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New Orleans Saints star linebacker Demario Davis is praising the NFL for its $250 million donation to help fight social injustice ... but says black players should have a say in where the money ends up.

"We as players, it's our responsibility to hold the league accountable to make sure that we have real action," 31-year-old Davis tells TMZ Sports.

"The players come from these communities so we know how to help change them."

Davis continues ... "With a contribution as large as $250 million, I think there are systems that can go into place to help -- along with black players -- to change black communities."

"So, working together on that, that's definitely a conversation that I want to be a part of."

For its part, the NFL says it HAS been working with current and former players to "identify and work with programs that address criminal justice reform, police reform and economic and educational advancement for African Americans."

Clearly, Davis wants to be a part of that group moving forward.

As for working directly with Roger Goodell, Davis is open to that, too -- even praising the NFL Commish for the work he's put in behind the scenes.

"One thing I can say about Roger is he has constantly tried to be a liaison in conversations between players and owners. The extent of that conversation we will see going forward. But, I think it's a tremendous opportunity, but that's just words so far, we'll see what kind of actions come from it."

We also asked Demario if Colin Kaepernick should be back in the league -- and you gotta hear what he has to say about that.

There's more ... Demario is currently in Minnesota, where he visited the George Floyd memorial at the site where he was killed.

"To be at that spot, it just did something to me -- to say like I'm here in this moment that change is actually happening. It was just a powerful experience."

Davis is currently on a tour promoting his book "The Unsuccessful Champion" -- explaining, "I think that's about overcoming adversity and understanding that it's not about what happened to you, its all about how you respond to it."

"That's life."

Remember the social media blackout triggered by George Floyd's death? Cameo did something very similar and it raised $225k for the NAACP thanks in part to some huge names in music and TV.

Randy Jackson, Chaka Khan and NeNe Leakes are just 3 of the celebs who teamed up with Cameo -- the celebrity shout-out service -- to help benefit the NAACP Empowerment Programs. Here's how it worked.

In the spirit of #BlackoutTuesday on IG, for 2 days last week Cameo's homepage featured only African-American celebs. As you're aware by now ... Cameo is a platform where people can pay to have a celeb record and send a short custom video -- and all the fees from that day were donated to the NAACP.

We're told it generated nearly a quarter of a million bucks, thanks to over 500 talents opting to donate their proceeds. Cameo also donated 100% of its proceeds.

BTW, the NAACP Empowerment Programs aim to engage primarily in training, education, and advocacy as the nation finally comes to terms with how to best deal with racial inequality and social injustice.

Ed Gordon's all for reparations, and thinks any reasonable person who acknowledges America's history of racial injustice toward black people should be too ... so he's calling on Joe Biden to take a stance.

The journalist, author of "Conversations in Black: On Power, Politics, and Leadership" and BET staple hosted a virtual NAACP town hall with the presidential candidate Wednesday night, and when asked about reparations ... Joe seemed open to the idea but had some stipulations.

Ed joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share his take on the issue of reparations, and also told us whether Biden's missing the mark.

The Presidential hopeful revealed he wanted Native Americans to be part of any reparations program, but Ed told us why he doesn't think that's necessary.

He says the reality is black people have received unfair treatment since the days of slavery up to the present ... and it's way past due to stop denying it.

Not only that, but he believes the onus of rectifying the centuries or racism simply can't fall on the oppressed -- white people need to work on it too.

Roger Goodell and the NFL have talked the talk ... and now, they're starting to walk the walk -- pledging to donate a quarter of a billion dollars to fight social injustice.

The NFL confirmed through its website it will make the $250 million donation throughout the next 10 years.

The money will go toward charities and organizations designed to "combat systemic racism and support the battle against injustices faced by African Americans."

The NFL report also says the league would be willing to work with Colin Kaepernick on social justice initiatives.

An unnamed NFL source told NFL.com, "We wouldn't be where we are today without the work Colin and other players have led off."

"It would be awesome to engage Colin on some of the work we are doing. He's doing real impactful work. Getting him in some way would be amazing for us. There's a lot of work to do to get to that point. We're certainly open and willing to do that."

A pretty HUGE statement -- though it's unclear why the NFL is keeping the identity of that person a secret.

The NFL.com report also says league owners -- who have been criticized for not speaking out enough in the fight for social justice -- approved the allocation of the league funds.

