Drugs & Alcohol

Oakland Raiders tight end Darren Waller says he's GLAD the world knows about his battle with substance abuse ... because he's inspiring others and it "feels like I'm living with a purpose."

Waller's story is incredible ... the 26-year-old is insanely talented but almost watched his career go down the toilet after multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy over the years.

The Raiders gave him a shot in late 2018 and now he's become a key part of the Oakland offense ... catching 7 passes for 70 yards in the Week 1 win over the Broncos.

Waller's addiction issues were featured on the HBO series "Hard Knocks" -- and Darren tells TMZ Sports the reaction has been amazing.

"A lot of people are reaching out relating to my story and that’s the kind of stuff that makes me feel like I’m living with a purpose," Waller says.

"When I go out there, I kind of try and do it for them."

Waller says he still makes it a point to attend AA meetings and other support groups regularly -- even when the team is on the road.

And, get this ... Waller says he never expected a second chance in the NFL, but now that he's got it -- he's determined to make the most of it. He's making sure to use all resources available to him to stay sober, understanding it's a constant battle.

As for the football side of things, Waller says he ain't surprised by the Raiders' performance in Week 1 -- even without Antonio Brown -- saying the guys busted their asses all offseason and don't want to let the fans down!

Former college football star Ryan Mallett was arrested for driving while intoxicated on Tuesday ... after the ex-NFL quarterback crashed his car in Arkanas ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Officials say 31-year-old Mallett was involved in a 2-car collision in Springdale around 6:30 PM. We're told his car crossed over the center line while driving.

Cops tested his blood alcohol level ... and he blew a .08, jail officials tell us.

Along with the DWI, Mallett was also cited for careless prohibited driving for swaying over the center line.

So far, no official comment from Mallett. We're working on getting more details about the arrest.

It couldn't be worse timing for the former New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens QB -- who recently accepted an invite to the XFL Draft being held in October.

Remember, Vince McMahon famously said he would ban any players with a criminal record from playing in his league during a media event in 2018.

So, the question ... will Vince stick by his guns and uninvite Mallett -- or will he reconsider his stance?

Aaron Carter's a mixed bag ... and so is the assortment of prescription medication he says he's on for a variety of mental health disorders.

The singer claims he's been officially diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, manic depression and anxiety. Aaron says his mental illness means taking a laundry list of pills ... and he's not hiding anything.

Carter's reveal is just part of a 2-part interview on "The Doctors" this week. We're told along with focusing on his health, the segments will include Aaron's mom and her struggles with alcohol.

Aaron will also be taking a drug test to prove to the docs he's sober as he insists, but as you can see in the clip ... his admission to opioid use after a dental procedure already has eyebrows raised.

"The Doctors" interview comes on the heels of a tumultuous month for Carter -- despite him boldly telling us his mental stability has been "infinite" throughout.

It started in early August with him facing accusations of flipping rescue dogs for profit, then a few days later ... cops were called to his home over fears he was suicidal.

After a nasty, allegedly violent breakup with his girlfriend that resulted in a restraining order, Aaron was spotted buying guns ... and more guns.

All of this and more will be discussed on the 2-part interview airing Thursday and Friday. And, by the way, Aaron's 'Doctors' visit won't be his first ... his dependency on prescription drugs was also the topic 2 years ago.

Tennessee Titans defensive back Logan Ryan is PISSED at a Cleveland Browns fan who splashed him -- and his teammates -- with beer after a TD ... and now he's calling on the NFL to punish the guy.

It all went down in the 4th quarter of the Titans blowout victory over the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... right after Tenn. star Malcolm Butler scored on a pick-6.

You can see Butler, Ryan and other Titans jump into the stands to celebrate with a Titans fan -- when a guy in a Browns jersey starts throwing his beer on all of the opposing players.

It looks like Ryan tried to swat the guy's beer away when he saw what was happening -- and early Monday morning, he tweeted about the situation -- tagging the NFL, the NFL Player's Association and the Browns in the hopes that something will be done.

"They can pour beer on us because we’re just athletes right? We’re just entertainment & since they purchased a ticket they can act how they want?"

