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Luis Rubiales is stepping down from his post as chief of Spanish soccer -- this after mounting pressure following his kissing scandal during the Women's World Cup.

The President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation -- who's had the job since 2018 -- just publicly announced he was resigning during an interview with Piers Morgan, who was asking if the backlash had grown too large to ignore.

Rubiales acknowledged his defiance was now starting to affect others and the organization at large, and that he was becoming a distraction ... so he's throwing in the towel.

He does maintain his innocence -- as he's done from the start -- but says trying to keep his position was turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. After a clip of the Piers sit-down was posted, he took to Twitter to confirm he'd passed the baton on to the acting Prez.

In his lengthy statement, Rubiales says he plans to defend himself/his honor in the continuing fallout. Of course, that seems to reference the criminal complaint the female soccer player herself, Jennifer Hermoso, filed with the Spanish authorities -- alleging sexual assault.

Spanish prosecutors have already said they're taking him to court to stand trial. If convicted, he faces a fine and/or up to 4 years in prison.

Rubiales apologized for the incident shortly after it happened -- saying he got swept up in the moment ... but later suggesting it was a consensual kiss, despite Hermoso saying otherwise.

He was eventually suspended, and the head coach of the team actually got fired for defending Rubiales -- in which he commended the fact Rubiales refused to quit. It's perhaps not that surprising ... the team had said they wouldn't take the field until he was gone.

5:32 PM PT -- Danny Masterson suena confiado de que conseguirá la anulación de sus sentencias en el proceso de apelación.

Uno de los abogados de Danny, Shawn Holley, dice a TMZ: "Durante los últimos meses, un equipo de los mejores abogados en apelación del país ha estado revisando las transcripciones del juicio, y han identificado importantes cuestiones probatorias y constitucionales que abordarán en los tribunales de apelación estatales y federales."

Holley continúa: "Los errores que se produjeron en este caso son sustanciales y, lamentablemente, condujeron a veredictos que no están respaldados por las pruebas".

"Y aunque tenemos un gran respeto por el jurado en este caso y por nuestro sistema de justicia en general, a veces se equivocan. Y eso es lo que ocurrió aquí", agrega.

El abogado concluye: "El Sr. Masterson no cometió los delitos por los que ha sido condenado y nosotros, y los abogados de apelación, los mejores y más brillantes del país, estamos seguros de que estas condenas serán anuladas."

Danny Masterson finalmente ha recibido su condena a 30 años en prisión, después de meses de ser declarado culpable de dos cargos de violación.

La estrella de "That '70s Show" fue sentenciado el jueves por un tribunal de Los Ángeles. Enfrentaba 30 años de cárcel después de ser declarado culpable de dos de sus tres cargos, por lo que la sentencia no es tan sorprendente.

Como informamos, fue declarado culpable de estos dos cargos en mayo. Se le acusó por primera vez en 2020, cuando tres mujeres declararon que los incidentes se habían producido entre 2001 y 2003, mientras él trabajaba en la serie de comedia.

Recordemos que Masterson tuvo un juicio en octubre pasado, pero terminó nulo un mes más tarde después de que el jurado no pudiera llegar a una decisión. El equipo del actor intentó que se desestimara, pero finalmente fue juzgado de nuevo y condenado.

Su abogado, Philip Cohen, nos dijo tras la anulación del juicio de Masterson que el caso "no trataba de otra cosa más que de la credibilidad de las tres denunciantes y que la credibilidad sólo se podía determinar comparando, contrastando y centrándose en las declaraciones en constante evolución de las mujeres."

Danny Masterson has finally been sentenced, months after he was convicted on 2 rape counts, to 30 years to life behind bars.

The "That '70s Show" star was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in a Los Angeles court. He was facing 30 years to life after being found guilty on 2 of his 3 counts ... so the sentence isn't all that surprising.

As we reported, he was convicted on the 2 counts in May, but the jury was hung on the 3rd count. He was first charged back in 2020, with the 3 women saying the incidents went down between 2001 and 2003 -- as he was working on his comedy series.

