Baltimore Ravens

Even though Lamar Jackson seemed shocked the Ravens traded Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, the receiver says it's all cap -- claiming the QB knew about it.

The Ravens made the swap with the Cardinals during the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday night ... exchanging the 24-year-old wideout and a 3rd-rounder for the 23rd overall pick.

The deal came off as a surprise for NFL fans and players -- including Jackson, who wrote in a tweet, "Wtf."

He also retweeted a fan's comment that said, "WHAT THE F***ING F*** BRO! WE TRADED AWAY HOLLYWOOD 💔💔💔💔💔"

But, Brown says the former NFL MVP knew he wanted out ... saying on the "I Am Athlete Tonight" SiriusXM radio show that he talked to Jackson several times about leaving the Ravens.

"Nah, he wasn't surprised," Brown said. "I talked to Lamar about it after my second year. Then, after my third year leading up to the end of the season, you know, he wasn't playing. I let him know again like, 'Yeah bro, I can't do it.'"

Brown insists his request to leave Baltimore had nothing to do with Jackson, but more about the Ravens' offense in general.

"I love Lamar," Brown said, "The system wasn't for me, personally. I love all my teammates. I love the guys, but it was something I had to think about for myself."

The relationship between Brown and the Ravens ended on good terms, according to the receiver ... who said, "We both handled it the right way."

"I didn't go out and make anything public. I just kept it in house, kept working and it all worked out."

Brown was the first receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft and caught 2,361 yards and 21 touchdowns during his three seasons with the Ravens.

Now, he will reunite with his former Oklahoma QB, Kyler Murray, in Arizona.

"Let's run it back!" Murray said after the trade. "Hollywood to the desert … Y'all welcome my boy!"

Lamar Jackson is showing once again he's got MVP game both on the field and off of it ... surprising kids at his old elementary school on Wednesday with signed jerseys and books.

The Baltimore Ravens star pulled up to his former Cypress Elementary stomping grounds in Florida to deliver the gifts ... and in pics from his visit, you can see everyone was thrilled to hang with the quarterback.

Lamar personalized autographs on some of the Ravens jerseys he brought for the kids ... and he also handed out copies of his children's book, "I Dream, You Dream, Let Us Dream," which he wrote to inspire kids worldwide.

In addition to putting a smile on the kids' faces, Jackson also visited with his former first-grade teacher -- who he shared a warm embrace with.

Officials at the school were pumped over the QB's visit ... tweeting Wednesday afternoon, "It's a great day at Cypress when NFL Quarterback Lamar Jackson comes to give copies of his book to our students!"

NFL running back Gus Edwards says his diamond chain and fancy watch were taken at gunpoint outside of an L.A. strip club back in December -- and now, he's suing the place and its valet service, claiming the heist was all their fault.

The 26-year-old Baltimore Ravens player spelled out the allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying he and his friend, Loomis Zayzay, were at Crazy Girls on Dec. 11, 2021 when the robbery went down.

Edwards says he and Zayzay drove their vehicle to the club's valet and paid the $60 fee to leave their ride there. Edwards says the two then entered the venue, and paid another $800 to sit in a private area guarded by security.

But, Edwards says after about an hour, Crazy Girls employees began fighting -- so the two men left. When they went to pick up their car at the valet outside the club, Edwards says five masked men -- each holding a firearm -- got out of a car, confronted them, and demanded their jewelry.

Edwards says he and Zayzay attempted to fend off the robbers -- but, in the suit, the football player says the men eventually ended up taking his $50,000 custom necklace and $25,000 watch. Edwards says Zayzay's $60,000 Audemars Piguet watch was also stolen in the altercation.

Edwards says they obtained video of the incident that showed Crazy Girls security guards made no attempt to intervene in the robbery. Edwards also says the club's head of security told them to call 911.

In the docs, Edwards says cops showed up and took a report, and everyone went home.

But, roughly a week later, Edwards says a person with the username "Johnny Blaze" sent him a message on Instagram, and told him he had been "set up by the valet." Edwards also says "Blaze" told him the jewelry had been taken to a local jewelry business. Edwards claims in his suit the jeweler there "confirmed that someone did try to sell him" Edwards and Zayzay's jewelry, though he declined to purchase it all.

