TMZ Sports - Page 2

Kobe Bryant's 19-year-old daughter is getting court-ordered protection from an alleged stalker ... who her team says has an obsession with her and with guns.

Natalia Bryant got a judge to sign off on a temporary restraining order against 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp.

TMZ broke the story ... Natalia claims Kemp has been under the delusion they're in a relationship ... she says the harassment has been going on for 2 years, and escalating. She says he recently showed up at USC, creeping around buildings where she's taking classes. He's even shown up at her sorority house.

What's especially scary ... according to court docs, Kemp has been convicted of at least 4 crimes, including one involving a firearm. Cops say he's in the process of buying a gun, and he's made clear on social media he's interested in an AK-47 and/or a fully automatic Glock.

Natalia says Kemp once sent her a DM with an image of her late father Kobe and wrote, "Thankful For Him Birthing You, Hopefully We Can Birth Him… 'Kobe,'" adding a red heart to the message. The docs say Kemp had the hopes of having "a Kobe-like child together."

Zach Wilson has officially been relegated to the pine.

The New York Jets are benching the 23-year-old -- the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- following a string of poor performances ... and a press conference that appeared to upset some of his defensive players.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... saying Jets head coach Robert Saleh informed his team of the decision during a meeting Wednesday morning.

Either Joe Flacco or Mike White is expected to be the new starter going forward.

Wilson had been playing awful in the last few weeks, and, to make matters worse for the QB, he appeared to ruffle some of his teammates' feathers when he said after the abysmal loss to the Patriots that he didn't feel like he had let his defense down.

Both star corner Sauce Gardner and defensive end John Franklin-Myers liked a tweet slamming Wilson for not taking accountability ... although the two said afterward they did it on accident.

Suuuuuure.

Despite the dysfunction under center, the 6-4 Jets remarkably still have a shot to make the playoffs this year.

The post-Wilson era -- at least for now -- starts Sunday ... when NY plays Chicago.

Gene Smith, the athletic director for Ohio State University, has issued a formal apology to a Michigan State hockey player ... after a Buckeyes forward was accused of hurling racial slurs at the man during a game earlier this month.

According to Spartans forward Jagger Joshua, who is Black, the racist incidents happened on Nov. 11 -- when OSU visited East Lansing and lost 4-3.

Joshua did not reveal specifically what was said to him on the ice, but he did note in a Twitter post on Monday that he was livid over "the inaction" taken by Ohio State and the Big Ten in wake of the racial abuse.

"Acts of racism do not belong in hockey, as they can discourage African Americans and minorities like myself from playing and loving the game," Joshua said in his social media post. "Inaction in the face of racist comments and actions allow these behaviors to continue."

Late Tuesday night, Smith apologized to Joshua over it all in a lengthy statement ... and said the player who was accused of using the slurs, Kamil Sadlocha, "is returning home and will not practice or compete at this time."

"On behalf of Ohio State University, I am so sorry," Smith said. "No student or student-athlete should experience hatred or racism, and everyone should feel welcome."

"I have spoken with Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller, and I'm thankful Jagger is getting the support he needs."

In his statement, Smith said he has met with the OSU hockey team and will meet with them again over the incident. He promised that players "will complete education on racial sensitivity, diversity, equity, inclusion, and the use of respectful dialog."

"The department and I will support them through this important process," he added.

Kanye West paraded nude photos of Kim Kardashian around the Adidas offices to staffers ... this according to former employees themselves.

Some staffers who used to work at Adidas -- assigned to the Yeezy division -- told Rolling Stone Ye showed them graphic pics of his then-wife.

One employee says Kanye showed him an explicit picture of Kim during a 2018 job interview, with KW allegedly pulling out his phone and saying, "My wife just sent me this." He goes on to say the image was super revealing and personal.

Another staffer claims Kanye showed the Yeezy creative team an explicit video of Kim that same year. Another member of that team confirmed it, telling RS Kanye wasn't afraid to show off explicit material or talk about personal matters that should've been kept private.

Some of the staffers signed an open to higher-ups at Adidas, titled "The Truth About Yeezy: A Call to Action for Adidas Leadership," in which they accused the company of turning a blind eye to abhorrent behavior.

