Coronavirus

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence -- the biggest star in college football -- has tested positive for COVID-19, according to NFL Network.

21-year-old Lawrence is now required to isolate for 10 days ... which means he will NOT play against Boston College on Saturday, so says Ian Rapoport.

It's unclear if Lawrence is symptomatic.

Lawrence is by far the most high-profile college football star to test positive for COVID-19.

Earlier this season, high-profile coaches like Nick Saban tested positive -- but he ultimately didn't miss a game.

"Every night I go to sleep I'm like, 'Lord, please, let me like wake up in the morning feeling good.'"

That's Saints star Emmanuel Sanders admitting he's scared to death of his COVID-19 diagnosis ... saying he's extremely worried his condition could deteriorate at any moment.

"Like, I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and like, can’t breathe," Sanders said on the "17 Weeks" podcast this week. "And like, sh*t just goes south, right?"

"That’s like my biggest fear in watching that sh*t, it intensifies my fears, right?"

Sanders tested positive for coronavirus last Thursday ... and says he's been experiencing some pretty bad symptoms ever since, including fever, body aches and "loopy feelings."

The 33-year-old says his wife also came down with the illness ... explaining she, too, is feeling the effects.

"Like, it feels like we’re glitchy," the NFL receiver said. "Like when I’m walking it feels like if my wife was to talk to me, it feels like I’m skipping a beat every now and then."

"It's like the weirdest sh*t ever."

The Saints placed Sanders on the reserve/COVID-19 list and he missed last week's win over the Panthers. He's already been ruled out of this week's game against the Bears.

This woman's taking face mask tirades to the next level, adding a disgusting racist tirade that included her busting out alleged Kung Fu moves on an Asian employee.

This all went down at Shoppers Drug Mart in Ontario, Canada where the employee had told the customer she had to wear a mask while inside the store ... and that set off the so-called "battle" you see in the video.

The maskless customer claimed she was doing Kung Fu because, "I know you know martial arts. So do I!" The employee desperately tried to get the woman out of the store and threatened to call police.

As if the situation couldn't get more bizarre ... the maskless woman appeared to threaten the employee with her own blood. You can see her waving a tissue she claimed had her blood on it.

The Dodgers are "working closely" with the L.A. County Health Department after Justin Turner tested positive for COVID … and officials are advising an immediate team-wide quarantine.

TMZ Sports spoke with Health Department officials who tell us they've already been in contact with the champs and have issued recommendations on the next steps "to prevent additional exposures."

The Dept. is wishing Turner a speedy recovery ... but reminded the slugger that he -- like anyone who is COVID positive -- MUST quarantine until they beat the virus.

But, they're not just singling out Turner ... the LACDPH says any Dodgers player or staff member "who has been a close contact of a person who has tested positive for the virus for 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period must quarantine for 14 days."

Since Turner got up close and personal with most of the team during the World Series celebration -- even packing in close for a team photo -- the suggestion is everyone needs to isolate, ASAP.

As we previously reported, the Dodgers boarded a plane and flew back to L.A. on Wednesday.

The World Series Champs are headin' to the City of Angels ... with the Dodgers currently on a flight back to Los Angeles.

And, oh yeah, they got the Commissioner's Trophy with 'em!

The travel plans back home were up in the air after star Justin Turner tested positive for COVID-19 during the game ... but most players and family members were able to catch the flight back on Wednesday.

Unclear who all is on the plane -- we're assuming Turner isn't on board -- but players like Alex Wood and Austin Barnes have been documenting some of the trip.

As we previously reported, the league said both the Dodgers' and Rays' travel parties would receive nasal swabs multiple times prior to heading home as a safety precaution.

BTW -- Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson has already touched down in L.A. on a separate plane.

As for the team plane ... it is decked out in Dodger Blue, newspaper clippings from articles covering the huge win ... and all the Chick-fil-A they can eat!!!

No one's laughing about the rising COVID death toll, which is why this is a total WTF moment -- a senior health official announcing grim numbers ... while rocking a clown costume.

Try not to be distracted by the full clown makeup, red tie, polka dot shirt and yellow pants the official was wearing as she somberly rattled off the tally for COVID cases and deaths in Oregon.

