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1:20 PM PT -- Fox News says, "We do not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that [DeSantis] has since clarified his statement."

DeSantis says characterizing his remark as anything other than voters making "the wrong decision" is absurd.

Florida's gubernatorial race got seriously racial when Republican candidate Ron DeSantis dropped a "monkey" comment while talking about his Democratic opponent ... who is black.

DeSantis is fresh off winning the Republican primary, and while on Fox News Wednesday morning ... he was asked about going head-to-head with Democratic candidate Andrew Gillum.

DeSantis said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda."

There was no pause or attempt to re-phrase -- so, either he didn't realize what he'd said, or it's blatant racial dog-whistling.

Team USA soccer legend Clint Dempsey is hanging up his cleats -- announcing he's retiring from professional soccer.

"'After a lot of thought, my family and I have decided that this is the right time for me to step away from the game,” 35-year-old Dempsey said.

"I’d like to thank all of the teammates, coaches and support staff that I’ve worked with throughout my career. It has always been my dream to make it as a pro. I’m grateful to have been on this ride."

Dempsey first appeared on the Team USA World Cup squad back in 2006 -- and became a leader due to his aggressive and passionate style of play. He scored goals in 3 consecutive World Cup tourneys (2006, 2010 and 2014).

Dempsey is tied for 1st as the U.S. Men's National Team all-time leading scorer with 57 international goals. He's tied with Landon Donovan.

Among active international soccer players, Dempsey only trails Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and David Villa in most goals scored.

He was drafted by the New England Revolution in the 2004 MLS Draft. He was later loaned to Fulham of the Premier League and scored 50 goals during his time with the team.

Dempsey then went to Tottenham Hotspur from 2012 to 2013 -- notching 7 goals in 29 appearances.

From there, it was back to the MLS where he finished up his career with the Seattle Sounders.

"I would like to thank all of the fans who have supported me throughout my career with the New England Revolution, Fulham, Tottenham, Seattle Sounders and the U.S. Men’s National Team," Dempsey said.

"Y’all have always made me feel at home, and it is something that I will always remember.”

Kanye West has more to say about slavery being a choice, because he says he couldn't get his full explanation out when he was on TMZ Live.

Ye was on the 107.5 WGCI Morning Show with Leon Rogers, Kendra G, and Kyle in Chicago Wednesday, and elaborated on what he told us back in May ... that 400 years of slavery sounds "like a choice." The part he didn't say to us involves his spirit and the spirits of Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner.

Now, Kanye admits up front, this is his "non-historical opinion," but watch his perspective. Still seems like he's saying more African slaves should have rebelled ... which, let's be honest, is what upset people the first time he said it.

He did apologize for how the slavery remark "made people feel."

Just as a refresher ... here's exactly how it came out when Kanye was on TMZ Live. It's early, around 3:45 into the episode.

On his way out of the radio station, he spoke to Chicago's FOX32 about why he's back in Chicago, and also about liking President Trump ... still.

LeBron James says white people were an acquired taste for him ... because he didn't always feel like he wanted to be around them.

James' conversation show, "The Shop," premiered on HBO Tuesday night and, while flanked with stars like Jon Stewart, Odell Beckham Jr. and Vince Staples, LBJ talked about life at his mostly white, exclusive, private school in Akron, Ohio.

LeBron candidly admits that when he first got to Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary, he had no intention of communicating or befriending his caucasian classmates.

"Took me a while to adjust to it ... I was like, I'm not f*cking with white people, that was my initial thought to white America."

James explains where these ideas came from ... telling the guys his upbringing conditioned him to be distrustful of white people, which represented oppression to him since he grew up disadvantaged.

Didn't take long for it to change ... Maverick Carter, James' business partner and bestie since high school, chimed in explaining that by the end of the year everyone was friends, hanging out and going to the same parties.

Cleveland Browns star linebacker Mychal Kendricks has admitted he participated in an insider trading scheme -- and now he's been hit with federal criminal charges.

Kendricks -- who was on the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl team last season -- allegedly made around $1.2 MILLION by making trades based on non-public information he got from a friend, which is illegal.

In exchange for the tips, Kendricks allegedly hooked up his friend with perks including cash, NFL tickets and a visit to a Teyana Taylor music video shoot.

Officials say Kendricks would speak with his friend using code words -- almost an acknowledgment that what he was doing was wrong.

Kendricks is facing serious prison time if convicted.

Seems the 27-year-old's strategy is to comply with officials and cut a plea deal because he's already publicly admitted to the crime.

"I would like to apologize," Kendricks said in a statement Wednesday morning ... "Four years ago, I participated in insider trading, and I deeply regret it."

"I invested money with a former friend of mine who I thought I could trust and who I greatly admired. His background as a Harvard graduate and an employee of Goldman Sachs gave me a false sense of confidence."

"While I didn’t fully understand all of the details of the illegal trades, I knew it was wrong, and I wholeheartedly regret my actions."

Kendricks says he's been cooperating with authorities and will "accept full responsibility for my actions."

"Although I did not take any of the profits for myself, I am committed to repaying all of the funds gained illegally and accept the consequences of my actions."

