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Everson Griffen says he's "focused on resolving personal issues" after being hospitalized for a mental health evaluation this week ... but has vowed to return to the field.

As we previously reported ... the Minnesota Vikings star was involved in a series of bizarre incidents -- including at the team hotel on Saturday -- which ended in the All-Pro being transported to a hospital for a mental health exam.

At the time, team staffers feared he could hurt himself or others.

Griffen broke his silence Thursday on social media ... apologizing for the incident and promising to address his issues.

This past week's events have raised many questions and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted," Griffen says. "I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time."

"Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone."

"I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my family, the Vikings organization, my teammates and our tremendous fan base."

Griffen also apologized for missing the team's Thursday Night Football match-up with the Rams ... but Vikes head coach Mike Zimmer made it clear he wants to make sure Griffen is okay getting back on the field.

9/28 -- Roger posted a video vowing to win his wife back.

The next season of 'Jersey Shore' just got real interesting ... JWoww is divorcing her husband, Roger Mathews ... TMZ has confirmed.

JWoww -- aka Jenni Farley -- filed docs in Ocean County, NJ 2 weeks ago. The split comes just shy of the couple's third anniversary. She cites irreconcilable differences, and says their marriage has been on the rocks for at least 6 months.

Roger occasionally appeared on episodes of the original 'JS' run, but he has not been involved with the most recent tapings of the rebooted version of the show ... "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

It's unclear what's at the center of their marital strife -- but earlier this year Roger kinda poured his heart out on social media ... admitting he and Jenni went through several ups and downs. He said, "Some days it’s a struggle to stay together. Some days she calls me a f**king d**k head (cause I am). Some days the grass looks greener on the other side. We aren’t even close to perfect and I have no intention on pretending that we are."

JWoww and Roger have 2 kids -- a 4-year-old daughter, Melani, and a 2-year-old boy, Grayson.

3:48 PM PT -- The hearing has come to an end after more than 8 excruciating hours. The committee is slated to move forward with Friday's vote on Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court.

12:40 PM PT -- Kavanaugh delivered a passionate, tearful denial, saying the Democrats have tried to assassinate his character and destroy his family.

Brett Kavanaugh's fate may well be determined in the next 8 hours, after the showdown in the Senate Judiciary Committee between the Supreme Court nominee and his accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.

The hearing kicked off at 10 AM ET and Ford was first up. She had the floor to make her case before fielding a series of questions. The Republican senators turned over questioning on their part to Rachel Mitchell, an Arizona sex crimes prosecutor who has been viewed as a victim's advocate in such cases.

The process is about to now be repeated with Kavanaugh, but after he makes his opening statements he's fair game to the full panel of senators -- both Dems and Republicans. Mitchell will join in and ask questions of Kavanaugh as well.

Dr. Ford opened with an emotional, tearful recount of the alleged sexual attack by Kavanaugh.

There will be no other witnesses ... notably 2 other accusers -- Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick -- will not be permitted to testify.

The hearing will last for hours and the Committee has 3 options -- voting to recommend confirmation of Kavanaugh and then sending the matter to the full Senate for a vote, voting to reject Kavanaugh and sending it to the full Senate, or not voting at all and sending the matter to the full Senate.

Kavanaugh needs a majority vote on the floor of the Senate. The Republicans have a 51-49 edge. If the vote is a tie, Vice President Pence will become the tie-breaker.

2:55 PM PT -- Ohio State has deleted all traces of its "Silence" campaign -- which was supposed to promote this weekend's game against Penn State ... after a MASSIVE backlash.

The University campaign featured a football player making a hushing gesture -- with the caption, "Silence the white noise."

But, as high-profile people like Ryan Leaf pointed out ... the timing and message are HORRIBLE considering the major scandal the University was just involved in.

As we previously reported, OSU suspended Urban Meyer for 3 games for not properly handling alleged domestic violence incidents involving OSU assistant football coach Zach Smith.

