Controversial S#!T

Nick Bosa could make $100 MILLION in the NFL -- and it's simply not worth it to stay in college and contend for a title ... so says ex-OSU superstar running back Maurice Clarett.

Clarett knows a little something about leaving college for the pros -- he sued the NFL back in 2003 after his sensational freshman season to try and become eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft.

Clarett ultimately lost his suit and didn't really pan out in the NFL -- but still feels very strongly that top players like Bosa should focus on cashing in at the next level.

Bosa is the projected #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft -- and after suffering a core injury earlier this season, the defensive end announced he won't return to OSU. Instead, he's focusing on prepping himself for the NFL.

"I believe he's doing the right thing," Clarett told the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show.

"This guy could probably make $100 million over his career. I wouldn't go out there and risk it for a National Championship. It's just not worth it. It's basic common sense."

He added, "I wouldn't go out there and risk my life and jeopardize my future to make some fans happy, I just wouldn't do it."

Clarett is now killing it in the podcast game -- topping the iTunes charts with his show, "Business & Biceps."

10:05 AM PT -- Delta says Tara's got it all wrong. A spokesperson tells TMZ ... first class seats do not allow bags at your feet -- and, as a result, a flight attendant DID suggest Tara put her dog's carrier in overhead ... NEVER the dog itself.

The rep says Tara was told plainly she could keep her dog in her lap or by her feet.

Additionally, Delta says she didn't go quietly and was "very unruly and disruptive" ... according to flight attendants and other passengers.

Tara Reid is drastically changing her story on why she was escorted off a Delta flight -- now saying she was told to stow her dog in an overhead bin, and simply refused.

The actress posted a statement Wednesday clarifying what she says went down Monday when she deplaned a Delta flight from LAX to NYC with her pup. She says the dog is an emotional support animal -- for which she has paperwork -- but Delta's staff still wouldn't let her dog ride on her lap ... only offering overhead or cargo hold storage options.

She says she had pre-arranged to bring the 3-month-old dog on board, but after flight attendants made it clear they were not on board with the plan ... she says she calmly boarded another flight.

You can see and clearly hear from the video ... Tara didn't have a choice -- she was escorted off the plane.

Tara now says we got our reporting wrong, but the fact is ... we spoke directly to her Monday and she told us she was upset about not getting a window seat and feeling cramped in her seat because the person in front of her reclined theirs.

We reached out to Delta to comment on Tara's latest version ... so far, no word back.

WWE superstar Randy Orton believes it's VERY important for the WWE to move forward with plans to host a major Pay-Per-View event in Saudi Arabia ... despite calls from U.S. officials to hold off.

WWE is scheduled to have the "Crown Jewel" event in Riyadh on Nov. 2 -- something they've been planning for months.

The problem ... Saudi Arabia is under fire for allegedly ordering the torture and murder of former Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Several politicians have called for Vince McMahon to postpone the event until there are clear answers as to the Saudi role in Khashoggi's disappearance.

Several powerful business leaders have distanced themselves from Saudi Arabia, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Ford Motor Chairman Bill Ford.

Also, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) has called on WWE to reconsider doing business with the country due to a "continuing pattern of abuse of civil rights and civil liberties."

But, Orton doesn't feel the same way -- telling TMZ Sports, "I think we should go. I think the only way to help with change over there is to go and not to cancel the trip."

"That's the goal is to make things better everywhere and I think us NOT going doesn't help. Going helps."

There are better ways to voice your displeasure for President Trump than by dragging the First Lady through the mud, and T.I. has gone waaaay too far ... so says former Barack Obama cabinet member Julian Castro.

We got the former HUD Secretary Tuesday at Reagan National, and asked about T.I. portraying Melania Trump as his personal lapdancer in the Oval.

Julian says there's no room for lewd antics in our democracy. Although, we gotta say ... that's a funny response considering Trump's exchange with Stormy Daniels today.

He's adamant mafia rules should apply -- as in, spouses and kids are off limits when bashing Trump, or any other politician. Julian's speaking as a very interested party because he's said he's probably running for Prez in 2020.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports ... he and Khabib Nurmagomedov have worked out their issues and "The Eagle" will not be leaving the UFC.

"We're good with Khabib," Dana said ... "He's staying. This will all work out."

Remember, Khabib threatened to leave the organization if White fired his teammate, Zubaira Tukhugov, for his role in the post-fight madness at UFC 229.

"If you decide to fire him, you should know that you’ll lose me too," Khabib posted on Instagram last week.

So, when we saw Dana out in NYC moments ago, we had to ask if he felt there was a real risk that Khabib would walk.

"We worked it out. We're gonna get everything worked out. Obviously, he was a little upset and a little fired up."

