Controversial S#!T

Bruce Arena -- the former head coach for the U.S. Men's National Team -- is calling for an end to pregame Star-Spangled Banner renditions ... saying straight-up "it is inappropriate."

"I think it puts people in awkward positions," Arena told ESPN this week. "We don't use national anthem in movie theaters or on Broadway, or for other events in the United States."

"I don't think it is appropriate to have a national anthem before a baseball game or an MLS game."

Don't get it twisted, Arena -- a New York native and a current coach in the MLS -- says he's as patriotic as they come and understands why players kneel during the song.

But, Arena makes it clear he believes the whole thing is just unnecessary ... kneeling controversy or not.

"Think about it," Arena said. "In Major League Soccer, most of the players that are standing on the field during the national anthem are international players. They are not even Americans."

"So why are we playing the national anthem? With all due respect, I live in the greatest country in the world but I think it is inappropriate."

Of course, back in 2016 and 2017 at the height of the kneeling protests in the NFL ... some pundits suggested doing away with the anthems altogether to assuage the issue.

The SEC wants Mississippi to change its state flag ASAP ... and if it refuses -- the conference's commish is threatening to pull all future titles games out of the state.

SEC honcho Greg Sankey made the announcement Thursday ... saying "it is past time" government officials pull the plug on a flag that features prominent ties to the Confederacy.

"Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all," Sankey said.

"In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the State of Mississippi until the flag is changed."

Of course, Sankey's press on Mississippi lawmakers is just the latest in a long line of efforts from Americans to cut ties with its Confederacy past.

Cities all over the country have ripped down statues of Confederate leaders in the wake of George Floyd's death ... while NASCAR has permanently banned the Confederate flag from its race tracks.

For their part, SEC programs Mississippi State Univ. (NFL star Dak Prescott's alma mater) and Ole Miss are backing their conference's leader in the fight against the flag.

"Since 2015, our Student Association, Robert Holland Faculty Senate and university administration have been firmly on record in support of changing the state flag," Miss. St. President Mark E. Keenum said.

"I have reiterated that view to our state's leaders on multiple occasions, including during face-to-face discussions in recent days and hours."

The final public hearing for Cincinnati's 2021 budget turned into total chaos after a resident tried to make a case for directing more funding toward police.

The wild scene played out Thursday evening at the Duke Energy Center, where a Cincy resident sparked boos from the crowd by getting on the mic and laying out reasons to increase law enforcement's budget.

He was almost immediately drowned out by a chorus of boos, and city council member David Mann announced he was ending the hearing 5 hours early, which only seemed to pour lighter fluid on an already heated situation.

After the abrupt end to the public forum, dozens of folks charged the stage in protest. Council members tried to resume the hearing, but Mann beelined out of the room and, ironically, police were called in to restore order.

A man in New York City launched into an epic tirade when he spotted a Black Lives Matter sign at a coffee shop, and his meltdown -- captured on video -- pissed off every other customer.

The guy absolutely berated the barista over the Black Lives Matter sign posted in the front window of Burly Coffee in Brooklyn. The dude also had a major problem with being asked to wear a mask in order to get a cup of Joe.

The standoff went down Thursday morning with the irate customer telling the shop to take down the BLM signage, and the barista firing back he needed to take a hike.

At one point, the man points at the sign and says, "This is the most racist thing out there. I'm not a racist ... this is offensive and I want you to take off this sign."

The poor barista even tried taking the guy to school ... explaining #BLM does not mean all lives don't matter. Then other customers started chiming in, begging the guy to stop causing a disturbance.

The guy refused to leave and argued for more than 10 minutes, before starting to chant "All lives matter." He also claims the pandemic is a hoax, and only sheep wear masks -- aka, the conservative greatest hits.

And, this was all BEFORE he got caffeine!!

NFL QB Ryan Tannehill is joining the movement to take down a controversial statue honoring a former Texas A&M president on campus ... saying the school cannot overlook his history of slavery and racism.

