Dan Snyder Denies Touching Woman at Work Dinner ... After Ex-Staffer's Claims on Capitol Hill

New name, same horrifying allegations for the Washington Commanders -- Dan Snyder was accused on Capitol Hill of inappropriately touching a female employee at a work dinner, but the owner is vehemently denying the allegation.

A group of former employees was in D.C. to speak with the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday ... and several women broke down in tears describing the harrowing experiences within the organization.

Melanie Coburn -- who worked as a cheerleader and in the marketing dept. -- claims Snyder hand-picked women to join the team based on their looks, and not talent.

Coburn also claims she was invited to Snyder's Aspen, Colorado home with other colleagues for an "awards trip" ... and after a night out, she was forced to go in the owner's basement and stay there. She claims another colleague later told her it was due to the men bringing back prostitutes.

Tiffani Johnston -- another former cheerleader, who had not previously spoken out -- claims Snyder touched her inner thigh under the table, as well as her lower back, during a team dinner ... and attempted to convince her into his limo at the end of the evening. Johnston said she tried to report the interaction to a supervisor, but was instructed to keep her mouth shut.

A former video production manager -- Brad Baker -- claims Snyder ordered employees in 2008 to put together an X-rated highlight reel of cheerleaders called the "good bits" ... which featured uncensored footage that had not been retouched to exclude accidental nudity.

During the meeting -- which was not under oath -- a Congresswoman pressed Baker on some offensive Tweets he'd allegedly posted, one of which included a crude comment about a female sports reporter "dressing like a whore." Baker responded ... whatever he'd tweeted had nothing to do with his experiences working with the team.

Ana Nunez -- the former coordinator of business development -- says her 8 years with the team was filled with fear of being sexually harassed.

As we previously reported, the NFL conducted an investigation into multiple claims of sexual misconduct within the organization ... which resulted in a $10 million fine. The league, however, did not make the findings public.

Snyder, in a statement to TMZ Sports, says the claims made on Thursday are simply not true.

"While past conduct at the Team was unacceptable, the allegations leveled against me personally in today's roundtable - many of which are well over 13 years old - are outright lies," Snyder said.

"I unequivocally deny having participated in any such conduct, at any time and with respect to any person."

"Tanya and I will not be distracted by those with a contrary agenda from continuing with the positive personnel and cultural changes that have been made at the Team over the past 18 months, and those that we continue to make both on and off the field."

Snyder says the Commanders have been making strides in fixing the workplace environment over the past 18 months ... and will continue to make an effort to improve.

Kanye West I'm the Birthday Bagman!!! Birkins for Everybody

020322_julia_fox_kal_1 2/3/22
FOX SQUAD CELEBRATION
@ksace_ , @sarapplemaliki, @bendraghi / Instagram

Kanye West has not only bagged a girlfriend, he's bagged all of her friends. Let us explain.

Ye took GF Julia Fox and her friends out for a birthday bash at Lucien in New York City, and following tradition Julia -- who turned 32 -- opened her presents with considerable excitement as Kanye and Co. looked on.

He got her some jewelry which we're pretty sure is super expensive, but that wasn't the extent of his gift-giving. Everyone at the table -- Julia and her pals -- all got Baby Birkins. It's good to know Julia, especially now!

Seems there was a dress code for the soiree ... all black.

Julia followed tradition, blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Lots of desserts came out ... one after the other.

020322_kanye_west_kal2
DINNER WITH YE

Kanye and Julia also hit new hot spot, Sei Less, before the night was over. The two were joined by the likes of Dave Chapelle and Fivio Foreign ... where Kanye played songs from his upcoming Donda 2 album.

Of course, it was a madhouse when Ye left the building, with fans, cameras and autograph seekers all wanting a piece.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Kanye and Julia have been together for more than a month now, and they've not hidden their relationship. We got pics of them a few days back making out in front of the camera. Depending on the day, Kanye has either moved on from Kim or he's persisting in his full-court press to win her back.

