Controversial S#!T

File Under: Moguls Stick Together!!!

Diddy is throwing his support behind his friend, Jay-Z -- and clapping back at the haters who have been blasting Jay for getting into bed with the NFL.

As we previously reported, Jay and NFL commish Roger Goodell announced a partnership earlier this month -- where Roc Nation will head up music, entertainment and social justice efforts for the NFL.

Some went after Jay saying he turned his back on Colin Kaepernick after publicly supporting the QB in the past. Jay explained that he's trying to turn Colin's kneeling protest into a tangible change for people affected by police brutality.

Now, Diddy is going to bat for Jay too -- while continuing to show support for Colin as well.

"Hov is one of the greatest to ever do it, he has been there more than anybody from the hip hop culture, including me," Diddy said on social media.

"He always has been so selfless and fights for other people. We as a people can not be divided and conquered at this time!!"

As for Kap, Diddy said he's proud of the QB -- adding, "I’ll continue to support him in every way possible."

Diddy says he believes Jay will do some incredible things in his partnership with the NFL -- explaining, "It’s time to play chess not checkers."

Diddy also spelled out why he cares so much about Jay-Z's success.

"I was just watching everything last week but it hurt me to my heart because I know this man personally. He’s one of the most genuine and intelligent black leaders we’ve ever had. We cannot go against each other, there’s not enough of us. I applaud Jay Z and I applaud the NFL for bringing him in."

"This isn’t just about the NFL, it’s about how black and brown people are treated daily across this country. We have to come together and make the hard decisions, nobody is going to do it for us."

"I believe in taking action, taking steps towards the right direction and I support all my brothers that are out here taking ACTION."

If you stay ready, you don't have to GET ready ... and Colin Kaepernick looks ready!

The quarterback hit up a gym in New York City on Sunday to get his pump on ... just in case that phone rings from an NFL team.

Kap was sporting Nike head to toe -- the company has not only stuck by Colin, but has featured him in ad campaigns over the years.

Our Kap sources tell us Colin's been hitting the gym DAILY and working out with a QB coach regularly ever since he last stepped foot on an NFL field back in 2016.

Now, with Andrew Luck announcing his retirement on Saturday ... and other teams trying to figure out their quarterback situations, seems the timing could finally be right for a Colin Kaepernick comeback.

In fact, Colin's pal, Eric Reid, recently said he'd like to see Kap get a shot with the Carolina Panthers if (and only IF) Cam Newton is too injured to play after suffering a foot injury during a preseason game.

Reid stressed that he supports Cam and is rooting for Cam -- but says Kap would be an excellent Plan B.

Kaepernick has made it clear to friends and fans that he wants to keep playing football -- and recently debuted a counter on his social media pages showing the days he's been out of work.

Rob Gronkowski's retirement will end THIS SEASON ... so says ex-Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins, who tells TMZ Sports, "You heard it here first, he's going to be back this year!"

30-year-old Gronk famously hung up his spikes this past spring ... but there haven't been many people who have believed he's truly done with football.

Wiggins -- who's still plugged in with the Patriots -- says count him on the side that thinks Gronk's going to make a comeback ... telling us, "I would bet money -- at this point in time, I'm, like, 97% sure he's going to come back."

And, why? Jermaine thinks Rob is just going to miss playing too much to not eventually come walking back into Bill Belichick's locker room later this year.

"He loves the limelight," Wiggins says ... "And, what better way to keep continue to build the Gronk brand by being out on the field?"

As for how successful Gronk will be after such a long layoff from football, Wiggins says he thinks the future Hall of Famer will have no trouble getting back into form.

In fact, Wiggins tells us he thinks the time off will actually HELP Gronk!!

"Come on, man."

Ninja seems straight-up annoyed that Donald Trump would even hint video games are the problem when it comes to gun violence in America ... telling TMZ Sports that's just a ridiculous claim.

"Violence, it's not video games," the Fortnite legend says ... "It's just how it is, man."

Of course, No. 45 would strongly disagree ... after the tragic mass shootings in both Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas this month, Trump said, "We must stop the glorification of violence in our society."

"This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace."

28-year-old Ninja -- real name Tyler Blevins -- is one of the most famous gamers on the planet ... reeling in millions of viewers and even more dollars for playing in the virtual world.

And, when he was leaving Catch earlier this week, he let us know he thinks Trump's just flat-out wrong.

"Come on, man. Have you seen Minecraft? What's violent about Minecraft, bro? Nothing, man."

