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Sean Dawkins -- who played nine seasons in the NFL, most notably for the Indianapolis Colts -- died earlier this week. He was 52 years old.

Details surrounding his death have not been announced.

Dawkins -- a first-round pick in 1993 -- tallied 25 touchdowns across his professional career ... setting a career-high of seven in a season with the Seattle Seahawks in 1999.

Colts owner Jim Irsay paid tribute to Dawkins on Thursday, saying ... "Rest in peace, Sean Dawkins. I am shocked and saddened."

"My prayers and condolences to Sean’s family."

Irsay's Colts drafted Dawkins after a standout collegiate career at Cal.

As a Golden Bear, Dawkins was a consensus All-American in 1992 and was subsequently inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

NBA great and current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd -- who was a freshman on the Cal basketball team when Sean was tearing it up on the gridiron -- shared his grief following his fellow Golden Bear's death ... saying, "Heartbroken over the tragic loss of Sean Dawkins, a true legend of the @Cal Bear community."

"His remarkable talent brought joy to fans and inspired many. Our deepest condolences to his loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Sean. #ForeverACalBear #RIPSeanDawkins."

Sean was 52.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" star Pearl is apologizing after a look she deemed "'90s Britney-esque" took a ton of heat after many believed it to be blackface.

Pearl posted, then deleted, a series of photos to Instagram this week showing off the new look -- which featured bleached-blonde hair, a water cup, pink tracksuit and very tanned skin.

Fans jumped on her almost immediately, calling the look tone-deaf and comparing it to blackface. One wrote, "So y'all just gonna stay silent while Pearl from RuPaul's Drag race posts photos of themself in Blackface, all the while other non-Black queens were hyping it up like it wasn't clearly blackface?"

The pissed-off fan then, making a reference to the Alabama riverboat brawl, exclaimed, "Where's my damn folding chair?"

Clearly, the comments reached Pearl, who posted an apology Thursday, writing, "The character i posted this morning was not meant to resemble any other background other than my own. she's platinum blonde/blue eyes & meant to have 2000's britney-esque tan."

The "Big Brother" houseguest who got tossed, because he used the n-word, is NOT a racist ... according to his father, who says their family ties prove a lack of prejudice.

If ya missed it, Luke Valentine was booted this week after live feeds captured him using the racial slur in conversation with 2 other white houseguests, as well as a Black man. His dad, James, tells us his son's behavior was surprising and disappointing for a few reasons.

Luke's father says his son has many family members who are Black, including a stepmom and step-siblings, as well as biracial cousins ... and he says Luke is absolutely not a racist and was not raised in a racist family.

The dad says Luke's stepmother was also disappointed to hear him use the n-word on the live feeds, but we're told she feels he's a good kid regardless and they have a good relationship.

Luke's pops also says he's never heard Luke using the racial slur, and he believes his son was not intending to be racist, though he admits his kid said the wrong thing and has to be more mindful of what comes out of his mouth.

Needless to say, Thanksgiving's gonna be interesting.

TMZ broke the story ... CBS kicked Luke off the show the same day as the incident, telling us there's "zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur."

James says it's disappointing his son was kicked off the show, in part because he seemed to be enjoying himself, and the family wanted to see him on the program longer.

Bryce Hall is a handsome dude, but he isn't worried one bit if he gets pummeled in his bare knuckle fighting debut on Friday ... telling TMZ Sports he's no stranger to taking hits to the face!!

The TikTok superstar is entering the ring against a real-deal, undefeated fighter in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship in Albuquerque on Friday ... and while most people would call him crazy for taking that kinda challenge, Hall is oozing bravery leading up to his matchup against Gee Perez.

In fact, Hall -- who lost to YouTuber Austin McBroom in a boxing match in 2021 -- isn't just taking the fight to prove his toughness ... he wants a victory!!

"I'm going in there to win," Hall tells us. "I don't wanna lose again. I wanna tell my kids one day that I'm at least an even boxer, not an 0-1 boxer or 0-2 boxer."

Hall -- who has millions of followers across all his social media accounts -- admits anyone would have to be "a little crazy" to take a bare-knuckle fight ... but he tells us he thinks it's a fair matchup, even though Perez is 3-0 in the sport.

"It's definitely gonna be an accomplishment, for sure," Hall says. "And I'm not gonna underestimate that, but I am going in there -- I'm training as hard as I can humanly possibly train."

