TMZ Sports - Page 2

Cam Newton is getting a new lease on football life -- for at least a season, anyway -- 'cause the New England Patriots have signed the veteran quarterback to a deal.

The ex-Carolina Panthers star -- who took his team to the Super Bowl in 2015 -- has agreed to a one-year contract with the team, which is said to be incentive-based ... so not a whole lot of money upfront. Definitely a ton of opportunity though for the former starter, especially if he performs well. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the contract is worth up to $7.5 mil if he hits all his bonuses.

Cam will presumably get some decent playing time and the chance to become the first-string QB for the Pats -- seeing how they got a relatively new guy in Jarrett Stidham in that spot right now ... this, of course, after Tom left the team this past off-season to head to Tampa.

Long story short ... the top spot is kinda up for grabs in New England, and if Cam can prove he's capable of performing again at a high level, he may very well fill in as the team's new franchise quarterback. Granted, he's had an up and down trajectory since his SB year -- mostly due to injuries. That said, we've all seen what Cam can do when he's healthy ... the guy was the league's MVP in 2015.

The bright side ... the dude looks like he's been staying in great shape, as he's been posting a ton of workout videos lately after being released by the Panthers. Seems like he's ready to step in and play -- and it would appear Kraft, Belichick and co. agreed.

Mike Tyson was a goner if he thought he could walk the super-crowded Venice Beach boardwalk undetected ... because even with a mask, Iron Mike was an easy mark.

Mike was checkin' out shops along the famous boardwalk Saturday, and it seems everyone recognized him and most wanted -- of course -- a selfie.

Mike obliged, as most normies struck a fighting pose with fists clenched. Tyson played along.

Unclear why Mike was there ... no film crews in sight. It's probably just as simple as this ... it was a beautiful day in SoCal and perfect for a little sand and surf.

Draft a first-round QB but have Aaron Rodgers on your roster???

Brett Favre says he's got the perfect solution for that ... telling TMZ Sports the Packers should use top-pick Jordan Love like the Saints' Swiss Army knife, Taysom Hill!

The Green Bay legend opened up to us about the Pack's QB dilemma this year ... and he thinks the team should be in no rush to take Rodgers off the field for Love, despite spending the No. 26 pick on the Utah State star.

Instead, Favre says he's all for packages that put the two on the field together ... the same way Sean Payton uses Drew Brees and his backup QB in New Orleans.

"I think there's ways to incorporate it much like Taysom Hill with the Saints," Favre said. "Use him as a halfback, a halfback pass, but occasionally let him run it just to show that you'll do that. Something like that."

Unclear if Love is open to being a gadget player in his first year as pro ... but Favre says the rookie should have ZERO desires to play right away otherwise.

"Soak it all in and your time will come," Favre said of his advice for Jordan.

As for Rodgers' feelings on the pick now ... Brett says he believes No. 12 has no problems with Love, but is still kind of peeved the team didn't use the selection on a player who could help right away.

"My discussions with Aaron," Favre said, "I never got the sense that he was upset that they had signed a quarterback but more so didn't get immediate help. And, it just sends the wrong message."

"It's disrespectful to be honest with you. It really is."

Adrian Peterson says he's fed up with the way NFL owners and GMs refuse to pay running backs their value ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he hopes the game's youngsters can change things around.

Peterson famously hasn't had too many issues with contracts over his career ... he's made over $100 MIL in 13 seasons.

But, he's seen other tailbacks get the shaft when it comes time for new contracts ... and he tells us he's tired of seeing it.

"I think the change is going to come," Peterson says. "Me and Frank Gore continue to show guys, 'Hey, we are valuable. We can have 10, 14-year careers as well, so value us as well like you would value a quarterback, you know?'"

Of course, there are still plenty of running backs waiting for the tide to turn ... Zeke Elliott famously had to hold out of training camp to get his big contract, while Dalvin Cook is now threatening to do the same.

Derrick Henry, meanwhile, is being forced to play on the franchise tag ... while Alvin Kamara has yet to receive an extension despite playing on a very Saints-friendly deal his first 3 years in the league.

Peterson says he's hopeful all of that will change soon ... adding, "These young core of backs are really changing the game for the better."

It's been 3 years since Larry Sanders stepped foot on an NBA court ... but the 31-year-old says he's FAR from done -- telling TMZ Sports he wants another shot at getting back in the league.

