Floyd Mayweather and the grandson of famed mob boss John Gotti — John Gotti III — fought in one of the craziest yet unknown exhibition boxing fights in recent memory.

Illegal punches were thrown, and now, one six-month ban has been administered concerning their after-the-bell brawl.

John Gotti III has been suspended from boxing in Florida for six months after attacking Floyd Mayweather on Sunday night. Gotti III rushed at Floyd — the boxing GOAT — after referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight in the sixth inning, with the victory going to Mayweather.

WATCH:

The ensuing brawl between both camps looked staged, but the consequences, thus far, are real. As relayed by TMZ Sports, the Florida State Athletic Commission announced its decision to ban Gotti III on Tuesday, despite coming to the conclusion Sunday night when the unsportsmanlike brawl broke out.

Leave it to a Gotti to put out a hit. Floyd has yet to address the skirmish.

As detailed by OutKick’s Trey Wallace, the boxing bout at FLA Live in Sunrise, Florida, broke out in mayhem when Gotti’s camp felt that the fight was stopped early.

“It’s noticeable that Gotti wasn’t happy that the referee stopped the fight early,” Wallace said, “so he decided to just go after Mayweather once it was stopped. … John Gotti entered this fight with only two professional fights under his belt, besides having a few wins in the MMA world.”

Gotti III boasted a 5-1 MMA record coming into the exhibition bout. Meanwhile, Floyd continues to be hailed as boxing’s greatest competitor, with a 50-0 official record.

The post John Gotti III Suspended For 6 Months After Taking Cheap Shots At Floyd Mayweather appeared first on OutKick.

Johnny Elsasser went from fighting terrorists overseas to helping men in America succeed.

Elsasser joined me on the latest episode of American Joyride to discusses his time fighting terrorists in the Army Rangers, providing security as a contractor for the ambassador in Iraq and now dedicating his time and life to helping men succeed. We had a brutally honest conversation about war and how young men in America appear to be in a state of crisis.

As always, grab your favorite adult drink, pop some popcorn and buckle up for the latest episode of American Joyride. You’re going to love learning about Johnny’s life.

For anyone looking for more American Joyride content, you can fire up a few more episodes below. They’re all worth your time.

The post Former Ranger Went From Fighting Terrorists To Helping Men Embrace Masculinity: AMERICAN JOYRIDE appeared first on OutKick.

The U.S. Open may be considered the most difficult major tournament, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a sense of humor.

PGA Tour player Adam Hadwin has become something of an internet celebrity after the RBC Canadian Open.

The tournament ended on a dramatic, 70-foot putt by Nick Taylor to end a playoff.

READ: OH, CANADA! NICK TAYLOR DRILLS 72-FOOT PUTT TO DEFEAT TOMMY FLEETWOOD AT RBC CANADIAN OPEN, ENDING 69-YEAR DROUGHT

Hadwin famously ran on to the green to celebrate with his buddy, and got absolutely leveled by a security guard.

Being Canadian, he had a perfect reaction to what could have been an embarrassing situation.

With the U.S. Open the next tournament on the PGA calendar, the US Golf Association decided to have some fun with it.

As Hadwin arrived in LA for the tournament, he found a hard hat and construction safety vest in his locker.

Absolutely outstanding work by the U.S. Open here.

US Open Having Some Fun

It’s always nice to see golf institutions, which are notoriously stuffy and traditional, have some fun with the players.

Outside of the PGA-LIV merger, the RBC putt and Hadwin’s hilarious situation has been golf’s biggest story.

The U.S. Open is notoriously golf’s toughest challenge, so the event can take on a bit of excessive seriousness.

Making light of a funny incident adds some much needed levity and engenders some goodwill for the USGA.

At least until the tournament kicks off and tour players can’t get out of the deep rough at LA Country Club.

The first round starts on Thursday, with Hadwin unlikely to threaten the top of the leaderboard.

At least he knows he’ll be safe from any overzealous security guards.

The post Adam Hadwin Sent Protective Gear By U.S. Open After Being Tackled At Canadian Open appeared first on OutKick.

About a week ago, George Kittle was singing the praises of 49ers quarterback Trey Lance saying he had improved since returning from injury. However, the veteran tight end still says that Brock Purdy is the man to beat in the team’s quarterback battle.

Sports Illustrated‘s Robin Lundberg asked Kittle a simple, straightforward question: “Trey Lance. Starter or backup?”

“Who is he competing against?” Kittle responded, reportedly with a smile on his face.

Lance is, of course, up against Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold, and maybe even Brandon Allen if you want to cover all possible outcomes of who could get thrown under center for the Niners this season.