Super Bowl Mask Mandate Health Officials Warn Fans ... Hurry Up & Eat!!

The Super Bowl is just 10 days away and health officials in Los Angeles are warning all you sneaky fans plotting a way around the mask mandate ... don't even think about it!!

L.A. County -- where the game will take place on February 13 -- requires everyone over 2 years old at large scale events over 5,000 people, regardless of vaccination status, to mask up ... except when chowing down.

"That doesn't mean buy a bucket of popcorn and eat it for two hours. Actively eating and drinking," a SoFi Stadium executive said according to Fox 5 in San Diego, adding, "We are on to you."

Officials say they're ready to crack down on any of the 70,000+ fans who will ascend on the $5.5 billion stadium next Sunday ... but admitted it's a monumental task.

"It's a challenge. It's a very large building but we are prepared and ready to go," the NFL's head of live events said, continuing ... "We have had two years of experience of planning under COVID and we're extremely confident in the plans that we have in place."

Now, let's be honest ... this is a rule that is virtually impossible to enforce. How do you determine who's eating slow? What's even considered slow? And, how do you deal with the sheer number of people?

In fact, just last weekend during the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers at SoFi Stadium, California governor Gavin Newsom landed in hot water when he was caught taking a photo with Magic Johnson -- without a mask.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti also took a maskless photo with the Lakers legend ... but don't worry, he said he was holding his breath (he said this with a straight face).

In addition to requiring the masks, event staff will also require fans to show vaccination proof prior to entering the stadium. The stadium has also been outfitted with hundreds of hand sanitizers.

Bottom line ... Inglewood mayor James Butts Jr. says despite the pandemic, "This is going to be one of the safest, most glamorous Super Bowls in the history of Super Bowls."

'Chrisley Knows Best' Cast Member Threatens Suicide ... Todd, Savannah Desperately Try to Help

"Chrisley Knows Best" cast member Nic Kerdiles -- who at one point was engaged to Savannah Chrisley -- is alive today, because she and Todd Chrisley sprung into action as Nic was having an alleged mental breakdown ... while brandishing a gun.

The father and daughter can be heard on a panicked 911 call, obtained by TMZ, made Monday night outside a home in Nashville. Law enforcement sources tell us the call came in for a suicidal man, who had a gun to his head.

Todd and Savannah believed Nic was in the grips of a psychotic episode.

tmz_generic_audio_file_01
911 AUDIO

You can hear Savannah screaming in the background of the 911 call -- made by a friend on scene -- as she pleads, "Please, no!" You can also hear someone, who we believe is Todd, yelling, "Look at what you're doing to her!"

The caller tells the 911 operator Savannah was able to smash a window to get inside to her ex-boyfriend, but cut her hand in the process. Eventually, the Chrisleys were able to get the gun away from Nic ... and he agreed to sit in Todd's Range Rover until cops arrived.

You can hear the caller indicate Savannah's ex needed to get some help in treatment, and while cops were unable to tell us what happened once on scene ... there's no indication he was arrested.

Nic famously proposed to Savannah on an episode of "Chrisley Knows Best" a few years ago, but the relationship eventually came to an end.

We reached out to a rep for the Chrisley family, but didn't hear back. Todd, Nic and Savannah posted a video Wednesday night saying Nic had combined alcohol and medication ... which led to the terrifying incident.

Damon Arnette Allegedly Pointed Gun At Valet ... 'Give Me My Mother F***ing Keys!'

NFL player Damon Arnette allegedly pointed a semi-automatic pistol at a valet in Las Vegas and demanded his Mercedes SUV keys, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys," according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports.

25-year-old Arnette -- a 1st round draft pick -- was arrested on Friday, January 28 on Las Vegas Blvd. after cops received a call about a man who allegedly pulled a gun after becoming irate with a valet at the Park MGM resort.

Las Vegas Metro PD say they located Arnette driving a black G-Wagon around 6 PM on Las Vegas Blvd. When they pulled him over, they say they located two guns in the car. One of the weapons was found on a passenger (a Glock 36), and the other was found next to where Damon was seated.

