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A former Penn State football player is suing the University -- claiming star players violently hazed younger players ... and made sexual threats invoking noted child rapist Jerry Sandusky.

The man behind the suit is Isaiah Humphries -- a defensive back who says he accepted a full scholarship to Penn State beginning in 2018.

But, Humphries says life as a Nittany Lion was hell -- with several upperclassmen players including Damion Barber, Micah Parsons, Yetur Gross-Matos and Jesse Luketa leading a campaign of hazing against the new players.

FYI, Micah Parsons is a star player -- the outside linebacker was Defensive MVP of the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Gross-Matos was an All-BIG 10 defensive end in '18 and '19.

According to Humphries' lawsuit, the upper classmen intended to make the new guys "their bitch" from the get-go ... telling them, "this is a prison."

He claims the upperclassmen also made threats against the new guys -- saying things like, "I am going to f*ck you" and "I am going to Sandusky you ... This is Jerry."

The alleged Sandusky quotes obviously refer to the disgraced Penn State football coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting many young boys at the school's athletic facility.

The allegations get much worse from here. Here's a list from the lawsuit ...

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can still lay claim to the Sussex Royal brand across the pond -- despite the "Megxit" -- but here in the U.S. of A., someone's already calling dibs!!!

You might've heard the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filed trademark docs in the UK to use the phrase "Sussex Royal" for possible merch in the future -- including possible online sales on their recently launched site of the same name.

Doesn't look like anyone's fighting 'em for the brand in England, but it ain't gonna be so easy for 'em stateside thanks to a guy named Joel Fogelson ... who's already filed an application to own "Sussex Royal" in America.

Now, frankly, this could get complicated for Joel if he was dead set on keeping it because it's their name, after all. However, he tells us he only filed for it on digital platforms because he saw it was available, and simply couldn't believe it.

Stan Kirsch -- better known as Richie Ryan on the original "Highlander" TV series -- was found dead in his L.A. home.

Law enforcement sources confirm Stan's wife, Kristyn Green, found the actor hanging Saturday afternoon in their bathroom. Paramedics responded, but we're told he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stan had tons of acting credits, appearing on shows like "JAG," "General Hospital" and "Friends" ... in addition to his 6 seasons on "Highlander" in the mid-90s. However, he was also a renowned acting coach in Los Angeles.

A tribute to Stan on the show's official Facebook page said, "Without Stan Kirsch, Highlander: The Series would have been far less. He brought a sense of humor, kindness and youthful enthusiasm to the character of Richie Ryan for six seasons."

Think Kim Kardashian takes pleasure in watching her sister's ex take an L in public??? HELL YEAH, SHE DOES!

Check out the smiles on Kim and Kanye's faces during the Lakers game Monday night -- grinning from ear to ear as LeBron and company put a beatdown on Tristan Thompson's Cleveland Cavaliers in a 128 to 99 shellacking!

Kim even posted a pic of Tristan on the court on her IG.

For the record, Tristan and Khloe Kardashian seem to be on decent terms these days -- but with all the drama he put her through, it must still be fun to watch him get wrecked on the court.

There were a TON of stars at Monday's game -- from Halsey and Courteney Cox to Judge Mathis and Emily Ratajkowski ... even Lily Collins and boxing star Gervonta Davis.

Harvey Weinstein has no shot at a fair trial in his NYC criminal case due to a tainted jury pool ... so says his defense team, which is laying blame squarely on the judge.

Weinstein's lead attorney, Donna Rotunno, tells TMZ … the disgraced Hollywood mogul has had such an immense amount of negative press coverage, she doesn't think it will be possible to find impartial jurors.

They're on the 6th day of jury selection right now, but Rotunno says all the potential candidates have likely formed opinions about Weinstein's guilt already ... due to what happened on day one.

As we reported ... Weinstein was hit with new sex crime charges in L.A. last week -- on the same day his NY trial started. His lawyers say because of the timing, the NY judge should have adjourned the case for a "cooling off period" -- a month or so -- to allow the news cycle to die down.

That didn't happen -- the judge immediately shot down their motion to adjourn, saying the L.A. charges were "next to meaningless" to the NY criminal case. As a result, Rotunno says the L.A. case is too fresh on the minds of the NY jury pool.