NYC radio legend Angie Martinez says she's got all the confidence in the world Jay-Z can change the NFL ... if people just give him time to get the job done.

Criticism of Hova is at an all-time high, with some people accusing him of selling out Colin Kaepernick by getting in bed with the NFL.

Not Angie ... she was IN THE ROOM when Jay and NFL Commish Roger Goodell took questions from the media earlier this month and says she came away believing the partnership will bare major fruit.

"I believe him being in the room and sitting at the table can change things in a big way."

When we asked if she thinks Jay taking a deal with the same league he'd criticized in the past is in any way hypocritical ... she couldn't have been clearer.

"I do not. That's my opinion. I understand why people could feel that way."

Angie - whose brand new TV show "Untold Stories Of Hip Hop" debuts this Fall -- says she's not sure if Jay will push for Kap to get an NFL job, but having a seat at the table with NFL honchos can't hurt.

"I think that would be phenomenal. I don't think one excludes the other, but if both happen we should have a party in the streets!"

April Ryan is going on TV this weekend to explain how and why a reporter was allegedly roughed up by her security this month, but we've learned she's denying responsibility.

Sources close to the White House correspondent and CNN contributor tell TMZ ... April insists that she did NOT give her security the go-ahead to remove, let alone get physical with, New Jersey reporter Charlie Kratovil a few weeks ago at an event she was speaking at.

Unfortunately, it appears that's exactly what went down ... and it got ugly fast.

On August 3, the New Brunswick Today journo told cops that April's bodyguard, Joel Morris, snatched his phone away from him while he was recording April's remarks at the Heldrich Hotel, and then twisted his wrist in an attempt to get him outta there.

April took to social media Saturday, teasing her appearance on CNN Sunday ... where she'll presumably tell her side of the story about the dust-up.

The whole thing was partially captured on Kratovil's smartphone camera, and you can hear what sounds like a physical confrontation. Before that though, you see Kratovil recording April come up to the podium -- where she's addressing some politicos -- but gets interrupted by Morris, whom we're told whispered to her, "Ms. Ryan, stop talking."

She does, giving him a head nod at the same time, and then stands up there silently while her guard walks over to the reporter. It's all downhill from there ... watch.

Our April sources tell us that the reason she stopped talking is because she and her team have a strict policy on people recording her speak in public, to avoid having her words taken out of context. We're told Kratovil was NOT pre-approved to film her here.

It should be noted -- in the police report filed by Kratovil, obtained by TMZ, he told cops he'd been invited to the event by a PR person who wasn't on hand to confirm or deny.

As for why she even has security with her in the first place, well ... she gave us the rundown on that back in November, after she'd received multiple threats on her life.

Anyway, our sources tell us April is doubling down on the fact she didn't sign off on how Kratovil was handled, as she's a huge advocate for First Amendment rights. BTW, Kratovil has a history of filming confrontational encounters for NBT ... it's kinda his thing.

Morris was ultimately booked for assault, harassment and theft, and he'll reportedly be arraigned next month. Either way, we're told he no longer works for April.

We've reached out to Charlie Kratovil for comment ... so far, no word back.

Desmond Howard learned a new rule in 2019 -- you can't quote Dave Chappelle as much as we used to ... especially on a Disney-owned network, at a Disney-owned park.

The former Heisman winner and NFL kick returner -- who's since become a TV analyst -- was on ESPN Saturday talkin' college football with Rece Davis and other broadcasters ... when he invoked a line from an old "Chappelle's Show" skit that caught immediate backlash.

The line -- in response to Rece asking if his alma mater, University of Michigan, could beat Ohio State -- went like this ... "Is Desmond Howard gonna have to choke a bitch?"

Funny, right? WRONG!!! At least that's what a ton of people watching had to say about it soon after. And, apparently, the ESPN honchos thought so too ... 'cause Des apologized.

He came back on the air later and flat-out said sorry if he offended anybody.

Des also tweeted about the incident, saying he didn't realize the joke was so obscure. Of course, he's referring to the line Wayne Brady dropped on a classic 'CS' episode, when he poses the same question to a prostitute during a 'Training Day'-esqe sketch.

Des later posted a clip that aired on ESPN in 2014, in which a commentator also made reference to the famous line. Problem is ... it's 2019, not 2014 -- and definitely not 2004. Also, Des works for ESPN (which Disney owns) and he said this at Disney World. Bad mix!!!

