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The Georgia sheriff under fire for saying the Atlanta spa shooting suspect was having a "really bad day" is having a bad day himself ... he's OUT as the spokesperson for the case.

Captain Jay Baker will no longer be giving updates and briefings on the case, according to a CNN report from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

Baker's been catching tons of heat for Wednesday's news conference, when he said shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long "was pretty much fed up and had been kind of at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him, and this is what he did."

Long has been charged with 8 counts of murder for Tuesday's mass killing of 8 people, including 6 Asian women. Long told cops his alleged attack on massage parlors was motived by his sex addiction, not racism ... a point that has left many unconvinced.

Deshaun Watson is now being investigated by the NFL -- the league has reached out to the lawyer representing the 9 women who are making sexual misconduct claims against the QB.

Attorney Tony Buzbee posted the letter he received from NFL investigator Lisa Friel -- who previously had a lead role in the NFL's investigation of Ezekiel Elliott. A league source confirms to TMZ Sports the letter is authentic.

In her letter, Friel states the league is aware of the 3 lawsuits Buzbee has filed on behalf of the female massage therapists who claim they were sexually assaulted by Watson and she's hoping to conduct interviews with them as soon as possible.

The league has invited Buzbee to be included in the interviews, if the women agree to participate.

Unclear if the women will cooperate -- especially while their lawsuits are still pending.

As we previously reported, Buzbee claims he's representing 9 women who are all making similar allegations against Watson -- that what was supposed to be an innocent and professional massage session turned into an aggressive push for sex acts.

Watson has issued a statement denying the allegations and insisting Buzbee is only looking to score an unwarranted payday for his clients based on lies.

Watson has not been charged with a crime or even named a person of interest in a criminal investigation.

However, the NFL has made it clear they don't need a criminal conviction in order to take disciplinary action against a player ... and that's exactly what happened in the Ezekiel Elliot case.

Zeke was hit with a 6 game suspension in 2017 following a probe into domestic violence allegations ... despite the fact he was never charged with a crime.

The NFL said at the time it found enough evidence to show Zeke violated the league's personal conduct policy, which the league claims justified the punishment.

The Houston Texans have released a statement on the Watson allegations Thursday afternoon ... saying the team will fully cooperate with the league's investigation.

"The NFL informed us today that they will conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the civil lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson," the team said. "We will stay in close contact with the league as they do."

Armie Hammer is now accused of rape ... by a woman who says she's reported the alleged crime to police, and law enforcement sources tell us he is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault.

The actor's accuser, Effie, claims Armie raped her for over 4 hours, during which he allegedly slapped her head against a wall and physically abused her with other acts of violence. She says the incident happened April 24, 2017 in Los Angeles.

Effie made her allegations Thursday during a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Effie claims she met Armie on Facebook in 2016, when she was 20, and they began a relationship which became violent and abusive.

Allred says Effie has provided law enforcement with evidence of the alleged rape, and prosecutors will have to decide if there's enough evidence to press charges against Hammer. Allred says she is not planning to file a lawsuit against Hammer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone spoke with police about the alleged incident on Feb. 3 and cops started a sexual assault investigation, which is ongoing.

Hammer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, tells TMZ they believe Effie "undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations" because she sent Armie extremely sexual texts as recently as July 18, 2020. In the alleged text, Effie said, "Helplessly horny and I just need to tell you cuz it's been sooo long since last time." There's much more that's, frankly, too graphic for us to describe here ... but the point is she told Armie, in stark detail, what she wanted him to do to her.

He responded, "I am not going to be able to engage in you in that specific way right now. It never ends well. We can talk and be friends but I can't do that."

Brettler claims Effie sent hundreds of texts to Armie, and adds ... "It was never Mr. Hammer’s intention to embarrass or expose [Effie]'s fetishes or kinky sexual desires, but she has now escalated this matter to another level by hiring a civil lawyer to host a public press conference. With the truth on his side, Mr. Hammer welcomes the opportunity to set the record straight."

As you know ... Hammer's been embroiled in controversy since January after some shocking, but unverified, DMs he allegedly sent to women started surfacing on the Internet.

TMZ broke the story ... Hammer exited a J Lo movie shoot as a result of the scandal, but he told us, "I'm not responding to these b******* claims."

And then there's Hammer's ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, who last month accused him of licking blood from a brand he allegedly forced upon her.

The allegations against NFL superstar Deshaun Watson are piling up ... a third female masseuse has filed a lawsuit against the QB, claiming he forced her to perform oral sex during a Dec. 2020 encounter.

The woman, who filed her suit under the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect her identity, claims Watson reached out on Instagram to set up a session.

The woman says the two agreed to an appointment at a Houston, Texas office building on Dec. 28, 2020 at 10 a.m.

