Drugs & Alcohol

Al Jazeera is in full panic mode about the Peyton Manning story ... so says Manning's hired gun Ari Fleischer who tells TMZ Sports the news organization appears to be waving the white flag.

Ari tells TMZ Sports, "Their story was not credible to begin with and it’s not credible now," adding, "Al Jazeera is backtracking and retreating."

Fleischer is referring to a "Today" show appearance made by Al Jazeera reporter Deborah Davies Tuesday morning ... where Davies said that the network never asserted Peyton himself ever used HGH.

Peyton's camp believes Al Jazeera is contradicting their story and scrambling to save face.

Manning has been reluctant to say outright whether they'll file suit ... but you have to believe his camp smells blood in the water.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he's all about HGH usage in professional sports ... if it can be proven it helps athletes recover from career threatening injuries.

Mark called in to "TMZ Sports" on FS1 to talk about Peyton Manning's HGH scandal and when asked if he thinks the controversial drug has any place in pro sports ... the Shark sounded off.

Check out the clip -- Cuban ... who has donated money to determine the effectiveness of HGH ... believes strongly that if it works ... it shouldn't be banned.

Tom Brady wants Peyton Manning to take a page out of his playbook -- standing strong in the wake of the HGH allegations ... allegations Brady says are total garbage.

Brady went on a morning radio talk show Monday and became a character witness of sorts, saying he's known Peyton over the years and he plays by the book.

Brandon Davis has been charged with drunk driving in the single car wreck back in October that landed him in the hospital and totaled his Mercedes.

Our law enforcement sources say Davis' blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit. He was arrested at the hospital while doctors tended to his injuries.

Davis, heir to the Marvin Davis oil and entertainment fortune, would ordinarily be placed on probation, but his prior record could change that. He pled guilty in 2011 to coke possession. In the DUI case, worse case scenario for him is 6 months in jail.

Davis crashed after dinner at Matsuhisa in West Hollywood with pal Mike Comrie. Photos later surfaced of Davis downing wine before the crash.

Robert Downey Jr. just got a formal pardon from the Governor of California ... a pardon for Downey's drug convictions.

We've learned Downey initiated legal proceedings to get a pardon for his felony drug convictions. The D.A. recommended that a "certificate of rehabilitation" be granted by an L.A. County Superior Court judge and the judge granted the request in October. By law the judge's order is forwarded to the Governor.

Governor Jerry Brown just granted the pardon, which means Downey now has all of his rights restored, including the right to vote. Brown said in granting the pardon that Downey has led an "honest and upright life" since his convictions and exhibited "good moral character." Brown also says he's been law-abiding and demonstrated "good conduct in the community."

Downey served 1 year and 3 months in prison and was on parole for several years in connection with multiple drug convictions between 1996 and 2002.

Guinness, the famous Irish stout, is being sued because THE BEER IS ACTUALLY MADE IN CANADA!

Kieran O'Hara is a local beer drinker from Massachusetts now gunning for Guinness, claiming the beer maker is duping millions of beer enthusiasts.

According to the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- O'Hara claims Guinness plasters a misleading label on every bottle of Guinness Extra Stout that makes people think it's a 100% Irish beer -- with ONLY a teeny tiny disclosure on the back of the bottle saying it's ACTUALLY made in Canada.

O'Hara isn't just in it for himself -- he's trying to put together a class of other Guinness drinkers who thought they were drinking an authentic Irish beer.

We reached out to Guinness for comment ... so far, no word back.

President Barack Obama ran into an impromptu weed lobbyist in Hawaii Tuesday -- when a hiker came face to face with the Commander In Chief and asked him to "legalize it on your way out!"

Hard to gauge Obama's reaction -- but we think we heard him chuckle a bit as he continued on his way.

It's no secret Obama smoked a ton a weed back in the day -- but says he's not a fan of the ganja anymore and has told his daughters it's a bad idea.

Still, watch the clip ... it'll make you giggle -- whether you're stoned or not.

Justin Bieber got comped big time for a bar tab at an Atlanta club and left behind a tip that has our newsroom deeply divided.

Justin and his entourage were in the ATL last week for Jingle Ball. After the performance the party moved to Tongue & Groove nightclub, where Justin ordered up a storm in bottle service.

- 2 bottles of Don Julio 1942 ... $500 each
- 1 bottle of Grey Goose ... $300
- 1 bottle of Jack Daniels ... $275
- Some beers ... $25

The table total was around $1,600, which the club comped. The Biebs left his 2 waitresses $200 each. We're told Justin was amazing with interacting with the staff and club guests, and even entertained the packed crowd by taking photos with them.