Remember, just last season the New England Patriots banned a fan for LIFE for throwing a beer at Chiefs star Tyreek Hill after a long touchdown run.

In fact, the Pats say they worked with law enforcement to help get the fan prosecuted.

The legendary Bahamian beach bar where Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin partied after their engagement is now a shell of its former self ... the party spot got wiped out by Hurricane Dorian.

Nipper's Beach Bar & Grill in the Bahamas was decimated by the Category 5 storm ... it's now all but ruined.

As you see ... there were several roofs, but no more. Trees are downed, fencing is mangled and some of the structures are ripped apart. A grim scene, for sure.

It's a stark contrast to July 2018, when Justin and Hailey raged at the famous watering hole after the singer proposed to the supermodel.

Justin and Hailey weren't the only ones who loved having a good time at Nippers ... the establishment was popular among celebs, tourists and partygoers. The place had been around for over two decades, staying open from dusk to dawn, 364 days a year.

Kevin Spacey's getting more comfortable returning to the spotlight, at least when he's overseas ... and out and about in the wee hours of the morning.

The actor joined a street band in Seville, Spain to sing AND play acoustic guitar on a couple oldies but goodies ... and everyone appeared to be having a fantastic time.

Spacey and the band, reportedly known as Tuna de Derecho de Sevilla, first performed Ritchie Valens' 1958 hit "La Bamba" before turning it into a medley with The Beatles' version of "Twist and Shout."

Members of the band told Spanish media the former "House of Cards" star was at a nearby restaurant with some friends and they approached him last Saturday for a photo ... at around 2 AM. The time seems relevant when you see how everyone's carrying on in the video.

This is at least the second time Spacey's made a public appearance since his sexual assault criminal case in Massachusetts was dropped by prosecutors in July.

As we reported ... Kevin put on a solo pop-up poetry production in Rome last month, but it was much more staged than this street performance.

Mac Miller was supplied deadly, fentanyl-laced pills that directly contributed to his death -- according to federal prosecutors, who just filed charges against his alleged dealer.

Charges came down Wednesday against 28-year-old Cameron James Pettit, whom the feds allege supplied the rapper with counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl in a new 42-page criminal complaint out of the Central District of California.

Per the docs, prosecutors claim Mac had asked Pettit for "percs" -- short for percocet, a prescribed painkiller full of oxycodone -- and that the dealer ended up supplying the pills that contributed to Mac's overdose death last year. The AP was first to report the story.

TMZ broke the story ... Mac Miller was found unresponsive in his Studio City home. His death was later ruled an accidental overdose from alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl.

According to the charging docs, authorities served search warrants at multiple locations while investigating Mac's death. They say that two days before his death on Sep. 7, Mac received two deliveries of drugs -- one from Pettit, who allegedly supplied the fentanyl-laced oxy pills, cocaine and Xanax -- and another from a prostitute, who allegedly gave him pure oxy, hydrocodone, amphetamine, Xanax and coke on top of what Pettit had dropped off.

Prosecutors say that the prostitute works for a madam, whom is allegedly associated with Pettit. They claim that when Pettit had not immediately responded to Mac for a second delivery, he hit up the madam, who sent the prostitute to leave him the additional drugs.

There's more -- prosecutors allege that Pettit directly messaged about Mac's death shortly afterward on Instagram, allegedly telling friends that he probably shouldn't post anything as a reaction "just to be smart." Prosecutors say he later wrote, "I am not great ... Most likely I will die in jail" when someone asked how he was doing.

The criminal complaint that Pettit was one of three people who supplied Mac with the counterfeit drugs. It's unclear if the two others -- presumably the madam and the prostitute -- have been charged yet.

Pettit was taken into custody Wednesday morning.

Originally Published -- 11:39 AM PT

WARNING: If you hear a chopper outside covering a massive bike race near your house, TAKE THE WEED PLANTS OFF THE ROOF!!!

That's the lesson some poor marijuana enthusiast in Spain learned the hard way ... when his rooftop weed farm was exposed on live TV.

It all went down during the Vuelta a Espana race on Saturday ... when a TV crew helicopter was following the cyclists as they raced through Barcelona.