Remember, Sanders had a solid career with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2010-2015 ... before failed drug tests and battles with mental health kept him out of work.

L.S. briefly had a comeback with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 ... but reportedly struggled with keeping up with his responsibilities.

We spoke with Sanders about his career ... and he makes it clear he's not ready to hang up the sneaks yet.

"I think with things shifting a bit, me still young, I feel like I'm in the prime stage, I can definitely contribute."

"I would just love to contribute to a team and help them win and give my knowledge, give my defensive presence and just being able to play basketball."

"That's ideal for me. That sounds like heaven."

But, as for what Sanders has been up to OFF the court, he tells us he's working with a spray cannabis company called CLICK ... and says it's perfect for someone with his athletic lifestyle.

"It's super discrete, super cool and sleek and I just fell in love with it because for me, it's healthier."

Aroldis Chapman now has an insane ride to go with baseball's best fastball -- the MLB star just copped a ludicrous custom 6-wheeled Jeep ... that's covered in Kevlar coating!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the New York Yankees closer hit up South Florida Jeeps in Ft. Lauderdale about two months ago to get the custom whip made -- and it came out SICK!!!

Check out the pic of the ridiculous car ... we're told by shop honcho Joseph Ghattas it started out as a cut-in-half Jeep -- and it was all custom built by hand from there.

The ride has 600 horsepower, features blood-red interior from top to bottom ... and according to Ghattas, it's not only "unstuckable" while off-road, it vapor trails down highways as well!!

All told, Ghattas says the project took about 60 days to complete ... and cost Chapman right around $150,000 -- a small price to pay for a dude who just signed a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the NYY.

As for Chapman's reaction when he picked up the new whip this week ... Ghattas says he LOVED the creation -- saying, "He doesn't speak a whole lot of English, but 'f**king awesome' is pretty universal!"

Jabari Parker just told the world he'd contracted coronavirus -- and less than 3 days later, the guy doesn't appear to be in isolation ... but rather, he's playing tennis in public.

The Sacramento Kings star was spotted Saturday in Chicago's Longfellow Park, where he was rallying with a buddy on the other end of the net ... all smiles, and without a mask. Mind you, he'd just announced a few days earlier that he had test positive for COVID-19.

It's hard to say what we should make of these photos of him seemingly doing just fine in light of that. On the one hand, it's kind of a bad look -- but also, it might be perfectly understandable ... as we don't know the exact status of his recovery at the moment.

In his statement through the Kings, Jabari said he found out his diagnosis "several days ago," but didn't specify when or how long he's been quarantined in Chi-Town. You'd like to assume he's on the tail end of his 14-day isolation here, but we just don't know.

Another somewhat troubling sign -- sources tell us Jabari was recently seen out at a restaurant there in the Windy City. Again, unclear if he's all better now or still sick.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the injuries a pool cleaner alleges she suffered when Ezekiel Elliott's dogs attacked her last March ... and they're gruesome.

The photos show a mangled forearm and a bruised thigh ... injuries she claims were all due to bites from the Dallas Cowboys star's Rottweiler and two bulldogs.

We broke the story, in a new lawsuit filed in Texas this week, a pool cleaner says she was "ambushed" by Elliott's dogs while entering the NFL player's Frisco backyard on March 11.

In the alleged attack, the woman claims Zeke's Rottweiler bit her forearm, while the two bulldogs lunged and bit her legs.

The woman says in the docs she was rushed to the emergency room after the incident ... and says she later required surgery on her forearm.

In the suit, the woman claims she's still suffering both emotionally and physically ... and is now suing Elliott for over $200k -- but less than $1 million.

"Our client has been out of work since the incident happened in March," the woman's attorneys at Gardner Haas in Dallas, Texas tells us, "and the attack has scarred her for life -- both physically and mentally."

"Our client attempted to resolve this matter out of court, providing a description of what happened and pictures of her injuries, but Elliott didn’t bother to respond."

For his part, Elliott's attorney tells us, "Ezekiel was in no way negligent in connection with the alleged incident and intends to vigorously defend the lawsuit."

Elliott is well known for his dogs ... his Rottweiler, Ace, is tattooed on his forearm -- and he's even previously showed off the trio of pups for the camera on a Twitch stream this month.

A witness who was at the Chipotle restaurant during the Darius Leonard incident tells TMZ Sports ... the NFL star did nothing wrong and insists Leonard was racially profiled.

