TMZ Sports - Page 50

The dominoes continue to fall in college football -- this time, Penn State superstar linebacker Micah Parsons has decided to skip the 2020 season to prepare for the NFL Draft.

It's major news considering Parsons is projected to be a Top 5 pick in the 2021 draft class ... after recording 192 tackles, 6.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in two seasons with the Nittany Lions.

"As I considered all my options for 2020 season, I decided I needed to make a choice, not for myself, but my son and those dearest to me," Parsons said in his announcement Thursday.

The 21-year-old Harrisburg, PA native played a big role in the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic -- dominating with 14 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and winning the Defensive MVP.

He also earned All-American honors, 2019 Big Ten's Linebacker of the Year award, and was a Butkus Award finalist.

"The potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season," Parson said. "Therefore, I decided to opt out the 2020 season and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft."

Parsons joins a growing list of NCAA stars opting out -- Virginia Tech star cornerback Caleb Farley and Minnesota stud wide receiver Rashod Bateman also dropped out due to COVID-19 concerns.

As for Heisman hopeful Justin Fields, he's committed to suiting up for the Ohio State Buckeyes ... and has no plans on sitting out.

Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen nearly lost his life in a horrific crash in a race in Poland this week ... and he's now in a medically-induced coma recovering from serious injuries.

Jakobsen was jockeying for first place at the end of the Tour of Poland on Wednesday ... when he appeared to be cut off by fellow cyclist Dylan Groenewegen.

What happened next was terrifying ... Jakobsen flipped over some signage lining the raceway and then crashed face-first into a solid barrier.

Jakobsen suffered major injuries in the wreck ... his cycling team announced he had to undergo facial surgery and then be put into a coma.

But, thankfully, team officials say Jakobsen avoided serious spine/neck ailments.

"Fabio had facial surgery during the night," the cycling team said in a statement Thursday. "His situation is stable at the moment and later today the doctors will try to wake Fabio up."

Groenewegen was heavily criticized for his role in the crash ... he was DQ'ed from the race despite finishing first -- and was blasted by Jakobsen's team's GM, who called Groenewegen's end-of-race maneuver "criminal."

For his part, Groenewegen apologized on Twitter, writing, "I hate what happened yesterday. I can't find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and others who have been dropped or hit."

"At the moment, the health of Fabio is the most important thing. I think about him constantly."

Meanwhile, U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong sent his best wishes to Jakobsen, saying, "Thoughts and prayers go out to Fabio Jakobsen. Hang in there buddy."

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is fed up with the NFL's lack of diversity on the sidelines ... calling out the league and saying "it's a joke" more minority coaches aren't getting gigs.

"We just have to be better," Tomlin said Thursday on "Good Morning Football."

"Why sugar coat it? There's less than half the minority coaches in the NFL today than there was in 2007 when I got my job."

FYI -- there are currently only 4 minority coaches in the league in 2020, while there were as many as 8 in 2011 and 2017.

"From that perspective, it is a joke. It needs to be addressed," he added.

Of course, the NFL has made attempts to provide more opportunities for minority coaches in the past ... most notably the "Rooney Rule," which was implemented in 2007.

The league has also tossed around the idea of giving teams an incentive via draft picks if they hire minority coaches or execs ... which was widely criticized.

Tomlin acknowledges the league's efforts ... but trying isn't enough -- he wants results.

"I know that we're working diligently to address it, but the bottom line is it has to be reflected in the hiring."

Things are getting testy between UFC's Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov ...

The two were SUPPOSED to do battle at UFC Fight Night on August 29 -- but that's been pushed after Yair suffered an ankle injury.

Zabit -- the #3 ranked featherweight contender -- ripped Yair about the situation on social media saying, "Yair has no balls."

Zabit then called for a replacement fight with the champ, Alex Volkanovski ... a fight Alex seems to be interested in taking.

The whole situation didn't go over well with Yair -- the #5 ranked featherweight contender -- who clapped back at Zabit Thursday morning.

"Sit down and wait for me the way you have been waiting," Yair said.

"You will get a real good taste of my big mexican balls soon enough."

Yair added, "And since when did you become the sh*t talker? That you or your manager? Either way you’ll both wait for me like the little dogs you are. Tongue out and begging. I’ll see you in October-November 5 rounds."

Both Yair and Zabit have been incredibly impressive lately.

Yair is on a 2-fight win streak with victories over Jeremy Stephens and the Korean Zombie.

Wanna see what a face looks like after it takes a puck straight to the jaw in an NHL game??

Good ... 'cause Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman just revealed the injuries he suffered after blocking a shot with his cheek this week -- and they're gnarly!!

