Controversial S#!T

Ty Lue getting fired is actually a GOOD THING ... so says NBA champ Dahntay Jones, who tells TMZ Sports the coach is better off with a new team, hopefully a legit contender.

Lue is currently unemployed after the Cavs started the season 0-6 ... and, while some say the team did him dirty after 3 straight NBA Finals appearances, Jones sees it differently.

"I think it could be a positive thing for him," Jones says. "He knows how to lead stars, lead veterans and lead a team that's trying to go towards a championship that has a chance to win a championship."

Currently, with Kevin Love out for about a month ... the team has turned to rookie Collin Sexton and 2nd-year pro Cedi Osman. Jones thinks it's just not the right roster for Ty's skill set.

"He's best with teams that are already built and ready to win a championship."

Dana White says he wishes nothing but the best for Demetrious Johnson now that he's leaving UFC for another MMA promotion -- and tells TMZ Sports he hopes DJ finally gets the respect he deserves from fans.

The UFC worked out a trade with ONE Championship -- in which Johnson will leave UFC and in exchange, ONE has sent over their welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Johnson was a beast during his UFC run -- breaking the record for the most title defenses -- but he was never the pay-per-view draw a fighter of his caliber could have been.

We asked White how DJ would be remembered in the UFC -- and he told us, "I feel like he never really got the love and respect he deserved from the fans."

White added, "I don't know if he was always thrilled being here, so hopefully, he's a lot happier where he's headed now."

As for Ben Askren -- who's undefeated, 18-0 as a pro fighter -- everyone wants to know who he'll get first in the UFC.

"We're still working on it," White says ... noting, "He's definitely gonna fight somebody in the Top 5."

So, who's in the Top 5 in the UFC's welterweight division -- guys like Colby Covington, Darren Till, Rafael dos Anjos, Stephen Thompson and Robbie Lawler.

Tyron Woodley is the UFC's welterweight champ -- but he and Askren are good buddies and it seems like they're not looking to fight each other anytime soon.

President Trump's call for arming synagogues after the mass shooting in Pittsburgh really is NOT a crazy idea ... so says Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, one of the country's most prominent Jewish leaders.

Shmuley -- who's been dubbed "America's Rabbi" and a rabbi to the stars -- tells us he completely agrees with DT's suggestion that armed security should be in place at places of worship after a gunman killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue Saturday.

There's a catch though, according to Shmuley. He says beefing up security at synagogues across the U.S.A. ain't gonna be cheap, and Uncle Sam's gotta chip in to make it happen.

Even more troubling ... he tells us synagogues everywhere are already considering moves to protect themselves in the wake of the anti-Semitic attack. He goes on to condemn social media posts made by the suspected shooter, Robert Bowers, illustrating his hatred of Jews.

Another head coach just got the axe in Cleveland -- Hue Jackson has been fired by the Browns after the team racked up its 5th loss of the season.

The 53-year-old has been the head coach of the Browns since 2016 -- but they've been historically TERRIBLE ever since he took over ... 3-36-1 over the last 3 seasons.

Of course, the team went 0-16 last year but had expected big things after bringing on studs like Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry and others this season.

But, it ain't working out -- the Browns are 2-5-1 this season and things look bad.

Now, Jackson is out (as first reported by Adam Schefter) ... and the Browns are once again a team in dismay.

Bad Fun Fact -- when it comes to career winning percentage, Jackson ranks 218th out of 219 coaches in NFL history who've coached at least 40 games in their career.

Not good.

Ty Lue is getting some love from the Rivers family -- Doc and Austin -- with Doc even saying he'd be down to hire the fired Cavs coach if he doesn't land on his feet.

Lue got his walking papers from Cleveland this weekend after a 0-6 start -- but a lot of people around the league think he got done dirty.

So, when we saw Doc and Austin at Craig's Sunday night, we asked how they felt about Lue.

