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Cops circulating crime scene photos isn't unique to the Kobe Bryant crash -- it's been happening since the O.J. Simpson murder case -- with an ex-LAPD officer testifying he saw a polaroid of Nicole Brown Simpson's dead body.

Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Adam Bercovici, an expert witness hired by Vanessa Bryant's legal team, testified he and other cops at his station saw a close-up of Nicole's body following her June 1994 murder.

The former police officer testified illicit photos of human remains -- so-called "death books" -- are common among law enforcement ... and not something unique to the Kobe crash.

Bercovici testified there were no legitimate reasons for the deputies to take photographs of the remains.

Despite this being an issue that's painful for the family and friends of the deceased, Bercovici says not nearly enough has been done to end the practice.

Luella Weireter, wife of an LAFD fire captain also took the stand, testifying she witnessed a group, including another fire captain, view the photos at a local awards show about three weeks after the fatal crash.

Weireter, who says she did not look at the photos, overheard another man say "I can't believe I just looked at Kobe's burnt-up body and now I'm about to eat."

It's just one of the ghastly and gruesome moments from the trial ... which started earlier this week, and has been very emotional for Vanessa and her family.

Bryant sobbed in court Thursday during opening statements, when her attorney told the 10-person jury that 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies snapped pics of Kobe and Gigi's bodies at the helicopter crash scene for nothing personal use.

Vanessa's lawyer says she lives "in fear, anxiety and terror" that the pics will someday be released ... saying she will be forever haunted by the deputies' actions.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, who was Kobe's agent, took the stand Thursday and was barely able to speak when talking about his close relationship with KB.

On Thursday, the jury heard from a bartender in L.A. ... who testified a deputy showed him crash scene photos at his bar. Bryant's attorney showed screen grabs from surveillance video that appeared to show the bartender laughing after seeing the grisly photos.

In her lawsuit, Vanessa claims the deputies' conduct caused her severe emotional distress, saying the photos were an invasion of privacy. Lawyers for L.A. County say Vanessa's emotional distress is a result of the fatal crash, not the photos.

Washington Commanders president Jason Wright just went OFF on a reporter over an interview the guy did with Carson Wentz ... calling it and the media member a "pompous, unprofessional mess."

"I recognize you have made a living on childlike provocation," Wright said in a scathing statement aimed at the reporter, "but it needs to be called out. Don't expect special access and good luck building rapport with the guys."

Wright's anger stems from a chat that 7News D.C.'s Scott Abraham had with Wentz earlier this week.

In the talk with the Commanders' quarterback, Abraham pointed out a lot of Wentz's flaws -- and then said during the sit-down "Philly didn't want you" and "Indy didn't want you."

Wentz didn't appear too bothered by the comments and questions -- answering them the best he could -- but Wright was obviously enraged.

"It's not that the guys can't take criticism," the 40-year-old said. "Just be a journalist and follow standard practices. Others have found a way to do both."

Wright went on to praise Wentz for demonstrating "grace & class" during the interview.

Wentz -- who is playing for his third team in the last three years -- is expected to be Washington's starting quarterback this season.

Deion Sanders says the Pro Football Hall of Fame has lowered its standards for entry, and now undeserving players have been enshrined ... and Prime's pissed!

“The Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more," Sanders said. "This thing is becoming a free for all. If you play good, no! It's people that changed the game. That's what the Hall of Fame is; a game changer."

55-year-old Sanders made the comments on Friday ... and while he didn't single any players out, it's clear he believes not all Hall of Famers are created equally.

"My jacket’s [Hall of Fame] gotta be a different color," Prime said. "There needs to be a starting 11. There needs to be an upper room."

"My head don’t belong with some of these other heads that’s in the Hall of Fame."

Sanders -- widely regarded as the best cornerback in NFL history -- was inducted into the Hall in 2011.

It's not the first time Deion has been vocal about the HOF.

During an interview with Dan Patrick in 2020, Sanders said the Hall of Fame was no longer exclusive.

"Once upon a time, a Hall of Famer was a player who changed the dern game, who made you want to, to provoke you to reach in your pocket and pay your admission to go see that guy play."

