TMZ Sports - Page 50

A bunch of Denver Broncos players decided to blow off some pre-Super Bowl steam Monday night with a huge sushi dinner in NYC -- with champagne and models ... but no Peyton Manning, TMZ Sports has learned.

We know ... linebacker Brandon Marshall, defensive tackle Mitch Unrein, linebacker Wesley Woodyard and roughly 15 of their teammates hit up Tokya sushi lounge around 8pm.

We spoke to Tokya owner Roee Nahmani who tells us ... the guys were hesitant to scarf down the sushi at first, out of fear of a possible bubble gut situation ... but quickly got over it and proceeded to eat more than 100 ROLLS.

We're told the guys did booze a little bit -- drinking some Don Julio 1942 tequila, Moet Rose champagne, Ciroq vodka and Hennessey ... and toasted to the Super Bowl with every round.

Don't worry, Nahmani says things never got out of control and the guys couldn't have been nicer.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews is thiiiiis close to having Justin Bieber as a neighbor ... 'cause he bought land in Bieb's Calabasas community -- but the singer could be OUT by the time Clay's home gets built.

TMZ Sports has learned ... Matthews recently dropped $2.6 million on a plot of undeveloped land in The Oaks ... a gated community littered with huge stars like Bieber, Travis Barker, Keyshawn Johnson, Nikki Sixx and (coming soon) Kourtney Kardashian.

Matthews -- who signed a $66 million contract extension last year -- is planning to build his dream home on the property ... but we're told construction has not started yet.

And with Justin Bieber telling people he's planning to leave The Oaks, it's very possible Calabasas could be Bieber-free by the time Clay is ready to move in.

And get this ... Clay scored a huge deal on the property -- it was originally on the market for $4.4 mil. We're not sure if the drastic price cut is due to the fact it's located near Bieber's home, but it's very possible Bieb was a factor.

Boxing legend Larry Holmes is NOT trying to hold back his race ... insisting Metta World Peace was WRONG when he painted him as someone who's dragging down black people.

Holmes is responding to a pretty intense cyber-rant by the NBA star -- in which Metta said Larry was "bringing down" the black community by criticizing Floyd Mayweather's flashy spending habits.

"Metta Peace should know a little bit about me before he makes statements," Holmes tells TMZ Sports ... "I don't wish anybody no bad luck, I only wish him the best."

Jonathan Martin says he HABITUALLY targeted with "vulgar" verbal attacks during his stint with the Miami Dolphins ... and finally left the team because he just couldn't take the constant harassment.

NBC has just released a teaser of Tony Dungy's big interview with the NFL player -- in which Martin never mentions Richie Incognito by name, but certainly implies he was bullied without mercy.

"I’m a grown man. I’ve been in locker rooms. There’s vulgar language used in locker rooms, and it doesn’t bother me – it’s the persistence of it."

He continued, "I wish I had more tools to solve my situation. But I felt trapped – like I didn’t have a way to make it right. It came down to a point where I felt it was best just to remove myself from the situation."

For his part, Incognito has adamantly denied bullying Martin.

As we previously reported, the two exchanged graphic taunts in text messages back and forth to each other during their time on the team together.

It's not often you hear Magic Johnson talkin' smack -- so when the NBA legend blasted Dennis Rodman on national TV this week ... you know he's gotta be really mad.

Magic appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and went off on The Worm ... ripping the guy as a "pathetic" traitor for leading his infamous basketball mission in North Korea.

"You can't go to a place that is trying to harm us," Johnson said. He went on to shame Rodman for somehow managing to LOSE the game -- noting that North Korean's aren't very tall people.

Richard Sherman was feeling the love -- AND THE HATE -- in New York last night when he was confronted by a Broncos fan who started talking all sorts of trash ... and TMZ Sports has the footage.

Sherman was leaving the Nets game in Brooklyn along with some of his Seahawks teammates when a Denver fan started heckling at close range.

"Sherman, let's go Broncos, Sherman ... Demaryius is gonna OWN YOU this week!"

That's when some of Sherman's supporters got his back -- screaming back at the Denver fan.

You can hear one Sherman fan yell out, "Number one corner in the game. Number one f**king corner baby!!! Talk it -- we love it in New York!"

Sherman stayed composed during the incident -- and made it back to the team bus without engaging the haters.

Keyshawn Johnson swears his decision to unload his Calabasas mansion has NOTHING to do with his ex-neighbor-from-hell -- Justin Bieber ... and says there's zero beef between him and the egg-happy pop-star.

The ex-NFL legend went on Jon Marks and Sean Brace's radio show today ... and said he made the decision to leave way before JB turned into Dennis the Menace.

In fact, Keyshawn says he's now rooting for Bieber ... and hopes the guy gets his life back on track.

Either way, things are looking up for Calabasas ... Bieber is now strongly considering leaving the community as well.

Seems the cop in the Yasiel Puig case overreacted when he said the Dodgers star could've killed his mom on a FL highway ... because officials have now dropped the reckless driving charge saying Puig is nothing more than a common speeder, TMZ Sports has learned.

We posted the video of the crazy arrest ... in which Puig, sporting pink shorts, was pulled out of his Mercedes and berated by an angry Highway Patrol Officer who caught the MLB star doing 110mph with his mom in the car.