Smith's ex-wife claimed Meyer knew about the abuse and covered it up ... so, the whole "Silence" campaign was probably not the best idea.

A school rep issued a statement to Cleveland.com after pulling the "Silence" campaign saying, "The message has been interpreted in ways we absolutely did not intend, and we have removed it from our channels."

"We understand why people were critical."

Oops.

Ryan Leaf is blasting Ohio State for its new football campaign centered around the word "Silence" -- saying it's stupid and "tone deaf" in the wake of the Urban Meyer scandal.

The Buckeyes released a promotional poster for their upcoming game with Penn State featuring WR Austin Mack making a hushing gesture -- along with the caption, "Silence the white noise."

Enter Leaf ... who has a big problem with the timing and message of the promotion.

"I know this is a marketing poster for a football game, but the lack of perspective and it being as tone deaf as it is, really says a lot about what the [Urban Meyer] saga continues to reveal about [Ohio State]," Leaf tweeted.

Leaf -- who played football at Washington State -- is referring to the OSU scandal where Courtney Smith claimed Meyer knew her husband (an OSU coach) had been abusing her ... but swept it under the rug.

Meyer denied any wrongdoing -- but he did admit to mishandling the situation. And, when asked if he had knowledge of the situation at BIG10 Media Day, Meyer lied to reporters.

Urban was suspended 3 games as a result of an investigation -- and he returns to the sidelines against Penn State.

So, yeah ... Leaf makes a pretty solid point.

And not to mention, Penn State had their own problems with SILENCE.

Elon Musk just got hit again with a lawsuit from Uncle Sam, who's pissed about the tweet he fired off about Tesla last month ... and if the government gets its way it could cost Musk his job.

The Securities Exchange Commission is suing Tesla's CEO, claiming he misled investors after he tweeted in August ... "Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured." The SEC's lawsuit includes several other tweets, such as ... "My hope is *all* current investors remain with Tesla even if we're private. Would create special purpose fund enabling anyone to stay with Tesla."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Musk recklessly posted the tweets because he'd only had preliminary conversations about the possibility of going public, and did not consult with his board of directors about tweeting it. As a result, the SEC contends the information was misleading to investors who may have reacted.

The federal agency says his tweets caused significant confusion and disruption in the market for Tesla's stock, and ended up hurting investors' wallets.

The SEC's going for Elon's throat ... because they want to "prohibit him from acting as an officer or director" of any public company. The agency also wants a court to prevent him from further misleading tweets and to force him to pay back any profits he might've made as a result.

9:55 AM PT -- Kanye just explained to the group he's redesigned the MAGA hat ... changing the brim and the shape of the front of it. He also says he's put "positive energy" in the hat.

Can you support both Donald Trump and Colin Kaepernick at the same time?

Kanye West believes you can ...

The rapper rolled over to the offices of The Fader on Thursday in Trump's "Make America Great Again" hat ... while wearing a sweatshirt with Kaep's name spelled out across the chest.

Is he making a point about how he can see both sides? Is he just out of clean laundry?

Remember, Trump famously referred to Colin as a "son of a bitch" and called for NFL owners to fire all players who didn't stand for the national anthem.

But, Ye applauded Nike for signing Kaep to a deal recently -- saying, "I stand for giving everyone a voice."

He added, "Adidas giving me a voice and Nike giving Colin voice on a big business level makes the world a more advanced place."

Colin Kaepernick says he's THRILLED his pal, Eric Reid, is back in the NFL -- but claims the safety shoulda been signed WAY earlier.

"Congratulations to my brother [Eric Reid], an all pro safety who should have been signed the first day of free agency, who has signed a football contract," Kaep posted.

"He has was the FIRST person to kneel alongside me. Eric is a social justice warrior, continues to support his wife, two beautiful daughters and communities in need."

Kaep and Reid were teammates on the 49ers and have been good friends for a WHILE.

In fact, when the guys found themselves jobless after the kneeling demonstrations -- they hired the same lawyers to sue the NFL for collusion ... claiming they'd been blackballed.

