TMZ Sports - Page 4

Dana White is making one thing clear -- he's absolutely FED UP with Jake Paul ... telling TMZ Sports he has no interest in talking about the YouTuber's fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva.

It's no secret -- the UFC honcho and Jake have become hated rivals in recent years ... with Paul constantly calling him out for how he runs his business, and White criticizing the Problem Child's relevance and talent in combat sports.

After his fight was announced this week, Jake posted an old clip of Dana, who previously said he doubted Paul would ever call out Anderson, hyping up Silva's skills in the boxing ring. Now that the fight's been made, we had to ask White about the matchup.

Well -- we tried, at least ... before White cut us off.

"I don't care about that. I literally was saying the other day, everybody keeps asking me about Jake. This guy's not even in my sport!!"

"I don't care."

What Dana DOES care about is UFC 279 on Saturday ... where Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are set to duke it out in Las Vegas in one of the most anticipated fights of the year.

The jokes about Drake's jump shot might no longer be allowable -- the rapper just showed off his 3-point stroke repeatedly in a skills contest against Carmelo Anthony ... and it's seriously improving!!!

The "Honestly Nevermind" rapper visited Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon this week ... and participated in a 3-point competition. And, according to footage obtained XXL Magazine, he drained (most of) his shots!

In the short clip, Drake nailed his first basket. The camera then panned away for a bunch of his other attempts, but it did ultimately come back around to catch a few more of his makes.

The makes weren't enough to beat Melo, though ... with the All-Star heating up and crushing him as Jayson Tatum and Russell Westbrook watched nearby.

Of course, Drake didn't always use to look like this on the court ... in fact, he famously used to be the owner of a busted jump shot.

You'll recall, while warming up with the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team back in 2014, he actually air-balled one of his jumpers.

But the diehard Toronto Raptors fan has clearly worked on his game since then ... and the hard work seems to be paying off.

BYU athletics says the school did a thorough investigation into claims a fan hurled racial slurs at a Duke volleyball player last month ... and after checking hours of footage and interviewing dozens of spectators, it was determined there was no evidence to back the allegations.

Duke sophomore Rachel Richardson made the claims following a match on Aug. 26 ... saying a man in the stands was yelling racist comments toward her and several black teammates throughout the entire competition.

The fan in question -- who happened to be a Utah Valley University student -- was quickly handed a permanent ban, despite police and others in the stands being unable to support Richardson's account.

On Friday, the school announced the results of its investigation ... saying it has lifted the fan's punishment after determining he never said what he was accused of.

"From our extensive review, we have not found any evidence to corroborate the allegation that fans engaged in racial heckling or uttered racial slurs at the event," BYU said. "As we stated earlier, we would not tolerate any conduct that would make a student-athlete feel unsafe. That is the reason for our immediate response and our thorough investigation."

The school added ... "There will be some who assume we are being selective in our review. To the contrary, we have tried to be as thorough as possible in our investigation, and we renew our invitation for anyone with evidence contrary to our findings to come forward and share it."

Duke responded to the results of the investigation ... saying, "The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity."

The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to honor Dwayne Haskins following his sudden death ... by wearing #3 stickers on their helmets for this entire season.

The org. announced the planned tribute on Friday ... showing the nod to the late quarterback will be placed on the bottom left of their iconic helmets starting this week.

Haskins joined the Steelers back in January 2021 following a two-year stint with the Washington Commanders ... but did not see any game action.

Tragically, following the season, he died when he was hit by a dump truck in a horrible accident on a Florida highway.

He was just 24 years old.

The Steelers have paid tribute to him repeatedly since his passing ... with head coach Mike Tomlin saying at the time of his death that he was devastated over the loss.

"He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers," Tomlin said, "both on the field and in our community."

Haskins' alma mater, Ohio State, and his former Commanders team have also paid homage to the QB in the wake of his death.

The L.A. Rams and Buffalo Bills' season opener nearly went up in smoke on Thursday ... when protesters rushed the field with a pink flare -- with one being dragged off by security.

Two women somehow found their way onto the field during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium ... as many in the sold-out crowd whipped their phones out to record the debacle.

Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho was one of them -- and you can see in his footage one of the two women was holding up a pink smoke bomb while racing down the field like a running back.

SoFi security quickly caught up to her and tackled her to the ground -- right in front of the Bills' defensive huddle -- before hauling her away.

The protesters wore a RightToRescue.com shirt, which is a website that claims to help "the whistleblowers facing prison time for exposing factory farm abuses and rescuing suffering animals."

