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The U.S. Women's National Soccer team is suing the U.S. Soccer Federation -- claiming they're sick of being paid less than the men's team ... despite being WAY better than their male counterparts.

Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Julie Ertz and others all joined in on the suit ... which blasts the USSF for the pay disparity.

"Despite the fact that these female and male players are all called upon to perform the same job responsibilities on their teams ... the female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts," the women say in their suit.

"This is true even though their performance has been superior to that of male players -- with the female players, in contrast to male players, becoming world champions."

They're right -- the USWNT are not only champs but perennial contenders while the U.S. Men's National Team sucks so bad, they didn't even make the World Cup in 2018.

Oh, and the timing of the lawsuit is interesting -- filed on International Women's Day, which happens to be 3 months before the Women's World Cup begins in France.

In the suit, the women allege gender discrimination. They're seeking to end "the USSF's discriminatory practices."

"I'm outta there. I'm not doing this sh*t no more."

*hits joint*

That's seriously how Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman David Irving announced his NFL retirement Thursday night ... going on Instagram Live to tee off on the NFL's drug policy and quit his job.

The 25-year-old was suspended indefinitely last week after reportedly violating the league's drug policy again ... and now he's letting everyone know he's taking the punishment by smoking weed.

"Basically guys, I quit," Irving said. "They wanna talk about a suspension and all this other nonsense. I'm outta there. I'm not doing this sh*t no more."

Irving has dealt with several injuries during his short career, including a severe concussion that he claims led to a car accident in 2017. Instead of using marijuana to get better, Irving says he was forced to take Rx pills in order to stay within the policy guidelines.

"We got this opioid thing going on ... I'm prescribed all that bullsh*t. I just think it's bullsh*t that we have to deal with that policy."

"Everyone thinks it's about smoking weed. It's not about smoking weed. It's much bigger than that."

Irving also takes issue with how the league has handled Colin Kaepernick ... as well as his old teammate, Randy Gregory, who has also been suspended several times in just a few years.

Irving wants to make it clear that he still has a passion for the game ... but he refuses to continue to "put up with the bullsh*t."

"I love football ... I mean, sh*t, it shaped me. I wouldn't be here without it. However, I don't love the NFL. The NFL is not football."

Serena Williams says the pro tennis ranking system is "biased" against working moms -- and she's living proof -- claiming she took a HUGE hit for taking maternity leave and it's simply not right.

"When I returned to tennis from maternity leave, I was penalized for taking time off: my ranking dropped from #1 in the world to #453," Serena wrote in an op-ed for Fortune.

"That required me to face tougher competition earlier in the French Open, which led to a pectoral injury that forced me to drop out."

Serena gave birth to her daughter, Olympia, back in Sept. 2017 -- but there were complications which required Serena to undergo emergency surgery following the delivery.

Everyone is okay now ... and Serena returned to tennis 8 months after giving birth. The problem? Serena says the extremely low ranking the ATP and WTA gave her when she returned was super unfair and forced her to overcome obstacles she shouldn't have had to overcome!

"I fought hard personally, making it to the Wimbledon final shortly after, but I also fought hard publicly against the biased ranking system. We must stop penalizing women when they return to their careers after having children."

She added, "Women deserve to be given the same respect and opportunities as our male counterparts. We are entitled to the same open doors."

The good news ... the WTA announced back in December they recognized this very problem -- and vowed to give protection to mothers who return to the tour after giving birth.

The WTA says female players who give birth will be able to use their pre-maternity leave ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a 3-year period, which seems like a practical solution.

"Riverdale" star KJ Apa -- who played Luke Perry's son on the show -- has broken his silence on the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star's death.

Apa posted a photo of Perry on a boat with the caption, "Rest in Love bro" Thursday night. The photo and message were the first we've heard from Apa since Perry's death on Monday.

Perry played Fred Andrews on the popular CW show ... Apa starred as Archie Andrews, Fred's son. Apa is among the countless other casts from the show to pay tribute to the late actor -- along with the writers and execs, who have dedicated the rest of the show's run to Perry

TMZ broke the story ... Perry died Monday at a hospital in Los Angeles surrounded by family, friends and loved ones. He suffered a massive stroke last Wednesday at his home and was rushed to the hospital where his condition never improved.

"Riverdale" paid tribute to Perry Wednesday night with a message at the end of the episode.

Perry was 52.

RIP

Cops now say Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim WAS speeding before he struck and killed a man on a NY highway last month ... but believe his speed was not a factor in the fatal crash.

