TMZ Sports - Page 50

Forget Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields ... Jets star Quinnen Williams tells TMZ Sports his squad should PASS on a QB in April's NFL draft -- and take Devonta Smith instead!!!

"I'm wishin'!" Williams says. "I'm saying it right now, I'm wishin'!"

Of course, NY will likely have the option to take the star 'Bama wideout at #2 overall in just a few months ... though most pundits believe the team should take a QB and move on from Sam Darnold with the pick.

But, when we spoke with Williams after his former Alabama team won the National Championship last week, he told us he'd prefer to keep Sam and select this year's Heisman Trophy winner instead.

"Devonta Smith got that 'Bama in him," Williams says. "We need someone with that. Man, he's amazing."

The selection would be fairly historic ... wideouts almost NEVER go in the top two picks -- in fact, only two have been selected in the top two since 2000 (Calvin Johnson in 2007 and Charles Rogers in 2002).

According to Williams, though, this is the perfect time to make it happen again.

"Any team that gets him -- not even the Jets -- any team that gets him they'll be getting a dominant player," Williams says. "And, you can see that now."

We're pretty sure Williams ain't wrong here -- Smith was incredible for Alabama this season, catching 117 passes for 1,856 receiving yards and 23 receiving touchdowns.

"If we get him," Williams says, "he's going to be a dynamic attribute for Sam."

Marshall Faulk says he's straight-up "worried" about Trevor Lawrence's possible future under Urban Meyer in Jacksonville ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Jags' new coach sucks at developing pro QBs.

"Outside of Alex Smith," the NFL legend says, "this man hasn't developed a quarterback that's playing in the NFL right now."

Faulk added, "I'm worried for Trevor Lawrence."

Of course, the Clemson superstar is not a Jaguar yet ... but damn-near everyone involved in the draft process believes Meyer will select the QB at #1 overall in the spring.

Faulk, though, says that could be a kiss of death for Lawrence's pro career ... pointing out Meyer's college QBs haven't had much success at all in the pros.

"He had some really good attempts with, I'm talking, top, four-star, five-star guys when he was at Ohio State and at Florida," Faulk says. "There's something to that."

Meyer's career list of notable starting college quarterbacks includes Alex Smith, Chris Leak, Tim Tebow, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.

To Faulk's point, none of the above, aside from Smith, has done much of anything in the NFL.

"You put that together," Faulk tells us.

Faulk, though, thinks there's at least SOME chance Lawrence doesn't end up in Jacksonville -- the former Rams superstar says if he had the Jags' top pick, he'd pass on Lawrence and try to trade the selection for Deshaun Watson.

Netflix left a controversial episode from one of MTV's most popular shows on the cutting room floor ... an episode infamous for some severe bullying.

Here's the deal ... the streaming giant just added 2 seasons of MTV's 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge,' but fans will instantly notice something's missing ... some behind-the-scenes clips featuring 3 female cast members going after another female contestant.

The episode was titled "To Hell and Back: Hot Gossip From The Inferno 2" ... and the troubling scene showed Veronica, Rachel and Tina ganging up on Tonya Cooley by snapping nude photos of her while she was sleeping.

They later showed those pics to other houseguests. That episode was the show's finale in 2005, and aired instead of the usual end-of-season reunions.

As for why Netflix cut it? Well, there's the obvious ... 2005 was just a different time, and things that might have been seen as funny or entertaining back then, just don't fly today.

We reached out to Netflix and MTV for an explanation, but neither responded.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalist LeRoy Butler says there's a very good reason he belongs in Canton ... Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson are enshrined.

Prime, SA, and Woodson are members of the NFL's '90s All-Decade team -- along with Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Cortez Kennedy, John Randle, Junior Seau, Derrick Thomas, and Kevin Greene -- ALL who are members of the Hall.

Butler is the only guy on the All-Decade squad who isn't in Canton ... and he tells TMZ Sports that's a helluva reason to put him in.

"I really would love to be in the Hall of Fame this particular year, 2021. And, plus, it's a little embarrassing to be the only All-Decade member, 1st team, not in the Hall of Fame."

Butler says some of the other players have bigger names ... but when it comes to the football field, he contributed as much as the other HOF'ers.

"It's like 'generic' and 'brand.' You get Woodson, brand, put him in! Manning, brand. Generic, LeRoy Butler. But, I do the same thing as them. I'm just cheaper. I think they should put me in to say we close out the '90s to the 2000s. Done, start the new decade! So, I just pray."

