Money

10:07 AM PT -- Cook says he had a pair of Louboutin shoes, an additional pair of shoes AND some dress pants stolen -- ESPN's Dianna Russini reports.

7:36 AM PT -- A rep for the TSA tells TMZ Sports ... they've already launched an investigation into Cook's allegations and are hoping to get some answers ASAP.

We're told officials have reached out to Cook and are hoping to speak with him soon to get more information about the alleged crime.

Oakland Raiders TE Jared Cook claims TSA employees STOLE several valuable items out of his luggage at the airport on the way to the Pro Bowl ... and he's calling 'em out on video.

"The great folks at TSA went through my bag and stole my shoes and some of my clothes," Cook told Vegas Sports Daily at the Pro Bowl practice in Orlando.

Cook says the items were worth a "pretty good amount of money."

You can see in the clip Cook is pretty upset -- and he's blaming the alleged crime on the government shutdown.

"I guess when you're forced to find work or find money to come in from somewhere for your family, you take it out on the people that you serve."

He added, "When you don't feed your dogs, they go licking on your bones -- so that's what they're doing."

We reached out to the TSA for comment and we're told they're looking into Cook's allegations. However, TSA responded to Cook on Twitter saying, "This deeply concerns us. We take these allegations very seriously."

31-year-old Cook had a monster season in 2018 -- one of the few bright spots for the Raiders -- putting up 68 catches for 896 yards and 6 TDs.

Cook has made more than $37 million in his NFL career -- and is expected to sign a pretty big contract before the 2019 season.

So, even though it SUCKS to have your stuff get jacked (allegedly) ... at least he can afford to buy new gear.

Ray J has his eyes on conquering ride-share giants like Bird Scooters ... and he's off to a massive start with a 7-figure deal to start his empire.

Ray just sold off his Scoot-E-Bike biz to Canadian company LOOPShare for an amount in the high 7-figures. Ray will still play a big role in the venture, with a goal to provide users with scooters to get around town with ease.

The plan will include 3 types of scooters for users to pick from ... a traditional sit-down model, a vespa style unit and stand alone scooter. We're told the scooters will begin to pop up in cities across the United States and Canada ... with plans to go global.

Not only will Ray play a pivotal role in the company's strategy moving forward ... he'll also be in control of close to 19 million shares.

Tons of celebs have helped Ray J market the electric bikes in the past ... including Snoop Dogg, Stephen Curry and his sister Brandy.

Ray's manager, David Weintraub, tells us Ray's focus has been on growing his tech biz over the last year, turning down several TV deals in the process. We're told his company, Raycon, is already pulling in $2-$3 million in sales every month.

As you know ... Ray J just went on a huge spending spree for his 38th birthday, and now he's got even more cash to treat himself.

Wiz Khalifa just swooped a super modern pad -- and it only cost him a few mil.

We've learned the Pittsburgh rapper closed on a new mansion Wednesday in Encino, CA -- near Tarzana, Calabasas and other rich areas north of L.A. -- and our real estate sources tell us he dropped a cool $3.4 million on the property. Helluva deal, considering how nice this place is.

With four bedrooms suites, the 2-story estate boasts what just about every baller pad might feature -- floating stairs, a theater, a 100-bottle wine bar, floor-to-ceiling glass pocket doors, a waterfall island outside ... and a sick master suite with its own fireplace.

The house is also a smart home, with a built-in alarm and 4 exterior cameras. Can't be too careful these days with all the break-ins in and around town. Good call, Wiz.

Chris Brown is NOT getting the hell outta Dodge after cops released him ... instead he's hanging around Paris for one good reason -- money, and lots of it.

TMZ's learned the singer is right in the middle of shooting a music video. He was seen performing Wednesday on a Paris street. We're told he's honoring his commitment to the project before he takes off Thursday.

We're told Chris dropped 6 figures on the music vid -- for an upcoming song called "Back to Love" -- so it's pretty important to make it happen. Our sources say in addition to the video, he's also working on another project with a dance studio.

Earlier in the day, Brown was seen publicly for the first time since his arrest as he left the Mandarin Oriental Hotel -- the same place where the alleged rape went down. He had nothing but love for everybody.

