TMZ Sports - Page 50

Super Bowl champ Jay Ajayi is taking his talents to video games ... 'cause the NFL running back is becoming a professional FIFA 20 player!!

The 26-year-old Pro Bowler and current free agent is staying competitive in a different sport by officially signing with the Philadelphia Union for the 2020 eMLS Cup campaign.

Ajayi addressed the move in a statement, saying, "Philadelphia will always hold a special place in my heart. I am blessed to be able to represent the city through e-sports and to be one of the first pro athletes to become a professional gamer."

"Representing the Philadelphia Union for eMLS combines two of my greatest passions outside of football, soccer and gaming. I’m a competitor, so you’re going to see me give my all for the Union at every eMLS event this year."

Tons of traditional mainstream athletes are becoming serious gamers -- with NBA stars like Gordon Hayward, Karl-Anthony Towns and De'Aaron Fox showing off REAL skills on the sticks.

And, with legends like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Alex Rodriguez and other guys INVESTING in Esports, you might see other pro stars making the jump, too!

As for Ajayi, he's not giving up his NFL career just yet -- he briefly played with the Philadelphia Eagles at the beginning of the 2019 season before getting cut.

Lori Loughlin's defense in her looming college admissions trial hasn't been talked about much in the media, but make no mistake about it -- she has a defense, starting with the fact the so-called incriminating photos of her daughters on a rowing machine NEVER made their way to USC.

Prosecutors have made a huge deal of the fact Olivia Jade and Isabella were photographed on a rowing machine ... saying it's proof Lori and husband Mossimo Giannulli defrauded the University.

Sources connected to USC tell TMZ, the photos were never submitted as part of the girls' admission package. As we reported, the mastermind of the scandal -- Rick Singer -- told Lori and Mossimo to get the pics taken so it would appear they had experience on a crew team.

At its core ... Lori and Mossimo's defense is they relied on Singer -- who helped "10s of thousands" other clients -- to get their daughters into USC. They gave him $500,000 -- some parents paid less and some more -- and assumed the money would end up in the hands of the University. In other words, it wasn't a bribe -- so their defense will go.

Joe Johnson says he's been living in the gym and staying in shape in case an NBA team comes calling ... telling TMZ Sports he'll be ready to go if a squad needs him for the playoffs.

38-year-old Iso Joe made a hyped return to the Association in October when the Detroit Pistons scooped him up from the BIG3 ... but got cut a few days before the season.

Joe tells us there are no hard feelings with how it went down in Motor City, saying his body wasn't right at the time.

"I was banged up with a lot of injuries, didn't get a chance to really rest," Joe tells us. "So, it kinda hurt me. Which is why I got waived. But, I'm cool with it."

Now, Joe says his body is at "100" and his agent is keeping tabs on teams' interest as the season reaches that time of the year ... but makes it clear he's not gonna beg to get signed.

"I don't think I have to plug myself for that. I think my resume pretty much speaks for itself."

FYI -- Joe is a 7-time All-Star, former All-NBA third teamer and went on to be the BIG3 MVP last year.

"Like I said, if an opportunity comes about and it's worth it and a team is serious, of course I'll jump on that opportunity."

Jamal Lewis says he's giving the slight edge to his 2000 Ravens team in a hypothetical matchup against this year's Baltimore squad -- and it's all 'cause of Ray Lewis!

We got the ex-Ravens RB out at LAX on Monday and we just had to ask ... who would win in a tilt -- his 2000 Baltimore Super Bowl team, or this season's squad?

Of course, the '00 Ravens are considered one of the greatest of all-time ... with their defense STACKED with legends.

But, this year's Ravens team is also considered one of the best ever -- mostly because of Lamar Jackson's insane running ability.

So, who would win? Lewis says he's pretty sure it'd be a stalemate ... but then appeared to give his old team the advantage.

"We did have Ray Lewis," Jamal said with a laugh, "So, we might be able to stop Lamar."

Of course, the hypothetical matchup will only be a thing if the Ravens can finish off this year. They get the Tennessee Titans on Saturday and will likely have to play the KC Chiefs for a spot in the Super Bowl the following week.

Call this the Giants' 13th loss this season ... the Carolina Panthers just hired Big Blue's reported top candidate, Matt Rhule, to be their next head coach.

Rhule -- Baylor's head man since 2016 -- had been rumored to be the Giants' top choice since they canned Pat Shurmur last week.

It made sense ... the 44-year-old was born in NYC, and was previously an assistant O-line coach for the Giants in 2012 and was seen as a guy who could make an offense with Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley hum.

In fact, the G-men and all of their top brass were reportedly set to have a massive meeting with the guy Tuesday.

But, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Panthers owner David Tepper spent the entire day with Rhule in Waco, Texas on Monday and clearly made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

It's a bummer for the Giants, whose candidate list is slowly shrinking after Ron Rivera (Redskins), Mike McCarthy (Cowboys) and Rhule all went elsewhere.

