Exclusive

Antonio Cromartie says Adam Gase has NO future with the Jets ... telling TMZ Sports if he were running his old team, he'd fire the guy ASAP for Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy!!

Cromartie made the bold statement when we got him out in Miami recently ... and he did NOT mince words when it came to his feelings about AG.

As for why he dislikes the guy so much ... Cromartie says the way Gase treated Le'Veon Bell during the season speaks volumes about his capabilities as a head coach.

"We don't give our running back the ball in the second half of a game," Cromartie says. "It just shows you that you're trying to say that you don't need him."

Cromartie says he would have cut bait with Gase after the season ... but says the Jets are stuck with Gase for at least the 2020 season since they didn't move on from him in January.

As for Cromartie's choice for a Gase replacement ... he tells us Andy Reid's offensive coordinator in Kansas City is the perfect man for Gang Green.

"I would go get Eric Bieniemy," Antonio says.

Prince Amukamara is going to bat for Mitch Trubisky ... telling TMZ Sports he has ZERO doubts about his Bears teammate -- saying the QB is going to be just fine!!!

"You heard it here," Prince says. "In Trubisky we trust!"

Of course, Chicago fans don't share nearly the same level of confidence in Mitch as Prince ... there's talk Bears faithful would rather see a free agent like Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston under center next season.

But, when we got Prince out in Miami recently ... the Chicago cornerback told us the Trubisky doubters need to back off.

"Coming from a guy who sees him work hard, I know what he has in store," Prince says. "I still feel like he played great for us last year and I think he's our guy."

In 15 starts in the 2019 season ... Trubisky threw for 3,138 yards and 17 TDs with 10 INTs -- piling up a not-so-great 83.0 quarterback rating.

But, Amukamara doesn't even want the Bears to sign a veteran to try to push the 25-year-old in 2020 ... telling us, "I've seen the work he's put in. He's the guy."

By the way, we got Prince leaving a sick Super Bowl gifting suite ... and he says he estimates the gear he copped was worth 5 to 10 RACKS!!!

Mary Carey is fighting Pippi Longstocking, sorta -- the famed porn star is stepping into the ring to box the former child actress who played Pippi on the big screen.

We broke the story, Mary signed a deal to fight in Damon Feldman's Celebrity Boxing promotion ... but the only question was who she'd fight?

Now we know Mary's opponent is Tami Erin, most famous for her starring role in the 1988 movie, "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking."

We're told Tami agreed to a deal and signed a contract for the bout, which is going down April 18 at the Miami strip joint, the Booby Trap.

Anyways, it's the first time Tami is stepping into the ring as a competitor ... and we'll see if she possesses superhuman strength just like Pippi, who can lift a horse with one hand!!!

Celebrity Boxing has had some problems lately with stars like Farrah Abraham, Lenny Dykstra and Angry Bagel Guy dropping out last minute -- so hopefully Mary and Tami don't get cold feet.

BTW, the Booby Trap's all warmed up for a good fight.

'Memba that's where Offset threw a flying punch Super Bowl weekend because someone sprayed champagne on Cardi B.

Time for round 2: Porn Star vs. Pippi!!!

Lori Harvey is lucky she escaped a sneak attack in a parking structure -- and if not for her quick-thinking skills her car might have been jacked ... TMZ has learned.

Steve Harvey's daughter had just parked her 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan at an apartment complex in Atlanta Wednesday night ... and made her way to the trunk to grab some stuff. That’s when the suspect crept up and ran to jump in the driver's seat.

According to the police report -- obtained by TMZ -- Lori told cops the suspect was a young black guy who tried to steal her ride. We’re told Lori actually ran toward him and struggled with him as he was sitting in the SUV ... but he pushed her away.

Lori told cops that's when she realized she could just walk away with the key fob to thwart the attempted auto theft -- because it can't be put in drive without it. We’re told she simply walked away nonchalantly.

As she did, a second suspect pulled up in a getaway car, hopped out, ran to the back of her Rolls and grabbed a red duffel bag. Both he and the first suspect jumped in their vehicle and fled.

Clean getaway, but according to the report they didn't get much. The duffel bag was the only item stolen, and it only contained some clothing.

Cops say Lori didn't complain of any injuries and refused medical treatment. She told police she was returning from Whole Foods, so cops are looking to see if any surveillance cameras may have captured the suspects tailing her into the lot.

Rihanna threw a big bash in the Big Apple Friday night, and A$AP Rocky was nowhere in sight.

RiRi threw the party at Bergdorf Goodman in Midtown Manhattan, and, of course, lots of folks showed. Unclear if she's really dating A$AP, but they've definitely been hanging together since her breakup with Hassan Jameel after 3 years of dating.

As we reported, Rihanna and Rocky showed up together at the YAMS Day benefit concert in Brooklyn. She also went to Sweden to hit up his show. They also showed up together at the British Fashion Awards show. In other words, they've been together a fair amount recently.

