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The Salvation Army has a new soldier -- and it's LaMelo Ball ... who just donated 500 blankets to help the homeless in Charlotte keep warm during an ice-cold winter.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte Salvation Army tells TMZ Sports ... the donation marks Melo's first time working with the organization, but they're very excited to partner up with the 19-year-old Charlotte Hornets rookie.

And, the donation couldn't come at a better time ... we're told Charlotte has seen a 25% increase in the homeless population since the COVID pandemic began. Plus, temperatures in the area are expected to dip into the low 20s in the next few weeks.

"There's a lot of need out there so we're thankful when people like LaMelo step up to provide something like this," the spokesperson tells us.

NBC Charlotte's Ashley Stroehlein visited one of the Salvation Army locations that received some of the blankets ... and the staff was stoked!!

And, by the way ... we're told several Charlotte Hornets players have a great relationship with the Salvation Army. Same with the Carolina Panthers.

So, props to everyone helping out ... especially when families need it the most.

Tragic news -- 3 backcountry skiers in Colorado were found dead following a huge avalanche this week ... after being buried in more than 20 feet of tumbling ice and snow.

A group of 7 skiers was traveling between Silverton and Ophir when they accidentally triggered an avalanche near a well-known area called "The Nose" on Feb. 1, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

The report says the incident happened at an elevation of approximately 11,500 feet ... and 4 members were caught up in the avalanche.

The CAIC states the group was able to find and dig out one of the missing members ... who suffered only minor injuries.

Authorities conducted search and rescue operations to find the remaining 3 skiers … but efforts were suspended after 2 days due to "considerable" avalanche danger for the safety of the search and rescue team.

Unfortunately, the 3 other skiers were found dead, according to San Juan County officials.

Eagle County and the town of Eagle released a joint statement Wednesday ... saying, "the families of Seth Bossung, Andy Jessen and Adam Palmer are allowing us to share their names, so we can all openly acknowledge their deaths and grieve together."

"The families are surrounded by loved ones, and we are asking everyone to respect their wishes as to when and how they wish to communicate with others."

A helicopter is now required to retrieve the 3 bodies due to the damage caused by the avalanche and rugged terrain ... and they will be taken to the San Juan County Coroner's office for positive identification.

Officials say the Ophir Pass has been suspended and people should continue to avoid the area.

The National Transportation Safety Board will formally announce Tuesday the probable cause of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others.

Investigators have been working the case for more than a year ... but the NTSB says it will formally announce its findings at a virtual board meeting that will be live-streamed to the public on Feb. 9.

In the days following the crash, the NTSB said preliminary findings showed no outward evidence of engine failure.

Months later, NTSB officials said the pilot, Ara Zobayan, may have been disoriented when the aircraft was caught in deep fog.

The NTSB said in June it found evidence showing Zobayan thought he was ascending over the fog, when in reality, the helicopter was going downward.

Autopsy results showed Zobayan was NOT on alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash ... and NTSB investigators said Zobayan’s girlfriend told them he was in great shape before the accident.

Unclear if there's new evidence to refute the earlier theory, but it seems likely to us the NTSB will confirm its earlier findings.

Along with Kobe and Zobayan, seven others -- including Kobe's daughter, Gianna, and friends Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Payton Chester and Sarah Chester -- perished in the Jan. 26, 2020 crash.

The head of the organizing committee for the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori, says he will NOT be stepping down ... just days after he made some super sexist comments about women.

The 83-year-old -- who's been trying to help keep the summer Games on schedule despite the pandemic -- was in a meeting earlier this week when he reportedly said he believes women talk too much.

Mori, according to the Japanese national newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, said during the virtual meeting, "Women are very competitive. When one of them raises her hand, they probably think they have to say something, too. And then everyone says something."

He reportedly continued, "If we are going to have more women directors, someone has remarked, then meetings go on for a long time unless we restrict the comments. I'm not saying who that is."

The sexist comments were met with immediate backlash ... and the criticism grew so loud, Mori was later forced to apologize.

"The statement made at the Japan Olympic Committee was an inappropriate expression, contrary to the spirit of the Olympics and Paralympics," Mori said on Thursday.

"I am deeply remorseful. I would like to withdraw the statement. I would like to apologize for any unpleasant feelings."

Still, even with the mea culpa, there's been growing pressure on Mori to step down from his high-ranking role on the Olympics committee.

Mori, though, explained he will do no such thing ... saying, "I have been working hard and helped devotedly for seven years. I will not be stepping down."

