TMZ Sports - Page 2

Two kangaroos got into it on camera -- and by the looks of how the bout went ... one of them was Tyson Fury, the other was Deontay Wilder, and one got his ass kicked.

These fully-grown marsupials were going at it in a (sorta) hardcore boxing match down on a farm in Australia -- and while they both seemed to be in the same weight class and have the about the same reach, one of the 'roos certainly had the upper hand ... and the upper jab!

For funsies, let's just call these fellas Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa (from Part I), where the former was delivering a serious beat-down, but the Stallion just kept coming back for more.

That's kind of what's happening here -- the more proficient boxer of the kangaroos gets tons of clean hits in ... and a few hard kicks to the body too, while balancing on its sturdy tail. Apparently, anything goes in the animal kingdom -- it's almost like a UFC Octagon out there.

It's also just wild to see these creatures in action, 'cause they clearly do this type of thing all the time, and they look almost human-like as they rumble.

Terrelle Pryor tells TMZ Sports his NFL career ain't done yet ... the wide receiver is gearing up for a comeback, and says he's already spoken with the Patriots about a possible signing.

The 31-year-old hasn't played in a regular-season game since 2018 ... and after he nearly lost his life in a stabbing incident back in Nov. -- some thought his career was done.

But, Pryor tells us he's been working like a maniac to get back on the field ... and says he and his reps have already been in contact with several teams -- including New England.

"There have been conversations with a couple -- five teams," Pryor tells us.

But, TP says because of the COVID-19 pandemic ... he hasn't been able to get a tryout with anyone just yet, but he's confident that'll change soon.

Pryor says he's fully healthy now ... and would really love a shot to catch passes from either Cam Newton in New England or Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh.

"Those two are very intriguing," Pryor says. "Especially Cam. I've been a big fan of him throughout the years ... And, obviously, Big Ben, that's my hometown of Pittsburgh, so that's just two teams that I really want to play for."

Pryor, though, says he's open to everybody ... and claims he's found the solutions to stop injuries that have plagued him ever since he left Cleveland after his breakout year in 2016.

MMA star Lance Palmer has a message for the PFL fighting promotion ... give me a fight or let me out of my contract!!

Palmer is a 32-year-old 2-time winner (2018, 2019) of the Professional Fighters League's million-dollar tournament ... and hoped to earn another milli competing in this year's competition.

COVID-19 had other plans ... and when the virus hit the U.S., PFL execs pulled the plug on the season.

But, now that combat sports -- the UFC, Bellator, boxing -- are back ... Lance tells TMZ Sports he's done sitting on the sidelines watching other fighters earn a living.

"PFL needs to hold an event, and it needs to be before the year's end for the athletes that are under contract, or there needs to be a release of some sort."

Despite how it may sound, Palmer says he has a ton of respect for the people who run PFL ... and isn't trying to beef with them.

"There's no threat about it. It's more of, do the right thing, and let's get a fight scheduled."

FYI, Lance hasn't fought since Dec 2019 ... and says PFL doesn't plan on booking him a bout until next summer -- an 18-month layoff.

"More than making money, it's about competing in my prime. And, to have 18 months off, and to try and hold us out until next June for the actual season, I don't agree with it at all, and that's kinda when I'm speaking out for everybody on the roster at PFL."

Palmer says plenty of other fighting organizations and sports leagues have figured out how to safely hold events while keeping athletes safe and healthy ... so blaming the layoff on COVID-19 doesn't fly anymore.

"The excuse of the coronavirus isn't an excuse anymore. There are ways to go around it, and still make it safe for the athlete."

Naya Rivera's mother and brother visited the place their loved one disappeared to help find her -- and the image of them looking out at Lake Piru beforehand is devastating.

Sometime over the last day or so ... Naya's mom, Yolanda, and her younger brother, Mychal, were at the dock where Naya's boat departed Wednesday -- only Yolanda was on her knees with her arms stretched out toward the water, and her pain is palpable.

