TMZ Sports - Page 50

A former member of the Philadelphia 76ers' dance team claims she was the victim of bullying and racism during her time on the squad ... and now, the Sixers have launched an investigation.

Yahne Coleman -- a fashion model who used to perform with the Sixers Dancers -- revealed the disturbing allegations in a lengthy social media post Tuesday.

In the statement, Coleman claimed she was "racially profiled, bullied and threatened" not only by her dance teammates ... but by members of the dance team's coaching staff as well.

Coleman also attached a video with her post ... which she says shows a former teammate making inappropriate and racist remarks toward her, and even threatening her.

In the footage, the woman can be heard saying, "I will teach you how to use a tampon because your dirty-ass vagina probably smells like fish."

The woman in the video can also be heard saying, "I will find you in whatever home project you live in. I will slum it to the west side of Philly just to find your ass, beat the sh*t out of it, and then get you backlisted from whatever club you think you can get in.”

Coleman -- who reportedly left the dance team in 2015 -- claims similar bullying incidents happened to her regularly ... and she says when she reported it to officials in the 76ers' organization, "nothing was done."

The Sixers released a statement shortly after Coleman's post went up, and they say they're vowing to do a thorough investigation into the claims.

"Tonight, we were made aware of social media posts involving former dance team members that contained insensitive, offensive and unacceptable remarks, as well as allegations of bullying and racist behavior,” the team said.

"The videos, which were filmed in 2016, featured derogatory comments from a former dance team member who left the organization in 2013."

The Jay Cutler Chicken Serial Killer Mystery of 2020 is officially SOLVED ... with the ex-NFL QB catching a beastly raccoon in the act!!!

As we previously reported ... Cutler had been dealing with an unknown menace that was ripping the heads off his beloved birds ... and he devoted his retirement life to saving his chickens.

The week-long saga took many twists and turns -- including traps and overnight stakeouts -- with pretty much the entire nation on the edge of its seat to figure out who the hell was offing the chickens.

But, Jay can now FINALLY get some sleep ... 'cause he's officially discovered the culprit -- A DAMN TRASH PANDA!!!

"All is well and happy to report it was a raccoon," Cutler said on IG Wednesday morning. "Which fits the evidence. Chicken heads were ripped off and bodies were left in the chicken yard."

"Gruesome stuff but the reality of the situation. Ladies are now safe and sound. We can all sleep well for a few nights."

So, is this the end of an era and we can all go back to worrying about bigger issues?? Yes ... at least, for now.

"Unfortunately I’m sure this raccoon has some family members."

"While this saga is sadly ending, I’m sure there will be more. Stay tuned..."

Terrifying moment from a pro gamer -- who was struck by ACTUAL LIGHTNING while streaming on Twitch ... and the video is intense.

27-year-old Jaime Bickford -- AKA Karma -- was commenting on a game of "Rocket League" on Sunday night when somehow she was hit by lightning during a storm in her area.

According to Bickford's bio, she lives in the Boston area.

During the stream, you can hear the storm rumbling, followed by Jaime shrieking in pain.

You can hear Jaime drop her controller and she begins to cry in pain.

A short time later ... she got back on the stream and provided an update.

"Sorry guys, I am a little bit upset right now. Lightning, apparently we’re having really bad thunderstorms here."

"Apparently, my house got hit or something and it went through my controller and shocked my hand. I’m completely fine. I’m just kinda ... I got scared and also my hand burns hurt a little bit."

Bickford even posted a photo of the melted controller.

She posted an update the following morning -- saying, "Hands healed up after being iced all last night and were very minor burns, controller is melted near USB connection where I got flashbanged or w/e ."

She added, "And I am COMPLETELY FINE. Thanks for the outpouring of love."

Well, that didn't take long ... Cam Newton and Mohamed Sanu hooked up in L.A. on Tuesday to get in their first workout as Patriots teammates -- and the dudes are JACKED!!

The Sideline Hustle documented the sweat sesh -- which all went down at UCLA -- grabbing footage of the new Pats QB1 with New England's WR2.

Unclear how long the duo worked out together ... but check out the vid of the two afterward -- Sanu is ripped, and Newton is still big as hell!!

