TMZ Sports - Page 50

Skaters from Cali to Texas hopped on their boards in unison this weekend to peacefully protest and show support for the Black Lives Matter movement -- and the scene is unreal.

This weekend proved to be another few days filled with anti-racism demonstrations to decry the death of George Floyd and others, but none were quite as creative as skateboarders coming together and going for a communal ride through the streets of S.D., L.A. and Austin.

They call it Skate for Peace, or Push for Peace. Pretty straightforward.

Sounds cool, right? Wait till you see it in action ... it's like something out of a movie, honestly. Nothing but the sound of wheels rolling across the pavement -- purely awesome.

Now, these types of get-togethers have been going on for weeks nationwide -- but this weekend's skate protest was especially noteworthy because of the sheer numbers -- and the fact that they took up entire streets without too much pushback, it seems.

The L.A. Lakers 14k gold & diamond championship ring that Kobe Bryant gifted to his father just hit the auction block and it's expected to bring in a QUARTER-MIL!!

Here's the deal ... 20 years ago -- following Los Angeles' title-winning '99-'00 season -- Mamba bought 2 additional rings and gifted them to his parents, Pamela and Joe "Jellybean" Bryant.

The rings are IDENTICAL to the bling Kobe, Shaq, and the rest of the Lakers squad received.

We're talking real gold and 40 diamonds on each massive ring.

Goldin Auctions -- who recently sold Pamela's ring for $206k -- is now offering "Jellybean's" ring ... and GA tells us they expect it to sell for over $250,000.

FYI, Pamela and Joe sold the rings -- along with other memorabilia -- back in 2013 for a total of $280,000.

And, get this, there's more awesome Kobe swag for sale:

- Kobe Bryant worn and signed cast from when he broke his wrist during the preseason in 1999. Expected to bring in about $20k.

- A 1996-1997 Topps Chrome Refractors Kobe Bryant rookie card (a very rare card). Expected to go for around $75k.

- A Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant signed basketball. Expected to sell for $20k to $25k.

Brett Favre says Colin Kaepernick's willingness to leave his NFL career to fight for social justice reminds him of Pat Tillman's ultimate sacrifice ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he thinks both will be remembered as heroes.

The Hall of Fame QB spoke with us about Colin this week ... and told us straight-up he believes Kaepernick will go down as a legend for what he's done to combat systemic racism.

"It's not easy for a guy his age -- black or white, Hispanic, whatever -- to stop something that you've always dreamed of doing, and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in," Favre said.

Brett told us he believes it's all very similar to what Tillman did when he left the NFL to fight for his country in the Army in the aftermath of 9/11.

"I can only think of right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman is another guy that did something similar," Favre said. "And, we regard him as a hero. So, I'd assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well."

It's lofty praise from the former Green Bay Packers superstar ... but Favre clearly believes Kaep gave up a legitimate NFL career to make his message heard.

Brett tells us even despite a 3-year-plus layoff, he thinks Colin can STILL be an effective QB in the NFL today.

"I thought he was a dynamic player when he was playing in his prime," Favre said. "He's still young and hasn't been hit in several years, so there's no reason to think that he's lost that much of a step."

For Colin's part, we're told he's training like a maniac to get back in the league ... and at least one team -- the L.A. Chargers -- has said it'll consider giving him a tryout this season.

Ex-NBA star Shawn Marion says the LAST thing players should do is sit out the 2020 season ... saying sitting out will diminish their chances at making a bigger difference in the fight against racism.

Superstars like Kyrie Irving have expressed their uncertainty over restarting the season in the middle of the Black Lives Matter movement ... with the Nets star saying players' focus should be on fighting for social justice.

Ex-NBAer Stephen Jackson -- who was friends with George Floyd -- sided with Kyrie ... saying, "now ain't the time to be playing basketball, y'all."

But, the Matrix disagrees with the idea of sitting out ... saying the biggest platform to fight for social justice is on the NBA stage.

"In order for you to advocate and go out here and show what you're fighting for and the causes, you need to be on TV," Marion says.

"Social media is a great platform, but TV is a bigger platform because you can post whatever you post on TV, you can post to your social media platform."

"So, with the season resuming, it adds to that cause."

