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Scooby Wright -- the ex-NFL linebacker and former University of Arizona football star -- is now trying his hand at a different contact sport ... auditioning to become the WWE's next big superstar!!

The wrestling org. invited the former Wildcat to attend tryouts at IMG Academy in Florida this week as part of the company's new recruitment strategy ... and, Scooby sure seemed to impress while there.

One of the 30-plus athletes -- 17 of which were former college football players -- who showed up, the 28-year-old moved around the ring just like he did on the football field.

Wright learned the fundamentals from on-site coaches, including how to absorb blows when hitting the mat. He even got some wisdom imparted to him from Matthew Jason Bloom, a veteran in the industry who wrestled under various monikers during different stints with the WWE.

No word yet on how the execs felt about the former backer ... but the dude has rarely ever disappointed in his athletic life -- so we're sure things went well.

If you need a refresher, the former two-star recruit balled out during his college career at UofA ... recording a staggering 270 total tackles, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception in 30 career games.

He went on to be picked by the Cardinals in the 7th round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

American actress Rebecca Lee Meza was just 10 years old when she was cast as the adolescent Selena Quintanilla -- the aspiring American Tejano singer growing up in Corpus Christi, TX -- in the classical music movie "Selena" back in 1997.

Rebecca shared the big screen with pop icon Jennifer Lopez as Selena, Jon Seda as the guitarist and Selena's husband, Chris Pérez, Edward James Olmos as Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla.

Other notable actors in the biopic included Constance Marie as Selena's mother, Marcela Quintanilla ... and Jackie Guerra as Selena's sister, Suzette Quintanilla.

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, coanchors of 'GMA3,' will not be disciplined over their romantic relationship ... TMZ has learned.

Network sources tell TMZ ... Amy and T.J. did nothing to warrant punishment. They are 2 consenting adults on equal levels in the company and have a right to date who they want. One network source adds ... the fact they were on the air Thursday -- the day after DailyMail broke the story -- should telegraph to everyone, neither will suffer any consequences.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Amy actually went to ABC execs several YEARS ago to dispel rumors she and T.J. were a thing. She knew the building was abuzz with talk they had hooked up, but Amy assured her bosses they were just friends -- though best friends.

As for the timeline, we're told both T.J. and Amy separated from their spouses in August, just weeks apart from each other, and "shortly thereafter" began a romantic relationship.

We're told Amy and T.J. planned to make their relationship public in several weeks, because Amy's divorce from Andrew Shue will become final in around 2 weeks. They were blindsided by the DailyMail photos that were published Wednesday.

Until the DailyMail story broke Wednesday, they had told no one about their relationship, including execs at ABC.

Our sources say both Amy and T.J. will be on the air Friday, but we're told there are no plans for them to talk about their relationship.

Jemele Hill is urging the media to not let Jerry Jones off the hook amid his racial controversy ... saying LeBron James was completely right to call out reporters for not giving the Dallas Cowboys owner similar coverage as Kyrie Irving.

Hill joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss the Lakers superstar's postgame message on Thursday ... and she believes Black figures and athletes are constantly criticized to a much harsher degree in the media.

"This is not to say that there should be no room for accountability, of course," Hill says. "But it seems that it just is nonstop, and over and over and over again and it's constant."

Hill says Jones' "curious kid" explanation for attending a desegregation protest as a 14-year-old in 1957 is insufficient ... and claims his influence as an NFL owner is another reason why he wasn't pressed to explain his stance further, when Kyrie was asked repeatedly about whether he was antisemitic.

"I think the difference in [Jerry] and Kyrie in the treatment is not only a failure by the media, it's also a difference in power," Hill said.

"Kyrie, he's a 'worker' in the NBA. Jerry Jones is an owner, and as an owner he gets to dictate the rules of engagement, so to speak. He also doesn't have to answer to the media as often as Kyrie Irving does."

The Atlantic reporter points out there is a legitimate reason for journalists to ask LeBron about Jones' attendance at the '57 event ... especially considering his history as a diehard Cowboys fan and his previous comments denouncing the team's handling of the national anthem demonstrations.

Jemele suggests the situation would be handled completely differently if something like the Jones photo controversy happened in the NBA ... simply because the players run the league instead of the owners, and they wouldn't let it fly.

Kanye West is in the middle of a serious mental breakdown live on-air with Alex Jones, spewing hate against Jewish people and praising Hitler and Nazis.

