TMZ Sports - Page 50

Jay Glazer says the NFL went WAY TOO HARD on the Atlanta Falcons -- claiming a $350k fine and a docked 2016 draft pick was a crazy overreaction for illegally piping crowd noise into their stadium during games.

The "NFL on FOX" star was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood Monday night when he told us Roger Goodell and his crew could've handled the situation a lot better ... if RG woulda just picked up the phone and called the owner.

"Just call em up ... say, 'Knock it off! Enough! Just don't do it!'"

Instead, Glazer says ... the NFL went way over-the-top and clearly Jay feels it's damaging the league.

"Not everything has to be a freakin' congressional hearing. You don't need a big investigation into everything."

The Game picked the wrong guy to sock in the mouth during a basketball game ... TMZ has learned his victim is an LAPD officer.

Law enforcement sources tell us the guy who got into it with the rapper during the hoops game over the weekend is a rookie cop ... who was off-duty at the time.

It's interesting -- as TMZ first reported ... Game is saying the guy threatened him before the fight by hinting he was going to get a gun out of his gym bag. For his part, the punchee told responding officers Game is the one who issued a death threat. Our Game sources say he denies that.

Barry Sanders is on a crusade for fathers' rights -- claiming dads often get the shaft in custody wars because the laws were written "in a time when mothers were the primary caregiver."

The NFL Hall of Famer wrote about the issue on his blog -- saying when he split with his wife in 2012, he secured a lawyer who specializes in "protecting the rights of men in divorce."

Sanders says he was able to reach a fair custody arrangement with his ex regarding their 3 young children -- but says, "There are plenty of horror stories out there of guys who go through a divorce and then rarely get to see their children."

His explanation -- "Despite that fact that men now often play a major role in raising children, many of the laws dealing with divorce were written in a time when mothers were the primary caregiver. Because of this, even great fathers can run into issues in the family courts when it comes to getting a fair parenting plan after the divorce."

He continues, "Family courts still tend to favor moms when it comes to custody."

He's worth a gazillion dollars (or something like that) ... but even super rich "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec thinks paying $87,500 for a ringside seat to May vs. Pac is nothing short of crazy.

Herjavec was leaving Craig's in West Hollywood Monday night when we asked about the first fight tickets to hit the market -- and his reaction is interesting ... considering he's exactly the kind of guy who could actually consider forking over the dough for a seat.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft just took the stand in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial -- and told the court his former tight end was adamant he did NOT kill Odin Lloyd.

Kraft says he spoke with Hernandez at the Patriots facility two days after Lloyd was killed -- and asked Aaron if he had anything to do with the killing.

"He said he was innocent," Kraft told the court.

At the end of the conversation, Kraft says Aaron hugged and kissed him.

Kraft says Hernandez denied having any involvement -- and said he was at a nightclub at the time Lloyd was murdered.

"The Greatest" has picked a side in the fight of the century -- with Muhammad Ali's daughter telling TMZ Sports, "My dad is Team Pacquiao all the way!"

We spoke with Rasheda Ali -- who's very close with her dad -- and she tells us, "My dad really likes Manny. He's a huge fan of his."

"He knows Manny's a great fighter ... but it's more about what he does outside the ring. He's such a charitable person."

Rasheda says Manny and her father have been friends for years -- and he even came to Muhammad's 70th birthday party back in 2012.

As for Floyd Mayweather, Rasheda tells us her dad respects him as a fighter -- but says he and Muhammad are two VERY different people.

"My dad stood for things. Mayweather ... I don't think there's a comparison."

Unfortunately, Muhammad won't be attending the fight in Vegas ... but Rasheda says he wouldn't miss it for the world.

"There's no question he's going to order it. It takes my dad way back to when he was fighting."

Seems an $87,500 price tag isn't deterring rich people from the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight ... because the broker selling the seats tells TMZ Sports he's already got "serious" buyers lined up.

We broke the story ... the guy who runs Precision Concierge New York (PCNY) says he's secured 39 tickets to the fight, including ringside seats, which he's selling for $87,500 each.

Hours after he posted the tix and the prices, Oren Schneider says he's already had real interest from legit buyers looking to throw around some serious dough.

"I've been getting phone calls all day," Schneider says ... but so far, the ringside tickets have not been officially snatched up.

TMZ obtained video of The Game unloading a punch on an opposing player during a pick-up basketball game -- but we're told the guy threatened to unload a gun in Game's ass before the fight.

Sources connected to Game tell us the rapper says the punchee started things by throwing an elbow at Game ... who responded by elbowing him right back. Then it got really heated -- Game claims the guy said don't make me go to my gym bag because ... "I got that thing."

The clear hint was the guy had a gun.

What happened next was a case of punch or be punched -- we're told Game is saying the guy raised his fist first, and that's when Game threw his Tyson-tatted right hand.

The video doesn't appear to back up Game's claim about the guy being first to make a fist.

Amber Rose and James Harden have decided to put their bangship on hold ... mutually deciding to enter the desolate and barren void known as the FRIEND ZONE ... TMZ Sports has learned.

James and Amber had been rumored to be seeing each other ... with Amber attending a Rockets game in Houston and reportedly gushing to friends about how sweet Harden was.

Rose even publicly proclaimed on "The Breakfast Club" that she might let the NBA's leading scorer sink a bucket on Valentine's day, if he "acted right."