The Browns have just announced Kendricks will not make the trip to Detroit for the final preseason game on Thursday.

A 22-year-old woman claims she was raped in an apartment where 2 Cleveland Browns players live -- telling police a friend of tight end David Njoku had sex with her after she fell asleep at their pad.

Njoku is NOT accused of any wrongdoing but has been interviewed by police over the incident.

According to the police report, the woman claims she went to the upscale downtown Cleveland apartment complex where Njoku lives with WR Rashard Higgins early Saturday morning after a night of drinking with her friends.

The woman claims she fell asleep in Higgins' bed, but when she woke up a 3rd man -- Kashwayne Nelson -- was having sex with her. She immediately tried to call 911 but Nelson allegedly pulled the phone away and grabbed her by the hair.

The woman says she managed to leave the apartment and later got in touch with police.

When cops arrived, they spoke with Higgins -- who said he had hooked up with the accuser earlier that night but had left the apartment because he couldn't sleep.

While Higgins was out of the apt., Nelson allegedly snuck in and raped the woman.

Cops also spoke with Njoku -- who acknowledged Nelson is his friend who also lives in the apartment -- but Njoku says he was in his bedroom the entire evening and didn't know anything about the incident.

Ultimately, cops arrested Nelson on suspicion of rape. Cops also say he gave them a fake ID when asked for identification -- so he was also booked for obstruction of justice.

The Browns issued a statement to Ohio.com saying, "Rashard immediately notified us of the situation and he and David fully cooperated with the police while being interviewed."

Manu Ginobili might be retired ... but San Antonio Spurs star Pau Gasol's clearly still in his prime ... taking his insanely attractive GF out for a romantic trip to Ibiza ... and the pics are straight fire.

38-year-old Pau is dating Cat McDonnell -- a former USC cheerleader who has a background working for a big-time finance company. They've been IG official since 2016.

The couple looked to be having a great time on Pau's home soil ... going on boat rides, cozy dinners and other mushy stuff.

And also, she looks absolutely INSANE in a bikini.

Not like Pau can't afford to take amazing trips like this for the rest of his life -- he's currently in the middle of a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the Spurs.

And get this ... career earning for Pau? $199 MILLION!!!!!

That's just about $34 million less than LeBron James has made through NBA contracts (though James has made a TON more in off-the-court deals).

For comparison, Kobe Bryant reportedly made $323 MIL in NBA contract money. Manu Ginobili made $114 mil over 15 seasons.

Conor McGregor told Floyd Mayweather he can take that olive branch he offered and shove it ... saying, "There is no peace here, kid."

Remember ... Floyd gushed over McGregor to TMZ Sports on Monday, calling the Irish fighter a "warrior" and even inviting him to train for the Khabib fight at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Vegas.

But Conor clearly wants no part of that ... declining Floyd's offer on Tuesday with a fat middle finger.

"F*ck the Mayweathers, except Senior and Roger," Conor said.

"There is no peace here, kid. Step up or step down."

Floyd responded to Conor's tweet later Tuesday night by posting a pic from the fight ... saying "Easiest 9 figures I ever made!"

Obviously ... there's still bad blood on Conor's end from when the two fought in the boxing ring last August. McGregor lost ... and then had to deal with Floyd's trash talk over their Forbes List rankings (Floyd #1, Conor #4) a few months later.

51-year-old Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais made a bet with his star pitcher Edwin Diaz -- get 50 saves and I'll swap out my dad hair for your flashy designer fade.

Diaz got the job done on Saturday -- so, Scott got the chop ... and it's all on video.

Diaz and Servais made the bet way earlier this year -- and as Diaz caught fire, it became clear Servais was gonna have to walk the walk or be forever mocked as a chicken.

Well, guess what ... just 3 days after Diaz notched save #50 against the Diamondbacks -- Servais found himself a barber, got in the chair and held up his end of the bargain.

End result? IT LOOKS GOOOOOD!!!!!!

Donald Trump learned what a red card was for on Tuesday ... and POTUS waited about 2 seconds to use it on the White House reporters!

The playful ejections all went down in the Oval Office, where D.T. played host to FIFA president Gianni Infantino for a celebration of North America landing the 2026 World Cup.

Gianni gifted #45 with his own personalized futbol jersey ... and then brought out the referee cards -- and the exchange that ensued between the two was as hilarious as it was predictable.

"In soccer, we have referees. And they have cards," Infantino explained.

"Yellow cards and red cards. Yellow card is a warning, and when you want to kick out someone, this one right here."

Trump couldn't grab the red card fast enough ... nearly chucking it at the media assembled in the Oval Office!!

2:19 PM PT -- The report also contains text messages from Shelley to Urban Meyer on the night he fired Zach Smith (7/23) ... in which Shelley says she's worried about Zach's "response."

"He drinks a lot and I am just not sure how stable he will be. Afraid he will do something dangerous. It's obvious he has anger/rage issues already."

It begs the question ... if Shelley and Urban truly believed Zach was such a dangerous person, why was he allowed to stay on the OSU coaching staff for so long??

