TMZ Sports - Page 2

Clay Helton is getting the axe -- the University of Southern California has fired its head coach just 2 games into the season.

The 49-year-old had a 46-24 record with the Trojans ... but a 42-28 loss to Stanford on Saturday appeared to be the last straw for fans, boosters, alums ... and now, school officials.

USC AD Mike Bohn released a statement Monday ... saying, "This afternoon I informed Clay Helton of my decision to make a change in the leadership of our football program."

"Clay is one of the finest human beings I have met in this industry, and he has been a tremendous role model and mentor to your young men. We appreciate his many years of service to our university and wish him nothing but the very best."

USC legend Keyshawn Johnson tweeted his frustrations with Helton on Saturday ... saying, "I’m so pissed, I can no longer FIGHT ON for Him ….. Period  embarrassing."

But, it wasn't all bad for Helton's Trojans -- he led USC to a 2017 Rose Bowl win over Saquon Barkley and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Trojans won the Pac-12 South 3 times in Helton's time with USC.

So, why uproot the program early into the season?? Bohn says he felt interim HC Donte Williams is the best coach for the team this season.

"Donte is an experienced and well-respected coach is renowned for this ability to develop relationships with student-athletes, and I appreciate his willingness to take on this challenge."

Bohn says the decision puts 1-1 USC one step closer to winning a national title ... which is the ultimate goal for the organization for years to come.

"With our storied history, our talented young roster, and the major investments we've made in the infrastructure of our football organization, I'm optimistic that we are better positioned right now than we have been at any other time in the past decade to recruit the best and right leader for us."

Tonight's the night ... WWE Superstar Big E is cashin' in, using his coveted 'Money In The Bank' briefcase for a title shot against Bobby Lashley -- or Randy Orton on tonight's Raw.

TMZ Sports talked to E ... and the 35-year-old SmackDown star, holding the 'MITB' case, made the announcement.

"I'm a big proponent of setting your intentions, and I woke up this morning and I said, let me set my intentions to be a world champion here tonight in Boston," Big E tells us.

Of course, Big E won the 'Money in the Bank' ladder match in July ... entitling him to a title shot against either the Raw (Lashley) or SmackDown (Roman Reigns) champ at any moment.

Bobby is set to face Orton tonight ... so, E could wrestle either of the men.

Lashley's the current champ ... so we asked him if he had a message for the Raw champ.

"First and foremost, Bobby needs to worry about a certain 14x world champion in Randy Orton, who's trying to become a 15x champion tonight. so he's got that to worry about. so my message to bobby is worry about that apex predator first. Just know, I'm here. I'm in the building."

Why tonight on Raw from Boston??? We asked E.

"Why tonight? Why not tonight? Boston. Heckuva town. Kofi's from here. The fact that Kofi and Woods are both present. My sister lives here. I have extended family that lives here."

So, fam's here, Kofi and Xavier, but can he win the belt?!?

Stay tuned ...

Several Bears and Rams fans got into a wild brawl Sunday night -- with multiple men throwing and landing massive haymakers -- and the violence was all captured on video obtained by TMZ Sports.

The calamity all started at the beginning of L.A.'s game against Chicago ... when one witness tells us a Bears fan got into a verbal argument with several Rams fans for cheering the action on the field.

The witness says things got so aggressive in the seats, security at SoFi Stadium had to step in and request people swap chairs in order to keep the peace.

We're told after the game, though, some of the men ran into each other inside the concourses at the newly built arena -- and it didn't take long for the fists to start flying.

In video of the battle, you can see multiple scraps broke out ... including one where a man in an Akiem Hicks jersey was pummeled by punches and kicks.

In fact, the fights were so violent ... you can see blood actually ended up smeared all over the man's Hicks jersey.

We're told security was eventually able to break things up ... ultimately putting one of the combatants in handcuffs -- though it's unclear if any actual arrests were made.

Scary news from the Denver Broncos ... head coach Vic Fangio says offensive lineman Graham Glasgow was forced to go to a New York hospital following their game Sunday after he experienced heart issues during the contest.

Fangio said Glasgow left MetLife Stadium in an ambulance after the team's 27-13 win over the Giants ... explaining the 29-year-old guard "had an irregular heartbeat going."

"We kept him up there in New York and they examined him totally," Fangio said. "He's still up there. He'll stay the night."

The good news ... Fangio said tests so far have come back "so good" -- and the expectation is Glasgow will return to Denver on Tuesday.

