Controversial S#!T

Myles Garrett is officially done for the season ... and perhaps even longer.

The Cleveland Browns superstar was banned indefinitely by the NFL after he attacked Mason Rudolph with the Steelers QB's helmet at the end of "Thursday Night Football" last week.

But, the 23-year-old met with league officials Wednesday (in his swaggiest blue outfit) with the hopes of getting the suspension reduced.

Turns out, the NFL wasn't buying what Garrett was selling ... and upheld the ban -- saying Garrett is still barred from the league for all of this season and maybe some of next.

"[Appeals officer James Thrash] has upheld all discipline issued to Myles Garrett," the league said in a statement.

It's a huge loss for the Browns ... Garrett was considered a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 10 sacks in 10 games.

It's also a big financial bummer for Myles ... the former No. 1 overall pick was slated to make $4.6 MILLION this season, but because of the suspension, he'll lose over $1 MILLION of that.

For his part, Garrett did apologize for the Rudolph altercation ... but ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Myles claimed the whole thing started because Rudolph hurled a racial slur at him.

Rudolph, through his attorney, has ADAMANTLY denied that accusation.

James Wiseman is getting support from a Presidential candidate -- with Andrew Yang saying it's "so bogus" for the NCAA to hit him with a $11,500 "fine" for accepting a loan.

"Oh my gosh, come on! Let James Wiseman freaking play," Yang tells TMZ Sports ... "We should be paying NCAA athletes on the regular instead of cutting them off!"

As we previously reported, the NCAA has suspended the Memphis basketball superstar for 12 games and told him he "must donate $11,500 to a charity of his choice."

The money part of the punishment is what's really pissing people off because Wiseman isn't allowed to accept cash gifts from people or he'll forfeit his amateur status ... and how the hell is a college kid with a full-time hoops obligation gonna make that kind of money??

"I feel for James Wiseman," Yang says ... "Happily, he's still gonna wind up a Top 5, Top 10 pick in the NBA Draft so it's gonna be okay for him but he should still be on the court right now playing."

Wiseman's family admitted to accepting an $11,500 loan from Penny Hardaway back in 2017 so they could pay for moving expenses to attend a prominent Tennessee high school.

The NCAA considered Hardaway to be a booster because he had previously donated $1 million to Memphis in 2008.

Hardaway was hired to be the head basketball coach at Memphis in 2018.

Other high-profile stars have rallied for Wiseman -- including ex-NBA player David West who told TMZ Sports the suspension is total B.S.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg was strong on the debate stage Wednesday night, but the glow of success clearly doesn't translate into dance moves ... at least not by the candidate himself.

The Iowa and New Hampshire frontrunner rolled up to Paschal's soul food restaurant in ATL Thursday morning, and he told our photog he embraces the dance that has become a mantra of sorts for the campaign ... saying it's a symbol of joy. The dance is set to Panic! at the Disco's, "High Hopes."

That said, when our photog asked Pete to step up and dance, he put his foot down, but not to bust a move. He confessed his shortcoming and made it clear ... dancing in the street -- or anywhere else -- was out of the question.

Martin Luther King III says he expects there to be significant movement in the numbers after the latest Democratic debate, but based on his recap ... that movement won't be positive for Joe Biden.

We got MLK3 at Tyler Perry Studios after the 10 candidates duked it out onstage Wednesday night in Atlanta, and he heaped praise on more than half of them.

King III tells us he thought Cory Booker and Kamala Harris particularly stood out, Mayor Pete wasn't too shabby and he's always interested to hear what Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have to say. Andrew Yang got some props too.

Do the math, and that leaves out Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer and of course ... the former Vice President and one of the favorites to land the nomination, Biden.

The snub's not a big surprise, though ... Joe had a pretty rough night. He came out on the losing end of a couple big moments, including a pot shot from Booker about Biden's resistance to the legalization of marijuana.

MLK's son touched on that subject as well, mostly echoing Booker's message ... but did concede that Biden's insistence on doing more research on the subject isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Speaking of bad things -- Joe had another snafu while addressing violence against women by making a very poor choice of words ... and failing to recognize his mistake.

Diddy is calling out one of his biggest business partners -- potentially risking his own neck -- in order to take a stand in a Supreme Court case that will effect discrimination laws for all Americans.

