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Jerry Jones says claims of a secret plan to force him to give up control of the Dallas Cowboys are "laughable and ridiculous" ... and says the idea of an overthrow is just plain silly.

FYI, the controversy stems from a PFT report saying some NFL owners have discussed a "nuclear option" to force Jones out for conduct detrimental to the league due to his war on NFL Commish Roger Goodell.

The Cowboys owner appeared on 105.3 The Fan -- where he shot down the suggestion he could be forced out ... and said he hasn't heard a peep about any such plan from the league or any other owner.

"I've had not one -- not one -- inkling of communication from the league office or any owner that would suggest something that laughable and ridiculous, and that's about where that is."

"If somebody is asserting that or thinking about that kind of thing, then they are not knowledgeable about how things work in the NFL."

Leslie Jones REALLY likes Dwyane Wade -- or maybe she's just an undercover sneakerhead??

Probably both -- 'cause check out the 'SNL' star fangirling out like a teeny bopper at a Britney concert when D-Wade hooks her up with his game-worn shoes ... after his Cavs took the Knicks' souls Monday night at MSG.

Wade gets down on a knee for the proposal ... and Leslie LOSES IT.

"It's my shoooeees! I get my shoooeees!"

"Will you accept my shoes?"

"YES!"

FYI, Leslie gave away 1 of Wade's Li-Ning kicks -- but NO WAY she was saying bye to both.

6:06 AM PT -- President Trump was asked about the UCLA situation before boarding Air Force One ... and praised Chinese President Xi for helping out.

The 3 UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in China are finally leaving the country Tuesday -- and flying back to the United States, this according to the Wall Street Journal.

LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were spotted at the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai early Tuesday -- getting ready to board a Delta plane bound for Los Angeles.

The players had been confined to their hotel after officials say they jacked sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store during the team trip to China.

Meek Mill might have caught a huge break in his probation case and subsequent prison sentence fight -- 'cause the FBI is probing the judge who threw him back in jail ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Judge Genece Brinkley is being investigated by the FBI for possible relationships she might have in Philly -- including to a local music mogul, Charlie Mack, whom she asked Meek to sign with -- as well as a possible extortionate demand. The New York Post broke the story.

Undercover agents have reportedly been in the courtroom following Meek's case since April 2016, during which Mack allegedly once told Meek he knew the judge and could help him with his case. Mack has denied that claim.

As we reported ... Meek's lawyer says Judge Brinkley also once asked Meek to do a remix to a Boyz II Men song and to give her a shout-out on it, and that her harsh sentence was a result of him shooting her down.

Meek Mill's supporters filled the streets of Philadelphia to demand his release from prison ... as Rick Ross and Dr. J provided some inspiration.

The #FreeMeek campaign got several hundred people marching Monday evening, with his label honcho, Rick, right in the middle of action.

NBA Hall of Famer, Dr. J made a speech to the crowd, but was nearly drowned out by "Free Meek" chants. In addition to the rally, an online petition pushing for Meek's release now has over 350,000 signatures.

Colin Kaepernick is going to bat for Meek Mill -- saying the rapper is a victim of the same "radicalized injustice" that has been screwing black men for years.

FYI, Meek was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison after a judge ruled he violated probation stemming from a 2008 drugs and weapons case by getting busted for a St. Louis airport fight ... and his reckless driving arrest in NYC.

Even though both cases were dropped, the judge said the arrests alone were violations. People are furious about this ... including Kaepernick.

"Sadly there are Black folks going through the same radicalized injustice(s) within the justice system that Meek Mill has experienced for over a decade EVERY SINGLE DAY," Kaep tweeted.

"This requires more than just gradual reform in laws -- It requires a swift overhaul."

Louis C.K.'s longtime, and now ex-manager, Dave Becky, is copping to his part in -- as he puts it -- a "perceived cover-up" of the comedian's sexual misconduct.

Becky issued an apology, admitting he blew off the accuser's stories when he first heard of them -- and assumed the real issue at hand was C.K.'s infidelity ... and not sexual harassment.