West has been live for more than an hour on "Infowars." He's clearly erratic, at times nonsensical, hateful and dressed with his face fully covered by a mask.

During the majority of his ramblings, Kanye said, "I see good things about Hitler ... Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler." He then claimed Hitler invented highways and microphones.

Jones -- the host of "Infowars" who was hit with a nearly $1 billion judgment for his lies about Sandy Hook -- seems lost and unable to control Kanye.

At one point, Jones actually attempted to denounce Nazis, to which Kanye responded, "They did good things too, we are gonna stop dissing the Nazis."

During another moment just before a commercial break, Kanye squarely says, "I like Hitler."

Of course, Kanye's been sharing his antisemitic beliefs for more than a month now, but this time he's noticeably in the middle of a major mental episode -- at times barely even able to catch his breath as he unleashes hate.

As we've reported, Kanye's been traveling the country with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has been at Kanye's side -- even hitting up Mar-a-Lago for dinner with Donald Trump.

Florida Gators quarterback Jalen Kitna shared an image on a popular social media messaging platform of an adult male having sex with a pre-pubescent female ... this according to cops.

The Gainesville Police Department spelled out the highly disturbing allegations in an arrest report, obtained by TMZ Sports, on Thursday.

In the docs, cops say they received a tip back on June 23, claiming that a Discord user with the account name "jjkit7#8147" had uploaded the image just two days prior, on June 21.

Cops say after launching a thorough investigation, they found out the account belonged to Kitna -- and claim he had also shared another image on June 21 of a pubescent juvenile female exposing herself as well.

According to the docs, Kitna shared the photos during a chat with two separate Discord users.

During one of the alleged conversations, after sharing the image, the person on the receiving end wrote to Kitna, "Wait what. Dude. Are they under 18. Bruh. Nooo."

The docs do not say whether or not Kitna replied.

Police say they eventually executed a search warrant over it all at Kitna's Florida residence on Wednesday ... and seized his phone. According to the documents, an ensuing search of the device revealed he was in possession of three more child sexual abuse images, depicting two nude pubescent juveniles in different poses.

As we reported, Kitna was arrested and booked on five separate child pornography charges. He was granted bail on Thursday at a hearing, after his famous father -- former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna -- testified in court.

The Univ. of Florida, meanwhile, has suspended the 19-year-old from the football team in wake of the arrest, calling the allegations "extremely serious" and ones that the school has "zero tolerance" for.

Actor Frank Vallelonga Jr., famous for his work in the Oscar-winning "Green Book," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The NYPD tells TMZ ... police responded Monday morning to a 911 call about an unconscious man in the Bronx, and when they got there they found a dead body in the street, which was later identified as Frank.

Cops say the Medical Examiner will determine an official cause of death. Meanwhile, police tell us a suspect has been criminally charged with dumping Frank's corpse. Cops also say the suspect told police Frank overdosed.

Frank's late father is "Sopranos" star Tony Lip, who played New York mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi in the HBO series ... and his brother, Nick Vallelonga, is the co-writer and producer for "Green Book," which won two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.

In fact, "Green Book" is about Frank's father ... Tony worked as a bouncer and was hired to drive and protect pianist Don Shirley during an early 1960s tour through the Jim Crow South. In the movie, Viggo Mortensen portrays Tony and Frank plays his other brother, Rudy Vallelonga.

Cops say the suspect dumped Frank's body from a car owned by Nick -- but Nick told police the suspect did not have permission or authority to drive the car.

Frank was 60.

Idaho authorities seem to be back to square one ... they just reversed a key finding in their investigation into the slaughter of four college students.

The Moscow Police Department released a "clarification" on Facebook Wednesday night, saying they are now UNSURE if the victims or the murder house were targeted by the killer or killers.

The statement read ... "We have spoken with the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office and identified this was a miscommunication. Detectives do not currently know if the residence or any occupants were specifically targeted but continue to investigate."

Latah County prosecutor Bill Thompson sparked confusion during a recent interview with NewsNation, stating the assailant/assailants were "specifically looking at this particular residence." He added the use of the term "targeted" was likely a mistake because it implied one or more of the victims were in the killer/killers' crosshairs.

Thompson's words muddled the message from Moscow Police Chief James Fry, who has been adamant since the beginning of the probe that it was a "targeted attack," but he never explained why. Police have not identified the suspect/suspects or released a motive. Few details about the crimes are publicly known.

