Big Ten Fines MSU $100K, Suspends Player 8 '23 Games ... Over Tunnel Brawl

The Big Ten has fined Michigan State University $100,000 and suspended a Spartans cornerback for eight games in 2023 ... after concluding its investigation into the wild tunnel brawl at Michigan in October.

The conference handed down the punishment on Monday ... saying officials found that seven MSU players did indeed kick, hit or use a helmet to strike Wolverines players during the Oct. 29 incident.

In addition to the fine, the conference revealed MSU corner Khary Crump will have to sit out the first eight contests of next season due to his role in the brawl.

The other six players involved in the fracas were all hit with four-game bans, though they've all since served that punishment, the conference announced.

Big Ten officials also issued a public reprimand to the University of Michigan for not providing "adequate protection for personnel of both home and visiting teams when entering and leaving playing arenas."

As we reported, Crump, linebacker Tank Brown, defensive end Zion Young, safety Angelo Grose, defensive back Justin White, defensive end Brandon Wright, and pass rusher Jacoby Windmon were all hit with criminal charges from the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office for their roles in the brawl.

Crump is the only player charged with a felony. Brown, Young, Grose, White, and Wright were all hit with misdemeanors.

Alex Jones Slammed by Ex-Wife ... Claims He's 'DEADBEAT DAD'

While Kanye West insists Alex Jones is a good Christian man, Alex's ex-wife begs to differ -- she says Jones is coming up short on supporting his children.

Kelly Jones is going off on her ex-husband on social media, claiming Alex is behind on child support payments ... despite "conning" Ye to believing he's a Christian.

In a series of tweets, Kelly alleges Alex hasn't paid child support for the past 2 months, and won't even help buy braces for their youngest daughter ... even though she says he has plenty of money to spend on himself.

Kelly even included what she claims is an email she sent to Alex last week, begging him to help her and their daughter with bills, and asking for him to, at the very least, settle up on the $2,000 of support she claims he owes.

TMZ has not seen any court records that support Kelly's allegation, but we've reached out to Alex for his response to her claim. So far, no word back.

11/26/22
MAKE AMERICA CHRISTIAN AGAIN!!!
BACKGRID

Alex's ex-wife started blasting him online after we reported on Kanye's latest rambling interview, where Ye says Elon Musk should let Jones back on Twitter because he's a Christian ... and America's a "Christian country."

Kelly obviously is no fan of Alex and says her co-parenting with him has been anything but Christ-like.

Jason Momoa Shutters Farmers Market For Filming ... Hawaii Vendors Frustrated

UPDATE

1:45 PM PT -- 11/30 -- The manager of the land, Sam Keli'iho'omalu, tells TMZ ... they gave Kaimu Farmer's Market 3 months' notice for when the land would be used for filming for "Chief of War" and two locations where they could have the market, but they declined. The land belongs to the state and Sam says Jason went through the right process to get permission for production from the state of Hawaii. Sam claims local Hawaiian's are in full support of Jason Momoa and the "Chief of War" film.

UPDATE

10:44 AM PT -- The manager of the market tells us the production crew is not reimbursing the market or the vendors for the time off, saying, "We have not been in conversation with them at all as they are leasing the property from the property managers just as we lease the property for the Saturday market. We were told about 6 weeks ago that the property manager was not allowing us to hold the market on the 3rd of December and about 3 weeks ago informed us that we would not be using the property for the 3rd or the 10th. We were not given a choice."

UPDATE

They continue, "It hits us farmer's the worst because we now have no venue to sell eggs, for instance. The chickens keep laying whether we have a market or not."

Jason Momoa's new series is not a hit in Hawaii ... folks there are upset a local farmers market is being shut down due to filming, and they're taking it out on the actor.

Jason's filming an Apple TV+ production called "Chief of War" on Hawaii's big island, and the Kaimu Farmer's Market appears to be one of the casualties.

The farmer's market is only open on Saturdays and the 76 vendors were informed the market area will be closed for two consecutive Saturdays in December ... with the market saying it's because Jason's film crew requested the area for filming.

The Facebook page for the Kaimu Farmer's Market is being flooded with comments about the announcement, with vendors expressing frustration about being unable to sell their goods because of the movie, especially so close to the holidays.

Folks are ripping Jason, blaming him for taking away their livelihoods during the biggest time of the year and blasting him for being "out of touch."

