TMZ Sports - Page 50

"Brady might as well retire!!!"

That's Tennessee Titans legend Chris Johnson gloating his face off after his squad beat the Patriots ... with CJ2K advising TB12 to hang it up for good!

Johnson -- who spent 6 seasons with the Titans back in the day -- was a VIP guest with the team at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. And, when the team came out with the W in the Wild Card round, Chris got right in the middle of the action!

"I told you we was gonna smack this sh*t, man," Johnson shouted after the 20 to 13 victory ... "I already knew it!"

"We told 'em we was gonna get that sh*t!!!"

The bragging and the smack talk continued outside the locker room ...

"Brady might as well retire! We done painted that sh*t!"

Watch the video, Johnson is convinced we've all seen the last of Brady on the Patriots -- and maybe forever!

For his part, 42-year-old Brady didn't sound ready to retire in his post-game press conference ... telling reporters it's "hopefully unlikely" he quits pro football for good.

"I love the Patriots. It's the greatest organization," Brady said.

"Playing for Mr. [Robert] Kraft all these years, and for Coach Belichick, there's nobody who's had a better career, I would say, than me -- just being with them. So, I'm very blessed."

It's finally officially over for Jason Garrett in Dallas ... the Cowboys have finally fired the head coach in a move EVERYONE saw coming from a mile away.

There were rumblings about Garrett's termination for weeks -- especially after the Cowboys went 8-8 this season and failed to make the playoffs.

And, even though the team was reportedly interviewing high profile candidates like Mike McCarthy and Marvin Lewis to take over, the team hadn't officially relieved Garrett of his duties ... until now.

Moments ago, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer said the team had finally sacked Garrett ... clearing the way to make a hiring move.

Garrett was 85-67 during his 10-year run with the team ... and only made the playoffs 3 times despite having some seriously talented players.

Saint Laurent got into the act for Golden Globe weekend, throwing an epic party ahead of the ceremony.

It went down at a home in the Los Feliz area of L.A., and tons of stars were more than happy to accept the invite. Among them ... Dwyane Wade, Gabby Union, Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber, Kate Bosworth, Rami Malek and Taron Egerton.

The bash was thrown by Rami Malek and Anthony Vaccarello. Rami's nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV series for Mr. Robot. It's the third time he's been nominated for the role, but he's come up goose eggs each time.

It's become the battle cry for the Baltimore Ravens -- "BIG TRUSS!!!" -- and someone has already filed for the trademark ... but it wasn't Mark Ingram!

Remember, it was the Ravens star running back who brought the phrase to prominence following a Nov. 17 victory over the Houston Texans.

During the post-game press conference, Ingram was introducing Lamar Jackson and called him the MVP frontrunner, challenging anyone who says otherwise to "come see me"

"I'm bout that! Big Truss!! Woo Woo! Lamar Jackson! In the Flesh!"

In fact, Ingram has already tapped an apparel company to sell "Big Truss" shirts and other merch ... it's on sale now!

But, the issue for Ingram ... someone else already went to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and filed to own the trademark -- a Nevada-based fan named Lance Roehl.

Roehl has also been selling "Big Truss" merch -- and tells TMZ Sports he hopes to work with Ingram and the Ravens in some sort of capacity.

He insists he isn't a squatter who's holding the phrase hostage -- however, if he gets his application approved he could (in theory) go after Ingram for selling "Big Truss" merch without permission.

As for his legal claim, it generally takes about 3 months for the USPTO to approve the trademark application and usually the first to apply with a substantive claim gets it.

As of this post, neither Ingram or the Ravens have filed an application of their own.

So, what does it mean??? Most likely, Roehl will get approval and either Ingram and the Ravens will probably cut a check to buy it outright or work out a licensing deal.

In the meantime, Ingram and the Ravens are gearing up for the AFC Divisional Round playoff game which goes down on January 11 ... so, they've got bigger fish to fry.

What would you do if you won $1 million? Well, Kayla Harrison's got the money ... and some ideas on how to spend it.

Harrison -- one of the biggest stars in MMA -- beat Larissa Pacheco and won this year's PFL tournament ... which comes with an over-sized million dollar check.

So, we hit her up and asked how she's gonna spend the money ... and she's considering using part of the big ass check to honor her father.