Austin's never played for Ty but says he's got a ton of respect for him -- based on what he's seen and heard from other big stars in the league.

"Ty's a great dude. He's a good coach," Austin said ... "Whoever gets him will be lucky."

He added, "Heard a lot of great things about him so I think he'll be fine."

By the way, Austin and the Washington Wizards were in town to play the Clippers, coached by his father, Doc.

Jermaine Dupri says artists like Jay-Z and Rihanna, who've boycotted the Super Bowl, have it all wrong ... because they missed out on an opportunity to promote their cause on the biggest stage.

Rihanna reportedly turned down the halftime show this year and Hov told the NFL to kick rocks last year, all because both artists have MAJOR issues with the league's treatment of Colin Kaepernick.

The Super Bowl is in ATL this year ... Dupri's stomping grounds ... and he tells TMZ Sports he thinks the platform of the Super Bowl is more valuable than a boycott.

"Boycotts and marches don't seem like they work to me, I'm sorry. I think they should send a message while they're onstage, take advantage of your platform."

Dupri says it's totally cool NOT to do the Super Bowl in protest as well, but makes it clear that further conversation does more good than ignoring it.

Abby Wambach says FIFA's decision to double the prize money for the Women's World Cup is good -- but it's still FAR less from what the men are getting ... AND THAT'S NOT OKAY!!!

We spotted the Team USA soccer legend at LAX hours after the FIFA Council announced the move to increase the prize pool from $15 million to $30 million next year.

The women's champion will now get $4 million from that pool -- while the men's champs (France) just got $38 MILLION from a $400 million prize pool.

"We still got a lot of work to do," Wambach tells TMZ Sports ... "It's like a Band-Aid. They need to pay the women equally."

"The mission of FIFA isn't just to grow the men's game. It's to grow the game of football worldwide."

11:52 AM PT-- During a DOJ press conference, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Sayoc has been charged with 5 federal crimes -- interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former Presidents, threatening interstate communication and assaulting current and former federal officers. If convicted, Sayoc faces up to 58 years in prison.

FBI director Chris Wray said, after the FBI's initial analysis, "They found a latent fingerprint from one of the envelopes sent to Congresswoman Maxine Waters," adding that Sayoc's DNA was also linked to multiple packages delivered. "These are not hoax devices," Wray said.

NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill later said there might be more packages that have yet to be delivered, and encouraged the public to take caution.

10:43 AM PT -- Sayoc was arrested in 2002 for threatening to blow up Florida Power & Light utilities company and said, "It would be worse than September 11th" ... according to Miami PD records. He also threatened to harm the employee who was on the phone if they cut off his electricity.

He was charged with phone bomb threats, and eventually sentenced to one year probation.

10:35 AM PT -- Sayoc was in handcuffs as heavily armed law enforcement officers took him into custody.

Also, Chippendales tells us Sayoc was working for a knockoff company ... not the real Chippendales.

9:05 AM PT -- Our law enforcement sources confirm the suspect's name is Cesar A. Sayoc, a 56-year-old from Aventura, FL ... and he has an extensive criminal history.

We found this image of him wearing a MAGA hat from 2016. We know he attended at least one Trump rally that year.

In 2014, Sayoc was on probation for battery and grand theft, and requested permission to travel due to his job as a road manager for Chippendales, International Gold Productions and Cesar Palace Royale Burlesque Show.

8:45 AM PT -- President Trump just addressed the crowd about the arrest of the suspect.

This close-up image of one side of the van shows images with crosshairs over Hillary Clinton, Michael Moore, CNN's Van Jones ... and many more. There are also several positive images of the President and VP Mike Pence.

Federal authorities have nabbed a suspect for the rash of explosive devices sent this week to President Trump's political foes ... TMZ has confirmed.

The man was arrested Friday morning in Plantation, FL ... and law enforcement swarmed around a vehicle believed to belong to the suspect. The van is covered with political stickers ... including images of the President.