Remember, Masterson had a trial last October, but it ended in a mistrial a month later after the jury was unable to reach a decision. The actor's team tried to get it dismissed, but he was eventually retried and convicted.

His attorney, Philip Cohen, told us after Masterson's mistrial that the case was "about nothing other than the credibility of the three accusers and that credibility could only be determined by comparing, contrasting and focusing on the ever-evolving statements given by the women."

After being found guilty, we learned Masterson wasn't put in lockup with the general population at the L.A. County Men's Central Jail -- where he's been awaiting his sentence -- but instead was in "administrative segregation" ... where high-profile inmates like O.J. Simpson and Suge Knight have stayed in the past.

Drake and The Weeknd already don't rock with the Grammys, so the possibility of their unauthorized AI collaboration winning an award likely won't mend any fences.

Still, that's the scenario Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. is floating when it comes to the controversial "Heart on My Sleeve" -- the AI-generated track that surfaced in April featuring faux vocals from the Canadian megastars, but convincing enough to be a hit.

Ghostwriter -- the anonymous human creator behind the track -- submitted it for both Song of The Year and Best Rap Song for the 66th Grammy Awards next year.

Mason tells the New York Times he was impressed with "Heart on My Sleeve" as it opened up possibilities for their business and declared it suitable for nomination ... "As far as the creative side, it's absolutely eligible because it was written by a human."

If Ghostwriter earned just a nomination, it could spearhead the next evolution of artists: human songwriters who use other people's artificially-generated voices!

Drake and Weeknd's record label Universal Music Group doesn't share Mason's enthusiasm. When the track was released, the label had it pulled from DSPs ... leaving it to lurk in the internet's dark recesses. This Grammy development offers the song, and others like it, a new light.

The Weeknd and Drake have been boycotting the Grammys for years, going as far as to withdraw nominations and refuse to submit heir own music.

On the other hand, Ghostwriter isn't letting up off the digital throttle in the wake of his new career strides.

He released a new AI concoction Wednesday titled "Whiplash," featuring CPU-generated soundalikes for Travis Scott and 21 Savage -- 2 more artists to piss off, but also another possible path to the Grammys!!!

For more viral news, tune in to the TMZ Verified Podcast. Dropping every Thursday on all podcast platforms.

Diddy's sixth studio album, and first under his Love Records imprint, will resemble most of his lavish parties -- celebs at every turn!!!

Mary J. Blige, French Montana, Justin Bieber, and H.E.R. are just a handful of the names included as guest features for the hip hop mogul, who set a release date Thursday of September 15 for his full-blown R&B project, "The Love Album: Off the Grid."

The album will also mark the return of Dirty Money, the duo Diddy formed with Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper back in 2010 for the album, "Last Train to Paris" ... a reunion fans have been demanding for years!!!

The Weeknd will lead the album's next single, "Another One Of Me" ... a track that'll mark the last time his stage name is used. He's swapping it out in favor of his gov't name, Abel Tesfaye, after the album's released.

Diddy denies he created the album to feed an algorithm or fit in with today's sound ... he's confident he picked the best of the best to carve out a classic!!!

Legendary Dallas Cowboys scout Gil Brandt -- who helped America's Team draft Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach -- has died ... Jerry Jones announced.

According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame ... the former talent evaluator passed on Thursday morning.

He was 91 years old.

"We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt – a true icon and pioneer of our sport," Jones said in a statement. "Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades beyond that."

Brandt joined the Cowboys in their inaugural season in 1960 -- and helped the team select its first-ever draft pick ... Hall of Famer Bob Lilly.

He would go on to work for the org. for nearly 30 years ... drafting legendary players like Staubach, Aikman, Rayfield Wright and Bob Hayes.

Brandt became known for his implementation of computers and psychological tests to grade prospects ... and his systems ultimately led to the creation of the now-famous NFL Scouting Combine.

Following his departure from the Cowboys after the 1989 season ... he would go on to be a key contributor and draft analyst for NFL.com.

