You Might Want to Rethink

Philonise issued a statement reinforcing the family's position regarding the Raiders' statement.

"On behalf of our family, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders organization and its leadership for their support of our family and for our nation’s ongoing pursuit of justice and equality for all."

"Now, more than ever, we must come together as one and continue on in this fight. For the first time in almost a year, our family has taken a breath. And I know that goes for so many across the nation and globe, as well."

"Let’s take this breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George."

George Floyd's brother, Philonise, has a message for the Las Vegas Raiders -- he's not offended by the team's "I Can Breathe" post and is not demanding they take it down.

We spoke with Philonise moments ago ... and he told us he does not believe the message was intended to be negative and he hasn't had any negative thoughts about it all.

In fact, Philonise kind of agrees with the post -- explaining how the world can finally take a breath now that the man who killed his brother has been convicted and will be held accountable.

As we previously reported, Raiders owner Mark Davis took responsibility for posting "I Can Breathe" on the team's social media accounts on Tuesday, moments after Derek Chauvin was found guilty on 3 counts in the murder of George Floyd.

Davis has said the post was inspired by the comments Philonise made at a news conference following the conviction when he explained, "Today, we are able to breathe again."

David and the Raiders have been getting a TON of pushback online from people who feel the post was insensitive -- considering Floyd told officers "I can't breathe" more than 20 times during the May 2020 encounter with Chauvin.

On Tuesday evening, Davis said he's sorry IF the tweet hurt the Floyd family ... "If I offended the family, then I'm deeply, deeply disappointed."

Clearly, Philonise feels no apology is necessary.

YouTube star Kyle Foregeard learned the hard way that allegedly pretending to be a Paul Blart has consequences ... like getting arrested.

So, get this ... Kyle, who is widely known in the YouTube and social media world for pulling off incredible pranks, is alleged to have impersonated a mall security officer at the Grapevine Mills Mall in Tarrant County, Texas.

What's more ... according to the police report, cops say Kyle even had his own segway. Word of the arrest eventually made it on social media after Kyle's prank group, the Nelk Boys, tweeted Monday that one of their own had just been taken into custody.

It wasn't long before the Nelk Boys' legion of fans made #FreeKyle a trend on Twitter. According to police records ... Kyle was taken into custody Tuesday but it wasn't long before he was released after posting a $750 bond.

Michael Richards allegedly pulled off a caper some people might call Kramer-ish -- cutting down a neighbor's 30-year-old trees ... but they're not laughing, in fact, they're suing the "Seinfeld" star and his wife.

Maxine Adams is suing Michael and his wife, Beth Skipp, claiming they sauntered over to her Pacific Palisades property on April 2 and "maliciously cut mature Brazilian Pepper Trees and underbrush" on her property.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Adams says her property is right next door to the Richards' -- they share a border which is only separated by a narrow public walkway.

Adams says Michael and Beth had no business chopping down her two 18-foot trees just to improve their ocean views. Adams says the trees were 30 years old and providing significant privacy and shade.

Adams claims the couple cut down the trees knowing full well they didn't have Adams's consent in order to "significantly enhance the value of their home as it would increase their view to the Pacific Ocean."

And, get this ... Adams claims she can't crane in new large box trees and instead will have to plant much smaller ones that'll take 20 years to reach the height of her old ones -- and will cost her more than $62k. She's suing for that amount, plus at least another $200k for the loss of aesthetic value to property.

Eric Nelson is defending Derek Chauvin in trial -- but another attorney with the same name as Chauvin's lawyer is getting mistaken for him... and it's causing a whole lot of grief, and potential danger.

Eric C. Nelson -- a Minneapolis-based family law attorney -- tells TMZ ... people think he's the Eric Nelson defending Chauvin against murder charges right now. It's easy to see how this happens -- same names, same profession and practicing in the same area.