Ye showing off NSFW material isn't that far-fetched -- the guy was filmed showing off porn to an Adidas exec for an in-house doc that aired earlier this year. You can tell the dude is shocked and uncomfortable, but Kanye insists they keep watching from his device.

Since then, Kanye has admitted to an addiction to porn ... saying he'd beat it by turning to God and declaring he'd protect his children from the same vice that once consumed him.

Conor McGregor's close friend and training partner claims the UFC superstar screwed him out of millions over his Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey ... and now, he's suing to get what he believes he deserves.

MMA fighter and boxer Artem Lobov filed the suit ... claiming he was the mastermind behind Conor's successful Irish whiskey brand. Lobov says he was promised a 5% cut of the company for his efforts ... but when McGregor and his partners sold their stake for $600 million in 2021, he was left with nothing.

Conor reportedly raked in around $150 million as a result of the deal ... and Lobov previously claimed McGregor offered him $1 million, but he declined.

Lobov's attorney, Dermot McNamara, released a statement on the lawsuit ... saying, "My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets."

"We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr. McGregor regarding the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand."

"My client was the initial creator and co-founder of the concept to launch an Irish whiskey brand associated with Mr. McGregor."

Karen J. Kessler, a spokesperson for Conor, refutes Lobov's claim ... telling TMZ Sports, "Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor."

Brandon Marshall will now have the New England Patriots logo etched into his arm FOR LIFE ... and it's all 'cause of a silly bet he made with Julian Edelman last week.

The two former wideouts placed the wager on the set of "Inside the NFL" back on Friday -- two days before their ex-teams went head-to-head at Gillette Stadium.

The deal was simple -- if the Jets win, Edelman gets NY ink. If they lose, Marshall gets branded.

As you know, the Patriots pulled out the win Sunday with an improbable, last-second 84-yard punt return ... and when it came time for Edelman to collect this week, Marshall paid up.

The 38-year-old, who made the Pro Bowl with the Jets in 2015, sat in a chair on the "Inside the NFL" set and took the needle to his right forearm.

Edelman gloated about it all afterward on his social media page ... writing, "A bets a bet. And @bmarshall is a man of his word. Thanks for saving me @patriots."

In even better news for Julian -- the Patriots don't play the Jets again this season, so it appears he's safe from any sort of retribution from Marshall.

Then again, the former wideout did play for the Dolphins as well -- and they are slated to play against New England on Jan. 1.

Jason David Frank's martial arts legacy will live on through his students — who'll continue to train at his academy … TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us .... Jason's Rising Sun Karate school will continue operating, with no plans for a shutdown in the wake of his death. We're told Sam Sprague -- who co-founded Rising Sun with Jason in the 2000s, and who's also a senior instructor -- will carry on the torch.

Our sources tell us everyone from students to staff at RS is devastated over the loss of Jason … but insist they’ll stay open and honor Jason's memory by passing on his teachings.

Rising Sun has three locations between California and Texas -- 2 in the former, and 1 in the latter. The school teaches a technique called Toso Kune Do ... which is a mash-up of several fighting styles, and one that Jason crafted himself.

We're told the Rising Sun community plans to honor Jason in some capacity company-wide, but there aren't many details at this point.

When word of Jason's passing surfaced, Rising Sun posted a tribute to him — saying they'd lost a master instructor, a student and a friend … adding he'd be sorely missed.

TMZ broke the story … the "Power Rangers" star died by suicide this weekend, news that rocked his former costars and the internet alike.

The Arizona Cardinals reportedly fired their offensive line coach/running game coordinator for groping a woman in Mexico City ... just hours before the team played against the 49ers.

ESPN, citing sources, reported Wednesday morning Sean Kugler was accused of inappropriately touching a female on Sunday night. The outlet reports Mexican authorities were made aware of the allegations, and then told the Cardinals of it all. Kugler was fired a short time later and sent back to Arizona on Monday morning.

The Cards had arrived in Mexico on Saturday night for the big game against S.F. on Monday. The team went on to lose the contest, 38-10.

Arizona officials have yet to confirm the report ... in announcing the firing on Tuesday, head coach Kliff Kingsbury would only say Kugler had been involved in an off-field "incident."

