TMZ Sports - Page 50

Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. believes COVID was secretly created for global "population control" ... and warns things are about to get much, much worse.

It was all part of a bizarre Snapchat Q&A session on Tuesday -- when the 2018 1st-round NBA Draft pick decided to go full conspiracy theorist when asked about the pandemic.

"Personally, I think that the coronavirus is being used obviously for a bigger agenda," 22-year-old Porter said from his room in the NBA Bubble in Orlando.

"It’s being used for population control in just terms of being able to control the masses of people."

More than 661,000 people have reportedly died from COVID around the world since the pandemic began -- with more than 16.7 MILLION cases.

Porter thinks it's all part of some diabolical plot for global control.

"Because of this virus, the whole world is being controlled. You’re required to wear masks, and who knows what’ll happen when this vaccine comes out. You might have to have the vaccine in order to travel. That’d be crazy."

And yeah, that's when Porter pivoted into some anti-vaxxer talk ...

"I've never been vaccinated in my life. I've never had any shots or anything like that. So, it could get crazy."

FYI, it seems impossible for Porter not to have been vaccinated at some point in his life since basketball players at Missouri (where he played college ball) were required to comply with the 2-dose MMR Immunization Policy -- which essentially requires proof of vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella.

Still, Porter continued his rant ...

"It's definitely an agenda behind everything that's going on right now and all you can do is sit back and watch what's going on."

"Don't get too emotionally involved," Porter warned ... "but yeah, I mean it is a serious thing -- it's a real thing but yes it's being overblown."

A former Buffalo State football player is fighting for his life after being shot during an altercation at a liquor store Monday ... and cops have released the shocking footage in hopes of catching the suspect.

NYPD officials say a fight broke out between Malachi Capers -- a former D-end at Buff. State -- and another man after the two bumped into each other inside 136 Deli & Grill in Queens.

You can see in surveillance footage of the incident ... Capers brushed up against the man's shoulder -- and then the two exchanged words.

Eventually, fists started flying ... and that's when the former football player tackled the guy to the ground outside the store.

When the man was able to free himself from Capers' grasp ... you can see in the video, he pulled out a firearm and shot the 20-year-old in the stomach.

Capers is now reportedly in the hospital battling critical injuries.

Now, the NYPD says it's looking for the gunman -- who officials ID'ed as Jeffrey Thurston -- and is asking for any help in finding his location.

Buffalo State head coach Christian Ozolins, meanwhile, released a statement to multiple media outlets regarding the shooting ... saying, "Malachi was a well-liked member of our football family during his freshman year in 2018 and has remained a friend to many in our program as he has continued his education at Buffalo State after leaving the team due to on-going injury issues."

"We have him in our thoughts as we wish for a speedy and full recovery."

NY Giants tackle Nate Solder is opting out the 2020 NFL season -- saying it's just too risky to play while his 5-year-old son is still battling cancer.

Hudson Solder was diagnosed with cancerous tumors in his kidneys when he was 3 months old. He's been undergoing treatment ever since.

Just last fall, Hudson had a surgical procedure to remove a tumor -- and also underwent a 3rd round of chemotherapy. Yeah, he's one tough kid.

Nate also battled testicular cancer prior to the 2014 season.

Oh, and Nate's wife JUST gave birth to a brand new baby boy.

The 2-time Super Bowl champion was set to make $13 MILLION in 2020 -- but after weighing the risks, Solder decided the juice just ain't worth the squeeze.

"With fear and trembling, we struggle to keep our priorities in order and, for us, our children's health and the health of our neighbors come before football."

Solder added, "We fully recognize that being able to make a decision like this a privilege."

The 32-year-old lineman says he will miss his Giants teammates ... and thanks the team and fans for respecting his decision.

Solder joins a list of NFLers who have opted out this week -- including Eagles WR Marquise Goodwin, who said he refuses to risk the health of his 5-month-old daughter.

Nick Markakis is back ... the Atlanta Braves OF says he made a "rash" decision initially opting out of the MLB season -- and now, he says he's ready to rejoin his teammates.

"Sometimes in life you make rash decisions without thinking things through," the 36-year-old told reporters Wednesday. "At the time, I thought it was the right decision."

