Marshawn Lynch Giving Out Beast Mode Masks ... To Smash COVID-19

TAKE IT EASY
@Kenmeezy

Marshawn Lynch is going full BEAST MODE on coronavirus -- riding through Oakland on a cart to hand out masks to people who need 'em!!

The NFL running back slowly made his way through his hometown -- on his birthday!! -- Wednesday ... spreading a bit of safety around Lake Merritt.

Lynch even dropped a Beast Mode business card with every mask -- adding a bit of that signature Marshawn flair.

"Marshawn out here for the people, man!" the Twitter user who captured the awesome moment said in his video.

But, it's not just a one-time thing for Lynch -- the running back has been spotted taking masks to local hospitals and food banks all week!!

Lynch is heavily involved with the community in Oakland -- so this shouldn't be a surprise. Still, very cool to see.

Gardner Minshew NFL Draft Throwback Shirtless and Short Jorts!!!

There was no fancy tailored suit for Gardner Minshew when he was drafted back in 2019 -- HE ROCKED JORTS, BABY!!

The Jacksonville Jaguars QB shared a behind-the-scenes pic from the moment he received that fateful call ... and yeah, the fashion is right on brand!

Topless? Check. Shades? Check. Skin-tight cutoff jean shorts? YOU KNOW THIS!!!

"One of the best days and calls ever!," Minshew tweeted out with the pic ... "Good luck to everyone hoping to get their name called!"

Of course, the Jags took Minshew with the 178th pick -- and he's become a fan favorite for his signature fashion sense (plus, he's not a bad QB either!).

Minshew went on to raise hell in 14 games this past season ... throwing for 21 TDs and 3,200 yards and winning some impressive games as a rookie.

"It doesn’t matter when you get picked. Just enjoy your dream coming true!"

Minshew ain't the only NFL QB to rock the shorts on Draft Day -- Brett Favre wore some back in the day ... and still hasn't lived it down!

What's the fashion plan for rookies in 2020? We'll find out tonight!!

Joe Exotic's Pink Sequin Shirt $10k eBay Bid a Ruse ... Seller Still Scores $4k!!!

UPDATE

8:14 AM PT -- There's a happy ending for the seller after all -- he still managed to profit more than $4k on Joe's shirt.

UPDATE

Somebody just dropped $4,200 on the pink sequin top, and already paid Baran for it so there's no more shenanigans. All said and done, that's a 42x return on his investment. It's unclear what the new buyer plans to do with the shirt ... we can only imagine.

Joe Exotic uttered the famous line, "I am never gonna financially recover from this," on 'Tiger King' ... which is probably how the owner of one of Joe's flamboyant shirts feels after he got hoodwinked on eBay.

It was almost official -- the pink sequin button-up top Joe wore on episode 2 of the Netflix docuseries closed on the auction site Friday at $10,400 after receiving 43 bids from 21 bidders. The opening bid was $650 on April 12, but things really escalated in the final 2 days.

That probably should have been a red flag, as the shirt's seller, Vincent Baran, tells TMZ ... the winner of the auction claims he was hacked and not bidding himself, and will not be paying for the shirt.

Baran's still hoping to turn a big profit on the item, though ... he's now re-listed the piece of Exotic memorabilia at a buy-now price of $10,300 -- or best offer -- until May 17.

We broke the story ...  Vince told us he came across the Exotic artifact when he noticed Joe's old stomping grounds, The Greater Wynnewood (G.W.) Zoo, was selling several of his shirts on Facebook.

Baran says he managed to buy the pink shirt from Joe's ex-business partner -- Jeff Lowe, who now runs the zoo -- for just $100, and he was initially hoping to get $650 or more for it ... based on what some other Joe Exotic wardrobe items have sold for online.

So, cashing out at above $10k would have been an unprecedented new high -- that's enough to buy a few tigers cubs, after all -- and as the saying goes ... if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Good luck, Vince.

Originally Published -- 12:50 AM PT

Neiman Marcus Filing for Bankruptcy ... Omen for What's to Come

UPDATE

7:20 AM PT -- 24-Hour Fitness is also considering bankruptcy ... this according to CNBC

Neiman Marcus, one of the largest retailers of its kind in America, has hit the mat and can't get up in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and the chain is reportedly ready to file for bankruptcy.

Neiman's 43 stores all shut down during the self-quarantine, along with its Last Call stores and its 2, NYC Bergdorf Goodman department stores. The Dallas-based company is carrying nearly $5 billion in debt, and the payments alone are millions of dollars a month ... bottom line -- they just can't pay the bill ... this according to Reuters, which says the bankruptcy filing could only be days away.

