TMZ Sports - Page 50

BJ Penn knows what he wants to do with his life post-fighting career ... run the state of Hawaii, 'cause the UFC legend announced he's running for governor of The Aloha State!!!

42-year-old Penn -- a UFC Hall of Famer -- threw his hat in the proverbial ring (Octagon?) this week, and even laid out several policies he would immediately overturn.

"As soon as I step into Hawaii's Governor office I will remove all new federal and state mandates that have been hurting our economy, residents, and 'ohana," BJ wrote.

"We will get the best doctors, medicines, therapies, and health care the world has to offer to fight this pandemic and always keep Hawaii among the safest and healthiest states in the union."

Penn -- who last fought in the UFC in 2019 -- also vowed to ax the policy mandating people traveling to the state must be vaxxed, writing ... "We will get rid of all vaccine passports. Hawaii will be vaccinated with Aloha and unvaccinated with Aloha policy for everyone."

On masks? Similar deal.

"Same with the masks 😷. We will follow the constitution to the tee 👌. I am not here to fit in with the other politicians, I am here to get our freedoms back!"

Of course, BJ's had several run-ins with the law over the last few years ... but the MMA great isn't hiding from his past, addressing it head-on.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I would never run from a fight, or sell out my people."

Democrat, David Ige, is the current sitting gov of Hawaii. His term ends late next year.

The Red Sox will be without one of their best players in their do-or-die game against the Yankees on Tuesday ... and it's all 'cause the dude tripped over 2nd base last weekend.

Seriously.

J.D. Martinez rolled his ankle over the bag while heading to the outfield in Boston's game against Washington on Sunday ... and video revealed it was a complete, freak accident.

Ballpark cameras showed as Martinez was on his way to right field, his left foot caught the base -- causing his lower leg to bend awkwardly.

The injury didn't seem too terrible at the time ... but the team announced Tuesday morning it's apparently is so bad, Martinez will not play in the big American League Wild Card Game against NY.

Of course, it's a huge deal for the Sox ... Martinez has been perhaps the team's best player this year -- batting .286 with 28 home runs and 99 RBI.

With Boston going up against Gerrit Cole -- it's certainly going to miss all of that.

With Martinez out, the Sox are now expected to roll with an outfield featuring Kike Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe and Alex Verdugo, with Kyle Schwarber at designated hitter.

All hell broke loose when several WNBA players threw wild punches outside a day club in Atlanta earlier this year ... and now, one of the women involved is apologizing.

The video is insane -- Atlanta Dream All-Star Courtney Williams is seen getting in an all-out brawl in front of a local food truck back in May ... squaring up and going after several women throughout the violent incident.

Williams' teammate, Crystal Bradford, also appears to be in the middle of the scuffle, kicking and throwing punches at the same time.

Another former Dream player, Kalani Brown, was reportedly involved as well ... trying her best to break up the fight.

Williams posted the fight video on YouTube over the weekend ... where she cracked jokes and made light of the situation, before deleting it off her page.

Now, the ex-South Florida star is apologizing for the post ... tweeting out a statement on Monday.

"I want to sincerely apologize for the video posted yesterday," Williams said. "I would never want to represent myself or the organization in a negative way."

"I’m learning everyday so I ask for grace as I’m growing. Again I apologize to all attached, and I will be better moving forward."

The Dream released a response to Insider, saying, "The behavior in the video is unacceptable and does not align with our values as an organization."

Former NASCAR driver John Wes Townley attacked his ex-wife and another man with a hatchet just before he was shot to death ... this according to police.

It's all spelled out in new documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show cops say Townley showed up to his ex's house in Athens, Ga. on Oct. 2 and allegedly snapped.

In the docs, cops say Townley got to the home and attacked his ex, Laura Townley, and another man, Zachary Anderson, with a hatchet.

Police in the documents say, though, Anderson shot John in the altercation ... striking the former driver and accidentally hitting Laura, as well.

Cops say John was shot through the chest and later died from his injuries at a local hospital. Police added Laura was struck in the abdomen, but is expected to survive.

Cops say an investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

Police noted in the docs John and Laura had recently finalized a divorce.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan is clearly furious with Urban Meyer for his bar antics over the weekend ... calling the head coach's actions "inexcusable."