The witness spoke to us on the condition of anonymity -- but we were able to confirm the person was at the South Carolina location at the time of Thursday's incident.

The witness says Leonard was peacefully enjoying his meal with his party and NEVER trash-talked the other patron -- who had complained to management about Leonard's group being aggressive and unruly.

We're told the Indianapolis Colts superstar appeared upset when the manager asked his group to leave -- but he never lost his cool.

In fact, we're told after leaving the restaurant, Leonard went back inside to explain to the manager why he believed the situation was unfair and racially motivated.

Our witness says Leonard was polite and respectful during the interaction with the manager.

Afterward, Leonard went to IG and called the dude out -- saying he's sick of being treated like a criminal simply because he's Black.

After Leonard went public, we're told the store commissioned an armed security guard to man the front door as a precautionary measure.

As we previously reported, Chipotle's CEO personally reached out to Leonard and promised a thorough investigation into the incident.

Welp, this is awesome.

Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey just copped himself a new piece of real estate ... waterfront property in Fort Lauderdale and it's huuuuuuuge.

The 3-story home is 7,000 square feet -- with 6 bedrooms, 7 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms (that's 9 total toilets for all you mathletes out there), game room, bar, pool, etc.

There's also an ELEVATOR in the house -- in case Pouncey doesn't feel like walking up the stairs.

The rooftop terrace is sick. The private dock is sick. The kitchen is sick. The closets are sick.

We like the house. A lot.

The Listing agents who represented the property were Peter Barkin and Mark Gilman of the Barkin-Gilman Group | Compass. The Buyer’s agent who represented Maurkice was Adam Burke of Grandiose Real Estate, Inc.

30-year-old Pouncey has reportedly made more than $66 mil during his 10-year NFL career.

UFC's Dan Hooker admits he was initially "hesitant" about fighting in Nevada over the weekend due to the looming COVID threat ... but says he trusts Dana White to keep everyone safe.

30-year-old Hooker -- the #5 ranked UFC lightweight -- hails from New Zealand ... where the COVID numbers are incredibly low.

In fact, New Zealand has essentially been unscathed by coronavirus ... with only 1,170 confirmed cases, and 22 deaths.

To compare, the U.S. has more than 2.5 million confirmed cases ... with 126,000 deaths.

Nevada alone has roughly 11 times the number of cases as all of NZ.

"We have no cases actually in New Zealand and then coming over here I was a little bit hesitant to know about the safety precautions," Hooker tells us.

So, Hooker had a serious decision to make when White offered him the chance to fight Dustin Poirier on June 27 to headline UFC Fight Night at the APEX center in Vegas.

Hooker says he was reluctant to fly right into the COVID hornet's nest ... but ultimately he swayed after learning about the UFC's intense screening process.

"I feel comfortable. I've been here for 3 days and soon as we arrived, we got tested. Getting tested again [Friday], we get temperature checks every morning and they got security at every single door making sure that people can't come and go," Hooker says.

"I'm very confident in the precautions that the UFC has in place."

Now, Hooker is focused on Poirier -- the #3 ranked UFC lightweight ... and a win could put Hooker in the mix for a title shot.

FYI, Hooker is on a tear at the moment ... winning 7 of his last 8 fights over guys like Gilbert Burns, Paul Felder and Al Iaquinta.

One of the largest American Indian groups in the country is declaring war on the Washington Redskins -- saying the team name is insanely offensive and NFL players should boycott.

Fawn Sharp -- president of the National Congress of American Indians (which represents more than 500 tribal nations) just went scorched earth on the franchise in an op/ed titled, "Who Will Become the Colin Kaepernick of Washington’s NFL Team?"

"The racial slur can no longer be removed by the complicit, indifferent, tone-deaf ownership of the franchise, because the stain they have fixed onto their own name and enterprises is now permanent," Sharp says.

"It is an insult that can no longer be retracted, a sin that can no longer be erased."

She continues, "Since it’s too late to give the team name up, it’s time for it to be taken."

"It’s time for the players to rip down that name like it was a statue of a Confederate general in their locker room."

WOW.

Sharp takes it further spelling out a plan of action for Washington players.

"I am calling for members of the NFL franchise in Washington, DC, to rise to the occasion and become heroes. All I ask is that you state the unequivocal moral truth: just as you would never play for the Washington [insert any other racial slur], you will no longer play for any team branded with a racial slur against Native Americans."

