TMZ Sports - Page 50

"I would honestly say this is probably going to be one of my best seasons. Bigger, stronger, faster ... this is my time."

The Dawg Pound's gotta be salivating after hearing Odell Beckham's prediction for the upcoming season ... with the Cleveland Browns superstar WR saying he'll be more than ready to bounce back after a disappointing 2019.

Remember, OBJ says he played all of last season with a sports hernia injury he suffered during training camp ... which ultimately led to a lackluster start to his career in Orange and Brown.

The injury ultimately required surgery ... which Beckham had after the season.

"So pretty much, I was just f***ed up the whole year," Odell says. "I really didn't try and say anything about it. Probably one of the worst surgeries I've ever had."

Beckham gave an update on his status in a vlog posted on Monday ... saying he's putting in the work during rehab to get back to 100% during quarantine.

"Recovery's going well. Guess I'm really just trying to put my body back together. I've been playing for 23 years, so for me, I'm trying to put it all back together in seven months."

Beckham had just 4 TDs in 2019 as the Browns went 6-10 ... but this talk has to get fans fired up for 2020.

Larry Csonka and his Miami Dolphins teammate Manny Fernandez once caught a live alligator and hid it in Don Shula's shower ... and the story is nuts!!

The Dolphins legendary running back was remembering Shula on a Zoom call with reporters when he explained how he pulled off one of the most DANGEROUS pranks ever!!

It all started during a fishing trip in Florida with Manny -- a stud defensive end -- the day after an exhibition game.

Csonka says they saw alligators on the beach and Manny said he could catch one.

That's when Manny -- a MANIAC -- jumped out of the boat and caught a 3-foot gator with his bare hands!!

"It was like something in a movie. There was tumbling and screaming and growling and pretty soon Manny Fernandez came walking out of the bushes with a baby alligator!"

"Walked over and threw it in the boat. I jumped out of the boat!"

Larry says the guys threw the gator into his car and brought it back to the team practice facility the next day ... "and then we had the great idea of putting it in his shower."

Larry says the players took a vote on whether to tape the gator's mouth shut -- and it passed by ONE VOTE!

How'd it go over with the Coach???

BEAST MODE MIGHT NOT BE DONE YET!!!

Marshawn Lynch just said he's "in talks" with the Seattle Seahawks about yet another NFL comeback ... this time telling ESPN's Scott Van Pelt to "expect the unexpected" from him in 2020.

"Just as far as right now," Lynch said Monday, "what I do know is, imma keep it solid. My agent has been in talks with Seattle, so like I said, we'll see what happens."

Lynch has retired and unretired multiple times in his NFL career ... but after his short stint with the 'Hawks at the end of last season, most thought the 34-year-old was officially done.

But, Lynch sure seems like a guy who wouldn't mind making a run at Year No. 13 in the NFL.

"If it works out and I get back up there, it is what it is," Lynch said. "And, if not, sh*t, I'm looking good. So I ain't really trippin' too much."

Marshawn -- who's had a Hall of Fame-caliber career -- famously quit the NFL after the 2015 season ... but came back to the Oakland Raiders in 2017 after sitting out all of '16.

After playing 21 games for Oakland in two seasons, it appeared Lynch was finally done with football ... but then he surprisingly returned to Seattle to help with their playoff run last year.

AND, HE LOOKED GOOD!!

So, could he come back for a full season this time with the 'Hawks???

"Ask a silly question" ... is what Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are clearly thinking in this video, which proves the writing was on the wall a couple months before they announced their divorce.

TMZ obtained this clip of the now-estranged couple at an event back in February, where they were doing a meet and greet with fans in Chicago at Kristin's Uncommon James store.

At one point, a woman who said she was newly engaged asked for advice about being newlyweds and marriage. Kristin quickly blurted out a very telling answer ... "Don't do it."

Everyone had a laugh about it -- including Jay who seems very uncomfortable sitting right next to Kristin -- but it sure seems like she was being honest, based on what we now know.

Not too long after this she and Jay officially called it quits, with him filing for divorce -- but Kristin's since said in her divorce papers ... they were close to pulling the plug late last year. They made one last-ditch effort that went south in March. The split has been anything but civil.

