Seattle Seahawks

Chad Wheeler -- a former New York Giants offensive lineman -- was just sentenced to 81 months in prison ... after he was convicted in November of roughing up his girlfriend during a violent encounter in 2021.

The 30-year-old learned his fate inside a King County, Wash. courtroom on Friday ... in front of some of his family and friends -- as well as the victim in the case, Alleah Taylor.

In addition to the nearly seven-year sentence, the judge also ordered Wheeler to have no contact with Taylor ... and to pay restitution as well. The sentence, according to court documents, is scheduled to begin immediately.

Wheeler was found guilty of one count of first-degree assault domestic violence back on Nov. 9 ... nearly three years after Taylor said he almost killed her during an altercation at their Washington apartment.

Taylor claimed Wheeler attacked her after she refused his orders to bow down to him. She alleged the football player grabbed her, threw her on a bed and choked her until she was unconscious.

Taylor said Wheeler was so violent, she suffered a concussion and an arm injury that required metal hardware to fix.

On Thursday night, just hours before Wheeler's sentencing took place, Taylor wrote on her X page, "Sending Chad to prison tomorrow!"

"I appreciate everyone that has supported me and the legal process to make this happen! It’s been a long road but we are finally here and finally receiving justice!"

6:02 PM PT -- We've got some clarity on what police say happened ... with officers claiming they pulled Richard over just before 2 AM PT because he was going 79 MPH in a 60 MPH zone.

The officers say they administered several field sobriety tests to Sherman -- who they claim admitted to drinking two margaritas earlier in the night. They say they asked Sherman to take a breathalyzer test, which they allege he declined.

We're told Sherman's expected to appear in court Monday morning to address conditions of release -- so, bail has not yet been set.

Richard Sherman -- the former cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks -- has been arrested for driving under the influence near Seattle.

According to online records, Sherman was booked into King County Jail at 7:51 AM PT on Saturday for DUI.

Washington State Patrol reportedly told the local FOX affiliate that the matter's currently under investigation, but provided no further information on the arrest.

This is the latest arrest for Sherman, who has faced his share of legal issues over the years.

Remember ... Sherman was arrested on a domestic violence burglary charge after he allegedly tried to beat down his father-in-law's door back in 2021 -- an incident that was caught on video.

Richard eventually pleaded guilty to one count of negligent driving and one count of criminal trespass for the incident ... receiving a 90-day sentence, most of which was suspended.

Sherman was also sentenced to monitored supervision for 24 months in March 2022 as part of that deal ... unclear exactly how this arrest might be impacted by that.

The former cornerback spent 11 years in the NFL, winning a championship back in 2014 with the Seattle Seahawks. He's since embarked on a career in media, appearing as a talking head on Amazon Prime NFL broadcasts.

We've reached out to Richard for comment ... so far, no word back.

Marshawn Lynch just cut a deal with prosecutors in his DUI case ... avoiding a trial that was slated to begin in Las Vegas later Wednesday.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show that as part of the agreement, the former NFL star's misdemeanor DUI charge will be reduced down to a reckless driving one if he completes several conditions.

Some of those, the docs show, include 200 hours of community service, DUI school, a $1,140 fine and keeping his nose clean for the next 12 months.

As an additional part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges Lynch had been facing.

Court records show Lynch is now due back in court for a hearing in the case in May.

Lynch's attorneys, Richard Schonfeld and David Chesnoff, said in a statement to 8 News Now following the agreement, "Mr. Lynch has not been convicted of any offense at this time. He has agreed to complete certain requirements which will result in this case being closed as a reckless driving traffic offense."

The ex-Seattle Seahawks running back was initially charged with the DUI -- as well as, among other things, one count of failure to drive in a travel lane -- back in August 2022 ... after officials accused him of getting behind the wheel of a 2020 Shelby GT500 while drunk.

Officials claimed Lynch tore up his car on the roadway ... before he parked it and fell asleep.

Police video shows when officers confronted Lynch ... he seemed uncooperative. And, after cops said he was "obstructing" their investigation, they pulled him from the car.

"Roll over," the cops could be heard telling him as they wrestled him to the ground. "Hands behind your back. No more games today."

Lynch's attorneys argued at the time "the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation" -- and therefore the DUI charge shouldn't stick.

It was a Seahawks reunion Wednesday night ... as Russell Wilson and many of his former star teammates in Seattle came together to celebrate Pete Carroll's excellent career the same day we found out he'd no longer be coaching the team.

