Drugs & Alcohol

Washington Capitals star Evgeny Kuznetsov -- one of the biggest stars in hockey -- has been suspended from international play after testing positive for booger sugar.

... and after a video surfaced showing Evgeny in a hotel room with lines of white powder chopped up on a table, it's really no surprise to anyone.

Here's the deal ... back in May, the footage surfaced on social media showing Evgeny in a room with a woman with white lines on a table next to a rolled up dollar bill.

27-year-old Evgeny addressed the video at the time and insisted he had NEVER taken illegal drugs -- and neither the NHL nor the Washington Capitals took action.

But, the International Ice Hockey Federation -- which oversees everything from the Olympics to the World Championships -- does things a bit differently and on Friday they slapped Evgeny with a 4-YEAR SUSPENSION after the positive coke test.

In other words, he can't represent his home country, Russia, in international tournaments until 2023.

So, how will this affect his NHL career? It won't.

The NHL put out a statement saying, "Unlike the IIHF, cocaine is not considered a performance enhancing drug and is therefore not a Prohibited Substance under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program."

"Instead, it is considered a drug of abuse that is tested for and for which intervention, evaluation and mandatory treatment can occur in appropriate cases."

"Here, we understand that Mr. Kuznetsov has voluntarily sought help through the education and counseling program provided for in the NHL and NHLPA collective bargaining agreement and has agreed to a regular testing protocol relating to his involvement with that program."

Bam Margera is putting himself back on the road to recovery -- on the heels of leaving rehab yet again, and ending up in a bar ... we've learned he's about to give rehab another shot.

Sources close to Bam tell TMZ ... he's voluntarily entering a new rehab facility on Thursday, knowing full well he needs help. We're told he intends to try to stay sober.

He was at a Los Angeles bar Wednesday night sipping on an ice cold mug of beer. He had just recently bailed on a treatment facility -- the second time he's done so this month.

So now, he's making attempt number 3, and we're told Bam's big stumbling block in treatment has been wanting his cell phone with him at all times, so he can communicate with his son. The last facility took his phone, which he didn't take well.

Our sources say Bam's checking into a different facility this time, and he's hoping they'll let him keep his phone.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam had an intense session with Dr. Phil a little over 2 weeks ago when he was urged to complete a 60 to 90-day treatment program. He entered, but left after a few days.

That's when he got arrested last week following some bizarre behavior at a L.A.'s Luxe Hotel. Hours after his arrest, he was admitted back to rehab -- but it didn't stick.

As he takes a third swing at treatment, we're told he still has Dr. Phil's full support.

Conor McGregor is finally apologizing for sucker punching a man in the head at a pub in Ireland ... saying, "I was in the wrong."

The UFC superstar is speaking out 1 week after TMZ Sports posted video of the incident ... telling ESPN's Ariel Helwani that there was no excuse for his behavior.

"I mean, in reality, it doesn't matter what happened there. I was in the wrong. That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it to end the way it did."

McGregor says that he made amends with the man shortly after the April bar attack -- which happened to be a dispute over his Proper 12 whiskey.

While at the pub, Conor poured shots for patrons at the Marble Arch in Dublin ... and threw a punch at the victim when he turned down the offer.

"And, although five months ago it was, and I tried to make amends, and I made amends, back then, it does not even matter. I was in the wrong."

McGregor continues ... "I have to realize that's not the attitude or the behavior of a leader, of a martial artist, of a champion. So, I must get my head screwed on and just get back in the game and fight for redemption, retribution, respect."

Conor clearly wants to move on from the incident ... but Ireland cops tell TMZ Sports they are still investigating the attack and could bring criminal charges.

As for the victim, he told the Irish Daily Star that Conor is a "bully with money" ... and claimed he wanted to drink his Guinness in peace.

Conor also addressed his fighting future, saying he's NOT retired and when asked if he'll fight before the end of 2019, he says that's the goal.

Mr. T pities the fools over at Leafly ... the weed company he claims is ruining his rep by using his name ... so he says in a new lawsuit.

The legendary actor is suing Leafly -- think Yelp but for stoners -- claiming it's promoting a hybrid cannabis strain called Mr. Tusk ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ. The issue ... Mr. T's pissed Leafly's logo to promote the strain uses his iconic name ... "Mrt."

