Controversial S#!T

T.C. Williams High School in Virginia -- famously featured in the movie, "Remember The Titans" -- is getting a complete makeover ... in an attempt to distance itself from its racist history.

But, don't worry, they're still the Titans!!!

The school was originally named after former superintendent Thomas Chambliss Williams -- a known racist who "did everything possible to slow down the process of integration in Alexandria," according to the school website.

As it turns out, the school became popular for the exact opposite reason -- the T.C. Williams football team integrated in 1971 and went on to win a state championship ... an accomplishment that was turned into the Disney flick starring Denzel Washington as legendary head coach Herman Boone.

Despite the feel-good story of "Titans," the school's official name remained a dark cloud in the city of Alexandria for decades ... and a petition was started in early 2020 to get rid of "T.C. Williams."

A unanimous vote was passed last November to kickstart the rebranding process ... and on Thursday, the school board revealed the new name.

Alexandria City High School!!!

The school says the change will become official in July ... and noted it will ALWAYS be the home of the Titans.

Antonio Gates believes Deshaun Watson's career will survive the sexual misconduct allegations ... and he WILL set foot on an NFL field again.

Gates didn't make any predictions about how the legal action against Watson will play out ... but when speaking specifically to Watson's football career, he thinks the QB will weather the storm.

"He seems like a good dude," Gates tells TMZ Sports. "Obviously he made some -- I don't even know if he made these mistakes. But, if he did, hopefully he can recover from them. This is the land of the free. You always get second chances."

He continued ... "I do [think he will play again.] He's too good of a player, so I do. Hopefully, when all this unfolds, we'll see how it goes."

Fact is, talent seems to matter most when it comes to NFL teams -- just look at Ben Roethlisberger, who was accused of sexual misconduct on two separate occasions and has continued his NFL career.

Antonio Brown is also currently facing sexual misconduct allegations and is still in the NFL -- he just won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.

It's important to note while Watson is facing 22 lawsuits in civil court. He has NOT been charged with a crime at the moment ... but the Houston Police Department has opened an investigation.

Geraldo Rivera has seriously pissed off his fellow Fox News pundit Leo Terrell by challenging his cred in the Black community -- and they just went HAM on each other!!!

Geraldo and Leo were on Bill Hemmer's "America's Newsroom" Thursday to talk about race and policing, particularly in St. Louis. That city's Mayor-Elect Tishaura Jones -- a Black woman -- questioned the "lived experience" of white allies in leading a population that is nearly 50 percent Black.

That remark got Leo all hot and bothered, and as he started going off on Mayor-Elect Jones ... Geraldo jumped in with, "Hey, Leo! When was the last time you were in the ghetto?"

Explosion in 3, 2 ...

Leo -- a famed civil rights attorney for several decades -- damn near jumped through the TV screen in his rage at Geraldo. Both men exchanged inner-city resumes, barking out their hometowns. FYI, Leo's reppin' the West coast, and Geraldo the East.

You gotta see the fireworks. Far as we can tell, the only real winner is Fox News' ratings. We doubt Geraldo and Leo will be breaking bread anytime soon.

Diddy is calling out General Motors ... saying the company needs to step up and open its wallet for Black businesses, claiming GM's promise to shell out big bucks has fallen short.

Diddy penned a scathing letter Thursday, opening with, "The same feet these companies use to stand with us in solidarity are the same feet they use to stand on our necks." Diddy says that his REVOLT network was an example of Black-owned media GM promised to support through advertising, but he doesn't feel the company has done enough.

In his letter, Diddy claims GM spent $3 billion on advertising in 2019 and by his estimation, only $10 million of that was invested in Black-owned media.

As for what he thinks needs to happen, Diddy says, "If the Black community represents 15% of your revenue, Black-owned media should receive at least 15% of the advertising spend."

Khloe Kardashian is speaking out after an unauthorized photo of her surfaced over the weekend, causing many on social media to comment, critique and bully her appearance.

Khloe looked great in an untouched, unedited video from her bathroom Wednesday, showing fans her unfiltered appearance ... she also included a lengthy statement.

Khloe says, "When someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point ... you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared - regardless of who you are."

The photo -- showing Khloe poolside in a bikini without any substantial photo edits or airbrushing -- was quickly pulled by Khloe's team, and publications were asked to take it down.

Khloe says the criticism she's faced her whole life, being called "the ugly sister," questions as to whether Robert was her real dad and accusations of weight loss surgery have taken their toll on her mentally.

She continues, "It’s almost unbearable trying to live up to the impossible standards that the public have all set for me. For over a decade now in photos, every single flaw and imperfection has been micro-analyzed and made fun of to the smallest detail and I am reminded of them everyday by the world."

