TMZ Sports - Page 50

Michael Strahan just went where no news anchor has gone ... to the edge of space!!!

It was a flawless flight after a short hold at 15 minutes. Blue Origin hurled into space with Strahan and 4 other astronauts on board, including Laura Shepard Churchley, the oldest daughter of America's first astronaut, Alan Shepard.

The capsule was atop the New Shepard rocket ... named, of course, after Alan.

When they experienced weightlessness, the astronauts were giddy with excitement ... you can hear the joy as they floated in space.

The New Shepard rocket was originally supposed to take off for the 10-minute flight on Thursday but Bezos gave it the yellow light, due to high wind.

This Blue Origin flight is the third launch with people on board. Astronaut Strahan and others had lots of training before they boarded. The TV host says he went to the Blue Origin facility for a week-and-a-half training prior to today's launch.

If taking a trip to space isn't already a good enough incentive, apparently all passengers get some sort of stipend... and Strahan says he is donating his to The Boys & Girls Club.

Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

No Denver Broncos player should ever wear #88 again ... so says Brandon Marshall, who tells TMZ Sports the team needs to retire the digits to honor Demaryius Thomas.

"It's just fitting, it just makes sense," said the former Broncos linebacker, who played with Thomas in Denver for years. "[He's] one of the greatest Broncos ever."

Marshall is making the push for his former team to go ahead with the tribute following Thomas' death this week ... telling us Demaryius is more than deserving of the honor.

Marshall explains Thomas' resume on the field was simply that good ... but he also says Thomas' off-the-field actions warrant the jersey praise as well.

"He's one of the greatest Broncos of all-time, point blank, period," Marshall said. "He's one of the greatest receivers of my era -- of our generation. One of the greatest receivers in Broncos history."

"And, as Peyton [Manning] said, he's an even better guy."

While no jersey retirement is in the cards yet -- the Broncos already have plans to pay tribute to the former Super Bowl champion before the Lions game this weekend at Empower Field At Mile High regardless.

Head coach Vic Fangio said the team will wear helmet decals and play a video tribute prior to kickoff. He also said a moment of silence will be observed.

Dustin Poirier's fighting for the lightweight title on Saturday ... but the UFC star openly admits the drama with Conor McGregor isn't over -- and never will be.

TMZ Sports talked to a very focused Poirier -- just days before his UFC 269 main event title fight with Charles Oliveira -- and we asked if the beef with Conor was finally squashed.

"Nah, the chapter will never be closed," Dustin says, clearly not loving the McGregor topic.

It's not a surprising comment ... as Conor said some very personal things about Dustin and his wife.

Of course, 33-year-old Conor and 32-year-old Dustin have already fought 3 times. The first scrap was way back in 2014 ... when McGregor won by TKO.

However, DP beat CM twice this year ... in January and July, when The Notorious gruesomely snapped his leg.

But, a 4th fight is anything but guaranteed ... 'cause Poirier -- who has won 7 of his last 8 -- is fighting for a title, and McGregor's still nursing the busted leg.

"I don't know [about a 4th fight], we'll see what happens. [Conor and I are] in 2 completely different spots if I get my hand on this belt."

Carl Madsen -- the NFL official who tragically died on his way home from a game earlier this year -- passed away due to heart disease ... an autopsy report, obtained by TMZ Sports, revealed.

In the docs, investigators officially ruled Madsen's cause of death as "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease" -- conditions that are known to contribute to fatal heart problems.

Officials say in the docs obesity was also a contributing cause of Madsen's death.

As we previously reported, Madsen died on Oct. 24 in Tennessee -- shortly after he had worked the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans game.

Cops said at the time that first responders had found Madsen unconscious in the driver's seat of his car on I-65 North ... and despite attempts to resuscitate him, he later died at a local hospital.

Madsen -- a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who worked as both an on-field official and a replay official in his career -- was 71 years old.

"Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role beginning in 2009," NFL senior VP of officiating training and development Walt Anderson said after Madsen's passing.

"A terrific friend and colleague, Carl's love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed."

