TMZ Sports - Page 50

One of Jussie Smollett's alleged "attackers" is on a roll -- shortly after starring in his first movie ... he's hanging out with one of the biggest celeb athletes in the world.

Abel Osundairo met up with Floyd Mayweather this weekend at the undefeated fighter's gym in Las Vegas ... then hit up his club later on for more face time with the boxing champ.

We broke the story ... Abel's been training with Floyd's renowned trainer, Nate "The Snake" Jones, in order to advance his own promising boxing career after winning a title in Chicago's Golden Gloves tourney in April -- a fight that wasn't staged!

We're told Abel's preparing to give it a shot at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo -- representing his home nation, Nigeria -- and meeting with Money Mayweather should provide a ton of inspiration.

The Osundairo bro isn't just succeeding in boxing either ... he's on the up and up in the showbiz world too. We broke the story ... he landed the lead role in the low-budget film, "Friends Family & Lovers," directed and cowritten by the guy who also cowrote the Master P produced comedy "I Got the Hook-Up 2."

It didn't earn any Golden Globes noms or anything ... but still. Ever since being linked to Smollett's "hate crime" in Chicago on that bitter, cold night in January ... Abel's been heating up.

Can't say the same for Jussie.

Sorry, Patriots fans ... Rob Gronkowski is NEVER coming back -- so says Camille Kostek, who tells TMZ Sports straight-up, "He's done."

A Gronk return has been rumored almost since the day he announced his retirement this past spring ... and even after the NFL deadline passed for him to come back this year, people still think he might make a return next season.

But, when we got his smokin' hot GF out in NYC on Monday, she told us she doesn't understand why people think the ex-tight end is going to come back again.

"He's said like a hundred times that he's not coming back but everybody still asks. So, I don't know what to tell you any more!"

She added, "He's done."

As for his place in NFL history now that his career is officially over ... Camille tells us she has no doubts he's the G.O.A.T. when it comes to TEs!!!

Despite the Giants taking an L on Monday Night Football, Sterling Shepard tells TMZ Sports the game was extra special ... because he got to catch a pass from Eli Manning again!!

The 2-time Super Bowl champ was under center against the Eagles after his replacement, Daniel Jones, went down with an ankle injury last week ... throwing for 203 yards and 2 TDs.

4 of Eli's completions went to Shepard ... and the 26-year-old receiver tells us he didn't know if he'd share the field with his longtime teammate again.

"It was awesome," Sterling says. "I didn't really think I was gonna be able to get another pass from him. He played really good last night. I wish we could've come up with a win for him."

As for whether Eli should finish out the season when Danny Dimes gets back to 100%, Shepard tells us that's up in the air.

BTW -- Shepard was out in NYC buying Christmas gifts for the Harlem Children's Zone, so props to him for that!!

LL Cool J says Andy Ruiz broke the golden rule when it comes to STAYING successful -- he got comfortable.

If you know LL, you know he's a HUGE boxing fan (see: "Mama Said Knock You Out") ... and it's obvious he was disappointed to see Ruiz blow his run as heavyweight champ.

Ruiz told TMZ Sports he didn't take training camp seriously and "ate everything" -- which is why he showed up to the Anthony Joshua rematch 15 pounds heavier than their first fight.

"At the end of the day when you step in the ring you gotta be ready. And, if you’re not ready for whatever reason it doesn’t matter, you win or you lose," LL said ... "And he wasn’t ready."

"I got respect for [Ruiz]," the rap legend explained -- but he noted, "You can’t come into the ring 16 pounds heavier!"

LL knows a little something about sustained greatness -- he's been famous for almost 4 decades -- and he had a little advice for Ruiz moving forward.

"It’s the things you do in the valley that gets you to the peaks. And, it’s the things you do at the peaks that extend the peaks. Part of being great at anything is having the discipline to stay focused when you’re successful."

The female reporter who had her butt slapped by a man live on-air while she was covering a River Bridge Run in Georgia on Saturday is pursuing sexual battery charges ... TMZ Sports has learned.

According to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports, WSAV's Alex Bozarjian was reporting from the River Bridge Run in Savannah, Georgia when a runner named Tommy Callaway "approached from behind her and smacked her on the buttocks."

