TMZ Sports - Page 50

The USC locker room has turned on Josh Shaw -- with an overwhelming number of players saying they DO NOT want him back on the football team ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've spoken with several well-connected sources involved in the situation who tell us simply -- the players want to move past the scandal and feel it's best for them to do it without Shaw.

As one source put it, "We're done with him."

Sources tell us the players feel he put himself over the needs of the team at a critical time in the season.

As we previously reported, sour feelings towards Shaw nearly turned violent when he was aggressively confronted in the locker room by a teammate who yelled at him to come clean on Monday.

Just when Manti Te'o thought the whole fake GF catfishing thing was behind him, it's all coming back to life ... thanks to USC star Josh Shaw.

After Shaw admitted that he made up the whole story about heroically saving his 7-year-old nephew from drowning in Palmdale, Manti's name became a trending topic in the U.S. on Twitter.

And that's when the memes starting flooding the net -- most of which were at Te'o's expense.

Of course, while Te'o was at Notre Dame, he was catfished by a man -- pretending to be a girl -- but when Manti realized he was the victim of a hoax, he lied to the media in an effort to cover the whole thing up.

Eventually, the whole story came to light ... the catfisher was ID'd as Ronaiah Tuiasosopo -- who eventually fessed up to hoaxing Te'o.

Manti went on to have a pretty good rookie season in the NFL despite the headlines.

Move over Jane Fonda ... 'cause Johnny Manziel is an aerobics instructor now.

Kinda.

The Cleveland Browns quarterback is the star of a new Snickers commercial where he plays a leggings-wearing, headband-sporting exercise teacher ... leading a class full of confused women.

It's all a part of those "You're Not You When You're Hungry" ads ... complete with the epiphany that he's supposed to be on a football field instead of an aerobics studio.

So, if you're keeping score -- that's TWO endorsement deals for the backup QB in Cleveland.

Call him Shaquille O'NEILL ... 'cause the retired NBA Big Man hit the ocean hard in Florida this week ... with his super hot girlfriend by his side -- and TMZ Sports has the pics.

Shaq and Laticia Rolle were spotted in Cocoa Beach, FL on Tuesday by Louis Barr Photography ... splashin' around on the beach like a couple of teenagers.

FYI -- Shaq and Laticia have been hangin' out a lot this summer ... probably safe to say they're dating.

When he wasn't saving lives yesterday, surf god Laird Hamilton pulled an INSANE move off the beaches of Malibu -- SHOOTING THE PIER -- and TMZ Sports has the footage.

It's pretty crazy video ... you can see Laird paddling up to the pier on his board and then carefully positioning himself to ride through the wood beams ... without smashing into 'em.

Warning -- DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME ... it's super dangerous and most people are not Laird Hamilton.

For a guy who's usually dishing out the hits, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick took a pretty big one on his Hollywood Hills mansion ... selling the place for roughly $700k less than he wanted.

Scandrick originally listed the 3,300 square foot home last year fro $2.85 million -- but when no one bit for that price, he chopped it down ... and eventually let it go for $2.1 mil.

Scandrick bought the place back in 2011 right after signing a huge $27 million contract with Dallas ... and we can see why -- the place is pimp ... with sick views and sunken spa and retractable glass walls.

Josh Shaw was aggressively confronted by a teammate in the USC locker room Monday morning -- with the player screaming at Shaw to "come clean" about the false hero story ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union are sealing the deal on their super secret wedding with a contract that demands everyone remain totally silent about what they see that day... and violators will be dealt with harshly!

We've obtained a copy of the confidentiality agreement drawn up for D-Wade and Gabby -- we're told relatives, guests, vendors, caterers ... in short, everybody ... will have to sign it before setting foot in the wedding.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... guests have already been told not to bring cell phones or cameras to the wedding this Saturday in South Florida.

The doc goes even further ... warning that ANYTHING seen or heard at the wedding is confidential information that must be kept secret -- including any personal info or financial details.

According to the agreement, violators will pay a hefty cash fine for unspecified damages.