Of course, Newton and Sanu have a relationship dating back YEARS ... they were rivals during their times in Carolina and Atlanta -- and they had already been spotted working out together earlier this year before Cam signed with Bill Belichick's squad.

But, it's clear the workouts mean more now ... Cam's expected to be the starter in New England, while a finally-healthy Sanu is slated to be the team's No. 2 WR target behind Julian Edelman.

By the way, this also helps explain why Cam touched down in Los Angeles rather than New England earlier this week after signing his contract ... gotta build that rapport early!!

"Certainly if we had a lot of cases, we are going to stop. You cannot run from this virus."

That's NBA commissioner Adam Silver acknowledging his plan to continue the season in Orlando could hit a huge speed bump if players and staff continue to test positive for COVID.

Of course, several NBA players have tested positive for coronavirus recently ... including DeAndre Jordan, Jabari Parker, 3 members of the NO Pelicans, several members of the Denver Nuggets organization and more.

And, with concern growing, Silver addressed the issues Tuesday during an appearance on 'TIME 100 Talks' ... saying he's still "pretty confident" the season will happen, but nothing is certain.

"We and our players together with their union, look at the data on a daily basis. If there were something to change that was outside of the scope of what we are playing for, certainly, we would revisit our plans."

"We are testing daily," Silver continued ... "We haven't put a precise number on it, but if we were to see a large number of cases and see spread in our community, that would, of course, be a cause to stop as well."

Silver says the league has a team of medical and science experts to help guide them through the pandemic plan.

Still, Silver believes the bubble environment at Walt Disney World in Orlando will still be relatively safe.

"I am absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus because there aren't many situations that I am aware of where there is mass testing of asymptomatic employees," Silver said.

"In some ways, this is maybe a model for how other industries can ultimately open. But, I am only going to say we will be responsible and watch what is happening, but the biggest indicator will be if we begin to see a spread in our community."

The NBA season is set to tip-off on July 31 -- but some teams are planning to begin travel to Orlando as early as July 7.

The man who punched Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert says it wasn't a cheap shot -- insisting he was protecting a friend who was in Dallas' grasp ... and he says he suffered serious injuries as a result.

TMZ Sports spoke with Kyle Hadala, who tells us he feels the viral video does NOT tell the full story of what transpired before that fateful punch was thrown on June 19 at Zoo Bar in South Dakota.

Hadala insists Goedert and his friends had been "harassing" them at a previous bar over the choice of music they were playing on the jukebox.

"They were extremely aggressive and disrespectful," Hadala says.

The group moved to a new spot -- the Zoo Bar -- but Hadala says Goedert and his crew followed them with bad intentions. Very soon, according to Hadala, the situation escalated.

"They picked out my smaller colleague from the group, got in his face, and made very threatening remarks toward his personal well-being," Hadala tells us.

"Then one of his crew told my other colleague, and I quote, 'You’re just a fat f**king pussy. I'll beat the s*** out of you.'"

Hadala says Dallas put his hand on his friend -- which you can see in the video ... and that's when Hadala decided to take action.

"At this point, I was in fear for both of my friends' well-being especially due to the fact there were 10 of them and we were not familiar with the area," Hadala says.

"I protected my friend and then was ambushed by 5 to 7 individuals that punched, kicked, threw beer bottles, etc., trying to cause me bodily harm which I received medical treatment at the hospital for my injuries the next day."

Hadala says he received multiple lacerations in the incident, which required several stitches and staples to close the wounds.

Hadala was eventually arrested and booked on a simple assault charge. He's already lawyered up and plans to fight the case.

NFL rookie Jermiah Braswell's time with the Arizona Cardinals is over before it even began -- the wide receiver has been cut after allegedly drunkenly driving his Camaro into Lake Erie.

The 23-year-old ex-Youngstown State star -- who signed as an undrafted free agent in April -- was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Put-in-Bay, OH on Saturday ... after cops found him in the driver's seat trying to move the vehicle out of the water.

According to witnesses, the Toledo native was traveling at "a very high rate of speed" on the road before the crash ... driving onto grass, off an embankment and into the water.

When cops spoke with Braswell, they claim he was slurring his speech and had no idea how he ended up in the lake ... and decided to conduct field sobriety tests.

