TMZ Sports - Page 50

Metro Boomin has poignantly tied the theme of his new album to the recent loss of his mother -- inviting dozens of single moms to an NFL game ... with on-field access!!!

The record producer organized an awesome initiative Sunday for the Steelers' game against the Atlanta Falcons, who were hosting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. MB -- who's originally from the area -- had some guests attend on his behalf ... a lot of them, in fact.

You see ... Metro bought tickets for 26 mothers from around the country as well as their children -- which made for a mini family parade through the tunnel and onto the main stage pre-kickoff.

Not just that, but the group here also got to stand next to the Falcons players for the national anthem ... so, better than a front-row seat. They were the main attraction! Metro himself did not attend -- our sources tell us he wanted the mama bears to have the spotlight.

It was a pretty awesome moment, to say the least ... and the reason Metro did it, we're told, was two-pronged -- one, he wanted to honor his own late mother, who tragically died.

At the same time, Metro wanted to recognize single moms for the heroes they are ... which ties into his latest project, "HEROES & VILLAINS," which is out now.

We're told this effort -- which Metro calls "Single Moms Are Superheroes," in partnership with the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation -- is a way to help these ladies amid struggles they might face as solo parents. With this nonprofit he's established, they can now get more assistance than they might otherwise receive.

Ex-Lakers champ Devean George wants to clear the dookie-smelling air ... telling TMZ Sports Shaquille O'Neal NEVER took a dump in his shoe -- despite a rumor saying otherwise.

Tyronn Lue initially started the gossip back in June on Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles' "Knuckleheads" podcast ... saying that the incident happened in the early 2000s, when he, George and O'Neal were all L.A. teammates.

According to Lue, Shaq was so pissed that George didn't bring donuts to a meeting ... he grabbed one of the small forward's sneakers, took a crap in it, and then put it back like nothing ever happened.

George then allegedly stuffed his foot in the shoe -- getting O'Neal's bowel movements all over his foot.

But, when we got the Devean out at LAX last week -- he called BS on all of the allegations ... saying nothing of the sort ever happened.

"Hell no, that's a lie, that's cap," George said, "and I know T-Lue started that."

"That never happened," he continued. "I think he did that to someone in Orlando. I don't remember the dude's name, but he did that in Orlando. But he never took a s*** in my shoes."

George said if it did go down, he and Shaq would have fought.

Instead, George said the two were very good friends -- and ended up winning three NBA titles together.

"He was a great teammate," Devean said. "He's a good guy. I love him."

Deshaun Watson just stepped foot on an NFL field for the first time in 700 days ... and the Houston Texans fans made their displeasure known -- letting the boo birds fly as he made his Cleveland Browns debut.

The 27-year-old quarterback is returning from an 11-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy ... after dozens of massage therapists made sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Watson faced a hostile crowd as he made his Browns debut on Sunday ... with his former team's supporters heckling him as he lined up under center.

As we previously reported, attorney Tony Buzbee -- who repped almost every woman who accused Watson of sexual misconduct -- announced at least 10 of his clients would be in attendance for the game.

Watson's family was also at NRG Stadium to support ... with everyone wearing #4 jerseys in the stands.

Deshaun had a smile on his face prior to the Browns' first offensive drive ... but the television broadcast showed many fans were not happy to see him.

There may be a bit of rust for Watson, who hasn't played since 2020 -- the Browns ended up going 3-and-out in their first possession.

Travis Scott was the show to watch Saturday night during Art Basel weekend.

Travis hit the state at E11EVEN nightclub in Miami. Celebs were out in force watching ... including Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan ... so they're still a thing.

Lots of celebs in town, including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Serena Williams, who went club hopping Friday. night. Unclear if they hit up the Travis concert, but it's a good bet they did.

Leonardo DiCaprio was in town, cavorting with lots of beautiful women on a superyacht. Miami mogul David Grutman was in the middle of it all ... he owns just about every hot spot in the city.

AEW star Saraya says she always had dreams and aspirations of competing in the ring again after suffering a career-threatening neck injury in 2016 -- but admits she never expected it would happen.

