TMZ Sports - Page 50

Ric Flair -- who lives in North Carolina -- says he's received DEATH THREATS from insane Carolina Panthers fans who are furious he gave a pep talk to the 49ers last week.

As we previously reported, Flair visited the 49ers the night before their playoff battle with the Green Bay Packers ... and since the 49ers won, they're playing Carolina this weekend.

But Flair's rep says ... some Panthers fans are PIIIIIISED ... claiming Ric betrayed the state he calls home -- and some people have been making threats to kill the 64-year-old.

The rep explains, "We know fans are passionate about their teams, but some of the choice language we have been receiving is scaring off our interns."

Longtime Chris Christie supporter Shaquille O'Neal is refusing to turn his back on the New Jersey Governor in the wake of Bridgegate -- telling TMZ, he still believes in Christie despite everything.

O'Neal -- who shot a campaign commercial for Christie last year -- called in to "TMZ Live" moments ago, explaining he believed Christie when Christie said he had NO involvement in the infamous George Washington Bridge closure that crippled Fort Lee in September.

As far as Shaq's concerned, Christie has lots of employees ... and it's very possible the Bridgegate emails -- which suggest the GWB closure was ordered as political retribution against Fort Lee's mayor -- were sent without Christie's knowledge.

As for Christie's shot at the Presidency, Shaq is urging voters to "get all the facts" before deciding to support another candidate.

Blake Griffin's MONSTER DUNK over Kris Humphries last night was so nasty ... even Blake's brother admits, you can't help but feel terrible for Kris.

Taylor Griffin -- Blake's big bro -- tells TMZ Sports he was at the Staples Center to watch the Clippers take on the Boston Celtics and watched firsthand as Blake posterized KH with a FEROCIOUS crotch-to-face throwdown.

"I just feel sorry for the guy," Taylor says ... noting that Blake's dunk was definitely one of the Top 3 slams of the year.

Brian Banks -- who spent 5 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit -- has inked a deal for a movie about his life ... which will tell how he overcame false rape allegations and worked his way on to an NFL team.

His story is incredible ... Banks was one of the top high school football prospects in the country when he was accused of raping a student back in 2002. He was convicted and sentenced to prison.

Banks later proved his accuser had made the whole thing up ... and after spending more than 5 years behind bars, he worked hard to get back in shape and got a shot with several NFL teams.

In fact, the Atlanta Falcons signed Banks in 2013 ... and he actually played in a pre-season game, making a couple of tackles. He was ultimately cut before the regular season started.

Now, we've learned Banks has inked a deal with Gidden Media, which will produce a full length feature film based on Brian's story.

We're told the movie will be produced by Amy Baer, who produced "Last Vegas" which starred Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman.

It might be a blessing that the Dallas Cowboys didn't make the NFL playoffs ... 'cause the team cheerleaders used their free time to go hula hooping ... IN THEIR BIKINIS.

The Cowboys released a brand new, smokin' hot video of the cheer team entertaining themselves with a hula hoop (equipped with a GoPro camera) during their recent swimsuit calendar photo shoot in Cozumel, Mexico.

Warning -- the footage is a little dizzying to watch ... but it's worth it.

WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Mae Young is gravely ill ... BUT NOT DEAD ... this according to local reports.

Young -- the only wrestler to compete in NINE DIFFERENT DECADES (her first match in 1939; her last in 2010) -- was hospitalized and placed on life support in South Carolina last month.

The Post and Courier initially reported 90-year-old Young passed away, but later updated the story ... saying the wrestling legend is alive but very sick.

Mae and fellow pioneer female wrestler The Fabulous Moolah returned to the WWE back in 1999 -- when they were both in their 70s -- and were involved in numerous iconic moments like being powerbombed through a table by the Dudley Boyz ... and the birth of "hand."

He's set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame ... but MLB pitching great Tom Glavine tells TMZ Sports ... he can still bring the heat when it comes to rocketing a baseball.

The 47-year-old was at LaGuardia on Wednesday when we asked him if he's still maintaining his arm -- 5 years after he retired from the game.

Dennis Rodman is blaming the a-a-a-alcohol for his wild screaming North Korea-defending outburst on CNN this week ... saying he was drinking before he went on live TV.

During the maniacal rant, Rodman -- who's in N. Korea -- defended dictator/tiny person Kim Jong-Un's decision to imprison American Kenneth Bae, even though N. Korea won't say why Bae is being punished.

Now, Rodman is backpedaling HARD ... saying, "I embarrassed a lot of people. I'm very sorry. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I'm truly sorry."

He continued, "I had been drinking ... It's not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed."

Rodman also issued an apology to Kenneth Bae's family, his teammates and CNN host Chris Cuomo ... the target of Rodman's outburst.

Former NFL star Carl Pickens was HIDING IN HIS ATTIC when cops arrived at his home to arrest the 43-year-old for beating up his wife ... but he blew his cover when he CRASHED THROUGH THE ROOF.

As we previously reported, cops in Georgia were on the hunt for the ex-Pro Bowl wide receiver after his wife told authorities Carl threw her on the couch and pinned her down by the neck during an argument on Dec. 7th.

When deputies arrived to Carl's home to arrest him for domestic battery, his wife lied and told the deputies he wasn't there ... but then cops heard a "loud crashing sound" coming from the ceiling.

Cops proceeded to inspect the house and saw "a fresh hole in the ceiling from the attic where Mr. Pickens had partially fallen."

Dumbass.