"His dedication to, and passion for, this game left a lasting impact on generations of Hall of Fame players and coaches," Jones said. "There are very few people that have been able to have the kind of generational impact that he did. Gil was as dedicated to growing this league and sport as anyone ever was, and we are all grateful and better for it."

Senator Mitch McConnell froze yet again mid-sentence while addressing the media -- marking a second frightening episode like this that he's suffered in public.

The Kentucky legislator was talking to reporters Wednesday in Covington, KY, addressing a Chamber of Commerce matter and seemingly doing fine ... that is, until he wasn't. When a reporter asked him about running for reelection, he took a long pause.

Much like he did a month ago on Capitol Hill ... Sen. McConnell just stood there quietly, and appeared to zone out. Eventually, one of his aides stepped in and asked if he heard the question ... but he didn't even respond to her, only staring out into space and remaining frozen.

The aide asked the media for a moment of privacy, and that's where the video cuts out.

Obviously, this is deja vu -- and many suspect he might have experienced a medical episode ... although, the first incident was never officially described as such by his team. Now, there are almost certainly going to be even more questions and scrutiny over his health.

Remember, Sen. McConnell also suffered a nasty fall earlier this year that saw him hospitalized for a time. At the moment, he's the top-ranking Republican in the Senate.

Hurricane Idalia has hit Florida in a big way ... and it's bringing the Sunshine State flooding, roaring winds, and certain devastation.

The Category 3 storm made landfall Wednesday morning in the state's Big Bend region -- Meteorologist Jim Cantore shared some shocking sights from Cedar Key -- as gusting winds rip through the city and come straight for nearby houses.

BTW, he gave his followers an update less than an hour later ... and the winds and water levels got worse in no time at all.

Damage from the storm is expected to cover 200 miles, with up to 16-foot surges ... residents would have to get up to the 3rd floor of buildings to stay dry. Wind gusts approached 125 mph.

The Tallahassee area is also predicted to be uninhabitable for several weeks or even months, according to the National Weather Service office.

Officials have said Idalia shows great potential for death and catastrophic devastation, and locals have been told to hightail it out of the area. As of Wednesday, over 240k residents are already without power.

This is the 3rd hurricane to make landfall in FL in the past year, after Ian last September and Nicole a month later. Both storms brought devastation and this one's shaping up to be no different.

Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill resorted to climbing out of windows and jumping out of buildings after bullets started flying on campus.

In new video from Monday's deadly school shooting, you see college students fleeing a building through an open window ... dropping their book bags to the ground and then jumping to safety.

Amid spreading reports of an active shooter on campus, the students are left to climb out a window and onto a ledge, where they take a few steps to find a soft spot to land ... jumping down into some bushes.

The university shots were fired inside a chemistry lab Monday afternoon around 1 PM and the suspect, Tailei Qi, a UNC doctoral student, was taken into custody around 2:30 PM after a faculty member was shot dead.

Doctors have gotten to the bottom of Bronny James' cardiac arrest, saying after extensive testing they've discovered a congenital heart defect that CAN be treated ... and the James family hopes he can continue his basketball career.

After consultations with some of the top heart doctors around the country, physicians believe they've identified the cause of Bronny's cardiac arrest.

"It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated," a statement released by the family said.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... 18-year-old Bronny's heart stopped on July 24 during a workout on USC's campus in L.A.

James spent the weeks after getting evaluated at the Mayo Clinic and other medical institutions ... all in an effort to find out why he went into cardiac arrest.

Bronny appears to be doing much better. He's been spotted out around Los Angeles, most recently attending a Dodgers game and Drake concert with his dad.

As for his basketball future, the family is optimistic he can return to the court.

Huge bummer for Daniel Ricciardo -- the AlphaTauri driver will not compete in the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend ... after breaking his wrist in practice.

The accident went down during the second round of laps on Friday ... when McLaren's Oscar Piastri crashed into a barrier, which led to Ricciardo wrecking his car as well.

