TMZ Sports - Page 50

The Dallas Cowboys got at least ONE thing right this season ... so says team owner Jerry Jones, who boasted Monday that his team drew the biggest crowds in the world despite the pandemic.

"I’m gonna arm wave," the 79-year-old said on 105.3 The Fan. "I think we set the world record for attendance for a venue this year at our stadium, in the world of a pandemic."

Jerry added despite the large numbers, he believes it was all with safe results too.

As for the actual figures at AT&T Stadium this season ... the Cowboys say they had more than 20,000 people at all 8 of their home games in 2020.

In fact, team officials say on 4 separate occasions, they had more than 30,000 people pack their 80,000-seat stadium.

It's all interesting, considering coronavirus numbers in Texas have been some of the worst in the country ... with a reported 1.83 million cases in the state and more than 28,000 deaths.

Jerry, though, seemed confident fans were safe at his venue ... saying the Cowboys' games were "maybe at the top" of the safety lists in the league.

"If you do not take this next fight from me, you will not be remembered. Your legacy will forever be tainted if you do not accept this fight."

Boxing superstar Ryan Garcia says he's trying like hell to make Gervonta Davis his next opponent ... telling TMZ Sports, "It's the most important fight to boxing right now."

Of course, Garcia -- fresh off a huge TKO win over Luke Campbell -- has wanted a piece of Tank for more than 2 years now ... but he tells us it's finally time for them to meet in the ring.

"I don't have time for celebrations," 21-0 Garcia tells us. "I'm on one mission. I'm on a mission to knock out Gervonta Davis in 2 rounds ... This man will go down. 2 rounds -- that's a promise!!"

Remember, 22-year-old Garcia has called out 26-year-old Tank every possible chance he gets -- see here, here, here and here -- and Davis has taken notice, threatening to "kill" him in the ring.

Now that both fighters have a clear schedule, Garcia says he wants to give the sport what it deserves ... comparing it to an Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury matchup.

"This is the fight. Joshua needs to fight Fury and I need to fight Gervonta. That's it! We need to get this on. I'm going for it! This is it!"

As for when it should go down, Garcia tosses around May or September ... but makes it clear he wants fans in person for the huge event.

As Tom Brady prepares for the NFL Playoffs for the first time in 20 years NOT as a member of the New England Patriots, he and his supermodel wife are shedding other parts of their former life as well ... and it comes with a huge payday.

The star Tampa Bay Bucs QB and Gisele just closed on selling their luxury apartment in NYC -- a 5-bed, 1,900-square-foot terrace in the Tribeca neighborhood -- for $36.8 million.

The power couple bought the place for $25 mil in 2018, so do the math ... and Tom clearly still knows how to score big on and off the field.

The sale comes just weeks and he and Gisele also unloaded their 5-bedroom mansion in the Boston suburbs. It's unclear how much they made on that transaction, but it was listed for nearly $34 mil in late 2019 -- before Brady made the move to Florida.

Tom and Gisele aren't completely saying goodbye to their time in the Northeast though -- they reportedly still have a small unit in the same Tribeca complex where they just sold their other one.

It's good to have options be rich.

Two Philadelphia Eagles players had to be restrained to keep them from confronting head coach Doug Pederson on the sidelines after he yanked Jalen Hurts on Sunday ... this according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Another shocking development in one of the most bizarre games of the year.

Remember, Pederson pulled his rookie QB in the 4th quarter in Sunday night's matchup with the Washington Football Team ... despite only trailing by 3 points.

Hurts was replaced by Nate Sudfeld -- and according to the Inquirer, "many" Eagles players and coaches were "shocked and outraged."

But, here's where it gets interesting ... the report says, "Two defensive players had to be held back from approaching Pederson."

The report does not name those players -- but notes that two other players, including center Jason Kelce and another starter, "went to the coach to ask him why he had pulled the starting quarterback with the Eagles trailing by only 3."

For his part, Hurts was obviously upset when he was pulled -- and it appeared he mouthed the words, "It's not right" when he was on the sideline.

After the game, Hurts told reporters, "As a competitor, I play to win ... You have to trust [Pederson’s plan]."

Pederson insists he wasn't trying to tank in order to get a better draft pick -- but not everyone is buying what Doug is saying.

In fact, NY Giants coach Joe Judge went scorched-earth on Pederson -- essentially saying he disrespected the integrity of the game as well as the players and their families.

The Red Sox have just made some very cool history ... the MLB org hired Bianca Smith to help its minor league players, making her the 1st black female coach EVER in pro baseball.

