Controversial S#!T

Former Formula 1 driver Daniil Kvyat is speaking out against banning Russian athletes amid the attack on Ukraine ... calling it an "unfair solution."

As we previously reported, FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and other top sports organizations have expressed desire to prevent Russian athletes from participating in the international competition following last week's invasion ... as well as the Automobile Federation of Ukraine, which has called on the FIA to ban Russian drivers from racing in F1.

27-year-old Kvyat -- the most successful F1 driver from Russia -- sounded off on the idea in a lengthy statement on Tuesday ... saying it's going against everything sports represents.

"I really hope for a peaceful solution to this situation in Ukraine, and that we can all live in peace," he said on Twitter. "Hopefully all parties can find a solution by sitting together and through a respectful dialogue."

"It horrifies me to see two brotherhood nations in a conflict. I don't want military actions and wars to influence the future of humanity, I want my daughter and all children to enjoy this beautiful world."

He added ... "I also would like to highlight and address all sports federations across the world including IOC that sport should remain outside politics and disallowing Russian athletes and teams from participating in world competitions is an unfair solution and goes against what sport teaches us in its principle -- the unity and peace."

"Who else if not us sports people will help to glue nations together in the upcoming times."

Several massive Russian athletes have spoken out against the attack ... including Alexander Ovechkin, Andrey Rublev and more.

Art Briles will no longer serve on Hue Jackson's coaching staff at Grambling State ... this, after the hire was met with a ton of backlash.

The ex-Baylor head coach was set to become offensive coordinator for the Tigers next season ... his first big-time gig since getting canned over his involvement in alleged sexual assault coverups at Baylor from 2012-16.

Jackson defended the Briles hire in a statement Monday ... citing forgiveness, redemption and enlightenment as key factors to making the decision.

But, just hours later, Briles is out of the job again ... with Pete Thamel reporting the coach is no longer joining the staff.

This isn't the first time a team has quickly switched its decision on Briles -- the same thing happened with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017, when he was brought in to serve as assistant offensive head coach.

Briles went on to coach in Italy before taking a gig with Mount Vernon HS in Texas in 2019 ... earning a 20-6 record over 2 seasons.

Shaquille O'Neal was a horrific teammate to rookies back in the day ... so says Gary Payton, who claims the Big Diesel used to pour his waste on guys who were using the bathroom.

Payton, who was Shaq's teammate for one year with the Lakers and then two years with the Heat in the 2000s, explained how the vile acts would go down during a recent interview with Vlad TV.

The Glove said Shaq would go to the bathroom in a bucket "for about a week" -- and then dump it on unsuspecting rookies who were in stalls.

"He would pour it on them," Payton said.

GP didn't identify which rookies were on the receiving end of the disgusting "prank" -- but he said he at least made an effort to get Shaq back for it all.

Payton explained he'd take the former NBA superstar's underwear from time to time, forcing him to "be free-ballin' all the time."

A U.S. congressman has the internet dumbfounded by a cryptic tweet aimed at young folks -- and while some try to figure out what he means ... it's music to others peoples' ears.

Representative Clay Higgins -- who reps Louisiana's 3rd congressional district -- fired off a bizarre message Sunday ... seemingly pissed off at liberals -- but his insult kinda fell flat, because no one really knows what the hell he's even saying.

Higgins wrote, "You millennial leftists who never lived one day under nuclear threat can now reflect upon your woke sky. You made quite a non-binary fuss to save the world from intercontinental ballistic tweets."

There's a lot to unpack here ... millennial leftists ... woke sky ... non-binary fuss ... intercontinental ballistic tweets??? Indeed, there's a lot of good standout imagery here -- and as a result, it's got many thinking these are great band names and/or album titles.

Others imagined this as something a comic book character might say in a panel ... just 'cause it's so dang flowery and ominous. And even more yet thought it was poetic!

Even Dictionary.com got in on the fun ... directly responding to Rep. Higgins by asking the obvious -- whatcha mean, man??? They wrote, "We’re not entirely sure what this tweet is supposed to mean, and we’re literally the dictionary."

As for what CH is actually getting at ... it appears to be related to Ukraine -- and without reading too much into it ... he seems to be parroting far-right talking points that have bubbled up during this whole fiasco -- namely, about how this is all about culture wars.

Yes, even in this dire time ... it would seem some simply can't let go of that mindset -- and even crazier, just as many, in some cases, are even embracing and cozying up to Russia right now, sympathizing with their cause!

As millions of people attempt to leave Ukraine and seek refuge in neighboring countries, a disturbing trend has surfaced ... namely, Africans, allegedly, being discriminated against.