However, Kittle went on to say that while he views Lance as a starter-caliber NFL quarterback, it’s Purdy, who took over late in the scene who remains the top dog and the man to beat.

“Trey is a starter in the NFL,” he said. “He will be. Get that guy some reps and he has an incredibly high ceiling. But in regards to that, Brock Purdy won eight straight games and got hurt. So I think it’s just Brock’s job to lose at that point.

“But yeah I think Trey’s definitely a starting quarterback. He just needs reps, that’s all it is.”

Purdy is on the mend after suffering an injury to his throwing elbow in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the team said that he is recovering ahead of schedule which bodes well for him retaining the starting gig.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle

The post George Kittle Says 49ers Starting Job Is Brock Purdy’s To Lose appeared first on OutKick.

In his first public address of the mascot punch heard around the world, former UFC champ Conor McGregor is here to remind everyone that it was all a “skit” amid backlash for sending Miami Heat mascot Burnie to the hospital.

McGregor attended Friday’s NBA Finals Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets to promote his recovery spray.

In a skit with Miami mascot Burnie at Kaseya Center, McGregor punched the 7-foot-6 mascot so hard that the man inside the suit went to the hospital.

The anonymous man received pain medication and promptly left the hospital.

‘He’s Doing Fine,’ Conor McGregor Shares

Since the punch, people have been discussing whether ‘The Notorious’ McGregor went too far with the punch.

McGregor spoke on the incident from NYC on Tuesday, as reported by TMZ Sports, and said the man in the costume is doing alright.

“The mascot is good. It was a skit, and all is well,” McGregor said. “I spent a lot of time with him afterward, we talked it out, everything is great. It was all part of the show!”

Over the weekend, the Heat announced that Burnie was in good spirits after getting the lights knocked out of him.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra commended the man for his “Miami Heat Toughness.”

“That’s the Miami Heat toughness that we’re talking about,” Spo said.

“We won’t reveal who that is, but he’s tough,” he added. “He can take a punch and get back up. He’s not going to miss any time.”

Meanwhile, UFC chief Dana White gave some support to McGregor amid the backlash.

The UFC prez questioned why the Heat thought it was a good idea to invite Conor to punch their mascot — a fair point.

White said, “What do you expect? I mean, what are those mascot things made out of? … Unless you’re like, the Golden Knights mascot — I don’t even know what he wears, but I’m assuming it’s a metal helmet — I wouldn’t have professional fighters punching me in the face if I was a mascot.

“Doesn’t seem like the brightest thing in the world.”

Burnie now has an offseason to fully recover after the Heat’s elimination game on Monday versus Denver. The Heat’s red-hot playoffs came to an end after five games with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

The post Conor McGregor Addresses Punching Heat Mascot appeared first on OutKick.

Don’t be such a homer that all your sports takes become inane. One Philly radio host is committing the cardinal sin of sports commentary with his support of postseason flopper Joel Embiid over the recently named Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.

Embiid and Jokic fought for the regular season MVP award until the voters caved to the media pressure and selected the 76ers center over the Nuggets star.

Less than a day after the Nuggets’ first NBA championship, Philadelphia radio host Eliot Shorr-Parks pulled out some of his worst sports takes in defense of Embiid.

READ: DENVER NUGGETS END MIAMI HEAT’S CINDERELLA RUN TO WIN FRANCHISE’S FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP, FINALS MVP NIKOLA JOKIC DROPS BIG NUMBERS

Shorr-Parks called the Nuggets’ championship meaningless, saying Jokic, Michael Malone and crew had an easy path to victory.

Nuggets Won, Philly Fans Cry

The radio host sounded overdue for a drug test. Here’s what the delusional Sixers fan had to say:

“Jokic got handed the easiest path to a title we might ever see again in the NBA…I don’t think this means, ‘The Nuggets are way better, they’re winners, and the Sixers are losers, and Jokic is way better than Embiid.’ I think that’s an overreaction.”

The dolt behind the mic overlooked the Nuggets’ advantages postseason, including a well-orchestrated shooting and size rotation by coach Michael Malone, complementing the REAL MVP in Jokic as the Serb continued to dominate the league.

Anyone who considers Embiid a more well-rounded player than Jokic is watching NBA basketball with their eyes and ears plugged.

Denver solidified themselves the best team all year with a 16-4 run in the playoffs. From eliminating the T-Wolves in the first, sweeping the Lakers in the conference finals and blowing out the Eastern champion Miami Heat in five games, the Nuggets stood head, shoulders, knees and toes over their competition.

