TMZ.com Home

Michael Avenatti is not lying low following his release from custody for allegedly extorting Nike -- instead, he's doubling down ... and throwing two huge basketball stars under the bus.

The lawyer just went on a Twitter attack against Nike, claiming the company has not been cooperating with a federal investigation into its Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) for over a year.

Avenatti adds ... "Unless you count lying in response to subpoenas and withholding documents as 'cooperating.' They are trying to divert attention from their own crimes."

The "divert attention" part is interesting -- Avenatti is implying his arrest Monday for allegedly trying to extort $20 million out of Nike in exchange for not announcing harmful allegations against the company is a distraction for its own crimes.

But then -- speaking of diverting attention -- Avenatti dropped a bombshell tweet accusing Nike of paying off 20-year-old PHX Suns star Deandre Ayton and his mom before he made it to the NBA. Ayton played college ball at the University of Arizona and was a highly recruited high school star before that.

Avenatti wrote ... "Ask DeAndre Ayton and Nike about the cash payments to his mother and others. Nike’s attempt at diversion and cover-up will fail miserably once prosecutors realize they have been played by Nike and their lawyers at Boies. This reaches the highest levels of Nike."

And there's more ... he's also calling out star Univ. of Oregon center Bol Bol, saying he and his handlers received large sums of cash from the shoe co.

As we reported ... Avenatti was arrested Monday for an alleged extortion scheme prosecutors in NY say played out over the course of a few days last week. They claim Avenatti demanded payment from Nike to keep him quiet about allegedly paying families of some high school basketball players.

Avenatti is also facing more federal charges for bank and wire fraud in an unrelated case to the Nike one. The U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California claims Avenatti embezzled client money to cover expenses for his coffee corporation.

9:53 AM PT -- NASA has just responded to the backlash, stating, "To clarify, we have more than 1 medium size spacesuit torso aboard, but to stay on schedule with @Space_Station upgrades, it's safer & faster to change spacewalker assignments than reconfigure spacesuits."

9:25 AM PT -- Hillary Clinton just weighed in on the situation, and her solution is pretty clear ... "Make another suit."

NASA's no better than your average department store -- lack of the right sizes in its women's department just screwed 2 astronauts out of making history with the first all-female spacewalk mission.

Turns out the space geniuses don't have enough spacesuits to fit female astronauts Christina Koch and Anne McClain ... who were scheduled to make a repair to the International Space Station's solar panels on Friday. NASA says it only has one medium-sized space shirt, and it's going to Koch ... although it's kind of a hand-me-down.

McClain used it last week during a spacewalk, which is when she discovered the bad fit. She originally planned to wear a large, but found the medium more to her liking. Since McClain wore it last, Koch is getting the nod this week.

NASA and all the astronauts agree the proper fit is critical to mission success ... still sucks to miss out on history. Perhaps worst of all, a man's taking McClain's place Friday.

Yes, even at around 220 miles above Earth ... there's a glass ceiling.

Note to President Trump: More fitting rooms for Space Force, please.

Kris Humphries is opening up about the most famous 72-day marriage of all time -- saying his relationship with Kim Kardashian was 100% real ... and he was genuinely "embarrassed" when they broke up.

The ex-NBA player spilled his guts about his coupling with Kim K in The Players' Tribune ... saying, "Look, I should have known what I was getting into."

Kris and Kim began dating in 2010 and got engaged in May 2011. They tied the knot August 20, 2011 ... and Kim filed for divorce on Oct. 31.

"I was definitely naive about how much my life was going to change," Kris says ... "But the one thing that really bothers me is whenever people say that my marriage was fake."

"There’s definitely a lot about that world that is not entirely real. But our actual relationship was 100% real."

Kris says "it sucked" when he realized the marriage wasn't working -- "It’s never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family."

"But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it’s a whole other level. It was brutal."

Humphries -- now 34 years old and out of the NBA -- says he didn't know how to handle the negative attention stemming from his breakup ... admitting, "There was about a year where I was in a dark place."