Nick chose to sit out just before the start of Braves' summer camp earlier this month ... saying a conversation with teammate Freddie Freeman cemented his feelings on the matter

At the time, Freddie was sick as hell with COVID-19 ... and Nick wanted no part of that battle -- so he left the squad.

But, Markakis said Wednesday he's back for good ... and while he admitted he's still not sure it's the RIGHT decision -- he felt like he just had to do it for his teammates.

"Sitting at home," Markakis said, "watching these guys compete the last couple days and all the risks that they're taking going out there, you know, I just in a way, deep down, that pit in my stomach, I felt like I needed to be out there."

It's a huge boost for the Braves ... Atlanta needed some outfield help after their agreement with Yasiel Puig fell through due to a positive coronavirus case earlier this month.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate says he's back to 100% after being diagnosed with COVID-19 -- but there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding his illness.

Brate just issued a statement saying he's recovered from the virus -- but he has not said when he was diagnosed or when he was cleared.

In other words, Brate is being secretive about when he actually had the virus ... which raises a lot of questions considering he spent a lot of time working out with Tom Brady in the past few months.

Brate was reportedly working out with Brady in the Tampa Bay Area beginning in June and going through July -- despite the NFLPA advising against players training together during the pandemic.

Remember, Brady famously posted that Franklin Roosevelt quote in the light of criticism which said, "Only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."

Did Brate contract COVID during the workouts? Was any other player exposed? We just don't know.

Nevertheless, 29-year-old Brate is now urging others to take the pandemic seriously ... and even dropped a new PSA on Wednesday.

"The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on our population and it continues to impact nearly every aspect of our lives," Brate says.

He also urges people to donate plasma to help with COVID research.

"If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 or tested positive with antibodies and fully recovered and are symptom-free for at least two weeks, please consider visiting a local donor center."

"We’re all in this together and your donation can make a difference in someone’s life.”

It's a bird ... it's a plane ... IT'S A FOOT FALLING FROM THE SKY!!

A thrill-seeking double amputee lost his prosthetic leg during a jump in Vermont over the weekend -- and just when he thought it was gone forever ... A MIRACLE HAPPENED!

It all went down Sunday -- when Chris Marckres decided to go for a jump in Addison County, a popular skydiving spot.

Somehow, one of his artificial limbs became detached mid-jump -- and plummeted down to earth ... far from the designated landing spot.

"I think my adrenaline was so high and I was just so excited," Marckres told NECN ... "I didn’t realize I had lost it."

Which means he also didn't see where it landed!

Turns out, Joe Marszalkowski -- a local soybean farmer -- noticed something out of the ordinary in his field on Sunday ... THE LEG!!

"You've always got to keep an eye out," Marszalkowsk said ... "It was literally a needle in a haystack as far as trying to find it."

Marszalkowski soon learned Marckres was on the hunt for the leg -- and eventually made contact with him so he could return it.

Marckres had offered a reward for the leg -- but Marszalkowski refused.

"I can’t thank everybody enough, especially Joe," Marckres said.

Here's rapper Jack Harlow showing love for his pal, Lou Williams -- just days after accidentally exposing him in a strip club incident that rocked the NBA.

Yep, it was Harlow who posted -- and then quickly deleted -- a pic of the L.A. Clippers star at Magic City last week which landed Williams in some hot water with the league.

Remember, Williams had received permission to leave the NBA Bubble in Orlando to attend a funeral in Atlanta ... and was ordered to stay away from places with a high COVID exposure risk.

LIKE STRIP CLUBS!

Of course, Williams insists he was only at the club for 20 minutes to pick up some chicken wings -- which are apparently AMAZING -- and didn't put himself in harm's way.

The "What's Poppin" rapper TRIED to lie to cover for his friend -- initially saying the pic was a throwback -- but the truth eventually emerged.

Williams is now serving a mandatory 10-day quarantine so he can get back into the bubble.

In the meantime, Harlow is now in L.A. where he was spotted in Lou's Clippers jersey.

More great news from the NBA ... a 2nd straight week with ZERO positive COVID-19 tests from players and staffers inside the bubble.

