TMZ Sports - Page 50

David Arquette's professional wrestling career has been both mocked and admired, but above all else, it's been bloody hard work ... and he says it's coming to an end soon.

The actor's journey as a pro wrestler began way back in 2000, but as he points out on "TMZ Live" ... he didn't have a clue then about what it actually took to be successful.

Fast forward a couple decades, and a battle-worn David is flying higher above the wrestling ring than ever before -- even at 48 -- thanks to a commitment to various types of training and a devotion to the sport he's loved for a long time.

David says he's still an actor, though, and despite his remarkable comeback -- which is the subject of his new documentary -- he claims he's calling it quits soon.

That's probably a good thing, because as you may recall ... David was badly injured in a bloody match in 2018, and damn near died in 2019 after continuing to dish out and take beatings in the ring.

Arquette's daughter Coco wasn't too pleased with all of this, but he tells us she's come to accept and understand it more after seeing the documentary ... which he calls a "love letter to wrestling."

There's still hope the NBA players and league execs can work out a plan to save the season ... with players compiling a list of "actionable items" they want the NBA to endorse in order to proceed.

A high-ranking NBA source tells us ... the feeling among several players is they will lose their biggest platform if they stop the season.

Of course, a stoppage won't affect the impact of superstars like LeBron James ... but we're told the majority of players see real value in being able to use the NBA platform to speak to the masses about social justice issues.

In fact, Draymond Green just posted about it -- saying, "The notion that athletes should just stop working but no one else in the world should stop is baffling to me."

"Why stop doing the very thing that offers you the biggest platform to speak for those that look like me/a lot of us?"

"To do that is to actually give up the platform to speak for them, because without us using our platforms which is afforded by the influence of the sport, it actually stops us from echoing what those in the back are saying."

So, the hope is both sides can reach a compromise -- with players coming together after a tense Wednesday night meeting in order to put together a list of demands for the league.

Obviously, the NBA wants to proceed -- there’s so much money at stake. And, from what we understand, the league execs and owners are meeting Thursday morning to figure out a way to work out a deal with the players.

As we previously reported, the Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to boycott on Wednesday when they refused to take the floor for Game 5 of their playoff series with the Orlando Magic.

Other teams followed suit ... until the league officially announced that all games would be rescheduled to a later date.

We're told the league had already planned for possible COVID-related postponements ... so they're not super worried about getting back on schedule.

But, word is ... play almost certainly will not resume Thursday -- everybody still needs some time.

The Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers have also canceled their Thursday practices.

Several NFL teams -- including the NY Jets and the Indianapolis Colts -- are canceling practice Thursday so players can focus on social justice issues.

Just one day after multiple NBA teams refused to take the court for their Game 5 playoff games as a "boycott" to show outrage over the Jacob Blake shooting, NFL players are also taking action.

The Washington Football Team is among those canceling team activities Thursday.

Head coach Ron Rivera says the decision came after a conversation with new team president Jason Wright.

"Jason Wright and I worked this afternoon to develop a response that has the right balance between the business of football and being truly thoughtful about the social injustice we witnessed with this latest incident in Wisconsin."

"We went to Mr. Snyder with our plan for tomorrow and we were given his complete support and approval."

Rivera says the plan is to return to football on Friday -- but Thursday will "be about reflection instead."

"In place of our practice at FedExField, the players, coaches and football staff will meet as a football family and we will continue our open dialogue on the issues of racism and social injustice in our country."

Not all NFL teams scrapped practice Thursday -- the Ravens, Giants, Patriots and Buccaneers proceeded as scheduled.

The Ravens explained, "Our team decided to practice this morning. After practice, the team will come together for a meeting to discuss and work on a plan for continued social justice reform efforts."

Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell is going OFF on MLS team owner Dell Loy Hansen for comments he made about player protests ... demanding he sell the team if he doesn't approve.

Of course, several MLS games were postponed following the Jacob Blake shooting ... including Hansen-owned Real Salt Lake's match-up with LAFC.

Hansen appeared on a radio show Thursday morning to express his frustrations with the game being postponed ... comparing the feeling to being stabbed.

"It’s a moment of sadness," Hansen told X96’s Radio From Hell. "It’s like somebody stabbed you and you’re trying to figure out a way to pull the knife out and move forward. That’s what it feels like."

"The disrespect is profound to me personally."

Hansen also claimed the players do not care about local issues, the city or the organization ... and hinted at losing interest in improving the team.

"It’s taken a lot of wind out of my sails, what effort I want to put into recruiting players and building a great team," Hansen said. "It just seems that’s not a very good path to take."