Kris says he didn't want to leave his house and didn't even want to be known as Kris Humphries. Instead, Kris says he pretended to be Blake Griffin when he was out in public.

He also reflects about how much it sucked to be booed and taunted in the wake of the split -- wondering if fans were after him because they thought he was a wannabe reality star ... or because they thought he disrespected the game of basketball.

Humphries says he's not asking for pity -- and never really wanted to be famous -- claiming he's now trying to stay "under the radar" as he works on the next phase of his life.

So, what is Kris planning to do next? He's already opened up several restaurants -- 10 Five Guys burger joints and with plans to open 7 CRISP & GREEN eateries.

Michael Avenatti's new legal woes -- being accused of extortion and fraud -- could derail the case against R. Kelly ... that's what the singer's lawyer thinks.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, tells TMZ ... now that Avenatti has been charged with extortion as well as bank and tax fraud, his credibility is now a centerpiece in the singer's case -- specifically, the circumstances surrounding how prosecutors obtained a key piece of evidence.

That evidence, of course, is a sex tape that Cook County investigators claim shows R. Kelly having sex with an underage girl, who's alleged to be 14 years old. It's what many believe to be a smoking gun against R. Kelly ... and the catalyst that led to a 10-count indictment.

Greenberg says the issue of "chain of custody" -- how Cook County got hold of that tape via Avenatti -- is now questionable. Greenberg strongly suggests the possibility the tape could've been altered before it got to prosecutors.

Sources connected to the case tell us that the man who handed the tape over to Avenatti is a whistle-blower who has a history of extorting R. Kelly.

We're told the man recently confessed to prosecutors in Chicago that he squeezed about a million dollars out of R. Kelly's team in the past to stop the tape from going public. So, the question ... if the guy got the cash, how would Avenatti have gotten it?

Remember, there were supposedly TWO R. Kelly sex tapes that Avenatti turned over to Cook County officials, but Greenberg tells us he's only aware of one.

Either way, if Greenberg can create reasonable doubt in the jury's mind as to authenticity ... he could get R. Kelly off. Hey, we've seen it happen before.

Ariana Grande is acting like a tyrant on her new tour ... at least, according to media organizations that are fuming over her photography policy.

Several major news outlets -- including the AP, New York Times, LA Times and 12 others -- have joined the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) in protesting Ariana's photo policy on her current Sweetener World Tour.

The NPPA claims the tour contract she's making them sign to cover her concerts requires photographers to hand over all rights to their photos to her tour company, GrandAriTour, Inc. ... and they're only allowed to take still shots from a designated area during the first 3 songs.

If the photogs want to use their pics, they have to get written approval from Grande ... and even then, they can only use each photo once as part of a news story.

The 16 media outlets believe this is a massive overreach and flies in the face of journalistic principles ... and the NPPA president is urging members to refuse to sign Ariana's photography agreement.

No word yet if the singer will change her tune.

Stop us if you've heard this one before ... Conor McGregor just tweeted that he's retiring from MMA forever.

Yeah, just like he did in 2016.

It happened in the middle of the night ... McGregor tweeted:

"Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as 'Mixed Martial Art' today. I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!"

Is he serious? UFC honcho Dana White thinks so ... telling ESPN, "He has the money to retire and his whiskey is KILLIN it. It totally makes sense. If I was him I would retire too."

White added, "He's retiring from fighting. Not from working. The Whiskey will keep him busy and I'm sure he has other things he's working on."

"He has been so fun to watch!!! He has accomplished incredible things in this sport. I am so happy for him and I look forward to seeing him be as successful outside of the octagon as he was in it."

The issue ... McGregor was on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" -- which aired Monday night -- and he told Fallon he was in active negotiations with the UFC to fight in July.

So, what went sideways between the time he taped the show and his retirement tweet??

We're trying to figure it out ...

McGregor has tweeted about retiring before ... back in April 2016, he wrote, "I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later."

Of course, he didn't REALLY retire -- he went on to fight Nate Diaz (and won) a few months later.