Just 1 day after Meyer apologized after video surfaced of him dancing with a woman -- who wasn't his wife -- Khan laid into the team's headman, essentially saying the coach is now on thin ice.

"What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable," Khan said, adding he did have a meeting with Meyer over it all.

"I appreciate Urban's remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect."

Footage captured a blonde woman grinding on Meyer at an Ohio bar over the weekend ... and Meyer told reporters Monday he was sorry for it all.

In his talk with media members, the 57-year-old said he was "stupid" to put himself in that situation.

"I should not have myself in that kind of position," said Meyer, who's been married to his wife, Shelley, since 1986.

Khan added in his statement Tuesday he's "confident" Meyer will now learn and rebound from the situation.

Victoria's Secret model Josephine Skriver doesn't need a Raiders win -- or clothes -- to have a good time ... 'cause the Las Vegas super fan is getting over her team's loss by posting some jaw-dropping pics!!

Of course, Skriver has been a diehard Raiders fan for years ... and has always showed serious love for her squad by posting plenty of hot shots decked in Silver and Black.

Monday night's game against the Chargers was no different ... with the 28-year-old Danish model posting a number of topless pics to help fans forget about the 28-14 loss.

"Win, lose or tie .. @raiders till I die ☠️🖤🏈," Josephine said on Instagram shortly afterwards.

Derek Carr and the Raiders weren't able to come back from a 21-0 deficit as Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler and the Bolts ran away with the home win (let's be honest, do you really care about that right now, though?)

It's a bummer for the Black Hole fanbase -- it's the first loss of Las Vegas' season -- but hey, at least Skriver's keeping spirits high.

When Andy Ruiz gets a full backside tattoo, the boxing star goes all in -- neck, back ... and even butt cheeks!

The former heavyweight champ showed off new back ink Monday ... and it's HUGE -- stemming from the top of his neck to the bottom of his bum.

Ruiz got the piece done by Ish Tattoos ... and it's some seriously impressive work -- especially considering Andy's 6 feet 2 and nearly 300 pounds.

The tat artist documented some of the work on his social media page ... saying it took two full sessions to complete.

Ruiz got a big warrior with wings inked under his previous "Victorious" tat ... and he also added a neckpiece with the bible verse, "Corinthians 15-57."

Andy was clearly happy with the results ... captioning a photo of the artwork, "Back and cheeks done hahaha. Thanks to my boy Ish Tattoos."

Unclear when we'll see Ruiz show off the new ink next in the ring ... he's coming off a big May victory over Chris Arreola -- and is reportedly gunnin' for Luis Ortiz or Charles Martin next.

Jon Gruden clearly ain't pleased with L.A.'s new $5.5 BILLION stadium ... bashing the state-of-the-art facility for its not-so weather-proof design and complicated visitors locker rooms after losing on Monday Night Football.

The Chargers vs. Raiders matchup was off to a delayed start due to a rare lightning storm in the City of Angels before kickoff ... with action paused 35 minutes before teams were able to take the field.

Gruden had a hard time wrapping his head around the delay -- considering SoFi Stadium is technically an indoor-outdoor building -- and says the whole fiasco had an impact on the game.

"I've never had an indoor stadium with a lightning delay," Gruden told reporters after the game.

"I’m not an engineer, I have no idea. I have never heard that. I thought it was a joke. But, it affected both teams."

Gruden wouldn't go as far as to say the delay led to the Raiders losing 28-14 to Justin Herbert and Co., adding, "It didn’t have anything to do with it."

But, Chucky's complaints didn't stop there -- Gruden also took issue with the set-up for the visiting team's locker room ... calling it "the most bizarre thing I've ever seen."

"I mean you can’t see anybody," he added. "It’s like a maze. So whoever contorted this visiting locker room, I’d like to meet this guy, see what his idea was."

FYI -- HKS, Inc. has worked on some of the most iconic stadiums in the NFL ... including the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium.

To compare, this is what the Chargers' locker room looks like.

Lionel Messi's signed thousands of autographs throughout his legendary career ... but how'd you like to own one of his first John Hancock's?! Well, with a fat enough bank account, it can be yours.

Before Messi, now 34 years old, scored a single goal for Barcelona (he's netted 672 goals), he played for a team named called Newell's Old Boys sports club -- a soccer team for 8 to 12 year old boys -- in Argentina.

