TMZ Sports - Page 14

Reds star Trevor Bauer is taking his support for Joe Kelly to his feet ... rockin' "Free Joe Kelly" cleats for Cincy's game Wednesday -- and the tribute is pretty amazing!!

As we previously reported, Kelly is set to undergo a 5-game suspension as soon as he comes off the Dodgers' injured list ... and it's all because MLB says he threw at cheating Houston Astros players last month.

But, dozens of guys in The Show -- including Kelly himself -- think it's all BS ... saying Joe didn't actually hit anybody, and he really wasn't involved in the near brawl on the field either.

Enter, Bauer ... who hates the Astros so much and is so firmly in Kelly's corner on the situation -- he had custom Joe Kelly cleats made for his start against the K.C. Royals!!!

TB showed off the footwear just hours before he took the bump ... and on the left shoe, Bauer had Kelly's infamous mocking face painted over the Nike swoosh.

On the right shoe, Bauer had the words "Free Joe Kelly" scribbled over the emblem.

"FREE JOE KELLY!" Bauer said along with the cleat announcement.

Trevor's support for Joe went one step even further ... the Cincy ace also made shirts for Kelly -- and says the proceeds from the tees will go to a charity of Joe's choice.

How's that for a pitching brotherhood?!?!

Roy Jones Jr. is NOT pulling the plug on his scheduled fight with Mike Tyson ... but there is some truth to rumors of tension behind the scenes.

Here's what we know ... Roy wasn't happy when Tyson's camp agreed to push back the date of the fight from Sept. 12 to Nov. 28.

Roy already had begun training and was on a strict timeline to prepare himself. So, when the date changed ... we're told he was frustrated and vented his issues to Tyson's camp and the people organizing the fight.

We're told there were other minor issues ... but it all boils down to this -- Roy wants to be treated like an equal partner in the fight and after he laid out his concerns, we're told he was happy with the way they were addressed and agreed to proceed with the fight on Nov. 28.

In fact, Roy even posted an IG video this week saying straight up, he'll be ready and looking for a real deal victory over Tyson when they clash.

One thing that's bothered both fighters is the insinuation from the California State Athletic Commission that the fight will be more of a playful show than a violent fight.

Sources from both Tyson's camp and Roy's camp tell us both men are approaching the event like they would any other fight in their respective careers.

Tyson and Roy have said to TMZ Sports on camera the goal is a knockout ... and they will be COMPETING once the bell rings.

Ric Flair just gave some amazing advice to NFL tight end George Kittle after the 49ers star signed his new $75 million contract -- DON'T GET DIVORCED!

It's a hilarious moment that all went down during a live radio interview on the Bay Area's 95.7 The Game ... when the hosts brought in Flair to surprise Kittle, who happens to be a massive WWE fan.

"Yeah, it’s the Nature Boy Ric Flair! Congratulations George Kittle. You’re limousine riding and jet flying!!"

Kittle was rendered speechless -- which is saying a lot for him ... ultimately saying he couldn't believe he was on the phone with one of the all-time great pro wrestlers!

Flair was so impressed with Kittle's new 5-year, $75 million contract extension with the SF 49ers ... he offered up some financial advice to the 26-year-old.

"Listen, stay married. That $15 million could go real fast if you get divorced!"

Flair was referring to Kittle's $18 mil signing bonus -- but fudged the numbers. It's fine. You get the point.

Bottom line ... Flair is stoked. Kittle is stoked.

And, Boyfriend of the Year honors go to ... Las Vegas Raiders rookie Henry Ruggs!!!

Here's video of the NFL first-round pick surprising his girlfriend with a brand new, custom Mustang 5.0 -- and yeah, dude's clearly great both on the field and in relationships!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the former Alabama star receiver hit up Gaudin Ford dealership in Nevada for the whip ... and as you can see in the footage, Ruggs clearly chose the right car.

Check out the clip ... Henry brought his GF, Kiara Washington, and their 3-month-old daughter down to the driveway -- and when Kiara realized what was happening, she busted out into tears!!

"Henry!!!" she screamed repeatedly ... before adding, "Thank you!!"

