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Ex-NHL star Tim Thomas is explaining why he vanished from the public after his retirement in 2013 ... saying he's been dealing with serious brain damage from a concussion.

45-year-old Thomas -- a 2011 Stanley Cup champ and Boston Bruins legend -- got emotional with reporters before his U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction on Thursday ... saying his everyday life was changed after a blow he suffered in his final season.

"I woke up the next morning after it and I couldn't decide what I wanted to eat, where I wanted to go," Thomas explained.

"I couldn't plan a schedule. I survived following the team schedule the rest of the year and just made it through that season."

Thomas said his condition worsened to the point where he moved to the woods to avoid speaking with people close to him ... and didn't watch hockey because he couldn't keep up with it.

"I couldn't communicate with anybody for a few years," Thomas said.

"I didn't call my dad. I didn't talk to anybody. There was a time period where I hated the game, so to speak ... My rebound effect was like, this wasn't worth it."

Thomas says he's gotten much better recently ... thanks to recovery methods like oxygen therapy and water with ionic minerals.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is conducting a thorough investigation into the New England Patriots to see if they used a video crew to try and cheat.

"Obviously it’s under review," Goodell said to the media while in Dallas ... "We're gonna be thorough and we're gonna get all the facts and we'll go from there."

Goodell was also asked if the Patriots' history of using illegal surveillance -- aka the 2007 Spygate scandal -- would factor in to the investigation.

"Of course that’s a factor. The key things are the new information that we have. That [old] information we obviously already have. But, I think the issue is what information do we have from this incident?"

As we previously reported, the Cincinnati Bengals told the NFL a Patriots staffer was illegally shooting video of their sidelines during a game. The Patriots admitted wrongdoing but insist it was a mistake and not intentional. The team is adamant they did NOT cheat.

There was A LOT more during the media event ... Goodell was also asked about Colin Kaepernick and Antonio Brown.

When asked about the Colin Kaepernick workout, Goodell said -- "It was about opportunity, a credible opportunity. He chose not to take it, and I understand that."

Colin famously backed out of the Nov. 16 workout -- organized by the NFL -- over a dispute regarding media access and the legal language on the workout injury waiver.

Instead, Kaepernick held his own workout at a nearby high school and called for interested teams to hit up his agent. So far, he's still unsigned.

As for Antonio Brown ... Goodell was questioned about the league investigation into sexual assault and harassment claims against the WR.

Goodell says his investigators DID meet with Antonio but "they have more work to do."

"They're following up on that and I'll get an update when they have more information."

A marathon runner who smacked a female reporter's butt live on-air during a race has been banned for LIFE ... this after the woman called the guy's actions "violating" and "objectifying."

The slap all went down Saturday at the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run in Savannah, Georgia where WSAV-TV's Alex Bozarjian was reporting live from the starting line area.

While she was on air giving details about the run ... a man jogged up behind her, slapped her on the butt and bolted off.

You can see in the video, Alex was not happy AT ALL with the guy ... and later said of the incident, "You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me."

"No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better."

Race officials promised to find the guy and punish him ... and less than 24 hours later -- they did just that.

In a statement from the Savannah Sports Council, they said they identified the man and banned him from future events FOR LIFE -- saying, "We will not tolerate behavior like this at a Savannah Sports Council event."

The org added, "Enmarket and the Savannah Sports Council take this matter extremely seriously and fully condemn this individual’s actions."

UFC heavyweight Junior Dos Santos' dancing career just took a KO shot to the face -- Cigano has been eliminated from the Brazil version of "Dancing With The Stars."

The 35-year-old ex-champ showed off his moves one final time on "Dança dos Famosos,” on Sunday ... but was ultimately voted off the show after receiving the fewest votes.

It was a great effort from the #4 ranked heavyweight and his partner, Ana Paula Guedes ... the dude danced his ass off to hits like "What Is Love" by Haddaway while wearing pants that would make MC Hammer proud.

Cigano left the show due to an injury back in October -- which also kept him out of UFC Moscow in November --  but was able to come back to be the last athlete standing (the rest of the dancers are actors/actresses).

Dos Santos really made his presence known on the dance floor -- his dances scored among the highest each week until his elimination.

Terry Glenn Jr. -- son of the late NFL star -- died on Thanksgiving from an accidental drug overdose, family sources tell the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The 22-year-old was found by family members in a bathroom at his home in Columbus, Ohio, according to Clarence Hill.