The gathering happened at the Legions Sportsbar in Bellevue, WA ... several hours after the Seahawks revealed the 72-year-old would no longer serve as HC, but will be an advisor for the franchise going forward.

Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with Pete in 2014, shared a photo from the shindig with Carroll ... saying he is "grateful for all you've done for me, my family, teammates and so many others!"

Wilson -- a 3rd round draft pick in 2012 -- played 10 seasons under Carroll before being traded to the Broncos.

"One of the Greatest Ever," Wilson wrote on X.

"Keep Shooting” Coach. Grateful for the memories @PeteCarroll. Best is Ahead."

Wilson wasn't alone at the party ... Richard Sherman, Tyler Lockett, Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor, Sidney Rice, and Jermaine Kearse also pulled up.

Carroll told reporters during an emotional press conference Wednesday that he was grateful for his supportive wife, kids, and Seahawks organization ... and looks forward to bringing some "cool stuff" to the franchise.

2:05 PM -- Pete Carroll just spoke about the surprising move with reporters ... and he got choked up explaining how it all went down.

Pete Carroll's time as head coach of the Seahawks is over -- the team just announced the Super Bowl winner will no longer lead the Seattle sidelines ... but will remain with the organization as an advisor.

The Seahawks made the announcement minutes ago ... saying, "After thoughtful meetings and careful consideration for the best interest of the franchise, we have amicably agreed with Pete Carroll that his role will evolve from Head Coach to remain with the organization as an advisor."

"Pete is the winningest coach in Seahawks history, brought the city its first Super Bowl title, and created a tremendous impact over the past 14 years on the field and in the community."

72-year-old Carroll accumulated a 137-89-1 record at the helm since 2010 ... leading Seattle to 10 playoff appearances -- including the championship in SB XLVIII.

The move comes after the 'Hawks just barely missed the playoffs ... going 9-8 on the season despite starting quarterback Geno Smith missing time due to injury.

It's unclear if this means Carroll is done coaching for good -- if it is, he had a wildly successful career at the college and professional level ... also winning a BCS National Championship with USC in 2004.

"His expertise in leadership and building a championship culture will continue as an integral part of our organization moving forward," the team continued.

"Pete will always be a beloved member of the Seahawks family."

A Seahawks fan says Marshawn Lynch turned into Beastmode outside of a Seattle bar over the weekend ... smashing his phone during an altercation.

The Hawks supporter's name is Jose Lozano ... and he tells TMZ Sports the incident all happened in front of Xtadium in downtown Seattle on Sunday at around 1:30 AM.

Lozano says he tried to get a pic with Lynch inside of the bar earlier in the night -- but was denied by the Seahawks legend's friends ... who told him straight up, "No pictures."

However, when Lozano spotted Lynch outside of the establishment a short time later, he made one final attempt to get the former Seattle tailback to stop for a photo before he called it a night.

In video from the scene, you can see Lozano approach Lynch -- who's wearing a Beastmode sweatshirt -- and yell, "Marshawn! Beastmode! Let me a take a --."

Suddenly, though, Lynch appears to lunge at Lozano's phone -- before the footage cuts out.

Lozano tells us once the camera stopped rolling, Lynch grabbed his phone and screamed, "Y'all mother f***ers are weird," before he busted up the device with his hands. Eventually, Lozano said he was able to get the phone back just prior to Lynch leaving the area.

Lozano tells us he didn't realize his phone -- an iPhone 14 that he purchased just a few months ago -- was broken until several minutes had passed, but he said he has no intentions of going to police now over the incident because he's such a huge fan ... although he did say he wished Lynch hadn't been so "rude."

This, of course, is not the first time Marshawn has been accused of swiping at fans' phones ... back in 2017, he smacked a phone from a man's hands while out at LAX.

Drew Lock was rightfully feeling himself after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" ... turning up right in front of the cameras and appearing to let the expletives fly!!

The backup quarterback threw an absolute dime to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the final minute of Seattle's 20-17 win ... and the guy couldn't contain his emotions as he celebrated the 29-yard tuddy.

"Put that f***ing s*** on, motherf***er!!" the lip readers over at The Sporting News believe Lock said during the broadcast ... although mics didn't exactly pick up the message.

Lock was filling in for starter Geno Smith, who has missed the past two games due to a groin injury.

Many didn't expect Lock to lead his team down the field to hand the Eagles their third-straight loss and fourth on the season ... and after the game, he gave an emotional interview on what the accomplishment meant to him.

"I'll remember that play call for the rest of my life," Lock said.

"It's so hard to describe the feeling of not playing for so long -- or at least what feels like a really long time to me -- and then you sit there and watch games, you wonder, 'Can I do this still?' I haven't been out there on the field. That's the human nature of it."