As we reported ... he was arrested Monday night by French police on possible rape and narcotics charges, but got released the same day without conditions. Chris was allowed to keep his passport and return home, but he's clearly not in a hurry to flee.

Lil Pump's thirsty, and now he's got sodas from all around the world to quench his thirst ... thanks to his very own, one-of-a-kind vending machine.

The "Butterfly Doors" rapper's been showing off his new customized soda dispenser from Exotic Pop, which is a prototype that comes with an Apple TV installed ... so he can rock out while he pops out.

Charleston Wilson, the owner of the Houston-based beverage company, tells TMZ ... Pump started hitting up their location outside of L.A. a while back for rare flavors, but inquired about getting his own machine a couple months ago.

Wilson says because LP's been such a great brand ambassador for Exotic Pop, the company decided to gift him the customized pop machine this week. We're told it contains sodas from Japan, Poland, Canada and more ... and costs around $10,000.

Lil Pump's also in talks about getting his own soda too.

BTW, he's not the only rapper affiliated with the brand ... Drake, Migos, Lil Yachty and Soulja Boy are also fans and customers.

A former Kent State running back says he's suffering from long-term brain injuries due to his college football career ... and he's pointing the finger at the NCAA.

The man behind the lawsuit is Jerry Flowers -- a former high school superstar in Georgia who played for Kent State in 2005 ... racking up 304 yards and 3 TDs during his freshman year.

Flowers says he sustained "numerous concussions" during his college football career and now he's suffering from "several symptoms indicative of long-term brain and neurocognitive injuries."

In his lawsuit, filed in federal court in Indiana, Flowers claims the NCAA actively concealed data about the effects of concussions on long-term health.

He also claims the NCAA did not warn players that their helmets did not protect against concussions, "despite the fact an athlete would naturally think of his or her helmet as protective."

12:20 PM PT -- According to R. Kelly's attorney Melvin L. Sims III ... despite the violations, the judge sided with the singer and rejected the City of Chicago's motion to shut the building down completely.

Kelly's legal team argued the problems with the studio did not mount to an "Emergency" situation, so instead, repairs were ordered along with the removal of personal items. Sims says the studio is still open for business as a studio during normal working hours.

R. Kelly is in serious trouble with Chicago officials because the city is going after him for a laundry list of building violations at his studio ... and it could end up costing the singer a ton of cash!!!

The Chicago studio, heavily featured in "Surviving R. Kelly" was slammed with 66 building code violations, most notably for using the place as a residence and not obtaining permits to build a sauna, steam room and a bar ... this according to legal docs.

In the docs, each violation comes with a fine ranging between $500 to $1,000 for each day the violation goes unaddressed ... and with 66 violations, R. Kelly could be looking at a fine between $33k to $66k per day!

The court has already ordered R. Kelly to remove all personal items from the premises and he can only use the space as a recording studio from 9 AM to 5 PM.

As you know ... R. Kelly's studio was swarmed last week by Chicago cops and the Cook County Building and Zoning Department -- and they ended up filing a complaint against R. Kelly.

Sources close to R. Kelly deny he's ever lived in the studio and R. Kelly believes the space is exactly as it was when he first started renting it 3-4 years ago.

Jackie Robinson's contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers -- one of the most important documents of all time -- is hitting the auction block and it's expected to fetch MILLIONS ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The 1947 contract -- which made Robinson the first black player to sign with an MLB team -- will be sold along with Jackie's 1945 contract with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers minor league team.

Bidding on the items, hosted by Goldin Auctions, began on Monday ... starting bid was $5 MILLION.

We spoke with Ken Goldin who tells us he's had the items appraised by a rare documents expert who valued the pair at $36 million. Goldin says 10% of the final sale price will be donated to the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

The contracts have been on the auction block before -- most recently in 2017 -- but it did not hit the $15 million reserve, so it went back to the consignor.

Now, the seller is giving the sale another shot ... with a lower reserve.

Jackie's 1947 contract with the Dodgers specifies the team will pay him $5,000 for the '47 season.

The contract states Robinson will "keep himself in first class physical condition" and will "obey the club's training rules."

Robinson also agreed to pledge himself to "the American public and to the Club to conform to high standards of personal conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship."