Braswell also took a breathalyzer test, which reportedly showed a BAC higher than the Ohio limit.

The NFL transaction report shows the Cards decided to part ways with the rookie on Monday ... ending his short stint with the team.

It took 400,000 man-hours and 350 tons of metal -- but now Fight Island is ready to roll and it looks AMAZING!!!

Dana White just dropped the hype video showing the tremendous effort it took to bring Fight Island to life in just a few months ... transforming part of Yas Island in Abu Dhabi into a city custom-built for the UFC.

Of course, Fight Island was created to provide a safe place for the UFC to host fights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic -- so, there was clearly an emphasis on testing facilities on the premises.

There are 17 medical personnel stationed on the island, according to UFC -- and they've already administered more than 2,000 tests.

You can see in the video the massive construction effort it took to erect the main fight arena, the beach Octagon and other facilities necessary to host all of the upcoming UFC events.

White has said all fighters and their crews will undergo 5 rounds of testing -- starting with tests before they board their flights to Yas Island.

Once on the island, there will be 3 more rounds of testing before the fights -- and then a final post-fight test before fighters are allowed to fly home.

There is a massive security presence on the Island to keep things safe -- and Dana White is fired up!

"I can't wait to get there," White said.

The first event on Fight Island is UFC 251 on July 11 -- featuring some crazy bouts ... including Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns.

Max Holloway is fighting Alexander Volkanovski and Paige VanZant is fighting Amanda Ribas.

Houston Texans WR Kenny Stills just revealed a new "Black Lives Matter" tattoo on his leg ... part of a bigger piece that tells the story of the Black struggle in America.

The tattoo starts on Kenny's hip and goes all the way down to his ankle -- featuring imagery from the recent BLM protests ... and other important moments in the Civil Rights movement.

Some of the protest signs tatted on Stills include, "Say Their Names" and "Stop Killing Us" ... mixed with iconic images including a protest sign from a school segregation protest.

28-year-old Stills -- one of the NFL players who continued to take a knee during the national anthem in 2019 -- added the new art to a previous tattoo which featured the mug shot of Congressman John Lewis, who was arrested in the 1960s for peacefully protesting segregation.

Below that image is the famous shot of a protester in Memphis holding a sign reading, "I Am A Man." The original photo was taken in 1968 by photographer Steve Schapiro.

Arianny Celeste -- the most famous UFC Octagon girl ever -- has announced she's pregnant ... and will be stepping away from the cage for a bit.

34-year-old Celeste tells TMZ Sports ... she and her boyfriend, Taylor King, are expecting their first child in September.

Celeste says she hasn't been working UFC events recently due to the pregnancy -- and plans on taking some time off until after the baby is born. So, she won't make the trip to Fight Island for UFC 251.

But, don't worry, Celeste says after the kid is born she plans on returning to her job ... and tells us UFC -- including Dana White -- have been nothing but supportive.

Celeste has been working UFC fights since 2006 and blew up after that -- modeling for everyone from Playboy to Sports Illustrated and more.

Arianny says she doesn't know the sex of the kid yet -- but she's excited to find out.

Celeste and Taylor King (a professional photographer) have been dating for roughly a year ... and Arianny says he's her "soulmate and my best friend."

Oh, and if you like the maternity pics -- Taylor shot 'em!

Conor McGregor's longtime coach says the UFC star is really retired -- "as far as I can tell" -- but admits things can change in a heartbeat.

Of course, Conor announced his retirement from MMA earlier this month -- the 3rd time he's "retired" in 4 years -- but nobody really believes he means it.

So, when John Kavanagh decided to host a quick online Q&A this week -- he was peppered with questions about Conor's career.

QUESTION: Is Conor retired?

ANSWER: "Yes, he is as far as I can tell. It's what he said, isn't it!?

QUESTION: Can you convince him to come back?!

ANSWER: "I can't convince Conor to do sh*t. Conor will tell Conor what he's gonna do and who knows what's gonna happen in the future. But, for now, he's retired."

Someone asked how Conor would fare against the reigning welterweight champ Kamaru Usman -- and Kavanaugh gave an interesting answer to that as well.

"That would be interesting," John said ... nothing that "a very motivated Conor" could beat anyone around his weight class.