Diddy's pissed off at Comcast, because the cable provider used his name and REVOLT channel as an example of how inclusive it is of minority-owned channels. Comcast is being sued by Byron Allen, who claims it refuses to carry his channels ... while it airs "lesser-known, white-owned" networks.

The case is now being heard in the high court, and when Comcast puffed its chest by using Diddy, the mogul had enough. Diddy says, "It is not accurate to use my name or my network as an example of inclusion." He adds, the cable company is putting "its legal tactics ahead of the rights of millions of Americans to be heard. This is not OK."

In the simplest terms ... Comcast wants the Supreme Court to rule that under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Byron must prove racial discrimination is the "sole cause" for it rejecting his channels.

As Diddy points out, "If they [Comcast] are successful, it will become much harder for any victim of discrimination to seek justice in court."

Beyond the Supreme Court case ... Diddy's making it clear he's not thrilled with this biz relationship with Comcast, anyway. He says, "REVOLT has never been in a position to truly compete on a fair playing field because it has not received the economic and distribution support necessary for real economic inclusion. Our relationship with Comcast is the illusion of economic inclusion"

Black people would've boycotted the Harriet Tubman movie back in the day if a studio exec got his wish for Julia Roberts to play the legendary abolitionist ... so says Harriet's relative.

Harriet's great-great-great-grandniece, Tina Wyatt, tells TMZ ... the movie would've been blacklisted in the black community because it would've been a slap in the face, and utterly disrespectful if Julia were cast to play the black woman who helped free countless slaves.

As you know ... screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard claims a Hollywood exec listened to his movie pitch for a Tubman project more than 25 years ago and told the room Julia should play Harriet. Howard says someone pointed out the fact Tubman was black and Roberts was white, and the exec said it was so long ago no one would know the difference.

Harriet's relative says it's insulting the exec would think black people would be so ignorant as to not know their own history.

The father of Eva Marcille's 5-year-old daughter says his black skin made him a target before he got into a courthouse scuffle with cops ... and he's going to sue their asses because he got hurt.

We broke the story ... the 'RHOA' star's baby daddy, Kevin McCall Jr., was arrested earlier this month at the Justice Center Tower in Fulton County, GA after he refused to stop recording video on his phone, and an effort to detain him allegedly led to a sergeant falling down an escalator.

McCall claims he got injured in the chaos too ... but he has a bigger issue with what led to the altercation in the first place -- he thinks he was singled out because he's black.

It's an interesting allegation because according to the Instagram Live video he shared before his alleged physical confrontation with cops ... the officer who told him to quit FaceTiming is black too.

Regardless, McCall believes the fact the cop specifically said "FaceTiming" supports his theory he was targeted ... it's unclear how. He also offers up some excuses why things went south for him at the courthouse ... and why he didn't help deescalate the situation -- no pun intended.

As we told you ... McCall was in court to fight for custody of his and Eva's daughter, Marley Rae, but instead ended up in jail and booked on 5 charges. He's facing 4 misdemeanors and one felony count of criminal damage to property in the 2nd degree.

Gordon Sondland has wrapped up his bombshell impeachment testimony in D.C., but he's not worried about a hostile work environment ... he was just eager to get outta Dodge.

We caught the U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Wednesday after he pretty much rolled over on everyone in the Trump administration -- including DT himself -- by saying that despite Donald's protestations of "no quid pro quo" with Ukraine ... there absolutely was.

As the U.S. diplomat -- who works for 45 -- was on his way to his plane at Dulles International Airport, we wanted to know if he was concerned about going back to work now that he's blown the whistle on his boss.

Check it out ... Sondland tells us he's ready to get back to the grind, and that all of his coworkers from across the pond -- and, presumably, here at home in the State Dept. -- still talk to him, suggesting there's no worries with what he just said in front of Congress.

He doesn't seem stressed about any repercussions, including possibly being fired. Then we try asking him an interesting question about what he'll do on the flight back.

There's whitewashing in Hollywood, and then there's this -- a studio exec thought it would be a good idea for Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman ... according to the writer of the NEW film, "Harriet."

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard says the ridiculous scene went down more than 25 years ago in a pitch meeting about the Tubman project. Howard says the exec told the room ... "This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman."