Meanwhile, the 76ers pushed the dysfunctional Boston Celtics to seven games, only to lose by 24 points in the finale.

Denver’s dominant run this year, also ending as the West’s top seed in the regular season, has spawned talks of a dynastic team in Mile High, giving hell to the rest of the league for years to come.

Philly and its sports media love their hometown teams … but how about some honest commentary over ridiculous clickbait for once?

The post Crazy Philly Radio Host Says Nuggets Won A ‘Meaningless’ Championship, Supports Joel Embiid Over Nikola Jokic As NBA’s Best Player (WTF?) appeared first on OutKick.

The Golden Knights can win the Stanley Cup on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, which means they could have one of the parties to end all parties if they do. However, they’re not the first team to celebrate a Cup win in Las Vegas, and one former player says that was used as motivation.

Brooks Orpik was a member of the Washington Capitals team that defeated the Golden Knights in the 2018 Cup Final. The ex-NHL defenseman said in a recent interview that the prospect of celebrating a Cup victory in Sin City fueled the team to win Game 5 and clinch the series 4-1.

“I remember we were down going into the third period and that may have come up in between periods,” Orpik said in an appearance on The Cam & Strick Podcast, according to Caps website Russian Machine Never Breaks. “Like, ‘Hey, guys, let’s not screw this one up because we’re staying overnight here.’”

The Caps Got In One In Vegas After Winning The Cup

Orpik said that the after defeating Vegas 4-3 in Game 5 the celebrations were off to the races.

“We did something with the families at the hotel right after and then after that it was just the guys,” he explained. “It was cool, we wound up going to Hakkasan and Ovi was buddies with Tiesto and he just happened to be playing there that night. It was a good night.”

Orpik was a key piece of that team and has since gone on to join the Caps’ player development team.

Should Vegas clinch the Cup at home, expect a celebration like that. The only difference is it could be turned up the way Nigel Tufnel likes it: to 11.

Picture the boys having a night (Knight?) on the town while their fans are also celebrating. It’d be very Aaron Gordon-esque.

Additionally, the Golden Knights have already been offered lifetime VIP status to the Hustler Club. Perhaps that would be one of the stops on the celebration tour.

Again, if they seal the deal at home by beating the Florida Panthers in Game 5.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle

The post Brooks Orpik Says The Prospect Of Partying In Vegas Helped Capitals Win 2018 Cup appeared first on OutKick.

This year’s Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament was the most-watched of all-time and stars like Hailey Van Lith and Caitlin Clark had a lot to do with that viewership. As two of the most electric women’s hoopers in recent history, particularly the latter, their Elite Eight matchup quickly became must-see T.V.

Iowa ultimately beat Louisville 97-83 behind a 47-point performance from Clark, but not without Van Lith putting up 27 of her own. The game was neck-and-neck in the first half until the Hawkeyes pulled away during the third quarter.

As the eventual runners-up started to get out in front of the Cardinals, their star guard started to cook. After Clark sixth made 3-pointer of the game, the camera caught her giving the “you can’t see me” hand gesture.

It certainly appeared as though the gesture was directed at Van Lith, Clark’s on-ball defender. Especially considering that they were chirping at each other throughout the entire game.

Some people found Clark’s gesture to be disrespectful. Others thought it was ice cold.

Two rounds later, as LSU started to pull away from Iowa in the national championship, Angel Reese threw Clark’s “you can’t see me” taunt right back in her face. A much larger conversation ensued surrounding Reese after the final buzzer, and a lot of people were needlessly outraged by her actions.

However, as it would turn out, Clark’s initial gesture — which started the entire chain reaction — had nothing to do with Van Lith. It wasn’t directed at anyone on Louisville. It was an internal action.

Hailey Van Lith set the record straight.

Van Lith recently broke it down during a recent wide-ranging conversation with Taylor Rooks. She said that Clark’s “you can’t see me” was blown completely out of proportion. The “you can’t see me” was toward the Iowa strength coach and Van Lith never even saw it happen. They have laughed together about it since.

And if Clark had directed her gesture at Van Lith, she would have found it hilarious. Just like Clark said that Reese should not be criticized at all.

There you have it! Much ado about nothing, across the board.

Like Van Lith said: “it’s not that serious.”

Serious or not, Van Lith is now a Bayou Bengal and Clark is running it back for one final year with the Hawkeyes. The LSU/Iowa women’s basketball rivalry is going to be SPICY!

The post Hailey Van Lith Sets Record Straight About Caitlin Clark’s ‘You Can’t See Me’ Hand Gesture During Elite Eight appeared first on OutKick.