But we've learned the two are officially DUNZO romantically ... and that it was the the distance between them that turned their Sonny & Cher into a Murtaugh and Riggs.

Bottom line -- start lining up fellas ... seems like this is back on the market.

A high-end NY-based "hospitality service" says it has the very first authentic ringside seats to the Mayweather vs.Pacquiao fight ... and they could be yours for $87,500-a-pop!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with Oren Schneider -- the head of Precision Concierge New York (PCNY) -- who tells us he has 39 tickets to the fight ... ranging from upper level to ringside seats.

The prime seats -- $87,500 for 6th row ringside ... but he only has two at the moment.

So, how did he get the seats since tickets have NOT gone on sale to the general public? Oren says he knows some very powerful people connected to the fight.

We called reps for the MGM Grand, Top Rank (Pacquiao's promoters) and TMT (Mayweather's people) who all told us the same thing -- it's possible the tickets are legit, but they didn't come from them.

As far as PCNY's legitimacy goes ... they've been registered as a legit business in New York since 2011 ... and we've spoken with several entertainment industry people who vouched for 'em.

That being said, here are some of the other prices:

(2) Lower 13 Row G @ $42,500 each (center ring)
(2) Lower 13 Row M @ $36,500 each (center ring)
(2-4) Lower 15 Row M @ $23,500 each (just off center ring)
(2-5) Lower 15 Row T @ $16,000 each (just off center ring)
(2-4) Lower 14 Row W @ $14,650 each (just off row R @ $12,500 each (corner)
(2-4) Lower 19 Row X @ $10,100 each (corner ring)
(2-4) Upper 209 Row L @ $7,850 each (corner to ringside)
(2-4) Lower 5 Row R @ $12,500 each (corner)
(2-4) Lower 19 Row X @ $10,100 each (corner ring)
(2-4) Upper 209 Row L @ $7,850 each (corner to ringside)

Hope you saved up.

Roughly 1,000 of the hottest chicks in Texas went down to Houston this weekend ... to try out for a spot on the Texans cheerleading squad ... and TMZ Sports has pics from the smokin' hot audition.

There are 35 spots on the squad -- and EVERYONE needs to tryout ... including members of last year's team.

Right now, we're told the team has cut the roster down to 50 ... with final cuts coming in the next few days.

Michael Strahan has hooked up again ... and showed off his pretty chick in St. Barts.

The athlete/commentator/talk show host/rich person was ready to flaunt his relationship while vacationing with 2 other couples -- including fellow ex-NFLer Tony Gonzalez and his wife.

It seems the stories that surfaced months ago he and Nicole Murphy might get back together ... are ancient history.

As for the lucky chick -- we're told she's not just a vacay hookup. She and Michael have been dating for a few months.

Michael -- who's co-starring in "Magic Mike XXL" -- may have retired from football, but no one told his body.

Michael Jordan's greatness apparently doesn't extend to frat-house pastimes ... cause his ex-teammate Ron Harper tells TMZ Sports he DOMINATED his airness ... at ping pong & pool.

Harper was MJ's teammate on the Bulls from '95 to '98 when Jordan was an absolute basketball GOD ... and really could do nothing wrong on the court.

So when we got Harper leaving 1Oak in L.A. recently we had to ask the five-time NBA champ ... have you ever beaten Jordan in anything?

Check out the clip -- Harper answers our question with an emphatic HELL YEAH, then goes on to tell us how he took his fair share of pong and billiard contests off Jordan.

The insane over-the-top Ohio mansion where Mike Tyson lived and partied in the '80s and '90s is getting a complete makeover ... in Jesus' name.

The mansion is insane -- featuring marble EVERYWHERE, a hot tub with mirrored ceiling, indoor pool, tiger cages, a basketball court and more.

Tyson sold the place in 1999 ... and it's had multiple owners since then ... but now, according to the Daily Mail, it's been bought by a developer who plans to turn the property into a church.

The place isn't in terrible shape ... but it does need some work ... especially since vandals tagged the joint, leaving several "anarchy" symbols around the house.

Aaron Hernandez essentially had a hall pass to cheat on his fiancée whenever he pleased ... because she says she knew all about it ... but decided to look the other way.

Shayanna Jenkins testified for the second day at Hernandez's murder trial where he stands accused of killing Odin Lloyd back in 2013.

Jenkins testified that she broke things off with Hernandez after she found evidence that he was banging other chicks on his cell phone. But Jenkins says she got back with Hernandez anyway because their bond was too strong.

After they reconciled, Jenkins says she decided to "compromise on his behavior, and that included infidelity and everything that came along with that."

Boxing superstar Jermain Taylor just appeared in court ... and said he's NOT GUILTY of assault and making terroristic threats at a Martin Luther King Jr. day parade back in January.

As we previously reported, Taylor was arrested in Arkansas after he allegedly pulled a gun on a married couple and their 3 young children ... and fired two shots in a rage ... after one of the children dropped his championship belt.

Taylor was charged with 5 counts of aggravated assault, 1 count of making a terroristic threat and 1 count of possession of a controlled substance.

Taylor -- who's currently in a court-ordered substance abuse program -- also asked the court if he could be allowed out of the program once a week to handle personal and professional issues ... but the judge denied his request.