Jane Doe -- who claims she was newly engaged and had just graduated chiropractic school -- says her mother dropped her off at the job, and then she met Watson ... and that's when she claims things immediately got weird.

The woman says Watson insisted she focus on massaging his "inner thighs" and "inner glutes" -- while repeatedly telling her he's a professional football player.

She claims Watson "got more aggressive" -- and eventually "coerced [Jane Doe] to move her mouth toward his penis, forcing [Jane Doe] to perform oral sex on him."

The woman claims she never consented to the sex act ... and actually "blacked out for a few minutes from the fear."

In her suit, the woman claims she was so terrified, she defecated on herself.

The woman says Watson got up, got dressed and left as if nothing happened.

The woman is suing for sexual assault, civil assault and intentional inflection of emotional distress.

It's the third lawsuit filed against Watson by attorney Tony Buzbee ... who claims there are at least 3 other women who will be taking legal action against the Houston Texans player.

Watson has not been arrest nor charged with a crime ... and has adamantly denied all wrongdoing, insisting Buzbee is just trying to score an unwarranted payday for the women.

There's a deep-seated hatred for Asian people that goes well beyond Trump's COVID-19 rhetoric ... according to Rep. Andy Kim, who says -- in the wake of the Atlanta shootings -- it's time to confront the issue.

The U.S. Congressman joined TMZ Live Thursday to talk about the mass killing of 8 people, including 6 Asian women, by Robert Long -- who told cops his sex addiction, not racism, motivated his attack on massage parlors.

That claim doesn't sit well with Kim, who says it's not up to Long to make that determination, investigators need to dig and find his real motive.

He also believes the shooter fetishized, over-sexualized and objectified Asian women ... something Asian women live in fear of every day... according to the Congressman.

It looks like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are moving onward and upward after reaching a breaking point ... but the open question -- how much of this is for the camera?

J Lo and A-Rod packed on the PDA Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, where they've been working through some serious relationship issues. They certainly look like a couple, kissing and conversing on a balcony. But, there's no doubt ... they know cameras are trained on them.

The sparks were flying, and not just between J Lo and A-Rod ... they were even treated to a fireworks show, which Jen seemed to love, throwing her fists in the air.

Cameras or not, it seems like a good sign for J-Rod ... and their 4 kids. As we first told you, the children are a big reason why J Lo and A-Rod are giving it the ol' college try in the DR ... trying to patch things up.

Seems Alex made the right move in visiting Jen in the Dominican, where she's been shooting a movie. He fueled up the jet Sunday and flew down from Miami. A-Rod was feeling good about their prospects Monday, saying things were onward and upward, and the next day they were smooching.

TMZ broke the story ... people close to the couple acknowledged things between J Lo and A-Rod blew up Friday, TMZ and other outlets reported the couple broke up Friday -- sources directly connected to the couple told us so. We're told someone said "It's over!" in the heat of the moment, but by Saturday morning J-Rod was telling us "We are working through some things" and their issues had nothing to do with a third party.

If ya gotta get arrested during Spring Break, might as well get the entire beach cheering for you as you flee from cops while you're in handcuffs -- that was this kid's game plan, anyway.

The video from a beach in Clearwater, FL is pretty epic, and this guy is probably an instant legend with his friends. Law enforcement sources tell us Clearwater PD hit the sand to break up a fight ... and when the video starts they've already got a suspect handcuffed in the back of their car.

But, someone in the crowd opened the back door, and the shirtless kid starts racing down the beach, trying to make a getaway. The only problem is everyone on the beach cheered and started running with him -- so much for the element of surprise!

The hilarious scene looks like they all just heard there was a free beer giveaway. Alas, the cops were in better shape than the suspect, and eventually recaptured him.

Hope it was fun, since he'll probably get an added charge or 2 for evading arrest.

If nothing else, Flash's folly will live on in TikTok infamy.

Amber Heard hasn't donated the full $7 million in her divorce settlement with Johnny Depp, but her vow to do so gave her credibility, and made Depp lose his defamation case ... that's his new legal argument, anyway.

Depp's lawyers are trying to appeal the ruling in his U.K. defamation case, in which he sued The Sun for libel over a 2018 article labeling him a "wife beater" ... but he took the L in November when the judge ruled there was evidence he'd abused Amber.

Amber was The Sun's star witness and took the stand to lay out her allegations of Depp's domestic violence during their marriage.

But, Johnny's lawyer, Andrew Caldecott, claimed in court Thursday that Heard's testimony was unfair because her promise to donate the $7 mil divorce settlement provided a "considerable boost to her credibility as a person" and "tipped the scales against Mr. Depp from the very beginning."