"Everybody Tom, Dick and Harry, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer, you’re a Hall of Famer. They let everybody in this thing now."

"It’s not exclusive anymore. And I don’t like it.”

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, just added more ink to their body art collection ... getting matching hand tattoos to honor their three kids -- Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri.

The Lakers superstar got his new ink done by famous tat artist Ganga Tattoo -- who just recently gave Bronny his first tat -- and showed off the finished product on his social media page Thursday night.

On LBJ's shooting hand, he got the initials "B.B.Z." placed underneath a crown. Savannah revealed she got the "B.B.Z." on her right hand as well.

They both were in love with the new ink ... Savannah -- who married Bron in 2013 -- shared the clip with the caption, "♥♥♥ BBZ over everything!"

It's been a great summer for LeBron and his kids -- the fam has spent a lot of time together, and the King and his two boys even got to hoop together at the Lakers' practice facility earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Bronny and Bryce played organized basketball together for the first time in Europe earlier this week -- and LeBron was pumped for it!

"Man I'm literally watching Bronny and Bryce on the court together for the first time in a game situation!!" James said on Twitter watching his kids on TV.

"This is INSANE!! I'm EMOTIONAL AF!! WOW"

The wife of Tim Lincecum -- one of the best MLB pitchers of all time -- has sadly died ... the San Francisco Giants announced on Thursday night.

She was just 38 years old.

Cristin Coleman, who dated Lincecum for years, passed away following a battle with cancer in late June ... but it hadn't been widely reported until the Giants mourned her loss in a series of tweets on Thursday.

"The Giants were extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Tim Lincecum's wife, Cristin Coleman," the team wrote. "Our deepest condolences go out to Tim, Cristin's family and all those whose lives she touched as a friend and teacher."

"She was beloved by the Giants family and her caring and genuine spirit touched those of us who were fortunate enough to know her during her and Timmy's years with us."

According to the San Mateo Daily Journal, Coleman -- an elementary school teacher and principal -- died "peacefully" on June 27, surrounded by family.

Coleman's parents, according to the outlet, said in a statement at the time of her death that she "was the light of our lives, a beautiful human being who touched so many hearts."

Lincecum, who's rarely been seen since his retirement from baseball following the 2016 season, has yet to publicly comment on the loss.

Firefighters are currently battling a massive blaze at Earl Thomas' home in Texas ... after officials say it was struck by lightning.

The Orange, Texas residence caught fire just minutes ago -- according to Orange's deputy fire chief, Payton Smith, who told Fox 4 that, thankfully, no one is currently believed to be inside.

Pictures from the scene, shared by 12 News, show the flames at the former NFL star's house are massive.

In the photos, you can see multiple firefighters are working to put out the blaze ... though the brush and trees surrounding the residence are reportedly making it difficult for them to knock down all of the flames.

Earl has yet to publicly comment on the scene.

Yasiel Puig is clearly hoping he hasn't taken his last at-bat in the Major Leagues ... the former Dodgers superstar tells TMZ Sports he'd still like to return to the MLB following his current stint in Korea.

The 31-year-old, who hasn't played in an MLB game since suiting up for Cleveland in 2019, says he's very happy with how things are going in the KBO League -- but he said, candidly, "It's better to be in Los Angeles or in MLB."

Puig, though, knows he has to prove some things in Korea before he can get another look with an MLB team -- and he seems determined to make that happen.

"God put me in this spot to do the best I can to show people that I've changed from five or six years ago," the outfielder said.

Puig has been playing for the Kiwoom Heroes this season after signing with the team as a free agent this offseason, and he's been doing well, hitting .259 with 13 home runs in 85 games.

But, Puig admits some of his old issues are still cropping up on the diamond -- and he's trying his best to eliminate those so he can eventually get back in an MLB team's uniform.

Puig said if it takes another year in the KBO to ultimately show he deserves another shot in The Show -- he'd do it, telling us he's very grateful for the time he's had so far in Korea.