As for Kaep's claim Reid shoulda been signed sooner, he's right -- Reid's just 26 years old, has a Pro Bowl on his resume AND had 67 tackles and 2 picks last season.

Reid's new teammate, Torrey Smith, also commented -- saying, "I’m excited. It shouldn’t have taken this long, a person with his talent."

"We all understand the reason why."

Eric Reid -- who filed a collusion grievance against the NFL -- has just signed a 1-year contract with the Carolina Panthers, the team announced.

Reid was widely considered one of the best free agent safeties on the market -- but he believed he was being blackballed, like Colin Kaepernick, for taking a knee during the national anthem at NFL games.

Eric and Colin were teammates on the 49ers. They're still good friends and are using the same lawyers -- Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas -- to go after the NFL for collusion.

Reid is a former Pro Bowl safety who racked up 67 tackles and 2 interceptions last season -- and many believe he should have easily gotten a roster spot in 2018 based on his talent.

Reid, 6'1" and 215 pounds, played the first five seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers after being selected by the team in the first round (18th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.

“Eric has been a starting safety in the NFL and has played at a high level throughout his career," Panthers GM Marty Hurney said.

"After we put (safety) Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve, Ron (Rivera) and I discussed our options, and Eric was at the top of our list. He is a physical safety with good ball skills and play-making ability."

Reid is already at the team facility.

Story developing ...

Dallas Cowboys fans everywhere rejoice ... Tony Romo is healthy enough to play quarterback in the NFL again!!!!!!!!!

Sooo ... when's the comeback date?!?!

Well ... maybe never.

Romo stoked the rumor mill Wednesday when he said his back, collarbone and everything else he broke in his playing days are good enough for him to get back on the field.

"I played much more hurt back in probably '13 and '14 then I would be now," Romo told the Ben & Skin Show.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm healthy enough. That wouldn't be the issue at all I don't think. That would be the least of my thoughts when it came to a decision like that, obviously."

But, is Tony actually considering it?!?! Romo wouldn't say, poo-pooing the question by saying, "You guys are silly."

Romo's been killin' it in the CBS broadcast booth ... and he's got big-time golf dreams now too. Football seems to be firmly in his past.

So, sorry, Dallas. Looks like you're stuck with Dak.

When in France, right?

Michael Jordan proved he's too classy to drink beer with the normies at major sporting events -- instead, he sips from his own bottle of fancy wine.

MJ was in the VIP suites at the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Reims game in Paris on Wednesday -- where he watched Neymar dominate in a 4-1 victory at Parc des Princes stadium.

He also apparently brought in his own bottle of red. Guessing they waived the corkage fee.

Jordan was treated like the legend he is during the game -- since PSG recently teamed up with Jordan Brand for a collaborative range of threads. The team prez even presented MJ with his own custom #23 jersey.

Jordan took in the game with his pal, Ahmad Rashad -- no word if he let the ex-football player dip into his wine.

No word on what brand Jordan was drinking -- but the guy's a billionaire so you know he ain't sippin' the cheap stuff.

Another twist in the Nicki Minaj, Lewis Hamilton "Are They Dating?" saga -- with more signs pointing to yes. This time, the two were riding ATVs together in Dubai.

Remember, Lewis and Nicki ignited the dating rumors earlier this month when they hung out at NY Fashion week -- and then went on a dinner date afterward.

There was a pretty telling picture where Nicki was touching Lewis' leg with her pinky ... which seemed pretty flirty to us.

Lewis just posted the pic of the two riding a quad in the desert -- but the pic was taken a few days ago because now she's in Brazil.

Unclear if the two had business in Dubai and happened to run into each other -- or if this was a romantic getaway.

Lewis has been pretty private about his relationships -- despite the fact he's been linked to some of the most famous women in the world ... from Rihanna to Kendall Jenner.

So, are they dating or just friends? Our money's on dating.

