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Earl Thomas was facing a MAJOR issue in his first days as a Baltimore Raven ... his beloved #29 jersey was already taken ... and he'd have to cough up some serious dough to get it.

That is ... until Marlon Humphrey decided to change his mind and give it away FOR FREE -- and his explanation is pretty dope.

"I initially asked Earl for money, and later that day I realized that’s not who I am," Humphrey says.

"So I texted him and said he can have it. I respect what he has done and accolades in 29. Didn’t want to alter that for a number I’ve accomplished nothing in."

MH has a point -- Thomas has been stellar in #29 ... winning a Super Bowl, making 6 Pro Bowls and being named a 1st team All-Pro 3 different times!!!

Battles over jersey numbers have gotten expensive in the past -- Clinton Portis famously offered an old Redskins teammate $40k(!!!) to get #26 in 2004 (that ended in a court battle).

Deion Sanders also bought a teammate a BMW to get his number when he joined the Cowboys.

Big win for Lenny Dykstra despite the fact he pled GUILTY in his crazy Uber case -- after a New Jersey judge ruled the drugs found in Lenny's bags could NOT be used as evidence against him.

Here's the story ... Dykstra was arrested back in May 2018 after an Uber driver claimed Lenny was acting crazy and threatened his life during an early morning ride.

During the arrest, cops say they found cocaine and meth in Lenny's bags -- which had been in the trunk. He was later charged with possession of coke and meth and making terroristic threats.

Once the case went before a judge, Lenny argued cops did NOT have the right to go through his personal belongings ... and therefore the drug evidence should be thrown out.

The judge AGREED with Dykstra -- explaining there was no reason for cops to search the bags since they had no impact on the issue between Dykstra and the driver.

Since the drug charges couldn't stick, prosecutors offered Lenny a deal in which he would plead guilty to disorderly conduct and, in exchange, he got $125 in fines and was ordered to have NO contact with the Uber driver.

That's it -- easy sentence for a guy who was facing serious prison time.

The husband of UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich pled no contest to assault stemming from a violent altercation in November ... and he most likely won't spend a minute behind bars.

Arnold Berdon -- who's also an MMA fighter -- was charged with 2nd-degree assault for punching Ostovich in the head, face and ribs during an argument at their Hawaii home.

Ostovich suffered a broken orbital bone in the attack -- and initially pulled out of a scheduled fight with Paige VanZant ... but that fight was rescheduled after she healed up and was cleared by a doctor.

In audio obtained by Hawaii News Now you can hear a man yelling, "I'm going to f*cking murder you" during the alleged incident.

Berdon appeared in court on Thursday and pled no contest to the charge -- which carries a 5-year prison sentence.

But, Berdon likely won't do ANY time-- the judge told him he'll likely just get probation if he successfully completes a domestic violence intervention program.

During the hearing, Berdon told the judge he's "going to do well."

As for Ostovich, she issued a statement on the situation through her attorney, Lanson Kupau, saying she's "satisfied that Arnold is accepting responsibility for his actions and getting the needed help so that he can be the best father to our daughter."

The NFL has suspended Kareem Hunt for 8 games without pay for violating the league's personal conduct policy -- stemming from TWO violent incidents, including an altercation with a woman captured on video.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Hunt shoved, bull-rushed and kicked a woman at a Cleveland hotel on Feb. 10, 2018.

Cops were called to the scene and investigated -- but did NOT arrest Hunt, who denied getting violent.

At the time, Hunt was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs -- but the team released the star running back once the video went public, claiming Hunt lied to them about his behavior that night.

Hunt sought treatment for anger management and substance abuse issues -- and was later signed by the Cleveland Browns, who were waiting to see what Hunt's punishment was going to be.

Hunt was also accused of getting violent with a man at an Ohio resort in June 2018 -- allegedly punching a man in the face during a heated argument.

The NFL says it investigated both incidents using "reviewing available law enforcement records, video and electronic communications, interviews with numerous witnesses, and multiple interviews with Hunt."

The league says, "Hunt has advised the league office that he accepts responsibility for his conduct and the discipline that has been imposed."

"He has committed to take advantage of available resources to help him grow personally and as a member of the Cleveland community, and to live up to his obligations as an NFL player."

"The eight-game suspension will take effect as of the final roster reduction on August 31. Hunt will be eligible to play in the Browns' ninth regular season game."

Hunt has issued a statement saying, "I want to again apologize for my actions last year. I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them."