Still, Nelson tells us he wants to set the record straight ... because the deluge of hate and harassment he's getting a result of the mistaken identity is becoming overwhelming, both personally and professionally.

We're told Nelson has been getting BLOWN-UP lately -- both online and over the phone. He says about 95% of calls coming in these days are from randos who think he's the other Nelson, and just wanna talk about the case. Nelson says he's also getting nonstop hate mail.

Be it via email or phone, Nelson tells us he's getting a mix of unsolicited advice from would-be experts ... plus, a ton of hateful voicemails too.

Speaking of those ... TMZ has obtained samples of the messages being left on Nelson's phone, and they're ominous to say the least. People have called him a "piece of s***" and levied veiled threats against his practice ... suggesting he's running a crooked business.

Nelson says he reported that latter message to cops, because he found it a bit too dubious and threatening -- but nothing ever came of it. Adding insult to injury -- Nelson tells us his ratings online have taken a gut punch because of the false assumption he's THAT Eric Nelson.

He says his Google stars went from 5 to 1 in a heartbeat -- but, fortunately, Google saw it was a big misunderstanding and fixed the issue themselves.

As for what Nelson's doing to deal ... he's been sending out automated replies to make it clear he's NOT the Eric Nelson everyone's coming for. His website even blares that warning. Oh, and Nelson's also considering tweaking his biz name to feature his middle name, Carlyle.

A mountain biker nearly became a black bear's lunch in Montana ... with the wild animal ferociously chasing the cyclist down a hill -- and the insane scene was caught on video!!

The tense moments all went down in Whitefish about a year ago (though the video was just released by Montana Knife Company this week) ... when a bike rider got the surprise of a lifetime as he barreled down a steep mountain path.

You can see in the footage ... as the guy pedaled his ride -- the black bear was in hot pursuit, trying to nab the dude on his way down the mountain!!

At some points during the chase ... it got a little too close for comfort, 'cause the black bear tried to cut corners to get to the guy quicker!!

A spokesperson for Montana Knife Company tells us, "This is why even bikers and hikers should be carrying out knives!"

Fortunately, MKC tells us the bike rider was able to out pedal the beast and make it down the hill safely -- "Didn't get the guy!"

The judge presiding over Derek Chauvin's murder trial is openly chiding Rep. Maxine Waters for seemingly stoking unrest over the case ... and even said she's opened the door for Chauvin to appeal the verdict.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson brought up the issue after closing arguments wrapped and the jury was ushered away ... griping to Judge Cahill that Rep. Waters' now-viral remarks from this weekend might've possibly tainted the jury ... and might sway their verdict.

ICYMI ... Rep. Waters was on the ground in Minnesota a couple days ago marching with protesters, and said she and the people of Minnesota are banking on a guilty verdict and wouldn't just accept manslaughter. She said if that didn't happen, she encouraged people to stay in the streets and get more confrontational.

Some took that as an "incitement of violence."

Nelson asked for a mistrial, based on Waters' remarks, but the judge didn't go that far ... telling Nelson he had faith jurors had followed his instructions up to this point in avoiding the news and talk of this case. Nelson's point was that there's no realistic way to avoid it ... especially because the jury hadn't been sequestered until today when it started deliberations.

Again, Cahill wouldn't bite ... but did express frustration at Rep. Waters, saying he wished public officials would stop talking about the case ... and even told Nelson it's possible Rep. Waters' words could be grounds for him to appeal a guilty verdict, and get a new trial.

Demi Lovato isn't backing down in her diet food war with a frozen yogurt shop -- she's now warning the store about messing with her ... but also walking back her comments a bit, saying she was having a really bad day.

The singer continued going back and forth with The Bigg Chill -- the fro-yo shop she attacked Sunday for its placement of sugar-free items -- by sending a DM to them, complaining about the "GUILT FREE" label on cookies in the store. TBC defended itself saying the pic was old.