It's not really hard to understand. Retailers who support brick-and-mortar stores need customers to come in and buy things, and there are none. That's why other big chains, such as J.C. Penney, Macy's and Nordstrom are all on the financial ropes.

In the case of Neiman's, nearly all of its employees -- 14,000 strong -- have been furloughed.

It's unclear what kind of protection Neiman's would be seeking in bankruptcy court, but these are clearly tough times.

Originally published -- 6:50 AM PT

Joe Exotic His Pink Sequin Shirt Up for Grabs ... Starting Bid is $650!!!

Carole Baskin took just about everything from Joe Exotic, but she didn't get the shirt off his back -- that belongs to one eBay user who's trying to hawk it for a quick (and pricey) buck.

Yes, one of Joe's own personal sequin tops (blouses?) is up for grabs on the famous auction site -- and the best part is that it was even featured on Netflix's 'Tiger King.' Cooool!!! The only downside ... it's going for a pretty penny. The opening bid right now is $650.

The shirt's owner, Vincent Baran, tells TMZ he came across the rare JE artifact surfing the web 2 weeks ago. He says he noticed Joe's old stomping grounds, The Greater Wynnewood (G.W.) Zoo, was offering a bunch of Joe's shirts on Facebook to whoever wanted 'em ... for a price. Way cheaper than what he's charging now though.

Vince says G.W. only wanted $100 for an article of Joe's clothing -- now, the dude's attempting to flip it on eBay for at least 5 times that amount ... and he thinks it'll go for way more than the listed price. The reason ... he says he's seen other Joe Exotic items sell well online.

VB tells us he recently spotted one of Joe's many hats hit the digital marketplace for a cool $800, so he believes he can get his money's worth for something worn on the man's own torso.

Time will tell if people are buyin' what Vince is sellin' ... so far, he's got zero bids. Hang in there, bud ... just like that shirt did for a damn good while in Joe's abandoned closet. 😅

LaVar Ball Gunning To Bring NFL Players To BBB I Could Get Them $40 MIL!!!

TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW
TMZSports.com

LaVar Ball says he wants both NBA AND NFL players under the BBB umbrella going forward ... and he says he's got a plan that could make them $40 MILLION on their 1st contract with the company!

The Big Baller tells TMZ Sports he wants to sign big-name football and basketball draft prospects starting next year ... and he says his deals with them will be VERY different than what Nike and Adidas are offering.

LaVar tells us his vision for BBB athletes is to have an ownership stake in their products ... and rather than getting fixed money upfront -- they'll get a percentage of ALL their sales going forward!!

"The guys that I want to be involved with, I want them to believe in themselves," LaVar says. "So, I would give them 40 percent of the profit of what they make."

Ball continued, "I'm not going to give them the 5-year, $10 million deal. Because everybody's like, 'Oh, he's passing up $10 million!' Like, nah, if you really believe in yourself and you're going to be the head of a franchise, you'd rather have ownership."

LaVar says the math is pretty simple ... if a guy sells a million shirts worldwide at $100 apiece, and gets 40 percent of the profit, he can make $40 MIL on his first deal no problem!!

Ball says he believes that's the way athletes need to think going forward with endorsement deals, telling us, "That's all I want is for guys to understand their self-worth."

CAROLINA PANTHERS Crap All Over Falcons New Unis ... Ya Look Like 'The Longest Yard!!!'

The first win of the 2020 NFL season goes to the Carolina Panthers social media team ... which RUTHELESSY destroyed the Atlanta Falcons' new uniforms in a Twitter exchange for the ages.

It's no secret ... the Falcons pretty much fumbled its new jersey reveal -- the threads leaked a week before the big scheduled debut, which forced the team to push everything up to Wednesday morning.

A lot of people wish the team hadn't gone through the trouble at all ... with the general consensus (on social media at least) being the jerseys SUCK and never should've seen the light of day.

To add insult to injury, the Falcons' NFC South rivals got in on the fun ... with the Panthers Twitter comparing the new look to the Mean Machine jerseys from "The Longest Yard" in a hilarious video.

Incredible work.

Of course, the Falcons tried to recover by using the famous Cam Newton quote he used after getting cut this past offseason ... even including his signature crazy font.

"#šhïñëTHRŪthëŠHÄDĒ," the Falcons' Twitter responded ... but the damage was already done.

Someone in the Panthers' social media dept. needs a raise ... 'cause seriously, the comparison is spot-on.

Old news is old news!
Be First!

Get TMZ breaking news sent right to your browser!