Direct Action Everywhere took responsibility for the protest and released a statement saying the two women were there to bring awareness to the upcoming trial of Smithfield Foods factory farm whistleblowers.

"The protest aims to shine a light on what DxE calls a landmark trial for animal rights, food justice and free speech, and more broadly, on the entire animal agricultural industry, which DxE says is inherently abusive and exploitative."

O.J. Simpson slaughtered his ex-wife and her friend -- so says a civil jury that awarded the victims' families $33 million -- but you wouldn't know it by the reception he received 13 miles from the murder site, because fans were beyond stoked to rub elbows with him.

O.J. returned to L.A. -- as far as we can tell for the first time in years -- to watch the Bills trounce the Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Simpson was like a rock star outside the stadium ... with fans flocking to him for a precious selfie. They could not mask their excitement, screaming his name, hugging and fist-bumping him ... they just couldn't contain their glee.

True enough, O.J. was found not guilty of murder, but the civil jury ruled he did indeed kill Ron and Nicole -- who was almost decapitated by the knife -- and left her dead on the front doorstep. If it weren't for a curious pedestrian, his children would have found the body.

The action at SoFi Stadium didn't end with the final whistle of the Rams vs. Bills game on Thursday night -- because some of the two teams' fans got into a wild brawl in the streets surrounding the venue afterward ... just feet in front of ex-NFL star LeSean McCoy!

Former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho captured the scene on video and posted it to his social media page ... showing two L.A. fans getting into it with a man in a Stefon Diggs jersey.

In the clip, you can see the Diggs supporter threw a punch at a guy wearing a Cooper Kupp shirt -- and then all hell broke loose.

A man in a Cam Akers jersey raced in to try to get a piece of the Bills backer -- before he slipped and nearly ate a couple of punches.

Eventually, a police officer ran in and grabbed one of the men, which appeared to end the altercation.

McCoy and Acho were standing right behind the fracas the whole time -- commenting on it all as it was going down.

"They can't fight!" said McCoy, a former Bills running back.

No word if any arrests were made -- we've reached out to cops, but haven't heard back yet.

Gilbert Burns -- the last man to share an Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev -- says despite Nate Diaz being a huge underdog, the star from Stockton can absolutely beat Borz on Saturday!

36-year-old Burns joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where we asked the #4 ranked UFC welterweight if Diaz could truly get a W.

"I'm looking forward to Nate Diaz surviving that storm that [Khamzat's] gonna bring in the first two rounds but after that I think Nate Diaz got a chance," Burns said.

"I think the first two rounds are gonna be very rough for Diaz but the veteran that he is and a lot of experience, I hope he gets through those two rounds and then I think the fights gonna turn to the other side."

FYI, Chimaev is around a 10-to-1 favorite ... meaning you'll risk around $1K just to win $100.

Of course, 37-year-old Diaz hasn't consistently fought over the last few years. In fact, Nate's only had one scrap since late 2019 ... a loss in June 2021 to now-champ Leon Edwards.

Speaking of Edwards, Nate hurt Leon in the 5th round of their fight. And, that's why Burns thinks he can beat Khamzat ... Diaz has an incredible gas tank, while Khamzat hasn't yet proven he can fight 5 rounds.

"I want Nate Diaz to win and I hope he survives the first two rounds and then put on a beating on Khazmat. I know he can do it," Burns told us, adding ... "It's gonna be tough the first two rounds. After that, the gas tank of Khazmat slows down."

"Five rounds is different brother."

While UFC 279 is about Nate and Khamzat, Gilbert is looking to get back in the Octagon with Chimaev ... whom he fought in April 2022. Burns lost the razer close fight by decision ... but pushed Khamzat further than any other fighter had previously.

That contest was just three rounds ... and Gilbert believes if they fought a full five rounds, there's no question he would've won.

"100%. It's very hard to say, but I do believe I would've won and I do believe if we fight again, I'm gonna beat him."

Even at 48 years old, Terrell Owens could STILL catch touchdowns for your favorite NFL team ... so says T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who tells TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer "would be successful" if he signed somewhere in the league today.

"I would say if a team gave him 15-20 snaps [per game], give him all the third downs and the redzone," the former Bengals superstar said, "he could do it."

Owens has been asking for a second chance in the NFL for years -- and showed last month he's still got the wheels to play.

In a 40-yard race with two Fan Controlled Football league receivers, Owens dusted the competition and posted an incredible sub-4.5-second run time. And, Houshmandzadeh says that's why he thinks T.O. would still work in the league.