Enter Mitchell -- who got wind of Hansen's comments and came up with a simple solution for his frustrations.

"WOW... if it’s taken 'the wind' out then sell the team... I stand with (Real Salt Lake) players,'" Mitchell tweeted.

Soccer star Jozy Altidore agrees with Spida ... and says he's even in the process of forming a group to buy the team.

"He needs to sell the team then," Jozy tweeted. "I’m involved in a group that’s ready to purchase it. Time for change."

Jennifer Lopez says owning the NY Mets would not only be "amazing" for her ... but extremely beneficial for MLB to have a strong woman in a position of power.

Both J.Lo and Alex Rodriguez have been laser-focused on trying to buy the team from the Wilpon family -- raising millions of dollars from high profile investors in the hopes of closing a deal.

Jen's main competition is from Wall Street titan Steve Cohen -- who reportedly made a $2.6 billion bid ... though word on the street is the Wilpons would rather sell to J-Rod's group if they can get close to that number.

Jennifer appeared on Barstool Sports' "The Corp" podcast -- where she was asked about the latest developments with the ownership pursuit.

"Listen, in this day and age, that would be something that would be so amazing," Lopez said.

"We don’t, I don’t have anything to report on that end right now. But, I think in every field, especially in institutions like Major League Baseball that are so American in this moment in time, it is important for diversity and it is important for women to have positions of power that they’ve earned and deserve and can contribute in a way that is just as good as any man on the planet."

She adds, "So of course I am for it."

There are currently zero women listed as a principal owner of a Major League Baseball franchise.

Also, Lopez wouldn't just be a silent partner -- she has a reputation as a savvy self-made businesswoman who's made a fortune over the years ... and she's not afraid to speak her mind.

So far, a bunch of NBA and NFL stars have joined the J-Rod investment group including Travis Kelce, DeMarco Murray and Brian Urlacher.

It may not be under the best circumstances, but Damian Lillard is happy to be back with his 2-year-old boy after leaving the NBA bubble due to injury ... saying, "This is good for the soul."

The Trail Blazers superstar left Orlando on Thursday to seek treatment for a sprained knee he suffered against the Lakers earlier this week ... and it's unclear whether he will return.

It's a HUGE bummer to have Dame go down with injuries -- he was playing lights-out in the bubble and even beat LeBron James and the top-seeded Lakers in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs.

The 30-year-old appears to be in great spirits despite the bad news, saying, "Dislocated finger... Lateral knee sprain ... but this is good for the soul ... missed my baby boy ❤️."

The bubble has proven to be a challenge for players who are forced to be away from loved ones for months .... and Paul George recently spoke about the environment taking a toll on his mental health while going through a slump.

Dwyane Wade is making a statement without saying a word ... showing solidarity with his NBA friends and former teammates by debuting a Black Lives Matter-inspired hairstyle.

The sports world came to a screeching halt following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI ... with the NBA, WNBA, MLB and NFL postponing games and practices.

Wade -- who has been outspoken about social justice throughout his career -- revealed the bleach-blonde style with a black fist on Wednesday ... right after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court in honor of Blake.

The future Hall of Famer has also been spreading his message with his wardrobe recently, sporting a "Shoot hoops, not people" shirt.

Raw emotion from NY Mets player Dom Smith -- who just couldn't hold back the tears while talking about Jacob Blake ... and it's powerful stuff.

For the first time this season, Smith took a knee during the national anthem -- right before the Mets took on the Miami Marlins on Wednesday.

After the game, 25-year-old Smith said he's been feeling "very emotional" lately about events like the Jacob Blake shooting -- and wanted to make a statement to the world.

But, when he was pressed about what's been "most difficult" for him over the past few days, Smith couldn't fight back the tears.

"I think the most difficult part is to see like people still don’t care," Smith said.

"For this to continually happen, it just shows the hate in people’s hearts. That just sucks, you know?!"

"Being a Black man in America is not easy."

The Mets won the game 5 to 4, but Smith didn't play particularly well. He went 0-4 but later explained he "just wasn't there [mentally]."

Finally, some good news for Cincinnati Bengals CB Mackensie Alexander -- his father has been FOUND ALIVE after going missing earlier this week!

Remember, Alexander left training camp Tuesday to help police search for his missing father -- but was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly assaulting a man who he suspected had a role in his father's disappearance.

Mackensie's dad, 65-year-old Jean Odney Alexandre went missing Monday after a palmetto berry picking trip in Okeechobee County, FL.

But now, officials say Jean has been found -- he made contact with a ranger at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in Okeechobee County at 7:15 AM Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office says, "He is in good health and is being reunited with his family."

