ESPN Delays Shooter Game Broadcast 'Out of Respect' for Shooting Victims

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ESPN has postponed its broadcast of a shooter-style video game tournament that was scheduled to air this weekend ... in light of the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton.

The Apex Legends Battle Royale game -- which has a Teen rating -- is huge in the gaming community and is Fortnite's biggest competitor in the genre. It has "cartoonish" characters that use weapons to eliminate opponents.

The network was planning to air footage from the EXP Invitational at the X Games that was held on August 2 ... but our sources confirm it's been pushed back "out of respect for the victims and all those impacted in the immediate aftermath of the shootings."

Of course, President Trump partly blamed video games for the 2 mass shootings in Ohio and Texas -- where at least 31 people were killed -- in a speech at the White House on Monday.

"We must stop the glorification of violence in our society -- this includes the gruesome and grizzly video games that are now commonplace," POTUS said.

"It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence."

Our sources say the broadcast has NOT been scrapped ... and will eventually air in October.

Famous Dressage Olympian Charged W/ Attempted Murder ... Allegedly Shot Woman

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UPDATE

4:00 PM PT -- The Morris County District Attorney's office announced they've charged Barisone with 2 counts of attempted murder ... as well as 2 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon.

UPDATE

The D.A. says cops responded to the equestrian center after receiving a 911 call and "located one female who had sustained what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds."

UPDATE

"The Defendant, Michael Barisone, and a second male victim were also located at the scene.  A handgun was also recovered."

Ex-U.S. Olympian Michael Barisone -- who competed in Dressage in the 2008 Olympics -- allegedly shot a woman at his upscale equestrian center in Jersey, according to reports.

The 54-year-old reportedly got into a dispute with the woman at the fancy 53-acre Hawthorne Farm in Long Valley around 2:15 PM on Wednesday ... and things escalated.

Barisone reportedly opened fire multiple times -- striking the woman, who was raced to a nearby hospital. According to the NY Post, her condition has been described as "up in the air."

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office confirmed an incident at that farm and said a suspect had been taken into custody ... but they have not officially named Barisone.

According to law enforcement, the suspect was also injured in the incident ... along with a 3rd person.

Cops are still investigating -- but according to the Post, Barisone is expected to be hit with charges in the very near future.

The dispute has been described to the Post as a "tenant/landowner" issue.

Barisone is a monster in the equestrian world -- he was named the 2009 Sportsman International Horseman of the Year and went on to train several Olympic riders ... including Alison Brock, who won a team bronze medal in Dressage in the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Originally Published -- 9:47 AM PT

NFL's Kendrick Norton Shows Amputated Arm Cleaning Process ... In Inspiring Video

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Kendrick Norton -- the NFL player who lost most of his left arm in a horrific car crash -- wants to SHOW what life is like as an amputee ... and he's keeping it all the way real in an inspiring new video.

As we previously reported, Norton (a 7th-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft) was battling for a roster spot with the Miami Dolphins when he crashed his truck on July 4 with his girlfriend, Kira, in the vehicle.

Now, more than a month after the accident, the 22-year-old is showing his daily cleaning regimen -- and talking extremely candidly about how his life has changed.

The funniest part of the video (yes, he mixes in humor) is that he's nicknamed his left arm, "Little Kenny" ... and considers it a "mini-arm" instead of a total loss.

Kendrick says he refuses to cry about the accident and the subsequent loss of his NFL career -- explaining, "Ain't no point in crying every day and being sad and stuff. Still got stuff to be done."

The good news ... Kendrick says his other injuries (mostly road rash wounds) are healing nicely and doesn't seem to be in pain.

His girlfriend, Kira, says she suffered internal bleeding from the crash -- but insists she's doing well now.

Kendrick says some of his daily tasks take longer to perform due to his amputated arm -- and admits it's frustrating -- but his attitude is remarkably positive.

"Don't worry about me too much," Kendrick says ... noting he's going to be okay and he's not suicidal.

He even gave a message to some of his fellow amputees who are looking up to him as a role model ...

"Don't let what people say determine how you feel about yourself ... that's word to the wise for everybody."

Jussie Smollett Even IF I Lied ... City of Chicago's Lawsuit is Bogus!!!

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Jussie Smollett says the City of Chicago is simply trying to exact a pound of flesh from him after his criminal case was dismissed -- a move he calls unprecedented and unfair.

Jussie filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Chi-Town filed against him to recoup the cost of the investigation into the alleged racist and homophobic attack. In the docs, Jussie says the City has no business suing him because even IF you assume he did lie about the attack -- although he's not admitting that -- there's no way he could have foreseen the enormous amount of money Chicago PD spent on the case.