In closing, Khloe says that while her family has been a tremendous foundation of support and positivity, "You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is, but I will say, if you hear anything enough then you start believe it."

Paris Hilton is linking up with none other than Danielle Bregoli -- AKA Bhad Bhabie -- over an issue that's near and dear to both lately ... alleged abuse at troubled teen camps.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ, Paris has been in contact with Danielle recently about the prospect of teaming up and working together to spread awareness about Breaking Code Silence -- an organization advocating for survivors from these types of facilities.

We're told Paris DM'd Danielle shortly after DB released her own testimonial about what she claims she experienced at Utah's Turn-About Ranch -- a youth facility she went to after her time on Dr. Phil's show way back in 2016 ... which she described as a nightmare.

ICYMI ... Danielle claimed she was subjected to cruel treatment and what she describes as child abuse via alleged sleep deprivation, malnutrition, unsanitary conditions and more. Danielle went on to allege other teens went through similar issues at Turn-About, including a girl who filed a lawsuit claiming she'd been sexually assaulted by the staff.

Of course, Paris has been beating the same drum -- having partaken in a documentary alleging abuse at Utah's Provo Canyon boarding school, and recently testifying in support of a Utah state bill to ban mistreatment at youth facilities.

That bill was signed into law, and Paris was there for that as well. So, with that in mind ... it makes sense she'd want to get on board with Danielle's campaign too.

As for exactly how they're going to work together, we're told that's still being discussed. However, Paris is making it clear she fully backs Danielle, telling TMZ ... "I support all survivors who share their personal experiences within the Troubled Teen Industry and I am proud of Danielle for using her voice and her platform. It is wonderful to see more public voices take on this Industry."

Paris also supports Danielle's efforts to get Dr. Phil not to place kids at Turn-About Ranch. She says, "People look up to Dr. Phil and I want to make sure the show is accurately portraying these residential facilities to desperate families and not continuing to spread the false narrative that these places heal kids."

Phil addressed Danielle's claims a few weeks ago when he was on Ashleigh Banfield's show. He said if Danielle has an issue with her treatment at Turn-About, she should file a complaint with law enforcement. Danielle released a video Wednesday responding to Phil's interview.

O.J. Simpson can put his beef with The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the rearview ... because we've learned he's settled his defamation lawsuit with the hotel.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, The Juice and the Cosmo agreed to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, and the judge signed off. Usually, that points to some type of settlement, though neither side is talking details.

O.J.'s lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, tells TMZ ... "The Simpson/Cosmopolitan matter has been resolved."

As we reported ... Simpson sued the Cosmopolitan over a Nov. 8, 2017 incident in which he was kicked off the property following an alleged drunken episode at a hotel bar.

Following the incident, hotel staff told TMZ ... O.J. was wasted and became disruptive, getting angry with hotel employees ... resulting in broken glasses at the bar.

O.J. denied the allegations, saying the story humiliated and embarrassed him ... and in 2019 he filed his defamation suit against the Cosmo.

Most recently, the Cosmo said O.J.'s reputation as a violent convicted criminal is already so tarnished, there's no way his rep could take a hit from allegations of drunken shenanigans.

But, now it appears the two sides worked something out to make the case go away.

The rank and file within the Capitol Police are not feeling very reassured following last week's car-ramming attack that left one of their own dead -- and the reasons are startling.

Sources familiar with the day-to-day goings-on at the department tell TMZ ... there's been little to no communication from leadership over an action plan to help prevent this from happening again, which has left a lot of their officers fearing for their safety.

Fact is ... we're being told there simply hasn't been any type of formal gathering to specifically address the tactical breakdown that cost Officer William Evans his life Friday, when authorities say Noah Green slammed his car into a barricade outside the Capitol, and proceeded to try and slash the cops ... before ultimately being shot and killed.

Speaking of that, our sources say the positioning of officers that day has been called into question by lower-ranking members of the department -- namely, that the officers were stationed outside of the delta barrier, as opposed to inside, which is much more strategic and safer all around.

We're hearing officers who have been assigned to stand guard since Friday have now been pulled inside the barrier, but this change was not talked about at large ... just more evidence of what our sources say is the hush-hush nature of upper management.

Our sources say nothing else has been communicated regarding the attack other than what was discussed at a roll call meeting on Saturday -- where we're told a deputy chief provided a general apology for Friday's disaster, and told the 60 officers that day to "keep an eye out" going forward. A hands-off approach like that isn't cutting it for many of the ground -- contributing to an already growing sense of unease and a desire to book it for good.

