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The demonstrations in the NFL continued in Foxboro on Thursday night -- where three Philadelphia Eagles players stayed inside the tunnel during the national anthem.

Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Bennett and De'Vante Bausby stood quietly in the field entrance tunnel while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played out before the Eagles took on the New England Patriots.

All three came out onto the field when the song ended.

Jenkins and Bennett have been leaders in the demonstration movement -- Jenkins has raised his fist during the anthem while Bennett has sat down.

Both players have said they are demonstrating to help put a spotlight on racial injustice and police violence in minority communities.

5:48 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us as they were leaving, a member of Thug's crew ran into a police cruiser, prompting the vehicle search which uncovered the weapons.

Young Thug was busted by cops after they allegedly found the rapper and members of his crew in possession of multiple weapons.

Thug held a party at Dave & Buster's Hollywood Thursday for the release of his new album, "Slime Language," that also was serving as his 27th birthday party. In a video shot outside the venue, officers can be seen escorting the rapper in handcuffs to a waiting police cruiser.

YT was booked just after 3 AM for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle ... a felony.

He's currently being held on a $35,000 bond.

It's been 192 days since Super Bowl LII ... but in case anybody in New England forgot what happened that game -- Eagles fans have them covered WITH A BIG-ASS FLYING BANNER!!

The Pats and Eagles play in a little S.B. rematch Thursday night ... and Philly fans were kind enough to remind New England how their last go-around went -- with an airplane over Gillette Stadium.

The sign -- in big, bold, red letters -- reads, "41-33 Philly Philly SB LII."

Of course ... the Eagles whooped the Pats, 41-33, to win their first-ever Super Bowl back in February.

A lot less is on the line in preseason Week 2 ... but we're pretty sure Tom Brady's still pissed.

Almost 50 YEARS after Arnold Schwarzenegger won the 1969 Mr. Universe competition -- he has finally been reunited with his 1st place trophy ... after it went missing decades ago!!

The story is wild ... Arnold won the contest in London back when he was around 22 years old -- during his second year as a pro bodybuilder.

But, he gave the hardware to his mother ... who ended up giving it away to a fan without telling her son and it went missing for years!

Arnold got a tip about the trophy during a visit to a local gym in Budapest -- when the owner put him in touch with a bench press champion named Lorand Berke ... the fan who visited Arnold's mom!

Berke brought the trophy back to Arnold -- who verified it was authentic!

Now, Arnold says he's "pumped up" to get it back and promises to get Lorand a replacement trophy as a reward.

Pretty cool, right?

Josh Gordon's off-season is WAY more complicated than we thought -- the Browns WR is in the middle of a nasty child support war ... and if he doesn't make things right, he could go to jail.

Christina Lockhart has been fighting like hell to get the troubled NFL star to fork over child support for their 3-year-old daughter for years ... but it's been a fight every step of the way. She clearly feels Gordon's screwing her over.

Lockhart recently got a court order forcing Gordon to pay $6,765 per month starting August 1 ... but her lawyer told WKYC she has NOT received the payment.

The child support figure is tied to Gordon's 2018 salary with the Browns -- $800,000 -- but there's a catch.

Gordon's attorney claims in court docs the WR won't get his first paycheck until September 9 -- Week 1 of the NFL season.

But, in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge clearly outlines the penalty for missing payments -- up to 30 days in jail for the first violation, 60 days for the second violation and 90 days for the third.

It's now clear why Donald Trump pretended not to know his Chief of Staff fired Omarosa, because he and his family were clearly on a campaign to buy her silence ... or at least to hush her up and not talk trash.

Omarosa just released another secret audio recording ... this time with Eric Trump's wife, Lara, and it's shocking. She straight-up offers her around $180k to work on Trump's reelection campaign -- what she made at the White House, but there's a string attached.

Lara says, "It sounds a little like, obviously, that there are some things you've got in the back pocket to pull out. Clearly if you come on board the campaign, we can't have ..." and then she says Omarosa's got to keep it positive.

Here's what's really shocking ... General Kelly told Omarosa she was being fired for financial improprieties involving "integrity" issues that could run her afoul of the law. She wasn't fit for the White House, but she's fit for Trump's reelection campaign?