Mychal stood by, stoically staring out as well. The "Glee" actress and singer has one other younger sibling, Nickayla, who didn't appear to be present. On Saturday, the two of them boarded a boat and put on life vests to help with the search.

It goes without saying ... the Rivera family is incredibly close.

As of Saturday afternoon, Naya's body had not been found. Ventura County authorities say she is presumed dead -- this after she took the boat out Wednesday with her 4-year-old son, Josey, but never returned. Josey was later found in the boat by himself.

Josey told officials that his mother had gone into the water but never came out.

Remotely operated vehicles are now being used to search the lake in the recovery mission ... but the task is extremely difficult given the debris, vegetation and trees that litter the water.

The lake itself is 1,200 acres and can reach depths of up to 130 feet.

Brooklyn Beckham will be joining the ranks of married men, because he and GF Nicola Peltz are engaged.

David Beckham's 21-year-old son made the announcement, saying, "Two weeks ago I asked my soulmate to marry me and she said yes xx I am the luckiest man in the world."

Brooklyn, an aspiring photographer, who posted the pic of him and his 25-year-old fiancee, added, "I promise to be the best husband and the best daddy one day ❤️ I love you baby xx."

The 2 have been dating since last year, after meeting at Coachella. They've been seen at various restaurants and clubs in L.A., including The Nice Guy. They also hit up Leo DiCaprio's Halloween bash.

No word on wedding details. Good for them, though, they were able to keep it on the down low for 2 entire weeks!

Congrats!!!

Gotta love a dude who's betting on himself ... after signing the largest contract in NFL history!

Check out Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and their significant others hitting the casino in Lake Tahoe on Thursday night ... keeping the party going after a day on the water.

Unclear if Patrick actually did any wagering -- but it's gotta be a GREAT feeling knowing your bank account will soon be bigger than all of the progressive jackpots in the building COMBINED!

Of course, even the most wealthy pro athletes love to gamble -- just ask Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson and more.

Earlier in the week, Mahomes and his crew flew in on a private jet -- BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THEY ROLL NOW!!!

Once they touched down, they hopped in a custom Coors Lite RV before having their own private boat party on the lake ... complete with diving, dancing and celebrating.

Demian Maia is the ONLY MAN who's fought both Kamaru Usman AND Jorge Masvidal ... and he's got a gut feeling about who's gonna win at UFC 251.

Remember Maia BEAT Jorge Masvidal back in May 2017 -- in a 3 round split decision.

But, he took an "L" to Usman when they clashed a year later in 2018 in a 5 round unanimous decision.

So, with both of Demian's former opponents set to do battle tonight on Fight Island, we had to ask ... WHO YA GOT?!

Short answer ... Kamaru Usman -- and here's why.

"Fights is all about styles and matchups. It doesn't mean that if I had a difficult time with Kamaru and I won against Jorge, doesn't mean that the same will reflect on the fight," Maia says.

"I think there's some things that makes this fight more Kamaru favorite for this fight. I think he's more well-rounded, he's a very good wrestler and he's also you know he had that full camp."

"Masvidal, ya know, he didn't have this camp, he just got this fight so that's why I think Kamaru is the favorite, but MMA is a crazy sport."

There's more ... Maia also told us how Jorge can upset the reigning welterweight champ in the UFC 251 main event.

Josh Johnson ain't done yet -- the 34-year-old QB tells TMZ Sports he's eyeing a big return to the NFL after lighting it up in the XFL this past season.

Of course, JJ was one of the best players in Vince McMahon's org. earlier this year ... starting 4 games and posting a league-best 106.3 passer rating for the L.A. Wildcats.

We spoke with Johnson about his future plans ... and he's ready to get the call to make the leap back to the highest level -- as long as COVID-19 doesn't keep the season from happening.

"Hell yeah, if they gone play," Johnson tells us. "I mean, we trying to see what's going on with all that craziness surrounding COVID. But, I'm ready to go, bro."

