Controversial S#!T

Rudy Giuliani is FURIOUS at the Houston Texans for staying in their locker room for the national anthem before Thursday's game ... saying, "Maybe they should stay in the locker room forever."

"Maybe that's where they belong."

The former NYC mayor was at the 9/11 Memorial on the 19th anniversary of 9/11 when we asked him about the drama before the NFL season opener ... and Rudy didn't hold back.

"I think [the Houston Texans] should kiss the ground of the stadium that they're in America. Where the hell would they make that kinda money?!"

Rudy claims roughly "a third" of the players are from another country -- and should "thank God they're in America. Nobody else in this world has an immigration problem but America so people should stop doing hateful things about America."

Rudy says if players want to go down on a knee, "they should kiss the ground and say 'Thank you God that we're in the United States of America' because there's no place else we'd make this kinda money for playing a game."

Guiliani also said the players should have more humility -- because they're not the "real heroes" in this country.

"The real heroes aren't them. The real heroes are the men and women who ran into that building to save people."

Rudy also went after the Black Lives Matter movement -- saying it "hates police."

"They hate police and they call for the killing for the kinds of people who ran into this building and save them."

He concluded with the age-old "love it or leave it" battle cry.

"If [the Houston Texans] can't put their hand on their heart when the flag goes by, maybe you should live somewhere else."

"I don't see how missing a football game is going to keep police from killing black people."

NFL superstar Richard Sherman says boycotting games is NOT the answer to ending social injustice ... with the 49ers DB saying straight-up, people need to find a different solution.

"People are putting too much onus on saying, 'Hey, sports, stop our problems!'" Sherman said. "And, it's like, 'Hey, this can only go so far.'"

As we previously reported ... teams all across the MLB and NBA boycotted games last month in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting -- and some thought Sherman might bring the same demonstration to the NFL.

But, when Richard spoke about the prospects of that with media members Thursday ... he said, frankly, he just doesn't see the point in it.

"If you told me that boycotting a National Football League game would stop police brutality and stop the injustices that people of color deal with, then I would be all for it," Sherm said.

"If we miss 10 games, does that stop the problem?" Sherman added. "Does that solve it? Does that get something done? Do we make those kinds of shots? Do we make those kinds of calls? I don't think we do."

College kids really are feeling COVID invincible ... as one absolutely shocked police officer discovered at a house party thrown by a bunch of guys who know they have the virus!!!

The Oxford Police Department says it cited 6 men who were at the daytime rager at Miami (OH) University ... one of whom admitted, on camera, he's supposed to be in quarantine. Apparently, they haven't covered that word in class yet.

As you can see in this body cam footage, the officer was blown away at the student's admission not only he had COVID, but so did everyone else living in his house. Let's just say the kid was struggling to get the point of quarantine.

Cops say 6 of the partygoers were hit with $500 fines for the gathering -- which included people from outside their house.

As we told you ... Texas Tech is dealing with a similar situation where a young woman who allegedly attends the school flippantly admitted she had the virus as she partied next to lots of other students.

Miami University says more than 1,000 students have tested positive for COVID-19, including 55 cases Monday, but the school is still on schedule to start in-person classes Sept. 21.

The officer in the video says it best ... they're struggling to keep their town open, and students like these aren't helping matters.

A bunch of 'Big Brother' houseguests don't like being under the same roof as Ian Terry ... simply because he's autistic.

Ian's been pretty outspoken this season about being on the autism spectrum, but now his fellow houseguests, Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones, Nicole Franzel and Memphis Garrett, were caught on the live feeds yukking it up about Ian. They openly, and cruelly, mocked his self-soothing technique -- rocking back and forth during conversations --- and said it turns them off.

Dani was caught on the live feeds saying she can't even look at Ian sometimes because his constant movement stresses her out ... and Nicole agrees.

Christmas and Memphis join in the bullying and make things worse ... Memphis describes Ian as the "red rum" of the house, a reference to "The Shining."

The group shares a big ole laugh when Memphis claims he might have nightmares of Ian standing over his bed, rocking back and forth.