As for the incident that led to the arrest ... a Park MGM employee said he retrieved a prompt to retrieve the Benz. However, when the valet delivered the car, he asked to see Arnette's ticket -- which he said he'd lost. That's when Damon allegedly lost it, yelling "give me my mother f***ing keys!"

Shortly after the valet says things took a turn for the worst. The male employee claims he heard a gun cock, and when he looked up, Arnette was pointing the firearm at him, and again demanded his car.

Arnette eventually got his keys and left ... and police were called. Damon was pulled over and arrested shortly after.

Police say they viewed surveillance video from the casino ... and the video shows Arnette "took a handgun that was concealed from his pants and placed it in the drivers side interior door."

Police say "it appears that Arnette gets irritated and starts yelling at the attendant."

The argument continued, and LVMPD says "Arnette then appears to reach down and charge his pistol using both hands."

FYI, to charge a handgun is to cock the handle.

It gets worse for Damon. Police say they found 3 baggies of cocaine -- totaling 1.8 grams -- in his pocket. They asked Arnette about the powder, and he told them it was ketamine, but that it was not his.

Cops say they also located 13.5 ounces of what appeared to be marijuana (the alleged weed hasn't yet been tested). LVMPD says Damon admitted to having a large amount of pot in his car for personal consumption.

Arnette was eventually booked on 4 felony charges including carrying a concealed weapon, assault and drug possession.

It's not the first time he's been in trouble. Arnette was cut by the Raiders after a video surfaced where he appeared to threaten someone with a weapon.

Arnette is also being sued for an alleged hit and run where someone was seriously injured.

Damon was recently signed to a futures contract by the Chiefs ... but the team cut him after news of the arrest.

'RHOC' Elizabeth Vargas Happy to be Alive!!! Considering Buying a Gun After Terrifying Standoff

020322_elizabeth_vargas_kal
TAKING IT IN STRIDE
BACKGRID
UPDATE

12:14 PM PT -- Geraghty was just hit with a multitude of charges from alleged incidents that span 3 days, starting back in December. He's been charged with felony extortion of property by force or threat, several gun charges -- including gross negligent discharge of a firearm -- couple injury on spouse of cohabitant as well as possession of a controlled substance.

UPDATE

We're told he could face upwards of 75 years behind bars for everything.

Elizabeth Vargas is happy to be alive, but considering ways to keep herself safe in the future after a scary incident that saw a former fling inside her home armed with a gun.

Vargas hit NOBU in Malibu Wednesday night, a mere 24 hours after cops rescued her from her Newport Beach home. She shares some intimate details of the scary incident, saying all she could think was "Please help me" when the man, Ryan Geraghty, entered her home.

Vargas -- accompanied by her manager David Weintraub and billionaire John Paul DeJoria -- says she's not a gun owner, but the whole ordeal has definitely made her consider becoming one. She says she also plans to run background checks on any possible future suitors, as unbeknownst to her, Geraghty was a felon.

020222_vargas_swat_team_kal
SURROUNDING THE HOUSE
TMZ.com

TMZ broke the story, SWAT team officers descended on Vargas' home Tuesday after the former 'RHOC' star called to report she was being extorted and believed Geraghty was coming to her home.

The two had briefly dated, and Geraghty had allegedly pressured Elizabeth to help him financially.

Somehow, Geraghty was still able to get inside, armed with a gun, and roughed Vargas up. He was eventually taken into custody and booked on a slew of charges including extortion and assault with a deadly weapon.

Colin Kaepernick Heckled On Way Out Of MSG ... 'You're A Bum'

020322_kaepernick_spike_lee_v2
HECKLED BY THE CROWD
BACKGRID

A Colin Kaepernick hater heckled the former NFL star on his way out of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday -- calling the ex-QB a "bum" and saying, "You could never throw a football."

The jerk was heard loud and clear as Kaepernick left the Knicks game in New York and got into his ride ... with the man yelling twice, "You're a bum."

"Get in that car," the heckler added.

