Julian Edelman Honors Synagogue Victims With Hat ... 'I'm Behind You'
Julian Edelman doesn't play for Pittsburgh ... but he's got the city's back regardless -- wearing a Jewish star hat Sunday, and saying last month's synagogue shootings were "uncalled for."
After the Patriots beat the Packers last night, the WR -- who is of Jewish heritage -- wore a Team Israel hat from the World Baseball Classic.
He told reporters he wanted to show the people affected by the anti-Semitic shootings inside the Tree of Life synagogue that they're in his thoughts.
"Just letting the people out in Pittsburgh know I'm thinking about them," Edelman said ... "I'm sending vibes and they're in our prayers. It was a big hit to the community, and it's uncalled for."
"So, I just let them know, 'Hey, I'm behind you and I'm supporting.'"
The Pittsburgh Steelers -- who played in Baltimore on Sunday -- held a moment of a silence for the victims before their win over the Ravens ... while star QB Ben Roethlisberger wore "Stronger Than Hate" cleats.
Members of the team also attended funeral services last week for two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal, killed in the tragedy.
Meanwhile ... the Penguins honored the victims with a special patch on their uniforms last week and donated $50,000 to help victims and their families.
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Floyd Mayweather Announces NYE Fight in Japan ... Might Be MMA
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Floyd Mayweather has signed a deal to fight on New Year's Eve in Japan -- and it might be an MMA match -- but, it ain't against Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Just like TMZ Sports told you would happen ... the 41-year-old boxing superstar announced he'll be fighting at RIZIN 14 on Dec 31, against an undefeated 20-year-old kickboxer named Tenshin Nasukawa.
We broke the story ... Floyd was in talks to get a fight done in Asia back in September. The plan is to get 2 fights under his belt ... a tune-up fight and then a bigger opponent, someone like Manny Pacquiao.
Floyd says he's still working with the promotion to decide on whether it will be boxing rules, kickboxing rules, MMA rules, etc.
Floyd says the fighting rules will be sorted out in the coming weeks. Floyd also says the two sides are still figuring out what weight the fight will be at.
Floyd held a press conference in Japan late Sunday night -- Floyd did not say how much money he expects to make for the fight.
As for Tenshin, RIZIN says he's 20-years-old and has more than 30 fights under his belt. His kickboxing record is 27-0.
The fight will go down at Saitama Super Arena -- the 3rd largest indoor arena in the world. It seats around 36,500 people.
As we previously reported, Floyd has had some MMA training in the past -- and UFC champ Tyron Woodley has offered to work with him because he believes Mayweather can really win.
Floyd says he chose to have this fight in Japan because he loves the country and the people.
As for his opponent, Floyd says the guy is in great shape -- "very young, very fast" -- and he's impressed with Tenshin's physique. Says the guy looks like a serious gym rat.
Tenshin says Floyd is taller than he looks and he believes he'll be able to "hit him" when they fight.
Floyd is 50-0 as a pro boxer -- with his last victory coming over Conor McGregor.
Mayweather has recently told us he's been itching to fight again and predicted his next bout would be a 9-figure boxing match against Khabib. Now that he's inked this deal, seems the Khabib fight will be on the backburner ... at least for now.
"I'm very happy to be back in Tokyo," Mayweather told the media ... "I look forward to coming back more often."
Mayweather says his relationship with RIZIN is bigger than this fight -- but unclear exactly what that means. Obviously, he wants to continue to work with the promotion, but unclear if it will be as a fighter or a promoter.
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Jon Jones No More Penis Pills! ... 'More Foreplay'
Jon Jones swears he's a changed man ... and that means NO MORE PENIS ENHANCEMENT PILLS!!
The UFC superstar was asked to reflect on what he's learned during his 15-month suspension ... and that's when someone in the crowd shouted, "No more dick pills!"
Remember, Jones was busted for an illegal substance before UFC 200 back in 2016 -- and blamed it on sexual enhancement pills.
Jones later explained, "I have taken sex pills several times throughout my adult life .... highly recommend it, guys. f*cking great. It’s awesome."
So, when the heckler brought it up at the UFC 232 media event in New York on Friday afternoon, Jones actually AGREED with the guy ... saying, "No more dick pills. I'm good. More foreplay!!"
Jones eventually answered the original question -- explaining that during his suspension, he learned how to put God and family first.
There's more ... Jones also said he still wants a Brock Lesnar fight ... and he's not thinking about making a 3rd fight with Daniel Cormier.
Foreplay though ... that's the real takeaway.
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Olivia Culpo Shades Amendola I'm Keeping Your $12k Bday Rolex
What'd NFL star Danny Amendola get for his 33rd birthday Friday??