The 27-year-old NHL player was with his teammate Andrew Copp in the hockey bubble when he showed off the battle wounds ... and you can see the dude's face is swollen and scabbed.

"Guy's got a golf ball on the side of his cheek," Copp said of his teammate.

As we previously reported, Poolman went down to block a shot in the second period of the Jets' game against the Flames on Tuesday night ... but the frozen rubber ended up catching him right in the face.

Tucker immediately collapsed to the ice ... and blood spewed everywhere -- leaving a long trail of red as he hurried into the locker room.

But, the guy got stitched back up and played in the third period ... and clearly -- his teammates respect the hell out of him for the toughness.

"Absolute warrior," Copp said.

Ex-NFLer Justin Bannan has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in his attempted murder case ... after the defensive lineman allegedly shot a woman back in 2019.

41-year-old Bannan -- who played 11 seasons in the NFL -- was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault and burglary back in October 2019 ... after he shot a woman in the shoulder in Boulder, Colorado.

The woman survived -- and she's suing Bannan over the shooting -- but he's also being prosecuted criminally and faces serious prison time if convicted.

Officials say at the time of his arrest, Bannan told a bizarre story about how he was on the run from the Russian mafia and had ditched his cell phone over fears he was being tracked.

Bannan also claimed he did not intend to fire his weapon, claiming the shooting was an accident and he never intentionally targeted the female victim.

Officials say the woman had worked in the same building as Bannan ... but they really didn't know each other.

Cops also say when the 6'3", 310-lb. Bannan was arrested, he was carrying a rolled-up $20 dollar bill, which later tested positive for cocaine.

According to FOX 31 Denver, Bannan is now set to undergo a mental health evaluation at a state hospital.

Bannan was a standout defensive lineman at the University of Colorado from 1997-2001 ... and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft.

The hatred for the cheating-ass Houston Astros looks to be still rolling along smoothly ...

Here's video of Arizona Diamondbacks closer Archie Bradley appearing to flip off the 'Stros after a huge home run Wednesday night ... and it's pretty hilarious!!!

In the 5th inning of the D'Backs' rout of Houston in Phoenix ... Nick Ahmed blasted a moon shot bomb deep to left-center field that had Arizona's players going crazy.

The camera panned around to everyone while Ahmed was rounding the bases -- and when it got to the Diamondbacks' bullpen, you can see Bradley clear as day pumpin' a middle finger toward the diamond.

Was it directed at the 'Stros players? Seems like it. Was it because Houston was caught in a massive sign-stealing, cheating scheme that rocked baseball? Probably.

Bradley hasn't addressed the single-barrel salute with media yet ... so it's all unclear at the moment.

What is clear, though ... is everyone still hates the Astros for their roles in a 2017 cheating scandal.

Remember, Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly was just suspended 8 GAMES by MLB after he almost incited a brawl by nearly beaning both Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa in a game last week.

Marty Jannetty is now claiming self-defense in the apparent death of a man he says he killed 47 years ago ... saying he used a brick to fatally fend off a rapist.

The ex-pro wrestling star called in to the Boston Wrestling Sports show on Wednesday night -- where he was questioned about a bizarre Facebook post in which he suggests he killed a guy and dumped the body in the Chattahoochee River sometime around 1973.

At first, 60-year-old Jannetty tries to be careful about the language he uses ... but ultimately describes an incident involving a male bowling alley employee who allegedly tried to "rape" him in a car behind a building in Georgia.

"He was a front desk clerk," Jannetty said ... "He was known to sell the weed. What I didn't know was he lured in little kids."

Jannetty claims the man tried to grab his genitals, so Marty tried to flee ... but the man grabbed him by the hair and got physical with him so Marty couldn't escape.

That's when Marty says he grabbed a brick and fought back.

"I can't say he deserved to die, but he deserved to get his ass beat."

"And, when I was beating him in the head with a brick, I was only trying to beat his ass, I wasn't trying to kill him."

Jannetty suggests the man died -- and that's when he tried to get rid of the body.

"Can you imagine dragging a guy -- he's just tried to f*** you in the ass --- can you imagine dragging him to the river and throwing him in? And, then finding out on the news the dude's missing. You know the dude. And, you know more than that. That affected me bad, bro."

As we previously reported, the Columbus Police Dept. in Georgia has already opened a probe into the apparent killing.

In fact, a spokesperson from the homicide/cold case division told us, "The first step will be seeing if we have any missing persons or unidentified remains cases that match the limited information in the post."

How's Danica Patrick getting over the Aaron Rodgers breakup???

LAKE VACAY WITH THE FRIENDS, BABY!!!

The former NASCAR superstar threw on a tiny bikini and hit up a body of water somewhere in the U.S. this week -- and, yeah, doesn't look like she's too broken-hearted, right!?