The difference between now and then -- Proper 12.

Conor's Irish whiskey company is reportedly doing REALLY well. Conor and Dana White have said the UFC star is making a fortune off liquor sales.

Of course, just a few days ago ... McGregor was telling fans how much he LOVES fighting and how he's got big fighting plans in his future ... including rematches with Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

So, has Conor had a change of heart??? Or, is this all one big joke?

We'll find out ...

Oh, and Khabib -- who beat Conor in October -- has also weighed in with a statement of his own.

"There can be only one king in the jungle," Khabib said ... "Only one."

Major League Baseball has suspended San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer -- without pay -- until July 1, 2019 for stemming from a March 1 incident with his wife, TMZ Sports has learned.

He must also undergo counseling.

MLB commish Rob Manfred says the unpaid suspension will be backdated to March 4, 2019 -- the day Baer took a leave of absence from the team.

"During the period of his suspension, Baer shall have no involvement in the operations of the Giants," Manfred says.

"The Club shall be operated by an interim control person appointed by the ownership group in consultation with the Commissioner. Baer will be required to undergo an evaluation by an expert to determine an appropriate treatment and counseling plan."

Manfred says, "At my direction, the Department of Investigations conducted an investigation into the March 1, 2019 video-recorded incident involving Larry Baer. I also personally met with Mr. Baer."

"Based on my review of the results of the investigation, I have concluded that Mr. Baer’s conduct was unacceptable under MLB policies and warrants discipline."

"In determining the appropriate level of discipline, I find that Mr. Baer should be held to a higher standard because as a leader he is expected to be a role model for others in his organization and community."

"Based on my conversation with Mr. Baer, it is clear that he regrets what transpired and takes responsibility for his conduct."

TMZ Sports posted video showing Baer in a physical altercation with his wife in a public park -- ultimately knocking her to the ground in a struggle to pry a phone out of her hands. You can hear her screaming, "Oh my god. Help!"

Baer's wife has publicly supported Larry after the incident -- chalking the whole thing up to an ordinary marital spat.

Larry has also issued a statement on the suspension ... saying, "I respect and accept the Commissioner's decision, and I respect and accept the Commissioner's decision, and appreciate the fair and thorough process undertaken by MLB and the Giants."

"I made a serious mistake that I sincerely regret and I am truly sorry for my actions. My unacceptable behavior fell well short of what must be demanded of every person, particularly someone in my position and role in the community."

D.L. Hughley is coming out swinging for Dr. Dre ... telling us Dre's daughter needs to appreciate the fact he "pushed" her to go to USC, and also that her dad can afford to LEGALLY grease the wheel for her.

We got the comedian at LAX, and our photog asked him about Dre deleting his post throwing shade at Lori Loughlin and all the other parents swept up in the college admissions bribery scandal.

D.L. says the rap mogul shouldn't apologize for donating $70 million to the University -- and adds even IF that helped his daughter, Truly Young, get in ... it's the least USC can do!!!

As for Truly saying her dad pushed her to attend SC ... D.L. says Dre's just being a good parent, and Truly has 70 million reasons to be grateful.

D.L.'s an expert on the topic ... his daughter's also at USC, and he's hustling every day -- he was just getting back from a gig -- to pay her tuition. College ain't cheap, even when ya do it all legal and stuff.

You gotta see his take on Dre's fam as a whole -- D.L.'s got a feeling Truly won't be its last Trojan.

Nikki Bella is NOT leaving the WWE on bad terms -- it's the opposite -- with sources telling us she still has a GREAT working relationship with the company and is DEFINITELY open to returning to the ring.

35-year-old Bella just announced she's hanging up her wrestling boots after 12 years with Vince McMahon's promotion -- mostly because of the wear and tear on her body ... and also to pursue other business ventures.

But, sources close to Nikki tell us ... she still loves wrestling, still loves the WWE and would be down to make cameos in the future -- as long as the timing is right.