Boston made the move official late Monday night ... bringing 29-year-old Smith on board to coach Sox prospects in Fort Myers, FL beginning later this offseason.

"The opportunity is amazing," Smith said of the hiring on MLB Network. "I'm still wrapping my head around it. I probably won't have it sink in until I'm actually there."

Smith continued, "But I think it's a great opportunity also to just kind of inspire other women who are interested in this game."

Smith has some serious roots in the game already despite being so young ... she's held internships with several MLB orgs previously and is currently a hitting coordinator and assistant coach at Carroll University in Wisconsin.

Smith -- who played softball at Dartmouth College -- also worked as an assistant coach at University of Dallas in 2018 and was the director of baseball operations for several years at Case Western Reserve University prior to that.

Smith says she's fired up to continue moving up the ranks in the MLB ... and her historic hire has already caught the eye of several prominent athletes, including Billie Jean King.

"Congratulations to Bianca Smith, who was just hired by the ⁦@RedSox⁩ as a minor league coach," the tennis legend said on Twitter. "She will be the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball history. See it. Be it! #RepresentationMatters #MLB."

Tim Tebow is releasing a brand new children's book based on his late beloved dog, Bronco -- and it's really sweet.

Bronco passed away back in Nov. 2019 after spending 9 years with Tim. The two were inseparable and Tebow often referred to Bronco as his "son."

So, to keep his memory alive ... Tim authored a children's book called "Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember" which features Bronco as the main character.

"Bronco was such an amazing dog and I wanted to honor him," Tim explained Tuesday morning on "GMA."

And, if you're wondering ... yes, the story has a religious theme (it's classified by Amazon as Children's Christian Family Fiction).

The story features Bronco -- who wears glasses because of a vision disability -- teaming up with other animals (including a flightless bird and an allergic goat) and they make their way to a special party.

Amazon describes the book this way ... "This sweet story of animals with different challenges and abilities is core to Tim Tebow's message to fans and friends of any age who have special needs."

Tim has been heavily involved in the special needs community for years -- helping kids and families around the world.

"I wanted to write a children's book for all the young boys and girls out there to encourage them and their worth -- and that they're unique, they're special, they're wonderful."

More COVID drama for Kevin Durant -- the NBA superstar is reportedly set to quarantine for 7 days (and will miss the next 4 NBA games) after being exposed to someone with the virus.

The team has confirmed the 32-year-old is out -- and according to NBA protocol, he must quarantine for 7 days and produce negative tests in order to return.

The Brooklyn Nets are hoping KD will return to face the Denver Nuggets on January 12 -- it's the earlier Durant can return if he continues to test negative.

Remember, Durant battled coronavirus himself back in mid-March -- but recovered and tested negative in early April. He was one of the first superstars to test positive for the virus. Nevada governor Steve Sisolak used KD as an example to show that no one is safe from COVID.

The Nets have lost 4 of their last 5 games -- and could definitely use KD as they get ready to face Utah, Philadelphia, Memphis and OKC over the next week.

Vin Scully's wife, Sandi, has passed away, the L.A. Dodgers announced Monday. She was 76.

Sandi had long battled ALS and died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from complications related to her condition.

"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Sandi Scully, the loving wife of Vin and a dear member of the Dodger family."

"Sandi was Vin's biggest fan and was always there in loving support of him at Dodger Stadium until she began her battle with ALS. She was truly Vin's and the Scully family's rock, and she will be dearly missed."

Vin and Sandi met in 1973 while she was working as an executive assistant for the owner of the L.A. Rams football team. Sandi has credited the team's general counsel, Ed Hookstratten, for hooking them up.

“Unbeknownst to me, he told Vin about this young blonde he ought to check out,” Sandi told The NY Times ... "And Vin told him, ‘I’m not in the business of checking out young blondes.'"

But, one thing led to another and they began dating soon after.

Both Vin and Sandi were previously married -- his first wife passed away in 1972. Sandi's first marriage ended in divorce. But, they raised their children together and later added a daughter of their own.

Sandi was known for her charitable work -- she served as the chairwoman for SHARE Inc., which helps abused and developmentally disabled kids.

Vin adored Sandi -- and famously recorded a rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" for her -- which he played on the Dodger Stadium PA system back in 2016.

Sandi is survived by 93-year-old Vin, 5 children (Vin's oldest son, Michael, passed away in 1994), 21 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.

Even the best football player alive can't believe what the Eagles did Sunday night ... with Patrick Mahomes saying he was straight-up perplexed by Philly's apparent tank job against the WFT.