Kaepernick never acknowledged the man ... and quietly walked through a swarm of people on his way out of the NBA game and into the waiting car.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Inside of the arena, Colin clearly had a much better time -- he sat next to Spike Lee, and was also spotted chatting it up with former MLB star CC Sabathia before tip-off.

During the game, ESPN Films announced a new docuseries was in the works about Kaepernick, with the production company saying Lee had been tapped to direct it. Officials promised it would tell Kaepernick's story in a way that's never been heard before.

Kaepernick, meanwhile, has said he still wants to play in the NFL again someday ... despite being out of the league since the 2016 season.

Rihanna Look At My Baby Bump!!!

Rihanna is fully embracing her journey to becoming a mother ... proudly showing off her bun in the oven.

RiRi just posted a brand new photo of her growing baby bump ... and it looks like she's clearly far along in her pregnancy.

As we reported ... Rihanna is pregnant with her first child, and the baby's father is boyfriend A$AP Rocky. The pregnancy was just revealed Monday, and Rihanna captioned Wednesday's baby bump photo, "how the gang pulled up to black history month."

She also included a bunch of other baby bump pics ... but we've already shown you those. This new photo is much more intimate, she's lifting up a jersey to show what's underneath.

The baby's sex is still unclear ... but Rihanna's dad Ronald Fenty says he's hoping it's a baby girl ... in part because he's already got a couple grandsons.

020122_rihanna_dad_kal 2/1/22
MORE TO COME
BACKGRID

Tons of celebs are leaving a bunch of cute and supportive comments on Rihanna's post ... so she's not the only one thrilled about the baby bump.

No word on a due date yet ... so stay tuned!!!

Facebook Users Jumping Ship Zuckerberg Blames TikTok

Facebook went face down Thursday ... losing more than 20% of its value, and it's not only a sign TikTok is steamrolling Mark Zuckerberg's baby, but he seems to be acknowledging it.

Check this out ... in the last 3 months of the year, FB lost about 500k daily logins. To put that in perspective, it now only has about 1.93 billion users checking in daily.

It's still a big number for sure ... but when you're talking about the Benjamins, it makes a huge difference.

Meta took a huge hit Wednesday -- sinking 22.6% in value on the stock exchange.  That translates to a $200 billion loss.

Zuckerberg chalked it all up to folks spending more time on other apps, like TikTok. And that's gotta hurt because Zuck alone took a $29 BILLION hit.

Facebook's been on the ropes lately, with Congress breathing down its corporate neck. It's also lost traction with the youngins.

BTW ... as of this post ... FB is now down 25%.

Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Fires Back At Brian Flores ... Allegations Are 'False, Malicious & Defamatory'

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is breaking his silence on the Brian Flores allegations ... calling his ex-head coach's claims "false, malicious, and defamatory."

In Flores' bombshell lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday, the 40-year-old alleged that Ross had offered him cash to tank in his first season as coach of the team in 2019 -- saying Ross was willing to give $100,000 per loss.

The owner, though, strongly denied the claims in a statement Wednesday night ... calling them a bunch of BS.

"With regards to the allegations being made by Brian Flores, I am a man of honor and integrity and cannot let them stand without responding," Ross said.

"I take great personal exception to these malicious attacks, and the truth must be known. His allegations are false, malicious and defamatory."

Ross added that he will cooperate with investigators -- but noted he doesn't anticipate them finding any validity to Flores' accusations.

"I welcome that investigation," Ross said, "and I am eager to defend my personal integrity, and the integrity and values of the entire Miami Dolphins organization, from these baseless, unfair and disparaging claims."

Ross fired Flores following the 2021 season ... and said at the time the decision was made due to the coach's "collaboration" issues with others in the Dolphins' org.

The team, meanwhile, had previously released a statement prior to Ross' ... denying that they operated in any matter that would compromise the integrity of the game.