Ex-WWE Superstar Paige says she felt "so f***ing stupid" and "so embarrassed" after her sex tape leaked in 2017 ... claiming she "didn't want to be alive anymore" and "was ready to end it all."

Paige -- who now goes by her real name, Saraya-- joined Renee Paquette on the podcast, "The Sessions" ... where she described how she hit "rock bottom" when her nude photos and videos hit the Internet.

"It was just the most awful moment of my life," Saraya said. "The person that I was with at the time showed me a picture on Twitter."

"I was just like, 'Oh my God,'" Saraya recalled. "I was like, 'Is that real?’ because I couldn’t believe it was real at first."

"I was f***ing 19 years old, and I was completely f***ing mortified. I ran out of the house. I ran. I just kept f***ing running," she continued.

Saraya says the video got her to a point where she felt like she "didn't really want to be alive anymore."

"It was f***ing awful. I just was so f***ing sad. I remember being like, 'If my dad is disappointed with me, I don’t think I could be here anymore.'"

On top of the public humiliation and potential scolding from WWE looming, Paige most feared her father would be disappointed in her once he saw the video.

Fortunately, Paige's father was understanding, explaining to his pro wrestler daughter that she had to "suck it up" ... and adding that he was still proud of her.

Paige also thanked WWE for supporting her ... and says the company even offered to help her get as much footage as they could off the Internet.

A bartender in Los Angeles allegedly laughed after being shown gruesome photos from the horrific Kobe Bryant crash scene, according to surveillance video screen grabs shown in court.

The Bryant crash scene photo trial continued Friday ... with Victor Gutierrez, a bartender at Baha Grill, testifying about the moments L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Joey Cruz showed bar employees and patrons photographs from the scene.

Gutierrez testified Cruz asked him if he wanted to see the Kobe pics ... and he said he did. When asked if he found the photos humorous, the bartender claimed he never laughed or found them amusing in any way.

That's when Vanessa Bryant's attorney showed the court still images from bar surveillance video where it appeared Gutierrez was laughing.

Gutierrez denied laughing ... saying you'd have to be psychotic to find those images funny.

The bartender also testified he believed the deputy showed the photos to unload the burden of the horrific crash.

The injuries to Kobe and the other people who died were described in court ... and it was ghastly.

Thursday is the second day of the trial ... which is expected to take about 10 days.

As we reported ... Vanessa sobbed in court Thursday during opening statements, with her lawyer telling the jury the 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies who snapped pics of Kobe and Gigi's bodies at the helicopter crash scene did it for personal use.

One Sheriff's detective said in a deposition he tried showing the photos to his wife, telling her they depicted "piles of meat." Another deputy is accused of showing the photos to a woman he met at a bar. Firefighters were allegedly shown the pics at an awards gala.

Vanessa's lawyer says she lives "in fear, anxiety and terror" of someday seeing the photos ... and she will be forever haunted by the deputies' actions.

In her lawsuit, Vanessa claims the deputies' conduct caused her severe emotional distress, saying the photos were an invasion of privacy. Lawyers for L.A. County say Vanessa's emotional distress is a result of the fatal crash, not the photos.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, who was Kobe's agent, took the stand Thursday, and was barely able to speak when talking about his close relationship with KB.

Pelinka says he was in church when he was notified of the crash, rushing to meet Vanessa at an airport, and going with her and deputies to the crash site, where he says they were promised the area would be kept private.

The corn rows out at the "Field of Dreams" game won't be without the late Ray Liotta after all -- the actor who starred in the 1989 film will be recognized during the MLB's big event, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our sources tell us ... there's going to be some sort of homage to Liotta during the Reds vs. Cubs game on Thursday night in Dyersville, Iowa.

Unclear exactly what the nod will feature ... but Liotta, who played Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie that the stadium and game are based on, is going to have some kind of presence at the field.

Liotta has already received some "Field of Dreams" love this month -- Kevin Costner, who starred alongside Ray in the movie, penned a sweet message to his friend on his Instagram earlier this week, remembering him and his famous role.