Earlier that day, Glenn Jr. had been tweeting about his father, Terry Glenn, who died almost 2 years ago to the day in a horrific car crash on the way home from a Dallas Cowboys game on Nov. 20, 2017. Toxicology later revealed Glenn Sr. had a .165 blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash.

"I miss him so much," Glenn Jr. tweeted ... "This time of the year is the hardest by far man... this was his holiday and the last one got cut short right before we were allllll gonna be together... really just wonder why."

He also tweeted, "Thanksgiving was my dads favorite game to play in as a Cowboy and you best believe ya boy was always right there in the stands."

Glenn Sr. was the 7th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft -- taken by the New England Patriots after an impressive run at Ohio State.

He went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL -- with the Patriots, Packers and Cowboys.

Terry also famously caught Tom Brady's very first TD pass in 2001.

We spoke with Glenn Jr. after his father's passing and he shared his favorite memory of his father.

Aniah Blanchard's mom was surrounded by friends and family at a vigil in Alabama on Tuesday where she shared memories of the 19-year-old and told the crowd, "She was my heart."

Officials believe Blanchard -- stepdaughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris -- was abducted at a Chevron station in Auburn on Oct. 23rd.

Investigators found remains earlier this week that are believed to be Aniah's -- and while officials are still working to confirm, her mother Angela Harris is already starting to mourn.

"Just her laughter and her smile, that’s what I'm going to miss the most," Harris told ABC33 ... "Just her happiness because she made life better for all of us."

"She's never gonna have my grandbabies that I wanted her to have or see her get married."

Aniah's closest friends hugged Angela at the vigil as she told the girls, "She loved y'all so much."

So far, three men have been arrested in connection with Blanchard's abduction -- but Harris says she feels a strong sense of guilt about the whole thing.

“Maybe not even anything I could have done, but I should have prepared her just a little bit better for things she might have come into contact with."

Officials believe Blanchard was forced into a vehicle by Ibraheem Yazeed -- who was seen at the gas station the night of the abduction. Cops tracked him down and arrested him in Florida.

Harris says she hopes other families will learn from this situation to help better protect their children.

"It can happen to you, it can happen to your family. So from tonight on, go home make a plan, get some things together, talk to your kids so we can prevent this and start fighting back for this evil that’s in this world."

The NHL has launched an investigation into claims Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters called a black player the n-word while he was managing a minor league team 10 years ago.

While the Flames were playing the Penguins on Monday ... ex-NHL player Akim Aliu took to Twitter and accused Calgary's coach of hurling racial slurs at him during their time together in 2009.

30-year-old Aliu played for Peters in the 2009-10 season when the guy was coaching the Rockford Ice Hogs ... and Aliu says on multiple occasions, Peters called him the n-word.

"Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn’t like my choice of music," Aliu said.

Aliu never mentioned Peters by name in the tweets ... but he made it clear he was talking about the 53-year-old coach when he called him Mike Babcock's "protege."

FYI, Babcock -- who was recently fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs -- coached Peters in college and is considered the guy's biggest hockey mentor.

For their part, the Flames immediately announced they were launching a probe into the allegations ... with general manager Brad Treliving telling reporters they take the claims seriously.

The NHL weighed in on the issue Tuesday as well ... saying it's launching a probe too, adding, "The behavior that has been alleged is repugnant and unacceptable."

Peters was not made available to the media after the Flames' game Monday night ... and he's yet to address the allegations himself.

Here's Myles Garrett in the middle of a PR offensive ... 'cause just days after his indefinite NFL ban was upheld for being a violent monster -- he showed up to a charity event to prove he's actually a nice guy!

The Cleveland Browns superstar's reputation has been under fire ever since he attacked Mason Rudolph with a helmet -- but now, the image rehab process is clearly underway.

The 23-year-old showed up to a Cleveland Feed the Need event Tuesday and said all the right things to try to show he deserves a place again in the NFL next season.

"I love to be out here just helping," Garrett said ... "I just love giving back. That's it. There's nothing more to it."

It's a smart move by Myles, considering even dudes like Michael Vick think he bungled everything that's gone down since his violent incident in the Browns-Steelers game earlier this month.

Garrett was asked how he's dealing with the backlash from helmetgate ... to which he replied, "You have ups and downs in your life and right now, I'm giving back to people."

Evander Holyfield's 22-year-old son is beginning to look like The Real Deal as a boxer -- he just destroyed his 2nd opponent in just 3 weeks ... and the video is solid.

