Anthony Edwards LGBTQ Org. Says Homophobic Comments 'Hurtful' ... But A Teachable Moment
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Anthony Edwards should NOT be canceled for the homophobic remarks he recently made -- and that's coming from one of the biggest LGBTQ organizations in the world, which tells TMZ Sports it wants to sit down with the NBA star and believe he can be an ally going forward.
PFLAG -- the leading organization for LGBTQ+ people, families and allies -- tells us it saw the IG video posted by the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, where he made offensive comments about a group of shirtless men hugging each other on a sidewalk.
"Look at these queer ass n****s, man," Edwards said in the clip posted this weekend, adding ... "Look at the world I came to."
Edwards apologized after the video circulated on social media ... saying his actions were "immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry."
Some have accepted the apology ... while some haven't.
Jean-Marie Navetta -- Director of Learning and Inclusion for PFLAG National -- says while the video is "an unfortunate reminder that equality and inclusion are still an elusive goal," there's a partnership that can now be formed that benefits all.
"The impact that public figures like professional athletes have is tremendous, and in this case, the message that was sent was of shame and ridicule. But, PFLAG believes that allies are all on a journey, and we hope this will be the beginning of a journey towards allyship for Anthony Edwards -- and we're here and ready to help."
It's not that what 21-year-old Edwards said wasn't bad ... it clearly was homophobic. In fact, Navetta calls the behavior "disappointing and hurtful," but there's nothing to be gained by cutting Anthony off.
The group would also like to see the NBA step up and make clear it values the LGBTQ community.
"While no organization can possibly manage the beliefs and behaviors of everyone employed, when situations like this one arise, it's a powerful opportunity for organizations to step up and affirm their values, contrast them with what transpired, and spotlight the work happening inside the organization."
Bottom line for the organization ... "What we're looking for is a commitment to action to make sure it doesn't happen again. Criticism is easy. Change takes work."
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Jake Paul Hey, Dana White ... Let's Put $5 Million On Silva Fight!!!
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Jake Paul says Dana White still owes him a million-dollar check for beating Ben Askren, but the Problem Child is once again proposing a friendly wager with the UFC honcho ... saying he's willing to put $5 MILLION on the line when he fights Anderson Silva.
Jake and Spider were holding a news conference in L.A. on Monday ahead of their October 29 bout in Arizona ... when Paul mentioned how his nemesis thought he'd never take on the challenge ahead of him.
"Dana White did not think I'd take this fight," Jake said minutes ago. "And Dana, I know you're watching, bro. You still owe me a million dollars from when you bet against me on Ben Askren."
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"I want you to come out of hiding, stop being a bitch and make a bet against me and Anderson and actually pay up this time because you didn't think I would take this fight."
"So let's make a bet," he added. "Let's put a mil, let's put two mil, let's put 5 mil on it. But I bet you won't, Dana, because you're a bitch."
As for a bet between Jake and Anderson ... Spider says he hates tattoos, so a body ink bet is off the table. With that being said, Jake says he'll get clever and figure something out.
Don't expect Dana to respond to Jake's offer -- 'cause as he told TMZ Sports last week, he's sick of talking about the guy.
But, hey ... money talks, and if he really thinks Jake doesn't stand a chance on October 29, White may wanna consider the deal.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Wear Costumes For Team Dress-Up Day ... 'Drip Too Hard'
Halloween may be next month ... but the Dodgers celebrated early with some of their biggest superstars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman wearing costumes for the team's annual dress-up travel day.
The team posted pics of the players following their 11-2 victory over the Padres on Sunday ... and they're pretty good!
The tradition dates back a few years ... the Dodgers typically made rookies dress up in silly outfits, but a few vets decided to expand the practice to include all players on the team.
Betts -- one of the best players in baseball -- paid homage to the golf G.O.A.T. Tiger Woods, wearing TW's signature red Nike shirt and black pants.
Mookie's caddy was none other than teammate, Freeman, who looked the part ... and even had a golf bag full of miniature golf clubs at Mookie's disposal.
Of course, the best outfit has to go to Andre Jackson, Justin Turner, Joey Gallo and Cody Bellinger ... who dressed up as Chippendales dancers.
(Who says baseball players are out of shape?!)
Jackson, Turner, Gallo and Bellinger took the assignment to heart ... they were all shirtless and wore black bow ties with black pants and cuff links.