NOT A DOPE NEW ROLEX WATCH!!!!!
At least ... not from his ex-GF, Olivia Culpo, anyway -- 'cause the smokin' hot model says she's keepin' the $12,000 ROLEX she presumably bought for her ex-man's big day.
"Looks like this is my present now," she wrote ... "HAPPY BDAY TO ME"
FYI ... Olivia's birthday ain't until May -- so, yeah. SHAAAAAAAAAADE.
As we previously reported ... Danny was spotted on the beach last weekend with a cutie that wasn't Olivia, while Culpo was out shooting bikini pics for Sports Illustrated -- and reports say Culpo was so pissed, she broke things off right away.
As for what Danny's now missin' out on (besides the love of Miss Universe 2012) ... Rolex says the watch "was designed to meet the demands of professional racing drivers."
Big bummer for the Dolphins wide receiver. Hope the Miami canoodling was worth it!
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PSG's Marco Verratti Arrested for Drunk Driving ... Twice Legal Limit
Paris Saint-Germain soccer star Marco Verratti -- one of the best midfielders in the world -- was arrested for drunk driving Tuesday night in France, the team has confirmed.
The 25-year-old's blood alcohol level was reportedly a .20 -- more than double the legal limit in France for people who recently obtained their driver's license.
The team says Veratti -- who also plays for the Italian national team -- was subjected to a "roadside check" while behind the wheel of his car and that's when cops noticed he was hammered.
PSG says the incident is a violation of the ethics clause in his contract -- and he'll be docked pay from his monthly "ethics bonus."
The team says the fine will remind players that "exemplary behavior that must be theirs in all circumstances with regard to their status as a player of the day."
Verratti has reportedly apologized to his team -- and the team made no mention of a suspension.
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HBO Yo, Trump ... Lay Off Our 'Game of Thrones' Line!!!
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Donald Trump used "Game of Thrones" to warn he was about to impose sanctions on Iran -- and while his supporters might've been amused ... HBO definitely is not.
A rep for the cable network tells TMZ ... "We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes."
In case you missed it, President Trump tweeted out a meme of himself with a 'GoT'-esque background and font that read ... "Sanctions are Coming."
It's an obvious nod to the hit series' oft-repeated line, "Winter is Coming" ... and it looks like he was trying to portray himself as Jon Snow (or maybe the Mad King?).
Either way, it's clear HBO is not down for the shout-out ... or the use of its font and background. Unclear if they plan on taking any further steps -- like a cease and desist letter or a lawsuit -- to keep Trump out of Westeros ... but this definitely sounds like a warning shot.
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Hulk Hogan Returns to WWE Ring ... In Saudi Arabia
Hulk Hogan is back -- the wrestling star has returned to the WWE ring for the first time since his n-word scandal ... and it all went down in Saudi Arabia.
Hogan stormed the ring at the 'Crown Jewel' pay-per-view event in Riyadh on Friday wearing his signature bandana and a Hulkamania shirt -- with his red and yellow boa.
Hulk -- who's hosting the event -- told the crowd, "It's good to be back!"
"It's awesome to be here back in the WWE," Hulk said ... noting how excited he was to get on a plane and fly across the world to make his return.
"So, whatcha gonna do when the power of Hulkamania and the 'Crown Jewel' run wild on you, brother?!"
Well let me tell you something, BROTHER....@HulkHogan is in the house, and he's hosting #WWECrownJewel! pic.twitter.com/XRSEbW7eRc
@WWE
The crowd went wild -- cheering Hogan on.
WWE had been looking to bring Hulk back into the fold since May -- but officials were just waiting for the right opportunity.
Unclear if the plan was to make Hulk a part of 'Crown Jewel' all along -- or if he was a last-minute Plan B after John Cena and Daniel Bryan refused to participate over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Of course, Hulk got the axe from WWE in 2015 after a racist n-word rant went public. Hulk apologized and several African-American wrestlers publicly offered their support for Hogan.
Our sources have told us WWE was paying close attention to Hulk's philanthropic work -- such as his speech at the Boys & Girls Club back in May -- because they wanted to see how he was received.
Question now -- is this a one-time thing or will Hulk be a reoccurring character in future WWE storylines?
Story developing ...
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Ilana Glazer Synagogue Event Canceled After 'Kill All Jews' Vandalism
Ilana Glazer was forced to cancel a political event Thursday night when cops revealed vandals had left anti-Semitic slurs all over the walls of the synagogue where her event was being held.
The "Broad City" star was about to host a panel discussion with 2 NY State Senate candidates when NYPD let her know they'd found the words, "Kill all Jews" scrawled on a wall inside the Brooklyn synagogue. Cops say they found other slurs as well.