As we reported ... Kristin accused Jay of "marital misconduct," which we found out pertained to them not agreeing on child custody. They're also at odds about a living situation right now, as Kristin wants money freed up to buy a new place of her own.

Her fans can't say she's not honest.

Everything's bigger in Texas ... including the mansions -- just check out the place Jason Witten is trying to sell!!

Now that the former Dallas Cowboys tight end is playing for the Las Vegas Raiders, he's parting ways with his 8,800-square-foot estate ... and this place is SICK!!!

We're talkin' 17 ROOMS -- including 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, wine cellar, movie theater, game room and wet bar!

OH, AND THE POOL AREA LOOKS LIKE A RESORT!

Waterslide? Yep. Diving board? OF COURSE!

It's all located in a very exclusive guard-gated community on a golf course in Westlake, Texas ... about a 30-minute drive from Dallas.

The neighborhood is also packed with other NFL and MLB players. Glenn Beck is also a neighbor.

Got guests? There's an 828-square-foot guesthouse too!

The property, listed by Engel & Volkers, sits on 1.2 acres of land. Asking price -- a cool $4.6 MILLION!

37-year-old Witten just wrapped up a 15-season run with the Cowboys -- he made over $70 million in contract money alone.

Now that he's playing in Vegas, seems he's ready to part ways with his longtime pad.

Tom Brady doesn't need access to Tampa Bay parks to keep his G.O.A.T. bod in shape ... the dude's taking his workouts to his backyard now -- IN FULL PADS!!!

TB12 was forced to move makeshift gym locations after local authorities gave him the boot from closed Tampa-area parks last month ... and the QB has clearly learned Derek Jeter's mansion can work just fine.

Brady posted video of his workout from the pad he's renting from the Yankees' legend on Monday ... and it doesn't seem the 42-year-old is missing anything.

Tom showed off some solid footwork and lateral movement ... all while he donned a helmet, shoulder pads, cleats and a knee brace.

Seems his Buccaneers gear still hasn't made its way to his doorstep, though -- 'cause his helmet still looks a hell of a lot like Patriots colors to us.

Then again, it's probably best Tom waits for the pirate swag to arrive at his place rather than going to get it himself ... remember the last time he ventured out in Tampa to get new Bucs stuff??

By the way, Brady's still mixing in some pleasure with work ... getting in a little family jetskiing after his morning sweat.

Like father, like son!!

NFL legend Jim Brown's son, Aris, is following in his dad's footsteps ... by committing to play lacrosse at the collegiate level.

Of course, the Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer was an All-American LAX player at Syracuse ... and even admitted it may have been his best sport over football.

The dude wasn't joking ... he's in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was one of the first African-American superstars in the sport.

18-year-old Aris, a 4-year starter at Sierra Canyon H.S. -- who plays midfield, just like pops did -- announced the next step in his LAX career this week ... saying he's "very proud" to commit to playing at Hampton University.

"I’d like to thank God, my family, friends, and coaches for helping me through the way," the Sierra Canyon HS star said on IG.

Brown also shared a pic of his unique signing day moment -- wearing a mask while inking his name on his papers.

It's a move that's gotta be dad-approved -- Jim was elated when Hampton became the first HBCU school to have a Division 1 lacrosse team back in 2016.

Henry Cejudo wants to fight Jose Aldo so badly -- he just offered to marry the guy to help him get into the country ... just so he can beat his ass!

"I will literally marry the dude to take the dude out," Triple C tells TMZ Sports.

Here's the backstory ... Cejudo was initially supposed to fight Aldo at UFC 250 in Brazil, but COVID-19 screwed up those plans.

Now, with the UFC is rebooking some of the fights in the U.S. -- Aldo is in trouble because he can't get into the country due to govt. travel restrictions.

Cejudo is now set to fight Dominick Cruz on May 9 instead -- but after that fight, Henry says he still wants a crack at Aldo ... and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

"I told Dana White, I said, ya know, I'll take this fight with Dominick Cruz ... but I still don't wanna leave Jose Aldo off the hook."