Jussie also says the city's argument that he's responsible for the investigation costs falls flat because Chicago hasn't shown "a direct link between [Jussie's] statements and the costs the City incurred."

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SOMETHING STINKS

Chicago claims the investigation cost Chicago PD at least $130,000 just in overtime. As we reported, the City also wants Jussie to cover its attorneys fees, and wants punitive damages. In all, it's seeking nearly half a million bucks from Jussie.

The "Empire" star wants the whole suit tossed with prejudice ... meaning it can't be refiled.

Belgian Cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht Dies After Crashing During Race ... Only 22 Years old

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22-year-old Belgian pro cyclist Bjorg Lambrecht died Monday from injuries he suffered from a horrific crash during a race in Poland, his team confirmed.

Lambrecht was competing in the 3rd stage of the Tour de Pologne -- a week-long event -- when he crashed hard into a concrete structure. Lambrect reportedly struck his head during the collision and fell unconscious.

Emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate him on scene and he was raced to a nearby hospital. Doctors performed emergency surgery but he died during the operation.

Unclear what caused the crash -- some say weather may have been a factor because it had been raining.

Lambrecht was considered a rising star in the sport ... winning the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2017 and placing high in several other competitions.

Lotto-Soudal -- Lambrecht's team -- released a statement on Monday ... saying "The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and teammates of Bjorg has happened… Rest in peace Bjorg."

Story developing ...

Sean McVay's Fiancee Hot Girls Trip!!! Bikini Time in Puerto Rico

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Sean McVay's incredibly attractive fiancee went on a girls trip with her incredibly attractive friends in Puerto Rico ... and the pics are great!!!

Veronika Khomyn and her 4 gal pals spent the weekend in San Juan for what they dubbed a "birthday trip" ... but it's unclear whose big day they were celebrating. We're just glad they're having fun.

McBae -- whose birthday is reportedly in March -- posted a hot shot from their time on the beach ... which reminds us how lucky the L.A. Rams coach really is.

Khomyn posted about the trip, saying "To have you as my best friends is everything. My stomach still hurts from laughing so much this weekend. Thank you for the best birthday trip."

McVay and Khomyn -- who have been together for years -- got engaged while on a romantic vacation in Italy back in June.

"The man of my dreams, my best friend and the love of my life asked me to marry him...And I said YES!!! to being his McBae forever."

We take it these girls will be a part of the big wedding ... and we're here for it.

Novak Djokovic I Dominate Soccer Tennis Too

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Novak Djokovic doesn't need a racket to whoop you on the court .... he doesn't even need hands, 'cause the 32-year-old tennis superstar will beat you with his noggin and his feet!!
WHO NEEDS A RACKET?

Novak Djokovic doesn't need a racket to whoop you on the court .... he doesn't even need hands, 'cause the 32-year-old tennis superstar will beat you with his noggin and his feet!!!

The Joker showed off his insane coordination with an intense game of soccer tennis on Friday ... and the 45-second rally is really impressive.

In case you couldn't figure it out, "Soccer Tennis" is tennis where you can't use your hands. It's super hard and VERY impressive to watch.

The #1 ranked player in the world kills it with his skills ... trappin' and juggling the ball like he's Lionel Messi.

Djokovic is a huge futbol fan and loves to show off his game when he's not beating scrubs on the tennis court ... and his point-winning header is all the proof you need to know he's legit!!!

Woodstock 50 Officially Canceled

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Woodstock 50 is officially a no-go, kaput, donzo, dead -- pick your favorite adjective -- cause it's been canceled.

The troubled festival was just over 2 weeks away from kicking off, but organizers just couldn't recover from setback after setback that ultimately led to Wednesday's announcement that its been officially called off.

Greg Peck, a principal of Woodstock 50, tells TMZ, "The unfortunate dispute with our financial partner and the resulting legal proceedings set us off course at a critical juncture, throwing a wrench in our plans and forcing us to find an alternate venue to Watkins Glen."

He goes on to say, "The timing meant we had few choices where our artists would be able to perform. We worked hard to find a way to produce a proper tribute—and some great artists came aboard over the last week to support Woodstock 50—but time simply ran short."

The news comes on the heels of artist after artist announcing they were pulling out ... from Miley Cyrus, Carlos Santana and Jay-Z to the Dead & Co. and John Fogerty. The good news for the artists who originally signed on ... Woodstock 50 organizers say artists get to keep their fees, asking they donate 10% of it to charity.

As you'll recall ... the festival was originally supposed to go down at Watkins Glen International in upstate NY but the venue pulled the plug, this after serious money issues.

The 3-day festival then got moved to Columbia, Maryland at the Merriweather Post Pavilion ... a much smaller venue. As we reported ... Woodstock 50 was reduced to become a free show for those lucky enough to get their hands on tickets. So much for that.

