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Chad Johnson can put his domestic violence drama behind him now, provided he remains on his best behavior ... after scoring a sweet plea deal.

The former 'Bachelorette' star pled no contest to 1 count of vandalism and 1 count of intimidating a witness ... according to the L.A. County Superior Court Clerk. We're told the 4 other charges he was facing --- corporal injury, battery, trespassing and vandalism -- were dropped in exchange for his plea.

Johnson was sentenced to 36 months probation, and will have to take domestic violence classes. There's also a restitution hearing coming up in a few months.

TMZ broke the story ... Chad was arrested back in February after allegedly getting into a physical altercation with his on-again, off-again GF, Annalise Mishler. She claimed Chad got drunk and not only punched a hole in her wall but also got physical with her.

Chad copped to getting angry and punching the wall but vehemently denied ever getting physical with her. This prompted Annalise to say Chad's out to ruin her life and call him out for never taking responsibility for his actions.

Weird thing is ... just weeks after the incident, they were seen out all chummy as if nothing had ever happened.

TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted MLB catcher Reese McGuire for allegedly masturbating in public ... and it's SUPER AWKWARD.

First off, police say cameras malfunctioned in the process of recording the video, which is why most of the picture is black ... but you can still hear audio of McGuire's encounter with officers in a strip mall parking lot in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 7.

The conversation begins with cops asking the 25-year-old Toronto Blue Jays player if he was aware that people had called them saying they had seen him while he was half-naked in his car pleasuring himself.

McGuire tried to explain the situation ... before telling the cops, "I realized, what an idiot. What a dumb place to be hanging out."

That's when one of the officers asked the MLB player straight-up, "Why would you come to a parking lot just to masturbate?"

Reese responded, "I just, I don't know."

To his credit, McGuire went on to tell the officer he was SUPER sorry for the incident ... saying, "I've realized that I made a mistake having my pants down and doing what I was doing ... I really am apologetic. And, I know I shouldn't have been doing this."

McGuire was eventually charged with 1st-degree misdemeanor exposure of sexual organs and was facing up to 1 year in jail if convicted.

Reese, though, cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this month ... pleading no contest to a reduced 2nd-degree misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, a spokesperson for the State Attorney's Office in Pinellas County told us his punishment was nothing more than fines and court costs.

Undefeated boxing star Travell Mazion was speeding around a curve when he crossed over the centerline and slammed head-on into oncoming traffic ... this according to the crash report obtained by TMZ Sports.

Mazion -- who was just 24 years old -- was fatally injured in the July 15 wreck in Travis County, Texas at around 9:40 p.m.

In the crash report ... cops say the weather was clear and the road was dry -- but they add it was a dark and not well-lit area.

Officers say in the report, Mazion was speeding as he entered into a curve in the roadway ... crossed the centerline, clipped a car and then crashed head-on into another vehicle.

The report doesn't say how fast Mazion was going ... but the cops say he WAS wearing a seatbelt.

According to the report, Mazion was pronounced dead just a few minutes after the crash. He was not tested for drugs or alcohol at the scene.

The driver of the other car -- a 61-year-old male -- was pronounced deceased at a local hospital hours later.

Mazion was 17-0 as a pro -- and most recently defeated Fernando Castaneda in San Antonio in January. He was considered a rising star in the sport, and was once backed by NFL All-Pro Von Miller.

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which repped the fighter, said of Travell after the crash, "Mazion was a kind, charismatic young man who lit up every room he walked into and brought excitement to fans inside the ring."

Tekashi 6ix9ine is enjoying his first taste of freedom in about 21 months -- his home confinement and GPS-monitored days are officially ending.

The rapper's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... Tekashi's federal probation officer is going to the rapper's home Saturday to remove his ankle monitor. We're told 6ix9ine will also be provided a schedule for when he needs to check in with his PO during his 5 years of supervised release.

It's a momentous occasion for Tekashi ... remember, the rapper-turned-state's witness (aka snitch) proudly showed off his ankle monitor when he dropped his first music video following his prison stint.

While T69 can now leave his house, he's not exactly free to move about the country, as they say.

Lazzaro says Tekashi will need to get permission from his PO whenever he wants to leave the state or the country, including when he travels for a performance or recording session. No business trip exceptions!

