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Antonio Brown's ownership "partners" with the Albany Empire say they've been frozen out by the former NFL star, and they have a message for AB ... buy us out, or we're prepared to go to court!

TMZ Sports talked to Charlotte von Schiller and her husband Steve ... who purchased a 5% stake in the organization last year before Brown came on board. Antonio now owns 95% of the franchise.

Unfortunately for the von Schillers, they say things have been absolutely awful since Antonio took over ... and he has even failed to acknowledge they own even the smallest piece of the Empire.

"If he wants to actually own 100% then he needs to buy us out. Otherwise, he only owns 95%, and that's just the facts," Charlotte told us.

The von Schillers tell us they've repeatedly attempted to have civilized conversations with AB about a buyout of their portion of the franchise, but instead, he's essentially told them to get lost, and at times has allegedly berated them on the phone.

"The disregard and disrespect from AB and his group has been incredulous."

In fact, it's gotten so bad, the von Schillers have consulted with an attorney ... and tell us they're ready to go to court if necessary.

But, they hope it doesn't turn into a legal battle ... and would instead like to reach an agreement amicably.

Brown's tenure in Albany, depending on who you ask, has been an unmitigated disaster, with players and coaches quitting midseason over AB's alleged erratic behavior.

Several former players and a coach previously told us Antonio ordered them locked out of their team hotel rooms after complaining about missing paychecks.

Joe Burrow's professional women's volleyball league just added some serious firepower ... Olympic legend Kerri Walsh Jennings has now come on board -- and she's bringing a team with her!!

Walsh Jennings -- a three-time Olympic gold medalist -- announced the move earlier this week ... and told TMZ Sports on Thursday she's absolutely fired up to partner with the Bengals quarterback and others in the new league.

If you're unfamiliar, Burrow helped launch the Pro Volleyball Federation earlier this year ... promising to bring super competitive, professional indoor volleyball games to cities throughout the country. Jason Derulo has already revealed he's in on the project, telling us back in February he's launching the league's Nebraska team.

Walsh Jennings, in addition to being an equity holder in the league, is bringing on a squad of her own in San Diego ... and she said with her, Burrow, Derulo and others involved, the org. has sky-high potential.

"What's clear is that the opportunity is ginormous here," Walsh Jennings told us. "The sport is so hungry for this elite, top, most-echelon place, and the time is now for women's sports."

Walsh Jennings says the goal for the league -- which will kick off its inaugural season in February 2024 -- is to ultimately have seven or eight teams. Right now, it's at six. Every squad, Walsh Jennings said, will have 14 players -- and signings will happen soon.

And, when it all finally comes together and they get to go head-to-head during a real season ... she promised she was going to be super competitive with Burrow and Derulo.

"Just knowing what I know of the other owners," she said, "I know we're all going to take this, carry this crown of being owners with a lot of pride, a lot of honor. And we're going to want to win."

Dean Cain has finally unloaded his super Malibu home ... and while the sale went below his OG asking price, it's still gonna net Cain millions.

Real estate sources tell TMZ Dean's pad sold Wednesday for $6.25M, going for $1 mil under his original asking price. We're told $7.25M was a bit of an overreach, but everything worked out and Dean is stoked with the deal.

TMZ broke the story, the "Superman" star listed the beautiful property in March -- and the 4-bed, 5-bath home has an incredible pool, waterfall spa, and a lush garden full of fruit plants.

The place also had a pretty fun sea creature-themed bedroom with a window that has ocean views ... which, by the way, are absolutely breathtaking.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis isn't ready to give up on first-year head coach Joe Mazzulla just yet ... telling TMZ Sports if the Celtics are able to come back and beat the Heat and advance to the NBA Finals, he deserves to keep his job.

We got Davis out at LAX just hours before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off at the TD Garden in Boston ... and the NBA champ said Mazzulla's future with the team is contingent upon whether or not he can rally Boston from down 3-1 to beat Miami in the ECF.

"If you pull this off, you get to stay," Davis said. "If you don't, you're outta there buddy."

FYI -- no team has EVER been able to come back from trailing three games in NBA playoff history ... but after winning Game 4 on Tuesday, the Celtics are hanging on by a thread.

Davis also weighed in on why the Celtics have been inconsistent this season ... and he's pointing the finger at former head coach Ime Udoka, who was suspended by the team following an infidelity scandal last year.

"It f***ed the whole team up," Glen said. "They just had to go get another coach. It kind of f***ed 'em up a little bit."