"I respect the league's decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week."

"I'm grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcomed me. I also appreciate all of the support from my union through this process."

7:50 PM PT - Our intel is clear -- Lori's not coming back to "Fuller House." A well-placed production source tells TMZ, "Fuller House is not currently in production. Lori is a guest star and was during the previous 4 seasons and there are currently no plans for her to return to the 5th season." Translation ... she's gone from the show.

6:56 PM PT -- Hallmark has now addressed their show, "When Calls the Heart," which is now in the middle of airing its 6th season and stars Loughlin, saying, "The series will not air on Sunday, March 17. We are evaluating all creative options related to When Calls the Heart series."

With 7 episodes to go for the season, that must be a busy writers' room.

2:50 PM PT -- Tresemme has also announced they are cutting ties with Olivia. They stated, "We take this very seriously and are no longer working with Olivia."

12:35 PM PT -- Hallmark has cut ties with Lori Loughlin, a longtime collaborator with the company. In a statement Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, says it is no longer working with Lori and has stopped development of all productions she's involved in, adding it was "saddened" by the allegations.

Hallmark's first tragic ending ever. That's a shame.

12:08 PM PT -- Olivia's page with clothing brand Princess Polly is no longer active ... we've reached out to the company to see if the line has been completely shelved, but no word back so far.

Lori Loughlin's alleged cheating is already costing her daughter, Olivia Jade -- 'cause Sephora just kicked the kid to the curb in the wake of the college admissions scandal.

A honcho for Sephora -- which had a partnership with Olivia -- tells TMZ, "After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately."

Olivia had a makeup partnership with the cosmetics chain that produced the Olivia Jade x Sephora palette. That page on Sephora's website has been 86'd.

Lori's youngest daughter has been catching the bulk of the backlash since her mom and dad were indicted for allegedly paying bribes to get their kids into USC.

TMZ broke the story ... Olivia was on Rick Caruso's yacht in the Bahamas with his daughter when the indictment news broke ... Caruso -- the Chairman of USC's Board of Trustees -- tells us that Olivia is no longer on his yacht, and has since gone home.

USC has yet to decide Olivia's fate.

Shane Battier is off the deeeeeeeep end ... and it's beautiful as hell.

The 2-time NBA champ hit the stage to put on his best rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" at his charity karaoke event on Thursday ... and this guy pulled out all the stops.

Look ... singing the ballad in front of ANYONE requires some guts. But, to do it in front of a huge crowd while wearing a dress AND a wig puts the whole thing over the top.

Miami Heat TV host Jason Jackson played the role of Cooper ... and he even put on a wig as well!!

It was all part of the 7th Annual Battioke Event in Miami ... which raises money for college scholarships.

Battier clearly stole the show ... but there were other great performances from Kelly Olynyk, who sang some classic One Direction ... and Pierre Garcon, who pulled off "Let Me Love You" by Mario.

The championship belt ended up going to Heat GM Andy Elisburg, who sang "Soul Man" by the Blues Brothers.

We're told the event raised more than $150k!!!

Zion Williamson made his much-anticipated return to the court on Thursday ... and when people weren't busy watching his rim-shaking dunks, their eyes were glued to his shoes.

The Duke superstar hit the court against Syracuse for the ACC Tournament after missing the past month with a knee sprain ... when his Paul George sneaker infamously blew up on him.

Z-Dub ditched the Thunder star's kicks for Kyrie 4s in the return -- he has to stick with the Swoosh with Duke being a Nike school -- and the replacements seemed to work just fine.

Well ... great, actually. Zion went on to shoot 13 for 13 from the field, with 29 points, 14 rebounds and 5 steals. He looked like a freak of nature who won't let a pair of sneakers get in his way.

Of course, there were a bunch of people like Scottie Pippen saying Zion should just sit out the rest of the season ... and uh, we're glad he isn't listening.

Although ... Zion didn't go *completely* without any scary moments ... 'Cuse star Frank Howard appeared to try to trip him in the first half of the game.

Duke ended up winning the game, 84-72 ... and Zion escaped unscathed.

The owner of the Utah Jazz addressed the Russell Westbrook incident head-on Thursday night -- saying Utah is "not a racist community" ... and warning fans to treat opposing players with respect.

Of course, the Westbrook incident made international headlines after he told a fan, "I'll f*ck you up." Westbrook claimed the fan and his wife had made offensive comments. The fan denied it. The Jazz ultimately banned the fan for life.