Several videos and accounts have emerged over the past 24 hours or so from Africans and other POC, who claim they are not being allowed to board certain trains and other modes of transportation to flee Ukraine -- and they think it's because of the color of their skin.

This mostly appears to be happening at the Ukrainian-Polish border in the northwest region, where many allege that border agents and local police are literally letting white Ukrainians hop on in ... while refusing access -- or at the very least, limiting access -- to Black people.

Multiple clips appear to show scores of African migrants and/or expatriates being left behind at train stations -- and not just that, but actually being pushed back as they try to enter.

One clip shows a group of Africans who appear to have weapons drawn on them, and they shout that they're unarmed students ... tensions escalating quickly. It's unclear who exactly may be deciding who's able to book it out of there first and how -- but the feeling among those on standby (in some cases for days, it seems) is that they're a second-rate class.

As you can imagine, this is creating resentment and frustration -- especially for those who see this from afar and can't help but wonder ... how can racism persist in a time of war???

It's a fair question ... especially if what looks to be happening here is, in fact, going down as described. There isn't much context in a lot of the videos beyond what's being claimed by the person on camera and/or the person posting it. Still ... it looks damning on the face of things.

Many users -- African-American and otherwise -- are sounding off online ... noting that even when Black people show solidarity against a nation in crisis -- those on the ground still might have to go above and beyond for a shred of dignity or mere safety, while others are being afforded exactly that without a blink of the eye. That's the consensus, anyway.

As we've told you ... Russia continues to invade Ukraine, and the military there is trying its best to defend itself -- while Western allies keep putting the financial squeeze on Putin and his people.

Farrah Abraham says she's putting her child's happiness first, and standing by her decision to allow Sophia to get a septum piercing for her 13th birthday.

The "Teen Mom" star tells TMZ ... she's doing her best as a parent -- despite what her critics say -- to make sure her teen is happy and healthy, and if that means Sophia getting a needle through her nose, so be it!

What's interesting is Farrah acknowledges she wasn't personally a fan of Sophia getting the piercing, but says it was more important to her that it be done by a professional ... rather than Sophia sneaking off to do it herself.

Despite not being for it, Farrah sure sounded happy to celebrate the piercing as a new Abraham family milestone. As for Sophia, she's also blocking out the haters, and called her new nose bling a "birthday wish come true".

Seems like the reality star is in a much better place, compared to last month. You'll recall, she was arrested outside a club after allegedly slapping a security guard.

Since the incident, she's moved away from L.A. while threatening to sue the club. She's also said she's had suicidal thoughts due to the arrest.

The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine is hard for some Americans to understand, so Bill Maher broke it down in terms a pop culture consumer can easily grasp.

Maher broke it down Friday night on "Real Time," equating Ukraine to Kim Kardashian, NATO to Pete Davidson, and -- sorry Ye -- you're Russia.

So, the idea ... Kim (Ukraine) wants her freedom, but she's boldly taken steps to move on from her marriage by forging a romantic alliance with Pete (NATO), and Kanye (Russia) is now throwing up all these false scenarios, claiming they're making his life difficult, so he's now showing unbridled aggression.

Now you get it?

Maher ended his show in true Bill fashion ... showing unbridled contempt for the Republican Party, while blasting the Democrats for squandering an opportunity to avert midterm disaster.

He noted Trump's stranglehold on the Republican Party seems to be waining ... the poll numbers show a drop in support as dramatic as the decline of Omicron.

So, his point ... a lot of folks who were drawn to Trump who felt disenfranchised are now jumping off that train in droves, so they're ripe for the pickin', assuming Democrats don't attack them for having supported Trump in the past. In other words ... show graciousness.

There's a fabulous sports metaphor Obama once used to describe this very opportunity ... and Bill recounts it well.

Jackson Mahomes is getting ripped by a business again -- this time, a snack company claims the Chiefs QB's brother scammed them out of a $250 care package.

Rare Munchiez owner Sam Farha tells TMZ Sports ... Patrick Mahomes' little bro DMed the company on Instagram back in January, saying he loved their product -- rare snacks and sodas from across the world --  and would like a care package.

Farha says he had no problem with that ... as long as Mahomes posted his business and the bundle for his 260,000 followers to see.

Sam says Mahomes agreed -- but after the $250 package was delivered and signed for by the 21-year-old on Feb. 8, he went MIA.

Farha tells us he reached out to Mahomes several times over the next 2-3 weeks after the delivery ... claiming screenshots of the DMs prove he was being ignored.