We're told 2020 Mustang GTs don't come in yellow ... but Ruggs made it happen because that's his girl's favorite color.

AWWWW!!!

By the way, the car should remind Washington of Henry every time she gets in it ... 'cause it's fast as hell -- we're told this model has 332 horsepower and can go 0 to 60 MPH in under 5 SECONDS!!

As for price ... unclear what the ride set back Ruggs -- but don't worry, dude just inked a 4-year, $16 MILLION contract with the Raiders.

Oscar De La Hoya says he's coming back!!!

The 47-year-old former champ insists he's gearing up for a return to boxing -- and will begin training very soon.

"The rumors are true, and I'm going to start sparring in the next few weeks," De La Hoya told ESPN's Steve Kim.

Oscar hasn't had a pro fight since December 2008, when he lost to Manny Pacquiao.

"Look, it's been a long time, yes," De La Hoya said ... "But actually my jab feels faster than ever."

"I have to make sure that my conditioning is perfect, my health is good. And, that's going to take place in the next few weeks. So we'll see."

De La Hoya has not revealed any potential opponents yet -- but insists the fight will not be an exhibition for entertainment, he's looking to add a "W" to his long and storied pro boxing record.

Oscar finished with a 39-6 record when he hung up the gloves 12 years ago ... but famously defeated guys like Arturo Gatti, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker.

After his fighting career, Oscar became a successful promoter -- repping stars like Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia under his Golden Boy Promotions banner.

Wanna get on Cristiano Ronaldo's yacht? It'll cost you a 6-pack ...

The international soccer superstar brought some pals on his super expensive boat off the coast of Mallorca, Spain ... and even his friends are ripped.

Unclear if these guys are just musclebound norms or other soccer pros ... but whoever they are, it looks like they haven't had a carb in decades.

Ronaldo's been living it up over the past few weeks -- sailing around some of the most exclusive parts of the coast with his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, and their kids ... flexing his abs every time someone pulls out a camera.

Ronaldo's yacht is insane -- reportedly featuring 6 bathrooms, 5 luxury cabins, a dining area, kitchen, bar ... and there's gotta be a fitness area on there, right?

Ronaldo reportedly spent around $7 mil on the yacht -- which is nothing for him ... he's reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars from soccer contracts and endorsement deals.

According to Forbes, he made over $105 million over the past year from contract money and sponsors ... the 2nd highest-paid athlete on the planet.

The only athlete who made more money? Roger Federer, who raked in $106.3 mil.

But, Federer ain't got nothin' on CR7's physique. Good lord.

Ex-NBA player Gerald Wilkins -- younger bro of Dominique Wilkins -- was arrested Tuesday on 2 counts of battery and he's still behind bars, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 56-year-old was taken into custody in Cobb County, Georgia on August 18.

Records show he's facing 3 criminal charges -- 2 counts of misdemeanor simple battery and 1 count of misdemeanor criminal trespass.

We're working on the details.

Wilkins was a 2nd round pick in the 1985 NBA Draft and went on to play for the Knicks, Cleveland Cavs, Grizzlies and  Orlando Magic ... before finally retiring in 1999.

It's been a rough year for Wilkins who's facing a bunch of criminal charges stemming from multiple alleged incidents over the past few months.

Officials say he attacked a work colleague back on June 9 ... and was also involved in a domestic incident on June 6.

Before that, Wilkins was charged with assault for allegedly trying to force his way into a woman's home back in May.

Brace yourself, football fans ... there's another Manning coming!!!

Peyton & Eli Manning's nephew, Arch, was just named the top QB in the 2023 class ... making him arguably the most coveted sophomore recruit on the planet!!!

Cooper Manning's son was given the honor Wednesday by college recruit ranking website 247 Sports ... which also named the 6'3", 195-pound QB the #5 overall player in the class.

The accolade comes as really no surprise, considering Arch destroyed defenses all year during his freshman season at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans.

The quarterback threw for 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns to just 6 INTs ... and went 9-1 as a ninth-grade starter.

"He really surpassed what we could have hoped for," his head coach, Nelson Stewart, told 247.

In fact, in one game that Peyton attended last season ... Arch threw for 6 touchdowns -- showing off an arm just like Uncle Peyton and Uncle Eli!!!

