Coronavirus

J Balvin's urging his fans to take coronavirus seriously ... and he should know, 'cause he says he got it and the virus hit him HARD.

The reggaeton superstar revealed his diagnosis Thursday while accepting an award for his "Rojo" music video during Premios Juventud 2020 (think Teen Choice Awards). The Colombian singer -- in a pre-recorded message -- said he's just getting done with battling COVID-19 ... adding "sometimes we don't think we'll get it, but I got it and it hit me hard."

J Balvin -- who has collabed with hitmakers like Cardi B and Justin Bieber -- took advantage of the millions watching the broadcast to urge his fans to understand the virus is real and dangerous ... and treating the pandemic and precautionary measures as a joke can be a disastrous mistake.

The Seattle Seahawks ain't playin' around about COVID-19 precautions ... they just cut a rookie, reportedly all 'cause the guy tried to sneak a woman into the team's hotel.

Here's the deal ... NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says Kemah Siverand attempted to dress up a female companion like a Seahawks player in an attempt to get her past security and into his room.

The problem? Pelissero says Siverand's plan was all caught on camera ... and with Pete Carroll implementing a bubble-like atmosphere for the 'Hawks -- that's a big no-no.

Pelissero says the Seahawks busted the hell out of Siverand's little operation -- and fired him for putting the team at risk of a coronavirus outbreak.

Pelissero adds the cut was meant to send a message to both Siverand and Seattle's entire roster ... saying, "Put the team at risk, suffer the consequences."

Of course, the decision to fire Siverand was a pretty easy one ... the cornerback was an undrafted free agent who had little chance of making the roster anyway.

Cleveland pitcher Zach Plesac says he's been wrongfully portrayed as a reckless monster for breaking MLB's COVID rules during a night out in Chicago ... insisting he was being safe the entire time.

"The media's portraying me and my best friend and teammate to be malicious with our actions when we were really ... practicing safe practices," Plesac says.

Here's the deal ... Plesac ADMITS he and teammate Mike Clevinger broke MLB rules by leaving the team hotel and staying out past curfew during a road trip to Chicago.

"I went out to dinner with some buddies. We ended up going back to his place -- the same group that we went to dinner with ... and we opened up baseball cards," Plesac says.

"That entire night, dinner and hanging out at my buddy's place after, we were not with more than 8 people the entire night."

The problem ... obviously ... is that MLB had put strict rules in place to prevent another outbreak after COVID hit the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals.

When news broke of Plesac's night out, he was killed in the media -- AND by teammates like Adam Plutko who felt he violated their trust and put the team at risk.

But, in a 6 minute and 30 second IG video, the 25-year-old pitcher argues he followed CDC guidelines that night and doesn't really understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it.

"You can't sit in a room all day," Plesac said.

Plesac says he's been doing research and vows to follow the rules moving forward -- but feels he's been "dragged across the mud."

He's adamant he'd never purposely put his teammates at risk -- citing his brother has diabetes and his mother is a nurse.

"I understand the significance of this illness and this disease and I know how important it is that we must follow certain procedures and guidelines to ensure safety for the entirety of the group."

Ultimately, Plesac says he's dying to get back on the mound and play again -- so he can "start shoving it up people" ASAP.

LET'S GET READY TO RRRRRRRRRRONA!!!

Jake Paul's Calabasas mansion turned into packed boxing venue Wednesday night -- with dozens of people blowing off COVID safety measures to watch two people throw down.

First off, YES -- this is the same house that was raided by the FBI just last week.

Second, unclear if Jake was at the home during the boxing match -- but there are a TON of people crowding around the ring and it only seems like a few people are wearing masks.

You'll note the combatants, breathing super hard and sweating in arm's length of the spectators ... a major NO-NO considering we're still in the middle of a pandemic!!

This would never fly on UFC's Fight Island.

The scene was wild -- the fighters were going after each other full speed, without headgear and without refs.

What's interesting ... Jake and his ex-GF were spotted out in Calabasas earlier in the day wearing masks and being safe.

Weird he's not implementing the same safety measures in his own home.

As we previously reported, Jake is training for his own boxing match against ex-NBA star Nate Robinson on the undercard of the big Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight On November 28.

If and when a coronavirus vaccine is rolled out, there will be people who refuse to take it for various reasons, but a Stanford Law School professor says such refusal will have consequences.

Hank Greely will appear on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... he's an expert in public health law and says people who refuse to take the vaccine could -- repeat COULD -- be denied the right to enter their workplace or their school.

Fact is ... there will probably be 3 groups of people who will refuse the vaccine -- the anti-vaxxers, the people who want to turn the vaccine into a political issue, and people who are afraid to take the vaccine because they worry it was rushed and not properly tested.

If the FDA, NIH and others show the phase 3 studies were thorough and established both safety and efficacy, Professor Greely says it will be hard for people to make the case they can refuse the vaccine and not be barred from work or school.

It's dicier, the good professor says, if phase 3 studies are less than thorough.

