TMZ Sports - Page 50

Another milestone for Brian Banks -- the football star who made it to the NFL after proving he was wrongly convicted of rape ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned he's getting married ... TOMORROW!!!

Brian's story is incredible ... he was a high school football superstar who spent 5 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Then, after he proved his accuser made the whole thing up, he battled his way in to the Atlanta Falcons training camp in 2013 and actually played in some pre-season games!

Now, we've learned... the 29-year-old is all set to tie the knot with his fiancee Emmy -- and it's all going down in Vegas. The two have been together for 3 years.

We're told the ceremony will be pretty small -- just close friends and family -- but there will be a few famous faces in the crowd ... including NFL insider Jay Glazer and former UFC fighter Frank Trigg.

And get this ... Banks became close with an officer in the Navy during some of the USO/NFL tours he did recently ... and we're told the officer has a cool gift in store for Brian.

He's going to fly the USA flag over Camp Lemonnier during the moment of Brian's "I Do's" ... and told Brian it's because, "Lives with meaning like yours are worth fighting for. You deserve the best."

Congrats!!!

'Coach' and 'The Chin' weren't enough ... so now Bill Cowher can also go by 'Grandpa' -- his daughter Lindsay and her husband, Lakers forward Ryan Kelly, just had their first baby.

The baby ... Nile Jeremiah Kelly was born last night, and he's a big boy ... 8.8 lbs. and 22 in. long.

It's not known if Coach Cowher was actually at the hospital when Lindsay popped, but the ex-Steelers coach took a hands on approach with Lindsay's dating life ... at least according to his son-in-law, Ryan.

So, now that they have a baby boy ... the question: Dad is in the NBA, grandpa's an NFL coaching legend -- do you play football or basketball?

The New England Patriots just released a SCATHING new statement blasting the Wells Report ... once again insisting that Tom Brady did nothing wrong.

In the docs, the team makes its argument using strong scientific evidence ... and one fun fact about male urination ... a Pee Fact, if you will.

Here's the long and short of it ...

One of the key parts of the Wells Report is pointing out that Patriots locker room staffer Jim McNally went to a bathroom with game balls before the AFC Championship game. The insinuation is that McNally deflated the balls while inside the crapper.

Here's the Patriots retort:

"The report does not address whether one minute and 40 (seconds) is consistent with the time that it takes a gentleman to enter a bathroom, relieve himself, wash his hands, and leave. In fact, it is."

So, there you have it ... according to the Pats ... it takes a dude 100 seconds to drain the lizard, wash up and leave the bathroom.

And that's exactly what the Patriots believe happened.

WOW!!!!

Check out Magic Johnson's son EJ Johnson ... showing off his physique this week after dropping more than 100 POUNDS over the past year!

The "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" star says he underwent gastric sleeve surgery back in 2014 -- but claims the surgery merely "jumpstarted" him to start living a healthier lifestyle.

Clearly, it's working ... and you can see it in this new pic he took with Rosanna Scotto from FOX 5 in NYC.

In fact, he told Wendy Williams he's absolutely determined to keep the weight off ... and says people like Jennifer Hudson serve as his inspiration.

"It's something that I struggled with and I needed that push in the right direction. And now my mindset is completely changed."

Here's golf champ Rickie Fowler and his hot model GF Alexis Randock ... both showing off their respective cleavages during a celebratory dinner in the Bahamas this week.

Sorry champ, she wins.

The two hit the beach after Rickie won the Players Championship in Florida ... and Randock made sure to let everyone know on Instagram writing, "Dinner on the beach in the Bahamas celebrating my mans huge win!!"

She continued, "Rickie- your hard work and perseverance shined through on Sunday for an epic win that will go down in history. I couldn't be more proud of you!!! #PlayersChampion."

Dell Demps can CALL OFF THE SEARCH for the new head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans -- because Louisiana congressman Cedric Richmond says HE'S the man for the job ... seriously!

Richmond (D-LA) was leaving Capitol Hill ... when he told us why he's the perfect candidate ... after all, he's got plenty of experience as a volunteer hoops coach back home in the Big Easy.

Plus, he says he could DEFINITELY build a winning team around Anthony Davis.

And if that's not enough, Richmond already has the support of ANOTHER congressman ... Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL) ... who was a real deal college basketball star at Purdue!

In fact, Clawson tells us Richmond can PLAY -- saying he's "among the two REAL basketball players in the House."

Sometimes breakups are for the best ... but not Draya Michele and Orlando Scandrick -- because according to Draya's "Basketball Wives" co-star ... they really did love each other.

We spoke with Brandi Maxiell about the conscious uncoupling -- and she broke it down this way .... "It's sad and unfortunate because I've been around them and they love each other so much."

As we previously reported, Draya had been dating the Dallas Cowboys star for about 2 years before they called it quits ... shocking considering they were just talking about marriage a few months ago.

He may not be a Cowboy (yet) ... but they sure as hell loved Adrian Peterson in Texas this weekend ... when the guy walked into a bar ... and bought EVERYONE a shot of vodka!

It all went down at the Flying Pug Bar in Houston on Sunday night ... where sources tell TMZ Sports the running back was the life of the party from the moment he walked in the door.

We're told AP enjoyed some whiskey ... but wanted to make sure everyone else got their drank on too -- so he ponied up for a round Grey Goose on him.

