NFL's Chris Johnson -- Confronted at Funeral ... Family Divided

Battle lines were drawn at the funeral of the man killed in the Chris Johnson drive-by shooting -- when the NFL star was asked to LEAVE the ceremony ... before the victim's mother stopped him and demanded that he come back inside.

Multiple sources tell us ... Johnson arrived late to the ceremony for Dreekius "Rollie" Johnson on Saturday ... but once inside, he was confronted by an angry family member who feels CJ is partly to blame for Rollie's death.

And why? We're told it all stems from CJ's friendship with a man named Kenny Turner -- who was hanging out with Chris and Rollie the night of the shooting.

Turner is a convicted criminal who spent 5 years in prison for aggravated battery stemming from a 2002 shooting incident. He's currently back behind bars for violating his probation.

Multiple sources tell us ... CJ's close friends have felt that Kenny was a bad egg -- and wanted Chris to cut him out of his life for years before something terrible happened.

We're told several family members and friends believe CJ's relationship with Kenny was a factor in the shooting -- which led to the confrontation at the funeral.

Sources tell us ... Chris began to leave the ceremony because he didn't want to be a distraction and was halfway to his car -- when the victim's mother approached him and demanded he come back inside.

We're told she doesn't blame Chris -- and told the running back in front of a group of people that she firmly believed the situation was out of his hands.

Multiple people tell us ... Chris never talked back to anyone -- he was completely respectful -- and ultimately obeyed Rollie's mother's wishes. One source tells us, "He just seemed sad."