According to the report, cops shouted at Pickens to surrender ... and moments later, he obliged ... having blown his best hiding spot.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is now officially Dr. Buzzkill ... 'cause the CNN correspondent tells TMZ Sports, a "beer coat" will NOT keep you warm at frigid Super Bowl XLVIII -- and could actually mess you up badly.

For most fans ... booze goes hand-in-hand with the big game -- but with it going down outdoors, at Met Life Stadium this year ... we asked the good doc if it's still a good idea to swill alcohol in what's expected to be freezing February temps.

The news ain't good ... 'cause the Gup says even though getting wasted might make you feel warm ... it actually makes your body lose more heat.

Yeah, we know ... goes against everything you've ever heard or done, but watch the clip for the scientific explanation. It's interesting, and a great reason to watch from your couch.

We now know who won the Johnny Manziel sweepstakes -- and we're not talking about an NFL team ... we're talking hot chicks! Blonde or brunette ... did Johnny make the right call? You make the call!

Plus, Jonathan Martin partying with strippers ... with a big smile on his face. Still buying his claim that Richie Incognito bullied him and other Dolphins teammates into having meetings at strip clubs?

Cliff Robinson -- one of the ex-NBA stars who's in North Korea with Dennis Rodman -- knows his trip has turned into an international "train wreck" and expects serious backlash when he returns to the U.S. ... so says his wife.

TMZ Sports spoke with Heather Robinson -- who's appeared on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" -- and she tells us her husband initially agreed to join Rodman because he thought he could help "bridge cultural differences with basketball."

But after Rodman went on CNN and defended the country's dictator/murderer Kim Jong Un -- while wildly screaming at the news anchor -- Heather says her hubby knew he had instantly become a part of a PR nightmare.

"The look on Cliff's face when Dennis was talking during the CNN interview, it was pure shock and confusion ... it's the look he used to give when a referee used to make a bad call."

Heather says Cliff and the rest of the players have heard the criticism -- but she wants everyone to know, "In his heart, [Cliff] did this thinking it was a good idea. He thought he was doing something good."

Stephon Marbury doesn't make good decisions (see: eating vaseline) ... but he made a spectacularly bad decision back in 2007 in a deal for a Land Rover, this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

Marbury -- who made more than $88 MILLION in his NBA career -- is being sued for "refusing" to make his car payments on a Land Rover he bought back in 2007.

But the real story is the contract Stephon signed with the dealer -- which shows he agreed to a 6-year lease on the $96k vehicle ... with a ridiculously high 11.5% interest rate.

If you're keeping score ... Marbury agreed to pay roughly $37,000 IN INTEREST ALONE if he kept the car through the end of the lease for a total of $133k on a $96k whip.

That's not fiscally responsible.

As for the lawsuit, the creditors claim Stephon stopped making payments in 2012 ... and owes them $35k for the car.

4:01 PM PT -- We did some more digging and discovered Rodman owes an additional $278,543 in unpaid income tax to the great State of California ... bringing his total debt to $453,027.99.

The U.S. government has a serious bone to pick with Dennis Rodman ... and not just because he's gallivanting around North Korea -- he still owes more than $174k in unpaid taxes, TMZ Sports has learned.

Official government records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show The Worm is still in serious debt ... owing $174,484.99 in unpaid state and federal taxes.

The docs show Worm owes:

-- $165,818 in federal taxes
-- $8,666.99 to the State of Michigan

The tax issues date all the way back to 2007 ... it's unclear why Rodman hasn't paid back his debt.

Jameis Winston just got a HUGE endorsement for his dreams of playing in the MLB ... 'cause Matt Kemp tells TMZ Sports, Winston has the athletic skills to be the next great two-sport athlete.

The injured Dodgers star was hobbling around Beverly Hills this week ... when we asked him if he thinks the Heisman winner has what it takes to be the next Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders.

Kemp admitted he hasn't actually seen the kid play baseball yet ... but with his freakish athletic ability and cannon of an arm ... he thinks the FSU QB could be a stud in the majors.

FYI -- Winston was the 15th round pick for the Texas Rangers coming out of high school ... and will be playing right field, DH, and pitcher for the #5 ranked Seminoles in the next few weeks.

Jonathan Martin didn't look like a man who was dragged into hitting strip clubs before he accused teammate Richie Incognito of bullying ... at least judging by this pic, which is now in the hands of investigators and obtained by TMZ Sports.

Of course, after Martin left the Miami Dolphins in the wake of his bullying allegations against Richie, there were reports Incognito had been holding linemen meetings at Tootsie's Cabaret in Miami ... and players who didn't show up were fined and mocked.

But sources connected to the NFL investigation tell TMZ Sports ... Martin had sent several text messages to Richie before the fallout making it clear he was VERY comfortable hanging out in strip clubs.

In fact, we're told the picture (above) was taken at Tootsie's during a team outing in the summer of 2013. Sources connected to the strip club tell us Martin was hanging out with roughly 15 to 30 teammates that night and appeared to be enjoying himself (just look at the grin and the stack of cash in his hand).

We're also told ... the text messages show Martin would OFTEN reach out to Incognito about his fondness for strip clubs, especially Tootsie's ... and never gave any hint that he was ever uncomfortable in that scene.

In one of the texts, sent in June 2013, Martin told Incognito he liked Tootsie's so much, he planned to bring some visiting high school friends to the joint for a good time.

There's more ... we're also told the text exchanges show a conversation in which Martin said he couldn't make it out one night because "Mary Jane" had him glued to his couch.

We also know investigators have obtained hundreds of texts between Richie and Martin, which show they often exchanged graphic taunts ... and that Martin gave as good as he got. Incognito has previously explained that he considered Martin one of his best friends and that the texts were in good fun.