To make matters even more murky, Wayne Brady himself responded to the incident, showing support to Des and thanking him for the fandom. But, Wayne also said, "Choke who you wanna choke, have fun, and I'm a big fan of yours too." That raised eyebrows as well.

When ya mess with bull, ya get the horns ... right in the balls.

That's the lesson decorated matador Paco Urena learned when he stepped into the Vista Alegre bullfighting arena this week at the Semana Grande Fair in Bilbao, Spain ... where he ended up with a crotch full of horn.

OLE!!!!!!

Unclear how badly Urena was injured in the incident -- but it seems like his man-junk survived because there are photos showing Paco proudly showing off the bull's ears as trophies.

As you probably know ... the bulls are mercilessly tortured and killed during the fights. As you can see, Urena was wielding a sword during the fight, with the intention of stabbing the bull through the heart so it can die fast. But, that rarely happens because the bull doesn't want to die!

So, what ends up happening is a bloody, painful, torturous exhibition in front of thousands of screaming blood-thirsty fans ... but hey, TRADITION RIGHT?!?

Sean Spicer says he's not bothered by the haters who don't want him on "Dancing With The Stars" ... but there's still one way to push his buttons ... his shopping trip to Spanx!!!

We got President Trump's first press secretary Friday at Reagan National Airport in D.C. and he was downright giddy about appearing in the upcoming season of 'DWTS' ... saying he doesn't care that tons of people think he's too politically polarizing for the show.

As you know ... 'DWTS' host Tom Bergeron blasted the decision to bring Sean aboard, as did "Grey's Anatomy" showrunner Krista Vernoff.

Sean was super smiley as our guy asked about his willingness to wear the crazy costumes ... telling us he's down to bring back his infamous Easter Bunny outfit -- one of his first White House gigs -- and anything else producers throw at him.

It's kinda funny ... Sean was walking out of a Spanx store when we got him ... and ya gotta see his demeanor switch when the convo shifts to shapewear.

Spanx for being such a good sport, Sean!!!

Tom Green's is no laughing mood over a Jimmy Kimmel prank, because he did the same thing years ago ... and got ripped off without even a shout-out.

The comedian just shared a salty video on his Instagram, ripping Kimmel for stealing his decades-old bit where he paints his parents' house while they're out of town ... except Jimmy's target was his aunt.

As Tom sarcastically asks, "Wonder where ya got that idea?!"

Green accuses Jimmy of blatantly ripping him off and refers to him as a joke thief, and seems pretty exasperated over TV shows swiping his old ideas and using them as their own.

He doesn't list other examples, but it sure looks like he has a pretty strong case here. Of course, Jimmy actually pulled this prank on his aunt in 2010 ... he just shared again for #throwbackthursday.

Still, Tom points out when stand-up comics get caught stealing jokes, they get crucified ... and he's miffed Kimmel seems to be getting a pass.

The good news -- for Jimmy -- is Tom says he's a fan and offers a way for Kimmel to make it up to him ... just give him some freakin' credit.

Or, if he really wants to make it right ... perhaps Jimmy can let Tom put his bum on his lips.

Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton will NOT be punished by the NBA ... after the league investigated claims he sexually assaulted a female reporter.

Walton was accused of forcing himself on former L.A. Lakers reporter Kelli Tennant in a Santa Monica hotel room back in 2014.

5 years later, Tennant filed a lawsuit against the head coach ... which sparked an NBA and Kings investigation.

The Kings and the NBA released a joint statement on Friday, announcing there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations.

"On April 22, 2019, Ms. Tennant filed a civil lawsuit against Coach Walton and, on April 23, held a press conference in which she described claims of sexual assault, verbal and physical harassment, and unwanted physical contact over a three-year period. Two days later, the Kings and the NBA commenced an investigation."

"The investigatory team was led by Sue Ann Van Dermyden, from the Sacramento law firm Van Dermyden Maddux, and Elizabeth Maringer, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of the NBA."

The statement continues ..."During the investigation, more than twenty individuals were interviewed, including Coach Walton, and numerous documents and other relevant materials were reviewed."

"The investigators made repeated attempts to interview Ms. Tennant, but, through her counsel, she declined the opportunity to participate. The investigation is considered closed unless new evidence becomes available."

The civil suit is still active ... and is set to go to trial late next year.

Luke Walton -- who was never arrested or charged with a crime -- has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

Ex-Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins says it's PAINFULLY OBVIOUS Eric Reid's late hit on Ben Watson on Thursday was dirty as hell ... and warns Reid that payback's a bitch!