Edwards and Zayzay are now suing the club and the valet service, asking for more than $800,000 in damages.

We reached out to Edwards' attorney, Jason J. Chong, for a statement ... but he declined to comment. We also reached out to Crazy Girls for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Call Le'Veon Bell all the bad things you can think of, but the dude already beat you to it -- the NFL's newest free agent just roasted himself in his own Twitter bio ... saying he's washed, slow and even a bad rapper!!!

Bell's playing days in Baltimore are over -- the Ravens announced yesterday that they waived the former Pro Bowl running back after struggling in five games with the team.

Bell -- who signed with Baltimore back in September -- saw limited action in his brief tenure ... rushing for just 83 yards on 31 attempts and registering 2 touchdowns.

With the roster move, Bell ended up getting ahead of all the expected chatter on social media ... updating his Twitter bio to reflect what he feels everyone's been thinking and saying about him.

"#Washed #FellOff #Slow #BadRapper #WastedTalent #Clown #Greedy #LetDown #Old #OverRated Anything else I'm forgetting?," Bell wrote.

Of course, when the Ravens acquired Bell, they took a chance by kicking the tires on a running back whose most productive days are probably behind him ... but they were in desperate need of help after season-ending injuries to Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.

So, people can't be too surprised this was the end result of the Bell experiment in Baltimore ... but it's Twitter, so haters gonna hate.

Lamar Jackson was Gucci for his Louisville jersey retirement ceremony -- literally -- pullin' up in an $8,000 fit from the luxury line!

The 24-year-old QB was at Cardinal Stadium on Saturday to celebrate the retirement of his No. 8 jersey during the Louisville vs. Syracuse game ... and he clearly had his drip together.

LJ was Gucci-ed out head-to-toe -- you can see the Baltimore Ravens star was wearing a huge, green nylon vest with a GG jacket and Gucci t-shirt underneath. He also had matching GG canvas jogging pants.

The quarterback made sure his kicks matched his Gucci theme too ... rockin' green and red White Tiger Ace sneakers.

In total, the whole fit cost over $8k!!

Here's a breakdown (per the Gucci site):

-Down padded nylon vest -- $2,500
-GG canvas jogging pants -- $1,020
-Music shirt -- $650

The GG jacket is listed for $3,405 elsewhere ... and the sneakers have been known to carry a price tag of $690 too.

Don't worry, the 2019 NFL MVP can splurge on the outfit since he's made over $9 million in his 4-year career ... and he's expected to ink a massive new contract soon.

If Lamar Jackson ends up breaking all of Michael Vick's records ... the NFL legend says he's just fine with it -- explaining to TMZ Sports he's actually rooting for it to happen.

We got the former Falcons and Eagles superstar at LAX just before Lamar took on the Dolphins on Thursday ... and the ex-QB said he's ready for Jackson to snatch all of the trophies off his mantle.

"Hell yeah I'm rooting for it," Vick said. "It's for the good of the game of football. Records are made to be broken, baby."

Jackson is on his way to demolishing one of Vick's huge records this season ... 'cause he just tied Mike's mark for most 100-yard rushing games in NFL history this past Sunday, and could surpass it with one more big rushing performance in the next few weeks.

Lamar is also less than 2,600 yards away from catching Vick for most all-time rushing yards by a QB.

While the four-time Pro Bowler says he hasn't yet had a chance to talk with Jackson about it all yet ... he says he knows all of his marks are in the Ravens star's sights.

"I know he gunning for it," Vick said. "I know he gunning for it."

Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison caught a stray bullet in the calf while at a gathering in Cleveland during the teams bye week, Baltimore announced on Monday, saying fortunately the injuries are not life-threatening.

Harrison, 23, was a third-round draft pick of the Ravens in 2020. Malik has played in all 7 of the Ravens games this seasons, racking up 44 combined tackles.

"On Sunday night while attending a gathering in Cleveland, Malik Harrison sustained a non-life-threatening injury after being struck by a stray bullet in the left calf," the Ravens said in a statement.

"Malik, who received medical care at a local hospital, has been in touch with our team doctors and will return to Baltimore today."

