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1:38 PM PT -- Russell tells TMZ, "I vehemently deny all the allegations made against me. They have shocked me to my core as I have never been abusive or violent in any way in my relations with women. I have submitted myself to multiple lie detector tests."

Simmons continues, "I denied forced sex and sexual harassment allegations brought against me in each test; I also answered no to the question, 'Have you ever physically forced any woman to have sexual intercourse?' I passed all of the lie detector tests."

A woman who claims she attended a concert with Russell Simmons claims the media mogul raped her, and she's suing.

The woman has filed as a Jane Doe and, in her suit, says she was chaperoning her son -- who was in elementary school -- at a hip-hop concert ... when Simmons approached and invited them backstage to meet the headliner. She says they accepted the offer, and afterward ... Simmons invited her to a party at the Clarion Hotel in the Los Angeles area.

She says she dropped off her kid, then hung with Simmons at a hotel bar and a nightclub. According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, he eventually told her he needed to go to his hotel room to "get something." She says when they got there, he closed the door and said, "I'm going to f**k you."

When she said no, she claims Simmons fired back, "I am going to f**k you or I'm going to f**k your son. You decide." In the suit, she says, Simmons then threw her on the bed and raped her.

She's says at least one person in the hotel saw her leave Simmons' room in tears. She's suing for at least $10 million. Daily Mail first reported the lawsuit.

As we've reported, more than a dozen women have accused Simmons of varying forms of sexual misconduct. Jennifer Jarosik filed a $5 million suit against him in January ... also for rape.

Michael Bennett allegedly yelled "y'all must know who I am. I could own this mother f***er," before pushing an elderly paraplegic woman and injuring her shoulder ... this according to cops in Texas.

Houston PD just held a news conference to break down the Bennett incident at Super Bowl LI ... where he allegedly broke through locked doors at the southwest corner of the NRG Stadium tunnels.

Bennett was indicted by a Grand Jury today ... and charged with injuring an elderly person ... a felony. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

HPD says one of their officers witnessed Bennett push 3 stadium employees... injuring the 66-year-old who was in a heavy, motorized wheelchair. Cops say the wheelchair did not flip over, however, the woman was pushed back.

There is no video of the incident, according to cops.

Ex-PBS host Tavis Smiley just got hit with a countersuit from his former employer, and it lays out the allegations of sexual misconduct ... which include sex with employees and sending porn to coworkers.

PBS filed its suit Friday in Washington, DC claiming Smiley engaged in a pattern of sexual misconduct over years. The network hired an investigator after Smiley was initially suspended when employees made claims. In the suit, PBS says it discovered Smiley had multiple sexual encounters with subordinates, made unwanted sexual advances and commented on subordinates' body parts.

According to a witness, PBS says Smiley told one female subordinate, he "would like to see her on her back more often." He also allegedly admitted he "may" have sent pornographic photos to coworkers.

Smiley's show was eventually cancelled, and, as we've reported ... he filed suit against PBS for "trumped up" sexual harassment allegations against him that he claims were racially motivated.

Philadelphia Eagles star Michael Bennett was charged a felony after allegedly injuring an elderly paraplegic woman at the Super Bowl last year.

Bennett, 32, was indicted by a Harris County, TX Grand Jury after being accused of pushing a 66-year-old female NRG Stadium employee who was controlling access to the field at Super Bowl 51.

Michael's brother, Martellus, was a member of the Patriots ... who won the game.

According to the Harris County Texas District Attorney, Bennett "shoved his way on to the field where players were gathering to celebrate."

The charge ... "injury to the elderly, includes intentionally and knowingly, causing bodily injury to a person 65 years or older."

If convicted, Bennett faces up to 10 years in prison, and a $10k fine.

Harris County has issued a warrant for M.B.'s arrest.

1:10 PM PT -- The Eagles just released the following statement ... “We are aware of the situation involving Michael Bennett and are in the process of gathering more information. Because this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”

The New England Patriots went above and beyond for the Parkland, FL students ... sending the team jet to fly them to D.C. for this weekend's March for Our Lives.

