Controversial S#!T

Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- one of the most diehard Washington NFL fans on Earth -- says he's STOKED the team is changing its name ... calling the old moniker "a dark cloud" over the franchise.

"For me, personally, I’m ready for a new chapter," the NASCAR legend said on his Dale Jr. Download podcast this week.

"I'm ready for this conversation to no longer be part of my experience as a fan of the team, and the debate over this and the frustration over it and how it affects the franchise."

Dale's been ride-or-die with Washington for decades ... he's got all sorts of memorabilia and often publicly comments about the team after wins and losses.

So, when team owner Dan Snyder pulled the plug on the "Redskins" name ... everyone was wondering if Dale approved -- and the 45-year-old said wholeheartedly yes.

"It's a dark cloud over it all the time and it’s not going away," Earnhardt Jr. said of the name. "And, it’s hard to continue to support the franchise when this is part of the conversation."

"So, I'm great to break completely clean and start an entirely new identity and future. I think it will be great for the organization, the people that work in that company, the players that play for that team and anybody that plays for that team in the future. So, I'm good with it."

Dale didn't give any suggestions for a new name ... although he did seem to like the rumored "Red Wolves" option -- saying the fanbase could have fun with that one.

Houston Texans star Kenny Stills was one of nearly 100 people arrested during a protest in Louisville on Tuesday ... and the WR took his mug shot in a Breonna Taylor shirt.

The 28-year-old NFL player joined 86 others in a massive protest outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to seek justice for Taylor.

As part of the demonstration, the group of people -- which included "Real Housewives Of Atlanta" star Porsha Williams -- sat on Cameron's lawn and chanted ... urging him to levy charges against the cops involved in Taylor's tragic death.

A Lousiville Metro Police Dept. spokesperson says officers eventually told the group to leave ... but when they refused, all 87 were put in cuffs and hauled off to jail.

We're told Stills and the others were booked on 3 charges, including felony "intimidating a participant in a legal process."

As you can see in his mug shot, Stills was clearly NOT happy to be at the station ... and his shirt read, "Breonna Taylors Killers Are Still Police."

The LMPD spokesperson added of the incident, "The protestors chose to occupy the front yard of a home owned by the Kentucky Attorney General and continuously chant towards he and his neighbors."

"At his request, they were trespassed from the property. All were given the opportunity to leave, were told that remaining on the property would be unlawful, and chose not to leave."

Stills has consistently been one of the most vocal NFL players over the years when it comes to the search for social justice ... he's taken knees during the national anthem and has even tatted "Black Lives Matter" on his leg.

According to jail records, Stills was still in custody as of Wednesday morning.

Nick Cannon's firing back at ViacomCBS after it dropped him for making anti-Semitic comments -- and he's now claiming it's the media giant that's being divisive, not him ... and he has a list of demands.

"The Masked Singer" host responded to Viacom's decision Wednesday morning, saying, he's "deeply saddened" the company "misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another" and, instead ... he claims it's trying to "make an example of an outspoken black man."

Cannon vows to not be bullied or silenced, and says Viacom "does not understand or respect the power of the black community."

As we reported, Viacom cut bait with Nick over his comments on his podcast "Cannon's Class" ... where he openly espoused Anti-Jewish, and clearly divisive, rhetoric from Minister Farrakhan. He got a ton of backlash online, and then Viacom dropped the hammer, but Nick alleges the pot's calling the kettle black.

Cannon says ... "I honestly can’t believe that Viacom has such poor council that would allow them to make such a divisive decision in the midst of protests and civil uprising within our current pandemic. Truly an unwise decision."

He goes on to say he hoped his comments could lead to reconciliation and he could "use this moment to show healing and acceptance" ... but claims Viacom has no interest. He also accuses the media giant of banning all advertising that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Nick acknowledges he's had an incredibly successful past with Viacom -- including his Nickelodeon days and the creation of 'Wild 'N Out,' but says the company is "now on the wrong side of history."

He did apologize "if I have furthered the hate speech" ... but also makes it clear he's gonna fight for "full ownership of my billion-dollar 'Wild ‘N Out' brand that I created, and they will continue to misuse and destroy without my leadership! I demand that the hate and back door bullying cease and while we are at it, now that the truth is out, I demand the Apology!"

Tiger Woods says he's in FULL support of the Black Lives Matter movement ... saying on Tuesday, "change is fantastic."

"That's how society develops," the golf legend added in his first meeting with reporters since announcing his return to the PGA Tour this month. "That's how we grow, that's how we move forward, that's how we have fairness."

But, Tiger says he'll only consider it a success if people protect themselves while fighting for social justice.