Welcome to the middle ground between light and shadow -- to an area where Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy's daughter finds herself in ... "The Twilight Zone."

Yes, Sophia Macy is set to appear in season 2 of the hit series recently revived by Jordan Peele. The 19-year-old, whose SAT was infamously rigged by Rick Singer and co., will make her 'Twilight' debut in an episode called "Among the Untrodden."

It'll be Sophia's third credited acting role, but they were relatively small gigs ... so, this'll definitely count as her big break -- and it couldn't come at a better time.

The Hollywood Police Dept. is sick and tired of Antonio Brown treating their officers like crap -- so, they've severed ties with the NFL star and even returned a large donation check.

Things have been bad between AB and the HPD for weeks -- with things exploding AGAIN on Monday during a domestic incident at Brown's Florida home in which Antonio cussed out and insulted officers and posted the video to social media.

The Hollywood PD says Brown's behavior was "very rude and disrespectful" and they no longer want to have a relationship with him.

As we previously reported, the HPD had allowed Brown for years to work out at their Police Athletic League football field. We posted video of AB training there in October as he tried to get back in the NFL. A spokesperson told us at the time AB had a great reputation with the cops.

In fact, cops say Brown had financially sponsored the HPD's 7-on-7 football league.

Yung Joc is proudly driving for a new rideshare company and tells us it's a fun way to make extra cash, while also teaching kids all about earning an honest buck.

In case you missed it ... the "It's Goin Down" rapper went viral this weekend when video surfaced of him behind the wheel of a new ride-hailing app in ATL called Pull Up N Go.

Yung Joc tells us he heard about the app from a friend, thought it sounded cool and decided to check another thing off his bucket list by signing up to be a driver.

While some passengers assumed Joc had fallen on hard times after recognizing him, he tells us his new side-hustle is actually his way of teaching an important lesson to the next generation.

President Donald Trump may wanna stick to college football games ... 'cause #45 got a standing ovation once again at the College Football Playoff national championship game!!

It hasn't always been this friendly for POTUS ... he's been boo'd to hell (World Series), cheered incessantly (LSU vs. Alabama), and gotten what some would call "mixed reviews" (UFC 244).

But, the crowd was lovin' Trump on Monday night when he and First Lady Melania took the field before kickoff for the National Anthem ... with audible cheers coming from the seats.

FYI -- the reception shouldn't come as a surprise ... Trump easily won the state of Louisiana back in 2016.

LSU QB Joe Burrow has played in front of Trump once earlier this season ... and has previously said it's a "pretty cool" experience, regardless of political beliefs.

President Trump signed and delivered the 2 articles of impeachment against him ... to a guy who duped 45 into a very valuable autograph, which he's trying to hawk for big cash.

The Prez held a rally last month up in Battle Creek, MI and at one point, he apparently signed a paper handed to him by someone in the crowd. That signature, as it turns out, was scrawled on a copy of the House of Representatives' impeachment document.

We're told the guy who snagged the autograph printed out the report the day before the House formally voted to accuse POTUS of high crimes.

Now, this fella's partnered up with Goldin Auctions ... which we're told is expecting to get anywhere from $50k to $100k, with an opening bid of $4k. It's up for grabs on their site from Jan. 20 through Feb. 22.

It's funny ... a similar item featuring Trump's John Hancock made its way to the auction block last month -- an unwittingly signed copy of Trump's Oath of Office from a Pennsylvania rally.

"Glee" star Dot Jones is lucky to be alive ... thanks to her quick-thinking wife, Bridgett, who rushed her to the same doctor who also once saved her life.

Dot tells TMZ ... she recently underwent emergency heart surgery after experiencing a severe burning sensation in her chest area that proved to be a much more serious condition than doctors initially figured.

We're told Dot saw multiple doctors in December after experiencing the burning feeling. She was ultimately diagnosed with bronchial spasms and asthma. But, not long after New Year's, Dot's experience grew exponentially worse while taking down her Christmas decorations.

