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Destroying Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star with a pickax just got real for Austin Clay ... because he's now facing the possibility of several years in jail.

The L.A. County D.A. slapped him with one count of felony vandalism for obliterating -- on video, obtained by TMZ -- the President's star. If he's found guilty, Clay could get a max sentence of 3 years in county jail.

As we reported, Clay put pickax to concrete almost 2 weeks ago. He eventually turned himself in to cops. Trump's star has since become a battle ground for pro- and anti-Trump groups ... with several brawls breaking out there.

Although it's already been repaired, Clay told us he'd like to the see the city remove Trump's star permanently ... to avoid further violence.

Brian France -- CEO and chairman of NASCAR -- says he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence after his DUI and oxycodone arrest.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... France was busted in the Hamptons on Sunday evening. Cops say he was drunk and illegally in possession of prescription oxycodone pills.

France -- widely considered one of the most powerful people in pro sports -- has issued a statement apologizing.

"I apologize to our fans, our industry and my family for the impact of my actions [Sunday] night. Effective immediately, I will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from my position to focus on my personal affairs."

NASCAR says Brian's uncle, Jim France, has "assumed the role of interim chairman and chief executive officer."

Story developing ...

Odell Beckham's best NFL buddy, Jarvis Landry, says the two have ALREADY HAD TALKS about OBJ possibly joining the Browns ... telling reporters, Odell's "definitely" open to it.

Remember ... Odell is currently in a contract feud with the NY Giants -- wanting to be the "highest paid player, period" in the league.

New York's nowhere near that number ... reportedly offering less than $16 million a year.

Enter Landry ... who said Monday he's got the perfect solution -- a trade to Cleveland -- that apparently OBJ would be fine with.

"We've had talks," the current Browns star (who played with Odell at LSU) told Cleveland.com.

"At the end of the day I just want him happy. I want him to get what he deserves."

There's room on the roster ... the Browns just traded away Corey Coleman -- adding even more fuel to Jarvis' comments.

Buffalo Bills WR Zay Jones says he ain't just grateful to be back out on the football field after his bloody, naked arrest in March ... he's happy to be alive, telling reporters at Bills camp, "I could have lost my life."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the Buffalo WR was involved in a bizarre naked struggle with his brother in a downtown L.A. apartment building -- where he allegedly tried to jump from a 30th floor window.

Zay was asked about the incident on Sunday -- and, while he explained he didn't want to relive the "very traumatic" moment, he did say the whole ordeal almost killed him.

"I'm grateful. I could have lost my life," Jones said.

"I'm grateful to just be here. And to be on this field and to be with my teammates. To see my family. I don't think there's any other words to describe it but just thankful and grateful."

Jones was arrested for felony vandalism after the incident ... but he won't face criminal charges after his family agreed to cover the cost for repairs.

Charlotte Rae -- the actress who played the beloved Mrs. Garrett in "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life" -- has reportedly died.

According to EW, reps for the Emmy-nominated star confirmed she'd passed away Sunday in her L.A.-area home. While a cause of death wasn't made immediately clear, Rae announced last year she had been diagnosed with bone cancer that spring.

Rae starred as the Drummond family's kooky housekeeper, Edna Garrett, on 'DS' ... who proved to be so popular with viewers that she eventually got her own spinoff with 'Facts,' where she played the same character heading up at an all-girls boarding school.

Both shows were wildly successful between the late '70s and mid-'80s -- but they were just a small slice of her long career. Rae also had starring and supporting roles in "The Love Boat," "101 Dalmatians: The Series," "Sesame Street," "Car 54, Where Are You?" "The Phil Silvers Show," "ER," and "Girl Meets World," among others. She has 93 acting credits to her name.

Charlotte was 92. RIP

Demi Lovato has broken her silence on her near-fatal overdose almost two weeks ago, saying she hasn't beaten her addiction ... and wants to focus on sobriety and almost certainly rehab.

The "Sorry Not Sorry" singer posted an open letter on social media Sunday saying ... "I have always been transparent about my journey with addiction. What I've learned is that this illness is not something that disappears or fades with time. It is something I must continue to overcome and have not done yet."

She goes on to thank God for keeping her alive through the ordeal, her fans for their love and support, and the staff at Cedars-Sinai for working diligently to nurse her back to relative health.

She finishes by saying ... "I now need time to heal and focus on my sobriety and road to recovery. The love you have all shown me will never be forgotten and I look forward to the day where I can say I came out on the other side. I will keep fighting."

As we reported, Demi agreed to enter a rehab facility immediately after her release from the hospital. And her message is clear ... she's going to follow through.

Jack Osbourne went to his estranged wife's house without incident Saturday ... this after a run-in days earlier in which Jack punched her boyfriend in the head.

Jack looked stoic as he walked up the driveway. TMZ broke the story ... Jack went to the family home last Monday at around 1 AM and ended up going after actor/model/boyfriend Michael Gabel, who apparently showed up after things got heated between Jack and Lisa Osbourne.

Cops showed up, but Gabel decided he didn't want to press charges, so the case was dropped.

Jack and Stelly are going through a divorce and at the time they announced their marriage was over they said they were trying to take a page out of the Gwyneth Paltrow/Chris Martin playbook, especially since they have 3 kids.

Newly released text messages from Zach Smith's ex-wife appear to show the ex-Ohio State assistant coach apologizing for strangling her during a trip to the Dominican Republic in 2015.

Courtney Smith released the messages to college football reporter Brett McMurphy -- who says the conversation was referencing a trip to Punta Cana in March 2015.

"Think back to the cheating the lies and picking me up by my neck and strangling me in Punta Cana and at our place in April," Courtney texted to Zach ... "The abuse got worse bc u couldnt stand me catching u in ur lies."