The controversy is just the latest dark cloud surrounding the Tokyo Olympics ... the planned event has been marred by issues ever since the pandemic forced its postponement last year.

In fact, some believe the Games -- which are currently scheduled to kick off on July 23 -- will have to be canceled altogether due to COVID-19.

COVID was not a factor when Florida Gators basketball star Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court back in December, according to several prominent doctors.

The 21-year-old collapsed on the court during Florida's game against Florida State on Dec. 12. He was hospitalized in Tallahassee and later transported to the UF hospital in Gainesville. At one point, he was placed in a medically induced coma.

Johnson had tested positive for COVID months before the incident -- and there was rampant speculation the medical emergency was triggered by the virus somehow.

But, Johnson's family has just issued a statement saying the NCAA star's case has been analyzed by multiple doctors from top medical programs across the county ... and they've determined COVID did NOT have a role.

"The unanimous conclusion of all experts is that Keyontae's medical emergency was not related to or a result of a previous or current Covid diagnosis," the family said.

The family notes Keyontae's doctors consulted with physicians from the Cardiac and Vascular Institute of Gainesville, University of Washington Center for Sports Cardiology, Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Yale University School of Medicine.

As for what DID cause the incident, the family is not releasing that information at this point.

Meanwhile, Johnson was released from the hospital just before Christmas and has rejoined the Florida Gators basketball program -- though he's not expected to play anymore this season.

"He will spend the rest of the season focused on being the best coach and teammate he can be," the family says.

"What comes next for Keyontae is for him to share on his own timeline."

If Deshaun Watson is indeed traded, keep an eye on Denver as a landing spot -- 'cause the QB's former teammate, Kareem Jackson, tells TMZ Sports the disgruntled NFL star has "interest" in the Broncos.

Jackson -- who played with Deshaun in Houston in 2017 and 2018 -- says he's spoken with Watson amid all his turmoil with the Texans ... and the Broncos All-Pro corner tells us the QB is definitely listening to the Colorado pitch.

"I had a couple of conversations with him," Jackson said of Watson. "Just with him saying that Denver is a place that's he's interested in landing."

Of course, Houston would have to be willing to trade Watson for the move to ever go down ... and so far, the team is holding firm it won't trade him -- not even for a king's ransom.

But, Watson is reportedly mulling a season-long holdout to try to get his trade wish ... and Jackson tells us landing the quarterback would be HUGE for the Broncos.

"I mean, if Deshaun Watson goes anywhere, they are automatically contenders," Jackson said. "If he has pieces around him, he's an automatic contender."

Don't get it twisted ... Jackson says the Broncos LOVE Drew Lock and the progression he's made -- the defensive back just says Deshaun is that "special."

"He can turn any franchise around."

By the way, as one of the few guys in the NFL who's played against BOTH Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady recently ... we had to get Jackson's take on this weekend's Super Bowl matchup.

O.J. Simpson is still DEEEEEEEP in the hole to the Goldman Family -- only paying $132,849.53 ... despite reportedly owing more than $70 MILLION.

... it's all according to new court documents filed by Fred Goldman in Nevada in the hopes of collecting from the ex-NFL star in the state where Simpson now lives.

Of course, back in 1997 ... O.J. was ordered to pay $33.5 million to the Goldman family after he was found liable in the killing of Ron Goldman, who was slashed to the death along with Nicole Brown Simpson in Brentwood, CA in 1994.

Interest has caused the initial $33.5 million to balloon -- it was at $57 mil in 2015, according to Goldman and there are reports that number has now cracked $70 mil.

Simpson spent several years in prison for a 2007 armed robbery -- but in 2018, after he was released, Fred Goldman claimed O.J. had resumed making money from signing autographs for collectors and he wasn't handing over the proceeds to satisfy the judgment.

So, he's filed new court docs in Nevada to keep the heat on Simpson, who regularly flaunts a carefree life on social media which shows him bouncing from golf course to golf course in the Las Vegas area, instead of hunting for "the real killer."

What do you do when your team isn't crashing the boards like you want 'em to??

Arkansas men's basketball coach Eric Musselman came up with a simple solution this week ... by flooding the team's locker room AND their cars with signs to get his point across.

Musselman wasn’t happy with his team's recent effort when it came to rebounding … so he instructed his staff to put up over 100 signs that said "DEFENSIVE REBOUND" all over the place.

Silly? Maybe. But, ya can't argue with the results ... 'cause the Razorbacks defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 61-45 Tuesday night ... and guess what -- THEY DOMINATED ON THE GLASS!!!