Of course, the NFL had already been donating cash to the cause in an agreement with its Players Association ... but this new gesture could multiply the org.'s initial charity tenfold.

NFL.com also reports the league has agreed to work with players to help "address criminal justice reform, police reform and economic and educational advancement for African Americans."

As we previously reported ... Goodell said in a strong statement last week the NFL is sorry for the way it handled kneeling protests in the past -- and insists he's now committed fully to helping the cause.

George Floyd's name could be worth a lot of money in the entertainment business ... and now one man is looking to lock up the rights to his name for movies and TV shows.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a man named Munemo Mushonga filed a trademark application to use the name George Floyd in the "production and distribution of television shows and movies."

It seems Mushonga is looking to capitalize on the Black Lives Matter movement that sprouted up in the wake of Floyd's killing, because he has no known connection to George's family and wouldn't tell us his grand plans.

Mushonga was mum when we asked him what he hoped to gain from the trademark, if approved, and refused to divulge why he filed the application or the inspiration behind it.

The guy could be facing an uphill battle in his quest to lock up the rights to George Floyd's name ... the United States Patent and Trademark Office generally doesn't allow trademarks for people's names unless certain conditions are met, such as getting the consent of the person, the name being very unique, or the name being part of a unique and widely recognized brand.

Thomas Lane, the rookie ex-cop charged in George Floyd's murder case is out of jail after posting his $750k bail.

According to Hennepin County Jail records ... Lane will be conditionally released on bond Wednesday. Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, would only say, "It's pretty good news" when we asked about how his client raised the necessary funds.

TMZ broke the story ... Lane's family was seeking donations via a website they set up to raise money for his legal defense after he and 2 other ex-cops were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree murder, and aiding and abetting 2nd-degree manslaughter.

If convicted, Lane faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison. As we reported, Lane's attorney claims the ex-cop did everything he could to help George Floyd. Lane's family argued the same ... pointing out Lane suggested rolling Floyd on his side ... which they -- and prosecutors -- say Derek Chauvin refused to do.

Reggie Bush's dissociation with USC is dissolving ... the school is expected to formally end his ban from the program this month after 10 YEARS of exile.

Bush was famously banished from having an affiliation with his alma mater way back in 2010 ... after an NCAA investigation determined the former RB received improper benefits during his time at the school.

As we previously reported, there was a major NCAA rule change recently which basically reduced any major disassociation to a 10-year disassociation.

USC interim athletic director Dave Roberts pointed out that June 2020 would mark the 10-year mark ... and hinted the school would like to bring Bush back.

And now, according to ESPN, that's exactly what's happening -- with the two sides "in the process of finalizing an agreement that would allow [Bush] to be reinstated."

As we previously reported ... after Bush was busted, USC was hit with mega sanctions, including the loss of scholarships and being stripped of its 2004 national championship.

Reggie was also ordered to give back his 2005 Heisman Trophy.

Bush has been very vocal about the ban over the years, lamenting that USC had to pay so harshly for it all.

"It was a horrible feeling, one of the worst feelings in the world," Bush just told The Athletic last month. "It felt like I died when I had to hear that there weren’t gonna be scholarships for kids because of me or because of something connected to me."

"I'm still not over that. It’s just something you learn to live with."

It's unclear how and exactly when SC will re-welcome back Bush ... but former Trojans like LenDale White -- who's been campaigning to get Reggie back for YEARS -- will no doubt be thrilled nonetheless.

Rafael Nadal just dropped MILLIONS on a ridiculously awesome 79-foot luxury yacht with a fold-out balcony ... and TMZ Sports has the photos.

Nadal -- one of the greatest tennis players of all time -- hit up Sunreef Yachts and ordered a customized 80 Sunreef Power ... a catamaran (a boat with 2 hulls).

SY wouldn't say exactly how much the tennis superstar spent ... but they told us a previous yacht that was used -- and had less customization -- sold for $7 mil.

So, do the math ... Nadal likely plunked down somewhere near $10 MILLION!!!

The boat is 79 feet long, 39 feet wide, and has 4 guest cabins. Nadal's master cabin has a private balcony that folds out.

In total, the yacht has nearly 4,000 square feet of livable space.

So, yeah, Rafa's boat is bigger than most homes.

Sunreef delivered the yacht to Nadal in Mallorca on his 34th birthday.

One of the accused ex-cops in George Floyd's murder case needs financial assistance, and believe it or not, he's hoping the public will lend a hand as he tries to mount his legal defense ... which is that he claims he tried to do the right thing.

