Bob Kraft Really Hopes Diddy Will Be NFL Owner
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft says he's still very serious about getting Diddy into the NFL owner's fraternity ... telling TMZ Sports he really likes the hip-hop mogul.
Remember, Kraft was a big supporter of Diddy when he made a push to buy the Carolina Panthers back in 2017. The team was ultimately sold to hedge fund manager David Tepper.
DECEMBER 2017
So, when we saw Kraft at Michael Rubin's Fanatics Party in ATL on Saturday night, we asked if he thinks Diddy will ever actually accomplish his goal of buying an NFL team.
"I hope so," Kraft told us ... "I'm a big fan of his."
We then got Diddy a few hours later at Magic City and asked about the ownership situation -- he told us simply, "It's time."
Diddy has previously talked about the importance of having a black owner in the NFL. And, with reports that several NFL teams could be in the market for a new owner in 2019, Kraft's support of Diddy could play a big role.
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Bow Wow Super Chatty After Battery Arrest
Bow Wow was more than willing to talk after his arrest Saturday morning for allegedly beating a woman ... but what he wants to talk about has nothing to do with the incident.
We got Bow Wow Saturday night leaving Magic City Strip Club in ATL and he said on the advice of his lawyer he couldn't say anything about the incident.
As TMZ reported ... Bow Wow and the woman were both arrested after they allegedly got in some sort of physical altercation at 4:15 AM Saturday in Atlanta. The woman claimed Bow Wow assaulted her. He claimed it was the opposite.
Bow Wow was booked for Battery with Substantial Physical Harm ... despite the fact cops told us the injuries were "minor." He was released on $8k bail.
As for what Bow Wow wanted to talk about ... it's kind of Super Bowl-related, except for the team he's rooting for.
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Jussie Smollett Performs after Attack 'I Couldn't Let Those Motherf*****s Win!!!'
Jussie Smollett stood tall Saturday night as he made his first public appearance since Tuesday's attack, telling hundreds of fans, "I had to be here tonight. I couldn't let these motherf*****s win."
Jussie performed in WeHo at the famed Troubadour in front of a packed audience of 400 and generally addressed the incident in Chicago. He told the crowd he's okay and still healing.
He asked for solidarity and the crowd was with him, as he said, "I'm going to stand strong with y'all."
At the end of the show, Jussie lit up the stage with a call to action about being black, being gay and being proud. The crowd went absolutely wild.
As Jussie left the venue you can still see signs of the bruising he suffered on the streets of Chicago. TMZ broke the story, Jussie told cops he was walking home from a 2 AM Subway run when 2 men hurled homophobic and racial slurs at him, attacked him and screamed "MAGA country."
Police are still investigating.
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L.A. Rams NFL Warns Players to Beef Up Security At Their Homes While Away
Before Rams players headed for Atlanta to prepare for their Super Bowl 53 matchup against the Patriots, they got some advice from the NFL -- protect your homes in L.A.
Our NFL sources tell us ... officials spoke with several players and coaches on the Rams who live in the Los Angeles area and suggested they take steps to ensure their homes are safe from potential burglars while they are out of town.
We're told they offered tips like having someone house-sit, parking an extra car in the driveway, adding alarms and surveillance, or even hiring security guards for the days they'll be away.
Other sources tell us many players heeded the NFL's advice by upgrading their home security systems and some indeed hired staff at their residences ... including private armed security and retired cops.
As you may know ... L.A. and the San Fernando Valley have seen a string of burglaries over the past couple of years, especially at the houses of celebs and famous athletes. In fact, Rams WR Robert Woods is on that list.
10 gang members were charged in connection with burglaries at more than 24 homes in late November, and cops say the break-in at Woods' pad -- while he was playing "Thursday Night Football" -- was a key to cracking the case.
This burglary crew allegedly also targeted stars like Rihanna, LeBron James, Yasiel Puig and Viola Davis.
