CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

NFL great Shannon Sharpe is calling for patience and diligence in the Joe McKnight killing -- patience on the part of outraged citizens, and diligence from the cops.

The Hall of Famer talked to us about the protests in the wake of Ronald Gasser's release, without charges, after he admittedly shot McKnight 3 times. FS1's 'Undisputed' co-host isn't ready to say this is an open and shut case. In fact, he channeled Johnnie Cochran.

Btw, we got Shannon outside a benefit Friday night for Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans of America, held in Pacific Palisades.

Ronald Gasser, the man who shot and killed football star Joe McKnight, had an eerily similar road rage incident 10 years ago ... on the same street corner where he opened fire this week.

A contractor for "Tiny House Nation" has a big problem -- the couple who hired him is talking so much smack, they're crushing his bottom line ... according to the lawsuit he just filed.

Charles Brzezinski built a compact pad for Jared Logan and Vanessa Wesley on season 3 of the FYI reality show, but says they've since accused him of being a fraud and doing a shoddy job.

According to the docs ... Brzezinski says the couple posted a lengthy negative review on a consumers website accusing him of being an unlicensed contractor and crappy builder.

The contractor also says the couple posted pics that show the home falling apart -- but he says the images are of lousy work Jared and Vanessa did by themselves ... after construction was complete.

Brzezinski says the negative online reviews have cost him tons in business and trashed his reputation. He's suing to get the couple to delete the review, and for more than $1 million in damages.

He also points out Jared and Vanessa happily signed a certificate of completion when the house was done ... and even has this video showing the place was immaculate when they got the keys.

10:17 AM PST -- A witness at Delilah that night tells us Drake was not there -- and there's a private bathroom for celebs -- so even if he was, he'd never cross paths with the man claiming assault.

Drake got dragged into a crappy mess after one of his bodyguards allegedly punched a man in the face because he wouldn't get his ass out of the bathroom.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a customer filed a battery report Tuesday with the L.A. County Sheriff claiming he was assaulted at Delilah in West Hollywood.

The man told cops he was at the restaurant on Nov. 5 when security tried clearing the bathroom ... so Drake could use it in private, he claims. He says, out of nowhere, he got clocked in the face.

Based on social media pics ... the alleged victim told cops he thinks it was one of Drake's bodyguards who socked him. Cops are now investigating, but Drake is not a suspect.

50 Cent just got a HUGE financial helping hand in his bankruptcy case -- his old lawyers will cough up $14.5 million after a sweet settlement deal.

50 had sued his team of attorneys for malpractice, insisting they did a shoddy job repping him against Sleek Audio. You'll recall, Fiddy lost that case and owed Sleek a ton of cash.

Rather than go to trial, the lawyers have struck a deal with the rapper ... agreeing to pay him the $14.5 mil. Not that Fiddy will be able to spend it -- it's already spoken for due to his bankruptcy.

According to docs filed in that case ... 50 still owes $23 million to his creditors, including $17 mil to Sleek -- so the settlement money's likely going straight into their pockets, not his.

Ronald Gasser did NOT stand over Joe McKnight's body and fire shots while screaming, "I told you not to f**k with me" ... so says Sheriff Normand of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Dept.

Avenged Sevenfold is going to war with Warner Bros. Records over a greatest hits album they don't think is so great ... because they never gave it their seal of approval.

The heavy metal band claims WBR released the album without notifying them, letting them select the songs or prepare the artwork -- a clear violation of their recording agreement ... according to a letter fired off to the company's CFO.

Avenged recently left WBR and signed with Capitol Records, then released a new album in October. A source close to the band tells us ... they believe WBR was pissed, so they rushed out a greatest hits album "in a fit of vindictiveness" to eat up the sales of their new record.

The band's demanding WBR pull "The Best of 2005-2013" from the shelves.

We reached out to Warner Bros. Records ... so far, no word back.

The NAACP has set up a protest outside the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Dept. -- demanding answers in the shooting death of ex-NFL running back Joe McKnight.

People are holding signs that read "A Man Was Lynched Yesterday" and "Justice" -- and a spokesperson has said they want answers from officials on why the shooter was released from custody.

The spokesperson says, "We are not here to be violent" ... insisting they just want justice.

The famed investigator who strongly suggested JonBenet Ramsey was killed by her older brother ... insists he has every right to say so thanks to the Constitution.

Dr. Werner Spitz filed a response Friday to Burke Ramsey's defamation suit, saying the First Amendment allows him to hypothesize who her killer might have been ... because he's not claiming it's FACT, just his theory.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Spitz says defamation claims must be based on a "provably false statement of fact," and insists his statements are not. He even points out the radio show that aired his "opinion" noted Spitz's theory hadn't been proven in court.

As we reported ... Burke Ramsey sued Dr. Spitz for $150 million after openly suggesting Burke killed JonBenet. He made very similar remarks during a CBS special about the unsolved case.

Spitz is asking a judge to dismiss the case.

9:19 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained court documents showing the exact conditions of Manziel's agreement.

He must complete the following ...