In fact, we're told Nikki will remain a WWE ambassador even though she won't be wrestling full-time. Also, she plans on continuing her reality show, "Total Bellas," which is produced by WWE.

As we previously reported, Nikki made her retirement decision after a recent trip overseas that was particularly rough on her body. She just can't handle the constant punishment a full-time wrestler endures.

Nikki had neck surgery 3 years ago stemming from a wrestling injury, and she's been battling neck pain ever since.

Bella has said she plans to focus on growing her businesses -- which includes a podcast, activewear line, beauty products and even a wine label.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib says President Trump is NOT off the hook in Robert Mueller's Russian collusion investigation ... because she clearly doesn't trust the man who summarized it.

We got the Democrat Congresswoman at Reagan National and raised the issue ... isn't it a good thing for the country if the Prez didn't collude with Putin and Co.? The Congresswoman recoiled and made it clear ... she's not convinced Trump's clean, given all we know is what his hired gun, Attorney General William Barr, said in his letter.

Barr did quote Mueller's conclusion on the issue of collusion ... "[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."

The unconvinced Tlaib says the only way this "dark cloud" can be lifted is for the report to be released in full, without a cushion from a Trump ally.

Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper and Common are gonna attract a new generation to Woodstock 50 and anyone who's not down with that better get the hell over it ... STAT!!!

Michael Lang -- the co-creator of Woodstock's 50th anniversary festival -- tells TMZ ... he heard about the backlash the festival has received in response to the lineup it released last week. Fans bitched it's too pop and modern, with artists like Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons and Halsey.

The backlash was intense. One person tweeted, "The Woodstock 50 lineup looks like it was curated by someone who's only exposure to music has been through the Grammy's 'Best Rock Performance' category between 2010-2013."

But, check out the video ... Michael makes it crystal clear the lineup is an homage to the original 1969 festival ... where more than 400,000 spectators gathered in the Catskill Mountains united by their love for great music and disdain for the Vietnam War.

Michael says he's hoping to get a younger audience engaged in social discourse -- just like his generation once did -- and in the process, introduce Woodstock to a whole new generation.

So, while there will be familiar acts for the veterans -- like Santana and Dead & Company -- Michael's adamant Woodstock will benefit from an eclectic lineup.

Some good news, bad news ...

The Good News ... Deontay Wilder says he's in talks with Tyson Fury's camp and he's VERY confident the two sides will get a deal done for a rematch.

The Bad News ... it probably ain't happening until 2020.

"I think that's something that is definitely gonna happen, but it's gonna take a little time now," Wilder tells TMZ Sports.

"Fury didn't want the rematch and I don't blame him. To be getting up off your ass like he did and to get a concussion, I wouldn't want to go again either!"

Of course, the two did battle back in December -- and even though Wilder knocked Fury down TWICE, Fury fought like hell and the bout was eventually scored a draw.

The two had initially talked about locking in a rematch right away -- but negotiations hit a wall and they both have since booked fights with other opponents in May and in June.

Wilder -- who was in L.A. to support his fiance Telli Swift's clothing brand Imperium -- is set to take on Dominic Breazeale in New York while Fury will fight Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas.

Wilder says the plan is to make sure Breazeale leaves the ring in a body bag. Yeesh.

As for the rematch, Wilder says ... it will "probably" go down in 2020 -- but it's possible that could be moved up to 2019 if the two sides can reach an agreement.

Wilder says "all parties are in conversation" ... and advises fans, "Good things come to those who wait."

3/26 -- Avenatti tweeted early Tuesday morning thanking his supporters for their kind words. He then claimed that he "never attempted to extort Nike & when the evidence is disclosed, the public will learn the truth about Nike's crime & coverup."

6:13 PM PT -- Avenatti just held a brief press conference, saying, "I have fought against the powerful -- powerful people and powerful corporations -- I will never stop fighting that good fight." He added he's "highly confident" he'll be "fully exonerated."

4:33 PM PT -- Avenatti has just been released on a $300,000 bond. He didn't have to pay that amount, but it had to be co-signed by 2 people who say they're good for it.