Four University of Idaho students were discovered fatally stabbed inside an off-campus home on November 13. Investigators believe the murder weapon was a combat knife similar to the one used by the Rambo character in the '80s film, 'First Blood.' But, the weapon has not been found.

With the killer/killers at large and little if no answers from police ... many university students -- out of fear -- have opted to attend classes remotely.

Snoop Dogg's family has just been crowned SKIMS Holiday family of the year and they picked the perfect way to celebrate: snapping the first-ever pic of the legendary rapper's nuclear household!!!

Snoop, his wife Shante "Boss Lady" Broadus, his kids Corde, Cordell and Cori, their children and his daughter's fiance Wayne Deuce all draped up in matching SKIMS fits … with OG Snoop repping for "Black Panther" while wearing his famous Claw Necklace.

"I feel so blessed that three generations of my family were able to come together for the SKIMS Holiday campaign," Snoop said of the look, highlighting the super soft, comfy outfits.

Snoop and his family have been operating like the hip-hop Huxtables for years. He and his wife have been married for 25 years and hopped on reality TV back in 2007 with two seasons of their E! series "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood."

Jon Kitna was in a Florida court room on Thursday morning ... guaranteeing a judge that if his son was granted bail in his child pornography case, the former NFL star would make sure the 19-year-old returned for every required hearing going forward.

Jon wore a tie and a checkered suit for the proceedings -- which went down less than 24 hours after Jalen Kitna was arrested in Gainesville for possession of child porn -- and he ensured over and over again that he and his wife would follow every rule and regulation imposed on their son if he was released from custody Thursday.

Jon, along with his wife, emphatically told the judge that Jalen would live with them in Texas ... as long as the Florida Gators quarterback was out on pre-trial release.

The former Dallas Cowboys signal-caller's testimony apparently helped his son ... as the judge ultimately set the younger Kitna's bond at $80,000. In making the ruling, the judge ordered that Jalen must not use the Internet and must not have unsupervised contact with minors.

Jalen appeared very somber during the hearing ... at times burying his head in his hands. He said little, except for when acknowledging questions from the judge.

Court records show the teenager has been formally hit with five felony charges in the case.

As we reported, Jalen has been suspended from the Florida football team following his arrest ... with the school saying in a statement, "These are extremely serious charges and the University of Florida and the UAA have zero tolerance for such behavior."

Nia Long is finally breaking her silence on the cheating scandal involving her fiancé, suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka -- saying she was devastated when the news broke two months ago ... and still is.

As we previously reported, Udoka -- hired as the Celtics HC last year -- was shelved for the entire 2022-23 season in September ... after having an inappropriate relationship with a female staff, violating team policy.

Long -- who got engaged to Udoka in 2015 and has an 11-year-old son with the coach -- hasn't spoken publicly about the scandal until recently doing an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"I think the most heartbreaking thing about all of this was seeing my son’s face," the actress said, "when the Boston Celtics organization decided to make a very private situation public."

"It was devastating, and it still is."

The "Friday" actress -- who did not discuss her relationship status with Udoka -- also called out the Celtics for not reaching out when they revealed the personal details of the scandal.

"If you're in the business of protecting women — I’m sorry, no one from the Celtics organization has even called to see if I’m OK, to see if my children are OK. It’s very disappointing.”

In spite of that, Long said she had "a tribe of women and men" instead ... protecting and comforting her through this difficult time.

Plus, Long is looking forward to directing her first film ... and it's a love story.

"I have to commit myself to that because I think sometimes when so much is happening, it takes your breath away and then it’s like you’re holding your breath, and you feel this angst and this panic of constantly being in fight-or-flight survival mode," Long said.

Jay-Z made Bacardi an offer he thought it couldn't refuse -- he was willing to spend $1.5 billion just for the booze co.'s 50% stake in D'Usse, but still got rejected.

TMZ broke the story ... Jay's in a legal war with Bacardi, trying to force the company to buy him out of their 50/50 partnership in the luxury cognac brand. But, according to new docs, it was Jay who first tried to buy out Bacardi, back in December 2021.

Here's what's weird, months before his offer ... Jay says he and Bacardi exchanged valuations of the brand. They were light years apart -- Jay felt his half of D'Usse was worth $2.5 billion, and Bacardi thought it was only worth a measly $460 million!