Enter Jazz owner Gail Miller ... who grabbed the mic before the Jazz took on the Timberwolves at Vivint Smart Home Arena and warned fans she'll boot ANYONE who acts like a jerk.

"I am extremely disappointed that one of our 'fans' conducted himself in such a way as to offend not only a guest in our arena, but also me personally, my family, our organization, the community, our players, and you as the best fans in the NBA,” Miller said.

"This should never happen. We are not a racist community."

She added, "We have a code of conduct in this arena. It will be strictly enforced."

In the least shocking news of the day, Conor McGregor has officially been sued by the man who claims the UFC star smashed and stole his cell phone.

22-year-old Ahmed Abdirzak filed his suit in Miami-Dade County on Thursday -- claiming battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In his suit, Abdirzak says he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami and tried to take a picture of Conor on his phone -- but McGregor snapped and grabbed his arm so tightly that he couldn't get away.

"[McGregor] then flew into a rage and punched [Abdirzak's] smart phone out of his hand."

Abdirzak says McGregor then grabbed the phone, smashed it to the ground and "began stomping on the phone repeatedly."

Abdirzak says he went after Conor to try and get his phone back but Conor just laughed as yelled back, "F*ck you!"

He's now seeking unspecified damages north of $15,000.

As we previously reported, McGregor was arrested Monday for the incident, which took place while he was leaving the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami.

Abdirzak told TMZ he did NOTHING to provoke McGregor and was shocked when the 30-year-old snatched his phone, threw it on the ground and stomped on it twice.

TMZ Sports obtained footage of the altercation -- you can see and hear Conor putting his foot down on the phone while Abdirzak is being restrained by unidentified men.

Abdirzak appeared on "TMZ Live" on Thursday morning and said he hadn't decided if he was going to sue, insisting he just wants "justice."

Golf legend Phil Mickelson says his family used Rick Singer's company to help his children navigate the world of college admission ... but the PGA star is adamant he did NOT participate in bribes.

Officials have named Singer as the ringleader in the college bribery scandal -- where stars like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman are accused of making payments to get their kids into prestigious schools under false pretenses.

Singer ran a college prep business servicing tons of families. Mickelson says his business dealings with Singer's company were strictly above board.

"Our family, along with thousands of others, used Rick Singer’s company to guide us through the college admission process," Phil says.

"We are shocked by the revelations of these events. Obviously, we were not part of this fraud, our kids would disown us if we ever tried to interfere."

Phil has 3 kids -- including a 19-year-old daughter (who currently attends Brown University), a 17-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son.

The funny part ... according to officials, Lori Loughlin coughed up $500,000 to make sure her kids went to USC and not Arizona State.

Phil went to Arizona State ... and he turned out just fine.

NFL star Sheldon Richardson says his days of speeding around in Bentleys are LONG GONE ... and it's all thanks to being a daddy!!

As we previously reported ... cops clocked Richardson speeding at 143 MPH with his 12-year-old nephew in the car when he was a member of the NY Jets back in 2015.

Oh yeah ... and he had a gun in the car.

He was charged with resisting arrest, excessive speeding, failing to obey traffic control device among other violations at the time ... but later copped a plea deal and was given 2 years of probation and 100 hours of community service.

The newest Cleveland Brown reflected on the incident with reporters on Thursday ... saying he's done a lot of growing up and can't be taking those kinds of risks.

"I was 24 in a Bentley, having a good time, that was it," Richardson said ... "I've got a daughter now, so I can't be doing 150 MPH on a highway."

Richardson welcomed his daughter, Riley Rose, back in 2016 ... and he says it completely turned his life around.

"I got a lot to live for."

Of course ... Richardson admitted his mistakes back in 2015 and vowed to make the right moves to get back on track ... and it sounds like he's still holding to his promise.

8:11 AM PT -- Jussie just pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment against him. He was advised he needs to be at every court date going forward, and is set to be back in court in mid-April.

In the meantime, he'll be allowed to travel to L.A. and NY for meetings with his lawyers. He's gotta notify the court 48 hours in advance before going to either location, and also needs to check back in within 24 hours when he returns to Chicago.

Jussie Smollett just showed up to court with the same confidence he had the other day -- the big difference now ... this appearance actually matters, 'cause he's being arraigned.

The "Empire" star once again strutted his way into a Cook County courthouse Thursday with his back straight and his head held high ... just like he did on Tuesday when he showed up for a procedural hearing he technically didn't need to attend.