It's unclear what kind of event 6'3", 247 lb. Harrison attended ... or who was the intended target of the shooting.

Harrison -- who was First Team All-Big Ten at Ohio State in 2019 -- has played in 23 games throughout his 2-year professional career ... compiling 66 total tackles.

The first place Ravens are set to take on the Vikings in Baltimore this Sunday. It's unclear how much time Harrison will miss.

Patrick Mahomes was clearly less than pleased to see his little brother pouring water on smack-talking Ravens fans ... telling reporters Wednesday, "Obviously it's something we don't necessarily want to do."

Jackson Mahomes was caught on camera dousing Baltimore supporters with a bottle of water following the Chiefs' loss at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.

The video -- which shows fans jabbing at Jackson after the game before he tossed the liquid all over them -- quickly went viral ... and Patrick said in his weekly meeting with media members that he wasn't thrilled with it all.

The Chiefs star, though, did seem to at least understand the impulsive act ... saying, "There was things said to him and [my fiancée] Brittany that you don't see kind of on the clip."

Still, Patrick is hoping Jackson learns from the situation and deals with it in a different manner going forward.

"He's been good at not trying to respond to that stuff," Patrick said. "He takes a lot and he's usually pretty good at it."

"He'll learn from it and just try to stay away from those people best he can."

Patrick Mahomes' brother, famous TikTokker Jackson Mahomes, was so tired of being heckled by Ravens fans Sunday ... he straight-up doused the men with water.

The scene went down just minutes after Patrick's Chiefs lost a heartbreaker in Baltimore, 36-35 ... when Ravens fans appeared to be talking smack to Jackson.

In footage of the incident, you can hear people telling the younger Mahomes, "I'm so sorry for you! I'm so sorry for you!"

Another fan added, "Go home, Jackson!"

Eventually, Jackson grew so annoyed with the ribbing ... he pulled out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and threw the contents all over the Ravens supporters.

Jackson then headed up the stairs to get inside one of the suites at M&T Bank Stadium.

The Baltimore fans didn't appear to be too shaken up by the water-tossing ... they celebrated with glee after Jackson left his seat.

Lamar Jackson is about to be immortalized in Louisville ... the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner is getting a statue in his honor at Cardinal Stadium!!

Of course, the Baltimore Ravens MVP only left the school 4 years ago ... but the Cards wanted to waste NO time getting the ball rolling on the major tribute .... with Athletic Director Vince Tyra making the announcement during "The Deener Show" on Monday.

Tyra didn't expand on any of the details like location, timeframe or how big the statue will be ... but knowing Jackson's impact on the school, we can only expect it to be nothing short of incredible.

From 2015-17 with the Cardinals, Jackson had a total of 9,043 passing yards, 4,132 rushing yards and 119 overall touchdowns!

LJ also broke records ... having the most rushing yard and rushing touchdowns for the Cardinals football program.

On top of that, he's the youngest player -- and first Cardinals player -- to ever win the Heisman ... and first to make the All-American team for Louisville.

Now, the 24-year-old is entering his 4th season with the Ravens and has made the playoffs ever season -- but eventually hopes to win the Super Bowl.

NFL star Marcus Peters is UNLOADING on the L.A. Rams ... trashing the team as "disrespectful" following his trade in 2019 ... saying straight-up, "f*** them."

The 28-year-old Ravens cornerback spoke about his unexpected departure on ex-teammate Aqib Talib's "Catchin' Fades" podcast this week ... admitting he was "pissed off" when the Rams turned around and traded for Jalen Ramsey right after he was shipped to Baltimore.

"F*** them, that’s how I was feeling," Peters said. "I’m still feeling like that because I felt disrespected in the sense of, yeah y’all can trade me, that’s a part of the business."

"But, two minutes after that, you bring in another guy who do the same s*** I do, maybe a little bit different."

Of course, Peters is referring to the Rams making a blockbuster trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars ... bringing in Ramsey in exchange for a pair of 1st round picks and a 4th rounder.

Peters says the move didn't make sense, explaining he feels he brought more to the table ... and he believes it may have cost the Rams a Super Bowl win.