We're told Bridgett rushed Dot to the hospital, where the same cardiologist who treated and saved Bridgett's life in 2017 following a stroke discovered Dot had what's called a widowmaker heart attack. The name says it all -- they're typically fatal. Dot's condition was pretty severe, with one of her arteries being 99% blocked.

D.L. Hughley is throwing his hands up in disgust at the American electorate, because he begrudgingly admits Cardi B could win office if she's serious about politics.

It's no secret the comedian isn't a fan of President Trump and told us the fact America elected a "game show host for a president" is proof knowledge and experience in politics no longer matter at all to the public. Translation: the door's wide open for Cardi.

Just because he believes it, doesn't mean he's happy about it -- D.L. points out several other professions where you'd NEVER hire someone with zero experience ... yet, voters seem willing to put anyone in high public office.

Cardi's been touting Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race, and he's surged ahead in the Iowa polls -- so, we asked Hughley if a Sanders-Almanzar ticket would be out of the question.

No one expected the Titans to wreck Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ... that is, no one except Chris Johnson ... and he tells TMZ Sports his old team is about to pull off ANOTHER huge upset!!

Mike Vrabel's squad came away with the 28-12 dub over Baltimore in the divisional round of the playoffs on Saturday (they were 10 point underdogs) ... one week after taking down Tom Brady and the Patriots.

CJ2K says the Titans ain't done yet, 'cause he tells us Tennessee is about to take down Patrick Mahomes and co. in the AFC Championship game and punch some tickets to Miami.

"Man, listen, the Ravens had a explosive offense as well," CJ tells us. "We went in there and we did what we had to do. We held them to 12 points. so, we gon' do the same thing this week."

CJ -- who was so pumped about the win, he made t-shirts -- jokes that he's getting so good with his predictions, he deserves a TV deal!!

"I've been right on the head. I've been predicting it every week."

Chicago-natives Louise Post (left) and Nina Gordon (right) were both in their early 20s when they joined forces on guitar and vocals to front the girl grunge group Veruca Salt and dropped the fuzz-toned feedback infused songs "Seether" and "All Hail Me" in the late 90s.

Louise Post and Nina Gordon weren't the only two musically inclined people in the group ... they were joined by Steve Lack on the distorted bass and Jim Shapiro completing the band's backline with snappy snare and drums.

The original group reunited after 14 years to record their album "Ghost Notes" back in 2015.

Azriel Clary and her family look elated over her homecoming and committed to her recovering from her years with R. Kelly.

The singer's now ex-girlfriend took several pics of herself back with her whole fam -- mom, dad and siblings were posing and dancing in matching outfits. We knew the reunion was coming, but this is the first time we've actually seen her with her folks ... Angelo and Alice Clary. Azriel was 17 when she left to live with Kelly and Joycelyn Savage ... she's now 22.

Azriel captioned the family shots, "surprise. Let the healing process begin. Love yall and thank y'all. I even thank everyone who follows me.. because you all believed in me when I could not believe for myself." She included the hashtag #movingontobetterdays.

Her dad, Angelo, tells TMZ ... "We are just enjoying these moments right now ... enjoying being reunited as the Clarys."

We broke the story ... Azriel plans to seek professional help from a counselor to recover from the alleged abuse and trauma she suffered from Kelly. Her parents are focused on doing whatever they can to get her life back in order.

The happy reunion comes just days after Clary and Savage had a huge fight at Kelly's condo as Azriel was moving out. During the fight, Azriel claimed -- on camera -- Joycelyn had sex with her while Azriel was still a minor.

Dr. Oz is throwing down the gauntlet like we've never seen anyone do before -- daring to challenge shredded Mark Wahlberg to a physical fitness competition!!!

The so-called "BreakXit" controversy Dr. Oz started is NOT dying down ... and Monday in NYC he was prepared to go all-out to defend his belief it's time to cancel breakfast.

As you know, we got Mark out this weekend and he shot down the good Doc's theory. Turns out, Oz is taking that personally. He told us, he's reached out to Wahlberg for a sit down to come to some agreement about skipping breakfast.

And, get this ... he's also down for more than just talk the talk. Oz is challenging Wahlberg to a one-legged push-up contest -- and seems supremely confident he can beat the muscle-bound celeb without breakin' a sweat ... especially if Mark's got a bellyful o' breakfast.