Celebrity Health

Dutch cyclist Fabio Jakobsen nearly lost his life in a horrific crash in a race in Poland this week ... and he's now in a medically-induced coma recovering from serious injuries.

Jakobsen was jockeying for first place at the end of the Tour of Poland on Wednesday ... when he appeared to be cut off by fellow cyclist Dylan Groenewegen.

What happened next was terrifying ... Jakobsen flipped over some signage lining the raceway and then crashed face-first into a solid barrier.

Jakobsen suffered major injuries in the wreck ... his cycling team announced he had to undergo facial surgery and then be put into a coma.

But, thankfully, team officials say Jakobsen avoided serious spine/neck ailments.

"Fabio had facial surgery during the night," the cycling team said in a statement Thursday. "His situation is stable at the moment and later today the doctors will try to wake Fabio up."

Groenewegen was heavily criticized for his role in the crash ... he was DQ'ed from the race despite finishing first -- and was blasted by Jakobsen's team's GM, who called Groenewegen's end-of-race maneuver "criminal."

For his part, Groenewegen apologized on Twitter, writing, "I hate what happened yesterday. I can't find the words to describe how sorry I am for Fabio and others who have been dropped or hit."

"At the moment, the health of Fabio is the most important thing. I think about him constantly."

Meanwhile, U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong sent his best wishes to Jakobsen, saying, "Thoughts and prayers go out to Fabio Jakobsen. Hang in there buddy."

Wanna see what a face looks like after it takes a puck straight to the jaw in an NHL game??

Good ... 'cause Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman just revealed the injuries he suffered after blocking a shot with his cheek this week -- and they're gnarly!!

The 27-year-old NHL player was with his teammate Andrew Copp in the hockey bubble when he showed off the battle wounds ... and you can see the dude's face is swollen and scabbed.

"Guy's got a golf ball on the side of his cheek," Copp said of his teammate.

As we previously reported, Poolman went down to block a shot in the second period of the Jets' game against the Flames on Tuesday night ... but the frozen rubber ended up catching him right in the face.

Tucker immediately collapsed to the ice ... and blood spewed everywhere -- leaving a long trail of red as he hurried into the locker room.

But, the guy got stitched back up and played in the third period ... and clearly -- his teammates respect the hell out of him for the toughness.

"Absolute warrior," Copp said.

This video is incredible ... a guy on a jet ski captured the moment the entire city of Beirut shook after a massive explosion killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000.

The perspective is different from the video captured on land. The ferocity of the blast nearly capsized the jet ski as the driver reacts in panic.

The blast was equivalent to a 3.3 earthquake.

Lebanon's prime minister believes the cause of the explosion was 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that was just sitting for years in a warehouse. To put this in perspective ... it's 1,000 times more powerful than the Oklahoma City bombing.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields will NOT opt out of the 2020 season ... saying he's still laser-focused on winning championships AND the Heisman Trophy.

Of course, Fields is one of the top QBs in the country -- Yahoo Sports has him ranked #2, right behind Clemson's Trevor Lawrence.

Fields threw for 3,273 yards and 41 TDs as a sophomore in 2019 while rushing for 484 yards and 10 TDs ... landing him a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

But, with so much uncertainty surrounding the college football landscape in 2020 -- and at least one star player opting out to prep for the NFL Draft -- Fields wanted Buckeye Nation to know he's not going anywhere.

"I never thought about opting out," Fields told the media Tuesday.

The 6'3", 225 pound QB understands why others would opt out -- citing safety and financial concerns -- but says that's just not the path for him.

"Some people's families might not be as financially stable as others. Plus, me growing up as a kid, I've always been a competitor and I've always loved to play football. Me just growing up with my family, I never really needed anything. My family has provided me with everything I've needed."

"So, getting to money as fast as I can isn't really a priority for me."

"I'm just trying to stay as optimistic as possible right now. But as far as opting out, I mean, I can see where those guys are coming from, but I never thought about opting out."

Now, Fields says he's ready to compete for rings, trophies and glory -- starting with beating Michigan.

"Then we want to win a Big Ten championship. Then we want to go on and win the first game of the playoff and then win the national championship."

"Then as far as my goals personally, I want to show everybody that I'm the best quarterback in the nation. Of course, I want to win the Heisman and do all of that stuff. But the team comes first, so if none of that happens, I'm fine with a national championship."

Michelle Obama's struggling through 2020 -- she just revealed she's "dealing with what she calls some form of "low-grade depression" ... partly brought on by President Trump's actions.

The former First Lady dropped a new episode of her podcast on Spotify Wednesday, and while discussing mental health with former NPR anchor Michele Norris -- said she's got the blues "not just because of the quarantine but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting."

During the chitchat, Michelle talked about nationwide civil unrest and Trump's response to it -- and said it's all bringing her down. She added, "I don't think I'm unusual in that."

Michelle was describing what millions of us have been feeling over the last few months -- "I have to say, that waking up to the news, waking up to how this administration has or has not responded, waking up to yet another story of a Black man or Black person somehow being dehumanized or hurt or killed or falsely accused of something, it is exhausting. And, it has led to a weight that I haven't felt in my life in a while."

Here's reason #10,000,000,0001 why hockey players are tough as hell ...