In fact, Arkansas out-rebounded their opponent by 11 (45-34).

Musselman was asked about the rebounding success after the game ... when he revealed his genius strategy to get everyone on board (literally).

"We felt like that was something we had to do to give ourselves a chance to win," Musselman said.

But, it didn't stop there -- Musselman even showed up to the game in a UPS uniform. Why?? He wanted the team to DELIVER.

The Razorbacks are having a strong season under Coach Musselman, they are 14-5 on the season and (6-4) in conference play.

Conor McGregor is pushing hard for a 3rd fight with Dustin Poirier -- claiming he's 100% certain he can correct the mistakes that got him knocked out cold at UFC 257.

... and Dustin Poirier is 100% on board.

The Irishman says he's been watching and re-watching the fight tape from the Jan. 24 event on Fight Island ... and was mostly impressed with his performance.

McGregor says his conditioning was top-notch, his shots still "held their pop" ... and he thinks he's finally figured out how to defend Dustin's crushing leg kicks.

"Despite the loss I am on the correct path of evolution," McGregor assured his fans in a long IG post.

Conor says he regrets not mixing up his fighting style against Dustin -- admitting he relied too heavily on his boxing skills.

"It’s what I get for picking this bout and opponent as a precursor to a boxing match against [Manny Pacquiao]," Conor says.

McGregor once again praised Dustin for getting the victory -- but says there's still some unfinished business.

"1 a piece now with a Trilogy bout for all the marbles," McGregor said, referencing his 2014 victory over Poirier.

"Not a trilogy I was expecting, nor the tactical affair I was anticipating, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t meant to be. This is exactly how this was always meant to be! Buzzing!!"

Poirier responded to Conor's post to let everyone know he's down to run it back -- "You know we are going to do it a 3rd time."

Floyd Mayweather says he's ALL THE WAY DOWN to scrap with 50 Cent -- telling the rapper to get in line and he'll beat his ass at the end of 2021.

The 43-year-old boxing legend just laid out his schedule for the year ... assuring his fans the postponed exhibition bout with Logan Paul will DEFINITELY happen before the end of the year.

But, Floyd also touched on other boxing challenges ... and responded to 50 Cent who went on V-103's "The Morning Culture" last week and said he'd love a crack at Floyd.

Remember, 50 expressed concern that Floyd is too small and wouldn't agree to a catchweight -- since Floyd usually fights at 150 lbs and Mr. Cent is closer to 180.

Now, Floyd says size doesn't matter one bit -- he'll happily accept 50's challenge.

"I also heard that 50 cent would fight me but claims I'm too small," Floyd said on IG ... "If he wants to lace up at the end of the year we can do an exhibition then."

"I don't care about weight class with any of these guys. The Paul brothers will make great money with the events, but with 50 cent It has to be Winner Takes All.'"

WHO WOULDN'T PAY TO SEE THAT?!?!!

There's more ... Floyd also says he's down to fight Logan's little bro, Jake Paul, but only if he defeats his upcoming opponent, Ben Askren, when they face off in April.

Also on the schedule, 43-year-old Mayweather says he plans to take another exhibition fight in Tokyo -- just like he did back in 2018 when he beat the dog snot out of undefeated kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.

Think the Patriots are just gonna turn on Tom Brady 'cause he led another team to the Super Bowl?!

HELL NO -- so says New England captain Lawrence Guy, who tells TMZ Sports ... Tom's former team is still rooting like hell for the QB against the Chiefs this weekend!!!

"Of course I'm rooting for Tom," said Guy, who played with the future Hall of Fame quarterback from 2017 through 2019 ... "Everybody I've talked to, that's pretty much it."

Tom didn't exactly have the most beautiful breakup with New England ... and much has been written about how this Bucs season has proved Bill Belichick and the Pats should have done more to keep him.

But, Guy tells us NONE of Tom's teammates hold any hard feelings over the departure ... saying, "Nobody's upset that he had the opportunity."

"When he left, everybody wished him luck," Guy tells us. "It wasn't like, 'Oh, man! You left us!' No, it was like, 'Hey, man. Wish you best of luck.' 'Cause that's the NFL."

For his part, Tom told reporters this week he too has no ill will toward his ex-squad ... explaining, "I have a lot of love for Boston and all of New England. Incredible support over the years. It was an amazing two decades of my life."

By the way, Guy praised the hell out of Brady for his longevity -- and even said the dude's avocado ice cream ain't half bad!!!