Delonte West has just cut a deal with prosecutors -- agreeing to pay $100 and keep his nose clean in order to close out his police station meltdown case next month.

The agreement is all spelled out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, which show the former NBA guard is close to putting his most recent criminal case behind him.

According to the documents, prosecutors have agreed to stop pursuing the case if West forks over $100 to the court and avoids any new arrests or criminal law violations.

West had initially been hit with misdemeanor obstruction/resisting as well as misdemeanor disorderly intoxication after cops say he threw a drunken fit outside of a police station in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Oct. 19.

Video of his interaction with officers was disturbing ... West can be heard on camera hurling anti-gay insults at cops -- while also claiming he's "was better than LeBron James."

West, through his attorney, had initially pled not guilty to the charges earlier this month.

The Denver Broncos will recognize Demaryius Thomas before their game against the Lions this weekend ... honoring DT with helmet stickers and a video tribute just three days after his tragic death.

Head coach Vic Fangio just announced the plans ... saying there will also be "a moment of silence and maybe another thing or two" before kickoff at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday.

"There's still 10 players on this team that played with [Thomas], a bunch of coaches that coached him," Fangio said Friday. "And we've got over 40 workers in the organization and the support staff that were around him."

"And just seeing and feeling their reaction and hurt just tells me what a special player DT was."

As we previously reported, cops say they found Thomas dead in his shower in Roswell, GA at around 7 PM on Thursday night.

The reaction to his passing in the NFL community has been overwhelming since the news broke, with nearly every major player in the league expressing heartbreak over the death.

Stars like Tim Tebow, Tom Brady and DeMarcus Ware have all penned emotional notes on their social media pages -- and the Broncos themselves have also released statements mourning the death.

Thomas -- who played 10 seasons in the league, including 9 with the Broncos -- would have turned 34 on Dec. 25.

Kyle Kuzma's middle finger just cost him -- the NBA just hit the Wizards forward with a $15,000 punishment ... after he flipped the bird at a fan earlier this week.

The incident took place when Kuzma -- a native of Michigan -- was in town playing against his hometown Detroit Pistons.

The Wizards were winning 94-88 in the fourth quarter when Kuz nailed a corner three ... then turned around and gave a fan the middle finger gesture.

Unclear what, or even if, the fan said something ... but you can tell Kuzma did it deliberately.

The game went to overtime -- Kuzma finished with a team-high 28 points and his team secured the W, 119-116 ... but let's be honest, the bird was the highlight of the night.

Of course, this isn't the first time Kuz has gone at fans this season -- he nailed a dagger three against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and blamed hecklers for motivating him to knock down the game-winning shot.

Kuzma is typically a good sport ... when social media roasted him for wearing that oversized pink sweater, Kyle seemed to go along with the jokes.

Ex-NFL star LaVar Arrington says it was a "bitch move" for Robert Griffin III to write a book about the alleged sexual harassment he dealt with while the QB was at Washington ... saying the Baylor star shouldn't have waited years to disclose what went down.

43-year-old Arrington made the controversial comment on his "Two Pros And A Cup Of Joe" podcast, saying ... "So, RGIII, with all due respect, it’s kind of a bitch move to say you’re going to do a tell-all now," the former #2 overall pick said.

"Why didn’t you do your tell-all three or four years ago?"

If you're not familiar with RG3's allegations, we previously reported the QB announced he wrote a book called "Surviving Washington" ... that's releasing next year.

"I'm gonna detail the medical mismanagement that I received during my time in Washington," Robert said on social media while asking fans to preorder the book.

"I'm gonna open your eyes to the sexual harassment that permeated the walls of that building and give you a deep dive into a power struggle between one of the most powerful coaches in all of sports and an owner who many of you want gone."

But, Arrington -- who played for WFT from 2000 to 2005 -- believes the team's past scandals have made it easy for Griffin III to put the team on blast.

"You were scared of backlash that you would receive saying what you believed your truth was in a time where you didn’t have all of the stuff that has come out with the cheerleaders, and the emails, and all this stuff that makes it safe for you to be a front-runner of justice."