He included Colby Covington in that list -- but didn't mention Khabib.

Earlier this year, Kamaru warned Conor about trying to pick a fight with him -- promising he'd beat the Irishman worse than Khabib did!

As for life outside of the Octagon ... Conor's kept busy hanging with his family, drinkin' his Proper 12 whiskey and jetskiin' all over the world.

DeSean Jackson is once again using his cleats to send a message -- this time, he's paying tribute to Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

The Philadelphia Eagles WR has a history of expressing himself through custom artwork on his kicks -- and this time, he went back to SolesBySir to take on police brutality.

"I stand on what’s right," Jackson says ... "Let’s not get caught up in the false impulsive message behind #BLM We just want fair rights!"

He added, "400 plus years .... The time is now #ahmaudarbery #breonnataylor."

Of course, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police after they executed a no-knock warrant on the WRONG apartment in Kentucky back in March. Taylor was in bed during the incident and was shot 8 times. None of the 3 officers involved in the shooting have been charged with a crime.

Ahmaud Arbery was chased down and killed by 2 white men in Georgia back in February -- while 3rd man watched and recorded the incident. After a public outcry, all 3 men were charged with felony murder in what some people are calling a modern-day lynching.

On both sets of cleats, DeSean included an image of the victims -- adding the word, "Enough" on the Arbery pair.

Jackson has previously gone to SolesBySir for tributes to people like George Floyd, Rodney King and Muhammad Ali.

WELCOME TO FLOYD'S CRIB!!

Floyd Mayweather is finally giving a video tour of his massive Vegas mansion ... with a closet made to look like a Neiman Marcus store!

Seriously! That's what he said!!

Mayweather actually built the pad years ago -- but says he never really got around to moving in because he's traveling the world all the time.

But, since COVID paused those plans ... might as well enjoy your palatial estate, right?!

Here are the highlights ...

INDOOR POOL AND SPA -- it looks like something you'd see in an upscale Vegas hotel ... only it's just for Floyd.

COURTYARD WITH FOUNTAINS AND FIREPITS -- so many statues and pieces of expensive outdoor art ... including a replica of the Versace logo.

MAIN CLOSET -- This is incredible.

Rows and rows and rows designer clothing and shoes line all of the designer shelves in Floyd's place.

Dozens of pairs of Louboutin shoes, tons of Birkin bags, jackets -- Floyd says his goal is to "make sure it always looks like Neimans."

There are so many shoes in his closet, we couldn't even keep count -- HUNDREDS of pairs.

THE ELEVATORS -- Floyd has several elevators in his pad ... it looks expensive with wood panels. Probably special buttons. It's gaudy.

THE GARAGE -- Floyd has a famously HUGE collection of whips, including a couple of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Bugattis and all sorts of rare vehicles ... some cost MILLIONS.

But, get this ... Floyd says despite all of the fancy rides, his day-to-day car ... is a Dodge Ram 1500 truck.

"This is my favorite car I drive right here -- I like to be low key."

Sure ya do, Floyd.

THE KITCHEN -- All marble everything. Expensive appliances. Floyd always has a private chef ... so he probably doesn't even use the stuff himself.

MAIN BEDROOM -- nope, that's off-limits to the fans. Some things gotta stay private, right?

Floyd says he's showing off the house to inspire people to achieve greatness. You inspired yet?!

NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo are officially at war -- don't worry, their relationship is doing just fine -- but they're now competing against each other for the best abs on the planet!!!

The Carolina Panthers RB and former Miss Universe hit the waters for a romantic meal on Monday ... eating up all the Chick-fil-A sandwiches they could fit in their shredded bodies.

OC posted a snap from the getaway on Instagram ... with the couple sharing a kiss in between bites.

"You had me at fried chicken sandwich," Culpo posted.

OC's fellow S.I. Swimsuit model friend Brooks Nader took notice of the biggest takeaway from the picture ... adding the simple caption, "Abs!"

Of course, OC and CMC have been pretty much inseparable ever since they started dating in 2019 ... and we're sure quarantining together has been a hell of a time.

Remember, if you're gonna join Olivia and Christian in eating a bunch of fried chicken, you're not gonna look like them unless you work out nonstop like they do.

Yeah ... we may settle for a salad.