While he's out on bond, his travel will be restricted to New York and California ... and all travel plans must be approved by the government. Avenatti is also barred from contacting Mark Geragos.

2:53 PM PT -- Avenatti's indictment will NOT have any major impact on the pending R. Kelly criminal case, in which he reps the family of Azriel Clary ... so says Gerald Griggs, who represents Joycelyn Savage's family. Griggs tells TMZ ...  that while Avenatti's criminal cases present problems for himself personally, Griggs says they'll have "minimal" effect in the R. Kelly matter. He adds, "[T]he ten charges are based on four independent accusers and other information independent of Mr. Avenatti. The Savage family continues to seek reunification with their daughter, and that process of justice continues on course for all the alleged victims of Robert Sylvester Kelly."

1:15 PM PT -- The Nike indictment says Avenatti had an unnamed co-conspirator, and we've confirmed reports it is famed attorney Mark Geragos.

12:08 PM PT -- Nike just broke its silence following the news conferences ... saying it "will not be extorted or hide information that is relevant to a government investigation. Nike has been cooperating with the government's investigation into NCAA basketball for over a year."

The shoe giant goes on to say, "When Nike became aware of this matter, Nike immediately reported it to federal prosecutors. When Mr. Avenatti attempted to extort Nike over this matter, Nike with the assistance of outside counsel at Boies Schiller Flexner, aided the investigation."

"Nike firmly believes in ethical and fair play, both in business and sports, and will continue to assist the prosecutors."

If you recognize the law firm -- Boies Schiller Flexner -- the "Boies" is David Boies, the famous high-powered lawyer who's represented everyone from Al Gore to Harvey Weinstein.

In fact, Boies was also heavily involved with Theranos -- the blood testing company -- and was featured in the HBO documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley."

11:55 AM PT -- The NY Presser just finished up, and prosecutors there had quite a bit to say about Avenatti's alleged extortion efforts toward Nike.

Prosecutors in NY say the alleged Nike scheme played out over the course of a few days last week. Avenatti repped an AAU coach whose team had just lost a Nike sponsorship worth $72k a year. The coach claimed that Nike made payments to families of some high school basketball players, and Avenatti demanded payment from Nike to keep him quiet.

He was arrested Monday at the location where he was supposed to meet with Nike brass, presumably to strike a deal or keep the convo going.

For the record .. the only thing that was coordinated between NY and California was how the bust would go down. That said ... these are two separate federal cases.

11:33 AM PT -- The L.A. Presser just wrapped, and investigators didn't pull any punches in condemning Avenatti's alleged criminal behavior ... calling him a "corrupt lawyer" who was only out for his own personal gain.

Among the most damning allegations in Avenatti's financial case ... Avenatti allegedly siphoned off a $1.6 million settlement he scored for a client in 2017 and hid it in a personal bank account that he controlled ... but never told his client a thing about it. The U.S. Attorney alleges Avenatti used that money to fund his lavish lifestyle and to help pay for his coffee business in California and Washington State. All the while, the client never received a penny.

What's more ... the U.S. Attorney and the IRS also claim Avenatti defrauded a bank for millions of dollars worth of loans by submitting fake tax returns between 2011 and 2013, in which he claimed to have earned around $4-$5 million a year each year and supposedly paid $2.8 million in taxes. The government says all of that was a lie ... he didn't file taxes those years at all.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in great shape to run ... and not just for President in 2020.

Senator Warren bolted through NYC's Penn Station Monday afternoon trying to catch a train -- even as reporter Adam Glyn tried to fire off a question -- and as you can see and hear in this video, she not only outran the much-younger Glyn ... she wasn't out of breath when he finally caught up to her!

The candidate was pretty chill while talking about Robert Mueller's report and how it's playing on the campaign trail.

You can't say she's not totally energized, physically and mentally -- the 69-year-old Senator deserve props for running through the crowd like Usain Bolt and not seeming the least bit winded.