He states, "I profoundly regret and am deeply sorry for not listening to and not understanding what happened to Dana and Julia. If I had, I would have taken this event as seriously as it deserved to be, and I would have confronted Louis, which would have been the right thing to do."

He goes on to say, "Albeit enormously embarrassing, in no way did I interpret the interaction as threatening or non-consensual. I misperceived the casual way the story was portrayed to me."

Becky says, in light of everything now, he understands that his response "was perceived as a threat to cover-up sexual misconduct."

Becky insists his misinterpretation came from a place of naivete and privilege, and he has vowed to do better.

"I am going to take time to reflect on this, to educate myself daily, and to strive towards a more enlightened path. I want to ensure that all voices around me are heard, and that everyone is treated respectfully and empathetically. More than anything, I want to create an environment that is a better, safer and fairer place."

5:30 PM PT -- Roy Moore has denied Beverly's allegation, going so far as to say he doesn't even know her or know anything about her.

A new accuser of Republican Roy Moore says the U.S. Senate candidate once tried to force her to perform oral sex on him when she was just 16 years old.

Beverly Young Nelson appeared at a press conference Monday in NYC alongside attorney Gloria Allred to make the accusation, tearing up and crying throughout.

Nelson says she was a waitress in Alabama between 1976 and '77, and that Moore -- then the D.A. of their county -- was a regular, and that he would flirt with her. In December of '77, Nelson says Moore signed her yearbook, and then offered a ride home after her shift.

Instead of driving her home, though, she says Moore pulled around behind the restaurant and began groping her breasts, before he allegedly grabbed her neck and tried to force her head toward his crotch.

Nelson says she resisted, and Moore ultimately gave up. She says he kicked her out his car and told her not to tell anyone since no one would believe her.

It's all water under the bridge for Allen Iverson and the BIG3 basketball league -- we're told the NBA legend will RETURN after a rocky 2017 season.

Iverson -- who was a player coach last season -- was in the BIG3 dog house after no-showing for a game without a reason. He was suspended 1 game.

It seemed his future with the league may have been in doubt at the end of the season -- but now we're told he WILL get another go ... this time as a coach only.

One of Iverson's issues ... he gambles A LOT. He was spotted out in a casino in almost every city he traveled to during the BIG3 season and there are concerns the gambling could have interfered with his commitment to the league.

Want the ultimate proof that heated rivals can become total bros??

Michael Jordan not only attended Patrick Ewing's head coaching debut for Georgetown on Sunday ... he got invited into his locker room for a post-game photo op!!

Pretty dope shot -- M.J. huddled up with the G-Town ballers up front ... while all 7 feet of Coach Ewing kept as low of a profile as humanly possible so his guys could fanboy out.

Classy move from Pat -- who went toe-to-toe with His Airness for years way back when the Bulls and Knicks were the beasts of the East ... and before that in college:

The UCLA shoplifting situation has been escalated to the White House -- with President Donald Trump calling Chinese President Xi Jinping to ask for help.

Trump spoke with President Jinping about the issue while in Beijing last week -- one day after LiAngelo Ball and 2 teammates were arrested for allegedly stealing sunglasses from Louis Vuitton.

According to the Washington Post, President Xi promised to look into the issue -- and said the players would be treated fairly.

Sources told the Post charges against the players have already been reduced and a resolution is expected shortly.

As TMZ Sports previously reported, Alibaba founder Jack Ma -- one of the richest and most powerful men in China -- has also personally gotten involved to help get the players home quickly.

If convicted, Ball and the other players could reportedly face up to 10 years in prison.

Tom Brady says Colin Kaepernick is a "damn good quarterback" who's proven he can play at a high level -- but the Pats superstar says he "has no idea" if Kaep's actually being blackballed.

Brady appeared on WEEI's "Kirk and Callahan" Monday morning where he was asked straight-up if NFGL owners are colluding to keep Kaepernick out of the NFL.

Brady took a long pause and then delivered his answer ...

"You know, I don't ... I have no idea if he's being blackballed."

"I think he was a ... I competed against him. I thought he was a damn good quarterback. And he's played at a high level, brought his team to Super Bowls."

"You know ... that's how I feel about him."