Lamar Odom has agreed to fight Aaron Carter in a celebrity boxing match in June, TMZ Sports has learned ... and the training is already underway!

41-year-old Odom will take on the 33-year-old Carter at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City on June 12 in a 3 round exhibition, Celebrity Boxing honcho Damon Feldman tells us.

Besides the age difference ... there's a significant height differential -- Odom is 6'10" and Carter is 6'1".

Odom obviously has a background as a professional athlete -- playing 14 seasons in the NBA.

He nearly died in 2015 from an overdose at a Nevada brothel -- and subsequently suffered several strokes and heart attacks. Some doctors didn't believe he'd fully recover.

Miraculously, Odom beat the odds and returned to the basketball court during a short stint with the BIG3 league in 2019.

Now, he's turning to boxing ... where he hopes to put a beating on Aaron Carter, who's also struggled with addiction. He sought treatment in 2017.

Both men have been busting their asses in the gym and we're told they're taking the fight very seriously ... no one wants to be the next Nate Robinson!

Sure, Aaron might appear to be the underdog -- but Carter tells TMZ Sports he "grew up street fighting" and he's ready for the challenge.

Damon Feldman -- who's been behind a ton of celebrity boxing events over the years -- says this fight has real potential to be the best one yet.

Marty Schottenheimer -- who coached in the NFL for 21 seasons -- has been moved to a hospice facility in North Carolina .... 7 years after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

The 77-year-old legend -- a member of the K.C. Chiefs Hall of Fame -- was moved to the facility near his former home in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday.

He's currently listed in stable condition "following complications from his disease," the family announced.

Marty's wife issued a statement saying, "As a family we are surrounding him with love and are soaking up the prayers and support from all those he impacted through his incredible life."

"In the way he taught us all, we are putting one foot in front of the other ... one play at a time."

Marty and his wife Pat have two children together -- their daughter Kristen and son Brian Schottenheimer, a longtime NFL assistant coach who's currently working for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Marty began his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1984 -- and took over in Kansas City in 1989, where he coached Joe Montana and Marcus Allen.

He ultimately spent 10 seasons with the Chiefs -- leading them to a 101-58-1 regular-season record. He also logged 7 playoff appearances -- and brought the team to the AFC Championship game in 1993, where they lost to the Buffalo Bills.

Just a day after calling the end of his Rams career "sour" and "not fun" ... Jared Goff is now thanking Los Angeles and his former team with a mushy goodbye note.

The 26-year-old quarterback posted the message on social media on Wednesday ... writing, "This city has shaped the man I've become and I will forever be grateful for the Kroenke family, my coaches, the support staff, and most importantly, my teammates for competing and fighting with me every Sunday."

Goff added, "From the bottom of my heart, it's been an honor to represent the city of LA."

Of course, Jared was just dealt to Detroit in a surprising trade for Matt Stafford over the weekend ... and in an interview with the L.A. Times on Tuesday, he appeared to be perplexed by the whole deal.

Goff said he hadn't talked to anyone in the Rams organization about why their relationship deteriorated so quickly, adding that he found the lack of communication "a little bit" strange.

Goff also said, "As the quarterback, as the guy that’s at arguably the most important position on the field, if you’re in a place that you’re not wanted and they want to move on from you, the feeling’s mutual."

Seems Jared's trying to let it all go now though ... explaining in his note Wednesday, "I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter and am ready to attack this new opportunity that lies ahead."

Watching Patrick Mahomes vs. Tom Brady WITHOUT a party could help save lives ... so says Dr. Anthony Fauci, who's urging people to "lay low and cool it" for this year's Super Bowl.

The infectious disease expert appeared on "Good Morning America" on Wednesday and pled with the nation to cancel SB LV parties ... fearing big gatherings for the big game could lead to the spread of coronavirus.

"The one thing you don't want to do, you don't want to be somebody that's putting a damper on anything," Fauci said, "but you don't want parties with people that you haven't had much contact with."

"You just don't know if they're infected."

Instead, Fauci suggested watching the game at home by yourself or with your housemates.

"Enjoy it," Fauci said. "Have a party in your house with your family with the people who were there."

Fauci's plea comes just days after the CDC also recommended the cancelation of large Super Bowl parties.

In their guidelines for safe Super Bowl watching, CDC officials said, "Gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest way to celebrate the Super Bowl this year."

"If you do have a small gathering with people who don’t live with you, outdoors is safer than indoors. This year, choose a safer way to enjoy the game."