Demi swatted back ... insisting they carried another, similar "diet culture" cookie -- and also warned TBC to stop fighting with her, and that they didn't wanna mess with her. She even dropped the ol' ... "customer is always right" on 'em.

However, Demi's apparently seen the some of the backlash against her, because she just went live on IG, and restated her initial complaint -- her visit to TBC seriously triggered her eating disorder issues -- but she hopes she's opened a dialogue with TBC about relabeling some products.

She added that she had a very bad day and weekend afterward, and feels like she needs a mental health day. Demi apologized if it seems like she's a big celeb using her power to take down a small biz.

Demi Lovato has a lot of people scratching their heads over this one -- she got mad that a fro-yo shop advertises "diet" options ... something she considers triggering and harmful.

The singer took to IG Saturday to call out a frozen yogurt joint called The Bigg Chill ... which apparently has low-sugar/low-fat/fat-free goodies positioned toward the front of one of their stores and/or checkout counters.

She writes, "Finding it extremely hard to order froyo from @thebiggchillofficial when you have to walk past tons of sugar free cookies/other diet foods before you get to the counter."

Demi went on to tell them to "do better" ... and hashtagged her gripe with #dietculturevultures. If you're confused about what the heck she's upset about ... you’re not alone.

However, she elaborated with another comment, saying she's gonna use that hashtag to call out "harmful messaging" from brands that she believes perpetuate a society that enables and also praises disordered eating.

What she SEEMS to be saying ... by this place putting these low-cal foods in people's faces like this, they're also gaslighting/shaming them, and making them feel bad for wanting a treat, which Demi sees as hurtful -- especially for those who have eating disorders and body issues.

TBC responded to Demi in her DMs, which she published. They explained they have those alternatives for diabetics, folks with Celiac disease, vegans and a host of others who might want (or need) the so-called "diet" options. Demi appears to have realized ... she jumped to conclusions and perhaps even overreacted, as noted in her response.

She recommends that they label things better to be more inclusive. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The NYPD made the point traffic stops can go south fast -- but in doing so, they appear to have confused H2O for a harmful substance ... that's what the Internet's saying, anyway.

The department's news division posted a video Saturday that shows body cam footage of an NYPD officer making a "routine traffic stop" as they dubbed it. The cop asks for license/registration, and then the man gets out of the car ... to the confusion of the officer.

Before you know it, the guy chucks some type of liquid into the cop's mug, who stumbles back ... clearly shocked by what just happened. You hear his partner seem to ask what it was he threw, but then the video cuts out before you can see what happens next.

Now, NYPD claims this suspect doused the cop with a "chemical" before fleeing, tossing a Molotov cocktail ... before finally being arrested. They add the officer wasn't hurt.

Internet sleuths quickly attempted to pick this apart, however, and pulled screen grabs from the moment this guy threw whatever it was into the cop's face ... and at first glance, they're saying it looks an awful lot like a cup full of ice water without a lid or top -- nothing more.

Unclear if that is, in fact, what it was ... but to us, it does look like agua. Technically, that is a "chemical" in that it's made up of elements from the periodic table ... but the police make it seem like bleach or something that was tossed here. The NYPD hasn't elaborated.

Folks are also questioning their "Molotov cocktail" description ... wondering if it was actually what you'd consider a traditional bottle firebomb, or if it was just the container seen in this video. The NYPD posted an additional photo of what they say is a Molotov cocktail recovered from a traffic stop, but they don't directly connect it to this suspect/sitch here.

We've reached out to the NYPD for clarification ... so far, no word back.

There was another officer-involved shooting in Minnesota this weekend, but it wasn't at all the kind that people have been protesting over ... not even close.

Burnsville Police say their officers first encountered a suspected car thief Sunday driving a vehicle with stolen plates, which he crashed. BPD says they were notified this same individual allegedly went on to carjack a female at gunpoint later in the day ... and then led police on a wild chase, all while he fired at officers who were in hot pursuit -- so claim the cops.