Ilana decided to pull the plug out of caution ... especially on the heels of last weekend's horrific mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Audience members had waited for about an hour in Brooklyn, and Ilana herself came out to address the crowd. She seemed unshaken as she promised there would be other events planned soon, and thanked everyone for coming.
Unbowed, she said, "Let's change the world."
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Deion Sanders Oakland Raiders Are Garbage 'Can't Take This No More!'
Deion Sanders is declaring the Oakland Raiders UNWATCHABLE ... calling Jon Gruden's team straight-up GARBAGE after losing to the 49ers.
AND, HE'S RIGHT -- THEY WERE TRASH THURSDAY NIGHT!!! SOMEONE COME GET YA RAIDAS!!
The Raiders fell to 1-7 after getting torched by San Francisco's 3RD-STRING quarterback, Nick Mullens, 34-3 on "Thursday Night Football" ... and Prime says he couldn't find the TV remote fast enough.
"I'm sorry, I can't take this no more. PLEASE, could somebody get these Raiders off my TV??" Sanders says.
During the game, the camera showed Gruden getting into it with his defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther ... and now there's speculation PG could get the axe.
Problem for Gruden, it wasn't just defense -- his offense STUNK too!!!
As for Chuck, Gruden says he still believes the Raiders will win a championship in the near future.
BUT GOOD LORD, AIN'T NOBODY BELIEVING YOU AFTER THAT TRASH PERFORMANCE!!!
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49ers Cheerleader Takes a Knee During National Anthem
It wasn't the players taking a knee during the national anthem on "Thursday Night Football" -- it was a 49ers cheerleader.
Right before San Francisco took on the Oakland Raiders Thursday night, one of the women from the squad followed Colin Kaepernick's lead ... and took a knee for "The Star-Spangled Banner."
So far, the woman's identity has not been revealed and neither the team nor the cheerleading squad has commented publicly about it.
Guessing that'll change very shortly.
Alright! San Francisco 49ers cheerleader takes a knee way to go. pic.twitter.com/7ycN3AoI0a
@MarieRo63358474
Of course, the kneeling demonstration BEGAN in San Francisco with Kaepernick. Soon, some of his 49ers teammates (like Eric Reid) joined him. It later spread throughout the league.
Now, Colin is out of the league -- and he believes he's being blackballed because of the protest.
The league had threatened to punish players who didn't stand for the anthem -- but later did away with plans to enforce that policy.
The question now is ... what happens to that cheerleader? Stay tuned ...
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T.I. Sued Your Crypto Dough Cost Us $2 Mil!!!
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T.I. shouted it from the rooftops -- get in on the ground floor of the cryptocurrency he and a biz partner launched and get rich ... according to the lawsuit filed by investors, who say all they got was flat broke.
The crypto was called FLiK Token and it was created in August 2017 by T.I. and ATL businessman Ryan Felton. The pissed off investors say the opening price was 6 cents per token, but Felton said it would be worth $14.99 within 15 months. Little quick math for ya -- that would be a nearly 25,000% increase!!!
But, according to docs, obtained by TMZ, the get-rich-quick scheme backfired. About 2 dozen plaintiffs say the tokens initially jumped from 6 cents to 21 cents, but cut to August 2018 ... and they're worth LESS than a penny, each.
I'm Super Excited for @Tip and his new venture with @TheFlikIO! They're gonna crush it! #ICO #blockchain #crypto #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/ElGhmDWopj
@KevinHart4real
The investors say Felton was all over social media talking about big-time investors, and claim he even insinuated Mark Cuban was coming on board. Additionally, Kevin Hart tweeted a pic of himself with Tip, congratulating him on the FLiK launch.
The group says the coins are virtually useless now, and the failed venture collectively cost them more than $2 million. The investors' attorney tells us he filed the suit Thursday ... going after Felton and T.I. for at least $5 million.
Kevin Hart is not being sued.
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UFC's Stephan Bonnar Insane DUI Arrest Video 'You Picked the Wrong Group of Guys'
Cops have released video of Stephen Bonnar's DUI arrest -- when he was taken down by a group of concerned citizens -- and the footage is crazy and scary at the same time.
TMZ Sports broke the story ... the UFC Hall of Famer was driving like a maniac on a Nevada highway on Sunday afternoon, roughly 10 miles from the Vegas Strip.
When the Highway Patrol arrived to the scene, Bonnar was so drunk that he was passed out in the front seat. The officer dragged the 41-year-old out of his car and a group of citizens helped restrain him on the ground.
At least one of the citizens was carrying a gun.
As cops tried to place handcuffs on him, Bonnar woke up and began to resist.