The answer to your question -- who's this clown? She's reportedly Claire Poche from the Oregon Health Authority. We know it's Halloween and all, but Claire never addresses her attire in the video.

Officials are reportedly dismissing it as just a costume, but that doesn't square with the fact the video was recorded Oct. 14, making it 2 weeks old now and pretty early for a Halloween. Plus, the sign language interpreter isn't in a costume ... so, Claire really stands out.

MLB is throwing Justin Turner under the bus -- placing ALL of the blame on the Dodgers star for not following COVID protocol after testing positive during the World Series.

Turner was pulled during the 7th inning of Game 6 on Tuesday and told to isolate -- but MLB says he "emphatically refused to comply" and returned to the field to celebrate after the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays.

Turner was seen hugging and interacting with several players, staffers and family members ... at one point he sat down next to Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts (a cancer survivor) without a mask on his face.

MLB is now going hard at Turner for his conduct -- and announcing a full investigation.

"Immediately upon receiving notice from the laboratory of a positive test, protocols were triggered, leading to the removal of Justin Turner from last night’s game," MLB says.

"Turner was placed into isolation for the safety of those around him. However, following the Dodgers’ victory, it is clear that Turner chose to disregard the agreed-upon joint protocols and the instructions he was given regarding the safety and protection of others."

"While a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner’s decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and put everyone he came in contact with at risk.  When MLB Security raised the matter of being on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply."

MLB says the Commissioner’s Office is beginning a "full investigation into this matter and will consult with the Players Association within the parameters of the joint 2020 Operations Manual."

MLB says players from the Rays and Dodgers were tested directly after the game on Tuesday and again Wednesday.

Travel plans for the teams to return home will be contingent on the results of those tests.

"Travel back to their home cities will be determined after being approved by the appropriate authorities.”

Khloe Kardashian contracted COVID-19 earlier this year -- and the symptoms were so bad, Kris Jenner called every doctor she could think of for help.

Khloe's diagnosis is included in a new "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" trailer ... where she says she quarantined in her room because the symptoms were "really bad for a couple of days." She says she was vomiting, shaking and had hot and cold flashes. She said she also got some terrible headaches and her chest burned from all the coughing.

The clip shows the family tension as they waited for Khloe's results -- Kim said, "I mean, my gut tells me she does, just because she's so sick. And, that really scares me for her, 'cause I can tell that she's now getting scared and that she's really nervous about it."

This is not the first time Kim's had a scary encounter with the potentially deadly disease. Kanye West revealed back in July during a Forbes interview he contracted the virus and suffered from similar symptoms. Earlier this month, Kim revealed Kanye got sick around the same time Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced their diagnosis back in March.

Kim said taking care of Kanye was scary at the time because the virus and its effects were largely unknown to the population. She said taking care of Kanye included changing his sheets while wearing gloves and a face shield.

Khloe's urging fans to follow precautions and stay safe. She's clearly back to her old self ... after recently hitting up Kim's 40th birthday extravaganza on a private island.

The Houston Texans are shutting down their team facility ... after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19.

"Late last night, we received notice that a Texans player tested positive for COVID-19," the Texans said in a statement.

The infected player is reportedly backup guard Max Scharping, according to the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson. The 24-year-old 2nd round draft pick has been placed on the reserve-COVID list.

The team says they've totally shut down their practice facility ... and have already started contact tracing to make sure no other players were exposed to the virus.

"In accordance with NFL protocols, the player immediately self-isolated and our Infection Control Officer and other members of the Infection Response Team began working with the NFL to perform contact tracing."

"Our facility will be closed today to players for deep cleaning."

Luckily for the Texans, the team is on their bye week ... so assuming there isn't a significant breakout, their November 8 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars likely won't be impacted.

"We are in close consultation with the NFL, as well as our team of independent doctors and specialists, and will follow their guidance regarding our scheduled bye week operations."

"The health and safety of our team, as well as our entire staff, are of highest priority."

Wild Tuesday night for the L.A. Dodgers -- they won the World Series and also ignited major COVID concerns after Justin Turner tested positive DURING THE GAME!!

The Dodgers star 3rd baseman was pulled from the game in the 7th inning -- but nobody knew why at first.