At one point, you can see a rooftop with a BUNCH of green plants ... and someone decided to snitch to the cops that it looks like pot.

Police say they acted on the tips, raided the building and ultimately seized 40 PLANTS!!!

Despite the score, cops say they have not made any arrests but they're investigating.

In Spain, it's legal to have weed for personal use -- but it's been outlawed for commercial purposes.

Bam Margera's sit-down with Dr. Phil proved to be even more explosive than previously believed ... and it was Bam's mom who dished some tough love.

TMZ's obtained a clip of the episode Dr. Phil shot during his one-on-one session with the "Jackass" star ... and it's pretty evident why Bam needed professional help. Bam lashed out at his wife, Nikki, and also his mom ... who participated remotely.

Watch, Bam dropped the words no mother wants to hear after she told him he's addicted to drama.

As we reported ... Bam went public with his struggles a month ago, practically begging Dr. Phil for help and the doc obliged. After this emotional 3-hour session, Dr. Phil -- who recorded without a studio audience -- convinced Bam to head to rehab.

Since then, Bam's had some hiccups on his road to recovery -- he left rehab and ended up at a bar, before giving it another shot ... at a different treatment center. His most recent attempt has gone smoother ... aside from a trip to the hospital to treat swelling in his body.

We got him out late last week -- during a lunch outing with his sponsor -- and he looked great, telling us his treatment's going well, and some special friends still have his back.

Add this to the reasons why Lizzo is 100 percent that bitch ... she's got no problem taking bottles of champagne straight to the dome!!!

Lizzo had a helluva holiday weekend, that was only beginning when she performed at the Made in America festival. Turns out things got REAL afterward when she partied with DaBaby and Megan Thee Stallion -- hitting up NOTO Philadelphia and handling the bottle service all on her own.

The "Truth Hurts" singer had good reason to celebrate Sunday night ... her catchy track's been one of the summer's hottest hits, and it just snagged the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts after she killed it with her VMAs performance.

No wonder Megan gave Lizzo a huge hug!!!

Lizzo stole the show at Jay-Z's annual music fest, and everyone went WILD when DaBaby joined her on stage and started grinding on her!!!

The good times kept rolling deep into the night as she rocked a "100% That Bitch" t-shirt while turning up.

MLB star Tyler Skaggs died in a Texas hotel room from a deadly mix of booze, fentanyl and oxycodone ... according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

In the toxicology report released Friday, the ME's report lists the cause of death for the Angels pitcher as a mix of "alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents." In other words, Skaggs choked on his own vomit while under the influence.

The report says his death has been ruled an accident.

It's interesting, the autopsy says, when Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room, he was "clothed in black denim jeans, a black belt with white metal decorations and decorated white buckle, red boxer shorts, black socks and dark brown western boots." The description sounds a lot like what Skaggs was wearing on the team plane, when the Angels dressed in western gear as they flew from California to Texas on June 30.

As we reported ... Tyler was found dead in his team hotel room July 1, when the Angels were in Texas to play the Rangers.

Tyler's family issued a statement Friday, inferring an Angels employee might have been involved in the tragic incident.

The Skaggs family says ... “We are heartbroken to learn that the passing of our beloved Tyler was the result of a combination of dangerous drugs and alcohol. That is completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a Major League baseball player and had a very promising future in the game he loved so much."

The statement continues ... “We are grateful for the work of the detectives in the Southlake Police Department and their ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Tyler’s death. We were shocked to learn that it may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us.”

Tyler's death sent shockwaves through MLB ... and the Angels tossed a combined no-hitter in their first home game after his passing.

His wife, Carli, gave a heartfelt tribute to the late pitcher during his private funeral.

Tyler was 27.

Sometimes ya just gotta have a beer and a smoke -- even when there's a psycho pointing an assault rifle at you!!! That's the bizarre scene that played out during an armed robbery.

Surveillance video inside Behrmann's Tavern in St. Louis captured the terrifying action early Wednesday morning. The armed robber enters the bar and a handful of customers and a bartender get their hands up and/or get down on the ground -- but you also see one man continue sipping his can of beer and using his phone.