BTW, there's a reason LeRoy made the All-Decade team ... he had a great, 12 season career in Green Bay. He made 1st team All-Pro 4 times, 4 Pro Bowls, and won a Super Bowl with Brett Favre and the Packers in 1997.

Butler also breaks down his foray into the liquor biz ... 'cause he just launched a new vodka, aptly named Leap Spirits.

Remember, Butler was the 1st player to Lambeau Leap back in 1993.

Calvin Kattar says his UFC on ABC main event match with Max Holloway is more than just a fight ... a win represents a better life -- more money, more opportunities.

TMZ Sports talked to the 32-year-old fighter before his Fight Island fight this weekend with the former featherweight champ ... and Kattar says only everything is on the line.

"I ain't got s*** to say to Max! I'm just going out looking to earn my respect and just get me a title shot, ya know? Change my life."

"I'm chasing the life on the other side of a win over Max Holloway. Things get better off wins, you get double the money, you get more opportunities and like I said, I'm just chasing the life off a win over Max Holloway."

Kattar -- the #6 ranked featherweight -- is 22-4 ... and coming off wins over Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige.

Calvin's been super impressive ... but things don't get any easier on Fight Island ... 'cause Holloway is arguably the greatest 145 lb.'er of all-time.

As for blessed, he's looking to claw his way back to the top of the UFC mountain after 2 controversial losses to Alex Volkanovski ... and that's exactly what he tells us he'll do.

"Belt or no belt, I'm gonna always carry myself as a champion. The belt doesn't define me. I got 5 titles at home. The 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, all the way to 13, 20, whatever you wanna call it, I'm gonna get it. It's just in due time," Max tells us.

Dustin Diamond's got some pretty cool friends ... 'cause when one of them wanted to wish him well in his recovery from cancer the friend said screw Hallmark ... opting instead to plaster the message on NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki's car.

Dan Block, the president of Insurance King, is honoring his close friend and the "Saved by the Bell" star by giving Bilicki's car a new wrap that'll pay homage to the classic TV show while wishing Dustin get well soon.

We're told the car hasn't been wrapped yet, but TMZ's obtained a rendering of what the stock car will look like when it's done ... and you see the show's font and logo. The rear bumper also displays Dustin's mug ... with the words "Saved by the King" plastered on the hood. In case you didn't know ... Dustin stars in several Insurance King commercials.

In one of the commercials, Dustin speeds past a cop who pulls him over and writes him a ticket. When the cop asks how he can afford car insurance with so many speeding tickets, Screech Powers hits 'em with "C'mon. I'm saved by the king." Boom.

Block tells us the car will debut in time for the NASCAR Cup Series later this year.

As we reported ... Dustin's suspicion became a cruel reality when he found out he had stage 4 cancer. He's currently getting his first round of chemotherapy. The diagnosis came after he first discovered a lump on his throat.

Enormous praise from Bills legend Cornelius Bennett -- the former Buffalo star tells TMZ Sports he believes Lamar Jackson is "the closest thing that I've seen" to Barry Sanders.

Yeah ... heads up, Bills defense!!!

Bennett delivered the massive compliment to Baltimore's QB this week ... just before Buffalo will have to try to stop him in its playoff matchup with the Ravens on Saturday.

But, good news for the Bills ... Bennett says he believes Buffalo CAN slow down Lamar -- if they just use the same tactics he used against Barry in his career.

"I see so many times that guys are taking the big shot at him and missing him," Bennett says of Jackson. "It's all right to arm tackle him and lay him down softly or whatever and not get the kill shot on him."

"Because as soon as you do," Bennett continued, "you're going to be gasping for air. I know that personally trying to tackle Barry Sanders."

As for Bennett's take on the Bills' QB ... the 55-year-old tells us he's been SUPER impressed with Josh Allen's progression this season -- saying the quarterback actually reminds him a bit of Jim Kelly!

"He's grown tremendously," Bennett says.

Sorry, Patriots fans ... Quinnen Williams says Bill Belichick is NOT the greatest football coach ever -- the Jets star tells TMZ Sports that honor now belongs to Nick Saban!!

The NFL defensive lineman made the bold claim shortly after the Alabama head coach won yet ANOTHER National Championship this week ... saying, "I think, in my head, I think he's the greatest coach of all time."