Rejoice, Eagles fans ... Jalen Hurts has just arrived at Lumen Field despite dealing with a gnarly illness -- and, as of right now, the quarterback looks set to play in the pivotal game against the Seahawks.

Of course, about 24 hours ago, it was unclear if Philadelphians would see the sight -- because the signal-caller had reportedly been battling some bad flu-like symptoms last week that worsened overnight Saturday.

In fact, things apparently got so miserable for Hurts over the weekend, the Eagles officially downgraded his status for the Seattle game to "questionable."

However, Hurts eventually made his way to Washington on Sunday -- and on Monday afternoon, just a couple hours before "Monday Night Football" kickoff, he strolled into the stadium looking OK.

The 25-year-old rocked sunglasses and carried his own bags ... moving without any noticeable hitch in his gait.

The Eagles could certainly use his presence -- they need to keep winning if they want to hold off the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East crown.

A day after blasting NY Giants fans, Evan Neal is walking back the harsh comments ... admitting he was out of line when he attacked the loyal fanbase.

“I am wrong for lashing out at the fans who are just as passionate and frustrated as I am,” 23-year-old Neal wrote on X Wednesday night.

“I let my frustrations in my play + desire to win get the best of me. I had no right to make light of anyone's job and I deeply regret the things I said."

"We are working day in and day out to grow as a team and this was an unnecessary distraction. I apologize.”

Of course, Neal had a rough day at the office on Monday. His poor play was one of the reasons QB Daniel Jones was sacked one short of a dozen times against the Seahawks.

Throughout the game, fans booed the last-place team ... and Evan encouraged them to "boo louder."

Neal's tone clearly changed from earlier in the week when he made the inflammatory comments.

“Most critics really don’t understand the game of football to the level that we understand it in this building. So why would a lion concern himself with the opinion of a sheep? I’m just going to focus on Evan — and getting better. I honestly do not care what anybody has to say about Evan Neal, because they’re going to talk anyway," Neal told NJ Advance Media.

Evan didn't stop there, saying, "I genuinely don’t care. Why should I? I’m in the National Football League. The person that’s commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?”

The comments irked many Giants fans -- one of the most loyal fanbases in the league -- who have been living and dying with the organization for decades. Meanwhile, Neal arrived less than 2 years ago.

But, give Evan credit for apologizing. Whether fans accept it remains to be seen.

The woman involved in the car crash that killed Alex Collins on Sunday night was "hysterical" after the wreck ... telling cops she did not realize the force of the collision had sent the former NFL star into her vehicle.

"I can't find him!" she can be heard saying in the 911 audio, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The call was placed just a few minutes after Collins' motorcycle had collided with the woman's SUV at around 10:20 PM in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla.

The woman told dispatch that Collins had "hit me from behind" ... though she was frantic -- because she had no idea where his body had gone after the crash had occurred.

"I'm trying to look to see where he is," she said.

Minutes later, bystanders can be heard in the background of the call telling her Collins was in her car -- screaming at her to open the vehicle's door ASAP.

As we reported, authorities eventually pronounced Collins dead at the scene. He was just 28 years old.

The NFL community mourned his passing on Monday ... with his former teammates Russell Wilson, Geno Smith and Robert Griffin III all honoring him with tribute posts on their social media pages.

Others around the league -- including Tyler Lockett, Jimmy Graham and Marlon Humphrey -- sent their condolences as well.

"Always quick to greet everyone with a smile, he was a genuinely kind person who carried a special joy and passion wherever he went," said Collins' former team, the Baltimore Ravens. "May Alex always be remembered for the light and love he brought to so many people in his life."

Marshawn Lynch has made a career change ... the ex-NFL running back is now an actor -- and on Tuesday, the sports world found out his first major part is a starring role in a teen sex comedy movie.

Seriously.

The flick is called "Bottoms" -- and while it's been announced for a while now that Lynch would have a place in the movie ... in the first look at the picture's trailer, you can see the former Seattle Seahawks star has a MAJOR part in it all.

Lynch plays a high school teacher who helps two students run a fight club ... and based on the two-minute preview, Lynch has a significant presence in the very R-rated, raunchy movie.

Lynch can be heard in the clip dropping the f-word ... and at one point, telling two students, "You created a fight club to get some c****ie. You don't even know how to work that thing!"

The 37-year-old seems very pleased by his new work on the Silver Screen ... he tweeted out the trailer, while commenting, "yo boi done made it to the big screen."