The fun didn't stop there ... 'cause Peterson's group moved the party down the street to another bar called Exit 73 ... and continued to rage!

The best part of the story ... Peterson played it SAFE at the end of the night and let a sober pal drive him home.

Even bald guys gotta let their hair down every now and then.

Odell Beckham Jr. just made the biggest catch of the NFL off-season ... snatching the "Madden 16" cover right out of the hands of fellow finalist Rob Gronkowski.

Beckham Jr. and Gronk beat out a bunch of other NFL studs ... like the Cardinals' Patrick Peterson and Steelers wideout Antonio Brown ... to become the last two dudes standing on Madden island.

Fan votes determined the final winner, and Odell took it home with a super narrow 52.5% of the votes -- but arguably Gronk is the real winner here.

There's a little thing known as the Madden curse ... and the Giants star is now susceptible to the same fate suffered by Garrison Hearst, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Alexander, Vince Young, and bunch more.

Even last year's cover guy -- Richard Sherman ... jacked up his elbow and lost the Super Bowl.

Ummm ... congrats, Odell?

We asked Giants co-owner Steve Tisch last week about OBJ possibly getting the honor (?) -- he was less than thrilled.

If you're in the market for a Jimmy Garoppolo card, you shoulda bought it last week -- 'cause the Tom Brady backup's trading card is SKYROCKETING!

Ever since Brady was suspended ... Garoppolo's been a hot commodity, and not just for Bill Belichick. TMZ Sports found out his signed rookie card is worth more than 100 times what it was before Tom got nailed.

A rep for COMC -- a top online auction site -- tells us ... "His card was originally selling for $2.25, but as soon as Tom Brady's suspension was announced, Garoppolo's card skyrocketed to $278."

Put down your smartphone ... we already did the math, and that's a 12,256% increase. By comparison, the rep says a signed Brady card will set you back about $290.

Trading cards are nice and all, but Tom still has the 4 Super Bowl rings ... and Gisele.

She's one of the most decorated Olympic athletes in United States history .. but Amy Van Dyken says the biggest accomplishment of her life is STANDING again ... after severing her spinal cord last year.

Her story is incredible -- Van Dyken was seriously injured in a brutal ATV wreck back in 2014 ... but she's been fighting like hell to regain full use of her legs -- and this week, made some serious progress.

In fact, Amy appeared on "TMZ Hollywood Sports" on Wednesday and told us that battling back to stand on her own was "absolutely" the biggest accomplishment of her life ... even greater than winning her 6 gold medals.

You gotta watch the video -- Amy says she's laser focused on walking on her own one day ... and given the progress she's made so far, you'd have to be crazy to doubt her.

Dallas Cowboys stud Orlando Scandrick is back on the market ... 'cause his relationship with "Basketball Wives" star Draya Michele is officially OVER!!!!

Draya broke the news on social media ... saying, "After more than two years together Orlando and I have mutually decided to end our relationship."

"Unfortunately, we both live very hectic lives making it difficult to spend the deserved time together. He is a great father and athlete and I will cherish the memories that we created."

Pretty shocking ... considering the two were talking about marriage just a few short months ago.

Story developing ...

When you're an MLB catcher ... there are serious hazards of the job.

Being farted on by the home plate umpire is apparently one of those hazards ... so says former Yankees superstar Jorge Posada.

Don't worry, Jorge tells us if an ump hit him with a stink bomb -- he always got even ... "I returned the favor."

Yeah, he's got issues ... but the Pac-12 Network says it's not ready to sever its relationship with Braylon Edwards in the wake of his most recent DUI arrest.

The ex-NFL star had been covering track & field for the network this past season and was reportedly in AZ to cover the "Duel In The Desert" between ASU and U of A when he was busted last week.

TMZ Sports spoke with officials at the Pac-12 Network who admit Braylon's arrest is "greatly disappointing" -- but he's not blackballed from working with the network in the future.

Good news for the concession stand employees at Camden Yards ... the Baltimore Orioles are PAYING EVERYONE for the games that were canceled due to the Baltimore riots.

As we previously reported ... SIX GAMES were either rescheduled or moved do the civil unrest surrounding the stadium in the wake of the death of Freddy Grey, who fell into a coma while in police custody and later died.

It was a big deal for concession stand employees -- many of whom were counting on the paychecks.

Now, the Orioles have posted signs around the stadium saying, "Due to the extraordinary circumstances that led to several cancelled or reschedule games, the Orioles organization will compensate all hourly employees for hours that would have been ordinarily worked the week of April 27."

Solid move.

The company behind the Ironman wasn't just running triathlons ... they were also running a giant scam that screwed athletes out of millions of dollars ... so says the U.S. Government.

Here's the deal ... officials say the World Triathlon Corporation was breaking the law when it charged wannabe triathletes a $50 fee for an entry into a lottery to be selected to participate in an Ironman World Championship race.

Between 2013 and 2015, THOUSANDS of people paid the fee ... in hopes of landing one of the 100 open spots. BTW, if you were selected, you still had to pay an additional $850 entry fee!!

Well, the Department of Justice in Florida believed the scheme violated the state's anti-lottery laws -- which forbids companies from profiting off "illegal gambling businesses."

Now, the government says it has ordered WTC to forfeit all of the proceeds it has earned from the scheme since 2012 to the U.S. government ... totaling $2,761,910.