According to the docs, Jay went back to the drawing board and then in December he offered to buy out his partner for the $1.5 bil ... which, keep in mind, would still be 3 times what Bacardi said it was worth. Sweet deal, right?

Apparently not to Bacardi, since it rejected the offer -- and that's why Jay-Z thinks there's something shady going on here.

In the docs, Jay basically accuses Bacardi of unduly influencing a third party that was called in to appraise the brand. It's unclear what number the appraiser came up with, but it's a fair bet it's closer to Bacardi's value than Jay-Z's.

We say that because Jay's now asking the court to modify the result of an arbitration both parties went through to settle the sale. As we've reported, Jay-Z is ready and willing to part ways with D'Usse ... he simply doesn't want to get cheated on the price.

Antonio Brown has found himself in more legal trouble ... an arrest warrant has been issued for the ex-NFL star -- after he was allegedly involved in a domestic battery incident earlier this week.

According to the Tampa Police Dept., Brown and the alleged victim got into a verbal altercation around 1:30 PM on Monday at a home in South Tampa.

The dispute, according to cops, later became physical ... when Brown allegedly hurled a shoe at the woman.

Brown then "also attempted to evict the victim from the residence and locked her out of the home" during the incident, cops said.

According to FOX 13, the woman shares children with Brown.

Records, obtained by TMZ Sports, show a warrant for Brown's arrest was put out on Thursday morning. The charge is listed as a misdemeanor domestic violence battery.

What's interesting ... court records also show the Tampa Police Dept. attempted to get a risk protection order against Brown on Tuesday, though a judge denied the petition.

We're learning more about the sickening triple murder of a 15-year-old girl's family and the possible fate she faced if her abductor would have gotten her back to his home across the country.

Real estate records reveal Austin Lee Edwards paid $80,000 for a 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house in Saltville, VA on November 14 ... just 11 days before killing 3 people in Riverside, CA.

We spoke with neighbors who tell us Edwards almost immediately blacked out the windows of the home with car tint ... we've obtained photos showing it was next to impossible to see inside the home.

One of the neighbors tells us they had a brief conversation with Edwards, who said he chose to move there to get out of Richmond, VA. They also say Edwards wore a trench coat when he went to the water department to turn on his utilities, which they thought was odd.

As for his possessions ... we're told Edwards didn't appear to have much -- barely any furniture. We know cops have been active on the property over the last few days, removing evidence bags as they searched his home.

Cops say Edwards killed the 15-year-old girl's mother and grandparents before setting their house on fire, and then abducted the young girl. He was later caught in a police chase -- after one of the grandparents' neighbors called 911 -- which ended in a shoot-out where Edwards was killed. Cops say Edwards connected with the girl after catfishing her, pretending to be a 17-year-old boy.

Ashanti is opening up about an unsavory encounter, to put it lightly, she had with a music producer who tried to force her into sex ... as payment for studio recordings.

She exposed the incident Thursday while she was on "The Breakfast Club" ... saying she and the producer had been working closely together for a couple of weeks -- and he'd told her he'd do it for free because she was "the homie."

Ashanti says she and the producer created 2 songs but then he flipped the script … suggesting they take a shower together or else she would have to pay $40,000 a piece for the tracks!!! WTFFF?!?

After realizing he wasn't joking, Ashanti says she made a couple of phone calls to "handle the situation." It's anyone's guess what that means, but her mom Tina Douglas stepped in to confirm the story.

They also hinted at exposing the studio creep in the future in her memoir.

Sadly, the situation wasn't the first time Ashanti had to dial 911 within her inner circle.

David Robinson, one of Dog the Bounty Hunter's partners for years and star of "Dog's Most Wanted," has died.

Rainy, David's ex-wife, who also appeared on the show, tells us David was on a Zoom call Wednesday when he had some sort of medical emergency ... the police and paramedics responded, and CPR was performed, but it was unsuccessful.

Dog tells TMZ ... "I'm shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of David Robinson, my right-hand man of many years. Until we meet again, brother."

Sources close to Dog tell TMZ it appears David may have suffered some sort of heart attack or stroke ... although the official cause has yet to be determined.

Fans of "Dog's Most Wanted" know David worked closely with Dog in a handful of episodes on WGN America in 2019 -- hunting fugitives of Dog's choosing -- as opposed to tracking down those who have jumped bail.

He was 50.

RIP