Kugler had been on the Cardinals' staff since 2019.

The two-piece wedding suit Marilyn Monroe wore for her marriage to Joe DiMaggio is hitting the auction block ... and it's expected to fetch seven figures.

Marilyn's 'fit from the January 1954 wedding to the New York Yankees star will be offered to the public through Gotta Have Rock and Roll, and although it's one of her more conservative looks ... folks at the auction house think the winning bid will be spectacular -- somewhere between $1.5 and $2 million!

The historic clothing is a two-piece dark brown Serge wedding suit, with a white fur collar on the jacket.

Marilyn and Joe's wedding was a huge event back in the day ... and there are tons of photos and videos of them kissing while she's in the wedding suit.

And, here's a fun fact: glamorous Marilyn totally went mainstream for her big day!

Gotta Have Rock and Roll says she originally bought the suit at Macy's, and it was later gifted to the mother-in-law of her personal photog, Milton Greene.

A top H.S. quarterback recruit's use of the n-word will not spell the end of his football career ... so says ex-NFL star Jamal Anderson, who tells TMZ Sports he's confident the teen will get another scholarship offer.

Marcus Stokes -- a four-star athlete from Allen D. Nease High School in Florida -- had his full ride to the Univ. of Florida pulled on Sunday ... after he posted a video of himself rapping the n-word in his car.

He apologized for it all, calling it "hurtful and offensive to many people" -- but some have wondered if it, and the Gators' subsequent punishment for it, would mean he'd no longer have a chance to play college ball anymore.

When we got Anderson out at LAX this week, he told us he's sure another school will give him another shot ... saying, "Man, he's a kid still."

"You've got to have time to grow and make mistakes and learn and make amends for the mistakes that you make," the former Atlanta Falcons running back said. "So, I wish him all the best and I hope that it all works out for him."

Anderson tells us Stokes' coaches, teammates, friends and peers will help him rebound from it all ... explaining if those around him continue to report he had no racist intentions with his actions, it'll be easier to forgive.

"When you look at the reports of the people that actually know him," Anderson said, "The people that are actually around him, there's nothing like that."

As if Cleveland's season couldn't get any worse -- some rando allegedly broke into FirstEnergy Stadium and took a joyride on the field just days before the Browns' next home game ... resulting in a bunch of damage.

The incident reportedly went down early Tuesday morning ... forcing the Browns' grounds crew to rush to repair the grass before Sunday's matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pictures captured by News Channel 5 show tire marks throughout the field ... with a road roller working to improve the home turf.

Luckily, the team told the outlet the damage is superficial ... which means there's a good chance Sunday's game will go down without any hiccups.

Police believe the joyride occurred after someone broke into the stadium and got ahold of a golf cart. The whole thing is currently under investigation.

“We are aware of the incident that occurred early Tuesday morning at FirstEnergy Stadium and have provided the Cleveland Division of Police with all relevant information," the team said in a statement.

"Based on our internal evaluation, there was some superficial damage to the playing field that our grounds maintenance team is currently working to repair."

Here's further proof Big Ten football is taken VERY seriously in Ohio -- droves of newborns in the state this week have been wrapped in "Beat Michigan" swaddles ... as the Buckeyes prepare to play the Wolverines in a huge game this weekend.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center was the facility providing the anti-Michigan paraphernalia to the babies -- with, of course, parents' permission -- and while Wolverines fans may not enjoy it so much, it's adorable as hell.

The kids got red blankets with the words "Beat Michigan" inscribed in them -- with the M crossed out. They were also gifted some Buckeye-colored beanies.

Some proud, cheesin' parents posed with the Ohio State-clad kids ... and, surely, they're hoping those smiles stay on their faces on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

The game goes down at noon -- and with both teams coming in with 11-0 records ... it almost certainly means a spot in the College Football Playoff is on the line.

A couple L.A. Chargers fans turned on each other during the Chiefs game on Sunday night ... whaling on one another's faces at SoFi Stadium -- as their favorite team played on in the background.

Video, obtained TMZ Sports, shows that a man in a Joey Bosa jersey appeared to have started the melee ... when he threw a couple of punches at a guy in a row below him.