Obviously, that drew the robber's attention, but even with the rifle barrel jammed into his side ... the defiant beer drinker kept scrolling on his phone! The robber eventually attempted to snatch the phone away and moved on to clear the cash register.

But, you gotta see how Captain Chill reacted -- the dude lights up a cigarette and even points and yells at the robber during the heist. His "ready to die" attitude must've been contagious because the guy next to him eventually got up off the ground and grabbed a ciggie too!

The good news is the robber never fired a single shot and everyone in the bar survived.

Bam Margera landed in the hospital shortly after starting his third stint in rehab ... but he's assured fans he'll be just fine.

The "Jackass" star was hospitalized Wednesday to treat what he says is edema ... swelling in the body caused by blood vessels leaking fluid into the tissue. Bam wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post that he was in the hospital for only a few hours to treat "either reaction to new medicine or detoxing from i guess a bit of alchohol [sic]." Bam's already back in rehab.

TMZ broke the story ... sources close to Bam told us he put himself back on the road to recovery last week when he voluntarily entered a new rehab facility. He had been at an L.A. bar the night before checking into rehab. He had recently bailed on a treatment facility ... the second time he's done so this month.

Feel free to raise a glass in honor of Luann de Lesseps reaching the end of her 1-year probation, but forgive her if she doesn't join you -- she's planning to stick with the sober life.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk about her milestone. The judge ordered her to stay off drugs and alcohol during probation, and Luann told us it's had a profound impact on her life.

Yeah, she could be celebrating with champagne -- we know she's down with mimosas -- but Luann says she's now enjoying sobriety.

As you know ... she'd been on probation from her Christmas Eve 2017 arrest after an alleged drunken dispute with cops in Palm Beach, FL. Video from inside the patrol car showed Luann going nuclear ... threatening to kill an officer.

Luann didn't hold back, btw, when we asked her about her sometimes-nemesis on 'RHOC,' Bethenny Frankel, quitting the show this week. For those expecting a "ding dong the Wicked Witch is dead" kinda moment -- watch the clip.

Rapper Jackboy -- Kodak Black's protege -- was busted in Florida after police say they found him eating marijuana in an effort to hide the illegal substance during a traffic stop!!!

Jackboy was arrested Thursday in Pompano Beach ... and police say, after they pulled him over for driving around with tinted windows, his BMW sedan reeked of reefer and an officer noticed him chewing something strange.

According to the police report ... cops ordered Jackboy out of his whip, and told him to open his mouth, revealing what turned out to be chronic!

After spitting out the saliva-covered sativa, Jackboy was booked for possession of marijuana and tampering with physical evidence.

Jackboy only had a little bit of tree on him, but Florida ain't California or Colorado ... the Sunshine State still takes weed very seriously.

Seems Jackboy is taking the Kodak Black playbook a little too far ... Kodak's got a long rap sheet too and, as we reported ... KB just pled guilty to lying on federal gun applications.

Former 'Bachelor' Chris Soules is on board with a 2-year in prison sentence, but he's getting a pass on doing time behind bars.

Soules' attorney filed docs accepting the D.A.'s proposed sentence for his conditional guilty plea to leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury. The D.A. recommended he get a 2-year suspended sentence, and Soules is officially accepting the deal.

The judge still has to sign off on the deal, but assuming it's approved ... Soules would effectively be on some form of probation under the supervision of Iowa's Dept. of Correctional Services for the 2 years.

As we reported ... Soules entered his plea in November. The crime is an aggravated misdemeanor.

Prosecutors say Soules slammed his pickup truck into a John Deere tractor in April 2017, sending the tractor and its driver flying into a ditch. Chris remained at the scene until EMTs arrived, but he bounced before cops showed up. He insisted he did everything in his power to help the driver, who eventually died.

Soules' attorney argued his client suffered a concussion during the crash and claimed Chris dialed 911 and administered CPR before paramedics arrived.

You'll recall ... Soules was arrested at his house after initially refusing to come out. Prosecutors say he bought booze before the fatal accident.

However, according to docs, Soules' lawyer says all witnesses at the scene agreed there was no indication he'd been drinking.

Soules appeared on season 19 of "The Bachelor" in 2015.