Ending a celebrated run on FS1 with a heartfelt goodbye, NFL Hall of Famer and “Undisputed” co-host Shannon Sharpe delivered his final appearance on the show Tuesday.

All eyes were set on the conclusion of the NBA Finals for Shannon’s final appearance, and the day finally arrived when he had to look Skip Bayless in the eye and thank him for their 7-year run.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially my last day at work,” Sharpe said Tuesday. “After 7 years, the train stops for Shannon Sharpe and ‘Undisputed’ right here.

“You’ll see me again somewhere, I just don’t know where,” Shannon Sharpe added.

The show will carry on without Shannon, but will it be the same?

Ending the program with a tearful outro, Shannon showed gratitude toward his 71-year-old co-host Skip Bayless and moderator Jen Hale.

Here’s what Shannon had to say on his final show.

Shannon Sharpe-Skip Bayless’ Final Exchange:

• SHANNON: “Skip Bayless, you fought for me, brother.”
• SHANNON: “I’m very indebted to you; I’ll never forget what you did for me. You helped me grow more than you’ll ever know.
• SHANNON: “All I ask, is when you lay your head on your pillow at night, know I gave you everything I had.”
• SKIP: “When I first took this job in June 2016, we had a whole other format in mind until it became clear ‘Shannon Sharpe is available.'”
• SKIP: “The critics savaged us when we first started … did we ever show them.”
• SKIP: “You were a worthy adversary.”
• SKIP: “I’m going to miss our LeBron battles, even though he’s still the phony GOAT.”
• SKIP: “This is a happy-sad moment for me because I look forward to your next great achievement, and it is coming.”

Sharpe will be leaving FS1 and taking his podcast, “Club Shay Shay” with him.

The ex-NFL tight end has already been courted by ESPN star Stephen A. Smith, who shared the co-host chair with Bayless on First Take. Bayless first joined ESPN’s morning program, Cold Pizza, alongside longtime sports writer Woody Paige.

Bayless’ firebrand approach to commentary set Shannon Sharpe off several times in the past two years.

From degrading Sharpe’s NFL career in defense of Tom Brady to posting a tweet on Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, Bayless wore Sharpe thin amid their success on the program.

The hunt continues for Bayless’ new co-chair, with rumored in-house talent like Joy Taylor, LeSean McCoy and Nick Wright floating around the position.

Sharpe and FS1 agreed to a contract buyout, first reported by The New York Post’s Ryan Glasspiegel.

The post Shannon Sharpe Says Goodbye To Undisputed After 7 Years appeared first on OutKick.

Keith Olbermann questioned aloud the mental state of  Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). Though his questioning only affirmed what we knew:

It’s his mental state that’s of concern.

“Hillary Clinton used a hammer to destroy evidence of a private e-mail server and classified information on that server and was never indicted. The same standard should apply to everyone, including Donald Trump,” Nancy Mace, R-S.C. tweeted Sunday. 

While the second sentence is a debate, the first cites what has been confirmed. Yet it’s the first part of the tweet that drew a response from Olbermann:

“You know that didn’t happen, right? Are you ok? You seem to have been hallucinating a lot lately.”

Hallucinating, huh?

Not quite. See, evidence of Clinton’s mishandling of classified information was destroyed.

Olbermann learned so the hard way, through Community Notes.

The fact check under Olbermann’s tweets links to three articles from CNN, Business Insider, and Snopes — each of which corroborates Mace’s tweet.

“Some devices from Hilary Clinton were in fact destroyed by hammer,” reads the Community Notes correction.

You know that didn't happen, right?

Are you ok? You seem to have been hallucinating a lot lately.

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 11, 2023

Most pundits would have logged off after such a correction. But Olbermann is no longer a pundit. He’s a lonely old man fired from ESPN and MSNBC.

Thereby he had nothing better to do than respond to Mace yet again:

“Dear Ms. Mace, I’m intrigued by the fact that I suggested hallucinations, which can be caused by any number of things. Yet you jumped immediately to recreational drugs and problems effecting their efficacy. I don’t use any of these drugs; I’m surprised at your expertise.”

What exactly does that have to do with his claim that Hillary Clinton didn’t destroy evidence?

We can’t say for certain. But today, Olbermann is back to tweeting out his podcast link repeatedly with a new pair of glasses:

While Mace and Community Notes dunking on Keith was well done, his best dunkings are the ones he performs on himself.

Here’s our all-time favorite:

#BeAfraid.

The post Keith Olbermann Falsely Claims Hillary Clinton Team Never Destroyed Gov’t Devices appeared first on OutKick.