Hall -- who says he's been working with BKFC champ Lorenzo Hunt leading up to the fight -- even shades fellow internet personality-turned-fighter Jake Paul ... saying he may shed a tear if he wins against a guy who isn't a retired UFC star.

If ya didn't think Hall was tough by now, we asked him if he was worried about messing up his pretty face -- considering BKFC fights can get REALLY violent -- and his response is badass.

"It's not anything that I haven't felt before," Hall says. "I've been punched in the face, bare-knuckle, I've had cuts across my face, I have scars on my face. Everything heals. I'm not really worried about that at all."

There's more ... Hall raves about BKFC -- airing Friday on Fubo Sports -- and says he wants to work with the organization in any capacity moving forward.

Kevin Costner is a big-time Taylor Swift fan, and he doesn't care who knows it ... giving massive props to the singer after taking in one of her six record-setting shows in L.A.

TMZ broke the story -- Kevin was in a private suite Monday at SoFi Stadium with his daughter, Grace Avery, and a group of friends for Taylor's "Eras" tour.

The concert buzz was apparently still running through Costner Thursday when he jumped on his Instagram to rave about the show, posting a series of videos with the caption, “My videos are blurry, but I had an amazing time with my daughter at the Taylor Swift show. I was absolutely blown away watching her art bring so many people together.”

Remember, we got video of the "Yellowstone" star jamming along to "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" -- a fitting anthem given the nasty state of his ongoing divorce with Christine Baumgartner.

But, Kevin wasn't done there ... he also wrote of the show, “I had a great view of her band and had a blast watching them, too,” he added. “An inspiring night. I’m officially a Swiftie!”

Monday marked the first time we'd really seen Kevin let loose since Christine filed for divorce back in May -- ending their 18-year union which produced 3 kids.

Christine cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split -- and it was just last month when a judge ordered Costner to pay $129,755 in child support ... a bargain compared to the $248,000 Christine was asking he pony up.

Elon Musk says the fight with Mark Zuckerberg is officially on -- he announced Friday the billionaire brawl is all set to go down at "an epic location" ... though he added the two won't face off for a while, 'cause he needs minor surgery first.

Musk made the revelations in a series of early morning tweets ... explaining he and Zuck have just finalized a bunch of the details about their upcoming tilt.

First, the Tesla honcho said the fight will no longer be put on by Dana White and the UFC -- saying it all will now "be managed by my and Zuck's foundations."

He also said after recent talks with the Prime Minister of Italy and the Minister of Culture ... they've agreed the match will happen on Italian soil. It's unclear, however, if that means Rome's Colosseum -- as has been rumored for months now -- or somewhere else.

When it comes to how fans will watch the action, he said it will be live-streamed on X and Meta ... and "everything in camera frame will be ancient Rome, so nothing modern at all."

Finally, Musk tweeted all of the profits from the fight will go to veterans.

"Everything done will pay respect to the past and present of Italy," Musk added.

The fight night date is still unknown ... though Musk said he'll need a bit more time to prepare, 'cause he's undergoing surgery soon to fix an issue with his shoulder blade.

"Recovery will only take a few months," he insisted.

Luke Valentine's N-word fiasco was front and center in the latest installment of "Big Brother" ... and his fellow contestants struggled on how to deal with the fallout.

As you know, Valentine was booted from the CBS reality show this week after he used the racial slur during a discussion captured on a live feed with two white houseguests, Cory Wurtenberger and Hisam Goueli, and one black guest, Jared Fields.

The new episode starts off with Valentine heading to the Confession Room after he made the racially charged comment. The next day, contestant Reilly Smedley tells everyone Valentine has been tossed from the house because he violated the show's code of conduct by voicing the epithet.

The other contestants were stunned and started talking about it. Wurtenberger claimed the slur was directed at him in a casual way. Goueli said he didn't hear Valentine utter the word.

Fields chimed in, saying he didn't think it was appropriate to "have this as a family convo." He then stepped inside the confessional and explained it's hard to make people understand where he's coming from as the only Black man in the house. He went on to wish Valentine all the best.

During Thursday's episode, the show's host, Julie Chen Moonves, also addressed the drama, admitting it had been an emotional 24 hours for the Big Brother houseguests who learned of Valentine's exit the previous night.

Stay tuned. More drama to come for sure.

Floyd Mayweather is stepping up in a huge way for over 100 people displaced by the horrible wildfires in Maui … not only paying for almost 70 families to fly to safety, but also providing them with a place to stay, food to eat, and clothing to wear.