"I've just been at home working, waiting for the opportunity."

"I enjoyed the hell outta the XFL experience. It also allowed me to get the platform to do what I could do, and the fact that people take notice, it was very good for me."

In the meantime, Johnson tells us he's focused on being the co-founder of the Ultimate Gaming League ... which is hosting a huge Madden tourney that will be streamed on Twitch this weekend ... with pros from Marcus Peters to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to Johnson himself participating ... and it's all for charity.

Johnson -- a journeyman in the NFL -- also tells us about why Madden played such a major role in his career so far ... check it out.

The Philadelphia Eagles have fined WR DeSean Jackson for conduct detrimental to the team over an anti-Semitic post on Instagram, the team announced.

"Today we have penalized DeSean for conduct detrimental to the team. He accepted these consequences and apologized," the Eagles said.

As you probably know ... Jackson posted an anti-Semitic quote attributed to Adolf Hitler (though, it was not a real Hitler quote) which suggested a Jewish conspiracy for world domination. He also posted several images of Louis Farrakhan, who has a long history of making anti-Semitic statements.

"In our many conversations with [DeSean], it has also been made clear that this is only the beginning," the Eagles continued ... "We have discussed a concrete plan for how we and he can heal moving forward."

The team also says they have explained to DeSean he must follow through with action to educate himself about anti-Semitism or he will be fired.

"He understands that in order to remain on the team, he must also commit to supporting his words with actions."

As we previously reported, Jackson has been meeting with Jewish groups, Jewish players and a Holocaust survivor in order to educate himself. We're told he's taking this very seriously.

The team continued, "We have been encouraged by his desire to educate himself, but we all understand that there is still a lot of work to be done."

"We will continue to assist DeSean in this process, and we also know that all of us in our organization need to listen and learn more about things that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable to us."

"We must continue to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination, while not losing sight of the important battle against systemic racism."

NFL star Devin White is throwing a massive charity event for around 2,000 people in a small Louisiana town this weekend ... and the mayor there says he expects NO COVID-19 precautions to be taken.

White -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2019 1st-round pick -- is set to hold his 2nd annual "Trail Ride" at his "Get Live Stables" in Cotton Valley, La. on Saturday.

The turnout is expected to be HUGE ... the mayor of Cotton Valley, C.C. Cox, tells TMZ Sports he believes roughly 2,000 people -- and maybe even more -- will show up to the 20-acre property for the get-together.

But, Cox says he's not anticipating it to be a coronavirus-concerned crowd ... saying, to his knowledge, mask-wearing and social distancing will NOT be enforced at the event.

"He was raised here," Cox said of the 22-year-old former LSU linebacker. "He wants to come into town and he wants to throw a big party."

Despite COVID-19 cases surging in Louisiana, Cox tells us he never tried to stop White from hosting the event ... and added, "That's what he wants to do, he can do it, you know?"

Cox says there WILL be Louisiana State Troopers assisting on the highways near the party as well as officers from the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office ... although he says they will NOT be there to enforce social distancing guidelines.

"You just got to accept it," Cox said. "I'm ready for it."

White held the first annual "Trail Ride" at his Cotton Valley property back in July 2019 ... and you can see in video of that event -- it's a pretty massive bash.

We're told nearby residents are concerned a similar situation could go down this weekend ... and are very worried about a possible spread of coronavirus.

We reached out to the Louisiana State Police ... and a spokesperson confirmed they will be at the event concentrating "on traffic issues/enforcement." Although when asked about the enforcement of social distancing guidelines, the spokesperson said, "LSP will assist with whatever needs arise."

We also reached out to the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office ... and they told us they'll be assisting with traffic-related issues during the event as well. But, when it comes to COVID, the sheriff told us, "We encourage our citizens and visitors to adhere to the guidelines set forth in the Governor's most recent proclamation."

White and the Buccaneers, meanwhile, have yet to get back to us when we reached out for comment.