The good news for 69 is as long as he's within NY state borders, we're told he doesn't have to check in with the PO for every little thing he does. So, considering he's been locked up since November 2018 ... this is pretty damn close to his life before prison.

Wisely, we're told he's not going hog wild ... he's got nothing special on the calendar, other than hitting the studio and making music.

J. Cole is currently training his ass off in hopes of getting a shot to make an NBA roster ... so says Master P, who offered the rap star some pretty sound advice.

First, let's talk J. Cole -- the "No Role Models" rapper was a solid hooper back in high school and famously tried out for St. Johns during his stint in college, but ultimately decided to focus on music.

Cole is a regular on the celebrity basketball circuit and is widely known as one of the best non-pro celebrity ballers in the country.

The 35-year-old recently hooked up with Master P for a Puma commercial where it's strongly insinuated that Cole is training for a shot with an NBA team ... which makes sense since P basically did the same thing back in the day.

Master P says he earned an NBA contract with 2 different teams in the '90s -- after he was already a famous rap mogul -- and he knows what it takes to get to the top level.

P -- whose music and hoops careers are documented in BET's "No Limit Chronicles" -- tells TMZ Sports he had a lengthy conversation with J. Cole about his hoop dreams ... and says he's convinced the rapper is dead serious.

"When I talked to J. Cole, he was like 'You know, big dog you did it. What do you think I would have to do to make it happen?'"

"I said to get one of these NBA jerseys, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be a lot of hate, it's gonna be a lot of people not believing in you but you know J. Cole -- he got the right size, he in the gym!"

"But, what I told him ... this a different time we're in. They're going to pick you apart! You're gonna have to be able to hit every shot and if you don't hit every shot, they -- you know in the NBA, they don't hit every shot but they believe in them. So, you're gonna have to go somewhere where the team really believe in you and the players believe in you."

P says Cole won't get a pass just because he's famous -- in fact, he'll have to work even harder than everyone else to prove he's for real.

"They've been putting their whole life into this. So, you're gonna have to prove you're worthy of being on that court."

P adds, "I believe in him and I believe that he's a youngster that has a lot of desire."

Bottom line -- P says if Cole does get an opportunity, he's gonna have to show out.

"Either you're gonna be good enough to play or you're gonna get exposed."

Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on one of the "Deadliest Catch" crab fishing boats, is dead ... TMZ has learned.

Mahlon's wife tells us he died in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana after he suffered a heart attack last Saturday morning. Although he survived it, and was transported to a hospital ... he never regained consciousness.

His wife says the family decided Sunday to take Mahlon off life support. She says he was surrounded by loved ones.

We're told he had no existing health conditions his family knew of, so they're all completely shocked by the massive heart attack. His wife tells us Mahlon was cremated and his "Deadliest Catch" crew is going to spread some of his ashes in the Bering Sea.

We're told Mahlon was working his butt off to recover from a recently torn Achilles, suffered while crabbing on the boat, and was doing everything he could to get back to Alaska for another crab season.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office says his official cause of death has not been determined yet ... pending autopsy and toxicology results.

Mahlon, who worked on 2 "Deadliest Catch" boats ... the Seabrooke and Cape Caution. He's survived by his wife and 4 children.

Mahlon was only 38.

Nic Naitanui -- Aussie Rules football's biggest star -- successfully completed 5 weeks in a bubble environment Down Under ... but cautions the mental health side of things is a real concern for athletes.

FYI, the Australian Football League (AFL) is currently running a hub system -- where teams are quarantined in separate bubble environments throughout the country.

Entry into each bubble requires 2 weeks of quarantine followed by strict testing -- and then it's off to a secure site, which in Nic's case was a Top Flight hotel.

The West Coast Eagles star admits it was "pretty tough" to adjust at first -- but he got into a routine and ultimately played really well on the field.

Now, Nic says sports leagues from all over the world have been contacting the AFL and the individual teams for advice on how to successfully pull off a bubble ... and he's got some solid tips.

The biggest warning, per Nic, is mental health for the players.

"The mental health side of things is massive because you are deprived of that social interaction with your family and friends and what not."

"I can tell why people probably do sneak out of the bubble. I see with the NBA boys because they're used to having that freedom and livelihood to do what they want and now you're being told -- its almost like a prison, albeit, a 5 star prison!"