A campaign is underway to remove the monument of Confederate general Lawrence Sullivan Ross -- AKA "Sully" -- from the heart of campus ... citing his history of mistreating black and indigenous people.

A&M star quarterback Kellen Mond released a statement on the matter ... saying Sully's positive impact on the school cannot outweigh his actions against minorities.

"The values of Texas A&M University do not align with RACISM, VIOLENCE, SLAVERY and SEGREGATION, but Jimbo Fisher’s most prominent saying will always stick with me: '"Your ACTIONS speak so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying."'

"The Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue NEEDS to be removed. Texas A&M University, I NEED to see ACTION," Mond added.

Tannehill -- who starred at A&M from 2008-11 -- is backing his alma mater's QB ... saying, "I’m with @thekellenmond. We can’t continue to ignore the evil perpetrated by Sullivan Ross."

"#SullyGottaGo @TAMU @AggieFootball"

There's a petition to remove the Sully statue from campus ... and it already has nearly 25k signatures.

Other huge names have used their voices to bring change to college campuses -- including DeAndre Hopkins, who helped Clemson remove a slave owner's name from the Honors College.

AG Cameron says he continues to be "saddened and heartbroken" over Breonna's death, but as of right now ... there's nothing new to report on her case.

The KY Attorney General avoided getting into specifics of the investigation, other than to explain how and why he got involved and lay out the overall plan ... which he says is to follow the truth and be "thorough and fair" to everyone involved.

Cameron says his team is working around the clock and it's an expedited process, but also pleaded for patience and for the public to remain peaceful during the process. He added ... "violence and lawlessness will do nothing more than perpetuate further tragedy."

The investigation into Breonna Taylor's death -- at the hands of Louisville cops -- should be addressed Thursday by KY Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who's now special prosecutor on the case.

TMZ will be live streaming Cameron's news conference in Frankfort at 3 PM ET. While his office says it will be "informational only" -- meaning charges won't be announced -- Cameron certainly has a lot to address regarding the case ... including allegations of a cover-up.

It's interesting because earlier Thursday ... a courthouse in Louisville was boarded up and staffers were told to leave the building. Word is they were informed no charges were going to be filed against the 3 Louisville Metro Police officers who fired their weapons March 13 while raiding Breonna's home ... and they're anticipating rioting in response.

Our sources say, the AG is not making any such announcement and doesn't know how that rumor started.

As for those 3 cops -- Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove -- none of them have lost their jobs or been suspended. All 3 have simply been placed on administrative reassignment for now.

As we've reported ... Breonna -- a 26-year-old ER technician -- was shot 8 times after the officers arrived in plainclothes shortly after midnight to serve a no-knock warrant as part of a narcotics investigation.

Though police claim they announced themselves, Breonna and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, allegedly didn't hear them, and Walker fired on the officers after they used a battering ram to open the door.

Walker says he thought the cops were intruders, and Breonna was killed in the ensuing gunfire. According to Taylor's legal team ... they have 16 neighbors who claim the plainclothes officers didn't announce their presence before going inside.

Even worse -- the initial police report about the raid stated there were "no injuries" ... which obviously doesn't make any sense. The major issue with the case, unlike George Floyd's killing, is no audio or video of the incident has surfaced ... at least not yet.

We broke the story ... Breonna's mother and attorneys believe there may be more evidence than law enforcement has been willing to disclose, and are demanding the release of documents and any footage available. Taylor's side believes a "cover-up" might be afoot.

Of course, Breonna's story is one of several about black Americans being killed by cops that has sparked nationwide protests to end racism and police brutality ... and the movement's still demanding justice for her.

The Univ. of Florida is pulling the plug on its famous "Gator Bait" chant ... with the school's president saying its racist ties make it no longer acceptable for UF to use.

In a statement released Thursday ... President Kent Fuchs axed the popular cheer -- which has been screamed by thousands of fans weekly during Gators college football games over the years.