The family of Thomas Lane is soliciting donations via a website they've set up. His bail's been set at a million bucks ... and if convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.

Lane, along with the 2 other ex-officers beside Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree murder, and aiding and abetting 2nd-degree manslaughter.

Through their website -- which reads more like a resume -- Lane's family tries pleading his case, arguing Lane did everything he had the power and authority to do to save George's life on May 25. They point out Lane suggested rolling him on his side ... which they -- and prosecutors -- say Chauvin refused to do.

However, Lane was also involved in pinning George on the ground. The vast majority of America, and several law enforcement veterans, think he and his comrades should have removed Chauvin.

Anyway, the family says Lane called for the ambulance prior to George losing consciousness, and when it arrived Lane "did not hesitate to jump into the Ambulance where he started performing CPR to try and save George Floyd’s life."

They say chain of command is the only thing that stopped him from doing more. Lane's defense attorney offered that same explanation last week during arraignment.

On top of that, they note he was brand new on the job ... just 4 days on the streets.

Reese Witherspoon is taking some legal heat for a dress giveaway to teachers during the early days of the pandemic, and the lawsuit reads like the ultimate case of no good deed goes unpunished.

Three women are putting together a class-action lawsuit against Reese and her Draper James clothing company for their highly-publicized offer on Instagram in early April, which stated ... "Dear Teachers: We want to say thank you. During quarantine we see you working harder than every to educate our children. To show our gratitude, Draper James would like to give teachers a free dress."

According to the suit, the offer required participants to provide their personal information to the fashion line -- including contact information and sensitive education employment ID info -- within 3 days, and then all "winners" who accepted the offer would be notified by April 7.

Now, we should say the IG post clearly stated the offer was valid "while supplies last." However, the plaintiffs say the offer didn't make it clear Draper James only had 250 dresses to give away.

So instead, according to the lawsuit, the nearly 1 million teachers who provided their personal info were entered into a lottery with a slim chance of winning ... when they all believed they were getting free dresses.

The women suing point out that the total cost of the 250 dresses to be given away would only come out to an "estimated paltry $12,500 in actual cost" to Reese and her company ... "at a time when other individuals of [Reese] Witherspoon's renown were offering millions of dollars to COVID-19 victims."

Translation: Yes, you were charitable, but we wanted you to be WAY more charitable. Wow.

The lawsuit alleges Reese and her company also benefited from the publicity of the giveaway -- including shout-outs on "Today" and "Good Morning America."

Draper James' attorney Theane Evangelis tells TMZ ... "This lawsuit is an unjust attempt to exploit Draper James' good intentions to honor the teacher community by gifting hundreds of free dresses. The fact that supplies were limited, such that a free dress could not be provided to every teacher who responded, was disclosed and is no basis for a lawsuit."

She continues, "Draper James looks forward to defending this case, to continuing its efforts to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions made by teachers during this time of need, and to being vindicated in court."

The Cook is leaving the building in Minnesota ...

Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook has officially begun his contract holdout with the Vikings ... and, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he ain't stopping it until he gets a new, "reasonable" deal.

Cook played out the first 3 seasons of his rookie contract in Minnesota with huge success ... piling up more than 2,000 rushing yards despite injuries limiting him to just 29 games.

But, he clearly isn't willing to go back out for Minnesota for the final year of his rookie deal ... with Schefter reporting the RB is now done with all team workouts until he puts pen to new paper.

The move is pretty surprising ... remember, TMZ Sports just spoke with Dalvin in March out in NYC, and he sure didn't seem like a guy gearing up for a nasty contract negotiation.

Then again, the 24-year-old IS severely underpaid ...

Cook is set to make just $2 million this season ... whereas other top RBs like Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott and Le'Veon Bell are slated to make over $13 mil.

Unclear what numbers Dalvin is looking for in the new contract ... but it's safe to say $13 million is probably the STARTING point.

If the Vikings ain't able to meet those demands ... is it officially Alexander Mattison season in Minny?

The "Grown-ish" family is looking after one of their own ... setting up a college fund for the daughter of late "Twilight" actor Gregory Tyree Boyce.

The sitcom has launched a GoFundMe for Gregory's 10-year-old daughter, Alaya, and the proceeds will be saved for her future college tuition.

Gregory's father, Deon Boyce, is an assistant director on the show, and Greg -- who often worked behind the scenes -- was super close with 'Grown-ish' star Trevor Jackson.