Cher is apologizing for saying George Floyd might still be alive if she was in the crowd during his fatal arrest ... she says she let her emotions get the best of her.

The 74-year-old singer just walked back her weekend tweetstorm, where she suggested she would have stepped in to save Floyd, saying she's done some soul searching after getting dragged online.

Cher says, "These last days have been Hard,Soul Searching, Painful Ones. My Wording Was Wrong/Imprecise. When I’m Over-emotional I Should Wait, Walk Away, Then Twt. I Felt Sorrow,& Did Wish I Could have Helped George.Sometimes you can feel what you can’t Explain in a twt. Sorry is All I Have."

As we reported ... Cher was accused of having a "white savior complex" for saying she could've helped Floyd if only she'd been there when he was arrested, and she initially responded to the backlash by doubling down.

Cher's also deleted the initial tweet that got her in some hot water, which read ... "Was talking with Mom & She Said 'I Watched Trial Of Policeman Who Killed George Floyd, & Cried ... I Said 'Mom,I Know This Is Gonna Sound CRAZY, But.. I Kept Thinking ... Maybe If I'd Been There, ... I Could've Helped."

North Korea's Olympic dreams are dead -- the country has pulled out of the Tokyo Games claiming the threat of COVID is simply too dangerous for its athletes.

Officials broke the news on a state-run website ... explaining the decision to bail on the Games was made during a March 25 conference call involving leaders of the country's Olympic Committee.

Here's the statement (translated by Google):

"The Olympic Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games on the proposal of the members to protect our athletes from the global public health crisis caused by the vicious virus infectious disease."

North Korea still has to file the formal paperwork -- the International Olympic Committee says it hasn't received an "official" notice of withdrawal from the games.

Unclear how many athletes will be affected by the decision -- but North Korea only sent 22 competitors to the 2018 Games in South Korea.

As for Tokyo, city officials have repeatedly said they're implementing all sorts of COVID protocols to ensure the highest levels of safety at the event, which is scheduled to begin in July.

"ASTROS SUCK! ASTROS SUCK! ASTROS SUCK!"

Angels fans let the cheating-ass Astros HAVE IT during their game in L.A. on Monday night ... chanting insults at them and trolling them with a symphony of banging trash cans!!!

The scene was epic ... in right field at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, fans had a seemingly endless supply of garbage bins to heckle Houston players with.

It started early in the night when one fan lifted one over his head and banged on it incessantly.

Later, one person actually threw an inflatable trash can onto the field. Then, just minutes after that, someone dumped an entire bin over the wall!

Things got so relentless -- the Angels actually had to set up security in right field to make sure it all calmed down!!!

Eventually, the trash bins seemed to get to Houston ... 'cause it blew a 5-3 lead late in the game and ultimately lost, 7-6!

And, the limited capacity crowd sure let the Astros know about it ... joining in unison to chant "Astros suck!" at players.

Of course, the 'Stros are still hated by everyone after MLB officials determined they illegally stole signs and banged on trash cans to relay them to batters during their World Series run in 2017 and the following year.

The players caught a bit of a break last season with no fans allowed in stadiums ... but it's clear, they ain't gonna get the same kind of treatment this year.

Xzibit is learning a hard lesson about the rules of engagement when it comes to selling weed, and rule #1 seems to be ... don't name your company after a chemical weapon.

The rapper/entrepreneur's company -- Napalm Cannabis -- has been dragged online because its name is a sore reminder of a chemical agent that was used in firebombs during the Vietnam War ... firebombs that killed and maimed innocent citizens, including the little girl whose photo became a symbol of the horror of the United States' involvement in the war.

Napalm was also used against Japan in WWII. Its use on civilians was banned internationally in 1980 by the U.N.

Customers of The Higher Path dispensary were deeply offended by the name, not to mention one product in particular -- a pre-rolled joint known as "The Grenade." Seems people didn't like the cavalier reference to deadly weapons of war.

As Asian hate crimes are on the rise ... the name conjures up images that should not be celebrated.

As for how this product line could even make its way to digital shelves in the first place -- Higher Path is chalking it up to ignorance and a lack of diversity. HP says, "As an entirely-white marketing team that lacks knowledge or trauma surrounding this weapon, we didn’t realize how violent and ignorant it was to promote such a brand/product. That’s on us." Fact is ... plenty of white people also knew the misery napalm caused.

Former cop turned defendant in a murder case Derek Chauvin violated police department policy with the way he kept his knee pinned on George Floyd's neck ... so says his old boss.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo took the stand in Chauvin's murder trial Monday, answering questions from the prosecution about Chauvin's actions during Floyd's arrest and why they run contrary to police values and training.