Donald Trump says he sees the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh differently from the rest of us because his fame has made him the target of many false allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Prez held a rare solo news conference Wednesday in New York and addressed the 3 women who've come forward with claims the Supreme Court nominee engaged in sexual misconduct in the '80s.

POTUS flat out admitted he's biased against the accusers after dealing with a long history of "really false charges" made against him. He specifically referred to Jessica Leeds' allegation -- made right before his 2016 election -- that he had sexually assaulted her in 1979 on a plane.

Interestingly ... POTUS didn't mention any of his accusers -- Leeds, Summer Zervos or the 20 other women -- by name.

Rob Gronkowski says he's ain't mad at his big bro for stirring up drama with the Patriots -- claiming Chris Gronkowski just got caught up in the moment when he shaded Rob's team on the radio.

Backstory ... Chris appeared on "Kirk & Callahan" on WEEI this week and told the guys Rob had issues with the team during the offseason that seemed to center on his contract.

Essentially, Chris said Rob wanted more freedom, more respect ... and more money!

"He wanted to get what he deserved. He was being paid like he was just a mediocre tight end, and just wanted to get some respect on that end."

Enter Rob, who faced the media Wednesday and was asked if what Chris said was true. Short answer ... no.

"He doesn't speak for myself and he knows he doesn't. He probably just got caught up a little bit," Rob said.

"To tell you the truth, I feel like he probably was going on for a promotion thing for his ice shaker. No lie."

It's true ... Chris' ice shaker business is kind of a big deal -- Rob pointed out he's even been featured on "Shark Tank" with Alex Rodriguez.

"So, I guess buy his ice shaker is what he was trying to get to ... and he probably got caught up in all that nonsense."

Dustin Johnson is working his way out of Paulina Gretzky's doghouse ... and it seems to be working -- the two were just spotted together in Paris holding hands.

It's the first time we've seen them out since Paulina wiped the PGA star from her Instagram page amid rumors he banged a model that golfs at his home course back in L.A. (rumors she denied BTW).

But Wednesday, the two arrived to the Ryder Cup Gala at the Palace of Versailles dressed to the nines.

DJ clearly knows the way to Paulina's heart -- snapping pics of her on the way in. Smart dude.

Earlier this month, Johnson put out a statement acknowledging the two were going through a rough patch -- but didn't specifically address the cheating rumors.

"Every relationship goes through its ups and downs," Dustin said ... "but most importantly, we love each other very much and are committed to being a family."

So, why are they in Paris? Dustin is part of the Team USA Ryder Cup squad which takes on Europe on Friday.

Victor Ortiz will NOT be boxing this weekend after getting arrested for rape ... so says his opponent, John Molina, Jr. ... who just announced the fight has been scrapped.

Ortiz was arrested Tuesday and charged with 3 counts of felony sexual assault -- including rape, oral copulation and digital penetration -- stemming from an alleged incident that took place inside of a home in Oxnard, CA back in March.

Molina and Ortiz were scheduled to headline a Premier Boxing Championship on FS1 on Sunday -- but Molina just issued a video statement saying it's off.

"All right guys, bad news ... the fight has officially been canceled obviously due to uncontrollable circumstances from Team Ortiz."

"Team Molina was ready. To all my friends, family and fans that were ready to see me get down on Sunday, I'll be in the house still, but I apologize."

Fabricio Werdum is doubling down on his prediction that Khabib will MURDER Conor in the Octagon ... and now the ex-UFC heavyweight champ is calling the round it'll happen!!

"Khabib, I think, will kill him for sure," Werdum said at LAX ... "They'll have to stop the fight for sure I think in the 2nd round."

So, why does Fab feel so strongly about Conor's impending doom?

"I don't like too much of Conor McGregor's style. He talks too much."

It's true -- but Conor's usually able to back it up with huge wins over guys like Nate Diaz, Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez.

As for Werdum, he's been a big fan of Khabib ever since the UFC 229 mega-fight became official, previously telling TMZ Sports he thinks the Russian is tougher and trains harder than Conor.