One member of the group tells Bonnar, "You picked the wrong group of guys, dude."
With help from the citizens, cops eventually got him cuffed and transported him to a nearby station where he was booked for 3rd-degree felony DUI.
Cops say Bonnar reeked of booze. Medical staff also responded to the scene and determined nothing was medically abnormal, he was just drunk.
Bonnar is a UFC legend -- he fought Forrest Griffin in the finale of the very first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" back in 2005 -- a fight that's regarded as one of the best and most important in UFC history.
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Steph Curry Producing Movie About Charleston Church Shooting
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Steph Curry has teamed up with Viola Davis to make a documentary about the 2015 church shooting in Charleston in which 9 African Americans were killed.
The movie is called "Emanuel" -- named after the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
The victims had been participating in a bible study session when then 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof walked in and opened fire.
According to Curry's production company, Unanimous Media, the documentary "features intimate interviews with survivors and family members who were left to grapple with this senseless act of terror."
The movie is being promoted as a "poignant story of justice and faith, love and hate, and the healing power of forgiveness."
Roof was captured and later pled guilty to state murder charges. A federal court sentenced him to death by lethal injection.
Remember, one of the most powerful moments from the whole ordeal was at Roof's first court appearance when family members of one of the victims told Roof they forgive him.
One family member told Roof, "May god have mercy on your soul."
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Barry Bonds 'Crying' Over Willie McCovey ... I'll Never Forget What You Taught Me
Barry Bonds says he's been crying over the death of his good friend and mentor, Willie McCovey -- but says he promises to pass along the wisdom he learned from the SF Giants legend.
Bonds and McCovey formed a very strong bond over the years -- with McCovey recently blasting the Baseball Hall of Fame voters for not inducting Barry. He called it a "sin."
So, when Bonds learned McCovey had passed away Wednesday, he was devastated.
"Mac, I am crying over losing you even when you told me not to," Bonds wrote.
"I remember asking you what I would do without all of you around. You told me when that day comes - and it will one day - to keep the tradition of Giants baseball living forever."
"You told me to help the next generation of ball players get better. You told me to be thankful that we had so much time to spend together and talk about the love we have for the game, San Francisco, the Giants and for each other."
"You wanted me to be happy that we had a love and friendship that will never disappear and will be in our hearts forever."
"Uncle Mac thank you for your mentorship and unconditional love for me and my family. You will be dearly missed."
McCovey was a beast on the field -- one of only 4 Giants players in the elite 500 Club ... along with legends like Willie Mays, Mel Ott and Barry.
McCovey was 80.
R.I.P.
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LeBron James Salutes D. Rose After 50-Point Game 'Perseverance Is A Mutha'
They're rivals on the court now ... but LeBron James HAD to take a second to congratulate Derrick Rose on his huge game Wednesday, saying, "So extremely HAPPY AND PROUD of you bro!!!"
D. Rose turned back the clock on Halloween ... droppin' a career-high 50 points in Minnesota's win over the Jazz -- and LBJ couldn't have been happier when he saw the news after his Lakers game.
"I seen it first hand how much you worked and dedicated on your body, craft, mind, etc etc just to play 1 game at a time!" LBJ wrote.
"Perseverance is a mutha and this is the ABSOLUTE perfect definition of it!! Salute Bro! #DRoseforPresident"
Of course ... Rose -- who was a role player on LeBron's Cavs squad last season -- was the league's MVP back in 2011, but injuries and inconsistent play led many to call his career dead years ago.
That's why NBA stars ... from Dwyane Wade to Stephen Curry to Vince Carter ... all took to social media to congratulate D. Rose on the epic night.
Even Baron Davis glowed about the 30-year-old when we got him out in L.A., saying, "He's been humbly doing it for a while so it's good to see him have that game that put him back in everybody's conversation."
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San Francisco Giants Willie McCovey Dead at 80
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San Francisco Giants legend and Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey has died.
McCovey, who played 19 seasons for the Giants and is one of the franchise's most beloved players, passed away peacefully Wednesday at Stanford Hospital after battling ongoing health issues.
Willie played for the Giants from 1959-73 and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
The first baseman was one baseball's most feared hitters during the 1960s and '70s, and his 521 home runs are still tied for 20th on MLB's all-time list.
Willie was a 6-time All-Star and the 1969 National League MVP. His 18 career grand slams are the most in NL history.
The Giants retired Willie's No. 44 and he has a statue outside the club's ballpark.
When the Giants started playing at AT&T Park in 2000, the area beyond right field was dubbed McCovey Cove, an homage to the many homers he belted to right field during his playing days.
Willie was 80. RIP.