Trae Turner dressed up as Jordan Belfort, who was busted back in the day for financial crimes. JB was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie 'Wolf of Wall Street.'
In fact, Trae's infatuation with 'Wolf' led him to create a celebration the team uses now ... where he hits his helmet like DiCaprio did with the mic during one of the movie's famous scenes.
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A bunch of the players, including second baseman Gavin Lux, dressed up as characters from the classic baseball movie "The Sandlot."
Infielder Max Muncy dressed as a beer keg.
If the Dodgers continue playing at this historic pace, Muncy won't have to dress up like a keg ... they'll kegs and bottles of champagne in the locker room when they're celebrating the World Series win.
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Aaron Rodgers Pissed Djokovic Couldn't Play In U.S. Open ... 'Make It Make Sense'
Aaron Rodgers is livid Novak Djokovic was not allowed to compete in the U.S. Open tournament ... highlighting the absurdity of some of the COVID-19 regulations that simply make no sense.
Rodgers sat down with Bill Maher for an episode of his 'Club Random' podcast ... where the two had a candid conversation about Djokovic being kept out of the high-profile tourney for remaining unvaccinated.
"The best f***ing player on the men's side can't play," Rodgers said of Djokovic. "One of the most fit guys in the f***ing world whose had covid at least once, if not twice, can't f***ing come to New York?"
Rodgers then brought up Kyrie Irving's long, drawn-out saga with the Nets ... which saw the star point guard miss a bevy of games during the season over his refusal to get vaccinated.
Kyrie Irving Defends Anti-Vaccine Choice, 'I Haven't Committed A Crime'
"Kyrie Irving attended a basketball game courtside but couldn't play for his team."
"How is that f***ing possible?" Rodgers asked. "He attended a basketball game and got to watch it in the stands but couldn't play f***ing play on his team because he wasn't vaxxed."
"Make it make sense. Make it sense. You can't," Aaron continued.
Rodgers and Maher accused the Nets, who told Irving he could play in road games but not home games, then said he couldn't play for the team at all ... of changing their tune once the team started struggling.
AR and BM were dumbfounded that Bradley Beal, who is unvaccinated like Irving, was allowed to play in games at Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden, despite the NYC mandate.
"It was as stupid as it is to sit at a restaurant and take your mask off and then put it on when you stand up as if the virus only attacks you while you're standing."
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Britt Reid Enters Guilty Plea In Car Crash Case ... Victims Slam Prosecutors Over Deal
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Britt Reid has just formally entered a guilty plea to felony DWI in his car crash case after cutting a deal with prosecutors ... and the attorney for the victims tells TMZ Sports they are not happy with the situation.
The former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach -- wearing a suit with a yellow tie -- made the plea during a hearing in a Missouri courtroom on Monday morning ... nearly two years after he was accused of getting drunk and then causing a car crash that severely injured a 5-year-old girl.
Britt Reid, former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach, arrives at the Jackson County courthouse for a hearing where he’s expected to plead guilty to felony driving while intoxicated and causing a 2021 crash that severely injured 5-year-old who was a passenger in another vehicle. pic.twitter.com/rf4CANaejE
— Glenn E. Rice (@GRicekcstar) September 12, 2022 @GRicekcstar
Reid, according to KCTV5's Angie Ricono, told the courtroom while making the plea, "I regret what I did. I made a huge mistake. I apologize to the family. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone."
Andy Reid Says 'My Heart Bleeds' for 5-Year-Old Girl Badly Injured In Son's Car Crash
Prosecutors agreed not to seek a sentence longer than 4 years behind bars for Reid, the son of Andy Reid, in exchange for the guilty plea -- something that attorney Tom Porto says he and his clients are absolutely appalled by.
"The five victims of this crime are outraged the prosecuting attorney is not seeking the maximum sentence allowable by law," Porto said in a statement. "The defendant is a prior offender whose actions caused a five-year-old girl to be in a coma and seriously injured three others."
This is Ariel’s family.
— Angie Ricono 🌻 (@angiericono) September 12, 2022 @angiericono
They do NOT support a plea deal.
They wore matching “Justice for Ariel” shirts in court today.
@KCTV5 pic.twitter.com/3kaK7Xqfn1
Reid was facing a maximum of seven years in prison.
Reid allegedly caused the car crash back on Feb. 4, 2021 ... after authorities say he slammed his pickup truck into the back of a car. Officials say he was going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH zone just seconds before the collision, and had a .113 BAC 2 hours following the wreck.