"If you're able to run," the ex-Cincinnati wideout said, "you're able to keep and create separation."

Owens hasn't gotten any looks from NFL GMs since he last played in the 2010 season -- but he has hit the field for the FCF and done well there.

Houshmandzadeh says he's "interested" in seeing some team give the guy the opportunity to show he still belongs.

"I don't know why anyone hasn't," he said. "I don't think they will. But if they were, I believe he'd be successful."

Rajon Rondo didn't have to wait for the NBA season to pursue another ring ... 'cause the 2-time champ just popped the big question to his girlfriend -- and she said "yes!!!"

The 4-time All-Star got down on one knee and asked for his partner Latoia Fitzgerald's hand in marriage Thursday night ... and it was one of the biggest nights of her life in more than one way, as she was also hosting a huge NYFW event for her clothing brand, "Lionne."

Right as the show ended, Rondo hopped up on the runway as Latoia's back was turned ... and when she turned around and saw him, he found his opportunity to propose.

Rondo's move seemed to be a real shocker to Latoia and the guests, who crowded around the couple and cheered as she accepted.

Rondo wasn't the only household name in the building, either ... Draya Michele, Fivio Foreign and Flo Milli were among other celebs in attendance.

Rondo and Latoia have been dating for a while. She's a fashion designer from Philly ... and, now she'll be taking on a whole new title -- last name, that is!

O.J. Simpson -- #32 back in the day -- just posted a 32-second video he shot in L.A. ... and as far we know, he hasn't been back in years, and there's a lot of history.

O.J. was in a suite at SoFi Stadium Thursday afternoon, getting ready to watch the Buffalo Bills square off against the L.A. Rams.

Simpson was giddy with excitement, telling his followers, "Hey twitterworld, it's me, yours truly!!!" He made it clear, he's rooting for his old team, and seemed amped up for the game.

Of course, it almost goes without saying ... O.J. in L.A. conjures up memories of June 12, 1994 and the murders that went down 13 miles from the stadium.

As you know, O.J. was tried for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was found not guilty, but shortly thereafter a civil jury ruled he did indeed kill Ron and Nicole and did so with malice. The jury awarded the families $33 million but O.J. paid virtually nothing, and has even mocked Ron Goldman's dad, Fred, in the years that followed.

A freshman high school football player in Minnesota is currently paralyzed after the 15-year-old boy suffered a serious spinal cord injury during his first game of the season ... and his family fears he'll never have use of his arms and legs again.

The terrible incident happened when the Jefferson High Jaguars played Chaska in Bloomington, MN on Sept. 2.

Ethan Glynn -- who plays on defense -- was severely injured after making a tackle in the first quarter. Jaguars' coach Tim Carlson told local media outlet, KSTP, that Ethan tripped before making the tackle, sending him headfirst into the opponent.

The hard hit to the top of the head left the teenager motionless on the field ... and now his family says he has no feeling in his extremities.

"He suffered a severe neck & spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed from the shoulders down," Glynn's family said on the CaringBridge.

"He has a long road ahead of him but he is a fighter and we have no doubt that he will give it his all."

Ethan's already endured multiple surgeries ... and his family says he met with his physical and occupational therapist on Thursday.

"He has excelled at using the communication board," the family said, "which has allowed him to take in some sports highlights, a movie & communicate with us!"

A fundraiser has been started to help Ethan's family with the ever-mounting medical bills ... and as of Thursday afternoon, they've already raised over $120K on GoFundMe.

"We are lucky to have such amazing support," the family said on the GoFundMe page.

"We've got you #8"

Besides football, Ethan was also the captain of Jefferson's hockey team.

The NFL will honor Queen Elizabeth II before the 2022-23 season kicks off ... with the league holding a moment of silence, TMZ Sports has learned.

Tributes throughout the sports world have been pouring in on Thursday ... with many athletes, organizations and events sharing condolences over the passing of Her Majesty.

In addition to the NFL's tribute, the BMW PGA Championship has suspended play until further notice ... with organizers saying golf would be paused for the time being in the wake of the Queen's death.

"Out of respect for Her Majesty and the Royal Family, play has been suspended at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club for the remainder of Thursday, and flags at Wentworth Club will be lowered to half-mast,” a statement from the Tour reads, according to GOLF.com.

"Furthermore, no play will take place at the BMW PGA Championship on Friday, and the golf course and practice facilities will be closed."

Thursday was the first day of the BMW PGA Championship tournament -- which is held in Europe -- and one of golf's biggest names, Rory McIlroy, was competing in it.