"While I know of no evidence of racism associated with our 'Gator Bait' cheer at UF sporting events," Fuchs said, "there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase."

"Accordingly University Athletics and the Gator Band will discontinue the use of the cheer."

If you're unfamiliar ... America's past use of "gator bait" truly is disturbing -- reportedly, white men would use African-American babies to lure gators out of swamps so they could hunt them more easily for their skin.

At UF sporting events ... the band would play some tunes and pause so the entire crowd could chant in unison, "Gator Bait!"

Fuchs said in addition to stopping all that ... the school will take even more steps to ensure racial justice -- vowing to remove any UF-controlled "monuments or namings" that have ties to the Confederacy.

The school president also said the Univ. of Florida will no longer receive labor from inmates ... adding, "the symbolism of inmate labor is incompatible with our university."

A white man accosted a trio of 15-year-old girls -- one of them black -- and threatened to call security and have them arrested ... and his tirade was caught on video.

The confrontation went down Sunday in Wellington, Florida, after the man began following the girls in his car as they were riding with 2 boys on a golf cart.

He was allegedly upset about the cart blocking him, but instead of going around he chose to tailgate them ... and continued following the 3 girls as they hopped off to walk to the home of Breonna Nelson-Hicks, the black girl seen in the video.

As you can see ... the man angrily accused the girls of not belonging in the development, then said he's going call the gate and have them all arrested. He added ... "You do not deserve to be in here."

When he started pleading his case to a neighbor, the girls chimed in and said he was going to hit them with his car. Finally, Breonna had enough and went in her house to get her grandfather, Tony Nelson.

BTW -- the angry guy's reasoning for accosting 15-year-olds seemed very strange.

Grandpa Tony eventually confronted the man about threatening the kids ... which he oddly denied, and that's where the video stops.

Tony's convo with the man didn't, though. He tells The Palm Beach Post they continued to talk and the man tried to defend his actions, but at one point talked about apologizing to the teens.

Tony says it was too late for that, though -- because Breonna was "hysterical" after the incident -- and he called the cops to file a report. The man did, as well, and claimed he almost hit the golf cart being driven by the teens.

Taco Bell might have a supreme problem on its hands ... after firing one of its longtime employees for wearing a Black Lives Matter face covering.

Denzel Skinner was fired after 8 years on the job as a shift leader at a Taco Bell in Youngstown, Ohio after he refused to take off his BLM face covering.

He was told by a supervisor he couldn't wear the face cover but he was adamant Taco Bell's policy says nothing about face covers with messages on them. The one stipulation -- face coverings had to be clean. Skinner explained in a Facebook Live video that he wore the face cover because the surgical masks provided by the joint to employees proved inadequate in warm conditions.

Skinner explained the Taco Bell's air conditioning had not been working ... keeping things hot inside. He said it was extremely difficult to breathe while wearing the surgical mask.

When he walked out, Skinner says a manager told him if he walked out he'd get canned. And, he did. As for why he wore a BLM face covering, Skinner said it was in support of protesting police brutality following George Floyd's murder. He said it was important to speak up.

Taco Bell honchos said in a statement that due to mask shortages, employees are allowed to use their own mask or face covering. The joint said it was "disappointed to learn what took place in Youngstown. We are working with our franchisee that operates this location to understand what happened."

They continue, "While our policies at restaurants do not prohibit Team Members from wearing Black Lives Matter masks, we are working to clarify our mask policy so this doesn’t happen again."

A man who was recording video of cops pouncing on a protester from his building got his window blasted ... and he's looking for the officer he believes fired at him.

Twitter user Kentucky Kenji says he was shooting the Black Lives Matter protests in Louisville earlier this week, and as he got close to his window to zoom in on some potential police brutality, he got shot at.

As you can see, his window got smashed by a projectile -- looks like a rubber bullet or a pepper ball -- and the damage was visible as he backed away. Makes ya think ... they're non-lethal rounds, but damn!!! If one of those hit you from 20-30 feet away?

