TMZ Sports - Page 50

Newly released text messages from Zach Smith's ex-wife appear to show the ex-Ohio State assistant coach apologizing for strangling her during a trip to the Dominican Republic in 2015.

Courtney Smith released the messages to college football reporter Brett McMurphy -- who says the conversation was referencing a trip to Punta Cana in March 2015.

"Think back to the cheating the lies and picking me up by my neck and strangling me in Punta Cana and at our place in April," Courtney texted to Zach ... "The abuse got worse bc u couldnt stand me catching u in ur lies."

Zach replied, "I know!" and "I'm so so sorry!"

Fired Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith just broke his silence on his alleged domestic violence ... saying he NEVER beat his ex-wife.

Zach went on 105.7 The Zone to tell his side of the story ... and says while he was in a "volatile" and "toxic" relationship, he "never committed domestic abuse against her."

As for the photos Zach's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, released showing bruises on her body from the alleged abuse ... Zach said he may have caused them while "defensively restraining her" when situations "got out of hand" ... but insists he never struck her.

Smith also says PLENTY of people at Ohio State knew of the accusations back in 2015 ... saying it was OSU athletic director Gene Smith himself that actually informed him of the claims.

Smith went on to say he doesn't believe he deserved to be fired last month ... and thinks he was only terminated so the team wouldn't have to answer questions about him and the incident.

No one is more plugged in to the NBA scene than Matt Barnes -- so, naturally, he's got all the inside scoop on the Draymond Green vs. Tristan Thompson incident and he's finally talking about it.

Barnes appeared on "Lunchtime with Roggin and Rodney" on AM 570 LA Sports and told the guys he's already spoken with his ex-Warriors teammate, Draymond, about the altercation and says the media got it all wrong.

"He was never actually hit and he actually tried to make peace through people that wanted him to squash it," Barnes says.

It had been reported that Tristan sucker punched Draymond when they met up at an ESPYs after-party at Delilah nightclub ... but Barnes says that's simply not true.

TMZ Sports had spoken to multiple witnesses who told us the guys actually made peace afterward and are on much better terms now.

Dana White says it's 100% on ... Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is set for Oct. 6 at UFC 229 in Las Vegas!!!

It'll undoubtedly be the biggest fight of the year for the UFC -- Conor's first fight back in the Octagon since his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

The last time Conor fought for the UFC was back in 2016 when he avenged his loss against Nate Diaz.

Urban Meyer admits he knew about the 2015 Zach Smith domestic violence incident -- but lied to the media when asked about it on BIG10 Media Day last month.

But the catch ... Meyer says he followed proper protocol behind the scenes and elevated the incident to "proper channels."

The Ohio State football coach spelled it out in a statement saying ...

"Here is the truth: While at the University of Florida, and now at The Ohio State University, I have always followed proper reporting protocols and procedures when I have learned of an incident involving a student-athlete, coach or member of our staff by elevating the issues to the proper channels. And, I did so regarding the Zach Smith incident in 2015."

"I take that responsibility very seriously and any suggestions to the contrary is simply false."

He added, "My words, whether in a reply to a reporter's question or in addressing a personnel issue, must be clear, compassionate and most of all, completely accurate. Unfortunately, at Big Ten Media Days on July 24th, I failed on may of these fronts."

"My intention was not to say anything inaccurate or misleading. However, I was not adequately prepared to discuss these sensitive personnel issues with the media, and I apologize for the way I handled those questions."

As we previously reported, Zach Smith was fired as the WR coach at Ohio State last month when domestic violence allegations went public.

No, Blake Griffin is NOT paying $258k per month in child support -- he's only paying a fraction of that ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, the $258k figure that's being reported is wrong -- but sources tell us the NBA star is still cutting a significant check to Brynn Cameron, the mother of his 2 kids.

The number, we're told, is $32,000 per month ... which adds up to $384,000 per year.

It's no sweat for Blake, who recently signed a 5-year, $171 million contract.

Minnesota Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo seems to be on the same page as Donald Trump -- wearing a hat to training camp with the message, "Make Football Violent Again."

Not only is it a take off Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan -- but it's also one of Donald's key gripes against the league.

Remember, just last year POTUS said refs are "ruining the game" by penalizing players for making "beautiful tackles."

But, back to Sendejo -- one of the league's hardest hitters -- who happened to wear the hat on the heels of the Ravens-Bears preseason opener ... where several guys were hit with flags for seemingly innocuous tackles.

Remember ... Sendejo was suspended one game in 2017 for hitting Ravens wideout Mike Wallace in the head with his shoulder while trying to make a hard tackle ... and he wasn't happy about that then.

Now ... the league is promising to crack down even harder on hits to the head -- and Andrew is making his thoughts on that matter loud and clear.

Birthday boy Tom Brady got roughed up at Patriots practice on Friday ... but it wasn't a 300-lb. lineman pouncing on him -- it was his gorgeous wife, Gisele!!

TB12's 41st birthday turned into an all-out party in Foxborough ... complete with a massive #12 cake, cards, balloon Brady and cutout goat ... but the best present had to be Gisele and their kids' surprise appearance towards the end of drills.