"It's not like he wasn't seeing our messages," Farha says. "He was opening them every time I sent a message. He looked at all my DMs for 2 weeks straight."

So, Farha decided to enter Mahomes' world by posting a TikTok video this week sharing his side of things ... and that's when Jackson hit him back.

"He still says he never received it after the video went viral," Farha says. "It took a video to go viral, bashing him, for him to actually respond!"

But, Farha tells us he believes Mahomes DID receive that package ... especially with the tracking info and the way he ignored him for weeks until he put him on blast.

So, what now?? Farha doesn't even want Mahomes to give his business a shoutout anymore ... and is throwing shade at him for taking advantage of being the younger brother of an NFL superstar.

"My message for him is to basically stop taking advantage of clout, trying to scam small businesses because that's just not how the world works."

"He's just using his brother's name and fame for himself to get free stuff."

This isn't the first time Jackson was accused of similar behavior -- just 2 months ago, he was ripped by a restaurant in Kansas City for allegedly clout chasing after he made a social media post about their bad service.

The restaurant later apologized to Mahomes after they criticized him -- but it doesn't seem he'll be getting one from Rare Munchiez.

NLE Choppa thinks people are naive if they believe rap wars can just end ... like the longstanding beef between Young Dolph & Yo Gotti.

The Memphis rapper was on the latest episode of "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper," talking feuds between artists ... Yo Gotti and the late Young Dolph came up, and Choppa tells it exactly as he sees it.

With an easy answer being to stop the beef, he says it's more tricky than that. "Certain stuff ya just gotta understand, like some s*** just ain't meant to end."

TMZ reported ... Back in 2017, Blac Youngsta -- one of Gotti's rappers -- turned himself in to cops investigating a Dolph shooting in Charlotte ... and he was also named a person of interest when Dolph was shot in L.A. later that year.

After Young Dolph was murdered in Memphis at the end of 2021, BY released a music video ... standing in front of a tomb with Dolph's name on it.

The feud runs strong in Memphis -- not even giving the dead a break. Choppa still doesn't think it's an easy thing to drop ... saying at the end of the day, everyone's gonna be themselves and nothing will change that.

Jussie Smollett wants a do-over in court, he's asking for a new trial in Chicago and taking issue with the initial jury selection process -- but he'd also willing to accept a not-guilty verdict.

The actor's defense team just filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, asking the judge to reverse the verdict and find him not guilty of disorderly conduct for faking a police report ... or at least give him a new trial.

Remember ...  a jury in Illinois decided Jussie was lying to cops about being the victim of a homophobic and racist attack. The jurors found the "Empire" actor guilty of 5 of the 6 felony counts against him, including disorderly conduct charges or allegedly providing a false report to cops.

In the docs, Jussie claims the court violated his constitutional rights when it prevented his defense team from actively participating in the jury selection process.

Jussie claims his lawyers were not allowed to ask questions of potential jurors ... and his defense claims the jury pool for the high-profile case was tainted.

He's also claiming prosecutors showed a pattern of racism in selecting jurors.

In the docs, Jussie's defense also claims the judge wrongfully barred the media and public from the courtroom ... and he says prosecutors pressured witnesses to give false testimony.

That's not all ... Jussie's legal team also says the judge wrongfully limited the defense questioning of witnesses.

Phil Mickelson just lost a major sponsor in the wake of his controversial comments on Saudi Arabia ... and it's one of his oldest partners.

Callaway Golf is pausing their business relationship with the pro golfer and will stop sending him payments.

The golf company says they will reevaluate the partnership at some point in the future ... but for now, they are distancing themselves from Phil.

As you know ... Mickelson is catching a ton of heat for his comments on Saudi Arabia ahead of playing in a new golf league in the country.

Phil played in the league despite saying the country had a "horrible record of human rights."

Phil said ... "We know they killed (Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape how the PGA Tour operates."

Mickelson apologized for his comments after playing a round in the Saudi league, saying he was taken out of context and his statements were supposed to be off the record ... though he admitted his words were regrettable and offensive.

In his mea culpa, Phil said ... "It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words," Mickelson said in his statement. "I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."

He continued, "My intent was never to hurt anyone and I’m so sorry to the people I have negatively impacted. This has always been about supporting the players and the game and I appreciate all the people who have given me the benefit of the doubt."

Phil also hinted he could take a step away from the game for a while following the firestorm ... including the fact he "desperately" needs "some time away."

Dozens of Ukrainian infants born in the middle of the Russian invasion are now getting intensive care in a makeshift bomb shelter ... as hospital staff huddles around the newborns.