Conor McGregor is explaining why he "lost it" at an MMA fight in Dublin on Friday -- saying the ref had no business trying to throw him out of the cage.

He also offered up a "f**k yous" to all of his critics.

You remember the incident -- Conor illegally scaled the cage at Bellator 187 after his training partner, Charlie Ward, won by knockout ... and EXPLODED on veteran UFC ref Marc Goddard for breaking up the party. He slapped a regulatory official square in the dome too.

After the fight, everyone was asking the same question -- why did Conor go batsh*t insane?

McGregor tweeted (and then deleted) early Monday morning, saying:

"Bloke KO'd on floor bout a minute straight and ref trying to say fight's not over, Conor. That's when I lost it. F**k yous all."

So, what happens next? Will McGregor be disciplined for getting physical with multiple officials?

We've reached out to the UFC to see if they'll take action. Stay tuned ...

Hope Solo's adding her name to the mounting list of women alleging sexual assault at the hands of powerful men ... and she points the finger at former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter.

The USWNT star revealed the alleged incident in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper, Expresso, in which she alleges Blatter "grabbed my ass" right before presenting an award to Abby Wambach at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in January 2013.

Blatter -- forced to step down and banned by FIFA amid a corruption scandal -- flatly denied the claim, and through his spokesman told Expresso, "This allegation is ridiculous."

Louis C.K. has just addressed claims by 5 women that he either asked to expose himself, masturbated in front of them, or did so over the phone. He acknowledges the women were all telling the truth, and goes on to explain his conduct and the error of his ways.

"I want to address the stories told to the New York Times by five women named Abby, Rebecca, Dana, Julia who felt able to name themselves and one who did not.

These stories are true. At the time, I said to myself that what I did was okay because I never showed a woman my dick without asking first, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn’t a question. It’s a predicament for them. The power I had over these women is that they admired me. And I wielded that power irresponsibly.

I have been remorseful of my actions. And I've tried to learn from them. And run from them. Now I’m aware of the extent of the impact of my actions. I learned yesterday the extent to which I left these women who admired me feeling badly about themselves and cautious around other men who would never have put them in that position.

I also took advantage of the fact that I was widely admired in my and their community, which disabled them from sharing their story and brought hardship to them when they tried because people who look up to me didn't want to hear it. I didn't think that I was doing any of that because my position allowed me not to think about it.

There is nothing about this that I forgive myself for. And I have to reconcile it with who I am. Which is nothing compared to the task I left them with.

I wish I had reacted to their admiration of me by being a good example to them as a man and given them some guidance as a comedian, including because I admired their work.

The hardest regret to live with is what you've done to hurt someone else. And I can hardly wrap my head around the scope of hurt I brought on them. I’d be remiss to exclude the hurt that I’ve brought on people who I work with and have worked with who’s professional and personal lives have been impacted by all of this, including projects currently in production: the cast and crew of Better Things, Baskets, The Cops, One Mississippi, and I Love You Daddy. I deeply regret that this has brought negative attention to my manager Dave Becky who only tried to mediate a situation that I caused. I’ve brought anguish and hardship to the people at FX who have given me so much The Orchard who took a chance on my movie. and every other entity that has bet on me through the years.
I’ve brought pain to my family, my friends, my children and their mother.

I have spent my long and lucky career talking and saying anything I want. I will now step back and take a long time to listen.

New video has surfaced reportedly showing Roy Halladay performing concerning aerial maneuvers over water -- including extreme changes in altitude -- just 2 weeks before his fatal crash.

The video show's Roy's ICON A5 plane flying over the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 20 -- it almost looks like he's practicing a water landing ... though he never lands on the water.

The person who shot the video told the NY Daily News he started recording because the plane was going so close to the water at a high rate of speed, he thought it was going to crash.

You can hear the man express concern as he watches Roy's plane.

Just 2 weeks later, the plane crashed near the very same area -- killing the ex-MLB star.

Multiple witnesses tell TMZ Sports Roy had been making similar changes in altitude -- just like in the video from Oct. One person described it as "aggressive flying."

Roy's family issued a statement saying he was not a reckless flyer -- and they're heartbroken over his death.