Matrix -- who acknowledges Uncle Drew has a valid point -- says players will be able to speak out in interviews and press conferences ... which brings a much bigger audience than a Twitter account.

But, as for sitting? -- "I don't agree with that."

"What is sitting out, boycotting, not playing the season -- what is that gonna accomplish really?"

Adrian Peterson tells TMZ Sports he applauds the decision to remove a monument dedicated to a racist ex-Washington Redskins owner ... saying, "It makes me feel good."

As we previously reported, the people who run RFK Stadium dug up and removed their George Preston Marshall statue on Friday -- citing his racist policies of not signing black players for decades.

Peterson, who's been with Washington since 2018, says it's about time.

"Obviously, in different states all over this country, you've got monuments, buildings and stuff and statues that are named after people that owned slaves, people that were racists."

AP believes the tributes were part of a bigger plan to "keep the minorities and the blacks, colored people down."

But, now that there's a movement to get rid of tributes to racists and other bad people, Peterson says "It just shows that God is watching over us to be able to get to a point now where they are removing some of those statuses and trying to pave a new way."

We also spoke with AP about the controversy over the Redskins name.

Peterson says he's constantly trying to educate himself on the issue -- but understands both sides of the argument.

There's more ... AP also talked about how A&A Peterson Family Foundation is helping out during the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps he's taking to protect himself.

Junior Galette is finally addressing a video that's haunted him for years -- footage showing the NFL star fighting on a beach in 2013 ... and Galette says it was all self-defense.

Remember, when the footage surfaced in 2015, Galette's attorney at the time suggested the man at the center of the action was NOT his client.

But, it was Galette ... and now he's talking about the incident with TMZ Sports.

"The league did its investigation on that. It's not my proudest moment as I was defending myself from being attacked by other people," Galette says.

The footage seems to back Galette's story ... to a point. You can see Galette was fighting off a group of men -- but in the craziness, Junior swung his belt at an unarmed woman who appeared to be trying to restore order.

Galette was released by the New Orleans Saints just a few months after the video surfaced ... but later resumed his career with the Washington Redskins.

During his time in Washington, Galette was involved in an incident where he was chased and tased by police following an alleged fight in Mississippi in April 2017.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports ... Galette is struggling to catch his breath and at one point tells the officer, "I can't breathe."

Galette was initially booked for disorderly conduct and failure to comply -- but Junior says the charges were eventually dropped.

"That just goes to show you that I may be a professional athlete, but that doesn't exempt me from being a black man in America."

"I can remember that moment when that cop chased me and stood up over me and proceeded to tell me that 'I may be a big white guy' as he proceeded to mock me when I told him I can't breathe. The charges were dropped, I was exonerated and the same goes for any other case."

Now, 31-year-old Galette -- who racked up 34.5 sacks in his 6 year career -- is a free agent and trying to convince teams to give him another shot in the league.

"I'm in the best shape of my life. I've showcased that across my platform as I've always posted videos and kept the fan updated with me being in great shape."

Galette recently penned an open letter to Roger Goodell praising him for the steps the league is taking to address systemic racism -- but he believes he's being blackballed from the league partly because he suggested white players with similar skillsets were getting paid much more than black players.

"My teammate, who happens to be a white guy from Stanford, was offered 500% more guaranteed money than I did after he came off of a torn ACL and basically was suspended from PEDs. I spoke out about the paid inequality, the Redskins then withdrew my offer. I haven't played a down since then."

And, the Oscar for James Conner's biopic goes to ... The Rock?!?!

The Pittsburgh Steelers superstar tells TMZ Sports he's hopeful one day that'll be possible ... saying if his inspiring story ever hits the silver screen -- he wants Dwayne Johnson to play him!

"I need somebody to knock that role out of the park," Conner tells us.

James has put on some serious size this off-season (for real, check out his Instagram, dude is buff as hell) and he does have some tats ... so he says The Rock would be perfect for the role.

"I know he's getting up there, but ..." Conner says.

Of course, 25-year-old James definitely has the story worthy of a starring role from The Rock ... he famously kicked cancer's ass to become one the best running backs in the NFL.

For now, though, Conner's life is set for book form only ... the NFL star released his "Fear Is A Choice" memoir this week, and he says he hopes it'll help others overcome adversity.