Jason Derulo pulled the plug on his concert in Prague Thursday night after his tour manager determined the structural integrity of the stage was not up to snuff, and we're told a lawsuit may be brewing.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ, Jason was scheduled to perform at the Tipsport Arena and, after arriving at the venue, Jason's tour manager approached him and said he had serious concerns over the stage that could have compromised the safety of him, the dancers and fans.

They made a decision to cancel, which angered a number of fans who didn't understand the problem.

Jason tried to do a make good on a balcony outside the arena by singing a bunch of songs -- we're told it was close to his full set -- with only a mic.

Megyn Kelly's spectacular fall at NBC will NOT affect the movie about Roger Ailes that features her ... because we're told her character as written is "very flawed" and consistent with what people know.

Sources connected with the production tell TMZ, Megyn's character, played by Charlize Theron, will not be rewritten in the wake of her racially insensitive comment that ultimately did her in at the Peacock network.

We've spoken with people who have read the script and they say Megyn is not portrayed as a hero in the story of FNC honcho Roger Ailes and a pattern of sexual harassment that went on for years.

We're told the script for the movie -- with the working title, "Fair and Balanced," showcases Megyn as "ambitious, hard-working and not highly intelligent." It's unclear from the script if her character is self-serving or righteous.

Kelly has said, during her tenure at FNC, Ailes tried to physically grab her and make out with her. She has said Ailes made lewd jokes and sexually suggestive comments to her. She says after repeatedly rebuffing his overtures, he asked her when her contract was up. Kelly never gave in and kept her job.

We're told Kelly's character does not come off as "an Erin Brockovich." She doesn't come off as a hero or, as one person who read the script said, "It's not like you say, 'Oh my God I love that girl!'"

Ronda Rousey tells TMZ Sports ... pulling out of the WWE event in Saudi Arabia would be the WRONG move, because there is SO much good that can ultimately come from it.

And she's so passionate about the event, she was fighting back tears while making her point.

The WWE superstar was out in NYC promoting Sunday's all-female Pay-Per-View event 'Evolution' -- and explaining the cultural impact it can have ... when we naturally segued into the Saudi Arabia event.

Several politicians and other high powered people have been calling for Vince McMahon to postpone the event in the wake of the Jamal Khashoggi murder and alleged Saudi cover up.

But, Ronda tells us she supports the decision to move forward with 'Crown Jewel' on Nov. 2nd in Riyadh -- based on previous experience as an athlete who's competed internationally.

"I’m a 2-time Olympian, so I’m an idealist when it comes to sports," Ronda says ... while explaining how she bonded with a boxer from Iraq while the U.S. was at war with his country.

"Nowhere else in the world would some man from Iraq and a little girl from Venice Beach be respecting each other and sharing space. And, I think that sports is where we really find that common ground with each other."

"And, I think that pulling out of the 'Crown Jewel' would be the wrong move because I think that this is an opportunity to be able to share our cultures, and to define what we have in common and in times especially when, you know, times of adversity between two countries that’s the absolute wrong time to be able to pull away."

"I think that’s the time for us to be able to find what we have in common and be able to understand each other more."

Derek Carr says he ain't bothered by all the crap people are saying about him in the media -- in fact, he LOVES it -- claiming it'll make him a BETTER player when it's all said and done.

The Raiders QB has been under fire in the media after going 1-5 and not exactly looking like the world-beater many people thought they'd be this season.

There's trade rumors. There's talk that his teammates think he's a crybaby. But, Carr told JT the Brick it's all a bunch of crap made up by hating ass haters.

"The amount of texts that I received yesterday, people hitting me up former teammates, a whole bunch of teammates obviously that are on the team now saying, 'Don't worry about this crap man, we got your back.'"

Carr says a lot of people are making up stories about him that are simply not true -- but Carr says that's just what happens when ya lose.

In the end, Carr says the struggle will make him better.

