TMZ Sports - Page 50

Luka Jovic -- a star striker for Real Madrid -- broke quarantine last week in order to see his model girlfriend ... and now, officials say he's facing jail time for the reckless move.

Jovic, along with the rest of his teammates, were advised to stay in two-week isolation in Spain earlier this month after a Real Madrid basketball player tested positive for coronavirus.

For good reason, there have been more than 2,800 deaths and 40,000 cases in Spain alone since the pandemic began.

But, Jovic reportedly broke quarantine in order to fly back home to Serbia to see his pregnant girlfriend, Sofija Milosevic, last Thursday ... and now, authorities in his homeland are PISSED that he didn't isolate properly.

President Aleksandar Vucic has reportedly claimed the 22-year-old soccer star is under investigation ... and could face time behind bars for the move.

Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabic reportedly added after learning of the incident, "We have negative examples of football stars who earn millions abroad and when they come back to Serbia, they don't self-isolate as is obligatory."

For his part, Jovic has called the whole thing a misunderstanding, saying he wasn't aware of Serbian's quarantine policy ... and claims he even tested negative for COVID-19 twice.

"While in Spain, I tested negative for coronavirus, and I decided to travel to Serbia to help and support our people and be close to my family, in agreement with my club," Jovic reportedly wrote on social media.

"When I landed in Serbia, I again tested negative for coronavirus. I am very sorry that some people did their job unprofessionally and did not give me the correct instructions on how to behave in self-isolation."

"In Spain, I was allowed to go to a pharmacy and a supermarket so I could get the groceries I needed, which is not the case here. I apologise to everyone if I have endangered them in some way and I hope that together we can manage to overcome all this."

Jovic signed a 6-year deal to play for Real Madrid in 2019. He and Milosevic have reportedly been dating for less than a year.

Mark Cuban is ripping both sides of the aisle for letting petty differences get in the way of helping the American people in a pandemic ... he says it's terrifying to see our government messing around while lives hang in the balance.

The "Shark Tank" star and Dallas Mavericks owner joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and dressed down Republican and Democratic Senators for the coronavirus stimulus stalemate.

Mark says there are lots of folks out there with their backs against the wall, not knowing where their next paycheck is coming from or when their kids are going back to school as the country stays on lockdown, and he says Rs and Ds gotta get them some economic relief and fast.

Mark let his frustrations boil over in a Twitter tirade against Sens. Chuck Schumer and John Cornyn, but he's got more bones to pick ... telling us why both sides are to blame for the impasse and wondering why no one is seemingly negotiating for the average American.

The Cubes is definitely on board with the government cutting checks to help folks who are outta work due to the virus ... he says anything that keeps people from being fired or laid off is gonna help the economy.

Speaking of the economy ... it's at the forefront of Donald Trump's mind, but Mark says people don't need to be rushed back to work in the middle of a pandemic.

Mark stops short of ripping Trump, but he's hopeful the Prez takes time to reevaluate things in 2 weeks instead of just opening the country back up for business and lifting quarantines and "stay at home" orders.

The way Mark sees it, the economy could take an even worse hit if people are sent back to work as the outbreak continues ... and he tells us why that's a very slippery slope.

Rob Gronkowski has a lot to smile about during the coronavirus pandemic ... the retired NFL superstar's teeth whitening business has seen a MASSIVE increase in sales ... and now he's paying it forward.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Snow -- which is part-owned by Gronk and UFC legend Chuck Liddell -- has been inundated with orders for the teeth whitening kits since the outbreak.

Josh Elizetxe tells us sales have increased by 240% and the orders are still coming in strong  -- most likely due to an influx in video chatting while people work from home.

"We are shipping around the clock from Arizona to our customers’ doorsteps to help them feel more confident for those video calls and social distance selfies," Elizetxe tells us.

But, all the profits ain't going to line pockets -- Snow has decided to donate proceeds to help smaller businesses survive during the pandemic.

Gronk tells us ... "I'm excited that we as a company have decided to donate proceeds from every order on TrySnow.com to small businesses across America affected by COVID-19."

Olympic pole-vaulter Alysha Newman says there's a silver lining to the coronavirus pandemic -- yeah, it sucks that the Games are postponed, but it's uniting the world like never before.

The 25-year-old Canadian -- who competed at the '16 Games -- had been hardcore training for Tokyo 2020 until COVID-19 stopped the sports world in its tracks.

But Newman says she's trying to focus on the positive -- and spelled it out to TMZ Sports.

"I'm going to get a whole other year of training and competition under my belt. Another year of growth as a person," Newman says.

"For me, it's been extremely humbling. For me, there is no wealth, no race, no religion, no 'who you know' that can get you on the other side of it. It's literally an entire world coming together and doing the right thing so we can go back to living reality."