The big question for us ... will the NFL follow the AFL's lead before time runs out?

The NBA, like the AFL, is having tremendous success so far in their bubble.

Sorry, Terry Bradshaw, Big Ben and Jerome Bettis ... NONE of you are the greatest Steeler of all-time -- so says Rod Woodson, who tells TMZ Sports that honor goes to Mean Joe Greene!

"Man, I'm just thinking Mean Joe," the legendary Pittsburgh defensive back says. "He's so classic!"

It clearly pains Woodson to make the choice -- there are a LOT of candidates ... everyone from Lynn Swann to Franco Harris to Troy Polamalu to Jack Lambert all has a legit claim to the title.

But, Rod says it just has to be Greene ... telling us, "He had the iconic Coca-Cola commercial throwing it to the kid. He was a heck of a -- heck of a -- player. He was really a good coach too!"

Woodson added, "If you think about it, the Steelers have only retired one number, and it's Mean Joe Greene. That's saying a lot."

FYI, Greene truly is an NFL legend ... he was a 10-time Pro Bowler, 4-time All-Pro and 4-time Super Bowl champ who won Defensive Player of the Year honors TWICE!!

Nicki Minaj's husband really wants to be there for the birth of the couple's first child ... a once-in-a-lifetime moment he might have to miss due to his pending criminal case.

Kenneth Petty just submitted legal docs, obtained by TMZ, begging the judge to modify the terms of his pretrial release conditions so he can travel with Nicki periodically on business as her manager and attend the upcoming birth of their baby.

As you know ... Kenneth recently registered as a sex offender in Cali after getting arrested for allegedly failing to do so when he moved to the state with Nicki. Some of the terms of his pretrial release -- he has a curfew and his travel is restricted to California.

According to the docs, Kenneth wants the judge to tweak his release conditions so he can be by Nicki's side if she gives birth outside his curfew hours.

Kenneth says the U.S. Attorney's Office and pretrial services office don't oppose his request, so now it's up to the judge to sign off.

As we reported ... Nicki announced her pregnancy earlier this month, and it looks like she's at least 6 months along. So the baby could be coming soon.

BTW ... Kenneth's status as a sex offender stems from a 1995 New York conviction for first-degree attempted rape. Petty pled not guilty to failing to register as a sex offender, and a judge recently gave him permission to surf the web.

Now, Kenneth's hoping to go 2-for-2 with the judge.

Tamar Braxton's upcoming reality show will still be released, but the network says it's honoring her request and severing ties with her going forward ... following her recent suicide attempt.

WE tv says ... "Tamar Braxton has been an important part of our network family for more than a decade. As she focuses on her health and recovery at what is clearly a difficult and personal time, we will work with her representatives to honor her request to end all future work for the network."

The network adds that it wishes her nothing but the best, and confirms with TMZ that Tamar's new series, 'Get Ya Life!,' will premiere Sept. 10.

Remember, the show was supposed to debut July 30, but got postponed after Tamar's apparent suicide attempt on July 16 at an L.A. hotel. Tamar called it "my attempt to end my pain and my life."

As we reported ... Tamar opened up about the incident, claiming years of mistreatment in reality TV pushed her to the brink. She claims over 2 months ago, she wrote a letter to WE tv asking to be freed from her contract because of the "demise" she was experiencing ... but says her cry for help was ignored.

Sources close to Tamar told us she was upset over her portrayal on the first episode of "Get Ya Life!" and felt she was lied to by producers.

Breonna Taylor's mother knew in advance her daughter would become the first person other than Oprah to appear solo on the cover of O magazine ... because O told her herself.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Oprah's team reached out to one of Breonna's family attorneys, Ben Crump, several weeks ago to see if she could get in touch directly with her mom, Tamika Palmer.

We're told there was no hesitation on the part of Breonna's family ... Oprah got Tamika's number and gave her a call in early June ... shortly after O posted a birthday tribute to Breonna on Instagram.

We're told it was the first time the two women had spoken, and it was just them on the call. That's when Oprah revealed her plan to Tamika to feature Breonna on the cover and ask for her blessing.

