TMZ Sports - Page 50

Nike just released a statement on the breakup ... thanking Tiger Woods for all his years as a partner.

"Tiger," the Swoosh wrote in an Instagram post, "you challenged your competition, stereotypes, conventions, the old school way of thinking. You challenged the entire institution of golf. You challenged us. And most of all, yourself. And for that challenge we’re grateful."

Tiger Woods' historic partnership with Nike is no more ... the golfing legend just revealed he's split with the Swoosh after 27 years.

The 48-year-old made the announcement on his X page just minutes ago, thanking Phil Knight ... while reminiscing on the "amazing moments and memories" he's had with the athletic apparel giant.

"If I started naming them," he said of his most memorable times with the brand, "I could go on forever."

Woods first inked a deal with Nike back when he was still an amateur golfer ... and he went on to become synonymous with the brand -- wearing swooshes on his gear for every one of his major tournament wins.

However, Woods dropped breadcrumbs recently that a breakup could be coming ... most notably when he was seen wearing FootJoys at the 2022 Masters -- a year after he seriously injured his leg in a car crash.

Woods also wouldn't confirm his future with Nike when reporters asked him about it at the PNC Championship last month ... saying only, "I'm still wearing their product."

Unclear where Woods will go next when it comes to brand partnerships ... he said only in his statement Monday morning, "People will ask if there is another chapter. Yes, there will certainly be another chapter."

"See you in LA!"

Draymond Green was apparently close to leaving his basketball career behind ... revealing he considered retiring amid his indefinite suspension, but Adam Silver talked him out of it.

The Golden State Warriors star opened up on the private conversation he had with the NBA commish on his latest podcast episode this week ... saying he felt defeated around the time he was punished for hitting Phoenix Suns player Jusuf Nurkic.

"I told him, 'Adam this is too much for me,'" Draymond said, according to ESPN. "'This is too much. It's all becoming too much for me -- and I'm going to retire.'"

33-year-old Green went on to explain Silver talked some sense into him ... refusing to let him make a "rash decision" and walk away from the league.

Green said he appreciated the discussion ... and it showed that commish is more focused on what's best for the players than using his power to punish them.

The four-time champion -- who was suspended shortly after the Dec. 12 hit on Nurkic -- was reinstated over the weekend ... and is expected to suit up for the Warriors again soon.

It's the most nerve-wracking time of the year for NFL coaches on the hot seat -- Black Monday -- and some guys are already without a job ... including Ron Rivera and Arthur Smith.

The Commanders made their announcement just minutes ago ... saying after four seasons with the franchise, it was time to move on from Riverboat Ron.

Rivera went 26-40-1 during his time on the sidelines ... including one playoff appearance in 2020 after winning the NFC East. He won Coach of the Year honors that same season.

During that period, Rivera fought a bout with squamous cell carcinoma, but did not miss a single game while receiving treatment.

The Commanders will be a sexy option for coaches -- they have the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft ... and new owners Josh Harris and Magic Johnson are eager to turn the franchise around.

The team has hired former Golden State Warriors GM Bob Myers to help with its coaching search, according to reports.

As for Smith, the Atlanta Falcons decided to give him the ax on Sunday ... after going 7-10 each of the past three seasons.

Falcons head coach Arthur Blank addressed the move in a statement ... saying, "Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good."

"We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations."

"After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position."

Two men got in a wild fistfight outside of the Tennessee Titans game on Sunday ... throwing haymakers right in the middle of a parking lot.

It's unclear exactly what sparked the melee in Nashville ... but based on commentary from the guys in the fight, it seems a remark or two about a woman in the area set it all off.

You can see in video from the scene, bystanders tried to separate the guys before the fists started flying ... but ultimately the men were able to get a hold of each other and started to pound on one another.

For several moments, they traded blows ... but they were pulled away from one another. However, the two were able to reconvene the fight just seconds later.

Eventually, a right hand sent one of the men crashing to the ground ... mercifully ending the battle.

According to the Nashville Police Dept., no arrests were made.

"It looks like it had dissipated at the end of the video when an officer is seen," a police spokesperson said. "There were no calls."

Taylor Swift turned into the ice queen at the 2024 Golden Globes after host Jo Koy cracked a joke about her attending her boyfriend Travis Kelce's NFL games.

The pop icon was sitting at her table listening to Koy's opening monologue at the star-studded event Sunday night when the short, but uncomfortable moment occurred on video.

Check it out ... Joe was rattling off his monologue onstage when he suddenly pivoted to a wisecrack about Taylor, saying, "The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL -- on the Golden Globes we have fewer camera shots to Taylor Swift."