The Seattle Seahawks are moving on from the Russell Wilson era -- the team just gave away the Super Bowl-winning quarterback's number to newly-signed cornerback Artie Burns.

The 'Hawks updated their 90-man roster this week ... and it shows there will be a new player sporting No. 3 for the first time since the 9-time Pro Bowler was traded to the Denver Broncos in March 2022.

There's a chance it might just be a placeholder for Burns if he ends up making the final 53-man roster ... as there are literally only two other numbers (43 and 48) available that aren't already taken or retired by the franchise, and defensive backs can only wear numbers 0-49.

As the Seahawks make offseason adjustments, it's entirely possible Burns -- who returned to Seattle earlier this week -- snags a different set of digits if/when they become available.

Burns -- who wore No. 21 in three games for Seattle last season -- wasn't able to get his old jersey back after rejoining the team ... as it was already given to rookie Devon Witherspoon.

Wilson is obviously one of the greatest players in franchise history ... and it would be a no-brainer to retire his number when he hangs up his spikes, despite the messy breakup that led to his trade out of Seattle.

It ain't C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, or Anthony Richardson ... no, according to Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, Bryce Young is this year's top quarterback prospect!!

The ex-Seattle Seahawks superstar broke it down for TMZ Sports on the eve of the NFL's annual draft ... telling us he thinks the Univ. of Alabama signal-caller is the top dog at the position for 2023.

"Bryce Young is my favorite," Moon said ... before adding, "I think he's going to be a tremendous pro."

Moon said he loves the 21-year-old's instincts, leadership abilities, and track record of playmaking ... although he did concede he has at least some concern about the quarterback's 5-foot-10 frame.

Then again, Moon told us he thinks even that's a bit overblown ... saying guys like Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson have found plenty of success despite similar statures.

As for who his second favorite quarterback in the draft is ... Moon told us Ohio State's Stroud slides into that spot for him.

When it comes to Levis and Richardson, he said he's a fan of them too ... but he told us they'd really benefit from sitting on an NFL bench for a year and learning from a veteran QB.

Russell Wilson says he loves Pete Carroll and NEVER wanted him booted out of Seattle ... contradicting a new report claiming the star QB demanded the Seahawks coach be fired.

"I love Pete [Carroll] and he was a father figure to me and [General Manager John Schneider] believed in me and drafted me as well. I never wanted them fired. All any of us wanted was to win," Russell wrote on social media.

"l’ll always have respect for them and love for Seattle."

The statement from the 34-year-old is a direct response to a story published by The Athletic on Friday morning ... which claimed Wilson demanded the two men be fired in February 2022, believing they were holding him back from winning another Super Bowl. The outlet cited league sources.

The report claims Wilson -- who played 10 seasons in Seattle -- had a preferred replacement in mind for Carroll ... Sean Payton, who'd just made the decision to leave the New Orleans Saints after 15 seasons.

If Russ actually did request a trade, team ownership opted to stand behind Pete and John. Team brass met a few days after the alleged request and decided to ship the 9-time Pro Bowler out of Washington via a trade.

Wilson was sent to Denver, where he signed a 5-year, $245 million extension. Russ was bad, and the Broncos had a terrible season, finishing last in the AFC West with a 5-12 record.

In fact, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired before the season ended ... and interestingly, Payton was hired as the new head coach.

Russell Wilson clearly ain't winning any beauty pageants if Tariq Woolen is a judge -- the Seahawks star says he couldn't have been less impressed by the quarterback's physique this year, comparing it to a bag of spuds!!!

Woolen let the jabs fly on the "2 Up 2 Down Podcast" earlier this month ... when the rookie cornerback was asked what his first impressions of Wilson were when the Hawks played the Broncos back in September.

Woolen said he expected to see a well-built athlete -- given that he had watched Russ on TV for the last decade or so -- but when the signal-caller appeared before him at Lumen Field ... he said he was downright shocked.

"When you see him in person, it's like, weird," the 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive back said. "He's like a sack of potatoes."

The comment drew a huge laugh from the pod's hosts -- but Woolen didn't stop the Russ roast sesh there.

"Literally when I seen him," the Pro Bowler said, "I'm like, 'Dang, I didn't know he was built like that.' And he was short. I'm tall anyway but I was like, 'Damn, he's that short?!'"

FYI -- Russ is listed at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds -- and when he's been spotted without his shirt on over the years ... he sure looks great to us. But, clearly, Woolen has some higher standards.

The 23-year-old, though, did give Wilson at least some props ... saying on the pod, "The crazy thing is he's athletic. He's athletic and he's a good player."