"I think change is fantastic but as long as we make changes without hurting the innocent," Tiger said. "Unfortunately that has happened. Hopefully, that doesn't happen in the future but a movement and change is fantastic."

Of course, Tiger's good friend, President Trump, has had completely opposite opinions of the movement ... POTUS recently called a BLM mural "denigrating" and a "symbol of hate."

Unclear if Woods and Trump have spoken about it at all ... but Donald has continuously praised Tiger since taking office -- even famously giving the 44-year-old golfer the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year.

Nick Cannon's under fire for comments he made about melanin, white people and why they became "savages" long, long ago -- and some are even calling him a "black supremacist."

"The Masked Singer" host has recently been accused of spewing anti-Semitism on his podcast, "Cannon's Class," but now it's this brief clip from his June 30 episode with Professor Griff -- formerly of Public Enemy -- that has people riled up.

Nick said that the power of melanin -- or lack thereof -- made white people "a little less" than darker-skinned people ... and claims this deficiency leads to fear.

He was speaking anthropologically -- meaning the very first white people in modern-day Europe -- but went on to say white people's fear made them lack compassion and ultimately ... become evil.

Nick then referred to these white people of the past as "savages," "barbaric" and added ... "They're the ones that are actually closer to animals, they're the ones that are actually the true savages."

Now, some people are calling him out for the remarks, including black British rapper Zuby, who tweeted, "Nick Cannon has gone full black supremacist. This is 100% certified racist."

Cannon's controversy comes on the heels of allegations of being an anti-Semite and spreading anti-Jewish theories on his podcast ... so rough week so far.

A North Carolina woman who recently went viral for going on vile, racist rants -- and was later arrested for assault -- is now fighting for her life after a bizarre accident involving a fire truck.

Rachel Dawn Ruit was struck by an Asheville Fire Department pickup truck Monday afternoon after stepping out in front of traffic ... according to a witness.

Asheville PD says Ruit is "suffering from life threatening injuries" and is at the hospital in critical condition. The accident is being investigated.

Ruit is, unfortunately, otherwise known for appearing in multiple videos in downtown Asheville spewing racism ... and for her July 4 arrest for allegedly attacking both a woman in a hijab and a Black teenager.

Ruit allegedly ripped off the woman's head covering and grabbed the teenager in the groin. She was arrested and charged with simple assault, disorderly conduct and second degree trespassing.

Before her arrest, Ruit made news after people posted videos of her from June 13 and July 1 going on racist tirades. During the July 1 incident, witnesses claim she tried to attack a child and cops were called several times ... but never showed up.

Ex-MLB star Aubrey Huff just went BALLISTIC on CA officials for their decision to lock down the state amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases ... saying he's "f**king pissed" and wonders why more people aren't outraged.

"I would rather take my chances with the coronavirus," the former World Series champ said, "and, may I remind you, it has a 99.8% survival rate -- than to end up on the f**king street no longer able to provide for my family."

COUNTERPOINT -- USA Today reports testing findings are too volatile to call the 99% survival rate statement accurate.

The ex-SF Giants infielder -- who has a home in Southern California -- ranted for over 2 minutes in a video posted to his Twitter page Tuesday ... calling people who continue to obey the orders "sheep."

"This is nothing but a system of control in order to crash the economy to get Donald Trump out of office," Huff said. "And, for those of you that can't see this, it drives me f**king batsh*t crazy."

"You know, I don't call them masks anymore. I call them mind-control devices and you're all falling for it. You're sheep."

Aubrey claims suicide rates are "through the roof" due to the closures ... and he added, "I'm f**king pissed. I cannot believe you guys aren't."

We haven't found any reports showing a clear link between COVID and a rise in national suicide numbers so far, though ABC News reports there COULD be un uptick in firearm suicide numbers over the closures.

For California lawmakers' part, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday shutting down bars, restaurants, gyms, salons and more were necessary ... as positive coronavirus cases have exploded throughout the Golden State over the past month.

Powerful moment on the field at the Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders FC game in Orlando where ALL of the players took a knee in a powerful moment of silence right before kickoff.

Even the ref got down on a knee.

Some players raised a clenched fist -- including Chicago Fire striker C.J. Sapong.

As the camera panned around the field, we didn't see one person -- players, coaches, linesmen, etc -- who didn't participate in the tribute.

After roughly 30 seconds, the ref blew the whistle, people stood and clapped -- and play began.

Obviously, the kneeling is to put a spotlight on police brutality and racial injustice ... clearly inspired by Colin Kaepernick.

Interesting to note, the national anthem was NOT playing during the kneeling demonstration.