Unfortunately, this kind of bullying has become par for the course on 'Big Brother' -- which has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

Folks online and BB alum aren't letting these houseguests off the hook, though ... calling them out for their "Mean Girls" like mocking of Ian.

The NBA has launched an investigation into Houston Rockets forward Danuel House -- after he allegedly violated Bubble protocol by allowing a woman into his hotel room.

The twist ... the woman in question is a COVID tester who's cleared to be inside the bubble, but apparently she's not allowed to hang with players in their rooms when she's off the clock.

According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the league is trying to figure out exactly what happened ... though so far, House has reportedly denied any wrongdoing.

House -- an important role player for H-Town -- missed Game 3 against the Lakers on Tuesday due to "personal reasons."

Now, there's a question if the investigation played a role in his absence.

If House is forced to undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine over the incident, he would miss the remainder of the playoff series against the Lakers, which is a big deal.

The Lakers are up 2-1 in the best of 7 series. Game 4 is set for Thursday.

House is averaging 11.4 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game during the playoffs ... he's an important member of the Rockets.

According to Haynes, several other NBA teams are keeping a close on eye on the House investigation to see how it all plays out.

Hundreds flocked to the state capitol building in Connecticut on Wednesday seriously pissed off over the cancelation of H.S. football ... and the scene was WILD!!

Just days after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced it was unsafe to play football amid the coronavirus pandemic this fall ... nearly 1,000 players, coaches and parents overran the government building to try to get the ruling reversed.

Check out video from the protest ... it's pretty intense -- with everyone screaming "Let us play!" in unison while holding signs, flags and even football helmets.

Some of the players that were interviewed on the scene voiced their displeasure with not being able to play this season ... with one telling WFSB, "I'm really mad about it."

Seems Gov. Ned Lamont is willing to at least listen to arguments for an overturning of the decision ... he said after the protest he's organizing a meeting with local officials to hear both sides.

That summit will take place on Friday, Lamont said ... before he added, "I want to see football being played and I also want to see it being played safely."

Rumors of a looming discrimination lawsuit against Bravo has absolutely nothing to do with NeNe Leakes whatsoever ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to the reality star tells us ... NeNe is in no way ramping up to file suit or any type of legal action against Bravo at this time, nor is she "teaming up" with other women of color who might be considering such a move. Any notion to the contrary simply isn't true.

We're told NeNe is focused on herself and her own career right now -- specifically, fleshing out her newly announced show with E!, "Glamsquad Showdown," while also trying to work through negotiations with Bravo on potentially coming back for another season of 'RHOA.'

We're also told that NeNe is seeking a larger role in the NBCUniversal TV-sphere, and that those talks take a while. So no, she ain't biting the hand that feeds in the meantime.

As for why folks might've thought something was brewing with NeNe in the first place ... well, that might have to do with her own words and a whole lot of innuendo. NeNe herself has alluded to mistreatment during her tenure there, both explicitly and implicitly.

She recently hopped on her YouTube channel to air some grievances about how she felt some of the showrunners and execs were treating her differently than some of the other ladies come reunion time. Not only that, but she also fueled intrigue when she dropped some suggestive comments about the 'Vaderpump' racism scandal from a few months back.

On top of that, former 'RHOA costars of hers, like Eva Marcille, have also been throwing NeNe's name around when mentioning this supposed lawsuit that's coming down the pike.

She recently did just that while talking on Rickey Smiley's morning show ... and while she didn't exactly connect the dots, one could assume NeNe was in on the suit by the way she was talking.

Fact is, there is no connection ... period. Seems like NeNe still has plans with Bravo on the horizon that she very much wants to keep intact.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn is apologizing for its "virtual cafes" that appeared to hearken back to the days of "Whites Only" signs in America ... claiming it was a serious snafu and it regrets the error.

Here's what happened -- the university's Center for Social Justice & Inclusion hosted a Zoom session Tuesday called a "Non-POC Cafe" for students who don't identify as people of color to "gather and to discuss their experience" living as non-POC in the world.