It was later revealed 35-year-old Turner had taken a COVID test that came back inconclusive on Monday. He was re-tested on Tuesday -- and that test came back positive.

As soon as the lab got the results from the Tuesday test, they informed MLB. An MLB official immediately called the Dodgers and ordered them to pull Turner, but it was already the 7th inning.

The Dodgers went on to win the game 3-1, thanks to some solid hitting from Mookie Betts.

But, as the players stormed the field to celebrate, Turner was nowhere to be found ... already in quarantine because of the COVID test.

After the game, Commissioner Rob Manfred explained ... "We learned during the game that Justin was positive. He was immediately isolated to prevent spread."

Turner did not celebrate with the team on the field -- but now there are new concerns about possible exposure to other players, coaches, staffers, etc.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports ... when the Dodgers return to the team hotel, everyone will take a rapid PCR test.  Passan says it's unclear if the COVID news means the team will stay in Dallas ... or if they will try to travel back to L.A. Passan says the situation is "fluid."

But, the question ... how many people could have been exposed in the 8 innings Turner played on Tuesday before he was yanked??

This could be a huge problem ...

Turner later tweeted about the situation -- saying, "Thanks to everyone reaching out! I feel great, no symptoms at all."

"Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team & unbelievably happy for the City of LA #WorldSeriesChamps."

As for the game itself, the Dodgers battled back from a 1-0 deficit and took a 2-1 lead in the 6th inning. Mookie Betts extended the lead with a solo HR in the top of the 9th.

Final score, 3-1 ... clinching the series for L.A., 4 games to 2.

Corey Seager was named World Series MVP.

It's the first World Series title for longtime Dodgers stars like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and company.

Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson was on hand in Dallas and was going crazy when the Dodgers won. Awesome moment!

The Blue Crew had made it to the World Series in 3 of the last 4 years -- but lost to the cheating Houston Astros in 2017 and then the Boston Red Sox in 2018.

But, this was L.A.'s year ... the pitching, the hitting -- even the coaching was top notch. Shout-out Dave Roberts.

As we previously reported, the L.A. Lakers have postponed their victory parade until they get the all-clear from L.A. City and County officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's likely the Dodgers will follow suit.

In the meantime, CONGRATS and get well soon, Justin Turner!

The New England Patriots look like crap and Dave Portnoy couldn't care less ... with the Barstool Sports founder telling TMZ Sports there are much bigger issues to worry about -- like COVID-19.

It's been a different experience for Pats Nation in 2020 -- the team is 2-4 for the first time since 2000(!!!) and players like Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore have dealt with coronavirus.

We spoke with El Presidente out in NYC fresh off the Pats' 33-6 loss to the 49ers ... and he says it's pointless to care about the season when there's a pandemic going on.

"Cam Newton had COVID, he probably still has COVID, a lot of people have died from COVID, so we should be focusing probably on bigger things," Pres told us Monday.

Of course, Portnoy was singing a different tune after Week 1 ... saying it was "business as usual" after Cam's Pats beat the Miami Dolphins in the season opener.

Now, he's questioning everything.

"Does this season even count? Those are the bigger questions that I feel like, right now, we as a people should be discussing. Not wins and losses in a season that'll go down as not counting."

He added, "We're in a major pandemic here. Lives are being lost. That's the bigger issue. That's what I'm focusing on."

You've probably heard it a million times -- this is the most important election of our lives -- and it's probably the most expensive too ... based on the millions it's costing to try to keep voters safe.

Get this ... the estimated cost in L.A. County for this year's general election is $91.7 million -- $33 MILLION more than 2016's price tag of $58.5 mil.

We're told the added cost is the result of the massive amounts of products needed to clean and sanitize voting devices after each voter ... along with all the soap, sanitizer and PPE provided for voters and workers.

There are also added operational costs in making voting locations socially-distant compliant ... and special care for disabled voters or those with health vulnerabilities.

Houston's experiencing a similar surge in general election costs this year compared to 2016 -- $33.2 million up from just $4.06 mil ... according to a spokesperson for Harris County.

Among the new expenses -- providing PPE including masks, gloves, and a "finger condom" to all voters ... because all the voting stations have electronic touch screens.