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Diddy Beef and Money Outside Strip Club
Diddy caused pandemonium Saturday night outside Magic City Strip Club in Atlanta after pulling out a big fat wad of cash and hurling it in all directions.
We got the mogul first talking to a couple of guys outside the club, and it seemed to get tense. It's unclear what the beef was about, but it got heated.
In the end, it was all about the Benjamins. The crowd goes a little insane as the loot flies in the air.
In the end, Diddy gets in his car and yells, "When I'm in town, everybody eats!"
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Jimmy Kimmel Pal's Arrest at Beach Home Caught on Video
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EXCLUSIVE
- 1.1K shares
We got video at Jimmy Kimmel's beachside rental home when his friend was taken into custody. You can see from the video the friend surrenders quietly, and we now have information that seems to show he did NOT make the threatening 911 call.
Adam Perry Lang, famous chef and best-selling author, was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police vehicle after an 8-hour standoff stand-off. Police arrested him for felony criminal threats, for allegedly calling 911 and saying he had explosives in the house and had assaulted his girlfriend with a rifle.
Lang was taken to the police station last Sunday morning and booked. Jimmy Kimmel went to the station to make bail for him -- $50,000. Lang, who was released, is adamant ... he did NOT make the call.
Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ, Hermosa Beach cops checked Lang's cellphone and it showed he did NOT make a 911 call. We're told police want to do more checking to see if Lang had a scrambling device on the phone so he could make a 911 call undetected. It seems implausible someone would go through the trouble of scrambling the call yet giving the address where he's at.
TMZ broke the story ... Lang says he was sound asleep when cops roared over to the house last weekend and he had his ringer off so he didn't hear they were calling him. When he turned the ringer on the cops got through and told him to come out of the house ... which he did.
Ultimately, the case will be referred to the L.A. County D.A., who will decide if the case will be dropped.
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The Beatles Own a Piece of the Breakup ... For Over Half a Mil
When The Beatles officially called it quits in 1970, there were several signs along the way the boys weren't getting along ... including a harsh letter to Paul's lawyer signed by John, George and Ringo.
Now that document can be yours ... if you have a big stack of cash to spare.
The letter, dated April 18, 1969, informs Lee Eastman that he's "not authorized to act or to hold yourself out as the attourney or legal representative of 'The Beatles.'" It goes on to acknowledge Eastman reps Paul McCartney personally ... but that's it.
This document's signed by John Lennon, Richard Starkey (aka Ringo) and George Harrison ... and it's currently on sale for $325k.
There's another letter up for grabs too -- signed by the entire Fab Four -- that's a little more friendly. It's from January 1969 and confirms that attorney John Eastman is authorized to handle the band's contract negotiations "in accordance with our instructions." This one's for sale for $225k.
If you don't know ... a few months after the April letter, John privately informed the other Beatles he was leaving the group. The split wasn't made public until April 10, 1970, though ... when Paul announced he was out.
Both letters are available at Moments In Time.
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Akon to Black Artists Passing on Super Bowl Doesn't Help ... And I'll Tell You Why
Akon's got a hot take on African-American singers and rappers blowing off the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show, and it sounds like he's NOT exactly down with the boycott in support of Colin Kaepernick.
We got the singer/producer as he touched down in ATL, days ahead of the big game, and asked what he made of A-list celebs snubbing the NFL to stand in solidarity with Kap. Some are even calling for Travis Scott, Big Boi and Maroon 5 to take a knee during their performance -- but don't count Akon among that group.
For him, it's about time and place and he believes the Super Bowl is just too big a stage to opt out of playing on it.
Watch the clip ... Akon says he's not anti social awareness campaigns, in general. He's just not down with mixing them with business.
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Adam Levine vs. Travis Scott Who'd You Rather?! (Halftime Edition)
Here's a shirtless shot of rapper and Kylie Jenner's parenting partner, Travis Scott (26), on stage in full sicko mode before his Super Bowl LIII halftime debut (left) ... and a smooth looking shot of the Maroon 5 singer and "The Voice" judge Adam Levine (39) standing tall and topless(right).