Goldin Auctions got their hands on an awesome, 20+ year old identification card formerly owned by Messi ... complete with a very child-like signature.

Leo -- who was recently transferred to Paris Saint-Germain -- printed his name LIONEL MESSI.

Beckett -- one of the most respected authenticators in the game -- gave the laminated card their stamp of approval, declaring it "authentic," grading the autograph a gem mint 10 ("pristine") rating.

The 3x Ballon d'Or winner joined the club as an 8-year-old in 1995 ... and they were almost unstoppable. In fact, the squad was nicknamed "The Machine of '87".

Lionel averaged more than a goal a game with Newell.

And Messi isn't the only professional soccer player the club has produced ... Abel Balbo, Jorge Valdano and Gabriel Batistuta, amongst many others, have suited up for the team.

The one-of-a-kind memorabilia hit the auction block late Monday night ... and has a starting bid of $10K.

Andrew Wiggins is making it clear -- he did NOT want to take the COVID vaccine ... telling media members Monday he felt like the NBA and the government "forced" him into getting the shots.

"The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA," Wiggins said. "It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I'm still healthy."

The Golden State Warriors forward had fought tooth and nail to avoid getting the jab ... even at one point applying for a religious exemption with the NBA.

But, that was denied ... and with health officials in the Bay Area requiring anyone 12 or older to be fully vaxxed to attend indoor events -- Wiggins said he felt like he had no other choice but to take the vaccine.

"It's not something I wanted to do," Wiggins said after Golden State's preseason game Monday night. "But I was kind of forced to."

He added, "I guess to do certain stuff -- to work and all that -- I guess you don't own your body. That's what it comes down to. You want to work in society today, then I guess they make the rules on what goes in your body and what you do."

Despite getting the vax ... Wiggins told reporters he's hopeful others don't feel as much pressure as he did to take the shots.

"Hopefully there's a lot of people out there that are stronger than me and keep fighting and stand for what they believe," Wiggins said, "and hopefully it works out for them."

Cleveland fans looking to honor the team's history will be able to get their hands on old merchandise AND help out a good cause at the same time -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the Guardians will continue to roll out Indians merch ... with proceeds going to charity.

Cleveland played its last game as the Indians on Sunday ... with the organization officially rolling out its new branding as the "Guardians" at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

We're told the Indians brand will not vanish forever, however -- fans will be able to get as many t-shirts, jerseys and other memorabilia sporting the old nickname as they please ... and our sources tell us the team plans to donate those items' proceeds to charity.

FYI -- Cleveland elected to do this in the past after retiring "Chief Wahoo" in 2018 ... by keeping items with the mascot on shelves and writing a check to Native American organizations.

Our sources say the team is hoping to help a similar cause this time around with Indians gear ... but nothing is set in stone just yet.

As for the Guardians, the team introduced the new look with a video narrated by Tom Hanks back in July ... showing off new jerseys, logos and font stylization.

Rob Gronkowski ain't down in the dumps at all after busting up his ribs ... in fact, his "spirits are high" and he WILL be back this season better than ever -- so says his best pal Mojo Muhtadi.

The former WWE star and co-host of the "TMZ Sports" TV show on FS1 (airs nightly) said Monday he's been in talks with Gronk constantly since the Bucs TE was injured against the Rams on Sept. 26 -- and he raved over how the Bucs star is handling everything.

"His spirits are high," Rawley said. "If anything, he's probably a little bit more bored this week not being able to turn up and go full tilt."

"But, man, I'll tell you what, I don't care if he would have punctured both lungs, broke every rib in his body -- you can only keep that man down for only so long."

Rawley -- just like Tampa Bay themselves -- isn't sure when the 32-year-old will make his return to the field ... but he did make it clear, the injury is no threat whatsoever to ending Rob's career.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to stop Robbie G!" Mojo said.

That's got to be great news for Tom Brady ... 'cause in the first game without Gronk on Sunday against the Pats -- the star QB threw for just 269 yards and no TDs on 43 pass attempts.

"I'd say this is probably the sixth, or the ninth-most severe injury I've seen from Rob," Rawley said with a smile. "So, yeah, we're good. Don't worry about it."

Allen Iverson has crossed over into the weed game -- the NBA legend has teamed up with Al Harrington to introduce his very own cannabis line ... and was honored by his new biz partner with a pretty powerful speech.