He continued, "Listen, guys get very emotional man and that was a very emotional fight for him. At the end of the day, Khabib is a great guy and we've always had a great relationship with him."

The other question ... does this mean Khabib AND Zubaira will remain on the UFC roster?

"Well, [Khabib's] staying in the UFC," Dana said ... telling us he's not 100% sure about Zubaira's future.

He did assure us that Khabib is happy and "this will all work out."

8:20 AM PT -- Stephanie Grisham has elaborated on her initial tweet by releasing a statement, saying, "Like it or not, she is the First Lady and this is the White House. It's disrespectful and disgusting to portray her this way simply because of politics."

She continued, "These kinds of vulgar attacks only further the divisiveness and bias in our country - it needs to stop."

T.I. is going directly after President Trump and the First Lady with a salacious video of a Melania look-alike stripping in the Oval Office ... for T.I.!!!

Melania's office is firing back at Tip for the video he released over the weekend ... it shows him in the Oval, kicking back smoking a cigar. After Trump leaves the White House, "Melania" walks in wearing nothing but her infamous "I Really Don't Care" jacket ... but only for a few seconds.

Suddenly, she's naked and on the Presidential desk giving T.I. full view of ... everything.

T.I. was clearly trying to draw the ire of POTUS ... slapping the caption "Dear 45, I ain't Kanye" on the video.

Melania's rep Stephanie Grisham tweeted, "How is this acceptable? #disgusting #boycottT.I."

No response yet from T.I. ... but seems like mission accomplished for him.

"Family Matters" star Darius McCrary says it's absurd to think he dislocated his 2-year-old daughter's arm -- as his estranged wife claims -- and suggests his daughter was coached into faking the injury.

We spoke to Darius after his estranged wife, Tammy Brawner, filed docs claiming he dislocated little Zoey's arm in March 2018 while attempting to take her to the bathroom. Zoey was reportedly diagnosed with Nursemaid’s Elbow ... a common childhood injury where the child's elbow partially dislocates.

Ronan and Mia Farrow think President Trump's painted himself into a diplomatic corner when it comes to dealing with Saudi Arabia over the apparent murder of a journalist.

We spoke to Ronan and his mom on Sunday afternoon about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and, specifically, how the Trump administration is handling it. The Pulitzer Prize winner told us it's high time to start calling out the Saudis and other allies who have a horrible record on human rights.

As the Pulitzer Prize winner put it ... there "needs to be accountability in our foreign policy." He added, the proper response would be to send skilled and experienced diplomats to negotiate, but watch ... Ronan says Trump's already screwed himself in that department.

Reports surfaced Monday the Saudi government was preparing to admit Jamal Khashoggi was killed during an interrogation at its Istanbul embassy.

Quavo is setting the record straight after Lil Peep's stans got furious at what they thought were lyrics mocking the late rapper's death ... and he's doing it by announcing a self-imposed rule.

The Migos rapper tweeted out a message Monday that addressed the massive backlash he received over the weekend on the heels of dropping his solo album, "Quavo Huncho."

On the song "BIG BRO," Quavo raps ... "Think you poppin' Xanax bars, but it's Fentanyl // Think you're living like rockstars but you're dead now."

Tons of people took that as a diss aimed at Lil Peep, and were justifiably pissed over the apparent low blow. But, Quavo clarified his intent behind the lyrics, saying, "Lil Peep Is A Legend A Real Rockstar N E V E R will speak on the deceased."

He went on to explain that he believes in God, and doesn't question his plans ... adding that he had a 10-year barber who died from Fentanyl use. He capped off his tweet with ... "RIP TO ANYBODY WHO LOST THERE LIFE TO DRUG ABUSE!"

As we reported ... Peep died from a Xanax and Fentanyl overdose. Many other drugs were discovered in his system as well. He was 21 years old.

Donald Trump revealed on "60 Minutes" ... he had to mock Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at a Mississippi rally in order to get the necessary votes to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

It was a stunning revelation ... Lesley Stahl grilled Trump like a cheeseburger over the now infamous campaign rally ... where Trump suggested Dr. Ford was a liar, to the delight of thousands who cackled their approval.

Stahl reminded the Prez Ford had told Senators the worst part of her high school encounter was the laughter by her assailants, and what she heard from the Mississippi crowd was laughter. Watch Trump's reaction to Stahl as he shrugs off the criticism.

Trump confessed, "Had we not made that speech we would not have won." As you know, the margin of victory was razor thin.

Ricky Williams says there's no doubt about it -- Todd Gurley is a better running back than he ever was!!

High praise coming from the former Heisman Trophy winner who played 12 seasons in the NFL and was a 1st-team All-Pro in 2002.