No word yet on which college Arch will end up playing for ... but seems Ole Miss and Tennessee might have the best shots considering the Manning legacies.

Another huge victory in court for Robert Kraft ... video allegedly showing the Patriots owner receiving sex acts in a massage spa has been ruled INADMISSIBLE once again.

The 79-year-old's dream team of attorneys had successfully argued last year that Feb. 2019 footage of Kraft inside a Jupiter, Fla. day spa violated his rights and should NOT be allowed to be used in the case against him.

But, prosecutors appealed the decision to the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ... and said at a June hearing that police had every right to roll on Kraft.

On Wednesday ... judges sided with the New England owner -- saying in a lengthy opinion that cops screwed up in the way they went about recording video inside of the spa.

In the opinion, the judges say Kraft -- and others who received legitimate non-sexual massages -- had a reasonable right to privacy inside the facility.

The judges also say officers didn't do enough in their surveillance to protect those innocent people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

Prosecutors now have the option to appeal yet again to a higher court ... but this is likely the last stop.

In other words, seems the footage has been officially blocked for good.

It's a huge deal for RK ... officials have hit him with 2 charges of soliciting prostitution and he was realistically looking at a fine and community service if convicted -- but with no smoking gun video, it'll be much harder to get a conviction.

A spokesperson for Kraft tells TMZ Sports the Pats owner is "pleased" with the ruling -- noting that it effectively blocks footage "that should never have been taken."

"In doing so, the appellate panel unanimously agreed with every judge who has examined these issues and ruled that law enforcement acted unconstitutionally when conducting their investigation."

LeBron James says he will officially join Team Biden -- and will actively campaign for the V.P. and Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump in the presidential election.

"We are at a time where we need change," LeBron said on VICE TV's "Cari & Jemele: Stick To Sports."

"In order for change, it's all about leadership -- and leadership starts at the top."

Remember, LeBron campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign -- even joining her on stage for a rally in Ohio.

Now, LeBron says he'll get his political machine up and cranking again to help Biden/Harris get into the White House this time around.

LeBron's issues with Donald Trump are well documented -- they've traded shots for years.

Bron has called Trump everything from a bum to a clown. Trump insulted Bron's intelligence.

So, when Jemele Hill -- who's also gone after Trump -- asked about Bron's intentions to help out Biden, James said it was an obvious decision.

"I think what's known don't need to be said," Bron explained on the show (premieres Wednesday at 10 PM ET).

Back in 2016, Bron had a ton of support from NBA players -- including J.R. Smith who joined him on stage during the Clinton rally.

Stick. Move. Destroy!!!

That's how we'd sum up Mike Tyson's Tuesday training session -- when the 54-year-old exploded on some mitts while working on a ridiculous 5-punch combo.

And yeah ... IT'S AWESOME!

The man taking the punishment is Mike's trainer Rafael Cordeiro -- who's leading the boxing legend through a grueling 5-day-a-week training regimen for his Nov. 28 showdown with Roy Jones Jr.

As we previously reported, Mike and Roy will headline a pretty stacked card featuring some pretty interesting fights ... including Nate Robinson vs. Jake Paul and Badou Jack vs. Blake McKernan.

Also, Viddal Riley -- the fighter who trained KSI for his fights with Logan Paul -- will take on ex-UFC fighter Rashad Coulter.

The event will air on the Triller app and via Pay-Per-View. It's also the first in a series of events for Tyson's new Legends Only League, founded by Mike, Sophie Watts, Johnny Ryan Jr. and Eros Innovations -- which will feature some of the greatest athletes of all time getting back into competition.

The California State Athletic Commission had cautioned fans that the Tyson vs. Jones fight was going to be more of a show than a real fight ... but both Mike and Roy have said the goal is to take each other out.

"This is search and destroy and I’m looking forward to recapturing my glory," Mike told us earlier this month.

A Harlem Globetrotters player says white Alabama news anchors threw a banana and other fruit at him during a January appearance ... and now he's coming forward to blast the men for the "disrespectful and egregious" act.