"I've never seen that since I have been living. I'm 25 years old, I have never seen an entire world come together and really, really do what we can ... because it's us. Literally the world against this coronavirus and we have to remember that."

Conor McGregor just made a VERY passionate plea to the country of Ireland -- demanding they go into '"full lockdown" ASAP to protect themselves against COVID-19.

You gotta watch the clip ... the UFC superstar is HEATED -- saying straight-up, "True lockdown must begin, and it must begin now!!!"

McGregor shouted out the leaders of his country -- from the President on down -- saying, "While we are currently debating a full lockdown, I feel that we must! Any time spent debating this is needless time from the clock."

So far, at least 6 people have died from coronavirus in Ireland -- and more than 1,000 people have tested positive. Conor clearly believes the country needs to stop the spread.

Conor points to other countries that have seen success from quarantine -- and urges his people to take the threat seriously.

"Let's get it together and ring the bell ourselves," Conor says.

McGregor calls for the country to shut down everything from airports to non-essential businesses -- "along with stricter adherence to social distancing, must be put in place now!"

"We have the advantage here in that we can see this coming!"

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics will NOT go down as scheduled on July 24, an IOC official just announced.

International's Olympic Committee member Dick Pound says that they have officially decided to postpone the games ... in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told USA Today.

“The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

It's unclear when officials will reschedule the games.

“We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense,” Pound says.

The move should surprise absolutely nobody ... the globe has been paralyzed by COVID-19, with major cities and even countries shutting down over fears of spreading the lethal virus.

IOC officials tried their best to keep the games on ... but pressure from critics clearly grew too heavy for them to move forward with the July games as planned.

Remember, both Canada AND Australia said they would NOT send players to Tokyo to compete if the games were not postponed.

"With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games," Canadian Olympic officials said in a statement.

"Containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport."

President Donald Trump has suggested officials reschedule the Summer Games next year.

NBA superstar Joel Embiid is gunning to help those in need "do a 180" during the coronavirus pandemic ... donating HALF A MILLION DOLLARS to medical relief.

But, the 76ers center isn't stopping there -- the 26-year-old is vowing to financially support team staffers who have been asked to take a pay cut during the NBA suspension.

As Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday morning ... 76ers employees who make more than $50k a year are being required to accept a 20% salary reduction ... and the remaining staffers have been asked to voluntarily take the cut.

The amount Embiid will shell out for his fellow Sixers employees will depend on how many will need financial support during the league's hiatus.

Embiid joins fellow NBA superstars like Kevin Love, Zion Williamson and Giannis Antetokounmpo who have vowed to support arena and team staffers during the coronavirus suspension.

Ex-NBA stud Jason Collins has tested positive for coronavirus ... and he says he feels so crappy, he's considering a return trip to the hospital Tuesday.

The 41-year-old former center says he took a trip to New York City earlier this month for the Brooklyn Nets' pride night game on March 4 ... and believes he contracted COVID-19 while there.

Collins says his symptoms started with a "terrible headache" just a few days later on March 11 ... and then quickly progressed.

"A few days later I had a fever and then the cough," Collins said. "On Saturday I went to the ER and got tested and spoke with some docs about the tightness in my chest."

Collins added, "I’m home now resting but still experiencing some tightness and might go back to the hospital later today."

The good news for JC ... he says initial tests Saturday showed his lungs were clear.

In the meantime, Collins -- who played 14 seasons in the NBA (and was famously the first openly gay man to play in an NBA game) -- is pleading with people to social-distance to stop the spread of the virus.

"Thank you to every single health care worker out there that are our true heroes on the frontline," Collins said. "Please let’s try to flatten the curve & not overwhelm our health care system."

Feeling stressed over coronavirus and quarantines? Terrell Davis has the perfect solution -- GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET A WORKOUT IN!!!

The former Super Bowl champ offered up the advice to TMZ Sports ... saying breaking a sweat can REALLY help people get over the COVID-19 blues.

"It's great for stress," TD says. "It's a great stress reliever. We're all going through these times, uncertain times. Everybody's feeling the pinch, and you can feel real stressed out. So working out a routine is always good."

The Denver Broncos legend is certainly practicing what he's preaching ... the 47-year-old posted a workout vid over the weekend -- and the dude is JACKED.

He tells us he doesn't have a magic formula for getting as ripped as he is ... but his advice to those who want to get on the journey is simple -- start small!

"Find something that you want to do and stick with it," Davis says. "Don't pick something that's too hard that you're not going to want to do every day."

As for Davis -- who's killing it in the CBD business with his DEFY sports drink company -- he says he's feeling so good these days ... the thought of possibly playing ball again has crossed his mind.