Bozarjian describes the incident as a "smack and grab" -- "advising that he also grabbed her buttocks in the same motion."

Bozarjian says she felt a "sharp sting" and it caused her to pause during the live broadcast -- which you can see in the video.

The 23-year-old -- who was later outraged by the actions, calling them on social media "violating" and "embarrassing" -- says Callaway reached out to her station a few hours later to try to apologize ... and offered to come to the station to do it in person.

Bozarjian says she has not spoken to Callaway -- but the phone calls and messages were relayed to her.

For his part, 43-year-old Callaway has lawyered up -- and his attorney issued this statement.

"While we regret the situation, Mr. Callaway did not act with any criminal intentions."

Jaelen Strong feels Odell Beckham's pain -- with the ex-Browns WR claiming the Cleveland training staff mishandled his own knee injury before he was cut in August.

25-year-old Strong missed the 2018 NFL season after suffering a torn ACL during his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars ... but healed up and signed with the Browns in Feb. 2019.

Cleveland was expecting big things from the former Houston Texans 3rd round draft pick -- which is why many were surprised to see him get his walking papers during the preseason.

Now, Strong is sounding off about his time in Cleveland ... essentially accusing the team of ignoring his constant knee pain -- and working him so hard, his body nearly broke.

Strong is specifically pointing to the Browns preseason training regimen -- claiming the team ran an "unheard of" 30 straight padded practices ... which took a serious toll on the players.

"We played a full season in camp. The real season is here and they are already behind the 8 ball. Hamstring issues at DB? That’s just saying they’re being overworked!!!!"

As for Strong's case ... the WR claims team doctors knew his body was suffering from the intense camp -- "my knee swelled up day after day" -- but he was never offered a recovery day off.

"We get to week 3 of preseason and I can barely walk," Strong says ... "I was dead ... body legs etc."

The Browns ultimately cut Strong on August 27 after he performed poorly in a preseason game -- but notes, "the Browns knew why I looked and felt the way I felt after making play after play in camp for 30 straight padded practices."

The claims come days after Browns QB Baker Mayfield called out the Browns training staff for mishandling Odell Beckham's sports hernia injury, which he also suffered during the preseason.

Britt McHenry is calling FOX News a "sanctuary for sexual harassers" in a new lawsuit she's filed against the network and her former "Un-PC" cohost, Tyrus.

In the lawsuit, Britt says the only "zero tolerance" FOX News is demonstrating is for her ... the woman who's complained 4 times about sexual harassment -- an obvious jab at the network saying it doesn't allow any sexual harassment.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Britt claims the network refused to investigate some of her claims, shunned her, shut her out of company events and refused to allow her to appear as a guest on other FOX News shows.

She claims the retaliation is a result of her blowing the whistle on Tyrus -- a former pro wrestler -- who she claims crudely sexually harassed her in 2018 with text messages that included threats of a d**k pic, and comments about her butt and legs.

She also claims she complained to HR and management but instead of putting the kibosh on Tyrus, they retaliated against her and gave Tyrus his own show. In the suit, she says FOX never disciplined Tyrus because he showed investigators photos and texts of her cleavage and nearly bare breast.

The messages made it seem like Britt and Tyurs were both flirting with each other -- but she claims, in the suit, the pics and texts were doctored and not really her.

As we first reported ... Britt filed a sexual harassment complaint with New York State's Division of Human Rights.

In the suit, Britt says even after payouts of over $100 million in recent sexual harassment scandals, "Fox News remains a sanctuary for sexual harassers, coddling and enabling the men who abuse female employees."

We've reached out to FOX News and Tyrus ... so far no word back.

Too sick to work ... but not too sick to bowl?!

That's the situation with Jets star running back Le'Veon Bell who was ruled out of Sunday's game with the flu ... but was healthy enough to go BOWLING the night before.

Obviously, some people feel if Bell was good enough to hit the lanes Saturday night -- the guy who just signed a 4-year, $52 million contract should tough it out and strap on the pads.

NY Jets head coach Adam Gase was asked how he felt about the Bell situation during a press conference Tuesday ... and it's pretty obvious he's annoyed as hell.

Gase told reporters it's bad optics for Bell -- but he won't punish the guy because the team can't exactly quarantine him.

