Coronavirus

"The only people who are not vaccinated are just a**holes."

Charles Barkley is taking a strong stance on the COVID-19 vaccine ... saying the NBA -- as well as all other pro sports leagues -- should make it a requirement in order to compete.

As we previously reported, the NFL announced a policy that will penalize teams with potential fines and forfeited games if an unvaccinated player causes a coronavirus outbreak ... guidelines that had superstar DeAndre Hopkins tweeting about contemplating retirement.

The 58-year-old Hall of Famer says the virus is too serious to give people an option.

"Can you imagine if one of these guys that are not vaccinated, if they get one of these players’ kids, wives, girlfriends, moms and dads sick and they die over some unnecessary conspiracy bull****?," Barkley said, according to CNBC. "I think that would be tragic."

Chuck says players need to treat their careers like those with regular day jobs ... and there will be things they don't always want to do, but have to.

"There’s s*** you can’t do at work and there’s s*** that you have to do at work," Barkley added.

'X-Men' star Alexandra Shipp is praising Sean Penn to the skies, saying she's down with his demand that no one be allowed on a movie set who is not vaccinated.

We got Alexandra at LAX Friday and asked about Sean refusing to set foot on any set where unvaccinated people are allowed in. She thinks Sean's a hero and is saving lives.

Sean has said he won't return to the set of his new production, "Gaslit," until the entire crew gets the shot. The movie is modern day version of Watergate ... Sean plays Attorney General John Mitchell, who played a pivotal role in the scandal.

Penn represents a growing number of people who are sick of the unvaccinated calling the shots. It's become infuriating for some that mask and other mandates have been imposed on the vaccinated because of those unwilling to get a COVID shot.

France has an interesting solution ... anyone who isn't vaccinated by September won't be forced to get a shot, but they'll be barred from restaurants, concerts and sporting events.

A snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo has COVID ... and zoo officials are worried about an outbreak among the cats.

A 9-year-old snow leopard named Ramil caught the attention of zoo staff Thursday, after noticing the cat had a cough and runny nose. The COVID test came back positive, confirmed by 2 labs.

They're doing another test, but the staff expects the result to be the same -- positive.

Here's the problem ... Ramil shared an enclosure with 3 other cats -- a female snow leopard and 2 Amur leopards, all of which have been exposed to COVID. So, the 3 big cats are in quarantine now, although real talk -- they're always in quarantine. In this case it means the public won't be able to go near.

Fortunately, Ramil's symptoms haven't gotten worse. Zoo staff is mystified as to how the cat caught the virus. Zoo keepers must wear masks if they're not vaccinated. Eight gorillas caught COVID in January, though none were symptomatic.

Scientists have known for months that cats can contract COVID. Most cases are not serious, but snow leopards are fast dwindling in population. Estimates put the number of wild snow leopards at 4,000 to 6,500.

Morgan Wallen explaining on 'GMA' his rationale behind using the n-word is gibberish ... so says the NAACP Nashville chapter president.

Sheryl Guinn tells TMZ ... she believes Morgan's sit-down with Michael Strahan is the result of Morgan being sorry not for what he said but for getting caught using the racial slur. She says it's a travesty Morgan never thought about the meaning behind the hateful word.

What's more ... Sheryl says his white privilege was on full display for never caring to learn the hurt that word causes. And, she's is dismayed by Morgan trying to contextualize the word ... saying he used it in a "playful" way.

Sheryl does believe Morgan can turn things around ... and she has a punch list.

According to Sheryl ... Morgan can make amends by addressing serious issues, like inequality. Morgan broached the subject a bit when he told Strahan "it would seem" country music has a race problem ... though he hasn't thought about it too much.

Sheryl says he can start in his hometown of Nashville ... where Morgan is hugely influential.

The NAACP honcho says while Morgan's at it, he should encourage his community to get vaccinated. Less than 40% of Nashville got the shot ... and it's devastating marginalized communities.

Dr. Ashish Jha believes COVID vaccinated people are getting unnecessarily punished with mask mandates ... purely because of diehard anti-vaxxers -- and it could make push come to shove.

Brown University's Public Health School Dean joined "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss L.A. County's reinstated COVID-19 mask rule, which requires even fully vaxxed folks to mask up indoors.

Dr. Jha says the new mandate doesn't jibe with science -- as he points out, an office full of vaccinated people don't need masks ... even indoors.

However, as the Delta variant continues to spread among the unvaccinated -- and more than 97 percent of people hospitalized for COVID are unvaccinated -- experts also agree masks remain a wise precaution for everyone in certain settings.

So, therein lies the issue ... anyone who wants to wear a mask can wear one, but making it a requirement for everyone removes the incentive for the unvaccinated to get the shot.