Taylor then flashed on the TV screen, staring daggers back at Joe as she pursed her lips and took a sip of her drink. Fair to say Taylor was not amused in the least.

Luckily for Joe no further action was taken by Taylor ... that we know of!!!

Of course, Joe was just poking a little fun at Taylor for religiously attending Travis' football games to cheer him on as the TV cameras constantly pan to her in the VIP sections. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been dating Taylor for a while now – and the two seem to be in love.

Meanwhile, Taylor wasn't the only celeb to have their feathers ruffled by Joe at the Globes last night. Joe threw a barb at "Barbie," which landed flat with the film's star, Ryan Gosling.

Joe also made a crack about Gosling's costar, Margot Robbie, but his joke fizzled, prompting him to say he didn't write it.

The Philadelphia Eagles not only lost to the Giants on Sunday, their star quarterback nearly lost function of an important digit on his throwing hand too.

Jalen Hurts suffered the gnarly finger injury during the second quarter of Philly's game against New York ... after the signal-caller banged his hand on linebacker Bobby Okereke's during a pass attempt.

Replays showed the collision with the Giants star was so violent, it popped Hurts' finger right out of place.

To his credit, Hurts hardly flinched ... and after a short trip to the medical tent, he somehow returned to the field.

A few minutes later, though, head coach Nick Sirianni pulled Hurts and other key starters as it became apparent the Eagles were going to lose the game.

Warren Moon is doling out some seriously high praise on Michael Penix Jr. ... telling TMZ Sports the Washington quarterback straight up "throws as pretty a ball as mine!"

The former Huskies signal-caller didn't stop the compliments there, however ... telling us he believes the current UDub QB1 could end up being the No. 2-ranked quarterback behind Caleb Williams when the 2024 NFL Draft officially rolls around in April.

"I watch him throw," Moon said, "and I've watched a lot of quarterbacks throw the football -- and this guy throws as pretty a ball as mine."

"I think once he goes through the scouting process," the Hall of Famer added, "and goes through the combine and people watch him throw and they watch him throw in his Pro Day coming up, I think he's going to really dazzle people with his arm talent."

Moon says that while Penix Jr. put all of that on display against Texas in the Sugar Bowl -- he really expects the college football world to take note when the Huskies kick off against Michigan for the national championship later Monday night.

Moon explained ... he believes that due to UDub's location as well as the Pac-12's TV deal, not many are aware of what the quarterback is really capable of.

"He's had a tremendous two years at the University of Washington," Moon said.

Kickoff for the natty is slated for 4:30 PM ... and it's clear Moon believes his alma mater will walk away from it all with another trophy for its case in Seattle.

Mary Lou Retton is doing her first interview since being released from the hospital last year amid a scary battle with pneumonia -- and now, we're learning it was nearly deadly.

The ex-Olympic champion is set to do a sit-down with Hoda Kotb of "Today" this week, and a teaser clip was released ... which features the images of her we've seen publicly for a long while, and it's somewhat startling to see that she has breathing tubes hooked up to her.

Hoda notes that MLR is still on oxygen, which Mary confirms ... only to then discuss how awkward and difficult it is for her to discuss her health scare in the public eye like this.

She then makes another revelation ... saying she's grateful to be here, 'cause for a while during her hospitalization -- Mary didn't think she'd make it. As she notes here, they were on the cusp of placing her on life support, confirming the seriousness of her condition.

Her family members had been telegraphing this to us at the time ... discussing setbacks during her recuperation, and how scared her loved ones were for her, asking for prayers. Remember, Mary Lou had contracted a rare form of pneumonia -- which took its toll.

Thankfully, Mary Lou was able to fight back to good enough health to be released -- and now, it looks like she continues to be on the mend as she gets to 100% again at home.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce both traveled more than a thousand miles to end up in the same city ... but they spent the night apart.

Taylor's in L.A. for the Golden Globes Sunday night, and Travis is in town for Chiefs vs. Chargers around the same time.

Taylor, along with pals Brittany Mahomes and Lyndsay Bell, hit up Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Bev Hills Saturday night, sans Travis. It makes sense ... Travis is getting ready for the game, and a night out would have made the wrong kind of headlines.

They entered Spago from the back alley after leaving from Taylor's Bev Hills estate.

The lowdown from inside the restaurant ... nothing spectacular. They laughed, they talked, they ate. She apparently, was a bit preoccupied on her phone ... hmmm, wonder who she was texting?

It's highly unlikely Taylor will attend the game ... the red carpet starts at 3:30 and Travis's game starts around 2 hours earlier ... that is, unless she goes to the Golden Globes in a Chiefs jacket!

