Drugs & Alcohol

"Man, it's been rough, to say the least."

That's an emotional Montae Nicholson -- still clearly distraught -- talking about how he's been handling the death of a 21-year-old woman while cooperating with police.

"I'd like to make it known that this week has been extremely hard on not only myself but Julia's friends and family as well," the Washington Redskins safety said.

We broke the story ... cops say Nicholson and another man dropped Julia Crabbe off at a Virginia-area hospital last Wednesday night, where she died from a suspected drug overdose.

Montae played for the Redskins vs. the Jets just 3 days later -- and on Thursday, Nicholson was asked point-blank if the team pressured him to take the field.

"End of the day, it was my decision. I wasn't forced into anything."

In fact, Nicholson says the Redskins organization has been extremely supportive while he deals with the tragedy and police investigation.

"My teammates and fans ... the head office, they made it very well known that they have my back ... they could have shut the door on me and turned their backs, but they didn't."

As we previously reported, investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's house before the OD ... and a search of Nicholson's home turned up marijuana, pills and "foil with residue."

Nicholson has NOT been accused of any criminal wrongdoing -- and says he's cooperating with police.

Meanwhile, the Redskins are set to play the Detroit Lions this week and Montae says he plans on taking the field again.

Country Star Sam Hunt was arrested Thursday AM for drunk driving.

Hunt was allegedly driving the wrong way down a Nashville street when cops spotted him and pulled him over. Witnesses say he had been swerving as well.

According to police, Hunt smelled of booze and his eyes were bloodshot. Police say there were 2 empty beer cans next to him.

Police say Hunt, whose hits include "Drinkin' Too Much," had trouble pulling out his driver's license and instead handed cops a credit card and a passport. They also say he admitted to "recently" drinking.

Cops did a field sobriety test, and police say his blood alcohol level was .173 ... more than twice the legal limit.

Hunt was released Thursday morning after posting $2,500 bond. He's scheduled to appear in court January 17.

Montae Nicholson will play for the Washington Redskins on Sunday despite being a key figure in a police investigation into the death of a 21-year-old woman, the team says.

"As of right now, he is active," Redskins head coach Bill Callahan said Wednesday.

"He did play Sunday and right now he is on the active roster and is scheduled to play."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the 23-year-old safety claims he's cooperating with authorities in the death of 21-year-old Julia Crabbe, who died of a suspected drug overdose Thursday morning.

Officials say Montae and another man dropped Julia off at a Virginia hospital in the middle of the night and then left the scene, despite the fact she appeared dead on arrival.

Investigators believe Crabbe had been at Montae's home before the OD -- so they got a search warrant and found marijuana, pills and "foil with residue" inside.

It's important to note cops have not said if the drugs belonged to (or were provided by) Nicholson -- and he has NOT been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

For his part, Montae claims he did NOT leave the hospital on the night in question -- and stuck around to help out until Crabbe's family arrived.

Nicholson suited up and played for the Redskins just 3 days after Crabbe's death -- and was on the field for 70 of the Redskins' 71 defensive snaps, recording 5 combined tackles.

The Redskins take on the Detroit Lions at home on Sunday in a game that's really meaningless for Washington, since they've only won 1 game this season and have virtually no shot at the playoffs.

Le'Veon Bell is sick and tired of the NFL's "random" drug testing -- and says he refuses to cooperate anymore because he's sick of being poked with "those dirty ass needles."

"I done had 5 'random' HGH blood test in 10 weeks," the NY Jets running back posted on Twitter ... "I’m not doing another after today."

"Whatever y’all lookin for it obviously ain’t there & I’m not about to keep allowing y’all to stick me with those dirty ass needles."

He continued, "Find the players who really do that HGH BS & get off me."

Of course, Bell isn't the first high profile player to complain about the NFL's drug-testing policy ... back in 2018, Eric Reid said he was forced to undergo 7 "random" drug tests in just 3 months after signing with the Carolina Panthers.

For its part, the NFL insists the process is legit and fair and no specific players are targeted.

Ol' Dirty Bastard is the inspiration behind a brand of brew courtesy of Young Dirty Bastard ... who says he's getting into the beer biz because his late pops loved a cold one.

The new adult beverage is a honey ale called Young Dirty Brew ... and ODB's kid says he's wanted to honor his father with a drink ever since he first saw his pops sipping on Olde English.

Young Dirty Bastard's rep, Avery "Msartistry," tells TMZ ... the rapper poured in $60,000 to make his childhood dream a reality, and worked with Circa Brewing to stir up the right brew and get if off the ground.

The late Wu-Tang rapper's probably smiling down on his son. As you can see, Young Dirty Bastard was heavily involved in the brewing process, channeling his father's style along the way.

We're told YDB and his biz partners, Divine Everlasting and Logan Feldman, took about 6 months to perfect their ale, and 100 cases go on sale New Year's Eve in select New York liquor stores, bars and online.