According to officials ... Boeheim was going 66 mph in a 55 mph zone just 5 seconds before he hit Jorge Jimenez in Syracuse, NY around 11 PM on Feb. 20.

Jorge was taken to the hospital and later died from the injuries he suffered.

Investigators say 74-year-old Boeheim attempted to hit the brakes before slamming into Jimenez -- but couldn't avoid the collision ... only slowing to 54 mph at the moment of impact.

But, even if Boeheim was driving the speed limit, he wouldn't have been able to avoid Jimenez, cops say ... citing 2 main factors for the crash, including poor decision-making by the victim.

1) Jimenez was in a previous crash and his unlit Dodge Charger was blocking 2 lanes of traffic on a night with poor visibility due to extreme darkness.

2) Jimenez was walking on the highway after his crash in dark clothing for a prolonged period of time after being aware of oncoming vehicles on the road.

Prosecutors say they COULD have hit Boeheim with a speeding charge -- but decided not to move forward because, ultimately, this was a "tragic accident."

Boeheim has coached in every Syracuse game since the accident ... but the team has gone just 1-3 in that time frame.

Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver has been diagnosed with dementia and "has chosen to completely retire from public life" ... his family announced Thursday.

Seaver -- a World Series champ, 13-time All-Star and 3-time Cy Young winner -- played in the majors from 1968 to '86 ... and was a first-ballot entry into Cooperstown.

"Tom will continue to work in his beloved vineyard at his California home" the statement says ... explaining that he will no longer make public appearances.

"The family is deeply appreciative of those who have supported Tom throughout his career, on and off the field, and who do so now by honoring his request for privacy."

Seaver is one of the greatest to ever wear a Mets jersey -- he had his No. 41 jersey retired in 1988 and was given the nicknames "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise" during his playing days.

Seaver also played for the Reds, White Sox and Red Sox ... raking in 311 wins.

Shawn Oakman is hoping NFL teams were paying attention when he was found NOT GUILTY in his rape case ... because the ex-college football star hopes to get a real shot to play pro football.

Oakman was a projected 1st-round draft pick while playing at Baylor -- where he set the school record for career sacks. But, no team wanted to touch him in the 2016 NFL Draft after he was arrested and charged with raping a woman at his apartment.

The 6'9", 265-pounder has been keeping himself in shape and playing semi-pro ball while his case was active ... but now that he was found not guilty last week, he's hoping he can make the jump to the NFL.

"I want to play football at the highest level and just really finally get my chance,” Oakman told KWTX.

"I think God will set the right path for me but I don't feel like I have to beg for anything, it's not a begging matter. I don't want anybody to hand me anything. I want to earn it and everything I get."

Oakman says he's grateful for the support he's received since the trial ... and plans to return to his old stomping grounds.

GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY ... Jim Ross is leaving WWE.

The 67-year-old legend made the announcement on "The Jim Ross Report" podcast on Thursday -- explaining he'll be leaving the company later this month when his contract expires.

"My WWE contract after 26 years will expire on Friday, March 29," Ross said.

"And, after talking a couple of weeks ago with Vince McMahon, we have mutually agreed I need to move on."

While noting the move is on good terms, Ross suggested powerful people in the organization clearly wanted him out.

"I still think I can do play-by-play even though others that may surround Vince think I can't."

Ross says he's leaving the company "with great thoughts, very positive."

"I've made a lot of money, Vince is amazing to Jan and myself. He set us up for life financially, of which I can never repay him."

"I'm 67, I still feel I can get the job done doing wrestling play-by-play, and I want to explore that opportunity and possibility," Ross said.

So, what's next for Ross? There are rumblings he will sign with the new AEW wrestling organization -- but nothing is official at this point.

Ross has been calling matches for WWE since the early '90s and has been part of the company's biggest moments.

After calling The Undertaker's match at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, he signed a 2-year contract to call special events for WWE. The last time he was on-air was back in April to work the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.

Michael Cohen says Donald Trump left him and high dry the second things got hot, and went back on a promise to cover all of Cohen's legal fees related to the Mueller investigation.

Cohen just filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization for more than a million bucks -- money he says was supposed to be paid to his lawyers. In the suit, Cohen says shortly after he was first subpoenaed, Donald's co. agreed to cover all of his attorney's fees.

That was in July 2017, and Cohen says all seemed to be going well. In October, his attorneys got a check for $137,460 from the Trump Org. -- and that continued until May 2018. He says Trump's company eventually covered $1.7 million of his legal expenses.