Vendors are also seeking compensation, with some wanting the film crew to pony up some dough for lost revenue. It's unclear if the studio or production company is compensating the owners of the market, but typically they would get something.

We've reached out to Jason's camp, the studio and Kaimu Farmer's Market.

Originally Published -- 11/28 9:38 AM PT

Fraudster Nicholas Bryant Anny Delvey's Got Nothin' on Me!!! Posed as Oil Baron Heir to Steal a Fortune

A 26-year-old man is the new Anna Delvey Sorokin ... because he assumed the role of an oil baron heir and chartered a slew of private jets, rented homes that went for $30k a night and a lot more ... until he was nailed by authorities.

Nicholas Bryant defrauded 50 people and maybe more, stealing around $1.5 million in his criminal scheme.

It was humming along nicely for Nick, until he stiffed one of the jet charter companies to the tune of $76k. The company called authorities and Nick was nailed. He pled guilty earlier this month to wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years behind bars.

Bryant says he feels remorse for what he did, and admitted he never intended to pay his victims.

Bryant told The Daily Beast the allegations "are pretty much true."  He went on to say, "I took private jets and stayed at the most expensive AirBnbs and hotels. Went deep sea fishing and toured everything that was possible. I bought and drove five different high-end cars. By far my most favorite trip was to [Turks] and Caicos. I spent two weeks on the island from fishing to sailing yachts. I stayed in a $30,000-a-night house. It was amazing."

And he makes a pretty stunning confession ... "The serious consequences had zero impression on me."

He's behind bars awaiting sentencing.

Tina Knowles Jay-Z Would Be Great NFL Owner!!!

COMMANDING COUPLE
TMZSports.com

Tina Knowles tells TMZ Sports Jay-Z would crush it as an NFL owner ... adding to the ever-growing list of celebs who think the rapper has a real shot at success if Daniel Snyder would sell his Commanders.

We got Beyoncé's mom out at LAX earlier this month just after her son-in-law and Jeff Bezos had a secret meeting to discuss a potential bid for the Washington franchise.

And, while she didn't have any inside information for us regarding the meeting or a possible sale -- she did say she was confident her son-in-law would do a great job if Snyder opted to sell him the team.

"I have no doubt that anything that they put their minds to, they can do it well," she said.

BIG THINGS COMIN'
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Knowles is now the third celeb to share that opinion with us ... Mark Cuban and Shannon Sharpe both said in November that they, too, believed Jay-Z would be a great NFL honcho.

In fact, Sharpe said he thinks it'd be huge for the league as a whole -- not just the Commanders' org.

No word yet on if and when Snyder will part ways with the team ... but word is it'll cost roughly $7 billion -- a price tag neither Jay nor Bezos seem scared off by.

David Feldman, BKFC Founder We Tried Signing Tyson Fury ... Offer Still On Table

AIMING FOR THE TOP
TMZSports.com

BKFC attempted to sign the biggest star in boxing, literally and figuratively, recently making a run at Tyson Fury ... offering the 6'9" heavyweight champion a piece of the company to sign with the promotion.

TMZ Sports talked to David Feldman, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's president/CEO, about some of the big names he's trying to lure to his fighting organization ... including the undisputed best heavyweight boxer in the world.

"Look, we made a play for Tyson Fury," Feldman said, "But, he has three more boxing matches that he's definitely slated to do."

David says the deal could've included an ownership stake for the Gypsy King ... but it's a deal Feldman isn't abandoning.

"It was a different kind of deal. I mean it was a deal where [Fury would] be involved in the growth of this thing and maybe get a piece of the company. At this time he can't do it right now, but we're gonna revisit that."

There's another combat sports star Feldman has his eye on ... Nate Diaz.

Of course, Diaz won his final UFC fight, beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September ... and is now a free agent.

"Realistically, I want Nate Diaz. We weren't allowed to make a play for him yet because he was in that UFC [exclusivity] window," Feldman explained.

As for his dream matchup for Nate ... Feldman likes Diaz vs. UFC-fighter-turned-BKFC-brawler, Mike Perry.

FYI, in addition to Perry, they've also signed fighters like Paige VanZant, Chad Mendes and former boxing champ Austin Trout.

BKFC struck a deal with Triller earlier in the year, and Feldman said there's going to be an influx of cash in their business very soon ... money he wants to use to sign big-name talent.

