TMZ Sports - Page 50

The man who claims he was attacked by Shaquille O'Neal says the injuries to his neck and spine were so bad, he needed major surgery to repair the damage ... and says X-rays show just how bad it was.

TMZ Sports has obtained one of the X-rays, which Rob Williams' lawyer says was taken after a November surgery to correct a herniated disk, suffered in the alleged Shaq attack at Turner studios in May '13.

Rob's attorney, William J. McKenny tells us his client required 4 screws and a metal plate as a result of the alleged "punch-tackle" ... and says he's still in serious pain.

While Shaq insists the two were simply horsing around, Rob's attorney tells us his client was simply standing outside the break room, looking at his cell phone when Shaq came out of nowhere.

Terrell Owens says he would HUMILIATE Michael Jordan on the basketball court -- and he's so confident, he made a VIDEO talkin' all sorts of smack to the NBA god.

TMZ Sports obtained the clip T.O. made for the video streaming app "HangWith" -- in which the former NFL star shamelessly brags about his roundball skills.

"I'm dunkin' on n**gas. I'm crossin' n**gas up ... MJ don't even want none of this right now."

He goes on, "I know he's 50-something-years-old ... he used to be MJ but he would be 'crossed up MJ' if he come mess with me right about now, 'cause my game is nice!"

Owens then hypes up his jump shot for good measure -- "My J is wet. My J is wetter than Niagra Falls right now!"

The fan who made a twitter bet with Atlanta Falcons star Roddy White AND WON will finally get his prize -- 2014 season tickets to ATL Falcons games -- but it ain't Roddy who's forkin' over the goods.

In case you missed it ... White's been under fire for the bet, in which he told Dylan Hoyt, "If Mercer beat Duke (in the NCAA tourney) I will give you season tickets 50 yard line first row."

Well, Duke lost ... and Roddy tried to weasel his way out of paying up by only giving the guy tix to ONE game. Hoyt told the media he was cool with Roddy's offer and never really expected anything.

But now, TMZ Sports has learned ... sports memorabilia website OnlyJays.com has contacted Dylan and offered to come through -- with season tickets as close to the 50 yard line as they can get.

A rep for OnlyJays.com tells us they decided to give Dylan the tickets because they felt he handled the situation with "class and grace."

Also, let's get serious ... IT'S A GREAT PUBLICITY MOVE!

The man who claims he was attacked by Shaquille O'Neal was merely the victim of a "couch gag" that Shaq routinely pulls on the show ... sources close to the investigation tell TMZ Sports.

O'Neal is currently under investigation by Atlanta Police after an employee who works at Turner Studios (where Shaq tapes "Inside the NBA") claimed O'Neal injured him during an assault in May '13.

Coach Metta World Peace?? It's very possible.

The NBA star formally known as Ron Artest was leaving Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills Monday night when he told us he's considering a coaching career after his playing days are over.

"I think I would be a zenful coach," Peace says ... "I was taught by the best."

Speaking of Phil Jackson, Metta also tells us the Zen Master will be a HUGE success with the Knicks ... and even makes a prediction about how many titles P.J. will bring to the Big Apple.

Tim Tebow just got an offer he shouldn't refuse. When a smoking hot actress like Kat Bailess asks you to do something, Timmy ...you say YES! Kat joined us to talk about her proposal to TT, which could open up a whole new world for him.

Plus, NASCAR's Michael Waltrip sees dead people, like Donna Summer. Honestly, it's the funniest on-air flub we've seen in a long time ... maybe, ever.

College ain't for everybody ... so says NBA star Jermaine O'Neal who tells TMZ Sports he has absolutely NO REGRETS about skipping school to go straight to the pros.

Of course, O'Neal -- who was leaving Mr. Chow with his wife -- went to the league back in '96, before the NBA implemented a rule requiring players to be 1 year out of high school to sign with a team.

And get this ... Jermaine says he doesn't watch the NCAA tournament either -- but it's not because he has no alma mater to pull for, it's because the competition to just too weak for his taste.

"The level of play isn't the same like it was 4 or 5 years ago."

The younger brother of NFL star Mike Williams has turned himself in to authorities ... though Mike is now telling cops the whole thing was an accident and he "fell" on the knife his bro was holding.

Mike's brother, Eric Baylor, was taken into custody last night ... he's facing battery and domestic violence charges for allegedly stabbing the Tampa Bay Bucs receiver in the left thigh.