As we reported ... Gregory and his girlfriend, Natalie Adepoju, died last month in Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner says the former couple died from fentanyl and cocaine intoxication, and ruled the deaths accidental.

The "Grown-ish" family says the fundraiser honors Deon, their "beloved friend, co-worker, and all-around amazing human being ... who lost his son and best friend, Greg, a few weeks ago."

The cast says they figured the college fund would be the best way to show Deon how deeply they care about him and his granddaughter.

Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand have pledged to donate an incredible $100 MILLION over the next decade to fight racial inequality ... saying straight-up -- "Black lives matter."

"The Jordan Brand is us, the Black Community," Jordan and his company said in a joint statement. "Jordan Brand is more than one man. It has always been a family."

"We represent a proud family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination in communities worldwide and that works every day to erase the stain of racism and the damage of injustice."

"The will, the work, the excellence the world has come to know is the result of one generation after another, pouring their dreams into the next. "

The statement continues ... "It's 2020, and our family now includes anyone who aspires to our way of life. Yet as much as things have changed, the worst remains the same."

"Black lives matter. This isn't a controversial statement. until the ingrained racism that allows our country's institutions to fail is completely eradicated, we will remain committed to protecting and improving the lives of Black people."

"Today, we are announcing that Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand will be donating $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations dedicated to ensuring racial equality, social justice and greater access to education."

Jordan recently spoke out over George Floyd's death ... saying, "I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration."

"I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country."

"We have had enough."

George Floyd's killing is impacting the world in a way we've never seen before ... and it's also inspiring more people than ever to donate to a cause.

Launched just a little more than a week ago, the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund has already received the highest number of individual donations for a GoFundMe page ... a spokesperson for the site tells TMZ.

With nearly 500k donations and counting, the fundraiser's amassed nearly $13 million. We're told the campaign has gone global, getting donations from 125 countries.

George's brother, Philonise, says the money will cover funeral and burial expenses, provide counseling, pay for lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and assist the family going forward as they seek justice for George. A portion of the funds will also go to George's estate to take care of his kids and provide for their education.

As we reported ... the first of 4 memorials for George was held Thursday in Minneapolis. There will be another in North Carolina on Saturday, and 2 in Houston next week.

Interestingly, number 2 on the GoFundMe donations list launched in December 2018 to raise money to build the wall at America's southern border. That has 300k donations, but it's raised more than $25 million.

Kanye West's giving a huge assist to the families and legal teams fighting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd ... and helping in other ways too.

Kanye's donated $2 million, so far, to the cause and set up a 529 college savings fund to fully cover tuition for Floyd's 6-year-old daughter, Gianna. He's also made a separate donation to cover the legal costs for the Arbery and Taylor families.

Along with that, a rep confirms Kanye's donating to several black-owned businesses in his hometown of Chicago and nationwide that have been in crisis and impacted by the unrest in the U.S.

As you know ... widespread protests and riots have broken out since Floyd was killed in police custody on May 25. The demonstrations are a demand for an end to systematic racism and police brutality ... of which the killings of Arbery and Taylor are also prime examples.

Arbery was shot and killed in Georgia in February after being chased by 3 men who allegedly believed he fit the description of a burglary suspect in the area.

Taylor -- who was an emergency medical worker -- was shot and killed by Louisville cops in her own home in a "no-knock warrant" case, in which cops allegedly busted in without warning.

The stars of 'Gown and Out' are feeling down and out after the riots and looting in Bev Hills destroyed their high-end dress shop ... and the damage couldn't have come at a worse time.

Patrik Simpson, who stars in the reality show "Gown and Out in Beverly Hills" on Amazon Prime Video tells TMZ ... he and his husband's dress store, Pol' Atteu Couture, was completely destroyed during Saturday night's riots, and they're estimating they suffered more than half a mil in damages.

Patrik tells us he and his hubby, Pol Atteu, had just restocked the entire store before Saturday night's violence, as they geared up for a big reopening. The store had been shuttered for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As you can see, it looks like a bomb went off in the store ... and Patrik says looters stole over 100 dresses, including custom wedding dresses waiting to be shipped to brides and some gowns intended for the Daytime Emmys.

It's pretty sad ... Patrik says his husband sews all the dresses by hand, so Pol has hours of work ahead of him as he tries to recreate the custom gowns the rioters stole.