Dr. Jha says the bottom line is people should get vaccinated because the Delta variant is no joke, and because it's the ONLY way to truly put the pandemic behind us.

NFL coach Rick Dennison is now no longer a member of the Minnesota Vikings staff ... and it's reportedly all 'cause the guy refused to take the COVID vaccine.

Dennison, according to ESPN, recently affirmed his decision to not get the shots ... and with the NFL rules making it nearly impossible for coaches to coach without them, he's now OUT in Minnesota.

The 63-year-old had been the Vikings' offensive line coach and run game coordinator ... working with the team since 2019.

If you weren't aware, the NFL made it mandatory this offseason for all Tier 1 staffers -- which includes coaches -- to get the vaccine in order to have direct contact with players in meeting rooms and on the field.

The league did allow exceptions -- saying valid medical or religious reasons would be considered -- but it's clear Dennison did not meet those standards.

ESPN reports Phil Rauscher, who was the team's assistant offensive line coach, will now fill for Dennison in 2021.

Dennison -- who's coached in the NFL since 1995 and helped Dalvin Cook blossom into one of the league's best rushers -- is believed to be the first NFL coach to leave his team over the league's vaccine rules.

The Vikings, meanwhile, are set to begin training camp next week and kick off their season in September.

Story developing ...

DeAndre Hopkins' days in the NFL could be coming to a close ... at least that's according to the wide receiver himself, who says the league's new COVID vaccine stance has him pondering retirement.

The NFL announced Thursday it will potentially punish teams with forfeits and loss of game checks if virus outbreaks among unvaccinated players cause unfixable scheduling issues.

Hopkins clearly HATES the idea of that ... and dropped a bombshell on his social media page hours after the league's announcement, saying he might now look into retirement.

"Never thought I would say this," the Arizona Cardinals superstar said in a since-deleted tweet.

"But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl."

The league has NOT made COVID vaccines mandatory for its players ... but it's clear, it wants all of its employees to get the shot.

In addition to Thursday's new policy, the league has also placed heavy restrictions on players who have yet to get the vaccine.

Some of those regulations include, among many other things, daily COVID testing, mask requirements and travel restrictions.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell ... about one quarter of the league's players are still not at least partially vaccinated.

Michaela Coel is rumored to be in the new "Black Panther" sequel -- now being filmed after Chadwick Boseman's death -- and it's got fans wondering ... curtains for Letitia Wright???

Word of the casting just came down Wednesday via Variety, which says the "I May Destroy You" star is definitely in it ... but that her role, for now, is unknown/unnamed and being kept under wraps. The studio itself isn't confirming either ... SOP for stories like this.

The report -- assuming it's true -- might not seem like much on its face ... but there's a lot of background here causing some eyebrows to be raised in suspicion. Fact is, Marvel's been slow to formally announce who the heck is actually going to be in the new movie, like for sure for sure -- which is weird, because the flick is literally filming in Atlanta right now.

The assumption is that a majority of the cast from Pt. 1 will return -- like Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, etc. -- but none of them, including Letitia (who had a major role the first time around) are sure things at this point ... and in light of this news, it's giving folks pause for LW's sake.

Here's the deal ... Letitia is the only member of the OG cast who's been embroiled in controversy lately -- and there's a ton of circumstantial evidence that seems to point to her having bad blood with Marvel and perhaps Disney at large.

Based on tweets she's liked in the recent past -- before scrubbing all her social media entirely not too long ago -- all signs point to her possibly not returning ... and that recasting her might be on the horizon, which is why the Michaela addition is fueling theories.

Pile on the fact she was accused of being an anti-vaxxer just this past December -- this after retweeting what many called conspiracy theory videos questioning the legitimacy of the jab -- it just adds even more reason to believe that Letitia may be done with the franchise.

That's a huge deal, and a potential huge blow (for Letitia) if it turns out Michaela is, in fact, going to play an older version of Shuri (T'Challa's sister in 'BP'). The reason ... Shuri actually becomes the new Black Panther after T'Challa passes on the torch in the comic book series.

While the plot details of the "Black Panther" sequel have yet to surface -- ya gotta imagine they're going to go that route since their lead man isn't around to do it anymore.

Dillon Francis is imploring everyone to follow in his footsteps and get vaccinated. Yes, it can be a matter of life or death, but also ... it can save his and other people's jobs.

We got the famous DJ leaving Erewhon Tuesday in L.A. and wondered if he had any trepidation about the rising COVID-19 cases -- largely due to the Delta variant -- and how it could affect his upcoming tour dates.