Aretha Franklin, known for having one of the greatest voices in music history, and for hits like "Respect," and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" ... died Thursday after a long battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Aretha passed away in her Detroit home where she was under hospice care. She'd been in failing health for many months and she was down to 86 pounds. One source told us he was informed more than a week ago that Aretha could go at any time.

She was surrounded by friends and family when she passed. Her family released a statement, saying, "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family."

She had appeared incredibly frail in recent years, and rarely performed live. Her most recent appearance was last November for Elton John's AIDS Foundation 25th Anniversary Benefit.

Aretha's career is just incredible. Born in Memphis in 1942, her family eventually relocated to Detroit where she began singing in her father's church. She was such a powerhouse gospel singer, she landed a Columbia record deal in the early '60s.

Her string of chart-topping hits began with her Atlantic Records deal in 1967.

Aretha's achievements in the late '60s were remarkable for any artist, but especially so for a black woman in the midst of the Civil Rights movement. She held the record for the most entries on the Hot 100 list of any female artist for nearly 40 years, only to be dethroned in 2017 by Nicki Minaj.

She won 18 Grammys and was the first woman ever inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Aretha delivered a powerful rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" -- while wearing that unforgettable hat -- at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration.

Throughout her career, Aretha was known for delivering incredible one-off live performances, including at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors show where she sang 'Natural Woman' in honor of the song's co-writer, Carole King.

The Queen of Soul was 76. She is survived by her 4 sons.

RIP

Dez Bryant just touched down in Cleveland ... and the dude's already signing Browns gear!!

The free agent wide receiver was spotted scribbling his signature on a Browns helmet at Cleveland Hopkins Airport on Thursday ... right before he's scheduled to meet with the team.

FYI -- Cleveland's had a lot of trouble getting a hold of Dez ... with Browns GM John Dorsey saying Bryant wasn't returning any of his phone calls last week.

But, Dez quickly responded with a tweet saying he would be making a visit to The Land this week ... adding he "wouldn't mind playing for the Browns."

The Detroit Lions are remembering the city's greatest singer -- sending their "deepest condolences to the family and friends of Aretha Franklin."

The Lions tweeted out, "Aretha was a groundbreaker and an icon whose legacy will live on forever."

Aretha famously busted out a FOUR-AND-A-HALF MINUTE rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at a Lions game on Thanksgiving 2016 ... one of the greatest National Anthem performances ever.

Former Detroit Pistons star Isiah Thomas also showed Aretha some love -- tweeting, "Rest In Peace dear friend, I will remember your wisdom, laughter and music you gave us. #aintnoway #natuaralwoman #sayalittleprayerforyou."

The Detroit Tigers honored Aretha by posting a tribute on their video board ... with the message "Forever our queen."

ESPN's Jemele Hill -- who's from Detroit -- also weighed in ... saying, "Rest in power, Aretha. You were not only the Queen of Soul, but a warrior, a survivor, an icon, and a protector. You are Detroit’s heartbeat. Rest well, Queen."

Hill added, "Aretha was Detroit’s sister, auntie, momma, Queen and homegirl — all in one career. There are few people that defend, honor and protect someone the way we did Aretha. You can talk about our economy, and our crime, but say something about Re-Re, and you’ll get dealt with. Quick."

NASCAR star Kasey Kahne says he's stepping away from being a full-time driver -- explaining the grind is taking too much of a toll on his personal life.

"I've thought about this decision for many months, if not longer," the 38-year-old said ... "It's time for me to step away from racing in NASCAR full time."

Kahne says he's "at ease" with his decision because when it comes down to it -- "The highs didn't outweigh the lows and the grueling schedule takes a toll on your quality of life."

"I need to spend more time doing the things I enjoy and love and that's spending time with [my son] Tanner and my sprint car teams."

"I've had a great career in racing and met so many amazing people and fans along the way, some that I'll remain in touch with for life. We still have some work to do this year in the #95 and I look forward to finishing the season with this team."

J.J. Watt revealed his big-ass broken leg scar while unveiling his new kicks Thursday ... and the remnants from his season-ending surgery last year are NASTY.

Remember ... the Texans star fractured his tibial plateau back in an Oct. 8 game against the Chiefs -- and he's been working like a mad man to get back to the field.

While showing off his new "Reebok JJ II's," Watt also put the scar -- which looks like it's about half a foot long!! -- on display ... and described his grueling comeback process.