"I wasn't expecting to wrestle at all," Saraya told Mojo during a recent interview on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs daily on FS1).

"That wasn't in the back of my head. I always wanted to go back into wrestling, but with Edge and Stone Cold, they waited years before even trying to think about getting back in the ring."

The 30-year-old former WWE Superstar says she received the green light to compete in the squared circle from a renowned doctor in L.A., paving the way for her to return to in-ring competition after a five-year hiatus.

"Halloween, I went in there, and the doctor was straight-up like, 'Let's get you an X-ray,'" Saraya said. "He checked the X-ray and was like, 'These are pretty good, but you can't trust the X-rays. You have to go in with the MRIs and the CT to triple-check.'"

Saraya says she told AEW exec Tony Khan she was interested in competing during the negotiation process with the promotion ... in addition to being an on-screen personality, which she was relegated to in her waning years with WWE after the injury.

Saraya admits when she first debuted in AEW, she was concerned the fans wouldn't be as receptive to her since they were familiar with her character, Paige, in WWE, but she was pleasantly surprised with how much support she received.

"That was the biggest pop I ever got in my whole career," Saraya said. "I was like, 'Oh, my gosh! And I'm Saraya. And I'm trending for the first time in my career as Saraya,'" she continued.

The World Cup is a HUGE deal -- the most watched event in sports next to the Olympics -- which explains why fans are on pins and needles watching the tournament!!

There have been a mixture of easy wins, upsets and close contests throughout the matches so far ... and understandably, all the backers have let their emotions out while cheering on their beloved teams in the stands.

Japan fans were glued to their seats and TVs as they watched their team pull off a stunning 2-1 upset over World Cup favorite Spain ... cementing their spot in the round of 16.

However, that wasn't the case for fans of Iran ... who were teary-eyed after watching their guys fall to the United States.

South Korea punched its ticket to the knockout stage for the first time since 2010 after defeating Portugal 2-1, and its fans were visibly emotional following the big win.

Officials say there was no funny business involved in the fire that took Earl Thomas' Texas home earlier this year ... telling TMZ Sports they formally ruled the cause of the blaze to be accidental.

Thomas' home in Orange caught fire back in August ... and after firefighters extinguished the flames, the property was deemed a "total loss."

The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office launched an investigation into the fire shortly afterward ... and told us this week they found it was all likely caused by a lightning strike -- and nothing more.

Officials noted at the time of the blaze that it was the largest residential fire in terms of monetary damage in the history of Orange.

As we reported, Thomas and several family members were home at the time of the incident ... but, thankfully, they all got out safely and everyone was left unharmed.

Travis Kelce better prep his monologue ... 'cause "Saturday Night Live" alum Taran Killam tells TMZ Sports the NFL superstar would be the perfect pick to host the comedy sketch show!!

"Travis Kelce is one of the funniest, coolest dudes and a legend," Killam said at LAX.

"It's just not fair to be that strong, fast, good, charismatic, handsome and hilarious. I hate him. He's coming for my job," he joked (or is he?)

Killam knows about both comedy and football -- he actually has an Amazon Prime show, "The NFL Pile On," where he puts a funny twist on the sport's biggest stories of the week.

Killam has spent a ton of time at 30 Rock -- he was on "SNL" from 2010-2016 ... and had several memorable sketches during his stint.

Killam even thinks Kelce could take his talents to acting if he really wanted ... and says if "SNL" were to come calling, he'd thrive as the celebrity host for an episode.

"I'd love to see Travis Kelce host," Killam said, swallowing his pride as a Rams fan. "I think he'd kill it."

Christian Pulisic made his triumphant return to the field Saturday ... this after the U.S. soccer star was seriously injured while scoring the winning goal against Iran in the USMNT's previous World Cup game.

Pulisic didn't seem too hobbled as the U.S. started playing against the Netherlands during its round-of-16 matchup in Qatar. Christian seemed spry and aggressive, but he missed a few opportunities to put some goals on the board. At half, the Netherlands has already taken a 2-0 lead over the U.S. after scoring right before the halftime whistle.