For starters ... the "GO OFF (Nuthin' 2 It)" hitmaker tells us most of his scheduled gigs are outdoors. So, all good there. But, that being said, Dillon also didn't waste time urging anyone and everyone to get vaccinated because, as he put it ... "I'm trying to have a job."

He's not just looking out for numero uno, either -- Dillon says vaccination especially helps those in the service industry like servers and bartenders, whose livelihoods almost completely disappeared during pandemic shutdowns.

He tells us he got the shot as soon as he could -- and it's that kinda effort that undoubtedly helped reopen America and allow for packed concerts and restaurants to be a thing again.

The Olympic Village will be a little less crowded during the Tokyo Games -- the USA women's gymnastic team has decided to crash at a nearby hotel instead ... after one of their members tested positive for COVID.

Head coach Cecile Landi says the decision came down after alternate Kara Eaker tested positive for COVID on Sunday ... and he hopes keeping away from the rest of the athletes will prevent any more health issues.

"We know it isn’t ideal for the Olympic experience but nothing is ideal during a pandemic," Landi said via Twitter.

"We feel like we can control the athletes and our safety better in a hotel setting!"

Gymnastics superstars, USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, did make a quick stop by the OV for some photo ops ... snapping shots with the Olympics logo on Monday.

Of course, the Olympic Village is a restricted area with housing and dining for the 11,000 athletes who will be participating in the next two weeks.

Officials are on high alert with the COVID re-emergence after two South African soccer players and a staff member tested positive inside the Village last week.

Team USA has had its fair share of issues as well ... with Bradley Beal, Coco Gauff and Sue Bird all backing out of the Games after testing positive for COVID.

According to CNN's Will Ripley, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto hasn't ruled out canceling the Games ... saying, "We can’t predict what the epidemic will look like in the future. So as for what to do should there be any surge of positive cases, we’ll discuss accordingly."

Michael Irvin says he's straight-up upset the Dallas Cowboys have low COVID vaccine rates ... explaining he believes it's a sign his former team doesn't really care about winning.

The Hall of Famer broke it all down at a recent charity event this month ... ripping the 'Boys for being below the NFL's 85% vaccine threshold.

"If you're not one of them teams [at the threshold]," Irvin said, "are you really thinking about winning a championship?"

As you may know, 85% is the number the league has set in order for teams to be able to ease COVID rules and regulations for the 2021 season ... and the Dallas legend is clearly pissed the Cowboys have yet to make it there.

Irvin went on to say Cowboys players should also be pissed that they're still below the 85% mark ... explaining the team should be doing everything in its power to get others to take the shots.

"Not being one of the [85% threshold teams] says there's other things to a great number of people on this team that are more important than winning championships," Irvin said.

"And that makes me worried."

According to multiple reports, only 13 of the 32 NFL squads have hit the league's required mark.

Of course, it really is a big advantage in the NFL this season to make it to that milestone ... teams who are above the threshold will be able to work out and practice way more freely than teams who are below it.

Irvin clearly understands this ... and is imploring the Cowboys to get above the mark ASAP.

"It should upset them," Irvin said. "Dude, you're not thinking right. You're not thinking right. Whatever you got, I don't give a damn."

The sleeping arrangements for the Olympics have surfaced -- athletes will crash on boxes, limit 1 per customer ... something honchos apparently don't want tested with bedroom shenanigans.

Check out the beds that have been set up all throughout the Olympic village in Tokyo, where world-class athletes will arrive by the end of next week for the start of the games. As you can clearly see, these babies are made out of good old-fashioned cardboard ... seriously.

The beds' frames and modest mattresses are designed by a company called Airweave -- and they've cranked out upwards of 18,000 for the Olympics. Yes, they're somewhat intricate in their structure and configuring ... able to be adjusted to an individual's liking/contortion.

However, a running theory is that the beds are made this way for a reason -- namely, the International Olympic Committee and other organizers supposedly want to discourage sex among athletes ... a pastime at the games that's getting pooh-pooh'd this year due to COVID.

A handful of Olympic athletes -- some who've already touched down in Tokyo, and others who haven't -- are testing positive for the virus ... including U.S. tennis player Coco Gauff.

Still, U.S. track and field star Paul Chelimo got in on the joke, explaining that it was clear to him the Olympic powers that be don't want any banging going on ... because these beds, theoretically, only support the weight of one person. NBD for runners, though!!!

He writes, "I see no problem for distance runners,even 4 of us can do😂." The implication being ... runners are light, so a couple of them probably wouldn't break the bed.

There's also the tradition of handing out condoms, which got a 2021 asterisk. The Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee reportedly told a Japanese outlet the condoms aren't supposed to be used, but brought back to an athlete's home country for safe sex education.

In other words ... keep it in your pants this time around. That, or risk hitting the floor.

