TMZ Sports - Page 50

Wanna know what Ellen DeGeneres did when she learned the rescued Thai soccer players were HUGE fans of Zlatan Ibrahimovic???

SHE BROUGHT HIM OUT ON STAGE TO MEET THEM!!!

The famous soccer team -- aka The Wild Boars -- has been in LA for the past week ... taking on all the sights and sounds of Hollywood ... and stopped by 'Ellen' for a sit-down interview (airs Monday).

That's when Ellen decided to give them a surprise ... their favorite soccer player in the flesh -- and dude couldn't have been nicer.

"I thought I was brave, but these kids, this team is more braver than me," Zlatan said.

The praise from the soccer legend didn't stop there ... "They show their collective teamwork and had patience, faith and believe in other hands also, so this is probably the best team in the world."

Zlatan also brought out gifts for the boys ... t-shirts, balls, jerseys AND L.A. Galaxy tickets ... and said, "We can make exchange, you get my shirt I get your shirt."

Don't stick a fork in La La and Carmelo Anthony just yet ... 'cause the actress says the couple is trying to figure things out after separating in 2017.

We broke the story ... La La and the NBA superstar started living separately after going through a rough patch last year -- but neither side ever filed divorce papers.

When asked about their status on Saturday, La La revealed it's not totally over for the couple of 15 years ... and their focus is on their 11-year-old son.

“We’re good. I mean ... we’ve been together for a really long time, so we’re figuring out how to make it work for what is best for Kiyan and what is best for us," she told People.

The two have hung out in public several times over the past year -- most recently teaming up to support the family of a 15-year-old boy who was murdered in New York.

This is great -- David Ortiz with some real emotion when he learned his beloved Red Sox lost to the Astros on Saturday night.

"AH, F**K!"

So, why didn't he know the score himself?

Big Papi missed Game 1 of the ALCS to hit up the Drake show at Staples Center instead.

Big Papi swears he was still watching the Sox during the concert ... but clearly not long enough to see the final score -- 'cause he was PISSED when we told him it was 7-2 'Stros.

Good news for D.O. ... the Sox bounced back to win Game 2 on Sunday -- and we're pretty sure he didn't miss that one.

8:31 AM PT -- Prosecutors say Crawford's victim is a 12-year-old girl.

Officials say Crawford's wife caught the football star in a sexual situation with the victim around 5 AM on Saturday morning.

When pressed by investigators, officials say Crawford eventually admitted having sexual intercourse and oral sex with the girl -- and said it was her idea.

The girl told investigators she was asleep in the living room when Crawford began to sexually assault her.

A rape kit was later administered on the girl.

Crawford is currently behind bars -- being held without bond.

Justin Crawford -- the former West Virginia star running back -- has been arrested in Georgia on some pretty disgusting charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

Officials confirm ... the 23-year-old is facing charges of incest, child molestation sodomy and enticing a child for indecent purpose, all felonies.

Details surrounding the allegations are unclear at this point, we're working on it.

What we know ... Crawford was taken into custody on Saturday and booked. We've obtained his mug shot.

Crawford was a huge junior college star before transferring to West Virginia after the 2015 season. In fact, he was the 2015 national junior college player of the year.

While at WVU, he racked up two 1,000 yard rushing seasons in a row -- but didn't get drafted.

He was later signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 -- but was cut in September after a poor showing in several preseason games.

If 50 Cent wants to steal Khabib Numagomedov from UFC to Bellator -- it's gonna take A LOT more than his "disrespectful" $2 million offer ... so says Khabib's manager.

We spoke with Ali Abdelaziz at a Professional Fighter's League event in Long Beach over the weekend -- and he started off by BLASTING Conor McGregor as a "bitch" and a quitter.

Remember, Conor publicly accused Ali of having some sort of connection to the Sept. 11 terror attacks ... allegations Ali has scoffed at.

"I'll slap the shit out of Conor," Ali told us ... "F**k Conor McGregor. Conor's a bitch. He quit in the fight. You cannot tell me Conor McGregor is a man. He is nothing."

As for 50 Cent, the rapper is now in business with the Bellator MMA promotion and has been trying to recruit Khabib over to the rival league. He recently made a $2 million offer to Khabib but Ali says it ain't nearly enough.

"For $2 million, [that won't even] open a Coca-Cola bottle for Khabib. Khabib make a lot of money. We talk about $50 MILLION and up, we can talk. But $2 mil? This is garbage."

Ali also says he's serious about setting up a superfight between Khabib and Floyd Mayweather -- saying if Floyd wants to dabble in MMA, Khabib would happily beat the snot out of him.

Lastly, we asked Ali about the alleged anti-Muslim slur we're told Conor's teammate, Dillon Danis, hurled at Khabib after UFC 229 ... inciting the brawl ... and Ali says he was "disgusted."

"I don't want to repeat it because it's so disgusting," Ali said about the slur ... and says officials have all the evidence they need to prove Dillon said something very offensive at the fight.

Cristiano Ronaldo's girlfriend is sticking right by his side while the soccer star continues to fight a rape allegation out of Las Vegas ... as the couple hit up a dinner hot spot together in Paris.