But, when Trump's former right-hand man flipped in June 2018 ... the relationship soured. Funny how that goes. Trump started distancing himself from Cohen. In fact, Cohen recalls his former boss saying in June, "I haven't spoken to Michael in a long time. He's not my lawyer anymore."

According to the suit, the well ran dry that same month ... and Cohen says a total of $1,037,868 remains unpaid to his high-powered law firm. Most attorneys frown upon working for free, and Cohen says they indeed pulled out ... which hurt his case.

Remember, he was sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is sick of waiting for Conor McGregor to ink a fight contract so they can brawl once and for all ... telling the Irishman, "Sack up, bitch. Sign the f*cking paper."

Cowboy pulled no punches during an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto ... saying he's "annoyed" that Conor teased the fight on social media, but now he won't make a deal.

Cerrone says he's been in talks with UFC about fighting McGregor since January as a co-main event in either April or July ... but Conor REFUSES to share the main event spotlight.

"Conor won't fight unless it's a main event," Cerrone said. "I don't know if it's an ego thing or a status thing for him. I don't give a sh*t. I'll fight anyone, anywhere, and I stand by that all the time. I guess he's a prima donna and only takes main event spots, I don't know."

Of course, McGregor was the one who really breathed life into a potential fight with Cowboy after he watched Cerrone beat up Alexander Hernandez at 'UFC Fight Night' in January ... tweeting to Cowboy:

"For a fight like that Donald, I’ll fight you. Congratulations."

So, what happened? Cowboy says Conor stopped negotiating and now it seems like the chances of the fight actually happening are getting worse by the day.

Cowboys star David Irving -- who was just hit with ANOTHER suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy -- says it's "bullsh*t" the NFL won't let him smoke weed.

25-year-old Irving was a stud for Dallas the last four seasons when he was actually on the field ... logging 12.5 sacks in just 10 starts -- but, the dude just couldn't stay out of trouble.

He was suspended for 4 games to start BOTH the 2017 and 2018 seasons ... and just last week, the league announced he's been banned once again.

Now, the guy is speaking out on social media ... saying the NFL is a bunch of hypocrites -- and seems to be threatening to sit out of the league until it makes weed legal.

"Once they do that, give me a call," Irving said ... "Cuz it's bullshit how I have Xanax bars n hydros right next to me to take, given to me by the NFL of course. However, we can't smoke the same weed the staff itself smokes."

This ain't the first time the embattled pass rusher has been vocal about the NFL's drug policy ... he's been in the comments of social media blasting trolls over his suspensions for years.

In fact, in one rant just a few months ago ... Irving claimed, "every game you've seen me play in, I was medicated."

David is still technically a Cowboy ... but his contract with the team expires at the beginning of the NFL's free agency next week.

The GOAT has spoken ... Michael Jordan is giving props to LeBron James after passing him on the NBA's all-time scoring list ... calling it "another great milestone."

King James jumped over the Jumpman with an easy bucket midway through the 2nd quarter of Wednesday night's Lakers vs. Nuggets game ... and it was an emotional moment.

James only needed 13 points to pass MJ's 32,292 ... but once it finally happened, the Lakers played a tribute video to LBJ ... and then came the waterworks.

MJ gave his own tribute to James after the game ... saying "I want to congratulate LeBron on achieving another great milestone during his amazing career."

The love was mutual ... as LeBron honored the 6-time champ with a pair of custom LeBron 16s made to look like the Jordan 3s.

Even 2 Chainz -- Bron's new music partner -- got in on the fun by gifting him one of his chains from his courtside seat after the game.

Despite the celebration, Bron was brought back down to earth quick ... with the Lakers losing the game 115-99 in a blowout loss.

LeBron commented on the milestone after the game, saying he idolized Michael growing up ... "To be linked with the greatest I ever seen play the game, it's crazy to me."

"I wouldn't be here without him."

Cool moment at the Paris Saint-Germain game Wednesday ... when Neymar went into the stands to personally greet one of his favorite celebs, Ninja!!!

Of course, Neymar didn't play for PSG because he's still recovering from a foot injury -- but he made it back to Paris after raging at Carnival in Brazil with enough time to make kickoff.

The bad news for Neymar, his PSG squad got beat up by Romelu Lukaku's Manchester United squad in a 3-1 thrashing ... bouncing @PSG from the UEFA Champions League.

The good news, Neymar was healthy enough to make the walk into the VIP area at Parc des Princes stadium to give the Fortnite legend a hug.

