Breaking News

Washington Redskins safety Montae Nicholson is off the hook in his assault case -- prosecutors have dropped the criminal charges against him ... despite video showing the NFL player KOing a guy.

As we previously reported, Nicholson was arrested in Virginia back in December for assault and battery, and public drunkenness after video showed the 23-year-old beating the hell out of a guy in the middle of the street around 2 AM.

You can see Nicholson throw a solid left which connects -- and the other man goes limp as he collapses to the ground.

But Tuesday, Nicholson appeared in court -- where prosecutors dropped the assault charge, according to court records.

Nicholson's attorney told the Washington Post prosecutors had "insufficient evidence."

Unclear why they would reach that conclusion with the evidence at hand -- it's possible he reached a settlement with the victim, who then refused to cooperate with prosecutors. We just don't know yet.

How is Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder celebrating after drafting his new franchise quarterback?

IT'S YACHT TIME, BABY!!!

The 54-year-old billionaire set sail on his mega-ship, the "Lady S." -- a $180 million yacht with the world's first floating IMAX theater.

(It was originally reported that the yacht is only worth $100 mil, but we're told it's actually valued at $180 mil).

Snyder was spotted aboard the boat in Portofino, Italy ... where he was sipping on beer and checking out his awesome pool and hot tub.

Oh, and he was still repping Washington all the way down to his toes ... check out the Redskins socks.

There's more on the ship ... he's got a helipad, 4 VIP suites and an incredible dining area, where Synder was already entertaining friends.

Snyder is having one heck of an off-season -- most experts think he got a STEAL by drafting Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the 15th pick.

After he was selected, Haskins warned the league that he's got a HUGE chip on his shoulder and plans to take it out on all the teams that passed on him.

If he makes good on his promise, maybe he'll make it to the yacht!

The Patriots win ... again, and this time it's their owner, Robert Kraft, who gets to spike the football -- the judge says police video of him inside the Orchids of Asia spa can't be used in the case.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge had big problems with the search warrant that was issued, allowing police to plant cameras and secretly record Kraft and others inside the spa. The judge said police didn't minimize their recordings -- meaning they didn't do enough to protect people who were inside the spa getting perfectly legal massages.

The judge also said the police didn't do enough to minimize the impact of recording female customers inside the spa.

Detectives who testified in recent weeks said their only direction while monitoring the cameras was to "look for illegal activity." The judge said that's not nearly specific enough ... they needed to have written guidelines as to when to turn the cameras on and off.

In his ruling, the judge said, "The fact that some totally innocent women and men had their entire lawful time spent in a massage room fully recorded and viewed intermittently by a detective-monitor is unacceptable."

The bottom line for Kraft is ... the video can't be used as evidence in his prostitution case. Also, the traffic stop police made as Kraft left the spa has also been tossed from the case.

Ex-World Series MVP John Wetteland is denying allegations he repeatedly sexually assaulted a little boy in his family ... with his attorney telling the media, "He is innocent."

Wetteland has been accused of forcing the family member (now an adult) to give him oral sex on three separate occasions between 2004 and 2006 when the boy was under the age of 14.

A grand jury indicted the former All-Star pitcher on 3 felony charges of child sexual assault in March ... and at his first court appearance Monday, his attorney strongly denied the allegations.

"What they've accused him of, the only thing worse is murder," Derek Adame told the Dallas Morning News ... "He was completely shocked [by the allegations]."

Adame said Wetteland intended to enter a not guilty plea ... and is planning on fighting the charges vehemently.

"We look forward to the opportunity to prove our innocence, which is what Mr. Wetteland is," Adame said ... "He is innocent and is looking forward to his day in court."

Wetteland is due back in court for another hearing in July.

Here's A-Rod talking about how he and J Lo have gone to multiple strip clubs together and spent thousands on dancers ... but he SWEARS it had nothing to do with getting freaky.

It was all for "research" ... and Alex says it was the BEST work he's ever done!

Of course, Lopez is starring in the upcoming stripper flick "Hustlers" -- and Alex told the guys on "The Breakfast Club" he was more than happy to help Jen get ready for the role.

"I was out in L.A. She's in New York. She says, 'Baby, I'm going to the strip club.' I said, 'WHOA!! I'll be there on Thursday. We can go Thursday and Friday,'" Alex said.

"I mean, it's part of due diligence, right?"

Alex says Lopez was a total pro -- and tried to learn everything she could about dancers ... but Alex says he's kind of an expert when it comes to the booty club.

"She read and read and read [about strippers] ... I said, 'Baby, stop reading and just ask me. I got the info!'"

Alex says he almost knew "too much" about the stripper world -- "which was kind of scary."

Inside the clubs, Alex says the couple would pay THOUSANDS to women ... not to dance, but to talk.