"I said if I have to marry him to fight him then I will do that. I will literally marry the dude to take the dude out."

"I will get on one knee to beat his ass."

In the meantime, Cejudo isn't taking Cruz lightly -- preparing for Dominick as if it's the biggest fight of his career.

"I got a kingdom to reign -- the Olympic champ, the flyweight champ and the bantamweight champion of the world."

How does he see the fight going?

"Knockout! Me on top of him, the ref pulling me off of Dominick Cruz. I want somebody else to save him from his own beating."

Here's a video that'll hit you right in the feels ... a baseball dad watched his son hit his first home run -- and pop's reaction to seeing it fly over the fence was PRICELESS!!!

The father-son duo is Cory and Asher Willig ... and during quarantine out in Georgia -- they've been getting in some batting practice to pass the time.

Turns out ... all the BP work paid off last Friday -- 'cause little Asher hit a moonshot dinger that Dad couldn't have been more proud of!!

The video will make ya get a little misty-eyed ... Ash (with a sweet lefty swing) took a fastball DEEP to center, and Cory lost his freakin' mind!!!

There were hands in the air ... jumping around, and screams -- and it was all capped off by a massive hug!!

"All those times in front of our house this past month paid off!" Cory said. "So proud of you son!"

AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

By the way, did you take note of Asher's epic bat flip after the ball cleared the wall??? Somewhere, Tim Anderson's smiling big!!!

Just 'cause Rob Gronkowski is an NFL player again doesn't mean he's giving up his WWE 24/7 championship belt without a fight -- and he's already eyeing his own coach as a potential threat!!!

Remember, Gronk became the new 24/7 champ after beating up on Mojo Rawley at WrestleMania 36 last month ... pinning his friend to take over the shiny, new belt.

While it seemed like it was the beginning of a full-on career with Vince McMahon's org, the 30-year-old would end up BACK in the NFL weeks later to join his bestie, Tom Brady, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So ... what's Gronk gonna do with his belt??

HE'S DEFENDING THE DAMN THING, BABY!!!!

Rob joined his brother, Chris, on his "Gronk'd UP" podcast to discuss the status of his championship ... and he makes it clear he's got his eyes peeled for anyone looking to steal his belt -- even Bucs head coach Bruce Arians.

"Imagine coming out of the meeting room, I'm like looking to my left down the hallway ... looking to my right to make sure no one is out of the meetings yet, and then all of a sudden ... Coach Arians just comes out of nowhere with a flying elbow and takes me out and pins me and becomes the 24/7 champ," Gronk says.

"That would be legendary. That would be an honor to lose to him."

Of course, the point of the 24/7 belt is ANYONE can come out of nowhere to try to take it from Gronk ... and he says he's gonna have a huge target on his back once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Gronk even speculates someone could try taking it from him DURING AN NFL GAME ... but he's up to the challenge.

"So many different people coming at me from all angles."

KC Chiefs running back Damien Williams -- who scored TWO 4th-quarter TDs in the Super Bowl -- was robbed at a fancy rental home in L.A., TMZ Sports has learned.

Williams was not hurt in the incident -- but the suspects made off with roughly $1,000 in cash and now cops are on the hunt.

Here's what we know ... the 28-year-old had JUST checked in to a pricey L.A. home on Saturday night when 3 intruders broke into the property through a back door.

We're told the men surrounded Williams and his crew -- and even the suspects did not brandish a weapon, it was clear they wanted cash ... or else.

Williams and his guests complied. Our law enforcement sources tell us the suspects got around $1,000 in cash and then fled the scene.

Cops were called but so far, they have not located the men. We're told the LAPD is investigating and looking for possible surveillance footage. The suspects have been described as 3 African-American men.

A rep for Williams tells TMZ Sports ... the NFL player is doing okay.

Williams was a stud for the Chiefs in 2019 -- but REALLY broke out during the playoffs.

During Super Bowl LIV, he rushed for 104 yards and a TD against the SF 49ers -- and also caught 4 passes for 29 yards and a TD!

The receiving TD with 1:12 left in the game basically sealed the victory for KC.