You can see @ninja is stoked to see @neymarjr -- and introduces the soccer star to his wife, Jessica Goch.

So, how do they know each other? Besides being one of the greatest athletes on the planet, Neymar is also a massive gamer -- and the two hooked up for a Fortnite gaming event in December.

7:27 PM PT -- It's turning out to be a long day for Kelly. Chief James Craig of the Detroit PD just confirmed to TMZ that roughly a month ago they got information from Chicago PD about an alleged victim, "who made allegations of a criminal sexual conduct incident against R. Kelly."

He states the incident potentially occurred in Detroit back in 2001 -- when the alleged victim was 13. They are currently working on following up with her and her attorney.

2:19 PM PT -- R. Kelly has just been led away in handcuffs.

2:03 PM PT -- The Cook County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... R. Kelly's headed to jail for failure to pay child support. He'll need to cough up the full amount of dough to be released.

1:35 PM PT -- Deputies just escorted R. Kelly out of the courtroom, and he's been arrested. No official word from court, but it would appear he didn't cough up the $161k.

11:52 AM PT -- R. Kelly just showed up to court in a black sprinter van accompanied by his legal team. We're told the child support hearing is set to begin any minute now.

R. Kelly's dangerously close to heading right back to Cook County jail for failing to pay more than $160k in child support.

Sources connected to the embattled singer tell us Kelly hasn't covered the $161,633 he owes to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly, and his deadline is today ... Wednesday at 10 AM Central Time. If Kelly doesn't settle up with the court by then, he can be hauled off to jail.

Ironically, Kelly ranted and sobbed to CBS about wanting a relationship with his kids. That interview was taped Tuesday, and we're told he had not paid at that point.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly actually owes Drea nearly $200k, all told, and he's known since last month he had to pay the minimum amount of $161k by March 6.

Additionally, the D.A. could charge him criminally for failure to pay the support. Any amount over $20k is a felony.

We've reached out to Kelly's attorney, but no word back.

Seems things are ALL GOOD between Tom Brady and Aston Martin -- with the QB praising the hell out of the insane new whip they just debuted ... without one single mention of Rolls-Royce!

Remember, TB12 was spotted behind the wheel of a RR just a few days ago -- despite the fact he's got a big endorsement deal with rival luxury car brand Aston Martin. Oops.

But, it seems Tom's over Rolls ... and back on his Aston kick -- especially after seeing the new concept car the brand just rolled out at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland.

"Team @AstonMartinLagonda stole the show in Geneva," Brady wrote ... "I’m gonna need a bigger garage..."

We're pretty sure this was an olive branch ... but it's clear it was an easy one for Brady to throw out.

The concept car -- dubbed the AM-RB 003 -- is insane ... reportedly it's a carbon fiber beast BUILT for speed.

We know what you're thinkin' ... but you can't have one -- they're reportedly being produced in VERY limited quantity -- and almost certainly reserved for ultra-rich and famous people ... like Tom Brady.

Kyrie Irving is the most miserable superstar athlete EVER ... so says Charles Barkley, who CAN'T BELIEVE how big of a baby the Celtics PG has been this season.

Kyrie's been super moody the last few weeks as Boston's season has slowly crumbled away from the NBA Championship dreams it had in the preseason.

In fact, while he was walking into TD Garden last week and photogs were snappin' pics of him, he said loudly, "I’m not gonna miss any of this sh*t when I am done playing."

NBA commish Adam Silver was asked about the star's sensitive feelings -- and others in the NBA who have seemed less than thrilled with this season -- and he stuck up for his guys.

"Part of it is a direct product of social media," Silver said ... "I think those players we're talking about, when I meet with them, what strikes me is that they are truly unhappy."

Enter Barkley ... who not only went scorched earth on Silver's take -- he went off on Kyrie too!!!

"I think that's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard Adam say," Barkley said on ESPN's "Get Up!"

"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard any commissioner say. Listen ... these guys are making $20, $30, $40 million a year. They work 6, 7 months a year. We stay at the best hotels in the world. They ain't got no problems. That's total bogus."

Barkley added, "Let me tell you something else, Kyrie Irving ... I've never seen a person so miserable."

Charles says K.I. has absolutely ZERO right to be upset with his life ... saying he's a millionaire, he's famous, he's a superstar, he's got a ring AND he's in movies.

"He's got to be one of the most miserable people I've ever seen."

Barkley's advice for Kyrie was simple ... DEAL WITH IT!!! -- 'cause as an NBA superstar, that's just the way life goes.