#RIPWoodstock50 ... we hardly knew thee.

Andy Reid Donovan McNabb's a Hall of Famer 'Great Football Player'

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Andy Reid
HALL OF FAME MATERIAL

Andy Reid has joined Donovan McNabb's quest for Canton ... saying without hesitation the quarterback belongs in the Hall of Fame.

It's been a huge debate since McNabb joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show back in May ... and stated his case for why he deserves a gold jacket -- using some impressive stats to back his argument.

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WHERE'S MY GOLD JACKET?!

The K.C. Chiefs coach -- who won 101 games with McNabb under center -- was asked for his take on the topic on Wednesday .... and he's siding with his old QB.

"I'm his biggest fan," Reid told reporters at training camp. "I was there. I know he belongs there. When you talk about the great players in the National Football League, five championship games, a Super Bowl, all those things."

"Good football player, man. Great football player and did some things that weren't being done at that particular time in a lot of areas."

"I think the world of him."

Reid ain't alone ... Michael Irvin also weighed in on the debate ... and he agrees!!!

Ben Simmons Violently Dunks All Over Kids at Charity Basketball Event

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WARNING -- If you come within 10 feet of Ben Simmons, there's a 100% chance he's gonna dunk on your ass ... and some kids in Australia found that out REAL QUICK!!

The NBA superstar attended the Helping Hoops charity basketball event in Melbourne on Wednesday ... and turned it into an absolute dunking CLINIC on the kids in attendance.

The vid is awesome ... Ben dribbles the ball up the court and puts his defender on a poster. The players lost their minds and Simmons playfully taunts his opponent for even jumping to block the inevitable dunk.

But, it's not like anyone was getting embarrassed by Simmons' rim shakers -- it looks like they WANTED the challenge of going face-to-face with the Sixers stud ... lining up to go against the 6'10" hooper.

Hey, it's not every day you can get dunked on by an All-Star ... can you blame 'em?!

By the way, Helping Hoops is all about supporting kids from underprivileged backgrounds through basketball -- basically, they run free hoops programs for more than 1,000 kids.

So, yeah ... props to Ben and everyone involved.

LeSean McCoy Ordered to Pay $55k to Injured Cop ... Over 2016 Bar Fight

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LeSean McCoy was ordered to pay $55,000 to a police officer who was injured in a 2016 bar fight that was captured on video and posted by TMZ Sports.

The fight went down at the Recess Lounge in Philadelphia on Feb. 7, 2016 ... when Roland Butler, who was off-duty at the time, got into an argument with LeSean's friend.

Cops said the fight began over a dispute over a champagne bottle. A witness told TMZ Sports things were tense ... but didn't explode until the champagne bottle was knocked to the ground and shattered.

A full-blown brawl broke out in the middle of the club ... and  you can see in footage obtained by TMZ Sports, McCoy is throwing at least one punch at Butler, who was down on the ground.

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THE FIGHT FOOTAGE

Butler suffered serious injuries in the fight ... including a broken nose, cuts to the face, broken ribs, a broken thumb and more. He claims the injuries forced him to miss months of work.

Despite video evidence and multiple witnesses, McCoy was never criminally charged over the incident ... with the person who was the Philadelphia DA at the time explaining:

"There is insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, who started the fight and under what circumstances."

In fact, McCoy had argued at the time that he only acted out of self-defense.

Butler sued McCoy and McCoy's friend, Tamarcus Porter, a former college football player -- and the case eventually went to arbitration where they were each ordered to pay $55,000 to Butler, according to ESPN.

McCoy has already paid his judgment. Porter has not.

The NFL investigated the incident back in 2016 -- but ultimately did not punish McCoy for his role in the fight.

Oh, and get this ... rapper Meek Mill was in the club at the time of the fight -- but had NOTHING to do with the brawl.

O.J. Simpson Warns Jerry Jones ... You Better Pay Zeke!!!

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PAY THESE GUYS

O.J. Simpson is issuing a stern warning to Jerry Jones ... saying straight-up the Cowboys owner better open the checkbook for Ezekiel Elliott -- OR ELSE!!!!!

... or else it won't result in a Super Bowl. Definitely not anything more serious than that.

Of course, Zeke is in contract dispute with Jerry and the 'Boys, wanting a significant raise despite only being in Year 4 of his 5-year rookie contract.

Things between the two sides haven't exactly gone swimmingly ... Zeke is actually in Mexico right now instead of training with his teammates in Oxnard, California.

O.J. says that better change soon, or Jerry won't be winning a Super Bowl this year ... saying, "Without him, you may not even make the playoffs!"

Simpson also says the same thing goes for the Chargers' brass out in L.A. ... telling Dean Spanos he better pay Melvin Gordon too!!