Arrington added, "I hate when dudes do bitch moves to be heroes and heroic about the things that they're doing and you do it in the comfort of knowing people already know what's going on."

"Stand up and be a man! Do that 'S' before now."

And, LaVar wasn't alone ... 'cause fellow former WTF player, CB Fred Smoot also went off on Robert.

"Sensitive thugs need a hug and RGIII is one of these sensitive thugs who needs a hug," Smoot told the guys.

"Then he said, ‘I’m going to tell everybody how I got sexually harassed.' The ugliest quarterback of all time?! Yes, I said it. He ain't attractive."

"Bobby failed at his career in the NFL, let’s be honest. Now he wants to bring attention to himself by any means necessary, and that’s why he wrote this book."

BKFC fighter Jordan Nash suffered a NASTY eye injury Thursday night, forcing his fight to be stopped ... and it's pretty darn hard to look at.

Nash was fighting fellow bare knuckle boxer Noah Cutter ... when the horrific injury, a gash to his eyelid, happened in the ring.

Yikes.

In the pic (look if you dare), you can see the gruesome eye injury up close and personal. Nash is bleeding profusely from his left eye, and appears unable to open it.

Despite fighting with only one eye, Nash showed tremendous heart -- somehow making it to the fifth and final round of the fight -- before it was ultimately stopped by officials.

It was Nash's first professional loss.

Of course, horrendous injuries are common in fighting ... especially bare knuckle, where gloveless hands can gash skin.

The silver lining ... if fans didn't know Jordan Nash before, they certainly do now.

NHL star Zdeno Chara beat the hell out of his opponent so badly during an on-ice scrap on Thursday ... the dude needed seven stitches to stop the bleeding.

The fight all went down during the Islanders' game against the Predators ... when Chara began throwing haymakers at Yakov Trenin after the Nashville center had hit one of Chara's teammates.

You can see in footage of the play, 6-foot-9 Chara pulled Trenin's jersey over his head -- and then whaled on him with a violent flurry of punches.

All of the blows appeared to land flush -- and after refs separated the two ... Trenin's face looked like it had just been beaten by a golf club.

Trenin had to leave the ice to get his face sewn back together in the locker room ... but somehow, he ended up returning, and actually got the last laugh.

Trenin scored the game-tying goal in the third period, and Nashville ultimately won the contest in overtime.

Afterward, Trenin's coach praised him, saying, "I was really impressed with him."

Memphis star Dillon Brooks went off on the officials who threw him out of the Grizzlies' game vs. the Mavericks on Wednesday -- calling the refs' actions straight-up "bulls***."

The 25-year-old wing didn't hold back in his postgame press conference -- which took place just minutes after he was ejected from the Grizzlies' contest -- accusing the refs of not protecting the players on the floor throughout the night.

"I felt like this crew came out there and just made it about them and that's bull," Brooks said of the refs, who called a total of 44 total fouls during the game.

"This crew did not protect the players," he continued. "They just wanted to get the game over with and that's bulls***. That's bulls*** from the very beginning. That's bull."

Brooks was tossed from the Grizzlies' loss late in the 4th quarter after he screamed at refs over their whistles.

In video of the ejection, you can see Brooks was so furious, he needed to be held back by Memphis assistants as he charged toward the referees.

No punishment for Brooks has been announced yet ... but you can bet a fine is coming for the Grizzlies player as early as later today.

Shaquille O'Neal says the current Los Angeles Lakers don't deserve to play at the Staples Center ... admitting he's HAPPY about the arena's name change because LeBron James and Co. are stinking up the place.

"I'm glad they taking the name of the Staples Center down," the NBA legend said on "The Big Podcast with Shaq." "That was our building."

"Congratulations to the owners on getting a new deal," he added. "But, hey, Staples Center belongs to Shaq and Kobe. Forever."

Of course, it was announced last month that the iconic building is changing its name to Crypto.com Arena as part of a $700 million deal.

The switch is already underway, as the Staples sign started coming down earlier this week.

Shaq said his tenure at Staples was a blessing -- he reflected on moments like playing in front of his favorite actors and actresses, scoring 61 points on his birthday, and winning three championships in a row for the city -- but ultimately, he says he's glad the name Staples Center is no more.