As we reported, Pulisic suffered a pelvic contusion Tuesday after crashing into the goalie as he scored the game-winner against Iran, propelling the U.S. to a 1-0 victory. Initially, the word was he had suffered a groin injury ... but he later clarified, "I didn't get hit in the balls. I'm alright. It was very painful. That bone is there for a reason to protect you and I hit it well. I was sore."

Pulisic -- known as Captain America for his team leadership -- sent Iran home from the tournament by scoring the goal, but he was in too much pain to celebrate in the moment.

He told reporters Thursday ... "I realized the ball went in. I was a bit confused because the guys around me — I think they were just trying to keep a distance and make sure I was OK. But it didn't really feel like a celebration, so I was worried about offsides ... You never know nowadays, so I wasn't sure what was going on. But I mean, I knew it went in."

Christian also posted a Snapchat of himself smiling in a hospital bed after suffering the injury with a caption ... "So f---ing proud of my guys I'll be ready Saturday."

Kim Kardashian is somehow compartmentalizing what has to be an excruciating time for her -- with Kanye's hateful rants -- because she partied Friday night like she didn't have a care in the world.

Kim, Khloe and Serena Williams went club hopping Friday night in Miami for the kickoff of Art Basel weekend.

They hit up a party where Travis Scott and 50 Cent performed. Khloe was having an especially good time ... 50 was singing right at her. Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban and restaurateur David Grutman also joined in on the fun.

As for Kim, not a stitch of Balenciaga in sight ... she's traded it in for some pretty awesome duds.

Drew Brees' recent commercial has left lightning strike victims enraged ... with a major organization ripping the NFL superstar's "inappropriate" and "disgusting" stunt.

The New Orleans legend went viral on Friday after he faked getting struck by lightning as part of a promotion with PointsBet USA ... duping some people into believing he was actually injured -- if not worse.

Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors International -- an organization that has members in 13 countries that helps those impacted by similar accidents -- got wind of Brees' commercial ... and they tell TMZ Sports they're not happy.

"The recent Drew Brees lightning commercial is an inappropriate, disgusting method of promoting gambling or any TV commercial campaign," a statement from LSESSI says.

"This is a deadly injury, and it is disappointing to see the continual ridicule of lightning and electrical injury survivors in comical light in which it is presented for commercial gain and profit."

The org. says it did not find any humor in the ad ... considering many survivors are forever impacted after an accident, and it affects their loved ones as well.

"To poke fun at these folks and make this injury trivial is unacceptable, and what example does it set for our children to learn?"

There's more -- "As a survivor, this is very disturbing, the thoughtlessness on the part of the participants who are trying to profit from tragedy is remarkable. Much progress through hard work and education has been made over the last twenty years to lower the lightning/electrical deaths and risk of injury through education and informed knowledge of the dangers."

The org. believes Brees' ad "just set us back 20 years."

"There are many groups working to educate the public and help survivors, this commercial nullifies all their work and encourages unsafe practices to the general public. And all for gambling ... Lightning Bets? How ignorant can you possibly be?"

If you've heard Stephen Thomspon speak, you know he's just about the sweetest person ever ... so, will UFC star (and fellow nice guy) Kevin Holland hesitate when it comes time to punch Wonderboy in the face?? Not at all, according to Big Mouth.

"It's simple as hell. I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna knock out the nicest man in the universe. S**t happens."

But, will you feel bad, Kevin?

"Not one bit."

30-year-old Holland and 39-year-old Thompson are fighting in the main event at UFC Fight Night Saturday night.

In fact, the men ran into each other in the hallway at the UFC hotel ... and had a funny interaction.

Wonderboy is ranked 6th in the welterweight division. Holland isn't ranked ... as he bounces back and forth between the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

We also talked to Kevin about his last fight ... where he bravely stepped up on no notice to fight Khamzat Chimaev. Holland, who had trained to fight striker Daniel Rodriguez, was submitted in the first round.

Holland addresses whether he wants a rematch.

We also spoke to Wonderboy ... who says fans are in for a treat.

"My last two guys, and even Kevin, his last opponent [Khamzat] was a heavy grappler. I know going into this fight that he's not the type of guy to try and take you down and hold you down," Wonderboy says.