"We sat down with the girls, and we literally just interrogate them, ask them questions. Then, we would hit 'em up with $400 or $500 or $600. We weren't there for dancing, we were literally there for work."

The Boston Red Sox are back ... and it's all 'cause of Donald Trump -- so says the President himself, who says it was White House visit magic that turned their season around!!

Of course, the Sox didn't get off to a great start this season -- they were just 2-8 in their first 10 games -- the worst opening record EVER for a team with 100-plus wins in the previous season.

But, Trump says their championship visit to the White House last week has changed everything -- saying, "Has anyone noticed that all the Boston @RedSox have done is WIN since coming to the White House!"

Boston has notched 3 straight victories since heading to 1600 Penn. Ave. last Thursday ... and now, Trump is claiming visits to the White House are an anti-curse!!!

"The White House visit is becoming the opposite of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated! By the way, the Boston players were GREAT guys!"

Teams haven't exactly been open to White House celebrations under Trump ... no NBA team has visited since he took office and even several Red Sox players themselves protested last week's trip.

But if the visits are now in fact good luck charms, could that change future champions' minds???

Russell Wilson won Mother's Day ... the dude surprised his mom with her very own house -- and she lost her mind when the Seahawks superstar handed over the keys!!!

The moment is amazing ... Russ passes Tammy Wilson the key ring to the new home's front door -- and when she asks what it's for, the QB tells her, "it's the key to your house."

When Momma Wilson realizes her son ain't playin' around -- she loses it.

She goes from shocked to elated to nearly peeing herself (for real, watch the clip) to bawling. It's incredible.

"All these years you have never asked me for anything... only thing you ever wanted is for me to LOVE," Wilson said of the gift afterward ...

"Well thanks for loving us the way you do. This ones for you. I love you momma. #HappyMothersDay #GodIsGood"

Russ' wife, Ciara, added, "What a beautiful day and moment. Tears of Joy! The perfect Mother’s Day. God you’re a good good father."

Unclear where the new pad is or what the specs are for it ... but you can bet the place is probably pretty awesome.

And, why? Wilson just inked a 4-year, $140-MILLION deal with the Seahawks -- the richest contract in NFL history!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Drake harnessed the power of the "Drake Curse" on Sunday -- and used it as a WEAPON to help his Toronto Raptors beat the 76ers.

For some reason, the Canadian superstar wasn't able to attend Game 7 in Toronto -- so he watched the game with some pals instead.

But, when Kawhi Leonard hit that insane buzzer beater to sink Philadelphia in the 4th quarter -- Drake busted out his phone and aimed down ... showing he was wearing a pair of 76ers shorts the whole time.

He posted the whole thing on his Instagram story. Even though you can't see his face, you can hear his voice -- it's obviously him.

The Drake curse is legendary ... whatever team Drake has rooted for in a championship capacity has crapped the bed when it counts.

From Alabama to Kentucky to the Toronto Maple Leafs ... even Conor McGregor.

So, credit to Drake for acknowledging to curse and using his mystical powers to help his own squad.

One more thing ... Drake also posted a photo of Leonard during the buzzer beater -- and used it as an opportunity to diss Joel Embiid ... because he tagged the 76ers star, "SadPhillyBoy."

Aaron Rodgers was DEFINITELY in Sunday night's episode of "Game of Thrones" ... but the question -- did he die or what?!

The Green Bay Packers QB not only posted a photo showing himself in full #GoT costume, but he also participated in a promotional package for the episode.

Here's the problem ... Aaron's cameo (or cameos?) was so brief, there's a debate over whether he survived Daenerys Targaryen's dragon-led assault on King's Landing.

Rodgers was first spotted as an archer in the Lannister army -- but that doesn't match the costume from his IG photo.

There's also video of him helping (?) a woman during the assault on the city. And then, more footage shows a person who looks like Aaron getting consumed by a wall of flames while trying to escape.

So, was he an archer AND a King's Landing-er? Did he survive the fire attack?

Of course, Aaron ain't the only celebrity to make a cameo on the show -- Rob McElhenney from "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia" got an arrow through the face earlier this season.

Ditto for Martin Starr.

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

2:45 PM PT -- The Aventura Police Department -- which is a stone's throw away from Sunny Isles, where NBA YoungBoy was reportedly shot at -- tells TMZ ... another shooting happened in their jurisdiction, and investigators are looking to see if it might be related to what went down at the Trump Beach Resort.

NBA YoungBoy and his crew were reportedly on the receiving end of bullets on Mother's Day outside the Trump Beach Resort near Miami ... and at least one person was killed.

Shots rang out Sunday near the beachside hotel, where YB and his entourage were later identified as being on the scene. It's unclear at this point what NBA YoungBoy's exact involvement might've been -- but multiple eyewitnesses say someone opened fire on him.

