Olympics

Aly Raisman just went OFF on USA Gymnastics -- saying the organization is still not being transparent about the child abuse scandal and warns the public ... THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

Raisman is really pissed about the fact there still has not been a full, independent investigation by law enforcement ... despite the fact she's been calling for one since JANUARY!!!

Raisman calls the situation "absolutely absurd."

During her interview with Hoda Kotb on "Today," Aly also stated, "We can't trust USA Gymnastics because they're not being transparent."

She was referring to 2 major recent developments in the program. First, Team USA tumbling coach Sergio Galvez being forced to resign amid undisclosed accusations of misconduct on Monday.

Second, Steve Penny -- the former president of USA Gymnastics -- being arrested by U.S. Marshals for allegedly tampering with evidence in the Larry Nassar case.

Aly's problem ... she claims Team USA Gymnastics needs to be more open about what really happened behind the scenes. Instead, she claims the org is more concerned with fixing a PR problem than a "child abuse problem."

3:58 PM PT -- Shaun White has pulled the photo of his "Simple Jack" costume off of his social and has issued an apology.

"I owe everyone in the Special Olympics community an apology for my poor choice of Halloween costume the other night."

"It was a last minute decision. It was the wrong one." White says.

"The Special Olympics were right to call me out on it. They do great work supporting so many tremendous athletes and I am sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned."

Shaun White is under fire from special needs parents AND the Special Olympics over his Halloween costume -- Simple Jack from "Tropic Thunder."

Remember, when the movie came out back in 2008, several disabilities groups blasted Ben Stiller and the flick for the character -- an intellectually disabled man who is repeatedly referred to as the r-word.

Now, 10 years later ... White thought it would be a good idea to trot out the costume for a Halloween party and people are pissed.

In fact, a rep for the Special Olympics tells TMZ Sports ...

"We are truly disappointed that Shaun White, an acclaimed Olympian, would choose this costume which is so offensive and causes so much pain."

"Disability is not a joke nor should it be a punchline. We hope that Shaun White and others learn that this just continues stigma, stereotypes and discrimination."

Others have sounded off on Shaun's IG page -- where he posted the pic.

"I'm not sure if it’s worse that this is an actual movie or that you’d think it’s okay to mock individuals who have disabilities. It’s 2018, man. #spreadthewordtoendtheword #rwordhurts," one person wrote.

Another wrote, "You’re a real POS! Really? At the expense of those who can’t defend themselves?? Hope you’re working on your lame apology speech...I know this will be deleted!! Grow up you douche! #spreadthewordtoendtheword #specialolympics."

We reached out to White's agent for comment -- so far, no word back.

Originally published -- 9:20 AM PDT

9:26 AM PT -- A rep for Costume Agent, which originally created and distributed the controversial Caitlyn costume, tells TMZ they're not yanking it from their own site, and certainly not discontinuing it ... backlash be damned.

We're told the 'stume is one of their best sellers -- it's the #6 overall bestseller. Although they have received multiple threats over it this past week, they're standing by their product. The rep says, "It's a costume. It's funny."

A Caitlyn Jenner costume -- which harkens back to her Olympic glory days as Bruce Jenner -- is getting destroyed by critics who say it's insensitive to transgender people ... and it's already being yanked from at least one outlet.

The getup is called "I Am Cait" ... and features a decathlete's jersey with Bruce's number 935, a gold medal and those teeny tiny shorts -- all of that vintage Bruce from his 1976 decathlon victory. However, it also comes with a long-haired wig that's all Caitlyn.

eBay was flooded with criticism for selling the $44.95 costume -- several transgender charities are calling it out as mocking, instead of being an homage.

The caption for one online promo says, "Show your love for Caitlyn Jenner with this awesome adult costume."

The backlash has been enough for eBay to remove the costume, but as of now ... it's still available on Amazon.

Aly Raisman and her Team USA teammates are heroically disrupting a dangerous belief system that athletes must blindly trust their coaches and doctors -- so says fellow Olympian Adam Rippon.

The Team USA figure skating star says he's so proud of Aly, Simone Biles and others for refusing to be victims -- and instead, uniting to change the culture for the better.

"I think when you're an athlete and you have somebody who's in power, you feel like they're in the right," Rippon says.

"You're in that position where you wanna listen to them. You want to do everything that they tell you to do, even if it sounds wrong. You still do it because that's what you're told. You want to be the best."

Obviously, it was that mentality that explains why so many girls and young women stayed quiet about the abuse they suffered at the hands of team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted more than 180 women under the guise of performing medical techniques.

"There were people [like Larry Nassar] that really took advantage of that. But, then those younger gymnasts, those younger athletes, they can look to athletes like Simone Biles and Aly Raisman and all of the survivors who've really come forward and help give those other victims a lot of courage and like a zero tolerance."

Steve Penny -- the former president of USA Gymnastics -- was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Tennessee on Wednesday stemming from allegations he tampered with evidence in the Larry Nassar case.