"My dad passed away a while ago and he used to love fixing up old American muscle cars. So, the last car he had that he really wanted to fix up when I was a kid was a ’69 Camaro. So I’ve kind of been rolling around the idea of getting a Camaro."

Kayla says her dad actually unloaded his favorite old -school muscle car back in the day to get her, her bro and sis some quads ... so copping the Camaro would be special for her and her family.

"I just remember [the Camaro] from being a kid. He was fixing it up and he actually sold it to buy me and my brother and sister four-wheelers for Christmas. So I was like damn I need to get that Camaro in his memory."

That's not all ... Kayla -- who also says she's gonna donate a bunch of the cash to her Fearless Foundation -- says winning the money (and the tournament) is literally a dream come true.

"I feel good, life is good, I’m happy. Damn, I’m blessed. Like are you kidding me? I never thought that in a million years that, a million no pun intended, I never thought in a million years that I’d be making millions of dollars doing what I love."

"I’ve come a long way from that 16-year-old girl with $200 in her pocket, to a millionaire by 30. What the hell. Dreams do come true."

But, she isn't done ... Harrison says she's gunnin' for the million-dollar prize again next year.

Hollywood's finest came out in droves for a pre-Golden Globes event which saw them mingling with Olympians -- and the get-together was nothing short of a tearjerker.

The ritzy shindig went down Saturday afternoon at one of the first-ever homes established in Bev Hills ... the Virginia Robinson Gardens mansion. It's called Gold Meets Golden, and the whole idea is to pair celebs with pro athletes all in the name of charity --  this in anticipation of Sunday's award show and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, of course.

For this 7th year -- which was hosted/presented by Coca Cola, BMW Beverly Hills, FASHWIRE along with other sponsors -- the proceeds were going toward Angel City Sports ... an org promoting adaptive sports for kids, adults and vets with physical disabilities.

Definitely a cause worth getting behind ... and you could tell as much by who showed up -- including Nicole Kidman, Chris Evans, Rami Malek, Taron Egerton, Cynthia Erivo, Matt Bomer, Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein, Zoey Deutch, Joey King, Naomi Watts, Lou Ferringo and more.

Of the Olympians and athletes in attendance ... Jackie Joyner Kersee, Nadia Comaneci, Bart Connors, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Ian Thorpe, Willie Gault, Metta World Peace, Apollo Anton Ohno, Kristi Yamaguchi and several others.

Check out the clip above ... you see Cynthia belting out a rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine," Taron and Sistine Stallone putting medals on the 2014 bobsled team and Matt Bomer presenting a cake to diver Greg Louganis for his 60th bday this month.

Colin Kaepernick has some thoughts on the United States taking out a top Iranian officer with a drone strike ... calling it classic American imperialism via our military.

The ex-NFL quarterback posted some scathing remarks Saturday about the international move that's got everyone here at home worried about a so-called World War III -- and he didn't hold back in criticizing it to the max, likening it to an attack on people of color.

Colin wrote on Twitter, "There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism." He didn't stop there.

CK adds the perceived escalation of tensions has been resorted to in the U.S.A.'s playbook time and again. He says, "America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad. America militarism is the weapon wielded by American imperialism, to enforce its policing and plundering of the non white world."

Trump's order to kill Qasem Soleimani has gotten mixed reactions -- with some calling it necessary and imminent, as the guy is said to have been responsible for taking American lives while waging destructive and deadly tactics there in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Others say Donald Trump's administration acted in haste by signing off on the strike, not considering the ramifications and the possibility of war. Congress hasn't even been formally briefed yet.

John Cena does not seem at all bothered by the fact his ex-girlfriend, Nikki Bella, is engaged ... he's way too involved in his new relationship.

John was leaving the Montage hotel in Bev Hills Friday night with GF, Shay Shariatzadeh ... he's been dating her for several months. He said back in November, "I'm extremely happy."  It seems like he still is.

Eyewitnesses tell us John and Shay were dining outside, drinking wine, kissing and holding hands. Not sure if they ate anything!

As we reported, Nikki announced Friday she's engaged to her "Dancing with the Stars" partner, Artem Chiqvintsev. Turns out they've been engaged since November ... when he popped the question to her in France.