The prosecution presented Arradon with the lasting image of Floyd's arrest -- George's face on the pavement with Chauvin's knee pressed on his neck -- and the police chief explains why, in his view, Chauvin violated department policy regarding de-escalation, sanctity of life principles and the use of reasonable force.

Chief Arradondo makes it clear -- the way Chauvin pinned his knee to Floyd's neck isn't something Chauvin learned at the police academy.

"Words carry weight and it is incumbent upon all of us to have a thorough understanding of the words we choose and the effect they may have on others," Licht said in a statement.

Super Bowl champion Carlton Davis is in hot water for tweeting out a VERY offensive Asian slur -- though Davis claims he didn't know the "dark" history behind the word.

"Gotta stop letting g***s in Miami," the Tampa Bay Bucs cornerback posted on Sunday evening in a since-deleted tweet.

Obviously, the tweet went viral and people couldn't believe an NFL player would hurl such an offensive word around so casually.

Davis initially offered an explanation -- and actually had the balls to attack the media for criticizing him in the first place.

The 24-year-old posted a screenshot from the Urban Dictionary definition of the word (which, conveniently, wasn't even the top definition).

"A term commonaly [sic] used in South Florida to describe a person who is Lame. Synonym for Lame, wack, Fool or Stupid."

Davis added, "I would never offend any group of people. You reporters can look for another story to blow up. The term was directed towards a producer claiming he 'ran Miami.' With that being said I'll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring."

Just minutes later, Davis was changing his tune in another statement.

"I used a term that from where I come from has always meant 'lame' but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other during these tough times."

FYI, the g-word is an incredibly offensive anti-Asian slur that's been around for decades. It was widely used by American soldiers against Koreans and Vietnamese people during military conflicts.

Ans since Davis is into using definitions ... how about this one from Merriam-Webster.com:

"offensive -- used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a nonwhite, non-American person and especially for an Asian person."

No word if the NFL plans to take action.

Davis was a 2nd-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and had a pretty solid 2020 season ... logging 68 tackles and 4 interceptions during the Bucs' championship run.

The MLB has just suspended Nick Castellanos -- one of the league's best hitters -- TWO GAMES ... and it's all because the Reds star flexed in a pitcher's face on Saturday.

For real.

The ban is wild ... mostly because the events that led up to it were all fairly benign when considering the unwritten rules of baseball.

Here's the deal -- Castellanos had homered on Opening Day against the Cardinals, and pimped the hit with a bat-flip and a stroll to first base.

Clearly, the Cards didn't love that ... and pitcher Jake Woodford then drilled the Cincy outfielder in the ribs with a 92 MPH fastball in the ensuing game Saturday.

Castellanos hated it, talked a little smack and when he came around the bases to score a few pitches later ... he let Woodford hear it at home plate with a flex and a yell.

The benches ended up clearing, but no physical contact happened ... and Castellanos was ejected.

Most thought that would be that -- but MLB decided to drop ANOTHER hammer on Nick on Monday.

The league says it's banning Castellanos two games ... though it is allowing him to appeal -- which means he can still play until the conclusion of the process.

As for the rest of the players involved ... nobody else was hit with suspensions -- with just a few other players getting undisclosed fines.

The Governor of Texas is FURIOUS with Major League Baseball for moving the All-Star Game out of Georgia ... and says he's boycotting the org. as a result.

Starting with canceling a planned appearance to throw out the 1st pitch at the Texas Rangers home opener.

Gov. Greg Abbott just penned a strongly-worded letter to Neil Leibman, the President of Baseball Operations and COO for the Texas Rangers explaining why he won't support the league in the wake of the ASG move.

"Thank you for the invitation to throw out the first pitch at the Texas Rangers home opening game. I was looking forward to it until Major League Baseball adopted what has turned out to be a false narrative about the election law reforms in Georgia, and based, on that false narrative, moved the MLB All-Star Game from Atlanta."

Abbott continued, "It is shameful that America's pastime is not only being influenced by partisan political politics, but also perpetuating false political narratives."

"I will not participate in an event held by MLB, and the state will not seek to host an All-Star Game or any other MLB special events."

Abbott clarified that his beef is not with the Rangers -- he expressed "deep respect" for the organization from "top to bottom" ... but he wants to send a message to MLB.

MLB made the decision to move the game on Friday -- and it's drawn both praise and criticism from both sides of the aisle.

President Joe Biden -- along with top democrats and celebs like LeBron James -- have argued Georgia's new voting law is an unnecessary obstacle intended to detour minorities from participating in elections. Biden referred to the law as "Jim Crow on steroids."