White started 13 games for the Bucs as a rookie last season ... piling up 91 total tackles, an interception, 2.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

Tyron Woodley isn’t ready to write off Mike Perry after that crazy fight video at a Texas restaurant -- and he’s asking the UFC fighter tell his side of the story before it’s too late.

Woodley admits the video is a horrible look for Perry -- but asks fans to try and withhold judgment until we hear from Perry himself.

Of course, Tyron and Perry have been friendly for years -- and while Woodley isn't justifying Mike's actions, he's asking to reserve judgment until we hear from Mike.

Tyron explains everything in this week's "Hollywood Beatdown" -- and tells us why he still believes Conor McGregor's violent outburst at a bar in Dublin last year was even worse.

Woodley also tells us what he thinks of UFC's Fight Island -- and even picks a winner in the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal fight.

DeSean Jackson will be meeting with a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor on Friday ... in an effort to educate himself about the Jewish struggle.

Earlier this week, Edward Mosberg expressed his disappointment in Jackson's IG post in which the NFL featured an anti-Semitic quote attributed to Adolph Hitler.

In his letter to Jackson, Mosberg invited the Philadelphia Eagles WR to visit a Nazi concentration camp to better understand why pushing anti-Semitic rhetoric can lead (and has lead) to death and destruction.

"I would invite you to join me at the sites of these German Nazi death camps, to understand what evil truly is, and why sharing quotes of the man behind this evil is so offensive to us all," Mossberg wrote.

Mosberg says he survived several Nazi concentration camps -- including Mauthausen in Austria. He also says his late wife was a survivor of Auschwitz.

Now, we're told Jackson will meet with Mosberg over Zoom on Friday -- in the hopes of starting a positive, constructive dialogue.

As one source close to Jackson puts it -- "He really is educating himself ... and will continue to do so."

We're also told Jackson met with the Creative Community for Peace organization this week ... an organization dedicated to battling anti-Semitism.

Earlier this week, Julian Edelman invited Jackson to have an "uncomfortable conversation" about anti-semitism and racism in America.

And, Friday morning, Edelman says the two got the ball rolling.

"DeSean and I spoke for a while last night. We're making plans to use our experiences to educate one another and grow together. Stay tuned."

Here's O.J. Simpson cutting his way through a packed restaurant in Sin City on his birthday ... and The Juice doesn't seem too concerned with face coverings and social distancing.

The convicted felon wouldn't let the coronavirus pandemic stop him from celebrating his 73rd bday, hitting up Jing Las Vegas in Downtown Summerlin late Thursday night  ... and one blonde woman wouldn't let the fact he killed 2 people in 1994 stop her from getting an O.J. bear hug.

As you can see, there was lots of close contact, flirting and handshaking as O.J. went without a mask indoors. BTW ... wearing a mask in Vegas is mandatory in public and while walking through restaurants, but you can take it off when seated at a table.

O.J.'s definitely rolling the dice with COVID-19 -- his age certainly puts him at higher risk -- but it's Vegas, after all, where rolling the dice is encouraged.

DJ Liz Clark wore a mask in the booth while spinning tunes for O.J.'s birthday bash, which we're told was fueled by flowing champagne.

The Juice enjoyed some cake as part of his birthday presentation ... and naturally, O.J. had multiple beautiful lady friends throughout the evening.

Simpson has been out of prison since Oct. 2017 after spending nearly 9 years behind bars for a 2007 armed robbery ... and this is the typical treatment he gets in public these days.

Fans love lining up for photo ops with The Juice at all sorts of Sin City hot spots ... he got up close and personal with two blondes on a Vegas dance floor last year, but this is the first time we've seen O.J. somewhere other than a golf course since the outbreak.

As you know ... O.J. was found not guilty of murder, in the criminal case, in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman ... but Simpson was later sued for wrongful death by Ron's family where a jury found O.J. liable and ordered him to pay $33 mil. He hasn't paid anything.

