeding.

But, the NFL superstar -- who recently signed a deal with a CBD medical company which focuses on pain management -- says straight-up, "I'm fixed."

As we previously reported, Gronk has said he's open to an NFL comeback if he feels passionate about playing the game again ... and recently joked that he'd join the Pats in Week 14.

We love Gronk ... but man, 20 concussions is A LOT.

Be careful, bro.

James Harden is being sued by a man who claims the NBA star LIED to his face about how he intended to use a MASSIVE $30 mil Beverly Hills mansion ... claiming The Beard turned his spot into a party house!

The man behind the suit is George Santo Pietro who owns a 14,500-square-foot estate in the heart of Beverly Hills ... 8 bedrooms, 10 baths, gym, spa, wine cellar, pool, etc.

In other words, the place is INSANE!!!

Santo Pietro claims Harden signed a contract to use the home as a vacation rental for 1 week starting August 11, 2019 ... paying $82,200 for the stay.

But, Santo Pietro says there was specific language in the rental contract saying Harden could not have any more than 7 adults on the premises at any one time.

A larger gathering would be considered a "party" -- and Santo Pietro says he typically charges $150,000 for big events on the property.

In his suit, Santo Pietro says Harden agreed to the deal -- but threw at least TWO parties anyway with more than 15 people at the house.

Santo Pietro claims the property was damaged during the parties and neighbors are pissed -- and he wants Harden to fork over AT LEAST $300,000 to cover the usual party fee he charges.

Santo Pietro also claims Harden KNEW he would be throwing the parties before signing the contract and knowingly lied to Santo Pietro's face. He's also suing for punitive damages for fraud.

Santo Pietro claims he tried to work things out with the Houston Rockets superstar privately, but Harden wouldn't play ball ... so he filed his lawsuit.

Harden is currently in the middle of a 6-year, $228 million contract ... so he can afford it.

Look out, NBA ... ISO JOE IS BACK!!!

Ex-NBA All-Star-turned-BIG3 dominator Joe Johnson just signed a new contract with the Detroit Pistons on Thursday ... agreeing to a partially-guaranteed 1-year deal.

Don't be surprised ... 38-year-old Johnson LIT UP the BIG3 this season -- averaging 21.9 points a game and 3.9 assists a game for the Triplets, hitting 6-game winners during the season while leading his squad to a BIG3 championship. He was also named league MVP.

As the season wrapped up, there was a buzz NBA teams were interested -- and Ice Cube told us straight-up Joe was getting serious looks. In fact, NBA owners were attending games just to check out Joe's talents.

Johnson had been flirting with teams since the BIG3 wrapped up a couple weeks ago ... working out for the Bucks, Nets and Pistons and ultimately Detroit pulled the trigger.

Just a few weeks ago, we spoke with Johnson about a potential NBA career and he told us he willing to play his ass off for whoever signed 'em ... telling us he still has a blast playing basketball.

The 7-time All-Star last played for the Rockets in 2018 before joining Cube's league this past season.

It's not just a big move for Joe, but it also proves the BIG3 is a real option for players looking to prove they can still compete in the NBA.

And, if you think the BIG3 is bitter they're losing their best player, you're wrong. This was always the point of the league -- to flex real talent.