But, after Gurley's 208-yard, 2-TD show against the Broncos on Sunday ... Ricky tells TMZ Sports there's just no argument.

"He's better. He's better," Williams says. "He's better than I was."

What makes Ricky say that?? Dude tells us T.G.'s simply more complete than he ever was -- especially as a receiver.

We also asked Ricky about a guy he played with a bunch during his career, Drew Brees -- and Williams had some high praise for him too ... saying he's a top 5 QB of ALL TIME!!!

"Bachelor in Paradise" star Jenna Cooper is not a lying cheater out for fame ... this according to a forensic report.

Jenna had the forensic company digitally scrub her iPhone, iPad and iCloud backup for alleged text messages she sent saying she only got engaged to fellow 'BiP' contestant Jordan Kimball on the show to build Hollywood connections. The alleged texts -- sent to another man -- also said Jordan didn't mean anything to her and she had an off-camera boyfriend.

Screenshots of the texts first surfaced in August after the 'BiP' finale ... but Jenna's been on the warpath to clear her name, even going so far as to hire the forensic company.

Jenna's rep, Steve Honig, tells TMZ ... "A comprehensive forensic examination of Jenna’s devices by an independent third-party expert has definitively confirmed none of the text messages in question came from Jenna's phone."

Jenna's been trying to get Jordan to admit the texts are fake and accused him of dramatically changing his demeanor toward her when the cameras stopped rolling. She claims Jordan "let it be known there was only room for one celebrity in the relationship."

Ex-49ers star Dana Stubblefield believes Santa Clara prosecutors are so afraid of looking soft on sexual assault cases in the wake of the Brock Turner debacle, they're gonna go extra hard on him instead.

Stubblefield is accused of raping a mentally disabled woman back in 2015 -- though he's pled not guilty to all 5 felony counts and vows to prove his innocence.

Now, the 47-year-old has filed new court docs saying he's worried he'll be treated unfairly by Northern California prosecutors looking to protect their reputation after the crap they took from the Stanford swimmer rape case.

Remember, the judge in the Brock Turner rape case was recalled from office back in June after only sentencing Turner to 6 months in jail for sexually assaulting a drunk woman outside of a Stanford frat party. He could have faced up to 14 years.

Stubblefield's attorney just filed court docs saying prosecutors are essentially lying in wait -- looking for another high-profile case to prove how tough they can be ... despite the facts.

"Since the public outcry about the lenient sentence in the sexual assault case of the 'Stanford swimmer,' and the judge in the matter being voted off the bench, it is common knowledge, and a matter of frequent discussion among the defense bar, that the prosecutors and judges in this country are taking an unusually hard line on sexual assault cases."

Stubblefield's attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, believes the NFL star's case is the most high-profile sexual assault case since Turner -- putting Dana in real danger of being the victim of an overreaction.

So, what does Stubblefield want?

He wants all of the pertinent documents unsealed so the media and the public can have access to all the evidence in the case ... which Stubblefield believes will cut in his favor.

Hillary Clinton is still firmly in Bill Clinton's corner more than two decades after his sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky ... with HC now saying he didn't abuse his power over her.

The former Secretary of State and two-time presidential hopeful went to bat for her husband Sunday during an interview with CBS, in which a reporter asked if then-President Clinton should have resigned after being impeached for lying about his affair with Lewinsky.

Her answer was telling ... "Absolutely not." The reporter follows up by asking if his relationship with Lewinsky might've been an abuse of power. She simply says, "No, no."

HC was presented with one last premise that she quickly and brutally deflected at Lewinsky's expense, with the reporter suggesting that a sitting president cannot have a consensual relationship with an intern because the power imbalance is too great.

She quickly interjected with, "... who was an adult" and pivoted to asking why there hasn't been such an expansive probe into the allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump.

Mally Mall says Kanye West is doing great work, trying to help the United States ... and he's nothing less than a genius.

We got Mally outside Staples Center Saturday night where Drake performed, and he sang the praises of Ye.

Mally was especially complimentary about Kanye's efforts to free Larry Hoover, who's serving a life sentence for murder.

Dwayne Johnson is getting a raw deal from people who think he's not black enough to play John Henry ... according to Roger Aaron Brown, who had the role back in the '90s.

Roger played John Henry in the 1995 movie 'Tall Tale,' and tells us he doesn't have a problem with The Rock stepping into his shoes. He tells us there's way more to the role than being African-American, so complaints Dwayne's skin isn't dark enough are nonsense.

As Roger sees it, Dwayne has the acting chops and physical stature to play John Henry -- the railroad worker worked himself to death, according to folklore.

The Rock is clearly thrilled about his upcoming movie, "John Henry and the Statesmen," and his lifelong passion for the story is enough for Roger to get on board.