Glasgow -- who signed a 4-year deal worth $44 million with Denver in 2020 -- thanked everyone for checkin' up on him Monday ... writing on his social media page, "I appreciate all the well wishes."

"Looking forward to a quick recovery and getting back out there. It was a great team win, and excited to see where myself and the team go from here. Thanks."

The Broncos are scheduled to play next Sunday in Denver against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Dangling from the nosebleeds at a college football game was enough to scare the crap piss outta one very lucky cat ... according to the couple who saved the feline with a U.S. flag.

Kimberly and Craig Cromer are the heroes who pulled off the rescue mission during Saturday's University of Miami football game, and Monday on "TMZ Live" they told us they just happened to be in regular-season seats ... AKA right place, right time.

Craig says Kimberly brings their American flag to display whenever "Da U." has a home game -- and luckily for the cat from this viral video, it ended up dangling right over the Cromers.

Craig and Kim say the kitty definitely knew it was in danger as it dangled from the stadium's upper deck -- and they know this because it started peeing in a steady stream on everyone down below.

If ya missed it ... the falling cat bounced off the flag and survived, making the crowd go wild.

Sounds like the Cromers weren't the only heroes here ... they say some UM students had another flag under theirs, which helped cushion the cat's fall even more.

The cat's whereabouts are unclear and while the Cromers say they'd take it in, they also explained why their home might not be the best fit.

Stefon Diggs paid a special tribute to the late Michael K. Williams during the Bills' season opener on Sunday ... rockin' some incredible "The Wire" tribute cleats while on the field.

The heat feet were white and black with blue laces ... and they featured painted-on characters from "The Wire," including Williams' iconic Omar Little.

On one of the spikes, the cleat artist -- Mache -- also painted on the words "A Man Must Have A Code" ... which, of course, was a famous line Williams' character used often during the ultra-popular series.

On the other cleat, the words "The Wire" were written on the outer part of the shoe.

As we previously reported, Williams was tragically found dead in his Brooklyn apartment earlier this month after an apparent overdose. He was just 54 years old.

Baltimore Orioles announcer, Kevin Brown, also recently honored MKW ... quoting another iconic line during a home run call last week.

Anderson Silva knocked Tito Ortiz out cold, but there's no bad blood between the MMA legends ... 'cause the day after, Spider gave his 1st class plane ticket to The Huntington Beach Bad Boy's GF -- so she could sit with her man.

46-year-old Ortiz posted a video on social media thanking 46-year-old Silva for the sweet gesture.

"The biggest thing I think Anderson Silva has ever done to me, I'm very thankful. He just actually gave up his 1st class ticket for Amber to sit here," Ortiz says.

"The flight's messed up, the airline, Jet Blue, messed up. But, Anderson Silva gave up his seat for Amber to sit next to me."

Tito's GF is Amber Nichole Miller ... one of the original UFC Octagon girls.

Of course, Anderson flatlined Tito towards the end of the 1st round of their Triller fight (full fight replay available on FITE) on Saturday ... catching Ortiz on the ear when a quick, left hook, sending him to the canvas, face first.

Tito ended his video with a final thank you to Silva.

"Anderson Silva, you're the man, dude. Thank you very much. Amazing man. Nothing but respect."

It was the Culpo Bowl between the Carolina Panthers and NY Jets on Sunday ... 'cause Olivia Culpo and her sister, Sophia, got to watch their NFL star boyfriends face off against each other!!!

Of course, OC has been dating Panthers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey for about 2 years ... and her little sis went "IG official" with Jets WR Braxton Berrios back on Valentine's Day.

So, when the Jets and Panthers faced off in Charlotte in Week 1, the Culpo sisters had to split up and root for opposing teams ... and there was plenty of friendly smack talk.

"Kiss my ass," Olivia told Sophia while flashing her butt ... as Sophia responded, "Oh we'll see, sis. WE. WILL. SEE."

Ultimately, the Panthers came away with the 19-14 win ... but both guys balled out.

CMC had 98 yards on the ground and added 89 receiving yards ... and Berrios had 5 receptions for 51 yards.

The foursome definitely enjoyed the offseason ... taking several romantic trips in paradise.

No matter what happens during the 2021 season, one thing's for sure -- Braxton and Christian are both winners off the field.

Cedric Ceballos says he's now COVID-free ... but there's bad news, he's still far from 100 percent -- explaining Monday he's still in the ICU with serious breathing issues.