While nobody knows whether Tom Brady and the New England Patriots or Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams will take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy in this year's best gridiron game ... we gotta ask.
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Deion Branch S.B. Betting Advice ... 'Take The Over!'
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EXCLUSIVE
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A former Super Bowl MVP is offering up FREE advice for all you degenerates out there ... 'cause Deion Branch says take the OVER on Sunday!!!
The ex-Patriots star tells TMZ Sports his former team will beat the Rams in Super Bowl XLIII ... and the score will be around 31-27.
Translation ... that 56.5 over/under that Vegas set is EASY MONEY!!!
"It'll go over," the ex-NFL receiver guarantees ... "All the people who are betting, take the over."
If you're into prop bets ... Deion's got some advice for you there too -- saying Tom Brady WILL be the MVP of the game.
And, if you want to live life dangerously and bet on an underdog to win the award over TB12 ... Branch even has the guy for you there too!!!
BTW ... Deion is confident the Pats are gonna win 'cause he knows Brady just won't let New England lose.
In fact -- he told us a hilarious story where Tom couldn't even handle losing to him in a game of ping pong!!!
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What's The Big Frigin' Difference?!
Don't let these two almost identical images of Jared Goff throw off your game ... tackle this challenge by figuring out the differences between these two super similar snaps!
**HINT -- There are THREE differences in the above photographs!**
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Cardi B Dances With Robert Kraft At S.B. Party ... Meek Mill Approves!!!
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is spending his final hours before the Super Bowl dancing his face off with rap stars ... hitting the stage and showing off his moves with Cardi B!!
Kraft looked anything but nervous the day before the Big Game ... joining the "Money" rapper on stage at the Fanatics Super Bowl party in ATL, which was hosted by Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin.
There was hopping. There was finger pointing. The crowd loved every second of it.
As if Cardi wasn't enough ... Kraft had Meek Mill for a hype man pumping him up on the side of the stage.
Think this guy's worried about the game?
BTW -- we're told Cardi's not just having fun with Kraft and Meek ... she also made a significant donation to Reform Alliance, the criminal justice reform org formed by the 2 along with Rubin, Jay-Z, Van Jones and others.
We like it.
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Ja Rule Let's Get This Over With ... Leads 'F**k You, Ja Rule' Chant
Ja Rule wants his fans to get any pent-up animosity toward him out of their systems, so he's encouraging them to put a middle finger in the air ... and let him have it.
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The rapper performed in New Jersey Friday night, and after perhaps sensing some hostility in the air over his portrayal in the recent Fyre Festival documentaries ... he tried to nip it in the bud.
He jokingly told the crowd he knew they might be a little mad at him, but added ... "We ain't going to do this sh*t for the rest of the year!"
So, he got them all to repeat, "F**k you, Ja Rule!" three times instead. Then he said, "F**k y'all, too," and launched into a song.
As we reported ... the Netflix and Hulu docs about the Fyre Festival fiasco have resulted in some heavy blowback on Ja Rule, along with the social media agency involved in promoting it, Jerry Media.
Comedians and actors have been calling for folks to unfollow @f**kjerry, but so far ... Ja Rule doesn't seem to be feeling that heat.
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Bow Wow Arrested for Battery on Ex-GF in ATL
12:45 PM PT -- Bow Wow's been released on bond.
12:20 PM PT -- Here's the mug shot for Leslie Holden, who we've learned is Bow Wow's on-and-off GF, and goes by Kiyomi Leslie. She's also on "Growing Up Hip Hop" with the rapper.
She's facing the same battery charge as Bow Wow, and her bond's been set at $8k.
11:15 AM PT -- TMZ's obtained Bow Wow's mug shot, which shows big scratches on his forehead and a mark below his eye.
According to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office ... the rapper's been charged with Battery Substantial Physical Harm, which is in conflict with what we were told earlier -- that both sustained minor injuries.