"You have to kinda appreciate the dark days in order to move forward and have joy in the future," Conner says ... "I just want people to believe in themselves and realize how mentally strong that they are."

WWE superstar Matt Riddle says allegations he sexually assaulted a female wrestler in 2018 are "completely false" ... claiming the accuser is an obsessed, delusional liar.

The woman behind the allegation is Candy Cartwright -- who is a pro wrestler on the indy circuit.

Cartwright levied some heavy claims against 34-year-old Riddle on Twitter this week -- describing an alleged 2018 incident when the two were on the road with other performers.

"During the van ride, when the 3 other wrestlers had fallen asleep, Matt asked me to 'hop on his d***.'"

"When I refused (although we had previously been together I was incredibly uncomfortable in that setting) When I said no, he grabbed me by my throat, choked me and said 'what if I just made you?'"

Cartright says she ultimately performed oral sex on Riddle "to get out of having intercourse with him. It was incredibly humiliating."

She added, "It is never ok to put your hands on a woman, it's also not ok to not listen when she says no."

Unclear if Cartwright ever went to police with the allegations. She says she was inspired to speak out by other "brave women" who have come forward about sexual misconduct claims.

But, Riddle, through his attorney, is calling BS on the whole thing.

"The allegations by this independent female performer are completely false and another attempt to harass and humiliate Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and to try to tarnish their reputation in the community," attorney Daniel Rose says.

Rose says the Riddles believe Cartwright has had an unhealthy obsession with Matt for at least the past 2 years.

WWE has also issued a statement on Riddle saying, "We take any allegation of this nature very seriously and are looking into the matter."

The org. added, "Individuals are responsible for their own personal actions. WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault."

"Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated. WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE.”

PGA Tour stud Nick Watney was forced to withdraw from this week's RBC Heritage tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 ... officials announced Friday.

Watney, who played in the first day of the South Carolina tourney on Thursday, woke up feeling ill Friday ... and, according to PGA Tour reps, tested positive shortly after.

FYI, the Tour tested EVERYBODY prior to the start of the week's tournament ... with all results -- including Watney's -- coming back negative.

The Tour says Watney will now have to undergo strict quarantine and isolation rules to eventually return to action ... and says it's taking precautions for everyone and everything that might have come in contact with Nick at this week's event.

"Nick will have the PGA TOUR’s full support throughout his self-isolation and recovery period under CDC guidelines," Tour officials said in a statement.

Watney played with Vaughn Taylor and Luke List in Thursday's opening round ... but neither golfer has withdrawn -- with both dudes still currently in the middle of their Friday rounds.

"Dear Whore ... "

That's how it began -- a disgusting piece of hate mail some racist coward sent to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss -- and now she's calling him out publicly.

"After 60 years as a huge Lakers fan, I now say to hell with the overpaid n***** traitors and the NBA."

"Go to hell and join **** Kobe Bryant."

The letter was signed by a man named Joe.

Jeanie says she thought a lot about what to do with the letter after receiving it on Monday -- but ultimately decided to post it on social media "so that everyone can see the hate is real and living out there."

"This is happening in our world TODAY. It's real and it exists."

Buss also posted a message to Joe ...

"Did sending this letter make you feel better? Really all you did was waste your time, and energy and your postage stamp. (But thank you for including your return home address) Why don’t you look in the mirror and see your ugliness because I refuse to."

Jeanie says she's received similar letters over the years and always thought it was best to just ignore the haters -- "but not anymore."

"On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it. We all must do better."

Jeanie's post is already resonating with LeBron James -- who showed his support for Buss on Instagram.

Donald Trump has drawn the battle lines ... if the NFL allows players to take a knee during the national anthem in 2020, POTUS says his days watching pro football are over!

President Trump made his threat during a Friday morning tweet that initially took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Remember, earlier this week Fauci warned America that a second wave of COVID-19 could impact pro sports -- and said straight-up, "Football may not happen this year."

"It would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci told CNN. "If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."

Enter Trump ... who went to bat for the NFL before issuing an ultimatum in the same breath.

"Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football," Trump said ... "They are planning a very safe and controlled opening."

Then the warning to the NFL -- "However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!"