"The funding is gonna be available. I want everybody, and I don't mean to sound that cocky, but I want everybody. I will be in the business for every single free agent that ever comes to market now."

Feldman believes his org. has made a lot of headway with fans around the world ... and could be one legit superstar away from really popping.

"We're definitely very popular around the world. People know about bare knuckle. They know BKFC. They enjoy the fights. But one of two of those names I think really catapults us."

Elon Musk 'I'm Supporting Ron DeSantis For Prez In 2024...' Donald Who?

Ron DeSantis just got a major endorsement from the world's richest man.

Elon Musk says he's throwing his considerable support behind DeSantis if the Florida governor decides to run for President in 2024. Elon's message was an obvious slap in the face to Donald Trump, who recently announced his candidacy to win back the White House.

Musk started the ball rolling Friday night when he responded to a question from a Twitter user, asking if he would back DeSantis. The new Twitter CEO simply stated, "Yes. But Twitter as a platform must be fair to all.”

Elon later posted another tweet ... “As a reminder, I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump. My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”

It's interesting ... Musk claims he's not a conservative ... but he directed his millions of Twitter followers to vote Republican in the last midterm elections. He has also come under attack from Democrats, including President Biden, who has asked the Justice Department to investigate Elon's foreign business practices.

10/17/22
MUSK'S THE MAN
@FLVoiceNews

Meanwhile ... DeSantis has shown Elon some love, too, publicly praising Musk for giving his Starlink internet satellite technology to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Elon was blasted on social media after he toyed with the idea of stopping the free-of-charge service, which was costing him a fortune.

Looks like Ron and Elon are on the same team...for now.

The Farmlink Project College Grads Have Game-Changing Way to Feed the Food Insecure

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
TMZ.com

There's a massive problem with food going to waste in America as millions of people with food insecurity suffer, but some Brown University grads have figured out an awesome way to turn things around.

The Farmlink Project is connecting farms with massive oversupplies of food with food banks around the country. It's lightyears more effective than finding a restaurant here and there that is throwing away perfectly good food.

Co-CEO Ben Collier tells TMZ ... he and his pals from Brown shelved big careers in investment banking and other areas to find a better way to help the hungry.

Ben says farms routinely throw out millions of pounds of extra food, but he and his cohorts are changing that.

He cites one example of a farm that had 40,000 extra pounds of onions ... which Farmlink moved to an L.A. food bank.

The org. had 35 truckloads of avocados in Pennsylvania quickly shipped to an area food bank. The word "quickly" is the key, since avocados spoil quickly.

So far Farmlink has moved 85 MILLION pounds of food and provided 71 MILLION meals.

The org is seeking donations ... a buck provides 20 meals -- 24 pounds of food.

Lots of students have ideals they talk about, but taking action is a whole different story. Ben and Co. have done just that. Congrats.

Mark Cuban Not Jumping Ship On Crypto ... Amid FTX Scandal

BANKING ON IT
TMZSports.com

FTX might be doomed, but Mark Cuban isn't giving up on crypto just yet ... telling TMZ Sports there's still a ton of value in the digital currency, despite the exchange's massive crisis.

We spoke with the billionaire Mavs owner out in NYC this week ... and he told us that even amidst difficult times, he believes cryptocurrency still has relevance when appropriately used.

"Separate the signal from the noise," Cuban said. "There's been a lot of people making a lot of mistakes, but it doesn't change the underlying value."

Cuban said that as long as consumers have viable options in the crypto world, he doesn't foresee the currency going into the tank.

As we reported, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, Shaquille O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, David Ortiz, Trevor Lawrence, Shohei Ohtani, and Naomi Osaka are all part of a lawsuit claiming FTX honcho Sam Bankman-Fried enlisted their help to scheme people.

We asked Mark about Bankman-Fried, who's accused of creating the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme intended to take advantage of investors, and the billionaire thinks jail time is imminent for the 30-year-old.

"I don't know all the details, but if I were him, I'd be afraid of going to jail for a long time," Cuban said. "I talked to the guy and thought he was smart."

"I had no idea he was going to take other people's money and put it to his personal use."

Finally, we asked Cuban about Elon Musk and his impact on Twitter since acquiring the platform ... and Mark says Elon is doing what Elon does best.