John and Nikki broke up in 2018. They were together for 6 years, but the subject of having children seemed to torpedo the relationship.

A mysterious new twist in the Antonio Brown paternity case ... and this one involves allegations of domestic violence -- but it's unclear if AB is the alleged assailant.

Here's the deal ... Brown has been wrapped up in a paternity dispute with Chelsie Kyriss since 2017 in Broward County, Florida. They have 3 children together.

We've been routinely checking the court records to monitor any developments in the case -- and in late December, the docket showed a new "related case" has been added to the record.

We pulled the file for the related case which is listed as a "Domestic Violence" matter. It was filed on Dec. 26 and is currently being handled in family court.

The issue ... the case is currently under seal -- which means the important details, including the people involved, are not being made public so we don't know if the matter is "related" to Brown or Kyriss or both.

We reached out to lawyers for Brown and Kyriss but neither side would comment.

We've also made calls to various law enforcement agencies but so far we haven't found a police report.

Brown and Kyriss have had a terrible relationship for years and it's well documented. Brown has previously accused of Kyriss of being a terrible, neglectful mom and in 2018, made a push to get sole custody of their kids.

Most recently, Brown filed a lawsuit against Kyriss claiming she refuses to leave his Florida home despite serving her with eviction papers.

In fact, things are so bad between the two, Kyriss called police in mid-December to monitor a clothing handoff at Brown's home so she could get various items from him that belong to their child.

Carmelo Anthony says he REALLY appreciates the loud ovation he got from Knicks fans Wednesday during his return to Madison Square Garden ... saying, "Real know the real!"

The Portland Trail Blazers star hadn't played at MSG since Dec. 2017 -- after the Knicks traded him to the OKC Thunder.

Of course, OKC eventually waived Melo. He had a short stint with the Rockets and then spent months unemployed before eventually signing with Portland in Nov. 2019.

Now, 35-year-old Melo is back to balling out ... averaging 16 points and 6 rebounds in the 20 games he's played so far. NOT BAD AT ALL!

Clearly, the fans in NYC -- where Melo spent almost 7 seasons -- still respect the guy and got a super loud ovation during the intros of the Portland vs. NY game on Wednesday.

"Real recognize real," Melo told us about his reception ... "I appreciate the love, always."

We also asked Melo if he thinks his jersey should be retired by the Knicks -- and he had an interesting response to that.

"I don't know man. You're talking something that ain't on my mind right now."

There's a solid argument for Melo's jersey to hang in the rafters at MSG -- he was an All-Star every year he played in NYC while averaging 24.7 points per game.

LA Galaxy star Jonathan dos Santos is havin' one helluva start to his 2020 ... hitting up the beaches in Mexico with not only one gorgeous bikini-clad lady -- but TWO gorgeous bikini-clad ladies!!!

The 29-year-old MLS midfielder is enjoying his time away from the soccer field this week by catching some rays in Cancun ... and the views are spectacular.

Oh yeah, and the beach is pretty cool lookin', too.

JDS has been playing in LA for 3 years now ... and has recently said he wants to retire a member of the Galaxy when it's all said and done. We take it his retirement plan involves more beaches and babes.

In total, there were more than 2 hotties with dos Santos in the water ... but that headline wouldn't have been as creative, now would it have???

Khabib Nurmagomedov is still adamant he's NOT considering a rematch with Conor McGregor ... despite what Dana White has been saying, this according to Khabib's manager.

White has been talking about a Conor vs. Khabib rematch for weeks -- telling BT Sport, "If Conor can get through [Cowboy Cerrone], and if Khabib can get through [Tony Ferguson], then we’d be looking at a rematch with Conor and Khabib down the line pretty soon."

So, when we saw Ali Abdelaziz out in NYC, we asked how Khabib felt about running it back with Conor ... and he made it pretty clear, the Dagestani ain't down.

"Conor is not on our radar," Ali says ... "He might lose to Cowboy. I think he might lose!"

Ali pointed out the first fight ... saying Khabib simply kicked Conor's ass for 4 rounds before making the Irishman tap out. He thinks Justin Gaethje is a better opponent for McGregor but has his own suspicions about why the UFC hasn't booked that fight.

"The UFC made the right choice not to fight Gaethje because he would have beat his ass, simple."