VP Kamala Harris just went to the hospital for what the White House calls a standard visit -- but some worry it may be COVID related, based on who she's been around in recent days.

News broke Sunday that the Veep had made what seemed to be an unannounced trip to Walter Reed in D.C. -- something a WH official confirmed, but downplayed as nothing more than a "routine doctor's appointment." Apparently, it had already been scheduled.

Ya might find it odd a check-up would go down on a Sunday ... but for the leaders of our nation, we're guessing they can get appointments whenever they want (or need). Even recent history has shown ... it's not unheard of for a Prez to see a doc on the weekend.

Like we said, the WH says this is unrelated to 'rona, or Harris' meet-up with Texas lawmakers this past week ... a few of whom have tested positive for the virus since then. Still, the timing has raised eyebrows -- but for now, the message is ... it's much ado about nothing.

Of course, it's understandable why folks might connect those dots. Like we said, the Vice President had some facetime Tuesday with upwards of 60 TX Dems who fled their state to avoid having to vote, in vain, on new voting laws that were sure to pass regardless.

Kamala gave them props during the meeting, saying they were doing the right thing ... even though they put their necks on the line. Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed the politicians who abandoned their duty would be arrested and charged as soon as they got back into town.

BTW, here's another reason why Kamala's Walter Reed drop-in is raising suspicion -- her rep said she wouldn't be getting tested despite being in the same room with 3 of the Texans who were positive ... apparently, because they weren't in close proximity to her for the meeting, and because she's fully vaccinated. The rep says due to the sequence of events, it was determined she wasn't at risk of exposure ... so testing/quarantining wasn't needed.

Los Angeles County is now under a new mask mandate (again) -- which went into effect at midnight -- but before the clock struck 12 ... Angelenos got in their last bit of maskless fun -- especially at SoFi Stadium ... with Kaskade behind the wheel.

The venue was jam-packed with people Saturday during the EDM DJ's headlining set -- with Deadmau5 as the surprise opener -- which got underway not long before people would be forced to cover their mouths and noses once more ... due to a new surge in coronavirus cases, of course.

Check out the video ... concert-goers were huddled close together, and there didn't seem to be very many masks (if any) among the crowd. Seems they were milking the opportunity down to the last hour, because as of 12:00 AM PT -- the mandate went into effect.

It's unclear just how many people showed up for Kaskade and co. ... but considering the place has a capacity of 70,000 seated (and even more standing), we'd say it was probably close to that, based on how crowded it looked from a quick glimpse.

If COVID numbers are, in fact, surging again like they say ... then this definitely doesn't seem like the best way to spend one's time right before another masking rule gets ushered in.

The end of the pandemic means no masks and a return to normalcy for some ... but for DeAndre Hopkins -- he tells TMZ Sports it's an opportunity to help thousands in his new hometown.

The NFL superstar couldn't do as much charity work in Arizona after being traded to the Cardinals in 2020 due to the coronavirus ... but he says he's hopeful that'll all change as we enter a post-COVID world.

"My mom and I, we're about to get into the community," Hopkins said out at LAX. "You know, it was COVID, so we really couldn't do much."

It's spectacular news for Arizonians ... 'cause, if you're unfamiliar, Hopkins and his mom, Sabrina Greenlee, have an amazing charity called S.M.O.O.O.T.H.

It was established to help women who have been affected by domestic violence.

Hopkins has been very active when it comes to raising funds for it all ... he even helped create a line of breakfast cereal this year to try to get more cash flow into the company.

Hopkins clearly wants to see it thrive in the desert, telling us, "We're in Houston right now, but trying to touch the Arizona market."

COVID-19 is officially in the house ... or at least the place Olympians will call home when the Olympic Games begin next week.

Organizers say an Olympic Village staffer tested positive Friday for the coronavirus. They added the person is not a resident of Japan, and their job was only described as "games-concerned personnel."

As it is, the International Olympic Committee is under intense pressure. As we reported, Tokyo is under a state of emergency due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. That news prompted the IOC to make the last minute decision to pull the plug on having spectators at the games.

Still, protesters have been rallying outside the Olympic Village, demanding the games not go on as planned ... and polls show less than half the Japanese population support the games being held at this time.

While the IOC says about 80 percent of Olympic athletes are vaccinated, the concern is less than 30 percent of Japan's population is vaccinated.

The person who tested positive has has been placed on a 14-day quarantine. The games open Friday, July 23 ... and about 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to live in the Olympic Village during the 2 weeks of competition.

IOC President Thomas Bach oddly insisted earlier this week there was “zero” risk athletes could pass the virus to others in or out of the village. Makes ya wonder if the IOC is oblivious to what the world's been through for the last 18 months.