It's unclear exactly who shot at him, but Kenji's looking for "the name of the cop who shot at me."

The former Atlanta cop who shot Rayshard Brooks in the back and killed him has now been charged with felony murder, and the cop's partner has agreed to testify against him.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Garrett Rolfe, including multiple acts of aggravated assault. Howard made particular notice that Rolfe kicked Brooks while he lay dying.

Howard made it clear ... he does not believe Rolfe feared for his life in any way, shape or form. Howard noted Brooks had been cordial, cooperative and calm for more than 41 minutes. The D.A. said Rolfe was not motivated by fear but rather "another type of emotion." Howard didn't specifically say which emotion, but did say you can hear Rolfe right after he shot Brooks say, "I got him."

It's especially significant the other cop, Devin Brosnan, is now cooperating with the D.A.'s investigation.

Howard has charged Brosnan with aggravated assault -- he's on video stepping on Brooks' shoulder. He's also been charged with failure to render timely aid. He could face more than 20 years in prison, but it's almost certain he'll get way less for cooperating.

Video of the incident shows Brooks was shot by Rolfe during a chase in a Wendy's parking lot after Brooks had obtained one of the officer's Tasers and was attempting to flee arrest following a failed breathalyzer test.

This is a sea change to the extent prosecutors have now sent a message to cops they don't have to blindly stand by colleagues who cross the line.

Howard said his office talked to multiple witnesses and reviewed a number of videos and other physical evidence before reaching the decision to charge them.

The D.A. is recommending a $50,000 bond for Brosnan and no bond at all for Rolfe. Both men have until Thursday night to surrender.

H.E.R. wants to send a powerful message with her new song honoring George Floyd -- one that captures the feelings and concerns millions of Americans have since he was killed.

The Grammy winner tells us why she had to write, "I Can't Breathe," after conversations with fellow artists, and herself, about Floyd's death and the country's emotional reaction to it.

H.E.R. says the track tackles one important question that's been ringing in the heads of so many people lately: Why is there so much hate???

The singer/songwriter believes all artists should use their platform to talk about the George Floyd tragedy, because music can be a powerful vehicle for change. Specifically, the change she wants to see is healing -- and she's confident her new track can do that.

We had a great convo with H.E.R. about why it's important for artists to speak from the heart now, and music bridging the racial divide in America. You can see all of that on Thursday's TMZ Live.

Donald Trump has put the NFL in his crosshairs once again ... blasting Roger Goodell for his now-famous apology to players -- and slamming the commish for insinuating he'd allow kneeling protests back in the league.

"I was surprised at Roger, Roger Goodell," POTUS said Wednesday, "that he would have done what he did and made this statement that he made. Nobody was even asking for it.”

The President made the comments on Fox News' "Hannity" ... saying he believes if Goodell does re-allow kneeling during national anthems, it'll cost him fans.

"That already happened before," Trump said. "I thought they learned their lesson. But, I think it's going to happen again."

Trump reiterated he believes everybody should stand for anthems ... and even fired away at Drew Brees for backtracking on his initial beliefs on that topic.

"I saw him make this beautiful statement," Trump said of the Saints QB. "And, then the next day he retracted the statement. He talked about his father and his grandfather fighting in the war for our country, our flag, and then the next day he retracted it. I just don't get that."

But, Trump did say, once again, he believes Colin Kaepernick DOES deserve another shot in the NFL ... if he can still play at a high level.

As we previously reported ... Goodell and the NFL issued an apology video earlier this month, saying sorry for the way they bungled Kaepernick's and other players' kneeling protests in the past.

Rayshard Brooks' death at the hands of police won't be in vain, and will lead to lasting changes in Atlanta ... at least that's how his family is viewing his legacy.

One of Rayshard's cousins, Decatur Redd, tells TMZ ... the family thinks the felony murder charge brought against the officer who fired the fatal shots is a start, and makes it feel like Rayshard died for a reason.

Decatur says charging Garrett Rolfe, the fired cop who fatally shot Rayshard in the back, won't bring back his cousin, but it could help Georgia enact its first hate crime bill.