Part of that incident was captured by a bystander ... who filmed the suspect jumping out of the vehicle, and proceeding to run toward a highway with cruisers hot on his tail. In the clip, it appears the man attempts to carjack yet another vehicle on the road.

The white SUV ended up swerving out of the way, and police units finally caught up to him. The video freezes at that point ... presumably, that's when he was shot. BPD says the suspect was shooting at cops and officers returned fire, and the suspect ended up dead.

The officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating ... standard operating procedure.

Now, here's where things get interesting ... a local reporter for FOX9 -- who was covering protests at the Governor's mansion in St. Paul Sunday -- posted video of a group of demonstrators taking a knee in silence, this after they'd apparently heard there was another officer-involved shooting. Not just that ... but she says they planned to head down there too.

Later, she followed-up ... tweeting, "Just an update on this, protestors said later they're heading back to Brooklyn Center because they need more information about what happened in Burnsville first." In other words ... it doesn't look like they had any real info from the jump -- kneeling for a guy cops say was going full GTA.

Marc Anthony fans just learned a hard lesson about virtual concerts ... they're just not the same as the OG.

Marc's fans were none too pleased when they paid for such a concert Saturday, but there were massive technical problems. Some of them waited 3 hours before Marc finally pulled the plug.

The concert was supposed to stream out to folks in 85 countries, but there wasn't a frame of video to show for it.

Marc posted his apology ... “I am deeply sorry for this technology failure that unfortunately was out of our control. You can rest assured that I am doing everything in my power to make sure that the people that spent their hard-earned money have the opportunity to see the show as soon as possible and will make it right for you all.”

The guy who played Jesus in 'Passion of the Christ' is leaning into a QAnon conspiracy theory ... which believes children are being blood-drained for a chemical in their body.

Jim Caviezel made a guest appearance Friday at a right-wing convention called Clay Clark’s Health and Freedom Conference near Tulsa, OK ... where organizers griped about COVID restrictions and what they consider to the government's overreach in applying said rules.

For some reason, they beamed Caviezel in through a screen ... this while addressing the issue of child trafficking (a real thing that deserves serious discussion), but which dove completely into sketchy QAnon territory once Jim started talking adrenochrome.

Jim -- who was plugging a new movie he's in about child trafficking -- started out fine, but then said this about author Tim Ballard, whom he portrays in the flick ... "He's down there saving children as we speak, because they're pulling kids out of the darkest recesses of hell right now, in dumps and all kinds of places. The adrenochrome-ing of children, look ..."

He moved on from that point, but an MC asked him to circle back on it and explain further. Jim gave a very bare-bones description of what adrenochrome is and what he's heard (but says he hasn't seen) people do to get it ... namely allegedly gutting kids alive to yank it out.

Not to go too far down the rabbit hole ... but this is a cornerstone of QAnon dogma, a false one at that. They believe the world is run by an evil cabal of devil-worshipping cannibals -- including some of the most powerful people in the world -- who go around and do this.

The idea -- according to these QAnon believers -- is that the adrenochrome halts and/or reverses the aging process, and that it's plentiful and most fruitful in children. Yes, it 1000% is bat-s*** crazy -- evidenced in that fact it was lampooned in a recent "South Park" episode.

Pair that with the fact that Jewish people throughout history have been falsely accused of partaking in this practice -- and subsequently persecuted for it since the Middle Ages -- and a lot of people aren't all too surprised the adrenochrome BS is being embraced by Caviezel.

Peloton's state-of-the-art treadmill is dangerous for kids and pets, and folks should refrain from using it immediately -- so says a U.S. regulator, who's got video evidence of the perils.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission -- formed in the '70s to help American consumers know which products can cause harm -- has come out strongly against Peloton and its Tread+ machine ... telling people with vulnerable loved ones to stop using it.

The agency says in light of a recent child death and "dozens" of reported instances of small children and pets getting sucked under the back roller of the conveyer belt -- and getting seriously injured in the process -- they're advising the Tread+ get temporarily unplugged.