TMZ Sports has learned the 50-0 boxing legend personally paid for 68 families, impacted by the natural disaster, to fly from Maui to Honolulu over the last two days.

Mayweather is also providing the people with hotel rooms for several weeks, as well as food from local restaurants and clothing to wear while they’re away from their homes.

Our sources tell us Mayweather is working with H&M to get clothing for the men, women, and children he’s assisting.

Of course, Maui has been devastated by wildfires that ripped through the Hawaiian island, killing at least 53 people as of Thursday afternoon. on top of the tragic loss of life, over a thousand structures have burned down.

Many people have been forced to flee with just the clothing on their backs and nothing else.

Kevin Federline's family -- including his sons with ex-wife Britney Spears -- is safe in Hawaii amid the devastating Maui fires, but we're told the horrifying scenes in their new home state are upsetting the boys.

Sources close to Kevin tell TMZ ... he and Jayden James and Sean Preston -- along with Kevin's wife, Victoria -- aren't physically affected by the wildfires because they live on one of the neighboring islands, where they moved just 2 weeks ago.

The fam is settling into a new rental home, but we're told it's been traumatic for them to see all the death and devastation on Maui. As you'd expect, it's dominating all the news coverage on Hawaiian TV stations.

At least 36 people have died in Maui since the fires broke out Tuesday, making it the deadliest blaze in the U.S. since 2018 ... and all of the homes, schools and businesses in downtown Lahaina -- a tourism hot spot -- have been wiped off the map.

TMZ broke the story, Kevin and his sons packed their bags at the beginning of this month, flying to Hawaii with the boys, who opted to not say goodbye in-person to Britney.

Logan Paul is firing back at the critics of his ultra-popular Prime Energy drink ... saying he and his partners have done nothing wrong when it comes to the beverage -- while insisting its sister product is actually way better for consumers than Gatorade.

The WWE Superstar joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to give the 411 on his drinks straight from the horse's mouth ... and he brought along a bevvy of props to make sure his points were heard.

You'll recall ... Paul's energy drink came under fire earlier this year after United States Senator Chuck Schumer questioned whether it should be allowed due to its high caffeine content, but, the Maverick took aim at the critique Wednesday -- saying the bashing just makes no sense.

Paul said at 200 MG of caffeine per can, his Prime Energy drink actually features the same amount as Celsius and Gatorade's Fast Twitch. He also said it comes in with 100 MG less caffeine than Bang's similar energy drink.

As for the allegations that he and his team have been targeting teens with the beverage ... he said that, too, was just simply not true.

While he did say most of the advertising his company does is through social media -- he said those under the age of 18 make up only a small portion of his social media following. He also reiterated that his Prime Energy drinks say specifically on their labels that they're for those 18-years-and-older.

When it comes to the energy drink's sister product -- Prime Hydration -- Paul spoke glowingly about that beverage too ... touting its low sugar content.

"One 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar in it," he said. "To put that into perspective, one bottle of Prime only has two grams of sugar in it."

Tory Lanez is speaking out against his 10-year prison bid ... but he's not going to apologize for the Megan Thee Stallion shooting, as he still insists he didn't do it.

The Canadian rapper broke his silence Thursday with a lengthy Instagram post, promising to bounce back after he completes his stretch in a California state prison, and maintaining his innocence.

Tory says he's not apologizing for being found guilty of shooting Meg ... he says he was wrongfully convicted. He adds, "I remain on the stance that I refuse to apologize for something that I did not do."

As you know ... the judge sentenced Tory Tuesday to 10 years in prison, though his high-powered attorney Jose Baez says the plan is to appeal that sentence.

Tory says the conviction is just another moment where he has his back against the wall, but he says he's always overcome adversity and is promising to do so here.

He declares, "I refuse to stop fighting till I come out victorious."

TMZ broke the story ... Tory's lawyer says he's leaning on his faith and his family and friends as he begins serving his sentence.

Tory says "tough times don't last, tough people do" ... and he's thanking his supporters and promising to see them soon.

Two of the people behind some of biggest movies in history are selling their Malibu estate ... and the place looks like heaven on earth.

Legendary Hollywood filmmakers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy just put their 4-bedroom pad on the market for $18.5 million ... and it's the house 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones' built.

Nearly every room in the 3,989-square-foot-home boasts beach and ocean views, including the primary suite, which features its own fireplace and a spa-style bathroom, plus a walk-in closet.