CR7 and Georgina Rodriguez were spotted at Cesar restaurant on Sunday ... the same day his Portugal national team played a friendly match with Scotland.

Ronaldo had previously announced he would be taking time away from the team (he's missed the last 2 matches) -- and although he didn't specifically cite the rape case ... it's obvious why.

As we previously reported, Ronaldo is being sued by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her in the soccer star's penthouse suite back in 2009. The accuser claims Ronaldo trapped her in a bathroom and sodomized her against her will despite telling him "stop" multiple times.

The woman claims Ronaldo later paid her more than $300,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement which would essentially guarantee her silence. The woman claims she's been inspired by the #MeToo movement and now wants the agreement nullified.

CR7 has vehemently denied any wrongdoing ... calling the allegations "fake news" and saying "rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

Ricky Williams says there's no doubt about it -- Todd Gurley is a better running back than he ever was!!

High praise coming from the former Heisman Trophy winner who played 12 seasons in the NFL and was a 1st-team All-Pro in 2002.

But, after Gurley's 208-yard, 2-TD show against the Broncos on Sunday ... Ricky tells TMZ Sports there's just no argument.

"He's better. He's better," Williams says. "He's better than I was."

What makes Ricky say that?? Dude tells us T.G.'s simply more complete than he ever was -- especially as a receiver.

We also asked Ricky about a guy he played with a bunch during his career, Drew Brees -- and Williams had some high praise for him too ... saying he's a top 5 QB of ALL TIME!!!

John Elway is donating tons of money to Republicans running in next month's midterm elections ... TMZ has learned.

We combed through 2018 Federal Election Commission filings to see which A-listers were bucking up for the GOP, and John is leading the pack by a few football fields -- spending over $27,000.

The Denver Broncos honcho and Hall of Fame QB gave $14,825 to Walker Stapleton in his bid for Colorado governor, plus another $10,000 to the state's Republican committee.

Those donations are on top of the $2,700 John donated to Rep. Mike Coffman, who represents parts of suburban Denver. Only one of Elway's donations went beyond his backyard: $250 to Georgia Rep. Karen Handel.

It's interesting ... the FEC has no record of donations in 2018 from some very public GOP supporters like Kanye West, Kid Rock, Clint Eastwood and Roseanne Barr.

Ex-49ers star Dana Stubblefield believes Santa Clara prosecutors are so afraid of looking soft on sexual assault cases in the wake of the Brock Turner debacle, they're gonna go extra hard on him instead.

Stubblefield is accused of raping a mentally disabled woman back in 2015 -- though he's pled not guilty to all 5 felony counts and vows to prove his innocence.

Now, the 47-year-old has filed new court docs saying he's worried he'll be treated unfairly by Northern California prosecutors looking to protect their reputation after the crap they took from the Stanford swimmer rape case.

Remember, the judge in the Brock Turner rape case was recalled from office back in June after only sentencing Turner to 6 months in jail for sexually assaulting a drunk woman outside of a Stanford frat party. He could have faced up to 14 years.

Stubblefield's attorney just filed court docs saying prosecutors are essentially lying in wait -- looking for another high-profile case to prove how tough they can be ... despite the facts.

"Since the public outcry about the lenient sentence in the sexual assault case of the 'Stanford swimmer,' and the judge in the matter being voted off the bench, it is common knowledge, and a matter of frequent discussion among the defense bar, that the prosecutors and judges in this country are taking an unusually hard line on sexual assault cases."

Stubblefield's attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, believes the NFL star's case is the most high-profile sexual assault case since Turner -- putting Dana in real danger of being the victim of an overreaction.

So, what does Stubblefield want?

He wants all of the pertinent documents unsealed so the media and the public can have access to all the evidence in the case ... which Stubblefield believes will cut in his favor.

Conor McGregor might've taken a big L in the Octagon, but he's still winning at life -- just ask the Dallas Cowboys ... many of whom might be guzzling his booze tonight on his dime.

The former UFC lightweight champion hit up AT&T Stadium Sunday before the Cowboys' game against the Jaguars to with meet with players and Cowboys brass. Sources close to the meeting tell TMZ that Conor handed out a ton of bottles of his new whiskey, Proper No. 12, to a number of players on the field ... a lot of whom he also got to meet in person.

We're told Conor was brought to a VIP suite where he met with Jerry Jones and other Cowboys execs, who also got their hands on his new liquor line. Sources tell us he and Jerry actually had an in-depth convo about handling and expanding his business.

Conor's in the midst of becoming a full-on businessman, and we're told he took Jerry's advice to heart. Our sources say he was in awe of the Cowboys' stadium and by the energy of the fans. Apparently, this was his first visit there.

Two titans shared the stage Saturday night as the king of Toronto brought out the newly minted king of LA.

Drake invited LeBron James on stage with Travis Scott at the L.A.'s Staples Center during his Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour.

The trio jumped and danced while performing Drake and Travis' hit song, "SICKO MODE," off of Travis Scott's new album, Astroworld.