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden just gave a big surprise to the men and women who put together their new stadium ... thanking the workers and giving a pump-up speech to finish strong.

"I just had to tell you, the stadium looks freaking awesome," Gruden says. "It's the greatest thing I've ever seen."

BTW -- If you haven't seen Allegiant Stadium yet ... it's pretty damn cool and gives off badass Star Wars Death Star vibes.

"I just wanted to congratulate all you workers for an incredible accomplishment during adversity."

Naturally, Gruden went full football guy in his motivational message to finish the job strong.

"It's the 2-minute drill. You've done 99% of the work, maybe 97% of the work. I just challenge you to finish like a champion."

The personal video marked a huge milestone for Allegiant Stadium -- it was the first time the video board and sound system were used at the same time ... so a pretty monumental moment for the workers.

The stadium is set to be ready to go in time for the 2020 NFL season ... if that happens.

Gruden finished the vid by reminding everyone to keep wearing their masks ... after all, we ARE still in a global pandemic.

S.F. Giants superstar Buster Posey will NOT participate in the MLB's rebooted season ... in order to care for his newborn twin babies who are currently being treated in the NICU.

Buster and his wife have adopted identical twin girls -- they were born prematurely last week and are currently in stable condition in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

It appears the outlook is good -- but as you can imagine, it's an incredibly stressful situation for any parent to endure.

Posey says the decision to opt out of the MLB season in order to be with his family is a no-brainer.

"From a baseball standpoint it was a tough decision," Posey told reporters. "From a family standpoint and feeling like I'm making a decision to protect our children, I feel like it was relatively easy."

While Posey is certainly not the first to make the call -- several others including Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman and Braves' Nick Markakis opted out several days ago -- he's definitely the biggest name so far.

Buster was expected to bat in the heart of the Giants' lineup, as usual, this season ... especially with the National League adopting designated hitter roles for the 2020 reboot.

For their part, the Giants backed their star in a statement Friday, saying, "The Giants fully support Buster's decision."

Lou Holtz does NOT want his beloved Notre Dame to drop its "Fighting Irish" nickname ... claiming it stems from a group of students who battled the KKK back in the day.

One tiny little problem -- it's not exactly true, Lou!

Here's the deal ... the former ND football coach was on Fox News this week and was asked about a recent "Fansided" article which questions if the school should move on from the whole "Fighting Irish" thing -- which it calls "a stereotype of the violent Irish."

83-year-old Holtz was OUTRAGED by the mere suggestion -- and told this tale explaining the origin of the Fighting Irish name.

"They were named the fighting Irish because the Ku Klux Klan tried to attack the Catholics," Holtz said.

"They went down and fought the Ku Klux Klan and that is where the name the Fighting Irish came."

That's news to Notre Dame -- which states on the official school website, "No one really knows for sure how Notre Dame became universally linked with the Irish."

"All we have is conjecture. But that’s the Irish way, isn’t it? Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."

There are several theories ... but nothing is really concrete.

The University says the first use of the nickname may have been in 1909 -- stemming from a fiery half-time speech directed at the football team's Irish players.

Notre Dame also noted the media had referred to Knute Rockne's football teams as the "Fighting Irish" in the early '20s.

The school does acknowledge an incident involving a student clash with the KKK in 1924 ... but it seems unlikely to be the origin of the nickname. Here's what ND says ... 

"A little-known event occurring in 1924 may have inadvertently contributed to Fighting Irish lore. In a recent book, alumnus Todd Tucker describes how Notre Dame students violently clashed with the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan in that year. A weekend of riots drove the Klan out of South Bend and helped bring an end to its rising power in Indiana at a time when the state’s governor was among its members."

Doesn't matter to Lou though -- who's made his stance clear and warns that he'll REALLY get pissed if the cancel culture reaches his tribute at the school's stadium.

"Next thing you're gonna tell me, they wanna topple my statue at Notre Dame. That's when I will really get mad."