The contract was signed by Robinson and Dodgers president Branch Rickey on April 11, 1947 ... along with National League president Ford Frick.

Of course, Robinson went on to break the color barrier and crushed the league during his rookie season -- winning N.L. Rookie of the Year honors. The Dodgers went to the World Series that year but lost to the Yankees.

As for Robinson's minor league contract ... it stipulates he was paid $600 per month during the season.

According to the inflation calculator, $600 back in 1945 is worth about $8,374 now.

Robinson passed away in 1972 at the age of 53.

Chick-fil-A is punting on the opportunity to score LOTS of potential cash by refusing to open up one very important location for Super Bowl Sunday.

Sources connected to the fast-food chain tell us the Chick-fil-A stand inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- where Super Bowl LIII will be played in a couple weeks -- will, in fact, remain closed on Feb. 3 ... just like every other Sunday before it.

We're told that although the MBS location won't be open, Chick-fil-A is still one of the corporate sponsors for the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee ... and our sources say CfA is happy to be there in spirit and through its donation to JFK Park.

Much to the chagrin of foodies everywhere, Chick-fil-A notoriously closes up shop on Sundays to give employees a much-needed day off to be with family or go to church.

That's why folks were thrown for a loop back in 2017 when a location sprung up inside MBS, where the Falcons play on Sundays. The operator has said there's tons of other events happening at MBS throughout the year -- enough so, apparently, to make it worth their while.

Just to give you a sense of how much of a cash cow Chick-fil-A is ignoring for this upcoming game -- it could be in the ballpark of half a mil, more or less. Probably more, though.

This guy says they've sold as many as 5,000 sandwiches in one night. Considering Super Bowl stadiums have hit 100,000-plus attendees in recent years ... that's a potential $409,000 Chick-fil-A is losing out on if everyone bought just one of their basic sandwiches.

A local Brit tried his darndest to hawk debris left behind from Prince Philip's car crash last week -- and got pretty close to the finish line before eBay pulled the plug.

An eBay user known as morbius777 put the listing up sometime over the weekend and advertised it as "Prince Philip Car Crash Parts." The items for auction included three plastic parts from the car wreck, and what looks like a bunch of broken glass that the user apparently picked up off the side of the road, where Philip crashed on Thursday.

morbius777 also claimed that some of the debris "may even have Phil's DNA on it, if you wanted to clone him or something." Prior to eBay yanking the listing on Tuesday, bids had gone as high as £65,900 ... which is a little more than $85,000 with 5 days left.

The user claimed in his post description that the proceeds would've gone to cancer research efforts in the U.K., but eBay wasn't having it. They pulled the post, citing a policy of theirs that'd been violated.

An eBay spokesperson reportedly said, "This listing has been removed in line with our policy relating to the sale of any item that seeks to profit from human suffering or tragedy."

As we reported ... police are investigating the crash and will take any "appropriate action" by the time they're finished. One of the people who was injured in the other car claims police have been ignoring her and that her injuries were seriously downplayed.

Cristiano Ronaldo was ordered to pay a $21 MILLION fine as punishment in his tax fraud case -- but the good news for the soccer superstar, he won't have to serve a 23-month prison sentence.

And, for a guy who reportedly earns around $90 MILLION per year, that's a pretty good deal for him!

The 33-year-old appeared in court in Spain on Tuesday morning smiling and holding hands with his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez ... almost like he knew it was not a big deal.

And, the reason? CR7 had previously agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors ... so Tuesday's court date was just a formality to make it official.

CR7 had been accused of hiding around $16.7 MILLION income he made from his image rights in Spain between 2011 and 2014.

He was facing a 23-month prison sentence -- but hammered out a deal to pay the fine and move on with his life.

It also helps that in Spain, a 1st-time offender sentenced to less than 24 months in prison can serve probation instead of being locked up.

The fine is really no big deal for a guy like Ronaldo -- Forbes reports he pulls in around $93 mil from pro soccer and endorsement deals.

Of course, Ronaldo has other legal issues -- he's being sued in the United States by a woman who claims he raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009.

Ronaldo has denied wrongdoing. Cops are still investigating.

Ja Rule needs to put his money where his mouth his, and cough up a ton of cash to help clean up some of the mess he created with the infamously doomed Fyre Festival ... so says a restaurant owner in the Bahamas who paid out of her own pocket to feed workers and stranded concertgoers.