Zach replied, "I know!" and "I'm so so sorry!"

Fired Ohio State assistant coach Zach Smith just broke his silence on his alleged domestic violence ... saying he NEVER beat his ex-wife.

Zach went on 105.7 The Zone to tell his side of the story ... and says while he was in a "volatile" and "toxic" relationship, he "never committed domestic abuse against her."

As for the photos Zach's ex-wife, Courtney Smith, released showing bruises on her body from the alleged abuse ... Zach said he may have caused them while "defensively restraining her" when situations "got out of hand" ... but insists he never struck her.

Smith also says PLENTY of people at Ohio State knew of the accusations back in 2015 ... saying it was OSU athletic director Gene Smith himself that actually informed him of the claims.

Smith went on to say he doesn't believe he deserved to be fired last month ... and thinks he was only terminated so the team wouldn't have to answer questions about him and the incident.

No one is more plugged in to the NBA scene than Matt Barnes -- so, naturally, he's got all the inside scoop on the Draymond Green vs. Tristan Thompson incident and he's finally talking about it.

Barnes appeared on "Lunchtime with Roggin and Rodney" on AM 570 LA Sports and told the guys he's already spoken with his ex-Warriors teammate, Draymond, about the altercation and says the media got it all wrong.

"He was never actually hit and he actually tried to make peace through people that wanted him to squash it," Barnes says.

It had been reported that Tristan sucker punched Draymond when they met up at an ESPYs after-party at Delilah nightclub ... but Barnes says that's simply not true.

TMZ Sports had spoken to multiple witnesses who told us the guys actually made peace afterward and are on much better terms now.

Dana White says it's 100% on ... Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is set for Oct. 6 at UFC 229 in Las Vegas!!!

It'll undoubtedly be the biggest fight of the year for the UFC -- Conor's first fight back in the Octagon since his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.

The last time Conor fought for the UFC was back in 2016 when he avenged his loss against Nate Diaz.

Urban Meyer admits he knew about the 2015 Zach Smith domestic violence incident -- but lied to the media when asked about it on BIG10 Media Day last month.

But the catch ... Meyer says he followed proper protocol behind the scenes and elevated the incident to "proper channels."

The Ohio State football coach spelled it out in a statement saying ...

"Here is the truth: While at the University of Florida, and now at The Ohio State University, I have always followed proper reporting protocols and procedures when I have learned of an incident involving a student-athlete, coach or member of our staff by elevating the issues to the proper channels. And, I did so regarding the Zach Smith incident in 2015."

"I take that responsibility very seriously and any suggestions to the contrary is simply false."

He added, "My words, whether in a reply to a reporter's question or in addressing a personnel issue, must be clear, compassionate and most of all, completely accurate. Unfortunately, at Big Ten Media Days on July 24th, I failed on may of these fronts."

"My intention was not to say anything inaccurate or misleading. However, I was not adequately prepared to discuss these sensitive personnel issues with the media, and I apologize for the way I handled those questions."

As we previously reported, Zach Smith was fired as the WR coach at Ohio State last month when domestic violence allegations went public.

Minnesota Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo seems to be on the same page as Donald Trump -- wearing a hat to training camp with the message, "Make Football Violent Again."

Not only is it a take off Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan -- but it's also one of Donald's key gripes against the league.

Remember, just last year POTUS said refs are "ruining the game" by penalizing players for making "beautiful tackles."

But, back to Sendejo -- one of the league's hardest hitters -- who happened to wear the hat on the heels of the Ravens-Bears preseason opener ... where several guys were hit with flags for seemingly innocuous tackles.

Remember ... Sendejo was suspended one game in 2017 for hitting Ravens wideout Mike Wallace in the head with his shoulder while trying to make a hard tackle ... and he wasn't happy about that then.

Now ... the league is promising to crack down even harder on hits to the head -- and Andrew is making his thoughts on that matter loud and clear.

Birthday boy Tom Brady got roughed up at Patriots practice on Friday ... but it wasn't a 300-lb. lineman pouncing on him -- it was his gorgeous wife, Gisele!!

TB12's 41st birthday turned into an all-out party in Foxborough ... complete with a massive #12 cake, cards, balloon Brady and cutout goat ... but the best present had to be Gisele and their kids' surprise appearance towards the end of drills.

Brady looks completely caught off-guard about the adorable attack ... which eventually turns into kissing and slight butt-tapping.

L.A. Chargers rookie safety Derwin James is finally talking about the night he was robbed at gunpoint in Hollywood -- saying, "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 22-year-old (a 1st round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft) was leaving an Italian restaurant on June 23 when he was approached by two men who demanded his jewelry.

The assailants snatched a chain from Derwin's neck and stole his Rolex -- and then slashed the tires on his Rolls-Royce before fleeing the scene.

On Thursday, James told the media ... "I wouldn't wish that upon anybody. It happened. It was just one of those things that you never expect to happen to you, but it happened and I'm just happy to be out here playing football."

Le'Veon Bell just dropped a brand new rap EP -- and it sounds an awful lot like he's referencing the LeSean McCoy violent robbery incident in one of the tracks.

Here are the lyrics to Bell's track, "The Table" ...

"We're not about to play around, if you play around get exposed ...

I got homies there to take you out if certain information gets disclosed ...

All these n***as acting shady, just please don't make me pull a Shady ...

We're not about to play around, if you play around get exposed ...

I got homies there to take you out if certain information gets disclosed ...

All these women want my baby, just please don't make me pull a Shady."

Of course, there could be a different meaning -- but, it sounds like he's referencing the allegations made by McCoy's ex-GF, Delicia Cordon, who claims LeSean sent a guy to violently steal his jewelry back after they broke up.

For his part, Shady hasn't been charged with a crime and has denied any involvement in the incident.