Bob Dylan Lyrics Sheet For 'Desolation Row' ... Hitting Market for $425,000

There's a super rare piece of Bob Dylan history going up for sale ... the original lyrics to one of his most famous songs, "Desolation Row" ... and it's got a six-figure price tag.

Bob scribbled the poetic lyrics on a couple sheets of paper way back in 1965, and now the manuscript is hitting the open market for the first time ever. The parchment also has a few of Bob's edits.

The good folks over at Moments In Time are handling the sale ... and the asking price is a staggering $425,000 ... so ya gotta have some pretty deep pockets.

As Bob's fans know, "Desolation Row" is generally considered one of his top five songs of all time. The sprawling song features a ton of lyrics -- the track is over 11 minutes long -- with Bob flexing his skills as a poet with tons of literary imagery.

"Desolation Row" is the last track on Bob's famous 1965 album, "Highway 61 Revisited," which opens with his biggest hit, "Like a Rolling Stone."

We're told the seller is a man who has been friends with Bob since they were kids ... he was given the lyrics sheet over 20 years ago, and held onto them until deciding to sell. Smart guy!!!

'The Goonies' Movie House Finds Buyer

The iconic home from "The Goonies" appears to be changing hands ... TMZ has learned the owner already has a buyer for the property.

Our real estate sources say owner, Sandi Preston, accepted an offer Friday for the Oregon estate ... which went on the market just 5 days ago with a $1,650,000 asking price.

The Victorian-style home is 2,336 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and sweeping views of the Oregon coast.

The house was built way back in 1896 in Astoria and it skyrocketed to fame after being featured in the 1985 Steven Spielberg coming-of-age film. Now, it's a mecca of sorts for movie buffs, with tons of daily visitors flocking to the property.

Sandi lived there for the past 21 years ... but we're told she's ready for the next phase of her life and decided to sell.

Listing agent Jordan Miller of John L. Scott Market Center told us the sale has not yet closed but the buyer will be made public next week ... so it will be interesting to see who snapped it up, because our sources say offers were coming in from all corners of the globe.

Conor McGregor Longtime Friend Sues For Millions ... Over Proper 12 Whiskey

Conor McGregor's close friend and training partner claims the UFC superstar screwed him out of millions over his Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey ... and now, he's suing to get what he believes he deserves.

MMA fighter and boxer Artem Lobov filed the suit ... claiming he was the mastermind behind Conor's successful Irish whiskey brand. Lobov says he was promised a 5% cut of the company for his efforts ... but when McGregor and his partners sold their stake for $600 million in 2021, he was left with nothing.

Conor reportedly raked in around $150 million as a result of the deal ... and Lobov previously claimed McGregor offered him $1 million, but he declined.

Lobov's attorney, Dermot McNamara, released a statement on the lawsuit ... saying, "My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets."

"We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr. McGregor regarding the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand."

"My client was the initial creator and co-founder of the concept to launch an Irish whiskey brand associated with Mr. McGregor."

Karen J. Kessler, a spokesperson for Conor, refutes Lobov's claim ... telling TMZ Sports, "Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor."

"Any suggestion that the plaintiff has a claim to Proper No. Twelve is incorrect."

Journey's Jonathan Cain Neal Lost AMEX Access ... Because He's a Reckless Spender!!!

Neal Schon claimed his Journey bandmate, Jonathan Cain, was cutting him off from funds available to the band -- but Jon's calling BS ... saying the dude's just fiscally irresponsible.

Cain just filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Schon's lawsuit from October ... in which NS alleged that his old pal was boxing him out of an AMEX account that's supposed to be controlled by both of them for the purpose of official Journey business.

Neal alleged Cain wouldn't grant him access to key records, and that the account was only able to be used by JC of late. However, Jon says that's not quite right, alleging Neal's simply a reckless big spender -- and that's why he lost his privileges to the company credit card.

Jonathan tells TMZ ... Neal's always had access to the credit card statements, and what he's really upset over is not being able to up his spending limit on his own. Jon says Neal's been dealing with a lot of pressure over debt related to his extravagant lifestyle and excessive spending -- which he believes Neal was trying to resolve by even more spending.

Jon says when measures were taken to limit his pillaging of Journey's credit line, that's when Neal went on the offensive with his lawsuit -- which Jon says is frivolous and without merit.