What's interesting is Ali -- who reps both Gaethje and Khabib -- says he thinks those two should fight it out one of these days because they're two of the best in the world.

In fact, we spoke with Gaethje about the possibility of a Khabib fight a few months ago ... and he says it's nothing personal, he just wants to fight the best.

As for Ali, he had one hell of a year in 2019 ... with clients like Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo and others winning belts and putting on great fights.

So, how can things get better in 2020? He's got a plan ...

#45 just can't get enough of Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence ... 'cause President Donald Trump will be checking out the big College Football Playoff championship game!!!

POTUS -- who witnessed Burrow's Heisman campaign firsthand during the LSU and Alabama game this season -- is expected to hit up the huge match-up between the 2 undefeated teams, according to The New Orleans Advocate.

We know what you're thinking ... and yeah, we're assuming security will be SUPER TIGHT considering the recent developments with Iran. Hell, it better be.

As for the game, it's gonna be AWESOME -- with both #1 LSU and #3 Clemson entering the Jan 13th game undefeated.

Trump has kept a close eye on LSU so far in the CFP ... with Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron saying he got a personal call from the president after trampling all over Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl.

"I was very honored to get a call from President Trump," Coach O told reporters.

"He was very pleasant to talk to. Very complimentary of our football team, our coaching staff. Complimentary of the way the state of Louisiana has rallied around us. Was complimentary of the way we played all year and wished us good luck in the game."

Burrow also previously talked about what it's like to play in front of the Prez ... saying, "Doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, President at the game is pretty cool."

Bombshell report Friday ... an altercation with a wild boar was allegedly the reason NY Mets star Yoenis Cespedes broke his ankle last year -- and the story is NUTS!!

The season-ending injury the outfielder suffered in May last year happened when he got into a tussle with a boar on his Port St. Lucie ranch, according to the New York Post.

Cespedes -- who has traps set up on his property to keep wild pigs away from humans -- was allegedly startled when one of the boars got loose.

According to the report, Cespedes stepped in a hole in an effort to get away from the animal ... 'causing a nasty break in his ankle.

Ron Jaworski is praising the Eagles for NOT signing Antonio Brown when they were down in the dumps this year ... telling TMZ Sports that move could have been a train wreck.

"Short term, it might have been a good move," Jaws says. "But, I think long-term, it could've have been disastrous."

Jaws says he certainly considered the idea of his ex-team adding the troubled superstar ... especially when Philly was 5-7 and its wideouts were dropping like flies due to injuries.

But, Jaworski tells us once he really broke it down ... he realized the move could have SERIOUSLY damaged the Eagles' locker room.

"Antonio Brown is a fantastic football player, but he's also an incredible distraction," Ron says.

"And, when you build your team on guys of high character and team focus, it's hard to bring an outsider in, despite all that talent, and think he's going to integrate into your culture in a short period of time."

It appears Jaws -- and the Eagles' brass, for that matter -- made the right call, 'cause the team ended up winning the NFC East without Brown ... and has a real shot to beat the Seattle Seahawks in their Wild Card game Sunday.

As for that matchup, Jaworski tells us he's confident Carson Wentz can replicate what Nick Foles has previously done for the team in the playoffs -- saying CW is more physically gifted than the Super Bowl LII MVP.

NHL coach Jim Montgomery -- who was recently fired by the Dallas Stars -- says he's admitting himself into rehab after the "wake-up call" of losing his job.

50-year-old Montgomery got the ax in December over a mysterious incident that nobody seems to be talking about. But, whatever happened was so bad, the pro hockey team fired him with cause and voided the remaining 2.5 years on his contract.

Now, Montgomery is breaking his silence ... and while he's not explaining the actions that caused his termination, he claims he's had a break-through moment and realizes he needs help.

"Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call," Montgomery said ... "It was also the appropriate call."

"I let the team’s front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down."

"The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help. I turned to professionals in the field of alcohol abuse for their guidance and counseling. It has been an overwhelming and a very humbling experience knowing that I am not alone."

He continued, "Today, with the unconditional support of my wife and family, and many close friends, I took another step forward by admitting myself into an inpatient residential program, where I intend to take the steps to be a better husband, father, friend, coach and mentor – one day at a time."

"It’s a process I am committed to. As I do this, I ask that my family’s privacy be respected. Thanks, Monty."