While MLB, NFL, and other sports are scrambling to figure out how to proceed safely -- the NBA seems to have it down.

The league claims that 344 players were tested and NONE of the tests came back positive for coronavirus.

There have been some issues with the bubble -- some players have violated the rules to get things like delivery food and strip club chicken wings -- but so far, the league has been able to avoid an outbreak.

There are strict protocols in place for breaches -- mandatory quarantine periods -- and judging by the numbers, it's effective.

CUP CHECK!!!!!

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham took a pitch directly to the ding dong zone Tuesday -- and YOU KNOW YOU'RE SQUIRMING JUST READING THIS!!!

Talk about a breaking ball, huh?!!

Pham was facing SF Giants reliever Sam Coonrod in the top of the 8th -- when a slider slid a little too far and hit Tommy right in the man junk!!!

The pitch was clocked at 86 MPH -- which ain't exactly slow -- but somehow, Pham wasn't hurt.

In fact, he handled the situation so well, Pham got props from Giants analyst Mike Krukow on the broadcast.

"Oh, man. Tommy Pham you are a better man than I am," Krukow said. "I'd be doing snow angels in the batter's box on that one."

Pham ran the bases for himself after the HBP ... but he was pulled from the game shortly after in the bottom of the 8th.

Fortunately, Padres manager Jayce Tingler said he was removed for precautionary reasons ... and is expected to be fine going forward.

After the game, Pham joked about the incident on Instagram -- saying, "Career almost ended."

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy is making a major career change -- Tito Ortiz is now running for political office!!!

The UFC Hall of Famer has officially entered the race to become a City Council member in Huntington Beach where he was born and raised, TMZ Sports has learned.

There are 3 seats on the City Council up for grabs at the next election -- and Ortiz clearly sees an opportunity. He'll be on the ballot in November.

Tito's formal paperwork to enter the election does not designate a political party, but Tito has been a VERY vocal supporter of President Donald Trump for years. They're actually good friends.

Ortiz has championed Trump's positions on things like border security, immigration, law enforcement and more.

The 45-year-old had been mulling a career change for a while -- recently kicking around the idea of becoming a law enforcement officer. It's obvious he's been wanting to move into public service.

The City Council position would be a big deal for Ortiz -- the governing body "is the city’s legislative authority and sets the policies under which the city operates," according to the official city website.

The Council determines everything from budgets to services and policies.

Oh, and this is also important -- the Huntington Beach mayor is selected yearly from among the sitting council members.

So, in theory ... Ortiz could become the mayor if he plays his cards right.

Awesome news out of Miami ... Dolphins 1st-round pick Tua Tagovailoa has been declared fully healthy by the team -- this just months after the QB suffered a gruesome injury.

Tua -- who dislocated his hip, fractured his pelvis, broke his nose and suffered a concussion in a game last November -- has just been cleared to practice with the 'Fins.

Head coach Brian Flores made the announcement Wednesday ... saying, "He's through the physical. And when we do get to practice, you'll see him out there."

Of course, it's amazing news for the 22-year-old ... some wondered if Tua would ever be able to walk properly again -- let alone play NFL quarterback -- after the initial diagnosis.

In fact, some experts compared the injury to Bo Jackson's, which ultimately cost the former Raiders superstar his career in both football and baseball.

But, Tua's repeatedly said this offseason his hip has been healing well -- he even posted workout footage in the pre-draft buildup back in April to prove it -- and clearly, the Dolphins now agree.

Tiffany Haddish is opening up about the idea of motherhood, but says one thing above all else scares her -- bringing a child into a racist world.

The actress and comedian discussed the topic on NBA star Carmelo Anthony's hit podcast, "What's in Your Glass?," saying everyone's always asking her when she's going to have some babies.

Her answer ... "There's a part of me that would like to do that, and I always make up these excuses like, 'Oh, I need a million dollars in the bank before I do that, I need this, I need that.' But really, it's like, I would hate to give birth to someone that looks like me, knowing that they're gonna be hunted or killed."

Tiffany teared up as she added ... "Why would I put someone through that?"