Roberts was widely considered America's Sweetheart at the time after starring in a string of hits like "Steel Magnolias," "Pretty Woman" and "The Pelican Brief."

Howard says when someone pointed out to the studio exec that Tubman was black and Roberts shouldn't play the role, he replied ... "It was so long ago. No one is going to know the difference."

Thankfully, the Hollywood honcho didn't get his way, and flash forward to 2019 ... Howard's movie about the legendary abolitionist who led hundreds of slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad is finally in theaters.

Of course, the casting of black British actress Cynthia Erivo was also criticized ... because she's not African-American. Can't please everybody.

Charles Barkley says there's "no excuse" for saying he would "hit" a female political reporter -- but insists the whole thing was an attempted joke gone bad.

Axios reporter Alexi McCammond says she was talking with the NBA legend about who he's supporting in the upcoming Presidential election ... and that's when he said, "I don’t hit women, but if I did I would hit you."

Here's the backstory ... McCammond says Barkley was initially explaining why he supported Gov. Deval Patrick -- former 2-term gov. of Mass. -- but then changed up and said he was supporting Pete Buttigieg.

When McCammond questioned him about the switch, Barkley allegedly made the comment about hitting her.

McCammond says she objected to the comment and Barkley told her she "couldn't take a joke."

Barkley has since issued an apology ... saying, "My comment was inappropriate and unacceptable."

"It was an attempted joke that wasn’t funny at all. There’s no excuse for it and I apologize."

McCammond is now reacting to Barkley's apology -- saying, "The comments Charles Barkley made to me are not acceptable."

"Threats of violence are not a joke, & no person deserves to be hit or threatened like that."

Le'Veon Bell is sick and tired of the NFL's "random" drug testing -- and says he refuses to cooperate anymore because he's sick of being poked with "those dirty ass needles."

"I done had 5 'random' HGH blood test in 10 weeks," the NY Jets running back posted on Twitter ... "I’m not doing another after today."

"Whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles."

He continued, "Find the players who really do that HGH BS & get off me."

Of course, Bell isn't the first high profile player to complain about the NFL's drug-testing policy ... back in 2018, Eric Reid said he was forced to undergo 7 "random" drug tests in just 3 months after signing with the Carolina Panthers.

For its part, the NFL insists the process is legit and fair and no specific players are targeted.

Yo, Jim Cornette ... WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

The longtime wrestling commentator said some insanely offensive stuff during an episode of "NWA Power" ... and it's so bad, the company has PULLED the episode.

Cornette was calling a match between champion Nick Aldis and Trevor Murdoch -- when the announcer tried to praise Murdoch for his toughness ... and went super racist.

"He’s the only man I’ve ever known that can strap a bucket of fried chicken on his back and ride a motor scooter across Ethiopia."

WILDLY RACIST.

Of course, there was IMMEDIATE outrage -- prompting NWA Vice President Dave Lagana to issue an apology on behalf of the company.

"On tonight's episode of NWA Power airing on November 19th 2019, one of our talents made comments which some viewers found offensive. We deeply regret the error and apologize."

Lagana added, "We have temporarily taken the program down while we correct this error."

Cornette has been in hot water for comments made on-air in the past -- in fact, NWA previously issued an apology when Cornette was "making light on the subject of suicide."

58-year-old Cornette has been a staple in pro wrestling for decades -- working for major promotions like WWE and Impact Wrestling.

So far, no word yet from Cornette on the incident.

A$AP Rocky says his time behind bars in Sweden is exactly why he's returning to that country -- which seems insane -- but he's on a mission to help the inmates and immigrants he met there.

We got the rapper Tuesday evening outside the swanky Rick Owens clothing store in NYC and asked why in the world he'd go back. A$AP says the month in jail for his assault case opened his eyes to the plight of immigrants. He says he was especially aware of the support he was getting, as a celeb, while some prisoners around him were rotting for 10 months or more before seeing a judge.

He's on a mission to change that. For starters, A$AP says he's donating proceeds from his December 11 concert in Stockholm to an immigrant rights org called FARR, the Swedish Network of Refugee Support Groups.