The UK's first major outdoor concert is offering a glimpse of what's likely to become the norm -- venues sectioned off into small groups, enabling fans to rock without rolling the COVID-19 dice.

Sam Fender performed for 2,500 people at the Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle Tuesday night ... marking what's believed to be the country's first socially distanced entertainment event since coronavirus restrictions began.

Take a look ... the outdoor venue's setup includes 500 separate seating sections with metal barricades, which are for groups of 5 to attend and watch the show.

Tickets reportedly sold out immediately, and photos and videos from Fender's concert show the crowd cheering and singing along ... responsibly from their own sections.

This, of course, is in stark contrast to carefree concertgoers in the U.S. packing venues to see Chase Rice in Tennessee, The Chainsmokers in New York, an EDM party at Lake of the Ozarks and most recently ... to watch Tech N9ne in Missouri and Smash Mouth at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross III has left training camp to take care of his son ... after his 3-year-old and the child's mother both tested positive for coronavirus.

Ross did not attend practice on Tuesday as he flew back to Los Angeles to help care for his family, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The timing isn't exactly ideal for the 24-year-old speedster --he's been hoping to have a breakout season with Cincy after 3 injury-plagued years in the league.

Ross was selected with the 9th overall pick in the 2017 Draft after flashing some insane speed. He's shown real potential on the field but injuries have been a problem.

He will now be placed on the Bengals' Reserve/COVID-19 list ... and a return date has not been set.

Ross frequently posts on social media his son, Juju -- and raves about how much he loves being a father.

A maskless Tennessee State Trooper went on a major power trip, going face-to-face with a man not accused of any crime ... before allegedly tearing away the man's face covering.

Andrew Golden says this went down Monday near the Tennessee State Capitol building as he was recording state troopers who had pulled over a motorist. He says he kept a safe distance away on a public sidewalk before State Trooper Harvey Briggs -- who was not involved in the traffic stop -- threw a fit.

Check out the video ... Briggs, who again is NOT wearing a mask, warns Golden about cursing in front of him. Golden, who kept recording, asked Briggs "why his hand is on his gun" ... and the cop said, "Because that’s the way it always is."

Golden claims Briggs then stepped on his foot -- all without wearing a mask, mind you -- and then, suddenly, ripped Golden's mask off his face. He immediately called out Briggs for it ... and you hear Briggs deny it as he walked away saying, "I'm tired of you people making stuff up."

Tennessee's Dept. of Safety and Homeland Security tells us it's "in the process of reviewing the matter."

A hotel worker in Brazil earned office bragging rights when he not only warded off an insane attacking customer -- he sent the guy running off with his tail between his legs.

The incident reportedly went down in the city of Varginha, and allegedly started because the guest -- who WAS wearing a face mask -- refused to allow a COVID temperature scan as he checked in.

As you can see in the security footage ... the hotel employee's holding the scanner at the beginning, but sets it down before an argument erupts.

It looked like the customer was gonna walk out, but then he stormed back in and violently swung a chain holder at the worker ... then went behind the counter for some hand-to-hand combat. Big mistake!!!

The hotel worker immediately squared up to defend himself against the guest's punches and unloaded a series of blows himself. He even gets the guy to the ground and continues to pummel him, before the guest was able to retreat.

The NBA will allow players to FINALLY bring guests into the Bubble environment in Orlando ... but not EVERYONE will be allowed in.

In fact, the NO ENTRANCE list is the most interesting part!!

First off, the guest list will open up to players beginning after the 1st round of the NBA playoffs (which is approaching fast).

The league sent a memo to teams, obtained by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, laying out the criteria for entrance.

"Four guests per player, but can be exceeded for children," Woj says.

"Guests can travel on team charters following testing. Guests will be allowed to attend games."

There will be strict quarantine protocols for guests before they're allowed inside the bubble ... similar to what the players are already going through.

But, here's where it gets interesting ... the league is clearly trying to prevent players from bringing in random people they meet on social media for booty calls. Aka, no randoms from Tinder!!!

"Any individual the player has not previously met in person or with whom the player has had limited in-person interactions [will not be granted access]."

The league cites a hypothetical example of a person who would NOT be allowed in -- "[someone] known by the player only through social media or an intermediary."

Get it? Seems pretty clear to us!

Woj says other people NOT allowed inside include "agents, trainers, massage/physical therapists, personal chefs and tattoo artists."

Sorry, no new ink inside the bubble!

Once inside, Woj says "Each player is allowed one ticket per playoff game for a guest -- plus an additional admission for a child (32 inches and below)."

Gilbert Arenas recently told us he's been talking to players who are griping about not being able to get booty while inside the bubble.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Adam Plutko just roasted the hell out of his teammates Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac for partying amid the pandemic ... saying straight up, "They hurt us bad."

"They lied to us," Plutko told reporters after the Tribe's loss to the Cubs on Tuesday. "They sat here in front of you guys and publicly said things that they didn't follow through on."

"It's gonna be up to them. It really is. I'll let them sit here and tell you how they're gonna earn their trust back."

As we previously reported, both Plesac and Clevinger were busted for leaving their team hotel over the weekend to hang out with friends in the Windy City.

It's obviously a huge no-no ... MLB teams like the Marlins and Cardinals have had their seasons completely derailed by COVID outbreaks, so unpermitted meetups are seriously frowned upon.

Both Clevinger and Plesac were placed on the restricted list for their actions and forced into quarantine ... and Plutko -- who had to fill in for Clevinger on the mound Tuesday -- was pretty pissed over it all.

"I don't need to put words in their mouths," the 28-year-old said. "The term that I continue to hear -- and excuse my language -- is 'grown-ass man.'"

"So those grown-ass men can sit here and tell you guys what happened and tell you guys what they're gonna do to fix it. I don't need to do that for them."

L.A. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn revealed he was diagnosed with COVID earlier this year -- and only got tested after hearing about a golfer with similar symptoms.

51-year-old Lynn spelled it out on the season premiere of HBO's "Hard Knocks" -- and though he didn't specifically say WHEN he tested positive.

"I can't promise you you're not going to get infected," Lynn told his players during a video chat meeting ... "I got infected."

He continued, "What I want to do is limit your exposure, but then when that whistle blows, let's go kick somebody's ass and play some football."

Later in the show, Lynn was asked about his symptoms -- and how he realized he had coronavirus.

"I’m coughing a little bit, then my body started aching a little bit. I couldn’t get comfortable in my bed," Lynn said.

Lynn then explained that he was watching a golf match and saw that a golfer had pulled out after experiencing similar symptoms -- and laster tested positive for COVID.

"I said, 'sh*t. My body kinda felt like that.'"

"If I hadn't been watching the golfing game and saw that golfer complain about backaches and soreness ... I never even would have gotten tested And I would have had this and never even known it. And probably got people infected."

Lynn says he was more worried about being branded an "outcast" than batting the virus itself.

"All the sudden, I'm the problem. I'm used to fixing the problem, now I'm the problem."

Lynn was eventually cleared to return to work -- where his players are staff are tested for COVID every day.

The Cleveland Indians were so upset with Zach Plesac for leaving the team hotel in Chicago to hang with friends during a road series with the White Sox, THEY WOULDN'T LET HIM BACK ON THE TEAM JET!

The 25-year-old right-hander KNEW he wasn't supposed to leave the team hotel without specific permission (per team and MLB protocol) due to the COVID pandemic, but he went out Saturday night anyway.

The team found out and took immediate action.

FYI, Plesac grew up in Crown Point, Indiana -- roughly 45 miles from Chicago.

Plesac was ordered to be tested immediately -- and then the team sent him back to CLE by car service Sunday instead of joining the rest of the team on the team jet.

The flight is usually 90 mins The drive is a little over 5 hours.

Plesac was also placed on a mandatory 72-hour quarantine -- and will have to undergo more testing before he'll be allowed to rejoin the team.

"I realize I made a poor choice to leave the hotel, which broke protocols and could have endangered other people," Plesac said in a statement,

"I understand that in these times of uncertainty, I need to be more vigilant and responsible, and I am determined to earn my teammates' forgiveness and get back to work."

Plesac's Indians teammate, Shane Bieber, also weighed in ...

"We love Zach, we support him, but he screwed up. We're going to handle this in-house, and we'll see where it goes from here."

Major League Baseball is trying to crack down on protocol violators in the wake of multiple outbreaks affecting the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.

Be smart, people.

Big blow to college football ... the BIG 10 has reportedly voted to CANCEL the 2020 season.

The Detroit Free Press is citing multiple sources who confirm BIG 10 presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season.

Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue were among the programs that voted to cancel.

Meanwhile, the only 2 votes for playing came from Nebraska and Iowa, according to the Dan Patrick Show.

The conference will reportedly go public with the announcement on Tuesday.

As we previously reported, the leaders of college football's Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss their options.

But, as ESPN reports, the takeaway from the meeting was that a college football season in 2020 was unlikely pending some sort of miracle.

Ever had a cotton swab shoved up your nose!? IT SUCKS!

Just ask L.A. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward -- who had some major pre-swab jitters before his COVID test at the Chargers facility ... and the footage is great!

NFL players are getting tested everyday during the first 2 weeks of training camp -- which opened on July 28.

And, judging by this footage of Hayward captured by HBO's "Hard Knocks" ... there's just no getting used to it!

Both the L..A Chargers and the L.A. Rams are featured on the docuseries this season -- a big change for the show which has traditionally only chronicled one team's journey into the regular season.

The COVID pandemic will play a major role in the show based on clips released by HBO.

One scene shows how Chargers coaches are no longer having players gather together to "break it down" after a practice session.

Instead, players are instructed to chant, "1, 2, 3 ... Chargers!" while socially distancing from each other during drills.

Weird ... considering football is a collision sport that requires players to smother each other and they'll presumably work on tackling and/or close-quarter drills at some point during practices.

But hey, appreciate the effort.