The 37-year-old, who formally departed from the Chiefs days after the accident and has not coached in the NFL since, is due back in court for sentencing on Oct. 28.
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Kendall Jenner Packin' On PDA With Devin Booker ... At U.S. Open
There was a ton of action on the court at the U.S. Open men's final on Sunday ... but there was even more in the stands, 'cause Kendall Jenner couldn't keep her hands -- or lips -- off her NBA star boyfriend, Devin Booker!!
The couple has been inseparable recently -- they hit up the NBA 2K23 launch party in Los Angeles on Thursday, before jetting off to New York City for the weekend.
Jenner and Booker hit up a bunch of New York Fashion Week events throughout the weekend ... sitting front row in multiple flashy outfits.
Amid all the fashion week fun, KJ and DB showed up in Flushing Meadows as Carlos Alcaraz took on Casper Ruud ... and throughout the match, you can see they were passionately into each other.
At one point, the two even lean in for a kiss ... and Kendall caresses her man's chin.
But, they weren't just focused on themselves -- Kendall was spotted yelling in support as the match unfolded.
Remember, there were rumors Kenny and D-Book called it quits earlier this year ... but that's clearly not the case -- they look stronger than ever.
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Miami Dolphins Massive Fire In Stadium Parking Lot ... Several Cars Destroyed
A huge fire broke out in the parking lot at the Dolphins vs. Patriots game on Sunday -- destroying several cars -- and according to at least one witness, it all started after someone left a tailgating grill on.
A spokesperson for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue tells TMZ Sports ... firefighters were called to Hard Rock Stadium at around 1:28 PM after multiple people had seen flames pouring out of cars just outside of the venue.
Thankfully, according to the spokesperson, "firefighters immediately worked to contain and place the fire under control" and there were no reported injuries.
Video shot by multiple people at the arena showed the inferno was massive -- causing huge amounts of black smoke to pour into the stadium.
One witness says the owners of the cars had no idea their rides were destroyed until they returned to the parking lot. Another said the blaze appeared to start after someone had failed to properly extinguish their BBQ.
Fire right out side Hard Rock Stadium. Not sure what it is. pic.twitter.com/R6sM7eSwqy
— Big E (@ian693) September 11, 2022 @ian693
The MDFR spokesperson said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
One of the car's owners, Scott Dellorfano, told NBC Miami that his Mercedes S63 -- plus $3k he had in the vehicle -- were destroyed in the fire.
The somewhat good news to come for Miami fans during the day? Their team at least won, beating the Patriots 20-7.
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Mike Tyson Suite Life With Robert Kraft ... At Patriots Game
Robert Kraft had a champion in his corner as New England kicked off its 2022 season ... with the Patriots owner hosting none other than Mike Tyson in his suite.
Iron Mike was on hand at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. ... where he watched as the Pats fell to the division rival Dolphins, 20-7.
Mike had a seat right next to Kraft, who was sitting next to his son, Jonathan, -- and the two appeared to be chummy throughout the game as the Pats and 'Fins duked it out on the field.
No word on what exactly led to the meetup ... but Mike and Kraft seemed to have a lot to talk about throughout the duration of the game.
The day didn't go without an awkward moment, though -- At one point, Tyson went to give Kraft a fist bump, who missed the cue, but the two managed to clean it up at the end.
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 11, 2022 @SharpFootball
RK has hosted several high-profile celebrities at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA -- but having the former knockout specialist as a guest is pretty hard to beat.
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MMA's Elias Theodorou Dead At 34 After Cancer Battle
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Former UFC fighter Elias Theodorou died Sunday following a battle with cancer. He was only 34 years old.
Theodorou had been courageously fighting stage 4 liver cancer ... but chose to share the diagnosis with only select people who were close to him.
Elias -- an outgoing and personable dude outside the cage -- was a heck of a fighter inside it. During his years in the UFC, Theodorou posted an 8-3 record with wins over Eryk Anders and Sam Alvey.
ET was also an advocate for the use of medical marijuana in combat sports ... believing the herb to be safer and more beneficial than prescription drugs.
Elias last fought in December 2021 ... against Bryan Baker at Colorado Combat Club 10, where he won by unanimous decision. Overall, ET was 19-3 professionally.
Back in 2018, Theodorou became the first "ring boy" ... when he worked the Invicta FC (all women's MMA promotion), strutting around the cage like Arianny Celeste.