Soccer players are known for having powerful, durable legs -- but wait 'til you get a load of the United States Men's National Soccer Team's abs ... they're a must-see!!

The USMNT made it out of the group stage this time around ... and you can tell they put in extra time in the gym to get ready for the Cup, which shows in the shredded abs they've been hiding under their jerseys.

The entire country has been supporting the boys in the Red, White, and Blue ... but let's see if you can spot which six packs belong to whom.

Awesome gesture from the New York Jets' coaches ... several assistants on the roster will be wearing custom Air Force 1s this weekend against the Vikings -- to honor the late Greg Knapp.

The feet heat will feature a depiction of Knapp, who coached in the NFL for nearly three decades before he was tragically killed in a bicycle accident last July, in a headset, with his nickname, "Knapper," written on it as well.

The shoes will also have a website link to Knapp's foundation -- an org. set up following the coach's death to try to stop people from driving distracted.

Mike Jordan, the cleat artist who designed the kicks, tells TMZ Sports ... the Jets were the ones who initially tapped him for the task earlier this year -- and he was pumped to take on the job.

And, he said he was thrilled with how they ultimately turned out.

Jordan also designed several other custom cleats for Jets stars for this weekend's "My Cause, My Cleats" game ... including ones for Sauce Gardner, who will wear American Cancer Society-themed spikes.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson also copped Jordan cleats representing the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) ... while cornerback DJ Reed got a pair for multiple sclerosis, something his father died from in September.

"To help these guys support these charities and organizations that are close to them for one reason or another, like DJ Reed whose father passed away due to MS, is special," Jordan said.

Jordan -- who's been crafting cleats for 6 years -- says he spent a ton of hours on all of the custom shoes for Week 13 ... but at the end of the day, it was all worth it.

NBA super fan Jimmy Goldstein is throwing in the designer brand towel on the Lakers' shot at a championship this season ... telling TMZ Sports everyone should be focusing on the other L.A. team -- the Clippers!!

LeBron James and Co. are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference after a disastrous start to the 2022-23 campaign ... and JG -- one of the most recognizable hoops fans in NBA history -- says there's nothing they can do to contend for a ring this season.

Goldstein believes the Lakers should stop clutching onto their future draft picks and try to improve the team now ... bringing up the rumored trade with the Indiana Pacers as a prime example of a deal that can help them out.

The Lakers were reportedly in talks to acquire Buddy Hield and Myles Turner in exchange for Russell Westbrook and their 2027 and 2029 first-round draft picks ... with the latter keeping L.A. from pulling the trigger on the deal.

While Goldstein says it would make the Lake Show better, he says there's nothing they can do now to become instant contenders.

But, when it comes to the buzz around L.A., Goldstein tells us it's all about the Clippers now -- 'cause they have a legit shot at raising a banner.

"You should be talking about the Clippers," Goldstein says. "They're a much better team. They have a chance. They have great players. They have depth."

Lamar Jackson says he's sorry for sending a vulgar tweet following the Ravens' emotional 28-27 loss to the Jaguars last Sunday ... admitting on Friday he was just "bitter" about the L.

"I apologize if I hurt feelings out there," Jackson said when addressing reporters for the first time since pressing send on the tweet.

Jackson initially fired off the obscene response minutes after Baltimore's defeat ... after a Twitter user said the Ravens should not sign the QB to a lengthy -- and lucrative -- new contract.

"Boy STFU y'all be cappin too much on this app mf never smelt a football field," he said ... before ending the tweet with, "never did s*** but eat a d***."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he spoke to Jackson over it all on Monday ... and called it "out of character for him."

Jackson said he deleted the tweet, which remained on his page for about 3 hours, after his girlfriend encouraged him to take it down.

She "was like, I think you should delete it," LJ said. "I'm like, 'All right 'cause I don't know if I hurt somebody's feelings,' so I did. That's just what it was. That's why I deleted it."

Jackson said he hasn't reached out to the fan since the incident, but explained there's no bad blood between him and the individual.

"What I take from this experience ... don't say nothing on Twitter," Jackson said. "Don't say what I said 'cause it's kids watching. Don't need the kids saying that but just watch what you say."