Evan "Yung Holy" Holyfield took on Henry Mendez in Houston on Saturday night and ended the fight with a brutal body shot in the 3rd round ... moving his pro record to 2-0.

Evander was in the crowd that night and was obviously impressed with his son's handiwork.

As we previously reported, Evan made his pro fight debut just 3 weeks prior -- dismantling Nick Winstead in just 16 seconds into the 1st round of their Nov. 2 bout (on the undercard of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Sergey Kovalev fight).

Evan (who fights at junior middleweight, 154 lbs) has told TMZ Sports ... he's out to prove he can scrap with best in the world -- and he's off to a pretty good start.

Heart-breaking news in the search for Aniah Blanchard ... cops believe they found the 19-year-old's body in a wooded area in Alabama.

Cops have been searching for Aniah ever since she was abducted from a Chevron station on Oct. 23. Blanchard is the step-daughter of UFC fighter Walt Harris.

Days after her disappearance, officials had found Aniah's car, which was covered in blood ... and believed she had suffered a fatal injury during the kidnapping.

Cops hunted down Ibraheem Yazeed -- the prime suspect -- who was seen at the gas station with Blanchard in the moments before her abduction. He was arrested in Florida after leading cops on a pursuit and suffered a busted eye during the apprehension. He's since been charged with 1st-degree kidnapping.

Now, terrible news ... cops say they found human remains in Macon County, Alabama and they believe it's Aniah.

"I can confirm that human remains have been found in Macon County on County Road 2 and we have good reason to believe they are that of Aniah Blanchard," Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes said.

Officials say the remains were found in the area between the Chevron Station in Auburn where she went missing and the spot where her car was discovered in Montgomery.

A second suspect in Aniah's disappearance was arrested on Friday -- Antwain "Squirmy" Shamar Fisher -- who's also been charged with 1st-degree kidnapping.

Story developing ...

Kamiyah Street -- the starting point guard for the Kennesaw State basketball team -- was arrested Thursday in Georgia for felony murder, records show.

Officials believe 20-year-old Street is involved in the July 16 shooting death of 21-year-old Nashiem Hubbard-Etienne, whose body was found in a parking lot of an Atlanta-area apartment complex.

Cops believe the victim was specifically targeted.

Street -- a big star for the KSU Owls -- was arrested Thursday and has been hit with 8 criminal charges including murder, 3 counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Cops say 3 other suspects have been arrested and they're still on the hunt for 1 more.

The KSU basketball has suspended Street indefinitely -- which is a big deal considering she's averaged 21 points and 5 rebounds in the first 4 games of the 2019 season.

KSU issued a statement saying, "We were made aware Thursday evening that Kamiyah Street of the KSU women’s basketball team was arrested and is being held, pending charges."

"The individual has been suspended indefinitely from all women’s basketball team and athletic activities. Neither the university nor the athletic department have any additional information at this time."

KSU has already removed Steet from the team's official website.

"It's a starvation joke, not a race joke."

That's wrestling announcer Jim Cornette trying to justify the "fried chicken" comment he made during an episode of "NWA Power" earlier this week ... and yeah, yikes.

If you missed it, Cornette tried to describe a wrestler's toughness by saying, "He’s the only man I’ve ever known that can strap a bucket of fried chicken on his back and ride a motor scooter across Ethiopia."

The comment was immediately hit with outrage, with people calling the remark racist ... and even wrestling legend Mark Henry told us he found the statement to be completely out of line.

But, Cornette went on his podcast, "Jim Cornette Experience," on Friday to try to explain himself ... and said he was surprised people thought he was being racist.

"It's a starvation joke, not a race joke," Cornette said. "Whether it's a good joke or a bad joke, it was a joke that has been told on TBS, USA Network, broadcast television stations across America over a variety of locations for the past 30 years."

Cornette added, "I’m not that sorry, 'cause it was a joke. And, if you don’t like the joke, that’s fine and I’d even apologize for a bad joke. But, this goddamn feedback was above and beyond the offense. And, I didn’t mean it in any racist way, for f**k's sake."

Cornette also addressed the "fried chicken" aspect of the comments ... saying he only used that for the food item in the joke because "A bucket of chicken sounds funnier. It's a funnier visual than a f**king plate of sushi."

Doesn't seem the NWA was laughing either way ... they said Cornette's comments were "both offensive and do not meet the high standards of decency and good faith of the National Wrestling Alliance."