We spoke to Elias at the time (March 2018) ... and he couldn't have been cooler.
Rest in peace.
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Dallas Cowboys Fans Repeatedly Punch Man In Melee ... During Bucs Game
8:57 AM PT -- The Arlington Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... officers did respond to the scene and took an assault report. They added that one person involved in the fracas was ejected.
"Any criminal charges are pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation," a police spokesperson said.
Several Dallas Cowboys fans ganged up on a man during their game against the Buccaneers on Sunday night -- repeatedly punching the guy in the head before throwing him to the ground.
The wild altercation happened at some point during the Cowboys' loss to Tampa Bay at AT&T Stadium ... when several people wearing Dallas jerseys began heaving haymakers at a man wearing a black and yellow shirt.
Cowboys fans, not happy pic.twitter.com/nDFi6Hv9Qq
— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) September 12, 2022 @DallasTexasTV
It's unclear what started the brawl -- but video from the scene shows at least four people, including one woman, whaled on the guy before security stepped in to halt the action.
We've reached out to police to see if any arrests were made, but so far, no word back yet.
Fighting was seemingly commonplace at NFL games during the league's opening weekend -- because in the Falcons vs. Saints contest in Atlanta, one New Orleans fan threw a flurry of punches at a guy's face in the concourse.
Fight breaks out at Saints vs. Falcons game 👀😳 pic.twitter.com/xzU5Um7bHL
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) September 12, 2022 @DailyLoud
The series of swings all appeared to land flush -- and it eventually led to a huge fracas in one of the corridors at the stadium. It's unclear here, too, if anyone was arrested over the commotion.
Meanwhile, in the Raiders vs. Chargers game, a fight got so out of hand, a woman was actually socked in the face.
NFL officials have yet to publicly comment on all the violence in the stands at games.
Originally Published -- 7:54 AM PT
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Alex Albon Respiratory Failure After Surgery ... Spent Night In ICU
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F1 driver Alex Albon had a serious health scare after being treated for appendicitis this weekend ... suffering respiratory failure and spending the night in the intensive care unit -- but luckily, he is expected to get back to 100% soon.
Williams Racing released the update minutes ago ... saying Albon had successful laparoscopic surgery on Saturday. But, things changed dramatically when the 26-year-old had post-operative anesthetic complications -- including respiratory failure.
The team says Albon had to be re-intubated and transferred to the ICU, where he spent the night.
Albon's condition improved overnight ... and he was taken off medical ventilation Sunday morning. The team adds he is slated to return home on Tuesday.
Despite the terrifying experience, Williams says Albon's focus is set on getting ready for the Singapore Grand Prix at the end of the month.
With Albon out, reserve driver Nyck de Vries -- a Formula 2 and Formula E champ -- stepped into the Williams car ... finishing 9th on the day.
Albon has scored 4 points so far this season ... and recently re-signed with Williams through 2024.
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Gisele Bündchen Shows Support For Tom Brady ... But Skips QB's Game
Gisele Bündchen appears to be back in Tom Brady's corner -- just not, at least for Sunday night, physically ... 'cause the supermodel showed love for the QB on her social media ahead of his season-opening game, but skipped being there in person for it.
Gisele penned the sweet message to the 45-year-old on her Twitter account just minutes before he kicked off his 23rd NFL season against the Cowboys in Dallas.
"Let's go @TomBrady !," she wrote. "Let's go Bucs !"
The note, while short, is a pretty big deal -- considering multiple reports stated she was so furious with Brady's decision to unretire for this season, she temporarily stopped living with him recently.
Gisele, though, did not make the trip to the game -- a rare occurrence for the 42-year-old, who's often spotted celebrating the QB's success in luxury suites at stadiums.
Brady has yet to publicly address the reported rift between him and his wife ... but he did say when talking about his training camp absence last month that he had "a lot of s*** going on" at the moment.
However big the issues are off the field, Brady didn't let them affect his play too much against the Cowboys -- he looked solid, helping the Buccaneers cruise to an easy 19-3 win.
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Raiders vs. Chargers Fans Get In Wild Brawl ... Woman Punched In Face
Ugly scene at the Chargers vs. Raiders game on Sunday -- several fans got into a wild brawl ... and things got so violent during the altercation, one woman ended up being punched in the face twice by a man.
The fracas broke out inside of a concourse at SoFi Stadium during the AFC West showdown ... when a man wearing a black shirt approached several people in Raiders jerseys and started swinging.