NY is still in the mix for NFL assistant coaches like Chiefs' Eric Bieniemy, Patriots' Josh McDaniels and Ravens' Don Martindale. The team could also take a look at fired Cowboys coach Jason Garrett.

As for the Panthers ... it seems they're more than happy with their new hire -- Rhule famously turned Baylor from a 1-11 team in 2017 to 11-3 in 2019.

Former 'Bachelor' contestant Jade Roper Tolbert won $1 MILLION in a DraftKings fantasy football event this weekend ... but the victory has triggered an investigation after it appears she may have cheated.

Roper -- who appeared on season 19 of 'Bachelor' and season 2 of "Bachelor in Paradise" -- was participating in DK's Millionaire Maker daily fantasy contest, which involved selecting a lineup of players from the 4 NFL Wild Card games.

Roper submitted 150 entries -- the maximum allowed -- and one of her lineups ended up winning the $1 MILLION top prize. She even bragged about it on social media!

The problem ... fantasy football experts have pointed out an interesting wrinkle -- that her lineups seemed to be coordinated with her husband's 150 entries to maximize their chances of winning.

WWE security DOESN'T PLAY AROUND -- they sprung into action to take down a ring invader they believed was a crazed fan ... only to learn he was SUPPOSED to be there!

Here's the deal ... as WWE superstar A.J. Styles was leaving the ring before a commercial break, a man dressed as a pastor ran inside the ring to get ready for an upcoming segment.

Security raced after the dude and took him down FAST -- confusing viewers at home who had no idea what was going on.

Here's the real story ... the man had appeared on 'Raw' last week and was back on the show to make a marriage announcement for Lana and Bobby Lashley.

Clearly, security didn't get the message ... but don't worry, it's all good now!

Eventually, WWE officials sorted out the issue and when the show returned from break, the pastor got his mic and performed the next segment.

WWE announcer Vic Joseph even made a comment acknowledging the mishap -- but joked that it was all good ... and even compared the pastor to Bill Belichick. Funny stuff.

Hey, live TV ... it's unpredictable -- even when it's scripted!

WARNING: LOOK AWAY IF YOU'RE SQUEAMISH!!!

Joel Embiid nastily dislocated his ring finger during the 76ers' win over the Thunder on Monday ... and the injury was so bad -- his digit bent sideways at a 90-degree angle!!

But, the craziest part ... EMBIID STAYED IN THE GAME!!

The horrific scene all went down in the 1st quarter at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia ... when Embiid went up to block a shot but got his finger tangled in the process.

When he eventually looked down to see the mangled mess on his hand ... it wasn't pretty -- with teammate Ben Simmons saying, "I nearly thew up when I saw that."

Logan Paul has called out Antonio Brown -- TO FIGHT IN A BOXING MATCH -- and the craziest part?! Antonio Brown says he's down!

Paul -- whose rematch against KSI was one of the most-watched events on DAZN in 2019 -- had appeared on Barstool's KFC Radio in December and initially called out AB.

"Antonio Brown, I wanna f**k you up," Paul said at the time.

LP essentially explained that AB is out of a job and loves the spotlight -- and it could actually be a huge event.

Well, Brown is down ... tweeting at Paul late Monday night, "Square up!"

Paul fired back, "I’d drop you faster than the patriots."

Things have escalated to the point where a betting site has released betting odds on the possible matchup ... with Logan being the overwhelming favorite. AB could barely believe it.

"Wake your ass up! ... Wake the f**k up!!!"

Steve Kerr went BALLISTIC on a ref during the Warriors' game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night -- and the whole profanity-laced rant was caught on a hot mic!!!

The blowup all started near the end of the first half ... when Kerr argued a Kings layup shouldn't have counted because there was a foul before the basket.

The GSW head coach received a technical foul for chirpin' the refs ... and then he decided to get his money's worth -- going BANANAS on the zebras.

The transcript? "Wake your ass up! Wake your ass up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake the f**k up!"

Kerr eventually cooled down and was escorted off the floor ... but his speech clearly didn't fire up his squad -- 'cause the Dubs ended up losing 111-98.

Of course, it's been a pretty miserable year for Kerr and the Warriors outside of Thursday's loss ... they've won just 9 games this season without superstars Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.

Wanna see a grown-ass man freak out on video?! Great!

Here's Toronto Raptors star Rondae Hollis-Jefferson TRYING to prove his toughness by walking on the famous glass floor at CN Towers in Toronto ... and IT DOES NOT GO WELL!

FYI, the glass floor at CN Tower (one of the tallest buildings in the world) is a major tourist attraction -- 1,112 feet above ground and people come from all over to stand on the glass and stare down! It's wild!

Rondae gave it a shot ... but when it came time to step on the glass, his fear of heights kicked in and the 25-year-old FREAKED OUT!!