Our sources say Tamika was "in complete awe" of Oprah's gesture -- calling it an unbelievable moment -- and of course, she's honored O's doing something she's never done before as a tribute to Breonna.

As we reported ... Breonna's cover is historical, as it's the only time Oprah has not been on it. She stepped aside for one of her final print editions and dedicated it to Taylor by declaring, "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it." Emblazoned on the cover are the words ... "HER LIFE MATTERS."

Breonna was killed by Louisville police on March 13 in her own home in a botched raid over a "no-knock" warrant. So far, her death has resulted in no arrests, which sparked countless protests ... along with the death of George Floyd.

In an interview with "CBS This Morning," Oprah expressed her desire to protest as well, saying ... "if it were not for COVID I would be marching in the streets."

Fortunately, she found another impactful way to do her part.

Things have gotten way too personal for TikTok's most-followed personality, and after getting an online threat ... her family's hired round-the-clock security.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Charli D'Amelio got a scare on July 8 when someone posted on social media, claiming they were going to show up at her house.

No one followed through on that threat, apparently, but we're told cops are investigating. The situation alarmed Charli and her fam enough to hire cops to keep an eye on things.

Our sources say the family is paying the OT to have police officers surveil their property for the foreseeable future, because this isn't the first frightening incident they've experienced.

We're told Charli's also been the victim of multiple "swatting" calls, where random people have falsely reported an emergency at her home ... then authorities show up to nothing.

Sharon Osbourne says seeing is believing when it comes to paranormal activity and other-worldly beings ... she wants to believe we're not alone, but needs her own hard evidence.

Sharon joined us on "TMZ Live" and we wanted to know if she's a UFO believer like her son, Jack.

While Sharon says she's seen our footage of a possible UFO over the skies of Long Beach -- lots of folks reported seeing something flying over L.A. too -- she tells us why the video alone is not enough to convince her 100 percent.

Sharon's getting the hard sell on UFOs back at home ... the famous family has a new show on Travel Channel, "The Osbournes Want To Believe," where Jack tries to convince her and Ozzy about the existence of aliens, Bigfoot, poltergeists, haunted dolls and other strange beasts.

This is unusual nowadays, but senators on both sides of the aisle are in agreement on something -- President Trump can float the idea of election delays all he wants ... it ain't happening.

We got Sen. Tim Kaine -- a Virginia Democrat and former VP candidate -- on Capitol Hill Thursday, and he reassured voters ... POTUS simply doesn't have the authority to push the November 3 election date.

Now, he admits it might be a challenge convincing the Prez of that, but he also thinks POTUS might have an ulterior motive for raising the issue in the first place.

Sen. Kaine has faith members of Congress -- including Republicans -- will make sure the election goes down as scheduled, and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana lends credence to that.

Cassidy is a GOP'er and went a little softer on Trump, naturally, and attempted to explain where the Prez was coming from when he tweeted, "Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

But, he still came to the same conclusion -- Sen. Cassidy tells us there's no need to delay the election, and he'll support the winner, because the U.S. Constitution tells him so.

As we reported ... Trump's using the false notion of rampant fraud connected to mail-in voting as the basis for all this postponement buzz.

Patrick Mahomes will THRIVE in his new MLB ownership role ... so says George Brett, who tells TMZ Sports he's pumped for the NFL superstar to join the Royals' org!!

"They do things a little bit different here," says the K.C. legend, who's now in his 27th season as the team's VP of baseball operations. "Your family is number 1, baseball is number 2."

"And, I think he's going to fit right in with the ownership group and with the Royals culture that they have within the ball club."

Pat just used a portion of his new $500 MILLION contract to buy into the Royals this week ... and Brett says he couldn't be happier to welcome the Chiefs QB to the team.

In fact, the Royals G.O.A.T. says the two are actually golfing buddies ... so he knows Pat well -- and he tells us he's certain the move will be good for both the Royals and the NFL superstar.

"I'm sure everybody in Kansas City is real excited," Brett says. "Because, like me, they've adopted Patrick Mahomes."

By the way, we asked George about Mahomes' baseball prowess ... and the Hall of Famer told us from everything he's seen, he believes the 24-year-old could've been a hell of a pitcher.

But, if Brett had to face Pat in his prime? Ya gotta hear George tell us how that would've been an absolute laugher ...