Meanwhile at the #Raiders game 🤯
— GrindFace TV (GPound.com) (@grindfacetv_) September 12, 2022 @grindfacetv_
@ geraaa_ pic.twitter.com/5Pj5mKZiq5
The man hit multiple people with the strikes ... dropping one guy -- and then seemingly KO'ing another.
That's when a woman -- who was wearing a No. 24 Raiders jersey -- tried to intervene.
In footage shot by a bystander, you can see she attempted to swipe at the man and then grab him to break it all up. But, the guy threw two left hands at her face -- and both blows appeared to connect.
The man then went on to punch a shirtless fan a few more times, before the clip ended.
No word on if anyone was hurt or injured during the mayhem ... and it's also unclear if any arrests were made. We've reached to cops, but have yet to hear back.
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Ryan Fitzpatrick If Bills Win Super Bowl ... I'll Jump Through A Table!!!
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If the Bills end up winning Super Bowl LVII, get a table ready for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Buffalo ... 'cause the ex-QB tells TMZ Sports he'll jump through it to celebrate the title!
Fitz -- who played four seasons for the Bills from 2009 through 2012 -- made the promise this week ... saying he'd personally fly to Buffalo for the occasion if his old team got the job done.
"There's no doubt," he said. "I will be there in Buffalo to do that if that happens, yes."
🚨 Josh Allen stiff arm alert! 🚨
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 9, 2022 @BuffaloBills
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/Pk5wFFPtNC
Seems there's a good possibility it all goes down ... because the Bills are currently the betting favorite to win it all. In fact, after they dismantled the Rams in the NFL's opener on Thursday night ... it'd be hard to see ANYBODY else winning it.
Buffalo Bills Fans Swarm Los Angeles Ahead Of Season Opener Vs. Rams
Fitz, though, did reveal he thinks the Ravens actually might be the ones who get a ring this year instead of the Bills -- telling us he's a big believer in Baltimore's quarterback.
"I think Lamar [Jackson] is going to do it this year," Fitzpatrick says. "Stay healthy and get a big ol' contract out of it."
If not -- see ya in Buffalo for a table-smashing ceremony in February?!?
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Wolves Star Anthony Edwards Apologizes for Homophobic Comment
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Anthony Edwards is apologizing for a homophobic comment he made ... saying there's no excuse for what was said.
The Timberwolves guard took to Twitter Sunday, writing ... "What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!"
What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!
— Anthony Edwards (@theantedwards_) September 11, 2022 @theantedwards_
He's referring to a video that was posted to his Instagram Story in the past day or so -- where he's in the car looking at a group of shirtless men on the sidewalk across the way.
Some of the guys are hugging and embracing each other, and AE says ... "Look at these queer ass n****s, man. Look at the world I came to." There's a woman with him laughing in the passenger seat. There was a caption too ... "Dese n****s different."
It's unclear where exactly he was when he shot this, or when exactly it was filmed ... but in any case -- it appears to have been briefly featured on his very public page.
This is a big deal ... Edwards is a rising star in the league, so his words carry weight. The team doesn't appear to have addressed the issue just yet -- ditto for the NBA. Unclear what sort of punishment, if any, he'll receive.
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Beyoncé Not My Bey-Day Anymore But Let's Party Anyway!!!
Beyoncé's birthday was last week, falling on Labor Day weekend, and since most people were busy -- she seemed ready to party this weekend ... as was the rest of Hollywood.
The stars were out and on the prowl Saturday night ... hitting up a mansion in Bel Air, where Bey and Jay-Z were hosting to celebrate her the big 4-1. It would appear just about anyone who's anyone got an invite -- and they didn't hesitate to take Bey up on her offer to rage.
Huge celebs showed up dressed to the nines for this thing -- folks like Drake, Lizzo, Adele, Rich Paul, Jaden Smith, Bella Hadid, Kris Jenner, Kim K, Tristan Thompson, Khloe, MGK/Megan Fox, Lily-Rose Depp, Offset and even Vanessa Bryant.
Jigga himself also popped up on camera at one point ... but the birthday girl herself never surfaced for a pap photo. We're told people started arriving at 10:30, and stayed 'til about 3.
Take a look through the gallery, and you'll see ... it's a conveyer belt of stardom. If anyone can get famous people together all in one place, it's still Beyoncé. Impressive, no doubt.
Also ... happy birthday!