TMZ Sports - Page 41

Stephen A. Smith says his bosses at ESPN are currently mulling Shannon Sharpe's "First Take" future ... in the wake of the explosive rape lawsuit that was levied against the ex-NFL star earlier this month.

On his "The Stephen A Smith Show" Tuesday, Smith stated he recently had a talk with ESPN honcho Jimmy Pitaro, who told told him, "We are taking this matter very seriously."

Smith said Pitaro added, "We are looking into this very, very closely. And once we gather as many facts as we possibly can, we will go from there."

Shannon Sharpe's accuser's lawyer has released new audio in which you can hear the ESPN commentator threatening to choke the woman in public -- but the Pro Football Hall of Famer's team is adamant it's not what it sounds like.

Attorney Tony Buzbee dropped the file Wednesday morning and issued a statement, saying Sharpe’s attacks on him and his "Jane Doe" client were a "big, stupid mistake."

Buzbee goes on to say the audio "provides a fair picture of the relationship shortly before the alleged assault in this case," although he has not said when it was recorded.

Two-time state diving champion Maisey O'Donnell was one of the three high school seniors killed in a car crash this week ... a tragedy that took place during their spring break vacation in Florida.

The incident happened on Monday night on Highway 98 near Panama City ... when an SUV carrying O'Donnell and three others crashed with a tractor-trailer that was making a U-turn in the median.

The force of the crash sent the SUV over the median ... and it finally came to a stop in the woods nearby.

Shaquille O'Neal's bathroom emergency wasn't about to come and go without some chain yanking from his "Inside the NBA" cohosts ... with the NBA legend getting trolled with a portable toilet right next to his spot on the desk!!

Fresh off O'Neal's abrupt exit from Monday night's show to drain the snake, his coworkers decided to help him out a bit with some hijinks.

The hilarious prank was documented during Tuesday night's TNT coverage of the NBA playoffs ... something Charles Barkley didn't even notice when he arrived to the studio.

An anonymous NBA player poll dubbed Tyrese Haliburton the most overrated player in the league ... but don't bring that up to Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle -- 'cause he believes the results are absolute "bulls***."

Carlisle was asked about the questionnaire published by The Athletic following the Pacers' 123-115 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night ... and he made it clear he isn't a fan of the yearly piece.

"The other guys on the list were Jimmy Butler and Giannis [Antetokounmpo]," Carlisle said. "I wanna see the guys' faces that voted those guys, I wanna see the faces of those guys. This is a bulls*** poll."

Detroit is riding high after snapping its 15-game playoff losing streak against the New York Knicks on Monday ... but former Piston Ben Wallace tells TMZ Sports the current squad isn't a bunch of "Bad Boys" -- they've earned their own identity!!

We caught up with Big Ben out at LAX on Tuesday ... and while he knows there's a ton of basketball left, he believes his old team can pull off the first-round upset with the series tied at 1-1.

"The guy's been playing well," he said. "The guy's playing hard, playing together. We're gonna go out there and just see what happens. I think the guys are excited about being out there, being able to be back in the playoffs. We know anytime getting to the playoffs, anything's possible."

John Cena is celebrating his 48th trip around the sun, and while the WWE Superstar claims you can't see him ... we were able to dig up some of the best wrestling shots to celebrate his birthday -- and you can undoubtedly see the impressive physique on the future Hall of Famer.

Cena is proving that age is just a number, as he's been aging like fine wine. His 17th World Title win at WrestleMania 41 pushed him in front of Ric Flair for the most in WWE history.

Cena said on Monday Night Raw that he has 27 more dates left in his WWE retirement tour, so while the sun is setting on his in-ring career, there are still eight more months for fans to enjoy King of Jorts to make some more history.

"The Golden Bachelor" is returning and the new leading man has a past life in the NFL.

Mel Owens was announced as the new 'Golden Bachelor' for Season 2 by ABC on Tuesday. The 66-year-old was selected as the ninth overall pick during the 1981 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He now works as a lawyer in Orange County, CA.