Udoka, who was engaged to Nia Long, was suspended by the Celtics for the entire 2022-23 season ... even after the first-year head coach led the Cs to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Although Udoka is no longer with the team, Davis still views the 2-seeded Cs as a good team ... but said Boston's dynamic duo of Jayston Tatum and Jaylen Brown needs to play better.

"Jayson Tatum. Jaylen Brown. They better get that s*** in order, got dammit -- at least a good fight," Davis said. "We can come back. I truly believe. Miami hasn't been good all year. They haven't been consistent. They're playing well right now. We just gotta get on the same level."

Congressman Adam Schiff tries his hand at live stand-up comedy once a year ... but he sees nothing funny about how CNN set up Donald Trump's town hall for a national audience.

The distinguished gentleman from Burbank, CA joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about his upcoming comedy set at The Improv in L.A.

Schiff, who's running for U.S. Senate, is hosting a fundraiser next month at the famous West Hollywood venue -- and while he'll mostly be introducing professional comics, he says he likes to mix in a few jokes of his own.

As Adam explains, he's performed full stand-up acts at his annual fundraiser in the past -- usually writing his own jokes during the cross-country flight -- and he let us in on some of his favorite material.

All jokes aside, Adam's not only eyeing the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein ... he's also paying attention to Trump's presidential campaign.

Rep. Schiff ripped CNN for this month's town hall with the former President -- although, he doesn't take issue with CNN holding the event, he strongly objects to one thing about the spectacle ... comparing it to a reality TV show.

Britney Spears' mom flew to L.A. Wednesday to see her daughter ... and Britney was receptive enough to let her inside her home and spend some time catching up.

Lynne Spears arrived at LAX in the morning and was driven to the home of Britney's manager, Cade Hudson. She then took an Uber to Britney's home.

We're told Britney didn't know exactly when Lynne was coming, but she knew her mom was in town to see her.

When Lynne arrived at Britney's home, the singer let her inside and the 2 spent around 30 minutes chatting. We're told Sam was also present.

Our sources say the ice between mother and daughter is thawing ... they've been texting recently and Lynne knew the path was clear enough to make the trek from Louisiana to L.A.

As you know, Britney was on a tear at the end of the conservatorship and afterward, saying her mom and the rest of her family betrayed her. This is a pretty clear sign there's a chance of reconciliation.

After Lynne left, Britney and Sam got in her car, drove around for a bit and then returned home.

Tina Turner is gone, but her music is already showing it'll stand the test of time -- getting massive boosts across streaming platforms in the hours after her death.

Tina's songs and albums have all seen crazy spikes in listens and downloads, Amazon's Movers & Shakers Singles Chart is full of Tina's work. At the time of this post -- "What's Love Got to Do with It" has seen a 230,575% boost in sales, "Private Dancer" is up 280,327%, "We Don't Need Another Hero" up 210,909%, and "The Best" is up 62,425%.

As for the albums on Amazon, her "Tina (Live)" is up 297,322%, "Private Dancer" is up 273,528%, and "Break Every Rule" is up 140,825%.

Tina's also having a big surge on iTunes -- with "What's Love Got to Do with It," "Proud Mary," and "Better Be Good to Me" as just some of the singles pushing their way to the top.

It's also been reported her song "What's Love Got To Do With It" is making a push on Spotify.

As we reported, Tina's team announced the legendary singer and 'Queen of Rock 'n' Roll' died Wednesday at the age of 83.

In a statement, they said, "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow."

"Selling Sunset" newbie Nicole Young is feeling some serious fallout from her feud with costar Chrishell Stause -- we're told Nicole's getting brutal death threats, now that their battle is out in the show's latest season.

Sources close to Nicole tell TMZ ... aside from the death threats, she's been getting hit with meth addict accusations and loads of hateful speech from crazed fans -- some of whom found her address and phone number.

Nicole's been getting stuff like "Watch out on the streets….whores die," "You’re a c***. A bully. I hope you die honestly," and "No one likes you because you’re a crackhead. You should leave the O Group you f***ing methhead."

Not only is she taking a beating, but we're told folks have been calling out her family ... and it's now impacting her mental health. She's backed out of appearances and podcast tapings because of the hateful reactions.

If you haven't seen the new season ... tensions got high after Nicole claimed Chrishell stole the credit for a listing they were working on together. She also claimed Chrishell was handed listings from head honcho Jason Oppenheim because they used to date.

Sparks flew quite a bit, with Chrishell even calling Nicole a "b****" straight to her face ... but despite all the anger coming her way, sources say Nicole's standing by her comments on the new season -- claiming not enough context was shown in the final edit.