We got video of the immediate aftermath, and it looks like a frenzied scene as people rush to attend to the alleged victims. We're told the prominent black vehicle seen here had NBA YoungBoy and co. inside. Our sources also say YoungBoy was staying at the Trump resort.

Lots of folks are reporting that YoungBoy was NOT shot himself, but many others suggest his girlfriend, Kay Marie, was injured with a gunshot wound. The only thing cops are saying at this point is that one person was left dead in the shootout -- we're working on getting more.

Other reports suggest that YoungBoy's security gunned down the alleged shooter. It's unclear if that's actually the case, but somebody was definitely taken away in a stretcher. It looks like YoungBoy was left standing on his own two feet by the end of it.

Crazy enough ... YoungBoy's in town to perform at Rolling Loud Sunday night. No word on if he'll take the stage at this point, we'll keep ya posted.

Kodak Black was grabbed by cops backstage at a popular Miami music festival before his scheduled performance ... and it's all because of warrants stemming back to firearms charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the rapper pulled up at Rolling Loud Saturday -- where he was to take the stage -- and both local and federal agents were waiting. We're told officers from Miami Dade and ATF were armed with both state and federal warrants.

Kodak was arrested on the spot and hauled off to the police station.

Our sources say all of the warrants he was arrested on were firearm related.

It's currently unclear if Kodak was armed at the time of his arrest.

Sin City found God on Friday ... 'cause a Las Vegas Golden Knights fan delivered a custom jersey to Pope Francis -- and the holiest guy on earth LOVED it!!!

Unclear why a man came to the Vatican bearing the NHL gift ... but when he did -- and the pictures became public -- the Knights were thrilled, tweeting of the moment, "OMG!"

The jersey is awesome ... it's a custom sweater featuring the name "Pope Francis" on the back.

Of course, the Knights are officially done this season -- the Sharks took care of them in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a super controversial, down-to-the-wire game 7 finish.

What do you do when your nickname is Spida and you got your own shoe deal??

You send your shoes to SPIDER-MAN!!! ... and that's exactly what NBA star Donovan Mitchell did when he hooked up Tom Holland with a pair of his signature kicks!!

Fresh off the awesome trailer for "Spider-Man: Far From Home" ... Holland showed love for the Utah Jazz baller by sporting his new D.O.N. Issue #1 sneakers in a pic.

In case you're wondering ... Mitchell got the "Spida" nickname from a parent of a former teammate ... and it just stuck with him ever since.

We're glad it did ... 'cause now we have this cool moment with Holland (who some consider the best Peter Parker actor to don the red and blue spandex) sporting his fellow insect's sneaks.

Founding member of The Fugees, Pras Michel, is in serious legal trouble with the feds for allegedly funneling millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions.

Federal prosecutors in D.C. slapped the rapper with a 4-count indictment Friday ... claiming he and infamous Malaysian businessman Jho Low conspired to funnel funds from foreign accounts to make political contribution in the U.S. ... reportedly for President Obama.

Although the indictment doesn't mention Obama by name ... it says Pras made the donations for a Presidential candidate in the 2012 election, and specifies dates on which Pras posed for pics with that candidate. According to multiple reports, the candidate was Obama.

Pras has posted pics with Obama ... although it's unclear the date they were taken.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Low would send the money to Pras ... who would then recruit friends -- or "straw donors" -- and then divvy up the funds between them ... so they could make smaller donations to political action committees. The feds believe the smaller donations were made to disguise the source of the money ... namely Jho Low, who's also been indicted.

It's illegal for all foreign entities -- not only Russia -- to use money to influence U.S. elections.

As we reported, the feds had filed a civil lawsuit last year against Low, and although Pras' alleged involvement was mentioned in that suit ... he was not a defendant. He told us he was innocent.

Fast forward to Friday ... and Pras is staring down possible prison time. The indictment charges him with conspiracy, false statement and 2 counts of false entry in record.

Team owner alert! Team owner alert!!

2 Chainz is getting into the business side of basketball ... announcing he just bought a minority ownership stake in the Atlanta Hawks G League team, the College Park Skyhawks!!

The "High Top Versace" rapper is a HUGE ATL fan ... and now he's teaming up with Hawks owners Tony Ressler and Grant Hill to join his hometown team's ownership group.

2 Chainz is no stranger to hoops -- he played college ball at Alabama State before focusing on his rap career.

The 41-year-old is also a regular at Hawks games, so it really is a perfect fit.

I'm just thankful for the blessings I have," Tity Boi said before the official press conference at his old alma mater, North Clayton High School.

The Skyhawks wasted no time marketing their new superstar owner ... they're already selling shirts with his signature 2 Chainz look ... and we can't emphasize how cool that is.

So, who knows ... maybe 2 Chainz will come out of hoops retirement for a game in the G League?!?!