Owens was previously married and the two have two sons together, according to ABC.

Shannon Sharpe's accuser confronted him over the alleged January 2025 sexual assault ... with a newly released text message showing the woman told him, "no means no shannon."

The convo took place on the evening of Jan. 2, 2025 -- the day Jane Doe alleged in her lawsuit that Sharpe raped her.

Doe tells Sharpe in the message, "I cried when u left because I begged you to put a condom on and not put it in my ass and u didn’t listen."

Trouble in paradise for "Outer Banks" star Madison Bailey and her girlfriend Mariah Linney -- 'cause the pair just hit that unfollow button on each other's IG profiles.

There’s no official confirmation on a split just yet -- but with Mariah posting some seriously cryptic quotes about being hurt on her Stories, all signs are pointing to a breakup.

One of the quotes Mariah shared hinted at some serious emotional fallout -- saying she wanted to speak up and make the other person feel what she went through.

Shannon Sharpe's attorney just revealed the Pro Football Hall of Famer made an offer to his rape accuser of "at least" $10 million to close out the case before it went public.

Lanny J. Davis -- who's representing Sharpe in the ESPN personality's civil sexual assault case against Jane Doe -- said in a meeting with reporters Tuesday the proposal was doled out during mediations with the plaintiff "within the last month or so."

Davis said Doe initially seemed to be considering it ... before she "suddenly without warning, walked away from our offer."

Anthony Edwards' bank account just got shafted by the NBA ... with the Minnesota Timberwolves hooper getting hit with a $50,000 fine for telling a Lakers fan his "dick bigger."

The league just announced the punishment on Tuesday ... saying the 23-year-old All-Star directed "inappropriate language" toward a fan -- as well as an "obscene gesture."

The incident went down with less than five minutes left in the third quarter of the Wolves' 117-95 Game 1 win over Los Angeles ... which naturally had some Purple and Gold supporters on edge.

Shannon Sharpe is vowing to sue his rape accuser for defamation ... in wake of the allegations she made against him in a bombshell lawsuit she filed on Sunday.

The ESPN personality addressed Jane Doe's explosive claims in a video that he posted to his Instagram page on Tuesday morning ... just minutes after the woman's attorney, Tony Buzbee, released an audio file to TMZ Sports that he says shows Sharpe threatening his client with "disturbing, aggressive, and dangerous" language.

Sharpe opened up his statement by claiming Doe's case "is a shakedown." He then accused Buzbee of orchestrating the attempted cash grab -- explaining he believes "Tony Buzbee targets Black men."

Jeremiah Kelly -- a freshman offensive lineman for the University of Cincinnati football team -- died unexpectedly Tuesday morning at his Ohio home.

The Bearcats shared the shocking news in a press release, with head coach Scott Satterfield saying ... "The Bearcats football family is heartbroken by the sudden loss of this outstanding young man."

Coach continued ... "In the short time Jeremiah has spent with our team, he has made a real impact, both on the field and in our locker room. My prayers are with the Kelly family and those who had the pleasure of knowing Jeremiah."

9:25 AM PT -- Shannon Sharpe and his attorney, Lanny J. Davis, have vowed to address the audio later Tuesday.

The Hall of Famer, Davis said, will make a statement on his Instagram page. The lawyer said he'd then follow that up with his own conference call a short time later.

The woman accusing Shannon Sharpe of rape has now released audio of a conversation she says she had with the Pro Football Hall of Famer ... and in it, Sharpe can be heard telling her he's "going to f***ing choke the shit out" of her.

50 Cent and Joe Budden have been going tit for tat for weeks on social media ... but it was all good when they came face-to-face at the Knicks heated playoff game last night!!!

A source close to 50 Cent’s floor seat act tells TMZ Hip Hop the G-Unit general -- along with Fat Joe -- were invited guests of Madison Square Garden and were supporting the NYK.

We’re told 50 had no idea Budden was even at the game until they showed 50 on the Jumbotron -- and saw Joe cheering for him on the big screen.