Breaking News

Chicago Cubs star Addison Russell's wife is filing for divorce ... just 2 weeks after the MLB opened a domestic violence investigation against the All-Star infielder.

Melisa Russell had addressed the split on Instagram earlier this month ... hinting infidelity was the problem. Melisa's friend later commented on the post, claiming Russell had "mentally and physically" abused his wife. The league took notice and launched an investigation.

Melisa's lawyers released a statement saying she will not speak with investigators about the claims ... and hopes to find a resolution in the best interest of their 1-year-old son.

WWE legend Kane has some serious political firepower in his corner -- THE NATURE BOY!!!

Ric Flair just cut a WWE-style promotional video to support his friend Glenn Jacobs -- who's running for mayor of Knoxville County, Tennessee.

Naitch even promises to hit up a local campaign rally on July 12 -- saying, "I will be there live and in color to support my very close friend, Glenn Jacobs."

And you KNOW he ain't cutting a promo without his signature sign-off ...

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Prosecutors have dropped the domestic violence case against ex-Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam stemming from heated altercation with his GF ... officials confirm.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Elam was arrested for domestic battery and grand theft in Florida on May 22 after getting into it with his girlfriend and stealing her cell phone.

According to court records, Palm Beach prosecutors have decided NOT to move forward with the case because the alleged victim stopped cooperating and officials felt there wasn't enough evidence to get a conviction without her.

Elam dodged a huge bullet ... he was facing at least 5 years behind bars if convicted.

The guy with more money than God just met the guy with a direct line to him.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones just had a face to face with Pope Francis at the Vatican ... and even gifted his holiness with a customized "Papa Francesco" football jersey.

The jersey was signed by Jones and other NFL greats including Curtis Martin and Jim Taylor.

No word on what the two talked about. Guessing Jerry negotiated some blessings for his QB, his RB and his WR.

Sidenote: Pope's gotta be a Saints fan, right?

Keyshawn Johnson has pulled his son, Keyshawn Johnson Jr., off the Nebraska football team (at least temporarily) weeks after the WR was busted for weed in his college dorm.

Key Jr. was one of the top high school WRs in the country -- but ultimately chose Nebraska.

Earlier this month, the 19-year-old was cited for marijuana possession after university police found pot and drug paraphernalia in his dorm.

Now, Key Sr. -- who played in the NFL for 11 years -- has confirmed that his son is taking an "extended leave of absence" from the football program to "mature" for 6 months.

Keyshawn Sr. told Omaha.com the decision to pull his kid was his alone.

"I never asked him," Johnson Sr. said referencing his son.

"At the end of the day, I don’t think that decision was in his hands. He squandered that decision. He still wants to play football, and he still wants to play for Nebraska. But if you don’t do the things you’re supposed to do, under the guidelines of me, it’s not going to happen."

He added, "One thing you will not do as my son is you will not embarrass Nebraska, you will not embarrass Mike Riley and you will not embarrass this family."

If you thought Russell Westbrook's swag would drop off after becoming a parent ... THINK AGAIN!! ... 'cause the OKC Thunder star is stuntin' on every daddy out there with his diaper bag game.

Russ -- whose wife gave birth to their son back in May -- is already rockin' the couture dad gear ... sporting a $1,500 Gucci diaper bag while strolling through the streets of Paris.

Brodie's insane swag has never been in question ... now he's proving you can still be fresh while carrying around everything you need to clean your kid's ass.

O.J. Simpson is one step closer to being a free man ... his official parole hearing date has been set for July 20.

A rep for the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners has confirmed the date and says if things go well, Simpson could be released as early as October 1.

Simpson will not attend the hearing in person -- he will be videoconferenced in from the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada.

69-year-old Simpson was arrested in 2007 on several armed robbery and kidnapping charges after stealing sports memorabilia from a Vegas hotel room. He was convicted in 2008 and has been locked up ever since.

He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the eligibility for parole after 9 years.

Sir Daniel Day-Lewis -- one of the most iconic actors in the last quarter century with 3 Oscars to his name -- has reportedly quit the biz.

Daniel's rep released a statement saying he will no longer be working as an actor. She added, "He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject."

Daniel showed immense range playing a slew of captivating roles. He won Oscars for Best Actor in "Lincoln," "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood." He also earned 2 nominations for "Gangs of New York" and "In the Name of the Father."

The 60-year-old's legendary career spanned 4 decades. He'll appear one last time in "Phantom Thread" when it's released later this year. Variety first reported the news.

Ex-NFL lineman Ryan O'Callaghan -- who played for the Patriots and the Chiefs -- has come out as gay ... and says it was an NFL team staffer who helped save his life.

O'Callaghan was selected by New England in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft -- and protected Tom Brady in 2007, the year they won the AFC title and went to the Super Bowl.

O'Callaghan tells OutSports.com he wrestled with his sexuality during his entire football career -- and used football "as kind of my cover for my life."

"Football was the most masculine thing I could do," O'Callaghan told Cyd Zeigler.