"The Answer" hosted a bunch of his celebrity fans for the official launch of his Indica-dominant flower -- dubbed "96" to reference the year he was drafted -- with Harrington's Viola Brands in L.A. this weekend ... and there was plenty of music, drinks, a basketball court and oh yeah, WEED.

The man of the hour took center court with Harrington to celebrate the huge accomplishment ... with Harrington grabbing the mic to share some special words about Iverson.

"Obviously, we here because we celebrating my brother, Bubba Chuck, AKA Allen Iverson," Harrison said in front of the packed crowd.

"Not too many people get to do collabs with icons. You know what I'm saying. And, we all know Allen Iverson is an icon," AH added.

Harrington explained the decision to link up ... saying he wants icons like AI to help take over an industry that lacks black representation.

Harrington even gave AI a customized bottle of Dom Pérignon as a sign of his appreciation ... and it was so pretty, Iverson had to give it a smooch!

We also talked to AI about why he wanted to start a weed brand ... and he's got a pretty great reason.

The NBA Hall of Famer had one final message for everybody as he embarks on this next chapter -- "Live your life. You only live once."

Bubba Wallace had to fight back tears Monday after he won his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race ... getting emotional thinking about how he's the first Black driver to accomplish the feat since 1963.

The 27-year-old took home the victory after rain forced the YellaWood 500 to end early at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama ... and it didn't take long for Wallace to realize how big the moment was for him.

Wallace went crazy with his team seconds after NASCAR called it -- hugging friends and letting out loud yells of joy.

Eventually, Wallace was interviewed on the scene ... and he nearly cried after he was asked about being the first Black driver to win since Hall of Famer Wendell Scott did it in 1963.

"Yeah, I never think about those things and when you say it like that, it obviously brings a lot of emotion, a lot of joy to my family, fans, friends," Wallace said. "It's pretty damn cool. Just proud to be a winner in the Cup Series."

The historical win (which is also Michael Jordan's first win as co-owner of 23XI Racing), comes 16 months after Wallace's team believed they found a noose in their garage at the same racetrack.

Wallace spoke about the significance of that ... saying, "This is to all those kids that want to have an opportunity in whatever they want to achieve and be the best at what they want to do."

"You're going to go through a lot of bulls*** but you always got to stay true to your path and not let the nonsense get to you."

Wallace added, "Stay strong, stay humble, stay hungry. There's been plenty of times where I wanted to give up. And, you surround yourself with the right people and it's moments like this that you appreciate."

Dozens of L.A. Galaxy and LAFC supporters were involved in a wild melee following the two teams' rivalry game Sunday ... and the entire, violent incident was caught on video.

A bystander captured the chaos at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles following the Galaxy's 1-1 draw with LAFC ... and you can see in the footage, multiple people threw and landed huge punches and kicks.

It's unclear what set off the altercation ... but even with security guards and what appears to be police officers present -- fans still tried to beat the hell out of each other.

In the two-minute clip, you can see several people were punched in the face, while others were kicked hard on the ground.

According to witnesses, multiple people suffered injuries in the fracas. Meanwhile, it's unclear if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to law enforcement, but so far, no word back yet.

We've also reached out to Galaxy for a comment, but no word back there yet either.

Story developing ...

An Idaho man collapsed and died during a marathon on Saturday ... just minutes from reaching the finish line.

He was just 22 years old.

Hayden Holman, from Sugar City, Idaho, was running with family members in the 26-mile St. George Marathon in Utah ... when tragedy suddenly struck near the end of the race.

Holman, according to officials, collapsed and stopped breathing -- but was revived by emergency personnel, who rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Unfortunately, he later died there.

Holman's stepmother, Karin Holman, told the East Idaho News that Hayden had spoken with loved ones just before he went down.

"He called (family members) when he was two minutes from the finish line to make sure someone was there to take a picture," Karin said. "But, he never showed up."

"Hayden was one of the most outgoing and nicest people," Karin added. "He loved everyone and wore his heart on his sleeve. He will be missed for a long time.”

A cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Holman -- who was a student at Brigham Young University-Idaho -- had just gotten married earlier this year. A GoFundme has been set up to help his wife, Charlotte, with funeral costs.