"You have to work and grind to rebuild," Watt says.

"It's dirty. It's hard. It's not easy. It's not fun. But, there's beauty in the struggle. It's time for a fresh start."

Judging by J.J.'s most recent trip to the gym ... we're pretty sure that "fresh start" is gonna come with a whole lot of ass-kicking.

The Padres might suck ... but here's something about the team that doesn't -- Craig Stammen's epic Trevor Hoffman socks!!

The team's honoring its newest Hall of Famer this weekend with a statue and a bunch of cool Hoffman giveaways ... but Craig got an early jump on the celebration with some heat on his feet.

The socks feature the Padres' legendary closer mid-windup, surrounded by flames -- which is appropriate, since the dude's walk-up song WAS "Hells Bells."

FYI -- Stance makes the gear -- and a pair goes for about $20 ... but looks like they're only available at Petco Park's team store.

As for Craig ... he threw a perfect, 7-pitch eighth inning ... but, of course, the Pads still lost.

Well, this is interesting ...

Serena Williams -- who owns a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins -- says she's convinced, if a team hired Colin Kaepernick, he would win the Super Bowl.

However, she's also convinced no one will ever hire Colin Kaepernick.

It's all part of her new interview with Time -- where Serena says she supports the rights of NFL players to protest during the national anthem.

When asked specifically about Colin -- whom she's only met twice -- Williams said she doubts an NFL team will hire him, especially after he filed his collusion grievance against the league.

But, as the Time article states, "She’s convinced Kaepernick would win a Super Bowl."

"He’d have so much to prove," Williams said ... "I would. I can’t imagine he would be any different. 'Man, I’m about to show out. Y’all gonna see stuff you’ve never seen before.'"

Interesting, since some think the Dolphins could use a QB right now ...

Williams also says she doesn't believe Kaepernick is a broken man because of the alleged blackballing -- she thinks it's the opposite because he's focusing on raising money for nonprofits.

"Colin is happy with what he’s doing ... Some people are different. He’s just different."

Denver Broncos DE Adam Gotsis has just learned prosecutors will NOT push forward with rape charges stemming from allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in 2013.

Gostis was arrested on March 7 in Fulton County, Georgia after a woman told authorities the football star vaginally raped her while they were both college students at Georgia Tech.

The Fulton County District Attorney's Office launched a full investigation -- but ultimately decided there was not enough evidence to prove Gotsis committed the crime.

"After a careful and thorough investigation, The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to proceed with the case against Mr. Adam Gotsis," D.A. Paul Howard Jr. said in a statement.

"My office understands the sensitivity and significance of these investigations, but the evidence presented does not warrant any further action in this case."

The Montreal Alouettes have placed Johnny Manziel in the concussion protocol following a massive hit he took on Saturday -- though the QB says it's Rx medication that's making him feel off.

Manziel took a monster shot at the goal line in Saturday's game against the Ottawa Redblacks -- his body went limp, he fumbled the ball and looked woozy after the play. However, he stayed in the game.

Manziel missed practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and now the team has issued a statement saying the QB has medical concerns.

"On Tuesday morning Johnny Manziel mentioned to our medical staff that he felt symptoms that could be associated with the prescribed medication he uses for a previously diagnosed medical condition."

FYI, Manziel has previously stated that he takes medication for bipolar disorder.

However, it's clear the team believes Manziel's condition may not be solely related to the meds -- suggesting he may have suffered a concussion in Saturday's game.

"In view of the hit he received on Saturday and the potential mitigating side effects of his prescribed medication, the Alouettes medical staff has placed Manziel under the CFL concussion protocol for further observation and precautionary reasons."

"Manziel will be closely observed and assessed over the next few days."

DeAndre Hopkins had to dodge punches like they were Iggy Azalea dating rumors Wednesday ... 'cause 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward tried to mess up his face during practice!!

It all went down in Houston -- where the Niners are in town for a joint workout with the Texans -- when Hopkins didn't like that Ward ripped off his helmet during a 1-on-1 rep.

The superstar wide receiver shoved the DB ... took a swing -- and then had to FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE as the whole 49ers squad swarmed.

D-Hop was eventually taken to the ground and a pig pile formed ... but when it all unfolded, everyone was alive and practice carried on.