TMZ Sports - Page 50

Gregg Popovich won't be back on the NBA sidelines anytime soon ... as the three-time coach of the year announced he will miss the rest of the season as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in November.

Popovich released a statement minutes ago ... saying interim head coach Mitch Johnson and the staff "have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding."

"I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future."

Newly sworn-in FBI Director Kash Patel wants his org to kick some serious ass ... with reports stating he's considering bringing in UFC trainers to work with agents!!

According to Reuters, Patel suggested the idea in a video conference with supervisors on Wednesday. In the call, he proposed establishing a formal relationship with Dana White's promotion to fine-tune agents' self-defense skills.

The idea may seem a bit odd ... and that's how it's being received by at least a few agents, who said it was "surreal" and "wacky," according to the outlet.

Travis Kelce isn't going anywhere.

The Kansas City Chiefs star just announced he's returning next season ... saying losing Super Bowl LIX left a "bad taste in my mouth."

The 35-year-old tight end revealed his plans in a text message to Pat McAfee ... who read it out loud on his ESPN show on Thursday.

"My dog!!! I'm coming back for sure," McAfree read from his exchange with Kelce. "I'm gonna try and get in the best shape I've been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop."

Gene Hackman's death and the deaths of his wife and dog are puzzling authorities, who have labeled his passing "suspicious."

According to a search warrant, obtained by TMZ, a Santa Fe detective who sought a search warrant wrote in his affidavit, he believes "the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened."

The detective continues, "Deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak."

The Ole Miss student accused of sleeping with her boyfriend's father is hellbent on clearing her name ... and she's calling out big sports names like Antonio Brown and Pat McAfee for spreading "complete lies" to their massive audiences.

Mary Kate Cornett -- a member of the Kappa Delta sorority in Oxford -- claims she's at the center of a "deliberate and coordinated cyberattack" involving straight-up false information about her personal life.

Her name was a trending topic on X after countless users shared the allegations this week ... which her family believes started as "some sort of fraternity prank that has mushroomed out of control."

Time to start double-checking those X handles again ... NBA parody account NBACentel is back up and running after it went offline yesterday for unknown reasons.

The account announced its return Thursday morning in a post responding to Stephen A. Smith, who tweeted, "RIP Centel" -- with Centel sharing a clip of a man coming back to life.

Its return was met with tons of excitement, with tons of people leaving comments welcoming the parody profile back to the platform.

Floyd Mayweather went on national television and dogged Jake Paul ... but El Gallo wasn't about to take it sitting down -- going to social media to fire back at T.B.E. and claiming he'd whoop the 50-0 boxer's ass in the ring.

Floyd weighed in on Paul's 2024 fight with Mike Tyson on the "Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday ... scoffing at the fact it was available at no additional charge to Netflix subscribers.

"When you're watching Floyd Mayweather, you have to pay," Money said on the show. "I get Pay-Per-View numbers. Check the record."

Turns out it's not just the Super Bowl winners visiting the White House -- at least one Kansas City Chief is, too -- Harrison Butker's currently kickin' it with President Donald Trump!

A W.H. staffer shared a photo Thursday morning showing Trump, seated at the Resolute Desk, speaking with the 29-year-old Pro Bowl kicker in the Oval Office.

It's unclear why Butker, who found himself at the center of a massive controversy last offseason with comments he made during a commencement address, was visiting 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Media beef at the NFL Combine ... with a verbal altercation reportedly breaking out between two top football insiders at a Starbucks -- to the point where league security is apparently involved.

The news broke Wednesday night when Barstool Sports personality PFT Commenter claimed a "Serious big time media confrontation AT STARBUCKS between two NFL news breakers" took place.

Pro Football Talk later reported it was between NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport and fellow insider Jordan Schultz.

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were tragically found dead this week ... and their family believes carbon monoxide poisoning is to blame, TMZ has learned.

The legendary actor's daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, tells TMZ they’re not sure, but they think the cause might be from toxic fumes.

She added law enforcement found no signs of foul play, although Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza tells us his deputies haven't ruled anything out and are still investigating.

The house is fairly modern ... it was built in 2000. We do not know if there were any issues with gas leaks or if there were calls to service at the address.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff says he's not ruling anything out in the deaths of iconic actor Gene Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog -- and his deputies even got a search warrant in case the investigation turns criminal, TMZ has learned.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza tells TMZ ... his deputies responded Wednesday to the compound of Hackman and Arakawa after receiving a call ... and they initially entered the house only to find the bodies of the couple and one of their 3 dogs -- 2 others survived.

Once they found the corpses, Mendoza says, the deputies backed out of the house and applied for a warrant to conduct a more thorough search.

The Lakers and Mavericks weren't the only ones battling on Tuesday -- fans outside the arena duked it out, too ... with a massive brawl breaking out and resulting in a man getting knocked out.

The chaotic scene unfolded the same night the Lakers beat the Mavs 107-99 at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles ... the first time Luka Doncic had to face his former team since the blockbuster trade.

In a clip of the madness, a man in a LeBron James Lakers jersey appears to be taking hits from a group of angry fans ... but recovers to the point where he tries to go after different enemies one at a time.

America has never had a better president occupying the White House, according to boxing legend Floyd Mayweather ... who says Donald Trump is the "best president" in U.S. history!

Mayweather appeared on FOX Business Wednesday afternoon, where he spoke glowingly about the 47th President of the United States.

"We had Trump before, we didn't appreciate him," Floyd told host Charles Payne, adding ... "but I think Trump is a great president. Actually, he's the best president in my eyes. He's the best president we ever had."

Mayweather, who attended Trump's first inauguration in 2017, acknowledged the people who dislike POTUS ... while making it clear DJT is exactly where he should be -- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"Trump has done an amazing job. A lot of people around America are upset, but no matter who goes in the White House, we're always upset. I think Trump is the man for the job. He's the best president in my eyes."

Mayweather, fresh off a week-long, lavish 48th birthday celebration in Miami, also spoke about his extensive real estate portfolio, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kentucky narrowly avoided a road loss AND a flying beer can on Wednesday ... with Wildcats players getting targeted with a fan's trash following a nail-biting finish against Oklahoma.

It all went down after the No. 17 Wildcats ended the unranked Sooners' hopes at an upset by securing an 83-82 win ... with a bit of drama breaking out after the final buzzer.

Wildcats sophomore forward Brandon Garrison got in the face of Sooners freshman Jeremiah Fears ... which led to players and staffers from both sides to rush over. Luckily, the two were separated before the situation escalated further.

Justin Tucker's wife is speaking out on the disturbing allegations made against the All-Pro kicker ... saying she is standing firmly in his corner through it all.

The Baltimore Ravens star has been accused by 16 massage therapists of acting inappropriately during sessions from 2012-2016 ... which sparked an NFL investigation.

Tucker has adamantly denied any wrongdoing ... and this week, his wife, Amanda, broke her silence on the matter.

Gene Hackman once spoke about his fear of dying in a haunting interview that’s now resurfaced ... just a day after he, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home.

In a 2004 chat with Larry King, Gene admitted he didn’t fear much -- but dying definitely freaked him out ... adding it’s the kind of thing that hits you when you get up there in age.

Gene, who was 74 at the time, said his fear of dying wasn’t just about him -- he wanted to make sure his wife and family were taken care of, too.