"What am I going to discipline him for?" Gase said. "I can't tell him you have to stay in your house."

"I'd rather him not be [bowling]," Gase said ... "I'd rather him be at home just getting better."

Gase also explained he didn't want Bell coming to the team hotel either -- "The locker room was still contagious."

Gase said he'll speak with Bell about the situation later ... but now he's got bigger problems -- the Jets are playing the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday and we're guessing all Jets fans will feel sick to their stomachs after that game.

Deontay Wilder just WENT OFF on Anthony Joshua -- saying he fought Andy Ruiz like a COWARD ... and says AJ will get "demolished" if they ever get in the ring together.

"He didn't want no engagement," Wilder said about the Ruiz fight ... "He was just scared."

"You got a 6-inch height advantage, you got an 8-inch reach advantage. Why is you running from the smaller guy?"

Wilder says Joshua's style was boring as hell -- "Punch, hold and grab like you scared of confrontation!"

"When you're dealing with Deontay Wilder ... I woulda came in and demolished him!"

AJ has said his plan is to eventually fight Wilder to unite the heavyweight belts, but Deontay says AJ is full of crap ... claiming Joshua wants absolutely NO SMOKE.

"He definitely don't want me, for sure. I live in his dreams, I'm his worst nightmare."

"A lot of people read into [Joshua's] bulls**t and we can understand and identify and we know it's bulls**t coming out of his mouth. We just don't have enough toilet paper to wipe it as it comes."

Bottom line ... Wilder says he's ready to destroy Joshua whenever AJ is willing to sign the contract -- but he ain't holding his breath.

In the meantime, Wilder is gearing up for his own rematch against Tyson Fury in what could be the best fight of 2020.

Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Antwaun Woods was repeatedly told he had WAY TOO MUCH weed in his car during his arrest last week ... and it's all in new police video.

Woods was stopped in Frisco, Texas on Dec. 3 after cops say he was doing 77 MPH in a 60 zone ... and when officers say they smelled a strong odor of weed coming from his car, the NFL player was in big trouble.

Cops found 2 glass mason jars and a small gold cylinder container full of weed in his 2016 Cadillac Escalade ... and also discovered several pieces of drug paraphernalia.

The officers also say they noticed the 26-year-old had stuffed a small marijuana cigarette into a half-full water bottle during the stop.

In the video of the bust ... you can see an officer tells Woods straight-up, "So, listen, you've got too much marijuana, okay?"

That's when Woods tries to talk the officer out of putting him in cuffs ... saying, "Come on, bro, are you serious?"

Juice WRLD's death is another heart-breaking example of the drug epidemic in rap ... so says ex-NBA player Larry Sanders, who tells TMZ Sports he hopes people can learn from the tragedy.

TMZ broke the story ... the 21-year-old died on Sunday after suffering a seizure. Law enforcement sources say the "Robbery" rapper swallowed a bunch of Percs to hide them from the feds during a drug raid, which could have played a role in his death.

Of course, rappers like Mac Miller and Lil Peep have also died due to drug-related issues ... and Sanders says the glorification of drugs in rap culture is becoming a serious issue.

"I think these kids are starting young and it's getting embedded into the culture," Sanders says.

"It's an epidemic. Hopefully, the kids can learn from these horrible mistakes and make better choices, but it seems like the outcome's the same."

Of course, Sanders has been outspoken about his own battle with depression and anxiety ... and has become an advocate for mental health treatment in the hopes people can explore safer options than self-medicating.

"The conversation is what's gonna be important ... inspiring the youth to be brave enough to talk about how they feel."

Scottie Pippen ain't ready to hear all of those Luka Doncic comparisons to Michael Jordan -- telling TMZ Sports there's one MAJOR difference between the two guys.

Some backstory ... earlier this week, the Dallas Mavericks star passed MJ for the most consecutive games with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists since the NBA/ABA merger in '76.

Combine that with the fact Doncic is averaging a near triple-double per game right now (30 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 9.2 assists) and you get why people are making the comparisons to Jordan.

So, when we saw Pippen at Il Pastaio in Bev Hills ... we had to ask how he felt about the Luke vs. MJ talk -- and (shocker!) he still thinks His Airness is in a class by himself.