At the same time, it also hosted a virtual cafe for Black, Indigenous and POC students from marginalized communities to gather on Zoom to do the same thing.

Naturally, people were outraged and called UM-Dearborn out for allowing apparent segregation on campus, or at the very least ... promoting exclusionary virtual events without thinking of the repercussions.

The college is owning up to it and apologizing now, saying the way it described the virtual events was "not clear and not reflective of the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion."

As for the thought-process behind the dual "cafes," UM-Dearborn claims it meant well ... but simply missed the mark in its delivery.

It says ... "The original intent was to provide students from marginalized communities a space that allowed for them to exist freely without having to normalize their lives and experiences, while also providing students that do not identify as persons of color the opportunity to deepen their understanding of race and racism without harming or relying on students of color to educate them."

Each session had a staff member as a facilitator and we're told a total of 8 students participated.

Ice Cube has a list of demands to help Black Americans that he feels needs to be addressed in order to get his vote ... and says both sides of the aisle want to, at least, hear what he's got to say.

We spoke to Cube Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and he elaborated on his "Contract with Black America" that he's been promoting these past few months ahead of the election. Bottom line ... he says he'll vote for whoever implements his ideas, even if it's President Trump.

Check it out ... for Cube, identity politics is gone, and he's only looking out for his people at this point -- telling us that if a candidate doesn't clearly explain what's in it for the Black community if they're elected, he doesn't see a point in voting for them.

Specifically, he says economics is a huge part of his agenda -- explaining that there needs to be a monumental shift in the wealth gap between Black people and everyone else.

Now, Cube says he's heard from Joe Biden's camp AND Trump's about his 'Contract' ... and insists there's nothing partisan about his demands.

There's also this ... he says Biden should not think for a second he has the Black vote locked up. Fact is, Trump is still in office and could roll some of these things out before November, which would go a long way for Cube, and possibly other voters.

It's a fascinating take, and Cube is determined to hold Trump and Biden's feet to the fire.

Kyle Rittenhouse shooting and killing 2 protesters with a semi-automatic rifle is just one of those stupid things all teens do ... at least that's Donald Trump Jr.'s absolutely shocking theory.

President Trump's oldest son shared that offensive take during an "Extra" interview with ex-'Bachelorette' star Rachel Lindsay ... who asked why his father still hasn't condemned Rittenhouse's actions.

Don Jr. says they're waiting for due process and don't want to jump to any conclusions -- which is ironic considering his dad does that all the time. Yet, he clearly defended the 17-year-old charged with 2 homicides.

Trump Jr. says if he puts himself in Rittenhouse's position ... "Maybe I shouldn't have been there. He's a young kid. I don't want 17-year-olds running around the street with AR-15s. Maybe I wouldn't have put myself in that situation, who knows. But, we all do stupid things at 17."

When Lindsay called him out for minimizing the incident, Don replied ... "Really stupid, fine."

The truth is ... Jr. and his daddy have no qualms whatsoever about condemning demonstrators against systemic racism and police brutality without getting all the facts straight. So, Don Jr.'s excuse for failing to condemn an alleged killer speaks volumes.

Colin Kaepernick is back in the NFL -- in the Madden '21 video game ... where he's now a playable QB with a higher rating than Cam Newton and Baker Mayfield.

"Colin Kaepernick is one of the top free agents in football and a starting caliber quarterback," EA Sports said in a statement.

"Our team at EA Sports along with millions of Madden NFL fans wanted to see him back in the game."

EA Sports says fans can use Colin as a QB in Franchise Mode -- and play with him starting Tuesday, Sept. 8.

We look forward to seeing Colin on Madden NFL teams.

We're told Colin's overall raying is an 81 -- a number EA says is based on Kap's "prior on the field performance, combined with our data-driven EA Sports rating simulations."

The company says the rating takes into account "he has not taken the field since 2016."

"When Kaepernick was a healthy starting quarterback he was rated 89, 89, 81 overall and known for his strong touchdown-to-interception ratio, mobility, and playoff performances."

There's more ... Kap also has a signature TD celebration -- a raised fist, which players can activate after a score.

EA also notes that Colin is the top-rated free agent QB in their game.

And, with his 81 rating, Kap ranks higher than Derek Carr,  Ryan Tannehill, Josh Allen and even Kyler Murray.

Kanye West is trying to meet with his political rivals ... Ye says he was denied a meeting with Bernie Sanders, and wants the opportunity to chat with Joe Biden.

Yeezy recently sat down with Nick Cannon for a segment on Nick's podcast, "Cannon's Class," and they started talking politics, and how Ye caught a ton of flak for meeting with Jared Kushner.

Kanye says the sit down with President Trump's son-in-law and trusted aid "ain't no secret meeting" ... and says he wanted a similar meeting with Bernie, but the former presidential candidate wouldn't grant one.

Now that Biden is the democratic nominee for prez, Kanye says he wants a power meeting with Joe and is willing to meet with any politician, regardless of their party.

Looks like the ball is in Biden's court here.

Suspended Reds announcer Thom Brennaman says he realizes the "incredible hurt" he caused when he used a homophobic slur on live TV ... and claims he has become a better person in the weeks following the incident.

Remember, the longtime play-by-play guy was calling a game against the KC Royals on August 19 when he was caught on a hot mic referring to an unnamed city as "one of the f** capitals of the world."

Brennaman later apologized mid-game ... and was quickly suspended from his Reds gig and dropped from his "NFL on FOX" role.

The 56-year-old spoke to the NY Post about the backlash he faced following the incident ... saying, "Believe me, I know there are a lot of people who are still very angry and I understand that."

Brennaman has vowed to become an ally for the LGBTQ community ... and has personally met with several groups to get a better understanding of the impact of hateful words.

"The realization of the incredible hurt that I’ve caused using that word has been breathtaking," Brennaman told the Post.

"It’s been absolutely amazing the amount of grace and forgiveness and support."

As for the reason behind using the anti-gay slur ... Brennaman says he has no idea why he said it or in what context.

"I couldn’t even tell you what happened, where it came from."

He added ... "Look, I said it is all that matters. The rest of it is irrelevant. I said it. And I own it. And I’m the one who has to live with it."

The NY Giants have officially cut ties with DeAndre Baker -- who's facing life in prison for his alleged role in an armed robbery.

The move was expected ever since Broward State Attorney Mike Satz announced prosecutors would be moving forward with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm against Baker stemming from a May 13 incident.

Baker was a star for the Georgia Bulldogs before being selected by the Giants with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was expected to compete for a starting job this season.

As we previously reported, Baker -- along with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar -- was arrested for allegedly robbing several people at gunpoint during a cookout in Miramar, FL.

Cops initially said ... witnesses told them Baker pulled out a semi-automatic firearm and directed Dunbar to start taking expensive watches and other valuables from people at the cookout.

Prosecutors later dropped ALL of the charges against Dunbar, but Baker has been formally charged with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm.

If convicted, Baker faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in state prison.

An alleged racist who flashed a provocative tattoo to a group of Latino men paid for it dearly within seconds ... getting the beat-down of his life.

Check out this brawl that went down in Vegas after a white man came face-to-face with a group of guys, one of whom accuses him of being a racist. It's unclear what exactly sparked the confrontation or the racism allegation ... but it looks like whatever was on his chest did it.

In any case, the fight is pretty crazy ... you see the white guy in question lift up his shirt to show off the ink on his chest -- hard to make out exactly what it says. It definitely offended the guys he was facing off against, 'cause one of them says, "You a racist, motherf***er?!"

That's when the punches start flying, and there even seems to be a very young man who gets in on the action to defending the white guy -- but he paid the price too, getting tossed down and punched.

In the end the white guy and his ally appeared to be laid out cold.

We've reached out to LVMPD to see if officers responded to this -- but on the face of it, this appears to be a simple case of ... someone talking smack and getting whooped on in public.