Ever seen a dude hit a golf ball 428 yards off the tee ... but bogey?!?!

PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau just did exactly that at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut ... and the scene was WILD!!!

Check out video of DeChambeau's nuke of a drive at the 10th tee Friday ... he crushed it -- and then got about 100 yards of fortunate roll down a cart path.

His ball eventually stopped on a sewer grate ... but the distance was so long -- it was about 100 yards farther than Rory McIlroy's 3-wood!!!

But, the craziest part of the shot? Despite being only about 40 yards away from the green ... Bryson didn't get the GIR!!

The 26-year-old ended up settling for bogey ... which is possibly a more astonishing feat than the drive itself.

Things didn't get much better for the budding golf superstar on the next hole ... his birdie putt lipped in and then lipped out.

More outlandish and offensive stuff from Formula 1 racing boss Bernie Ecclestone ... who is now pushing the narrative that Black people are more racist than whites.

Seriously. Here's his latest quote -- "In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than what White people are."

Okay, some background ... the 89-year-old racing legend was talking to CNN about Lewis Hamilton's social justice efforts in the recent months -- when things turned sideways.

It started out nice ... Ecclestone praised Hamilton saying he's "very, very, very talented as a driver and he seems to be now extremely talented when's he standing up and can make speeches."

"This last campaign he's doing for Black people is wonderful."

So far, so good.

But, when Ecclestone was asked about Lewis' new endeavor -- The Hamilton Project (created to help promote diversity in racing) ... things started to go off the rails.

"I don't think [The Hamilton Project] is going to do anything bad or good for Formula One."

"It'll just make people think which is more important. I think that's the same for everybody. People ought to think a little bit and think: 'Well, what the hell? Somebody's not the same as White people and Black people should think the same about White people.'"

He followed up with this gem -- "In lots of cases, Black people are more racist than what White people are."

When CNN pushed for specific examples, Bernie didn't cite any concrete evidence -- explaining it's something he's "noticed" over the years.

Oh really, Bernie?

When was the last time a white driver was racially taunted at a race?

It happened to Lewis Hamilton in 2008 and 2009 -- when a bunch of racists put on blackface to taunt Lewis at the Spanish Grand Prix wearing shirts that read, "Hamilton's Family."

There's obviously no shortage of examples, but you get the point.

Bernie has said a bunch of terrible stuff over the years -- famously praising Adolf Hitler in 2009 for being "able to get things done."

He also publicly supported Vladimir Putin's anti-gay policies and also sprinkled in some sexism ... saying women should dress in white "like all other domestic appliances."

The "Civil War" in Oregon has officially ended.

Univ. of Oregon officials announced Friday their school's rivalry games with Oregon State will no longer be called the "Civil War" over "inclusivity" concerns.

"We need to make this change to align the words and symbols we use around athletic endeavors with our shared campus values of equity and inclusivity," UO President Michael H. Schill said in a statement.

Added UO athletic director Rob Mullens, "We must all recognize the power of words and the symbolism associated with the Civil War. This mutual decision is in the best interests of both schools."

A new name for the rivalry has yet to be revealed.

According to the Ducks, former QB Dennis Dixon was the catalyst behind the name change ... and in a video he released Friday, the 35-year-old says he got the blessing of UO legend Jonathan Stewart to push forward for the name change.

"I am happy to see two universities coming together to drive change, an everlasting change," Dixon said. "I'm excited to be part of this change. Thank you to all who have put their time and effort into this."

The move is just the latest in a series of efforts by colleges to make their campus' sports more in line with the fight for social justice.

Future NBA lottery pick Obi Toppin and his brother are taking each other to new heights during the COVID-19 pandemic ... by literally JUMPING over each other in an insane dunk session!!!

Of course, Obi was one of the best players in college basketball with the Dayton Flyers last season ... and younger bro, Jacob, will star at Kentucky after playing one season at Rhode Island.

The brothers proved they BOTH got incredible hops in a vid posted to IG on Friday ... doing one-handed windmill dunks while soaring over each other.

To put things into perspective -- Obi is 6'9" ... and Jacob is 6'8". So yeah, impressive as hell.

It's nice to see Jacob helping keep Obi -- this season's Wooden Award winner -- prepared for the Association ... with the NBA Draft set to go down in October.