"If we play this compare game, I do a little bit more. That s*** was disrespectful to me. If we could have gone a little bit more, we'd have had a [championship] that year, too."

Talib was also traded from the Rams just a few weeks after Ramsey came into the picture ... and Peters is adamant the team had bigger problems outside of the secondary.

"I don't think we was the problem. I don't think that we were the issue that was holding the Rams back from taking the steps of where we needed to get to."

Talib never played another down of NFL football due to injury ... and Peters went on to thrive with the Ravens, earning 8 interceptions in 28 games.

Peters also signed a 3-year, $42 million extension in December 2019 to stay in Baltimore ... which provides a bit of silver lining in the end.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith and his family were reportedly robbed at gunpoint after arriving in Los Angeles earlier this week ... but thankfully, the team says everyone is now safe.

The 32-year-old former Super Bowl champ and his family arrived at LAX with his family Tuesday night ... and were followed to their hotel, according to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec.

Once the group arrived at the hotel, the report says they were robbed at gunpoint ... but no one was injured during the incident.

We're working on getting more information regarding the incident.

The Ravens released a statement Friday saying they've been in touch with the former first-round pick and have confirmed he and his family are doing okay.

"We are aware of the situation involving Jimmy Smith," the team said Friday. "We have spoken with Jimmy, and he and him family are safe."

Smith -- who grew up in Southern California -- has been with the Ravens for 10 seasons, signing a 1-year deal for $6 million last March.

Lamar Jackson is giving a huge shoutout to the Bills Mafia ... thanking the fanbase for flooding his charity with more than $360k in donations after suffering a concussion against Buffalo on Saturday.

Aside from smashing tables and other tailgate debauchery, the Bills Mafia is well-known for coming together to financially support causes tied to their players and opponents over the past few years.

After Lamar went down in the 3rd quarter of the Bills' 17-3 win over the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs, fans decided to show support by making donations to the QB's "Blessings in a Backpack" movement, which helps fight childhood hunger.

The former MVP took notice of the move on Monday ... heaping praise on the fans for their awesome gesture.

"Appreciate that #BillsMafia," Jackson said on Twitter. "Means A lot not to only me but those kids as well."

Remember, Bills fans shelled out more than $415k to Andy Dalton's foundation when he led Cincinnati to a Week 17 win over the Ravens in 2017 ... which helped Buffalo secure a playoff spot for the first time in forever.

The Bills Mafia also came together for their own QB when Josh Allen's grandma, Patricia, passed away the day before a game earlier this season ... donating more than $1 MILLION to the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo in her name.

Robert Griffin III is no longer a backup to Lamar Jackson ... the Baltimore Ravens waived the former Heisman Trophy winner following their loss to the Bills this weekend.

The team made the announcement Monday ... cutting ties with RGIII after he had been on the roster for the past three seasons.

Griffin III never quite had a huge impact in Baltimore, he only played in 14 games, and threw for just 288 yards in those contests.

But, the fact that Griffin III was able to secure a spot on the team for so long says a lot about the 30-year-old ... remember, he was out of football for the entire 2017 season and some wondered if he'd ever get another shot after that.

RGIII was set to be a free agent this offseason before the Ravens' announcement Monday ... but the move could allow him to now find a new home sooner.

The quarterback reflected on the season before roster move was made official Monday ... writing on his social media page, "As year 8 comes to a close, I just want to say thank you to my teammates, the fans, & @Ravens organization."

Enormous praise from Bills legend Cornelius Bennett -- the former Buffalo star tells TMZ Sports he believes Lamar Jackson is "the closest thing that I've seen" to Barry Sanders.

Yeah ... heads up, Bills defense!!!

Bennett delivered the massive compliment to Baltimore's QB this week ... just before Buffalo will have to try to stop him in its playoff matchup with the Ravens on Saturday.

But, good news for the Bills ... Bennett says he believes Buffalo CAN slow down Lamar -- if they just use the same tactics he used against Barry in his career.

"I see so many times that guys are taking the big shot at him and missing him," Bennett says of Jackson. "It's all right to arm tackle him and lay him down softly or whatever and not get the kill shot on him."

"Because as soon as you do," Bennett continued, "you're going to be gasping for air. I know that personally trying to tackle Barry Sanders."