The estate has all the bells and whistles ... an infinity pool, fire pit, outdoor BBQ and dining area, as well as an outdoor shower.

The chef's kitchen has a center island, full bar, mini bar and a fireplace ... and there's a third fireplace in the living room, which has vaulted ceilings and glass walls opening out to the Pacific.

Whoever buys the home will also get membership to the super exclusive La Costa Beach and Tennis Club, which is just down the block in Carbon Beach.

Kathleen, the president of Lucasfilm, and Frank, who runs the couple's production company Kennedy/Marshall, bought the 2.2-acre property back in March 2015 for $9.75 million ... and homes like these don't hit the market often.

During their illustrious careers in Hollywood, Kathleen and Frank have produced the new 'Star Wars' movies plus the 'Jason Bourne' franchise, as well as timeless classics like "Back To The Future" and "E.T." plus "Jurassic Park" and "Jurassic World."

Before this ecstatic little girl holding her shoe turned into a singer and songwriter, she was growing up in London, England hittin' the stage at open mic nights (and her father's pub) and dropping song covers on YouTube.

Her YT videos caught the eyes of DJ Fresh who featured her on his song "Hot Right Now." And, it wasn't too long before she was opening for Drake's UK Club Paradise Tour ... She also played Mia Grey in the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey."

"Gonna love you, gonna love you like a black widow, baby!"

Kobe Bryant's new sneaker, the Protro 8 is dropping in two weeks on what would've been Mamba's 45th birthday ... and now we're getting a look at the new Vanessa Bryant-designed Nike kick.

The footwear and apparel giant unveiled the "Halo" kicks on Thursday, just 24 hours after Vanessa teased fans with a silhouette of the sneakers on social media.

In fact, Vanessa reportedly helped design the sneakers to honor Kobe on his bday ... August 23.

FYI, the kicks are an updated edition of Kobe's eighth signature shoe, which originally dropped in 2012. It marks the second release from Kobe's line (the Kobe 4 Protro "Mamabacitas" were released in May) since the family reconciled their relationship with the Swoosh last year.

Of course, the previous contract between Kobe and Nike expired in April 2021 ... after the sides were unable to reach a new, long-term deal. But, Vanessa and Nike execs ultimately struck a deal, and that's great news for Kobe's millions of fans.

"This will be one of many Kobe 8 'Halo' styles coming soon," Vanessa wrote this week.

Tony Rock is ripping the white "Big Brother" houseguest who casually used the n-word in conversation ... setting the record straight on who can and can't use the racial slur.

We got the veteran comedian at LAX on Thursday and our photog asked him about Luke Valentine getting booted from 'BB' for dropping an n-bomb on the live feed.

Tony says no one named Luke Valentine should ever say the n-word ... and his rule of thumb is to refrain from using the slur unless you are a person of color.

Chris Rock's brother also finds it interesting Luke was so quick to apologize ... he says that should be a sign Luke should have known better in the first place. He also feels it's a trend whenever people or companies offend Black people.

Tony's fascinated by the reaction from Luke's fellow white houseguests to having the n-word dropped into a conversation ... he says the virtue signaling is in full effect.

Social media personality Lil Tay is very much still alive -- claiming her Instagram account was compromised -- and used to spread "jarring misinformation" about her and her brother's death.

In a statement provided to TMZ from Tay's family, she tells TMZ, "I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say. It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess."

She also says, "My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not "Claire Hope"."

Tay thanks Meta for helping to get her Instagram account back, and the phony death statement has been removed.

What's still unclear is why it took Tay 24 hours to get word out she's alive, especially because she says she was aware her account was hacked ... and was getting phone calls about her "death."

On Wednesday, TMZ contacted police in the Vancouver area as well as family members who were totally in the dark, and knew nothing of her passing. Now we know why.

Tay's fake death was announced Wednesday morning on her Instagram ... the statement said her "sudden and tragic passing" is an "unbearable loss," adding her family is in complete shock.

The statement also claimed her brother died, "Her brother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief."

Lil Tay got her fame as the "World's Youngest Flexer" that rapped and showed off a lavish lifestyle across social media. She's garnered 3.2 million followers on Instagram, but hadn't posted on the account since 2018.

You'll recall, Tay was caught in the middle of a nasty custody battle between her parents, Angela Tian and Christopher Hope -- one we were told had been going on in court since 2018, around the same time the influencer went radio silent online.