Reid blasted Watson in the head during the 1st quarter of the Carolina vs. New England preseason game on Thursday after Watson was already down by contact.

The hit came days after Watson had criticized Reid on Twitter for ripping the NFL's Players Coalition over the NFL's deal with Jay-Z ... and some people think Reid was gunning to hurt the guy.

After the game, Reid DENIED intentionally targeting Watson and claimed he didn't even know about Watson's tweets ... insisting the hit was the result of an overzealous play.

When we spoke with Wiggins -- who won a Super Bowl with New England in 2001 -- he told us the play was obviously dirty.

"There was definitely a little extra BBQ sauce on that rib that he was trying to go after!"

Wiggins says he can't be sure Reid was looking to hurt Watson, but tells us the defensive back is LUCKY the teams don't play during the regular season.

"Carolina, luckily for them they don't have New England on their schedule because there might be a little bit of payback coming his way."

Vic Mensa straight-up says that, in Donald Trump's world of extreme capitalism, everything's for sale ... including people's lives.

The rapper made a passionate plea for gun control, telling TMZ ... this country's long overdue, but says it'll never happen under a president that's in bed with the NRA -- a billion-dollar industry. Strong words from a gun owner himself who also has a concealed carry permit.

Vic blasts Trump for feigning interest in doing something about gun control following consecutive mass shootings in Texas and Ohio earlier this month ... only to pull a bait and switch, saying mental health reform -- not background checks -- is the answer.

Jay-Z's ex-business-partner-turned-nemesis, Damon Dash, claims the mogul's new NFL partnership has exposed him as a backstabber who "ain't s**t!"

Dame fired that brutal shot while talking to Adam22 on the No Jumper podcast. Dash, who started Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay, was asked about Jermaine Dupri's claim Jay talked him out of making the very same deal with the NFL that Jay just made (which JD's walked back a bit).

Dash said matter of factly, "If you ask anyone in the industry, it's a common knowledge that Jay ain't s**t." He added, "He's about the bag. We all know that. He's self-preserving. Period."

Now, full context ... Dame's beef with Jay goes back to the fall of Roc-A-Fella records. He claims Jay left him out in the cold and caused the label's collapse. So, Dame taking the shot isn't all that surprising.

However, of all the criticism Jay-Z's taken since announcing he's partnering with the NFL -- while Colin Kaepernick's still frozen out of the league -- Dame's is the most scathing.

The late Stan Lee -- who co-created 'Spider-Man' -- would've been happy over the news that Sony pumped the brakes on giving Disney control of his character ... so says his daughter.

Sony's move to limit control over 'Spider-Man' -- and potentially remove the superhero entirely from Disney's Marvel Comic Universe -- is one that was necessary and something Stan would have appreciated ... so says his daughter, Joan Celia (JC) Lee.

ICYMI ... reports surfaced Tuesday that Sony and Disney reached a standstill in negotiating Spidey's future under Disney's umbrella, including any 'Avengers' spin-offs/sequels. Insiders told Deadline it was all about money ... Disney wanted a 50/50 stake in 'Spider-Man'-related revenue, and also wanted Marvel honcho Kevin Feige to be the guiding hand.

Welp, Sony was reportedly not too down with that -- they own the rights to 'Spider-Man,' and until now had partnered with Disney to crank out these last few films. That's all over now.

As for how the Lees feel about it, JC tells us ... "Marvel and Disney seeking total control of my father's creations must be checked and balanced by others who, while still seeking to profit, have genuine respect for Stan Lee and his legacy." AKA ... cameos don't cut it.

She goes on ... "Whether it's Sony or someone else's, the continued evolution of Stan's characters and his legacy deserves multiple points of view."

“When my father died, no one from Marvel or Disney reached out to me. From day one, they have commoditized my father’s work and never shown him or his legacy any respect or decency.”

JC's parting words ... "In the end, no one could have treated my father worse than Marvel and Disney's executives."

Ouch!!!

Well this is fun ... jumping on what people are calling the Holocoaster ... smack in the heart of Germany.

Seriously, it's like if Hitler designed Magic Mountain ... in this case an amusement park featuring an attraction called Eagle's Flight. It's a thrill ride with 8 eagle-shaped cars ... each connected at a right angle to a central axis. Yep, dead ringer for 2 giant, rotating swastikas.

Just like the German army, the coaster was eventually shut down ... after the park owner said he never really noticed the resemblance between his ride and the iconic Nazi symbol. Yeah, Reich.