As for Bennett's take on the Bills' QB ... the 55-year-old tells us he's been SUPER impressed with Josh Allen's progression this season -- saying the quarterback actually reminds him a bit of Jim Kelly!

"He's grown tremendously," Bennett says.

Earl Thomas' wife claims the NFL star went ballistic the day after Christmas ... attacking her and her family and punching through a window in a drunken rage -- and she says it isn't the 1st time he's completely lost it.

But, Earl is denying all of the allegations ... we spoke with a member of his camp who says the claims are false and that the couple is on good terms.

Nina Thomas spelled it all out in court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying she's "scared" of the 31-year-old former Baltimore Ravens player following what sounds like a terrifying Dec. 26 incident.

In the docs, Nina -- who filed for divorce from Earl in November -- says she agreed to spend Christmas with Earl at her parents' house in Orange, Texas so he could be with their children.

Nina, though, says Earl "chose to stay out all night drinking" on the holiday ... and came back the next morning and flew off the handle.

Nina says after sending "harassing text messages" to her phone, Earl showed up to the house "visibly intoxicated."

Nina says he told her to "suck my d***" in front of their daughter at the residence ... and then followed Nina outside after she went to get some things for her children in the car.

Nina says Earl screamed at her in the front yard ... so she says she locked him out of the house -- and that's when she claims he snapped.

Nina says Earl "was irate and beating on the windows of the house." She claims she then called Earl's mother to try to get him to calm down, but when she arrived, Earl was "still in front of the house screaming obscenities and clearly enraged."

Nina says Earl then put his fist through one of the house's windows ... causing blood to spill all over the front porch.

Cops were called to the scene in reference to a disturbance, according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports, and officers say they were able to question Earl a short time later at the hospital over it all.

Officers say Earl told them he admitted to putting his hand through the window ... though they say Earl "reported no crime was committed to cause his injuries." The police docs list the case as "inactive."

But, in the court documents, Nina says Earl's aggression toward her and her family didn't stop there ... she says Earl "threatened to come back to my parents' house, to burn all of my things if I came back to our house in Austin, and to kick my 'ass.'"

Nina says Earl "then sent an intimate video of him and me in a group text to my parents and to our nanny." She added, "To further torment me, Earl sent an intimate video of himself and another woman to my phone."

In the docs, Nina says the whole incident was just one of several times in the past few months where Earl had terrorized her.

The 31-year-old says in June 2020, she and Earl were at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana when Earl began "acting belligerent" at the casino.

Nina says she was able to convince him to come upstairs with her to avoid any conflict with security ... but she claims once they got back to the room, Earl "decided to direct his anger towards me and started mumbling insults and calling me names."

Nina says it all escalated very quickly ... claiming, "At one point Earl threw me into the bath tub and turned the hot water on me." She says she suffered "bruising to my torso and back that required medical attention to ease the pain caused to my back."

On Oct. 9, 2020, Nina says she and Earl were celebrating her birthday when he "flew into a fit of anger and called me a 'bitch'" after she had left him to go to brunch with some of her girlfriends.

In the docs, Nina says Earl grabbed her by the back of her neck and threw food and drinks at her "while hurling insults and telling me that I am worthless." Nina says all of it caused her to have bruising on her body, which she claims to have photographed.

What's interesting is Earl had penned a love note to Nina and posted it on social media that same day.

On Oct. 22, Nina says she and Earl were at a hotel in Dallas when Earl "started mumbling rude and obscene things to me" after a night of drinking.

Nina says she went to get up to pack her things and leave, fearing escalation ... and that's when she says Earl "grabbed me by the pony tail, threw me onto the bed, and he pinned my body down."

Nina says she was eventually able to escape ... and filed for divorce just days later.

In her court docs, Nina wrote of it all, "I am scared of Earl and believe that there is a clear and present danger." She requested a restraining order, writing in the docs that she feared "both me and the children will be harmed."

According to court records, a judge granted Nina's request last week ... and ordered Earl to stay at least 400 feet away from Nina's Austin, Texas home and the children's schools.

Earl has been ordered to appear before the judge via videoconference later this month for a hearing on the matter.