In that same statement, the wrestling league announced Cornette had resigned from the company.

Myles Garrett told NFL officials Steelers QB Mason Rudolph hurled a racial slur at him before the infamous helmet attack ... though Rudolph is calling BS.

As we previously reported, the Cleveland Browns star met with NFL officials to appeal the length of his suspension from the Nov. 14 incident.

During the meeting, Garrett told his side of the story ... and claimed it was a racial slur from Rudolph that got him so pissed off, he ripped off the QB's helmet and attacked him with it, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

But, Rudolph is VEHEMENTLY denying the claim -- his lawyer has already issued a statement calling the allegation a flat-out lie.

"This false allegation was never asserted by Garrett in the aftermath of the game, never suggested prior to the hearing, and conspicuously absent in the apology published by the Browns and adopted by Garrett."

"The malicious use of this wild and unfounded allegation is an assault on Mason's integrity which is far worse than the physical assault witnessed on Thursday."

"This is reckless and shameful."

Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens just addressed the situation at Browns practice on Thursday, saying, "I stand by Myles and that's not going to waver. I'll support Myles in every way possible."

Kitchens refused to disclose what he and Myles talked about following the incident.

Story developing ...

Chris Brown's second child has been born ... and he subtly shared the good news on Instagram.

Sources close to the singer tell TMZ ... his ex, Ammika Harris, gave birth to their son. As we first reported in August ... it's their first child together.

Both Chris and Ammika shared cryptic messages on social media Thursday, seemingly announcing the birth of their baby boy. In fact, we know she did just that.

Chris posted a pic of himself smiling and looking down at something off camera with the caption of the date ... 11-20-19. Right after that, he shared a pic of himself wearing a hoodie with the word "BORN" embroidered on it.

Harris also alluded to the child's birth on her Instagram Story, writing ... "I was in love, when I first saw you."

The boy is Ammika's first child. CB has a 5-year-old daughter named Royalty with Nia Guzman.

Montae Nicholson will play for the Washington Redskins on Sunday despite being a key figure in a police investigation into the death of a 21-year-old woman, the team says.

"As of right now, he is active," Redskins head coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday.

"He did play Sunday and right now he is on the active roster and is scheduled to play."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 23-year-old safety claims he's cooperating with authorities in the death of 21-year-old Julia Crabbe, who died of a suspected drug overdose Thursday morning.

Officials say Montae and another man dropped Julia off at a Virginia hospital in the middle of the night and then left the scene, despite the fact she appeared dead on arrival.

Investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's home before the OD -- so they got a search warrant and found marijuana, pills and "foil with residue" inside.

It's important to note cops have not said if the drugs belonged to (or were provided by) Nicholson -- and he has NOT been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

For his part, Montae claims he did NOT leave the hospital on the night in question -- and stuck around to help out until Crabbe's family arrived.

Nicholson suited up and played for the Redskins just 3 days after Crabbe's death -- and was on the field for 70 of the Redskins' 71 defensive snaps, recording 5 combined tackles.

The Redskins take on the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday in a game that's really meaningless for Washington, since they've only won 1 game this season and have virtually no shot at the playoffs.

A 26-year-old female amateur MMA fighter died Sunday morning ... just one day after collapsing in the ring following a brutal loss at an event in England.

The Hampshire Police Dept. confirmed they were called to Southampton General Hospital around 1 AM on Sunday to respond to a woman who suffered a life-threatening brain injury.

The woman, Saeideh Aletaha, had competed at the Fast & Furious Fight series event at Central Hall in Southampton, England on Saturday ... and reportedly collapsed in the ring.

According to local reports, an ambulance was called to the venue around 9 PM and Aletaha was rushed to the hospital in "a serious and life-threatening condition."

Cops say Aletaha died at the hospital Sunday morning -- and they're now investigating her death.

Organizers behind the F&FFS event posted a statement early Monday morning essentially saying Aletaha knew what she signed up for ...

"All competitors get in [the ring] prepared that they may be injured and this is something not expected to happen 99.9% of the time."

FFS organizers say they had a full medical team on-site -- with doctors, paramedics and an ambulance -- along with an "experienced team of staff with numerous first aiders."

Exile Gym, where Aletaha trained, posted a tribute to the fighter ... saying, "Saeideh Aletaha was a lovely character with a beautiful soul. Her dedication to the sport was 110% travelling miles every day just to train."

"She found her place with us just a few months ago but has become apart of the family and will be sorely missed."