So many questions still remain about the incident -- but for now, it's great that Jean is safe.

As for Mackensie's arrest, cops say the NFL player and another man beat the hell out of a guy on Tuesday ... and cops say it all started because the men confronted the alleged victim about "an incident that had transpired the day prior."

Barack Obama says he "commends" the NBA players who participated in Wednesday's "boycott" -- saying they're setting a great example for the rest of the country.

"I commend the players on the [Milwaukee Bucks] for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like [Doc Rivers], and the NBA and WNBA for setting an example," Obama said.

"It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values."

The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team to refuse to take the court for their playoff game Wednesday -- saying they were still so upset over the shooting of Jacob Blake, they wanted to send a message to the rest of the country.

Other teams followed suit -- and the league eventually announced all of Wednesday's playoff games had been postponed.

Of course, Obama's message to the NBA and its players is much different than the message the current U.S. President has delivered to the league recently.

Donald Trump has repeatedly bashed NBA players and owners -- including LeBron James -- for the way it's dealing with the social justice issues in America.

Trump has said he will boycott the league if players continue to kneel for the national anthem -- something he considers to be disrespectful to the flag and the military.

Jake Paul is taking a cue from "Rocky IV" and heading to the mountains to train for his upcoming boxing match ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

He's confident about the fight -- but when it comes to the FBI investigation surrounding him ... not so much.

The 23-year-old was on a hardcore mountain bike ride early Wednesday morning with his team in Mammoth Lakes, California.

FYI, top fighters like UFC star Rafael dos Anjos and others have trained in Mammoth in the past because of the altitude  -- it sits nearly 8,000 feet above sea level and many athletes feel it helps with conditioning.

Paul -- who's set to fight 36-year-old ex-NBA star Nate Robinson on Nov. 28th -- clearly feels the training location will give him an advantage.

In fact, when asked for a fight prediction, Jake's promising a 1st round knockout of the 3-time NBA Slam Dunk champion.

But, when asked if he'll also be able to beat the FBI's case against him stemming from an incident in Arizona back in May, Jake replied, "I don't know about all that."

As we previously reported, the FBI says it's investigating allegations of criminal acts surrounding the incident at Scottsdale Fashion Square.

The feds even raided Jake's Calabasas home earlier this month and confiscated several firearms.

Jake has played down the investigation -- telling his fans not to worry ... and plans to make a music video about the situation.

UCLA says Under Armour is full of crap for using the COVID pandemic as an excuse to back out of a $280 million sponsorship deal ... and now the school is suing.

Here's the deal ... back in June, UA announced it would be pulling the plug on the 15-year deal it made with UCLA which began in 2017.

The University had touted it as the "largest athletic apparel sponsorship deal in the history of American college sports."

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ Sports, UA messaged to the school that because of the pandemic, the company would not be getting the widespread brand exposure it was promised when it entered the massive contract.

Under Armour allegedly cited the cancelation of college baseball games and the uncertainty of bigger sports like football and basketball as the main reasons for the move.

But, UCLA ain't buyin' the company's excuse -- claiming the REAL reason UA backed out is because the company is in financial trouble and was looking for a way to save some cash.

UCLA says in its suit, "Under Armour decided to try to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a cover to get out of paying on a deal that it no longer wanted to be in."

UCLA claims it seeks to "hold Under Armour to the promises that it made" ... and wants to force them to pay out the rest of the contract.

There's more ... UCLA claims UA also tried to use the excuse that the school didn't take appropriate action in the wake of the FBI's Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, which involved a former UCLA soccer coach.

UCLA claims it took swift action and put the coach on leave the same day as his arrest -- and then accepted his resignation a few days later.

UCLA says Under Armour never suggested they mishandled the situation until using it as an excuse to get out of the deal.

UCLA is suing for more than $200 MILLION in damages for breach of contract.

Kenny Smith just walked off the set of "Inside the NBA" in a show of solidarity with the NBA players who are boycotting Wednesday's playoff games.

"As a black man, as a former player ... I think its best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight," Smith said.

Smith then unplugged his mic and walked off the set -- leaving co-hosts Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and Ernie Johnson to finish the show without him.

Before he left, Smith explained his decision this way ...

"Right now, my head is like ready to explode," Smith said about the aftermath of the Jacob Blake police shooting in Wisconsin.

Smith says he can't stop thinking about the incident and the surrounding issues -- whether it's in the car or in the broadcast studio -- and he felt a strong compulsion to take some sort of action.