Conor McGregor's whiskey is officially one year old ... but the UFC superstar didn't celebrate by getting himself a present -- he's donating a MILLION dollars to a good cause instead!!!

The Notorious announced the milestone of his Proper 12 whiskey on Tuesday ... showing off his pipes by singing "Happy Birthday" to the green bottle and holding up a cake.

"What a journey it has been so far!" Conor said on Instagram. "I am so thankful to you all for your support and love of PROPER No. TWELVE!"

McGregor revealed his company's got a master plan to give back ... donating $5 per case (up to $1 million) each year to first responders.

"In the New Year, we will begin donating the first million dollars to first responder organizations. My team is vetting it all out now to be sure it goes into the proper hands."

Conor launched the company after making around $85 million for the Floyd Mayweather fight ... and the company's expanded to 8 countries so far.

Ex-soccer star Sergio Contreras -- aka Koke -- was arrested in Spain on Tuesday as part of a massive drug raid ... and cops say they recovered a TON of hashish.

Literally, a metric TON.

36-year-old Contreras is pretty famous in Europe -- he made a fortune playing for big teams like the Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille and the famous Greek team Aris Thessaloniki.

But, ever since his pro career ended in 2016, cops say he's been RUNNING a major drug ring out of Southern Spain.

On Tuesday, cops launched a multi-city raid ... nabbing 20 and seizing nearly $800,000 in hash, which is made from the resin of the cannabis plant.

Cops also recovered a stash of guns -- including pistols and rifles.

A source told the Associated Free Press that Contreras is the "head of the organization."

Contreras was taken into custody and is currently being held in Malaga, an upscale beach community.

Kodak Black wants approval to enter a drug rehab program while he's serving his Florida prison sentence -- but he could end up getting more than just clean and sober.

According to docs filed Monday in federal court, the rapper is asking the court to send him to a prison that offers the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The 500-hour program lasts 9 months and involves group therapy, as well as one-on-one treatment.

It also requires all participants to live in a separate unit from the general population -- a pretty clear benefit to a celebrity rapper doing time.

The biggest fringe benefit, though, for Kodak could be shortening his sentence. Upon completion of the program, inmates can get as much as 12 months knocked off their prison bid.

It's an interesting request from Kodak, who -- as we first reported -- claimed last week, someone in his current prison had drugged him, causing him to get involved last month in a prison brawl.

He's serving 46 months right now on federal weapons charges, and still has to deal with a sexual assault case in South Carolina.

Investigators say they found pills, weed and "foil with residue" when they searched the home of Redskins safety Montae Nicholson in connection to the death of a 21-year-old woman.

It's all spelled out in the search warrant obtained by TMZ Sports, which does NOT identify who the drugs belonged to.

In other words, just because the items were found in Montae's home does not mean Montae provided them to the victim, Julia Crabbe.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Nicholson and another man brought the 21-year-old woman to a Virginia hospital late Wednesday night, where she ultimately died.

Officials believe the cause of death is a drug overdose.

Montae's reps and the Washington Redskins have both said Montae is cooperating with law enforcement.

We're told Montae has NOT been named a suspect and has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

However, Crabbe's mother spoke with local news and said she believes Montae "could have done more" to save her daughter.

Cops say they're still actively investigating the death.

Story developing ...

South Dakota's anti-meth campaign featuring people appearing to admit they're addicted is already working ... according to Governor Kristi Noem, who says extreme shock was the intent of the tagline.

Gov. Noem launched the initiative Monday with the slogan "Meth. We're On It" ... which, at first glance, makes ya think the state's changing its name to Methopotamia -- but the Gov. tells TMZ ... she's cool with that kinda Internet buzz.

She's thrilled the campaign is trending and "sparking conversations around the state and the country." She says people are finally "talking about how they can be part of the solution and not just the problem."

The campaign includes a new TV ad, posters, billboards and a website, and is meant to raise awareness of the growing crisis in South Dakota -- as well as many other states -- and how to fight it. The state has reportedly spent nearly $500k on the campaign, so far.

Noem added, "This is a bold, innovative effort like the nation has never before seen. Over the next few weeks, this campaign will operate through various mediums to educate every person across South Dakota on signs of addiction, resources available to combat addiction, and strategies to engage communities in recovery."

In other words, the Governor fully believes South Dakota's on it!

Adam Carolla thinks Joe Biden is a bit of a dinosaur trying to roam the 2019 landscape -- and when he calls weed a "gateway drug" ... AC thinks Biden's making himself extinct.

We ran into the comedian Monday night in WeHo and asked him about something JB said recently on the campaign trail that's kinda having people -- mostly millennials, frankly -- rolling their eyes and looking at the former VEEP as an old-timer and out of touch.

ICYMI ... Biden was at a Vegas town hall this weekend and got asked if his stance on legalizing recreational marijuana nationally has changed. Apparently, Joe wasn't for it in the first place, and still isn't -- saying there's not "enough evidence" to pull the trigger.