O'Callaghan says when he knew his football career was ending in 2011, he planned on killing himself. He wrote a suicide note and had guns -- but didn't go through with it.

Fortunately, Kansas City Chiefs trainer, David Price, noticed he wasn't being himself and advised him to talk to the team's counselor.

Ryan says he took Price's advice and it saved his life. He later came out to family and friends -- and got the love and support he needed.

Now, O'Callaghan says he loves life and is glad he decided to go public.

He also says he never faced bigotry from teammates and believes NFL teams are ready for openly gay players in the locker room.

Warren Sapp says the head hits he sustained during his NFL career are affecting his memory -- saying it "ain't what it used to be" -- and he's donating his brain to science to help future players.

The NFL Hall of Famer laid out his plan to The Players' Tribune ... admitting, "Yeah, it’s scary to think that my brain could be deteriorating."

Sapp says examples include forgetting a grocery list or how to get to a friend's house he's been to a thousand times.

"So when it comes to concussions, CTE and how we can make our game safer for future generations, I wanted to put my two cents in -- to help leave the game better off than it was when I started playing."

Sapp says he was in denial about possibly having a football-induced brain injury -- but he's now come to terms with it and wants to be proactive in helping the younger generation.

Besides pledging his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Sapp also says he wants tackle football outlawed for pre-high school kids.

"The game is getting better. Let's make it better for everyone involved."

Von Miller joined a different kind of Mile High Club Monday night -- getting a tattoo while flying on a private jet!!

The Denver Broncos star was flying back from a vacation in the Dominican Republic with a fully equipped tattoo artist on his P.J.

The dude went to work on the back of Von's right thigh -- but it's unclear exactly what was inked on his bod.

Tiger Woods says he's getting "professional help" for his issues with prescription medication in the wake of his DUI arrest -- but he's not describing the situation as rehab.

"I'm currently receiving professional help to manage my medications and the ways that I deal with back pain and a sleep disorder," Woods said in a statement.

"I want to thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of support and understanding especially the fans and players on tour."

As we previously reported, Woods was arrested on May 29 in Jupiter, FL -- and was extremely out of it. He could barely stand up straight and couldn't tie his shoes.

Woods blamed his state on a bad mixture of prescription medication.

Woods going public about the professional help could well be a strategy in his pending DUI case. It's often used to show the judge that he's taking his problem seriously, which could affect sentencing.

Woods was spotted out in Florida with his kids over the weekend -- so it doesn't appear he's in a live-in facility for his treatment.

Lawrence Taylor pled guilty to DUI stemming from a crazy 2016 incident where he drunkenly smashed his Bentley into a police cruiser ... but luckily for LT, he ain't goin' to jail.

The 58-year-old NFL great was arrested back in Sept. in Palm Beach Gardens, FL -- and cops say he fessed up to boozing right before he was arrested.

Taylor initially pled not guilty to DUI -- but has since changed his tune after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Here's how it plays out ... LT pled guilty to 1 count of misdemeanor DUI causing or contributing to injury to person or property -- and in exchange he got 12 months probation and his license was suspended for 9 months.

He also got 75 hours of community service, ordered to complete a DUI education program and must stay clean from drugs and alcohol for the entirety of his probation. He must submit to random testing to make sure he's clean.

Otto Warmbier -- the U.S. citizen who was just released by North Korea -- died Monday in Cincinnati.

Otto was in a coma when N. Korea set him free last week. He'd been at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center since then. He was surrounded by family when he passed away ... according to a statement from the Warmbiers.

The family said, "Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today."

Otto, a University of Virginia student, had been sentenced to 15 years in prison last year after he allegedly tried to take down a political propaganda sign in Pyongyang. N. Korean officials claim he contracted botulism, and after they gave him a sleeping pill ... he never woke up.

Otto was 22.

President Trump said, "Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing. Otto’s fate deepens my Administration’s determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency."

Size matters on the Matterhorn ... especially when you're 6'11" like NBA star Anthony Davis.

The New Orleans Pelicans big man hit up Disneyland on Sunday and decided he wanted a ride on one of the oldest coasters in the park.

The problem ... leg room.

You can see in the pics, Davis went full knees-to-chest to fit in the bobsled -- and apparently, it worked. We're told he had a blast at the park.

Fun Fact: There's a secret basketball court tucked away inside the mountain. No word on if AD got to hoop in between rides.

Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield -- who got DESTROYED by cops when he drunkenly tried to run from police -- will not have to go to jail.

As we previously reported, the 2016 Heisman trophy finalist was arrested in Arkansas in Feb. after cops tried to confront him about an alleged violent altercation earlier in the evening ... but the QB went nuts and tried to flee the scene. He was form tackled by a cop who shoulda been a linebacker.

Officials tell TMZ Sports Mayfield cut a plea deal with prosecutors last week in which he pled guilty to public intoxication, disorderly conduct and fleeing ... and in exchange, they dropped the resisting arrest charge (the most serious charge).

His punishment -- Mayfield will have to pay $480 in fees and $483 in restitution. That's it.

It's a good deal considering he was facing several months behind bars if the judge wanted to throw the book at him.