Looks like Trump might have to bail -- because NFL Commish Roger Goodell put out a video earlier this month admitting the league bungled the way it handled NFL kneelers in the past and vowed to be more tolerant of nonviolent protesters in the future.

Ex-NFL star Ryan Clark just gave an extremely emotional speech about being a black father in America ... breaking down in tears discussing his son's recent experience with racism.

Clark's son, Jordan -- alongside 2 Arizona State football teammates -- claim they were called the n-word by a Whataburger customer this week ... and instead of de-escalating, the restaurant manager threatened to call the police on the players.

You can read Jordan's entire narrative on the incident below.

Clark spoke on the incident with ESPN's "Get Up" on Friday morning ... saying he's thankful his son is still alive.

"I'm playing out a scenario of if this woman would've had a weapon and she could easily say that these 3 young black men were threatening her ... I believe that if that woman pulls a gun on those young men and that woman pulls the trigger, I believe that she's never punished," Clark says.

"I believe that justice is never served. And, even if justice is served, it's not enough to bring my son back."

"This isn't just a fear for me every day, this has been a fear for black people forever."

"If something would have happened to him, it would have broke me," Clark says. "So for me, I have to do a better job of educating him, and I have to protect him."

"I know it's getting better, but it's not better yet, better for everybody."

Clark says he wishes he would have taught his son to never approach a white person's vehicle ... knowing what could happen if he runs into the wrong person.

The entire segment is powerful ... Clark sobs as he thinks about what could have happened, given today's climate.

As for Whataburger, the chain released a statement on the incident ... saying, "We do not tolerate racism and were horrified to hear how these customers were treated by another customer."

The Indianapolis Colts have a new staff position -- "Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion" -- and the team says its all part of an effort to "battle systemic racism."

The organization has announced a new plan "to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are at the forefront of the team's business and community efforts."

There are 3 major points to the plan ...

1) Creating the Director of Diversity job. That person will "work across all Colts departments on social responsibility, hiring, supplier diversity, education and training and other internal efforts."

2) The team has created the Irsay Family Impact Scholarship -- which will "help talented minority students with a financial need to achieve their educational goals."

The scholarship will cover 8 years of education costs for the recipient -- starting with high school college prep programs and tutors followed by tuition costs at Indiana University.

3) The Colts will formally recognize and celebrate Juneteenth every June 19.

"The team has made Juneteenth a permanent company holiday."

Colts' owner, Jim Irsay, says the moves come after discussions with players and staff about the topics surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others.

"I have heard stunning testimonials from our players and staff about their personal experiences with racism," Irsay said.

Drake should get more than 3 points for this shot, but it looks like he's playing solo ... so he wins no matter what. Also, he's playing from his 35,000 sq. ft mansion, so he'd already won.

The rapper was practicing cornhole trick shots Thursday night from long-distance -- about 50 feet away from the second-story window of his Toronto palace, and put one right in the hole after a few tries.

He was pretty pumped about it ... as was his lone spectator -- the guy recording the toss for the 'Gram.

Drake captioned his epic next-level shot, "Highlight of summer 2020 so far."

The people who operate RFK Stadium are finally removing a monument dedicated to a racist former owner of the Washington Redskins,

Events D.C., which runs the stadium where the Skins used to play, ordered the removal of the George Preston Marshall statue on Friday ... and if you know anything about the guy, it's easy to see why.

Marshall -- the Redskins' founding father and Pro Football Hall of Famer -- famously refused to sign black players for DECADES.

In fact, he was quoted as saying once, "We will sign black players when the Harlem Globetrotters start playing white players."

His anti-African-American stance lasted all the way until the early 1960s ... when government officials threatened to force him out of RFK Stadium if he didn't sign black players.

FYI, Marshall died in 1969. He was 72.

People have been calling for the 'Skins to remove the monument at the park for years ... and finally, in the wake of national protests, the people who operate the stadium relented this week.

It's just the latest statue to be scrapped as America tries to sever its ties with its racist past ... in Minnesota, the Twins announced they're removing a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith.

Similar to Marshall, Griffith had been openly racist against black people ... and in a statement Friday, the Twins said, "His disparaging words displayed a blatant intolerance and disregard for the Black community that are the antithesis of what the Minnesota Twins stand for and value."

Redskins' nickname, you're up next.