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NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith — who played 4 seasons in Washington — says a name change is “long overdue” … and feels the team is finally on the right side of history. OH, AND WE ALSO ASKED BRUCE ABOUT THAT “PENIS” INCIDENT ON “FAMILY FEUD”! But first, the serious topic … Smith wrapped up his legendary NFL career in Washington and understands the issues surrounding the team name … but clearly felt the time is right for change. “It’s the right thing to do for many reasons,” Smith tells TMZ Sports … acknowledging the pressure from business partners like FedEx and Nike obviously played a key role. “Money motivates all of us to be quite honest with you, but socially and being on the right side of history is another motivating factor. I think both of those are present in this decision today.” NOW THE “FAMILY FEUD” QUESTION! As we previously reported, Smith gave the best wrong answer EVER on ‘FF’ this week … when he was asked the following question: “If Captain Hook was moonlighting as a handyman, he might replace his hook with what tool?” Smith said, “PENIS” and Steve Harvey lost his damn mind! The clip went viral almost immediately. So, how does Bruce feel about his moment of social media fame?! “You can’t take life so seriously! You have to have some type of humor and you have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes!” “We need to laugh more than EVER right now. Laughter is good for the soul and I’m happy to of been able to entertain so many people.” And, get this … Bruce says his phone has been blowing up since the incident — with famous friends like Jim Kelly and MICHAEL JORDAN calling to roast him a little bit over his unbelievable answer! Gotta love it!!! Read Full Article

Sacramento Kings player Richaun Holmes burst the NBA bubble just days after arriving in Orlando … all to pick up a delivery food order! “I briefly and accidentally crossed the NBA campus line to pick-up a food delivery,” the 26-year-old admitted on Monday. Anyone who breaks the bubble (after being initially cleared) faces a new 10 day mandatory quarantine … so, once the league found out about his delivery run, it was off to isolation for Holmes. “I am currently in quarantine and have 8 days left,” Holmes said on Twitter. “I apologize for my actions and look forward to rejoining my teammates for our playoff push.” We know what you’re thinking … where did Richaun order the food from?! It better have been worth it!!! The NBA is trying like hell to keep the bubble safe — all players have a mandatory 48-hour quarantine upon arrival to the Walt Disney World campus in Orlando. Once tests come back negative and they’re cleared to enter, they are forbidden to leave … or else face a 10-day quarantine. But, Holmes wasn’t the first player to break the bubble rules — Rockets forward Bruno Caboclo also violated the bubble code claiming he didn’t know about the 48-hour quarantine period before roaming the campus, according to ESPN. Worth noting — the NBA just announced only 2 out of 322 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since arriving on campus … and they have been forced to isolate. Bottom line — follow the rules so we can have basketball, please!!! Read Full Article

The 2 men and 2 teens who allegedly killed Pop Smoke have been slapped with murder charges, and while the death penalty is in play … prosecutors haven’t decided yet to seek it. The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office announced criminal charges against 19-year-old Corey Walker and 18-year-old Keandre Rodgers, who were each charged with murder with special circumstance allegations that the killing went down during the commission of a robbery and burglary. With the special circumstances, the death penalty is on the table. The D.A.’s Office adds that gang and gun allegations were made in their complaint as well. On top of those two, a separate pair of teenagers — the youngest being 15 and the oldest 17 — were also charged with one count of murder and robbery in juvenile court. Their names weren’t released, as they’re still minors. We broke the story … Pop Smoke was shot and killed back in February by 4 masked gunmen after what appeared to be a home invasion robbery at his home Hollywood Hills home. Even though the D.A.’s Office says they haven’t decided on whether to pursue capital punishment yet, both adult men face still face life in prison if convicted. Read Full Article

HE DID WHAT?!?! A high schooler made one of the most insane catches over NFL superstar Tyreek Hill at a football camp this past weekend … and the video of the play is ABSURD!!! Here’s the deal … Hill was holding a youth football workout on Saturday in Round Rock, Texas — when he decided to have a little fun with the youngsters. He played receiver and caught some passes … but when he flipped around to defensive back — he got put on a poster that would have made Randy Moss proud!! Tyreeq-Styles Obichere — a Texas JV football player who’s going into the 10th grade — routed up Tyreek, and when the ball arrived — he snatched it from the Chiefs star with one hand. ONE HAND!! Ya gotta watch the clip … the catch is Odell Beckham-esque!!! Hill gave the kid props on Twitter on Monday … writing, “Now I see what it feels like to get snagged on, serious note though amazing grab keep that same energy future phenom cause next time I’m bring breeland to hold you.” Moss — the king of highlight catches — even chimed in on the play, writing on his social media, “Ohhh no he didnt….ohhh yes he did!MOSSED em!could this be week 1 edition? MOSSED” We’re out to Tyreeq for an interview about the play … stay tuned! Read Full Article