After he walked off, Ernie Johnson said he respects Kenny's decision ... and they continued on with the show.

55-year-old Smith won 2 NBA titles during his 10 year career and has become a key member of the "Inside the NBA" team, the most popular basketball show on TV.

As we previously reported, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for Game 5 of their playoff series with the Orlando Magic. Other NBA teams followed suit.

The Milwaukee Brewers have now opted out of their game Wednesday against the Reds ... following the NBA's lead in protesting after the Jacob Blake shooting.

Players from the team met just hours before they were set to take the diamond against Cincinnati at Miller Park ... and eventually decided to sit out.

Of course, Blake was horrifically shot 7 times in the back by a police officer just 45 minutes from Milwaukee on Sunday ... and athletes all across the country are now furious and seeking justice.

In fact, Brewers star reliever Josh Hader spoke about it all just minutes before the team made the decision ... praising the Milwaukee Bucks for being the initial ones to boycott.

"It's more than sports," Hader told media members of the situation. "And [the Bucks] showed it. It's not about the game. It's more than that. And this is a time where we need to really not stay quiet and empower our voices."

Hader added, "It's something that can't just stay quiet and it's nothing that we can just put behind us. It's something that all of us we have to continue to voice and bring light to this situation that we have because it's a big thing."

As we previously reported ... after the Bucks did not come out to the court for their playoff game Wednesday -- the rest of the league's playoff schedule for the day was postponed.

Begs the question ... how many other MLB teams will now follow suit?

The Milwaukee Bucks are boycotting their playoff game against the Orlando Magic Wednesday ... electing to not take the court in protest after the Jacob Blake shooting.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates did not participate in pre-game warm-ups before their scheduled Game 5 matchup in the NBA bubble ... staying put in the locker room.

Of course, Blake was shot in the back 7 times by a police officer during an incident in Kenosha on Sunday ... about 45 minutes from Milwaukee.

The news was just made official minutes ago -- with the team announcing they will not play on Wednesday at all.

Bucks player George Hill issued a short statement saying, "We’re tired of the killings and the injustice."

Bucks exec Alex Lasry has also weighed in ...

"Some things are bigger than basketball," Lasry said.

"The stand taken today by the players and org. shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen."

"I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change."

Obviously, this will have huge ramifications -- the team is reportedly facing millions of dollars in fines for missing the game. But, they clearly feel the social justice statement is worth it.

ESPN's Bobby Marks says the fine could be as high as $5 million if the NBA chooses to enforce it.

Both the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics have also discussed boycotting their playoff game on Thursday.

Unclear if the Bucks' move will embolden them to stay off the court.

Of course, Bucks player Sterling Brown was victim of police brutality back in 2018 when he was tased by cops while outside of a Walgreens in Milwaukee while on a first date.

Cops had accused him of parking in a handicap space ... and things escalated from there.

Video showed officers taking Brown to the ground and tasing him -- despite the fact he never resisted or seemed to pose a threat.

Brown says he was offered a $400,000 settlement in exchange for his silence on the matter -- but he refused, saying, "I can't be quiet."

The police chief later issued an apology to Brown.

Washington NFL team staffers secretly produced and distributed a video of the team's cheerleaders in compromising positions, including clips with their bare breasts exposed ... this according to a new bombshell report.

It all went down during a 2008 shoot for a "Beauties on the Beach" calendar -- where a video crew chronicled the making of a sexy bikini calendar.

But, according to the Washington Post, team staffers used outtakes to put together a special, secret cut featuring moments when the women inadvertently exposed their nipples in the course of the shoot.

The Washington Post claims to have obtained a copy of the video -- but obviously, the outlet is not publishing it.

The Post reports the team's lead broadcaster, Larry Michael, played a major role in the making of the lewd video.

Michael's former staffer Brad Baker claims Michael told staffers the video was being made for team owner Daniel Snyder.

For his part, Michael is adamantly denying the allegations in the report -- saying, "Nothing can be further from the truth. I was never asked to nor did I ask someone to compile videos as [the Post] described."

The Washington Football Team has not commented on the allegations in the Post's report ... though the Post claims they were given multiple opportunities before they published the story.

In the article, the Post says it spoke with more than 100 past and current employees about the culture -- and it wasn't great.

"The employees also described an atmosphere in which bullying and demeaning behavior by management created a climate of fear that allowed abusive behavior to continue unchecked," the Post reports.

The article comes in the wake of previous, similar allegations about how the franchise has been run ever since Snyder became the owner.

In the past few weeks, the team has fired several employees and hired attorney Beth Wilkinson to conduct a full investigation into the team's workplace.