His lawyer, Alan Gutman of Gutman Law, backs Jon ... further explaining that Neal's personal expenses were north of a million dollars and completely unnecessary for Journey.

Now, as far as Neal's suit ... Jonathan and co. want a judge to toss on the grounds that Neal's legal team recently repped Jon as well in a separate matter. AKA, conflict of interest.

Amber Heard Countersues Insurance Company You DO Have to Cover Me!!!

Amber Heard says her million-dollar insurance policy does, in fact, have to cover her in the Johnny Depp trial and verdict ... and she's asking a judge to confirm it.

The actress countersued New York Marine and General Insurance Co. after they first asked a judge to let 'em off the hook for a $1 million liability policy she'd taken out to protect her from defamation claims.

Their argument was based on the fact the jury found Amber's committed willful misconduct in her defamation of Johnny -- and under California law, they say that gives them an out in having to fulfill the policy. In other words, they believe they're not responsible.

In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Amber argues the exact opposite ... namely, that New York Marine promised to pay her defense costs and judgments against her up to a million dollars, no matter what. That's the unconditional deal she claims they struck with her, and she says they haven't lived up to their end of the bargain.

AH says that in trying to wipe their hands clean, they're turning their back on that agreement ... including breach of contract, among other claims.

Still, the fact the insurance company pressed the issue now ... she's met them on the field and asked a judge to require the insurer to pony up.

TODD CHRISLEY Gets 12 Years in Prison for Bank Fraud Case Julie Gets 7 Years

Todd and Julie Chrisley are going to do hard time after being convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion ... a judge just sentenced Todd to 12 years in prison and Julie to 7.

The "Chrisley Knows Best" stars learned their fate Monday in federal court in Atlanta, where U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross handed down their punishment. They also both received 16 months probation.

As we reported ... Todd and Julie were found guilty on a slew of federal charges back in June, and they were holed up in their Nashville mansion on house arrest as they awaited sentencing.

Federal prosecutors argued Monday for lengthy prison sentences for Todd and Julie ... around 22 years for Todd and a dozen for Julie. On the other side, Todd's lawyers argued he should get a maximum of 9 years in prison, while Julie's lawyers argued she should spend no time behind bars and just get probation.

TMZ broke the story ... Todd and Julie were indicted back in 2019 with prosecutors claiming the couple defrauded banks by obtaining millions of dollars in loans based on false financial documents. The U.S. Attorney's Office also said Todd and Julie cheated the government by actively evading federal income taxes.

Todd and Julie have more headaches too ... as we first told you, Todd's being sued over podcast remarks about a Georgia official who investigated him for tax evasion, and their son Grayson was recently involved in a scary car accident where he was badly injured.

Tom Brady Re-Signs Ruined Flag At Center Of $1 Million Lawsuit ... Pats Fan Ecstatic

The ultra-rare Tom Brady-signed flag that was allegedly ruined by the Patriots Hall of Fame has been re-signed by the G.O.A.T. ... and the owner of the piece now says he feels like he's been made whole.

Daniel Vitale was initially livid over the situation earlier this year ... claiming after he temporarily donated the 1-of-1 American flag to the Pats' HOF, officials there ruined the Brady signature on it by displaying it improperly.

Vitale shared pics of the piece, showing the dark blue Brady John Hancock that the QB had put on it in the early 2000s had lost its "T" after being in the New England museum's possession.

The father of three filed a lawsuit over it all, alleging that the flag was worth potentially $1 MILLION less ... and he was asking for the Pats HOF to pay him for damages.

Vitale's lawsuit is still ongoing ... though he tells TMZ Sports he feels at least part of the situation has been remedied, after the Patriots helped get Tom to re-sign the flag last week following the Buccaneers star's return from Germany.

Vitale says the new signature is incredible -- it's "four times" the original size, he told us -- and he now believes the piece is worth significantly more than the $1 million it was initially appraised at.

Vitale will begin the process of trying to sell it now -- he's taking offers immediately -- and he tells us he's trying to do a lot of good with some of the eventual proceeds.

The longtime Pats fan has a daughter who has autism, and he's planning to donate some of the flag's sales to raise awareness for the disability. Specifically, Vitale is hoping to funnel funds to Spectrum Connection, a division of Community Partners in New Hampshire.

He also told us he's hoping to get the Patriots and Robert Kraft to make a donation to the cause as well.

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