According to the docs ... Mr. T says the logo will confuse consumers into thinking he's in bed with the weed company. He says for nearly 40 years, Mr. T has authorized his name to be used for promotion and branded products but he is NOT and never was on board with Leafly using "Mrt."

New England Patriots star Patrick Chung has been indicted for cocaine possession and now faces PRISON time if convicted.

It all stems back to an incident in New Hampshire on June 25 when cops say the 32-year-old was in possession of coke.

The case went to a grand jury which ultimately decided to charge Chung with a Class B felony which carries up to 7 years in prison if convicted, according to the Laconia Daily Sun.

Chung -- who's won 3 Super Bowl rings with the Patriots -- is scheduled to be arraigned next week.

Officials say Chung was not formally arrested and there is no mug shot.

Details surrounding the incident are sparse -- we're working on it.

Story developing ...

French Montana was the man of the hour at the grand opening of a restaurant Sunday night, and along with his pals, Drake and Fat Joe ... he was definitely living his best life.

The 3 amigos yukked it up while throwing back expensive shots of liquor at Papi Steak in Miami, and not that they need a special occasion to rage ... they were there celebrating French as Haute Living's latest cover man.

Montana's luxury lifestyle mag issue coincides with the upcoming release of his new album, and fittingly ... it touches on some of his famous friendships.

The event in his honor was part of the Hublot Collectors Dinner, which was also attended by Hublot President Jean-Francois Sberro, Haute Living CEO Kamal Hotchandani and author Deyvanshi Masrani. Tres bougie! The crew partied it up afterwards at David Grutman's club LIV.

French is in very good company, btw -- last month's cover man was NFL star and Super Bowl champ Julian Edelman.

Mama June could lose more than her daughter if her bizarre and troublesome behavior continues ... it could also spell doom for her once lucrative TV career.

Sources close to June tell TMZ ... Mama's got deal-breaking issues for WE tv -- her crack cocaine arrest, her refusal to get help, her boyfriend, Geno and her off-the-rails conduct. No one's saying it's not compelling TV, but it may prove too hot and dangerous for the network.

Our sources say show producers tried to get June help, offering to send her to rehab, but Mama refused. We're told producers are not yet giving up on Mama on a personal level -- they still want to help her get better. As for filming a 4th season of "Mama June: From Not to Hot," we're told it's a no-go unless she takes steps to get herself out of the danger zone.

Obviously, Mama losing her TV career would kill her cash cow ... but it seems that's not on her radar, because she's doing everything she can to scare the network away.

We broke the story ... Mama and her boyfriend Geno Doak were acting erratic this week ... selling off everything in her Georgia home, right down to the coat hangers ($10 a pop).

As we reported ... Mama's already lost Honey Boo Boo -- she's moved out and is living with her older sister, Pumpkin -- and now her future on TV appears to be hanging by a thread.

Liam Hemsworth did not seem the worse for wear Saturday as he hit-up a bar in Australia with some mates.

Liam was chillin' at a bar and restaurant in Byron Bay, where he's been hangin' since his split with Miley Cyrus was made public.

Seems like Liam's the only one who hasn't hooked up since the split. Miley's been with Kaitlynn Carter, Brody Jenner's ex. Brody's been with Josie Canseco, and then there's Liam. Don't get us wrong ... he has options.

Miley released a song a few days ago, essentially saying what we reported last week ... her team says she was frustrated Liam was abusing substances, including booze and pills -- something his side strongly denies. His side claims the breakup is all about Miley's behavior. His side claims she hooked up with Kaitlynn before the split ... her side says they split months ago.

Lil Yachty is looking at Boosie Badazz's weed case in Georgia with a glass-half-full type of mentality -- and doesn't seem to think he'll do jail time if convicted.

We got the rapper Saturday cruising around in Atlanta in a red Ferrari with a beautiful gal riding passenger, and asked what he made of Boosie's legal predicament there ... where he's currently facing two felonies and possible jail time for a little bit of weed.