As we reported ... Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced 11 charges against Rolfe Wednesday, including felony murder and multiple acts of aggravated assault.

Decatur tells us family members had trouble sleeping leading up to the announcement, because they feared Rayshard's killer would not be charged, which he says would have reopened lots of wounds in Atlanta.

That all changed, of course, after the D.A.'s announcement, and he shared the emotions of that moment.

The felony murder charge wasn't the only shock to the family. Decatur says it was heartbreaking to hear Rayshard didn't get timely medical aid -- and to see Rolfe kicked him as he lay dying.

Isaiah "J.R." Rider says UNLV's 'Hey Reb!' statue -- with ties to the Confederacy -- had to be removed ... telling TMZ Sports he's proud his alma mater "did the right thing."

Rider was an absolute beast at University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the early '90s... and was named an All-American in 1993. J.R. was the 5th overall pick in the NBA Draft.

We asked the former superstar hooper how he felt about UNLV yanking the popular giant bronze statue from the place it sat for years on campus.

"I'm proud. I think it's the right thing to do personally," Rider tells us, continuing ... "I think it was well done, on time, no need to delay, no need to think about it."

The former UNLV star kept it real when asked how he felt about the statue (and Runnin' Rebel mascot) when he was playing ball for the university ... saying he didn't know about all the baggage associated with the Rebel.

"Honestly, in school, I wasn't aware. I wasn't as conscious as I am now, as woke as I am now, as well-read as I am now."

But, Rider says after school he became educated on the issue ... and realized the name and statue were offensive.

"At the time at UNLV, no it didn't bother me at all. I was a 'Runnin' Rebel.' It didn't bother me at all but later in life, as I learned certain things, like the Redskins mascot, I started to have a problem with that for sure."

FYI, the "Rebel" was originally named after a Confederate general named Beauregard ... who ordered the Civil War's first gunshots, according to a Change.org petition demanding UNLV change the current mascot.

We also asked Rider what he'd say to UNLV fans who have lived-and-died with the "Runnin' Rebels" teams for years ... and are kinda bummed to see the school lose that identity.

"I would say to my people, my 'Runnin' Rebels' out there, that look, we're UNLV for life. When we talk, I always say UNLV. I never say 'Runnin' Rebel.' Not only because I don't really like it but I'm UNLV and we are UNLV for life and that doesn't change."

"We're UNLV Runnin', we're gonna drop the last part!"

Aunt Jemima syrup is no more -- 'cause the parent company is retiring the image and name after more than a century, while publicly copping to the fact she's a giant stereotype.

The Quaker Oats Company made the announcement Tuesday, saying they were doing away with Auntie. The company explains, "As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers' expectations."

Aunt Jemima's been a thing for more than 130 years now, and its origins are deeply racist. The character is based on an 1800s "mammy" -- a black servant in a white household.

Specifically, Aunt Jemima is meant to portray a real-life woman named Nancy Green, who Quaker had previously described as a "storyteller, cook and missionary worker" ... but failing to mention she was born into slavery.

There's even more controversy surrounding the brand that's been swept under the rug over the years -- like the name Jemima coming from a minstrel-era song, "Old Aunt Jemima."

For the longest time, the Aunt Jemima brand featured a black woman with a headscarf -- but in the '80s ... Quaker switched up her look to appear more modern, decking her out in earrings and pearls.

In the wake of the civil unrest overtaking the country right now, tons of people were calling for Aunt Jemima to be shelved or re-branded. NBC News was first to report her demise.

BTW, folks are now calling for a handful of other brands to be changed ASAP because of the same issue -- among them are Uncle Ben's Rice and Cream of Wheat. It appears Uncle Ben's has gotten the message.

A rep for the brand said Wednesday, "As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that one way we can do this is by evolving the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity.”

It's unclear what the evolution of the brand will look like ... but the rep told HuffPost that all possibilities were on the table.