Some people feel he could have been named Super Bowl MVP.

The NFL will NOT bring its games to London or Mexico this year ... Roger Goodell just announced the league will play entirely in the U.S. in 2020 over coronavirus concerns.

The Shield had planned to play one game in Mexico City and four games in London this season ... but Goodell and league officials said Monday those scheduled contests are now OFF.

"After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK," NFL exec Christopher Halpin said.

"We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season."

The Dolphins, Cardinals, Falcons and Jaguars had all committed to playing the international games ... but the NFL says those contests will now revert back to the teams' respective home stadiums.

The NFL has played in both London and Mexico for YEARS ... everyone from the Seattle Seahawks to the Kansas City Chiefs to the Oakland Raiders have played outside of U.S. soil recently.

Edgerrin James will be spending some quarantine time online shopping for a new basketball hoop ... a college player just destroyed the NFL legend's hoop with a vicious dunk -- and the video is insane!!

Justin Tucker -- a Campbellsville Univ. junior (who's transferring to Keiser Univ. next fall) -- is the man guilty of the backboard assault ... committing the rim crime last week.

The 22-year-old, who's been family friends with James for YEARS, says he and a few other college hoopers got in some run at James' home court in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday.

The games were going smoothly -- the guys were trying their best to exercise and stay safe during the pandemic -- when all the sudden Tucker caught a lob ... and all hell broke loose.

You can see in the vid, Tucker's authoritative slam rattled the hoop so hard ... the backboard crumbled into a thousand pieces!!!

Don't worry ... the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward says he was just fine afterward -- and admitted everyone was just in awe of the feat.

In fact, Justin claims Edgerrin ran up to him after the slam and asked him straight-up, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"

As for the hoop, Tucker says James ain't making him pay for it -- and has plans to replace it ASAP.

By the way, if you didn't know ... Edgerrin's 15-year-old son is a budding hoops phenom as well -- and Justin says he was actually playing against the kid just before the violent dunk!!

And, don't be surprised if James' son is breaking backboards of his own in a few years -- 'cause Justin says the teenager is the real deal!!

Don Shula -- the NFL coaching legend who famously led the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season in 1972 -- has died at 90 years old.

"[Shula] passed away peacefully at his home this morning," the Dolphins said in a statement.

A cause of death was not immediately known.

"Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years," the team said.

"He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene."

"Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike."

Shula is one of football's all-time greats ... after a playing career as a defensive back in the NFL in the 1950s -- he went on to become a Hall of Fame coach.

Shula, the head man in Baltimore from 1963 to 1969 and then in Miami from 1970 to 1995, owns the record for most wins by an NFL coach EVER ... piling up 347 in his 33-year career.

Shula also won two Super Bowls as the coach of the 'Fins ... and is still the only man to ever coach an undefeated NFL team.

Don was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

RIP

Shula had a major impact on a ton of famous people. Some of them are posting tributes on social media including:

NFL commish Roger Goodell -- "Don Shula will always be remembered as one of the greatest coaches and contributors in the history of our game. He made an extraordinarily positive impact on so many lives."

"His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come."

The Cleveland Browns -- who drafted Shula in 1951 -- shared the team's condolences ... saying, "We're proud of the fact that his football foundation was built in Ohio, starting at Harvey High School in Painesville, playing collegiately at John Carroll and then being drafted by the Browns."

"Coach Shula's contribution to our game are unmatched. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Shula Family."

Magic Johnson -- "RIP NFL Hall of Fame Coach and 2X Super Bowl champion Don Shula! My prayers go out to his family."

Andrea Kremer -- "My deepest condolences on the passing of Don Shula ... As a professional I worked w/ him & got to know him well, even naming my dog Zonk, just like he did. RIP Coach."

Gov. Ron DeSantis -- "Coach Don Shula leaves behind an incomparable legacy as the NFL’s winningest coach and as the one who put Miami sports on the map."

Bill Cowher -- "We lost one of the most iconic men in the history of NFL coaching in Don Shula. His leadership and wisdom helped to guide me and many others who have made a life in coaching football. Thank you Coach Shula. May your spirit and legacy live on forever."