Controversial S#!T

'Survivor' producers have dropped the hammer after a couple contestants broke their NDAs by posing together for a photo -- but only punished one of them ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the production tell us Alec Merlino got the short end of the stick in the discipline department after posting a photo with fellow contestant Kara Kay and captioning their pic with a defiant "F*** it." We're told there's no decision yet on punishing Kara.

As for Alec ... sources say showrunners are withholding his appearance fee -- not prize money -- for the show, which comes out to about $10,000. He's also been disinvited to the finale episode broadcast, in which cast members come together and reflect on the season.

We're also told an email was sent to the rest of the cast addressing Merlino and Kay, explaining Alec had been punished ... and that others shouldn't follow suit.

All in all, we suppose Alec should consider himself lucky that he wasn't taken to court for violating his $5 million NDA. BTW ... Alec has since removed the photo from IG.

Dallas Cowboys coaches had a heated meeting about the team's decision to take a knee as a team last season with one coach saying, "Who gives a f**k what the President says."

It's all part of a docuseries featuring the Cowboys called "All or Nothing," which featured a look inside a real team conversation surrounding the anthem protest.

Before the Sept. 25 game against the Cardinals -- days after President Trump made inflammatory comments about players kneeling for the anthem -- Jerry Jones told the team he wanted everyone to take a knee in unity before the song. But he made it clear, when the music plays, "I want you to stand."

"I want us to, in front of God and everybody, walk out there together, all of us, and kneel down in the name of unity."

Jones goes on to say ... "Then they’re gonna play the National Anthem. And I do want you to stand with me. I do want you to stand."

After the game, head coach Jason Garrett talked to his coaching staff about the team's show of unity ... and it got intense.

O-line coach Frank Pollack says ... "What happened to blocking out the f*cking noise? Who gives a f*ck what the President says?"

"Let’s get our focus on what we’re trying to do. All this is doing is distracting us from what we’re trying to f*cking accomplish."

Steve Nash knows ... legalized sports betting won't go off without a hitch -- noting that in the past, "sh*t's happened."

There are concerns that the new Supreme Court ruling legalizing sports betting across the U.S. could lead to point shaving scandals ... like we've seen in the past at Arizona State and Boston College.

The suggestion is ... with sports betting being a hundred billion dollar industry and growing, there will be more incentive to pay off players to shave points or throw games.

But Nash doesn't seem too worried ... telling TMZ Sports, "I wouldn't [be concerned]. They're responsible young gentlemen of society."

He acknowledges some players will screw up -- but they're probably in the minority.

"Sh*t's happened over time. I'm sure something will happen. But people are responsible for themselves."

Meghan Markle's half-sister says England's new princess-to-be has no right to tell her when to talk, or what to say -- 'cause this is 'Merica, damnit!!! Yes ... seriously.

We spoke with Samantha Markle a few days ahead of Meghan's wedding with Prince Harry -- amidst a ton of family drama brewing among the Markles -- and she tells us she doesn't care if her sis wants her to refrain from blabbing to the media as much as she has.

Samantha insists she's not bad-mouthing Meghan ... she's just defending herself. And besides, Samantha says whatever censorship laws the U.K. have on the books don't apply to her across the pond ... even if Meg's now a big deal there.

You gotta hear her for yourself -- she's certainly got her opinions of Meghan.

Moby thinks he knows how a conversation between Jesus and President Trump would go down ... and it ain't pretty.

We got him Tuesday at L.A.'s Little Pine restaurant, and the iconic DJ/producer was heated about the deadly violence this week following the U.S. embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. At least 60 Palestinians were reportedly killed during protests.

Moby admits he has no religious skin in the game, but he's still pissed about what he sees as the rationale behind the move -- namely the second coming. Really.

One of the best 'Survivor' contestants/lying scoundrels thinks producers should go easy on the 2 dimwits who broke their NDAs before airtime ... but says they still gotta pay.

We spoke to Jonny Fairplay of season 7 fame and podcast host Survivor NSFW -- known for lying about his grandmother dying and getting 3rd place -- and he tells us Alec Merlino and Kara Kay shouldn't be taken to court for violating their $5 million confidentiality agreements. He's got an alternative.