So we gotta ask....

Ex-NFL star Justin Blackmon was arrested for DUI in Oklahoma this weekend -- his 2nd DUI in three years.

The 25-year-old wide receiver -- a 1st round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft -- was arrested at 4:45 AM on Saturday morning in Carter County, OK.

He was taken to a nearby station where he was booked and posed for a mug shot.

The Jacksonville Jaguars player was suspended indefinitely from the NFL since last year ... when he was arrested in Oklahoma for marijuana possession.

4:35 PM PST -- Joey tells TMZ she had the marijuana to treat her epilepsy. She apologizes to her fans for any inconvenience caused from the arrest and says she'll be more cautious of state laws when traveling in the future. Joey says she'll be at her show in Denver tonight.

"American Idol" contestant Joey Cook just got served by the long arm of the law ... getting busted for weed in a Wyoming airport.

Cook was arrested early Friday morning in Rock Springs, WY for possession of marijuana. She spent a brief 5 hours in jail before getting in front of the judge. Court officials tell us Joey paid a $240 fine and was put on 12 months of probation.

TSA found the pot in her luggage as she was trying to fly outta town. She's on tour and has a show in Denver Friday night.

Joey finished in 7th place on the last season of the show.

Toxicology testing shows Scott Weiland died from an overdose of several drugs and alcohol -- and his history of addiction also played a role.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says the results show he OD'd on cocaine, MDA ... which is old school Ecstasy ... and booze.

It also shows heart disease and asthma were "significant" conditions. The test results also revealed Scott's "multi-substance dependence" was a factor.

As we first reported ... police also found Xanax, sleeping pills, Viagra, and meds to treat bipolar disorder on the bus -- but those drugs did not play a factor in his death.

Johnny Manziel didn't turn in after the Cleveland Cavs game Thursday night -- instead, he hit up one of the hottest late night spots in town ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Don't worry ... we're told Manziel didn't do anything crazy at the TownHall bar and restaurant in Cleveland ... just hung out with friends and watched some NBA basketball.

We're told Manziel was at the place past 1 AM -- but no champagne swiggin', no shots, no crazy drunken debauchery.

Dude's allowed to go out and enjoy himself though ... right?

Aubrey O'Day and PaulyD have defied the odds and are in what appears to be a real relationship, cemented by alcohol.

It seemed ridiculous when they hooked up on a reality show a month ago. It seemed like a momentary fling, but a month later she's travelling to his DJ gigs.

Pauly hosted Pool After Dark in Atlantic City over the weekend, and Aubrey was front and center.

CC Sabathia says he feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after completing a stint in rehab for alcoholism ... but adds, "I feel fantastic."

The NY Yankees pitcher was at the Yankees holiday food drive Wednesday when he raved about how well his recovery is going ... after spending a month receiving treatment in Connecticut.

"It’s always going to be a struggle with different things, but I feel fantastic," Sabathia told reporters ... "I think it’s just a weight coming off my shoulders. I feel good. I’m in a good mood, always."

Sabathia first entered treatment back in October -- one day before the team took on the Houston Astros for the wild card spot in the playoffs.

Still, CC says the Yankees have been incredibly supportive -- "The Yankees have been fantastic, from Cashman to the Steinbrenners to Joe to my teammates."

11:01 AM PT: Sources tell TMZ ... Scott showed up for a few hours but was NOT drinking while he was at the club.

Chris Brown had a hugely successful listening party for his new album "Royalty" ... and Scott Disick was right in the middle of it.

A slew of people were front and center at Hyde on the Sunset Strip ... Usher, French Montana, Kendall Jenner, Andre Berto, Big Boy and lots of others.

Scott's presence was a little weird ... it was turnt up for sure, and Scott just got out of rehab.

BTW, "Royalty" drops December 18.

NBA great Steve Francis says he's 100% DRUG FREE ... and talk that he's using any type of illegal narcotic is baseless and totally out of left field.

TMZ Sports spoke to Francis about the health rumors that reignited last weekend after he showed up at the Lakers-Rockets game looking ... kinda different. Social media comments were brutal and included speculation he might be on drugs.

But Steve said all that drug talk is "so far from the truth. That's why I don't worry about social media." He added he's purely focused on his family, and his community in Houston. "I'm trying to be a positive influence on people."

As for his appearance at the game -- a source close to Steve told us there's no health issue, "He's just old."