Danica got in some sun, some swimming and even a little wake surfing with a couple buds ... and it appears she's doing just fine with Aaron in her rearview mirror.

As we previously reported, the power couple officially called things off last month after two years of some pretty heavy romance.

The NFL superstar and the ex-racecar driver -- who started dating back in 2018 -- were exchanging L-bombs on the regular ... and had even bought a $28 million mansion together in Malibu.

In fact, Danica had told Jenny McCarthy on her SiriusXM show back in November she wouldn't mind getting engaged to the QB.

No reason's been given yet for the splitsville ... but Patrick's clearly doing her best to move on.

LeBron James says the NBA won't miss Donald Trump as a viewer -- essentially telling POTUS not to let the door hit him on the way out!

"I really don't think the basketball community are sad about losing his viewership," James said after the Lakers lost to the OKC Thunder on Wednesday ... "And, that's all I got to say."

SPOILER: That wasn't all he had to say.

Of course, Bron as reacting to comments Trump made earlier that day -- when he blasted the NBA kneeling protests as "disgraceful" during an interview with "FOX & Friends."

LeBron and the overwhelming majority of people inside the bubble have been kneeling during the national anthem before games while wearing Black Lives Matter shirts.

Trump no likey.

"When I see people kneeling during the playing and disrespecting our flag and national anthem, what I do personally is turn off the game," Trump added.

When asked about the comments, LeBron said he didn't want to get into another public social media spat with POTUS ... but followed up by essentially calling for people to vote Trump out of office in November.

"I think our game is in a beautiful position and we have fans all over the world and our fans not only love the way we play the game, we try to give it back to them with our commitment to the game."

"But also respect what else we try to bring to the game and acknowledge it -- what's right and what's wrong," James said.

"And I hope everyone, no matter the race, no matter the color, no matter the size, will see what leadership that we have at the top in our country and understand that November is right around the corner and it's a big moment for us as Americans."

"If we continue to talk about, 'We want better, we want change, we have an opportunity to do that."

"But the game will go on without his eyes on it. I can sit here and speak for all of us that love the game of basketball: We could [not] care less."

"You're talking about grown men, 85% of them single and you have them locked up at Disney World?!"

That's ex-NBA star Gilbert Arenas raising some issues going on inside the NBA bubble ... insinuating players are reaching their breaking point after going weeks without sex.

Look, it's a fair point -- the players entered the bubble at the beginning of July ... and so far, officials have restricted families and girlfriends from joining them.

When we saw Arenas out in Calabasas on Wednesday, he told us he's been speaking with some of the guys on the inside -- and gave us the update on how they're holding up.

"[They're] primadonnas right now," Arenas says ... explaining they're used to living a fun, party lifestyle -- but that all changed when they stepped in the bubble.

Now, they're restricted to their confined space at Disney World -- and it's starting to take a toll.

Arenas is also calling out Lou Williams -- and saying his excuse about hitting up the famous Magic City strip club for chicken wings during his time out of the bubble is complete BS.

"I would never eat at a strip club. I don't go to the strip club to eat wings," Gilbert says.

"I can go to Wing Stop for some wings. I go to the strip club to see strippers."

The NBA is continuing to walk the walk in its fight for racial justice ... it's now pledged to donate $300 MILLION over the next 10 years to help Black communities.

The league just made the announcement Wednesday ... saying it's all part of the NBA's newly created "Foundation" -- which was just formed to help in the battle for social equality.

The league says each of its 30 team owners will donate $1 million annually to the Foundation for the next decade with the hopes of improving "employment and career advancement" in Black communities.

The league also says the Foundation will work with other national groups to try to create other forms of revenue to "deepen the NBA family’s commitment to racial equality and social justice."

"We believe that through focused programs in our team markets and nationally," commissioner Adam Silver said, "together with clear and specific performance measures, we can advance our shared goals of creating substantial economic mobility within the Black community."

According to the league, the Foundation will focus on donating money into three main areas in Black communities: "obtaining a first job, securing employment following high school or college, and career advancement once employed."

"The creation of this foundation is an important step in developing more opportunities for the Black community,” OKC Thunder star Chris Paul said.

"I am proud of our league and our players for their commitment to this long-term fight for equality and justice, and I know we will continue to find ways to keep pushing for meaningful institutional change."

Darren Rovell thinks Johnny Manziel is washed up.

Johnny Manziel thinks Darren Rovell is a "bitch."

Yep, things are heating up between the ex-NFL star and the business reporter -- and it's all playing out on social media.