Bow Wow's bond's been set at $8k.
Bow Wow was arrested in Atlanta early Saturday morning for allegedly beating a woman ... a woman who was also arrested for allegedly beating him.
ATL cops tell TMZ ... there was some sort of dispute between Bow Wow and the woman at 4:15 AM Saturday. When they arrived, the woman claimed Bow Wow assaulted her. He claimed it was the opposite.
Both Bow Wow and the woman sustained visible, minor injuries.
Police identified the woman as Leslie Holden. We cannot find any relationship between her and Bow Wow.
Cops couldn't figure out which one was the true aggressor, so they arrested both and charged them with misdemeanor battery.
Ladies in town for the Super Bowl don’t forget... My mother is having her @shoptasteonline “SIP & SHOP” today!!! 1pm-7pm Fri & Sat. #shopping #food #drinks pic.twitter.com/KA4G15nLEV
@smoss
Bow Wow had been promoting a Super Bowl pop-up shop for his mom during Super Bowl weekend. He was also spotted at Shaquille O'Neal's SB event -- called Shaq's Fun House -- not long before his arrest.
Check it out ... he's introduced by Jermaine Dupri and gets a pretty big reaction from the ATL crowd.
Originally published -- 8:01 AM PST
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Roger Mathews to JWoww I'm Not a Monster ... Let's Call a Truce for Our Kids
JWoww's estranged husband says she has painted him as a monster and a woman beater -- which he strongly denies -- but he's willing to call a truce and give her a hug ... for the good of their children.
Roger Mathews shared a lengthy letter online Saturday morning titled, "A Message to Jenni," in which he rehashed their recent turmoil and responded to her allegations this week that he's been abusive to her on multiple occasions.
Mathews says he's extremely saddened the 2 have not been able to find a better way to handle their differences but also slams JWoww for deliberately trying to using her platform to destroy his life. He also blames her getting a restraining order on him for hurting his relationship with their son.
As for the abuse allegations ... Roger admits to pushing her and says he takes responsibility for it but claims Jenni was the aggressor and edited out her violent behavior. As we reported, she shared a video of what looks like Mathews throwing her to the ground.
Despite Mathews recently vowing to take legal action against JWoww, he ends his letter by pleading with her to "stop the madness" and work things out for their kids.
He says ... "We are both assholes. Let’s raise our kids better. I want to help you. Please try and help me. We need each other. Not in the way we once did but this madness has to stop. Own your truths as I have owned mine. Work with me and I will work with you. A part of me will always love you. I had to clear my name. I can help you clear yours too. I know all the good things you’ve done in your life as well as knowing the bad. Let's make the necessary changes for our children. I will if you will. I want you to be happy and I deserve to be happy as well. Happy parents make for happy kids. We owe them this. I be willing to give you a hug at the end of the day today as a truce offering."
Stay tuned.
President Trump Golfs With a Tiger and a Bear ... at Private Florida Course
2/3 -- Trump just gave some insight into his golf game with Tiger and Jack went. According to DT ... it was "Great!" Sounds like Tiger hasn't lost a step either.
Everyone is asking how Tiger played yesterday. The answer is Great! He was long, straight & putted fantastically well. He shot a 64. Tiger is back & will be winning Majors again! Not surprisingly, Jack also played really well. His putting is amazing! Jack & Tiger like each other.
@realDonaldTrump
Trump says Jack had a solid outing as well.
President Trump was in good company on the links Saturday morning ... escaping the D.C. cold at his private Florida golf course with the 2 best golfers on the planet -- Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
POTUS tweeted a pic of the trio at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter ... saying it was a "great morning" with the 2 golf legends.
Trump and Woods are no strangers on the golf course ... they also played together in Jupiter with Dustin Johnson in November 2017.
Trump has golfed with a bunch of celebrities in the past ... but considering the Golden Bear and Tiger combine for 32 major championships ... it doesn't get much better than this.
Originally Published -- 2/2/19 at 12:52 PM PST