T-Pain Says Stop Celebrating BHM!!! We're Just Part of History

020222_t_pain_kal
NOTHING NEW
TMZ.com

T-Pain is not here for folks celebrating Black History Month -- instead, he says Black people should always be recognized in history, and the rash of HBCU bomb threats prove the nation's still too divided.

When we caught up with rapper/producer at LAX he shared his thoughts about the bomb threats this week at more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities ... just as BHM was beginning.

To T-Pain, this sorta harassment is, unfortunately, normal -- as he points out, Black students have been blocked from getting educations, in different ways, for hundreds of years.

He says the only way these things will stop is if "we [Black people] make our own s**t" ... adding the fact that just 'cause it's an HBCU, doesn’t mean it’s owned by Black folks.

As far as the kids at these schools, Pain says stay strong... and for everybody else, the rapper says we should all stop celebrating BHM completely.

He says he doesn't think we should just have one month of Black History. Instead, he says "we want to be a part of history, not just one month of it."

Pain added the often heard complaint about February being chosen for BHM. And, it's not even a leap year this time around.

Spike Lee Teaming Up With Colin Kaepernick ... For New Docuseries

A new Colin Kaepernick docuseries is promising to tell the former NFL star's story through his own words ... and Spike Lee has been tapped to direct it all.

ESPN Films announced the partnership and the plan on Wednesday night ... saying in a statement that production on the project has already begun.

No word yet on a title or how many hours/episodes it'll all end up being ... but ESPN officials promised the Lee-directed piece will tell a side of the Kaepernick story that has yet to be heard.

"Kaepernick, who has never given a full, first-person account of his journey, is collaborating closely with Lee who plans to use extensive new interviews and a vast never-before-seen archive to help Kaepernick tell his story from his perspective," ESPN said in a statement.

The two were spotted taking in a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden right around the time ESPN dropped the statement.

The director and the football player were seen chatting it up courtside -- and then they left the venue together as well.

The new docuseries, meanwhile, will be far from the first television project Kaepernick has been involved with ... you'll recall, his Netflix show, "Colin in Black and White," was released last year and received great reviews.

An air date for the Lee/ESPN project has yet to be announced.

Anthony Anderson Whoopi Meant No Harm!!! ... Says All Should Be Forgiven

020222_anthony_anderson_kal
SHE MEANT NO HARM
TMZ.com

Anthony Anderson is sticking behind Whoopi Goldberg ... he says we all make mistakes and should be forgiven.

We caught up with the "Black-ish" star at The Dominick Hotel in NYC. Anthony says ... he only read Whoopi's comments, so he doesn't know the full context. But, he says he doesn't believe they came from a bad place.

Anthony added ... we all say things in the heat of the moment that we aren't fully informed about. He doubled down and said that as long a person can admit to being wrong and apologize, then he thinks that's fine ... something he says WG has done.

Anthony says these kinda things happen to us all ... for the most part, we come from a place of love and understanding.

020122-whoopi-goldberg-apology-kal 2/1/22
I WAS WRONG
ABC

As you know, Whoopi's been in the hot seat since she said that the Holocaust wasn't about race ... She has since apologized but ABC still decided to suspend her from "The View" for 2 weeks.

As for Anderson, he says it's not up to him to say if her suspension was warranted or not ... in his eyes, all should be forgiven.

Rudy Giuliani Revealed at New 'Masked Singer' Taping!!! Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke Storm Out

Rudy Giuliani's just as polarizing in reality TV, as he is in politics -- 2 'Masked Singer' judges revolted during a taping where Rudy was revealed as the mystery singer!!!

The taping went down last week, the first episode of the show's upcoming season, and -- not shockingly, we think -- Rudy was the first contestant eliminated. TMZ has confirmed ... as soon as the mask came off Rudy's head, Robin Thicke and Ken Jeong blew their tops.

As Deadline first reported, the judges were pissed and walked off the stage in protest.

Donald Trump's former attorney and advisor made jaws drop in the studio -- which is not uncommon during 'Masked' reveals, but we're told Robin and Ken's response went beyond the common reaction.

