TMZ Sports - Page 50

With President Trump attending the National Championship game, we asked rap superstar Quavo if he had advice for Georgia players who might consider taking a knee ... a la Colin Kaepenick.

"My message to the players is to focus on winning this national championship game," the Migos rapper said on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs tonight on FS1).

"Don't worry about nothing else. Just focus on winning."

FYI, Quavo is a HUUUUUGE Georgia Bulldogs fan -- and was even on the field with the team when they beat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. He'll be in the stands on Monday, too.

"[The Georgia players] been practicing. They've been working hard this whole season. They've been working hard from game 1 all the way now."

"You shouldn't get to the national championship and worry about [demonstrating]. You should be going straight in and worrying about football."

Gabi Garcia says she's got a damn good reason for missing weight in Japan ... she literally could've killed herself if she kept droppin' sweat.

"I decide not cut weight because I feeling like I almost died," said Gabi -- who insists she did NOT miss weight by 27 pounds, but rather 17.

The Brazilian MMA star told TMZ Sports about the scary events leading up to her weigh-in debacle ... saying her vision went dark once she started shedding pounds, which told her it was time to call it quits.

In a social media post, Garcia also said she suffered from gnarly headaches and bloody noses anytime she trained.

Still, Gabi feels terrible for having to scrap her fight with Shinobu Kandori ... and told us she's gonna learn from this and come back stronger.

"I accept this fight. It's my fault."

Charles Barkley is getting some love from the man he helped get elected, Alabama senator Doug Jones.

DJ was out in D.C. on Thursday when he shouted out Barkley with a great big, "Thank You."

Of course, Barkley was one of Jones' biggest and most influential supporters in his race against Roy Moore. Many people credit Barkley with helping get black voters to the polls, giving Jones the boost he needed.

We asked if Barkley has a future in politics -- and it sounds like Sir Chuck already has a supporter!

One more thing ... with Alabama playing the national championship game against Georgia on Monday, we asked if Jones would go to the game ... and what would happen if he saw Donald Trump there.

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling legend Mt. Fiji -- real name Emily Dole -- has passed away after battling serious health problems for years. She was 60.

Fiji was one of the biggest stars in G.L.O.W. during its run from 1986 to 1992 ... never losing a single match. Fiji was so popular, she was invited on 'Regis and Kathie Lee,' 'Donahue' and "Card Sharks."

She also inspired the character Machu Picchu on the popular Netflix scripted series, "G.L.O.W."

Fiji's friend, Patricia Summerland (aka Sunny The California Girl), broke the news on social media Wednesday ... saying, "Rip Emily Dole! WE LOST OUR GLOW SISTER THIS MORNING. We are very sad that she passed away."

"She was the CHAMP IN THE RING. Fly high Mountain Fiji."

[h/t ProWrestlingSheet]

The Ball fam is officially ballin' out in Lithuania.

A day after getting MOBBED by photogs at the airport ... LiAngelo and LaMelo are tearin' it up at a private hoops sesh on BC Vytautas' home court -- with LaVar on commentary!!

Gelo's throwin' down 1-handed hammers, Melo's making it rain from deep ... and dad's hyping 'em up like the dude from the AND1 mixtapes.

If you're wondering where their teammates are -- this doesn't look like an official practice ... just the guys gettin' in some extra work.

Bonus: the Big Baller’s already trying to speak Lithuanian! Trying to ...

Wanna get a seat higher than the nosebleeds for the Super Bowl?? Now's your chance ... 'cause Ricky Williams is hosting his very own weed party for the big game!!

The ex-NFL superstar-turned-ganja advocate is hosting the highly anticipated event in February ... and instead of making it a BYOB party, Ricky's inviting guests to BYOW -- Bring Your Own Weed!!

The exact location of the party is still TBA ... but it'll be going down somewhere in the Hollywood Hills.

Is Orlando Scandrick done in Dallas??

We tried asking the 10-year Cowboys vet when we got him out at E. Baldi in Beverly Hills ... and he definitely wasn't saying no.

FYI, the stud CB was placed on the IR with a back injury before the Cowboys' season finale. Orlando told TMZ Sports that move "didn't really mean anything," but at the same time, it's clear he's keeping his options open.

"I just wanna play football," Scandrick said.

Feel better, O ... we're sure Draya Michele will get you back in shape.

Don't try this at home, kids ... you won't get in the club.

But dress codes don't seem to matter for Odell Beckham -- who rocked shorts to one of the hottest nightspots in Hollywood on Thursday ... and still got the V.I.P. treatment.

The NY Giants superstar hit up Warwick in West Hollywood -- sporting shorts and a sweatshirt ... and witnesses tell us he slipped in the backdoor of the place.

Inside the club, the place was packed with big sports stars -- including Von Miller and OKC Thunder players.

Michael Jordan's oldest son is engaged ... and he popped the question with a diamond ring the size of a knuckle!!

29-year-old Jeffrey Jordan recently proposed to his longtime GF, Radina Aneva ... and she said, "Yes!"

Aneva works in the film industry in Los Angeles. Jordan is a former college basketball player, the oldest of MJ's 5 kids and goes by the nickname, "Heir Jordan."