Mama June's daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell is still in the middle of her cancer treatments, but she just got a reason to smile -- her daughter's elementary school graduation.

Anna posted a series of photos from the special moment and sang the praises of her 11-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn. Anna took pics with both of her kiddos and her boyfriend, Eldridge Toney, during the special occasion.

She wrote, "I am one proud mama right now and I also can’t believe I am going to have a middle schooler and a second grader give me a minute while I go cry my eyes out. I am so proud of my girls and everything they have accomplished.”

Anna was wearing a light-pink scarf on her head -- remember we broke the story, she was losing her hair due to her treatments to combat stage 4 cancer.

It goes without saying ... it's been a tough several months for Anna, but she has been keeping a positive outlook ever since she was diagnosed with adrenal carcinoma at the top of the year.

In the words of Mama June, they are all just taking it day by day.

Jeremy Corbell believes the U.S. military is covering up evidence of an eerie UFO sighting over a Marine base in the California desert.

The UFO expert and filmmaker joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," to dig deeper into the bombshell footage he released this week showing a huge triangular-formation of lights hovering over the Camp Davis in Twentynine Palms, CA.

Jeremy says the Marines he's talked to all told him they could see the shape of an aircraft in the night sky ... and he says the fact the sighting happened over a Marine base means the government is sitting on tons of data that might reveal what was up there.

While skeptics were quick to dismiss the footage as flares, Jeremy says that's just not the case -- he says the Marines fired flares at the UFO to illuminate the craft, but when the flares got close, the UFO vanished into thin air.

Jeremy says there were at least 50 witnesses, mostly Marines ... but he's hoping other folks who were out in that part of the California desert that April night in 2021 will come forward with their own footage.

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix's late friend, Ali Rafiq, collapsed in his parents' house before he was eventually found dead ... TMZ has learned.

Ali's sister, Rabia Rafiq, tells us her mother found Ali on the floor of their St. Louis home Friday afternoon, and she says it appears he had fallen and hit his head on a table.

We're told Ali was found dead on the floor around 4 PM Friday ... about 3 hours after they believe he passed. He had called his father from the house about 4 hours earlier.

Ali's sister says her brother had no known illnesses, other than asthma ... and the family didn't believe that was ever a serious issue for him. We're told there were no signs of foul play, and no indicators as to why he collapsed.

Ali was a big foodie who loved to post pictures of his meals, but his sister says he was not overweight or unhealthy.

The Rafiqs are Muslim and Ali's sister says their religion calls for bodies to be buried ASAP ... so the family buried Ali on Saturday, right after his body was released to the family.

Because Ali died Friday and was buried the next day, we're told Tom did not have a chance to fly out to St. Louis in time for the burial. We're told Tom got to his hometown Sunday and has been spending time with Ali's parents, and visiting the gravesite to say goodbye to his friend.

Ali's sister says Tom's parents attended Saturday's funeral and FaceTimed with Tom so he could feel like he was there ... and Ariana sent flowers.

As we reported ... Ariana looked somber Saturday when she got back into town from her trip to NYC, paying tribute to Ali with a social media post. Tom also shared a remembrance post.

Ali's sister says his death certificate cites "organ failure" as the cause of death, but the family is waiting for toxicology reports to learn what really happened.

Carrie Fisher fans now have a shot at an iconic piece of "Star Wars" history ... Princess Leia's dress is up for grabs, but it's gonna take way more than Obi-Wan's help to snag it!

The one-of-a-kind costume has hit the auction block at Propstore Auction. It was worn by the late actress in the OG 1977 film, "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" ... and the auction house estimates it will fetch between $1 mil to $2 mil.

The 3-day auction also features several other non 'Star Wars'-related pieces of Hollywood memorabilia. For instance, Batman's Batpod -- used by Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" -- is also up for grabs, and will likely draw a similar price as Leia's gown.

Other items on the block include the evil clown doll from Steven Spielberg's classic 1982 film "Poltergeist", which is expected to go for $200K to $400K.

And film fans can also bid on props from modern hits, like Chris Pratt's light-up "Star-Lord" helmet from the 2014 flick, "Guardians of the Galaxy".

Harry Potter's distressed costume, worn by Daniel Radcliffe in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is up for grabs, and figures to go for at least $75K. Steep price, for sure, but it does come with the glasses.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé can do whatever they please with their money, and anyone who has an issue with their new $200 million pad should try taking notes, instead of shots ... so says, Deon Cole.

We got the comedian out in NYC, where he had a message for all the naysayers calling their massive new Malibu mansion a gross exhibition of wealth.