Brady looks completely caught off-guard about the adorable attack ... which eventually turns into kissing and slight butt-tapping.

Jerry Jones' son was a passenger in a head-on car crash in Malibu late Wednesday night after a fancy dinner with his famous father and L.A. Rams owner Stan Kroenke ... witnesses tell TMZ Sports.

Jerry Jones Jr. -- the Executive V.P. of the Cowboys -- had left Nobu sushi restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway around 11 PM when his sprinter van slammed into another vehicle.

Both vehicles sustained significant damage -- but, based on photos and videos from the scene, it appears Jones walked away without an injury.

Witnesses say Jones Jr. walked off the van and comforted the driver -- who appeared shaken up.

Cops and emergency responders eventually arrived to the scene. Our law enforcement sources say neither drugs nor alcohol appeared to have been a factor. Just an innocent traffic accident.

We've reached out to the Cowboys multiple times for comment. So far, no word back.

L.A. Chargers rookie safety Derwin James is finally talking about the night he was robbed at gunpoint in Hollywood -- saying, "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 22-year-old (a 1st round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft) was leaving an Italian restaurant on June 23 when he was approached by two men who demanded his jewelry.

The assailants snatched a chain from Derwin's neck and stole his Rolex -- and then slashed the tires on his Rolls-Royce before fleeing the scene.

On Thursday, James told the media ... "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody. It happened. It was just one of those things that you never expect to happen to you, but it happened and I'm just happy to be out here playing football."

Got a gambling problem? Wanna make a few bucks wagering on UFC?

Well, here's UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber spelling out why he thinks Conor McGregor will walk away with the W if/when he faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in October.

Backstory ... Faber accurately predicted Nate Diaz to beat Conor when they fought for the first time back in March 2016.

In fact, Urijah says he ALMOST fought Conor at UFC 196 -- but McGregor chose to take on Diaz at UFC 196 instead.

Ever wonder how the NBA's best player would fare in a slow-pitch softball game??

Good, 'cause LeBron James hit the diamond Wednesday night ... and absolutely dominated.

LBJ, fam and friends (including J.R. Smith!) took the field at University of Akron ... when the King made his case to be the G.O.A.T of softball too.

Bron -- the biggest shortstop that's ever lived -- robbed wifey Savannah of a base hit early in the game ... stretched a ground ball to short into a double later ... and even hit this moonshot to center field.

We're told the game was just for fun and lasted about four hours. The King even brought out Swensons food truck for everyone afterward!!

Le'Veon Bell just dropped a brand new rap EP -- and it sounds an awful lot like he's referencing the LeSean McCoy violent robbery incident in one of the tracks.

Here are the lyrics to Bell's track, "The Table" ...

"We're not about to play around, if you play around get exposed ...

I got homies there to take you out if certain information gets disclosed ...

All these n***as acting shady, just please don't make me pull a Shady ...

We're not about to play around, if you play around get exposed ...

I got homies there to take you out if certain information gets disclosed ...

All these women want my baby, just please don't make me pull a Shady."

Of course, there could be a different meaning -- but, it sounds like he's referencing the allegations made by McCoy's ex-GF, Delicia Cordon, who claims LeSean sent a guy to violently steal his jewelry back after they broke up.

For his part, Shady hasn't been charged with a crime and has denied any involvement in the incident.

Tom Brady is turning the big 4-1 Friday ... and Patriots Nation is throwing the QB a massive birthday bash in New England complete with a giant cake, a balloon animal Tom Brady ... and a birthday song!

It all started when TB12 jogged out to the field --the crowd went crazy and then busted out the song. Brady smiled and waved at the fans.

Off the field, there was a giant #12 birthday cake and a giant #12 birthday card for fans to sign.

But, the best part ... was the life-size "Balloon Brady" ... which was put together REALLY WELL by a person with better than average lung capacity.

Brady also got some love from his wife, Gisele Bundchen -- who posted a love note to her hubby on social media ...

Hayden Panettiere took a heated, sticky situation and turned it into a dancing, happy one within a matter of minutes -- but, she got a helping hand from her knight in shining ... ball cap.

We got Hayden on her way out of Craig's in WeHo Thursday night, and she drew a lot of attention. Fact is, HP doesn't do the Hollywood scene that much anymore -- hence the frenzy to get a shot -- but she definitely wasn't feeling it.

She tried to shove her way past one pap, but got tangled in a cable and got really pissed. That's when Captain Hat To The Back swooped. We don't know who he is, but he escorted Hayden from the fray, calmed her down ... then helped her make a smiling, even graceful exit.

Joakim Noah returned to Chicago on Thursday for a VERY good reason -- the former Bulls star was leading a peace march down West Jackson Boulevard.

The 33-year-old -- who now plays for the NY Knicks -- was holding a flag with the word "Peace" on it, while wearing a shirt that said, "Rock Your Drop On the Block."

The march was organized through Joakim's Noah's Arc Foundation -- which provides programs for kids in need in Chicago. There's also a heavy emphasis on ending the gun violence epidemic in Chicago.

Noah reportedly took countless pictures and spoke with all sorts of fans to try and spread his message.