No word on when the wedding will go down, but the two are definitely in planning mode.

Congrats!

The daughter of former Washington Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke allegedly yelled at a woman, "Hurry up, Jew" ... and then bashed her son with a purse.

She was arrested ... and there's video of the crazy aftermath.

The woman who wound up in cuffs is 29-year-old Jacqueline Kent Cooke -- her dad owned the NFL team from '61 to '97. He also owned the Lakers from '65 to '79. The family is rich as hell.

Fast-forward to New Year's Eve when Cooke allegedly got pissed off while waiting for her coat at Caravaggio restaurant in Manhattan ... and yelled at the 77-year-old woman in front of her, "Hurry up, Jew. I got places to be."

The situation escalated and the woman's son -- 52-year-old Matthew Haberkorn told the NY Daily News he followed Cooke and her boyfriend outside to confront them about the comments.

That's when Cooke allegedly struck Haberkorn with her glass purse -- causing 2 lacerations on his head.

The video begins right after the alleged purse strike ... you can hear Matthew say, "She just f*cking hit me!"

Cooke responds, "You called me a f*cking bitch. You called me a c*nt."

Matthew fired back, "You called me a f*cking Jew.”

Cooke then tries to tackle him to the ground. She fails. Cooke's boyfriend yells out, "What are you doing? You're throwing a woman on the floor."

Matthew responds, "I didn't f*cking touch her."

Want proof the NBA should legalize weed?

Stephen Jackson says he toked up his ENTIRE CAREER and still balled like a boss -- so when it comes to pulling pot off the league's banned substance list, he's all for it.

"I think they should take it off, why not?" Jackson told TMZ Sports. "I smoked my whole career, had a hell of a career."

To be clear, Stack told us he did NOT hit the ganj before games ... only smoking after them to help chill out.

We think Ciara has a new fave photog to work with -- her husband Russell Wilson, and even if you hate the Seahawks ... ya gotta give him props for this.

Ciara posted a bunch of scantily clad shots of herself, and proudly announced her hubby was behind the lens. Not sure if Russell has any background in photography, but looks like he could have a future in it.

If you're a 'Hawks fan bummed they didn't make the playoffs ... check out Dangeruss' handiwork.

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and USC's Sam Darnold have both declared for the NFL Draft -- and both could go #1 to the Cleveland Browns.

Question is ...

Now, Logan Paul has pissed off a UFC fighter ...

Tyron Woodley -- the reigning welterweight champ -- says he saw Logan's dead body video and has BANNED his kids from watching Logan in his home.

Woodley weighed in on "The Hollywood Beatdown" (full episode drops Friday on the TMZ Sports YouTube channel) ... saying Logan was stupidly insensitive when dealing with a VERY serious topic.

Rich Rodriguez's ex-assistant claimed the University of Arizona football coach terrorized her for years ... making several passes at her, forcing her to cover up his extramarital affair -- and grabbing his penis in front of her.

It's all laid out in the notice of claim she filed with the AZ Attorney General's Office -- the first step before filing a lawsuit.

In the document, both Melissa Wilhelmsen and her husband, Jason -- "a former Marine and DEA agent" -- describe Rodriguez as a monster who used his power to turn their lives into a living hell.

Among the allegations ...

-- Melissa claims U of A football players sent her screenshots of their genitalia and made illicit overtures via text. When she asked Rodriguez to intervene, he ignored her.

-- Melissa claims Rodriguez asked her to get a sideline pass to a 2015 football game against USC for a "friend" who turned out to be his sidepiece. Rich's wife was also on the sideline that day. Melissa claims she had to stand between the women to prevent a confrontation.

-- Melissa claims Rich's wife grew suspicious about his fidelity and grilled her at a private 3-hour lunch in 2016.

-- Melissa claims over the years, Rodriguez made advances on her despite the fact she was married ... and tried to kiss her at least once.

-- Melissa claims Rodriguez pulled her into a closed door meeting and began "grasping his penis beneath his basketball shorts which were pulled all the way up" in Feb. 2017.

-- Perhaps the most disturbing allegation ... Melissa claims Rodriguez ignored a warning from a team staffer about a player, Zach Hemmila, who seemed unwell and needed help.

Rodriguez allegedly "did nothing" about the warning -- and the next day, Hemmila was found dead from a painkiller overdose.

-- Melissa and her husband claim Rodriguez created a hostile work environment that caused dangerous amounts of stress on their marriage ... that led to her being hospitalized for severe migraine headaches.

They're seeking $7.5 million from Rodriguez.

For his part, Rodriguez has admitted to cheating on his wife -- but denies all other allegations.

Listen up, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball -- now that you're official residents of Lithuania, we're hookin' you up with a superstar athlete who can tell you all about your new country!

UFC champ Rose Namajunas has been out there a bunch to visit her Mom's Lithuanian fam ... and told TMZ Sports exactly what they gotta do.

Avoid -- all the booze and partying.

Enjoy -- a) the basketball-loving Lithuanian fans b) the fact that people speak English pretty well and c) the smokin' hot chicks.