Ceballos -- the 1992 NBA Dunk Contest champ -- posted a photo of himself in the ICU last Tuesday ... saying COVID-19 was "officially kicking my butt."

The 52-year-old asked for fans to pray for his recovery ... and on Monday, he announced he's now testing negative for COVID.

But, Ceballos clearly ain't out of the woods yet, 'cause he said the effects of the virus are still wreaking havoc on his body.

"I still CAN NOT breathe, walk or function on my own yet (so PLEASE no phone calls, it’s to much work and hard to understand me)," the former Los Angeles Lakers player said on his social media pages.

"I am out of isolation, due to not having covid, but still in ICU, I will still fight and I ask for uplifting on your end."

Ceballos added, "Continue to be nice to one another and I pray we will talk soon."

Ceballos -- who's received prayers from everyone from Paul George to the NBA itself while battling the coronavirus -- played 11 seasons in the Association, and famously won the 1992 Slam Dunk Contest with an epic blindfold slam.

Justin Bieber used his VMA acceptance speech to give a huge shoutout to his buddy, Conor McGregor ... saying the UFC superstar will be back better than ever after his devastating leg injury.

33-year-old Conor was at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards to present the "Artist of the Year" award Sunday night ... rocking a bright, pink suit, his walking cane and a massive smile.

While McGregor got into an intense scuffle with Machine Gun Kelly before his appearance, he was all calmed down once it was time for him to announce the category's big winner.

"New York is back and so is the Mac," Conor said. "2022 will be our greatest year yet."

And when it was time to reveal the winner ... McGregor couldn't be happier.

Of course, Conor and Bieber have gotten pretty close recently -- from catching rays poolside to being guests at each other's concerts and fights -- so it was only right The Notorious was able to share the awesome moment with the "Peaches" singer.

Bieber name-dropped his wife, Hailey, and rapper Travis Scott after grabbing the Moonperson ... and then guaranteed Conor will make a big comeback after snapping his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

"Conor, we're gonna get 'em next time, my boy," Bieber said. "Let's go."

Raheem Mostert was engulfed by hate messages from fans after the NFL star suffered an injury Sunday ... with the RB's wife saying people said the Niners player "should kill himself."

Devon Mostert spelled it all out in an emotional social media post hours after the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions ... saying she and her hubby received "THOUSANDS" of terrible comments following the game.

In her post, Devon said some of the messages suggested Mostert be cut from the team ... while others made fun of his injury history.

"I know I shouldn't care, but wow. Wow wow wow," Devon said. "The nasty things some of you just carelessly say is gut wrenching. I don't think ya'll get it. Football is my husband's job. It's how my family EATS. To read such HEARTLESS and degrading comments about the person I LOVE hurts."

Devon continued, "And I try so hard to shake them off... I do. But when there's HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS. It's a lot."

Mostert played just a handful of snaps against the Lions, recording two carries for 20 yards before hurting his knee.

The extent of his injury is unknown -- Devon said he'll undergo further testing Monday ... and they're "praying" it's all minor.

"R's gonna be good," Devon added. "He always comes back stronger."

"Thank you to everyone that sent prayers," she continued. "I appreciate you and I see your beautiful heart. Holding my babies extra long tonight."

Raheem was expected to have a huge role for the 49ers this season ... after he rushed for 521 yards and two scores in 8 games for SF last season.

Football fans aren't just trollin' Zach Wilson after his week 1 loss as starting QB for the NY Jets -- they're goin' after his momma, too!

Wilson's mom, Lisa, shared some of the DMs she received on Instagram after her son's 19-14 loss against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

FYI, the rookie QB had 258 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception -- but was sacked 6 TIMES!

One of the messages Lisa got was from a guy named Chase saying, "Your son is a**" -- and she responded, "Praying for your angry hateful heart!"

The "fan" didn't stop there -- he hit her back with, "praying for your son to get better at f**king football!"

Lisa shared another one ... a fan named Austin saying, "real talk tho, y ur son so dog sh** at football."

Her answer, "I'm so sorry you're so angry. I hope you can find happiness!"

"Hate is so toxic!!!"

The Yankees and Mets almost fought each other in the middle of the diamond Sunday night ... and it was all 'cause a pitcher in the Pinstripes' dugout had been whistling.

For real.

The wild scene all went down at Citi Field ... just seconds after Giancarlo Stanton hit a huge home run in the 7th inning of the final game of the New York teams' weekend series.