But cops say ... despite multiple witnesses who say the two had been arguing before the stabbing, Mike is NOT blaming his brother.

"[Mike's] account is that they were horsing around in the kitchen and he fell on the knife that his brother was holding," a rep for the Sheriff's Office says.

Suuuuuure.

Drew Brees and his wife saw the "Noah" movie the other day ... IN COSTUME ... two by two.

The New Orleans Saints QB and his wife went to a screening of the new Russell Crowe flick by their home in San Diego ... wearing full bible regalia.

Brees -- known as one of the religious guys in the league -- even had a tin foil ax for good measure.

After the movie, Brees tweeted about the experience ... saying, "Saw @NoahMovie the other night at Cinepolis. Opens 3/28. Very intense! #thefloodiscoming."

We get the hashtag is for the movie, but weird since he's so strongly connected to the rebuilding of N.O. after the Katrina floods.

Darren Sharper's family believes the former NFL star is being denied basic justice by being held in an L.A. jail despite the fact he already posted bail ... and they're furious ... sources connected to the case tell TMZ Sports.

It's been 5 years in the making, but the Legends Football League has finally selected their 50 HOTTEST ATHLETES OF ALL-TIME ... and TMZ Sports is revealing the final rankings.

It's no small feat -- the LFL (formerly known as the Lingerie Football League) had more than 1,500 players to choose from in 3 global leagues (USA, Canada, Australia).

The finalists range from World Star Hip Hop video model Ogom Chijindu to Angela Rypien, daughter of Super Bowl XXII MVP Mark Rypien (she also happens to play QB for the Seattle Mist).

But after spending countless hours slaving through video and photos ... and more video ... the powers that be at the LFL (along with input from fans) came to a final decision.

"Half Pint Brawlers" star Puppet nearly died after slipping into a coma ... and things were so bad ... doctors called in his family to pay their final respects.

Puppet tells TMZ ... he booked a doctors appointment last month after falling ill -- and when he showed up, his physician rushed him to the ER because he was having a diabetic attack.

The ex Spike TV star says things got foggy real quick ... he slipped into a coma for 2 weeks after his kidneys shut down and contracted double pneumonia and his blood sugar level rose to 600.

Doctors felt he was a goner and called his family -- his brother drove 15 hours in a blizzard to be by his side -- but Puppet miraculously pulled through 14 days later.

Puppet spent the next few weeks in the hospital's physical therapy unit ... but he's out now and on insulin -- as well as other meds -- and says he's happy to be alive.

He says this incident won't derail his wrestling career (he's got a gig for next month lined up.).

Shaquille O'Neal is under investigation by Atlanta Police ... after a man claims the ex-NBA star punched him at Turner studios last year ... though Shaq claims the two were simply horsing around.

There are some things a hug cannot fix ... like a broken leg.

That's the lesson learned by "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly, who broke his leg on the set of the movie last week while trying to catch a pass from Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.

According to our sources, Connolly tripped on a sprinkler while trying to make the play, which resulted in Jerry Ferrara falling on his leg.

We're told it was a pretty clean break -- think of how bad it would have been pre-weight loss Turtle -- and that filming was not interrupted at all by the injury.

Way to take one for the team, E.

TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call made moments after Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams was stabbed in the leg at his Tampa home ... with the caller ID'ing the NFL star's brother as the culprit.

During the call, made Sunday around 5pm ... one of the callers tells the 911 dispatcher, "A man just got stabbed by his brother."

You can hear a man in the background, who sounds like he's in pain, wailing ... saying, "Look at this s**t. LOOK AT THIS S**T!"

As we previously reported, Williams was rushed to a nearby hospital with a stab wound above his left thigh. He's reportedly doing OK.

BYU running back Jamaal Williams was arrested for underage drinking in Utah recently ... despite the fact he was in a car, on his way home, with a sober designated driver behind the wheel.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 18-year-old sophomore (a rising star who's expected to start next year) was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for speeding around 2am on February 16.

Law enforcement tells us ... the officer approached the car and smelled booze and decided to test the driver and the two passengers, because all of them appeared under the age of 21.

Cops determined the driver was 100% sober -- but Williams blew "about a .12" on the breathalyzer ... and was immediately cited for misdemeanor underage drinking.

Williams appeared in court in Utah this week and plead not guilty to the charge, He's schedule to appear in court in May.

Jamaal's football career at BYU could be in jeopardy -- since a conviction would be a violation of the school's honor code ... which the university has been known to enforce.