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez didn’t just walk away after their first attempt to buy the NY Mets fell flat — they came back with a squad of rich NFL and NBA players … and now they’re back in the game! The power couple recruited a dream team of current and former NFL ballers to join their investment group to make a 2nd run at the MLB franchise … with names like Travis Kelce, Brian Urlacher, Joe Thomas, and DeMarco Murray. There are two NBA stars in the group as well — Washington Wizards beast Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee. Remember, J Lo and A-Rod had previously tried to buy the Mets for around $1.5 billion — but it didn’t exactly work out since the Wilpon family (which owns the team) was hoping to get around $2.5 billion. Now, J-Rod’s group is back with a larger bid — $1.7 billion, according to ESPN … and they’re reportedly in the mix. Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen is the front-runner to buy the team — he’s loaded and has already made a $2 billion bid, according to the NY Post. But, there’s still time for J-Rod’s group to come back with a larger bid — and ESPN says the Wilpons would prefer to sell to Lopez and Rodriguez if they can come closer to the top bid. NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher is stoked about the possibility of becoming an owner — telling ESPN, “It’s pretty cool.” “It’s especially cool to be involved with Alex. Alex is the man. You’ve got Kelce, Joe Thomas, DeMarco Murray. It’s great to be in a group with them.” Kelce — K.C. Chiefs superstar tight end — also weighed in … saying it’s a “crazy opportunity.” “I had a chance to meet Alex Rodriguez a couple years ago and just told him how much of a fan I was as a kid of him. I’m very thankful for the success that I’ve had in the NFL, to have an opportunity like this come across the table. I couldn’t think of a more unique set of people to be in charge of this.” As we previously reported Alex and Jennifer see tremendous potential for the Mets — with sources telling us he feels the organization has been “so mismanaged” over the years, there is nothing but upside if he can right the ship. The big question … can the dream team of investors ultimately compete with a single motivated billionaire? Stay tuned … Read Full Article

CNN’s Bakari Sellers says bias in the health care system forced his family to make a critical decision — one he believes helped save his wife’s life hours after she had their twins. Bakari joined “TMZ Live” on Monday and talked about why they chose black doctors instead of white ones when he and his wife, Ellen, were expecting. It’s a fascinating story from his new book ‘My Vanishing Country.’ The former South Carolina state legislator didn’t mince words … saying, “the pain that black folk go through is not looked at with the same urgency as white folk in this country.” Case in point … the day his twins, Stokely and Sadie, were born in January 2019. A mere 5 hours after Ellen gave birth, she passed out after hemorrhaging 7 units of blood. Check out the video … Bakari says it’s a known fact black women are 3 times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. In his book, he explains the thought that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was a physician — who infamously wore blackface while in medical school — gave him pause about the kind of bias that exists, even in medicine. That being said, Bakari says he struggled to get a single nurse to pay attention to his cries for help — and ultimately, Bakari and Ellen’s personal doctor returned to provide the care she needed to save her life. Read Full Article

We all knew this was coming … the 2020 Bank Of America Chicago Marathon is the next major running event to bow down to the coronavirus … with officials canceling the race on Monday. The event — which had roughly 45,000 finishers in 2019 — is one of the biggest in the world … and was set to go down on October 11. Chicago now joins New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and Buffalo marathons in scrapping the event due to the pandemic. Participants will now have the opportunity to get their entry fees back … or try their luck in 2021, 2022 or 2023. As of right now, the London Marathon is still slated to go down in October … but a lot could change before then. Of course, one guy ran a marathon in his backyard earlier in the pandemic … so don’t worry, runners … you can still make it happen!! Read Full Article

TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page. It’s summer, and if you’re looking to get the bod you wanted this season without starving yourself … here’s something to pop in your mouth that’s guilt-free and actually good for you. It’s called lytepop™ Electrolyte Infused Popcorn — and yeah, it’s about as straightforward as it sounds. The only difference with this snack … NBA star Trae Young backs it all the way. This tasty treat takes the shame out of quarantine snacking. It’s organic, high-fiber and low-calorie … meaning you can eat this all day and not feel bad for munching on just “one more.” BTW, it definitely can’t hurt to have at it with this one — each piece of kernel is packed with electrolytes that hydrate your body … that means less fatigue and muscle cramping. It’s basically like an edible Gatorade on the go — only tastier and with a little, well … more pop. We know some overly healthy snacks taste pretty bland. But, the reviews for lytepop™ seem to overwhelmingly agree … it’s the perfect fix for salt cravings. At less than $18, you get 24 snack-sized pouches … basically, enough to fill your pantry since you’ll be tossing all your other snacks aside. Go ahead, live a little. You can afford it now. Read Full Article

A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight threatened to kill everyone onboard in the name of Jesus … and the horrifying outburst was caught on camera. The in-flight incident went down Saturday night on a flight from Seattle to Chicago, with an unruly passenger walking the aisle and screaming, “I’m going to kill everybody on this plane. Die in the name of Jesus!!!” Fortunately, flight crew and 2 other passengers swiftly subdued the man after his outburst and no one was injured. It’s unclear what led to the threat — but you can see the fear on other passengers’ faces as the man yelled. The incident played out about 20 minutes into the flight, and the plane was forced to turn around for an emergency landing back at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Once back on the ground, Port of Seattle Police took the man into custody and he was booked into King County Jail for harassment. The guy ruined a lot of people’s travel plans … the flight was canceled and everyone was booked on the next available trip to Chicago. Read Full Article

The University of Texas says it’s making major changes across its campus to “promote diversity, inclusion and equity” — including renaming its football field after two of its greatest athletes, who are black. Joe Jamail Field — at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium — will be renamed Earl Campbell-Ricky Williams Field, after the two Heisman Trophy winners. According to the school, the name change came at the request of the Jamail family. Nothing controversial about Jamail that we’re aware of — he was a wealthy UT alum who donated a ton of money to the University and they honored him by naming the field after him in 1997. Of course, Ricky Williams was a MONSTER during his time at Texas — winning the Heisman in 1998 after one of the greatest seasons ever — rushing for more than 2,300 yards and 29 TDs. Campbell was also a beast — winning the Heisman in 1977 when he sued for 1,744 and 18 TDs. There’s more … UT says it will also be erecting a statue at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium of Julius Whittier, the Longhorns’ first Black football letterman. The school also announced several changes to “promote diversity, inclusion and equity” at the university … which are things Longhorns football players have been asking for for months. Remember, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown began a boycott of football workouts just a few days ago because he believed the school was dragging its feet on implementing changes. Unclear if he’ll end that boycott now … but he did tweet after UT’s announcement, “We Are One!” Read Full Article