"Just because, man, like, his resume speaks for itself, man," Williams said.

Of course, Williams is biased -- the dude played for Saban for three years with the Tide from 2016-2018 -- but it's getting harder and harder to disagree.

Saban's victory over Ohio State last Monday gave him his SEVENTH college football championship -- the most in the history of the game.

The 69-year-old also has a staggering college coaching career record of 261-65-1 ... and has routinely put players in the NFL year after year after year.

"He has a list of hundreds of NFL players who are either starters or big-time superstars or big-time players under his belt," Williams says. "To do the things that he does, and to have a consistent dynasty and a consistent winning team that he has, it's unheard of."

Devastating news for Karl-Anthony Towns ... the NBA star announced he's tested positive for COVID-19 ... just 9 months after his mother passed away from a lengthy battle with coronavirus.

The 25-year-old says he received the news prior to the Minnesota Timberwolves' matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies -- which has been postponed -- and will isolate and follow all protocols immediately.

"I pray every day that this nightmare of a virus will subside and I beg everyone to continue to take it seriously by taking all of the necessary precautions," KAT said Friday.

"We cannot stop the spread of this virus alone, it must be a group effort by all of us."

KAT's mother, Jacqueline Towns, contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and was put in a medically induced coma due to complications.

She tragically passed away on April 13.

KAT's father, Karl, Sr. also previously tested positive for the virus ... but made a full recovery.

Towns continued ... "It breaks my heart that my family, and particularly my father and sister continue to suffer from the anxiety that comes along with this diagnosis as we know all too well what the end result could be."

Towns sends an incredibly powerful message to his family ... vowing to beat the virus and be there for his loved ones moving forward.

More trouble for Mario Edwards Jr. ...

The Chicago Bears defensive lineman has been handed a 2-game ban by NFL commish Roger Goodell on Friday ... but we're told it is NOT related to an alleged domestic violence incident in October.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman claims 26-year-old Edwards got violent with her in a North Carolina hotel room on Oct. 17 (the day before playing against the Panthers) ... after she turned down his sexual advances.

The woman claims she was pregnant at the time of the incident ... and required medical attention for injuries sustained during the alleged attack.

Edwards, though, has STRONGLY denied any wrongdoing ... claiming he was the victim and the woman was the aggressor.

While that incident remains under investigation, we're told Edwards' punishment Friday is due to a violation of the league's performance-enhancing substance policy ... resulting in the 2-game ban.

Edwards showed serious promise in 15 games for the Bears this season ... racking up 4 sacks in 15 games.

As the anniversary of Kobe and Gianna Bryant's deaths approaches, Vanessa's sharing her daily battle to cope with such heartbreaking loss ... and offering some advice.

Vanessa says ... "Grief is a messed up cluster of emotions. One day you're in the moment laughing and the next day you don't feel like being alive."

She then speaks directly to people who understand her pain, adding ... "Find your reason to live. I know it's hard. I look at my daughters and I try to push through that feeling for them."

As you know ... Vanessa's husband and 13-year-old daughter were both killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020 along with 7 others, including the pilot.

From time to time, Vanessa's shared her efforts to pick up the pieces and care for her and Kobe's 3 other girls ... but she's never spoken this openly about her struggle with grief.

Denver Broncos star Von Miller -- the MVP of Super Bowl 50 -- is under criminal investigation in Colorado ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Details of the allegations against the future Hall of Famer are unclear ... a spokesperson for the Parker Police Dept. in Parker, Colo. tells us, "The case is currently under investigation so no information can be released at this time."

"If the investigation determines a crime has occurred, charges will be submitted to the DA's office for their review."

The spokesperson added there is no ballpark timeframe for the conclusion of the probe ... explaining the allegations just came in "recently."

Miller -- who sat out this season after suffering a tendon injury in his lower leg in September -- is still considered one of the most feared defenders in the NFL.

The 31-year-old has piled up 106 career sacks in just 135 games ... and has vowed to come back stronger from his injury in 2021.

Miller would be subject to league discipline if he's found to have violated the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.

We've reached out to Miller for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Story developing ...

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley says NBA and NFL athletes deserve preferential treatment with COVID-19 vaccines ... claiming it's only fair considering how much they pay in taxes.

The NBA is currently dealing with a COVID nightmare ... with at least 10 games being postponed due to positive tests or close contacts through less than a month of play.