"In honor of MLB at Field of Dreams this week, I wanted to share some memories from the movie," Costner said in the post, "but more importantly remember the amazing Ray Liotta."

"'Shoeless Joe Jackson' will be out there with all of us for a great night of baseball in the fields of Iowa."

As we reported, Liotta sadly passed away in the Dominican Republic in late May. He was 67 years old.

RIP

Marshawn Lynch was dragged out of his car by the hood of his sweatshirt and forcibly thrown to the ground during his DUI arrest earlier this week ... new police video shows.

In the footage, which was captured shortly after cops had begun questioning the former NFL star on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas, you can see Lynch was leaned back in the driver's seat of a 2020 Shelby GT500 -- appearing to be uncooperative with cops who were asking him to get out of the ride.

The officers can be heard in the video asking Lynch repeatedly to step out of the car -- but Lynch refused continuously, asking over and over again why he had to leave the vehicle.

After officers told him he was "obstructing an investigation," one of the cops reached in and grabbed him by the orange sweatshirt he was wearing.

The cop then threw the ex-Seattle Seahawks running back on the ground ... and told him, "Roll over. Hands behind your back. No more games today."

Officers then can be heard on the video saying he smelled like alcohol.

In police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say when they got Lynch back to the station, he was uncooperative there -- and said they "had to use a restraint chair" to draw blood from him after obtaining a search warrant.

Lynch was ultimately booked on several charges, including DUI. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter in December.

The 36-year-old's attorneys, Richard A. Schonfeld and David Z. Chesnoff, released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying, "Marshawn was not pulled over for a DUI. Rather the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation. We are confident that when all evidence is presented, this will not be a DUI under Nevada law. Marshawn appreciates and is thankful for everyone’s concern and support."

Trevor Bauer's assault accuser is firing back at the MLB star after he sued her earlier this year ... filing a countersuit for battery against the Cy Young winner in Los Angeles.

Lindsey Hill, from San Diego, filed a lawsuit for sexual battery and battery in federal court on Tuesday, again alleging 31-year-old Bauer beat her up on two occasions during sex, punching and choking her.

Bauer's always adamantly denied the allegations, maintaining he and Lindsey had a consensual, sexual relationship. The L.A. county district attorney's office investigated Hill's claims and opted not to file charges against the Dodgers pitcher. A judge also denied Hill a restraining order, calling claims in the petition "materially misleading"

In Hill's newly filed civil lawsuit, she claims her "life has been turned into a nightmare by a powerful man who mercilessly battered her and counted on facing no consequences whatsoever for his despicable conduct."

Lindsey claims Bauer got physical with her on two occasions ... in April and May of 2021.

"Last year, disgraced Major League Baseball player Trevor Bauer violently and sadistically abused Hill in the most appalling manner imaginable, sexually battering and battering a defenseless woman."

Hill doesn't specify how much she's seeking in damages.

Back in April 2022, Bauer sued Hill claiming she made up the damaging allegations in an effort to derail his career and secure a payday for herself.

Despite not being charged criminally, Bauer was hit with one of the longest suspensions in MLB history ... two years without pay. Trevor immediately appealed the suspension .. which is still ongoing.

He'd be eligible to return about 20 games into the 2024 MLB season.

Former NBA and college basketball standout Chris Webber is entering the cannabis biz via his new Player’s Only strain -- collaborating with several other rapper brands in the process!

On Thursday, C. Webb rolled out his Players Only strains C4, Time Out and G.O.A.T.’s Milk strains in addition to collaborations with Quavo’s BIRKINZ strain, Royce 5’9’s “Heaven” and Raekwon’s “Compliments Of The Chef” brand.

The Wu-Tang Clan legend’s company actually pays people to grow weed in their home state while Royce’s strain will double as an NFT.

And, the last time we checked with Quavo, his Birkin business was booming without any fear of copyright claims!

Naturally, C. Webb’s “Players Only” also lobs to athletes with cannabis companies and today’s launch reunites the Hall of Famer with his ex-Sacramento Kings teammate Jason Williams who has his “White Chocolate” strain, former Fab 5 teammate Ray Jackson and his Black Sox strain and former NBA champ and “All The Smoke” podcast co-host Matt Barnes, who launched “The Smoke” strain with Stephen Jackson.