TMZ broke the story ... the Coweta County D.A. hit the Louisiana MC with two charges -- possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance -- which are both felonies and carry max sentences of at least 1 year in prison, depending on how many grams he had on him at the time of his bust in April.

Yachty plays the semantics game with us, trying to get to bottom of what the reality of the situation is. Our camera guy got it right though -- Boosie's facing this sentence, which doesn't necessarily mean it's been handed down yet ... or that he'll actually receive it.

That's key for Yachty, who says there's an important word here giving him a feeling that Boosie probably won't be sent back to jail for this one.

Time will tell, we suppose. Remember, Boosie was sent to prison back in 2009 on drug charges in his home state -- which initially started with a marijuana charge -- that him kept him locked up for several years. He was ultimately released early in 2014.

It could've been way worse for Boosie Badazz ... but it's still pretty bad, because he's facing 2 felony charges in Georgia from his April drug bust.

The D.A. in Coweta County slapped the Louisiana rapper with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance. When you see it's less than an ounce of weed, ya might think it's not that serious, but Georgia ain't Colorado or California -- it still takes marijuana very seriously.

As we reported, Boosie was arrested back in April when cops pulled him over in his white Dodge Charger for swerving lanes and nearly hitting another vehicle. During the traffic stop, officers found the ganja, one handgun and more than $20,000 in cash.

Prosecutors decided not to charge Boosie for the gun possession.

It's unclear why he got the pass. Boosie did have a passenger in the car, who is also facing the same 2 drug charges. If convicted, both men are looking at least 1 year in prison ... depending on how many grams of green they had. Remember, Boosie previously did 5 years in Louisiana for drug charges.

One last piece of accounting in the case -- prosecutors tacked on a traffic violation for Boosie ... failure maintain his lane.

Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz have beef... BUT, AP says that doesn't mean he won't spark a J with Diaz after they fight.

Their relationship is icy -- there's been bad blood between the fighters for awhile -- and they're gonna duke it out Saturday night at UFC 241.

"We're not cool. Me and Nate are not cool," Pettis tells TMZ Sports ... "I mean we never had any kind of relationship other than him throwing his middle fingers up at me. So, you do that to me, then I'm assuming we have a problem."

So, yeah, they ain't friends ... which made Pettis' answer to, "Would you smoke with Nate after the fight?" surprising.

"F**k yeah. Hell yeah. Honestly after this fight is done, there's no beef," he says, "I'm gonna settle it in the Octagon, and if we spark one up, we spark one up."

It could happen.

Diaz isn't shy about his love for weed, and even lit up a joint (it's unclear if it was marijuana or CBD) at his open workout on Wednesday.

Pettis loved it.

"That's dope, that's dope. Hell yeah. I support that. I smoke weed too."

Troubled NFL player Josh Gordon is getting another shot ... the league announced it will conditionally reinstate the receiver on Sunday.

The New England Patriots star was indefinitely suspended back in December for committing several violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Gordon's been suspended several times since 2012 ... and also stepped away from the game to focus on his mental health last year.

The league made the news official on Friday, saying Gordon will be able to attend team practices and meetings ... but will not be able to play until he's properly conditioned.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement ... saying "We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally."

Miley Cyrus just dropped a new single -- less than a week after she announced her split with Liam Hemsworth -- and the lyrics seem to reflect the real-life struggles of her failed relationship. In fact, 2 sources say that's exactly what she wrote about.

Miley released "Slide Away" Friday with song artwork that included a bottle of booze and pills floating in a pool. The lyrics are ominous, saying, "Once upon a time it was paradise. Once upon a time I was paralyzed. I think I'm gonna miss these harbor lights. But it's time to let it go."

TMZ broke the story ... sources close to Miley told us she tried desperately to save her relationship, but became tired of Liam's partying. His side stated the drug and alcohol accusations were only a cover for Miley's recent outrageous public behavior.

Miley makes a drug and alcohol reference in the song -- and you have to imagine it's rooted in her struggles with Liam -- saying, "I want my house in the hills. Don't want the whisky and pills. I don't give up easily but I don't think I'm down."

As we reported -- sources close to Liam claimed infidelity on Miley's part -- though those connected to Miley call BS ... saying the couple split months ago. A photo of Liam from June without a wedding ring on seem to back that up.