Jon Jones LOVED the first fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov -- but tells TMZ Sports if they run it back, expect another long night for the Irishman.

It's no secret Conor desperately wants a second crack at Khabib after he tapped out at UFC 229 back in Oct. 2018. Khabib recently said he has no interest in giving that "idiot" a rematch.

But, chances are it's more likely to happen than not -- so we asked Jon Jones who he'd pick if they do it again.

"If I would put my money on it, I'm definitely going with Khabib," Jones said ... "For sure."

"I think the cards are always kind of in Khabib's hands. But, Conor definitely has a chance."

Jon says he believes wrestlers typically have the advantage since they can dictate if the fight goes to the mat or not -- and obviously, Khabib has the superior ground game.

Former 112 singer Quinnes "Q" Parker is rocking with old label mate Mase when it comes to challenging Diddy over unfair contracts, and says their old boss should do more and talk less.

Q was out in Washington, D.C. when he gave us his take on Mase putting Diddy on blast -- calling him a hypocrite for his Grammys speech about demanding the record industry treat black artists better.

Of course, Q's group 112 got its big break on Diddy's Bad Boy Records in the late '90s -- and he told us he signed an identical contract like the one that has Mase so heated.

On the one hand, Q -- who left 112 in 2018 -- warns all artists about putting pen to paper on all contracts. He even admits, legally speaking, Puffy (he still uses the '90s nickname) did nothing wrong to 112 or Mase in getting them to sign deals that were pretty standard back then.

Buuut, check out why he also sees Mase's argument. As we reported ... Diddy called on black artists to take back control of their art. Mase fired back, claiming Diddy keeps his own artists "enslaved."

Saquon Barkley says Baker Mayfield body critics need to BACK OFF ... telling TMZ Sports the dude doesn't have to be shredded to be a good QB!!!

Bake and his closest friends let loose on a Caribbean vacay last week ... and naturally, the guys posted a few pics from the trip.

Of course, the writer of this post has literally ZERO grounds to criticize the Cleveland Browns star ... but some people pointed out Mayfield's physique was just a tad different from Saquon and Sterling Shepard's.

But, Saquon says all the haters need to chill ... 'cause Mayfield's just in R&R mode and has plenty of time to get right before next season.

"He's a quarterback, he's not supposed to be shredded," Barkley told us at the Sports Illustrated party in Miami over the weekend.

"We in off-season, he's gonna have time to get his body right. He can throw the ball 80 yards. That's the only thing that matters."

Sneakerheads are gonna love this ... Dez Bryant just got a custom pair of Air Jordan 1s from one of the top shoe artists on the planet -- complete with 24-karat gold paint!

The NFL wideout hit up SWithADot -- who's worked with stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Miley Cyrus and more -- and asked for a special pair of kicks, unlike anything he's ever seen.

S delivered in a big way -- spending more than 133 hours creating a hand-painted masterpiece for Dez. The shoes were delivered to Bryant earlier this week.

Each shoe has a hand-painted image of Bryant -- which took 35 hours per portrait to complete. Plus, we're told S used real 24-karat gold paint to make the kicks shine!

So, how much are these things worth? A lot. We're told shoes like these from S can usually run up to $10,000 per pair.

Dez is obviously stoked -- he raved about the shoes as soon as he got them (following a workout on Thursday).

It's only a matter of time before someone turns Kobe Bryant's story into a major Hollywood blockbuster ... according to Ron Howard, who says the guy had a life fit for the big screen.

Howard is one of the most powerful people in the movie industry -- he recently worked closely with NBA superstar Dwyane Wade for a new documentary that's about to drop.

So, we had to ask if he'd consider working on a Black Mamba project at some point down the road and Howard says he's definitely intrigued.

"If given the opportunity under the right set of circumstances, sure. Without a doubt," Howard said.

One of the biggest issues surrounding a possible Kobe movie is the timing -- Ron says working with the family would be crucial, but they're still reeling from the tragedy and need to grieve before jumping into a movie.

Ron says whoever ultimately tells Kobe's story needs to be especially sensitive about that.

Besides being one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Howard says Kobe was a great guy, an emerging artist and a promising entrepreneur who was about to do some BIG things before his tragic death.

As we previously reported, Kobe was a part-owner of the UFC, was deeply involved in the tech industry and was making big moves in entertainment after winning an Oscar for his animated short film "Dear Basketball."

RIP.

Kenny Smith says the timing of Gayle King's questions about Kobe Bryant's rape case was WAY OFF ... telling TMZ Sports her interview with Lisa Leslie was "insensitive."

King has been the center of criticism ever since the interview aired earlier this week ... with people upset that she grilled Leslie about Bryant's 2003 rape case that was later dismissed.

The backlash has gotten so extreme ... Oprah claims her friend is getting death threats as a result, despite the majority of the interview being positive.