Translation: Depp's lawyer thinks the judge believed Amber because of her donation claims, but she hasn't actually donated all the money. In fact, he says she's only donated $100k of it ... so he thinks that entitles his client to a re-trial.

Here's the thing, though ... Heard's attorney responded to these claims already earlier this year. The lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, admitted Amber has not yet fulfilled the entirety of the $7 mil pledge she made to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the ACLU ... but says that's only because Depp keeps suing her.

Bredehoft said, "Amber has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfill her pledge."

She adds ... "However, Amber has been delayed in that goal because Mr. Depp filed a lawsuit against her, and consequently, she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending Mr. Depp's false accusations against her."

JOEY CHESTNUT'S STILL GOT IT!!!

The food legend proved once again he's still the king of shoveling meat down his throat -- devouring more than 30 boneless wings in 90 seconds at an FCF eating competition ... all while beating out teams of massive football players!

The face-stuffing event went down Wednesday night just outside of Atlanta at the Infinite Energy Center, where the Fan Controlled Football league hosted its first-ever eating event.

37-year-old Chestnut -- the greatest eater of all-time -- was matched up against four teams of two ... which included squads featuring hungry-ass linemen.

Chestnut, though, was able to pound down more chicken by himself than every other team ... plowing through 33 wings in the allotted 1.5 minutes.

It was no boat race ... 2nd place ate 31 and 3rd place at 28 -- and even Joey had to tip his hat to the other guys after taking the crown.

"I knew I was going slow," Chestnut said, "but they were eating!"

Props to Joey for yet another win under his belt ... now get back to the hot dogs -- 4th of July is less than four months away!

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are being compared to the likes of Pepe Le Pew and Dr. Seuss after their Grammy night performance of "WAP" prompted dozens of heated -- and sometimes amusing -- complaints to the FCC.

Based on the 80 or so reviews (yeah, that's what we'll call 'em) ... you'd have to say the rappers' were every bit as eye-popping and titillating as intended -- especially since one Colorado viewer groused it was "as if they were dancing in a strip club."

Bingo!!! Remember, the stage included a stripper pole and women drowning in dollar bills.

In many of the FCC complaints, uncovered by WFAA in Dallas, wardrobe was a big issue ... particularly for an Idaho viewer who called their outfits "absolutely disgusting" -- while a Texas critic said Megan was "barely dressed in a thong" with "naked look-alike legs."

Sorry, sir or ma'am, those were Meg's actual legs.

One person in NJ complained, "Why was that performance okay but Pepe Le Pew is offensive?" -- a reference to the Looney Tunes character getting canceled for allegedly perpetuating rape culture.

Likewise, another viewer wondered how Dr. Seuss's books were being yanked while Cardi is allowed to "sing about her [WAP] on national television."

Truth is, this was a light night for the FCC compared to something like Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl -- which drew 540,000 complaints!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger should be put in charge if aliens ever invade our planet ... according to 2,000 adults in Great Britain.

"The Terminator" star and ex-California Governor topped the list of 20 celebs and public figures in a British survey of who'd be best equipped to handle the doomsday scenario ... with Will Smith coming in at #2.

Both actors are known for their badass movie roles in which they battle bizarre creatures, but apparently Arnold's political experience as "Governator" gave him the edge over Smith's film experience in "Independence Day" and "Men in Black."

Rounding out the top 5 on the list were beloved Brit, Sir David Attenborough, followed by Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise.

Ex-President Donald Trump was the top current politician at #8 -- just behind Harrison Ford and "Alien" star Sigourney Weaver. The bad news for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the UK survey put him all the way down at #12.

Apparently, the polled Brits have even less faith, though, in America's current administration ... when it comes to handling aliens. VP Kamala Harris came in at #19, while President Biden was last at #20.

The BLAZE TV channel that commissioned the survey says Arnold is a strong top choice, but adds ... "it’s worrying to see that so many celebrities with fictional alien experience are considered by many to be better candidates than our current crop of world leaders."

The same study also found 11 percent of the adults surveyed believe they have seen a UFO ... so maybe take all of this with a grain of salt? Yeah, for sure.

Blue Ivy's showing there's a new queen in the making ... and she's drinking it all in.

Beyonce and Jay-Z's 9-year-old daughter celebrated winning her first Grammy last weekend in style ... wearing a gold crown to match the award.

The photos of Blue Ivy -- one in which she's holding her Grammy and smiling and another where she's sipping out of it with a straw -- were shared by her mom at the end of a video montage. The sipping one has major Notorious B.I.G. vibes with the crown and red background.

Beyonce's Instagram video -- set to her award-winning "Black Parade" -- features a timeline of her setting the record for most Grammy wins by a female artist and most by any singer, male or female, with 28 ... with the special tribute to Blue Ivy at the end.