"A lot of people don't like going through tough times, but I tell you what, I love it. I actually embrace it."

"I think the people that can get through those times, the people that can still be the same person as they go through those times, those are the ones that make it out better."

Meghan Markle's drop-dead-gorgeous looks are having unintended consequences for a writer, who claims PBS NewsHour canned him due to a comment he made about the Duchess' looks.

Hugh Heckman, an award-winning newswriter, is suing over his firing. In docs, obtained by TMZ, he says on November 25, 2017, a female coworker sitting 20 feet from his desk complained to her boss after hearing him say "not bad" in reference to a photo of Meghan they were using for a story.

He says another female employee overheard and chimed in, "Haven't you learned?"

Heckman says he was embarrassed because he didn't mean it in a sexual way, and only wanted to convey he thought Meghan "possessed charm and beauty and was a suitable match for her fiance."

He says 2 days later he was fired. In the suit, Heckman says he heard the same 2 female coworkers once call Justin Trudeau "hot," but they were not fired. He's pissed about what he calls an obvious double standard at PBS NewsHour.

Heckman is suing for wrongful termination based on gender. We've reached out to PBS NewsHour ... so far no word back.

Megyn Kelly will NOT be back on the air at NBC after her blackface remark, barring a major miracle ... TMZ has confirmed.

"Megyn Kelly Today" aired a repeat on Thursday morning, 2 days after she uncorked the absurd comment that it's okay to wear blackface at Halloween. Sources connected to the network tell us unless a Hail Mary is thrown and caught at some point today ... Megyn is gone for good.

The split with NBC comes the day after Megyn's emotional on-air apology where she insisted she'd learned a lesson due to the backlash.

The mea culpa was clearly a case of too little, too late for the Peacock ... which, to be honest, had issues with Megyn's show even before the blackface blowup. Translation: the ratings were terrible. They'd dropped more than 30 percent, year-to-year, in her time slot.

Another NBC source tells us it didn't help that Megyn's co-workers "hated" being on air with her. One specific example was during coverage of Dr. Christine Ford's testimony -- Megyn was part of the panel with Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd.

We're told the other anchors and correspondents felt Megyn was way too bluntly conservative on air. Andrea eventually left the panel, mid-coverage.

The divorce -- which, we're told is more mutual than a firing -- isn't shaping up to be quick and easy. Daily Mail, which first reported Megyn's ouster, says she's hired high-powered attorney Bryan Freedman who's scheduled a sit-down with NBC ... no doubt to discuss the terms of her departure. She has a $69 million contract.

Megyn's talent agency, CAA, also dropped her.

NBC's already said it's airing another repeat of her show on Friday.

As for what happens Monday? Stay tuned ...

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan tells TMZ Sports ... WWE is making the RIGHT move pushing forward with the Saudi Arabia show -- explaining, "You can't shut down a whole operation over a horrible incident.

Vince McMahon's company announced Thursday the 'Crown Jewel' event in Riyadh will proceed as planned on Nov. 2 ... despite pressure to postpone after the murder of reporter Jamal Khashoggi.

But, Duggan says even though Khashoggi's death is a tragedy -- the WWE legend doesn't blame Vince for not scrapping the "huge business opportunity."

Duggan also believes the Khashoggi incident is relatively minor compared to other things happening in that region of the world.

"You can't hold the rest of the world to our values ... and what happens over there happens over there," Hacksaw says.

"If you're gonna start picking and choosing things, you won't be able to go anywhere. There's something everywhere negative."

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi -- a favorite target of Donald Trump for years -- seems to concede she's on a list of possible targets for the bomber, but she says she's used to it.

We got Pelosi Wednesday night in WeHo leaving Craig's, and her tone was noticeably subdued and conciliatory. She's not putting the blame for the bombings squarely at Trump's doorstep, but she's clear as she can be ... the President's rhetoric has stoked the coals of division and hatred in this country.