We spoke with Smith about the whole situation ... and he thinks it was inappropriate to bring up that part of Kobe's past so quickly after his tragic death.

"It's unfortunate that during this time of grieving, I think the timing of the interview totally was off," Smith said at LAX.

"With everyone still grieving ... to have an interview that was led in that direction, I think the timing was insensitive."

Smith applauds Leslie's responses to the tough questions ... but wishes she wasn't in that position to begin with.

Comedian Bryan Callen -- famous for roles in huge movies like "Joker," "Old School" and "The Hangover" -- is getting divorced ... TMZ has learned.

According to court records, Bryan's wife, Amanda Humphrey, filed divorce docs Friday in L.A. County Superior Court after more than 11 years of marriage.

The exes have kids together ... which could make the divorce a lot more complicated.

Bryan and Amanda tied the knot way back in October 2008 ... it's not clear what led to the split.

Shannen Doherty claims State Farm is engaging in a smear campaign against her, and exhibit A is a cheap shot it took about her tobacco use ... which she calls way over the line.

The former '90210' star filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming State Farm is invading her privacy and making false claims about her smoking habits. As a result she wants a judge to punish the insurance giant with crippling sanctions.

Shannen says State Farm got it totally wrong when it claimed, in docs, she was smoking cigarettes up until March 2019. Total BS, according to Shannen, who says she kicked the habit back in 2015 ... after her original breast cancer diagnosis.

Of course, her recent stage 4 cancer diagnosis is at the center of her legal beef with State Farm. They're haggling over her home repair costs following the devastating California wildfires.

In the docs, Shannen says it's utterly ridiculous State Farm is attempting to smear her image by raising her tobacco use in the lawsuit.

What's more, Shannen's also pissed her insurer included her medical records and street address in other legal filings -- 2 things she's worked hard to shield from the public.

Jordan Belfort's not showing Bernie Madoff any sympathy following his request to get out of prison early, due to a terminal illness ... and he doesn't think the judge will either.

The "Wolf of Wall Street" has some history with the notorious Ponzi scheme mastermind, but he tells TMZ regardless of that ... the notion of Madoff getting released -- when he was sentenced to 150 YEARS -- is utterly ridiculous.

Belfort says Madoff got a life sentence for a reason -- because his crimes were horrendous, staggeringly affected people's lives and resulted in suicides ... including his own son's. Jordan doesn't see any justifiable reason to let a guy like that off the hook, even if Madoff claims he only has 18 months to live because of kidney failure.

As for their personal beef ... Belfort reminds us Madoff went after him when Bernie was the chairman of NASDAQ. Jordan admits that was justified, but says Madoff was just diverting attention from his own heinous crimes ... the ultimate hypocrite move.

Aerosmith's hoping to get back in the saddle with its original drummer after a couple weeks of awkward tension and not-so-sweet emotions ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the rock band tell us ... Joey Kramer has been working with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford the past several days to help him return to his spot on the drums, but he's not quite there yet.

We're told Joey's been practicing to get his skills back to where they were before his absence, and once Kramer proves he's up to the task ... the fellas will let him back in to start beating the skins again.

Our sources say the other 4 band members never intended to push Kramer out, and never wanted him to feel that way -- they're all trying to make amends after the recent drama.

We broke the story ... Joey sued Aerosmith for making him audition in order to come back for a couple once-in-a-lifetime 50th-anniversary events over Grammy weekend -- something he claims no other member ever had to do.

He says the band blocked him from returning because he lacked the proper energy, and things got even more awkward when Joey was turned away from a rehearsal by security -- and the judge rejected his request to rejoin the group for the Grammy performances.

Still, Joey kept his head up and was with the other guys when they accepted an award last week ... and we're told they're all getting along great. Kramer's even been with them at their recent Vegas shows -- just not playing yet -- and he has dismissed his suit against the band.

Our sources say he could be back on stage soon too -- the band just wants Joey to nail one final audition ... and he'll no longer have to miss a thing.

Antonio Brown just took a HUGE loss in his condo-trashing case ... the former NFL All-Pro was found liable for the damage done to his pricey apartment after an April 2018 incident.

... and now the only question is, how fat will the check be that Brown will be forced to write??? (insert "Whole Lotta Money" joke here).

As we previously reported, Brown is being sued after his former apartment complex, The Mansions at Acqualina in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., accused him of destroying his fancy pad.

Attorneys for the complex claim Brown threw cushions and a vase off his balcony in an April 24, 2018 incident ... and trashed his apartment during the fit of rage as well.

The Attorneys say Brown did everything from cracking mirrors, to breaking tables, to staining couch cushions ... and they provided pictures to the court of the alleged damage.

Brown fought the case in court throughout the past year and a half (remember, he famously caused headaches during the case's depositions), claiming it was actually his former trainer who did the damage.

But a judge just ruled Brown IS responsible for it all, regardless ... ruling in favor of the apartment complex this week.