Adam notes that the term "gateway drug" is incredibly antiquated, and then goes on to list a number of things and experiences in life that can potentially lead to some damage.

Watch ... he gets pretty introspective, and it kinda makes you think about it. It should also be mentioned -- Adam sits on a weed advisory board, so he's about that life.

Elliott from 'E.T.' got one helluva plea deal in his DUI case despite putting himself in serious danger ... although the deal does come with strings attached.

Henry Thomas pled no contest to driving under the influence and reckless driving following his Oregon arrest -- but according to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actor won't have to phone home or E.T. from jail.

Instead of time behind bars, Thomas will enter into a diversion program for 1 year, pay a $500 fine, attend a one-time victim impact panel and have an ignition interlock device installed in his car.

Like we said, sweet deal considering how he got busted. Cops say they found Thomas passed out behind the wheel in the middle of a residential intersection. He was booked for DUI and later released on his own recognizance.

The team that drinks super expensive, rare cognac together ... wins titles together??

Los Angeles Lakers hope so, 'cause LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo sipped on the $3,000 a bottle Louis XIII at a fancy L.A. hotel this weekend.

The All-Star studded private dinner went down Saturday night at Mr. C Beverly Hills ... and it was all to celebrate AD gracing the cover of Haute Living magazine.

H.L. and XO hosted the event and invited all AD's superstar teammates ... and his agent, Rich Paul.

There was (very, very expensive) booze ... but there wasn't any crazy turn up this time.

We're told the Lakers stars sipped on Louis XIII ... but all left before 10 PM 'cause they had a game Sunday night against the Hawks.

The Lakers -- 11-2 for the season and in 1st place -- won the game easily, 122-101.

Diddy had the bubbly overflowing this past weekend ... but it wasn't a Sunday Funday on the heels of his ex's death anniversary.

Diddy and his crew hit up BBCM on Sunset Blvd. in WeHo on Sunday and guzzled mimosas. It looks like he had a variety of flavors ... evidence the near-empty flutes on his table. He looked somber.

The mimosa fest came just 2 days after the 1-year anniversary of the death of his ex, Kim Porter. He paid a touching tribute to her over the weekend, saying, "I MISS YOU SOOOOOO MUCH. Every time I get sad I look at this video and it brings a smile to my face."

Diddy went on to say, "I thank god for the precious time he allowed us to have with you. I wish you were here with us right now and this was all a dream. I will never give up on that wish. Never!!!! Love you forever Kimberly Antwinette Goodwin Porter."

Lil Xan said he relapsed but what really scared him straight were the seizures he suffered ... the effects of quitting cold turkey in his attempt to beat his drug habit.

Rumors were swirling as to why the rapper had been out of the public eye for some time. But, Xan now tells TMZ he relapsed on pain killers -- specifically Xanax and hydrocodone.

He says he wanted to get back on track -- by quitting ... cold turkey. But, Xan says that was a TERRIBLE idea ... because the withdrawals resulted in several seizures while he was in the hospital getting detoxed.

The rapper says the seizures were a massive wake-up call. As we first reported ... Xan admitted last November he had an addiction problem. He vowed to kick the habit following the deaths of Mac Miller in September 2018 and Lil Peep in November 2017. Xan says he thought a lot about Peep as he was relapsing ... the late rapper's 2-year anniversary was fast approaching.

Xan ultimately went to rehab and got better ... until his recent setback. He says when rumors were swirling he wasn't ready to tell the world about him falling off the wagon.

Dan Bilzerian's dead set on running for President of the United States and winning, and to show he's serious ... he's willing to give up a few of his favorite things.

The popular playboy poker player tells TMZ ... he wasn't joking when he recently told us he plans to run for Prez in 2024, and he vows to go straight edge if he's elected -- no sex, drugs or alcohol -- and will abstain his entire time in office.

Dan says he'll be quitting those activities to both focus on the task at hand and prove to voters he means business ... consider it his major campaign promise.

As for what else he'll run on ... Bilzerian tells us he believes the world needs his help, there's too much corruption and too many laws, and saving the environment should be a top priority.

He also says he'll run as a Republican, but points out he has some traditionally liberal views too. For instance -- Dan's very pro-gun, but he's also pro-choice. He says he's pro-gay rights but doesn't agree with hormone treatments or sex changes for people under 18.

Bilzerian does give us a caveat -- he recognizes becoming a presidential candidate will drastically alter his life, so he says he might need more time to commit ... in which case he'll run in 2028.

Dan's already got one thing going for him -- he's pretty damn rich. With an estimated net worth of $150 million, he says he plans to use half his money for his campaign and the other half for philanthropy.

He tells us he plans on giving it his all and thinks he has a pretty good chance of winning. Of course, he seems to think he'll have an even better shot if Kanye West isn't one of his opponents.