Officials say Penny went to the famed Karolyi Ranch training facility in Texas and removed documents linked to Nassar's sexual assault case.

It's interesting considering one of Penny's former top staffers testified back in June that she told him about Nassar's misconduct and was told to keep her mouth shut.

The Walker County District Attorney says Penny was indicted by a grand jury roughly 3 weeks ago. They tracked him down at a cabin in Tennessee this week and took him into custody.

"The indictment further alleges that the removal of the documents was done for the purpose of impairing the ongoing investigation by destroying or hiding the documents," the U.S. Marshals said.

Prosecutors say Penny had the documents be sent to him at USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis. Officials still have not located the documents.

If convicted, Penny -- who resigned as USA Gymnastics president in 2017 -- faces up to 10 years in prison.

Attorney John Manly -- whose firm represents more than 180 of Nassar's sexual assault victims -- says his clients are "grateful" for the arrest.

"Mr. Penny is exactly where he belongs for his enabling a pedophile."

Usain Bolt was Usain GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLTT in his Australian pro soccer game on Friday ... hittin' the back of the net TWICE ... and celebrating with the "shoot" dance!!

The 8-time Olympic gold medalist suited up for the Central Coast Mariners -- wearing a #95 jersey -- and he BALLED OUT in his second appearance for the club ... scoring 2 goals.

Of course, Bolt christened the goals with his signature "lightning bolt" pose for the first goal he scored, an hour into the match ... then followed up with the BlocBoy JB dance for his 2nd goal in the 69th minute.

BTW -- even though he's on a trial with the Mariners, Bolt is serious about this whole soccer thing ... and he's even told TMZ Sports he'd be down to join the MLS -- if they pay up.

The challenge for Bolt, he's gotta convince the old school soccer dudes he's for real -- because when we spoke with Alexi Lalas about Usain joining the MLS, he basically told us there's no shot.

But, if Bolt continues to torch defenses ... ya gotta think it's a matter of time before he gets a contract offer.

Ryan Lochte called 911 on himself to report a late-night car crash in which he slammed his Porsche into another car ... and TMZ Sports has the recording.

"Um, yeah ... I would like to ummm, yeah ... we just got in an accident," the Olympic swimmer told the operator.

"I rear-ended the people in front of me."

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Lochte was driving in Gainesville, FL Thursday at around 9:45 PM when he rear-ended a car ... hours after he drunkenly kicked in a door at a hotel in Newport Beach.

During the call, Lochte initially tells the operator he doesn't think anyone is injured -- but then changes his answer a few times. He's unsure.

But, we know the driver of the car Lochte hit was taken by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Lochte was okay and cited for "careless driving." There's no mention of alcohol in the police report.

Lochte had just flown to Florida after the booze-fueled incident in Newport Beach, CA.

Ryan Lochte has clearly been spinning out of control because after his drunken door kicking incident on the West Coast, he caused a bad car crash on the East Coast the very same day ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Lochte was driving in Gainesville, FL Thursday at around 9:45 PM when he rear ended a car.

Lochte had just landed in Gainsville after flying from Orange County, CA, where he drunkenly kicked in his hotel room door at around 3 AM. Cops were called, came to the hotel but no arrests were made. Lochte settled up with the hotel and smoothed things over.

As for the car crash, according to the police report, Lochte was driving his Porsche to his home when he realized he was about to hit the car in front of him and slammed on his brakes at the last minute ... to no avail.

The driver of the car Lochte hit was taken by ambulance to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Lochte was okay and cited for "careless driving." There's no mention of alcohol in the police report.

Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow, told TMZ Sports Friday, "Ryan has been battling alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him." Ostrow says Lochte realizes he needs professional help and will seek it.

Ryan Lochte is now acknowledging that he has a "serious" alcohol problem after a booze-fueled incident at a Southern California hotel and he'll be seeking treatment, TMZ Sports has learned.

We've confirmed ... Lochte was involved in an incident at a hotel in Newport Beach on Thursday morning in which he drunkenly tried to kick in his own hotel room door around 3 AM.

Hotel security responded to the scene and cops were called. No arrests were made and Lochte smoothed things over with the hotel in regards to the damaged door.

But, now we've learned ... Lochte is realizing he's been battling an "alcohol addiction" and needs to address it before the problem gets worse.

"Ryan has been battling alcohol addiction for many years and unfortunately it has become a destructive pattern for him," Lochte's lawyer, Jeff Ostrow tells us.

"He has acknowledged that he needs professional assistance to overcome his problem and will be getting help immediately. "

"Ryan knows that conquering this disease now is a must for him to avoid making future poor decisions, to be the best husband and father he can be, and if he wants to achieve his goal to return to dominance in the pool in his 5th Olympics in Tokyo in 2020."

This incident is not the first time Lochte has gotten into trouble after a night of boozing -- he was arrested in Brazil back 2016 after a drunken incident at a local gas station.