Jonny says the duo should lose their prize money from the show -- which he predicts is more significant than just a 1st or 2nd round payout, based on an apparent alliance/romance they seem to have formed ... which must've taken at least a few rounds.

BTW ... Jonny tells us just how much money is on the line for these two if showrunners go with his suggestion. It ain't $5 mil ... but it would definitely hurt a bit.

Legalized sports betting isn't just a win for degenerate gamblers ... it could also have a real impact in reducing violent crimes and sex trafficking ... so says Senator Cory Booker.

The NJ politician is clearly fired up about the new Supreme Court ruling that essentially allows states to legalize sports betting ... a cause Booker has been championing for years.

Booker tells TMZ Sports ... people have been betting on sports illegally for decades -- and illegal sports gambling is often tied to violent crime and sex trafficking.

So, legalizing it will allow the states to regulate sports betting ... which, in turn, could have a real impact in reducing crime connected to illegal gambling rings.

Booker also says he's pumped about all the tax revenue legal sports betting will generate -- since experts estimate people have been illegally betting hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars a year.

Rudy Giuliani stonewalled our photog who had a simple question ... shouldn't Trump apologize for the despicable remark one of his employees made about Senator John McCain?

Giuliani arrived at Reagan National Airport Tuesday and our guy -- like millions of Americans -- wanted to know how a decent person wouldn't say "I'm sorry" after an employee HE PICKED would say something so disgusting ... writing off an American hero struggling with brain cancer by saying he's "dying anyway."

UFC fighter Raquel Pennington says she would have been "devastated" if her corner would have thrown in the towel during UFC 224 ... saying, "I'm glad they didn't let me quit."

Pennington's corner has been under fire for not throwing in the towel when she told them she had nothing left after the 4th round of her fight with Amanda Nunes.

Raquel says her corner team has been beating themselves up for talking her into fighting in the 5th round ... but she insists they only did what SHE wanted them to do.

"If I truly wanted out of there, I could have turned around [to the ref] and waved out of the fight," Pennington says.

In fact, she says her coach did give her the motivation she needed to get back out there ... and does NOT feel like her team ever put her in real danger.

XXXTentacion is ready to move past an old video in which he's seen hitting a teenage girl -- because he says she's changed her story and, as a result, he's dropping his defamation lawsuit against her.

Sources tell us ... the woman, who XXX is seen smacking on the back of the head, recently submitted a notarized letter to his team, recanting her previous claim that she hadn't revealed the clip earlier as a result of being "terrified for her life."

, the woman says, "The video was taken years ago when Jahseh [XXX's real name] and I were both kids and we were just joking around. I was not injured as a result of what happened nor did it negatively affect my personal life."

When we reached out to her, she had no comment.

As we reported ... XXX sued the woman for fraud and defamation. As of Monday, that suit has been dismissed.

A rep for XXX's management tells us they're pleased with the result. They also go on to bash "large corporations" for cutting off promotion of XXX's music in playlists based on "unproven allegations" -- a clear shot at Spotify's new policy.

Trinidad James doesn't think Kanye West's recent rant about slavery or wearing his MAGA hat will hurt Adidas' bottom line in the long run, although it seems to have put a dent in Yeezy sales overseas already.

On May 5, a Yeezy-affiliated event in Sydney, Australia was shut down 45 minutes after it began because no one showed up. It's possible it was poorly publicized, but many think it's damage done from Ye's recent rants.

When we got TJ, a huge sneakerhead, at Atlanta's Lenox Square mall, he told us no one showing up to Kanye's Oz event might actually be a good thing.

As for himself, he says he'd still buy Yeezys, just not right now ... but for different reasons.

Ex-UFC star Tim Kennedy said the reason he decided to get waterboarded was to show the world, "We're not a bunch of spineless cowards" ... and insists it didn't even hurt.

Kennedy -- a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- let his friends waterboard him for about 45 minutes over the weekend ... and live streamed it to show the world why it shouldn't be considered torture.

"It feels like you're drowning. It feels like it, but you're not," Kennedy tells TMZ Sports.