As for the girls' night out ... it was a long one. They arrived at 7:30 and left at 11.

If J.J. McCarthy's able to pull off the win vs. Washington on Monday night, he will go down as the best Wolverines quarterback EVER -- at least, that's according to Ty Law.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Michigan star made it clear to TMZ Sports that all McCarthy needs to do from here in order to claim the title of UM G.O.A.T. is simply just beat the Huskies.

"If he pulls this off," the ex-defensive back said, "you know what, he's going to stand alone being the only undefeated quarterback in the history of the program."

UM has had some historically great signal-callers over the years -- the list includes Tom Brady, Chad Henne, Elvis Grbac, Jim Harbaugh and a whole lot more -- but Law says McCarthy's resume will top them all if he's able to bring the CFP trophy back to Ann Arbor.

Of course, there might not be that many people who would argue against Law ... after all, McCarthy is 26-1 as a starter -- and is perfect against Ohio State.

Harbaugh certainly wouldn't be one who would fight Ty over the issue -- he said following Michigan's Rose Bowl win over Alabama that McCarthy is already the Wolverines' best ever.

A swimmer who won gold during the 1972 Olympics shortly after suffering from a collapsed lung has his collection of medals going up for auction.

Steve Genter's set of gold, silver, and bronze medals from the '72 Summer Games in Munich are estimated to go for more than $50K during RR Auction's Olympic-themed auction.

The American athlete risked his life to compete in the games ... after undergoing minor surgery for a partly collapsed lung just one week before competing -- which was said to have been brought on by a persistent cough from bronchitis and altitude changes during the cramped plane ride to Munich.

Steve went on to win the gold medal in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay, silver in the 200-meter freestyle, and bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.

Steven Genter told the auction house...  "For most of my life, the medals represented a defining moment in time. Each medal is uniquely intertwined with the Olympic experience, making those memories lifelong. I get goosebumps every time I recall those moments."

Steve gifted the medals to help someone whom he cares deeply about, who wished to remain anonymous. This person will pocket the proceeds. The winning bidder will also get a one-on-one call with Steve.

Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at the auction house, gushed of the extraordinary narrative behind the medals ... saying they didn't just symbolize winning ... but the character and heart that defines a true champion.

Lamar Odom says LeBron James and the Lakers can make it out of their current slump, they just gotta get into shape -- well, one in particular to be exact -- telling TMZ Sports L.A. needs to bring back the triangle offense!!

The Purple and Gold have struggled to keep it together after being crowned the In-Season Tournament champions last month -- they're currently sitting in the bottom half of the Western Conference with a record below .500.

We spoke with the two-time Lakers champ about his former team's woes ... and he said head coach Darvin Ham should take a page out of Phil Jackson's book and implement the offense that helped his squad rack up championships back in the day, as well as the legendary Chicago Bulls teams led by Michael Jordan.

In fact, he even suggests his own lineup that could flourish under that strategy -- Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis and, of course, LeBron.

Robert Nelson Jr. -- a former Arizona State Sun Devils football star who spent three seasons in the NFL -- was arrested in Los Angeles last month for allegedly illegally possessing a gun ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement tells us the arrest happened in Burbank back on Dec. 22.

We're told Burbank Police officers were patrolling a local mall parking lot at around 9 PM when they observed Nelson's vehicle in a handicap spot without a placard.

Cops say when officers looked into the car, they noticed a loaded handgun sitting in plain view on the floorboard. They later located Nelson and threw him behind bars.

Court records show Nelson was charged with one count of carrying a loaded firearm on/in person vehicle ... and was arraigned on Dec. 26. He's now due back in court in late February for another hearing on the matter.

Nelson Jr., a defensive back, played for ASU from 2011 to 2013 and became a star for the Sun Devils in his senior year, recording First-Team Pac-12 honors after logging six interceptions.

He went unpicked in the 2014 NFL Draft ... but still managed to latch on with several NFL teams -- earning playing time with the Browns, Texans and Jets from 2014 to 2017.

3:49 PM PST -- The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... Cindy's roommate called cops to their Lake Worth Beach home on Dec. 30, 2023 -- saying she returned home from a holiday trip, knocked on Cindy's door in their residence ... but got no response.

The roommate told officers she smelled a strong odor emanating from inside and called 911, noting the last she'd seen CM alive was on Dec. 19. Cops went in and found Cindy dead in her room ... with no foul play suspected. An investigation is underway.

3:22 PM PST -- A county rep confirms to TMZ that Cindy died of "natural causes."

Cindy Morgan -- famous for her role in "Caddyshack" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office confirmed the actress' passing in the area, but no further details about when she died or under what circumstances were immediately available. We've also confirmed her body is currently at a local funeral home there in Florida.