The "Inside The NBA" analysts were discussing the status of the league following the Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets game Thursday night ... when Chuck gave his eye-opening take.

"We need 300 million shots, give a thousand to some NBA players ... NFL players, hockey players," Barkley said. "As much taxes as these players pay, they deserve some preferential treatment."

Kenny Smith followed up by questioning if that's fair when it could literally be a "life or death" situation for regular folk who don't have the same resources as pro athletes ... but Barkley doubled down.

"We can't go there," Smith clapped back. "I don't think you can go there."

Barkley noted he personally believes 1,000 vaccines to NBA players would not take away from at-risk or elderly people who could benefit more from the vaccine ... and claims his plan would keep the season alive.

Of course, both NBA and NFL commissioners Adam Silver and Roger Goodell have already shot down the idea of giving their players vaccines while essential workers and others wait in line.

The NBA recently modified its health and safety protocols after 16 players tested positive for the virus ... but Chuck clearly thinks more needs to be done to save the season.

Pitbull may need to go by "Dale" Earnhardt, Jr. now ... 'cause the party music legend is now a proud co-owner of a NASCAR racing team!!

The Grammy award winner shared the big news on Friday (which also happens to be his 40th birthday) ... officially announcing his partnership with Team Trackhouse and owner Justin Marks.

As it turns out, Mr. Worldwide says he's been a fan of NASCAR ever since he saw the 1990 flick "Days of Thunder" starring Tom Cruise ... and now he couldn't be more pumped to get in on the action.

"This is a great way to celebrate my 40th bday, so Get Ready! Dale!" Pitbull said on Twitter.

Trackhouse features star driver Daniel Suarez, who gave his new boss a shoutout shortly after the announcement was made.

"Welcome to the family amigo 🤙🏼💪🏼 @pitbull," Suarez said. "Daleeee!!!🔥🔥  Big things are happening."

Pitbull won't just be a mascot owner -- the musician is slated to be in-person to watch his team compete at the Daytona 500 next month.

He's already been active in the racing community ... performing alongside Blake Shelton at Phoenix Raceway back in March.

NASCAR released a statement on the big move, saying, "Pitbull is an iconic talent in the music industry and has tremendous passion for NASCAR racing."

"We look forward to working with him to further engage diverse audiences and introduce new fans to our great sport.”

2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera was arrested in Brazil and is facing extradition to Argentina on Thursday ... after the golfer was accused of trying to run over his ex with his car in 2016.

Police in Rio de Janeiro announced a 51-year-old man -- who the Associated Press confirmed to be the PGA star -- was arrested in connection with charges in Argentina ... including assault, theft, illegal intimidation and repeated disrespect to authorities.

Cabrera was on Interpol's red code list, according to the report ... and was considered to be a fugitive in August after failing to make an appearance with prosecutors.

Earlier this month, one of Cabrera's former partners accused the golfer of punching her in the face, making threats and trying to run her over with his car in '16, according to reports in Argentina.

Another different woman, Cabrera's ex-wife, also reportedly filed two charges against the golfer ... including assault and threats.

Cabrera won the U.S. Open over Tiger Woods in 2007 and the Green Jacket in 2009 ... and narrowly lost in a playoff against Adam Scott in the 2013 Masters.

James Harden is saying goodbye to his home of 9 years with an emotional tribute ... saying he is "forever indebted" to the city after failing to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Houston.

The 2018 MVP had a messy breakup with the Rockets to say the least ... from asking for a trade, to partying in ATL and Las Vegas during training camp, to publicly bashing the team.

But, JH put all that aside in his final message to H-Town ... thanking the organization and city for taking a chance on him.

"What can I write? What words can convey all the ways I feel," Harden said Friday.

"Houston you welcomed me with no guarantees. Took a leap of faith and it changed my life and the lives of my family, forever. This organization, this city has given me everything I could ask for and more."

He added ... "Before the scoring titles, long before MVP, you believed. For that I am forever indebted. The city opened its arms and welcomed me and my family as one of its own and for that I am forever indebted."

FWIW -- the Rockets won their first game of the post-Harden era Thursday night ... beating the San Antonio Spurs 109 to 105. So, things aren't all bad in H-Town!!

The superstar continued ... "I gave my mind, body and soul in hopes of bringing the glory to the city. I fell short and for that, I am forever indebted. It’s far from a goodbye, as I pay all my debts."