This footage is from a children's hospital in Dnipro, a city in eastern Ukraine -- an area Russia is targeting with missiles -- and you can see the tough conditions these babies and their caretakers are now forced to endure.

The babies were moved from the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit -- so, they were medically vulnerable under the best conditions ... but now they've been forced to seek refuge in a basement area of the building.

You can see nurses doing their best to hook them up to oxygen tanks and other medical devices.

It's another heartbreaking video from the front lines of the conflict ... much like that video of a Ukrainian father sobbing as he sends his daughter to safety.

Sharon Osbourne wouldn't go back to CBS if they unloaded a Brinks truck in front of her house ... because the bad blood is still boiling.

Sharon and Ozzy were at Erewhon market in L.A. Thursday, and our photog asked the question lots of folks want to know ... Whoopi Goldberg's punishment was way less severe than Sharon's, so would she consider going back to "The Talk" if CBS asked her?

Well, we're thinkin' she wouldn't give it another go, because she said, "I would never go back to that show because CBS sucks big time d**k."  So we're thinkin' no.

As you know, Sharon got the ax after defending her friend Piers Morgan who attacked Meghan Markle on his show.

She also made it clear ... she's not hanging it up -- she is NOT retiring. Sounds like she's got plans.

Formula 1 will NOT return to Russia in September ... with organizers saying it is "impossible" to hold the event in Sochi following the attack on Ukraine.

"We are watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation," the org. said in a statement Friday.

"On Thursday evening Formula 1, the FIA, and the teams discussed the position of our sport, and the conclusion is, including the view of all relevant stakeholders, that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances."

As we previously reported, superstars like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen voiced their opposition to holding the race in Sochi after Russia attacked Ukraine ... with the 4-time champ saying, "I think it’s wrong to race in that country."

The Russian G.P. has been on the F1 schedule since 2014 ... and Vladimir Putin has attended the event in the past -- even handing out the trophy to winners on the podium, including Lewis Hamilton and Valtterri Bottas.

Prince Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt is doubling down on his decision to un-adopt Kevin Feucht ... and now thinks the answer to his problems is adopting an adult woman.

We got Zsa Zsa Gabor's widower leaving Cafe Roma Thursday in Bev Hills ... hours after news broke A&E canceled his show, "Adults Adopting Adults." As we first reported, von Anhalt's decided to reverse the adoption of 27-year-old Kevin -- saying he'd only done it for the show, anyway.

Even without the cameras, though, Prinz tells us he's still in the market for an heir ... or, we should say, an heiress!!! Check out his explanation for why he thinks an adult daughter would be more attentive than a son ... or at least better than Kevin. It's all about trust.

He also told us why he stands by his decision to drop Kevin. Besides the TV show, his main issue was his adoptive son's jet-setting ways.

Now, he is leaving the door slightly cracked for Kevin, saying there's a way his son can fix things -- but he's gonna have to redeem himself before boarding a plane for yet another trip.

BTW ... Anhalt tells us he broke the reverse adoption plans to Kevin in a pretty harsh way -- he texted him a link to TMZ's story detailing his reasons for wanting to ditch him.

The former police officers who stood by as George Floyd was being murdered by Derek Chauvin were just found guilty on all charges by a jury of their peers in their federal case.

Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were convicted after a 12-person panel rendered their verdict following less than 2 full days of deliberations ... this after nearly a month-long trial.

The ex-cops were found guilty of all charges against them -- all 3 were facing a count of deprivation of rights under color of the law for failing to render medical aid to Floyd ... and Thao and Kueng were, additionally, hit with charges for failing to intervene in Chauvin's use of unreasonable force.

You might recall ... Lane was seen on camera at least trying to speak up about what was going on, asking if they should roll Floyd over -- only to be overruled by Chauvin.

As you know, Chauvin was convicted of murder last year ... and has since copped a plea on the federal charges he was also facing. Thao, Kueng and Lane aren't out of the woods yet either, BTW ... they have a state criminal trial later this year.

For this case, though ... Thao, Kueng, and Lane argued that they were deferring to Chauvin's seniority and experience in the situation ... and that they didn't intend for Floyd to die under the circumstances.

Kueng and Lane also tried to explain their behavior by pointing out how new they were to the Minneapolis PD force at that point -- each of them was just days into the job when the incident occurred in May 2020.

You'll recall ... Chauvin, Lane and Kueng held Floyd down -- with Chauvin pinning him at his neck. Thao was on crowd control behind the police vehicle.

As for what's on the table sentence-wise ... the men are facing the possibility of several years or even life in prison. The death penalty is technically possible given the charges, but prosecutors have given no indication they would seek it.