Here's a strange scene right out of the Big Apple about a week and change out from Election Day -- hundreds of people lined around city blocks to vote in person at the first opportunity available.

The first day of early, in-person voting started Saturday in NYC ... and a WHOLE LOT of New Yorkers were eager to get out the vote the good old-fashioned way -- namely, standing in line for hours in chilly weather, just to cast their ballot and make sure it went through.

The good news ... many of them (we'd say the vast majority) are wearing face coverings and appear to be social distancing as best they can out there. The weird part ... just seeing the throngs of bodies insistent on voting in person, when voting by mail is an easier option and has actually been encouraged.

It's interesting ... the sheer number of people who seem dead set on exercising their right in this fashion -- especially during a pandemic, and especially in a place that used to be the epicenter of said pandemic. In our minds, it speaks to a couple of things happening.

For one, President Trump has waged a war against mail-in voting (and voting in general) ... constantly sowing doubt about the legitimacy of the process, suggesting voter fraud is rampant and even stripping down the Post Office from the inside out, via a lack of funding and a new Post Master General -- who's implemented a lot of what Trump's demanded.

We've seen reports of mailboxes being yanked out of the ground and sorting machines sidelined ... not to mention long delays in mail delivery, so people have reason to worry.

A family in New Mexico just got a helping hand after their young son was spotted using his closed school's WiFi ... since there was none available to him at home.

Roswell resident Angel Endecott says a good Samaritan stepped up and volunteered to pay for her family's Internet service for a year after a photo of her 10-year-old, Jonathon, sitting outside of his shuttered elementary school went viral, depicting him lying on the floor outside his school while using a computer for class time. The reason ... he needed access to WiFi.

Jonathon's mom says she and her husband had lost their jobs during the pandemic, and as a result ... had to cut off their Internet provider, among other things. Jonathon's still doing online learning, so they suggested he hit up the nearby campus to get a signal.

Luckily, the story had already gotten picked up after a few weeks of this ... so Endecott and co. don't have to worry about WiFi anymore. She says she's got other problems though, and has opened a GoFundMe account to solicit donations. Another GoFundMe to help other kids at the school who might not have WiFi has also been created. Both have raised thousands of dollars.

Jonathon's predicament is reminiscent of another one in California, where two little girls had to resort to hitting up a local Taco Bell for Internet. Just goes to show ... this isn't an isolated problem, and that schools offer a lot more than a basic education to a lot of families.

President Trump's talking like he and Dr. Anthony Fauci are still on friendly terms -- despite each jabbing the other lately -- but that's news to Fauci, who says he has zero access to the Oval Office.

Dr. Fauci essentially said he's been bumped, telling NBC's Chuck Todd he no longer has the President's ear -- even though the coronavirus pandemic is ramping up again over most of the country.

The good doc says Trump is now listening more to Scott Atlas, the neuroradiologist and conservative think tank member the President added to the task force this summer.

Unlike what we've heard in recent weeks, Fauci did NOT take a shot at Trump for the shift -- watch, he says it more matter-of-factly -- but instead, he's still sharing his knowledge with Vice President Mike Pence and the rest of the Coronavirus Task Force.

He added, Pence relays information to Trump, who hasn't attended a task force meeting in several months. Worth noting ... the country reported at least 75,049 new COVID cases Thursday, the second-highest daily total since the pandemic started.

Great time for a game of telephone.

White House security is looking pretty lax in new video showing Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Borat' costar easily gaining access and coming within feet of President Trump.

The footage is of Maria Bakalova -- who plays Borat's daughter in the newly released sequel -- and shows her getting a tour of the White House press briefing room by OANN reporter Chanel Rion. It appears Rion, a regular member of the WH Press Corps, and her outlet were duped last month into getting Maria onto the White House grounds somehow.

There's also footage of Maria within feet of POTUS at a reception for Trump supporters back in February in Phoenix -- and there she's seen shaking Donald Trump Jr.'s hand. She was blonde at that time.

BTW ... Maria gaining access into the White House is NOT in the newly-released film, but it calls into serious question the security measures in place at 1600 Penn. Sacha claims Maria wasn't checked for a credential, nor did she have a COVID-19 test.