As we first reported, the power couple dropped $200M in cash for the spectacular home -- and Deon's suggesting their haters quit critiquing, and get out into the world and achieve their own version of success.

He's realistic -- we can't all spend like the Carters, after all -- but the bigger point is, find your own level of success.

TMZ broke the story ... the couple purchased the 30,000-sq-ft estate from renowned art collector William Bell and set the record for the most expensive home ever sold in California. It sits on 8 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu's Paradise Cove neighborhood, aka Billionaires' Row.

As you know, they are still hanging on to their mansion in Bel-Air, which they snagged for $88M in 2017.

Deon's take on Jay and Bey's eye-popping real estate portfolio is ... they've worked hard to earn their coins, and can spend it however they'd like. He also notes, $200M is still a relative drop in the bucket, considering their collective wealth.

Forbes says Jay-Z is worth $2.5 billion, and Beyoncé's was estimated around $500 million. Of course, she also just kicked off her "Renaissance" tour, which is expected to gross over $1 billion.

So, while they can more than afford the new crib, DC does say for $200 mil, it better come with some amazing technology. Automated TP service, anyone?

Brace yourself, hockey fans ... the last jersey NHL legend Wayne Gretzky wore during the final game of his historic career is being offered publicly for the first time, and the threads could be yours -- if you've got deep pockets!

TMZ Sports is told Gretzky's jersey -- which he had on in 1999 when he racked up his 2,857th point with an assist -- is now up for grabs at Grey Flannel Auctions.

Gretzky wore the jersey, which features his handwritten signature on the tag and the game date, "4-18-99", against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden, and although Wayne's Rangers team came up short, losing 2-1 in overtime, it was the "Great One's" emotional farewell that stole the night.

GFA says the iconic blue #99 jersey -- complete with the word "Rangers" on the front and "Gretzky" on the back -- shows signs of game use. John Rosasco, the Rangers' long-time Senior Vice President of Public Relations, authenticated the jersey with a letter to GFA.

Of course, Gretzky, who made 18 All-Star games, is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time ... and one of the best athletes to ever play a sport.

Just how amazing was he?

Wayne, the only player to score over 2,000 points, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just months after retiring ... after officials waved the usual 3-year waiting period. The NHL also retired number 99 leaguewide ... making WG the only player in the NHL to have achieved that honor.

Jeff Bezos clearly timed his big proposal to Lauren Sanchez to align with the maiden voyage of his spectacular superyacht and their grand arrival in the French Riviera ... because shortly after landing in Spain last week, he did the deed!!!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jeff pulled out the 20-carat sparkler on dry land, somewhere in Spain ... we believe either Ibiza or Mallorca. We're told the proposal was private -- just the 2 of them -- and boy, did they keep a secret for a few days.

Check out our gallery. Sanchezos arrived in Mallorca by private jet on May 15 and that's where they first boarded the ship.

They headed to Ibiza May 17 ... check out the photo -- she has a ring, but it's turned around so you can't see the enormous rock.

Fast forward to May 20, when the yacht pulled into French waters, where they headed to Antibes. This is the now-famous butt-slapping pic with the newly-engaged couple.

From there they headed the next day to Cannes, and this is where we see Lauren with her hand on the railing of the ship. The ring is impossible to miss.

As for why Lauren finally turned the ring so the rock was visible ... the secret was out once their guests arrived ... guests including her ex, Tony Gonzalez.

Sanchezos celebrated Monday night on dry land, looking very much in love and super swanky.

CONGRATS!!!

Tom Sandoval is NOT dating Texas influencer Karlee Hale despite media reports to the contrary, TMZ has learned.

A rep for Tom tells us ... the "Vanderpump Rules" star is just friends with Karlee and recently hung out with her because he happened to be in Austin performing with his band. The rep noted there were other people in their group at the time they were seen together.

The Sun published a TikTok video of Tom and Karlee seated at a table in a hotel restaurant last Wednesday. Tom was apparently trying to fly under the radar, wearing a white baseball cap with the brim covering his face.

The sighting reportedly came on the heels of Tom and his 'VPR' co-star Raquel Leviss calling it quits on their seven-month affair. According to Page Six, Raquel pulled the plug on their romance, quoting a source as saying, "Raquel dipped out. Sandoval is not for her." However, PEOPLE reports Tom and Raquel's relationship status hasn't changed as they were never a couple.

Since that report last week, Tom and Raquel have yet to comment on the status of their relationship.

Back in April, Tom told paparazzi ... Raquel was getting treatment at a mental health facility after the fallout from Tom's much publicized break up with longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix.