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"The statement attributed to me in Mr. Trotter's complaint is absolutely false," Pegula said Tuesday in a statement. "I am horrified that anyone would connect me to an allegation of this kind. Racism has no place in our society and I am personally disgusted that my name is associated with this complaint."

Jim Trotter, a longtime reporter and columnist who worked for NFL Network for 5 years, is suing the NFL ... claiming his contract wasn't renewed after he pressed Roger Goodell on the league's hiring practices when it comes to minorities.

"Jim Trotter ... was let go by the National Football League because he challenged Commissioner Roger Goodell and others regarding the NFL's record of race discrimination and lack of diversity," the complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, reads.

On several occasions, Trotter, an employee of the NFL-owned NFL Network, publicly grilled Goodell on the lack of Black execs within the league and teams, including during a nationally televised interview during the week leading up to the Super Bowl in February 2023.

Still, Trotter says all indications were he'd receive a new contract in the spring, as his deal was expiring ... however, in late March, his deal was not renewed, and he was out of a job.

"It has already been acknowledged by many in the media that the NFL retaliated against and took vengeance on Mr. Trotter for him having taken the NFL to task on its discriminatory practices," Trotter's attorneys from Wigdor LLP wrote.

"The NFL’s treatment of Mr. Trotter is consistent with a documented history of silencing, retaliating against and 'blackballing' Black men who speak out about such conduct. This is the NFL’s modus operandi and part of the fabric of the league."

Wigdor is the same firm that is representing former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores in his racial discrimination suit.

The lawsuit also references Jerry Jones ... and an alleged conversation he had with Trotter in August 2020, when the reporter asked the Cowboys owner (similar to the question he posed Goodell) about the league's hiring practices when it came to Black executives.

“If Blacks feel some kind of way, they should buy their own team and hire who they want to hire,” Trotter claims Jones responded.

Trotter also references Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula ... whom he claims once remarked ... “If the Black players don’t like it here, they should go back to Africa and see how bad it is.”

JT says he raised concerns about the comment, but "no remedial action was taken."

FYI, per Trotter's suit, the NFL only has 8 Black General Managers and 3 Black head coaches.

In addition to the 53-page lawsuit, Trotter, who now works for The Athletic, also released a statement further explaining his reasons for filing the lawsuit.

"The NFL has claimed it wants to be held accountable regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. I tried to do so, and it cost me my job. I'm filing this lawsuit because I can't complain about things that are wrong if I'm unwilling to fight for what is right," JT wrote on social media.

Celebration turned to chaos as a Rhode Island wedding party got into an all-out brawl with police officers ... and it's all on video.

Half a dozen members of the wedding party were arrested early Sunday morning following a melee with cops outside a Newport restaurant ... and footage shows the incident escalating from a tense interaction to straight-up combat.

In the video, punches thrown by both sides fly and connect ... and a woman in an orange dress, who police later identified as Alexandra Flaherty, is seen kicking a cop in the groin.

Another woman in the wedding party gets knocked out cold ... hitting the deck when an officer throws her to the ground.

In the police report, obtained by TMZ, the cop says the woman was reaching for his firearm when he turned around and threw a punch connecting with her jaw. Police say the woman, later identified as Rachael Onik, eventually became conscious and was arrested.

Cops say Rachael's husband, David Onik, started the whole thing when he threw a fit after being denied entry to a bar. Police say David got physical with bar staff, who called the cops.

Police say when officers arrived to talk to David, his wife "began injecting herself into the incident and becoming uncooperative" ... and when an officer tried to move her back, she tripped on the cobblestone street. That's where the video picks up and all hell breaks loose.

Footage also shows a man in a suit and tie, who police later identified as Robert Nash, punching a cop in the face, taking him to the ground and then pummeling him.

Sophie Turner is still hard at work in the wake of Joe Jonas' divorce filing ... taking a smoke break in Spain while on the set of her latest project.

The "Game of Thrones" star was spotted filming the British series, "Joan," a biopic about infamous jewel thief Joan Hannington. Sophie is slated to play the titular character, which explains why she's rocking the blonde hair and big tattoo on her back.

As you know, Joe filed for divorce last week, asking for joint custody of their 2 young daughters. TMZ broke the story ... Joe saw Sophie doing and/or saying something on a Ring camera, which is what made him realize it was over between them.

Sources told us the decision to end things also had a lot to do with the couple's different lifestyles, as Sophie recently liked to go out, and Joe was more of a homebody.

That dynamic was a big difference from the months after Sophie gave birth to the couple's second child ... when we're told she's the one who wanted to stay home and would get uncomfortable while attending events.

We were told Joe complained about Sophie being MIA from a specific event at one point, feeling she needed to get out more -- a sign to some that their relationship was on the rocks.

Joe took a moment out from his Jonas Brothers concert in Los Angeles over the weekend to speak about all the noise surrounding his relationship ... claiming anything not coming out of his mouth is bogus.

Mike Williams -- a former NFL receiver who played for the Buccaneers and Bills -- has passed away following a tragic accident at a construction site.

He was only 36 years old.

Williams' agent, Hadley Engelhard of Enter Sports Management, confirmed the news ... saying the New York native died Tuesday morning.

"He will be missed," Engelhard said in a statement. "He fought hard his whole life. Prayers to his family."

As we previously reported, Williams was placed on life support in Florida after he was injured doing electrical work at a construction site. Williams was "mostly non-responsive" as he fought for his life last week, according to family members.

Williams -- a standout at Syracuse -- was selected in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He had a stellar first season for the Bucs, finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year consideration.

Mike went on to play four seasons with Tampa Bay, and had short stints with the Bills and Chiefs.

He logged 3,089 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns over the course of his career.

The Bucs released a statement on Williams' passing ... saying, "We are saddened to hear of the untimely death of Mike Williams, which has left our organization, his former teammates and fans with heavy hearts."

"We send our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones as they mourn this tragedy."

Tom Sandoval and Rachel Leviss are still in touch -- at least in one direction -- 'cause one of them is wishing the other a happy birthday ... even though they seem to be miles apart.

Rachel posted a video Sunday showing off where she's been hanging out lately, and it looks lovely -- a beautiful farm setting with a garden of flowers all around, which she's enjoying to the max. Her caption was, "I've been dreaming of a place like this."

While the clip went up 2 days ago, TS just commented on it Tuesday ... which is Rachel's 29th birthday. He wrote, "Happy Birthday Rachel, I really hope ur finding peace and happiness. Miss u friend."

Rachel hasn't responded ... but a lot of other people have, and most of the reactions to his unprompted shout-out aren't great. As you might imagine, folks are telling Tom to buzz off.

Seems the wounds of the cheating scandal are still fresh for many fans ... even though most of the '"Vanderpump Rules" cast is already moving on -- as cameras have been rolling for a new season, sans Rachel.

Remember ... she stepped away to deal with her mental health in the aftermath of the combative reunion, and at this point -- there's no indication she plans on coming back to L.A., at least for the time being anyway.

Meanwhile, Ariana Madix has a new man ... and Tom appears to be linked to a new flame.

And yet, he still has Rachel on the brain -- despite all they've been through.

*NSYNC diehards are convinced a reunion is afoot after spotting a few members in the Big Apple -- and TMZ knows the band will be front and center during the show.

Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass were all photographed in and around NYC over the past 48 hours -- JT hit up the US Open, Joey was spotted roaming the streets/posing with fans and Lance got snapped grabbing drinks in Manhattan.

In addition to these sightings ... JC Chasez was pictured riding in a private jet -- through a recent social media post from his manager -- although it's unclear where exactly he was flying to.

The one person who has yet to be shot in public is Chris Kirkpatrick ... but he did post a 9/11 tribute Monday, and threw up a NYFD firetruck. Unclear if he took it himself though.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the group will be presenting during the show Tuesday at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. We do not know if they will also perform.

Of course, another clue of a reunion ... a track that's been teased through Justin's latest 'Trolls' movie -- which has the first letter of their band name and a catchy whistling tune ... although the full song has yet to be released/named.

The guys haven't performed together since the 2013 VMAs -- so a reunion now would be timely ... a 10-year anniversary. They haven't released new music since the early 2000s.

Lord knows their day-ones have been craving a reunion for a long, long time now.

The big award show is only hours away, so we'll see if the iconic boy band is ready to join forces. A lot has changed since they last rocked a major stage -- here's hoping they still got the juice!

Drake took it easy on a fan who rushed the stage during his "It's All a Blur" tour in Austin, TX -- but had no mercy for the security guard taking his sweet time to remove the guy!!!

The fan managed to crash the Moody Center stage Monday night as Drake addressed the audience during his show, but was initially met with a cold shoulder push when he tried to get rewarded and dapped up.

You can't blame Drizzy ... in a dark-lit arena, it would be hard to tell if the guy's friend or foe -- ya never know until it's too late!!!

Drake then agreed to shake the fan's hand and openly questioned the venue's vigilance... asking "Y'all not doing security???" as he led the fan off the stage.

A security guard eventually came up the stairs to the stage and removed the fan, but Drake noticed he lacked pep in his step and shamed him, calling him "slow as f***" for not getting on the job sooner.

It's understandable why Drake would be on edge. Fans have been throwing crap at artists all year and Drake's been a victim himself ... if it wasn't for his ninja-like reflexes, he would've been decked with a book last month!!!

Jonathan Majors just wanted to satisfy his craving for In-N-Out, but stopped a beatdown instead ... swooping in the middle of a high school fight to break things up.

We got the actor in West Hollywood Monday, hours after stopping 2 girls from fighting each other at the fast-food chain -- at a location next to Hollywood High School.

Jonathan's not sure what sparked the brawl, but makes it clear he just wanted to make sure folks didn't get hurt in the scuffle, so he stepped in. Jonathan's also hoping the girls are doing alright after the fight, and he's got some cool & simple words for those involved.

As we reported, Jonathan is currently in the middle of a legal battle with his ex-girlfriend -- he was arrested in March for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping her in a taxi.

DJ Envy and his wife Gia Casey are coming in hot with allegations against Tyrese ... claiming the actor/R&B star attempted to wedge himself into their marriage!!!

Tensions have still been high in the aftermath of their Breakfast Club interview last week where Tyrese acknowledged a beef between himself and Envy, but fans were clueless as to why ... until now!!!

On Tuesday, Envy revealed the reason on-air ... claiming Tyrese was becoming pushy in his friendship with his wife, and was planting bugs in Gia's ear with tempting words like " ... if you had a man like me."

To make matters worse, Envy says a man claiming to be Tyrese's ex-assistant texted him from out of the blue warning him not to trust Tyrese, because his own wife had allegedly been seduced by Tyrese's charms as well.

Gia then called in claiming the strong bond she and Tyrese formed via text became alarming when he became demanding with her time, and even set a list of expectations.

Tyrese just dropped a 20-minute video defending himself, claiming he had been in good standing with Gia up until their last text exchanges in August 2022.

Patrick Mahomes learned the importance of punctuation while sharing his grief over Aaron Rodgers' injury on Monday ... clarifying he does not actually "hate that man" -- he just forgot to add a comma.

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar was quick to react to Rodgers' apparent ankle ailment while watching the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills matchup ... going to his X account to address the incident.

"Hate that man… Praying for the best 🙏🏽"

Of course, upon first read, it comes across as Mahomes revealing his abhorrence for the four-time MVP ... but Patrick eventually realized his mistake and made use of the "edit" feature on the social media platform.

"Hate that, man… Praying for the best 🙏🏽"

Ah, much better.

Mahomes took the gaffe in stride ... joking, "Knew i was going to need that edit button on here one of these days 🤣"

Unfortunately for Jets fans, they're not laughing Tuesday morning ... as many fear, Rodgers could be out a significant amount of time to nurse his injury.

While the extent of it has not been announced, Jets staffers are reportedly losing sleep over the idea of being without Rodgers ... which would essentially end their chances of contending for a Super Bowl.

New Yorkers marveled at a special sight on the anniversary of 9/11 -- a massive double rainbow stretched over the city exactly 22 years after the terrorist attack.

Big Apple residents stepped out of their apartments on a rainy Monday, and looked up to see the spectacle in the sky, which had folks oohing, ahhing and shooting photos and videos which took the internet by storm.

One person shared their view from high up in a skyscraper, and it looked like the entire city was practically covered by the double rainbows.

Mother nature's timing couldn't have been better ... as so many New Yorkers were remembering or reliving the horror of what filled the city sky 22 years ago -- so, the sight of the rainbows was a striking difference. And, an emotional one, too.

As we reported, NYC officials said on Friday a man and woman's remains have now been identified all these years later, thanks to major advancements in DNA testing.

A woman running for a coveted Virginia House seat has a side gig for $$$ -- she had posted spicy clips online ... with the help of her hubby.

40-year-old Susanna Gibson -- a Democrat running to represent District 57 in Richmond -- had posted several vids on a platform called Chaturbate ... which hosts users who are down to masturbate while chatting with others online.

According to WaPo and NYP, Gibson was quite active on Chaturbate last year ... with at least a dozen live streams -- most of which had been archived and viewed by the outlets -- featuring her and her spouse performing sex acts on each other while on camera.

Throughout the streams, Gibson is reported to have consistently asked folks who were watching to keep on donating to her account via digital tokens -- which she could cash in.

Apparently, she was pretty popular on there before September 2022 -- when her Chaturbate activity seems to have gone dark -- with nearly 6,000 followers. Worth noting, some of these videos appear to have been archived after she officially declared her candidacy last year.

Of course, this discovery is causing an uproar -- especially among her Republican rivals. In response, Gibson has called this surfacing of her material an illegal invasion of her privacy.

She says, "It won’t intimidate me and it won’t silence me. My political opponents and their Republican allies have proven they’re willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there’s no line they won’t cross to silence women when they speak up."

Lionel Messi is playing like a king down in South Florida ... and now, he'll get to live like one there, too!!

The new Inter Miami superstar has just copped a $10.8 million mansion in Fort Lauderdale ... and the crib is massive -- featuring eight bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms and 10,486 total square feet.

It comes with all the bells and whistles, too -- there's a big pool in the backyard plus two docks outside. The inside is decked out as well ... with an Italian kitchen, workout room, entertainment lounge, VIP and Captain's suites and offices.

Messi's new place is close to his soccer club's facility ... so if he's ever itching for some extra practice, he won't have far to go. The Real Deal was first to report the purchase.

Messi has been dominating throughout his new venture in the MLS ... with tons of celebs hitting up his games to witness greatness.

Now he's got a spot for all his famous friends to hang out after his games!!

Taylor Swift is seein' stars in the Big Apple ... they just happen to be her good pals, as she did dinner with Gigi Hadid, Ryan Reynolds, Channing Tatum and some equally famous significant others.

The singer hit up Emilio's Ballato restaurant Monday evening in NYC, where Ryan showed up with his wife, Blake Lively, and Channing pulled up with his arm around GF Zoë Kravitz.

That's not all ... Cara Delevingne also attended the big dinner date. FYI, Cara was spotted leaving the studio with Taylor last week -- not long after the singer announced she's hard at work on re-recording her "1989" album.

As you know, Taylor's been putting in some serious studio time for a while now -- during and after wrapping up the U.S. leg of her "Eras" Tour ... which became a national phenomenon.

Don't forget ... Taylor, Channing, Zoë, and Cara were all together last month for Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's wedding in New Jersey, too, so they've all been keepin' up with one another lately.

Well ... this sucks.

NFL superstar Aaron Rodgers went down with an apparent injury during the first game of his New York Jets career on Monday Night Football ... bringing his big debut to a screeching halt.

Rodgers was getting drilled on numerous occasions as the Jets started their first offensive drive of the matchup against the Buffalo Bills ... with several defensive players making their way to the backfield and knocking him down.

But just 6 minutes into the game, #8 took a hit from former first-round pick Leonard Floyd that would prove to be a major blow ... 'cause even though he was initially able to get back up on his feet, he sat back down on the grass with a concerned look on his face.

Rodgers was then assisted off the field alongside medical staffers ... and was later taken away on a cart as Zach Wilson took over under center.

Jets coach Robert Saleh told ESPN's broadcast team Rodgers appeared to have hurt his ankle ... although the extent of the injury is unknown at this time.

It will be a huge bummer for the Jets if Rodgers is forced to miss time ... as the team's acquisition of the Super Bowl champ had the entire league expecting a turnaround this season.

The manhunt for the escaped Pennsylvania prisoner Danelo Cavalcante just got a whole lot crazier … the killer reportedly broke into a house and got shot at while stealing a rifle.

On Monday night, Cavalcante forced his way inside the home in East Nantmeal Township, a tiny village in rural PA, according to Fox 29 Philadelphia.

The outlet reported the resident pulled a gun and fired 7 shots at someone who fit the description of Cavalcante. The burglar got the hell out of dodge, but not before he swiped the .22 Caliber rifle from inside the house.

Investigators could not confirm if the man believed to be Cavalcante was injured but said his sneakers might have been found nearby. Police now consider Cavalcante armed and dangerous, closing a school due to the threat he poses.

The frightening development comes as TMZ broke the story … Dog the Bounty Hunter might join authorities in their massive search for the convicted murderer, who was sentenced to a life term after fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend in 2021.

Hundreds of officers, part of a fugitive task force, are looking in every nook and cranny across the state for Cavalcante. There have been a number of sightings over the past week or so, but none of them have led to his capture.

Cavalcante made his getaway August 31 when he scaled a wall in the recreational yard at Chester County Prison. He climbed over razor wire, ran across a roof and jumped to the ground below, winning his freedom.