Can Gonzaga really win the entire NCAA Tournament? YES, THEY CAN!

... at least, that what Barack Obama thinks!

The 44th President of the United States revealed his bracket for 2021 March Madness -- and POTUS likes Gonzaga, the #1 ranked team in the country.

In fact, Obama's Final Four is comprised entirely of #1 seeds -- Baylor, Illinois and Michigan.

The only longshot Obama likes to get to the Elite Eight is USC, a #6 seed.

He's got a couple of upsets in the 1st round -- including UCSB (12 seed) over Creighton (5 seed) and Georgetown (12) over Colorado (5).

On the women's side, Obama likes Baylor to win the whole thing -- they're a #2 seed!

His Final Four is made up of N.C. State, Maryland and Stanford.

Obama even has Baylor knocking out #1 seed UCONN in the Elite Eight!

The NCAA Men's tournament begins 1st round action on Friday. The women don't begin until Sunday.

President Trump never filled out an NCAA bracket during his time in office -- no word if he has plans to start now!

Unclear if Joe Biden will try his luck as well.

But, Obama loves hoop and follows it closely -- he's been all over the brackets for as long as we can remember.

The entire NCAA men's tourney is taking place in a controlled environment in Indianapolis -- but there are serious concerns over COVID, which has already impacted several teams and even referees.

Hopefully, the tourney will go off without a hitch and everyone can stay healthy!

Prince William and Prince Harry's attempts to mend fences after the Oprah interview have hit a roadblock -- William wants their future conversations to remain private.

The elder Royal bro is reportedly concerned -- and possibly peeved -- that any talks he has with his little brother end up going public in the media, which is causing a major lack of trust.

To put it more bluntly, William's "now worried that anything he says to his brother will be plastered over American TV" ... according to the Vanity Fair report.

This seems to refer to Gayle King's recent reporting on "CBS This Morning" that Harry did speak to his brother and his father, Prince Charles, but that their talks were "not productive." Gayle said she called Harry and Meghan Markle directly to get the info, and apparently ... that's very worrisome to the Duke of Cambridge.

Interestingly, we talked to Gayle this week in NYC, following her reporting on Harry and William's chat, and she insists she's not a mouthpiece for Harry and Meghan ... she's just a concerned friend checking in on them.

Albeit, a friend who anchors a major morning TV show. Either way, it seems she's caught in the middle of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Buckingham Palace ... and the VF report says the Royal Family is concerned the story is "becoming a soap opera."

Dontavious Jackson -- a former star linebacker at Florida State -- says he was called a "f***ing n****r" during an altercation on a flight Wednesday ... and then he claims he was nearly arrested over it all.

Jackson spelled out the disturbing story on his Twitter page late Wednesday night ... saying he was on a United flight when a "racist family" began harassing him.

Jackson claims he was called racial slurs ... but says "flight attendants just let it happen!"

"Unacceptable!!" Jackson wrote of the incident.

But, Dontavious -- who played in 43 games for the Seminoles from 2016 through 2019 -- says when cops arrived to investigate the altercation in Miami, they nearly arrested HIM over it all.

Jackson claims the family "tried to play the victim card, telling the officers I punched/attacked them which was a lie."

Jackson says witness' statements -- and video a person had filmed from the scene on the plane -- was the only reason officers let him go.

"The officer told me if it wasn’t for the witnesses I would’ve been taken to jail," Jackson said. "@united this isn’t right & I’m not staying quiet!"

Jackson later added, "Just grateful to still be a free man smdh."

We've reached out to Jackson and United Airlines for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Jackson was a solid player for Florida State during his 4-year career ... logging his best season as a junior in 2018, when he tallied 75 total tackles.

Jon Cryer and Lisa Joyner are joining forces with a non-profit doing all it can to tackle the homeless crisis in Los Angeles ... by providing tiny homes for shelter.

The "Two and a Half Men" star and his wife are spearheading a fundraising effort with the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission, which opened the first Tiny Home Village in North Hollywood last month.

Along with donating $30,000 to the org's ongoing mission to fight homelessness and poverty in the L.A. area, Jon and Lisa will also be running 2 miles of the 125-MILE ultra-marathon to raise money for the cause.

Hope of the Valley hopes to raise over $200k, which will go toward opening another 500-bed Tiny Home Community across the San Fernando Valley.

Jon and Lisa will also serve as Tiny Home Village sponsors. A rep for HOTV also tells us it’s important to note that city councilman Paul Kerkorian, made it possible to build these homes in the city.

According to Hope of the Valley, the Tiny Homes initiative is an "innovative, affordable, and scalable solution to the humanitarian crisis known as homelessness" ... and with Jon and Lisa's support, it's ramping up in the best way.