Carl Lewis tells TMZ Sports now that he and Usain Bolt are retired ... it's all about chasing a different kind of gold -- saying Bolt's gotta catch him in dimes, not times now.

"We're both retired, man," Carl told us when we asked who'd win in Bolt-Lewis race these days. "He's gotta beat my paper."

ICYMI ... Carl's been very critical of Bolt over the years, accusing him of using PEDs and saying the Jamaican sprinter didn't do enough to grow the sport of track.

Now, it appears Lewis is saying Bolt's gotta make some better investments in retirement too ... 'cause apparently Carl's way ahead of him there.

Big bummer for everyone ... 'cause 401ks ain't nearly as fun as 100 meters.

He's the fastest man on Earth ... but how would Usain Bolt do in space!??

You're about to find out ...

The Olympic legend boarded a special Airbus Zero G plane, which simulates what it's like to be in zero gravity ... and challenged 2 of his fellow passengers to a foot race.

The challengers? French astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy (in the blue flight suit) and CEO of Novespace and French Interior designer Octave de Gaulle (in the black).

The guys definitely gave Bolt a run for his money in the first leg of the race, but Usain turned up the heat and crushed 'em when it counted.

And, how'd he celebrate? Usain didn't bust out his signature "Bolt" gesture -- instead, he popped some fancy Mumm Grand Cordon Stellar (fun fact: de Gaulle designed the fancy bottle).

The bottle was reportedly designed for use by future space tourists -- apparently, it's easier to chug from this bottle in zero gravity.

So, if you save up ... a lot ... you can (maybe) test it out one day.

Good luck.

Ryan Lochte was sweatin' it out at his wedding over the weekend ... but it was probably more because of the 108 degree weather than nerves.

The 6-time Olympic gold medalist and ex-Playboy Playmate Kayla Rae Reid exchanged "I Dos" in Palm Springs on Sunday in front of 100 of their closest friends.

Lochte sported a tan suit and a bunch of sweat ... while Reid didn't let the heat keep her from looking incredible.

We broke the story -- Lochte and Reid got hitched back in January after announcing their engagement in October 2016.

The couple welcomed their son, Caiden, back in June 2017 ... who served as a ring bearer for the ceremony.

Four-time gold medalist Michael Johnson suffered a "mini stroke" last week, but says he's already made great progress and expects a full recovery.

Johnson shared the news Saturday, saying ... "Last week I rather surprisingly suffered what's known as a Transient Ischemic Attack or mini stroke. The good news is I'm back at home with my family, cleared of any heart issues and have already made great progress on my road to a full recovery."

Michael added that these mini strokes can seemingly affect anyone, "even the once fastest man in the world!" He also says he'll be posting updates on his recovery often and is using his situation to help raise stroke awareness.

Johnson thrilled the world at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he literally ran away with the Gold in the 200m and 400m ... setting records in both. Many considered his 200m run proof that he was the fastest man alive.

Larry Nassar has a new home ... a high-security federal penitentiary in Florida that's home to notorious mobster James "Whitey" Bulger.

Nassar was originally serving his 60-year federal sentence for child porn in Arizona ... but his attorney claims he was attacked in May only a few hours after being released into general population.

Officials transferred Nassar to a temporary facility in Oklahoma ... before sending him to Sumter County, Florida -- about 50 miles from Orlando.

USP Coleman II is a high-security federal prison that currently holds about 1,400 inmates ... and has been home to famous convicts like Bulger.

The facility has been described by some as a special needs prison ... known to be a place where especially vulnerable inmates have a higher degree of safety and protection.

Did you know ... Michael Phelps got a $1,000,000 bonus check for racking up 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing???

Neither did we ... but it's true -- and what's even cooler is the way Phelps spent the money.

"10 years ago after winning 8 golds in Beijing I received a million dollar bonus," Phelps said on Instagram.

"There was one thing and one thing only that I wanted to do with that bonus. I started the [Michael Phelps Foundation]."

Phelps says the foundation was initially created to teach the importance of water safety and how to live healthy and active lifestyles.

But since then, Phelps has dealt with substance abuse and mental health issues -- and says he's drawing from his own experience to help others.

"Since becoming aware of the importance of my own mental health we have worked hard to add a mental health awareness component. I’m incredibly proud of how far my foundation has come, but there’s still more work to be done!!!"

Nastia Liukin didn't seem too upset to hear convicted child molester Larry Nassar was attacked in prison by another inmate ... telling TMZ Sports that was "karma."

The ex-Team USA gymnast -- who's friends with several Nassar victims including McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman -- found justice in Larry's prison assault ... shrugging her shoulders at the news.

FYI ... HBO just picked up the rights to a Nassar documentary that will unveil what female gymnasts had to endure at the hands of the team doctor ... and Liukin tells us she'll watch to support her friends and former teammates.