The K.C. Chiefs QB explained his feelings on the matter to KCSP 610 Sports Radio on Monday ... saying when Doug Pederson pulled Jalen Hurts from a winnable game, he just didn't get why.

"You never know what's going on inside the team or the organization," Mahomes said, "but, I mean, just watching how he played the last few weeks, it did kinda confuse me at the time."

Mahomes made it clear he would've wanted Jalen to play the final 4th quarter of the season ... even if it meant it could cost the Eagles a few spots in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"For me, I would have wanted to play and finish out the season, no matter what our record was," Mahomes said. "But, whatever the coach thought was best for the team, he did, and you have to back that as a guy on the team."

For Pederson's part, he's adamantly claimed he was trying to win the game despite the Hurts benching.

There's more ... Mahomes also raved about Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, praising the coach as a "vital" piece of K.C.'s puzzle and promising he'll be a successful head man if he gets the opportunity.

"He's a guy that will hold everybody in the organization accountable, he's going to build the culture the right way and obviously he knows how to call the plays and do that stuff and produce on the field. There's no real negative about it."

The New York Giants are PISSED the Eagles kept them out of the playoffs with an apparent tank job Sunday night ... with one NYG star straight-up callin' Philly's actions "sickening."

Here's the deal ... after NY beat the Dallas Cowboys Sunday morning, all they needed was a Philadelphia win over the Washington Football Team to lock up a postseason spot.

But, the Eagles didn't appear to take their game with WFT seriously at all ... they rested nearly every one of their star players -- and even benched QB Jalen Hurts before the pivotal 4th quarter even began.

In fact, Philly's actions were so perplexing -- the guys calling the game for NBC, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, questioned head coach Doug Pederson on-air!!

"Al, I couldn’t have done it," Collinsworth said on the broadcast. "I couldn’t have done what Philadelphia did."

"I simply just could not have done it. You’ve got men out there that are fighting their guts out trying to win the game. And, I’m not saying -- I’m not blaming anybody. I, personally, could not have done what they did."

Philly ended up losing a very winnable game, 20-14 ... and while the scene was playing out, the Giants were HEATED.

Receiver Darius Slayton said on Twitter, "Why on gods green earth is Jalen Hurts not in the game." He later wrote, "This is sickening."

Star running back Saquon Barkley added, "Can someone make it make sense to me what’s going on....?"

Both Golden Tate and Eli Manning responded to that ... with Manning writing, "This is why we don’t like the Eagles."

For his part, Pederson said he actually was trying to win the game, telling media after the loss, "Yes, I was coaching to win."

Sure, Doug. Sure.

Sorry, New York.

WNBA star Renee Montgomery has a brand new business partner -- she's joined Marshawn Lynch as a co-owner of a football team in the new Fan Controlled Football league!

Montgomery announced the move on the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (which she co-hosts) -- saying she's officially a shot-caller with the Beasts, one of four teams in the new FCF league.

The move makes Renee the first female owner in the league -- where she'll compete against other teams owned by NFL stars like Richard Sherman and Austin Ekeler. Quavo is also a co-owner of the Glacier Boyz.

As we first reported, Johnny Manziel just signed a deal to play in the FCF with a team called The Zappers -- and Renee jokingly admitted she was bitter about the deal, because she wanted Johnny on her squad!!

The FCF is a fast-paced, full-contact, 7-on-7 league -- with teams competing on a 50-yard field. All of the games will take place at a facility in Atlanta, where Montgomery is based.

Montgomery says she'll expand on her decision to buy into the team on her podcast "Remotely Renee," which drops on Tuesday.

The season kicks off in February -- and all of the 60-minute games will be live streamed on Twitch. The league says they've already locked in players who formerly competed in the CFL, XFL and Division 1 college football.

While anti-maskers around the country continue to freak out, here's the Boston University men's basketball team wearing mouth coverings during their game on Monday.

And, get this ... they WON!!

FYI -- Boston U. implemented a new rule during the COVID-19 pandemic ... which requires players to wear masks during their home AND away games this season.

The Terriers debuted their new look in their season debut against Holy Cross ... with the players rocking red masks to match their jerseys.

The masks didn't come between BU's hopes at securing a dub, though ... with the Terriers coming up with an 83-76 win over the Crusaders.

HC didn't mask up in Monday's matchup, but players on both teams will be wearing face coverings when the Crusaders visit BU on Tuesday.

The matchup -- or should we say, "maskup" -- is believed to be the first time both teams will be wearing masks in a college hoops game.