As we first reported ... Rocky was held in inhumane conditions while prosecutors decided whether to charge him for aggravated assault stemming from a street brawl. The case drew worldwide attention ... and even President Trump and his administration got involved.

A$AP was ultimately found guilty but did NOT have to serve any more time behind bars. Rocky wasted no time jetting outta Sweden, and it seemed that would be the last time he'd ever be there -- until Live Nation announced he'd be returning to Sweden next month.

A$AP had said jail was scary and humbling during his first performance in the States after getting back from Sweden. Still, he tells us he's not letting fear hold him back, and even plans to visit an area where police don't go ... just to boost spirits of Swedish immigrants.

There was one topic he did NOT want touch, though. We asked about Trump's efforts to free him, and ... well, just watch. Fair to say, Rocky would rather play a Swedish jailhouse concert than discuss POTUS!

Emilia Clarke says she was pushed to perform in the nude as a young actress getting her start on "Game of Thrones" ... and she's had fights on sets over her refusal to bare all again.

Emilia -- who rose to fame playing Daenerys Targaryen on 'GoT' -- opened up on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast about her experiences with nudity ... explaining that going nude early on Season 1 of 'Thrones' made others assume she was comfortable acting naked.

She says she was told she needed to perform nude so as not to disappoint her 'GoT' fans. Emilia says she fought to keep her body covered by issuing a "f*** you" to folks on set.

It's a pretty fascinating conversation ... Khaleesi says she didn't feel comfortable saying no to a "f***ton" of nudity as a 'GoT' rookie, but eventually learned she could set the barriers on how much she was willing to reveal after working with Jason Momoa, her onscreen love interest.

Antonio Brown is TRYING to make things right with the New England Patriots -- starting with an apology to owner Robert Kraft.

"Mr.Kraft I apologize sincerely to you and your organization," Brown wrote.

"All I wanted to be was an asset to the organization; sorry for the bad media and the drama ! Thank you sincerely AB."

Remember, the Patriots cut Brown after just 1 game when the team learned the superstar WR sent menacing text messages to a woman who had accused him of sexual misconduct.

After the Patriots fired Brown, the WR attacked the team on social media -- and made reference to Kraft's prostitution case.

"Kraft got caught in the parlor AB speculations fired different strokes different folks clearly," Brown tweeted.

Brown later deleted the post -- but the damage had already been done.

So, why the apology? That's obvious ... Brown is desperate to get back in the NFL but no team is willing to take a chance on him right now for several reasons.

First, the NFL is currently investigating him over sexual assault allegations included in a lawsuit filed against him earlier this year.

Second, AB not only had a bad breakup with the Pats, but he burned the bridge with the Raiders all the way down too ... essentially forcing the team to cut him back in August when he illegally recorded a phone call with coach Jon Gruden and posted it on YouTube.

He also got into an altercation with Raiders GM Mike Mayock.

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly looked into signing Brown a few weeks ago but ultimately decided to go a different direction.

Will the apology pay off for Brown now? Maybe ... but don't hold your breath.

One more thing ... Tom Brady and AB have still been friendly on social media even after he was cut. And, with Brady recently criticizing the Patriots offense, it's possible the QB is lobbying to bring AB back.

South Dakota's anti-meth campaign featuring people appearing to admit they're addicted is already working ... according to Governor Kristi Noem, who says extreme shock was the intent of the tagline.

Gov. Noem launched the initiative Monday with the slogan "Meth. We're On It" ... which, at first glance, makes ya think the state's changing its name to Methopotamia -- but the Gov. tells TMZ ... she's cool with that kinda Internet buzz.

She's thrilled the campaign is trending and "sparking conversations around the state and the country." She says people are finally "talking about how they can be part of the solution and not just the problem."

The campaign includes a new TV ad, posters, billboards and a website, and is meant to raise awareness of the growing crisis in South Dakota -- as well as many other states -- and how to fight it. The state has reportedly spent nearly $500k on the campaign, so far.

Noem added, "This is a bold, innovative effort like the nation has never before seen. Over the next few weeks, this campaign will operate through various mediums to educate every person across South Dakota on signs of addiction, resources available to combat addiction, and strategies to engage communities in recovery."

In other words, the Governor fully believes South Dakota's on it!