It's not a good time for American athletes playing in Russia ... so says WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike -- who says things are getting so bad, she's considering QUITTING her Russian club team.

Ogwumike was out in L.A with her sister Chiney (also a WNBA star) and told TMZ Sports the Russian ban on American products is 100% real.

"We're not allowed to have anything that says 'Made In America' over there," Nneka says ... "It's tough."

No McDonalds. No Miley Cyrus. No Wonder Woman lunchboxes.

Nneka says things are getting so bad, she's considering quitting her club team and looking for work in another country.

FYI -- women's basketball is huge in Russia and various parts of Europe. There could be a chance she joins her sister who currently plays for a club team in Italy.

3:59 PM PT -- There are rumblings that Josh Shaw concocted the story to distract attention from a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend.

But TMZ Sports spoke with Shaw's attorney Donald Etra and he is adamant, "There is absolutely NO domestic violence."

He adds, "The real story has nothing to do with domestic violence."

Shaw has issued a statement through his lawyer ... saying, "I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part."

Shaw has not revealed the true reason behind the fall.

USC football player Josh Shaw admitted to USC officials that his story about heroically rescuing his nephew is a lie.

In a statement, USC says ... "Shaw came to USC athletic department officials this afternoon (Wednesday, Aug. 27) and admitted that he had lied about how he suffered his ankle injuries over the weekend."

Stop us if you've heard this one before -- a man risks serious injury to rescue a swimmer in distress ... only this time the story wasn't made up ... and the hero is the REAL DEAL.

It all went down Wednesday afternoon in Malibu -- where surfers flocked to the beach to catch some unusually large waves.

But when one surfer lost his board and found himself in trouble -- surf legend Laird Hamilton jumped into action ... grabbing his fins and racing out to the man to help bring him back to safety.

Laird was assisted in the rescue by another man.

We're guessing the mystery co-hero isn't a football player from USC.

He knows football. He knows winning ... and Coach Bobby Bowden also knows MARRIAGE -- which is why our photog listened up when the guy gave him relationship advice RIGHT ON THE STREET.

The college football legend -- who just released a new book "The Wisdom of Faith" -- knows a little something about the topic ... he's been married to the same woman for 65 YEARS!!

So, ya gotta hear what he tells our TMZ Photog when our guy asked about the pressures of saying "I Do."

Sometimes crap does roll uphill. USC's head coach says he's washing his hands clean of the Josh Shaw mess, telling reporters he's leaving it all to his bosses.

Steve Sarkisian held a news conference this morning and said, "In this day and age ... I'd be foolish not to push everything up the ladder."

Sark says he'll have little to say about Shaw while he lets USC officials handle the investigation into what really happened to Shaw's ankles -- injured while saving a drowning child, or while mysteriously "shimmying" down the side of a campus building.

Watch the clip ... 'cause toward the end it sounds like he takes a shot at how other coaches have handled recent scandals.

Rich people love tennis ... they LOOOOOVE it ... just ask Michael Jordan, Donald Trump and all the other loaded celebrities who jetted over to NYC this week to check out the action.

But who's got the fattest wallet????

Jordan's reportedly a billionaire.

Trump is said to be worth 4 TIMES that much.

And "Shark Tank" star Daymond John ... well, he's rich ... but probably out of his league when if you stack up the bank accounts.

As for Alec Baldwin -- he raked in $15 million back in 2012 when "30 Rock" was on the air ... yet somehow managed to score great seats!

ESPN has issued an apology for a report which covered the locker room showering habits of Michael Sam.

The network came under fire yesterday after Josina Anderson went on the air and reported on her discussions with multiple Rams players about how Sam is conducting himself in the locker room.

In her report, Anderson said ... "Another Rams defensive player told me that ‘Sam is respecting our space’ and that, from his perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is kind of waiting to take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable."

Now, after several people -- including Rams star Chris Long -- went after the network, ESPN has issued an apology ... saying:

"ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."

So far, Sam has yet to comment on the situation.