Urban Meyer's wife, Shelley, texted Courtney Smith -- expressing serious concerns about her husband, Zach Smith ... saying point blank, "He scares me."

The text exchange between Shelley and Courtney are included in the Ohio State investigation report into the football coach's mishandling of Zach, who was a WR coach for the Buckeyes.

The exact date of the text message exchange that was handed over to investigators is unclear -- but it was AFTER she filed for divorce from Zach and BEFORE it was finalized.

Zach was clearly still a member of the OSU coaching staff at the time.

Shelley initiated the conversation saying, "Hi courtney- I think about you very often- how are you and the kids? I am so sick that you have to suffer with this crap- so young. I am so so sorry."

Remember, Courtney has said she told Shelley Meyer about the alleged physical abuse she had suffered at the hands of Zach over the years ... and was upset neither Urban nor OSU took any action against him.

Courtney texted back to Shelley that she was "hanging in there" and added, "It's not your fault. I should have left a long time ago. Leaving was the best thing for me and the kids ya know? Just want the divorce final so I'm not walking on egg shells anymore."

Shelley replied, "I am with you! A lot of women stay hoping it will get better. I don't blame you! But just want U to be safe. Do you have restraining order? He scares me."

The text message exchange was first reported by Brett McMurphy, who broke open the entire Zach Smith scandal.

Also in Tuesday's document dump … an anonymous rehab facility worker claims Smith was ordered to participate in a 10-day treatment for multiple substance abuse addictions in 2015 – as well as receive a sex addiction evaluation – but he left after just 4 days.

Serena Williams has an unlikely ally in her catsuit controversy -- the former president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

French Open officials recently told Williams she could not wear a custom-made Nike catsuit during the tournament -- despite the fact it was designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of her health issues surrounding blood clots.

Well, the issue isn't sitting well with the Ahmadinejad -- who took a page from Donald Trump's playbook and lashed out at the French Open on his official Twitter account.

"Why is the #FrenchOpen disrespecting @serenawilliams? Unfortunately some people in all Countries including my Country, haven't realized the true meaning of freedom."

Johnny Manziel says he was initially EXCITED about being drafted by the Browns -- but when he finally got to Cleveland ... all he wanted to do was leave.

"Once I landed and went to Berea, Ohio for the first time, I was like, 'Can I go back to college?'"

"I don't know anybody, I don't know where I'm at. It's cold. I don't like it," Manziel told Kevin Hart while taking an ice bath on his show, "Cold as Balls."

Manziel opens up like a book to Hart -- talking about everything from his drug use in college to wanting kids with his new wife, Bre Tiesi.

On the drug topic, Manziel said while playing at Texas A&M he felt like "I was the guy who had to party to be able to play good."

Manziel said he later realized he didn't like who he had become and wanted to change his life for the better.

"I'm at a point now where I can look back, I can reflect and realize that I was one way -- that was wrong. What can I do moving forward? Because I can't change how I was."

"That's all I can do and just try to stack enough good days together and stack enough things together to get back to where I wanna be."

Johnny says he's determined to work his way back to the NFL.

He also farted during the interview.

Larry Nassar has a new home ... a high-security federal penitentiary in Florida that's home to notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.

Nassar was originally serving his 60-year federal sentence for child porn in Arizona ... but his attorney claims he was attacked in May only a few hours after being released into general population.

Officials transferred Nassar to a temporary facility in Oklahoma ... before sending him to Sumter County, Florida -- about 50 miles from Orlando.

USP Coleman II is a high-security federal prison that currently holds about 1,400 inmates ... and has been home to famous convicts like Bulger.

The facility has been described by some as a special needs prison ... known to be a place where especially vulnerable inmates have a higher degree of safety and protection.

Fresh off kickin' Deji's ass... Jake Paul is already getting challenged to step back into the ring ... by All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant.

Dez apparently tried to congratulate Jake's brother, Logan, via Twitter DMs on his fight with KSI ... except he got the 2 Paul's confused and accidentally messaged Jake.

After Dez explained the mistake, Jake clapped back by congratulating the current free agent on his massive contract extension ... pretending to mix Bryant with L.A. Rams superstar Todd Gurley, who just signed a 4-yr., $57.5 mil contract this past July.

Jake (who happens to be a Cleveland Browns fan) made the interaction public ... saying "Dez Bryant don’t want the smoke💨 & no team wants Dez Bryant!! GO BROWNS!!"

When Dez was asked about Jake, he said "I guess he called himself trying to clown..we can get in the boxing ring tho if he want smoke."

Of course, Jake just got done beating up on Deji this past Saturday ... and proceeded to call out Chris Brown as his next opponent.

Cancel your Jiggy Butzalea shirts -- they're not dating!

After Iggy Azalea was spotted with NBA star Jimmy Butler in Malibu over the weekend, some speculated the two were an item.

But, Iggy says that ain't it -- the two just happened to be "standing next to" each other in a restaurant parking lot.

"Can we please stop saying every man who is single you see me standing next to is someone I'm on a date with," Iggy said.

Iggy insist the two were simply having "normal in passing conversation" -- not finishing up a date, as the photo agency who shot the pics suggested.

So, bottom line. He's single. She's single.