Maxwell Pearce -- AKA "Hops" -- says he was doing an interview with Fox 6 in Birmingham to promote an event ... when suddenly, people on set threw tangerines his way.

Shortly after ... the 24-year-old says one of the anchors took it a step further, and hurled a banana at him.

In footage from the interview ... you can see Pearce caught the fruit with a shocked expression on his face.

Now, after months of reflecting on the incident ... Pearce says he's going public with his feelings on the matter to raise awareness for just how unacceptable the acts were.

"Throwing fruit at me diminishes the Naismith Hall of Fame legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters to that of a circus," Pearce said in an emotional video over the weekend.

"But throwing a banana at a black man and passing it off as entertainment displays an unacceptable lack of awareness. And quite frankly, I'm having a very difficult time understanding how someone could work in the media field and not know that this is offensive."

Pearce added, "This carries deep racial undertones that date back to the early 1900s when black people were held on display in human zoos."

Pearce says he initially urged the news station for an apology, but "stood down" for fear of appearing combative.

But, Pearce claims after the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ... he felt it was necessary to shine a public light on what he went through.

Pearce told CNN this week that he did receive an apology from the news station over the fruit throwing ... but claims the anchors themselves have yet to reach out to him to say sorry.

"At this point it's not going to be sincere to me," Pearce said.

For its part, a station spokesperson released a statement on the matter to AL.com this week ... saying, "WBRC Fox6 would like to take this opportunity to again extend a heartfelt and sincere apology to Globetrotter Max Pearce."

NFL running back Derrius Guice is adamant he did NOT rape two women back in 2016 while attending LSU, despite new claims to the contrary.

Both women claim Guice raped them in their own apartments after a night of heavy boozing -- and both claim the allegations were reported to LSU, but never properly investigated.

The women each spoke with USA Today Sports, but have not revealed their identities publicly.

The first woman says she drunkenly passed out on her bed after throwing a party -- and later began to have flashbacks of Guice assaulting her. Plus, she claims other football players at the party said Guice had bragged about having sex with her that night.

The accuser said she told a friend on the diving team about the incident -- who told her diving coach. The diver claims the coach reported the incident to LSU athletics officials.

The accuser claims she later got an email from an LSU official following up on the allegations -- but nothing really came of it.

However, the accuser claims LSU coach Ed Orgeron mentioned the incident later to her then-boyfriend, a player on the LSU football team.,

The player told USA Today Sports ... Orgeron made comments telling him not to be bothered by Guice's involvement with the accuser because "everybody’s girlfriend sleeps with other people."

The player doesn't know exactly how much Oregron knew about the incident.

The second accuser, a former LSU tennis player, claims Guice also sexually assaulted her after a night of drinking.

The woman later went to rehab for substance abuse issues and in 2017, told a rehab staffer about the alleged rape.

The staffer allegedly reported the allegation to LSU -- but the accuser claims it was never properly investigated.

For his part, Guice's attorney Peter D. Greenspun told USA Today Sports the allegations are baseless and looking to make Guice look worse after his recent domestic violence arrest in Virginia.

"At no time were allegations of physical or sexual assault brought against Derrius during his years as a student athlete at LSU," Greenspun told USA Today.

"To bring up such assertions only after the Virginia charges were initiated certainly calls into question the credibility, nature and timing of what is being alleged years later."

"Such speculation and innuendo should not be the basis for Derrius to be required to make any comment at all but he wants to be absolutely clear. The allegations in this story are just that and have no basis in fact."

Guice -- a talented running back -- was released by the Washington Football Team earlier this month after cops say he violently attacked a woman he was romantically involved with on 3 separate occasions from Feb. to April.

LSU issued a generic statement -- but did not address the Guice allegations specifically.

DeSean Jackson went OFF on Danny Green during L.A.'s stunning loss to Portland on Tuesday ... with the NFL star calling the Lakers wing "weak," a "bum" and straight-up "trash."

"I don't care what anybody say," said the Philadelphia Eagles receiver, who grew up in L.A. "Danny Green, you weak as f*ck. You out there playing like a bum."

"Get him off the team, man. Trash."