Josh Jacobs -- the star running back for the Las Vegas Raiders -- was arrested for DUI on Monday after officials say he drunkenly wrecked his car at 4:42 AM.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. says officers responded to a single-vehicle crash near the Vegas airport on Monday morning ... and found the 22-year-old, who appeared to be impaired.

"He was transported to a local hospital due to minor injuries resulting from the collision," cops say.

"After treatment, he was transported to the Clark County Detention Center where he was booked for DUI."

Jacobs played for the Raiders on Sunday against the Denver Broncos -- posting big numbers, 89 rushing yards and 2 TDs on 15 carries, helping the Silver & Black to a 32-31 victory.

Clearly, Jacobs returned to Vegas after the game and that's where he got into trouble.

In the hours before his arrest, Jacobs posted video on Instagram showing him at a karaoke party with some friends. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.

Jacobs was a 1st-round pick out of Alabama in the 2019 NFL Draft and has flashed some serious superstar potential.

Jacobs has 2,215 career rushing yards since joining the Raiders -- with 19 rushing TDs in just 28 starts.

C.J. McMahon -- a decorated horse racing jockey -- was arrested and booked over the weekend for attempted murder, according to officials in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Officials are not revealing specifics about the case -- in fact, one official told TMZ Sports the case is sealed. But, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office records show the 26-year-old was booked on 1 count of attempted 2nd-degree murder.

McMahon -- who won the Oklahoma Derby in 2016 -- was also booked on a weapons charge and a drug possession charge.

A note in the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office booking records says, "Subject was arrested after traffic stop and drugs were found, also an active warrant."

Again, no word on when or where the alleged attempted murder took place -- or who was targeted. Authorities are being very tight-lipped at the moment.

According to police records, McMahon was initially stopped on Saturday afternoon for a traffic violation -- and when officers ran his name, they noticed an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from another incident, presumably the alleged attempted murder.

McMahon posted bond the following day (Sunday) and has since been released from custody.

He's raced everywhere from Lone Star Park to Delta Downs and more -- and has racked up more than 1,000 career victories.

McMahon comes from a horse racing family -- his father was also a jockey.

Attempts to reach McMahon for comment were unsuccessful.

March Madness -- the entire NCAA college basketball tournament -- will take place in the state of Indiana in 2021, officials confirm.

It's the first time in the history of the tournament that all 67 games will take place in the same state -- and, of course, it's all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA says it's "partnering with a local health provider to administer COVID-19 testing within the controlled environment for players, coaching staffs, administrators and officials."

"The Marion County Health Department has approved medical protocols shared by the NCAA and will continue collaborating with the NCAA leading up to and during the championship."

The majority of the games will take place in Indianapolis -- with some contests going down in West Lafayette and Bloomington.

Several Indiana-based universities will technically "host" the tournament -- including Ball State, Butler, Indiana University and Purdue, among others. The school will lend their facilities and staffs to assist with tournament operations.

The NCAA says teams will be allowed to use the Indiana Convention Center as a practice facility, with multiple courts set up inside the venue.

Most teams will stay at Marriott hotel properties -- which happens to be an official NCAA corporate partner.

COVID protocols will be in full effect -- "All teams will be housed on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms, as well as secure transportation to and from competition venues."

The NCAA says Selection Sunday is still scheduled for March 14 -- with the Final Four games set to take place on April 3 and 5.

The org notes, "The exact preliminary round dates are still to be determined."

"This is a historic moment for NCAA members and the state of Indiana," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement.

Russell Wilson just made his teammate David Moore $100k richer ... by calling an audible pass at the end of Sunday's game to get him a fat bonus!!

Here's the deal ... the Seattle Seahawks were lined up to take a knee and finish off the San Francisco 49ers in a 26-23 win ... when Wilson decided to switch it up and hit Moore with a touch pass with 22 seconds remaining.

The announcers were confused during the broadcast -- wondering why Russ didn't just run the clock out. But, they figured it out ...

Turns out, Wilson knew Moore was 1 catch from hitting 35 receptions on the season, which triggered a $100,000 bonus ... so Russ purposely targeted his guy to get him paid!!

The play was simple -- Wilson stepped back into a shotgun, sent Moore in motion and hit him with a quick touch-pass to secure the coveted catch #35.

Watch the video ... you can see Moore smiling in the huddle after the play, along with his teammates who were clearly aware of the situation.

The superstar QB spoke about the move after the game ... saying, "It's a blessing to help his family and daughter and all stuff, so it was part of the game."

"We wanted to get him that last catch. We were able to dial that up for him on that last play."

FYI, 25-year-old Moore -- a 7th round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft -- was reportedly set to make $825k this season ... so the extra $100,000 is a big deal!