1) Complete anger management course approved by the court

2) Attend domestic violence victim impact panel

3) Participate fully in the NFL's Policy and Program for Substance of Abuse, or if program is unavailable, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation at court approved location

4) No contact with Colleen Crowley

Johnny Manziel struck a deal with prosecutors in his domestic violence case -- in which he needs to keep his nose clean for a year and seek treatment ... and the case will be dismissed.

Manziel was charged with misdemeanor assault for a January 2016 incident involving his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, in which he allegedly struck her during a heated argument.

The Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office says the ex-NFL star has agreed to a "Conditional Dismissal Agreement."

The agreement spells out a number of conditions Manziel needs to live up to over the next year ... including "treatment and/or counseling" and staying out of trouble.

If he lives up to his end of the bargain, the charge will be dismissed.

The D.A. says the agreement is supposed to jump start Manziel on a path to live a better life and show him "how to make better choices when facing conflict.".

As for Colleen ... she was at a PartyNextDoor concert Thursday night.

[h/t CBS DFW]

The man who shot Joe McKnight has been released from custody and no charges have been filed yet ... this according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Dept.

We spoke with a rep who tells us 54-year-old Ronald Gasser -- a white male -- was questioned and released "sometime overnight" after officials believed they had no reason to hold him any longer.

The Sheriff's Dept. tells us ... Gasser "definitely" shot the ex-NFL running back -- but there are "questions about the circumstances surrounding what led up to it."

The rep tells us the investigation is still very much open and the case could go to the grand jury or the district attorney, which will decide whether or not charges should be filed.

Pittsburgh Pirates 3rd baseman Jung Ho Kang was arrested in South Korea Friday morning after officials say he fled the scene of a DUI crash around 2:45 AM.

The 29-year-old allegedly crashed his car into a guardrail and bolted. Officials say his blood alcohol level was .084 ... over the legal limit ion South Korea, .05.

Officials say they're also investigating allegations Kang asked a friend to lie and take the wrap as the driver of the crashed car.

Pirates President Frank Coonelly issued a statement saying, "We are extremely disappointed in Jung Ho and in his decision process during this matter."

Coonelly, who was arrested for DUI in 2011, added ... "I know first-hand how foolish and dangerous it is to drive under the influence and am most thankful that, as we understand it, no one was injured."

Katt Williams avoided jail time in a gun and drug case that started with an alleged baseball bat beatdown ... getting years of probation instead.

Katt pled no contest Thursday in Hall County, GA to assault and battery charges from this past March, which landed him 5 years of probation instead of time behind bars.

As we reported ... Katt was busted with guns and drugs at his home earlier this year after a bodyguard claimed Katt had him beat with a bat for refusing to "engage in criminal activity." When cops searched his house, they found weed and several firearms.

His probation has a lot of strict conditions. On top of paying thousands of dollars in fines, he has to submit to treatment and evaluations for anger management, substance abuse and impulse control. He's also gotta stay away from the bodyguard.

Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida are getting divorced -- for REAL this time, according to Apollo, who filed docs from prison.

Apollo filed his divorce petition in Georgia on Thursday ... requesting joint legal custody of their 2 children and an equitable split of their assets. He says they separated in June 2014 after nearly 5 years of marriage.

In the docs, he says they can no longer live together as husband and wife and the union is "irretrievably broken." He doesn't mention the fact he's doing 8 years in a federal pen for financial fraud.

It's interesting ... Phaedra proudly told us last month her divorce was finalized, but we've never seen any docs to back that up, and Apollo told us that was news to him.

Looks like he wanted it to be over just as badly. As we told you, he's got a new fiancée.

We've reached out to Phaedra. No word back yet.

A YouTube channel featuring TV classics like "The Andy Griffith Show" is run by a lowdown crook making money off other people's work ... according to CBS.

In a lawsuit, the network says 8thManDVD.com -- run by Edward Heldman III -- has racked up over 2.5 million views, by posting 16 episodes of the beloved sitcom. CBS alerted YouTube to nip it in the bud and remove the vids, which it did. Temporarily.

Heldman fought back and, according to docs, got the episodes reposted by claiming they were in the public domain. CBS says public domain doesn't matter because the shows contain copyrighted characters like Deputy Barney Fife, Sheriff Andy and of course ... Opie.

Heldman insists he's in the clear because he "remastered" the episodes -- which he believes makes them new and available for his use. He also claims CBS is trying to abuse copyright law.

Rio officials have offered Ryan Lochte a deal to make his criminal case go away ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the offer is 70,000 reals, which in American dollars totals around $20,149.

Lochte was charged with falsely reporting a crime at a gas station during the Rio Olympics. Our sources say so far Lochte has not accepted the deal.

Jimmy Feigen copped a plea months ago and paid half that amount -- 35,000 reals. The prosecutor wanted 70,000 reals from Feigen all along and has actually filed legal docs trying to enforce the higher amount.

We reached out to Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, but he was mum, telling TMZ Sports, "We don't comment on a pending case but are hopeful it will be resolved to the benefit of all parties, including the people of Brazil, the Brazilian government and Ryan."