"Because the water is going down in the back of your eyes, up your nose, it's pooling in the back of your throat. You’re trying to hold your breath, but all that water is pounding at the back of your throat, so you can't hold your breath."

"It's uncomfortable. It doesn’t feel good. It's not like, 'Let's go get a spa treatment.' A little face massage. It's an uncomfortable thing. But, it's a very effective thing."

Kennedy is adamant waterboarding should NOT be considered torture -- and explained his point in graphic detail.

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber is PRAISING Raquel Pennington's corner for talking her out of quitting after the 4th round at UFC 224 ... saying Raquel would live to regret it if she did.

Pennington was getting pummeled by Amanda Nunes during the championship fight Saturday night -- and told her corner, "I'm done. I want to be done."

Her coaches talked her out of quitting and they've been catching hell ever since ... with many critics saying they failed in their duty to protect Pennington's health since she lost in the 5th round anyway.

But, Faber is not one of those critics ... saying the corner did exactly what they were supposed to do -- motivated her to take advantage of her championship opportunity.

Plus, Faber points out ... "If she really wanted out of the fight, she could have told the ref."

Urijah says he would hope his corner would do the same exact thing if he was in Raquel's position -- because quitting on the stool is a decision fighters regret for the rest of their lives.

Meghan McCain UNLOADED on "Silicon Valley" star Kumail Nanjiani Monday morning for essentially saying her father, John McCain, didn't do enough to stand up for victims of bigotry.

So, how did Kumail respond? With one of the nicest compliments ever.

Backstory ... Meghan was pissed over a tweet Kumail posted about the White House aide who caused outrage last week when she joked that John's opinions didn't matter because he's gonna die soon anyway.

"What was said about McCain was vile," Nanjiani wrote ... "but I wish the McCain’s had been as offended and vocal when vile stuff was said about other people/races/nationalities."

"Perhaps we wouldn’t be in this moment right now."

Meghan -- John's daughter -- was deeply offended and fired back Monday morning with a heated note and a video showing her dad shutting down anti-Obama supporters at a 2008 rally.

"You mean like he did here? I could give you literally thousands of examples of my father speaking up against bigotry of all kinds but this video sums it up pretty concisely," Meghan wrote.

"You know nothing about my family or my father Kumail, nothing."

Kumail responded a short time later ...

"Meghan, I did not mean to offend you. I could explain my point further but instead I will just say something I truly believe: if we had more politicians like your father, the world would be a better place."

Meghan thanked Kumail for his response -- and he wished her family well.

Ex-UFC star Tim Kennedy -- a U.S. Army Special Forces sniper -- doesn't believe waterboarding should be considered torture ... and to prove his point, he turned the hose on himself.

Yep, Kennedy and his pals waterboarded each other for roughly 45 minutes on Friday ... and barely even flinched.

So ... why???

Kennedy says the move was to show support for Gina Haspel, Trump's pick to lead the CIA. Haspel has been criticized for using waterboarding and other interrogation methods at black sites during her CIA career.

"It’s not torture!!!!" Kennedy wrote ... "Hell we had elk tacos and wine afterwards. Wake up people. #waterboarding."

Kennedy also described -- in detail -- the waterboarding technique -- "They wouldn’t tell me when they were going to put the towel on they would just smash it on my face and start pouring. You can’t hold your breath while they do it because the water runs down your sinuses. The water run through your eyes, down your nose, and pools at the back of your throat."

Still, seems Haspel could have an uphill battle -- with people like John McCain arguing against her nomination due to her connection to questionable interrogation methods.

Bill Cosby's criminal behavior should not overshadow the cultural impact "A Different World" had in the '80s and '90s -- and could still have today -- according to one of its stars, Kadeem Hardison.

We got Kadeem, aka Dwayne Wayne, at LAX and asked him about the show he and Lisa Bonet made a huge hit. Of course, it was a 'Cosby Show' spin-off -- but Kadeem insists Cosby's sexual assault conviction can't drag down the show.

Kadeem does give Cosby credit for one thing and one thing only. Beyond that ... he says the show's impact on black culture stands on its own, and says it can't be tarnished by its creator.