You might recall ... 'Masked' had another controversial/political reveal back in March 2020 when Sarah Palin was unmasked as a contestant. Obviously, the political climate is even more heated now -- none of the judges staged an open protest after that one.

Brian Kendrick Sorry For Past Comments On 9/11, Holocaust ... 'Not My Beliefs'

UPDATE

6:15 AM PT -- 2/3 -- Brian Kendrick is breaking his silence ... saying he's sorry for all the "hurt" and "embarrassment" he created with his claims.

UPDATE

"These are not my beliefs and never were beliefs of mine, and I crossed the line," Kendrick said.

UPDATE

"I spread the most vile comments without thinking of the damage it would cause. I will live with this regret for the rest of my life. I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused."

Wrestler Brian Kendrick was just yanked from making his AEW debut on Wednesday ... after the former WWE star's past comments about tragedies like 9/11, the Sandy Hook shooting and the Holocaust resurfaced.

42-year-old Kendrick was slated to face off against Jon Moxley at Dynamite just minutes from now ... but AEW president Tony Khan says that's no longer happening.

"We’ve been made aware of abhorrent & offensive comments made in the past by Brian Kendrick," Khan said in a statement.

"There’s no room in AEW for the views expressed by Brian. We think it’s best for all that Brian be pulled from tonight’s card as we gather more info."

It's unclear when exactly Kendrick made the comments, but some are at least 10 years old.

There are several videos currently published on the Internet of Kendrick spewing numerous offensive and hurtful conspiracy theories -- ranging from believing in the Illuminati-type group was behind the September 11 attack, the Sandy Hook shooting was "bulls***" meant to start a civil war, and the Holocaust was "overblown."

It doesn't stop there -- Kendrick also seems to believe Michael Jackson staged his own death.

Kendrick did several stints in WWE over the years ... and was just recently granted his release on Feb 1. That same day, it was announced Kendrick would make his first appearance with AEW.

Kendrick has yet to address being shelved from Wednesday's event ... but wrestler Wheeler Yuta has already been announced as his replacement.

Originally Published -- 2/2 5:19 PM PT

Chad Ochocinco I Had Sex 3-5 Times ... Before My Boxing Match

"Women weaken legs" ... unless you're Chad Johnson, who says he literally had sex THREE TO FIVE TIMES the night of his boxing match at Hard Rock Stadium, and then stepped in the ring with a professional fighter!

Seriously. And he looked pretty damn good during the fight.

The 44-year-old 6x Pro Bowler sat down for Brandon Marshall's "I Am Athlete" show ... and admitted to the guys he did it multiple times right before his June 2021 bout against pro fighter, Brian Maxwell.

"We did three times, maybe four to five times in three-minute intervals," Chad said, as Brandon sat and listened in disbelief.

Chad says he had pent-up nervousness after arriving at the venue ... and that's when he turned to everybody's favorite relation technique.

Knockin' boots.

Of course, many athletes -- especially boxers -- abstain from sex for days, weeks, or even months leading up to their fights ... as many people believe it severely hampers athletic performance. Sex right before a fight is unheard of.

"Matter of fact, I had to be at the stadium at Hard Rock," Chad said. "I think I fought at 8 o'clock. I needed to get that out of my system to relax me."

#85 went on ... "And it put me in a sense of, a state of calmness going into war. That's fighting. I'm out of my element stepping in a ring with someone that fights for a living."

And from the sound of it ... Chad thinks it helped him in the ring.

"Getting that up out of me was the best thing to do for me," Johnson said, prompting an amused Brandon (who's been boxing for years) to make sure he heard Chad right, asking ...  "You had sex the day of the fight?"

Marshall joked Chad tasted canvass in the fourth round (Maxwell dropped him with a vicious right hook) due to exhaustion from the pre-fight activities.

"That's why your ass got tired in four rounds."

The full interview Monday on IAA's YouTube channel ... where Brandon, Chad, and the rest of the guys chop it up about life as a professional athlete -- from women, money, and entourages to eating habits and working out.

Meanwhile, Mickey's rollin' in his grave.