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Tucker Poolman took a puck straight to the mouth Tuesday night ... and after bleeding all over the ice -- HE RETURNED TO THE GAME!!!

The scene was terrifying ... in the second period of the Jets vs. Flames tilt -- a Calgary player flipped a wrist shot at the net.

The problem? Poolman put his face in the way to stop the shot ... and the 27-year-old took the brunt of the piece of rubber right to the side of the jaw.

Poolman began immediately spewing blood from his mouth ... and as he bolted for the locker room with trainers -- he left a trail of red spanning about 15 yards!!

Somehow ... Pullman was able to shake off the injury -- and returned for more action in the third period with a huge cage around his face.

After the game, Jets head coach Paul Maurice said Poolman required sutures and has a welt the size of FIVE GOLF BALLS on his face ... but said the D-man should be OK going forward.

"We're lucky to have him," Maurice said.

A Georgia school's reopening may very well be exhibit A on the lack of COVID-19 safety precautions in place for students ... just look at this hallway, which looks like a superspreader's dream.

The photo shows the first day back for kids in Paulding County, where -- with the support of the Georgia Department of Education in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health -- schools are opening up their doors with "guidelines, not mandates" on how to deal with the pandemic ... and judging from the pic it's an absolute failure.

Students are crammed in a narrow hallway, and at least half of them are walking side by side without face coverings.

Georgia's "Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools" lists "prioritizing safety" as its top concern for the reopenings ... but it sure doesn't look like that's being followed.

This school photo is not the only one to raise eyebrows this week in Georgia. Another from Etowah High School in Woodstock shows a large group of seniors bunched together for a color-coordinated clothing pic ... ALL without masks.

The troubling photos come on the heels of coronavirus cases being reported at other recently reopened schools across the country ... which has led to protests over the unsafe nature of doing so.

As everyone knows, kids can infect their parents and grandparents, but also the teachers are at risk when students are in situations that make transmission almost inevitable.

President Trump, of course, has been a vocal proponent of reopening schools ... while ignoring the inherent risks.

Beirut looks like an atomic bomb went off, after a massive explosion rocked the city and left hundreds of people severely injured.

Several videos captured the terrifying moment Tuesday in the Lebanese capital -- where, at first, a port-adjacent building simply appeared to be on fire with smoke billowing up.

Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted from the site ... sending a huge mushroom cloud into the air ... along with debris and shockwaves.

It immediately engulfed the area ... and people were screaming in horror at the sight. The scene was frighteningly similar to watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11 -- although it's unclear yet if the Beirut explosion was a terrorist act.

Lebanese news agencies have reported it started with a fire in a building housing fireworks -- but other reports say there were high-powered explosives in there.

Based on the size of the blast, the latter makes more sense.

MLB star Yadier Molina says he's one of several St. Louis Cardinals dealing with coronavirus ... announcing Tuesday he tested positive even after following all the proper protocols.

The 38-year-old -- who some expect to be a lock for baseball's Hall of Fame -- said in a statement in Spanish on social media he's disappointed to have contracted the virus.

But, the catcher added he's doing everything possible to return to the team ASAP.

"As I recover," Yadi said, "I request that my privacy and that of my family be respected during my absence from the team."

The Cards said in a statement in addition to Yadi ... infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa, and Rangel Ravelo, and pitchers Junior Fernández and Kodi Whitley have also agreed to publicly come forward with their positive diagnosis.

As we previously reported, the Cardinals are currently dealing with at least 13 cases of coronavirus on their team ... with GM John Mozeliak saying some have experienced symptoms like "headaches, coughs, sniffles, and low-grade fevers."

The Cards have had several games postponed due to the outbreak ... with their series against the Detroit Tigers this week already being moved.

The Denver Broncos have installed a special "misting booth" at the team facility -- which sprays a disinfectant on players to and from practice in hopes of killing the COVID virus.

The Broncos posted footage of the machine on Monday -- saying, "Time for work. But first, we sanitize."

We're told the booth is spraying a product called "MicroSURE" -- which is touted as a powerful nontoxic disinfectant that kills viruses like E.Coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Coronavirus upon contact.

A rep for the Broncos tells us, "We want to go above and beyond to protect the players."

"The misting booth is an additional safety measure that sprays a safe, medical-grade disinfectant on players and their equipment when entering and exiting the practice field."

The Broncos have already had a serious COVID scare this off-season when star linebacker Von Miller tested positive for coronavirus back in April.

Miller was symptomatic -- but has since recovered. He's called on others to take the virus seriously.

Shia LaBeouf doesn't need a bumper sticker to show his support for Joe Biden ... a face covering will do just fine.

The actor was out Monday morning in L.A. arriving at a film set while also doing his part to stem the spread of the coronavirus. But, Shia's face mask is doing double duty ... because he's using his as a billboard to show his support for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

It's a move that's in polar opposition to many of President Trump's supporters ... and we're not talking politically.

The Prez himself was first to politicize face masks by refusing to wear them during most of the pandemic -- and his backers have followed suit.

You'll recall at Trump's Tulsa rally back in June, hardly anyone wore a mask. One supporter even brought a tiny baby into the potentially super-spreading event. Making matters worse ... Trump's campaign staff ordered the removal of social distancing signs, and video clearly shows them doing exactly that.

Herman Cain, who attended that rally and did not wear mask, died from COVID-19 a little over a month later.