Morgan will likely best be remembered for playing Lacey Underall in the famous 1980 comedy opposite Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield -- portraying the country club owner's hot niece who captures the attention of pretty much every male character.

She had quite a few scenes in there ... and was memorable as the key temptress in the flick. There's one notable scene she shared with Chevy, where she tried seducing him at a party.

While she was great in "Caddyshack," Cindy had actually starred in several other big films throughout her career ... specifically, in "Tron" -- where she played 2 big roles, Lora and Yori. In addition to this, she also starred in "Galaxis," "Silent Fury," "Up Yours" and other movies.

Her TV resume was even more impressive ... CM had roles on hit shows like "The Love Boat," "CHiPs," "Bring 'Em Back Alive," "The Fall Guy," "Falcon Crest," "Matlock," "Hunter," "The Highwayman," "Manusco, FBI," "The Larry Sanders Show," "Under Suspicion" and more.

Cindy's resume included 37 acting credits, and it looks like she'd been active as recently as 2022 with a voice role in an indie flick. We've tried reaching out to her team ... but haven't had any luck in tracking down someone who currently reps her.

She was 69.

RIP

Ryan Garcia had a little good news/bad news sitch on his hands this week -- first, he's a father to a new baby ... plus, he's apparently leaving his wife who just delivered said baby.

The lightweight boxing phenom made shocking back-to-back announcements Friday evening, almost instantaneously ... namely, breaking happy news that he and his partner, Andrea Celina, had recently welcomed a boy into the world ... whom they named Henry Leo.

Within the hour of posting pics of his new kid -- which is actually his second with AC -- RG threw up a downer of a post ... in which he declared he and Andrea were getting divorced.

Ryan's birth post was jubilant, reading ... "Honored To announce my Beautiful First Born SON PRAISE THE LORD. I am so thankful, I love him so much already. He is so fast already haha. Took him just 8 min to arrive You know where he got that speed from lol. GOD DID! And GOD WILL ... THANK YOU LORD I LOVE YOU."

In a since-deleted IG post that went up almost immediately after the baby announcement, Ryan said he and Andrea were ending their marriage ... which was eye-popping for a couple different reasons. For starters, no one seemed to know they were already hitched.

Of course the bigger reason is ... it was literally the very next thing he posted.. Ryan wrote in part, "As I step into a new chapter in my life, it's with a heavy heart to share that Drea and I have decided to divorce." He goes on to say that they remain committed to co-parenting their two children, etc. Now, it's a bit unclear if he and Andrea are on the same page here.

Andrea herself did not post the divorce statement, and Ryan's now scrubbed it from his page -- even though it was publicly up for well over 12 hours. Andrea has since posted some cryptic messages of her own on her IG Story ... perhaps suggesting she's mad at him.

It's a strange turn of events ... especially considering they've been together since 2019. Now that Ryan's taken down his divorce announcement -- we're not quite sure where things stand.

The contract isn't yet signed, but Michael Chandler says he's fighting Conor McGregor on June 29 in Las Vegas ... and he's totally cool with the scrap going down at 185 lbs!

37-year-old Chandler joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where he broke his silence on the highly anticipated fight, days after The Notorious broke the news on social media.

"The last year has been a nice little hiatus and it looks like we're finally gonna be getting this fight moving forward," Chandler said.

"Now it looks like we got ourselves a date, we got ourselves an opponent, and seemingly a weight class a little bit above what we thought it was gonna be!" ... Mike added with a big smile.

Of course, Chandler's referring to the fight going down at 185 pounds -- technically a middleweight fight -- a full 30 pounds over the lightweight limit where both men have been two of the best in the world.

FYI, Sean Strickland (6'1"), Israel Adesanya (6'4"), and Alex Pereira (6'4") are the last three MW champs ... and those guys are huge.

We asked him about fighting at a much heavier weight.

"I'm cool with whatever weight. The way I see it, Conor and I are within a couple of pounds of each other. So it doesn't matter if we cut weight all the way down to 155, we fight at 170, or we fight at 185."

"We're the same size guys. I don't need to bulk up to 200-something fans to get down to 185, it's just not how I would operate in this training camp. So I'm excited about it if it is 185."

Fans are excited, too.

After all, it's a fight that's been in the works forever ... since Mike and Conor served as coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter."

There's a bunch more with Chandler ... including whether he'll return to the lightweight division after the Conor fight.

We also asked him if he was concerned Conor was clean ... as many people have speculated 35-year-old McGregor might be taking something to bulk up (the former champ-champ has never failed a drug test).