He's expected to enter a plea one way or another at his arraignment.

As we reported ... a grand jury handed down the whopping 16-count indictment last week nearly two weeks after Jussie was arrested and booked for allegedly filing a false police report. Jussie's attorney, Mark Geragos, called the indictment "overkill."

Regardless of how Jussie pleads ... he may very well have more than his own fate in his hands. Folks working on "Empire" feel like the future of the show will very much be tied to how things shake out for him in court, and could possibly torpedo the series at large.

Wanna see what it takes to fix a broken face after getting hit with a 98 mph ball???

MLB pitcher Josh Ravin took a screaming line drive to the face while playing for the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate, Gwinnett Stripers, last June. It was a scary sight ... JR dropped to the ground in pain and had to be carted off the field.

Fast-forward to today ... and Ravin is showing off all the work that had to be put into fixin' his mug after the unfortunate incident ... and it's giving off Terminator vibes!!!

"This photo is the end result.. 5 fractures, a concussion, plastic surgery, 2 plates and 11 screws later," Ravin says, showing off an x-ray of the finished product.

"Here I Am! A bionic, terminator looking human, More determined than ever!..I've always considered myself a 'savage' but I never thought it'd be possible to become an even BIGGER SAVAGE!"

Ravin -- who's a flamethrower with a 99 mph fastball -- had a stint with the L.A. Dodgers before playing with the Braves organization in 2018.

Bali is known for its incredible views ... but Johnny Manziel's wife just made it MUCH better ... showing off her booty flexin' skills in a bikini by the pool!!

Bre Tiesi is in Indonesia with her friends celebrating Jordan Ozuna's birthday ... and naturally, that means everybody's ditchin' their clothes for their suits to get some fun in the sun.

No sign of Johnny on the trip ... and no offense to the QB, we're perfectly fine with that.

Of course, Johnny's had fun with the crew in the past -- who can forget their epic topless beach trip in Mexico in 2017?

The girls posted all the (clothed) fun this time around ... from impromptu photo shoots to celebrating the birthday with some cake.

As for Ozuna -- she's Bre's business partner and has been linked to Tyga and Justin Bieber in the past.

Happy birthday ... to everyone!!

Odell Beckham is NOT going scorched earth on the Giants now that he's leaving NY -- in fact, he's killing his old fans with kindness on the way out.

"So many mixed emotions and feelings," Beckham said in a statement Thursday morning ... "This is all, a lot to process but it is reality."

Of course, Beckham was traded from the Giants to the Cleveland Browns where he'll be reunited with his close friend and former college teammate, Jarvis Landry.

"I want to thank the NY giants organization for giving me an opportunity to do what God put me on this earth to do," Odell said.

"I want to thank the organization and the owners for everything and especially giving me my first chance to be a part of the NFL."

"I gave u my all every Sunday."

Beckham also had this note to his fans and haters -- "I just wanna thank u guys for making my experience in NY SOMETHIN ILL NEVER FORGET!"

"To the New Yorkers and REAL NYG fans... you guys will always have a place in my heart, a beautiful city .. a beautiful place Thank You for every last moment and experience. Without them, I wouldn’t be exactly who I am today ! LUV"

Beckham was drafted by the Giants in 2014. He just signed a monster 5-year, $95 MILLION contract extension with the Giants in August 2018.

5:57 PM PT -- Lamar just apologized for making "a bad decision" ... and says he'll "set a better example going forward."

Here's Baltimore Ravens superstar QB Lamar Jackson apparently breaking some laws ... speeding at 105 MPH -- all while holding his phone and recording!

C'mon man -- BE SAFE!!!

LJ posted the (not so smart) footage on his Instagram Story Tuesday ... presumably to show off his icy bracelet and fancy Mercedes.

The problem? You can see in the vid, the speedometer is PASSING 105 MPH ... with his phone locked in one of his hands.

Yeah, ain't exactly a look the Ravens want to see.

Plus, there's a seat belt light on the dashboard, which shows someone in the car ain't buckled up. It seems Lamar's alone in the car. We're HOPING it's a mistake and he's buckled up for safety.

What makes things even tougher for the Ravens to swallow? They've had an up-and-down offseason so far, losing studs like Terrell Suggs and Eric Weddle -- and Jackson also posted he isn't happy about that.

"Lol I wish we could've kept everyone," Jackson said ... "us players have 0 say so."

We've reached out to the Ravens for comment on Lamar's vids ... but so far, no word back yet.