Owner Robert Kraft reportedly made the gesture at the request of AZ Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Marjory Stoneman Douglas students got a taste of the Tom Brady life ... along with their parents and some of their teachers. Theater teacher Melody Herzfeld, in the middle of this pic, huddled in a closet with her students on Feb. 14 when the shooting began.

Everyone seemed grateful for the Patriots' charitable move ... posting pics from the tarmac and onboard the jet.

9:34 AM PT -- San Francisco PD tells TMZ Sports ... Earlier this week SFPD’s Special Victims Unit investigators obtained information that Mr. Smith violated a domestic violence restraining order stemming from an incident that occurred on March 3, 2018.

A warrant was issued for Mr. Smith’s arrest. The Department worked with Mr. Smith’s legal counsel to arrange a date for Mr. Smith surrender himself.

This morning Mr. Smith, surrendered himself to SVU investigators and will be processed for the warrant and three counts of misdemeanor violation of a protective/stay away order.

Aldon Smith was arrested, again ... after allegedly violating an order that barred him from contacting the alleged victim in his domestic violence case.

Smith turned himself in this morning after San Francisco PD issued a warrant for his arrest.

We broke the story ... the former NFL star had been arrested and charged with 4 misdemeanors -- including domestic violence -- after allegedly beating up his fiancee on March 3.

At the time of the incident ... a protective order was issued that banned Smith from having any sort of contact with his accuser.

AS allegedly violated that order ... promoting officials to issue the warrant.

Smith turned himself in Friday morning.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants all of L.A. to know it's a privilege to have him grace the Galaxy with his presence ... taking a full page newspaper ad to tell fans "you're welcome."

News became official on Thursday that the Manchester United superstar was hoppin' the pond to play in the MLS ... and Ibra made a strong first impression in the L.A. Times ad.

FYI -- Ibrahimovic hasn't always been a fan of American soccer ... he told TMZ Sports back in 2014 that Team USA was "a big joke."

But, that's in the past and Z.I. is now an Angeleno ... and the fans probably won't be too upset about his previous comments. After all, the dude is one of the best players to ever make the jump to American soil.

And in case you're wondering, Ibra's deal is worth $3 million for 2 years.

Welcome to L.A.!!!

A huge building fire on the set of Bruce Willis and Ed Norton's movie cost a firefighter his life Thursday night.

The shoot was going down in Harlem when the 5-alarm fire broke out just before 11 PM. Norton is directing and co-starring with Willis in "Motherless Brooklyn" ... and the production crew actually called in the blaze, which started in the basement of the building where they were shooting.

FDNY was out in full force -- 44 fire trucks and 200 firefighters battled the inferno before knocking it down early Friday morning. One firefighter, Michael Davidson, was killed and 5 other people suffered injuries.

The film's producers said, "As soon as we noticed smoke coming up into our set, our crew immediately alerted the fire department and began alerting residents of the building even as we evacuated our cast and crew."

They also sent condolences to the firefighter's family and thanked FDNY, saying, "We watched firsthand with astonishment as they charged into the smoke to make sure all were safely out and then fought to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading."

Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal got emotional talking about her relationship with Donald Trump, and although she admits she knew it was wrong ... she says the 2 were in love.

The 1998 Playboy Playmate of the Year sat down with CNN's Anderson Cooper ... and got misty-eyed talking about her alleged affair with Trump in 2006. McDougal says she's sorry for what she did and felt guilty about it, but she put the guilt aside because she was having fun ... and truly believed they had a meaningful thing going.

Karen claims she and Trump were much more than just sex partners -- they even said "I love you" to each other frequently -- and he had lovey nicknames for her too.

Earlier in the interview, McDougal reiterated one of her previous claims -- Trump tried to pay her money for sex. She says she declined and it made her sad because she couldn't believe he thought of her that way ... and she cried the whole ride home.