Maryann Rolle, the woman who claims she shelled out over $50,000 from her own savings to feed festival workers and fans stranded on Great Exuma, tells us Ja Rule should pay her $100k if the rapper is truly sorry for his role in the disastrous festival.

Maryann went viral after she appeared in Netflix's Fyre Fest documentary, after saying she burned through her savings and was never paid for her services. She started a GoFundMe to recoup some of the funds, and more than $150,000 poured in after people learned just how badly she was stiffed by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland.

Maryann tells us she still needs money to pay her employees and her bills ... so, she wants Ja Rule to throw her six figures for all of the trouble.

Tupac's sexual fantasies are now another man's treasure because the rapper's hand-drawn love letter to his girlfriend just sold for more than $21k at auction.

Tupac's rare prison drawing to his GF received plenty of attention -- and not just because it depicts Tupac and Desiree Smith getting it on doggy style -- earning 10 bids during the Steiner auction.

We're told the erotic artwork sold for $21,155.75 ... and the winning bid belongs to a very wealthy man in his 60s. Talk about disposable income!

As we reported ... Tupac's NSFW art also included the hand-decorated envelope and love letter he sent to his girl in 1995, when the rapper was incarcerated at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY.

How did Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys get over a devastating playoff loss to the Rams??

VEGAS, BABY!!!

Zeke and a bunch of his teammates took off for Sin City late last week ... and TMZ Sports has learned they hit the craps table almost immediately.

We're told the All-Pro RB, Sean Lee, Connor Williams and other Dallas stars hit up Aria's casino on Friday and gambled away the pain from their playoff loss for most of the day.

We're told the guys got a private table -- and it seemed the casino allowed them to bet whatever they wanted ... but Zeke was throwing down around $500 (and sometimes WAY more) per roll.

Don't worry, won't affect Elliott's bank account too much -- he's currently toward the end of his rookie $24 million contract and will make HUGE money when he renegotiates with the Cowboys.

To put it into perspective, the NFL's highest-paid running back is Todd Gurley who recently signed a 4-year, $60 MILLION extension with the Rams ... with $45 million in guaranteed money.

Zeke will make similar money ... which means his $500 per roll is chump change for him.

As for Elliott's luck at the tables, we're told neither the RB nor the rest of his teammates came up big winners on the day.

Hey, there's always next year -- right???

Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley is pissed at Adrien Broner ... saying Adrien cost him a grip of cash when he got punished by Manny Pacquiao ... a $20,000 grip to be exact.

Broner got his ass handed to him Saturday night, in a fight where he only landed 50 punches and spent most of the match on his bike, running from a 40-year-old.

After the fight, Broner told Jim Gray he believed he won the fight -- and noted his pals in the "hood" were behind him.

"I did this for the hood," Broner said during the post-fight interview ... "You know I beat that boy."

Most of Twitter was disgusted with AB's performance, but Tee was especially pissed -- taking to social media to throw major shade at Broner.

"AB, what hood was you doing that sh*t for bro? You shootin' dice and all in the airport playing and sh*t, you shoulda been training. I lost 20 racks f*cking with you."

2:00 PM PT --Steiner Sports now tells us the consignor agreed to wave the reserve ... meaning the ball has sold for over $18K.

10:10 AM PT -- Steiner Sports tells us bidding for the "Miami Miracle" ball hit $18K ... but failed to reach the $20,000 reserve price -- so the sale didn't go through.

The football used to sink the New England Patriots in the "Miami Miracle" game earlier this season just sold for $18k at auction ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The pigskin Kenyan Drake famously ran in with no time left on the clock in a Week 14 stunning win over the Pats received plenty of attention -- earning 23 total bids during the Steiner Sports auction.

But ... we're told Kenyan -- who openly pled for fans to give him the game-winning football in a trade for some Dolphins gear and tickets -- wasn't one of the bidders.

Still, the ball could be a great investment for whoever ultimately won it ... it could be one of the only blemishes on what might end up being Tom Brady's last Super Bowl run (then again, who knows with this guy).

Probably worth a little more than some gloves, a jersey and tix -- right, Kenyan??