Another verse in the new single says, “Once upon a time it was made for us, woke up one day and it turned to dust,” Cyrus continues. “Baby, we were found, but now we’re lost. So it’s time to let it go.”

Justice is served!

Deborah Sue Culwell -- the woman who was caught on surveillance video tossing 7 pups into a dumpster in Coachella earlier this year -- has pled guilty and been sentenced to 1 year in jail.

The sentence, which also includes 6 years' probation after her time behind bars, was reduced to 174 days with credit for time served.

Culwell was originally charged with 7 felony counts of animal cruelty, plus 7 misdemeanor counts of abandoning the dogs – and she pled guilty to all 14 charges. She was initially facing up to 7 years behind bars, so it's surprisingly good luck for the Cruella de Vil wannabe.

In addition to the jail time, she must undergo random drug testing, and also complete mental health counseling. She also cannot possess any animals during the probation. Thank God.

At the time of the bust, the 54-year-old animal abuser reportedly had 38 other dogs in her custody.

As we reported, the woman was caught in April casually dropping a plastic bag filled with 3-day-old puppies into a dumpster, with temperatures hovering around the mid-90s.

A Good Samaritan dug the lil guys out of the trash. He alerted authorities and the animals were taken to Riverside County Animal Services.

6 of the 7 puppies survived, and the case triggered mass outrage across the country. The 6 pups all went into foster care and we're told several were adopted.

Conor McGregor uncorked a shot to the head of an elderly man in an Irish bar in a dispute over whiskey -- Conor's whiskey -- and TMZ Sports got this video showing the violence.

The absurd attack went down at The Marble Arch Pub in Dublin on April 6. Conor walked in and lined up cups for bar patrons ... looking to buy a round of his Proper Twelve for everyone. The problems started when the guy opted out. Conor placed a cup in front of him not once, but twice ... and he still refused.

Unclear if words were exchanged between them, but after Conor downed a shot with the other drinkers, he unexpectedly threw his notorious left fist right in the face of the old man who rejected the booze.

Two people immediately grabbed McGregor and pulled him out of the bar. The violence was reported to cops, who announced back in April they'd opened an investigation. It's unclear if that's still active, but there are no reports Conor was ever charged -- even though cops have reportedly seen this video.

Perhaps most odd of all ... the poor, old pub patron who got socked didn't even get knocked off his stool. People are just tougher in Ireland, apparently.

The video is just the latest evidence of McGregor losing his cool and acting like a thug outside the Octagon. He dodged felony charges in New York last year when he smashed a bus window with a dolly, injuring several UFC fighters onboard the vehicle.

And, you'll recall ... one month before this Dublin incident, Conor smashed a phone out of a fan's hand in Miami. He was arrested for robbery and criminal mischief, but the charges were eventually dropped, and he settled a civil suit with the victim.

We've reached out to McGregor's camp, but so far ... no word back. We also called The Marble Arch Pub and they had no comment.

Conor hasn't fought in the UFC since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in Las Vegas. But, UFC honcho Dana White told reporters Wednesday he expects talks for McGregor's next fight to begin shortly after Khabib and Dustin Poirier square off in Abu Dhabi next month.

Just a thought, but Dana might wanna sign that old man from the Dublin pub. He can take a punch!!!

Michael Madsen just cut a deal in his DUI case ... and he'll spend a few days in jail.

Michael pled no contest Thursday to one misdemeanor count of driving with a .10% blood alcohol content and was sentenced to 4 days in jail and 5 years probation. He's also been ordered to complete community service in the hospital morgue program.

TMZ broke the story ... the veteran actor was busted for DUI back in March, after cops say he crashed his Land Rover into a pole in Malibu. Police say Michael reeked of booze, and he was arrested after bombing a field sobriety test.

The "Reservoir Dogs" star was eventually hit with misdemeanor DUI charges ... and it even cost him a movie gig.

Michael's been down this road before ... he was also busted for DUI in Malibu way back in 2012, when his BAC was twice the legal limit. He entered a 30-day rehab after that bust, and the judge also ordered him to get outpatient treatment.