Jose Flores, a Pennsylvanian jockey who earned $64 MIL in his storied career, is dead at 57 after a headfirst fall during a race Monday in Philly.

Flores suffered major head and spine injuries as a result of the accident ... and was pulled off life support on Thursday.

The tragic incident happened Monday at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania ... when Jose's horse, Love Rules, went down -- launching him from his saddle.

Flores had compiled 4,650 wins across 3 decades in the sport ... and was reportedly going for the magic number of 5,000.

Jose is the 157th North American rider to die from a horse-racing accident since 1940.

Charles Lazarus, the man who founded Toys 'R' Us in 1948, has died, just days after the company went belly up.

After Lazarus returned from WWII, he realized quickly the baby boom generation was ripe for a cool, interactive toy superstore. Barbie Dolls, Hula Hoops and Slinkys were all the rage, and he had the idea to create a fun experience for kids and parents.

He experimented with a nondescript children's store, Children's Bargain Town, but then in '57 opened the first Toys 'R' Us in Maryland. Fast-forward ... at its height there were 1,600 stores around the world.

Toys 'R' Us just released a statement ... "There have been many sad moments for Toys'R'Us in recent weeks, and none more heartbreaking than today's news about the passing of our beloved founder, Charles Lazarus. Our thoughts and prayers are with Charles' family and loved ones."

Charles was 94.

RIP

Donald Trump definitely has big regrets about being President, based on the advice he says he'd give his much younger self.

Trump was either joking -- or echoing the thoughts of at least half of the country -- during an interview Thursday at D.C.'s Generation Next Summit ... where he said he'd warn 25-year-old Donald not to run for office. The comment definitely landed with the audience.

Johnny Manziel just put on a show in SoCal -- rippin' passes in front of NFL scouts to prove he's ready for another crack at the big show.

It all went down at the University of San Diego's pro day ... where Manziel put on his 1st public showcase since getting cut by the Browns in 2016.

Johnny Football fired off a few dozen passes in front of a larger-than-normal crowd (wonder why?) ... including some end-zone bombs that he uncorked from about 40 yards out!

He also took the time to do a quick Q&A with Fernando Ramirez of NBC San Diego afterwards ... addressing how he's "changed drastically" and is focused on becoming the best version of himself.

Great stuff -- but let it be known that TMZ Sports got his first comeback pass on camera!!

LeBron James switched gears from Basketball God to animated movie star in just a matter of hours Thursday morning ... showing off a voice over session for an upcoming flick!!

James -- fresh off an insane 35 points, 17 assists, and 7 rebounds in a win against the Raptors Wednesday night -- took his talents to the studio to put in work for his role as Gwangi in "Smallfoot" early Thursday.

The movie is about a yeti who finds out humans exist (think Big Foot, but the other way around) ... and features other huge stars like Channing Tatum, Zendaya and Common.

So, LeBron can do his Hollywood thing AND play in Cleveland ...

Just sayin'.

Canelo Alvarez is pissed GGG publicly blasted him as a longtime steroids user -- and the Mexican boxing star is firing back with some good ol' fashioned American trash talk.

"I'm gonna kick your f**king ass ... little bitch," Canelo wrote on social media.

Alvarez ain't just talking ... he's also showing Gennady Golovkin how he plans to do it with some lightning-fast shadow boxing!!

FYI, GGG destroyed Canelo in an interview on Wednesday ... calling his tainted beef excuse a bunch of BS -- "It’s not Mexican meat. Canelo is cheating. They’re using these drugs, and everybody is just trying to pretend it’s not happening."

Donald Trump apparently can't figure out when someone is clearly joking, because he took Joe Biden's sardonic, high school-like pugilistic challenge as serious, and the President of the United States just responded by saying he could kick the former Veep's ass.

Biden joked Tuesday at the University of Miami, "If we were in high school, I'd take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him," adding, "Any guy that talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room."

Trump just went nuts on his social media platform of choice, firing back, "Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault."

But that wasn't the end ... get this: "He doesn't know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don't threaten people Joe!"