As Stanton was rounding the bases, Francisco Lindor yelled at the Yanks superstar ... while making a whistling motion.

The smack talk was so aggressive, it caused the entire Yankees dugout to clear ... and a brawl almost ensued.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed ... and we learned a short time later, Lindor was furious with Stanton and the Yanks after he and the rest of the Mets believed the Yankees were whistling in order to tip their batters off to potential pitches.

"I can't accuse them of them whistling for the signs because I'm not 100 percent correct," Lindor said. "But, I know what I heard, and I felt like there was something out of the ordinary going on."

"And, yeah. I heard what I heard. I'm not accusing them. I'm not saying they're doing it 100 percent. Because I don't know 100 percent. But, it definitely felt that way. And, I took that personal."

Lindor and the Mets had believed the Yankees were using whistling not just during Sunday's tilt, but in their previous meeting on Saturday as well.

Yankees slugger Joey Gallo tried to offer an explanation for it all after the game, saying reliever Wandy Peralta was doing the dugout whistling, but ensured the sounds were "100 percent not" for pitch tipping.

"It's just him trying to be -- like I said, bring energy to the dugout," Gallo said, "especially early in the game."

Mark Davis is having no trouble adjusting to his new home in Vegas ... 'cause the Raiders owner just made a chunk of change at the slot machines earlier this week -- and TMZ Sports has the pic!!!

We're told the son of legendary owner Al Davis hit up the Virgin Hotels in Sin City on Tuesday night to test his luck ahead of the 2021 season ... posting up at the Wheel of Fortune slots around 11 PM.

As it turns out, the man worth reportedly $500 million seemingly got a bit richer ... raking in about $1,800 on one turn!

Of course, things haven't always been fine and dandy for Davis -- as we previously reported, he got in a bit of a fender bender with his Mini Cooper in a shopping center parking lot right off the Strip back in June.

We're sure Davis is gonna hope this luck continues as the Raiders take their home field at Allegiant Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.

Conor McGregor is still nursing his broken leg, but dude is already back to squaring up -- only this time ... he's doing it well outside the Octagon, and against Machine Gun Kelly.

The UFC star appears to have gotten into a physical confrontation Sunday on the red carpet of the MTV Video Music Awards leading into the Barclays Center -- right before showtime, no less -- in a would-be clash that was captured by several photogs on the scene.

As you can see, there's Conor in the pink suit mouthing off to MGK who's not very far ... and before you know it -- the next shot has Conor seemingly lunging at the rocker as people step in to separate them.

CMG can be seen reaching for Kelly -- but it doesn't look like he ever got a hold of him or even laid a finger on him for that matter. Conor was yanked back by security on hand ... with the Notorious looking furious and animated amid the scrum.

Unclear what might've set this whole thing off in the first place -- but it doesn't seem this escalated beyond a brief showdown ... because we've reached out to cops in the area, and no one's reported this (yet). It's weird ... MGK and Conor don't really have a hostile history.

We got calls in to both guys' camps to see what the fuss was about ... so far, no word back.

Kid Cudi is back to wearing dress-like garments, but a new fella has emerged in something similar ... an NBA player who's kinda considered a man's man, which is a huge statement.

Russell Westbrook posted photos this weekend of himself in the Big Apple for NYFW -- and he was wearing none other than a skirt (or a kilt, perhaps) underneath a cardigan sweater. He also had some black boots to offset the cream color scheme ... not to mention blue hair.

His caption referenced lyrics from Kendrick Lamar's verse on Baby Keem's new single, "Family Ties" ... "'Don’t address me unless it’s with four letters' @kendricklamar"

RW is wearing Thom Browne here -- which is definitely all about the Scottish kilt look.

In any case ... Cudi wore something similar himself for the fashion event of the week -- rocking what appeared to be way more of a traditional skirt under a Nirvana long-sleeve T-shirt. He, too, was sporting blue hair ... makes ya wonder if they were in on this together.

No shame for either of these dudes, but of course ... some folks online were expressing their disapproval, for a myriad of reasons.

Some folks are showing their homophobic colors outright, and others are invoking conspiracy theories ... talking about the emasculation of men, etc. And then, there are those who absolutely love this -- so a mixed bag of reactions here. All the same, Russ and Kid are owning it.

KC's been in a full-blown dress before -- wearing one on 'SNL' earlier this year to honor the late Kurt Cobain, who wore something similar in his day.