At the time of the Dec. 28th arrest, the cop insisted Puig was driving recklessly and hauled him to jail. If convicted, Puig could have been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

But today the State dropped the case against the 23-year-old ... saying speeding alone on an open highway doesn't constitute "reckless driving" and he wasn't doing anything else to warrant a charge other than "speeding."

So in the end ... Puig gets a speeding ticket ... and that's it.

With the Super Bowl just days away, Seattle Seahawks superstar Richard Sherman took a break from hardcore preparation ... to unwind at a Brooklyn Nets game with some of his teammates.

Sherman -- along with linebacker Bobby Wagner -- got the complete VIP treatment at the Barclay Center Monday night to watch the Nets take on the Toronto Raptors.

The Hawks didn't just get to hang out in a pimped out VIP suite, they also got to kick it courtside for a while ... where they had seats right near Michael Strahan.

We're told the people at the stadium went all out for their guest stars -- treating the guys to all the Skittles they could eat and a special guest visit with the Brooklynettes dancers.

In the end, the Nets couldn't quite switch into Beast Mode ... and lost to the Raptors 104-103.

Don't count out Greg Schiano ... so says one of his most famous former players who tells TMZ Sports he's a GREAT COACH ... no matter what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers say.

We spoke to Eric LeGrand -- the former Rutgers University football star who suffered serious spinal damage back in 2010, back when Schiano was the head coach for the Scarlet Knights.

LeGrand -- who's still tight with the recently fired Bucs coach -- says Schiano's not the kind of guy who gives up ... telling us, "After taking a year off, he'll get back into football. That's what he does."

Eric continued, "He's a great coach and he's gonna be great on somebody's program."

Who needs Marshawn Lynch ... when there's MeowShawn Lynch?!!?!

The top kittens in the country are gearing up to face off ... and nuzzle each other ... at this year's Kitten Bowl -- and TMZ Sports has the pics of the athletes.

Justin Bieber posts a lot of videos of himself balling on a basketball court, but a former NBA star is calling him out now. Why Tracy Murray says Biebs can't hoop the way he THINKS he can.

Plus, DeSean Jackson's ex-gf moved on to Bieber -- but now the Eagles star has a new side piece ... porn star Michelle Maylene. It's nothing official yet ... but we gotta wonder -- athletes and porn stars -- good idea

Ex-NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski tells TMZ Sports ... there are a handful of dirty plays from his NFL career he wishes he could take back -- like the time he SNAPPED A DUDE'S FINGER!!!

Bill -- one of the most ferocious defensive players of all time -- is out in NYC for the Super Bowl ... and says he still feels bad about the time he was in a pile with running back Dave Meggett, grabbed the guy's finger and "cracked it like a chicken bone."

"I heard it and felt it ... and then heard the scream at the bottom of the pile."

Still, Bill admits, "There are probably 5 plays I'd love to take back ... but I can't."

LeBron James got in touch with his sensitive, emotional, crotch-thrusting side at a charity event in Miami this week ... breakin' it down to a Montell Jordan R&B classic ... and it was all on video.

James was part of a performance at Battioke -- an annual charity event thrown by his Miami Heat teammate Shane Battier.

King James -- along with Toney Douglas and James Jones -- got down to the 1998 jam "Let's Ride" ... with all three NBA stars showing off their best '90s Boys-II-Men-style dance moves.

Check out the clip -- it'll take you back to the days M.J. busted out those classic lyrics, "Now baby what's more than incredible, she did her thing ... 5'5" 146, swinging nothing but a g-string."

Ex-NFL stud Jarvis Green -- a 2x Super Bowl champ -- narrowly escaped being scammed into buying bogus shares of an NBA franchise ... and now the FBI is on the hunt for the con man behind the alleged scheme, TMZ Sports has learned.

The former New England Patriots defensive end -- who spent 8 seasons in the league -- tells us ... he was contacted by a person who claimed to affiliated with the Miami Heat and was offering to sell equity in the team so Green would be a partial owner.

Green said the guy sounded legit at first ... explaining, "He was telling me about LeBron James, courtside seats ... can you imagine high-fiving LeBron?"

The guy wanted more than $250k from Green -- but when the ex-NFL star started considering the offer, he became suspicious.

"It sounded amazing, but I kept thinking, 'Why Jarvis Green? Why not Tom Brady?' Something was off ... but I was excited."

Green says ... when the con man started pushing for bank account information, he contacted the Miami Heat to investigate. The Heat quickly called BS on the scheme and contacted the FBI.

We're told the feds got in touch with Green -- and opened up an investigation.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell us ... they believe the suspect could be the same person who allegedly scammed Warren Moon out of $200k in a similar scheme.

When contacted for comment, a rep for the FBI would only confirm there is an active investigation -- but would not comment on any specifics.

Your mom's Zumba class just got HARDCORE ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned, UFC face-smasher Mark Munoz is taking up dancercise -- and we dare you to crack a joke (at least to his face).

Munoz -- who's currently ranked #7 in UFC middleweights -- hit up the LA Fit Expo on Saturday ... where he fulfilled his New Year's Resolution of (that's right) learning Zumba.

And guess what -- Mark says he loved the class so much ... he's actually considering using some of the moves in his regular MMA workout routine.