O.J. says both Gordon and Elliott should holdout for as long as possible ... 'cause he says the only thing they have look forward to after their playing days is knee pain.

For real, O.J. even shows off his nasty knee surgery scar -- and it's gross!!

Your move, Jerry.

Eli Manning On Odell Beckham ... 'I Won A Few Games Before He Was Here'

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How's Eli Manning feel about Odell Beckham saying he was the ONLY reason the NY Giants were popular the past few years??

"I won a few games before he was here," the QB said ...

SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADEEEEEEEE!!!

Manning spoke with the NFL Network after NY's practice Thursday ... and when they asked about Odell's recent controversial comments in a GQ article, Eli didn't hold much back.

"I don't think they bothered me," Manning said of the quotes ... "You just kind of shake your head and laugh.

Then Eli dropped the bombshell -- "I won a few games before he was here."

Of course, Odell made the claim that New York was only in the limelight "because people want to see the show. You want to see me play. That's just real rap."

But, Eli clearly feels differently ... and dude seems to have a point. Eli won nearly 100 regular season games before Odell was drafted -- and he also racked up 2 Super Bowl wins.

Odell has yet to address the media at Cleveland Browns camp about the latest comments ... but seems he's going to have some Eli Manning questions coming his way when he does!!

Prez Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Sues Google ... Stop Censoring Me!!!

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Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is outraged because she claims Google has silenced her ... so she says in a new lawsuit, but Google says not so fast.

Gabbard's campaign filed the lawsuit claiming in the hours after the first Democratic Presidential Debate last month, the tech giant suspended her Google ads without notice.

Gabbard says her campaign worked frantically to find out why, but she claims Google fed her BS answers and to date has "not provided a straight answer or let alone a credible one."

Gabbard -- an Iraq War veteran -- says the suspension came at the most crucial time in her campaign ... because immediately after her performance at the debate, Gabbard became the most searched candidate after entering relatively unknown.

Making matters worse ... Gabbard claims Google's sending campaign emails into people's spam folders. She says this is not happening with other candidates and calls it censorship.

Gabbard's suing because she says it's a violation of her First Amendment rights.

We've reached out to Google, and a spokeswoman tells TMZ ... the search engine has "automated systems that flag unusual activity on all advertiser accounts -- including large spending charges -- in order to prevent fraud and protect our customers."

The spokeswoman goes on to say, "In this case, our system triggered a suspension and the account was reinstated shortly thereafter."

UFC's Thiago Santos In Tremendous Pain After Surgery from Jon Jones Fight

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It's been a full week since UFC fighter Thiago Santos had surgery on BOTH of his knees following his main event fight against Jon Jones ... and Santos says he's in so much pain, he fears using the bathroom.

Santos put up one hell of a fight against Jones on July 6 -- going 5 rounds with the champ despite severe ligament damage to both of his knees.

In left knee, Santos tore his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus. He also suffered a partial ligament tear in his right knee.

Santos underwent double knee surgery last Wednesday ... and while he's already back in the gym trying to exercise (beast!) ... he admits he's in a ton of pain.

"I must admit, these days are tough, filled with a lot of pain," Santos said.

"I can’t sleep or eat properly due to the medications. I even fear using the bathroom because the walk there is a battle. Thank God the pain is subsiding."

He noted in a video message that he's "very happy" -- but it's clear he's struggling.

The good news, the honchos at he UFC -- including Dana White -- were impressed with his performance against Jones, especially now that we all know he was fighting with such severe injuries.

Hopefully, he'll return to the Octagon next year.

NFL's Taylor Lewan Cries On Video ... Explains Positive Drug Test

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Titans star O-lineman Taylor Lewan straight-up cried on camera Wednesday ... and it's all because he says he accidentally ingested a banned substance that could lead to an NFL suspension.

Lewan -- Tennesee's 3-time Pro Bowl left tackle -- is facing a 4-game ban after the NFL says he tested positive for ostarine -- a substance that essentially works like anabolic steroids.

Lewan made a video to explain the situation ... and adamantly says that while he did NOT knowingly take the substance -- he is responsible for it getting into his body.

"I want everybody to know that I've never taken this supplement knowingly and I've never cheated the game and I never will."

Lewan says he even took a polygraph test -- which he says he passed (and promised to share later on social media) -- to prove he didn't purposely take the drug.

Taylor then began apologizing to his team, and that's when he got emotional ... breaking down in tears.

"It's just hard," Lewan says ... "I'm sorry to the Tennessee Titans and the fans that I won't be there for 4 games."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there's still a chance Lewan could avoid suspension pending the results of further tests ... but Taylor was still apologetic, nonetheless.

"I've never cheated myself," Taylor said, "and I never wanted you guys to feel cheated."