As we reported, the Queen's family rushed to be by her side once the palace announced she was under medical supervision at her estate in Scotland.

The Royal Family announced the 96-year-old Queen -- the longest reigning monarch --  "died peacefully" hours later.

Another tribute took place at a match between FC Zurich and Arsenal ... with a moment of silence after halftime.

Players from both clubs stood with their arms behind their backs ... while fans in attendance followed suit by paying homage to the Queen.

An image of the Queen was also shown on a big screen ... saying, "In memorial Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

The Queen's impact was certainly felt ... evidenced by the reaction her passing is receiving from notable athletes like F1 star Lewis Hamilton, NFL quarterback Russell Wilson and pro boxers Tyson Fury and Jake Paul.

Hamilton expressed concern about Queen Elizabeth's well-being in the waning moments of her life ... saying he was hoping for better news and calling her a "real fighter."

"Dignity defined. An inspirational leader for many generations. Rest In Peace Queen Elizabeth II," Paul tweeted.

Former Washington Commanders captain Deshazor Everett has just been sentenced to house arrest in the criminal case involving his December car crash that resulted in the death of his girlfriend.

A judge handed down the sentence in a Loudoun County, Va. courtroom on Thursday ... two months after Everett pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving in the case.

The judge sentenced the 30-year-old to 12 months of house arrest, with nine months suspended, court records show. The judge also ordered the suspension of Everett's license for six months. He was also hit with a $2,500 fine, according to the records.

Outside of the courtroom following the ruling, Everett's attorney, Kaveh Noorishad, called it all "a fair decision."

Everett also spoke after the hearing ... and vowed "to be the best person" that his girlfriend "always wanted me to be."

As we previously reported, Everett was initially charged with felony involuntary manslaughter after officials alleged he was speeding before he crashed his Nissan GT-R. His girlfriend, Olivia Peters, was a passenger in the car, and died as a result of the wreck.

Everett cut a deal with prosecutors in July, pleading guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor reckless driving.

Everett -- who was released by the Commanders three months after the crash -- has not played football since the accident. He's currently an NFL free agent.

Adrian Peterson ain't done with football yet ... the future Hall of Famer says he still wants to play -- and he revealed to TMZ Sports he's got his eye on joining one of the three big Super Bowl contenders this year.

The former Minnesota Vikings star -- who's training his ass off to fight Le'Veon Bell in a celeb boxing match this weekend -- said despite his newfound goals in the ring ... he's hoping someone gives him a call to play football later this season.

Specifically, the running back said he's targeting the Bills, Rams and 49ers.

"There's a couple teams out there," A.P. admitted out in L.A. on Wednesday while gearing up for his big fight night with Bell. "Buffalo Bills would be a good team. The Rams, I don't know what need they'll have at running back. San Fran would be a good look."

Peterson said while Buffalo, L.A. or San Francisco would be ideal -- the plan is to ultimately chase a ring somewhere this year.

"There's a lot of teams that have the opportunity to advance far into the playoffs that I've thought about," he said.

For now, Peterson -- who last played for the Seahawks in 2021 -- is solely focused on boxing ... as his match with Bell is scheduled to go down at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday.

Adrian tells us he isn't worried about the age gap between him and the former Pittsburgh Steelers star (37 to 30) ... and is hoping his power and awareness get him a win.

Sad news out of the dog racing world ... 4-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey passed away Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was only 52.

As we previously reported, Mackey announced he was diagnosed with throat cancer for the 2nd time last August ... after beating the disease in 2001.

We're told the legendary dog musher was in and out of the hospital since June ... with Mackey saying on Facebook in August, "the past several months have been the hardest/worst part."

"Just wanted to say thanks to my friends and family for everything and I love you all so much. I Fully believe it is not my time yet and I’m still doing pretty good but I’m going to have a lot of things to get done in my life."

But, tragically, Mackey died Wednesday night.

Mackey's mother went to FB to break the terrible news ... before Lance's fans filled her comments paying tribute to the champ.

"May the champion musher Rest In Peace," a fan said under the post.

"Thanks for the memories. My sincere condolences to the entire Mackey family and friends. Sadly the world lost a great musher and a even greater person."

Mackey was one of the best in dog sledding ... winning both the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race four times between 2005 and 2010. His father and half-brother are also dog mushers.

Mackey was honored by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski for his accomplishments and Asteroid 43793 was named after him in 1990 by discoverers Carolyn Shoemaker and David H. Levy.

Mackey is survived by his two children ... whom he shared with his late partner, Jenne Smith, who died in an ATV accident in 2020.