The CPSC says it's aware of at least 39 injuries and one death related to the Tread+, and even says leaving the machine turned off can still pose a risk if the turn-on key is still accessible. They attached a graphic video that shows a toddler being pinned under the roller as it's in use by his older sister, who walks away ... with the kid left unattended.

We must warn you ... this is difficult to watch, but fortunately, the child appears to get himself out of the Peloton's clutches and gets up afterward. CPSC says this is just one example of the danger.

As for Peloton, they're playing down the CPSC's report ... calling it "inaccurate and misleading." They add, "The Tread+ is safe for Members to use in their homes and comes with safety instructions and warnings to ensure its safe use. Like all motorized exercise equipment, the Tread+ can pose hazards if the warnings and safety instructions are not followed. The Tread+ is not for children under 16. Peloton warns Members not to let children use the Tread+ and to keep children, pets, and objects away from the Tread+ at all times."

A Polish woman's gotta be feeling pretty flaky about the panicked phone call she made to animal control to report a strange creature lurking in a tree ... that turned out to be a pastry!!!

Okay, before ya toast the concerned lady too much ... take a look at the mystery beast in a Krakow neighborhood.

If ya didn't know better, it could be a GIANT caterpillar-ish thing or something of that ilk. 🤷🏽‍♂️

The woman told animal welfare officers people were afraid to open their windows for fear the big puffy creature might scurry into their homes. After all, she said it had been stalking them, just sitting there -- all brown and buttery -- for 2 whole days!

When asked to described the "animal" ... she said it looked like an iguana. The officers were skeptical, but went to check it out, only to discover ... they shoulda brought coffee or a cup of tea. It was just a croissant.

The belief is someone threw it out of their window to feed the birds and it got stuck, setting off the hilarious chain of events. Animal control said it was a funny false alarm, but encouraged the public to err on the side of caution and report anything suspicious. Y'know, like a shady scone.

A Texas mother claims her 11-year-old son is being isolated and disciplined at school, simply because his hair is braided ... and now she's gearing up for a legal battle.

Hope Cozart says her son, Maddox, and his sisters expressed interest in learning more about their African heritage -- their father is Black -- and she's encouraged them to "explore their culture."

So, she says her son asked to have a braid in his hair like his father, but when he wore it to school earlier this month in Troy, TX ... she claims he got in-school suspension, and not just once.

According to the law firm working with the Cozart family, Maddox was first suspended on April 5 "based on his hairstyle," and has since been given in-school suspension every day for the same reason.

It says, "This action has denied Maddox an education equal to that of the other students at Raymond Mays Middle School."

Maddox's hairstyle reportedly violates the student handbook, which states hair "May not be worn in a ponytail, top knot, bun, or similar styles." His mother says this is an outdated policy that needs to be changed, adding ... "Kids should be able to express themselves and hair does not affect your education."

Two men beat the hell out of each other on a golf course last week -- with one of the dudes even swinging a flagstick at the other -- and the insane fight was all caught on video!

The wild scene went down on April 9 at a golf club in South Africa ... when two men got into a fistfight on the course at a local school's fundraiser event.

According to the club's general manager, Leon Kruger, the two had apparently been in a dispute over a lost phone before the melee erupted.

"There were two groups, one behind the other, on the course," Kruger said of the tiff to News24. "Someone in the first group lost their phone."

"When they asked the second group if they had seen the phone, they denied having it. That's when things then got out of hand."

You can see in the footage, one of the men began attacking the other, throwing haymakers and eventually ripping off the guy's shirt.

That's when the shirtless man grabbed a nearby flagstick, and swung it at the other dude's head repeatedly!!

The stick struck the guy with such force, it broke over his body ... but the fight still continued.

Eventually, after several more punches were thrown ... the guys calmed down and the fracas was over. It does not appear authorities were involved.