Barnes was recently appointed Chief Collaborations Officer of PO and C. Webb calls it a big move for minorities and entrepreneurs alike.

For those who don’t know, C. Webb is quite the rap head … having produced for Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" album and even dropped a rap album towards the peak of his NBA career!

The late Bill Russell is getting the ultimate tribute -- the NBA just announced the Celtics legend's No. 6 will be retired throughout the league ... making him the first player to receive such an honor.

The Association just announced the move minutes ago ... with commish Adam Silver explaining the decision.

"Bill Russell's unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way," Silver said. "Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognized."

Current players who don the number -- most notably Lakers superstar LeBron James -- will not have to make a change ... as the league says those who currently wear No. 6 will be grandfathered.

On top of the number retirement, the league says each player will wear a jersey patch honoring the 11-time champion ... and each court will display a tribute logo next to the scorer's table.

The honor is exactly what names like Magic Johnson and Mike Woodson were hoping for -- both former players called for the league to raise No. 6 in the rafters at every NBA arena.

Cops say Marshawn Lynch appeared to be completely wasted during his DUI arrest earlier this week -- falling in and out of sleep during questioning and reeking of booze -- while telling officers he had stolen the car he was in.

The allegations are all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports on Thursday.

In the report, cops say they initially found Lynch at around 7:25 AM on Aug. 9 asleep at the wheel of a 2020 Shelby GT500 near the strip in Las Vegas.

According to officers in the docs, Lynch's car was beat up -- missing a tire and rim, while displaying "dents and dings" elsewhere. They also said roadway markings seemingly showed Lynch's car had slammed into sidewalk areas repeatedly before it had come to a stop.

Cops also say in the docs, when they were trying to speak to Lynch, he would talk, but would "then fall back asleep several times throughout the encounter."

Cops noted Lynch had just one shoe on, and claim the smell of an "alcoholic beverage" was coming out of the former Seattle Seahawks running back's car.

During the stop, cops say Lynch "stated that he was not drinking and he does not do drugs, but that he stole the vehicle."

Lynch then allegedly refused to get out of the car after officers asked him to exit the ride.

The 36-year-old was eventually arrested about half an hour after the stop was initiated ... but cops in the docs claim he continued to be uncooperative after officers had obtained a search warrant to get a blood sample from him.

"Lynch was not cooperative or willing to comply with the Search Warrant and corrections officers from the City of Las Vegas had to use a restraint chair to force a blood draw," officers wrote in the police report.

Lynch was ultimately booked on several charges, including DUI.

Marshawn's attorneys, Richard A. Schonfeld and David Z. Chesnoff, released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying, "Marshawn was not pulled over for a DUI. Rather the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation. We are confident that when all evidence is presented, this will not be a DUI under Nevada law. Marshawn appreciates and is thankful for everyone’s concern and support."

The GOAT is GONE in Tampa -- at least for the next roughly two weeks -- the Buccaneers revealed on Thursday that Tom Brady is now out of training camp while handling a "personal issue."

Todd Bowles was just peppered with questions about his star QB -- who left training camp Thursday and is not expected to return until sometime in late August -- but the Bucs head coach declined to get into specifics of it all.

Instead, Bowles would only say Brady is out dealing "with some personal things."

"It's something he needed to handle," Bowles said. "We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee."

The Bucs are slated to play the Titans in a preseason contest in Nashville on Aug. 20 -- which means a return date for Brady won't come until at least Aug 21.

And, it seems the 45-year-old's absence could extend longer than that, 'cause Bowles wouldn't guarantee the signal-caller would be under center for their season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.

But, Bowles did say his confidence is "pretty high" that Brady will be there.

"It's a personal issue," Bowles said. "That's all I can tell you."

Brady didn't appear to be hampered by any injuries at all while attending Bucs practices earlier this week -- throwing completions and touchdowns with regularity throughout the workouts.