Shaq doesn't seem to care what the building is called ... 'cause the Diesel says he has no intentions of watching his former squad play.

"I'm not even going, I'm not even going anymore," O'Neal said. "Who wanna watch them people play?" he asked the host.

The Lakers -- who suffered an embarrassing loss to a Grizzlies team without Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks on Thursday -- fell to 13-13 on the season. The Lake Show is currently in 7th place in a top-heavy Western Conference, while the Warriors -- who Shaq prefers to watch -- have the best record in the NBA.

"I don't celebrate seventh place at all. I celebrate Steph Curry. I'll go to Golden State and watch him play."

Russell Wilson has 2 kids with Ciara, but #3 could be on the way soon ... 'cause the NFL star was LOVING his wife's topless twerk sesh on Instagram, letting the whole world know just how much he was feeling it.

The 36-year-old singer posted the steamy vid to her 30 million followers on Thursday ... dropping low and putting her dance skills on display while balancing a bottle of booze on her head, as part of the "Balance Challenge" trend.

"She Got Balance," Ciara captioned the vid. "That @TenToOneRum is fun! 🤩"

The clip is obviously great, but what had even more people going "OMG" was the Seattle Seahawks QB's reaction to the vid.

"❤👀❤ see you later tonight after work hahaha 🤣 #TenToOne 🤣"

Of course, the whole thing was a bit of a marketing campaign for Ciara, who became part-owner of the Ten To One rum back in October.

"I couldn't be more excited to help the brand build on its amazing foundation," Ciara said, "and invite new audiences to rediscover their love for rum through Ten To One."

Former NFL star Demaryius Thomas was found dead in the shower at around 7 PM on Thursday ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, cops say they initially responded to Thomas' Roswell, GA residence after they had received a call "in reference to a cardiac arrest."

Officers note in the documents that dispatch had advised them that the victim was "not conscious and not breathing."

When officers arrived, they said in the docs that they had to push a gate open with their hands in order to gain entry into the home.

Once inside, cops say they found Thomas laying down in the shower on his back -- with clear signs of rigor mortis visible.

In the docs, cops say the former Super Bowl champion was pronounced dead on the scene. Officials tell us an autopsy is scheduled to be performed on Friday.

As we previously reported, the NFL community has been devastated over the news of the tragedy ... with stars like Tim Tebow, Von Miller and Tom Brady penning emotional messages to the former Broncos wide receiver on social media.

"I'm so sad to wake up this morning to hear about the passing of my friend Demaryius Thomas," said Brady, who played with Thomas in New England in 2019. "We were all blessed with his humility and positive spirit, and we will all miss him."

Added Tebow, "So many are going to remember him for his athletic ability… but I’ll be remembering him for his kindness, his smile that would light up a room, and the love he had for those in his life."

Thomas would have turned 34 years old on Christmas.

Al Unser Sr. -- who won the Indianapolis 500 four times -- has died after battling cancer for years, racing officials announced Friday morning.

He was 82 years old.

Unser Sr.'s son, Al Unser Jr., confirmed the news in a statement on Friday ... saying, "My heart is so saddened. My father passed away last night. He was a great man and even a greater Father. Rest In Peace Dad!"

Unser Sr. was a racing legend -- he began competing in the sport in 1957 -- and later raced in his first-ever Indy 500 in 1965.

Unser Sr. went on to win the famous race four total times -- including in 1987, when he became the oldest-ever to win at 47 years old.

In his famed career, Unser Sr. also earned three Indycar Series championships in 1970, 1983 and 1985.

Tragically, Unser Sr. was diagnosed with cancer 17 years ago ... but he valiantly fought the disease all the way up until his death Thursday.

Of course, Unser Sr. was not the only Unser to have success on the track ... Unser Jr. won the Indy 500 twice -- making the two the only father-son duo to ever earn victories in the race. Unser Sr.'s brother, Bobby Unser, also won the 500 three times.

Unser Sr. was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1986, and later inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1998.