Of course, Green didn't play his best in the Lakers' 100-93 playoff loss to the Trailblazers ... scoring just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

In fact, Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso were all heavily criticized by NBA pundits for not giving LeBron James enough support in the game.

Seems DeSean couldn't agree more ... because he said he now believes the Lake Show is in big trouble in the rest of the series.

"I told ya'll Lakers, ya'll in trouble," DeSean said. "I'm a die-hard Laker fan, but I don't know. This ain't looking like us."

Jackson went on to praise the hell out of Damian Lillard for his 34-point night ... adding, "That boy Dame Lillard cold. Salute, Dame."

Game 2 in the series is set to tip-off Thursday ... and there's already been talks J.R. Smith and/or Dion Waiters should begin eating into Green's minutes.

Two camps are claiming to be in possession of the REAL jersey worn by Michael Strahan in Super Bowl 42 ... which means someone has a FAKE.

And now, the situation is about to explode -- with both sides claiming they have solid arguments for why their jersey is the real thing.

In one corner, Michael Strahan -- Pro Football Hall of Famer.

In the other, Goldin Auctions -- one of the top sports memorabilia dealers in the country, which prides itself on trading in authentic items.

Strahan claims after his NY Giants beat the New England Patriots on Feb. 3, 2008, he gave his jersey to a friend and instructed that person to take it straight to Strahan's hotel room for safekeeping.

Per a source close to the NY Giants legend, Strahan is adamant the same jersey he passed to his friend ended up in a frame which is now on display at his home.

If you take a close look, we're told those stains on the jersey are champagne and Gatorade stains from the locker room celebration.

But, Goldin Auctions is disputing that claim ... insisting the REAL jersey ended up with a Giants equipment manager that day, who then passed it along to another person ... who brought it to Goldin Auctions.

Ken Goldin, Goldin Auctions Founder and CEO, tells us he's had two well-respected photo match experts -- Mei Grey and Resolution Photo Matching Service -- take a look at his jersey and both agree his jersey is legit.

Goldin also says when you take a close look at the jersey in Strahan's home, he believes there are obvious inconsistencies from high-definition photos of the jersey that were taken directly after the game.

In other words, Goldin believes the photo evidence proves he's got the REAL uniform.

"We are 100% confident the Strahan jersey in the auction is authentic," Goldin says ... "And the photo matching services letters and images speak for themselves."

So, what happens next? We're told Goldin is prepared to defend his claims and will proceed with his auction.

The most recent bid for the Strahan jersey is a cool $39k -- and Goldin believes it can crack $100k.

Here it is ... video proof Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri was SHOVED FIRST in an altercation with a sheriff's deputy during the 2019 NBA Finals.

It's shocking footage considering the claims made by the deputy which painted Ujiri as the main aggressor in an incident that left him with multiple injuries.

Remember, a spokesperson for the Alameda County Sheriff's Dept. initially claimed they would pursue CRIMINAL CHARGES against Ujiri for allegedly striking the deputy in the moments after the Raptors won the title over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Ujiri had denied wrongdoing -- but the deputy was adamant the NBA honcho committed misdemeanor battery on a law enforcement officer.

Now, new bodycam footage shows exactly how things went down -- and it seems obvious the cop overreacted in a dangerous way.

The footage shows Ujiri trying to pull out his credentials in a peaceful, nonthreatening way but the deputy freaked out and put his hands on Masai!!!

You can hear the deputy, Alan Strickland, tell Ujiri to "back the f*ck up" while shoving him in the chest.

Strickland pushed Ujiri again -- this time with two hands and using very aggressive force.

Ujiri replies, "Why did you push me? I’m the president of the Raptors."

That's when Ujiri responds by shoving back at the officer, but at that point ... what else is he supposed to do? He felt he was being attacked!?!

And, don't forget this part ... Strickland filed a federal lawsuit against Ujiri, the Raptors and the NBA back in February claiming he suffered serious injuries to his teeth, head, jaw and chin.

And, don't forget, officials initially said deputy claimed the altercation started because Ujiri didn't have the proper credentials -- but the video blows that whole argument out of the water.

Ujiri's attorneys told KTVU the video proves Deputy Alan Strickland was "undeniably the initial aggressor."