Tekashi69 was just turned away at the door trying to attend fight night on Long Island, and our sources say it's connected to a shooting months ago at the Barclays Center.

The rapper was stopped by security at the Nassau Coliseum in NY Saturday night as he was trying to make his way in for "Bellator 208: Fedor vs. Sonnen" ... sources close to the situation tell TMZ Sports.

We're told 6ix9ine planned to meet up with his pal and Bellator brand ambassador 50 Cent, but wasn't allowed entry. Fiddy wasn't there yet anyway ... but we're told it wouldn't have mattered.

As for why Tekashi's barred ... our sources say it stems from a shooting back in April at the Barclays Center connected to Tekashi's manager, Tr3yway. The same company that owns the Nassau Coliseum owns Barclays, and as we reported ... the rapper's persona non grata at that venue.

So ... we're told it's a case of the rapper being 86'd at both arenas. We also reached out to Bellator ... they had no comment.

Sources close to Tekashi have responded to the incident, telling us ... "It is unfortunate a venue would take it upon itself to treat a person unfairly based on allegations. What happened tonight at the Nassau Coliseum is disappointing."

Adam Silver says he's "counting his lucky stars" that he's not in Dana White's shoes ... but tells TMZ Sports the UFC honcho HAS to punish Khabib for the brawl he ignited at UFC 229.

We got the NBA commish leaving Michael's in NYC ... and he told us there's just gotta be repercussions for what Nurmagomedov did after whoopin' Conor McGregor last weekend.

"That's a pretty serious issue there," Silver says ... "They gotta deal with it. There's no place for that in sports."

Adam tells us he's actually spoken with people who were near the melee at T-Mobile Arena ... and Silver says, the feeling they had after the fight just CAN'T happen.

So, what would Silver's advice be to Dana when it comes to handling the situation??

"You've gotta look at the long-term health of your league," Silver says.

The QB coach from Season 3 of "Last Chance U" just got hired to join the staff at a major college football program ... which means he had to quit his job bagging groceries at Trader Joe's.

Yep, you read that right.

You remember Frank Diaz from Independence Community College in Kansas -- where he spent months coaching up insanely talented quarterback Malik Henry, who wasn't exactly the easiest guy to work with.

Diaz was impressive enough on the show that Lane Kiffin, from FAU, called and offered him a job after the 2017 season ... and, guess what? Frank took it!

In his new role, Frank will be working as an assistant to offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. -- which is a huge opportunity for a guy looking for a shot to coach at the Division 1 level.

Diaz says he hasn't talked to his old head coach, Jason Brown, after landing the gig with the Owls ... but he insists there's NO bad blood between the two.

BONUS -- we had to ask Diaz if he's gotten any extra attention from the ladies since the show aired. You're gonna love his response.

Luke Rockhold says he'd beat the snot out of Yoel Romero at light heavyweight ... telling TMZ Sports he'd be down for a rematch after UFC 230, but Romero's gotta make weight this time.

We spoke with Rockhold about his plans after his huge rematch with Chris Weidman in November ... and he's got his eye on the middleweight belt -- but he's not opposed to getting revenge on Romero.

Rockhold says he killed himself trying to make weight last time, when Yoel was 3 pounds overweight ... and he's not playing that game again with Romero.

"Yoel's a piece that can't make weight," Luke says. "I don't even know how he exists in the rankings. He missed weight for 2 back-to-back title fights. The guy's a cheap f*ck and I'll find him at light heavyweight if he wants to do it again."

Romero ain't the only one in Rockhold's crosshairs --- the dude UNLEASHES on the entire heavyweight division ... aside from a select few.

"There's a small percentage of heavyweights that are good. The rest suck. Plain and simple."

Don't start the tomahawk chop just yet ... Deion Sanders' football star son tells TMZ Sports he's flattered by his scholarship offer to Florida State -- but he's not ready to commit.

It's not a diss -- Shilo Sanders says he just doesn't want to rush into a decision since he's still got some time to weigh his options ... and he's got PLENTY of options.

Major programs including Oregon, Nebraska, Georgia and South Carolina have been after Shilo and for good reason ... he's a STUD senior cornerback at Trinity Christian School in Texas.

But, Shilo's dad is arguably the greatest player to ever don a 'Noles uniform -- which can cut both ways when making a college decision.

On one hand, it would be cool to follow in Dad's shoes. On the other hand, it might be better for Shilo to forge his own legacy somewhere else.

Shilo tells us he's been hearing both arguments and simply wants to give it more thought.

"I'm not saying [FSU] won't be the right fit, I'm just saying I'm not making the decision right now."

What's cool ... Shilo says he credits his football skills to his father, who's been teaching him the Jedi ways of the cornerback position.

In fact, Shilo -- one of Deion's three sons -- says it was Prime's idea to move him from quarterback to cornerback a few years ago and it was the best thing he's ever done.

"He was like, 'Just believe me, just trust me, and I'm going to get you some offers,'" Shilo tells us.

"'I'ma teach you how to play corner.' And, when the best corner ever tells you something like that, you can't deny it."