The 6'6" star refused to walk on the glass -- instead he tried to crawl and scoot across ... and it's funny as hell!

For the record, ZERO people have died on the glass floors -- and building officials claim it's so strong, it could hold the weight of 35 MOOSE!!! So, chill Rondae.

Adrenaline can make you do some crazy things ... just ask Chris Johnson -- who tells TMZ Sports he didn't mean to shade Tom Brady AT ALL after the Titans' epic win Saturday!!

"Let me get that right," Johnson told the guys on "TMZ Sports" (airing weeknights on FS1). "I was very happy for Tennessee -- you know that's my team -- but I can't even take nothing away from Tom Brady."

"He's the G.O.A.T., he's the greatest ever."

Of course, after Tennessee booted New England out of the playoffs this weekend ... CJ2K was SO hyped -- he was singing a much different tune, straight-up saying Tom needed to retire!!

But, after about 48 hours of cooling down from the big win ... Johnson told us Monday he didn't mean that at all -- and, in fact, he said Tom should keep playing FOR SURE!!

The Buffalo Bills left Houston with an L, but the players didn't go empty-handed ... 'cause some of the team's biggest stars went on a huge jewelry shopping spree before the game!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... about 20 Bills players, including guys like Ed Oliver, Vincent Taylor, Cody Ford and Jordan Phillips, hit up celeb jeweler Iceman Nick for some awesome team bonding on Friday (the day before their game against the Texans).

We're told the players were so excited to go check out the store, they went over as soon as they checked into their team hotels.

Here's what they copped ...

Ford got an awesome 318 pendant on a 14kt half kilo Cuban chain, which is worth $75k.

Shaq Lawson got a buss down Audemars Piguet watch and Cuban chain and pendent, worth $65k.

Other goodies for the crew included a buss down Rolex for Oliver ($75k) and other players got a baguette diamond bracelet ($18k), and diamond solitaire earrings ($25k).

All in all, we're told the Bills players spent a whoppin' $500k combined.

"Tom Brady isn't coming to the Chargers!"

Chargers legend Shawne Merriman is GUARANTEEING the GOAT ain't leavin' New England for LA this offseason ... saying flat-out there's no way in hell that move happens.

Of course, buzz about Brady possibly making that transition has been rumored for weeks ... and after the Patriots got booted from the playoffs Saturday, that talk has really heated up.

It does make some sense ... the Chargers appear to be looking for a Philip Rivers replacement, Brady is a California native AND TB12's contract with the Pats ends this offseason.

But Merriman says don't buy into the chatter ... saying straight-up, "Everybody stop right now. All right? Tom Brady isn't coming to the Chargers."

Merriman's logic is simple ... first and foremost, he doesn't think LA should move on from Rivers in the first place.

But, more than that, Merriman says if they do cut bait with Rivers ... LA's coaching staff will be looking younger -- NOT for 42-year-old Brady.

"Everybody who's starting those wacky conversations that doesn't make any sense ... just stop."

This is the best, worst version of a Lady Gaga song you'll ever hear ... courtesy of retired (?) NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski!!

The 30-year-old had some time to kill backstage before his appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" ... so he tasked himself with the VERY tough 2011 Gaga hit, "You and I," to show off his pipes.

And, MAN!! Did we mention this guy is great at football??

Look ... it's not an easy one to pull off. It's like one of those songs only Mother Monster can pull off, so don't sweat it, Gronk.

The dude gets all the credit in the world for putting his heart into the performance ... and that's all we can ask for.

We're told Gronk is appearing on the show to surprise a young female fan who had been bullied for playing football ... and he makes her football dreams come true!!

Gronk -- who's evolved into quite the businessman in retirement -- also talked about his partnerships with Snow Teeth Whitening and Byte invisible aligners while on the show ... and we take it that went a lot better than the song.

Best post-victory dinner EVER?!

Alex Ovechkin hit up a fancy Japanese Steakhouse in D.C. after the Capitals beat the Sharks on Sunday ... and the dude was feelin' so great -- he hopped behind the grill and fed his teammates!!!

The amazing scene was captured on video ... and we're all thankful for it -- because seeing Ovi flip bits of food to squadmates Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov was priceless!!

It's unclear why Ovechkin popped onto the hibachi ... but he showed his skills with a spatula are CLEARLY worse than his talent with a hockey stick.

Ovi took a few tries to get the food into everyone's mouths ... but still, good times were had by all!!!

It was almost as much fun as that time Tyrese invited Aziz Ansari, Andy Samberg and others to his personal hibachi restaurant in his backyard after the 2016 Critic's Choice Awards!

Of course, everyone was in a good mood because it was a GREAT night for the Caps' superstar ... he celebrated his 10-year anniversary of becoming a captain AND he helped his team beat San Jose in overtime.

Also, Monday's an off-day for the Caps ... so you just KNOW the partying didn't stop there. 'Cause, c'mon, look at how Ovi has gotten down after big wins in the past!!