The game is part of the MLS is Back tournament -- currently taking place inside of a bubble environment in Orlando, Florida.

NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith -- who played 4 seasons in Washington -- says a name change is "long overdue" ... and feels the team is finally on the right side of history.

OH, AND WE ALSO ASKED BRUCE ABOUT THAT "PENIS" INCIDENT ON "FAMILY FEUD"!

But first, the serious topic ... Smith wrapped up his legendary NFL career in Washington and understands the issues surrounding the team name ... but clearly felt the time is right for change.

"It's the right thing to do for many reasons," Smith tells TMZ Sports ... acknowledging the pressure from business partners like FedEx and Nike obviously played a key role.

"Money motivates all of us to be quite honest with you, but socially and being on the right side of history is another motivating factor. I think both of those are present in this decision today."

NOW THE "FAMILY FEUD" QUESTION!

As we previously reported, Smith gave the best wrong answer EVER on 'FF' this week ... when he was asked the following question:

"If Captain Hook was moonlighting as a handyman, he might replace his hook with what tool?"

Smith said, "PENIS" and Steve Harvey lost his damn mind! The clip went viral almost immediately.

So, how does Bruce feel about his moment of social media fame?!

"You can't take life so seriously! You have to have some type of humor and you have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes!"

"We need to laugh more than EVER right now. Laughter is good for the soul and I'm happy to of been able to entertain so many people."

And, get this ... Bruce says his phone has been blowing up since the incident -- with famous friends like Jim Kelly and MICHAEL JORDAN calling to roast him a little bit over his unbelievable answer!

A passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight threatened to kill everyone onboard in the name of Jesus ... and the horrifying outburst was caught on camera.

The in-flight incident went down Saturday night on a flight from Seattle to Chicago, with an unruly passenger walking the aisle and screaming, "I'm going to kill everybody on this plane. Die in the name of Jesus!!!"

Fortunately, flight crew and 2 other passengers swiftly subdued the man after his outburst and no one was injured. It's unclear what led to the threat -- but you can see the fear on other passengers' faces as the man yelled.

The incident played out about 20 minutes into the flight, and the plane was forced to turn around for an emergency landing back at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Once back on the ground, Port of Seattle Police took the man into custody and he was booked into King County Jail for harassment.

It's official ... The Washington "Redskins" are no more.

The NFL franchise announced Monday morning it's FINALLY changing the team nickname they've had since 1933 ... effective immediately.

"Today we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo," the team said.

The team says owner Dan Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera are "working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud tradition, rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years."

After the announcement, Washington QB Dwayne Haskins weighed in ... saying "As a kid who grew up in the dmv it’ll always be #HTTR but looking forward to the future."

The team had initially announced a "thorough review of the team's name" back on July 3 after Native American groups and sponsors had decided enough was enough and put pressure on the team to make a change.

Nike had stopped selling "Redskins" merchandise on its official website -- and FedEx -- which has spent MILLIONS over the years for the naming rights to FedExField in Maryland -- threatened to jump ship if the team didn't make a change.

And, Fawn Sharp -- president of the National Congress of American Indians (which represents more than 500 tribal nations) also issued a scathing statement to the team -- calling for players to boycott until the name was changed.

What's important about Fawn ... is Washington had long argued that Native American groups were largely supportive of the nickname. Fawn and the NCAI called BS and they couldn't hide behind that claim anymore.

The team has not locked in new team name yet -- they're reportedly working on the business side of that ... but the season is set to begin soon, so the clock's ticking.

So far, the Redtails and the Warriors have been thrown around as possible replacement names -- you like?

Lewis Hamilton's fight for social justice made its way to Formula 1's victory podium Sunday ... the racing star raised his fist after a dominant win and then pledged to spend the rest of his life working to end racism.

The impactful scene all went down in Austria ... where Hamilton destroyed the field at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix and then used his victory spotlight to push for racial equality.

35-year-old Hamilton raised his fist on the podium multiple times ... channeling Tommie Smith and John Carlos' famous gestures at the 1968 Olympics.

"Racism is going to be here for longer than our time here,” Hamilton said after the win. "People of color who are subject to racism don’t have time. We have to commit to push for equality and continue to raise awareness."

"A lot of work needs to go on in F1, the FIA needs to be part of it, the drivers need to be a part of it. We are going to be fighting and pushing for it all year. For me, this is going to be a lifelong thing."

Hamilton raced with a Black Lives Matter emblem on the front of his helmet ... and he and other drivers also took a knee to show support for the movement prior to the race as well.

Hamilton has been one of the most vocal athletes in the BLM movement ... even repainting his car and redesigning his uniform earlier this month to raise awareness for the cause.