Unclear what caused the altercation to break out -- but soon after the first blow was thrown, another man got involved ... and all hell broke loose.

At least three guys traded haymakers for roughly 30 seconds, before other fans jumped in to slow down the action.

One witness tells us neither police nor stadium security guards ever arrived to check in on the situation ... but, fortunately, the parties left on their own without further incident.

Gisele Bündchen has begun the process of becoming Tom Brady's new next-door neighbor ... and if you look closely enough, you can see she's actually getting a hand with the move from an associate of the jiu-jitsu coach who vacationed with her earlier this month.

TB12's ex was spotted Monday outside the $11.5M Miami Beach home -- which is located just across the creek from where Brady is building a house -- directing traffic and handing off appliances.

Gisele pointed at different parts of the property with famed designer Constanza Collarte ... and, at one point, got some help with a toaster oven from none other than what appears to be a pal of Joaquim Valente.

The man -- donning a blue Valente Brothers jiu-jitsu T-shirt -- seemed to be chummy with the former supermodel, before leaving the premises with the kitchen item.

Of course, this is now the second time Gisele has been seen with Valente or associates of Valente outside of the gym in November ... you'll recall, she took a trip with the fighting instructor to Costa Rica just a few days ago.

Sources close to Bündchen have insisted they're just friends -- and Valente tagged along on the vacay merely to help coach her and her kids in the off time.

We're told Tom hasn't exactly bought it all, though -- and we're sure seeing Valente's friends help with his ex-wife's move isn't exactly assuaging that opinion.

Paddy Pimblett's next fight (after UFC 282) could be ... newly crowned AEW champ MJF?!

Never say never ... 26-year-old AEW world champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, aka MJF, and 27-year-old UFC star Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett are in the middle of a full-on social media blowout.

It's unclear exactly where the beef originated ... but the men clearly don't like each other, and neither held back on Tuesday.

Pimblett, on Instagram, told MJF ... "if u wanna have a real fight let's sort it with the UFC if not pipe down! Oh tell ur boss to sign me up when yous come to Fulham's ground I be ready son"

Friedman responded, writing ... "hey bud. AEW has a show coming up in your neck of the woods. If you're man enough I'll gladly show you how real I am."

MJJ tagged UFC president Dana White and AEW boss Tony Khan.

Paddy The Baddy responded ... "I've just said that u spaceman 🤣 don't act as if ur calling for it I've just told u straight when yous come Fulham's ground (craven cottage) get ur boss Tony Khan to message my boss Dana White and see what we can sort 🤗 because I know full well you won't pass a USADA drug test to fight in the UFC 🤣🤣🤣"

The AEW champ then fired back one last time ... writing, "unlike you I'm 100% natural and I'm also 100% original. Unlike you. You're dollar store Conor McGregor talking, Will from strangers things looking ass wouldn't last two seconds in my world #Betterthanyou See you in London."

MJF won his first title Saturday night at AEW Gear ... defeating the legend Jox Moxley. Pimblett, one of the UFC's best 20 lightweights, is fighting Jared Gordon at UFC 282 on December 10. Paddy, one of MMA's most popular figures, hasn't lost since September 2018.

Antonio Brown is continuing to cross the line in his feud with Tom Brady -- this time, he posted a clearly photoshopped nude pic of Gisele Bündchen on social media.

The troubled ex-NFL receiver shared the image to his Snapchat on Monday ... showing Gisele's face edited on top of another woman's naked body.

A caption was not included, so there's no explanation behind the decision to take another shot at Brady's ex-wife. The slide was later deleted ... but screenshots of AB's post quickly made rounds on Twitter.

It's yet another example of AB burning his Brady bridge to a crisp -- he's completely turned his back on his former teammate in recent months, despite TB12's continuous support throughout his off-field troubles.

Brown has also posted several times about Brady's divorce from Gisele after 13 years together ... including a pic hugging Bündchen after the Bucs' Super Bowl win in 2021.

He also went the bad photoshop route another time ... by putting his face onto Brady's body as Gisele had her arms wrapped around him.

AB seemingly tried to expose Brady by sharing a text conversation from 2021 last week ... in which the 7-time champ called Brown out for acting like "a young immature man that is selfish, self serving, irrational and irresponsible."