"He got 6 titles yet?!" Pippen said with a smirk.

For his part, Luka AGREES with Pippen ... also shutting down comparisons while talking with reporters.

David Fizdale is back on the West Coast -- returning to Los Angeles just days after he was fired as head coach of the NY Knicks.

Fizdale hasn't talked publicly about the situation ever since he got the ax on Dec. 6 --  and when we saw him at LAX, the 45-year-old made it clear he's still not ready to open up.

The Knicks took heat over the past few days for not being particularly nice to Fizdale in their initial press release about the firing ... but issued a revised statement on Sunday.

"The New York Knicks organization would like to thank David Fizdale for his leadership and professionalism over the past two seasons. He represented the organization with nothing but class. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

The NY Post claims the Knicks delayed the release of the statement because the two sides were still legally working out their separation agreement ... which could be why it took Fizdale so long to get on a plane and head out West.

Fizdale included a statement in the release ... saying coaching the Knicks "has been a great honor."

He added, "While it is obviously disappointing that we couldn’t deliver the wins we wanted on the court, I am very proud that we were able to establish a system which values accountability, respect, and hard work."

"Although the short-term results weren’t what I hoped for, I’m confident the culture and values we prioritized will contribute to the growth and future success of the core young players who are already improving each and every day.”

Weed is now LEGAL in the MLB ... the league is lifting its ban on marijuana for minor leaguers, removing the drug from its prohibited substance list.

As part of the MLB's efforts to crack down on opioid use in and around its league ... it has agreed to stop testing minor leaguers for weed, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.

Of course, the MLB already didn't test its big leaguers for marijuana ... but the rule change for everyone else is a big deal for the sport.

Previously, minor league players faced a 25-game suspension for a first positive weed test, a 50-game suspension for a second test, a 100-game suspension for a third and a ban for LIFE for a fourth.

Ex-Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress is among the list of several current MLB players who have previously been popped for using weed in the minors.

As for the why now ... MLB officials are clearly trying to deter players from turning to opioids to fix their issues -- this after Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs tragically died from an accidental overdose on fentanyl, oxycodone and oxymorphone this past year.

MLB still lists dozens of recreational drugs on its banned substance list ... including cocaine, LSD and MDMA.

Jay Glazer says the Browns need a major "culture change" -- and quickly -- telling TMZ Sports straight-up "things gotta change" if they ever want to be real contenders.

Earlier this week, the FOX Sports star said Odell Beckham wasn't happy in Cleveland -- and had been telling other teams to "come get me."

Glazer also predicted Odell will leave Cleveland after the season ends -- saying, "I don't see that relationship ending well for them after this year."

So, when we saw Glazer at Craig's in L.A., we asked if the problem is Odell or the Browns.

"Odell's still great," Glazer said ... "Just gotta find the right fit."

"I think they need a culture change. That's gotta change."

When asked if that culture change involved a coaching change -- Glazer wouldn't say. But, it almost feels like Glazer is implying the organization needs an even bigger shakeup.

It would be historic ... but Charles Barkley says Becky Hammon should NOT consider the NY Knicks head coaching job because it would set her up for failure!

Of course, the Knicks are in the market for a new head coach after firing David Fizdale last week -- and a lot of people are calling for James Dolan to make Becky the first female head coach in NBA history.

42-year-old Hammon has created a lot of buzz in the NBA coaching world -- she was a 6-time WNBA All-Star before becoming an assistant with Gregg Popovich's Spurs in 2014. Pop has praised her as a coaching star and it seems like it's only a matter of time before she takes a head coaching job.

There are rumblings Hammon is interested in the Knicks job ... but Barkley is warning her to stay FAR AWAY from the dumpster fire that's the Knicks.

"Somebody's gonna give her a chance," Barkley tells TMZ Sports ... "I don't think she should take THAT job. Don't take a bad job!"

As we previously reported, people are pretty upset with the Knicks for axing Fizdale -- with Michael Rapaport calling for a celebrity boycott of the organization.

Long story short ... Rap says Knicks owner James Dolan has ran the organization into the ground and he feels like a celebrity boycott is the only way to show Dolan the fans won't stand for it anymore.

Barkley says he ain't with the boycott but understands Rap's frustrations.