"We stand together," Lewis tweeted after Sunday's race. "The team today took the knee which was just amazing to see that together we can learn and be open minded of what’s going on in the world."

"Thank you to everyone in my team and to you #TeamLH, I appreciate all of your support and your positive messages."

One of the TikTok's biggest personalities says he thinks there are serious issues with the app, but isn't worried if the U.S. bans it outright ... 'cause he's got a surefire backup plan.

We spoke to the uber-popular content creator, Thomas Petrou, Saturday night in WeHo, and he told us straight-up ... he DOES think TikTok has privacy and security issues ... something the Trump administration came out and said as justification for possibly nixing it from our shores.

Tom didn't get into the details of what he thinks the problem with it is, but if you've been keeping up -- you know it's a Chinese-run company ... and U.S. officials are very skeptical.

So, what's the solution? Well, according to TP ... he says he hopes a competitor comes along and offers what TikTok does, but in a safer environment. He's got the perfect man in mind for the job too ... any guesses?

But, get this ... Thomas says if TikTok is, in fact, shut down and deemed an actual security threat to Americans -- he'll have no problem migrating to another platform that he knows and loves. Yes, it's where Jake Paul and a ton of other viral video folks live ... YouTube, baby.

6ix9ine's time on home confinement is almost up, and while fans are probably expecting some of his classic antics ... he claims he'll be cautious and motivated by one thing -- making music.

The rapper will be a relatively free man on or about August 1, when his house arrest ends, after getting out of prison back in April due to the pandemic.

He'll still be on supervised release for 5 years, but free to go out and about on his own, which raises the obvious concern ... whether or not he can stay out of trouble.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... his client's not thinking like that -- he's focused on work, security and elevating his music career. The "Trollz" rapper will need permission from the judge to leave the Southern and Eastern Districts of NY, but Lazzaro says that shouldn't be an issue as long as 6ix9ine proves he's leaving for legit work ... which is his plan.

Of course, going back out in public also means heightened concern about revenge for snitching. Lazzaro says 69's going to be consulting with his security team on every move and will be extra careful, even when conducting business.

Keeping a low-profile's never been Tekashi's thing, but his lawyer says that's what he intends to do. We're told he's not planning to attend any events, at least for a while. Not that there's a hell of a lot happening thanks to COVID-19.

The biggest perk of 6ix9ine's house arrest ending, according to Lazzaro, will be access to artists and execs interested in working with him ... as well as better studios for recording tracks and music vids.

Tekashi's been forced to do all of that out of his residence for the past few months -- though it's worked out very well for him.

Of course, he'll have to keep his nose clean and stay away from people with gang ties. It's a no-brainer he'll want to avoid them, but he's gotta hope they're not looking for him.

Lou Holtz does NOT want his beloved Notre Dame to drop its "Fighting Irish" nickname ... claiming it stems from a group of students who battled the KKK back in the day.

One tiny little problem -- it's not exactly true, Lou!

Here's the deal ... the former ND football coach was on Fox News this week and was asked about a recent "Fansided" article which questions if the school should move on from the whole "Fighting Irish" thing -- which it calls "a stereotype of the violent Irish."

83-year-old Holtz was OUTRAGED by the mere suggestion -- and told this tale explaining the origin of the Fighting Irish name.

"They were named the fighting Irish because the Ku Klux Klan tried to attack the Catholics," Holtz said.

"They went down and fought the Ku Klux Klan and that is where the name the Fighting Irish came."

That's news to Notre Dame -- which states on the official school website, "No one really knows for sure how Notre Dame became universally linked with the Irish."

"All we have is conjecture. But that’s the Irish way, isn’t it? Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."

There are several theories ... but nothing is really concrete.

The University says the first use of the nickname may have been in 1909 -- stemming from a fiery half-time speech directed at the football team's Irish players.

Notre Dame also noted the media had referred to Knute Rockne's football teams as the "Fighting Irish" in the early '20s.

The school does acknowledge an incident involving a student clash with the KKK in 1924 ... but it seems unlikely to be the origin of the nickname. Here's what ND says ... 

"A little-known event occurring in 1924 may have inadvertently contributed to Fighting Irish lore. In a recent book, alumnus Todd Tucker describes how Notre Dame students violently clashed with the anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan in that year. A weekend of riots drove the Klan out of South Bend and helped bring an end to its rising power in Indiana at a time when the state’s governor was among its members."

Doesn't matter to Lou though -- who's made his stance clear and warns that he'll REALLY get pissed if the cancel culture reaches his tribute at the school's stadium.

"Next thing you're gonna tell me, they wanna topple my statue at Notre Dame. That's when I will really get mad."