The 34-year-old -- who was visibly in pain -- was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment ... and it was later revealed he busted his wrist in the crash, forcing him to back out of this weekend's race.

Liam Lawson will take Ricciardo's seat for AlphaTauri ... which elected against bringing back Nyck de Vries, who started the season on the grid for the organization.

Ricciardo was slated to make his third start of the season ... and has yet to score a point for AlphaTauri.

DR is beloved in the sport ... and many fans were thrilled when he returned to competition in July. He's racked up eight wins and 32 podiums throughout his career.

Spain soccer boss Luis Rubiales is under FIFA investigation for planting an unwanted kiss on one of his players following the country's World Cup victory this week, the soccer governing body announced Thursday.

"The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has informed Rubiales that it is opening disciplinary proceedings against him based on the events that occurred during the final," a statement released by FIFA read.

The international governing body went on to say Rubiales might've violated rules dictating "Offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play" for the unsolicited kiss of midfielder Jenni Hermoso after Spain's epic 1-0 win over England in the World Cup Final on August 20.

Rubiales, who is 46, has received widespread rebuke for his actions after the match. He was also photographed carrying a player over his shoulder and grabbing his crotch.

After initially acting defiant, Rubiales apologized, saying, "I made a mistake, for sure."

"I have to accept it. In a moment of such emotion, without any bad intention or bad faith, what happened, happened, in a very spontaneous way."

The soccer president added ... "I have to learn from this and understand that a president of an institution as important as the federation -- above all in ceremonies and that kind of thing -- should be more careful."

But, the apology wasn't enough for many, including the country's top politician, Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who called the apology "insufficient and inadequate."

FUTPRO, the union that represents Hermoso, the player who was kissed, released a statement on her behalf, saying "acts that should never go unpunished."

As for what will happen to Rubiales, FIFA won't say until the investigation is completed. However, they did offer a rebuke of his actions.

"FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of all individuals and strongly condemns any behavior to the contrary."

Despite FIFA's investigation still being underway, there's a chance Rubiales loses his job before the disciplinary committee concludes its work. There are mounting calls for Luis' job in Spain, and the Royal Spanish Football Federation is planning to meet Friday to discuss the controversy.

WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt has tragically died at the age of 36, WWE executive Triple H announced on social media.

"Just received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Mike Rotunda who informed us of the tragic news that our WWE family member for life Windham Rotunda - also known as Bray Wyatt - unexpectedly passed earlier today. Our thoughts are with his family and we ask that everyone respect their privacy at this time," the Hall of Famer wrote.

Wyatt joined WWE’s main roster in 2010 under the name Husky Harris, before leaving a year later. He rejoined the main roster in 2013 as the leader of The Wyatt Family.

He was a three-time world champion in WWE, including the WWE Championship once and Universal Championship, twice. He took a brief hiatus from August 2018 to April 2019 and returned with a new character, a mix of Bray Wyatt and his other side, The Fiend.

Wyatt came from a long line of wrestlers. His dad was Hall of Famer, Mike Rotunda. His grandfather was Blackjack Mulligan, and his uncles were Barry and Kendall Windham.

Bray was a part of a bunch of big matches throughout his career ... including his WrestleMania 31 match against The Undertaker in 2015.

Before joining the world's biggest wrestling promotion, Wyatt wrestled under the name "Alex Rotundo" in the FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling).

As you'd expect, Wyatt was a helluva athlete ... and even won a state wrestling championship at Hernando High School in Florida, where he wrestled at 275 lbs. Bray was also a star football player in H.S. and even went on to play at the College of the Sequoias (a Juco in Cali) for two seasons, before transferring to Troy University. Wyatt, a guard, was listed at 6'2" and 295 lbs.

The WWE Universe was crushed by the news ... with fans and fellow wrestlers sharing condolences on social media.

The Rock wrote ... "Im heartbroken over the news of Bray Wyatt’s passing. Always had tremendous respect and love for him and the Rotunda family. Loved his presence, promos, in ring work and connection with @wwe universe."