Here's how it started ... Rovell posted a tweet on Wednesday comparing 2 Sports Illustrated cover stories from 7 years ago.  ... featuring the Alex Rodriguez steroid scandal as well as the "Johnny Football" craze.

Rovell says A-Rod was at "Rock Bottom" back then while Manziel was the "envy of the college football world."

He then points out that in 2020, the tables have apparently turned.

"Today, A-Rod is as relevant as ever. Manziel achieves a flash of relevance by flipping off a building into a pool."

Side note -- it was a pretty impressive flip.

Manziel clearly feels Rovell's tweet was an unwarranted cheap shot -- and fired back Wednesday with one of his own.

"Seven years later and you’re still as big of a bitch as ever."

OUCH.

Rovell hasn't responded to Manziel and when we reached out, Rovell issued a "no comment."

Shocker, there's some bad blood between the two men that goes back years -- and it apparently all started in 2013 when Rovell investigated whether Manziel was signing autographs for cash while at Texas A&M.

Turns out, Rovell was on to something -- and Manziel was suspended by the NCAA for one-half of a football game.

He eventually went on to be a 1st round pick in the NFL Draft -- but everyone knows what happened after that ... rehab, CFL, fired from CFL, divorce, mental health issues, etc.

But 27-year-old Manziel has said he's moved on with his life and accepts that his NFL career has ended.

The argument that's broken out on social media ... is Rovell out of line for pointing it Johnny's downfall, knowing what he's been through? Or is it fair game since he's pointing out facts.

As for A-Rod, he's doing great -- he survived the steroid scandal. He made a fortune in business. He's trying to buy the NY Mets. And, he's engaged to J Lo.

Jake Paul's L.A.-area home is the scene of an early morning FBI raid ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Jake's house in Calabasas is currently being searched by the feds -- and that a search warrant has been issued to do so. We don't know why or what the authorities are looking for, but we do know agents are on the ground, taking a look around.

We know Jake draws a lot of attention with his YouTube stunts, which are often documented on camera -- some of which have landed him in hot water, legally before. The raid isn't a prank gone wrong though ... we know it's real this time.

It's unclear if Jake himself is home right now.

Ya don't buy a car without checkin' under the hood, right?

And, if you're Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, ya don't buy a pro baseball team without checking out the stadium!

That's what J-Rod did on Wednesday -- getting a VIP tour of Citi Field in Queens as part of their plan to buy the team.

J Lo -- sporting a flowing white sundress -- led the charge with A-Rod and a few other businessy-lookin' dudes.

As we previously reported, the power couple has been gunning to buy the team for months -- and recently linked up with some rich partners to add to their ownership group.

The most recent addition to Alex and Jen's team is Mike Repole -- who co-founded BodyArmor and Vitaminwater. He's rich and also a life-long Mets fan.

They had previously brought on a dream team of current and former NFL ballers including Travis Kelce, Brian Urlacher, Joe Thomas, and DeMarco Murray.

There are two NBA stars in the group as well -- Washington Wizards beast Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee.

J Lo and A-Rod had previously tried to buy the Mets for around $1.5 billion -- but it didn't exactly work out since the Wilpon family (which owns the team) was hoping to get around $2.5 billion.

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen was the front-runner to buy the team -- he's loaded and has already made a $2 billion bid, according to the NY Post.

But, ESPN says the Wilpons would prefer to sell to Lopez and Rodriguez if they can come closer to the top bid.

Drew Drechsel, the reigning "American Ninja Warrior" champ, is now facing federal charges for luring an underage girl for sex.

Last year's 'ANW' winner allegedly began a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in New Jersey back in 2015 ... according to legal docs, obtained by TMZ. Drechsel, nicknamed the Real Life Ninja, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Saint Cloud, FL.

The feds say the alleged victim contacted cops in NJ in June 2019 and told them she started having sex with Drechsel when she was 15 and he was 26. She claims they first met in 2014 after an 'ANW' contestant event, exchanged numbers and began texting each other.

In the docs, the alleged victim claims Drechsel invited her to his gym in Hamden, CT as a 15th birthday present, and they had sex after his girlfriend left the gym. She told police she informed her mother about the encounter the very next day.

The mother alleges Drechsel didn't deny having sex with her daughter when confronted, but claimed he did not know the girl's age.

According to docs, the alleged victim also told cops she met Drechsel multiple times outside a NJ gym and had sex with him when she was 15 to 17 years old.

The feds say she told them Drechsel frequently asked her to Skype him while she was naked, and they allegedly found child pornography on Drechsel's cell phone ... along with his requests for her to delete their text messages.

Drechsel -- who won $1 million on 'ANW' -- remains in custody after a judge found him to be a flight risk and danger to the community. U.S. Marshals are transporting him from Florida to NJ, where he'll stand trial.