Carmelo -- who has a teenage son -- said, "It's scary to even think about that" ... and Haddish pointed out that white people don't have that concern.

Ex-pro wrestler Beckie Mullen -- famously known as Sally The Farmer's Daughter from GLOW -- has passed away after a long fight with cancer, TMZ Sports has confirmed with multiple family members.

We spoke with Beckie's daughter, Brittani Rabay, who tells us, "Mom had stage 4 kidney, colon and liver cancer."

Mullen was diagnosed in October and was told she didn't have long to live. She passed away earlier this week at a hospital in Palm Springs, CA.

"She fought as long as she could."

We also spoke with Beckie's mother, Jackie, who tells us her daughter was suffering and she's now confident she's moved on to a better place.

Beckie's mom tells us the wrestler was 55-years-old when she passed.

We've spoken with several former GLOW wrestlers who worked with Beckie and are devastated by the news. Beckie was clearly well-liked amongst her peers.

She first appeared on "Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" back in 1986 -- the inaugural season.

There has been renewed interest in GLOW after Netflix launched a scripted series based on the wrestling promotion starring Marc Maron and Alison Brie.

After her wrestling career, Beckie scored some acting roles in Hollywood -- appearing on shows like "Married with Children," "MadTV," "Renegade" and "Pacific Blue."

She was also featured in the 1991 music video for Van Halen's "Poundcake."

SO MUCH TRASH TALK!!!

Jake Paul and Nate Robinson have signed the dotted line to fight in Sept. -- but they're already throwing verbal haymakers ... and the video is amazing!

23-year-old Jake is taking on the 36-year-old ex-NBA player on the undercard of the big Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight after a war that started on TMZ Sports.

Long story short ... Nate called out Jake after watching the YouTube star beat up a couple of social media influencers in his first boxing matches.

Jake saw Nate's comments and challenged him to put his money where his mouth is -- and he did! Fight date is Sept. 12 on PPV and the Triller app.

We spoke with both guys at the same time -- and right off the bat, the insults were flying!!!!

Jake called Nate a washed-up old man. Nate said Jake is a fraud who's never fought a real athlete.

In fact, Nate says he's gone up against NBA legends like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson -- and says Jake is a BUM compared to those guys.

Nate has never had an amateur or pro boxing fight -- and Jake says he's simply biting off more than he can chew.

"You're not ready, you haven't even sparred yet," Jake said. "you don't even know what it's like to spar, buddy."

"Shut up, Jake ... with your bird head ass," Nate barked back. "Listen, come September 12, bro, you said you was gonna knock me out. Just make sure you're a man of your word."

Jake added, "This is the only thing you have going for you ... where was Nate Robinson before this? ... I'm like a doctor with the shock pedals reviving your career!!"

Even Robinson's bud and ex-NBA star, Matt Barnes, got in on the fun ... saying he wanted to go after one of Jake's friends!!

The guys did settle down for a bit to talk about the opportunity to fight under legends like Tyson and RJJ ... and they both understand it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"All the stars have aligned and it's honestly an honor to be a part of the Mike Tyson card," Paul tells us. "Like, seriously, a dream come true. I can't even believe it."

Nate says he's tapping Floyd Mayweather -- as well as other boxing greats -- to help him train for the big event.

"I've been working with guys like Floyd Mayweather out here in Vegas," Robinson says.

The NFL is buying TV airtime to run a PSA about Stephon Clark -- an unarmed Black man who was wrongly shot to death by cops in his grandmother's backyard, TMZ Sports has learned.

It's the latest in the NFL's Inspire Change initiative -- which aims to raise awareness about the need to create positive change and end systemic racism.

Clark's story is heartbreaking -- cops believed he had been breaking car windows in the area ... and tried to hide out in his grandma's house.

Multiple officers entered the home and opened fire -- believing Clark was brandishing a weapon.

Turns out, all he was holding was a cell phone. No gun. No weapon.

Clark was shot 8 times -- 6 of those shots struck him in the back.

Stephon's mother Se’Quette Clark tells his story in the new PSA -- walking the audience through that horrific night in the hopes of forcing major changes that will help prevent tragedies like this in the future.

Viewers can check out StephonClarkLegacy.com for more info.