Johnson continued ... "Very unique, cool and rare character, which is hard to create in our crazy world of pro wrestling. Still processing losing the goat, Terry Funk yesterday and now Bray today. My love, light, strength & mana to the Rotunda family and Funk family during this tough, heartbreaking time."

FYI, Funk, a legend, passed away on Wednesday.

Ric Flair also shared his thoughts on the awful news ... "When Your Great Friend And Someone Your Son’s Age Dies Within 2 Days, It Really Makes Me Reflect & Think About Life! Don’t Take Any Second For Granted! Rest In Peace Terry Funk & Bray Wyatt!"

Alexa Bliss weighed in, as well ... "I’m just in shock. Extremely heart broken And at a loss for words. What I can say is what an amazing human being Windham is. Amazing friend & one of the most creative minds to ever walk this earth."

"Windham, you’ve brought so much joy and happiness to everyone around you. It’s going to take me some time to really process this. Sending my love to the Rotunda Family & Jojo. We love you Windham 🖤"

Details surrounding Wyatt's death are not yet clear.

R.I.P.

Story developing ...

Polo G and Trench Baby's arrests ended with them both getting booked for crimes -- the rapper for gun possession and his brother for robbery.

LAPD says Wednesday's raid at Polo's house was in response to a report from August 15, which alleged Trench Baby robbed a man in Granada Hills during a music video shoot.

The alleged victim arrived on location to film the video, and cops say Trench Baby drew a handgun with an extended magazine, demanding the man empty his pockets and wire money to him into another account.

According to cops, Trench Baby and the alleged victim had a prior working relationship. When officers made the arrest, they say they found a small baggy of unknown drugs on Trench's person during a pre-booking search.

Polo was booked for illegal possession of the short-barreled rifle, and cops say numerous firearms were recovered during the raid.

As we told you earlier, the Chicago-born brothers were released on bond early Thursday but were then promptly arrested by Burbank PD for a separate incident.

Rudy Giuliani's mug shot is in, and he certainly doesn't look like a happy camper after surrendering himself for Donald Trump's RICO case.

Giuliani gave the Fulton County camera the disapproving look Wednesday after he and fellow former election lawyer Sidney Powell walked into county jail for one of Trump's ongoing investigations.

RG agreed to a $150k bond, and Powell's was set at $100k. For those unaware, Giuliani's charged with things like engaging in criminal conspiracies and breaking Georgia's racketeering act -- Powell's facing similar charges.

He gave his thoughts about agreeing to work with Trump years ago, especially in hindsight ... but he seems to have no problems with the connection they share.

As we reported, Trump said on Truth Social he will be turning himself in to Fulton County officials on Thursday -- the day after Giuliani and Powell. The announcement follows last week's indictment on 13 counts of 2020 election subversion under GA's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

Apart from Trump, 18 other defendants have been named in the latest case, with Giuliani and Powell being 2 of many ... also facing charges is the ex-president's former Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows.

TikToker VonViddy has taken his own life ... and his final video to fans is haunting, all about the ups and downs of his life -- talking about how he hopes to be remembered.

Von, whose real name is Joe Muchlinski, died Monday after "losing his long battle to mental illness" ... according to his sister, Martha.

In his final video, posted Sunday, Joe talks about the type of guy he wants to be remembered as, citing his music and comedy as a couple of strong points in his life. He also highlights some of his struggles -- saying he doesn't want folks to remember him "as an addict and an alcoholic who put his family through hell."

He ends his final TikTok by saying how thankful he is for the opportunities he's had over the years ... noting he has an abundance of peace and love for his fans.

Folks in both Joe and Martha's comment sections are sharing their grief for the loss of Joe after Martha's sad news -- one wrote, "Von Viddy we love you. Thank you for all of the laughs. Truly heartbreaking 💔."

Joe garnered over 170k followers and 8.7 million likes on TikTok, sharing his original music and comedy bits since 2020.

He was 32.

RIP.